Last night's big winnner? Easy -- Rick Perry

The big winner in last night's GOP debate was Rick Perry. This is for the simple reason that no one else won. The race from this point forward is Rick Perry and the Eight Dwarves.

The exchange between Pawlenty and Bachmann was spirited, and there was nothing inappropriate about it. Politics ain't beanbag, as Lincoln famously observed. It's a contact sport, and part of what you must do in the primary season is distinguish yourself from your competitors. You have to throw some elbows to do that.

Pawlenty was hurt by the exchange, because he took a swing at a girl. No matter how much progress we think we've made on gender equality, there is still something deep inside us that says men should use their strength to protect women, not attack them, and Pawlenty put on the full-court press last night.

But Ms. Bachmann chose to get into the ring, and can't complain if punches are thrown, nor should anyone complain on her behalf. That's one of the reasons to question whether it's a good idea for women to get involved in the rough and tumble of politics. I hate to see a woman attacked like Bachmann was last night, but she made herself vulnerable to it by throwing her hat into the ring.

What has been done to Sarah Palin and what is being done to Michele Bachmann — the grotesque beating they have taken from the hostiles on the left (I'm not talking about Pawlenty here) — is a travesty and a shameful embarrassment to any culture which claims to have an enlightened view of the treatment of women.

But this is what conservative women who enter politics are choosing to accept. It is not right, but it is inevitable, since too many on the left are consumed with bitterness and hatred toward conservatives in general and conservative women in particular. They are enslaved to a driving, brooding passion to destroy, and the more attractive the conservative woman is, the more it feeds their blood lust. As captives to this dark, driving vitriol, they can't help themselves. It will take the power of God to set them free from their own bondage to this mindless anger and rage. This means that a woman must count the cost, as Jesus taught, before jumping into the fray.

Part of the problem here is that when a women mixes it up in the political arena, and gets punched, she must punch back. The danger to the woman here is that every time she punches back, which she must do, she hardens a little bit of her soul and sacrifices a little bit of her femininity. I'm not sure that's a good trade. But each woman needs to make that choice for herself. No one else can or should make that decision for her.

Romney came across as plastic. He completed his abject flip-flop on marriage, going from being the man who imposed same-sex marriage on America by executive fiat in 2004 to a man who now supports a federal marriage amendment to undo what he himself did in Massachusetts. He has a real credibility problem on social issues.

He defended RomneyCare despite the fact that it served as the blueprint for ObamaCare. He said the first thing he would do as president would be to give a waiver from ObamaCare to all 50 states, which obviously then includes Massachusetts. So once again, he'd use the power of his office as president to undo what he did as a governor. All in all, not a sterling record of consistency and believability.

Ron Paul's policies would be a positive menace to our national security. He is clueless about the danger Islam poses to the West, and doesn't even mind if Iran nukes up. And he is one with Obama in blaming us for Iran's hatred.

In Paul's confused thinking, whatever the CIA did to Iran in 1953–1953! — explains and justifies their lasting and eternal hatred of our country. That's no different than urging us to maintain an abiding hatred of Japan because of what they did to us in 1941. It's ridiculous.This is absurd and dangerous to an alarming degree. It's hard to see how a man this out of touch with reality regarding Islam can be trusted with the power of the Oval Office.

Plus he wants to Mirandize foreign Muslims who kill us, even though they have no constitutional or Geneva Convention rights whatsoever.

Newt and Herman both gave disappointing responses when pressed on their views on Islam. Both had taken strong and correct positions in the past, and both got squishy and squirrelly last night. Grassroots Americans are aware of the threat Islam poses to the West (when Herman said sharia law does not belong in American courts, he got spontaneous applause), and are looking for a leader who understands that. It increasingly looks like neither Newt nor Herman will fill the bill.

Newt got testy when Chris Wallace exposed his flip-flop on Libya, and tried to justify his contradictory positions with an answer nobody could follow. Romney was exposed as a flip-flopper on Afghanistan. Romney continues to appear to be disconcertingly inconsistent and unpredictable, not good qualities in a chief executive.

Paul did remind us that liberty comes from the Creator. But his understanding of liberty includes the liberty to snort cocaine, shoot up heroin, and indulge in prostitution and sodomy. That's not liberty, that's bondage. His views promote license, not liberty.

Santorum was the strongest on the platform on the pro-life issue. He rightly would make no exceptions even for rape, since in America we don't punish a child for the sins of his father. He's absolutely correct.

Huntsman made himself a non-factor by admitting he has no economic plan on his website, which should have been his first order of business. He also indicated he'd be for amnesty once the border is secure, a position anathema to most conservatives. Romney repeated the canard that we are a "nation of immigrants." We're not. Eighty-five percent us were born here.

Huntsman also argued that he as governor has the best record in the field on jobs. He loses that argument once Perry gets in the race tomorrow.

I will take your position that I should personally check this Perry indictment seriously. So have you seen Perry attack Agenda 21's attack on our liberties?

But there are Texas connections...what has the Texas governor been doing about it? This is from the ICLEI website. Note the six Texas cities already :

United States of America
Abingdon, VA Acton, MA Akron, OH Alachua County, FL Albany, NY Alexandria, VA Algonquin, IL Allegheny County, PA Alliance, OH American Canyon, CA Amherst, MA Ann Arbor, MI Antioch, CA Arlington County, VA Arroyo Grande, CA Arvada, CO Ashland, OR Aspen, CO Atascadero, CA Athens-Clarke County, GA Athens, OH Atlanta, GA Auburn, MA Auburn, WA Austin, TX Ayer, MA Babylon, NY Bainbridge Island, WA Barnstable, MA Beaverton, OR Bedford, NY Belfast, ME Bellevue, WA Bellingham, WA Belmar, NJ Belmont, MA Belvedere, CA Benicia, CA Berea, KY Berkeley, CA Beverly Hills, CA Binghamton, NY Blacksburg, VA Blaine County, ID Bloomington, IN Blue Earth County, MN Boston, MA Bothell, WA Boulder, CO Bowie, MD Boynton Beach, FL Bozeman, MT Branford, CT Breckenridge, CO Bridgeport, CT Brighton, NY Brookfield, IL Brookhaven, NY Brookline, MA Broward County, FL Bryan, TX Burlingame, CA Burlington, VT Calistoga, CA Cambridge, MA Carmel, IN Carpinteria, CA Carrboro, NC Carroll County, MD Carver, MA Cary, NC Champaign, IL Chandler, AZ Chapel Hill, NC Charleston, SC Charlotte, NC Charlottesville, VA Chatham County, GA Chatham County, NC Chatham, NY Chattanooga, TN Chelmsford, MA Chevy Chase, MD Chicago, IL Chula Vista, CA Cimarron, NM Cincinnati, OH Clackamas County, OR Clallam County, WA Clark County, NV Clarkstown, NY Clayton, MO Clermont, NY Cleveland, OH Clifton, NJ Cloverdale, CA Coconut Creek, MD College Park, MD College Station, TX Collier County, FL Columbia, MO Columbia, SC Commerce City, MD Concord, CA Concord, MA Cookeville, TN Cooperstown, NY Coppell, TX Cortlandt, NY Corvallis, OR Covina, CA Coupeville, WA Cranberry Township, PA Creve Coeur, MO Croton on Hudson, NY Culver City, CA Cupertino, CA Cutler Bay, FL Dallas, TX Dane County, WI Davie, FL Davis, CA Dearborn, MI Decatur, GA Decorah, IA Dedham, MA Del Mar, CA Delray Beach, FL Denton, TX Denver, CO Devens, MA DeWitt, NY Dixon, CA Dobbs Ferry, NY Dryden, NY Duarte, CA Dublin, CA Dubuque, IA Duluth, MN Dumfries, VA Durango, CO Durham, NC East Palo Alto, CA East Whiteland Township, PA Eastchester, NY Edina, MN Edinburg, TX Edmonds, WA Edwardsville, IL El Cerrito, CA El Paso, TX Elmhurst, IL Emeryville, CA Encinitas, CA Essex, CT Eugene, OR Everett, WA Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK Fairfax, CA Fairfield, IA Fairfield, CA Fairmont, WV Falls Church, VA Falls, PA Falmouth, ME Fayetteville, AR Fayetteville, WV Ferndale, MI Fitchburg, WI Flagstaff, AZ Flint, MI Fort Collins, CO Fort Lauderdale, FL Foster City, CA Frankfort, KY Franklin, TN Fremont, CA Fullerton, CA Gainesville, FL Gaithersburg, MD Gatlinburg, TN Geneva, NY Glendale, CA Golden Valley, MN Golden, CO Goodyear, AZ Grand Forks, ND Grand Rapids, MI Grapevine, TX Greenbelt, MD Greenburgh, NY Greenfield. MA Greenville, SC Groton, CT Gunnison County, CO Hailey, ID Hamilton County, TN Hamilton, NJ Harrisonburg, VA Hastings on Hudson, NY Haverford, PA Hawaii County, HI Hayward, CA Helena, MT Henderson, NV Hennepin County, MN Hermosa Beach, CA Hillsboro, OR Hillsborough, CA Hingham, MA Homer, AK Houston, TX Howard County, MD Howard, WI Humboldt County, CA Hunter, NY Huntington, NY Huntsville, AL Hyattsville, MD Inglewood, CA Iowa City, IA Ipswich, MA Irvine, CA Irving, TX Issaquah, WA Ithaca (City), NY Ithaca (Town), NY James City County, VA Johnson County, IA Johnson County, KS Juneau, AK Kansas City, MO Keene, NH Key West, FL King County, WA Kingston, MA Kirkland, WA Kirkwood, MO Knoxville, TN La Grange Park, IL La Mirada, CA La Plata County, CO Lacey, WA Lafayette, CA Lake Elsinore, CA Lake Forest, IL Lake Oswego, OR Lake Worth, FL Lakewood, CA Larchmont, NY Las Cruces, NM Las Vegas, NV Lawrence, KS Lee County, FL Lee's Summit, MO Leon County, FL Lewes, DE Lexington-Fayette County, KY Lexington, VA Lincoln City, OR Livermore, CA Lomita, CA Los Alamos County, NM Los Altos, CA Los Altos Hills, CA Los Angeles County, CA Los Gatos, CA Loudoun County, VA Loveland, CO Lowell, MA Lower Southampton, PA Lynchburg, VA Lynnwood, WA Madison, WI Mahtomedi, MN Maitland, FL Mamaroneck (Town), NY Mamaroneck (Village), NY Manitou Springs, CO Mankato, MN Maplewood, NJ Marathon, FL Maricopa County, AZ Marlboro, NJ Marshfield, MA Marshfield, WI Martinez, CA McMinnville, OR Meadville, PA Medford, MA Mendocino County, CA Menlo Park, CA Merced, CA Mercer Island, WA Miami Gardens, FL Miami, FL Miami-Dade County, FL Middletown, PA Mill Valley, CA Millbrae, CA Milpitas, CA Milton, MA Milwaukee, WI Milwaukie, OR Minneapolis, MN Mission, KS Missoula, MT Monmouth County, NJ Monroe County, FL Monterey, CA Montgomery Township, PA Moorpark, CA Moraga, CA Morgan County, GA Mount Kisco, NY Mountain View, CA Mt. Lebanon, PA Muncie, IN Murrieta, CA Nantucket, MA Napa County, CA Napa, CA Narberth, PA Nashua, NH Nashville, TN National City, CA Nether Providence, PA New Brunswick, NJ New Castle, NY New Haven, CT New London, CT New Orleans, LA New Paltz (Town), NY New Rochelle, NY New York, NY Newark, CA Newark, NJ Norfolk, VA North Andover, MA North Castle, NY North Hempstead, NY North Las Vegas, NV North Liberty, IA North Little Rock, AR North Miami, FL Northampton, MA Northbrook, IL Novato, CA Oak Harbor, WA Oak Park, IL Oak Ridge, TN Oakdale, MN Oakland, CA Oakley, CA Oberlin, OH Ogdensburg, NY Olympia, WA Omaha, NE Onondaga County, NY Orange County, FL Orange County, NC Orangetown, NY Orinda, CA Orlando, FL Ormond Beach, FL Oshkosh, WI Ossining (Town), NY Ossining (Village), NY Oswego, IL Oxford, OH Pacifica, CA Palm Bay, FL Palm Beach County, FL Palm Springs, CA Palmdale, CA Palo Alto, CA Park City, UT Parlier, CA Passaic County, NJ Peekskill, NY Penn Hills, PA Peoria, AZ Philadelphia, PA Phoenix, AZ Pinecrest, FL Pinellas County, FL Pittsburg, CA Pittsburgh, PA Plantation, FL Port Townsend, WA Portland, ME Portland, OR Portola Valley, CA Portsmouth, NH Pound Ridge, NY Prairie Village, KS Prince George's County, MD Providence, RI Pulaski County, AR Queen Anne's County, MD Quincy, MA Radnor, PA Raleigh, NC Rancho Cucamonga, CA Redmond, WA Redwood City, CA Renton, WA Richardson, TX Richmond, VA Richmond Heights, MO Ridgefield, CT Riverside, CA Riverside, MO Roanoke County, VA Roanoke, VA Rochester, MN Rochester, NY Rock Island, IL Rockford, IL Rockville, MD Rolling Hills Estates, CA Rolling Hills, CA Rosendale, NY Roseville, MN Rye, NY Sacramento County, CA Saint George, UT Saint Louis County, MO Saint Louis, MO Saint Paul, MN Salem, MA Salinas, CA Salisbury, MD Salt Lake City, UT San Antonio, TX San Bruno, CA San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA San Clemente, CA San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA San Jose, CA San Leandro, CA San Luis Obispo, CA San Mateo County, CA San Mateo, CA San Miguel County, CO San Pablo, CA San Rafael, CA San Ramon, CA Santa Ana, CA Santa Barbara County, CA Santa Barbara, CA Santa Clara, CA Santa Clarita, CA Santa Cruz, CA Santa Fe, NM Santa Monica, CA Santa Rosa, CA Sarasota, FL Saratoga Springs, NY Saugerties, NY Savannah, GA Seaside, CA SeaTac, WA Seattle, WA Seminole County, FL Sequim, WA Sequim, WA Shoreline, WA Sierra Madre, CA Signal Mountain, TN Silver City, NM Sioux Falls, SD Sitka, AK Skagit County, WA Snohomish County, WA Solana Beach, CA Solano County, CA Somers, NY Somerset County, NJ Sonoma City, CA Sonoma County, CA South Bend, IN South Burlington, VT South Daytona, FL South Gate, CA South Miami, FL South Padre Island, TX South Portland, ME Spartanburg, SC Spokane, WA Springfield, IL St. Lawrence County, NY Stamford, CT Staunton, VA Stockton, CA Stonington, CT Sullivan County, NY Summit County, UT Sunnyvale, CA Syracuse, NY Tacoma, WA Takoma Park, MD Tallahassee, FL Tamarac, FL Tampa, FL Taos, NM Tarrytown, NY Temecula, CA Tempe, AZ Tewksbury, MA Texarkana, TX Thurston County, WA Tiburon, CA Tompkins County, NY Town and Country, MO Tracy, CA Traverse City, MI Tuckahoe, NY Tucson, AZ Tulsa, OK Tumwater, WA Tybee Island, GA Tyngsborough, MA Union City, CA University City, MO Urbana, IL Vacaville, CA Vallejo, CA Ventura County, CA Vernon,CA Victor, NY Virginia, MN Visalia, CA Vista, CA Volusia County, FL Warwick Township Washington, DC Washoe County, NV Wellesley, MA West Chester, PA West Palm Beach, FL West Sacramento, CA West Windsor, NJ Westchester County, NY Westminster, CO Whatcom County, WA Williamstown, MA Willits, CA Wilton, CT Winchester, MA Windsor, CA Windsor, CT Winston-Salem, NC Wolfeboro, NH Woodbury Woodside, CA Woodstock, NY Worcester, MA Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS Yarmouth, ME Yonkers, NY York, ME Youngstown, OH Yountville, CA

Hi Paul Ross,

We spoke on a thread a couple weeks back.

I just wanted to follow up to let you know I have been doing some research on the Agenda 21 / sustainable cities situation. Thank you for bringing this to my attention so I can discover more about this. As I learn more about it, I’ll be able to share info with others then too.

Again, thanks for giving me a heads up on this issue as I was not up on it at all prior to your post to me.

I also thought you might like to read this FR thread if you had not already. The DOT has been trying to institute some policies which would support the idea of an Agenda 21 / rural farm destabilization program. Rick Perry has made a public reference of this attempted policy change, calling it idiotic.

I can safely surmise you are not a Perry candidate from reading some of your previous posts, but you asked me what steps he is taking in this area. Here is one.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2766457/posts

I give you this answer as a token of appreciation for your bringing the United Nations Agenda 21 to my attention. I’m not asking for your support of Rick Perry. That’s OK. We still have an issue that has many implications we both may agree need to be investigated and politically challenged. Therefore, as per your question of what I see Rick Perry doing in this area, I thought I would provide at least this one answer to your question from this thread as a token of thanks for helping me see something I was not aware of before.

I’ll keep researching this issue and will keep an eye out on what I see happening, and as we all become more familiar with this issue, we’ll have more knowledgeable people who will know to watch their local politics as well as their federal ones.

Sincerely,
Casinva

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