It is late in the 4^th quarter and your opponent just scored a touchdown with less than a minute left.  If you are the team down by 7, do you give up or do you fight until the very end?  Well, if I am on the team with the most to lose, I am going to encourage all of my teammates to fight harder, smarter, louder, and stronger.

The American Public has been picketing, protesting, organizing, calling, faxing, emailing, and signing petitions to Kill the Bill—in so much that the phone lines of Congress, for the last two days, have been jammed.  Americans for Prosperity, FreedomWorks, the Tea Party Patriots, Docs4PatientCare and other grassroots organizations, have been trying their best to maintain the momentum of the public’s outrage, yet where are the Republicans?

I do see the familiar faces in the Republican Party who continue to engage and tap into this outrage: Michele Bachmann, Paul Ryan, and Mike Pence, to name the very few. But, where are the other 216 Republican members of Congress? 

I was encouraged to receive an email from John Randall, the NRCC Campaign Director, informing me of a great website, www.gopcodered.com.  It provides real-time information and tools to win the fight against the Democrat’s government take-over of health care, and it also encouraged me to step up my role in this fight.   After yesterday’s Code Red protest in Washington, I created a "Kill the Bill" Facebook event that would be easy for people to participate in and would allow them to be seen and heard by changing their profile picture. The event also gives them a place to air their grievances and connect with others that find the healthcare bill, the Slaughter Solution, Reconciliation, and other procedural tactics being used on legislation of this size, un-American, unconstitutional, and, simply, disgusting.

The Kill the Bill virtual event was started at 5:15 pm yesterday, and I keep editing the time of the event to make it current. As I write this, over 7,000 people have been invited, 700 people are “attending” and over 300 people “might be attending.”

 This Bill and these procedures are historical, and will, if passed, be notorious. These congressional procedures are the most significant legislative efforts to transform this country from a free-market republic to a gigantic, fiscally insolvent, bureaucratic, government-controlled socialized state. So, where is the outrage from the Republicans? Where is the outrage from the Pro-life/Fiscally conservative Democrats?  Where is the outrage from the Independents and Ron Paul?  (By the way, Bernie Sanders (I-NH), is a socialist, so I don't expect a peep out of him, unless it is a standing ovation if this passes). 

I wasn't encouraged by the win of the Democrats in November to take action. I was more encouraged to take action by the lost way and the weakness of the Republican Party and the abandonment of conservatism and conservative values. That is why I joined the Tea Party Movement last February.  I was drawn to the raw emotion and honesty, principled action, and like-minded people. Frankly, I was continually discouraged by the efforts by many on the right to “reach across the aisle.”

I have to ask the Republicans who continue to campaign and speak about reaching across the aisle in order to negotiate with their Democratic “friends:” How is that working for ya? 

 After the Blair Summit, only 11 days later, on March 8^th, President Obama jetted off to another Healthcare campaign stop in Pennsylvania and wasted no time taunting Republicans with statements like, “They are obsessed with the sport of politics” and “all we hear is No, No, No.”  

The Republicans, who are in this to win this, will take the knives that were stuck in their respective backs and use those knives to “KILL THE BILL.”

I realize that Republicans do not have the numbers right now but how about the will, the emotion, and the outright expression of anger and disgust? It is okay to say "we are mad as hell and we aren't going to take it anymore."  The American people have been saying this for a long time, so why don't you join us and amplify our voices til the halls of congress become so loud that the democrats can't hear Nancy Pelosi coach their final play?  

The "Silent" Majority, off all political stripes,  will turn on the Democrats at the polls in November, and we will save some of this energy to hold the new majority responsible if the Republican members of the 112^th Congress do not do everything in its’ new found power to Kill the Bill once and for all.

Red County readers know we have a frequent visitor here who hails from the far left side of the galaxy, one who goes by the simple screen name, "Anon."

As he (or she) faithfully goes about attacking our posts via their comments sections, one of his favorite targets is anyone who would dare question the religion of climate change.

In particular, don't you dare try to get a laugh by pointing to record snowfall and asking, "how's that global warming working out for you?" Anon will rage about how foolish you are to confuse weather with climate. And in point of fact, he's right: climate conclusions cannot be reached by observing today's weather.

But his side does it all the time.

In the latest example, Chicken Little himself--Al Gore-- has done precisely  what Anon despises. In a Monday conference call with members of his global warming congregation, the former Veep had this to say:

“[T]he odds have shifted toward much larger downpours,” Gore said. “And we have seen that happen in the Northeast, we’ve seen it happen in the Northwest – in both of those regions are among those that scientists have predicted for a long time would begin to experience much larger downpours.”

But Gore had a specific example in mind. He explained this recent soaking in the Northeastern United States was “consistent” with what global warming alarmists were projecting.

“Just look at what has been happening for the last three days,” Gore said. “The so-called skeptics haven’t noted it because it’s not snow. But the downpours and heavy winds are consistent with what the scientists have long warned about.”

So, it's wrong for our readers to poke fun at global warming by pointing to today's weather, but it's ok for Gore to raise millions of dollars and influence public policy based on the same shifty nonsense?

Very simply, this one's for you, Anon. The comments section here is all yours. Will you show an ounce of consistency, or can you explain why it's ok for your side to do precisely what you claim to abhor?

Or, will you run and hide on this one altogether (that's my bet)?

Should be interesting to see....

At a joint press conference with Mexican President Felipe Calderon last year, President Obama vowed to make ending border violence a "top priority." How's that hope and change working out? Drug-related crime is out of control, the State Department is warning spring-break vacationers to avoid the Mexican states of Durango, Coahuila and Chihuahua, and the bloodshed has now reached the U.S. consulate's office.

A young American consulate worker and her unborn baby were slain this weekend in Mexico, along with her U.S. detention officer husband and the Mexican husband of another consulate worker. The wanton murders appear to have been a coordinated drug cartel hit; the victims had all just left a children's birthday party in Juarez and were headed across the border back into Texas. The pregnant American official, Lesley Enriquez, is reportedly the first consulate employee to die in drug-related violence since 1985. Her 7-month-old daughter, terrorized by the gunfire while strapped in her car seat, was the lone survivor of the attack.

The State Department has now authorized the evacuation of dependents of U.S. personnel in six Mexican cities along its northern border with the U.S. And the resort town of Acapulco saw at least 13 murdered over the past week -- including four beheadings. The total death toll over the past three years is nearing 20,000.

Mexican government officials have been quite content to blame their neighbors for the outbreaks; to play the race card; to demand blanket amnesty for illegal aliens from their country trying to flee the violence and misery; and to collect massive infusions of U.S. aid that have fallen into the wrong hands. The question for this White House is: How many more Americans will be targeted for execution before we stop rewarding such fatally arrogant behavior?

Reminder: With bipartisan support, the Bush administration handed over $1.6 billion to help Mexico control its border chaos in 2008. The crime-fighting package known as the "Merida Initiative" funded helicopters, surveillance equipment, computer infrastructure, the expansion of intelligence databases, anti-corruption initiatives, human rights education and training, and an anti-money laundering program for our southern neighbors.

President Obama accelerated the release of Merida Initiative cash to Mexico and tossed even more taxpayer funding into the mix. All of this while our own measly border enforcement initiatives have been shortchanged, demagogued or completely abandoned.

Critics of the Merida Initiative (including yours truly) warned that lax oversight would lead to inevitable plundering of the money by corrupt Mexican government officials and more unabated bloodshed. Calderon cried "racist!" and demanded that the aid be forked over with no strings attached: "Give it to me. And give it to me without conditions," he told Congress.

Well, who's watching over the program now? Who's measuring its success or failure? Judging from the endless pile of corpses and horrific headlines, the Merida Initiative has turned out to be a boon and a boondoggle for the Mexican thugocracy. The civilian police force is notoriously under the thumb of the drug networks across the country. Infiltrators have penetrated at all levels.

The Brookings Institution warned two years ago: "Multiple Federal agencies have earned a reputation for ineffectiveness and corruption; among them, the Attorney General's Federal Investigative Agency, the Ministry of Public Security's Federal Preventive Police Force, the Ministry of Government's Center for Investigation and National Security and the Ministry of Finance's Customs Administration. … State security agencies and the courts have not protected the citizenry effectively. According to surveys carried out by Transparencia Mexicana, the police and justice system are perceived as having worse problems of corruption and inefficiency than other public agencies."

Yet, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the lesson of this weekend's killing spree is that the U.S. needs to work even closer with the Calderon administration -- and at least one House Democrat in Texas, Henry Cuellar, is calling for a second Merida Initiative package. This is a recipe for an even bloodier Mexican Drug Cartel Stimulus Package.

If you subsidize it, you'll get more of it. Loco.

As Americans get set to toast their (real or perceived) Irish roots, here's one for the Emerald Isle.  Faced with a difficult economic situation, Irish leaders aren't kicking the can down the road, but making tough economic choices.  The Washington Post even labeled Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen "a global spokesman for fiscal restraint." 

The Wall Street Journal recently told the tale of two countries: Ireland and Greece.  Ireland is taking harsh medicine, including cutting public sector salaries and social services that other countries are putting off.  While the Irish policeman is taking a pay cut, an Athens hairdresser can retire with a full pension at age 50.  You do the math. 

Last year, with its deficit at almost 12 percent of gross domestic product, Ireland's financial situation looked a lot like Greece's (12.7 percent).  While the Greeks have dragged their feet, the Irish acted swiftly.  It's paying dividends.  Reportedly, the cost to insure Irish debt has fallen 20 percent in recent months, while Greece's has doubled.  The EU is pressing Greece, as well as Portugal, Spain and Italy, to follow the Irish. 

This isn't easy.  No doubt many Irish are hurting this St. Patrick's Day.  But, "you simply have to confront these issues," Prime Minister Cowen says. 

Ireland has another advantage --its corporate tax rate keeps it an attractive spot for international businesses.  The Heritage Foundation's invaluable Index of Economic Freedom, pegs Ireland as the 5th freest economy in the world, beating the U.S. (8th) and routing Greece (73rd).  This gives Dublin a shot at reclaiming its "Celtic Tiger" status.

Irish Prime Minister Cowen is set to meet President Obama Wednesday at the White House, an annual tradition.  The fountain will run green.  Sadly, it could just as easily run red given our own country's fiscal mess.  We can only dream that the Irish PM's austerity impresses his White House host. 
 

Robert Lowry is also running to become the Republican candidate in Congressional District 20 that will ultimately square off against uber-liberal Debbie Wasserman Schultz.   Lowry’s hard work since formally declaring his candidacy is evident, as he has greatly improved his knowledge of public policy as well as having improved his delivery and public speaking.  Lowry’s early entry into the race perhaps gives him an advantage in his primary, and we shall soon see if Lowry’s command of the issues and his real world business experience will be enough to convince primary voters that he is the right man to take on Wasserman-Schultz.’ 

When you visit his website, go to the issue page and read about Lowry’s positions on several  of these key issues that are impacting our country as we speak. Lowry makes the case for being  a true conservative and formidable opponent to anyone that he may face.

  ‘I believe that America’s best years are ahead of us, but only if we take the steps necessary to stop the insanity. These steps are very simple, if we are willing to put in the effort: First, by electing Representatives and Senators who represent what we think and how we would vote. This is why I am running. Second, by telling those we elect what we think, and what we want them to do. Finally, by encouraging them when they stand up for us, or holding them accountable at the ballot box when they do not.
  
Click on the logo to visit the website.

It's not just the ratings agencies which have noticed our nation's frightening financial position (a story which has gotten nowhere near the attention it deserves). Even Ontario, Canada is trumpeting its competitive business advantage to the mess we've made for ourselves. Ontario, Canada.

Little else needs to be said about the following ad, an animated banner found today online in the business section at the New York Times:

...roll screen to:

...and roll screen to:

UGH.