"Obama Is No #42"

I’m a pretty old guy, and I can remember the tail end of Jackie Robinson’s playing days in Major League Baseball. I haven’t seen the new movie “42” about Jackie’s break into the game, but it is on my list. I have seen several programs and an old movie about him and he was truly an inspiring man.

There were many great black ballplayers back then in the Negro League and Branch Rickey, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, could choose from all of them and he chose Jackie, not only for his talent, but also for his character. Mr. Rickey knew the type of pressure Jackie would be put under and he believed Jackie was the type of man who could respond in a way that would reveal his fine character and open the doors for other black players to enter “the big leagues” with less stress and controversy.

Jackie never made an issue of his color when being interviewed, even though he suffered many insults and threats in his early days from both fans and team mates. Jackie did all of his “talking” on the baseball field, and nobody could argue against his results; he was a great ballplayer. His name is now forever enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Jackie never said “People hate me because I’m black”; he was a class act who never looked for an excuse and let his actions speak for themselves.

Recently, the “New Yorker” magazine published an interview with President Barack Hussein Obama. Obama, who has set a record for the lowest approval ratings of any standing president, was pensive and unhappy about his drop in the polls. Mr. Obama never addressed the scandals which have surrounded his presidency; SOLYNDRA, Fast and Furious, Benghazi, huge debt, Obamacare failure and weak foreign policy went unmentioned.

Mr. Obama appeared as a “victim” looking for sympathy, rather than a Chief Executive defending his administration.

In the past five years, we have seen former President George W. Bush castigated at every turn and blamed for nearly all of this administration’s failures, as responsibility is not a word that is too familiar to the Obama Administration. It seemed that all things wrong led back to G.W. and Barack could do nothing wrong.

In the interview with the “New Yorker”, Mr. Obama said “People hate me because I’m black.”

I was wondering how long it would take for this President to fall back on the “standard excuse” of the left when it came to criticizing Barack Hussein Obama. In a pathetic cry for sympathy, this man has fallen back to the “race card” as a way to blame his failure as a President on someone or something other than his ineptitude in the Oval Office.

The reality of Mr. Obama’s record setting low approval is the massive amount of failure he has accumulated while in office.

If racism was the cause of Mr. Obama’s abominable approval rating, why did America reelect him? People are unhappy because he is doing a LOUSY JOB!

Jackie Robinson won over the people with his ability on the field and his character off the field without ever complaining about his skin color.

It’s too bad Barack Hussein Obama doesn’t have the same character as Jackie Robinson, but class will always show itself from the inner man.

"Unite, NOT Divide"

This week, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will be remembered all across America. Dr. King is the man who is most identified with America’s Civil Rights Movement. He gave the ultimate sacrifice when James Earl Ray took his life with an assassin’s bullet. This tragedy is remembered as deeply as the murders of JFK, RFK and Abraham Lincoln.

In days following Dr. King’s murder, America erupted into riots, many cities were turned into areas of fire and violence; businesses were destroyed and parts of America were turned into “war zones”. In Chicago, Mayor Richard J. Daley said to the police “If you see someone with a fire bomb, shoot to maim or kill.” Those were extremely dark days in America’s history.

We need to celebrate Dr. King as the man who “held the mirror” to America’s face to reveal the wrongs that long remained unspoken in our society.

Today, there some who say they are carrying on the work of Dr. King, yet they seem to be “dividers” instead of “uniters” in the cause of American brotherhood.

Al Sharpton has become an “icon of Black racism”, as he finds racism under every tree and stone in America. To “Reverend” Sharpton, every situation is related to some racist motive, yet he seldom condemns the consistent “Black on Black” crime that decimates America’s Black community. The “Reverend” has cried racism so regularly it seems that is the only word in his vocabulary. Al Sharpton has done more to polarize the racial problems in America rather than trying to bring Americans together.

The “Reverend” Jesse Jackson is another voice who claims to be following in Dr. King’s footsteps. Perhaps fifty years ago his motives were pure, but today he has become a purveyor of rancor and hatred toward any person who holds a belief that doesn’t coincide with his. If you don’t agree with Jesse Jackson, you are almost assuredly going to be called a “racist” by either Mr. Jackson or someone from his entourage. Mr. Jackson has tried to interfere with private businesses, professional sports organizations and the entertainment industry in the guise of working for “civil rights”, even when his motives seemed more financial than existential. It seems Mr. Jackson is looking out for “No. 1”, more than the oppressed masses. Mr. Jackson loves power and influence and he wields it ruthlessly toward his opponents.

Are these two men the examples that the Black community should emulate?

I have three names I would like to present to the American Black community: Allen West, Herman Cain and Dr. Ben Carson.

These men are men who have achieved great success without ever trying to blame their problems on someone else. They all have tremendous backgrounds as overcomers of adversity; all of them revere the works of Martin Luther King, Jr. and all are conservative in their political philosophy.

These men are conspicuously absent from the speeches of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, as Mr. Sharpton and Mr. Jackson are “far left” liberals and would rather “slash their wrists” then say anything good about a conservative Black man.

Aren’t these men the living embodiment of Dr. King’s philosophy? These men have succeeded in America’s society on their own merit. They showed the power of self-determination and hard work that is the cornerstone of all American success stories.

Dr. King wanted equal rights, not preferred rights, not free rides to success.

Remember Dr. King this week, and remember that he never expected a “free ride” to success, just as Allen West, Herman Cain and Dr. Ben Carson continue to believe; they are the examples to be emulated, that are the achievers.

"Etcetera, Etcetera, Etcetera"

I remember a movie called “The King and I” starring Yul Brynner as the King of Siam. The film was a musical based on the play “Anna and the King of Siam”.

The King was a dictator who would make declarations followed by the statement “Let it be said, let it be done”. The King would make lengthy edicts with countless rules and regulations, sometimes followed with the words “etcetera, etcetera, etcetera……..” as an addendum, implying there would be more to follow. His Highness would parade around pompously like a prideful peacock as he barked out his dictates to his scribe; no one ever questioned his authority, they all feared him. This was fiction.

Nero was an Emperor of Rome, perhaps Rome’s most vicious ruler. It was believed he was a madman and all of Rome lived in fear of him as he would order death at any time without warning, and his word was law. No person in Rome ever questioned Nero as it would have invoked his wrath and a severe penalty from this horrid dictator. Nero was real.

Josef Stalin was the leader of Russia during WWII, and he was a feared leader by his people. Stalin ordered the deaths of tens of thousands of his own people; anyone he perceived as a political enemy was sent to a Gulag in Siberia, never to be seen again; his word was law. No one questioned Josef Stalin; he was real.

Adolph Hitler was the leader of Germany during its’ darkest period. Hitler seized power during a time of severe economic distress in Germany and subverted his way into total power in that troubled country. Hitler controlled everything in the nation when he took over, and millions of people died because of his decisions. He is probably the most evil man that has held power since time began; he was real. Nobody questioned Hitler; if you did, you died.

This week President Barack Hussein Obama received some unhappy news. It seems some of his appointments are under question as being “unconstitutional” and may have upsetting results for Mr. Obama. Mr. Obama has tried to use some “loopholes” to put people in positions of power and avoid the Congress for approval; kind of like “imposing his will” on the American people without consent.

It is no secret that Mr. Obama said on several occasions that he would “Do things on his own” when the Congress moved too slowly to suit him. I guess “doing things on his own” means twisting the Constitution to fit his will and his agenda.

We have a process in the United States of America, the Constitutional process; a system constructed to protect the people from the singular dictates of anyone who feels he is above the law. This process isn’t supposed to be “twisted” to fit any political agenda, regardless of the motives.

I don’t know if Barack Obama struts around his office like a “proud peacock” shouting out orders, glaring at those who disagree with him. I have seen expressions of anger on his face when things haven’t gone his way; he quickly smiles when those expressions come out, after all he must protect his image. He is real, and he is the President of the United States. I wonder if he has ever said “Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera……..”?

"New Year, New Lies"

Have you ever heard the term “If you tell a lie often enough, it becomes the truth”? The NAZIs did this on a regular basis in order to exterminate 6,000,000 Jews, along with Gypsies, Pols, Catholics and political enemies.

Klan and other White Power groups say “All blacks are lazy, shiftless and sub-human” and have touted that mantra for generations, drumming it into the heads of their followers until they all believed it to be truth. These types of lies continue to infect us today.

When lies permeate the national media, entire people may be misled and unethical and evil intentions may infiltrate the thinking of everyone that believes them.

“You may keep your doctor if you like him”; a lie, “Your insurance rate will go below $2400”; a lie, “If you like your plan, you can keep it”; a lie and “Benghazi was caused by a YOU-TUBE video”; a BIG lie! “Voter intimidation didn’t take place in the last election”; a whopper of a lie, “Our borders are safer now than ever before”; LIE, LIE, LIE! “We have a strong national defense”; unbelievable lie! “Americans don’t mind paying more taxes”; a stupid lie! “Food stamps and welfare are good for the economy”; a ridiculous lie!

All of the above lies have been told under the cover of the Obama Administration, with his knowledge and approval. The dispersion to the public of all these lies has been approved by the Obama Administration. The continued affirmation of these lies is still coming from the Obama Administration.

We are now in a new year, 2014, and we are waiting to see what “new lies” will come from the Obama Administration. Deception seems to be the watchword for Barack Hussein Obama; throughout the last twelve months we have seen him deny statements that have been well documented on video, yet he continues to say “that’s not what he meant” at the time.

The “party newspaper”, the New York Times, is now reverting back to the Benghazi murders being caused by a YOU-TUBE video, even though there are countless facts which show this to be untrue. Why is the New York Times churning up the ashes of this spurious story again? Is there a vain hope this will distract the American people of the dismal failure that Obamacare has shown itself to be? Is it possible that the Democrats that are up for reelection in November need an issue that will pull attention away from the misery caused by this new law that was voted in on STRCTLY PARTY LINES?

Is the New York Times doing its best to give tacit endorsement to Hillary Clinton for a 2016 presidential run so she may distance herself from the Benghazi disaster, for which she must share much of the blame?

America is seeing a “tower of lies” being built in order to “cleanse” the Democrats of the horrendous failures of the past six years so they can maintain power in Washington.

We are entering a Congressional election this year, and it will be an election which all Americans will have a chance to restore a ‘Constitutional Government” back to the people.

Lies, upon lies, upon lies have been told to all of America’s citizens since Barack Hussein Obama has entered the Oval Office, and if his party remains in power after the November election, all of us can depend on more lies and more deceptive practices from “the most transparent administration ever”. See through the “transparency” and “Throw the rascals out!”

"Merry CHRISTmas!"

Next week is the beginning of the Christmas Season all across America; trees and lights will be permeating virtually every neighborhood in our nation. Stores have been touting sales of every kind since Thanksgiving Day and people have been planning holiday feasts for several weeks.

This season also brings out some other folks; I hate Christmas folks, those who are somehow offended by this most wonderful time of the year. Some stores refrain from using the word Christmas, substituting “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” or taking Christ out of the word using an X in His place; what is X-MAS??

Chicago has an annual Christmas Market which displays many of the traditional Christmas decorations and some “manger displays”. I remember Chanukah and Kwanza also being represented in this same venue; no Christians complained.

This year at this celebration there will be a new display; a giant “A” will be lit up for all of the atheists and agnostics who are against the celebration of the Christmas holiday. I don’t believe anybody is forced to believe in Jesus or the Christmas Holiday; I do. Those who wish not to believe in God are perfectly protected in our country. I have never seen anybody dragged into a church or prayer meeting by anyone. Nobody is forced to sing Christmas Carols or send cards if they don’t wish to do so.

We who believe in Jesus would be the first to defend anyone’s right to disbelieve; we would feel sad and sorry for them, yet we would never try to force them to accept Jesus without their free will acceptance.

A question I always ask myself at this time of the year is “Why are some people so threatened by a being they profess doesn’t exist?” This is nonsensical to a logical mind; why fear anything that you don’t believe is real?

I believe in Heaven and a spiritual existence and I believe Jesus is the only way to achieve that goal of an eternity in His presence. I believe Jesus was the sacrifice for all of man’s sin; nobody else could do it but Him. I believe this season is joyful as the birth of the Messiah is the provision of the Father to redeem us from our iniquities. I will gladly share this with anyone who is interested, and if after hearing this, they wish to walk away, I will have fulfilled my joy and my duty to share His Gospel; there is no force, only concern for every man’s immortal soul.

Has any atheist or agnostic ever been “beat up” by a Christian in a “Gospel Riot”?

Billions of people around the world celebrate Christmas as an occasion for hope and joy, an occasion for forgiveness and renewal. I am sorry for those who choose to destroy a belief that has lasted for over 2,000 years and generations of believers.

Answer this question; “Why are people more generous, kinder, more loving and more joyful during this season, more than Thanksgiving, more than New Year’s Day, more than the Fourth of July; more than any other holiday celebrated anywhere on this planet?” Could it be that this day has been touched by God and reached a place in every human heart that loves Him?

I wish all of my readers and friends the most joyful of Christmas’s and the happiest of New Year’s. Be blessed by our Savior, see you all in January!

 

(Last blog for this year, have a great Christmas!)

""Want Fries?"

When I was 16 years old, I worked my first regular job; it was a summer job from June to Labor Day in September. I worked a six day work week with Mondays off. I got up at 5:30 AM to get to the bus stop and be at work by 7:00 AM, I was a common laborer at an amusement park called “Riverview Park”, a place that is now considered one of Chicago’s happiest places to be in the 1950s and 1960s. The “Park” closed down in 1967 and that property now houses a police station and some land development.

My job was “grunt work”; sweeping streets, cleaning buildings and any type of heavy lifting that was needed. I came home dirty, sweaty and smelling bad; my days at “Chicago’s Greatest Amusement Park” weren’t much fun for me, but it gave me the salary I needed to pay for my auto insurance and gasoline (24 cents per gallon).

I was paid $1.22 per hour and cleared $67.00 a week, for a 48 hour week! This job taught me a valuable lesson; I didn’t want to spend my life at a job like this one!!

I had friends who worked at a place called “Henry’s Hamburgers”, home of the 15 cent burger, and they made less than I did with the same long hours and distasteful duties; they weren’t planning a career at “Henry’s” either!

Those jobs provided us with spending money, and they also taught us that those jobs were something you did to gain experience in the working world, not a lifetime occupation. None of us needed any special skill to do those jobs, and they could be filled by almost anybody who could walk and chew gum at the same time. Nobody I met at my job was planning to be there for 20 years; that job was just a “rite of passage” in growing up.

Over the last few week,s we have seen people demonstrating in front of some “fast food” restaurants for the cause of raising the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour. I know everybody needs a job, especially in the “Barack Obama Economy”, but this idea won’t help America at all.

McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and KFC can’t operate at a profit by paying that rate to their store employees and maintain the prices they need to remain attractive to the American consumer.

I’m quite sure all of the above companies pay their production workers and delivery drivers quite a bit more than minimum wage, as those jobs require special skills or special training and are meant to be positions to be filled for several years by those skilled employees.

In order for Americans to continue to enjoy the convenience and low cost of “fast food”, the store workers cannot be paid the same as “skilled workers” or their next hamburger will cost them $10.00 and the French Fries will be $6.00. How many of you will continue to frequent those businesses at those prices?

Many of those companies offer educational benefits to employees who wish to better themselves, and some employees take advantage of those programs, but those who don’t, shouldn’t think the company should raise their salary for being stagnant in their jobs.

If you think driving McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and KFC out of business is a good idea, then you should support the $15.00 per hour minimum wage, because it won’t take long for all of those discontented workers to be part of America’s unemployed workers, and there won’t be any raises for anybody.

If you want to get ahead, you have to MOVE UP in your job, not cry about something you are unwilling to change. Nobody should be saying “Do you want fries with that” when they are 55 years old!!

"Look Into My Eyes"

Do any of you recognize the name Svengali? No, my friends, he’s not the host of a “horror movie program”; he is a fictional character created by George du Maurier who had “mystical power” over men’s minds and could control their thoughts and actions. There have been two or three movies about Svengali and they were all pretty creepy.

How many of you remember the name Grigori Rasputin? He has been called “The Mad Monk”, yet he had no religious education or degree. Rasputin held some power in Russia over the Romanov family as he used the “power of hypnosis” to cure hemophilia in the royal family. When the royal family was executed, so was Rasputin; but his legend lived well past his death.

Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer is known as the father of modern hypnosis, as he developed this treatment in the curing of some physical and mental disorders.

People have been fascinated with the practice of hypnosis since its inception so long ago. There are night club acts done by hypnotists all over the world. I remember seeing people act like dogs, chickens and Martians on stage while under the influence of hypnosis. The shows are always funny and entertaining, and when they are finished with their volunteers, the hypnotist always “releases them” from his control.

The hypnotist uses his voice and concentration to obtain power over his subjects. I find that power just a little disturbing, so I never stand up when they look for volunteers. Mind control scares the heck out of me.

President Barack Hussein Obama is, once again, on the road trying to promote the virtues of “Obamacare” to America, even though it has been a program that has seen little success thus far. The millions of Americans that have tried to sign up for this program are unable to access the web-site and only a small percentage of people have gotten through successfully.

I have said in previous articles millions of Americans are having their health-care plans eliminated and lost access to their doctors who don’t qualify because of Obamacare’s regulations.

This week, Mr. Obama has stated this program is “working well” and will be a success. Judging from past performance, this program’s success is dismal at best and can hardly be called “working well” by any stretch of the imagination.

I believe Mr. Obama thinks if he “concentrates” and uses the “power of his voice”, he will be able to “hypnotize” the American people. This President has used his gift for public speaking to great advantage in the past, but now, Americans from all walks of life are feeling the effects of this ill-conceived program and they are not the “willing subjects” he requires to do his “mystic act”.

Sorry Mr. Obama, not Mesmer, Rasputin or Svengali can make this program work. I know you have ultimate faith in your “charisma” to pull this off; but “personality and B.S.” will only carry you so far; facts are a bitch and you can’t get around that Mr. President, even if you think you’re SVENGALI!!