"Which Finger Do You Pick?"

I am an avid sports fan. I watch baseball, football, basketball, boxing and even wrestling. I realize wrestling is considered more entertainment than sport, but it still requires superb physical conditioning and reflex. During athletic events there are sometimes questionable calls from the officials. I have seen some legendary managers and coaches engaged in some “heated debates” with umpires and referees; screaming, stomping and finger pointing were, and still are, commonplace during these altercations. The official almost always wins these “discussions”. This behavior is the reason that the NFL now has the “instant replay challenge rule”, used to review a play that the coach finds questionable: some fans like this rule, some don’t. I believe if a play can alter the outcome of a game and an error can be corrected, then it certainly has worth.

Recently, we have seen a controversy develop over a situation between President Barack Obama and Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. When President Obama arrived in Arizona he was met by Governor Brewer and a discussion took place away from the earshot of the press. It seemed as if this discussion became a little emotional as Governor Brewer held her finger up to Mr. Obama’s face, as one trying to make a point.

In the past, Governor Brewer has had her problems with Mr. Obama over Arizona’s immigration enforcement policies, which seem to be in opposition to Mr. Obama’s plan of “veiled amnesty”. Although political figures try to put on “happy faces” while in public, it is obvious there is no “love lost” between Obama and Brewer. Brewer as a conservative who believes in strict border control and less government interference in business, while Obama as a far left liberal who wants our border to be an open screen door and heavy government control in all facets of life, creates an atmosphere of “oil and water” together. Brewer was trying to show the President how far Arizona has come during our national economic crisis, touting results of conservative cuts and an accomplishment of being number ten in job creation since this crisis. She gave the president a most cordial letter describing her feelings to the President (the full text is available on-line).

Well, it seems Jesse Jackson feels that Governor Brewer was “out of line” when she held up her finger while speaking to Obama. Jackson said “(She should) put her hands in her pockets”, “She was cutting him down to size. She must never get away with that.” He even compared her to George Wallace addressing Martin Luther King. Could this be another attempt to inject racism into politics from another liberal “cry baby”?

Mr. Jackson needs to understand that Obama and Brewer are “elected to office” and neither has an appointment from God. Obama’s snub to Brewer in Washington was just as inappropriate as Brewer’s finger; this stuff happens in politics! I believe every citizen has the right to “shove a finger” in the face of any elected official when they refuse to listen to reason. The OCCUPY movement is “shoving a finger” in the face of authority on a daily basis, yet Mr. Jackson applauds their actions, while condemning the TEA Party movement, which has been peaceful and lawful.

I applaud Governor Brewer for not holding back in her “discussion” with Mr. Obama, and I hope she made her point. Perhaps, in November, Mr. Obama will see another “finger” in his face from the American voter, and it won’t be an index finger!

"Deconstructing America's Team!"

Back in 2005, my beloved Chicago White Sox won the World Series. I often look back on that season with fond memories. I waited since 1959 to see my Sox in the World Series again. Back then, nobody had a device to home record television events, or I would have had some video memories of the “Go Go White Sox”. I have some video and printed memories of the ’05 White Sox that I treasure. I have video and printed memories of my 1985 Chicago Bears, and I have numerous videos of those great Chicago Bulls years; all of these things are important to me. I remember players’ names, and specific plays with amazing recall (I don’t remember much college Spanish though).

I remember the dismantling of those great teams too. I remember Billy Pierce and Early Wynn leaving the Sox, and Jim McMahon and Wilbur Marshall leaving the Bears; and of course, Michael Jordan leaving the Bulls; each departure meant the end of an era for Chicago sports fans. When Mike McCaskey fired Mike Ditka, he had to have 24 hour security for quite some time, as irate fans sent him thousands of “threatening messages”. It is a shame to watch great and mighty teams deconstructed by some poor management decisions. Once a great team is taken apart, it never seems to recover; like “Humpty Dumpty”, they can’t be put back together again.

As everybody on earth knows by now, America is in fiscal jeopardy because of 36 months of radical spending and socialistic policies from Barack Obama and his minions. After the mid-term Congressional elections, the Democrat controlled House was turned over to the Republicans and TEA Party, in an effort to try to restore some fiscal responsibility to American government. Because of that November “house cleaning”, Barack Obama and his free spending friends suddenly became “fiscally responsible”, and went on a campaign to trim government fat.: this sounds like a good idea on its face, until we come to the realization that we are allowing a bunch of left-wing, anti-military, socialist leaning idiots make the cuts.

What could be the absolute worst place to cut spending? Could we cut foreign aid to unfriendly countries; could we trim some “pork projects” from a congressman’s district trying to buy some votes? Could we eliminate some of that “double-dip” pensioning that is costing tax payers millions of dollars? Wait, I know where we should cut budget radically, DEFENSE! Of course, we should cut funding that will directly affect the security of every citizen in the United States. It is much more important to supply the United Nations with 22% of its budget, than protect America’s citizens properly.

The Army announced that it will cut several combat brigades from 45 to 32, in a “restructuring initiative”. I must say, again, these are “combat brigades”, the “point of the spear” in American defense.

America is now entering an era of an unstable Middle-East with several countries getting leadership that, at its best, is questionable, and at its worst, could be disastrous. Iran is on the verge of nuclear weapons acquisition, and their leader is unstable enough to use them.

America’s military was addressed as the “World’s Best and Most Capable”; I stress the word “was” in the above statement. If these cuts continue, America’s “all-star” military will be “deconstructed” and may never be the same again. We cannot continue along this path, following “weak management”, or soon, all we will have left, are “memories on a video” of a formerly “great team”!

"Obama's Mixed Message"

I thought I would close out this week talking about President Obama’s “State of the Union Address”. By now, you have probably read numerous accounts of the President’s words. The GOP and the TEA Party both have had their rebuttal, and the political pundits have all offered opinions.

I’ve been watching these messages since Dwight D. Eisenhower was in office. I doubt there are very many eight year olds who watch this stuff anymore, but in our house we were interested in the progress of America; I think it was because our house consisted of the WWII generation , and the immigrant grandparents who lived there; they seemed to appreciate what America offered, and wanted to make sure everything was going well.

Of all the State of the Union addresses I have seen, this message was the most campaign-like I can remember. I’m not naïve; I understand this is an election year and Mr. Obama is “adjusting his image” to the American people. What I don’t understand is that I find some of the things Mr. Obama said didn’t jive with what he has been doing for the last three years. One statement he made was “A future where we’re in control of our own energy.” Since taking office, Mr. Obama has obstructed every initiative to extract fossil fuel from American sources, and continued to pursue a policy of dependence on foreign oil at great expense to the American taxpayer. The cost of fuel during Mr. Obama’s tenure has risen 83%; an average cost per gallon when he took office was $1.68 and is now $3.38; a real burden on Mr. and Mrs. America! I have seen none of Mr. Obama’s so-called “control of our own energy” while he has been at the helm of government.

He said “responsibility is rewarded”, yet, during his watch, massive bailout programs rewarded poor management that showed great “irresponsibility”, and he continues his pursuit of taxing the investment class, who are the ones who actually create the jobs in America. Is a high tax program on job providers “rewarding responsibility”? General Electric, a staunch supporter of Mr. Obama, sent thousands of jobs to China while our unemployment still sits at 8.5%. Mr. Obama has decided against the Keystone Pipeline, turning his back on a minimum of 20,000 pipeline jobs plus all of the cottage industries that would have been created alongside that pipeline!

Mr. Obama said “I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration”. Does the name Arizona strike a chord to any of you? Mr.Obama’s record on illegal immigration is abysmal. His Justice Department has been a stumbling block to every law enforcement agency that has tried to secure our border and tried to detain illegal aliens.

At the same time, Mr. Obama talked about one nation; he spoke about how the wealthy don’t pay enough tax and the poor are getting a “raw deal”. He neglected to say that the wealthiest 10% pay 70% of our taxes; who is getting the “raw deal”?

Mr. Obama failed to mention that under his reign we have yet to have a budget passed; and the first two years he had a Democrat controlled Congress, so there was no excuse!

Mr. Obama had plenty of “pie in the sky” platitudes, yet he had no explanation for his failing economic policies, which still point to stagnant growth through the year 2014, with an unemployment rate that should remain above 8%!

I am hoping this will be the last State of the Union Address I will hear from Barack Obama. I don’t think America can survive four more years of this type of leadership. Most of those with whom I spoke told me they couldn’t stand listening to him speak anymore: I think this may be the sign of America being FED UP!

"BAD DEBT!"

We are almost a month past Christmas, and we are in the process, in some American homes, of trying to recover financially from the December spending spree. Televisions, I-Pods, computers, jewelry, ugly sweaters and mail order fruit cakes must all be paid for; that plastic isn’t magical and those bills will come home. Being responsible people, we are expected to pay our bills.

Banks lend money to many types of people; those buying a house, those buying cars and those starting businesses. Every person who borrows money from those banks signs a loan contract, and is expected to follow that contract. I know of no instance where a person was dragged in off the street and forced to borrow money; it is a voluntary act.

Sometimes people get into financial trouble, and can’t fulfill their obligations. Sometimes they file bankruptcy to have their debts forgiven in a court of law. The debt holders have a right to appear at the bankruptcy hearing to make claims on the debtor’s property and assets in an effort to make their own financial recovery; this is a pretty fair way of doing things. The debt holder should have the ability to make some recovery on a bad debt. We don’t like “dead beats” in America; if you owe, you should pay!

I thought I was done with the SOLYNDRA scandal a while back, but this vampire keeps rising from the dead. SOLYNDRA still owes America $528 million on their “bad debt”. This debt is not going away, and every American has a stake in some recovery on this bad investment. I don’t know if the Obama administration is making any attempt to get OUR MONEY back from SOLYNDRA. I’ve heard nothing from the Justice Department on this matter. What I have recently heard is that SOLYNDRA has been caught destroying some of their unused inventory that runs into the MILLIONS OF DOLLARS in estimated value! SOLYNDRA is making no comments in regards to this discovery. Spokespersons for SOLYNDRA have given ambiguous statements about trying to sell off some inventory, yet there are accounts from some contractors who said they were never offered a chance to bid on some of the destroyed merchandise. I guess when it isn’t your money, your attempts at recovery aren’t too zealous.

The Obama administration has taken the SOLYNDRA debacle in stride, making statements that a certain number of investments were bound to fail! I guess failure is always an option when the Obama administration is involved. I guess the American people can expect zero recovery from any assets of the failed corporation. We will just sit back and watch our tax dollars being crushed and thrown away; you know, it’s the “cost of doing business”, especially if it’s business with Barack Obama! How much more business will America do with Barack Obama? How many more failure bound plans will Mr. Obama get America involved in? So far, Mr.Obama’s “green job” initiative looks more like the green of gangrene, not “long green”, and our economy rots around us! America needs some “pay-back”, and it is coming next November; collection on a “BAD DEBT”!

"Public Embarassment!"

Isn’t it awful to be embarrassed in public? There isn’t anything more humbling than to make yourself a public fool when trying to appear thoughtful and intelligent. Now I’m sure each of us, at one time or another, have been “caught with our pants down”; sometimes we try to laugh it off, and sometimes we may try to explain it away; you know, that old “what I really meant was…” statement to save face. As a boy, I remember saying the words “I meant to do that” after falling flat on my butt while running down a hallway at home. I remember the suppressed smiles and laughs when those instances occurred.

Sunday I watched the NFL Conference Championship games, and I saw mistakes alter the course of both games. There was certainly some public embarrassment for the Ravens and the Forty-Niners; I felt sympathy for both of them, as they will be watching the Super Bowl on television instead of playing that day.

Sometimes we can fall into public embarrassment by trying to cause another party that very same embarrassment.

Last week, we had another Presidential debate, and it started out like a real “doozy”. Here is a little background: Newt Gingrich’s ex-wife was going to do a “tell all” interview about Newt’s failed marriage on ABC. Newt didn’t address too much about this, trying to down play the event as an attempt to exploit his private life and take attention away from real political issues. John King was the moderator of the debate, and his first question was addressed to Newt. He decided to start his questions with one about the upcoming ABC interview with Newt’s ex-wife, and her allegations. I almost felt sorry for John King; Newt laid into him like a lion on a wounded rabbit! Newt gave King and the collective media a public dressing down, the likes of which I haven’t seen since the “Army McCarthy Hearings” that virtually put an end to Joe McCarthy’s career.

Newt proceeded to chastise the entire media for using something as important as a Presidential debate to give a stage to “gossip journalism” and accusation. He exploded all over King, who was caught completely by surprise by Gingrich’s response; King was a “deer in the headlights” as he fumbled for words trying to justify his question. Gingrich was eloquent and deadly as he carved up the media’s consistent anti-conservative bias, and failure to criticize anything Obama did that was questionable.

The audience was priceless, as they cheered Newt for saying things that they were thinking themselves.

I guess Newt’s frank statements worked to his advantage as he obtained a landslide victory in the next primary, garnering 40% of the votes. Newt has a checkered history, which he hasn’t hidden from the public. Unlike Herman Cain, Newt’s previous life has few surprises to the voting public; perhaps that’s why the people cheered for him. Newt is no hypocrite, and has admitted to his mistakes. What you see with Newt is what you get! I think it will be a different story the next time any candidates debate in front of John King. I think John has had his share of public embarrassment!

"At A Loss For Words"

A few days ago, I wrote about some of our Presidents, both good and not so good. We have had some who are admired all around the world, and we have some who are laughed at and ridiculed all around the world.

FDR made a speech saying “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” That speech has been played thousands of times to history students all over America. That speech was Roosevelt at his very best; stirring the American spirit and rallying every American citizen in one of America’s most trying times.

Abraham Lincoln made a speech that was written on the back of an envelope that has become an American classic, the “Gettysburg Address”. Lincoln said the world will “little remember what we say here”, but he was certainly mistaken about that. His heartfelt words have echoed for 200 years, and are still the benchmark in speaking to the American people.

Teddy Roosevelt said “America should walk softly, and carry a big stick”; worthy advice to every President who followed him to the Oval Office.

Harry Truman said “The buck stops here”, short and sweet and right to the point. He was a man who took responsibility and carried our nation to success in WWII.

Jack Kennedy stood firm and told Nikita Khrushchev “Any attack from Cuba on any nation in the western hemisphere would be considered as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States; and would be met with a full retaliatory response”; these words halted all Soviet aggression in the western hemisphere and inspired an entire generation. Kennedy showed courage and resolve facing the brink of possible nuclear war.

Richard Nixon is famous for saying “I’m not a crook” during the Watergate scandal. Sorry Dick, but obstruction of justice is a criminal act. It was a good thing for Dick, that Gerry Ford gave him a “get out of jail free” card.

I don’t remember too many stirring words from Jimmy Carter. I guess Jimmy was too busy screwing up the American economy to make flowery speeches. Carter was a deer in the headlights during his presidency. Jimmy totally blew the Iranian hostage crisis and got his butt kicked by Ronald Reagan. Jimmy was in WAY OVER HIS HEAD! Jimmy is still trying to be relevant today as he is continuing to give input to Barack Obama, and commenting on the upcoming election.

Newt Gingrich made a statement about high school students taking on janitorial jobs at their schools to make money and reduce the local budgets. His statements have been criticized as being of a racial nature. If you watch the debate forum in which this statement was made, you could completely and easily understand what Mr. Gingrich was trying to say.

Jimmy Carter, upon hearing what Mr. Gingrich said, immediately jumped on the “racist wagon” accusing Newt of a statement of “subtle racism”. He said Newt was pandering to the “far right racists”, careful to say that Gingrich wasn’t a racist himself (watch out for that libel case, Jimmy). Evidently, Jimmy feels most Southern voters have a racial “ax to grind”. Newt was talking about the fulfillment of gainful employment, but Jimmy totally ignored that. Jimmy is still trying to make up for four years of a disastrous leadership by acting like an “elder statesman”. Sorry Jimmy, but I still don’t hear any inspiring words coming from your lips; only the same incompetent gibberish!

"Trying to Erase a Bad Idea!"

I remember my Dad telling me that “everybody makes mistakes”, and he certainly was right. Throughout my life, I have made mistakes; in grade school I often made mistakes in arithmetic; I still make mistakes in arithmetic, just ask my wife. The nice thing about making a mistake in arithmetic is that you can take your eraser and correct that mistake, and try all over again. I sometimes make mistakes in punctuation and grammar while writing; fortunately for me, I am able to correct most of those mistakes with the help of spell check and a patient wife who is willing to proof read my stuff. On occasion, I have a mistake slip by and I have to re-edit my blog, or make a statement of correction to my readers. I like to maintain an accurate blog, or I will lose my credibility with my readers.

Some mistakes can’t be corrected, like changing lanes without looking into the next lane: this can be a very costly mistake, both financially and physically. One usually doesn’t get a chance to correct an error in judgment while driving. There is no eraser to abolish an auto accident. Sometimes in court, you are allowed to go to “traffic school”, and the ticket you received will be erased from your record, as if it never happened; this is a pretty good deal, as accidents and tickets will usually raise your insurance rates. Don’t you wish you could just delete some things from your past, as if they’d never existed?

How many of you remember when Sarah Palin said “Obamacare would have death panels” making medical decisions? Guess what; this seems to be true! Have you ever heard the term “comfort care”? What “comfort care” does is make medical decisions for your doctor in regard to his ability to operate or just give you treatments to manage pain, because you are not at an age WORTH SAVING! This is not a rumor, this policy exists in Obamacare! Senior citizens over the age of 70 are now considered “units”, not human beings. Some of you may remember Barack Obama saying these words ”The chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives are accounting for potentially 80% of total health care bill out here…there is going to have to be a conversation that is guided by doctors, scientists, ethicists. And then there is going to have to be a very difficult democratic conversation that takes place.” It certainly sounds like someone making life and death decisions for you, from the government! I remember a German guy who advocated similar “medical decisions” while he was in power.

During the debate on national healthcare, a policy that was dismissed by the Obama administration was “cross-state bidding” from insurance companies. This policy would have given those companies the ability to offer low cost insurance to those who couldn’t afford better; the real issue wasn’t healthcare, it was GOVERNMENT CONTROL!

As I researched this article, I found several sites about this subject that were marked as “previews not available” on GOOGLE. Some of the sites were as recent as December 30, 2011. Why were these sites “unavailable”? Is it possible that the Obama administration is “using an eraser” to abolish their record? Isn’t Obamacare old news? Now it may just be senior citizens who are being singled out, but soon it will be others. Quality of life will determine who lives and who dies; mentally handicapped, quadriplegic, blind or deaf; perhaps next will be people who are “just too ugly”!

"Victimology!"

What is self esteem? I believe self-esteem means how one feels about himself. If someone has supportive friends and parents, it will help him to have good feelings about himself. Sometimes a coach or teacher can have an influence on an individual’s self esteem. The words “good job” can go a long way to a child or student.

Conversely, if any group or individual is told they aren’t worth very much, that person or group will begin to believe that they aren’t worth very much. If you constantly tell a group that they are continually being oppressed in all situations, they will believe that too. This is the beginning of the “Oh poor me” syndrome, a belief that everything that happens to me is somebody else’s responsibility. Sometimes bad things that happen are the fault of somebody else, sometimes they are not.

For many years now, there has been an unspoken doctrine that has been used by political demigods referred to as “Black victimology”. It has been used to influence the black population of America to subscribe to a philosophy that all of their problems are the fault of a racist conspiracy against them. Don’t misunderstand me; I know there are racists in America, and other places around the world, and they do hate people just because of their skin color. What I’m talking about is the calculated manipulation of Black Americans to achieve a political goal by shouting the term “racism” at every occasion.

Men like Lewis Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Charlie Rangel do their level best to manipulate the Black population with incendiary rhetoric and spurious accusations at the drop of a hat. The Republican Party has been demonized by all of these men as a party of racists and haters. Strangely, the Democrats have also had their share of racists and Klansmen on their rolls too. Morons come in all political parties!

Last week, Newt Gingrich called Barack Obama the “Food Stamp President”, and he was immediately labeled as a racist. The sad fact is that since Barack Obama took office, our food stamp recipients have risen dramatically, and the majority of them are actually Caucasian, not Black! Mr. Gingrich made a suggestion in which students could take on janitorial jobs at high schools to both reduce budget costs and bring income into their homes. This was also said to be insulting “particularly” to Black families. I failed to see the racism in Mr. Gingrich’s statement; all he advocated was a chance for gainful employment and budget reduction; by the way, all of the janitors I knew while in school were white!

We are doing a great disservice to America’s black population by continuing this “victimology” philosophy upon them: all this does is reinforce the idea that a black American will always need welfare and never be given a “fair shake” on merit alone.

By all means, racism must be rooted out of our society, yet racism isn’t the cause of all the problems we have in America. We must have better insight when we make our choice next November. If you choose to vote for someone other than Barack Obama, it won’t make you a racist, even though some around you will say that. When you vote next November, you must remember this color; RED, the color of the ink the American economy is in. If you are a victim, you are a victim of circumstance, not color! Judge your next choice as an individual, not as a tool for someone who feels he can play on your emotions. You are part of a group; American citizens, be proud of that one!

"Number 4?"

A couple of days ago it was Muhammad Ali’s birthday; he turned 70 years old and I congratulate him for that. He is famous for being the only heavyweight champion to regain the title three times, and I congratulate him for that. He is also famous for saying “I’m the greatest of all time”, and for that, I must say Rocky Marciano retired an undefeated champion, so maybe Mr. Ali isn’t the “greatest of all time”, but he was pretty darn good!

I used to subscribe to “Ring Magazine”, and periodically they would come out with lists of fighters and how they ranked against the champions of the past. I always found those lists fascinating, being a boxing enthusiast, with a little more than a passing knowledge of the sport.

Of all the fighters I’ve seen over the course of my life, both on film and in live action, I would have to say the best I’ve ever seen was “Sugar Ray Robinson”. He was quick as a cat and had knock out power in both hands, a real treat to watch in the ring. Most boxing experts will concur with my opinion, and it is well documented.

Recently, our President, Barack Obama, made a statement that he is ,”One of the four best Presidents America has ever had”; a little egotistical, don’t you think? Well, I did a little research to see who were in the “Top 10” by some historical and political experts; you can easily do the same for yourself.

Number 10 was John F. Kennedy, the President that pulled America through the Cuban Missile Crisis, and that only got him to number 10!

Number 7 was Thomas Jefferson; you know, the guy who helped write the Constitution: I remember him from my American History class, don’t you? Hmmm….number 7!

Ronald Reagan wasn’t even on the top 10 list, even though he toppled the Soviet Union and rescued the nation from the disastrous reign of Jimmy Carter; NOT EVEN ON THE LIST!

The “Top 3” Chief Executives were FDR, Woodrow Wilson and Abraham Lincoln; would you put Barack Obama next? I’m afraid Jefferson, Kennedy and Reagan might nudge him out just a little; Hmmm…!

Strangely, I don’t recall any writings by Kennedy, Jefferson or Reagan touting how great they were. Mostly, what I remember, is their humility as they led America through some trying times, depending on the Almighty for guidance and direction. If I was in the position that our present Chief Executive was in currently, I don’t believe I would be “blowing my own horn” right now. American economics are still at an all time low, our national debt is somewhere in the stratosphere and our national esteem is at an abysmal depth. I don’t think this will match up to that claim of being the “Fourth Best American President”; do you? Now if you want to compare Mr. Obama to Calvin Coolidge, U.S. Grant, Andrew Johnson or Jimmy Carter, I think you might have a case; otherwise, I don’t see him on any “Top 10 Lists”!!

"Not Just Another Pretty Face!"

When I was a boy, we all sat in front of the television every year to watch the “Miss America Beauty Pageant”. I remember the strains of “There she is, Miss America” from the velvet throat of Bert Parks, as the winner walked down the long runway with her crown and bouquet of flower, tears of joy running down her face. America has an ongoing love affair with beauty contests. We have “Miss America”, “Miss Teen America”, “Mrs. America”, “Miss Universe”; we even have local contests for crowns like “Miss Coles County” and “Miss Illinois”. Every state in the union sends somebody to the Miss America contest; we all believe we have the most beautiful, intelligent and talented young ladies in our nation.

Several years ago there was a show called “The $1.98 Beauty Show” that was produced by Chuck Barris, who also produced the “Gong Show”. The “$1.98 Beauty Show” was a satire of all beauty contests, and it was very funny. The show featured questions and personal information about each of the prospective winners by a panel of celebrities, who poked as much fun as they could toward each contestant. The host was Rip Taylor, the flamboyant comedian. The winner was given a plastic crown and a bouquet of “rotten vegetables”; Rip would use a coin changer on his belt to award the contestant their $1.98. This show was always good for a laugh.

Every four years we have our own “political” beauty contest, as we see all of the potential candidates “parade around” America, giving speeches and engaging in debates with each other. This is the most important “beauty contest” Americans can watch. The Democrats aren’t having much of a contest this year, as they have Barack Obama already picked as their winner, barring some upstart challenging him (he would probably be called a racist). The Republicans have had a thinning of the herd since the start of the “contest”, and we can probably call this phase the semi-finalists. We have Mitt Romney, who now leads the pack, with Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry and Ron Paul filling out the rest of the field. Herman Cain, Tim Pawlenty, Michelle Bachmann and Jon Huntsman have all fallen by the wayside. Instead of a panel of comedians questioning the candidates, they have chosen to rend their own flesh, with questions meant to destroy the chances of their opponents. I’m sure Barack Obama is quite happy at the feeding frenzy which is now going on between his potential foes.

The big problem here is that this is no joking matter. It doesn’t matter who looks the best on camera or in a bathing suit, or who can sing the best song: the winner of this “beauty contest” will be challenging Barack Obama for the leadership of the United States of America. If successful, the winner won’t receive a bouquet or crown. It will be a lot more like that bunch of “rotten vegetables”; high unemployment, low economic growth, huge debt and weak foreign policy, and it will all be laid in his lap. Perhaps he can use the excuse that “I got this mess from Barack Obama”!

"A Laughing Matter?"

I don’t know how many of my readers will remember a man named Will Rogers; he was one of America’s greatest humorists and social commentators. He was nominated for President at both the Republican and Democrat conventions; wisely, he declined the nominations. America has had its share of unusual presidential candidates: perhaps you remember the name Lyndon LaRouche, a socialist who, I believe, ended up going to prison later in life. Old Lyndon spent some money campaigning back in the day and became somewhat of a political oddity. We had Ross Perot who spent a fortune of his own money trying to attain the Oval Office, but he was treated as a caricature rather than a serious candidate by the American media. William Jennings Bryan had several attempts at the White House but never made the grade, and George McGovern lost his bid for the White House, carrying only his home state of Minnesota; he was soundly thrashed by Richard Nixon. There are some folks who should never attempt a political run for office. I’m sure quite a few of you remember a fellow named Pat Paulson; he “Ran for President” on the old “Smothers Brothers Show”; it was a great gimmick and gave the show a ratings boost. Pat ran for office in 1968, 1972, 1980, 1988, 1992 and 1996; a perennial candidate. Pat was probably one of America’s most tenacious campaigners. Pat said, “If elected, I will win!”: at last, a campaign promise we could actually believe!

The good thing about Pat Paulson and Will Rogers is that they knew they didn’t really belong in the political arena. They understood that they only had a layman’s grip on what it would take to be President of the United States; they knew they were really only funny men, with a little insight.

Recently, Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central has made some noise about running for President; and he sounds like he is serious! We already have one joke in the Senate with Al Franken sitting there. Colbert says he is in the exploratory stages of his campaign, but has already openly criticized Mitt Romney, the current GOP leader. What bothers me the most about this entrance into the race is that I believe there is a segment of America that would actually consider Colbert as a legitimate alternative. If Colbert has real concern for America, he is not serving America’s best interest by this spurious campaign. America isn’t Comedy Central, although some of Obama’s policies do border on comedic. The average American voter seems to be uninformed on most issues outside of 30 second sound bites or facetious remarks by a comedian. If Mr. Colbert wants to make a real impact for America, he should encourage all those who plan on voting to do deep research on every potential candidate, including the incumbents. Since Barack Obama assumed office, America has been “laughed at” by most of the world, and he wasn’t even trying. We already have one “national joke” sitting in Washington now. Let’s try to remember just how serious 2012 “will be”; it’s no “laughing matter”!

"The Door to Disaster"

There is an old saying “Power Corrupts; Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely”. There is quite a bit of truth in this phrase. We have headlines, on almost a daily basis, with accounts of abuse of power, not only in government, but also the private sector. There are very few people who handle a position of power without, at least, thinking of what that power can do for them or their causes. One of the reasons our government is constructed the way it is, is to prevent one arm of the government to dictate to the other two. Our government is a “Three-legged Stool” where each “leg” holds enough support to prevent abuse by any of the other “legs”. Every time one “leg” forfeits some power to another leg, our government becomes more open to abuse. Sometimes when a proposal or program sounds like a perfectly valid premise and should be adopted, it can open a “can of worms” that can lead to other things that aren’t quite so good.

Let’s take a hypothetical situation of a nation with a fiscal crisis going on; high unemployment, huge national debt and a housing and food crisis. Fortunately, there comes a man who claims he can take this nation in crisis and transform it to its previous solvency; all he needs are a few regulations and constitutional changes to implement his policies. We could call this the “Enabling Act”, to give our leader the latitude to make necessary changes to begin a recovery. This act could enable the government to create decrees and laws beyond the scope of the powers given in the constitution, with no thematic limits, and no house of the congress had the power to abolish these laws or decrees while the emergency situation existed. Let’s say, in this program, individual state representation was suspended for certain programs and the central government took control in those specific instances, and all those states were now totally subject to rule by the central authority, just until the emergency situation was resolved. Do you believe this program could benefit a nation in crisis, to help it move forward and into a new era of plentiful success?

Last week, Barack Obama said he will call on Congress for the power to consolidate certain government agencies. His premise is that he will be able to consolidate agencies, thus cut costs to the taxpayers. On the surface, this sounds like a good idea, but it opens a dangerous door in our government. I’m all for slimming down our government octopus, yet giving this President further expansion of power scares me to death. I remember how his health-care initiative was forced on the American people, even after an overwhelming majority stood against it. I believe more power will corrupt Barack Obama even more than he is already.

Those policies I mentioned in my hypothetical nation were the policies initiated by another man who offered hope and change to his people. They were implemented in 1933 by Adolph Hitler upon the people of Germany. Adolph made this statement in 1932, “I am not a dictator, and I never will be; democracy will be rigorously enforced by National Socialism.” He sounds quite a bit like another guy I know!

"Less Is Not More; Weak Is Not Strong!"

What is the most dangerous weight class in boxing? Obviously, it is the heavyweight division, where the “big boys” battle! Whenever a boxer moves up in class, they must face a bigger man than they have faced in the past. Many years ago, a light-heavyweight named Billy Conn fought Joe Louis for Joe’s Heavyweight Title. Conn was the consummate boxer, fast and powerful; but much smaller than the “Brown Bomber” giving away more than 25 pounds. Conn actually knocked Joe down before Joe lowered the boom and kayoed Billy. Without many exceptions, the smaller opponent will fall to the larger and more powerful one.

Our armed forces consist of approximately 500,000 full time soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines: of this number, only about 90,000 are what we can consider combat troops; soldiers and marines who are the “tip of the spear”, so to speak. In our last, most recent conflicts, we have used our National Guard and Army and Marine reservists as our ground troops. They have made up a great number of our combat operations. Each time a reserve or National Guard unit is called up, there is, what you might call “lag time”, as these “citizen soldiers” get “refresher courses” in being a full time trooper. Cooks, clerks and mechanics can adapt fairly easily when they are called to duty; but a combat infantryman has to catch up in a hurry, and it’s not cooking or filing; it is life or death. In case of an immediate emergency situation, we would really be strapped for a large “combat ready” ground force to engage a larger, more formidable opponent.

The United States funds 22% of the United Nations’ costs. This is a huge amount of money for a fairly useless organization. Barack Obama has announced that he intends to reduce our Defense budget by “trimming our military”. As a former soldier, I find Mr. Obama’s idea as ludicrous; he has no idea of what a military operation consists of, and how important a strong standing army is to maintain our national security.

If America needs to trim fat from our budget, why not trim some of that aid to the United Nations or foreign aid to nations that have voiced opposition to United States policies. This represents hundreds of millions of our tax dollars spent on organizations and nations that have little to do with the security of the people of the United States of America.

Obama says we will be “leaner”, “more flexible” and “more ready for contingencies” with a smaller armed force. This is extremely foolish thinking! How can reducing our defense forces make us more secure? This is the price we are paying for putting a man in the White House who is a weak appeaser that is willing to kneel before other nations in the hope they will “take it easy on us”. Reduction of defense spending can be a very popular idea; especially to Iran, Korea and any terrorist organization against the United States! Mr. and Mrs. America, is this who you want protecting our shores: remember this next November: SMALLER IS NOT STRONGER!!

"You Are Being Watched!"

Every day I read the editorial and letters to the editor in our local newspaper: sometimes I agree; sometimes I don’t. There are times I would like to wring the neck of certain writers, or shake some common sense into them. Fortunately for me and for them, we are only connected by printed words, and not close physical contact, thus avoiding possible violence. Even though I have times of frustration when I read the opinions of those with whom I disagree, I’m glad I live in a country that allows diverse views which can be freely expressed without consequence.

In Hitler’s Germany and the old Soviet Union, most writers and speakers were very careful about expressing opinions that could be interpreted as “unfriendly” to the regimes in power. There were laws in place to “discourage” uncomplimentary words. A political opponent who was too vocal could easily find himself in prison, or worse. There was an ever watchful eye in NAZI Germany and Soviet Russia. In the novel “1984”, the slogan throughout the society was “Big Brother is Watching You”, and he was!

Our first amendment guarantees freedom of speech. This is our most valued right; that’s why it’s number ONE! We have newspapers and magazines of all types, periodicals which run the gamut of all subjects. Even certain aspects of pornography fall under the protection of the first amendment. We are not allowed to incite violence, but we are allowed to speak out against what we feel is unjust or illegal without fear of retribution.

As you are reading this, you know that I am primarily a political blogger, who is conservative by nature. I have strong opinions, most of which would probably offend our current President; I don’t care, it is my right to do this.

The National Operations Center is an arm of Homeland Security; it was established last November. This department now has the authority and written permission to collect and retain “personal information” from bloggers, journalists, newspaper reporters and basically anyone who voices an opinion to an audience. This puts all writers or commentators “under the thumb” of this agency. Joe Stalin or the Little Corporal would have loved this stuff; they liked keeping an eye on things!

This is a dangerous tool for any government; especially one that feels political opponents to be “obstructionists”. This will probably not be given too much press by media outlets, even though it threatens them as much as anyone else. It is strange that we have an administration that is more concerned about domestic speech than nuclear weapons from a crazed lunatic, or an invasion of illegal aliens from our southern border. I guess we know who “Big Brother” is watching!

"Third Grade Math?"

Have you ever been made to feel guilty about something? When you were a little kid, did you ever get caught doing something wrong and your siblings never let you forget it? Sometimes we can carry that guilt for years before it can be resolved. That sick feeling in the pit of one’s stomach can do some awful damage to a child, or even an adolescent. I remember as a child a salt and pepper shaker being broken by accident in our home. My Mom was devastated, as this was the only memento of her mother; my Dad later did his best to repair it. I don’t remember who the guilty party was, but I’m sure whoever it was carried that guilt around for quite a while, because it made Mom cry.

We have vilified entire races during time of war, casting an air of guilt on people who had nothing to do with that conflict. Japanese-Americans had an entire division in WWII who performed with great honor trying to take the shadow of guilt and blame away from their families.

No person alive today in the United States of America has owned a slave; no person alive today is responsible for the slavery of Civil War America.

I am not saying we don’t have our share of bigots and morons in America; they are plentiful, and they should be revealed for what they are whenever we find them. This being said, I don’t believe we should continue bearing the guilt of Civil War slavery as a nation, and passing it on to our children. History should be taught, and the reality of slavery should be told, along with the Civil Rights Act and the amazing strides America has made since the 1950s. We have seen Affirmative Action move not only the black population, but other minority groups ahead in the line for jobs and positions of authority.

I do have a complaint though: some parents in Georgia have a problem with their third graders math homework; it reeks of social guilt about slavery! This is a subject that should be covered in an American History class; not math! I will now quote one “math” problem: “Each tree has 56 oranges. If eight SLAVES pick them equally, then how much would each SLAVE pick?” I find this outrageous! Here is a question that is totally offensive: “If Frederick (a slave) got two beatings per day, how many beatings did he get in one week?” WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?!

I believe this is about keeping guilt alive for generations, after the fact, as a means to continue division between people of all races and creeds. This is an agenda for conditioning a generation of children into believing a 200 year old wrong belongs to them; and IT DOESN’T! This is the type of idiocy we must eliminate from our school system. We should be teaching what America offers today, a chance to succeed, no matter who you are. The upcoming generation must understand they share NO GUILT, and all Americans can get a level “playing field” in our society. We must stress we are a nation of “equal rights”, not “preferred rights”, and the past cannot be changed; only the future can be altered.

"Vigorously Marching Backwards!"

My father grew up during the great depression. He was the youngest of three sons of Italian immigrant parents, and didn’t have what one would consider an opulent life. Even though he didn’t have much, he said he enjoyed his life because of the family he grew up in. Both he and my grandmother told me stories of living with very little, yet still having a good life because of the hope they had living in America. They always believed they would do better because of America’s promise.

My Dad often told me that he wanted me to do better than he had, as his father told him the same thing. We always want more success for our children than we have experienced.

Historically, America has had successive generations that “out succeeded” the previous generation. As an agrarian nation, we produced more than anywhere else in the world; we are the “world’s breadbasket” even today. When America moved into the world’s industrial market, we skyrocketed to the top, both in quality and profit. After the Civil War, there wasn’t a nation on earth that wanted to enter into a conflict with the United States as their enemy; we were a force to be reckoned with. Invention and ambition made America the envy of the world. We made it a point to see that our populous was receiving an education so we could remain “the greatest nation in the world”. Many young minds rose to the apex of their chosen field, be it business, medicine, law or politics, America bred success. I grew up in the early 50s and 60s, which I believe were some of America’s most trying years, yet there were still men and women who reached beyond the times and achieved great success. Even the generation that spawned the “hippies” was doing better than their parents, a real tribute to the American way of life.

We are now in an economy that is said to be in recovery, although we still have an 8.7% unemployment average nationwide, and a debt larger than all previous debt combined. Currently, a study has shown that our personal income fell 6.7% since this so-called recovery. I think this is more like remission than recovery, and this economy is still pretty sick. If you add the figures from the beginning of the “recovery” to date, our collective loss is 9.9%; higher than the Jimmy Carter disaster.

Three years ago, Barack Obama touted “Hope and Change” and then proceeded to blame every economic mistake he has made on George W. Bush. Every government program that has failed have been under Barack Obama; every tax dollar that was flushed away by SOLYNDRA was because of Barack Obama; every affordable used car that was taken away from the working poor because of “Cash for Clunkers” rest on the shoulders of Barack Obama. The generation that is growing up under Barack Obama will not do as well as the previous generation because he has done his best to cut the testicles off of the American dream, while advancing a leftist agenda that is failing right before our eyes. If this generation is falling back, then what can be expected from a society that continues to follow the philosophy of Barack Obama? Are you better off than you were three years ago!

"It Doesn't Take Columbo!"

I watch quite a few “cop shows”. When I grew up, my Mom’s favorite show was “Perry Mason”; you know, the lawyer who always managed to have the real criminal confess while “grilling him on the stand”. Today’s shows have become much more realistic. The new programs get into the intricacies of the law, all of the loop holes and legal tricks that perpetrators use to dodge judgment. It also shows how some criminals get their just desserts for their ill conceived plots. I watch “ME TV” on Sunday evenings which features “Columbo”, a show about a disheveled detective who is much smarter than he looks and he always manages to find the tiniest mistakes that the criminal makes, no matter how brilliant the crook thinks he is. It is always fun to see the expression on the bad guy’s face when Columbo closes the trap, telling the “master criminal” what he forgot to do, thus causing his downfall. It seems every criminal makes a mistake, no matter how careful or clever he may be.

Last week, I wrote about how Barack Obama is twisting our Constitution to advance his political agenda, and about a new law which can suspend a person’s rights to face their accuser and to have a speedy trial while being detained under the H.R.1540 bill. I believe if this law is challenged, it will be found to be unconstitutional. Passing this law was not a criminal act, they followed all the rules as they wrenched away some of your rights.

Last week, Barack Obama bypassed the Senate to install a head for the Consumer Protection Agency. Many Presidents make appointments like this. While Congress is in session, the President is required, by law, to get approval for such appointments. Only when the Senate is in recess can a President make such an appointment without approval; that is the law! Republican members of Congress are outraged by the arrogance of Barack Obama as he flaunts the law and makes another power grab for his office. Oddly, Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, says she is “glad and proud” of what Obama has done. I guess Ms. Pelosi doesn’t have much respect for the Constitution or the law either. There have been noises about impeachment and abuse of power bouncing around Capitol Hill since Mr. Obama has decided that the Constitution and Congress are unnecessary.

I don’t think we need Columbo to find the mistake which was made this time: Article 2, Section 2 of the Constitution requires presidential appointees to be confirmed by the Senate before they can take office, unless the Senate is in recess or if the appointments are to inferior offices that Congress has legally given the president power to control. THIS IS THE LAW AS IT IS WRITTEN! The Senate was in session when Barack Obama issued his “royal edict”; he broke the law! He is stealing our Constitution and America must stop him!

"Barack Obama; Constitution Killer!"

Adolph Hitler, Mao, Stalin; these men all did certain things that were very similar; they did their best to stifle dissent from all of their opposition. Labor camps and prison were some of the places that these tyrants sent political and ideological opponents. They used the arms of the government to imprison those too vocal to suit the wishes of those dictators.

In America, we have a Constitution designed to protect peaceful dissent. We have the “Bill of Rights”, the first 10 amendments to our Constitution. They were put in to protect the sanctity of individual rights.

This same document gives us separation of power in the government, so no branch can have undo authority and abuse the rights of the people. Legislative, Executive and Judicial; we all learned this in our grade school social studies class, each branch with different duties, none with ultimate authority. No branch of government should be allowed to dominate the other two; it’s all about “checks and balances”.

Over the last three years, we have seen several attempts to manipulate our Constitution, to twist meaning and pervert intent. We have heard of attempts to censor the INTERNET, not from pornography, but from political views that some in Congress deemed “dangerous”. Strangely, this was never brought up while the “Klan”, “American Communist Party” or the “New Black Panthers” poisoned the screen of countless computers: it only came with the rise of conservative blogs that have become a thorn in the side of the left. Can you say “1^st Amendment” rights?

A new bill was signed into law by President Barack Obama recently. It is called the National Defense Authorization Act, H.R. 1540. To put it mildly, this law “SCARES THE HELL OUT OF ME”. This law gives the president the authority to “detain U.S. citizens without official charge”. I know plenty of people I would like to toss in jail, but they all have the same rights I do; you know, that pesky Constitution!

This bill gives me visions of Gestapo or KGB agents kicking in doors and hauling off people to an unnamed detention center for unknown reasons, for an unknown length of time. NO PRESIDENT SHOULD HAVE THIS POWER! Now Barack Obama has it! This has been done under the cloak of terrorism, but it opens the door to political oppression by a partisan president. Can this be a tool for Barack Obama to use to suppress those who disagree with him? After all, he could conclude that anyone who disagrees with him may have “terrorist intentions”, and off to “re-education camp” they go! Mr. Obama didn’t bat an eye when he signed this into law. Perhaps he saw a great opportunity at the end of his pen!