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Tuesday

Aug172010

Oval Office Reversals

Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 04:00AM

by Lance Thompson

President Obama must be frustrated. No matter what position he takes on the
13-story mega-mosque to be built next to the hallowed ground of the 9/11
terrorist attack (and he's taken as many positions as possible), none of
them seems to satisfy everyone.

Obama first came out four-square behind the mosque and the rights of the
radical imam who wishes to build a monument to radical islam at the site of
its greatest desecration. Later, Obama clarified that he was only defending
the constitutional right to freedom of religion, not the wisdom of building
the mosque. Then White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton, in a
Saturday evening statement, said that this backpedaling should not be seen
as backpedaling. Now even Harry Reid, a man desperately in need of
political allies, has broken with the president's position (whatever it
currently is) to say that no mosque should be built at Ground Zero.

It prompts one to wonder what might have happened if all our presidents
possessed Obama's unwavering commitment to a principle.

Ronald Reagan hastened the end of Soviet domination of Europe with his
challenge, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." Obama's version might have
added, "And we'll use American taxpayer money to help you build a better
wall."

John F. Kennedy challenged a generation with, "We shall pay any price, bear
any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe in order
to assure the survival and success of liberty." Obama's version might have
added, "unless that means irritating state sponsors of terrorism or radical
islamists, in which case we will roll over and abandon our long time
allies."

Franklin Roosevelt, to help Great Britain during the harrowing, early days
of World War II, established the Lend-Lease program to supply aid to the
Brits in their struggle against Nazi Germany. FDR said America must become
"the great arsenal of democracy." Obama might have added, "unless the Nazis
win another battle, in which case we'll plan a summit with Hitler and
discuss plans for redecorating Buckingham Palace."

Abraham Lincoln identified the purpose of the Civil War as ensuring that
"this government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not
perish from this earth." Obama's version would have added, "But we'd settle
for a socialist utopia that will plunge us into unsustainable debt and
worldwide ridicule."

These amendments to famous presidential pronouncements are unthinkable to
Americans who treasure their heritage and take pride in what this country
stands for. President Obama will never understand such feelings, for he
does not share them. He will never understand such people, for he is not
one of them. And he will not be re-elected by such people, because,
increasingly, they understand him all too well.

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Two Term or Not to Term

Tuesday, June 1, 2010 at 04:01AM

By Rose Pedenko and Tanya Simon

Between President Nixon’s pressured resignation and Bill Clinton’s Pants on the Ground deliberate misstatements under oath, the word “impeach” was seldom used with legitimacy. However, by mid-summer 2009 (six months after the inauguration of the man whose middle name rhymes with “pain”) “impeachment” has been Twittered, Googled, Facebooked, texted, and even “whispered” (surprisingly) by those with buyer’s remorse. Twelve months later it is being shouted from America’s rooftops.

Recently, Congressman Joe Sestak (D-PA), unwittingly provided a ray of hope in that someone in the Obama administration who has committed a crime – and if the president knew about it, analysts say it could be grounds for impeachment. Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) is even saying this could be President Barack Obama’s Watergate. This also means Joe Sestak is not the brightest Crayola in the box, but we digress.

The very name Barack Hussein Obama is sending chills up and down the collective spine of Americans. There are still those that scoff at the seemingly xenophobic vocalization of his middle name as being racist. But Americans have quickly learned that being labeled a racist is part and parcel of this administration’s progressive as well as regressive tactics.

The course this President has set is due to surrounding himself with ideological quacks and cons inside the administration and supported by dutiful drones like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid--all intent on steering the United States into a Marxist-lite firestorm. It began with the GM takeover, under the guise of saving it from bankruptcy, and now, the BP oil spill may have provided the catastrophic event they were waiting for. As Senator Bill Nelson suggests, "If this thing is not fixed today, I think the president doesn't have any choice, and he better go in, completely take over…." And the latest push for Financial Reform may end up plugging up all the loose ends.

They (Obama & Company) are masters of deflecting attention from one crisis to another to distract Americans long enough to cement their progressive agenda. Perennial campaigning and near record-setting rounds of golf for a sitting President are their way of saying, “Keep your eye on the ball and you’ll forget all that other stuff.”

Starting with the top dog and working downward, there are more fools and fruitcakes in charge than Nixon had plumbers, except this time they are (laughingly) referred to as czars, appointed by and answering only to the President. Congress has, in effect, rendered itself inutile as it cedes and/or is robbed of its one-third checks and balances power. Even a new Republican majority will be hard-pressed to reverse the current damage and what lies ahead when much of this administration’s agenda bears its rotten fruit.

The current list of czars is only the tip of the iceberg. Now comes Arif Alikhan and Kareem Shora, appointed to posts at the Department of Homeland Security by Janet Napolitano . The announcements emphasized the words “devout Muslims.” We cannot recall when any other U.S. government official was sworn in and the words “devout Catholic,” “devout Protestant,” “devout Jew” or “devout atheist” were added as a tagline. The fact that Muslims – devout or otherwise – are included as integral parts in the security of this country is frightening. What next, Tony Villaraigosa as Border Czar?

Coincidentally, another member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council is Lee Hamilton, former Congressman and President of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. From Socialist President Woodrow Wilson to Socialist President Woodrobama, Americans have never had more cause for grave concern.

American culture is based in the ideology of freedom. To say this administration, in concert with senators and congresspersons intoxicated with the idea of omnipotent power, has betrayed every trust sacred would be a gross understatement. Our free enterprise system, and thus our liberty, are victims of a new Night and Fog-like Decree: where one by one, ownership of our intellectual property, business profits, and homes, are being abducted and shot down by a progressive agenda the masses do not even comprehend. Day by day the murky pictures coming out of the White House become clearer as they continue to herd us over a financial cliff.

And now, even the American media are taking a jaundiced view of the person upon whom they heaped unadulterated – and undeserved – praise, having hawked, peddled and schemed on his behalf, all of which brought him to the ultimate seat of power. The liberal press has been slow to catch on that “transparency,” once a clever campaign gimmick, is now biting them where it hurts: access to their Chosen One. Even the Huffington Post, sanctioned source of information that it has become, was surprised that Obama breached years of protocol by leaving White House without the press with him. Timely press conferences have been replaced with the Elmer Fudd-like blips and bloopers of White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs.

Quoting CBS’s Chip Reid (regarding the drastic BP Oil spill): “…critics on Capitol Hill just weren’t buying what the White House was saying about the government’s role in all of this and whether they could do more.” That’s a harsh statement from the network that cheapened their once powerhouse status.

This President was swept into office by being the first campaign to effectively harness the power of the internet: to organize and rally the uneducated, and cajole the elites (the easiest to dupe) that real transformative change could take place. Had the majority not been so awed by the oratorical smoke and mirrors, they might have realized the true intent. The same internet, laden with first person proof of his radical agenda, will also, unfortunately for Barack Obama, be the powerful broom that sweeps him out of that office in 2012.

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Mooning the American Spirit

Monday, February 1, 2010 at 04:00AM

by Lance Thompson

The last Americans to walk on the moon, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt, did so in December 1972–thirty-seven years ago. If President Obama has his way, it’ll be 37 years before any more footprints are made in the lunar dust, and they probably won’t be made by an American.

That’s because Obama plans to cancel this nation’s manned space program. He will cut funding for the new Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles, the Orion crew capsule, and the Altair Lunar lander, on which over $8 billion has already been spent. There will be no money for a moon base, nor any reason for one, since the moon will no longer be a destination for NASA. Instead of reaching for the stars, NASA will cast its eyes downward, in a vain attempt to quantify the discredited myth of global warming. No better example of cosmic navel-gazing can be imagined.

Of course, the International Space Station will still roam the skies in low-Earth orbit, but Americans who want to get there will have to buy a seat on a Russian Soyuz capsule. That’s $51 million dollars per astronaut, not counting the baggage charge. We will thus be subsidizing the Russian aerospace program while dismantling ours.

Russia will not be the only player in the space game. Communist China’s space program has advanced significantly. North Korea and Iran are building rockets that will do double duty–lifting payloads into space or lofting warheads over their neighbors. India’s space program is just beginning. Only the United States is turning its back on the frontier that it conquered these many years ago.

In the early 1970's, when the country was facing tough economic times, the space program was a tempting target for budget cutters. We faced a recession, an unpopular war, rising unemployment, a languid stock market, an increasingly powerful Soviet Union. The shared national purpose that launched thousands of young people into science and inspired feats almost beyond imagination from our country’s aerospace and technology workers was no longer a unifying crusade. Having witnessed the ultimate fulfillment of the century’s greatest technological challenge and America’s ascendancy to undisputed master of the cosmos, all during his presidency, Richard Nixon cancelled the Apollo program.

We have a new century and a new President who doesn’t mind writing multi-trillion dollar bad checks on America’s taxpayers’ accounts to pay for thousand-page collections of earmarks, bribes and political kickbacks. But an investment that is less than what it cost for Obama to buy a controlling share of General Motors is too much to spend on keeping America first on the last frontier.

The issue isn’t money, because obviously the President doesn’t mind spending all that we have, or ever will have. It goes much deeper, into a vital aspect of the American character that Obama will never understand.

America started out as a frontier. Americans are drawn to the frontier. America needs a frontier. We are a nation of dreamers, strivers and achievers. We thrive on challenge, we grow strong in the endeavor, we redefine ourselves with each new summit conquered. Obama’s political agenda clearly demonstrates his core belief that Americans need to be taken care of. Universal health care, nationalization of private industry, redistribution of wealth all rise from the same conviction–the government must guide, regulate and manage America’s inherent restlessness, or we will face disappointment and disaster.

But Americans don’t need to be shown how to overcome adversity–that is our heritage. We have faced disappointment, disaster, and much worse in our past, and it has only deepened our resolve. All we need is a goal. Personal, public, local, or national, the great achievements of Americans fuel our continued progress. Americans conquered the air, joined the seas at Panama, split the atom, and put men on the moon. We are more than ready for the next challenge–we eagerly seek it, and desperately need it.

We are inspired by those who encourage us, support us, and join us in such efforts, because we know the journey defines our character as much as the destination. Those who fail to understand that fundamental aspect of the American character will seldom lead for long, and will never be remembered fondly.

LowDownCentral |

Symbolism in Massachusetts

Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 04:00AM

by Lance Thompson

Both sides have spun their versions of what Scott Brown’s decisive upset of Martha Coakley means in political terms. Conservatives cheer the end of the Democrat supermajority in the Senate, Democrats from the President on down characterize the victory of the Republican in true-blue Massachusetts as a symptom of Bush fatigue. But there are some interesting symbolic factors which may be significant for this election year.

First is the widely-discussed pickup truck, a GMC Canyon with 200,000 miles that was Scott Brown’s executive ride. The mere fact that Brown has put 200,000 miles on the vehicle shows that whenever it was new, it was not acquired as a conscious political symbol. Nonetheless, it is.

Trusty trucks with two hundred grand on the odometers are the transportation of choice for middle class working people. They are driven by Americans with mortgages to pay, groceries to buy, and private sector work to do. As Scott Brown has shown, people like this actually live in Massachusetts, much to the surprise of the Democrats in Congress. He is not just “in touch” with the middle class, he is one of them. He knows what they value, where they work, how the live, and how much they’re upset by the Democrats and their drive for nationalized health care.

Brown’s truck is a product of General Motors, a company that once dominated the American market. Barack Obama, during a last-minute campaign stop in Massachusetts before the election, mentioned Brown’s truck often, exhorting voters to pay no attention to the it. “Anybody can buy a truck,” he famously concluded, to cheers from his supporters and derision from his opponents. In fact, since Barack Obama’s administration took billions of taxpayer dollars to buy a controlling chunk of General Motors stock last year, it’s not that “anybody can buy a truck.” The truth is, “Everybody has bought a truck.” Theoretically, all Americans own small portions of General Motors trucks, thanks to Obama’s government takeover of private industry. This symbol was not lost on Massachusetts voters.

Another symbol dismissed by the MSM is Scott Brown’s military service. Brown served thirty years in the Massachusetts National Guard. He has the rank of lieutenant colonel, and serves as the 26th Brigade’s Staff Judge Advocate General. He has experience as an infantry officer and quartermaster officer, is jump qualified, and earned the Army Commendation Medal. All of that requires the dedication and selflessness that characterizes Americans in military service. Brown’s military record was not a focus of his campaign, but it does reveal character.

Pollsters have told us that Americans are rejecting the liberal agenda of the Democrats, but that doesn’t mean they are rushing back to embrace Republicans. Americans have been burned by both parties. They are searching for leaders they can believe in. The same pollsters tell us that while the President’s approval is below 50%, and Congress’ approval is about half that, Americans rate our military as the most highly trusted and regarded of our institutions.

All Senators and congressmen and presidents take an oath to support and defend the Constitution. So does every American who serves in uniform. The difference is that our troops back up their oath with their lives. This fall, there are over two dozen congressional seats where candidates with proud military records are in contention. If American voters are looking for people they can trust and believe in, they may find a record of military service very convincing.

The last symbol is Scott Brown’s bullhorn. While the President, who has given over 400 interviews and over a hundred press appearances–more than any other president in the first year of an administration–bemoans the fact that he hasn’t spoken directly to the American people, Scott Brown did exactly that. He stood up in the bed of his pickup truck, and spoke to the crowds without handlers, without teleprompters, without elaborate Greek revival backdrops. He took his plain-spoken case directly to the voters, and they liked what he said. A bullhorn may sound like an impersonal communication device, but it spoke louder and more convincingly than Coakley and her powerful surrogates.

It also reminded me of the bullhorn George W. Bush used when he stood on the pile of rubble that was once the World Trade Center after September 11th, 2001. The President had borrowed the bullhorn from a veteran firefighter who had spent countless hours digging through the debris in a search for survivors, to commend the crowd of volunteers who were doing the same thing. Someone in the crowd yelled, “I can’t hear you.” Bush replied, “I can hear you. The world can hear you. And the people who knocked down these buildings will hear from all of us soon.”

That’s how to talk directly to the people.

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Friday

Jan152010

Democrat Success Story

Friday, January 15, 2010 at 04:00AM

by Lance Thompson

Even though “Democrat Achievements of 2009” would fall into the category of titles of the world’s shortest books, such a book would not be entirely empty. In fact, Democrats can legitimately claim that in the last year, they have accomplished something that the GOP has repeatedly failed to do for at least two decades. The Democrats have managed thoroughly to discredit liberal political philosophy and governance. This is no small achievement.

In the years after Reagan, Republican politicians warned against liberals; run against liberals; chastised, ridiculed and accused liberals in order to gain political advantage. Liberals even changed their name–to “progressives”–to avoid the feared liberal label. But the charges began to ring hollow as big-government Republicans raised taxes, increased spending, expanded entitlements, and argued for lenient immigration policies. Were liberal politics only bad when practiced by Democrats, and tolerable when enacted by Republicans? Evidently not, because the GOP lost control of Congress in the past decade when they offered no clear alternative to liberal Democrats. In 2008, they lost the White House, too.

Suddenly, the Democrats had a commanding majority in the House, a supermajority in the Senate, and one of their own in the White House. They enjoyed an adoringly uncritical media and a wave of electoral bliss seldom equaled. In effect, they had a brand new credit card with almost unlimited political capital. How did they spend it?

President Obama began by assembling a cabinet and administration full of tax cheats, liars, strong-arm political operatives and communists–many of whom were amateurs at national politics, but almost all of whom had more experience than their boss. Democrats funded bail-outs and stimulus bills that were full of earmarks, political pay-backs and liberal pet projects that doubled the already swelling debt. As terrorists attacks again struck American soil–in Little Rock, Fort Hood, and on a Detroit-bound plane--Obama fought to empty Guantanamo and give terrorists the Constitutional rights of American citizens. Obama’s team nationalized private industry, abandoned long-time allies, bowed in supplication before our enemies, and embarked on passing massively expensive and unintelligible health care reform that would multiply our debt yet again.

As details and cost analysis of all these plans filtered down to the American people, the Democrat agenda became less and less popular. So, as it happens, did Democrats. The approval ratings of Congress continued to slide downward from even the low marks legislators earned during the Bush administration. But even more surprising, the historic, unprecedented, hope-and-changeling in the White House also saw his numbers fall. And the more he tried to sell the liberal package of multi-trillion dollar big government programs, the further he dropped.

None of this could have happened if the Democrats did not have the power to enact their agenda over the protests of conservatives and common sense. Democrats believe that the answer to bloated government is more government. The answer to ballooning debt is more spending. The answer to high taxes is even higher taxes. The answer to international threats is to apologize for our past, betray our allies, and promise to look the other way when rogue nations go on the warpath.

Any conservative who tried to warn us that this would be the result of Democrat control of two branches of government would have been dismissed as an extremist. Eighteen months ago, the idea of the United States in economic, diplomatic, and moral decline would have been unthinkable. Today, it’s an undeniable trend.

The Democrats have proved that, given no checks and balances, they are determined to bring this nation to its knees and saddle us with enough debt to keep us there. They have given the American people a year’s preview of a future under Democratic governance, and a majority of us want no part of it. Suddenly, the iron grip Democrats had on Congress is slipping away, with each new announcement of retiring legislators or party-switching representatives. Barack Obama is no longer a messenger of hope and change, but a huckster peddling an increasingly unpopular line of hokum. Conservative principles are defining the debate, only a year after so many pundits pronounced conservatism dead.

Moreover, the media that waved its pom-poms for Barack Obama is no longer cheering from the press box. It began with a few respectful questions that were ignored, avoided, or ridiculed by the party in power. But now, as the media senses weakness, they will become more aggressive, more insistent, more adversarial. Reporters read the polls, too, and no news outlet wants to be behind the trend. As they see Obama, Reid and Pelosi faltering, the press will turn on them, hound them, savage them, and participate in their downfall. Because if an outcome seems inevitable, the media likes us to believe that we heard it from them first.

So let us give thanks to the Democrats who governed in 2009. These true believers have done to the liberal religion what no heretic could manage. They have exposed their impotent idols and false gods for all the world to see, and have quickened their own demise.

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