my flashpoint

Good morning all!

We have reached over 200 supporters on our facebook page! Our facebook group is starting to grow, as is our membership on the website. We need to keep going, though!

Five things I would like for you to consider in your support:

1. Join our Facebook group, and invite your friends as well. Especially those of you that know people in NW Alabama!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=184904163139

2. Join our Facebook page, and invite your friends as well. Especially those of you that know people in NW Alabama!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Denel-for-the-People-2010/144464267451

3. Join our Resistnet group, and invite your friends as well. Especially those of you who know people in NW Alabama.
http://www.resistnet.com/group/denelforthepeople2010

4. Join our website as a member, and again, invite your friends as well. When you join the website, please consider becoming a volunteer for the campaign. We are needing people willing to gather together to make things and brainstorm ideas on how to advance the campaign. Eventually we will need people to do neighborhood walks. We will need people who can make phone calls or send out emails or stuff envelopes. The volunteer need is great! Please consider becoming a volunteer.
http://denelforthepeople2010.com

5. We are really in need of financing. Our immediate need is $600. If everyone pitched in just a little bit, that would be covered in no time, without causing a financial burden on any one person. Shoot, if every one gave just $10, that would cover the immediate need and give us a little money to launch more of the campaign! I know times are tight…but please consider this help.
http://www.denelforthepeople2010.com/howyoucanhelp.htm

Again, thank you everybody for your support! It does mean the world to me!
In Liberty,
Denel Wardell
Your Candidate!

Florence, AL – October 9, 2009 - Denel Wardell officially announces her candidacy for 1st District State Senator. Denel is seeking the Republican Party nomination in the June 2010 Primary.

Denel has been politically active for nearly 20 years, working on various campaigns and getting involved in community activities. Most recently Denel was among the organizers that helped get North Alabama residents to Washington, DC for the 9/12 Taxpayer March on DC. She helped form the organization called Shoals2DC, which is a group that is focusing on getting people more involved in their community, at all levels from local to state to national.

When asked why she decided to run for office she stated, “I have been telling people we need to stop re-acting and start acting. I decided it was time I stopped just telling people that and actually started doing it. It seems no matter how many people we pull together, how many signs we carry, or how loud we are, the politicians still don’t see us as the ones in charge. So, I decided the only way to change that is to jump on the front lines and serve the people from inside the political machine. I am going to Montgomery, not as a politician, but as a representative of the people, so their voice can be heard.”

Denel doesn’t have experience as a politician, or any degree in law or politics. But what she does have is a faith in God to guide her steps, a desire to serve her community, whether it is in the Shoals area or in Montgomery, and a confidence in those people she will be serving. Her commitment to the people of Lauderdale and Colbert Counties, and really all of Alabama, is that with her you will not get “politics as usual”. She will work for YOU…the People!

You can find out more about what Denel believes and stands for by going to her website: denelforthepeople2010.com. She would like to encourage people to leave a comment for her and tell her what they think is most important for the community.

As most of you know by now, Senator Specter of Pa has switched parties. Now I do not wish to get into the merits or lack thereof, of Specter’s action, but it seems clear that Specter switched solely for the purpose of preserving his political hide.

However I have a real problem with a politican of either party running and winning as either a Republican or Democrat, then switching parties. That seems unfair to the people who supported that politican in his election. I have always felt that if you wish to change parties you should resign and stand for election under your new party label.

Your thoughts?

Since 1965, the stock market has grown 52 times faster when Congress is out of session.  Since 2000, Congress has actually had a negative effect on the stock market.

Historical research indicates that, more often than not, when Congress is in session there is a negative effect on equities markets (the “Congressional Effect”) due possibly to investor fear and uncertainty surrounding government action — or possible action – as well as unintended adverse consequences on the stock market of Congressional legislative initiatives.

Maybe we could just pay them to stay home.

President Obama is ordering his Cabinet to identify $100 million in budget cuts over the next 90 days.  This is supposed to prove to America that President Obama is fiscally responsible (no doubt in response to the Tea Parties).  So, he’s proposing a $100 million cut to a $3.69 trillion budget. 

Harvard economics professor Greg Mankiw:

To put those numbers in perspective, imagine that the head of a household with annual spending of $100,000 called everyone in the family together to deal with a $34,000 budget shortfall.  How much would he or she announce that spending had to be cut?  By $3 over the course of the year–approximately the cost of one latte at Starbucks.  The other $33,997?  We can put that on the family credit card and worry about it next year.

First, I have to admit  that despite going through college  and law school, my failure to be a frat boy deprived me of the experience of “teabagging” ,that so many press types seem intimately familiar with. Now that the reference has been explained, I think it speaks volumes of those using it. Me thinks, that not only are they intimately familiar with “teabagging” , they enjoyed it a bit too much. If this is the best those opposed to the tea parties can do, the tea partiers must be on to something.

Second, the Washington liberals who were so in favor of the minority voicing their opinions via protests, sure changed their tune in a hurry.

Third, I read this afternoon that the Alabama Supreme Court has stayed, the lower court order that the Governor’s Gambling Task Force had to return the seized “bingo” machines and cash to White Hall. Couple this with the Governor v AG fight on who can enforce the laws and this bingo mess gets as good as a soap opera.

Finally, I read that the Obama Administration is telling GM that it had better prepare for bankruptcy. Is this not what Richard Shelby said months and billions of dollars ago? When Shelby said it, he got bashed from every side. I wonder when those bashers are going to let loose at President Obama.

For those who wonder, I am neither Republican nor particularly conservative but I am plagued by this inconvenient notion of fairness and fair is fair.

I think that we really should start educating the masses as to the effectiveness of charter schools and voucher programs. The WSJ has a really good article  about the success in various cities and the union’s attempts to eradicate all competition in schools. The individual mentioned in the article, Caroline Hoxby, did a study for the Hoover Institute on charter schools in New York. You can see the video here. I really wish some of our local politicians would start a movement to bring a charter school/voucher program to Alabama.

Rush Limbaugh had this to say on his radio show today about President Obama’s reaction to the Somali pirate situation:

I’m still laughing over David “Rodham” Gergen.  The President of the United States is too busy, too busy to get a phone call at three o’clock in the morning that the Norks have launched a missile or that merchant marine organizers have seized a US cargo vessel.  Now, the Constitution claims–it doesn’t “claim;” it says–that the President of the United States is the commander-in-chief.  The Constitution of the United States doesn’t say a word about housing, health care, mortgage refinancing, or anything else of that nature.  But he’s too busy on all those other things, according to David “Rodham” Gergen, to be concerned about an incident involving an American cargo ship on the high seas that has now resulted in an $800 million US naval destroyer being on site.  He’s too busy to be occupied with that! 

Then again, we’re assuming that the Obama administration cares anything about the Constitution in the first place.  It’s just a hinderance to the Hope and Change he promised in his campaign.

George Carlin once said, “They keep talking about drafting a constitution for Iraq.  Why don’t we just give them ours?  It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it’s worked for over 200 years, and we’re not using it anymore.”

Note:  These are not actual quotes.   They are my summaries of what I felt was communicated last night.  You can read the Huntsville Times’ account here.

Chaffee Community Association:  “NIMBY, but you should have at least told us about it!”

Michael Lundy, CEO of HHA:  “I don’t like your questions, so I’m going to talk about something else.  We’re talking about Huntsville; you can’t compare the negatives associated with similar situations in other cities.  I’m not required to tell anybody anything.  Any of you making $53,000 a year or less should apply for government housing assistance.  Let’s compare the positives associated with similar situations in other cities.”

Mayor Tommy Battle:  “You people are selfish, and you need to suck it up.”

Huntsville Police Department:  “The Chaffee area is already more dangerous than the projects behind Huntsville Hospital.”

Huntsville City Councilwoman Sandra Moon:  “How can an unelected council of five people have this much power?  All five HHA board members should resign so that Mayor Battle can appoint folks that will work with the city.”

Madison County Commissioner Mo Brooks:  “This is an example of what happens when government gets out of control!  We need to make governement work for us again!  Congress is to blame!”  (Note:  Although he didn’t explicitly state it, it really sounded like Mo may be gearing up to run against Congressman Griffith in 2010.)

Charley Burruss, HHA Chairman:  “Think of the children!”

One final note:  we even got to hear the race card played last night.  Mr. Lundy stated that “We don’t call them ‘projects’ anymore.”  Commissioner Brooks replied, “I still call a project a project,” to which one of the audience members shouted, “Yeah, well I still call racism racism.”  What the heck does government housing and being for or against it have to do with race?

Three Pittsburgh Police Officers were shot dead today by a 22 year old male who had reportedly just lost his job and was fearful of a ban by President Obama on gun ownership.

First, my prayers and condolences to the families of the three officers.

Second, neighbors reported that “hundreds” of shots were fired during the ensuing standoff. The shooters weapons, an AK-47 and several handguns.

Again it is time for the AK47 to be treated just like a fully automatic weapon.