As usual:

While Nancy Pelosi is now dodging a request from C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb to open up House-Senate negotiations over the final version of the health-care bill so C-SPAN’s cameras can show them to the public, back in July she pledged she would give the public an “ample amount of time” to read the final bill before brining it to a vote.

At a July 9 press briefing, CNSNews.com’s Nicholas Ballasy asked Pelosi: “Minority Leader Boehner has taken a pledge that he will not vote for a health care bill that he hasn’t read, that he hasn’t had a chance to read in its entirety or until it’s available to the public online for 72 hours. Will you take that pledge–a similar pledge and encourage other members to take it?”

In response, Pelosi did not pledge to post the bill online for 72 hours, but did pledge to give the public “ample time” to get to know the legislation.

Of course, our liberals will find new definitions for “ample” as required. But this is just like Pelosi’s pledge to have the most honest Congress, ever: just another lie, designed to sound good for a news cycle and then on to leftist policy and plundering the people.

Becoming quite a trend:

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., announced today that he won’t seek re-election this fall.

Recent polling showed Dorgan getting clobbered by his likely GOP opponent. It could end up being a deadly year for red State Democrats.

UPDATE: Dodd quits, too. This kinda upsets me – I was hoping that we’d be able to crush a corrupt Democrat in a blue State. This does make it a bit more difficult to win, but I’d still rate this, at worst for the GOP, as a “toss up” State…the stench of Dodd will carry a long way.

They’re wrong:

The AP gathered data from the nation’s 90 bankruptcy districts and found 1.43 million filings, an increase of 32 percent from 2008. There were 116,000 recorded bankruptcies in December, up 22 percent from the same month a year before.

…Arizona saw the fastest increase, a jump of 77 percent from the year before, followed by Wyoming (60 percent), Nevada (59 percent) and California (58 percent).

Note: MSM report edited to get rid of the “its really not so bad” BS designed to soften the blow of truth.

A few days ago, the Mrs went to the deli to get a bagel. A couple days after that, I went there. The place is closed. Ever more empty storefronts are visible here in Las Vegas. Population is declining. House prices continue to decline (a couple I know have tried to short sale their house for the past 8 months – it has sold, three times; but each time the deal falls through and the prices drops some more…and, people, when the real estate people say “x number of houses sold in Month Y”, they never count how many of them drop out…and so, the “improving” sales numbers include the neighbors house, three times…and how many others like it are there?). We all sit on the edge out here, making mental plans for what we’ll do when we’re laid off…

The smoke and mirrors recovery has a few more months left to go…but the reality of continued economic depression will go on for quite a while.

UPDATE: Home sales dropped 16% in November.

Oh, please, let this be true:

Lawmakers who want to extend health coverage to illegal immigrants will not block the passage of the final health care reform bill so long as the White House offers a substantive promise to start pushing comprehensive immigration legislation this year.

Democrats who want a comprehensive bill that reforms immigration law but also offers a pathway to citizenship have threatened to vote against health care if illegals aren’t included in the new system, making immigration one of the sticking points as Democratic leaders negotiate the final details.

Democratic leadership aides believe that a firm White House promise of a comprehensive immigration bill will be enough to quell any House dissent.

So, our Democrats seem to be thinking that it’d be good political strategy to saddle America with an un-wanted health care plan and then go on to fight for an un-wanted immigration plan? Someone please find out if Karl Rove has some sort of mind-control ray he’s using on the Democrats.

As I’ve stated many times before, I’m in favor of comprehensive immigration reform. I am not in favor of what the Democrats want. This is because for Democrats, “comprehensive immigration reform” means “amnesty and citizenship and an open invitation for 12 million more to come in”. What I mean by it is “path to citizenship for long term illegals coupled with strict border security”. But even with my own preference, I wouldn’t be pushing it when we’ve got 10% unemployment, a rising threat of terrorism and the American people clearly in favor of border security first and foremost.

But, hey, Democrats, please go for it.

I guess I should have been watching TV yesterday rather than out on the golf course (I went after Church). Hume calls Woods to embrace Christ, and the world goes mad. The Anchoress covers the whole issue very well. The nutshell:

Hume had to know, when he was making his remarks, that he was opening himself (and to an extent, all of Christianity) for some criticism and ridicule; perhaps he expected that his remarks would foment debate and dialogue. As we see, though, from our Buddhist friends, Ms. O’ Brien, Charles Martin, and from Americablog, first reactions to his remarks have either completely misconstrued his intent (stone-throwing?) or his meaning (unproductive-faith-alone?) or his message (“Republican” Christians don’t sin?), and so any dialogue will begin with a deficit in understanding, on both sides.

Speaking only from my own perspective as a Christian, it seems to me there are a lot of non-Christians out there who really don’t understand Christianity, or the mystery and purpose of Christ, and this is partly the fault of Christians. If we lived our creed better, preaching the gospel by the way we live our lives, and by our love, then perhaps those who currently distrust us enough to be satisfied with incuriousness and stereotypes, would not be so quick to jump to the worst conclusions when a fellow like Hume speaks -very gently, it must be said, without stoning or consignment to flames of woe- on the Christian application to the human condition.

Should Hume have said what he did, on the air? I am a little ambivilent about it.

On one hand, as a Christian, I admire it; Hume put himself out there, as “a fool for Christ,” willing to face ridicule and scorn for his faith. On the other hand, I’m not comfortable with the venue. I don’t think I would like it if, for example, Christopher Hitchens suggested to Tiger, “don’t worry about it, there is no God, anyway,” or if some Muslim used a news broadcast to suggest that Woods should turn to Islam. As the writer at Americablog suggested, minding the salvation of Tiger Woods this is not Hume’s job as a newscaster.

It is his job as a Christian, however, and Hume might have done better, in a host of ways, by contacting Woods privately, and offering to pray for him (as he is likely already doing) and perhaps introducing Woods to the Good Shepherd, in the process.

But we don’t know everything…

And, indeed, we don’t know everything – but we Christians do know this much: Tiger Woods has a burden upon his back which can only be lifted, and made good, by grace. There’s nothing Woods can do to fix the problem as he can’t un-cheat on his wife. To be sure, he can make amends – to his wife and children, as well as to the women he so badly used – but he can’t make it good. He can’t make it, that is, as if it had never been. Only God can do that – and He’ll do it, just for the asking. The real trouble is getting someone to ask.

And I mean to really ask – not just a perfunctory “God forgive me so I can get out of this jam” but more along the lines of “O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life. Amen.” At first glance, it doesn’t sound like all that much, but in such an act of contrition there is no escape – you are taking full responsibility, offering no mitigating circumstances and understanding that what you’ve done wrong is to betray God, who created you as an act of love. As the only person actually offended by our sins is God, only God can make them as if they had never been. And thus, Christ.

And, so, Brit Hume – having felt the redeeming power of the Lord, offers it to Tiger Woods. Some people are saying this is out of order – that it is not Hume’s place to speak, and that Christianity has no superior claim to other faiths. Well, no. At least, such is not how Christians view the matter. Hume may have spoken out of turn but that is the nature of Christian morality – to speak out of turn. In fact, to speak at the most inconvenient time possible. To ask us to refrain is pointless – to demand we refrain because we, ourselves, often fail the test is laughable. To insist that we all attempt to live up to our own ethic, that is mere kindness to us.

I normally keep my Nevada News and Views stuff separate from Blogs for Victory as most of the NN&V articles deal with Nevada – but this one I wanted to link here, as it doesn’t deal just with Nevada, but with what sort of nation we have. Its from the heart, dear readers, and I hope you’ll have a look.

Geesh:

President Obama recently named Amanda Simpson to be a Senior Technical Advisor to the Commerce Department.

In a statement, Simpson, a member of the National Center for Transgender Equality’s board of directors, said that “as one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others.”

While Simpson is clearly one of the first transgender presidential appointees, Democratic officials say they’re unsure if she is the very first one.

The White House had no comment on her appointment.

I don’t think any of us particularly care if a person feels that it requires major surgery for them to “be themselves”, but why do we have to know this? Once the plumbing is re-wired then previous condition becomes irrelevant for all practical purposes – so what is the reason to make an announcement?

Well, because it allows Obama, on the cheap, to pay off a constituency which gave him lots of votes and lots of cash (remember, it isn’t just “gay” anymore: its Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgendered, so this appointment covers a lot of political chits). By not putting it out as an official, White House press release, Obama avoids major news coverage of the issue and thus no bad effect on those other groups likely to be less than enthused about this (ie, blue collar and black Democrats), but by getting a group to put it out, the payment is made known to the group required. And the group will buy it – hook, line and sinker because it is always easy to get liberal groups to back you. Just throw them a crumb, and they’re yours for life. That you’re also robbing them blind and betraying everything you said matters not in the least.

Just politics, folks – but hardly anything the government should be concerning itself with. And thus its natural that Obama’s government made the effort. As an aside, this person was tagged as a “woman on the move” by the YWCA in 2004 – presumptively, all required surgeries were complete by that date. And as YWCA stands for Young Women’s Christian Association, I think we can see just how far they’ve strayed from their original purpose.

UPDATE: by Matt Margolis: It’s a he, not a she. Actually, it is a mentally disturbed he.

This is interesting:

The latest Rasmussen Reports poll confirms a majority of Americans want a ban on abortion funding in any health care bill Congress may approve. When the House and Senate return from their Christmas break they will have to merge two different bills when it comes to forcing taxpayers to fund abortions.

Released today, the new Rasmussen survey indicates 53 percent of Americans favor a ban on abortion coverage in any health insurance plan that receives federal subsidies.

The poll finds just 40 percent of respondents are opposed to such a ban in the proposed health care legislation now before Congress.

Americans have long been opposed to the idea of paying for abortions via tax dollars. Coupled with an unwillingness to ban the practice has been an equal unwillingness to pay for it. Its a matter of not just the morality of abortion, but the very American expectation that everyone will carry their own weight.

Why, then, are the Democrats so determined to put abortion funding in to ObamaCare? Two reasons:

1. The feminist left insists upon it.

2. Abortion groups will profit off it and then turn around and make fat donations to the Democrat party.

So, because of the wishes of a tiny, hate-filled and out-of-touch minority coupled with the Democrats’ desire for ever more and more campaign funds, we’ve got various provisions in ObamaCare which will, in the by and by, ensure that all of us pay for abortions, should this become law. There is, of course, an electoral danger here – but for people like Senator Ben “Buy Me” Nelson (D-NE), the thinking is that by election day everyone will have forgotten about it and, meanwhile, the increased campaign cash will allow for more complete obfuscation of the record/smear of GOP opponent.

I think, though, that our Democrats have miscalculated. They balance everything very well in their political scales but what they haven’t taken in to consideration is that even pro-choice people are not pleased that people like Nelson were bribed to pass ObamaCare. They seem unaware of just how angry everyone is.

I think that November will be quite a revealing experience for them.

My favorite quote about doing well for others:

HAMLET

‘Tis well: I’ll have thee speak out the rest soon.

Good my lord, will you see the players well

bestowed? Do you hear, let them be well used; for

they are the abstract and brief chronicles of the

time: after your death you were better have a bad

epitaph than their ill report while you live.

LORD POLONIUS

My lord, I will use them according to their desert.

HAMLET

God’s bodykins, man, much better: use every man

after his desert, and who should ‘scape whipping?

Use them after your own honour and dignity: the less

they deserve, the more merit is in your bounty.

Take them in. Hamlet, Act II

And who among us, indeed, is not worthy of a whipping? Think about it. And then be patient when someone errs around you.

This is enormously funny:

Democrats are turning their fire on Scott Rasmussen, the prolific independent pollster whose surveys on elections, President Obama’s popularity and a host of other issues are surfacing in the media with increasing frequency.

The pointed attacks reflect a hardening conventional wisdom among prominent liberal bloggers and many Democrats that Rasmussen Reports polls are, at best, the result of a flawed polling model and, at worst, designed to undermine Democratic politicians and the party’s national agenda.

On progressive-oriented websites, anti-Rasmussen sentiment is an article of faith. “Rasmussen Caught With Their Thumb on the Scale,” blared the Daily Kos this summer. “Rasmussen Reports, You Decide,” the blog Swing State Project recently headlined in a play on the Fox News motto.

“I don’t think there are Republican polling firms that get as good a result as Rasmussen does,” said Eric Boehlert, a senior fellow with Media Matters, a progressive research center. “His data looks like it all comes out of the RNC…

And except for the fact of Rasmussen’s amazing accuracy, there’s really nothing good about his polls, ya know? Democrats: if you are afraid to hear the worst, then let the worst unheralded fall upon your heads.

The thing about Rasmussen – the thing which gives the poll great importance – is the amount of polling done. Its a very large number of poll respondents done continually. Even if Rasmussen’s models were wrong, they’d still pick up trends, and that is the best thing any pollster can do. We don’t need to know, really, what particular percentage of votes will be GOP or Democrat come this November, but it is good to know how the populace is viewing issues in a general sense. And, so, Ramussen’s polling of Obama’s strong approve/strong disapprove number is useful – it doesn’t matter if it isn’t perfectly right (though I think its accurate), the fact that the trend has been all downwards for months is both important and incontrovertible…as has, now, been picked up by all other polling agencies.

But the enormously funny thing is that these lefty attacks on Rasmussen just make Rasmussen’s polls more known to the public and thus more likely to be used by not just center/right outfits, but even by the regular MSM. You’d think they’d have learned their lesson after their pointless and self-defeating attacks on Rush, O’Reilly and Fox news…nothing quite a dumb as a liberal, I guess.

HAT TIP: Black and Right