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.