In the current day and age we live in, politically we live in a damaged landscape. In the wake of the 2008 election, the devastation is fairly extensive in contrast to what we had before the end of the 1960’s. You might be asking yourself what I am talking about in respects to devastation. We all have known for some time that since the days of Walter Cronkite, and his own admission that he slanted the news to match his own particular view point in respects to the Vietnam War, that news reporting has been on its slide into objectively choosing sides ever since. Due to the transformational tide that has shaped news reporting since then, in my opinion our Republic entered one of its greatest points of danger since the civil war.

Abraham Lincoln himself stated that, “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”

Thomas Jefferson,in his Second Inaugural Address on March 4th, 1805, stated, “The press, confined to the truth, needs no other legal restraint; the public judgment will correct false reasoning’s and opinions, on a full hearing of all parties; and no other definite line can be drawn between the inestimable liberty of the press and its demoralizing licentiousness.

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I am typing this post as an impromptu post. It may wander some, but I will do my best to keep it focused.

In the General War on Terror, we came to realize that the terrorists had declared war against us, and were actively engaged in it long before we even bothered to pay attention and lift a finger about it. However, it took 911 for us to actually pay attention to their declaration of war against us ten years earlier. This election, and the criticisms of conservatives and especially the treatment of Sara Palin by “Republicans” has finally crossed a line.

In the Republican Party a similar situation, though not as deadly, has been going on since 1994. When Ronald Reagan came to power, it signaled a shift from old style Republican politics to a new conservative era sparked by Barry Goldwater. However, the Democrats still controlled Congress. The fact Reagan won and stood for something new in the American political landscape was to forever change things, and not just for the Democrats.

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This is going to be short. I need to get ready for work.

Yesterday I made a post critical of the Republican Main Street Partnership and the moderates there whose own goals on their web site is to counter Conservatism. I also pointed out that some very prominent members of the Republican Party belong to this group. John McCain is one of them.

Now that the election is over, I want to engage in the conversation about who has better ideas. Should a Republican group whose stated goal is to attack and undermine other Republicans be driving the bus now?

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To quote one of our posts here on Red State, “the great moderate experiment in the Republican Party is over!” – Will someone please tell the moderate Republicans of the Republican Main Street Partnership!

In 1980 Ronald Reagan was elected president. The great Reagan Revolution was born with the melding of conservatives, evangelical Christians, and the “Reagan Democrats”. In 1994, Newt Gingrich engineered the take over of the Congress by the Reagan Revolution conservatives.

The history of The Republican Main Street Partnership starts with:

The November 1994 mid-term elections were commonly referred to as the “Republican Revolution.” Given the great gains made by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, a group of moderate House Republicans began informal meetings to discuss ways to further a centrist, pragmatic Republican agenda — one that could accommodate bipartisan legislative results. At that time, there was great concern that a dramatic shift to the right was quickly approaching, given the new congressional leadership. The discussion group began to craft a moderate Republican agenda with a fiscally conservative background.

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Today, or should I say, the night has been a long one. After Pennsylvania went down, so did I. At that point last night, after the “bankrupt the coal industry” tape came out, and Obama still won that state, I knew it was over. After that occurred I knew that Republicans were toast, but that is only my opinion.

This post is NOT an “I told you so” but it is a post that I have have had in the back of my mind ever since we reached the point were McCain won the nomination and the Red State Directors/ Moderators chose to “ride rough shod” over the Fred Heads. It had to be done to get the site in line to prepare for the hard work that needed to be done to get McCain elected.

That was a purely strategic decision on their part. They needed to have us focus on getting McCain elected, however some of the things said by two individuals here still left a bad taste in my mouth, and still does to this day. However, forgiveness is what I needed to do, but I am still working on forgetting.

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It is amazing what can happen when global warming alarmists reach a fevered pitch. To whit:

Big snow flakes fell early Friday evening, turning Downtown Boise into a giant snow globe for people on their way home from work.

snip

At 10 p.m., the Weather Service said 1.7 inches of snow had fallen. The previous earliest recorded snowfall was Oct. 12, 1969, when a little more than an inch fell.

I know that global warming has to be to blame for this! It has to be!

I saw this article on the Fox News web site and found these opening paragraphs rather interesting.

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan — Intelligence officials suspect a top militant leader may have been killed in an alleged U.S. missile strike because the Taliban are unusually angry about the attack.

Amid reports of the death toll rising to 24, informants and agents in the field said members of the Taliban seem particularly incensed by the latest strike.

The fury is a sign that a senior Taliban leader may have been killed, though that has yet to be confirmed, the officials said Sunday.

The insurgents were using harsh language against locals, calling them “saleable commodities” — a reference to people serving as government spies, according to the sources.

Two local residents said Taliban fighters had warned people not to discuss the strike with anyone including the media or try inspecting the rubble at the site. The residents asked not to be named for fear of Taliban retaliation.

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I will start this post with a disclaimer. I am a novice when it comes to financial markets. I invest in stocks and such and I watch the markets, but I am not one you can consider reliable source. However, I can watch the news and make observations that are not too bad. They are just not always right.

With that said, I woke up and read the news and made some observations.

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In light of all the disastrous news coming out of Wall Street and Washington DC. Anything to change the days news intake to something positive for private enterprise, and away from a socialist model, is always welcome news.

Today at the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific, Space X, a private space launch services company, who has designed and built their own space launch system had a success. It is the first in four tries, but it was the first time in world history that a totally privately funded space launch system occurred successfully. The rocket is called the Falcon 1. It can be done without the government.

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This is a news story I saw on Power Line Blog, about a news story reported by John Gibson on Fox News.

As we all know, Obama blames Wall St. crisis on Republican policy. Of course, that is to be expected. Republicans support free markets and evil capitalism, so Republicans must be to blame.

However, in this one instance, an old magicians trick is being employed. You draw the crowds attention away from the slight of hand so they do not notice it. Did you catch it in this instance?

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Is it me, and Republicans in general who are paying attention, or does the general public see the deliberate attempt to destroy Sara Palin for what it is?

I genuinely believe Sara Palin is doing a wonderful job with her involvement in the campaign despite the withering blasts coming her way.

However, the one thing she cannot control is the news stories taken totally out of context that are scripted to damage her. That is the part that is just blowing my mind. Is the American general public seeing it too? I genuinely hope so!

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I too am one of the number of people who have been driven beyond crazy with the Red State problems. However, due to my computer background, I knew there had to be an explanation and a resolution. I did not know what it all was, because I am not privy to any of the efforts going on by the staff, but I knew it was fixable.

I noticed last night that the servers were down for an update. It wasn’t for long, but I wasn’t on long either. I am noticing an improvement since then.

However, the main reason for this post is not to speculate. My main reason for this post is to drive home one point of major concern for me. We are in the home stretch for a hugely important election. I have noticed several posts about the abolition of Red State and generally the whole idea of taking their toys and going home because it is all too frustrating.

My father always taught me not to be a quitter. Taking my toys and going home was never an option when things became difficult. I will admit, my posting and commenting dropped off considerably in the past. However, I had personal reasons with a job change. I have been slowly getting back into the game here. The technical problems are not helping matters either, but quitting and going home is not an option.

I am here to stay. It is time to regroup here at Red State, and I for one will be in it. A donation would also help with the efforts too. It is worth it to me. Is it worth it to you?

In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at the campaign Headquarters for Republican Senate candidate Joel Dykstra, there was a letter that came in the mail this morning. This was not an ordinary letter.

A letter that arrived at U.S. Senate candidate Joel Dykstra’s Sioux Falls office today contained baby powder, preliminary tests show.

The letter also contained a threat to either Dykstra’s campaign or Republicans in general, said Jim Sideras, a spokesman for Sioux Falls Fire Rescue.

Now, if I remember correctly, there has been been significant coverage in the news over similar “fake anthrax” letters going out before. I didn’t see any mention of this in the news outside of South Dakota. In South Dakota, the coverage was a bit muted, even with the threats conveyed in the letter.

I guess it isn’t a big deal anymore to threaten the life of a Senate candidate.

It seems that Senator Tim Johnson, on the heels of his refusing any public debates with his challenger Joel Dydstra, has announces his barnstorming campaign schedule so the people can meet him and talk to him.

There is only one problem, they are closed to the public!

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Here in S Dakota, the Senate race is getting a bit bizarre. We have a Senate candidate, a sitting Senator, who suffered a terrible brain injury. As we all know, the tragedy to this man, and his family must be enormous. I am thankful he survived, my aunt wasn’t so lucky with the same injury, but there comes a time where the question has to be asked, “How much is the public entitled to know about this man’s injury, and how much does it affect his ability to perform his duties as Senator”? Is he entitled respect, and concern for his well being, to the point that no one except those “approved” to have access, can meet and speak with him? Are S. Dakota voters forced to blindly vote for the man without being able to make the decision on his ability to serve for themselves?

This is the real debate that should be occurring, especially since Senator Johnson will not participate in any debates with his challenger, nor will he make himself available to the public, so they can decide for themselves. How much consideration, respect and sensitivity is “enough” without being called mean and heartless?

Thankfully, reporters are now starting to ask that question too at The Rapid City Journal. That just happens to be that rabid right wing attack machine rag that is asking that question. However, I must admit, that is a legitimate, and very good question.

Yes, indeed, how much is the public entitled to know about this man’s injury and how much does it affect his ability to perform his duties as Senator?

Is the public entitled to know and judge for themselves?

It seems that Senator John Thune, on the heels of his jaw dropping efforts to cut the legs out from under his fellow Republicans, is continuing with his efforts.

In a very brief story on the internet version of The Rapid City Journal, this was reported this morning:

Republican U.S. Sen. John Thune is taking no position on a fellow senator’s decision not to engage in any political debates for the Nov. 4 election.

Now there is some decisive Leadership!

It seems that the debate saga between Senator Tim Johnson and his Republican challenger Joel Dykstra is not resolved. In fact, things are just heating up.

Since the original news of Johnson announcing that he will not debate Joel Dykstra, the electorate perked up and became interested. Here is a round table of news clippings on this issue from around the state.

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It seems that despite promise to engage in debates against his Republican challenger Joel Dystra, Tim Johnson has reversed course and announced that he will NOT participate in ANY debates with his challenger.

In a statement Friday, Johnson said he will dispense with a widely held political tradition in South Dakota as he seeks a third Senate term because he thinks face-to-face debates will not characterize his recovery from a brain injury more than a year ago or his ability to serve another six years in the Senate. Johnson still has impaired mobility, and his articulation and ability to rapidly summon responses are not what they were before.

Johnson has assured South Dakotans on numerous occasions since resuming public life that doctors tell him he will regain his full verbal command.

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It seems in my rush to cover the events in the park in Pierre, SD, I was a bit oblivious to the fact that all the people I was meeting were not all there for the same reason. A reporter for the local Capital City Journal was there too. The event, with pictures, was on the front page of the newspaper this morning. My wife called me on my cell phone at work and informed me about it. The coverage wasn’t too bad either for legacy journalism.

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It seems in my rush to cover the events in the park in Pierre, SD, I was a bit oblivious to the fact that all the people I was meeting and getting introduced too were not all there for the same reason. It appears that a reporter for the local Capital City Journal was there too. The event, with pictures was on the front page of the news paper this morning. It wasn’t too bad either.

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