As the dust settles after the latest assault on the Constitution through the healthcare legislation passed by this Congress and supported by this administration, I am taking heart in what I see taking place in towns, cities and villages around the country.  There is a resolve there that is growing and that is being fed by a certainty that following and upholding principles is a just pursuit.  I also think we are seeing the recognition that this fight is going to be a long one--lasting from generation to generation--so we need to arm ourselves with the facts, the truth and will to follow through.

I remember being out on the USS Ranger during the Gulf War.  I was a land loving Air Force fighter guy, so being on a boat in the middle of the Arabian Sea was disconcerting on its own, let alone being out there in a war zone.  Air Force and Navy fighter pilots have a lot in common, but the one thing the Navy has to do is take off and land on that ship.  When the Captain was getting ready to launch the next set of sorties to fly into Iraq, he ordered the ship to turn into the wind.  On deck, the ballet of crew chiefs, launch officers, gear riggers, etc., was something to behold.  What struck me was the precision with which these men and women went about their business.  What struck me even deeper was that there was an air of confidence in each of them, borne of the knowledge that they were prepared, that they were trained to do what was necessary and that their mission was just.  Their resolve was evident to even the most casual observer.  This past week, Conservatism in this country turned into the wind.

The next few months and years will not be easy.  Conservatives around the country will be accused of being anti-intellectual, ignorant, backward and unworthy of the grace of those that are currently in charge.  What will be worse, however, is that Conservatives will be branded by the main stream media, the power intelligencia, the power elites and every stripe of progressive with being racist, homophobic, greedy and uncaring about their fellow citizens.  Do not fall for any of this. 

I direct your attention to the editorial written by liberal apologist Frank Rich in the Saturday edition of the New York Times.  Conservatives, he asserts, are not angry about the healthcare bill, we are supposedly angry that a person of color is in the White House.  Really?  Most of the people I know are really upset because the bill is unaffordable, centralizes more power in the national government, takes away our individual liberty and that nearly 20% of our economy has been socialized.  That's why we are upset.  Is the President really a person of color?  Who knew?  Most of us think he remains the most unqualified and unprepared person to ever be President of the United States.  The evidence, contrary to Mr. Rich and his ilk thinking otherwise, is on our side.

We will have a tough fight on our hands, because we cannot give in even a little.  Principles will always win out over amoral, self-gratifying, intrusive and suppressive actions on the part of progressives.  Honestly, I think they can't really help themselves.  When one lacks a moral center, one's actions are wholly unpredictable.

We have turned into the wind, so show your resolve.  Show your confidence.  Show your strength by doing just a little more than is expected.  This is a war we can win.

First, thanks for the tremendous response from all the listeners to the show.  So far, so good.  To help in making the information generated through research and broadcasting, I am working with our Powell Broadcasting partners to make sure we continue to make the website more user friendly.  Of utmost importance, however, is making sure we build upon a quality product that meets the expectations of our listeners and those attracted to this website.  Here are some of the things we are going to do.

• Beginning tomorrow evening, I will be updating the new "Commentary" section twice a week.  I will post on Sunday and Wednesday evenings.  This schedule will allow you, the readers and listeners, a chance to come to the page and see fresh material on a regular basis.  The only reasons I will not post on that schedule is if I am indisposed or unable to access the internet.
• Very soon, I will be posting a "question of the week."  This section will operate very much like a blog so you will be able to post your thoughts and opinions so all can see.  I want to encourage all of you to use this mechanism to get the best ideas out there for all to see and comment on.  You will still be able to post comments on my "commentaries," as well,  so the "question" section is an added feature to enhance communications.
• Please check out the bottom tool bar.  There, you will find a "notifications" button that will bring a pop-up that will contain some the latest updates to my activities or what is going on with the show or website.  You will also see that you can translate the website content to another language if you so choose.
• The team and I will be adding a survey section in the future where you will be able to participate in surveys about various topics.  I will include in the surveys topics directly associated with the show so you can give me feedback and input on what you might want to hear.
• This fall, I will be presenting a lecture series to cover nine nights in September and October.  The topic is "Serious Civics: A Guide to the Constitution, Government and Governance in America Today."  This series was inspired by a listener that thought that a refresher on civics, particularly in the current political climate, might be useful.  More on the series over the next few months.

The show will be entering its first ratings period in April.  As with any business, we are anxious to make sure we are successful in getting the best product out to you.  Please spread the word to get your friends and neighbors to listen if you think we are providing a good product.  The folks at Powell Broadcasting have been most gracious in allowing me on the air and you, the listeners, will keep me there.

I just ordered Michael Barone's Alamanac of American Politics for 2010.  Over the course of the next few weeks, I will be doing some intense research on the elections of 2008 and will then put out some predictions for 2010.  I will also be doing some serious public choice economics analysis of the legislation that is about to be passed in the House.  The preliminary work is really disturbing in the overall impact this legislation is likely to have on our quality of life in the country.  The standard of living we enjoy today is likely to be as good as it gets for us.  Our children will certainly not have anywhere near the quality of life we have had.

As the facts about this bill and the deals that were made to get it passed are revealed, whatever bump the President might enjoy from his legislative victory will be short-lived.  In fact, I am willing to project that his approval rating goes into the 30s before Memorial Day. 

Perhaps the greatest offense a politician can commit is lying to and deceiving the people.  Our trust of government have never been lower.  The short term gain of passing this bill will fade quickly as the American people turn their backs on the President, his administration and the majority party in Congress.  They will prove beyond any doubt that they cannot be trusted.  They will lose all credibility with us--even more than they already have.

We are witnessing history--certainly in more ways than we might imagine tonight.  Keep the faith.  We will take our country back.

I have often commented on the fact that if one is to be able to understand the radical left, one must pay attention to what they do and not what they say.  What I find most revolting about the radical left is their amorality--a complete dismissal of morality or even moral principles.  I can accept a person as being immoral--fighting against moral principles, and by that behavior acknowledging the existence of right and wrong--but a person that is amoral is more dangerous than any other form of human being.  Those that are amoral have no moral compass, no sense of integrity and no inhibitions concerning their actions.  This lack of a moral filtering will allow the amoral individual, read that those on the radical left, to do anything to achieve his or her ideological goals.  People who are not bound by a sense of right and wrong find even the slightest scintilla of moral grounding to be a theat to them and their agenda.

There are many actions amoral individuals will pursue to ensure they have free rein in a society in which chaos is injected.  First, the radical left will do everything they can to suppress free speech.  All one has to do is to examine the people in this administration and congress that want to revitalize the Fairness Doctrine, which would essentially eliminate talk radio from the airways.  Further, there is some movement by this adminstration to inject themselves into controlling content on the Internet.  Of course, the market is controlling those outlets that are popular and those that are not, and today, the left is losing ground.

The second tactic of the amoral radical left is to subvert religion.  One has to look no further than the near religious adherence of the left to environmentalism and Darwinism.  The left's constant attacks on the Constitution using the false arguments concerning the separation of church and state have virtually eliminated any mention of character shaping tenets in our schools or in the public domain.  The Constitution prohibits the establishment of a state religion.  The Constitution does not prohibit religion, and in fact, supports the free practice thereof.  The fundamental Judeo-Christian teachings from which our Founders drew strength and direction should be viewed with reverence and not disdain.  Conservatism is based on, but not dependent upon, the moral teachings found in religion.

The third technique employed by the amoral left is perhaps the most pernicious, and that is the methodical, deliberate indoctrination of our children through a public education system that is as corrupt as those who want to advance an agenda that diminishes at every turn the exceptionality of America.  The underlying philosophy of those that control and teach in our schools is one of egalitarianism.  Because all must be guaranteed equal outcomes, then merit and individuality must be suppressed.  If individuality is suppressed, then there is no individual accountability.  A society cannot survive without individual freedom, merit and accountability.

The fourth tactic pursued by the amoral left is the intentional disarming of the population.  A nation where individuals cannot own or bear arms is one that is bound for tyrannical rule.  The incredibly persistent strength of the individual, his or her freedom and the right to protect one's property has probably kept a tyrannical national government at bay.  The nation was founded by those unafraid to pick up arms to defend their land and their freedom.  Such is still, I believe, to be found in the enduring spirit of most Americans.

The final approach to suppressing those that still value individual freedom is the constant assault on the social contract manifested in the Constitution.  The pronouncements this week of many of those on the radical left that the American people do not care about the fundamental checks and balances found in the Constitution could not be more wrong.  It is the very existance of the Constitution that allows all freedom loving individuals in this country to gain the strength to take back this country from those that would deny that very freedom from us.

At the end of the day, I still believe the individual will win out.  I still believe that those without a moral center cannot prosper in this land for long.  Sooner or later, the spirit of the American people will drive those that do have a moral center to take up "arms" to throw off the suppression of liberty visited upon them by those that deny even the existence of moral principles.  I believe.  

Watching the majority party in Congress over the past several months has been instructive.  Further, one can clearly see that behavior is far more important than rhetoric, especially if that rhetoric is laced with deceit, falsehoods and cooked books.  The problem with telling a lie to support a position is that if the position is proved to be wrong, then the offending party has to tell even more lies.  In the end, the pathology of the offending parties is so predictable that with each passing day, credibility declines and skepticism increases.  Over the past year, the American people have made the decision to no longer trust anything coming out of Washington.

This weekend, the nation may well be set on a path of transformation that will be difficult to alter.  The rationale for nationalizing the healthcare industry has not been clearly articulated.  The reason the majority party has had such a hard time selling the American people on this monstrosity is that the reasons they have given--bending the cost curves, giving more access, reining in outrageous profits--have been found to be untrue.  The real reasons the radicals in the majority party are attempting to take over 16% of the economy are transparent--a word not used often with this congress or President.

The first reason for this effort is to dismantle as much of the private sector as possible.  These people hate capitalism and free enterprise, because in a market system, individual property rights are paramount and one gains prosperity based on one's own merit.  Capitalism, as they see it, is built upon the sweat of working people that do not get their fair share of the fruits of their labor.  Regardless of what decisions one makes, he or she is entitled to share the profits of their labor.  This notion is based on a near religious belief in egalitarianism--equal outcomes for everyone.  Of course, such a philosophy destroys or suppresses individual initiative and thus fully erodes the ability to generate any excess capacity.  Further, egalitarianism is the antithesis of a system based on merit.  Those that believe that capitalism is evil are also those that believe that America represents an oppressive society where there is an expectation of individual accountability.  The progressives that hate America and capitalism believe that the individual is not responsible for his her circumstances and that those that are disadvantaged in society are victims.  This may be the case in some situations, but endorsing a victim mentality leads to the creation of a permanent, dependent underclass that will never escape the shackles of dependency.  These progressives, of course, do not want any escape.

The second reason the radicals of the majority party want to take over the healthcare industry is to control every aspect of one's life.  In essence, these people believe that through the coercive power of government, they can achieve the perfection of man.  A predictable outcome of this legislation will be government directives on what one can eat, where one can eat, when one can eat, when one can visit a doctor, etc.  Through this legislation, the national government will impose direct control on the life of every American.  Citizens of this nation will literally live and die at the whim of a government that will not stop until all power and control is vested in the ruling classes of the national government.

The final reason for taking over the healthcare industry is that such control furthers an agenda bent on dismantling, and eventually destroying, the Constitution of the United States.  With this systematic assault on the very founding of the nation, the radicals of the majority party are more than willing to diminish the strength of the nation by suppressing speech, the right to assemble, the right to bear arms and the rest of the protections of the Bill of Rights.  Further, this dismantling of the Constitution will also lead to the subordination of the states to the point of being mere extensions of the national government and the subordination of the legislative and judicial branches of the national government to an imperial Presidency and unfettered executive branch.

Regardless of how the votes turn out this weekend, the country will likely never be the same.  I am betting on the American people to wrest control from the hands of those that would be very pleased to enslave the people and take from them their freedom, independence and power.  This year, 2010, will be a good year for the Constitution, in the end.  Right now, however, one must continue to fight for the individual citizen and resist the despicable actions of those that want to take that liberty away.