The North Texas Conservative

To some extent perhaps T. Boone Pickens has it right when it comes to energy. T. Boone Pickens is an oilman who has devoted time and money exploring renewable energy, including wind energy. Pickens owns the largest privately owned wind farm in the United States, which is located in the Panhandle of Texas. Texas is currently leading all other states in the United States in exploring renewable energy so that one day we can have energy independence from foreign sources. Democrats and liberals alike claim that the evil, greedy, oil companies and coal based energy companies are out to steal from the American people and do not want us to seek out further energy and fuel sources, but the only group that is stealing from the American people, the only group that doesn’t want to help the average American, and the only group that doesn’t seem to want to do anything to help us gain energy independence are liberals out there who want to see the American people suffer for political gain. Despite what Democrats say here is a Big Oil executive who wants to gain energy independence by exploring all means to do so, and who is leading the charge in promoting renewable energy not because of global warming or climate shift, but in order to lessen our dependency on foreign sources. Perhaps it is time to embrace the old American tradition of compromise.

Our very country was founded on the idea of compromise. In order to create a more perfect Union it took a combination of two schools of though when it came to how people thought the government should be structured. The same compromise can be used in gaining energy independence. We should explore renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and nuclear, but there is a problem when there has not been a nuclear power plant built in thirty years. Pickens also realized that while we should use both wind and solar as sources of renewable energy we cannot count on these sources solely to be able to consistently provide energy to every home in America, and must continue to use coal-based energy plants to provide back up so that Americans can always have energy when they need it. T. Boone Pickens has suggested that automotive companies begin to seriously consider manufacturing more electric cars, but we also need to be drilling of our coasts, and in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Democrats like Rick Noriega and Nancy Pelosi do not want this. They do not believe in this type of compromise, but instead want the American people to continue to suffer the burden of high gas and energy prices so they can gain politically from it.

Rick Noriega is a Democratic Texas State Representative running for U.S. Senator against incumbent John Cornyn who is leading the fight to promote energy independence for America. Noriega up until recently (when he discovered that voters didn’t agree with him) wanted to go the Al Gore approach and promote solely sticking with solar and wind energy for Texas, which of course would be improbable if you want Texans to consistently have access to energy. All of a sudden Noriega decides that if coastal states want to explore drilling off their shores then they should make the decision, but still is against drilling in ANWR. His energy plan does not include other sources of energy that will be needed. If we really want to garnish energy independence then we must be willing to explore what Senator Cornyn calls “All of the Above”. By this he is talking about any source of energy we can come across including nuclear, clean coal, hydrogen cells, wind, solar, oil and gas, ect … All available sources must be taken into consideration we want to end our dependency on foreign sources for fuel and energy, but we must realize that through the transition between the status quo and changing to renewable energy sources more oil is going to be needed, which is why Congress must lift the legislative ban on off-shore drilling, and allow drilling in ANWR.

To read more of what Sen. Cornyn has to say about this check out his article on the Huck PAC or visit his website

Ultimately, it must be recognized that part of what it means to be conservative it believing in personal responsibility, and that we need to be conservative in all aspects of our lives including energy consumption. The average American uses much more energy then we actually need, and moving out of necessity and into desire is fine, but we also must realize that the fight for energy independence will require us as Americans to evaluate just how much energy we use, and be a little bit more conservative about our energy consumption. T. Boone Pickens is a shining example of how the private sector can help us in our pursuit of energy independence, and that a liberal and Democratic view of bigger government is not needed.

Mr. Gore, what environmental science do you have a doctorate in or any degree for that matter? No science? That is what I thought. What on God’s green earth makes you think you should be seriously looked at as an expert on climate shift when the only method you use to get your idea about global warming across is through scare tactics? Why are people listening to this guy? All Albert wants is attention. This is why he comes out and compares the United States need to completely transition to renewable energy sources to the moon landing in 1969.

Al Gore, in all his wisdom, said that the United States could realistically set the goal of changing 100% to renewable energy in ten years. After all, John F. Kennedy spoke about getting a man to the moon and eight years later it happened, right? I can see the similarities between landing a person on the moon and completely moving to renewable energy and fuel for every home and car in America in ten years. Why do we give this moron attention? This is the same guy who blamed global warming for Katrina, which devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005. I mean, we have had level five hurricanes before Katrina, before global warming was even an issue, during the Clinton administration when global warming didn’t seem to be a problem. Only in the last eight years has global warming been happening. Maybe it is Bush’s fault. Bush created the hurricane Katrina, and apparently is the reason behind global warming. You know, despite liberals and Democrats constantly criticizing the President they certainly attribute God like powers to him. Apparently W. can conjure up storms and shift the climate. I don’t know how it is possible, but if the Democrats believe it is possible then it must be true.

Gore wants to talk about what can be realistic. Okay, let’s talk about what is realistic about trying to do a 100% transfer to renewable energy in ten years. What is real about that is that the Democrats will put the financial burden of such a feat on the American taxpayer, increasing an already heavy burden on the average American. A program like this, like the one Gore has in mind would require billion upon billons of the taxpayer money, which most will end up not being used for what Democratic leaders say it will be used for, and all of it will be wasted. It will be part of the Democrats plan to tax more and expand government further, but it is okay because Al knows what he is talking about, right? He is obviously a credited expert on matters of climate shift and global warming so we should listen to him no matter how much it is going to cost taxpayers, correct? Give me a break. Can you do America a favor Mr. Gore, just one small favor, and stop talking. After all, you are releasing so much hot air into the atmosphere, and we want to cut back on global warming.

Whether you are liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat you can respect the individual that Tony Snow was. He was the best White House Secretary we have seen in some time, and definitely the best that has served the Bush administration. My thoughts and prayers go out to Snow’s family, may he rest in peace. May the Lord be with you, may He hold you in His arms and keep you, and may He shelter you and give you peace.

Every country in the world has an official language, except for a small few, and among that few is the United States. The question becomes, why? Why have we not been able to make English an official language? The simple truth of the matter is every time the idea is brought up there is always the same groups that throw in the race card. Apparently, it is okay for other countries to have an official national language, but if the United States tried to establish English as its official language it is racist. One must see a paradox here.

The problem with a bilingual society is that it causes a division in that society. I am sure we would all prefer a united country, but if we continue to accept this idea that it is racist to even consider the possibility of an official national language of the United States then our society will split in two. The most influential organizations fighting against English being made our official language are groups like the League of United Latin American Citizens, La Raza, ect …These same organizations want to keep the United States from tightening border security, because they encourage unlawful entry into our country. They encourage people to ignore the laws of the United States, laws put in place for the protection of the American people, and at the same time condemn anyone who opposes illegal immigration of racism, because they want to make the illegal immigration issue specifically about the Southern Border so they can play the race card. Most people who rally against unlawful entry into our country know that it is a problem not just with out Southern Border, but all points of entry into the United States. This problem has nothing to do with ethnicity, and the only people making this a racial issue are those who continue to throw in the race card.

Let us humor these groups for a second and talk about Mexico, and their immigration system. Mexico has stricter border security along their southern border than we do, and yet they encourage their citizens to use illegal routes of coming to the United States. Why might the Mexican government want to encourage illegal immigration into the United States? To put it quite simply the answer is money. The number one contributor to Mexico’s economy is money sent over from the United States to Mexico. To them it is not a bad way to capitalize off the misfortune of their citizens. These groups who advocate illegal immigration and fight against the idea of a national language call members of our government racist for even thinking of legislation that would make English the official language of the United States, but our government could not compare to the Mexican government and their treatment of the natives of Mexico. I am not sure if there is a more racist government in the entire Western Hemisphere than the Mexican government.

The question then becomes, if Mexico has an official language and if every other country in the world has an official language then how is making English our official language an act of racism? Liberals and groups that accuse conservatives of being racist, and xenophobic (If you know what xenophobia is then you would see how ridiculous this accusation is) support division in our society. These people support segregation. Liberals see African-American, Asian-American, Mexican-American, ect… Conservatives just see Americans united as people of one nation under one flag. For the sake of keeping our society united why is the concept of an official language so difficult for some unless their true intentions are to segregate society, and to divide our country?

The current oil problem can be solved pretty easily, but the controlling party in Congress would rather see the American people suffer for their own political expediency. The Democrats this election season have tried to come off as the party that is looking after middle-class Americans, and yet their actions are the complete opposite from their words. They are not doing anything to help the average American citizen, but instead willingly stand back and watch the burden at the pump weigh heavier and heavier on the consumer.

The simple truth is that this is all for political gain by liberals. They are willing to sit back and let the American people suffer if it means they get what they want, and what they want is more control and the further expansion of government, and at the same time attempt to persuade the American people that the problem is big, evil, greedy oil companies and the profit they make. Just to clarify, we do live in a capitalistic society where making profit is how a company survives. If an industry does not make profit then they will shut down. Profit is not a bad thing, but liberals seem to think it is. They would rather oil companies didn’t make profit so that the company can go under and thousands upon thousands will lose their jobs and more Americans will suffer. Liberals seem to want this. Oil companies do make big profit, but that is only because they are in the biggest market in the world. The problem is not the oil companies, but the controlling party in Congress that refuses to drill in ANWR and refuses to allow drilling off of our coasts so that we can break our dependency on foreign oil.

There is no question that we should probably find a better alternative for fuel and energy in the coming years, but right now we need to think about lowering the heavy burden that is facing the consumer at the pump. The only way to do that is to put an end to our reliance on foreign oil, which there are simple solutions to, but the Democrats are unwilling to help the American consumer. The environmentalist movement has such a hold in Washington that even the Supreme Court ruled that carbon dioxide is a pollutant. They decided that a natural gas, which we exhale, is a pollutant. So by their definition we pollute every time we breathe out. It is absolutely ridiculous. First of all, the Supreme Court exists to interpret the law, not define what is and isn’t pollution. Second, I would think they would have more important things to do with their time then decide on something so absurd. Many environmental groups are so crazy that I bet they would support legislation that asked people to cut down on their breathing, because after all the protection of our environment is more important than human life. Give me a break.

Oil has reached an all time high of $146. The Saudi King is telling us to deal with it, OPEC has their heads up their asses, and our congressional leaders are sitting on their hands. We have an opportunity to end our dependency on foreign oil for up to fifty years. In that time we could discover, and apply a better alternative for a fuel source while lowering the price of gasoline at the pump. It is an opportunity that is well in reach, but Democrats refuse to grasp it, because they don’t want to. They want the American people to suffer, because they see it as their ticket to be able to push their new form of tyranny at the cost of personal liberty.

For about a year now we all have heard the word ‘change’ thrown around so much that most of us never want to hear that word again after November. You have heard it mainly from Senator Barack Obama of Illinois who not only promises change, but hope as well. This promise of change however has no substance behind it. There is no change to be offered. Barack Obama is just like John Kerry, Albert Gore, William Clinton, every Democrat we have seen run for president in the last couple of decades, and like every leading Democrat today. It is the same for John McCain who is no different from most of the modern Republicans we see today. If you are looking for change then you will not win this election season.

What change does Senator Barack Obama have to offer? He will raise taxes for all Americans, and while he says he is out to help middle class Americans he will only increase the burden on the average American taxpayer. Barack Obama wants to be the next John F. Kennedy, a man who once said, “Ask not ask what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” It is one of JFK’s most famous quotes, one that everyone knows, but can people not see the tyranny in this statement? The government is supposed to serve the People, not the other way around. As citizens we should practice personal responsibility and not expect the government to hand everything down to us, but we are by no means servants of our government. We are all free men and women protected by the Constitution. The way things are right now though, paying thirty-five percent of our yearly salaries to the government, about half over the span of a lifetime we might as well be considered indentured servants of our government, and Barack Obama wants to make the burden on the taxpayer heavier.

When you expect the government to hand everything to you on a silver platter then you open the door for tyranny. You open the door for government intervention in your life. Most people are tired of the problems with the current healthcare system, and no one can argue that there needs to be changes made, but a nationwide healthcare plan, “universal” healthcare, is not the solution. In fact, it only opens the door for more problems. Advocates of a universal healthcare system in America praise countries in Europe and countries like Canada for their healthcare systems, but have they actually taken a closer look into these countries. The countries have to send their severely ill to the United States, because they either can’t provide for these people or don’t want to pay for their treatment, because it is so expensive. These countries have longer surgery and transplant lines, and medical machinery that is outdated in their medical facilities. Yet, advocates of this type of system like Barack Obama don’t see the obvious flaws in such a healthcare plan. It is so easy to push our responsibilities on the government, but are we willing to do it at the cost of personal liberty? Do you want the government to be able to tell you want you can and cannot eat, drink, or do in order to be eligible for this “universal” healthcare? There is a solution to the current problems facing the current healthcare system in this country, but more government intervention is not it. The answers lie in the free market, more government intervention is only going to make things worse.

We are in need of change, but it needs to be change in the right direction. There is a need in this country for a president who will not push the further expansion of government, who will not support a three trillion dollar budget. We need a leader who will support limited government and fiscal responsibility. That would be real change, an change for the better.

I am sure that some have heard that Bill Maher will be coming out with a movie called “Religulous”, in which he seeks to paint anyone who believes in an almighty deity as idiots. The same guy who directed Borat, which is hands down one of the most overrated comedies, is directing this movie too. Borat is right up there with Napoleon Dynamite, and Maher’s movie is coming from the same studio that brought us Fahrenheit 9/11, which just speaks for itself. To Mr. Maher the whole idea of God is ridiculous, and he feels like he is important enough that people actually care what he has to say. I am sure that he knows that an overwhelming majority of Americans believe in a god of some sort. What is the number? I think at least 90%? Yet the all knowing, and all logical Bill Maher wants to instruct us as to why we are all idiots, and why he is the knower of all things.

I have watched his show, and I can ignore his strong liberal views, and how he always makes sure that the conservative on the show is outnumbered three to one so they do not have the ability to be able to get their point across, but what I cannot ignore is the fact that he has the nerve to call me or anyone like me who believes in the Almighty God a moron for our beliefs. He claims to be a libertarian, but if that is the case then he is a misguided libertarian. For someone who claims to be so opened minded, he is not even open to the idea that there can be something greater than us out there. That there is a being that is all knowing and all-powerful.

Maher is the type of individual who needs proof for everything. He needs to be able see it, to feel it, to smell it, to hear it. If it is not something that can be known through the senses then he will refuse to believe it. If something cannot be explained through scientific means then it is impossible and that is the end of it. I hope he realizes that scientists could just as easily tomorrow disprove gravity. That perhaps later down the line scientists will find a new explanation, a new force that holds everything on the ground, and that keeps the planets in alignment. For centuries we have believed that atoms are the fundamental structure of all matter in the universe, but scientists are coming up with theories like “String Theory” that some say could replace the idea of atoms. Science is nothing more than educated guesses, and a person like Maher bases his whole belief system on educated guesses. He trusts that the knowledge that he has been given is correct. I guess you can say he lives his life on faith.

The only logical explanation for the belief in God is that it comes from the experiences we have in life. Through our experiences we either find God or we don’t. There is no way to prove the existence of God, and no one should ever think that they have to prove their beliefs just because someone thinks they know everything, and seeks to ridicule you for believing such things. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, “For it is in our lives, not from our words, that our religion must be judged.”

Yesterday President Bush presented the parents of PFC Ross A. McGinnis with the Medal of Honor, the highest honor that a soldier can be given for bravery and heroism. In December of 2006 a grenade was lobbed into a military vehicle carrying McGinnis and four other soldiers. McGinnis quickly put his back against the grenade to shield the blast from the others. He died so that four men could live, and for that he deserves to be honored. He displayed the ultimate act of heroism, a level of heroism that most of us will never know if we are capable of. PFC McGinnis deserves to be remembered not only for this selfless act, but his unyielding desire to want to serve our country, and to do great things. How many people dream of being a soldier since they were in Kindergarden? How many people chose to spend their seventeenth birthday signing up for the Army? Just two years later, a little past his nineteenth birthday Ross made the ultimate decision that four lives are worth more than one.

At that point in time the area in Iraq that McGinnis’ company was in was patrolled only by that company as opposed to the multiple platoons that control the area post-surge so it was definitely more dangerous back then for military personnel. The sad thing is that noone seems to care. How much time was devoted to the honoring of McGinnis in most news outlets around the country? Ross not only gave his life for four individuals, but gave his life for this country, and do we as a nation give him the the honor and remembrance that he deserves? No, we don’t. All of our troops deserve more.

Ever since I heard about the polygamist sect case that had taken place down in San Angelo, TX I had followed it very closely. Here is a case where an extreme religious sect requires young girls to marry and have sex at young ages, and the parents push this ideology on their kids. The kids don’t know any different, because they have been raised to believe that such practices are right. They have been raised to believe that it is okay for them to marry in their early teen years, and to have children at such a young age, and that things like polygamy are okay. When the state finally takes action they do not go through the proper steps before raiding the Yearning for Zion Ranch where over 400 kids were taken and put into foster care. It could only be expected that Judge Barbara Walther would rule that the state had no authority to go into the ranch, and then the Texas Supreme Court would uphold that ruling. If only the state had taken proper measures. These parents, these members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints are not fit to be parents, and these kids deserve better.

Judge Walther ordered the immediate release of the 416 some odd kids in foster care back to their parents today. While I wish the judge had not made this call she technically made the right decision, but the order she issued not only released the children, but included other things as well. The order also requires the parents to stay in Texas, to attend classes on parenting, and allow the children to be examined. A child abuse investigation will continue to see whether or not there are signs that these children have been or are being abused in anyway. State workers will be allowed to make unannounced visits and the parents will not be able to travel more than a hundred miles from their homes unless they notify the state ahead of time. The order however does not require that the fundamentalist group renounce Polygamy, which is a felony in the United States or put restrictions of the fathers. The order also does not require the parents to move out of the Yearning for Zion Ranch. So, there are both good and bad things about the order issued by Judge Walther.

The children started to be released to their parents earlier today.

“Two months in foster care has taken a toll on the children, who previously lived an insular life on the self-contained ranch where church teachings dominated the way of life,” said Willie Jessop, an FLDS elder. (breitbart.com) Jessop also commented that he wished there were fewer restrictions on the order, but according to reports never elaborated on that. I am sure he is disappointed that the parents have to stay in Texas so that the church could not run away to some other state. The FLDS believes that they are being persecuted for their religious beliefs, but they have no idea what it means to be persecuted for ones religious ideology. They willingly break the law, and then hide behind their church claiming persecution. It is ridiculous.

Scott McClellan, former White House Press Secretary, is taking much criticism for his latest book, which blasts the Bush administration on a number of issues, including the War in Iraq, Katrina, and the CIA leak. McClellan not only goes after Bush, but the entire administration of which he use to be a part of. This book came as a surprise to many, because for so long McClellan had been a Bush loyalist and now he releases a book slamming the President for some of his policies. Scott McClellan’s political career with George W. Bush goes back to when Bush was governor of Texas and then ended with McClellan’s resignation as Press Secretary in 2006. Karl Rove spoke on Scott McClellan’s book comparing him to a liberal blogger, which is a pretty accurate description of the material in the book. The stuff found in McClellan’s book is stuff you would most likely find on the DailyKos, or Media Matters, or MoveOn.org.

While I am not the biggest fan of the Bush administration or some of its policies over the last eight years it should be noted that Scott McClellan is nothing more than a snake in the grass. He was loyal to Bush for so long, and now when opportunity presents itself McClellan seeks to cash in with hopes for a possible future political career beyond the Bush administration. McClellan does not want people to associate the President with himself. Perhaps he believes that History will look back on the Bush administration negatively, and he does not wish History to remember him as the follower of a failed president. The only problem with this is that Bush’s legacy, and the measure of his successes and failures will not come to light until years after he has left the Oval Office. What if History remembers Bush as the president who was responsible for the liberation of Iraq? Bush’s entire legacy rests on the fate of Iraq, and what if Democracy is successful in Iraq? What will McClellan say then? The most notable criticism of President Bush and his administration in McClellan’s book is that they used propaganda to sell the War in Iraq. For three years Scott McClellan was the mouthpiece for the Bush administration, and if you choose to believe that propaganda was used to sell the Iraq War then McClellan was the salesman. As much as I love to make fun of Bob Dole he made the point that any rational individual would make, if you disagreed with the president on these issues why did you not quit? “There are miserable creatures like you in every administration who don’t have the guts to speak up or quit if there are disagreements with the boss or colleagues,” Dole wrote in a statement to McClellan on Thursday. “No, your type soaks up the benefits of power, revels in the limelight for years, then quits, and spurred on by greed, cashes in with a scathing critique.” It was a little shocking to hear about Bob Dole coming out and saying this, but his critique of McClellan is dead on. Scott McClellan is nothing more than an opportunist, and History should remember him as the man who stabbed the President in the back.

Of course, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and other congressional Democrats have come out in support of what McClellan wrote in his book, and why not? Scott McClellan has embraced the ideas of liberals and Democrats for his own gain. McClellan has even expressed the idea that he may support Barack Obama in the fall. He said in an interview with CBS that he was “intrigued by Senator Obama.” He is intrigued by someone with no experience. He is intrigued by someone who is built on only words and false promises. He is intrigued by a Stalinist. It is certainly an interesting transformation for him to make, but this in not new to McClellan or his family. Scott’s mother Carol Keeton Strayhorn has had a thirty year career in Texas politics, and during that time has went from Democrat to Republican to Independent. McClellan’s family is known for changing sides when they think it will benefit them politically. The true intentions of Scott McClellan are unknown, but it would be no surprise if he is hoping to garnish favor with Barack Obama in order to gain a high position if Obama should with the Oval Office.