After gritting it out for three years with Go Daddy, I’ve determined that their web hosting service has too many performance issues to be considered reliable. I am exploring new options. One option would be to move this site to another host - I own the domain until 2012 (you know, when the world is going to end). The other option is to get a fresh start, and I think that appeals to me more than the other option.

Either way, there won’t be much more to read here.

It seems President Obama was a little less than truthful when in his speech last week to a joint session of Congress, he told a story about an Illinois man who died of an unreported gallstone after his health insurance company stopped covering him. But, as today’s Wall Street Journal notes, this is far from the truth:

In fact, the man, Otto S. Raddatz, didn’t die because the insurance company rescinded his coverage once he became ill, an act known as recission. The efforts of his sister and the office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan got Mr. Raddatz’s policy reinstated within three weeks of his April 2005 rescission and secured a life-extending stem-cell transplant for him. Mr. Raddatz died this year, nearly four years after the insurance showdown.

Facts are indeed stubborn things.

It is not surprising that those around the President are responding to criticism by saying he got the “essence of the story correct,” or by passing blame to the media from which the administration apparently received this information. Given the apparent urgency on the part of the political left to pass the health care bill, and the growing opposition to it, it is not a surprise to me that politicians are once again resorting to saying anything to convince people that the world will fall apart unless they get their way.

You can argue about the dropped coverage, Mr. President, but do not misrepresent the facts.

“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
- George Orwell

A friend responded with the question, “But Jeff, what is truth?”

This got me thinking about an appropriate response, and I wrote what I thought was an honest, detailed answer to her query. I should have known her question was only asked tongue-in-cheek, but still, I am pleased with my response to the question.

Here’s my latest status update:

“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
- John Adams, Second President of the United States

And while I am using the words of other men, here’s another good one:

“The life of a nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous.”
- Frederick Douglass

The big news over the past couple of days is focused on the unraveling of the health care bill, the ACORN scandals throughout the country, and the statement by former President Jimmy Carter that opposition to President Obama’s policies is due to racism in our nation. (Honestly - Who didn’t see that one coming?)

I have some more honest questions:

• Is the left actually going to resort to pinning their own failures on anything but themselves?
• Having an overwhelming majority in the House and Senate, why is it so important to President Obama and the Democrats to have bi-partisan support for their legislation?
• Can we agree that ACORN is involved in shady, illegal activities?
• If we can agree that ACORN is involved in shady, illegal activities, should we not seek answers about why the President of the United States is so strongly associated with them?
• Do you believe our government and its agents are being truthful and honest with the American people about their plans for our future?

History is replete with examples of nations and empires that collapsed from under the weight of their own corruption. Our nation was founded with checks and balances to guard against corruption, but it is clear that those safeguards long ago were compromised. They were compromised by men who had “only the best intentions” for the people. They told us that surrendering a little more personal liberty would be better for the collective whole. Over time, the power of the people has been transferred little by little, into the hands of a bloated, expansive government that continues to promise that they will take care of us, that they will protect us, that they are only making those decisions because it is better for everyone.

One final question for today: Will their work ever be finished?

I believe it was Winston Churchill who said the following

“Those who fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.

Wake up America. Hold your elected representatives accountable. Your nation is falling apart.

The outburst certainly was a violation of the normal rules of conduct and decorum, written or unwritten. Wilson’s interruption was inappropriate. I believe it is important to note that this is not the United Kingdom, where such interruptions are common and even considered normal.

President Obama indeed deserved an apology for Wilson’s interruption, and Wilson was right to quickly give the President that apology.

But I have some honest questions that I believe are not being addressed by the political left or their mainstream media enablers.

• Was Wilson’s challenge technically wrong, or was it simply a politically motivated outburst?
• If Wilson’s outburst was so outrageous and wrong, why then are none of the media outlets researching the statement in the President’s address that inspired it?
• Would it not be helpful to the American people if we had the facts about the President’s address, especially facts related to the statements he was making just before Wilson interrupted?
• Can it be racist to challenge something we know is untrue?
• Since Wilson has been officially censured by the House for supposedly breaking a House rule for calling the President a liar, will the House now act to censure those who repeatedly broke that same rule for calling President Bush a liar?
• How is it possible to be racist by opposing the contents of any piece of legislation?

I wouldn’t be surprised if millions of Americans are asking the very same questions right now.

I’m not holding my breath as I wait for honest answers.

All good comedy comes from real-life observation, and clearly, Chris Rock is an observant student. Here’s a video from his show that hits the mark quite well.

LANGUAGE WARNING… You may wish to clear the little ones from the room before watching this one.

However I believe in giving credit when it is well deserved, and under the categories of “even a broken clock is right twice a day,” and “ya gotta see this,” I’d like to pass along the following link. http://www.aclu.org/pizza/.

Click and watch the video on the page. It’s satire, but like all good satire, it’s based on reality.

Click on the “Music” tab above for the list.

Take a look here for a mind-blowing visual representation.