George W. Bush - Thank You!!!

Dear President Bush,

Thank you for all you have done to preserve, protect, and defend me, my family, and my fellow countrymen from terrorism.

It has been over seven years since we were attacked and three thousand of my fellow Americans were killed. I am truly grateful for the way you have handled one of the most profound crises my country has ever faced. As commander-in-chief, I could not have felt more secure with anyone other than you at the helm.

The events of September 11, 2001 changed the face of America forever. Immediate decisions had to be made, addressing every aspect of securing our land and its people. It's beyond shame that hardly anyone has ever given you the credit deserved for having to have made those incredibly difficult decisions.

You have somehow endured the slings and arrows of the mainstream media, along with, many of those that swallowed their propaganda. All the while as you led the way on national progress, not for ideology, fame, or votes. You found compromises that would move the nation in constant step with our Constitution - which is exactly how it should be done in a democracy. You did not play dictator and force everyone to conform. You were a man of faith and always of your word.

I will miss your wisdom, and your conviction of faith, which will be all the more painful given all the reminders of those that now surround us and lead the national debates.

Thank you for being a man of integrity and an inspirational leader. America is safe because of you. May God bless you and Laura.

Jimmy Lewis
St. Clair Shores, Michigan

You Know You’re From Michigan If …

1. You consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 18 inches of ice then sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by.
2. Your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March.
3. You have worn shorts and a coat at the same time.
4. Your town has an equal number of bars and churches.
5. 'Vacation' means going up north on I-75.
6. You measure distance in hours.
7. You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.
8. You often switch from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day.
9. You can drive 55 mph through a foot of snow, during a raging blizzard, without flinching.
10. You see people wearing camouflage at social events (including weddings).
11. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
12. You carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them.
13. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
14. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
15. You know the 4 seasons as: almost winter, winter, almost spring, and road construction.
16. Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your blue spruce and birch.
17. You were unaware that there is a legal drinking age.
18. Down south means Ohio.
19. A brat is something you eat.
20. You go out to a fish fry every Friday.
21. Your 4th of July picnic was once moved indoors due to frost.
22. You have more miles on your snowmobile than your car.
23. You find 0 degrees 'just a little chilly.'
24. You drink pop and bake with soda.
25. Your doctor tells you to drink Vernors and you know it's not medicine.
26. You can actually drink Vernors without coughing.
27. You know what a Yooper is.
28. You know that UP is a place, not a direction.
29. You know it's possible to live in a thumb.
30. Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new pole barn.

Senator Retract - Harry Reid

I decided to take a break, over the long Christmas holidays, from all social and political commentary. Although the new year brings with it much hope and transformation (I know you all can't wait for the 'change'), I am not surprised, as I return to the world of news and blogging, to find the same old Harry Reid at it again.

Just two days after Harry Reid proclaimed to the world that "His" senate would never ever sit Illinois Senate designate Roland Burris, Reid pulled an about face by actually allowing Burris inside the sacred front door of the United States Senate chamber.

Harry Reid has totally caved. Dick Durbin has totally caved. On Sunday and Monday of this week they were clearly stating that the Senate and only the Senate will determine a solution, and further more, that they were not seating him. Ah ha ... and then something strange happened on Tuesday.

People began to focus on the racial aspects. The press strategically photographed Burris as this poor, bedraggled black guy surrounded by attorneys, barred from the U.S. Senate, an all-white men's club, and then giving the appearance they forced him out into the rain.

You add to that the situation with the secretary of state in Illinois, Jesse White, who said: "I'm not signing this, I'm not signing the paper necessary to make this happen," then you really do have a problem.

So what does Reid do, amongst the mounting pressure, he retracts his statement by saying: "We have nothing to do with this. This is all about the secretary of state of Illinois. The secretary of state of Illinois has to sign the certification form here." So Reid is pretending that he never, ever said anything about not letting Burris into the building or even sitting him for that matter.

Are you surprised? You shouldn't be, but in case you are, let me remind you of some of Reid's top retractions:

Just recently Senator Retract stated that "I don't work for Obama," and added "Democrats must be “very, very careful” to avoid overreaching and will not rubber-stamp President-elect Obama’s policies." He later retracted by saying he didn't work for and with Obama until the 20th of January.

And what about the long running State of Minnesota Senate Side Show (Al Franken v. Norm Coleman)?

"Coleman will never ever (there's those words again) serve," stated Reid in arguing that Norm Coleman’s career in the Senate is finished. “Norm Coleman will never ever serve [again] in the Senate. He lost the election. He can stall things, but he'll never serve in the Senate.” These statements have been made in light of the growing facts that there is substantial evidence of voter fraud and a lawsuit pending.

Reid has fretted over how fossil fuels like coal 'makes us sick.' Never mind that life expectancy, largely, fueled by industrialization and its accompanying higher living standards, continues to climb. In each case, the consequences to Reid's political career have apparently been minimal.

And who can forget this past fall when Reid said that visitors to the Capitol "stink!"

"My staff tells me not to say this, but I'm going to say it anyway," said Reid in his remarks. "In the summer because of the heat and high humidity, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol. It may be descriptive but it's true."

Recently, Senator Retract announced that a 'major insurance company' is on the verge of bankruptcy. His comments caused life insurance stocks to plummet. For example, MetLife (NYSE: MET) fell by more than 15% and Hartford Financial Services (NYSE: HIG) fell by approximately 35%. He retracted his statement by claiming he had been led to believe that, under the current financial climate, it could happen soon, but that he was not actually aware of any company being in danger of bankruptcy.

And the hits just keep on coming ...

Remember when he attacked our troops and General Petraeus, telling them they can't win and that the war is lost? He retracted those statements by stating he meant that if the Bush policies continued as they were. Hmmmm, didn't the President's policies include the successful surge in Iraq? And now Senator Retract tries to make himself out to be a super patriot. It's not flying, Senator.

And let's not forget these other two things about Senator Retract, when he told schoolchildren in Nevada that George Bush, the commander-in-chief, was a loser. Then he essentially called Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas illiterate. He was asked what he thought about Thomas, and replied: "He's not very good; his opinions don't make any sense; they're not written very well,"

Then there was that infamous Senator Retract statement during the height of the debate on Illegal Aliens. "We will hopefully bring to final passage a comprehensive bill that will strengthen our border security and bring 12 million undocumented Americans out of the shadows." Undocumented Americans, are you kidding me?

Senator Harry Reid, majority leader of the United State Senate, is actually the head of a party which cannot survive on the basis of its ideas. Liberalism cannot triumph openly in the arena of ideas. It can only triumph by destroying, via character assassination and other things, its opponents. They don't dare come join us in the arena of ideas for open debate on issues. And if they do, it will soon descend into personal assaults and attacks.

That is of course until they retract those assaults and attacks.