Category Archives: The Middle East

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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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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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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End-run around Congress???

Kathleen-SebeliusIt should come as no surprise that funding for the “Affordable” Care Act simply doesn’t exist in real money. So notwithstanding what we know to be the Administrations true desire for a “single payer” system of healthcare, it now appears HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is strong-arming health care execs for cash ahead of the official 2014 roll-out of all the budget busting parts of “Obamacare”.

As we watch the IRS scandal unfold before our eyes, and we hear the likes of Eric Holder attempt to explain away lying to Congress and breaking the laws he’s supposed to enforce, and as the truth of Benghazi ebbs and flows like blood through the cracks of an al-Qaeda prison cell floor, this latest departure from ethical government leaves me to contemplate the words of our President back in 2009. “I will also hold myself as president to a new standard of openness …. Let me say it as simply as I can: Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency.” – President Barack Obama 

What a complete and total crock!

I ask the Left, as well as the media sycophants who unbelievably continue to turn a blind eye to the obvious, are you comfortable with this? Is this your idea of our children’s America? Is this your answer to the dreaded George Bush? Shame on you, all of you…

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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…

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“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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“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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“Saving American lives”…

anwar-obama-drone-460x307Listening to “School Boy Jay Carney” talk about these drone strikes is like watching a Jason Bourne movie. “Your missions will save American lives”. Good grief…

The problem is this administrations track record in terms of the Constitutional rights of “We the People”. Everything they do stinks more of political reasoning than anything else. All roads seem destined only to prop up this President, usually by way of an end-run around the (Bill of Rights). Hell, they vaporized al-Awlaki’s 16-year-old son along with him.

You know, I listen to Libs every day fight with me about how the POTUS was sent by God to right the wrongs of GW and Ronald Reagan. Frankly, all I have been able to discern with clarity, is that he’s an inexperienced community organizer from Illinois, who doesn’t know the first thing about actually being President. I see a man, ideologically content to remake the office into his own personal shooting gallery, with American citizens now clearly on the “kill list”.

I am all for the use of these drones as an effective way to light up these terrorist bastards when they least expect it. That said, and given President Obama’s propensity to gorge himself at the trough of power, I think it’s time for some serious oversight.

Hey, do you hear something??? Oh sxxt…….—————————

 

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1-20-13, The Inauguration of Apathy…

Inaugural_platform-001_s640x427Whether you agree with him or not, Barack Obama will be sworn in as President of The United States for a second term. The backdrop of this inauguration however, will be one of uncertainty and disillusionment to be sure.

We are living in a time of choices like we have never faced, and they are not necessarily ideological choices. Nevertheless, most Americans must now decide whether they will recognize and accept the factual evidence of our national “situation”, or whether they will choose to ignore that evidence, blame someone or something else, and hope the “situation” will correct itself. Here are some undeniable truths to consider though, if you have the intestinal fortitude…

Our overall economy has already morphed into an over-extended and dormant entity on life support, chugging along at what would normally be considered a pathetic pace. Stocks are up though they are critically overvalued paper, and lack the raw capital which once calmed a long term investor. Unemployment remains under-reported and elevated because of uncertainty over the rising costs associated with owning and running a business. Ideological taxes and benefit burdens threaten to blow up middle America, with a recent report from a former GAO Chief predicting Obamacare may very well collapse the entire economy. (Note: Most credible analysts who aren’t drinking the Obama Kool-Aid support that prediction.) And as a nation, we spend nearly twice what we take in, with our debt now growing beyond our realistic ability to pay it off of our great-grandchildren’s backs.

In full view of all of these facts many have simply chosen to dig in their partisan heals and spit into the proverbial fan. Politicians for life on both sides of the aisle have put us on a collision course with financial Armageddon, and there seems little “We the People” are prepared to do about it. Moreover, Chief Justice John Roberts will swear in a President tomorrow, who lacks both the life experience and historical grasp to lead us back onto the right avenue, a demagogue, drunk on perceived adoration, and who is content see this college experiment through to it’s inevitable conclusion, even if it means the United States emerges but a shell of its former glory.

Now some will call me a racist for my conclusions. Still others will call (me) the partisan, and I will undoubtedly argue against this foolishness to the bitter end. That said, what we are facing here is a mathematical certainty with unimaginable consequences, which can no longer be denied or framed as just some radical doomsday prediction. The hard numbers are now in plain sight. Make no mistake, I too am stunned at how quickly this country was lulled into a catatonic 1960’s mentality, unable to see reality or reason, blinded by rhetoric, and selfishly willing to deny their posterity.

So as I watch and listen to President Obama take the oath of office once more, and I hear him swear to uphold the Constitution of this nation once again, and then I listen some more as he will undoubtedly rehash much of the old “Hope and Change” diatribe, I will be considering my sons and our children’s America. Regrettably, my conclusions will be the same as they were in 2008. The President is not the problem. We are…

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