To Those Who Serve

To those who serve in our nation's armed forces - to those who serve now and to those who have served in the past - and to the families who support them...

Thank you. 

We are free because of your strengths and your sacrifices. We set aside Memorial Day to remember, but every day we are grateful.

To the Creep Who Threatened Me on Facebook Last Night

I knew when I started blogging about politics a few years ago that I would likely ruffle some feathers from time to time. That's fine. Politics ain't beanbag, or however the saying goes.

I've had angry comments left by grammatically-challenged trolls, been threatened with lawsuits a few times, and actually had to defend myself against several complaints  filed against me with the Florida Bar and Florida Division of Elections (all of which were found to be without merit and dismissed entirely, with no finding of any wrongdoing on my part). That was some annoying paperwork and took a few months to clear up, but not too bad.

Then, yesterday, I got a message on Facebook from someone unhappy with an old blog post of mine. Someone who thought it was OK to threaten me. 

Semper Lentum (101 uses for duct tape, brought to you by the Marines)

Here's a little something fun for your Tuesday afternoon.

A friend sent me a link with "101 uses" for duct tape that was posted on the Marine Corps Times website:

101 uses for 100-mph tape 

Why it's a big deal that the White House Counsel knew about the IRS audit findings

2013's best new carnival ride, the Obama White House Scandalpalooza, continues to spit out new shocking headlines on a daily basis, and I wanted to put a spotlight on one detail regarding the targeting of conservative groups by the IRS. 

The administration admitted yesterday that the Office of the White House Counsel was informed about the findings of the IRS audit weeks ago - including specifically informing Kathryn Ruemmler, the Senior White House Counsel and the head of the office. 

President Obama somehow knew nothing about the whole mess until he saw it in the press with the rest of us little people. 

Why is this a big deal? 

Because attorneys have a ethical duty to keep their clients informed. 

Rubio on #IRSscandal - "These are the Tactics of the Third World" [VIDEO]

Florida Senator Marco Rubio had harsh words for the Obama administration in a floor speech he delivered today [video of full speech and text of selected excerpts after the break]:

Mmmm, Barbecue

Here's a reason to write a mean letter to your high school guidance counselors: I bet not one of them ever suggested "professional barbecue taste tester" as a career option. See if this doesn't make you bitter:

Texas Monthly | The List: The Top 50 Barbecue Joints

Every five years or so (since 1997), this magazine dispatches a team of trained eaters to travel around Texas incognito, ingesting huge amounts of barbecue. Their goal is to visit as many of the state's approximately two thousand barbecue joints as possible in order to come up with a list of the fifty best. At each joint, the eaters sample at least three meats, a couple of sides, and a dessert. In areas of high barbecue density, they may visit as many as nine places in a day... 

#BlogCon2013

I'm in Dallas today, getting ready to be on a panel at BlogCon, sponsored by FreedomWorks. We're talking about a very important topic: how to spread the conservative message in a way that actually reaches people. My fellow "Culture Warriors" on the panel are John Brodigan, Chris Loesch, Brandon Morse, and Emily Zanotti, so you know it's going to be fun.

Sarah vs. ObamaCare

I've never been a "blog-every-story-every-day" blogger. It's easier to tweet the stories of the day (follow me @rumpfshaker if you aren't already) and occasionally write some longer commentary when I have time and schedule the post to go live the next day. 

I don't often get to break stories. 

But apparently I do today....or, at least, I get to break the story of my little role in a much bigger story.

Florida Democrat State Rep. Mike Clelland finds himself in hole; keeps digging; accomplishes nothing

Gotta love politicians...seems like they are skilled at putting their feet in their mouths like nobody else out there.

President of the Foot-in-Mouth Club for this week is freshman Florida State Representative Mike Clelland, a Democrat who benefited from an Obama reelection year boost (which will not be factor when Scott Plakon faces off against him in 2014) and represents a very Republican district in Seminole County.

Clelland jumped into the spotlight earlier this week, when he made comments about a proposed amendment to a bill regarding physical fitness requirements for firefighters that were interpreted by many as disparaging to women. As Tom Tillison at BizPac Review reported yesterday:

Uncle Ruslan's American Dream

A friend sent me a Washington Post op-ed by Asra Nomani regarding "Uncle Ruslan," that I highly recommend you read. Seriously, just go read the whole thing and then come back here.

Ruslan Tsarni, as you probably know, is the uncle of the Boston marathon bombers (and no, I'm not saying "alleged bombers." Dzhokhar can sue me. Bring it.) and I was struck by the huge difference between his attitude about America and the views that his nephews apparently held. 

"Uncle Ruslan's" heartfelt press conference last week captured America's attention, partly because of the sharp contrast between the brutality of the bombings and Tsarni's humble attitude and unequivocal condemnation of his nephews' actions:

...And it's only Wednesday

These past few days have been pretty rough.

"Patriots’ Day is a day for Boston."

I only lived in Massachusetts for less than a year and experienced Patriot's Day 2012 as an outsider and a newcomer, having moved up there less than a month before. As a native Floridian, I was mainly glad to see the weather getting warmer and thinking the parties and festivities were fun, but not really getting it. I mean, I hadn't even been to Fenway at that point (later remedied), which I'm pretty sure is a mandatory requirement before making any comments about Boston culture.

Anyway, someone emailed this blog post to me, written by a Boston resident I've never met, but who sums up perfectly how all my Massachusetts friends describe Patriot's Day. It's definitely worth reading in its entirety, but I'll share a few excerpts here:

"Look for the helpers." #PrayForBoston

I spent less than a year in Boston but still have friends there and my heart is heavy and sad seeing the news and photos from the explosions at the Boston Marathon today.

I remembered this quote from Fred Rogers, and found it very comforting:

Arizona Under Fire: What you need to know about the Sheriff Joe Recall Effort

[Editor's note: Hey, look, it's a guest post! I've been a busy bee lately and haven't had as much time as I'd like to blog about all the intriguing things happening, so I've invited a few friends to do a little guest blogging here from time to time. So here's Amy Miller...enjoy! Also don't forget to follow my random mumblings on Twitter.]

I don't normally stick my nose into local or district races, mostly because it conflicts with my philosophy of letting the people choose their own. damn. representatives. That being said, I do believe that the people have a right to know who they're signing petitions against and voting for--especially when the Big Progressive Steamroller of Doom© is calling the shots.

I Smite Thee, in the Name of Andrew!

We miss you, happy warrior.

We lost Andrew Breitbart just over a year ago. 

Since then, there have been endless discussions about how best to honor his memory, pondering over whether anyone could possibly fill his shoes.

As I look back over the past year, I'm sad to admit that I think we as a conservative movement are doing a very poor job of carrying on Andrew's legacy.

Quit being Eeyores. If there's hope in MA, there's hope everywhere.

Since last November's losses at the ballot box, it's become somewhat of a contest on the right to see who can issue the most depressing predictions about the death of the Republican party. Changing demographics! The messaging is awful! Our technology is outdated! 

Everybody panic! DOOM! DOOOOOOOOOM!!!

It's frustrating to watch. People who I know are positive in most other areas of their lives, become so negative when talking about the state of conservatism that they make Eeyore look like an optimist.  

Well, here's a little glimmer of hope: Republicans are finding ways to win in Massachusetts.

CNN Fail: Where's the #filibuster news?

It's now 12:30 am ET after over twelve hours of Senator Rand Paul's historic filibuster, and this is the front page of CNN:

Speaker Weatherford's Opening Day remarks reaffirm his opposition to Medicaid expansion

Speaker of the Florida House Will Weatherford delivered his opening day remarks earlier this morning as the 2013 Legislative Session began, and they're worth reading.

Weatherford outlines the ambitious agenda he has set for the 500th anniversary of Ponce de Leon's discovery of Florida, including reform of the state's campaign finance and election laws, pension system, and schools. 

Notably, Weatherford also continues his strong opposition to Medicaid expansion:

Next time someone says "That's impossible"...

...show them this.

Someone did a mashup of "Head Like A Hole" by Nine Inch Nails, and "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen.

It's one of the more bizarre things I've heard in awhile, but the songs actually fit together shockingly well.

Seriously. Listen for yourself:

The Man in the Arena: Remembering Andrew Breitbart

Today marks one year since I was awakened by a phone call from a friend calling to tell me that Andrew Breitbart had died at 43, far too young. 

Not only had I been lucky enough to get to know Andrew over the last year of his life, he was a huge influence for so many of my friends. In this wonderful world of bloggers, tea party movement organizers, investigative journalists, and other conservative activists in which I have traveled in these past few years, Andrew was our coach, our troop leader, our favorite troublemaker...but most of all, he was our friend. 

And so today, like it was last year, is tough because I am saddened by so many of the beautiful and poignant memories of Andrew shared by so many people I know (his face is a constant presence in my Facebook and Twitter feeds once again this week), but at the same time there is comfort in seeing so many people sharing a deep affection for this great man.