Personally, I'm not waiting until Nov 4. I've had this nasty curse where about every other Presidential election day that come around happens to coincide with a funeral of a close relative. Out of town. Can't wiggle off of the hook, gotta be there, therefore can't vote. This time, I'm voting early. This election, even more than most, is entirely too important to not cast a vote. The sad thing is that I'm not thrilled with the vote I intend to cast. It's just that the alternative is unthinkable.

Thanks again Bill! My wife and I are voting early too.
All we need is a double reverse after a statue of liberty hand off. Piece-a- cake. Nobama please!!

(Dare I say it?)

...Let's win this one for the Gipper.

- MuscleDaddy

I read your piece on National Review and I'm sending it to all my Gator friends and family. Mr. 2-bits would be proud! I have lots of reservations about voting for McCain, but Obama is downright frightening. Go Gators!

This isn't going well, no matter what NRO or Standard or Townhall have to say about it. Gobama.

I'm in China right now... Shenzhen, just inside the PRC from Hong Kong.

But I come home next weekend, and even though it's probably not very close in my state, (Georgia), I will be at the polls first thing on the morning of November 4, 2008.

Too much is at stake. And too many have literally given their all to preserve my right to let my voice be heard in the most meaningful way. If for no greater reason than profound respect for them, my vote will be cast.

One other minor point: Win or lose, the struggle to defend Western Civilization, and the principles which created the greatest nation in the history of mankind, will go on. I will not shy away from my duty in that fight.

Great column on NRO. You're right: When or lose they are our boys - and girls. Never say 'die.' Never lose hope. Come election night, Mr. Obama will better know the audacity of hope as he concedes to Mr. McCain. (Never losing hope, allow me to add a "Wooooo Pig Sooieeee, Razorbacks!")

Hey, the press called it for Dewey once, so what do they know?

Myself, I'll crawl over broken glass to vote and to serve on a jury. And no absentee ballot for me (what Californio can resist getting in a car and driving to the polling place?), I'll be casting my vote right after work while ignoring the results from the other time zones.

Am I the only person who feels that political pools should be banned, and nobody should be allowed to open their trap about which way the vote is going until 1 minute after ALL of the pools in the US have closed?

I have to say I really enjoyed you NRO piece...especially the jabs at the KOS lunatics. What angers me about these boobs is not their foolish and illogical comments but the tax money wasted on their education. By the way, as a fellow pilot I must commend you on your writing skills...most pilots I hang with don't waste time with proper grammer or spelling.
As a Geogia boy (home) I have a special place in my heart for the Gators and it's not just for because of the annual cocktail party in Jville. As a father of 10 year old twin boys I am pleased with their pick in sports "idol". Tim Tebow posters are splashed all over the once pristine walls of their room...and I don't mind one bit. In fact, I am relieved that such a fine, well grounded young man has been chosen as 'idol'for my young lads. Tebow is an example of solid southern parenting and this gives me hope for the future. I can't say "go Gators" but I can say "well done".
Beat Army!!!

Jet,

After the Gators lost to unranked Ole Miss earlier this year, it took Tebow 45 minutes before he could face the press.

He didn't cry.

He apologized, then he said that Gator Nation would never see anyone work harder, put in more effort, train longer or show more heart and determination than he and the rest of the team would starting right at that moment.

It was a sight to see: responsibility. Genuine regret. Diagnosis. Dedication to fix what went wrong. A personal promise to do his utmost best as an individual and team leader. Like Danny Wuerffel -- another Heisman-winnning National Champion Gator QB -- Tebow is the son of a preacher (as was Spurrier -- that's three for three Heisman winning gators).

It made me very proud. I love Tim Tebow.

Bona Fides: I was a FredHead, don't like McVain-Feingold, love Sarah.

Jennifer Brunner has just rendered all of the above moot by fighting for over 200,000 tainted voter registrations (we won't talk about the register-and-vote-right-then scam she was running) and appealing to SCOTUS the Sixth District verdict. See my blog for numbers...

Bill Whittle,

You are not answering your emails. I need 20 copies of "Silent America" for my classroom. The school is broke, but I think we can raise the money right on a thread if you're willing. How about a pledge week for Mr. Paules' classroom?

I had to use precious xerox credits and rationed paper to run off 15 copies of "Trinity" last week for my seniors. Dude, that is wrong. But I totally rocked that class. The idea that an ordinary American can build a spaceship for no reason other than "I want one" had my kids out of their seats in a cheering frenzy. Because we're America. And that's what we do.

Posted by: ~Paules | October 17, 2008 4:56 PM --

Mr. Paules,
I pledge no less than US$ 50.00.
Please post or email the address for the check. It is an honer to assist in the education of future Ejectians.

Brother Paules, I'm in with a Benjamin.

The baby needs a new pair of shoes but I can spare a Jackson.

In the meantime, perhaps we can actually start doing something about the real problem.

Bill I really like your blog and just want to thank you for posting the story of Forty Second Boyd. Because of it I bought and read two books on him and bought and watch the Pentagon Wars over and over. I'm a Philadelphia firefighter and my blog is First In.
http://firstin.wordpress.com/
Keep up the good work.
Dennis

Prior to Outback Bowl last season, Michigan was trading to win at just about where McCain is trading now. (11 point dog & just under 20% likely to win.)

We all know how that turned out ;)

Here's to an Adrian Arrington one hand grab off the back of the defender!!!

I don't think we're down by that much. Yeah, it's 3rd and 10 late in the 4th quarter, but we're trailing by less than a touchdown.

Don't forget all these polls always oversample the democrats. And the end results are never what the polls predict.

On Oct. 16, 1976, Carter led Ford in the Gallup Poll by 6 percentage points. He only won by 1.

On Oct. 27 1980, it was Carter who led Reagan 45 percent to 42 percent. Reagan won 51 to 41.

In 1984 Reagan beat Mondale by 19 points, but polls weeks before only had Mondale down by 4.

The same thing goes for Bush 1 vs Dukakis in 1988 (Oct 5: Bush up by 2. He won by 8).

1992 polls had Clinton up by 12-15, he won by 5.3.

1996 CLinton beat Dole by 9, after polls had him by 22.

2000 was the only one that showed a tie in the polls and we know how that one turned out.

Bush won in 2004 by nearly 2 points when most polls showed a tie.

Today John McCain is down by only 2 points among likely voters, and the gap is closing. If history is any kind of teacher, and it usually is, I like our chances. I have a theory that leading up to election day liberals like to scream from the rooftops about their candidate. On election day it is the otherwise Silent Majority, the ones who don't want to be bothered by polls, who show up and pull the levers.

We're by no means out of this one. If you were in the Swamp last Saturday night watching the Gators thrash LSU like I was then you know how important the screaming crowd can be to the game's outcome. WE are that crowd. The time to scream until you are red in the face is now!

Count me in, Mr. Paules. Got a PayPal account?

Had no idea you were an educator of young minds. Good to hear that your talents with words and reason are being put to such good use.

Kulak,
Yes, our own Mr. P. is indeed a shaper of young skulls full of mush.
We (meaning MucleDaddy) are putting together a plan for Ejectathon 2008, as we speak.
It should be up at The Lounge tomorrow.
Wait... It is tomorrow.

Heh. -- Excellent. See you there.

I'll bring the virtual single malt.

Bill,

When the Revolution comes, will you be our Thomas Jefferson?

I've already voted for Mc/P in early voting here in Nashville. I agree that it is what I can do, and I have done it.

BTW, I am not a football fan, but I love the story of Tim Tebow's mother's refusal to abort her unborn baby after contracting amoebic dysentery and being told the meds would result in a damaged baby.

I appreciate your writings!

IgnoreIgnoreIgnore the polls. The formulas that are applied to produce the Obamafied results render them poopified.
Thank God for Joe the plumber, who finally got Baroque Insane Oblahma to admit his immoral income-redistributing ways. Imagine an Ivy leaguer taken down so effortlessly by a common hard-working man. Obama is well practiced in the ways of election fraud, but the third time will not be the charm.
P.S. I was a freshman at UF in 1980. I've felt your gridiron pain.

Bill, you are of course correct--the only poll that matters is the one taken on November 4, in the privacy of the voting booth. (Or my den in my case. As an expat, I've already cast my absentee ballot, and it was not for Obama).

I'm hopeful that the Dems' trashing of Joe the Plumber (and Obama's frighteningly frank answer to his question) will awaken the uncommitted and the disheartened into saying, "it ain't over yet".

Enjoyed the comments from the teacher seeking donations let me add this...

Semi-full disclosure…I was a Marine, my son is a currently deployed Marine, and I’m a registered Republican. I’m not giving my name, not because I’m hiding behind the anonymity of the Internet but because I don’t want to be perceived as bragging about my largesse.

I attended a luncheon the other day where a Marine discussed the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. The sergeant who spoke was hit by an IED while on his second deployment to Iraq. Three other Marines in his Humvee were killed. This young Marine, now a quadriplegic with limited use of his upper arms will be participating in the Marine Corps Marathon in a few weeks “hand-cycling” the event. I was moved by his courage, his determination, and his refusal to claim some type of victim hood status. I was proud of his service and that I too could claim the title “Marine.” I went home and wrote a check to the organization.

As I was writing the check I thought about an article I recently read regarding the Democratic presidential ticket. I get livid every time I think about the tax returns of Obama and Biden. I’m sure Republicans are just as stingy…even Cheney has been criticized for his contributions but Biden makes the current VP look like Mother Teresa. First, Obama. In 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 the Obamas gave respectively 1%, .5%, .4%, 1.4%, and 1.2% of their adjusted gross income (AGI) to charity. In 2006 apparently thinking his tax returns might become public record the Obamas gave $60,307 on an AGI of $983,826 (if you went to public school like I did, I’ll do the math for you, that is 6.1%).

Biden is a different story that would make even Ebenezer Scrooge cringe. For the decade from 1998 through 2007, Joe Biden, the man hoping to serve as our next vice-president gave a total, let me repeat, total of $3,690 to charity. This is on an AGI of $2,450,442. This is absolutely appalling. A Biden spokesperson offered the lame excuse that he and his wife “do volunteer work with military families” as if somehow that work justifies their financial stinginess. I am not Catholic as Biden professes to be, but I know the Bible talks of tithing…that means 10%, .001% does not a tithe make!

Mr. Biden, I checked my tax returns for last year. For 2007, my wife and I had an adjusted gross income of $88,127. We gave $13,631 to charity…that’s just in one year. So in one year we gave 3.69 times more money than you and your wife gave in an entire decade! Also I might add we had military families (not my son and his family who are stationed on the other side of the country) over to our house numerous times and often took the families of deployed military personnel out to lunch or dinner…we didn’t count these expenses in our charitable contributions.

We talk about character in this election. I’m not sure what the Palin family gave to charity over the past decade. I do know the McCains gave 27.3%-28.6% to charity in 2006-2007. I can only surmise that tithing to the Democratic presidential ticket means taxing us to pay for their pet projects and earmarks. Obviously, they don’t believe in contributing to their favorite causes, expecting us to carry the burden.

Great peptalk, and from the perspective of the other (underdog, okay, underbulldog, okay, MY DAWG) team! Regardless, the message resonates: They say we're way behind, but we can still win, if we give it our all. Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more...(Henry V).

007,
Allow me to thank you for your and your son's service.

According to the AP, on $300,000 income for '06 and '07 the Palin's gave $8000 to charity. So about 2.4%. Speaking as one who has 4 kids at home, I'd say that's pretty damn good.

"Ejectathon 2008" will be up @ The Lounge on Monday.

D4 is just over excited.

- MuscleDaddy

MD,
You missed the meeting. It's up now.
120 bucks so far.

I'm in for a Grant....wait! I'm from the South! I can't do that. I'll have to hit the tip jar again!

Mark William Paules is a high school teacher.
That's his day job.
But he is, first and foremost, a patriot.
In a rare attempt to combine these two avocations, he made this appeal

"I need 20 copies of "Silent America" for my classroom. The school is broke, but I think we can raise the money right on a thread if you're willing. How about a pledge week for Mr. Paules' classroom?"

To that end, we have started the MPC (Mr Paules' Classroom) pledge drive.

Current total: $170.00 USD.

Bravo. I am hopeful of the outcome on election day, or whatever day the resulting lawsuits are finally put to rest.

I wish to thank Bill Whittle for allowing me to use this comment thread to raise money for my classroom. I think we'll meet our pledge total of something near $500 in short order. I'll know the exact number when I hear from the publisher. I want to thank everyone who has contributed. We will discontinue the drive as soon as our goal is met. I wish to take no more than is needed for this one specific purpose.

I want to take a moment to explain something about my school and education generally. My school will remain anonymous for now because given the present political climate I expect to be attacked by partisans for not accepting the political orthodoxy of the left. I am a conservative by temperament, but this does not mean that I attempt to indoctrinate my students. Freedom of speech and respect for opinion is a pillar of my methodology. I ask only that my students back up their opinions with reason and logic.

I introduced Silent America into my curriculum because the tone of Bill's essays is so decidedly positive. I want my students to appreciate American exceptionalism. But I never offer Bill's words as the TRUTH. We dissect his essays to determine if, in fact, he is speaking the truth and whether or not his assertions are backed up by clear examples. I'm not teaching my kids what to think; I want them to know how to think.

Class discussion at times can become deeply partisan. I offer guidance in the following manner: "If you believe x then politically you stand for y, but if you reject then you support the opposing view." I then insist that my students understand the philosopical basis for the two positions. A good teacher walks a fine line when talking politics.

So far my results with the senior class (about half will be voting this election) have produced a mixture of idealism and cynicism. It's fine to be a youthful idealist, natural even, but my kids are also learning how good intentions sometimes pan out in practice. A sceptical electorate is the sign of a healthy republic.

Thank you again for your contributions and the time you took to read this.

As it should be, Mr. Paules. Not what to think, but how to Think. The rare opportunity to read and consider such ideas is enough. Only too glad to have been able to help.

We're up to $450.
Anything collected over and above the actual cost of the books will be refunded.
Or, perhaps we can buy a couple of extra copies for the library?
Leave your thoughts in the comments

Zombie has a very good analysis of why we should feel good about the polls saying what they say right now, as well as confirmation of why the secret ballot is so important. Do note that 0bama did far better in caucus states than in primaries, because intimidation (whether explicit or implicit) affects the former but not the latter (except when you can get a mail-in ballot for ACORN to fill in for you.)

Stop! Thank you all, but we just went way over the mark on the pledges. I'm in a situation now where refunds are in order. Please let us know at the Chase Lounge what your preferences are.

Dang, I was just about to donate. As the daughter of three teachers, I so wanted to lend a hand to Mr. Paules.

Posted by: ~Paules | October 19, 2008 12:42 PM --

We quickly exceeded the goal, which is the result I hope for in the election.

As for a refund, my suggestion is spend the excess for some additional resources on Critical Thinking for the library.

Just a thought... And best wishes to your students, Sir!

Thank you Bill for getting us the deal at cost. And thank you again everyone who contributed. Now pay attention while I address the ethics of our current budget surplus (ain't conservatism wonderful!). I made a very specific request and received pledges to cover it. It would be unethical to divert any monies to other causes no matter their merit. I will accept only the $125 for this effort and not a dime more. D4 can put my contribution toward 20 copies of the "thin little beauty" from Cato. I'm calculating that the 20 copies of Silent America will be covered by a contribution of about $20 from each of my donors. Therefore, if you contributed any more than that, you're going to have to accept a refund. I'll leave it up to D4 to run the math. If you want to contribute the residual amount to another charity, accept the refund and then do so. I absolutely insist it be done this way.

This effort on the part of the Chase Lounge was a test. You have my gratitude for passing with colors flying. The school I work for is unique to my state. It's a public/private partnership. We built a school by floating an educational bond on Wall Street. We then staffed the institution with money provided by the local school district. If we're successful, we'll provide a model for the nation. Every fundraising effort must be carried out with the highest ethical standards. Before I'm satisified, I need to raise a couple million dollars. Serious money. The kind of endowment money that supports our best universities. And if I can show donors genuine success, that kind of money will be forthcoming.

I can anticipate at this point that readers are asking "who are you and where is your school?" Be patient. I am working in a field that is highly political. My/our success is a threat to the status quo. All in good time, brothers and sisters, all in good time.

Once again, thank you for your contributions. You have my personal pledge that I will continue in my duties to the best of my ability. What an awesome privilege is teaching! It's nothing short of a sacred trust, and I approach everyday with exactly that understanding in mind. In time I will invite the readership to join me in this endeavor. But not yet.

And Bill Whittle, ad astra volemus sella tonanti. Your creation has life even if it seemed stillborn. We will take this to greater heights yet, or die trying. You have my pledge on that.

Posted by: ~Paules | October 19, 2008 5:05 PM --

So be it. To paraphrase something from the far recesses of my memory:

"(The) G(o)od works in mysterious ways..."

... smiling as the pun sinks in the pond slowly, its ripples barely visible, but spreading, ne'ertheless...