This is an unusual year for me as I have actually seen one of the movies in the top three contests (Best Picture, Actor, and Actress).Mrs. Common Sense shamed me into seeing “The Help” since I took her to see “True Grit.”By the way, Jeff Bridges in no John Wayne – but I digress.
Indeed after a review of all the categories, “The Help” is the only movie that I have seen of this year’s crop of losers.Once again I can’t for the life of me understand how a movie that doesn’t make money can be the “Best.” And why it would matter how good a performance is in a stinker of a film?Sorry, I just don’t get it.
I won’t be catching any of the festivities.I can’t generate any interest in the pampered and useless class.
Thursday evening at CPAC started with cocktails in the Virginia Suite followed by the Presidential Banquet. As an aside I got a brief moment to compliment Jerome Corsi on the work he did so well in revealing what a scumbag John Kerry is in “Unfit For Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry.”
Former Congressman Joe Scarborough was the master of ceremonies for the dinner and he did a very good job. He did receive some “boos” from the crowd when he was introduced but bulled through it well. I must admit that I generally only hear about Joe Scarborough when he says something stupid on MSNBC so I was pleasantly surprised at his rousing call to arms delivered just before his introduction of the Keynote Speaker Congressman Paul Ryan.
I couldn’t help but think as Ryan spoke that he might be one of the most important Members of the House of Representatives to stand before any crowd in our lifetime. He told us to be bold and cautioned us that we must provide a conservative plan and not just count on beating Obama with his failed presidency. He’s right – we can win this thing, but it’s going to take a lot of work and we have to send help to Ryan in the House and retake the Senate as well.
Again – if you're a conservative CPAC should go onto your bucket list. You won’t be bored and you will enjoy rubbing elbows with your fellow patriots.
Mrs. Common Sense and I had the opportunity to attend CPAC 2012 and the dinner that evening.I must tell you that for all real conservatives I think it is an experience that you should treat yourself to this lifetime.Though I live in the shadow of Washington, DC I rarely enter the city and yesterday I was reminded of why.If I go again, I’ll be getting a room as I refuse to deal with that traffic and the maze that is Washington, DC.
If you are a conservative and if you are keeping a bucket list, put CPAC on that list.It’s not everyday that most of us can casually walk up to Grover Norquist and ask him about the state of the Union.I’m not much of a fan nor do I get worked up about meeting the famous and infamous but it is interesting to meet those people face-to-face in a friendly and festive environment.Cocktails with Ken Blackwell anyone?
The first thing that grabbed my attention was the sheer number of young people in the crowd.A very good sign in my opinion.They were volunteers, young folks working the various booths, and still others there on student day-passes.There very few Paulbots in attendance rather there seemed to be a huge number of people sporting “Santorum” stickers (as were Mrs. Common Sense and I).
The second thing is that there was too much to do.We missed Senator Marco Rubio’s speech but did catch Speaker Boehner’s and Texas Governor Rick Perry’s:
When I looked at the Republican Presidential field 2012 BP (Before Perry) I was disappointed and most of you know that I was pushing for the Governor to enter the race.When he did I was happy and supportive.I think that the best guy we had for 2012 left the race.
However since my recent campaign contribution didn't result in a Rick Santorum sweater vest in the mail, I did secure one at CPAC (eat your heart out Hardnox):
I had been so preoccupied with National politics that I hadn’t read the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia – the State where I live.I have corrected that oversight.In some ways it isn’t as elegant as the United States Constitution and by comparison it is a little too long.However I love the way it begins:
“A DECLARATION OF RIGHTS made by the good people of Virginia in the exercise of their sovereign powers, which rights do pertain to them and their posterity, as the basis and foundation of government.
Section 1. Equality and rights of men.
That all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.”
Yes Mr. Obama – just across the Potomac live free people.We intend to stay that way.You are an impediment to our freedom and we will deal with you in November.
Please note that all we want is the “means” or the opportunity, not a free ride.
I was inspired to write once again about the Red Cockaded Woodpecker by my blogger buddy Mrs. AL (Always Learning). All of us who are Marines are forced to deal with environmental Nazis whether we want to or not. It might be Least Terns in San Diego, Desert Tortoises in Twenty-nine Palms, or Red Cockaded Woodpeckers in CampLejeune. No matter – we all face them eventually. Oh – and don’t get me started on vernal pools and surf thistles!
But the vaunted Red Cockaded Woodpecker is my greatest nemesis by far. I first encountered these little bastards as an infantry lieutenant in the training areas of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. I rarely saw a woodpecker, but constantly encountered the evidence left behind by the watermelons* who sought to protect them. You see, through the deep scientific study these lunatics determined that these birds needed to be protected from contact with humans in general and Marines in particular. Their solution? Every time they located a tree in which a pair of Red Cockaded Woodpeckers was cohabitating, they painted a double white band around the trunk of that tree. Then in a ten meter radius around that tree they painted trees with a single band thus creating a visual buffer zone to help them procreate in quiet privacy. We had to be quiet in those areas; we couldn’t camp or dig in those zones, nor use pyrotechnic devices.
I must point out that I never encountered such a privacy zone when I was ass-deep in a swamp or off the beaten path. All Red Cockaded Woodpecker procreation zones were immediately adjacent to a trail, path, or road. Over the years however these zones continued to blossom. While that should indicate an increase in nests and thus birds – the watermelons persisted in their demented tree anointing efforts.
We non-scientists began to understand what was going on. The North Carolina version of the Red Cockaded Woodpecker preferred dead trees as a homestead. As we drove our tracked and wheeled vehicles through the pine forests of CampLejeune the sandy soil was compacted, the roots of the trees were crushed and the trees died. Bingo - Red Cockaded Woodpeckers would call those newly murdered trees home. The enviro-Nazis would appear (because there was now a convenient path to that tree) and daub the newly dead and occupied tree with red paint. Vehicles now had to detour around that path. If you are not an enviro-Nazis scientist you will see where this is going. Our new path killed new trees and . . . . . I’ll connect the dots for the watermelons . . . . . Red Cockaded Woodpeckers took up residence and the watermelons showed up with more paint. This made white paint suppliers ecstatic but was becoming a real pain-n-the-ass for Marines.
Then the most remarkable discovery of all. We had a demolition range where we could use large explosives. The largest thing I ever set off there was a 40-pound cratering charge, but I’m sure there were larger explosions. One bad aspect of the large scale and continuous use of explosives was that chemicals leeched into the surrounding soil and killed the trees immediately adjacent to this area where earth rending and ear splitting explosions went off nearly every day. Only an environmental scientist would be surprised at what they found ringing that noisy range. You guessed it - Red Cockaded Woodpecker nests. Those randy little birds didn’t seem to mind the occasional ear drum rupturing explosion – so why exactly were we tip-toeing through the woods skirting the love-zones created by the watermelons?
As Ron White says – “You can’t fix stupid.” That appears to be the problem with watermelons.
Note: *Watermelons – Eco-Nazis a reference to them being green on the outside and red on the inside.
Monday was an unusual day as I caught a few minutes each of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin. I found it fascinating that all three of the radio conservative pundits rallied against the “establishment” Republicans in the small slice of time I caught. I also had an evening meeting with local Republicans that night. I couldn’t help but laugh on my way home as I thought about the people in that room and how ill fitting the word “establishment” was to that group. There were more than a dozen. Were we presented the same four candidates Floridians were there were probably only three votes for Mitt Romney if that many. One of the people who I pegged as a potential Romney supporter asked me who my guy was and I responded “Santorum.” She nodded her head and said, “I could live with him.”
Unfortunately in Virginia we will all be voting for Mitt Romney to avoid handing a victory to the Paulbots in March. But I digress.
Today I heard the term “establishment conservatives.” Okay knuckleheads, which is it? Me thinks that “establishment” is in the eye of the opposition.
I think that it’s past time to call that ridiculous “establishment” charge exactly what it is – BS. We “establishment” types are not a homogeneous mass of automatons (like say democrats?) who are all pulling for Romney to protect some imaginary rice bowl conjured up by pundits or critics alike.
If you doubt me – ask yourself, who is leading the “establishment” Republicans? Is it Reince Priebus? John Boehner? Rush Limbaugh? Who is it exactly that is making us all sit up and bark at the same time? Who told three quarters of a million people in Florida to vote for Mitt Romney?
People are voting and we’re going to have to live with the result.
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