We should wake up every day and thank God, among other things, that we live in a constitutional republic and not a pure democracy because as this quote from George Neumayr provides a grim reminder: "As democratically elected savages like Adolf Hitler illustrate, democracy is not an automatic guarantor of civilization. Separated from moral truth contained in a rule of law, democracies can be as tyrannical as the most rapacious undemocratic governments. America should only be on the side of 'democracy' if it produces civilization; otherwise the tyranny America seeks to end will spread through the very rhetoric of democracy it uses, should the bin Ladens and Hitlers be democratically elected to power. The Founding Fathers, it is worth remembering, didn't call King George III a tyrant because he was a monarch; they called him a tyrant because he violated basic human rights. They knew democracy could devour itself through its own tyrannies unless it was subject to a truth higher than democracy itself."

I did not know that a machine gun or a silencer is illegal until reading HB 582 introduced by Republican district 101 state representative Elvira Reyna to include a stun gun in the list of prohibited weapons under Texas Penal Code title 10, chapter 46, section 46.05 as follow:

§ 46.05. PROHIBITED WEAPONS. (a) A person commits an offense if he intentionally or knowingly possesses, manufactures, transports, repairs, or sells:
(1) an explosive weapon;
(2) a machine gun;
(3) a short-barrel firearm;
(4) a firearm silencer;
(5) a switchblade knife;
(6) knuckles;
(7) armor-piercing ammunition;
(8) a chemical dispensing device; or
(9) a zip gun.

I am glad to see that senator Florence Shapiro has introduced SB 254 to repeal title 3, chapter 70, section 70.05 and 70.08 of the Texas Education Code to help my alma mater, the University of Texas at Dallas to be able to expand their academic programs and also the ability to admit as many freshmen as they want to.

A great 2005 State of the Union address by president George W. Bush. I love the mention of the tax code reform, lawsuit reform, and social security reform. It's the year of reform as the great House majority leader Tom DeLay put it. I love the Hammer's characterization of the Democratic Party is the Party of No: no agenda, no solution .... The camera showed associate justice John Paul Stevens nodding his head while the president was addressing the problem of judicial activism, judges legislating from the bench. I guess he must have said to himself, yes, I know Mr. President, you are talking about me and my activist colleagues. The president came out very clear on constitutional amendment to preserve the institution of marriage. Also, not trading one life for another, life is not a commodity, great stuff. I like the part where the president pointed out that he is not the only one saw this problem with social security, his predecessor, president Bill Clinton, the late democratic senator Daniel Patrick Moynehan. FoxNews Brit Hume did a great job pointing out all the paper money that does not exist in the treasury that the Democrats claim to keep Social Security solvent into the 2050s.