Where is Congress? Where is the Judiciary?

Zoning the ocean

by Audrey Hudson

04/17/2012

President Barack Obama has an ambitious plan for Washington bureaucrats to take command of the oceans—and with it control over much of the nation’s energy, fisheries, even recreation in a move described by lawmakers as the ultimate power grab to zone the seas.

The massive undertaking also includes control over key inland waterways and rivers that reach hundreds of miles upstream, and began with little fanfare when Obama signed an executive order in 2010 to protect the aquatic environment.

“This one to me could be the sleeping power grab that Americans will wake up to one day and wonder what the heck hit them,” said Rep. Bill Flores (R –Texas).

“This is pure administrative fiat,” said Sen. David Vitter (R –La.). “It’s very troubling.”

“This is purely a unilateral administrative action with no real congressional input or oversight,” Vitter said. “I think it clearly threatens to have a big impact on a lot of industry, starting with energy, oil and gas, and fishing.”

But in his zeal to curb sea sprawl, lawmakers say the president’s executive order also gives Washington officialdom unprecedented reach to control land use as well.

“The order says they shall develop a scheme for oversight of oceans and all the sources thereof,” Flores said. “So you could have a snowflake land on Pikes Peak and ultimately it’s going to wind up in the water, so as a result they could regulate on every square inch of U.S. soil.”

Impacts on industry, consumers

The effects of Obama’s far-reaching policy would be felt by numerous industries including wind farms and other renewable energy undertakings, ports, shipping vessels, and other marine commerce, and upstream it would also affect mining, timber, even farming.

It will impact consumers directly through rules addressing recreational uses such as fishing and boating, and restricting the multiple use development of the ocean’s resources would also increase the cost of fuel and food, lawmakers say.

The idea to create a policy to oversee multiple uses of the ocean originated during the Bush administration, but after push back from within the ranks, including Vitter, the idea was dropped.

Critics of this revised plan say it is more narrowly focused, and that the Obama administration is taking their marching orders from environmental groups who want to move away from a multiple-use ocean policy to a no-use policy.

“If you look at the catalyst for the entire initiative, it comes from the playbook of environmental groups that think the ocean ought to be controlled by the federal government,” Flores said.

Added Vitter: “This (Obama) administration is more aggressive and left-leaning, and they are going whole hog. I think it’s clearly a threat, and in terms of negatively impacting jobs, it’s a very, very big threat.”

Blocking new oil, gas production

The ocean policy has already impacted oil and gas development in the Mid and South Atlantic, where more environmental analysis is now required to determine whether new studies must also be conducted to determine its safety, according to Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar.

Jack Belcher, managing director of the Ocean Policy Coalition that represents numerous industries affected by Obama’s initiative including oil companies, says Salazar’s action is one example of how the administration is already blocking new production “on a policy that hasn’t even been developed yet.”

Still in its draft form, the plan released in January contains vague goals that call for more than 150 milestones to be accomplished by next year that will determine how the ecosystem is managed.

“Right now, we can only speculate on the impacts,” Belcher said. “But all of a sudden, there’s a new authority creating a new plan that may not allow oil and gas leasing or development in (some) areas.”

“But what we are worried about, and already seeing, is it’s being used as a tool to say we’re not going to do something, or delay it,” Belcher said. “It creates another layer of bureaucracy and another opportunity for litigation. We see this as an opportunity to tie things up in complete uncertainty.”

Belcher said his members are not opposed to having a process in place to manage all of the industries that depend on the ocean, but that they are already operating under numerous and sometimes onerous regulations that guide energy development, the shipping of goods, wind farm construction, and commercial fishing.

“It isn’t just chaos on the high seas, but this ocean policy takes the assumption that it is,” Belcher said. “We’re fearful that (Obama’s policy) will result in a more draconian system.”

The regulatory uncertainty created by the draft plan for industries and its employees that depend on the ocean has prompted numerous Republican senators to ask for congressional oversight hearings.

“In these tough economic times, it would be unfortunate if Congress chose to ignore responsibility for limiting bureaucratic hurdles to prosperity,” the lawmakers said in a March 20 letter. The letter was signed by Sens. Vitter, Marco Rubio of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, John Barrasso of Wyoming, Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Mike Crapo of Idaho and John Cornyn of Texas.

The ocean policy has been a sleeper issue with very little media coverage, but now that it is starting to affect industries such as gas and oil production, lawmakers say congressional hearings are needed to take a broader look at its impact and consider public input from all of the stakeholders, not just environmentalists.

“This has largely been completely under the radar,” Vitter said. “And that is exactly the way the administration and their environmental allies want to do it—announce the administrative fiat is complete and that we have this new way of life that nobody knew was coming.”

House Republicans are fighting back by tightening the purse strings they control and hope that by cutting off funding to implement the policy, and putting a stop to officials they believe are siphoning money away from other programs, they can block it from going forward.

Rep. Hal Rogers (R -Ky.), who heads the powerful House Appropriations Committee, has been asked to put a stop to the administration’s “cloaked funding” by Rep. Doc Hastings (R–Wash.), chairman of the House Resources Committee.

“The Obama administration continues to move forward with zoning the oceans through implementation of the president’s National Ocean Policy without requesting funding specifically for this broad initiative and without answering basic questions about how funds are currently being diverted from other missions to fund this initiative,” Hastings said in an April 2 letter to Rogers.

Although critics of the plan say it will create an unprecedented aquatic zoning commission, the administration has repeatedly denied it.

Administration’s defense

Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and co-chair of the newly created National Ocean Council in charge of the new policy, said the plan “has been mischaracterized as ‘ocean zoning.’”

“The National Ocean Policy does not create any new regulations,” added Jane Lubchenco, undersecretary of Commerce for oceans and atmosphere. “It is a planning process, it’s not zoning.”

Calls to CEQ, which oversees the policy, were not returned.

However, critics point to an Interior Department memo that says the plan “has emerged as a new paradigm and planning strategy for coordinating all marine and coastal activities and facility constructions within the context of a national zoning plan.”

Additionally, former Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen, a member of the Ocean Policy Task Force, told OnEarth Magazine in May, 2010, the plan is “basically taking the notion of urban planning and putting it into the water column, as well as the estuary systems that connect it to everything that impacts ocean ecosystems.”

Rep. Don Young (R–Alaska) explained the new bureaucracy to his constituents during an April 3 Alaska field hearing as “a complicated bureaucratic scheme which includes a 27-member national ocean council; an 18-member governance coordinating committee; 10 national policies; nine regional planning bodies—each involving as many as 27 federal agencies as well as states and tribes; nine national priority objectives; nine strategic action plans; seven national goals for coastal marine spatial planning; and 12 guiding principles for coastal marine spatial planning.”

“Are you confused yet?” Young asked the crowd.

“The administration claims that this whole National Ocean Policy is nothing more than an attempt to coordinate federal agencies and make better permitting decisions,” Young said. “Forgive me if I am a little suspicious when the federal government—through an executive order—decides to create a new bureaucracy that will ‘help’ us plan where activities can or cannot take place in our waters and inland.”

Competing values

Environmental groups that support the president’s efforts include the Pew Charitable Trusts, which says that the fragile health of the oceans is being threatened by the increasing industrialization of the seas.

“If poorly planned or managed, drilling for oil and natural gas in federal waters, developing aquaculture and building wind, wave and tidal energy facilities all have the potential to damage America’s marine environment,” Pew said in a statement supporting the president’s policy.

But some believe bureaucratic interference on such a large scale is the real threat.

“The last thing we need is the federal government running the damn ocean and a bunch of bureaucrats running around trying to determine whether you can fish in one spot or another,” said Dan Kish, senior vice president for policy at the Institute for Energy Research.

Coming and goings from the Left

http://www.newswithviews.com/Devvy/kidd532.htm#_ftn3

The Leftist Agenda

On Jan. 10, 1963, Congressman Albert S. Herlong Jr. of Florida read a list of 45 Communist goals into the Congressional Record. The list was derived from researcher Cleon Skousen’s book “The Naked Communist.”

1. U.S. should accept coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. should be willing to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament by the U.S. would be a demonstration of "moral strength."

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extend long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China and admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the Germany question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the U.S. has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces.

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the U.S.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions, by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for Socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations that are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book review assignments, editorial writing, policy-making positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV & motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all form of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings," substituting shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms.

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24.Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural and healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the grounds that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state"

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American founding fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of "the big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture – education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies.. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand or treat.

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special interest groups should rise up and make a "united force" to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally Reservation so the U.S. cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.

Harry Connick, Jr. and his shameful roots

I don't know if you saw the show titled "Finding your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr." or not but it is another lesson on self-righteousness. Gates is the guy, if you recall, who was confronted entering his residence after dark. When the police busted him he was furious that he was a victim of racial profiling. Ever conscious of television moments, Barack Obama inserted himself into the fray and had a "beer summit" with Gates and the arresting police officer.

Watching the above-referenced television movie, I was amused to see the strings of Harry Connick, Jr. being yanked by Gates. He had Connick wishing he had been born black. When Gates revealed that Connick's great, great grandfather, Irish-born James M. Connick, had served three years with Co. 5 (Co. B?), Fifth Confederate Cavalry, Harry said "It's kind of shameful."

I'm not writing about this because of racial motives but from a perspective of family history. I had no relatives (to my knowledge) who served with the Confederacy le, although many Sullivans did. I'm just irked at the behaviour of Harry Connick in this interview. He's entitled to his opinion, of course, but Gates'  agenda was obvious.

How can anyone be "ashamed" of their family heritage? The motives of Southerners were varied as to why they served the Confederacy. Some did so, no doubt, to preserve the "peculiar institution." But I doubt if a guy who emigrated from Ireland only to work on the docks of Mobile, Alabama was fighting to preserve slavery. I would opine the pay being offered was a whole lot more than laboring on the docks.

Shame on you Harry Connick. You were a puppet in the hands of Mr. Gates.

Right-thinking American Women

In the 2012 Presidential election, the Democratic Party, aided and abetted by leftist American media, is portraying the GOP (read white men?) as anti-women. Do women who think for themselves believe this pandering trash talk?

If I recall American history correctly, it was right-thinking white men who gave (all) women the vote.

Who Separated Us?

Who was it who separated voters into groups? Hispanic-Americans? African-Americans? Female-Americans? Gay-Americans? They've done us wrong! It translates that I'll do something special for (coddle) you for your vote. Which also translates that I'll do nothing special for you if you're not in one of these groups. Un-American! And it's a divide and conquer political strategy.

I think more highly of the people in these groups who are striving for upward mobility. Why else do they still want to come to America?

I believe voters will do the right thing in November, 2012. Unless Obama attempts to disrupt the process. If he does I don't believe Congress has the guts to call him on it. The Supreme Court does though!

A Woman Who Lived Under Communism

"When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion -- when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing -- when you see money flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors -- when you see that men get richer by graft and pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you -- when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice -- you may know that your society is doomed ."            Ayn Rand (1905-1982) Author Source: Atlas Shrugged, p. 413

America and Russia - Comrades in ideology?

After Comrade Medvedev took the message from Comrade Obama back to Comrade Vladimir, I'm wondering what Comrade Vladimir's message from Moscow back to Comrade Obama is?

As a Public Policy Spokesman for the late President Reagan, I encouraged him to dialogue with Premier Gorbachev, believing that once inside the Russian camp we would know what they're doing and thinking. It didn't, however, include becoming one of them.

Who said the Soviet Union is dead?

http://farmwars.info/?p=8052

Here we go again!

Senator McCain, spokesman for the arms industry, today called for the U.S. to arm the opponents of President Assad. We are being fed propaganda via the major television networks. Russia is arming Syria and has been the arms supplier to Syria. Sorry folks but it's none of our business. We're supposedly winding down in Afghanistan, Iraq et al.....we need to get our guns involved elsewhere now don't we? It's BS! Pay attention to what's going here in the U.S. folks. Who was it that said "America First"?

SENATOR MCCAIN WANTS US TO INVADE SYRIA

With all due respect Senator, You're effin NUTS!

The Auto Workers Obama Left Behind

http://www.nrtwc.org/the-auto-workers-obama-left-behind/

Occupy Wall Street by Dr. Thomas Sewell

The current Occupy Wall Street movement is the best illustration to date of what President Barack Obama's America looks like. It is an America where the lawless, unaccomplished, ignorant and incompetent rule. It is an America where those who have sacrificed nothing pillage and destroy the lives of those who have sacrificed greatly. It is an America where history is rewritten to honor dictators, murderers and thieves. It is an

America where violence, racism, hatred, class warfare and of murder are all promoted as acceptable means of overturning the American civil society. It is an America where humans have been degraded to the level of animals: of defecating in public, having sex in public, devoid of basic hygiene. It is an America where the basic tenets of a civil society, including faith, family, a free press and individual rights, have been always rejected. It is an America where our founding documents have been now shredded and, with them, every person's guaranteed liberties. It is an America where, ultimately, great suffering will come to the American people, but the rulers like Obama, Michelle Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Joe Biden, Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan, liberal college professors, union bosses and all other loyal liberal/Communist Party members will live in opulent splendor. It is the America that Obama and the Democrat Party have now created with all the willing assistance of the American media, Hollywood, unions, universities, the Communist Party of America, the Black Panthers and numerous anti-American foreign entities. Barack Obama has brought more destruction upon this country in three years than any other event in the history of our nation, but it is just the beginning of what he and his comrades are capable of. The Occupy Wall Street movement is just another step in their plan for the annihilation of America. "Socialism, in general, has a record of failure that's so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it." Dr. Thomas Sowell (A National Humanities Medal Winner)

The White Side of the Story of Negroes

The White Side of the Story of Negroes This is the reason CNN has dropped Buchanan. It's like Newt G. said the other night in the debate. You’re not supposed to bring up uncomfortable Facts. (Verified on Buchanan’s website) BUCHANAN TO OBAMA Finally. It is Said Publicly. I have never seen the white side explained better! Pat Buchanan had the guts to say it. It is about time. BUCHANAN TO OBAMA By Patrick J. Buchanan Barack says we need to have a conversation about race in America. Fair enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation. White America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to. This time, the Silent Majority needs to have its convictions, grievances and demands heard. And among them are these: First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known.. Jeremiah Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American. Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the '60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream. Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks -- with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas -- to advance black applicants over white applicants. Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated their time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks. We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude? Barack talks about new 'ladders of opportunity' for blacks. Let him go to Altoona? And Johnstown, and ask the white kids in Catholic schools how many were visited lately by Ivy League recruiters handing out scholarships for 'deserving' white kids. Is white America really responsible for the fact that the crime and incarceration rates for African-Americans are seven times those of white America? Is it really white America's fault that illegitimacy in the African-American community has hit 70 percent and the black dropout rate from high schools in some cities has reached 50 percent? Is that the fault of white America or, first and foremost, a failure of the black community itself? As for racism, its ugliest manifestation is in interracial crime, and especially interracial crimes of violence. Is Barack Obama aware that while white criminals choose black victims 3 percent of the time, black criminals choose white victims 45 percent of the time? Is Barack aware that black-on-white rapes are 100 times more common than the reverse, that black-on-white robberies were 139 times as common in the first three years of this decade as the reverse? We have all heard ad nauseam from the Rev. Al about Tawana Brawley, the Duke Rape case and Jena. And all turned out to be hoaxes. But about the epidemic of black assaults on whites that are real, we hear nothing. Sorry, Barack, some of us have heard it all before, about 40 years and 40 trillion tax dollars ago. This needs to be passed around because, this is a message everyone needs to hear!!! OK, will you pass it on? YES. I did but will you? Because I'm for a better America I am NOT racist, NOT violent, Just NOT silent anymore.

SOME SPOKEN WORDS REMAIN TIMELESS

“Socialism is a philosophy of failure,the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy,its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” -- Winston Churchill These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read: Unfortunately, most voters don't know this. 1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity, by legislating the wealth out of prosperity. 2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. 3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. 4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it. 5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them; and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work, because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation. Alexis de Tocqueville A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy. Or more succinctly from: Benjamin Franklin When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.

American ammo - A Hidden Agenda?

Like the recent backtracking over the issue of forcing Catholic insurers to provide abortion services, the Obama Administration was also forced to back down from the following. The question is, like the issue of Catholic insurers, WHY? I can only think they (the Left) is throwing up as much as they can to see what sticks on the ceiling to divide us and promote their hidden agenda.

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

This is totally crazy and it should make you want to slap the hell out of the idiots we have in Washington DC .

Georgia Arms is the 5th largest retailer of .223 Ammo in America . They sell 9mm, .45, .223 ammunition. They normally buy spent brass from the US Department of Defense. Spent brass is "one time used" shell cases used by our Military for training purposes. They buy the brass, recondition it, and then reload the brass for resale to Law Enforcement, Gun Clubs, Gun Shops, and stores like Wal-Mart.
They normally buy 30,000 lbs of spent brass at a time.

This week the DoD wrote a letter to the owner of Georgia Arms and informed him that
from now on the DoD will be destroying the spent brass, shredding it. It will no longer be available to the ammo makers,unless they buy it in a scrap shredded condition (which they have no use for).

The shredded brass is now going to be sold by the DoD to China as scrap metal, after the DoD pays for it to be shredded. The DoD is selling the brass to China for less money than the ammo makers have been paying,plus the DoD has to pay to have the brass shredded and do the accounting paperwork.

This sure helps the economy now doesn't it? Sell cheaper to China, and do not sell at all to a proven US business. Any hidden agenda working here? Obama going after the Firearms Industry and our ammunition!

The Georgia Arms owner even related a story that one of his competitors had already purchased a load of brass last week. The DoD contacted him this week and said they were sending someone over to make sure it was destroyed. Shell cases he had already bought!The brass has no value to the ammo maker if it is destroyed/shredded/melted.
The ammo manufacturer only uses the empty brass cases to reload different calibers, mainly .223 bullets.

The owner of Georgia Arms says that he will have to lay off at least half of his 60 workers, within 2-3 months if the DoD will no longer sell spent brass cases to the industry. Georgia Arms has 2-3 months of inventory to use, by summer they're out.

If the Reloading Industry has to purchase new manufacture brass cases, then the cost of ammunition will double or even triple, plus Obama wants to add a 500% tax on each shell.

You can read the information and see the DoD letter to Georgia Arms here:
http://www.theshootist.net/2009/03/dod-ends-sale-of-expended-military.html
https://webmail.metrobrokers.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.theshootist.net/2009/03/dod-ends-sale-of-expended-military.html

If you're not outraged at what this administration is doing you should be! Be Afraid! Be Very Very Afraid! Get involved! It's Your Freedom and Our Country They're Stealing! If You Fail to Act Now, there may not be a Free United States tomorrow!

I implore you to get involved and forward this to as many people as you can. Contact your legislators and put them on notice. We're fed up with what's going on in the name of stimulating our economy!

LEGALIZE DRUGS?

Singer Tony Bennett is being second-guessed about remarks he made regarding the accidental death of another singer, Whitney Houston. I've got mixed feelings about the topic.

Our prisons are full of men and women whose lives have been ruined by the use of illegal drugs. They have turned to crime, murder, burglary and robbery to finance their habit, not to mention what the drugs do to their bodies and minds.

What if drugs of a known strength and quality were dispensed to such individuals BEFORE they committed these crimes? Would the result would be men and women who might possibly lead somewhat productive lives?

For one thing, if the quality of these drugs were consistent, and users were under a physician's treatment, perhaps we would not have these wrongful deaths. And you KNOW the crime rate would disappear.

Would the money we're spending now to imprison these people be better spent in putting people to work for non-government organizations and/or private enterprise? You know the answer.

I think it's worth a shot. One benefit to all this would be knowing who the drug users are. those who are currently semi-productive citizens would have to PAY their own way in the matter.

I know this is not the ideal but it's better than what we're doing now.

There's another side of me, however, that doesn't want "stoners" behind a steering wheel. Lord knows they could end up killing me or any of my loved ones while their mind is wandering while driving. Uh uh!

There's got to be a half way point somewhere. I believe that if drug trafficking was to be taken out from the underworld and into our control, we would fund our national debt.

ARAB LEAGUE WANTS U.N. TO CREATE AN ARMY

There was a time when the United Nations was a legitimate entity for world peace. They sent an international force of NATO nations to Korea. The U.S. was part of that force. NATO forces had 500,000 casualties. North Korea and its allies lost an estimated 1.6 million. Civilian casualties were in the millions. The United States suffered 33,746 dead.

In recent years, however, the entity has become politicized. What I mean is they don't necessarily do the right thing anymore. Small nations represented there vote in their own best interests, which are not necessarily those of the U.S.

Now another legitimate-sounding entity called "The Arab League" is calling for the U.N. to create a joint peacekeeping force to knock President Assad of Syria out of power. The problem I have is I don't believe any of 'em.

The so-called citizens that are being killed there probably are fighters sent from Iran, Afghanistan, Egypt et al. Syrian security forces are attempting to support the current government. U.S. major media would have us believe that President Assad is the bad guy here.

Does anybody really believe a democratic republic would be installed in place of Prsident Assad's regime? Anybody remember the Shah of Iran? He was our friend until Social Progressive Jimmy Carter became President. Iran was a stable nation till that happened.

Syria hasn't been what the U.S. would call a friend. But the nation has been stable up to this time. And they have the backing of China and Russia. Hello!

If you care to look ahead, what do you think will happen if other relatively stable nations in the region go the way of Iran. Saudi Arabia? Israel?

We would be drawn into it because of our allies there.

I've Been Thinking - and that's dangerous!

OK, let's talk about Syria. If I can believe the U.S. media, why that government is killing its citizens left and right. That government and their leaders should be taken out and shot. Right?

On the other hand, are all these supposed "civilians" being killed really civilians? Who's to say they're not fighters from Iran, Afghanistan, Egypt et al?

I'm for stability! If you look at history in, let's say Yugoslavia, Tito was their communist leader. While he was in power, there was stability in the nation. Muslims were living alongside Christians.

In Syria today....you tell me!

Where are the white guys?

As a young man I played basketball - the street variety. I was pretty good. As a high school freshman, Coach Carl Uhler tried to mold me into his vision. I was bumped up the JV team as a fershman but didn't fit into his pattern. Like the British General Montgomery, he was a set-piece guy. Here's the play, do it. That wasn't my style.

I was on two teams at the time but I didn't do justice to either. I spent most of my time on one and neglected the other. With my 'credentials' established, I observe college and professional basketball today and think, huh?

It seems that 90% of the guys playing college and professional basketball are black. Aren't there many white guys that can play college or professional basketball?

American white guys, not black guys, have given basketball to the world.

American white guys, not black guys, have given football to the world.

American white guys, not black or latin guys, have given baseball to the world.

What's wrong with this picture? Just wonderin' ya know.

Abbot & Costello - Who's on unemployed?

Author unknown.

Who's on unemployed? With Abbott & Costello


COSTELLO: I want to talk about the unemployment rate in America.

ABBOTT: Good Subject. Terrible Times. It's 9%.

COSTELLO: That many people are out of work?

ABBOTT: No, that's 16%.

COSTELLO: You just said 9%.

ABBOTT: 9% Unemployed.

COSTELLO: Right 9% out of work.

ABBOTT: No, that's 16%.

COSTELLO: Okay, so it's 16% unemployed.

ABBOTT: No, that's 9%...

COSTELLO: WAIT A MINUTE. Is it 9% or 16%?

ABBOTT: 9% are unemployed. 16% are out of work.

COSTELLO: IF you are out of work you are unemployed.

ABBOTT: No, you can't count the "Out of Work" as the unemployed. You have to look for work to be unemployed.

COSTELLO: BUT THEY ARE OUT OF WORK!!!

ABBOTT: No, you miss my point.

COSTELLO: What point?

ABBOTT: Someone who doesn't look for work, can't be counted with those who look for work. It wouldn't be fair.

COSTELLO: To who?

ABBOTT: The unemployed.

COSTELLO: But they are ALL out of work.

ABBOTT: No, the unemployed are actively looking for work... Those who are out of work stopped looking. They gave up. And, if you give up, you are no longer in the ranks of the unemployed.

COSTELLO: So if you're off the unemployment roles, that would count as less unemployment?

ABBOTT: Unemployment would go down. Absolutely!

COSTELLO: The unemployment just goes down because you don't look for work?

ABBOTT: Absolutely it goes down. That's how you get to 9%. Otherwise, it would be 16%. You don't want to read about 16% unemployment do ya?

COSTELLO: That would be frightening.

ABBOTT: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Wait, I got a question for you. That means they're two ways to bring down the unemployment number?

ABBOTT: Two ways is correct.

COSTELLO: Unemployment can go down if someone gets a job?

ABBOTT: Correct.

COSTELLO: And unemployment can also go down if you stop looking for a job?

ABBOTT: Bingo.

COSTELLO: So there are two ways to bring unemployment down, and the easier of the two is to just stop looking for work.

ABBOTT: Now you're thinking like an economist.

COSTELLO: I don't even know what the hell I just said!

And now you know why Obama's unemployment figures are improving!

"Occupy...." fill in the blanks

I'm watching the crowds of people in places like Seattle, Syria, Egypt and not making any distinctions between. Now, tell me something.

Do the folks watching TV in those nations who see the violence of the "occupiers" here believe that America is on fire and ALL our citizens want a 'regime change' here?

On the other hand, do we here in America see the folks rioting in the streets over there believe the average working people there want 'regime change?'

Add our so-called credibility in the guise of the Department of State going to the United Nations and calling for 'regime change' in Syria, just like we did for Egypt.

Dare I say we're being fooled by our own government in sync with the mainstream media here and agenda of the International and American Left?

Dare I say we are aiding and abetting violence and instability over there?

Fill in the blanks - Egypt, Syria, Algeria....you get the picture.

Obama's citizenship being explored

http://www.thenationalpatriot.com/?p=4138

Has anyone read, seen or heard anything about this Georgia case before this?

Dhimmitude - what does it mean?

My fellow Americans, this bears watching. I checked it out at http://www.snopes.com/politics/medical/exemptions.asp.
JCS

DHIMMITUDE - WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
author unknown

Obama used it in the health care bill.

Now isn't this interesting? It is used in the health care law.

Dhimmitude -- I had never heard the word until now. Type it into Google and start reading. Pretty interesting. It's on page 107 of the healthcare bill. I looked this up on Google and yep, it exists..
It is a REAL word.

Word of the Day: Dhimmitude

Dhimmitude is the Muslim system of controlling non-Muslim populations conquered through jihad. Specifically, it is the TAXING of non-Muslims in exchange for tolerating their presence AND as a coercive means of converting conquered remnants to Islam.

ObamaCare allows the establishment of Dhimmitude and Sharia Muslim diktat in the United States . Muslims are specifically exempted from the government mandate to purchase insurance, and also from the penalty tax for being uninsured. Islam considers insurance to be "gambling", "risk-taking", and "usury" and is thus banned. Muslims are specifically granted exemption based on this.

How convenient. So I, as a Christian, will have crippling IRS liens placed against all of my assets, including real estate, cattle, and even accounts receivables, and will face hard prison time because I refuse to buy insurance or pay the penalty tax. Meanwhile, Louis Farrakhan will have no such penalty and will have 100% of his health needs paid for by the de-facto government insurance. Non-Muslims will be paying a tax to subsidize Muslims.

This is Dhimmitude.

I recommend sending this on to your contacts. American citizens truly need to know about it.

You can't make this stuff up.

In a bid to stem taxpayer losses for bad loans guaranteed by federal housing agencies Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac, Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) proposed that borrowers be required to make a 5% down payment in order to qualify.

His proposal was rejected 57-42 on a party-line vote because, as Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn) explained, "Passage of such a requirement would restrict home ownership to only those who can afford it."

Does this explain liberals to you?

I can't add anything to this.

"After America there is no place to go."

A good bit of this most of us know from our history books but there are some things written here I hadn't been aware of. A very bad time in history for those that lived in Europe just before and during WWII.


1938 Austria

Kitty Werthmann is 85 years old

This is a SCARY piece of HISTORY.
Read & perhaps learn something new from HISTORY and "CHANGE".


America truly is the Greatest Country in the World.

By: Kitty Werthmann


What I am about to tell you is something you've probably never heard or will ever read in history books.

I believe that I am an eyewitness to history. I cannot tell you that Hitler took Austria by tanks and guns; it would distort history. We elected him by a landslide - 98% of the vote. I've never read that in any American publications. Everyone thinks that Hitler just rolled in with his tanks and took Austria by force.

In 1938, Austria was in deep Depression. Nearly one-third of our workforce was unemployed. We had 25% inflation and 25% bank loan interest rates.

Farmers and business people were declaring bankruptcy daily. Young people were going from house to house begging for food. Not that they didn't want to work; there simply weren't any jobs. My mother was a Christian woman and believed in helping people in need. Every day we cooked a big kettle of soup and baked bread to feed those poor, hungry people - about 30 daily.

The Communist Party and the National Socialist Party were fighting each other. Blocks and blocks of cities like Vienna, Linz, and Graz, were destroyed. The people became desperate and petitioned the government to let them decide what kind of government they wanted.

We looked to our neighbor on the north, Germany, where Hitler had been in power since 1933. We had been told that they didn't have unemployment or crime, and they had a high standard of living. Nothing was ever said about persecution of any group -- Jewish or otherwise. We were led to believe that everyone was happy. We wanted the same way of life in Austria. We were promised that a vote for Hitler would mean the end of unemployment and help for the family. Hitler also said that businesses would be assisted, and farmers would get their farms back. Ninety-eight percent of the population voted to annex Austria to Germany and have Hitler for our ruler.

We were overjoyed, and for three days we danced in the streets and had candlelight parades. The new government opened up big field kitchens and everyone was fed.

After the election, German officials were appointed, and like a miracle, we suddenly had law and order. Three or four weeks later, everyone was employed. The government made sure that a lot of work was created through the Public Work Service.


Hitler decided we should have equal rights for women. Before this, it was a custom that married Austrian women did not work outside the home. An able-bodied husband would be looked down on if he couldn't support his family. Many women in the teaching profession were elated that they could retain the jobs they previously had been required to give up for marriage.

Hitler Targets Education - Eliminates Religious Instruction for Children:

Our education was nationalized. I attended a very good public school. The population was predominantly Catholic, so we had religion in our schools. The day we elected Hitler (March 13, 1938), I walked into my schoolroom to find the crucifix replaced by Hitler's picture hanging next to a Nazi flag. Our teacher, a very devout woman, stood up and told the class we wouldn't pray or have religion anymore. Instead, we sang "Deutschland, Deutschland, Uber Alles," and had physical education.

Sunday became National Youth Day with compulsory attendance. Parents were not pleased about the sudden change in curriculum. They were told that if they did not send us, they would receive a stiff letter of warning the first time. The second time they would be fined the equivalent of $300, and the third time they would be subject to jail. The first two hours consisted of political indoctrination. The rest of the day we had sports. As time went along, we loved it. Oh, we had so much fun and got our sports equipment free. We would go home and gleefully tell our parents about the wonderful time we had.

My mother was very unhappy. When the next term started, she took me out of public school and put me in a convent. I told her she couldn't do that and she told me that someday when I grew up, I would be grateful. There was a very good curriculum, but hardly any fun - no sports, and no political indoctrination. I hated it at first but felt I could tolerate it. Every once in a while, on holidays, I went home. I would go back to my old friends and ask what was going on and what they were doing. Their loose lifestyle was very alarming to me. They lived without religion. By that time unwed mothers were glorified for having a baby for Hitler. It seemed strange to me that our society changed so suddenly. As time went along, I realized what a great deed my mother did so that I wasn't exposed to that kind of humanistic philosophy.

Equal Rights Hits Home:

In 1939, the war started and a food bank was established. All food was rationed and could only be purchased using food stamps. At the same time, a full-employment law was passed which meant if you didn't work, you didn't get a ration card, and if you didn't have a card, you starved to death. Women who stayed home to raise their families didn't have any marketable skills and often had to take jobs more suited for men.

Soon after this, the draft was implemented. It was compulsory for young people, male and female, to give one year to the labor corps. During the day, the girls worked on the farms, and at night they returned to their barracks for military training just like the boys. They were trained to be anti-aircraft gunners and participated in the signal corps. After the labor corps, they were not discharged but were used in the front lines. When I go back to Austria to visit my family and friends, most of these women are emotional cripples because they just were not equipped to handle the horrors of combat. Three months before I turned 18, I was severely injured in an air raid attack. I nearly had a leg amputated, so I was spared having to go into the labor corps and into military service.

Hitler Restructured the Family Through Daycare:


When the mothers had to go out into the work force, the government immediately established child care centers. You could take your children ages 4 weeks to school age and leave them there around-the-clock, 7 days a week, under the total care of the government. The state raised a whole generation of children.. There were no motherly women to take care of the children, just people highly trained in child psychology. By this time, no one talked about equal rights. We knew we had been had.

Health Care and Small Business Suffer Under Government Controls:

Before Hitler, we had very good medical care. Many American doctors trained at the University of Vienna . After Hitler, health care was socialized, free for everyone. Doctors were salaried by the government. The problem was, since it was free, the people were going to the doctors for everything. When the good doctor arrived at his office at 8 a.m., 40 people were already waiting and, at the same time, the hospitals were full. If you needed elective surgery, you had to wait a year or two for your turn. There was no money for research as it was poured into socialized medicine. Research at the medical schools literally stopped, so the best doctors left Austria and emigrated to other countries.


As for healthcare, our tax rates went up to 80% of our income. Newlyweds immediately received a $1,000 loan from the government to establish a household. We had big programs for families. All day care and education were free. High schools were taken over by the government and college tuition was subsidized. Everyone was entitled to free handouts, such as food stamps, clothing, and housing.

We had another agency designed to monitor business. My brother-in-law owned a restaurant that had square tables. Government officials told him he had to replace them with round tables because people might bump themselves on the corners. Then they said he had to have additional bathroom facilities. It was just a small dairy business with a snack bar. He couldn't meet all the demands. Soon, he went out of business. If the government owned the large businesses and not many small ones existed, it could be in control.

We had consumer protection. We were told how to shop and what to buy. Free enterprise was essentially abolished. We had a planning agency specially designed for farmers. The agents would go to the farms, count the live-stock, then tell the farmers what to produce, and how to produce it.

"Mercy Killing" Redefined:

In 1944, I was a student teacher in a small village in the Alps. The villagers were surrounded by mountain passes which, in the winter, were closed off with snow, causing people to be isolated. So people intermarried and offspring were sometimes retarded. When I arrived, I was told there were 15 mentally retarded adults, but they were all useful and did good manual work. I knew one, named Vincent, very well. He was a janitor of the school. One day I looked out the window and saw Vincent and others getting into a van. I asked my superior where they were going. She said to an institution where the State Health Department would teach them a trade, and to read and write. The families were required to sign papers with a little clause that they could not visit for 6 months. They were told visits would interfere with the program and might cause homesickness.

As time passed, letters started to dribble back saying these people died a natural, merciful death. The villagers were not fooled. We suspected what was happening. Those people left in excellent physical health and all died within 6 months. We called this euthanasia.

The Final Steps - Gun Laws:

Next came gun registration. People were getting injured by guns. Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few) was by matching serial numbers on guns. Most citizens were law abiding and dutifully marched to the police station to register their firearms. Not long after-wards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in their guns. The authorities already knew who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily.

No more freedom of speech. Anyone who said something against the government was taken away. We knew many people who were arrested, not only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up.

Totalitarianism didn't come quickly, it took 5 years from 1938 until 1943, to realize full dictatorship in Austria. Had it happened overnight, my countrymen would have fought to the last breath. Instead, we had creeping gradualism. Now, our only weapons were broom handles. The whole idea sounds almost unbelievable that the state, little by little eroded our freedom.

After World War II, Russian troops occupied Austria. Women were raped, preteen to elderly. The press never wrote about this either. When the Soviets left in 1955, they took everything that they could, dismantling whole factories in the process. They sawed down whole orchards of fruit, and what they couldn't destroy, they burned. We called it The Burned Earth. Most of the population barricaded themselves in their houses. Women hid in their cellars for 6 weeks as the troops mobilized. Those who couldn't, paid the price. There is a monument in Vienna today, dedicated to those women who were massacred by the Russians. This is an eye witness account.

"It's true….those of us who sailed past the Statue of Liberty came to a country of unbelievable freedom and opportunity.

America Truly is the Greatest Country in the World. Don't Let Freedom Slip Away

"After America, There is No Place to Go"

Please forward this message to other voters who may not have it.

“After America, There is No Place to Go”


The author of this article lives in South Dakota and is very active in attempting to maintain our freedom. I encourage everybody to read this article and pass it along. I see so many parallels in this country, are we going to sit by and watch it happen? Spread the word; also contact your congressional reps; vote them out if they don't do what they should. If you don't want to be bothered, then you're part of the problem! Google Kitty Werthmann and you will see articles and videos.

Kodak? Bankrupt? Too bad they're not the government.

Kodak, the huge, monster-sized comany in Rocheser, New York, has filed for bankruptcy. The name Kodak needs no explanation; we all know who they are. Bankrupt? Means they don't have any money. Right? Yes, they've got no money honey. Kodak? How?

Some would say, rightfully so, that Kodak didn't adapt to the digital age until too late. However, Kodak had the same corporate culture that has evolved in other American companies that got too big for their britches and didn't bother to stay "hungry." The Irish have a saying, "Hunger makes a good sauce." Other good examples of companies not remaining "hungry" are NCR Corp. and Ford Motor Co.

The NCR cash register was a wonder of mechanical engineering. It was the best in the world. They, like Kodak, developed a corporate culture out of their success. Wooden headedness evolved. After all, they were the best analog cash registers in the world and they knew it. In the process however, they began to lose the market share. They, too, didn't recognize the digital age. They kept cranking out wonderful analog cash registers. Unlike Kodak, however, they made the right moves for themselves in the nick of time.

NCR hired a Director of Engineering who was given the OK to chop the collective heads of people who were "hangers on." They were not near sighted nor were they far sighted. Let's just say they were neither sighted.

With the new engineering leader, into NCR came contract packaging designers, printed circuit board designers, computer programmers and systems analysts. Lo and behold, NCR came into the digital age before they had to close their "analog" doors.

If we go back a little further, Ford Motor Co. developed the same mentality. Only in their case, Henry Ford, as leader of his company, was the culprit with tunnel vision. He was the visionary who conceived the assembly line. Before that cars were individually made. Henry Ford made a great automobile. With the assembly line concept he brought down manufacturing costs that allowed the general public to finance or purchase a Ford. Henry's success was enormous.

Henry made an automobile that transported people. It was black and functional. THAT'S what people want. Cars of color? Are you kidding? People want transport; they could care less about whether their car is red or green or whatever. It's gonna remain BLACK. Well, as you can guess, while the competetion was making cars of color, Ford Motor was not. And, the company almost went down because they didn't read the tea lives and adapt.

There's a lesson to be learned here for American electorate and the most important election in our lifetime, the 2012 presidential election. I would opine that American government, like NCR, Ford Motor Co. and Kodak, has developed a fat cat corporate mentality. Unlike corporate America, however, our federal, state and local governments have had a way out.

Rather than filing bankruptcy, our governments simply borrow money from foreign governments, raise taxes, sell bonds and/or print paper money without anything to back it up, i.e., gold et al.

It really hasn't mattered which of our two American political party has been in control. Both have been deficit spending. However, the current federal administration has shown they are more reckless than former administrations. And what's so scary about them is they don't give a damn.

It's time for another American Revolution - via the ballot box.

"Coil of Rage" - author unknown

The character of any man is defined by how he treats his mother as the years pass .... need I say more about this person below other than there is no character, no integrity but there is a ton of attitude and arrogance that defines his shallow past and hollow future .... I rest my case..

I bought and read Obama's book, Audacity of Hope. It was difficult to read considering his attitude toward us and everything American. Let me add a phrase he uses to describe his attitude toward whites. He harbors a "COIL OF RAGE". His words not mine.

THIS IS OUR PRESIDENT -- HE'S RUNNING AGAIN, YOU KNOW! Is anyone out there awake?

Everyone of voting age should read these two books by him: Don't buy them, just get them from the library. From Dreams From My Father:

"I ceased to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites."

"I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother's race."

"There was something about her that made me wary, a little too sure of herself, maybe and white."

"It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names."

"I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn't speak to my own. It was into my father's image, the black man, son of Africa , that I'd packed all the attributes I sought in myself: the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBois and Mandela."

And FINALLY ........... and most scary:

From Audacity of Hope:

"I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."

If you have never forwarded an e-mail, now is the time to do so!!! We have someone with this mentality running our GREAT nation! Keep your eye on him and don't blink. I don't care whether you are a Democrat, a Republican, a Conservative or a liberal, be aware of the attitude and character of this sitting President.

Prosperity? Many don't know what it means.

We are living in an age when we're all supposed to be the same. You know, equality, no child left behind, and all that stuff. Prosperity? What's that? Occupy Wall Street? Oh yeah, that's supposed to be us against the rich guys.

I'm not going to defend the big shots who take without any consideration for those who make it possible for them. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac come to mind. They're bust yet their execs are eligible for enormous bonuses. What's wrong with this picture.

On the other hand, we have locales such as Hong Kong. Where's that and what do they have to do with us? For one thing, they're prosperous. And the young people of this nation of ours should begin to understand what prosperity is.

Leading up to World War II, during and after the war, the United States was the world's bank. Why? Because people who had any money at all wanted to put it where it was safe and would bring them a return on their investment. And the place to put their/our money was in the U.S. That's all changed now. Why? Let's look at Hong Kong, the "vatican of economic liberty."

The top individual and corporate income tax rates here in the U.S. are 35% on taxes on capital gains, dividends and profits on overseas investment. It also applies to when you die. How does this compare to a vibratant economy such as Hong Kong?

The top tax rate there is two fold: 17% minus deductions or 15% of gross incoome, which is lower. That's right, lower, not higher. Guess what else? No sales tax.

The current occupant of the White House and his minions in the media would have you believe that government spending is the way to prosperity. Creating government jobs is the way of the future. Don't believe it. Their so-called "Jobs Bill" is a scam. Should they be successful in raising the debt limit even more you know who will benefit. Their voter "base." Do you know who their base is?

Nobody will say it. It's like John the Baptist in the desert. Whoever says it gets their head cut off. Protected by free speech, dare I say, in my opinion, those who benefit are unions, blacks, radical feminists, leftists, communists, socialists, gays et al. Have I missed anyone here. Oh yes, left-leaning Democrats. In other words its a crafted attempt to make a majority out of minorities. And the fact that Obama is in the White House would tell me its worked.

I appeal to the youth of this nation and those of independent mind to use their wisdom and vote to begin the return of prosperity to everyone in the nation. And, yes, to those mentioned who are currently the Obama base. We must take a non-governmental path. Look to Hong Kong to see how America could be, how we once were.

Now that we're out of Iraq......

This week it was reported that 100 people were killed in what is being called an "organized massacre" in a Syrian village. My question is Who Are These People behind the violence against the Syrian government and where are they coming from?

American media is portraying the Syrian government as being the bad guy in all of it. I don't necessarily believe it. The so-called Arab League and the Obama White House would have us believe that Syrian President Assad is evil and "regime change" must come about there. I say, leave him fight his own battles. Afterall, now that we're out of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan will now have Muslim fighters in their countries fighting their governments.

We might also consider praying for Christians in these nations.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/12/21/100-killed-in-organized-massacre-on-syrian-village-activists-say/?test=latestnews#ixzz1hGAiXz00

"A Bright Shining Lie"

Before I give you my take on events, let me assure readers that I am 5th generation American, maternal and 3rd Generation paternal - all from Ireland. My family has served this nation in every war since the War Between the States. I served two years here and overseas in the U.S. Army and two years active reserve. I am honorably discharged. And over 200 of our surname we're at Valley Forge.

I grew up with Democratic roots before the party went Left. I took the bait, hook, line and sinker. I was a youngster when President Eisenhower said "beware the military-industrial complex" I later read it but didn't really understand exactly what he was talking about. Since then I've witnessed American involvement everywhere, e.g., Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Iraq, et al. I now have come to believe that the financial interests behind defense spending does NOT have the interests of America in mind. We're going to fund war somewhere else after our current wars are conducted. We have betrayed our doughboys of WWI who fought "the war to end all wars."

Oh, yes, I'm for a strong defense....but for here at home, not in Afghanistan, South America, Israel and everywhere else we can think of creating conflict or allegedly defending a country in the name of liberty, democracy and freedom. As the late LTC John Paul Vann had advanced in Neil Sheehan's book about him titled, "A Bright Shining Lie", we're being hoodwinked.

We're pulling out of Iraq but staying in Afghanistan. Afghanistan? What the hell are we doing there. We don't need them; they don't need us! Yet we're being told that we need to be there for the Afghan people. They're TRIBAL! Yet they would have us believe that we need to give them troops, guns and money. We're being hoodwinked.

The Irish diaspora throughout the world has a quote for the long overdue need for England to completely remove themselves from Ireland - 'TIME TO GO!' It now applies to our military presence everywhere but within our borders. If we can accomplish that, industry and investment will return. It can happen, as long as we don't allow ourselves to continue to be deceived by the foreign policy being crafted by our Department of State.

Ayn Rand on Pres. Obama - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5Bl5OKVjpM&feature=share

Taking One at Face Value

I've met the guy on more than one occasion. He's likable in person. But when it comes to his politics - sheesh!

This former Democrat is speaking about Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown (D).I've always thought he disguised his liberalism quite well. He's for veterans. Can't be a bad guy then, huh?

Most recently, in response to the bums that are being called "Occupiers" his campaign website quotes him saying "It's time to fight back!) He asks you to stand with him as he fights for working families. Fine, stand with them Senator but just what the hell do these people have to do with the working class?

They have defecated and urinated on NYPD cruisers and spat on officers. Now the Congressman is smart enough not to reference these specific acts, or, as the Cleveland Plain Dealer is all to eager to point out, is he in any of the pictures of these acts. But he HAS said, per the Plain Dealer, "T think the energy coming out of the Wall Street protesters is always a good thing."

I sure hope ALL voters and workers take into consideration the party that Brown represents. Look around you and understand what is going on. Or else, as the Bugs Bunny cartoons used to end with, "That's All Folks!"

How Should We See Each Other or the Double-Edged Sword of Hyphenated-Americanism

Living in Cleveland, Ohio, our town has been called Ethnicity - ETHNIC CITY. We grew up here with large enclaves of Poles, Hungarians, Irish et al. It has given me an appreciation of the various cultures and the friends I have always made among them. In the case of what I see as Mexicans in America, it appears to be a different story - unless our major media outlets are attempting to divide us.

I relate to the case of American High School boys at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, California. They wore American flags and/or colors to school on Cinco de Mayo, May 5th. It is a day celebrated for differing reasons, depending on where you reside.

In the U.S. it is a day when those of Mexican heritage celebrate their pride. At least that what's it's supposed to be. The actual day of celebration marks Mexico's unlikely victory over French forces at the battle of Puebla on that date in 1862.

The boys were sent home from school for wearing the American red, white and blue colors while those of Mexican heritage, wearing displays of their Mexican heritage, were not. And now a Judge has ruled in favor of the school authorities.

I have seen ethnic pride here in northeast Ohio. Those of Irish heritage celebrate St. Patrick's Day even though many of those partying are unaware of where in Ireland their ancestors came from or even know exactly who came over. The exceptions however, like many southern Irish I have met, ALWAYS know they are of Irish heritage.

Those of Italian heritage celebrate Columbus Day with a parade and a day in which their display their Italian pride. There is a Polish Legion of American veterans, Jewish War Veterans, Catholic War Veterans, Italian War Veterans and Irish American War Veterans to name but a few ethnic-related groups. The other ethnic groups are too numerous to mention.

My point here is celebrating your ancestry is a good thing. Retired Ohio Senator George Voinovich said he has always found that those close to their ethnic heritage have been the best citizens. What is not acceptable, through my eye, is the what appears to be the wrongheaded views of both the American boys and the Mexican-Americans.

I think the difference is what comes first in their lives. In Cleveland I believe I can speak for the many hyphenated-Americans by saying their identity, before anything else, is American. If I can believe our mainstream media, that is NOT the case with those of Mexican descent in California.

I don't fear someone celebrating their heritage. I do fear if they are not American first. If the latter is the case at Live Oak High School and elsewhere, they are dangerous. I would hope that both sides see Cinco de Mayo through the same eye - as a simple day of celebration and happiness.

On St. Patrick's Day last year a TV host interviewed a young girl at the downtown parade. When asked what she liked best about the day she simply replied, "All the people smiling." And that should also be the spirit of Cinco de Mayo.

Rocky Colavito's Foul Ball

As a youngster, our father introduced my brother Rodger (Red) and me to sports. We were already young fans before most kids knew who the Cleveland Browns or Indians were. In those days it didn’t cost an arm and a leg to buy a ticket. Red and I always got the cheap tickets to get in and them moved around to find better, unoccupied seats. And we roamed Cleveland Municipal Stadium at will, learning every nook and cranny.

Sitting in Right Field one day with our friend Jerry Szabo, we watched as Cleveland Indian right fielder Rocky Colavito came up to bat. He swung at the first pitch and we saw it fly upwards behind him and onto the stadium roof. I was immediately inspired.

“Rodger, I know how to get on the stadium roof. Let’s go get the ball!” Red didn’t take much coaxing after he learned I really did know how to get onto the stadium roof. I had previously seen the ladders that led to hatches to the roof in highest echelon of the upper deck seats. Sometimes they were open, sometimes closed. Szabo, citing discretion being the better part of valor, opted to stay where he was. Red and I took off.

In the Right Field upper deck we saw an open hatch. Climbing up and through the opening we gained access to the roof. Like Marines landing at Iwo Jima, we immediately began to sprint in the direction of home plate. Quickly arriving behind the plate, we spotted the baseball, about a foot from the edge. Red crawled over and picked up the ball. We immediately began our return sprint back to right field.

Red was always the better athlete of the two of us. About halfway there I got a pain in my side from running and yelled that I had to stop. He got upset at me and kept running. When I pleaded, he stopped, looking at me in a disgusted fashion. He must’ve had a vision because as we walked past another open hatch a Cleveland Police Officer stuck his head through it and yelled, “Hey, you two, Come here.”

Hindsight, they say, is 20-20. What we had done was calmly surrender to the policeman. What we should’ve done is run like bats-out-of-hell. Now, come on, what cop can catch a couple of young teenagers who are running for their lives? And we also should’ve looked for an open hatch that was closer to the home plate area!

We were taken to the Stadium Security Office where we knew we were in deep doo-doo. We let it be known that our father was also a Cleveland Police Officer, figuring we might get a reduced sentence. They called him and I imagine dad’s response, after hearing a description of our antics that day, said something to the effect of, “Send those two idiots home!”

By this time it was late in the game, when the entry gates became unattended. Although we were booted out of the stadium, we went to another gate and re-entered. We found Szabo where we left him in Right Field, wondering if we were ever going to come back.


I’m sure Dad silently contemplated which head doctor he should send his sons to. When we got home he read us the riot act, of course. But we didn’t suffer any just consequences. And after all we had been through, we didn’t even get to keep the baseball.

IT'S MONEY OUT OF YOUR POCKET any way you look at it.

Any way you look at it, it's money out of our pocket. And there's no end to their deviousness. I'm talking about the guy that used to be called Uncle Sam. That name had a nice connotation to it at one time. Can't you picture a soft spoken, gray-haired guy that really cared about us? The uncle we could go to for answers and problem solving? That Uncle Sam has died, replaced by a look alike. The new Uncle Sam is a fake.

I don't know about you but I always look for the ways the fake Uncle Sam wants to keep the money of ours he already has while, at the same time, looking for ways to get more without our noticing it. Our fake uncle is considering a new method of measuring inflation that would increase taxes for most families. Who would lose the most? Try those with low incomes.

His latest ploy is the xChained Consumer Price Index (CCPI).It's a measure that shows a lower level of inflation. Yearly adjustments to the tax brackets would become smaller. This would push more people into higher tax brackets.
Others whose wages would rise faster than the new inflation would have increases in their standard deductions and personal exemptions.

It's estimated this would take $60 billion more dollars out of our pockets over the next ten years. The rub is it would push more people into higher tax brackets. Their wages would rise faster than the new inflation measure. It would result in annual increases in our standard deductions and personal becoming smaller.

An example was used that if you buy beef and its higher than the last time you bought it, and the price of pork has stayed level, you will buy more pork. This decreases the amount of inflation we experience.

This action would let our fake uncle gradually cut benefits and increase taxes in a way that might not be readily apparent to us.

We have CPAs running our economy and they ain't looking out for us.

Another U.S. General "fired"

A political General named John Allen is the commander of an "International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), whatever that is, has said U.S. Army General Peter Fuller has been "fired." His crime? He has spoken out against the Afghanistan government. Way to go General! But I thought you were a UNITED STATES ARMY GENERAL, not an ISAF General!

As reported in "Politico," Fuller said Afghan government leadership are "isolated from reality." He was reacting to AFghanistan President Karzai's statement that Afghanistan would side with Pakistan if it were to go to war with the United States. "Why don't you just poke me in the eye with a needle! You've got to be kidding me … I'm sorry, we just gave you $11.6 billion and now you're telling me, 'I don't really care?"

"You can teach a man how to fish, or you can give them a fish," Fuller said. "We're giving them fish while they're learning, and they want more fish! What they're telling us, according to Fuller, is "' like swordfish, how come you're giving me cod?' Guess what? Cod's on the menu today."

Washington's reaction to all this can be summed up in Allen's remarks. "The Afghan people are an honorable people, and comments such as these will not keep us from accomplishing our most critical and shared mission - bringing about a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan."
They and their neighbors are getting prosperous for sure.

Add $20 million to the figure quoted above for a Pakistani Sesame Street. Maybe there's a motive in firing the General. He is now free to produce the show!

How about the streets in my neighborhood Washington?

CAN WE TRUST MAJOR MEDIA NEWS OUTLETS?

FOXNews has called them the alphabet networks - ABC, CBS and NBC. Anyone reading between the lines knows they're all in the tank for the current POTUS. It's slick and the unsophisticated of the world take them at face/word value. Others, however, being a bit more discerning, recognize news 'spin' for what it is. A good example was a Jay Leno late night television show this week.

Jay asked questions of the President that, through Sullivan's eye, were designed to take the conversation where POTUS wanted it to go. They're both naturals and it came across as unscripted and natural dialogue. This writer, however, saw a design to it. Wes,hy? He's been on the campaign trail since he was elected. And the Left is scared S..tless. That's why the Left is turning out their supporters in the streets. (Hey cities, looking for revenue? Arrest & fine 'em. Take their leftist bankrollers to the cleaners!)

Let's switch to international news for a moment. Can we believe the news coming out of anywhere overseas via these networks. Assad in Syria is being portrayed as a bad guy because he's trying to keep order in his nation. Like Iraq, will we see the time when weapons of mass destruction are allegedly at his fingertips? That would give us a reason to try and bomb him out of existence, like we're trying to do in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Iran....they have all existed almost forever. They will exist in the future as well. So, why do we need to be there?

Let's also look at the crowds in the streets everywhere. They're being led, of course, by organizations with an agenda. One thousand people rioted in Oakland, California recently. The television coverage, coupled with the crowds gathering in other cities, would have some believe that it is a populist movement. Judging by the polls, a significant number of Americans don't know who to believe. In other words, the unsophisticated who get their politics "off the shelf", i.e. from the alphabet networks. None read between the lines. None take the time become a political sophisticate.

Let's look at Greece in the news. Rioters there are a minority. However, seeing them on major news outlets would make us believe it's the entire country.

Who will win this propaganda battle? It will be the undecided that will make us or break us we we vote in 2012. My responsibility as a writer is to fight for what I believe. And you can bet the alphabet networks and the Left will fight me and what I believe.

TAKE THEIR MONEY!

I just heard how many millions of dollars are being wasted as metropolitan police are trying to cope with anarchists through the U.S. Well, arrest 'em and fine 'em. Might as well take their money. Wouldn't that put a quick end to it. I mean, could YOU afford it?

Who's funding them anyway? THAT'S who should cough up the bucks.

Is a Communist transition in America possible?

Under the guise of a first-ever test of our Emergency Alert System (EAS), the federal government, on November 9, 2011, will shut down ALL television and radio communications SIMULTANEOUSLY to allegedly test the abilities of the system. (http://transition.fcc.gov/pshs/services/eas/)

Why this and why now?

According to their website, "Only the President has the authority to activate EAS at the national level, and he has delegated that authority to the Director of FEMA. The test will be conducted jointly by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through FEMA, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS)."

Why this and why now?

The current resident of the White House has delegated executive authority to a government agency. Where is the voice of our Congress? Where is the voice of our judiciary? Our Constitution separates the powers. Only by subverting the Constitution can this be accomplished.

Imagine, if you will, a time when there is chaos in the streets of America. Imagine mobs in our major cities, directed by Leftists, burning, rioting and killing. Will we even know about it?

Imagine, if you will, a time when the only news we get is government news. No free thought, no opinion.

Do you think Europeans ever imagined the holocaust that was World War Two? Did Jewish people, Catholics, gypsies et al ever imagine death camps where they would be transported and executed?

Why this and why now?

Did the estimated six to seven million people in the Ukraine, northern Caucasus and the lower Volga River area in 1932-1933 ever imagine the Communist Stalin would starve them to death?

Did the 22,000 Polish Nationals and Prisoners of War executed under the orders of Russian Premier Stalin ever imagine they would be executed Russia's Katyn Forest?

Did the million Irish who starved during the Great Hunger ever imagine their corn, mutton and beef would be exported by their English overlords while they had no food?

John Lennon's 'Imagine' didn't quite have things like this in mind.

"Where's the dough?

While Libyans "rejoice" in the death of Omar, I wonder where is/are his bank account(s)?

I've got to believe between the CIA, KGB, British M-16 and Mossad, they all have known where he has been hiding. Imagine if you will a 'back door', i.e. 'worm', in software that would allow one to peruse where his loot was and how to get it transferred.

Now, if you have THAT info, wouldn't you have to wait until he was dead, or about to be dead, to transfer his loot to wherever you wanted to put it?

I'm betting somebody's grabbed it we'll never know who.

Grinding Down America

http://www.therightscoop.com/open-thread-grinding-america-down/

Why are you telling us about this NOW?

U.S. Ties Iran to Assassination Plot Against Saudi Diplomat on U.S. Soil

At a press conference addressing issues regarding the failed anti-gun running 'Operation Fast and Furious', and U.S. Attorney General Holder's possible lying to Congress about when he knew about it, Holder used the Press Conference to deflect attention. U.S. Border Agent Brian Terry was murdered and guns from this operation were found at the scene. Holder and other Justice Department officials are being subpoened regaridng the botched operation. U.S. Border Agent Brian Terry was murdered and guns from the operation were found at the scene.

At the end of the press conference Holder announced there has been a Iranian government-backed plot to kill to kill Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the U.S. There's no doubt that if thie plot had succeeded it would be an 'act of war'. Some are saying the Pentagon and Defense Department should be "doing something" while others are saying this isn't a 'tripwire' for military action and the Justice Department should be handling this.

As reported on Fox News, Texas Congressman Poe said, "We have to do something." Yes, Congressman, we've had to "do something" for a long time now. And we are doing something.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. would work with its allies to "send a very strong message that this kind of action, which violates international norms, must be ended." I told you we are doing something. We're sending strong messages. There's more.

We have warned travelers to be aware of possible attacks. And we're going to "enlist more countries in working together against what is becoming a clearer and clearer threat." Good, I feel better.

Do we want MORE assurances? the Treasury Department is also involved. They have imposed sanctions on five people who were allegedly involved in the plot. We're freezing their funds and prohibiting anyone here from doing business with them. I'm feeling even more better. Can we all now say WAY TO GO?

During John F. Kennedy's presidency attempts were made by intelligence elements in our own government to draw him into war with Cuba. They also wanted to strike the Soviet Union, i.e. Russia, with missiles. They even went so far as to stage phony attacks against Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, allegedly "killing" several of the so-called attackers (JFK and the Unspeakable, James W. Douglass. The provocations did not work but the American people believed they had actually occured.

In releasing this particular story at this particular time, I opine Attorney General Eric Holder and the White House are attempting to deflect heat that is being generated by the subpoenas being issued. In my eye, the entire legitimacy of our Justice Department is in question and, by extenstion, the White House too.

Holder is apparently a politician first, carrying out marching orders from his boss, who also needs to deflect heat away from fallen popularity.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/10/11/alleged-plot-to-kill-saudi-ambassador-drives-us-push-to-isolate-iran/?intcmp=trending#ixzz1aZHfMdxn

What do you know about Herman Cain?

Author unknown.


Bio on Herman Cain:

Herman Cain is running for president. He’s not a career politician (in fact he has never held political office). He’s known as a pizza guy, but there’s a lot more to him. He’s also a computer guy, a banker guy, and a rocket scientist guy. Here’s his bio:


Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics.
Master’s degree in Computer Science.
Mathematician for the Navy, where he worked on missile ballistics (making him a rocket scientist).
Computer systems analyst for Coca-Cola.
VP of Corporate Data Systems and Services for Pillsbury (this is the top of the ladder in the computer world, being in charge of information systems for a major corporation).
All achieved before reaching the age of 35. Since he reached the top of the information systems world, he changed careers!

Business Manager. Took charge of Pillsbury’s 400 Burger King restaurants in the Philadelphia area, which were the company’s poorest performers in the country. Spent the first nine months learning the business from the ground up, cooking hamburger and yes, cleaning toilets. After three years he had turned them into the company’s best performers.
Godfather’s Pizza CEO. Was asked by Pillsbury to take charge of their Godfather’s Pizza chain (which was on the verge of bankruptcy). He made it profitable in 14 months.
In 1988 he led a buyout of the Godfather’s Pizza chain from Pillsbury. He was now the owner of a restaurant chain. Again he reached the top of the ladder of another industry.
He was also chairman of the National Restaurant Association during this time. This is a group that interacts with government on behalf of the restaurant industry, and it gave him political experience from the non-politician side.

Having reached the top of a second industry, he changed careers again!
Adviser to the Federal Reserve System. Herman Cain went to work for the Federal Reserve Banking System advising them on how monetary policy changes would affect American businesses.
Chairman of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. He worked his way up to the chairmanship of a regional Federal Reserve bank. This is only one step below the chairmanship of the entire Federal Reserve System (the top banking position in the country). This position allowed him to see how monetary policy is made from the inside, and understand the political forces that impact the monetary system.

After reaching the top of the banking industry, he changed careers for a fourth time!
Writer and public speaker. He then started to write and speak on leadership. His books include Speak as a Leader, CEO of Self, Leadership is Common Sense, and They Think You’re Stupid.
Radio Host. Around 2007—after a remarkable 40 year career—he started hosting a radio show on WSB in Atlanta (the largest talk radio station in the country).

He did all this starting from rock bottom (his father was a chauffeur and his mother was a maid). When you add up his accomplishments in his life—including reaching the top of three unrelated industries: information systems, business management, and banking—Herman Cain may have the most impressive resume of anyone that has run for the presidency in the last half century.


OH yeah, Barack has accomplished ...??

Some things never change.