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!}

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... 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......

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!    

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!                     

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!

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!

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.

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!