Dear Obama voters ... a question

If you discovered substantial voter fraud was involved in this election, how would you feel? If you found the Obama campaign or David Axelrod or local Democrats had stuffed the ballot box with double votes and illegal votes, would you object or would you chalk it off to "the ends justify the means?"

Consider ...

Romney/Ryan received 2 million fewer votes than McCain/Palin, even with increased Republican voter registration.

In Florida, Alan West's district had a 113% voter turn out. A partial recount of early voting revealed several hundred more votes for him. Requests for a full recount of his district have been denied.

Thousands of military votes were not counted because ballots were mailed to them after the deadline, some didn't arrive back in the U.S. on time, and some didn't arrive at all because of a plane crash which destroy 4700 ballots.

Do any of these things make you go...huh?

Free Ice Cream

I got your attention, huh. I'll bet people who have never read my political ramblings before click on this because it says "Free Ice Cream."  Well, folks, that's what the 2012 President Election was about .... free ice cream.

It wasn't about Republican candidates being too conservative or not conservative enough. It wasn't about old, white men. It wasn't about Hispanics or women or gays or immigrants. And it wasn't about Obama's ground game or Romney's unwillingness to hit him in the face with Benghazi.

It was about free ice cream versus work.

President Obama promised free ice cream.  Governor Romney said we needed to cut back on free ice cream and get a good job so we could buy our own ice cream. The press reported that President Obama was brilliant and Governor Romney wanted to take away your right to have any ice cream at all.

Governor Romney said we could buy ice cream if we worked hard and earned it. President Obama said we could have free ice cream, but we'd need to force other people to pay for it. He said rich people and working people had money and you didn't, and that wasn't fair.  President Obama also said that if those working people didn't want to buy you the ice cream they were unpatriotic and without compassion and hateful and racists and bigots and religious zealots and wanted you to be slaves or barefoot and pregnant.

Those who wanted free ice cream were told how smart they were, how proud they should be of themselves, and how they were very charitable to others because they were taking money from people who worked for their money to give free ice cream to those who didn't (and themselves, too).  The press obliged, free ice cream is compassionate. Those who didn't want to give away ice cream were labeled selfish and accused of wanting children to go hungry and wanted to fire teachers and firemen and policemen.

And the people said, "We want free ice cream!" And they voted, and it was so.

Here's the thing, everyone's ice cream is different.

• For long term unemployed, it's unemployment benefits for two years then disability for the rest of their lives, whether or not they are disabled.
• For public union members, it's exorbitant pensions, cushy health care packages, and ludicrously high salaries for their union administrators all paid for by the taxpayers. It also includes a complete lack of accountability in job performance.
• For college students it's forgiving student loans, typically averaging about $50,000 today. The cost of their ice cream goes up 10-20% every year, but that doesn't matter, theirs is free once Obama forgives their student loans. Those evil Republicans and business owners don't understand what it's like to graduate with all that debt, after all, they didn't have any student debt when they graduated because they worked their way through college to pay for their own ice cream. 
• For single women it's free birth control. Don't ask me why, it's not like it costs more per month than a medium pizza at Dominoes.  Plus, it's a twofer, President Obama and the press have convinced these gullible young women that Governor Romney wants to take away their birth control entirely. And he and his army of old white men want to take away their right to abort unwanted babies.  None of these young women question President Obama, they don't use that critical thinking they've been told about since elementary school, they just want their free ice cream and got angry that Mitt Romney didn't want them to have any at all. Booo, Mitt Romney, he's waging a war on women.  
• For Hispanics, the argument is that Mitt Romney wants to deport them all, legal citizens as well as illegals. Republicans hate brown people. Obama promised the Dream Act to children living here illegally, Romney wanted to negotiate immigration reform that benefited everyone. When the Dream Act didn't pass Congress, President Obama circumvented the legislative process and gave free ice cream to illegal children as well as ice cream for anyone they are related to. 
• For the gay community it's more complicated. They have not demanded free ice cream.  They were promised equality in 2008. When they didn't get it, they reminded the President that he hadn't repealed Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) by 2010 and they might forget to vote. Poof, it was done. In spring of 2012, President Obama, for the first time ever, publicly spoke in support of gay marriage, but only after Virginia voted it down.  It does not appear in the President's agenda for the next four years. Oh, but Mitt Romney hates gays because, well, he just does, and he thinks individual states should make that decision rather than be forced by the federal government.

See how it works? Obama voters want free ice cream for themselves and anyone else who believes like they do. They don't worry about where it comes from or who pays for it. They want it, so they are entitled to it.  Even better if it punishes evil business owners who make the ice cream in the first place.

What they don't consider is the McDonald's worker making minimum wage who now pays higher taxes and gets fewer hours and now will probably lose their health care so they can have their free ice cream. The McDonald's worker doesn't get ice cream. Nor do they care about those who lose their jobs because employers now have to pay for free ice cream and can't afford to keep as many workers. Nor does it matter to them that some college students worked hard to buy their own ice cream but now can't afford it anymore because the cost of ice cream has skyrocketed because so much of it was given away free.

As long as they get their free ice cream and can watch President Obama on Letterman, they will inexplicably feel good about themselves, and will continue to vote for Democrats and say vicious things about Republicans. They show no shame in taking from people who have worked hard, in fact they consider themselves generous and helpful to others.

But as Margaret Thatcher once said, "The problem with free ice cream is that eventually you run out of other people's money." Then no one gets ice cream ever again because all the ice cream stores have closed up shop and moved.

Charity on a Presidential Scale

While the liberal talking heads continue to focus on Romney's 14% taxes ... and not his 30% charitable giving ...  and try to call him selfish and greedy, I'd like to point out a few things

• The Romneys paid 14.1% in income taxes and 30% in charitable giving for a total of 44.1% of their income in taxes & contributions.
• The Obama's paid 20.5% in taxes and 22% in charitable giving (2010 he contributed only 6% while making five times more in income) for a total of 42.5% of their income in taxes & contributions.

There is little difference here, yet Romney is being excoriated in the press for not "paying enough." Nevermind that he only claimed half of his charitable donations so that his tax rate would remain more than 13%. Clearly he wasn't too concerned about "hiding" money in the Caymans if he's not taking all the deductions he needed to maintain a minimum tax rate that he set for himself.

But there is more to charity than money, and the Romneys know this and live this .... out of the way of cameras, never being boastful about what they do for others. It's against their nature and the guidelines of their church to point out these things.  Of course, our current President's campaign and the press take advantage of this by painting him as some heartless, soulless business shark, but this image is simply not true.

Below I have copied & pasted an article mentioning just seven acts of charity that paint a more honest picture of Governor Romney. I would love to know that President and Mrs. Obama do such things. It is hard to know if the Obamas are simply modest, like the Romneys, or lacking in their volunteerism and personal aid to others. That's for you to decide for yourself.

In reading through this list it is obvious that Governor Romney is a man who sees a need then addresses it .... as opposed to President Obama who appears to see a problem and then blames someone else for it.  This is a matter of character, and character is what makes a good leader, not TelePrompTer led speeches that spill lofty rhetoric but don't actually accomplish anything.  Romney gets things done. Obama talks about it.  Therein is the difference in these two men.

Enjoy the article

7 Incredible Personal Stories About Mitt Romney That You May Not Know

by John Hawkins (link to article)

Over the last few months, it has been absolutely stunning to see Mitt Romney, of all people, portrayed as some sort of greedy, ruthless, unfeeling corporate raider who plows over everyone who gets in his way so he can make a few dollars more. Of all the criticisms you could aim at Mitt Romney, there is none that has less validity than that one. In fact, the vast majority of people who read this column -- whether they're liberal, conservative, or moderate -- probably don't personally know a single person who has proven to be more generous and compassionate than Mitt Romney. Yes, really. It's okay if you're skeptical -- but, you won't be after you finish reading this column.

1) Mitt Romney saved the life of a 14 year old girl: Imagine what it would be like if we could have this kind of decisive people-centered leadership in the White House..

In 1998 the 14-year-old daughter of one of Romney's partners at Bain Capital, Robin Gay, had disappeared after attending a rave party in New York City. The distraught father was beside himself with terror of what may have happened to his little girl.

Upon hearing of this, Romney stopped all operations at Bain and flew himself and all of the company's employees to New York to conduct the search. Using his contacts with establishments in New York that did business with Bain and an outlay of cash, Romney led a search for the girl from a command post he had set up in the LaGuardia Marriott that involved a private detective, Bain employees and customers putting up posters, handing out flyers, and interviewing prostitutes, drug addicts, and other street people in New York, and coordination with the New York Police.

A break came, after media publicity of the search, when a teenage boy called a tip line asking if there was a reward. He hung up, but not before the police traced the call to a home in New Jersey. The girl was found in the basement of the house undergoing withdrawals from a hit of ecstasy.

Romney, through his efforts, had saved the girl's life.

2) Mitt Romney gave milk to a V.A. hospital: This is the kind of thing Mitt Romney has done for people in need who cross his path.

He shared a story of a V.A. hospital in Boston that Mitt Romney stopped at while on the campaign trail running against Ted Kennedy. Ted Kennedy had made a thirty minute stop at the same location a couple of weeks prior.

After touring the V.A. hospital, Mitt asked to look at their books. After he spent forty minutes going through their books, he told them, “You run a very good place, very tight. Very good.” Romney asked to go on another tour of the hospital, and after spending an hour and forty minutes there, the last question he asked was, “So what… what do you -- what are you lacking? What do you need help with?”

The response? “Milk.”

Since the press was around, snapping photos and asking questions, Glenn explained that Romney did a really awkward joke where he said, “maybe we should teach everyone here how to milk a cow.”

Of course, that’s all the press cared to hear and ran with a story that claims “Mitt Romney says veterans should have to milk cows.”

“This is where it gets good,” Glenn started. “Romney calls him up the next morning.”

Romney first apologizes to the man who runs the hospital for any problems the attention from the press jumping on his words brought to the hospital. He next offers to help with the milk situation.

“Friday comes, and the milkman comes,” Glenn continues. “This is what the vets needed – they needed 7,000 pints of milk a week. Milkman shows up, 7,000 pints. The head of the V.A. hospital asks, ‘Where did all this come from?’ He [the milkman] said ‘an anonymous donor.’ Now, the guy didn’t put it together.”

Glenn explains that when the next week rolled around, the milkman shows up again, and continued to show up every week for two years. After two years of delivering 7,000 pints of milk a week to the hospital, as the milkman is retiring, the man finally gets him to reveal the anonymous donor.

It’s Mitt Romney.

“Mitt Romney was writing a personal check and didn’t want anybody to know for two years and provided the vets with all of their milk in Boston,” Glenn explained to listeners this morning.

When Romney became governor, he sent a bill through to help the V.A. hospital – it was down to the dollar.

3) Mitt Romney helped a dying 14 year old boy write his will: In a profession filled with people who steal the credit for every good thing that happens and pass the buck at every opportunity, Mitt Romney's humility -- which is a wonderful trait in a human being, but a maladaptive one in a politician -- has kept him from hammering home stories like this in every swing state.

Pat Oparowski talks about the loving friendship Mitt Romney developed with her dying son David, remembering,

"David, knowing Mitt had gone to law school at Harvard, asked Mitt if he would help him write a will. He had some prize possessions that he wanted to make sure were given to his closest friends and family. The next time Mitt went to the hospital, he was equipped with his yellow legal pad and pen. Together, they made David’s will. That is a task that no child should ever have to do. But it gave David peace of mind. So after David’s death, we were able to give his skateboard, his model rockets, and his fishing gear to his best friends. He also made it clear that his brother Peter should get his Ruger .22 rifle. How many men do you know who would take the time out of their busy lives to visit a terminally ill 14 year old and help him settle his affairs?"

David also helped us plan his funeral. He wanted to be buried in his Boy Scout uniform. He wanted Mitt to pronounce his eulogy, and Mitt was there to honor that request. We will be ever grateful to Mitt for his love and concern.”

Ted Oparowski summed it up nicely when he said,

"You cannot measure a man’s character based on the words he utters before adoring crowds during times that are happy. The true measure of a man is revealed in his actions during times of trouble — the quiet hospital room of a dying boy, with no cameras and no reporters."

4) At one point, Mitt Romney was doing 10-20 hours a week of volunteer church service: At the Republican National Convention, Mitt Romney's friend and fellow church member Grant Bennett talked about the Mitt Romney he knew.

While raising his family and pursuing his career, Mitt Romney served in our church, devoting 10, 15, and even 20 hours a week doing so. ...Drawing on the skills and resources of those in our congregation, Mitt provided food and housing, rides to the doctor, and companions to sit with those who were ill. He shoveled snow and raked leaves for the elderly. He took down tables and swept floors at church dinners. He was often the last to leave. Mitt challenged each of us to find our life by losing it in service to others. He issued that challenge again and again.

What do you think the chances are that the current occupant of the White House would voluntarily shovel snow and rake leaves for the elderly without any television cameras around?

5) Pam Finlayson talks about how Mitt Romney treated her family and her extremely ill child:Pam Finlayson gave one of the finest speeches at the Republican National Convention when shetalked about her family's experience with Mitt Romney.

Later, when Finlayson and her husband Grant had a baby girl born dangerously premature, the man who decades later would stand at the threshold of the presidency was a steady and supportive presence at the hospital.

“Kate was so tiny and very sick,” Finlayson recalled. “Her lungs not yet ready to breathe, her heart unstable, and after suffering a severe brain hemorrhage at three days old, she was teetering on the very edge of life.”

“As I sat with her in intensive care, consumed with a mother’s worry and fear, dear Mitt came to visit and pray with me,” she continued, as the partisan crowd listened in rapt silence. “I will never forget that when he looked down tenderly at my daughter, his eyes filled with tears, and he reached out gently and stroked her tiny back.”

“I could tell immediately that he didn’t just see a tangle of plastic and tubes; he saw our beautiful little girl, and he was clearly overcome with compassion for her.”

The little girl was slated for surgery around Thanksgiving, and Finlayson recalled Romney and his sons showing up with a Thanksgiving feast for the preoccupied parents. Finlayson said she later learned from Ann Romney that the food had been prepared by her husband.

Kate Finlayson survived, and the two families remained close, said Finlayson, who even babysat for the five “rambunctious” Romney sons before the family moved from Boston.

Last year, Kate Finlayson died at age 26 from complications she’d battled from birth, her mom said. And although Romney was in the midst of preparing his bid for the presidency, they remembered their old friends in yet another hour of anguish.

“When they heard of Kate’s passing, both Mitt and Ann paused, to personally reach out to extend us sympathy, and express their love,” Finlayson said.

“When the world looks at Mitt Romney, they see him as the founder of a successful business, the leader of the Olympics, or a governor,” she said. “When I see Mitt, I know him to be a loving father, man of faith and caring and compassionate friend."

6) Mitt Romney and his sons saved a family and their dog from drowning: Mitt Romney saw people in trouble and he didn't wait for the government to save them, he made a REAL gutsy call, anddid what he had to do to save their lives.

But way back in the summer of 2003, the then-Massachusetts governor made the news for a very different reason: He helped save a Tewksbury family from drowning in New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee.

The Morrisseys of Tewksbury were motoring their vintage wooden boat through the large lake on July 4 weekend that year when, around sunset and about 300 yards from shore, the vessel began taking on water. Robert Morrissey attempted to dial 911 on his cell phone, only to lose the device in the water as the boat started sinking rapidly.

That’s when Romney, who owns a home on the shore of the lake, and two of his sons jumped on jet skis and rode out to assist the six people, along with the family dog, struggling in the water.

The Romneys took two of the passengers ashore, and others in the area helped the rest of the family—and the dog, too — make it back to land without injury.

7) Mitt Romney pays for the college education of two boys who were left as quadriplegics after a car wreck: As you read this, imagine how you'd feel about Mitt Romney if you were Mark and Sheryl Nixon. Americans would be fortunate to have someone like Mitt Romney doing his best to try to help them.

Mark and Sheryl Nixon, along with their sons Reed and Rob and their daughter Natalie, told of a car accident that left Reed and Rob quadriplegics. Although the Nixon family knew of Romney and Romney had served as their Mormon stake president, they weren't well acquainted.

Reed and Rob returned home from rehab in the late fall, near Christmas, Mark said. Around that time, Romney called and said he'd like to do something for the two boys. So Romney, his wife Ann, and three of their sons brought Christmas gifts to the family.

While Romney later offered to pay for Reed and Rob's entire college education, that Christmas Eve visit stands out in Mark's mind, he said, because instead of vacationing in Utah, New England or the Caribbean, the Romney family was visiting the needy.

"That actually, to me, has been more important to me than the financial help he gave," Mark said.

"After the initial experience of showing up, he didn't check that off his list and say, 'I did my duty,'" Natalie added. "He has, year after year, shown up at 5K races to run the event and participate."

Social Extortion and the Borg

We live in an interesting time of contradiction.  We are a people of diversity and multiculturalism, and we as a nation are encouraged to be tolerant and accepting of people and beliefs that are different from us. On the surface this is a great idea, but sadly the ugly underbelly is that only SOME people are expected to be tolerant and accepting.

No doubt some of you think I'm talking about Christians versus Muslim extremists, and, considering recent events, that does apply.  However,  for the purpose of this blog, I'm talking about the venom and animosity directed at conservatives.  In general (here's my disclaimer ... not all liberals, just the loud ones), liberals are not expected to display that same courtesy, acceptance, and tolerance demanded of conservatives.

There's an old saying: If a conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn't own one, if a liberal doesn't like guns he doesn't want anyone to own one. That, in a nutshell, is what has happened to our society ... we are split in two, those who simply don't participate in what they don't like, and those who want to squash what they don't like, preventing anyone else from participating either.

For example, liberals can mock people of faith, call them all kinds of names, and accuse them of "clinging to their guns and religion." Conservatives typically go on their merry way living their lives following their faith and knowing that those who make such comments come from a place of judgmentalism and ignorance. They move along. But if a single radio talk show host asks if a college coed demanding free birth control is a slut, the world explodes into irrationality and demands the host be taken off the air and punished for his transgression against their opinion .... that a single woman going to a $45,000/year law school is somehow entitled to free birth control without objection.

From these types of activists there exists a complete lack of respect for anyone's opinion that differs from theirs.  Those who disagree with their supreme opinion must be either assimilated or destroyed. Specific examples as of late include Chick-fil-A, the Boy Scouts, and the Catholic church.

Chick-fil-A donates both money and chicken sandwiches to non-profit organizations as part of their business plan. For including traditional marriage groups in their contributions, they have been vilified, protested against, and (illegally) threatened by city leaders and politicians. It isn't enough that there are dozens of other chicken places liberals could support instead, they had to squash Chick-fil-A for daring to support something other than gay marriage ... even though it isn't even legal in more than 40 states. The heck with those organizations that benefit from the financial and food contributions, Chick-fil-A must be damaged for not conforming to the liberally approved agenda.

The Boy Scouts of America is a private, religion-based, 501c3 service organization. It has produced Presidents, astronauts, and a great many leaders and heroes of our country. But Boy Scouting does not think it's appropriate to have homosexual leaders, and as a private organization they are entitled to their position whether or not we agree. However, they have been targeted for not supporting the gay agenda. The Boy Scouts are being punished by trying to get them kicked out of United Way (unsuccessfully), getting them thrown out of public parks for meetings and camping (no matter the mutually beneficial relationship) and corporate sponsors have been so heavily bullied that scouts lose their financial support.  Intel is the most recent victim of such social extortion. Boy Scouts will feel that financial loss, and there now may be boys in lower income communities who now won't be able to be involved in boy scouting.  The heck with them, Boy Scouts must be damaged for not conforming to the liberally approved agenda.

There are other chicken restaurants, there are other service organizations. Why can't such activists direct supporters of gay marriage and gay leaders to other businesses and organizations? Sadly, the answer appears to be that they truly don't care if a service or business is provided for our communities or what benefits they bring, if their liberal opinion is not embraced, the business/organization will be targeted for destruction.

Due to this kind of social extortion fewer boys can have scouting experiences and fewer jobs will become available in cities that sorely need new businesses.  The myopia involved in this kind of thinking and activism is staggering.

Also targeted in this battle is the Catholic church. This is even more heinous as our government is involved in overruling the church's right to sponsor hospitals and universities following the precepts of their own faith, forcing them to provide birth control and abortions within their health insurance coverage. The church's choice will ultimately come down to not offering health insurance at all, violating their faith and providing the birth control and abortions, or closing these facilities. Why? Because adherence to religious faith over the government's demands will not be tolerated, and that, my friends, is a blatant violation of our First Amendment rights.

Damaging the Boy Scouts, Chick-fil-A, or the Catholic church ultimately brings no benefit to society. It only feeds the self-importance this type of activism promotes, and it is harmful in how it removes services and opportunities for our communities. Why can't they just choose to go to KFC, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and public hospitals? Because that is not the purpose of their actions ... you aren't allowed to disagree with their ideas, their beliefs, their opinions. If you do, they are entitled to destroy you, and the hell with those who lose services and job opportunities over it.

Social extortion is essentially the Borg. Resistance is futile, assimilate or you will be destroyed.

What is this election about?

What this election IS about ....

• Our President's priorities
• Las Vegas taking priority over dead Americans in Libya
• Beyonce & Letterman taking priority over the Prime Minister of Israel
• Weakness in dealing with countries who shout "Death to America"
• Giving billions of dollars to countries who shout "Death to America"
• Our ambassadors' security detail only allowed to carry rubber bullets (if any at all)
• He's only attended 37% of security briefings during his Presidency
• An empty chair (because he's never there)
• Unconstitutional executive edicts
• Excessive regulations strangling business growth
• 8% unemployment for four years
• The national debt
• Increased deficit spending
• The true pros and cons of Obamacare
• Enormous tax increases for EVERYONE in January 2013
• No federal budget for three years (The Senate's job, the House passed one)
• No federal budget even submitted for three years
• Continuing to blame Bush
• Golf
• Class warfare
• False accusations of unearned wealth
• False accusations of anyone not paying "their fair share"
• Calling our country arrogant
• Fort Hood
• Professor Gates
• Toning down the rhetoric
• Clinging to guns & religion
• Occupy everything

What this election IS NOT about ...

• Romney's tax returns
• Romney daring to call attention to a serious issue in the middle east ahead of the President
• Romney mentioning the 47%

What the press thinks this election is about ....

• Romney's tax returns
• Romney daring to call attention to a serious issue in the middle east ahead of the President
• Romney mentioning the 47%

It's not the video

This week showered our great nation with a barrage of heartbreaking events ....

1. The 11th anniversary or 9/11 where we again honor and mourn the more than 3000 people representing more than 90 countries were deliberately murdered
2. The murder of our American ambassador to Libya and three others, including former Navy SEALS.
3. An attack on our Embassy in Cairo
4. Attacks on a dozen or so more American embassies in other Middle Eastern countries.
5. The complete lack of focus of our President and our national press in addressing these events
6. Perpetuation of a deliberate lie that somehow an obscure Youtube video caused all this unrest. 
7. The shunning of the Prime Minister of Israel. 

The anniversary of 9/11 is always a challenge for Americans. We need to remember, we need to honor those who were killed, especially those who gave their lives in trying to save others. It is an anniversary of national pride as much as anything else ... and it should never, ever be used as an opportunity to politicize.  As a nation, our thoughts and/or prayers continue to go out to those who lost loved ones, the lives that were forever shattered, and the long-lasting scar on our nation as a whole. That scar is healing, but we will never be the same again.

How this event is handled is indicative of character, particularly in those who lead our country.  The first thing from the Romney campaign was a heart-felt statement from Governor Romney honoring those who died eleven years ago. The first word from the Obama campaign was a tweet asking people to volunteer to work for his campaign.  Um. Yeah. Not cool.  President Obama eventually got around to making a public statement about 9/11, but his priority that day was clearly his campaign, not the emotional state of our country.

On that same day this week, our Embassy in Cairo was attacked.  Protests, they called it.  Threats, fire, guns, violence ... that's not a protest, that's a riot.  A misguided statement came out of the Egyptian Embassy which, in essence, blamed the riots on an obscure youtube video. No one appears to know if this was an attempt to calm down the violence or even where the statement originated. It made no difference and appeared to inflame the mob even more.

Within hours Governor Romney called a press conference and decried the Embassy's statement insisting that this was not a time for Americans to be apologizing for anything. He, of course, tied the statement to the Obama administration because, well, Obama is the President and surely an embassy wouldn't make such a public statement without approval.  Romney was immediately vilified by the press for daring to speak out on a matter of foreign policy .... odd considering they've hammered him for months about NOT speaking out on matters of foreign policy. Our press is nothing if not fickle.

The following day we discovered our Ambassador to Libya had also been the victim of such a protest, as well as three others on his staff, that he had been murdered (some say raped as well) and his body was dragged through the streets of Benghazi while "protesters" celebrated their great victory over America.

Our President did not make a statement for almost 16 hours, and even then he echoed what Governor Romney said, that the Embassy statement was inappropriate and it wasn't his fault. He sniped about Governor Romney a little and emotionlessly reported the death of our Ambassador.  Then he hopped a plane to Las Vegas for a fundraiser.

Wait.  What??  Yep, our President, clearly consumed with concern for our representatives abroad and the blatant attacks on our soil, flew off to the party city of our country to hold a personal pep rally and raise some more campaign contributions.  In other words, that 3 a.m. phone call and he refused to answer the phone.

Governor Romney held a press conference to answer questions about these events.  The press asked him eight questions, seven of them were the same question challenging him on his "tone" in making a statement too early in the events to know what was going on in Cairo or Libya.  Of course his statements were correct and eventually validated by President Obama, so they couldn't jump on him for that, so it was about his "tone" and "jumping the gun."  Except he didn't.  He made a statement to us as Americans about what had happened and reassuring us.  

So we have a Governor acting Presidential and a President acting like a frat boy and the press focusing their more of their attention and venom on the responsible adult in the room instead than reporting on the actual terrorist attacks and murders. Our nation is under attack, folks, how about you keep your eye on the ball?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to notice that the White House and everyone else associated with this administration are blaming some obscure Youtube video for the riots & murders.  In doing so they are ignoring actual evidence of more logical reasons .... 

• These attacks occurred on 9/11
• The mobs were chanting "We are all Usama"
• At least one of the mobs burned President Obama in effigy
• Some of the rioters stated that these attacks were in retaliation for the death of one of their #2 leader by an unmanned drone in Pakistan
• Most people have not actually seen the video, they were told about it by their clergy 

Isn't it more likely that the rioting & murdering took place because our President and his Vice President continue to chant"Usama is dead and GM is alive?" Wouldn't bragging about the death of Usama bin Laden inflame these so-called protesters or even inspire them to plan an attack on our nation/embassies?  

Is it rational to call any attacks on our nation that take place on 9/11 a coincidence?

Taking a back seat in all of this is the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is understandably getting a little nervous about Iranian development of nuclear weapons.  He asks for a meeting with our President while they are both in New York for the U.N. assembly, and the White House says no. NO? Our President, who claims our country is Israel's closest ally, won't meet with Netanyahu because of "scheduling," yet while he's in New York he's going to tape Letterman? So the phone is ringing again ... this time from Netanyahu who has genuine concerns that his country is going to blown off the face of the earth (as Iran has pledged to do), and again our President isn't even answering the phone.

It's both tragic and amusing that our President, who has criticized Romney's lack of foreign policy experience, isn't even attending security briefings while our country is under attack. Romney stood up to the plate and hit a home run with Americans, while Obama and the press continue to say he struck out.  It's ridiculous. It's asinine.

Our country deserves better.  Up until now this election has been about the poor economy and the only thing President Obama had to brag about was the death of bin Laden. Now it looks as if that one event has turned into the catalyst for rioting and terrorism against us, and his solution is to blame a youtube video.

It's time to think, people.  Voting for Obama is voting for more of this national immaturity and tolerating more of the blame game from the leader of the free world.  Let's get someone in there who actually WANTS the job instead of President Obama who clearly prefers running for the job rather than actually doing the job.

Chick-fil-A and Blatant Hypocrisy

Tomorrow is Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, and I'm so there.  Over the years, Chick-fil-A has earned my support with their quality food and adherence to their religious principles, specifically in remaining closed on Sundays as an obedience to God, and in their never-ending support of charitable organizations. Some of those organizations are church-based and, as such, oppose same sex marriage. Does that make them anti-gay by extension? No, but it has made them the latest whipping boy of the Left and exposed both Democrats and the gay community as hypocrites and bigots.  Yes, bigots.  Why? Their outrage is selective, focused, in this instance, on a Christian-based company that has never discriminated against any homosexual for employment or service and whose only crime is in financially supporting non-profit organizations, some of which are strong proponents of traditional marriage.

Chick-fil-A, a private business, is being publicly demonized because the owner & CEO runs his company according to his religious values, something he has done for the entire life of the corporation. Last time I checked, that wasn't illegal in this country.  It is, in fact, a freedom guaranteed by the Constitution and Bill of Rights of this great country.  Do you have to go there?  Absolutely not.  Do you have the right to protest?  Sure.  But be careful what you expose about yourself in the process.

Chick-fil-A does not stand alone in its adherence to religious principles regarding marriage.  If you are one of those gnashing your teeth and pointing fingers at them, let me ask you a few questions ....

Do you rant and protest against Islam?  They stone people to death, marry underage girls, amputate limbs as punishment, kill homosexuals, kill anyone who doesn't believe their religion, treat women as slaves to be mutilated or killed at will, and make it their life's goal to destroy Israel. Let me call attention again to the KILL HOMOSEXUALS part.  Do you protest Islam? Do you seek out Islamic businesses to boycott? Did you even protest against the proposed mosque near Ground Zero? They don’t just support traditional marriage, they support KILLING homosexuals. And you’re protesting Chick-fil-A?

Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy admitted that his company strongly supports the Biblical definition of the family unit. So? He is entitled to his opinion; he is entitled to his religious beliefs. He is entitled to run his company according to those beliefs. He has admitted to being “guilty as charged” in his support of traditional marriage. At no time has he said anything against homosexuality …. Just like President Obama.

Did you rant and protest against President Obama for the last four years? Did you vote for him, even though he outspokenly said he believed marriage is between a man and a woman? Until this year…an election year...that was his belief.  But now he has magically “evolved” on this issue. If he had been a Republican would you have spent the last four years pointing fingers and calling him anti-gay (like has been done to McCain, Romney, Palin, etc) and, when he changed his mind, switch to calling him an opportunist for having this 11^th hour conversion?  And again, you're boycotting Chick-fil-A?

And finally, this notion that if you do not support something you hate it is insulting and ridiculous.  I like the Broncos, so that means I hate the Cowboys?  Hardly.  Not supporting is not the same as hating.  It’s simply not.  If I disagree with you, it doesn’t mean I hate you.  It means I disagree with you.  I can love my gay friends and still respect religious beliefs and the history of traditional marriage. Yes, some cultures used to trade livestock for marriageable daughters. But they did not trade their sons. And yes, the damage done to our culture by those who think marriage is no longer necessary to our society, celebrities who all but mock marriage, and the over-abundance of divorces has been substantial. But that does not mean we as a society should have a “do over” in defining marriage as something it has never been.

I love my gay friends. I want them to be happy in long-term relationships if that is what they want, and nothing in our society prevents that today.  But the issue of gay marriage isn’t about “equality.” It stopped being about equality 20 years ago when the gay communities of California spit on civil union legislation that gave them full and equal benefits to traditionally married couples. Civil unions were then and are now a fair compromise for those who truly want benefits. Those who continue to scream “separate but equal” ignore and insult the civil rights fight of the 60s. Homosexuals are not forced to sit in the back of the bus, or forbidden to sit at lunch counters, or prevented from using public restroom facilities, or made to go to specifically gay schools. Blacks were, and it took decades to compromise and work through these restrictions and come to the Civil Rights Act (which, FYI, was written and supported by Republicans and opposed by Democrats).

Today, those who promote a gay agenda don’t appear to be interested in equal benefits. They want forced acceptance of gay marriage as identical to traditional marriage, and they are not above bullying tactics to achieve that goal. The subtext of this mock outrage at Chick-fil-A is sininster …. support what we want or we will try to destroy you.

The reality is that forced national acceptance of gay marriage infringes on the religious beliefs of more than half the country. Gay activists appear to be unwilling to compromise in any way.  I find that unbelievably sad because had the gay community of California compromised on civil unions 20 years ago, I firmly believe that all states would now have such legislation. So we are left with what we have now, of the few states that have gay marriage, most have been legislated from the judicial bench rather than voted for by the people themselves and benefits are still so far on the horizon it can't be seen in our country's future.

As for Chick-fil-A, in general Americans don’t like bullies, and that's what this has become...bullies trying to harm a business that has done nothing to them personally but operates on religious principles.  And that’s why tomorrow will be the biggest day ever for Chick-fil-A. I hope they are ready for the huge turnout of support they will be receiving.

The Obamacare Brownies

Have you ever heard the story of the father who made his kids "special" brownies? It goes like this, a man's children wanted to go to a move that was rated R because it had profanity in it. The father objected, but the kids pleaded, "Dad, it only has a little profanity in it, so that shouldn't matter much." So the father acquiesced. When the kids got home, their father had made them a beautiful plate of brownies, and they dug right in. After a few bites they stopped. The brownies were awful. "Dad, these brownies taste like they have dog poop in them." The father smiled proudly, "They do. But it's only a little dog poop, so it shouldn't matter much."

This is how I look at Obamacare. Just because it has chocolate chips and colorful sprinkles on top (pre-existing conditions, etc.), doesn't mean that at it's core there is dog poop in the bill (government control of the industry, etc.) ... lots and lots of dog poop. And you're being forced to either eat them or pay a tax for not eating them, not to mention there are taxes on lots of the ingredients like sugar and flour and eggs.

Do you want to eat those brownies?

Rainbows & Innocence

Remember when a rainbow was a reminder of God's love and promise to us?  Or when it was a sign of beauty and excitement at finding one after a good rain?  When we could fantasize about the pot of gold at the end of it?

Now, when we see rainbows they are typically promoting the gay marriage agenda.  Sadly, it's been completely commandeered. Rainbows are showing up everywhere, not as a sign of beauty but as an in-your-face expression of "Hey! Pay attention to us! We're discriminated against."

Then there is the ad-nauseam promotion of Gay Pride day/week/month and parades where costumed exhibitionists use rainbows as they jangle their scantily clad junk in people's faces.  If you question that activity you are accused of being a homophobe.  No, actually, I don't like it when straight people do that either!

I love my gay friends as I love my straight friends.  I don't separate them into friend categories like the Democratic party does their electorate.  They are all my friends just as we are all Americans (okay, yes, except for you Canadians, whom I love, too).  I want my gay friends to have the same legal and financial protections that my husband and I have.

But I am saddened that rainbows ... something that we learn to admire and draw and watercolor as small children ... has now become a symbol of sexuality rather than the innocence of water meeting sunshine.  Yes, yes, there is symbolism in using the rainbow, all colors come together, blah-blah-blah .... but I still find it sad that the innocence of a rainbow has now been replaced with a political issue.

Bill Maher & the Supremes

Here's today's round-up of news stories and headline catchers.  I feel a little like Drudge doing this ... I'll get better, and I'll do it earlier, too.  I hope.  :)

Bill Maher - the most despicable man in the world, but, ya know, it's okay because "He's a comedian." Perhaps in some alternate universe. I just find him to be vile:  Mega Obama Donor on Fast & Furious: "Republicans Don't Care About Dead Mexicans"

The Supreme Court today struck down three of the four provisions in the Arizona illegal immigration bill.  They only left the part where during a stop, detention, or arrest the police could make efforts to verify the person's immigration status.  It also says that immigration status must be determined before any arrested person is released.   Decision Reached on Arizona's SB 1070 

Obamacare - Word on the street is that the Obamacare ruling will come on Thursday.  Considering I thought the Arizona bill was within the state's rights to protect its citizens, and the Court disagrees, I'm getting a little skeptical of whether or not they'll strike this thing down.  No matter the ruling, though, it's going to be a mess to clean up.

Marco Rubio - I'm more in love with this man every day.  Rubio: Republicans Are "Compassionate" And Care About the Plight of Illegal Immigrants

Poverty & Welfare -  Reports are out of the massive increase of welfare recipients during the Obama administration, followed by the revelation that it has done nothing to alleviate poverty.  Big surprise there, not.  It's the ol' "If you give a mouse a cookie..." story.  Additionally, the minimum income for receiving government assistance has risen like a rocket under Obama (another non surprise).  As the Lord said, the poor will always be with us.  Right now we are sitting at 15% ... which is exactly what it was when welfare programs were instigated in 1965.  Welfare Spending Skyrockets, Poverty Rate Remains Unchanged Under Obama  I firmly believe that it is our job to help those in need ... not the government's.

Fast & Furious - The majority of Americans are not convinced it was appropriate for President Obama to utilize executive privilege.  Ya think?  After all these months insisting it had nothing to do with the White House, it's pretty interesting that the White House uses it's privilege, something that can only be used to protect the White House.  Hmmmmm .... Americans Not Buying His Assertion of Executive Privilege on Fast and Furious Docs

Photo ID Required!

This from Breitbart. Apparently acquiring tickets to an Obama event in Ohio wasn't sufficient to get you in. You also had to provide photo ID .... something that both Obama and Eric Holder have christened as "racist" when it comes to voting.  Interesting contradiction.

-------> Obama demands ID

Fast & Furious & Ideology

Bill Whittle is fast becoming my hero.  You want to know how serious Fast & Furious and the machinations of Attorney General (and possibly the President) really is? While the mainstream media and the Left wring their hands about it being racist to even ask about it, this situation has caused the deaths of hundreds of Mexican citizens as well as Border Agent Brian Terry.  Check out this video.  It's horrifying and revealing.  Watergate? Ha! Child's play compared to this ..... no one died due to Watergate.

Election Day is coming ... what do you know about the candidates?

Recently I read a short piece on political awareness, and it all boiled down to one question. "Do you know who Barry Soetoro is?"  I scoffed.  Of course I know who that is! How could anyone not know who that is? Then I started asking others, even my own children, and was surprised at the number of shrugs I got.

For those who do not know, Barry Soetero is a name attributed to Barack Obama, comprised of his childhood nickname (Barry) and his adoptive father's last name. When he was a small child, President Obama's mother married an Indonesian man named Lolo Soetoro.  Indonesian school records list Barry Soetoro as a student during the time Obama lived there.  Whether or not he used this name throughout his life or during his American education is a mystery.

President Obama had most of his personal and educational records sealed years ago, we have no access to evidence of his life history ... no grade history, no college applications, no copies of his thesis, etc. There has been no explanation for this lack of transparency, and to this day his records are sealed.

In his own autobiography President Obama claimed he rarely went to class in high school and did drugs a great deal. So how did he get into Harvard? He claimed he barely passed in high school.  Did he utilize his step-father's heritage to gain an advantage? Is that why we can't access this information? Some claim he registered as a foreign student, but there is no available evidence to prove or disprove this.

Sadly, anyone who questions President Obama's life history is labeled a racist or a whacko or a conspiracy theorist. Accordingly, we know very little about his life except what he wrote in his autobiographies. Can you imagine any other Presidential candidate, much less President, sealing his personal records like this and no one being allowed to ask why?

Personally, I believe Barack Obama was elected President because he was African American and had a pithy slogan.  After the brutalizing press that President Bush received the last four years of his administration, Americans were hungry for something positive and affirming.  Obama, who was a minority, had a Harvard Law Degree, was hailed as the "Smartest Presidential Candidate Ever," and gave great speeches, filled the bill, and Americans went for the change he represented. However, if we are honest with ourselves, we recognize that no white junior senator from a midwestern state would be considered for any party's nomination for President ..... certainly not with his limited experience and sealed records, and certainly not against an experienced politician like Hillary Clinton.

Now if you want to put yourself though conspiracy whacko-land, do a Google search on Barry Soetoro. I don't recommend it, though, it's depressing and scary. But hopefully my mentioning this has tweaked your interest enough to find out about our Presidential candidates this year.  We have Mitt Romney, who has his records open and available to everyone, and we have President Obama whose records are still sealed and has only allowed us to know what he wrote about himself in his autobiographies.

That alone should make you look very hard at your vote this Novemeber.

The DREAM Act and President Obama

First of all, I am a supporter of some kind of DREAM act legislation. We have, in this country, children who were brought here illegally yet were educated here and have known no other home but this. Some don't even know they are here illegally.  And, happily, most could be or are becoming productive members of society. These are young people with promising futures if given the opportunity. What is gained by discarding such young people and sending them back to their country of origin?

However, the timing of this is blatant pandering by the President in an election year which I find just as distasteful as his 11th hour "coming out" on gay marriage. He couldn't be more obvious if he wore a sign!  Additionally, he is essentially commanding this be so and is completely bypassing the Congressional process. This shows either a lack of knowledge in how our government functions or a complete disregard of it. This is a complex situation, it needs the attention and discussion of the entire Congress, not just the President waving his hand.

Any DREAM act will be complicated and will need very strictly adhered to criteria to be successful for everyone. This article is being written before President Obama makes his announcement today, but from what has been released so far, the guidelines will be:

[I]llegal immigrants will be immune from deportation if they were brought to the United States before they turned 16 and are younger than 30, have been in the country for at least five continuous years, have no criminal history, graduated from a U.S. high school or earned a GED, or served in the military. They also can apply for a work permit that will be good for two years with no limits on how many times it can be renewed. 

This is a good start to a more productive and compassionate resolution to a complex immigration problem. There is a lot I agree with here ... particularly no criminal history and military service.

There are, however, things I would change. Age 16 is too old. To allow any child under 16 into this program means we'll have scads of 15 year old illegals being sent over the border alone just so they can graduate from a U.S. high school. Not good. We'd end up with skyrocketing teen homelessness. I would be more supportive of age 10 or 12. Also, age 30 is too late. If someone is here illegally, has been here since they were 16 (or 10) they should have made some effort at acquiring legal documentation. That means they've been working and supporting themselves for 10-15 years, utilizing our school system and health care system and paying little (sales tax) into the system. Uh-uh. That's a deal breaker for me. Military service, however, cancels that out. Any who came here illegally and who is serving our country gets a break from me ... though it is troubling that non-citizens could be serving in our military. How is that possible? Illegal documentation? Also, voting rights should be withheld until full citizenship is acquired. 

Of course, the devil is in the details. Previously, one of the aspects of the DREAM act has been that such a "child"(for lack of a better word) could bring as many relatives with him/her as he wished. That's not going to wash. We can't have 50 illegals suddenly being legal simply because one relative went to an American high school.  If the child is a minor, they can be allowed minor siblings and their parents. If already married, allow their spouse and children. That's it. This isn't a get out of jail free card to lifetime U.S. benefits for all relatives.

One more thing to consider ..... we aren't just talking about Mexicans, here. Remember that, unless it is specified otherwise, this will also apply to those young people here illegally from Middle Eastern countries who may not be so friendly to us. That brings a dangerous kettle of fish into our midsts.

Ultimately, though, I have a substantial objection to how this is being accomplished. We've needed change in our immigration policy for decades, this is true. However, for President Obama to make a "policy change" without any Congressional approval is tantamount to dictatorship. It's, quite simply, not how our system of government works.  Additionally, in doing this during an election year and with so many states not requiring photo ID to vote, President Obama is inviting voter fraud. It's as distasteful as the circumstances surrounding him "coming out" on gay marriage.  Blatant pandering.

High School -- 1958 vs 2012

My aunt sent this to me this morning .... it made me smile, then it made me feel so sad for today's generations that have such a distorted viewpoint of life, right, and wrong.  Yes, there was racism in 1958, but there was also accountability for our actions and the opportunity to work out differences without legal action.  I think #7 is my favorite ... I grew up in Texas, DIE, FIRE ANTS, DIE!

Scenario 1:

Jack goes duck hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck's gun rack.

1958 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.

2012 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and  never sees his truck or gun again. Counsellors  called in for traumatized students and teachers. 

  

Scenario 2:

Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school

1958 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands  and end up buddies.

2012 - Police called and SWAT team arrives -- they arrest both Johnny and Mark.  They are both charged with assault and both expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario 3:  

Jeffrey will not be still in class, he disrupts other students.

1958 - Jeffrey sent to the Principal's office and given a good paddling by the Principal.  He then returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.

2012 - Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin.  He becomes a zombie. He is then tested for ADD. The family gets extra money (SSI)       from the government because Jeffrey has a disability. 

Scenario 4:

Billy breaks a window in his neighbour's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.

1958 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college and becomes a successful businessman. 

2012- Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse, Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. The state psychologist is told by Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has an affair with the psychologist.  

Scenario 5:

Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.

1958 - Mark shares his aspirin with the Principal out on the smoking dock.

2012- The police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug violations. His car is then searched for drugs and weapons.  

   

Scenario 6:

Pedro fails high school English.

1958 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English and goes to college.

2012 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a  requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against the state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English is then banned from core curriculum. Pedro is given his diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.  

Scenario 7:

Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the Fourth of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up a red ant  bed.  

1958 - Ants die.

2012 - ATF, Homeland Security and the FBI are all called. Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism.  The FBI investigates his parents - and all siblings are removed from their home and all computers are confiscated. Johnny's dad is placed on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario 8:

Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee.  He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.  

1958 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.

2012 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.