National Security - On the Brink of Utter Failure

No question that our National Security is failing to protect American citizens and our homeland. Several days ago I was prepared to write an article about the attempt of an Nigerian terrorist to blowup Northwest Flight 253 inbound to Detroit from Amsterdam. This flight took place on Christmas day. However, the more I held off in writing this the more the public learned about the stupidity in handling this threat. Suffice to say but for the grace of God and the ignorance of the terrorist, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, we would today be mourning the lives of nearly 300 passengers. This terrorist had all the ingredients to blow up the plane and failed to inject enough chemical from the syringe to make it happen. Instead, he caused a serious fire and was overtaken by a few brave passengers and subdued till authorities on the ground took custody.

I will give President Obama credit only for saying that it was total "systemic failure" and that includes from the top down. The President was not told about the attempt for three hours while vacationing in Hawaii and did not speak to the American people until Monday the 28th...three days later. He appeared to lack knowledge of what had happened but had ordered a review and would do everything possible to "find everyone involved in the attack and hold them accountable". Well I would suggest that the accountability start at the top with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano who went on television Sunday to tell a national audience that "the system worked" and the suspect was properly screened. Lets look at the facts briefly: the terrorist's father, Minister of Finance for Nigeria had reported to American embassy authorities in early November that his son had expressed radical views and was suspected of meeting with terrorists. The terrorist, Umar, was in Yemen from early August until early December and had received a Visa to enter the United States. United Kingdom authorities had revoked his British Visa because of suspicious activity. He was put on a watch list of possible terrorist ties after the father sent a cable to Washington. We know that the CIA had been tracking a person known as "the Nigerian" with possible terrorist ties since August and that Umar's passport number along with pertinent data had been sent to CIA headquarters where it sat for five weeks with no activity. Finally, we know that Umar purchased his airline ticket as one way, with cash and no checked luggage. What in the world would any competent security agency conclude other than this guy was a terrorist trained and ready to kill.

You would think after a terrorist killed one army recruiter in Arkansas in May and Major Hassan killed twelve soldiers at Fort Hood in November we would put aside being politically correct about profiling and screening of suspected terrorists. You would think that the Obama Administration by now would be at the top of their game. But here is the Secretary of Homeland Security saying the system worked. Yes she did correct herself the next day when she saw all the flak coming her way. I contend that she is an example of the "Peter Principle". She never should have been appointed. I suspect her best claim to security knowledge was watching illegals climbing over the fence in Nogales while Governor of Arizona. Another fact to ponder is that twelve months into the Obama Administration, no one has been appointed as Director of the Transportation Security Administration or the Customs and Border Protection Agency. Maybe they are just not as important as bailing out banks, automobile companies, health care and jobs.

In the meantime, our terrorist Umar was taken to the University of Michigan Burn Center (one of the best in the nation), given a Public Defender (yeah..at taxpayers expense of course) and charged with attempting to blow up Flight 253 by a U.S. District Judge. I hear he may need skin grafts at taxpayers expense also. The bottom line is that these terrorists continue to be treated as a law enforcement problem rather than as an enemy combatant, like the other five terrorist pending civilian trial in New York. Umar should have been interrogated by the FBI or CIA and immediately sent to Guantanamo Bay for military trial. This policy by the Obama Administration is doomed to fail. How many American lives will be sacrificed before our policy is as resolute as the terrorists who want to destroy us? The terrorist organizations affiliated with Al Queda continue to laugh and make fools of us while plotting their next attack.

The True Spirit of Christmas

Today is Christmas, 2009. A time when many families throughout the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. For others with less religious foundations it is a time for recognizing the holidays and the spirit of giving gifts to family and friends. In our country, we have experienced over the past twelve months certain changes in the way our nation is to be governed. I have spent most of this time questioning and challenging new theories put forth by a new President.

Today, I want to said aside these thoughts and the tendency to wallow in pity, regrets and anger and give sincere thanks to all the organizations throughout our great country who on a daily basis give time and money to the less fortunate citizens who experience difficulties and sadness on a daily basis. I want today to specifically recognize just two out of thousands of such organizations who particularly direct their efforts to a charity close to my heart as a retired serviceman.

Lt Colonel Oliver North is the founder of Freedom Alliance. Since 2003, over $10 million has been raised for the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund designated for the education of children of U.S. service members who have been killed or 100% permanently disabled in the service of our country. The money is raised through Freedom Concerts and generous donations from the Sean Hannity Show and its listeners on Fox Radio and Television.

The other organization is the Wounded Warrior Project whose mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors returning home from service in Afghanistan and Iraq. The organization was founded when a group of veterans watching the evening news were moved by the difficult stories of the wounded service members returning home. The resulting efforts have provided support for the severely wounded and help them on the road to healing, both physically and mentally. This organization has provided over $33 million in efforts to outreach programs, rehabilitation, coping and family services, and transition to civilian work force.

If you would like more information on these worthy organizations dedicated to helping our brave service personnel please check there websites as follows:

Freedom Alliance: www.freedomalliance.org/

Wounded Warrior Project: www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Fear Tactics - Obama Style

On Wednesday, December 16th, President Obama told a television audience that if the "health care bill" did not pass, "the Federal Government will go bankrupt" and that health care costs are going to consume the entire federal budget." Unfortunately this appears to be a continuing theme in the Obama administration. If you cannot promote a sensible and fiscally sound agenda for the public then sell it by pure fear tactics. Earlier this month on December 9th he told a group of Republican leaders to "stop trying to frighten the American people".

This type of leadership is totally unacceptable and disgraceful coming from the President of the United States. It is not incidental but a protracted way of thinking that goes back to the fall of 2008 after his election when his designated Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, stated "Rule one: Never allow a crisis to go to waste. They are opportunities to do big things." Certainly since that time, it has been the modus operanti for the Obama Administration. If there is something to be accomplished, it must be done now without haste. On January 25, 2009 just nine days after taking office, President Obama stated "These urgent dangers to our national and economic security are compounded by the long-term threat of climate change, which, if left unchecked, could result in violent conflict, terrible storms, shrinking coastlines and irreversible catastrophe." On February 4th when discussing the economy he stated "but make no mistake, a failure to act -- and act now--will turn crisis into a catastrophe...

Everything that occurs on the Obama watch is a crisis about to become a catastrophe. Speaking in Elkhart, Indiana over the job losses, he again warned that "if we don't act immediately, millions of more jobs will be lost. He used this fear mongering to establish the Bank bailout, the stimulus bill, and the "Cash for Clunkers" programs. Everything that came before Congress or his desk had catastrophic consequences if we failed to act. On September 9th in a joint session of Congress, he stated "I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits." But then said "If we do nothing, our deficit will grow. More families will go bankrupt. More businesses will close. More Americans will lose their coverage when they are sick and need it the most. And more will die as a result." I should remind the reader, that although he said he would not add a dime to our deficits, the federal debt has grown from $10.6 trillion dollars when he took office to $12.1 trillion dollars this week, an increase of nearly 15% in eleven months. Now the President wants to increase the debit limit to $13.9 trillion dollars.

This is no way to lead a country. I previously noted that Barack Obama gave himself a B+ for his first 11 months in office. In my opinion he should receive a D- for leadership.

Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear. Albert Camus

Hmm....Shall I give myself a B Plus or an A?

Obama, "A Good Solid B Plus"

Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm, but the harm does not interest them. Or they do not see it, or they justify it because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves.

T.S.Eliot

I thought about this very subject as I watched a video clip of President Obama being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey Sunday night. She asked him how he would grade himself for his first 11 months in office. Without hesitation he said "A good solid B plus". Oprah retorted why he was being so hard on himself. He again replied that "B plus because of the things that are undone. Health care is not yet signed. If I get health care passed, we tip into A minus."

The manual used by mental health professionals would diagnose Narcissism based on a requirement of five out of nine characteristics. I submit that President Obama clearly meets the following: (1) Grandiose sense of self importance. (2) Sense of specialness and belief he can only be understood by others of special or high status type individuals. (3) A heightened sense of entitlement, leading to unreasonable expectations that others should treat him favorably or comply with his expectations. (4) Lack of empathy, an inability or unwillingness to recognize or identify with the feelings or needs of others. (5) A tendency toward arrogant behavior or attitude.

The President went on in his interview to justify his grading by explaining that when he took office he inherited a sad economy and "eight years of jobless growth. What would 4.5% unemployment be defined as for most of the Bush Administration? Certainly not the 10% today or the promise to keep it less than 8% if only the stimulus was passed. He did try to give himself credit for Iraq but this is the same person that vigorously opposed the surge which everyone now credits as turning things around. He still will not admit he may have been wrong. He has also claimed restoration of our image abroad while conducting his apology tour and insulting our greatest ally in Great Britain and consistently shames Israel and treats as a terrorist nation that should give up a portion of its land to the real terrorist, the Palestinians supported by the Hezbollah.

Yes we can find much more that overwhelmingly does not sit right with the people of the United States. Whether your talking about the take over of banks, automobile companies, the health insurance industry or promoting cap and trade legislation, it all has a devastating effect on our economy and will continue with higher energy costs and more people in the coal industry out of work.

President Obama is without doubt a far-left ideologue. He has famously been coupled with the word Audacity. A term used by him in a book title. He has certainly met the definition of audacity with intrepid boldness and a bold or arrogant disregard of normal restraints. When you couple his far left ideologue with his narcissism, I believe there is a danger for a major disaster. I believe that is the direction of our country at this time. We can only pray for a serious change of direction.

More Pork--Not the BBQ Type

I must admit that an hour ago I had no thought of writing this blog about pork barrel spending. Oh, I'm sorry, I meant to say "Earmarks". It used to be "pork" until the Congress decided to change the name because of the opposition from taxpayers and the embarrassment that comes with such appropriations. Lets make it clear that even this holiday season with all the unemployment, health care reform, cap and trade, bailouts and stimulus spending that has sent the national debt to unbelievable levels, our horrible economic condition could not prevent the members of congress from doing what they like to do.

I remember President Obama's pledge to "slash earmarks to no greater than 1994 levels" of 1,183 appropriations. Then after signing a huge pork laden bill in the February Omnibus Bill, he promised again. The Omnibus bill that will go to the President tomorrow contains 5,224 earmarks bringing the total to 8,939 for the year and pushed the baseline spending for earmarks $1.7 trillion higher than three years ago. Obama said recently that "if my administration evaluates an earmark and determines that it has no legitimate public purpose, then we will seek to eliminate it". Don't hold your breathe on this bill pending signature.

Hold on...I am not finished yet. There is plenty of blame to go around. I was watching Fox News this afternoon and they were talking about the pork in the Omnibus Bill. They had as their guest, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA). I was hoping to hear something positive from this conservative. However, the interview really turned to be an embarrassment for the Senator and quite frankly for me as a viewer. It turns out that this 28 year member of the Senate ranks number 10 in Congress in earmark spending. He has over $200 million dollars in pork spending with this bill. $18.8 million going to the City of Cedar Rapids alone. When asked by the host Greg Jarrett if he had requested this, the Senator tried to back off the question by saying he did not remember. He did say that he had helped to sponsor an amendment last year that would not allow earmarks to be attached to other bills. Well obviously it was not anything he was committed to. In fact he has been quoted as saying that if he doesn't use the money someone else will.

Well there you go. The typical attitude of nearly all elected officials on capital hill. Said it before and I say it again. It is time to take these people out at the Ballot Box.

The Commitment in Afghanistan

The other day I talked about the war in Afghanistan being Obama's war. I pointed out that this was a commitment which was plagued with land mines. To begin with, I read no real commitment by the President in his speech at West Point when he failed to mention "victory". I pointed out that the Afghan homeland was unlike other traditional battlefields. This is an extremely mountainous terrain populated by many different ethnic groups which are in some ways a nation in of themselves. I noted that the Soviet Union failed to recognize the internal problems and failed after 10 years with nothing to show but 15,000 lives lost. I pointed out that this was really about the Al Queda and Taliban who jointly were carry on a battle against the "infidels" that dates to the Crusades. Last but far from the least is the corruption in the Afghan government which could be the tipping point to any expectation for success.

I have faulted the Administration for suggesting a timeline of 18 months and things are not always what they seem. In followup interviews on network talk shows, the Secretary of Defense Gates and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mullen sang the Administrations chorus line that 30,000 troops will do the job and we can expect the "transition" of our soldiers out of Afghanistan to begin in July 2011.

Now we start hearing the verses to the song and it is not all we were told it would be. It began with President Karzai of Afghanistan telling the world the very next day after the Obama speech that he did not think the American Forces would be leaving in 2011. This has been followed by statements that he believed it would take 5 years to train the Afghan military to defend their homeland and perhaps 15 years before Afghanistan would be able to economically stand on their own.

Perhaps the more revealing details have come within the last two days from Admiral Mullen and General McChrystal. Speaking at Camp Lejeune, NC on Monday, Adm Mullen stated that the insurgency had grown in the last three years and he expected casualties to rise as more U.S. troops entered the theater. He said "this was the most dangerous place he had seen in his four decades in uniform". He further stated "we are not winning, which means we are losing".

Then it was General McChrystals' turn during congressional committee hearings yesterday. Under intense questioning, he told the committee that he did not get as many troops has he requested and must work under a schedule that he did not recommend. After the Obama Administration and the media told the public that everything was just as planned and represented at West Point, we now find out that this was not necessarily so.

Whether you agree with the United States forces fighting in Afghanistan or not, we are totally committed and must support them and bring our soldiers home with nothing short of victory however long it takes.

So I said to him, "Barack, I know Abe Lincoln, and you ain't Abe Lincoln".

I I have to hope for the sake of the troops, that as Commander-in-Chief he does not run the war like he runs the economy.

Afghanistan - Obama's War

On December 1, 2009, President Barack Obama spoke at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY to announce the increase of troops and commitment to the Afghanistan War. During this speech he spoke for nearly 35 minutes and not once mentioned the word -"Victory". Certainly a troublesome aspect in itself. Here you are as the President committing a large number of our armed forces to a combat mission and not being fully committed to the concept of walking away with victory. Our nations history has never marched to war without such a paramount principle. Sadly to say, as the camera panned the audience of our finest cadets, far to many found his delivery more conducive to sleeping than to a battle cry for victory.

I found the announcement of a timeline extremely inappropriate. Many of the troops will hardly be on the ground for twelve months before the "transitions" period begins. Much of the Presidents strategy hinges on the success of training the Afghan troop to assume control of the country when Americans leave. This was to a great degree the same policy of the Russians when in 1979 they were requested to come in and prop up a marxist regime fighting the Islamist Mujahideen Resistance. The Russians admittedly reflect to the difficulty of fighting in the mountainous terrain and realize today that important historic and ethnic factors were totally overlooked in their quest. Initially they were tasked to defend the southern borders with the Soviet Union but found themselves increasingly involved in tribal spats and eventually stood between two warring factions. After years of troop built up they finally called it quits and mourned the loss of more than 15,000 Soviet soldiers.

My logic tells me that these Muslim radicals have been fighting this war not just the ten years that Russia was involved and certainly more than the eight years we have already been there. This is a religious war that dates more than a thousand years back to the Crusades. This is about them against the infidels of the Christian and (more recently in history) the Western World.

Time means nothing to the Al Qaeda and the Taliban. They will hunker down for 18 months or as long as necessary knowing we will give up out of necessity. Loss of lives and nothing to show for the cost. If you want to throw in the fact that the government of Afghanistan is fundamentally corrupt, that will no doubt make the task even more daunting. I think this is a mistake and compounded by the lack of commitment for victory. We did it in Viet-Nam and in the end, a helo off a rooftop in disgrace.

This says it all!

Insanity is defined as doing the same things over and over with the expectation the outcome will be different........... Albert Einstein

The White House Jobs Summit

A few weeks ago I wrote in my blog a letter to the President expressing interest in the Jobs Summit he was holding today. I was respectful in suggesting that if he really cared about jobs that he would continue the Bush tax cuts, stop spending any more of the stimulus money, cut the capital gains taxes and above all, delay at the least, the trillion dollar health care reform bill.

Well he has shown absolutely no indication of taking my advise. After all, what do I know. I do know this. Today's meeting will have the president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), along with the presidents of the United Steel Workers and the Teachers Union and of course his biggest donors and the usual suspects like, Ron Bloom (Car Czar), Rahn Emanuel, David Axelrod, Valarie Jarrett and Larry Summers. What are conspicuously missing are small business owners, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Businesses and of course opponents of his stimulus spending. Why not invite these folks? After all, small business accounts for 80% of all private sector jobs and the biggest supporter of small business is the Chamber of Commerce.

There is a very strong message coming out of the White House today. They want the public to believe they are really doing something while actually promoting more size and power of the government. This is really about MoveOn.org, ACORN, the unions and more big government. Most of the public will listen to the lame stream media and believe this horse manure.

Trying to Deceive the Public

There is currently an advertisement running on Global Warming which claims that Category 4-5 Hurricane have doubled in the past 30 years. This is an attempt to influence the public to support the the Global Warming talks scheduled for Copenhagen, Denmark next week.

After my curiosity convinced me to verify this claim I was surprised to learn that this is not necessarily so. But sponsors always hope that their information will be believed even if it is not true. The basis of this claim was an article in Science Magazine in 2005 authored by Dr. Pete Webster of Georgia Tech University and Dr. Greg Holland of the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

However, Dr. Bill Gray of Colorado State University disagrees. He is famous for his successful long range predictions and nearly 50 years of research and forecasting. He stated that he does not agree with the claims that global category 4-5 tropical cyclone activity has been increasing accept in the Atlantic over the last 11 years and that can be attributed to conditions other than warming temperatures. He is supported by Dr. Chris Landsea, Science and Operations Officer for the National Hurricane Center and Dr. John Knaff, Hurricane Researcher at NOAA. The study concluded that because of a large disagreement among scientists, an agreement on such a claim was impossible. Even Dr. Webster agreed that a longer study of the global data record would be required and all scientist involved in the dispute agree that further study and reanalysis was required but there is no funding for such an endeavor.

Bottom line is that it is speculation, much as the whole theory of Global Warming. Recent events in that field may conclude that the United Nations, Al Gore and others may have tried to put a scam on the world for their own political ambitions.

The Name and Shame Game

I just finished listening to a report on the Fox News Channel about mortgage rates of as low as 2% for existing mortgages in trouble. I try real hard not to let news of the day get my dander up but this had me jumping out of the chair. So lets see if I can make this as clear and simple as possible.

This program was initiated last spring at the same time as the stimulus program. You remember, the "shovel ready" program that we now realize has really not produced any jobs! In the Stimulus program, the Obama administration set aside $75 Billion dollars to help out those people who were "underwater" with their mortgages and unable to pay. Many were forced with foreclosures. It does not matter why you need this help. You can have a decline in the value of your home, loss or decline of your income, or even if you had a separation or divorce.

The new plan would allow you to extend your credit up to 40 years. Refinance your loan as low as 2% interest rate. Change your adjustable rate loan to a fixed rate loan and waive all late fees and charges. The new twist is that the Treasury Department is releasing a list in December of those Mortgage Companies (known as "servicers") who are lagging behind in processing and helping these mortgages in trouble. As of this date, only 1700 families had

completed the process out of a possible 375,000 applicants.

Here is my problem. Some mortgages truly have run into trouble because of lost jobs and the economy. But there are way too many that fell into that group of mortgages that had no business being financed to begin with. You know the stories about applications that had little or no verification of incomes. The difference between an old payment at 7% on a $150K home at 30 years of $994.00 per month versus the 2% loan at $554.00 per month. Ultimately, this gift comes at the expense of the taxpayer. There is no screening in this loan modification program for weeding out the bad loans. Remember the claims by some that now that Obama is elected as President, " he will help me pay the mortgage?" Well this is about as close to a handout as possible.

Everybody Has Their Price

When I first thought about writing this I was going to title it "The Louisiana Purchase" because I felt the central figure Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) sold her vote. I have followed the news reports carefully and here are the facts. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid knew he needed 60 votes to put the Senate Health Reform bill on the floor for discussion. Senator Landrieu along with Senator Lincoln of Arkansas were the last holdouts. Senator Reid initially placed an addendum to the bill with carefully worded language that allotted $100 million dollars to Louisiana only, for restoration purposes. Sen Landrieu held out for her own reasons until Senator Reid countered back with a higher bid of $300 million dollars. This time, Senator Landrieu could not resist and accordingly announced support. With her vote, it was a done deal for Senator Lincoln to say yes rather than stand alone against her colleagues.

I said that I changed the title because it is important to establish there have been others who would sell their vote or their honor for the right price. In this case there was no law broken and it becomes a moral issue. We can recall not long ago when Congressman Jefferson of Louisiana was caught with $90,000 in his refrigerator. He has just been sentenced to 13 years prison for a felony bribe. A few years ago the country was shocked with "Abscam". The end result was the conviction of a United States Senator, five members of the House of Representative and a State Senator for bribery. One member of the Senate who still serves, Senator John Murtha (D-PA) was not prosecuted because of his "cooperation with the FBI in the investigation". Let me make it very clear. This is not Democratic or Republican. This is political and moral corruption.

Lord Acton is credited with a very famous saying which in this case could never be more applicable. He stated that "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely". I could not agree more but I also believe that our country has lost its moral compass. You only need to read the newspapers and listen to the news to recognize we have become a very sick society. Our country was certainly founded on solid ground by our forefathers. But, it seems to me that our very sacred liberties have also allowed some to exercise their own version in total disrespect of their neighbors, their fellow citizens and the country we love so much. Even more so, if the very people who we elect to represent us cannot

be trusted to honor the Constitution and the citizens who placed them in office than it is time to remove them by voting them out at the ballot box.

Do You Want this Kind of "Change" ?

Our left leaning Congress is about to ram Socialized Medicine down the throats of the people of the United States. This is in spite of numerous polls that show that our citizens are against this by a 60-40 margin. This clearly tells us that our Congress no longer represent us and have their own agenda. It is an arrogance unparalleled in American history. Term Limits is not the answer although a good idea. Many of these politicians have been in office for more than 30 years. Their campaign for reelection begins on the first day of the new term. The bottom line is these progressive liberals (Code for Socialists) will never vote themselves out of office. The only true answer is to vote them out at the Ballot Box. Voters finally saw the light in Virginia and New Jersey and believe me, these progressives do not like the sunshine because it exposes the truth. Why do they hurry legislation thru Congress without a full reading, discussion and weekend voting?

Unless you exercise your right to vote and take them out at the Ballot Box our country will become a second rate socialized nation. Thomas Jefferson said " All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent".

Habits Are Hard to Break

The President Bows Again

There he goes again...bowing to another Head of State. In this case, on Saturday at the initial meeting with Emperor Akihito of Japan. Of course "some" of the media is making a big deal of this gesture while others are saying nothing.

Here is my problem with the incident. First of all I want to make it very clear that I understand the customs of Japan are almost like a religion to the people. It is without question a sincere show of respect in the life of the Japanese people. I exercised that courtesy during many visits myself.

I do have a bone to pick with the White House on this matter. Back in April when Obama met with the King of Saudi Arabia, the media jumped on the issue. Obama may have intentionally took this bow to show respect for the King. But no...immediately the White House spin was in denial and it was not a bow but the President just lowering his upper body enough so that he could have eye to eye contact. Does anyone want to venture that the denial was countering public scrutiny of his actions?

Lets make it very clear that White House Protocol does not have any policy that suggests that the President of the United States should bow to any King, Queen, Emperor or Head of State of a foreign nation. Not in 233 years! I think on this occasion, President Obama was quite clear in his bow to the Emperor. No more spin Mr. President. Out of respect for the Office of the President, I would hope that his gesture was truly out of respect for the customs of Japan and not because he feels that he must continue on some sort of apology tour of the world and start bowing to every head of state.

If he wants to change the protocol and feels sincerely that this is a mutual sign of respect, then tell the nation. Don't beat around the bush any longer (no pun intended). The people know better!

Court Trial or Circus

The Attorney General, Eric Holder announced today the five indicted 9-11 co-conspirators including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, will be tried in New York City. My initial reaction was lets make it short and sweet! Guantanamo Bay has the facilities and the personnel to try everybody. There is no reason to make exceptions. The costs of transportation, security and trial is enough to trump any show by authorities of trial at the "scene of the crime", let alone the heartache for the victims and citizens of New York.

But there is much more to be considered. Only a fool would dismiss the media attention this trial will bring and the reaction of Muslim extremists throughout the world. It is my opinion this could also be a pretense for the Obama administration to put the Bush "war on terror" policies on trial. The defense attorneys will exploit these issues. Keep in mind the former CIA Director George Tenet stated that KSM was not "mirandized" until months after his capture in March 2003 after he had confessed. Therefore, this issue is going to be forefront along with the legalities of water boarding and the actions of the CIA.

The mention of the CIA brings into question Attorney General Holders' quest to prosecute CIA operatives for these very issues. This is the same person who under the Clinton Administration pardoned Marc Rich; succeeded in clemency for 16 Puerto Rican members of a terrorist organization linked by the FBI to more than 130 bombings and six murders, and then earlier this year dropped charges on a Black Panther group who blocked and intimidated voters in a Philadelphia voting precinct.

Remember that the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, another 9-11 conspirator took 4 years to be tried and sentenced. It would not be hard to believe and expect that these trials could stretch just as long through legal maneuvering. The last point that I want to make is that if these trials end up in acquittal because of legal standards of proof, or that a more liberal federal court disallows their pleas due to illegally obtained confessions, I believe the outrage of the Nation will guarantee a one term Presidency.

Dear Mr. President

I understand that you are going to hold a jobs summit in December aimed at coordinating your massive government spending program with a planned job growth in order to break the recession. I wish I was invited but then I understand that you would not want a retired military "right wing extremist". So I hope you will accept this letter with suggestions in the best interest of the nation and the hope that we end the worst unemployment rate in 28 years:

1. Continue the Bush Tax Cuts rather than letting them expire which would be considered a tax increase.

2. Discontinue what is left of the $787 billion dollar stimulus package. It never created the jobs you anticipated and the unemployment rate exceeded 10.2% even though you promised with the stimulus, it would not exceed 8%.

3. Cut the Capital Gains tax by a minimum of 15%. This would be an incentive for new investments.

4. Look at the corporate tax rates. If you take the 35% rate and combine with the average state tax, you have a combined rate of 39%. Most other countries are in the 20% range. Cut the rate by a least 10%.

5. Cut Federal Income Tax rates across the board by a flat 10% for all income brackets.

6. Do away with the penalties proposed under Health Care Reform legislation. The 8% penalty for businesses that do not provide insurance for employees under your plan is just going to be passed on to the consumers figuratively just as another tax. It could drive small businesses out as the try to control overhead costs.

7. And lastly, forget the 2.5% penalty for individuals who do not purchase your plan.

Oh yes, one other thing. I realize that it is not a tax increase or decrease but you might want to consider doing away with threats of jail time for those who do not purchase insurance under your plan. That could turn out to be an economic hardship on families and relatives. You're a family guy...you would not want that rap hanging over you.

A Followup on Fort Hood

Last Saturday I posted a two part blog on the terrible murders of our servicemen at Fort Hood, Texas. We have learned much more since then and now realize that the FBI was investigating Major Hasan for communications he had initiated with "radical muslim websites" in the middle east. Regrettably, the investigation was dropped.

I stated in my blog that "it is my opinion that this never should have happened. It is way past time to call for an end to this "political correctness", and more about protecting our military from radical acts in a troubled world."

Last night Bill O'Reilly said in his Talking Points (The O'Reilly Factor - Fox), that "Political Correctness can get people killed. I believe that's part of the Fort Hood massacre story. Hasan said inappropriate things. He did inappropriate things. Yet he continued to serve as a major in the Army largely because, I believe, he is a Muslim." Later in the show frequent guest and highly respected newsman, Bernard Goldman was asked for his take on the situation. He said that "I have been saying for some time that political correctness is killing journalism...now I believe that political correctness is killing servicemen".

I believe that was exactly my point three days earlier. I am honored to be in such distinguished company but I am still troubled that PC ruled the day and red flags were ignored.

Scamming Our Citizens

It is fair to say that most of us are very angry with the idea of a government takeover of Health Care being forced on us number one, and secondly, we feel abandoned by those organizations that seniors have come to trust as representing their interests. I have found the reasons and it is in a word, scamming our citizens.

The American Medical Association (AMA) was facing a 21 percent cut in physicians' reimbursements under the current law. Obama promised to kill the cut if they backed his bill. In one of the actions most infuriating seniors has been the willingness of the AARP to back his plan. Let me assure you that for them, it will be and always has been about making money.

The AARP receives a financial windfall for its support. It is a main supplier of Medi-gap insurance, a high-cost, privately purchased coverage that picks up where Medicare leaves off. But President Bush-43 passed and established the Medicare Advantage program which offered a much lower subsidized, alternative to Medi-gap. So more than 10 million seniors turned to this program cutting into the AARP revenues. No problem. The President simply promised to eliminate the subsidies for Medicare Advantage, but the AARP, which supposedly represents them will make more money. By the way, the drug industry backed ObamaCare and, in return, got a 10 year limit of $80 billion on cuts in prescription drug costs. They also got government assurances of a continued ban on lower cost Canadian drugs from coming into the United States.

This past Saturday before the House vote on the Health Bill, "Queen Nancy" had one more card up her sleeve. The centerpiece of her pressurized campaign was a Saturday address by President Obama in the Cannon Office Building, where Obama warned and I quote: "Does anybody think that the teabag, anti-government people are going to support them if they bring down health care? All it will do is confuse and dispirit (Democratic voters) and it will encourage the extremists." Here we go again folks...we are just a bunch of extremists!

The Poster Says it All

Is ObamaCare Constitutional?

Conservatives have witnessed an unprecedented action by the House of Representatives as they passed with two votes to spare, their version of ObamaCare on Saturday night at 11:15pm. If the House did this with as little publicity as possible, they were successful. Most discussion had this not going to the floor till next week at the earliest. There as a clue out there. "Queen Nancy" Pelosi had already broken her promise to publish this bill on line for at least 72 hours prior to any vote. Public outrage was already evident so why waste time. Go ahead and force this down against public opinion.

The liberals will gloat but this version will never be passed by the joint Congress. I would like to center my thoughts on something that has had little if any attention by the "Lamestream Media". The real question in my mind is if this legislation of National Health Care is even legal. Does the Constitution of the United States permit Congress to enact such legislation? I have found some legal opinions which I share with you.

Judge Andrew Napolitano is a retired Judge of the New Jersey Superior Court and taught Constitutional Law at Seton Hall School of Law. He is currently the Senior Judicial Analyst at Fox news. He has stated that this plan "is unconstitutional at its core" based on his interpretation of the Commerce Clause. Writing in the Washington Post (8-22-09), Thomas Lifson wrote that in United States v. Lopez (1995) and United States v, Morrison (2000) the Supreme Court rejected the proposition that the Commerce Clause allowed Congress to regulate non economic activities merely because, through a chain of causal effects, they might have economic impact. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and a lawyer stated that "when we start having the federal government dictate to us what we have to purchase or buy without some commercial justifiable reason...we've lost our freedoms, and that means the federal government can do anything it wants to do to us." When Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) was asked where is the constitutional authority, he replied "Why would you say there is not authority? I mean, there's no question there's authority. Nobody questions that." And finally when also asked the same question, "Queen Nancy" said, " Are you serious? Are you Serious?" Yes we are...Quite Serious!! The only remaining question is under our system of checks and balances, will anyone be willing to challenge this to the Supreme Court of the United States?

Do You Really Want This Kind of Health Care?

Outrage at Fort Hood, Part 1

I have been very hesitant to write anything about the tragic murder of our soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas. Not because I did not feel sorrow but because in this "Politically Correct" society we live in, anything said will provoke calls of racism and insensitivity. The "lamestream media"has called for investigations why the Army had allowed the racist remarks and alleged offenses against the perpetrator, Major Hasan to go on so long, that he then struck out with hatred and violence. Witnesses have reported that he allegedly made the comment "Allah Akbar--Arabic for "God is Great"!

I agree that a investigation needs to take place. My difference with the "lamestream media" is that I question why this had to happen at all. Major Hasan swore to defend the Constitution of the United States. He interned at Walter Reed Army Hospital where the training director has stated that he had "difficulties" that required counseling and extra supervision. He came to the attention of federal agents six months ago because of internet postings about suicide bombings and other threats. A retired Army Colonel who worked with him stated that he frequently got into arguments with fellow soldiers about the involvement of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He had hired an attorney and tried to prevent his pending deployment to Iraq. Leaders of the local mosque at Fort Hood have publicly stated that the Army needs to exam the policies that caused the Major to snap.

Outrage at Fort Hood, Part 2

A noted author and convert and reformer of Islam, Dr. Tawfik Hamid has stated that Shariah law teaches disrespect for non-Muslims' life. Why be surprised to hear that those who follow these teachings would commit barbaric acts against non-Muslims? He states "it is virtually impossible to stop people from linking violence to Islam unless violence in the name of Islam stops". The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) released a statement that "condemns in the strongest terms the attack on soldiers at Fort Hood, resulting in the murder of at least a dozen soldiers and the wounding of many others. We express our deepest condolences to the victims and their families".

More than ample evidence points to a behavior by Major Hasan that was at the least troublesome and became our worst nightmare. How many "red flags" needed to go up before authorities realized they had a problem? It is my opinion that this never should have happened. It is way past time to call for an end to this "political correctness", and more about protecting our military from radical acts in a troubled world.

The Cash for Clunkers Program

New information released from the government and private sources may give us a final analysis for a well intended program by the Feds (aren't they all?) that to be kind, had both good and bad results.

The program was initiated in conjunction with the Federal Stimulus program to help a very sagging economy. The government set aside $3 Billion dollars to pay rebates on new vehicles when a old vehicle was used as a trade-in. Very few stipulations were involved other than an improvement in the miles per gallon ranging from 4mpg to 10mpg. The rebate was based on the improvement with $3500 on the low side and $4500 on the high side of the improvement.

To be fair, a dealership in El Monte, California sold 1,433 vehicles during the two months allowed at a business profit of $30 million dollars. But the program was plagued with problems according to Edmunds.com. The nearly 690,000 vehicles sold in July and August were at a cost of $24,000 per car as a direct result of the program. Edmunds stated that only 18% were a direct result and the remaining would have happened anyway. In at least 145 cases the government reported paying out $562,500 in rebates for new cars and trucks that got worse or the same mileage as the trade-ins - in violation of the programs restrictions.

The most popular trades involved new Ford F-150 Trucks and Ford Explorers. Ford was the only automobile company not to take Federal Bailout money and reported this week nearly $1 Billion dollars profit for the 3rd Quarter. Perhaps a big statement about federal non-interference and a nation founded on a free market system.

Big Wins for Conservatives

Let me make it very clear. The Conservatives movement is alive and doing well. Last night in Virginia the Republican Candidate, Bob McDonnell soundly beat the Democratic candidate for the office of Governor. This is huge turnaround for a state which gave the Obama Administration a 6 point margin of victory last November. The Democratic Governors Association and Democratic Committee invested $10 million dollars to hold on to the state for the third time in a row. Obama came to Virginia to campaign for the democratic many times.

In New Jersey perhaps the biggest shock of the evening to the Democrats was the loss of the Governors race to Republican Chris Christie. Again, Obama came in to help out with the campaign many times including the day before the elections. The Corzine campaign received millions of dollars from the national committee to help. Corzine was unapologetic in his support of the Obama Administration. The voters however recognized the statewide corruption and rebelled against some of the most onerous state taxes in the nation.

Now you are going to hear from the spinsters that this was not any repudiation of the Obama Administration but the evidence is quite clear that Obama spent many hours in each state campaigning and tens of millions of dollars were spent. Exit polls showed that beyond the relative state issues, the voters were expressing opposition to the direction they felt the federal government was taking them. Even the most liberal NBC news declared in late night headlines that these victories in Virginia and New Jersey were 'a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election (next) year'."

Sorry Charlie!

While the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is attempting to put forth what some are calling the worst legislation in the history of our nation, I can assure you that she is taking care of business at home and I mean that literally.

Ms. Pelosi's home district includes San Francisco, the home of StarKist Tuna. StarKist is owned by Del Monte Foods and a major contributor to the Speakers campaign fund. But wait...it gets better. The Speakers husband owns $17 million dollars of StarKist stock.

Now let me give you another fact. StarKist is a major employer in the American Samoa and employs 75% of the Samoan work force. In January 2007 when the minimum wage was increased from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour, Pelosi had American Samoa exempted from the increase so Del Monte would not have to pay the higher wage. This would make the products less expensive than that of its competitors.

Oh but it gets even better. This year when the huge bailout bill was passed, Pelosi added an earmark to the final bill adding $33 million dollars for an "economic development credit in American Samoa". While she is attempting to take over one-sixth of the economy and putting our children and grandchildren in debt, she has no problem with conflict of interest. Talk about Corrupt! How do you spell Hypocrisy?

The Next Republican President

Telling the Truth

Yesterday morning the Associated Press published an opinion by Ricardo Zaldivar in which he questioned all the complaints over the House Health Reform bill released by Speaker Pelosi. He stated that the government plan would not shut down private providers.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, only six million would sign up. This represents just 2% of the 282 million under age 65. The "overwhelming majority of the population would remain in private plans sponsored by employers. Others would be covered through an expanded Medicaid program." The CBO also claimed "a less healthy pool of enrollees" would be attracted to the public option, and this would result in higher premiums than most private plans.

This bill has new taxes for the rich, as well as fines and penalties for individuals and businesses that do not participate. Employers will cut costs and opt out of private plans leaving employees no choice but the government plan. This bill also proposes a $426 Billion cut in Medicare which would fall on the backs of senior citizens.

The government option puts in place the machinery that will run the private health insurance companies out of business. You can't expect the plan to jump in with a huge market share. This may scare voters. But they will increase their share by using the bottomless well of taxpayer funds and an endless parade of new government regulations to run the private insurers out of business. That is my opinion.

TO CONGRESS, THE FIVE PLEDGES

This article is from the Glenn Beck Show on Fox and published in September 2009. It is a worth remembering today and forever.

1. I believe in a balanced budget and therefore will vote for a freeze in government spending until that goal is realized.

2. I believe government should not increase the financial burden on its citizenry during difficult economic times therefore I will oppose all tax increases until our economy has rebounded.

3. I believe more than four decades of U.S. dependence on foreign oil is a travesty, therefore I will support an energy plan that calls for immediately increasing usage of all domestic resources including nuclear energy, natural gas, and coal as necessary.

4. I believe in the sovereignty and security of our country and therefore will support measures to close our borders except for designated immigration points so we will know who is entering and why andI will vehemently oppose any measure giving another country, the United Nations, or any other entity, power over U.S. citizens.

5. I believe the United States of America is the greatest country on earth and therefore will not apologize for policies or actions which have served to free more and feed more people around the world than any other nation on the planet.

I was watching the Huckabee Show on Fox this evening and sad to see news clips of a consumer being asked to leave a store because he was wearing a button that said 'One Nation, Under God and Indivisible.' The other clip was about a fitness center that had a very large American Flag hanging in the main workout room. Apparently several members of the club were offended and asked that the flag be taken down because they felt it represented Christianity. The Governor in his opening remarks (what he calls 'my view') condemned the actions of the store manager and the members of the fitness club.

I too am offended. The flag represents our nation. It represents the freedom that we have to speak our mind even if we don't agree. It represents the hundreds of thousands of men and women who have given their lives in defense of our nation. It is a beacon of light to the oppressed and a symbol of democracy in a troubled world. I would ask that those who want our flag taken down and who do not share the pride of true Americans do us a favor. Try to find any other place on earth that gives you the Constitutional rights of our nation. Maybe you should consider living somewhere else."

The Afghan Puzzle

I just read the Associated Press release that the Afghan Presidential challenger
Abdullah Abdullah (that is the correct name) will not participate in next weeks
election runoff against President Karzai. He is calling for a boycott and
postponing of the vote until next spring. Mr. Abdullah does have a large following.

I watched an interview last Sunday on Fox with Abdullah and got the distinct

opinion that he did not feel that the runoff would resolve the fraud issues.

He has called for an interim government until a fair vote can be held.

This decision throws a HUGE monkey wrench into the actions of the Obama
Administration. Just my opinion that the White House had some inkling that
this could happen. The special meeting held with the Joint Chiefs of Staff
by the President yesterday to evaluate the status of the Afghan provinces may
have been a clue.

Political Bias

I just read a news release posted at the MSNBC website written by a writer from NBC, Mark Murray, who stated "this isn't going to sit well with many Democrats. He was referring to an interview with ABC News that Senator Joe Lieberman (I-D) had conducted.

In the interview, Senator Lieberman (who campaigned for John McCain last year) and had threatened to help filibuster the health reform bill if it had the public option was now reporting that "I probably will support some Republican candidates for Congress or Senate in the election of 2010. I'm going to call them as I see them."

The point I want to make is that in reviewing the comments from the public at the bottom of the article, nine out of ten had negative and sometimes vile comments about Senator Lieberman. It is a stark reflection of the political bias of those who follow the MSNBC news page. It is a shame our country has become divided with the venom of such bias.

"Where is the Truth and Transparency?" - Part 5

So where are we after ten months? The Administration has bailed out banks,took over GM and Chrysler, and established approximately 32 “czar” positions with questionable constitutional authority. They have tripled our debt and hold secret meetings in the name of “health reform”. They try to marginalize the media. They have called the voters right wing extremists.

Manufacturing Czar Ron Bloom was recorded as saying “We know the free market is nonsense…we know this is largely about power..we kind of agree with Mao that political power comes largely from the barrel of a gun. We get it that if you want a friend, you should get a dog.”

The choice is ours. We can remain silent and complacent or we can make our voices heard in the letters to representatives and the ballot box. Politicians start reelection from day one. They derive their power by the ignorance of the voters and those who support them. It is time to let them know the power is really in the hands of the people."

"Where is the Truth and Transparency?" - Part 4

Candidate Obama told automakers that “I’ll be a president who keeps the promise to provide domestic automakers the funding to retool their factories and make fuel-efficient vehicles cars.” One year later the federal government took over GM and Chrysler in one of the most radical moves in history. The taxpayers of this nation have part ownership, but don’t expect to cash in your shares anytime soon.

The President said the government would work to eliminate the need for oil imports from the Middle East and Venezuela. Since that speech the administration along with the environmentalists have block nearly all efforts to increase domestic production through new drilling. The price of gas has gone from an average low of $1.42 a gallon in Dec 2008 to a current $2.54 per gallon and rising.

The federal government is considering many measures Under “Cap and Trade” legislation which threatens natural resources and possibility take down the coal industry. Is this the direction we want? Is this the change we thought we would get?"

"Where is the Truth and Transparency?" - Part 3

Lets talk about transparency and no more secrecy. Candidate Obama said “We’ll have the negotiations televised so people can see the discussions between their constituents, and the drug companies or insurance companies.” At this time, secret negotiations are being conducted behind locked doors by The Majority Leader Reid and his party members in total exclusion of the Republican party.

So the remaining question is where are we going? Our federal deficit stands at $12 Trillion with $178 Billion dollars of debt held by China. While gold has increased, the dollar continues to fall. Our economy is in distress. Many nations including China, India and Brazil are calling for the dollar to be removed as the international currency of choice.

The choice is ours. We can remain silent and complacent or we can have our voices heard in the letters to our representatives and at the ballot box."

"Is This the Way Congressmen Should Act?"

Last night a producer from The O’Reilly Factor show on Fox attempted to speak with Congressman Allan Grayson (D-FL) at the Capital building. At issue were remarks recently directed at an advisor for Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke. He was quoted on a radio show as saying “'Here I am, the only member of Congress who actually worked as an economist. And she's, this lobbyist, this K Street whore, is trying to teach me about economics.'

This is not the first time his remarks have stepped over the line. During early negotiations over health care reform in late September The Congressman took to the rostrum to take a shot at Republican ideas by saying “Republicans want you to die quickly.”

It was obvious from body language that he did not want to be confronted about his actions. Even his fellow democrats have been quick to call him out. Such behavior by a Congressman must be condemned as outrageous. It begs the bigger question of whether his constituents in his district of Florida would condone such behavior."

Where is Truth and Transparency - Part 2

The shopping list of broken promises goes on…No more reckless “pork”. In fact, billions of dollars was added to the February stimulus bill. How about Taxes? President Obama said “no family making less that $250,000 will see their taxes increase. As we speak, the Congress is preparing a Health Bill that will increase insurance premiums and charge penalties to those refusing participation.

Actions of the Obama administration have brought into question our foreign policy. Serious debate exists over the issues of Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea and the Israeli – Palestinian conflict. A poll by the Jerusalem Post showed that only 4% believe that Obama is pro-Israel. It questions how much Israel can rely on our support.

The even larger question is whether this country under the Obama Administration will stand up as Jack Kennedy did to Russia during the Cuban missile crisis to the bully’s of the world. Or, will his Nobel Peace Prize signal more appeasement and the eventual loss of our credibility in a dangerous world."

Where is Truth and Transparency

Part 1

In his Inaugural Address President Barack Obama made a promise to the nation saying he would be for accountable for spending and conduct business in the light of day, because then he could reestablish trust between citizens and government.” After ten months in office we see little evidence of this and ask ourselves what direction are we going?

He said without the stimulus, the unemployment rates would peak to 9 percent in 2010 while passing the package would create jobs and keep the rate under 8 percent. Unemployment is now approaching 10 percent nationwide.

He said his administration would hire qualified people. This has not happened. Vann Jones, the “Green Czar” was forced to resign because of past statements having Marxist proclivity, and defense of a convicted “cop killer” in Pennsylvania. Another, Ken Jennings, the “safe schools” Czar has stated support of NAMBLA and advocacy of sexual behavior between adult men and male children. None of this speaks well for the choices of the Obama administration."

Trying to Support the War

I start this morning with a release by the Washington Post and written by Karen DeYoung entitled U.S. official resigns over war in Afghanistan. The importance of this article is relative to the issue of the pending decision by the WhiteHouse to send more troops as requested by General McCrystal.

Matthew Hoh is a former Marine Corps captain with combat experience in Iraq, and had served in uniform at the Pentagon, and as a civilian in Iraq and at the State Department. By July, he was the senior U.S. civilian in Zabul province, a Taliban hotbed. Last month he became the first U.S. official to resign in protest over our involvement in Afghanistan. He stated that Afghanistan's problems were a civil war brought on by insurgency.

He stated that 'I have lost understanding of and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan,'. I have doubts and reservations about our current strategy and planned future strategy, but my resignation is based not upon how we are pursuing this war, but why and to what end.'

I offer this article because it may certainly add fuel to the decision making process going on in the Obama Administration. Like it or not, the latest polls show 51% of adults against our involvement, a gain of 10% since March.

Certainly good news for an administration which appears to be backing down."