So Many Crises, So Little Time

By Alan Burkhart

It’s so much fun being a writer these days. Everywhere I look I see potential subject material. Perhaps the hardest part is just making up my mind what to write about.

One thing I’ve noticed lately is that Americans tend to miss the obvious. Not just the rank and file like you and me, but the elites also seem to have developed a tendency to stumble into trees even though they’re fully aware of being in the forest. So, please bear with me while I point out a few obvious facts.

Factoid #1
Cynthia McKinney ran past a Capitol check point and then slugged a police officer. These facts are not in dispute. Ms. McKinney is guilty of assaulting a police officer and is possibly guilty of a national security violation as well. Ms. McKinney should be held without bail until her criminal trial, and should for the time being be relieved from her duties as an elected representative.

Factoid #2
It is the height of ignorance to blame only the oil companies for high gasoline prices. Keep in mind that the much-publicized price of oil per barrel is the price that the oil companies have to pay. At the time of this writing, crude oil is selling for $75 per barrel. That means that the oil companies are paying $1.78 per gallon for raw crude. The national average for fuel tax at the pump is about forty-six cents. So, a three-dollar gallon of gas costs $2.54 without the tax.

That leaves a difference of seventy-six cents per gallon. That seventy-six cents covers refining, transporting and retailing your motor fuel. Oil companies are averaging a profit margin of around 10 percent, which is far lower than many other industries. Pharmaceutical companies, for example, average around sixteen percent. Even after a rough year abroad, McDonalds still had a 14.9 percent profit margin in 2005.

Factoid #3
The so-called “Global Warming Crisis” has increased the planetary average temperature by a whopping one degree Celsius in the last 100 or so years. NASA has a long and detailed article on Global Warming, which attempts to lead the reader to believe that science has without doubt determined that we are all going to be deep-fried unless we go back to riding horses and using wood for heat.

The second to last sentence in the article, dealing with NASA’s extensive Climate Modeling technology, debunks just about everything else in the article. It reads thusly:

As a result, current day computer models can only provide an estimation of how climate might change, given particular starting conditions.
In other words, they have no idea. Current figures estimate that the carbon content in the atmosphere will double within 100 years, largely due to man’s dependence upon fossil fuels. NASA fails to mention, however, that we have been developing technologies that emit less carbons. As this trend continues, the ratio of solar radiation absorbed versus radiation expelled will return to normal, and the Left will have to find something else to blame mankind for. Not to worry – I’m sure they’ll find something. Maybe global cooling?

Factoid #4
It’s illegal to enter the United States of America via wading across the Rio Grande. People who enter the US illegally are breaking the law just by being here. So… isn’t it a bit odd that some folks think we should give them driver’s licenses, welfare benefits and discounted college tuition?

It’s also worth noting that Mexico does not offer similar benefits to people who enter that country illegally.

Factoid #5
As most of my regular readers know, I’m a cross-country trucker. Now friends, I don’t want to hurt your feelings… but would you please watch where the Hell you’re going?!

How is it that I can gab on the CB radio all day long without missing an exit or flattening an automobile, but you folks can’t simultaneously use your cell phones and drive your itsy-bitsy Honda Civics? Folks, I really don’t want to kill anyone. But when you swerve across 4 lanes of traffic just to beat me to an exit ramp and then slam on the brakes 10 feet in front of me… it’s just a matter of time. Please keep in mind that I can’t stop as quickly as you can. And, keep in mind that no Volkswagen in recorded history has ever “won” a confrontation with a Freightliner, okay?

I don’t need your death on my conscience, and if 80,000 pounds of 18-wheeler ends up on top of you, your prospects of being at work on time will decrease significantly. Better late than dead.

Speaking of cell phones - at this moment, my cellular provider’s network is down in most of Virginia, and parts of Kentucky and Tennessee. So while I don’t have a cell signal, at least I’ll feel a bit safer while driving. Customer Service, which recorded my call “for quality assurance” has assured me that they have no frigging clue when service will be restored. See you on the road.

Related Reading…

• NASA Global Warming Article (Shockwave 10.1, QuickTime and ActiveX Required)


• Fuel Taxes


• McDonald’s

Freedom of Harassment

By Alan Burkhart

Imagine for a moment that you have a family member who has died in the War on Terror. Now imagine a gaggle of protestors showing up at the funeral and chanting “God Hates Fags” and “God Hates Cripple Soldiers.” This is the specialty of the good folks from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, KS. - a group of people convinced that every single misfortune befalling an American is due to our nation’s tolerance of homosexuals.

We all know that this is reprehensible behavior. We all understand that to harass and insult people while they’re mourning the passing of a loved one is about as low as one can go. And, we are all aware that some states are taking action to curtail the activities of these idiots so mourners can have the peace and dignity they deserve.

Lest we end up with a boatload of knee-jerk legislation that does more harm than good, let’s take a step back and think this through…

First, a quick review of the First Amendment to the Constitution is in order:


Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
As one can plainly see above, our right to speak our minds is constitutionally protected. There is a difference however, between protected free speech and harassment.

The misguided souls from Westboro Baptist Church have shamelessly twisted free speech into what can only be described as hate speech. Not only that, but Fred Phelps has perverted the written word of God into something that resembles the Taliban doctrine more than the Christian faith. But is he violating the law? Are the actions of his congregation protected as free speech?

There is a fine line between protected free speech and hate speech. When members of Phelps’ congregation set up camp across the street from a funeral ceremony, they are targeting a specific group of people and interfering with their right to peaceably assemble. The Constitution doesn’t contradict itself. None of us has the constitutional right to violate the constitutional rights of others. Therefore, the folks from Topeka are indeed operating outside of the Constitution. It really is just that simple.

We don’t need a pile of hastily-written new laws on the books to go after the zealots from Kansas. All we need is to protect the constitutional rights of those they attack. We already have laws to accomplish this, and it’s high time they were enforced.

In closing - I could write a thousand-word essay just on how lame these people look with their hateful signs, but that’d be a bit over the top. Besides, pictures are worth a thousand words. There’s a link to Westboro’s photo page below.

Related Reading:

• Westboro Photo Page


• Anti-Defamation League Article About Westboro Baptist Church


• Article About Westboro Protest At Sago Mine Memorial Service

Illegal Immigration: Politics As Usual

By Alan Burkhart

There are numerous facets to the illegal immigration debate – amnesty, security, jobs & wages, and human rights, to name a few. The problem is that the primary issue has been lost in the shuffle. It’s been neglected for so long that it now appears to be at best only a secondary consideration, and this speaks volumes about the state of our nation.

There is a reason why illegal immigrants are considered illegal. They’re here without proper documentation. They’re working without any form of work permit or visa. They snuck into the country in blatant violation of our immigration laws. Simply put, their very presence on U.S. soil is a criminal act. This should trump any other consideration. But with government, nothing is ever simple.

Instead of enforcing the law, our elected officials around the country seem to favor rewarding law breakers. Here are a few of the rewards being considered – some of which are already in place…

• Driver’s licenses
• Discounted college tuition (that many poor Americans can’t get)
• Welfare benefits
• Voting rights
• Free healthcare
• Amnesty and eventual citizenship

It goes without saying that American taxpayers will foot the bill for any of the above that becomes reality. So the question should be, “Why should illegal immigrants be rewarded for breaking our laws?”

Answer: Politics.

The Democrat Party sees the tide of illegals as being a potential voting bloc. With America’s booming economy, there evidently aren’t as many “poor and oppressed” legal citizens as there used to be. Being Democrats, they’ll take their votes where they can get them, legal or otherwise. They’ve even been seen at recent illegal immigrant “rights” rallies trying to sign Latinos up to vote (Democrat, of course), without really knowing if the potential voters were legal U.S. citizens.

Republicans on the other hand are largely in the pockets of business interests who see the illegals as cheap labor and a way to skirt around the minimum wage. It’s an economic issue. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has publicly stated that he favors illegals for tending to the green at his favorite golf course. In other words, Bloomberg doesn’t want to see a grounds keeper get a fair wage because he could end up paying a few bucks more for a round of golf. And Bloomberg is among the world’s richest men. Yes friends; Michael Bloomberg values 18 holes of golf more than jobs for legitimate Americans. Gee thanks, Michael.

And, both parties are desperate to get their greasy fingers on the votes of legal Latino citizens, many of whom favor amnesty for their illegal brethren. The Dems are determined to regain power, and the Repubs are determined to keep it – no matter what the cost may be to everyday Americans.

And just what might that cost be? According to F.A.I.R., the cost could rise to over 100 billion dollars by the year 2020. This estimate is based primarily upon the financial drain that amnesty would place on social programs and it allows for the limited tax contributions that would be made by “legalized” illegals. The estimated cost at present is $36 billion.

Nearly all illegals are poorly educated and unable to perform any work that promises a livable wage. Any amnesty program approved by our government will allow Mexico and other nations below our Southern border to export their poverty directly onto the backs of American taxpayers. Many urban-area schools are already crowded. What do you suppose a flood of Mexican students will do for that problem? Our classrooms would become sardine cans.

The hypocrisy is amazing. Democrats blather endlessly about a need for better jobs in America, but simultaneously demand that we open our borders. They can’t help but be aware of the downward pressure illegal aliens apply to wages here in the states. Amnesty will increase, rather than decrease, that downward push. The net result for them would be more people dependent upon government assistance, which generally means more Democrat voters. The Republicans believe that if they can take credit for an amnesty program, they’ll secure the Latino vote and the political donations from businesses who hire illegals.

It’s worth noting that the US House of Representatives approved a bill to increase border enforcement and criminalize “unlawful presence.” Kudos to the House. As is typical, the Senate’s version of immigration reform is a wishy-washy pile of legalese that would create a flood of poor, uneducated immigrants into our economy. President Bush seems to lean more toward the Senate bill. “Compassionate Conservatism” at its best.

All of the above would cease to be an issue if The Powers That Be would brave up to the fact that none of it is relevant. The only relevant fact here is that these people are here illegally. Their children shouldn’t be in our schools. They shouldn’t be bankrupting hospital emergency rooms. They shouldn’t be receiving taxpayer-funded government benefits. They shouldn’t have driver’s licenses. They certainly shouldn’t have access to discounted college tuition. How can any thinking person believe that someone who isn’t even supposed to be here can qualify for anything except deportation?

It isn’t a matter of what feels right. It is only a matter of following the law. It is unfortunate that our leaders value their political careers (and their golf game) more highly than our nation’s future.

Sources and Related Reading…

• Zogby Poll on Illegal Immigration
• Voter Registration Drives at Illegal Immigration Rallies
• Michael Bloombergs’s Golf Comments
• CNS News Article On F.A.I.R. Cost Estimate
• Illegal Immigration Cost Estimate At F.A.I.R. Website
• Many Illegal Immigrants Have Jobs in U.S. Before Crossing Border
• Partisan Bickering Over Immigration Continues
• Illegal Aliens and American Medicine
• In-state college tuition for illegal aliens

A Break in the Action

By Alan Burkhart

We’re being overrun by illegal immigrants and our spineless non-leaders seem not to care one whit. China, North Korea and Iran are in a rat race to see who can either break us or blow us off the face of the Earth. The homosexual community has thoroughly invaded our schools and is promoting the virtues of sexual perversion. Iraq is a mess of Biblical proportion. The ACLU and other godless groups seek to eradicate any form of religious expression from the public forum. The Republican Party has become the Democrat Party, and the Democrats have become the New Socialist Windbag Party.

Dammit! Enough already!

I’m feeling the need for some good news. If I’m feeling it, then it’s a good bet that a lot of you feel it, too. Want some?

I just completed a run from Georgia to Minnesota, and now I’m on my way to Alabama. On I-94 the traffic is rolling along at a steady pace. Americans are going about their business in cars and pickups and 18-wheelers and pricey SUV’s and even pricier Winnebago mansions-on-wheels. It’s been an absolutely beautiful day. The setting sun is resting behind the rolling hills of Western Wisconsin and casting a fiery display of oranges and reds upon the horizon’s wispy clouds. America has survived another day.

The Alphabet Networks still talk of doom and gloom. The AM radio is clogged with the ranting and raving of Air America and Air Limbaugh. And yet in spite of all that and the utter ineptitude of every elected official in Washington, we’re still chugging along and doing just fine, thank you very much.

This morning a woman in New Hope, MN named “Becky” unloaded my trailer while simultaneously chatting with me about her new grandchild. Pictures of the kid? Of course she had pictures. Proud grannies always do. I’ve never seen this woman before, but there she was showing off her new grandchild. Didn’t matter. The kid was adorable. All newborns are.

Later this morning, a trucker named Henry joined me at the counter in the truck stop in Rogers, MN for a cup of coffee. We lamented that it’s still several months before football season (now there’s a crisis). We laughed at some nameless talking head on a local TV news broadcast because his toupee was darker than his real hair. And when we rose to leave, we joined in a good old-fashion bone-crunching handshake and told each other to “be careful out there.”

Never saw him before. Probably never see him again. Didn’t matter. We’re truckers. We are therefore friends.

Two weeks ago I was stuck three days in Laredo, TX. I spent 2 evenings at the motel’s pavilion downing Bud Lite and munching hotdogs with people from every walk of life. I met a man & wife team who travel the country assembling the interiors of “China Gourmet” restaurants. I met a young woman who’s traveling the Southwest photographing the wildlife. I met several truckers who, like me, had their rigs in the shop for repairs. We didn’t talk politics. We talked about life. We talked about God. Sports. Money. Work. Never saw any of them before. I’ll never see them again. Didn’t matter. We had a great time.

Yesterday I saw an Illinois State Trooper on the shoulder of I-39 changing a flat tire for an elderly lady. Saturday I watched in awe as a cable news channel played a video of Americans helping Americans in and around tornado-stricken Gallatin, TN. Many of them were strangers to each other. It didn’t matter. They’re Americans.

We are facing new challenges and new enemies from without and within. Our economy, even though it’s humming along better than it has in years, is a house of cards. Any of us could face death tomorrow at the hands of a Muslim terrorist or a local thug. Any American city could at this very moment be incinerated in a blazing mushroom cloud. Do I care? Yes. Do I worry? Of course.

But I will not let it rob me of my well-earned night’s sleep. I’ll leave the teeth gnashing and the hand-wringing and nay saying and the America-bashing to those who can’t sleep unless they engage in such things. And then I’ll write about them here as I always do. The shortest route to defeat is to allow our enemies here and abroad to alter how we live. It hasn’t happened. It isn’t even close to happening. We’re Americans.

And the reason we’re who we are can be seen on any street corner, inside any business, and most any home in any town. Plain old everyday Americans. People like you and me who get up every morning and do what needs to be done. Many of those Americans are getting up in Iraq or Afghanistan and risking their lives in combat with a vile enemy. I could say that I “respect” them – but that’d be a hollow thing to say. Their courage in the face of indescribable hardship cannot be properly respected with mere words.

You and I can show our love and respect for them by doing our part – by rising each day and living our lives in spite of the adversity that our enemies would visit upon us. Every time I kneel and pray to Christ, I have also spit in the eye of Osama bin Laden. Every time I deliver another load of freight or you buy another bag of groceries, we’re doing our part not just for ourselves, but for our country. We keep the economic engine running.

Every time we grab that obnoxious cell phone and report a crime, we’re making America safer. Every time we vote, we’re exercising our right to see this nation run as we deem it should be. Every time we drop a nickel into a gigantic jar by a cash register, we’re helping to fight leukemia or muscular dystrophy - or maybe it’s a local charity to help a small child get a kidney transplant. Bottom line: We’re helping our country, because the country isn’t a bunch of empty suits in Washington. It’s you. It’s me. It’s our neighbors and family.

We’re working together, you and I… and we’ve never seen each other. Probably never will. It doesn’t matter. We’re Americans.

How Dare We Fight Back?

By Alan Burkhart

Have you ever noticed how the Left sees the pursuit of its agenda as being a protected constitutional right, while at the same time proclaiming that conservatives are hate-mongers and homophobes for doing the same thing? How does that work?

In a recent editorial at 365Gay.com, Kevin Jennings expounds at length about a “Right Wing Game Plan to Control Our Schools.” Jennings, by the way, is founder and Executive Director of GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network). In his editorial, he rants about how straight parents are resisting the efforts of pro-gay organizations to introduce various pro-gay programs into public schools. Mr. Jennings complains loudly about how parents are “organizing” to “roll back the progress” made by various homosexual groups.

Well, gee whiz Kevin – what did you think would happen? Do you and your fellow homosexuals somehow have a special mandate to promote a homosexual agenda in our public schools? Did you believe that parents engaged in the long and arduous process of raising normal, healthy children would just lie down and let a bunch of twisted freaks like you attempt to influence their children? By the way Kevin… Feel free to correct me if you’re not a homosexual.

This may come as a shock to you Mr. Jennings, but the vast majority of parents in America don’t want pro-homosexual materials in their school libraries. We don’t want teachers and faculty telling our kids that homosexuals are just as normal as everyone else. The simple fact is, Mr. Jennings, that homosexuality is not normal. Do you, Mr. Jennings, wish to remove your clothing and crawl into bed with someone whose legs are just as hairy as your own? If so, then you are a grotesque parody of a human being. Why would you be surprised that parents are rejecting the efforts of homosexuals to pervert the minds of our children?

Parents who wish to raise wholesome and normal children are being forced to look to private and parochial schools instead of traditional public schools to escape the ongoing assault on normalcy and morality. Home schooling continues to grow at an increasing rate as parents quit their jobs and stay home to teach their children. Teachers Unions, fearing the loss of their monopoly on the minds of our children, shamelessly fight home schooling and school voucher programs. These are people who would gleefully take away your right to educate your kids as you see fit, and they enjoy the full support of liberal Democrats in both houses of Congress and the Antique Media.

What was once a disconnected band of grassroots efforts to fight pro-homosexual policy in schools has grown (as Mr. Jennings fearfully notes) into a national movement. It’s a perfect example of concerned Americans taking action to protect their interests. Parents are standing up and saying “NO” to the notion that homosexuality should be treated as being no different than heterosexuality.

People are being reminded that there really is such a thing as right and wrong. We’re being reminded that it’s not “hate speech” to point out evil when we see it. It isn’t “homophobic” to fight against the wave of sexual perversion that has rolled across our country. “Homophobe” is a term that should be struck from our language. The term suggests that it’s somehow wrong to feel uncomfortable with homosexuals in our society. Does the fact that I must fight my gag reflex when I see two homosexuals holding hands make me a bigot? Nope, it doesn’t. The reaction is just as normal as the gag reflex that occurs from smelling rancid meat or spoiled milk.

Homosexuals have every right to live safe and happy lives in America. As far as I’m concerned, whatever two (or more?) consenting adults do with each other behind closed doors is their business. I don’t care. But they do not have the right to bring their perversions into our schools. To do so is to usurp the rights of millions of parents who recognize the abnormality of homosexual behavior. Those children who are struggling with their sexual identity are most vulnerable to the influence of homosexual groups, and it is no coincidence that those groups are pushing for the right to have access to our kids.

The pro-homosexual movement isn’t just about “homosexual rights.” It’s about their desire to have sex with your child.

Related Reading:

• Kevin Jennings’ Editorial
• Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network