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...
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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
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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…
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Special Mention
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Category Archives: Military
National security or my iPhone…
As 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.
June 6, 1944…
Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers in arms on other fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.
Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened, he will fight savagely.
But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man to man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our home fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory!
I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!
Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.
— Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
End-run around Congress???
It 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…
Who is Joe Biden???
Do you know this man?
For this “40 something” there is an element of surprise at the lack of outrage over the recent scandals plaguing the Obama Administration, though I would point to a recent Quinnipiac poll showing the President’s job approval numbers finally taking a hit. That said, I can’t help but wonder how we go forward when so many people seem unconcerned with matters that will surely impact them in the short-term and their children in the not so long-term.
As a research outlet, I watch most of the news and commentary shows, (with the exception of “Hardball”). Matthew’s analysis lacks even a shred of objectivity, and his unbridled affection for the Commander-in-Chief borders on “sketchy”. FOX’s O’Reilly on the other hand mixes it up a bit. I especially love it when he sends out roving crews to ask basic civics questions of the American Electorate. Now these forays are interesting and even entertaining at times, but they’ve become more troubling recently. As an example, I think it’s fair to say when your average “20/30 something” has no clue who the VP is, especially considering the infamous gaffe-master in waiting Joe Biden, then “We the People” are a little more than just “disengaged”. Moreover, when the average American is unaware of a terrorist attack that took the lives of four brave Americans on foreign soil, including an American Ambassador, it’s downright sad.
It is clear the IRS, Benghazi and Holder scandals are the stuff which break Presidential Administrations and erode the confidence of a people in their government. But what of the current time and a President twice elected more on the basis of his skin color than qualifications? What of a national posture of historical revisionism and/or indifference for the sake of political correctness and diminished accountability? And what of a country which sets aside storied values and principles that have undoubtedly changed the world for the better, and chooses a road of dependency instead? Look, I’m not suggesting “We the People” are done just yet. But in the absence of the “Greatest Generation” who are fast passing into history themselves, the task of resurrecting out of our current situation, that spirit which won “the great wars”, inspired economic revolution, and served as beacon of liberty and opportunity to millions around the globe seems daunting at best. To be sure, time is certainly not on our side, and our enemies know this…
Memorial Day 2013…
Memorial Day is always special to me. I think of the wonderful people I have had the pleasure of knowing and loving who are no longer with us. I remember family who have served, along with all the others who’ve made it possible for me to share this day with my wife and son. And I remember two special individuals with whom I share an exclusive bond. There is not a day goes by I do not remember you…
No matter how much I write, I’m always at a loss on Memorial Day. It seems I can never find just the right words. Having said that, I posted a picture on Facebook on Friday that was originally posted by one of my “Twitter” friends. It was a photograph of a women lying on the grave of who was most likely her soldier husband, with an outstretched arm and gently touching his headstone. I have seen similar photos in the past, but this one just nailed me right in the gut. I thought of all the lost holidays, birthdays and special moments, and I could literally feel a pain I am all too familiar with as if it happened yesterday. I shared it in order to convey the sacrifice borne by our military for the sake of “We the People”, but also to remind folks there are some things in this life worth dying for. Now I know this is not a 21st Century concept to be sure, but for those who understand freedom. But someone took me by surprise when he commented on the post stating only, “senseless death”. Normally, I am not moved unnecessarily by the things people comment about my writing. Frankly, one must have quite a thick skin to do what I do, especially around the North East where I’m from. But on this day, the hair on the back of my neck stood up as I contemplated how little some in our country truly understand of our heritage and creed. So from my basement, and just recovering from the floor after working on my “sick” water heater (again), I quickly punched out the following on my trustworthy iPhone. I later realized, (after many positive comments from some true Patriots), it said it all… Be safe this Memorial Day weekend friends, and please join me in a prayer of thanksgiving for the brave men and women of the United States Military.
– To see a world without the necessity of these brave souls and their sacrifices, is self-induced blindness to fact and reason. We may debate the politics to a fault, but reality reaches back to our beginnings. No matter your stripes, you should understand the historical cause of this great nation, and mind the cost of your liberty and security… Fred Comella
Indifference on a Presidential scale…
Listening 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.
Pfeiffer beats the drum…
This Dan Pfeiffer character reminds me of that clown who kept telling the news media Sadam was in charge and running Iraq while American soldiers were having lunch in his Chalet.
My boss is awesome. That’s all you need to know!
I have to say, the most maddening thing about the Obama Administration and its surrogates, is their downright arrogance and condescension when called to answer “We the People”. Now I have always said this bunch were elitists academics too smart for their own good, and who don’t have the first clue about our Constitutional Republic, but boy I wonder what Chris Matthews would have said to a Bush spokesperson who told him his questions were “irrelevant”.
During one of the Sunday show interviews, Pfeiffer stated the Benghazi review board concluded there was “no wrongdoing on the part of the Secretary of State”, and that the Inspector General’s Office didn’t feel the IRS scandal was “politically motivated”. Moving past the obvious foolishness of those statements, the Benghazi panel didn’t even bother to interview Mrs. Clinton (a women no stranger to scandals), and I have four words for you on the IRS thing, Nixon Impeachment Article Two. Damn these people think we’re stupid…
“He has, acting personally and through his subordinates and agents, endeavored to obtain from the Internal Revenue Service, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, confidential information contained in income tax returns for purposes not authorized by law, and to cause, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, income tax audits or other income tax investigations to be initiated or conducted in a discriminatory manner.”
Accountability, front and center please…
“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.
“Stylistic” cover-up…
At 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).
Having 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.
No School Boy Jay Carney, it’s not 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…