Category Archives: International

So much for the “Obama Spring”…

Mohamed Morsi

Mohamed Morsi

Economics drive politics to be sure, and while the Islamic movement remains a political force in Egypt, matters of the wallet and pocket-book will always rule the day. The Egyptian culture is as diverse as any, and they are a proud people. Hosni Mubarak knew this and maintained his grip on power for 29 years because he embraced the need for individual profits as a means to keep a lid on dissention. Some would argue (including me), that his promotion of private over the public sector brought about Egypt’s best days. It was not until there was economic strife such that it allowed light to shine on more problematic issues like human rights and police brutality under his rule, that Mubarak’s hold on government was finally compromised. The latest and now former Egyptian President forgot this basic principle out of the gate, and while he won more votes in a popular election, Egypt’s young and middle class working stiffs quickly tired of “hope and change Morsi style”. Sharia Law is the last thing on the mind of a parent without enough food for their children to eat.

Ironically, the Muslim Brotherhood is now in the unenviable position of defending the very thing they hate most in the world, Democracy. Moreover, the Obama Administration’s often ambiguous at best approach to the turmoil in Egypt has left few on the international scene confident the United States has any leverage left in the Middle East.

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Snarky POTUS…

SAFRICA-US-DEMODespite what the diehards on MSNBC and CNN would have you believe, the President’s poll numbers are dropping. No longer hovering around the 49 percent approval rating, they have now begun a marching decline, with the last RCP average at about 46 percent, and his disapproval numbers at nearly 49 percent. This is certainly the result of some scandal weariness in recent months, though I would admit it has taken some time for “We the People” to actually notice. Nevertheless, reality is sinking in and the POTUS is not doing himself any favors with his snarky attitude. At a time when most folks are extremely nervous in terms of this so-called recovery, a $100 million dollar African Safari billed as a “business trip” just isn’t gonna fly.

Inexperience and ineptitude are one thing, but an elitist and confrontational tone when asked by your employers to explain your actions, is not the appropriate response. Heck, even Carter knew that. “Obamacare” is right on schedule, and the road ahead for the President will be bumpy at best…

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POTUS knows best…

062213_JER_Obama_640The science of “climate change” is debatable at best, and while curbing pollution should be an objective of any civilized nation, it mustn’t come solely at the expense of the economic stability necessary to pay for it. I am not writing today to debate President Obama’s assumptions about global warming, but to condemn his use of personal ideology to “dictate” policy in spite of our Constitutional Republic. This Commander-in-Chief has set new benchmarks for side-stepping the process of a free government in order to promote and enact that which (he believes) is ultimately necessary. This is the height of elitism and Socialist expression.

History clearly demonstrates that when politics trump the best interest of “We the People”, no good ever comes of it for “We the People”. Now I’m not suggesting an economic approach devoid of the regulation necessary to ensure the fundamental public health and safety, but rather one enabled by “common sense” application of those regulations which does not unduly handicap the industry and companies creating jobs and producing products we need and use every day. The goal of a world without fossil fuel is unachievable inside a period of time acceptable in “quality of life” terms, and it turns out, wholly unnecessary. These goals can be addressed in a far more realistic and generational manner, while ensuring economic and international stability throughout the process. In the end, one man’s selfish quest for ideological glory must not come at the expense of our representative government and the “unfiltered” will of its people.

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Divisive is as divisive does…

Presidents should wear straight T's. Just sayin'...

Presidents should wear straight T’s. Just sayin’…

Once again the Commander-in-Chief has chosen to denigrate his own country while “campaigning” abroad. Judging by the crowd at the Brandenburg Gate, it has done little to stop the slide of his once rock-star persona. As with many Progressive thinkers, the President attempts to twist and contort freedom into something which divides instead of empowers, this time pitting certain schools and educational (choices) against the Constitution. This from the POTUS who has arguably done more to promote class warfare and division than any before him. He even harkened back to the Civil War and the lasting pain of slavery, leaving out of course, the far shorter road to equality and human justice as its legacy, and as opposed to much of the rest of the world for thousands of years before.

A president’s second term is always a window into his true beliefs, as his focus shifts to legacy instead of re-election. This president is no different, and I would argue less ambiguous than his predecessors. His disdain for America, combined with an alternative albeit inaccurate view of its history, helps paint the picture of a bitter and uncompromising ideologue, reluctant at best to engage in any debate which might contradict his interpretations, a regrettable outcome to a Presidency sold as “Hope and Change”. Moreover, his continuing desire to promote his viewpoint on the “other side of the pond” leaves little doubt of his intent to rally sympathetic forces outside the homeland. Thankfully, and as appears to be the case here in the States, his influence has waned under the righteous stress of truth and reason.

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National security or my iPhone…

nsa-leakerAs we debate the issue of combating terrorism in the 21st Century, a number of things come to mind. Ben Franklin once reflected that those who would sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither. I support that assertion. History tells us the eventual providers of the “security” we seek, often become the tyrants who rob us of what remains. Nevertheless, we are faced with a global enemy who means to exploit our freedoms in order to murder innocents, (9/11, Boston Marathon etc…). So where is the balance? Frankly, I’m not sure there is one.

To be sure, “We the People” simply cannot allow our government carte blanche access to the privacy associated with our individual and unalienable rights as outlined in the Constitution. We must however accept that “terrorism police work” often requires the same “NCIS” tactics which glue us to the flat screen on Tuesday night. Consequently, in order to occupy that “national security” middle ground everyone is talking about, judicial oversight must be ever-present, relentless, and transparent, with swift and significant accountability for any abuses. Our freedoms are far too unambiguous and precious. Moreover, what we are seeing today is proof that “clandestine” data mining and the like, can corrupt even the most well-intentioned of efforts, especially if government is involved. So as keepers of that government, and if we continue to immerse ourselves in the wonders of rapidly advancing technology, then we must also be steadfast and diligent in policing its misuse.

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Indifference on a Presidential scale…

Barack ObamaListening to the same tired talking points from the POTUS yesterday was as it always is for me, nauseating. Not surprisingly, there was the all too familiar elitist condescension as his remarks dripped with disdain for his critics and political opponents. What was striking this time, was that even in the face of a legacy which will most certainly be bracketed by unprecedented acts of corruption and ideological warfare, the President of (our) United States seemed indifferent, unapologetic, and even arrogant. Nevertheless, his inexperience and non-negotiable style have cost the President in terms of how he is perceived here and abroad, and have handicapped this nation’s overall standing as well as the future potential of its posterity.

In his remarks I did not hear a President humbled by the raging scandals playing out on his watch. I did not hear a leader accepting a stitch of responsibility for the actions and tone of his Administration during these crises. I did not hear a man willing work with Congress for the betterment of “We the People” and/or to resolve the critical issues of our time, but rather I heard a headstrong ideologue anxious to press a bad position no matter the cost, and willing to re-write the pages of history as it happens to reflect his version, to change the truth if you will, in order to fit the narrative of a failed agenda.

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Accountability, front and center please…

untitled

“And for my next lie”,,,,

If Americans aren’t paying attention when their representatives speak in Washington, they should be. This is especially true for folks in California when Barbara Boxer opens her pie hole. May we finally resolve the issue of security funding for diplomatic missions, and more specifically the safety of the Benghazi Consulate as “considered” recently by the misguided Senator?

Firstly, I’m always curious when Liberals start talking about budget “cuts”, because frankly there’s no such thing in Washington! From 2008 -2012, increases to mission security budgets (including Benghazi) were over 90% of their proposed allowances. Subsequent negotiations in the House were routine, and likely regarding the size of proposed “increases” as possible cost saving measures going forward. Keep in mind, these types of “adjustments” are usually miniscule relative to the overall numbers, and according to folks on the ground in Tripoli, not a factor whatsoever concerning the safety of the Benghazi mission proper or any requests for additional security.

“Let me be clear” Senator Boxer. You’re just a liar…

The likely truth no one wants to talk about: The State Department was concerned the appearance of heightened security in the wake of the President’s proclamation that terrorism was all but defeated would be “problematic” during his re-election bid. Moreover, they were actively recruiting inexperienced locals to provide security in Libya to reinforce a notion of tranquility despite the CIA’s repeated warnings about the presence of al-Qaeda and of a possible attack on the consulate.

Simply put, what we’re hearing from the WH and others within the President’s front line defense, is a less than subtle attempt to cover up a bungled agenda which likely caused the deaths of four brave America’s caught in the middle.

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“Stylistic” cover-up…

1132876At this juncture, I think it’s reasonable to assume the White house and State Department conspired to manipulate CIA intelligence on Benghazi, so it would fit the 2012 Obama Campaign’s narrative of a diminished al-Qaeda threat on the President’s watch. Moving passed the obvious for a minute however, I think what’s getting lost in all this, is the CIA warned of a possibly coordinated terrorist attack on the consulate proper in the days and weeks prior to 9/11/2012, and the Obama Administration did nothing about it. Now let me save all of you “Barackapologists” a lot of hot air and tell you that any Congressional discussion of funding for additional security was just that, “discussion”, and had no direct impact regarding real-time safety considerations on the ground in Libya. (See Ambassador Pickering threat).

benghazi0Having been vindicated once again by the truth, there is still something troubling me about this tragedy, and it is Hillary Clinton’s well publicized rant when pushed by Senator Johnson about the reason for the attack. When taken in the context of Deputy Chief of Mission Hicks’s treatment by the State Department after he decided to testify, and in consideration of State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nulands “specific objections” to the original CIA talking points draft which she felt “could be used by the political opposition”, one can only surmise this situation was at the very least bungled from beginning to end, and/or at the very worst, a reprehensible and possibly even criminal political cover-up. Regardless, the families of those brave souls who sacrificed all that night in a foreign land, deserve to know the truth.

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No School Boy Jay Carney, it’s not old news…

Old news???

Old news???

Some of you may recall I predicted Benghazi would bring down the Obama Administration, and I stand by that prediction. The question however, is are we officially living in a climate where things like the murder of one of our ambassadors and three of his support staff simply don’t matter as much anymore. I think any reasonable person would agree, had this happened during Bush 43, impeachment hearings would have been well under way by now. Nevertheless, there are four dead Americans whose sacrifices we have yet to reconcile, and it’s becoming more apparent these real life instances are far more challenging than the elitist up-starts in the White House had figured on.

In the days and weeks ahead we will finally be hearing from those who were on the ground in real-time as it happened, and we will also watch Socialist politicians and the Obama propaganda press machine attempt to take them apart. For Republicans on the other hand, it will be a game of restraint so as not to look like a bunch of desperate sharks cruising a chum line. Inevitably however, it will fall to “We the People”, to decide what is acceptable in terms of how much the United States will tolerate to garner some perceived international acceptance and/or false accolades. Our President and his political sycophants apparently believe there is some sort of twisted trade-off to be had here. Disgraceful…

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“War on Terror” 101…

519160126Listening to the fringe on either side of the political argument these days can be frustrating. It all depends on your mood I suppose, and how receptive you are at any given moment, to the myriad of ideological rhetoric littering the air waves, television and the internet. Moreover, the currently super-charged environment which exists because of the events in Boston further complicates matters as every news agency and their affiliate want to be first with “the scoop”. I’m actually not even sure why I bother some days…Truthfully, I bother because I care about the future of my son’s country and I prefer to be an educated participant in the debate.

With this in mind and despite what some of my detractors would have you believe, I’ve never been much of government “conspiracy theorist”. My politics are much more human in terms of my confidence that our elected/appointed officials will actually adhere to their respective oaths. Nevertheless, as I listen to some credible media (and government) sources now reporting, at the very least, some face to face federal interaction with accused bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, I’m concerned about whether we either dropped the ball, or purposely looked away. Now I’m not in any way suggesting government involvement in the attacks, so you Lefty nuts can put a sock in it. I am suggesting however, that our current politically correct posture in this country may be compromising our ability to see the threat clearly, thereby compromising “We the People”.

Look, when a Jihadist psychopath yells “allahu-akbar” and guns down 12 soldiers and 1 civilian on a military installation, it’s not “work place violence”, it’s a terrorist attack damn it, and anyone who says differently is someone whose motives we should question.

Oh, and all Ft. Hood soldiers involved should receive their purple hearts and other “combat” related metals Mr. President. “War on Terror 101”

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