Monday, November 30, 2009
New Big Frick
BigFrick.com is taking a new direction. We will be back with daily postings of the new and improved BigFrick.com starting December 7th.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Modern Myth Part 3
Our mythic fable continues.
As the sun rose on that fateful day over the now disassembling Mother Pangaea it was indeed a brave new world. For within the once-inorganic pools that Pangaea held within her bosom the first sign of life began to spring forth.
A single Mother cell, having been animated by the inanimate chemicals and elements of the newly formed earth, began to multiply and divide into more living cells. The unwritten law of natural progression which had forced a single electron to create more electrons was now being fulfilled once again in the creation of life itself. No longer would this barren, inhospitable planet house nothing more than rock and rain, element and gas. Slowly but surely, over perhaps hundreds of millennia the once dead pools of the dying Mother Pangaea began to teem with life.
Some of these life cells fell to the cold dark bottom of the pool while others remained afloat in the warm sunlit waters. Each cell, affected by its chosen environment, began to react in different ways. As the cells multiplied it was as if the spirits of the Alpha Electron, Mother Rock and Mother Pangaea dwelled within their very soul, coaxing and prodding, urging and calling in unison the natural law that had driven their very existence, “Become more” they said “You must become more.” It was this simple instruction that was the genesis of the DNA helix. Each cell needed to adapt to its surroundings, multiply and carry copies of this now-encoded law to further the process of evolution.
As these original life cells died their remains were used to nourish new forming cells. Their life and fate fulfilled their remains, once consumed, now served to further evolve the DNA strands creating yet more new life forms. Life fulfilled, death with purpose. The cells continued to multiply but their altered DNA instructed them to become more. No longer driven to separate they began to form simple multi-cell organisms. Much like Mother Rock had accumulated the atomic debris, these multi-celled organisms began to join together exponentially creating a multitude of life forms filling each pool of the now separating land masses.
Driven by their altered DNA strands some were destined to remain docile while others were driven to become aggressive. It had taken millions of years, but an actual order began to take shape in the primordial ooze of the life giving pools. The aggressive life forms feasted on their passive partners, growing stronger and continuing to evolve. The passive organisms found refuge in the cold dark depths of the pool, keeping them safe from the ravenous feeding frenzy occurring in the warmer waters. These passive life forms accumulated on the rocky bottom. They eventually evolved into plant life and grew to such great numbers that they began to expand up the side walls of the pool toward the water’s edge. Many were lost in the struggle but their population was so vast and the environment so fertile that enough survived to actually begin to populate the rocks above the waterline.
The aggressive organisms evolved as well becoming many forms of aquatic life. The expansion of plants into the sunlight caused some of the famished aquatics to follow, eventually adapting sufficiently that they too could live above water. Driven by the inner call to become more the plants developed wide leaves to catch sunlight and the now land based animals developed teeth to eat the leaves and eventually each other.
The newly created plant life spread through simple expansion, but the aquatics needed to further evolve, first to exchange their gills for oxygen breathing lungs and then to develop a strong skeletal frame to support their growing weight on land. At first they slithered in the mud but the drive to become more was too strong to ignore and eventually legs replaced fins, eyes grew sharp and tiny brains developed to control the movements. No longer tied to simply reflex the evolving animals became superior to the plants.
That superiority allowed the animals to flourish, no longer shackled to the boundaries of the water. As plant life expanded and grew taller, so too the hungry animal life adapted and grew taller along with it. It seemed as though nothing could stop this express train of evolution all driven by an unceasing inner calling to become more.
What had started as a simple static charge in the vast void of space had now turned into a crowded array of living plants, fish, reptiles and eventually mammals. It was as if the earth had been created as a kingdom in search of a king. Who would become the absolute ruler over all this bounty? It would be the species that best followed natures call to become more.
Thick skin, fur and feathers replaced scales and now able to survive the sun’s heat and the evening cool animals found refuge in every conceivable area. As small fur bearing tree dwellers gazed over the fertile plane it was as if they knew that those who could become more and control their own destiny would certainly be the supreme leaders of this evolving food chain. Though now filled with countless varieties of life, the canvas was once again blank waiting for a master painter who could use intellect to create a new picture.
The sun would continue to rise and set hundreds of millions of times, but one dawn was coming that would not be like any other.
For it would be the dawn of man.
Our myth continues tomorrow.
As the sun rose on that fateful day over the now disassembling Mother Pangaea it was indeed a brave new world. For within the once-inorganic pools that Pangaea held within her bosom the first sign of life began to spring forth.
A single Mother cell, having been animated by the inanimate chemicals and elements of the newly formed earth, began to multiply and divide into more living cells. The unwritten law of natural progression which had forced a single electron to create more electrons was now being fulfilled once again in the creation of life itself. No longer would this barren, inhospitable planet house nothing more than rock and rain, element and gas. Slowly but surely, over perhaps hundreds of millennia the once dead pools of the dying Mother Pangaea began to teem with life.
Some of these life cells fell to the cold dark bottom of the pool while others remained afloat in the warm sunlit waters. Each cell, affected by its chosen environment, began to react in different ways. As the cells multiplied it was as if the spirits of the Alpha Electron, Mother Rock and Mother Pangaea dwelled within their very soul, coaxing and prodding, urging and calling in unison the natural law that had driven their very existence, “Become more” they said “You must become more.” It was this simple instruction that was the genesis of the DNA helix. Each cell needed to adapt to its surroundings, multiply and carry copies of this now-encoded law to further the process of evolution.
As these original life cells died their remains were used to nourish new forming cells. Their life and fate fulfilled their remains, once consumed, now served to further evolve the DNA strands creating yet more new life forms. Life fulfilled, death with purpose. The cells continued to multiply but their altered DNA instructed them to become more. No longer driven to separate they began to form simple multi-cell organisms. Much like Mother Rock had accumulated the atomic debris, these multi-celled organisms began to join together exponentially creating a multitude of life forms filling each pool of the now separating land masses.
Driven by their altered DNA strands some were destined to remain docile while others were driven to become aggressive. It had taken millions of years, but an actual order began to take shape in the primordial ooze of the life giving pools. The aggressive life forms feasted on their passive partners, growing stronger and continuing to evolve. The passive organisms found refuge in the cold dark depths of the pool, keeping them safe from the ravenous feeding frenzy occurring in the warmer waters. These passive life forms accumulated on the rocky bottom. They eventually evolved into plant life and grew to such great numbers that they began to expand up the side walls of the pool toward the water’s edge. Many were lost in the struggle but their population was so vast and the environment so fertile that enough survived to actually begin to populate the rocks above the waterline.
The aggressive organisms evolved as well becoming many forms of aquatic life. The expansion of plants into the sunlight caused some of the famished aquatics to follow, eventually adapting sufficiently that they too could live above water. Driven by the inner call to become more the plants developed wide leaves to catch sunlight and the now land based animals developed teeth to eat the leaves and eventually each other.
The newly created plant life spread through simple expansion, but the aquatics needed to further evolve, first to exchange their gills for oxygen breathing lungs and then to develop a strong skeletal frame to support their growing weight on land. At first they slithered in the mud but the drive to become more was too strong to ignore and eventually legs replaced fins, eyes grew sharp and tiny brains developed to control the movements. No longer tied to simply reflex the evolving animals became superior to the plants.
That superiority allowed the animals to flourish, no longer shackled to the boundaries of the water. As plant life expanded and grew taller, so too the hungry animal life adapted and grew taller along with it. It seemed as though nothing could stop this express train of evolution all driven by an unceasing inner calling to become more.
What had started as a simple static charge in the vast void of space had now turned into a crowded array of living plants, fish, reptiles and eventually mammals. It was as if the earth had been created as a kingdom in search of a king. Who would become the absolute ruler over all this bounty? It would be the species that best followed natures call to become more.
Thick skin, fur and feathers replaced scales and now able to survive the sun’s heat and the evening cool animals found refuge in every conceivable area. As small fur bearing tree dwellers gazed over the fertile plane it was as if they knew that those who could become more and control their own destiny would certainly be the supreme leaders of this evolving food chain. Though now filled with countless varieties of life, the canvas was once again blank waiting for a master painter who could use intellect to create a new picture.
The sun would continue to rise and set hundreds of millions of times, but one dawn was coming that would not be like any other.
For it would be the dawn of man.
Our myth continues tomorrow.
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Modern Myth Part 2
Our mythic fable continues.
Our newborn earth was a far different place then the one we call home today. On a smaller scale, but similar to the emptiness of pre-atomic space, it was a canvas void of life, hope and god. The molten surface hissed with noxious gasses and ebbed and flowed at the will of the gravitational big brother sun. As it spun on it’s newly created axis it cooled creating a rocky crust, carrying the maternal resemblance given it by Mother Rock.
Gasses continued to be created and released by the still forming planet. Sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen were just some of the byproducts of this raging torrent struggling to survive in its earliest phase of planetary infancy. The heat of the still flowing magma and the cooling of the infant shell caused the hydrogen and oxygen molecules to join, almost as if in tribute to the ancestral electrons trillions of years earlier. Moisture developed in the newly established atmosphere and for the first time in all time water formed and fell on the still smoldering surface in the form of rain. It was as if tears of joy were flowing from the spirit of Mother Rock on her proud descendent planet earth. And flow they did.
Great rivers formed which fed even greater lakes. Lakes grew into oceans and after billions of years of constant torrents the oceans joined together, uniting until much of the young planet was covered with water. Only one rocky crag remained jutting out of the almost all-consuming master ocean known as Panthalassa. For a new mother had survived and risen above this ocean’s caustic waves. The earth had existed some 4 billion years but now witnessed the birth of the mother continent of Pangaea.
Mother Pangaea was stark and desolate, her only inhabitants were her self-made mountains which grew to great heights only to tumble into the sea and increase her rocky shore. While made of rock she remained as unstable as the chaos that created her. Huge scars formed across her barren landscape from massive quakes which broke her apart into movable plates floating on the earth’s molten core. Perhaps it was the hopeless desolation that caused Pangaea to nearly self destruct before she even had a chance to fulfill her destiny. Or perhaps it was the spirit of Mother Rock that dwelled deep within her; guiding her to the eternal truth that only through destruction can we create life.
As Mother Pangaea continued to shift and move pools of caustic rain formed in her deep scars. These pools were heated by the still-escaping gasses trapped deep in the earth’s core. The pools heated to steam and rained back down onto the rocky plane. The heat of day and cool of night caused changes in atmospheric pressure creating winds of mixing gasses. There were great storms and hurricanes which battered Mother Pangaea before they moved out to sea. The pools grew in size and as they did gasses and chemical elements mixed as if in a massive cauldron. But this was no ordinary brew.
Within the pools lay all the elements of life, waiting as if for a cue to reach the exact temperature and mixture to begin their most remarkable transformation. For Mother Pangaea was indeed doomed to the destruction of her moving plates. Soon she would die in childbirth like Mother Rock before her, and become but a memory as each of her offspring traveled in their own direction creating the firmaments we now know as continents.
But before her final quake she surrendered her very soul to the nurturing pools of primordial ooze held within her bosom. For it was her chemical elements and her loving heat that would incubate the inanimate into something other than just another new element. As her pools reached their ideal temperature and the winds of toxic gasses swirled into the atmosphere replaced by an air supply rich in oxygen the elements combined into a single cell. A cell so new, so unique, so infinitely hopeful that Mother Pangaea no longer rued her own demise.
Having faithfully fulfilled her destiny Mother Pangaea willfully drifted into pieces having not only created the seven great continents but also having created the Mother Cell of life itself.
Our modern myth continues tomorrow.
Our newborn earth was a far different place then the one we call home today. On a smaller scale, but similar to the emptiness of pre-atomic space, it was a canvas void of life, hope and god. The molten surface hissed with noxious gasses and ebbed and flowed at the will of the gravitational big brother sun. As it spun on it’s newly created axis it cooled creating a rocky crust, carrying the maternal resemblance given it by Mother Rock.
Gasses continued to be created and released by the still forming planet. Sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen were just some of the byproducts of this raging torrent struggling to survive in its earliest phase of planetary infancy. The heat of the still flowing magma and the cooling of the infant shell caused the hydrogen and oxygen molecules to join, almost as if in tribute to the ancestral electrons trillions of years earlier. Moisture developed in the newly established atmosphere and for the first time in all time water formed and fell on the still smoldering surface in the form of rain. It was as if tears of joy were flowing from the spirit of Mother Rock on her proud descendent planet earth. And flow they did.
Great rivers formed which fed even greater lakes. Lakes grew into oceans and after billions of years of constant torrents the oceans joined together, uniting until much of the young planet was covered with water. Only one rocky crag remained jutting out of the almost all-consuming master ocean known as Panthalassa. For a new mother had survived and risen above this ocean’s caustic waves. The earth had existed some 4 billion years but now witnessed the birth of the mother continent of Pangaea.
Mother Pangaea was stark and desolate, her only inhabitants were her self-made mountains which grew to great heights only to tumble into the sea and increase her rocky shore. While made of rock she remained as unstable as the chaos that created her. Huge scars formed across her barren landscape from massive quakes which broke her apart into movable plates floating on the earth’s molten core. Perhaps it was the hopeless desolation that caused Pangaea to nearly self destruct before she even had a chance to fulfill her destiny. Or perhaps it was the spirit of Mother Rock that dwelled deep within her; guiding her to the eternal truth that only through destruction can we create life.
As Mother Pangaea continued to shift and move pools of caustic rain formed in her deep scars. These pools were heated by the still-escaping gasses trapped deep in the earth’s core. The pools heated to steam and rained back down onto the rocky plane. The heat of day and cool of night caused changes in atmospheric pressure creating winds of mixing gasses. There were great storms and hurricanes which battered Mother Pangaea before they moved out to sea. The pools grew in size and as they did gasses and chemical elements mixed as if in a massive cauldron. But this was no ordinary brew.
Within the pools lay all the elements of life, waiting as if for a cue to reach the exact temperature and mixture to begin their most remarkable transformation. For Mother Pangaea was indeed doomed to the destruction of her moving plates. Soon she would die in childbirth like Mother Rock before her, and become but a memory as each of her offspring traveled in their own direction creating the firmaments we now know as continents.
But before her final quake she surrendered her very soul to the nurturing pools of primordial ooze held within her bosom. For it was her chemical elements and her loving heat that would incubate the inanimate into something other than just another new element. As her pools reached their ideal temperature and the winds of toxic gasses swirled into the atmosphere replaced by an air supply rich in oxygen the elements combined into a single cell. A cell so new, so unique, so infinitely hopeful that Mother Pangaea no longer rued her own demise.
Having faithfully fulfilled her destiny Mother Pangaea willfully drifted into pieces having not only created the seven great continents but also having created the Mother Cell of life itself.
Our modern myth continues tomorrow.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The Modern Myth - Part 1
In a time of countless repeats and endless sequels who says we don’t have any good stories anymore?
Many consider the ancient Greeks to be the master myth makers, but I must disagree. The Greek mythic fables were designed and created as a form of upper class amusement and peasant pleasure. Ripe with imagery the moral underpinnings were clear even though the stories themselves were often like fantastic dreams. But if you are looking for the true masters of myth manufacture one need look no farther than modern man. For here the myths go beyond entertainment, beyond the boundaries of whimsical imagination and with ever-increasing sincerity are thrust into the public consciousness until they become accepted as truth.
Historically the most memorable myths usually follow a predictable and oft repeated plotline. The myths of modern man follow in those same well worn footprints. The victorious conquest of good over evil, life over death and karma over hopelessness. Add on a liberal dose of unexplainable magic and its all there. The makings of a great modern myth.
Our modern myth begins in space. Referring to space, as gene Roddenberry did, as the final frontier only served to bring it full circle as it was the original frontier as well.
In the dark void of endless space nothingness was surrounded by nothingness. No life, no joy, no hope, no gods, no Starbucks, just the cold emptiness of endless space. But within the blank canvas of everlasting emptiness developed a small static charge, perhaps as a result of nothing rubbing against nothing. From this charge came the infinitesimal power to create a single electron. As this lone electron dashed headlong through the void it created yet more static which not only created more electrons but forced each of them to bend into an ever-tightening tail-chasing concentric path. Each of these brave electrons raced aimlessly in their circular sojourns, eventually being drawn together into groups and, like the tiger that chased Little Sambo around the tree until he turned into butter, formed the nucleus of the first atomic particles. Free from all bondage and restrictions these first atoms grew in strength until they could no longer bear their own weight. It was then these genesis atoms imploded into themselves causing subatomic novas. As faint and infinitely small as they were, for the first time in all time there were flashes of light piercing the blackness as each imploded. And with the birth and death of these oracles of origin came the scattered debris of what had once existed. These spent atomic particles, having lived their lives to the fullest now served their final destiny. From the ashes of their remains rose the Phoenix that would over trillions of years accumulate to become the Mother Rock of our universe. Life fulfilled. Death with purpose.
As Mother Rock grew she too followed the same unwritten law of natural progression eventually becoming so dense that, like her atomic ancestors, she could no longer bear her own atomic weight and for the first time in all time the sound of a massive implosion broke the eternal silence of space. It was of course what we now call the Big Bang. For Mother Rock burst forth, not in death, but in life as her massive implosion caused a nuclear reaction igniting a colossal ball of heat and energy. From the Mother came the Sun. The implosion cast additional offspring populating the four corners of the endless void. The molten fragments of trillions of years of accumulated atomic remains decorated the darkness by reflecting the wondrous light being shown by the sun. The largest chunks formed the planets, several of which began to make orbital circles around this new blazing center-point, almost as if in reverent memory to their ancestral electrons. You see the newly created Sun had developed a strong attracting force that kept eight of its closest brothers and sisters in perpetual concentricity. While each of these siblings were dwarfed by their superior kin they all developed their own levels of force which today we call gravity. Almost as if in an act of juvenile jealousy these subservient siblings held their own smaller underlings in their gravitational grip. We know these today to be the moons.
Each of the eight continued to tumble and spin, becoming rounder and denser as they cooled. Each took their own course around their now radiant brother, never to leave his side again.
And as the dust settled the sky began to lighten, for the first day had dawned on planet earth.
Our myth continues tomorrow.
Many consider the ancient Greeks to be the master myth makers, but I must disagree. The Greek mythic fables were designed and created as a form of upper class amusement and peasant pleasure. Ripe with imagery the moral underpinnings were clear even though the stories themselves were often like fantastic dreams. But if you are looking for the true masters of myth manufacture one need look no farther than modern man. For here the myths go beyond entertainment, beyond the boundaries of whimsical imagination and with ever-increasing sincerity are thrust into the public consciousness until they become accepted as truth.
Historically the most memorable myths usually follow a predictable and oft repeated plotline. The myths of modern man follow in those same well worn footprints. The victorious conquest of good over evil, life over death and karma over hopelessness. Add on a liberal dose of unexplainable magic and its all there. The makings of a great modern myth.
Our modern myth begins in space. Referring to space, as gene Roddenberry did, as the final frontier only served to bring it full circle as it was the original frontier as well.
In the dark void of endless space nothingness was surrounded by nothingness. No life, no joy, no hope, no gods, no Starbucks, just the cold emptiness of endless space. But within the blank canvas of everlasting emptiness developed a small static charge, perhaps as a result of nothing rubbing against nothing. From this charge came the infinitesimal power to create a single electron. As this lone electron dashed headlong through the void it created yet more static which not only created more electrons but forced each of them to bend into an ever-tightening tail-chasing concentric path. Each of these brave electrons raced aimlessly in their circular sojourns, eventually being drawn together into groups and, like the tiger that chased Little Sambo around the tree until he turned into butter, formed the nucleus of the first atomic particles. Free from all bondage and restrictions these first atoms grew in strength until they could no longer bear their own weight. It was then these genesis atoms imploded into themselves causing subatomic novas. As faint and infinitely small as they were, for the first time in all time there were flashes of light piercing the blackness as each imploded. And with the birth and death of these oracles of origin came the scattered debris of what had once existed. These spent atomic particles, having lived their lives to the fullest now served their final destiny. From the ashes of their remains rose the Phoenix that would over trillions of years accumulate to become the Mother Rock of our universe. Life fulfilled. Death with purpose.
As Mother Rock grew she too followed the same unwritten law of natural progression eventually becoming so dense that, like her atomic ancestors, she could no longer bear her own atomic weight and for the first time in all time the sound of a massive implosion broke the eternal silence of space. It was of course what we now call the Big Bang. For Mother Rock burst forth, not in death, but in life as her massive implosion caused a nuclear reaction igniting a colossal ball of heat and energy. From the Mother came the Sun. The implosion cast additional offspring populating the four corners of the endless void. The molten fragments of trillions of years of accumulated atomic remains decorated the darkness by reflecting the wondrous light being shown by the sun. The largest chunks formed the planets, several of which began to make orbital circles around this new blazing center-point, almost as if in reverent memory to their ancestral electrons. You see the newly created Sun had developed a strong attracting force that kept eight of its closest brothers and sisters in perpetual concentricity. While each of these siblings were dwarfed by their superior kin they all developed their own levels of force which today we call gravity. Almost as if in an act of juvenile jealousy these subservient siblings held their own smaller underlings in their gravitational grip. We know these today to be the moons.
Each of the eight continued to tumble and spin, becoming rounder and denser as they cooled. Each took their own course around their now radiant brother, never to leave his side again.
And as the dust settled the sky began to lighten, for the first day had dawned on planet earth.
Our myth continues tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
A Dog's Tale
Ahhhh, the joy of being a dog.
Did you ever try to point at something you wanted your dog to look at? If your dog is anything like mine what they end up looking at is your pointing hand (at least mine does on those rare occasions when she actually takes a break from her nap and has her eyes open). To the dog your hand is not a symbol for something else or an instructive tool to direct their attention elsewhere. It’s the hand that feeds them, the hand that pets them and in hopefully rare occasions the hand that reprimands them. You put your hand out so they figure you must want them to look at the hand. It’s a pretty simple way to approach life.
We, on the other hand (pun intended), spend so much time looking for hidden meanings and explanations that we often miss the obvious in search of the obscure. We argue and debate just about every issue until every minuscule detail becomes a quantum physics project where all true meaning is lost in the endless theory of the ultimate possibility.
Where Pavlov trained his dog’s subconscious to cause it to salivate at the sound of a bell, Americans have been trained to accept that everything resides in a gray area, where there is no real truth and no distinction between right and wrong. Our lives are controlled by market tested catch phrases and slogans designed to make us feel a certain way regardless of how plausible the reality of the premise. The shibboleths of Hope and Change are a perfect example of how easily we can be misled in a desire to find inner meaning while ignoring the obvious.
Hope and Change can mean just about anything to anybody, for as each person considers its meaning they shade it with their own life experience and innermost wishes. These two catch words bring with them the infinite possibility of happiness and security in the future. It’s kind of like buying a lottery ticket. With each dollar spent comes the hope of a mega-million dollar payday and the change that will have on our lives and those we care about. But while buying a lottery ticket may give us a temporary dream of opulent living it is not a sound long-term financial plan. If you have a dollar to spend on the lottery by all means go for it, but if you are looking to cash in what is left in your 401K and increase your chances by buying as many tickets as that will pay for you will likely be sorely disappointed unless you don’t mind the long line at the soup kitchen.
That ill-conceived draining of already diminished financial resources is exactly what the Senate is considering with the renewed push to pass the ObamaCare healthcare package. We have been programmed by the political left wing and their partners in the major news media to look at the word healthcare as a symbol for something else rather than taking it at face value. When we hear the word healthcare on the six o’clock news it is now inexorably tied in our psyche to the faceless millions that liberals claim are somehow not capable of participating in it. We have lost the simplistic common sense shown by man’s best friend to simply look at healthcare for what it is, healthcare.
We are heading down the dangerous path where every aspect of our lives needs to be tied to some symbol of serving the greater good. As it relates to healthcare, diminishing services to everyone will be to no one’s benefit. The recent government sponsored report recommending a reduction in cancer screening is a perfect example of this. It’s time we started taking things at face value rather than looking for theoretical advancements through reduced expectations.
The success of any good magician in getting his audience to look where he’s pointing and not at his hand. In magic it’s called misdirection; in politics it’s called Hope and Change.
Did you ever try to point at something you wanted your dog to look at? If your dog is anything like mine what they end up looking at is your pointing hand (at least mine does on those rare occasions when she actually takes a break from her nap and has her eyes open). To the dog your hand is not a symbol for something else or an instructive tool to direct their attention elsewhere. It’s the hand that feeds them, the hand that pets them and in hopefully rare occasions the hand that reprimands them. You put your hand out so they figure you must want them to look at the hand. It’s a pretty simple way to approach life.
We, on the other hand (pun intended), spend so much time looking for hidden meanings and explanations that we often miss the obvious in search of the obscure. We argue and debate just about every issue until every minuscule detail becomes a quantum physics project where all true meaning is lost in the endless theory of the ultimate possibility.
Where Pavlov trained his dog’s subconscious to cause it to salivate at the sound of a bell, Americans have been trained to accept that everything resides in a gray area, where there is no real truth and no distinction between right and wrong. Our lives are controlled by market tested catch phrases and slogans designed to make us feel a certain way regardless of how plausible the reality of the premise. The shibboleths of Hope and Change are a perfect example of how easily we can be misled in a desire to find inner meaning while ignoring the obvious.
Hope and Change can mean just about anything to anybody, for as each person considers its meaning they shade it with their own life experience and innermost wishes. These two catch words bring with them the infinite possibility of happiness and security in the future. It’s kind of like buying a lottery ticket. With each dollar spent comes the hope of a mega-million dollar payday and the change that will have on our lives and those we care about. But while buying a lottery ticket may give us a temporary dream of opulent living it is not a sound long-term financial plan. If you have a dollar to spend on the lottery by all means go for it, but if you are looking to cash in what is left in your 401K and increase your chances by buying as many tickets as that will pay for you will likely be sorely disappointed unless you don’t mind the long line at the soup kitchen.
That ill-conceived draining of already diminished financial resources is exactly what the Senate is considering with the renewed push to pass the ObamaCare healthcare package. We have been programmed by the political left wing and their partners in the major news media to look at the word healthcare as a symbol for something else rather than taking it at face value. When we hear the word healthcare on the six o’clock news it is now inexorably tied in our psyche to the faceless millions that liberals claim are somehow not capable of participating in it. We have lost the simplistic common sense shown by man’s best friend to simply look at healthcare for what it is, healthcare.
We are heading down the dangerous path where every aspect of our lives needs to be tied to some symbol of serving the greater good. As it relates to healthcare, diminishing services to everyone will be to no one’s benefit. The recent government sponsored report recommending a reduction in cancer screening is a perfect example of this. It’s time we started taking things at face value rather than looking for theoretical advancements through reduced expectations.
The success of any good magician in getting his audience to look where he’s pointing and not at his hand. In magic it’s called misdirection; in politics it’s called Hope and Change.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Fearing Sarah
The fear is palpable.
Having followed politics for many years I can honestly say that I have never witnessed an individual with absolutely no political power that strikes the level of abject terror into the hearts of liberals like Sarah Palin.
Ronald Reagan made liberals jittery so they tried to portray him as a tottering old war monger. But Jimmy Carter had succeeded in running the country’s economy into the ground, had his brother drinking beer and peeing on the flowers in the White House rose garden and made America a laughing stock around the world with his handling of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan and the Iran hostage debacle, so much so that by the end of his first term even Attila the Hun would have been seen as an acceptable alternative.
George W Bush certainly raised panic in the liberal community with his successful tax cuts and his firm handling of one of America’s greatest tragedies on 9-11. Every effort was made to detract from his accomplishments through deception and fabrication, all of which was gleefully disseminated by a liberal press anxious to oust him. Try as they might Americans still preferred him to the cardboard John Kerry, which allowed the liberals another four years of Bush is Hitler comparisons.
But these were conservative men wielding great power. Sarah Palin holds no political office. She has no power outside of her own personal comments. She can pass no laws nor can she create any bills. Her only claim to fame is as the ex-Governor of Alaska and as a failed candidate for Vice President. Why then does this political has-been still evoke such a strong sense of terror and trepidation with the mere mention of her name?
As Palin’s book “Going Rouge” makes its way onto store shelves it already holds a place on the New York Times Bestsellers List. Sarah has something to say and Americans are eager to hear it. But it is more than that. You can fact check what Sarah Palin says by the way she lives. Palin is a liberal’s worst nightmare, an honest conservative woman that not only talks the talk but walks the walk. If you want to fact check her dedication to getting rid of corrupt politics, just look at her record and the long list of enemies she made cleaning up politics in Alaska. If you want to fact check her views on conservative financial reform, just look at her record of reform in Alaska and more importantly look at her lifestyle. If you want to fact check her sincerity on her beliefs in the Right to Life you need look no farther than the Downs Syndrome baby in her arms.
Liberals are so desperate to find something, anything, to throw at Sarah Palin that Newsweek’s latest issue cover photo uses an old picture taken for an issue of Runner’s World magazine as an attempt to create a demeaning sexist cheesecake pinup. The Huffington Post is so desperate to slam Palin’s new book that they published a critical review by someone that admits they haven’t even read the book.
If Sarah ever had any hope of garnering even a smattering of support from the liberal feminist sisterhood she has long since abandoned those hopes. Sarah Palin is successful because she is everything the feminists are not and more importantly she is not what they propose women to be. Sarah Palin is not a victim.
That in a nutshell is why Sarah Palin strikes such terror into the beating liberal heart. She does not claim to be a victim and she fights victimization. Her book is part political memoir and part personal autobiography. She does not claim to be a victim of deprived birth by being raised in the wilds of Alaska; in fact she makes it clear she views that as making her stronger. She does not claim to be a victim of genetic defect with the birth of her handicapped son, but rather uses it to show the true meaning of love. Even in the chapters that deal with her frustrations in the handling of the McCain Palin campaign she does not claim to be a victim but rather a fighter that stood up for what she believed, win or lose.
Never in the history of presidential politics has the vice-presidential candidate had so much blame heaped on them for the failure of the ticket. Even ex-vice-presidents that later ran and lost a presidential bid did not receive such glaring culpability. But Palin came through it wiser and stronger. Will she run for office in 2012? Who knows?
But what has liberals worried is not what she does in 2012. It’s what she does between now and then.
Having followed politics for many years I can honestly say that I have never witnessed an individual with absolutely no political power that strikes the level of abject terror into the hearts of liberals like Sarah Palin.
Ronald Reagan made liberals jittery so they tried to portray him as a tottering old war monger. But Jimmy Carter had succeeded in running the country’s economy into the ground, had his brother drinking beer and peeing on the flowers in the White House rose garden and made America a laughing stock around the world with his handling of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan and the Iran hostage debacle, so much so that by the end of his first term even Attila the Hun would have been seen as an acceptable alternative.
George W Bush certainly raised panic in the liberal community with his successful tax cuts and his firm handling of one of America’s greatest tragedies on 9-11. Every effort was made to detract from his accomplishments through deception and fabrication, all of which was gleefully disseminated by a liberal press anxious to oust him. Try as they might Americans still preferred him to the cardboard John Kerry, which allowed the liberals another four years of Bush is Hitler comparisons.
But these were conservative men wielding great power. Sarah Palin holds no political office. She has no power outside of her own personal comments. She can pass no laws nor can she create any bills. Her only claim to fame is as the ex-Governor of Alaska and as a failed candidate for Vice President. Why then does this political has-been still evoke such a strong sense of terror and trepidation with the mere mention of her name?
As Palin’s book “Going Rouge” makes its way onto store shelves it already holds a place on the New York Times Bestsellers List. Sarah has something to say and Americans are eager to hear it. But it is more than that. You can fact check what Sarah Palin says by the way she lives. Palin is a liberal’s worst nightmare, an honest conservative woman that not only talks the talk but walks the walk. If you want to fact check her dedication to getting rid of corrupt politics, just look at her record and the long list of enemies she made cleaning up politics in Alaska. If you want to fact check her views on conservative financial reform, just look at her record of reform in Alaska and more importantly look at her lifestyle. If you want to fact check her sincerity on her beliefs in the Right to Life you need look no farther than the Downs Syndrome baby in her arms.
Liberals are so desperate to find something, anything, to throw at Sarah Palin that Newsweek’s latest issue cover photo uses an old picture taken for an issue of Runner’s World magazine as an attempt to create a demeaning sexist cheesecake pinup. The Huffington Post is so desperate to slam Palin’s new book that they published a critical review by someone that admits they haven’t even read the book.
If Sarah ever had any hope of garnering even a smattering of support from the liberal feminist sisterhood she has long since abandoned those hopes. Sarah Palin is successful because she is everything the feminists are not and more importantly she is not what they propose women to be. Sarah Palin is not a victim.
That in a nutshell is why Sarah Palin strikes such terror into the beating liberal heart. She does not claim to be a victim and she fights victimization. Her book is part political memoir and part personal autobiography. She does not claim to be a victim of deprived birth by being raised in the wilds of Alaska; in fact she makes it clear she views that as making her stronger. She does not claim to be a victim of genetic defect with the birth of her handicapped son, but rather uses it to show the true meaning of love. Even in the chapters that deal with her frustrations in the handling of the McCain Palin campaign she does not claim to be a victim but rather a fighter that stood up for what she believed, win or lose.
Never in the history of presidential politics has the vice-presidential candidate had so much blame heaped on them for the failure of the ticket. Even ex-vice-presidents that later ran and lost a presidential bid did not receive such glaring culpability. But Palin came through it wiser and stronger. Will she run for office in 2012? Who knows?
But what has liberals worried is not what she does in 2012. It’s what she does between now and then.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Chinese Take-Out
To say the least, Obama does not have it “Made in China”.
The current trip of Barack Obama to meet with the leaders of China is a perfect illustration of what happens when a man who depends solely on style over substance meets a culture that is not impressed by his panache.
China is the very archetype of the change Barack Obama spent years promising to America. While the change has occurred over the past few decades, the redefinition of China from a minor trading partner to a burgeoning world super power has been sure and steady. And when you consider the size of the country and population and where they are now versus where they were in 1988 the remarkable transformation has actually occurred at near light speed.
In many ways the Chi-Coms and Obama have a lot in common. The changes made in China were imposed by a dictating party that simply refused to allow anything, including human life, to get in the way of its relentless pursuit of change. It wasn’t that the people of China decided they would rather move off their rural farms and become industrial workers living in congested cities. The government came in and told the masses it was what they wanted. There was no concern for individual rights or freedoms. In China you are free to do what the government tells you to do and have the right to agree with their authority. All dissenters meet with a fate almost as bad as a pissed off Nancy Pelosi.
But while the governing communist party has some admiration for the way Obama has shotgunned his socialist agenda through the Halls of Congress, they are far less impressed with him as it relates to their own interest.
The old Obama duende that served him so well in the United States and Europe has failed to woo the Chinese. While Obama came prepared with a steamer trunk full of well honed phrases and ghost written speeches the Chinese were more interested in getting clarification to the rhetoric. As has been the case for his entire political career, all of Barack Obama’s duplicitous though eloquent parol can be stymied by asking the simple question “What does that mean”, for which of course he has no answer.
Instead of finding a submissive partner Barack Obama is now confronted with a force of will that he has not experienced before. Along with holding sizable stakes in other world markets China enjoys a veritable oligopoly in the world market for US Treasury bonds. They do not view the United States so much as a partner as they do an investment and they don’t like what they are seeing in the way this president and his faithful minions in congress are handling their less than hard earned Yuan.
George Bush used every available resource to avoid instituting tariffs and trade restrictions with China, not because he was unaware of some of their unfair trade practices but because he understood that any trade restrictions would be met with equal countermeasures from China on our products. Manufacturing in the United States was kept afloat in the face of the early economic downturn by the increase in exports into Chinese markets. The complete inexperience of Barack Obama in global trade issues coupled with a world view that was bought and paid for by American labor unions leads this community activist president to be clueless as to the ramifications of his misguided actions. He is getting a crash course in it now by a less than friendly audience.
Obama will spend the next few days in China and he will be treated with all the respect due an American president, but make no mistake about it, the Chinese know a patsy when they see one. It will be interesting to see what happens as the old Obama magic fails to bring the tears of joy and hyperventilation so common in other venues.
Barack Obama could end up looking like Kanye West opening for Larry the Cable Guy at a VFW convention.
You gotta know your crowd.
The current trip of Barack Obama to meet with the leaders of China is a perfect illustration of what happens when a man who depends solely on style over substance meets a culture that is not impressed by his panache.
China is the very archetype of the change Barack Obama spent years promising to America. While the change has occurred over the past few decades, the redefinition of China from a minor trading partner to a burgeoning world super power has been sure and steady. And when you consider the size of the country and population and where they are now versus where they were in 1988 the remarkable transformation has actually occurred at near light speed.
In many ways the Chi-Coms and Obama have a lot in common. The changes made in China were imposed by a dictating party that simply refused to allow anything, including human life, to get in the way of its relentless pursuit of change. It wasn’t that the people of China decided they would rather move off their rural farms and become industrial workers living in congested cities. The government came in and told the masses it was what they wanted. There was no concern for individual rights or freedoms. In China you are free to do what the government tells you to do and have the right to agree with their authority. All dissenters meet with a fate almost as bad as a pissed off Nancy Pelosi.
But while the governing communist party has some admiration for the way Obama has shotgunned his socialist agenda through the Halls of Congress, they are far less impressed with him as it relates to their own interest.
The old Obama duende that served him so well in the United States and Europe has failed to woo the Chinese. While Obama came prepared with a steamer trunk full of well honed phrases and ghost written speeches the Chinese were more interested in getting clarification to the rhetoric. As has been the case for his entire political career, all of Barack Obama’s duplicitous though eloquent parol can be stymied by asking the simple question “What does that mean”, for which of course he has no answer.
Instead of finding a submissive partner Barack Obama is now confronted with a force of will that he has not experienced before. Along with holding sizable stakes in other world markets China enjoys a veritable oligopoly in the world market for US Treasury bonds. They do not view the United States so much as a partner as they do an investment and they don’t like what they are seeing in the way this president and his faithful minions in congress are handling their less than hard earned Yuan.
George Bush used every available resource to avoid instituting tariffs and trade restrictions with China, not because he was unaware of some of their unfair trade practices but because he understood that any trade restrictions would be met with equal countermeasures from China on our products. Manufacturing in the United States was kept afloat in the face of the early economic downturn by the increase in exports into Chinese markets. The complete inexperience of Barack Obama in global trade issues coupled with a world view that was bought and paid for by American labor unions leads this community activist president to be clueless as to the ramifications of his misguided actions. He is getting a crash course in it now by a less than friendly audience.
Obama will spend the next few days in China and he will be treated with all the respect due an American president, but make no mistake about it, the Chinese know a patsy when they see one. It will be interesting to see what happens as the old Obama magic fails to bring the tears of joy and hyperventilation so common in other venues.
Barack Obama could end up looking like Kanye West opening for Larry the Cable Guy at a VFW convention.
You gotta know your crowd.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The Audacity of Political Correctness
By definition, to be frank means to be:
1: marked by free, forthright, and sincere expression or explanation
By definition to be Barney Frank means to be: 1. absolutely none of the above.
Congressman Barney Frank made the news again this past week when it was revealed that he was present at his homosexual lover’s home when police arrived and arrested James Ready for cultivation and possession of marijuana as well as possession of drug paraphernalia. Mr. Ready was not suffering from the adverse side effects of chemotherapy nor does he have glaucoma so his apparent use of the drug was strictly recreational. Congressman Frank admitted he was “surprised and disappointed” by what police found at his intimate friend’s house, which included some sizable pot plants growing in the yard. He also claimed he had no idea his friend was using illegal drugs.
When asked by the local news media how he could claim to have no knowledge when the drugs were being cultivated and grown at the house Barney did what he always does when confronted with indisputable evidence, he went on the offensive and played on the blind faith stupidity of his constituents.
After chiding the inquiring reporter for questioning his sincerity Frank said he is “not a great outdoorsman” and “wouldn’t recognize most plants”.
Really Barney? Are you really expecting Americans to believe that an adult who has served in the United States Congress since 1981 doesn’t know what a pot plant looks like? Most second graders in this country could identify a pot plant.
But Barney Frank learned years ago with the Stephen Gobie incident that the key to defending yourself in situations where you are obviously guilty is to deny, deny, deny. And if the questioning persists, simply claim you are a victim of circumstance and a target because you are homosexual.
In the Gobie scandal Congressman Frank was found to have paid the male prostitute Gobie $80.00 for a sex act. I’m not sure what that act was, but it must have tickled Big Barney’s fancy as he then hired Gobie as an aide and paid him $20,000 in unreported income from his taxpayer supported congressional expense budget. He also gave Gobie use of his car and falsified statements written on his official congressional stationary to fix 33 parking tickets Gobie received using the congressman car. I can only imagine that whatever Gobie did for $80.00, he did a lot more of it for a tax free 20 grand and a free car. The coup de grace for the Gobie affair was when it was discovered that while serving as Frank’s aide Gobie was also running a male whorehouse out of the congressman’s home. Once again Congressman Frank denied all knowledge. I guess he’s not much of an indoorsman either.
The bottom line is that Barney Frank’s complete disregard for the law in associating with people growing drugs and operating a homosexual prostitution ring makes him somebody I wouldn’t want living on my street much less holding the chairmanship to the incredibly powerful House Financial Services Committee. This committee oversees the entire financial services industry, which includes the securities, insurance, banking, and housing industries. Remember it was through this committee that Fannie May and Freddie Mac were congressionally mandated to loan mortgage money to people who had no ability to pay it back, which in turn nearly collapsed the entire world's credit markets.
So how does a recidivist, licentious degenerate like Barney Frank stay in office and more importantly gain power? Through the unbridled use of the same political correctness that allowed a Muslim extremist to remain on post, walk into an Army Soldier Readiness Center and gun down 13 unarmed victims. When confronted Barney Frank will always claim to be a victim of discrimination by homophobes. No Democrat is willing to stand up and take action for fear of being accused of homophobic behavior just like no military officer was willing to risk being called intolerant of a Muslim.
If the people of the Massachusetts 4th Congressional District wish to have Barney Frank as their representative, so be it. But the rest of the country has a say in who controls the US House and Senate and therefore who sits in the chairmanships of this nation’s most important governing committees.
Political correctness will kill this country. Reality always wins.
1: marked by free, forthright, and sincere expression or explanation
By definition to be Barney Frank means to be: 1. absolutely none of the above.
Congressman Barney Frank made the news again this past week when it was revealed that he was present at his homosexual lover’s home when police arrived and arrested James Ready for cultivation and possession of marijuana as well as possession of drug paraphernalia. Mr. Ready was not suffering from the adverse side effects of chemotherapy nor does he have glaucoma so his apparent use of the drug was strictly recreational. Congressman Frank admitted he was “surprised and disappointed” by what police found at his intimate friend’s house, which included some sizable pot plants growing in the yard. He also claimed he had no idea his friend was using illegal drugs.
When asked by the local news media how he could claim to have no knowledge when the drugs were being cultivated and grown at the house Barney did what he always does when confronted with indisputable evidence, he went on the offensive and played on the blind faith stupidity of his constituents.
After chiding the inquiring reporter for questioning his sincerity Frank said he is “not a great outdoorsman” and “wouldn’t recognize most plants”.
Really Barney? Are you really expecting Americans to believe that an adult who has served in the United States Congress since 1981 doesn’t know what a pot plant looks like? Most second graders in this country could identify a pot plant.
But Barney Frank learned years ago with the Stephen Gobie incident that the key to defending yourself in situations where you are obviously guilty is to deny, deny, deny. And if the questioning persists, simply claim you are a victim of circumstance and a target because you are homosexual.
In the Gobie scandal Congressman Frank was found to have paid the male prostitute Gobie $80.00 for a sex act. I’m not sure what that act was, but it must have tickled Big Barney’s fancy as he then hired Gobie as an aide and paid him $20,000 in unreported income from his taxpayer supported congressional expense budget. He also gave Gobie use of his car and falsified statements written on his official congressional stationary to fix 33 parking tickets Gobie received using the congressman car. I can only imagine that whatever Gobie did for $80.00, he did a lot more of it for a tax free 20 grand and a free car. The coup de grace for the Gobie affair was when it was discovered that while serving as Frank’s aide Gobie was also running a male whorehouse out of the congressman’s home. Once again Congressman Frank denied all knowledge. I guess he’s not much of an indoorsman either.
The bottom line is that Barney Frank’s complete disregard for the law in associating with people growing drugs and operating a homosexual prostitution ring makes him somebody I wouldn’t want living on my street much less holding the chairmanship to the incredibly powerful House Financial Services Committee. This committee oversees the entire financial services industry, which includes the securities, insurance, banking, and housing industries. Remember it was through this committee that Fannie May and Freddie Mac were congressionally mandated to loan mortgage money to people who had no ability to pay it back, which in turn nearly collapsed the entire world's credit markets.
So how does a recidivist, licentious degenerate like Barney Frank stay in office and more importantly gain power? Through the unbridled use of the same political correctness that allowed a Muslim extremist to remain on post, walk into an Army Soldier Readiness Center and gun down 13 unarmed victims. When confronted Barney Frank will always claim to be a victim of discrimination by homophobes. No Democrat is willing to stand up and take action for fear of being accused of homophobic behavior just like no military officer was willing to risk being called intolerant of a Muslim.
If the people of the Massachusetts 4th Congressional District wish to have Barney Frank as their representative, so be it. But the rest of the country has a say in who controls the US House and Senate and therefore who sits in the chairmanships of this nation’s most important governing committees.
Political correctness will kill this country. Reality always wins.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A Fish Story
Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. But give a man a 33% stake in a major American automaker and he’ll eat really well for a very long time.
Quietly, almost imperceptibly, the news hit the wires that two more United Auto Workers locals overwhelmingly rejected proposed changes to their labor contracts with Ford. The reports which came out late in October were shuffled way down the priority list of the major news organizations in favor of stories pertaining to the ObamaCare bill making its way through Congress.
The stories of the nationalized healthcare plan have dominated the headlines, but this story of the autoworkers union rejecting needed concessions with the one “Big Three” carmaker that refused to sell its soul to the government is a perfect example of how government intrusion into the workings of private industry can destroy the industry it purports to be saving.
Ford has been seeking to bring its labor contract into parity with the revised labor contracts of its major competitors, the now nationalized General Motors and Chrysler corporations. On October 29th the Associated Press reported a 75 percent no vote by the UAW members at Ford’s Saline, Michigan parts plant and a 90% no vote by its members at Ford’s Dearborn, Michigan research and engineering facility. Ford currently employs 41,000 UAW members in the United States. The votes in Michigan have been mostly negative while votes in other parts of the country, like the Louisville facility, have been much closer. Overall the concessions requested by Ford have been voted down by almost a two to one margin.
The concessions Ford is requesting would freeze entry level wages and require some higher skilled workers to perform more than one job. The union would also have to agree to a no-strike clause on issues relating to wages and benefits but would still be able to strike for other issues. In return Ford has agreed to give each member a $1000.00 bonus if the concessions are approved and guarantees of future work with new product commitments at several facilities. Even the union president has stated that the concessions would save some 7000 union jobs. But the rank and file has been quick to reject any compromise.
And why should they?
When General Motors and Chrysler finally succumb under the weight of years of unrealistic labor contracts the government stepped in and took over. In an unprecedented act of unconstitutional power, Barack Obama fired General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner and developed a settlement that allowed the government to take control of these longtime American icon companies, giving a 33% ownership stake to the unions. Ford CEO Allan Mulally who was all too familiar with government intrusion from his 37 years with Boeing chose to reject government support and saved Ford from a similar fate.
In order to remain competitive Ford must now bring their cost structure in line with its major competitors. But where is the incentive for union workers to come to a realistic agreement if they know that failure to do so will simply allow the government to step in and give them the same stock incentives as GM and Chrysler workers?
With the continued death spiral of new car sales after the completion of the Cash for Clunkers program it doesn’t take a degree in economics to see the peril American carmakers are in. Barack Obama and his incredibly shortsighted and unrealistic view of American business and organized labor has guaranteed failure, first with future union negotiations and finally with the companies themselves.
This scenario of nationalizing industry and redistributing its wealth to the workers may have sounded reasonable coming from a community activist but will prove to be fatal to American business coming from a president with no concept of business or a world marketplace.
Quietly, almost imperceptibly, the news hit the wires that two more United Auto Workers locals overwhelmingly rejected proposed changes to their labor contracts with Ford. The reports which came out late in October were shuffled way down the priority list of the major news organizations in favor of stories pertaining to the ObamaCare bill making its way through Congress.
The stories of the nationalized healthcare plan have dominated the headlines, but this story of the autoworkers union rejecting needed concessions with the one “Big Three” carmaker that refused to sell its soul to the government is a perfect example of how government intrusion into the workings of private industry can destroy the industry it purports to be saving.
Ford has been seeking to bring its labor contract into parity with the revised labor contracts of its major competitors, the now nationalized General Motors and Chrysler corporations. On October 29th the Associated Press reported a 75 percent no vote by the UAW members at Ford’s Saline, Michigan parts plant and a 90% no vote by its members at Ford’s Dearborn, Michigan research and engineering facility. Ford currently employs 41,000 UAW members in the United States. The votes in Michigan have been mostly negative while votes in other parts of the country, like the Louisville facility, have been much closer. Overall the concessions requested by Ford have been voted down by almost a two to one margin.
The concessions Ford is requesting would freeze entry level wages and require some higher skilled workers to perform more than one job. The union would also have to agree to a no-strike clause on issues relating to wages and benefits but would still be able to strike for other issues. In return Ford has agreed to give each member a $1000.00 bonus if the concessions are approved and guarantees of future work with new product commitments at several facilities. Even the union president has stated that the concessions would save some 7000 union jobs. But the rank and file has been quick to reject any compromise.
And why should they?
When General Motors and Chrysler finally succumb under the weight of years of unrealistic labor contracts the government stepped in and took over. In an unprecedented act of unconstitutional power, Barack Obama fired General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner and developed a settlement that allowed the government to take control of these longtime American icon companies, giving a 33% ownership stake to the unions. Ford CEO Allan Mulally who was all too familiar with government intrusion from his 37 years with Boeing chose to reject government support and saved Ford from a similar fate.
In order to remain competitive Ford must now bring their cost structure in line with its major competitors. But where is the incentive for union workers to come to a realistic agreement if they know that failure to do so will simply allow the government to step in and give them the same stock incentives as GM and Chrysler workers?
With the continued death spiral of new car sales after the completion of the Cash for Clunkers program it doesn’t take a degree in economics to see the peril American carmakers are in. Barack Obama and his incredibly shortsighted and unrealistic view of American business and organized labor has guaranteed failure, first with future union negotiations and finally with the companies themselves.
This scenario of nationalizing industry and redistributing its wealth to the workers may have sounded reasonable coming from a community activist but will prove to be fatal to American business coming from a president with no concept of business or a world marketplace.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Equal Justice
John Allen Mohammed has been executed and quite frankly I don’t feel any safer.
At the Greensville Correction Facility just outside Richmond Virginia the DC Sniper breathed his last. He was executed after having been convicted of the murder of Dean Meyers, one of the victims in this madman’s killing spree that took ten lives in total. Some of the victim’s family members who witnessed the execution called it surreal, while others claimed it gave them closure.
I have the deepest sympathy for the families that lost their loved ones to this homicidal maniac who rigged his car so he could enter the trunk through the back seat where he laid in wait for his victim and shot through a hole in the trunk. I hope they do indeed find peace and closure in this eye for an eye retribution. But tomorrow morning the sun will rise and each will have to face yet another day without their loved one.
I am not ashamed to admit that I am a conservative who opposes the death penalty. I oppose it for several reasons including the possibility of killing an innocent person as well as the additional expense of executing someone versus simply locking them up for the rest of their life with no possibility for parole and none of the constitutionally mandated appeals that come with a capital punishment sentence. In this case the guilt of Mohammed was unquestionably clear. And while I can’t help but feel we are overstepping our bounds when, in the name of justice, we commit state sanctioned homicide, I do accept that execution is the law of the land and is approved by a wide margin of the population. I also accept that if we are to have such a punishment the brutal murder of ten innocent victims certainly meets the requirements for using it.
At the same time that John Allen Mohammed was being prepared for his final walk in Virginia, President Barack Obama was addressing the grief-stricken families of the 13 victims killed by Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan in Texas. President Obama told the families they could be assured that “...for what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice, in this world, and the next." Obama stopped short of calling this heinous mass murder an act of terrorism, but he did say "It may be hard to comprehend the twisted logic that led to this tragedy. But this much we do know: no faith justifies these murderous and craven acts.”
That’s a pretty strong condemnation and equally strong promise coming from the President regarding this mass murder carried out on the grounds of this Texas military base. I am not sure if this crime will be tried by a federal court as an act of terrorism or by a US Army military court. But either way the death penalty is certainly a possibility and seems to me to be the only reasonable sentence if Hasan is found guilty.
If execution was considered justice for the DC Sniper and his ten victims then it most certainly should be the same justice promised to the victim’s families by the President for this killer of thirteen. It will however be interesting to see if equal justice prevails when the guilty party is a practicing Muslim or if that fact will be this Islamic extremists "Get Out Of Death Free" card.
It will also be interesting to see how much political pressure is placed in the court during both the trial and sentencing. If Nidal Malik Hasan is given a life sentence rather than a death sentence simply because he is Muslim, then the death sentence should be abolished for everyone else as well.
Justice in this world and the next? Let’s see if President Obama meant what he said and is willing to send this Islamic jihadist to meet his Ultimate Judge.
At the Greensville Correction Facility just outside Richmond Virginia the DC Sniper breathed his last. He was executed after having been convicted of the murder of Dean Meyers, one of the victims in this madman’s killing spree that took ten lives in total. Some of the victim’s family members who witnessed the execution called it surreal, while others claimed it gave them closure.
I have the deepest sympathy for the families that lost their loved ones to this homicidal maniac who rigged his car so he could enter the trunk through the back seat where he laid in wait for his victim and shot through a hole in the trunk. I hope they do indeed find peace and closure in this eye for an eye retribution. But tomorrow morning the sun will rise and each will have to face yet another day without their loved one.
I am not ashamed to admit that I am a conservative who opposes the death penalty. I oppose it for several reasons including the possibility of killing an innocent person as well as the additional expense of executing someone versus simply locking them up for the rest of their life with no possibility for parole and none of the constitutionally mandated appeals that come with a capital punishment sentence. In this case the guilt of Mohammed was unquestionably clear. And while I can’t help but feel we are overstepping our bounds when, in the name of justice, we commit state sanctioned homicide, I do accept that execution is the law of the land and is approved by a wide margin of the population. I also accept that if we are to have such a punishment the brutal murder of ten innocent victims certainly meets the requirements for using it.
At the same time that John Allen Mohammed was being prepared for his final walk in Virginia, President Barack Obama was addressing the grief-stricken families of the 13 victims killed by Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan in Texas. President Obama told the families they could be assured that “...for what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice, in this world, and the next." Obama stopped short of calling this heinous mass murder an act of terrorism, but he did say "It may be hard to comprehend the twisted logic that led to this tragedy. But this much we do know: no faith justifies these murderous and craven acts.”
That’s a pretty strong condemnation and equally strong promise coming from the President regarding this mass murder carried out on the grounds of this Texas military base. I am not sure if this crime will be tried by a federal court as an act of terrorism or by a US Army military court. But either way the death penalty is certainly a possibility and seems to me to be the only reasonable sentence if Hasan is found guilty.
If execution was considered justice for the DC Sniper and his ten victims then it most certainly should be the same justice promised to the victim’s families by the President for this killer of thirteen. It will however be interesting to see if equal justice prevails when the guilty party is a practicing Muslim or if that fact will be this Islamic extremists "Get Out Of Death Free" card.
It will also be interesting to see how much political pressure is placed in the court during both the trial and sentencing. If Nidal Malik Hasan is given a life sentence rather than a death sentence simply because he is Muslim, then the death sentence should be abolished for everyone else as well.
Justice in this world and the next? Let’s see if President Obama meant what he said and is willing to send this Islamic jihadist to meet his Ultimate Judge.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Liberal Theory vs. Real Enemies
It’s the exception that proves the rule.
Lord knows how many times I have heard that idiom. It is used today in almost every imaginable context. Historians credit the Roman philosopher and political theorist/ lawyer Cicero with inventing the proposition. What it was originally meant to infer was that the fact that special exceptions were being made proved a rule existed. We have long since lost that simple definition and in its place installed the belief that somehow exceptions are the rule. Or to put it more clearly, there can be no actual rule because there are always exceptions.
We have lost the ability to draw reasonable conclusions because we are now far too politically correct to use our own eyes and ears and more importantly our own common sense. All the proof in the world makes no difference anymore. We are told we must look beyond the undeniable proof and embrace the liberal dream of exception to every fundamental fact.
A perfect example of this factual mumbo jumbo is occurring in the wake of the despicable deadly acts carried out at Fort Hood by yet another Muslim terrorist.
While shouting the Muslim mantra “God is great” in Arabic, US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan proceeded to slaughter 13 unarmed American military members and wound another 30 using weapons he had purchased off base probably for this premeditated purpose. Pundits and media members are examining every conceivable aspect as to why this American born lifelong Muslim would turn against his fellow Army enlistees. Theories abound as to why this man who received his college and medical degrees thanks to an Army education program that not only allowed him to earn his doctorate but paid him while he was doing so, would turn against the country that gave him everything he had. Why this seemingly pacifist psychiatrist, who didn’t want to be put in a combat situation, would wantonly murder unarmed, unsuspecting, and in one case pregnant, human beings.
I will leave the politically correct proselytizing and motivational theorizing to the talking heads the media always seems to have on call for just such an occurrence. I, on the other hand, will look at the facts to draw my conclusions.
Major Nidal Malik Hasan perpetrated this despicable act solely because he is a Muslim. Was this a terrorist attack? Absolutely. Hasan was successful at carrying out an attack similar to ones planned by other Muslims. Where others planned to shoot military personnel as they exited the base and fortunately were discovered and failed, Hasan had the distinct advantage of having a military ID allowing him on the base. He took full advantage of the benefits the Army had to offer, but when it came to fulfilling his end of the deal he chose the cowards way out. It was a well planned terrorist attack designed to inflict physical, mental and emotional damage on the US military. His goal was to inflict not only harm but terror and last time I checked that is the textbook definition of a terrorist. Hasan said on more than one occasion he is a Muslim first and an American second. If this had been about his objection to being deployed overseas and he was willing to die rather than serve in Iraq or Afghanistan against his Muslim brethren he only needed one bullet and didn’t even have to leave his apartment. Instead this terrorist came prepared with multiple clips and fired over a hundred rounds. While he knew this would likely be a suicide mission he never even attempted to use a round on himself, but as a psychiatrist I am certain Hasan is familiar with suicide by police. The debate as to his motives or possible stress disorders is moot. This was another terrorist act carried out against the United States by a Muslim.
As it relates to all Muslims Hasan may be the exception. But while all Muslims are not the enemy of the United States, all of the major enemies of the United States are Muslim.
We simply can no longer ignore that fact. As politically incorrect or presidentially inconvenient as it may be.
Lord knows how many times I have heard that idiom. It is used today in almost every imaginable context. Historians credit the Roman philosopher and political theorist/ lawyer Cicero with inventing the proposition. What it was originally meant to infer was that the fact that special exceptions were being made proved a rule existed. We have long since lost that simple definition and in its place installed the belief that somehow exceptions are the rule. Or to put it more clearly, there can be no actual rule because there are always exceptions.
We have lost the ability to draw reasonable conclusions because we are now far too politically correct to use our own eyes and ears and more importantly our own common sense. All the proof in the world makes no difference anymore. We are told we must look beyond the undeniable proof and embrace the liberal dream of exception to every fundamental fact.
A perfect example of this factual mumbo jumbo is occurring in the wake of the despicable deadly acts carried out at Fort Hood by yet another Muslim terrorist.
While shouting the Muslim mantra “God is great” in Arabic, US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan proceeded to slaughter 13 unarmed American military members and wound another 30 using weapons he had purchased off base probably for this premeditated purpose. Pundits and media members are examining every conceivable aspect as to why this American born lifelong Muslim would turn against his fellow Army enlistees. Theories abound as to why this man who received his college and medical degrees thanks to an Army education program that not only allowed him to earn his doctorate but paid him while he was doing so, would turn against the country that gave him everything he had. Why this seemingly pacifist psychiatrist, who didn’t want to be put in a combat situation, would wantonly murder unarmed, unsuspecting, and in one case pregnant, human beings.
I will leave the politically correct proselytizing and motivational theorizing to the talking heads the media always seems to have on call for just such an occurrence. I, on the other hand, will look at the facts to draw my conclusions.
Major Nidal Malik Hasan perpetrated this despicable act solely because he is a Muslim. Was this a terrorist attack? Absolutely. Hasan was successful at carrying out an attack similar to ones planned by other Muslims. Where others planned to shoot military personnel as they exited the base and fortunately were discovered and failed, Hasan had the distinct advantage of having a military ID allowing him on the base. He took full advantage of the benefits the Army had to offer, but when it came to fulfilling his end of the deal he chose the cowards way out. It was a well planned terrorist attack designed to inflict physical, mental and emotional damage on the US military. His goal was to inflict not only harm but terror and last time I checked that is the textbook definition of a terrorist. Hasan said on more than one occasion he is a Muslim first and an American second. If this had been about his objection to being deployed overseas and he was willing to die rather than serve in Iraq or Afghanistan against his Muslim brethren he only needed one bullet and didn’t even have to leave his apartment. Instead this terrorist came prepared with multiple clips and fired over a hundred rounds. While he knew this would likely be a suicide mission he never even attempted to use a round on himself, but as a psychiatrist I am certain Hasan is familiar with suicide by police. The debate as to his motives or possible stress disorders is moot. This was another terrorist act carried out against the United States by a Muslim.
As it relates to all Muslims Hasan may be the exception. But while all Muslims are not the enemy of the United States, all of the major enemies of the United States are Muslim.
We simply can no longer ignore that fact. As politically incorrect or presidentially inconvenient as it may be.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Old News
Welcome to Washington where everything old is new again.
I was more than a little surprised to see the headlines of an Associated Press report that President Obama had gained support of two critical organizations for his ObamaCare nationalized healthcare bill. I quickly read the story to see who was now throwing their support his way only to find it was AARP and the AMA. My first thought was, had the Associated Press been asleep for the last several months or is this a case of déjà vu all over again.
Reading on a little farther it became clear that neither one of those assessments was correct. It was, in fact, simply a story of a president so desperate for support that he is rekindling old wood.
The “news” that AARP and the AMA have given their support to ObamaCare is not news; it’s actually “olds”. AARP has been a staunch supporter of the Democrat ideals of taxpayer supported healthcare for as long as there has been an AARP. This organization is actually nothing more than a special interest lobbying group that garners support from the aging public by offering a chance for reduced rates on hotel rooms and no medical exam life insurance. They supported the election of candidate Obama and threw their support behind his nationalized healthcare plan before there was even an official plan to support.
The AMA announced their support for ObamaCare over 2 months ago. Since then they have received numerous resignations from the 30% of American doctors who are actual members and are now in the midst of an in-house fight with several members of the board of directors. The immediate past president of the AMA has taken to calling for the resignation or removal of the current president and board on the grounds that the AMA charter forbids this organization from supporting government interference in healthcare or the price fixing that ObamaCare would create for both the medical care and the healthcare insurance.
Nothing the president said was new so why was he so pleased to announce what he was already pleased to announce months ago? The answer is to deflect attention from the Republican gains in the gubernatorial elections held in the Virginia and New Jersey this past week and the surprisingly strong showing of the conservative candidate in New York’s 23rd District special election.
Democrats got a rude wake-up call this past week. While the White House was predictable and quick in distancing the Republican gains as being local issues and having nothing to do with the president, those Democrats dependent on conservative and independent voters in the 2010 midterm elections are anything but satisfied with that assessment.
The reason for the race to a vote on this trillion dollar debacle is that the president can see his magic dwindling before his very eyes and knows that the longer this bill is delayed the less chance he has of wrangling enough support to pass it.
Nancy Pelosi may be able to pull a rabbit out of her hat and get some form of ObamaCare passed in the House within the next few weeks but that passage will be strictly symbolic. Every House member that votes for the bill knows that passage of the Senate’s version, according to Senate leader Harry Reid, will not take place this year. That means that Democrat House members can stay out of Pelosi’s crosshairs and still run for reelection without an ObamaCare package in place. Even if the Senate passes their bill early next year the House will have the opportunity to reject the Senate provisions at least until after the election.
This whole restatement of the previous endorsements is nothing more than Democrat politics as usual with the mainstream lapdog media playing right along. And what hangs in the balance? Only a trillion dollars of taxpayer money and the future of American healthcare and freedom of choice.
The game is the same, but the stakes have gotten substantially higher.
I was more than a little surprised to see the headlines of an Associated Press report that President Obama had gained support of two critical organizations for his ObamaCare nationalized healthcare bill. I quickly read the story to see who was now throwing their support his way only to find it was AARP and the AMA. My first thought was, had the Associated Press been asleep for the last several months or is this a case of déjà vu all over again.
Reading on a little farther it became clear that neither one of those assessments was correct. It was, in fact, simply a story of a president so desperate for support that he is rekindling old wood.
The “news” that AARP and the AMA have given their support to ObamaCare is not news; it’s actually “olds”. AARP has been a staunch supporter of the Democrat ideals of taxpayer supported healthcare for as long as there has been an AARP. This organization is actually nothing more than a special interest lobbying group that garners support from the aging public by offering a chance for reduced rates on hotel rooms and no medical exam life insurance. They supported the election of candidate Obama and threw their support behind his nationalized healthcare plan before there was even an official plan to support.
The AMA announced their support for ObamaCare over 2 months ago. Since then they have received numerous resignations from the 30% of American doctors who are actual members and are now in the midst of an in-house fight with several members of the board of directors. The immediate past president of the AMA has taken to calling for the resignation or removal of the current president and board on the grounds that the AMA charter forbids this organization from supporting government interference in healthcare or the price fixing that ObamaCare would create for both the medical care and the healthcare insurance.
Nothing the president said was new so why was he so pleased to announce what he was already pleased to announce months ago? The answer is to deflect attention from the Republican gains in the gubernatorial elections held in the Virginia and New Jersey this past week and the surprisingly strong showing of the conservative candidate in New York’s 23rd District special election.
Democrats got a rude wake-up call this past week. While the White House was predictable and quick in distancing the Republican gains as being local issues and having nothing to do with the president, those Democrats dependent on conservative and independent voters in the 2010 midterm elections are anything but satisfied with that assessment.
The reason for the race to a vote on this trillion dollar debacle is that the president can see his magic dwindling before his very eyes and knows that the longer this bill is delayed the less chance he has of wrangling enough support to pass it.
Nancy Pelosi may be able to pull a rabbit out of her hat and get some form of ObamaCare passed in the House within the next few weeks but that passage will be strictly symbolic. Every House member that votes for the bill knows that passage of the Senate’s version, according to Senate leader Harry Reid, will not take place this year. That means that Democrat House members can stay out of Pelosi’s crosshairs and still run for reelection without an ObamaCare package in place. Even if the Senate passes their bill early next year the House will have the opportunity to reject the Senate provisions at least until after the election.
This whole restatement of the previous endorsements is nothing more than Democrat politics as usual with the mainstream lapdog media playing right along. And what hangs in the balance? Only a trillion dollars of taxpayer money and the future of American healthcare and freedom of choice.
The game is the same, but the stakes have gotten substantially higher.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Let's Pretend
Indulge me for a moment of you will.
Let’s pretend that George W Bush is president and in the first year of his term in office he was visited by the head of the NRA 12 times. Do you think the press would make an issue of exactly what the NRA was doing with such access to the president?
Or let’s say that during the first year of his second term while the war in Iraq was in full swing the president of Halliburton was at the White House 10 times. Do you think the press would try to connect the dots as to what this major supplier to the military was doing so many times meeting with the president?
I don’t know your answer, but I think that major news media organizations would have focused on little else. Their stories and alleged reports would have been jammed with innuendos and suppositions as to what these groups were up to and why they had such unlimited access to the seat of American governmental power.
Now let’s stop pretending and switch to the here and now with the Anointed One, Barack Hussein Obama in the oval office.
The White House released the visitors list recording those who were allowed past the gates at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the first 10 months of the Obama administration. There were representatives from a number of special interest groups and just as many major celebrities on this official record. But the number one name on the list with the most visits inside the White House was the president of the Service Employees International Union, Andy Stern. You don’t get into the White House without first getting some pretty high level clearance. Records show that Mr. Stern was granted access to the White House 22 times in the first 10 months of Obama’s presidency. That is more than twice a month or just about every other week for Obama’s term thus far. And do the major media outlets raise the question as to what in the world this union boss is doing so many times in the White House? Nope. Nary a word. Only a scant few lines simply reporting the fact. With 22 visits in 10 months Andy Stern may well have been in the oval office more than the first lady, but the major press organizations choose to focus instead on the fact that the Michael Jordon and the Jeremiah Wright shown on the list are not the famous ones but instead others with those same names.
The SEIU is the fastest growing organized labor union in the country. They made their claim to fame as the Building Service Employees Union founded in Chicago in the 1920’s representing janitors, elevator operators and window washers and heading the Justice for Janitors campaign. But now as the SEIU their focus is on the healthcare industry attempting to organize nurses, hospital workers, home healthcare workers and nursing home employees.
SEIU was one of the leading supporters to candidate Barack Obama and it is apparent that the old Chicago style quid pro quo is now in full swing. You see along with nationalizing health insurance and healthcare the ObamaCare bills currently being crafted in the halls of both the Senate and the House requires a large portion of healthcare workers to become, you guessed it, union employees. And what union would these tens if not hundreds of thousands of employees join? Why the SEIU of course.
With the stroke of a presidential pen Barack Hussein Obama could effectively double the size of the SEIU currently estimated to be 1.8 million strong. No wonder it was the SEIU that sent hired thugs to beat up and intimidate attendees at local tea party gatherings and ObamaCare protest rallies.
An organized labor union with a penchant for assault and battery carrying out a plan to forcibly stifle free speech and political activism with seemingly unlimited access to the White House and the president they helped put in place. And the major media outlets are too intimidated or too blinded by the liberal charisma of this bought and paid for president to say a word about it.
Be afraid America. This isn’t pretend anymore.
Let’s pretend that George W Bush is president and in the first year of his term in office he was visited by the head of the NRA 12 times. Do you think the press would make an issue of exactly what the NRA was doing with such access to the president?
Or let’s say that during the first year of his second term while the war in Iraq was in full swing the president of Halliburton was at the White House 10 times. Do you think the press would try to connect the dots as to what this major supplier to the military was doing so many times meeting with the president?
I don’t know your answer, but I think that major news media organizations would have focused on little else. Their stories and alleged reports would have been jammed with innuendos and suppositions as to what these groups were up to and why they had such unlimited access to the seat of American governmental power.
Now let’s stop pretending and switch to the here and now with the Anointed One, Barack Hussein Obama in the oval office.
The White House released the visitors list recording those who were allowed past the gates at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the first 10 months of the Obama administration. There were representatives from a number of special interest groups and just as many major celebrities on this official record. But the number one name on the list with the most visits inside the White House was the president of the Service Employees International Union, Andy Stern. You don’t get into the White House without first getting some pretty high level clearance. Records show that Mr. Stern was granted access to the White House 22 times in the first 10 months of Obama’s presidency. That is more than twice a month or just about every other week for Obama’s term thus far. And do the major media outlets raise the question as to what in the world this union boss is doing so many times in the White House? Nope. Nary a word. Only a scant few lines simply reporting the fact. With 22 visits in 10 months Andy Stern may well have been in the oval office more than the first lady, but the major press organizations choose to focus instead on the fact that the Michael Jordon and the Jeremiah Wright shown on the list are not the famous ones but instead others with those same names.
The SEIU is the fastest growing organized labor union in the country. They made their claim to fame as the Building Service Employees Union founded in Chicago in the 1920’s representing janitors, elevator operators and window washers and heading the Justice for Janitors campaign. But now as the SEIU their focus is on the healthcare industry attempting to organize nurses, hospital workers, home healthcare workers and nursing home employees.
SEIU was one of the leading supporters to candidate Barack Obama and it is apparent that the old Chicago style quid pro quo is now in full swing. You see along with nationalizing health insurance and healthcare the ObamaCare bills currently being crafted in the halls of both the Senate and the House requires a large portion of healthcare workers to become, you guessed it, union employees. And what union would these tens if not hundreds of thousands of employees join? Why the SEIU of course.
With the stroke of a presidential pen Barack Hussein Obama could effectively double the size of the SEIU currently estimated to be 1.8 million strong. No wonder it was the SEIU that sent hired thugs to beat up and intimidate attendees at local tea party gatherings and ObamaCare protest rallies.
An organized labor union with a penchant for assault and battery carrying out a plan to forcibly stifle free speech and political activism with seemingly unlimited access to the White House and the president they helped put in place. And the major media outlets are too intimidated or too blinded by the liberal charisma of this bought and paid for president to say a word about it.
Be afraid America. This isn’t pretend anymore.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
The Real Nightmare
night·mare
Pronunciation: \ˈnīt-ˌmer\
Function: noun
1 : an evil spirit formerly thought to oppress people during sleep
2 : a frightening dream that usually awakens the sleeper
3 : something (as an experience, situation, or object) having the monstrous character of a nightmare or producing a feeling of anxiety or terror
There it was in black and white. A “report” from the Politico news service claiming anxiety or terror on the part of Republican leaders. The opening line read “In what could be a nightmare scenario for Republican officials, conservative activists are gearing up challenge leading GOP candidates in more than a dozen key House and Senate races in 2010.” A nightmare you say?
To be sure there will be some elected Republicans that might have a few restless nights. My guess is that many of them will already be working on how to spin the actions they took while in office to look less like the spend-crazy Democrat pacifiers they have been. As I have told every Republican organization fundraiser that has called my home for the past few years “when the Republicans quit acting like Democrats, I’ll start supporting them again.”
The nightmare is not in what is happening but in what has happened. The Republican Party is unrecognizable to many of us conservative voters. The media would have us believe that if Republicans are to be successful they must adopt a “big tent” mentality. The reality is that the party I supported for lo those many years folded up their tent long ago and simply annexed onto the Democrats. Oh sure there was talk of conservative principles during the congressional campaigns but after the votes were counted you couldn’t tell a D from an R without a program.
Many have pointed to the rapid decline in conservative principles in the national Republican Party as a reason to form a third party. I disagree. We don’t need a third party, we need to return the Republican Party back to what it once was when results mattered more than rhetoric and principles mattered more than appeasement. A recent poll confirmed that by a margin of over two to one Americans consider themselves conservative over liberal. This includes many who claim to be Democrats. If the Republican Party can align itself with the conservative principles that founded this country and allowed it to become the greatest nation on earth there would be no need to look for another political option.
Much has been made of the recent withdrawal of Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava in the upstate New York Congressional election. Liberals point to this as proof that Republicans cannot elect a moderate. But Dede was anything but moderate and her blatant liberalism was in full view when she endorsed the Democrat over the Conservative Party candidate for the position.
The nightmare is not in conservatives taking back control of the government but in what has happened since conservatism has become a dirty word and conservative voters became silent. The nightmare is a President that plays politics while tens of thousands of brave military men and women battle terrorists in Afghanistan desperate for additional support. The nightmare is in a national debt that has tripled in under 10 months with absolutely no sign of abating in the largest spending spree in the history of mankind. The nightmare is in a deficit that is forecasted to be in excess of 10 trillion dollars in the next ten years. The nightmare is in the government control of our healthcare choices and in the government control of our health insurance. The nightmare is in the government nationalization of the banking industry and allowing the same economic morons that created the problem to cause even greater harm to the recovery. The nightmare is in a President that feels he has the power to dictate what Americans should be paid by private industry. The nightmare is in a President whose number one visitor in the White House, logging 22 visits in just under 10 months, is the president of the SEIU union that sends hired thugs to beat up Americans attending tea party rallies.
There are plenty of nightmares to go around.
Conservatism isn’t one of them.
Pronunciation: \ˈnīt-ˌmer\
Function: noun
1 : an evil spirit formerly thought to oppress people during sleep
2 : a frightening dream that usually awakens the sleeper
3 : something (as an experience, situation, or object) having the monstrous character of a nightmare or producing a feeling of anxiety or terror
There it was in black and white. A “report” from the Politico news service claiming anxiety or terror on the part of Republican leaders. The opening line read “In what could be a nightmare scenario for Republican officials, conservative activists are gearing up challenge leading GOP candidates in more than a dozen key House and Senate races in 2010.” A nightmare you say?
To be sure there will be some elected Republicans that might have a few restless nights. My guess is that many of them will already be working on how to spin the actions they took while in office to look less like the spend-crazy Democrat pacifiers they have been. As I have told every Republican organization fundraiser that has called my home for the past few years “when the Republicans quit acting like Democrats, I’ll start supporting them again.”
The nightmare is not in what is happening but in what has happened. The Republican Party is unrecognizable to many of us conservative voters. The media would have us believe that if Republicans are to be successful they must adopt a “big tent” mentality. The reality is that the party I supported for lo those many years folded up their tent long ago and simply annexed onto the Democrats. Oh sure there was talk of conservative principles during the congressional campaigns but after the votes were counted you couldn’t tell a D from an R without a program.
Many have pointed to the rapid decline in conservative principles in the national Republican Party as a reason to form a third party. I disagree. We don’t need a third party, we need to return the Republican Party back to what it once was when results mattered more than rhetoric and principles mattered more than appeasement. A recent poll confirmed that by a margin of over two to one Americans consider themselves conservative over liberal. This includes many who claim to be Democrats. If the Republican Party can align itself with the conservative principles that founded this country and allowed it to become the greatest nation on earth there would be no need to look for another political option.
Much has been made of the recent withdrawal of Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava in the upstate New York Congressional election. Liberals point to this as proof that Republicans cannot elect a moderate. But Dede was anything but moderate and her blatant liberalism was in full view when she endorsed the Democrat over the Conservative Party candidate for the position.
The nightmare is not in conservatives taking back control of the government but in what has happened since conservatism has become a dirty word and conservative voters became silent. The nightmare is a President that plays politics while tens of thousands of brave military men and women battle terrorists in Afghanistan desperate for additional support. The nightmare is in a national debt that has tripled in under 10 months with absolutely no sign of abating in the largest spending spree in the history of mankind. The nightmare is in a deficit that is forecasted to be in excess of 10 trillion dollars in the next ten years. The nightmare is in the government control of our healthcare choices and in the government control of our health insurance. The nightmare is in the government nationalization of the banking industry and allowing the same economic morons that created the problem to cause even greater harm to the recovery. The nightmare is in a President that feels he has the power to dictate what Americans should be paid by private industry. The nightmare is in a President whose number one visitor in the White House, logging 22 visits in just under 10 months, is the president of the SEIU union that sends hired thugs to beat up Americans attending tea party rallies.
There are plenty of nightmares to go around.
Conservatism isn’t one of them.
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