Colin Powell Inadvertently Gets It Right

I don’t know what to say about Colin Powell any more. There was a time when I would have enthusiastically voted for him for President. There was a time when I waited in a bookstore line for four hours to get him to sign a copy of his autobiography, My American Journey. Those were the days, my friends.

Sadly, those days are in the past, and the Colin Powell of today seems to be much more of a squishy liberal on a variety of topics.

For example, in an appearance on “Face the Nation” yesterday, Powell blandly dismisses the very existence of  voter fraud. Nope, no evidence at all. None. Nosiree! But then he goes on to say something extraordinary about requiring identification for voting:

“These kinds of procedures that are being put in place to slow the process down and make it likely that fewer Hispanics and African Americans might vote I think are going to backfire, because these people are going to come out and do what they have to to vote, and I encourage that…”

Wow. First , he blatantly misrepresenting the reason for requiring voter IDs (Really? To slow the process down and make it harder for minorities? Well, he’s already stated that voter fraud doesn’t exist, so what other reason could there be?) But then in the same breath he goes on to say that those same minorities are going to do what they need to do to vote.

And that’s the point. It’s that simple. That’s all anyone is asking. Do what you need to do to vote. Get an I.D.

Or, as the inestimable Bill Whittle said, : “To oppose these reasonable rules for fair elections is to admit that your team can’t win without cheating.”

Is that what you’re really saying, Mr. Powell?

Stoutcat

H/T: HotAir

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Episode IV: A New Hope

These days, it’s so easy to believe that the country is going to hell in a handbasket. It’s easy to believe this, because we see examples of it all around us: in popular culture, the news media, schools and universities. It’s difficult to avoid the belief that stupidity, ignorance, apathy, and generally joyless existence are the norm, and that we are all doomed to end up living lives of not-so-quiet desperation when that message seems to be shouted from every treetop.

However. there are signs of hope. Quoted below is an excerpt from a homeschooling family’s summer trip across the country in order to study American History:

Having read stories and learned all the facts, having seen pictures of it in books, and after driving almost 1,000 miles, we finally arrived at the Liberty Bell Center.  We walked down the corridor towards the bell.  Because of our study, my children understood this was not just a bell…it was a symbol of determination by the people of America to preserve and protect their freedom.  Our American brothers went to great lengths to hide it from the enemy and rang their bell proudly when the war was over.  And through the stories and facts, my kids came to love this bell, this American symbol of freedom, of heart-pounding passion.  Like waiting to see an old friend at the airport whom you haven’t seen in a long while, my children were eagerly anticipating their first encounter with “the bell.”  I could tell their excitement mounted as they walked briskly to see this symbol in the “flesh”.  And then…the waiting was over.  There it was.  Both of their paces  slowed – almost to a stop.  They were unaware of the people all around.  My four year old son’s jaw dropped.  My daughter just stared.  Their eyes were fixed…it was real!  That was it!  It was really real!  I don’t mean to sound corny or overly patriotic.  This is exactly how it happened.  And to be honest, I was amazed at how taken they were with this moment.

As I stood behind them, watching them more than the bell, my eyes blurred.  They were looking at the bell, but saw so much more!  As a parent, this was a moment frozen in time.  They had captured the spirit, felt (if even for a moment) the passion cast into this bell.  As the privileged parent of these wonderful little people, their inspired moment has inspired me with further resolve to continue teaching them true American History.  Just as we were clamoring for Patriots to fight the embolden British over 230 years ago, so today we search for modern day patriots to preserve the freedoms we hold today.  How privileged I feel to have witnessed the birth of two more young patriots on this special day.

Folks, this is our future. All that other stuff? Dreck. Meaningless nonsense intended to dismay and discourage.

It is children like these, raised by hard-working parents who believe fervently in the promise and hope of America, who are our future. There are millions of them growing up right now, being taught exactly what they need to know, being raised as Americans. And when I look at them, my heart swells with pride and I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Because this is our future, yours and mine. Right here. Right now. God bless them all.

Stoutcat

Too Good To Check

Oh, please let this be a real photo…

…And apparently it’s legit! I give the UConn Lady Huskies  huge chutzpah credit for this. I predict they’ll go far in life.

Stoutcat