Saturday, October 30, 2010

I Admit: I Stand Corrected

By Semperpapa

Yes, I have to admit that I have been wrong for years now. It had always been my contention that the junior U.S Senator form California, Barbara Boxer, was a woman of very, very limited mental abilities, one whose IQ level could be compared to her shoe size. Sure, I considered her to be the sort of politician who does not belong anywhere near the reins of anything, let alone a country.

But in the last few weeks I have had to re-evaluate my opinion about the woman and reluctantly come to the realization that she is a very smart one.
While she maintained a low profile and eroded the freedoms of the people of California and the Nation, while she championed the cause of global warming, Boxer has been a very busy worker.

In 2001, Boxer was successful in pushing a bill in the Senate that re-instated an Indian tribe that had been designated as “defunct” by the BIA for 40 years. In addition to it, the same bill removed all the gambling prohibitions on the land supposedly owned by the dead tribe. I am sure she appealed to the fairness the evil white people owed to the tribal entity, enhancing her bleeding heart image.
What was kept under the radar was the small detail of the deal. Two organizations took the reins of the development of the Indian casino in the San Francisco suburb called Rohnert Park: one was a lobbying consulting firm called Platinum Advisers, the other an investment firm called Kenwood Investments 2.
An even more underplayed detail was that Doug Boxer, coincidental lawyer son of Sen. Boxer, was a partner in both organizations.

Moral of the story. The good, bleeding heart senator used her influence in the United States Senate to institute legislation that would resuscitate, literally from thin air, an Indian tribe that was conveniently in need of a casino for its “financial” survival. By pure coincidence, her son was partner of one of the firms who fronted the capital necessary to purchase much of the land around Rohnert Park, supposedly a high value area of San Francisco. The whole deal netted Doug Boxer a nice, cool profit of $8 millions.

And if that was not enough, the land in question, and the resurrected tribe, were exempt, again thanks to the good senator, from having to comply with any of the environmental restrictions that are burdening all other California businesses. This she achieved by being such a champion for the cause of environmental protection!

I sort of feel sorry for the old battleaxe, though. All these years that Boxer had complete control over her re-election had been so comfortable for her. Not having to face any real opposition had enabled the senator to keep all these little details away from the knowledge of the people of California. But this time around, facing a real threat to her perpetuation of power, people have been digging deep into the history of who used to be called “dumber than a doorknob”, uncovering all that was necessary to realize, just as I am doing now, that she is not as stupid as she wanted everyone to believe.
And I am not only talking about Conservatives.
Barbara Boxer was asked about the whole story by reporters from the ultra-liberal Sacramento Bee newspaper, and, according to reporters, her body language was betraying some discomfort at the inquiry.
Her answer was as pointless as usual:

“I can’t talk about any developments because my son was a lawyer who was part of some consultant that was somehow related to this.”

Talk about understating the truth: her little Doug has made a fortune out of the “somehow related” thing!

With all my prayers and wishes, come November 2 all this could be sent to the new Senate Ethics Committee chairperson for possible investigation of ethics violations. But only of Ma’am Boxer is going to be called “former senator” because currently she is the Chairperson of the Senate Ethics Committee.

Just my thoughts!

Sen. John F. Kerry Can't Stand The Heat

By Semperpapa

There are politicians out there who we can always count on for levity, even in serious times like the current ones. Being Alan Greyson and his certifiable lunacy or Harry Reid saving the world from depression, the American people can always count on a politician, from either Party mind you, for entertainment.

Today is the turn of the always exciting John F. Kerry, senator from Massachusetts. In a speaking engagement at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Kerry went on a tirade inspired by what is expected, and hoped, to be a devastating defeat of his Party in the coming elections.
Granted it must be difficult to distinguish when the monotone, characterless Kerry is actually going on a tirade or just reciting the party talking points, but trusting in the report, I take the reporter at his words.

Basically, Sen. Kerry went off against the misleading campaign of misinformation that the Republican Party and the talk show personalities have conducted against the policies of progress that his Party has been attempting to implement in the country.
The frustration Kerry expresses is based on his interpretation of the rejection the American people have demonstrated toward the skyrocketing spending the current political “leadership” (I always choke on some vomit when I utter the word) has embarked on, causing crippling unemployment and unsurpassed deficit.

Kerry is not happy with the Republican in Congress attacking the Cap and Trade deal he was personally working on. Surely, Kerry is alluding to Sen. Lindsey Graham, poster child for RINOs in Congress.
The assumption on the part of the senator from Massachusetts is that the American people who have been putting pressure on the politicians to stop the train wreck exemplified by the Obama administration and the Democrat led Congress policies, has been ushered by some Republicans in Washington and by talk radio personalities like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.

I guess it never cross Kerry’s mind that maybe the American people have grown tired of the reckless policies of the current regime. That, maybe, the rising unemployment, the rising deficit, the devastated housing market, the billions wasted on worthless stimuli, the prospect of crippling tax increases may be issues that the unwashed, common Americans could see as a problem on their own.
Never the senator even considered that the vision of billions of dollars wasted on forced alternative energy research (which, by the way, would succeed in making certain individuals like Al Gore even richer), with devastating cost increase for energy consumption for the average American family, would be reason enough for the people to dissent.

What I find mildly amusing is the elitism of John Kerry. Even as the public cry is growing in intensity for the politicians to better start listening to the people, Kerry persists in insulting the intelligence of Americans by calling the popular rejection a “period of know-nothingism.”
So what the good old senator is saying is that the defeat his party will most likely suffer on Tuesday will be ushered in by the fact that the electoral decision made by the people will be guided by the fact that they do not know anything. A safe, offensive remark from a guy who is not up for re-election, obviously hoping that the American people’s memory is short when his turn will come up.

Sen. John F. Kerry is obviously feeling the heat that the ignorant masses are putting on his agenda and that of the liberal progressive regime and he does not like it.
As the saying goes “if you can’t stand the heat…” and all Kerry has to do is get out of the kitchen and do an incredible favor to our country.

Just my thoughts!

"What You Looking At!"

By Semperpapa

Remember when you were a kid? The playground bully was always ready with the challenge “What you looking at!”
Most of the time he would be successful in cowering the target, but in rare and satisfying occasions, the bully would end up with a bloody nose.

Well, the playground bully for today is Larry Lomax, Clark County, Nevada, Registrar of Voters.
After the incidents of voting “irregularities” that showed up in Nevada this week during the advanced voting in that state, Lomax has come out with his personal kind of “what you looking at!”

Mr. Lomax has come out for a press conference where he stated that the allegations of voting problems have been grossly exaggerated and that he has “reconciled” the small number of discrepancies reported.

It is not exactly clear what Lomax means by “reconciled” as he obviously does not believe that the people of Nevada are entitled to any sort of explanation. He tells that he now knows what happened, but would not expand on it beyond a veil accusation of political grandstanding on the part of the parties.

Republican supporters of Sharron Angle have alleged that Reid’s campaign volunteers were giving voters free coffee cards in exchange for favorable votes. The Democrat campaign leaders have stated that they only gave the cards to people who volunteered for the get out the vote campaign.

Democrats have accused the Angle campaign to roam predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods passing out flyers suggesting Hispanics to skip the voting. No proof of any of this was provided by those hinting the accusations.

So the state of Nevada has received no formal complains and that may be why Mr. Lomax is unwilling to give more details about his reconciliations.

What has been brought up by an attorney for the Nevada Republican Party is that in some counties showed higher number of ballots cast compared to the number of people who actually signed up for early voting. Officials are continuing their investigation.

What it comes down to is that the American people have grown so untrusting of the political apparatus that the suspicion and skepticism are rampant. Personally, I loath Harry Reid to the point that I consider him capable of the dirtiest, most criminal behavior in order to win the elections. If the hinting of voting fraud comes out from Nevada, I am surely not one that would say “Oh no, not Reid!”

I am not sure of the political leanings of Mr. Lomax, and really could not care less, but in the highly charged environment of the current election cycle, any potential rumor of voter fraud and/or intimidation should receive the maximum level of attention and should have the highest level of transparency.

Hey Harry, to quote a lousy excuse for American, The War Is Lost! Pack your trophies and get out!

Just my thoughts!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Not Too Convincing

By Semperpapa

I am following the drama of the UPS cargo being searched to respond to some suspicious package found on one flight.
According to the reports we hear, the package was sent from Yemen and was addressed to some religious destination, a synagogue, in the States.

Ok, I am not too convinced about the officials' assertion that the package, or packages, are part of a dry run for a terror attack. Why would anyone send a fake bomb as a trial action? It would make more sense if the bomb was real and the sender would take the chance of succeeding in his nefarious intent.
Sending a fake only has the result that the target will now be on alert.

To add to the strangeness of these events, there are reports that a passenger plane from Dubai was being escorted by Air Force F-15 fighter planes on its approach to New York.
According to the reports, the fighter escort was called in to address some sort of a suspicious package in the cargo area of the plane.
And this is highly suspicious and makes even less sense!

There is absolutely no reason for Military escort of a passenger plane because of a package in its cargo. The practice of escorting a plane in is based on the suspicion that there may be a terror threat on board in the form of one or more passengers, and all in the wake of the mode used by the Islamic terrorist on 9-11.
Protocol is for the fighter planes to down the suspicious aircraft before it reaches populated areas in the case of suicide hijackers taking over the flight.

I failed to understand the mission assigned to these fighter pilots in the case of an explosive device being stowed in the craft, unless they were assigned to take pictures of the aircraft in the case an explosion would occur.

So what is all the hoopla about this? I can hardly wait for the message Obama is supposed to be delivering in few minutes about the situation. The drama is increasing and speculations are mounting.
Personally, I feel the whole thing is just another political move on the part of a desperate White House to try and distract the American people with a "show of confidence" on the part of Obama and Napolitano.
I hope I am proven wrong by Obama's press conference.

Just my thoughts!

Update:
After hearing Obama on the terror "threat" I am still not convinced. I still think that the overly dramatic production with the USAF fighter jets was all histrionics.
I am willing to accept the devices were all legitimate, but the reaction was nothing less than a Hollywood production.

I am also saddened by what appears to be my personal total lack of trust in the President. It is much unusual for me.

The Most Promiscuous Woman In America

She has been screwing 300 million people for 4 years



Throw Up Time


"Oh, Rahm, is that my gavel or you are just happy to see me?"
"F$%@ Nancy, I thought you were Barney..."

Happy Halloween!


BOOO!!!
Halloween Costumes


2010 Election By The Numbers

By Semperpapa

There is an article on the Drudge Report about a recent Rasmussen poll that caught my attention. The heading was the tale story: 65% of the likely voters asked said that they would like to see the entire Congress shown the door (surely some shown the exit door of Capitol Hill and some the entry door of a federal penitentiary) and start the whole thing from scratch.

Personally, the replacement of the entire Senate and House is an appealing proposition, but there are some, few, very few who I would be willing to give a second chance.

I looked at the data from the poll a little closer and found some interesting, but not shocking results, even if I do not put all my prediction eggs into the poll basket.

65% of the sample, then, would like to change the entire Congress, while 20% would keep it as is. 15% are permanently suffering from Anal Cranial Insertion Syndrome (they live their life with their heads up their asses!)

Not surprisingly, only 61% of Republicans offer a positive opinion of the Republicans in Congress. The low percentage is a clear demonstration of something I have said myself repeatedly in the last few years, which is that today’s Republicans are, for the most part, a bunch of spineless amoebas on a appeasement road to destruction.
Democrats fair better, with 76% of those asked seeing their party favorably. The mindless drones!

A bit of a surprise is the 88% of people who identify with the TEA party group that would like to see Congress booted out. I would have guessed a much higher percentage.
More in line appears to be the percentage of TEA party supporters that see the Democrat Party unfavorably, at 91%, but only 56% sees Republicans in the same way. Personally I would have thought the latter would have been higher also.

Most people interviewed for the poll reject incumbents if they voted in favor of Obamacare, auto bailout or the stimulus debacle. Again, not much of a surprise there.

It’s interesting to see such polls. I don’t give much weight to polls in general, as they can be manipulated very easily, but they are some time interesting because they may give an indication of the mood of the people. Bill Clinton governed by polls, more interested in building a legacy for himself. George W. appeared to be unperturbed by polls.
In the case of Obama, the polls he cares for are only the ones taken among his original supporters, while he discounts those that show the unwashed American people rejection of his ideology. Typical megalomaniac approach to leadership.

Ultimately, the answer will come on November 3rd, provided that the American people will be safeguarded from the rampant voter fraud that is already marring the process, thanks to a political class that is not going to quietly accept the will of the American people.

Just my thoughts!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Comes Down To This

By Semperpapa

As the saying goes, there are two certainties in life: taxes and death.
In the case of what the federal government is preparing for the American people, there is a definite confluence of both.

The federal government has been engaging in enough spending in the last few decades that we are now facing a fatal erosion of the economic structure of the Nation. And the so-called bi-partisan crowd in Washington is preparing to lower the deathly boom of taxation on the working people of America.

Entitlement programs are coming to a pimply head, showing, once again, that they constitute the demise of any economic structure. Add to them the feeding frenzy of frivolous spending, better known as pork, and the picture becomes clearer.

Without trying to absolve past administrations of their complicity with the problem (there is no absolution for them either), we are now faced with a national fiscal crisis that has seen no precedent in our country. President Obama has created a commission, yes another bureaucratic entity, aimed at looking at possible solutions for the disastrous deficit we are facing: the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. Sure a catchy name for a commission, but one that is steering clear of the real issues affecting the orgy of federal spending and instead focusing more on the way to make the working people of America pay for the government’s excesses, again.

So what is the good National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform looking at.
For starter, they are considering the abolishing of the mortgage interest tax deduction for home owners. According to the Wall Street Journal eliminating the deduction could bring into the government coffers, up to $1 trillion.
I am not an expert, but my common sense tells me that if mortgage interest tax benefits are killed, the incentive for many to own a home is removed. Such deductions are very important and decision making for many who like to keep more of the money we earn.
New York State governor Patterson signed into law some form of luxury tax aimed at hitting the richest of New Yorkers and bring billions of dollars into the state’s revenue hungry treasury. Even Patterson had to admit that the tax ended up costing the state billions in revenue loss, because many of the “rich” just plain left the state.
The change the Commission is looking at is going to have the opposite result, just as in the case of New York’s luxury tax. Many will get out of home ownership or will not seek it at all. And that is not exactly what the housing industry needs these days.
And in California it could have a devastating result when combined with the desires of Jerry Brown, should the man become Governor. Brown has always been opposed to the provisions of Prop 13, controlling the property taxes due to the State. During his 2010 campaign, Brown has hinted more than once that every aspect of the state’s fiscal current situation is on the table if he is elected. It is only obvious that Moonbeam will, in such eventuality, take aim at the abolition of the Prop 13. What that translates in practice is a doubling or tripling of the property taxes California homeowners would have to pay the state.
For many, and I am one of them, such increase would mean that I could not afford to own my home any longer. And without being able to get a tax relief for the mortgage interests, why in hell would I want to own a home? Why would anybody?

But the extra money the federal government would take in is needed to pay for all those members of American society that are receiving a free ride on the back of the producing class.
Similarly, Gerry Brown needs the extra money to send illegal aliens to college free of tuition, and to provide all the comforts of American life to millions of illegal aliens.
He made such a statement just couple of days back to pander to the Hispanic voters, and, low and behold, Brown has had a small surge in the polls. Maybe the Hispanic voters will rally to his side just as Blacks did to Obama.
I ask again: what is all this going to do for the housing industry?

Returning to the “work” of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, they are also looking at the elimination of the child tax credit.
So while the takers of our society will continue to have children as a mean of subsidy increase and will still remain in the 50% of the population that pays no taxes at all, the portion of the population that still remains productive for our society will see its tax burden go up if they have children.
The future of America may be already showing in Britain today, where the most frequent name for newborn boys is Mohamed, and that is not due to British people preference for exotic names.

The elections of November 2, 2010 have been dubbed as the most important in our history, and I am absolutely convinced of that. All the voting frauds appearing daily in states with advanced voting shows that the Democrats are desperate to avoid getting wiped out.
At stake is the difference between handing our country over to the enemy, from Obama to Osama, or to take the country back on the road of exceptionalism and efficiency that was once its trademark. It’s all up to us.

Just my thoughts!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Obama Instigating Racial Trouble

By Semperpapa



Speaking on a Spanish radio station to an obvious Spanish audience, Obama had some words of wisdom for the Spanish voters, both legal and illegal.

Obama told the Hispanics to go to the polls and fight the enemy.

OK, what enemy was he referring to? Could he have been speaking of the "gringos?" The White Gringos?

The Instigator-in-Chief has been pandering to the Hispanic population for some time, from the federal government law suit against the state of Arizona over SB1070 to the most recent action of the 9Th Circuit Court of Appeal decision about proof of citizenship to vote, also in Arizona.

Across the Nation, illegal aliens are coming out of obscurity without any fear of repercussion.
In Washington State, illegals have been hired by the local Democratic Party for a door-to-door campaign to stimulate people to vote.
In California, the illegal who had falsified her papers to get a job as a domestic help for gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, has not yet been deported.

Anyone who believes that such events across the country are isolated, and they do not have a commonality of threads with the head in the White House, needs to have his head checked. And it is not just benefiting the Hispanics.
The voter intimidation campaign that was engaged by the Black Panthers in 2008 will be repeated across the country on November 2Nd, because there are proofs that the Department of Justice is allergic to the prosecution of civil right abuse perpetrated by Blacks.

And there is Obama himself with his "back of the bus" statement. Republicans may win the majority next week, but still the middle class will be in the driving seat of the nation's policy and the Republicans will have to sit in the back of the bus.
In the first place, the insinuation that today's middle class is all hot for the policies of this President is more bogus than Barney Frank's masculinity.
And the racial connotation behind the "back of the bus" expression indicates that Obama is inspired by the sense of vendetta that he want to satisfy against white America.

So when someone tries to tell us that we are racist, I will tell them to move to the back of the bus. I want to see what reaction I get.

Just my thoughts!

Kudos For Sharron Angle

By Semperpapa

I thought this was really funny!

After the Monday tirade by the epitome of trash that Joy Behar represents, the Senate Candidate for Nevada Sharron Angle sent a nice arrangement of flowers to the Behar thing with a note that read:

“Joy, Raised $150,000 online yesterday. Thanks for your help. Sincerely, Sharron Angle”

The gesture was in response to Behar’s meltdown the day before on the View where Joy called Angle a bitch and added that she was going to hell.
The outrageous level of vitriol that the basically unknown Behar stooped down to created a lot of traction in the media.
Behar, who I hear has some sort of a show on MS/NBC, has been in the news lately thanks to the totally classless behavior she has exhibited, from the incident with Bill O’Reilly to the latest explosion.
These are surely part of some PR blitz that the producers of her program must have come up with in the attempt to boost her ratings past the triple digit. A ploy to verify the thought that bad publicity is still better than no publicity at all.

So kudos to Sharron Angle for handling it like a lady and still succeeding in slapping the idiotic Behar’s fat, ugly face.

Just my thoughts!

Common Sense Be Damned!

By Semperpapa

Last Tuesday, the new Supreme Court Justice, Elena Kagan, cast her first decision. She was on the losing side of a 5-4 court decision regarding the stay of execution of a man in Arizona.
The execution of Jeffrey Landrigan had been halted by a federal judge in Phoenix and the stay backed by the always entertaining 9Th Circuit Court of Appeal in San Francisco.
The reason for the block was that the lawyers for Mr. Landrigan had raised some questions about one of the drugs used for the execution and its safety.

The deliberation of the Supreme Court was that there were no indications of any safety issues for the drug and that the stay of execution was therefore lifted. Mr. Landrigan was executed shortly afterward.

So this story got me thinking.
Some loser's lawyer tries to grab some straws to get his client to avoid being executed according to the law and he conveniently finds an activist judge that will go along and stop the carrying out of justice.
The 9Th Circuit Court, not wanting to miss the opportunity of trampling on the will of the American people in support of every low lifer out there, goes along with the activist judge and the whole thing goes to the SCOTUS.

What would be interesting to find out is the cost to the taxpayers for this shenanigan. Why are we spending taxpayers' money to address the "safety" of a drug aimed at killing someone? What are we afraid of? That the corpse will develop an infection?

Ultimately, justice prevailed and the low life paid for his crime in the manner dictated by the law of the land. And Kagan gave us the first of many decisions that will surely characterize her tenure on the highest court.

Just my thoughts!

The Last Gasp Of A Republic

By Semperpapa

Ever since the American people have begum to show their dissatisfaction with the policies of President Obama, the message has been clear from the establishment: the voice of the people will be snuffed.

From the side of the elitists in power we were told that we were angry, Nazi like throngs of ignorant masses, clinging to our guns, our Bibles and that useless piece of paper called the US Constitution.

From the other side, the one supposedly on our side, we were told that the Republic will be saved by our dedication to exercise our right to vote. All of it has taken us to the final push just a week before the so awaited 2010 mid-term elections.

Many have expressed the fear that the erosion of our national principles has been so deep and radical that there may not be a peaceful solution to the malaises threatening the survival of our country as we know it.
I was one of the dissenting voices, believing that the voice of the people will be heard on November 2nd, but in just one day my hopes received a massive blow.

On October 26, exactly one week before the people go to the polls, America was treated to the sign that the peaceful use of the ballot to return America to its principles may not be enough after all.

Hundreds of thousands of men and women have already been disenfranchised by the Democrat political machine via the failure of states to insure that the Military abroad would receive their voting ballots in time. And the Department of Justice has done its part in insuring that those in the Military, who tend to usually vote Republican, will be denied the right to express their opinions through their votes.

Several states have advance voting and the mark of fraud is already rearing its ugly head.
In Nevada, several people found that the voting ballot they were about to cast already had the Reid box checked. Several other “glitches” occurred within minutes at the same location, and, what a coincidence, all the “glitches” favored the Democrats.

In North Carolina, a man who was attempting to vote straight Republican ballot, found that every time he tried the voting machine would switch his vote to Democrat. It took him five attempts before the voting machine finally let him vote how he wanted.
Call me cynical, but when it comes to voter fraud, I do not believe in coincidences! Why? Can you say Senator Al Franken?

To increase my level of suspicion, it looks like the voting machines in Nevada that were “inadvertently” casting votes for Harry Reid, are maintained by technicians that belong to SEIU. No kidding!
So what we have here are technicians from a union that has spent millions of dollars for the re-election of the corrupt Reid, in charge of the technical integrity of the voting machines. What the hell could go wrong!

And if the voting frauds were not enough, the 9th Circuit District Court, also yesterday, struck down the Arizona provision that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in that state.

I have heard the strong stance that people like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh have taken in regard to those who are even mentioning the chance that the people may have violent reactions to the slow murder of our Republic.
I have heard the call to civility made by TEA Party participants, yes those racist, Nazi-like 70 and 80 years old radical grandmas.

What we are witnessing is the last gasp of a Republic.
From Obama on down, the training provided by the forces of Marxist ideology, combined with the training in the patient undermining of the principles of America from the Islamist roaming the Washington cocktail parties, are taking our beloved country in the direction that no American ever wanted to see.
We are witnessing the end of what we knew as the great experiment called the United States, turning into one of those banana republics where the “leader” holds elections and receives 99% of the votes.

Finally, Obama will get the same adulation the light of Ahmedinejad, Chavez and Castro. The unions and the DoJ will make sure!

The only question remaining is about the willingness of the American people to go down without a fight.

Just my thoughts!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Ignorance Of History

By Semperpapa

Rob Reiner, better known as Meathead and not necessarily because of the show "All in the family", shows his ignorance of history once again.

Meathead stated that the TEA Party reminds him of Nazism. Boy, that's a new one!

Except that Meathead is missing a clear difference in the political aspects of the National Socialist Party of 1930s Germany and what the TEA movement driving force is.

The goal of National Socialism was to place the German state in charge of every single aspect of the lives of the German people and to expand that control to all German speaking people. Hence the word "Socialism" in their name. They also aspired at the predominance of the Arian race over all others in a manner that was strictly controlled by the government.

The TEA movements, instead, aims at exactly the opposite, specifically at reducing the control of an over-intrusive government in the lives of the people. Not to mention that TEA philosophy is all inclusive when it comes to participants' ethnic background, religious beliefs and, I dare say, political affiliations.

So Mr. Reiner, in all his elitism, should stop ingesting triple cheeseburgers long enough to educate himself before opening his big mouth and remove all doubts about his ignorance.

Just my thoughts!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

This is damn personal

By Semperpapa

I am an immigrant! A legal immigrant who came to the United States in 1979 and who applied and took the necessary steps to become a United States citizen as soon as the laws of this country allowed me to.
According to such laws, a legal alien can petition the government for citizenship after the fifth anniversary of taking official legal residence on US soil. The person petitioning for citizenship must have proficiency in the English language, be proficient in civic knowledge and be subjected to a background check.
All these requirements are necessary to insure that the new citizen is the type of individual the country may feel proud of making a citizen.
The waiting period is so that the immigrant can take the time to assimilate into American society and become proficient in the English language.
Knowledge of the form of government he or she will be pledging allegiance to is also important to insure that the person understands the US Constitution, the branches of government and the electoral system he or she will be under.
The background investigation is essential to insure that no person, whose moral standing are questionable, will be imparted the honor of becoming a US citizen.

Many in America take the significance of being a citizen as a joke, especially those who, having been born in this country never had to really think about it twice. Citizenship has been taken for granted.

Now I read this article from the Associated Press about initiatives taken by some states to allow non-citizens to vote. And my objection to it could not be more visceral.

According to the article, in Maine the cause to give the right to vote in local elections to non-citizens will be on the ballot for the Nov. 2 elections. If the residents of liberal Maine will allow the measure to pass, they will join places like San Francisco and Chicago (I know, what a shock!) in giving the right that is exclusive to US citizens to those who prefer to maintain their allegiance to their country of origin.

One of the main voices for the Maine community in favor of allowing non-citizens to vote is a community organizer from Congo, Claude Rwaganje, who has been in the US for 13 years and still has not decided to petition for citizenship. Rwaganje sustains that legal immigrants work and pay taxes, own businesses and their children go to public schools, for which they pay with their taxes. It is therefore only “democratic” that they would be allowed to express their preferences at the ballot box.

This is the new face of America, the one where people feel entitled to privileges without having to work for it.
Yes, legal immigrants pay income taxes from the fruit of the work, but their fiscal responsibilities are not a justification for demanding the right to vote when they have not taken the necessary steps to become citizens. Their taxes are used for all the other benefits they are entitled to, from the dog catcher to our National Defense.
Legal immigrants pay taxes so their children can attend public schools. Considering that in many cases these individuals come from countries where education is practically non-existent unless one is a member of the ruling class, I cannot see the validity of the demand based on that.
Sure, immigrants are business owners, and there again, they should be thankful that they are living in a country that allows them to be owners of a business. In some of the countries they are from, they would not even be allowed to own property.

Another example brought up by the article is that of Abdirizak Daud, a 40 year old Somali man who moved to Portland, Maine, after residing in Minnesota for 18 years. The man’s English is poor and he is unemployed, and he uses these excuses as the reason why he has not petitioned for citizenship. The complaint is that the process is expensive, as it includes official forms filing fees, civic classes and attorney fees. Those are only excuses, as when I became citizen, I only had to pay for the legal filings, I studied on my own time and never had to get a lawyer involved.

Ultimately, my position is that voting is more a civic responsibility than a right. The American people have taken such responsibility for granted even more than the blessing of citizenship, as demonstrated by the percentage of people casting ballots in past elections.
In reality, voting becomes a “right” only after the individual takes the appropriate steps to earn that right. Convicted felons are also not allowed to vote, even after they pay their debt to society. So why should they be prevented from voting? Shouldn't their voice be heard too?
And illegal immigrants should, then, also be allowed to vote, because their pay taxes too every time they go shopping, and their children attend public schools and they clog up the Emergency Rooms across the Nation.

Liberals are all for these “changes” because they are ways to bring more votes into the Democrat’s camp. The Somali man from the article, Mr. Daud, stated that he wants to vote for the Democrats, and possibly his nine children too, regardless of their ages.
Liberals also know very well that the majority of convicted felons tend to vote Democrat, as they have all the interest in seeing a ruling political party soft on crime and personal responsibility running the show.

I wanted to earn the right to vote, but mostly earn the right to call myself a United Stated Citizen.
So I feel these attempts to pervert the laws of our country are a direct insult to me and all the million others that have taken the necessary steps to become a US citizen. I believe deeply that such step taken demonstrates that a person is truly pledging his/her allegiance to the country, renouncing allegiance to any other country and that going through the process is well worth the reward.

Just my thoughts!

Getting In Bed With The Devil

By Semperpapa

This is certainly one of those mid-term elections cycle that will make history, to the chagrin of the Democratic Party. This is also one of those times when even I would be willing to make a pact with the devil.

Political correspondent Byron York has an interesting article in the Washington Examiner titled “GOP challenges Pelosi in deep-blue San Francisco” where he outlines the fact that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is facing some GOP challenge in her ultra-Communist district of San Francisco.

Ok, after hearing of the difficult campaign Barney Frank is facing in Massachusetts, I guess everything could happen in these elections, but the actual retiring of Pelosi from not only the role of Speaker but the House all together goes beyond any wildest hope our Nation could expect.

According to York, for the first time in many election cycles, Pelosi has a real opponent, one Republican named John Dennis.
From the point of view of foreign policy, Dennis would definitely not meet my approval, and his endorsement from Cindy Sheehan and Ralph Nader cohort Matt Gonzales, does absolutely nothing to improve my opinion.
Dennis is against the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; he is for the scale down of American Military presence throughout the world and opposed to the Patriot Act. And was a Ron Paul supporter in the 2008 Presidential Elections.

On the other hand, Dennis is a business man, successful at that, and in opposition to any of the economic policies the Obama Administration and the liberal Congress has shoved down our throats.
He is against the bailouts; against Obamacare; against Cap and Trade; and he is in favor of making the Bush tax cuts permanent.

What the people of San Francisco are looking at is a Libertarian who wants our Military involvement in the world scaled down and the intrusion of our government in our lives drastically reduced.

I do not hold much hope, I must say, to wake up on Nov. 3 morning and seeing the headlines that Pelosi has been fired by her constituency. After all we are talking about San Francisco!
But I do find interesting that the popularity of Pelosi, already abysmal on a nation-wide level, has been tarnished among her staunchest supporters. I will be interested to see the returns of that specific race, because after winning the last two elections with 80% of the votes or more, anything below that margin of victory may signal that finally Nancy may be on her way out.

And if that would require getting in bed with Satan, not that I am calling Mr. Dennis Satan by the way, the removal of Pelosi from Congress could mean nothing but good news for America.

Just my thoughts!

After-Elections Working Vacation

By Semperpapa

The President and his wife will depart the United States just after the mid-term Elections next month to embark on a couple of dozen days of travel throughout Asia.
The first stop will be India, where the President will introduce his Teleprompter-in-Chief to the Indian Parliament.

While his entourage remains in Mumbai, he will stay at the 5-star Taj Mahal hotel, the same that was the location of the al-Qaeda attack in 2008.

For security reasons, we are told, the administration has booked the entire 570 rooms of the hotel.
Cannot wait to get the bill for this, just another extravagant working vacation.

Just my thoughts!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

War Declaration from WikilLeaks

By Semperpapa

If the 77,000 released classified documents last summer were incensing for most Americans, the 400,000 documents just released by WikiLeaks should be enraging.
The previous charade conducted by Julian Assange with the publication of the classified material regarding the war in Afghanistan was, for all intents and purposes, inconsequential upon our troops in that theater.
Most of the information divulged was of real low impact and value.

Only time, and the dedicated work of some knowledgeable individuals, will ultimately decide if the latest stunt will be of concern for the safety of the 50,000 troops still in Iraq.
A spokesman for the Pentagon, Col. Dave Lapan, said on Friday that the release of the documents does put the US troops in Iraq at greater risk, adding that the elevated danger extends also to those Iraqis who have helped the US and Coalition forces in the past.

Other Pentagon officials have expressed their outrage about the actions of Assange and his web site, and are taking measures to assess the damage that the divulgement of the documents may cause.
Some officials are of the opinion that the documents, if those released last summer are an indication, will have little or no consequence, while others are of the opinion that they increase the peril for our Military.

The main danger I see in this action is that some of the documents published seem to be units’ reports from the field concerning particular operations. These reports are a window in the modus operandi of the units’ commanders as they apply Gen. Patreaus counter-insurgency doctrine.
The problem is that what the documents may show is the approach taken by commanders not just in the “kill the enemy” mode, which would be bad enough already. What they may also uncover is the approach taken to establish a report with the locals and employ their assistance in the discovery and dispatch of enemy entities.
Even non-Veterans like myself understand that giving the enemy the knowledge of one’s strategy is a formula for disaster. It is certain that enemy operatives will be pouring over these documents to learn as much as possible the operational aspects of our Military. And that is, under all circumstances, detrimental to the safety of our troops.
Which brings me to my thoughts.

It is amply clear to me that the actions of Assange are directed to inflame the Muslim world and the anti-American crowd against the United States. It is also clear that the man will stop at nothing to achieve his goal.
Supposedly, WikiLeaks received these documents from one Pfc. Bradley Manning. Manning is currently in prison charged with divulging sensitive material. Whatever reason, political or financial, this man had to pass the documents to Assange is, at this point, irrelevant to me. We are a nation at war and, under the circumstances, Manning’s actions are to be viewed as treason.

My question remains about what to do with Assange. I am not an advocate for indiscriminate violence against anyone who expresses an opinion, although Mr. Assange not being a US citizen does not benefit from the First Amendment right of our Constitution. But it is obvious to me that Assange and WikiLeaks has openly declared war against our country, trying their best to help increase the danger to our men and women in uniform.

Personally, I would not be too disappointed if something terrible would happen to Mr. Assange and his collaborators. Could not happen to a more deserving bunch.

Just my thoughts!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Juan Williams Hits Jackpot, And So Does America

By Semperpapa

I must admit I was a little surprised by the news of Juan Williams firing today. Not extremely surprised, by just a little.
I happened to be watching the segment on Bill O’Reilly when the veteran NPR journalist made the remarks that allowed Vivian Schiller, CEO of NPR, to use as an excuse to can Mr. Williams, and my first thought was “Did he really say that?”

I was pleasantly surprised by his statement, because I know Williams to be a Liberal and I also know that, while expressing the feeling of so many Americans, political correctness would never allow him to be so bold and open.

While I may disagree with the political leanings of Williams, and the fact that he worked at NPR was not an enhancing factor in my opinion of him, every time I had had the chance to hear him speak on Fox News I always thought of his contribution to the general discourse polite and insightful. I may disagree with his positions, but I never felt a drive at vitriol in his presentations.

On the other hand, I have heard so many today expressing their support for the man, and lauding him, but I am not too inclined to sing the praises of Williams, as he remains a Liberal.

But the actions of NPR, and especially of its CEO Vivian Schiller, should be examined beyond the specific classless handling of Mr. Williams firing and of the remarks made by Ms. Schiller afterward (that Juan Williams should keep his opinion for his psychiatrist or his publicist), but instead should be looked upon as a total breakdown of the journalistic profession once more. And for several factors.

In the first place, the CEO of NPR took almost two days to take the action of terminating Williams’ contract, and coincidentally, such action took place after the anti-American millionaire George Soros made a very generous contribution to the corporation.
Considering the past record of Soros’ financing of anything that is directed at the ruination of the country, the donation of the rich scoundrel is clearly aimed at purchasing the control of NPR for the purpose of further undermine the foundations of our country. Soros has done it before and to add insult to injury, he is going to use an entity that is partially funded by the American taxpayer.
Basically he is in the business of destroying America, openly and right under our noses and through our money.

Secondly, what Juan Williams was fired for was for expressing a personal feeling, a personal opinion. The main problem was that Juan Williams did so on Fox, probable the most hated, and envied, entity in America by Liberals. It has long been a point of dissatisfaction for the leadership at NPR that Juan Williams would even appear on the cable news channel that Liberals, in the spirit of free speech, would love to shut down. The opportunity was just too perfect to ignore.
One comment I heard today was about the sadness the person felt for Mr. Williams losing a big part of his income. Before anybody breaks out the collection plate, do not worry, because rumors have it that a $2millions contract is already waiting for Juan to sign with Fox News.

Thirdly, there is the issue of race. Juan Williams was one of the very few Blacks at NPR, a fact that had so far escaped the “attention” of the new slave owners, Al Sharpton and Jessi Jackson. In reality, that little detail of the organizational chart of NPR, had so far been ignored by the good reverends, because as long as the message of the organization remains one of total and unadulterated progressivism, there is no reason to create any waves.
The reason why America has not been blessed with the ugly mugs of Sharpton and Jackson smeared all over the television sets is because there must be something in for them and their cause to keep silent and urging them sit this one out.
So while the issue of racism has been relegated to a much lower priority by a population tired of being labeled because their dissent, the slave owners are obviously not inclined to shake things up.

Moreover, the cash influx of Soros will be going to fund the campaign of character assassination we are going to be treated to, soon, against conservatives across America.
Via the large cash donation, and worth mentioning is his donation to the trash pile like Media Matters made at the same time as the NPR one, Soros is positioning himself well to again exercise his control over the discourse in view of the 2012 Presidential elections.
By Soros own admission, he could not help the direction the mid-term elections have taken. Personally, I believe Soros is not really interested in the small potatoes of Congressional elections, because his true calling is the control of the big price: the Presidency.
Soros intrusion was essential in the election of Obama, and considering the damage inflicted upon the economy of the United States by our current President, Soros got a good return on his investment.
His move with NPR and all other anti-American entities is just the next step to move the country toward the new world order.

So, financially, Juan Williams has hit the jackpot, as the firing will allow him to really hit the big time by becoming a regular at Fox.
But in a way, America has hit the jackpot too, because the actions of Schiller and NPR are being viewed now by the average American as the real proof that the liberal agenda is clearly devoted at the violation of the Constitutional rights of the people. If a Liberal journalist like Williams is fired for the mere reason that he exercised his freedom of speech on a cable channel Liberals do not like, shows the veracity of the accusations that the current political climate is one of hostility against every American’s right.

Just my thoughts!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Play It Again, Obama

By Semperpapa

The same old story, repeated over and over.

President Obama continues his “Titanic” campaign tour, really going through the motions of his attacks against the onslaught of anti-Democrat sentiments with the mid-term less than two weeks away.

The message is the old rusty one that may have been shining two yeas ago but has now lost much of its luster: disagree with the Liberal and Obama’s policies and you are a racist.
Obama’s message is that those who are engages in taking the reins of the country back and return it to its lost sense of sanity are trying to keep the Black vote away from the polls.

He has compared the implementation of his Marxist ideology upon the Americans’ lives with the struggle for the abolition of slavery and at every occasion he attempts to introduce race as a pivotal reason for the majority of America’s rejection of his attempt to establish an official totalitarian regime.

And why not? It worked in 2008 when he and his campaign goons were able to scare the American people in a self deprecating racial corner.
The main difference, which Obama is not capable to understand, is that the American people have finally seen the light and realize that opposition to the man’s revolutionary ideology is not a sign of racism, but instead a demonstration that the average American is more interested in the survival of the Country.

The record assembled by Obama does not help his mission either.
Unthinkable deficit, high unemployment, corruption are all contributing factors to the demise of the man’s “Hope and Change” mantra. As I said when he was elected in 2008, I “Hope” to have some “Change” left when this guy is done!

Also not helping Obama’s racial message is the demonstrated racism that has been uncovered in the Dept. of Justice. From the dismissal of the case against the Black Panthers to the revelations of the DoJ whistleblowers, the average American has realized that racism is a component of the whole debacle, more specifically that Obama and his puppet Eric Holder is using race in the conduct of his duties.

The latest histrionics from the President is the comparison of the resurging Conservative ideology among the American people with an empire striking back. I guess it must have been movie night at the White House for Obama to come up with that one, and it clearly defines Obama’s view of our country as an empire.
But the main problem is that Mr. Obama is so far detached from the American people that he does not realize the true nature, and extents, of the sentiments average Americas feel today, nor he cares to find out. The only real aim the President has is to re-enforce his hold on power, to bring every American under the full control of the government. His government.

As predictions go today, the possibility of Republicans re-gaining control of the House is very good and some experts believe that the Senate is not out of reach for Republicans.
Already the President has hinted that, even in such event, he expects the new majority to “come to his side” and compromise. I am sure that there will be those who will be affected by the “Washington water” and compromise their principles in order to “build bridges” with the Liberals.
So let this be a warning to any Republican who may do so: bad behavior will have consequences!
Any Republican who betrays the will of the people will be the target of the wrath of the people at the next elections.

Just my thoughts!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Excuse Me? How Much For That Vote?

By Semperpapa

For the second year in a row, the Obama administration has denied COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) to Social Security recipients. The decision has been made in response to the rate of inflation remaining flat.

But there is a difference between last year and this year: mid-term elections.

The Obama crowd, then, goes shopping. The President is pushing Congress to pass a bill that would give $250 to each of the current recipients of Social Security benefits. The number of beneficiaries should be approximately 58 million people.
It is unclear at this time if in that number illegal aliens and deceased Americans are included, but the bill would translate into a taxpayer funded vote buying shopping spree of between $13 and $14 billion, a number that, considering the fact that these days the word “trillion” is more representative of the current spending policy of Obama, is really not that much.

The real reason behind the “generosity” of the Obama regime is that the move is nothing more than the attempt to place a price on the vote of seniors and others SS recipients.
When the bill was proposed last March, it was defeated in the Senate by a 47-50 vote. The rejection was due to the electorate vibes that Democrats were already receiving from their constituencies and which they did not want to aggravate by adding even more to the already disastrous deficit.

But now, two weeks before the mid-term elections that by all accounts are shaping up to be devastating for the Democrat Party and the RINOs, Obama wants Congress to take up the bill again in the hope that that section of the population will be willing to sell their ballots to the Liberals for $250.

The usual suspects chimed on Obama’s move: Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.
Pelosi’s office issued a statement:

"Instead of helping seniors, Republicans, backed by their allies on Wall Street, are threatening to privatize and cut Social Security, just as they tried to do under President Bush."

Blah, blah, blah…all Bush’s fault again.

Harry Reid stated:

"The only thing standing in the way of America's seniors receiving this critical support are Senate Republicans."

It’s all the Republicans’ fault, even if the small detail of several Democrats rejecting the bill in March goes conveniently unmentioned.

When asked about the mechanism that would allow the expenditure to be made without adding to the deficit, neither Pelosi nor Reid gave any specific answer except that it would be “fiscally responsible.”

Does anyone in America believe that these two characters have the foggiest idea of the meaning of the words “fiscally responsible?”
I know, me either. Rhetorical question.

If I was a Social Security recipient I would definitely feel insulted by this move, because I value my vote at least double the price Obama is willing to pay.

Just my thoughts!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Nancy Pelosi and the Dissenting Little Pets

By Semperpapa

During a press conference last weekend, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was asked by a reporter if she was going to have a debate with the Republican candidate running against her in her district.
The smug Congresswoman from San Francisco had an interesting and telling response.
Paraphrasing, she responded that her time was money, that she would see as a better investment of her time (and money) to campaign around the country for other Democrats, that her main goal was to see liberals maintain the power in the House instead of increase the advantage she has over her opponent.

Such is the self-righteous Congresswoman from San Francisco.

Unfortunately for the United States, she is actually correct, as hers is not a seat in jeopardy for liberals.

But there is an interesting phenomenon happening in some other races across the country.
Several Democrat candidates are distancing themselves from the Speaker, even hinting that, if elected, they would not vote for Nancy as Speaker of the House.

Jim Marshall in Georgia and Bobby Bright in Alabama are two of the Democrats who have distanced themselves from Pelosi, recognizing that the general unpopularity of the California Congresswoman would most likely have a sinking effect on their campaigns, rather than help them.

Then there is Roy Herron in Tennessee, a Democrat running for Congress, who is also running on a anti-Pelosi platform who stated that as soon as he distanced himself from the Speaker, the Democrat Party turned against him and blocked the broadcast of some ads that had already been paid for.
Mr. Herron, stoically, declared that if it was the price to be paid for independence, he was willing to pay it.

November 2nd is only two weeks away and the people will speak then. It would be interesting, though, to see the interaction between Pelosi and these new Congressmen, should they actually get elected.
In any case, it brings a smile to my face to imagine the reaction that Queen Pelosi must be having in regard to the dissention of some of her little pets.
But I would not want to be at the receiving end of the wrath of Nancy.

Just my thoughts!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Another Defeat For The Constitution

By Semperpapa

Once again, political correctness has scored another victory against the US Constitution and against the American people.
In Grand Junction, Colorado, a local businessman had paid for the erection of a billboard along highway I-70B, in which President Obama appear as a terrorist, a gangster, a Mexican bandito and an homosexual.
While the billboard might have been offensive to some, it was the expression and message of private citizen of the United States and therefore absolutely protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution.

The problem arose when some of the people who were offended by the billboard started to express their opposition with phone threats made against the man and his family.
Blake Brueggeman, the businessman who commissioned the billboard, said that the he was fine with the harassing phone calls he received at his place of business, but when the threatening calls begun to be made to his wife, he decided to take down the sign.

Personally I do not fault Mr. Brueggeman for worrying about the safety of his family and the decision to renounce his freedom of speech (I would most likely do the same in his position), but I am very much concern about the message that this whole incident is sending to the Nation: if you disagree with someone’s message, just threaten his family and the hell with freedom of speech.

Now the man did the right thing in view of protecting his family, but what I find intrinsically disturbing are some of the comments made by people who were interviewed by the KKCO reporter who wrote this article.
One Cory Caldwell stated that the message of the billboard promoted hatred and racism and rhetorically asked “where do you draw the line?”
Another woman, Crystal Kitzman stated that if it offends someone, it should be taken down.
So, once again, we see that political correctness is the instrument used by our society to infringe upon the constitutionally guaranteed right of American citizens and the people appear to be just fine with it.
If I could ask Mr. Caldwell few questions, I would start by inquiring on his opinion about the thousands of billboards and signs depicting former President Bush in much more irreverent ways. Was he as incensed by them? Did he think that the line should have been drawn there too?

The truth of the matter is that the methodology used in this instance is eerily similar to that which Islamic fundamentalist use when they perceive an insult against their religion, and the results appear to be just as successful, as the everyday population is so afraid of inciting the fury of militants that they are cowered into submission.

I find the expression “drawing the line” very interesting. It is an argument used by many who are either ignorant in regard to our First Amendment, or are set against it.
When it comes to the rights afforded to the American people by the Constitution, there is no line to draw, as long as the public safety is in jeopardy.
In the case of the Westboro Baptist Church and their favorite activity of showing vile protest at the funerals of Military killed in action, there is nothing I would like better than to see their ugly faces locked up in jail for their sub-human behavior. But where does it stop? Would it be acceptable to prevent someone to write anything against Obama in the name of incitement to violence?

Reality is that the Founding Fathers placed Freedom of Speech as the very first Amendment of the Constitution because they did not believe that really free people could trust the government to safeguard that freedom without bias.
Today may be a billboard, tomorrow may be a newspaper article or a news report.
And thanks to political correctness, the fear of offending someone’s sensitivity is, just as any cancerous disease, slowly and painfully killing our society.

An insignificant billboard on Colorado’s I-70B may be looked at as a no-news by the rest of America, but it is just one more small victory in the war of the Left against our country and people like Crystal Klitzman, regardless of her political convictions and affiliations, are the accomplices of the defeat of America.

Just my thoughts!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

We Are Still At War

By Semperpapa

The current attitude among the media these days is one that practically ignores the events taking place in the distant land of Afghanistan, as if it is something remotely concerning the Nation.

In a recent poll conducted by CNN, only 37% of the people engaged expressed their support for the war with 52% stating that Afghanistan has turned into another Vietnam.
What this poll shows is that the MSM has been successful once again in doing the bidding of the Obama administration and slowly, patiently remove the war from the consciousness of the American people.

The only time the media actually addresses the fact that our country is still at war is when milestones are reached, as “today the war in Afghanistan becomes officially the longest war in US history” or to point out that this or that month has been the bloodiest since the beginning of the war.
Occasionally, some stories about returning Veterans or about some of our casualties make their way into newspapers or broadcasts, but on a normal basis the editorial call of the day is just plain ignorance.

And this is exactly what President Obama’s marching orders are for the elitist members of the press corps.

On all accounts, relegating the war to a much lower place in the consciousness of the American people has been the goal of the President since day one, as he tried to make good of his campaign promises of ending the war in Iraq and concentrating on the “good war” in Afghanistan.
The stunt of ending combat operations in Iraq in August 2010, was one that the leftist throngs welcomed greatly, purposely ignoring the actuality that while great hoopla had been made by the press to show the last combat brigade leaving Iraq, really the lives of those 50,000 troops still in country has not changed much. The names of the unit have been changed from “combat” to “support” or “logistics” or “training”, but the mission is still as dangerous as it was a year ago.

But Afghanistan is another issue altogether.
CNN reports that in the last year, the tempo has been increased substantially in the tempo of operations, clearly trying to portray the image that Obama is really serious about our involvement in that conflict.
But the reality is an all other question.
While the numbers of air strikes have increased, especially those conducted by Predators in Afghanistan and the lawless areas of Pakistan, and while the President authorized the additional 30,000 troops to be deployed, it is the baseline approach that raises my questions.

The surge in troops was only a percentage that then theater commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal had asked for. Moreover, Obama took his sweet time in authorizing the increase in troop level, obviously too busy flying to Denmark with Oprah Winfrey in the attempt to influence the Olympic committee to grant Chicago the games.
But the very worst impersonation of a Commander-in-Chief was the announcement, at the same time of the troops surge, of the scheduled date of the beginning of troop withdrawal in July 2011.

The war in Afghanistan is a major distraction for Obama. He is too focus on the re-dimensioning of America, to waste too much of his time on a pesky war in a far away land, especially a war that was started by his predecessor.

The success story remains accomplishing the task of guiding the American people to compare Afghanistan with Vietnam, a war that was won on the battlefield, but lost in Washington. Public opinion has been driven to look at Afghanistan as an unsuccessful endeavor, all in the attempt to further discredit the actions of former President Bush.
The plan is simple, really. By 2011 our troops will begin to be withdrawn, accomplishing “ending” the war by the time the 2012 Presidential Elections campaigning will be in full swing.
With no mention of victory, a term Obama does not believe in regarding our Military, the casualties suffered in Afghanistan will be rendered worthless in the name of political power.

It is understandable that the attention of the American people would be targeted at the economic disaster that the country is enduring, but the very act of ignoring our men and women in uniform on far battle fields is despicable. There are thousands of families who spend each day hoping to hear any communication form their deployed loved ones, and for these men and women and their families, the war is still on and remains the highest concern, regardless of what the media wants to portray

Just my thoughts!.

Friday, October 15, 2010

A Miracle In The Chilean Desert

By Semperpapa

The last of the 33 miners who had been trapped in the mine that had collapsed nearly 70 days ago deep below the surface of the Chilean desert has been rescued. And the last of the rescuers has also been lifted out of the depth of the San Jose mine.

So now that everyone involved in this saga of survival has the chance to rejoice in the new lease on life they received, I feel compelled to express my thoughts.

In the first place what the world has witnessed was a real miracle, as the conditions surrounding the accident turned out to be all in favor of the survival of each one of the men trapped.
Not only the miners were able to escape the collapse of the mine and seek refuge in a portion of the system where they were safe, but it was also a place where they did not have to contend with the horrible possibility of running out of oxygen.

Additionally, they were led by a man who had the promptness of mind to immediately ration the little food and water they had at the time of the accident. He held the men in control for the first 17 days of the ordeal, when they had no idea if they would ever be found, but he held them together and hoping.

The place of refuge they had reached was one where they also were safe from dangerous fumes and additional vault collapse and in a position where they could be reached by the rescuers.

And the miracle did not stop there as the rescue efforts were joined by Jeff Hart, a driller from an American company called Layne Christensen.
Mr. Hart, who works as a contractor, was in Afghanistan drilling water wells for American Military installations, when he received the call that directed him to the far Chilean location. Together with his team, composed of Matt Staffel, Doug Reeves and Jorge Herrera, they applied their extensive knowledge, and the resources made available by Layne, Geotec and other companies, in the non-stop attempt to reach the trapped men.
The help from the American corporations was requested by the Chilean authorities when they realized that their expertise was not up the task.

Hart and his team and all the other rescuers involved in the operation did accomplish the miracles of bringing 33 men back to their families, a jubilant country and, thanks to the news coverage, the whole world.
I found myself riveted to the TV set as the first of the miner finally surfaced and embraced his wife and son, and I was happy when I heard that the last of the rescuers was out of the subterranean enclave.

But for every great story, there is always the ugly side of it, usually created by people who contribute absolutely nothing to the discussion.
Case in point, as frequently happens when addressing Media ugly behavior, MSNBC Chris Matthews.
As the rescue images filled the screen, Matthews was talking with AFL/CIO president and chief thug Richard Trumka. This was the inopportune statement of Matthews in response to Trumka’s litany of need for ever increasing government regulations:

“Okay let’s talk about what the…message to a lot of the people was. The message coming out of the Tea Party people, and lot of them are good people, is every man for himself, basically. No more taxes, no more government, no more everything. No more safety net. No more health care for everybody. Everybody just get out there, make your buck, save it, screw the government, move on. Right?”

Of course the hyperbolic connection between TEA party members and the rescue of the miner remains obscure, but Matthews is the only one who could engage such argument.

I leave it to Matthews to politicize the triumph of divine intervention and human ingenuity. But that is my personal belief.
I wonder, though, if Matthews is aware of the fact that politically, Chile has the first Conservative government in 50+ years, the people having had enough of the Socialist devastation of the past.
And yet the country came together to aid 33 of its own, without any publicized finger pointing or extortion against evil corporations at least until the lives of the men was in jeopardy.
But such responsible prioritizing is something completely foreign to the Matthews and the Trumkas of American Marxism.

I also heard the miners being called ‘heroes’ and that is one of my worst pet peeves. As much as I am ecstatic about the rescue of these men and their return to life, there is nothing heroic they actually did, in the pure sense of the word. To some degree, the leader of the miner may be the closest to that definition because of the way he took control of the situation from day one.
The rest of the miners were the souls in peril but not heroes. The true heroes of the whole incident were the rescuers who voluntarily descended into the mine to assist the rescue operation, and who were the last to leave the mine after all the miners had been lifted out.

Ultimately, these are the events that show, in part, the true nature of man.
On one side we have the dedication of people like Jeff Hart and his team, the rescuers, the NASA team, working incessantly toward the ultimate goal of saving human beings in peril.
On the other we have societal parasites like Matthews and Trumka, attempting to score political points from every situation, only to further incur the scorn and dislike of common sense Americans.

Just my thoughts!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Birds Of A Feather

By Semperpapa



First it was New York City and some of the other New York counties, now it is the state of Illinois.

Yes, birds of a feather do flock together, and I would not be surprised if we would hear something similar from California.

It appears that the state of Illinois missed the deadline for the shipment of absentee ballots to the state residents currently overseas, mostly Military personnel deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and other Military installations across the world.

This has been a problem that was supposed to be solved by the passing of the MOVE Act of 2009, but it is obvious that the adherence to the law is not necessarily what the voting commissions of some of the states consider a priority.

The repercussions will be that most likely thousands of ballots cast by Military voters will not be counted, a situation that the average American may have not paid much attention in the past (which has been the what Liberals always counted on), but today, in the era of voter fraud with ACORN and SEIU and voter intimidation from the Black Panthers and the Unions, may have grown leaps and bounds in importance for the American people.

Oh well, all in a day's work for the new Progressive America.

Just my thoughts!

More Devastating Polling For Liberals

By Semperpapa

It is not a wonder that Democrats around the country who find themselves fighting for their political lives are avoiding Obama as the plague. It cannot be comforting for someone like Barney Frank, who suddenly finds his previously secure re-election in possible jeopardy, that his untouchable House seat depends on the performance evaluation of his boss, Obama, when polls like this hit the news.

According to an October poll taken by Bloomberg, it appears that 40% of those voters who had in the past supported Obama are now set against him, as they see his policies to have been detrimental to the economic situation in America.

The current belief among likely voters is that the policies instituted by Obama and the Democrat controlled Congress have hurt the country economy and are not apt to forget that in the much awaited mid-term election of next month.

That is why Barney Frank had Bill Clinton coming to Massachusetts. That is why Russ Feingold has Michelle Obama going to Michigan to campaign for the congressman who is down in the polls.

But all this avoidance is not much of a bad news for Obama, who then finds the time for his golf game, finds the time to rub elbows with one of the beautiful people, George Clooney, and to show up at some rallies continuing to denigrate the US Chamber of Commerce with false allegations.

And if all that was not enough bad news for Liberals, one of Bill Clinton’s appointed federal judges in California issues a federal order prohibiting the enforcement of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy about gays in the US Military.
Surely not the issue the Obama administration wanted to deal with these days.

Thinking about it, it looks like Bill Clinton is showing up more, these days. A lot more than Obama.

Is this the sign of some sort of covert operation the Clinton’s machine is conducting? Hillary loudly silent on anything related to the mid-term elections with Bill burning up the free airline miles?

I guess we shall find out soon enough. Meanwhile let us just fire everyone currently in Congress and start anew. America needs a political ‘tabula rasa’ in Whashington.

Just my thoughts!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Today, Ten Years After...

By Semperpapa

And no justice for the fallen of the USS Cole. And how many people actually remember the day when a peaceful port-o-call for the US Navy ship in the Yemeni harbor of Aden turned into a day of horror for the families of many US Sailors.
17 of them never made it home to their families in an act of war that the Clinton administration refused to respond to appropriately.

Here are their names:

Electronics Technician 1st Class Richard CostelowMess
Management Specialist Lakina Francis
Information Systems Technician Tim Guana
Signalman Seaman Recruit Cherone Gunn
Seaman James McDaniels
Engineman 2nd Class Mark Nieto
Electronics Warfare Technician 3rd Class Ronald Owens
Seaman Recruit Lakiba Parker
Engineman Fireman Joshua Parlett
Fireman Apprentice Patrick Roy
Electronics Warfare Technician Kevin Rux
Petty Officer 3rd Class Ron Santiago
Operations Special 2nd Class Timothy Sanders
Fireman Gary Swenchonis JrEnsign Andrew Triplett
Seaman Apprentice Craig Wibberly
Hull Maintenance Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Clodfelter.

And as the tenth anniversary comes and goes, the justice the families of the Fallen are entitled to remains elusive, especially after the Obama decision to stop trials of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay.
President Obama had the charges against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri withdrawn shortly after taking office in January 2009.
Obama had used Guantanamo holding facility as a central issue of his radical campaign and the executive order for the closure of the Cuban prison was the very first official act of the newly seated President.

Guantanamo was to close within a year, but the campaign promise was not to materialize, as Obama quickly realize the difficulties involved in that operation.
AG Eric Holder attempted to help his boss by declaring that he was moving Khalid Sheik Mohammed’s trial to New York for a civilian judgment, action that was so unpopular that Obama put it on the backburner.
So while the whole Guantanamo related issues were swept under the proverbial rug, so was the case of al-Nashiri, against whom the Pentagon had tried to have the charges re-instituted, unsuccessfully, again negating the victims of the USS Cole terror attack and their families the rendition of justice they deserved.

President Obama can do all the flowery speeches and photo-ops with members of the Military as his golf game will allow, but all the empty words and all the contrived photo poses will not change the actions of a Commander-in-Chief who has no real feeling for that part of his job.

Actions always speak louder than words.
Just my thoughts!

The Magic Of Political Contributions

By Semperpapa

During his last State of the Union address, President Obama was open in expressing his disapproval for the Supreme Court decision regarding political contributions of corporations. Regardless that the decision was a re-affirmation of the First Amendment right that corporations have in their contributions to political candidates, Mr. Obama still was bold, and lacked the Presidential class, to chastise the SCOTUS decision during his speech.

Three weeks away from the mid-term elections of 2010, which by all accounts are shaping up to become a literal historical event as related to the defeat that the Democrat Party is facing, that the White House and the desperate Liberals in Congress are scraping the bottom of the barrel in search of anything negative to fire at the Republicans.
Liberals recognize that running their election and especially re-election bids on the “accomplishments” of the liberal Congress for four years, and the radical White House for two, have achieved, would be total political suicide, so they are resorting to confusing the voters with allegations of impropriety in campaign financing.

The White House has attacked the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and political action organizations that have been able to raise funds for Republican campaigns, by spreading lies about the provenience of these contributions. Obama, in some of his latest campaign stops, has alleged that a lot of those contributions are coming from foreign donors.
A statement from Obama of the sort is aimed at distracting the American people, in the desperate attempt to recapture some of the campaign luster Obama had enjoyed in 2008 by avoiding even the mention of the multitude of unpopular policies that Obama has forced on the people.

The only problem that has been brought up by the Republican and Conservative side is that there are absolutely no evidences of any money coming from foreign sources.

The allegations are so ludicrous that even the liberal media is refraining from taking them seriously and in fact an article that appeared during the 2008 Presidential campaign on the liberal Washington Post has resurfaced, pointing out that the Obama campaign was taking in unprecedented amounts of contributions via sources that were untraceable and unaccounted for.
On source of contributions that was accounted for came from Jodie Evans and Code Pink, who also delivered $600,000 in donations to the terrorist group Hamas for its fight against America.
Such is the company Obama keeps!

So, the hypocrisy of liberal progressives is not news, you say. And I agree, except that the White House has not just limited its attack at the public relation level, but has also stepped into the persecution realm by having Sen. Max Baucus, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, request that the IRS would take a in depth look at certain organizations that appear to be receiving quite a record level of donations. Of course the targeted organizations are Republican candidates’ contributors.

So that is the strategy of Obama and the Democrats to attempt to curb the victory the Republicans and Conservatives appear to be headed for.
Web sites with catchy names like ThinkProgress have been continuously tasked by the White House and the DNC as the attack dogs of an administration that is dedicated to the subversion of the American electorate.
Even if the ever-complacent Media is trying to go to bat for Liberals, they are not able to successfully utilize any of the so-called ‘October surprises’ the administration and other Democrats are trying to spring.
In California, for example, even the histrionics of the always entertaining Gloria Allred, with the illegal alien that Meg Whitman had employed, did not have the desired outcome. Sure it captured the attention of the Nation for few days as the Los Angeles lawyer exploited the situation in her attempt to boost Gerry Brown’s bid for the gubernatorial race.
But even in an ultra-leftist state like California, the stunt did not achieve the hoped upwelling for Brown. Moonbeam Gerry still has few points advantage over Whitman, but did not ‘surge’ as Liberals had hoped, as the recession weary Californians are not, these days, too receptive of political gaming, but more interested in the sort of economic recover the state needs.

Just my thoughts!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Few Words, Deep Truths

By Semperpapa

My friend Stan M. in Florida sent me this article, for which I want to thank him as it uses few words to convey deep, unmistakable truth.

The article bears a February 2010 date stamp and I find that interesting, because the attitude of the Washington elite at the time was one of repudiation of the popular forces expressing their rejection of the Marxist policies that were being championed in our Nation’s Capital.
These popular forces had been belittled and berated and insulted by the elitists in Washington and their cohorts in the Media, and yet we did not go away.

A very good read!

Barack Obama has awakened a sleeping nation

Gary HubbellAspen Times Weekly February 2010

Barack Obama is the best thing that has happened to America in the last 100 years. Truly, he is the savior of America 's future. He is the best thing ever.

Despite the fact that he has some of the lowest approval ratings among recent presidents, history will see Barack Obama as the source of America 's resurrection.
Barack Obama has plunged the country into levels of debt that we could not have previously imagined; his efforts to nationalize health care have been met with fierce resistance nationwide; TARP bailouts and stimulus spending have shown little positive effect on the national economy; unemployment is unacceptably high and looks to remain that way for most of a decade; legacy entitlement programs have ballooned to unsustainable levels, and there is a seething anger in the populace.

That's why Barack Obama is such a good thing for America .
Obama is the symbol of a creeping liberalism that has infected our society like a cancer for the last 100 years. Just as Hitler is the face of fascism, Obama will go down in history as the face of unchecked liberalism. The cancer metastasized to the point where it could no longer be ignored.
Average Americans who have quietly gone about their lives, earning a paycheck, contributing to their favorite charities, going to high school football games on Friday night, spending their weekends at the beach or on hunting trips - they've gotten off the fence. They've woken up. There is a level of political activism in this country that we haven't seen since the American Revolution, and Barack Obama has been the catalyst that has sparked a restructuring of the American political and social consciousness.

Think of the crap we've slowly learned to tolerate over the past 50 years as liberalism sought to re-structure the America that was the symbol of freedom and liberty to all the people of the world.
Immigration laws were ignored on the basis of compassion.
Welfare policies encouraged irresponsibility, the fracturing of families, and a cycle of generations of dependency.
Debt was regarded as a tonic to lubricate the economy.
Our children left school having been taught that they are exceptional and special, while great numbers of them cannot perform basic functions of mathematics and literacy.
Legislators decided that people could not be trusted to defend their own homes, and stripped citizens of their rights to own firearms.
Productive members of society have been penalized with a heavy burden of taxes in order to support legions of do-nothings who loll around, reveling in their addictions, obesity, indolence, ignorance and "disabilities."
Criminals have been arrested and re-arrested, coddled and set free to pillage the citizenry yet again.
Lawyers routinely extort fortunes from doctors, contractors and business people with dubious torts.We slowly learned to tolerate these outrages, shaking our heads in disbelief, and we went on with our lives.

But Barack Obama has ripped the lid off a seething cauldron of dissatisfaction and unrest. A former Communist is given a paid government position in the White House as an advisor to the president.
Auto companies are taken over by the government, and the auto workers' union - whose contracts are completely insupportable in any economic sense - is rewarded with a stake in the company. Government bails out Wall Street investment bankers and insurance companies, who pay their executives outrageous bonuses as thanks for the public support. Terrorists are read their Miranda rights and given free lawyers.
And, despite overwhelming public disapproval, Barack Obama has pushed forward with a health care plan that would re-structure one-sixth of the American economy. Literally millions of Americans have had enough. They're organizing, they're studying the Constitution and the Federalist Papers, they're reading history and case law, they're showing up at rallies and meetings, and a slew of conservative candidates are throwing their hats into the ring.
Is there a revolution brewing? Yes, in the sense that there is a keen awareness that our priorities and sensibilities must be radically re-structured.
Will it be a violent revolution? No. It will be done through the interpretation of the original document that has guided us for 220 "FANTASTIC'years - the Constitution.

Just as the pendulum swung to embrace political correctness and liberalism, there will be a backlash, a complete repudiation of a hundred years of nonsense. A hundred years from now, history will perceive the year 2010 as the time when America got back on the right track. And for that, we can thank Barack Hussein Obama.

Gary Hubbell is a hunter, rancher, and former hunting and fly-fishing guide.
Gary works as a Colorado ranch real estate broker.
He can be reached through his website,

Gary Hubbell, Broker/OwnerUnited Country Colorado BrokersHotchkiss, CO 81419
aspenranchrealestate.com

There is really very little that could be added to Mr. Hubbell’s words, except for the fact that the hope the Washington elite held of the anger fizzling out over the Summer, the belief the political class in D.C held about the American people forgetting most of their wrong doings by the time the 2010 mid-term election would take place, appear to be dieing with the prospect of many of these elitists’ chances of being re-elected.

The people have maintained their outrage against a political class that has been banking heavily on the apathy of the average American, the producer. It has worked in the past, as the merchants of victimhood had succeeded in energizing the entitlement generation into keeping them in power for the sole purpose of feeding the “wants” for more entitlements.

Indeed, Obama may turn out to be the best thing that has happened to the American people in a very long time, energizing We the People to re-claim the country he and his cronies have worked so hard to take away from us.

Thank you Mr. Hubbell!

Just my thoughts!