From Hot Air:

Yesterday Hot Air was invited to sit in on a call with Congressmen Doc Hastings (chairman of the Natural Resources Committee) and Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam. The subject of the discussion was three bills being brought to the floor which may, if we can muster the support required, finally break the log jam.

They are:

H.R. 1229 Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act. To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to facilitate the safe and timely production of American energy resources from the Gulf of Mexico.

H.R. 1230 Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act. To require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct certain offshore oil and gas lease sales, and for other purposes.

H.R. 1231 Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act. To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to require that each 5-year offshore oil and gas leasing program offer leasing in the areas with the most prospective oil and gas resources, to establish a domestic oil and natural gas production goal, and for other purposes…

That is taking the fight to the President and the Democrats in a big way. It is time for a full court press – a maximum utilization of our oil and natural gas resources as we transition, over a couple generations, to a non-oil economy.

Each additional barrel of oil produced domestically is that much more employment for Americans, that much more American wealth remaining at home, that much less money heading to foreign enemies. The Democrat argument against a major push for oil development is asinine and, really, is only based upon an irrational animus against the use of oil. We dare not allow our nation to be further weakened and bankrupted just because some dimwit in the Obama Administration was snookered by a professor about “Big Oil” in college 20 years ago. It is time for America to turn around and start producing, again.

And this is yet another fight we can win – especially with Obama’s idiotic statement in Brazil about how he hopes the United States will become a big customer for Brazilian oil. We’ve got plentiful ammunition, right on our side and a weakened, dazed Administration to deal with.

From CNBC:

It’s official.

Home prices have double dipped nationwide, now lower than their March 2009 trough, according to a new report from Clear Capital.

It was inevitable, and it was predicted (by me for sure) that a surge in sales of foreclosed properties and a big push by banks to facilitate short sales would force home prices down dramatically.

Sales of bank-owned (REO) properties hit 34.5 percent of the market, according to the survey, resulting in a national price drop of 4.9 percent quarterly and 5 percent year-over-year…

Except in a few, government-funded markets (ie, DC and environs) if you are planning on buying a home, don’t. In the worst hit markets (such as Florida and Nevada), my guess is at least another 25% on the downside. I purchased my home in 2005 for $396,000.00; the exact same model just sold in foreclosure down the street for $149,900.00. I fully expect this house to bottom out at about $120,000.00…and then stay there for quite some time. One should not expect the home prices of 2007, in real terms, to be reached again in our life times.

Partially this is a reflection of just how over-blown the housing market became, but it is also because the demographics of the United States – aging population, and all that – simply will not provide the sort of demand for housing we saw from the 1950’s until the early 2000’s. This is not to say that home ownership is a bad deal, but it won’t ever again be the piggy bank it was from, say, 1995 until 2007.

Here is the really bad news – all that debt and money-printing we’ve gone through over the past three years? Designed to sustain and restore 2007 housing price levels. Completely wasted effort…and now we’re stuck with the debt and the devalued currency.

From Florida Wires:

The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature has put an amendment on next year’s ballot aimed at thwarting the federal health care overhaul.

Republicans derided the federal law as “Obamacare” in debate Wednesday before a mostly party line 80-37 vote in the House.

The Senate passed the amendment (SJR 2) in March. It is sponsored by Senate President Mike Haridopolos, a candidate for the GOP U.S. Senate nomination…

Excellent both on core principal and political expediency. We should find out, at the ballot box, what Americans really think about Obama’s health care plan – and it is tremendously useful to have this issue on the ballot as Obama is attempting to get re-elected. You can bet your last dollar that Obama, himself, will stay as far away from his own signature issue as possible – the job of the GOP is to tie him to it with bands of steel.

The shape of Obama’s re-election effort is already clear – spend bags of money smearing the opposition while returning Obama to Mr. Hopey-Change of 2008. No substance, no proposals…just, hey, remember how you used to like me? (And don’t you hate that nasty guy I’m running against?). If we pin Obama down to Obama, we can beat him – as long as people are fully cognizant that a re-elected Obama is, indeed, a re-elected Obama, we’ll win. If Obama can snooker people in to thinking that a different set of events will come out of his next four years, then we’ll lose. And, so, we should try to get ObamaCare on as many State ballots as possible…and throw in measures opting States out from “cap and trade” and other Obama inanities, as well.

The crushing argument against tax increases, in my view, is that if we just hold the line on spending, we’ll balance the budget by 2021. Of course, I don’t think we’ve got that long to balance the budget, but it shows that our problem is not a matter of revenues, but of spending. We just spend too darn much.

Mountains of waste are piled in to our government – and, yes, there is waste in Defense (in fact, no former service member would ever assert that you can’t cut defense spending, or that high spending automatically means a stronger military) – so much waste, in fact, that we could probably cut a couple hundred billion out of next year’s budget without anyone other than bureaucrats and crony-capitalists noticing it. If we were to cut spending by $200 billion next year and then just freeze spending for two or three years after that, we’d balance the budget. It isn’t that hard – all it takes is a willingness to not spend; this, though, is not something Obama and the Democrats are capable of.

Most importantly, this is a fight we can win – the American people are on our side; they know that tax hikes are wrong and spending cuts are necessary. All we have to do is fight – and hope that a coalition of Democrats and RINOs don’t screw us.

From Newsbusters:

If any American with a patriotic pulse listened to the Mike Malloy radio show, they would have been shocked on Monday night when Malloy outrageously suggested that Navy SEALs should have shot former president George W. Bush, and not Osama bin Laden.

MIKE MALLOY: I have heard some commentators talk about the fact that, all the lives that have been lost in this war on terror, and now the summary execution of the person responsible. But as soon as I heard that, I thought, well, bin Laden really didn’t have anything to do — did he? — with Iraq. And I think his only relationship with Afghanistan was geographical.

But Iraq — all the death in Iraq was not caused by bin Laden. The death in Iraq was caused by George W. Bush. Five thousand Americans, tens of thousands permanently damaged and shot to pieces, a million Iraqis dead — that wasn’t bin Laden. That was George Bush. So when does Seal Unit 6, or whatever it’s called, drop in on George Bush? Bush was responsible for a lot more death, innocent death, than bin Laden. Wasn’t he, or am I wrong here?…

And here are our liberals, good people – as I’ve said before, hate-filled. You have to carry around with you a white-hot hatred for President Bush to even have this idea cross your mind. It is, beyond that, several magnitudes of hatred more for you to then get up on the radio and give voice to such thoughts. Malloy, poor man, is crippled by this hatred…for goodness sake, regardless of what you think of President Bush, the man is out of office and won’t ever be back. You can let the anger go…you can MoveOn, as it were.

But liberals can’t – the problem is not just that they wallow in hatred but that they, additionally, wallow in hatred of men, women and institutions vastly superior to themselves. Malloy indulges in his hatred of Chimpy McSmirk BusHitler…and if Bush ever becomes aware of this little man hating him, his first action will probably be to pray for him. And I think they, deep down, know they are hating their betters…and that makes them even more angry, ad infinitum.

Hopefully, Malloy will one day wake up from this and realize what a fool he’s been – and we can further hope that all liberals will do the same. But it isn’t looking too promising.

On many weekends during the Bush administration, the group “Pax Christie,” would stage antiwar protests in front of our local Barnes & Noble. When asked of their intentions, they would state that their beef wasn’t with then-President George W. Bush, but rather they were against war in all its forms.

Curiously, they continue to be absent since the election of Barack Obama.

Oh, they would say that since Obama’s election, a new era of hope and change had emerged; that protests are no longer necessary.

Yet, since Obama’s election, there has been an escalation of the war in Afghanistan–and now in Libya, where Muammar Khaddaffy’s son and three grandchildren were recently killed at a “family gathering.” Guantanamo Bay remains open for business. Even an extra-legal assassination of a well-known Al Qaeda leader took place in a foreign country without U.N. approval!

Yet, the shadows of Pax Christi members still remain absent from the grassy knoll in front of Barnes & Noble. The makeshift caskets, pictures of civilians killed, and “NO BLOOD FOR OIL!” signs have vanished. Even the omnipresent NO-HALLIBURTON signs no longer grace the area, though the ‘evil’ bogeyman continues to provide logistical support for the wars.

Not a single word of protest. Zip. Zero. Nada.

Could it be that members of “Pax Christi” actually had a political axe to grind; that their protestations and concern over war and its accompanying horrors were secondary, at best, to whomever occupied 2600 Pennsylvania Avenue?

Perish the thought.

I’m sure their intentions are as pure as the wind-driven snow– that they have a vegan cooking class to make every Saturday, or that the batteries in their Prius died and they are patiently awaiting their exchange.

Yeah. That must be it.

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit
Lk. 6.43, 44
15 ¶ Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Mt. 3.10 · Lk. 3.9
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Mt. 12.33

The mess the Obama Administration has made out of the verification of bin Laden’s demise is just incredible. For crying out loud, this isn’t rocket science – this is providing reasonably conclusive evidence that a person is actually dead. The fumbling efforts by Obama’s team to do this simple task have already provided grist for conspiracy theory mills. From now until the end of time there will be those who will assert that bin Laden is not dead. That, though, is not our primary concern – our primary concern is that bin Laden not appear to escape us at the last moment.

It would be horrible if, after all the years of effort to get him, bin Laden were to have woven about him a story of miraculous escape from our clutches. We got him, he’s dead – let’s prove it to the world. Everyone in the Obama Administration should step back, take a deep breath and work out a clear, easy plan for doing this.

As far as releasing pictures of the body – that is something I actually disagree with. A human body should never be on display like that – only in the most respectful, reverent manner should a body be in public. This is a firm, Christian view. We do, however, have to produce the body in some manner. And we could convene a grand jury before which the Administration could present the evidence of bin Laden’s death – including all forensic evidence, most especially including all photographic evidence. Such a jury – made up of average Americans – would rule on whether or not the evidence indicates bin Laden was killed where and when we claim. While kooks and conspiracy theorists will never be satisfied, if we can meet the requirements of a reasonable person, that will lay the matter to rest.

It is just terrible that this moment of triumph has been marred by yet another example of the rank incompetence of Obama and his handlers – it is time to grow up fast and start doing this right.

From Rasmussen:

The real Republican presidential primary race is still months away, but for now New Jersey Governor Chris Christie appears to have the solidest support when likely primary voters are asked who they would definitely vote for…

…A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that given a list of 18 potential GOP nominees, 30% of Likely Republican Primary Voters say they definitely would vote for Christie. Another 22% say they would probably vote for him. Just 22% say they would probably or definitely vote against the governor, and 26% more are undecided…

It is still a very open race as Huckabee, Romney and Bachmann all garner 26% “definite” support, while Palin and Ryan come in at 23%. Trump is back at 21%. But that Christie is doing this well even though he hasn’t really made a first move towards running indicates that he has built up a large reservoir of support in the GOP base since he was elected – mostly, I think, because he’s been a fighter. He hasn’t taken anything the left has thrown at him lying down – he hits right back, and hits harder.

And that, I think, is what GOP primary voters want – someone who will get down in to the trenches and go toe to toe with the Democrats. GOP voters – and, it think, Independent voters – want someone who shows a willingness to take risks and fight it out for what is right. No more Mr. Nice Guy; no more “esteemed colleague” nonsense in regards to the Democrats. Fight and fight and then fight some more; that is what is wanted.

And it is what America needs – we’re teetering on the edge of disaster on a lot of fronts and the only the most vigorous (ruthless, really) action will pull us back from the edge. This is no time to be nice – no time for a “new tone”. It is time to fight for America – and whomever shows the most fight going in to 2012 is probably going to be the GOP nominee, and the next President of the United States.

J. E. Dyer has an excellent write-up of Sarah Palin’s recent foreign policy speech – a definite must-read. In it, Palin is shown to be someone who understands a great deal of what is needed for US foreign policy, especially as it relates to the use of military force. But because Palin – like almost all (or, maybe, all of them, entirely) foreign policy experts – fails to step outside the Wilsonian-cum-Post WWII foreign policy framework, she fails to deliver the new direction we need.

It is all well and good to be firm that if we go to war, we must go all the way to war and fight to win. It is wise to be wary of nation-building efforts without taking the fatal step of refusing to ever nation-build. But until the United States is freed from the entangling alliances of the past 70 years, we will not be able to build a foreign policy geared towards true American interests.

What must first be stated is just what is our most important interest. It isn’t peace. It isn’t the maintenance of international agreements. It isn’t ensuring national self-determination. It is the preservation of freedom – primarily American freedom, with the secondary need to preserve and expand the freedom of others as a defense of our own freedom. If we are not preserving and advancing freedom we are not only not helping ourselves but are, indeed, harming ourselves. In the preservation and expansion of freedom around the world is the best assurance that regardless of what happens to us – stronger or weaker as time goes on – our nation and our liberties will be maintained.

Unfortunately, we are tied to various alliances and groups – most notably NATO and the United Nations – which positively hinder the defense and expansion of freedom. The most recent example of the anti-liberty absurdity of our alliances and agreements is the fact that Syria – currently involved in massacring its own people – is set to become a member of the United Nations human rights council. Right now, in order to defend freedom – that of our selves and others – we require permission from either a UN packed with tyrants or a NATO packed with the bribed stooges of tyrants. There is no chance for a consistent, rational foreign policy for us – nor one in defense of our main interest.

Outside of the UN and NATO, our bi-lateral and multi-lateral trade and defense agreements hobble us and force us to defend unsavory regimes who work against our interests on a daily basis (the most notable of these regimes is Saudi Arabia…but they are just the worst sinner in the whorehouse, as it were). George Washington was right from the beginning – we must avoid entangling alliances. True US policy – the defense of our own and others’ liberty – requires us to be untied to any nation or group of nations, free to decide moment to moment and case by case what our action will be.

The next US President should pledge to end US participation in NATO and the United Nations, and review all alliances and defense agreements to ensure that no particular agreement is out of date and no longer serving our primary interest. Palin has made the necessary first step in a policy getting us away from Obama’s foreign policy idiocy – but until we get away from the dead foreign policy of 50 and 60 years ago, a return to Obamunism in foreign policy will be inherent in the system. Time for a change – a real change.

From the Daily Mail:

Actor Jim Caviezel has claimed his Hollywood career was wrecked by playing Jesus.

He said he was ‘rejected in my own industry’ after taking on the lead role in Mel Gibson’s controversial movie ‘The Passion of the Christ’.

Since playing the son of God in the 2004 film he said offers had dried up and he is shunned by many within the industry…

…Caviezel, a devout Roman Catholic, said he knew playing Jesus would be risky.

‘Jesus is as controversial now as he has ever been,’ Caviezel said. ‘Not much has changed in 2,000 years.’

He said he wasn’t worried about the stalling of his career…

And, so:

“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.” – John 15:18

So, no surpirse – and no worries for Caviezel. But it is illustrative that the mere making of a particular type of movie would put an actor on the outs with the entertainment industry. You can be a whore, a drug addict and an all-around horrible person and still stay on top in Hollywood…but play an important roll in a reverent film, and you’ve got no chance.

This is because those who do manage it – ie, manage to actually live as a Christian – are a standing indictment of those too lazy or cowardly to even try. If you are the typical person – ie, a compendium of sin – then it can be much more comforting to have around you really creepy people: you look good in comparison with them. But having a good person around you? All that does is make you look like a creep, yourself…better to ostracize such people.

But the time will come when even those who have most relentlessly excluded the truth from their lives will be confronted with it. I wonder what they will say, then?