The Cook Account

Tony Snow

2008-07-13T14:56:00.005-04:00

In a world that believes, “To win, you must steal, cheat, and deceive,” Tony Snow proved otherwise.

Iran's Missile Propaganda Malfunction

2008-07-11T18:19:00.004-04:00

Drudge Report- Iran fakes missile test footage

Does it concern you that some people in Washington believe the United States should negotiate without preconditions with this regime?

Well, at least negotiations might give Iran a little more time to practice using Photoshop. (Or develop nuclear weapons.)

I wonder which one we should be more concerned about.

Iran Missile Tests

2008-07-10T08:07:00.005-04:00

Iran Test-Fires More Missiles in Gulf; Rice Issues Warning

Yesterday, Senator Graham of South Carolina said the worse thing we can do is to do nothing, while we can still do something. Iran is either serious about their intent to destroy Israel, or they are just bluffing. Which scenario do you want to take your chances with? If you were living in Israel, would that affect your decision?

Previous Posts:
Possible attack on Iran . . . by Israel
Wake Up, America
Iran Pushes Forward
Pursue All Options; Prepare for War
The Clock is Ticking
Evil Will Triumph If We Do Nothing

Dear Congress, You are Depressing

2008-07-08T11:33:00.002-04:00

Congressional Approval Falls to Single Digits for First Time Ever

Everything rises and falls on leadership.

Decisions

2008-07-07T09:10:00.003-04:00

A previous post discussed the importance of wise decisions; however, today, I would like to briefly discuss the simplistic (but, often overlooked) fact that we make decisions nearly every second of the day.

When your alarm clock woke you up this morning, did you decide to get out of bed or hit the snooze button?
When you opened your closet, did you decide to wear the red shirt or the blue one?
When you looked in the mirror, did you decide to iron that shirt?
When you were running out the door, did you decide to grab a breakfast bar, or purchase something at work?
When you saw that light turn from green to yellow, did you decide to stop or speed up?
When you saw the speed limit sign, did you decide you were running late so the sign didn’t matter?
When you saw the police car on the side of the road, did you decide to slow down?
When you got a break at work, did you decide to call your spouse and say “I love you”?

We may never be able to count the number of decisions we make in a given day, but one thing is certain- “The decisions we make directly impact us and those around us.” Whether we realize it or not, we show the world what is valuable to us by the decisions we make, and we determine the destination of our lives by what we decide is important.

One Country's Rejection of a Previously Accepted Evil

2008-07-05T13:29:00.010-04:00

Every country has segments of its history that few, if any, of its citizens are proud of. Although it goes without saying that America has much more to be proud of than ashamed of, America is definitely no exception to the rule, as we do indeed have our own miserable segments of National history.

As I read this story about the man who recently tore the head off a new wax sculpture of the heinous German leader Adolf Hitler, the fact that "it is illegal in Germany to show Nazi symbols and art glorifying Hitler," caught my attention and reminded me that any nation guilty of accepting evil at one point in its history can still choose to reject that evil.

It is my constant hope that one day, all Americans will look back and say, "It is a good thing that we ended the Accepted Evil of abortion in our country, and closed that dark chapter of our history." Just as many Germans do with regard to Nazism, and fortunately, just as most Americans already do with regards to things like genocide, slavery, and segregation.

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

2008-07-04T12:02:00.001-04:00

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Complete Document

How Can Someone Be Pro-life and Support the Death Penalty?

2008-07-04T10:50:00.004-04:00

I am opposed to abortion not on the grounds that it is taking a human life, but because it is taking an innocent human life. When a person is given the death penalty in our justice system after they have committed a heinous crime, that person is no longer innocent- they have been deemed guilty and convicted by a group of their peers after a due process after they have committed the crime.

The unborn are given death before they have been given the chance to even commit a crime.

You and I were allowed to live beyond the 7-9 month gestation period, and we can now choose to do whatever we please. We can live our lives however we want- even commit crimes if we want to- at least until the justice system kicks in, and we are arrested, taken to court, convicted, or released. The unborn are never given that chance. In my opinion, they experience a different “justice system;” they are never arrested, or taken to court, but they are most definitely sentenced to death.

The contrast is guilty versus innocent. Today, America grants the right to choose to throw away or keep innocent lives, while some anti-death penalty citizens fight to prolong the lives of those deemed guilty by our justice system, and that bothers me, partially because the unborn haven’t done anything wrong.

Of course, I know there are many more issues facing our country and most of them are of legitimate importance. The pro-life/pro-choice issue just happens to be the one I am the most passionate about.

Response to Obama Supporter

2008-07-04T00:25:00.006-04:00

A discussion recently took place on Chattanoogan.com regarding Senator Obama, and I decided to chime in. A certain Mr. Neff made the assertion that Christ does not approve of the taking of innocent life, and while I wholeheartedly agree with him, I believe that such an assertion is an extremely flawed avenue to take when defending or promoting Sen. Obama, primarily due to the fact that Sen. Obama appears to have little or no problem with the taking of an innocent life in or after an abortion- even a failed abortion in which the child is 100% alive.

(click here for the full article on the Chattanoogan)

(letter to Mr. Neff)

Mr. Charlie Neff,

Thank you for voicing your views and taking interest in our great American experiment in government. I would rather have 50% of the American people involved in the political process opposed to conservative principles, than have 50% of the American people indifferent and apathetic towards the entire political process. I’m glad you are at least engaged.

To the point:You said, ". . .but as I understand Scripture, I don’t think Christ would approve of bringing about the deaths of thousands of innocent victims as our little adventure in Iraq has done. . ."Sir, as I understand Scripture, Christ would not approve of bringing about the deaths of thousands of innocent victims as our acceptance of abortion as done.

No, Christ does not approve of the taking of innocent life, and Barack Obama's political views are quite contrary to "what Christ approves." In fact, Sen. Obama's repeated opposition to the Born Alive Infant Protection Act as a state senator raises serious questions as to whether or not Sen. Obama believes a child that survives an abortion- living, breathing, and heart beating- should be provided protection under the law. Congress passed this measure easily. Obama opposed it in Illinois; therefore, I believe this places him on the extreme fringe of liberalism, and further left than Sen. Kennedy, Boxer, or Kerry.

I also firmly believe every life has equal value. Sen. Obama clearly does not.

Jeremiah Cook

Learn more about Sen. Obama's repeated opposition to the Born Alive Infant Protection Act by clicking on the links below.
Transcript of Obama's verbal opposition to Born Alive on the IL Senate floor
Obama's "no" vote on the IL Senate floor
Jill Stanek
Citizen Link
Human Events
Illinois Right to Life

Perspective Questions on Life

2008-07-03T12:25:00.000-04:00

What does a mute person want to say more than anything?
What does a blind person want to see more than anything?
What does a deaf person want to hear more than anything?
What does a paralyzed person want to feel more than anything?
Where does a cripple person want to walk more than anywhere?

What does an unborn child want to experience more than anything?

Life?

How long would the unborn want to live? Breathe? Exist? Nine months? A few years? A lifetime?

How long would you want to live?
How long DO you want to live?

What would the unborn want to know more than anything? That they were wanted?
What would the unborn want to say more than anything? May I live, please? Mom? Dad?
What would the unborn want to see more than anything? Their mother’s smile?
What would the unborn want to hear more than anything? Their father’s voice?
What would the unborn want to feel more than anything? Their father’s embrace?
Where would the unborn want to go more than anywhere? Their mother’s arms?

What would the unborn ask to be given?

LIFE?

Trash Bins Searched as Woman Tells Police Boyfriend Threw Away Baby

2008-07-02T10:22:00.010-04:00

From FOX NEWS:
DETROIT — Detroit area authorities say they have been searching for a newborn whose mother told them was thrown away by her boyfriend. The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press and broadcast reports say police were looking for the baby Tuesday night and Wednesday morning following the 29-year-old woman's examination Tuesday at a hospital. They are also searching for her 35-year-old boyfriend, the baby's father. The Detroit woman, who was bloodied and caked with mud when she checked herself into the hospital, said she had suffered a miscarriage. But police say she later said her boyfriend had taken the baby from her and threw it into a trash bin. Officials don't know if the baby is alive.

I've seen three cases similar to this one in the past two weeks. As more situations like this occur, I believe an alarming number of people in our culture are unknowingly slipping into a mentality that life is only valuable if that particular life is wanted. I fear the outcry over horrible crimes like this one (if in fact, a crime did occur) is dwindling. America continues to embrace the Accepted Evil of abortion as more and more people become desensitized to reports that newborns are being thrown away like trash, left in a toilet, or taken to a laundry room to die.

If you consider yourself Pro-life, when is the last time you did something to promote the pro-life cause? When is the last time you showed compassion and care for a single mother or pregnant teenager? How often do you share your pro-life views with your co-workers, or attempt to keep them informed about situations like this one and the need to value every life.

Many good organizations and hard-working concerned citizens are presenting and arguing the pro-life case every day, and I commend them. I simply challenge you to recommit to this cause.

Same Sex Marriage- Chuck Colson sounds the alarm . . .

2008-07-01T15:30:00.003-04:00

The Coming Persecution

Is there a hidden agenda in the Same -Sex Marriage movement?
According to Colson:
"It is about forcing religious believers to accept the validity of the homosexual lifestyle—or else."

Possible attack on Iran . . . by Israel

2008-07-01T12:20:00.002-04:00

ABC News Story : Pentagon Official Warns of Israeli Attack on Iran

Israel has every right to protect its own people.

If our nation was the size of New Jersey, surrounded by hostile nations (which had already attempted to destroy us) and we were currently faced with a Holocaust denying radical president calling for our destruction, would we not consider a military strike to protect our country and prevent him from obtaining nuclear weapons?

(It would only take 2 atomic bombs to kill nearly half the Israeli population.)

Serious indeed. And, I believe if the United States was in the same situation, we would be taking the rising crisis as serious as the Israelis.

A lot more could be said here, and I understand the fears people have of possible retaliation if Israel or the United States attacked Iran, but with all of that taken into consideration, the risk of a nuclear attack on Israeli soil may be determined to be too great to avoid military intervention and simply hope for the best. (That philosophy ran into a little trouble in the '30s and '40s, and we would be foolish to attempt it again.)

Hard Work

2008-06-30T14:55:00.002-04:00

I have been able to listen a few times lately to Neal Boortz, and while I don't subscribe to everything he says, I do enjoy hearing him talk about things like the Fair Tax and the importance of a strong work ethic. Today he talked about 80 hour work weeks and driving home in the dark.

I just don't think its possible to attempt and achieve great things (or true contentment) without proper dedication to hard work.

Three things are necessary:

1. Discipline: Working harder and longer than anyone else.

2. Perseverance: Fighting through adversity and negativity.

3. Discernment: Making the right decision, at the right time, for the right reason.

Especially when no one is watching.

How Valuable is Life?

2008-05-24T23:51:00.000-04:00

How valuable is life?

How valuable is YOUR life? Better yet, how valuable is the life of the person you love the most?

Why does it make the news when workers are trapped in a coal mine? Why do we stare at the TV in shock when we learn an earthquake in China has killed tens of thousands of people? What makes our hearts ache when we hear a local high school student died in a car accident?

How valuable is life?

How far would you go to save the life of a loved one? What would you do to keep them alive? How far would you want someone to go to save YOUR life?

How valuable is life?

If your life was disabled indefinitely from a horrible accident, what would you want to happen to your life? If you were unable to communicate, would your loved ones keep you alive, or let you die? Can an accident change the value of your life? Do you think your life would be worth less?

If your most cherished loved one was disabled indefinitely, would you keep your loved one alive or let them die? Is their life worth less?

How valuable is life?

What if you were going to be disabled in a tragic accident tomorrow morning on your way to work? Would you rather die than live?

What if a person told you were going to be disabled in a tragic accident tomorrow morning on your way to work and you would remain on life support for 15 years, but at the end of that 15 years technology would be invented that would allow you to return to a “normal” life?

Would you want to wait 15 years? Would you wait 15 years for your loved one?

Who wouldn’t?

How valuable is life?

Over Prepare

2008-05-20T17:36:00.001-04:00

Over prepare. How many people over prepare? Most people under prepare. Most people try to prepare as little as possible and just get by. “How little can I prepare and still get away with it?” is the question most people appear to be asking themselves.

Have you ever finished a project, taken a test, given a speech, or presented material to your superiors, and after it was all said and done, thought to yourself, “Man, I wish I wouldn’t have spent so much time preparing”? I doubt that happens very often, but I wonder how many times in a week, or even how many times in a day, you have thought, “Man, I wish I would have prepared more for that.” Or, “why did I not spend more time preparing?!”

Has that happened to you? It sure has to me. And you know what? I’m kind of tired of those times. I’m fed up with them. I don’t want that to happen anymore. Under preparing has frustrated me much more than over preparing ever could.

I just watched an online video of leadership expert John Maxwell, and he said something to the effect of “Over prepare and go with the flow. It’s better than under preparing and trying to create a flow.”

I had a meeting today, and I felt slightly over prepared for the meeting. I wondered if I was taking the meeting and my role in it too seriously, but half-way through the meeting, I realized that I was indeed slightly over prepared and that realization was actually liberating. I had a firm grip on what was being covered and those I was leading would have a much better understanding of the subject matter because I was over prepared, and not under prepared.

“There are no traffic jams on the extra mile.” Over prepare.

58% Say Obama Denounced Wright for Political Convenience, not Outrage

2008-05-02T17:03:00.002-04:00

Rasmussen Reports

Leadership Thought

2008-05-01T19:54:00.003-04:00

Are you the respected Captain of the ship, or the chartered Bus driver?

One ensures the ship gets to where it needs to go, and does what it needs to do. The other goes wherever the passengers tell him to go.

Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright

2008-04-29T21:16:00.001-04:00

Welcome to school, America.

Course Title: Political Expediency 101

Course number: 2008

Professor: Barack Obama

Location: The United States

Current enrollment: TBA

Course objectives: The students will learn how to say and do whatever is in their political best interest. (And fool millions in the process.)

Rationale: Providing a basic study of American politics with a specific concentration in running for President, the course creates scenarios in which those aspiring to become great leaders can learn to be articulate, calculating, manipulative, and deceitful.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/04/29/obama-i-am-outraged-and-angered-by-wrights-comments/

http://news.yahoo.com/s/realclearpolitics/20080429/cm_rcp/obamas_remaining_problems

Jeremiah Wright

2008-04-28T21:01:00.002-04:00

With everyone in the political news arena salivating over the Jeremiah Wright controversy, I decided to follow the crowd and chime in.

Barack Obama has pointed to Rev. Wright as his spiritual mentor and we all know he attended his church for 20 years. Now, the American public has learned that Rev. Wright is simply anti-American. Sen. Obama has made his bed and is now being forced to lie in it. (And he's going to have to "lie" a lot to get out of this one.)

While Barack Obama is trying to avoid this controversy and run for President, Jeremiah Wright is obviously trying to make the most of the controversy and run for press coverage.

Mike Huckabee at CPAC

2008-02-09T16:04:00.000-05:00

This was a homerun derby.

Watch the video here.

Insurrection . . . will conservatives fight back?

2008-02-07T16:21:00.000-05:00

Now that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has suspended his bid for President, I must ask the following question: Will the conservative wing of the Republican Party mount a comeback and declare that they will not be forced into the "de facto" nomination of John McCain?

If you are a conservative, there is only one way to avoid John McCain becoming our nominee- support Mike Huckabee. He is a true conservative and has been his entire life. Gov. Huckabee has the experience of running a government- 10 1/2 years as Governor of Arkansas. He was elected not once, but four times in Arkansas and has never faltered in his stance upon conservative principles.

Remember, we not only need a conservative nominee this November, we need a nominee who can clearly communicate our conservative values. Mike Huckabee is the only candidate remaining who can do just that.

Huckabee wins West Virginia!

2008-02-05T17:01:00.000-05:00

Mike Huckabee wins West Virginia after Mitt Romney spends millions and comes up short.

Gov. Huckabee is continuing to prove that some Americans can NOT be bought.

mikehuckabee.com

Vote for Mike Huckabee Today!

2008-02-05T13:05:00.001-05:00

Today is the day! I implore you to take your vote very seriously. Vote for the next Great Communicator- Mike Huckabee.

Check these links out:

mikehuckabee.com

Alabama polls show Huckabee surge

Tennessee polls: Every vote is needed

Georgia, make history

You Can Trust Mike Huckabee

2008-02-02T23:48:00.001-05:00

Gov. Huckabee's life record as a pastor, Lt. Governor, and Governor is one of extreme integrity.

He did what he said he would do as Governor of Arkansas, and he has always carried out what he said he would do. He is honest. He is truthful and follows through. He says we need to secure the border, and I believe with all my heart he will do everything in his power as President to do so.

In a world where politics often reeks with the stench of corruption and "politician" is nearly synonymous with "deceit," "scandal," and "cover-up," Mike Huckabee is like a blast of fresh air- honest air.

Learn more: MikeHuckabee.com