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 ~~

The Second American Revolution

Founding Father, Thomas Paine, author of "Common Sense," returns to modern times to plead for a Second American Revolution to take back America.

Original video by Bob Basso:



If not now, when? If not us, who?

Shep Smith Blasts Congress Over AIG Hypocrisy

Shepard Smith eviscerates the congressional clown hearings today:

"Well, well, well. Wasn't that a quite a little show. Ladies and gentlemen, just facts now. No opinions."

[...]

"And furthermore... Barney Frank asking the CEOs to 'name names'? Remember Joe McCarthy?"


This is going to get messy, folks, and very divisive. And we must not let them get away with it.

Good for you, Shep! It was great to hear you state the facts in a day that was filled with political hypocrisy.

Behind the Scenes at the Obama Show

The White House is in role-playing mode again and the featured act is the second scene of the original play we saw six weeks ago. President Obama is outraged that AIG, after taking billions in taxpayer bailout dollars, is now going to pay out bonuses to the very folks who helped put the insurance conglomerate – the one that was too big to fail -- into the financial abyss in the first place. And they want us to believe the government is just now finding out about this.

Remember the humongous stimulus package, the one that no one had time to read before voting on its passage? Is it possible that the huge rush to spend taxpayer dollars was an itty bitty mistake? AIG was an un-savable mega-mess and for the government to rush in and perform a huge cash infusion into its miserable business practices and then to expect a different outcome from what it got is absolutely ludicrous.

Like Claude Raines’ character in Casablanca, Obama is outraged – outraged that gambling is going on in this establishment. We didn't hear any outrage from Obama when AIG contributed over $100,000 to his political campaign. And no outrage from Chris Dodd for AIG's very generous contribution toward his political aspirations. And the list goes on.

Taxpayer dollars were thrown at the financial giant without any accounting oversight whatsoever. The bonuses were part of AIG's prior contractual arrangements – legally binding business contracts that must be honored. But did our government’s financial gurus bother to find out about such contracts? Why, no. There was no time, remember? There was only enough time to throw money in the AIG coffers.

Wasn’t it a mere three weeks ago when we were reading that the biggest banks were going to fail? And then a couple of weeks ago we were told that Nancy Pelosi wanted another stimulus package and the banks might need still more bailout money.

But that was then and this is now.

Now, Bank of America posts a profits for 2009! And Citibank won’t be begging for more money after all – at least, not yet.

Those terrible retail numbers that spelled The Great Recession and had over half of the nation saying we were headed for The Great Depression II. Well, as it turns out they were not so bad after all.

Pssssst! Retail sales were up in January, but that didn’t get much attention from the MSM because the narrative from Washington back then was DOOM! DOOOM! DOOOOOOOM!

Now, suddenly everything is beautiful!

So, what happened?

Could it possibly be that Obama’s inside polling numbers were not quite so warm and rosy with all that disaster talk running rampant? I’ve got my own opinion. I’ll let you decide for yourself.

But, if you’re like me, and you’re feeling somewhat manipulated and more than a little like Dr. Doolittle’s Push-Me-Pull-You, then welcome to the Obama Nation. It doesn’t look much like our America of old, does it?

There is a method to the Obama madness and it’s heads, Obama wins -- or tails, Obama wins. First, Obama declared “a catastrophe that we might never recover from.” That drove an already shaky stock market right through the basement floor, wiping out nearly half of every workers' 401K, seriously damaging investors and scaring the citizens into agreeing to a monumental porkulous stimulus bill that will cost our children and grandchildren much of their American dream.

As if that weren't enough, Team Obama has worked overtime to dumb us down, to numb our senses in hopes of causing us to accept a government takeover of other parts of the private sector. Frightened people easily become followers and much of America is frightened.

Here’s my take on the crisis strategy -- the behind-the-scenes deception -- exactly why Obama talked down the economy and talked up each crisis in magnanimous proportions:

1. He needed to create an atmosphere that would allow passage of the stimulus bill.
2. He wanted to bring the crisis to a fever pitch so that he could further advance his effort to pass other big government legislation – health care, for starters, and green energy.
3. He needed to give the impression that the economy is absolutely, positively as bad as it could ever get so that any progress would be viewed as a recovery, and any recovery would be credited to Obama and hailed as nothing short of a miracle.

In my opinion, Obama’s strategy was calculated. It was deceitful. It was manipulative. It was opportunistic. And unless taxpaying Americans shake off our fear and make our voices heard, it will be effective.

Loosely stated, Obama, the intellectual, was getting hammered. Even his own party was starting to revolt from his grandiose spending. His administration is making foreign policy gaffes left and right and he personally insulted our best ally. Some wonder if he is malicious or simply inept. He cannot seat his cabinet or treasury staff. His priorities seem disordered. He’s been picking fights with private citizens – Rush Limbaugh comes to mind, to create a nemesis. His nominations are giving him fits. He’s backtracking on campaign promises and he’s moving left – hard left, and he’s moving swiftly.

The Tea Parties are starting to organize to a point where the MSM might actually be forced to cover them.

We’ve got warships heading to China while Russia has bombers going to Venezuela for alleged maneuvers. Obama wants to raise taxes, but you can’t do that in a Great Recession. He wants Universal Health Care yet he wants to charge vets for their battle wounds. He must change the subject and give the appearance that he’s doing very well in order to move toward nationalization. And he can’t do that unless -- Ta-Da! -- things aren’t so bad, after all!

He’s hitting the reset button – again -- on his entire presidency.

Well, I hate to be cynical. But I’ll sleep better tonight knowing it’s really not all that bad, after all. You’ll sleep better too, won’t you? No point in feeling like a fool just because the president needs us to be fools in order for his plans to succeed. Let ‘im eat cake!

He Says He's Very Good At It

Never underestimate Obama -- he’s one smooth salesman. He’s deceiving the American people about his liberal revolution. His air of confidence is disturbing in its arrogance. For all of his failure to project optimism about the economy, he has tremendous confidence in one thing: his ability to ram his liberal agenda through Congress before the American people even know what hit them.

One of the most chilling quotes from Obama that I’ve ever read is this, reported by Fred Barnes recently:

When Barack Obama met with TV anchors at a White House luncheon last week, he assured them he likes being president. “And it turns out I’m very good at it,” he stated.

Let that sink in for a moment. Obama had been the president for 44 days and already he was saying he’s “very good at it.”

The stock market is falling every day and he’s “very good at it.” Today the Dow is set to close at 6594.44 and Obama's “very good at it.”

Confidence is one thing. Unashamed hubris is another.

Come to think of it, he’s very good at that too.

Rush Limbaugh, American Patriot

Rush Limbaugh is everywhere in the news, especially since Politico has uncovered a little White House plumbing action in which Rush has been systematically targeted by the Obama White House.

As a frequent listener, I naturally had to tune in today to hear his opening monologue. Rush did not disappoint. It was fascinating radio -- Rush was both amusing and amazing.

In a move that can only be called brilliant, Limbaugh cordially invited President Obama to come on his show and spend three hours in a debate with him. Limbaugh is offering the POTUS fully paid transportation and overnight accommodations – not one cent of it on the taxpayer’s dime -- for a debate.

Limbaugh seems utterly, supremely confident – in other words, his normal self. He suggests that if President Obama can debate without notes or teleprompter and defeat Limbaugh in the eyes of the audience (paraphrasing), “You will own America. You will have no opposition standing. Santelli is being silenced; Cramer will be gone soon, though not without a fight. You already have the press, you have Hollywood. The only thing standing between you and complete ownership of the United States is me and my little radio show.”

Obama once wrote of audacity, but today Rush hit him squarely with the reality of the word -- an audacious offer. Rush is calling Obama’s bluff. Limbaugh understands what so few in America seem to grasp: there has been a coup -- a bloodless, painless coup. The Obama presidency is only about six weeks old and America may never again be the same.

Of course, the White House won’t do the debate. Obama could never begin to go toe to toe, without notes, against Limbaugh – certainly not on the serious issues that concern this country. As a frequent listener, I believe that Rush Limbaugh could go toe to toe with the devil himself and in the end, the devil would wonder what happened.

In spite of the way he's portrayed in the mainstream media, Limbaugh is hardly a radical wingnut. He has never been that. He's magnificently informed, direct, compelling, uncompromising, down-to-earth, and incontrovertibly genuine. What lines he may cross via hyperbole, are backtracked by the man's genuine and admirable self-deprecation -- something of a lost art these days.

The over calculated and totally teleprompted Obama hasn't got half of Limbaugh's ability or certainty, which may not be saying much because, basically, Limbaugh is light years ahead in terms of conviction: he is a wise, sensible, potent, incomparable voice for conservative American politics.

Obama has a way of getting out of things. The White House canceled a joint press conference with the British Prime Minister yesterday, ostensibly because of snow. Many Brits viewed it as a snub.

Unfortunately for the country, this debate will never happen -- never in an uncontrolled environment where Obama would be publicly exposed in such a manner. But this Reagan conservative can dream, can’t I? I would pay good money to hear such a debate -- but I digress.

Obama’s supporters are furious, but why should they be so angry? Obama is an ivy-league educated orator with excellent skills; and besides, he’s the President of the United States. He should be able to out-talk college-dropout Limbaugh hands down, shouldn’t he? The callers want to re-negotiate the terms for Obama’s sake. It’s pretty funny radio.

Limbaugh replies, (paraphrasing) “Hey, Obama wants more diversity on the radio -- I’m offering time for the Democrats' view to be fully exposed and explained…”

It’s absolutely brilliant. The White House will send Press Secretary Gibbs out to chuckle about Limbaugh’s offer and try to dismiss all this as political theater.

The White House may regret targeting this college drop-out. Rush Limbaugh is a seriously courageous man. He loves this country unquestionably, and he sincerely believes in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. He believes in the First Amendment and places himself right beside it and says, “Go ahead, take your best shot.”

Rush is an American patriot.

Bravo, Rush, Bravo!

~~~~~

You can read Rush’s monologue here.

He's Barack -- We're Broke

So, here we are, going into month two of the Obama presidency and the Dow has now fallen below 7,000. It’s at 6809.17 as I type this. We haven’t seen these numbers since 1997. But at the White House, it's black tie and white wine, steak dinners and cocktail parties.

A week ago, Chris Matthews (the MSNBC liberal loon with the tingling leg for Obama), wondered aloud in a rare moment of Obama-doubt: “I thought 8,000 was the floor, and it looks like 6,000 is the floor. People are angry, I’m getting angry.”

And, there’s Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner – the so-called indispensible man who was presented to the public as the only one equipped to handle our economic crisis in spite of his "minor" problem with TurboTax. His performance has been less than reassuring. To the contrary, Geithner looks like a deer in the headlights -- the antithesis of confidence in a time when confidence and leadership are desperately needed. So much for the choices of our newly elected Community-Organizer-in-Chief.

How low will the Dow go? No one knows. I don’t know. But I do know that the market does not like the policies of this new president – no way, no how – and without confidence to give it direction, the market will continue to spiral downward. Personally, I can easily see Dow 5000. Whether it crashes there or reins itself in is anyone’s guess, but I can say with certainty that the U.S. economy is in shambles and the market sees no recovery on the horizon.

The president – the Anointed One -- seems wholly untroubled by any of this and is happily continuing on toward the creation of one world with a global “new deal” on his mind. The swiftness with which he is accruing and consolidating power is breathtaking, and sadly, most people don’t even realize what is happening. Impoverishing the people is only part of it. The underlying agenda is about power and change -- changing America into something freedom-loving people will not recognize and we most certainly will not like.

Some reporters are beginning to think it might be time to panic. Why now? It's not as if they weren't warned long ago by all of us lowly conservatives.

Obama is going to make the Carter years look like the best of times.

~~~~~~~~~~

The MUST READ: Larry Kudlow spells it out in no uncertain terms:

Obama Declares War on Investors, Entrepreneurs, Businesses, and More

Let me be very clear on the economics of President Obama’s State of the Union speech and his budget. He is declaring war on investors, entrepreneurs, small businesses, large corporations, and private-equity and venture-capital funds.

[...]

Study after study over the past several decades has shown how countries that spend more produce less, while nations that tax less produce more. Obama is doing it wrong on both counts.

And as far as middle-class tax cuts are concerned, Obama’s cap-and-trade program will be a huge across-the-board tax increase on blue-collar workers, including unionized workers. Industrial production is plunging, but new carbon taxes will prevent production from ever recovering. While the country wants more fuel and power, cap-and-trade will deliver less.

Read it all here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What Will YOU Do When Freedom Dies?

I Am Dying -- Will You Help Me?

Beware of Scammers

I like the classifieds on Craigslist. I’ve used the service several times and each transaction has been smooth and uneventful. I made good deals with no hassles and no fees. But such is not always the case. Craigslist provides a good service and I will continue to use it, but, as in all things, I use abundant caution. I never know what type of individual I may be dealing with -- and scammers are everywhere.

Recently a friend advertised a car for sale on Craigslist. He listed all the pertinent information about the vehicle, including photos, the price, etc. He got several responses to his ad, but one response in particular caught his attention:

I will buy your car. I am okay with the price and the conditions. I would have come to check it out, but it's just that I am very busy and I am out of state.

I will make payment to you via Certified Cashier’s Check and I understand it must clear your bank before you release the item to me. I will also be responsible for the pick-up and shipping. So, all you will do as soon as you get the payment check is to get it cashed, deduct your money for the item and send the rest to my shipper whose name and address will be enclosed in the envelope of the check, so that they can come for the pick up at your residence.

Hope I can trust you with my money cos I’ve been scammed before and I don’t want to be scammed again. If this is okay with you, please get back to me with your.... Name, full contact address(city,state and zip code,) and your phone number.Do get back to me ASAP so that I can issue the payment check to you via UPS Next Day delivery. Kindly remove the item from site so that no one will contact you for it.

Regards,

XYZ

Being the cool sort that my friend is, he responded with the following cryptic email:

Hey XYZ,

There's a problem. See, I'm on the run from the law, so I have to keep a low profile. I can't go into banks or anyplace with cameras where the FBI might see me. This would have to be an in person deal, I'm very familiar with dealing with large sums of money and contraband and am always well armed so as to insure a deal goes off without a hitch -- well except for that last one, but he drew first. Anyhow, I'm really anxious to unload this car. The upholstery is freshly cleaned and there's also a new passenger window, so I hope you’re not just yanking my chain.

Rick Santelli, A Free Speech American

I strongly believe that a man who will not use his freedom to defend his freedom, does not deserve his freedom. This was never better illustrated than this morning while CNBC’s Rick Santelli was doing his usual early morning live report from Chicago on the CBOE. He had no script – his many years as a trader are all he needed to do his reporting from the trading pits.

And then it happened – the moment of truth. Listen and watch Santelli (see below). And listen to the spontaneous reaction of the traders around him.

There was nothing staged about this moment -- no punches pulled and no dutiful mouthing of scripted talking points. Santelli was honestly speaking his mind and the reaction from the traders was the same. This is free speech.

It is uncontrolled speech. It is free. It's American.

Free speech cannot be controlled or it is not free at all. We in America have for too long engaged in self-censorship as a form of political correctness and it is enslaving us. I'm not talking about yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theatre, but rather, I'm referring to speaking one's opinions honestly and openly.

Sometimes, you have to let go and let the words fly. And if you cannot do that, you are not free. And if you are not free, why be an American at all?

God bless Rick Santelli.

Considering that CNBC is owned by NBC, I pray he still has a job next week.

~~~~~~~~

Edited to add the video:

The Reagan - Obama Debate

In their own words:

The Insult and the Outrage!

The Porkulous Package -- the largest stimulus-spending bill in the history of the United States -- passed in the House a short time ago. The vote was 246 – 183. Thankfully, there was not one single Republican on board.

The Senate is scheduled to vote later this afternoon -- about 5:30 PM -- and I would suggest that the 3 blind mice -- Specter, Collins and Snowe -- the RINO's of the Republican Senate rethink their positions carefully. Before the Senate votes, you still have time to MELT THE PHONES. Call one -- call all. The American people cannot afford to lose this round.

Republican Ladies and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives, I thank you for your desire to serve the wishes of the American people who sent you to Washington. We will not forget you for today you served your country well.

This bill was supposed to be about jobs, jobs, jobs, but it quickly became Pelosi’s pulled pork of spend, spend, spend. Can anyone tell me how we are supposed to pay for this beast of a bill? Can anyone who voted today on the bill, say with all honesty that they have read it? Not possible -- the 1100 page bill was not made available until very late last night. Our elected officials voted on an $800 billion (yes, that's billion with a b) spending bill that they have not even read! And what about the American people's right to read it? What happened to Obama's campaign promise of putting bills on the Internet before a vote? Another campaign promise bites the dust.

I'm insulted and I'm outraged.

The American President, Madam Speaker and the rest of the Dems cannot stop the fear mongering and urgent yapping, and every time they yap, more jobs disappear as they reveal that they are driven less by a desire to serve than to control. They are more interested in backroom connivance than transparency. Back rooms with only one party allowed in does not equal transparency even in Obamaland. Transparency, it seems, is just another word.

Barack Obama must be giving fits to those backroom supporters who never meant for the nation to so clearly recognize his hyper-partisan purposes - and his limitations. And we’re only a mere three weeks into his presidency.

And Obama promised there would be no federal sprawl. What about those construction jobs in the new stimulus package? They are mostly FEDERAL construction jobs meant to construct or shore up FEDERAL buildings and agencies in and around Washington, DC, where FEDERAL SPRAWL will be allowed. Bigger government needs bigger buildings -- and you can be sure Obama is going to have bigger government. Of course, some construction companies in Bethesda, Maryland may see boom times, but what about the rest of the country? Is that Obama's idea of sharing the wealth?

So, what is the message here? Obama is telling the country to find something else to do, something other than growing, working, producing, creating, innovating, building. He wants energy independence but does not want drilling, refining, and the jobs that go with them to take place in America. He wants everyone to have a house, but apparently we’re not supposed to build any new ones. He wants Americans to become less materialistic, more personally responsible for our mistakes, and he wants the government to grow larger and to spend our way out of debt.

One thing is painfully clear -- Obama’s rhetoric is empty, and what is not empty is evasive. He is, increasingly, the “just words” president. He speaks of American dreams, but he works to limit them. And he is not alone.

Where does Barney Frank, a wealthy public official (I find it impossible to refer to him as a public servant), get off telling free Americans what their salary caps should be?

Where does the extremely wealthy John Kerry get off slobbering on the floor of the United States Senate that Americans are too “free to invest their money where ever they want!”?

How dare the set-for-life Chuck Schumer show such contempt for the “little” people, who simply want to know what we’re being put on the hook for?

Corrupt and singular, many of these little kings and godlings serve themselves alone. They are merely playing Lego's with the rest of us. And you can be sure they will not cap their own salaries.

Where do any of these public officials who have either grown wealthy on the public purse, or used their wealth to purchase their office, or have used their office to protect their wealth, get off telling us, the can-do Americans, how much we can earn?

How dare they begin to shred the Constitution and dismantle The American Dream? How dare they discourage the sort of dreaming that made America into Ronald Reagan's shining city on a hill, an exceptional nation of limitless possibilities?

How dare they -- those who aspire not to serve but to rule, create destructive, historic and transformational 1100-page bills behind closed doors and show them to lobbyists before they show them to legislators or to the American public they are supposed to be serving?

But it's done.

It's scandalous.

And no one is calling it treason.

Lest We Forget...

The One who is always in ultimate control of all things.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father."

~~ Matthew 10:29 (NASB) ~~

Keep Your Kool-Aid, Mr. President

How quickly we fall victim to scare tactics and fear mongering. Have we all forgotten that for almost a third of all the months during the 1970’s, 1980’s, and the 1990’s, America had an unemployment rate as high or higher than it is now? True. And does anyone remember the economic crisis Reagan inherited from Carter? It was much worse than what we have now and Reagan didn’t plunge the country into massive debt nor did he nationalize one single thing.

The economy goes through cycles, it always has, and the sky has not yet fallen so why are we so quick to believe it will this time? Unless, of course, Obama, Pelosi and Reid are successful in choking off the country’s future by shoving the largest spending spree in history down our throats.

We, as free Americans cannot afford to allow the good ol’ boys to do our thinking for us. Their thinking is not rational. Well, that’s not quite true. Their thinking is rational in that they are frantically pushing to achieve their own agenda of socialism and they lack the intestinal fortitude to call it what it is. Instead they are using fear and urgency to scare us into their way of thinking.

This bill is not – NOT -- a stimulus for the economy. It is a liberal domestic spending binge to the tune of $800 billion dollars, masquerading under the guise of a "stimulus bill" that they want to pass without going through the normal legislative processes.

In order to do this quickly -- and they know if it's not done quickly, much of it won't get done -- they, especially Obama, are screaming that the sky is falling in order to scare us into acquiescing. They are playing us for fools. I will not drink the Kool-Aid, Mr. President.

They are shredding our Constitution and every American should rise up and take decisive action and contact all our Senators and Congressmen. Make the calls, write the emails, ever mindful that a man who will not use his freedom to defend his freedom, does not deserve his freedom.

The American Dream is in our hands. Our children and grandchildren’s future depend on us. We cannot – we must not let them down.

New site to check out: Stimulus Watch.

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their consciences.” ~~ C.S. Lewis ~~

President or Dictator?

Today would have been Ronald Reagan's 98th birthday. If the Gipper knew what was going on in Washington over the stimulus package, he would be spinning. And he would never approve of the scare tactics being used by Obama and the Dems.

Such great memories from the past -- such unbelievable insanity in the present.

There's insanity and then there's the insanity of the Democrats -- and I must say, Democrat insanity is in a league of its own. It's no longer a question of a stimulus, but of what should be included in the package. And the Dems have it all wrong, again. You don't spend your way out of a financial crisis. You cut taxes, you cut spending and you put people to work. You don't mortgage the future of your children and grandchildren on an asinine spending bill, especially one using100 percent borrowed money.

If you're so inclined, MELT THE PHONES. More numbers can be found here.

I hope the Republicans stick to their guns and hold the line against the current bill. I hope you've let your representative and your senators know how you feel. I'm on the verge of being on first name bassis with mine. And if you haven't contacted yours, shame on you. After all, it's your money, and your children's money, and their children's money. What's being done to their future is nothing short of criminal. Their chances for achieving the American Dream are rapidly diminishing. I pray that sanity will somehow prevail.

~~~~~~~~

Lately, we've seen flashes of anger from "the One who would bring us together." The message is beginning to come through -- "It's my way or the highway." Tough talk from one who would unite.

Are we witnessing the leopard changing his spots; the President morphing into the Dictator? Or are we watching the Socialist letting his guard down and being the Socialist that he has always been? I've been warning readers about Obama the Socialist since the inception of The Shepherd Report but I take no joy in being proven correct.

We're in for a world of hurt, my conservative friends.

May God help us.

~~~~~~~~~~

The must-read of the day: Charles Krauthammer

"So much for the president, who in his inaugural address two weeks earlier declared “we have chosen hope over fear.” Until, that is, you need fear to pass a bill."

Read Mitt Romney's Sound Advice

And this interesting piece from DeRussy at Pajamas Media.

And then there's this:

Mr. Obama's "Non-Negotiables" For the Stimulus Is Really His Domestic Agenda That He Intends to Cram Down Our Throats Without Going Through the Normal Legislative Process:

Infrastructure, weatherizing homes, health IT spending, (liberal) education spending, investments in science/technology (alternative energy) research, health insurance for the unemployed, relief to states and aid to families."

The fact is that much of this is Obama's effort to get his domestic agenda enacted under the guise of stimulus that has lawmakers -- on both sides -- increasingly agitated.

"And make no mistake, a significant portion of the stimulus spending comes right out of the agenda Obama announced last summer -- long before the need for a massive stimulus bill emerged."

IBD Editorials, February 5, 2009

~~~~~~~~

“If this is the change we all can believe in, then Americans’ best days are behind them.”
~~~ Senator Lindsey Graham, SC, on the so-called stimulus package ~~~

The Shocking Facts About the New Bailout Bill

Do you know the shocking facts about what THEY want to do with OUR tax dollars, all in the name of a bailout bill? Read the info and then let your congressman and senators know how you feel as soon as possible.

From the new AskHeritage site:

AS PRESIDENT OBAMA settles into his new office, it is imperative that we encourage him and Congress to exercise prudence when attempting to rescue the economy. Massive deficit spending will only throw our country further into economic shambles, as the current stimulus and SCHIP bills do little more than increase our debt and healthcare costs. Consider the following issues with the "stimulus" bill:

1) The $825 billion bill would dump $10,520 of new debt per household into the laps of our children and grandchildren. The interest on this debt ($347 billion) will dump even more.

2) Under the stimulus, new groups of children and adults would be eligible for Medicaid, the welfare program for the poor which is already going broke. These expansions are on top of spending $89 billion to bailout the failing state Medicaid programs.

3) The current "stimulus" bill will be the largest spending bill ever enacted by Congress, making the New Deal look small, accounting for inflation.

4) President Obama anticipates that spending over $800 billion will create 3.7 million new jobs. That means each job will cost more than $200,000, which is roughly equivalent to 5 times what the average American worker earns!

5) The bill is full of wasteful spending, including $21 million on new sod for the National Mall in Washington, $600 million on cars for government bureaucrats, and $650 million for digital television converters.

Read more, if you dare. And be sure to take ACTION by letting your representatives in Washington know how you feel about their use of our tax dollars.

Oh, and by the way, do you know that the defense budget is going to get cut? All those billions of dollars being thrown around and there’s nothing for defense spending? The Pentagon has been told to cut their 2010 budget by 10 percent – and that's for starters.

I’m amazed at how one single election could let loose such a scandalous swarm of insanity in Washington – but on the other hand, look at the politics of the people who were elected. Are these people connected with reality?

I guess the War on Terror is over. Is it now time for us all to join hands and sing Kumbaya?

More later.

Farewell, President Bush

I sent my personal letter of appreciation to President Bush several weeks ago, but Eric over at Tygrrr Express penned an admiring letter of appreciation on the occasion of Bush's last day in office, appropriately Martin Luther King Day.

A few highlights worth noting:

"Dr. King was a much better speaker than you... Despite attempts by some who try to rewrite history for their own gain, I want to thank you for your many accomplishments, beginning with everything you have done to secure Dr. King's vision of a truly colorblind society.

"Nobody has hired as many black Americans to as many prominent positions as you have. You made Colin Powell your Secretary of State. You appointed Dr. Condoleeza Rice to be your next Secretary of State after a stint as your National Security Advisor. You hired Larry Thompson to be your Deputy Attorney General under John Ashcroft. Rod Paige was your Secretary of Education.

"These people were not hired because they were black. They were hired because they deserved the jobs based on merit. You did not make token appointments. You hired good people who happened to be black. That is colorblindness."

Read it all. And thanks, Eric.

**********

Several days ago, Fred Barnes at the Weekly Standard wrote ten things that Bush got right. It's well worth reading, if you haven't already.

And, if you missed Charles Krauthammer’s excellent column of January 16th, I highly recommend you read it here.

Thanks, Fred Barnes for reminding us what the left-wing myth-makers want us to forget. And Charles Krauthammer, I couldn't agree more with your perspective on Bush’s Imminent Rehab.

STUNNING: Another Bush supporter.

History, no doubt, will treat Bush far better than his contemporaries have done, for history has a way of seeing all things from a panorama where little is left of sacred secrets. President Bush has been crucified in the public square in spite of his decency, his goodness, his Christian faith -- that strong internal moral compass that guides him -- and, in spite of his remarkable success in winning two most difficult wars to protect this nation from those who would kill us.

All wars are hard; all wars involve mistakes and corrections. All wars, if they are to be won, come at a perilous cost. George W. Bush understood that and he did not shrink from it.

I cannot think of a more difficult job than being the 9/11 President, but that most terrible of jobs fell on Bush's watch and will forever rest on his shoulders.

George W. Bush had a charge to keep and he kept it. Thank you, President Bush, and may God bless you. My family and I will be forever grateful.

Uncle Jay Explains 2008 -- The Year That Was!

Introspection

I’ve been taking some downtime with family while we celebrate the holidays. I’ve tried to catch up on some rest – an all too illusive commodity these days. It’s time to face the world again, but first, a bit of introspection.

As some of you know, I'm frequently torn between the objective and subjective in my writing for The Shepherd Report. Blogging is a freedom heretofore unknown and the only rules are self-imposed. Some of my intrepid readers write me private emails with suggestions, preferring not to comment publicly on the blog. I respect your wishes and I’m grateful for the sincerity in your correspondence and the honesty of your views.

Often as I sit here torn between two worlds, I sometimes feel I write in a vacuum. Still, occasionally, surprisingly, I get positive feedback which challenges me to keep going.

This is an especially tough week for me for many reasons. There are several family members dealing with health issues; they need a healing touch from the Master’s Hand. My heart’s prayer is that it will be His will to do so -- and, if not, then I pray for His grace to sustain us all. Others are struggling with stuff -- old stuff, new stuff, some major, some minor; but stuff is stuff and must be dealt with before it can be put in its proper place.

Tonight is the 10th anniversary of my lovely mother’s home-going to Heaven. Has it really been that long? It seems like only yesterday -- or was it a lifetime ago? We were so very close for so many years, much more like sisters than mother and daughter. I miss her. No, I’m not over it – I never will be -- I got through it and that’s really all that matters in the grand scheme of things. Losing one who is so loved is like that, and I think that's as it should be.

And me? I feel the weight of it all. It's a tough time, with my own concerns and the concerns of others. For the countless joys and the many wonderful blessings in my life, which are innumerable, there's another side, which at this time of year seems difficult.

The holidays have been especially hard for me this year. The days are short, the nights too long. And the only answer at a time like this is deep prayer that draws me closer to God, for it is only with His help that I survive the dark times. Prayer, and recounting all the many blessings that I am so thankful for – and they are immeasurable -- and I am profoundly grateful.

And deep prayer in all things, while holding my Savior’s hand -- the only solace that has meaning. Anything else is palliative.

Each one of us struggles with our own deepest sadness. It’s as much a part of life as the air we breathe.

With prayer and quietness alone before the Lord, I know this too shall pass. And it will -- although it's tough on the shortest of days of the year like this when so many hopes, fears and disappointments are laid painfully bare.

Why Can't Everyday Be Like Christmas?

The First Christmas -- The Birth of Jesus
By the Children of Calvary Baptist Church:




Wishing God's Blessings To All This Holiday Season

Merry Christmas!

Nikki

Why Can't Everyday Be Like Christmas?
Sung by the fabulous Mr. Elvis Presley
Music and lyrics by Red West

Fred At His Best

This is Fred at his best, tongue in cheek and cigar in hand, as he explains the government's new Econ 101.

And be extra nice to your kids and grandkids this Christmas -- they don't have a clue what we're doing to their future!



"Ask not what your country can spend for you; ask what you can spend for your country."

Nikki

From My E-Mail...

Thanksgiving is over, and a fine one it was at the Shepherd compound as the family enjoyed an abundance of fabulous food and gave thanks to God for our many, many blessings. So, I'm late getting to my email, but one contained a brief story and a YouTube link that should not be missed. This is a good story for any day.

The video is part of an interview that was done in 1978 by Charles Kuralt, perhaps one of the greatest story-telling journalists of all time. Kuralt went to a small town, Prairie, Mississippi, where he visited with the Chandler family as they gathered to celebrate their parents 5Oth wedding anniversary. The Chandler's not only endured some of the toughest of times, but they achieved amazing success in only two generations -- from the hard life of a sharecropper couple, to a family with nine children, all college educated professionals. Through it all, the family relied on their own hard work, on each other, and their faith in God. It will warm your heart. It did mine.

Kuralt said, “Whenever I hear anything in America is impossible, I'll think of them.”




Thanks to M Ritz for sending the video link and the backstory.

Nikki

May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump,

May your potatoes and gravy have nary a lump.

May your yams be delicious, may your pies take the prize,

May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs!

~~ GOBBLE TILL YOU WOBBLE ~~

---------------------------

"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."

~~ James Madison ~~
A Memorial and Remonstrance, 1785

Happy Thanksgiving!
Nikki

Does Cancer Ever Just Go Away?

Gina Kolata reports in the NYT about an interesting research study that suggests some cancers may merely go away on their own. I know what you're thinking, but stay with me a minute. We've all heard a story or two – the person dying of cancer who was miracously healed – cured -- without medical treatment. These cases were rare and most always viewed with raised eyebrows. But that could be about to change.

"Now, though, researchers say they have found a situation in Norway that has let them ask that question about breast cancer. And their new study, to be published Tuesday in The Archives of Internal Medicine, suggests that even invasive cancers may sometimes go away without treatment and in larger numbers than anyone ever believed.

At the moment, the finding has no practical applications because no one knows whether a detected cancer will disappear or continue to spread or kill.

[ ... ]

Dr. Barnett Kramer, director of the Office of Disease Prevention at the National Institutes of Health, had a similar reaction. "People who are familiar with the broad range of behaviors of a variety of cancers know spontaneous regression is possible," he said. "But what is shocking is that it can occur so frequently."

The study used large groups of women and dealt with various stages of breast cancer. Please read the whole article to get the overview because this just may prove to be an important study.

The study gives rise to the question of whether knowing one has cancer, and acknowledging it, makes the cancer more powerful. That's an old argument that goes to the psychosomatic -- the mind-body connection. Is it possible that in some cases one can simply not name or acknowledge the cancer, and by refusing to do so, keep it at bay? While I am not a subscriber to that theory, I'm open to be convinced by the triers of the proof.

I had a great aunt who died of cancer. The doctors surmised that, given the cancer's size and metastasis to other parts of her body, she must have had it for 10 years -- undiagnosed and virtually symptom-free. Once diagnosed, she became critically ill and died in less than two weeks.

This study will be interesting to follow.

Nikki

Requiem

When I began this, my first venture into the blogosphere on September 18^th of this year, I said I had no specific agenda and that's still absolutely true. I write about what's on my mind; the issues that move me; the good that people do, the bad, the wrongs that need to be made right. I hope someday soon to be able to write something trivial, joyful, and perhaps even silly. That day is not yet.

The election is now history and the outcome no surprise. The nation is gleefully planning the coronation of King Barack Hussein Obama. I'll watch the proceedings from the comfort of my home but I won't be celebrating. There is too much to mourn.

Elections have consequences, and I fear many consequences were born on November 4^th that will take us to places that we never intended to go.

One such consequence happened in the state of Washington with the passage of legalized physician-assisted suicide -- one more acceptance of the culture of death in America.

It's important to note that I'm not referring to an informed person's right to die by refusing medical treatment for a terminal condition even if the patient chooses to receive medication for pain. There is a strong moral distinction between allowing death to come naturally, without being prolonged by artificial means, and in ending a life by suicide.

I'm talking about death by design, death that is planned, death on purpose. I'm talking about death that masquerades under names like euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, abortion, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning. By any name, it's the culture of death.

Proponents of the abortion industry call their business healthcare. They cite the health of the mother or even the life of the mother as a reason to justify the murder of the innocent unborn. That's a lame and deceptive excuse that does not stand in light of medical facts.

I write from personal experience when I say that killing the unborn child is never required to save the life of the mother. I know. I've been there. I chose to go against the advice of my doctors and carry my third child to term and deliver by Cesarian section. It was a very close call -- I did indeed come very close to death, but I did not die. My doctors were wonderful Christian men and my personal faith was in Jesus Christ. I never doubted that He had the ultimate control. He brought me through the valley of the shadow of death and blessed me with a wonderful, healthy son. Even though I live with some residual health problems, I have never regretted my decision.

The abortion industry is about killing the most innocent and defenseless of all human life and doing it in the cruelest and most vicious ways imaginable. To those who do it, and to those who approve of it, and to those who tolerate it, you are supporting the most horrific and sinful actions ever embraced by any culture in human history. Over forty-eight million innocent babies have been killed in the U.S. alone -- and still counting. In light of this, how can we possibly expect God to continue His blessings on our country?

Peggy Noonan reminds us that The Children Are Watching. Indeed, they are and Barack Obama's election should eradicate once and for all the blight of racism from our national conscience.

But I wonder if the children will see and learn the most ironic lesson of all -- that Barack Obama, the man who has pledged to provide absolutely no support whatsoever for the rights of the unborn, or even to those born alive after botched abortions, is himself a shining example of the enormous opportunities available to anyone born in America –- that is, if they are wanted by their mothers and if they can live long enough to be born.

Barack Obama, the child of a white mother and a black father, was conceived out of wedlock and abandoned at a young age by his father. Raised by his white mother and white grandparents, he has now grown up to be the President of the United States. That in itself is a remarkable accomplishment. Had Obama's birth come a generation later, after Roe v Wade, such difficult circumstances could have caused his mother to legally end his life before he had a chance to take his first breath.

Let me be brutally honest -- the culture of death is not about choice; it's not about rights or freedom, and it's certainly not about private decisions made between a woman and her doctor. Most often, it's about convenience for the mother, but it's always about killing, it's about death. If they cannot inflict death inside the womb, they'll settle for doing it outside the womb, and it's legal. (See Born Alive Truth for Obama's shocking voting record on this.) And in several states, it's no longer just infants, they can now kill the infirm and the aged, and with the added attraction of providing physician assistance for the procedure. But it's still about killing – everything else is merely timing and geography.

I mourn the decline of the greatest nation in the world. I mourn America from sea to shining sea, Ronald Reagan's "shining city on a hill;" a nation born of faith in God and the sacrifices of its people. I mourn a nation that is now losing its way and its bearings, exchanging the Godly moral accord of our Founding Fathers for the floundering depravity of the secular progressives.

I mourn a nation so easily misled, so willing to ignore character and embrace fleeting visions of change with little consideration to where such change could lead. I mourn the triumph of the superficial over the substantial; the culture that now chooses death over life, frivolity over faith, pandering over productivity, political correctness over truth, and selfishness over sacrifice.

I mourn the failure of the people to learn the valuable lessons of history; a people so desperate for the One that they would joyfully invite an inexperienced illusionist to lead them. I mourn the foolishness -- the myopia that pervades our land in the most dangerous and unstable time in our nation's history.

It is doubtful we will ever again see -- ever again be -- what we once were.

I mourn for America but I know that a sinful and corrupt culture cannot change from the outside. Change must come from within -- one life, one heart, one soul at a time. Now is an excellent time to start. The best place to begin is on our knees.

Nikki