Old joke.

I guess this is a pretty old joke, but it's new to me:

The Constitution may not be perfect, but it's better than what we have now.

I think I got off of a CEI Christmas card.

Tancredo's out, endorses... Romney.

It was just a matter of time before Tancredo dropped out of the race, and I think Huck's rise hastened the event.

My fear is that if I were to stay in this race my votes could be the factor in handing victory to a pro-amnesty politician. Friends, we have done too much, come too far and the stakes are too high to play that hand. And so I am ending my presidential campaign.

But why Romney? Speculation at best, but it comes down to two things, a quid pro quo from Romney in the form of an executive office, or pragmatic politics, or... both. Here's Tancredo's stated reasons, which lend credence to the pragmatic approach from the WaPo link:

QUESTION: ... where you have pointedly criticized Mitt Romney, questioning many times whether he has flip-flopped on other issues, and also questioning whether his rhetoric on this issue (OFF-MIKE).

TANCREDO: Well, it is undeniably the fact that we have met, that we have talked, and that, you know, you've got to do this. Again, go through the criteria, establish exactly what it is that you are looking for in a president. And as I say, I am convinced that he will do the things he said he will do in the areas that I -- specifically in the areas that I pointed out.

And there are things that we still disagree on. But you know what? There are things that I wish I could have gotten all the candidates to agree with me on, and that's not there.

I mean, if you look at it the way I presented it; if you go through the criteria, I think you come to the conclusion -- certainly, I have -- that I believe he will now -- I believe that he'll do what he says he'll do.

I'm not asking him to do more. I'm not asking him to do things that he is opposed to. I'm just asking him, and I believe he will do the things that I have laid out here.

And remember that the last part of that criteria is very important -- "and go the distance."

I mean, somebody's going to win this race. You know, somebody's going to be the president of the United States. It's not going to be me. So, really, what you're looking for is that person that you can hope and pray that will carry on -- and I do that. I put my faith there.

I think Fred is more closely in agreement with Tancredo's immigration policies than Romney, and much to my and Fred's dismay, Romney looks more of a winning horse than Fred, hence the endorsement.

The deed is done, but I just wonder if Tancredo came to this conclusion on his own, or if it came after some Romney carrots found their way onto Tancredo's plate, especially given the very close race in Iowa between Huck and Romney.

Huckabee is no conservative.

For those of us that have been paying attention, we're all well aware that Mike Huckabee is more a Democrat than he is a Republican. Video thanks to Allah at Hot Air.

In support of Fred

I finally decided to come out and support a candidate, all the way. I've always leaned toward Thompson ever since I heard he was thinking of running, but decided to give the other guys due diligence. I have, and I am a bigger Thompson supporter because of it. I should list the reasons when I have more time, but it came down to four issues of equal importance: National Security, Illegal Immigration, Gun Rights, and Judicial Nominations. The rest was icing on the cake, Fred is a fiscal conservative willing to cut spending, even the political hot potato called entitlement spending.

The negatives I took into account, and they were trivial compared to the other candidates'. Ron Paul is an exception, he has a virtually flawless record, but I ruled him out because of his foreign policy ideas.

Well, now you know where I stand. So expect some pro-Fred coverage and consider this my full disclosure. And if you're so inclined, donate to Fred's campaign through the conspicuous link in the sidebar.

Thank You Senators...

From Ryan Horsley:

I just received word that another Second Amendment Senator has joined Idaho Senators in placing a hold on ATF Acting Director Michael J. Sullivan's confirmation to Director. Senator David Vitter has announced that he is also placing a hold on Sullivan's confirmation

Last week Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Larry Craig placed holds on Sullivan's confirmation, this was followed by Anti-Gun Senator John Kerry demanding that the Idaho Senators remove their holds.

Second Amendment organizations Gun Owners of America and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms have urged Senators to oppose Sullivan's confirmation. JPFO also raised awareness about Sullivan. As Acting ATF Director, he has continued to rapidly shut down firearms dealers and manufacturers, while ignoring Congress and the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General's recommendations to establish fines and suspensions, rather than revoking dealers licenses.

Via WoG.

Awesome.

The good news about this: reduced threat of nuclear ICBMs from rogue states. Ironically, the bad news: traditional warfare now officially obsolete.

A Heartwarming Christmas Story

From Alan at Blogonomicon.

Blogoshpere catch-up.

Here's a few things I would've blogged about had I been around:

Chicago PD's preemptive CYA after police shootings.

And I thought I lived in a conservative state: A Utah mother ordered to stop homeschooling her children and send them to public school.

Lieberman endorses McCain.

Nanny-state town is the most dangerous. Who'da thought?

And Romney on gun control. He doesn't get it. Uncle has a good roundup.

Left or Right?

Blogs 4 Borders Video

This week:

Enforcement works!
100% Preventable!
And Hijacking Lady Liberty?



Make sure to check out the new half hour show exclusively at Technopatriots!

This has been the Blogs For Borders Video Blogburst. The Blogs For Borders Blogroll is dedicated to American sovereignty, border security and a sane immigration policy. If you’d like to join find out how right here.

Tags: illegal immigration, mexico, murder, blogs for borders, border security, deportation, invasion

Vacation

For the next few weeks, I'll be doing some serious relaxing. Or perhaps something like this:

Video: Entire Republican Iowa Debate 12/12/07

In case you missed the worst debate in Western history, and Fred's 'no-hands' smackdown, it's right here in one part below the fold.

So a Christian, Muslim, and a Jew walk into a bar...

...I mean a subway car, and the darnedest thing happens:

Click image for video.

There's an idea.

I've been remiss in my blogging duties lately, but I'll catch up. Starting with this story:

A COUPLE were banned from taking photographs of their baby daughter on a swing by a park warden who declared it `inappropriate.'

Steve Brook and partner Mandy Smith were having a family day out with 11-month-old Rebecca when the council worker swooped.

"It beggars belief," said Steve, 35. "The fact that a mummy and daddy can't take a picture of their own daughter is ridiculous. I could understand if it was in a swimming pool, but she was well wrapped-up and as far as I could see we were the only people in the park."

Town hall officials said the warden had misinterpreted council policy when he confronted the family at Alexandra Park in Oldham.

But Phil Woolas, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, said: "Based on these reports I am thinking of introducing a Bill to Parliament called The Common Sense Act 2007.

"We are in danger of becoming so adverse to risk we will lose sight of common sense."

Yes, anyone who misinterprets, abuses, or enforces something he hasn't the slightest idea about, should be forced to wear a dunce cap while publicly apologizing to the community for his lack of a brain. This should include idiot congressmen.

Huckabee's weight loss a big scam?

I don't know, and as a person who really does not want Huckabee to win the nomination, I'd be lying if I said I hope this isn't true. Politics have made me evil. Make up your own mind.

Via Dan Riehl

Due Process part II

Innocent until proven guilty... or something:

Law enforcement officers swept through San Joaquin County early Sunday morning, serving seizure warrants against vehicles suspected of involvement in street racing and sideshows...

The law... stipulates that owners can retrieve their vehicles free of charge before the 30 days are up IF they can prove they were not involved or aware the vehicle was being used in illegal activity. (emphasis added)

If it were that easy...

If gun control advocates really believe what they say, they'd be too scared to cross us.

Quote of the Day

"God was with me... I didn't think for a minute to run away."

Blogs 4 Borders Video

In this edition...

LA Times caught lying about the invasion!
100% Preventable! More American lives shattered by illegal aliens!
The Deportation Joke! How much is too much?



Don't forget this week os the premier of our new half hour show hosted exclusively at TECHNOPATRIOTS.COM!

Rapist Rampage video provided by our friend LoneWolf!

This has been the Blogs For Borders Video Blogburst. The Blogs For Borders Blogroll is dedicated to American sovereignty, border security and a sane immigration policy. If you’d like to join find out how right here.

Tags: illlegal immigration, invasion, deportation, mexico, guatemala, rape, murder, strangulation, border security, la times, propaganda, lies, statistics, lying polls, techno patriots

Al Gore's demands.

With every natural disaster, even earthquakes being blamed on global warming, the Goracle 's words are increasingly highly prized.

Al Gore has come under fire for making personal gain from his mission to save the planet – after charging £3,300 a minute to deliver a poorly received speech.

The former American Vice-President was also accused of being "precious" at the London event, demanding his own VIP room and ejecting journalists, despite hopes the star-studded gathering would generate publicity for the fight against global warming.

Many of the audience at last month's Fortune Forum summit were restless as Mr Gore, who has won both a Nobel Peace Prize and an Oscar for his campaigning work this year, delivered the half-hour speech that netted him £100,000.

Ah hem.

Commenters Sjmld, Eric, and David please contact me via email (freeconstitution at gmail.com). Yes, you know why.

Victory?

Depends on how you look at it. Victory, retreat, or whatever you want to call it, the Brits are leaving Iraq. I pray it proves to be victory.

Shootings in Colorado. Updated.

Something to keep an eye on:

The shooting was reported shortly after 1 p.m. Mountain time. Police sealed off the church but it was not clear whether any parishioners were still inside.

The shooting in Colorado Springs came some 12 hours after two people were shot to death at a training center dormitory for young Christian missionaries in Arvada, a Denver suburb.

UPDATE: The gunman shot 5, killed one, before he was shot to death by church security:

Five people were shot including one who was killed at New Life Church in Colorado Springs about 1:10 p.m. today by a man dressed in black.

The gunman, whose identity has not been released, was shot to death by a security guard, police say. Four victims were transported to hospitals including some with life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

Police found various devices on the church grounds, authorities say.

Colorado Springs police Lt. Fletcher Howard said a suspect had been detained in the shootings at the New Life Church.

Three people were taken to Penrose Community Hospital in Colorado Springs, where they were listed in critical, fair and good condition, said hospital spokeswoman Amy Sufak.

The shooting was reported shortly after 1 p.m. The church's 11 a.m. service had recently ended, and hundreds of people were milling about when the gunman opened fire.

Police sealed off the church and were searching the three main buildings of the New Life complex, said Sgt. Mark Stevens, Colorado Springs police spokesman.

Mario Garcia was waiting outside the church property in his Chevrolet Suburban for his three children, ages 14 to 18, who were in the basement with 50 other people for two hours, he said.

His children had attended a meeting that started at 10:30 a.m., and were walking out of the service at about 1 p.m. when they saw a man throwing "some sort of bomb," Garcia said.

"It is a very sad day today," Garcia said. "We like to believe churches are one of the safest places but times are changing. It's surreal to be sitting here waiting for my kids to be released."

The complex was ringed by police cars, fire trucks and ambulances.

The man was described as skinny, in his 20s, about 6 feet tall and dressed in black, Stevens said.

Update: How Michelle Malkin sees it:

Amid the horror, a glimmer of good news: The culture of self-defense may have saved untold lives.

Agreed.

A Second Amendment Christmas Carnival

Welcome to the fourteenth edition of the Second Amendment Carnival

Providing the best merriest 2nd Amendment coverage the blogosphere has to offer.

But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. -Jesus Christ (Luke 22:36)
***

While we're a bit more religious than usual in this edition, might as well take a look at the living, breathing Ten Commandments.

You may want to write a letter to Saint Nick if you're thinking of arming that special someone this Christmas, because many of our partners in arms retail are not thinking of you.

Bias or ignorance? Probably ignorance... though occasionally it reeks of agenda-driven journalism by reporters engaged in the willful suspension of ethics.

A long list of guns in gun-free zones. What can I say that others have not said, what can we do that others have not done? Maybe it is better to be judged by twelve...

We know what happens when wolves find a herd of sheep, yet when we even the odds, Little Red Riding Hood doesn't get eaten.

Militia. Mi·li·tia. Militia?

If it's the season of giving, celebrate with the Brady Campaign and give your guns to the government.

There's just nothing like these gifts that keep on giving: power from the lawful, is power to the unlawful.

Giving is nice, but there's something about getting that has the edge, especially when money and guns are involved.

Ingredients for a holiday treat: One room. One 800 lb gorilla. One dozen liberals. Add a scoop of anti-gun bias and stir briskly.

I wish blog carnivals were as cool as a blog bash, but then again it's cheap and there is zero travel time.

Rare in America when the political middle ground approaches bigotry.

And good fences guns make good neighbors.

---

Okay, 'nuff talk. My gifts to the readers:

Gun porn! More Gun Porn!
What, not enough for you? Too much for you? How about soft-core ammo porn.

For my ambitious blogger friends, I give you a feast in waiting... Chew it slowly so you can enjoy it.

*[UPDATE: The raffle is over, for those who missed it, there's always next year... and I'd like to thank everybody for visiting, without you this would hardly be worth it. This was by far, the carnival that took the most prep time.]

Update: Winners.

Thanks, and have a

Merry Christmas

***
Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American... -Tench Coxe, 1788

Many blessings to all those who participated in this edition, and stay tuned for Carnival XV. If you would like to participate in the next 2nd Amendment Carnival please go here.

12/7

Meant to post this earlier...

2nd Amendment Carnival Saturday

If you'd like to submit an article, click here.

Video: Mitt Romney's Faith in America Speech

I'm short for time, so I'll present this with limited commentary.

I thought it was good, and good enough to win over some votes, but not quite magnificent. As a Mormon, I liked it because it was patriotic and because I haven't heard a speech like that in a long time.

CIA's CYA

Not to defend torture, but had this been video of the CIA interrogating Bin Laden, I don't think the outrage to this would be as nearly pronounced.

PSH of the Day

Is that a rifle? No, it is a large rifle, sound the alarm!

According to a letter sent out to the campus from CSU Police Chief D. Yarbrough, a man was spotted at 8:30 a.m. with a large rifle on the west side of the Clark Building.

CSUPD responded, brandishing shotguns, in less than one minute and searched the building. Several of the responding officers were still wearing civilian clothes due to the urgency of the call, according to Yarbrough.

The letter says campus police determined the man with the rifle was actually a history professor who had brought the firearm in for demonstration purposes...

Cops taze innocent naked deaf guy because the, uh, thing under his towel could have been a threatening weapon.

This might be the most unlikely story of the year:

Donnell Williams had just gotten out of the bath tub, wearing only a towel around his waist, when he turned the corner to see guns pointing right at him.

"I ain't never been so scared," says Williams.

Police forced entry into Williams home while responding to a shooting, but it turned out to be a false call. They had no idea at the time the call wasn't real and that Williams is hearing impaired. Without his hearing aid he is basically deaf.

"I kept going to my ear yelling that I was scared. I can't hear! I can't hear!"

Officers were worried about their own safety because at the time it appeared Williams was refusing to obey their commands to show his hands. That's when they shot him with a Taser.

Deputy Chief Robert Lee says, "This one occurred on the worst of calls, that being a shooting. The first few minutes getting control of the scene are very, very important."

Once the facts were all sorted out, officers repeatedly apologized to Williams. Police wish it never happened, but with the information they had at the time, their choices were limited.

Because not timely obeying a command is tantamount to threatening physical force, even coming from a naked deaf man.

Miscellaneous

While Christ was trying to stop people from honking their horns, God was killed.

Blogs 4 Borders Video

In this weeks edition...

Lou Dobbs in Chicago: goons try to shut him down!
100% Preventable! More American lives shattered by open borders!
And a surprise!



You can watch the entire Lou Dobbs event starting here. Parts 2 & 3 were messed up, make sure to use the "fixed" versions.

You can check out the Technopatriots site here.

This has been the Blogs For Borders Video Blogburst. The Blogs For Borders Blogroll is dedicated to American sovereignty, border security and a sane immigration policy. If you’d like to join find out how right here.

Tags: illegal immigration, mexico, criminal aliens, lou dobbs, icirr, chicago, techno patriots, border security, juan manuel juarez reyes, andrew newell, north carolina, bettie coates, eblin fabiel ocampo cruz, deportation, open borders, eligio chia duron, pedophile, child molester, georgia

Hugo Chavez loses his referendum.

Good:

President Hugo Chavez suffered a stinging defeat in a vote on constitutional changes that would have let him run for re-election indefinitely, the chief of National Electoral Council said Monday.

Voters defeated the sweeping measures by a vote of 51 percent to 49 percent, Tibisay Lucena said. Turnout was just 56 percent, Lucena said.

Update: Funny lolcats idea I copied from a Fark thread:

Niiice...

Quote of the Day

"If Kurdistan’s an awkward fit in Iraq, how well will Pornostan fit in the Islamic Republic of Holland?"

Progress in Baghdad

Fewer attacks and fewer deaths is a trend we've all heard about in Iraq, it was just the political process that needed to trend in a better direction. Well, and in all seriousness, I think this is merely Iraq showing the signs of growing pains:

Corruption and theft are not new to Iraq, and government officials have promised to address the problem. But as Iraqis and American officials assess the effects of this year’s American troop increase, there is a growing sense that, even as security has improved, Iraq has slipped to new depths of lawlessness.

One recent independent analysis ranked Iraq the third most corrupt country in the world. Of 180 countries surveyed, only Somalia and Myanmar were worse, according to Transparency International, a Berlin-based group that publishes the index annually.

I mean, it's not like New Orleans is much better, and what did we expect from a newborn, war-torn country with sectarian pressures? This New York Times article shows corruption on a large scale with obvious warnings of how it's bad for democracy. That's fine, but I think it's a tad disingenuous.

I'm not defending corruption, and I do realize it is bad for democracy on many levels. The silver lining is that Iraq is still a democracy, and any politician with a brain could take advantage of this crisis by campaigning against it. Success will be rewarded with re-election, and watch as other politicians do likewise. It will take time, and it could go wrong, but democracy isn't the fragile utopian balancing act they'd have us believe. It is a powerful force that over time, reflects the will of the people. I'm optimistic.

Video: Yet Another Bro Tased...

Going 70 in a 65, tased for objecting to the cop's attitude, within seconds.

Youtube, Yahoo; Egyptian torture enablers. Censors Blogger.

Via Fark comes this story of what I can't see as anything other than Youtube (and Yahoo), bending to the will of the inhumane Egyptian government.

YouTube has suspended the account of Egyptian blogger Wael Abbas, who has been posting videos of cases of torture in his country. One of the videos he posted, of a Cairo man being beating and sexually assaulting, was credited with helping bring pressure on Egyptian authorities. That pressure led to three-year jail sentences for two of the policeman involved in the assault. Abbas has called the suspension of his YouTube account "by far the biggest blow to the anti-torture movement in Egypt", according to Amira Al Hussaini on Global Voices.

And from a new post on his blog, Yahoo has disabled his email account (link and quote are translated versions):

Now Yahoo e-mail account suspension
Tried to enter the user name and my Albasword not succeeded
Brady sent a letter to the Postal another Fjani following reply:

Sorry, we were unable to deliver your message to the following address.

Remote host said: 554 delivery error: Sorry your message to
[edited out] @yahoo.com cannot be delivered. This account has been
disabled or discontinued [#102]. Disabled or discontinued [# 102]. - [edited out] yahoo.com [BODY]

If the above accounts are true, Google and Yahoo have some serious explaining to do.

Update: Just found the story on FoxNews, with links to videos.