Where to go from here ?

To my readers.

First I want to tell you where I have been for these three weeks .

For two of those weeks I was Duck Hunting, and just didn't have time to blog about anything. The last week I have spent in reflection on the past 3 years of blogging, wondering where I go from here.

I have always said that if this got to be more like a job then I would give it up. Lately I haven't had time for much except work and blogging and with the election cycle heating up and everything, it really became a chore to cover what all I wanted to write about. And since this was never about money, only about politics and this great country I think it might be time to concentrate my energy where I can do the most good.

I have decided that I was stretched in too many directions, blogging here and at the Arkansas Concealed Carry Association and with the Fred Heads. With Mark in Iraq keeping us safe he couldn't help out with new material for The Citizen's Journal every day and with just me at the helm it became more of a job than I wanted it to. Blogging is extremely addictive and I have enjoyed this experience very much.

I have decided to put all my energy into the Arkansas Concealed Carry Association blog.

I have given them a commitment I cannot break (nor do I want to). I believe I can also be more effective there as a blogger and as an Arkansan. Firearms and the Second Amendment is my true passion after all and is what got me into politics in the first place. I hope I can continue my success blogging and informing Arkansans at the ARCCA as I was here on this blog.

I want to thank all the people I have met through my blogging experience (though it was short) and say that it has been a very rewarding experience and was worth the effort if I gained nothing else. I also wish to thank all the readers/commentators that kept my daily hits up.

Thanks for the support.

I will be keeping the site up for posterity for a while. Who knows, I may change my mind again, you can never really be sure of anything these days. I will also still monitor my Citizen's Journal email account so feel free to write.

Please stop by the Arkansas Concealed Carry Association for all the firearms news and updates concerning our state and the rest of the country.

May God bless you and your's and may God bless the United States of America.

John Anderson

Ron Paul's Racist Newsletters

Posing with racist hate site owner Don Black

Supposedly they weren't written by him, but they were written in newsletters under his name in the first person, leading you to believe he had written them.

This from Pajamas Media, " James Kirchick of the New Republic has a devastating piece on Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) online today on the TNR website. Kirchick provides a meticulously detailed history of the “Ron Paul Political Report,” a newsletter Paul had circulated to a network of some 7,000 subscribers from the late 80s and early 90s.
As Kirchick reports—whether describing post-apartheid South Africa as a “destruction of civilization,” alleging that Martin Luther King “seduced underage girls and boys,” warning of “tens of thousands of well-placed friends of Israel in all countries who are willing to wok [sic] for the Mossad in their area of expertise,” or urging white readers to arm themselves after “the first skirmish in the race war of the 1990s,”—virtually every historic trope of racism, anti-Semitism, anti-gay bigotry, or conspiracy theorizing has been featured in the “Ron Paul Political Report” in one way or another. For his part, Paul has alternately acknowledged writing some of the material that went out under his name, only to deny authorship when confronted with the most disturbing details. In any case, Paul has taken “moral responsibility” for the contents of the “Ron Paul Political Report.” What follows is a quick digest of some of his greatest, which is to say most disgraceful, hits.
I might add, on a personal note, that as a libertarian with significant sympathy for Paul’s platform, I initially viewed claims of his past history of racism skeptically. But the evidence is so overwhelming that the defense of Paul is now, itself, indefensible.

Racist Pull Quotes:

“[O]ur country is being destroyed by a group of actual and potential terrorists—and they can be identified by the color of their skin.”

“I think we can safely assume that 95% of the black males in that city [Washington, D.C.] are semi-criminal or entirely criminal.”

“We are constantly told that it is evil to be afraid of black men, but it is hardly irrational.”
“

The riots, burning, looting, and murders are only a continuation of 30 years of racial politics.”

“The criminals who terrorize our cities—in riots and on every non-riot day—are not exclusively young black males, but they largely are. As children, they are trained to hate whites, to believe that white oppression is responsible for all black ills, to “fight the power,” and to steal and loot as much money from the white enemy as possible. Anything is justified against ‘The Man.’ And ‘The Woman.’’”

“My friend waved to the tiny [African-American] child, who scowled, stuck out her tongue, and said (somewhat tautologically): “I hate you, white honkey.” And the parents were indulgent. Is any white child taught to hate in this way?” [As a matter of fact, Paul has appeared on a radio program called “The Political Cesspool,” which has featured the neo-Nazi twin pop stars Prussian Blue. –ed.]

“But this is normal, and in fact benign, compared to much of the anti-white ideology in the thoroughly racist black community. The black leadership indoctrinates its followers with phony history and phony theory to bolster its claims of victimology.”

“Korean-Americans, hated by blacks, never riot, and in fact are some of the most productive people in America (the reason for black hatred).”

“The cause of the riots is plain: barbarism. If the barbarians cannot loot sufficiently through legal channels (i.e., the riots being the welfare-state minus the middleman), they resort to illegal ones, to terrorism.”

“We must not kowtow to the street hoodlums and their sanctimonious leaders.”

“Regardless of what the media tell us, most white Americans are not going to believe that they are at fault for what blacks have done to cities across America. The professional blacks may have cowed the elites, but good sense survives at the grass roots.”

“Indeed, it is shocking to consider the uniformity of opinion among blacks in this country.”

“Blacks have ‘civil rights,’ preferences, set-asides for government contracts, gerrymandered voting districts, black bureaucracies, black mayors, black curricula in schools, black beauty contests, black TV shows, black TV anchors, black scholarships and colleges, hate crime laws, and public humiliation for anyone who dares question the black agenda.”
Source: The Ron Paul Report, “Los Angeles Racial Terrorism”

“Black males age 13 that have been raised on the streets and who have joined criminal gangs are as big, strong, tough, scary, and culpable as any adult and should be treated as such.”
Source: The Ron Paul Political/Survival report, 1990-1994, excerpted by the Austin Chronicle

Conspiracist Pull Quotes:

“We now know that we are under assault from thugs and revolutionaries who hate Euro-American civilization and everything it stands for: private property, material success for those who earn it, and Christian morality.”

“In San Francisco and perhaps other cities, says expert Burt Blumert, the rioting was led by red-flag carrying members of the Revolutionary Communist Party and the Workers World Party, both Trotskyite-Maoist.”

“Many people tried to buy guns to protect themselves. But, whoops, California has a 14-day waiting period. And then, just to make sure honest Californians could not get ammunition for the firearms they already owned (poor ragefilled youth might be shot), Mayor Tom Bradley ordered all gun and ammo shops closed, a great help to criminals who had stocked up earlier, or who could simply break in and loot.”

“Several days after the violence ended, we learned that there would have been blacks on the King jury—if the NAACP hadn’t engaged in jury tampering by telling potential black jurors that it was their racial duty to convict the cops. The blacks admitted this to defense lawyers, and were rightly excluded from jury. This is a serious crime, but the NAACP will not be prosecuted.”

“Two years ago, in a series of predictions for the 1990s, I said that race riots would erupt in our large cities. I’m now predicting this will be the major problem of the 1990s.” [Helter Skelter, anybody?—ed.]
Source: The Ron Paul Report, “Los Angeles Racial Terrorism”

“Last month I reported on massive, illegal spying by the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai Brith against its perceived opponents, as revealed in California. The ADL keeps track of people and groups from left to right, and purchases illegally obtained information on Americans from its agents in police departments in order to prepare and maintain hundreds of thousands of dossiers.”

“The [Los Angeles] Times also brought to light the ADL’s work against ‘cults,’ especially interesting given the BATF [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms]-ADL connection.”
“It was such a seminar [i.e. a cult awareness training seminar], arranged by the ADL, that targeted the Branch Davidians in the first place.”
Source: The Ron Paul Survival Report, June 15, 1993

“The intensity with which Israel lobbies in the U.S. Congress is surpassed only by its media campaigns to drown all criticism of Israel. Prominent U.S. Editors and media owners don’t even pretend to objectivity on the issue. They all follow the advice of Norman Podhoretz, editor of the influential neo-conservative magazine Commentary….” [Our emphasis –ed.]

“This bias [Martin Peretz’s] informs every opinion expressed in The New Republic. For example, it opposed Contra aid until the Sandinista government showed sympathy for the PLO.”
Source: The Ron Paul Political Report, date uncertain

“If this walking bomb had gone off, it would have demolished the House Chamber and most of the congressmen in it. Yet this attempted terrorist attack was buried by the media. Why? Because the perpetrator was an undoubtedly mad Israeli, furious over alleged slights to his country… [T]he Israeli lobby deep-sixed the story, and no one outside of Congress ever head about it.”
Source: The Ron Paul Political Report, date uncertain

“The Earth Summit is the creepiest meeting of politicos since the first gathering of Bolsheviks. Officially known as the UN Conference for Environment and Development, it will be held in Brazil in June; bad guys from all over the globe will attend.”

“[Hillary Clinton] is one of the most dangerous women in public life. Not only is she a fanatical abortion advocate, she wants parents to register with the government as a condition for having children to be able to sue and `divorce’ themselves from their parents. Maybe her daughter ought to sue her parents for attempting to raise her as a leftist. That sure qualifies as abuse to me.”

“Disgruntled taxpayer Dean Hicks fired bombs through mortars at night at buildings of the Internal Revenue Service in California. Hicks did damage federal property, but no individuals were injured… Hicks was sentenced to 20 years in prison, given a $45,000 fine, and ordered to pay $335,000 in restitution to the IRS. If he had been a serial murderer, he would not have gotten this sort of sentence.”

“There is good news after the L.A. riots. Statewide, gun sales are up 45% over the same period last year. People have been purchasing a record number. If the cops are not going to take care of the problem, the people will.”
Source: The Ron Paul Political/Survival report, 1990-1994.

The Paul campaign's dismissal is non reposive to the charges. But I think I know now why he attracts such wack jobs to his campaign.

John Anderson

Clinton bundler Norman Hsu Headed to Prison

This from the AP, "Disgraced political donor Norman Hsu was sentenced Friday to three years in prison after a judge rejected his bid to throw out a 16-year- old fraud conviction.
Hsu's lawyers had asked Judge Stephen Hall to dismiss his 1992 no- contest plea, arguing that Hsu's right to a speedy trial was violated because authorities were not actively pursuing him during his years as a fugitive. They could easily have arrested Hsu, his lawyers argued, at one of the fundraisers he hosted in California for prominent local politicians.
Hsu also faces federal fraud charges in New York.
His troubles began dogging Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and other big- name Democrats last summer when news reports revealed he was a fugitive who fled the state before he was sentenced for the 1992 fraud conviction. He turned himself in on Aug. 31—then fled again.
He was recaptured in September in Colorado after he tried to kill himself by overdosing on drugs aboard an eastbound Amtrak train. Hsu has since been held without bail in a Redwood City jail."

Does she still "stand by him?"

John Anderson

On Huckabee win in Iowa - What the f*** is wrong with you people ?

***** Huckabee's trade views worry some business groups
***** Poll - New Hampshire: Mitt 29, McCain 24, Huck 13
***** Club For Growth - “The Club for Growth PAC urges New Hampshire voters to reject Mike Huckabee and his big-government policies next Tuesday. Republican voters should nominate a leader who will return the Party to the principles of economic conservatism, not an economic liberal who wants to be the John Edwards of the Republican Party.”



One funny posting from the Vodkapundit on the astonishing Huckabee win in Iowa.

This from Vodkapundit, "Dear Iowa Republicans,
I’ll put this in language even your tiny little Iowa brains can understand: What the f*** is wrong with you people?
The news coming out of Des Moines (literally, French for “tell me about the rabbits, George”) tonight is distressing in the extreme. 32 years ago, your Democratic brethren took one look at Jimmy Carter -- the worst 20th Century President bar Nixon, and the worst ex-President ever -- and declared, “That’s our man!”
Three decades later, and along comes Mike Huckabee. Same moral pretentiousness, same gullibility on foreign affairs, only-slightly-less toothy idiot’s grin. Then you so-called Republicans took a look at Carter’s clone and said, “That’s our man, too!”
And by a pretty wide margin.
I’ll give you some credit where it's due: you guys had sense enough to give Fred Thompson a breather, and Ron Paul a pretty solid kick in the (ahem) nuts. But Mike Huckabee? Really? We’ve seen this game before, and its name is... every other single stupid, un-winnable candidate you’ve ever picked -- which is most of them.
So I repeat the question: What is wrong with you people?
All my love, you corn-sucking idiots,
VodkaPundit"

I couldn't agree with this sentiment more.

I like Mike as a person, I've met him before and he is a very likeable person, but this is about policy differences between the candidates and Mike Huckabee is not a conservative. If conservatives elsewhere have slipped so far as to only be interested in shinny objects and sound bites over actual tough conservative principles then I will abandon the party over this.

I will not join in a consensus with a candidate that is for smoking bans, bigger government, for giving illegal immigrants tax payer funded student loans, and open borders - I'll "write in" a candidate before I vote for Huckabee. Even if it gives Hillary the White House.

That way at least, it will be the democratic party's fault for the problems that will ineveitably come later .

John Anderson

Fred on Huck - “He practically wanted a sanctuary state in Arkansas”

**** Fred Thompson gets the endorsement of Right to Life of Wyoming .

John Anderson

Clinton losing grip on dynasty

**** Obama took mama to school - Peggy Noonan
**** Hillary Clinton laugh of the day - "I'm the most innocent"
**** The rise and fall of Hillary Clinton's Campaign

Ouch. Her ass kicking in iowa last night has meaning far beyond what I though initially.

This from the NY Post, "Awaiting her coronation here last night, Hillary Rodham Clinton instead faced a seething revolt within her own party.
VIDEO: Barack Obama's Victory Speech
More than 70 percent of Iowa Democrats rejected her bid to get back into the White House.
And so, after 15 years of domination, the Clinton dynasty has finally lost its grip on the Democratic Party.
More than anything else, Clinton's campaign was built upon the aura of inevitability.
That's now shattered and left in Iowa's frozen cornfields.
What's devastating to her is that she lost so badly to such a political novice.
Sure, Barack Obama is an incredibly impressive and appealing figure. He has magically turned the nasty politics of race on its head here in a state with a less than 3 percent black population.
His hopeful determination to end the sordid politics that the Clintons are such masters of has even lifelong Republicans eager to vote for him.
Still, Obama has four years less experience in the Senate than Clinton.
And he didn't spend eight years in the White House as first lady like she did. He hasn't met one-tenth of the world leaders that she's met. Whatever.
Adding insult to Clinton's real campaign injury is that she also lost to John Edwards, a retread loser from four years ago running a nasty class-warfare campaign that ultimately won't do any better this time than it did last time."

Although nothing would please me more, I don't think she is out yet.

John Anderson

The worst outcome in tomorrow’s Iowa caucuses for the stock market and economy would be victories by Mike Huckabee and John Edwards

So says Larry kudlow.

This from Kudlow's Money Politics, "The worst outcome in tomorrow’s Iowa caucuses for the stock market and economy would be victories by Mike Huckabee and John Edwards.Both are anti-business, anti-Wall Street, and anti-CEO. They would employ government regulation, and perhaps taxes, to work against free-market forces.Both are anti-trade. Both are tax-and-spend. (Governor Huckabee has tried to inoculate himself against the tax charge with his Fair Tax national sales tax idea that would go nowhere in Washington.)The key point is that Edwards and Huckabee are the left-wing populists in the campaign on economic policy. Their victories would send up a red-flag warning signal to a stock market already beleaguered by worries about an economic slowdown and the ongoing subprime credit problem."

Burn.

John Anderson

Terrorist sympathizer endorses Ron paul

You can add this endorsement to his anti-Israel, neo-nazi, 9/11 conspiracy theorists.

This from Central Ohioans Against Terrorism, "Sultan Knish informs us that our local HAMAS operative, former CAIR national board member and would-be Columbus Public School Board member Anisa Abd El Fattah/Caroline Keeble has a couple of recent posts on the "Muslims for Ron Paul" Yahoo forum coming out in favor of presidential hopeful Ron Paul and wishing neo-Nazi website STORMFRONT the best of luck in their battle against ADL. How nice.
This is the same Anisa Abd El Fattah who spent this past weekend speaking at a conference for an Iranian government front group identified by former FBI Director Louis Freeh as a direct domestic terror threat."

What is it about this guy and the filth that he attracts to his campaign ?

John Anderson

Mike Huckabee crosses picket line to do Jay Leno show

***** WGA issues statement - "The Writers Guild is disappointed that Mike Huckabee crossed the WGA picket line today at NBC. We welcome the statements of support he has made for striking writers, but we ask him to respect our picket lines in the future and urge the media conglomerates to return to the bargaining table to make a fair deal that will put writers and the entertainment industry back to work."
***** Hucks “cancelled” ad runs in Iowa anyway - Hot Air.
***** Remaining true to promise of not using negative attacks against rivals, Hucks campaign manager claims he'd like to knock out Romney's teeth.
***** Huckabee's Arkansas support - polling at 8 percent. Huh oh.



After of course he said he supported the writers guild.

This from The Guardian Unlimited, "Republican Mike Huckabee, a presidential candidate sounding a populist theme in Iowa, likely will be forced to cross a writers' picket line if he appears Wednesday on the ``Tonight Show'' with Jay Leno.
Earlier Wednesday, Huckabee said he supports the writers and did not think he would be crossing a picket line, because he believed the writers had made an agreement to allow late night shows back on the air.
In fact, that is true only of David Letterman, who has a separate agreement with writers for his ``Late Show.''
``My understanding is that there was a special arrangement made for the late-night shows, and the writers have made this agreement to let the late night shows to come back on, so I don't anticipate that it's crossing a picket line,'' Huckabee told reporters traveling with him Wednesday from Fort Dodge to Mason City.
``I support the writers, by the way. Unequivocally, absolutely. They're dead right on this one. And they ought to get royalties off the residuals and the long-term contracts.''
``I don't think anybody supports the producers on this one,'' he added. ``Maybe the producers support the producers, but I think everybody in the business and even the general public supports the writers.''
Told he was mistaken and that writers had cleared only Letterman's show, Huckabee protested: ``But my understanding is there's a sort of dispensation given to the late-night shows, is that right?''
Told again that he was wrong, Huckabee murmured, ``Hmmm,'' and, ``Oh,'' before answering another question. "

Nice. Populism bites back.

John Anderson

Clinton camp spinning possible third-place finish in Iowa

**** "Smartest women on earth" totally screws up Pakistan question - ACE

Looks like the "inevitability" campaign wheels are continuing to fall off the Clinton bandwagon.

This from ABC, "As the presidential candidates engage in furious pre-caucus spin, one of Sen. Hillary Clinton's most prominent Iowa supporters said Wednesday that she's already accomplished what she needs to in Iowa and can declare success even if she finishes in third place.
Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack told ABC News that Clinton has shown that she can appeal to a wide swath of Democrats, which is what she came to Iowa to do. "She has done what she needed to do here," Vilsack said shortly before a Clinton campaign event in Indianola. "When she started the process she was way behind — it's now by all standards a competitive race."
Asked if the order of finish matters, Vilsack deflected the question.
"She absolutely had to be competitive, and she's accomplished that," he said. "Obviously, everybody's interested in winning, and I think we're going to do well. It's tight. There's no question about that."
Vilsack's comments stand in marked contrast to optimistic predictions he has made in the past, including last May, when he endorsed Clinton's candidacy."

John Anderson

Rush - Huck 'not a conservative'

***** Fact Check.org on Huckabee - "The truth is that violent crime was higher at the end of his term than when he took office, and he raised taxes more than he cut them."

Finally, someone said it, out loud, for all to hear.

This from the Politico, "Rush Limbaugh devoted a large portion of his first show since the holidays to criticizing Mike Huckabee's candidacy and offering a disapproving bottom-line assessment of the former governor."Ladies and gentlemen, Gov. Huckabee, mighty fine man and is a great Christian, is not a conservative, he’s just not," Limbaugh said. "If you look at his record as governor, he’s got some conservative tendencies on things but he’s certainly not the most conservative of the candidates running on the Republican side."

Burn.

John Anderson

Thompson Surge in Iowa

**** The Corner - Late-Breaking Surge for Thompson
**** David Limbaugh - "Fred is the only one I don't have major reservations about..."
**** Fred Thompson is too sane to be President - NRO




This from Zogby, "On the Republican side, Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, gained a bit on Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas. Huckabee cumulative three-day tracking total equaled 28% support among likely Republican caucus–goers, while Romney moved up from 25% to 26% support. Arizona Sen. John McCain remained in third place at 12%, tied with former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, who has seen a late-breaking surge. Among Democrats, 5% were yet undecided just three days ahead of the caucuses. Among Republicans, 6% were yet unsure."

Novak thinks the possible outcome will liekly be - 1st Place: Mitt Romney2nd Place: Mike Huckabee3rd Place: Fred Thompson4th Place: John McCain

Not ideal but good for Thompson, hopefully that will carry him into the next debate and primary state.

John Anderson

Happy New Year

Huckabee plays negative ad he say's he's better than

What a slimy way of getting more attention as his poll numbers start to slide.

This from the AP, "Mike Huckabee may have finally gone too far. After running an unconventional, surprisingly strong and sometimes strange race to the top tier of the Republican presidential campaign, the former Arkansas governor topped himself Monday with a campaign stunt that smacked of hypocrisy.
He called a news conference to unveil a negative ad that he had just withdrawn from Iowa television stations because, he told a room full of journalists recording the ad, he had a sudden aversion to negative politics. Quite a convenient epiphany.
"If people want to be cynical about it," Huckabee said, "they can be cynical about it."
If he loses Iowa's caucuses, New Year's Eve will forever mark the day Huckabee blew it — the day a crowd stopped laughing with the witty Republican and laughed at him."

Is this his Dean scream moment ?

John Anderson

Chelsea Clinton blows off 9 year old student reporter - "I don't talk to the press"

Clinton snide, little girl cried.

This from My Way News, "It's one thing for Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign to turn down interview requests for the candidate's daughter, Chelsea. But can't a 9-year-old reporter catch a break?
Sydney Rieckhoff, a Cedar Rapids fourth grader and "kid reporter" for Scholastic News, has posed questions to seven Republican and Democratic presidential hopefuls as they've campaigned across Iowa this year. But when she approached the 27-year-old Chelsea after a campaign event Sunday, she got a different response.
"Do you think your dad would be a good 'first man' in the White House?" Sydney asked, but Chelsea brushed her question aside.
"I'm sorry, I don't talk to the press and that applies to you, unfortunately. Even though I think you're cute," Chelsea told the pint-sized journalist."

What an interesting question.

John Anderson

Fred’s Message to Iowa Voters

Don't screw this up Iowa.

John Anderson

Huckabee campaign official - Huckabee Has "No Foreign Policy Credentials"

No kidding ?!

As if grasping at straws to appear more informed Huckabee recently claimed, "I've corresponded with John Bolton, who's agreed to work with us on developing foreign policy.”

But Bolton denies having agreed to work with Huckabee. “I’m not an official or unofficial adviser to anyone,” Bolton said.

Oops.

John Anderson