Saturday, December 20, 2014

Let Me Count The Ways


His and their opportunities (you do know who I'm talking about here) to embarrass, offend, repress, divide, baffle, confuse we the people, appears unending. With countless critical issues to be addressed/resolved; fences to be mended, bridges to be built-,  our illustrious politicians choose to dwell on social, international and diplomatic diversions of negligible consequences in the grand scheme of preserving the productivity, sovereignty and reputation of this great republic of ours. This regime, as alleged here before, are masters at deflection and deception. We become so embroiled in political theater minutiae, that the end-game in play escapes us! Again, we simply don't get it, we are being subverted! A blatant strategy to subvert our democratic government is afoot and our attention is being successively diverted by debilitating masking tactics! A Washington cabal of unsavory elected and appointed officials of all political persuasions are in the process of intentionally or unintentionally wresting away our inalienable rights as citizens of the United States to constitutionally reining in these rogue politicians and their acolytes. It appears by the time we come to our senses; assure the separation and sanctity of our three branches of government and restore their order of practice and balance, the prevailing laws of the land will be unrecognizable! This behemoth of a government we have created has a life of its own, not easily deterred from clinging to it by any means possible. Our window of opportunity to do anything about it is slowly but ever so steadily closing.

I'm going to give it a rest for the holidays. I've told my antagonists who essentially prompt these blogs-my redundant whining is starting to get on my nerves. Hopefully it's all paranoia on my part and the new year will some how promote fathomable liberal issues of meaningful substance and consequences in themselves for future accord, debate and/ or comment, sans a hidden agenda. Yea right! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Cops and Criminals

For starters, just to know we are all on the same page, definition wise: Cops in their many forms and guises are essentially purposed to enforce the law. Those laws levied by our duly elected and/or appointed legislators and/or officials. Criminals are the ones who break those laws. Ipso facto the catalyst that brings the cops and the criminals together is the suspicion or commission of a crime, the breaking of a law. For emphasis, the cops don't make the laws... As said, those laws are ostensibly made by we the people, through our elected and/or appointed legislators, as is the practice of our jurisprudence system. To this point I can't imagine our opinions being at odds with one another. That said I for one am having difficulty with the appraisal of many of you in the much publicized resent committed crimes in Missouri and New York, their enforcement, in turn their subsequent adjudication. No question "our" laws such as they are were broken, the cops duty bound to enforce those laws were directed to do so, did; the legal procedure to process the results of the apprehension of the criminals, grand jury decided. In knowing what that grand jury was changed with judging i.e the apprehending cop's motivation at the time of the confrontation, was it appropriate or inappropriate by the prescribed rules of engagement-, decided it was appropriate. To this point the required legal protocol adhered to was apparently observed and carried out, right? Now, were the laws broken, in themselves appropriate-, the force used in the apprehension of the criminals in itself appropriate? Therein lies the rub! And, I note our judicial system provides for resolution of those questions beyond the grand jury's verdicts going forward. Change the law; change the rules of engagement and punishment of the criminals to be apprehended and tried in breaking those laws; try the case itself in Civil Court for thought to be appropriate reparation of the crime allegedly committed. Again that said, I persist in feeling these crimes and the criminals apprehension, as unjust and tragic as they might appear, were not racially motivated but criminally instigated and dealt with accordingly. Ask yourself, what if both of these young men said...." You've got me Officer, I got caught up in the moment.."  What do you think would have happen? I can't imagine them being shot or asphyxiated......And don't get me wrong, I have difficulty in dealing with our sometimes over zealous, storm trooper garbed, military armed policemen that have replacing the once affable neighborhood beat cop of yesteryear. But, times have dramatically changed, criminals more violent, seemingly more of them, and far less tolerant of police intervention of any kind. I know the prevailing statistics on the subject are an anathema to the black community, but they are what they are!

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

I'm In Free-fall


Pushed over the edge by Ferguson, not so much by Ferguson itself, but by our standing government's response to Ferguson! When Al Sharpton of Towana Browley infamy can command a seat next to our President and Attorney General to inflame this travesty to our judicial system our sensibilities, I blanch! To add yet further insult to injury when across the nation mindless supportive demonstrations with smoldering racial overtones take to our streets, our places of business, our media with reckless abandon and malicious intent-, my spirit falters! I've witnessed the likes of Watts, Newark and a host of other racially incited civil unrest, feeling they were perpetrated largely by lawless malcontents on both sides of those ginned-up so called protests, that they knew not what they were doing. That, in light of conspicuous progress being made here in the United States on racial relations before and after, felt in the foreseeable future such foment would be negated. In fact the election of Barack Obama, aside from politics would surely have signaled the extent of the progress being made, certain to dissuade the likelihood of such racial strife in the future. No need to tell you this president, this administration has not only failed us economically, perhaps irreparably damaged our reputation as a world leader, but has divided our society to the near point of irreconcilable differences. Under their aegis civil disobedience has never been so distorted, manipulated, unproductive, violence masked and condoned-, the dreams and intent of Reverend Martin Luther King so trampled. It's beyond me, my white, black, beige, brown and assorted other complexioned friends have more common ground than uncommon ground, how can we be the exception, we are so atypical! Could it be we are being propagandized to best serve a hidden agenda.There I go again with my conspiracy paranoia. What else can explain this multifaceted, diverse attack on all things once so American! I wait impatiently for a sign that this too shall pass. Regretting these niggling little whimpers of frustration, telling you what you already know, sharing my frustrations with the choir, affording our detractors whoever they might be the satisfaction of knowing we are in disarray as what to do.

Monday, November 24, 2014

What Are We Waiting For?


In the aftermath of the midterms, if you need more proof to convince yourself something stinks in Washington D.C, you are indeed developmentally delayed! Perhaps a more accurate appraisal, made repeatedly by no one other than that distinguished MIT Professor Jonathan Gruber-, stupid ( Hey Mark and Robin, perhaps your son opting for Georgia Tech over MIT had more merit than I originally thought!). How can this lame duck administration, the Democrat Party in general and it's legion of ultra-liberal, politically correct minions possibly conclude otherwise.They lost the Senate, failed to gain any ground in the House, got clobbered in the State's gubernatorial elections, yet arrogantly, smugly, blatantly continue to profess their agenda is consistent with the will of the people, best for the country. Give me a break! Apparently the ballot box doesn't speak loudly enough for these people to get the message. Confident that their leader, our president's phone and pen are mightier than our constitution. Is there no deceit, malice, sedition and unmitigated gall these people can heap upon us? Yet, we the loyal opposition seem to endlessly ponder, what to do..., what to do to stem the tide. Why are our leaders so timid, our opposition to these affronts so divided in mounting a course of definitive action.This president, his administration and their cadre of so called public servants are stealing our birth right, sapping our economic strength, diminishing our dignity as citizens and as a nation right out from under our very noses-, all in but a tenure of six short years.The doomsday clock for this Republic of ours continues to tick loudly and ominously for me! This great-divider-president intends to continue to wreak great harm upon us in his remaining two years in office-, of that we can all be sure! Please, you Senate and House leaders, you legislators at-large, you governors of like concerns and minds give me a straw to grasp, a comprehensive plan of retaliation and recovery to buoy my ebbing spirits.......

Monday, November 10, 2014

Told You So

A rigid, egocentric, uncompromising ideologue hell bent on following to the letter Saul Alinsky's teachings to a socialistic end for these United States. That's what we are saddled with for the next two years if not more. Let's face it we Americans do not have a president committed to our fundamental democratic way of life, an upholder of our Constitution, a president dedicated to the proposition all men are created equal, one who will establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. We have instead, as said an ideologue of seditious intent, abundantly demonstrated  by his near every word and action. You heard what he deduced from the midterm election results....he still has his phone and pen....nothing has changed! The people may have spoken, even shouted but Mr Obama didn't hear them. As for Messrs. Boehner and McConnell being potential bearers of bad tidings for he and his administration....bring it on he says in his confident arrogance! It's above their pay grade to really do anything about it he portends. As for the threat of impeachment....who would dare think of impeaching the first American president of color-, what an assure the first equally incompetent woman president in 2016! This is no quandary we are in, we are strung up on our own politically correct petard, our own naiveté and stupidity, swinging in the wind of our own impotence! We should be elated in the results of the midterms but I for one am not. Why, because our primary adversary, the leader of this subversion is not constrained by his oath of office, by our Constitution, by any reasonable and lawful respect for we the people's pleading to be unencumbered by his inappropriate, unilateral, oppressive misguided  governing practices-, yet we the same people and our leaders stand by transfixed in flummoxed disbelief it is happening to us! We are lending a new dimension to flummoxed and impotence. I search in vain for a sign this is not the case....

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Is That All There Is Folks?


I remain skeptical. Yes "We" won in a manner of speaking, by a mud slide in comparison to the avalanche I thought deserving! For me, too many of us failed to grasp the enormity of the dire straights our country is in, the tumult and turmoil our world is in and expressed our displeasure and concerns in this pivotal election accordingly! In my estimation we did little more than take our frustrations out with but a slap on the wrist of our President Barack Obama. I think it best said by Vaclav Klaus, former Premier of the Czech Republic, who so poignantly captured my sentiments of this moment, when commenting on Barack Obama's presidency a while back: "The danger to America is not Barack Obama but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgement to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive a Barack Obama, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their president".

We seem to  lack the intelligence, the grit to get by politics as usual, adhering  to the absurdity of the purveyors of political correctness; succumbing to the promises of something for nothing; racial, ethnic, religious and gender dividing differences. We've become our constitution's prescribed un-American Americans. I was hoping for so much more from these mid-terms, a ringing profound awakening of the nation as a whole. Are we now destined to limp along to 2016 having a determined uncompromising lame duck president obstruct, circumvent, impede, veto any efforts of the House and Senate that  conflicts with his agenda. Do we once again find ourselves wavering haplessly down the middle of the road of uncertainty surely to be run over by the inefficiencies of a bloated, ponderous bureaucracy consumed by self preservation, questionable mores, bent on socialism and a lacking sense of country? All to the further detriment, if not the foreseeable end of these United States of America as we knew it! Was our victory at the federal level, touted to be by some, a clear mandate for the right kind of change? We shall see.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

The road to Hell........

How does it go, the road to hell is paved with good intentions? As you remember in my last blog, however fed up with this gang that can't shot straight, I was going to refrain from my torrent of calling yet further attention to their bumbling and stumbling-, rise above the fray and be more constructive in my political opinions. In being the Constitutionalist that I'm, I was gong to attempt to pre-qualify those candidates aspiring for public office's credentials for practicing our constitutional law-, get out in front of the curve so to speak. How noble of me! I started by looking at the midterm election candidates state by state, sans political affiliation, attempting to ferret out their inclination, their commitment to govern in accordance with our Constitution. No easy task I learned quickly! I accessed three sources of information for suggested compliance: incumbent's voting record, media interview comments, campaign rhetoric. What struck me right off, the subterfuge: the mincing of words to gain thought to be political high ground -, to be faithful to party messaging, subtle sometimes not so subtle unsubstantiated opposition character assassination and/or of course, outright distortion of the data, circumstances and situations being observed or addressed-, often with a propensity to cloak the issues in the ever popular politically correct posturing of the moment. Political speak at it's absolute distorted worst! I have concluded unless there is a an "official forum"  designated specifically to qualify and hold accountable to the standards of our Constitution prior to their candidacy for public office, it ain't gonna happen!! And it ain't gonna happen after their election either, judging by resent Supreme Court rulings! So I'm back to my less learned, basic spontaneous snarky sniping. I cringe in the knowledge our Constitution has long been compromised and poses a near insurmountable obstacle to the fundamental self-rule of we the people: the federalization and centralizing of the seat of our government in Washington D.C!  One quickly reaches this conclusion when attempting to discern Harry Reid's qualifying credentials, his motivation and reasoning  as a supposed Constitution advocate. Senator Reid epitomizes all that is wrong with government today. He is an iconic socialist ideologue , a committed and demonstrated anti-constitutionalist if not a non- constitutionalist...and there I go again! I just hope you don't share in my frustration to the point of just wanting to vote out the lot of them come the November midterms, and risk in the process, throwing out a few of the babies with the bath water! Look for your candidates propensity to follow the rule of our Constitution. Don't be dissuaded by superfluous political rhetoric designed to take our aim off what should be the foremost basic objective of all we Americans, to preserve our inalienable rights and our nation's  sovereignty!

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Taking a New Tack

Taking my own advise, I took the time and reread The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution, dwelling on every word, trying  hard not to put a 21st century spin on our Founder's intent and purpose in drawing these masterpieces. Amazing they are, once you get beyond the vernacular and semantics of the time, they read loud and clear-, thought provokingly loud, and crystal clear! Again I urge you to find the time to read them or reread them, whatever the case might be and tell me they do not say it all. If ever their were instructions for advising and disciplining a governance protocol, assuring those to be governed the best opportunities for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness there never will be (in fact there never was and never will be, it's what makes our nation truly exceptional!). Once read, my intention was to attempt to extract cogent provisions in its governance protocol to measure against the alleged platforms of aspiring political office seekers for compliance. A quick check list if you will for determining a candidates qualifications to govern under this prescribed constitutional protocol. To discern, he or she's intuitive wear withal, mindset, their complying record, their demonstrated appreciation of the intent and purpose of these fundamental requirements to faithfully practice in the governing at any level in these United States of America? Specifically addressing those inalienable rights and liberties granted to its citizens, as well as those implied responsibilities of a nation so governed to other nations less disciplined-, seemingly ever being questioned and/or challenged by successively serving elected officials. At the risk of being blatantly redundant, all must at the offset understand these documents were drawn for one purpose and one purpose alone-, not for equality, not for diversity, not for promised government subsistence and/or entitlements, but for freedom from government oppression! Simply the adherence and maintenance of the inalienable right of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness for its citizens and the preservation of the sovereignty of it's so governed nation.

James Madison to a large extent attempted this quest himself back in 1791! Prompted by the Anti- Federalist, that a bill of rights was necessary to safeguard individual rights and liberties. The results, the first 10 amendments of The Constitution,The Bill of Rights, delineating the limits of government power over the rights of the individual citizen. That said, my sought after qualifications for public office holders was near satisfied, however not the brevity and the 21st century emphasis I was looking for to construct a check list. In asking myself what would I want all politicians basically to adhere to, in faithfully practicing governance under the aegis of The Constitution-, these three postulates came to mind, certainly not Madisonian in their syntax but I'm sure you'll sense my objectives:

{All men are created equal and in that, to be judged on their intellect, morality; their record as such, beyond race, color, ethnicity, gender, religious preference or whatever-, devoid of diversity and suspected politically correct inequalities of any sort, save for the  impoverished, mentally or physically challenged. Equal being the unabridged operative word! }

{Our constitution driven society is intended to be a free society in every sense of the word, when it's citizens and economic endeavors are in compliance with its laws and regulations, the government's primary function is left to that of preserving that freedom, to act decidedly when it is threatened-, not attempt to regulate every societal and/or economic nuance, overreach or ignore those threats to that society from within or from without?}

{Political preferences are not intended to infiltrate our governance to the point of negating the letter of our constitution, that It is essential the three branches of our government maintain their specified separation and mission as provided by The Constitution and perform accordingly. Any attempt to spin that mandate for political purposes must be swiftly corrected by an impartial Judiciary. Our current Presidential Oath of Office should be applicable to all elected public office holders....preserve, defend and protect the Constitution of the United States!}

                                             ******************************
... in a perfect world one could just simply say: it is our Declaration of Independence, it is our Constitution, it's what we Americans are suppose to be all about. So, get with the drill you  Politicians, would be Politicians and adhere to their mandates in your governing practices!  But, of course that has not proven to make the case. Of interest I decided I would test for candidate affirmation of these postulates at the grass roots level. At a Town Meeting, Meet the Candidates Night, in so many words I posed these enquiring postulates to the first candidate presenter, and was  immediately decried by the Moderator as out of order! Advised that only town issues pertaining to a candidates qualification for office was appropriate at this forum. That ones opinion of our constitution was irrelevant? How telling! Never the less here forward I will view all our national candidates for election, reelection, appointment through this prism and let you know what I think of them as worthy candidates for public office. For what it's worth......

Friday, September 5, 2014

Back to the Basics

In business, taught by my mentors, I advised commonality of purpose; acquiring and organizing germane and proven skills in assembling and/or managing human resources for achieving common goals and objectives-, not to be unduly influenced by ethnic, cultural, and/or gender diversity. As I was taught not to seek compromise in ameliorating differences of opinion in achieving those goals and/or objectives but rather the determination of the best solution to the problem being addressed! Simply inferring we have got to move away from cronyism, pandering and politically correct distortions that have so adversely permeated our government and it's permutations to the point of masking our should be, and must be sacrosanct constitution, our law of the land that has served us so well for so long! In this democratic society of ours it is tantamount to our survival. Our efforts as responsible citizens must be to exercise with great care, discretion and consistency the choosing of our leaders, to assure that fundamental premise is practiced in our selection process.That's why after reading Barack Obama's Dreams From My Father and knowing his history I couldn't foresee why anyone would consider this man as a candidate for President of the United States let alone elect him a two term President! But, I'm not going to go there anymore, enough of beating that dead horse to death! He is not going to change his ways nor is he going to go away! In that said, I beseech you, if you have not, read our country's Declaration of Independence and Constitution, which essentially should be the mission statement of anyone who is chosen to govern in these United States, please do so. In turn, cast your appreciation of those document's fundamental truths, intent and purpose, against the intent and purpose of our candidates for public office (sans our engrained biases, our political party of choice's platform, our personal perceived to be social well being) and vote for what is best for our country! Perhaps our last chance to do the right thing! To give you pause, I refer you once again to the poignant and germane wisdom of Thomas Jefferson:                              

        "The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those 
         who are willing to work and give to those who would not. ".........

        "I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of  them"..............

          "My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too  much government. " ...............

         "To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical. ".............

I know these are different times, that in many ways, as a nation we are more divided than ever before, that the deck is seemingly stacked against us, but we have surmounted challenges every bit as threatening in our history-, to our very union, to our sovereignty, from within and from without, and survived the test of time! If we can just muster up that once great and indomitable American spirit and appetite for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness we will prevail! In retrospect this Great Divider President of ours might just, in his disastrous administration's record reignite that spirit, awaken us from our lethargy! And yes, forget about me throwing in the towel, as a fit of pique, I've gotten my second wind, let's move on!    

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Hey We're Dying Here!

No need to wait until November-, for September for that matter, to throw in the towel! The hand writing is on the wall! It's apparent to me the chances of the up coming midterms manifesting a profound change in the way our country is being  governed; precipitating a resounding rebuke of this president and his administration at the ballot box, is not going to happen! Remember my last rant and it's call for a sign of atonement from our government between then and the midterms? Well, what do you think, any discernible atonement that you've observed of late? I know the political rhetoric as always suggest progress, if not resolution, but Is that indeed the case? Is their any suggestion our borders are going to be more secure, our sovereignty more assured, our enemies more clearly identified and met, our military might more a deterrent; the condemnation of the IRS serving as obstructionist to opposing political views, punctuated by the prosecution of its administrator perpetrators; in-turn similar resolution of the Banghazi, NSA, VA -, to all those so many hanging affronts to our national reputation, our allies, our citizens!? Has their been any encouraging movement at all? Oh yeah I forgot, how could their be-, they have all been on vacation. What am I thinking! 
My conclusion in that fact alone: We have been profoundly subverted and in my estimation to an irreparable degree! Can we regain some semblance of the great democracy, society we once were? A semblance perhaps, but never the prominence. Our children's children, again in my estimation, will never witness the opportunities we enjoyed en masse.Yes their will be exceptions, but not the order of magnitude demonstrated in our once great, vital, prospering and expanding middle class that was the envy of the world, the keystone, the hallmark of our exceptionalism. That notable class will undoubtedly dwindle to a silent minority in a sea of  socialistic soup! We will look like our european ancestry in short order, destined to emulate their mores and limited fortunes under oppressive government presence and control, awaiting the next despot, the next roque nation to threaten our very existence. I only find solace in being fortunate enough to have experienced the benefits of that great American society in my life time, and the slimmest of hope that I'm wrong, that our nation, our society will not parish from the face of the earth, that somehow it will be snatched back from the brink of disaster and miraculously restored to its once greatness! Hope springs eternal, but know my optimism has waned considerably since we first met.....
I guess I'm just sick and tired of being persistently, consistently and predictably  identified as a bigot, a racist, a homophobe, a chauvinist -,a whatever label suits their occasion, when I wax critical of our president and his administration; of our uncharacteristic socialistic bent. He and they have worn me down to a nub! They've made me think the unthinkable: the United States of America's Representative Federal Republic, thought to be invulnerable is vulnerable, that it can be subverted by an insidious few to the extent it's law of the land, it's constitution can be indiscriminately usurped, it's checks and balances circumvented by a cabal of dissident unscrupulous politicians. That cabal, know thy name(s): Obama, Biden, Reid, Pelosi, Kerry, Hagel, Holder and their acolytes; their unwitting enablers Boehner and McConnell and their acolytes. Stick a fork in us, we're done! Know however, I intend to vent a bit longer, if only to comment on the sure to be final indignities heaped upon us by this exiting presidency.This lame duck president is not going to go quietly into the night! May the sprite of America keep us and somehow prevail!                     

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Amidst this Chaos....


...again pardon the awkward syntax and grammar..., but I'm sure you'll  get the message. I've had it! It's been nothing but politics as usual while we and the world roil in disastrous episodes of social stupidity and unmentionable crimes against humanity. How does it go "....I've made a little list and counted it twice...? " A  list I feel this Obama Administration, this government of ours, must respond to by amending the political atrocities it has rained down on we the people.To be acted upon immediately, it's progress to be measured in the results of the midterm elections! Why? I want a base line, a point of departure, if nothing more but to confirm or deny (if only to my satisfaction), as a nation, as a society, we are not over! For as little a reason, for me to at the very  least fold up my rinky dink little blog and go away! Yup, that is what it has come down to for me! I can't keep torturing myself in my impotence, my irrelevance in attempting  to arouse sensibilities of our dire circumstances, to witness anyone with the fortitude, the wherewithal to rise above the fray and make a difference! For that matter, to feel their are enough of us left to want to make a difference! So here Mr President for what it's worth, is my line in the sand, my personal manifesto, relative to just little old me remaining a citizen in good-standing, ready to go to the mat, to encourage my progeny to go to the mat if so required for the good ole U.S of A: 

1) Recognition that radical Islam and others of similar intent are a clear and present danger, not only to us but to the world, and we will meet them with determined force wherever and whenever they rear their ugly heads, as leaders of the free world!
 2) The IRS being used as a political deterrent is an anathema to our Constitution and way of life, and if so practiced must be punished beyond sanctimonious partisanship gesturing. It's perpetrators must be rooted out and prosecuted beyond the full extent of the law! And that goes for the resolution of the Benghazi, VA, etc. etc. scandals as well!! 
 3) Our sovereignty must be protected and preserved at all cost, in that, our borders must be inviolate our immigration laws clear and concise; our military strength so formidable as to never to be questioned or risk testing.
 4) Our once vital economy restored to its former growth and potential through fiscal responsibility, discipline and restraint! We must demonstrably reject Socialism as a deterrent to that end and return to private sector stimulus, individual enterprise, freedom and liberties to grow and prosper as a nation, as the society our founders intended.
  5) We must return to a truly representative government primarily emanating from the wants and needs of our States and their responsible majority; in coordination with their combined Federal welfare as a union. Unfailingly look to and adhere to the letter of our Constitution for interpretation and practice, free of political machinations. Uphold the sanctity, separation and authority of our three branches of government. The goal a highly efficient, unobtrusive government made up of a cadre of dedicated and moral public servants, bent on preserving our sovereignty; our American way of life.

I don't think that is too much to ask. Nevertheless, there you have it. Perhaps you'll hear from me again come November. Don't hold your breath!

Monday, July 14, 2014

Diverted


Pelosi and Reid have diverted me from my unhealthy obsession with Obama. Can you believe their latest gaffes on the Supreme Court's Hobby-Lobby decision. I can't bring myself to repeat their bold face lies, their manipulative misrepresentation of the truth. So manipulative, so distorted to make President Obama's coincidental professed aversion to photo ops statement, pale in comparison. These are not just political neophytes we are talking about here, as I've said before, but House and Senate leadership. And, what does it say of us the electorate enabling such intellectually challenged, political hacks to  gain such power and influence. Washington DC may well be the seat of our government in more ways than one, prompting the observation: why are there so many more horse's asses residing in the District of Columbia than there are horses! And, to have their acolytes and the liberal press mitigate those gaffes, those distortions  as merely misspoke faux pas, as opposed to the out right lies they really are, is nothing less than aiding and abetting criminal intent. To me Harry Reid is a weasel of the first order, the Democrat party's unscrupulous character assassin; Nancy Pelosi the nonsensical Wicked Witch of the West..., but then again that appraisal fits my profile does it not! Searching for the truth on any given issue in this DC bastion of deceit and outright treachery is an exercise in frustration no matter your political persuasion, morality or patriotism. The spin, of centrifuge proportion, has you dizzy in a perplexing state of diabolical confusion. One moment your grasp of what is happening or not happening appears clear and fathomed, the next moment suspect and convoluted; the designated spokesperson's persona, body language, oratorical skills, appearance all lending to the confusion of your perspective, rightly or wrongly. But, there you have it, mental torment, mental anguish...who to believe, who not to believe. In final catharses at best, but your opinion, your slant!  I've strayed from specific issues of late only because my cup runneth over with disturbing issues that have got my attention, but I simply don't have the time or inclination to sort them out, to learn enough about them to comment on, with any assurance of balance, let alone relevance. So I remain, superficial, concerned like most, in crises overload, frustrated, flummoxed as what to say or do. How much more of this can we take? Someone, anyone-, separate yourself from the rabble, take center stage and lead us back to some semblance of order and propriety!

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Ideology?


"... just exactly what is your Ideology Swift? Did you just crawl out from under a
prehistoric rock and evolved barely beyond the apes in your stilted, stagnant
conservative dribble. Tell me your parents and mentors lead you unsuspectedly down
this path of every man for himself, let the unfortunate and prejudiced-against to fend for
themselves. We are a collective one Swift, to be assured equality by our governors and
providers. Diversity, tolerance and fairness our watchwords. Get with it, the parade has
past you by...." 

That's what a responder emailed me recently, out of context but almost
verbatim (leaving out the expletives). Who said I'm just preaching to the choir? Well,
perhaps my perceptive detractor you said it all, albeit in distortion. If not indeed
completely out of step with what is going on, I'm certainly staggering about trying to
figure out what has turned my world upside down! Of late, no question I've pinned the
tail on our president as my identified number one facilitator. As for my ideology, never
thought of myself as an ideologue of any specific comprehensive normative vision or
behavior. I have identified myself here as a conservative in my politics; as a registered
independent voter who has voted at one time or another for both Democrat and
Republican candidates; morally guided by the Ten Commandments, yet certainly not of
the religious right; a pragmatist when it comes to our country's Declaration of
Independence and it's Constitution, if not to the letter certainly to their spirit. So what
does that make me ideologically speaking? I always thought it made me a pretty good
American. As for my parents and mentors contribution to my socio-political construct: in
the main I never thought of them as particularly politically bent, overtly patriotic, muchless
ideologues -, hard working, yes; morale and God fearing yes, Americans first and
foremost, yes; afforded me good council and guidance, as well as every other possible
opportunity that they could for me to succeed in life, yes, but indoctrinated me in the
ways of politics, attempted to instill a discernible ideology to live by, no! As I said here
so often, I'm just a Conservative venting his spleen in a sea of perceived unproductive
ultra-liberalism, whipped up by over the top political correctness! And, as a concerned
citizen trying to be relevant, if only in a tiny voice, speaking out.There was no torment or
relationship in my life's progression that has given me cause or persuasion to be other
than grateful for the opportunities this country has afforded me; pride in its
accomplishments as a nation, as a society. What I am as a result, is what I am of my
own free will, fortune and volition. Take me or leave me as you wish, what you read is

what you get.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

How Could They, How Can He?

I'm sure you are tired of my fixation on President Obama of late; know I am, but here I am at it again! It is so bad with me I can't even watch him take that little hippity-hop jog of his up the steps to a podium or mounting or dismounting his Air Force and Marine aircraft without taking offense! But, watching him deal with benign social issues, fund raising, golfing, posing and posturing, while America burns has me apoplectic! In a resent televised photo op after a meeting he had with House and Congress leadership,  I had all I could do to contain myself. There they sat smiling, preening, cajoling-, just five old Washingtonian friends and neighbors passing the time of day; so secure and comfortable in their lofty political offices.., so full of themselves, good ole Barry, Harry, Nancy, John and Mitch. The Establishment! How can they do that? It really makes you stop and think, does it not? If so diametrically opposed on every issue as they claim to be, how can they sit in the same room and exchange pleasantries? Or, are they so diametrically opposed on every issue? Is it more a case of our Washington based governing bureaucracy first, the welfare of we the people a distant second! The agenda, the perpetuation of the Washington establishment, a clandestine cabal at all cost, no matter the party affiliation! The discord histrionics merely feigned political theater, the means to serving that perpetuation? This is what it has come to for me....I'm so jaded my conspiracy suspicions run rampant! But then again when our President announces he is going to resolve our Country-Without-Borders dilemma through presidential degree (and we all know what that means-, whole sale amnesty with a turn-stile mentality remaining at the borders) without legislative due process, I'm back on his case!  All the while Benghazi, the ISIS emergence, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Ukraine, etc; a faltering economy, the ACA scam, a staggering national debt, burgeoning welfare and unemployment roles, the VA and IRS scandals, etc issues reaching  critical mass. There was a time I thought Barack Obama was a good man gone politically amuck, a victim of poor childhood, adolescence, and adult influences, a man that when great opportunity was thrust upon him, as it came to pass, would rise to the occasion, mend and mind his ways, realize the greatness of our country. If in his unlikely ascension alone, would respond with humility and gratitude to do well by his country. That has proven not to be the case. His character apparently so deeply flawed, his being so committed to his often stated and vigorously pursued cause, that of fundamentally changing the face of America-, that no amount of pain or destruction inflicted in the process will persuade him otherwise! His attitude, I am the President, ipso-facto my will, no matter how pervasive will prevail....in other words, the hell with you, your constitution, your country, your society if you think the contrary! "So sue me" you say.....,how presidential Mr President!

Monday, June 30, 2014

Mr President, How Dumb Do You think We are?

....obviously pretty dumb! You could at least put forth a more convincing narrative to promote your propagandizing of the virtues of Socialism (although cleverly disguised in misdirected rhetoric cloaked in political correctness); the benevolence of big omnipresent government; the dedication and intelligence of your appointed practitioners; the progress we are making toward appreciating a more tolerant and diverse society, it's assurance only impeded by Conservatives and their radical right Tea Party membership. Listening to your most resent round of fund raising soiree party pieces, I'm perplexed by your appraisal of what you think you have accomplished, what you say you will accomplish in the waning years of your now infamous two term presidency! Your sense of reality, of the truth, of the dire straights our country, the world is in-, largely attributed to your actions and/or inactions, defies reason let alone plausibility.  How can anyone with a grain of intelligence buy in to this propaganda, this gross distortion of the truth! Just look at the numbers produced by the nonpartisan CBO. Even spun in extreme partisanship can not mask the decline of a once great and resilient economy! As for our international reputation as leaders of the free-world, reaction to our impotence and passiveness loudly manifested in stinging reprisals on a near daily basis. The corruption, incompetence and political biases of our government agencies if not outright criminal certainly a demonstration of impropriety beyond the pale! Yes I know my ranting, for all it's wanting in syntax, has a common thread of Liberal Democrat bashing, but that in its self is telling. You would think I would come up for air in finding some good in the accomplishments of this regime, after all I am not a complete dolt, I do realize there are two sides to every story, to every argument. Yet I do go on, simply because every movement, every comment, every action or inaction of this regime, in my personal appraisal is premeditated to serve a not so hidden agenda, Socialism; America the Republic brought to its knees in the tenure of a President supposedly educated and practiced in Constitutional Law, in our Constitutional Law! Such deception, such demagoguery. And not just a smidgen as you would say Mr President, but wholesale outright deception and demagoguery!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Divided We Fall

How could one man, one administration raise such havoc and cause such irreparable damage to this long lived model Representative Democracy of ours? This Socialist, steeped in repugnant Marxist dogma and Saul Alinsky practices rise to such prominence and power to dissuade the citizens of the wealthiest, most prosperous, the most freedom and liberty enjoying nation on the face of the earth turn toward socialism, the anathema of all it's prosperity and liberties? How? In a word division, divide it's citizen majority by every divisor imaginable.The majority, our great and exceptional middle class. Those divisors the endless list of social biases from prejudice to pettiness. Cultivate envy. subsidize the malcontents and lethargic, curtail the ambitious, regulate all avenues of prosperity, establish government as opposed to the individual as the fount of all  aspirations and attainment of wealth, health and happiness. And, to boot abdicate our world leadership to those who wish us and those of our persuasion harm! Just look at us, staggering with self inflicted wounds. Held in ridicule by near all for our actions and inactions. And, take a good look at our politicians who are inflicting these wounds, their rhetoric, their demeanor! Do you sense remorse, regret, the intention to heed their ways, to right our ship of state? I don't! I see smug complacency; pride in accomplishment in what they have wrought! Most, moving on to adjust their political posturing to curry re-election and/or bolster their questionable legacy in leaving the dubious field of politics! All the while, oblivious to the fate of we the people; the shambles they have left the country in?

I've often said when referring to the Radical Islamics, what is it that you don't understand about-, they want to kill us! I say here, what is it that you don't understand about President Obama-, he doesn't like us, our country, our nation, our society. No, he doesn't what to kill us, he merely wants to fundamentally transform the United States into a socialist union, as well as a benign member of the international community of nations. He has said it, he has demonstrated it repeatedly and illegally! Constitutional Law be damn! In his words...he has a telephone, a pen and the will, to over reach executive privilege to the full extent of our legislator's and we the people's will to tolerate. I see two more years of this reign of destruction going unabated, unless the mid-term elections signal an overwhelming change in the electorate's hearts and minds, in turn a profound retraction of all this presidency stood and continues to stand for! I know, an incongruity our president elect doesn't like us, but tell me how he has convinced you otherwise? He surely isn't listening to us! He is unmistakably a committed unabashed socialist state builder, with little compunctions on how to go about doing it; an accomplished poser with seditious intentions! 

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Frustrated To A Standstill

Why in the midst of all these comment worthy political machinations have I grown silent? The adjective flummoxed comes to mind!  Simply I can't get my head around the antics of our government, of our citizenry toward those antics! Admittedly all the events of the past several months has put me in a funk of immeasurable depth! Nothing seems to make sense to me anymore. Yes, I know I'm one of those Ten Commandments, Constitutionalists guys, that has gone out of fashion, who cringes in disbelief that all their teachings and values has come to question both politically and socially in my life time! Our Politicians become more suspect each passing day, we the public's reaction, to a large extent to those suspicions, way to tolerant for my understanding. All involved, pro or con register at one time or another, indignation, remorse, intolerance, but in the final analysis more likely than not, nothing of substance comes to pass. Wrong is never righted, endless debate ensues; champions, culprits  and villains alike obscured in superfluous rhetoric, claims and counterclaims-, until confusion reigns supreme and the issue at hand so mitigated, its impact so diffused, to have lost all relevance and urgency in the scheme of things. As I reach for cogent comments to vent my frustration, I have to remind myself it's a whole new ball game out there Tommy, one that you obviously can't fathom, one that is beyond your comprehension, one that reflects poorly on our nations  founders and those founder's followers who sacrificed so much to preserve its values, freedom and liberties. In my eyes we've let them all down, we've failed to instill a sense of pride and purpose in our generations to influence. We've failed to stand up and be counted when we recognized subversion was afoot, that forces were amassing to do asunder; standing idly by as stupefied spectators to the systematic destruction of our once great country; not only allowing but enabling our government officials to perpetrate crimes against our state once only imagined the purview  of Banana Republics. We witness seriously flawed men and women at our highest seats of government,,,,,, not all mind you, but such a preponderance to give the most optimistic among us pause, pause to wonder about our very survival as a nation, as a society! Count me among those wonderers grown silent...., for the moment.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

I Remember Harry

Back in the day Harry Truman's awareness that the buck stopped at his desk was a telling testament to his character and appropriateness of the office he held, President of the United States. He was a simple man of modest credentials, intellect and presence who was thrust upon the political stage from the relative obscurity of the vice presidency in  succeeding in death the first, and only four term serving American iconic president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt? He was a Democrat in the days Democrats like their Republican brethren were first and foremost constitutionalist, fiercely patriotic, and committed to sustaining the exemplary life, liberties and pursuit of happiness American citizens enjoyed at the time! He had common man foibles and political biases that he rose above to lead the nation and the world in swiftly ending World War ll, surmounting the challenges of the post war era while preserving the dignity of the vanquished and the victors in demonstrating American exceptionalism in benevolence and generosity. His hand always unquestionably white knuckled on the tiller of our ship of state, always responsible, always conscious of the judicial requirement for the wielding of American influence and power; governments participation in our national economy, never flinching in its application! Their were those of us who questioned his decisions both nationally and internationally back then, but never his motives or intentions. Not a day goes by these days that I don't question the motives let alone the intentions of this president of ours, he is neither a Democrat, or a whatever in his thinking relative to my comprehension of what an American President should think. He is indecisive in all things requiring American influence and power; his loudly touted social agenda divisive, contrary to a large extent, confusing, and unproductive. His grasp of economics, our station in the world community, his organizational and leadership skills beyond wanting! In good ole The Buck Stops Here Harry Truman' s memory, I take back all those disparaging remarks I made about his administration. Well, almost all of them!


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Sunday, May 25, 2014

Buying of the Electorate

...so insidious yet so blatantly practiced by proponents of socialism, aka liberal Democrats, to the absolute peril of all things engrained in the once exceptional character of the American people. No question, low or no income voters tend to vote for candidates favoring subsidies, of one form or another, for low or no income earners. Duh! The insidiousness, to incentify low or no income earners to remain low or no income earners! Those subversive socialist practitioners of which I speak have even gone one step further in providing those incentives to unqualified citizens. All for the purpose of what? You got it, garnering of legal or illegal votes! It goes without saying those destitute, those physically or mentally challenged, in a word those deserving of assistance, and have traditionally received tax payer aid and assistance, and rightly so (albeit less efficiently than it should be when administered by government) but to deliberately create a subculture of government dependents with no intentions of bettering their lot is un-American, and yes subversive! And it never fails to astonish me those most eager to punish the creative, the entrepreneurs, the hard working, the risk takers, those generally aspiring for greater security, recognition and reward for their initiative one way or another, are the very same people who have most profited by this subversion..., those elected officials, those hidden agenda bureaucrats! 
What happen to our pride in our independence, our work ethic. our responsibility in the raising and providing for our families with out the aid of government subsidies or special entitlements-, our governments encouragement and gratitude for that independence! The record shows undeniably legislation has and continues to favor this sub-culture of government dependents, of perpetuating its status as bought citizens of a political regime and bought citizens of a political regime to be; of perpetuating the myth that the Democrat Party is the party of the people, the people of the soon to to be: The Peoples Republic of the Divided States of America if we continue down this path! I say again, wake up America the dooms day clock is ticking, we are near tapped out by those drawing on the government dole, and to add insult to injury, showing no signs of amending our ways!

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Shame On Us


....not to diminish our concerns over Fast and Furious, Banghazi, the IRS, the NSA ....you know all those labeled Republican witch hunts that stick in our collective Conservative's craws, but abusing our veterans? How dare we! It is beyond even my most cynical appraisal of politicians in general that I can conceive anyone would in their wildest politically distorted dreams find or tolerate adverse treatment of our veterans, especially those aged and impaired veterans dependent on VA medical services for their very survival. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki has replaced IRS Administrator Lois Learner as my poster person of government arrogance and impunity. No further study is required here Eric,  no fall guy to be singled out! Simply the administration you are supposedly leading has failed, your management failed, you and your administrators culpable of gross negligence and incompetence; in participated in a protracted coverup to hide you and their inadequacies, and the dire consequences of those inadequacies. No need to advise the sacrifices our veterans made on our behave, all to one degree or another scared and/or maimed either physically and/or mentally in that service they rendered, voluntarily or in direst. They deserve our unequivocal dedication to their well-being whatever, wherever, whenever, no matter the cost; the sacrifice of those of us more fortunate less burdened. Let's not let politics, our governments proven management inefficiencies in such matters prevail in addressing this problem in typical bureaucratic fashion: talk it to death, fact find it to death; with every so called public servant implicated covering their collective rear-ends and running for the hills, ad infinitum.....while this atrocity goes on unabated, unfixed! Indeed shame on us.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Let Me Try Again....

Got a lot of push back from my "Change Of Heart" blurb of a week ago. it seems most of my readers misread me! Perceiving, I was suggesting unqualified amnesty for those illegal immigrants (I prefer immigrants to aliens) already here, and in doing so condoning more of the same of our near unsecured border practices and immigration law enforcement. I can only gather few of those "pushers" had read recently and presently proposed legislation on emigration. I believe an amenable amnesty (perhaps amnesty is not the right term, try an amenable provision for those illegal immigrants already here) would be acceptable to both contending Party's satisfaction, if border security and emigration laws already on the books were adhered to! The problem, the whole issue has become so politicized, resolution has become embroiled in endless partisan debates! Our first attempt at resolution, what I called "Amnesty One" under the Reagan administration, set the stage for mistrust of the Democrat Party's motives, the amnesty portion of the legislation was quickly enacted while border security and immigration law reform provisions of the legislation languished in a sea of politically-correct motivated bureaucracy and inefficiency. What Conservatives like myself have been saying, never again! This time around get the border security and immigration law enforcement horse in front of the amnesty cart, or whatever accommodation is to be made. What you should have heard me say last week, or perhaps I should have said it better, is that I empathize with those well intended, survival motivated, hard working, aspiring for citizenship-, albeit illegal immigrants already here in giving them some appropriate special dispensation to get them on the path to citizenship, not those who came here and continue to come here to game our welfare system; to criminally pray on our citizens-,  in general create mayhem and disorder.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Will We Ever Learn?


....so what is it that you don't understand about, they want to kill us! They being the Radical Islamist! What more proof do we need? Their interpretation of their holy book, the Koran, tells them we are to be either converted to Islam or killed, we being the infidels! The suggestion we have provoked their wrath in our support of Israel, our Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan interventions is pure subterfuge...it is what it is, what it always has been and always will be! Their jihad as they call it was historically masked in distance, and the limitations of traditional weaponry. In that no longer being the case, they have brought their jihad to us, we Judea-Christians wherever we are, to our very shores-, as you know! Worse, in our tolerance for religious freedom they are among us cloaked in the legitimacy of the Muslim faith. And, their own religious brethren compromised in their loyalty to their host country wittingly or unwittingly harboring their treachery. So here we sit strung up on our own political correct petard, elsewhere in the world by our are political ineptness and naiveté to rationalize the real treat to our way of life, our very existence; to that of all mankind save for those adhering to Islamic Sharia Law! Our economy, our freedoms, our international reputation, our very sovereignty crumbling before our eyes, and now our kind's very lives here and abroad are threatened with a worldwide holocaust of biblical proportions! And what really confounds: those über liberal Democrats among us, specifically Gays and Feminist of their number, who take umbrage in our concerns, ignoring the atrocities brought to bear on those of their persuasion and cause in the name of Allah. Not only have we Americans lost our collective minds but our spine as well!  

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Change Of Heart

I've changed my mind..., well at least to the extent that all so called illegal aliens should not be indiscriminately thrown in jail and/or deported. History and a fit of pique in my own intolerance has brought me to this change of heart! I've concluded the government's poor management of our borders, as well as their disincentives for Americans to do manual labor; in their perspective, any menial task for that matter, should not be taken out on immigrants seeking honest upward mobility in an environment of greater promise and opportunity for them and their families! My heritage, as all we Americans of foreign lineage were immigrants, some refugees, that gained access to this country, albeit largely legally, lent to the fabric of the great nation we have become. 
Why not take a leap of faith and consider a continuation in part of that population infusion will not help us maintain that momentum of greatness? Yes, control our borders! Yes, weed out the criminal element of this unabated wave of illegal immigration but concurrently devise a plan to assimilate those honest well intended, law abiding, hard working, citizenship seeking illegal immigrants already here! I truly felt President Reagan had that in mind when he initiated "Amnesty One" but true to form, our legislators politically corrupted its intent and purpose in its uncoordinated sequencing of the legislations provisions-, in turn enforcement or lack of enforcement! I've personally known so called illegal aliens, who I more than empathized with their illegal status, feeling they were the exception to the rule, that in my infinite wisdom my illegals were worthy of special consideration in their exemplary character, parenting and work ethic. As time has passed I've come to realize their are far more of my thought to be exceptions than the popular stereotype Latino gang-bangers, and all around menace to society, portrayed by the media. No I don't agree with Jeb Bush that they came here purely out of love for their families, although that might very well have been a motivating factor, but more visceral than that, more a case of survival for themselves and their families, more an escape from abstract poverty and despair! We can learn something from these immigrants, especially in light of our diminution of family context and values, they are family strong, worth every risk to them in its preservation! 
We've got to stop politicizing this very real, this very convoluted and emotional problem. These immigrants, call them what you like. are not going to go home, an oxymoron in the saying, in as much to a large extent they are home, the home they have chosen rightly or wrongly for themselves and their families. So let's find a way to accommodate them in some fair and humane fashion. But, I say again, whatever that accommodation might be, this time around, our borders, our sovereignty, must be assured and secured; our immigration laws judiciously upheld and vigorously enforced. A comprehensive immigration program should have no political motivation but simply consider an applicants potential to benefit our society as a productive citizen and of course tempered with humanitarian issues associated with immigration of any sort. When Nancy Pelosi and her Liberal-Democrat cadre talk of the need for comprehensive immigration legislation, a.k.a unabridged amnesty, it is laced with the potential to swell the Democrat Party's rank and file with potentially depend citizens anxious to succumb to the desired socialist order of their cause! We must vow never to let that happen. Am I aiding and abetting their cause in my change of heart? My fervent hope, my confidence in the character of these predominately Latino immigrants will win out, that their potential for productivity far exceeds their desire for dependence!

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Is It Just Me?

My source of information in the main is essentially the written media, literature and observation of the human experience. Admittedly I occasionally fall victim to the omnipresent radio and video talk shows, but in knowing the superficial audio and visual influence of these staged entertainers, news readers and/or news appraisers, would be journalist, I am leery of the message I am taking away. So here I sit and ponder a plethora of print news emanating from both liberal and conservative sources; hard cover historical accountings of political machinations and events here and abroad, again from both recognized liberal and conservative authors; supposed unbiased expert analysis of those political machinations and events; perusing the net of course. And, find myself amazed at the introspectiveness, the intelligence, the farsightedness of our American founders! James Madison,Thomas Jefferson and their ilk, as if clairvoyant grasped the challenges their nation-to-be would most assuredly encounter if their so carefully crafted Constitution was not adhered to and abided by! Those pontificating on our imagined, and yes some real short comings, ever read our Declaration of Independence, The Constitution of the United States of America and yet know of what they speak, knowing our politicians have corrupted our birth right! I ask myself, what am I missing, how can I be so offended by my countries detractors in knowing history has undeniably validated our intent and purposes in our national and worldly endeavors. Although, their are those who have valiantly attempted to rewrite that history! That my own personal experiences speaks to the opportunities and rewards the American way affords us all. Is life, my life, a bowl  of cherries, totally above reproach in every aspect, of course not, but it is what I chose to make of it, not what someone else thought best for me or dissuaded me from my purposes and intentions! How can anyone want to fundamentally change us from this path of best assuring life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; the opportunity to be the best we can be! Our best determined by our unencumbered ability, determination and perseverance, not government regulations, disincentives in the promise of minimal subsistence and entitlements. How did this change in our culture come about! How did the switch on our incentive, our cognizance to be the best we can be get turned off! I know it was a defining moment to me, a revelation some time back, when people who I highly respected thought they were put upon by the "system" or what they perceived to be the system-, that they were prevented from being all they could have been, when I knew for a fact they were not, in fact, in my estimation some got more than they deserved. You're right, maybe it is just me.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Inequality?

Their is a big difference between those who champion the proposition that all men are created equal and those who disparage the certain and inevitable results of all men being equal , inequality in its practice as a bad thing! Most assuredly, as equals we should be afforded equal opportunity to pursue whatever our chosen endeavors might be. However that is not to say all of us are equally equipped either mentally and/or physically to take advantage of that equality, ergo in retrospect we must as a matter of fact, tolerate the resulting inequalities, not rail against them in envy or punish them for some contrived  social injustice!  Some of us will do better than others in our chosen pursuits simply because our skill sets are all different, our aspirations are different, our application and dedication are different, our goals and objectives are different! Wouldn't we all like to sculpt and paint like Michelangelo;  have the IQ of Albert Einstein;  the foresight and  inventiveness of Thomas Edison; the fortitude of Mahatma Gandhi;  the atheletic prowess  of Derrick Jitter or whatever Walter Mitty aspirations we might conjure!  We all should revel in the opportunity to be all we can be,  best afforded here in these United States of America, and stop entertaining the thought government can some how, miraculously provide a common denominator to make us more socially equal,  the mantra of Socialism, and our presidents latest, of his never ending social aberrations-, our President of Division strikes yet again! History validates Winston Churchill's appraisal of Socialism "...a philosophy of failure,the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy, it's inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Lets hear it for ole Winnie! 

Friday, March 21, 2014

Just Shut Up, Will You...!


.....for Christ Sake will you please stop talking! You and yours are embarrassing! Your posturing, your inane rhetoric just signals greater ineptness, if not out right stupidity, and for all the world to see! Stop drawing lines in the sand, rattling an empty scabbard! Stop playing a game of chicken when you lack the spine, the determination to put your foot to the metal! Just shut up, please! Face it, you're a light weight in a heavy weight fight. We once proud Americans are humiliated in your pathetic performance!  And, in knowing we were your enablers, adds to our humiliation. As the former Czech President said so eloquently.." It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. Blaming the prince of fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince...." And our Prince never shuts up. He and his Court Jester John Kerry are determined to have the last word in an already lost debate, compounding a ringing defeat in international diplomacy of catastrophic proportions, that all of us will undoubtedly suffer for years to come!

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Punk'd by a Thug


Called out by a born again KGB thug! Well, now the world-over knows for certain the United States of America, lead by Barack Hussain Obama has truly abdicated its roll as leader of the Free World, as champion of the oppressed, suppressor of terrorism, an ally whose word is its bond! This impotent, passive, ambivalent seemingly inept President of ours, stands idly by while yet another despot violates all international law and protocol. Might I remind ( although everyone of my ilk has been screaming it from the roof tops) what was it that the maligned Mite Romney said in so many words: Russia is to be seen as our number one nemesis, and we scoffed at his thought to be an inane presumption! And what of Sarah Palin forewarning Putin would in due course move aggressively on the Ukraine, only to have it come to pass! These lesser people in the eyes of this administration knew, why didn't they! Obama, Kerry, Hagle and Rice have not only set the United States up for embarrassing ridicule, but to be held suspect by its allies of insincerity and benign and shallow posturing in its diplomatic practices..What are our enemies to think of this endless list of international faux pas!  I know: all their aspirations and ambitions for land grabs; for compromising governments they feel not supportive of their regime; for fostering mischief and mayhem wherever and whenever it suits their perceived national interest will be hard at it, knowing their actions will be met by nothing more than righteous indignation; debated endlessly in the hallowed halls of the United Nations, with little or no real damaging repercussions or lingering consequences! Yes I know you have heard this lament from every quarter of the Obama bashing network, so why join the chorus? My point to urge us all to grasp the enormity, the depth and insidious underlying nature of this panorama, this continuum of seditious acts of incompetence demonstrated by our Washington D.C based political elite. I ask you for what end, the final death knell of the United States of America? This can't be just circumstantial, can it, it's just to substantive too consistent . Are we witnessing the machinations of a master plan executed by a cabal of Washington DC insiders/ world power brokers determine to marginalized all nations for the purposes of organizing a centralized global monetary entity garnering world dominance through financial control of the industrial-military complex. Could that be? I always thought that notion was a reach. Or, can it just be my slant of incompetence manifested by stupidity. Ya think!

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Identity Crisis

In this confusing politically-correct malaise we are all wallowing in, I'm struggling with who or what I am politically! I'm a registered Independent. However, I identify myself as a Conservative, which generally speaking these days, makes me other than a Democrat, but not necessarily a Republican, yet adding to my confusion. Further, I'm not quite sure conservative in the first place is a compatible label for my political, let alone social leanings. By definition the noun conservative means a  person who is averse to change and holds to traditional values and attitudes. Sure, in the sense the Ten Commandments and the Constitution of the United States are seen as paradigms of traditional social and political values, in that, they are unequivocally my moral and political compasses. However, I am not adverse to change socially or politically within the constraints of  those values; open to debate in their interpretation. But, to blatantly; the audacity of some in power to unilaterally misinterpret or circumvent those values for the purposes of self gratification, personal gain or subversion offends me to no end! And, to say I am a Conservative Republican suggests  their are Liberal Republicans (if liberal is the antithesis of conservative in this narrative) and if so, Republicans are a house divided (which they truly are) ergo not consistent with my intolerance for Liberalism which is a synonym for Socialism in my political vernacular. So what am I? 

Who are we, we who are disenchanted with the direction our country and society are taking. I don't want to be an Independent or for that matter a Conservative. I want to be a member of a political party of stature that appreciates what our country has done for the world, for mankind; the opportunity it has afforded its citizens to prosper and grow in an unparalleled environment of freedoms and liberties, and wishes to maintain that status! We should be legions! I'm a beneficiary of those freedoms and liberties, consequently I grow oh so weary of superfluous rhetoric espoused by special interest groups and acted upon by compromised politicians pandering to a politically correct bent populous while the very foundation that allows those privileges is being systematically eroded. We have lost our perspective, our way-, we have lost touch with the realities of maintaining our representative republic's integrity as a democracy,.....as one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all... And, as often said here, the very bulwark of our Republic, it's Constitution, is being subverted as never before ( so don't believe me, read the most resent opinion of Jonathan Turley, a credentialed Madisonian authority on Constitutional Law as to the certain disaster we are courting if this subversion continues. Frightening!). 

How I hate hearing myself  sound so pious so pompous, whining in my impotence to make a difference. An old guy wanting to make a difference, wanting to join others in making that difference and frustrated in his inability to do so! But, I tell you, I'll suffer that impotence, and whine on as opposed to go away-, if only to be heard by the choir, rebuked by my detractors!

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Political Incongruities Abound

How can our 42nd impeached President of the United States be so revered by his political party, so overwhelming lionized by women in general, yet be a proven perjurer and  flagrant womanizer? To add insult to injury how can the Democrat Party foresee he and his enabling wife, who in her own right lent a new dimension to both incompetence and  deniability in her tenure as Secretary of State, be their candidates-of-the-moment, for President and First-Man come 2016! The same Party that proclaims in its every breath transparency in its governing, and a professed champion of every feminine cause and persuasion known to man. And, this very same power-couple candidates soliciting the support and confirmation (and getting it!) from our standing President who they unequivocally deemed incompetent, lacking of record, and all around unworthiness to be President of the United States in their unsuccessful bid for the Democrat Party presidential nomination in 2008. Go figure! And, as with Fast and Furious, the IRS, NSA, the Benghazi scandal with its potential to besmirch their candidates reputation beyond repair received a congressional investigation pass with nary a mention of the woman in charges  implication-, as the bodies thrown under the bus pile up. And don't you dare mention any of this to be perceived pristine couple's prior indiscretions, with out being labeled a muckraker and anti feminist. These Clintons are being recast as the second coming of John and Jackie of Camelot, with all their excused inhibitions and over the top fabricated public personas, sans their sartorial splendor and personal charism that is! Further would not the would be Hillarycare have been every bit the debacle Obamacare is, if it had been enacted? And are we to suppose Bill's health issues and age would insure against unsuspecting or suspecting female staffers and interns from falling victim to his apparent never sated libedo and sexual proclivities. And this to say nothing of perhaps the more appropriate fact, their less than combined inspiring efforts to preserve and advance the fortunes of our country against foreign and domestic detractors and detractions in their eight year tenure. As said here before, please tell me come 2016 it is to be something more than just an exercise to elect the first women president of the United States! No one should care what sex, what color, what ethnicity our president should  be, or is. Intelligence, the record, the morality, the energy and perseverance to formulate and execute a plan to assure the prosperity and tranquility of our nation, the freedom, liberty and pursuit of happiness it's  constitution mandates and promises its citizenry-, that should be the hallmark of all our presidential candidates! It's not just Hill and Bill, the Democrat Party, that incur my displeasure but all those Beltway bureaucrats, those career politicians that have sold our should be sacrosanct Constitution down the tubes for their own political security and gain; played me and my kind for the ninnies we are. And, played we've been!

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Relevance Trumps Longevity

Asked, what is your problem Swift? Forgetaboutit they say, no one is listening.To paraphrase Satya Nadella of Microsoft: "Life is not about longevity, it's about relevance"! Me, I've got to feel I have made a difference in my life cycle, my term, my tenure, my whatever; made a meaningful contribution, a mark, strived for relevance in my convictions, visions and passions, don't you? If not, what is it all about? You came, you went, left no meaningful imprint of your arrival, your presence, your departure! What of your progeny, if any, has your relevance or not, served as an example for their good or detraction? 
And what of that progeny, or anyone for that matter that speaks of you, what do you think they would say, what will their  remembrance be. Sure the parental, familial normal or abnormal memories we all share: the mother, father, son, daughter, grandson granddaughter, uncle, aunt, cousin, etc, etc. interactions, encounters triggered memories, but what of the measure, the substance of the man or woman? Was he or she really relevant in their lifetime beyond being a revered or reviled relative, friend, or acquaintance? Did he or she warrant respect for his or her pursuit of relevance in their convictions, visions and passions, whether shared by you or not, was he or she accomplished, indelible etched in your mind for their relevance, not just their participation as, or in whatever? 
Which begs the question, are we making  the most of our time here, there or anywhere? I ask that question of myself often. In my business career I wanted to be part of a vital, growing enterprise, that it's associates would revel and prosper in its successes; as a member of my community I wanted to help guide its young people's scholarship and career paths; as a citizen I wanted to support, promote and preserve the greatest white paper I felt ever written on the founding of a democracy, The Constitution of the United States of America. I've taken a shot at trying to be relevant to those convictions, those visions and passions with some success (I'd like to believe anyway). But, that of meaningful promotion and preservation of our constitution, our representative republic's cornerstone, I feel I have been but tilting at windmills; fallen way short of the mark in any of my efforts. Not that I suspected my powers of persuasion were all that great, but that history was so convincingly on my side, that the moral dimension of the relationship between the governed and their governors here in these united states, tested by decades of surmounted challenges, that it would stand forever! Yet, that does not appear to be the case does it? No amount of persuasion by others, far more intelligent, committed, and positioned than myself to stay the course of this United States of ours can seemingly stem the tide of its insurrection-, and confoundedly aided and abetted by its very own self serving citizens and unprincipled leaders! Being brought down from within, from behind! 
This current administration of ours, it's proposed successors are poised to destroy all remnants of our once great society, its culture, its leadership! In the name of what, Socialism? Our President, no less, he who has stated unequivocally to fundamentally change our country in his tenure,has the audacity to say we should be more aligned with other industrial nations in our governing, when that very difference is what made us so prosperous, so benevolent; the demonstrated and envied pinnacle of a free society unencumbered by political machinations designed to meter life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for its citizenry. 
I say again, I will continue to voice opposition if but a whisper in the scheme of things, ponder my lack of relevance, and soldier on with but a glimmer of  hope 2014, in turn 2016 will bode well for our floundering ship of state.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Incentivized To Be Less Than You Can Be

As a nation we are being insidiously conditioned by our governors to be less than we can be, by incessant rewards and entitlements for doing little more than breathing and responding minimally to basic bodily functions and requirements for citizenship. If there is any compunctions on your part to lay-about, to exist with a minimal expenditure of physical and/or mental energy (and you apparently are legion!) you are in the right place, and the right time in the annals of American history. Our present government recognizes your needs, feels your pain and is eager to sustain your dependence (if assured of your vote that is!) and enforce the obligation upon others to pay for your lethargy  ..., if need be willing to amend our constitution accordingly in the name of equality!  As for you and yours who are of another persuasion sorry about that, our very same ever benevolent  government in its political correctness has so crippled the economy, your opportunities for something other than a non exceptional existence has been stifled, if not irreparable damaged for the foreseeable future! Again as so frequently said here...., what are we thinking-, our country, our society, our culture is systematically being eroded by unscrupulous politicians of questionable motives and intelligence! I have tried to site specific instances of blatant examples of conspicuous actions and inactions, distorted and divisive rhetoric, taken and voiced by those politicians,,,,, yet it appears so many of you are willing to stand silently by with an attitude at best of: this too shall pass! You said it in '08, again in '12! What is it going to take to convince you it's near all over but the shouting and gnashing of teeth! Yes I'll carry on with my angst, teeth gnashing and whatever, here and wherever, and hope for the best..., but know I'm not at all optimistic! Recently I recall some political pundit describing taxes as our addicted politician's crack cocaine.....that they are hard core users in their requirement to placate their electorates insatiable appetite for subsidies, entitlements-, favors of every type and concession..., the milk of every election and reelection. In that, knowing the amount of our deficit, which more than a significant portion is accrued for the incentivizing I'm alluding to.....what am I to think!?

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Tom Swift on Steroids!

....you tell me, my Cambridge brethren, you miss my short blog burst decrying my more than alleged suspicion this country of ours is slipping, not so slowly, into a socialist quagmire. Know, as advised they were spontaneous responses to your poking and prodding of your supposedly favorite conservative strawman! In my change of status, also advised a while back, what you are getting now, is a more incisive, more reflective of the media: print, television and the Internet posturing on current political machinations relative to those suspicions of mine. My slants/rants now more editorial in nature. more substantive, certainly more focused.., and in knowing in advance they will  not curry your partisanship favor-, Mea Culpa, live with it! I'll get around to changing my masthead in due course so as not to confuse new readers..... for starters I have a number of resent events, circumstances, political theater, that stick in my ever increasingly irritated craw. Are you ready?!

I’m really cranky.  I read the paper and listened to the newstoday.  And I watched the Golden Globes this week.  Really cranky may be an understatement.  I cannot continue to bear witness to the dissolution of morals, scruples, ethics and common sense that is threatening America.  So I vent. Where do I begin?

 

The People’s Republic of New York

 

Congratulations, New York, you’re up first.  Let’s just get down to it: Andrew Cuomo is an idiot, DiBlasio is an outright communist and the citizens of New York voted these two imbeciles into office.  And Andrew Cuomo is concerned about fracking causing contamination of ground water? Really? I think there is something in the water already that resulted in mass stupidity in the empire state.Now we have these two socialists pitted against each other in a conflict over a DiBlasio campaign promise to increase taxation versus an election year pledge by Cuomo not to raise them. Apparently DiBlasio wants to fund “free” pre-K education by “surcharging” the rich.  Cuomo wants to grab some of the pre-K policy glory for himself, but is willing to carve out the funds from the existing budget without raising taxes.  This flies in the face of DiBlasio’s progressive scheme to punish the wealthy for their success through redistribution schemes and he has stated that he will raise taxes anyway regardless of receiving funding from Albany because it is “fair and just”.  As an aside, let’s all bear in mind that studies repeatedly show that pre-K education shows only a temporary benefit, with the children not exposed to it rapidly catching up so that there eventuallyexists no statistical difference between the two groups.  So what’s the point? And we thought DiBlasio’s PETA endorsed stance on the tourist staple horse drawn carriage business was absurd.  With the New York City wealthy paying the second highest tax rate in the country behind first place California, we can only hope that Wall Street andthe city’s entire financial sector packs it in and moves to a more appreciative and tax friendly city, a move that would send a clear message to liberal idealogues about the consequences of a progressive agenda.

 

Meanwhile as the city contemplates a socialist future, upstate New York is a vast wasteland of failed liberal policies, with a staggering welfare entitlement population and punitive taxation on any business or wage earner that dares to be successful.  As reported in the Wall Street Journal, New York State has the worst Tax Foundation ranking for business climate with a state unemployment rate that has shown virtually no improvement since Cuomo was installed in the Governor’s mansion. With some counties registering the highest tax rates in the country, others registering 14 plus percent unemployment, and the highest per capita Welfare expenditure in the country, one would think that attracting business would be a priority.  Instead we get Governor Andy proposing special zones and rates for new businesses with the incentive being no state taxes for ten years.  Meanwhile the rest of the businesses who have been consistently getting theircollective asses kicked with exorbitant taxation for years can just suck a hind teat while these newcomers enjoy their tax free status.  How about spreading the tax break a little,Andy, and reward businesses for staying the course, employing New Yorkers and gagging at the trough of overregulation and taxation all these years.  Instead we will get the likes of Rubbermaid and a host of others that enjoyed their tax free time, then promptly skedaddled out of state when the tax man came a-calling.  And all the while, Central New York sits on the Marcellus shale, a vast oil reserve that has made rural Pennsylvania prosperous.  The same type of oil extraction that has made North Dakota the economic envy of the entire country.  But no, Governor Andy is too green for that.  A state-wide ban onfracking continues despite no evidence that wells have been contaminated in any of the other states that are experiencing oil related economic prosperity.  Andy will just continue to suppress Central New York until, in another generation, it will become a welfare wasteland, collapsing under the weight of failed liberal policies, union favors, entitlements, and government pensions.  Ascontroversial Syracuse radio talk show host Bob Lonsberryopined, Cuomo is kicking working New Yorkers in the teeth by making them tax slaves, placing more importance on welfare recipients and state employees, while simultaneously affecting your quality of life by breaking up your working family as your educated children flee out of state for opportunity and to escape punishing taxation. He may indeed be controversial, but the fact remains that New York is losing businesses and population. Bravo Andy, we all thought Obama was the only politician with virtually no idea how capitalism works.

 

And his signature legislation, optimistically titled the New York Safe Act, is far from safe.  Governor Andy seeks to disarm all law-abiding New Yorkers with a back door policy to prevent the sale of ammunition by anyone but a licensed dealer within the state of New York.  Mail order and private party purchases are banned and he proposes a background check on all purchasers of ammunition.  Records on the sale of every cartridge sold in New York must be kept for the lifetime of the business, placing a huge burden of record keeping on the seller. The BATFE has already balked at including this nonsense in the existing NICS background check system for firearms so this will have to be a state run enterprise, the cost of which will be passed on to you guessed it: the taxpayer.  And this comes on the heels of the recently disbanded cartridge identification CoBIS scheme that kept a database ofmarkings on the cartridges of spent casings from semi-automatic firearms, yet another layer of government bureaucracy that cost the taxpayers some 12 million dollars over its ten year life span and failed to solve one single crime.  So firearms dealers who rely on ammunition sales for some 60% of their business will now suffer as the public shies away from purchasing ammo in-state to avoid going on permanent record for the amount and caliber purchased.  Additionally, Andy the intellectual has proposed a ban on the sales of assault rifles which can now be defined as a semi-automatic rifle with a detachable magazine and any ONE, not two as was the former definition, features such as a pistol grip, a flash suppressor, or even a bayonet lug.  Seriously, a bayonet lug.  I for one cannot recall when last a Seven-Eleven was held up with a World War Two vintage semi-automatic rifle such as a Russian Tokarev.  You know, an 8.5-pound wooden stock, 25-inch barrel, 48-inch long, monstrosity that, by virtue of Andy’s definition, is an assault weapon because of the ludicrously impractical addition of a flash hider and a bayonet lug.  Those bayonet lugs, you know, are really important to the criminal element.  Yes, shockingly, theTokarev has been deemed an assault weapon by King Andydespite the fact that it wasn’t even much of one when it was last used in 1945.  Political nonsense.  All to let Andy call himself the toughest Governor on gun control for his re-election campaign and perhaps his bigger national political aspirations.  

 

Now we all know that this is nothing more than another end around effort to ban firearms altogether and simultaneously drive firearms dealers out of business, all so Andy can bask in the liberal glow of adulation from simple-minded progressives.  But the firearms industry has taken notice.  Kahr Industries, makers of a fine line of handguns is in the process of moving their operation over the line into gun-friendly and apparently business friendly Pennsylvania.  Remington, a veritable American icon, is similarly scouting locations in Tennessee. Rochester based ATI, makers of accessories for semi-automatic rifles, has also had enough of taxation, oppression, and stupidity, reacting by moving their operation to South Carolina who openly welcomed the 2.7 million dollar investment and 120 jobs. I know beleaguered Rochester thanks you, Governor, for this one. After all, they can really afford to lose another business just after the decline of Kodak left a huge hole in their economy.  In a rare glimpse into Andy’s grand plan this month, he was quoted on “The Capital Pressroom” stating: Their [Republicans] problem isn’t me and the Democrats; their problem is themselves. When asked to define those “conservative Republican New Yorkers” he added: “Who are they? Right-to-life, pro-assault weapons, anti-gay — if that’s who they are, they have no place in the state of New York because that’s not who New Yorkers are.”Comments like these should frighten Americans.  Politics of generalizations, exclusion, intolerance, and the rejectionof law-abiding citizens based on their religious views, their support of the Constitution, or rural lifestyle is antithetical to the principles upon which this country was founded.  Andy simply cannot tolerate anyone who doesn’t think like Andy.  History lessons anyone?

The Lost Art of Civility

Now we hear that some ex-cop shot some boy scout in a Florida movie theater. Tragic. But wasn’t it Thomas Jefferson who said that an armed society is a polite society?  Apparently that quote has been lost on most of America.  So liberals:  what is your take on this?  You keep telling us that the populace at large is not responsible enough to have firearms, and that we should rely on police officers to protect usNot that they were any help at all to those Korean merchants during the LA riots, but hey, they could have been shot at and stuff.  But I digress. So here we have a retired police officer, armed as they most always are after a life of putting bad guys behind bars, confronted and belittled by yet another rude, arrogant member of the cell phone generation.  Uh-oh. I have a startling suggestion:Put….the…cell….phone….down. Got it?  We are tired of you texting, skypingface-timingfacebookinggoogling, and tweeting all the time.  And by all the time, I mean,all……. the……. time.  Now, I am not condoning shooting people over inappropriate cell phone use.  But this is yet another example of how civility has largely disappeared from contemporary society.  For those of you that missed it,a 71-year old retired cop asked Mr. Cell Phone, age 43replete with expansive tattoos and the requisite soul patch,in the row in front of him to stop texting so that he could watch the movie (apparently the previews) without having a cell phone light blasting in his face, as seems to be the current trend in all entertainment venues, mind you.  Mr. Cell Phone responded, probably with attitude, that he was texting his 3-year old daughter.  Like that matters. Not,I’m sorry I’ll take it outside, but pretty much an “up yours, pal”.  Retired cop went to complain to management and upon returning was again engaged in an argument with Mr. Cell Phone who retaliated by throwing his popcorn at him.  Bad move. Retired cop, undoubtedly unaccustomed to disrespect, had enough and promptly shot him.  Dead.

Now all this could have been averted if Mr. Cell Phone had decided to perhaps text before the lights went down and the movie started, stepped outside to text, or heaven forbid, been polite and excused himself.  But once again in a my rights trump yours world, he decided to let testosterone get the better of him.  Was it worth it?  Apparently not. You just never know how crazy the guy is that you have chosen to piss off.  The callous amongst us may look at this result as a win-win. Obnoxious cell phone guy and crazy cop are both permanently removed from the societal milieu.  But now that we have the gun ban crowd in full voice proposing the usual spate of ineffectual solutions, I ask you: what is a truly logical solution in the case of a former police officer? So do we just disarm all retired police officers, put them in witness relocation or just send them out on the street unarmed?  Or do we test them every year to see how many boxes are checked off on their crazy card?  Because crazy seems to be the most prominent feature in all these shootings.  Not types of guns, or access to guns, but crazy. Tough choices.  Meanwhile, I propose that while we contemplate a meaningful solution, instead we practicebeing a kinder, more polite America and try to avert this sort of madness.  Let’s not provoke the crazies. And for God’s sake people: step away from the cell phone. Teach your kids manners and respect the rights of others. Respect your elders. That goes double for you democrats.  In the words of Billy Connolly: Times may change but standards must remain.

Hypocrites in Hollywood

 

On to the Golden Globes.  Or is it the Critic’s choice, or the Oscars or the People’s Choice, or the SAG Awards, or is it the Emmys………I can’t keep track.  Never before in the history of man have so many privileged, overpaid, narcissistic, one percenters,  existed that feel ever so entitled to continue to heap praise and awards upon themselves.  The glaring display of excess that is Hollywood has never been in so stark contrast to their incessant railings against all that they represent.  Greed, gluttony, consumption, materialism, a thorough lack of humility, and a skewed moral compass. To a one, nearly all of Hollywood remains bleeding heart liberals who use their celebrity as a platform to further their progressive agenda.  The gullible public looks to them as role models suspecting that they are possessed with invaluable insight and intelligence when in fact most of them have limited education and through their accumulated wealth and pampered lifestyles live in a perpetual bubble of fantasy.  Witness affirmed Scientologist Tom Cruise and hisinfamous Matt Lauer rant proclaiming his deep knowledge of psychiatry as an example. Absolutely nuts. Climate change, income inequality, national healthcare, regulation of Wall Street, support for government social programs, gay rights, gun control, increased taxation, and the complete deregulation of Hollywood so that they may have unhindered “artistic” expression, all read like a wish list forprogressive utopia.  

 

Now we hear from uber-liberal, actor, director and activistSean Penn, a man possessing perhaps some enviable acting talent, but widely known for an explosive temper prone to violent outbursts and, given his less than attractive facial features, somehow still manages to remain in the company of some very attractive women.  A self-proclaimed anti-waractivist, Mr. Penn is known for positioning himself staunchly on the wrong side of global politics and, after his Katrina posturing where he hired a camera crew to document his aid to hurricane victims, and his $56000 full page ad in the Washington Post criticizing Bush’s Iraq policies, he is yet another glaring example of Hollywood money gone amok, self-aggrandizement and influence out of control.  Mr. Penn got his early start appearing in an episode of Little House on the Prairie, in an example of true Hollywood nepotism as his break was paved by his father, the director of the series.  A marriage to Madonna was marred by violent outbursts against the press, including on episode where he was charged with assaulting a photographer on a film set. The marriage ultimately ended in 1989 but not before Mr. Penn had been charged with felony domestic assault.  His see-saw marriage to Robin Wright-Penn was prominently featured in the press andended in divorce in 2010. In 2002 Penn visited Iraq to protest the Bush adminstration’s plans for a military strike and in 2005 visited Iran.  In 2010 Mr. Penn called for the arrest of anyone referring to his close friend, Hugo Chavez, as a dictator.  In 2012 Penn made a visit to Argentina, meeting and siding with president Cristina Fernandez deKirschner in the long running dispute with Britain over the ownership of the Falkland Islands. In 2008, Penn met with Raul Castro in Cuba and again stood by the side of Hugo Chavez in support of the Syrian government regime during the Syrian rebel uprising.  I relate these episodes and biographical oddities not in praise of Mr. Penn’s activism but as an example of apparent schizophrenia.  He is an activist for the people, yet he supported the dictators of Cuba, Iraq and Venzuela.  He is against war, yet he supports the oppression of the Syrian people through ruthless military force.  He abhors violence, yet he is arrested for assault. He supports a nation’s sovereign rights yet sides with Argentina’s attempt to take the Falklands from Britain, and attacks Bush, Cheney and then secretary Rice, calling them “villainously and criminally obscene people” for ridding Iraq of their dictator who violated the borders of Kuwait. He even used Chavez as a mouthpiece to call for the impeachment of President Bush. And all the while, Mr. Penn has made his career by performances in movies like Mystic River, Carlito’s Way, Gangster Squad, and The Gunman, all playing members of the criminal element, and violently so I might add.   Additionally the prominently anti-war and pacifist Mr. Penn has been featured in The Thin Red Line, Taps, and Casualties of War, all films with a military theme and graphic violence.  He even won an Oscar nomination for his sympathetic portrayal of a death row inmate alongside liberal loon Susan Sarandon in Dead Man Walking. Hypocrisy, thy name is Penn.

 

But his latest example of hypocrisy is fascinating.  It turns out that Mr. Penn has been quietly accumulating quite the gun collection.  65 of them to be exact.  And all located in the state of California, perhaps one of the most rabid anti-gun climates in the country, right under the noses of the prominently anti-gun Hollywood crowd.   Anti-gun unless they can make a fortune on a movie rife with gun violence that is.  And how do we find out about Mr. Penn’s gun obsession?  Not from him ever standing up and proclaiming his support for gun ownership all these activist years.  No, that wouldn’t be a good idea given Mr. Penn is a walking example of erratic behavior and mental illness that should be reasons why you shouldn’t have a gun.  And toss aside the felony assault charge because when it is convenient for the Hollywood elite, we can legally split hairs and note that he was never convicted. Nope.  It turns out that Mr. Penn is desperately seeking to stay ensconced in the trousers of oneCharlize Theron, a South African native and fervent anti-gun spokeswoman who objects to his gun ownership. Mr. Penn has therefore decided in the name of love to have his entire firearms collection smelted into a statue by celebrity artist Jeff Koons, the result of which will be auctioned off for charity.  Only Hollywood can take hypocrisy and turn it into a public relations coup, and with the help of a compliant media, gloss over the entire absurdity of it all.  In a statement, Mr. Penn laughably references Ms. Theronwith this nonsense: Being provoked by this aforementioned strong woman and considering how liberating of bulls**t and ugliness it would be not only get rid of the guns I have in the continental United States but also to destroy them, Jeff Koons and I had a chat the other day. The highest bidder gets every single one of my guns put in the hands of this iconic artist and sculptor…Koons will decommission [and] render inactive all of my cowardly killing machines." So eloquent and yet simultaneously so absurd. You just can’t make this stuff up.

 

 

Harvey Weinstein and the Holocaust

 

Moving right along, I offer up yet another Hollywood hypocrite: one Harvey Weinstein, producer, self-appointed genius and apparently a world class historian.  Mr. Weinstein was recently interviewed by Howard Stern who asked the producer if he owned a gun, not an unusual question given Mr. Weinstein’s penchant for producingextraordinarily violent bloodfests such as the Kill Billtrilogy, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Gangs of New York,and the recent D’Jango Unchanged.  For those of you who have seen any of these films, the expression “gratuitous violence” would be a gross understatement.  Mr. Weinstein responded: that he did not own a gun and never would. “I don’t think we need guns in this country. And I hate it,” the producer said. “I think the NRA is a disaster area.” He went on: I shouldn’t say this, but I’ll tell it to you, Howard. I’m going to make a movie with Meryl Streep, and we’re going to take this head-on. And they’re [NRA] going to wish they weren’t alive after I’m done with them.”  

In true Hollywood fashion, it appears that Mr. Weinstein is also currently working on a revisionist project about Jewsdefending themselves with firearms during the Holocaust. When Stern pointed out the glaring hypocrisy, Weinstein insisted that it was an unfair comparison ”This is when you are marching people into Auschwitz,” Weinstein said. “I’d find a gun.” Really, Harvey, I’ll bet that thought never dawned on them. Emily Miller of the Washington Times reports that Weinstein believes that “guns are necessary for self-defense, but only in other countries, during genocides and if the weapon is not personally owned.”  She also offered the history lesson in that when the Nazis rose to power, they instituted a gun registry and were thus able to confiscate the guns owned by citizens. Although the popular Hitler quote about gun registration has come under scrutiny as to its authenticity, the Nazis did indeed enact a law in 1938 that added restrictions to existing gun laws specifically aimed at Jews.  As reported to the website TheStraight Dope, Clayton Cramer, author of the book Firing Back reports that Jews were prohibited from working in businesses that handled guns, were prohibited under the age of eighteen from purchasing guns, the Nazis added a permit for handguns and banned silencers and hollow-point ammunition. After “Kristillnacht” Jews were prevented from possessing weapons of any kind.  Author IsraelGuttman’s book “Resistance: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising” details the general disarmament of the Jewish population and their difficulty obtaining weapons. The distinction made by Mr. Cramer is that although gun laws existed prior to the Nazi rise to power, Hitler strengthened the existing laws, using them to his advantage , directing the laws at Jews to prevent them from being armed.

So apparently Mr. Weinstein is under the assumption that ownership is not necessary and a magical cache of firearms exists that can be tapped into by the oppressed.  Preposterous.  And in a last example of Mr. Weinstein’s sudden moral epiphany after countless profitable onscreen murders, he offered this to Piers Morgan of CNNI’m not going to make some crazy action movie just to blow up people and exploit people just for the sake of making it,” he said. “I can’t do it.” The insensitivity that the average person has now because of violence is because people have become so used to it. It’s an obsession as well as almost an addiction. It’s a cheap way of getting an audience, more people shot and more explosions.” So which is it, Harvey.  Is Hollywood responsible for a degradation in morals and desensitization to violence?  So are you saying what we see, what we watch, that violent movies and video games may indeed play a role in our increasing level of violence?  And this is somehow the fault of the NRA and warrants an attack after you just admitted that  you have glorified gun violence and that your audience is “used to it? “  Well, your new movie may appease your conscience Harvey, but faceit……you and your Hollywood cohorts…..you are the problem.

I’m not finished……more coming.