September 11 observed—like it or not it is a war on terror

Updated on Friday, September 11, 2009 at 4:27PM by Kay B. Day, Editor

By Kay B. Day

View of New York City from the Empire State Building. A George Washington University report said Manhattan experienced $50-70 billion in insured losses after the September 11, 2001 attack on America. There is no way to gauge the exact cost for all sectors and interests. [Photo by Kay B. Day, 2005]

This morning networks showed footage of planes crashing into buildings, a moment etched into personal history 8 years ago for every one of us. It’s similar to the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated—we remember where we were and what we were doing. I had just returned from taking my youngest daughter to school.

Over the next couple years I read the books that emerged. Lawrence Wright’s ‘The Looming Tower’ is one of the best. For newly established president George W. Bush, the day was the defining moment of his presidency. Bush’s administration was delayed by Al Gore’s court challenges and a lack of cooperation from President Bill Clinton’s minions in the transition. Meanwhile the welfare of the Republic hung in the balance. Terrorists had planned their attacks for years.

Leftwingers blame Bush for America’s global image. Nothing could be less truthful. Wade through foreign and domestic newspaper archives, read analytical books and talk to experts in national security. Our image began to erode long before Bush, even before Clinton.

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Bush 43 final press conference reveals truth about Israel

President George W. Bush (White House photo by Chris Greenberg)(Jacksonville, Fla.)—President George W. Bush’s final press conference began on a rather sentimental note, with the president thanking media for doing their jobs. But his response to a question about the Middle East revealed an important truth. In order to have peace in the Middle East, Bush said, “You have to have a vision of what peace would look like.” For him the vision rests on two democracies living side by side in peace. In the days before Bush spoke those words, fighting continued in Gaza, with Israel taking steps to shut off tunnels used for transporting arms provided by a number of other countries for the benefit of Hamas. Days before the president spoke, demonstrations began to pop up here in the U.S.

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Anchor does Rodney King as Townhall Presidential Debate approaches

There’s a wistful tone in an article at the CNN blog by anchor Campbell Brown as she asks our presidential candidates to stop the negative campaigning. You can tell she’s earnest, and there’s an echo of Rodney King’s famous, ‘Can we all just get along?” But the truth is the presidential election of 2008 is a race that has not only drawn record voter registrations. This race, beginning with the primaries, has evoked a verbal bullet spray of tipping points, from accusations of gender bias, media bias, age bias, racial bias and a governor from Alaska who reminds me very much of the enduring lead female character in the drama ‘Fargo.’ Toss in another vice president who thought Franklin D. Roosevelt talked to America about the stock market crash of 1929 on TV and you begin to feel a bit like you’re in a Woody Allen movie. On the top of one ticket and on the bottom of another are two basically unknown quantities in politics on the federal level. To ask for kindness may be a laudable goal, but to expect it is naïve. This election has as many twists and turns as a backcountry road during a blizzard and really isn't very different from past elections in that regard.

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Fey as Palin doesn't come close to hilarious SNL bailout skit

**See followup below. Apparently SNL bowed to liberal pressures to take down the video satirizing Democratic members of Congress and President George W. Bush. So much for liberal support for freedom of speech. Now you see why I am so critical of Democratic supporters about that issue. They only believe in freedom of speech if it's beneficial to them. ***

On Saturday Night Live yesterday, Tina Fey did her Sarah Palin, but it really wasn't very funny; SNL writers missed so many opportunities to skewer Joe Biden in the Vice Presidential Debate skit. The Palin-Biden skit just wasn't well-written.  But where the writers zinged it was in the bailout video, the one we should all be talking about. Frankly, I've tried hard to find a person facing foreclosure. I've quizzed people in the grocery, at the gas pumps, and just the other day at the ATM where I finally struck gold. The woman I was chatting with told me she did know a couple who'd had to file bankruptcy because of their mortgage.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said. "Did they get to keep their home?"

"No! They're buying another one for about $300,000," she said, adding that she was shocked.

On Friday I received a newsletter from my bank. The header to one story said, "Fannie Mae Offers Solutions for 'Underwater' Home Loans." 'Underwater' is bankspeak for a mortgage that exceeds the value of  the property. The bank is now offering those with a Fannie Mae-backed mortgage a new program that allows borrowers to refinance up to 120 percent of the property's current value. Do you think maybe this is what Gov. Sarah Palin was brave enough to allude to in her debate response when she said the word, 'responsibility?" She is the only politician I've heard who's even mentioned this.

The SNL video is hilarious. The show rarely comes close to its glory days, but this video skewering Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank and President George W. Bush makes me remember what a cutting edge show once did. As for Fey, she's gotten tiresome. Maybe she could think about doing Sen. Robert Byrd? All she'd have to do is put on a white wig and fall asleep on the Senate floor while she's standing up there giving a speech.

Update on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 12:16AM by Kay B. Day, Editor

I've often said liberals want freedom of speech as long as they're slamming others they don't agree with.

Saturday Night Live has pulled the video that satirized Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi, George Bush and George Soros.

Apparently, the show is relying on Fey's impression of Gov. Palin to carry them through.

I think it would be a great idea to write the sponsors of the show. I don't plan to buy a single product or service from anyone sponsoring SNL.

I'd do the same thing if the show bowed to conservative pressure. I'm kind of like that when it comes to freedom of speech.