Obama Doctrine Not Working

By Semperpapa

Regardless of the efforts of NATO airpower, the military forces loyal to Gheddafi are pushing back the rebels in Libya, thwarting the effort, on the part of the West, to aid the toppling of the Libyan dictator (anyone who still believes that the elimination of Gheddafi as a leader is not the aim of the West better wake up).

So the part-time war approach is not working. I understand that these actions are time-uncertain, but my preoccupation is about the Obama doctrine of sort of a part-time operation, a part-time kinetic action.
What happens if NATO air strikes do not accomplish the mission in a clean, pro-regime media sanitized, Obama image enhancing way? What happens if the strategy of the part-time President does not work?

President Obama still maintains that no "boots on the ground" will be part of this war, but ultimately, as every military action in history has shown, it is only after the ground pounders hit the beaches that strategic objectives have a chance to to be reached.
And let us not kid ourselves: our "boots" are already on the ground, as the application of air power, as needed in this type of ground support, requires Special Ops teams to be in place to insure that the munition dropped does not become a propaganda tool for the enemy.

After the invasion and toppling of Saddam Hussein in Iraq in 2003, Gheddafi suddenly became open to the West and renounced his terrorist posture and programs of development of weapons of mass destruction. The reason was that he was suddenly concerned about the cowboy in the White House handing him his own ass after the capture of the Iraqi dictator.
But a new sheriff is in town now, one that will tell the enemy what he will or will not do beforehand, telephoning his strategies, assuming he has one.
Let me put it in terms that Col. Obama could better understand: what he is is doing is the same as if the basketball coach of his favorite NCAA team would show his opponent his playbook before the final game, or having the instructions of that last game time out being transmitted on the public address system.
Anyone that has a slight idea about military affairs and the best intentions toward the uniformed folks in the Armed Forces knows that you do not tell the enemy what you will or will not do, but, as amply demonstrated by the current part-time Commander-in-Chief, he appears to have neither.

So we are backing the Libyan rebels cause, getting deeper into a military situation that has no clear purpose or clear directive. Depending on who grabs the microphone on any given time of the day, we hear different scopes and strategies.
And what about those "freedom fighters" we are backing? Many different sources are placing al Qaeda forces among the rebels, the leader of the insurrection calling them "good Muslims" while Sec. of State Clinton says that there is no indication of al Qaeda presence among those we are supposedly helping.
Next we may hear James Clapper testify in Congress that the Libyan al Qaeda is a secular, populist group of well intended folks just interested in the welfare of the freedom loving Libyan people.

Then there is the question of arming the rebellion. Secretary of Defense Bill Gates is not to up to the idea, while rumors of weapons being handed over to the insurgents, including the elusive al Qaeda fighters, keeps on being fueled by Clinton and others.
The West could deliver an entire Armor brigade of M1-A1 to the rebels, but without the proper training performed by American Troops, they would just be large pieces of machinery littering the desert. And time constrains do not allow for groups of insurgents to travel outside the country for training and return to make a difference.

It all points out to what looks like a lose-lose proposition for the Obama doctrine, whatever that is. His attempt to get a nice, tidy little war under his belt does not look promising at this juncture, as the Libyan forces still loyal to Gheddafi seem to be much better able to utilize the weapons and tactics they already have. The sanitized little bellicose action, directed at convincing the feeble minds of independent voters that the man in the White House can be tough when his principles call for it, may be on its way to get dirty and bloody, while the ultra-Left in America, that portion of the population that sees America as a blood thirsty, imperialistic nation, are not too happy with their messiah for an action that reminds them of the much hated Bush.

The situation in Libya may get much worst before starting to improve. The Obama regime is making a lot of fuss about defections of high ranking officials of the Libyan government from their dictator, but these folks are away from the dangers of the situation on the ground, be it in New York or London. The reality on the streets of Benghazi and Sirte is that without a full and complete engagement of ground troops in the region, the regime in Tripoli can continue the tactic of attrition against the rebels, regardless of the amount of cruise missiles or aerial bombardment the "coalition" may do.

The President and Sec. Clinton and Sec. Gates continue to state that no American troops will have to step foot on Libyan soil, while at the same time the White House leaks the information that "covert" CIA teams operations have been taking place on Libyan ground for some time already. I hope someone will ultimately explain to the Oval Office genius the true meaning of the term "covert" once and for all.

That Col. Gheddafi has to go is a truth that has been known for many years. This piece of work should have been taken out years ago, specifically when the connection between Libya and the bombing of PanAm 103 came to the surface. Just the fact that Gheddafi paid millions of dollars to the families of those who perished in that terrorist attack, should have been considered an admission of responsibility and action should have been taken. Instead, the West allowed Megrahi, the only convicted terrorist, to leave his life sentence and "retire" in a Tripoli villa.
Given that Gheddafi's life should be worth less that camel dung for every American, the action of our government in this matter should be decisive and final.
Anything short from that is a demonstration that what the Obama loving media has dubbed as the "Obama Doctrine" is nothing more than just another catastrophic failure.
I just hope that such failure will not cost the lives of American servicemen.

Just my thoughts!

On the President Speech

By Semperpapa

I listened to President Obama’s speech which had been anticipated to be an explanation for the American people of the reason why our Military is now involved in a third war. I listened and I also read the transcripts and few thoughts have formed in my head.

From the point of view of maintaining a posture of “last Superpower” in a global neighborhood of thugs and corrupted politicians, I support the advancement of freedom and self determination that the action in Libya could, and I emphasize COULD, bring.

The prospect of a country’s people gaining the freedom from a long time dictator is a powerful motivation, but in the case of Gheddafi and his regime, I am not convinced that the aim of Obama is that.

From separate sources of the diplomatic corps, the message has not been clear and consistent. One day the removal of Gheddafi is the goal, the next the possibility of Gheddafi remaining in power is contemplated.

So what is it? From the speech it appears that the goal is to have Gheddafi gone. Will it change today?

Protection of the innocent people of Libya. I can support this too, as for a long time now, oppressed people across the globe have always looked at America as the beacon of freedom that inspires seeking liberty. But is it really the motivation? Since the very first move of then candidate Obama to seek the presidency, the message received from Barak Obama was one of castigation against everything that America has stood for in its history. Apology tours made by the Commander-in-Chief have left a sour taste in the mouths of the American people, including the total rejection of the well known American Exceptionalism.

Promoting freedom across the globe must be the newly found religion for Obama, because he sure faltered in 2009 when the chance to support the freedom seekers in Iran manifested itself.

What remains a point of concern for me is the horse selection for the administration in the race for “democracy”. In the case of Iran in 2009, it was clear who the opposition to the theocracy of the ayatollas and of to Ahmedinejad was. But in the case of Egypt and especially Libya, that clarity is completely absent.

In Egypt, the administration supported the rebellion against the long time ally Mubarek, resulting in his regime being replaced by an Islamic inspired, Muslim Brotherhood infiltrated political entity that remains unclear to this day.

In Libya we went even further now, committing ourselves militarily to supporting a rebellion whose leadership is accepting of al Qaeda, the very same terrorists who have been killing American civilians across the world and American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Lastly, I find it disturbing that Obama’s actions are so hawkish today in Libya, while he was completely subversive when his predecessor made his case for the elimination of Saddam Hussein. In the case against Iraq, W. Bush got a general consensus from Congress about the necessity to check the Iraqi dictator, as all evidences pointed at the danger he represented for the world, and Bush also got the approval from the United Nations before committing to action, assembling a substantial international coalition.

Sure, I understand the game of politics, but that game must end at the point when our Military is brought into the situation. One may argue against our Military involvement until that involvement becomes reality. The moment that American sons and daughters are committed to a fight, all dissent should be kept away from the public discourse, as it aids the enemy and undermines our service people.

I may not be completely clear about the reason why Obama is doing what he is doing in Libya while he was unresponsive toward Iran, but now that our Military is in harm’s way, all I want to see is them being victorious and return home safe. Hopefully at some point the definition of “victorious” will become clearer, but until then I will continue to pray for our men and women in uniform.

Just my thoughts!

Hated Big Corporation, Obama Style

By Semperpapa

Tax time in America. Millions of individuals and small business owners are getting close to the time when the pain of the IRS imposed dictatorial policies will leave its mark once again.

But not everyone is feeling the pain. One particular corporation is celebrating today: General Electric.

The largest corporation in America has had a very good 2010, with a reported total profit of $14.2 Billions. The global company declared that $5.1 of those billions came from its operation in the United States. But the astonishing part is that General Electric received a tax benefit of $3.2 Billions. That is correct! Not only G.E. did not have to pay any taxes to the IRS, but got a tax benefit.

To be fair, General Electric has been successful for years in escaping its tax obligation due to what the NY Times describes as “innovative accounting” practices, which, thanks to the fiscal policies of the federal government, have allowed the company to defer most of its profits to foreign accounts. So I am not concentrating my thoughts just on the current administration.

Moreover, G.E. employs thousands of people worldwide, which is a good thing.

Where I do have a problem with the Obama administration, though, is the hypocrisy. Both candidate and president Obama have been very vocal in condemning the evil corporations, set on intruding in their ability to make their evil profits. But in the case of G.E. it looks like the Obama administration has taken a very different posture. In fact, President Obama even brought Jeffrey Immelt, G.E. Chief Executive Officer, into the government, charging him to lead Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. No kidding!

So the scenario is interesting. The tax department of General Electric is headed by a former Treasury dept. official, John Samuels, and staffed with former Treasury and IRS employees, not to mention the numerous former congressional tax committee members.

And the CEO leading a council on jobs and competitiveness, really a surprise. Sure, Mr. Immelt may have the ability to suggest a more business friendly governmental approach that would be beneficial for the creation of jobs in America, but jobs for large corporations. The reason for large conglomerates support of government regulations is based on the fact that the same regulations impose extraordinary financial burdens on small business operators, effectively eliminating competition.

So happy days for General Electric, as the private sector in America is challenged every day to make it to the next and keep the doors open and employees on the payroll.

Just my thoughts!

Operation Fast And Furious Should Undermine Current Political Leadership

By Semperpapa

This story has been going around for some time now, covered by some news outlets, CBS taking the lead surprisingly, but mostly ignored by the majority of the journalistic zoo. And for a good reason.

According to statements of ATF (Alcohol Tobacco and Firearm control) agents, the U.S. government has been engaging in a weapon operation called Fast and Furious.

Summarizing, Operation Fast and Furious was an operation aimed at allowing the smuggling of firearms from the United States into Mexico. A government-sponsored illegal operation conducted, allegedly, without any knowledge of the Mexican authorities.

The first question that comes to mind is obvious: why!?

According to some people connected with the ATF, the purpose was to have a limited number of American weapons make their way into Mexico and being tracked by American authorities for the purpose of seeking evidences against Mexican drug cartel criminals.

The problem, according to some concerned ATF agents, is that the number of weapons and authorizations for smuggling, got so out of hand that tracking became impossible. Meanwhile, thugs from these drug cartels roam the streets of Mexico, and the United States, with weapons, killing people and conducting their “business” undisturbed.

In a sad and sinister way, the operation did live to a certain level of expectations when last December, a Border Patrol agent, Brian Terry, was shot and killed well within the territorial United States in Arizona. The killing occurred when Terry and other agents were trying to apprehend suspected drug traffickers. The weapons used in the killing of agent Terry were traced back to the cache from Operation Fast and Furious.

When family members of Brian Terry expressed their high dissatisfaction over the lack of any competence on the part of Sec. Janet Napolitano of DHS, they were politely chastised by Napolitano for speaking out, dismissing the family’s knowledge of the elevated state of danger our Border Agents were forced to work in, mostly due to DHS/government policies.

Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry

To make thing even worst, US Special Agent Jamie Zapata was ambushed and killed in February 2011 inside Mexico.

ICE Special Agent Jamie Zapata

Officially, the weapon used in this killing was not traced to the operation, but the government silence is as good as an admission.

ATF agents have long expressed their concerns with the operation, but all their doubts have fallen on deaf ears with the high levels of their agency and of the government.

BP agent John Dodson is one of those who had major reservations about the tactics of Operation Fast and Furious, but was silenced by his supervisors. In a statement to the Center for Public Integrity, a Washington group, Dodson said that the firearms involved in the operation will continue to show up at crime scenes for years.

A total of about 2,000 weapons were allowed by the ATF to make their way into the hands of Mexican criminal elements. Initially, authorities would recover the weapons as the so called straw buyers, or low level members of criminal organizations, were apprehended. Field agents supported the recovery of the weapons at the first possible chance, but policy was changed by Mark Chait, assistant director of ATF field operations, who felt frustrated by the lack of impact the operation had had on the big actors of the Mexican drug cartel.

The result was that of the 2,000 weapons involved, only 800 were recovered, leaving 1,200 out on the streets of Mexico and the United States in the hands of criminals of various nature.

Lat fall, the Department of Justice expressed their dissatisfaction with the small number of high level arrests that the ATF operation had generated, which is about the same time when Mr. Chait changed the scope of the strategy.

The whole thing now has caught the attention of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Sen. Charles Grassley, highest ranking Republican, is calling for a thorough re-evaluation of the policy.

South of the border, Mexican officials are incensed by the actions of the United States government, stating that the Mexican government had no knowledge of the operation and calling for a joint U.S.-Mexican panel to investigate the matter.

Interestingly, it was Sec. of State Hillary Clinton in 2009 to claim the responsibility for the drug violence in Mexico to be shared by the United States for its gun policies, claim that was also made by President Obama.

Even if that is the case, which, by all accounts is a false claim, is establishing an obscure federal policy to do just that the solution?

President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, declared that they had no knowledge of the operation, Obama even taking the position, in an interview with Univision, that the federal government is pretty big and that it has many moving parts, clearly ditching any responsibility for his own organization. True leadership there.

Janet Napolitano, DHS secretary, also claims that she had no knowledge of Fast and Furious. Anyone who believes these people statement should by now have some serious concerns about the efficiency and competence of the major operators in our government.

Of interest should also be the fact that just recently, the Obama administration has introduced even more restrictions on the sale of firearms for the dealers in the southwest of the country. So basically, as the federal government was moving to restrict the sale of weapons in Arizona and New Mexico, the ATF was encouraging dealers to finalize suspicious sales flagged by the very dealers.

There are people who will believe the fairy tale of ignorance on the part of the federal government, but it is a stretch. The true policy being pushed here is one of a flanking attack against the 2^nd Amendment rights of the American people. Thousands of gun laws on the books have absolutely no meaning when they are ignored by the very government that instituted them.

The reality is that the scope of the operation is to give life to the anti-gun crowd in America by instilling the perception that the responsibility for the violence in Mexico is to be laid at the feet of our Constitution. The duality of government action, claiming that the violence is due to the southbound traffic of arms while allowing it to happen by policy, is nothing more than a concerted effort to give the government the cause for intruding even more upon the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the American people.

It is impossible to predict the consequences of this situation. It is very likely that if the trail of the investigation will head for the White House, the whole matter will be kept under wrap by the corrupted AG Holder, at least as long as Obama is President. In the meantime, we will continue to witness a Janet Napolitano telling us that the southern border is more secure than ever, just as Mexican drug cartel operators and illegal aliens smugglers continue to invade our Nation and our Border Patrol agents continue to pay with their lives for a policy posture that is a total failure.

Just my thoughts!

Military Experience Does Count

By Semperpapa

Here is the scenario: border crossing near Pine Valley, California. A white van with a U.S. Government plate is carrying 12 Marines when stopped by the Border Patrol. A plain clothes Border Patrolman becomes suspicious when he questions the driver, also wearing fatigues, and realizes that he does not speak English. He also notices that both the driver and the passenger next to him have the same name tag on their cammies: Lopez.
Suspicion now alerted, the Patrolman, who is also a former Marine, decided to ask the other "Marines" in the van when was the Marine Corps birthday, knowing very well that the date, 10 November 1775, is one of the most important historical dates for this elite branch of the Military.

And suspicions were correct, because it turned out that the men in the van were nothing more than illegal aliens and the driver a suspected smuggler, while the U.S. Government plates returned as stolen.

According to authorities, this appears to be the first case of illegal aliens being smuggled into the United States by impersonating US Military personnel. The question remains about how many more cases have occurred in the past right under the nose of the authorities.

Reaction has been diverse, some suggesting that the punishment should be for the men to endure a 4-year long period of Marine Corps Basic Training.
But what I am really waiting for is the White House and the Justice Dept. to come down hard against the Border Patrol agent for his blatant disrespect for the uniform of the Armed Forces and for the unfair subject of the questioning.
Attorney General Eric Holder is probably, as I write, preparing a law suit against the Border Patrol to force them to ask alleged illegal aliens fairer questions and to lower the standards for impersonating a Military member.
It would not surprise me if the men in the van will become police officers in Dayton, Ohio, and receive full Military benefits.

And the theme from the Twilight Zone keeps on playing in my head...

Well, mark one for the good guys. And yes, Military experience does count out there on the streets where real life happens.

Just my thoughts!

Crude At $105, Fuel Prices Still Climbing

By Semperpapa

The price of Crude yesterday settled near $105 a barrel and the price at the pump continues to climb steadily. But do not fear, America, as the President is still engaging in a valiant effort to solve the problem...in Brazil.

Sadly, the President had to cut his South American vacation short to show some resemblance of leadership by returning to Washington and address that little pesky international issue of Libya, but not before he did his best to safeguard his personal, and George Soros, financial investments in that country.

In Britain, the government is easing up the fuel taxes to help the citizens with the pain at the pump, but on this side of the Pond, there are not enough taxes the American people can pay to support the federal beast.

Then there is the ever complacent state media. With the incredible pain and destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the media frenzy concentrated mainly on the nuclear issue at the Japanese reactors. As long as the "nuclear accident" shadow was in the air, non-stop coverage of the event was exploited by every two-bit reporter and news organization.
Now that it appears that the panic the media was looking for may not materialize, coverage of the disaster has practically disappeared. The goal was to turn public opinion against nuclear energy, and the media succeeded. Another nail in the coffin of American energy independence.

Where do we stand as a Nation? We are not seeking our own oil; we, the taxpayers, are funding the oil research of foreign nations so that those nation can then sell their oil back to us; and the American people, addicted to the 30-second news soundbites, refuse to do any sort of research and are willing to kill nuclear energy.

So, do not let me hear you complain next time you visit a gasoline pump. We deserve it!

Just my thoughts!

Let's Leave Hypocrisy With The Liberals

By Semperpapa

I am always ready to level criticism against Barak Obama, mostly because I think he deserves it as I am basically against any of his ideology, but I think that we Conservatives should leave hypocrisy to those who are experts at it: Liberals.

I have heard and read of folks who are calling the actions of Obama against Libya unconstitutional and similar, and I am always convinced that most of what the man does can be found as far from the Document as possible, but his reaction to the events in Libya is not one of them.
The President, as Commander in Chief, does have the right to respond to a perceived threat to our National Security without a formal declaration of war from Congress.
Many presidents have done so in the past. As long as there is a notification to the legislative branch of government, the operation in Libya is not unconstitutional.
As I understand, if the United States was to go to war against Libya as a nation, than there would have to be a formal declaration of war on the part of Congress.

Let us not get swayed by the actions of miscreants like Kuchinich and Nader, or the mentally challenged Ron Paul. These are people who, especially the two liberal clowns, never see the necessity for any use of force.

There is so much to criticize Obama for, even in this particular instance. You want to point out that the man bowed down to the United Nations? You are right!
You want to point out that he left the country on vacation as our Military was engaging? Absolutely!
You want to criticize the total lack of congruence between the statements of the different actors who make statements regarding the real end game of this whole operation? I could not agree more!
Again, there are many legitimate reasons that would justify criticizing Obama on the whole Libya thing, maybe the fact that everyone involved in it gives a different policy aim for the action.
The leadership of the operation has been left to France and Great Britain, even as both countries are not any clearer of the resolution they are looking for (France just wants Gheddafi gone!)

Some say the end result must be change in Libyan leadership. Some say that we are only protecting innocent civilians. Others say Gheddafi is not a target at the same time his conpound in Tripoli is obliterated by cruise missiles.
Basically, we are bombing the hell out of Gheddafi's regime and military apparatus, allowing rebels to regain some initiative, but at the same time we say that we are not at war. This level of inexplicable chaos is the result of the United States not having a real President with the ability to make some important and enduring decisions on a short period of time. There is no voting "present" when it comes to sending our men and women into battle.

So with all that is wrong with this whole enterprise, let us not get hypocritical by calling it unconstitutional. The liberals are master at hypocrisy and we should leave that expertise to them.

Just my thoughts!

Obama's Energy Policy...For Brazil

By Semperpapa

Back in summer 2009, I wrote a post regarding Obama's approval of a $2 billion loan guarantee to the Brazilian state-run oil company, Petrobras.
In that particular instance, Obama offered the money for the company to develop greater off shore drilling capabilities. What flew under the radar of the Obama-run state media, was that just days prior to the President approval of the loan guarantee, George Soros made a financial move assuring a large portion of the dividends of Petrobras.

Today, as Obama is enjoying his Spring Brake in Rio de Janeiro, he is blowing the proverbial smoke in the eyes of the American people by stating that the purpose of his trip/vacation was to promote American exports and creation of American jobs.
The only problem with the statement is that the only thing that Obama really promoted during his visit, was his support for Brazilian off shore drilling and exploitation of oil reserves, including in the Gulf of Mexico, for the purpose of one day soon becoming an oil exporter to the United States.

So, for the purpose of making the Obama lovers understand the facts, here is a run down:

1. Obama insured a $2B in loans guarantees to Petrobras for the same type of oil exploration he is against in the United States.
2. Obama insured that his favorite contributor, George Soros, would make a fortune on the profit of an industry the President is bent on destroying domestically.
3. Obama insured his support for a foreign nation expansion of export into the United States, while at the same time illegally stifling the ability of our own Country to move toward energy independence.

So while the price of our fuel increases, while thousands of jobs remain unavailable due to the reckless environmental policies of this administration, Obama is adamant about helping a foreign country develop their energy independence and wealth (not to mention the wealth of one of the biggest contributors to his campaign, Soros).
And he does so right in the face of the American people, demonstrating a callousness and open disregard for any form of decency that is truly disturbing and offensive.

Does this blatant treasonous behavior not bother any of the Liberals in America? Is this level of corruption and criminality not amounting to a reason to get rid of this joker and all his cohorts as soon as legally possible?

Just my thoughts!

Europeans Not The Only One Puzzled

By Semperpapa

Reports from The Cable describe European diplomats to be completely puzzled by the stance that the United States has taken on the events in Libya.

In an article dated March 16, 2011 Josh Rogin reports that that participants to the G8 meeting pressed Sec. of State Hillary Clinton about the strength of commitment that the White House had regarding the intervention of the West in the efforts to stop Gheddafi from slaughtering his own people.

Pressure was also reported to have been placed on Clinton by French president Sarkozy during a private meeting. Clinton remained faithful to the non-committal position Obama has been maintaining.

Since the G8 meeting and the meeting with Sarkozy, the United Nation has passed a resolution that paves the way for allies to intervene in the North African country in protection of the rebels and especially the civilians in Benghazi.

President Obama has since come out with a more forceful stand regarding the activities of Gheddafi, but, in the same press conference, he also described more what the United States will NOT do than what we are prepared to actually do.

As of today, reports have been surfaced that Gheddafi forces violated the cease-fire demanded by the UN resolution after announcing that they would comply with it. Clinton stated that she Gheddafi appeared not to be abiding to his own agreement to stop operations against the rebel stronghold. Yes, we were all very surprised at that too!

And today's reports also say that French warplanes are patrolling the skies over Benghazi, preventing the Libyan air forces from pounding the city and ready to engage the armor forces of the dictator.

So the Europeans are puzzled, but they are definitely not the only ones. The American people are too.

As much as the American people are not willing for another Military involvement as we still are dealing with Iraq and Afghanistan, a more pro-active and firm posture is expected from the political leadership.

The reality is that the Obama administration is making good of its disengagement from international policy, relinquishing the leading role our Country has been so admired by allies and vilified by enemies, in promoting freedom across the globe. A determined re-dimensioning of the role of Superpower that our Nation has maintained, role that the Obama crowd hates with passion and is determined to eradicate.

Just my thoughts!

Where Has Equal Justice Gone

By Semperpapa

American justice is fast becoming more just for some than for others.

On Friday, a Wisconsin Dane County judge, Maryann Sumi, issued a temporary judgment against the Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s attempt to address that state’s huge financial deficit by limiting certain Unions abilities to collective bargaining.

That controversial plan was at the core of the protests we all saw from Madison, where union thugs had the chance to show their true colors by invading the Capitol building. It was also the scene of the 14 Democrat members of the State House deserting their positions by becoming fugitives in Illinois.

Walker was able to pass the law anyway by removing any financial aspect from it, which would have required at least one Democrat to be present for the vote.

Judge Sumi, in her decision, sided with Dane county’s District Attorney, Ismael Ozanne, who had filed a suit claiming that the state’s law requiring open meeting, legislation that supports public involvement in the public discourse, had been violated. Ozanne’s argument was that the Governor and Republicans in the legislature used the special session clause illegally, bypassing public involvement. Judge Sumi agreed.

So there is another legal battle taking place in Wisconsin, where it looks like the judiciary is once again taking the opportunity to interfere in the legislative process to advance political agendas. But this is not the disturbing part. What is highly disturbing is the one sided nature of this practice.

Basically, only the progressive legal challenges really mean anything in America any more.

In 1994, California voters passed Proposition 187, which would prohibit the utilization of public funds for illegal aliens, from healthcare to public education to welfare. Immediately following the elections and the victory for Prop 187, Judge Mariana Pfaelzer issued a restraining order blocking the law and effectively nullifying the will of the people of California.

Similarly, in 2008, California voters passed Proposition 8, another controversial legislation aimed at safeguarding marriage as an institution for a man and a woman. The proposition was immediately challenged and stopped from being implemented, eventually being declared unconstitutional by Federal Judge Vaughn Walker.

In Oklahoma, on November 2010, voters passed the state proposed constitutional amendment that would prohibit the state courts to consider international laws and Shariah law in the adjudication of legal cases. The people of Oklahoma spoke with a margin of 70% to 30%, which anyone would consider overwhelming, in support of the amendment. Yet, U.S District Court Vicki Miles-LaGrange deemed that the amendment was not necessary, after the Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) challenged the law in court. So the judge blocked the implementation of the people’s decision.

Probably the most well known example of judicial activism can be considered the actions against the Arizona illegal immigration bill SB1070. The bill, supported by an overwhelming majority of the people of Arizona, was aimed at enforcing the long existing federal laws regulating illegal immigration, laws that the very federal government has been unwilling and unable to enforce.

In this particular case, the Department of Justice got into the controversy by filing a law suit against the state of Arizona and its Governor, Jane Brewer. Ultimately, it was another Federal Judge, Susan Bolton, to stop most of the provisions of the bill. And the legal battle continues…

These examples would appear to be judicial activism at its best, especially when the predominance of these cases is guided by the continuous pursuit a progressive agenda. In fact the opposite does not seem to be working, as injunctions against the reckless actions of our Marxist government are literally ignored.

Case in point is the moratorium on off shore oil drilling. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar had imposed a ban on all deep water oil drilling in the wake of the BP disaster in summer 2010, move that had been hailed by the environmental terrorists as a victory against the oil industry.

U.S. District Court Judge Martin Feldman had struck down the moratorium, which the Obama administration finally lifted in December 2010. The problem remains that Interior Department has since issued one single new permit to a company associated with, what a coincidence, British Petroleum. Considering the past campaign contributions BP has made to the Obama Presidential campaign, it sure looks like the regime is merely taking care of its own.

In February 2011, Judge Feldman again addressed the issue by ordering Salazar to act upon some of the permit requests that Interior is sitting on. The judge’s order gave Salazar 30 days to address the issue, but an appellate court stayed that decision by saying that the government could take more time to make a decision. Salazar spokespeople stated that the permit requests in the case, five permits from a company called Ensco, were incomplete and that negotiations between the government and the company were ongoing. Regulatory despotism in final analysis.

What the Left calls “judicial activism” appears to be only limited to those decisions that do not fit the progressive agenda of the enemies of the Nation. And the worst case if the one regarding Obamacare.

In January 2011, Florida Federal Judge Roger Vinson issued a decision that deemed the monstrous health care reform bill unconstitutional. Vinson is the second judge to do so, following in the steps of Virginia federal judge Henry Hudson who had already done so in December 2010.

Vinson decision should render the whole bill unconstitutional and its implementation should be stopped immediately, unless the government appeals the decision to a higher court.

At the basis of Vinson’s ruling is the issue of the federal government forcing any citizen to purchase a product, which is prohibited by the U.S. Constitution. In a stroke of luck, those who authored the 2,700 pages monstrosity forgot to include the “severability clause” in the bill, clause that would limit an injunction to affect only some aspects of the bill but allow others to be implemented. Absence of such clause means that Vinson’s decision strikes down the entire bill, forbidding the government from continuing the implementation of any of the bill’s provisions until the Supreme Court takes up the ruling.

But even in this case, the government is practically ignoring the ruling. Vinson was clear in its statement that the bill should be immediately stopped unless the government filed an appeal. The government, instead, just filed a motion of clarification. All the while, with the exception of Alaska and Florida who have stopped implementation, cash-strapped states across the Union continue to spend money they do not have in the attempt to follow Obamacare requirements.

What is about the American judicial system that makes it acceptable to be forgiving of progressive judicial activism, while decisions based and documented on the application of the law and of the Constitution can just be ignored?

The answer is that decades of subversive infiltration in our political and judicial apparatus is finally paying off for those who aim at the destruction of our country. Regardless if spawned from political correctness or by forceful activism, the rule of law is no longer what governs our society. We have become a Nation where the political agenda of the few takes precedence over the canons of the law, a Nation divided by years of brainwashing conducted by the subversive elements of our society.

It used to be that all Americans were served by a Constitution that safeguarded the interests of the common American, by a set of laws governed by common sense and the interest of the individual. The Left has been able to turn the Document into a nuance for the realization of the Marxist ideology of those in power and turn all those who still believe in its importance into racists and homophobes and whatever other label one wants to use.

A real sad turn of events for American Exceptionalism.

Just my thoughts!

What's the Plan for Libya?

By Semperpapa

So the United Nations approves a resolution to intervene in the Libyan civil war and help the rebels who are fighting Gheddafi. It took 31 days for the West to actually do anything of significance, but what does this all mean?
With the American Military assets in the Mediterranean and the complacency of some Arab states, no American boots should be needed in the effort to hit the Gheddafi forces and stop the slaughtering of the rebels and civilians in that country.

I am of the opinion that the move is too late, but I hope that my pessimism will be proven wrong. The hesitation of the West has allowed the dictator's forces to push the rebels all the way back to the city of Benghazi, which remains the last major center in the hands of the anti-government forces.

But again the question remains: what now?
If the resolution means that the forces of the West will be able to make incursions in Libyan air space and blast anything that even resembles a regular military vehicle, I am all for it.
If it means that the Forces of Good will seek and eliminate Gheddafi personally, and hopefully all the rest of his progeny, I am happy. And would be really nice if a "Daisy Cutter" would find its way to take out the vacationing PanAm 103 bomber in his villa and take him out permanently.
And if it means that the neighbouring Egypt will help the Libyan rebels with supplies and tactical help, you have my support.

What I don't want to see is a vacillating West, approaching this mission with the politically correct posturing that will only result in Gheddafi remaining in power and a high casualty number for the West.
All I hope for is that the mission is led by someone other than Obama. I am actually happy he is going on vacation again.

Just my thoughts!

Math Remains An Opinion For Politicians

By Semperpapa

Last Tuesday Congress voted and passed a continuing resolution that would keep the federal government working for another three weeks. The resolution passed with the help of many Republicans who lend their support in view of a $6 billion spending cuts.

But math remains just an opinion for the politicians in Washington, as the same day that the resolution passed with the whopping $6B spending cuts, the federal government added $71.9B to the national deficit. One does not have to be a financial genius to see that the government creative math does not add up.

Since the beginning of 2011 fiscal year on October 1, 2010, the national debt has increased by a staggering $676.3B to a grand total of $14.3 trillion. Even if the government would stop all spending 100%, at a rate of $6B every three weeks, it would take over 6 1/2 years to counter the increase of just the last 6 months.

It appears that the politicians are affected by a complete lack of knowledge and understanding of math and economics, but excel in the self-promotion department as they thump their chest in self praise for cutting $60 billion from a deficit of $14.3 trillion.

Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is asking congress to raise the debt limit to allow the government to borrow even more money. According to Turbo Tim, not doing so would have catastrophic consequences for the American economy.
The real catastrophe for the US economy has been Obama and his cronies, a spending crazed Congress and the elitist mentality that affects the majority of those who soil the Nation's Capital.

Just my thoughts!

Another Total Failure Of The West In Libya

By Semperpapa

It appears that the anti-Qaddafi insurrection in Libya is destined to be crushed by the overwhelming power of the government forces against the motivated but now desperate rebels.

The defeat of the revolting forces, armed with AK-47 and machetes and whatever weapons they could seize during their initial victories, is being assured by the full force of the Libyan military, reportedly aided by mercenary forces from other African countries.

The defeat of the rebels, though, is being sealed by the complete inaction of the West in support of the insurgents. Since the beginning of the rebellion, the forces opposed to Qaddafi have been asking the West to help them in their efforts by countering the superior military power of the government, especially its air power. The West has been mulling over the establishment of a no-fly zone over Libya, where forces from the international community would intervene against the air power Qaddafi has been using against his people, but while the mulling continues, Qaddafi is achieving his murderous victory.

The United Nation is missing in action. There has never been a bloody dictator that the international body has ever disliked and even in this case, they appear to be more interested in Qaddafi maintaining power than to act in support of democracy in Libya. Possibly, once the Libyan thug reasserts his power, they will name him head of the Human Right Commission. That’s how the UN operates. Just today the UN finally voted on a resolution for a no-fly zone, just as its purposefulness has expired.

Great Britain and France had appeared to take the lead on supporting the rebels, but no concrete steps have been taken by either nation to translate words into actions. So, while the rebels get slaughtered, while they plea for help from the West, while their numbers are slowly depleted, the West continues to have meetings and conferences where nothing is accomplished in view of any real assistance for the rebels.

And we have the President of the United States, too busy to get involved into the situation in Libya, with all the conferences on bullying and the NCAA bracketing demands he has to attend to. I am surprised he had enough time to address the devastation in Japan.

The situation in Libya was a great opportunity to help the people of that nation in their efforts to rid themselves of a dictator that for over 40 years has pillaged and brutalized an entire country. This was the chance to take out of circulation a head of state that has been supporting international terrorism, most of it against the United States, for three decades and who is personally responsible for the downing of PanAm 103. You may say I am looking for revenge, and you may be right.

But, as we have seen again and again in the last two years, Obama is not at all interested in foreign policy, leaving its conduct to the often missing Sec. Clinton.

The situation in Libya is turning into a victory for the Qaddafi regime. Governmental forces allegedly have the rebels surrounded in one town and are relentlessly shelling the place, with little or no regard for the civilians living in that city. Exactly the action that will get Qaddafi a seat at the Human Rights Commission.

As per president Obama, it is time to go on vacation, as he prepares for a nice trip to Brazil (guess there was no closer place where he can get some relaxation). But it is important for Obama to make sure that his friends Jeremiah Wright and Luis Farrakhan happy when it comes to Qaddafi. There is a long trail of connections between the two men and the Libyan strongman, and a history of support from Qaddafi to the causes of Wright and Farrakhan.

The consequences of the failure of the West are going to be long term and painful, but only for the common American people, not for the regime in Washington. Qaddafi has been a long time supporter of terrorism and the only reason cause he had remained silent for the last few years is because he was shaken by the elimination of Saddam Hussein from power thanks to American intervention. He surely did not want to be next.

But with the way the West has reacted, backing the rebel horse while allowing it to lose the race is an actual invitation for Qaddafi to return to his old ways, to his terror supporting ways, because, as the situation clearly showed, there is no entity in the world any longer willing to step up and do the right thing. Especially in the White House.

Moreover, the message sent to anyone thinking to seek a more free political condition in their country, which would have attracted the support of the United States, is that the USA are not going to be there to assist, as long as this Nation remains deprived of any real leadership.

At the same time, every terrorist across the globe is surely taking note that, just as the perfect conditions developed during the Clinton years that brought us September 11, they practically have a free reign to continue the infiltration and attack of our country with impunity.

Just as the Iranian attempt to democracy in 2009, the current situation in Libya is another total failure of the West and the United States to aid in the removal of a dictator. The people of Libya, at least those who will survive, will have a long anti-West, anti-American memory.

Just my thoughts!

Spineless Republicans Helping Liberals In The House

By Semperpapa

Echoes of conservatism are quickly dissipating in the halls of the House of Representatives, just as the hopes of those American people who voted last November to place politicians in power to reverse the indiscriminate spending in are slowly dying.

The Senate passed a 2-week extension coming to an end, 91-9 to avoid the shut down of the government. Now there is the attempt to institute another 3-week extension for the same purpose.
To achieve consensus, liberals are agreeing to an additional $6 billion spending cuts. Against $1.7 trillion deficit!

Democrat senators are positioning, successfully, to further damage the opposition with such shenanigans, because as they continue to engage in these types of small fixes, they push more Republicans, in both houses, to take a position against the extensions. Eventually, there may actually be a government shutdown liberals will be able to blame on Republicans, especially the hated TEA Party Republicans.

And what would be the problem with a government shutdown? That would actually be a great benefit to the Nation!
The left will find every available media venue to present the lies of the dire consequences of such a shutdown, conveniently leaving out the fact that essential services, Military and federal law enforcement and the like, would not be affected.

In the House of Representatives, many of the freshmen Republicans, including Allen West and Mike Lee, are opposing the extension. In the Senate, Marco Rubio has expressed his opposition to the detrimental status quo that these continuing extensions perpetuate.

In final analysis, even the $60 billion cuts Boenher and Cantor are so proud of are nothing more than a band aid on a sucking chest wound. Shutting down the government would actually save a lot of money for the American people, who in turn would put the necessary pressure on the spineless Republicans and the cunning Democrats to do some real spending cuts.

Just my thoughts!

Horror In Israeli Settlement Of Itamar

By Semperpapa

The Jewish settlement of Itamar, near Nablus, was rocked by a horrific act of violence on Saturday.

Reuters reports that one or more Palestinian terrorist invaded a Jewish home and stabbed to death a man, his wife and three of his children, one of them an infant.

The family was sleeping as the intruder or intruders made their way into the dwelling and proceeded to savagely stab the occupants. Authorities alerted by another daughter discovery of the scene upon returning to the home, blocked the entrance of the settlement while emergency personnel responded.

One paramedic said that at the time of their arrival, four victims were already expired while a little boy still had a pulse. After furious attempts to keep him alive, he too passed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his outrage and called on the head of the Palestinian authorities, president Mahmoud Abbas to collaborate with the Israeli Defense Force in searching and apprehending the perpetrators of such brutal attack.

Abbas joined Netanyahu in condemning any act of violence against civilians, pledging cooperation in the search of the murderers.

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad also expressed his condemnation for the violent attack, stating that he denounces such attacks just as much as those perpetrated against Palestinians.

Meanwhile, in the Gaza city of Rafah, Ynetnews reports that residents walked the streets in celebration of the attack, engaging in the passing of the traditional candies, symbolic of joyful celebration. This is an activity that Americans should be familiar with, as we were witnesses to it when the images of celebration temporarily filled the television sets of America following the 9-11 attacks. Even if at the time those images were sanitized and removed by the networks and the government, they still remain vivid in many Americans’ memories.

In this instance, the slaughter of five people, and especially of three children, is enough to spark similar disgusting celebrations, increasing the level of “sympathy” for the Palestinian cause.

About 20 people have been arrested so far by the IDF in the effort to find the responsible terrorists and the Palestinian Authorities have arrested three suspects, causing the leadership of Hamas to denounce the activity of security forces. One of the terror group spokesman declared that “the report of five murdered Israelis is not enough to punish someone” and that Hamas supports what they call “resistance” against the settlers.

President Obama’s office issued a statement of condemnation for the act of violence in Itamar,

Unconfirmed reports say that the militant al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades have claimed responsibility for the murder by declaring that a group’s terror cell had infiltrated in Itamar and conducted the attack.

This is surely not much of a surprise when it comes to Hamas or the al-Aqsa Brigades actions as they have a long history of indiscriminate terrorist actions. What remains to be seen is the response, if any, on the part of the Israeli government. Whatever that might be, it will certainly incur the condemnation of the anti-Israel United Nations, from which halls I can almost hear the expression of satisfaction for the murders. After all they had it coming.

Just my thoughts!

Maybe A Clue On James Clapper

By Semperpapa

There may be some sort of a clue in regard to the oddity demonstrated by the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper in the last few months.

In December 2010, James Clapper stated in an interview with Diane Sawyer that he was not aware of the several arrests just made in England of Islamic terrorists and the foiling of their terrorist plans. Even the partisan Sawyer was taken back by the lack of briefing that Clapper was displaying. The interview, which also had Janet Napolitano and John Brennan, Obama’s counter-terrorist czar, on the panel, highlighted some aspects of disconnect among those who are allegedly in charge of protecting American security.

Following the exchange with Sawyer, calls for the stepping down of Clapper came from several sources, all practically ignored by the administration.

But the show must go on, so Clapper remained in his position and stepped back under the radar of public attention. Keeping the American people dumb is a masterful ability for this regime.

Clapper did not re-surfaced again until February when, as the events in Egypt were unfolding, he testified in front of a House Committee that the Muslim Brotherhood was a mostly “secular” entity in that country.

This was the answer he gave Rep. Sue Myrick from North Carolina:

“The term ‘Muslim Brotherhood’…is an umbrella term for a variety of movements, in the case of Egypt, a very heterogeneous group, largely secular, which has eschewed violence and has decried Al Qaeda as a perversion of Islam. They have pursued social ends, a betterment of the political order in Egypt, et cetera…..In other countries, there are also chapters or franchises of the Muslim Brotherhood, but there is no overarching agenda, particularly in pursuit of violence, at least internationally.”

Definitely an assessment that is in diametrical contrast with every notion about the Muslim Brotherhood and the activities that the radical group has been conducting since 1928 and even statements from members of the MB.

Even at that time, the DHS and the White House downplayed Clapper’s statements and moved on, until the next time. The next time is here.

During a testimony in front of the Senate Armed Forces Committee last week, James Clapper made two statements that created a new controversy.

In one, he stated that the Libyan leader Col. Qaddafi will, in the long term, prevail in retaining power in the North African country, assessment that is different from the message that has been emanated by the White House.

The administration, via Tom Donilon, National Security Advisor, was quick in its attempt to repair the damages of the testimony by classifying Clapper’s opinion as a static and one-dimensional, whatever that means.

The second controversy was generated when Clapper identified Russia and China as the top two countries representing mortal danger for the United States.

Senators were taken back by the testimony, many, including Graham, Feinstein and Levin, in disagreement with the identification of those nations as enemies. Graham even called for an immediate firing of Clapper.

Sen. McCain and Lieberman disagreed with Graham on the call, supporting that they feel Clapper is doing a good job.

Graham’s call for the firing or resignation of Clapper gives me pause, though. If Graham wants the man gone, there has to be something about this official that makes him uncomfortable, which means that the DNI must be doing something well.

In the previous two incidents, especially the Muslim Brotherhood issue, I was one who would have liked to see the man sent to pasture, but on the issue of Libya and China and Russia, I am more inclined to see a little clearer into Clapper’s actions.

James Clapper is an intelligence official, a former Military who, although surely contaminated by the “political” disease, appears to be detached enough from the administration agenda to occasionally be at odds with it.

A creeping thought has started to make its way in my assessment of James Clapper. What if the man is trying to send a distress signal to the rest of the country of the total lack of clarity and competence of the administration handling of foreign policy?

What this whole thing looks like is that the Obama’s right hand does not know what the left hand is doing, and the Clapper mess appears to be underlining that image.

The administration response to events across the planet does not seem to be guided by principled analysis, but it almost appears to be led by a wait-and-see approach that demonstrates the non-committal posture of this president. Wait and see how events unfold, see who is winning and who is losing and than make some tepid statement directed to pacify the electorate in the United States. Basically, keep track of how many people are slaughtered and call me on the golf course after you check how the lunatic leftist fringe is reacting. And then nothing more than few empty words from Obama and Clinton. Vote present.

Reports from Libya tell us that the regulars and mercenaries of Qaddafi are pounding the rebel forces into retreat, while Obama tells in a press conference that the “noose is tightening around Qaddafi’s neck.”

Well, which is it? Then again, is this what Clapper is trying to emphasize?

I would not be at all surprised if James Clapper will sort of disappear in the infinite crevices of the federal government. It is already clear that he is not kept fully informed of the White House “official” position on foreign matters before he is thrown to the wolves.

All these games may make for a good espionage novel, but as lives are lost and the security of our Nation is jeopardized, they only make for additional contempt for the so-called political leadership.

Just my thoughts!

Fitting Into The Schedule

By Semperpapa

It was just two weeks ago that the White House spokesman stated that the reason Obama had not expressed a position on the situation in Libya was that he had to fit it in his schedule.
While American sons keep on dying in Afghanistan, the Middle East is on the brink of disaster, the economy is on the ropes, union thugs show they did not get the civility memo, gas prices keep on climbing and the border with Mexico remains open, I am happy Obama found time to spend a whole day addressing the pressing issue of "bullying".

Surely an important issue on the playgrounds of American schools, but one that is hardly deserving of so much attention on the part of the President of the United States.
The issue should be a local one, not one that the most powerful politician in the world should take too much time to personally address. I guess Michelle ordered him to.

Ironically, on the same day Obama is declaring "war" on bullying, his union minions in Wisconsin and elsewhere are engaging in exactly that very activity.
So bullying is actually bullying as long as the bullying is not done by liberals! Got that?
What a pile of bullshit!

Just my thoughts!

The United States Non-Existing Energy Policy

By Semperpapa

Just as many other sectors of the federal government, the National energy policy of Washington is practically a no-show policy.

From the President on down, the message has been one of striving for energy independence, but in reality, anything that has come out of Obama’s mouth and from his minions has been nothing more than a charade of lies and misrepresentations.

Since the British Petroleum cataclysmic oil spill of last Summer in the Gulf of Mexico, there has been a plethora of action on the issue of deep water drilling and any other kind of drilling of national reserves.

A moratorium on all drilling was instituted by the Interior dept. and its little puppet Secretary Ken Salazar.

The moratorium was the death nail for many companies and for thousands of jobs in the Gulf area. Even as a federal judge deemed the moratorium illegal and ordered the federal agency to begin issuing new permits, the administration disregarded the injunction and, since late last year, issued one single drilling permit. Ironically such permit was given just last week to a company that is a subsidiary of BP. It is my guess the administration is intent on securing more campaign donations from the oil giant.

The current unrest in the Middle East is just another opportunity for the federal government to drive a stake through the heart of an industry that is openly vilified by those in power. Just another crisis that should not be allowed to go to waste.

Historically, president Obama has been a supporter of high oil prices, as he declared his elation for increasingly high gasoline cost at the pump. The agenda is clear: higher gasoline prices will push the American people to support the government’s pursue of its “green policies” including the destruction of thousands upon thousands of jobs in favor of failed technologies like solar and wind alternative energy.

It is not that such alternative technologies are a failure in themselves, but they are nowhere near able to substantially replace the oil derived energy. And popular support for "green policies" will allow the government to push for more tax burden on the people, taxes that they will expertly channel to their own pet projects and pockets.

The attempt to push electric vehicles down the throat of the American people also appears to be another failure, as the Government Motors Chevrolet Volt is demonstrating nothing more that a castle of cards for the administration. From an abysmal sales record to technological issues, the Volt is nothing more than another failure of a failed policy.

So now there are certain politicians who are suggesting that, in response to the skyrocketing price of fuel, the country should tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to inject oil supply into the economic stream.

It is my understanding that the SPR is basically there to supply the Nation's need in the eventuality of a major disruption of the usual supply sources (read: Middle East).

Considering that the supply has not been altered by the events in Egypt and especially in Libya, Saudi Arabia increased its production to make up the supply lost from Libya, there is really no reason to even consider tapping into SPR. The pricing of crude oil is going up not in response to the laws of supply and demand, but mostly because the speculation that national and international commodity brokers are engaged in; that is where the blame must be placed for the volatility of pricing at the crude oil level.

The suggestion of utilizing some of the SPR to bring down the price at the pump is nothing more than the attempt on the part of the political elite to avoid the real issue of our dependency from foreign oil supplies. The real problem is the total absence of an energy policy at a national level, absence that is not due to incompetence or ignorance, but to a concerted attempt to punish the country for its economic dependence on a commodity that Obama and his environmental terrorist supporters want to destroy.

Tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve now would also be the worse type of knee jerk reaction we could have. Witnessing the turmoil that is expanding in the Middle East, there is the possibility that the strong armed stability enjoyed by Saudi Arabia could dissipate on short notice. That is when the SPR would come in handy to supply the country.

Ultimately, a fairly simple solution would be that the federal government would heed to the decision of Judge Martin Feldman who ordered the Obama administration to halt the enforcement of the drilling moratorium. As the government demonstrate its open rejection of federal judgments that do not fit its agenda, the conditions of our energy policy is near to moribund, on life support. While Obama and Salazar take it upon themselves to decide an entire nation's economic stagnation as the high cost of energy affects every single aspect of our economy, the rest of the political leadership just does nothing, catering to the forces of irrational environmental terrorists. We are sitting on a ticking bomb but we do what we must to get re-elected!

Just my thoughts!

Why Are Ralph Nader And Jessi Jackson Not Criticized For Inciting Violence?

By Semperpapa

Following the shooting massacre in Tucson in January, the Left got on the high horse of civility in political discourse. Virulent verbal attacks were perpetrated by the regime media and by the Left in general against talk radio, Republicans, Conservatives, TEA party members and anyone else who was not part of the Left propaganda machine.

A new era of civilized political discourse was declared, where hinting of strong political opposition was declared unacceptable. Of course, the only unacceptable political dissent was the one shown toward progressives and their agenda, while the vitriol against anything Conservative was willingly accepted as a demonstration of free speech and free sharing of opinions.

Opposition to Obamacare, for example, buys a label of racism, equaling the utter destruction of the entire health care system in our Country to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. The stories of the almost 1,000 waivers granted by the Obama administration to companies and unions financially friendly to the president’s campaign coffers, only appear on few media outlets, Fox News being one of them, and immediately these outlets are attacked and ostracized from the common discourse. The rest of the media is just ignoring these clear indications of preferential treatment, obviously too busy attacking dissent to have any time for unbiased reporting.

So, while political civility is being shoved down the throats of Conservatives, while even the government is looking for ways to silence opposition via labeling methods and unconstitutional means, members of the Left are free to express whatever they so desire, with no repercussion.

This is the case of two members of the American Left who last week engaged in a clear campaign of incitement to violence which was not much publicized by the so called media.

During some sort of question-answer session with college students, Ralph Nader was asked by one of those brainwashed students present if he saw the need for revolution.

The answer from the multiple failed presidential candidate was an eye opener. His response was that “a non-violent revolution is long overdue” because, as he sees it the government has been taken hostage by giant corporations.

To cover his track, Nader spoke the words “non violent” but then proceeded to ask the rhetorical question of why don’t the American people learn from their history and from what is going on in the Middle East.

I personally fail to believe that the man really is calling for a non-violent revolution when he tells students that the example they should look at is the type of revolution occurring these days in the Middle East.

Is Nader suggesting that the American college students should engage in the same actions we are witnessing in Libya? Or the images reaching us from Yemen? Or those we saw from Cairo?

If that is the case, the man’s notion of 15-16 millions college students and graduates taking to the streets is, in effect, a call for a general uprising of the college population. Moreover, if he calls for students to take inspiration from the events from the Middle East, he must also mean that he is exhorting them to seek the removal of the current political leadership in favor of the Marxist model of social justice, which theoretically means the removal of king Obama too. Interestingly, Nader has been hibernating for the first two years of the Obama regime, and only now that a more Conservative tendency is sweeping the Nation, he is coming out from his complacency and inciting revolution. It almost appears as if he is disturbed by the National trend toward Conservatism, maybe unhappy of what may seem a derailment of his political side’s move toward Marxism, agenda he has been pursuing his whole life.

To such goal, it is now time to excite the masses against the government. The Left was successful at such move as liberals were able to capture Congress first in 2006 and the White House in 2008. The mid-terms of 2010 were unexpected and deserving of a renewed level of sedition. It is time now to foment popular uprising, be it from the union thugs or the college students.

Another character who has been practically silent for the last two years was Jesse Jackson. With the exception of some off microphone statements about Obama’s testicles, the good reverend has been satisfied by the Obama march toward Marxism, sure that at the end of the road there would certainly be a slice of power for himself, to insure that the self-appointed leader of blacks and his immoral lifestyle would be assured. That is the ultimate goal of tyranny.

Good old Jackson joined Nader in calling for a student revolution that would stop the counter-revolution. This is an interesting choice of words, even coming from the speech impaired Jackson. In order to call for a revolution to stop a counter-revolution, Jackson is silently admitting that there was an initial revolution being conducted. A counter-revolution, by definition, needs an initial unrest against which to operate.

If Jackson is referring to the actions taken by liberal progressives over the last 40 years, I am in agreement with him. The left has been conducting a covert revolution under the unsuspecting and unwilling nose of the American people. The ever growing intrusion of government in the lives of the people has been the mode of operation of unscrupulous politicians, from both Parties, by the way, to undermine the principles of our country in favor of increased personal power.

And the American people have allowed it to happen, thanks to the fear of being labeled as opposing “social progress” and fairness. The political climate created by Jackson and Sharpton and Kennedy and Nader and Obama and Clinton is one where social and political extortion reigns supreme. Cower your opponents into a corner when the dissent by personal attacks and character assassination. And it has worked as we witness some so called Republicans in power being not too far in their support of progressive ideas.

The main issue today remains the declarations of Nader and Jackson. Why are they not chastised in the public forum for their incitement to violence? It is a fact that as much as Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and Michelle Backman, Sean Hannity and Allen West have clearly expressed their dissent against the Obama/Pelosi/Reid regime, there has never been a word of incitement to violence on their part to realize their agenda.

Even if they have been accused of the contrary, the reality is that the message from Conservatives in the public forum has been one of using the US Constitution to return the Country to its principles. Yes, there has been a counter-revolution conducted by Conservatives against the wrong direction taken by our country, but it was never suggested that the TEA party rallies across the Nation would be the beginning of a violent popular insurrection against the policies of an increasingly tyrannical government. Yet the Media has been relentless in depicting the grass movement as vitriolic as insurgency, while remaining absolutely silent about an open invitation to violence from the Left.

It would be easy to chuck it as just hypocrisy, but it would also be simplistic and inaccurate. It goes beyond hypocrisy, being instead a clear demonstration, once more, that the conspiracy to take down our country is more widespread that we even realize.

Just my thoughts!

Phony Is Worst Than Disgusting

By Semperpapa

I have come across people who have distaste for the Military of this country and for their sacrifices. They have been overwhelmingly people who have been brainwashed by the anti-American posturing of the 1960s and the nest of anti-Militarism that are Universities and colleges in America.

I find myself looking at these individuals as the bottom of the American cultural barrel, deserving of all my contempt and disgust.

But as low as these form of life can be, I can still look at it as a guaranteed right of opinion. Years of conscientious effort on the part of those who were revolutionary students in the 1960s and who are now professors at the very same universities they received their indoctrination, is paying a dividend with a new generation. It also has not helped the infusion of foreign activists into the faculties of most institutions of higher learning. Radicals from the Middle East crowd the rooms of these institutions, injecting upon the young brainless masses a profound feeling of rejections for our Military.

In the whole scheme of disgusting, though, there is still a class of individuals who take an even lower place in the “disgusting” classification: the phonies.

These are folks who, by their very own actions, demonstrate rejection and contempt for members of the Military and their families. They have no understanding or compassion, but express their undying support via an onslaught of phony words.

Words are very cheap. We can almost all put a sequence of words together in somewhat of a coherent manner. It is not rocket science, but just a way to put our feelings into words.

But words alone remain empty and phony when the actions of an individual do not match the content of his expression. I can easily state that I support the Military and their families, but if I do not offer an ear, a shoulder to cry on, a gesture of compassion, my words mean absolutely nothing.

For most Service members and their families, the time spent in combat is extremely intense and tasking. This is also the time when extended family and friends truly show the strength of their bond and compassion. Unfortunately this is also the time when some people’s true moral sense manifests itself, to the permanent detriment of relationships.

Yes, those who are openly anti-Military are disgusting folks, but those who are and yet put on phony faces are much worst.

Just my thoughts!