As sorrowful a post as this is to be has caused the writing to be delayed repeatedly due to reluctance to bring this much pain to the fore - N.Y.P.D. Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Wiu were never friends of mine; they are much more, they are indeed blood line brothers, who's personal courage and deication to the preservation of civilized society have made their wanton murders almost unbearable.
My own infinitely less worthy experiences in these gallant officer's shoes dates to 1975 when I started my service as an U.S. Army Military Police officer on Reserve Duty. Twenty years of law enforcement, civil and criminal, coincided, and then followed after I left the military in 1983. Accordingly, none has ever doubted that I bleed blue, for this character trait is surely interwoven in my DNA. [This obligatory journalistic "bias" disclosure notwithstanding, my views of the role of policing in America are worthy of your own informed evaluation, rather dismissal, because my decades' long experiences inform my judgment rationally, and do not cloud it through any overly emotional prejudices.]
As President Abraham Lincoln so artfully stated: "A house divided against itself can not stand." Nor can New York city stand as a safe community should Mayor de Blasio persist in his very intentional disparaging of the men in blue under his solemn leadership, in essence calling them to be an occupying force seeking too frequently to do physical harm to the City's minority residents, matched only by his venal and false assertion that his biracial son should fear for his well being whenever he encounters a police officer on any New York City street.
The mayor's lame attempts to walk back these blood libels, so as to escape the import of his expressly articulated distrust of the police officers under his command is truly a fool's errand. No number of repeated de Blasio platitudes of utmost respect for police can erase the damning truth that he told his own flesh and blood not to believe in the police. So, Mayor de Blasio tells every thug and mob enthusiast that the N.Y.P.D. are the current manifestation of hundreds of years of racism permeating every facet of American life. So, Mayor de Blasio and his entire family distrust the police. No surprise there - right back at'cha - the police turn their backs on the Mayor. Let's just hope, our only protection against anarchy doesn't turn it back on NYC itself, as that outcome can not stand.
Monday, December 29, 2014
Monday, October 27, 2014
Why Craig Spencer doesn't matter
Nor does Kaci Hickox, for that matter. While I give governors Cumo and Christy real credit for stepping into the utter chaos created by the bumblers from CDC and the White House, their 21 day quarantine of returning health care workers from West Africa is misplaced.
The heroic volunteers who go to Liberia et. al. have the best training, expertise, life preserving self-interest and sound judgment to know when to cease all contact with others. Dr. Craig Spencer notwithstanding, self reporting from their US homes such suffice, so long as they agree by binding enforceable administrative orders to remain inside these abodes until cleared of having contracted the disease by the requisite blood tests.
Instead, the several states and the federal government absolutely need to impose a medically supervised quarantine on the 180 or so West Africans arriving on our shores daily, the vast majority of whom have had no training, no expertise, no PPE and no demonstrated good sense not to ignore their own self protections, and the protection of their families and friends by self isolating for the requisite period of time.
Think about this comparative risk analysis and then decide which group of travelers from West Africa need to be isolated by our public health authorities - Mr. Charles Duncan from Liberia - who had a neighbor and close friend oozing bodily fluids from every orifice in her body before, during and after he (attired in his civvies and tidy-whities) carries her in a Monrovia taxi for a futile ride to and from the local hospital where she is refused admission or the American health care workers who wear "moon suits" for every possible ebola contact they undertake. Does this refusal to quarantine the known unprotected populations of West Africa coming to America, while simultaneously isolating in compelled jail like "lock-up" American heroes make any sense other than politically and scientifically incorrect sense?
The CDC and the White House got what they deserved by failing so arrogantly to protect us all from this ongoing ebola debacle, but all Americans deserve a state response that maximizes ifs effectiveness by targeting only the thousands of West Africans coming here weekly, many probably wearing the same clothes they wore when carrying around their ebola dying relatives. When will any of our governing elite learn to use a little common sense? Probably not before a West African infected traveler moves into their Georgetown, DC neighborhood.
The heroic volunteers who go to Liberia et. al. have the best training, expertise, life preserving self-interest and sound judgment to know when to cease all contact with others. Dr. Craig Spencer notwithstanding, self reporting from their US homes such suffice, so long as they agree by binding enforceable administrative orders to remain inside these abodes until cleared of having contracted the disease by the requisite blood tests.
Instead, the several states and the federal government absolutely need to impose a medically supervised quarantine on the 180 or so West Africans arriving on our shores daily, the vast majority of whom have had no training, no expertise, no PPE and no demonstrated good sense not to ignore their own self protections, and the protection of their families and friends by self isolating for the requisite period of time.
Think about this comparative risk analysis and then decide which group of travelers from West Africa need to be isolated by our public health authorities - Mr. Charles Duncan from Liberia - who had a neighbor and close friend oozing bodily fluids from every orifice in her body before, during and after he (attired in his civvies and tidy-whities) carries her in a Monrovia taxi for a futile ride to and from the local hospital where she is refused admission or the American health care workers who wear "moon suits" for every possible ebola contact they undertake. Does this refusal to quarantine the known unprotected populations of West Africa coming to America, while simultaneously isolating in compelled jail like "lock-up" American heroes make any sense other than politically and scientifically incorrect sense?
The CDC and the White House got what they deserved by failing so arrogantly to protect us all from this ongoing ebola debacle, but all Americans deserve a state response that maximizes ifs effectiveness by targeting only the thousands of West Africans coming here weekly, many probably wearing the same clothes they wore when carrying around their ebola dying relatives. When will any of our governing elite learn to use a little common sense? Probably not before a West African infected traveler moves into their Georgetown, DC neighborhood.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Why Leon Panetta still Matters
What the honorable, former Secretary of Defense did to President Barrack Obama on Tuesday evening in his 40 minute interview by William O'Reilly on the Factor may well have been unprecedented in American political theater, certainly a unique event during my lifetime. What Mr. Panetta did to Obama was both disloyal and disrespectful, indeed an act of shamelessly disrobing the Emperor.
More significantly, however, what Mr. Panetta did for his country Tuesday was an act of true patriotism, immense courage and bravery rarely, if ever, seen in the ruling elites of America. To sum up Mr. Panetta's devastating critique of Mr. Obama's presidency over the last six years, this life long democratic Icon (no right wingnut, Tea Party fav.) told the Nation that the current occupant of the White House knows full well what should be done to protect America against our foreign adversaries - Russia and China - and our avowed war making enemies - radical Islamists, but he refuses to take the necessary forceful actions of effective deterrence and the powerful military defense of America in the Middle East.
Think about that Panetta statement for a second, or as long as it takes for its full impact to jar your conscience. The former Secretary of Defense, who served for four years directly under President Obama, and therefore, has deep personal, intimate knowledge of the thinking and acting of this President, has concluded that Mr. Obama has made a conscious, willful decision to shirk his duties.
O'Reilly pressed Panetta repeatedly on why Mr. Obama has failed to demonstrate leadership on the world scene, but on this issue real candor and forthright analysis was replaced by the Secretary's ardent pleas for Obama to right the Nation's course over the last two years of this presidency.
Truth be told, I felt like I was witnessing an Intervention around the family dining room table - Leon Panetta appeared almost desperate at moments, seemingly hoping that his outreach might break through the icy calm and dispassion of this President, to literally shake him out of his lethargy so that America might yet be saved.
Pushback from an Administration known for its intolerance of dissent might well be swift and powerful. Nonetheless, I am confident that Leon Panetta doesn't care. Of all the great patriots in our history, the one Mr. Panetta now most reminds me of is Nathan Hale.
More significantly, however, what Mr. Panetta did for his country Tuesday was an act of true patriotism, immense courage and bravery rarely, if ever, seen in the ruling elites of America. To sum up Mr. Panetta's devastating critique of Mr. Obama's presidency over the last six years, this life long democratic Icon (no right wingnut, Tea Party fav.) told the Nation that the current occupant of the White House knows full well what should be done to protect America against our foreign adversaries - Russia and China - and our avowed war making enemies - radical Islamists, but he refuses to take the necessary forceful actions of effective deterrence and the powerful military defense of America in the Middle East.
Think about that Panetta statement for a second, or as long as it takes for its full impact to jar your conscience. The former Secretary of Defense, who served for four years directly under President Obama, and therefore, has deep personal, intimate knowledge of the thinking and acting of this President, has concluded that Mr. Obama has made a conscious, willful decision to shirk his duties.
O'Reilly pressed Panetta repeatedly on why Mr. Obama has failed to demonstrate leadership on the world scene, but on this issue real candor and forthright analysis was replaced by the Secretary's ardent pleas for Obama to right the Nation's course over the last two years of this presidency.
Truth be told, I felt like I was witnessing an Intervention around the family dining room table - Leon Panetta appeared almost desperate at moments, seemingly hoping that his outreach might break through the icy calm and dispassion of this President, to literally shake him out of his lethargy so that America might yet be saved.
Pushback from an Administration known for its intolerance of dissent might well be swift and powerful. Nonetheless, I am confident that Leon Panetta doesn't care. Of all the great patriots in our history, the one Mr. Panetta now most reminds me of is Nathan Hale.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Why we are not at War with ISIS
America is not at war with ISIS but not because wars are messy things. Nonetheless, they do have very well defined rules known formally as the Law of War, as ratified in a number of international treaties to which the United States is a signatory party.
One of the more significant mandates during wartime is the humane incarceration of captured enemy combatants - they are legally held (w/o. any criminal charges) in a prisoner of war camp for the full duration of the conflict. In order to criminally prosecute a captured soldier of ISIS, the United States would undertake to obtain a war crime's conviction in a military tribunal for which, and only for which, that ISIS terrorist would be subject to punishment by a specified term of penal incarceration (e.g. life in prison) or a death sentence for particularly egregious crimes against humanity.
Accordingly, President Obama will never go to war with any terrorist entity - to do so would require our sending all captured terrorist combatants to GITMO for indefinite interrogation by intelligence officers in order to ascertain the future combat attack plans against the Homeland by our enemy/adversary.
Instead, the current Administration is determined to have every terrorist taken into custody given a criminal trial in a civilian court after having "lawyered up" and shut up, so as to preclude any unfettered interrogation that will provide crucial knowledge of the futher planned attacks on our nation.
So yes, like elections, words have consequences. Indeed, words can hurt people, innocent people, who would be better protected were our Commander in Chief decide to follow the Law of War and treat captured ISIS combatants humanely at our World Class Prisoner of War Camp - GITMO - where they can talk until the Cows Come Home, thereby giving us the crucial information required to degrade, dismantle and destroy ISIS, so as to better manage their problematic plan to soon behead each and every one of us.
One of the more significant mandates during wartime is the humane incarceration of captured enemy combatants - they are legally held (w/o. any criminal charges) in a prisoner of war camp for the full duration of the conflict. In order to criminally prosecute a captured soldier of ISIS, the United States would undertake to obtain a war crime's conviction in a military tribunal for which, and only for which, that ISIS terrorist would be subject to punishment by a specified term of penal incarceration (e.g. life in prison) or a death sentence for particularly egregious crimes against humanity.
Accordingly, President Obama will never go to war with any terrorist entity - to do so would require our sending all captured terrorist combatants to GITMO for indefinite interrogation by intelligence officers in order to ascertain the future combat attack plans against the Homeland by our enemy/adversary.
Instead, the current Administration is determined to have every terrorist taken into custody given a criminal trial in a civilian court after having "lawyered up" and shut up, so as to preclude any unfettered interrogation that will provide crucial knowledge of the futher planned attacks on our nation.
So yes, like elections, words have consequences. Indeed, words can hurt people, innocent people, who would be better protected were our Commander in Chief decide to follow the Law of War and treat captured ISIS combatants humanely at our World Class Prisoner of War Camp - GITMO - where they can talk until the Cows Come Home, thereby giving us the crucial information required to degrade, dismantle and destroy ISIS, so as to better manage their problematic plan to soon behead each and every one of us.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
It's a Wonderful Life
This Blog has endeavored to never engage in the politics of personal destruction, as such taudry and tacky sleaze is best left to the Clinton's smear operatives. My dedication to a pedantic porch of high level policy critique has demonstrated that persons of good will can debate the wisdom of the government's myriad mis-steps without demonizing the top decision maker. From all honest sources, it should be clear that our current President is a loving husband and father who is a genial companion for most every five hour dinner party held in the Italian countryside. Born in the ultimate laid back paradise of Hawaii, President Obama is as cool and composed leader (from behind) as has ever occupied the Oval Office.
That complimentary biography stated, we now must veer into the somewhat murky venue of Presidential bearing, as this "optic" measurement of leadership capabilities is taken every day by both our nation's allies and adversaries. Evil rulers, most dangerously Putin and the Iranian mullas, watch Mr. Obama's speeches, press conferences and official public utterances to compare with his follow through actions to determine whether he is both resolute and a man of his word. Indisputably, a Red Line drawn in Syria, when crossed with full impunity, undermines, possibly irreparably, the credibility of our Commander-in-Chief.
A not implausible argument can be advanced that when thousands of Syrian innocents were murdered by a poison gas attack in a rebel held suburb of Damascas, and no consequences ensued, the measure of Mr. Obama was taken and found wanting by Russia's Stalin-wantabe, leading to the invasion of Ukraine, the shoot down of the Malaysian airliner and the seizure of the Crimean province.
This crisis in eastern Europe has been compounded by the rise if ISIS, the Hamas war of terror against Isreal and the Mexican government's decision to hold hostage indefinitely a US Marine, while holding our entire southern border hostage to tens of thousands of illegal immigrants. Let's face it, in a messy world, absolutely no one is afraid to mess with us, in our face even - at least until it falls to the ground with the rest of the head.
So, in the face of an entire World on Fire, Mr. Obama departs to Wales for the NATO summit, billed as a crucial gathering in which he will galvanize the Europeans to a steadfast commitment to degrade, dismantle and destroy ISIS and to free Ukraine from Russia's rapacious grasp. In this context of the West being routed and the dead bodies of too many to count innocents dominating the evening news for weeks on end, this NATO Conference had to be a most solemn and grave event dominated by life and death consultations.
So, how did Mr. Obama end his post-NATO summit presser: "Thank you very much people of Wales. I had a wonderful time." What an excellent adventure for our accidental tourist, who also found leisure time for a visit to Stonehedge on the way back. Soon, we will return to the high moral plane of national policy concerns; but for now, I defy anyone to convince me that the current occupant of the White House has the demeanor of a serious and resolute war time leader.
That complimentary biography stated, we now must veer into the somewhat murky venue of Presidential bearing, as this "optic" measurement of leadership capabilities is taken every day by both our nation's allies and adversaries. Evil rulers, most dangerously Putin and the Iranian mullas, watch Mr. Obama's speeches, press conferences and official public utterances to compare with his follow through actions to determine whether he is both resolute and a man of his word. Indisputably, a Red Line drawn in Syria, when crossed with full impunity, undermines, possibly irreparably, the credibility of our Commander-in-Chief.
A not implausible argument can be advanced that when thousands of Syrian innocents were murdered by a poison gas attack in a rebel held suburb of Damascas, and no consequences ensued, the measure of Mr. Obama was taken and found wanting by Russia's Stalin-wantabe, leading to the invasion of Ukraine, the shoot down of the Malaysian airliner and the seizure of the Crimean province.
This crisis in eastern Europe has been compounded by the rise if ISIS, the Hamas war of terror against Isreal and the Mexican government's decision to hold hostage indefinitely a US Marine, while holding our entire southern border hostage to tens of thousands of illegal immigrants. Let's face it, in a messy world, absolutely no one is afraid to mess with us, in our face even - at least until it falls to the ground with the rest of the head.
So, in the face of an entire World on Fire, Mr. Obama departs to Wales for the NATO summit, billed as a crucial gathering in which he will galvanize the Europeans to a steadfast commitment to degrade, dismantle and destroy ISIS and to free Ukraine from Russia's rapacious grasp. In this context of the West being routed and the dead bodies of too many to count innocents dominating the evening news for weeks on end, this NATO Conference had to be a most solemn and grave event dominated by life and death consultations.
So, how did Mr. Obama end his post-NATO summit presser: "Thank you very much people of Wales. I had a wonderful time." What an excellent adventure for our accidental tourist, who also found leisure time for a visit to Stonehedge on the way back. Soon, we will return to the high moral plane of national policy concerns; but for now, I defy anyone to convince me that the current occupant of the White House has the demeanor of a serious and resolute war time leader.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Through the Looking-Glass Darkly
True reality in Gaza (and elsewhere) must be viewed by examining a transcript inside a transcript within the transcript. Purportedly leaked earlier this week by a top US military official, the published transcript of President Obama's telephone conference with Prime Minister Netanyahu which occurred this past Sunday, in part, reads as follows:
The President, BO: "I demand that Israel agrees to an immediate unilateral ceasefire and halt all offensive activities... " [Forget what I said about your right to existential self defense with more than 80% of your population having less than 90 seconds to reach a bomb shelter daily.]
The Prime Minister, BN: "And what will Israel receive in exchange for a ceasefire..." [Other than Hamas being given sanctuary to reload and kill more innocents.]
BO: "I believe Hamas will cease its rocket fire..." [As it did not in the short duration of the five previous ceasefires.]
Today, more excerpts from this hotly disputed leaked "transcript" are being published world-wide, including the following portions disclosed exclusively here for the first time:
BN: "Mr. President while your belief in Hamas' good will toward Israel (and Gaza's dwindling supply of innocent civilian human shields) is admirable from America's vantage point 7000 miles from Tel Aviv, allow me to refer you to an almost identical situation that confronted your country when subjected to merciless unprovoked attacks from the sky by [very] foreign militants. Under the steadfast leadership of President Thomas J. Whitmore, America prevailed by the sheer tenacity of its willingness to spare no military means to deny these attackers victory over the forces of human civilization."
BO: "Yes, Bibi that historical precedent might be of immense relevance to this current confrontation by Israel and Hamas in Gaza. But, as my recollection of the exact strategy employed by President Whitmore escapes me at the moment, can you text me the relevant excerpts from any transcribed record of his decision making to which now you so earnestly cite?"
BN: "Certainly, Barrack, let me read to you the salient portion right now - Whitmore: 'Can we negotiate a truce? Is there room for co-existence? Can there be peace between us?'
Foreign militant: 'Peace? No peace.' Whitmore: What do you want us to do?' Foreign militant: 'Die; we will kill you all.' Whitmore: 'He wanted me to understand ... so nuke em all."
BO: "I too now understand; so how long will it take for Israel to stop defending itself against this Terrorist Entity that has told you that your only means to end this war is 'TO DIE'?
Of course, fact is so much more scary than fiction, or as Lewis Carroll (not actor Bill Pullman) put it: "If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise ... it wouldn't be ... You see." That is the only plausible explanation for why this Administration, the most ardent defender of the Jewish national home EVER, has chosen to demand that Israel cease and desist, quite possibly from existence.
The President, BO: "I demand that Israel agrees to an immediate unilateral ceasefire and halt all offensive activities... " [Forget what I said about your right to existential self defense with more than 80% of your population having less than 90 seconds to reach a bomb shelter daily.]
The Prime Minister, BN: "And what will Israel receive in exchange for a ceasefire..." [Other than Hamas being given sanctuary to reload and kill more innocents.]
BO: "I believe Hamas will cease its rocket fire..." [As it did not in the short duration of the five previous ceasefires.]
Today, more excerpts from this hotly disputed leaked "transcript" are being published world-wide, including the following portions disclosed exclusively here for the first time:
BN: "Mr. President while your belief in Hamas' good will toward Israel (and Gaza's dwindling supply of innocent civilian human shields) is admirable from America's vantage point 7000 miles from Tel Aviv, allow me to refer you to an almost identical situation that confronted your country when subjected to merciless unprovoked attacks from the sky by [very] foreign militants. Under the steadfast leadership of President Thomas J. Whitmore, America prevailed by the sheer tenacity of its willingness to spare no military means to deny these attackers victory over the forces of human civilization."
BO: "Yes, Bibi that historical precedent might be of immense relevance to this current confrontation by Israel and Hamas in Gaza. But, as my recollection of the exact strategy employed by President Whitmore escapes me at the moment, can you text me the relevant excerpts from any transcribed record of his decision making to which now you so earnestly cite?"
BN: "Certainly, Barrack, let me read to you the salient portion right now - Whitmore: 'Can we negotiate a truce? Is there room for co-existence? Can there be peace between us?'
Foreign militant: 'Peace? No peace.' Whitmore: What do you want us to do?' Foreign militant: 'Die; we will kill you all.' Whitmore: 'He wanted me to understand ... so nuke em all."
BO: "I too now understand; so how long will it take for Israel to stop defending itself against this Terrorist Entity that has told you that your only means to end this war is 'TO DIE'?
Of course, fact is so much more scary than fiction, or as Lewis Carroll (not actor Bill Pullman) put it: "If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise ... it wouldn't be ... You see." That is the only plausible explanation for why this Administration, the most ardent defender of the Jewish national home EVER, has chosen to demand that Israel cease and desist, quite possibly from existence.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Why Theodore Roosevelt still matters; Woodrow Wilson as well
Periodically, I am asked - why not go beyond such negativity and instead pronounce positive solutions to the myriad of government scandals, incompetence and failed policies so artfully described in my Blog posts? Okay, that proposition has not been proffered to me as of today; nonetheless, it has occurred to me sua sponte from time to time.
Accordingly, we commence a new paradigm here and now together. My vision for the faithful execution of the responsibilities of the Leader of the Free World is to undertake such forceful actions under law as necessary to preserve, protect and defend freedom in America and in all nations where freedom is cherished, but threatened. More than a century ago, Teddy Roosevelt, of Rough Rider fame, knew all too well that leadership can only accomplished from the front, so he lead the charge up San Juan Hill. As President, Roosevelt, in having the US Navy circumnavigate the globe with our Great White Fleet, demonstrated to all future opponents of US interests that while we might speak softly, we weren't about to bring any knives to a gun fight.
While Woodrow Wilson was a laconic progressive of very marginal leadership skills - he had about as much "get it done" charisma as one would expect from a failed Davidson College drop out, having only made it through his frosh year before transferring to Princeton University, where he was graduated at the top of his class. Nonetheless, when revolutionary bandits from Mexico launched murderous raids into our southwest border states, Wilson fully appreciated that his constitutional duty to defend the sovereign integrity of America mandated military enforcement of the sanctity of the Mexico/United States border. Accordingly, President Woodrow Wilson unleashed a truly effective defense of our border state citizens by ordering an Army division of combat soldiers, lead by the toughest commanders available, General "Jack Boot" Pershing and Colonel George "Blood and Guts" Patton to restore law and order to the Nation's endangered southwest.
Today's southwest border scenario is indeed far more grave than the situation that confronted Woodrow Wilson. Boiled down to its essential components, America is under siege by tens of thousands of young illegal immigrants, many infirm with contagious diseases and no means of supporting themselves beyond the payments already made by relatives to murderous coyotties to dump them across the Rio Grand River. The sophistication and efficiency of these human traffic cabals would make Pancho Villa green with envy.
Even more horrendous, however, is the obvious full immunity from law enforcement interference granted to these criminal enterprises by the Government of Mexico. Indisputably, pay-offs have been made and accepted to look the other way when trains traverse the entire north south length of Mexico, over 1000 miles, with hundreds of illegals riding in plain site on the top of every single freight car, the caboose and even the diesel engines. As Mexico has become a co-conspirator in this "death train" of criminal misery, that nation must be held responsible for the humanitarian crisis unfolding daily in which these innocent boys and girls are brutalized by their coyotties and the lethal dangers of riding roof top rails, whereby an untold number die from dehydration and other deprivations (how does anyone safety sleep on a week long trip on top of an unsecured boxcar moving at over thirty miles per hour?) before ever reaching America. Recent estimates have projected that the number of deaths over the past several years from this Mexico government endorsed human trafficing operation far exceed the number of civilian deaths in Gaza from the ongoing Israeli missile/tunnel defensive battles.
In seeking to save these tens of thousands of innocent children, President Obama need look no further for guidance than his democratic forebear, Woodrow Wilson. Real and effective leadership would solve this humanitarian crisis in about four days' time. Day 1: Inform Mexico and the United Nations that Mexico's allowance of the free and unfettered passage of the Death Trains constitutes a Crime against Humanity, as defined by the International Criminal Court to be a government sponsored or tolerated criminally murderous program entailing attacks on human dignity or the degradation of innocent human beings. Day 2: Mexico is given 24 hours to sign a binding treaty with the US to utilize combined American/Federali police officers to terminate all future operations of these trains of death. Day 3: Should Mexico refuse to enter into this treaty of cooperative train safety enforcement, the President announces that drone strikes on all unoccupied death train railway bridges will commence in 24 hours. Day 4: When verified as remote in time to all traveling trains, America disables the operations of the death trains by destruction of all Mexican railway bridges over the entire 1000 mile length of this conveyance of violent death.
By execution of this Woodrow Wilson/Pershing-like defense of our Nation's border integrity, not one person would be injured and thousands of innocent children could be saved from death in the deserts of Mexico. Presidential leadership does require courageous vision and it most certainly does not include providing free airline trips from central America to the United States in order to stop these children from being loaded onto moving death trains - easier to safely stop the trains from running. Now that's a positive program we can all get behind, when the President chooses to lead from the front.
Accordingly, we commence a new paradigm here and now together. My vision for the faithful execution of the responsibilities of the Leader of the Free World is to undertake such forceful actions under law as necessary to preserve, protect and defend freedom in America and in all nations where freedom is cherished, but threatened. More than a century ago, Teddy Roosevelt, of Rough Rider fame, knew all too well that leadership can only accomplished from the front, so he lead the charge up San Juan Hill. As President, Roosevelt, in having the US Navy circumnavigate the globe with our Great White Fleet, demonstrated to all future opponents of US interests that while we might speak softly, we weren't about to bring any knives to a gun fight.
While Woodrow Wilson was a laconic progressive of very marginal leadership skills - he had about as much "get it done" charisma as one would expect from a failed Davidson College drop out, having only made it through his frosh year before transferring to Princeton University, where he was graduated at the top of his class. Nonetheless, when revolutionary bandits from Mexico launched murderous raids into our southwest border states, Wilson fully appreciated that his constitutional duty to defend the sovereign integrity of America mandated military enforcement of the sanctity of the Mexico/United States border. Accordingly, President Woodrow Wilson unleashed a truly effective defense of our border state citizens by ordering an Army division of combat soldiers, lead by the toughest commanders available, General "Jack Boot" Pershing and Colonel George "Blood and Guts" Patton to restore law and order to the Nation's endangered southwest.
Today's southwest border scenario is indeed far more grave than the situation that confronted Woodrow Wilson. Boiled down to its essential components, America is under siege by tens of thousands of young illegal immigrants, many infirm with contagious diseases and no means of supporting themselves beyond the payments already made by relatives to murderous coyotties to dump them across the Rio Grand River. The sophistication and efficiency of these human traffic cabals would make Pancho Villa green with envy.
Even more horrendous, however, is the obvious full immunity from law enforcement interference granted to these criminal enterprises by the Government of Mexico. Indisputably, pay-offs have been made and accepted to look the other way when trains traverse the entire north south length of Mexico, over 1000 miles, with hundreds of illegals riding in plain site on the top of every single freight car, the caboose and even the diesel engines. As Mexico has become a co-conspirator in this "death train" of criminal misery, that nation must be held responsible for the humanitarian crisis unfolding daily in which these innocent boys and girls are brutalized by their coyotties and the lethal dangers of riding roof top rails, whereby an untold number die from dehydration and other deprivations (how does anyone safety sleep on a week long trip on top of an unsecured boxcar moving at over thirty miles per hour?) before ever reaching America. Recent estimates have projected that the number of deaths over the past several years from this Mexico government endorsed human trafficing operation far exceed the number of civilian deaths in Gaza from the ongoing Israeli missile/tunnel defensive battles.
In seeking to save these tens of thousands of innocent children, President Obama need look no further for guidance than his democratic forebear, Woodrow Wilson. Real and effective leadership would solve this humanitarian crisis in about four days' time. Day 1: Inform Mexico and the United Nations that Mexico's allowance of the free and unfettered passage of the Death Trains constitutes a Crime against Humanity, as defined by the International Criminal Court to be a government sponsored or tolerated criminally murderous program entailing attacks on human dignity or the degradation of innocent human beings. Day 2: Mexico is given 24 hours to sign a binding treaty with the US to utilize combined American/Federali police officers to terminate all future operations of these trains of death. Day 3: Should Mexico refuse to enter into this treaty of cooperative train safety enforcement, the President announces that drone strikes on all unoccupied death train railway bridges will commence in 24 hours. Day 4: When verified as remote in time to all traveling trains, America disables the operations of the death trains by destruction of all Mexican railway bridges over the entire 1000 mile length of this conveyance of violent death.
By execution of this Woodrow Wilson/Pershing-like defense of our Nation's border integrity, not one person would be injured and thousands of innocent children could be saved from death in the deserts of Mexico. Presidential leadership does require courageous vision and it most certainly does not include providing free airline trips from central America to the United States in order to stop these children from being loaded onto moving death trains - easier to safely stop the trains from running. Now that's a positive program we can all get behind, when the President chooses to lead from the front.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
It's a Hell of a Pin Point Operation, isn't it?
Well, Secretary Kerry: yes; yes it is. Prior to the President's toady flying to the Gaza war zone intending to stifle Israel's defensive efforts against the escalating Hamas invasion - thousands of missiles weekly launched at population centers and hundreds of miles of invasion tunnels fashioned by years of engineering mastery, so that many include electricity, sewage disposal and rail car tracks - I predicted that Obama's choice of sides would prove either his love of or hatred for Israel.
Well, now America and the entire world has a very clear confirmation - it's Hamas baby. Indisputable proof is found in the very terms of the cease fire proposal that Mr. Kerry announced in Tel Aviv on Thursday - all Israeli efforts to locate and dismantle the Hamas invasion tunnels must immediately cease, as identically, all efforts to locate and disarm the Hamas missiles must cease as well.
Fully anticipating that Israel would object to this cessation of the IDF's existential program to disable the Hamas invasion capabilities, Kerry acknowledged that as in the three prior Gaza conflicts - 2006, 2008 and 2012 - a temporary end to armed hostilities would accomplish little more than providing Hamas time and sanctuary "to live, resupply and fight better another day".
Accordingly, the Honorable Secretary proclaimed that a new post-Vietnam strategic paradigm was needed in Gaza to break this cycle of increasingly deadly violence. Kerry announced that only when he could go to Gaza City and see "happy faces" would these Palestinians turn away from their murderous attacks and live in harmony with their then friendly neighbor, Israel. Kerry explained that in order to turn these Arab frowns into joyous smiles, Israel needed to fairly address the "legitimate grievances" of the Palestinians. He is correct of course, a contented populous is rarely hell bent of war making, thereby upsetting the peaceful equilibrium of daily life devoted to building a better life for it's citizens. Building things like schools, hospitals and youth recreational centers takes a lot of concrete and master engineers not otherwise occupied full time in construction of millions of dollars of invasion infrastructure.
So, what are the grievance(s) Israel must satisfy to make Kerry's ardent wish for peace in our time come true? Indisputably, Hamas has but one grievance - a single stated reason for its existence as memorialized in this terror organization's Founding Charter - Israel as a nation must die. Granted, some Jews might be allowed to live in the new nation of triumphal, conquering Palestine - as slaves upon conversion to Islam. Kerry should know that appeasement of pure evil is useless, that is unless his policy preferences coincide more closely with this terror entity than with our one true ally.
Again, I am speechless.
Well, now America and the entire world has a very clear confirmation - it's Hamas baby. Indisputable proof is found in the very terms of the cease fire proposal that Mr. Kerry announced in Tel Aviv on Thursday - all Israeli efforts to locate and dismantle the Hamas invasion tunnels must immediately cease, as identically, all efforts to locate and disarm the Hamas missiles must cease as well.
Fully anticipating that Israel would object to this cessation of the IDF's existential program to disable the Hamas invasion capabilities, Kerry acknowledged that as in the three prior Gaza conflicts - 2006, 2008 and 2012 - a temporary end to armed hostilities would accomplish little more than providing Hamas time and sanctuary "to live, resupply and fight better another day".
Accordingly, the Honorable Secretary proclaimed that a new post-Vietnam strategic paradigm was needed in Gaza to break this cycle of increasingly deadly violence. Kerry announced that only when he could go to Gaza City and see "happy faces" would these Palestinians turn away from their murderous attacks and live in harmony with their then friendly neighbor, Israel. Kerry explained that in order to turn these Arab frowns into joyous smiles, Israel needed to fairly address the "legitimate grievances" of the Palestinians. He is correct of course, a contented populous is rarely hell bent of war making, thereby upsetting the peaceful equilibrium of daily life devoted to building a better life for it's citizens. Building things like schools, hospitals and youth recreational centers takes a lot of concrete and master engineers not otherwise occupied full time in construction of millions of dollars of invasion infrastructure.
So, what are the grievance(s) Israel must satisfy to make Kerry's ardent wish for peace in our time come true? Indisputably, Hamas has but one grievance - a single stated reason for its existence as memorialized in this terror organization's Founding Charter - Israel as a nation must die. Granted, some Jews might be allowed to live in the new nation of triumphal, conquering Palestine - as slaves upon conversion to Islam. Kerry should know that appeasement of pure evil is useless, that is unless his policy preferences coincide more closely with this terror entity than with our one true ally.
Again, I am speechless.
Monday, July 21, 2014
Why Thomas Paine still Matters; Beethoven too
Periodically, I am asked why I blog. Okay, I was asked this question once; but still, it got me thinking about my incurable obsession. And inasmuch as most, if not all, Elite members have pondered, if not voiced, this same imponderable, here is my most succinct explanation.
Why did Beethoven compose music even when he could not hear his own works performed? The creation of great sounds requires no justification other than the love of just the right number of notes, or in a blog, just the right words set well to paper in their original craftsmanship. Any plagiarism would be unacceptable Mr. Benny Avni. (A little inside baseball there).
The second, more enduring, if not more endearing, reason is that I see myself as a true citizen - not of the world, but of a gravely endangered Constitutional Republic. One in which even one shrill voice should help man the barricades to keep out the barbarians. A blog is, after all, just a modern day Thomas Paine pamphlet.
So, preamble in place, now on to blog content. President Obama: The resolution of the Malaysian Airliner shoot-down requires Russia to allow into the crash site our National Transportation Safety Board investigators. (Paraphrased). Say what? Does he mean only those NTSB employees who are also Navy Seal Team six members? You don't bring a knife to a gun fight and you don't send accident reconstructors to a live fire war zone. To determine who is responsible for this horrific act of barbaric terrorism all is needed is the American Intelligence community - as with Benghazi, Ukraine ain't no group of Arabs out for a walk who decided to kill Dutch citizens due to their having watched a anti-muslim video.
Secretary John Kerry: "The resolution of the current Gaza conflict requires nothing more than for Hamas to be reasonable." (Almost direct quote). Say what? Does he mean that Hamas should fire its thousands of lethal missiles at Israeli military installations only, and only during normal business hours? Does he mean that Hamas should refrain from launching its lethal rockets from Gaza schools, hospitals and mosques, and instead fire them from specially designated military installations?
Such Orwellian double speak would be humorous were it not uttered by the truly most powerful leaders of this Constitutional Republic, who apparently are seeking its fundamental transformation.
I am left speechless.
Why did Beethoven compose music even when he could not hear his own works performed? The creation of great sounds requires no justification other than the love of just the right number of notes, or in a blog, just the right words set well to paper in their original craftsmanship. Any plagiarism would be unacceptable Mr. Benny Avni. (A little inside baseball there).
The second, more enduring, if not more endearing, reason is that I see myself as a true citizen - not of the world, but of a gravely endangered Constitutional Republic. One in which even one shrill voice should help man the barricades to keep out the barbarians. A blog is, after all, just a modern day Thomas Paine pamphlet.
So, preamble in place, now on to blog content. President Obama: The resolution of the Malaysian Airliner shoot-down requires Russia to allow into the crash site our National Transportation Safety Board investigators. (Paraphrased). Say what? Does he mean only those NTSB employees who are also Navy Seal Team six members? You don't bring a knife to a gun fight and you don't send accident reconstructors to a live fire war zone. To determine who is responsible for this horrific act of barbaric terrorism all is needed is the American Intelligence community - as with Benghazi, Ukraine ain't no group of Arabs out for a walk who decided to kill Dutch citizens due to their having watched a anti-muslim video.
Secretary John Kerry: "The resolution of the current Gaza conflict requires nothing more than for Hamas to be reasonable." (Almost direct quote). Say what? Does he mean that Hamas should fire its thousands of lethal missiles at Israeli military installations only, and only during normal business hours? Does he mean that Hamas should refrain from launching its lethal rockets from Gaza schools, hospitals and mosques, and instead fire them from specially designated military installations?
Such Orwellian double speak would be humorous were it not uttered by the truly most powerful leaders of this Constitutional Republic, who apparently are seeking its fundamental transformation.
I am left speechless.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Why Obama hates Israel
Two immediate caveats - (1) this President is not in my judgment an anti-semite, although he definitely does intensely dislike Benjamin Netanyahu; (2) also, this President does not hate the United States, as shown by his desire to play every worthwhile golf course in the entire nation before his term in office expires.
That said, it is quite extraordinary that Mr. Obama has such a visceral disdain for our one true friend in the middle east, the fully democratic nation of Israel. A brief recitation of relevant facts about Israel's fundamental decency and steadfast commitment to the same values as we hold dear should convince any objective observer that Israel should be and is America's most steadfast ally in a region of the world where the very future of western civilization is under a growing existential threat by the forces of Islamist jihad. Israel is a pluralistic society which grants full citizenship rights to qualified Arab residents. (The Palestinians want to create an apartheid state in which every non-muslim is expelled.)
Israel conducts all of its governmental activities pursuant to the Rule of Law, equally applied to rich and poor, Arab and Jew alike. (The Palestinians are governed by the Rule of the Gun, any dissent from the ruling party line exposes the dissenter to a violent rebuttal.)
Israel has a human rights record that protects all minority residents and citizens from abuses. Israel has given woman full rights of participation in the political processes of the nation, ergo the election and governance of Prime Minister Golda Meir. (The Palestinians name schools, public squares and other government edifices after mass murderers of Jews, many times children slaughtered in Day Care facilities.) Clearly, my point is made here - when three Israeli teens were abducted and murdered, the majority of Palestinians rejoiced and they effected the escape of their killers; when a Arab teen was murdered, the majority of Jews mourned with the boy's parents and promptly arrested those Jewish criminals deemed culpable.
In this context of a clear delineation between American values being sought to be destroyed by Islamist fascists, the President does not even call Prime Minister Netanyahu, but he finds it appropriate to call the American World Cup soccer goalie to congratulate him on being a hero. Then, with hundreds of deadly rockets being launched from Gaza into Israel's civilian population centers (and with the Hamas stockpile of such rockets reliably estimated to exceed 10,000), the President calls for an immediate ceasefire at a point in time which will preserve Hamas' strategic advantage.
Let be honest here - since its capture of the Gaza strip in 2006, Hamas, not Israel, has been winning its war of total destruction against the Jewish nation. Major month long battles in this war of planned extinction have been fought by Hamas and Israel over the period of late 2006, 2008 and again in 2012. In each resumption of air and ground combat, the Israelis have responded in defense of their millions of citizens, both Arab and Jew, who have been subjected to ever more geographically expansive rocket attacks. In 2006, the Hamas arsenal was of a limited range, capable of striking only about 25 miles into southern Israel; after a US brokered ceasefire, in 2008, the Gaza terrorists were restocked by Iran with rockets having a range of more than fifty miles into Israel proper. After the 2008 coerced cessation of Israel's defensive efforts, the Iranian resupply of the Gaza arsenal extended these terror rocket's reach up to seventy five miles during the indiscriminate rocket attacks oncivilian centers in the Fall of 2012.
In the current battle for the survival of Israel, the Hamas rockets have expanded their range to upwards of one hundred and seventy-five miles, now striking daily the nation's two critical population centers - Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Even a community organizer can see this untenable pattern from 2006 until now - shadow boxing with Hamas, leaving this terrorist group disabled for a short period of time - indisputably allows them to come back a few years later both emboldened, empowered and more lethal.
Now, the Israelis have decided upon a new paradigm, one that will alter the Arc of History away from the incremental destruction of the Nation and provide for a Gaza battle outcome which will re-establish IDF control of this land area, such that the southern boundary of Gaza will no longer be unsecured to allow the unfettered smuggling to Hamas of ever more powerful long range rockets. Any more Korea-like stalemate via imposed truce declarations is now clearly seen to be slowly bleeding Israel to its death.
According, the President has an existential choice here - assist Israel in its battle for national survival or impose another (temporary only) cessation of hostilities that allows Hamas to live to fight and win another day. His choice here might not explain why he hates Israel, but if made in favor of Hamas, it will end forever the debate as to this characterization being accurate.
That said, it is quite extraordinary that Mr. Obama has such a visceral disdain for our one true friend in the middle east, the fully democratic nation of Israel. A brief recitation of relevant facts about Israel's fundamental decency and steadfast commitment to the same values as we hold dear should convince any objective observer that Israel should be and is America's most steadfast ally in a region of the world where the very future of western civilization is under a growing existential threat by the forces of Islamist jihad. Israel is a pluralistic society which grants full citizenship rights to qualified Arab residents. (The Palestinians want to create an apartheid state in which every non-muslim is expelled.)
Israel conducts all of its governmental activities pursuant to the Rule of Law, equally applied to rich and poor, Arab and Jew alike. (The Palestinians are governed by the Rule of the Gun, any dissent from the ruling party line exposes the dissenter to a violent rebuttal.)
Israel has a human rights record that protects all minority residents and citizens from abuses. Israel has given woman full rights of participation in the political processes of the nation, ergo the election and governance of Prime Minister Golda Meir. (The Palestinians name schools, public squares and other government edifices after mass murderers of Jews, many times children slaughtered in Day Care facilities.) Clearly, my point is made here - when three Israeli teens were abducted and murdered, the majority of Palestinians rejoiced and they effected the escape of their killers; when a Arab teen was murdered, the majority of Jews mourned with the boy's parents and promptly arrested those Jewish criminals deemed culpable.
In this context of a clear delineation between American values being sought to be destroyed by Islamist fascists, the President does not even call Prime Minister Netanyahu, but he finds it appropriate to call the American World Cup soccer goalie to congratulate him on being a hero. Then, with hundreds of deadly rockets being launched from Gaza into Israel's civilian population centers (and with the Hamas stockpile of such rockets reliably estimated to exceed 10,000), the President calls for an immediate ceasefire at a point in time which will preserve Hamas' strategic advantage.
Let be honest here - since its capture of the Gaza strip in 2006, Hamas, not Israel, has been winning its war of total destruction against the Jewish nation. Major month long battles in this war of planned extinction have been fought by Hamas and Israel over the period of late 2006, 2008 and again in 2012. In each resumption of air and ground combat, the Israelis have responded in defense of their millions of citizens, both Arab and Jew, who have been subjected to ever more geographically expansive rocket attacks. In 2006, the Hamas arsenal was of a limited range, capable of striking only about 25 miles into southern Israel; after a US brokered ceasefire, in 2008, the Gaza terrorists were restocked by Iran with rockets having a range of more than fifty miles into Israel proper. After the 2008 coerced cessation of Israel's defensive efforts, the Iranian resupply of the Gaza arsenal extended these terror rocket's reach up to seventy five miles during the indiscriminate rocket attacks oncivilian centers in the Fall of 2012.
In the current battle for the survival of Israel, the Hamas rockets have expanded their range to upwards of one hundred and seventy-five miles, now striking daily the nation's two critical population centers - Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Even a community organizer can see this untenable pattern from 2006 until now - shadow boxing with Hamas, leaving this terrorist group disabled for a short period of time - indisputably allows them to come back a few years later both emboldened, empowered and more lethal.
Now, the Israelis have decided upon a new paradigm, one that will alter the Arc of History away from the incremental destruction of the Nation and provide for a Gaza battle outcome which will re-establish IDF control of this land area, such that the southern boundary of Gaza will no longer be unsecured to allow the unfettered smuggling to Hamas of ever more powerful long range rockets. Any more Korea-like stalemate via imposed truce declarations is now clearly seen to be slowly bleeding Israel to its death.
According, the President has an existential choice here - assist Israel in its battle for national survival or impose another (temporary only) cessation of hostilities that allows Hamas to live to fight and win another day. His choice here might not explain why he hates Israel, but if made in favor of Hamas, it will end forever the debate as to this characterization being accurate.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Why Benghazi is really a "Phony Scandal"
As a famous Prime Minister of Israel (or was it a long ago forgotten Foreign Minister? oh well, at this point, what difference does it make) once said about the Palestinians - the Republicans never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. This Fall the House Select Committee on the Benghazi massacre will hold long drawn out hearings on an isolated event that occurred over eight or so hours the night of September 11th into the early morning hours of September 12, 2012.
Four American heroes were left undefended to die in the two separate attacks at two separate U.S. compounds at the hands of Islamic jihadists, or possibly by some unfriendly Arabs out for a walk who decided to kill Americans. Whatever description as to identities of the culprits in this murderous rampage you choose to believe, the fact that our National Security/Military forces were caught unawares as to the utter vulnerabilities of our diplomats in this hot bed of waring militias, armed to the teeth, constitutes a monumental failure of national policy execution more so than a major Washington political scandal. In my opinion, the Benghazi debacle is, in its governmental dis-functioning, most closely analogous to the intelligence and defense failures (indisputably on a far different scale) of another lightening military raid on a single day - Pearl Harbor/December 7, 1941. Certainly, both events are worthy of Congressional oversight to address and remedy the policy failures, and Benghazi has been made the subject of extensive House and Senate reviews.
That said, the public electorate, in this MTV world of short attention spans, will follow, and more importantly care about, only so much of the ongoing messes in Washington, DC before throwing up their hands in disgust, saying a pox on both houses. Thus, Republicans needed to be selective and focus its limited hold on public support on a true political/Constitutional scandal that resonates with everyone - the weaponization of the IRS to harass, intimidate and punish political opponents of the party in power.
Let's face facts here - as one former mouthpiece for the Administration proclaimed so tellingly - "Dude, Benghazi happened so long ago, who can even remember it now." Indeed, it did occur years ago in a strange, foreign country which few Americans will ever journey to, much less ever visit the City of Benhazi itself. Accordingly, it is understandable that most Americans can not envision themselves threatened even remotely by a terrorist attack in Benghazi that started a building fire and ended with mortar fire in one-half of a single day.
The Lois Lerner scandal is much more personal to every American who rightfully fears the awesome powers of the IRS, should that federal agency chose to put you or your family into its enforcement/regulatory targeting priorities, particularly for the First Amendment protected "offense" of supporting small(er) government. Let's face facts here - Lois Lerner has that lean and hungry look of a vicious predator - and she lives among us all, just not in Cincinnati. Nothing remote in either time or geography with the IRS' un-Constitutional targeting of conservative groups in stonewalling their valid non-profit 501(c)(4) applications. Indisputably, the American Electorate understands the core definition of tyranny - corruption of the organs of government through the willful abandonment of the Rule of Law by the political party in power to harass, intimidate and punish those out of power.
Indisputably, the American Electorate understands that this scandal in the weaponization of the IRS threatens the very foundation of our Constitutional Republic, in which everyone is an at-risk, jeopardized stakeholder. The Select House Investigating Committee that will grab hold of the American consciousness as being vital to the very survival of our form of government has yet to be created. It is not too late for the Congressional Republicans to right the Ship of State, and agree with Hillary just this once.
Four American heroes were left undefended to die in the two separate attacks at two separate U.S. compounds at the hands of Islamic jihadists, or possibly by some unfriendly Arabs out for a walk who decided to kill Americans. Whatever description as to identities of the culprits in this murderous rampage you choose to believe, the fact that our National Security/Military forces were caught unawares as to the utter vulnerabilities of our diplomats in this hot bed of waring militias, armed to the teeth, constitutes a monumental failure of national policy execution more so than a major Washington political scandal. In my opinion, the Benghazi debacle is, in its governmental dis-functioning, most closely analogous to the intelligence and defense failures (indisputably on a far different scale) of another lightening military raid on a single day - Pearl Harbor/December 7, 1941. Certainly, both events are worthy of Congressional oversight to address and remedy the policy failures, and Benghazi has been made the subject of extensive House and Senate reviews.
That said, the public electorate, in this MTV world of short attention spans, will follow, and more importantly care about, only so much of the ongoing messes in Washington, DC before throwing up their hands in disgust, saying a pox on both houses. Thus, Republicans needed to be selective and focus its limited hold on public support on a true political/Constitutional scandal that resonates with everyone - the weaponization of the IRS to harass, intimidate and punish political opponents of the party in power.
Let's face facts here - as one former mouthpiece for the Administration proclaimed so tellingly - "Dude, Benghazi happened so long ago, who can even remember it now." Indeed, it did occur years ago in a strange, foreign country which few Americans will ever journey to, much less ever visit the City of Benhazi itself. Accordingly, it is understandable that most Americans can not envision themselves threatened even remotely by a terrorist attack in Benghazi that started a building fire and ended with mortar fire in one-half of a single day.
The Lois Lerner scandal is much more personal to every American who rightfully fears the awesome powers of the IRS, should that federal agency chose to put you or your family into its enforcement/regulatory targeting priorities, particularly for the First Amendment protected "offense" of supporting small(er) government. Let's face facts here - Lois Lerner has that lean and hungry look of a vicious predator - and she lives among us all, just not in Cincinnati. Nothing remote in either time or geography with the IRS' un-Constitutional targeting of conservative groups in stonewalling their valid non-profit 501(c)(4) applications. Indisputably, the American Electorate understands the core definition of tyranny - corruption of the organs of government through the willful abandonment of the Rule of Law by the political party in power to harass, intimidate and punish those out of power.
Indisputably, the American Electorate understands that this scandal in the weaponization of the IRS threatens the very foundation of our Constitutional Republic, in which everyone is an at-risk, jeopardized stakeholder. The Select House Investigating Committee that will grab hold of the American consciousness as being vital to the very survival of our form of government has yet to be created. It is not too late for the Congressional Republicans to right the Ship of State, and agree with Hillary just this once.
Friday, July 4, 2014
A Tale of Two Sargeants - Andrew and Bowe
It was the best of times - today one military man savoring all that is good and decent about America: free to visit with his parents and free to chose to not meet with them; free to watch the glorious fireworks displays almost every community in the Nation will hold to-nite; free to attend patriotic parades and picnics and free to enjoy the National Symphony entertain the country from the steps of the US Capitol.
Yes, we can all be grateful that Sgt. Bowe Bergdaghl has been released from his long, most probably harsh, custody by the Taliban in the wilds of Afghanistan. The political debate over the terms of his exchange for five commanding Taliban terrorists and the legal consequences of his walking away from his Army post after being in Afghanistan for less than sixty days must be pursued, but these appropriate inquiries to establish personal accountability for the then private, first class, Bergdahl and political accountability for the Obama Administration should not diminish our compassion and relief for the Bergdahl family - they have been joyfully delivered from an agonizing five year long family nightmare.
It was the worst of times - today one military man is enduring all that is evil and indecent about Mexico: he is imprisoned for making a wrong turn and mistakenly driving his pick-up into the "Nothing to Declare" Customs entry lane at the Mexican border, where the green light signal was given allowing him to proceed into this foreign country without stopping for a vehicle inspection. Realizing his error, Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, a decorated veteran of not one, but two, year long combat tours in Afghanistan, stopped his pick-up and requested Custom's officials help in immediately making a u-turn, as he had not intended to enter Mexico then. Even after Andrew Tahmooressi told these Custom's officers of the presence of three legal guns in his truck, they were willing to allow his return to America, but were overruled by the arrival of Mexican Army officers.
I have read a number of different MSM news accounts, seeking to discredit Andrew's story, even avowedly supportive of the Mexican government's harsh handling of this error in missing the turn around exit, as being appropriate and just in view of the seriousness of the criminal offense of being in possession of deadly weapons inside Mexico. I find this logic to be sadly flawed and the judgment of "right on/go get him Mexico" to be troubling in the extreme. First, as a factual matter, Andrew had not moved beyond the Custom controlled inspection station, which he had the full freedom of movement to do. Thus, his declaration of the intention NOT to enter Mexico is more than adequate to exonerate him from any criminal motive, thereby eviscerating an essential element of the crime at issue. With his green light to proceed into the country w/o. a vehicle inspection, had Andrew possessed these rifles/pistols for any nefarious purpose in Mexico, he had the unabated opportunity to do so and he did NOT.
Irrespective of our government leader's evaluation of the present bona fides of Andrew Tahmooressi, his honorable, even heroic, service in the US Marine Corp. for more than two years in Afghanistan surely qualifies him for inclusion in the resolute national policy of leaving no man behind. Let's put this "transgression" by Andrew into its historical context to evaluate factually how this Administration deals with its law enforcement personnel and our military service man here. President Obama's DOJ, through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, secretly shipped thousands of untracked deadly weapons, including military style assault rifles, into the possession of the Mexican Drug Cartels. These thousands of illegal weapons have been used by the vicious criminals (to whom they were willingly given by US government officials) to murder hundreds of Mexican citizens, and will be fully available to continue this murderous carnage unabated for decades to come.
Now, this criminal enterprise, called "Operation Fast & Furious" by its DOJ/ATF sponsors indisputably violated the same Mexican gun possession laws misapplied to Andrew Tahmooressi, but with this huge difference - the DOJ gun runners in F&F intended to flood Mexico with thousands of illegal, deadly weapons and their successful delivery has caused hundreds of innocents to be murdered. Mexico initially demanded the ATF culprits' extradiction to face criminal charges for these henious actions, but President Obama personally intervened with his counterpart in the Mexican Presidency to curtail completely any criminal proceedings against his own lawless subordinates. Andrew Tahmooressi's care and protection by this Administration - not so much.
On this sacred day of celebration for America's freedoms, in which it is not far fetched to envision Andrew Tahmooressi tied four points to the metal frame of a Mexican prison bed, I ask for your fulfillment of only one obligation of our mutual citizenship in the greatest country in the world - help return our nation to its proper role of true exceptionalism. We must all make the immediate safe return of Andrew Tahmooressi an urgent, top priority for President Obama, as it was with his boundless commitment to Bowe Bergdahl.
Yes, we can all be grateful that Sgt. Bowe Bergdaghl has been released from his long, most probably harsh, custody by the Taliban in the wilds of Afghanistan. The political debate over the terms of his exchange for five commanding Taliban terrorists and the legal consequences of his walking away from his Army post after being in Afghanistan for less than sixty days must be pursued, but these appropriate inquiries to establish personal accountability for the then private, first class, Bergdahl and political accountability for the Obama Administration should not diminish our compassion and relief for the Bergdahl family - they have been joyfully delivered from an agonizing five year long family nightmare.
It was the worst of times - today one military man is enduring all that is evil and indecent about Mexico: he is imprisoned for making a wrong turn and mistakenly driving his pick-up into the "Nothing to Declare" Customs entry lane at the Mexican border, where the green light signal was given allowing him to proceed into this foreign country without stopping for a vehicle inspection. Realizing his error, Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, a decorated veteran of not one, but two, year long combat tours in Afghanistan, stopped his pick-up and requested Custom's officials help in immediately making a u-turn, as he had not intended to enter Mexico then. Even after Andrew Tahmooressi told these Custom's officers of the presence of three legal guns in his truck, they were willing to allow his return to America, but were overruled by the arrival of Mexican Army officers.
I have read a number of different MSM news accounts, seeking to discredit Andrew's story, even avowedly supportive of the Mexican government's harsh handling of this error in missing the turn around exit, as being appropriate and just in view of the seriousness of the criminal offense of being in possession of deadly weapons inside Mexico. I find this logic to be sadly flawed and the judgment of "right on/go get him Mexico" to be troubling in the extreme. First, as a factual matter, Andrew had not moved beyond the Custom controlled inspection station, which he had the full freedom of movement to do. Thus, his declaration of the intention NOT to enter Mexico is more than adequate to exonerate him from any criminal motive, thereby eviscerating an essential element of the crime at issue. With his green light to proceed into the country w/o. a vehicle inspection, had Andrew possessed these rifles/pistols for any nefarious purpose in Mexico, he had the unabated opportunity to do so and he did NOT.
Irrespective of our government leader's evaluation of the present bona fides of Andrew Tahmooressi, his honorable, even heroic, service in the US Marine Corp. for more than two years in Afghanistan surely qualifies him for inclusion in the resolute national policy of leaving no man behind. Let's put this "transgression" by Andrew into its historical context to evaluate factually how this Administration deals with its law enforcement personnel and our military service man here. President Obama's DOJ, through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, secretly shipped thousands of untracked deadly weapons, including military style assault rifles, into the possession of the Mexican Drug Cartels. These thousands of illegal weapons have been used by the vicious criminals (to whom they were willingly given by US government officials) to murder hundreds of Mexican citizens, and will be fully available to continue this murderous carnage unabated for decades to come.
Now, this criminal enterprise, called "Operation Fast & Furious" by its DOJ/ATF sponsors indisputably violated the same Mexican gun possession laws misapplied to Andrew Tahmooressi, but with this huge difference - the DOJ gun runners in F&F intended to flood Mexico with thousands of illegal, deadly weapons and their successful delivery has caused hundreds of innocents to be murdered. Mexico initially demanded the ATF culprits' extradiction to face criminal charges for these henious actions, but President Obama personally intervened with his counterpart in the Mexican Presidency to curtail completely any criminal proceedings against his own lawless subordinates. Andrew Tahmooressi's care and protection by this Administration - not so much.
On this sacred day of celebration for America's freedoms, in which it is not far fetched to envision Andrew Tahmooressi tied four points to the metal frame of a Mexican prison bed, I ask for your fulfillment of only one obligation of our mutual citizenship in the greatest country in the world - help return our nation to its proper role of true exceptionalism. We must all make the immediate safe return of Andrew Tahmooressi an urgent, top priority for President Obama, as it was with his boundless commitment to Bowe Bergdahl.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Why Howard Baker still Matters
The nation's current litany of domestic scandals coupled with foreign crises too numerous to count strain credulity beyond the breaking point. In short, you just can't make this stuff up - nor would you ever want to do so. With no partisan rancor or feelings other than deep regret, this observation of a Presidency reeling out of control is proffered only to keep hope alive.
Only once before in my sixty-five years of toil, turmoil and triumph have I felt real fear of a coup de tat in America in which the Rule of Law was to be crushed by tyranny - "The Saturday Night Massacre", in which the then President Nixon sent in armed FBI agents to shut down, without any due process or basis in law, the Office of the Special Watergate Prosecutor. That President's egregious lawlessness when fully exposed (but for eighteen and one-half minutes of a tape recording) ultimately lead to his impending impeachment by the House of Representatives and certain conviction in the Senate, thereby forcing his resignation in richly deserved disgrace.
Of course, this salutary outcome - saving our Constitutional Republic - was not ordained from on high, it took more than 26 months to unfold in the Congress and in the Courts in which many leaders in both political parties took great personal career risks to become Statesman worthy of this high honorarium. Peter Rodino and Barbara Jordan are but two individuals whose courage and stead fast loyalty to the Rule of Law will forever be remembered by all of us who shuddered in fear when Nixon turned the FBI and the IRS into weapons of political retribution against everyday Americans.
In 1972 through early 1973, Nixon was riding high, having been re-elected overwhelmingly, with his support among Republicans nearly at unprecedented levels. Then, with the Watergate cover-up beginning to unravel, due to the courageous break-in trial rulings by federal district Judge Sirica, the US Senate empaneled a Select Watergate Investigative Committee co-chaired by Tennessee Republican Howard Baker. This ambitious Republican senator was on the fast track for pre-eminent leadership of his Party, yet he immediately and openly put country and the Rule of Law before shielding the Nixon White House from disclosure of the truth of its attempted destruction of the Constitution.
Today, we see ominous chords of Nixonian abuses of executive power, most shockingly, the weaponization of the IRS to punish the dissent of everyday Americans opposed to the current administration's policies. Nonetheless, the public arena is without a solitary democrat leader willing to forgo partisan attacks on republicans investigating these abuses by claiming that these critics are dishonest "conspiracy bedeviled fools". Clearly, defending President Obama is appropriate and proper for democrats in Congress, but it is not just or ethical to do so by demonizing the republicans as being a possibly racist mob in the face of real evidence of egregious executive abuses of power.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of prominent democrats holding high elective office in the federal Congress and in the fifty states across this great country. Would it not be inspiring to hear just one single voice in this cadre of political expediency cry out in defiance of party loyalty: "What did the President know and when did he know it?".
Regrettably, these sounds of silence speak their own clear answer: "Nothing much until he read about it in the newspapers." Shame on them.
Only once before in my sixty-five years of toil, turmoil and triumph have I felt real fear of a coup de tat in America in which the Rule of Law was to be crushed by tyranny - "The Saturday Night Massacre", in which the then President Nixon sent in armed FBI agents to shut down, without any due process or basis in law, the Office of the Special Watergate Prosecutor. That President's egregious lawlessness when fully exposed (but for eighteen and one-half minutes of a tape recording) ultimately lead to his impending impeachment by the House of Representatives and certain conviction in the Senate, thereby forcing his resignation in richly deserved disgrace.
Of course, this salutary outcome - saving our Constitutional Republic - was not ordained from on high, it took more than 26 months to unfold in the Congress and in the Courts in which many leaders in both political parties took great personal career risks to become Statesman worthy of this high honorarium. Peter Rodino and Barbara Jordan are but two individuals whose courage and stead fast loyalty to the Rule of Law will forever be remembered by all of us who shuddered in fear when Nixon turned the FBI and the IRS into weapons of political retribution against everyday Americans.
In 1972 through early 1973, Nixon was riding high, having been re-elected overwhelmingly, with his support among Republicans nearly at unprecedented levels. Then, with the Watergate cover-up beginning to unravel, due to the courageous break-in trial rulings by federal district Judge Sirica, the US Senate empaneled a Select Watergate Investigative Committee co-chaired by Tennessee Republican Howard Baker. This ambitious Republican senator was on the fast track for pre-eminent leadership of his Party, yet he immediately and openly put country and the Rule of Law before shielding the Nixon White House from disclosure of the truth of its attempted destruction of the Constitution.
Today, we see ominous chords of Nixonian abuses of executive power, most shockingly, the weaponization of the IRS to punish the dissent of everyday Americans opposed to the current administration's policies. Nonetheless, the public arena is without a solitary democrat leader willing to forgo partisan attacks on republicans investigating these abuses by claiming that these critics are dishonest "conspiracy bedeviled fools". Clearly, defending President Obama is appropriate and proper for democrats in Congress, but it is not just or ethical to do so by demonizing the republicans as being a possibly racist mob in the face of real evidence of egregious executive abuses of power.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of prominent democrats holding high elective office in the federal Congress and in the fifty states across this great country. Would it not be inspiring to hear just one single voice in this cadre of political expediency cry out in defiance of party loyalty: "What did the President know and when did he know it?".
Regrettably, these sounds of silence speak their own clear answer: "Nothing much until he read about it in the newspapers." Shame on them.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Why Memrial Day still Matters
Maggy Thatcher once famously said that America was exceptional, unique even, because it is the only country founded on an Idea. That Idea, Individual Freedom from Government Tyranny, being so precious, untold numbers of our citizens have willingly made the ultimate sacrifice to protect and defend that Idea.
Knowing that our Nation has a debt to our service men and women that can never be repaid, we still seek to honor them with both private and public acts, both small and large, which demonstrate our gratitude, appreciation and understanding of what their sacrifice means - everything to the very survival of the United States, where from the blood soaked fields of Gettysburg to the flaming night desert of Benghazi, America's men of valor ran toward the sounds of gun fire, not away.
It is for this very reason that Memorial Day historically has been characterized by parades of Veterans in thousands of towns and cities across America, placing of flags next to thousands of rows of headstones in too many filled National Cemeteries and solemn speeches at War Memorials from Sea to Shining Sea. Of course, we the grateful know that our commitment to our Nation's wounded warriors must be observed 24/7/365 to be real, and not merely, a once a year symbolic celebration of their bravery and sacrifice.
It is for this very reason that the unfolding Department of Veteran Affairs scandal is almost too terrible to contemplate and write about rationally - as with the President, "I'm madder than hell" about the gross mistreatment, neglect and abuse at literally dozens of V.A. hospitals from Sea to Shining Sea, in which our too many wounded veterans have been allowed to die for a refusal of timely medical care.
Unlike the President, however, as Commander-in-Chief my very real anger would be matched by two immediate corrective acts - I would sign an Executive Order authorizing full payment for critical care medical services provided by any non-V.A. hospital to veterans who needed these services over the next year until the wait times at these government hospitals were fully eliminated. Existing federal law provides ample Executive Branch authority to allocate funding for private sector Veteran medical care. So, President Obama "Just Do it" - should your commitment to our wounded warriors be equal to your attention given to undocumented aliens who are, by the millions, now receiving very timely federal benefits, including health care. Sir, you have the Pen and the Power - Just Use it, as our Veterans have all the documentation necessary - too many war torn, scared bodies and minds to be left alone to die needlessly.
Secondly, my new Attorney General would not be an affront to the Rule of Law. Justice for our Veterans would be achieved in their lifetime. Holder defiantly told the nation this week that no DOJ criminal investigation was warranted currently as no credible evidence of any federal crimes have been raised so far in this scandal. WRONG, WRONG AND SO VERY WRONG. Numerous documented reports have surfaced of secret waiting lists having been hidden by V.A. Administrators which documented the real time - months and in some situations years - before a veteran would be given his life saving medical care. Simultaneously, false waiting time care lists - showing across-the-board achievement of timely care requirements - were submitted by these same hospital administrators to the V.A. headquarters in Washington, D.C., thereby qualifying these same administrators for tens of thousands of dollars in "productivity bonus" payments annually.
Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1001, it is a criminal offense, a felony, to make a false statement to any federal government official. To do so, for the purpose of illegally obtaining "blood" money based upon these false statements, constitutes an aggravating factor worthy of immediate and severe punishment. So, President Obama - Just Stop Lying to the American People. Prove your anger - get our Vets health care today and indictments of their cruel abusers this week. Just do your Job.
Knowing that our Nation has a debt to our service men and women that can never be repaid, we still seek to honor them with both private and public acts, both small and large, which demonstrate our gratitude, appreciation and understanding of what their sacrifice means - everything to the very survival of the United States, where from the blood soaked fields of Gettysburg to the flaming night desert of Benghazi, America's men of valor ran toward the sounds of gun fire, not away.
It is for this very reason that Memorial Day historically has been characterized by parades of Veterans in thousands of towns and cities across America, placing of flags next to thousands of rows of headstones in too many filled National Cemeteries and solemn speeches at War Memorials from Sea to Shining Sea. Of course, we the grateful know that our commitment to our Nation's wounded warriors must be observed 24/7/365 to be real, and not merely, a once a year symbolic celebration of their bravery and sacrifice.
It is for this very reason that the unfolding Department of Veteran Affairs scandal is almost too terrible to contemplate and write about rationally - as with the President, "I'm madder than hell" about the gross mistreatment, neglect and abuse at literally dozens of V.A. hospitals from Sea to Shining Sea, in which our too many wounded veterans have been allowed to die for a refusal of timely medical care.
Unlike the President, however, as Commander-in-Chief my very real anger would be matched by two immediate corrective acts - I would sign an Executive Order authorizing full payment for critical care medical services provided by any non-V.A. hospital to veterans who needed these services over the next year until the wait times at these government hospitals were fully eliminated. Existing federal law provides ample Executive Branch authority to allocate funding for private sector Veteran medical care. So, President Obama "Just Do it" - should your commitment to our wounded warriors be equal to your attention given to undocumented aliens who are, by the millions, now receiving very timely federal benefits, including health care. Sir, you have the Pen and the Power - Just Use it, as our Veterans have all the documentation necessary - too many war torn, scared bodies and minds to be left alone to die needlessly.
Secondly, my new Attorney General would not be an affront to the Rule of Law. Justice for our Veterans would be achieved in their lifetime. Holder defiantly told the nation this week that no DOJ criminal investigation was warranted currently as no credible evidence of any federal crimes have been raised so far in this scandal. WRONG, WRONG AND SO VERY WRONG. Numerous documented reports have surfaced of secret waiting lists having been hidden by V.A. Administrators which documented the real time - months and in some situations years - before a veteran would be given his life saving medical care. Simultaneously, false waiting time care lists - showing across-the-board achievement of timely care requirements - were submitted by these same hospital administrators to the V.A. headquarters in Washington, D.C., thereby qualifying these same administrators for tens of thousands of dollars in "productivity bonus" payments annually.
Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1001, it is a criminal offense, a felony, to make a false statement to any federal government official. To do so, for the purpose of illegally obtaining "blood" money based upon these false statements, constitutes an aggravating factor worthy of immediate and severe punishment. So, President Obama - Just Stop Lying to the American People. Prove your anger - get our Vets health care today and indictments of their cruel abusers this week. Just do your Job.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Why Nancy Pelosi will never Matter
Ronald Reagan has a lot to answer for in his eight year stewardship of the Nation's Ship of State:
(1) not finishing off Russia when he had the opportunity to do so; now don't get your panties all in a bunch, I do not mean via military conflict, I mean by untying Europe from Russian energy imports;
(2) Iran-Contra Scandal with its trade of weapons for hostages and money to anti-Santinistas was a national disgrace;
(3) the intentional undermining of the USEPA's crucial mission through the appointments of Anne Gorsuch Burford and Ms. Rita Lavelle - one married "f*%k you" money and the other one was too stupid to even spell those words;
(4) And lastly, his introduction of the purely sentimental and emotional appeal of pointing to individuals sitting with the First Lady at successive State of the Union Addresses, as recognition of their heroism, patriotism or just their down right "hugability". While this Reagan use of a single person as an applause getter in his annual speech to the nation was itself harmless enough, Mr. Reagan knew or should have known that he was establishing a precedent for political discourse in America.
We are now seeing the natural evolution of what Reagan wrought in witnessing the former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi and her exploitation of human shields seeking to deflect public acceptance of the House Select Committee on Benghazi. Minority Leader Pelosi on Friday told a Press gathering that the Demos in Congress had heard directly from two of the Benghazi victim families pleading that the House of Representatives "... not go down this path again." Simple arithmetic should have convinced Pelosi not to make this most cynical, cruel even, appeal as the Demos only got only a tie vote on going forward, not even counting the dozens of maimed and grievously wounded attack victims who might have cast positive votes in favor of ascertaining why they all had been left defenseless to die in the brutal desert war zone that was Benghazi.
Even more troubling is the craven Pelosi abdication of leadership responsibility to determine the proper federal government policies to ensure the Nation's security during wartime. No compassionate person would not consult with the families of the Benghazi victims to ascertain their feelings on how a crucial Congressional exercise of oversight duty can be implemented without causing them needless additional hurt and sorrow, but no one person or small group of families have veto power over the Constitutional responsibilities of the Legislative Branch of Government, charged with protecting the lives of 310,000,000 Americans. Nancy you are so wrong here - have you no shame?
(1) not finishing off Russia when he had the opportunity to do so; now don't get your panties all in a bunch, I do not mean via military conflict, I mean by untying Europe from Russian energy imports;
(2) Iran-Contra Scandal with its trade of weapons for hostages and money to anti-Santinistas was a national disgrace;
(3) the intentional undermining of the USEPA's crucial mission through the appointments of Anne Gorsuch Burford and Ms. Rita Lavelle - one married "f*%k you" money and the other one was too stupid to even spell those words;
(4) And lastly, his introduction of the purely sentimental and emotional appeal of pointing to individuals sitting with the First Lady at successive State of the Union Addresses, as recognition of their heroism, patriotism or just their down right "hugability". While this Reagan use of a single person as an applause getter in his annual speech to the nation was itself harmless enough, Mr. Reagan knew or should have known that he was establishing a precedent for political discourse in America.
We are now seeing the natural evolution of what Reagan wrought in witnessing the former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi and her exploitation of human shields seeking to deflect public acceptance of the House Select Committee on Benghazi. Minority Leader Pelosi on Friday told a Press gathering that the Demos in Congress had heard directly from two of the Benghazi victim families pleading that the House of Representatives "... not go down this path again." Simple arithmetic should have convinced Pelosi not to make this most cynical, cruel even, appeal as the Demos only got only a tie vote on going forward, not even counting the dozens of maimed and grievously wounded attack victims who might have cast positive votes in favor of ascertaining why they all had been left defenseless to die in the brutal desert war zone that was Benghazi.
Even more troubling is the craven Pelosi abdication of leadership responsibility to determine the proper federal government policies to ensure the Nation's security during wartime. No compassionate person would not consult with the families of the Benghazi victims to ascertain their feelings on how a crucial Congressional exercise of oversight duty can be implemented without causing them needless additional hurt and sorrow, but no one person or small group of families have veto power over the Constitutional responsibilities of the Legislative Branch of Government, charged with protecting the lives of 310,000,000 Americans. Nancy you are so wrong here - have you no shame?
Friday, May 9, 2014
Why Christopher Stevens will always Matter
The Benghazi scandal just will not die - for many reasons both obvious and obtuse. Four unavenged, brutally murdered Americans coupled with a ghost edited TV Show Talking Points Memo ensures that this debacle has legs, when our former Navy Seals killed at the CIA Compound most probably now do not. Accordingly, Benghazi demands the attention of the Nation's Commander-in-Chief, if for no other reason than as a second term President, he is focused on his place in history. Few opportunities for new, bold achievements present themselves to lame duck Presidents, so burnishing their First Term record always becomes an increasingly important preoccupation.
In this regard, however, I know precisely what President Obama knows about Benghazi:
*Now, Mr. Obama cannot provide sufficient US military security for our diplomatic stations in Country; four brave Americans are still dead, and they will remain so for the remainder of his term in Office and beyond;
*Now, Mr. Obama cannot send military assets to attempt to prevent the horrendous slaughter of our Nation's diplomatic personnel while they were under attack for more than eight hours. (He does now know that assets were positioned geographically such that they could have reached Benghazi before the attacks ended);
*Now, Mr. Obama cannot forthrightly inform the American public that Islamic terrorists killed our diplomatic personnel and not spontaneous demonstrators out for a nocturnal jaunt carrying their crew serviced mortars in tow;
*Now, Mr. Obama cannot inform the American people that the White House did not dictate the Susan Rice Sunday Talking Points word for word, thereby deceiving all 310 million of us that a video which no one in Benghazi had seen caused the murder of our diplomatic personnel;
So, Barry and I both fully understand that what's Past is Past; it cannot be changed no matter how much we hope to make it so. Accordingly, Barack's only real chance to make Benghazi go away is for the Islamic terrorists to go away - permanently. He told us that he would do it on 9/12/12; he has the Power to do it. Indeed, he has shown time and again he has the Willingness to do it - his Drone ordered anti-terrorist strikes have terminated w/o. mercy hundreds, if not many more.
So, the identities of the terror groups responsible for the Benghazi slaughter have been known since days, if not hours, of the attack's occurrence. No mystery there. Yet, straining credulity beyond the breaking point, Mr. Claire Shipman declares that since it took many years to get Osama Bin Laden, Americans must understand that the President 20 months after the attack cannot be faulted for not even naming any of the Benghazi terrorists to be brought to justice.
Now, I consider myself somewhat of an astute observer of political leadership decision making. Nonetheless, the current Obama paralysis in "pursuit" of even political closer on Benghazi leaves me as perplexed as I have ever been in my Life. Afer all, this Guy's a Natural-Born-Killer, e.g. when an intrepid reporter asked his first Press Aid about the morality/legality of launching a drone strike on a vehicle with the target and his innocent 16 year old son inside - both were vaporized - this Obama insider quipped: "He was foolish in who he picked to be his Father". I paraphrase for style only, not substance.
So, America, I am honestly and forthrightly asking what in the world is stopping our Nation's Droner-in-Chief from just pulling the trigger in Benghazi? Could it possibly be that he has a soft spot in his cold stone heart for casual demonstrators out for their nightly stroll with their crew serviced mortars?
OH HELL; WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE ANYWAY; LET'S JUST MOVE ON AS THERE IS NOTHING TO SEE HERE NOW OR IN THE PAST
In this regard, however, I know precisely what President Obama knows about Benghazi:
*Now, Mr. Obama cannot provide sufficient US military security for our diplomatic stations in Country; four brave Americans are still dead, and they will remain so for the remainder of his term in Office and beyond;
*Now, Mr. Obama cannot send military assets to attempt to prevent the horrendous slaughter of our Nation's diplomatic personnel while they were under attack for more than eight hours. (He does now know that assets were positioned geographically such that they could have reached Benghazi before the attacks ended);
*Now, Mr. Obama cannot forthrightly inform the American public that Islamic terrorists killed our diplomatic personnel and not spontaneous demonstrators out for a nocturnal jaunt carrying their crew serviced mortars in tow;
*Now, Mr. Obama cannot inform the American people that the White House did not dictate the Susan Rice Sunday Talking Points word for word, thereby deceiving all 310 million of us that a video which no one in Benghazi had seen caused the murder of our diplomatic personnel;
So, Barry and I both fully understand that what's Past is Past; it cannot be changed no matter how much we hope to make it so. Accordingly, Barack's only real chance to make Benghazi go away is for the Islamic terrorists to go away - permanently. He told us that he would do it on 9/12/12; he has the Power to do it. Indeed, he has shown time and again he has the Willingness to do it - his Drone ordered anti-terrorist strikes have terminated w/o. mercy hundreds, if not many more.
So, the identities of the terror groups responsible for the Benghazi slaughter have been known since days, if not hours, of the attack's occurrence. No mystery there. Yet, straining credulity beyond the breaking point, Mr. Claire Shipman declares that since it took many years to get Osama Bin Laden, Americans must understand that the President 20 months after the attack cannot be faulted for not even naming any of the Benghazi terrorists to be brought to justice.
Now, I consider myself somewhat of an astute observer of political leadership decision making. Nonetheless, the current Obama paralysis in "pursuit" of even political closer on Benghazi leaves me as perplexed as I have ever been in my Life. Afer all, this Guy's a Natural-Born-Killer, e.g. when an intrepid reporter asked his first Press Aid about the morality/legality of launching a drone strike on a vehicle with the target and his innocent 16 year old son inside - both were vaporized - this Obama insider quipped: "He was foolish in who he picked to be his Father". I paraphrase for style only, not substance.
So, America, I am honestly and forthrightly asking what in the world is stopping our Nation's Droner-in-Chief from just pulling the trigger in Benghazi? Could it possibly be that he has a soft spot in his cold stone heart for casual demonstrators out for their nightly stroll with their crew serviced mortars?
OH HELL; WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE ANYWAY; LET'S JUST MOVE ON AS THERE IS NOTHING TO SEE HERE NOW OR IN THE PAST
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Why Ronald Ziegler still Matters
No Dirt Bag he; in retrospect, I've concluded that Mr. Ziegler was a true patriot (and this appellation is bestowed irrespective of the Blog constitution prohibiting criticism of a deceased). Granted, Ron Z. did associate himself with a goodly number of absolute dirt bags, who shall remain nameless due to the above-cited civility mandate.
Okay, then, Preamble in place, Mr. Ronald Ziegler is an American of honor - no, not because he had no Joseph Stalin approved art hanging on his living room walls. (Trust me here, this is no homage to Mr. Claire Shipman, recently featured in a mag "puff piece" about his communal life style). Instead, Ronald Ziegler's honorable mention has been honestly earned, when as Nixon's Press aid, he uttered these immortal words: My prior Watergate scandal statements are inoperative, as now I will be telling the American people the Truth (paraphrased).
No Bagdad Bob, Ziegler knew instinctively that the very survival of our Constitutional Republic, based upon the INFORMED CONSENT of the governed, depends upon the Fourth Estate conveying to the public-at-large an accurate accounting of the conduct of the Executive Branch of Government.
Accordingly, from the miserably failed Nixon Presidency to the deeply tainted Ronald Reagan Administration - trading arms for hostages while articulating an absolute national security policy of no concessions to terrorists - the most inviolate principle has been repeatedly reinforced into our national political wisdom - Presidents: Do not lie to the American people.
We, as a forgiving nation, will readily accept freely acknowledged presidential blunders, even massive ones, e.g. "The Bay of Pigs" fiasco by JFK. Of course, we all know, it is the Cover -up that costs a president his electoral legitimacy, as it utterly vitiates the explicit understanding between the governed and the government that honest conduct is the obligation of every President.
To be specific, Mr. Claire Shipman told the American people dozens of times prior to Tuesday this week that the White House staff had no substantive input on the Susan Rice Five Sunday Show Talking Points. Then, when a Judicial Watch obtained Court Order forced the disclosure of the White House Memo dictating Rice's Show statements word-for-word, Ms. Shipman looked squarely in the eyes of the American People and said: Get out of my face you A-Holes; move along, as there is nothing to see except crazy conspiracy theories being espoused by partisan Fox News. In response, the majority of the WH press merely texted their friends about who they were bringing to the Correspondents' Dinner Saturday Night, seeking envy of their hip/coolness.
Sure there is ample shame to go around here - the MSM has completely abdicated its Constitutional Duty to hold the Executive accountable, while the Executive has openly and intentionally voided the more than two Century old governing compact with 310 million Americans for the honest conduct of its almost unlimited powers. Some day soon, historians will ask the media moguls why they choose to ignore this Coup De'tat and willingly allowed tyranny to flourish.
Okay, then, Preamble in place, Mr. Ronald Ziegler is an American of honor - no, not because he had no Joseph Stalin approved art hanging on his living room walls. (Trust me here, this is no homage to Mr. Claire Shipman, recently featured in a mag "puff piece" about his communal life style). Instead, Ronald Ziegler's honorable mention has been honestly earned, when as Nixon's Press aid, he uttered these immortal words: My prior Watergate scandal statements are inoperative, as now I will be telling the American people the Truth (paraphrased).
No Bagdad Bob, Ziegler knew instinctively that the very survival of our Constitutional Republic, based upon the INFORMED CONSENT of the governed, depends upon the Fourth Estate conveying to the public-at-large an accurate accounting of the conduct of the Executive Branch of Government.
Accordingly, from the miserably failed Nixon Presidency to the deeply tainted Ronald Reagan Administration - trading arms for hostages while articulating an absolute national security policy of no concessions to terrorists - the most inviolate principle has been repeatedly reinforced into our national political wisdom - Presidents: Do not lie to the American people.
We, as a forgiving nation, will readily accept freely acknowledged presidential blunders, even massive ones, e.g. "The Bay of Pigs" fiasco by JFK. Of course, we all know, it is the Cover -up that costs a president his electoral legitimacy, as it utterly vitiates the explicit understanding between the governed and the government that honest conduct is the obligation of every President.
To be specific, Mr. Claire Shipman told the American people dozens of times prior to Tuesday this week that the White House staff had no substantive input on the Susan Rice Five Sunday Show Talking Points. Then, when a Judicial Watch obtained Court Order forced the disclosure of the White House Memo dictating Rice's Show statements word-for-word, Ms. Shipman looked squarely in the eyes of the American People and said: Get out of my face you A-Holes; move along, as there is nothing to see except crazy conspiracy theories being espoused by partisan Fox News. In response, the majority of the WH press merely texted their friends about who they were bringing to the Correspondents' Dinner Saturday Night, seeking envy of their hip/coolness.
Sure there is ample shame to go around here - the MSM has completely abdicated its Constitutional Duty to hold the Executive accountable, while the Executive has openly and intentionally voided the more than two Century old governing compact with 310 million Americans for the honest conduct of its almost unlimited powers. Some day soon, historians will ask the media moguls why they choose to ignore this Coup De'tat and willingly allowed tyranny to flourish.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Why Hate Crime Laws are an Abomination
On April 7th, Fox and Friends' Steve Ducey went all high dungeon when "reporting" on a truly horrific crime which took place over the weekend in Detroit, Michigan. Undisputed facts - a 54 year old father of 3 adult children, Steven Utash, stopped his pick-up truck to render aid to an 11 eleven year old black youth who had run into the side of Mr. Utash's vehicle as it was traveling within the posted speed limit. (This event and its immediate follow-up were captured by a street view live security video camera.) Upon exiting his truck, Mr. Utash, a caucasian tree trimmer from Roseville, Michigan was set upon by a large group of African Americans ranging from age 15 to 30.
At this writing, Mr. Utash's life hangs in the balance, as he remains in a medically induced coma in a Detroit hospital. With public outrage roiling, police authorities have endeavored to provide immediate assurances that every lead is being pursued to solve this crime asap. Press briefing have been frequent and have included a number of police theories as to the motives of the attackers: bystander vigilante justice, a ruse to facilitate a mugging/robbery, or as Fox News has blared worldwide continuously, a black on white hate crime - a modern day lynching.
This intentional pouring of gasoline on (a possibly non-existent racial) fire by Fox was capped by Mr. Ducey's inflamatory interview of Mr. Utash's son and daughter, as he asked each sibling how they felt about blacks beating their father nearly to death (so far) because of the color of his skin. In her deeply pained reply, Ms. Mandy Emerick stated that it is incomprehensible that any human being would be so evil as to wreak such murderous violence on an innocent Human Being period! Mandy's almost total disbelief that this mob attack was the product of humans living in a civil society and not by a pack of wild animals spoke real truth to power.
Fox's news coverage has ignored Mandy's critical insight, proceeding to fan the flames of its unsubstantiated racial canard by predicting possible life in prison without parole for the crime's perpetrators, should this victim not fully recover, under prevailing State hate crime statutes. Not mentioned, of course, by these legal analysts is the insane proposition Mr. Utash's assailants, had they been merely motivated by anti-Irish or anti-Danish prejudice or even tree trimmer hatred, would most probably be jailed for about seven and one-half years, in consideration for their good behavior in prison.
Well, I deeply respect people of Irish and Scandanavian descent and were any of these folks to be victimized by a brutal mob lynching hating their national origins, I believe that Justice would be better served by a criminal prosecution that measured their full humanity and did not just play the Race Card as the only relevant factor in ascertaining the just penal sentence to be imposed. As Mandy Emerick so eloquently told Fox - all of humanity should be utterly repulsed by a mob, any mob, beating an innocent person, any person irrespective of whether his skin color is white, red, black or merely deeply tanned.
Accordingly, to the Politically correct Masters of the World - can we please stop the special treatment to only specially selected and therefore specially protected victim groups. In America, we should all be equal citizens under law before the blind scales of justice when the awesome power of the the criminal jurisprudence is invoked to protect us all.
At this writing, Mr. Utash's life hangs in the balance, as he remains in a medically induced coma in a Detroit hospital. With public outrage roiling, police authorities have endeavored to provide immediate assurances that every lead is being pursued to solve this crime asap. Press briefing have been frequent and have included a number of police theories as to the motives of the attackers: bystander vigilante justice, a ruse to facilitate a mugging/robbery, or as Fox News has blared worldwide continuously, a black on white hate crime - a modern day lynching.
This intentional pouring of gasoline on (a possibly non-existent racial) fire by Fox was capped by Mr. Ducey's inflamatory interview of Mr. Utash's son and daughter, as he asked each sibling how they felt about blacks beating their father nearly to death (so far) because of the color of his skin. In her deeply pained reply, Ms. Mandy Emerick stated that it is incomprehensible that any human being would be so evil as to wreak such murderous violence on an innocent Human Being period! Mandy's almost total disbelief that this mob attack was the product of humans living in a civil society and not by a pack of wild animals spoke real truth to power.
Fox's news coverage has ignored Mandy's critical insight, proceeding to fan the flames of its unsubstantiated racial canard by predicting possible life in prison without parole for the crime's perpetrators, should this victim not fully recover, under prevailing State hate crime statutes. Not mentioned, of course, by these legal analysts is the insane proposition Mr. Utash's assailants, had they been merely motivated by anti-Irish or anti-Danish prejudice or even tree trimmer hatred, would most probably be jailed for about seven and one-half years, in consideration for their good behavior in prison.
Well, I deeply respect people of Irish and Scandanavian descent and were any of these folks to be victimized by a brutal mob lynching hating their national origins, I believe that Justice would be better served by a criminal prosecution that measured their full humanity and did not just play the Race Card as the only relevant factor in ascertaining the just penal sentence to be imposed. As Mandy Emerick so eloquently told Fox - all of humanity should be utterly repulsed by a mob, any mob, beating an innocent person, any person irrespective of whether his skin color is white, red, black or merely deeply tanned.
Accordingly, to the Politically correct Masters of the World - can we please stop the special treatment to only specially selected and therefore specially protected victim groups. In America, we should all be equal citizens under law before the blind scales of justice when the awesome power of the the criminal jurisprudence is invoked to protect us all.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
The Benghazi Scandal is not Dead
Regrettably four brave Americans - Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods - are still dead, their mutilated bodies turning over in their graves due to the Obama Administration's callous indifference to these executions at the hands of Islamic terrorists. The 20 months that have transpired since 9/11/12 have seen not one terrorist (not even a single spontaneous demonstrator) brought to Justice by this Government, comprised of the most elaborate, globe spanning Justice/Defense/Intelligence Services in world history.
This spectacular impotence, unprecedented in world history, followed a night long heavy weapons attack which completely destroyed two separate United States sovereign facilities, caused dozens of State Department and CIA casaulties, and our four American heroes brutally murdered.
So, you ask, what did the House Republicans focus on yesterday in the Intelligence Committee's Oversight Hearing? The mind numbing answer - who changed the Susan Rice Talking Points before she went on five separate Sunday morning TV shows on September 16, 2012, as Rice had then blamed the Benghazi attacks on a street mob enraged by an anti-muslim internet video that had never before been available in Libya. The Repubs grilled former CIA Deputy, Mike Morell, as to whether these ludicrous talking points were produced by him to provide the President with political cover for his re-election campaign's narrative that Al Qaeda was a beaten, "on the run" enemy.
This Repub thesis, while certainly credible, ignores a more egregious scandal that, when exposed in a straight-forward manner, will shock and terrify every single American concerned about our Nation's security. The Unite States Intelligence Community is sustained by budget allocations exceeding the entire national governmental expenditures of some fourteen South American countries, outside of Brazil. Accordingly, with in essence unlimited resources dedicated to identifying threats to the Homeland, what did CIA Deputy Morell testify his Agency analysts relied upon for their ironclad conclusion that the Benhazi attacks were the result of a spontaneous street demonstration - "news stories and other intel sources." Morell confirmed that his cadre of the 'best of the best' never spoke to a single attack survivor, attack witness or attack participant before finding conclusively that peaceable demonstrators, who just happened to bring crew serviced mortar platforms to their street gathering, were the Benghazi culprits. Incompetence of this magnitude begs for a plausible explanation, yet that inquiry eludes the Repubs.
Indisputably, when the CIA, eleven years into a massive war against Islamic terrorists, cannot differentiate between a non-existent street mob and a planned and coordinated military assault on America, heads should roll (not just in a far off desert) in the corridors of power in Langley, Va. This unprecedented failure of intelligence gathering is truly worthy of Repub outrage and oversight of the executive branch's responsibilities to protect us all. In a situation where the Secretary of State and US President went on chortling for weeks about a video inspired, but non-existent, riot, the Nation's adversaries immediately realized we are clueless - a deer in the headlights - and therefore, defenseless on the world stage.
Can anyone imagine John Kennedy, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson or even Bill Clinton immediately not firing every single CIA baffoon responsible for this national disgrace? Where is the accountability in this Administration? Well, it appears to be non-existent, just like that Benghazi street mob gone astray. Killing four American heroes results in no consequences for the murdering terrorists, so why should we expect any career consequences for the CIA folks who couldn't find their back sides with both hands.
This spectacular impotence, unprecedented in world history, followed a night long heavy weapons attack which completely destroyed two separate United States sovereign facilities, caused dozens of State Department and CIA casaulties, and our four American heroes brutally murdered.
So, you ask, what did the House Republicans focus on yesterday in the Intelligence Committee's Oversight Hearing? The mind numbing answer - who changed the Susan Rice Talking Points before she went on five separate Sunday morning TV shows on September 16, 2012, as Rice had then blamed the Benghazi attacks on a street mob enraged by an anti-muslim internet video that had never before been available in Libya. The Repubs grilled former CIA Deputy, Mike Morell, as to whether these ludicrous talking points were produced by him to provide the President with political cover for his re-election campaign's narrative that Al Qaeda was a beaten, "on the run" enemy.
This Repub thesis, while certainly credible, ignores a more egregious scandal that, when exposed in a straight-forward manner, will shock and terrify every single American concerned about our Nation's security. The Unite States Intelligence Community is sustained by budget allocations exceeding the entire national governmental expenditures of some fourteen South American countries, outside of Brazil. Accordingly, with in essence unlimited resources dedicated to identifying threats to the Homeland, what did CIA Deputy Morell testify his Agency analysts relied upon for their ironclad conclusion that the Benhazi attacks were the result of a spontaneous street demonstration - "news stories and other intel sources." Morell confirmed that his cadre of the 'best of the best' never spoke to a single attack survivor, attack witness or attack participant before finding conclusively that peaceable demonstrators, who just happened to bring crew serviced mortar platforms to their street gathering, were the Benghazi culprits. Incompetence of this magnitude begs for a plausible explanation, yet that inquiry eludes the Repubs.
Indisputably, when the CIA, eleven years into a massive war against Islamic terrorists, cannot differentiate between a non-existent street mob and a planned and coordinated military assault on America, heads should roll (not just in a far off desert) in the corridors of power in Langley, Va. This unprecedented failure of intelligence gathering is truly worthy of Repub outrage and oversight of the executive branch's responsibilities to protect us all. In a situation where the Secretary of State and US President went on chortling for weeks about a video inspired, but non-existent, riot, the Nation's adversaries immediately realized we are clueless - a deer in the headlights - and therefore, defenseless on the world stage.
Can anyone imagine John Kennedy, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson or even Bill Clinton immediately not firing every single CIA baffoon responsible for this national disgrace? Where is the accountability in this Administration? Well, it appears to be non-existent, just like that Benghazi street mob gone astray. Killing four American heroes results in no consequences for the murdering terrorists, so why should we expect any career consequences for the CIA folks who couldn't find their back sides with both hands.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Delusions of Granduer or just Insane Delusions?
What if George Orwell had been right/wrong all along? Does big brother really know what's best for every single person living, working, retired, and preparing to work (as well as those few choosing to be non-working and getting free Obama phones and unlimited food stamps) on the most critical decisions they confront for their entire lives - cradle to grave? All 310,000,000 of us? How does Big Brother even know the "ins and outs" of the lives of hundreds of millions of folks? Oops almost forgot about the NSA and its unlimited surveillance capabilities. As an aside, the chorus of NSA defenders are swift to point out that, despite all the recent criticisms of that Agency, not a single actual abuse of its gathered intelligence has ever been cited by these hysterical critics. Oh really? What about a low level contractor having sufficient resources (e.g. lap top) and completely unfettered computer access, thereby being able to steal practically every important secret being securely guarded by the NSA and giving those thousands of megabites to the Chinese and Russians. Talk about an Agency not to be trusted as the premier steward of the Nation's "Top Secrets". Yet, despite this scandal of unprecedented proportions, not a single employee of the federal government has been disciplined, not even with a paid day of leave from work for allowing Richard Snowden to take the "Keys to the Kingdom" and then sell them to the highest bidder, that champion of civil liberties and privacy protection, Putin's Russia.
Oh well, I guess to really get in trouble as a federal bureaucrat, you must gleefully refuse to do your job and cause the brutal, savage mutilation and murders of four Americans, bravely serving their country in a worn torn, foreign land. Oops again; that failure of leadership makes no difference either. It's just leading lambs to their slaughter, after all; indeed, a mere bump in the road, those crumpled up corpses.
So, the clear conclusion from this litany of federal executive branch blunders is that accountability is an illusion, a mere chimera, indeed, a false promise of leadership - - some might say a "Big Lie", like a spontaneous demonstration that caused a spontaneous riot, that caused the spontaneous firing of mortar rounds for six or more hours more than a mile away from the spontaneous demonstration - - greatly undermines trust in government and its worthiness to be given more comprehensive powers over American lives.
We, therefore, must turn to the Nation's Legislative Branch to seek our integrity of action, intellectual honesty and accountability for failures of competent and trustworthy leadership. In this vein, the Senate Majority Leader sets the penultimate standard by which all others are measured to ensure that the Constitutional checks and balances are preserved. Harry Reid's speech on the Senate floor, February 25, 2014:
"All the tales being told by the Republicans and their Koch brothers' commercials, all those tales are just that, tales, all lies about the Affordable Care Act."
Harry Reid's speech on the Senate floor, March 26, 2014 - exactly 31 days after his prior unmistakeably clear defamation of every single (tens of millions of Americans by the way) Obamacare critic:
" I never said on the floor of the Senate anything about the critics of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, to the best of my recollection."
Come on MAN; it was 31 days and you could have easily watched the video before going back to the floor of the Senate to make that egregiously outrageous false statement. Either big Brother is right and the vast majority of low information voters will swallow any lie no matter how ludicrous, so long as they get free bread and circuses, or the other 99 United States Senators have absolutely no self respect by allowing their crucial Branch of Government to be rendered impotent and the laughing stock of the Nation through acquiesing in the "leadership" of a deranged lunatic. Our once great Constitutional Republic deserves better.
Oh well, I guess to really get in trouble as a federal bureaucrat, you must gleefully refuse to do your job and cause the brutal, savage mutilation and murders of four Americans, bravely serving their country in a worn torn, foreign land. Oops again; that failure of leadership makes no difference either. It's just leading lambs to their slaughter, after all; indeed, a mere bump in the road, those crumpled up corpses.
So, the clear conclusion from this litany of federal executive branch blunders is that accountability is an illusion, a mere chimera, indeed, a false promise of leadership - - some might say a "Big Lie", like a spontaneous demonstration that caused a spontaneous riot, that caused the spontaneous firing of mortar rounds for six or more hours more than a mile away from the spontaneous demonstration - - greatly undermines trust in government and its worthiness to be given more comprehensive powers over American lives.
We, therefore, must turn to the Nation's Legislative Branch to seek our integrity of action, intellectual honesty and accountability for failures of competent and trustworthy leadership. In this vein, the Senate Majority Leader sets the penultimate standard by which all others are measured to ensure that the Constitutional checks and balances are preserved. Harry Reid's speech on the Senate floor, February 25, 2014:
"All the tales being told by the Republicans and their Koch brothers' commercials, all those tales are just that, tales, all lies about the Affordable Care Act."
Harry Reid's speech on the Senate floor, March 26, 2014 - exactly 31 days after his prior unmistakeably clear defamation of every single (tens of millions of Americans by the way) Obamacare critic:
" I never said on the floor of the Senate anything about the critics of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, to the best of my recollection."
Come on MAN; it was 31 days and you could have easily watched the video before going back to the floor of the Senate to make that egregiously outrageous false statement. Either big Brother is right and the vast majority of low information voters will swallow any lie no matter how ludicrous, so long as they get free bread and circuses, or the other 99 United States Senators have absolutely no self respect by allowing their crucial Branch of Government to be rendered impotent and the laughing stock of the Nation through acquiesing in the "leadership" of a deranged lunatic. Our once great Constitutional Republic deserves better.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Why George (H) W Bush2 Still Matters, and Ronald Reagan, too
The last three Republican Chief Executives held sway over our once great Constitutional Republic for a full two decades. Let's briefly examine their accomplishments for a change of typical focus of this bombastic outlet for ant-progressive government rhetoric.
President Reagan is credited, somewhat accurately, with winning the Cold War against the Soviet Union. So what, you say? As Russia today is ascendant, and under Putin, even more aggressive in its pursuit of dominance over Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia, the downfall of the USSR now seems to have been a nothing more than a bump in the road of totalitarian history.
Elsewhere, Mr. Reagan did little to confront either Iran or the Islamist Jihadists threatening all of western civilization with ever more virulent terror attacks. Indeed, in dealing with Iran, Reagan's chief minion, the Ambassador of Silly Cakes, traded advanced weapons for American hostages, of which, Iran had no difficulty in replacing 2 for 1 whenever Ollie North closed a release deal.
On the domestic side of the ledger, President Reagan gave the Nation ammesty to 12,000,000 illegals coupled with then record setting deficit spending. Well, at least he got it "right" on the Supreme Court nomination of Moma's Boy Justice Sutter - ranking with the conservative choices by Ike of Warren and Brennan. Repubs sure can vet their high court appointments, you say?
Turning now to the Bush dynasty, let's expedite our consideration of their accomplishments by simply incorporating Reagan's litany of leadership failures by reference - watch my lips or more accurately fingers here - no sound fiscal policies while the National Debt grew exponentially and no strategy on the War on Terror, until the grand building plazas of NYC and DC were littered with more than 3,000 dead Americans.
As to the first duty of every President - preserving the Nation's sovereignty by securing the borders - of little or no concern of either Bush 1 or Bush 2, inasmuch as cheap labor is a worthy goal of every big business Repub.
In short, then, while Barrack Obama can take partial credit for the birth of the Nation's Tea Party Movement, those Bush guys are also significantly blame worthy bastard parents as well. Rino's are the bane of real conservative alternatives to the ever more intrusive Nanny State governance. Indeed, where is Senator Robert Taft (R-Ohio) when we need him most?
President Reagan is credited, somewhat accurately, with winning the Cold War against the Soviet Union. So what, you say? As Russia today is ascendant, and under Putin, even more aggressive in its pursuit of dominance over Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia, the downfall of the USSR now seems to have been a nothing more than a bump in the road of totalitarian history.
Elsewhere, Mr. Reagan did little to confront either Iran or the Islamist Jihadists threatening all of western civilization with ever more virulent terror attacks. Indeed, in dealing with Iran, Reagan's chief minion, the Ambassador of Silly Cakes, traded advanced weapons for American hostages, of which, Iran had no difficulty in replacing 2 for 1 whenever Ollie North closed a release deal.
On the domestic side of the ledger, President Reagan gave the Nation ammesty to 12,000,000 illegals coupled with then record setting deficit spending. Well, at least he got it "right" on the Supreme Court nomination of Moma's Boy Justice Sutter - ranking with the conservative choices by Ike of Warren and Brennan. Repubs sure can vet their high court appointments, you say?
Turning now to the Bush dynasty, let's expedite our consideration of their accomplishments by simply incorporating Reagan's litany of leadership failures by reference - watch my lips or more accurately fingers here - no sound fiscal policies while the National Debt grew exponentially and no strategy on the War on Terror, until the grand building plazas of NYC and DC were littered with more than 3,000 dead Americans.
As to the first duty of every President - preserving the Nation's sovereignty by securing the borders - of little or no concern of either Bush 1 or Bush 2, inasmuch as cheap labor is a worthy goal of every big business Repub.
In short, then, while Barrack Obama can take partial credit for the birth of the Nation's Tea Party Movement, those Bush guys are also significantly blame worthy bastard parents as well. Rino's are the bane of real conservative alternatives to the ever more intrusive Nanny State governance. Indeed, where is Senator Robert Taft (R-Ohio) when we need him most?
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Why should what Mahmoud Abbas will not say Matter?
With the turning of the season, hope spring eternal, and now renewed optimism for the state of the World stage is vitally needed. This winter of our discontent has seen Ukraine disembodied, as was Libyia, Iran released from its "Time-Out" Box, thereby freed from crippling economic sanctions to pursue its dream of putting nukes on rockets (with range to spare) to wipe Israel off the map, and finally, Syria literally bombed back to the stone age - 140,000 innocents killed and more than 8,000,000 refugees suffering unimaginable misery - with no solutions to any of these civilization destroying crises being offered up by President Barack Obama.
In the face of this world-wide relentless carnage, what is the laser-like focus of this Administration's Poo-Bah for foreign policy:
"Global climate change is our Nation's greatest national security threat". Oh, really?
In pursuit of this preposterous notion, Kerry is fully committed to winning the President's War on Coal, while having no opinion whatsoever on the Keystone Pipeline. Great; a Know-Nothing follower of a Leader with a pen and phone, Mom jeans, and but two priorities for the future survival of the Free World's most exceptional nation:
*Dismantling all of the inconvenient Affordable Care insurance mandates until after all elections occurring during his entire term in office;
*Dismantling the security of the Nation of Israel;
This President will be meeting in the White House oval office on Monday with the PLO's chief thug, Mahmoud Abbas, surely to be lauding him as a peace advocate worthy of a Nobel Prize - he after all should know the needed credentials for gaining such an award. Despite Abbas' unequivocal refusal to acknowledge and accept Israel as the rightful and permanent Jewish homeland, Mr. Obama intends to impose a "Peace Pact" upon Israel that intentionally deprives it of any defensible borders - a nation no more than eight miles wide at its geographic heart.
Thereafter, once Abbas is seated on his royal throne in Jerusalem, he will be fully empowered by the United States, and the President's cherished "International Community" of appeasers, to unleash the next Infitdada against the now very vulnerable Jewish people. Having publicly proclaimed, with the implicit blessing of Secretary Kerry (see transcript of his testimony before House Foreign Relations Committee, 3/14/14) to be an illegitimate, racist State because of its essential Jewish character, Abbas consistent with prevailing international norms (see Ukraine above) can and will unleash legions of terrorists to liberate all of Palestine, so that its rightful owners can reclaim their abandoned lands, as ordered to do so by the Arab legions upon their invasion of Israel, 1947 - 1949.
Before the United States sets the stage for another holocaust in the middle east, Kerry and Obama need to tell our Nation and Israel how many Jews must die at the bloody hands of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the PLO (it has never been disbanded, by the way, and is the governing body for all actions of the current Palestine Authority, PA) before this Administration acknowledges and accepts that the Abbas lead peace process is a fraud and a sham to gain on the ground the tactical advantage in its half century old commitment to drive the Jews into the Sea, those few left alive to be so dealt with.
In the face of this world-wide relentless carnage, what is the laser-like focus of this Administration's Poo-Bah for foreign policy:
"Global climate change is our Nation's greatest national security threat". Oh, really?
In pursuit of this preposterous notion, Kerry is fully committed to winning the President's War on Coal, while having no opinion whatsoever on the Keystone Pipeline. Great; a Know-Nothing follower of a Leader with a pen and phone, Mom jeans, and but two priorities for the future survival of the Free World's most exceptional nation:
*Dismantling all of the inconvenient Affordable Care insurance mandates until after all elections occurring during his entire term in office;
*Dismantling the security of the Nation of Israel;
This President will be meeting in the White House oval office on Monday with the PLO's chief thug, Mahmoud Abbas, surely to be lauding him as a peace advocate worthy of a Nobel Prize - he after all should know the needed credentials for gaining such an award. Despite Abbas' unequivocal refusal to acknowledge and accept Israel as the rightful and permanent Jewish homeland, Mr. Obama intends to impose a "Peace Pact" upon Israel that intentionally deprives it of any defensible borders - a nation no more than eight miles wide at its geographic heart.
Thereafter, once Abbas is seated on his royal throne in Jerusalem, he will be fully empowered by the United States, and the President's cherished "International Community" of appeasers, to unleash the next Infitdada against the now very vulnerable Jewish people. Having publicly proclaimed, with the implicit blessing of Secretary Kerry (see transcript of his testimony before House Foreign Relations Committee, 3/14/14) to be an illegitimate, racist State because of its essential Jewish character, Abbas consistent with prevailing international norms (see Ukraine above) can and will unleash legions of terrorists to liberate all of Palestine, so that its rightful owners can reclaim their abandoned lands, as ordered to do so by the Arab legions upon their invasion of Israel, 1947 - 1949.
Before the United States sets the stage for another holocaust in the middle east, Kerry and Obama need to tell our Nation and Israel how many Jews must die at the bloody hands of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the PLO (it has never been disbanded, by the way, and is the governing body for all actions of the current Palestine Authority, PA) before this Administration acknowledges and accepts that the Abbas lead peace process is a fraud and a sham to gain on the ground the tactical advantage in its half century old commitment to drive the Jews into the Sea, those few left alive to be so dealt with.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Chris Christy: A Man in Full
In this Winter of his Discontent, Governor Christopher Christy found his full-throated voice; alas, his lamentations of monumental ignorance as to the nefarious plotting of his many minions merely reduced him to the size of Sergeant Schultz of Hogan's Heroes infamy.
Certainly, the "Insultenator" was betrayed by his overly zealous staff. So, Christy's swift throwing of his Deputy Chief of Staff, Bridget Kelly, under the Bus was entirely proper and timely; not because, however, her actions bespoke a dirty trick characterized by rank "stupidity" as Christy bemoaned so loudly, rather because her actions - whether crimes or not - were not stupid, they are despicably evil.
Because Christy has been widely praised for his supposed forthright candor in his Presser on this debacle, I choose to articulate a contrary view of his flawed leadership here. The Governor, to my mind, displayed a gross lack of any real appreciation that Ms. Kelly deserved to be immediately fired not for the sin of lying to His Grace, rather, for intentionally putting thousands at risk to their health and safety for reasons of cringe-worthy partisan political advantage.
Accordingly, Chris, be sad all you want because your underlings were and are total morons who let down the Big Guy otherwise destined to be our nation's next King. While you glumly hunker down to ride out the public clamber for more heads to roll, I await your acting on the promised anger you told us is coming soon. Once you publicly call upon the New Jersey Attorney General to prosecute these fired confidants, should crimes have been committed, I will be persuaded that you really are outraged and a proponent of meaningful accountability. People lose their jobs every day of the week; they go into the marketplace and find new employment, inconvenienced for a time, even diminished in their affluence, but otherwise free to be themselves in full. It is time Mr. Tough Guy to stop apologizing for something you say you are blameless and start deterring future government underlings by making the price of such misconduct more than they will be willing to pay - time to put up or just shut up.
Certainly, the "Insultenator" was betrayed by his overly zealous staff. So, Christy's swift throwing of his Deputy Chief of Staff, Bridget Kelly, under the Bus was entirely proper and timely; not because, however, her actions bespoke a dirty trick characterized by rank "stupidity" as Christy bemoaned so loudly, rather because her actions - whether crimes or not - were not stupid, they are despicably evil.
Because Christy has been widely praised for his supposed forthright candor in his Presser on this debacle, I choose to articulate a contrary view of his flawed leadership here. The Governor, to my mind, displayed a gross lack of any real appreciation that Ms. Kelly deserved to be immediately fired not for the sin of lying to His Grace, rather, for intentionally putting thousands at risk to their health and safety for reasons of cringe-worthy partisan political advantage.
Accordingly, Chris, be sad all you want because your underlings were and are total morons who let down the Big Guy otherwise destined to be our nation's next King. While you glumly hunker down to ride out the public clamber for more heads to roll, I await your acting on the promised anger you told us is coming soon. Once you publicly call upon the New Jersey Attorney General to prosecute these fired confidants, should crimes have been committed, I will be persuaded that you really are outraged and a proponent of meaningful accountability. People lose their jobs every day of the week; they go into the marketplace and find new employment, inconvenienced for a time, even diminished in their affluence, but otherwise free to be themselves in full. It is time Mr. Tough Guy to stop apologizing for something you say you are blameless and start deterring future government underlings by making the price of such misconduct more than they will be willing to pay - time to put up or just shut up.