Must Watch Video

I found this through one of the other blogs I read. Frighteningly accurate and predictive about our current economy, you won't be disappointed.

Watch it!

Watch the video here.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

More On the Economy

The following was written by Julie Walsh, received by me through the Openmarket.org daily feed. It discusses some comments written recently by Peter Schiff, who also predicted the economic collapse (while everyone around him laughed and told him he was crazy).

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Watch this great video and see the scorning and scoffing of a man predicting a financial meltdown due to the housing situation.

And read his common sense in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal:

Governments cannot create but merely redirect. When the government spends, the money has to come from somewhere. If the government doesn’t have a surplus, then it must come from taxes. If taxes don’t go up, then it must come from increased borrowing. If lenders won’t lend, then it must come from the printing press, which is where all these bailouts are headed. But each additional dollar printed diminishes the value those already in circulation. Something cannot be effortlessly created from nothing.

The good news is that economics is not all that complicated. The bad news is that our economy is broken and there is nothing the government can do to fix it. However, the free market does have a cure: it’s called a recession, and it’s not fun, easy or quick. But if we put our faith in the power of government to make the pain go away, we will live with the consequences for generations.

Similarly, any jobs or other economic activity created by public-sector expansion merely comes at the expense of jobs lost in the private sector. And if the government chooses to save inefficient jobs in select private industries, more efficient jobs will be lost in others. As more factors of production come under government control, the more inefficient our entire economy becomes. Inefficiency lowers productivity, stifles competitiveness and lowers living standards.

If we look at government market interventions through this pragmatic lens, what can we expect from the coming avalanche of federal activism?

By borrowing more than it can ever pay back, the government will guarantee higher inflation for years to come, thereby diminishing the value of all that Americans have saved and acquired. For now the inflationary tide is being held back by the countervailing pressures of bursting asset bubbles in real estate and stocks, forced liquidations in commodities, and troubled retailers slashing prices to unload excess inventory. But when the dust settles, trillions of new dollars will remain, chasing a diminished supply of goods. We will be left with 1970s-style stagflation, only with a much sharper contraction and significantly higher inflation.

And then tell me:  If consumer confidence is needed to restore our economy, why is Congress and the President-elect pursuing a “stimulus”  agenda that worsens it?

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[EagleEye: The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?]

Go Israelis, Go Israelis, Go Israelis Go!!

Ok, so the Speed Racer title may have been lost on you, but I hope you get my point. Hamas bombed Israel for a week straight with nary a peep from anyone in the world.

Let Israel retaliate, though and the world erupts. Once again, so much for the 'fair' take on things. If you are for Israel, you are a hater; if you are pro-life, you are a hater; if you are anti-gay marriage, yo are a hater; if you demand openness from our President-elect, you are a bigot, conspiracy theorist AND a hater.

Get a life, folks. Hamas had it coming.

Read this blog from one I follow, fousesquawk. It puts it all nicely, images included.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

The Magic Negro Craze

I have been reading a few blogs that address this issue. At first, I told myself that I would not get involved, nor post anything on it, but some things have been said that make me want to jump in with my two cents.

I do not condone the fact that a member of congress sent a music CD that contained the parody song Barack, The Magic Negro on it to friends. I believe, honestly, that the parody song was written in the spirit of an article written in a 2007 LA Times OP-Ed piece. Funny that no one raised much of a deal then, when a left-leaning paper wrote it. I don't think that there is anything racial about it at all, and the blogs and comments out there mostly support that claim.

What bothers me the most is that people are up in arms about it because it supposedly denigrates the office of the President. To this I say WHAT THE HELL??

Suddenly, the office of the President of the United States is to be respected at all costs. No where can there be anything detracting it. No where can there be anything that is satirical or even remotely funny about it. And, certainly there can be nothing showing even the the remotest bit of abject hatred or disgust with.

Unless, of course, you are the current President, and you are a liberal person just exercising your right to protest government. If you are a conservative, you need to shut the f**k up and leave the anointed President-elect alone.

I wish I could express MY disgust with those who continue to eschew their hatred for anything that does not follow their rules or guidelines. I so wish I had a (more) public forum where I could berate those who are stupidly trying to set the double standards, thinking that we as American citizens won't see through them.

Shut up. Let us be. If you don't like what we say, go elsewhere to get your commentary. It has only just begun. Like you, we of the Conservative Nation are boiling over with anticipation to say 'we told you so.' Deal with us or go away.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

New Holiday Song

Thanks to The Other McCain for finding and posting this. I am beginning to think that my destiny is to keep railing against the eco-freaks.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

God Is Alive And Well

If you don't believe in miracles, then obviously you are looking in the wrong places. I want yo direct your attention here.

If you are still a non-believer, I have sympathy for your lost soul.

Merry Christmas.

God Bless you and your family this Christmas Season. Stay safe.

Sean~

Did You Know?

Being a tech guy, I follow much more than just political or news blogs. I get feeds from a wide variety of tech blogs, one of which is J.P. Boodhoo. He has a great blog if you are a programmer/developer type.

Hat tip to JP for this video. It demonstrates quite well just how fast-paced the world we live in actually has become.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

More Media Bias Proof

I think it is amazing that everyone is pointing at President Bush and his 'failed economic policies' as the big cause of our economic collapse this past year. When someone mentions that perhaps people like Chris Dodd and Barney Frank might just have something to do with it, the left wing rises up in a fury to both distort and mislead. The Democrat Caucus pulls its head into its shell until the event passes or screams from its pulpit until people are deaf to it all.

Well, now that the New York Times has decided to poignantly slam President Bush and blame his economic policy in an 5,000 word front-page essay, we have enough information to expose this extremely biased paper. What we have is a paper that quickly forgets what its own people reported several years ago.

Not sure what I am speaking about? Sit down, buckle up and pay attention.

On September 30th, 1999 the paper reported that "Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people and felt pressure from stock holders to maintain its phenomenal growth in profits...

...In moving even tentatively, into this new area of lending, Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry of the 1980's."

And now, in 2008, the NYT takes aim at President Bush, saying "His housing policies and hands-off approach to regulation encouraged lax lending standards...

...He pushed hard to expand home ownership, especially amongst minorities, an initiative that dovetailed with his desire to expand the Republican tent- and with the business interests of some of his biggest donors."

Why did the NYT forget about their own reporting? Why did they forget that they criticized President Clinton for pushing the very things they now blame Bush for? In fact, the new report only mentions the former president (Clinton) in passing. I suspect that the Times is trying to leech onto the Obama wave and draw in some more of the Bush-hating crowd (isn't that the majority of their readership anyway?)

No one will care, though, which is what is so sad. MSNBC, NBC, CBS, CNN, et al. Where are they in reporting this obvious bias? Why is it only on FOX News- which is so blatantly right-wing propaganda driven that no one in his right mind would listen- that one can even find mention of this?

Well, I am passing it along to all who will listen. It needs to be told. The problems started long ago. The problems were inherited by the Bush Administration. Yes, I hold them accountable as well, but not to blame. Those to blame are in congress and in the Fed. Dispose of them all so we can start anew, and I am sure will find the 'change' we can believe in.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Bail-A-Mania

So we have this $800 billion bailout of the financial sector, with some $17 billion going now to auto-makers, another $1 trillion in ‘stimulus’ coming down the pipe and now the monopolies of the broadband world and the hard-pressed commercial real estate developers need our money.

It will never stop. Soon the private owner operators of the trucking industry will band together. Newspaper companies will (and have) ask for financial help.

What about the porn industry? How many people rely on that industry to keep their sex lives spicy and interesting? What will become of the mental state of America if we do not help these poor girls who work for a dollar at a time?

We have begun the slope that everyone said won’t be an issue. Once a precedent is set, the flood gates are opened for any nut job who thinks he is owed something.

My aunt is living proof of the gap between her generation and ours. My son’s first words upon getting home are ‘what is for dinner?’ If we are not providing him with dinner he goes hungry, because at 17 I guess he isn’t smart enough to make his own soup or sandwich. Which is false, he is very intelligent, but we have allowed him to become this way. I accept the blame fully, for one more year- then he can see what being treated like an adult really means.

I see similar examples from many of my friends’ children, too. Their kids are expecting the parents to do and provide so that they don’t have to. If the parent puts his or her foot down, then the stuff begins to hit the fan. Kids feel ENTITLED to have what they want without really working for it.

Compare that to my aunt, who scarcely has money to get by on but insists that we trade gifts on Christmas. We try to not do this, so that she won’t feel obligated, but she feels it her duty to do so. God forbid we offer her money to help out; she throws it back at us, telling us that she doesn’t need it and that she is doing fine.

Free and independent is a beautiful thing. Her generation believed in self-sustaining themselves. During economic hard times, people banded together with their families. Do you ever notice how many poor people seem much happier than those who are well off? There is no sense of entitlement there. Family is what they have and their love and caring carry them through anything this world can offer.

This deep cleaning of our souls is just what the doctor ordered, in my opinion. I fear for my job, yes, but I also know that there are many places me and my family can go to help support one another. I do not want a handout. I want all of these businesses, who claim that the economy cannot survive without them, to shut the hell up and eat their losses. Close their doors. Someone will pick up the pieces. It is the law of the jungle.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

The Social Security Ponzi Scheme

There is an interesting article by Peter Schiff (the guy who predicted the meltdown with frightening accuracy) on Euro Pacific discussing the Social Security Administration and how it compares to the recent scam perpetrated by Bernard Madoff.

(Look for the article 'In Madoff We Trust')

The Ponzi scheme is fairly simple to understand. A guy gets you to invest in his business. Then when new investors arrive and pay into your program he uses that money to pay you 'dividends'. You think he is a wise and good soul and so you spread the word. More people invest, and the older investors get some more dividends (after the schemer gets his cut, of course).

The scam has other names like pyramid, chain, etc. The problem results in when the new investors slow down. The older investors do not get as much 'dividend' and so they pull out. The house of cards then crumbles and falls.

Look, now, at our social security program. What used to be a trust fund, earning interest, is now nothing but one, big Ponzi scam. Youth pay into the program, and the elderly get the dividends. What happens when the numbers are flipped?

I'll tell you: The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

My First Guest Blog

I was invited (admittedly it was an open call, but I won’t complain) to post my thoughts on what Conservative Is.

See what I wrote here.

Thanks for visiting!

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

12 days of Christmas

This is something that I find interesting. It is, allegedly, a reasoning behind the 12 Days of Christmas carol. There are many who argue against its meaning, while as many argue in favor of it. Regardless if true or not, it is an interesting interpretation to say the least.

Dennis Bratcher comments on it here. 

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Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829 were prohibited by law to practice their faith either in public or private. It was illegal to be Catholic until Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England in 1829.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the basics of their faith. In short, it was a coded-message, a memory aid. Since the song sounded like rhyming nonsense, young Catholics could sing the song without fear of imprisonment. The authorities would not know that it was a religious song.

"The 12 Days of Christmas" is in a sense an allegory. Each of the items in the song represents something significant to the teachings of the Catholic faith. The hidden meaning of each gift was designed to help Catholic children learn their faith. The better acquainted one is with the Bible, the more these interpretations have significance.

The song goes,

"On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…"

The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn’t refer to an earthly suitor, but it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. i.e. the Church.

1st Day:
The partridge in a pear tree is Christ Jesus upon the Cross. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge because she would feign injury to decoy a predator away from her nestlings. She was even willing to die for them.

The tree is the symbol of the fall of the human race through the sin of Adam and Eve. It is also the symbol of its redemption by Jesus Christ on the tree of the Cross.

2nd Day:
The "two turtle doves" refers to the Old and New Testaments.

3rd Day:
The "three French hens" stand for faith, hope and love—the three gifts of the Spirit that abide (1 Corinthians 13).

4th Day:
The "four calling birds" refers to the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—which sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ.

5th Day:
The "five golden rings" represents the first five books of the Bible, also called the Jewish Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

6th Day:
The "six geese a-laying" is the six days of creation.

7th Day:
The "seven swans a-swimming" refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.

8th Day:
The "eight maids a milking " reminded children of the eight beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount.

9th Day:
The "nine ladies dancing" were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

10th Day:
The "ten lords a-leaping" represents the Ten Commandments

11th Day:
The "eleven pipers piping" refers to the eleven faithful apostles.

12th Day:
The ‘twelve drummers drumming" were the twelve points of belief expressed in the Apostles’ Creed: belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, made man, crucified, died and arose on the third day, that he sits at the right hand of the father and will come again, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Best Christmas Card Of The Season

I found this card today, and got three of them because it was incredibly funny. It gets my vote for the card of the year.

 

So anyway, I'm standing in line to buy you a freakin' Christmas card and the line is like seventeen billion people long 'cause everybody and their stupid brother decided today was the best day in the history of the world to do their Christmas shopping, and all the dumb teenage boy at the register is thinking about is the dumb teenage girl at the other register, and some dumb lady is turning her purse inside out to come up with "exact change," like she is gonna win some kind of "exact change trophy" or something and some idiot starts up with his "This item has a special holiday pricing" crap, and I just really hope you like this Christmas card...

.

.

.

.

....'cause I stole it.

 

Anyway, Merry Christmas!

The revolution is at hand, but we can still LAUGH about it.

Holiday Cheer

I had heard this on the radio, and it rocks. Thanks to Connie, a great friend, for sending it.

 

No revolution today. Just great, CHRISTMAS fun.

Share the Wealth, Share the Debt

So JMac Politics, a blog that I follow, is based in GA. A great set of posts have come from there regarding what is known as Defined Benefits. I have tried to follow them as they are a hot topic in the region, but I keep coming back to the same question.

So, like any normally curious person, I did a little bit of reading and investigating. (Sort of like the Mainstream Media did for all of the candidates in this past election cycle /sarcasm off) Here is what I found.

Eventually, everyone retires. Well, unless they die of course, but that is kind of a morbid thought that I would not really want to entertain given the fact that I am still one of the gainfully employed.

So after a person retires, many companies offer retirement pensions. You know, like the United Auto Workers (UAW) do for their folks. Although I would like to praise the UAW because not only do they do that for retirees, but if you get laid off, you still qualify for 95% pay while you relax at home.. er.. seek out new employment- as long as that job is approved by the UAW of course. Would not want to lose those benefits!

So anyway, some companies base the retirement not on what their investments return, but on a flat rate. That rate is based on salary at the time of retirement, length of employment etc. There can be any number of factors involved, but the overriding factor is that it is a DEFINED rate. It cannot go down. In the case of the military, it actually goes up annually by a rate determined by the defense budget.

This is all well and good, but what’s all of the hype? Well, imagine a company that is doing poorly. Now imagine that same company having a set amount of benefits it is required to provide retirees. And then extend that out to include a larger and larger number of surviving retired folks (darn that pesky science-extending-life thing!). Do we not see the issue here?

Of course I am one of the guilty. I get a monthly check from the US Government for my 20 years of Naval service. I like my money. I don’t want to give it up. But I DO see the problem for businesses who choose this retirement benefits model. In GA, the county is going to be saddled with paying the bill… meaning your local taxman will have to raise rates to stay afloat.

And NOW, the kicker. As reported in JMac Politics, the US Congress has passed a bill to provide relief to businesses suffering from a Defined Benefits plan. If the company cannot pay its retired folks, Uncle Sam will help foot the bill.

YAY for the American Melting Pot.  Not only do we get so share our culture, not only do we get to share our wealth, but now we get to share our debt, too!

In the words of Yakov Smirnoff, “What a country!”

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Economic Stimulus Debunked

So the Obamanomic plan means that over $1 trillion in spending will drag us from the quagmire of this economic calamity. Of course, spending is what got us into this, but the Obama thought process is that if the current plan didn't work (when it DID work, until the government interfered with it) then we must go back to the (proven to fail) Keynesian economic idea; basically this means that the government must spend lots of money and give it to people, who in turn will stimulate the economy.

What they don't say is that the getting of money means TAKE money from the economy to put money INTO the economy. Robbing Peter to pay Paul, so to speak.

Don't believe me? Here is the Cato Institute's take on the notion of this idea.

 

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Fred Thompson On The Economy

Dead on. Too damn true. Thanks Fred!

 

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Oh The Irony!

I know that I harp on Global Warming, mostly because I think that it is an agenda-driven, misleading effort by certain environmental activists. However, I will say that a GOOD effect has been cleaner and more fuel-efficient cars.

But… wait… that is bad, bad, bad now… isn’t it?

Because our cars are MORE efficient, because we are SAVING the planet from all the bad (but much-needed) CO2 gases, because the activists have been SUCCESSFUL at pushing their agenda, our states are now LOSING tax revenue from fuel consumption. (Which is OK by me, I like going further on less gas)

Never mind that prices skyrocketed and then fell like a stone. Never mind that our economy is in shambles because of idiot Washingtonians (thanks for the term, Rush!) who now seek to enslave us into a Nanny State with all of the money being thrown around like water on a fire.

No, what matters most is that our states are losing so much revenue that they now have make it up elsewhere. The state of North Carolina is now proposing a tax on how far you drive each year. To make matters worse, they are also mentioning that they want to put GPS in people’s vehicles so that they can track usage. It is that or try to track it through the yearly inspections that people are required to get.

I didn't see any word on the drive-through crowd, those people who are just passing through the state. I imagine all roads would become toll roads?!?

I’d like to know your thoughts. Post your comments on this.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Global farce now targets children

Ok, this is SO not funny to me. The problem is, I won’t refuse my children their right to be entertained. I won’t forbid them to play this new game on the nick site. After all, they play a lot of fun games there.

Now, however, our liberal site friends are targeting our children and getting them actively involved in saving the planet from the bad greenhouse gas CO2. What the hell?

There are hundreds of thousands of climate specialists who disagree with the whole CO2 version of global warming. I have blogged about it a few times and I am firmly convinced that the whole charade is nothing more than a scare tactic for ‘green’ groups to strong arm governments into doing their bidding.

Now our children are going to get brainwashed into the agenda early. It isn’t enough that our high schools are failing our kids by pushing liberal bias across the board. Now my elementary kids are going to get exposed to it as well.

Yes, I could deny them from playing the game, but I won’t. I will just be sure to inform them that the REAL bad guys are the ones who try to control your minds by not telling you the whole truth.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Whatever Happened…

… to the best man for the job actually getting the job? Now, I am by no means against giving equal opportunity to anyone who wants to apply for a job, position, school, whatever. But what I vehemently oppose is setting quotas for certain racial types.

Why does this still exist? Why is it that if an exceptional candidate does not fit a racial profile he or she is ignored in favor of a more politically correct choice?

Now, even the US Naval Academy is getting involved. This academy is in NO WAY giving preferential treatment to non-minorities. If a student is qualified, he can apply, no matter what. The application process is rigorous, to be sure, but anyone can attend if selected.

Now, however, the academy is asking the Black and Hispanic Caucuses what it can do to get more minorities to come to the school. Is there any doubt? The caucuses will ensure that their racial quotas are being filled. What qualified candidate will be refused entry based on the fact he or she is NOT a minority.

I said it before; AMERICAN first. I could care less as to your cultural heritage. If you are American, that is all that matters. That is what you should be judged on; that and your academic and civic performance. Drop the Affirmative Action crap. In the past, it served a purpose. Now, like so many other groups, it only serves to divide.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

American Heroism Once Again

The mainstream media (MSM) has been intent these last few years on making the war in Iraq and Afghanistan seem as futile as possible. Every story carried with it a sense of pessimism and demoralization that I know has had a negative effect on America's perception of what is going on.

I have stated before, that if there had been fair coverage, President Bush's approval rating would be much higher and for sure Americans would be eagerly supporting the war effort. Propaganda can have a strong effect to the positive or negative.

A few posts back I put out some links to video showing the reunions of soldiers and their kids. It was tear-jerking to say the least. My heart swelled at the visions of love and emotion displayed on my screen.

Once again, my fellow Americans overseas engaging the enemy did not disappoint me in their efforts. Far and away the most decorated battle was just recognized upon the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, who stood strong with their Afghan comrades, against an estimated 200 enemy combatants.

You can read the store here. Or, if you don't like Fox news, the same story was run on Military.com.

Below are a few more Special Forces links you may like.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/3sfg.htm

http://www.specialoperations.com/Stories/3rd_SFG.htm

http://www.groups.sfahq.com/3rd/index.htm

http://www.soc.mil/SF/SF_default.htm

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Blame the Bailouts on Mister Rogers

[EagleEye: This is GREAT!]

By Elizabeth MacDonald

Blame the record bailouts on Mister Rogers.

Mister Fred Rogers, the children’s TV star, who, beginning in 1968, started every show telling us that we were “special” just the way we were.

When we weren’t.  

Better yet, blame the bailouts on everyone who forgot the most important part of the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood show, a willful ignorance that has led to a mass dereliction of civic duty, of civic vision–Rogers’ emphasis on “neighborhood.”

Blame all of those child-rearing experts who encouraged an excruciatingly costly culture of entitlement, a culture of narcissism, of excessive self-righteous self-indulgence, where generations grew up believing they were entitled to follow their own codes of conduct, a chronic “me first, I get what’s mine first” attitude–to the point where one survey shows one in three teenagers expect to be famous.

A post World War II culture of “me-ism,” of individuality over community, of “I’m special, you owe me,” a culture of anything goes in this Age of Aquarius.

A mindset which has resulted in half of the country’s annual GDP, $7.8 tn, a quantum leap in fiscal debt, now being committed to bail out the economy.

Concrete proof that equal opportunity means everyone will have a fair chance at being incompetent, says Laurence J. Peter, author of the “Peter Principle.”

A staggering bailout sum that has any semi-conscious, prudent taxpayer who pays their bills on time lying in a stark awake coma at three in the morning, taxpayers who grew up with their personal motto, “I think, therefore I’m debt-free.”

A crisis fueled by a housing finance system distorted for seven decades by the government, which has now gone begging for a government bailout. 

Congressmen practically herniated themselves before the crisis blew up to defend the mismanaged, near insolvent mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, their political cash machine, with chest-beating, stiff-necked fulminations showing when it comes to your tax dollars, they have Van Gogh’s ear for fiscal probity.

In one year, households have lost in net worth the equivalent of about half of the country’s annual output, $7.1 tn, from $63.6 tn in the third quarter of 2007 to $56.5 tn in the third quarter of 2008, Federal Reserve data show.

Has your head exploded yet?

What US Taxpayers Got

US taxpayers now own investments in 174 banks, without knowing the guidelines that were used to waste their money, says bank analyst Richard Suttmeier.

Fannie and Freddie have been allowed to expand their mismanaged multi-trillion dollar portfolios, along with $200 bn in taxpayer money to cover their losses.

And despite the open fire hydrant of liquidity the US government has pointed at the financials, a new wave of writedowns could cut deeply into these funds, as securities built on risky loans are still priced for the Ice Age.

Meanwhile, in the runup of the credit bubble from 2002 to 2007, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Bros. and Bear Stearns had paid an estimated total of $312 bn in compensation and benefits to its employees, compensation largely based on false profits.

And what have taxpayers witnessed in this fiasco?

The Orgy of Juvenilia

*Ten million borrowers, many of whom should never have borrowed what they did to begin with, could go bellyup on their mortgages when all is said and done. Monthly foreclosure filings, most of which are in suburban middle class neighborhoods, could grow to 303,000 monthly from 259,085, says RealtyTrac.

*In Bakersfield, California, a Mexican strawberry picker with an income of $14,000 and no English was lent every penny he needed to buy a house for $720,000. A nanny for a mortgage-bond trader at Deutsche Bank bought, along with her sister, five townhouses in Queens, New York after lenders got them to refinance to keep buying.–Michael Lewis, “The End of Wall Street’s Boom.”

Proving that when people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other. Here’s more:

*Less than a week after the government rescued AIG with an $85 bn loan, AIG executives spent $440,000 of company money on a week-long executive getaway at a beach resort in California, including $23,000 on spa charges. This, after the insurer also promised $20 mn in compensation to AIG’s former chief executive Martin Sullivan. AIG’s bailout cost to date: $150 bn.

*AIG ostensibly told market watchdogs it was freezing its bonus pool for executives, but then disclosed “retention” payments for 168 employees, including 13 executives, up to $4 mn for certain managers. The insurer said it disclosed its initial list of 130 managers in a September filing without saying how much each of the recipients would receive, but then added another 38 employees. 

*Citigroup’s $306 bn bailout, a massive government backstop of bad assets, carries no demand from the government that any executives who mismanaged Citi resign. Included in this sum, the government also bought $27 bn in preferred shares in Citi which carry an 8% dividend, lower than the 11% dividend Citi owes the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, which invested $7.5 bn in Citigroup’s preferred shares in November 2007. The deal “was not about punitive, it was about financial stability,” said Citi’s chief financial officer Gary Crittenden.

*Citigroup’s top executives, including Robert Rubin, have yet to announce they actually have given up their bonuses this year. Rubin denies responsibility for the bank’s massive losses stemming from its incompetent bets, despite the fact he encouraged more risk-taking at the bank in 2004 and 2005.

*Wall Street institutions “are now gone or re-organized and our financial system is in crisis,” says Sen. Chuck Grassley. “As [SEC] Chairman Christopher Cox said himself,” the SEC’s Wall Street oversight “program was an utter failure.” 

*SEC Chairman Christopher Cox blames the current crisis on “real estate boom-and-bust cycles” of markets. Cox confesses that regulators failed to take into account that “secured funding..could become completely unavailable,” and that regulators and Wall Street firms firms never used “risk scenarios based on a total meltdown of the U.S. mortgage market,” the most serious and likely realizable risk of all.

*Nowhere does Cox admit that the SEC “utterly failed” in its oversight of the credit rating agencies, who rubberstamped triple-A ratings on mortgage-backed paper at the root of the crisis, notes Barry Ritholz of the Big Picture Typepad, or that the SEC relaxed rules in 2004, which subsequently let firms “lever up to 40-to-1″ in 2004.

*While touting their Bear Stearns hedge funds to investors, funds that have collapsed, behind the scenes, fund manager Matthew Tannin called the subprime market “toast,” and manager Ralph Cioffi moved $2 mn of his own money out of the funds without telling investors. Cioffi allegedly told a Bear economist in March: “Don’t talk about [the February results] to anyone or I’ll shoot you…I can’t believe anything has been this bad,” later noting “the worry for me is that subprime losses will be far worse than anything people have modeled.” Both are under arrest.

*In a rare bit of candid marksmanship, Arnold Kling, former economist at Freddie Mac, testified to Congress that a high-risk subprime loan could be “laundered” as a Wall Street triple-A-rated security, obscuring its true risks.

*”Let’s hope we are all wealthy and retired by the time this house of cards falters.”–Email from an unidentified S&P employee who helped goldplate rubbish subprime securities with triple-A ratings.

*”It could be structured by cows and we would rate it.”–Email from an unidentified S&P employee about a structured finance deal.

*After the auto execs flew to D.C. on private jets with tin cup in hand, they were shamed into driving fuel-efficient cars for the next Capitol Hill go around, to which Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), said: “We didn’t ask the CEOs of banks drive to town in a Wells Fargo armored truck.”

Congress Rushes to Defend Fannie and Freddie

Prior to the bubble bursting, here is Congress defending Fannie and Freddie:

“The more people, in my judgment, exaggerate a threat of safety and soundness, the more people conjure up the possibility of serious financial losses to the Treasury, which I do not see. I think we see entities [Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac] that are fundamentally sound financially and withstand some of the disaster scenarios.”–Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who voted for the current bailout.

“I do not think we are facing any kind of a crisis.”–Rep. Barney Frank, (D-Mass.), on Fannie and Freddie.

“I, just briefly will say, Mr. Chairman, obviously, like most of us here, this is one of the great success stories of all time.”–Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), who voted for the current bailout.

“And my worry is that we’re using the recent safety and soundness concerns, particularly with Freddie, and with a poor regulator, as a straw man to curtail Fannie and Freddie’s mission.”–Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), who voted for the current bailout.

“Yet another case of habitual self deception: “These assets are so riskless that their capital for holding them should be under 2%.”–Franklin Raines, former head of Fannie Mae. Raines was forced to resign amidst a massive accounting scandal, was later sued to give up his compensation, though Fannie’s corporate directors’ insurance largely covered his forfeiture.

“If I had better foresight, maybe I could have improved things a little bit. But frankly, if I had perfect foresight, I would never have taken this job in the first place.”–Richard Syron, former head of Freddie Mac.

Again, Has Your Head Exploded Yet? 

So again blame the bailout on how generations were raised, on an overweening sense of narcissistic entitlement.

Yes, Mr. Rogers helped those of us, too many of us, who had to endure obnoxious abusive parents to get through the day. I get that.

But again, I’m talking about the culture of entitlement that’s behind bailout fever.

Miss Louise of Romper Room never encouraged this behavior–remember the Bumble Bee telling children to behave: “Do Bee a Don’t Bee Doer”?

Romper Room’s Miss Louise Mugged

“Former Romper Room hostess Mary Ann King (in Los Angeles from 1966-76) was mugged in the parking lot of a Hometown Buffet in Los Angeles on December 17, 2003. The encounter gave King, 70, a broken arm, rib and punctured lung.”

“Besides her injuries, the thieves stole a black taffeta bag that contained the original Magic Mirror (white plastic mirror frame) used on the Romper Room program so many years.”

At the end of every show, Miss Louise would delight children across the country, saying Happy Birthday through her Magic Mirror to children on camera, naming their names.

However, in an act of generosity and kindness, “King began carrying the magic mirror around with her to satisfy the wishes of people who confronted her with the allegations ‘you never said my name.’”

Nice to put your neuroses on a sweet senior citizen who made you happy. The Fellowship of Juvenilia grows (although Miss Louise’s Magic Mirror does suspiciously look like a destrung badminton racket).

[EagleEye: The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?']

The Scare Mongers Have Reason To Fear

As posted on Moonbattery.com and from Scott Thong's blog:

The UN global warming conference currently underway in Poland is about to face a serious challenge from over 650 dissenting scientists from around the globe who are criticizing the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore. Set for release this week, a newly updated U.S. Senate Minority Report features the dissenting voices of over 650 international scientists, many current and former UN IPCC scientists, who have now turned against the UN. The report has added about 250 scientists (and growing) in 2008 to the over 400 scientists who spoke out in 2007. The over 650 dissenting scientists are more than 12 times the number of UN scientists (52) who authored the media hyped IPCC 2007 Summary for Policymakers.

A few highlights from the minority report:

"I am a skeptic…Global warming has become a new religion.” - Nobel Prize Winner for Physics, Ivar Giaever.

“Since I am no longer affiliated with any organization nor receiving any funding, I can speak quite frankly….As a scientist I remain skeptical.” - Atmospheric Scientist Dr. Joanne Simpson, the first woman in the world to receive a PhD in meteorology and formerly of NASA who has authored more than 190 studies and has been called “among the most preeminent scientists of the last 100 years.”

"Warming fears are the “worst scientific scandal in the history…When people come to know what the truth is, they will feel deceived by science and scientists.” - UN IPCC Japanese Scientist Dr. Kiminori Itoh, an award-winning PhD environmental physical chemist.

“The IPCC has actually become a closed circuit; it doesn’t listen to others. It doesn’t have open minds… I am really amazed that the Nobel Peace Prize has been given on scientifically incorrect conclusions by people who are not geologists,” - Indian geologist Dr. Arun D. Ahluwalia at Punjab University and a board member of the UN-supported International Year of the Planet.

“The models and forecasts of the UN IPCC “are incorrect because they only are based on mathematical models and presented results at scenarios that do not include, for example, solar activity.” - Victor Manuel Velasco Herrera, a researcher at the Institute of Geophysics of the National Autonomous University of Mexico

“It is a blatant lie put forth in the media that makes it seem there is only a fringe of scientists who don’t buy into anthropogenic global warming.” - U.S Government Atmospheric Scientist Stanley B. Goldenberg of the Hurricane Research Division of NOAA.

“Even doubling or tripling the amount of carbon dioxide will virtually have little impact, as water vapour and water condensed on particles as clouds dominate the worldwide scene and always will.” – . Geoffrey G. Duffy, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering of the University of Auckland, NZ.

“After reading [UN IPCC chairman] Pachauri’s asinine comment [comparing skeptics to] Flat Earthers, it’s hard to remain quiet.” - Climate statistician Dr. William M. Briggs, who specializes in the statistics of forecast evaluation, serves on the American Meteorological Society’s Probability and Statistics Committee and is an Associate Editor of Monthly Weather Review.

“For how many years must the planet cool before we begin to understand that the planet is not warming? For how many years must cooling go on?” - Geologist Dr. David Gee the chairman of the science committee of the 2008 International Geological Congress who has authored 130 plus peer reviewed papers, and is currently at Uppsala University in Sweden.

“Gore prompted me to start delving into the science again and I quickly found myself solidly in the skeptic camp…Climate models can at best be useful for explaining climate changes after the fact.” - Meteorologist Hajo Smit of Holland, who reversed his belief in man-made warming to become a skeptic, is a former member of the Dutch UN IPCC committee.

“Many [scientists] are now searching for a way to back out quietly (from promoting warming fears), without having their professional careers ruined.” - Atmospheric physicist James A. Peden, formerly of the Space Research and Coordination Center in Pittsburgh.

“Creating an ideology pegged to carbon dioxide is a dangerous nonsense…The present alarm on climate change is an instrument of social control, a pretext for major businesses and political battle. It became an ideology, which is concerning.” - Environmental Scientist Professor Delgado Domingos of Portugal, the founder of the Numerical Weather Forecast group, has more than 150 published articles.

“CO2 emissions make absolutely no difference one way or another….Every scientist knows this, but it doesn’t pay to say so…Global warming, as a political vehicle, keeps Europeans in the driver’s seat and developing nations walking barefoot.” - Dr. Takeda Kunihiko, vice-chancellor of the Institute of Science and Technology Research at Chubu University in Japan.

“The [global warming] scaremongering has its justification in the fact that it is something that generates funds.” - Award-winning Paleontologist Dr. Eduardo Tonni, of the Committee for Scientific Research in Buenos Aires and head of the Paleontology Department at the University of La Plata.

[EagleEye: I find it hard to believe what Gore and my biology lab assistants were saying concerning the fact that 99% of scientists agree... these 650 fellows and ladies are a small part of the 33,000 who have expressed their skepticism.]

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Finally! Where the money has been going!

If nothing else, the Europeans are dead-on with their discovery of where our congress is REALLY sending our money.

Read all about it here.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Just In Case

...you STILL don't know why our troops do it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YRnqG4YlBE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKYV0T3swDA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kpohfny7jWg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYoxKs0gREQ

 

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Inalienable Rights

I am at a loss for words. I want to be cool. I want to be thought provoking, but I cannot. This is just TOO much for my left-wing-weary brain to contemplate.

I point you to this article and ask that you read slowly and carefully.

Be prepared to gouge out your eyeballs.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Armageddon

I am sincerely saddened. The world, as we have known and loved it, is quickly moving toward its end. The end of all things, Armageddon, is depicted as a fiery end to the world. The heaven’s shall open up and the war against good and evil shall rage across the earth.

To the victors go the spoils, I suppose.

One of our fundamental rights, as Americans, is the freedom of religion. We can practice our faith in any way we want without fear of prosecution or persecution (as long as we obey obvious and applicable  secular laws). Our forefathers fled Europe because of the Church of England trying to impose its beliefs on them.

Yet this continued assault on my religion by activists of all sorts is getting to weigh heavy on me. Perhaps that is their plan. They will bombard and attack and slander and spit forth their hate until even the strongest begin to crack and waver.

I, personally, will never waver in my belief. But the hoodlum asses who scream like little (expletive) - we WILL see it their way; we WILL recognize them; we WILL submit to their demands – have taken aim at the holiest of places, the Vatican.

They sit out and protest the Catholic church for what? Because the Catholic religion does not recognize them as anything but an abomination to God? Isn’t that what FREEDOM is?  If you dislike the church’s teachings then get a new church you CAN believe in.

Gay activists are becoming no better than Islamic fundamentalists. No, as of yet, they are not bombing and beheading but in strong-arming people out of work, in spitting on people and striking them with their own bibles, in camping outside (and attacking inside) their places of worship, they are utilizing less violent but equally reprehensible tactics.

Being gay is NOTHING like what the black community underwent. There is NO workplace or public persecution of them. The ONLY place where they are not equal is in actual MARRIAGE, which is a religious institution. Where are the separation of Church and State activists on this? Afraid of being boycotted? Of losing clients because you take a REAL stand- a stand that DEFENDS religion and doesn’t attack it?

Gay people can get civil unions. That is all marriage is, in the eyes of the state. Only in the eyes of a church is it marriage. These (expletive) strive  to force MY religion to change its views and allow THEM to corrupt it with their abominations under God.

All of this is coming from a guy who rarely goes to church and rarely speaks out on religious matters. I supported the war against gay marriage. I voted for it here in Florida.

Email me through the blog and I will even tell you where you can come to protest ME. I dare it to occur. I look forward to debating you.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Imagine That!

I am, of course, against any and all bailouts. If I lose my job and cannot find work, and if I have to sell my house (or lose it to bankruptcy) so be it. It will not be the end of the world.

Will that suck? Yes.

Will my family suffer? yes.

But maybe that is a good thing. With bad credit, I won’t be able to go out and willy nilly run up a debt of some $30,000 (again). Yes, I said again. Early in my military career, I was WAY in deep.

With a mortgage and student loans, four kids (one with braces and a few other issues and another headed for braces) I am still two months from being on the street. But I have persevered thus far and have the utmost faith that God will lead me along whatever path is needed to keep my family safe and secure.

But have not we been saying that personal responsibility, not the government pulling you up by the nose is the proper path? Well, now we have PROOF.

Consider this report from the major banking institutions (JP Morgan, CitiBank, Bank of America, etc). Of all of the people who got ‘help’ in the form of restructured mortgages, after three months 36% re-defaulted on their loans. After six months, 53% and after eight months 58% defaulted a second time.

Can you say STOP the stupidity, let prices fall, let the economy re-adjust itself, let us swallow our bitter medicine now while we still can and keep the retarded people in congress the hell away from our money?!

They have no clue. All they want to do is have trillions of dollars at their fingertips so they can control the lives of their districts. Give the money to the states and let THEM decide what is best for themselves if you want to, but I don’t trust a single one of them (with  a couple of noted exceptions).

DAMMIT! I cannot scream loud enough on this and I wish I had a visually public forum to do it. Not YouTube… more like a campaign trail. I really think I may look into it, as there are some incredibly stupid people out there.

I would rant on, but I am fit to be tied.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Day Late, But Still

I was going to post something regarding the anniversary of Pearl Harbor yesterday, but got busy doing the old Christmas shopping and came home to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers eek out a win over the Dallas Cowboys.

I would also like to add that in the future, I will NEVER listen to ANY Fantasy Football pundit because no matter HOW badly Peyton Manning has played recently, and no matter HOW GOOD of a match-up Gus Ferotte is against a weak defense, you should NEVER sit Manning. Not that they said bench him, but all indications were that Ferotte would have a big day throwing. The Colts were going against Cleveland, admittedly a weak team, but a team that plays tough when pressed. I chose poorly and probably am going to lose this playoff round.

Oh well, losing at Fantasy Football is nothing compared to what we, as a nation, lost during Pearl Harbor. I have been there and seen the memorial. Perhaps I am overly sensitive to history, but I couldn’t help but see and feel what things must have been like that day. Movies cannot and will not EVER project what it was really like. And, what families had to endure after that will never truly be fathomed by those who were not in the moment 67 years ago.

It is a shame that time truly does heal all wounds. Not that I advocate maintaining a hatred or severe distrust of those countries involved with the WWII campaign against us, but we as a people so easily forget. It wasn’t our time, it wasn't our battle, so we could not really care less. For the most part the general public does not take part in truly observing historic days like these, unless they are civic leaders or have a personal story of an ancestor they have in the family.

Likewise, we have mostly forgotten 9-11. Not totally, of course, but a day when 3,000 civilian Americans died has been reduced to a once-a-year observance. Why it does not burn white-hot in our veins is beyond my grasp. Why are we not inundated with constant reminders of just what many in the world want to see become of our great nation?

There are many who feel as I do, I am sure,  but as a nation we have allowed it to become old news.  The new news is OJ finally got time for his crime.  The new news is that Hugh Heffner now has twins for girlfriends.  The new news is Brittany wore no underwear or Miley Cyrus is dating a much older man (!) ?

As a nation, we have the attention span of a flea and the depth of a puddle.  While historians will document what has happened we as a people could not really care less; unless, of course, it is directly affecting us. Gone are the days of strong national pride and spirit. We are no longer a melting pot of people with a common interest and common goal, but rather a group of individual factions all clamoring for their share of the pie.

We are the Black Caucus and the Hispanic Caucus. We are Jews and Catholics, Protestants and Mormons. We are gay communities and teachers’ unions. We are no longer Americans because in being Americans we have to give up our lobbying ways. Our special interest groups would have nothing to fight for if we all decided to pool our resources and put aside personal wants to get a job done.

The days of personal responsibility have been long forgotten. I have no doubt, that if our forefathers were able to see just what is going on with the world, they would rise from their graves and run around screaming “DO OVER” at the tops of their lungs.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Another Step Closer

Everyone wants in on the murder game.  While I whole-heartedly sympathize with people who are terminally ill, I DON'T agree that medical doctors- people sworn to protect and defend life with all means possible - should be allowed to assist in the death of someone who wants it.

Why the hell do judges feel the need to make laws from the bench? And don't try to tell me that the judge only did it to force the congress into action. This just another step closer to a complete moral breakdown in our country.

The so-called tolerant want US to accept them for what they are, but they REFUSE to accept us for who we are, calling us bigots and haters.

Damn right. I am a complete hater of someone who helps murder another. I am a total bigot of doctors who are supposed to defend life, not take it. Murders all.

I am tolerant. Just not of this.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Buh-Bye

Finally!

You know, when I was in the Navy back in 1995, I was stationed at Great Lakes naval Station. We used to listed to the OJ Simpson murder trials going on.

Per usual, I think the media TOTALLY overdid the entire affair, making it impossible for the courts to have an unbiased trial. We all know the result- a murderer walked.

Well, today, OJ lost his bid for a second acquittal. A judge sentenced him to 33 years in prison, with parole eligibility after 9 years. That will make him 70 before he is let out.

I don’t know about you, but it is better late than never. He is the epitome of what many of our professional athletes are aspiring to be- hoodlum gang bangers. I, for one, and elated that the media stayed out of the courtroom and allowed justice to prevail.

Buh-Bye, murderer!

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Christmas Trees

From the DailyGut.com:

So every year, at New York City's Rockefeller Center, the lighting of the Christmas tree takes place – a massive event that draws thousands of spectators, as well as a few annoying celebrities and the requisite tranny hooker.

But this time it`s different, because this giant weed will be lit with earth-friendly bulbs. That makes the tree truly "green," as opposed to, you know, just green.

This 72 foot tall, eight ton Norway spruce has gone "environmentally correct," eschewing normal light bulbs for 30,000 energy-efficient LED lights.

Now, this is the equivalent of Kirstie Alley ordering four Big Macs, and then washing it down with diet Coke.

It`s yet another example of how the green movement is a stupid joke – an ideology for idiots, where symbolism trumps substance - and feeling good is all that matters, even if that good feeling has no basis in reality.

Look, imagine what it takes to bring a tree the size of an apartment building from New Jersey, where the 77 year old spruce grew up. The tree requires a custom made telescoping trailer, as well as a huge crew to make sure the tree arrives in one piece. The damn thing is also sporting a 750-pound star made of 25,000 Swarovski crystals – roughly the size of Joy Behar`s housecoat.

Let`s be frank: if you really believe in being "green," then you wouldn`t have the tree lighting service to begin with. You`d declare it an "outrage," then replace it with a hand-holding ceremony and a pagan prayer recited by a naked Ed Begley, Jr.

And that`s the point of going green: anything that`s fun or memorable – like a Christmas tree - must be bad for the planet. And this is why all environmentalists are so boring, so lacking in joy and frankly, kinda smelly. But even more than that, being green is just an excuse for self-absorbed saps to talk about how green they truly are. It's their way to prove their superiority without requiring real achievement. Or a job.

Seriously - I'm actually pretty green - well, at least my toe fungus is – but you don`t see me bragging about it.

And if you disagree with me, then you sir are worse than Hitler!

[EagleEye: The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?]

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Since the CHRISTMAS season is upon us, I want to thank my dad for forwarding this to me. Enjoy!

Twas the month before Christmas

When all through our land,

Not a Christian was praying

Nor taking a stand.

Why the PC Police had taken away,

The reason for Christmas - no one could say.

The children were told by their schools not to sing,

About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.

It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say

December 25th is just a 'Holiday'.

Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit

Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!

CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod

Something was changing, something quite odd!

Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa

In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.

As Targets were hanging their trees upside down

At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.

At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears

You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.

Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty

Are words that were used to intimidate me.

Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen

On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!

At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter

To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.

And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith

Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace

The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded

The reason for the season, stopped before it started.

So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'

Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.

Choose your words carefully, choose what you say

Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS , not Happy Holiday!

Please, all Christians join together and wish everyone you meet during the holidays a MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christ is 'The Reason' for the Christmas Season!

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

For Those In Mumbai

I wanted to post this so that it got the widest dissemination. Rabbi Marvin Hier speaks oout about the Islamic Fundamentalists who slaughtered innocents in Mumbai. The Rabbi doesn't play with words, either.

Say a prayer for the families who lost someone. I know I did.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Common Sense

The video below expresses everything that is wrong with our country in an incredibly passionate way. This is how I want to be. Articulate, concise, powerful in message and theme.

I am going to use it as a basis for everything I discuss in regards to what I want from my congress and my country.

"I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense . . ." - Thomas Paine, from his pamphlet Common Sense.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Bush’s Legacy

I read this comment on The New Republican blog. It states everything I feel and so I wanted to place it here as well. Nicely done, Mr. Gary Fouse. Follow his blog here.

Now that the Bush Administration’s time in office is down to its last couple of months, it is way too early, in my view, to predict his historical legacy. That will probably take at least a generation and largely depend on how Iraq and Afghanistan play out. I do think it appropriate, however, to contribute a few words on the president who is leaving office.

George Bush, from the moment he was sworn in following the controversial election in Florida, was greeted with hate from the left. Indeed, his motorcade was the target of a few eggs as it proceeded from the Capitol to the White House. The hate has never ceased-though he did enjoy a huge spike in support following 9-11. Except for that, the Democrats have done everything in their power to undermine and demean Bush even though he tried to reach out to them. The media also has spent most of the last 8 years contributing to the demonetization of the President, which he could never overcome.

To be sure, many conservatives have also been disappointed with some of Bush’s policies. His lax stand on illegal immigration and border security-even after 9-11, angered many on the right. The aggressive prosecution of two border agents who shot a Mexican drug smuggler caused many (including myself) to believe that the Bush Administration and its Justice Department was not supportive of the Border Patrol.

In addition, Bush, who came to office proclaiming himself a “compassionate conservative”, did nothing to reduce the size of government and cut government spending. As Congress (Democrat and Republican) was having an orgy of earmarks, Bush set aside his veto pen and let it roll on. History will also have to judge his share of the blame for the financial crisis. Though he was, indeed, president, I see a lot more culpability in Congress-especially when it comes to the mortgage-lending fiasco. Yet, the Democrats succeeded in steering public attention toward Bush (and his “tax cuts for the rich”) and away from people like Barney Frank and Chuck Schumer, who were prime culprits in the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac scandals. To me, there was nothing wrong in Bush’s cutting taxes. It was the right thing to do.

One unfortunate aspect of Bush is his inability to be articulate in front of a microphone in the absence of a prepared text. This hurt in two respects. First, he was unable to articulate his convictions. Secondly, it led to the public image fed by the late night comedians that he was a dolt, which he is not.

One area that Bush has done well in is the appointment of federal judges. In spite of unconscionable Democratic obstruction, he has managed to put two outstanding conservative judges on the Supreme Court (notwithstanding the Harriet Miers fiasco), as well as on the federal bench.

But it was his aggressive response to 9-11 that eventually sent liberals and Democrats over the edge. While Afghanistan was and is mostly supported, his invasion and occupation of Iraq sealed his doom. America has few allies in this endeavor, and the establishment of Gitmo and the NSA intercepts have led to the further demonetization of a president who, in my view, was trying to prevent any further
9-11s. To hear the left describe it, we have all lost our freedoms in the past 8 years.

As far as Iraq is concerned, if Bush was lying about weapons of mass destruction, then so was Clinton. The fact is that everyone believed Saddam was building WMD. The CII believed it. The UN believed it. All the major intelligence agencies in the world believed it. Saddam did everything in his power to make the world believe it. And why shouldn’t we have believed it? Saddam, in fact, used chemical weapons against Iran and against the Kurds in the north after the first Gulf War-in one instance, killing 5,000 Kurds in one village with poison gas.

Yet, whether or not they ever existed in terms or amounts we believed-or were dismantled or taken out of the country prior to the invasion, Saddam’s continued rule of Iraq was a world-wide scandal. As he and his sons terrorized an entire nation, major nations were being secretly bought off with oil vouchers to oppose any invasion. There was nothing principled in their opposition to an invasion. It was all about greed. Meanwhile, innocent Iraqis were being dragged off to torture centers, rape rooms and mass graves-by the tens of thousands-as the world sat by and twiddled their thumbs.

Say what you will, George Bush will go to his grave with two things on his resume that any world leader would envy. He removed two of the worst regimes in recent memory and gave some 50 million people an opportunity to live in some measure of freedom. What do the Jacques Chiracs, Gerhard Schroeders, Kofi Annans or Vladimir Putins have on their resumes?

In terms of fighting the war on terror, Bush has also drawn condemnation for the establishment of Guantanemo Bay as a detention center for captured terrorists-a center that will almost certainly be shut down by President Obama when he takes office. Many argue that the prisoners should be afforded the protections of the Geneva Convention-even though these terrorists represent no nation, wear no uniform, have signed no such accords, have targeted innocents as victims and do not abide themselves with any of the Geneva accords-preferring instead to torture, murder/behead their captives.

Others argue that we should overburden our federal court system with these terrorists even though the courts are not equipped to handle them in large numbers and may require the disclosure of classified material to prosecute them. Have we forgotten the German saboteurs who landed on our shores during World War II intent on wreaking havoc here? They were captured, brought before a military tribunal and most of them were executed as spies.

My point here is that these prisoners do not fit into any neat little category of law-breakers or prisoners of war. If you want to consider them as POWs-then they stay in captivity until the “war” is over. In this case, that will be a long time.

As to the NSA intercepts. I still cannot perceive any rational objection to these intercepts. In the wake of 9-11, these intercepts seem to be a perfectly rational response to the threat of mass murder being carried out here at home. If the NSA abroad has identified a terrorist telephone that they are monitoring and that telephone places a call to the US, what in God’s name is the problem with listening in and setting up a tap on the US phone? True, we have a normal procedure for wiretapping phones being used for criminal purposes using the normal court-authorized process. However, and I am speaking from personal experience (as a retired DEA agent), it is a cumbersome process that takes time and resources. The FISA court process is also available in cases of national security, but in the wake of 9-11, when speed may save thousands of lives, even that process was deemed to be insufficient to deal with the threat.

If George Bush has erred in the case of Gitmo and the NSA intercepts, he has done it for one reason-to prevent any future 9-11s on American soil-to save innocent lives. While much of America has gone back to sleep, Bush has remained vigilant. And to this point, he has succeeded (knock on wood). For that, George W Bush deserves our gratitude.

President Bush will leave office with an abysmally low approval rating, much as did Harry Truman, who today is regarded as one of our finest presidents. Many Republicans will blame him for the dire straits their party finds itself. Some of the criticism will be fair-some unfair. Through it all, however, Bush has withstood the hatred directed toward him with grace, which tells me that he is a good and decent man.

Bush’s final legacy will not be determined for a long time. Perhaps it will be that he foolishly believed that bringing democracy to a region that had never experienced it would remove the terrorist threat in the long term. Much of it will depend on the success or failure of Iraq. After 4-8 years of Obama, perhaps, Bush will look wiser to us. I do feel, however, that in a couple of generations, Bush’s reputation as president will be much higher than when he leaves office.

[EagleEye: The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?]

A Pending Grace Explosion

I got this from Michelle Malkin’s blog this morning. The video is enough to make one sick, but it NEEDS the widest dissemination.

I titled it as a pending Grace Explosion, because when Grace stops by to read it, the term ‘Hell hath no fury’ will be re-applied to a Christian Woman With Purpose.

Warning. This video is extremely disturbing with respect to the moral depravity vice the normal visual garbage found in much of today’s media.

Watch the video here.

An additional video can be seen here.

*Covers eyes and ears, similar to Indiana Jones during the climactic ending- no sense in ALL of us getting visited by the Angel of Death when Grace sees this..;)*

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Ed W. ‘Too Tall’ Freeman

Here is a name that most people will probably never hear, but because I am dedicated to everyone who has served his country I am putting Ed here for all to gaze upon in wonder (and respect).

This citation, given on July 16, 2001 by President George W. Bush, reads as follows:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

Captain Ed W. Freeman, United States Army, distinguished himself by numerous acts of conspicuous gallantry and extraordinary intrepidity on 14 November 1965 while serving with Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). As a flight leader and second in command of a 16-helicopter lift unit, he supported a heavily engaged American infantry battalion at Landing Zone X-Ray in the La Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam. The unit was almost out of ammunition after taking some of the heaviest casualties of the war, fighting off a relentless attack from a highly motivated, heavily armed enemy force. When the infantry commander closed the helicopter landing zone due to intense direct enemy fire, Captain Freeman risked his own life by flying his unarmed helicopter through a gauntlet of enemy fire time after time, delivering critically needed ammunition, water and medical supplies to the besieged battalion. His flights had a direct impact on the battle's outcome by providing the engaged units with timely supplies of ammunition critical to their survival, without which they would almost surely have gone down, with much greater loss of life. After medical evacuation helicopters refused to fly into the area due to intense enemy fire, Captain Freeman flew 14 separate rescue missions, providing life-saving evacuation of an estimated 30 seriously wounded soldiers -- some of whom would not have survived had he not acted. All flights were made into a small emergency landing zone within 100 to 200 meters of the defensive perimeter where heavily committed units were perilously holding off the attacking elements. Captain Freeman's selfless acts of great valor, extraordinary perseverance and intrepidity were far above and beyond the call of duty or mission and set a superb example of leadership and courage for all of his peers. Captain Freeman's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.

Ed died on August 20, 2008 from complications relating to Parkinson’s Disease.

If you want to see a reenactment of the Medal of Honor recipient’s incredible heroism, just watch We Were Soldiers starring Mel Gibson. I get chills during that movie.

For all who have served and who are still serving, keep fighting the good fight. Regardless of how the world tries to spin our efforts, my brothers and sisters in the military continue to have my utmost respect. Stay safe.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

Great Global Warming Video

Check it out. A nicely done semi-documentary.

 

http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=881376822&channel=301783405

 

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?

The Global Poverty Act

Poverty.

As Christians, we know that one of the worst things suffered by children of the world is poverty, starvation, sickness and disease. Even those of us who make very little, recognize that there are millions of us out there doing far, far worse, and in an effort to help we send out money to one of many worthwhile charity organizations.

As a nation, the United States of America is second to none in the global aid provided to the rest of the world. It is in light of this that I wish to bring attention to a wonderful act of kindness brought before the US Senate by non other than our newly-elected Glorious Leader- Barack H. Obama.

In this act, Obama proposes that we require the President of the United States to direct the Secretary of State in an effort to aid the United Nations (our friend and ally in the war on hunger) in achieving their 8 goals of the Millennium Declaration.

What does this mean for us? Not much, except that it would require aid to the tune of about $845 billion over the span of 13 years. This is, of course, in addition to what we already send overseas.

Even better, this money would not be limited to our friends and allies of the world, but would be used as the United Nations sees fit (ie- by those countries who hate us as well), because after all, the greater good outweighs the fact that a country's leadership wishes us and our friends destroyed.

From some leading think tanks comes the following comment:

Specifically, it would "declare" that the official U.S. policy is to eliminate global poverty, that the president is "required" to "develop and implement" a strategy to reach that goal and requires that the U.S. efforts be "specific and measurable."

Kincaid said that after cutting through all of the honorable-sounding goals in the plan, the bottom line is that the legislation would mandate the 0.7 percent of the U.S. GNP as "official development assistance."

"In addition to seeking to eradicate poverty, that (U.N.) declaration commits nations to banning 'small arms and light weapons' and ratifying a series of treaties, including the International Criminal Court Treaty, the Kyoto Protocol (global warming treaty), the Convention of Biological Diversity, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Convention of the Rights of the Child," he said.

Those U.N. protocols would make U.S. law on issues ranging from the 2nd Amendment to energy usage and parental rights all subservient to United Nations whims.

Kincaid also reported Jeffrey Sachs, who runs the "Millennium Project," confirms a U.N. plan to force the U.S. to pay 0.7 percent of GNP would add about $65 billion a year to what the U.S. already donates overseas.

And the only way to raise that funding, Sachs confirms, "is through a global tax, preferably on carbon-emitting fossil fuels," Kincaid writes.

So there you have it. In order to support the UN's agenda of worldwide equality for everyone, the United States taxpayer would be levied another tax to help pay for this new spending requirement from our new administration. It isn't enough that we WANT to help, now will be REQUIRED to help.

For more information, you can read the following articles on the issue:

http://www.undp.org/mdg/basics.shtml

http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=5152

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/ibdarticles.aspx?id=288920093794177

http://www.nationalledger.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=22&num=18845

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PePbtEABzGk

 

I apologize for my language, but stuff like this is absolutely un-f^&%*#g  believable.

The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?