If you’re like me and you like your music to start off with the soulful moan of a fiddle or the mournful twang of a pedal steel guitar then you have to consider the internet as the greatest invention of mankind. It may very well be the savior of real country music. Now I know there are those out there who would love to dispute the meaning and content of real country music but this being my website we get to use my definition. If it doesn’t have a fiddle or a steel guitar and you can’t dance a two step to it then it better damn well discuss momma or drinkin’ or getting done wrong by a woman. What I mean is that country music best defined by Honky Tonk or Western Swing. Not any of that watered down rock and roll that Nashville routinely churns out nowadays, expecting real country fans to buy it up. Well no more. I know that Mick and Tall, Bull and D.P. and Spider and Bear would all agree with me that Nashville’s Music Row wouldn’t make a pimple on Bob Will’s ass. Hell Nashville killed off Hank Williams Sr. the best singer/songwriter to hit that town and then did its best to repeat the performance on Jr.

Now along comes satellite radio. No longer am I hostage to the playlists of some wet-nosed punk who couldn’t tell you what a honky tonk is and who thinks Bob Wills is the name of a car dealership somewhere. Thanks to the magic of satellite radio and channel 13 XM Radio, Willie’s Place, I don’t hardly ever have to hear a bad song, except of few of Willie’s himself. Gawd I liked Willie Nelson a whole lot better when he had short hair and wasn’t so fond of homegrown Arkansas herbs. Y’know before he made Honeysuckle Rose and began listening to everyone who told him that he could transcend Country Music. Now his braids are too tight and he feels compelled to offer stupid leftist talking points on foreign policy. Who says marijuana isn’t harmful? In any event, Willie’s Place XM Radio 13 still offers classic country and lots of it. You aren’t going to hear anything from Shania Twain or Faith Hill on that station. Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney? Who are they?

Nope, you tune into Willie’s Place to hear old gems and new talent who can pick and grin with the best of them. Old Timers like Johnny Bush, Mel Tillis and Ray Price and newcomers like Justin Trevino, Bobby Flores and Amber Digby. These were all talents that I thought had long disappeared along with my honky-tonkin’ days, somewhere behind me. Thanks to Willie’s Place I’ve discovered that there are plenty of folks out there that Nashville wishes you’d never heard of. Folks who are still playing and making that real honky tonk sound deep in the heart of Texas. Folks like Amber Digby, Justin Trevino, Jake Hooker, Jody Nix, Curtis Potter, Sunny Sweeney, Dale Watson and Bobby Flores are all turning out classic country sounds and albums. Just check out Bobby Flores CD Just For The Record, there isn’t a bad tune on it and the whole thing is almost a tribute to Ray Price and Johnny Bush. Then there is Amber Digby’s new release, Here Come the Teardrops, again not a bad song on it and she sounds like a cross between Connie Smith and Loretta Lynn with better steel guitar accompaniment.

Now you’re never going to hear these folks on mainstream country radio. As Heather Myles sings, Nashville’s Gone Hollywood. So I am going to include links here to a couple of my favorite music ordering sites where you can still find that Texas Honky Tonk sound. Give Justin, Bobby, Amber and Sunny a listen, you’ll find you want to hear more and hot damn….if Nashville can make a hit singer out of freakin’ Kenny Chesney are you telling me they can’t make Jake Hooker a star? I’m telling you these folks don’t compromise on the country, and just for that Nashville will never give them a hand…so let’s support them around here. Besides, what better way to celebrate our milestone of 50,000 visitors here since our start than to have a good ol’fashioned bbq and dance? Allright now get out there and get it done all you Johnny and Janey Rebs…

Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2010
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family

First off some good news from Iraq here. An article about a Marine sniper doing a great job, let’s pray for him. I just can’t believe the article made it into a mainstream newspaper.

In any event, I had stated upon my return from Mexico that I wanted to post some observations from my trip there. I think this is pertinent since the international left is attempting to organize massive protests in Mexico City this weekend over the apparent victory of Felipe Calderon in the recent Mexican Presidential election. The leftist candidate is even referring to himself as the Mexican President. Why is it all the lefties are delusional and suffer from narcissistic impulses? For you political newcomers let me advise you that Calderon is the Mexican equivalent of a Republican. He is business friendly, anti-socialism and he believes in providing Mexicans with jobs in order to staunch the flow of illegal immigrants to the US. I mention this because what I saw in Puerto Vallarta did much to convince me that this just might be the correct solution.

First thing I noticed as I lounged poolside enjoying an adult beverage and fine cigar was that there were many more private yachts and sailboats in Banderas Bay than I have observed in the past. To my mind this is good. Some of those are undoubtedly private pleasure craft but many of them represent entrepreneurial spirit, charter boats for fishing and diving. In any case, a boat is a large investment, this means that cash is flowing into the Mexican economy and they are spending it. As we have seen here, consumerism can drive an economy and believe it or not, Mexico is currently the 12th largest economy in the world. It will get bigger.

The next thing I noted was construction. Everywhere there were construction projects going on. In the past I have seen the same being done with archaic tools and no particular hurry. Now there is modern equipment being put to use and things are going up in a rush. New roads and bridges and massive new resorts including a Venetian like the resort in Las Vegas. Once again that means capital investments and that means money and jobs created which in turn just go to fuel the economy further.

While in downtown proper I noted a couple of subtle things as well. First of all, the lack of pobrecitos. One of the cherished American stereotypes of Mexico is the small child rushing up to you entreating you to buy Chiclets. Well in the past you were swarmed and in border towns this has probably not changed much. Well I was in Puerto Vallarta for a week and I was approached by only one (1) child in this manner. Granted, this is merely anecdotal evidence but to me it points to improving conditions for the Mexican poor. The last thing I noted was something so subtle that only a cop would pick it up and it has to do with the Mexican police.

In the past, I have observed Mexican police in mismatched uniforms and leather gear. One would have shining leather and the next would be moldy. One would have a revolver and the next would have a rusty sixgun. Radios were a dream and most cops had a whistle to summon assistance. A Chevy truck would drive down the Malecon with 3 cops in front and 3 more in the back. Not now. I noted Mexican police in new uniforms with standard nylon webgear. Glocks were standard issue and each two man team had a radio assigned to it. Whereas there had been 6 cops to a truck only 5 years ago, now there were three police trucks with two cops inside instead. This points to money getting to the lowest rungs of government. That is good, since we all know how rife corruption is in our southern neighbor.

Some of you all know that I am conversant in Spanish. I took the opportunity to talk to many workers, mostly cabbies and maids and hotel staff. They all wanted Felipe Calderon to win. Now granted, this was Jalisco, which is the Texas of Mexico and is a conservative state but then again I wasn’t interviewing the cream of society either. They almost universally agreed that while they may not like Vincente Fox, that things are better in Mexico, they have more money and better jobs available and few of them wanted to see the leftist Obrador come to power and piss off the United States. All of them feared his friendship with the nutbag Chavez in Venezuela. One cabbie I talked to agreed that there are fewer poor in the streets and he said this was due to the availability of jobs. He told me that I wouldn’t know it but there was a drought in that region. In the past the poor farmers would have come to town to beg but now with all the construction they come to town and they go to work instead. That is progress folks and I hate to think that a leftist who hasn’t learned that socialism is a failure threatens it because he can’t understand that he lost an election.

Hmmmm….sounds like someone I’ve heard of before…and you just know he’s a democrat….

Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2010
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family

What a great weekend. First of all Tiger Woods straps some eat my dust on a field of Europretenders and wins his 3rd British Open. Then even better, an American named Floyd Landis, who has an arthritic hip goes out and makes the frenchies absolutely apopletic by winning the Tour de France. Quick someone hand the frenchies a gun so they can end their national misery before they become another province of Algeria. Next thing you know, someone will notice that California makes better wine than the swill that passes for french fruit of the vine...oh wait, that's already happened, look here.

Speaking of impotence, I see ol' Kofi Annan opening his piehole today sniveling that a ceasefire is needed in Lebanon and that Syria and Iran must be made party to the negotiations. Sure there Kofi, exactly how many fraudulently opbtained American tax dollars do you have invested in Iranian oil? Inquiring minds want to know. Now then why should Israel negotiate with terrorists? The United States does not, it is part and parcel of our national policy so why should the Israelis' be held hostage to a policy that is manifestly different from that adhered to by almost all other civilized nations. The simple answer is that they should not. The Israelis should do exactly what they're doing, ignore the paederasts and kiddie rapists at the UN and keep on killing terrorists. Each one they whack now, is one less that Americans will have to dispose of later in this international game of "Whack a mole"...

Of course I see that Syria is loudmouthing today that any expansion of the attacks in Lebanon will force them to come to the assistance of the Lebanese against the Israelis. My first thought was that this was merely Arabic bluster. Big hat, no cattle talk. Now I'm reconsidering that opinion. We all know with certainty now that Saddam Hussein had WMD prior to our invasion of Iraq. Although the left ignores the evidence, (like the OJ jury leftists ignore the obvious)many intelligence experts have said that the WMD were likely moved overland into Syria during the run up to war. This is likely and I'm certain our satelites captured the movement on tape. It seems to me that perhaps we are going to use this information as leverage while Condi negotiates the best possible deal for the Israelis who remain busily engaged in spanking Hezbollah in the meantime. In the words of Tom Clancy it looks like the Syrians need to be reminded that if you kick a tiger in the ass, you'd better have a plan to deal with his teeth.

Now I might be wrong about those stockpiled WMDs being in Syria. Even if I am though, there is no denying that behind Iran and North Korea, Syria is the greatest sponsor of terror in the world. That alone makes them prime candidates for the next application of the Bush Doctrine. Personally however, I'd rather see the Mad Mullahs in Tehran dealt with. That would send a message to the Syrians loud and clear, abandoned as they are by most of the Arab World. A little economic isolation and military ruination go a long way towards encouraging attitude adjustments. Let's just hope that President Bush and Condoleeza Rice listen to Hank Williams Jr. on occasion, after all he is a Republican...

Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2010
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family

Having just returned from a restful vacation in Mexico, I had been anticipating posting some observations of mine from that sojourn. That seems a quaint notion in light of whats been happening in the world since our return. I still intend to post those observations as I think they are germane to the immigration debate we are having and I did take the opportunity to speak to numerous Mexican nationals while there. I think that many Americans may be heartened by what I saw and found during my vacation. However that will have to wait for the next column. Right now, I think it best if we had a little refresher on that most impotent and useless of international bodies…the United Nations.

OK I shouldn’t call the UN useless. After all their mere existence and the presence of their headquarters in New York serves to keep countless cabbies and hookers gainfully employed. Otherwise, the existence of this body is a blight on humanity. There are two things at which UN Ambassadors excel, endless, pointless chatter that resolves nothing and passing out food parcels on the dime of the American taxpayer. In light of the current situation in Israel, I can’t see a need for anymore idle chit chat and no one is complaining of hunger pangs yet in Beirut so in my humble opinion there is no need for the UN to get involved.

Not that their involvement would accomplish anything. As we saw last weekend with the passing of a resolution against the North Koreans for continuing their nuclear weapons program, the passing of a resolution is pointless without the force to back it up. The left opines about an American foreign policy that is conducted at the muzzle of a gun. I have news for the lefties, ALL effective foreign policy has traditionally originated at the point of a weapon whether it was Roman pilum, Spanish sabers, Royal Navy cannon or American cruise missiles. Strong policy is enacted because the other side understands that you have the ability to enforce the policy agreed to and dire consequences result when the policy is violated. The North Koreans set a record by rejecting the resolution in under an hour. They scoff at us precisely because they know that as long as we bind our decisionmaking process to that of the UN and the utterly corrupt Security Council, they need not fear us.

What we currently lack, thanks to the never ending assault of the secular left upon our educational institutions, is a national will to enforce change. We can see the same result in Israel right now. Their Prime Minister Olmert is a leftist at heart and thus Israel has not shown the will to do what needs to be done. That is the complete annihilation of both Hamas and Hezbollah through the use of ground troops. This may yet occur and it needs to. Iran and Syria must also be made to pay for their support of international terror and any potential that Israel might strike Iran must be enabled and assisted by the United States in any fashion possible. Two years ago, the UN passed resolution 1559 which stipulated that a peacekeeping force would be established in Southern Lebanon and also mandated the disarming of Hezbollah. Naturally nothing has been done.

Why is this so? Because while the UN may do wonders with food packages and plundering oil for food profits, while they may excel at raping young girls in Third World nations while turning a blind eye towards official corruption, they are unable to enforce a peace in the Middle East without a military arm owing their allegiance to the UN. Americans I pray would never allow the US Military to become such an instrument. Once again, effective foreign policy emanates from the barrel of a gun. Like it or not lefties, but that is life in the real world both on the street and in the world arena. Common gangsters in Los Angeles understand the concept quite well. Unfortunately for us, our State Department is largely populated by cringing poltroons educated at Harvard and Yale and therefore have no concept of life in the real world.

Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2010
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family