Royal Roughage

Michelle Antoinette, the queen of all deified fiber, or maybe that should be defiled fiber, cares about you and me and all the little children of the world.  Oh yes, she does.  After all, the "them" she's talking about is us.  She knows we're too ignorant to feed ourselves properly, much provide proper noourishment for our children, so the First Lady is sacrificing herself by doing battle with the Big Chow corporations on our behalf.  And remember, this is Michelle Antoinette's labor of love for she was not elected to any office in the land -- she ascended the thrown by marriage to the manchild-in-chief.  Such great sacrifice on her part warms the cockles of me wee little heart, soul and thumping gizzard.  Pass the fried chicken, please. 

Politics in Tennessee. The Alfalfa Party Dinner, Feb. 17, 2011

Yankees call us "hayseed" but we're genuine Alfalfa.

Politics can be a nasty business, we see that everyday,
but down here in Tennessee, we do things our own way. 

Thanks, Lamar, for helping to make Tennessee a good place to live.

Elections Have Consequences

We will not go quietly into that night.

Need A Reason To Vote?

Well, for starters...

• ObamaCare was written by a committee of Dems whose chairman says he doesn’t understand it.
• The bill was passed by Congress who didn't read the bill but who knew enough to exempt themselves from it. Ever wonder about that?
• The bill was signed into law by a president who also hadn’t read it -- and who himself sucks on cigarettes and Nicorette gum.
• Funding for the bill will be administered by a Treasury Chief who didn’t pay his own taxes -- he said TurboTax was too complicated.
• The bill will be administered and overseen by a Surgeon General who is moderately obese.
• And, lastly, ObamaCare will be financed by a country that is broke -- broke -- and going through the worst recession in history.
• Now, doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy about your healthcare?

There's more bad news -- oh, yes there is, but you get the idea.

Remembeing When Our President Was A Man

Speech Delivered by President George W. Bush at National Cathedral on September 14, 2001:




"America is a nation full of good fortune, with so much to be grateful for, but we are not spared from suffering.  In every generation, the world has produced enemies of human freedom, and they attacked America because we are freedom's home and defender, and the commitment of our Fathers is now the calling of our time."

President Bush was there for us when, with heavy hearts, distraught emotions and misty eyes, we desperately needed reassurance and hope -- a belief in our own abilities to survive as a nation and to continue on with our lives in the wake of the horrible events of 9-11.  He did not let us down.

Our president manned up to the occasion (which wasn't a difficult stretch for him), and openly showed to us and to the watching world, his moral clarity and his personal abiding faith in God that guides his life.  I shudder to think how disastrously different it would be if (or when) similar circumstances present themselves to us today. 

Thank you, President Bush, and may God bless you.

ACTION REQUIRED NOW -- Senior Alert -- NO Social Security COLA -- Cost of Medicare Increasing Along with Cost of Prescription Medications

Social Security recipients will NOT get a COLA (cost-of-living adjustment) next year – even though their health expenses are spiraling upward at an alarming rate.

It's up to Congress to make sure 41 million seniors get the help they NEED to make ends meet!

CLICK HERE to tell Congress to address this CRITICAL ISSUE NOW.

You don’t have to be a senior to make your voice heard on this issue. Are your parents seniors; your grandparents; your friends? Then, please, help them by clicking on one of the links below and contacting your representatives.

For the first time in 35 years, seniors will NOT receive their annual COLA (cost-of-living adjustment), the yearly increase that helps them make ends meet and keep up with rising prices.

This is a serious problem and unless Congress acts, millions of seniors will see their checks stay flat – or even reduced – while the costs of prescription drugs, food, utilities and health care continue to spiral upward.

AARP has prepared a letter to Congress and a very easy to use form -- CLICK HERE and use the AARP form letter to tell Congress to make sure that seniors get the help they deserve – and the Social Security relief they need.

The Henry J. Kaiser Foundation predicts there may not be any Social Security COLA for the next three years. However, the per-person monthly Medicare Insurance premium will be increased from the 2009 premium of $96.40 to $104.20 in 2010, and to $120.20 for the year 2011. This is in addition to any drug costs or any supplemental policy they are paying for.

And don't forget - CONGRESS GAVE THEMSELVES A BIG PAY RAISE THIS YEAR. They now make $174,000 a year, and RETIRE with up to 80% of that per year! All the while, many seniors rely on the help of tiny Social Security checks they’ve paid into all of their adult lives. Our seniors deserve better!

The CPI (consumer price index), the official measure of inflation, has not increased in this weak economy but the things seniors need most have continued to increase in price. The reality is that the bad economy has hit seniors particularly hard. They spend an average of $4,400 out of pocket every year on health care alone. With home values in serious decline, severe losses in the stock market, and almost flat returns on interest bearing accounts, it's no wonder that more Americans are counting on Social Security for a lifeline.

It's in tough economies like this that seniors need Social Security the most. We must demand that Washington address the problem of no COLA, cost of living adjustment, and provide at least modest relief for our seniors.

CLICK HERE to tell your members of Congress to act NOW to ensure that this is not the first year America's seniors don't get an automatic Social Security COLA.

I believe Congress can, and must, address this problem. I believe they will IF they hear from enough of WE, THE PEOPLE. It’s up to us to make sure that Social Security continues to deliver on its promise to our nation's seniors.

Here is the letter that AARP will send to your representatives in your name: (It's free and it's easy!)

I just heard that next year Social Security recipients will not see a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to their payments. That is a troubling thought for the 41 million seniors whose financial security depends on the program.

While overall inflation might not be rising in the United States, the daily costs for seniors are growing fast - especially on the things that seniors need most, such as health care and prescription drugs. The average senior spends $4,400 out of pocket every year on health care alone.

Further, a depressed housing market, investment losses, and low returns on CD's and money market accounts make it even harder for seniors to recover from the recession. Now is the worst time for a lack of a COLA for Social Security.

As your constituent, I would like you to work with your colleagues to ensure that seniors get the relief they need at this important time. Not only would this relief help seniors afford health care, prescription drugs, food and other basic necessities, but it will also inject money directly into the economy, because seniors are more likely to spend the money than any other age group.

Thank you in advance for your support on this important issue. Please act quickly to remedy this problem of no Social Security COLA.

Benjamin Netanyahu at the UN September 24, 2009

America, Are You Paying Attention?

For many years I've admired Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I've followed his career, read his writings, and I've heard him deliver many speeches, but none so powerful as this.

President George W. Bush’s speech to the U.N. in September of 2002, challenged the world community to hold Saddam Hussein accountable for dozens of violations of international law. Today, Bibi Netanyahu challenged the world to stop Iran from acquiring weapons of genocide or risk losing all moral legitimacy. He threw down the gauntlet with Iran and with the world. There was no mistaking his words or his meaning.

He commended the nations whose leaders and diplomats boycotted or walked out of Ahmadinejad’s speech yesterday. He also shamed those who stayed.

To those UN leaders who gave the Iranian president a platform to spew his vile fanatical beliefs that the Holocause is a lie and that Israel must be wiped from the face of the earth, Netanyahu challenged their souls, "Have you no shame? Have you no decency?"

He showed the world original Nazi documents explaining the Holocaust -- documents that were given to him by the German government. He repeatedly asked the world leaders, “Are these a lie?”

He recalled that President Obama recently visited a Nazi death camp in Europe and asked whether Obama gave validation to “a lie.”

He strongly urged the world to stop Iran now -- stop them from getting the bomb, and he warned that failure to do so could lead to incalculable suffering.

He challenged the U.N. for its anti-Semitic and anti-Israel “Goldstone Commission” report. The report charges the Jewish state with war crimes for defending her people from eight years of 10,000-plus rockets and missiles raining down from Gaza.

He further challenged the U.N. to reject the commission’s report and thus side with Israel -- or accept the report and reward the Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

He asked how Israel could possibly take more risks for peace after the world condemned them for defending themselves from terror attacks -- attacks launched from the very land offered to the Palestinians in the name of peace.

President Bush’s speech led to a war with Iraq.

I suspect Prime Minister Netanyahu knows that war is likely coming with Iran. While I pray for a peaceful solution, I also know that all things must be fulfilled.

If Israel must go it alone — without the world’s help — Netanyahu will be on record as having clearly explained the issues and the stakes with honesty, with dignity, and with moral clarity. Churchill could not have done it better.

I've included the entire speech here because I truly believe it's well worth your time.

Part 1 of 4

Part 2 of 4

Part 3 of 4

Part 4 of 4

SENIOR ALERT -- SERIOUS MEDICARE CUTS Coming In SIX WEEKS!

SENIOR ALERT!

MEDICARE CUTS SCHEDULED TO BEGIN JAN 1, 2010 FOR CARDIAC AND CANCER PATIENTS

REIMBURSEMENTS for CARDIOLOGISTS and ONCOLOGISTS are on the CHOPPING BLOCK in the NEXT SIX WEEKS

A reader alerted me to an article in today’s Memphis Commercial Appeal about Medicare cuts for cardiac and cancer patients that are getting little, if any, attention in the current hullabaloo over healthcare.

Dr. Arie Szalkowski, a cardiologist with the Stern Cardiovascular Center, writes:

“As the health care debate continues in Washington, lost in the controversy is a little-known change in Medicare policy that threatens efficient access to lifesaving medical services for millions of heart and cancer patients.

If enacted as scheduled on Jan. 1, 2010, policy changes recommended by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) -- the government's insurer for the elderly and disabled -- will severely cut current Medicare reimbursements to cardiologists and oncologists for critical care services that are provided to patients in physicians' offices or other out-of-hospital setting, such as chemotherapy to treat cancer, and various cardiac procedures to monitor and treat heart disease, such as nuclear imaging and heart catheterization.

These cuts will force cardiologists and oncologists to limit care to their Medicare patients, withdraw from treating Medicare patients altogether or require their patients to pay more out of pocket to make up the difference in the cost of these services.

Unless these proposed changes are rescinded, current and future cardiac and cancer care patients will suffer the consequences, especially in rural areas where the proportion of Medicare patients is exceptionally high and patients have fewer choices of health care providers.

The changes certainly will force the closing of outreach clinics in rural areas, leaving many people without easily accessible cardiac or cancer care. They will be forced to travel to hospitals, sometimes long distances from home, and to wait for hours, if not days and weeks, for the tests and services they need.

It is difficult to think of the emotional, physical and financial burden this will place on people already suffering from heart disease and cancer.

Yet the policymakers at CMS, who base their decisions on numbers and statistics, are unilaterally and dramatically changing the delivery of heart and cancer care by proclaiming that care for heart disease and cancer is too costly, while treatment for other diseases has greater value.

Such decisions are based on flawed and incomplete data. They disregard the fact that heart disease and cancer kill more Americans than any other disease, and that advances in heart and cancer care have led to a 25 percent reduction in deaths due to heart disease during the past decade, and a marked increase in survival of cancer.

With the U.S. population aging, along with an expected rise in the number of cases of heart disease and cancer, the ability to manage these diseases in a cost-effective manner while maintaining a high standard of care through the use of advanced therapies and tests will be critical for prolonged life. Studies have proved that people with heart failure have better outcomes when their illness is managed by cardiologists in an outpatient setting. Yet the changes proposed by those who run Medicare will disrupt much of the progress we have made.

Many oncologists and cardiologists -- myself included -- in Memphis and the Mid-South and throughout the nation, are faced with this difficult dilemma: How can we afford to treat our Medicare patients when the proposed Medicare reimbursements in some cases are less than the cost of providing medical services? As with all businesses today, the costs of running medical practices have increased.

While these changes will have serious financial impact on medical practices, they also will erode a doctor's ability to provide patients with the very best quality of care that has proved to be cost-effective and beneficial. They will erode a doctor's ability to provide the same level of care for people who live far away from medical centers such as Memphis. And they will lessen a doctor's ability to be the primary advocate for his patients, as opposed to a group of hospital administrators, bureaucrats and lawyers.

At this point, the proposed CMS policy changes remain just that: proposed changes. During the next six weeks, CMS officials will be reviewing them, and they'll likely be enacted unless the people most seriously affected -- patients and the doctors who care for them -- contact CMS officials and their congressional representatives to protest these proposed changes.

Otherwise, the day is coming when Medicare patients -- often the most vulnerable in our society -- will wake up and realize they no longer have access to the timely and often urgent medical care they need.”

The entire article can be found here.

Dr. Arie Szatkowski is a cardiologist with The Stern Cardiovascular Center in Memphis.

***** ***** ***** *****

More on the ObamaCare debacle as Megyn Kelly interviews Dr. James Klemis, interventional cardiologist and Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Tennessee, August 21, 2009:

9 - 11 - 2001 Remembered

May we never forget what happened on this date. May we never allow anyone to put some insane spin on what happened or attempt to dumb down our sensitivities or our emotions that resulted from that terrorist act. May the passage of time not lead us into apathy. May we never forget the horror, the shock, the terror, the pain, the grief, and the subsequent anger.

May we always be aware that a huge part of the battle against Islamic fascism is being fought in the hearts and minds of men and women in America as well as around the world. May we stand fast in the face of such wickedness and duplicity of our enemies at home and abroad. May we continue to search them out and destroy them wherever they hide.

May we always live in such a way as to be a shinning example for other nations so they can see the fruits of freedom and democracy. May our lives always reflect our belief in God and our Christian faith.

Almighty God, grant us the strength of will to do these things, for then we will prevail; however, if our faith is lacking or our will is weak, we will die and our children will live out their earthly lives in subjugation to tyrannical leaders.

The facts are clear -- America was brutally attacked by Islamic terrorists and it was a declaration of war against our way of life. They are still out there, as well as within our own borders -- spiritual wickedness in high places -- and they still hate us. Are we paying attention?

May God help us.

Thanks For The Honesty, Joe Wilson

Obama's Speech To Congress

The subject was healthcare, and as I had anticipated, Obama didn’t say anything new. The slick Chicago politician was selling snake oil and only the usual Kool-Aid drinkers were buying. The speech was too long on rhetoric and totally out of touch with reality unless one ascribes to the economic policies of the Tooth Fairy.

Lies and fairy tales were in abundance. The President stated, “Healthcare reform will only impact five percent of the population.” And when he got to,“While there remain some significant details to be ironed out," we were treated to something unique in recent joint Congressional speech history – a roar of laughter at the President from the Republican side of the chamber. It was honest laughter and it seemed appropriate.

Pelosi and Biden, seated behind Obama, were not amused. Biden smirked. Pelosi wanted to gavel something. It was a good moment -- too bad they didn’t get it.

Perhaps it was Obama’s audacity that then made him call for bipartisan support after calling his opponents liars. Audacity or no, you don't win your adversaries over to your side by lobbing loaded zingers at them. There was nothing unifying about our Dear Leader, only partisan arrogance.

The President said that no illegal immigrants would have healthcare, prompting the most honest moment of the night when Joe Wilson, a Republican Congressman from South Carolina yelled out, “You lie!”

Yes, it was inappropriate to yell out like that in the Senate Chamber, but after all, it's what the rest of us were thinking.

Obama's Only Shovel-Ready Project

HT Mark Alexander

Random Thoughts On Ted Kennedy

When did it began, this long slide into a generalized acceptance of serious character flaws in those who put themselves forth to be our leaders?  For me, I think it began with a car plunging off a bridge on a dark Massachusetts night in 1969.  I remember recoiling in horror at the news that a lovely young woman, a campaign worker, had been left alone to die in the blackened waters of the night -- with no attempted rescue and the entire incident unreported and unmentioned to anyone for 10 hours.

For my generation, that first public tolerance of a major character failure in a person in a position of leadership seemed to set us on a downward spiral.  It shored us up and provided a willingness to accept a story that seemed so unashamedly false -– to make it true, simply because so many wished it so.  And it seemed that many did indeed wish it so.

I think many of the Boomers like to hear the lie; they believe that as long as the lie is predominant, it is, essentially, the truth. They have made it acceptable to excuse deviant, dishonorable behavior with a shrug and a “well, we all make mistakes,” as long as the dishonor is perpetrated by the right sort of person. And after all, this was Senator Ted Kennedy, and, during the administration of his brother, the country had been treated to Camelot.

Absolution, it seems, is no longer granted through a personal relationship with the One seated at the right hand of God; but rather, from the politicians on the left. Or so they want us to believe.

I remember watching Kennedy make a statement on television news; his voice quivering, he stated that his family seemed to be under some terrible curse. After all, there had been the assassination of JFK, the 1968 assassination of RFK; Joe, the eldest brother had been killed in the war; Kathleen was killed in an airplane crash; and Rosemary had been institutionalized after a lobotomy. The litany of Kennedy family tragedies was as long as the briefness of Teddy’s reason for not rescuing Mary Jo Kopechne that dreadful night in 1969.

Kennedy's time in the Senate was legendary. He was the Liberal Lion; an icon, but one who was willing to deal across the aisle to get the legislation he wanted. Serving for 46 years, he was the 3rd longest serving Senator in U.S. history -- behind only Senators Robert Byrd and Strom Thurmond. But as Chevy Chase quipped so many years ago, "Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment."

It was in May of 2008 when Kennedy was given the grim diagnosis of a brain tumor, malignant glioma, that carried a prognosis of almost certain death. But Ted Kennedy didn’t have ObamaCare –- he had KennedyCare; and with that, the best care available, Kennedy was able to see another Christmas, another spring, and even another summer and into early fall.

If Kennedy had been covered by ObamaCare, this obese 77 year-old with a liking for strong whiskey would probably have faced rationing of care, or more likely, denial of treatment, and an offer of suicide counseling, death panels or whatever they’re calling it these days.

Kennedy’s death emphasizes yet again that our elected officials enjoy one of the best health insurance plans in the world -- courtesy of the American taxpayer. The irony is their concerted effort to force a much less adequate, and much less life-affirming plan onto us, their constituents –- the very people they are sworn to serve. There is a lesson here for those willing to see it.

As for the Boomers and their view of the tolerant lie, one need look no further than the Oval Office.

As for Kennedy's absolution, it is my sincere hope that this man did indeed turn to Jesus Christ, and Christ alone for the forgiveness of his sins. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12 KJV)

It's strange in a way -- it feels like an ending to 1969. Finally.

Call the BLUE DOGS

We the people -- average American citizens -- yes, you and me; we are exercising our right of free speech and we are being heard. But we cannot stop now. Keep emailing -- click on the Capitol Building at the top of my sidebar to get the email address of your representatives and bombard them. Go to your Town Hall meetings and speak out.

And melt the phones. The Congress is on vacation but they will get your message. Most of us can make long distance calls at no extra charge these days so, to make it as easy as I can for you, here’s my BLUE DOG call list. Tell them we do not want Obama's government health care – we don't want it by any other name – nor in any shape or form.

Seniors, there is much to lose under Obama -– demand that they do not make any cuts to Medicare. America's senior citizens cannot afford to lose this round.

I’m doing all I can. Will you?


Jason Altmire (PA) (202) 225-2565
Mike Arcuri (NY) (202) 225-3665
Baron Hill (D-Ind.) (202) 225-5315
John Barrow (GA) (202) 225-2823
John Boccieri (OH) (202) 225-3876
Dan Boren (OK) (202) 225-2701
Allen Boyd (FL) (202) 225-5235
Bruce Bradley (IA) (202) 225-2911
Bobby Bright (AL) (202) 225-2901
Kathy Castor (FL) (202) 225-3376
Jim Clyburn (SC) (202) 225-3315
Gerry Connolly (VA) (202) 225-1492
Jim Cooper (TN) (202) 225-4311
Lincoln Davis (TN) (202) 225-6831
Bart Gordon (TN) (202) 225-4231
John Hall (NY) (202) 225-5441
Martin Heinrich (NM) (202) 225-6316
Baron Hill (IN) (202) 225-5315
Mary Jo Kilroy (OH) (202) 225-2015
Ron Kind (WI) (202) 225-5506
Dave Loebsack (IA) (202) 225-6576
Nita Lowey (NY) (202) 225-6506
Betsy Markey (CO) (202) 225-4676
Jim Marshall (GA) (202) 225-6531
Eric Massa (NY) (202) 225-3161
Jim Matheson (UT) (202) 225-3011
Mike McMahon (NY) (202) 225-3371
Charlie Melancon ( LA) (202) 225-4031
Michael Michaud (ME) (202) 225-6306
Scott Murphy (NY) (202) 225-5614
Colin Peterson (MN) (202) 225-2165
Jared Polis (CO) -(202) 2252161
Earl Pomeroy (ND) (202) 225-2611
Mike Ross (AR) (202) 225-3772
Tim Ryan (OH) (202) 225-5261
Herseth-Sandlin (SD) (202) 225-2801
Adam Shiff (CA) (202) 225-4176
Heath Shuler (NC) (202) 225-6401
Zack Space (OH) (202) 225-6265
Bart Stupak (MI) (202) 225-4735
John Tanner (TN) (202) 225-4714
Gene Taylor (MS) (202) 225-5772
Harry Teague (NM) (202) 225-2365
Dina Titus (NV) (202) 225-3252
Tim Walz (MN) (202) 225-2472

Call them all. Speak out. Please don’t sit idly by and let Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Emmanuel, etc. ram this Bill down our throats. The blue dogs can swing it in our favor.

If we do nothing, then we will deserve the mausoleum of medical horrors they have in store for us. It's truly a matter of life and death -- ours.

Tennessee's 7th District Town Hall Meetings To Be Held Saturday

I received an email from my representative, Marsha Blackburn (R), Tennessee's Congressman for the 7th Congressional District, saying she will be holding additional Town Hall meetings this Saturday (tomorrow) across the 7th District. Make your plans to attend, meet Marsha, and enjoy spirited conversation with one of the "good guys" in Washington.

Hickman County
8:45 am - 9:30 am CDT
The Country Kitchen
9628 Highway 46, Bon Aqua, TN 37025

Perry County
10:30 am - 11:15 am CDT
The Commodore Hotel
114 East Main Street, Linden, TN 37096

Decatur County
11:45 am - 12:30 pm CDT
Parsons Municipal Building
535 Tennessee Ave South, Parsons, TN 38363

Wayne County
1:45 pm - 2:30 pm CDT
Emerald's Restaurant
122 Public Square, Waynesboro, TN 38485

Hardin County
3:00 pm - 3:45 pm CDT
Uptown Restaurant
390 Main St, Savannah, TN 38372

If you live in the 7th District and are unfamiliar with Marsha's stand on government-run healthcare, you can read her position here.

Obama's Stellar IQ Is Showing

Never mind that the great orator seems to be having trouble completing a simple sentence without saying “uh” a few times. More importantly, listen as our Community Organizer in Chief uses his stellar IQ to promote his government-run ObamaCare:

“If you think about… If you... if you think about it... uh, ya know, UPS and FedEx are doin’ just fine. A’ight? The, uh... no, they are. I mean... it’s... it’s the post office that’s always havin’ problems.”

WOW! I'm impressed! Does this mean Obama finally gets it? At long last, does he realize it's always private sector businesses that are “doing just fine“ while government-run businesses are the ones “always havin’ problems“?

Oh, if only...

Someone needs to tell the genius this comparison is probably not the best analogy he could use -- even in a pre-selected house of friendly faces.

*******

I'll be taking the rest of the day for phone calling and emailing congressmen and senators -- mine and others, for the umpteenth time. But it's important! My new motto for the present time: Have you contacted your representative today?

Did The President Tell Us To Shut Up?

Obama may need to be reminded that he is the president of all the people, not just the ones who agree with him. He's basically telling over half the nation to shut up and fall in line:



INDEED! Obama and his White House are, to put it mildly, being extremely irresponsible with their marching orders to “punch back twice as hard.” Imagine if George W. Bush has said that about move-on dot org or the Code Pink rallies. And what about the White House’s blatant authoritarianism on snitching -- “tell us about dissent in casual conversation”?

I can't help but wonder –- is our president deliberately baiting us? Is he purposely trying to cause turmoil among the people? It would not be the first time he’s used diversionary tactics to distract our attention away from a particular agenda. And make no mistake, this president has an agenda. We always have to watch both of this president's hands. The hand he is showing us is never the hand he is actively using to push something over on us.

That leads me to one of two possible conclusions. Either Obama is the most stupid and totally incompetent president in the history of our country, or he’s the most tyrannically-disposed, agenda-driven socialist ever to hold the office. And, hmmm… Barack Hussein Obama is most definitely not stupid.

The President of the United States is redefining arrogance. If he and his cronies are allowed to continue, he will redefine us all the way into AmeriKa.

*******

Very much worth your time is this photo essay, Nancy and the Astroturfers. With Sebelius telling the unions to keep doing what they’re doing, and Nancy Pelosi calling the protesters Astroturf with swastikas, you can see for yourself who is being “organized by powerful interest groups” (and community organizers) and who are the grassroots protesters. Notice these are actual photos. Note the signs and dress of the participants.

Some captions from this must-see photo essay of Nancy and the Astroturfers:

“…an organizer from Organizing for America, which is the successor organization to Obama for America, which was Obama’s campaign organization. The organizer is demonstrating the use of a bullhorn to a man who appears totally unfamiliar with its use. For a grassroots campaign, this sure is organized! . . . This is the first time in my life that I can recall a government in North America organizing protests of one group of citizens against another. This is standard operating procedure in countries with left-wing governments.”

“This clinic is adjacent to Denver’s day laborer pickup street, Park Avenue. Being fluent in Spanish, El Marco asked these guys “¿hablan ingles?” “casi nada” was the reply from our amigo on the left. I asked him if he could tell me what the signs said. “¿Quien sabe?” (who knows?) was all he said to me, with a big grin. I’m kicking myself for not asking them how much they were getting paid to support the grassroots.”

“My organizer called me.” I said “You’re kidding.” She said, “No, look: he’s right there -pointing to the guy with the bullhorn – he’s from Organizing for America.” At this point, a number of the astroturfers departed, including Laura. She told me that transportation was waiting to take them to Nancy Pelosi’s next event at Highlands Ranch.”

What unconscionable dishonesty from Nancy “I think they’re astroturf” Pelosi. Everything she and her party says they hate, they are. Everything they accuse the opposition of doing, they do.

This is sick, demented, dishonest, disingenuous, insulting and so very, very troubling. Remember Obama’s campaign command for his troops to “get in their faces”? Well, it’s happening today – this week-end, in townhall meetings all across the country. We are witnessing the fight to change us into AmeriKa. And the deck is stacked against us.

*******

"The intellectual establishment is so busy demanding more power for government, more bureaucracy, regulation, spending and -- oh, yes -- more and more taxes, they forgot all about the secret of America's success -- opportunity for people, for all the people. ... Will we heed the pessimists' agenda of higher taxes, more bureaucracy, and a bigger welfare state leading us right back to runaway inflation and economic decay, or will we take the road toward a true opportunity society of economic growth, more jobs, lower tax rates, and rising take-home pay?"
~~ Ronald Reagan ~~

*******

If you're still confused about government health care, stimulus, bailouts, and the coming tsunami of taxes and regulations, there is one simple thing to think about:Never, never, never give the government more power than they already have. "You need blood and He's got more than enough" is never, ever a good idea. You're always next.

*******

And then there's this, from a reader:

A mom in Alabama was involved in organizing a Tea Party and she asked her high school age son if he could help with a commercial she needed to make. Here is the note she wrote:

“I asked Justin if he could help me make a commercial for my group’s Tea Party. He sat down at the laptop for about an hour, and then brought this to me and asked, ‘Is this okay, Mom?’ After I finished watching it, my stomach was in my throat. I wanted my friends to see it. I am so proud!”

You have every right to be proud. It’s very impressive – a powerful video. Turn your sound on and enjoy!



Thanks to Alabama Mom and son, Justin. Job well done!

Sebelius To Thugs, "Continue What You're Doing"

WARNING: This video contains offensive language and physical violence, so consider yourself warned. I post it here because it is important. This is thuggery and it is happening right now in our country, apparently with the approval of government leaders, HHS's Kathleen Sebelius and the White House.



The video contains a vicious attack on a man in St. Louis who was peacefully selling buttons and flags saying, “Don’t Tread on Me.” Kenneth Gladney, an African-American, said he was punched, hit and "roughed up" by another black man wearing an SEIU tee shirt. Gladney said the man yelled at him, demanding to know, "What kind of n***** are you?"

Gladney was treated for his injuries at a hospital and later released. "It just seems there's no freedom of speech without being attacked," he said.


Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius held a conference call to the SEIU, during which she greeted her union with, “Brothers and Sisters,” and said “keep doing what you’re doing!”

I'm shocked and sickened. Isn't this Chicago-style thuggery?

It's now very clear to me -- if you oppose Obamacare, you’re a bad person. And if you’re a bad person, you can be labeled anything by the left. If you protest this president’s policies and the way he and his minions are attempting to suppress our right to dissent, then you are a racist. And if you suggest that Kathleen Sebelius and Nancy Pelosi are pompom waving cheerleaders for an organized movement you will probably be labeled a sexist! Well, I guess I'm three for three, so far.

My previous post generated a slew of email and I appreciate each one, and I'm almost finished answering them. I'm even grateful for the dissenters -- even from a reader who said I was not a Christian because I don’t like the policies and practices of our president. Okay. That's his opinion and he's certainly entitled to it -- I'll even defend his right to dissent. No problem from me. I definitely know I am a born again Christian, and I don’t mince words about it. I don't trust President Obama and his left-wing liberals and I don't mince my words about them either. Perhaps I lack nuance or something, but that's the way I am and it will take more than ugly words to ruffle this ol' guard dog.

In fact, I can hardly wait for some gay/lesbian/transgendered community organizer, astroturf-participant or member of congress to wade in with an accusation that my opposition to Obamacare is somehow opposition to gender-tolerance, so I can be called a homophobe, too. Maybe I'll win the Racist/Sexist/Homophobe Trifecta of Nasty Name Calling and Libelous Labeling. That should be a trophy worthy of note.

Back to the video. These people are thugs -- creepy and disgusting people who use evil means to accomplish their ends. And if you don’t like that -- if you think I’m a biased Christian for calling a spade a spade and not a shovel, well I feel absolutely no need to confess anything more than my contempt for what is going on in this country under the guise of false hope and nefariously dishonest change by those busy-body progressives who carry their liberal disease in and out of the shadows like a horde of wide-ranging cockroaches.

So, there you have it. You should probably flag me to the government -- rat me out to the White House -- tell them I'm distributing fishy information. Make it personal -- call me fishy, if it makes you happy. And go ahead and wag your finger and tell me how disappointed you are in me.

I confess I will be more than disappointed in you. But you know what? Disagree as much as we may, you'll always be safe with me because I’ll never rat you out or thug you up.

Seniors, AARP is NOT looking out for YOU!

SENIOR CITIZEN ALERT!

SENIOR ALERT! Here is a chilling conversation with Betsy McCaughey and Fred Thompson about Obama's Federal Government Health Care, aka ObamaCare. This is particularly frightening for senior citizens.

In the ObamaCare Bill, on Page 425, it states the Federal Government will require all senior citizens to undergo a Counseling Session at 5 year intervals -- the objective being to explain how seniors can end their own lives. In brief, all seniors will be given SUICIDE COUNSELING.


Listen if you dare. But listen, you must:





Chilling, isn't it?

Listen to Betsy McCaughey's 2nd visit with Fred:




Why does AARP fail to call attention to this? Where are the voices of one of the largest blocks of voters in the country?

I recognize euthanasia, like abortion, as part of the signs of the end times, but I guess I'm still in shock over finding this one actually included in the Bill and no watchdog groups are sounding the alarm.

As one of my dearest former pastors, Dr. Adrian Rogers used to say, "It's getting dark, friend -- gloriously dark."

*******

Now, on to AARP's Townhall with Obama:

I sat in on Obama's townhall meeting with AARP yesterday, and it wasn't easy to stay awake. Boring. Nothing new from Obama and no tough questions from anyone representing AARP. And, not one single question about Page 425. It was the usual stump speech: You can keep your own doctor... you can keep your own insurance... you can keep your own prunes -- whatever. Just lies, more lies and damned lies.

Obama told lies about how the government plans to deliver more for less, to cover most of the 46 million uninsured Americans while lowering premiums, limiting out-of-pocket expenses and requiring insurance companies to cover preventive care. He lied about a lot of people getting more without anyone getting less, and he lied when he said that two-thirds of the cost of covering everyone in America can be paid for “by money that is already in the health-care system.” He lied again when he said he favors a public option to increase competition and keep costs down, and that he “will not sign a health-care bill that is not deficit neutral” and one that doesn’t lower health-care inflation over the long term. Those aren’t just lies, my friends, those are damned lies.

And judging from the articles on their website and their mailouts and calls to members, AARP is supporting Obama and his lies, and by throwing their support to Obama's government-run healthcare plan, AARP is definitely not acting in the best interest of America's seniors. Instead, AARP, with its massive membership rolls (and accompanying membership fees) has become a powerful political action committee (PAC) that brokers all kinds of insurance to seniors nationwide -- bypassing the constraint of state lines. But there's more.

AARP is a business and my guess is they are being cut in on the insurance for the Obama Plan; thus, they will have a vested interest in helping the Government Health Care Plan succeed. Their primary interest is the P&L -- Profit & Loss -- and their share of ObamaCare will supercharge their profits into the stratosphere.

I repeat, AARP is a business. AARP is not looking out for the best interest of senior citizens. Lest we forget, the Eskimos had an efficient way of managing senior healthcare -- they simply sent the elderly out to sea in an old canoe or on an ice floe. It wasn't exactly the Caribbean cruise Gramma and Grampa envisioned for their golden years, but it accomplished its intended purpose "for the greater good."

For all seniors who are confused about who to listen to regarding health issues, it is definitely not AARP. Once again, it's the usual caveat emptor.

Obama Gump

Presidents can be like a box of chocolates -- you never know what you're going to get.

Obama said Professor Gates is a close friend. A little research on Gates turns up a history of repeated shilling while lecturing students and others. So I have to wonder, does Obama have any close friends who are not race-baiting, anti-white, America-haters?

At least Obama knows "stupidly," even though he obviously doesn't recognize it in himself or in his friend. And obviously, he doesn't exercise good judgment in fielding unscripted questions or he wouldn't have embroiled himself into this mess of pottage. Telling, isn't it?

The President does not owe Sargent Crowley a beer, he owes him a full public apology. Will Obama man-up and do the right thing? Hmmm... My bet is NO. He isn't man enough to apologize to a white policeman. In spite of the rhetoric, the arrogant chip on the president's shoulder is showing.

Victor David Hanson wrote in The National Review, "In the jargon of postmodernism, the president asserted one racial narrative as truth, while most of multiracial America accepted quite another: that Professor’s Gates’s contacts and friendships gave him privileged treatment not accorded to others who scream and blow up at policemen, and that minority males are indeed tragically disproportionately stopped by police because they also, tragically, are more likely to commit felonies. The president’s ossified remark ignored real efforts on the part of police departments to hire African-American officers and chiefs, engage community leaders, and train police in racial sensitivity — all the while dealing with the fact that African-American males commit violent felonies in numbers that vastly exceed their presence in the general population.

None of us gets a pass once we evoke racial identity, not even the president of the United States, not even one of mixed racial heritage. Once we go down that road of racial self-aggrandizement, of seeing each other not by the content of our characters, but by the color of our skins, we invite nemesis — and there will be retribution. Because Barack Obama has consistently emphasized racial identity to further his own advantage, I fear others, both black and white, will be emboldened to follow his polarizing lead — in ways both novel and far more pernicious. We once trusted our uniquely qualified president to help lead us out of our racial morass, but so far he has only pushed us far deeper into it."

I AM AMERICA -- UPDATED

UPDATED. ... I am America. Yes, I am the land you stand on. I am the beautiful amber fields of grain. I am the purple mountain majesty you sing about from sea to shining sea. I am the country to which you pledge your allegiance and for which you fought in battle. I am the way of life for which so many of my citizens have laid down their lives in battlefields near and far.

Since my founding, I have always been the land of the free and the home of the brave, but I am changing and my freedoms are fading fast. Once again, as your forefathers did in 1776, Americans will have to choose between freedom and oppression. I tell you truthfully that tyranny is not far from overtaking us all.

I have a magnificent history, for I was thoughtfully and wisely founded upon three fundamental documents: The Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Taken together, these documents form the basis of all my principles, my laws and my heritage.

To destroy these is to destroy all the greatness that I posses, but that is exactly what has been happening.

The destruction of my founding principles can be directly traced to my people’s willful rejection of the Bible as their only source of divine authority. They have expelled God and the Bible from my schools, from my political process, my commerce, from the public square, and from the very way of life I have always provided.

The Declaration of Independence states, "All [men] are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It further states that these rights are "self evident" and that they constitute the "Laws of Nature." Did you know these principles are taken directly from the Bible?

The Law of Nature can be found in Romans 2:14-16. That our Creator is the Author of life can be found in Genesis 2:7. That God, not government, is the grantor of liberty can be found in Galatians 5:1. Pursuit of happiness can be found in Ecclesiastes 3:13.

Beyond that, virtually every one of the ten Articles contained in the Bill of Rights has Biblical foundation. The First Amendment recognizes and guarantees the natural right of freedom of speech, the freedom of religion and assembly. Christians are clearly given divine instruction regarding each of these responsibilities. Our founding documents properly established a government designed to "secure these rights." Therefore, under the First Amendment, Christians are free to preach the Gospel and to assemble for worship – any religion of their choice, or none at all. It is the freedom to do so that is a protected Right.

Likewise, the Second Amendment has Biblical foundation. Our Lord said in Luke 11:21, "When a strong man armed his palace, his goods are in peace." In Luke 22:35, 36, He said, "He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one."

The Fourth Amendment comes from Deuteronomy 24:10, 11, and the Eighth Amendment originates in Deuteronomy 15: 2, 3. Again, these principles are self evident truths which come from "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God."

Even America's constitutional form of government of three co-equal branches – the legislative, the executive and the judicial come from Isaiah 33:22. Therefore, when my citizens, especially Christian citizens, allow their elected representatives to ignore or violate these founding documents, they are, in essence, allowing them to destroy the very basic underpinnings of my once-great country.

I, as the United States of America, have my roots solidly founded in Protestant Christianity. This is indisputable. But that is not to say that all of my original founders were born-again believers, for some were not. However, all of them, including Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, held the Christian faith to be superior to all others and they understood and agreed that I am a distinctively Christian nation.

Biblical laws and principles formed the cornerstone of my entire system of government and I can never lose my liberty and independence as long as my citizens hold an allegiance to Christian ideology. One does not have to be a practicing Christian to appreciate the primacy and importance of my deeply rooted Christian heritage.

James Madison understood this when he wrote in A Memorial and Remonstrance, 1785, "It is the duty of every man to render to the Creator such homage, and such only as he believes to be acceptable to him. This duty is precedent both in order of time and degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society. Before any man can be considered as a member of Civil Society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe."

My Christian citizens must demand that their elected leaders actually govern like Christians. They must hold their political leaders accountable to the laws and principles contained in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Those who would lead must be held accountable for knowing the application as well as the spirit of these documents, for their original intent was never to protect and grow the size or the power of government, but rather, to protect the citizens from their government. Are you beginning to see where things are getting turned upside down?

Many of my elected leaders are flagrantly violating these principles and destroying my republic. Many of my citizens have never read or studied these documents. They do not know what they say or what they are really about. My citizens have been dumbed down through a politicized and substandard educational system based on revisionist history, pop culture, secular humanism, and political correctness, rather than on truth. They know more about their favorite celebrities than they do about the real life drama playing out daily in D.C. that directly affects each of their lives.

Ronald Reagan, in his Farewell Address wisely warned, “If we forget what we have done, we will forget who we are.” Sadly, many of my people have no understanding of who they are.

To compound their ignorance into apathy, my citizen’s once strong faith in God is being destroyed by their own churches and religious leaders. Multiple denominations are, for a large part, little more than houses of entertainment -- Sunday circuses to entertain and make the people feel better about themselves. In many churches today, there is no right or wrong; there is no more sin -- only mistakes of the mind or heart. Rare it is to find a preacher who stands uncompromisingly on the infallibility of the Bible as God’s Holy Word and boldly proclaims, “Thus saith the Lord...” to a lost and dying world.

*******

Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

It’s time to face facts, my dear citizens -- freedom, as envisioned by my Founding Fathers, is dying. I am fast becoming a land of evil hybrids born of atheism, ecumenical Christianity, fascism, socialism, secular progressivism and international capitalism. For 233 years I have stood tall as the world’s greatest bastion of freedom but now I’m speeding toward socialism at a frightening pace.

Obama is moving too fast -- consider the damage he has done in only six months in office. The multiple high-profile bailouts show the walls between government and the private sector are crumbling. Federal government intervention now extends into our financial markets, real estate, private businesses, public corporations, and education. The issue of health care is in the works now, and its outcome is certain to be a disaster for my people. And furthermore, as out-of-control government spending and massive debt increase accordingly, I am rapidly being drained of the economic and political strength my people have worked so hard to achieve and preserve for future generations. Simply stated, Obama is bankrupting America. If this is allowed to continue, it will be the end of me – the end of a bountiful land of plenty, the end of a land of limitless prosperity, the end of freedom.

The current obsession with multiculturalism will bring the end of America's future independence. While I am proud that people of all races and faiths are afforded asylum and freedom here, my people cannot lose their distinctively Christian faith without sacrificing their very existence, for that is the cornerstone upon which America was built.

An example of this truth is Barack Obama, the man who now rules my citizens as their president. He came out from me but he is not of me. He did not spend the majority of his youth growing up in any of my cities or small towns. Though he was born in Hawaii, he moved frequently throughout Indonesia and Asia. He did not learn of my ways because he was never a part of me in his formative years. While he was taught a liberal version of my history, he knows nothing of my innermost heart and my character or of the true spirit of Americana – that indefinable quality that makes my people unique. No, Barack Obama is a stranger to the American way of life – an interloper who returned to my shores to receive his higher education in one of my prestigious, liberal universities. He is a charismatic and charming young man but he has no deep-seated love for me. He is a social reformer with an agenda, and a shallow one at that. In his heart, I am not his country.

He has no pride in being an American. As president, he's traveled the world making apologies for what I am and for the actions I’ve taken. Not once did he speak publicly of any of the great good I have done for the world. Obama loathes all that I stand for and he is out to bring me to my knees, all the while, claiming it's not about him; rather, he claims he is fixing all that's wrong with the American way of life. And, he is not prone to let truth get in the way of making a persuasive argument. Behold, the snake oil salesman with his lies and corruption!

Behind his facade of cool, Obama is an angry American. He spent twenty years as an active member of a church where black liberation theology was routinely preached, yet he claimed he did not hear it. He speaks well, my citizens, but he does not speak truth. As a young man, his friends were American dissidents and radical malcontents of the Marxist-Leninist variety and their influence is obvious in his life today.

And, my dear citizens, the saddest part of all is that he was elected by you – those of you who call yourselves Americans and yet you hate the very things I have always stood for; those of you who voted for change but did not properly inform yourselves as to what that change would be; those of you who voted for Obama because he is a black man -- you voted for race and color of skin rather than for the content of character to which Martin Luther King taught us all to aspire.

As in 1776, Americans must once again choose between liberty and tyranny. Please pray for your country as you’ve never prayed before. Inform yourself of the issues that concern all citizens and then demand that your representatives return to my founding principles.

You may have to fight for me once again and the price may be high. It’s been high before and there were always brave men and women who stepped forward to pay it. The big question now is, will you? Will you fight -- will you pay any price to preserve American freedom for yourselves, your children and your grandchildren?

To those who do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the future is certainly dark; however, to those who know Him, He said, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your head for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Luke 21:28)

Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Can You See the Difference?

One Of These Things Is Not Like the Others.

My discerning readers will quickly see far beyond the tasks being performed. They will see directly into the differing personal ideologies, strength of character and the moral and visceral fortitude of the three men in these photos. Telling, isn't it?

This is not to say that real men don't hang curtains -- they certainly do when they are needed. But real men do so much more -- they are physical, they work and sweat for the sheer satisfaction of accomplishing something worthwhile. They don't mind getting their hands dirty, or their clothes -- or their faces, for that matter. It's a manly thing and they take it all in stride.

Perhaps Obama has gotten a little sweaty on a basketball court. Great, I hope he has. Now, let's see him cut down a tree. cut it into manageable lengths, carry it to its destination, split and arrange it into usable stacks of firewood.

That would be an episode of genuine Americana I would gladly pay to watch.

HT -- Picture liberated from Mark Alexander at patriotpost.us

The Truth of the Iranian Massacre of 1979

Watch this video only if you really want to know the TRUTH about how Iran got to be where it is today. (History only in part, of course):



The Shah may have been a bum, but he was OUR bum and it was in OUR best interests to support his government and not let it fall; thereby preventing the take-over by the evil theocracy that has ruled the people with such an iron fist all these years since.

This present crisis in Iran began with an election between two primary candidates who are evil, murderous men with innocent blood on their hands. Both of whom are under the dictates of the Supreme Leader. But has the crisis now evolved into something more, much more? Is this now about freedom versus tyranny?

America must provide strong verbal and moral support for the efforts of the Iranian people who are fighting in the streets for their freedom. To do anything less would be equivalent to supporting the tyranny that most surely will continue to hold them captive.

ObamaCare Draft Leaked

Keith Hennessey, former senior economic advisor to President George W. Bush, walks us through the first draft of Obama’s health care bill.

After reading Hennessey’s piece about the 15 things to know about the bill, my first reaction is OMG! Is this the economic environment in which we want to impose new taxes on both consumers and employers? WHAT are these people thinking? And make no mistake; any government mandate requiring people to either buy insurance or pay a penalty is nothing less than a tax.

It seems that a draft of Senator Kennedy’s (D-MA) health care bill leaked over the week-end and Hennessey was able to get a copy of the draft as a text file (173 K), and as a single Acrobat file (3.4 MB). Both files are searchable.

Hennessey writes:

“Calling it the “Kennedy” bill is something of an overstatement.
Senator Kennedy chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
committee, and his staff wrote the draft. By all reports, however,
Chairman Kennedy’s health is preventing him from being heavily involved
in the drafting.

Senator Reid has designated Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) to supervise the
process, but as best I can tell, it’s really the Kennedy committee
staff who are making most of the key decisions. For now I will call it the
Kennedy-Dodd bill.

As the committee staff emphasized to the press after the leak, this is
an interim draft. I assume things will move around over the next several
weeks as discussions among Senators and their staffs continue. This is
therefore far from a final product, but it provides a useful insight into
current thinking among some key Senate Democrats.

Here are 15 things to know about the draft Kennedy-Dodd health bill.”

Continue reading "Understanding the Kennedy health care bill"…

Memorial Day

Never in the history of the world has anyone sacrificed more for the freedom and liberty of total strangers than has the American Soldier. Our Soldiers don’t just provide freedom abroad, they preserve it for us here at home.

"It is the Soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the agitator, who has given us the freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag, serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag; it is that Soldier who gives the protester the freedom to abuse and burn that flag.”

~~ Zell Miller in a speech to the Republican National Convention

*****

I stood up.
I stepped forward.
I raised my right hand.
I stood in the gap.
I walked in the fire.
I did not run.
I did not hide.
I did not evade.

Consequently...

I have nothing to prove.
I have no one to convince.
Those who matter, already know.
Those who don't, never will.

~~ Author Unknown ~~

*****

This video is not only for those buried in Arlington, but for those whose earthly resting place is anywhere in the world; in cemeteries or in lone graves, marked and unmarked, in places that once were battlefields and war zones. It is especially for those who rest in unmarked places known only to God.

An American veteran, whether active duty, reserve, retired or deceased, is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to The United States of America, for an amount of "up to and including my life." There is no way to properly honor that kind of duty but in my own humble way, I salute you. Thank you, American Soldier. You have always been my hero.

Words of Warning from Ronald Reagan

"There are those in America today who have come to depend absolutely on government for their security. And when government fails, they seek to rectify that failure in the form of granting government more power. So, as government has failed to control crime and violence with the means given it by the Constitution, they seek to give it more power at the expense of the Constitution. But in doing so, in their willingness to give up their arms in the name of safety, they are really giving up their protection from what has always been the chief source of despotism — government.

Lord Acton said power corrupts. Surely then, if this is true, the more power we give the government the more corrupt it will become. And if we give it the power to confiscate our arms we also give up the ultimate means to combat that corrupt power. In doing so, we can only assure that we will eventually be totally subject to it. When dictators come to power, the first thing they do is take away the people’s weapons. It makes it so much easier for the secret police to operate, it makes it so much easier to force the will of the ruler upon the ruled."

~~ RONALD REAGAN ~~

NOTE: Ronald Reagan can never be defined by a mere collection of one-liners but here is a random selection of a few of my favorites -- as timely today as they were when he said them:

“Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose.”

“The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.”

“The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.”

“I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress.”

"Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong."

“The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination.”

“Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.”

“The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program.”

“It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.”

“Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”

“Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed, there are many rewards; if you disgrace yourself, you can always write a book.”

“No arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.”

“If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”

"Those who have never broken free from the mentality of tax-and-tax and spend-and-spend still think increasing taxes is the best way to solve America's problems. ... We need a tax policy that offers incentives for people to work, save, and invest -- all the things that will keep our economy growing and improve our well being. We need a basic tax reform that will permit us to bring everybody's tax rates down. ... Our country needs leadership that can see beyond the demands of the special interest groups and prepare America for a better tomorrow."

~~ Random Quotes of Ronald Reagan ~~