I respect people who do what they think is right, even if it's not popular - and even if I don't agree with them. One example is Ralph Nader.

People can fault George W. Bush for what he does, but they can not fault him for doing - and saying what he thinks is right. In my case, I respect him both for doing what he believes is right and for doing what I believe is right.

That said, many believe that the President's stand on Iraq is the main reason he is so unpopular. He ranks right up - I mean right down there with past unpopular presidents Richard Nixon and Harry Truman. Read about it here.

Harry Truman's favorite saying was "the buck stops here". He ordered dropping the "A" bombs and thousands died - but World War Two ended quickly without a USA invasion of Japan which most probably would have cost even more lives and damage than the bombs. That was a hard decision. I doubt that few in history could have made that decision.

But Harry Truman was a leader. That's what countries need - those men or women who will do what is right regardless of popular opinion at the time. The voters recognized this and Truman was elected to a full second term to the shock of the press.

George Bush is a leader too. In spite of the polls and the MSM and his unpopular stand on Iraq, the voters gave him another term also.

I trust the voters. They seek and are drawn to leaders that are best for the country in the long term. The man or women who gains the voter's trust will be elected the next president. Look for the one who does and says what he or she thinks is right regardless of whether it is popular.

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Dan England’s posts also can be found at Getting Elected Blogline and Blogger News Network.  Dan’s website is GettingElected.com and he is the author of So You Want to Run for Political Office and Welcome to the Real Corporate World.

The Keys to Life (ISBN 1-59916-114-1) is not the typical book. It is a collection of prayers that is organized by topic. For example – “For Hope; For Humility; For Trusting in God”. The author wrote the prayers based closely on Bible passages.

The author explains that the reader can “pray and read the Bible at the same time because they are the same”. He argues that there is power praying anointed prayers based on Bible passages.

The book is easy to read. I especially found it helpful that at the end of the book, the prayers are listed with the scripture that the author used to create the prayer.

This book could be used to focus prayers based on a particular need. It also could be used for Bible study by reading the scripture references along with the prayers. 

The Keys to Life is similar to other books that can be used to pray the Bible. However, I found that the prayers are not all  “word by word” based on scripture. This might be troublesome to some conservative Christians and the reader would be well advised to check the scriptural references before using the prayers. 

To find more information about the book and how to buy it, click here.

Relative Danger by June Shaw (Thomson - Gale 2006) is a mystery written from the perspective of a baby boomer. It is the first adventure for Cealie, a sexy grandmother, who is out to "find herself". She stumbles on a mysterious death at her granddaughter’s (Kat) high school while in town for Kat’s graduation.

Relative Danger is an easy and fun read. Although it’s a mystery, Relative Danger is laced with humor and insight into the aging of woman who was recently widowed and coping well.

The reader will relate to and love the characters, from Cealie’s single parent, somewhat depressed son, Roger to perky but honor student granddaughter, Kat. And then there is Gil, Cealie’s sometimes boy friend, and my favorite, "Chicken Boy".

Cealie becomes a snoop when Kat avoids school just before graduation because of the suspected murder of the school’s janitor. Cealie was determined to see Kat graduate based on son Roger’s deceased wife’s wish that her daughter graduate.

There are unexpected twists and turns in the plot that will keep the reader in suspense until Cealie finally solves mystery.

Relative Danger is a great launch for what could be a series for Granny turned private eye Cealie. However, as a male, sometimes I found that I was given too much information about some of Cealie’s female "problems".

Ironically, this look into how a widowed Baby Boomer overcomes aging problems may make Relative Danger a surprise best seller.

I highly recommend Relative Danger. It just may be a book that will make rainy summer vacation days a little sunnier. Click here to buy it on Amazon.com.

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Dan England’s posts also can be found at Getting Elected Blogline and Blogger News Network.  Dan’s website is GettingElected.com and he is the author of So You Want to Run for Political Office and Welcome to the Real Corporate World.

The Dems want to muzzle talk radio, while leaving the MSM unscathed.

The title of an AP story today reads "White House criticizes Clintons on Libby". The title should tell the whole story: "The Clintons Slam Bush on Libby and The White House Fires Back". The difference is subtle, but demonstrates how the truth can be twisted because of a liberal bias.

This is just one example of why the liberal MSM needs to be balanced by talk radio.

Barack Obama says that Christianity has been"hijacked" by "so-called leaders of the Christian Right". Read the story about this here.

The truth is that many liberal churches and their leaders have crafted their own brand of Christianity based on popular "feel good" values, not on the Bible.

The "so-called leaders of the Christian Right", as Obama calls them, are being maligned for being faithful to the Bible and traditional Christian values.

Liberal, "so-called leaders of the Christian Left" (and Dems) are generally pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, pro-destroying living embryos for research, pro-euthanasia and against teaching intelligent design and praying in public schools.

Before I started reading and believing the Bible, I might have agreed with many of these liberal "values". But now that I actually have read and believe the Bible, I disagree with all of the same values. The Christian Right leaders didn't tell me what to believe, I merely came to agree with these leaders.

It is more accurate to say that liberal, "so-called leaders of the Christian Left", not Christian Right leaders, are trying to hijack Christianity.

If Barak Obama would look carefully at the polls, he will find that most Americans agree with the traditional values of the Christian Right. If he continues demonizing these same leaders and the voters they represent, he will soon find in the polls that his chances of becoming President are diminishing.

My bet is that Hillary Clinton is too politically savvy to make the same mistake. 

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Dan England’s posts also can be found at Getting Elected Blogline and Blogger News Network.  Dan’s website is GettingElected.com and he is the author of So You Want to Run for Political Office and Welcome to the Real Corporate World.

Rush Limbaugh says that Hillary Clinton has an 80% chance of becoming the next President. Read about it here.

Hillary must listen to Rush because she is acting like she has already won the Dem nomination. She is taking positions and making statements that can only help her win in the general election.

For example, in a recent Dem debate, the candidates were asked if America is "safe" after 9-11. Mrs. Clinton's carefully worded answer set her apart from John Edwards and the other candidates:

"I believe we are safer than we were...We are not yet safe enough, and I have proposed over the last year a number of policies that I think we should be following." Read about it here.

Then, in a speech to the Take Back America conference yesterday, Mrs. Clinton was booed by the ultra liberal group Code Pink as she declared:

"We're going to end the war in Iraq and finally bring home the troops...The American military has done its job...The American military has succeeded...It is the Iraqi government that has failed to make the tough decisions." Read about it here.

Hillary is obviously using the Bill Clinton play book by making cleverly worded statements that will please most everyone, but those on the far right and far left. Remember Bill's stand on abortion: "... abortion should not only be safe and legal, it should be rare." Read about it here.

Unless the Republicans can unite around a strong candidate, like Fred Thompson, Rush may be right.
 

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Dan England’s posts also can be found at Getting Elected Blogline and Blogger News Network.  Dan’s website is GettingElected.com and he is the author of So You Want to Run for Political Office and Welcome to the Real Corporate World.

Today, Al Gore is one of George Bush's harshest critics on the President's Iraq policy.

However, back in 1992, VP candidate Al Gore had a much different take on Iraq. He convincingly warned of the dangers posed by Saddam Hussein and even complained that Bush Sr wasn't tough enough on Iraq.

Read the story about it here. Gore's remarks aired on C-SPAN are included.

The word hypocrite is appropriate. I wonder if Al Gore is as confident about global warming today as he was about Iraq in 92?
 
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Dan England’s posts also can be found at Getting Elected Blogline and Blogger News Network.  Dan’s website is GettingElected.com and he is the author of So You Want to Run for Political Office and Welcome to the Real Corporate World.

The Dems may have won Congress in the last election, but it seems that they haven't won the hearts of the voters. Six months ago Congress had an approval rating of 36 percent (Los Angeles Times/Blooberg Poll). Guess what. That was "good" compared to the same poll taken now. The Dem led Congress now has plummeted to a dismal approval rating of 27 percent.

Harry Reid, the Dem Senate leader, polls even worse in the Rasmussen poll with a 19 percent approval rating.

Read about this here on the New York Post website.

It looks like the Republicans have a good chance of regaining control of Congress in 2008.

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Dan England’s posts also can be found at Getting Elected Blogline and Blogger News Network.  Dan’s website is GettingElected.com and he is the author of So You Want to Run for Political Office and Welcome to the Real Corporate World.

Alive and Kicking...Legal Advice for Boomers! by Kenney F. Hegland and Robert B. Fleming (Carolina Academic Press, 2007) is a book packed with good information. Although the authors are lawyers, the book goes into many subjects, other than legal advice, related to getting older and would be helpful to the elderly, near elderly and those interested in the elderly.

Alive and Kicking is an easy read. It's written in a conversational style and is laced with humor and witty sayings. Subjects range from staying healthy and coping with death to estate planning and trusts. Much of the advice given is general, not specific. The authors refer readers to lawyers for specific legal advice and other professionals for non-legal advice. They even caution using self-help books for drafting legal documents.

I especially found the chapters on wills and estate planning (Chapter 24) , trusts (chapter 26) and probate (chapters 25 and 37) very helpful.


There are few weaknesses in the book, with the exception that several chapters, not related to the law are, in my view, too overly general. For example, in the chapter on home care (Chapter 32), the authors advise: "If you are caring for an elder in your home, take a safety walk. Put yourself in their shoes." Then they list some simple things to look out for like "Are your rugs secure?" (p. 218) that some would feel is just plain common sense. Note - My wife, a retired RN who worked with the elderly, thought this was good advice, that many would not consider.

Overall, I highly recommend this reasonably priced book. It is especially a great resource for "baby boomers". Being a boomer myself, and facing many issues related to getting older, I learned much and it gave me lots to think about.
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Dan England’s posts also can be found at Getting Elected Blogline and Blogger News Network.  Dan’s website is GettingElected.com and he is the author of So You Want to Run for Political Office and Welcome to the Real Corporate World.

I watched a good part of the Republican debate tonight on CNN. It wasn't very exciting.

John McCain danced around on his stand of the immigration bill, while Rudy did a two step around the abortion and gay in the military debates. Sam Brownback looked good and was steady. Mike Huckabee gave a great answer on the culture of life. However, I thought Mitt Romney had the best answers and looked the most presidential of the lot.

After that, I turned over to Fox News and watched Sean Hannity interview Fred Thompson. I was very impressed. His calm demeanor, clear answers to the questions and deep soothing voice were very very reassuring that if he were elected, the USA would be in good hands. If Thompson decides to enter the race - which seems very probable - he will draw much of the far right support.

It's too early to tell who will come out on top, but my choice at this point would be Fred Thompson as the Presidential candidate and Sam Brownback as VP.


Dan England’s posts also can be found at Getting Elected Blogline and Blogger News Network.  Dan’s website is GettingElected.com and he is the author of So You Want to Run for Political Office and Welcome to the Real Corporate World.

Finally there is something Al Gore said that I agree with.

As to his running for the presidency in 2008, Al said:

"I don't think that the skills I have are the ones that are most likely to be rewarded within this system."

Read the story in USATODAY.com about this titled "Gore: I'm not good at modern politics" here. 

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Dan England’s posts also can be found at Getting Elected Blogline and Blogger News Network.  Dan’s website is GettingElected.com and he is the author of so You Want to Run for Political Office and Welcome to the Real Corporate World.

Will the religion of Global Warming survive the unfolding facts?

Read "Climate Momentum Shifting: Prominent Scientists Reverse Belief in Man-made Global Warming - Now Skeptics" on US Senate site here.

There are signs that a dark cloud is forming over the Democrats.

Democrat congressional candidates promised much before the 2006 elections, but so far they haven't been able to transform their agenda into law. Read the story about this in the Washington Post titled "Democrats' Momentum Is Stalling" here. This opens the door for Republican can start calling the Dems the "do nothing" party.

The Dem presidential race front runner, Hillary Clinton, just did a "flip-flop" on the Iraq war. Read the NewsMax.com story titled "Hillary Clinton: Iraq War Vote a Mistake" here. This change adds fuel to the charge that Democrats are weak on national defense.

John Edwards wants more taxes. Read the MSNBC story titled "Edwards says he’d consider tax hikes" here. This can only feed the voter's fear that a Dem President and Congress would not only repeal the Bush tax cuts, but go even further to raise taxes. This leaves an opening for the Republicans to once again tag the Dems as the "tax and spend party".

The big question will be if Republicans can translate Dem difficulties into Republican victories - in both the 2008 Presidential race and in their battle to re-gain control of Congress. 

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Dan England’s posts also can be found at Getting Elected Blogline and Blogger News Network.  Dan’s website is GettingElected.com and he is the author of so You Want to Run for Political Office and Welcome to the Real Corporate World.

Rudy Giuliani defended President Bush while campaigning in Iowa Friday:

"He will be, I believe, a president who will be viewed by history for this one decision as being a great president...He decided in a flash to put our country on offense against terrorism."

Read the full story about it here.

While few would agree with Rudy today, I believe he is right. George Bush is a President with a backbone that was the right man for the times.

The question is, will Giuliani be the right man for the times for president as far as the Republican base is concerned? There is no doubt that he is seen as the strongest leader of the GOP candidates, but his views on abortion and gay marriage may keep him from the GOP nod. Ironically, these same views make Rudy the mostly likely candidate to win in the general election.

Rudy's answer to the concerns is that he will appoint conservative judges. How attractive that promise is to conservative Christians will be the key to the 2008 election.

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Dan England’s posts also can be found at Getting Elected Blogline and Blogger News Network.  Dan’s website is GettingElected.com and he is the author of so You Want to Run for Political Office and Welcome to the Real Corporate World.