Healthy skepticism

Glenn Beck is proving yet again how well he thinks "outside the box." OK; you may not agree with him (or, as most people do, hate him with white-hot passion), but if you actually listen to what he says, in context rather than the soundbites provided by his disdainers, he actually makes a fair amount of sense. Of course, most of his suggestions turn people off because they are so outside their personal experience or preferences, but that doesn't necessarily make him wrong. This week, he attacks the federal budget, hacking away at things no one else is suggesting. If nothing else, he's fun to listen to. But he's also not quite the loose cannon he's often portrayed as. Consider his discussions regarding the Department of Education and the Department of Defense.

America doesn't have a prayer.  Another activist federal judge has taken it upon herself to further separate America from its heritage. US District Judge Barbara Crabb has decided in favor of the Freedom from Religion Foundation by striking down the National Day of Prayer as unconstitutional.  The National Day of Prayer, first signed in 1952 by then-President Dwight Eisenhower, has been endorsed by every American president - so far.  In an age where most Americans are no longer taught American history, and law schools no longer teach the United States Constitution as the law of the land (unless it is convenient to their agenda), it's probably no surprise that this judge appears ignorant of the actual content of that inconvenient little thing we like to call the First Amendment. It states, in part, that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or abridging the free exercise thereof." Funny how that latter part seems so often forgotten.

If this were taught in the context in which it was written, there would remain an understanding that, (1) it only bars the US Congress - not the states, nor municipalities, nor presidential directives - from passing laws either favoring or inhibiting religion.  Any religion. While that will disappoint or infuriate some (for example: allowing "free exercise" for satanists is abhorrent to Christians such as myself), it goes to the essence of liberty, which implies equal standing before the law as long as no one is transgressing against another.  (2) "...an establishment of religion" was an inferred injunction against preferential treatment of a particular sect or denomination, not a de facto prohibition against any. (3) It declares freedom of religion, not freedom from religion, as the name of the plaintiff clearly states. Simply put, the judge had no authority to strike down this presidential Executive Order, at least no on the basis of the First Amendment.

Selling their souls.  Do you ever read those ponderous terms and conditions statements before clicking "I agree" to download a computer program?  More than 7,500 people did not when they bought a game from a British company, only to later learn that they had inadvertently signed away their "immortal soul."  In all fairness, the company, Game Station, did it on April Fool's Day, and claim they did it to prove that most folks never read what they're signing. Or, that's what they'd like you to believe. You can see for yourself by looking way down in the "Orders for Sales & Purchases" section.  'Till death do us part?

Here's to your health.  It didn't take very long for the horror stories about the impending failure of Obamacare began to trickle in. One of the early entries is the story of Diana Smith, a young single mom cancer patient in Florida who has gone through six months of painful chemotherapy in preparation for a transplant. Then she made the mistake of responding to an unsolicited offer for her three-year-old son to receive Social Security disability payments.

As you might expect, Diana took the bait and signed her son up for the assistance. Less than a month later she was told that the benefits put her over the new government threshold for the Medicaid universal medical coverage policy, thereby making her ineligible for insurance. The hospital where she was receiving her care then considered the liability risk too high, and refused to help her finish her treatment or provide the transplant. Although she was willing to cancel her son's coverage, the SSA told her it was too late. According to CBS4 in Ft. Lauderdale, "She's gone through six months worth of radiation and chemo, her body can't take any more. If they don't allow her to have this transplant coming up right now next week, they're in effect signing her death warrant," said her friend Tom Noonan. Sounds almost like a 'death panel', doesn't it?

But wait; there's more! Almost as soon as this story hit the airwaves the government stepped in to save the day and forstall the bad publicity. Amazing coincidence, huh?  Will the government respond as well to all the other horror stories that may emerge? Time will tell.

How'd that happen?  There is an unexpected silver lining to the passage of the healthcare bill, though, of a sort. It turns out that Congress may have voted away their own high-end health insurance. Apparently those who voted for the healthcare bill didn't read...er...realize that, according to the Congressional Research Service, "the law may remove members of Congress and Congressional staff from their current coverage in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program before any alternatives are available."  Even the New York Times finally seems to be catching on to what has been foisted onto the American public, asking the question that should have been on the front page from the getgo: If they did not know exactly what they were doing to themselves, did the lawmakers who passed the bill fully grasp the details of how it would influence the lives of other Americans? The choices are either "obviously not," or "yes, but it didn't matter."

The worm within.  Andrew Breitbart has broken some important stories over the past year or so. He recently learned that a group of wannabe saboteurs was planning to disrupt and discredit the Tea Parties by infiltrating their rallies and trying to artificially induce some politically embarrassing moments. The plan was to use tactics that might "exaggerate the group's least appealing qualities, [and] further distance the tea party from mainstream America and damage the public's opinion of them," according to chief malcontent Jason Levin. A middle-school teacher from Oregon, Levin has been suspended while the school district investigates his radical, disruptive political behavior. Even the liberal locals think he crossed the line, and that with his apparently dim view of the First Amendment rights of other Americans, he may not be the best role model for young people.  Ya think?

Of course, by announcing his proposed tactics ahead of time, this malcontent actually provided a built-in excuse; in the event that some Tea Partiers did go rogue, they already had an alibi. Any untoward activity could simply be attributed to Levin and his 'hobby' disrupters. Way to go, boys!

Favorites reflect no favoritism.  In a decision sure to short-circuit Demoncrat accusations that the Tea Parties are nothing more than Republican flacks, the Tea Party Express surprised many with its endorsements of several political incumbents and candidates, including one Democrat, Rep. Walt Minnick of Idaho. I believe this may be the surest sign that the Tea Parties are on the right track; supporting principles over personalities.

Insanity as a worldview

President Obama cancelled another opportunity to bow and apologize for America (this time in Indonesia and Australia) so he could continue to wheedle, cajole, bribe and threaten Democrats to pass his ultra-massive theft of America's future - better known as the Healthcare bill. If you examine it closely, though, it's much more about control than it is about making America healthier.  And while every liberal network has uniformly accused Fox News of propagandizing against the bill, it can also truthfully be said that those networks aren't exactly running in neutral, either.

Not their cup of tea.  The effort of some Leftists to start a counter-movement for the Tea Parties turned out to be a lot like how my wonderful (yes you are, honey) wife complains about my own coffeemaking skills - weak and tasteless. Despite being ginned up by The New York Times, NPR, CNN, MSNBC and other Marxism-favoring propaganda organs, the initial outing of the "Coffee Parties" didn't quite live up to the hype.  Most of the estimated 350 coffe houses around the country that hosted the event saw crowds no larger than 50 people, with a number of them seeing less than a dozen.

Inquiring minds want to know: why such a poor showing?  Here's my take: First, they were staged in coffeehouses. While on the surface that sounds logical, it kindasorta looks past the point they were trying to make. After all, how large a crowd of rowdy (i.e., newsworthy) protesters did they think they'd fit in a Starbuck's, anyway? They were supposedly trying to counterpoint the comparatively large groups of vocal (but respectful and nonviolent) citizens who gathered for the Tea Parties, many of which launched with attendance in the scores, if not hundreds of people frustrated with what the government is doing to this country.

Secondly, the Tea Parties began with close to 2,000 gatherings, scheduling them on a day that all Americans, or at least those not on the public dole, could identify with -- April 15th; Tax Day. They chose the date that symbolizes what has been the impetus behind the movement from the gitgo.  In fact, it was largely a protest against having our money taken from the working people by the government under force of law, to waste on nonessential projects, campaign paybacks and voter buyoffs.  However, the biggest reason for the Coffee Parties' dismal start may be the Left's deliberate erosion of our educational system; perhaps they simply never learned that the original Boston Tea Party was a tax protest.

I also think it might have been a bit off-putting for Annabel Park, the documentary filmmaker who came up with the idea a few weeks ago, to suggest that her fellow socially-enlightened people should gather and drink Red Bull and cappucino, "and have real political dialogue with substance and compassion."  While that probably appealed to the twenty-something poli-sci majors and bon vivants, most of those who would agree with their welfare-state thinking (from the receivership perspective) would probably prefer something more likely to come from Dunkin' Donuts or the local stop-and-go. I would venture to guess that most of their potential supporters can't afford to go to the elite-effete coffee shops unless it's the first or the 15th of the month.

As for "real political dialogue with substance and compassion," it's pretty clear that Park was only seeing the size of the conservative crowd and listening to the critics' sound-bite descriptions and mischaracterizations, because she evidentally wasn't listening to what they were actually saying, and has no clue what the Tea Partiers actually believe.

It ain't no social club.  OK. Maybe you're wondering what all the fuss is about, because you've never been taught the actual differences between the conservative/capitalist worldview and the socialist worldview. Let me give it a shot.

Conservatives would have no problem if Lefties wanted to form their own massive, private social club where members would allow the club managers to take as much of their members' own money as they wanted to - without the members' consent - which the managers would then give away to drug addicts, drunks, illegal aliens, unwed mothers who use birthing as a source of revenue, starving avant garde artists, and failing foreign socialist economies.  As long as they would leave the rest of us alone to make a living and keep most of our money, provide for our own protection and insurance, and do what we want with our own as long as we don't intrude on someone else's rights, the Lefties can play their little games with themselves and those who sponge off them.  We simply don't want to be forced to subsidize their faulty judgment and phony altrusim.

The problem with socialists is that they won't do that. Their end game isn't about choice, or personal liberty, or personal responsibility for the ruling elites or actual justice.  Go ahead, take a count of the "liberal" politicians who will pledge to live by the exact same rules they want to impose on everyone else, without any favoritism or exemptions whatsoever. Or if that's too hard, count the number of socialist countries that have become more productive, protected the liberties of its taxpaying citizens, and raised the living standard for more of its people (countries that have been supported by the United States don't count) rather than merely subsidized poverty. I'll wait...

When the Bolsheviks took over Russia in 1917 (by a bloody revolution) the leaders conned the people into supporting them by playing class against class. Tens of millions of lives later, their basic tactic hasn't changed. The dirty little secret is that socialism (by whatever name - it's merely a matter of degree) is itself a class/caste system, with the ruling elites having all the power and perks, and the proletariat (the working stiffs) bearing all the burdens and suffering all the shortages. Yeah; it's a little like what we have now (thanks in no small part to liberalism), except that conservatism/capitalism give you more choices.

What minority are you in?  The fictional, Orwellian world of "Minority Report" is creeping ever closer to our reality every day.  Consider the case of a Washington state man who was awakened to find his home surrounded by a SWAT team, and arrested for a crime which wasn't committed.

Environuts? In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1), and He said, "It was good."  Ever since then, mankind has found a million and one ways to screw things up and yet call Him a liar.  Still, it helps to have a healthy dose of perspective. Unfortunately, some folks don't seem to have 'evolved' very much further than the Nature they worship. You be the judge.

Real-world Heroes

The Year of our Lord 2009 has so far been marked with heroism, at a time when the American people are fed up with thieves, con artists and selfserving politicians (as if there is a difference) and in dire need of some sort of unselfishness.

First was the dramatic Hudson River crash landing by Capt. "Sully" Sullenberger in January. Sully's clam, coolheaded professionalism, aided by God's grace, saved the lives of 155 people and then all but hid from an admiring public.

Next was the episode with an American commerce ship successfully resisting an attack by Somali pirates; the crew who fought off well-armed intruders, the valiant captain who offered himself in trade for the release of his crew, and the Navy personnel -- especially the SEAL snipers who rescued Captain Richard Phillips with three clean head shots at three different targets on a bobbing lifeboat (with one pirate only visible through a window) in worsening weather. America has always been graced with heroes, most of whom would not call themselves that, and such is the character which sets some folks apart from the rest.

I'll (ugh...this is tough) give the President credit for allowing, if not ordering, the aggressive response to the situation. Frankly, I was concerned he was going to do a Carter and lead to yet another international embarrassment. But, hey, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

As you might expect, though, the liberal pundits are still clueless. Consider MSNBCs Chris Matthews (you know, the guy who got a "thrill" up his leg over Obama during the campaign), who thinks it was just dumb luck that 3 SEALS made 3 simultaneous head shots from a ship onto a small boat bobbing in the water more than 150 feet away, With the hostage almost directly in the line of fire. Yeah, right; just luck. NOT!

Tea, anyone? Another group of heroes I want to bring attention to is...hundreds of thousands of American people who get it. The Tax Day Tea Parties showed that more and more folks understand the country is changing for the worse, and are getting their game face on and doing something about it. At hundreds of rallies around the United States, organized by ordinary citizens, good people got together to show their willingness to participate, to express their frustration and fears, and to network with one another to correct the problems. The best part is that it was Americans of nearly every political bent: Republicans, Democrates, libertarians, independents and undecideds who want their country back. And -- unlike most liberal demonstrations -- every event was marked by a virtual absence of rude, crude or violent behavior. While they were at times loud, they were peaceful, respectful and enjoyable, in many cases even picking up their own litter afterward. It was truly the "God blessed" part of America, and a refreshing reminder of the character of those who founded this country.

While most politicians are part of the problem, a few are starting to speak out like real leaders instead of party hacks. Texas Governor Rick Perry recently gave a press conference where he reasserted States' Rights under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, berating the Obama malAdministration for trying to force states to accept 'stimulus' handouts, which come with a steep price tag.

As you might expect, most of the mainstream media didn't get it, and as they typically do, chose to insult the intelligence of the people standing up for what America used to stand for.

Who's listening to ya? The disenchantment of President Obama's fan base continues to grow as he has reneged on yet another of his left-wing campaign promises. This time the gripe is that he has decided to uphold the Bush Administration's policy of protecting eavesdropping programs. Libs are repeating his campaign pledges for "government accountability and transparency." I guess they haven't been paying much attention as he (I give him the "credit" in the same manner that the left gave George Bush blame for every problem) takes over corporations, encourages congress to violate private contracts, continues the government's drunken spending spree and hikes taxes, all while ignoring public outrage.

Honestly, I think I have to agree with Obama yet again (I can't stand this!!) While leftists and some libertarians want to dismantle our intelligence-gathering apparatus, the fact remains that we have real enemies who are determined to kill thousands and wreak havoc on our nation. And while I don't trust Obama as far as I can throw him, I believe we need to keep those options open, but used most judiciously. That's the problem with tools, whether they be hammers, guns or surveillance devices; they are no better or worse than the human character controlling them. That's why we need to be more discriminating in choosing all our leaders. We've allowed both parties to stack the deck so we don't have control over those choices any more.

Enemy of the State. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano is standing by a report warning police agencies of "right-wing extremism," comparing angry Americans who are fed up with the mega-abuses of government to radical Islamic, cut-your-head-off terrorists. Anyone who recalls the tragedies of Waco and Ruby Ridge should understand why some Americans might fear their government, but that doesn't automatically mean anyone who expresses concern should have a target painted on them.

Frankly, there probably wouldn't be any need for "right-wing extremists" or Tea Parties if our leaders weren't leading us headlong into the ash heap of history for their own agrandizement. Secondly, according to Judge Andrew Napolitano (no relation; he's a legal analyst for Fox News) the report is poorly written, vague in its sources, and scary in its ramifications.

The Wow factor. I want to mention one more hero: not the type that risks life and limb or changes the world, but one grandma-type British lady who overcame a heavy presupposition of "ordinaryness" and went on to astound a very cynical audience with her hidden singing talent. I'd like to introduce you to Susan Boyle. Watch the judges' (and the audience's) reaction.

Time Out for Bullies

To kick this edition off, check out this interview Glenn Beck conducted with the Connecticut Attorney General who went after the AIG bonuses using the blunt instrument of government intimidation (what we commoners refer to as "extortion"). The AG could cite no actual law for causing severe emotional and economic distress to employees who actually did honest work. This is a study in what a bully looks like when he gets cornered.

Here is some late-breaking news: The chief of the Pakistani Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud, has issued a threat to "amaze everyone in the world" by attacking Washington, D.C., possibly even striking directly at the White House. Mehsud is no lightweight to dismiss out of hand; he is considered to be behind the attack that killed Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007, and may have been involved with a cell of terrorists arrested in Barcelona last year. And let's not forget that Osama bin Laden was dismissed as a serious threat by the Clinton administration.

In his headlong rush to completely deconstruct the United States and everything it used to stand for, President Obama's latest move is to pack the White House with Muslims. No doubt I'll be labeled a "hatemonger" for saying this, but if I recall, Obama affirmed his Christian faith during the campaign (of course, he's done a lot of flip-flops since then). I find it less than faithful to Christianity and to this country to actively solicit members of a religion that declares its intent to conquer the world by guile or force, and to subjugate all nonbelievers (and their own women) to virtual slavery. It really should be a crime that politicians are not held to account for violating the oath they take, to defend and protect the Constitution against all foes, foreign and domestic. I would have no strong objection to hiring a Muslim if that person is committed to the founding principles of this nation and is qualified for the job, but considering his hiring record thus far (remember "no lobbyists in my administration" and promise to have the "most ethical' and "most transparent" presidency?), I have to wonder how thorough his vetting process will be. Keep in mind that the Muslim American Society is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, which once put forth in a leadership memo a description of its work as a kind of 'internal jihad' to be used for sabotaging Western civilization from within.

If you think I'm a downer, consider this report about a deep-Earth gas deposit that may have the potential to destroy much or most of the country in a huge fiery blast. The gist of it is that there is the world's largest reserve of natural gas deep below the surface of North America in varous interconnected pockets. The volatile gas seeps through rock layers, connecting many if not all of the humongous deposits of underground explosive gas. What makes it such a threat is that numerous openings in the earth such as dry drilling holes, caves, fissures, etc. allow oxygen-rich air to flow downward, mixing with the gas. At the same time oil and gas companies are taking oil and gas out of the ground, they must pump water underground to fill the void and to pressurize the gas to make it flow upward (since it's heavier than air). If they ever stop pumping water, the outward pressure would stop and any spark could theoretically begin an explosive chain reaction throughout the entire reserve. I haven't yet been able to confirm it because no one but some fringe blogs (like mine?) seem to be reporting it. However, what they present is impressive -- at least to the unscientific like me -- and looks very credible. And very, very scary to consider. Just one more great reason to get right with God and live in knowledge and faith rather than in fear. It's also another really good reason to pump as much gas out of the ground as possible.

Fortunately, I have a friend who is a lot smarter than me, and acts as sort of a balance beam for me and my departures from reality. After contacting him about this potential megabomb, he sent me a link to a somewhat technical site which he assures me explains how it can't happen. One side of my brain says, "I feel better now," but the other side keeps nagging me about the global warming scientists who warn us about the threat to the Earth from cow flatulence and the food scientists who would have us eating tofu and tree bark. Take both sides for what they're worth. I'm not going to be overly obsessed with it, but it is fascinating.

On the road to world socialism: Harold Koh is Obama's top pick for the State Department's legal advisor. Unfortunately, Koh is the farthest thing from a constitutionalist, preferring instead to rely on international law instead of our national sovereignty. For example, Koh believes that Islamic Sharia law could apply to certain US court disputes, and considers the US as part of an "axis of disobedience", comparing us with rogue nations like North Korea. And here I was, thinking that US officials should be working in the best interests of our country. Silly me. Koh could be a real threat to America because he would be instrumental in the forging of international policies, treaties and agreements. Actually, he seems to favor any form of government except the one that enabled his success in life. I wonder if anyone ever told him to be careful what he wishes for.

One more reason to worry when lawyers are in charge: it appears that some of the much-anticipated "Tea Parties" are running into problems from city officials around the country. The tactic is to simply deny permits for demonstrations on the grounds of lack of police overtime, toilet facilities, crowd control, cleanup crews, etc. The aim appears to be hampering citizens who are protesting the theft of their government; so I guess it's only natural that the hampering is being done by government officials of the party in power, and they learned their tactics when it was them in the streets. Damn that pesky First Amendment thing! I could be wrong, but I can't recall that many times the lefties' protests were stopped by bureaucracy...and maybe that's partly why we are where we are. It really sucks when the rules apply only to one side (Hmmm...I think they call that tyranny).

Congratulations are in order for Hillary Clinton! She's just received the Margaret Sanger Award. It must be the thrill of a lifetime to be honored for "leadership, excellence, and outstanding contributions to the reproductive health and rights movement." I mean, who wouldn't want an award named after the founder of Planned Parenthood -- a model citizen who happened to be a fan of Adolf Hitler's "population control" methods, considered the lower classes of society and any non-white race as "human weeds", and started a billion-dollar industry in which the major product are tens of millions of tiny diced human cadavers? Rock on, Hill...you deserve it.

If you aren't completely flabbergasted by now; wait, there's more. King Barack and the Environuts are about to levy the ultimate destructive tax, known as 'Cap and Trade. At its core, it's a tax on carbon dioxide; you know, the stuff you exhale and that plants require to stay alive. But thanks to the Big Lie technique, billions of people have been brainwashed (although that would require a brain to begin with) to believe the earth -- which is not alive -- will die if people -- whom the econuts want to kill off -- insist on living outside of caves, and to have a civilized life instead of munching on grass and carcasses. This lie has been used to hobble industry, scare children and make otherwise sane people behave like robotic morons. The worst is yet to come, when businesses get charged extortionary rates simply to exist, and they will pass on the price increases to the consumer (uh,...you and me). Current projections estimate a government take of $1.3 to $1.9 trillion. Now, I absolutely suck at math, but I think the 2008 GDP was about $1.4 trillion (no doubt, I'll hear how wrong I am on that figure). And because Cap and Trade is nothing more than a trading system for 'carbon credits', the only people who win are the big investors, like Al Gore and George Soros.

On the end note, some encouraging news. One man from Massachusetts with the ironic name Christ Otto, wrote to his email buddies with the suggestion that they contact everyone on their email lists and suggest that each person should mail an empty red envelope to the White House, with the following message written on the outside: "This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception." So far, "The Red Envelope Project" has delivered more than one million red envelopes to the White House mail room, and it appears at least some folks are noticing. This is a good reminder that it is the individual in America who wields power, but when those individuals work together, amazing things can happen. Stay tuned.