SCARY SCARY SCARY STUFF

Although at this point I have no real favorite in the Republican horse race, until several days ago I felt you could do a lot worse than elect Rudy Giuliani president. Now I'm not so sure. What changed my mind about Rudy was a quote he made concerning his concept of freedom. It reads like a passage from Orwell's novel "1984." Quote Rudy: "Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what to do."
According to Rudy's definition, freedom is allowing government to run your life. Joe Stalin couldn't have said it better.

While we're on the subject of government running your life, the California Energy Commission is considering instituting regulations requiring any resident installing a new furnace or thermostat to install a programmable communicating thermostat (PCT).
This thermostat would allow the government to control the temperature setting in your home by remote control. That means whenever the government declares an energy emergency, it would have the ability to dial up or dial down the temperature in your home, and you would not have the ability to override it. How scary is that? Regardless of your health, regardless of whether there are elderly or infants in your home, regardless of your own personal comfort level, the government would ultimately decide how warm or cold your own home would be. I'm feeling a chill running down my spine and it has nothing to do with the weather. When the government can decide how hot or cold you will be, you have crossed the over the line from individual freedom and liberty, to being mere chattel of the state.

RANDOM RAILS

Because this is an election year, even the death of a mountain climber can have political implications. Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to reach the highest peak of Mount Everest, died this past week. While she was first lady,Hillary Clinton stated in an interview that her parents had so much admiration for Hillary and his heroic exploits that they named their daughter after him. Charming story. There's only one problem. Hillary Clinton was born in 1947. Sir Edmund Hillary's famous feat occurred in 1953. Clearly she lied. Did the media take her to task for this obvious falsehood? Of course not. With Hillary's death in the midst of a heated presidential campaign, it hasn't even been raised in any stories or obituaries about the man. Clinton's deliberate misstatement does indicate two things that I don't want in any presidential candidate: She is a teller of falsehoods, and she has an abysmal knowledge of history. Aside from that, she is the perfect candidate.

Speaking of the presidential campaign,the noises we've been hearing since the New Hampshire primary may be a preview of what may be in store if Obama wins the Democrat nomination. During the New Hampshire campaign, both Bill and Hillary attacked Obama, which is exactly what one would expect in a political campaign. But because the recipient of these attacks is black,Al Sharpton and all the racial harpies immediately played the race card and accused the Clintons of being racists and bigots. Does that mean that no one is allowed to criticize Obama lest they be called racists? Is he to be above reproach because of the pigmentation of his skin?
The logical conclusion is that if you don't vote for Obama you're anti-black. If you don't vote for Hillary, you're anti-woman. If you don't vote for Baptist minister Mike Huckabee you're anti-christian. And if you don't vote for Gulianni you're anti- bald men. Pointing out the perceived flaws of your opponent is a valid and legitimate strategy in a political contest. The true test of equality is when everyone is subjected to the same crap.

VOTING RESULTS

Before all the supporters of Obama and Huckabee start making plans to attend the inauguration, and before the supporters of Clinton and Romney seek out Jack Kevorkian to end their despair, please note the following: In 1992 Tom Harkin grabbed 71% of the vote in the Iowa Democratic caucas, while Bill Clinton garnered an anemic 3%. We know how that ended up. Ronald Reagan lost the Republican primary in New Hampshire in 1980, as did Walter Mondale in 1984. The fact is, the game isn't won or lost in the first inning. There is still a lot of b.s. to be slung, backs to be stabbed, reputations to be sullied and lies and half-truths to be told. Truth is, not only ain't it over till it's over, it ain't over even when it's over. That is not the fat lady singing; it is the American electorate screaming for it all to end.

TEN UNLIKELY HEADLINES IN 2008

1) BRITNEY SPEARS QUITS SHOWBIZ TO BECOME HIGH SCHOOL GUIDANCE COUNSELOR.
2) BIN-LADIN CAPTURED: ADMITS TO BEING JOHN KERRY'S LONG LOST BROTHER.
3) OBAMA WINS PRESIDENCY: VOWS TO UPHOLD CONSTITUTION AND ALL PROMISES MADE TO OPRAH.
4) PARIS HILTON SAYS SHE WILL BEND OVER BACKWARD TO HELP ENTERTAIN TROOPS.
5) ANN COULTER PREGNANT WITH BILL CLINTON'S BABY.
6) HILLARY CLINTON PREGNANT WITH ROSIE O'DONNELL'S BABY.
7) JOHN EDWARDS WINS "DANCING WITH THE STARS."
8) MILITARY WITHDRAWN FROM IRAQ: SENT TO LOS ANGELES.
9) COMMANDER OF LA. TROOPS SAYS HE LONGS FOR PEACEFUL DAYS FIGHTING INSURGENTS.
10) ALL THE CHILDREN IN STATE OF KANSAS ADOPTED BY ANGELINA AND BRAD.