Tom Fitzgerald re-introduces this generation to Benjamin Franklin…  Poor Richard’s Lament.  Tasty.   Then,  Jeff Patch with another chunk of the Harkin-Korean saga.  WTF.    Then, Roger McEowen, ISU economics professor, says the fiscal cliff is likely.    Suggests a couple of things to be done to prepare…including dying before the deadline.    He doesn’t have a sign-up sheet though.  Obama speaks.  Then, the NRA speaks.  So do Iowans.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-12-21.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:22pm CDT

Iowa exercise guru Erica Ziel with her “From Knocked-Up to Knockout”  workout  DVD.    Iowa blizzard coverage.  And Iowa educators refuse to consider arming teachers to defend themselves and students.   And an FAQ for answering some objections teachers may have.  

Direct download: mickelson-2012-12-20.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:06pm CDT

Jan, 

How can you help calm down those people who are teachers or educrats who find the idea of being armed in the classroom scary and appalling?

  This is an important question.    There is a difference between somebody who sees himself as an individual equipped with God-given rights, including the right to self-defense…more than that,  the DUTY of self-defense,  than those who don’t.

Think about this.  Parents have the right to defend themselves and the right and duty to protect their own children with force, even deadly force.    These are individual rights and duties assigned to individuals and members of the most basic unit of government, the family. Parents assign those duties to teachers who are supposed to agree to the doctrine of “in loco parentis”…    in the place of parents.   They are our designated parents in the public sphere. Too often members of this generation only see themselves as creatures of the state.   They have assigned the state the duty of  “in loco parentis”…  they have made themselves children and have embraced the state as parent.   They want nanny state to always be there to protect them against evil.   So, when Nanny says schools are a gun free zone, they feel secure.   And they feel disloyal to Nanna if they even ponder having their own gun or taking personal responsibility for their own safety.    As we say, they have been worked over.

The quickest way to cut through this tension is to ask a couple of questions.

 

1.      Do I,  as a parent,  have the right to use deadly force in my home to repel or even kill an invader who seeks to do harm to my children? 

2.      Do you as a teacher accept your duty as in loco parentis to do the same?   If not, why not?   If you aren’t concerned enough to defend my child why should put my kid in your “care”?   If not, does that mean you won’t even defend yourself?   If not, are you a pacifist?   Or just a pacifist at school?       Is there something magic about a school building which requires state sponsored pacifism?     If so,  isn’t that an example of a state sponsored religion?     Does the state have the power to convert you to the Quaker religion during school hours?    You might say that you’re untrained or not competent to defend your life or the lives under your care.   Ok, so if somebody is breaking into your house in the middle of the night are you gonna call out,  “Hey buddy,  I’m not really trained to repel you.  Can you come back after I get some training?”     No,   you’d grab anything you could to stab, beat, and bludgeon and discourage the attacker.    And you would feel great if you were successful.     So, now imagine how you’d feel if you had just prevented the murder of 20 helpless kids under your care in your classroom.    The parents would erect a statue of you in your honor.   And you would be a living hero.     The teacher who threw her body in front of those bullets in Connecticut is also a hero, but she is dead.  So are the kids.

3.       Perhaps it’s time to reconsider.

 

Category:general -- posted at: 1:00pm CDT

Retired Des Moines Police Captain Kelly Willis wants us to adopt ASP, (Active Shooter Prevention) programs in Iowa Schools.  Clayton Cramer says now is the time to REALLY take mental illness seriously as it relates to violence.   Jeff Patch talks about the Harkin-Korean money links.    Amazing.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-12-19.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:14pm CDT

Harvey Simon says that Cuban Missile Crisis woulda turned out different if Nixon had been president rather than Kennedy“The Madman Theory”…an alternate history.   Then,  the left is using our outrage to make a run on the 2nd Amendment.   So, from the smart book,  “The Making of America”,  we review what the 2nd Amendment was for.    Vigorous.  Oh,  and here’s the Huckabee answer to the question “Where Was God?.”  

Direct download: mickelson-2012-12-18.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:33pm CDT

Notable Quotable Awards for 2012.   Silly media tricks.  Tim Graham.  And Jeopardy superstar Ken Jennings reveals,  “Because I Said So”the nonsense we tell our kids evaluated.  Then,   Iowans respond to the many facets of the CT shootings.  Responding to the president’s speech and a mother’s plea for help in dealing with here own child who has mental issues.  

Direct download: mickelson-2012-17-2012.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:13pm CDT

Friday pot luck.  ESPN and race.  Accidental fire and prepping tips with lint. Hay rustling?  And advice for out of town drivers coming to the big city.  Plus stuff ya hafta  watch out for.  (This program aired before the CT school shooting happened, otherwise our conversation would have been much more serious.  For the record, great sadness for our country and for the families who were so horrendously damaged...great, great evil)

Direct download: mickelson-2012-12-14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:13pm CDT

How about some real school choice?  And how can we keep homeschoolers and Christian educators from paying twice to educate their own children?  Shane Vander Hart, Eric Goranson, Pastor Aaron Gunsaulus, and Bill Gustaff have some ideas.   Then, The Boyz Are Back In Town...a free concert Friday and Saturday at First Federated Church, 4801 Franklin Ave, Des Moines.  7PM.  Free.   Stefan Weitz from Microsoft says Bing is better than Google.  Plus talking apart a silly atheist rant.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-12-13.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00pm CDT

I get sent this or its derivatives many different times a month.   I’ll bet you do too. 

  "The Bible also says that a man who touches the dead skin of a pig is unclean, Leviticus 11:7. Should that man be stoned for liking football? Exodus 21:7 says as a man, I am allowed to sell (if I ever have any) my daughters into slavery. What's the going rate for a daughter? My family owns farm land, and plant both soybeans and corn to make a living, but according to Leviticus they should be stoned for planting different crops, side by side. What about working on the Sabbath? Exodus 35:2 says we should stone those who do so. I wonder if that means the Sabbath they had back then when the bible was written (Saturday) or our Sabbath, Sunday. Should I bring my own firewood so the public can burn me alive for wearing a garment of different threads (Deuteronomy 22:11)? 

What I read in the bible was the love and tolerance that Jesus taught us. 'Love thy neighbor as thyself,' (mark 12:31) and 'let he who hath not sinned, cast the first stone.' (John 8:7). I choose to believe that god so loved the world that he gave unto us his only son, and his sons message was love, and understanding, not hate, and segregation. You are free to feel whatever you like."

This quote turns out to be a summary of a rant which was on "West Wing".    It is very powerfully written and presented.  When the ordinary cultural Christian sees it,  he sinks into the chair,  along with the actress playing a Dr. Laura composite being skewered by the "President".  It's very effective propaganda on the surface.  However,  with just a casual analysis, its "power" evaporates.   Let's take it apart line by line.

 "The Bible also says that a man who touches the dead skin of a pig is unclean, Leviticus 11:7. Should that man be stoned for liking football?  

 Possible responses?

1.  Silly… footballs are made of cowhide. 

2.  Ignorant.   Before you ridicule a religion,  you should make a feeble attempt   to understand it.  This    refers to the priesthood cleanliness laws of ancient tribal Israel.  Designed for two reasons.  A. Cultural identity.   B. The health of the community.  “Unclean”  has two meanings at least.   A.  Violating the ceremonial laws.   B . This is a literally a health concern.  Does taking care concerning the handling of the carcass of a dead pig really need to be explained to you?

3.  Try making this kind of comment to a Muslim.   How fond are you of  your head?

4.  You are anti-Semitic.   Hitler used to laugh at this kind of ethnic slur.

Exodus 21:7 says as a man, I am allowed to sell (if I ever have any) my daughters into slavery. What's the going rate for a daughter?

Possible Responses?

1.  Dunno…can we see her dental records and SAT scores?

2.  Again this is another example of intellectual laziness.    Before food stamps, EBT cards,  Obama-care, and the welfare state,  people had to be productive or die.  If the family didn’t have enough resources to support another mouth to feed they would allow their offspring to be indentured to somebody who could provide food and housing for their unmarried or unmarriageable daughters.   It was part of the social safety net in ancient covenantal Israel.   It was necessary, humane and very wise.   The treatment of  the “indentured” was defined by culture and law.    Now days we are much more enlightened.   Instead of indenturing the unskilled or unproductive to wealth producers,  we indenture the wealth producers into the service of the unproductive.   I’m sure our plan will work out much better.

3.  You are anti-Semitic

 “My family owns farm land, and plant both soybeans and corn to make a living, but according to Leviticus they should be stoned for planting different crops, side by side.”

Possible Responses?

 1.  This is either a lie or just plain stupid.   The death penalty didn’t apply to these  “identity” laws.   Again try to actually understand what you are reading.   

 2.  Don’t need another response to stupidity.  See answer “1”.

 3.  You are anti-Semitic.

 “…what about working on the Sabbath? Exodus 35:2 says we should stone those who do so. I wonder if that means the Sabbath they had back then when the bible was written (Saturday) or our Sabbath, Sunday…”

Possible Responses?

 1.  If you had just been rescued from slavery and still had all the bad habits accrued  from  being on welfare,  and Moses told you to take the day off one day a week to honor your rescuer, and you refused?   Then yes,  you deserve to die.  You are apparently too stupid to appreciate your Rescuer and Maker or  even having a day off work.    You should get the Darwin Award at the very least.

 2.  Ok, the soft answer is, these strict rules were meant only for tribal,  post slavery,  covenantal Israel.    You however,  can feel free to work 7 days a week. I would suggest you get a better union though.  The one you are in apparently sucks.

 3.  Rather than wondering?   Col. 2:16

 4.  You are anti-Semitic

 

 “… should I bring my own firewood so the public can burn me alive for wearing a garment of different threads…” (Deuteronomy 22:11)? 

Possible Responses?

 1.    Again you are either lying or are just stupid.  Again, the death penalty didn’t apply.

  2.   These were tribal identity laws to distinguish them from their pagan neighbors.

  3.    You are still anti-Semitic.

  “What I read in the bible,”

 There is no evidence to support claim that you have actually read the Bible...ever.

 “…was the love and tolerance that Jesus taught us….”

Jesus taught love…   Luke 6:31   Golden Rule.  He did NOT teach tolerance of sin.   He died to pay for the sins of others.  He did not say ” Go ahead and live a debased life,  I love you”.    He said,  “ Go and sin no more”.

 “…to love thy neighbor as thyself…'  Mark 12:31

 Yup…  the golden rule.    Do you have a problem with that?  I certainly don't.

  “and 'let he who hath not sinned, cast the first stone'.”  John 8:7

 Yup..  he said that in a judicial procedure in which he was inviting the ” witnesses” of adultery to execute judgment in a mock trial.   The legal requirement of two witnesses in a capital case didn’t happen.  So Jesus said,  “Neither do I condemn you.”   Case dismissed.     Then he told her “...go and sin no more.”    Did you really think Jesus was actually forgiving adultery?   Or advocating tolerance of adultery?   Or terminating the death penalty for adultery?      Lifting quotes out of context to support disordered (lawless) behavior is biblically dishonest, illiterate and just plain cheesy.   It doesn’t work on people who actually try to understand what has been written in context.

  “I choose to believe that god so loved the world that he gave unto us his only son, and his sons message was love, and understanding, not hate, and segregation. You are free to feel whatever you like."

 You CAN choose to believe whatever you wish.   You  CANNOT derive such empty drivel from reading the Bible however.   Yes “ God did so love the world He gave us His only SON, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”    You finally got something right.    And yes,  His message was that of love, forgiveness and understanding.   That’s why I can put up with fundamentally dishonest blogs like this one.  I am NOT free to believe whatever I like.   My faith requires me to only believe the truth.     And Jesus said,  “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through me”  John 14:6     I believe that.   That’s the truth.

  “…not hate, and segregation…”

I try to hate what God hates (he has a list and he’s checking it twice…Proverbs 6:16-19)

 "There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community."

 And I DO like to segregate myself from people like that.   So far it’s worked out just fine.

 

 

 

Category:general -- posted at: 2:19pm CDT

Count yer blessings or I'll hit you.   Then,  Iowa farmland...best of times, worst of times.  Mostly highly valued,  soon to be most highly taxed.   Who invented the modern progressive estate tax?  An Iowan,  dang it.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-12-12.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:21pm CDT

Potluck...education reform...Jonathan Last talks about "singletons"..."A Nation of Singles"...  the basis of our civilization is at risk.   And are "preppers" dangerous?

Direct download: mickelson-2012-12-11.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:32pm CDT

Senator Kent Sorenson wants to restore the death penalty in Iowa.  Noreen Gosch says it's overdue.  Iowans respond.  The "The Sackster" says the Midwest is losing national influence.  What to do?

Direct download: mickelson-2012-12-10.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:17pm CDT

Peal Harbor Day...revisionist history...John V Denson  and   John Koster.  Important.   Then what happens to Iowa if we go over the fiscal cliff?   So,  what do we want?  Then, economic and political guru, Wayne Allyn Root says the cliff is in our rear view mirror.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-12-07.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:28pm CDT

Iowan's ponder stuff.   Including the African American National Anthem...the Hobby Lobby....and why is George Bush speaking up on immigration?

Direct download: mickelson-2012-12-06.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:44pm CDT

The election is over...so?  Polk County and Windsor Heights put Gotcha Cams on the  fast track.   Iowans say,  "Not so Fast!".   This is way more than just a whining session.  Some great conversation about how to be "self-governing".   Is more Big Brother the only way to handle a self-centered culture?

Direct download: mickelson-2012-12-5.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:39pm CDT

Inspirational birth stories.   Senator Rand Paul Paul on the fiscal cliff.   And why are Democrats still playing the race card now that the election is over?  Cuz it works?

Direct download: mickelson-2012-12-04.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:23pm CDT

Bob Costas blames a murder suicidal behavior of a football player on the gun.  Huh?  Then,  Sean Faircloth talks about the Attack of the Theocrats!  spirited.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-12-03.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:02pm CDT

A movie review of Lincoln the movie.  The perils of onions.  And Michael Ware and Rick Largess give us a Prepper 101 class.  

Direct download: mickelson-2012-11-30.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:08pm CDT

Contingency Bag Contents (everything in heavy duty Ziploc bags)

 2 full rifle mags

 Fixed blade knife and small stone/rod for sharpening

 Handcuff key   10 safety pins

 Deck of cards  Flint @ steel

Twine/dryer lint for tinder

 Fire starter cubes

Lighter w/small zip tie to prevent leaking

Water proof tubes containing batteries

2 contractor grade trash bags

Superglue     30 feet 550 cord .

Tweezers   Milspec canopener

Food (cliff bars/mMRE’s/canned tuna/dried nuts)

Water Bottle

Katady and  Electrolyte tablets

 Chem light sticks

 LED light sticks

 Flashlight

 Space Blanket

 Compass

Thermometer

 Signal mirror • Duct tape

 Sunscreen • Chapstick • Bug spray • Heavy leathergloves

 Hand warmers

 Wet wipes

 First aid Supplies:

 Medical shears

 Misc Bandaids

 Misc size Gauze

 Med tape

 Micropur tablets  and First need Water Purifier

Alcohol pads

SOF Tourniquet

 OLEAS bandages

Imodium

 Benadryl

 Ibuprofen

Broad spectrum antibiotic (levaquin)

 CPR mask

Triple antibiotic ointment

Sterile rubber gloves

 Cohesive Medical Bandages (COHERE)  a Ice pack

Topical anesthetic

 

Useful websites for constructing a bug out bag:

 

 www.countvcomm.com

www.lapolicegear.com

 www.tacmedsolutions.com

 

Category:general -- posted at: 4:01pm CDT

Robert Franklin says Americans accused of wrong doing have lost the presumption of innocence.    Mike Farris from the HSLDA, says the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is going to hand over American sovereignty to the UN...again.  Iowans wonder about Wisconsin's white deer.  

Direct download: mickelson-2012-11-29.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:24pm CDT

Dr. Georgia Purdom says it would have been perfectly OK for Senator Rubio to say the Earth is young.  Makes the case for a young Earth.  Then,  our favorite eagle gets electrocuted.  How?  Plus,  do we really want to send Singleton to go to prison for 16 years?  

Direct download: mickelson-2012-11-28.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:22pm CDT

Brian Peskin,  health guru,  back in town tonight 7pm Hilton Garden Inn,  Johnston.  Sponsored by Healthy for Life 327-0200.  Then,  is it time to let parents use their own money to educate their OWN kids...hmmm?   

Direct download: mickelson-2012-11-27.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:06pm CDT

Melvyn Fein  Post-Liberalism:  The Death of a Dream.  Cheeky.  Plus,  Iowans define justice for a cop harasser.    And lottery talk.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-11-26.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:56pm CDT

Coyotes are moving into urban areas of Iowa.  Johnston residents are concerned.  DNR isn't.  What do real experts say?  Great Iowa stories.   Worthwhile indeed!

Direct download: mickelson-2012-11-16.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:16pm CDT

Justin Lee "Torn:  Rescuing the Gospel from The Gays-VS.-Christians Debate".  Spirited.  Varnum v Brien, the Iowa court case.  Then,  what's the story on Catholic & non-Catholic marriages?  Plus,  the lady says modern High Efficiency clothes washers suck...cuz of the feds.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-11-15.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:43pm CDT

The Atheist as Prophet

At the base of Islam is the well-known confession, "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet." This defines the fundamentalism of that oppressive and close-minded religion: One authority, and one voice for that authority, any­thing outside of which is damnable.

Atheist's say they abhor this type of dogma­tism, preferring "freethinking"—a not unwhole­some thing in itself—but many unwittingly fall into a very similar type of self-imposed mental blindness in the name of free-thought. One need only recall the history of Marxist-inspired revolution, and the mass graves of "dialectical mate­rialism" (a fancy phrase for "atheistic struggle," or which could well be put, "atheist jihad"). This history has well been written of elsewhere.

 Among the atheists who inspired those slaughters stands the figure of Leon Trotsky, whom Hitchens relates was immortalized in a definitive biography entitled The Prophet. "Prophet" now carries a pejorative to the extent that it implies a voice of authority: especially in the form of God telling us how to live. In the past, when these atheists have taken a stand against God, they have turned and formed their own dictatorship and ruled as gods themselves. The creed of atheism, were its proponents careful and honest enough to formulate it, would inevi­tably mimic the Islamic pillar thusly: "There is no god, and I am His prophet."

This is a direct quote from a great little book by Douglas Wilson.   "God Is"   How Christianity Explains Everything...  a reply to the late Christopher Hitchens, a renowned atheist who wrote a book "God Is Not Great :  How Religion Poisons Everything".

Delicious reading.


Category:general -- posted at: 7:44am CDT

JP McCarthy warns us against "The Money Spiders, the Ruin-Nation of the United States by the Federal Reserve".    Clayton Cramer says our neglect of the mentally ill is costing way more thank a real solution would. My Brother Ron: A Personal and Social History of the Deinstitutionalization of the Mentally Ill.  Plus pondering Petraeus.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-11-14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:57pm CDT

Bill Dix wants Iowans help to "Fix the Debt".   Doctors are warning patients Obamacare will leave them without doctors.  Thor Moreno is an Iowa filmaker...under production.  Then, Obama wants to nationalize Iowa lakes, rivers, and streams.  

Direct download: mickelson-2012-11-13.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:08pm CDT

Fishing for HHO in Iowa.   Got some bites.  Then,  historian Russell Corder writes about the Confederate Invasion of Iowa.  Huh?  Yup.    Judge Andrew P. Napolitano  ... Theodore and Woodrow: How Two American Presidents Destroyed Constitutional Freedoms.  

Direct download: mickelson-2012-11-12.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:23pm CDT

Steve Locker talks about entry level ham radio.   Then,  Iowans wonder about the why and wherefores of the economy and the election.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-11-09.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:08pm CDT

How to be an existential threat 101.  Merrill  Mathews points to the financial cliff.  Congressman Steve King with an agenda for the new upcoming session.  Issues.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-11-08.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:51pm CDT

Post election sound-offage.   Fire the coach?  Fire the players?  Change the playbook?   Fire the refs?   And other stuff.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-11-07.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:08pm CDT

Senator Mark Chelgren has some election day predictions and issues.  Then,  an election day open invitation to all  Iowa politicians to make their cases.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-11-06.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:41pm CDT

Lt Governor David Dewhurst proxies for Mitt Romney.  AJ Spiker Iowa Republican Party Chair.  Issues.  Craig Robinson The Iowa Republican,  pre-election coverage.  Issues.  A delivery guy gets pissed off and pisses on a tip stiffer.   Sounds like a country song, don't it?

Direct download: mickelson-2012-11-05.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:08pm CDT

 There is a very power video making the rounds in the internet.  It is a collection of testimony from the children of rape.  They are standing with Richard Mourdock.  Very powerful.   It stimulated this exhange. 

From James.

These are touching examples of why none of us LIKE abortion. My side of our family would probably not exist if abortion had been legal in the 1920's. However, I still have reservations over the legal aspect of all this--who makes the actual decision regarding an abortion. The police? The courts? The church? The woman?

James,

That's the central question. Before 1973 it was up to the states to define and defend life. SCOTUS served up Roe which fraudulently grasped jurisdiction, committed sociology rather than law, based upon at least three false assumptions, built upon a court case whose standing was based upon fraud. States, under our form of government defend life. The jurisdiction was always there first. The Texas AG in Roe falsely asserted that the unborn merited protection under the 14th Amendment's due process clause. That was a fatal error to the case. The 14th Amendment states that one is person under the law once he is born. The pre-born therefore are not "legal" persons under the 14th Amendment. The states however, pre-Roe, began with the idea that it is the function of states to protect the lives of their citizens as we are equally endowed by our creator with inalienable rights. The act of human creation was always considered to be conception. Therefore, the rights of the un-born are to be named and protected by the same body which protects the rest of us. Based upon the Declaration Principles, the states protected life beginning at conception and ruled it worthy of legal protection beginning then. Enforcement begins with the assumption that humans are fully human before birth and nobody, including mom can destroy another human life without the expectation of accountability. Neither mothers or the church, or courts have the jurisdiction to  take the life of another innocent human being. The legislature is the representative body which crafts the laws by which the courts enforce (due process). We don't allow individuals to appeal their own "conscience" when it comes to defining life nor do we give individuals the power of life and death at any other time except for clear cases of self-defense against deadly aggression. There isn't justification to grant mothers the power of life and death over their own offspring; and this doesn't violate her rights to control her own body. Once conception has begun, there are two humans involved. Mom doesn't have the  moral  jurisdiction and shouldn't have the legal jurisdiction to kill her own,  now living offspring. Any more than she has the moral legal right to end the life of her infirmed mom who is confined to a wheel chair or lying helpless in her death bed. Why?

 1. Life is God-given. 2. Rights are God-given. 3. God gave us government to restrain evil. 4. God gave us His law to define evil. 5. God ordained human government to enforce His laws. Pagans reject all of these ideas. SCOTUS is a pagan institution.  Iowans should resist Roe as the  legal and sociologic  rubbish it is and  to define life as worthy of protection from the beginning.  That IS with Our jurisdiction.

Category:general -- posted at: 7:11am CDT

Dan Charleston is running for Polk County Sheriff.  Issues.  Dave Funk with Sportsmen for Romney-Ryan.  Maureen Malloy Ferguson with The Catholic Association..Catholics for Romney.  Pastor Mike Demastus has a church sign which worries all the right people.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-11-02.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:21pm CDT

From the "No Wiggins Bus Tour"Bob Vander Platts with last minute campaigning.  Confronting a critic who calls the Family Leader a hate group.  Frank Meeink.   Then,  RJ Mandell writes about "The Killing of Innocence"...speculation about the possibility of the overturning of Roe v Wade.  

Direct download: mickelson-2012-11-01.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:58pm CDT

Secretary of State Matte Schultz talks about pre-election issues including the presence of UN poll observers.  Obama warns states they can't interfere with UN observers. Information packed.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-31.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:11pm CDT

Sonya Heitshusen from WHO TV 13 has some insight into who is giving to whom in this election cycle.  Then Mark Bowden takes us to The Finish: the Killing of Osama Bin Laden.   

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-30.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:07pm CDT

Michael Drew talks about "Pendulum" the "we" vs "me" cycles of history.   Ben Lange wants to be 1st District Congressman.  Tara Ross defends the electoral college.  "Enlightened Democracy".   Issues.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-29.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:40pm CDT

Gerald Celente editor of Trends Journal says we're in deep shinola.  Deeper than ever.  Congressman Steve King talks issues.  Iowans have opinions.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-26.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:56pm CDT

Responding to a caller who said people are unemployed because they are lazy.

 Sent: Friday, October 26, 2012 10:05 AM

To: Mickelson, Jan
Subject: Good grief, lazy people?

 

Jan,

 Yes, I'm sure poor people, old people, young diseased/disfigured/disabled people, etc. just sit around trying to be lazy.

 Has absolutely nothing to do with there being NO jobs for most people.  Ever tried to find a job? Especially in the contemporary economy, where possession of advanced degrees renders one "overqualified" (i.e., threatening to established executive assholes), or where lack of bilingual ability means you can't work in call centers, or where 8,000 applicants flood in for every promising opening?

 I am fortunate in that few people have the stomach to prepare themselves to perform my job.  But victim-blaming is wrongheaded and cruel.  You may just as well blame rape victims for being raped.  Cancer victims for having cancer.  Cattle for being born in a cage.

 Just evil.

 Dr. T

 

 Doc,

 You so are right..   there are no lazy people.     “Lazy” is simply an outmoded concept.    Now,  the indolent are merely a  misunderstood minority.   I was going to say that if we could just  “walk a mile in their shoes”  that we would understand their pain.   But,  since the indolent really don’t ever walk that far,  we don’t share the  necessary distance to form true understanding.    Fortunately we have the solution readily available.   We can import people who don’t know they are victims.   But as you have already observed,  you lack the bilingual ability to communicate with them.   I really don’t blame you for lacking the requisite language skills.    And I certainly won’t think you are lazy.   It’s not your fault.   You might even be a victim yourself.   If so,  you are welcome to all the unearned dignity to which you are entitled.

Pax

 

Category:general -- posted at: 12:50pm CDT

Dr. Steven Kirby with "Letting Islam be Islam: Separating Truth From Myth"... then, it's the start of the high school tournament season... throwing the weak teams to the strong teams...must by character building.  Then non-human rights?   Capturing the next generation for the animals.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-25.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:57pm CDT

Ross Peterson sits in for Mickelson.  A debate on Measure "A" on the ballot. Great discussion.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-19.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:35pm CDT

 Every year about this time I come down with a vicious case of Ohio Valley Lung Rot…and I lose my voice.   It happened again this year.   I feel just fine, but I can’t talk. I still get hungry so I did something I almost never do.  I went out to eat by myself, at a family restaurant.    I always wonder about people who come to family restaurants by themselves, yet there I was.  All by myself.

 In the next booth was the lion’s share of a couple of families.  Two moms, three very young children and a grandpa.

 There was constant stream of babbling coming from the children who were the focus of the adult's attention.  All of them.  No adult conservation at all.  Just constant babbling.  No, it wasn’t annoying in this case.  It was terrific because the moms were actually listening to the babbling coming from the kids, understanding it and interacting with it.

 “Were you hungry?”

 “Babble, babble”

 “Are you full?”

 “Babble, babble.”

 “Was it good?”

 “Babble, babble.”

 “What was the best food?”

 “Babble, babble.”

 When, the babble got a little loud, mom would say, “Now that’s loud enough, a little softer.”

 Note, she did NOT say, “Shut up!”

 One of the little ones stood up and turned around to where I was sitting, back turned to their booth.  The sprout started babbling in my direction,

 “No honey, that’s not OK. Sit down and talk with us.”

 “Babble, babble”

 No fuss, no yelling.  Just patient, direct, respectful feedback from a loving, highly skilled mom.

 The two moms,  the kids and grandpa got up to leave at the end of the meal Grandpa taking up the rear.  Turning my way as he passed by, he quietly said, “Sorry”.

 I gave him a big smile, “Not necessary.”

 They disappeared around the corner and were gone.  Back to my coffee.

 Moments later Mom re-appeared around the corner with one of the toddlers.

 “You left your picture?  Let’s find it.”

 “Where did you sit?” she asked.  Knowing perfectly well where the kid sat.

 “Is anything there?”

 “Babble, babble.”

 “There it is.”

 “Is that it?”

 “Babble,babble.”

 “Let’s look.”

 “Turn it over.”

 “Is that your picture?”

 “Babble, babble.”

 “Yes?”

 “We found it!”   Mom said like she’d just discovered the missing continent.

 “Very good job.”

 “Babble, Babble.”

 She picked up the sprout and disappeared around the corner again.

Now I know why people sometimes come to family restaurants alone.  It’s so they can observe the continuity of life, before they themselves disappear around the corner.

 

 

Category:general -- posted at: 12:38pm CDT

"Obamcare On Trial" Professor Einer Elhauge says there is constitutional history for requiring a health care mandate.  Romney likes Jenga?  What does that mean?  Kirk Krikorian explains the ACLU demand for driver's licenses for Iowa illegals under Obama's illegal Deferred Action.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-18.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:19pm CDT

Mona Kilborn and Peggy Davis talk about the high costs of illegal immigration in Iowa.  An upcoming Minutemen rally in Des Moines Saturday pm at Iowa Statehouse. 2-5pm   Iowans have much to say about the failure of Iowa's political class to protect taxpayers.  People of Marshalltown are getting bullied by open borders activists.  

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-17_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:20pm CDT

Drew Schuman is an intelligence expert with expertise in Afghanistan.  Great insight.  Greg Baker from Family Leader with a judicial retention update.  Lynette Hubler is a breast cancer survivor active with the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.  Inspirational. 

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-16.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:58pm CDT

The Cedar Rapids Gazette published this think piece by the three ousted Iowa Supreme Court Justices. Listeners asked me to evaluate their collective opinion on the retention of Judge Wiggins. So I will...line by line. The bold fonts are direct quotes from the Gazette or Varnum.

"Justices’ decision based on rule of law" By Marsha Ternus, Michael Streit and David Baker

Nope, their decision explicitly rejected the rule of law. They made themselves the representatives of new societal norms, while rejecting the time honored legal and social norms which previously defined marriage. They said so.

"As Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes poignantly said, “It is revolting to have no better reason for a rule of law than that so it was laid down in the time of Henry IV. It is still more revolting if the grounds upon which it was laid down have vanished long since, and the rule simply persists from blind imitation of the past.” Oliver Wendell Holmes, Justice, Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, The Path of the Law, address dedicating new hall at Boston University School of Law (January 8, 1897), in 10 Harv. L. Rev. 457, 469 (1897).

In quoting Holmes in this fashion they, like most gay rights activists,  blast the past along with the wisdom of centuries implying that limiting the institution of marriage to people of opposite genders is "revolting" to enlightened contemporary thought, and is guided only by "blind imitation of the past".  Justice Holmes was an atheist-Darwinist. He rejected both tradition and natural law, along with the founding assumptions of the Constitution's framers who in our "national creed" asserted that our rights are God-given and the duty of government to "secure" them.

"Truth", Holmes once said, "is the majority vote of that nation that could lick all others." He declared that "when it comes to the development of a corpus juris (body of law) the ultimate question is what do the dominant forces of the community want and do they want it hard enough to disregard whatever inhibitions may stand in the way."

Holmes, "I see no reason for attributing to man a significance different in kind from that which belongs to a baboon or grain of sand."   Varnum embodies the Holmes worldview to perfection.

Iowa justices are required to take an oath to uphold the Constitution of the state of Iowa. Yet, once again, a justice of the Iowa Supreme Court is being targeted for doing just that.

Nope. He is being targeted because like yourselves you misapplied the law and legislated from the bench. How? By explicitly rejecting the traditional definitions of marriage along with  the assumptions behind the qualifications for the institution itself.

America’s system of justice is based on the rule of law, a process of governing by laws that are applied fairly and uniformly to all people. The rule of law protects the civil, political, economic and social rights of all citizens — not just the rights of the most vocal, the most popular, or the most powerful. Applying the rule of law is the duty of the courts.

Yes it is. This is begging the question. It assumes that same gender attraction constitutes a "status",  equivalent to other "groups" or protected classes such as race, gender, or religion. In short it accepts and equates a status, which DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) and the majority of Iowans reject. Upon those false assumptions, the faulty Varnum opinion was built.

Our Founding Fathers considered judicial independence an indispensable part of the rule of law. “Judicial independence” means a judiciary that is committed to the rule of law, independent of — free of — outside influence, whether that influence is from a political party or politician, a private interest or popular opinion.

Alexander Hamilton stated in the Federalist Papers that “[t]he complete independence of the courts of justice [was] essential.” He recognized it was the duty of courts “to declare all acts contrary to the manifest tenor of the Constitution void.” “Without this,” he said, “all the reservations of particular rights or privileges would amount to nothing.”

The Iowa Constitution expressly adopted this view: “This constitution shall be the supreme law of the land,” and “any law inconsistent therewith, shall be void.”

Constitutional provisions are given meaning when the courts resolve disputes between citizens and their government, including claims by citizens that the government has violated their constitutional rights. Regardless of whether a particular result will be popular, courts must protect the supremacy of the constitution by declaring an unconstitutional statute void. That is what the Iowa Constitution requires and that is what justices promise to do in their oath of office.

As a former middle and high school teacher I recognize "filler" when I see it. Nobody is arguing the contrary. The court IS independent, but from what? History, precedent, tradition, common sense? "Independent", like "love", "hate" ," tolerance" are meaningless without modifiers. The gratuitous civics lesson aside, the court was simply wrong when it said, "The Iowa Constitution is the cornerstone of governing in Iowa. Like the United States Constitution, the Iowa Constitution creates a remarkable blueprint for government. It establishes three separate, but equal, branches of government and delineates the limited roles and powers of each branch."

 Neither the Supreme Court of the United States nor the Iowa Supreme Court were ever contemplated to be "equal" to the other branches of government. Both the US Congress and and the Iowa legislature can limit the appellate jurisdiction of the courts whenever they wish. Both constitutions say so explicitly. More than that, Congress has the power to either create or eliminate whole levels of courts whenever or for whatever they wish. Our founders found the whole subject of "judicial supremacy" to be a non-Constitutional conceit. None thought the courts were co-equal. Jefferson called the judiciary "the weakest branch".  They were right.

In Varnum v. Brien, a group of Iowans claimed a provision of Iowa’s marriage statute was inconsistent with the Iowa Constitution. Iowa’s marriage statute states: “Marriage is a civil contract,” but “[o]nly a marriage between a male and a female is valid.” Relying on this provision, the Polk County recorder refused to issue marriage licenses to six same-sex couples. They sued the recorder, claiming this statutory prohibition violated the equality clause in the Iowa Constitution, which states: “[T]he general assembly shall not grant to any citizen or class of citizens, privileges or immunities, which, upon the same terms shall not equally belong to all citizens.”

Harvard trained Professor Herb Titus observed in his analysis of Varnum, "The Iowa Constitution doesn't have an equal protection clause. It has an privileges and immunities clause...a much older common law provision." It has been attached to this decision as if it were indeed equivalent to the due process clause of the 14th Amendment.
And even if it were an equal protection clause, it wouldn't make the argument since it is assumes the equality of unequal things. This is another example of "begging the question", assuming what they were trying to prove. Comparing sex between married people to the same gender behavior of people who want be identified as "gay" is simply absurd. Two people of the same gender don't have sex. They can't have sex. That's basic biology. Plus, to create a "class" based upon the inclinations to pretend, is not only a logical error, but is fundamentally "unjust". That the court went along with the gay agenda, using their logic, their equivocation, their jargon, and their conclusions, confirms that this was an activist court, legislating from the bench.

More than 200 benefits and privileges are given to married couples under Iowa law. The court considered the constitutionality of the Legislature’s restriction of these benefits and privileges to a limited class of citizens, using the same analysis the court had applied in many prior cases. The court unanimously concluded in 2009 that the statutory restriction violated the Iowa Constitution’s equality clause. Because the Iowa Constitution expressly states that any law inconsistent with the constitution is void, i.e., not valid or legally binding, the Supreme Court declared the offending statute unenforceable and required the recorder to issue the licenses.

Exactly. This is what is is all about. These are  the legal, financial and social aspirations of sexual identity politics being advanced by a court which should have upheld Iowa law instead of substituting its political judgment for that of the majority will as expressed by DOMA. Again, this is begging the question by assuming minority status for a behavior-based identity politics movement.

It is important to understand what the court decided. The law at issue in the Varnum case governed a civil contract, not the religious institution of marriage. The court pointed this out, stating that “religious doctrine and views contrary to this [holding] are unaffected,” and “[a] religious denomination can still define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.”

Total malarkey. This both creates a false dichotomy, then removes it. Cheeky. "Marriage" doesn't have, nor does it require a modifier. It is the oldest and first human institution. It does now and forever has meant "two becoming one"; and that commitment has been acknowledged by both civil and ecclesiastical jurisdictions. That acknowledgement has always been for the legal benefit of the partners and children based upon the transcendent nature of that covenant. That definition can't "evolve" into something else. It can only be destroyed by people who are "revolted" by "blind imitation of the past". (BTW two people of the same gender can't "become one" no matter how hard they try.)

The justices did not decide the Varnum case as politicians, turning to public opinion polls and party platforms for direction.

Although the Democrat Party platform calls exactly for what they did, the justices acting out their personal worldviews from the bench didn't require commitment to either party or polls. They were simply acting out their pre-existing worldview commitments.

Nor did the justices decide the case as theologians, looking to the Bible for guidance.

Of course not, that would be "revolting".

As noted in our decision, justices are civil judges who are not permitted to resolve religious debates or base rulings on religious doctrines. Our decision was based on the rule of law, nothing more and nothing less.

Wonderfully circular reasoning. They quoted a non-existent equal protection clause to equate unequal things.  By rejecting the transcendent source of law they are oath bound to honor, they undermine everyone's rights.  

The Iowa Supreme Court took away no one’s liberties or freedoms when it held the statute unconstitutional. To the contrary, the rights of same-sex couples to the benefits that flow from the civil contract of marriage were upheld.

They most certainly did. They took away from the people of Iowa the right to define basic institutions by the institution most representative of the people. In ordering DOMA to be struck from Iowa law, they legislated from the bench; and in ordering the "remaining statutory language must be interpreted and applied in a manner allowing gay and lesbian people full access to the institution of civil marriage" they intruded upon the executive branch's turf, as it artificially bifurcated "civil" v."religious" marriage.

The views of individuals and religious institutions were unaffected by this decision and their religious freedom to define the religious institution of marriage as only between one man and one woman was expressly preserved.

Their pocket books are not "unaffected" as the economic benefits of marriage will be extended to relationships previously not eligible for them. In a country already broke, this makes our welfare safety net even more unsustainable.

Nor did the court exceed its proper role by declaring the law void and unenforceable, as that is what the constitution requires.

There is no constitutional basis to declare same gendered, self-selected identity movements equal to real marriage. Again, this is begging the question and equating unequal things. Activism.

In the end, the question facing Iowans is simple: Do residents want judges who issue rulings based upon public opinion polls, campaign contributions and political intimidation, or judges who issue impartial rulings based upon the rule of law?

False choice. Rulings should be based upon definitions which are time honored. If those definitions are going to re-negotiated, then the branch most suited for that is the representative branch which is subject to the will of the majority, exactly where the Iowa Constitution places it, "...all political power is inherent in the people". If rights "previously unimagined" are going to be "imagined", then by what right does the court's imagination usurp everyone else's ?

The Varnum case was correctly decided under the rule of law and provides no basis for a “no” vote in the retention election. Justice David Wiggins is an intelligent, hardworking and fair jurist and deserves to be retained on the Iowa Supreme Court.

The Varnum opinion set aside rule of law, substituting the ruminations of judges who were "revolted" by adherence to centuries of western law and tradition. As Chesterton once wrote, "Before you tear down a wall, it's best to find out why it was erected in the first place." The three fired justices continue to manifest the arrogance which got them fired in the first place. Justice Wiggins should join them off the bench.

Marsha Ternus, Michael Streit and David Baker are former Iowa Supreme Court justices removed by voters in the 2010 general election retention vote. Comments: baker.david52@gmail.com  , aequalitas7@gmail.com  or mternus100@aol.com 

  

Category:general -- posted at: 4:17pm CDT

Ross sits in for Mickelson...tries to get mitts around Romney....  needs more rosin.....

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-12.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:35pm CDT

Ross Peterson sits in for Jan....the Lincoln coach gets fired.   Lincoln fans get fired up.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-11.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:05pm CDT

Col Al Ringgenberg is running against Sen Mike Gronstal.  Issues.  Then just cuz yer paranoid doesn't mean you don't have enemies.. trying to make sense of a recent Gov. Branstad hire.   Plus dipping into the email pouch.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-10.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:10pm CDT

Matt Schultz,  Iowa Secretary of State,  updates Iowa on efforts to ensure the integrity of our voting process.  Vigorous.   Then Obama apologizes to the cannibals for Columbus.  Plus other stuff.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-09.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:25pm CDT

Colonel Dick Brauer says this administration's leaking intelligence is putting the US mission  in Afghanistan at risk. On the subject,  an Iowan who has spent time in Afghanistan wanted us to know...     Then,  Matt Rose from Voice of the Martyrs... a weekend conference in Des Moines.   Detroit police say enter their city at your own risk.   And the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement warns Iowa hunters to stay clear of pot farms.      And an Iowa hunter wonders if the DNR guy was right when he says you can't carry your handgun when hunting.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-08.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:40pm CDT

Dr. Charles Wadle is using new technology for treating depression.  Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Therapy Walid Shoebat says the west got hustled on the Innocence of Muslims movie uprisings.   Then, in  Madison,  Obama supporters agree that Obama not being "allowed" to use his teleprompter at the debate was unfair.   Really.

Direct download: mickeson-2012-10-05.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:27pm CDT

Danny Carroll and Chuck Hurley respond to Christopher Rant's thinkpiece calling for the retention of Judge Wiggins.   Ian Berman is a foreign policy expert...on Iran...speaking Thursday night 7pm at Drake.  Then,  feedback on the Romney-Obama first debate.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-04.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:39pm CDT

John Koster..."Operation Snow: How a Soviet Mole in FDR's White House Trigger Pearl Harbor".  Great conversation. Cherylyn Harley Lebon,  Project 21 looks at NYC Mayor Bloomberg using schools to issue morning after pills to teenagers without parental permission.  Then,  Sheriff Bill McCarthy loses it at a candidate debate.   He compares his opponent to mass murderer Timothy LeVeigh.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-03.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:44pm CDT

Guy Cook representing the Iowa Bar Association gives the Retain Judge Wiggins arguments.  Vigorous to say the least.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-02.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:54pm CDT

Steve Flood says Obamacare is being implemented...and it's gonna cost a bunch.   Dan Charleston is running for Polk County Sheriff.   And Congressman Tom Latham makes Mickelson tear up.  Et Tu Tom?   

Direct download: mickelson-2012-10-01.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:59pm CDT

Michael Ware explains why he thinks the Ames vote against home gun sales is mistaken.  Then, talking about everything from wind energy to exploding gas tanks.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-28.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:21pm CDT

"Bulletproof" an owner's manual for guys.  Dr. Robin Warren Barnett and Donald Doudna.  Good info.  Then,  it's the 25 Anniversary of  "Princess Bride"...  funny stuff.  Then,  the English are finding wind farms a health risk.  How about Iowans?  Whoops.

 

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-27.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:31pm CDT

Melissa Ohden with an amazing story of life...an abortion "survivor" with a story of horror and healing.  Coming to speak Saturday a 7pm at DSM Christian School.  Public is invited.  And the Right to Life Book sale is underway...Jordan Park Camp Building..   Then, what's one of the most addictive and costly things in the lives of Americans?  Cell phones.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-26.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:35pm CDT

The daily parade of cultural nonsense.   Then Joel Gilbert with an update of "Dreams of my Real Father."   Plus a Mickelson survey of Polk County attitudes about a proposed new casino in Urbandale.  Then,  should it be more difficult to vote?

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-25.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:35pm CDT

A veteran DC cop says urban America is more dangerous than Afghanistan.  "What the F@&K".    He asks, "Are Cops Racists?"   Then,  James Wesley Rawles is a world class survivalist.  "The Founder".    Ed Klein explains why Obama won't talk to Netanyahu.    "The Amateur."

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-24.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:16pm CDT

Tara Ross talks about the assault on our Electoral College and the political influence of Iowa.   Lisa Bedford is the Survivor Mom...prepper advice.   Con Bob McEwen explains what's busted and inspires us to fix it.  Dan Gainor explains the "Jesus Had a Wife" scam.   Broadcasting from Dallas at the Marconi Awards.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-21.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:18am CDT

Judy Hintz from Educational Resources with some more amazing success stories.   Then, money, class war and the 47%.  Is it over for Romney?   Or for Obama?   Dave Orman from the Common Sense Coaltion.   Jeremy Horpedahl from Buena Vista University talks about the US economic freedom ratings.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-2012.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:21pm CDT

Tony Nassif and Noreen Gosch talking about upcoming Preventing Abuse Conference...a call to action against child abduction and trafficking.  Powerful.   Andrew C. McCarthy on "The Illusion of Islamic Democracy"....then, Melinda Wadsley tells why she quit being an elector.  David Walker on the upcoming 10 Million a Minute Bus Tour.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-18.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:22pm CDT

Bob Vander Platts with a judicial retention update.  Workin' the front of the culture war.  Then,  examining the myths which the political class believe...about democracy.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-17.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:18pm CDT

Con Steve King.   Issues.  Dan Gainor looks at the BPI lawuit against ABC News for its "pink slime" coverage.   Then how did President Nixon help bring about Casey's Convenience Stores?  

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:38pm CDT

Islamists attack our embassies and murder our diplomats.  Now what?

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-12.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:22pm CDT

It's 9-11 Day.  The US is actively thinking about that terrible day.  After all this time,  what meanings are we left with?

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-11.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:39pm CDT

I was invited to speak to a church men's group at Grace Church this week.   This time "Silly Lies I Hafta Answer."

Direct download: MUGS2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:21pm CDT

I was invited to speak to a church men's group at Grace Church last week.   This time "Josephus: the Rest of the Story."

Direct download: MUGS_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:19pm CDT

A football coach suspended for making slacker puke?  Justice?   Then,  the Four Bitchin' Babes coming to Iowa...great fun music.   

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-10.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:38pm CDT

Christie Vilsack and Congressman Steve King have their 1st debate.   A complete review including a replay of most of it.  Then,  Iowans respond.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-07.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:23pm CDT

Democrats boo God.   God is yet to respond.   Wonder if His response will be fair and balanced?   Then,  an Egyptian construction firm will be a huge fertilizer plant in Iowa.  Good idea?

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-06.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:47pm CDT

Jamie Morgan is running a lung disease fundraiser...Free to Breathe Central Iowa 5K Run...Oct 13th.   Gary Hall with Fresh Start...they can get the stick out of anything....  then,  DNC in convention...politics.  Feedback.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-05.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:24pm CDT

Jamie Johnson sits in for Mickelson....politics and issues.  

Podcast

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-04.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:11pm CDT

Jamie Johnson sits in for Mickelson....politics and issues.   Spirited.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-09-03.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:49pm CDT

John Lofton is a Republican in remission...evaluates the candidates...concludes he can't vote this year.    Professional wrestler Mick Foley is coming to the Funnybone this Sunday.  And Iowans review the RNC-Romney Tampa goings on.   And address some rumor-mongering.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-31.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:03pm CDT

Reviewing some of the RNC Convention speeches...some of the best ones occur outside... silly human tricks.   Then,  why are Iowans not signing up for as many fishing and hunting licenses?

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-30.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:16pm CDT

Pat Buchanan reacts to the Tampa RNC Convention issues....then Iowans review the Iowa  Ron Paul Delegation's vote at the Convention.   Spirited.

Direct download: WHO-08-29-0900.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:31pm CDT

Jim Carley wants to go to the Iowa House District 30.   Politicizing a food pantry?  And what's green about bike lanes? 

Editor's Note:     "Dear Jan,  I am the Director of the Knoxville Food Pantry.  I want you do know that our board of directors does not endorse anyone running political office.  A a volunteer on duty distributing food to families here was asked if the Democratic Party could inform people concerning pre-registration to vote, and the volunteer gave them permission to do that.  Helping Hands does NOT endorse ANY political candidate for ANY political office.  Thank you."    Signed  Robert C. Smith

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-28.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:04pm CDT

From Voice of the Martyrs, Darci Gill is in Iowa to talk about religious repression of the church around the world.   Wind energy pioneer Paul Gipe wants us to continue Iowa's commitment to wind energy.    A.J. Spiker at the Republican Convention is worried about some of the rules changes...power grab?    Dave Edwards wants Des Moines to leave Hubbell Ave alone... no bike lanes...gets his wish.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-27.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:58pm CDT

Stuff we remember from the week...silly and profound.    Senator Byron Dorgan wants more rural broadband....worries about other funding priorities.   Then, activists want The Iowa State Fair Board to apologize for Hank Williams Jr.  Iowans respond.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-24.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:30pm CDT

Pete Brownell talks about the upcoming Iowa Firearms Coalition 2nd Amendment rally.  Dave Hogberg talks about the Obamacare-Medicare debate.  The Next Exodus.   And what is the real symbol of atheism?   

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-23.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:12pm CDT

Another Red State/Blue State divide.   This time it's over reading material.   You are what you  read...  then,  in government lunchrooms,  kids get charged for what the "don't" eat.  Huh?

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-22.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:04pm CDT

Jeff Burkett invites 2nd Amendment advocates to an upcoming celebration. Iowans think about  skinny dipping the Galilee...then,  the political theater surrounding some non-PC comments by Missouri US Senate candidate Todd Akin.  Amazing callers. 

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-21.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:07pm CDT

Monday ruminations on Fair observations.  Culinary recommendations.   A high school valedictorian has her diploma put on hold after uttering the "he**" word in her speech.  Then,  Iowans target moles...the non-cosmetic kind.  

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-20.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:34pm CDT

Gary Barta,  U of I Athletic Director with some sports talk.   USDA school lunch regs produce hungry kids...  and  John Archer wants to be the new 2nd District Congressman.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-17.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:48pm CDT

Dr. Lee Hieb talks about the pitfalls of Obamacare.   Rev Keith Ratliff  has an update on Joshua Christian Academy.  Dinesh D'Souza with 2106 and Obama's America.    Michael Ware tells gun owners how not to shoot themselves in the butt.   And a huge 2nd Amendment rally coming up.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-16_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:37pm CDT

Christopher Hall has the Big Picture on the race to the White House.  Jonathan Narcisse has a plan to fix stuff.  Do we really think Biden meant THAT?   And John Fund wonders "Who's Counting?"  a chilling look at the vulnerabilities of our voting system.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-15.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:13pm CDT

A former pizza delivery driver says Iowa law has made his job almost impossible.  Steve Beale has a case?  John Wohlstetter says we are "Sleepwalking with the Bomb."  A wake-up call.  Then,  Iowans respond to the political bullying at the Iowa State Fair during the Con. Paul Ryan visit.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-14.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:42pm CDT

The argument usually starts the same way.   Somebody in the blogo-sphere expresses dismay at the moral decline of the United States and wonders why ‘in a Christian nation’ are there  such things as   ___________________  (fill in the blank yourself)…  abortion, same gender marriage,  dirty movies, Planned Parenthood… the secularization of our institutions, and how  could be happening with such intensity?”

 Then, somebody will blog a response like,  “DudeAmerica was never a Christian country and the law expressly denies it.”

 Then, the other guy will write, “Oh yeah, what law?”

 “The 1790 Treaty with Tripoli says, ‘...the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion’…and you Christian nut balls are ignorant of history.”

 The Christian nut ball either gets brain freeze or he tries to reason with the other guy using history.   This is usually a big waste of time as once the conversation gets this far everyone stops listening and the name calling begins.

 Everyone shuts down their computer, smugly thinking their one-liner or abusive language has won the day.

 Usually, these exchanges are a huge waste of time.

 However, since this canard is served up with some frequency,   I’ll make a few observations.   

 From my Facebook page, here’s an example of what I’m talking about from a recent conversation between a couple of guys were having a go at each other.   Writes the first guy:

 ”We aren't and never were a Christian nation. Those among us that we're the Jersey with the cross on it, want us to be. Our founders tried to avoid this by using ambiguous words like "creator". And "nature's god", when they could have just said god of Abraham or Jesus' dad. They didn't. So now, we still have millions of uneducated boobs running around believing the opposite of what the founders really wanted. Read the Treaty of Tripoli, article 11. "as the US is in NO WAY founded on Christianity". Ratified in 1790 by the very founders you claim wanted us to be a Christian nation. It's honestly moronic…You have personal quotes, I have a ratified treaty, which is LAW, you tard. You started this post by claiming we are a Christian nation, the treaty I submit says exactly the opposite of your claims written and ratified by the very men that founded this great nation.”

 This view is wrong headed and anti-historical on two levels.    First,  is the  mistaken notion of what jurisdiction treaties actually have.   And the second is the removal of the treaty from its historical context.  

 Contemporary liberals lust after making treaties because they erroneously think they can bypass the limits of the Constitution with treaty powers.   In the past, treaties have been proposed which could even limit the Bill of Rights, the 2nd Amendment being a frequent target.   While treaties indeed become the Law of the Land under the Constitution they cannot be used to amend the Constitution itself.   Alexander Hamilton’s view was that treaties are instruments of agreement between nations and not international pacts designed to impact individuals.  “Treaties…are not rules prescribed by the sovereign to the subject, but agreements between sovereign and sovereign…the only constitutional exceptions to the power of making treaties is, that it shall not change the Constitution…”   Jefferson himself wrote, “…if the treaty making power is boundless, then we have no Constitution.”

 In 1956,  the Supreme Court in Reid v Covert,  “…SCOTUS regularly and uniformly recognizes the supremacy of the Constitution over a treaty…no agreement with a foreign nation can confer power on the Congress or any other branch of government which is free from the constraints of the Constitution.”

 Therefore, any random or explicit language contained in a treaty has zero weight upon American culture if it fails to conform to our form of government. 

 Here’s the actual treaty language in question:

 “As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion as it has in itself no character of enmity [hatred] against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen [Muslims] and as the said States [America] have never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.”

 The 1797 Treaty of Tripoli was designed to end hostilities of a war in which  Muslims felt it perfectly honorable to enslave and murder American merchant sailors while stealing their cargoes.   That why we called them pirates.   They felt justified in behaving this way since they were Muslims and Americans were not.   This attitude exists today contained in dhimmi  laws in many Islamic countries.    While the statement was mostly public relations to end the jihad,  in a legal sense it was true.    It  was also true  in a Constitutional sense.

 The Constitution expressly avoided establishing a Christian national state religion based upon any denominational affiliation.   If there had been any hint that the founders wanted to establish a national religion there would have been wholesale rebellion.   In fact the 1st Amendment properly removes any national religions jurisdiction of any kind from the federal government.   “Congress shall make no law respecting (regarding) the free exercise of religion”.   Plus,  there is an explicit prohibition of any religious test for any Constitutional office.  

 However, when asked about the state of religion following the writing of the Constitution, Jefferson reported, “We have left religion where we found it,” meaning that  religion was a State’s issue and  that the newly formed national government had nothing at all to say about it.  Why?  Because  the national government had no Constitutional  jurisdiction.    This is the true meaning of the 1st Amendment and Jefferson’s ‘Wall of Separation’.”  

 This is also the meaning of that phrase in the Tripolitan Treaty.    The US indeed was not a Christian country in an ecclesiastical sense.    What the Treaty didn’t say was that at the time,  all of the original colonies had some kind of relationship with the Christian religion and 9 of the 13 had established state churches.

 Moreover, when the treaty was re-newed by Jefferson in 1805,   the phrase, “...is not, in any sense founded on the Christian religion…”  was dropped by Jefferson.

 It’s interesting that some consider Jefferson to be an infidel or at least a deist.   They should read his 1805 “National Prayer”

 “Almighty God, Who has given us this good land for our heritage: we humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will…endow with Thy spirit of wisdom those to whom in Thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home and through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of earth.  In time of prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness, and the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail; all of which we as through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen”. 

 Just in case somebody is a little stubborn and insists that treaty language or court opinions bind our country to the philosophical notions of the authors,  I say,  “Cool,  if that’s what you really want”.

 “In 1783, at the close of the war with Great Britain, a peace treaty was ratified that began with these words:  ‘In the name of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity, it having pleased the Divine Providence to dispose the hearts of the most serene and most potent Prince George the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain’.      That treaty was signed by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay.    Keep in mind that it was Adams who signed the 1797 treaty of Tripoli, even though he was not a Trinitarian.”  1

 “In 1822, the United States, along with Great Britain and Ireland, ratified a ‘Convention for Indemnity Under Award of Emperor of Russian as to the True Construction of the First Article of the treaty of December 24, 1814.  It begins with the same words found in the Preamble to the 1783 treaty:  “In the name of the Most Holy and Indivisible Trinity.’  Only Christianity teaches a Trinitarian view of God.  The 1848 Treaty with Mexico begins with “In the name of Almighty God, the author of peace…”  If one line in the 1797 Treaty of Tripoli turns America into a secular State (which it does not), then how do the critics deal with the treaties of 1783, 1822, 1805, and 1848?  They don’t.” 

1. DeMar’s   “America’s 200 Year War with Terror”.

 More than just treaties, there are hundreds of proclamations, court decisions and the Pre-amble of the Declaration of Independence (part of the organic law of the United States) ,  which assert the Christian nature of our civilization.

 Here’s just a few.

 July 4, 1821 John Quincy Adams...   “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this:  it connected, in one insoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity….from the day of the Declaration…they (American people) were bounds by the laws of God, which they all and by the laws of the Gospel, which they nearly all acknowledged as the rules of there conduct.”

 DeTocquevilles  “Democracy in America”  …in the United States the sovereign authority is religious…there is no country in the world in which the Christian religion retains a greater influence of the souls of men that in America.”

 March 27, 1853 Committee on the Judiciary, US House of Representatives reported:  “Down to the Revolution, every colony did sustain religion in some form.  It was deemed peculiarly proper that the religion of liberty should be upheld by a free people. Had the people, during the Revolution, had a suspicion of any attempt to war against Christianity, that Revolution would have been strangled in its cradle.  At the time of the adoption of the Constitution and the Amendments, the universal sentiment was that Christianity should be encouraged-not any one sect.  Any attempt to level or discard all religion would have been viewed with universal indignation.  The object was not substitution Judaism or Mohammedanism, or infidelity, but to prevent rivalry among the sects to the exclusion of others.”

 SCOTUS…1799  Runkel v Winemiller   “…by our form of government, the Christian religion is the established religion.”

 SCOTUS…1931  in review of an 1892 decision reiterates that “Americans are a Christian people”.

 Then of course,  there are the preambles of every state Constitution in the country.

 This is just a quick start.   I don’t want to write a book.   There are dozens already which make the point much better.

 The historical record of the Christian character of our institutions, laws, and beginnings is overwhelming.  Revisionists depend upon the historical illiteracy and laziness of the public to say otherwise.   This little blog barely scratches the surface of our heritage.   Feel free to scratch deeper.

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Category:general -- posted at: 9:45pm CDT

Theresa Wahlert from the Iowa Workforce Development talks about Iowa Jobs.  Congressman Steve King on Con Paul Ryan, Obamacare, animal rights and suing Eric Holder.   Dan Charleston is running for Polk County Sheriff.   Issue.   Then Dave Edwards wants to be Iowa State  Senator from the 16th district.   He's going after the labor vote.

Direct download: monday-2012-08-13_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:48pm CDT

The sounds of the week...plus Alaska politician Joe Miller is from "Restoring Liberty"...an amazing background.  Al Riggenberg is running for Iowa Senate in the Gronstal district.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-10.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:48pm CDT

First day of the Iowa State Fair and the Iowa Concrete Association reps, Steve Malecoate and Jerry Woods talk about concrete tradecraft.   Iowans think about training the next generation of craftsman.  Then,  Jim Hawkins from Professional Educators in Iowa and  Jim Garnett talk about teacher's professionalism and "Smart Dscipline".

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-09.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:39pm CDT

Stanley Kurtz says Obama is Robbing the Suburbs to Pay for the Cities:  Spreading the Wealth.  Judge Jim Gray is VP candidate for the Libertarian Party.  Issues.  Vigorous.  Then Romney and Obama are splitting the wind energy vote.  Iowan's debate.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-08.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:49pm CDT

Letting no good deed go un-punished,  the ACLU warns the Lutheran Church of Hope that no religious notions should leak into the little minds of the kids who are borrowing their classrooms... or else.   Governor Branstad understands the real problem with bullying...the professionals don't.   Did Congressman Steve King embarrass Iowa with his diversity skepticism?

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-07.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:38pm CDT

Iowa Republican Party Chairman A.J. Spiker talks about recent party statements about the next judicial non-retention vote.  Sylvie Hache says she used to be a lesbian.  She tells why and how she is no longer.  Then,  more Iowa agribusiness greed.

Direct download: mickelson-2012-08-06.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:21pm CDT



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