Tea Party Health Care Protest to Continue on Sunday! BE THERE IF YOU CAN! Prayer at 11:00 am! Join In Prayer From HOME If You Can’t Attend! The BOPAC Report

The BOPAC Report

As Aretha Franklin says: You better think, think, think what you do to me! Can you hear this message? If you vote yes on Obama's Socialist takeover of health care, don't say you haven't been warned.

 

Tea Party Health Care Protest –

Important Update from Michelle Malkin! Tea Party protesters are requested to return to Capital on Sunday to keep up pressure.  It’s not over until November!  Then all bets are off what will happen.

Day of defiance: Nationwide protests as Slaughter House rushes through Demcare; Update: Kill the Bill activists will return on SundayBy Michelle Malkin  •  March 20, 2010 08:31 AM

…Update: Capitol Hill protests stretched into the evening. Many Tea Party activists will be back again Sunday to keep up the no-mentum.

Reader Joey who was in attendance in DC e-mails:

“After the day long rally, into the night there were speakers. Toward the end, we were asked to please email, and phone everyone and request they return tomorrow. We were told that the congressman would be praying inside the capital at 11 am and that it would be wonderful if we were outside praying. Just passing this along.”

Read the Full Article!

Matters of Religion Should Never be Matters of Controversy for Tea Party Protesters – The BOPAC Report

The BOPAC Report:

Matters of Religion Should Never be Matters of Controversy for Tea Party Protesters

Today I’ve been mostly reflecting on recklessness that we’ve been witnessing in Washington D.C. and what some are calling the one year anniversary of the Tea Party Movement.  I want to say is that I am truly thankful that millions of ordinary Americans have been so moved by what they’ve seen in American politics that they made time to care for the country that has been so important in their lives.  Thank you, thank you, and thank you!  I can only imagine how little hope there would be today had you not stood up and shouted ENOUGH loud enough for the politicians to hear. Oh, and thanks CNBC Correspondent Rick Santelli for getting it all started.

At first the Tea Parties were ignored and when they kept growing, the vilification process began in earnest in the Halls of Congress & in the mainstream media.  The disparagement began as commentators’ smirks, belittlement and mischaracterizations as to who was involved and what the they were about.  As the protests grew and politicians began being forced to address hard questions in town hall meetings, the discomfort level of the media and politicians increased exponentially.  So did the insults.

Finally, one term of disparagement/diminution stuck. A few pompous media personalities set out to attach these mostly novice protesters to the derogatory terms Tea-Bagger and Tea-Bagging (some sort of sex act thing). It became a juvenile favorite among Democrat politicians such as Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Schumer.  Why? I have no idea.  If you see images of the hundreds of thousands (millions) of these Americans engaged in peaceful protests, ‘tea-bagger’ is the last thing that would come to mind.  Most of the protesters shrug it off realizing that actually saying the term reflects most badly on those using it.  However, each has their own way of dealing with double standards and ridicule.

I’ve never been able to understand why a Republican contributor is a ‘fat cat’ and a Democratic contributor of the same amount of money is a ‘public-spirited philanthropist’.
Ronald Reagan

If an analogy must be made to a Tea Bag, then let’s do with a bit more accuracy to reflect the broad range of ordinary Americans picking up protest signs for the first time.  From what I can tell, Tea Party folks more often than not come with lots of experience because most have a few years under their belts. 

Let’s say we imagine the piece of paper attached to the tea bag string as the label tea party members might use to identify themselves to everyone else – Conservative, Moderate, Independent, Republican, Democrat, Liberal, Native American, African-American, White, Asian, Catholic, Baptist, Jew, Christian, Agnostic, Professor, Professional, Tradesman, etc., etc., etc. (I wanted to include Muslim but I haven’t actually seen anyone self identify.) It’s a big tent based on principle.

The string is the part that connects everyone together, the collective consciousness of experience that reminds each of us that some things are time tested, work well and might just pull America out of the hot water before it’s too late.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

George Santayana, The Life of Reason, Volume 1, 1905

As far as I can tell, this is the essence of the movement.  It reflects common sense understandings of economics and how to get our economy moving.  Experience shows that private sector does much better than a federal bureaucracy when it comes to jump starting the economy and making the system sustainable because the private sector is concerned facts and success – not their own political ideologies, beauty contests and careers. (Congress tinkering with ‘risk’ in the mortgage market caused the current economic crisis – everyone must own a home even if they can’t afford it. Right now, uncertainty regarding the possibility of tax hikes coming from Obama are what’s shackling the economy.)

Tea party people know the U.S. government’s massive debt is not sustainable.  They want politicians to stop raising taxes (actually most want to cut taxes) and to cut spending. They want America to live within its means and not pass unbearable debt to their children.

They want politicians to face the truth of our economy!  Yes, there will be pain but most Americans surely recognize we can get through it together.  However, if government does not face the truth about our economy soon, the pain will be catastrophic and our liberties could be put at risk because of civil unrest.

The truth is cruel, but it can be loved, and it makes free those who have loved it.

George Santayana, Little Essays (1920) “Ideal Immortality”

The tea party movement is not anti-government.  They want the federal government to do the things they are authorized to do under the Constitution with as small a ‘footprint’ as possible (including reasonable regulation of business).  I believe a majority wants their own states to do the heavy lifting on tax utilization and governing.  However, they want politicians to not be in bed with union leaders (special interests) because experience shows that union leaders’ greed is a big factor in the fiscal calamities facing many states today. (A 49-year-old NJ public employee (union member) who pays in a $124,000 and receives 3.3 million in benefits from state coffers.)

I suspect a vast majority of the ordinary Americans who make up the tea party movement do not want the government to take over the healthcare system. And yes, they do want reform.  They want incremental steps to be taken to reform healthcare.  They do not want a massive bill when politicians’ motives are suspect and the consequences cannot possibly be fully understood. Start over with everyone at the table.

No one tests the depth of a river with both feet.

African Proverb

Most in the movement want politicians to respect the Constitutional limitations placed on government, respect state rights, and the rights of the individual.

People know instinctually and by experience that child rearing with too much parental control will either be met with some type of resistance (outright rebellion, passive aggression behavior) or cowering (timid, afraid, distrust).  Neither is what America needs of her citizenry.

It is the individual’s task to differentiate himself from all the others and stand on his own feet. All collective identities… interfere with the fulfillment of this task. Such collective identities are crutches for the lame, shields for the timid, beds for the lazy, nurseries for the irresponsible….

C. G. Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections

People realize that the Constitution is the first line of defense protecting their freedoms and limiting a federal government that appears ready to dictate without the consent of the people.  Most understand that the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution established the requirement that the power of the federal government comes from the people and states – not the other way around.  I think most tea party protesters want the federal government to back off and lift the boot off their necks. 

In fact, several states have recognized the danger this Administration poses to our 2^nd and 10^th Amendment rights and are beginning to take action.  Three states have passed the Firearms Freedom Act and 22 others have introduced it for consideration. The FFA basically says that firearms manufactured and sold within a state’s borders are out of reach of the federal government’s interstate commerce powers. Numerous states have introduced legislation asserting their Tenth Amendment rights under the Constitution.  Several others are introducing legislation that will require candidates to submit proof that they are in fact eligible for the office they are seeking (i.e. being a ‘natural born citizen’). We will see soon if our Federal Courts have become so corrupted and/or influenced by the ’progressives’ ideology that they will not exercise their duties and act as a check to the powers of the Congress and the President.

Tea Party protesters do not want to be treated like sheep by their government and elected representatives.  This is partly why it is important that the ‘tea party’ not be taken over by any major Party.  The tea party idea is about holding all politicians accountable, not just the ones in a particular party. 

People choose politicians who should understand local values and concerns to represent their interests in Washington regardless of which Party they belong.

I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of all the lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any.

Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1948)

The people of California are not the same as the people from Georgia and both should have their interests represented in strong state governments and by elected Congressional Representatives – and neither should be blown off their feet.

I’ve been using a few quotes from the philosopher George Santayana to illustrate the need to keep our state governments strong, retaining their rights and responsibilities under the Constitution. Mr. Santayana ”…was committed to a naturalist metaphysics, in which human cognition, cultural practices, and social institutions have evolved so as to harmonize with the conditions present in their environment. Their value may then be adjudged by the extent to which they facilitate human happiness.“

To me, understanding local environmental and ethnic influences reveals the richness of America’s cultural diversity. It’s why we want our representatives to be local becuase they are (should be) more aware of who ‘they’ are and what conditions have shaped the ‘we’ of the locality.  This way change & governance evolve locally in response to the ‘happiness’ or unhappiness of its residents. It also validates the wisdom of our Founders who created a Constitution meant to insure equality of opportunity (not results) and equal protection for every person in every state.  The Constitution is a safety net preventing tyranny or abuse at the muncipal or state level while containing safeguards that protect the individual character of states and their people ( First, Second, Ninth, Tenth, Fourteenth Amendments).

If states like California and New York raise taxes too much or restricts rights and liberties too much, people and business remain free to vote with their feet.  That’s a good thing because it applies market forces to states that might encourage their politicians to act responsibility. States and regions have different flavors that appeal to varied tastes and that’s wonderful.  Just like most people do not want the flavor of another forcibly imposed upon their lives – neither do states.

Even though it’s understandable that some residents of states currently crumbling under the weight of unfair public employee labor and pension contracts and out of control politicians may be susceptible to Obama’s proclivity for a socialist system that might subsidize their state’s excesses with taxes from the innocent states, it must be resisted and responsibility demanded of their own politicians.  The good people of Texas should not be forced to bail out irresponsible politicians in California or any other state.  Today responsible people can always move and let California collapse under the weight of its own gluttony. However, if we allow the federal government to continue grow in power and influence that may not always be the case. Many times taking what appears to be the easiest path is the one that leads to the greatest loss.

The same arguments can be made in support of America’s sovereignty. Most Americans do not want to give up that which has been paid for with the blood and treasure of the millions who came before to France, Germany, Spain, any other country or the UN.  Our freedoms and Constitutional protections are not barter items.  We can fulfill our global responsibilities as good neighbors without sacrificing our sovereignty.

A man’s feet should be planted in his country, but his eyes should survey the world.

George Santayana (1863 – 1952)

The tea bag string is the determined call for fiscal responsibility, accountability, equality of opportunity, and limited representative government.

The tea bag is our United States Constitution that has guided this nation for centuries.  It’s the fabric that holds us together and protects our liberties. Without which, we would blow away like dry leaves of tea facing the winds of tyranny.

One man with a gun can control 100 without one.
Vladimir Lenin

One person cannot stand against tyranny alone. It will take many armed with all of the rights and liberties that they can preserve (including the right to bear arms).

America is the greatest of opportunities and the worst of influences.

George Santayana (1863 – 1952)

It’s these influences that are putting our liberties at risk today. 

An educational system that does not adequately teach the Constitution, our founding, or America’s goodness is making it likely our children will not recognize threats to their freedom and liberty.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.
Ronald Reagan

Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.
Vladimir Lenin

It’s the patience of ‘progressivism’ that has been working insidiously for decades to undermine our system of governance. It’s politicians who work diligently to create voter dependency through the sense of ‘entitlement’.  It’s politicians who will not face the truth of our economy and who print trillions of dollars to ensure their positions.

The best way to destroy the capitalist system is to debauch the currency.
Vladimir Lenin

It’s the influence of special interests that corrupt and seduce politicians to do their bidding instead watching out for the interests of the people.  It’s politicians who lack conviction to principles.

To rely upon conviction, devotion, and other excellent spiritual qualities; that is not to be taken seriously in politics.
Vladimir Lenin

It’s the influence of those in the inner circle of the Administration.

There are no morals in politics; there is only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us just because he is a scoundrel.
Vladimir Lenin

Is Lenin talking about Rahm Emanuel?

The tea is who we are.  It’s the experiences of each individual that has shaped his or her life and views.  It’s the diversity of the tea party movement.  In the tea party movement all ethic groups are represented, many are Veterans, many have family members in the military, and there are Christians, Jews, agnostics, and probably atheists.  There are those who represent rural and urban ways of life. There are pro-life, pro-choice, gay, straight, environmentalists, pro-gun, pro-10^th Amendment, and those calling for the ‘natural born citizen’ provision of the Constitution to be honored.  There are Conservatives, Liberals, and Moderates. There are Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and Independents. 

From what I can see, people in the tea party movement are striving to be tolerant of the views of others as long as they don’t jeopardize the nation’s future.

Intolerance itself is a form of egoism, and to condemn egoism intolerantly is to share it.

George Santayana, Winds of Doctrine (1913) ch. 4

If the movement is to survive and flourish, egotism and intolerance must be kept in check.  If it’s not, we become them.  At the next local event, maybe I will tie the string from a tea bag around my finger to help me remember to keep my own intolerance in check and to focus on the issues the Tea Party movement has grown around.

It’s my strong opinion that the tea party movement must not be folded into any major party and that it not form its own official party. If it forms its own party, it may then feel compelled to have a platform that addresses the social issues and that could alienate many.  This is such a special movement and it would be sad to see it diminish.

This year it is critical to vote for those who have the best chance of removing absolute control from Obama, Pelosi and Reid’s Democratic Party.  The vote must not be split in 2010.  However, every Republican or Independent candidate who wins needs to be made aware that they will be held accountable for their lack of transparency, lack of fiscal discipline, and lack of adherence to the Constitution.

We will surely disagree in the future about the social issues and that will be okay.  However, today millions are united around a core set of issues that are crucial for the survival of the nation. We must not blow it. Fiscal responsibility, accountability, transparency, and limited government are the issues of the coming election.

I think I will close with one last quote of George Santayana (who was an agnostic) that seems applicable to the idea of focusing on the big picture this year.

Matters of religion should never be matters of controversy. We neither argue with a lover about his taste, not condemn him, if we are just, for knowing so human a passion.

George Santayana (1863 – 1952)

Well – unless they want to kill you if they can’t convert you.

In such case, I offer this quote:

It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees.

Emiliano Zapata (1877 – 1919)

Constantly Ignored by Congress, Americans Left Little Choice but to Shut Washington, D.C. Down!

Constantly Ignored by Congress, Americans Left Little Choice but to Shut Washington, D.C. Down!

(I would like to suggest a date – the day of the 2010 State of the Union Address)

Today I was listening to Rush Limbaugh’s radio program when one of his listeners shared an interesting idea that got my attention.  The listener was a small business owner, 30 years in business, who was fed up with Congress not listening to the wishes of the American People.  He was calling for all small business owners to fire half of their employees (for a few weeks?) and the resulting loss of tax withholdings and concurrent demands for unemployment benefits, food stamps, etc. by the fired workers would overwhelm the system.

Rush immediately recognized that this idea was actually the same idea that Obama and the left are employing, the Cloward-Piven strategy. 

…”The Cloward/Piven Strategy is named after Columbia University sociologists Richard Andrew Cloward and Frances Fox Piven. Their goal is to overthrow capitalism by overwhelming the government bureaucracy with entitlement demands. The created crisis provides the impetus to bring about radical political change….”

It is an interesting concept of turning a wholly leftist/fascist strategy for radical change back on the instigators.  Naturally, the caller understood that his idea would involve substantial “short-term pain for long-term gain” and would require a lot of employers taking part to be effective.

What’s obvious is that Rush’s caller was basically expressing the extreme frustration that millions of Americans are feeling right now. How can ordinary citizens get the attention of Congress when they are taking the phone off the hook and locking their doors?

Even though it’s probably not ripe today, the Rush caller idea is simple, powerful, and definitely would get Washington and the media’s attention.  However, I believe the pain to the “innocent” temporarily unemployed would be too much.  It might be something to try next year during hunting season for hunters looking for some time to hunt and draw a check; or when school’s out for summer so they can go on family vacation.  By summer, prior to the 2010 elections, both the to be laid off employees and millions of stressed employers could be eager to take part in such an act of political disobedience.  I’m ready now but later might be better.

So what can be done now to get the attention of Obama, Reid, Pelosi and Congress?  What if for the days before and the night of the next Presidential State of the Union at the end of January another “Tea Party”/strike is organized to descend on Washington, D. C.?  Trucks, RV’s, Cars, Motorcycles, Bikes, Strollers, Wheel Chairs, Veterans, Law Enforcement, Firefighters, 9/11 Families, Navy Seals’ families, College Students, High School Students, Elementary School Students, Lawyers, Judges, former AARP members, Ordinary Americans carrying bull-horns, cowbells, bag pipes, drums, and every other manner of noise making device imaginable coming to Congress to be HEARD!  Wow!

Maybe, everyone could ask his or her Congressional Representative to boycott the 2010 State of the Union Address. (Are you there Representatives Bachmann and Wilson?)

Even though previous D.C. Tea Party demonstrations have had over a million participants, the media have found ways to ignore/ridicule/minimize them.  What if 2 or 3 million Americans came to Congress to be heard – could the media ignore that?  I don’t think so!  What if the sound could be heard when Obama begins spinning his lies and misrepresentations – could the media ignore that?  I don’t think so!  What if traffic is tied up for days – could the media ignore that? I don’t think so!

Americans are upset and frustrated because they are not being listened to by Obama or the Congress.  If fact even Blue Dog Democrats are frustrated.  The level of frustration must be extremely high to cause a Freshman Democratic Representative from Alabama, Parker Griffith, to switch parties today.

Why are they so upset and frustrated?  Let me count the ways:

Obama and Eric Holder are planning to have 9/11 mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s trial in NYC!  Polls show that 59% of Americans are opposed to this travesty.  Congress has power to prevent it but again they choose not to listen the American people.

Obama is closing GITMO and bringing the terrorists to Illinois (within 20 miles of a nuclear power plant).  When you ask Americans you find that 64% are opposed to bringing GITMO terrorists to America.  Is Obama or Congress listening? No.

Three Navy Seals are being prosecuted for allegedly giving Islamic terrorist, Ahmed Hashim Abed, a fat lip during his capture.  Abed was the mastermind of the brutal attack in Falluja in 2004 where 4 Blackwater security contractors were hung on a bridge and burned.  Where is Obama and Congress?  AWOL.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff are ignoring the very real possibility that Obama is not a “natural born citizen” and is therefore not eligible to serve as President or Commander in Chief.  Are they listening? No.  Is Congress listening? No.  All that is happening is that Obama has/is spending over 2 million dollars trying to keep his school records, long form birth certificate, bar application, college papers, etc. hidden.

Americans opposed to Obamacare are being ignored by Congress. The latest Quinnipiac poll show that “53 percent of voters disapprove of plans to make over the health-care system, with 36 percent in support.” Will Congress listen? No.

Shockingly, Reid and Pelosi’s Democrats are putting measures in the Healthcare legislation that tries to make parts of it not subject to repeal.  How’s that for Congress not listening!

No matter what you believe about abortion, the vast majority of Americans (72%) recognize that it is wrong to force taxpayer who believe abortion is wrong to fund abortions.  Will Congress listen? No.

The majority of American small business owners (66 against/24 for) and the public (53 against/37 for) are against Cap and Trade legislation. Is the Congress listening? No.

Americans, who keep their own budgets balanced, expect Obama and Congress to keep America’s budgets balanced!  Do they listen? No.

And there’s Inspector General Walpin’s firing, Obama bowing to every world leader he can find, Obama photo ops with our returning war dead, ACORN, SEIU, Larry Sinclair, attacks of FOX, Obama’s boot licking media, Cambridge Police “acted stupid”, coming attacks on the Second Amendment, not showing proper respect when our soldiers were slaughtered by a terrorist at Ft. Hood, etc., etc., etc.  It never ends.

Americans have been trying hard to have their voices heard vis-à-vis Tea Parties nationwide.  Were they heard? No.  They were ridiculed and vilified by Obama, Gibbs, Pelosi, many Members of Congress and the mainstream media.

Everyday, more Americans are waking up.

It is time to start saying ENOUGH a little more loudly.

Obama & Congress – Compromise & Consensus – Reid, Pelosi, Sinclair, Rezko, Birth Certificate

Obama & Congress

Compromise & Consensus

Through the years, I have always been a supporter of reasonable compromise in order to see tasks accomplished. However, I have also realized that it is very important to be mindful that compromising has its limits; and to go further insures a very bad taste and may even insure disaster. If people compromise their principles, you wind up with the most fragile of agreements. You do so because if a person is willing to give up their principles for the sake of agreement, how can they be trusted to carry through with the bargain. The goal of compromise should be a win, win outcome with both sides compromising, and not simply an agreement.

Consensus, on the other hand, is nearly impossible to reach when involving more than just a few, reasonably like minded individuals. As Margaret Thatcher has said, “…consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies. So it is something in which no one believes and to which no one objects.” If the outcome of a consensus negotiation concerning a particular project is something that no one feels particularly good or strongly about, then it is most certain to die on the vine because enough people will fail to put forth the effort to see it through. (Unless, the reality is that it is a one person show to begin with.)

So what are the parameters of negotiations when it comes to members of Congress doing the Peoples work? Are bipartisan agreements really good for the country? The way I see it, the answer depends on the process that is used.

I believe that three elements are required for this type of process:

One – All of the parties must be negotiating in good faith. They should be trying to reach an agreement that is fair and just, that accomplishes the task at hand without seeking political advantage. Compromise must come from all sides, allowing the parties walk away feeling that everyone has won something.

Two – The parties must not compromise their principles. This is where many of the hard feelings and disappointments come into play. When I see politicians negotiating and seemingly reaching some agreement that appears to sacrifice principles, I almost instantly question whether the sacrificing party is negotiating in good faith or if they had any principles to begin with. I have many times seen the work of Congress accomplished by politicians who hold the long view that implies that they will eventually have the opportunity to get many more bites at the apple and wind up the ultimate winner, blocking out the other side’s interests. (This appears to be the posture of the far left under the leadership of Sen. Harry Reid and Speaker Pelosi.) If the politician, in reality, does not have any principles, then I suspect they are playing the political game of getting something accomplished and trusting that the public will not find out the details. Negotiating in good faith is the first element in the process.

A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.
Mohandas Gandhi

Three – The People’s principals must not be compromised. The people’s principles and interests are set forth in the founding documents of this Nation. The Constitution, The Bill of Rights, The Declaration of Independence, The Amendments to The Constitution are some the most important founding documents. It is absolutely critical that flawed politicians not be allowed to compromise any of the principles set forth in these documents because they are the foundation of America – it’s founding, it’s past, and it’s future. America will not survive if these principles are continuously whittled away at by self serving politicians, like some that we have today. (Pelosi and Reid come to mind.)

I hold with the convictions of President Lincoln when he said, “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” Most importantly, when he proclaimed, “Don’t interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.”

Our founding documents are America. They are the roots, the bark, the trunk, the branches, the leaves of America. They are the tree itself. The tree is America. They are not the tree’s shadow. “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” Abraham Lincoln

Today, the shadow of America is the image that America has in the world community and which is held by many of its own people. It is the image that has been created by 24-7 news proclaiming that everything in America is bad and that America is the cause of all the ills of the world. This is a lie, the myth of propaganda, created by the world’s media and political leaders here and abroad that want to undermine this country so they can change America’s direction to suit their infinite wisdom. This is the shadow. It is the tree that is America; and America’s character is Good and Just.

“Don’t interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.” Lincoln

So, can bipartisan negotiations in today’s Congress meet these standards of true compromise? I don’t think so.

President Woodrow Wilson, one of the founders of the original Progressive Movement, once declared, “Justly revered as our great Constitution is, it could be stripped off and thrown aside like a garment, and the nation would still stand forth in the living vestment of flesh and sinew, warm with the heart-blood of one people, ready to recreate constitutions and laws.”

President Wilson was and is wrong. Yes, we could possibly blunder through for a time, maybe even a few decades. But be warned, your freedoms would most assuredly be lost or greatly diminished. The government would be all that remains, trying disparately to sustain itself by your sweat and toil. It would be like someone taking an axe to the tree that is America; and with each swing, striking a blow at the Majesty that is America.

Obama’s idea of “Progressive Politics” is the just as dangerous. It is a path towards socialism that Senator Obama is proposing. Taking the profits of certain businesses to sustain the government and its power is an attack on individual liberty. “There can be no liberty unless there is economic liberty,” Margaret Thatcher. Over-taxing and over regulating business are failed policies that have not worked in the past. In fact, they mostly do damage. They nearly always cost jobs and economic growth. No matter how good it may feel to tax a vilified corporation, the taxes and costs of over regulation are always passed on to the consumers and effect competitiveness. You and I are the consumers. Vilification is primarily a short term means to achieve power.

Senator Obama’s energy policies will also severely impact our economy. When asked about the high cost of gas, he said that he was primarily concerned by how fast it rose. The way to bring down gas and oil prices is to announce an intention to substantially increase supply. We need to dramatically increase drilling and exploration for oil. We need to be doing the alternatives and building nuclear power plants to meet our needs. The great majority of Americans clearly understand this. However, Sen. Obama in his arrogance knows best and we will continue to pay the price at the pump.

Additionally, Senator Obama’s supporters have been the most abusive, threatening, and hostile group towards opposition that I have ever witnessed or heard about. They have caused blogs opposing the Senator to be shut down. They have made threats of physical violence and death threats against people who oppose Obama. They have made threats against Hillary Clinton’s delegates. The actions of the people who follow a person, sometimes give a clear indication about the person they are following – consider Rev. Wright.

Senator Obama has been dancing on the head of a pin to hide his past and true beliefs from the American people. The media has stood with him every step of the way. They have failed to investigate his past. They have failed to investigate his role in the Rezko mess. They have failed to investigate Larry Sinclair’s allegations that he and Sen. Obama used cocaine and engaged in consensual gay sex in 1999. They only started reporting on John Edwards because they could not hide it any longer. The media have allowed him to get away with not producing the documentation that we need for a complete examination of his past and character. The media has allowed him to not produce a legitimate birth certificate, his writings in law school, his thesis, his Illinois bar application, his Illinois Senate records, his medical records, etc. etc. etc…. The media has also helped to downplay any and all past close associations that we have managed to discover.

The growth rings of the tree that represents a person’s character can be thought of as one’s past associations, the roles they play in one’s life, and the individual’s actions.

In 2004, not much was know about Senator Obama.

“….To that blank slate that was Obama in 2004 you can now add the Pandora’s box of Tony Rezko, Allison Davis, Alexi Giannoulias, Kwame Kilpatrick and a long list of members of the Illinois Combine; Nadhmi Auchi, Aiham Alsammarae, Rashid and Mona Khalidi, and Edward Said; Revs. Jeremiah Wright, James Meeks, and Otis Moss III and Father Michael Pfleger; Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam and the 1995 Million Man March; Malik Zulu Shabazz and the New Black Panther Party; William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn, Marilyn Katz, Carl Davidson, Mike Klonsky and others from the SDS days who are clinging to his coat tails; Jodi Evans; Hamas and other admirers like Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, Muammar al-Gaddafi, Kim Jong-Il, and the Communist Party USA; and the list goes on.

Let’s not forget the ever-growing list of controversies: Rezko house and lot; lobbyists, bundlers, and overseas contributions; Odinga family and violence in Kenya; Soetero family and Muslim schooling in Indonesia; Dunham family in Kansas and Hawaii; and the mysteries of his birth certificate—is he Barry Soetero? Barack Obama Jr. or someone else and was his name ever legally changed?—and rumors about his possible dual or mixed citizenship…” The Real Barack Obama

Abraham Lincoln said, “I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.”

I believe the same about the people when voting for the President. “The great point is to bring them the real facts.” To date the media has failed miserably in this charge. If the American people do make the poor choice of Senator Obama, it will be the media’s responsibility; however, we will pay the consequences.

See the following blogs for more information about many of the issues mentioned above:

CitizenWells

NO QUARTER

TexasDarlin

Obambi

The Real Barack Obama

Obama & Media vs. “Thinking America”

Cult Obama & The Media

vs.

Center Left, Center,

Center Right, Right

“Thinking” America

America came together for a brief time after 9/11. What a good feeling that was during such a tragic time. I think most of America remains regretful that that feeling did not last. So what happened? Why didn’t it last? Well – it seems to me that the far left, with their hallowed mission to impose their view on America, realized that they needed to cool it until a situation arose that they could exploit. What was it? It wasn’t Afghanistan. The mood of America supported that action. Was it the invasion of Iraq? I don’t really remember it that way. I seem to recall the House and Senate speaking strongly in unison for President Bush’s action. I remember hearing over and over, from almost everyone that WMDs existed and action was required; further, most were very worried that if too much time elapsed before invading, Saddam Hussein would move the weapons to Syria. (Surprisingly, just a week or so ago, I read a news article that quoted the former head of Iraq’s post invasion prison system as saying numerous prisoners had told him that that was what had happened.) So what was it?

Looking back now, it seems that the far left’s opening was provided by four very unfortunate decisions which were made and/or carried out after the Iraq invasion; and the emerging reality that no WMDs were being found. The decisions of the Bush Administration and Pentagon regarding how many boots to keep on the ground post invasion and the decision to cull the Ba’ath from the Iraqi military created fertile soil from which to grow an insurgency. The military’s ineffective post invasion planning regarding the need to establish a functioning government created conditions of lawlessness that quickly discouraged the Iraqi people. Lastly, President Bush landing on the aircraft carrier to a waiting “Mission Accomplished” banner created the visual that could keep on giving, and giving, and giving.

So the opening appeared and the far left undertook to exploit the situation to the best of their ability. The media, appearing to have harbored a firm disapproval of President Bush even before his first days in office, found itself in the position that if they played their cards right the vilification process could begin in earnest. First they needed to sell the public on the idea that everything about the Iraq war was a failure. Somehow, the media decided that they would present as little positive news from Iraq as they could get away with. The far left and the media were a match born of resentment of someone who they both considered beneath themselves. The media eagerly embraced their new found role of leadership. The rule was the art of leadership consists in consolidating the attention of the people against a single adversary and taking care that nothing will split up that attention. President Bush and his administration is that adversary. The rhetoric of no WMD, cowboy diplomacy, Rumsfeld, we were misled, the plan was flawed, humvees, IEDs, unjust war, our losses, started as whispers and slowly became a chorus shaping the public imagination. The broad masses of a population are more amenable to the appeal of rhetoric than to any other force. Then Katrina occurred and gasoline was thrown on the fire.

I believe the media, the far left, and the Democratic leadership saw the path to their return to power was by the defeat of President Bush in Iraq. The fact that a defeat of President Bush would also mean a devastating defeat for our military and possible genocide in Iraq was of little consequence. As soon as by one’s own propaganda even a glimpse of right on the other side is admitted, the cause for doubting one’s own right is laid. That is why there was such opposition to “the surge”, no doubt could be entertained that victory was a possibility. Sen. Reid even said the war in Iraq is lost and the media shook their heads in unison.

The American people were being worn down by the media and the Democratic leadership’s constant barrage of negative news and analysis about Iraq. The portrayal of Katrina as solely a function of the Bush administration’s incompetence worked almost flawlessly. They were fully aware of the adage that if you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed. By the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise. The public was never forcefully reminded by the media that we had not been attacked since 9/11, that numerous terrorist attempts had been thwarted, that the economy was recovering from the recession that President Bush inherited and which was further pounded by Afghanistan and Iraq. The somewhat blue sky of reality was being painted with a brush of doom and gloom on a daily basis. It still is.

Fast forward to 2005-2006 and we see what the media did to put a spotlight on all of the shortcomings of some members of the Republicans in Congress. While at the same time, they downplayed the same or worse offenses committed by Democrats. The media is fully aware that the general public is too busy to investigate the truth for themselves and must rely on them for information. The leader of genius must have the ability to make different opponents appear as if they belonged to one category. With today’s 24 hour news cycle they had more than enough ability to shape the news to fit their own narrative. The media made every attempt to turn every Republican into President Bush. Entertainers such as John Stewart, the news source for many younger Americans, joined in with humor and slick productions. Most of Hollywood also joined in to support the message. I must admit, they have been very successful.

Evidence today, Obama and the Democratic leadership are not really running against Sen. McCain, they are running against the mosaic painted about President Bush. Do you really think it is fair, or is it calculated, to use rhetoric such as McSame and McBush? (I suppose it is also reasonable to point out the second front with this tactic: the vilification and identification of opponents with “big oil.”)

Consider for a moment how the press coverage differed for the Republicans, Mark Foley and Larry Craig, when compared to the coverage of Democrats. A major Presidential candidate, John Edwards, is alleged to have a love child with a former staffer and was caught by the Enquirer visiting late her late at night – the media has done all that it can to quash or ignore this story. Sen. Obama is alleged to have used cocaine and engaged in gay sex with Larry Sinclair – the media has refused to report or investigate this story. Rep. W. Jefferson caught with $80,000 dollars in his freezer – the media has downplayed and tried to move on.

Shortly after the Democrats took control of the House and Senate, the Presidential race began in earnest. The efforts of the Democrats and the media to facilitate our defeat in Iraq continued, with the polls still reflecting a loss of public support for the war, that (loss of support) the media had created. There are those who argue that the public’s support was so easily swayed because the public had not been asked to sacrifice for this endeavor. There was no real public ownership of the war. The military and their families were basically the only ones really impacted by the violence of war; and they have always been in favor of staying until the job was done. It seems that the public view was swayed partly because many just wanted to get the negative images out of their living rooms. (It is interesting to note that the public now believes that we are winning in Iraq and the numbers are increasing for those who say we should stay until the job is done.)

Senator Barrack Obama threw his hat into the ring. The media had identified a foe for blame and painted a world of gloom and despair that had infected most of America. Obama came with his bumper sticker chants of Hope, Change, Change We Can Believe In, let’s move away from the Old Politics. The population was ripe and a movement started. The movement grew and the words resonated. Finally, the media started believing that history could be made, the Clintons defeated, and they could be a part of making it happen. They too got on board. All great movements are popular movements. They are the volcanic eruptions of human passions and emotions, stirred into activity by the ruthless Goddess of Distress or by the torch of the spoken word cast into the midst of the people.

Even though the world is very dangerous today and our economic reality is fraught with vulnerabilities and complications, many appear willing to suspend their reason to be engulfed by the emotion of Obama’s message. I believe. When Obama used emotion for the many and reserved reason for the few an interesting phenomenon started to develop – a sense of faith began to grow within Obama’s supporters. Words built bridges into unexplored regions, regions where hope in a seemingly hopeless world arises. And remember this: he alone, who owns the youth, gains the future. Many of Obama’s supporters are the young; and they have not experienced many real hardships through their short lives and many have not been taught the sacrifices that are necessary to keep our freedoms. The youth have mainly the images from the television; and messages of distress and vilification coming from all corners that shape their view of the world. The world sucks because of America, Bush and Republicans. Unfortunately, the great mass of people will more easily fall victim to a big lie than to a small one.

History has shown over and over that faith in one person can portend the establishment of the cult mentality – just as Jim Jones had the faith of his followers so does Obama. As a result, main stream America is learning that it is always more difficult to fight against faith than against knowledge. My charge is that Senator Obama has been irresponsibly held up as the one, the messiah. The media, which have supported this illusion by not reporting early on about the many legitimate issues which surround Obama, are responsible. They, the media, allowed the blind faith to set in. When support turns into faith, reason goes out the window; and now, I’m not sure if Obama’s hard core supporters would bat an eye at anything that could be revealed. However, there are those Obama supporters who have backed him for various other reasons such as party identity or that it just feels good to be part of history, etc.; but who have not put their thinking to bed.

Senator Obama and the media know that propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach. Who’s not for Hope, Change We Can Believe In, or Peace? The use of only one or two simple words is to convey meaning is why the bumper stickers work so well. Everyone can have their own personal understanding of the words without actually knowing the details of Senator Obama’s policies and beliefs, or his planned change in direction of this country towards socialism. He’s for Hope, Change and No Old Politics. Once the faith is firmly established in his followers, facts don’t matter and Obama is able to brush aside most criticism as either old politics or racism.

However, we are now beginning to see a shift occur which is being reflected in the polls. It seems as though the ones who have not become fully infected by “faith” in a flawed politician are starting to reassess their decisions and priorities. This may be occurring because the media has overplayed its hand so much that everyone can see the bias. The media’s bias is being shown brightly by their lack of coverage of the John Edwards scandal and their treatment of Senator McCain. The three news anchors going with Obama to Europe and at the same time barely covering Sen. McCain’s trips overseas violates all sense of fairness. The tingling running up the leg of the host of a prominent media person when Obama speaks boggles the mind.

As Edward R. Murrow wisely stated:

“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful.”

Today’s media is neither truthful nor credible.

Thankfully the Center Left, the Center Right, the Right, and the Center of “Thinking” Americans are waking up and beginning to consider this election as it should be – on the basis of who is the best candidate for America (Not for Europe).

For point of reference, the dark red text in the body of this article are quotes of Germany’s Adolf Hitler. It just illustrates that the art of propaganda is well known around the world and throughout history. However, I do agree with following quote of Hitler – if the U.S. media is going to be allowed to dictate the outcome of this election:

Sooner will a camel pass through a needle’s eye than a great man be “discovered” by an election.
Adolf Hitler