Just My Opinion

The Debt Ceiling...Hypocrisy at its Finest

2011-01-19T11:51:00.000-08:00

In 1997 the United States Senate voted on a Balanced Budget Amendment. Perhaps, faced with the uncontrolled spending, the highest debt in history, high unemployment rates, and up to our eyeballs in debt owed to China, we could collectively wish that we could turn back the clock to 1997 and obtain that one more vote needed to pass the amendment for a balanced budget. Because it failed, the Congress has raised the debt ceiling 10 times over the last 10 years and the national debt has nearly tripled from just over $5 trillion to $14.3 trillion dollars. Foreign countries hold $4.5 trillion of that debt.

This past fall, the Obama administration pushed hard to get an early vote on increasing the debt limit and failed. The vote in the November elections ensured a change from Democrats to Republican in the House and it closed the gap of Democratic control in the Senate. This resulted in in the Omnibus Spending Bill for the new fiscal year being defeated and the vote on the debt ceiling being postponed. In a matter of a few days, that decision will once again raise its ugly head.

There has been a lot fear talk by the administration mouthpieces that the government will be forced to shut down. That a failure to meet the debt obligations will cause a crash in the stock market. We can recall all this doom and gloom talk with the failure of the banks and automobile industry and now they want another credit card. Why can't the Congress run the operation of the national government like they run the finances of their personal family home? Oh yeah, it is relatively easy to just apply for another credit card. There are families that do that. They max out their Visa limit of $5,000 and keep making minimum payments while applying for a MasterCard and then a another after another. Before they realize the long term impact of such irrational decisions, they have amassed $10 to $30 Thousand dollars in credit card debt and are asking the courts to forgive their debt through bankruptcy. Over the last ten years, the total debt per citizen has gone from $$27 thousand to $52 thousand dollars. At the national level there are no bankruptcy courts. The debt ceiling fight as been an ongoing problem since the early '80's with promised spending cuts that never happen. The administrations of both parties have chosen to raise debt ceilings and put us more into debt by selling bonds to foreign nations.

This insanity must stop. Back in 2006, when the vote on the debt limit came up under an Republican leadership, the junior senator from Illinois stated:

"Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that 'the buck stops here.' Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better."

Our current Vice President Joe Biden said during the same period in 2006:

"The President's (Speaking of George W. Bush) budget plans will bring that number to $11.8 trillion at the end of the next 5 years. This is a record of utter disregard for our Nation's financial future and an indifference to the price our children and grandchildren will pay to redeem our debt when it comes due."

Mr. President...Mr. Vice President, I could not agree more with your statements of 2006. It applied then and it applies equally today. When your administration took office, the national debt stood at $10.6 Trillion and you have raised that debt in just over two years by 35 percent.

It is past time to immediately impose serious spending cuts into the national budget that still awaits Congressional approval. But I would go even further to suggest that it is time for a Balanced Budget Amendment. Senator Jim DeMint, (R-SC) with the help of some of his colleagues are hoping to introduce a Balanced Budget Amendment which would require (1) Congress to balance the budget each year, (2) prevent Congress from spending more than 20 percent of GDP, and (3) require a 2/3 super-majority vote to raise taxes. This effort can be reviewed at http://stopthedebtpledge.com/. While your at it, contact your representatives and tell them this hypocrisy must stop. Our nation is going in the wrong direction and will be destroyed from within.

The Blame Game and Hope

2011-01-15T18:53:00.000-08:00

A week ago today as many of us anticipated NFL playoff games, one young distressed man who by all accounts may be suffering from serious mental illness headed for a shopping center in Tucson, Arizona and set in motion another tragedy which will go down in history as senseless murder and mayhem. Regrettably, because it involved a United States Congresswoman, the left wing pundits and even a United States Senator from Vermont found it expedient to blame conservatives, talk radio, former Vice Presidential Candidate, Sarah Palin and a sitting Congresswoman, Michele Bachmann (R-MN).

I for one welcomed the Memorial Service at the University of Arizona because it would serve in many ways to help the injured victims, the families of the deceased, the citizens of Arizona and the nation to begin to put the tragedy behind. We all hoped that the President of the United States at this service would offer the right kind of leadership and words of condolence as we have needed in the past history of our Republic.

I believe in many ways President Obama helped us and my purpose is to recognize that effort and pray that our nation can heal. I offer these words from the President:

"Imagine..imagine for a moment: here was a young
girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy;
just beginning to understand the obligations of her
citizenship; just starting to glimpse the fact that some
day she, too, might play a part in shaping her nation's
future. She had been elected to her student council;
she saw public service as something exciting, something
hopeful. She was off to meet her congresswoman,
someone she was sure was good and important and
might be a role model. She saw all this through the
eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol
that we adults all too often just take for granted."

"I want us to live up to her expectations. I want our
democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it.
All of us...we should do everything we can to make
sure this country lives up to our children's expectations."

I agree with you Mr. President. I want us to live up to her expectations also. This beautiful child deserved better than what her country gave her. I have been angry with this vitriol from the media and even members of Congress but I too wish for it to stop and I will speak no further in the blame game. But I also ask that you step up also. Action does speak louder than words and you must set an example. If you continue your bitter words towards supporters and members of the "other party" then you can also expect your staff, supporters and certain members of the media to follow your example. I would like to see you address this issue in your State of the Union Address because right now, the Union is in a terrible state.

I sincerely pray that we can all learn from this and really work together to accomplish great things on behalf of the country we love. Christina and the other victims cannot have died for nothing.

Shame and Tragedy in Arizona

2011-01-08T20:12:00.000-08:00

I had every intention this Saturday to enjoy my morning coffee, watch the news and have a bite to eat before settling down to watch the NFL playoff games. That was all spoiled by the 10am report this morning of a deadly shooting in Tucson, Arizona involving Representative Gabrielle Giffords of the 8th Congressional District of Arizona.

As more information developed, we learned that Representative Giffords was conducting a "Congress on Your Corner" public meeting at a Safeway Market in her effort to meet with her supporters. She had won reelection this past November as a "Blue-Dog Democrat" in a well known conservative district. The news was shocking and not good. Apparently, an unknown person had opened fire with an automatic weapon and fired one shot at almost point blank distance hitting her in the head. Early reports declared her dead at the scene. I am quite happy to say that thank God that is incorrect. She was rushed to the hospital and with the finest doctors and neurosurgeons available, has been stabilized after surgery. The report is that they are are optimistic while guarded in her critical condition. The next few days will certainly be crucial to the degree of her recovery. I must report that a total of six others were killed in this tragedy including Federal District Court Judge John M. Roll; a congressional staff aide of Rep. Giffords, and a nine year old female who was a innocent bystander.

As a more middle of the road Democrat in Congress, she has been well respected by both sides sides of the aisle and certainly by her constituents. She is the only United States Representative with an active duty spouse, Captain Mark Kelly, a Navy pilot and NASA astronaut. My prayers and thoughts are with her family this night for a successful recovery and to the other families who are victims of this senseless brutality.

Those who know me and have followed by writings at this blog site will agree that I am pretty much a conservative and my political thoughts have been quite critical of the liberals in Congress and the present Administration. But I know in my heart that there is no place under our Constitution and this Republic for such unspeakable acts of violence as displayed this morning. It is truly a disgrace to our citizens, to our nation and to the guiding principals of our society.

The Bad Penny

2011-01-02T16:25:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, problems are like a bad penny...they just will not go away. Such is the case with the birther issue of President Obama. I sometimes have to wonder if this is an issue that the current administration does not want to disappear. After all, since the presidential election two years ago, the Obama administration has been plagued with problems that are brought about by there own policies and some out of stubbornness. Perhaps the latter when it comes to the President's birth certificate.

We are all aware of some of the frivolous accusations in the media brought about by what I would classify as far right loons and several failed lawsuits by the same bunch which thus far have been met by deaf ears in the nations court. The main contention by the birther movement has has been that the State of Hawaii presented only a state document to prove that Barack Obama was born there. The problem with the document is that it does not provide the details of birth that a true hospital document provides. The Obama administration contents that the State of Hawaii document is sufficient and state law protects the President from the hospital releasing the document unless expressly released with his permission.

This issue in my opinion had quited down considerably until last week when the noted liberal television host Chris Matthews of MSNBC stated, " Why doesn't the President just say, 'send me a copy right now?' Why doesn't Gibbs and Axelrod say "lets just get this crappy story dead?' Why not do it?...If it exists, why not put it out?" He was joined by Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune and David Corn of Mother Jones who both agreed with the call for Obama to publicly release the certified document which has remained under wraps. As if this bit of a bombshell from the left was not enough, this week while the President was spending the Christmas holidays with his family in Hawaii, the Governor of Hawaii, Neil Abercrombie (D), released a headline making statement in the local newspaper and Associated Press stating that he was troubled by all the conspiracies and was looking for a way to release more information regarding the President's birth in Hawaii. Since that media release, the issue from the Governor office has been quite mute with no further statements.

I am just one American citizen who truly would like the Obama Administration to finally put this entire controversy to bed. Unless there is harm to the family or harm to the nation, there is no reason on this earth for the President of the United States to continue this cover up which does nothing positive for the nation or his family. I agree with Chris Matthews (and that is very unusual), "please Mr. President, release the certified birth certificate from the hospital and put this baloney to rest once and for all".

A Troubled World

2010-12-28T13:07:00.000-08:00

A very good friend of mine wrote me this week to tell me how bad the news media exacerbates everything. He said he was just tired of all the complaining in general and that it weighs heavily on his mind. He felt that all the troubles of the world were being jammed down his throat. He constantly was hearing how bad the economy was, how bad the weather was, the gas prices, the health care debacle, problems in Africa, Iran, North Korea, our national debt and how China was going to own us. He said he was getting old and did not need to carry the problems of the world too. He asked whatever happened to the Grandfather who could just sit on the bench with the children and tell stories about the good old days and the children listened because the stories were interesting?

I said to him that I agreed with him in principal and wouldn't it be wonderful to sit back on the porch and tell our children and grandchildren that everything is beautiful and they do not have a care in the world. Yes, that would be nice but not reality. I told him that in fact, when we were kids, we listened to the radio and to the conversations of our Mom and Dad. The world was dangerous then and the United States was trying to deal with World War II and the likes of Adolf Hitler, a man who wanted to fly the Nazi flag over the entire world. When I sat down with my children, we were in Viet-Nam trying to stop the spread of Communism in Southeast Asia and the threat of the Communist Soviet Union who threatened to destroy us. Today we are dealing with Iran, North Korean, nuclear proliferation and a radical Muslim religion which wants to destroy Christianity and the Non-Muslim countries. On top of that, we have elected a President who has shown very liberal tendencies and his administration seems to have their image of what our country should be like rather than what our Constitution has created over the past two hundred years.

My point is that we will always have these threats to our nation and to the world. We can ignore them and bury our head in the ground or we can talk about them, write about them and collectively raise our voices as we did this past midterm elections. I remember many years ago when joining the military that I would support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The day that we as a nation no longer believe those words is when we forfeit our rights to exist as the United States of America.

Just My Opinion

2010-12-22T12:13:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I last entered some thoughts in my blog spot. I guess I just had to get through the frustration of the changing politics in our nation. I can honestly say I have been re- energized by the November 2010 elections. I cannot say with any certainty how often my thoughts will appear but I will have some observations.

As I look at the political seen since the elections, I have to wonder if the Congress in Washington is really listening to the people. I have come to the conclusion that only some were listening. For the past year, Congress has known that they needed to put together a budget for next year (FY2011) and yet they waited until the Lame Duck Session over the last two weeks to do this and also try to cram a few other questionable pieces of legislation down the throats of voters. I believe the Dems majority in both the Senate and the House purposely did this to pass as much of their agenda as possible before the new session begins in January with a Republican majority in the House and a Senate much more in balance with the loss of six Democratic seats.

There were a couple of victories during this session for the Dems but in all, perhaps a sign of better times to come. Certainly the passing of the Bush Tax Cuts Extension for everyone was huge. I congratulate the Republican Congressional Members for standing firm and refusing to pass the Omnibus Spending Bill (2000 pages) with its $1.1 Trillion price tag and $8 Billion in Earmarks ('pork"). Nothing but a blatant attempt by the Dems to dictate the budget for next year.

Before closing I want to say a few things about "ObamaCare". Obviously, many hope this takeover of our health system will be reversed by the courts as unconstitutional. There has been problems surfacing already and two of those problems I mention briefly. Yesterday the Obama Administration announced rules which are an effort to prohibit or reduce necessary rate increases by private health insurer's. Under proposed regulation, rate increases of more than 10 percent would come under scrutiny of state and federal officials. This opens the door for more oversight of private business. The feds want to give everyone health insurance (including children to age 26) but they want to prohibit health insurers from increases to cover such added expenses. Another highway to demise of the private insurer.

Last week the Food and Drug Administration revoked the approval of the drug Avastin, which as been one of the drugs of choice by thousands of Oncologists across the nation for the estimated 17,000 plus women struggling with advanced stages of Breast Cancer. The FDA states that the drug does not show "a significant benefit in slowing disease progression to outweigh the significant risk to patients." Risk!.. Not a significant benefit... Sorry to say that without this drug, these patients. short of a miracle, are going to die from Cancer, unless the drug is available and saves them for a while. Is this the first step towards "Death Panels"?

That's My Opinion...

2010-06-14T15:04:00.000-07:00

House on Military Avenue - 1938 House on Military Avenue - 2010 with

Ray and his Saturn Sky, 5-24-2010

2010-06-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

Band Pass in Review

Battalion Pass in Review

Class picture after Parade, May 2010.

The "Brotherhood"; Doug Loukota, Buck Buchanan, Jim Christian and Fred Sweet

Turning Back the Clock - Part Four

2010-06-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

Alumni Weekend was over for most of the Class of 1957 and for the many other classes as far back as 1937 with a sprinkling of 1944, 1948 and many others. The class of 1960 had more alumni show up but understandably it was their 50th Anniversary.

To all my classmates, this was personally a joy for me to see you again. Tony, great to see you and your "new" bride. Orley, we just did not get much chance to talk. Ron, you really looked healthy and had not aged much. George Null, I wish I had more time to talk. To all of you my classmates, the time was too short but I am thankful we had some time to share and remember.

There was one last thing on the agenda before leaving. Ray and I arranged for a final get together at the 94th Aero Squadron for dinner on Sunday night. This is a restaurant located at Montgomery Field, in San Diego with the decor of the "dough boys" and pilots of World War One. A fitting place for a last dinner for the "brothers". The brothers were a group of cadets that kind of buddied around together and on weekends when we could have gone home, we were just as likely to be all together in another town hosted by one of the "Moms". Being in the "brotherhood" was a special kind of bond which stood the test of time. The brotherhood consisted of Fred Sweet, '58; Jim Christian , '55; Buck Buchanan, Doug Loukota and myself from the class of 1957. There were a couple of others including Bill Camp and Gordon Yaekel who were no longer with us. We gathered at the dinner table and made a toast to our group. I am thankful to call these guys my brothers and I manage to correspond with them on a regular basis after all these years. We all said goodbye with our hugs, wondering what the future would bring. I have a feeling that we will find a way to get together again.

When I started writing about this trip, I titled it Turning Back the Clock because of the obvious story to be told. There was one more event before "returning to present day". In all the planning leading up to this trip, I had several conversations with Ray about the house I was born and raised in located in Los Angeles. The house was built in 1938, the year of my birth and I lived there until graduation from Army Navy Academy and my departing for a career in the Navy. My parents sold the house in 1975. Ray graciously agreed to take me there after leaving Carlsbad for one last look at the one remaining memory of my childhood.

I had not been there since 1961 and of course there had been many changes in the growth of the community. Back then, there was no interstate just three blocks away, but here we were taking the National Blvd exit off of the "405" and two blocks later turning left on the street I remembered so well. There was no problem finding the house. How could I ever forget it. I had brought along a couple of pictures taken back when the house was built along with a photo
of my Mother, Father and I sitting on the front porch with a cake celebrating my first birthday.
As we pulled up to the curb, a young man in his late 20's or early 30's came out of the house to get in his car. He asked if we had broke down or needed help. I said no, and walked up to introduce myself. I showed him the pictures and why I was there. His first words were "Oh my God!" To have taken him by surprise would have been an understatement for sure. He offered us a look around the outside of the house and said he was just a renter. The house was obviously not in the condition of 50 years ago but the pool in the backyard and guest room beyond the pool that I had helped my Dad build was still there. We did not spend a lot of time there but enough to bring back the great memories for one last time.

2010-06-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

Jack O'Brien and Doug Loukota in the dining hall. Jack, Buck, Doug Rainier and I on the steps of the Administration Building.

Turning Back the Clock - Part Three

2010-06-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night the Black and Gold Banquet was held at one of the larger hotels in the area.

This was an opportunity to bring together all the alumni, wives and guests in a social gathering. Cocktail hour was followed by a nice dinner and dancing. After a long day at Registration and a bit of a sunburn, I was ready to call it a night fairly early.

On Sunday we met for the morning brunch which was driven in doors by the weather. Maybe just a bit of unknown fate because many of us from our class had spent a few semesters working in the dining hall at the Academy during our cadet years to help off set the cost to our parents. So here we were one more time returning to the mess hall. However the brunch did not offer any SOS as we used to call Cream Chipped Beef on Toast. It was a pleasant surprise to see my old classmate Jack O'Brien show up. The last time I had seen him was not expected but during a deployment to Viet Nam, Jack was a Lieutenant Commander, U. S. Navy attached to a squadron on board the USS Ranger. We had a couple of nice memories to share at the time. He left the active service and maintained his reserve status retiring as a Captain. He went on to fly for Delta Airlines for 31 years. Now some forty years later, he was was sitting with us at the table having breakfast.

Shortly after the brunch came the Sunday parade of the cadets. How well we all remembered this event in our own cadet history. Cadets in full dress parading before special guests, parents and dignitaries. Only this time, we were the special guests as alumni to stand on the front line of the parade grounds as the Cadet Battalion passed in review honoring us. It was our final gathering of the weekend and we had great memories to take home.

2010-06-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

Turning Back the Clock - Part Two

2010-06-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

Carlsbad had definitely changed in 53 years. I remember only one main street in town and ANA was most prominent as one passed through ending south. Now, I could easily become lost. The town had grown. No longer a couple of hotels, a couple of restaurants...this had become a major tourist area with many shops and places to stay and eat. thanks in part to the influence of the game of golf, and the world famous La Costa Resort and Spa and the Four Seasons Resort. Ray and I checked into our small motel and I made a call to one of our classmates to let them know we arrived. We arranged to meet for dinner at a local restaurant in a couple of hours.

That dinner will be remembered for renewing the personal friendships that had waited so many years to come together face to face. I wondered if my "brothers" thought about me the way the same as I about them. The years had worked their magic on our bodies and weathered faces. Nevertheless, in their hearts, the energy and ethusiasm of true friendship was still there if indeed a little bit slower of a pace. It was a great start to a great weekend.

Friday morning the much anticipated Alumni Golf tournament was held. I will not dwell on this very disappointing performance. My teammates, Bill Rafferty, Byron Taylor and Jack Jackson, all from the Class of 1955 must have thought I really put one over on them in selling my golf skills. Truth of the matter was that I forgot everything I thought I knew about the game. I did realized much much later than I never kept my head down to watch the silly little ball. I will blame it on too much anticipation and being tired from a long trip. I apologize to my teammates although it would not matter. They played really well. Part of our problem as I look back was the fact that this very long playing course was tough on us. We as a team (I was the youngest at nearly 72 years of age) were required to play off the Blue Tees (all the way back) the same as the young bulls of the past three or four graduating classes who were all in the 20's. Just did not seem fair.

Friday evening a no host "Margaritas and Memories" Reception and Mexican food buffet was set up on the athletic field and for the first time, most of us were able to see all of our former classmates and other friends who had made the journey for this reunion. I was very proud that the Class of 1957 had the second highest total of returning alumni with I believe twelve former classmates by Sunday. There was even a young man from the Class of 1937...wow!! Can't even begin to tell you how great it was to see my classmates again.

Saturday morning I met with Jack Jackson in front of the Administration building where the representative from the school and alumni office were registering alumni and friends as they showed up. I had volunteered to be on hand to present and discuss the proposal for a ANA Veterans Memorial plaque to honor those alumni who had gave their lives in the service of their country during the 100 years of the Academy's existence. It was also an opportunity to meet and greet many others. One person in particular stood out. Kati Polhamus was the daughter of Captain Al Polhamus, my mentor and Band Director at the Academy during my years as a Cadet. I owed my career as a Musician in the United States Navy to the fact that "Capt Al" arranged for an audition with the Chief Musician at the Naval Training Center in San Diego in 1961 to become a Navy Musician instead of getting out after four years.

Turning Back the Clock - Part One

2010-06-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

It is Thursday morning, May 20, 2010 and I have just took off on a flight to Los Angeles, California. A lot of things going through my mind. I am going back to the west coast and to a place that is dear to my heart. Fifty-three years ago I graduated from a private military high school, called Army Navy Academy. I was born and raised in Los Angeles and this is truly an experience that I thought I may never have again. After graduating from ANA in June of 1957 I joined the Navy and with the exception of one trip to Carlsbad after I retired in 1977 this was the first time back.

There had been an alumni gathering at our 50th anniversary in 2007 but I could not make it. I wanted to but financially could not afford the long trip. I had spent most of the past fifty odd years stationed wherever the Navy wanted me and after retirement found myself staying on the east coast because of job opportunities at the time. Now those dreams of returning one more time had finally come to pass. Anticipation was high while the trip was very long. Six hours in a modern day jet is still a bit tiring when your nearly 72 years of age. I wondered what my fellow classmates would look like after all these years. I had only my yearbook to remember back and I was bringing it with me. My classmate and roommate, Ray, was waiting for me at the terminal and even then I did not recognize him. He and I had kept in touch and I did have a group photo from the 50th reunion to help we out. Ray had volunteered to meet me at the airport and we arranged to split expenses while in Carlsbad for the weekend. I am so grateful to him for assistance because I sure would have got lost. I must confess, he was waiting at baggage pickup and I did not recognize him at first. It really was one of those double takes. I looked around, saw him, looked around some more, looked back and then thought well maybe. I walked over to him and said "excuse me, are you Ray Hymer? Of which he returned "only if your middle name is Walter". A moment I will never forget.

Driving out of LA was an experience in itself. The new interstates built in the past fifty years helped a lot. But I noticed a lot of changes. All the way down I-5 it was nothing but wall to wall buildings and homes until we reached San Clemente. It would have continued to the border if it had not been for the federal government lands which contain the very large United States Marine Corps Base at Camp Pendleton. The other thing which was quite apparent was the hispanic influence in the Southern California area. Every exit was marked with a sign that stated that is was Avenida this or Avenida that. This was true all the way to San Diego. It was not a long drive. We covered the distance in about 90 minutes. Back in the old days it was easily about 3 hours on the crowded city streets of Los Angeles and a two lane Coast Highway. We got off at the Oceanside exit and he drove me down to what used to be the "main drag" through town. Again, I was amazed how everything had built up. As we crossed the lagoon into Carlsbad, one thing stood out...the campus of ANA. There was the old guardhouse and the walkway up to the Administration building. The clock had turned back to June 1957.

President Obama - "This Is What Change Looks Like"

2010-03-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

In some respects, I am one of the most fortunate people who because of career military service has had health care provided to me and my family for most of my adult life. After retiring from the service, I was able to continue in a government sponsored health care program paying reasonable monthly premiums with the usual shared costs and availability of prescriptions through local military medical facilities. Without question, I and my family have over the years received the best medical care available anywhere in the world. It is therefore a fair question for others as well as myself to ask, "If you have been happy with your government provided medical care, why would you raise questions about the present administration attempting to provide medical care for all its citizens?

To begin with, the current population of the United States is approximately 309 million people compared with 1.5 million on active duty in the military. It is not simply throwing a couple of million more people on the government insurance program. Likewise, current costs including military retirees for medical benefits run approximately $50 billion dollars annually. Current costs for Medicare and Medicaid alone are costing the federal budget over $764 billion. Current projections show implementation of the new Health Care Reform bill at $938 billion according to the Congressional Budget Office. Bottom line..we are talking apples and oranges. No way to make reasonable arguments for comparison. The national administration of medical care for citizens is a huge weight on a bloated and out of control budget and the beginning of a new entitlement.

HealthCare reform is now the law but I think it was a bad idea at a time when our nation can least afford the costs. There is no question that there are problems with the current system but it is not the Health Insurance industry as the Administration would have you believe. The national profit margin for these companies consistently run in the 3-4% range. Very low in the scheme of things. I actually believe that the conservatives in Congress had very good ideas such as tort reform and selling health insurance across state lines which would bring premiums down through competition. Regretfully, and honestly, the conservatives where shut out of all discussions. Only the final meeting with the President brought the two parties together and then television coverage showed the meeting to be a joke with total rejection of conservative ideas.

Last Sunday night after the final vote, the President addressed the nation and stated "This is What Change Looks Like". Quite frankly I find it repugnant and a shameful exercise in what democracy should not look like. We elect representatives to act on our behalf. Not to make backroom deals, and financial concessions such as the "Louisiana Purchase and the "Cornhusker Kickback". Representatives would tell you that is the way things are done in Washington. That may be true but is it morally correct? I think not! This is change that is by any language ugly. President Obama in an interview last week with Fox News refused to discuss the "process" of this legislation but I contend that the entire argument by the people must be about the process.

The bill is law. Chances of a repeal at this time should be forgotten. There is a chance that legal challenges may triumph but I would not bet the farm. It is important to remember that this is going to be a entitlement. Nearly 43% of adults pay no federal income tax. As the aspects of this bill take effect, the acceptance of health care to all becomes entrenched. The conservatives need to remember what the argument is about. This November the ballot box must be the place where good people with high morals make a statement. It is not about rejecting health care for all. It is about rejecting partisan politics, reprehensible and ethically unacceptable methods of policy against the obvious will of the people.

INSANITY HAS CONSEQUENCES

2010-03-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

Our Rights Come From God

2010-03-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

I do not believe I have ever been more offended and ashamed of my country as I am this evening. Ashamed because we the citizens of the United States have allowed our country to be hijacked by a progressive movement and a slight majority of what has aptly been called a "multitude of fools". They elected the most far left individual in the history of the United States, Barack Obama. Offended because the results we now face is the gradual transformation of our nation into at the minimum, a European style socialist government. There is an abundance of written and audio visual evidence to show that Barack Obama had every intention to change us. In October 2008 just a month before elections, he stated "We are just days from fundamentally changing America as we know it". The voters were just not really listening.

What he has done in the past fourteen months has often been noted in my previous commentaries and far to much to list here. Today, we stand at the threshold in that transformation. During an interview with Bret Baier on Fox News, Obama made it quite clear in stating, "Yes, It is one-sixth of the economy, but were not transforming one-sixth of the economy in one fell swoop". No, they will transform the economy step by step. He also as been quoted as saying, "By the way, Canada did not start off immediately with a single-payer system". As I have said in the past, Marxism changes a nation by revolution, Progressivism changes a nation step by step. Obama learned the ways of a Community Organizer through the teachings of Sol Alinsky and his book, "Rules for Radicals".

I was watching a television show today which was pointing out how the radical left was going to change our nation. They were pointing out that part of the premise for passing what has come to be known as ObamaCare, was that health care was a right. Just as they believe that you have a right to education, a home to live in and a job. It struck me that this was so wrong from what I was taught and the principals that I was raised on.

I also received an email today from my oldest son, who was expressing the anger, the frustration and the fear that we are losing the principals of the nation that I tried so hard to instill in my children. He was talking about "the good, honest and God fearing Americans like John Wayne and Ronald Reagan". He said that we had let our guard down. It really hit home and I share that feeling with him.

Our rights come from God. Not from Barack Obama, not from the progressive movement that wants to transform our nation. This is a principal that makes the United States totally different than any other nation on earth. Our founding fathers built a nation that espoused that "we are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". I was taught by my father that what I received in life is determined by my willingness to work and my efforts to be successful no matter what my chosen profession. I was taught that I should never expect something for nothing. I was taught that charity is for the less fortunate and only a means to give a hand up rather than a handout. Socialism teaches redistribution of wealth and all things come from the government. I reject that philosophy now and forever to my last breathe.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

2010-03-05T10:28:00.000-08:00

Socialist is an Ugly Word

2010-03-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

This week on the Fox cable news show "The O'Reilly Factor", Bill took what I consider to be a bold move by asking his viewers to answer the question of whether they thought that President Obama was a socialist. The response was decidedly in agreement with the question. It is a fair question that many citizens of our nation are beginning to ask. It has absolutely nothing to do with the Presidents ethic background but everything to do with political and economical theories.

In an article entitled "Why Do We Fear Calling Obama a Socialist?, noted author, columnist and former speech writer for Senator Bob Dole, Douglas MacKinnon presents the argument that there is nothing wrong with the identification of the Presidents political persuasion and questions why the media wants to dodge the question. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "socialism" as "Any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods".

It would be in total denial not to recognize that the current administration has exhibited these traits by taking over the supervision of some of our largest banks; by completely taking over the administration of two of the three largest automobile companies in the United States by "saving them" from collapse. The administration wants to take over one fifth of our economy by passing legislation for a government-run national health care system, and certainly made it quite clear that redistribution of wealth from the "elite" to the poor levels the playing field for all.

Fortunately, our Republic allows everyone the freedom of speech and President Obama has every right to call himself a Socialist. However, the President has not been forthright with the American people and resists any attempt to be called a "socialist" or "ideologue". Most likely because of the negative labels. Stalin of the Soviet Union and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela come to mind. As Douglas MacKinnon points out, it is a matter of political survival and "the same reason the far-left duplicitously runs from the word "liberal" and now substitutes "progressive." Marxism has been characterized as the overthrow of a country through revolution whereas Progressivism is done through small incremental steps. President Obama and the progressives of this nation might very well succeed but it would be proper to call them what they are... Socialists. The American people need to know the truth.

If You Can't Dazzle them with Brillance, Baffle them with BS

2010-02-19T11:52:00.000-08:00

When you are the President of the United States with a first rate intelligence and oratorical skills unseen in years, but your leadership decisions continue to fail you at every turn, what do you do? You fall back on the one thing you know will change the hearts and minds of your constituents at most, and at the least, buy you time to get your agenda implemented. At a time when the nation was in near panic over impending doom of the economic crisis, Obama saw
an opportunity to bring about his socialist agenda. However, these plans were so radical, that even with a lack of "transparency", the American people have seen right through him.

So now the President wants you to believe that he has seen the light. He now wants us to believe that the nation is overwhelmed in fiscal debt, the likes of which we have never seen and he must take action to save us. By Executive Order, he has created a bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. He noted at the signing that "Without action, the accumulated weight of that structural deficit of ever-increasing debt will hobble our economy, it will cloud our future, and it will saddle every child in America with an intolerable burden." Well, I don't know about you, but I am as a citizen of this great nation, offended at the attitude and actions of this President.

I ask you where was this caution with his new budget for fiscal year 2010 that called for a freeze on discretionary spending that only effects 16% of the federal budget. A freeze that would by most experts produce only a 3% drop in debt over the next ten years as proposed. Mr. Obama stated yesterday that the "federal debt has exploded." Let me put this all in perspective:
When the Democrats took control of Congress in 2007 the deficit was $160 billion.
Under the Pelosi-Reid Congress it "exploded" to $458 billion in 2008.
When Obama took office in 2009 it hit $1.4 trillion. For 2010 projected at $1.6 trillion.
An even more shocking fact is that the interest on the national debt this year alone is 18.75% of the total budget and amounts to $389 billion dollars. It is estimated that the largest item in he federal budget within 12 years will be the interest on the national debt. Try to imagine if the largest item in your family budget was the interest on all the money you borrowed. You should feel like an idiot and that is what we have collectively become.

I will not for a moment try to paint the picture that Republicans do not share blame for the exploding deficit. I just pointed out that in 2007 it was already $160 billion. Unfortunately, the mentality for decades has been that the federal government could exist with on-going deficits. It was wrong 30 years ago and wrong today as we approach a debt of 87% to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

There is only a few steps to correct the situation. Wasting more taxpayer money on a commission that by the "Executive Order" has no authority is nothing but putting on a show. If President Obama is really serious there are honest common sense steps that the White House and Congress can do immediately. First and foremost is acknowledging there is a problem without the smoke and mirrors mentality. Secondly, freeze all spending and rescind unspent stimulus funds. Do not move forward the proposed Stimulus 2 (renamed "Jobs Bill") and stop the "pass anyway possible" health reform bill sitting in limbo between the House and Senate. Lastly, all proposed tax hikes should be set aside until unemployment falls below 7 percent.

Long term deficit issues and cuts in mandatory spending for entitlement programs must be put on the table. We can no longer sustain a "nanny state" mentality without surrendering to a European style government. Remember that Ben Franklin said we have a Republic..."as long as we can keep it".

2010-02-19T11:39:00.000-08:00

Who Is Running the Asylum?

2010-02-06T09:19:00.000-08:00

It has been over a month since I last discussed terrorism from the viewpoint of the Obama Administration and the failure of the intelligence community to take appropriate action in the case of the Christmas Day bomber, often referred to as the Underwear Bomber. In this past month we have learned so much more which has the citizens of this great nation wondering who is really in charge and why we get the impression that the crazies are running the asylum.

The administration because of political and media pressure has revealed that after the Christmas Day bomber was taken into custody in Detroit, he was questioned by the FBI for a period of fifty (50) minutes. Keep in mind that surely, Mr. Abdulmutallab had to be in extreme pain as a result of the failed attempt and that brings into question the efforts and validity of anything learned during those minutes. We also know that after that short questioning, Mr. Abdulmutallab was advised of his Miranda rights and immediately clammed up. He has been under security watch at a hospital ever since.

When I question who is in charge, too much cow manure has been thrown around to let the issue go without commentary. On Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, one week ago, Robert Gibbs, the Press Secretary for the White House appeared to dance around the question (TWICE) if the President knew about the decision to read the "CrotchBomber" his rights. Finally, after weeks of questioning by various media sources, the Attorney General Eric Holder
made the statement "I made the decision to charge Mr. Abdulmutallab with federal crimes, and to seek his detention in connection with those charges, with the knowledge of, and with no objection from, all other relevant departments of the government." But wait a second, that idea of "no objection and other relevant departments just doesn't ring true.

On January 20th, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Senator Jeff Sessions asked who in the "upper echelons" were involved in the Mirandizing decision?

* FBI Director Mueller testified he was not consulted.
* Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair testified that he was not consulted.
* Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano testified that she was not consulted.
* National Counterterrorism Center Director Michael Leiter testified that he was not consulted.
If none of these people were consulted, there is only one other person. As important as Erik Holder may think he is, he would not have done this on his own. The AG may be the fall guy in this decision but I am inclined to believe the President made the call.

This past Wednesday, Mr. Holder in a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that he took full responsibility for the decision and stated that "the wide-spread experience of law enforcement agencies, including the FBI is that many defendents will talk and cooperate once they have been advised of their right to remain silent".

We now have been told as if by magic that in fact, Mr. Abdulmutallab is telling all he knows and cooperating fully. In my opinion, this will give the White House justification for not turning him over to military authorities and I would make a further prediction that his "cooperation" will lead to a deal (a plea bargain) that will save him from the death penalty and perhaps even a
life sentence.

Where Do We Go From Here?

2010-01-31T12:12:00.000-08:00

You may have thought that I was not going to comment on the State of the Union Address by President Obama. Not the case at all. His address to the people and the Congress last Wednesday was in my opinion quite predicable. I purposely waited until all the political pundits in the media had their opportunity to evaluate and I was waiting a few days to evaluate the meeting on Friday between the President and the representatives of the Republican party. My evaluation of the Presidents first year in office was offered in my commentary last Friday, entitled "A Year of Broken Promises". I want to focus only on the reaction to his address and on areas where he had little or nothing to say.

To begin with, he stated "I think we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people about what their core values are and why we have to make sure those institutions are matching up with those values." Are you kidding? This president gave during his first year 411 speeches or remarks on various topics, including 29 speeches on the Health Care reform still pending in Congress. And yet, he suggested the public didn't understand the
health care bill. The outcomes of Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts clearly rejected the health care legislation and other actions of this Presidency. During his speech he mentioned that "People are angry and they are frustrated...Not just because of what's happened in the past year or two years, but what's happened over the last eight years." In other words, "I'll blame Bush. That always works!" Sorry Mr. President, it is time to take ownership of your Presidency.

I found his remarks un-presidential when he chided the Supreme Court for their recent decision in defense of the 1st Amendment. There in front of him sat the members of the Court while he castigated them to the extent that the liberal side of the aisle stood and applauded. He accused the Court of opening the door for foreign corporations' campaign contributions when in fact all legal rulings expressively forbid this.

The President tried very hard to defend his Jobs Stimulus by pointing out that 300,000 Americans are working as teachers and other education workers, tens of thousands are police officers, firefighters, correctional officers and first responders. In reality, these jobs are either government (federal, state and local) or connected in such a way that they would not exist but for government.

Meanwhile, barely a paragraph was given to the war in Afghanistan and no recognition to the sacrifices made by Great Britain and other NATO allies. The global war against Al-Qaeda was hardly mentioned and the top issue of voters in the United States -Terrorism received little attention. I found it rather convenient for him to fail to mention the mistakes at Fort Hood and most recently, the prosecution of the Christmas Day bomber in which we now have come to find out was only questioned for 50 minutes and then given his Miranda rights.

The President met with Republican leaders on Friday which was televised. I think it was a good start but served only as an opportunity for each side to point out failures. I believe the President did act somewhat like a stern father admonishing his children as he spoke to them in his well known arrogant and condescending fashion. Today on the Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, the political guests of two democrats and two republicans continued to blame each other in very partisan manner for the failures of the present administration. The Republicans continued to hammer broken promises and lack of transparency while the democrats wanted to call the Republicans the "party of no" and blame Bush for the economic condition of the country, including the Medicare Prescription Program under Bush. As to transparency, I believe the public is beginning to see right through President Obama.

There has been much speculation this week over the results of the three state elections and whether President Obama would move at least to center left. Last Friday night after the address, the Fox panel did an early evaluation of the speech. What stuck out for me was the opinion of Charles Krauthammer, himself an MD in Psychiatry and degrees in Economics and Political Science. He stated that he believed that President Obama was in a state of "Clinical Denial". This afternoon on Fox News Sunday the regular panel evaluated again and three of the four where optimistic that President Obama would start to adjust his strategy towards the center. Dr. Krauthammer maintained his position in saying that the President would continue his left wing agenda. I agree with him but for the sake of our nation, I sincerely hope that I am wrong.

A Year of Broken Promises

2010-01-22T09:14:00.000-08:00

President Obama completed his first year in office this week and certainly the celebration was totally muted by a resounding roar from the voters in Massachusetts, the most liberal state, who unequivocally said "no more" to the socialist leanings of this administration. Just over a month ago, President Obama was eager to give himself a B+ for his first year. He even went so far as to leave the door open for an "A" if he got ObamaCare signed into law.

As we look back at his first year, there is an overwhelming feeling of broken promises and in my opinion an abandonment of common sense. The most obvious reflection is that he campaigned on the promise of total transparency, an end to entitlements and back room politics. Instead, we were deluged with czars like the radical socialist Sunstein and the pedophile loving Kevin Jennings. The appointment of a Treasury Secretary who admittedly failed to pay his taxes and a President who went on an apology tour of Europe telling of American arrogance.

When we look at the Obama Doctrine in dealing with terrorism we come away with the feeling that the President wanted to completely disarm our strategy by denying that terrorists are even at war with us and treating them like criminals. We were appalled by the idea that CIA agents would be open to prosecution by his attack dog, Attorney General Eric Holder. Amazingly, this week in testimony before Congress, the Director of National Intelligence and the Director of Homeland Security both testified they had no idea that the so called "Underwear Bomber" would be turned over to civil authorities.

There is no question that the President inherited an economy in distress. However, his policy has been a complete failure. His $787 billion stimulus bill promised to keep unemployment below 8% and create tens of thousands of jobs in the private sector. In contrast, basically no jobs were created and unemployment rates have gone to over 10%. Through bank bailouts, and the takeover of General Motors and Chrysler coupled with "Cash for Clunkers" the national debt has skyrocketed to catastrophic heights placing our children and grandchildren in debt for decades. It has also placed the economy of the United States near collapse as we watch China begin to replace us as the largest economy in the world, the rest of the world holds our debt, and the dollar is in jeopardy of being replaced on the world market.

Until this past week in Massachusetts, President Obama was ready to ram ObamaCare down the throats of a nation which clearly was against the policy and would force people to buy health insurance backed by fines for individuals and penalties for businesses. His liberal led Congress enticed representatives to vote yes by offering "sweetheart" deals in places like Louisiana and Nebraska and all this done behind closed doors without input from the right side of the aisle. Now, President Obama says he has heard the people speak. His State of the Union address will be filled with more promises that jobs will be created and the national debt will be brought under control. Will these be more broken promises? He failed the people in the first year and deserves an D.

I offer this thought and my opinion. President Obama is a Progressive, an anti-capitalist to his core. I do not believe he has ever liked free enterprise. I believe he wants to take down our free market economy...to be replaced by a government-controlled economy. We have an opportunity that started in Virginia, New Jersey and now Massachusetts. The future lies in the hands of the voters and the people of this great nation. At the end of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 a woman of Philadelphia came up to Benjamin Franklin and asked, "well Doctor, what have we got, a Republic or a Monarchy?" With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded, "a republic, if you can keep it."

2010-01-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

BOHICA - Scammed Again!

2010-01-07T11:54:00.000-08:00

The Christmas/New Years holidays are over with and certainly it can be said that the Congress is back in Washington and it is again, "politics as usual". I could never speak for everyone but I am fed up with a federal government that is hell bent on their liberal agenda and the public be damned. I know it sounds like a broken record but I have never seen leadership so willing to throw transparency out the window along with Robert's Rules of Order. I am talking about the determination of the liberal Congress to pass Health Care Reform at any cost, and believe me it is going to cost.

Back in August of 2008 Candidate Barack Obama spoke to a town hall meeting in Chester, Virginia about the desire to reform health care. He stated "I'm going to have all the negotiations around a big table. We'll have doctors and nurses and hospital administrators. Insurance companies, drug companies...what we will do is, we'll have the negotiations televised on C-Span, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents...And so, that approach, I think is what is going to allow people to stay involved in this process."

Yesterday, after meeting behind closed doors, democratic representatives were asked about the transparency of the reconciliation meetings and the fact that Candidate Obama had promised transparency in his administration. Speaker of the House Pelosi replied "well the President made a lot of promises on the campaign trail." The public was advised in a news release two days ago that the compromise between the House and Senate versions of the health care bill would be a three-way negotiation involving top Democrats in the House and Senate and the White House. It was announced there would be no plans to appoint a formal House-Senate conference committee, the method Congress most often uses to reconcile differing bills. The conservative side of the aisle has been totally shut out of the process. So the plan is to reach a quick agreement and on the desk of the President for signing.

It has become quite obvious of the administrations plans on this bill. Obama broke his promise on transparency many months ago with backroom deals cut with drug companies, hospitals and the AARP. I previously reported this in my commentary "Scamming Our Citizens" on November 10, 2008. The old scout motto of "Be Prepared" could not ring more true than in this situation. The American people will see more federal debt, their health care costs will increase, their taxes will go up and their quality of care will go down. There is absolutely no way on this earth that you can provide coverage to 15 million more people and cut the Medicare costs by a half billion dollars with out the resulting costs to taxpayers. Just one question left...have you removed that Obama for President sticker from your car yet?

Airport Security - Knee Jerk Reactions

2010-01-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

After the news release of the Christmas terrorist attack on the Northwest Airlines flight into Detroit, the brain trust of the Airport Security and the Transportation Security Authority when into high gear with idiotic actions. We immediately were informed that effective immediately that all flights coming into the United States from overseas would initiate rules that would not
allow passengers to use the bathroom during the last hour of flight before arrival. Furthermore, there would be no issue of blankets or pillows during the last hour of flight.

There have already been several incidents of airport closures because of unusual or unexplained incidents. One comes to mind yesterday of the airport that was closed, passengers who had already boarded flights waiting to take off were required to go thru the security screening for the second time. All because an alert went out stating that someone had entered and exited a baggage screening area by the wrong direction.

Eight years ago the Shoe Bomber, Richard Reid attempted to blow up a plane. For the past eight years we as passengers have been required to remove our shoes when going through Airport Security. Now we have the Nigerian terrorist who has quickly been labeled by the media as the Underwear Bomber. Whats next? Will we be required to remove our.....oh wait a minute. I don't want to go there! I am just asking that common sense prevail.

2010-01-06T17:39:00.000-08:00

We need to stop treating citizens as Terrorists!

War on Terrorism - Struggling for Committment

2010-01-06T13:15:00.000-08:00

I was listening to President Obama addressing the nation last evening after meeting with his top security advisors over the Christmas Day terrorist attack. I should have know better than to expect something different. He was for sure in his usual polished speaker mode. He told you what he had learned and told the American people how important this was to him and how he promised that he would do everything in his power to protect us in the future. Gosh, I feel so much better now. Fact is, the Community Organizer did not tell you anything that I had not told you in my commentary on December 30th. In fact, he told you less and only acknowledged that the CIA had been following the trail of a person who came to be known as Farouk Abdulmutallab - the Nigerian.

He went through the usual discussion of "how we failed to connect the dots". Excuse me Mr. President but I believe the same discussion took place after 9-11. I will give him credit for not faulting the Bush Administration this time, and he confirmed that the transfer of Yemini detainees from Guantanamo Bay back to their homeland would be delayed. After a year in office it is time to stop the nonsense and take responsibility.

On March 8, 2008, Candidate Obama told an audience of military officers that "....because I believe that any candidate for President must present the American people with a clear vision of how we will lead. There are real differences between the candidates, and important issues to debate - from ending the war in Iraq, to combating terrorism, to devising hew strategies and new capabilities to confront 21st century threats". In my opinion, he has failed to express a clear vision on how to lead in the battle against terrorism. This past year alone there has been terrorist activities in Little Rock, Arkansas when a Yemen terrorist gunned down army recruiters. In July an Afghan-American was arrested after going into a Denver, Colorado beauty supply store to purchase supplies for building a bomb. In Fort Hood, Texas, Major Hassan gunned down his fellow soldiers, and now the attempted blowing up of a Northwest Airlines flight over Detroit.

I would like to think that finally something will be done. We need to quit treating citizens as terrorists and quit treating terrorists as citizens. I said before that if we had the resolve to combat Al Qaeda jihadists as much as they have the resolve to destroy America, we could get the job done. The resolve must come from leadership and sadly, it has been absent to this point.

2010-01-06T09:06:00.000-08:00

National Security - On the Brink of Utter Failure

2009-12-30T13:56:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-25T09:10:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-18T16:15:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

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

Obama, "A Good Solid B Plus"

2009-12-15T11:25:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-12-13T09:04:00.000-08:00

More Pork--Not the BBQ Type

2009-12-12T14:59:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-09T13:28:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-12-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-08T05:06:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-12-04T08:34:00.000-08:00

This says it all!

2009-12-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-03T07:10:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-30T15:22:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-11-30T15:05:00.000-08:00

The Name and Shame Game

2009-11-30T13:52:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-11-25T08:21:00.000-08:00

Everybody Has Their Price

2009-11-24T19:21:00.000-08:00

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" ?

2009-11-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-21T09:59:00.000-08:00

2009-11-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

The President Bows Again

2009-11-17T13:43:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-13T22:21:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-11-13T22:13:00.000-08:00

Dear Mr. President

2009-11-12T20:47:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-11-10T15:06:00.000-08:00

A Followup on Fort Hood

2009-11-10T09:40:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-09T16:26:00.000-08:00

Is ObamaCare Constitutional?

2009-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-11-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

Outrage at Fort Hood, Part 1

2009-11-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-07T12:22:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-11-06T14:01:00.000-08:00

The Cash for Clunkers Program

2009-11-05T13:16:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-04T01:28:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-03T04:47:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-02T16:10:00.000-08:00

Telling the Truth

2009-11-02T09:02:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-01T13:01:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-10-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-31T11:45:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-29T15:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

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?"

2009-10-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

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."