There Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens

Amidst the swirling thoughts of my brain today with all that is going on, it was nice not to have it pounded by H1N1. Sorry, ADD moment. Back to my swirling thoughts. I was thinking about one of my favorite songs to dance to. There Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens by Louis Jordan. I thought it was a nice little view on the President's 1 billionth prime time address. (I was mad because they preempted A Charlie Brown Christmas).

Here you have the leader of the mightiest nation on earth say in one breath, i'm going to send half the troops my field commander requested, and then in the next say, we are going to start bringing them home in 18 months. If I were the enemy I would just lay low until the 18 months is up and we're good and gone and then start wreaking havoc.

I can imagine our soldiers going door to door doing searches for insurgents and they hear from the other side, "there ain't nobody here but us chickens." Oh, that's right, our soldiers have to give residents advanced notice of when they will be carrying out a surprise search. The Washington Examiner has put together a list of the rules of engagement that our troops must follow in this war against the terrorists who attacked us on our own soil. I have yet had a chance to read the entire thing, but besides this nugget just discussed were a couple I have picked out.

To engage an insurgent placing an IED, said insurgent must be actively setting up the IED. If they catch him and can't engage until he is walking away, they are too late.

Before engaging the enemy they must be able to show that the enemy is about to fire on them first. I could understand this one in the cold war when you didn't want the Soviets to nuke us, but we have actively declared war against these guys.

If you are going to fire on any insurgents, you cannot do so if they are in proximity to any civilians.

No wonder the only time the President got any applause last night was when he voiced support for our men and women in uniform. Here's a little hint, they weren't applauding him, but their fellow servicemen. He looked extremely uncomfortable giving this speach in front of this crowd and it looked like a lot of people were falling asleep.

I love our men and women in uniform. I have family members that are currently serving. They need leadership back home that is going to have the backbone to get the job done right. If you are not going to give the support that your hand picked general has asked for, then don't wait 18 months to bring our troops home. Bring them home now. Otherwise, what are they fighting and dieing for over there. Don't get me wrong, I want to get the scum who attacked us and get the job done right. However, if you don't want to give the troops what they need to get it done then don't waste their time. General McChrystal asked for 60,000 additional troops with 40,000 being the minimum. He needs these troops immediately. Obama is going to send 30,000 across the next 5 months. The media spin on this is that 30,000 out of the 40,000 requested isn't that bad. They are conveniently forgetting the fact the real numbers requested was much higher.

Abraham Lincoln was constantly ridiculed for his handling of the Civil War when it began. He constantly stood by the decisions of his generals and gave them what they said they needed. Lincoln did fire the generals that didn't get the job done and finally found success with Grant. If President Obama doesn't agree with how his chosen general wants to run the war, then fire him and get somebody that you do like.

Our enemies are being given the blueprint by our own leaders on how to defeat us. When you go to war, especially as the most powerful nation on earth....you decide you are going to win, pound the enemy with everything you have, get the job done as quickly as possible, and get out. If we actually went after our enemies with the full power we possess they would think twice about attacking us. That is the big stick part of speak softly but carry a big stick.

At the end of the day, I believe it is our national leaders crying to the world, "there ain't nobody here but us chickens."

Remember to keep yourself informed and don't be afraid to speak out.

A Cross Posting

Thought I would cross post this article here. It brings up a lot of good points to think about. I will have some more things to discuss throughout the week. As always, keep yourself informed and don't be afraid to speak out.


Are these The Actions Of A President Who Loves His Country?

By Doug Patton

November 30, 2009 I have grown weary of pretending that Barack Obama has anything but disdain for the United States of America. So let us ask the question on all of our minds: Are the actions of this president those of a man committed to what is best for his country?

With small business, the engine of our economy, on the ropes, Obama and his myrmidons in Congress are trying to ram through a health care reform bill that will, in the words of Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn, bring about our "fiscal ruin."

Is this the action of a president committed to doing what is best for his country?

Obama continues to push his "Cap and Trade" legislation, with all the taxes, fees, energy price increases and restrictions on freedom that inevitably accompany it, on the strength of junk science that is being discredited every day. A growing number of reputable scientists are expressing doubt that global warming even exists, and recently a hacker or a whistleblower made public thousands of insider e-mails showing that climate change advocates know the whole thing is a scam. Yet the president intends to go to the Copenhagen climate conference and pretend that none of this ever happened.

Is this the action of a president committed to doing what is best for his country?

So preoccupied with his domestic agenda is this president, that an urgent request for more troops from Gen. Stanley McChrystal, his hand-picked commander in Afghanistan, has been collecting dust on his desk in the Oval Office since August. It is now almost December. Gen. McChrystal has said that anything less than 40,000 troops will guarantee failure, so naturally Obama will send fewer than that.

Is this the action of a president committed to doing what is best for his country?

Obama was quick to jump to conclusions when Harvard Professor Henry Gates was arrested breaking into his own house. Although he admitted that he didn't have all the facts, the president nonetheless proclaimed that the police "acted stupidly." Yet when an Islamist fanatic in our own armed forces murdered 13 innocent people at Fort Hood, Texas, in an obvious act of terror, we were told by our president not to jump to conclusions.

Is this the action of a president committed to doing what is best for his country?

The president and his attorney general, Eric Holder, have decided that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11, along with his fellow terrorists, will get a trial in civilian court in New York City, with all the rights afforded American citizens under the U.S. Constitution. This outrageous decision even caused some in the generally uncritical media to question its wisdom, whereupon both Obama and Holder immediately poisoned the jury pool by pronouncing the defendants "guilty" and promising that they will be executed.

Is this the action of a president committed to doing what is best for his country?

And finally, there is the tale of Matthew McCabe, Jonathan Keefe and Julio Hertas, three Navy SEALs who should be receiving commendations from their commander in chief, but who, sadly, will instead receive court-martials. The charge? They gave the most wanted terrorist in all of Iraq a boo-boo on his lip! That's right. The man responsible for murdering four American contractors in March of 2004, mutilating and burning their bodies, dragging them through the streets of Fallujah and hanging what was left of them from a bridge over the Euphrates River for the world press to dutifully photograph, was finally captured by these three brave Navy SEALs. But in the course of subduing him, apparently he got slugged in the mouth. Do you care? I know I don't. But apparently our politically correct military does, from the commander in chief on down. Obama pardoned a turkey last week, but heroes he court-martials.

For the last time, I ask you, are these the actions of a president committed to doing what is best for his country?

---
Doug Patton is a freelance columnist who has served as a political speechwriter and public policy advisor. His work has been published in newspapers across the country, such as the Washington Times and the Tampa Tribune, on web sites such as Human Events Online and GOPUSA.com, where he is a senior writer and state editor, and featured on the Mike Gallager and Sean Hannity radio shows. Readers can e-mail him at dougpatton@cox.net.

Progressive Corruption

So, the progressives have been having a field day the last 100 years working to tear down what our founding fathers have established. They tend to do lots of things in secret. One of the things I mention in my upcoming research paper, I promise I will have it written by next week and will post when it is graded, is the progressive need to pass legislation and shifts in the direction of the country in little pieces at a time. If they do it all in one swoop, they know the people will reject it. I believe this is what has happened in the last year. They have tried so hard to pass as much as they can as fast as possible, it jolted the people awake.

So, what does one do if you are a progressive and you are losing public support? You start to hide things in the shadows of course. In the past, legislators would hide things in bills to pay each other off and deny it if caught. This last weekend however, we saw the death of shame in Washington....please, let's have a moment of silence. Senator Landrieu from Louisiana admitted to being bought off by Harry Reid to the tune of $300 million to her state if she would vote to bring the health care bill to the floor for debate. It was originally thought to have been $100 million dollars. She got up in front of the entire Senate and said, actually it was $300 million. I know, we Nevadans have to work harder to kick him out of office. I did see a great sign over the freeway the other day. It said, "Reid the Bill."

Progressive corruption isn't limited to just the politicians. It of course has been entwined in some of the worlds greatest institutions of higher learning. Last week some hackers broke into the University of Anglia in Britain and obtained a whole lot of data. As my son would say, la lots of data. In it, they mention covering up and deleting evidence that would discredit man made global warming. They discuss how to silence global warming skeptics and that it would be better to destroy information then to comply with Freedom of Information Act requests. Particularly the one available in Britain that a lot of people don't know about. John Lott gives a good breakdown. Why should you be concerned about this? Because progressives are using "scientific" consesus to push global warming legislation that will cost trillions of dollars and exert international control over sovereign nations.

For some reason I don't find it surprising that there would be corruption in the halls of academia. Progressives started their movement in the Universities and feel strongly that the people should be guided by scientific experts. However, I do believe most Americans to be untrusting of "university certified" experts. It has been the work of Elite Experts over the last 100 plus years that have brought us down into all the messes we are facing.

I know everything seems like a jumble right now that is impossible to fix. Just remember that if we as individuals and families take some baby steps together, we can slowly fix this great nation of ours. Remember to keep yourself informed and speak out. Don't let anyone shame you into silence. Senator Landrieu didn't.

Freedom of Speach and the Voice of Opposition

There are a few things I have thought about the last couple of weeks that really hit home hard. Kind of like opening the eyes more and more. Some of that has been from my research on my paper, you guys are going to love it. It seems that nothing changes from the Progressive view of things. Same goals for the last 130 years. Other stuff has been from paying attention to events and things that are happening in this great country of ours. The quote below from Frederick Douglas pretty much sums up my biggest concern at the moment.

"Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one's thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. It is the right which they first of all strike down."

It seems that anyone who dares to utter any thought that is against what President Obama and his allies are trying to shove down our throats is labeled as a racist, corrupt, trying to keep the status quo, a luny, or just being the voice of no trying to stop what they are trying to do. As my wife would say, that is just craptastic. Of course there are people trying to stop what they are doing. If you don't agree with something, you stand up and say no!

It seems that anyone who is standing up and asking questions. Even if just to get more clarification, they are being personally attacked. It seems that nobody likes a voice of opposition when your group is in power. If you show up to a town hall meeting or a tea party they label you as astroturf. They try to use the things they have control over that you want access to, to stifle your voice. Hmmm, don't seem to see lots of people at tea parties wearing color coordinated clothing. Which brings me to one of the things that has me in an outrage. First is the quote below from Andy Stern. He is the President of the Service Employees International Union.

"We're trying to use the power of persuasion. And if that doesn't work, we'll use the persuasion of power."

To get an idea of what that looks like, lets look at the case of Kenneth Gladney who was assaulted by SEIU members outside a town hall meeting in August. This story has come to light again because the police report was just released. Mr. Gladney was handing out American Flags outside of a townhall meeting in St. Louis. He was assaulted by purple shirt wearing, that's how you identify SEIU members. They wear purple shirts when they are organized at a gathering that say SEIU on them. Anyways, this man was physically assaulted for nothing more than exercising his first ammendment rights. Interestingly enough, although there is video and witness statements of the incident, no charges have been filed against these men. Maybe they were angry because he was a black conservative and that just blew their mind. Just remember what Mr. Stern said, the persuasion of power.

Another thing that got me thinking is net neutrality. This basically is a stepping stone that allows the government in to regulate the internet. They want to make share that all content from a varitey of sources is easily accesible to all people. That sounds all nice and fluffy on the outside, but it is about regulating content. The internet is the most free place in the world to express your opinions. I would hate to think that they could say, oh we need to cut down traffic to this blog, but another should be able to get more traffic based solely on what they view as acceptable content.

On a final note, for those saying that I am just fighting to stop what the President is trying to do when it comes to healthcare (although you can see from my previous post I have suggested many alternatives that don't infringe upon anyones free will) the Republican leadership in the house released their own version of a health care bill. It's only 230 pages compared to the 1,990 page bill that Ms. Pelosi has introduced. So at least we know our congressional leaders will have time to read it. It does not require employers to purchase insurance for their employees and it does not have the individual mandate either. This means they are respecting your free will. It will increase incentives for people who use health savings accounts (something the democrat bill is looking to penalize), it caps non-economic injury rewards in malpractice suits at 250k, provides incentives to states to drive down the cost of health insurance, and the biggy, it allows you to purchase insurance across state lines. All of these would bring down cost and the last one would bring true competition into the marketplace.

Oh, total ADD moment here. Last week when Nancy Pelosi was asked in a press conference if the individual mandate violated the Constitution her response was, "Are you serious?" Since when is a question about the Constitution asked of someone who swore an oath to "protect and defend the Constitution" not a serious question?

Remember to keep voicing your thoughts and opinions. Let those around you know what is going on and speak up. A voice of opposition is a good thing. It allows you the opportunity to slow down and think. As Mr. Douglass said, you cannot have liberty without the ability to exercise the most basic right of free speech.

God and Freewill

A couple weeks ago I was discussing the issue of health care with a good friend of mine. At the end of the conversation I think we just agreed to disagree on this issue. There was something that he said though that bothered me a bit, I think mostly because it caught me off guard and I felt I didn’t have the time to articulate a good response. He was surprised that I don’t support the current health care legislation and government run health care in general due to the fact that I am religious. He made the comment he felt Jesus would want everyone to have health care.

Here is why I disagree with that statement. The GREATEST gift that God has given man is his agency, that is, man’s ability to decide for himself. He views this gift with such reverence that He does not interfere with it. People often state, if there is a God, why is there so much suffering in the world? Why do we have murderers and bad people, etc? It is because of God’s respect for our agency that these things are allowed to happen. He will not interfere with your free will even if your decision will adversely affect someone else. You look at some of the big examples like Hitler, Stalin, and Mao. All were mass murderers. They were allowed to exercise their agency. On the flip side, you have people like Mother Theresa who exercised her agency to help millions.

So now we come back to health care. A government run health care plan does not allow me the free will to choose my health coverage or whether or not I even want to have health insurance. The current health legislation has mandates that require you to buy health insurance or face a fee. If you don’t pay that penalty fee the IRS is going to put you in jail. There are also mandates that require businesses to offer coverage to their employees or face a fine. Both of these eliminate somebody’s free will to decide what is best for them or for their company. In a government run single payer system, the government decides what treatment is available to me based upon the cost. That does not allow my doctor to work with me to decide what is in my best interest, regardless of cost.

In the beginning of the Bible we read that God stated to Adam, “By the sweat of thy brow thou shalt eat, all the days of your life.” I believe that we have agency to make our own choices. No matter what our circumstances may be, we have the ability to pull ourselves out of them and make our own way. I do not believe it is the job of the government or anyone else for that matter to take care of me or my family, even if we are struggling. I have been in that struggling position in the past and it has just motivated me to make things better of my own accord.

This does not mean that I do not believe in being charitable and helping others out. It is through service that we learn to put others needs before our own. However, this is something that should be done individually. It is not the job of the government to take over acts of charitable service. We do a lot to help those in our community. We do it with an eye to assisting them and helping them to get back on their feet so they can be self sufficient. There is a lot to be said for the pride that someone feels in getting back on their feet and being able to take care of themselves.

I won’t interfere with someone else’s agency. Although I do not believe that several things some of my friends may or may not do are correct. I do not judge them and push them to live their lives a certain way. They are free to make their own choices. The job of the government is to protect me from enemies that will do me physical harm and impede my agency. It is not their job to provide for anyone’s social needs.

Coming back to Jesus wanting everyone to have healthcare; there is not a problem with people having access to health care in this country. Anyone can get the care that they need. The current debate is about how it will be paid for. If we allow people the freedom to make their own choices, we will have the innovation America is famous for click into effect and there will be ways found to bring down the cost without government intervention.

With an Idiot here and an Idiot There…

..Here an idiot there an idiot everywhere an idiot. If Ol’ McDonald were a progressive, he would have a farm full of idiots. Regardless of the fact that there are idiots of every stripe and persuasion, I believe progressivism has cultivated an even higher number of them.

I recently finished reading “Arguing With Idiots” by Glenn Beck. The great thing about this book is the pages and pages of sources in the back. It makes it easy to do your own verification. He tackles many issues from the second amendment to health care to progressive ideals in general. Over all, I would say it is a solid look at how progressives in the past and today’s progressives have constantly fought to erode the constitution and our individual liberties. This of course spoon feeds the arguments your idiot friends may bring about. In opening Beck states that he is not singling out a particular group of people, just the idiotic arguments that are spouted off by whomever in regards to some of these vital issues. It diffuses these arguments with facts and attempts to educate in general on the founding of our country, the rights and responsibilities we have, and to help others realize the government is not there to take care of everyone. People are personally responsible for their lives.

On to the other idiots I have read about recently. I really want to address the elite idiots. These are the people who through either accumulation of money, power, or celebrity feel they are in a position to dictate to the rest of us how things should be. Recently Roman Polanski was arrested on an outstanding U.S. Warrant in Switzerland. The Swiss did the right thing. This man drugged and raped a 13 year old girl in 1977. Although he pled guilty, when it came time to sentencing, Mr. Polanski decided to just skip the country. Now all the elites in Hollywood are saying, oh he served his time, let him go. Served his time? I don’t recall seeing him listed as a resident of the California Penal System. Of course, he probably fled knowing that his fellow residents in the system would treat him just as well as he treated that little girl. The elite say he is an important artist and great director. He has contributed so much to our modern culture. What a load of crap! If you did the crime you have to do the time. Ironically, these elites such as Harvey Weinstein say that if the Swiss don’t release Polanski it would be a miscarriage of justice.

How do the Hollywood Elite and the Political Elite tie in together? They both believe the progressive notion that the general population is too dumb to make decisions for themselves and that they must be directed by a group of “experts.” I really don’t see people like Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears as “experts” on life and how you should live it. I know that’s a bit of a stretch in my example, but it’s the attitude amongst the elite in general that they know what is best that causes our issues. I believe that entertainers are there to entertain me and not spout political opinions at me in the midst of a performance (Dixie Chicks, U2, and several others). I FIRMLY believe that the representatives we send to run the government are there to do my bidding. They are not there to dictate how I should live my life.

Of course, now I see the fusion of the two. The President is currently in Denmark along with Oprah to try to get the 2016 Olympics brought to Chicago. I think maybe he should be at home discussing strategy with his generals regarding the two wars we are in and the possibility of Iran cause all sorts of chaos. Oh yeah, there is also that tiny little matter of the economy in shambles. Well, I wouldn’t want him to miss the chance to hang out with his buddy Oprah on Air Force One. Maybe they can give each other some book recommendations.

There Ain't No Party Like a Despot Party....

....Cause a Despot Party Don’t Stop!

Today’s post is dedicated to my favorite Garanimals wearing dictator and despot, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I do honestly think he and Kim Jong Il share the same tailor. Today was the big day of giant, fluffy, I’m better than you speeches by world leaders at the U.N. Well, except for our president. He couldn’t help but say everybody is better than us and we’re a bunch of racist nut jobs. Well not exactly, but he did continue the 2009 World Apology Tour. Can’t we all just get along?

So, getting back to the despots, all sorts of them spoke today. In leading up to the day’s speeches our despot of the day continued to deny the holocaust (saying it was a clever Jewish ruse to get the West to set up the State of Israel), called for Israel to be wiped from the map, and mentioned the 12th Imam.

So, what do we know about the 12th Imam?

He is the Shiite Islam Messiah (al Mahdi). It is said that before he returns there must be 3 years of horrendous world chaos, tyranny, and oppression. Mr. Ahmadenijad believes it to be his personal responsibility to help prepare the world for his coming. Hence, he must spread as much chaos and destruction as possible to speed up the Imam’s return. He claims he was “directed by Allah to pave the way for the glorious appearance of the Mahdi.”

There are many in our government who really don’t take this too seriously. Some of our leaders give only lip service to religious beliefs, therefore they think, hey, Garanimals boy is just another politician, he really doesn’t believe in all that stuff. I hate to say it, but this man truly believes in his calling. I think it underscores his obsession with getting the bomb.

I believe we must do everything in our power to keep Iran from getting nukes. They already have great short to medium long range missile capabilities, this allows them to strike Israel (wipe it off the map) and a good portion of Eastern Europe. Good thing we just canceled that missile shield eh. They are just a couple years away from acquiring long range intercontinental ballistic missiles. This would allow them to strike pretty much anyone.

While I do believe we should never take the option of force off the table, there are some things that can be done to stop them in their tracks without military intervention. There is a great deal of political unrest in Iran, particularly amongst the younger generations. By taking the primary opposition group People’s Mujahideen Organization of Iran (PMOI) off the terror list, it would allow them to get the financial support they need to make a difference in Iran. In the 1980’s as a concession to Iran, the U.S. and most of Europe agreed to list them as a terrorist organization. In January of this year the EU delisted them allowing their assets to be unfrozen. There are some in congress calling to do the same but it has not moved forward.

The next thing we can do is to enact an embargo against their imported gasoline supplies. I know it sounds weird, but one of the world’s largest oil producers lacks the refining capacity to support their own needs. They have to import a large portion of their gasoline supplies. This would create an already more difficult situation for the current regime as there are already gasoline shortages.

Although this last one would do wonders and be a good non-military option it most likely will not happen. Russia has said they will no longer support any more sanctions against Iran and we just kowtowed to their request to scrap our missile shield in Europe without getting anything in return. Oh, except for GE getting a high level meeting with Vlad that very afternoon. Why would Russia cut off one of its biggest trading partners? They are supplying the Iranians with nuclear technology and the surface to air missile systems necessary to protect the facilities.

As the President continues to display weakness and give away our bargaining chips for nothing in return and Israel prepares to take the only option left to protect themselves; the world’s leading dictators are getting together at a Starbucks in Manhattan to plot out the end of Western Civilization.