POLITICS LONG FORGOTTEN by Guest Contributor Chris B.

What frightens me as I continue to dip in and out of politics is that there is no institutional memory. A lot of the changes in our system of national government are simply caused by the type of representation we have now. The value system has completely changed. What we are seeing is the passing of the World War II generation from politics, and it does make a difference. I don't see a thoughtful statesman in sight anymore, with the possible exception of Senator Dick Lugar, who is a holdover and is now facing a primary challenge. These are the kind of guys we want to keep around.

I am reading a book called That Used to Be Us by Tom Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum. It is an eye opener and discusses what led to the situation this country is in today along with recommended solutions. However, time is passing and the more time goes by, the more painful the solutions to our country's seemingly intractable problems will be.

My reaction to the Tea Party in terms of what I've seen members do in the House of Representatives is not constructive to democracy. Under the Constitution, the Founding Fathers set up a system of government that was based on compromise to get anything done. It was also intended to adapt as time went by. If I've learned anything from working closely with historians recently, it is that the founders intended the Constitution to be a living document -- not locked into its original time frame. And, true to form, it has been adapted over time, but the process of doing that is cumbersome, which is a good thing. The Constitution was never intended to be a static document. It was itself the result of compromise.

As a country, our major problem is that the U.S. government is totally dysfunctional, because it cannot tackle any of the huge issues facing the country. This requires compromise and political will. It also requires both political parties to work together to do what is right for the national interest -- not partisan or self-interest. This is what the American public expects will happen after elections take place. There's nothing wrong with tackling issues together on a bipartisan basis and achieving worthwhile objectives through compromise. Time and time again, "we the people" have been disappointed, because the nation's business isn't getting done. In order to achieve major change through legislation, all parties have to give up something. Nobody gets everything they want. If compromise doesn't happen, this state of dysfunction will continue.

Further, the apparatus of government is in the hands of special interests that make their desires known through lobbyists and money. The two most lucrative forms of lobbying activity are tax loopholes and special line item appropriations, both of which represent a huge distortion of our economic system. Lobbyists make millions of dollars on these two "lines of business" alone.

In actual dollars, however, line item appropriations pale in comparison to the fraud in the defense procurement system. That is a system that really needs reforming, along with the tax code. Most of the waste or loss of revenue in our government is now happening through the tax code, because it does not represent fairness. Every generation or so, members of Congress decide to clean up the tax code. This happened under Reagan and Clinton, when Bob Dole and Bob Packwood were Chairmen of the Senate Finance Committee. 

Over time, the reforms and intended simplification were eroded. Lobbyists wove special provisions or "loopholes" into the fabric of the tax code to benefit special interests, so that what would otherwise have been illegal becomes legitimized behavior. It is time to clean up the tax code again. Closing loopholes does not constitute increasing taxes. Rather, eliminating loopholes would make corporations and individuals contribute their fair share of revenues and take the burden off the middle class.

The American public knows there's something terribly wrong with their system of government but they feel powerless to do anything about it. They think that their interests are no longer represented, and there is no fairness in the way the country is being run, with government bailouts for those who caused economic ruin. We need change, reform and fairness. That would be too much to undertake with the current participants in our democratic system. The money sloshing around is yet another problem. After having worked in Government when it actually functioned as it should, it is very sad for me to see how it has evolved into the 21st century. I wonder what our founding fathers would say.



Read Full Article!

THE OBAMA PLAY BOOK!

I must say, Barack Obama and his presidency scare the hell out of me. If you listen to his words like, "We are going to transform this country as we know it" or analyze his actions with his all out assault on free enterprise, religion and the Constitution it is hard to believe that there is not mass outrage and concern by the American people.

I read David Horowitz's 50+ page essay "Barack Obama - Rules for Revolution" and it reads like Obama's play book for the big game on Sunday. It's all there: Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals"; Marx's "Communist Manifesto"; ACORN, STORM and the Apollo Alliance; Van Jones; Bill Ayers; Social Justice; Redistribution of Wealth; New World Order; community organizing; “the ends justifies the means”; Progressives; the Have and Have Not's; and more. Sadly, the essay only covers Obama's first 9 months in office. Compare what is written in “Rules for Revolution” and what has transpired since and you will be more convinced than ever that Obama plan to transform America is right on course.

The mainstream media might rhetorically ask, "Do you think the Obama presidency has failed?" I my opinion, he is doing exactly what he set out to do and it's all right there for everyone to see; but we chose to ignore it. Why don't Romney, Santorum, Gingrich and Paul enlighten the American people about the true Barack Obama and his mission to transform this country as we know it?

What is even more horrifying is that the Democratic House and Senate are complicit with what Obama is doing. They are all usurping the U.S. Constitution and undermining the very fabric of what made America great. And yet they persist with the aid of the libel media. "Nero fiddled, while Rome burned!"

Please tell me how we stop the madness? Osama bin Laden set out to destroy the U.S. by attacking its economy. Now it appears Obama has picked up the mantle and all for the advancement social justice and a new world order?

It is time to make dramatic changes in this country. First of all, we need congressional term limits; a balance budget amendment; a new tax code, and I favor The Fair Tax; an unrestricted but controlled energy policy; a fair but comprehensive immigration policy; and a new representative government that knows its place and moves to dramatically reduce its size and influence. Show me the candidate who will embrace this platform and I will show you the next President of the United States. Regrettably, I do not see that candidate.

http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/articles/rules%20for%20revolution%20%282%29.pdf



Read Full Article!

STUPIDITY DOESN’T EXPLAIN THIS!

You might have noticed that Capitol Rush has not published a blog since December. The reason for this is that I have not been compelled to write. The on-going Republican Presidential race is being covered ad- nauseam and anything having to do with President Obama just makes me want to wretch. Three separate articles did catch my attention and all three illustrate the absolute dumbness, stupidity and ridiculousness of our federal government and our elected representatives.

The first blatant act of dumbness has to do with President Obama’s favorite campaign theme and that is that “everyone has to pay their fair share of taxes.” It was reported today that 1) 70 percent of all taxes are paid by the top 10 percent of wage earners; 2) The bottom 50 percent of tax filers pay almost no federal income tax; and 3) Half of the bottom 50 percent pay “less than zero.”

But even with this reality, Mr. Obama still does not consider this to be “fair”. As for the dumbness, look a little more closely at point number three. Half of the people who pay zero federal income taxes actually get a refund check from the government. PAY NO TAXES AND GET A TAX REFUND! The net result, according to the Tax Foundation is that “70% of Americans take more out of the tax system than they put into it”.

Next, we have all heard about congressional earmarks: those millions of dollars that get added onto legislation that get sent back to congressional districts as “thanks-you’s” for selling your soul? For the most part, congressional earmarks have been held in check, thanks to the Republican controlled House, but did you ever hear of “administrative earmarks”?

The Heritage Foundation has reported that “an examination of ‘administrative earmarks’ around the time of congressional votes on key pieces of President Barack Obama's agenda suggests the White House used its power to fund local projects as a means to "buy" votes for major legislative efforts,” such as Cap and Trade, Dodd-Frank and Obamacare.

It was further reported that several U.S. Representatives hid their “for” votes from their constituencies because these initiatives were unpopular in their respective states, but rather they reported millions of dollars in grants their efforts garnered. Besides being stupid, these acts are disingenuous and deceitful. So much for a fair and transparent Obama government!

The final demonstration of federal ridiculousness is the cost they pay to mint money. How much do you think it costs the U.S. Treasury to mint 1 penny or 1 nickel? Would it surprise you to know that it actually costs 2 ½ cents to make 1 penny and 11 cents to make 1 nickel! Yup! That’s your hard earned tax dollars at work. It is no wonder our goose is in the frying pan and this country is doomed.

I am so fed up; excuse the pun, with Washington stupidity that it has clogged my ability to think rationally. I suppose that explains why my pen has gone silent. But, as you can see, you don’t have to wait too long before the morons in DC, prove once again, we are screwed!


Read Full Article!

CHRISTMAS, 1944 by Michael Connelly

It is that time of year when I start thinking about the importance of friends and family and why I should be thankful for the country I live in. It is also the time when I think about those fellow Americans who have stepped forward in the past and the present to place their lives on the line so that the rest of us can celebrate this holy season in freedom and peace. This will be the fourth Christmas since 9/11 that my oldest son, U.S. Army Major Sean Connelly, has spent away from home and in harm’s way.

However, the true story below is not about Sean and the fighting Americans of today, but about Sean’ grandfather and another Christmas long ago. I wrote it many years ago and it has been reprinted and put on websites around the world. I offer it once again to honor our heroes of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Come to think of it, this story is really about all of them because it epitomizes who and what they are.

Christmas 1944

The frigid night air cut through the Lieutenant’s army issue coat as the stopped in the knee deep snow to survey the perimeter. A heavy snow continued to fall on this Christmas Eve 1944, but it was not a silent night. The flashes of artillery lit the sky and generated a rumble like distant thunder as the young officer finished his tour of the unit’s outposts. He was an officer in Company B, 87th Chemical Mortar Battalion, the men who fired the big 4.2 mortars which were so critical to the effort of the infantry to advance. They were someplace in Belgium, he really had no clue where, and for the first time in a while the battalion was together again. All four companies had been brought in to help stop the German breakthrough. They didn’t know it, but the 87th was about to be thrown right into the heart of the Battle of the Bulge.

As the Lieutenant finished his rounds he wearily dragged himself into the monastery where the command had taken refuge for the night. The warmth that enveloped him as he entered the large community room was certainly welcomed. He glanced around and saw his comrades sprawled in every available space. They were bedraggled and exhausted after 201 days of almost continuous combat, and by the looks on their faces you could tell that it was only going to get worse. Despite the thickness of the monastery walls, a new sound intruded, the quick crack of tank gunfire.

Everyone knew what that meant, American tankers were making a last ditch stand against the German armored columns in the area. They were outnumbered and outgunned and their Sherman tanks stood no chance against the awesome German Tiger tanks, but they fought anyway. When the battle ended, and it would before dawn, then the 87th became part of the last American line of defense. The war hung in the balance, and so did the lives of everyone in the ancient house of God.

The Lieutenant found a place to sit against one wall and sank down in exhaustion, gratefully accepting the wine, bread and cheese being offered by the monks. In the corner of the room, a soldier fiddled with the dial of a radio, finally picking up the armed forces station. Christmas carols filled the room, but only added to the loneliness. Then as, the sound of the tank battle increased in intensity, a new song started on the radio, Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas."

For the Lieutenant the song immediately invoked memories of the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas on the farm in Mason City, Iowa and of how far away he was from those he loved. He could not help himself, the tears began to flow and embarrassed, he glanced around the room to see if anyone had noticed. His eyes fell first on the Company Commander, Captain J.J. Marshall, one of the toughest men the Lieutenant had ever known. The Captain sat ramrod straight, unashamed, as tears streamed down his stubbly cheeks. It was universal that night, strong men, the bravest of the brave, cried over a Christmas carol, and over the homes many would never see again.

As dawn broke the next morning, Christmas Day, the battalion was again split up with Company B assigned to take up mortar positions in support of what was left of the 289th infantry, 75th Division, and defend a Belgium village called Sadzot, a key location in the thin American defense line. For three days they fired their mortars in support of the hastily assembled defense units, and then disaster struck. Early in the predawn hours of Dec. 28th enemy elements of the 12 SS Panzer Division, the infamous Hitler Jugend, broke through the infantry lines and overran the mortar position.

They hastily assembled all of the men they could, and the mortar men fought a delaying action, fighting hand to hand and house to house against overwhelming numbers. As the fighting retreat continued, they men of company B were joined by remaining elements of the 509th Parachute Battalion which had formed a new defensive position north of the village. There they held until reinforced and then joined a counterattack which retook the village, and recaptured six of their nine mortars and most of their vehicles.

It was later learned that this makeshift force of Americans had successfully stopped a major attack by German troops designed to capture a major highway intersection which would have broken the American line. No one has ever been able to tell me how they won. History recorded it as a classic situation where the attacking enemy held all of the advantages, yet was stopped by the cold determination of a hand full of defenders on the verge of physical and mental collapse. Somehow, they emerged victorious, with Company B reporting almost half of its men killed, wounded, or missing.

For his actions during the defense of Sadzot the Lieutenant and the other men of the company received both the French and Belgium Croix de Guerre medals. I know the story of that lonely Christmas Eve and the ensuing days from my Father’s diary. He was the young Lieutenant, Roy E. Connelly, Co. B. 87th Chemical Mortar Battalion. He would read that story to us on Christmas Eve every year until his death in 1987, and then I took over the job with my children.

He never read it without crying over the friends he lost during that Christmas season of 1944, and to this day, I cannot read it or even write about it without the same reaction. What was done during that six day period by the men of Co. B and the other companies of the 87th, who also held the line, surpasses the ability of most of us to comprehend. They fought for each other, and they fought for us.
We must never forget.

FOR MY DAD, AND THE MEN OF THE 87TH

Michael Connelly: Author of “The Mortarmen”

http://michaelconnelly.jigsy.com/the-mortarmen


Read Full Article!

THE CONGRESSIONAL “WHIFFENPOOFS”

The 112th Congress

According to my research, “The Yale Whiffenpoofs are the oldest collegiate a cappella group in the United States, established in 1909.[1]” They are “best known for ‘The Whiffenpoof Song’, a tune that was written by Tod Galloway (Amherst 1895)[2] and adapted with lyrics by Meade Minnigerode (Yale 1910)[1] & George S Pomeroy (Yale 1910).”

“‘The Whiffenpoof Song’, the group's traditional closing number, was published in sheet music form in 1909. It became a hit first for Rudy Vallee in 1927 and later in 1947 for Bing Crosby.” I am sure you have all heard and sang the lyrics before and I believe it is the perfect theme song for the 112th Congress. The chorus of “The Whiffenpoof Song” goes like this:

“The Whiffenpoof Song”

“We are poor little lambs who have lost our way, bah, bah, bah.”
“We are little black sheep who have gone astray, bah, bah, bah.”

“We have lost our way” and “we have gone astray” aptly describes the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate; and I would also include the President of the United States. Let’s look back at the U.S. Constitution and the intent of the Founding Fathers when they laid out the duties and responsibilities of the three branches of government.

The U.S. House of Representatives is the federal body of government that is supposed to represent the people within their respective districts. That is why congressional districts are drawn. They identify the boundaries and the constituents within those boundaries that individual congressmen represent. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) represents the 8th congressional district of California, which is comprised primarily of San Francisco. Eric Cantor (R-VA) represents the 7th congressional district of Virginia which spans several counties including the city of Richmond. They are elected every 2 years by the constituents within their districts and their primary responsibilities are to represent those constituents in Congress.

The U.S Senate is a federal body of government that is supposed to represent the States that elected them. There are 100 Senators elected to 6 year terms; 2 to represent each state. Harry Reid (D-NV) was elected in Nevada to represent the interests of the State of Nevada in the Senate. Mitch McConnell (R- KY) was elected in Kentucky and was sent to Washington to represent the State of Kentucky.

The President of the United States is elected every 4 years and his duties and responsibilities are to represent the United States of America; both domestically and abroad. As you can see there is an intended hierarchy that the Founders established with the House representing the people; the Senate representing the States; and the President representing the country as a whole. How can this hierarchy be maintained when all of the parties involved abandon their constitutional duties in lieu of chasing their ideological pipe dreams?

An example of this breakdown has been a story in the news lately; the construction of the Keystone Pipeline. The pipeline project is intended to bring crude oil supplies from Canada to several market hubs in the U.S., such as the Midwest, Oklahoma and Texas. It will create jobs for thousands of people within the congressional districts it passes through and it should be of paramount importance to the congressional delegation representing those districts, regardless of party affiliation. The project is of equal importance to the states it passes through and the millions of dollars of revenue the pipeline could generate for those states; something that their respective Senators should be keenly aware. Finally, the project could have a profound impact on the national security of the United States; an issue that should be supported by the President.
 
The House members from both political parties in the pipeline states should be aligning themselves to support such an important economic project, as should the Senators from those states but, unfortunately, they are not. Instead, the ideological camps from the ultra right are taking a pro position while the ideologs on the lunatic left are taking a con position. Neither side is representing the people in their districts, the well being of the states, or the ultimate best interests of the country; they are representing a destructive ideology. This example can be applied to numerous issues this country is grappling with but is failing to find solutions for that would benefit individuals, their states or the country because ideology trumps principles.

That is why Washington is broken, the country is faltering, and the Constitution is teetering because they are no longer being run by individuals with the rule of law in mind or the tenets of the Constitution as their sworn oath. We need to go back to a time, if it ever really existed, where words like “the people”, “the states”, and “the country” take center stage; and words like Democrat, Republican, liberal, progressive, conservative or libertarian are merely adjectives to describe human frailty. That is why I say, “They are poor little sheep who have lost their way and have gone astray, bah, bah, bah!



[1] The Rev. James M. Howard, Yale Class of 1909, "An Authentic Account of the Founding of the Whiffenpoofs"
[2] "Time Magazine, August 2, 1937, "Whiffenpoof Contest"



Read Full Article!

UNIONS – EFFECTIVE OR OUT OF TOUCH?

Samuel Gompers

The State of Virginia announced that it currently has $20 billion of unfunded pension obligations and candidates in the upcoming General Assembly elections on both sides are reluctant to talk about the issue. Is this the beginning of another union battle that the Governors in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio and New Jersey had to face? Will the Democratic members of a newly elected General Assembly in Virginia head for the hills and leave the state like their cowardly counterparts from Illinois in the event the General Assembly takes on the unions by putting this issue on their new legislative agenda? Will union influence once again become the main topic of discussion by the mainstream media?

To the political left, Wall Street has become a dirty word(s); to the political right, unions’ has become a dirty word. There was a time when labor unions stood up to protect their members from unfair labor practices. There was a time when labor unions fought to improve the living wages of their members. There was a time when labor unions were looked upon favorably and people would go around singing, “Look for the union label.” But a metamorphosis has taken place among the leadership in most unions; a change that has seen most unions over-reach the vision, objectives and demands originally established by Samuel Gompers in 1886.

It is a statistical fact that labor unions have been steadily losing members. The exact reason is not clear but the union ranks have steadily declined. In the same token, union gains in wages, benefits, and job security over the years is now contributing to their declining ranks. It is becoming abundantly obvious that burgeoning costs attributed directly to union activity and successes is starting to work against them. Over the years, The United Auto Workers Union forced the automobile industry to accept unsustainable legacy costs that cover life time benefits, pensions and job security and those concessions by management pushed General Motors and Chrysler into eventual bankruptcy.

Similar burdensome legacy costs have bankrupted numerous airlines, railroads and steel mills. Excessive union negotiated contracts is pushing the U.S. Postal Service in the same direction; and we saw last summer how various States are having to take on the unions because pension and benefit payments can no longer be met. This same fate is befalling numerous cities and municipalities where several have already filed for bankruptcy protection. And if that were not enough, these same activities are taking place around the world. Recently, union strikes forced Australia’s Quantas Airlines to ground its entire fleet due to union practices. How many millions of travelers do you think that inconvenienced and how many millions of dollars were lost? But the unions persist.

The simple fact is that union successes have become union excesses and it is not only causing financial distress in the private and public sectors it is causing the loss of millions of jobs, including union jobs. Somewhere the Vision and Mission Statements of organized labor has gone askew.

Look at what happened in Seattle Washington with the Boeing Corporation. Labor disruptions and excessive demands forced Boeing to build a new manufacturing facility in South Carolina, which happens to be a “right to work” state. So through union influence and millions of dollars of campaign contributions to the Obama administration, the union persuaded the Obama Justice Department to sue Boeing to stop its expansion plans in South Carolina. Apparently, work stoppages and strikes are no longer the method of choice for the union leadership.

Unions are also being more aggressive towards non-union workers by pushing very hard for card-check legislation that would force union elections to be open and intimidating. Union action is now taking to the streets of U.S. cities with their organized “Occupy Wall Street” movement which is effectively disrupting free commerce and costing cities millions of dollars. Behind the scenes, the unions are also pushing civil unrest and in some instances violence. Just this week alone, we saw the City of Oakland, California erupt into massive scenes of civil disobedience and this is causing businesses to close and people to lose jobs; the very people this movement is supposedly trying to protect.

Despite the fact that unions have already caused undue harm they continue to aggressively push their agenda globally. It was former SEIU union president Andy Stern who urged, “Unions of the world unite.” But unite to what end; the further destruction of everything they fought to attain for their members? It is no wonder that their rank and file is declining. When you see the actions of a super liberal Governor like Jerry Brown of California concede he needs to take on the unions in order to save the State of California from financial ruin, you know that something serious is taking place.

So, I am back to my original question: Are labor unions still an effective check and balance over unscrupulous public and private sector employers who are looking to take unfair advantage of their work force; or is organized labor out of touch with the realities of 21st century public and private sector manpower needs and their ability to financially meet those needs? Has the union charter to collectively bargain for wages, benefits and working conditions for its members given way to a global push for redistribution of wealth, social justice and a new world order? Is the method of achieving their ends no longer the result of strikes and work stoppages; but a transition to rebellion and revolution?

As activist Saul Alinsky wrote in his Rules for Radicals, “The issue is never the issue. The issue is always revolution. The goal is to mobilize the poor and oppressed as a battering ram to bring the system down.” It was AFL/CIO President Richard Trumka who said, “I didn’t get into labor unions to negotiate wages; I got in to do massive social change.” Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa said, “President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march. Let's take these sons of bitches out.”

President Obama has been openly and aggressively supportive of the labor unions and the union leadership has contributed millions of dollars to support his social agenda. Obama has not minced words stating that he supports wealth redistribution and social justice and this cozy relationship between Obama and his radical army (a/k/a organized labor) is no coincidence. Their collective efforts to reach their common objective is becoming clearer with each strike, Justice Department lawsuit and Occupy Wall Street type demonstration.



Read Full Article!

IT’S NO CONSPIRACY “THEORY”

There is a conspiracy afoot and it’s real, it’s calculated, it’s downright scary; not to mention unconstitutional. The Merriam-Webster defines a conspiracy as “two or more people who join in a secret agreement to do a wrongful act; or to act in harmony towards a common end.” That is exactly what is happening in Washington and no one is reporting it or talking about it. The conspiracy is being carried out at the highest levels of government and its intent is to destroy the United States of America, as we know it, and to replace it with a land governed by a creed driven by social justice.

President Obama has been travelling across the country raising campaign funds for his presidential election while forking over the bill for his travel expenses to the American taxpayer all under the guise of getting his American Jobs Act passed through Congress. But that is not the conspiracy that I am talking about.

Mr. Obama has been very vocal about saying “if the Congress doesn’t do something to pass his American Jobs Act, he will! He is coming right out and saying he will do what Congress has failed to do. The only problem with his declaration is that it’s unconstitutional. The truth is that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed 17 jobs bills but all are sitting idly in the U.S. Senate. So the appearance is that Congress is doing nothing to assist the President in his jobs creation efforts causing Mr. Obama to take the bulls by the horns and issue independent Executive Orders that essentially by-pass Congress.

There lies the conspiracy. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and the Democratic leadership of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) have been intentionally holding up House passed bills forcing Mr. Obama to act unilaterally by creating legislation that he is not empowered to do by constitutional restraints. Only Congress is authorized by the Constitution to make laws, not the President of the United States.

But there he goes passing Executive Order after Executive order, while at the same time usurping the authority of Congress and the U.S. Constitution; and no one is challenging him. Mr. Reid and the Democratic leadership, by saying and doing nothing, are basically conspiring with the President of the United States to act in a wrongful and unlawful manner and all of them have acted in harmony towards a common end of social re-engineering.

Nowhere under Article III of the U.S. Constitution is the President granted powers that enable him to pass legislation reserved exclusively for Congress. In addition, all of the conspirators have broken their collective oaths of office by failing to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

The actions of the President and the Democratic leadership are blatant, obvious and unlawful and I think it is time for the Republican controlled House to stand up and take decisive action to stop this assault of the United States of America, the U.S. Constitution and the people of this still free and prospering country before it is totally dismantled. But I sense this will not happen since House Speaker, John Boehner (R-OH) merely calls Mr. Obama’s actions “laughable.” This is not laughable, Mr. Speaker, this is criminal and punishable by law; and Reid, Schumer and Durbin should be named unindicted co-conspirators.

If it requires the impeachment of the President, I say, so be it! We cannot wait another year to dethrone him and strip him of his presidential over-reach. Barack Obama has stepped well beyond his constitutional authority. Perhaps Mr. Obama will gain a greater appreciation for the U.S. Constitution as it lays out the framework for his removal from office.



Read Full Article!

OCCUPYING AMERICA by Michael Connelly

They bill themselves as the Occupy Wall Street movement, and they claim to be a new wave of outraged Americans. Yet, in my view there is nothing new about them. They are camping out in public places in various locations around the country smoking dope, singing protest songs, screaming obscenities at anyone who disagrees with them, and spitting on men and women who proudly wear the uniform of the United States military.

It is all eerily reminiscent of the late 1960s and early 1970s when you had the hippies and the antiwar protesters banding together in the streets and on college campuses in order to disrupt the lives of ordinary Americans. In the turbulent 1960s the protesters were demanding an end to the war, the end of capitalism, and a redistribution of wealth. In other words, they wanted to take everything away from Americans who work for living and give it to those who preferred not to work.

Now, we have this current band of protesters who are demanding that we end the war on terrorism, that we let the government take complete control of our economy, and that everyone be entitled to a living wage whether they work or not. So, who are these people? Well, in the 1960s they were mostly spoiled rich kids who never had to work in their lives and whose parents were paying for their college educations. There were also the far left college professors and the committed radicals from both the Socialist and Communist parties.

This 21st century group of protesters is basically a new generation of the same type of people. I can remember attempting in vain to speak to the campus protesters in the 60s in order to find out what they really wanted and what they believed. I quickly learned that it was impossible to carry on a coherent conversation with most of them. They were protesting a war that many of them knew nothing about. In fact they couldn't even find Vietnam on a world map. They were also protesting the economic system when they were clueless about how it worked.

They spoke mostly in platitudes and clichés, and you could tell they were simply parroting what they were being told by their college professors, leaders of various far left groups, or the liberal news media. It was virtually impossible for them to produce an original thought on their own. I can remember one young woman that I was debating on a local radio show that actually shouted at me to stop confusing her with the facts about the Vietnam War.

Today, when I watch the protesters being interviewed on television, I'm hearing the same tiresome rhetoric that I heard back then. They sound like good little androids that have been programmed by their masters in universities, in the far left media, and in unions like the NEA and the SEIU to repeat what they are told and under no circumstances engage in independent thought.

Unfortunately, this new group is being led by well-financed and well-organized individuals and organizations that believe the time has come to destroy the United States. They include Communists, Socialists, and radical Islamists. They are being aided and abetted in their quest by the liberal media, and are being encouraged and applauded by Barrack Obama and Nancy Pelosi.

It is past time for the American people to wake up and realize that our Constitution and our way of life are being seriously threatened. In fact, in many ways we are already an occupied nation. The President of the United States continues to shred the Constitution and assume dictatorial powers. He openly boasts of the fact that he is bypassing Congress, and enacting laws despite the fact that the Constitution has established a balance of powers in the federal government that was designed to keep that very thing from happening. By using a combination of executive orders and rules and regulations issued by various departments under his control, Obama is killing jobs, destroying the free enterprise economic system, and opening our borders to illegal immigrants, potential terrorists, and drug runners. In addition, he is using his office to dictate new laws and regulations that are robbing the American people of the God-given rights protected by the Bill of Rights in the Constitution.

He is also looting the U.S. Treasury and using taxpayer money to reward those individuals and companies that support his actions. Of course, that is illegal, but is being covered up by the mainstream news media. In fact, virtually everything that Obama is doing is illegal and unconstitutional and a clear violation of his oath of office. Yet, there seems to be no great outcry from the American people.

Perhaps, that is because so many people have never read the Constitution, were not really talked about it in school, or just don't understand what it means. That is why, the nonprofit Corporation I formed, the Constitutional Law Alliance, has just released a pocket-sized booklet that sets out the Constitution and has comments after each section and amendment that explain what they each mean. The booklet is available at www.constitution.jigsy.com.

We would like to have this booklet widely distributed prior to the upcoming 2012 election. Please consider buying copies and handing them out to your friends and neighbors or making a donation to help us provide the booklet to students and others at a reduced price. It is important for Americans to understand what we're losing.


Read Full Article!

ADDICTION, ARROGANCE OR BOTH?

I have written in the past and it has been commented upon by others that politicians in Washington, more specifically progressives, are addicted to a tax and spend mentality. This observation might be, somewhat, tongue-in-cheek but, then again, there just might be some truth to this theory. It has been stated that “there is no tax increase that a liberal doesn’t like.” And, why do you suppose that it is so very difficult, if not impossible for the radical left to make cuts to government spending? Perhaps it is time to look a little deeper into the spending behavior of Democrats.

First let’s take a look at the physical ailment of addiction. The Drug Rehabilitation Centers of the United States describes the progression of addiction as:

1. Use or Experimentation;
2. Misuse;
3. Abuse;
4. Addiction and Dependency.

It can be argued that as politicians enter the political arena for the first time they get a “feel” for spending someone else’s money and the experience proves to be satisfying (Use and Experimentation). By the time they get re-elected or elected to a higher office, the compulsion to spend more becomes easier and they find more projects and excuses to spend taxpayer money (Misuse). As politicians become entrenched in their elected offices, spending becomes second nature and excuses to spend frivolously becomes easier yet (like the “Bridge to Nowhere” -Abuse). And, when it gets to the point when politicians become agitated and aggressive about cutting spending then the final level is reached (Addiction and Dependency).

Dr. Annette Nay, Ph.D. has developed her Three Cycles and Stages of Addiction. She calls the first stage of addiction: “Change in Thought Process.” Here she explains how addiction causes people to “do the [addictive] act instead of dealing with their problems.” In doing so, addicts “substitute addictive logic to explain illogical actions.” This does shed some light on why progressives continue to argue for spending programs when they know that we have already spent ourselves to oblivion and they do not work.

Dr. Nay’s second stage of addiction is “Change in Dealing with Life and Others.” In this stage, “any questions about the addict’s logic are perceived as an attack on themselves.” She further explains “the addict practices ‘objectification’ (the regarding or usage of others as objects to get what they need) and can’t understand why others get upset.” What other explanation could there be for a career politician like Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) to tell members of the Tea Party movement “to go straight to hell?”

The third and final stage is described as “Physical and Mental Breakdown.” Dr. Nay explains that the “performance of the act doesn’t cover the urge anymore; it only adds more urges. When the act no longer satisfies the need, the addictive logic breaks down.” Everybody (Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Liberals and Conservatives) realizes that the United States can no longer remain on its currents path of runaway and unsustainable spending; and yet we hear every day President Obama pleading for more government spending, more failed jobs bills and higher taxes on the millionaires and billionaires. Can these be signs of addictive spending behavior?

In similar terms, Dr. Julian I. Taber, Ph.D. describes the addictive progression as “Delight and Discovery” or “feeling an immediate and strong effect;” “Protecting and Promoting” or “new addicts trying to promote use among others, convinced they have discovered some great truth;” “Defense and Denial” or “requiring increased use in amount and frequency;” “Resentment and Relapse” or “growing resentment at social sanctions leading to outbursts of anger and impulsive acts;” and “Growth and Gratitude” although “relatively few addicts reach this final state which is the beginning of normal living;” unless, of course, they change parties and become Republican.

Ruth C. Engs, RN, EdD. Professor, Applied Health Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN has an interesting perspective about “Common Characteristics Among Addictive Behavior” and here you can see many liberal / progressive traits shine through. According to Ms. Engs:

Addictive behavior describes people “obsessed with an object or activity.” [The need to tax and spend]

They “will engage in the behavior even though it is causing harm.” [Like having S & P downgrade the bond rating of the U.S.]

They “will do the activity over and over.” [TARP, stimulus, bail-outs, QE 1 and 2]

“Upon cessation of the activity, withdrawal symptoms often occur. These can include irritability, craving, restlessness or depression.” [The election of 2010]

“The person does not appear to have control as to when, how long, or how much he or she will continue the behavior.” [There is not a tax increase a liberal doesn’t like]

“They often deny problems resulting from their engagement in the behavior, even though others can see the negative effects.” [Blame it on George W. Bush]

Dr. Engs concludes her analysis by describing what is behind a spending addiction. A spending addiction, she writes, “is a symptom—or flashing red light warning sign--that there are deep-rooted feelings you’re trying to avoid facing. Every time you try to stop the pattern of compulsive [government] spending, you find you have to deal with the distressing feelings. Even though you may have promised yourself you were going to really curb your spending you go on yet another spending binge.”

“What feelings could be so distressingly terrible that they're capable of sending you on a spending path of self destruction? Maybe you’re afraid that you’re not as attractive or successful [or re-electable] as you’d like to be. Or maybe you’re afraid that the façade—the “outer” you--you’ve worked so hard to build and have maintained so painstakingly will crack, and that others will then see what is behind that front: that you’re a fraud, a pretender, a failure.”

“When you have a spending addiction, what you’re actually attempting to "buy" is to be liked and admired [and elected] by others and to not feel consumed by self-doubt and self-disappointment. It doesn’t matter how much money you have, how successful you are, or what prestige you hold in your community, it’s the inside of you that feels empty and insignificant. When you’re out there spending [taxpayer] money, that gaping emotional Grand Canyon inside of you feels nearly filled and--if only for a little while--you feel on top of the world.”

Finally, when talking about addiction there is the good and reliable dictionary definition which defines addiction as a “means to devote or surrender oneself to something habitually or obsessively; behavior that impairs the performance of a vital function(s), a harmful development." Addiction causes you to lose your sense of balance and rationality. Beneath all addictions is a longing for immediate gratification--to feel good, powerful, worthy of admiration, and problem-free--and an insistence on ignoring the long-range, self-destructive implications of the behavior.”

We may have facetiously described liberal / progressive / Democrats as addicted to spending but when you break it down into stages, cycles, behaviors, characteristics and definitions a case can be made that the Dem’s really cannot help themselves about their compulsive and destructive spending behavior. In the real world, close family and friends would usually become so worried about their loved one that they would have an “intervention” in an attempt to get the addicted personality to realize the severity of their condition and, hopefully, change their ways before hitting the absolute rock bottom.

Unfortunately, in the case of our liberal friends, rock bottom would mean the destruction and collapse of the United States economy and its way of life. A successful intervention can only mean having our addicted friends on the radical left voted out of office and sent to the nearest rehabilitation center, also known as lobbyists; where they can spend to their hearts content.



Read Full Article!

OBAMA’S TOP 10 LIST!

The Late Show with David Letterman is renowned for its Top 10 List and oddly enough it has been reported that the list was a “mocking response to People magazine’s Top 10 Worst List. According to sources, Letterman’s first list appeared on September 18, 1985 and was entitled “The Top 10 Things That Almost Rhyme With Peas.”[1] In keeping with the spirit of frivolity, I would like to present my list: The Top 10 Reasons Why President Obama Will Not Be Re-Elected!

Reason Number 10:

President Obama bows to foreign dignitaries during overseas visits signaling that the United States is no longer the world’s leading power and abdicating its sovereignty to a New World Order.

Reason Number 9:

President Obama signs an executive order stating that the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay Cuba will close in one year. Three years later it is, thankfully, still open but it indicates Mr. Obama’s weak determination and indecisive foreign policy.

Reason Number 8:

President Obama’s Justice Department sues the States of Arizona and Alabama over his failed immigration policy when the States were merely acting to protect its citizens.

Reason Number 8-A:

In a separate action, President Obama’s Justice Department sues the Boeing Corporation for wanting to build a new manufacturing facility in the United States that will create over 1,100 new jobs.

Reason Number 8-B:

The Obama Justice Department sues the Gibson Guitar Company for using foreign sourced wood to build products in the United States. The Justice Department argued the jobs should be outsourced to foreign labor.

Reason Number 7:

President Obama forces Obamacare on the American people which will eventually increase the cost of health care by over $1 trillion; mandates that the American people must buy health insurance under penalty of law (which several courts have already ruled unconstitutional); and issues thousands of exemptions to union cronies, financial supporters, and the U.S. Congress.

Reason Number 7A:

Obamacare was forced on the American people against their will with a promise to provide health insurance to the 30 million uninsured people in this country but it was recently reported that the number of uninsured people actually jumped to 49.9 million.

Reason Number 6:

President Obama is the first President to display an outward disdain and lack of support for the State of Israel; snubbing its Prime Minister and suggesting Israel return to its pre-1967 borders. Obama’s Israeli policy caused the Democrats to lose New York’s 9th Congressional district which has a heavy Jewish population and has been controlled by Democrats for decades.

Reason Number 5:

Under President Obama’s leadership, poverty jumped 15.1% to its highest level in 27 years; the growth rate of our economy following a recession has demonstrated the slowest and longest recovery since the Great Depression; and unemployment has remained above 9% despite promises from Mr. Obama that it would drop below 8% with the passage of his much heralded stimulus package.

Reason Number 4:

President Obama has caused the government’s debt ($14.5 trillion) and deficit ($1.5 trillion) to increase to unprecedented and unsustainable levels surpassing the debt of all previous Presidents combined.

Reason Number 3:

President Obama’s strong push to convert our economy into a “green energy machine” has cost the taxpayer’s $535 million with the bankruptcy filing of solar panel manufacturer Solyndra when it was known the company would run out of cash in September, 2011 and fail.

Reason Number 3-A:

Because of President Obama’s “green energy policy” taxpayers stand to lose millions more over Obama administration loan guarantees given to LightSquared; a wireless broadband network producer. The Obama administration also attempted to influence an Air Force General’s congressional testimony over the implications of the LightSquared program.

Reason Number 3-B:

President Obama’s “green energy policy” has caused 2 additional solar panel manufactures to file bankruptcy and an additional billion dollars of taxpayer money is in jeopardy with loans to companies pushing green energy.

Reason Number 2:

The [boneheaded] Obama Justice Department strikes again with its approval of the “Fast and Furious” Mexican gun-runner project. It has been reported that late in 2009, “the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) office in Phoenix, Arizona, began selling weapons to small-time gun buyers in the hopes of tracing them to major weapons traffickers along the southwestern border and into Mexico.” It was further reported that, “over 2,000 weapons ended up in the hands of criminals and 57 of those weapons have been connected to at least an additional 11 violent crimes in the U.S.”

And the Number 1 Reason President Obama Will Not Be Re-Elected:

For the first time in American history, President Obama’s inept, ill-conceived and failed economic strategy has caused the United States’ bond rating to be downgraded by Standard & Poor’s from a Triple-A rating to AA+.

Now we have to come up with a personality to deliver our Top 10 list. Will it be Romney, Perry, Bachmann, Cain, Paul, Gingrich, Santorum, Huntsman or someone else?

[1] Phil Rosenthal (2009-12-13), "No chance of a list-less columnist this time of year", Chicago Tribune



Read Full Article!

THANK YOU, PRESIDENT OBAMA

The following News Alert is hot off the wire from the Washington Post:

“The Census Bureau reports the number of Americans in poverty jumped to 15.1 percent in 2010, a 27-year high. About 46.2 million people, or nearly 1 in 6, were in poverty. That’s up from 43.6 million, or 14.3 percent, in 2009. It was the highest level since 1983.

The number of people lacking health insurance increased to 49.9 million, a new high after revisions were made to 2009 figures. Losses were due mostly to working-age Americans who lost employer-provided insurance in the weak economy.”

This is just one more example why Keynesian economics, Obamacare, and the misguided Progressive utopian socialist dream DOES NOT WORK! How many more failed examples are needed before the disillusioned left comes to their senses? Rather than pushing the ignition key to generate liftoff, the Paul Krugmans of this world continue to push the self-destruct button.
Read Full Article!

REFLECTIONS ON 9/11 by Michael Connelly

As we approach the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001 I look back on that day and remember the things that I saw and what I felt. I often work late, sometimes into the early hours of the morning, so I'm not an early riser and neither was my late wife Kay. However, we were awakened by the sound of the phone ringing, and by the time I got up there was a message light and I saw that it was my oldest daughter who had called and left a message that said simply turn on the television. I immediately did so and saw the images of one of the twin towers in New York City in flames.

I don't even remember which network I was watching, but I remember listening to the commentary about a plane crashing into the tower. Then suddenly, I watched in horror as the second plane crashed into the other tower, and I knew instantly that this was no accident, but that my beloved United States of America was under attack once again. I stayed glued to the television set for virtually the next 24 hours as the tragedy continued to unfold. I alternated between tears for those who I knew we had lost, and anger against the then unknown assailants who had attacked us.

In the days that followed the attackers became known and I knew that we were now at war. I was comforted by the fact that my great country had come together. It seemed that every car, home, and apartment displayed the American flag or some other symbol of patriotism. Both my youngest and oldest sons were in the National Guard and had been called to active duty. I called Army personnel headquarters and volunteered to go back on active duty myself. This was difficult because my wife had been disabled by a stroke, but she fully supported what I was doing and why.

The Army thanked me for volunteering, but I was never called up since as always this was going to be a war fought by mostly young Americans. I clearly remember the day when we invaded Afghanistan to topple the Taliban that had provided Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda with safe haven to prepare to attack us. Even more, I remember saying goodbye to my oldest son Sean as he was deployed overseas and to my youngest son Tim as he was sent to Guantánamo Bay to guard the terrorists that were being captured.

Now, 10 years later, Sean has done two tours of duty in Iraq, two others in Afghanistan for a total of 4 years of his life in combat. Now, he's back in Afghanistan again and Tim, who is now a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, is preparing to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan. The Connelly family remains totally committed to the fight for our freedom as do many other families. However, for others it is not the case.

I remember one pundit commenting not long after 9/11 that while our military was going to war, the rest of America was going to the mall. Unfortunately that seems to be true. Our enemies are still out there, and they still want to destroy us, but many Americans seem to have lost the will to fight our enemies both abroad and at home.

I recall a few days after 9/11 going to the store for groceries and then sitting in traffic at a stoplight in Dallas. My car window was down and the woman next to me had her radio on and the song being played was Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA. She turned the volume of her radio all the way up so that everyone could hear the song and even when the light turned green nobody moved until the song was over. I think every driver that day drove off with tears in their eyes as we thought about our country and its greatness.

Unfortunately, as we approach September 11, 2011 we are no longer a united country. We appear to have lost our moral compass. Many Americans no longer seem to believe in or even understand the basic facts that have made America the greatest free nation in the world. The people who seek to destroy us are still out there, yet it has become politically incorrect to refer to them by name. In the meantime, our main enemy seems to be within.

The true strength of America has always been our constitutional form of government that protects our individual liberties and our free enterprise economic system. Now both of these are under attack not only from radical Islam but also from people within our own country. Politicians and members of the so-called mainstream news media are routinely calling for us to ignore our Constitution or abolish it altogether so that we can become more like the socialist countries in Europe and other parts of the world where freedom is limited.

In the days after 9/11, millions of Americans turned to our churches and synagogues to reaffirm our faith and our religious beliefs and to ask for solace and guidance. Now, 10 years later the mayor of New York City has prohibited any members of the clergy from participating in the Memorial service for those lost on 9/11. At the same time an atheist group is trying to prohibit a cross from being placed on the site of the 9/11 Memorial. At the national cemetery in Houston, Texas the families of military veterans and those who are currently dying in Afghanistan or Iraq are being denied the right to have religious ceremonies when they bury their dead.

I, for one, have had it. I will not forget what happened on 9/11 and I will not forget who the enemies are that caused it to happen. Nor will I forgive. I will also not forgive those in our own country who would destroy our legacy, take away our freedoms, and trash our Constitution. Even if I have to stand alone with just my sons and daughters by my side, we will not give up. The Connelly family is in this fight to the end.

Of course, I know that we are not alone. There are 25 million military veterans in this country and their families, as well as many others who believe in this nation and its founding principles. This includes the obligation that those of us in the military took to defend our Constitution against all enemies both foreign and domestic. So regardless of what is politically correct, on September 11, 2011, I will silently bow my head and reaffirm that oath, and I will say a prayer to the God that I believe in to assist me in the struggle to preserve the United States of America. I encourage my fellow Americans to do the same.

As for those of you who would destroy us, be aware that we are your worst nightmare.

God bless America!

Michael Connelly
mrobertc@hotmail.com
www.michaelconnelly.jigsy.com
www.constitution.jigsy.com




Read Full Article!

HOW BIG IS TOO BIG?

Too big or not too big; that is the question! The argument continues as both sides of the political spectrum try to defend their support for the size of government with the left insisting the federal government needs to do more and spend more while the right insists the government is too big and too intrusive and should be downsized. The answer to that question has yet to be fully clarified but there are telltale signs that could give us some indications about who is right and who is wrong.
This weekend on Meet the Press with David Gregory the panel of political and economic experts discussed the Five Pillars that made America great and how these pillars are being degraded and the result has been a precipitous decline in the American way of life. Upon closer scrutiny it can be argued that the ominous growth of the federal government and its influence on every aspect of American life is the underlying reason for this decline. 

First of all, it was pointed out that the Five Pillars are education, infrastructure, immigration, rules and regulations that spur investment and a strong capitalistic base and research and development. It was further illustrated how America’s greatness flourished when its population sought and achieved higher levels of education; when the country expanded its infrastructure that allowed goods and services to move freely throughout the United States; when America chose to attract the best and brightest talents from the four corners of the earth creating the greatest melting pot in the world; when a solid framework was put in place that allowed the United States economy to grow and prosper and become the engine that drove global economies for decades; and when American ingenuity chose to think outside the box and create most of the remarkable discoveries and achievements that benefits all of mankind today. 

That all occurred when the government was moderately sized and its spending habits never exceeded 15-18% of our national GDP and for the most part stayed out of the way of the American dream. Today, government spending exceeds 20% of GDP, it’s inflicting its will on all aspects of American life and most importantly, it caused the national debt to grow to unsustainable levels and it is the strain of these forces that is causing the Five Pillars of our national strength to crumble.

Over the years, government at all levels has thrown trillions of dollars into the education system and with each recorded failure there was a cry for more money for education. Instead of looking for ways to improve the system by expanding charter schools or offering more school vouchers, for example and by taking steps to economize expenditures, the government chose, instead, to bolster the needs of teachers unions rather than the needs of the students which ultimately led to the dumbing down of America. It has been written that the government fears an educated public because they will come to realize that they don’t really need the government because they can survive on their own. Thus, Pillar #1 or our government education system is a failed endeavor and that failure is contributing to the downward spiral of a once-great nation.

We shutter to think how many trillions of dollars have gone to fund useless projects like the almost bridge to nowhere or in learning about the mating habits of the tsetse fly instead of pouring the money into maintaining and growing our existing infrastructure system? Now that our roads, bridges, airports and rail systems are in dire need of upgrade and repair, there is not enough money in the government coffers to complete the project; so Pillar #2 is being neglected and weakened.

Our Founding Fathers realized that the future success of this fledgling nation will rely on the immigration of the world’s best, brightest and hardest working people. They also realized that the influx of immigrants needed to be monitored and controlled and that led to the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1952 which protected our borders and let government authorities maintain quotas on nationalities and regions. Then in 1965 through the efforts of the Kennedy Brothers, Lyndon Johnson signed into law the amended Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 which shifted the quotas away from the more favorable nationalities and regions to most of the under-educated and under-productive third world nations.

Eventually, most of the immigration controls and laws were ignored which allowed an influx of millions of illegal and undocumented immigrants putting further strains on the Pillars. With today’s excessive government spending and expansion we see billions of dollars in hard earned tax receipts go to illegal immigrants in the form of tax credits; and, how about the Justice Department suing the States of Arizona, Alabama and elsewhere for trying to gain control of its own immigration problems? Unbelievable!

Next we are starting to see the very foundation of our economic strength undermined by the rapid expansion of government growth and interference with its ill conceived Keynesian economic policies and push towards a European-Socialist model. Our national economy is virtually stagnant and jobs are being lost faster than are being created. There is this naïve Alice in Wonderland notion that a “green” economy is far superior to a capitalistic one as evidenced by a federal loan guaranty for $535 million being offered to a solar panel manufacturer, Solyndra, which just filed for bankruptcy after a mere one year in business.

What about the federal government suing the Boeing Corporation for wanting to expand production into South Carolina, thereby, creating thousands of new jobs? Our bolder and more influential government said they could not do that simply because South Carolina was a right-to-work state and not controlled by the union bosses. And, there is the ever-expanding NLRB agency which is pushing the union agenda over the more productive free-market approach.

My favorite is a little known story about government intervention into the livelihood of U.S. guitar maker Gibson, who manufactures some of the finest musical instruments in the world. In a recent article, “Gibson Guitar Corp. is claiming the Obama administration wants more of its woodwork done overseas, as a bizarre battle heats up between the government and one of the country's most renowned guitar makers.” It was reported that the Obama administration suggested “Gibson's troubles would disappear if the company used foreign labor.” According to Gibson’s CEO, “the fact that American workers are completing the work in the United States makes it illegal, he said, citing the government's position.” How much more can our fragile economy endure before Pillar #4 buckles and the government succeeds in its quest to kill America’s golden goose? For the full article, see: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/08/26/feds-environmental-enforcement-on-guitars-leaves-musicians-in-fear/

Finally, there is the abandonment of research and development. Thinking back to our race-to-space, how many inventions and scientific breakthrough’s was the direct result of our national space program? How much did those technological advancements propel this country towards global dominance? All of those accomplishments were attributed to NASA and now government is abandoning those efforts and is shuttering the program. So much for Pillar #5.

Therefore, I conclude that government growth and interference is the direct cause of the decline of the United States and I cannot fathom how anybody can argue that more government spending and initiatives is what is needed to turn things around. Government cannot be the cause and the cure at the same time. In today’s environment and under the misguided vision of the Progressives and the Obama administration, the United States is teetering; its Pillars are eroding; and its future is looking more grave with each passing day. It is time to reverse course; refocus our attention on what made this country great; and take the required action necessary to return us to greatness:

1. Educate our children to be independent thinkers and contributors to society;
2. Rebuild from within;
3. Control our borders and select those immigrants who want to make America great;
4. Remove the barriers and let competition and free-markets lead the way;
5. Image, invent and implement.
Read Full Article!

Fast and Furious?

The Presidency of the United States has been riddled with scandals going back to the days of Andrew Jackson and Ulysses S. Grant. The trend has continued through the modern era with John F. Kennedy having to deal with the Bay of Pigs Scandal; Richard Nixon, Watergate; Ronald Reagan, Iran-Contra; and Bill Clinton’s Monika Lewinsky Scandal. George H.W. Bush was dragged into the Reagan debacle being accused of participating in Irangate while Vice President; and George W. Bush had to deal with accusations concerning the outing of Valerie Plame and the interrogation techniques he approved to fight terrorism. Each scandal received widespread media coverage and some even cost the presidency itself; as with Nixon’s resignation over Watergate.

But the current scandal that is simmering below the surface in Washington appears to be receiving only cursory attention by the media. The so-called “Fast and Furious” gun trafficking investigation should be called “Slow and Wimpy.”

It has been reported that late in 2009, “the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) office in Phoenix, Arizona, began selling weapons to small-time gun buyers in the hopes of tracing them to major weapons traffickers along the southwestern border and into Mexico.” It was further reported that, “over 2,000 weapons ended up in the hands of criminals and 57 of those weapons have been connected to at least an additional 11 violent crimes in the U.S.”

If this fiasco was perpetrated by an independent gang of hoodlums, I can understand why the media would turn a blind eye towards it; but if this apparent planned program was initiated by the federal government and approved at the highest levels of authority, I think the media would be salivating to determine the participants in order to lay blame. But that is not happening.

Is this another case of media bias or the so-called “double standard” that the main stream media refuses to admit exists? Or, does this have something to do with a failed Obama administration that the cozy media refuses to take on for fear that it might cost their “anointed one” his chance at a second term?

But it doesn’t end there. Recently, the Department of Justice (headed by Obama appointee and Attorney General Eric Holder) announced, “that Kenneth Melson, the acting head of the ATF who presided over the operation, is being replaced and transferred to the Office of Legal Policy where he will serve as a senior advisor on forensic science.” What is that all about?

The Heritage Foundation’s Lachlan Markay reports that "Melson bucked his superiors at DOJ in July by revealing details about the operation to congressional investigators in a closed door meeting with Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), who have been investigating the operation in their respective roles."

Also, the U.S. Attorney for Arizona, Dennis Burke, announced his resignation. The Hill reports that "Burke oversaw the legal aspects of the Fast and Furious operation, providing advice to agents involved." And The Arizona Republic reports that the lead prosecutor for Operation Fast and Furious cases in Burke's office was also reassigned Tuesday.

Drug traffickers, gun sales, innocent deaths, and individuals in high positions being reassigned but no public outcry...and no media frenzy? It is clear that such a dangerous and risky scheme needed to be approved at the highest levels of government; and I am not talking about State government. Where are Paul Krugman, Jonathan Alter and Woodward and Bernstein? Where are The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post and ABC, CBS and NBC; not to mention MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, Lawrence O’Donnell and Ed Schultz?

Under Barack Obama we have seen unemployment ravage households; an economy that has taken the longest time in history to recover from a recession; the triple-A bond rating of the United States downgraded for the first time ever; a United States foreign policy that is scorned by the world; and a blatant attempt by the federal government to undermine and destroy our free market system. It that was not enough, there is an alleged scandal, “Fast and Furious,” that could conceivably take down the President of the United States and it is being treated and reported like a domestic quarrel.

Believe it or not, but a new presidential election cycle has begun. The media seems to be focused more on whether Mitt Romney is going to sucker punch Rick Perry and they appear to be forgetting about what is happening in the real world. Our country is teetering and it is being run by an incompetent President who is more content to give campaign speeches and take vacations than he is in running the greatest country on earth.

Unemployment, economic disaster, Obamacare, Card-check, downgrades and Fast and Furious: November, 2012 cannot come fast enough.




Read Full Article!