I haven’t seen any comments on the Brian William’s interview with the President yesterday on NBC. I did not see the interview, but yesterday morning I heard some excerps on an early morning radio talk show.

Brian asked President Bush about the fact that President Clinton has visited Kenny Bunkport more often in the past year than he (Bush) has, and suggested that Tony Snow had said that "W" holds a grudge against his father for not completing the first Gulf War. I wish that I could have seen Bush’s face during this question. I can imagine what he must have been feeling inside. But, in his usual graciousness, he responded: "I have nothing but pure adoration for my father."

Everyone can see that the two Presidents, father and son, love and respect each other beyond words.

Is it just me, or was this question completely out of line?

So, after all the madness about the release of Valerie Plame’s identity, the constant speculation that Karl Rove was on the verge of indictment, the accusations toward the White House of ruining Valerie Plame’s career and exposing her to danger. The headlines about the Vice President’s involvement...Scooter Libby had to resign and was indicted.

"The scandal goes to the top of the Administration", the headlines stated. The Special Prosecutor vowed to find the culprit and bring him to justice! No one can leak this kind of information and get away with it. The White House had a political vendetta against Joe Wilson so they went after his wife.. Nothing could be so low, so despicable.

Well, it turns out that the Special Prosecutor knew all along who had been the source for Bob Novak’s article that started this mess. Richard Armitage of the State Department, Deputy to Colin Powell.

Where are the headlines?

Karl Rove innocent!

White House not involved in Scandal!

This morning I was up at 5:30 a.m., getting ready for my first day of classes of the fall semester.  While I was getting dressed, I was listening to the Mike Gallager show which had two guest hosts. They were going on and on about the lack of sensitivity shown by NBC last night on the Emmy Awards Show. I did not watch it, but apparently the show opened with a video of Conan O’Brien, the M. C., on an airplane that was obviously going down. Then they cut to a scene where Conan emerges from the ocean onto an island, and encounters one of the characters from the show "Lost." Great show, by the way.

It seems that there is quite an outrage against NBC for being insensitive to the plane crash in Kentucky. Certainly a tragedy, and my thoughts go out to the families that lost loved ones. 

During the discussion of this lack of sensitivity, a commercial was aired by Mike Gallager in which he says: "I was blown away by the prices." Soon after that there was another commercial with the exact same phrase "I was blown away" by such and such, I don’t remember what the commercial was about, because the phrase jumped out at me. I found myself wondering whether in light of our current world situation if using that phrase showed insensitivity.  I'm sure someone will want to get rid of that expression.

If every time we speak we have to stop and think about current events and make sure that we are not offending anyone, we will be left with nothing to say.  

By the way, I have probably offended someone by being so insensitive.

Sandra Lea Wise

I have been reading some excellent blogs on the state of our education. Many have set forth some very good suggestions. Let me throw in my "two cents" since I am a teacher.

I hear a lot about smaller classrooms, more money, more teacher pay, etc. but none of these are at the core of the problem.

Most teachers teach because they love teaching. More money would be great, but throwing money at the problem is not the solution.

Here are the problems that face our educational system today.

First, the Teacher’s Unions. They make it extremely difficult to fire a bad teacher. I saw a 20-20 Special on ABC with John Stossel called "Dumb in America.." They showed a chart of the steps that a school has to go through to fire a bad teacher. It is close to impossible.  As long as the Teacher's Unions have the power, nothing will be done about improving the quality of our teachers.

Second, the Parents. They need to allow the teacher and the schools to discipline the students. The teachers have lost the power of discipline. This is largely due to the threat of lawsuits by parents against the school or a teacher.

Third, the Dress Codes. Schools need to implement the wearing of uniforms. Once again, law suits by parents prevent schools from establishing dress codes. Girls go to school nowadays dressed like they are going out to a night club. Boys dress like they are in the latest "Boy Band."

All in all, it is really pretty simple. Schools should be able to get rid of bad teachers.  Teachers should be allowed to teach and to discipline. Parents need to support the schools and the teachers. The rest will take care of itself.

Sandra Lea Wise

What do you call someone who continuously attacks our government during a time of war, both here and abroad?   

What do you call someone who gives away our secrets to the enemy by making information public that will help the enemy?

What do you call someone who tries to take away the tools that we have to fight our enemy?

What do you call someone who uses our Soldier's deaths to try to get us to cut and run from Iraq?

What do you call someone who everyday calls our President a liar and gives Osama his talking points?

What is the proper word?

Sandra Lea Wise 

 

Tom Delay had to step down from his position of leadership in the Republican Party because of the politically motivated indictment in Texas. In addition, a Judge won’t let him off the ballot in the next election, so he has to run even though he’s not running.

William Jefferson, Democrat Congressman, is found to have bunches of corrupt money in his freezer and the Democrats appoint him to lead a delegation into New Orleans, to make sure the Federal Government is sending enough money there.

What is wrong with this picture?

The Bush bashing has reached an all time frenzy.  I feel like the only person out here defending my president. I am tired of the Republicans who are constantly criticizing Bush’s Foreign Policy. They were all over TV again yesterday on the Sunday Talk Shows. You expect it out of the Democrats and the "driveby media" (as Rush calls them,) but to hear it from my own party gets a little discouraging.

The President was criticized for not using enough diplomacy prior to Iraq, and now is criticized for using too much diplomacy regarding Israel. This president has stood by Israel faithfully.
I believe that the President saw how the conflict with Hezbollah was starting to backfire on Israel. He is not responsible for how Israel fights it’s wars.

The only realistic commentator on this was Michael Medved, who said that Condie Rice should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Who wants to see innocent women and children slaughtered daily because the Hezbollah cowards place their rockets among them? Now Hezbollah is more popular than ever, handing out money to all (money from Iran of course.) Is this also Bush’s fault?

The Bush Doctrine has not changed. We will go after our enemies wherever they are hiding. We are doing just that and daily many are being arrested or killed. This is not publicized of course. You might get a little snippet on Fox News, but that’s about it.

I don’t know how President Bush can get up each day and do his job. I have never seen such hatred directed towards one man. Thankfully he is strong, his faith does not falter and he does his job one day at a time. Only history will tell "the rest of the story."

Sandra Lea Wise

Yesterday I was listening to the Mike Gallager show, hosted by Steve Maltzberg. He was discussing the November elections and a poll of "security mom’s," married women with children. These women supported Bush by 56% in the last election. Apparently in a recent poll, they now are planning to vote for the Democrats.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing and then a self professed security mom called in. She said that her reason for voting Democrat in November is to teach the Republican’s a lesson because of the Immigration Issue and "Republicans are spending like drunken sailors." Steve tried to convince her that she should "hold her nose" and vote Replublican because nothing else matters if we have another Terror attack. She asked him: "Then how can we teach them a lesson?"

In my blog "Too little, too late?" I was trying to make this very point. Conservative talk shows have been attacking Bush and Republicans for the last two years over spending, the immigration issue and other things. Now that they’ve gotten the listeners so riled up, it’s hard to say, "Vote Republican anyway!" But that is what they are doing now... is it too late?

Another caller said that the Bush Administration should not get any credit for keeping us safe since Sept. 11.  His reasoning was that it takes the terrorists several years to plan the "big attacks" and since they have been busy in Iraq attacking our Soldiers, they haven't been able to carry out another attack on the U. S.  

Let me see if I understand this.  Didn't he just make Bush's argument?  "Let's fight them there so we won't have to fight them here."

Duh...

Hey, everyone, these must be the people they are polling! What scares me is that they will vote.

Sandra Lea Wise

For the last two years conservative talk shows have blasted the President.  It started with the Harriet Miers nomination to the Supreme Court.  They got their way and President Bush withdrew the nomination.  Feeling their power, the talking hosts moved on to the "Ports" issue and hit the President over the head again.  Once again, President Bush backed down.  Then the talk show hosts smelled blood... on to the immigration issue.  "No amnesty," they cried.  "Build a wall," they shouted!    

Finally they boasted that the President had lost his conservative base and that his polls were lower than ever.  "This was no conservative President," they claimed.  

Now the polls show that the public seems to prefer the Democrat party and everyone is nervous about the upcoming elections.  I heard the suggestion on one of the shows that we need "divided government" again.  The argument was made that "this would be the only way to hold down government spending."  Have they gone mad?  Don't they remember the 40 years of Democrat control?

Today the topic was "the peace treaty" and how President Bush "blew it again."   

Why don't these very influential talkers realize what they are doing?  Do we want to wake up in November with Nancy Pelosy as the Speaker and in two years, President Hillary?

I'm worried that even if they start supporting our President now, that it will be too little too late!

Sandra Lea Wise