Katyn

How quickly we forget.

There were many reasons why Ronald Reagan was correct in labeling the former Soviet Union as "The Evil Empire."

Recent events in Poland have brought one particularly heinous incident back to light.

Somewhat eerily, yours truly found a DVD waiting in the snail mail box this weekend that dramatized the Katyn massacre. (I hadn't added it to my queue, yet it just happened to arrive on its own?!)

Heads-up. This film was shot in Poland. In Polish. So, you have to get used to the subtitles.

But, it's worth the effort.

If, like yours truly, ye were completely ignorant of this sad chapter in WWII history, this film by Andrzeja Wajdy brings it (more than somewhat disturbingly) back to life.

RIP Jack Kemp (1935-2009)

I was sorry to hear yesterday of the passing of Jack Kemp, who apparently had been battling cancer recently.

Ye socks may remember him from his pro football days, or from his distinguished career in public service (US Congressman, HUD Secretary, etc.)

Personally, whenever his name is mentioned, I always think back to the presidential campaign of 1996, when Kemp came to rally the troops at the Lake Eola bandshell in downtown Orlando.

I don't remember exactly the words he used, but I sure do remember the enthusiasm he brought to what otherwise was a dismal campaign. Many of us in the crowd then, and today even more, wonder what might have been if Kemp had been the party nominee instead of Bob Dole that year.

He was certainly a man of big ideas, more than just a foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution as the party's most recent failed presidential candidate is so proud of claiming.

No, Kemp wasn't just a good trooper, he was actually coming up with ideas to tackle the economic mess we inherited from Jimmy Carter's malaise. And, he implemented many more as he served in the first Bush administration's cabinet.

Gone too soon, Jack, gone too soon.

A fresh perspective on The New Deal

Well, ye socks, I have to admit that I did NOT stay up to watch the presidential debate last night.

I figured, why bother getting all riled-up when you've already made up your mind who you're going to vote for?!

Instead, I turned to a book for my evening entertainment. Though it was an economic history of the Great Depression, I was surprised to see how many lessons could be applied to current events.

If you want to go out and get a copy at your local bookstore or library, here's the bibliographical info:

The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression, by Amity Shlaes, ISBN 9780060936426.

Ms. Shlaes is an economist by training and uses her egg-shaped head to pick apart one of the biggest icons of big government: Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Her indictment against FDR contains the following charges:

1. That his socialist economic policies actually prolonged the country's depression.

2. That his expansion of welfare programs created "indebted constituencies" and led to class warfare.

3. That his attacks on the free market led to the rise of special interest groups and their lobbyists.

I sincerely doubt that the junior senator from Illinois, or any of his ilk for that matter, would bother to crack a book that criticizes the godfather of big government taxing and spending.

I just hope the electorate hasn't been dumbed down to the level where pretty words and pompoms can make them overlook the warnings from Shlaes and other economists.

Reagan was right (again). Big government isn't the solution. Big government is the problem.

Reagan is proved right . . . again!

I was only a punk kid back in 1983 when President Ronald Reagan introduced the concept of a "Star Wars" defense program.

The name was used, somewhat derisively at the time, because the bold initiative proposed the use of a defense shield to protect America and her allies from incoming missiles launched by foreign aggressors.

At the time, of course, "foreign aggressors" meant the Soviets and the communist bloc.

Today, the defense shield that many pooh-poohed in the 1980s is protecting the planet from errant satelites.

From some point west of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, our Navy's missile defense cruiser U.S.S. Lake Erie lobbed a missile nearly 130 miles into the stratosphere to blow-up an aging spy satelite that was threatening to come busting thru our atmosphere and wreak incalculable damage on Earth.

And, they hit their target on their first attempt.

Simply amazing.

Of course, today we are not so much worried about commies as we are about Islamofascists. And, the only major player on the world stage capable to similar missile launches is China. In early 2007, they destroyed one of their own weather satelites. But, they left 100,000 pieces of debris floating around in space.

The U.S. Navy was far more effective. Their target was obliterated. And, any chunks left over will soon be burning up as they re-enter Earth's atmosphere.

Once again, Reagan's principles are proving timeless. This time it is the necessity of a strong military, not just for national defense but for all the other benefits that spin-off of it.

Now, let's talk about his other principles of lower taxes and a smaller federal government!

Reagan's Legacy

Well, the GOP candidates got together again tonight, this time at the Reagan Library out in California. And, yes, Nancy was there, along with the Governator.

Unfortunately, the CNN moderators encouraged the two "leading" contenders to drag the tone of the debate into the gutter. It was truly shameful and, in my opinion, terribly disrespectful to the memory of the Gipper.

The only thing anyone can give John McCain credit for is staying on message. No matter what the question was, his canned answers always came back around to the Iraq surge. Health care? Surge. Economy? Surge. Leadership? Surge.

The other thing he did, with an annoying smirk on his face, was continually bait Mitt Romney about his position on . . . you guessed it . . . the surge.

Unfortunately, despite his much-touted credentials and reputation for a suave demeanor, Romney took the bait. He was visibly upset by McCain's attacks. So much for unflappable. Kinda makes you wonder how he'd react to baiting by Iranian, Venezuelan, Cuban, or North Korean "leaders."

What was particularly annoying to me as a Huckabee supporter was how much time and attention the moderators gave to these two and their bad behavior. They virtually ignored the fact that Huck (and Ron Paul) were on the stage.

However, Huckabee did steal the show right at the end. Anderson Cooper asked the question of all four men, "If Ronald Reagan were alive today, would he endorse you?"

Well, Romney thought he would certainly have gained the Gipper's endorsement, because he was (like Reagan) a governor who would approach problems with an outside-the-beltway mentality. Fairly good point.

McCain claimed he deserved the endorsement because he was "a foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution." Pompous to say the least.

Everybody's favorite Libertarian shared stories of Reagan campaigning for him in Texas in the 70s and 80s, and their common love of the gold standard.

Then, Huckabee got the last word.

And, he hit a home run.

He told Cooper, and everyone else for that matter, that we shouldn't engage in conjecture about who Reagan would endorse.

Rather, Huckabee astutely challenged his opponents to join him in endorsing Reagan's ideals. They include lower taxes, smaller government, strong defense, the sanctity of human life, and an optimistic vision of America's future.

That response brought down the house!

It was realy cool to see Ah-nold jump up out of his seat as Huckabee's answer ended what had been a bitterly cantakerous evening. I wish he'd had a microphone on him so we could hear what he said to Huck, but there was some back-slapping a big grin, and a fairly long conversation.

I didn't see Schwarzenegger exhibit that kind of body language with the other candidates.

Kinda makes you wonder why the rumor mills say he's going to endorse somebody else?

Oh, well, time to hit the sack.

In the mean time: GO, MIKE, GO!

It's finally starting to dawn on the media

If you don't believe me, check out Bill Kristol's op-ed piece in today's New York Times.

Like most folks in the "major media," he is not too thrilled about the rise of Mike Huckabee. But, at least he/they are finally forced to take notice. And, they're giving the former Arkansas governor grudging respect.

Kristol points out Huckabee's calm, measured response to a question posed at Saturday night's debate at St. Anselm's College up in New Hampshire. He was asked how he would contrast himself to Barack Obama if the two of them ended up being the two major parties' nominees. Without missing a beat, he gave three issues where they differ: guns, abortion, and same-sex marriage.

As Kristol put it, Huckabee's choice of these themes show he is in tune with the "work-hard-to-get-ahead strivers" that made up the core of Regan voters twenty-odd years ago.

This is how Republicans win national elections. You have to appeal to a broader base than Wall Street and Washington. You have to connect to Main Street. And, Huckabee is doing that.

Huck wins in Iowa!

Florida Loves Huckabee!

That is according to the latest Rasmussen Poll which found GOP voters in the state support the following candidates in the 1/29/08 primary:

27% Huckabee (+18% since November's poll)
23% Romney (+4%)
19% Giuliani (-8%)
9% Thompson (-7%)
6% McCain (-4%)

So, what do these numbers tell us? Is McCain losing people to Romney? Is Huckabee drawing support away from everyone else? Who knows?

What the numbers do tell us is the momentum each candidate enjoys (or doesn't) in the Sunshine State. And, clearly, Mike Huckabee is outshining everyone else. Keep in mind, he was only registering 3% support down here as recently as September. So, for him to rise to the top of the pack in just three months is truly an amazing statement about his campaign. And, I'd like to think this little corner of the blogosphere contributed a little bit to the trajectory.

The other piece of news out of the Huckabee camp today was Ed Rollins is joining the team as National Director. Political junkies will remember that name as belonging to the man who orchestrated the most successful presidential campaign EVER back in 1984, when his strategies earned Ronald Reagan the electoral votes of 49 states. (Only his never-to-be-mentioned opponent's home state of Minnesota and the wayward District of Columbia fell to the Dems that year.)

Expect both the poll numbers and Ed Rollins to be discussed tonight when Huckabee and his buddy Chuck Norris appear on The O'Reilly Factor. (8pm on FoxNews, replayed at 11pm.)

Go, Mike, go!

Law of the Sea Treaty

Isn't it more than slightly ironic that the acronym for this UN attempt at a power grab is L O S T?!?!

For ye socks just tuning-in to the Law of the Sea Treaty controversy, allow me to give you a little history.

Our subsidized friends at the United Nations crafted this piece of garbage back in the 1970s, whereby they declared the oceans of the world the "common heritage of mankind."

Sounds innocuous enough, doesn't it?

But, by making that declaration, they extend their faulty logic to demand that all the nations in the world--including those that are completely landlocked--should receive a share in any mineral resources that may be discovered under international waters.

Essentially, the career bureaucrats up there in New York City expect anyone with the entrepreneurial spirit enough to risk their lives and fortunes to explore the vast uncharted underwater world to turn over a portion of anything valuable they might discover for "equitable" redistribution.

Smacks of socialism, doesn't it?

Back in 1982, the late great Ronald Reagan rejected LOST because he correctly perceived it as a threat to US sovereignty. Indeed, it not only threatens the sovereignty of EVERY country in the world, it also discourages private enterprise.

LOST never seemed likely to pass the US Senate since the Reagan years. But, since last year's lurch to the left, the socialist wing of the Democratic Party now controls Congress and is salivating at the opportunity to revive the treaty.

Evidently, the supporters of this treaty didn't learn anything from the collapse of the Soviet Union. If you stifle the free market by removing profit motive, you also stifle innovation. And, mankind will be poorer for it. How many potential discoveries and technological advances may be left at the bottom of the ocean if it doesn't pay to get your boots wet?!

LOST must be stopped. I encourage all ye socks to contact your US Senators and tell them to VOTE NO ON LOST!

3 Reasons Why Mike Huckabee's Poll Numbers Are Rising

In case you missed the latest poll out of Des Moines, our favorite presidential candidate now leads the Republican field:

Mike Huckabee = 29%
Mitt Romney = 24%
Rudy Giuliani = 13%
Fred Thompson = 9%
John McCain = 7%
Ron Paul = 7%
Tom Tancredo = 6%
Undecided = 4%

"So, where did this guy come from?" That's what a lot of lost socks are asking nowadays, having apparently missed all the posts in this dryer over the last several months.

The momentum that put him on top has been building for quite some time, and it's due to three primary reasons, in my humble estimation:

1. He has a sense of humor. That's a rarity amongst politicos nowadays. I mean, can you even imagine someone like Hillary Clinton making jokes about herself?! So, the governor's self-effacing manner makes him stand out in the crowd.

2. He knows how to govern. He can speak in confidently and in clearly understood terms about how he made government work for the people of Arkansas while he was governor, and how he'd like to translate that to the federal level. More importantly, he approaches public policy problems from an optimists' viewpoint--something we haven't seen since (dare I invoke the name?!) Ronald Reagan.

3. He is a unifyer. I know that sounds somewhat trite. But, he's not campaigning to simply beat-up on the other guys. Rather, he's trying to rally folks to his message of coming together to tackle the myriad challenges that face all Americans, regardless of partisan stripe.

The bottom line is, you don't have to be a Republican to like Mike. I've given you the three big reasons, as I see them. But, I'm sure if you stack him up against "the other guys," you'll come up with a few dozen more yourselves. So, give him a look, ye socks. A lot of folks in Iowa already are . . . if you believe the polls!

Huckabee Shines in New Hampshire Debate

Was it just me, or for awhile during last night's debate up in New Hampshire, did it seem like there were only two men on the stage?!

The exchange between Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul was nothing short of riveting, as they argued their views on the War on Terror. And, of course, Huckabee came out on top.

I love watching Huck in these settings, because it allows voters to see him side-by-side with everyone else in the crowded field. And, he never fails to stand head and shoulders above them all. Dare I say, "Reaganesque?!"

This guy has a gift for communication, connecting with his audience in a way I haven't seen since the days of the Gipper. He actually brought a tear to the eye of this otherwise jaded observer when he reminded Rep. Paul that we are One Nation Under God, and NOT the "Divided States of America." That statement put into simple terms my own complex feelings about all the Red State vs Blue State nonsense.

If you look at the field of candidates--and I'm not just referring to the Republicans--Mike Huckabee is the only one speaking in terms of unifying the country. He needs to be the next President of the UNITED States of America.