Last nail

The House of Representatives passed a bill by a very slim margin — 212 to 219 — that will do nothing less than destroy the last shred of hope our economy has, if it is signed into law. It has been called the climate change bill or the cap and trade bill, either way it is unconstitutional.
The bill gives the federal government the ability to trump every state and local law imaginable, including how a house is to be built. It will shut down oil refineries, increase energy cost and ship jobs overseas.
And it will put even more money in the pockets of people like Al Gore.
The absurd part of this story is many of the representatives who voted for it did so after the American people expressed their dissent loudly. Once again, the phones lines and e-mail boxes were jammed with American voices, but this time those sitting in the seats of power chose not to listen.
Eight Republicans voted for the bill and each and everyone should lose their job come election time. There is no reason a small government, fiscally responsible Conservative would approve of this travesty.
If you don't prescribe to the philosophy of the Republican Party, you should not represent it.
We will not be the Grand Old Party again until we return to first principles and deny those who do not vote the correct way.
We can be a big tent all day long, and keep losing representatives, or we can stand up for what is right and proper.
The government should be returned to the U.S. Constitution, where the White House and Congress has limited powers and the states are not the handmaidens.
— Lauren Ricks, Staff Writer

No more hiding

I never thought I would see the day when I, a proud American and Texan, would cheer on a French politician. But it has arrived.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke out against a specific garment in a presidential address to a joint session of France's two houses of parliament. He actually called the burqas what it is, a prison, and said they are not welcome in France.
Sarkozy stood up for women's rights in the strongest terms I have heard yet. He is quoted as saying, "The burqa is not a religious sign, it's a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement — I want to say it solemnly. It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic."
I have never seen any representative from the National Organization for Women speak in such terms.
Yet the issue goes beyond the simple garment itself. It is a symbol of the woman being inhuman, being like every other. The burqa robs a woman of her uniqueness and hides it behind a black mesh strip across the eyes. It gives leave for the men in a woman's life to treat her with utmost disrespect.
As a woman, and a true feminist, I find the garment and everything it stands for entirely disturbing.
- Lauren Ricks, Staff Writer

Bravo Netanyahu!

I am so proud of Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for standing up to the pressure brought on him by United States President Obama and other Western nations.
Mr. Netanyahu has apparently learned from his past mistake of accepting all concessions to the Palestinians, as presented to him by squishy liberals. He came out this weekend and squarely faced the main problem between Israel and Palestine.
Those in power in Palestine refuse to recognize the legitimacy and sovereignty of Israel. They want nothing less than the complete destruction of the country. That fact is stated in its charter.
Netanyahu also said he would not stop the settlements in the West Bank, keep Jerusalem and demands the new Palestinian state be demilitarized. I don't blame the Israelis for these conditions. Look at the mess the Gaza strip became after Israel gave that to Hamas.
So, I think it is a great development for both the U.S. and Israel that the leader of the latter stands up to the former.
We need to respect our long-time friend in the Middle East, not bully her.
— Lauren Ricks, Staff Writer