Dissing the Prez

Isn't it a terrible thing when the TV networks tell our President, when he's planning to address the nation on war decisions, that he must be off air by the time "Dancing with the Stars" begins at 8PM?

Not only that, but they only allow their political analysts to discuss the speech for two or three minutes.  The mandos not have gravitas, as Dick Cheney was famous for.  President Obama is so overexposed by TV lights it's not funny anymore.

The president tooks weeks to make a decision, and then made several, contradictory I might add.  It's a humanitarian mission, but Qaddafi must go.  We're protecting people, while blowing planes out of the sky, and tanks off the ground, allowing for rebel fighters, or are they Al Queda, advance on the Libyan army.  As soon as he makes up his mind to commit forces, he then turns the command over to NATO, and a Canadian general, who reports to an American commander.  Got it straight yet?

Monday, Monday

President Obama has now said he will address the nation Monday on our involvement in Libya.  More than a week late, don't you think?  I do.  Other presidents have made addresses of this nature, entering into war or military action, within hours ofthe start of the action. 

President Obama appears to haveno clue when it comes to foreign policy.  His decision making ablity is, well, non-existant.  We support him.  Now we don't.  I'll let you know next week.  Maybe.

Hoping for change yet?  Voters remorse yet?

Don't Blame it on Rio

On the occasion of sending US military into harm’s way is typically announced by the president to the American people.  President Roosavelt did so by radio following the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces.  Other presidents have done the same throughpout the years.  Below are a few examples of more recent presidential proclamations about use of military force.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt: "Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."

President Ronald R. Reagan:  "At 7 o'clock this evening eastern time air and naval forces of the United States launched a series of strikes against the headquarters, terrorist facilities, and military assets that support Mu`ammar Qadhafi's subversive activities. The attacks were concentrated and carefully targeted to minimize casualties among the Libyan people with whom we have no quarrel. From initial reports, our forces have succeeded in their mission."

President George H.W. Bush:  "Just 2 hours ago, allied air forces began an attack on military targets in Iraq and Kuwait. These attacks continue as I speak."

President George W. Bush:  "My fellow citizens, at this hour American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger."

President Barack Obama:  "Hello Rio de Janeiro"

This week the US military forces got involved in operations in and near Libya, along with forces from several other countries.  President Obama chose to carry out his travels to Latin America, and on the occasion of the initial operations against Libyan forces, he spoke to Brazilian crowds in Rio de Janeiro.  The American people were not his first priority.

Nicholas Sarkozy, the Most Powerful Man in the World

That title used to go to the President of the United States, but no longer.

Barack Obama abdicated that title during this winter of 2011.  Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Bahrain, New Zealand and Japan have all joined together as the force that made our president  Mr. Irrelevant.  In the last week to 10 days Mr. Obama has seemingly not done anything for any of the countries listed above, but he did pick the NCAA tournament, play 2 rounds of golf, visit foreign lands, and tell his Vice President to deal with our own budget woes.  The Mr. Biden flew off to another foreign country as well.

During the same period. The President of France, Mr. Sarkozy, took initiative on the Libya situation, and stole the thunder of the POTUS.

Obama came into office as possibly the least qualified person ever, and proves everyday that he is not up to the task.  He has put a great deal of effort into creating legislation, such as healthcare and cap and trade.  B his policy making and foreign affairs accumen is lacking severely.

Let's hope the GOP can find an excellent candidate who can take the White House away from this man with the audacity to to never miss a tee time in the face of adversity.

America the Beautiful

Seeing the response of America and her citizens to catastrophic events around the world confirms once again the greatness of the USA.  Whether it is earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Somalia, New Zealand, Haiti or China, Americans respond with not only cash, but with braun.

American military might is used in humanitarian efforts to rescue, feed and treat the wounds of vicitms of tragedy.  Average citizens trained in searcdh and rescue techniques, with their dogs besides them, rush to anywhere in the world to help find and rescue people buried under the rumble that used to their homes.

And then we have others who will chant slogans about how evil w are, burn our symbols in the streets, and wish death upon us.  There is no way to reconcile these two points of view.  America is not without fault, but the heart is pure.  America definitely walks the talk.  Very few in this world can sy that.

Don't Know or Don't Care

I find it amazing that so my Americans pay so little attention to politics and current events in this country and the world.  'Man on the street' interviews show just how little many Americans know.

There are many people who can tell you all about the lives of such celebrities as Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan, but cannot tell you who is in many of the positions of authority in this country.

Americans need to wake up, get educated, and be active in determining the very future of our country and the world around us.

Double Standards for Detah Threats

I am absolutely stunned and appalled at the death threats toward elected officials in Wisconsin.  Here are just two examples from the last couple of days.

An excerpt from an email sent to several Republican Senators in Wisconsin reads:

Please put your things in order because you will be killed and your families will also be killed due to your actions in the last 8 weeks. Please explain to them that this is because if we get rid of you and your families then it will save the rights of 300,000 people and also be able to close the deficit that you have created. I hope you have a good time in hell.

Another reads:

 Mr. Fitzgerald,

I want to make this perfectly clear. Because of your actions today and in the past couple of weeks I and the group of people that are working with me have decided that we’ve had enough. We feel that you and your republican dictators have to die. This is how it’s going to happen: I as well as many others know where you and your family live, it’s a matter of public records. We have all planned to assult you by arriving at your house and putting a nice little bullet in your head. However, this isn’t enough. We also have decided that this may not be enough to send the message. So we have built several bombs that we have placed in various locations around the areas in which we know that you frequent. This includes, your house, your car, the state capitol, and well I won’t tell you all of them because that’s just no fun.

Following the shooting of Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords and several others, several liberal political commentators and politicians quickly laid blame for them at the feet of conservative political figure Governor Sarah alin and others.  President Obama and others called for a more civil discourse.  It was as if conservatives actually caused this deranged man to commit this violent act.

Yet, here we have actual threats against conservatives and the liberals remain silent on the matter.  There is no more certain threat than what appears in these email messages.  There is no possible comparison between these emails and anything a conservative said that could have instigated the shootings in Arizona.

It is well past time for liberals and their cohorts in many parts of the media, print and electronic, to admit the hypocracy of their words and actions. 

Do this simple test.  Perform an internet search on any of the available search sites for the words 'condemn death threats'.  You will find several links to stories relating President Obama's condemnation of a recent political assasination in Pakistan, but nothing about these emailed threats.  Why is that?

Government Budget, Deficit Spending

I propose the federal government impose an across board spending cut of 5%.  Given the waste that everyone talks about eliminating, and given the duplicate efforts in terms of programs and departments, it should be easy to cut 5% in all areas.

This would prevent any one political group from claiming they are victims of budget cuts.  It makes the process fair and easy to understand by all. 

This act alone would stimulate the economy as business owners and consumers would both be more likely to invest and spend at work and at home.

Being given less to spend would necessarily force government workers and departments to find waste to eliminate, duplicate effort to eliminate, and economies of scale to take advantage of.  This would streamline processes and downsize the government.

If they can cut 5% in one year, then do the same thing in another year.  It could be adjusted to a 3% cut in year two.  These percent cuts could be negotiable, but some cut is needed.

Before you know it, we develop a trend.   Doing more with less is how America reached her position in the world, as the largest economy and highest standard of living ever known to man.

As the federal budget and flow of red ink recedes back within its banks, we become leaner and meaner and in the process improve the lives and business of all.

After two years of budget cuts, an amendment to the US Constitution could be passed that would limit federal budget growth to the rate of inflation plus population growth.  The Cato Institute first proposed this formula here.  As the budget grows at a controlled rate, it would grow at a slower rate than the combined growth of fedeal revenues (taxes) and GDP.  That is approximately 3% in 2011.

Budgets would be controlled and become more manageable.  Defecits and debt as a percent of GDP would shrink to more appropriate levels.

And perhaps most importantly, the citizens of the USA can understand this, and it would not be about which programs to cut, and who gets hurt more.

It's About Time

Isn't it about time for congress to have hearings, and invite the big oil executives to Washington DC for a grilling?  When George W. Bush was President and the price of oil and gasoline climbed higher and higher, Democrat congressman were claiming it was Big Oil and W. that are getting rich at the expense of Americans.  Maxine Waters was going to socilaize their companies, remember?

Now that gasoline is over $3.50 a gallon, The AP is now reporting all the things that go into pricing oil and gasoline, and none of those things are big oil, or President Obama.

How is it that the reason for pricing oil higher or lower is dependent on a republican in the White house?

Honor Out Of Memory

Speak to the world with the voice of your father and mother, and you will be heard. Act in their names, and you will be honored. Take the world they give you and make it greater, and you will be revered.

Honor Out Of Memory - HUMAN EVENTS

Strategically Speaking

Today it is being discussed.  President Obama is considering using petroleum currently stored in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).  This move would be a response that would do so little to alleviate the demand an high price for oil, but would seriously damage the ability of the government to respond to a crisis that could arise.

The SPR is currently over 700 million barrels of oil, the largest such supply in the world.  The 1975 Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) dictates the need and usage conditions for using this reserve of oil.  Basically, the limit is 4.4 million barrels per day, and during periods of interrupted oil supply.

The current oil market is very unstable considering the political unrest in a number of Arab nations in the middle east and northen Africa.  It is also affected by the current policies of the Obama administration, which is unfriendly to oil explortion, drilling and refining.  In fact, the Obama administration is unfriendly to any oil, nuclear, coal or gas utilization.  Environmentalists are opposed to using fossil fuels, and President Obama is with them.  Consequently, the cost of oil is hovering near or er $100 per barrel and gas is over $4.00 per gallon in most states.

Here is why dipping into the SPR is a bad idea at this time.  Oil production is not interrupted, but the prices is climbing.  Using the SPR now is technically a violation of the EPCA, or against the law.  The current reserve, if used by all Americans as the current flow of oil is used, would last approximately 34 days.  This is an insignificant amount of time.  The SPR is intended to be used primarily by our military if other oil supplies dry up, not for gassing up SUV's on family vacation.

President Obama would better serve Americans by easy the restrictions on oil drilling to increase our domestic supply of oil.  This would reduce the dependence on imported oil, put many Americans back to work, and drive some ecomic recovery.  Dipping into the SPR would do none of that, but would impact negatively the long tem oil interests of the USA.

We, the Unhyphenated Americans: Meet My People

Ms. Malkin makes several good points in this column, but using specific examples of people who represetn what america should be, and what Americans should strive for. Well done Michelle.

We, the Unhyphenated Americans: Meet My People - HUMAN EVENTS

Religion and Government

This country, indeed the whole world, needs to have a conversation about the compatability of Islam, Christianity and Jjudaism, and how their practitioners can peacefully coexist. Mr Hayward says it quite elogently. Freedom of religion and just government must go hand in hand. Key quotes from Hayward's column for me are:

~Religious beliefs, including atheism, rank among a citizen’s most treasured intellectual possessions. A government which does not respect these paramount treasures will be unlikely to show deep respect for its citizens in any other area.

~By definition, each of us sees his own religion as correct, which makes all others “wrong” to some degree. To fully embrace the free exercise of those “incorrect” beliefs is the ultimate measure of faith in our fellow citizens.

~The founders of the United States spoke of rights granted by God, but they are no less meaningful to those who refer to the divine by other names, or no name at all.

~and finally~
Understand the freedom of religion, and you will see the wisdom and justice of every other word in the Constitution reflected within.

The Final Freedom - HUMAN EVENTS