A friend sent me a message over the weekend. They informed me of a link on Barack Obama's campaign Web site, "Public Allies" and informed me that once there if you read a bit you would find the statement, "Individual salvation depends on collective salvation."

Read the text of the address President Barack Obama delivered Monday to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Phoenix.

One way or another, the Obama administration is trying to shut up its critics, and if that requires plopping First Amendment free-speech guarantees into a six-foot grave and covering the principles up with mud, so be it.

There are elections where candidates and voters focus on personalities, wardrobe choices or so-called gaffes. Then there are elections where voters get a clear choice on important issues. This is one of those “choice” elections.

“Mr. Livdahl: Nothing in the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that ‘Prosperity equals piety.’ But, I will grant you that there are many Mormons who believe that is so.”

"Folks, I don't know about you, but when I see a photo of a dirty, exhausted, cigarette-smoking, profane language-using, sweaty, smelly, tattooed young Marine or GI on the TV, to me, he is closer to God than any clean-cut, well-dressed, well-spoken young man in a church, a ward, a temple, or a synagogue. ‘The Lord is a man of war and the Lord is his name' - Exodus 15:3."

 “Anyone who still believes 100 percent of Al Gore’s climate change doctrine should shut up. That would reduce the amount of hot air in the atmosphere and speed the ‘miraculous climate recovery’ that we all know is coming. Al is waiting around to take credit for making it all better.”

Regarding Sandi Glauser's Oct. 18 commentary ("McCain breaks bond with voters," Opinion 2): Wrong Sandi, you broke your bond with Sen. John McCain. You accused McCain of changing position on illegal immigration, offshore drilling, accepting the support of some right-wing religious leaders, and said Sarah Palin is a poor choice as his running mate.

The hysteria in the media and among the drawing room intellectuals of American politics over Sarah Palin's perceived lack of qualifications for national candidacy is growing at about the same rate as the realization that she has completely changed the dynamic of a presidential campaign that the conventional wisdom said was a sure thing for the Democrats.

“It is hilarious that the Dems will try to blame the tea party if there is a government shutdown. If the Dems had done their job last year when this budget was due, we would not even be discussing a possible shutdown. But, they are cowards with no integrity.”

President-elect Barack Obama’s transition, to date, appears to be going smoothly. One apparent selection for a Cabinet-level position that has not yet been confirmed, however, is that of Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., as secretary of the Interior Department.

“Oh, boy, do I feel warm and safe. The governor of Arizona, a state run amuck with illegal aliens, is going to be the next secretary of Homeland Security. I hope this isn’t a taste of what’s to come from the (Barack) Obama administration.”

Remember a year ago, when the circus came to TV?

Some excellent political candidates lost and some poor candidates won and vice versa in the midterm elections. Congratulations are in order to the Arizona GOP voters who followed their party’s doctrines like lemmings to the sea via their victory march. We are in for four years of acrimony, myopicness and xenophobia in Arizona.

It seems to me that what is missing in the top two contenders for the Republican presidential nomination is passion.

NEW YORK - Live from New York ... it's Tina Fey as Gov. Sarah Palin.

OBAMA: What Obama meant by “change”

Everything that makes up a presidential candidate should be fair game in politics (except their families). But, those calling for civility in society are often the very ones using forked tongues. Hate talk is with us for good, I suppose, however, where there’s a down side, there’s an up. And, the up part of dragging different faiths through the slop is: The attacks tend to unite diverse churches. Overall, God worshipers can relate to one another.

It seems to me that what is missing in the top two contenders for the Republican presidential nomination is passion. While Ron Paul speaks with passion of the Federal Reserve and Rick Santorum speaks with passion about life, Newt Gingrich speaks passionately mostly about Mitt Romney; and Mitt, it seems, merely speaks in sound bites.

The Fourth of July is a time of celebration for the principles underlying the Declaration of Independence:

The upcoming election is about Ann Romney, the First Lady Michelle Obama, you, my wife, and every woman in the United States who might lose their rights of choice if the GOP have their way in 2012. This fight isn’t about contraception, Ms. Turley-Hansen, it’s about a woman’s, and eventually everyone’s, right to make any decision for herself/themselves going forward in the future.

"I'm not going to panic about the financial news. Heck, my monies have been absorbed by big costly meds, costly food, just plain costly living."

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The Goldwater Institute filed a federal lawsuit Thursday to block national healthcare reform, arguing it violates the rights of a Tempe business owner, Arizona lawmakers and even members of Congress.