Beck, Boortz, Limbaugh, Bunker and Bigotry

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Joe Conason blogged about how racist Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh are. Keith Olbermann has accused Neal Boortz of the same. The trend is that conservative talk radio and television news shows are soaring in ratings while the liberal media outlets sulk under the table waiting for a scrap to hit the floor, and they don’t like it. The truth is everyone is vying for ratings.

I was a senior in college when I first saw a bigot on television. It was on January 12, 1971. It was a Tuesday night and I had gone to the empty family room on my floor to use the oven. The TV there was on, although there was no one watching. More and more students had TVs in their rooms, so we were losing the camaraderie of watching and discussing current programs, news, and events. Two screeching voices came on singing the most horrible song I had ever heard, and I had to check it out. I sat down with my “dinner” to watch the premiere of All in the Family, and I was shocked! I was watching a young black man making fun of an old white bigot and hearing that white bigot talking about "spicks and gooks and pollocks"! During the first commercial, I ran up and down the hall and we filled the room for the rest of the show.

Archie Bunker’s show held the top slot in ratings for over 5 years (The Cosby Show and American Idol are the only other two to ever do so), as America gathered to watch Archie, the Dingbat, the Meathead and Mr. Jefferson debate race, homosexuality, women’s lib, rape, divorce and impotence. No subject was off limits for Norman Lear and the excellent cast that he had brought together.

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My father and I often discussed the show. We weren’t sure why it was happening, but we knew the whole nation either loved Archie or loved to hate him. Bigoted Americans evidently never realized the irony and satire of the show, so they championed behind his stance on issues. Liberated Americans did understand the satire, and championed the stance of those around Archie. Those clueless Americans with no agenda just loved the humor and were amazed by the topics that were exposed. Regardless of the category, everyone entered the discussion at the coffee pot or water cooler every Wednesday at work.

So why don’t we love bigoted show hosts or a bigoted president?

Conason said:

The behavior of those media provocateurs over the past few months is almost beyond parody. They call the president a racist, even though there is no evidence of prejudice on his part and much evidence to the contrary.

I beg to differ. In these last few months, the FIRST person to “play the race card” was the President when he, after admitting that he was uninformed about the details of the arrest of Professor Gates, said the Cambridge police acted “stupidly” because of racial profiling. President Obama, with a few inappropriate and unsolicited sentences, ushered in the Gates-gate, put “beer summit” in the dictionary and killed any chance of his administration being post-racial.

Conason and Olbermann will point to the past of Beck, Limbaugh and Boortz and accuse them of mimicking black dialect or expounding on black stereotypes or playing the music from The Jeffersons, also a top rated show. These guys are selling books, playing the ratings game and entertaining while they enlighten us. (They are not, Bette, inciting genocide!) But the liberal pundits never mention Obama’s past when he was steeped in socialist and communist communities. And, since he has thumbed his nose at his own promise of transparency and buried the records of his past, no one can completely follow a paper trail on the president. But we can follow public records and testimonies of those that worked with him, follow the teachings of Rev. Wright, read the works of Holdren and Sunstein, and read about the corrupt Chicago Health Initiative that made Michelle Obama wealthy at the behest of Valarie Jarrett… and on … and on… and on… They never point out his lies. They never point out his ineffectiveness, weakness, or inexperience that has destroyed our economy and weakened our position on the international stage.

So, we don’t laugh at his antics or love him like we did the dear, bigoted Archie Bunker.

What Is A Trillion?

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We keep hearing about “trillions of dollars” these days. The National Debt is $11 trillion and growing. Heath Care may cost $3 trillion. It’s just too much to fathom! So, just how much is a trillion?

Clear

One trillion has 12 zeros: 1,000,000,000,000.

One trillion seconds ago there was no recorded history. It was 31,546 years ago and Homo sapiens had just migrated across the Bering Straits to North America for the first time. No one can count to 1 trillion even at one number per second. First, they won’t live long enough and, second, some numbers can’t be said in one second. Ex: Nine hundred and ninety nine billion, nine hundred and ninety nine million, nine hundred and ninety nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine.

Texas is roughly 270,000 square miles. One trillion square miles would equal 3.7 million Texas-sized states or about 20 Earths, since we have 50 billion square miles of land above sea level.

If you travel around the world at the equator 40 million times, you would travel one trillion miles.

The national debt is over $11 trillion. Just how much money is that?

A packet of one hundred $100 bills = $10,000

One hundred packets of $10,000 = $ 1 million

10 standard-sized pallets full = $ 1 billion

A thousand billion = a million million = ONE TRILLION dollars.


THE NATIONAL DEBT = $ 11 TRILLION !


It should be clear to everyone why this is not acceptable.

Michelle Obama and Greta Van Susteren: Sisters?

NOTE TO CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: THIS IS NOT TRUE!

I just found it interesting that the bust of Michelle Obama done in white clay looks so much like Greta Van Susteren!

Double click image to enlarge it for a bigger hoot!

I report. You decide.

The ACORN 8: Watchdogs

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There are so many supposedly corrupt organizations, tax cheats, crooks and shady characters around President Obama that it is difficult to disseminate it all, especially when there are so few in the media who will cover the stories. However, recently, Andrew Breitbart and Glenn Beck provided two courageous young journalists, James O'Keefe and Hanna Giles, web and television platforms to showcase their work and thus expose the corruption they found at various ACORN offices across the United States. The taped “advice” was so deplorable that members of ACORN have been fired, more investigations started, and funding withheld pending further investigation. But, O’Keefe and Giles were not the first to look into the corruption of this community organizing /social engineering group that had many ties to President Obama.

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That the organization was either in trouble or corrupt was first noticed by members last year. In May of 2008, it was first revealed to the board of ACORN that nearly a decade earlier Dale Rathke had embezzled about one million dollars and that his brother, Wade Rathke, the long time CEO of ACORN had covered it up. Both Rathkes were removed from their positions as a result. Some members immediately decided to form an investigative committee: Karen Inman, who would investigate issues related to the embezzlement; Marcel Reid, who would scrutinize the organizational structure; and Carol Hemingway, who would focus on other financial issues.

What they found was more criminality than initially suspected. It appears the group has been in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, mismanagement of pension funds, other incidences of embezzlement, and money laundering between the many other “ghost” organizations that ACORN has established in violation of its tax status. Citizen’s Consulting, Inc was the arm of ACORN that played the shell game with all funding. In one case, millions of government dollars meant to fund health care projects in poor neighborhoods was used to fund a media campaign.

As the board was discovering that ACORN was millions behind in taxes, and as the investigators were refused their requests to see the financial records of the organizations, these brave women and a handful of others, became bold whistleblowers, and the ACORN 8 was founded. Inman and Reid both appeared on The Glenn Beck Show to tell their stories.

Their message is that:
• ACORN is not living up to its original mission; and that is to give meaningful voice and empower low and moderate income members of society.
• ACORN has been corrupted from its original purpose by senior management and an organizational structure that exploits the low and moderate income membership ACORN was founded to serve.
• ACORN’s leadership has been corrupted and lacks any accountability.

The committee states:

Like you, we’re activists. We’re dedicated to helping people like ourselves — people of limited means — get a better shake. That’s why we joined ACORN in the first place. That’s why we’re fighting now to make it an open organization with clean books, honest leadership and a willingness to grow through scrutiny and criticism. ACORN has suffered through the turmoil of embezzlement of huge amounts of money by key figures in the organization. To move forward it needs to openly confront the past and eliminate the possibility of such abuse in the future. That’s what the ACORN 8 are about.

Glenn Beck: Murderer of Frogs and Corruption

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Everyone in the United States must know who Glenn Beck is now. He’s been crucified and vilified for the 9-12 Project to get people back to believing in American values and principles, for saying that he thought Obama may be a racist, and, last week, for the murder of a rubber frog. Yes, it was rubber. Yes, it was a prank. Yes, they showed it was a prank on the show.

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What I don’t understand is why all the hoopla over Glenn Beck to begin with? Unlike The One, Beck has never been glorified or worshipped or idolized. He does, however, unify. Maybe this is why he is hated. To unify was the one trait that Obama exhibited above all others when he was campaigning, but as promise after promise after promise has been broken, voters’ remorse is taking its toll on his congregation or worshippers. They are leaving the temple of “mmm mmm mmm mmm Barrack Hussein Obama” and turning to Fox News and Glenn Beck.

But, people who only watch Glenn Beck on television have no idea just how brilliant this man is. If you listen to his radio program and read his books, you will realize that, first, he is a brilliant entertainer, and, second, he and his staff are master researchers. For a few minutes a day, the GB audience watches video clips that take hours and hours to find and edit and transcribe. He runs through the past relationships of radicals in 10-20 minutes of his air time a day, but he and his staff have had to dig for hours and days and weeks through old and new, but always obscure, records.

He put out a call for “watchdogs” to stay aware and vigilant, and as a result of the callers, tweeters, researchers, staff, and his own diligence, he has been able to publically expose more corruption and have a bigger impact on US politics than Upton Sinclair when he penned, “The Jungle” or Rachel Carson with her “Silent Spring.”

He’s caused the public and Congress to question the shady manipulations and power grab of Obama’s shadow government of Czars. He has helped the courageous “watchdogs” Hannah Giles, James O’Keefe and Andrew Breitbart expose the illegal activities of ACORN to the point that all other governmental agencies are running from this group that Obama worked so closely with for years, but “just hasn’t paid attention to” lately. He’s exposed attempts at organized propaganda by the National Endowment of the Arts and the White House’s attempts to collect names, form enemy lists and hijack our personal computers. And he is currently exposing Obama for the network of socialists, communists and progressives are attempting to hijack our government. With all the lies that Obama tells and the ease of catching him in them, Beck’s staff is finding it easier and easier to pinpoint examples of corruption that we need to see.

He could never do this, however if he were not also a master teacher. I've said for years (since I'm a teacher, too) that all a good teacher needs is chalk and a blackboard and the ability to share with words and graphics what is inside his or her mind. That's the hard part. As a science teacher who understood ionic bonding, I had to find a way to transfer my understanding to 32 other brains per hour. He has to do it to millions of brains a day! But he does, even if he must murder a rubber frog along the way.

Beck also has a wonderful sense of humor. I think I witness it more by listening to his radio show where he interacts more with staff than on his Fox News show, but you can see it loud and clear on his latest book cover and in some of the crazy skits he's done in the past. The radio show admits up front that he is a blend of "entertainment and enlightenment." Although I know he infuriates those that he calls out, he is totally entertaining.

And, because I don't know if he is merely entertaining or being frank and candid, I don't really know how sincere his tears are or how real his fears are. I do believe, however, that he is UN-partisan and hell-bent on fighting corruption in government wherever it exists. And I thank him for that.

I fear he will lose his humility, though. It's hard to be famous and humble. President Obama is a prime example of that. Just this week, on an international stage, our President constantly touted his own accomplishments with lies and exaggerations as the world’s worst evil-doers praised him. If Beck doesn’t maintain his humility, I think it will be his personal downfall. Some newsman’s comment about great athletes who go bad has stuck with me for years. The anchor stated that "obscene salaries create obscene people." I don’t want Glenn Beck to become obscene. I want him to stay fresh, stay dedicated, stay humble, and stay in need of his watchdogs. We want to be his watchdogs. We want to be needed. We love helping to put our Republic back on a noble course.

At least, I do.

The Bloom is Off the Rose

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I know I am not alone in my bitter disappointment and disgust over our president's weakness. I heard him referred to today as an "eternal adolescent" and I had to nod in agreement. Did we make him that way? Did the millions of dollars spent to glorify him during the campaign and the fringe media's idol worship make him believe that he could do no wrong?

Clear

Well, the bloom is off the rose. The petals have all hit the ground. Only the thorns remain.

But the thorns are dangerous. They can hurt us. Our defenses are weakened as our president and his radical appointees seek to take the CIA down. After being snubbed and denigrated publicly, our allies will think twice before coming to our aid. And the true evil-doers of the world praised his holy name in the same manner as our little indoctrinated school children. (Now, America, do you understand the hoopla over the first day of school speech?) Our own military, with their boots on the ground and their lives in peril every day, cannot rely on support. Their Commander-in-Chief has no experience in military affairs, and turns a deaf ear to those heroes who do.

I lived through the "Gates-gate" when he played the race card. I've put up with trying to find a channel on tv without his speech being aired. I've been angered, but just keep trying to rid our capitol of his shadow government that seeks to circumvent the Constitution. But, I will not sit still while he puts our nation and our armed services in jeopardy as he seeks to sell us out in favor of a socialist New World Order.

This must all stop!

The New World Order

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In his speech to the United Nations, President Obama advanced the Global Warming/Climate Change myth/lie as the New York Times ran an article by Andrew Revkin stating that “global temperatures have been stable for a decade and may even drop in the next few years.” In addition, there are many scientists, meteorologists and weather experts who have completely discredited the notion of man’s influence on global climate change. Why would our leaders lie to us about this?

Clear

The answer is: to strip away our country’s sovereignty.

In speeches to the UN about Climate Change in 2000, the rhetoric was about “global governance”, “world organization”, and “a new world order;” all terms that we hear too often from President Obama. Al Gore and President GH Bush also tossed these terms around. Under the tutelage and financial support of George Soros, many noted national and international leaders have been advocates for a strong central international government that would correct the excesses of self-interest. We’ve just seen the proposal for international currency. This Tri-Lateral Commission has had the issue of global governance, perhaps lead by a reformation of the United Nations, on its agenda for 40 years.

In keeping with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s rule to “never let a good crisis go to waste,” proponents of the new world order need an global crisis. And, what could fill the bill better than “global warming,” recently spun to “climate change?” This is the vehicle of choice to create the world wide emergency of specie decline, deforestation, pandemic disease, famine and economic failure. The devastation picture being painted by leaders is meant to alarm us, make us believers, and make us turn to them to be our saviors. However, the actual plan is for the elite “super rich” to have a way to prevent chaos, take all sovereignty away, and, finally, establish a worldwide socialistic governance that will establish a two class system, with the upper elite class having the power of the purse to controlling the masses.

These were once academic discussions that would take place in the coffee shops of the Ivy League campuses or in the basements of tenements. The intellectuals and the revolutionaries have been playing together since the time of FDR to nudge us towards their goals. The ‘nudge’ idea came from the Socialist Party during the years of FDR. The party once actively ran presidential candidates against him until they realized that he and his desired ‘Second Bill of Rights’ were already socialistic! Norman Thomas, the socialist leader and presidential candidate said:

“The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of 'liberalism' they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.”

It was FDR who introduced the idea that we should have a Constitutional ‘right’ to things such as good health care, a good education, a home, and a decent job, all provided by the government. In effect, he wanted the government to control every aspect of American life, and many American’s have been in line for entitlements so long that they, to, believe they have a constitutional right to such.

Now the Ivy League radicals are in the White House and the revolutionary thugs are in red and purple shirts, ready to do the bidding of our president and his shadow government that has begun to “shove” and “steamroll” us instead of merely nudging us towards a global takeover in the name of preserving our planet. There are even a growing number of experts who believe that these social engineers purposefully created the world’s economic crisis as another step towards this end. We hear the talk about “redistribution” of wealth, when the goal is to “control” the wealth. We, the ordinary citizens of the world, would exist only to provide the elite with their desires. But they would provide us with all the promises of FDR’s “second” bill of rights. This includes a job, enough money for adequate food, clothing and recreation, decent farms and businesses with all competition and prices controlled, a decent home, adequate medical care, good health, protection from economic fears of old age, sickness, accident and unemployment, and a government education.

And we will be happy.
But, not really.

The elite didn’t count on the masses having intelligence, strength, power and a passion for liberty. We can read and understand that there is no conclusive science the backs the need for our own Cap and Trade bill, or any global cooperation for environmental protection. We can read the radical books and ideas of the Holdren’s, Sunstein’s and Van Jones’ of the world. We can unite and stop the steamroller. We can speak as one grassroots and nutroots movement. And we’re doing so because we firmly believe that the “second” bill of rights is the responsibility of the states, that the federal government has become disgracefully over-sized, that the total lack of fiscal responsibility is a sin, that corruption in government abounds, and the Constitution has been shelved.

In 1831, Alexis De Tocqueville visited the United States and was so impressed by the free enterprise and burgeoning democratic order that balanced liberty and equality. He was convinced that the only way America would fall would be by it’s own hand. We, according to Benjamin Franklin, have been given a Republic. It is our duty to keep it.

Not One Red Cent, Mr. President

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What do we do when we are out of money? We stop spending. We get a second job. We do without. So, why doesn't our government show such fiscal responsibility?

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Join me in asking the President to do the following:

1) Give us a balanced budget.

2) "Squeeze" that waste from Medicare TODAY! Don't wait on a new bill.

3) Do your "line by line" search for pork and special interests, and eliminate it all.

4) Get rid of all posts in your administration that are not elected, vetted and/or confirmed OR do not allow a penny to spent on them. You may still ask for input, just not with my pennies!

5) Reduce the First Lady's staff by at least half. There are too many people being paid too much for doing too little.

6) Ditch the Cap and Trade bill, as it will break our backs and there is NO CONCLUSIVE SCIENCE to justify it.

7) Establish a moratorium on all new offices, agencies, and position in the federal government until the deficit is reduced.

8) Leave health care where it is (except for correcting the part of it that the federal government has screwed up - Medicare) until we can afford it.

9) Stop rescuing large corporations and stimulate small businesses to generate jobs.

10) Turn the water in the San Joaquin valley. We need the food. They need the jobs.

NOT ONE RED CENT, MR. PRESIDENT! No spending until you keep your promises to us and get this horrendous burden off of our children and grandchildren.

(I'll cut you some slack. If the CBO says that some health care plan will only cost a dime, you may have 10 red cents and sign it. It was your promise, after all!)

Obama's Fall From Grace

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There has been a lot of conjecture about why President Obama’s approval ratings continue to fall. Some say the public is simply super-saturated from his media blitzes and has quit listening to the “same old same old” daily campaign sound bites. Some, like Jimmy Carter and Maureen Dowd, attribute it to innate racism. Chris Wallace even said that it’s because the administration is made up of a bunch of “cry babies.”

Clear

Obama’s fall from grace is actually quite easy to understand. Proverbs gives us a list of things that the Lord hates, but the public hates them, too. It is not my intention to preach, but the list is a good guide for going through Obama’s mistakes.

Haughty eyes
Obama covers his feelings of superiority, or tries to, with twinkling eyes and hollow humor. He plays the cute and funny, cuddly and clever guy to avoid giving a straight answer. When asked if he would subscribe to the public option for his own health care, he answered with, “I’m the President,” and then regaled all with remarks about how his personal doctor follows him around. When asked if he had apologized to Office Crowley, he laughed about inviting him for a beer. He’s insulted doctors with stories of malpractice for money, dismissed Republicans who questioned the size of the stimulus package with his arrogant, “I won,” statement, said he didn’t want to listen to his opposition and even insulted George Stephanopoulos over the definition of a “tax.”

A lying tongue
How do we know when Obama is lying?
When his lips are moving.

It’s an old joke, but it seems to be true. He lies and purposefully misleads and intentionally misrepresents something every day. In the single speech before the joint sessions of Congress (made famous by Rep. Wilson’s “You lie” outburst), he lied about illegal immigrants having coverage, about the Republicans’ efforts to have input, about his commitment to “choice and competition,” and about public funding for abortions. He even stood before the UN to claim that more has been done to reduce carbons during his administration than ever before! The one statement that we all pray will not turn out to be a lie was his promise not to sign any bill if it costs us over a dime.

Hands that shed innocent blood
This one can be “hung” on the President as a known supporter of abortions and as our Commander-in-Chief. He has weakened our national security in too many ways to enumerate. He’s allowing a political witch hunt against the CIA, has traveled the world to cow-tow to evil leaders and apologize for the strength and dominance of the greatest country in the world (the one Michelle Obama spent the first 44 years of her life being ashamed of), and betrayed Poland and the Czech Republic. While he has been busy out-sourcing his duties to Congress and his Czars, he has actively put us all in harm’s way.

A heart that devises wicked plots
Our president favors abortion and purposefully will not allow a statement to prevent it in health care legislation. He assigned a known Communist to his fleet of socialist Czars. He used a corrupt organization to help him get elected and accepted illegal donations from them. He refuses still to allow access to the documents and records from his past. He claims “transparency” while he completely circumvents the checks and balances on the executive branch of our government. He seeks to control every aspect of our lives through socialized medicine, rather than addressing the most important issue of all, unemployment. He should be working to help small businesses put American’s back to work.

Feet that are swift to run into mischief
Did his feet even hit the floor before he signed us up for the largest national debt in the world? Did he hesitate at all to bail out company after company? Did he have any plan in mind before he signed away Gitmo? Did he think that we were too stupid or lazy to care that he had flag.gov set up without any discussion? Did anyone take time to think about the backlash from the clunkers idea, such as waste and further unemployment of used car salesmen and scrap metal yards? We’ve stood at town halls and on the mall before his steamroller, and now his spiteful, selfish nature is beginning to show.

Him that soweth discord among brethren
And what is the source of the discord? Is it because of “right-winged terrorists” or “anti-American” “swastika-wearing” “astroturfs?” No, it’s because of the rising debt, rising unemployment, huge governmental power grabs, despicable appointees, playing the race card himself with the Gates-gate incident, and the incessant word “spinning” to cover his lies. No more “war on terror.” Let’s hope there’s no more terror! When health care reform hit a brick wall, he suddenly vilified insurers and began speaking of health care “insurance” reform. Because he is being “called out” on the Internet by thousands and thousands of blogs, he wants to take that freedom away. And, he still continues to blame it all on Bush. HE is the source of the anger. HE is the reason for the discord.

So, how does Obama get back in the good graces of the public? If it’s possible at all, he will have to address the following:
• Reduce the size of the federal government.
• Balance the federal budget.
• Rid budgets and policies of earmarks and special interests.
• Honor the Constitution.

Nice Boys that Kill

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In one of the many videos that surfaced of Van Jones, he points out that school killings are done by white boys. Black kids will kill each other, but won’t shoot up a school. While many consider Jones' idea to be a racist overstatement, it is a trend that many of my colleagues have discussed through the years. What is it that makes a child shoot up a school or a postal worker randomly kill at work? Is there a way to prevent these things from happening?

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One of the most notorious killers of our times was Ted Bundy. He was intelligent, clean cut, handsome and well-liked. Recently, we’ve been astonished by similarly intelligent and clean cut alleged killers: Phillip Markoff, the “Craig’s list killer” enrolled in a Boston medical school and Raymond Clark, an “ivy league” animal research technician who may have killed a graduate student over her treatment of laboratory mice. The list of known sociopathic killers could fill notebooks, some dating back into ancient records, some female, and many children.

Experts say that even in a loving environment, a sociopath can kill his entire family, then sit and play video games with friends as if nothing happened. Are these all “bad seeds” born with no conscience or empathy for others? If so, how do parents detect the pathology and, more important, how can it be averted?

Though studies suggest that most sociopathic killers were abused as children, not all abused children grow up to kill. Sociopaths may be intelligent, charming and show no outward appearance of their inner turmoil. They generally exhibit superficial charm, are manipulative and domineering, and feel entitled to more than others. Their lying and abberant behavior is never perceived as wrong, as they lack remorse, shame or guilt. They are incapable of love or trust in or empathy for others and of normal self-control. They generally need a lot of stimulation in areas that may be social “taboos.” Therefore, they may exhibit rage and abuse, delinquency, irresponsibility and promiscuity. They often hide their pasts as they move from town to town or job to job exploiting others.

Doctors agree that by the time the sociopathic child reaches school age, he is already on his way to developing into a psychopath. When the crimes eventually come to light, it is typical for neighbors, friends and teachers to show shock and disbelief that such a “normal, smart and likeable” child could have turned into such a monster.

So, what are the things that we should look for as signs of trouble in children?
• An interest in fires or starting fires (a firestarter)
• Cruelty to animals
• Bed wetting that lasts longer than normal
• Total lack of conscience, empathy or compassion for others
• Truancy
• Lying, manipulative and deceptive behavior
• Lack of remorse or indifference
• Avoiding intimacy such as hugs
• Vandalism to property
• Bizarre writings or drawings which depicts scenes of violence against women
• Preoccupied with violence
• Acting out in a sexually inappropriate manner
• Seeks immediate gratification of needs
• Fearlessness

The trouble may be genetic or even physical, as in the case of fetal alcohol syndrome. The traits may develop as a result of traumatic events. Some doctors believe that our society is to blame because mothers are encouraged to NOT bond with their children. We are told to bottle feed, find nurseries so we can go back to work, never to let a child sleep in the parent’s bed, let the child cry itself to sleep and to punish bad behavior in some way. These socially accepted parenting options are not necessarily good for a child that needs and deserves nurturing, closeness, security and love.

But, don’t feel guilty. Just be vigilant. Because once the sociopath reaches adulthood, treatments are more difficult, as they never perceive that they have a problem or they manipulate and/or threaten the therapists. If your child exhibits anti-social or unacceptable behaviors such as those listed above, seek professional help, as the most promising treatment appears to be in prevention. Therapeutic intervention at a young age can help children to channel anger and other emotions in a healthy manner and build better behaviors that experts believe might avert problems later in life.

Please note that the list provided by therapists is but a suggestion for further investigation. Children from horrible circumstances become wonder, loving adults and parents. Children from wonderful families can become monsters. We don't have a perfect parenting manual. If you can develop one, you will be the next billionaire!

Obama's CHANGE: No HOPE for Farmers

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How did Cass Sunstein ever get approved for any position in this country? He is the most radical intellectual that has ever wielded any power over policy or monies in the United States. He believes that a smart dog is more valuable than an infant or elderly human. He is against the 2nd Amendment and wants rigid gun control. He wants to force people into becoming vegetarians by establishing policies that will make a pound of ground round unaffordable. This is his “nudge” policy. Slowly pass unnoticed legislation that can be expanded, until the people have no power, and no money, left. Our Senators were warned. Why didn’t they listen?

Clear

Now farmers in the Sacramento area and the San Joaquin valley in California are facing a dust bowl equivalent to that of the 1930s Great Plains. Water has been turned off to farmers to supposedly protect an endangered minnow-like fish called the Delta Smelt. The loss of the smelt has affected the fishing industry in the northern Pacific waters, but it is also suspected that the land of the San Joaquin Valley is wanted by the government for solar and wind farms. Meanwhile, thousands and thousands of acres of prime farm land is blowing in the wind and thousands of farmers and agricultural workers are lining up for food at food banks. Food from China. Foods marketed without the oversight of the FDA. We will all pay for the food shortage. We have already seen recall after recall of Chinese products for our infants and children. Do you really want to eat Chinese food? Are you willing to pay double for food, when you may already be asked to pay triple for energy if the Cap and Trade bill passes?

The boot is on our throats.

And, suppose the Delta Smelt does go extinct. That would be a natural occurrence for the earth. Let’s look at this time-line of extinctions and man:

Ordovician-Silurian extinction - 439 million years ago - 25 percent of marine families and 60 percent of marine genera.

Late Devonian extinction - 364 million years ago - 22 percent of marine families and 57 percent of marine genera.

Permian-Triassic extinction - 251 million years ago - 95 percent of all species.

End Triassic extinction - 199 million to 214 million years ago - 22 percent of marine families, 52 percent of marine genera.

Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction - 65 million years ago - 16 percent of marine families, 47 percent of marine genera, 18 percent of land vertebrate families, including the dinosaurs.

Homo sapiens arrival – 90,000 years ago.

The founding of the United States of America – 230+ years ago.

Scientists have documented the disappearance of only 1,100 species over the past 500 years. New species have constantly arisen over these millions of years to fill niches left unoccupied. Clearly, the action of man is nowhere near as detrimental to species as the forces of nature, forces that we cannot control. If we could, there would have been no eruption of Mt. St. Helens, no hurricane Katrina, no wildfires in California and no earthquakes in San Francisco or the New Madrid area in Kentucky.

Extinctions are natural; therefore a true environmentalist would not interfere with these extinctions. What we have, however, are environmentalists who think that they DO have power over nature. In times of wealth (prior to our bankruptcy by all manner of intrusive federal programs), we could afford to let a bird live and pick an insecticide other than DDT. We had capitalism and free enterprise and our chemical companies have given us 1000s of choices of approved chemicals TO HELP US GROW FOOD. (The United States continued to produce DDT after its use was banned here, as the poor nations that favored healthy children over dead birds relied on the DDT that we exported for profits.)

Now, we are facing those same decisions. Although our nation spends a lot of money, we are no longer a wealthy nation. Do we favor healthy children or a thriving population of fish? Do we favor healthy people or a thriving population of insects? Are we going to support starvation and poverty or endangered mollusks? Can our government look at families in line at food banks and not feel extreme shame?

Congress, turn off your lights when you leave a room, drive the speed limit, get a push mower for your lawn and TURN ON THE WATER for our farmers!!

I Beg to Differ, Mr. Cosby!

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We have already seen a “knee jerk” reaction that went viral over the US Department of Education’s lesson for our children to “help the president” and Demi Moore’s video telling them to “pledge allegiance to Obama.” No one expected such a fire storm. Now, a beloved celebrity and admired educator has weighed in on "racist" Americans. I surely hope and pray that the comments from Bill Cosby will not stir up a similar overboard reaction on the other side. He is well-respected, loved and admired, but I respectfully disagree with him on several fronts.

Clear

These are his words as printed in his Facebook notes, followed by my reply to Professor Cosby:

I agree with President Carter that racism is playing a role in recent outbursts against President Obama. During President Obama’s speech on the status of health care reform, some members of congress engaged in a public display of disrespect. While one Representative hurled the now infamous “you lie” insult at the President, others made their lack of interest known by exhibiting rude behavior such as deliberately yawning and sending text messages.

Health care reform is the most important domestic issue facing America today. Disease does not discriminate. African American, White, Asian, Latino, Republican, Democrat, no one in America is immune. So it seems obvious that a debate on health care reform should not include views born solely of partisanship or bigotry.

Various polls prior to the election indicated that between five and ten percent of Americans would never vote for an African American president. That number, of course, only includes those who actually admitted to their prejudice. How many others harbored such feelings but did not respond honestly when asked the question? And how many people oppose Obama’s plan because the President is African American?

In "Birth of a Nation," D.W. Griffith used white actors in black face to portray black legislators as having low intelligence and acting like fools. Today, we have a band of real life congressional fools seemingly bent on blocking any meaningful reform of the health care system. But if we allow even one American to die simply because he or she cannot afford treatment, we are creating a shameful scenario that could aptly be called “Death of a Nation.”

I’ve watched legislative bodies in person and on TV for years. There are always people reading, sleeping, and, as we saw recently, playing solitaire on laptops while someone was speaking. They said it was because what they were hearing was the “same old same old,” and Obama has certainly done that! Those yawns may not have been deliberate at all! Bottom line: it’s not racial. It’s poor judgment, poor decorum and what we would call a lack of “home-training.” Some that you saw “sending text messages” may have just been taking notes, or may have been keeping their office or constituents informed. I rely on unbiased tweets to my phone from Mark Knoller, Jake Tapper and Chuck Todd to keep me informed of Presidential statements when I cannot watch or listen to broadcasts. I’m sure there are some Congressmen who provide similar information. It’s not necessarily rude. It’s just indicative of a new day.

If you think that the opposition to health care reform is born solely of partisanship and/or bigotry, try working this word into your thoughts: DEBT! Right now, my part of the national debt is $38,444. (It will probably be higher before I finish my rebuttal to your remarks.) The only way I could pay that would be to sell my house and move into a bus. Yes, we could us health care reform. But the health care system is no so terribly broken that it can’t wait for the most important job that faces Congress, and that is balancing the budget and giving us some kind of fiscal security. Even Obama said that it was not critical in his address to Congress. By far, the majority of Americans consider the economy to be their most important concern. IF someone comes up with a bill that will not add “one dime” to the national debt, we’re all for it! If Obama breaks yet another promise and signs a bill that deepens the debt for our children and grandchildren, you will hear the outcry! THAT would be immoral.

You said that 5% to 10% of Americans would never vote for a black president. In polls, those numbers are considered insignificant. We could all find survey numbers that would prove different sides. We could find much higher numbers somewhere for how many blacks are prejudiced against whites, Jews and Hispanics. You are an intelligent man who knows that data can prove anything. I think before you pontificate, you should find the answers to your own questions about numbers!

And, do you think you could go any further back in history to make your point than you did? There are at least 3 generations of Americans who have never seen or heard of “Birth of a Nation!” (There are 2 who don't know or care about Martin Luther King.) You know as well as I do that the majority of people will always fall into social norms and mores. When it was acceptable to have slaves, it was acceptable to have slaves. Only a very small minority had them, but it was “the way it was.” When Al Jolson sang in black face, it was acceptable, as minstrel shows traveled all over the USA to entertain with the wonderful music of Stephen Foster and patriotic music (the kind that Nancy Pelosi tried to ban from the Congressional “land of hold”). Each generation of free Americans have pushed us closer and closer to the founding fathers’ ideal of “equality.” How? By speaking their minds. By going against norms. By standing firm for their beliefs. By disagreeing with the “powers that be.” THAT, Professor Cosby, is the way our Republic works.

And last, for all the criticism of Sarah Palin’s characterization of end of life counseling as “death panels,” you have the audacity to say that we “allow” Americans to die? There is no hospital in this great country that will not treat ANYONE that comes in for treatment (unless it is the University of Chicago Hospital following the “health initiative” of Michelle Obama). We don’t “allow” people to die! We freely contribute to charities and hospitals that provide short term and long term treatment, or local banks that establish accounts to help a specific victim. We can’t stop cars from hitting people, or pebbles in a mountain path from rolling under a foot, or mechanical problems in trains and planes. We can and do try to prevent drunk driving, build guard rails and require documented maintenance for public transportation. But we are dealing with people who have free choice. We can’t force a person not to drive drunk any more than we can force a pregnant woman to seek prenatal care or a twenty-two year old to accept his mortality and buy health care insurance. And, I, for one, am not willing to spend trillions of dollars to try.

A "Love Letter" to Peter, Paul and Our Dear, Sweet Mary Travers

I waited a very long time to be able to see Peter, Paul and Mary in concert. In June of 2006, I saw them at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. Mary died today. I'm terribly sad, but thrilled that I was able to see them in concert. This is the letter I sent to them after the performance:

Deat Peter, Paul and Mary,

In 1967, my friends in high school chorus and I started a Hootenanny Band. We performed around Birmingham, Alabama. Most of the music that we performed was yours. It was the most glorious music I'd ever heard because of the tight harmonies, pristine voices and magnificent instrumentation.

I was not a great soloist, nor was I a great guitarist. But I blended well with the group. We were lucky enough to have numerous opportunities to play at the Green Springs Armory in Birmingham, and I was brave enough to sing solo every week at assemblies at Ramsay High School. I sang the school news! I would take your melodies and put my own words to them. For example:

(to the tune of Puff the Magic Dragon)
Miss Shook announced the Bagpipe
Tomorrow would be sold
It costs you only 15 cents
In silver not in gold.
etc.

Tacky... I know. But as a result of that, I was invited to sing for George Wallace at the Birmingham Civic Center. He was not pleased with my song. Bull Conner was outraged! My song was about Wallace's "school house stand" at the University of Alabama and the fact that Martin Luther King had "one-upped him" when he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

I would never have had the courage to sing such a song without your inspiration. I had watched the fire hoses and police dogs in downtown Birmingham from my father's office window. We both wept as we watched what was going on in the streets below. My father believed that the greatest commandment of all was "to love thy neighbor as you love yourself." He told me on that occasion that the key to that was to "love yourself." Although I've struggled with that part of it a bit, loving my neighbor became my life quest. I've tried all my life to make people "put down their stones."

After your participation in the Selma march, you were "cussed and discussed" in Alabama....but I followed your lead and my father's. I've tried always to make my mark by simply being kind to everyone that I've met and by trying to do something good for someone every day.

I lost faith in most everything when the Kennedys and Martin Luther King were assassinated. It was horrible. I turned away from politics and decided to keep my circle of influence small...but to keep the fire burning in a simple way....with kindness and love for everyone that crossed my path. It has given me great satisfaction that I've been able to do that for many, many years as a high school teacher in Montgomery, Alabama. Montgomery is a city that may only fully see the candle that I and others light when the generation that was here for the bus boycott dies out... IF they didn't teach their children to hate. I fear too many have... so the challenge will continue. I pray that my children will follow my lead. They have so far.

Throughout the years since the late 60s, I've listened to your music for further inspiration to "keep the faith" and stay true to my quest. Your performances on PBS would have me in goose-bumps and tears... and would solicit a "happy butt dance" of joy!! (Of course, I would have to watch them in a back room while my husband watched NASCAR!!) Unfortunately, I can't sing your music anymore. My vocal cords had been damaged. It is the truly the most heartbreaking thing that has ever happened to me. But, I can still love and smile and give others hope when they desperately need it.

When my mother died in my arms, I got a huge dose of mortality. It hit me like a Mac truck! It was then that I began to list all the things I wanted to do before I die. Seeing you in concert was first on my list. I tried to see you the year that your tour was canceled because of Mary's illness. I finally got to see you at the Kimmell Theater in Philadelphia last Saturday. I laughed. I sang (very quietly, as I sound like I'm under water now!). I wept for joy. Saturday was the most glorious day I've ever had!! THE most glorious!!!

Mary, I must tell you that the story of your illness, your hospital tips and your fear of your Republican donor was one of the highlights of the show for me. I have been reading the notes and prayers on your website... looking for news of your progress... for some time. To see you Saturday night.... looking soooooooooo cute with your short hair..... was a dream come true!!

I want to thank you all for the life-time of pleasure, joy and inspiration that you have given me. I hope that you all will continue to do so for others. It must give you great satisfaction to know that the younger generations are embracing your music and your message. It is always wonderful to see you perform with children, and it was nice to see the kids in the Kimmell on Saturday night. I also want to wish you every possible happiness in your lives.

Your message is not only "blowing in the wind," it is living in the hearts of thousands like me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and the center of my soul.

Bless you all,
Carol Kelly
Montgomery, AL

Rest in Peace, Mary Travers.

Czars Will No Longer Cast a Giant Shadow

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Citizens have been asking for clarification about President Obama's huge team of "Czars" for some time. Many congressmen heard questions at town hall meetings, and had to admit, that they simply didn't know either! The flood of questions and concerns after the release of self-avowed communist Van Jones has finally caused at least 100 of our lawmakers to clear up the issue.

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Several Congressmen held a press conference today to announce proposed bills that will curb the growing number of Czars and will call for vetting and confirmation. Marsha Blackburn (TN-R) and Jack Kingston (GA-R) have both introduced bills and have garnered near 100 co-sponsors for the proposed legislation. If these appointees are writing laws and policies, it is an unconstitutional act. Article 1, Section 8 clearly gives Congress the exclusive power to legislate. If they are not writing laws and policies, then they are being paid exorbitant salaries for doing nothing, some estimated to be $175K/year. This doesn’t even account for the costs of their office space, staff, supplies, utilities, etc. It was further pointed out today that Congress really doesn’t know exactly how many appointees there are, but they know that there are legitimate officers and elected officials who already have the responsibilities given to what Michelle Malkin refers to as a “shadow government.”

Congressman Blackburn introduced HR 185, a Sense of Congress Resolution that will call for full disclosure from our “transparent” president of all Czars, their responsibilities, and their vetting status.

"Where I have concerns is when a President shifts duties away from officials who are subject to Congressional oversight to those on his personal staff who are not. These aides wield extraordinary influence and the American people have a right to know who they are, why they are qualified for their jobs, what their conflicts of interest might be, and what their job descriptions are. The President has an obligation to disclose this information."

Congressman Kingston has proposed H.R. 3226, the Czar Accountability and Reform Act, which would withhold funding from any czar until they have been confirmed by the Senate. Czars who do not go through the vetting and confirmation process will be “sun-downed” out.

”Who are these people and why are they necessary? Why do we need an Energy Czar and a Secretary of Energy? Why do we need a TARP Czar and a Secretary of Treasury? Why was a 31 year old with no background in the auto industry and who drives a foreign car appointed as the Auto Recovery Czar? What qualifies a college professor to set executive salaries? We don’t know the answers to these questions because unlike cabinet secretaries, judges, and hundreds of other presidential appointments, these czars have bypassed Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution which mandates the advice and consent of the Senate when the President appoints principle officers.”

The following is a list of those appointees who fall into the “Czar” category, some confirmed and some not:
1. TARP Czar: Herb Allison
2. Cyber Czar: Rod Beckstrom
3. Border Czar: Alan Bersin
4. Intelligence Czar: Dennis Blair
5. Terrorism Czar: John Brennan
6. Energy Czar Carol Browner
7. Urban Affairs Czar: Adolfo Carrion, Jr.
8. Weapons Czar: Ashton Carter
9. Technology Czar: Aneesh Chopra
10. AIDS Czar: Jeffrey Crowley
11. Great Lakes Czar: Cameron Davis
12. Health Czar: Nancy-Ann DeParle
13. Stimulus Accountability Czar: Earl Devaney
14. Faith-based Czar: Joshua DuBois
15. Pay Czar: Kenneth Feinberg
16. Guantanamo Closure Czar: Danny Fried
17. Sudan Czar: J. Scott Gration
18. Afghanistan Czar: Richard Holbrooke
19. Science Czar: John Holdren
20. Green Jobs Czar: Van Jones (resigned Sept. 6, 2009)
21. Bank Bailout Czar: Neel Kashkari
22. Drug Czar: Gil Kerlikowske
23. Performance Czar: Nancy Killefer
24. Information Czar: Vivek Kundra
25. Mideast Peace Czar: George Mitchell
26. Car Czar: Ed Montgomery
27. Domestic Violence Czar: Lynn Rosenthal
28. Mideast Policy (Iran) Czar: Dennis Ross
29. Weapons of Mass Destruction Czar: Gary Samore
30. Weatherization Czar: Gil Sperling
31. Climate Czar: Todd Stern
32. Regulatory Czar: Cass Sunstein
33. Economic Czar: Paul Volcker

Attention Deficit America

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I wonder if we are so used to multi-tasking and being able to completely change our visual and mental environment with a click of a remote or a mouse that we can’t concentrate or stay focused on one task anymore. Before I retired from the classroom, I was somewhat appalled by the textbooks that were offered for our perusal. My texts as a student may have had one illustration per double-page spread. Current texts not only have several images per page, but also drop quote boxes, inserts, multiple columns and/or graphic depictions of information. None of it is connected except by topic. It allows the student to jump from page area to page area in the same manner that they might surf for channels or Face book friends. Can this be good?

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It has become apparent that when it comes to important problems that cannot be resolved in 50 minutes as a Law and Order issue, we either do not want to stay focused or cannot stay focused. I’ll leave the final analysis to psychologists. But, if we “could’a, should’a, would’a” stayed on task, distractions would not have become such an issue of national focus, even by the main stream media (in a few instances). Now, former President Jimmy Carter has jumped into the “racial” issue. This will probably be the focus for the rest of the week, if not the rest of Obama’s term in office!

The most recent examples have been because of well-publicized actions. One has been the utterance of the two words heard around the world: YOU LIE! Congress has had a full plate. Healthcare. Economic recovery. Corruption exposures. All of the debate and work on these important issues came to a screeching halt for 2 days as everyone clamored to find a microphone, camcorder, social network or blog to weigh in on Representative Joe Wilson (SC-R). The other was Kanye West’s intrusion on and insult to Taylor Swift. The majority of the political social networking traffic shifted from healthcare, the economy, and the hate or love for Obama to a ten second televised event and the President’s off-the-record “jackass” remark.

Other major distractions in the last year have included:
• Saturday Night Live’s negative portrayals of Sarah Palin.
• The President’s accusation that police at Professor Gates’ resident acted “stupidly.”
• Nancy Pelosi’s accusation that concerned, mainstream citizens who attended town hall meetings were “swastika bearing” “mobs” and that the movement was contrived, organized “Astroturf.”
• The President’s insult to Special Olympians on the Tonight Show. (And, still, he was invited to Shriver/Kennedy funerals?)
• The infidelity of conservative lawmakers.
• Michael Jackson’s death.
• The knee jerk reaction of parents to the “lesson plan” for Obama’s speech to their children.
• The refusal of ABC to allow conservative responses to the “infomercial” for ObamaCare.

More than ever in our lifetimes, we need to stay focused. We need to stay vocal. We need to stay committed. We need to continue to fax, email, call and write to our servants. And it only has to be on three things.
• Decrease the federal deficit/balance the budget.
• Decrease the size of the government/remove Czars, unnecessary agencies
• Rid the government of pork/corruption/special interests.

We need to stay the course and insist that the people who SERVE US pass no legislation that does not fit within these three criteria. And, if Paula Deen’s pants fall down again, twit and IM and have a good laugh for a minute or two, and get back to the business of preserving the Republic.

You Lie!

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I've been torn like everyone else over the behavior on the House floor when Rep. Wilson (SC-R) blurted out an accusation against the President of the United States. I wondered why is is acceptable to stand and applaud and cheer in overt demonstrations, but not acceptable to show disagreement. Perhaps Rep. Wilson should have stood with thumbs down and his mouth shut. Or perhaps he should have joined his colleagues with bills and or signs in his hand or lap. Regardless, he did not lie.

Clear

The liar that evening was the President, not Rep. Wilson. Neal Boortz shared a very well put together summary of an answer to the predominant lie of the evening by Obama, that the Republicans have not offered substantive suggestions or solutions to the health care debate. According to Markay on Newsbusters.com, the Republicans have done precisely what the president has asked them to do, echoing his own ideas, and, in some cases, his own words. Yet in his last speech delivered to the House and the Senate, he repeatedly claimed that Republicans have refused to or have yet to offer input. The lies were so prevalent, that Republican Representative Joe Wilson from South Carolina could not contain his disgust as he audibly uttered words heard around the world, “You Lie.” So, let’s look at the “truths.”

• The President told the Joint Session of Congress that his "guiding principle is, and always has been, that consumers do better when there is choice and competition." In full agreement with this Rep. Shaddeg (AZ-R) introduced a bill last summer to allow us to shop for health insurance in any and all states. The Energy and Commerce Committee is still sitting on that bill (HR 3217).

• The President claimed that, “Under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions." But when four republican Representatives; Deal (GA), Johnson (TX), Cantor (VA), and Souder (IN); offered amendments to specify that this would not be the case, the amendments were killed by votes along party lines.

• Obama claimed that he “will not sign” a health care bill that “adds one dime to the deficit." Again, Rep. McClintock (CA-R) offered an amendment to explicitly prohibit any legislation that is not “deficit neutral” from going into effect. The result? Another “squash” by democrats.

• The President asserted that "I will make sure that no government bureaucrat or insurance company bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need." Again, in agreement, Rep. Gingrey (GA-R) penned an amendment that would state in no uncertain terms that no federal official could make a decision about an individual’s health care. Henry Waxman (CA-D) and his crew killed the amendment.

• Besides misrepresenting Sarah Palin, again, Obama also denigrated those who make claims about “death panels” and rationed care for the elderly. However, when Rep. Herger (CA-R) submitted an amendment to forbid the government from conducting “comparative effectiveness research (and thus nullify the need for yet another expensive and expansive agency, office, staff, etc.), the lawbreaker Charlie Rangel and his committee killed that idea.

• Another “promise” from our leader was that taxes would not be raised on those making under $200K/year. But amendments by both Rep. Ryan (WI-R) and Rep. Rodgers (WA-R) offered to “insure” this promise both suffered an unnoticed but purposeful death. And the “promise” not to cut Medicare benefits for seniors that was put into motion by Rep. Brown-Waite (FL-R) in an attempt to totally remove any language in the bill that would even suggest such for Medicare Advantage suffered the same fate, as did several amendments to protect small businesses charged with offering health insurance for their workers.

• In proposed HR 3200, the employer mandate would result in 1.6 million fewer jobs, a $200 billion contraction in GDP, 1.2 million fewer work hours per week, and an annual decline in wages of $71 billion, within five years of its enactment. Reps. Hoekstra (MI-R), Herger (CA-R), Reichert (WA-R), Hunter (CA-R), and McKeon (CA-R) offered a variety of amendments to protect employers in the event of high unemployment or proven financial hardships from the mandate itself. Democrats had no use for them.

When Rep. Joe Wilson uttered his infamous, “You Lie,” statement, it was in response to the President’s assurance that illegal immigrants would not be covered in his health care bill. Numerous attempts to specifically block this had been thwarted prior to this breech of decorum. However, it is now being proposed that some form of ID system be used for anyone seeking health insurance in the United States.
So, Mr. President and Democratic officials, stop lying and claiming that the Republicans are inactive, inert, incapable, uncooperative, or disengaged. They are speaking. Listen!

Afterthought: As this was being posted, the House officially condemned Representative Wilson’s conduct, the first such action in the history of the United States. “If you don’t agree with the President, you are a racist.” Shame on the House.

Project 9-12

Very, Very Clear

The 912 Project was started by Conservative icon Glenn Beck as a way to mobilize regular folks to stand up against big government and all the problems that it creates as it destroys our individual rights and liberties. He wanted America to try to renew the spirit of September 12, 2001, the day following the Islamic terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and the thwarted attack on Washington. After these events, party affiliation, race, socio-economic standing, educational degrees and yearly income did not matter. Americans bonded as patriots to clean up, care for each other and honor those heroes who lost their lives.

Tea Parties and coalitions of all kinds have branched from that initial call for neighbor to meet with neighbor to share concerns. The August town hall meetings brought the perfect opportunity for local action on a small scale, and the Tea Party express and march on the capitol on September 12, 2009 was the beginning, not the end, of a concerted effort to take back the control of our governmental servants. Patriots of all ages have banned together in protest, but also in a show of strength (estimated to be 1 million strong) and commitment to the 9 principles and 12 values listed below. A large percentage of these people have never done a political thing in their lives! But events of the last 200 days have been such an outrage that action has been viewed as a necessary and obligatory recourse.

If the Republic is going to be "re-found," we need to remember what our founding fathers had in mind. You may want to view The American Form of Government, for an excellent civics lesson!

The 9 Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

The 12 Values
•Honesty
•Reverence
•Hope
•Thrift
•Humility
•Charity
•Sincerity
•Moderation
•Hard Work
•Courage
•Personal Responsibility
•Gratitude

Please note that there is no CHANGE in either list. Our government is perfect and does not need to be "fundamentally changed." It needs to be preserved with vigor and courage.

Broken Promises

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"The biggest problems that we're facing right now have to do with George Bush trying to bring more and more power into the executive branch and not go through Congress at all. And that's what I intend to reverse when I'm president of the United States."
-Sen. Barack Obama, March 31, 2008

Despite Obama's campaign promise, his ever growing list of self-appointed "Czars" speaks volumes about his chosen path to "fundamentally change" America. The list had hit 40, but the resignation of Van Jones over the Labor Day weekend has reduced the "shadow government" of this administration to a mere 39. Meanwhile, Cabinet positions go unfilled as he circumvents system of "checks and balances" created by our founding fathers.

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I wonder how many other promises have already been broken in the nine months that he has been in office. I can name more than I have fingers for, but I invite my readers to rant a little, too. In the comment section, document a campaign promise. I doubt that you'll need to tell us how the promise was broken, but you are welcome to do so!

Communist Van Jones Resigns

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I can’t even imagine why anyone in America would be upset to see a communist leave the shadow government of President Obama. The majority of Americans grew up with the communist threat. We remember when JFK issued the ultimatum to the ships carrying missiles to Cuba to turn back. We remember Khrushchev banging his shoe on the podium. We remember the Cold War. Do the generations behind us have no understanding of a philosophy of government that wants total control over every aspect of society? Charles Krauthammer suggested that being a communist today was outmoded. But is communist China slowly buying up our country? Is communism still a threat?

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I am very glad that at least one communist was ousted from the shadow government that President Obama seems to favor over any Senate-confirmed Cabinet. Pundits and critics are claiming that it was the result of a witch hunt. Van Jones declared it was the fault of a smear campaign. It was neither. It was the fault of Van Jones.

Glenn Beck led the way. Of that, there is no dispute. Being a patriot is a difficult task. This is a strategy that requires tremendous courage, self-control, as well as a willingness to endure personal threats and verbal or written attacks on one’s character. It is a path that could put one’s family in jeopardy. It is the higher path that is least travelled. It is an honorable endeavor to stand tall for your rights and liberties.

But, Mr. Beck did not accuse Van Jones of any wrong doing. He did not call Van Jones any names. He did not label Van Jones with any disparaging tags. He simply showed Van Jones doing it all to himself.

Van Jones signed the charge against Bush for the 9-11 attacks. Van Jones called conservatives a-holes. Van Jones called himself a communist. Van Jones tied the knot and slipped the noose around his own neck, all on videotape.

Obama knew the background of this man, as he knew the extremist, criminal background of Ayers and bought into the racist teachings of Rev. Wright. Jones was recruited and supported by Pelosi and Jarrett and others because they all shared the same idea about how America should be “fundamentally changed.”

The administration, however, hit an unexpected wall. It was a wall longer than the Great Wall of China. It was a wall thicker than the Berlin Wall. It was a wall of “un-American”, “mobster”, “swastika wearing”, and “right wing terrorist” patriots.

One Czar down. Thirty plus to go.

The American Form of Government

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What is the difference between a democracy and a republic? What type of government did our founding fathers secure for us?

Clear

Tea Party Signs

Click on the images to enlarge them. Right click to save. Share with others! (Thanks to Sorry I Voted for sharing. Share your reason for voter's remorse at http://www.iamsorryivotedforobama.com/)

Back to School Blues for Obama

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When the announcement was released that President Obama would make a one-hour speech to all children in public schools, a fire storm was started that makes the hills around L.A. pale by comparison. All of the social networking sites were instantly filled with rants as heated souls and keyboards spewed forth disbelief and anger. Some don’t understand the anger. Some want to just say that the parents are all “racists” and “right-wing nuts” bogged in a “silly season.”

But, this comes on the heels of being called “anti-American” and “right-wing terrorists” by ranking Democratic leaders and a post on Obama’s website. It comes on the heels of parents everywhere seeing that their Social Security has been stolen and that promised Medicare is almost beyond bankrupt. It comes on the heels of the unconstitutional interference in American businesses and a skyrocketing national debt that even these children scheduled to watch the President will be required to pay. It comes on the heels of a summer of purposeful misdirection and subterfuge by a party that was trying to defend and explain a plan that they didn’t even have!

Is there any wonder that the American mainstream would have doubts about all things Obama?

What was wrong with the plan to encourage children to work hard and stay in school?

First, we are told it was a problem of semantics. In the middle of another brouhaha about a commercial where celebrities, aka “heroes” to children, (see http://tinyurl.com/kwyycp) are seen vowing to stop a 200 year reign of slavery, giving up plastics and pledging allegiance to Obama, the lesson plan from the US Department of Education asked for our children to write letters about “helping” Obama. Not America. Not Americans. Obama. We had already been exposed to some young military-type group marching and chanting Obama praise, and had seen how our president used the child of a contributor to try to garner favor during a town hall meeting on health care. I personally don’t think this was a case of something being poorly stated, as Obama’s logo is still plastered all over the public domain. I’m surprised it hasn’t replaced the presidential seal on the podium at press conferences. We are constantly exposed to the man, not the office. And the US DOE was doing the same: putting the man above or in place of the office.

Also, the first indications from news reports were that the target would be pre-K through middle school. This seemed to reek of indoctrination attempts, as the older children who could already think for themselves were not included. I didn’t see a lesson plan for junior high and high school students on the first day that the news broke. I didn’t hear these ages included until the fire started.

Another consideration on the part of parents was the idea that this would not be an optional activity. One spokesperson on a news program said that children just don’t have, need or want “a relationship” with a president. That’s not necessarily true. As a child just learning to write, my father allowed me to add postscripts to the letters that he regularly wrote to his representative in government or to the editorial pages in local newspapers. I liked doing it. I liked pleasing my father, emulating my father, and receiving autographed photographs in the mail! But, I wasn’t forced to do this in school. We did have photographs and paintings of various presidents displayed at school, but every morning we said the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag that also hung on the wall in every room, and “to the Republic” for which it stood.

Even the timing was not well thought out. I taught for 30 years and I can attest to the fact that on the first day of school, there is not a single minute to spare, and we often wish we had a longer day. Teachers are charged with explaining school rules and classroom rules, distributing important documents to be signed and filed, checking schedules and records to make sure each student is actually where he or she needs to be, while being constantly interrupted by announcements about fees, workbooks, textbooks, and lunch rules. To stop for an hour on that day would either mean one class would be a full day behind, or all classes would be shortened, which makes them all the more hectic.

And, last but not least, showcasing Obama as a good example of doing well in school is also a questionable plan, as we have no idea what type of student he was, other than that he graduated. He has refused to offer any proof of any of his early years. He’s been asked. Requests have been rampant not only for a birth certificate, but also for the passport he used when young, school records, his scholarship information, etc. The more he hides, the more questions we naturally ask. Did he get into college on scholarship money reserved for foreign students? How involved was he in radical socialist, Marxist or communist groups? We already know some of the links, but only because someone else investigated it, not because of his “transparency” with us.

So, doubt and distrust had grown to a sparking point, and this little innocuous announcement lit the fire.

The heat reached the White House and the US Department of Ed and parents everywhere discovered anew the power of their freedom of speech when the DOE edited the lesson plans and the White House announced that the speech would be online a day before it would air in classrooms so that parents could appraise it, discuss it with their children and make informed decisions about Tuesday.

Cloudy

While sorting through blogs and tweets and Facebook posts and watching hours of news from MSNBC to Fox, I’ve only run across one comment that gave me great pause. Someone said, “They won’t let kids read Huck Finn, either.” Ouch. I don’t believe in censorship. I don’t believe in propaganda. Do I now have to determine which of these is the greater evil? We need to prepare our children to face both.