Pray for Obama: Psalm 109:8

Psalm 109:8 May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership.

2nd Amendment Wisdom

Below is an email I received earlier this morning. Most are stated in jest--but have a lot of truth behind the comical words. I understand the want to keep our citizen's safe. What I can't understand is the thought that TAKING AWAY guns from honest citizens will do the job. I'm not sure how many of you have had the privilege of being a part of an urban community, whether by being a neighbor, working there or attending a school. I'm not sure it really matters. If you have been a part of an urban community you KNOW that the "bad apples" don't care what the law says. They don't care if the 2nd Amendment is revoked. They will find guns and they will use them. So, you have your law abiding citizens that have done away with their guns, because they are illegal, suddenly faced with a law breaker who has a gun. Where is the protection in that?

Also, I once again feel that there is an ulterior motive behind making gun laws so strict or doing away with them altogether. Like I stated yesterday, this is a sneaky, sneaky administration that adores Chicago-style politics. Take away the guns from EVERYBODY except...those in power. Frightening. Frightening. Frightening.

Have a great weekend. Enjoy football and cool fall weather. These days we have to fight or dig our heads in the sand. On the weekends, I choose the latter of the two. Who Dat?!?

Clint Smith, Director of Thunder Ranch, is part Drill Instructor, And part standup comic. Here are a few of his observations on Tactics, firearms, self defense and life as we know it in the Civilized world.

"The handgun would not be my choice of weapon if I knew I was going to a fight....I'd choose a rifle, a shotgun, an RPG or an atomic Bomb instead."

"The two most important rules in a gunfight are: Always cheat and Always win."

"Every time I teach a class, I discover I don't know something."

"Don't forget, incoming fire has the right of way."

"Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, cause it's going to be empty."

"If you're not shootin', you should be loadin'. If you're not loadin, you should be movin', if you're not movin', someone's gonna Cut your head off and put it on a stick."

"When you reload in low light encounters, don't put your flashlight in your back pocket... If you light yourself up, you'll look like an angel or the tooth fairy...Then you're gonna be one of 'em pretty soon."

"Do something. It may be wrong, but do something.."

"Nothing adds a little class to a sniper course like a babe in a Ghilliesuit."

"Shoot what's available, as long as it's available, until something else becomes available."

"If you carry a gun, people will call you paranoid. That's ridiculous... If I have a gun, what in the hell do I have to be paranoid for."

"Don't shoot fast, shoot good."

"You can say 'stop' or 'alto' or use any other word you think will work but I've found that a large bore muzzle pointed at someone's head is pretty much the universal language."

"You have the rest of your life to solve your problems. How long you live depends on how well you do it."

"You cannot save the planet. You may be able to save yourself and your family."

"Thunder Ranch will be here as long as you'll have us or until someone makes us go away and either way it will be exciting."

More Excellent Gun Wisdom.......The purpose of fighting is to Win!

There is no possible victory in defense.. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more important than either.

The final weapon is the brain. All else is supplemental.

1. Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, He'll just kill you.

2. If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.

3. I carry a gun cause a cop is too heavy.

4. When seconds count, the cops are just minutes away.

5. A reporter did a human-interest piece on the Texas Rangers. The reporter recognized the Colt Model 1911 the Ranger was carrying and asked him 'Why do you carry a 45?' The Ranger responded, 'Because they don't make a 46.'

6. An armed man will kill an unarmed man with monotonous regularity.

7. The old sheriff was attending an awards dinner when a lady commented on his wearing his sidearm. 'Sheriff, I see you have your pistol. Are you expecting trouble?' 'No ma'am. If I were expecting trouble, I would have brought my rifle.'

8. Beware the man who only has one gun. He probably knows how to use it!

'The true Soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because He loves what is behind him.'

A people that values its privileges above its principles will soon lose both.

'Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not..' ~ Thomas Jefferson

"A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy." --Samuel Adams

If you believe in the 2nd Amendment, please forward. I just did.

The Axis of Idiots

This is an email I received yesterday. I didn't write this--but in my disclaimer from yesterday, at least I'm VISITING my blog, right? I mean, it's really sad when you get your weekly reports and there are ZERO hits. I hope some of you come back to visit. Sorry for the absence. Anyway, I thought there were some pretty good points made here. Send to your friends, repost on your blog!!

"The Axis of Idiots" J.D. Pendry, Retired Sergeant Major, USMC

Jimmy Carter, you are the father of the Islamic Nazi movement. You threw the Shah under the bus, welcomed the Ayatollah home, and then lacked the spine to confront the terrorists when they took our embassy and our people hostage. You're the "runner-in-chief."

Bill Clinton, you played ring around the Lewinsky while the terrorists were at war with us. You got us into a fight with them in Somalia and then you ran from it. Your weak-willed responses to the USS Cole and the First Trade Center Bombing and Our Embassy Bombings emboldened the killers. Each time you failed to respond adequately, they grew bolder, until 9/11/2001.

John Kerry, dishonesty is your most prominent attribute. You lied about American Soldiers in Vietnam .. Your military service, like your life, is more fiction than fact. You've accused our military of terrorizing women and children in Iraq .. You called Iraq the wrong war, wrong place, wrong time, and the same words you used to describe Vietnam . You're a fake! You want to run from Iraq and abandon the Iraqis to murderers just as you did to the Vietnamese. Iraq , like Vietnam , is another war that you were for, before you were against it.

John Murtha, you said our military was broken. You said we can't win militarily in Iraq . You accused United States Marines of cold-blooded murder without proof and said we should redeploy to Okinawa . Okinawa, John? And the Democrats call you their military expert! Are you sure you didn't suffer a traumatic brain injury while you were off building your war hero resume? You're a sad, pitiable, corrupt, and washed up old fool. You're not a Marine, sir. You wouldn't amount to a good pimple on a real Marine's ass. You're a phony and a disgrace. Run away, John..

Dick Durbin, you accused our Soldiers at Guantanamo of being Nazis, tenders of Soviet style gulags and as bad as the regime of Pol Pot, who murdered two million of his own people after your party abandoned Southeast Asia to the Communists. Now you want to abandon the Iraqis to the same fate. History was not a good teacher for you, was it? Lord help us! See Dick run.

Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Carl Levine, Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein, Russ Feingold, Pat Leahy, Barack Obama, Chuck Schumer, the Hollywood Leftist morons, et al, ad nauseam: Every time you stand in front of television cameras and broadcast to the Islamic Nazis that we went to war because our President lied, that the war is wrong and our Soldiers are torturers, that we should leave Iraq, you give the Islamic butchers - the same ones that tortured and mutilated American Soldiers - cause to think that we'll run away again, and all they have to do is hang on a little longer. It is inevitable that we, the infidels, will have to defeat the Islamic jihadists. Better to do it now on their turf, than later on ours after they have gained both strength and momentum.

American news media, the New York Times particularly: Each time you publish stories about national defense secrets and our intelligence gathering methods, you become one united with the sub-human pieces of camel dung that torture and mutilate the bodies of American Soldiers. You can't strike up the courage to publish cartoons, but you can help Al Qaeda destroy my country. Actually, you are more dangerous to us than Al Qaeda is. Think about that each time you face Mecca to admire your Pulitzer.

You are America 's 'AXIS OF IDIOTS.' Your Collective Stupidity will destroy us.. Self-serving politics and terrorist-abetting news scoops are more important to you than our national security or the lives of innocent civilians and Soldiers It bothers you that defending ourselves gets in the way of your elitist sport of politics and your ignorant editorializing. There is as much blood on your hands as is on the hands of murdering terrorists. Don't ever doubt that. Your frolics will only serve to extend this war as they extended Vietnam . If you want our Soldiers home as you claim, knock off the crap and try supporting your country ahead of supporting your silly political aims and aiding our enemies.

Yes, I'm questioning your patriotism. Your loyalty ends with self. I'm also questioning why you're stealing air that decent Americans could be breathing. You don't deserve the protection of our men and women in uniform. You need to run away from this war, this country. Leave the war to the people who have the will to see it through and the country to people who are willing to defend it.

Our country has two enemies: Those who want to destroy us from the outside and those who attempt it from within.

Semper Fi, J. D. Pendry - Sergeant Major, USMC, Retired

Justice Department Knows Best

In November 2008, the town of Kinston, North Carolina voted overwhelmingly to remove partisan elections for city officials, thus having non-partisan races (like 98.4% of other municipalities in North Carolina currently practice).

Apparently, according the DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE--this vote was (are you ready for it?) RACIST. Nevermind that the city has a black majority. (Those silly black folk just don't know what's good for themselves I suppose, and for you folks that read black and white, that statement was what we call SARCASM).

And just in case you want to accuse me of making this up... you can read all about it in the Washington Post, here.

"The Justice Department's ruling, which affects races for City Council and mayor, went so far as to say partisan elections are needed so that black voters can elect their "candidates of choice" - identified by the department as those who are Democrats and almost exclusively black...

...The department ruled that white voters in Kinston will vote for blacks only if they are Democrats and that therefore the city cannot get rid of party affiliations for local elections because that would violate black voters' right to elect the candidates they want."

I'm not sure what infuriates me more on this issue. The fact that the Justice Department (ummm...FEDERAL) is telling a local government (ummm...STATE) what it can and cannot do --or the fact that someone in our federal government actually BELIEVES that black voters NEED the "democrat" title next to a name in order to know who to vote for.

When is this going to stop? The Federal goverment are overstepping their boundaries in so many forms and fashions these days that it is becoming almost comical. I would think I was watching a bad movie if I wasn't witnessing each and every day.

On another note: I deeply apologize for my lack of posting here at Bless Our Hearts. I have A LOT on my plate at the moment and I had to make some decisions/cuts. One of the "cuts" had to be this blog for several reasons. First, I keep having panic attacks when I think and/or talk about today's current events. Second, some of the things going on in my life are a once in a lifetime deal and I have to give them priority (I know...so ellusive, huh?). Thirdly, I will simply repeat my first excuse. I seriously keep having panic attacks when I think too much about all this business. The General assures me he has some work to contribute so that we don't completely lose our readership during my hiatus. Let's see if he means business shall we?

A Short Rune on Dissent

A Short Rune on Dissent

Ah, the cool winds of spring bring a calm precision As the pieces, masterminded by the shameless, fall into place. But summer brings a dissonance As novice, eclectic dissidents descend, Bearing stakes bangled with fluttering hues, muttering apprehension Yet, screaming comprehension. Alas, it is but a dissent of harmless tea, petty reply to the pantheon of the left, Searching for a leveling of excesses, a return to principle.

Abused and Ignored, the beating keystones of our Great Thought Are reduced, demeaned, desocialized by the dissembling mob of nine. We lay in wait, but have awakened. Mark this, Foolish One – it bodes ill for thee. Liberty embraced shall break your hold! Sycophant plans exalted, amended, then dashed. Skulk to that great Pale Abode and wait, concupiscent of change. Your taking-time has passed, and We shall be abused no more!

© 2009, The General

Hollywood and Mainstream Media

Do you ever get SO frustrated with today's celebrities that you literally turn off the television--or bypass seeing a movie, just because someone plays a leading role? I do. Far too often. In fact, I sometimes battle with not going to see a blockbuster simply because I do not agree with the actors' personal beliefs.

Some (ok, most) of my friends tell me I'm ridiculous, but am I? These people tell us what we should do with our lives, how we should treat people, what we should give away, who we should vote for--though they don't follow their own advice (well except who to vote for). They lecture us from their million dollar homes. What makes them an expert in today's world? The fact that they made millions of dollars by pretending to be somebody else?!? I'm tired of listening to someone who has no idea what it is like to be an "average Joe" tell me what I should do in my home or how I should live my life.

I came across a speech that Pat Sajak gave in 2002. He took the thoughts and points I make on a daily basis and said them so eloquently that I felt I must share with blog land. Here's the full speech.

"...Former CBS News-man Bernard Goldberg has written a best- selling book called Bias, in which he maintains that the real problem with the media is not a bias based on liberal vs. conservative or Republican vs. Democrat. It is a bias based on the sameness of worldview caused by social, intellectual, educational and professional inbreeding. These are folks who travel in the same circles, go to the same parties, talk to the same people, compare their ideas to people with the same ideas, and develop a standard view on issues that makes any deviation from them seem somehow marginal, or even weird...

...At a dinner party in Los Angeles recently, our hostess was about to say some grudgingly kind words about President Bush and the way he was handling the War on Terror. She prefaced her remarks by saying, "Now I know everyone at this table voted for Al Gore, but ..." Well, she knew no such thing. She just presumed it. It's what "right-thinking" people did. This "false reality" is a phenomenon that permeates media circles.

It's the phenomenon that caused Pauline Kael, former film critic for The New Yorker, to remark after Richard Nixon's election sweep in 1972, "I can't believe it! I don't know a single person who voted for him." This was a man who won in 49 out of 50 states, and she didn't know one person who voted for him. And I don't think she was dealing in hyperbole. She simply had never met those people. She couldn't believe they really existed...

... It's the phenomenon that explains Hollywood's disdain for Big Business. You read about it in the newsmagazines and see it in the movies. Big Business is bad. The people who run these businesses are heartless, often criminal, brutes. There is no regard for the little guy. Thousands are laid off while the greedy business executives reap windfall profits. Never mind that some of the biggest and least-competitive businesses are in entertainment. They merge, they lay off thousands, while stock options accrue to the top executives. Top talent at networks and in movies get tens — even hundreds — of millions while so many of their co-workers, the little people they care so much about, lose their jobs. They simply don't see the contradiction. They are above it..."

I especially like the Big Business "evil" monster. I keep intending to do a piece on Michael Moore's new movie: "Capitalism: A Love Story." I think Jay Leno summed it up best last week when he said in more or less words--yes Michael. Capitalism is sooooo evil. It's so evil that all that profit you're making from the movie tickets and all the profits you are making off the items being sold along side the release of your movie is only ok, what, if it lines YOUR pockets???

I pledge allegiance

Aired in 1969. Lest we forget the true meaning of our Pledge. Isn't it amazing that something spoken back in 1969 by a comedian could be so true today?

more on that pesky subject: Healthcare

The following is a letter sent out to the New Orleans Tea Party participants. The author of the letter is an orthdontist in the Greater New Orleans area. His words hit several points I've tried to make time and again right on the head. The government makes things WORSE on a national level.:

Dear Tea Party Patriots, This one is a little long, so grab a cup of coffee or your favorite beverage as you read along.

As we approach the end of September, we know that, insofar as health care legislation is concerned, we are getting close to "put up or shut up" time for those we have elected to serve in Washington DC. I think we now all appreciate why it has been said that "laws are like sausages; it is better not to see either one of them being made."

What is it that people on all sides of the debate basically agree upon? Each of us would like to spend the least amount of our income on health care expenses. At the same time, we concede that having high quality care comes at an expense. That said, there are four things I hold with conviction:

(1) I believe health care and health insurance DOES NOT not have to be as expensive at it has become. (2) I belive that, with certain changes, health care expenses CAN be an affordable part of nearly every American's budget. (3) I believe that, when you break it all down, the biggest explanation for the rapidly escalating price of health insurance has been and continues to be.............government involvement. (4) I believe, with government out of the way, we can and will find a way to take care of everyone WITHOUT busting the bank. Allow me to elaborate. As far back as 1950, research shows that health care spending accounted for less than 5% of America's gross domestic product (GDP). By the early 1990's, it had reached approximately 13% of GDP and today it is close to 18% of the GDP. If left unchecked, it is projected to reach 20% of GDP by 2018 and will negatively impact the country's ability to fund other more pressing goals, not the least of which is national security and national defense. http://www.kff.org/insurance/upload/7692_02.pdf How did it get this way? Many people point to the great technological advances and improvements in prescription drugs over the last two decades. And while there is no doubt that newer technology and improved drugs contribute to escalating costs, they are just not enough to provide the entire explanation. The better explanation is how we now pay for medical care. In the "good old days," patients paid their doctors for services rendered. There was free competition amongst doctors, which helped control costs, and patients themselves behaved responsibly. They did not run to the doctor for every little sniffle or cough because (1) they figured they already knew what the doctor was going to recommend and (2) they knew there was a price to pay for an office visit. They used common sense to influence their decision of when to seek out a doctor and only went when they thought something might be serious.

Today, few people hesitate to run to the doctor because they know their own out-of-pocket expense is mostly (if not entirely) going to be covered by their insurance. Common sense plays no role in their decision. They figure "I've already paid for the insurance. I might as well use it." That kind of mentality, along with the way we pay for health care today, is at the very root of the problem.

I will get back to that issue in a moment, but there is another factor that compunds the problem. Several years ago in a faraway distant land, doctors used their diagnostic skills, training and experience to determine which limited tests he/she needed to establish a proper diagnosis. Again, this was paid for by the patient out of pocket, but NOT at an exorbitant cost. If it had been too expensive, doctors would have gone out of business because most people could not have afforded to pay their bills.

Today, that same doctor no longer relies on his/her training, but instead on a battery of unnecessary tests, scans, etc. to arrive at that same diagnosis. This, all at major expense not to the patient, but to the patient's insurance company. Why? On the off chance that the patient has a condition that is found in less than 1 - 5% of all patients, the doctors must literally rule out practically every known medical condition that might possibly be producing the patient's symptoms. And we all know why? The public used to understand and appreciate that (1) doctors are human and (2) treatment of the human body comes with no guarantees. A poor treatment outcome is NOT, in and of itself, a situation of medical malpractice. Yet today, patients with unfavorable outcomes often assume the doctor did something wrong. Or, even if they don't believe this to be true, they see it as a potential lottery ticket. They know that medical malpractice insurance companies will often settle out of court to avoid the time and expense associated with a trial. Yes, doctors make mistakes and doctors SHOULD be held accountable for poor treatment (as determined by their medical peers who set the standards for medical care). But malpractice lawsuits are OUT OF CONTROL and this most certainly drives up the total cost of medical care. In many instances, hospitals pay for their doctors' malpractice insurance and those costs are passed on to ALL of us via increased insurance premiums.

Now, back to the discussion of cost and how we got here. In 1965, the federal government stuck its inefficient and frequently corrupt nose into health care. It established Medicare for people aged 65 and older as a means of providing health insurance coverage to senior citizens. It simultaneously established Medicaid for low-income families and people with certain disabilities. I sincerely believe that the inflationary spiral in health care costs that we are experiencing today is directly correlated to these entitlement programs. Why?

The primary explanation is that Medicare and Medicaid essentially removed the doctor and the patient from cost-consciousness. If you and I win a gift card that allows us to spend as much as we want for a night out at Commander's Palace (for those of you NOT from New Orleans, it's one of our more fine --- and expensive -- dining establishments), we will probably order a great bottle of wine, appetizers, entree's, desserts, and perhaps an after-dinner liquor. If, however, the evening is on our own nickel, our wine selection might be a little less ambitious, we might skip the appetizers, and after-dinner drinks are probably out as well. In fact, we might not even go to Commander's Palace in the first place. Do you follow where I am going? Thanks to government's intrusion into health care WITH SEEMINGLY GOOD INTENTIONS, the unintended consequences have placed us in this untenable situation TODAY. The government, doctors and patients view it as "FREE MONEY" and the uninhibited spending habits learned from within the Medicare/Medicaid system gradually filtered into the private health insurance industry as consumers (patients) came to expect to have no additional out-of-pocket expenses for their health care.

And how ANYONE within earshot of this e-mail can place ANY confidence in government's ability to restrain spending and bend the cost curve downward over time is absolutely incomprehensible to me. You may twist the interpretation, but HISTORY DOESN'T LIE.

Medicare currently has just over $89 trillion in unfunded liabilities. An unfunded liability is the difference between the benefits that have been promised to current and future recipients versus what will be collected in dedicated taxes and Medicare premiums. If no other reform is enacted, this funding gap can only be closed in future years by substantial tax increases, large benefit cuts or both. In 1965, the government projected that Medicare expenses through 1990 would be $9 billion. Guess what?? Actual costs ended up being $67 billion !!! In 2003, the 10-year estimate for Medicare's drug benefit was $409 billion. Guess what?? Within just 3 years, it was re-calculcated at $1.2 trillion. The current estimate is that the President's health care reform plan will cost $800 billion to $1 trillion over 10 years. What do you think it will actually cost? And who do you think will end up paying for it?

Before Medicare was enacted, people understood that it was THEIR responsibility to plan and budget for basic health care and catastrophic health insurance, especially as they got older. But because government had not yet stuck its nose into the health care industry, basic health care costs and catastrophic insurance WERE ACTUALLY AFFORDABLE and would not break the budgets of people without active income.

Prior to government intrusion, the health care system worked fine. Patients had many choices amongst different types of doctors and they could find doctors they liked no matter what their budgets. Care was affordable. In the years following government intrusion, costs have gotten out of control, patients have less confidence in their doctors, lawsuits are out of control and medical costs are becoming unaffordable for the average person.

As a consequence, the government and, for that matter, the entire country is engaged in a bitter debate on how to "fix" the system the government screwed up in the first place. Our "leaders" believe that solutions include "cost-effective comparisons", government mandates, a government-run (public) option and various and sundry other GOVERNMENT solutions. Are we out of our minds?

And, for just a moment, let's ignore the cost aspect. When has ANY GOVERNMENT entity successfully run an entitlement program? Again, HISTORY DOESN'T LIE. In the United Kingdom, which has universal health care, there are an estimated 750,000 people on hospital waiting lists. And we've all heard about the horror stories of waiting to see a specialist in Canada.

Our government "leaders" try to use all the key words and phrases to make this all sound so reasonable, ethical and logical, i.e. "quality, affordable health care for all Americans." Who amongst you believes this will be the true end result? How can you possibly have such confidence when nothing in our country's history (or any country for that matter) demonstrates this will be the case in the future?

We MUST gradually phase government OUT of the health care industry and, yes, that means ending Medicare at some point in the future. The immediate gut-check response from some of you will be terror at the thought of losing your Medicare. But please remember that I said a gradual phase-out. Future generations must know, in advance, that the government will not be the primary provider of their health care funding.

But here's what you might be missing from my discussion. The reason surgeries and hospitalizations cost so much now is BECAUSE of government intrusion. With government out of the way, medical care would be as affordable as it was BEFORE. There wouldn't be many $20,000 surgeries because few people could afford them. Basic health services would be affordable and catastrophic private insurance would also be affordable. This notion that ONLY GOVERNMENT is able to take care of the elderly, the poor and the needy is PREPOSTEROUS. Get OUT of that mindset. That's what they want you to believe. Don't be a puppet.

And finally, this debate is about health care, but it is really more than just that. At its core is the debate of how much government is too much government. I, for one, have every bit of confidence in government's ability to bankrupt this system. If we do not put a stop to President Obama's plan, we are certain to face a future of increasing costs, an unparalleled appetite for "free" medical care due to the absence of cost-consciousness, an absolutely essential cost-controlling effort by government to ration care, government beauracrats telling our doctors how to practice medicine, an immense burn-out rate amongst those in the health care fields and a gradual deterioration in our overall satisfaction with the quality of medical care in America.

I believe the majority of Americans who are bothering to pay attention realize this. Hence, the current polls and the outpouring of emotion at town hall meeetings throughout the country over the summer. Now is NOT the time to get complacent. Continue to call your representatives until your fingers are exhausted and/or your voice is cracking. Tell your representatives to START OVER and make sensible decisions that REMOVE government intrusion and reward a free market system. And when the playing field is, once and for all, fair, America will figure a way (as it always does) to take care of those who are genuinely unable to take care of themselves. The outcome of this debate will shape the future of this country for generations to come. Make no mistake about it.

Best regards to all, Glenn Dubroc, Jr.

At http://www.ardocscare.com/ health care providers are asked to complete a survey that questions their thoughts on the current bills presented for healthcare reform. The results, I think say enough.

Happy Birthday to You our Dear dear Constitution

On this day 222 years ago, our Constitution was brought to life. You can't help but wonder how Washington, Langdon, Gilman, Gorham, King, Johnson, Sherman, Hamilton, Livingston, Brearley, Paterson, Dayton, Franklin, Mifflin, Morris, Clymer, Fitzsimons, Ingersol, Wilson, Morris, Read, Bedford, Dickinson, Basset, Broom, McHenry, Jenifer, Carroll, Blair, Madison, Blount, Spaight, Williamson, Rutledge, Pinckney, Butler, Few and Baldwin would feel about our current leaders' lack of Constitutional knowledge, can you?

On another note, it's only BAD to be racist if you're "against" Obama. No need to worry about it when it is reversed, right? (I made mention of this in yesterday's post--though I said I heard about it from Hannity's show). Coworker was kind enough to send me this link to Rush's commentary.

Moonbattery posted a bit about the "racism" that is running rampant in this nation. "The conceit of this is that all of us who are protesting now would be perfectly content with radical socialism and trillion dollar deficits if a white president were ramming them down our throats."

INSIGHTFUL Coworker: "I had an epiphany this morning as I was driving in… Obama is trying to get all of his extreme agendas passed now, prior to 2010 elections, while he has control. Because it’s likely that Dems will lose the majority they have after those elections and he’s willing to be frustrated and “work together” and have a non-controversial 2010-2012 in preparation for reelection. I don’t know it took so long for me to figure this out."

My response? "Well, duh." (I am still a child of the 80s)

Oh--I WAS informed yesterday out on ALa's comments that I was too poor to be a republican. I quote: "SouthernGirl -OMG! You are still talking about my kitchen!If you were that impressed w/my kitchen then I know you can definitely not AFFORD TO BE A REPUBLICAN. I have two sisters that are both nurses that support the bill. My friend, a nurse,also supports it. My neighbor, a GI Dr., supports it as does my brother-in-law, a pediatrician. Maybe you just don't actually know anyone in the healthcare field." 100 points to the first person that can guess who is the author of that quote (and NO cheating).

It's rainy here. And I have to write a paper. Sorry I don't feel insightful or creative today--toodles all you racist, mobsters. Til next time.

For a good laugh...

You MUST read the line noted below:

From the AP: "President Barack Obama's candid thoughts about Kanye West are provoking a debate over standards of journalism in the Twitter age."

Anyone else find this HILARIOUS?!? Standards? In Journalism? Today? Ha. If that is not the most ludicrous thing I've read all day.

But for the record, I DO think Kanye's behavior at the VMAs warrants the jackass description. As does his previous behavior. I'm beginning to believe that "Kanye West does not like white people."

(For those of you that want to try and play the race card with me--I will put it in black and white. The above statement is what we like to call a play on words--taking Kanye's original GWB statement and changing it up a little bit).

The Race Card

In a Rassmussen Report released on Wednesday, 9/16/09 it was reported that 12% Say Most Opponents of Obama Health Care Plan Are Racist. 67% of voters disagree and 21% are not sure. The fact that 12% are so ignorant that they will follow/listen/believe the liberal party so blindly to believe that this is actually about race makes me sick to my stomach.

In an interview with Brian Williams on Tuesday, 9/15/09 (see Realclearpolitics.com), former President Jimmy Carter stated that an "overwhelming portion" of similar demonstrations [opposing Obamacare] are rooted in bigotry. I'm not sure how to respond to this accusation. A former president (lower case on purpose) calling a LARGE, LARGE group of Americans racist because they happen to oppose the current President's policies? Maybe he's just angry because everybody has been comparing the current administration to his failing four years. Where oh where is our Reagan?!??!

On Facebook, every single day, there is some claim of racism in the opposition to President Obama. To keep the peace, I bite my tongue--but I'm not sure how much longer I can do it. Definitely not for another 3.5 years (give or take).

And of course-if Hillary Clinton was our prez instead of Barack Obama, (still trying to ram through ridiculous bills) we'd simply have to replace all the claims of racism with claims of sexism. We'd still get a card chunked at us every time anyone opposed any liberal ideas. The media makes me sick. My liberal friends that love the race card make me sick.

I don't know about you but I am getting very, very tired of the race card. I pray every day that it is used so much it becomes like the story of the Little Boy that cried wolf.

I can see it now--"Sit down little Johnny and let me tell you about the story of the Liberal that cried Racism."

Ridiculous Right Wing Propaganda

The following is an actual status on Facebook with accompanying comments:

Original Poster's Status: but I don't WANNA pay for the tooth fairy's abortion! Somebody stop the mean black man. :(

Comment Poster#1: I'm confused.....

Comment Poster #2: ^what she said

Original Poster: LOL- just poking fun at the ridiculousness of right-wing propaganda. :)

Comment Poster #1: Well in that case I like your status even though I have no idea what your referring to =)

Comment Poster #3: Ha!

Ok-here's my deal with this whole scenario. First-the original poster is calling right wing propaganda ridiculous, yet (though tongue in cheek) she shows how little she listens to ANYTHING that is not to her liking. Poster #1 goes along with original posters' thoughts (though she still doesn't get it) just because it is "calling out" those ridiculous right wingers.

And they say WE are Rush, Hannity and Glenn zombies? The idiot (comment poster #1) doesn't even know what she's agreeing to!!

I got riled up because there has been some mention of allowing abortion to be covered in this bill--and to tell a Catholic or any pro-lifer that they have to contribute to this atrocity is just, well, an atrocity.

ACORN's Woes...

On Friday ACORN is pulled from any connection to the Census Bureau. Click here to review Newsbusters.com's take on it.

If that wasn't hard enough (I mean--how are we going to find another thug organization that can cushion the census to the Democrats' liking in such short time notice?)...

Monday, the Federal government overwhelmingly voted 83-7 (9 no votes) to prohibit use of funds to fund the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). (h/t to Hot Air for breaking the story).

While I was trying to research the rough couple of days that ACORN has been experiencing, I used every phrase imaginable to get ACORN stories to pop up. Do you want to know how many Mainstream News stories pulled up under a Google Search? None. None. None.

First--Van Jones went down. (BTW--is it really considered a smear campaign when people are simply restating words that came out of his mouth?!?!)

Second--ACORN has finally been brought down. (Now, if the FBI could only speed up that voter fraud investigation...)

Shall we go after the Mainstream Media next?

Bit by bit--day by day.

(Though I'd like to see Pelosi and Reid on the out list before the media)

Million American March

Hmmm...no arrests. No litter left behind. Laughter and good conversations galore.

Sounds like a mob protest to me.

Too bad the mainstream media doesn't think the fact that hundreds of thousands (most likely millions) of Americans joined together on Saturday, September 12th to protest the big government spending was newsworthy. Republicans, Democrats and Independents joined together to show that "We're not going to take it anymore."

Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to D.C. this weekend and can only rely on bloggers that were there for accounts of the events. (Because WHO would rely on the media?!?!?)

Here are some good posts I have come across about Saturday's events: Infowars.com, Massive Corporate Media Coverup of Real Numbers at D.C. Rally Powerlineblog.com, CNN, "Making it up" as usual Lookingattheleft.com, Conservative Woodstock Rocks the Capital Moderateinthe middle.com, Media credibility plunges to new low

Nevermind that there were events throughout the country (see below for report on protest in Los Angeles) for those that couldn't make it to D.C. Check out Fort Worth in the rain, courtesy of Durangotexas.blogspot.

Hmmm...Off to scour through more blogs and other non-traditional media to find coverage of what actually happened on September 12, 2009 in America. When the sleeping giant officially woke up.

I would be SHOCKED if this doesn't become a historical moment in our nation's politics. The mainstream media can keep this as quiet as it wants, but because the people in D.C. and cities throughout the nation that were there in the streets that day are ordinary citizens and friends and colleagues with the fence teeters--we may just see a swing. A huge swing. I know I'd be curious. Spread the word. It's getting louder and more clear every day.

UPDATE:

Click here to check out the protest in Los Angeles from Americanpower.blogspot.com.

I got this link (great pictures from stblogustine) from one of my favorite visiting spots, ALa. (h/t ALa for the pictures below!)

Obama's Inauguration vs.

The unruly mobs of America:

The Power and Danger of Iconography

As a former student of advertising, I must admit this is pretty spot on.

Teabagger Movement

So--I stumbled across one of my VERY liberal friend's comment on the good ol' Facebook this morning. It read:

"Teabagger?! Hahahahahahahaha...he said he was a teabagger!:))Hahahahahahaha...he is a lone, lost teabagger, at the capitol...He asked me where he should go...Oh, the restraint that I showed:))."

Later in the conversation (after people made comments): "that is probably the most unfortunate name for a movement...EVER!"

Ok sweet, sweet friend of mine. First of all--the movement is NOT the teabagger movement. It is the Tea Party movement. Second, I have never heard a Tea Party participant refer to him or herself as a teabagger. Nope. That would be YOUR team's pet name for the movement.

When are they going to realize that they are shredding this nation at the seams and it just may not recover? This is beyond childish games.

So--my Friday vent is over. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend.

I Pledge

While watching the below video, excerpts from 1984 kept popping up in my mind.

What do you think about the President addressing the schools on Tuesday?

Huckabee brought up a really good point on a morning radio show this morning--the White House is saying the President is addressing students to tell them to stay in school, don't drop out, etc. BUT--it is highly likely that the "students" he is wanting to address won't be in school. AND...lots of major cities (LA, NY, etc.) are not having class on Tuesdays. He's going after middle America. Nice. I must admit--I would have had a field day with the lesson plan that the White House distributed.

I pledge to stick to my conservative values and do everything in my power to keep this nation the democracy that its founders invisioned. I pledge to be a loyal and devoted citizen of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

P.S. Have you heard the one where the PRO-healthcare reform dude bit of the CON-healthcare reform dudes finger? I can't decide if I find it humorous or disgusting that the initial reports were that the biter was an opponent to reform. Man, they're doing everything they can to destroy the anti-Obamacare movement, aren't they? Too bad--the guy that LOST his finger was actually in the opposition.

Excuse me Feds, Stay OUT of my neighborhood!!

Ok, so I'm actually going to post a link out to American Thinker Blog rather than provide all the research on this blog. Rick Moran breaks it down quite well, and to be honest, I just don't have much time to be blogging, as I'm supposed to be calling on customers at this moment (that would be what we call PROCRASTINATION. Yes, I'm really, really good at it!!).

A couple of problems here:

1. This opens up a nice little loophole for the Feds to find something else of ours to tax. "You made too much money at that yard sale...you owe US 10%"

2. This should be a state job. The feds are getting WAY TOO BIG and WAY TOO GREEDY.

I understand the need to prevent faulty or recalled toys from continuing to circulate--but come on. This just seems underhanded and sneaky. They want their hands in everything. Down to our yards.

What's next?

Two Can Play At That Game

There is a video of Jason Mattera going undercover at Rep. Jim Moran's town hall meeting in Virginia posted out at Moonbattery.com. My, my. It seems two can play at this game, huh? My thoughts are that this video needs to be spread throughout the nation for multiple reasons.

1. It demonstrates the lack of knowledge that these people have about how this government is *supposed* to work.
2. It demonstrates the feeling of entitlement these people have--I wonder how much of their own property they freely give up (minus the crazy commune guy).
3. It PROVES that there are people in this nation trying to sabotage the conservative movement (which is expected). It is up to us to counter these acts of sabotage and get the word out that these people play DIRTY and want your freedoms taken away.

Enjoy.

Words of Wisdom

A friend sent me this statement in an email. Short and sweet. But how true it is. Read this, then stop and think about what it says. Profound, indeed. (emphasis mine)

You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it." * Adrian Rogers, 1931*

Freedom of Speech Only Applies...

Well, posting once a month is unacceptable and I deeply apologize. I will try to be more proactive with this blog--but I simply can't help but let the smell of fall and football just around the corner distract me from my obligations. Because, in case you haven't noticed...I love football. But enough about that. I do my daily reading of news stories (if you can call it that--"news"), and I check on my favorite blogs for updates and I find myself AMAZED at what some people will let this current administration and its goonies get away with.

Flag@whitehouse.gov? Seriously? Hey little ones, if you hear your mommy and daddy talking bad about our President or his policies, please let your good White House know. Remind you of anything else? Please note when that link was published. Yes--I saw (like many of you) the potential of similarities long before we elected this man into office. I say "we" in the most general sense of the word.

It's only proper to dissent when you disagree with W? But don't you dare oppose Obama and his goons. Never mind that they're trying to ram through legislation that our representatives have admitted to not reading (I don't think a link is necessary--as we've all seen the reports). I think one of my favorite quotes thus far comes from Dan Jeror (h/t John Hawkins at Townhall.com), "Why would you guys try to stuff a health care bill down our throats in three to four weeks when the President took six months to pick out a dog for his kids?" Ummm. Good question.

As I sit hear and ponder today's politics, I honestly get sick to my stomach that there are actually people that are accepting this type of behavior. Organizing for America is grassroots? Please. I pray daily that more and more Americans wake up to what is happening and let these fools know in D.C. that we are ON TO THEM. We are not a monarchy--and just because you're a Washington bureaucrat does NOT mean that you are better than me--so get over this Marie Antoinette attitude. My friends--I can only pray that we show up at the polls with fury and rage come November 2010 and let these bureaucrats know just who IS the boss in this good ol' USA.

I wish more than anything I could head to Washington on September 12th...but with stuff going on in my personal life and you know, my JOB (that apparently I am simply working to pay for Joe Blow the LOSER), I am unable to get away. I hope that some of you are able to make it. We need a STRONG showing to let D.C. know. We're not messing around anymore.

So--my hiatus has resulted in a long rant. I will try my very best to do some research and post more than once a month from here on out. Maybe The General will contribute, too? (hint, hint)

Hypocrisy at its Finest--Part 2

A comment on some "very" popular website:

"whoever just sent their 10 year old son up to the microphone at Ross's townhall with a written statement he obviously didn't write and couldn't even read well ought to be ASHAMED of themselves!!!!! Using your children as a sympathy card to fight your battles is DISGUSTING."

I suppose its only DISGUSTING when the 10 year old is opposing the healthcare plan, eh? (click here for another source of the little gal)

When are they going to take a step back and realize that the "conservative" movement is simply taking a page out of their own book. I can understand why this person (I know said person personally) believes that healthcare for all is a good idea--I can't understand why said person is so eager to give up freedoms for it.

*sigh* I lied. I apparently can't let this go, eh?

Hypocrisy at its Finest.

"The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of 'liberalism' they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation, without knowing how it happened." --Norman Thomas

Liberalism--we love you. We'll do everything we can for you, including giving you FREE health care. What could be better than free health care? Well, nothing, of course. (side step--except your FREEDOM)

From someone in AR with Patriotic Resistance:

I write you this evening to ask for your help! Senator Blanche Lincoln has decided to deny the citizens of Arkansas a chance to be heard, we have called her office repeatedly and requested an audience to no avail. As recently as today I personally called and ask if there were ANY opportunities to meet with the Senator in a public forum, I was told 'NO'. Tonight just after 6pm I learned of a meeting Sen. Lincoln will be holding in Rogers, AR this Saturday.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpfcwv

She is speaking at a "Health Care Public Event". She has seen fit to evade her constituents, deny us our right to be properly represented and now slaps the voters in the face by appearing in our own back yard without the courtesy of an invitation or even a notice. Notice of this meeting as of tonight is NOT posted on any of her sites and appears to have only been sent to members of the OFA.

Please join hopefully HUNDREDS if not THOUSANDS of Arkansans to say ENOUGH! WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED! This may be our one and ONLY chance to express in MASS our dissatisfaction and concerns about the current issues facing our families!

This Saturday AUGUST 15th

3:30

Samaritan Community Center (Rogers, AR)

1211 W Hudson Rd., Rogers, AR 72756

PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

Not saying that I'm an Arkansas resident or anything...but if I were I sure know who I would NOT be voting for come 2010. I can't believe this woman has the gall to do this as she's up for re-election and has quite a few people running after her job!!

Furthermore, how is this entire country (libs, conservatives, republicans, democrats, libertarians) not ALL in an up roar of the way our current Congressman and Women and Senators are treating their constituents (see here and here) and refer to above (Lincoln).

I could continue to go on and on...but I choose not to right now. A) because its Friday and B)because I hate my job and can only be angry at one thing at a time.

Football...

So, rather than think about the double standards our government is now demonstrating on a daily basis... I choose to think about football. Thank goodness its almost here!! By the way, Congressman X moved his "town hall" meeting to the middle of the day--without much notice, maybe to prevent those astroturf mobs from showing up? Ha. They found him anyway.

Health Care

You can start by reading the bill here.

Out on WSJ's site, a reader has been kind enough to break down what little quirks lie in that 1000+ page bill. We CANNOT let these people that were hired to represent US pass this particular bill.

For your reading pleasure:

9:13 am August 5, 2009 QP wrote: Page 22 - MANDATES the Government will audit books of ALL EMPLOYERS that self insure.

Page 30 Section 123 - There will be a Government COMMITTEE that decides what treatments/benefits you get.

Page 29 lines 4-16 - Your Health Care is RATIONED.

Page 42 - The Health Choices Commissioner will choose your Health Care Benefits for you. You have no choice.

Page 50 Section 152 - Health Care will be provided to ALL non US citizens, illegal or otherwise.

Page 170 Lines 1-3 - Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from individual taxes. (American Citizens will pay).

Page 58 - Government will have real-time access to individual’s finances and a National ID Health Card will be issued.

Page 59 lines 21-24 - Government will have direct access to your bank accounts for electronic funds transfers.

Page 65 Section 164 - A payoff subsidized plan for retirees and their families in Unions & community organizations (ACORN).

Page 84 Section 203 - Government mandates ALL benefit packages for private Health Care plans in the Exchange.

Page 85 Line 7 - Specifications for Benefit Levels for Plans = The Government will ration your Health Care.

Page 126 Lines 22-25 - Employers MUST pay for Health Care for part time employees AND their families.

Page 195 - Officers & employees of Health Care Administration (Government) will have access to ALL American’s finance/personal records.

Page 203 Line 14-15 Health Care - “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax”. Yes, it says that.that get’s us to page 203 of 1100.want more? Page 239 Line 14-24 - Government will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors, low income, and poor will be affected.

Page 241 Line 6-8 - All doctors will be paid the same regardless of their specialty.

Page 253 Line 10-18 - Government sets value of doctors time, professional judgment, etc; literally the value of humans.

Page 265 Section 1131 - Government mandates and controls productivity for private Health Care industries.

Page 272 Section. 1145 – Treatment at certain CANCER HOSPITALS; rationing for cancer patients.

Page 317 Lines 13-20 - PROHIBITION on ownership/investment. Government tells Doctors what/how much they can own.

Page 317-318 Lines 21-25,1-3 - PROHIBITION on hospital expansions.

Page 321 2-13 - Hospitals have opportunity to apply for exception BUT community input is required. Approval by ACORN?

Page 335 Lines 16-25; Page 336-339 - Government mandates establishment of outcome based measures. Health Care the way they want it. Rationing.

Page 354 Section 1177 - Government will RESTRICT enrollment of Special needs people.

Page 425 Lines 4-12 - Government mandates Advance Care Planning Consults. Think Senior Citizens end of life.

Page 425 Lines 17-19 - Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney. Mandatory!

Page 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3 - Government provides approved list of end of life resources, guiding you in death.

Page 427 Lines 15-24 - Government mandates program for orders for end of life. The Government has a say in how your life ends.

Page 429 Lines 10-12 - “advanced care consultation” may include an ORDER for end of life plans. AN ORDER from Government!

Page 469 - Community Based Home Medical Services = Non profit organizations. ACORN Medical Services?

Page 472 Lines 14-17 – Payment to community-based organizations; 1 monthly payment to a community-based organization like ACORN.

Page 489 Section 1308 - The Government will cover Marriage & Family therapy, which means they will insert Government into your marriage.

Up to page 489 of 1100...got further to go...

You May Be a Conservative Yet

Those are the words I stated to my friend last night. She rolled her eyes and said, "no."

"Think about it."

Earlier in the evening my friend had been complaining about John Doe. John Doe had told my friend's husband that he would sell a concert ticket for him since the said husband couldn't go to the show. John Doe sold the ticket--then proceeded to spend the money at the show. John Doe is now telling my friend's husband that he is poor and can't pay him back. With the money that he shouldn't have spent in the first place. Needless to say, my friend is not pleased.

Then I launch into the explanation:

I told her to think about it in a politcal manner. John Doe is the one taking my money and your money and not doing ANYTHING to deserve it. John Doe is full of entitlement when he shouldn't be. John Doe is irresponsible and has no desire to make anything of himself because John Doe's mother and family and friends have allowed him to slump through life. Hmm. Sound familiar? Just replace John Doe with the freeloaders--replace the family and friends with taxpayers and our government. It's the John Doe's in the world that make me fiscally conservative and should you, too. If you work hard to earn your money--why should you have to give it to someone else who doesn't work hard for anything?

Furthermore--here's a story for you to consider. This very successful gentleman was raised in a dirt poor family. When I say dirt poor I mean, small town, rural, deep South dirt poor. This gentleman got his first job at the age of 10. His mother instilled work ethic in him. He joined the Army as soon as he could--went to college then on to graduate school. This guy --who could've said, "let the government take care of me" chose not to. He chose to make something amazing of himself. Now--this government wants to tax the living daylights out of him because he's too successful. He's what this country is all about.

My friend considered all this and shrugged. "Maybe you're right--maybe you're not."

I winked and said, "maybe you're more conservative than you thought."

The one thing we both can agree on these days? We don't like politicians. Period.

Constituents AGAINST Universal/National Healthcare

If our representatives actually did their job they would see that the MAJORITY are adamently opposed to a nationalized or universal healthcare system.

On Facebook, someone has created a poll that asks, "Are you in favor of a government run healthcare system?" The answers say quite I bit.

Yes 28,529 (19.9%)

No 110,237 (77.0%)

Maybe 4,489 (3.1%)

I belive that some form of reform is necessary. But reform needs to START in areas that we already have major issues: Regulate lawsuits, fix Medicare/Medicaid and the VAs. Social Security anyone?

Don't mess with people's private insurance (which--on page 16 of the House proposal BANS private insurance). Don't take away American's freedom to choose. Don't penalize small business owners...*sigh* I could go on and on.

Here's one for you: how about our representatives READ the bill before forcing us (We the People) to use the insurance or pay a fine. How about these politicians that are just swearing to us that this in the best thing next to sliced bread actually enroll in this system and not get exempt?

And the only replies I'm seeing from "pro-healthcare" are pretty nasty. "Republicans are stupid." "You just don't know." "Social security worked." Egad.

Not to mention this (h/t Moogie):

Growing Worries About Our Pied Piper

So, again, I know I'm neglecting this blog in a terrible way, but there is just too much going on and not enough hours in the day. So once again, I am posting someone else's work.

I must say, though, that this piece is very well written and hits about any and every point I'd try to make myself.

On a lighter note, did anyone notice that the Prez got booed at the All Star game? Um...I haven't been through too many presidents, but I cannot recall a single one getting BOOED in his first 6 months.

Now, I don't agree with any president being booed--as we should respect that office--but I do think it is quite entertaining that he got booed so early in the game. I'm praying that America is finally starting to WAKE UP.

This is quite a long read but well worth the time!

Growing Worries about Our Pied Piper Americans are catching on to Obama’s fiscal sins and rhetorical devices.

By Victor Davis Hanson

Recent news that President Obama’s approval ratings are beginning to slip is understandable. Even popular leaders lose appeal once they have to govern, and therefore offend, rather than merely promise and please.

And so far, these fairly modest declines in popularity are not resulting in much Republican traction. Few opposition leaders have presented systematic, clear alternatives to the Obama agenda, and even fewer have been knowledgeable and charismatic in voicing them.

All that being said, I think the Obama presidency is going to encounter far more public skepticism than one would expect in the usual post-honeymoon political adjustments. Why? Because our president often acts and talks as if he were at war with what we might loosely call “human nature.”

There is a growing collective recognition that things simply do not work the way Obama thinks they do. They may in the hothouse at Harvard Law School or in the charade of Chicago politics, or among young, hip bloggers right out of Yale, but not necessarily in the larger American landscape or the real world abroad.

First, Obama’s budgetary agenda defies common sense. If it were true that the United States with impunity could borrow $2 trillion this year — and, in the aggregate, run up another $10 trillion in collective debt over the next eight years — then the rules of finance as we know them would be rendered null and void.

In truth, all that borrowed money not only will have to be paid back, but paid back with compounded interest through higher taxes and cuts to government services. And the more we borrow from ourselves and the Chinese, Japanese, and Europeans, the more likely it is that the interest rates will climb — both because we will strain capital markets and because the current deflationary downturn cannot last forever.

The American people sense this. They assume that what goes up must come down. At times they themselves have splurged on their credit cards — and enjoyed the thrill of consumption that comes with borrowed money, or even the notion of magnanimity of helping others with someone else’s cash. But they likewise remember that mounting debt at some point overwhelms the borrower, who must either default or radically curb his standard of living. When voters hear that a broke government is talking of “a second stimulus,” they conclude that there is a collective madness in Washington.

Second, there is likewise a spreading feeling of doubt about our foreign policy. All Americans like to be liked — and like to think they are confident enough to admit mistakes. But Obama is beginning to be predictable, boring even, in his once sincere, but now serial apologies about America’s past and present — to almost everyone from Latin Americans and Europeans to Turks and Muslims in general. And why are we more worried about the feelings of a hostile Ahmadinejad than of a friendly Maliki or Netanyahu?

We already have come to expect a certain boilerplate theme, in which the president seeks to placate his hosts by confessing the errors of previous Americans. But the lawyer does not regularly apologize to his rival firm over courtroom disputes; the contractor does not routinely call up his competitor to confess to his own past unfair business practices that unduly won him the disputed contract; the principal, as a matter of habit, does not call in the teacher to show regret over his own theatrical exercise of influence and power.

In the perfect world of the university lounge, perhaps such noble things transpire. But most Americans suspect that gratuitous magnanimity can earn contempt as often as appreciation. Like serial borrowing, a tab comes due. And in the case of foreign affairs, we all sense that sometime soon, a rather dangerous thug or two is going to gamble that his aggression either will not or cannot be deterred by a remorseful and unsure United States.

Also, in emphasizing America’s alleged sins, Obama shows himself to be somehow oblivious to the simple fact that he enjoys such power and prestige as a U.S. president because someone, at some time, must have done something quite extraordinary. Surely there is more to America than slavery and Hiroshima. So many Americans are vaguely beginning to sense that Obama is simply ignorant of Valley Forge, the Oregon Trail, and Iwo Jima. What happened at these places seems absent from his knowledge of the past, and so fails to inform his present narrative of and future plans for the nation.

Third, the same sense of something not quite right is beginning to characterize Obama’s obsessive evocation of George W. Bush, the prior administration, the need to hit the reset button, the “mess” we inherited, and all the other blame-gaming themes that have been daily fare the last six months.

Most of us inherit jobs from someone else. Many of us think that we do a better job than our predecessors. And some of us also like to think we are cleaning up messes that others left. But such self-serving referencing has a brief shelf life. It becomes soon monotonous, then irksome, and finally repugnant. Obama is nearing that third stage of whining, when many Americans are beginning to bristle, and think privately, “Okay already. We’ve heard enough of your ‘he did it’ routine. Now snap out it, get a life, and take responsibility for the consequences of your own actions.”

Fourth, people often fail, not just because of the bogeymen “they” who “raised the bar,” but also due to their own actions. But too often in the world of Obama, max out on your credit card and it’s the fault of predatory banks. Default on your mortgage and you were tricked into buying more house than you needed. Choose to buy a cell phone or TV rather than make a monthly payment on a private catastrophic-health-insurance plan, and it is because you were neglected by government. Do not pay taxes, get a tax credit — but then still blame those “who do not pay their fair share.” In contrast, Americans sense that the world of debt and trust will not work without responsibility and personable culpability — and that often our problem is not just to be found in “them” — the duly chastised and arrogant Lords of the Universe on Wall Street — but sadly in “us” as well.

Fifth, novelty wears off. Bush’s tough right/wrong talk sounded welcome after the Clinton era’s indecision and moral relativism. But soon critics got bothered by the excess of “smoke ’em out,” “dead or alive,” and “bring it on” lingo, which emphasized rather than mitigated a certain unease with Texan braggadocio.

With Obama, the charm of last year is slowly wearing off. What once sounded fresh, even cool, is now suddenly predictable and sometimes trite. When we hear “Let me be perfectly clear” and “Make no mistake about it,” Americans suspect that some sort of dissimulation may follow: Obama is not going to be perfectly clear, and we will understandably make plenty of mistakes about it.

Disavowals of government intervention presage a takeover of the auto industry. Promises to be fiscally sober indicate reckless deficit spending to follow. “Not raising taxes on anyone but the very wealthy” suggests everyone will have to pay more. “The most ethical administration in history” guarantees plenty of lobbyists and tax dodgers.

We now expect to hear in these speeches that gargantuan, costly new federal programs will in fact magically save us money. We anticipate listening to a string of evil “some,” “they,” “others,” and all the other bad straw men cited to create false enemies and, in turn, fake heroes.

Presidential talks are to be peppered with a dozen first-person pronouns, as in “I have directed” or “my team is at work on.”

Obama’s personal “story” inevitably follows, as if Americans, after six months of daily reminders, did not yet know that their president is half African-American, grew up without a father, has a non-traditional background, comes from a family with Muslim connections on his father’s side, has an unusual name, possesses unusual insight into race and religion, or is himself a metaphor for a new, diverse America. In the fashion of the obligatory 19th-century log-cabin birthplace and bloody-shirt gallantry at Gettysburg, we get the message “I am not your white-male president.” Ten times I think would have been enough, and after a hundred occasions such self-referencing wears thin.

When the president’s tone, and indeed accent, almost magically change, and he abruptly goes into his southern-Baptist rhetorical cadences, we have a vague sense that his oration must end with the usual ruffles and flourishes of last summer — “hope and change” and “this is our moment” tropes, but delivered without the passion and sincerity of a year ago. The tunes of last year’s Pied Piper are no longer mesmerizing, but becoming sort of creepy and even ominous.

Finally, Obama seems to believe that the exalted ends justify the often questionable means. Having a Latina on the Supreme Court trumps Justice Sotomayor’s past racialist talk and writing. Landing a supposed genius like Timothy Geithner at Treasury excuses Geithner’s inability or unwillingness to pay his fair share of taxes. Becoming popular in the Muslim world invites fabrication about Islamic discoveries and inventions, or the conflation of Middle Eastern religious and gender felonies with American misdemeanors.

So the problem is not just that Obama, like Bill Clinton, is proving insincere, or like Richard Nixon, at times duplicitous. And the rub is not even that he, like Ronald Reagan on occasion, is showing a limited repertoire or, in the manner of the Bushes, is becoming predictable in speech and custom. Obama, like Jimmy Carter, earns the added injury that all wannabe prophets incur when they promise more than mortal purity while proving to be an ordinary human in character.

Americans are waking up to the fact that their president says, promises, and does things that simply do not make sense, at odds with what they know of human physics — with the predictable nature of the way humans have conducted themselves for centuries: Borrowing is debt, not “stimulus”; serial apologies soon sound insincere or become counterproductive; blaming someone else becomes tiresome; scapegoating leads nowhere; taking responsibility for failure is as necessary as being praised for success; people can be fooled only so many times by sonorous, ego-laced rhetoric.

Because Obama is a revolutionary who seeks to overturn 50 years of doing business in America both at home and abroad, his shortcomings have the potential not only to diminish his own stature through unmet impossible expectations, but to take all those who signed on to his megalomania down with him.

— Victor Davis Hanson is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and a recipient of the 2007 National Humanities Medal. © 2009 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Dinner With the President: A Parable

I received this email this morning (author unknown). Thought provoking to say the least.

Once upon a time, I was invited to the White House for a private dinner with the President. I am a respected businessman, with a factory that produces memory chips for computers and portable electronics. There was some talk that my industry was being scrutinized by the administration, but I paid it no mind. I live in a free country. There's nothing that the government can do to me if I've broken no laws. My wealth was earned honestly, and an invitation to dinner with an American President is an honor.

I checked my coat, was greeted by the Chief of Staff, and joined the President in a yellow dining room. We sat across from each other at a table draped in white linen. The Great Seal was embossed on the china. Uniformed staff served our dinner.

The meal was served, and I was startled when my waiter suddenly reached out, plucked a dinner roll off my plate, and began nibbling it as he walked back to the kitchen.

"Sorry about that," said the President. "Andrew is very hungry."

"I don't appreciate..." I began, but as I looked into the calm brown eyes across from me, I felt immediately guilty and petty. It was just a dinner roll. "Of course," I concluded, and reached for my glass. Before I could, however, another waiter reached forward, took the glass away and swallowed the wine in a single gulp.

"And his brother Eric is very thirsty." said the President.

I didn't say anything. The President is testing my compassion, I thought. I will play along. I don't want to seem unkind.

My plate was whisked away before I had tasted a bite.

"Eric's children are also quite hungry."

With a lurch, I crashed to the floor. My chair had been pulled out from under me. I stood, brushing myself off angrily, and watched as it was carried from the room.

"And their grandmother can't stand for long.."

I excused myself, smiling outwardly, but inside feeling like a fool. Obviously I had been invited to the White House to be sport for some game. I reached for m y coat, to find that it had been taken. I turned back to the President.

"Their grandfather doesn't like the cold."

I wanted to shout- that was my coat! But again, I looked at the placid smiling face of my host and decided I was being a poor sport. I spread my hands helplessly and chuckled. Then I felt my hip pocket and realized my wallet was gone. I excused myself and walked to a phone on an elegant side table. I learned shortly that my credit cards had been maxed out, my bank accounts emptied, my retirement and equity portfolios had vanished, and my wife had been thrown out of our home. Apparently, the waiters and their families were moving in. The President hadn't moved or spoken as I learned all this, but finally I lowered the phone into its cradle and turned to face him.

"Andrew's whole family has made bad financial decisions. They haven't planned for retirement, and they need a house. They recently defaulted on a sub-prime mortgage. I told them they could have your home. They need it more than you do."

My hands were shaking. I felt faint. I stumbled back to the table and knelt on the floor. The President cheerfully cut his meat, ate his steak and drank his wine. I lowered my eyes and stared at the small grey circles on the tablecloth that were water drops.

"By the way," He added,=2 0"I have just signed an Executive Order nationalizing your factories. I'm firing you as head of your business. I'll be operating the firm now for the benefit of all mankind. There's a whole bunch of Erics and Andrews out there and they can't come to you for jobs groveling like beggars."

I looked up. The President dropped his spoon into the empty ramekin which had been his crème brulee. He drained the last drops of his wine. As the table was cleared, he lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair. He stared at me. I clung to the edge of the table as if were a ledge and I were a man hanging over an abyss. I thought of the years behind me, of the life I had lived. The life I had earned with a lifetime of work, risk and struggle. Why was I punished? How had I allowed it to be taken? What game had I played and lost? I looked across the table and noticed with some surprise that there was no game board between us.

What had I done wrong?

As if answering the unspoken thought, the President suddenly cocked his head, locked his empty eyes to mine, and bared a million teeth, chuckling wryly as he folded his hands.

"You should have stopped me at the dinner roll," he said.

Stillbirth Gets the Silent Treatment

...and it should not.

I know I've been quiet. It's been a hectic couple of weeks.

Please read this article and forward it on to all that you know...this is a bill (gasp--proposed by then Sen. Obama--) that I actually could support!

Even Doctors Avoid Talking About Stillbirth

Still birth and SUID is traumatic and if there is ANYTHING we can do to prevent it--I'm in support. Though a lot of people don't recognize stillbirths as actual deaths--the parents of those babes do. They feel the pain and the loss of a child just the same as any other parent would.

The PROPER Role of Government

Glenn Beck read the following letter the other day on his show. It is kind of lengthy but hits the nail on its head. I think we're all kind of feeling this way these days. Spread the letter. WE THE PEOPLE will regain control. Enough IS enough.

I'm a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you're willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would horribly feel so disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me?

Well, these are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:

One, illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S., I'm not a racist. This isn't to be confused with legal immigration.

Two, the TARP bill, I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We told you no, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.

Three, Czars, I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.

Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There is more to say.

Five, universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don't you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!

Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Mind your own business. You have enough to take care of with your real obligations. Why don't you start there.

Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes. Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census over with our taxpayer money. I don't trust them with our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello. Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate.

Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do you want me to hate my employers? Why ‑‑ what do you have against shareholders making a profit?

Nine, charitable contributions. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.

Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we'll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. Have you ever ripped off a Band‑Aid? We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.

Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let's have it. Let's say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk. Please try ‑‑ please stop manipulating and trying to appease me with clever wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.

Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now.

Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let's just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I'm busy. I'm busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.

I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.

From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don't want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we're morons.

We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented. You think we're so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work , pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone and we are now looking up at you. You have awakened us, the patriotic spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office. We have cancelled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn't ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us when he will rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.

Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don't care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming.