U.S. Rep. John Murtha, an influential critic of the Iraq War whose congressional career was shadowed by questions about his ethics, died Monday. He was 77.

The Pennsylvania Democrat had been suffering complications from gallbladder surgery. He died at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., spokesman Matthew Mazonkey said.

Yet another seat unexpectedly open. This is certainly going to be an interesting year.

That puts Specter a little closer to earning the Democratic nomination for his seat in the next election, and facing the new Republican challenger, Pat Toomey. In an April 24th poll by USA Today, Toomey was leading Specter by 20%.

If the Democrats in Pennsylvania cannot field a candidate able to defeat Specter, Toomey will likely win the election.

Would any of this be happening if we repealed the 17th Amendment?

I am proud to say that my support of Jason Chaffetz puts me squarely in line with the principles of the Caucus, which has also endorsed Jason.

If it is not yet apparent to you how bad things are in Washington, maybe you need to find another source of news and information. The MOM (Move-On Media) is not telling you even half the story, and the part they are telling you is not even half true.

The answer is to simply stop listening to them. Turn off the TV; there’s very little of value on TV and a lot of indoctrination going on, even in the everyday sitcoms and drama series. You want news and information? Try talk radio. Yes, they are biased to one side of the political spectrum, but they will be the first to tell you that up front, unlike the MOM which pretends to be unbiased but isn’t. The broadcasters of Talk radio aren’t hiding things from you and aren’t twisting events to suit their worldview.

Most people I know, that listen to talk radio, are the most informed people I have come across. They take the news events that are described by the radio talkers and distill out the basic principles on their own. The more time they listen to talk radio, the more apt they are to being open to discussion on a host of issues.

What is truly ironic is that the proxies of the MOM almost always criticize listeners of talk radio as being stupid, uneducated, or brainwashed. Of course, the people who listen exclusively to MOM sources are never described in such condecending and patronizing terms. That, of itself, is proof that what I’m telling you is true.

So back to the orginal point, I would encourage you to watch the presentation of the Independence Caucus on their website. Find out what the MOM has not been telling you about the current situation. And join us!

FREDDOSO: Barbara Boxer had stood up and said, “I support this bill, everyone should vote for this bill.” Obama voted against it and that puts him on the very fringes when it comes to issues of human life at its very beginning.

GLENN: So wait a minute. He is Barbara Boxer was on the other side of this issue?

FREDDOSO: Yes, that’s right. Hillary Clinton was also on the other side. The vote was 98 0 and the two guys who weren’t there to vote were pro life Republicans. So basically every abortion proponent in the United States Senate is more protective of human life in its early stages than Senator Obama.

I am now horrified at the thought of this evil man becoming President of this country. He is not just mistaken; he is not just misguided or wrongheaded. There is no other valid description of Barak Obama than evil. Yes, that sounds terribly partisan and maybe unfair. But go read the transcript and see of you don’t agree with me afterwards. No-one with any sense of right and wrong could make the conscious decisions Obama has made in his political career and be called “simply misguided.”

The man or woman who takes up the mantle of the President of the United States must be prepared to “preserve and defend the Constitution,” which includes in the preamble our national intent to “secure the blessings of Liberty, to ourselves and our Posterity…”

In plain terms, the Founders recognized the Rights of the millions of the unborn that would follow after them; the Rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Our President must defend this. He must not be of the opinion that we can leave our babies to die, unloved and alone on a cold, metal slab in a medical supply closet, with only a blanket for companionship in their few moments of life. The man who serves in our highest office must be a man of the highest feelings and nobility towards his fellow man. Not one who so indifferently disposes of our most helpless citizens as a “punishment” for a mistake, or relief from inconvenience.

Having lost a child within this past year, my soul is inflamed with passion against this great evil. I held my beautiful, precious daughter in my arms as her death approached, prepared to give everything I had if I could stop it. I am offended that anyone would consider me part of that same family of beings who, were they in that situation, would turn away and leave that little one to die without even a tear shed for her loss. Yet, so it is.

I am left wondering, saddened and angered, at how the human mind can become so twisted and perverse as this, the heart so bereft of that natural affection which should dwell there. The President must not be of this low quality. Beyond the beautiful speeches and lofty rhetoric, he must be greater than most of us in his mind, and the “servant of all” in his heart. Barak Obama is neither.

First, Barak Obama has been all but confirmed as both President of the United States and the American Messiah by both American Democrats and the European Union, even despite his inability to say “merci beaucoup” correctly. Given several of his statements and the paternal advice he freely gives, it appears he has already accepted the title. Now he hopes the American people will elect him President, too!

Then Nancy Pelosi declared that she had “a world to save,” which precluded her from allowing a vote to come to the floor on drilling for oil in places where it is currently prohibited. Madame Speaker Pelosi realizes that your addiction to oil has clouded your vision concerning the fate of our planet, and has righteously intervened on your behalf. It’s not really disenfranchisement if it’s for a good cause.

Utah is not to be neglected by the Democratic elite. Bennion Spencer, running as the Democratic candidate in opposition to Jason Chaffetz, recently all but announced that he had obtained the endorsement of none other than Jesus Christ, himself.

Spencer: Jesus would vote for me!

Fearing that perhaps the word endorsement was too strong, Mr. Spencer has since backed away from his earlier claim to a more moderate position. According to Mr. Spencer, the Lord merely supports the same causes as he does, pointing to the Bible as evidence.

Jason Chaffetz’s position on immigration is impractical and intolerant, according to Mr. Bennion. We just don’t have the resources to round up 12 million illegal immigrants. I may not have heard Jason say we should round up all 12 million, but I’m sure that if Bennion says so, it must be true. After all, he wouldn’t lie if Jesus was really voting for him.

And, of course, Jesus would express tolerance for people who openly break the law. After all, they are different from us, so we should be tolerant. We should treat them differently than regular people who break the law because they come from Mexico; they might not even know what a law is.

We can trust Bennion Spencer to know the will of the Lord on the immigration issue. After all, he’s spent years shaping his political views around his religious faith. He’s so sure that he’s in tune that he’s made a new bumper sticker: “God is my running-mate.”

Mr. Spencer acknowledges that Christians think for themselves, and should vote according to their understanding of the issues. But we all know that when the Lord or one of his anointed speaks, the thinking has been done. So don’t trouble your soul with too much worrying about the elections this November. God has it all under control.