Showing Our Soft Side

Have you ever faced real danger? What was your reaction? Did you click your heels together and say to yourself, "Because I don't want bad things to happen to me, it can't happen to me"?

Feel-goodism will not protect you from the evil intent of others. So, when the president of the United States decides to further cripple and reduce our nuclear deterrence at a time when Russia and China are increasing and improving theirs and rogue nations are entering the 'nuclear club', could that strategic retreat be looked upon as treasonous, considering he took an oath to defend this country? If not, what - if anything - does constitute treason in this day and age,where everyone is blameless except patriots and conservatives?

In Obama's semi-schizophrenic approach to national defense, he publically pledged that we would not to use nuclear retaliation against a country that, for example, attacks us with chemical or biological weapons (unless under certain conditions - as if that mattered), but in virtually the same breath notes that we would "reconsider nuclear retaliation "if" - according to the New York Times - "the development of such weapons reached a level that made the United States vulnerable to a devastating strike."  The possibility we might retaliate after the fact isn't really very reassuring.  Then why make such a preposterous (and potentially suicidal) proposal in the first place, especially when Russia will retain an "opt-out" option? Why allow an enemy to even contemplate that they might get away with an attack? Anyone else getting a sinking feeling of Jimmy Carter redux reflux?

While we're on the topic of national security and safety, how do you feel about Obama's decision to remove some of the inconvenience for people flying to the US from 14 terrorist-prone countries. The new rules will simply "will vet all U.S.-bound passengers against a broader array of intelligence sources." Did you get that? "Vet"; not search. Really?  That's somewhat like protecting our border with an incomplete 'electronic fence' (which has proven ineffective) instead of a sturdy, heavily-patrolled physical fence.

As our own policy-makers attack our intelligence agencies, try to cripple our intel-gathering apparatus, and alienate our closest allies (including those with the best intelligence networks, such as Britain and Israel), we're supposed to depend on someone telling us there's a terrorist on a particular flight? And you thought it took faith to be a Christian?

Adding intelligence is a good thing, of course. But if that's all you rely on, can you honestly say there's absolutely no chance that a person or a fringe group might actually escape the notice of intelligence agencies? Did I mention that the complaints about the previous system - which physically checked every passenger on the flights - were coming from Islamic groups? Or that the critical National Security Strategy document is being purged of any mention of Islamic extremism, jihad, or Islam? Does anyone outside the White House and Foggy Bottom think that refusing to name our most likely foes will convince them not to attack us?

While the president refuses to allow our government to "impugn" the name of Islam and hamstrings our military's rules of engagement in a combat theater, he has no reluctance to minimalize and marginalize our nation's founding faith, even to the extent of omitting the name of Jesus Christ entirely from it's historical context in his Easter address.

Any fair-minded examination of the evidence clearly indicates that Barack Obama is a socialist (at least), and that he is not operating in the best interests of this nation. The question Americans have to ask themselves is, Does it matter?

It is clear from these and many other policy changes that there are only two objective views of the Obama malAdministration's perspective on national defense: either they are completely clueless on how the real world and human nature operates, or they are consciously, deliberately and incrementally weakening the United States' ability to deter its enemies and defend itself.  Either one puts all of us in terrible danger.

Safe schools?  Britain has become the model for the new modern socialist police state: high prices on commodities limit what citizens can buy, limitations on hard-won freedoms have eroded to the point where people aren't even sure what they are allowed to do anymore, healthcare is so rationed and eroded that trusting the system may actually be increasing the mortality rate, and electronic surveillance is the most intrusive and omnipresent of any modern society thus far. Brits have given up nearly everything of real value for the illusion of safety and security. The Gestapo would envy the Brits today.

The safety illusion was shattered for at least one family in Wales, when it was discovered that their six-year-old daughter had been stripped and sexually abused by up to 23 schoolmates in a public school on a nearly daily basis for weeks.  Despite claims that the child cried for help, none came or was offered until the story hit the news.  But even after a two-year investigation, school authorities claim that because the perpetrators were mere children themselves - aged six through ten years old - the perpetrators were "victims themselves and wouldn't be suspended."

Sorry; but I don't swallow that "perpetrator as victim" nonsense.  While it probably isn't appropriate to put them in prison, those little monsters should be given some intensive reconditioning, beginning with their parent's palms administered to their butts. Otherwise, their abherrent,dehumanizing behavior will only seem to be acceptable in their eyes.  The Lord of the Flies may have been a fictional account but I think it accurately portrays how children quickly degrade into barbarism (just as quickly as adults) without adequate direction and supervision, and without a firm moral basis for behavior.

The Bible tells us to "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)  It is clear that these kids have received their 'training' from the popular culture instead of their parents.  Unfortunately, fewer young parents are even equipped themselves to teach their children any semblance of real morality.

Hoping for change?  Have you looked up the Cloward-Pivin strategy yet? It has been the bedrock plan for liberal socialist types to wreck this nation's economy since it was implemented in the 1960s. Now, 47% of the population doesn't pay taxes.  In case you're as bad at math as I am, that means about 50% of the people are paying for all the benefits the other half enjoys, as well as paying for all the defense, all the foreign aid, all the pork, all the politicians' perks, and all the national debts and interest on those debts. How do you feel about going to work now?

The New Renaissance Man

Hello; My name is Chuck, and I'm a Beckaholic.

Honestly, I don't like to put people on pedestals, because they so often turn out to have a crumbly base. But over the past few years, I've developed a deep and abiding respect for Glenn Beck. His honesty, integrity (learned the hard way), humility (he actually wants to be proven wrong in his dire - but often accurate - predictions), drive for excellence, determination, and sheer endurance continue to amaze and inspire me. Although I don't always agree with him, I do, far more often than not.  While we don't share the same faith denomination, I believe we share the same God and Savior.

I'll move on shortly, but I want to point you to the incredible work Beck has done, especially over the past year, to point out the dangers that threaten to destroy our nation; or at least, the nation we've known all our lives. He has tapped virtually every medium to get the word out; radio, TV, books (he currently has four on the New York Times bestseller list), a monthly magazine, the internet, and has even dipped his talented toes into the world of art (the critics and the art crowd naturally hhhaaaaattte Beck for daring to invade their turf with actual evidence and history). He balances his incredible wealth of knowledge with comedic relief, lest things get too depressing. This week, Beck has been wrapping up his (and his associates, of course) massive amount of research into how the Progressive movement is sabotaging the greatest nation in history. If you haven't been watching his Fox News TV show, you can catch the shows in segments at http://glennbeckclips.com/. 

If you still haven't heard of the Cloward-Pivin strategy, it's the simple yet complex and very effective way the Left has brought America to its knees. Let Glenn explain it and other essential matters in a way you can understand. When you discover a small but growing fire in your house, you have only three options: run away, yell "FIRE" and try to put it out before it gets out of control, or just stand by and watch as the flames engulf you and your family. Our national "house" is on fire. Decide.

Speaking of fire...  As some of you know, I'm in the fire suppression business (and no, I don't own it). My work involves keeping lives and property safe from fire. In the interest of public awareness, I want to point you to a free website that teaches fire extinguisher basics.  BTW: If you don't have an extinguisher in your home...what the hell is wrong with you?!  As I tell my classes regarding the simple instructions printed on every extinguisher, "Read it, before you need it." If you need more info or personal instruction, contact me at blannfiresvr@nycap.rr.com.    
 
The "Better Life" Myth.  I've been giving a lot of thought lately about a phrase that has been bandied about, probably as long as civilization has existed: "I want my children to have a better life than I did."
 
Have you ever really thought about that idea? It's natural for parents to want to make it easier for their children, but I believe that this concept has backfired, quietly contributing to the deteriorating conditions we face today.  Generations of hard-working parents sacrificed and strove to make their children's lives easier.  But the parents' selfless character was inadvertently depriving their children of the challenges that produced that character; essentially breaking that circle of learning, living and teaching the values and virtues which has historically connected generations throughout history. Early on, children were often raised in close proximity to their parents as Ma and Pa labored in the kitchen, on the farm, or in the family business. As families prospered from their labors, each generation of children was raised in relatively and increasingly easier conditions, and as parents increasingly found themselves working farther from home and children, those children found less incentive to work hard themselves, or to be as charitable as their parents often were. It took a long time to wean us from our Christian ethic, but we now have entered what is best described as the "me-first" generation. 
 
Yes, there are still plenty of good, hard-working kids, but take a look around. Ever since the early 1960s, when morality was expelled from the public schools - and as the "greatest generation" transitioned from war to work, and the nation's prosperity increased - there has been a steady rise in juvenile delinquency, illiteracy, teenage pregnancies, sexually-transmitted diseases, juvenile crime and gang-related violence, and drug and alcohol abuse. more recently, the trend has been for kids to turn away from the real world, choosing instead to exist within a 'virtual' world of television and video games, where their 'reality' is either easier to control with a joystick, or can be altered merely by changing the channel.  The 'children' arre now taught to have high self-esteem and a grand sense of entitlement, with a low sense of responsibility. That is a recipe for disaster. The  Vandals are once again 'sacking Rome'.

In the know?  Want a feel for how tuned you are to the world around you? find out how you compare to the wasted generation mentioned above. Try this quick 12-question quiz from the Pew Research Center.