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DUE TO TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES...


..compouned by the fact that they occurred over a holiday weekend when all
the tech gurus were off, Monday's & Tuesday's News & Views didn't make it
out over the 'net.


So here are all three days combined in a special Triple-Issue.  Sorry for
the inconvenience.


************************************


____________________________________


CHUCK MUTH'S NEWS & VIEWS
February 16, 2004


To view the HTML version of today's News & Views, just go to:
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_____________________________________


WE'RE ALL AT RISK


"Hi, Chuck:  You concluded (in "Mutiny On Bush's Bounty?"), President Bush
pooh-poohs conservative unrest at his own peril.'  If GWB is, indeed,
pooh-poohing conservative unrest, I'd say it's at the Nation's peril."


- Former NM GOP chief John Dendahl


THE OL' DOUBLE STANDARD


John Kerry was asked on Friday about that photograph of him and Jane Fonda
at an anti-war rally in 1970.  Kerry responded, "We're 30 years beyond that.
And I think people are interested in the future."  Interesting, huh?  Kerry
wants us to be "beyond" discussion of his relationship with Fonda from 30
years ago, but are supposed to support him because of his military service
of...30 years ago.  And, of course, we're NOT supposed to be beyond
discussing President Bush's military service from "30 years ago."  How do
Democrats get away with this stuff?


TRUE AMERICANS


"I guess most of 'em just have a lot of common sense.  I like to say we're
true Americans. We don't fall for as much as those guys on the other side of
the aisle."


- NASCAR driver Terry Labonte on why he and his fellow drivers are
Republican supporters


FISH OUT OF WATER


"Having Democrats trolling for votes among NASCAR dads is like Republicans
trolling for votes at a NOW convention."


- GOP pollster Whit Ayers
________________________________________


SURVEY SAYS!


Who would be your leading candidate for the 2008 GOP presidential
nomination?


Florida Gov. Jeb Bush
Colorado Gov. Bill Owens
Former NY Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour
NY Gov. George Pataki
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist
Somebody else


Cast your ballot today by clicking on the "Survey Says!" button at
www.citizenoutreach.com
__________________________________________


THE TIMES, THEY ARE A'CHANGIN'


"What do you call a born-again, pro-life, pro-gun Southern candidate who
disparages lawyers and big government?  Republican you say?  What about
Jimmy Carter?  That's exactly how Carter campaigned for the Democratic
presidential nomination in 1976.  It gives you a sense of how far both major
parties have moved since then."


- Columnist Ron Faucheux, Campaigns & Elections, February 2004


BAD IMAGE


"So, how does the NAACP choose to celebrate Black History Month?  Among
other things, they've nominated accused rapist, child pornographer and drug
addict R. Kelly for their annual image award. . . . There is absolutely no
valid reason R. Kelly deserves an Image Award.  Not unless you want to try
to argue that criminal charges and investigations into drug use present a
model worthy of emulation and praise. . . . How disgusting.  Who are they
going to nominate next year, O.J. Simpson?"


- Columnist Armstrong Williams
__________________________________________


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__________________________________________


BAD DRUGS


"A bipartisan coalition of senators is again trying to make it legal to
reimport price-controlled drugs from Canada. To these legislators, providing
seniors with a prescription-drug entitlement for the first time ever - which
President Bush accomplished last year with the help of Republican
congressional leaders - isn't enough. The costly new entitlement supposedly
is inadequate because it leaves some medicine costs to the consumer. While
cheap Canadian drugs might lower costs initially, the policy is dangerous to
the consumer and unfair to pharmaceutical companies. It also takes a big
step toward nationalized health care. Reimportation would be bad for
America.


"...The debate on this issue has been anything but straightforward. Many
reimportation backers have misleadingly tried to sell the idea on a
free-trade basis. But market principles have little or nothing to do with
the health-care systems in Canada and the other nations from which drugs
could be reimported. Aside from highly socialized health care, most of these
nations force American pharmaceutical companies to sell cheap drugs at
state-set prices by threatening to accept counterfeit medicines if
businesses don't go along. The drug companies have decided that small
profits are better than none at all. Reimportation rewards the shakedown and
gives legitimacy to the foreign socialized systems.


"Reimportation advocates constantly rail at the "unfair profits" made by
drug producers. It is these profits that fund research and development of
important new drugs, progress which is overwhelmingly made in America.
Minimizing pharmaceutical profits by allowing reimportation dries up
research and development funds. Such a trend does not improve American
health."


- Washington Times editorial, 2/15/04


LEGISLATIVE PUNT


Many folks are rightfully upset with the Massachusetts supreme court
imposing gay marriages on the state rather than letting the people decide.
Here's the problem with that argument: The people, by way of their elected
legislators, DID have a chance to resolve this issue way back in 2002.  But
rather than address this serious issue, the people's representatives
resorted to an "underhanded maneuver" to kill a citizen-inspired ballot
initiative which would have let the people decide the issue of gay marriage.


The court was clearly out of line, but only after the people's
representatives punted the ball on first down.  Read all about the history
of this legislative cowardice which has brought the nation to such social
unrest in Jeff Jacoby's latest Boston Globe column, "A Hypocritical Marriage
Debate."  You can read it by clicking on the "In the News" button at
www.lawfullywedded.com.



____________________________________


CHUCK MUTH'S NEWS & VIEWS
February 17, 2004
____________________________________


NASCAR KNOWS


"I don't know of anyone who's a big fan of NASCAR who has ever voted for a
Democrat - ever."


- NASCAR fan Jim Whitley of Michigan, Washington Times, 2/16/04


CAN YOU TOP THIS?


In the Democrat presidential debate on Sunday evening, John Kerry had
something really cute to say.  "The problem with the Patriot Act is two
words," said Jane Fonda's former running buddy.  "John Ashcroft."


Heck, I can top that: Janet Reno.


RUN HILLARY, RUN


"(Former Clinton adviser Dick) Morris said this week that the VP slot is
Hillary's if she wants it.  Some pundits have dismissed the idea of having
two Northeast liberals - Kerry and Hillary - on the same ticket.  While the
Kerry-Edwards ticket might give some geographic and ideological balance,
Morris argues that a Kerry-Hillary ticket would bring more votes to the
ticket.


"He says Hillary would motivate the Democratic base - special interest
groups such as feminists, unions, pro-choicers et al. - as no other
candidate could. And that, Morris says, would be more important for the
ticket.  Other Washington pundits tell NewsMax they doubt Edwards could even
rope in North Carolina for the Democrats with ultra-liberal Kerry leading
the ticket.  But Hillary's addition to the ticket may just make several key
swing states - such as Florida, Iowa, Arkansas, New Mexico and Ohio -
winnable for the Democrats.


"The bottom line is Morris' advice to Hillary: Take the VP slot. Even if you
lose, you win as the presumptive nominee for 2008. If Edwards is the VP
candidate and loses, he will be a leading candidate for 2008."


- NewsMax.com, 2/16/04


DUCK & SPIN


"That's the longest answer I ever heard to a yes or no question."


- Democrat presidential candidate John Edwards referring to front-runner
John Kerry's long-winded non-answer to a debate question in Wisconsin asking
if Kerry bore some responsibility for the war in Iraq since he voted for it


POT CALLING KETTLE BLACK


"I think that if he did know he was lying and was lying, that's even worse.
Clearly, he lied. Now if he is an unconscious liar, and doesn't realize when
he's lying, then we're really in trouble."


- The liar behind the Tawana Brawley lie, Al Sharpton,  calling president
Bush a liar during the Democrat presidential debate in Wisconsin Sunday
night
__________________________________________


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__________________________________________


KERRY-ING ON


"The woman at the center of infidelity allegations involving presidential
hopeful Sen. John Kerry reportedly has recorded a 'bombshell tell-all
interview' with an unnamed American TV network. The London Sun reports Alex
Polier, a former intern for Kerry and journalist who has written for the
Associated Press, granted the interview near Christmas to discuss her
alleged relationship with the Democratic senator from Massachusetts.  The
Sun says the network is holding onto the tape until it corroborates her
story with more evidence. . . . 'This is not going to go away,' a friend of
Polier told the London Telegraph. 'What actually happened is much nastier
than is being reported.' "


- WorldNetDaily.com, 2/16/04


FIGHTING THE LAST WARS


"(W)hile I enjoy 'the politics of personal destruction' as much as the next
chap, I've no desire to fight the 2004 (presidential) election on anything
as quaintly anachronistic as an intern scandal. That's so last millennium.
On the other hand, so is John Kerry droning on about Vietnam at every
campaign stop and traveling the country with his own personal VFW detail."


- Columnist Mark Steyn


WHERE TO BEGIN?


"For Bush operatives, the problem with Kerry is where to begin. National
security? Gay marriage? Flip-flops? Special interests? Beginning with
national security makes the most sense since it's Kerry's weakest issue.
It's the one he least wants to discuss. All that bravado about 'bring it on'
if Bush wants to raise national security actually means 'don't bring it on.'
By talking tough, Kerry hopes to scare Bush off."


- Columnist Fred Barnes in the Weekly Standard


LET'S START WITH THESE


Columnist George Will has inked a masterful column outlining 28 serious
questions he'd like to see John Kerry answer.  Read 'em at Town Hall:
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/georgewill/gw20040215.shtml


LIVING IN LIBERAL LA-LA-LAND


"The Democrats, from day one of Terry McAuliffe's year-long nomination
rondo, wanted a liberal who would be cast in their own likeness.  They never
wanted a moderate like Joe Lieberman, a Democrat trying to come to grips
with the new political century - its security dangers, efficient global
markets and a ragged domestic culture. Mr. Lieberman and those who share his
views are secondary Democrats. They don't count. The Democrats who pick the
winners in their party's primaries also choose its political course. They
are the Primary Democrats. To oppose George W. Bush and his politics, the
Primary Democrats want a candidate shaped as they were shaped in the late
1960s and the hard political battles they waged in the succeeding 30 years."


- Wall Street Journal columnist Daniel Henninger


KID CROCK'S BONEY BUTT


"(A)s bad as (the Janet Jackson boob baring at the Super Bowl) was, the
thing that yanked my chain the hardest was seeing this ignoramus with his
pointed head stuck up through a hole he had cut in the flag of the United
States of America, screaming about having 'a bottle of scotch and watching
lots of crotch.'  Think about that. This is the same flag to which we pledge
allegiance.  This is the same flag that is draped over coffins of dead young
uniformed warriors, killed while protecting Kid Crock's [Kid Rock's] boney
butt. He should be tarred and feathered and ridden out of this country on a
rail. You talk about a good reality show? That would be one."


- Sen. Zell Miller (D-Ga.)
_____________________________________


NEW ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD


Suppose, just suppose, Sen Joe Lieberman and Sen. Zell Miller decided to
mount an independent campaign for the presidency this year.  Do you think
such a conservative Democrat ticket could win in 2004?


Weigh in. Share your opinion.  Comment.  Inter-activate.  Just go to:
http://blog.chuckmuth.com/blog/
________________________________________


MAJOR LEAGUE SPIN


"While the president is committed to spending what is necessary to provide
for our national security," writes White House Office of Management and
Budget director Joshua Bolten in a Washington Times op/ed defending the
administration's budget record on Monday, "he is also committed to
restraining spending elsewhere."  We're assuming Mr. Bolten wrote this with
a straight face.  It would be interesting to see him explain what "national
security" interest the National Endowment for the Arts provides, for
example, and how boosting its budget by some $18 million is considered
"restraint."
________________________________________


MUTH'S TRUTHS


Is there mutiny in the air on the SS Bush?  Find out in this week's "Muth's
Truths" column at CNS News:
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCommentary.asp?Page=%5CCommentary%5Carchive%5C200402%5CCOM20040217a.html
__________________________________________


SAUCE FOR THE WHITE GOOSE


"A student group at Roger Williams University is offering a scholarship for
which only white students are eligible, a move they say is designed to
protest affirmative action.  The application for the $50 award requires an
essay on 'why you are proud of your white heritage' and a recent picture to
'confirm whiteness.'


Jason Mattera, 20, who is president of the College Republicans, said the
group is parodying minority scholarships. The stunt has angered some at the
university, but the administration is staying out of the fray. The school's
provost said it is a student group's initiative and is not endorsed by Roger
Williams.  Mr. Mattera, who is of Puerto Rican descent, is a recipient of a
$5,000 scholarship open only to a minority group."


- "American Scene," Washington Times, 2/16/04


SEPARATION OF MARRIAGE & STATE


"The Federal Marriage Amendment says, in part, 'Marriage in the United
States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman.' Taken
literally, the amendment forbids religious groups from sanctioning
homosexual unions; a minister who officiated at such a ceremony would be
violating the Constitution. The absurdity of that scenario suggests how
confused our thinking about marriage has become."


- Jacob Sullum, senior editor at Reason magazine



____________________________________


CHUCK MUTH'S NEWS & VIEWS
February 18, 2004


To view the HTML version of today's News & Views, just go to:
http://www.chuckmuth.com/newsandviews/nv.cfm


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_____________________________________


SPICOLI'S GHOST


"Try as he might, Sean Penn just can't seem to break free from Spicoli.  The
actor recently took a jaunt to South America to promote his Oscar-nominated
performance in 'Mystic River.'  But somehow the politics of dude took center
stage.  According to MSNBC's Web site, when Penn was asked whether he
thought of himself as a patriot, he replied, 'I am more patriotic than this
president we have, who I consider a traitor of human and American
principles.' "


- Left Coast Report, 2/17/04


GUNNING FOR THE TSA


"The time has come for Congress to start 'slicing up' the Transportation
Security Administration for the sake of national security -- and for the
safety of pilots, crews, and passengers, said a pro-Second Amendment group.
'The TSA has been dragging its feet...in implementing a national mandate for
the arming of airline pilots,' said John Michael Snyder of the Citizens
Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.  It's gotten to the point,
Snyder said, 'that one cannot help thinking that the interests of the nation
would be better served if this responsibility is taken out of the hands of
the agency.' "


- CNS News, 2/17/04


PUSHING THE ENVELOPE


While the USPS and the postal unions do everything in their power to
maintain their government monopoly over mail delivery, folks over in Japan
are actively working to privatize the service.  Japanese Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi has outlined a plan to take private the state-run Japan
Post by 2007.  The nation's legislature is doing what legislatures generally
do in such matters - drag their feet - in order to maintain government
control, but the proposal IS inching forward.  Something for the President
and U.S. Congress to keep an eye on.


UP IN SMOKE


In case you missed it, four former surgeons general uncorked yet another
attack on cigarettes...and your wallet...earlier this month.  Their plan to
reduce smoking is to bump the current 39-cents-per-pack federal tax on
cigarettes to a whopping $2.39 per pack.  And that's BEFORE the states get
their grubby little hands on 'em. In addition, according to the Associated
Press, the four former SG's proposed the establishment of a national
"counseling and support line for smokers trying to quit."


Staying consistent with the president's big-government compassionate
conservatism, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson immediately
embraced the idea and coughed up $25 million of your tax dollars to set up a
national, toll-free "quitline."    He also announced that states would be
getting some additional dough-re-mi to set up their own quitline
services...although it's not quite clear to me why the states need to set up
a separate quitline if the feds are already setting up a free national one.


Oh, well.  It's only tax dollars, right?


Interestingly, Thompson's 10-point plan to reduce the number of premature
deaths due to smoking includes counseling, treatment and drugs, but does NOT
include the option of switching to far-less-dangerous smokeless tobacco
products.  Hmm.  Wonder why?


BUBBA'S BOY BOMBS BIG-TIME


"Former President Bill Clinton, stung by how poor a presidential contender
Wesley Clark turned out to be, worked aggressively behind the scenes late
last week to pressure John Kerry to pick the retired general as his running
mate. 'The former president has been calling people, including elected
officials in New York, saying that Clark would make a great vice
presidential candidate,' a well-known Democratic activist told the Post.
'He's pushing hard because this is a credibility issue for Clinton, since
everybody knows Clark was the guy he created, but yet Clark did so poorly
when he ran.' "


- Frederic U. Dicker, New York Post


INDUSTRIAL-STRENGTH HYPOCRITES


"Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards have been engaged in an intense
competition in recent months to become the Democratic Party's most
aggressive "anti-special interest" candidate. . . . To borrow a phrase from
George Wallace, there's 'not a dime's worth of difference' between the two
presidential candidates in terms of their extraordinary financial dependence
on the special interests they purport to despise. . . . Hypocrisy is common
in politics, but Messrs. Kerry and Edwards produce it at an industrial
strength."


- Washington Times editorial, 2/17/04


SCARY KERRY-VISION


"This election year it's clear where John Kerry, for one, stands. He
promises to take his hat in hand and walk back to the United Nations. Under
his leadership, national security will again be treated as a law enforcement
matter and schools will likely be left to be run by the teacher unions. The
question remains, will America choose his complacency over Mr. Bush's
vision?"


- Wall Street Journal columnist Brendan Miniter


FROM HANOI JOHN TO SEN. FLIP-FLOP


"In the period when Bush was in the National Guard, Kerry was an angry
Vietnam veteran protesting with Jane Fonda and accusing his comrades of
being drug-addled rapists, torturers, mutilators and murderers committing
war crimes on a scale surpassing the Japanese and the Nazis. But that's a
mere detail. To the media, the contrast is simple: Kerry = war hero; Bush =
something smaller, shiftier. Bill Clinton, of course, is smallest and
shiftiest of the lot, but, back in '92, John Kerry stood shoulder to
shoulder with his fellow Democrat and said, 'We do not need to divide
America over who served and how.' Now, apparently, we do.


"So Kerry has his supporter Max Cleland, former Senator, fellow veteran and
triple amputee, all over the talk-shows, explaining that the difference
between giving Clinton a pass on draft-dodging and hammering relentlessly on
Bush's National Guard record is that in 2004 'it's the national security,
stupid. We want a President who can really be Commander-in-Chief'. And the
fact that Bush, as Commander-in-Chief, has liberated two countries,
overthrown the Taliban and slung Saddam in jail counts for less than whether
he bunked off for the weekend in 1972.


"...If Vietnam bitterly divided a nation, split communities, tore apart
families, etc, etc, Sen Kerry somehow managed to wind up on both sides of
the fence: in the 1960s, he was John Wayne taking out the gooks in 'Nam; in
the 1970s, he was Hanoi Jane Fonda, leading the protest movement; now, after
two decades in Congress opposing every new weapons system for America's
military, he's campaigning like Bob Hope on a USO tour flanked by
wall-to-wall veterans. What story accounts for Senator Flip-Flop these past
40 years?  If character is the issue, Bush can relax. And, if doing your bit
for national security is the issue, then John Kerry's been AWOL for two
decades."


- Columnist Mark Steyn
_________________________________________


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