Today’s Parcbench post touts Christine O’Donnell’s second major feat this week: raising over $1 million dollars in just 24 hours!
Can you hear us NOW, GOP elites? Not only are we speaking with our voices, but with our pocketbooks. And even in a brutal economy, we know that if we all just give a little, it will add up to a lot. It’s something called conviction — a quality sorely lacking in elite, allegedly conservative circles. You will reform, or you will go away as a party. It’s really that simple:
In an interview on Sean Hannity’s radio show, O’Donnell thanked Tea Party Americans for their support and solicited their patience while her tech team transitioned her online home from primary to general election mode. Earlier that day, she appeared poised, confident and optimistic in an interview with lamestream media member George Stephanopoulos, who wasted no time exploiting Karl Rove’s untoward remarks from the night before. To her credit, O’Donnell never backed down and never became defensive, answering for what feels like the umpteenth time, questions about IRS tax liens and student loans.
And once again, O’Donnell noted the IRS mistake, well-documented and posted on her website.
My latest Parcbench piece takes a look at Christine O’Donnell’s incredible victory over Mike Castle in the Delaware senate race, and the contemptuous response of a dying GOP establishment that refuses to support her:
In the most shocking demonstration of sour grapes, the sore losers at the NRSC wasted no time announcing there would be no funding for O’Donnell — before she even had a chance to make her acceptance speech. Yeah, the same NRSC that, in kneejerk fashion, endorsed establishment RINO Charlie Crist over principled conservative Marco Rubio waaay back in May, 2009. And sent their lawyer off to Alaska to help incumbent RINO Lisa Murkowski (another ungracious loser) in her failed attempt to find enough votes to prevail over Tea Party Republican Joe Miller.
My latest post for Parcbench examines the contentious primary contest between career RINO Mike Castle and Tea Party Express-endorsed candidate, Christine O’Donnell. An excerpt:
But the divisions this race has exposed on the right side of the aisle are telling, more so for their sheer vindictiveness than anything else. It’s not really a surprise that establishment-embracing publications like National Review and The Weekly Standard would partake in the “electability” rationalization, in spite of the fact that — among other things — Castle voted for Cap and Trade in 2009; the $26 billion Edujobs/BigGovJobs bailout just weeks ago; and the TARP bailout in 2008, as Michelle Malkin notes in a must-read column.
None of Castle’s supporters seem to have an answer as to why it took him until July 30 to sign onto the repeal of ObamaCare, though Mark Levin wonders if the relentless pressure from Christine O’Donnell had anything to with his motivation. Had he not been facing a challenger in the primary, would he have opposed Obamacare at all? And why, Levin asks, does his opposition come with a caveat, i.e. he’d consider repeal if we had a different president? With two years to go in the Obama term, this stance seems mighty contradictory to me.
Please visit the site to read the whole thing. I am hoping to be able to write a post-primary victory piece for O’Donnell sometime tomorrow evening!
Heralding the anniversary of the most horrific attack on American soil, the question “Where were you on September 11?” has been making the rounds on Facebook and other social media sites, with answers as varied and diverse as the American populace itself. Just thinking back to that event, which little did we know at that time would affect so much change on every level, can feel strange. It seems unreal that it’s already been nine long years since I was driving to my old job as a bank recruiter in Boca Raton, Florida, cruising down scenic A1A for what I’d expected to be another typical day at the office. We had a group of applicants coming in for the mandatory employment assessment, and with my recruiting assistant off for the morning I’d be handling what would normally have been her responsibility.
During that beautiful drive, for whatever reason, I’d opted to listen to a regular pop-music FM station in lieu of my typical motivational CD, in a break from my usual routine. The morning show featuring two fun-loving guys and a girl was proceeding along in typical irreverent fashion when the news came in that the World Trade Center in New York had been struck by an airplane. Absent more elaborate detail, the radio hosts surmised it must’ve been a private plane – possibly piloted by a novice – since the picture-perfect weather would seem to preclude any other possibility. After all, a seasoned commercial or private pilot would surely know enough to avoid crashing into an office tower if his aircraft was failing. That was the thought I held in mind as I entered through the double-glass doors of my building and greeted the folks who’d already assembled in the lobby.
But just as I’d set up the applicants in the conference room, the surreal events of the day began to play out in a frenzy of panic and helplessness. First, the administrative assistant who worked upstairs hysterically rushed into my office to announce we were under attack by terrorists, who’d somehow managed to take control of a large, commercial jet and turn it into a weapon of bloody destruction. Without the benefit of a television, I was struggling to wrap my brain around that horrific scenario when a financial center employee bounded through the office doors to inform us that another plane had hit the second tower. Then a little while later, news of the attack on the Pentagon and the spine-tingling story of United 93. And finally, the shocking news that all flights had been grounded, the final confirmation (as if we’d needed any at that point) that life had been forever altered.
Perhaps the most surreal moment occurred when that same financial center employee returned from his trip to the upstairs lunchroom (home to the only television in the building), and breathlessly announced that the World Trade Center was now “a pile of rubble”. I remember feeling incredulous, as if how dare he make such an exaggeration!Wasn’t the news already horrific enough?
Of course, nine years and several attacks (e.g. London subway bombings, Madrid bombings) and attempted attacks later (e.g. the foiled plots to blow up airliners over the Atlantic from Heathrow Airport, and to destroy the Library Tower in Los Angeles) – combined with a newfound knowledge of Islam, thanks to scholars like Robert Spencer and authors like Brigitte Gabriel – none of the sheer barbarism of 9/11 will ever again evoke that initial, naïve feeling of surprise and denial. Like many other Americans, I’ve come to recognize and expect nothing but guttural savagery and brutality from a totalitarian political ideology that wraps itself up in the cloak of religion. Its adherents are people like the Palestinians who danced gleefully in the streets, quite proud of the death and destruction their fellow death-cultists wrought upon innocent civilians in the name of Allah – all to further their purpose of destroying the “Great Satan” America.
They’re the same militants who oppress women and infidels, committing unspeakable atrocities like genital mutilation, stoning, honor killing, beheadings and pedophilia – and who go on worldwide killing sprees over cartoon Mohammads, brandishing signs that say, “Behead those who insult Islam.”
In stark contrast, the heroes of September 11 – from firefighters and police to everyday citizens and local officials – stand as an eternal testament to the resiliency and nobility of the human spirit in a free society, even under the direst of circumstances, even when put through the most horrific of tribulations. As story after story of heroism unfolded, anger and sadness mixed with an undeniable pride in my fellow countrymen. Under the worst of circumstances, the best of humankind emerged.
Perhaps the most stunning testament to the sheer magnitude of the day’s terror, and the unfathomable conditions inside the World Trade Center towers comes from those who deliberately jumped. Who among us can even imagine how hellish it must’ve been, when plunging 90-plus stories to a violent end is the preferable option? The haunting images of these souls hanging out of the windows and ultimately free-falling – some alone, others holding hands, will forever remain in my memory.
That day, Americans witnessed a gut-wrenching juxtaposition of the very best and the very worst of human nature. We realized that we share the planet with an alarming number of people who value death in the same way we value life. In the wake of September 11, we experienced a rebirth of patriotism and brotherhood as citizens from coast to coast gave money, donated blood, offered up prayer and swore they’d “Never Forget”. American flags sprouted up everywhere, decorating cars, offices and homes.
Sadly, for reasons best left to another post, this phenomenon was all too fleeting. But on this ninth anniversary of September 11, 2001, I pray for our nation to find the courage to boldly confront the enemies of freedom and to valiantly fight for the way of life bequeathed to us by our Founding Fathers. It’s the least we can do to honor the sacrifices made by our fellow Americans on a day that will forever live on in infamy.
In the world around me, there are many forms of power. And yet, though I am in this world, I am not of it. Regardless of outward appearances of wealth, strength or authority, the power of love is greater than any power in the world.
I turn my attention to the presence and power of God’s love that moves in and through me. I give up fear and hate in order to know the fullness of God’s love. With faith, I am able to love even those who seem to be my adversaries.
Love is the harmonizer, unifying people one to another. With love, I see the nothingness of petty differences and the power of cooperation and unity. I give expression to the overflowing love of God within me.
I say to you that listen, Love your enemies.–Luke 6:27
In this moment of prayer, I release any misconceptions that have limited my thinking and being in the world. Spirit in me reveals Truth to my soul.
I speak Truth to my body with affirmations of health and wholeness. As I contemplate my home and workplace, my friendships and family, I affirm the Truth of harmony and prosperity.
Truth is unchanging. It is love, peace, health and eternal goodness. As I contemplate my life through the lens of Truth, I do so with thanksgiving. Thank You, God, for the eternal Truth, everywhere present, revealed in prayer and expressed through me.
Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name.–Psalm 86:11
Made in the image and likeness of God, we human beings have the capacity to design and create through our spiritual, mental and physical capabilities. Each one of us is an artist, a creator at our core, designing and weaving the fabric of our lives in cooperation with the Divine. We may ask ourselves: With God as my partner, what masterpiece do I want to consciously create?
We each have unique skills and strengths. One person may create a brilliant computer program; another, a stunning work of art; and yet another, a harmonious home with children who feel loved and worthy. The ways in which we create are endless. May we all share our beautiful gifts with the world!
Gold leaf was hammered out and cut into threads to work into the blue, purple, and crimson yarns & in skilled design.–Exodus 39:3
Daria Anne DiGiovanni, Inc. 