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No Pipeline for You! - How President Obama’s Keystone XL Pipeline Decision Protects His Ego – But Harms All Americans

2012-02-07T20:03:00.000-07:00

Written : Feb. 05 and 07, 2012

President Obama, the energy president, vetoed the job-creating Keystone XL Pipeline a couple of weeks ago. This is the project we hoped would bring Canadian oil through parts of Canada and the U.S. to its terminus at the Gulf of Mexico, for refinement and import into this country – and for sale overseas. At least twenty-thousand jobs plus an estimated 100,000 spin-off jobs - went right down the toilet. What a political and pompous decision. The president threw out profits for American companies because he said House Republicans included a provision in other legislation which required him either 1: to issue the pipeline’s permit or 2: explain by Feb. 21 why building Keystone didn’t fall into America’s best interest. Waaah!

Possibly the most stubborn, self-righteous, and insensitive U.S. president of all-time, he said, "This announcement is not a judgment on the merits of the pipeline, but the arbitrary nature of a deadline that prevented the State Department from gathering the information necessary to approve the project and protect the American people.” For this he punished the U.S. people and their economy. I believe this also fits the unrealistic and illogical environmental activist position that we must not promote the oil industry in any way because someone will, sometime in the distant future, dream up a new, now non-existent, inexpensive form of energy – if we invest $trillions in its research. Yes, it’s the energy of the future – the twenty-third or twenty-fourth century perhaps, but what are we going to do for fuel now? No, not high-speed rail, my days of riding the subway are over!

The consequences of his knee-jerk decision are as follows: Canada will build the pipeline west instead of south – and steer it for the Canadian Pacific instead of the U.S. Gulf. Canada will reap the profits, not America, and the oil will be sold to parts west, including China. Losing to China – again? Oh, well, President Obama doesn’t seem to care. Those wascaly Republicans simply can’t ask anything of him. The president showed them! His sensitive ego is protected, but the American people sure aren’t.

Read more about the Keystone Pipeline here and here.

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SOPA and PIPA – The Latest Attempts by Congress to Curb Our Freedoms

2012-01-30T20:32:00.001-07:00

Written : Monday, Jan. 30, 2012

There must be better ways to stop people from stealing proprietary content on the Internet than the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) bills. These legislative nightmares seek to close down sites on the web and criminalize innocent people. This move toward more censorship originates with the entertainment industry's belief that penalizing potential customers will maximize their profits. I don’t agree with this strategy, but the concept of stopping online piracy sounds reasonable - until you realize that these laws also restrict Internet providers and search engines alike. They assure that criminals will be made of people who are not responsible for web site content today. With an iron fist, and backed by tough penalties, they'll hurt everyone along the way.

Non-technical reasons for opposition include the free speech argument, and further expansion of governmental authority. Search providers could be held responsible for the content of web sites, over which they have no control. Libraries might find themselves accused of criminal acts, and the flow of information and innovation would be slowed to a crawl. The process for blocking web sites recommended by the legislation sounds a lot like Big Brother, right out of George Orwell’s 1984, and the political implications stand out. With the slippery slope tilted downward, the door wide open to shut down sites we don’t like, eventually anyone will have the free reign to shut down any site for objectionable content.

Technical reasons to oppose this insanity include the destruction of the world-wide DNS (Domain Name Service) model. Currently all DNS servers theoretically contain the same data. With the passage of this bill, the U.S., like Communist China, would have the right to restrict the content of the DNS servers within it, causing a difference in content. This ruins the DNS model, and inhibits freedom. The bill will no doubt create a whirlwind; a senseless waste of activity. An unnecessary rebel online community will emerge, where users will create applications and/or lists of the restricted web sites’ IP addresses, which could be reached anyway, despite the new law. I salute Wikipedia and Google for their protests last week. I oppose anything that restricts freedom. Keep the Internet free and open!

Just see the star-studded list of Congressmen who created and support these freedom-killing bills, Republicans and Democrats alike. Please vote them out, they know not what they do.

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Esquire’s 79 Things We Can All Agree On – More Mainstream Media Left-Wing Bias

2012-01-24T20:28:00.004-07:00

Written : Jan. 24, 2012

I admit it. I didn’t purchase the Feb. 2012 issue of Esquire Magazine. President Bill Clinton’s on the cover, joined by a headline, 79 Things We Can All Agree On, so I immediately grasped the direction of the article inside. Sure enough… this is another example of the elite media trying to convince us of some sort of opinionated consensus, and left-wing media bias.

Eric Stoner’s blog also contains a post on this topic – written yesterday, Jan. 23, 2012. He lists more of Esquire’s things than I, and his post seems less partisan than mine, so you may get a more comprehensive feel for the article if you check it out, too. Stoner seems more middle-of-the-road than me, but I did agree with a few of Esquire’s things. However, I abhor snob fests like this one, disagreed with most of their selections, and I list the objectionable ones, which I feel are examples of left-wing media bias, here:

The 11th thing says, “Obama has accomplished more in his 1st three years than any of his predecessors. The president enjoyed a House and Senate majority, so he should have accomplished more, but I believe he didn’t. Yes, he got Bin Laden, but he accomplished only negative things, and almost nothing constructive. Go ahead, I dare you, name two, and post them below, in the comments section.

The 26th says, “Tina Fey is a national treasure. Hardly. She created a sometimes funny, but false, nasty, and biased impression of Sarah Palin, causing many liberals to quote her (and not Palin), “I can see Russia from my house.” Fey said it, Palin didn’t.

The 28th through 30th idolize a columnist/blogger, who writes for a left-leaning newspaper, The Washington Post. “Ezra Klein gives economics columnists/bloggers a good name. It’s a shock that Ezra Klein is just 27 years old. Take a look at his blog and see for yourself. It would be more of a shock if Esquire liked anything or anyone who is conservative. Not gonna happen!

The 35th thing says, “The New York Times is the only essential newspaper left. Conservatives know that The Times is around only to give the mainstream media its liberal talking points. Next!

The 57th thing says, “In retrospect the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are the greatest mistakes our country has made in our lifetimes.” The biggest mistake we made was electing a socialist to the presidency. I hope it never happens again.

The 58th thing says, “Most people really shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a handgun.” Perhaps I shouldn’t, because I am not experienced with guns. However, those who are trained and practiced in the handling of firearms should be allowed to handle them, and more. At any rate, I take offense at the suggestion that someone might want to remove this constitutional freedom of choice for Americans. Shame on liberals, they always speak about being so pro-choice…

The 61st thing says, “…scripted dramatic TV is the most satisfying of all the entertainment media.” Typical elite drivel, and opinionated nonsense.

The 71st thing says, “We can all agree to hate a few things, such as…” They list 15 examples, and I agree with Mr. Stoner here, there are a few for everyone here, and I strongly disagreed with two. However, I disagree to hate anything. That’s only for the left!

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The Remaining 2012 Republican Candidates Competing for the Nomination

2012-01-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

Written : Jan. 17, 2012

Our number one goal remains the defeat of President Obama’s radical, transformative agenda in the presidential election this fall. Conservatives must support our nominee… After vigorous and negative campaigning, all of our candidates must show us the way - and rally behind the top dog. My purpose is not to back one of the remaining five and trash the others, but I admit I have some problems at this stage, seeing Rick Perry and Ron Paul as winners in this horse race. Can they win? Anything is possible, but could either beat Barack Obama, the wealthy, but radical champion of the downtrodden? Perhaps... For all the libertarians reading this, I agree with most of your principles, and I love your movement. However, I believe the leader of the cause - the spearhead of the Tea Party - should not be Dr. Paul. However, rest assured, someone will emerge in time…

Of the probable nominees, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Santorum, I am drawn to Newt, the smartest guy in the room, but his negatives pull him down too much. As Bill Kristol said this morning on CSPAN’s Washington Journal, the former speaker probably can’t overcome a 30-point un-favorability rating. Santorum seems more and more presidential each time I see him, but I believe his strong social conservative message – which I generally agree with – is too strong for the general public. I see Romney as a weaker conservative than the other two, yet, stronger against President Obama because I think he can win the independents. Someday we need to nominate a strong but nimble conservative, someone like Ronald Reagan, but it appears that this is not the time. The candidates are smashing each other and giving the incumbent some ammunition to use later this year. I hope they know what they’re doing. If our nominee can overcome the negativity with the blooming of the flowers in spring and/or summer, we’ll win in the fall.

When one of the remaining five receives the nomination, we need to support him, and I promise I will. Ron Paul, if he loses, MUST NOT RUN as a third-party candidate! If he does, President Obama will grab a second term, and we can kiss the America we once knew - goodbye.

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Okay, Sports Fans, It’s Tebow Time! - The Denver Broncos Impossible but Inspired Victory

2012-01-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

Written : Jan. 10, 2012

Tebowing, or dropping to one knee as Tim Tebow does, is not the equivalent of praying. This is how the Broncos quarterback shows appreciation for his natural abilities. Just as it’s okay for an atheist to believe that his talent is man-made, there’s nothing wrong with Tim Tebow believing his is heavenly.

My family moved to the Denver area in 1998, but I arrived in ’97, so we’ve seen some great Bronco teams. However, we arrived from central Florida, and none of us rooted for the home team. Our NFL alliances fell toward the Buccaneers, Giants, Jets, Vikings, and others. When John Elway gave way to aging, as all athletes do in time, I decided to get behind each Broncos quarterback in succession and tried to root for the local NFL affiliate.

Neither Elway, Brian Griese, Jake Plummer, Jay Cutler, nor Kyle Orton made me a fan, but Tim Tebow did. This man possesses true executive qualities, like John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. I’m still looking for some politicians with this mojo, but few can be found. Leaders like Tim Tebow don’t force their will upon others, they get the most out of the people around them in partnerships, through motivation and encouragement.

Some imitate Tim Tebow out of respect, others to mock. Those who make fun don’t understand. God doesn’t grant sports victories for those who pray the most, and religious people know it. Instead, faith leads those who bow their heads to a better and more fulfilling life. Some express jealously when they notice the peace it brings. Angry atheists and the ignorant should try it sometime - instead of cursing.

I’m not gloating. This Denver Broncos team is average at best, and we Denver fans get it. But, the team is playing inspired football, and they accomplished an electrifying, exciting, and impossible victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. We haven’t heard hootin’ and hollerin’ over sports in our house like that since the Rockies’ unbelievable play in the 13th inning of game #163, the Matt Holliday face-plant, 9-8 victory in 2007, over four years ago. That’s got to count for something! Go… Tim Tebow!

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Fluorescent vs. Incandescent – The Death of the Instant-On Light Bulb - Incandescent Bulbs Outlawed on a Global Scale!

2012-01-03T20:16:00.001-07:00

Written : Jan. 1 and 3, 2012

When my family moved into our new house in late November, 2003, I decided to try those curly, fluorescent bulbs of the future. I caused them some suffering, and I’m sorry for it. After eight years, I offer you my conclusions.

Fluorescents burn out faster than claimed - in most situations. Either rich or poor, your costs will be higher than with conventional incandescent bulbs if you use them in common areas, such as kitchens and hallways, and turn them on and off a lot on a daily basis. The same is true if you use the flood light variety, where they are recessed into a ceiling. On average I swap them out after only two years - and sometimes sooner, but their packages claim at least five years. Companies like Green Electrical Supply say they last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs while using up to 75% less energy. I admit that a few of the bulbs have lasted all eight years, but, as the environmentalists themselves are fond of saying, don’t be fooled by the corporate rhetoric.

Fluorescents are quite dim when they first come on, especially when the house temperature is relatively low. We live in Colorado and notice the difference mainly in the fall, winter, and spring. In a kitchen with all fluorescents, we had to wait from three to five minutes for the bulbs to give enough light to read. This offers quite an inconvenience, especially before dawn. We used this new technology in the front of the house and the backyard for all eight years, and I can tell you that the lights NEVER fully illuminated the areas for which they were intended. After all this time I finally agreed with the family that these circumstances are unacceptable, but the environmental lobby won, and incandescent bulbs (75 and 100 watts) are now (as of 2012) outlawed from sale! Instead of letting the market dictate which kind is better - for the love of an environmental fantasy - the government is telling us we MUST buy these inferior fluorescents!

We've seen several fluorescents unexpectedly break and leak gas into the house. This is smelly, and potentially dangerous to the environment – and to our health. However, environmentalists don't care about that. Fluorescents are always more expensive than incandescent bulbs and so, we will pay plenty for this inefficient technology. Just as President Obama showed ambivalence to the high price of gasoline and wasted over a $trillion by empowering bankrupt, new technology companies like Solyndra, the environmentalists won't let you get in their way.

I stocked up at the end of 2011, but the better bulbs will vanish by 2014. Read about the frightening global phase-out here. We can only hope that when the Republicans gain power they'll reverse the insanity and let Edison's bulbs be made once again. However, as some hardware store workers have pointed out, even if the law is reversed, manufacturers will be discouraged from making them again. After the tools to make them are dismantled, there may never be enough incentive to recreate the machines which produced the instant-on light bulb. Just as we can’t drill for our own oil, this, too, is a real tragedy. What will the environmentalists do to us next?

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The Best and Most Amusing Quotes of 2011 - Top Quotes of 2011

2011-12-27T20:18:00.001-07:00

Written : Dec. 13 and 27, 2011

You can frustrate yourself with The Washington Post's top quotes (bashing mostly Republican candidates, of course, and the indefensible Rep. Anthony Weiner of NY), written by liberal Chris Cillizza, or you can amuse yourself with mine. As always, your choice is the best choice – and - you don’t need big government to decide this one for you!

#11 – Mar. 29, 2011 - “The Tea Party is pulling Boehner too far over to the right and so far over that there is no more fruitful negotiations,” Senator Charles Schumer. The truth is that the Republicans have done their job and proposed multiple pieces of legislation. The Democrats are obstructionist, stubborn, and are unwilling to negotiate with them.

#10 - Jan. 19, 2011 - “They say it's a government takeover of health care, a big lie just like Goebbels," - Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), no relation to the author. "You say it enough, you repeat the lie, you repeat the lie, and eventually, people believe it.” I guess so. If the liberals keep telling us the government takeover of health care is a lie, Steve, maybe some people will believe them!

#9 - Oct. 18, 2011 - "…We hope he [Mohammar Ghaddafi] can be captured or killed soon, so you don't have to fear him any longer. Secretary Hillary Clinton. Ghaddafi died two days later!

#8 – Mar. 31, 2011 - “I'm tired of reading the Constitution and all the silly things we’ve done for the last 13 weeks." - Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA). The reading McDermott spoke of began during the new Congress (after the 2010 elections) and Rep. Giffords (D-AZ) participated in them prior to being shot.

#7 - Sep. 19, 2011 – This is not class warfare…” - President Obama. Sure it’s not!

#6 - Dec. 25, 2011 – “Divided government…doesn’t work anymore…because you have a new crop of Tea Party House Republicans…” – CBS Correspondent Nancy Cordes. Good thing the Mainstream Media is objective!

#5 - Feb. 5, 2011 - “Europe needs to wake up to what is happening in our own countries,” he said. “We have to get to the root of the problem.” - British PM David Cameron spoke about multiculturalism in Europe and in his own country, and how it doesn’t promote national unity. This serves as a warning to America as well.

#4 - Dec. 6, 2011 – “So … why do so many Americans want the big government to run things when they can't run them? They just can't do it!” Bill O’Reilly to Charles Krauthammer on The O’Reilly Factor on FOX.

#3 - Apr. 17, 2011 - "If you target them [stopping the mortgage deduction] on the most fortunate Americans, they can afford to take a little bit larger share of the burden. They can afford to do that." - Tim Geithner, Treasury Secretary, on This Week with Christiane Amanpour. But, how does he know who can afford what? Who is he to decide?

#2 – Mar. 25, 2011 "This is the only country where it's legal to be 'illegal.'” Jeff "Skunk" Baxter on Red Eye.

And, now my favorite quote of 2011:

#1 - Feb. 15, 2011 - "Liberals don't care about blacks, they don't care about women, they don't care about gays. They care about destroying the family so that you have one loyalty. And that is to the state." - Ann Coulter.

Have Fun - and a Responsible and a Happy New Year to all!!

See you in 2012!

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The Best Stories of 2011 - or, How The Liberals Ignored President Obama's Advice

2011-12-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

Written : Dec. 18 and 20, 2011

Jan. 12, 2011 - President Obama said that the polarized national debate should be conducted "in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds." He also said that Americans should "help usher in more civility in our public discourse." Conservatives agreed, but liberals didn't... apparently...

Jan. 19, 2011 - Only a week after the president delivered his remarks, and only 11 days after the Gabby Giffords shooting near Tucson, AZ (Jan. 8), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) – no relation, by the way - invoked the Holocaust to attack Republicans on health care and compared rhetoric on the issue to the work of infamous Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, the guy who headed the book burning effort for Hitler. “They say it's a government takeover of health care, a big lie just like Goebbels," Cohen said. "You say it enough, you repeat the lie, you repeat the lie, and eventually, people believe it…” And Congressman Cohen didn’t stop there. “The Germans said enough about the Jews and people believed it–believed it and you have the Holocaust…" Cohen said. Why must liberals use such nasty hyperbole, so often?

Mar. 28, 2011 - Orlando Sentinel reporter Scott Powers said Vice President Joe Biden's staff kept him confined in a closet during a Democrat Party fundraiser in order to keep him from mingling with guests. Kathy Kattenburg posted this in Breaking News Media Politics: "I deeply wish that I could say this story is ‘unbelievable,’ but it’s becoming all too clear that even the most bizarre examples of assaults on press freedom are possible in Obama’s White House." Biden spokeswoman Elizabeth Alexander apologized to Powers by writing, "Scott – You have our sincere apologies for the lack of a better hold room today.” As Kattenburg said, “Lack of a better hold room” is an interesting way of putting it. Didn’t Mr. Obama promise the most transparent administration in history? Oh, well, I guess. What would the media have said if Dick Cheney’s staff held a reporter in a closet? They would’ve called him a Nazi, among other things, I’m sure. This time, though, nary a whimper, this story is dead to them because a Democrat was at fault...

Mar. 31, 2011 - Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) said: “I'm tired of reading the Constitution and all the silly things we’ve done for the last 13 weeks." The reading McDermott spoke of began during the new Congress (after the 2010 elections) and Rep. Giffords (D-AZ) participated in it prior to being shot. The Democrats just wouldn’t listen to their leader, President Obama, and he didn’t follow his own advice, either. It figures, for the most part, they’re an angry, bitter lot.

In 2011, all of my favorite stories occurred in the first quarter of the year, and three in the span of four days. Next week I’ll serve up my favorite quotes for 2011. I hope you tune in, they’re amusing, for sure!

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STOCK Act - Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act

2011-12-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

Dec. 13, 2011

An unassuming congressman, Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN), appeared on CSPAN’s Washington Journal about a week ago. His legislation, the STOCK (Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge) Act, appears to be a hit. It’s what we all want. Congressional insider trading is unfair and unethical. Both sides are in complete, 100% agreement on this. You can read this fascinating article on the STOCK Act at this link.

Walz, at first glance, seems the hero of the piece. He comes off as a likeable, fair-minded, friendly fellow with great intentions. His legislative bill, from last March, H.R. 1148 (147 Democrat sponsors, 75 Republican sponsors), has been floating around in various forms, such as H.R. 5015 (12 D, 2R) for at least five and a half years. It seeks to amend the 59-page Securities Act of 1933. H.R. 2341 (9D, 1R), from May, 2007 and H.R. 682 from Jan. 2009 (10D) are also previous versions. H.R. 1871 (7R), and H.R. 1903 (16D, 4R) are both from Nov., 2011. So, what’s the problem?

The MSM (Main Stream Media) says that the mean, nasty and wascaly old Republicans, like Rep. Eric Kantor (R-VA), are holding things up as usual, but unlike the MSM, concerned citizens must ask, “Why?” And we dig for viable answers as they slander and take pot shots. Look at the lopsided sponsorship, made up of mostly Democrats. Watch the oncoming rush to “pass this bill.” See the pressure applied by the MSM to support and pass it. Why the rush? Where’s the fire? What’s in it? I don’t trust Congress, nor do I know legalese, but all five bills must be compared with the others (for sneaky stuff). I don’t have the time, so I’ll leave it up to Congress to do its job.

Peter Schweizer is the author of Throw Them All Out: How Politicians And Their Friends Get Rich Off Insider Trading, Stock Tips, Land Deals and Cronyism That Would Send The Rest of Us to Prison (scroll down past the video). He says that the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission), a regulatory agency, doesn’t have the guts to enforce a bill like Walz’ – if it becomes law. We all wish they would, but, I agree, why should they? Congress might pass it, but, in a fit of irony, Congress itself is the agency which funds the SEC.

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End Obamacare - Health Care Reform Needed Now More Than Ever

2011-12-06T20:34:00.001-07:00

Dec. 6, 2011

The ugly spectre of Obamacare filled me with terror at my local Walmart this week. I know I’m lucky to have a job in President Obama's disastrous economy, and fortunate to have a private health care plan – for now. Under my plan (not Obamacare), my doctor prescribed medication for me and called it in to Walmart’s Pharmacy. The doctor’s office told me to wait about 45 minutes and it would be ready, but busy is my way of life, so I took about an extra half hour or so before calling the pharmacy. You see, I’ve gone to my Walmart before, only to hear that my doctor accidentally called the prescription in to a different Walmart. However, this time my prescription would be ready there in yet another 45 minutes. Relaxed, I took my time to get ready, and headed out in my trusty old truck.

Upon arriving at the pharmacy, I took my place as fourth in line, but waited another 15 minutes to reach the point of service. A clerk opened a new register and he moved me about from place to place before – and after – his computer booted up. My name is an issue for some (it’s only five letters, but is misheard frequently), and paying took longer than expected. I’m not complaining about the Walmart folks – they try their best. However, the rules state that you must be paired with a pharmacist if your prescription is new – even if you have been prescribed the same medication in the past! I have a problem with this rule. I paid and wanted to leave, but I didn’t have the right.

President Clinton (D-AR), a liberal, initiated the HIPPA (Health Information Privacy) rules. Read all about the HIPPA Rules here. The idea is that no one has the right to use your electronic health information without your consent. This is why we must sign a form for treatment by each doctor, and for every prescription. HIPPA sprung from early paranoia over the Internet, but with billions of people online and with modern security measures, does it truly protect us? Is it worth the extra time it takes to sign on the dotted line – every time? I doubt it, and would appreciate a one-time waiver. Out of billions, why would anyone want my information? Why must we consult with a pharmacist if we have taken the very same medication before? I’d like another waiver, please, where do I sign? Uh, sorry, we don’t have that freedom.

Does anyone like filling out forms, more paperwork, more governmental rigidity slowing things down, who wants less efficiency? I know I don’t. Why do many desire regulation, tough control over people, and less personal freedom? What a bureaucracy, but Obamacare, a control-freak’s dream, The Post Office on steroids, promises so much more pain! Just imagine what the 2,400+ page bill (in bill form) will mandate. It will empower government beyond our wildest nightmares. They’ll be able to take funds out of your bank account, and consultations will more about them telling you what they and you cannot do, how nice. Other horrors await us. Think about how long you might wait ten years from now at Walmart if this monstrosity is not repealed. I told the pharmacist how I felt about the silliness of the consultation rule. Of course, all she could do was smile!

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Mark A. Cohen gave a 30-minute presentation about his upbringing at the hands of his radical, left-wing parents, his political transformation, and about his as yet unpublished manuscript, From The Left to the Right. during the Republican First Friday Breakfast at the Warhorse Inn in Parker CO, on Dec. 2, 2011. The event, held at 7AM., featured 50-60 guests and it was Mark’s first speech as the keynote speaker, his first using a microphone and his first in front of such a large audience. He appreciated the chance to tell his story, their patience with him, and the questions afterward.

Tragedy of the Commons – John Stossel on Sharing and other Liberal Ideas

2011-11-29T20:15:00.000-07:00

Nov. 29, 2011

What’s best, public or private? In a family, as a general rule, everyone shares equally in the successes of the others. On the Stossel TV show on FOX News Channel over Thanksgiving, the socialism of the family was shown to work because all the members know each other and, as a result, are willing to work together and share. Liberal causes try to push this into the public sector, but it’s an ill-conceived idea. It seems so nice. It also sounds like common sense: If everyone shares, society would be a better place. John Stossel revealed why public ownership falls short.

Examples abound. When sheep are herded in a socialistic setting, where everyone owns the large meadow (a commons), each sheepherder will add sheep until the land becomes ruined by over-grazing. If the land is divided amongst the people, however, each person tends to use more care over the land and will stop adding sheep before his field becomes overcrowded. When the pilgrims first arrived in America, they wanted to share the land, and share in the profits. It sounds wonderful, but they nearly starved. Gov. Bradford, after two years of his colony’s failure, gave parcels of land to individuals, and the settlement prospered.

In the communal setting, if I let the other people work hard and I slack a bit, that’s ok because I’ll get my share anyway. But when I own it, as is the case with private property, I’ll tend to take care of it with more diligence. Stossel cited the example of Bryant Park in New York City. When publicly owned in the 1980’s, the park suffered a steep decline. Now it is privately owned and the park is well manicured, fun to visit, and safe. In general, liberals fear such an arrangement because they don’t trust any corporation in charge of anything. Yet, Bryant Park is a shining example of what private ownership can do.

The American and Canadian Indians find themselves in quite a predicament. Stossel said, “No group has been more taken care of than the American Indian, and no group has done worse.” A Canadian Indian appeared on the show to point out that when Indians make use of private property rights, they prosper. When they don’t, they remain impoverished. Oh, and one last thing. To use a question asked on Stossel’s show: What comes to mind when you hear the term, “Public Toilet?” Aha!

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Mark A. Cohen will speak during the Republican First Friday Breakfast at the Warhorse Inn in Parker CO, on Dec. 2, 2011. The event costs $11 per person, and will be held at 7AM. Mark will speak about his upbringing at the hands of his radical, left-wing parents, his political transformation, and about his as yet unpublished manuscript, From The Left to the Right.

The Green Economy - Green Jobs - The Solyndra Scandal and Bankruptcy

2011-11-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

Nov. 22, 2011

The Green Movement pushes several fantasies. One is that Global Warming is man-made. Another says that we should push a clean energy economy which doesn’t exist. It calls this the Green Economy. Yet one more demands that Government select companies for success. The Obama Administration made this a reality when it chose the Solyndra Corporation its Green Economy poster child in 2009. They authorized a $535 million loan guarantee to this solar systems maker! Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) called it “venture socialism.”

In September of 2009 Vice President Biden addressed the celebration held in the loan’s honor virtually – using teleconferencing. He praised Solyndra saying they were creating jobs. He fantasized that these were “jobs you can raise a family on, green jobs, jobs that will serve as a foundation for a stronger American economy. Which is why it's so important we invest in Solyndra and invest in what Solyndra is doing. Not just to get us through today but to power our way to a much brighter tomorrow.” Several business people predicted Solyndra a failure before the Bush Administration refused the loan. A NY based energy analyst, Peter Lynch, spoke to ABC news and told them that Solyndra’s model of making something for six dollars and selling it for three – won’t work. I guess he and the others understood this better than President Obama’s people. Solyndra filed for bankruptcy in September of 2011.

Solyndra’s not the only one. At least four other companies like them which received stimulus funds are out of business. I wonder where Solyndra’s $535 million tax payer dollars are? The scandalous part of this is that Solyndra executives donated to the Obama campaign. Charles Krauthammer, a columnist, said, “this is a classic example of this toxic combination of lemon Socialism and crony capitalism.” He said that one can destroy an economy when a beaurocrat decides where capital ought to be allocated rather than letting the market decide. Cronyism implies corruption and is defined as the act of favoring friends in business deals or in politics for no other reason but friendship.

Fox News (which other news agency would show such professionalism?) reported today that the interest in the purchase of Solyndra is quite low at this time. Obama Administration officials are under fire, being asked to testify in front of Congress. Why couldn’t they let the free market decide when new sources of energy would be in-demand and economical? As Michelle Malkin put it, “The scandal chickens are coming home to roost for the Obama Administration.” How appropriate!

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Old Time Liberal Stephane Hessel (b. 1917) Tells Us Obama is Black

2011-11-15T21:06:00.001-07:00

Nov. 08 and 15, 2011

Stephane Hessel just celebrated the publication of his book, Time For Outrage, and his 94nd birthday. Mr. Hessel, a former French resistance fighter, is a classic, old-time liberal; a gentleman. You must remember liberals like him - the decent, polite ones. The ones who let you speak – the ones who wouldn’t call you names or freak out when you disagreed with them. There aren’t many left. I know, because my dad fit that mold. My father’s 99th birthday is coming up next June, but unfortunately, he’s not here to celebrate it with me.

CSPAN-2 covered the event at Columbia University in New York City on September 27, 2011. Affable Mr. Hessel told his young, liberal collegiate audience to “never give up, never be indifferent, and never think that things are running in a way that cannot be changed.” Hessel believes one must find the time for indignation when your values are not respected. This sounds like good advice for conservatives, especially in this age of overwhelming mainstream media (MSM) bias against the right…

Many liberals like to think conservatives are racist, but I know from personal experience – this is not the case. In fact, most conservatives are blind to skin color. I’ve seen only left wingers dwell on class and race in recent years. And, sure enough, Hessel had to tell his audience, “We must admit that Obama is black.” What, he’s black? Really?

My left-wing mother used to repeatedly tell me about the IT person in her office. “She’s black,” Mom would tell me. But why point out such foolish insignificance? Both parents made sure to teach me what counts most is inside a person, not outside. Race doesn’t count! I made sure to learn and practice it. Why does it matter now? Who cares about race? Unfortunately, many liberals do. Conservatives don’t, and would never say such a thing, but if they did it – in front of a camera as Hessel did, the media would emphasize it ad nauseum. I wish Mr. Hessel only the best, but he, like the rest of today’s left is confused on many fronts, including race, freedom, and equality.

Admit your racism, liberals, come clean and embrace conservatism! Good thing we live in a time when you can just believe you are equal, and it is so. That’s all you need today. More liberals need to believe it, relax a little, and come on over.

Watch Hessel CSPAN-2 appearance here or here and/or read more about him at Democracy Now

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LIBs In Back (The Media Defends Us), A Parody of the 'Men In Black' Theme Song

2011-11-08T19:37:00.007-07:00

Jan. 18, June 28, Oct. 26, 2011

by Mark A. Cohen

With apologies to Will Smith and Candice Rushen

To the tune of Men in Black and Forget Me Nots:

Here come the Libs in Back

(Uh it's the L.I.B.'s)

(Uh here come the L.I.B.'s)

Here come the Libs in Back (fishing smack)

They can't let you remember.

Nah, nah, nah,

The libs stay in back, disguisin’ that,

Just in case we trade some stocks, raid Freddie mac.

Make the good guys be us... L.I.B.

Yo what you think you read, you did not read.

So don't think,

What existed then is gone.

In dispute with the neck boot on (BP).

Walk in mobs, move in protest,

Guard against the individual’s success.

But yo we ain't on no media list.

Raise our clenched fist,

Articles with no tough questions.

Can’t retrace us, and

They attack,

Cause the stories don’t show where the L.I.B.'s is at,

Uh and...

Here come the Libs in Back. (surprise attack)

The media defends us. (uh oh, uh oh)

Here come the Libs in Back. (take aback)

They can't let you remember. (can't remember)

(uh uh, uh uh)

Now to accuse in the deadest of the night,

Gettin’ plenty of oil from the drill site,

Cameras zoom, only reporting cons.

But then like DOOM black suits dry the place up.

With the quickest talk with the witnesses,

Hypnotizer, change their mind, huh.

With the misdirect just what you expect,

Ain't no truth to see.

Can I please,

Do what we say that's the way we do it.

Ya know what I mean,

I say my tough reporter get wicked on ya.

We're our first, last and only line of pretense,

Against the worst cons of the universe.

So don't diss us, hiss us.

If you ever get near us, don't hear us.

We're the fearless.

L.I.B.'s takin' up all the back.

What's that stand for?

Libs in Back.

Uh, M-m-m-...

The Libs in Back.

(Uh uh uh)

The Libs in Back.

(Uh uh uh, ah ah ah)

Let me see ya just twist it with me.

Just twist with me.

The press is with me. C'mon,

Let me see ya just Trib’ with me.

Just lib with me.

Ad lib with me. C'mon.

Let me see ya falsify with me.

Just twist with me.

Just ignore the truth. C'mon,

The press is with us.

Appease.

Here come the Libs in Back. (Libs in Back)

The media defends us. (ooh ooh)

Here come the Libs in Back. (Libs in Back)

They can't let you remember. (uh no, no)

A-ight warp it.

Let me tell you this while posin'.

I know we might seem protectin',

But if we ever come to your intersection,

Believe me not for your recollection.

Cuz we think things that you would not think,

And we shrink stories that you would not ink.

So go with your rights,

Forget that Reagan blow.

Show love to the back row.

Cuz that's the Libs in,

That's the Libs in...

Here come the Libs in Back. (Here they come)

The media defenders. (media defenders)

Here come the Libs in Back. (oh, here they come)

They won't let you remember. (can't let you remember)

Here come the Libs in Back. (Oh, here they come)

The media defenders. (uh oh, uh oh)

Here come the Libs in Back.

They can't let you remember.

Men in Black III is currently scheduled for release on May 25, 2012! “The plot is unknown at this time,” according to the IMDb.

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Ninety-Nine And One Is…

2011-11-01T21:41:00.000-06:00

Oct. 30 and Nov. 1, 2011

Businessman, author, and commentator Peter Schiff is a self-proclaimed member of the one percent, as the richest Americans are known. He paid a visit to the Occupy Wall Street protest a few days ago. Schiff conversed for several hours with many in the crowd. He supports their right to be upset over the Wall Street bankers’ bail-outs during both the Bush TARP and the Obama stimulus. He voiced his agreement with their general feelings and has compassion for the plight of the 99 percent, but thinks the protesters should be in Washington, D.C., rather than on Wall Street. Companies should not be selected to succeed or fail by unqualified officials, the markets should determine their plight. Put another way, businesses which collapse should not be rewarded and continue. They need to pay the price of failure and close up shop. This sounds harsh to some, but it’s a part of capitalism. People aren’t murdered, they simply move on to the next company. Various members of group Occupy said they support our current system and many of those who spoke with Mr. Schiff claimed no affiliation with either the left or the right.

Mr. Schiff’s desire to find common ground between the one and the 99 percent motivated him to appear amongst the mob in Zuccotti Park. The numbers one and 99 represent arbitrary percentages of poor and wealthy. When hit with common questions concerning greed and capitalism, Peter Schiff made some great points while remaining unemotional, calm, and collected. With corporate tax rates low, businesses create jobs. Someone offered that the rich should give 75% of their incomes to the Gov. in the form of taxes. The rates did once approach such unthinkable heights, but “nobody paid those rates,” Schiff said. When confronted with an angry protester who complained that Steve Jobs used overseas workers, Mr. Schiff answered that the government, through excessive regulation, caused the conditions which forced Jobs to shift his employees across the oceans. The protester lost it – and the argument - by calling Mr. Schiff an idiot.

Video reveals Peter Schiff asking protesters if they liked the idea of climbing into the one percent rather than remain a part of the 99, and these suggestions caused them to stammer. When someone called Schiff greedy, he pointed out that everyone is greedy. As the protester disagreed, Schiff proved that the young man, too, wanted more material things and a better life for himself and his family. And Schiff addressed the most common left-wing view – that each individual pay their fair share. “I am paying 35% of my income,” he said. “Do you think I should pay more?” The woman refused to answer, insisting that we should get rid of the Bush tax cuts, instead.

The Occupy Wall Street crowd is making a big mistake, Schiff said. Don’t lump all business people in with Wall Street folks, he scolded them, these are two different types of entrepreneurs. Agreeing with the protesters, he emphasized that collusion between government and the financial institutions is crony capitalism, and it’s wrong. Peter Schiff says such corruption is a disgrace, and I agree. The Tea Party and Occupy are polar opposites in my opinion, but perhaps they have one thing in common. They both oppose seedy relationships between government officials and corporations.

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Mark A. Cohen will speak during the Republican First Friday Breakfast at the Warhorse Inn in Parker CO, on Dec. 2, 2011. The event will be held at 7AM. Mark will speak about his upbringing at the hands of his radical, left-wing parents, his political transformation, and about his as yet unpublished manuscript, From The Left to the Right.

The Genius, Part II

2011-10-26T10:55:00.000-06:00

Aug. 28 and Oct. 26, 2011

Thomas Friedman, a New York Times columnist, believes that conservatives require more balance and maturity these days. On the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s web site you can read an article he wrote in July, 2011, entitled Bring Back Poppy. He credits the elder Bush for creating the idea of Cap and Trade, which is now part of an environmentalist, liberal agenda to reduce man-made global warming. In the process, smaller companies which can’t reduce emissions as easily pay larger companies who can. These payments are pushed up the line in the form of ever-increasing taxes to the government. Read the left’s agenda here: greenie agenda Does Friedman truly think the first President Bush pushed such a left-wing agenda? It fascinates me each time a liberal proposes that conservatives are connected with reality and are grown up only when they agree with liberal positions.

Howard Kurtz, hosting a CNN Reliable Sources show with Friedman as guest on Aug. 21, 2011, tells the audience that Friedman likes squishy, mild Republicans, like Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN), Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), and Gen. Colin Powell. Kurtz added that Friedman isn’t a fan of Republicans who are firmer, like Michelle Bachmann (R-MN), Rush Limbaugh, and Grover Norquist. I’ve noticed in recent years that this is the MO of most left-wingers. Friedman says, “Someone’s got to talk straight to those people,” referring to the Republican base. “When you have a party - when it’s an act of courage, the ultimate act of courage, to say climate change may actually be real… Okay, that’s nuts. That’s so outside where the science is.” Friedman rants on about how obvious this is and says the Republicans are not serious about these issues. But, the left doesn’t understand that conservatives are serious. To many of us green policies are not obvious concepts, but instead are one-sided ideas – thrust upon us for simple political gain (google: Solyndra Scandal).

Global Warming might be happening, but the irresponsible and unproven reports that it’s man-made are used by left-wing ideologues to burden and over-tax us. We’re serious, all right. The unfounded and illogical statements which postulate that their Global Warming is not a natural phenomenon, but is caused by man often lead to policies which kill jobs, businesses, the economy, and may end this country as we know it. I can't let that dog lie, sorry. We, as a movement, can’t stand for it. When people say a matter of opinion is obvious, it’s usually false!

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Ruthless at The Troxy Club

2011-10-18T20:11:00.002-06:00

Aug. 23, Sep. 6, and Oct. 18, 2011

Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!, a left-wing show on PBS, moderated a get-together of British liberals and radicals at the Troxy Club in London in early July of this year. The headliner wasn’t Slavoj (pronounced Slavoy) Zizek, a clever and entertaining Slovenian philosopher, but Julian Assange, of Wikileaks infamy. I noticed that Zizek, albeit with an apology, called Newt Gingrich a scum of the earth. Intellectual - not so much, but remember, this is what we’ve come to expect from the left. He surprised me when he admitted that his side tends to offer more verbal manure than the right. Zizek, with a fascinating anecdote about TV shows, pointed out that progressives can sometimes learn more from honest conservatives than from lefties because the conservatives will not try to sell you a load of crap, while liberals will. My father, himself a Communist, used to tell me I could learn from conservatives, too. Unfortunately, he never took his own advice.

The consequences don’t matter - giving away the U.S.A.’s national secrets is just fine with Mr. Assange, who has released over 400,000 secret documents, so far. He thinks the right’s outrage to the Wikileaks scandal is a new form of McCarthyism. Zizek told the crowd of leftists that they must ruthlessly pursue every avenue to push their socialist agenda. Yikes! Assange urged the crowd to “co-opt the mainstream media.” Assange accurately defined the strategy as ideological penetration and subverting the filters of the mainstream media. By using shock value to force the reporters to read the documents, “they, themselves have been radicalized,” he said. Good idea, Julian, the right should adopt some of your ferocious attitude. I enjoyed watching this program, but remember, these folks are determined and unrelenting.

Zizek, wearing a portrait of Vladimir Lenin on his t-shirt, reminded me of an image of Joe Cocker, singing. Temporarily grabbing everyone’s attention and waving his arms wildly - while speaking English in a rushed manner, and in a fascinating Slovenian accent - he told the audience that Assange “changed the ways you can violate the rules. This is important,” he emphasized. Humorous, yes, but I never understood the left’s penchant for shaking things up, just for the heck of it. Why try for more disorder, unless you are a Communist?

Amy Goodman related a story of how U.S. soldiers shot Iraqi soldiers in the midst of surrendering. She created this shocking description after viewing a secret film released by Assange, she said. However, I’m quite familiar with left-wing exaggerations and truth-twisting. Somehow, I didn’t believe her story. You know, ruthlessly pursue every avenue to push our agenda... Enjoy this program if you see it, and laugh as I did, but we need to be ever cautious - and keep in mind that these folks are not just joshing around. They do believe the right is evil, and they will stop at nothing to achieve their end to redistribute all of the wealth - even if it destroys our civilization. They have a right to their opinions and free speech, but be careful, they’ll misrepresent the facts and use hyperbole to tear us down. They’ll employ a false sense of fairness and throw in some class warfare to make their point. With a bulldog-like tenacity, and perhaps even a sense of humor, they’ll try to convince you to join their cause. Please resist theirs, and consider conservatism, which has been proven to work, and makes much more logical sense to me.

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Mark A. Cohen will speak at the Warhorse Inn in Parker CO, on Dec. 2, 2011. The event will be the Republican First Friday Breakfast, which will be held at 7AM. Mark will speak about his upbringing at the hands of his radical, left-wing parents, his political transformation, and about his as yet unpublished manuscript, From The Left to the Right.

James Delingpole I – Imagine…

2011-10-11T22:25:00.002-06:00

Oct.10, 2011

What a coincidence! The 10:10 project was to debut one year ago today, on 10/10/10. 10:10 pushes for us to cut our own, personal carbon emissions by 10% in one year. “But, why?” as James Delingpole, an author, might ask. Carbon Dioxide is not harmful, it’s plant food! Mr. Delingpole asserts these and other interesting, thought provoking ideas in his new book, Watermelons: The Green Movement’s True Colors. His web site uses John Lennon’s thoughtful song/word, Imagine, to spark ideas in you. Just imagine - if we took a fraction of the cash we spend on combating global warming, and spent it instead on hunger or clean drinking water. What if organic food and biofuels were more harmful than gasoline? “Imagine if carbon dioxide were our friend,” his site tells us.

In his too brief, but notable appearance on Book-TV on CSPAN-2 this past weekend (it first aired on 6/30/11), Mr. Delingpole showed a short presentation released just over a year ago by 10:10. The simple point of the short, four-minute film is that people who don’t believe that global warming is manmade should be murdered. Don’t believe me? You can view the disturbing and violent video for yourself. Here we have yet another example of the left’s intolerance.

James Delingpole maintains that the green movement’s insistence that he and others like him are deniers of some sort is erroneous and illogical. What are they denying? He admits he’s not a scientist, but like so many others, admits that the climate change is happening. James just says, God forbid, that it might not be man-made. We need to understand where the green movement’s catastrophic theories come from. In ancient times, religions made us feel guilty and atone for our sins. But, why, in our current age, must we punish ourselves (for example) - by using more expensive - but inferior light bulbs to improve the world? It is his contention in his book that “you don’t have to make a choice between either the environment or economic growth.” They go hand-in-hand. The example he gives goes back to Victorian times. The tax rate was about 10%, and the British economy was booming. London’s Thames River was vile; and known as the great stink. Things floated past, and people vomited while walking by. Why does this no longer happen? The low-tax rate allowed the Victorians the financial ability to create a sewage system. James Delingpole’s point is that people will clean up their environment if they can afford it. When taxes are low, it helps. When their economic freedoms are not squashed by big government, they clean up – my gosh, all by themselves.

James points out there are no nature haters, we are all nature lovers. Who doesn’t like a walk in the park? Who doesn’t like a clean environment? Who doesn’t love little animals? We do need some regulations to make sure some big companies do not pollute, but he says we can do it without over-burdening regulations and interference of the government. The falsehood which has been perpetrated by the green movement and the left is that there are only two types of people in the world. One is caring, sharing, bunny-hugging nature lovers who care about nature. On the other hand, there are the evil capitalists who want to destroy the world. To paraphrase, he said that nobody looks at a beach and thinks “What would improve this beach would be if it were covered with an oil slick. Add some dying pelicans and sea-otters.” We can achieve a cleaner world – but Mr. Delingpole says - without bombing our economy back to the stone ages. I find his way of thinking refreshing, don’t you?

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The Proper Gander and the Tea Party, Left

2011-10-04T21:21:00.001-06:00

Oct. 4, 2011

In 2008, The Man of Peace himself, Barack Obama said, “If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun.” He called the police stupid after the arrest of Harvard scholar Henry Gates in ’09. Mr. Obama also implied in a speech to supporters he might send someone to “beat up Sean Hannity,” a FOX news show host. Jimmy Hoffa addressed a crowd awaiting President Obama’s oration on Labor Day, 2011. He said, "President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march. Let's take these sons of bitches out...” Nice. In August of 2011, Maxine Waters (D-CA) said, “…as far as I'm concerned, the Tea Party can go straight to hell." Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL), also in August, said “the real enemy is the Tea Party.” Who can forget back in January of 2011, when economist and TV talking head Paul Krugman tweeted that right-wingers were probably responsible for the Gabby Giffords’ shooting. All of this passes for civil behavior, because it takes on the high and mighty conservatives.

According to Huffington Post reporter Lauren Ashburn, however, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is too belligerent for most women! She told host Howard Kurtz this on CNN’s Reliable Sources just two days ago. Speaking about Christie’s reaction to a state senator, she said, “I don’t think it’s appropriate for a leader to be talking about how he’s pissed.” She continued to say, “…when Hurricane Irene hit he told everyone to Get the hell off the beach.” Gov. Christie’s remarks seem a bit tame in comparison, don’t they? Ashburn added, “A lot of women don’t like belligerent men.” Well then, I guess they must vehemently dislike the president and his pals!

---------------------------------------------------

Does the Tea Party have some competition from a new party? The crowds disrupting traffic on Wall Street the past couple of weeks are disorganized and confused. When asked what they were doing there, the interviewees basically told reporters they didn’t know, but they seemed to be enjoying the chaos and reveled in a sense of belonging. They are fighting corporate America, the enemy of the people, they said. Others spoke about sparking a revolution, and replacing America with… they don’t know what. To me it’s like the aimless hippie movement in the 1960’s, to which I never belonged – but I admit, I wanted to. Fortunately, I was too young at the time. These guys shout nasty sayings, and they have a mob mentality, so they are not the Tea Party Left! And, if you want to raise your awareness, and maybe get little scared, take a look at this website: Occupy Wall Street

It may seem like harmless fun, and these guys do have a right to peaceful protest, but we’d better be alert. Some of them do want to overthrow the government and tear down our institutions. If they do anything rash, they’d better be stopped, or you and I might lose our happy homes.

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Lemongate

2011-09-27T21:38:00.000-06:00

Sep. 27, 2011

Before September 16, 2011, I’d never heard the term, Lemon Socialism. Charles Krauthammer educated me that day on Hannity. I naturally thought he said, Lenin, and not Lemon. So, what is it? Lemon Socialism occurs when the government doesn’t allow a failing company, a ‘lemon,’ to fail. Instead, the beaurocrats pick the industry they want to succeed, and invest heavily in associated corporations. I can hear the Obama defenders in unison saying, But the Bush Administration propped the oil companies up. Perhaps, and if true, therein lies another wrong, but do two wrongs make a right? For some, maybe they do. In any case, the oil companies were already successful, and they didn’t fail. The green industry, as Krauthammer said, is a “fantasy.” Their poster child corporation, Solyndra, failed - and over a thousand people were laid off. This, after a $535 million loan guarantee was paid to the Green Goliath - out of the massive $787 billion stimulus program by the Obama Administration. Funny, Obama supporters will overlook the same thing for which they wanted to jail George Bush’s team, and throw away the key. Wasted millions to rich corporations... The only difference is, the Bush Administration didn’t do it.

Tulsa billionaire, George Kaiser, a rich guy, and one of the largest contributors to the Obama campaign in 2008, invested heavily in Solyndra. He made three visits to the White House in Mar., 2009, and after the $535 gift, Solyndra went on a wild spending spree, according to the Washington Post. The company then lobbied for $400 million more, which, fortunately, was not approved. But this story has twists and turns; and legs. Some Democrats said that the Bush Administration, not blamed enough in recent years, supported Solyndra’s application from the beginning. However, the Bush Dept. of Energy voted down a Solyndra loan guarantee in the final days of their administration.

Thinking Solyndra could fill the role of poster child for green jobs, the Obama Administration propped it up. What its success could have done for the environmentalist movement! But this is what their green goop is based on. Hope and change. If only there were an alternative to gasoline. If we only invest trillions of dollars in green energy research, another fuel will be developed. But this is foolishness. Most likely, someone will develop an alternate fuel someday, but this hasn’t happened yet. (Due to such differences in thinking and philosophies, politics is endlessly appealing to me.) As Charles Krauthammer said, “It’s like throwing $billions at jet engines in the 1920’s.” He meant that the idea for the jet engine has been around for centuries - yes, it has, look it up! However, it had to be slowly developed over time before it became useful (in the mid-1940’s).

The left will try to force the future to come to us, but that’s not the way it works. So, when the environmentalists tell you to stop denying science, have them realize: It’s not the denial of science; it’s an acceptance of the math. Tell them to stop propping up the lemons. When the lemonade finally arrives, we’ll all be called to the table for a glass or two!

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The Genius, Part I

2011-09-19T11:03:00.000-06:00

Aug. 28, Sep. 6 and 19, 2011

The mainstream media (MSM) calls the Tea Party extremist, racist, and unpatriotic, among other things. The MSM and the left blames this ‘third party’ for many ills, including the bad economy and American’s discomfort with the current status quo. When we write about or debate politics, one thing is true. Each of us has our own opinion, and each is unique. Therefore, when we say something is obvious, we are correct in our own mind. Yet, it’s one person’s opinion, and the other side sees things differently.

New York Times correspondent Thomas Friedman appeared on CNN’s Reliable Sources on Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011. He is deemed a genius by many on the left for reasons which elude me. Friedman, according to host Howard Kurtz, is now backing an outfit called Americans Elect. The website, at http://www.americanselect.org, features the title: Are Politics As Usual Working For You? The choice Yes, points to the left, which is bathed in red (this color usually signifies blood, bad, conservative, or Republican). The other choice, No, points right, and is the blue half of the screen (blue is generally considered the good color, reserved for free-thinking, liberal, and Democrats). It’s easy to see where the website is headed… (The ridiculous implication here is that if you like Washington gridlock, then you're a conservative.)

During his broadcast, host Kurtz made sure to mention that the debt ceiling debate failed because the left and right couldn’t agree on “a way to raise the debt ceiling and keep the country out of default,” which wasn’t the true goal, but is the liberal talking point on the matter. As Friedman did his impression of a bobble-head, Kurtz continued, saying, “this frustrated everybody.” Yes, he said "left and right," but it's standard fare to hear that what stopped the whole thing was only Republican rigidity, and we hear often that the Tea Party wing are the trouble-makers. Every time a generalization is made, though, it’s wrong. And, everybody was frustrated by what, exactly? The rigidity of the left is what frustrated me. As we've seen, members of the MSM abhor the idea of any third party, but Kurtz in this case, made sure to open his mind with regard to Friedman’s third party idea. To twist a famous expression: What’s right for the proper goose is not necessarily right for the propaganda…

Thomas Friedman, the wily columnist, said he admired Republican President George H.W. Bush (41, or, Bush the Elder). But why, oh, so clever one? Friedman said it was because Bush believed in math. Okay, so far he had me. But he went on to generalize, “it’s hard sometimes to find a Republican who believes in math these days.” A nasty remark, but the demagoguery continued. Friedman said this Bush, who said, “read my lips, no new taxes,” then faced reality (as Friedman and the left say) and raised taxes. He said this, the fact that Bush raised taxes, was what paved the way for the good economy of the 90’s. Thomas Friedman’s attitude tells us, “it’s so obvious,” but Friedman's impressions don't make it so. Bush 41’s breaking of his “no new taxes” promise hurt conservatives so badly they still remember it vividly today, 23 years later. To improve the economy all lawmakers should join the pledge to not raise taxes.

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My Twins

2011-09-13T20:02:00.000-06:00

Sep. 12-13, 2011

My twins. They were such tiny, red things, starting out in life. These well-behaved kids didn't cry one bit, and they didn’t hurt a soul. Most people don't know they were conceived in the early 1960's, but were born in 1968 and 1969. They could have been named East and West, but they went by the names North and South instead. The first time I laid eyes on them was in the very first week of 1970 - during a short trip on the West Side Highway. I'll bet they were shorter than twenty stories each at the time. My first glimpse of the twins didn’t impress me much, but I happened to take my movie camera that day and have some silent and shaky 8mm pictures of the twin towers to prove it. You see, my friend and his family returned from a week-long cruise that cold but sunny morning, and I surprised them. I took the subway all by myself at the age of 15 from Brooklyn to meet them at their ship’s Manhattan dock. The car ride home became an unexpected gift for me. Now you know how I met my twins.

Why do I call them my twins? Well, I was born in the same city, and I matured along with them. Five years passed, and the towers approached their completion. One day in March of 1975 I took the subway there and stood at their base, impressed by their no longer red, but now silver majesties. Needless to say, my camera recorded a few images. Difficult to tell them apart from ground level, I pulled on the door handle of one tower. It opened, I stepped inside, and enjoyed a day I'll never forget. Three hours of peace and quiet on an empty floor - a wonderful prize for someone entombed in noise all day, every day, in the city that never sleeps. I photographed the scenes, inside and out. I promise, although a little chilly outside, it was a perfect, beautiful day inside.

Within the next few years I visited my twins at least twice. One cloudy day some friends and I stood atop one tower, outside, and I pointed to my friend, shouting, "Hey, your hair's standing straight up." I didn't realize my long hair did the very same thing. What a laugh we had! Another friends' dad worked in one of the towers and a group of us visited him just for the heck of it, and to say we'd been in the World Trade Center. One year I took the family back to New York to visit. I have a picture, taken in 1996, of my wife and kids at Liberty Island with my two guys standing across the river from us, oh, so tall in the background. Tons of pride welled up in me when I took that photo. I needed plenty of self-control to not shake the camera. My wife, my kids, and my twins - all in the same shot! I try not to look at it too much these days.

Along with a fire-ball vision and personal stories of friends and family who narrowly escaped death in the horrible pancake effect, I keep those who lost their lives on a fateful Tuesday fall morning in 2001 in my mind. I think of the heroes of 9/11, and wonder what I would have done had I been in the towers that day. These are the thoughts that return to me on the same week, the same day, every year. Ever since the day that changed everything, I compulsively add a new flag to my car’s antenna as each one wears out - for my twins - I loved them so much. But now they're gone, over ten years gone. Who would take them from me, and why? I’m sure we must ask, "Why?" I feel blue for the most part, but we should learn what we can from that awful day, and never let anything like it ever happen again. It's not just simple hyperbole. The twin towers were a symbol of the American spirit. I know that thousands of others lost a whole lot more than I did on September 11, 2001. Yet, my twins are gone forever! Please understand how much I miss them.

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John Andrews: How to Restore Responsibility

2011-09-06T19:49:00.001-06:00

Sep. 5-6, 2011

The Tea Party represents "the hope of America," John Andrews, a Denver Post columnist, said at a recent event. In these days when the left represents the status quo (don't you dare modify Social Security and Medicare), and the right is for change (lower our taxes and stop spending), Andrews advocates a responsibility movement outside the two parties. "We need to fix politics as it is," he said, and he told the audience there are four basic steps we can use to mend it: Self-assertion, self-restraint, self-reliance, and civic knowledge. These are close to some ideas put forth by leftists during the 1960's, but they haven’t opted for them much since. Specific steps, how refreshing!

Self assertion means we push back on government. Self restraint means doing things in an even-toned manner. Mr. Andrews described it as a "musket over the fireplace, break glass in an emergency only" situation. Self reliance says we do enough things ourselves so that government doesn't have to reach in. A case in point is a family taking care of a member instead of relying on Medicare to do it. John Andrews wonders how so many Americans changed their attitudes so quickly - from being ashamed of accepting welfare - to demanding it. Some insist it's a right and not a privilege, and say, "Don't you ever take it away!"

People need to understand the founding documents of the United States. This is known as civic knowledge. For example, many U.S. citizens can't distinguish between Karl Marx' statement, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs," and the Declaration of Independence, which says, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." It is surprising to realize that our slanted education system has failed us so horribly. No wonder many clamor for private educations for their children.

Societies follow predictable patterns. History shows that fiscal suicide follows moral suicide in the decline of a civilization. From bondage comes faith. Out of faith comes courage. As with bondage, faith, and courage, each of these follows the other in this order: liberty, abundance, complacency, entitlement, apathy, dependence, and bondage once again. Please think about those items for a moment, and reread them, if you will. Mr. Andrews stated that most civilizations get about 250 years, and this country has reached age 235 this year. "We are in the kill zone," he said. "Time is running out." Then he reminded us there's nowhere else to go in the world if freedom goes out in America. "Don't let it." Let's get to 2076 intact as a nation. As Mr. Andrews put it, "Let's get there and beat the odds." I felt inspired, and I thought the rest of the audience did as well.

I enjoyed John Andrews' latest column, Color the state red in 2012 at www.denverpost.com/andrews. When I read the narrow-minded responses to it there, online, I could only lament that our public education system has failed us. It needs a complete overhaul. The other side is myopic. They see tantrums, psychoses, fanaticism, and hatred where none at all exists. Every response but one seem to insist the right wants to take away people's rights, pollute, and hate gays. How and why do they believe this lie? These folks want to censor Mr. Andrews, and what they said is hateful. Their lack of cohesive thought and absence of intelligent rebuttal is stunning, and a bit disturbing. We must work to change the false perception these extremists have of us on the right. Please read the column and then the responses. You may respond either here or there, if you like.

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See You in September

2011-08-29T19:23:00.006-06:00

Aug. 28-29, 2011

In 1966, The Happenings recorded a most memorable version of the song, "See You in September," written by Sid Wayne and Sherman Edwards in the late 1950’s. As you read the words here: See You in September, or here: See You in September, you can envision President Obama, assuring America on 8/17/11 that he has a shiny, new employment plan... but you’ll need to wait in order to see what’s in it. He promised to reveal the brand new strategy around Labor Day, in September, or so. Why not help this country in August? Why wait? He’s only been president for two and a half years…

He doesn’t lead, but follows Nancy Pelosi’s convoluted logic. She told us the Congress needed to pass the oversized Obamacare bill because that was the best way to know what was in it. So, don’t you wonder how Mr. Obama will bring Dems and Repubs together – by changing his tune next month?

Is the mainstream media speculating it will be a change in direction for the Obama Administration? A bold compromise is coming, perhaps? Will the New York Times columnist and resident genius Thomas Friedman pine for the Democrats of the past, you know, the meek ones, who were so much more flexible than the liberals of today? No, and no. (There’ll be more on Thomas Friedman in upcoming posts.) The MSM is silent in unison on President Obama’s softening because they believe that even more spending and Robin Hood robbin’ the ‘hood is the solution. Whenever he deems it time, President Obama will tell us about another massive stimulus to rebuild roads and bridges, because it’s obvious to the left that this is what’s required for recovery – even though this method failed last time. But why compromise? The millionaires and billionaires will have to be punished because they took risks and profited. More green, energy jobs are required, too, of course (but we won’t be allowed to drill for our abundant supplies of oil). We’ll need to spend even more of our children’s money – which we don’t have. America will fall further into debt, and disrepute. What will the world think of America then? Well, the MSM doesn’t care what the world thinks this time ‘round. The left will not touch entitlements, which are sorely in need of reform. The party of heck, no just won’t change course. Never, not ever.

To paraphrase the song: We’ll see the president in September, when the summer’s through. Summer vacation’s taking the president away. Hope he has a good time at Martha’s Vineyard, but remember, there’s danger for delaying too long. As he plays in a resort, and while the economy withers and his people suffer, we’ll be counting the days, hours, and minutes until he reveals a strategy to fix the economy. We’ll see him in September… maybe. Good luck until then.

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Queen of The Stage

2011-08-22T22:22:00.000-06:00

Aug. 20 and 22, 2011

As a photo editor of my college newspaper, I can tell you that when a media outlet plans to show a visual of someone, they choose from dozens of photos of that person. These are generally taken from different angles and distances and can be complimentary or not, depending upon the editor's feelings or views at the moment. When I saw Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) on the August 15, 2011 cover of Newsweek, I wasn't surprised. This magazine and the mainstream media (MSM) wants to hurt conservatives, and the editors of Newsweek decided to hit on Bachmann this time.

On the front of Newsweek, Rep. Bachmann looks stunned, out-of-place, and a little crazy. The cover’s title is, The Queen of Rage. Bachmann is neither a queen, nor raging. Not rage, but Queen of the Stage, perhaps. She has some good ideas, has presented them with a toughness we haven't seen in a while, and it might help if we listened to her. The subtitle, oozing with liberal sarcasm, says, Michelle Bachmann on God, The Tea Party, and the Evils of Government. These are three topics liberals have trouble addressing these days. When faced with any one of them, they usually get angry and begin cursing (ie. Rep. Maxine Waters).

Carrying the banner of the MSM’s new mantra is Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV). He and the MSM say the popularity of the Tea Party is sagging. The polar opposite is true, of course, in the face of our out-of-control, leader-less, and thrashing economy. The Newsweek states, in lyrical rhyme, “…a new poll shows the Tea Party’s popularity flagging.”

Feeling compelled to purchase a copy of Newsweek with the Bachmann cover, I did so while on vacation in the small and beautiful town of Glenwood Springs, CO. As I fell in line behind a woman also buying a copy, I spoke up. “Don’t you think they might have found a better photo of Michelle Bachmann?” I asked. The lady replied, “No,” and with firm conviction told me she always sees Michelle Bachmann that way. “She’s so angry.” The man behind the counter added, “She says crazy things. Everything she says is religious.” Everything - she - says. Hmmm. What’s wrong with religion, anyway? Small-town America sure isn’t living up to its reputation of clinging to its guns and religion anymore, is it? Throw the old generalizations out, the liberals have taken over the backwoods, all the while clinging to the ACLU, their mainstream media, and their atheism!

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Millionaires and Billionaires

2011-08-16T20:27:00.005-06:00

Aug. 16, 2011

Radio personality Mark Levin asked us to do the math. There are less than 500 billionaires in the U.S. at this time and there are about 3.1 million millionaires*. President Obama keeps talking about taxing these guys to fix the failing economy. If only we force them to do their fair share, our debt of $14 trillion would come right on down. Never mind that this argument is class warfare, let’s analyze it.

Forget about taxing the Richie Rich’s at 40% or 50% of their annual income. Let’s get crazy. If we took half of the billionaires’ total wealth away, which would be far greater than the amount we could actually tax them, the resulting amount would come to only about $250 billion, assuming each one is worth $1 billion. The millionaires, because there are so many more of them, have a far greater share. They own about $3.2 trillion all told, assuming each is worth $1 million.

If we took half of the millionaires’ assets, it would total $1.75 trillion. Adding the billionaires’ contribution, this adds up to about $2 trillion. This unrealistic total (we can’t tax anyone by taking half their total assets), doesn’t even come close to our current $14 trillion debt. Congress recently raised the debt ceiling, so the debt will now be allowed to rise to over $17 trillion. This is only a theoretical argument. If it really happened, many of our companies would collapse, as would the entire economy. I’m glad we checked, though.

When the president says that if only millionaires and billionaires would do their fair share the U.S. debt would go away, he’s blowing hot air up your skirt. We know, ‘cause we just did the math!

*The data in this post was retrieved mostly from Wikipedia. On Aug. 20, 2011, on Fox and Friends, it was revealed by Wall Street Journal economics reporter Kelly Evans that there were only 237,000 millionaires as of 2009, down from the previous year. If this is correct, and it's a true trend, then my data for revenue is less than 10% of what I said it would be. Millionaires would account for only about $230 billion, and not 3.2 trillion, and that makes my argument that much stronger. I apologize for my error.

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America's Downgrade

2011-08-09T22:21:00.000-06:00

Aug. 9, 2011

The erosion of our country continued last week with the downgrade of America’s bond rating. Standard & Poors, an actual investment intelligence company, has changed their rating of U.S. credit as AA+ as opposed to AAA. The Obama administration, at the grand old age of 2 1/2, disagrees. S+P has been around a little longer. About 150 years more, so, they may be slightly more knowledgeable than the president’s men. Of course, you can read about it at:

S&P web site

Our president continues to lead us down the wrong path. He warned us that changes were coming – and, like Ed McMahon introduced Johnny Carson, they’re heeeeeere. A failed stimulus, higher gas prices, debt, and unemployment, a bad economy, and now a debilitating downgrade. It occurred because Mr. President and his Democrats wouldn’t compromise. They’re stubborn. This is the true party of “no.” They laid the evidence down before us when they refused to even discuss the Bush plan to fix Social Security in the middle of the last decade. Jason Mattera said just yesterday that if government spending (Obama’s stimulus) were “this nirvana,” we’d be seeing the results by now. He reminded us that after the Bush tax cuts, we were at 4.6% unemployment, the Dow [Jones] was around 14,000, and there was more revenue flowing into the treasury than ever.

America finds itself on par with countries like Belgium.

Remember that Mr. Obama told the Egyptians in Cairo that [our] colonialism denied rights to many Muslims and that [western] civilization has a debt to Islam. He stood up for a citizen against a law enforcement officer early in his presidency, before learning all the facts of the case. He once explained that American exceptionalism is the very same as Greek or British exceptionalism. Except that it’s not.

Recall his inaugural address: “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality... and lower its costs. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.” Oh, really, a new age of…America down the toilet? November, 2012 can’t come soon enough for me. Let’s plan to vote this guy and his destructive policies and administration out of office!

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What’s President Obama Talking About?

2011-08-02T21:18:00.000-06:00

Aug. 03, 2011

President Obama’s been telling us that the rich folks need to pay their fair share of taxes. Someone needs to educate him. The upper 50% of wage earners already pay approximately 97% of the income taxes collected in this country. So, what’s he talking about? What is his angle?

The president said that Republicans only want to cut taxes and cut spending. He said, while offering no plan of his own, that conservatives did nothing to promote increasing government revenue. If the economic climate favors businesses, more people will be hired – which would then add to the taxpayer’s numbers, thereby increasing dollars coming into the treasury. He doesn’t understand this simple concept. I’ve noticed he’s now using the term corporations, instead of big business. But we know he’s talking about those pesky capitalists. Those who take the risks deserve the rewards, Mr. President.

Karl Marx, the father of modern Communism, referred to capitalists as vampires sucking workers’ blood. He felt the worker class was exploited by capitalists. Communists like to divide people into economic classes to alienate them from each other. Trust me, I know. They love to talk about the upper, middle, and lower classes. The Manifesto of the Socialist Party of Canada talks about class struggle. This document, written in 1944, states that common property (private property, seized by government) will remove “the greatest of the burdens resting today on the backs of the workers.” My own father, a self-admitted Communist, told me many times that capitalists make money off the backs of the workers.

Once again, President Obama spoke today about the debt ceiling debate. And, once again he divided us. The great divider said, “We can’t balance the budget on the backs of the very people who have borne the biggest brunt of this recession. We can’t make it tougher for young people to go to college or ask seniors to pay more for health care or ask scientists to give up on promising medical research because we couldn’t close a tax shelter for the most fortunate among us.” I understand you don’t have to be a Communist or a socialist to slam the rich. If he’s not either of those, though… what is he talking about?

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Who’s President Obama Talking About?

2011-07-26T20:16:00.000-06:00

July 26, 2011

President Obama has conceded in a speech on July 25, 2011, that U.S. government spending is out of control. However, he said the money went for tax cuts, two wars, and prescription drugs. He forgot to mention the $800+ billion he threw away on a so-called stimulus plan (which failed). A $trillion more in debt will be incurred from his ill-conceived health care plan, due to his fiscal incompetence. The president has said recently that we need to behave like grown-ups, relax our rhetoric, roll up our sleeves, and work together. He then stomped out of meetings he held with Republicans and blamed them for the nation’s troubles. So much for following his own advice!

Our partisan-in-chief never conceded an inch during this deficit debate. It’s always their fault. Evil rich people make too much, he’s said. They won’t carry the load. However, he didn’t mention that the wealthy already pay the majority of taxes in this country. They create jobs. All right, not every rich person, but some do it indirectly. Rich folks don’t save money like we do. They don’t use a savings account for most of their money. Instead, investment vehicles are used. Believe it or not, most – if not all – do it this way. Even those we believe are sponging off their mommies and daddies. So, they are responsible for most of the investments made in our economy. Take their money, and most likely, you take one of our jobs away.

The wealthy are not always our heroes, I get it. Some spend foolishly, as our perception would have us believe. $750 on a pair of shoes disgusts most of us, and the gut reaction is to hate the idiots for it. But, realize where their money goes. Their extravagance pays for part of someone’s job in the shoe store. Or, $900 on a single seat at Yankee Stadium might pay for just one more vendor. The $70,000 automobile purchase could help one car salesman keep his job a week longer. Think about what good things a $20-$50 million private jet purchase can do for someone. Let’s not be jealous, let’s be thankful.

When President Obama says he wants to make millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share, let’s remember - he’s talking about those who make $250,000 a year or more. Those from that group making less than $1 million a year are NOT millionaires, so who’s he talking about? One day it might just be you!

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Reducing the Deficit

2011-07-18T20:17:00.001-06:00

July 18, 2011

On July 10's Face The Nation program, Bob Schieffer played a clip of President Obama saying that we can't play politics with the debt ceiling. Yet, this is the first president I can recall who threatened old people by saying he couldn't promise they'd receive their Social Security checks if the Republicans don't cave to his demands! Treasury Secretary Geithner says there's lots of potential theater in this. Boy, he's not kidding. Democrats are saying that if the debt ceiling is not raised, every American will feel it. They won't budge on their wild, out of control spending. Republicans say there would still be enough funds to pay all of the Social Security checks, the military, all the interest on the debt, and more - even if the debt ceiling isn't raised. We'll be ok. They won't budge on raising taxes, but for good reason. How has raising taxes ever helped us? Still, there are deals in the works.

The Republicans have come up with multiple plans. There's a Ryan plan, a McConnell plan, the Cap, Cut, and Balance idea. The Democrats have rhetoric, but no plan to solve our debt crisis. They see things in one-dimension. They say that if revenues are raised on middle class and rich people - by raising taxes - then, and only then will we be able to have enough money to pay down the debt. Because they can't get over their jealousy of the wealthy, that's all they've got. Republicans have a more thoughtful idea. This is not obvious to those who only want to tax the rich, so, please try to be open-minded for this one!

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) expressed the proper way to fix things, par excellence, on the July 17 edition of Face The Nation. He admitted that, yes, the government needs more revenue. But we need to do it by getting the economy back on track. You create an atmosphere for business to feel comfortable hiring folks. This seems pretty simple to me - and it will work in most cases. Remember, most (and probably all) rich people invest their money in businesses. Some examples are the stock market, bonds, annuities, certificates of deposit, and many others. So, there are probably very few rich people we can tax more without hurting businesses. If we hurt businesses, they don't hire. When we lower corporate tax rates, companies hire more people, and then we gain more taxpayers - and therefore, more revenue.

Oh, yes, you also cut spending - drastically. As our liberal friends are fond of pointing out, there's also plenty of waste in our military. Cut there, too, and everyone can be happy with the necessary reductions in spending! The Democrats keep chanting that everyone must chip in and pay their fair share. Yet, they are the ones placing the burden on a large group of people. If anything, the rich and the middle class (those who make $1 million a year and less, down to about $25 thousand per year) pay most of the taxes in this country. Why punish their personal success by raising their taxes? Let's let them also pursue happiness. They are Americans, too!

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Goodbye, Space Shuttle!

2011-07-12T22:15:00.000-06:00

July 12, 2011

Orlando Sentinel correspondent Mark Matthews appeared solo this past January on Washington Journal, a call-in program on CSPAN, in a segment about NASA. I wrote about it on May 17. To see it, please do a find for "blog archive" in your browser and scroll down a little. Open up May. Click on: NASA: Gifts From Space. This time, CSPAN leveraged some needed expertise in calling in Scott Pace, an older and wiser gentleman, to appear with young Mr. Matthews. Mr. Pace is George Washington University's Space Policy Institute Director. Why a college might need a position such as this is way beyond me, but Mr. Pace provided plenty of respectability in the segment. Susan Swain, the host, began with a line mainly answered by the callers, and not the guests, "We're going to talk about what America gained from the Space Shuttle program…”

Mr. Matthews, the reporter, fed us some pessimism by revealing the Shuttle cost more and let us down in the safety department during its years, but he did tout the Hubble Telescope as a major achievement. There have been about a million other benefits from our space programs, such as metal alloys, smoke detectors, scratch-resistant lenses, pacemakers, and insulin pumps. I challenge you to google this, you may be surprised. Mr. Pace, the professor, educated by telling us that the Nixon Administration, where the Shuttle gained its initial support, made a mistake by concentrating on cost benefits rather than scientific gain. He therefore concluded that the Shuttle failed economically, but exceeded what it was asked to do in the technical sense.

I recall the hope and inspiration instilled in us through the space programs over my entire lifetime. Yet, both President Bush and our current president, Barack Obama, seemed content to terminate the Shuttle program by now (2010-2011). Perhaps it had already run its course. However, as early as 2004, President Bush revealed a bold vision for returning men to the moon by announcing the beginning of the Constellation program, the step beyond the Shuttle. (I’ll bet the mainstream media never told you that!) You can read his rather inspiring speech at this URL: http://history.nasa.gov/Bush SEP.htm Unfortunately, President Obama, in a fit of ignorance, and with a lack of insight, cancelled Constellation in favor of ‘investment’ in future research. This is consistent with his energy policy in some respects. Why drill for oil (an actual fuel), when you can do theoretical research instead?

In a later reconsideration, President Obama proposed we keep the Orion capsule from Constellation, but still proposed the program’s termination. To be fair, I’ll admit that Mr. Obama did commit to a new space vehicle by 2015, but his plan delays manned missions to other worlds by at least 20 years. In that time, where will our unemployed expertise go? Much of it will run away from the NASA space programs, for sure, and that’s a shame. In the mean time, Russia, and other countries, will lead the way in space for the foreseeable future. The current president seems to enjoy situations in which America is not leading. As a citizen of the U.S.A., I find that circumstance – at the very least - disappointing. It's expensive to push even an ounce of weight into space. When thinking about the final frontier, we should consider the past and future benefits of space exploration. It's always a natural result of the urgent need to miniaturize.

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Liberal Thinking

2011-07-05T20:06:00.000-06:00

July 5, 2011

Sometimes I wonder what kind of world I live in. I listen to liberal talk radio (The Mario Solis Marich Show, on AM 760 in Denver) and what do I get? I hear a caller saying that we need to allow only one Republican in the Senate and only one Republican in the House of Representatives. Yeah, that’s sensible. The reason? Because the Republicans are all on the same page, she says. They do not think correctly. They do not have enough of a diversity of opinion for her liking. She asks Mario why we are paying their salaries. So, Mario rhetorically asks the lady if she thinks we are paying for these non-essential, governmental employees. They agree. They laugh. This shows how intolerant our liberal friends are. Get rid of the conservatives. Completely! To quote someone I know, “This is crazy talk.”

Liberals are convincing me that Ann Coulter may just have it right. She recently published a book entitled Demonic. It’s subtitled How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America. I have not read her book - yet. But I have heard her speak about it. Her theory is that liberals have adopted a mob mentality. One case highlights how conservative women are despised by liberals today. What liberals do, Coulter says, is assume conservative women are stupid. They hear one speak, and reason backwards that what they’ve just said is stupid. For example, Sarah Palin recently said we need to get with the Spirit of 1773. A broadcaster, without thinking – or, rather, thinking that Palin had just said something stupid, corrected her “error” by saying, achem, that it was actually the Spirit of 1776. But, Coulter explains that Palin was speaking to a Tea Party Rally, and was referencing the Boston Tea Party, which occurred in 1773.

I abhor stereotypes and generalities, and I believe that liberals are not looney-tunes, but what are they thinking? Are they thinking at all? Michael Eric Dyson appears on This Week with Christiane Amanpour this past Sunday on ABC to discuss immigration, and what’s his thesis? Every point he makes is aimed toward emotional claims that America is and always has been racist towards people of color. The above-mentioned Mr. Mario Solis Marich, on his own radio show, says that the states of Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina have copy-cat “anti-immigration” bills which are similar to Arizona’s controversial SB1070 bill. He says he thought Arizona was the new Alabama, but instead, Alabama is the new Alabama. And he implies these states are “racially oppressive,” like Arizona, because of their new bills. (If you read the Arizona bill yourself, and you should, you will see how tame it is.) Sorry, but what am I missing here?

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Conservative Wisdom III

2011-06-29T22:42:00.000-06:00

June 7 and 12, 2011

"If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month." - Theodore Roosevelt

”I recognize the Republican party as the sheet anchor of the colored man's political hopes and the ark of his safety.” - Frederick Douglass

”A conservative is a liberal who got mugged the night before.” - Frank Rizzo

"Whatever you are, be a good one." - Abraham Lincoln

"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone." - Ronald Reagan

"A man receiving charity always hates his benefactor- it is a fixed characteristic of human nature." - George Orwell

“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” - Newt Gingrich

"How do you tell a Communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin." - Ronald Reagan

Bumper Sticker: “Vote For Equal Rights, not Special Privileges”

"Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born." - Ronald Reagan

"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." - Winston Churchill

”Christians don’t believe they’re perfect, they believe they’re forgiven.” - Sean Hannity

On Sarah Palin and the 2012 presidential election, ”If she’s not in it as a candidate, we need her spirit in it.” – Stephen K. Bannon, Director of “The Undefeated,” a film about Sarah Palin.

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Sarah Palin’s E-mails

2011-06-22T10:31:00.000-06:00

June 12 and 19, 2011

Sarah Palin’s day for releasing her gubernatorial e-mails came up a few days ago. On June 9, 2011, The New York Times featured a story by Derek Willis in The Caucus, which is a blog. It said, “Help Us Review the Sarah Palin E-Mail Records.” Therefore, on the same day, the headline on The Huffington Post read, “ Help Us And Be Among The First To Read Sarah Palin’s Emails.” Another liberal site said, “Help the New York Times Read Through Sarah Palin’s Emails.” And they say conservatives are in lock-step!

Not that the release of information should be ignored, but can you recall the same request being made to help The Times read through Obama Care’s 2,000+ pages? Maybe you can think of a request made by the mainstream media for help during the 2008 election for an investigation into Barack Obama’s citizenship, or a request to help so-called journalists read a release of any Democrat’s e-mails? Didn’t think so. They’re just not interested in researching those stories.

But when it comes to digging up dirt on a conservative, they’ll stop at nothing. No one has yet complained about how many trees the huge stack of the Palin printout copies represented. If this had been a Democrat (and Republicans had requested tons of paper), I’m positive that environmental groups would have complained about the devastating impact to mother earth…

As I thought, despite the collective liberal salivation over the e-mail release, nothing terrible has emerged. Yahoo news reported, “Many…dealt with the mundane matters of running an office and a state…” So, this turns out to be a yawn instead of a great story of scandal, as the liberal media wanted. They wasted so much fervent, partisan effort - for nothing!

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Weiner!

2011-06-14T20:19:00.000-06:00

June 7 and 12, 2011

I urge you to read the following May 31, 2011 story on salon.com: Right-wingers really, really, really hoping Anthony Weiner story holds up by Alex Pareene. The subtitle is Accusing the New York Democrat of impropriety without compelling evidence seems fair, if you totally hate him. The theme of Pareene’s story is that while it’s possible that Weiner sexted a woman, he was probably phished, just as Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY) said.

Alex Pareene says that you simply can’t trust that Andrew Breitbart, “or anything his websites claim.” Breitbart, as it turns out, while stealing a page from Woodward and Bernstein (of Watergate fame), exposed the true stories of Weiner’s indiscretions. In the salon.com article, Pareene envisions Jonah Goldberg (a conservative columnist) giggling each time he uses the made-up Weinergate word. It’s funny to read how Pareene insists it’s not a word. It’s not! It’s not! Ok, already. The rest of us are laughing, too, but at Weiner’s foolishness (and perhaps at Alex Pareene’s eagerness to support him). As liberals liked to scold the rest of us, “Absolute power corrupts, absolutely.” It goes for people of all political parties, Alex.

Mr. Pareene continues to insist the whole Weiner affair was a made up story, scripted by someone to “make people think Weiner took and sent the photo.” Those evil conservatives! Pareene concludes, “Anthony Weiner could be trying to make this all go away because he did something wrong. But it also seems possible that he wants it all to go away because it's a stupid, false story. If you hate Weiner and hope very much that he'll depart public life in a humiliating fashion, I can see why you would be very excited about this...” Yeah, right, but is it possible that Pareene trusts Breitbart - now that the truth has been revealed? Weiner took naked photos of himself and sent them to various women… Breitbart had nothing to do with any of it, except for revealing the photos.

This ridiculous article should help us deal with future events. Even though we saw the irrational, paranoid defense of a guilty Democrat from a blogger, we can gain some insight into how the mainstream media thinks. This reasoning is one-dimensional, simplistic, and there was no curiosity to investigate until one, lone and courageous journalist, Mr. Breitbart, presented the evidence. What if Woodward and Bernstein decided to ignore your beloved Watergate affair, Mr. Pareene?

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Pocket Full of Posey

2011-06-07T19:29:00.000-06:00

June 7, 2011

Buster Posey, the San Francisco Giants’ star catcher, is out for the rest of the year. He broke his leg on a play at home plate on May 25, 2011. The experts say it was his own fault because he positioned himself poorly as the runner, Florida Marlins’ outfielder Scott Cousins, approached. However, Giants’ General Manager, Brian Sabean, in an angry radio outburst, attacked Cousins, calling the play “malicious.” Sabean also said, “…if I never hear from Cousins again or he doesn’t play another day in the big leagues, I think we’ll all be happy.” You may think Sabean loyal for sticking up for his player, but he was out of line. As we all know, anger doesn’t solve anything.

Of course, Sabean apologized with the usual platitudes. But you’d think a Giants’ GM would have a better handle on this stuff. Earlier this year two Dodger fans beat up a Giants’ fan outside of Dodger stadium and he died from his injuries. Scott Cousins has been threatened with death himself, and while Sabean’s comments probably didn’t cause the threats, they certainly didn’t help.

Hall of Fame catcher, Johnny Bench, summed it up by saying that Posey had put himself in a bad position. Bench said, “I teach my kids to stay away from the plate when you don't have the ball so the runner actually sees home plate and his thought is, slide. But Buster is laying in front of home plate, and it's like having a disabled car in the middle of a four-lane highway. You're just going to get smacked. Show them the plate. You can always catch the ball and step, or step and catch the ball, as long as you've got the runner on the ground. And if you have the runner on the ground, there's less chance of any severe collision.” Rockies’ catching expert and former major leaguer Marv Foley, agreed with Bench’s analysis.

Why do I mention a baseball incident in a political blog? It’s simple. There is an analogy between Brian Sabean’s reaction and people who debate political issues. Some fly off the handle and become unhinged, while others take a more rational approach. I want to point out how easy it is to react with emotion. It’s more difficult, but better to be thoughtful and understanding about things when they don’t go your way. Analyze, think, then think some more. After you understand the situation completely, react, but use your best judgment. Don’t attack anyone, and remember, we’re all human beings, and we all have feelings. Isn’t this how you would want your children and/or grandchildren to behave?

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Ambush!

2011-05-31T22:17:00.000-06:00

May 30-31, 2011

Flash back to March of 2010: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House and our President refused to pose for photos with him. He then asked Mr. Netanyahu to halt all new settlement construction in East Jerusalem. Many Israelis and the Prime Minister perceived the request as pro-Palestinian and hurtful to Israel’s sovereignty. Netanyahu, probably stunned, didn’t respond. Then Obama walked out, telling him to work with our president’s advisors, and said, “…I’m still around. Let me know if there is anything new.” The PM was understandably irritated and felt humiliated. The Israeli media called it a White House ambush and said their PM was “disgraced.”

About a week ago President Obama stated what radical Muslims want – a return to the 1967 borders, which would make Israel vulnerable to future attacks. See Ed Morrissey’s clear analysis here: Morrissey. American liberals will defend the president by saying he was only suggesting a starting place for negotiations. And, they’ll say that Mr. Obama said there would be “mutually agreed swaps,” because everyone knows there can actually be no return to the ‘67 borders. He did say that, but the left forgets that Israel was attacked by multiple Arab countries, and in six days seized the land in self-defense (see a map, google the history). Our president showed his naiveté for assuming the Israelis would not be insulted by the mere suggestion the peace process begin with the pre-war borders. They would never consider a proposal like that one. They don’t even want to hear it.

During a mutual press conference with President Obama a couple of days later, PM Netanyahu took the opportunity to state that all of Israel bristles at the mention of the borders prior to the six-day war. The left said he appeared to lecture our president as he reminded everyone that Israel can’t negotiate with a group which still refuses to accept his country’s existence. There are several reasons for this misperception. One is that many in our media don’t care for Mr. Netanyahu. Another is Mr. Netanyahu’s long-term involvement in Israel’s affairs since the 1960’s. U.S. Presidents typically don’t stay on the scene very long. Therefore, Barack Obama falls into the category of ‘relative newcomer.’ The Prime Minister probably could have eyeballed the media while speaking, but instead turned to Mr. Obama. He thought he’d educate our president – and our people. At the same time, he recanted some of the history of his area - and he was masterful at it. Perhaps he was paying our leader back for the snub of 2010. And who could blame him?

Next, Mr. Netanyahu spoke in front of our Congress. Too bad President Obama chose to travel instead. And the PM gave a knock-it-out-of-the-park speech. It summed up the problem – while describing the solution. I’m sure it can also be found elsewhere, but you can read it here: Netanyahu Transcript. I hope President Obama learned something from Mr. Netanyahu. He needed it. We could all learn something from the Prime Minister, he’s a remarkable man, and a great leader.

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Attacks on Republicans Continue

2011-05-24T19:22:00.000-06:00

May 24, 2011

The number of people on Food Stamps has risen from 32 million in January of 2009 (when President Obama took office) to 40 million today. So, Newt Gingrich said Obama is the "Food Stamp" president. But, as predicted here: The MSM, Part III, the MSM is in attack mode. Every Republican is fair game. Every Democrat gets a pass. When were such aggressive questions last asked of a Democrat? 1992? On Meet the Press, on May 15, 2011, host David Gregory accused Newt Gingrich (R-GA) of racism for speaking about the rise in food stamp recipients. Racism? Gingrich didn't say anything racist, but the left sees any criticism of a black president as racist. The MSM reporter is the racist for implying - and perpetuating the lie - that all blacks are on food stamps.

Not convinced? The following Sunday, on Face the Nation, Bob Schieffer attacked the former U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives for having a rotating line of credit at a jewelry store. For those of you who might not know, lines of credit are a normal way of doing business for wealthier Americans. Schieffer: "... you owed between two hundred and fifty thousand, a half million dollars to a jewelry company. What was that about Mister Speaker?" Gingrich: "... We have a reasonably good income..." Schieffer: "Did you owe a half million dollars to a jewelry company at one point?" Gingrich: "We had a revolving fund." Schieffer: " I mean who buys a half million dollars worth of jewelry on credit?" (Remember, Schieffer is rich, too, but he is trying to show his audience that Gingrich is wealthy. Schieffer believes that this fact alone will convince his audience to dislike the former Speaker.) Gingrich: "... it’s--my private life." Schieffer: "... You’re going to be the guy in charge of the Treasury Department. And it just- it just sticks out--" Gingrich: "...I am debt-free. If the U.S. government was debt-free as I am, everybody in America would be celebrating. I think I have proven I can manage money." Did a single reporter (from the MSM) harass Barack Obama about his assets, what he owed, or where he spent his money in 2008? Didn't think so.

Read the entire and extraordinary transcript for yourself at: Newt on Face the Nation. The MSM came down on the Tea Party, calling them radical and dangerous, remember? Schieffer asked Gingrich about the president's recent speech, in which he called for a Palestinian State and a return to the 1967 borders (prior to the 6-day war, which began when Israel was attacked, BTW). Gingrich: "...I think it is a disaster. I think it is extraordinarily dangerous. I think that it-- defining the 1967 border would be an act of suicide for Israel..." Schieffer: "...I have to ask you though you’re using words like dangerous. I mean, the President was calling for peace. How-- why-- why can you characterize that as dangerous?" Gingrich: "...how do you have peace with a Hamas organization whose stated goal is the destruction of Israel and driving every Israeli out of the country? ...the President talks about peace when he ought to be insisting that we cut off all aid to Hamas and isolate Hamas as long as it is a terrorist organization trying to destroy an entire people."

Even though I used to think I was a liberal, I find their thinking amusing, hypocritical, illogical, and completely misguided today. Don't you?

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NASA: Gifts From Space

2011-05-17T22:09:00.000-06:00

Feb., Apr., and May 17, 2011

Newspaper reporter Mark Matthews appeared on Washington Journal on 1/29/11, and spoke about NASA (The National Aeronautical and Space Administration). I was surprised he, a reporter for a The Orlando Sentinel, could not think of ONE benefit that came out of the space program! The interviewer didn't even challenge him on his omissions. This is stunning, if you think about it. Everyone who has followed NASA, from Mercury to Gemini to Apollo, will know at least some reward that we now reap due directly to our exploration of the cosmos.

Here's a reduced list of what we've gained from our ventures outside the earth's atmosphere, grouped by categories: For Agriculture: a. Satellite Imagery Crop Management and Resource Planning. b. Weather Satellite Storm Prediction. c. Long-Range Weather Forecasting. d. Climate Change Imagery. For Education and Telecommunication: a. Micro Computing. b. Long Distance Telephone Networks. c. Car Phones. For Science and Technology: a. High-Density Batteries. b. Robot-Guided Wheelchairs. c. Dry-Film Machinery Lubricants. d. Flat-Panel TV's. For Transportation & Infrastructure: a. Advanced Structural Design for Bridges, Buildings, Trains, Shops, Turbines, etc. For Health & Medicine: a. Automatic Insulin Pump. b. Programmable Pacemaker. c. Food Processing Control. For Energy & Natural Resources: a. Water Purification Systems. b. Energy Efficient Air Conditioning. For The Environment & Public Works: a. Environmentally Safe Sewage Treatment.

Even a good reporter must ask if and/or why these items are related to space exploration. Remember, we should question everything! The answer is simple. For flight, everything required miniaturization in order to save fuel costs. According to Wikipedia, as of the year 2000, to lift just one ounce of material into space cost just shy of $1,000! We had to simplify and reduce weight in a drastic way. Our best scientists did these things for the program, but we get a boost from all of them down on earth, too. Each day, these wonders assist all of us, rich and poor alike, to live a better and a more enjoyable and rewarding life.

Why did a reporter for a Florida paper not know any of this? Mark Matthews, at his job for at least eight years, had to either be kidding - or uneducated. If he was kidding, he is a liberal ideologue, foisting the notion upon us that anything which doesn't directly deal with helping or funneling money to the poor must be shut down. I vote for uneducated, but you have to ask, how did the educational system fail him in this regard? How could he not name even a single contribution from NASA?

Every day we should thank NASA, and President John F. Kennedy (D-MA), for what has been accomplished on our behalf. President Kennedy's vision for our future adventures into the heavens was forward-thinking, and bold for his time, but we need to strive for more - much more. I look forward to the next leader of our country who will step forward, and push us deeper into space - and deeper into discovery for all mankind.

Would someone please instruct reporter Mark Matthews to use Google and/or look at: NASA Spinoffs? Mr. Matthews should also see: Kennedy Space Center and NASA Today. The first site reveals dozens of improvements which came from the aerospace industry, most of which are not listed by me, above! From the second, one can learn of what's going on at KSC right now, and the third is NASA's main site. For all you reporters out there, other sites also exist. There's one for each mission, including the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, which reveals astounding photographs. Use google, reporters. It's a terrific learning tool.

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The MSM, Part III

2011-05-10T20:20:00.000-06:00

Apr. 26, and May 10, 2011

Did you notice how the mainstream media (MSM), that rag-time mix of status-quo reporters, gets down on each Republican candidate as they appear on the horizon for the 2012 election season? No? Then, perhaps you've seen them call Sarah Palin (R-AK) an idiot and said there simply could not be a worse candidate than she. And then, they ridiculed Michele Bachmann (R-MN), and said she was a Tea Party radical. Next, they said Donald Trump was a clown, positively the worst candidate, ever. My guess would be that Herman Cain (R-GA) is next, but they'll have some difficulty insulting him.

The MSM keeps interviewing conservatives and tries to get them to look foolish. They always try to pin 'em down! Remember Katie Couric's interview with Sarah Palin? Or, Charlie Gibson peering down at Palin through glasses strategically placed at the end of his nose to make him appear superior? The formula is set up this way. The MSM interviewer makes a statement or two, and then says to the conservative, "So, [title], will you say right now that you have absolutely no doubts [tag line]?" There are variants, but you get the idea.

Example 1: To Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), "Are you willing to say right now we’re not going to let the country go into default, and we won’t allow a government shutdown?" Chris Matthews of MSNBC crafted that one.

Example 2: Sometimes they repeat their question to try to force an uncomfortable answer. To Sen. Snowe (R-ME) in 2009, "Will you vote for it if you're the only Republican because Senator Grassley, another key Republican, said he's not going to vote for it if he has to be the only Republican? It has to be a broader plan than that. Would you be willing to vote if you're the only Republican that's for this?" Care of Bob Schieffer, CBS news.

Example 3: Governor, will you say right now that you have absolutely no doubts that President Obama was born in the U.S.? Christiane Amanpour said something close to this on her show on ABC.

Example 4: Bob Schieffer said this To Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), "You say you’re not for cutting taxes. But am I misinformed? I thought you were talking about lowering that rate for the top-income taxpayers back to about twenty-five percent, so isn’t that a tax cut?"

I rest my case.

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The MSM, Part II

2011-05-03T19:58:00.000-06:00

Apr. 17, 19, and 26, and May 3, 2011

The MSM, that old time conglomerate of anti-conservative newspapers and TV networks, keeps implying that the Tea Party causes Republicans headaches, but it doesn't. I'm a Republican and I like The Tea Party - because it's honest. It's funny to see how members of the MSM don't get it!

Did you see that fun montage on TV, the one which revealed President Obama's favorite drinks? Most of the time, this kind of story starts with an over-the-top, abnormally jovial narrator, saying something like this, (remember, with more glee than usual): "Tea? No, that would be water. And, there you have beer and champagne, soda pop, a nice cold smoothie, a shot of Orange Juice..." At this point, the narrator's strikes a more serious chord. "And yes, ok, he also drinks tea... In fact, he's had to swallow quite a bit lately." The story implies the Tea Party stole Obama's line of 'change.' Next, the narrator's voice is somber and slightly irritated. "When a deal was struck to cut the budget by $38.5 billion - which is historic - they [those darn conservatives] had wanted $100 billion." (But, isn't this but a trifle compared to the $4.6 trillion, skyrocketing debt? For example, 38.5 billion is about 125 times smaller than the national debt.)

The same reporter next turns on the Tea Party. They defied John Boehner (the MSM loves such dissonance among conservatives), the narrator says, so he had to get Democrats to vote with him on the compromise. "This leads to the question, who's leading whom?" (They love to highlight what they see as problems for Republicans, don't they?) "They [Tea Party people], of course, are still going to want big tax cuts and that's going to be a fight because he [President Obama] also talked this week about government that is worth saving." Next the president says the following, "There's nothing serious about a plan [Rep. Paul Ryan's] that claims to reduce the deficit by spending a trillion dollars on tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires." The narrator finishes with, "Because to him [President Obama], that tea sounds like Cool Aid and that he's not drinking!" Did I make this up? No, my friends, it was narrated by ABC's John Donvan on This Week on Apr. 17, 2011. By the way, what is government that's worth saving?

Remember when reporters were inquisitive? They used to question everything, and ask the important people they interviewed meaningful and incisive questions, but not anymore. Notice how the mainstream media's reporters support Democrats and their positions? No? Then perhaps you missed Matt Lauer on the Apr. 6, 2011 edition of the Today show giving Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) a break by saying it all for him. Lauer said, "And when you look at some of the things the Tea Party and others on the far right are asking for: no funding for planned parenthood, no funding for climate control, public broadcasting..." Now, here comes the tough question (for Schumer) from Lauer, "Does this seem to you, Senator, that this is less about a fiscal debate or an economic policy debate and they [the Republicans] are making an ideological stand here?" Schumer could only respond with, "That's exactly, right, Matt. You've hit the nail on the head."

Yes, the MSM is quite a pain!

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The MSM, Part I

2011-04-26T20:03:00.000-06:00

Apr. 5, 17, 19, and 26, 2011

Did you ever notice how the mainstream media (MSM), that tireless team of left wing news reporting outlets, always tries to corner Republicans, make them look bad, and tries to get them to agree there's some kind of problem within the Republican Party? No? Then perhaps you've heard them try to insinuate that the GOP is crumbling to pieces. It's true, reporters in the mainstream media sure love to harass conservatives. On November 7, 2010, Christiane Amanpour interviewed Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), and continually tried to get him to agree that the Bush tax cuts would someday have to be repealed. On the same show she asked Rep. Mike Pence (R-SD) six times if he was running for office!

The MSM loves weak Republican candidates like Sen. John McCain. Watch, as they will appear to support one in 2012, and they will try to promote him (or her) as the GOP front-runner. This is a strategy we've seen before, one in which they push a good-guy moderate in hopes he'll lose to the Democrat. Obviously, it was successful for them in 2008. The MSM, on the other hand, will attack strong Republican candidates like Sarah Palin. Despite calls for tolerance and civility, liberals will back up the MSM's hateful rhetoric with something like, "she doesn't answer the questions put to her." Realize that they are only watching MSM news! (She didn't answer Bill O'Reilly's questions directly during a single interview, but isn't that fairly common for politicians?)

They'll say that the voters don't trust Mitt Romney because he's a Mormon. They always point out Newt Gingrich's affair while his first wife was ill, and consistently cite what Tina Fey has said on a comedy show, Saturday Night Live, in order to make Sarah Palin seem unintelligent to their audience. If a conservative candidate has a problem or makes a single mistake, the MSM will jump all over them while giving the Democratic Party candidates many passes. Don't think so? Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) implied, in 2011, that the Revolutionary War battle of Lexington and Concord was in New Hampshire, when it actually happened in Massachusetts. The story was everywhere. Yet, in 2008, when then Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) implied that the U.S. had 57 states, the MSM left it alone. Only FOX covered that story.

If you're tired of the senseless attacks on only Republicans, or wonder why the MSM doesn't attack Democrats, don't be afraid. This is a normal reaction. Please consider that conservatives aren't mean people, and remember, there are several rational ways to view each issue. If you find yourself looking in on FOX for only a few minutes - and only with skepticism - you just may need a new dose of open-mindedness. Please reconsider, we want you on our side!

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Time to Do the Big Things

2011-04-19T19:34:00.000-06:00

Apr. 12 and 19, 2011

New Jersey's Governor, Chris Christie, spoke at the American Enterprise Institute on Feb. 16, 2011, in Washington, D.C. There's a reason people find this non-candidate irresistible. No BS. He's honest. He's blunt. The cliches are applicable here, as old time sportscaster Howard Cosell might say, "He tells it like it is."

The president recently said that America was all about doing the big things. Gov. Christie agrees, but what are the big things? The governor starts by paraphrasing the president, "the big things are high speed rail." Christie looks up and gets a little nervous laughter. "And internet access for some percentage of the population. One million electric cars on the road by some date." Chris Christie pauses a moment, changes his tone, and says, "That is the candy of American politics. Those are not the big things."

Gov. Christie informs the crowd, "Let me guarantee you something, if we don’t fix the real big things, there are going to be no electric cars on the road. There is going to be no high speed internet access, or if there is you’re not going to be able to afford to get on it." It's time for all of us to open our eyes, he's right, the real big things are our economic woes.

I know some of you judge a politician by how much he promises the poor, or how much he loves corrupt labor unions. Maybe you hold onto that old, reactionary, tiresome, and antiquated stereotype that all conservatives are racist and homophobic. Or, perhaps you can just read their mind (sure you can, Jack). Or, their accent bothers you. Perhaps you're jealous because you think Christie's the worst of all sins, rich! Some will make fun of him because he has a hard time with his weight, and his L's. Well, I don't know about you, but this is a guy I can support. No, he doesn't say what each constituency wants to hear, he's about tough love. Gov. Christie genuinely likes everyone - equally - and you can feel it when he speaks. This is a realistic politician who cares about all Americans.

By being careful with spending, Chris Christie's trying to save the pensions of workers in New Jersey, he's not trying to take them away. But, the entitlement state can't go on forever. With more baby-boomers retiring each year and fewer and fewer younger people to pay for them, how can the system sustain itself? It might not be fair, but that's the way it is. So, c'mon, liberal friends, admit it, sometimes fat-cat labor unions and previously coddled workers have to sacrifice, too. At times they have to do the big things, too. Maybe they will. But as we've seen, they'll whine and complain all the way!

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More Liberal Gaffs

2011-04-12T19:09:00.000-06:00

Mar. and Apr., 2011

The mainstream media (MSM), which is defined as a left-leaning conglomerate of older news organizations, tends to imply that America and its capitalist system are failing. Watch, and you'll see it. Time Magazine featured two articles on the subject in their March 14, 2011 edition. The first, written by Fareed Zacharia, Yes, America is in Decline, was featured on the cover, complete with a finger - pointing down, a sign of pessimism. If you turn the magazine upside down, it's easy to see there's another featured cover story, No, America is Still #1, by David Von Drehle. The finger only points upward, showing optimism, when the magazine is turned on its head.

Zacharia hosts a show on CNN called GPS, the Global Public Square, which gleefully highlights the strengths of foreign countries and points out where and how the U.S. has failed. But, Zacharia insists he's not really being negative. His story is that America has placed itself in a position which makes it unable to lead the rest of the world. Other nations are on the rise, that's all it is. Yet, I watch with a skeptical eye, and wonder if there's an agenda behind all the claimed innocence.

The MSM's favorite pastime is suggesting there are wedges splitting the Republican Party apart. The Tea Party is just the latest wedge. Witness MSM reporters calling the Tea Party extreme. One example would be, "Senator, don't you think the Tea Party has caused the Republican Party to splinter?" I can think of a million of these because they're so common. And, this just happens to be a talking point of the Democratic Party. How do we know? Reporters overheard Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) telling Democrats on a conference call in late March, 2011 that he uses the word "extreme," because it's what "the caucus instructed me to do the other week." Schumer said, "The American people are seeing the Tea Party for what it is - extreme." The next time someone says the MSM is slanted right, remember this true story, and tell 'em, "It's just not true."

Try to recall the last time you heard an MSM interviewer say, "Oh, come on!" to a Democrat... Didn't think you could. From CNN's own transcript: The following is from Candy Crowley's interview with Donald Rumsfeld Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011:

CROWLEY: ... the Republican Party ... you've watched it go through a number of iterations. What do you think of this one with the Tea Party influence and the conservatives?

RUMSFELD: Fascinating. I find it...

CROWLEY: Oh, come on.

RUMSFELD: I find it very interesting...

So do I.

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Confusion in Libya

2011-04-05T19:44:00.000-06:00

Mar. 27 and 29, and Apr. 4, 2011

National Journal reporter Megan Scully and Reuter's Missy Ryan were two of Libby Casey's guests on Washington Journal on Mar. 25, 2011. All three are experienced journalists. Scully and Ryan discussed the current situation in Libya, especially America's role and fielded questions from callers.

Scully's and Ryan's deep understanding of the administration's positions and criticism of the same came through, loud and clear. Ms. Ryan described the Obama Administration's strategy: "We would ... prefer to ... shrink into the shadows and continue to play this logistics and support role as we're going to have to do but not have it be an American face." (By the way, why did she say "we" and not "they?" Does Ms. Ryan serve the Obama administration? It would seem so!) She also described the Obama Doctrine as a "more authentic, international, military effort involving sanctioned backing from multi-lateral organizations like the U.N. ... in contrast to what happened in Iraq." In truth, there is no Obama Doctrine, and no clear foreign policy, either. This president merely distorts the Bush Doctrine, which supports pre-emptive strikes around the world.

Recall the stance of President Bush's critics, who to this day paint him a unilateral leader, even though he built a large coalition (of 30 nations) and obtained a vote of confidence from the U.S. Congress and the U.N. - before invading Iraq. It is not clear to me why some say the war in Libya is considered more authentic than the war in Iraq by Obama administration supporters. According to many, a war is a war is a war. Remember? In 2003, that was the flavor of the rhetoric we heard.

It seems the president's better-late-than-never, flip-flop decision to support a twisted version of the Bush Doctrine, can be spurred into action by the words of any dictator. Muammar Gaddafi vowed there would be "no mercy" on the rebels and spoke about cleansing the city of Benghazi. I agree, that's pretty awful stuff, but in a time of great financial debt, and when many have complained for years that Iraq and Afghanistan were two more wars than we could ever bear, we rush off to a third war based on a mere threat? Saddam Hussein was gassing his own people, for God's sake! By the way, long gone are the chants of "war monger" and calls for war crime trials for presidents and vice presidents... Where are the complaints we heard when President Bush was in office - that the current president never served in the military, and that we are in this for the oil? Now that the Democrats occupy the White House, we hear a completely different story. Interesting, isn't it?

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Drill, Baby, Drill - But Only in Brazil

2011-03-29T19:10:00.000-06:00

Mar. 22 and 27, 2011

The Obama Administration decided last week to support offshore oil drilling for Brazil! These are the same people who imposed a moratorium on rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and stopped the U.S. last May from boring holes in deep water. They continue to oppose exploration of our own Arctic regions and prevent us from opening up a well 50 miles off the coast of Virginia, and yet they agreed to loan Brazil $2 billion to explore off their own coast.

The president told the Brazilians in Rio de Janiero, “We want to help you with the technology and support to develop these oil reserves safely. And when you’re ready to start selling, we want to be one of your best customers." Whose side is he on? His actions will create jobs in Brazil while stifling them in America. This policy hurts our poor and middle class. What's the strategy behind this move?

President Obama, when questioned about skyrocketing gas prices in 2008, said, "I think that I would have preferred a gradual adjustment." His statement is consistent with what militant environmentalists say and with an Obama administration policy which kept its boot "on the neck" of BP during the oil spill. The theory is this: If gas prices are high for a long time, we will learn to hate gasoline - and - another, cheaper fuel source will appear out of thin air and it will save us from our self-made energy crisis. So this administration likes to dream, but it doesn't really care about the little guy - you and me, nor how much we pay at the pump - as long as we believe we're saving the environment in the near term and bankrupting the evil oil companies at the same time. This is counter-productive in several ways.

Don't worry, though, realistic solutions do exist. The price of gasoline for the average American has to drop - and fast! The U.S. must obtain more of it for all its citizens. The urgency right now is for oil, not for windmills. That means we'll need to drill like crazy - not forever, but why not take the first step? We need to provide as much energy for as many of our people as possible, so let's use inexpensive coal, solar, and wind, and at the same time research how we can better design nuclear plants, and research every new energy source. Yet, we can't be impatient for the new. It won't happen overnight, but in the mean time we should avoid paying other countries for our energy. America needs to be the one doing this work, and now. Rising gasoline prices tell us that time is running out, and by the way, we need the jobs!

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Libya, a Two-Faced War

2011-03-22T21:27:00.000-06:00

Mar. 22, 2011

While his supporters were screaming for the head of President Bush during the 2008 presidential campaign, Senator Barack Obama said that we had no right to enter a war (referring to Iraq) in which there was no imminent threat to the U.S. At least President Bush asked Congress for permission AND he forged a coalition and an agreement from U.N. member nations. President Obama forgot the Congressional part. Yet, no one is asking for President Obama to be tried for war crimes. At least not yet. The media condemned George W. Bush for removing Saddam Hussein from power for committing atrocities against his own people and for having a well articulated policy but no exit strategy in Iraq. But President Obama may remove Muammar Gaddafi from power for the same reason with no clear policy or exit strategy - without the slightest hint of a question from the media. Just ask the left wing Huffington Post. These are their two-faced arguments, especially when the left advocated as recently as last month that two wars (Iraq and Afghanistan) were way more than enough.

Sen. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) is one of only a handful of consistent liberals. He's wondered whether Obama's actions are an impeachable offense. I disagree, and believe it is not impeachable - because I believe any president, even one I generally disagree with, should have the authority to move our military into action in the short term if he deems it necessary. Nor do I believe Obama should ever be tried for 'war crimes,' that's ridiculous, as former Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) has said on Hannity, on FOX on Mar. 21, 2011. (Yes, liberals can get their message out on FOX, too!) Code Pink Leader Medea Benjamin has spoken out against the president's actions in Libya. Will the mainstream media be as fair in their coverage of Libya as Kucinich, Benjamin, and Sestak are in maintaining their steady ideals?

President Obama wants to fight this war in support of Allied armies. For once, the U.S. will not lead the fight. The president wants us to be well liked in Europe, so his theory makes France, Britain, and Italy the leaders. But, one has to ask why he would be conducting United States foreign policy to suit other countries? This slumps the American image into that of a second-rate country. We may not appreciate it, but we have to put up with a head of state who thinks it's better to pay attention to NCAA brackets than the condition of his country's economy. Perhaps it's a good thing in disguise. Let's hope that by November of 2012 the American people will tire of a weak and indecisive Commander in Chief and elect someone with real leadership skills.

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The King Hearings

2011-03-15T21:18:00.000-06:00

Mar. 15, 2011

At the midway point in March, 2011, there have already been sixteen terrorist attacks committed by either Al Qaeda or the Taliban - so far! Al Qaeda is a militant Islamist group and the Taliban is an Islamist militia group, according to the neutral informational website, Wikipedia. Islam is a religion and a Muslim is an adherent of that faith. Islamism is the politicization of Islam, or a political movement which advocates Islam and supports Islamic law, known as Sharia. There are differing definitions of Sharia, but from what I have read and seen, this law is the antithesis of the freedoms enjoyed by the people who live in what is known as Western Civilization. Listen to the extremists with care and you'll uncover a radical movement whose goal is world domination. (Where have we heard this before?)

Attacks have been perpetrated against the U.S. from within by Islamist extremists many times. The attacks on 9/11/01 were initiated by radicals who came from outside the U.S. However, we have seen many radicalized Americans who have since committed acts of terror, both here and abroad. If our citizens are being changed, then our country's national security is threatened. Why and how has it happened?

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) is holding a series of hearings to determine why and how some Americans may have been radicalized. Rep. King has said that these hearings are "about the radicalization of the Muslim-American community by Al Qaeda... The overwhelming majority of Muslim-Americans are outstanding Americans... Muslims have [already] testified at [these hearings] that their children are being radicalized." The threat is real, and yet many are denying it. They misunderstand Peter King and those who recognize the problem.

Three who deny the danger are Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN). They believe this is some sort of attack on Muslims, but it is not. Instead of focusing on the world-wide Islamist threat, they point to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing as evidence that others have committed acts of terror in the U.S. Yes, there were others, but they are not part of any kind of organized threat to anyone. Attacks by lone gunmen are also interesting, but studying them is not helpful in defining this issue. Driven by some kind of irrational sense of fairness, Ms. Lee thinks the King hearings are an attack on the Muslim community. She's entitled to her opinion, but she's wrong. They are being held to prevent attacks on the American community. These are not the McCarthy hearings and no one is threatened, so bring them on!

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Liberal Gaffs

2011-03-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

Mar. 1 and 8, 2011

Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) said in 2005, "We strongly disagree with [President Bush's] plan to privatize Social Security." He also said, "The Bush plan would take our already record high $4.3 trillion debt and put us another $2 trillion in the red. That’s an immoral burden to place on the backs of the next generation." This is an amazing statement because the Democrats have added over $3 trillion to the national debt in just the last two years and are eager to bury us with much more federal spending in the near future.

In December 2009, Sen. Reid likened Republicans, who wanted to block the implementation of government-run healthcare, to those who opposed the abolition of slavery in centuries past. In a Dec. 7th speech on the Senate floor, Reid said: “Instead of joining us on the right side of history, all the Republicans can come up with is, ‘Slow down, stop everything, let’s start over.' If you think you’ve heard these same excuses before, you’re right. When this country belatedly recognized the wrongs of slavery, there were those who dug in their heels and said, ‘Slow down, it’s too early, things aren’t bad enough.’ To most conservatives (who are not racists, by the way), this is an absurd analogy.

Mike Capuano (D-MA) said this in Feb. 2011, "Every once in a while you got to get down in the streets and get a little bloody when necessary." Got civility? Not much.

Not yet convinced how out of touch the Democrats are? The country is now facing an oil crisis as expressed in skyrocketing gas prices and what does the president and the vice president want to do? No, they don't want to increase supply or open up the U.S. reserves or drill to decrease our cost. They don't care how much we pay for gasoline or other energy sources. Instead, they want to fund the railroads. How... um, nineteenth century!

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A Radical Difference

2011-03-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

Feb. 19 and 21, and Mar. 1, 2011

Most of us say we support freedom and democracy all over the world. But, what do you mean when you say it? None of us wants any nation to live under a dictatorship, so free citizens of the world have been moved to ponder how the explosive protests in the Mid-East this past month relate to our way of life.

Some, like Amy Goodman of the TV show, Democracy Now! (broadcast on PBS), think these were popular movements, similar to the American Revolution. The uprisings were perceived by Ms. Goodman as 'power to the people' moments on C-SPAN recently. "It's very important that we support pro-democracy activism everywhere, whether we're talking about Manamah in Bahrain, or whether we're talking about Madison, Wisconsin," she said. I admit I don't know enough about these Middle-Eastern countries to agree or disagree with Ms. Goodman's comparison. We'll have to wait and see if these were workers throwing off the chains of their masters - or if their revolts were inspired by extremists, prepared for even more ruthless dictators to rule.

Are the protesters and their Democratic Party state representatives in Wisconsin supporting democracy, or only their own selfish interests and ideology? How have their actions helped the 'little guy,' when attainment of their goals will bankrupt their state and higher taxes to support state workers will hurt most of the other Wisconsinites? Has the left adopted brutal union tactics in the place of honest debate and a vote? It's important we raise questions and not accept what most of the mainstream media talking heads might say. Amy Goodman said, "...there is nothing that will guarantee our national security more than if we side with freedom; we side with those who believe in democracy - who are trying to throw off the yoke of these despots." Yes, we want all people to be free, but do we want to blindly support reckless revolutions with the chance that ruthless dictators will take over, or do we want a more thoughtful change to take place? I vote for 'thoughtful.'

Amy Goodman spoke of an independent media, one free of government oppression. Good for her! But, what does she mean? Ms. Goodman said, "We need to have [a free press] in the United States - to be able to get different perspectives. It's absolutely critical." I agree, especially when it comes to a true diversity of opinion. Listen for and beware of people who say they are sick and tired of cable news and who imply they want to put an end to it (either FOX and/or MSNBC). Don't shut down anyone's freedom to express their opinions and don't use vulgarities! Instead, argue your point with logic - if you can! But, when Amy Goodman stood up for free speech, was she talking about FOX News? No, she was talking about Al Jazeera English! Do you support the rights of everyone to express their beliefs when you speak about freedom and democracy, or just the rights of a select few? I want you to speak up, even if you disagree with me!

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Wisconsin Story

2011-02-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

Feb. 20-21, 2011

Former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), set off a firestorm when she described dozens of Tea Party protesters across the U.S.A. by saying, "They’re carrying swastikas and symbols like that to a town meeting on healthcare." Some reporters and pundits used the pejorative term, "Tea Baggers" for the Tea Party people and implied they were a bunch of right-wing extremists, intent on no good. In general, liberals agreed with Pelosi and the Democrats, but conservatives defended the Tea Party demonstrators. The latter claimed the protests were peaceful and that no single demonstrator carried a swastika. It was difficult, if not impossible to find a nasty sign, or an angry protester while watching news stories on the subject. But, left-wing blog sites backed up their defense of Pelosi by finding a couple of photos which proved there were indeed such signs present at some of the rallies. Next, Tea Party organizers claimed they had nothing to do with the signs.

What should we believe? As a right-winger I tell you that the Health Care debate had nothing to do with Nazism. If there were a couple of nuts in the Tea Party crowd using such comparisons, I condemn them. On the other hand, how do we know the signs weren't planted there by left-wingers who could have easily slipped into the crowd? If true, is it possible that they wanted to make the Tea Party look bad?

Fast forward to the recent, pro-labor protests in Wisconsin's state capitol, Madison, over a bill introduced by Governor Walker (R-WI), which called for a reduction in teacher's benefits and a limit to their right to collective bargaining. Clearly one can hear chanting in nearly every report, and see nasty signs from every angle. Many of the posters called the governor imperial, and several likened him to the recently deposed dictator, Hosni Mubarak, of Egypt. They labeled Walker a king, an emperor, a fascist dictator, Hitler, and called him the 'b' word, a turd, and clueless. It's easy to see that these protesters are far more hateful than the Tea Party crowd. Yet, neither Republicans, conservatives, libertarians, nor Tea Partiers tried to silence them, or tried to make them look bad. They did that job well - all by themselves! Teachers are supposed to be role models for students, but they were shown obtaining falsified doctor's notes from doctors who were also heard criticizing the governor. Teachers and doctors collaborated to fake illnesses. If learning is the all-important aspect here, what will the students learn from this?

Sarah Palin used targets in a political campaign, and this angered many on the left, yet there were signs in the Wisconsin rally with the very same target symbol super-imposed over Republican Governor Walker's face with the word 'Reload' over it. I saw one which said, 'Up Yours, Walker, Not Ours' and one with the false generalization, 'Why do Republicans Hate People?' And, where were the Democratic State Senators during the crucial Senate debate over Walker's controversial bill? The upstanding lawmakers were holding up state government by hiding out in a hotel in Illinois!

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Conservative Wisdom I

2011-02-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

Written : Nov. 2, 2010 and Feb. 15, 2011

”We are different from previous generations of conservatives. We are no longer working to preserve the status quo. We are radicals, working to overturn the present power structure of this country.” - Paul Weyrich

”We don't have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven't taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much.” – President Ronald Reagan

”I'd rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than to the faculty of Harvard University.” - William F. Buckley, Jr.

”That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves.” - Thomas Jefferson

”Liberalism is based on wishful thinking and not on reality.” - Dennis Prager (and others)

”And conservatives know that if you reject these principles of limited government and urge others to reject them you can be my ally, you can be my friend, but you cannot call yourself a conservative.” – Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)

”The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” - British Prime Minister Winston Churchill

”The prudent capitalist will never adventure his capital... if there exists a state of uncertainty as to whether the Government will repeal tomorrow what it has enacted today.” – The ninth U.S. President, William Henry Harrison

"Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem." – Ronald Reagan (R-CA)

”…And, maybe all they’re waiting for is a word from you. And, you know, sometimes that word is so simple. It goes like this: ‘Hey John, you can do it!’ “ – Rich DeVos

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Keywords: Conservatism, Conservative blog, Mark A. Cohen, From The Left to the Right, Dennis Prager, Winston Churchill, William F. Buckley, Thomas Jefferson, Rich DeVos, Ronald Reagan

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You can also read this blog at “Your Hub”, which is part of The Denver Post online, at Your Hub. Next, scroll down or “Edit/Find” the word, “blog”.

Another Look at Newt

2011-02-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

Written : Sep. 21 and 28, Dec. 12, 2010, and Feb. 8, 2011

When you hear the name Newt Gingrich (R-GA), what do you think? Do you remember he was once the U.S. Speaker of the House? He co-authored the 1994 Contract With America. He showed he can reach across the aisle because he worked with President Bill Clinton (D-AR) to reform the U.S. welfare system in the 1990’s. Gingrich’s successful negotiations with President Clinton helped bring about reduced federal deficits and balanced budgets by 1999.

Mr. Gingrich may be close to announcing his candidacy for the office of the President of the United States. Recently he said, “We are at a point where our establishment is sliding into policies of such disastrous impact that they will in fact fundamentally challenge the survival of America as we know it… On the one front we have a secular socialist machine led by Obama, Pelosi, and Reid, and on the other front we have radical Islamists who would fundamentally change this country into a system none of us in this room would recognize…” He’s able to articulate a problem and usually has a solution. Mr. Gingrich is strong and forceful, and yet he’s neither hysterical nor radical.

If new ideas are what you’re looking for in a presidential candidate, then Newt’s your guy. Did you know that he is the author of twenty-three books? Or that there are at least three information-packed web sites for which he is responsible? These are: Newt.org, American Solutions, and Health Transformation. He does come with some baggage, but like him or not, you have to admit – after viewing these sites – that he’s not just a bag of wind. Listen to him speak on TV, and you'll understand the former Speaker is a deep thinker.

On Fox News Sunday, on Dec. 5, 2010, Mr. Gingrich said that the WikiLeaks web site founder, Julian Assange, is an agent of terrorism. [Assange] “should be treated as an enemy combatant.” He also pointed out that the WikiLeaks website should be shut down permanently. Newt Gingrich is good at revealing an issue’s hidden angle. He posed a rhetorical question, “How can we have a National Security system which allowed one person to download half a million classified documents? You’d think there’s be a software failsafe put in place which would raise a red flag...” I like a politician who finds political correctness distasteful and who is bold enough to stand up for America. Now, isn’t that refreshing?

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You can also read this blog at “Your Hub”, which is part of The Denver Post online, at Your Hub. Next, scroll down or “Edit/Find” the word, “blog”.

NM State of the State Reminds Me

2011-02-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

Written : Jan. 30, 2011

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez (R-NM) gave her first State of the State address on January 18, 2011. Not the perfect speaker, she pitched the positive and appeared practically presidential. Sounding a little like no one I've ever heard, her talk rang true. Inspiring, non-partisan, and motivational, she framed the issues and laid a foundation to fix the state’s problems with examples and specific solutions. That, my friends, is what we call Reagan-esque!

Reminiscent of someone we haven’t heard in years, and out of left field, she shocked me by saying she'd cut the state's film subsidy from 25 to 15 percent. What? But then she explained, "When a film is made in the state, New Mexico taxpayers cover 25 percent of the costs." She also said, "I support the film industry and support maintaining the incentive at 15 percent. But in these tough times, when New Mexicans are facing an historic budget deficit, I cannot support subsidizing the expense of Hollywood by cutting programs like child care services for working moms." Nice to hear, right?

Governor Martinez also said, "Unfortunately, some are still pushing tax hikes: Doubling the tax when you buy a car. Taxing job creators. Even taxing the Internet. To make them sound better, some call them 'revenue enhancements.' They can be called many things but they will all be vetoed." I found this statement refreshing, but we have the right to be cynical. We’ve heard it all before. Let's see how she handles the power of the veto pen.

To help address her state's deficit, she spoke about cutting costs "by reducing the governor’s budget. I cut overall salaries within my cabinet by 10 percent. I will reduce the number of political appointees in state government by at least 20 percent." The Governor then widened some eyes when she offered to "cut costs at the Governor’s residence by 55 percent – permanently eliminating the positions of two personal chefs." She added, "The First Gentleman will just have to help out with the cooking." Unfortunately, she flubbed the line, saying it in a way that made me think of the first personal chef! I have to admit I didn’t get it until I read it.

Remember how Nancy Pelosi, when she was Speaker of the House, demanded the use of a large, private jet at the federal government's expense? Well Gov. Martinez said in her State of the State that she "will get rid of that ultimate symbol of waste and excess, we will sell the state’s luxury jet." The Governor of New Mexico is a politician who seems to be aware of what's going on. Her address can be read and heard at: Gov. Martinez' first NM State of the State Address I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

For more information about Mark A. Cohen, see The Castle Rock, CO Gathering Place, Writer of the Month for Nov. 2010

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The Great Disguise

2011-01-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

Written : Nov. 2, 2010, and Jan. 3-4, 18, and 25, 2011

Liberals say they abhor what they call "the Archie Bunker mentality of bigotry and pig-headedness." And yet, Helen Thomas, a self-proclaimed liberal reporter, said on June 4, 2010, that the Jews should "get the hell out of Palestine," and go back to Germany and Poland. Liberals have always preached that they are the most open-minded of people, but Thomas once said she didn’t have any idea how anyone could ever have a philosophy other than a liberal one. But, of course, how could anyone think differently? (Hold finger horizontally over mouth… moustache!)

Liberals used to stand up for freedom of the press (as expressed in the first amendment to our Constitution). Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), (picture him with a beard), said the following this past November, “We need new catalysts for quality news and entertainment programming. I hunger for quality news. I’m tired of the right and the left. There’s a little bug inside of me which wants the FCC to say to Fox and to MSNBC, ‘Out. Off. End. Good-bye.’ This [the stifling of free expression] “would be a big favor to political discourse; to our ability to do our work here in Congress; and to the American people, to be able to talk with each other and have some faith in their government and, more importantly, in their future." In addition, left-wing National Public Radio (NPR) fired pundit Juan Williams for saying what was on his mind on FOX news. It seems that instead of supporting free speech, liberals are now champions of censorship.

It was suggested by Al Sharpton that former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) made a racist comment when he spoke last week about President Obama’s suggestion that answering questions about abortion were above his paygrade. Santorum referred to a statement in the U.S. Constitution regarding slaves being counted as three fifths of a person. Comparing it to the ‘when does life begin’ question, the former Pennsylvania Senator merely said that blacks should be particularly sensitive when declarations are made about which groups of people are considered people and which are not. Some liberals slam comments like Santorum’s, but they can say nearly anything without suffering any consequence. For example, during the 2010 campaign, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), (climbing into Red Riding Hood’s bed), said, ”I don’t know how anyone of Hispanic origin could be a Republican.” No one in our liberal media batted an eye!

(And, they hide behind a curtain…) Liberals say they favor openness and transparency, and yet Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said of the Health Care bill, "... You have to pass the bill to see what's in it..." Voila!

Well-meaning Americans, who want their country to stop spending money it doesn’t have, demonstrated peacefully all over this country in 2010. So, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (wearing some strange mask,) said this of the Tea Party: "I think they’re Astroturf… You be the judge. "They’re carrying swastikas and symbols like that to a town meeting on healthcare." But they didn’t do any such thing.

Perhaps you believe that liberals are as open-minded as they’ve proclaimed. Or, were you tricked by their disguise, as I once was?

For more information about Mark A. Cohen, see The Castle Rock, CO Gathering Place, Writer of the Month for Nov. 2010

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Dealing with Mental Illness

2011-01-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

Written : Jan. 18, 2011

The Jan. 8, 2011 shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona has prompted many of us to think about how to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. Let’s assume that guns will not be outlawed, as two prominent liberals have done. I usually don’t agree with radio talk show host Ed Schultz, or with liberal TV pundit Dylan Ratigan, but they were both correct as each focused on mental illness during their shows last week. Their assumption about guns was based upon the strength of the gun lobby, but my argument is that guns don’t kill, people do. As New York Post columnist S.E. Cupp said, similar acts of violence primarily occur in gun-free zones, such as schools. When weapons are fired at a gun show, as S.E. says, the other side may have an argument worthy of consideration.

Accused Tucson shooter Jared Loughner was allegedly face to face with Pima County deputies several times prior to the Jan. 8 episode at the Safeway shopping center. He was also turned away by his college and by the military. Why are people who exhibit signs of dangerous behavior before they commit crimes, able to purchase guns so easily? Could we value people’s personal rights over the safety of others? Is this something we should reconsider? We want a quicker diagnosis of people with mental illness, but should a person see a psychiatrist at the suggestion of someone he or she doesn’t know?

Would it be fair if someone accused you of mental imbalance, and as a result you were imprisoned or committed to an institution? We don’t want that to happen, but we might want to prevent someone rejected by the military to experience a delay in purchasing a firearm. Perhaps someone who confronted law enforcement in their past might need additional time added onto his or her waiting period.

Let’s not be silly here and accuse anyone for stoking violence with images of targets. Both sides have used military terminology to describe their struggle for votes. Let’s not stoke fears about guns for political gain. You may recall that Juan Williams was fired from NPR when he said that he’d be afraid on an airplane if he saw someone dressed in Muslim garb. Yet, last week Tom Brokaw, the former NBC News anchor, said that with the current Arizona gun laws, he’d be afraid to go into any bar in that state. No, he shouldn’t be fired, but do statements like his effectively deal with the mental health issues raised by the recent violence in Tucson?

For more information about Mark A. Cohen, see The Castle Rock, CO Gathering Place, Writer of the Month for Nov. 2010

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