Transition August, 2013
Hello “Patriot64″ readers and fans. We will finally be transitioning to the site application of simply www.patriot64.com. It has been under construction for a while and should be ready for full release in the next few weeks. Don’t worry, when it goes on-line you will automatically be redirected from the old blog site which will remain active as an archive. We ask that you register and bookmark the new site also for your convenience. Thanks for being part of the discussion and we hope you enjoy "patriot64.com". Remember, “truth and reason first”… Spread the word…
Feel free to have look around the new site: http://www.patriot64.com/
Independence...
November 2024 M T W T F S S « Nov 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 “Patriot64”
7-4-1776
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.-----
“We the People”
"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."Categories
-
Recent Posts
patriot64Archives
What folks are saying…
- Jeffrey A. Coulter on Living the numbers…
- Mark Poirier on “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7)
- Eugene Bolton on “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7)
- Fred Comella "Patriot64" on June 6, 1944…
- Jeffrey A. Coulter on Indifference on a Presidential scale…
My Links
- Abundant Life Assembly of God My Church 10
- AK's and Cupcakes Some things just go together… 10
- Conservative Chronicle Conservative writing… 8
- Country Babies USA For the finest Americana Crafts… 10
- Gold Star Moms Honor those whose children have honored us… 10
- Imprimis Education not indoctrination… 9
- Mark Levin The Great One… 9
- NASCAR The latest from the speedway… 10
- Paul Ryan Must listen to this! 7
- Rush Limbaugh Talent on loan from God… 9
- Sean Hannity A great American… 9
- The Blaze News and opinion… 10
- The Cary D. Conover Daily Published by Cary D Conover – 228 news spotters today 10
- The Good News Today “The” Christian Newspaper of record… 10
- The Heritage Foundation Leadership for America 9
- The Providence Journal My local read… 8
- Wounded Warrior Project Help those who fight in our stead… 10
Special Mention
- Country Babies USA For the finest Americana Crafts… 10
Category Archives: Fred Comella
Staying focused…
Amidst the tragedy in Newtown Connecticut remains the stinging reality of our fiscal and other woes. As the nation has been fixed on the horrific events which occurred at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, lawmakers have been pounding at each other from both sides of the aisle over the impending tax hikes and cuts to services which will occur if a deal is not reached soon. While the President is determined to take our country to the doorstep of social welfare for all, and John Boehner searches for any sign of his principles, the effects of Hurricane Sandy have filtered through the employment outlook and jobless claims are creeping up again. Moreover, hiring remains sluggish at best as businesses look to the “fiscal cliff” and hold off any type of expansion hiring. And for those who think this class warfare “line in the sand” way of thinking won’t affect jobs in this country, I hope you’re paying attention. We are all in for a bad taste of reality coming soon to an economy near you.
Sadly though, “We the People” have been experiencing distraction on an unimaginable and gut wrenching level. And so as we appropriately mourn the lost and search for ways to help their families, it is much more difficult to focus on what our politicians are doing behind the “political iron curtain” that is Washington DC. For instance, the Obama Administration’s culpability in the deaths of four brave diplomats in Benghazi is quickly slipping into the depths of bureaucratic smoke and mirrors. Additionally, our President is attempting to manipulate away our voice concerning our children’s debt, by way of failing economic policy and executive privilege not granted to him under the Constitution. And even more pathetic and troubling, is the fact that I cannot remember a time when those charged with objectively bringing us the facts regardless of political or personal ideology have been so negligent in their respective duties. Plain and simple, todays media are by and large, propagandists for this President and his politics.
So as we lay to rest the beloved children of Newtown and their teachers, it is incumbent upon “We the People” to stay focused. We must reach deeper than ever before to find the courage to make the tough choices on a whole range of critical issues which will determine not just our future, but the futures of our children. I truly believe the best way we may honor those lost, is to secure this free nation for those who must carry on.
Honor them…
I suppose that in the age of the 24 hour news cycle we should expect nothing less than bell to bell coverage of the unimaginable tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. Consequently, we should also expect agenda driven politicians and uniformed ideologues to exploit that tragedy for political and/or ideological gain. I recently posted on Facebook that I was trying desperately not to engage out of respect for the lost and their grieving families, and in spite of the enormous amount of misinformation being spewed by the anti-gun crowd. Unfortunately, it is now painfully obvious this may not be possible. The deaths of these young children and those who sought to protect them at the Sandy Hook Elementary School must not simply be the catalyst for change of the wrong kind, promoted by those of the wrong intent.
Make no mistake, the loss of these innocents by the hand of evil, manifested in the form of a person with mental illness, begs a discussion of a higher sort with the aim of protecting our most valuable resource on planet earth, our children. Having said that, the critical task at hand will require level headed and truthful participants with no ulterior motives, and whose intentions are laser focused on the above and nothing else. So let’s look at what is being put out there at present, both on the political as well as the media fronts.
For starters, it is clear the President will charge ahead with what he ignored in his first term because it was politically dangerous. On its face this should tell you much about Mr. Obama’s political intentions. I would add however, the suggestion his emotion is not genuine is simply ridiculous. The POTUS has two school age daughters and I’m quite sure he has been rattled by the events of 12/14. No, this is an ideological battle not a personal one, at least in terms of any solution going forward.
Notwithstanding personal attacks by either side, President Obama named his VP Joe Biden as the point man for a committee to make recommendations, citing Biden’s input on the Clinton era assault weapons ban. I’m sorry, would that be the ban which had “zero” impact on violent crime, as vetted by every credible reporting agency including the CDC, which conducted no less than 50 inquiries desperately searching for evidence to support the ban but found none? Oh, and Attorney General Eric Holder will be sought out for his input and has already recommended a stronger BATFE. I’m sorry, would that be the Attorney General and BATFE embroiled in the “Fast and Furious” gun running scandal which resulted in the deaths of over nine hundred Mexican civilians and two border agents?
When you add in Dick Durbin and Dianne Feinstein, two of the most partisan and uniformed politicians on the matter of gun control, it is easy to come to the conclusion that the “discussion” on how to make our children safer will be dominated by politics and misinformation. Moreover, the statistical data continues to show that so-called “assault weapons” account for just 1/5 of one percent of all violent crime, with 1/7 of all guns in circulation in the U.S. being “assault weapons”, just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the “numbers within the numbers” which clearly show the futility of additional gun control. (Note here, one only need look to the states with the highest violent crime rates to find the most draconian gun laws).
Look, this debate is just getting started. And while I continue to believe it is incumbent upon us to focus our efforts on supporting the families in their time of sorrow and loss, we must also guard against feel good applications which always results in the erosion of freedom, while doing nothing to address the issue of violence in our nation. Turning a blind eye to the root causes and societal factors which are at the heart of our “national condition”, is akin to doing nothing at all in the face of this unholy nightmare. As a father, I am with whoever truly endeavors in the name of the victims and the Newtown community, honestly and with the same motivations. As a patriot, I must also endeavor to preserve and protect my son’s liberty from those who would manipulate it by way of false and ideological rhetoric, intended only for political gain and offered not as substantive and genuine solutions. I feel the two approaches are inexorably linked. In the name of those lost, let the truth, the facts and a genuine desire to keep our children safe, be the catalyst for real “change for the better”…
Priorities…
Its been a difficult weekend. I was comforted however to see a Barrington Police Officer standing watch as I dropped my 5th grader off at school this morning. But it did bring home some of the reality for me, if only out in front of any substantive discussions concerning why Sandy Hook happened.
Firstly, we understand there is evil in the world, which is sometimes manifested in ways we simply cannot imagine or understand. Secondly, we must rally in our communities and show support for the families of Newtown who need us emotionally and financially right now. And lastly, the question of “why” those innocent young children died should be first and foremost to be answered. “How” they died is a forensics question, and while certainly applicable, must be addressed in the appropriate context and order.
Inevitably, there will be many who attempt to frame this horrific incident in rhetorical terms in spite of fact and reason, and we must reject their efforts for the political fodder they are. For the moment, and frankly until the time is right, this is and should be about pulling those affected close to our hearts and keeping them in our prayers this Christmas.
May God Bless those little souls in Heaven this day, and may he provide some measure of solace to their families left behind.
“I left my Christmas lights on all last night, so the babies could see them from Heaven.”…
“I left my Christmas lights on all last night, so the babies could see them from Heaven.”
I have been around the block a few times. Over the years, my life’s path has shown me more than a few unpleasant things. But this day, there is a knot in my stomach that won’t go away. I don’t know if I want to scream or cry. I feel as though I must do something. So for the moment I’m just talking to God and writing.
As a political pundit though, I’m going to get this out of the way up front. And just because of my aversion to all the fools out there who would politicize and exploit the tragedy in Newtown, while the bodies of those children still lie frozen in time on the floor of their elementary school. This is my post on Facebook after the incident occurred, and I will leave it at that for the moment.
“Even more frustrating and disgusting, is to hear politicians and “media types” already rushing to the debate over gun control. Uninformed, irresponsible, incentive and disrespectful. For my part, I will pray for the loved and lost and say simply that this is big picture. And only after we bury our dead and tearfully comfort those left behind, will it be time for sensible and serious non-political folks to bring hearts and minds to the table of honest thought, so we may contemplate what truly ails our wounded society.”
The one constant that keeps coming to my mind concerning the events of yesterday in Connecticut, is something Bill O’Reilly of “The Factor” said on his program last evening. -“We can’t stop it“. Part of me believes he is right. Politics aside, how do you stop an individual who is unstable and proceeding unchecked from that instability? Moreover, I believe evil is real, often manifesting itself in human form and committing these nightmarish crimes against the innocent. So where does that leave us?
I’ll tell you where I believe it leaves us. It leaves us back at the beginning, back at the time when we decided that God had no place in our children’s classrooms, or in the halls of higher education and government. It leaves us in the place where we have become desensitized to the horror of war, violent crime and death, which are all now glamorized within the incredible graphics of the latest video games we allow our children to play. It leaves many families overworked and extended beyond their ability to see the warning signs. So much so that in some cases it is often too late to stop the resulting explosion of rage. And it leaves us running straight back to the arms of a loving God, who I believe is disappointed in the way we are living his gift to us, but willing to embrace our wounded souls nevertheless.
Look, I am not placing blame but rather applying what I can clearly see to any possible explanation for what seems unexplainable. I’m very sure the ensuing law enforcement investigation will begin to shed light on the events which led to this unimaginable act of violence. Regrettably, there will also be a great push by those of questionable intent to frame it in one way or another. Many facts will be ignored for the sake of political posturing, and in the end the true lessons may even be lost. For this father of a boy age 10, it comes down to a couple of simple realities. First and foremost is to take hold of your children, and do not take for granted a love and bond like no other on planet earth. And secondly, we are simply not the “be all and end all” damn it!
Faith alone may not stop things like this from happening. But I believe in my heart that if we do not deny Him, and at least make an effort every day to walk as He would have us, then “God” will not deny us a better world…
A-123 Red Light!!!
The President has hailed many things as success stories, which supposedly relate to what is actually the fleecing of the American Tax Payer to the tune of almost $800 billion dollars, ( The American “Recovery” and Re-Investment Act). So it is like nails on a chalk board when I hear that voice from the past talking about companies like “A123” and how they were proof positive his (college try) was “and is working”. Even worse, A123 joins a growing list of companies and banks snatched up by the Chinese at bargain prices after being subsidized by “We the People”. It is simply unimaginable and frustrating to think that reasonable people can look at any of the cost to benefit ratios having to do with the 2009 “stimulus” plan, and not come to the conclusion that it has been an enormous and costly failure.
As we will see the Obama years inevitably yield a more economically and militarily compromised United States on the world stage, and as the nation continues its steady decline into “the new norm”, with a smaller work force, higher taxes for all, and inflation and gas prices more closely resembling those of Europe, it appears the President may indeed have been successful. Not in leaving a better America for our children, but rather in diminishing and reigning in the “arrogant, divisive and derisive” nation he has so openly and forthrightly criticized. Congratulations Mr. President, “mission accomplished“.
“Rino” reasoning…
Former Florida Governor Charlie Crist was many things politically, but he was never a Republican. Crist’s record reeks of “middle of road” tactics and politically motivated sidestepping. He struck me as a coward then as he does today, with his recent shall we say, “conversion”. You see, I’ve never believed in the “Rino” label, but rather felt it was cover for those who simply lacked “intestinal fortitude”, and whose intentions were rooted in re-election and re-election only. Good riddance Chuck… I do believe however, this type of political morphing is symptomatic of a bigger problem which has transcended generations to the American Electorate. It is just plain easier to be middle of the road and stand for nothing these days…
Ultimately, I remain convinced of the need for a return to conviction and principle in the American political system, bracketed by an educated and informed voter who understands that our nation is unique, and for very special and significant reasons. The question is, can someone who stands on their principles, and who feels those principles are reflected in the “American Dream” expect to be successful in U.S. politics today, oh and without being branded a greedy, rich, white, polluting, racist, sexist, homophobe? Let’s look at this with some objectivity and truth, shall we?
Judging by the 2012 Presidential Election results, I’d have to say a fair amount of folks are a bit conflicted about their principles. Old folks because they’ve had Liberals screaming in their ears about Republican plans to replace their Social Security checks with pet store food stamps, young folks because they are learning about the “new and improved America” in school and they just don’t know any better, and middle aged folks because they’re suffering from the Rip Van-Winkle effect. There is a ton of ideological crap floating around the toilet which is our nation’s capital these days, and both of the major parties share some of the responsibility for it being there. The result has been a diminished sense of our national identity, and a subtle but growing confusion about our cultural destiny. This is demonstrated by a recent poll showing that more than fifty percent of Democrats have a favorable view of Socialism. What??! This can and must be because they simply have no clue of history and how the Socialist model has given rise to some of the world’s worst tyrants. For if they had read the true historical record, and listened with even the most objective ear, they would surely have come away with a different conclusion. Ok, so I won’t get into a sprawling rant on the perils of Socialism, and how it is been re-packaged if you will, by the Progressive Left. But it is obvious that what ails us is not simply socioeconomic and/or ideological, but rather it’s a fundamental break in the line of historical truth which shaped this great and worthy experiment. Moreover, it is the mission of every George Soros enemy of freedom, to rewrite and revise the American experience, in such a way as to lessen its worth in the eyes of future generations, here at home and around the globe. This is their only hope of victory, to re-write the story over time. Simply put, the exploitation of America’s faults and shortcomings is relentlessly and maliciously broadcast by a complicit Left wing press, and now taught in our schools and institutions of “higher learning”, out in front of the undeniable goodness, immeasurable contributions and inspirational example to free people everywhere, which are the true hallmarks of the greatest nation ever in the history of human kind.
So as we gear up for what will inevitably be a fight to regain our national sense of worth, through 2014 and beyond, the battle lines appear much more defined. In the end, that battle will be joined by those stewards of history and truth, who value liberty and the individual’s contribution to the collective success of a free republic, pitted against those of endless excuses and a perverted and fairytale sense of fairness, having little or nothing to do with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. This is the growing reality and the pivotal face-off which will eventually define Barack Obama’s eight years as President of The United States. Which side of history will you tell your children your were on?
Hanukkah 2012…
Remember that which binds us as a nation and as a people to our friends in Israel. May they be blessed during this holiday season, and during their time of struggle…
“a date which will live in infamy”…
Demographically speaking…
Many things inspire my writing. I do not automatically fall in line with the “news of the day” folks as this is predictable to me and often not of great interest to my readers. It’s the story within the story I’m chasing, that in turn allows me to reconcile the events which affect us all.
I was reading on-line recently when I came across a very flattering sequence of photos showing the President with his wife and one of his daughters taking in a pro-basketball game. Smiles and hugs abounded, and Mr. Obama the man looked quite content with his life post-election. Unlike some who write as I do, I’m usually inclined to give the POTUS a pass in these situations because he is also a family man and should be able to enjoy his life, at least to the extent he can and within the context of his awesome “responsibilities”. Truth be told, that difficult balance goes with the job he fought so hard to keep.
Nevertheless, I read a contrasting article this morning about a women in Rhode Island who was laid off last year and has been struggling with the fact her unemployment benefits are quickly coming to an end. She has cashed in her life insurance and sold just about everything she owns to stay in the game. She reminded the interviewer that her bills are still due regardless of her employment status, and that her gas had been shut off at different times while she struggled to pay the bill. With winter approaching, my heart went out to this women as you could clearly see the anguish on her face in a photo taken for the article.
Now I know Liberals out there will defend the President on this one, and say that he cannot and should not be expected to live life as a recluse in mourning for those struggling in “the worst recession since the Great Depression”, as he himself describes it. Normally I would be inclined to agree with that analogy. However, “this President” has taken extraordinary pains to identify himself with a particular demographic in this country, all the while bashing another demographic and touting what he calls “progress” on the economic front.
So as the work force remains at historically low levels, and many finding work are settling for underemployment as opposed to no employment, and as our national debt continues to grow while a fiscal chasm looms ahead of the new year, and while so many Americans continue to struggle in an economic climate on which our President readily admits “We’ve got more work to do”, I would suggest to Mr. Obama that he at least try and appear a bit more introspective during this very difficult holiday season for many Americans.
Fiscal Fiasco…
Talks on the so-called “Fiscal Cliff” are collapsing as I knew they would. And despite the fact many Republicans appeared ready to roll over and play nice with the POTUS, it now seems pretty obvious the President wants to take a “perceived” mandate for a test drive down a one way, and John Boehner is having none of it. Notably, I seem to remember telling all of you this President was not the least bit interested in “bi-partisanship” or anything to do with real recovery. Simply put, his campaign style approach to securing his ideological intentions for our nation is right on track. And in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, many of the President’s “fans” believe tax hikes on “rich folk” are going to put a chicken back in every pot.
Regrettably, I am beginning to see another of my predictions taking shape. This one however will be much more painful than anyone could have imagined. It will be this new and more dramatic economic downturn that may finally shake the Obama Presidency to its core. Who Americans will blame as a result is a question to be answered in the coming months and years. Nevertheless, Mr. Obama’s “political capital”, as it is often referred to by the pundits, may have a much shorter shelf-life in his second term.