The Monday, July 19, 2010, edition of The Washington Post featured an investigative report entitled “Top Secret America,” with the subtitle, “A hidden world, growing beyond control.” The report begins, “The top-secret world the government created in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has become so large, so unwieldy and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, how many programs exist within it or exactly how many agencies do the same work.
“These are some of the findings of a two-year investigation by The Washington Post that discovered what amounts to an alternative geography of the United States, a Top Secret America hidden from public view and lacking in thorough oversight. After nine years of unprecedented spending and growth, the result is that the system put in place to keep the United States safe is so massive that its effectiveness is impossible to determine.
“The investigation’s other findings include:
*Some 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies work on programs related to counterterrorism, homeland security and intelligence in about 10,000 locations across the United States. Read more of this article »
Let’s try something new shall we? I got this idea after spending a weekend with my wife’s family. The Andersons are great group of folks who I enjoy spending time with, however, they are about as politically divided a family as I have ever seen. This is not just your standard “this is my view, this is your view lets have a drink and discuss it” type of family. Politics are a sport and are argued as vehemently as two teams fighting like the score is tied with 30 seconds to go in the championship game. Based on my wife’s request, I try to stay out of the circle of engagement, but every now and then I am drawn into an argument. My party affiliation is no secret as I am a registered independent, but my viewpoints are anything but neutral. I am, as my brother-in-law has labeled me, “a right-wing-nut-job”. I am devoutly conservative with my ideals and hence am a target for the “left-wing-kooks”. More times than not, I am challenged to defend the actions of my party affiliations or my ideologies. This has grown tiresome, as my arguments are often dismissed by the those who do not like to hear what I have say or are interrupted prior to my conclusions, so I am going to make an offer of unusual stature.
I do not believe the Republican party has the answer to every problem, nor do I always agree with they way they handle situations, however, I almost always find myself in disagreement with the Democrats and their ideology. Above all, I am searching for what I believe is best for AMERICA. I do not care about political affiliations, but I believe in upholding the ideals of our Founding Fathers and the integrity of the Red, White, and Blue. I do not believe I can effectively call myself a supporter of Americanism if I do not listen to both sides of the argument, likewise, I do not give much weight to an someone’s opinion who does not let me finish a statement without interjecting, arguing, or being otherwise “closed-minded”. Read more of this article »
Now that the media circus surrounding the surprising honesty of General Stanley McCrystal is dying down, we can look at the reactions of both the players and spectators, and possibly learn something from them. Essentially they fall into two categories. There are those who see this as strictly an insubordination and chain of command issue. In the other camp are those who see only the right and wrong of the issue. Like many of life’s questions there is some virtue surrounding both positions, but they do tell us a lot about the person holding them.
As a soldier, Gen. McChrystal was expected to follow orders. As a career soldier, particularly one who achieved his rank, he knew not to publicly question his orders, or the civilian source. This is pretty much cut and dried that his actions warranted his dismissal. Some who publicly criticized him did so primarily on the principle that the man should know his place in the overall scheme of things Others could not accept the fact that this man who was almost universally highly regarded, both at home and abroad would have the temerity to question the alleged manhood of the White House resident. It is unfortunate that those of honor and good will would be lumped together with the blatant partisanship of this administration.
The concept of civilian control of the military is basic to our American system of government. The elected representatives of the people must be able to direct or restrain the vast power to kill and destroy that we have developed. The rub comes when this civilian control is exercised by those who despise the soldiers, sailors and airmen who keep us safe, or if they have no clue as to what will preserve or harm our great nation. Read more of this article »
There is a YouTube video making the rounds that inspires tea party patriots and gives ajada to many progressive statists. It is the product of congressional candidate Rick Barber looking for a way into the hearts and minds of Republican voters in Alabama’s 2nd district. The brief video shows him discussing today’s issues with some founding fathers. After enumerating the various assaults on our property and liberty, he is told, “Gather your armies”.
For some reason, those who have imbibed in the Obama kool aid see this as a call for armed rebellion. Considering the abundant and intrusive excesses of the current administration combined with the publicly expressed anger of so many Americans, it is understandable that the perpetrators would be nervous. However, Barber contends that he is really only looking to gather grass roots armies and arouse the sleeping giant that the tea party movement has begun to stir. Read more of this article »
Sometimes I look at the news and wonder if the people writing the stories or those talking to the press even think about what they are passing on the the formerly unsuspecting public. Of course the story may fit the propaganda needs of the issuing government or news organization, but they could at least work a little harder to give us plausible (mis)information that doesn’t strain the credibility of even recent public high school grads.
The current journalistic malfeasance is a story I picked up this afternoon about how the Israel’s recent actions were straining the relationship they had with the government of Turkey. A quick review of the facts shows this to be a ridiculous position from the very start. This “offended” Turkish government gave behind the scenes approval to send a ship load of goods, wide eyed ideologues and a few weapons into an area that the Israeli government had publicly stated for years was a source of terrorist activity against their citizens.
The fact that the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) stopped the ship and several of the activists died in the process of beating and stabbing the Jewish defenders is considered by the Turks as an affront to their formerly great nation. Their fussing over IDF action defending their homeland is akin to North Korea telling the world that maybe the South Korean vessel was struck by a torpedo, but but that any retaliation would be an act of war. What do these people think of the initial provocation? Read more of this article »
Sworn officers, military and the like take an oath to defend our country. By taking this oath they swear allegiance to the constitution and rule by law rather than men. We need to support those that take these oaths seriously rather than going along to get along.
This weekend news broke about a skirmish between Israeli commandos and a supposedly unarmed ship carrying humanitarian supplies to the Gaza strip. There are conflicting reports, but the one that gets the most play in the formerly mainstream media is that the ship was attacked for no reason and those killed were simply well meaning, innocents trying to deliver supplies to the poor downtrodden people of Gaza.
This fits the media template that Israel is just a bully pushing around anyone they jolly well please, completely disregarding the numerous times rockets have been smuggled into the area, later to fall into populated areas of the country. A look at a map, which is something most are unwilling to do, will show a country surrounded people who hate the Jews and their state more than they love their own children. Many consider it their holy duty to eradicate this country from the face of the earth.
Unfortunately there are those in our own country that feel the same way. Many in the current administration see the existence of Israel as the primary obstacle to peace in the middle east. Most Christians have a grasp of our spiritual kinship to the Jewish people and special place these people and their land have in God’s economy. Others have, to their detriment, rejected the reliability of the scriptures and have substituted the humanistic thinking propagated by academia, the media and our own government. Many of the mainline denominations… the ones losing members year after year, are the primary culprits here, but they are not alone. Some, who call themselves evangelical, want to spiritualize much of prophecy, in addition to adding the thinking that since Israel rejected His Messiah, God has forever rejected the Jewish people. Read more of this article »
Long weekends are great to have friends over, go to the beach or just lounge around the house getting some much needed rest. It’s the unofficial beginning of summer, and time for cookouts, the Indy 500 and Coca Cola 600… not to mention the Turkish Gran Prix, Stanley Cup Finals and all sorts of lesser sports. In spite of the destructive efforts of our unprofitable servants in DC, we still live in the greatest country in the world.
This country, that is the envy of the world, did not just pop up out of nowhere. It about through the efforts and sacrifices of brave Americans from the fields of Lexington and Concord to the deserts and mountains of Iraq and Afghanistan. American patriots have defended this country with courage and honor… qualities we would really like to see in the rest of our government. Many served, but not all came home to their friends and families. Because these people did not shrink from danger that we enjoy this day in freedom… and, to be honest, that much of Europe can enjoy relative freedom. Read more of this article »
People all over America are discussing freedom’s future. In short, they are worried. In fact, many are actually talking about State secession. In coffee shops and cafes, and around dining room tables, millions of people are speaking favorably of states breaking away from the union. Not since the turn of the twentieth century have this many people thought (and spoken) this favorably about the prospect of a State (or group of states) exiting the union. In my mind, this is a good thing.
Even many of those who oppose the prospect of secession understand the increasing tyrannical nature of the current central government in Washington, D.C., and that something must be done about it.
The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines tyranny as “1: oppressive power . . . 2: a government in which absolute power is vested in a single ruler . . . 3: a rigorous condition imposed by some outside agency or force . . . 4: a tyrannical act.” Read more of this article »
[I recently received this from Congressman Randy Forbes (VA-4) and had to share this.]
Every year, the House Armed Services Committee, on which I serve as Ranking Member of the Readiness Subcommittee, considers one large authorization bill that sets the course for the Department of Defense. It is a critical piece of legislation that sets our country in motion on a specific national security path and establishes our future national defense priorities. Next week, the House Armed Services Committee will consider this bill. Now more than ever, with American long-term priorities in flux and vital national interests at stake, it is imperative that the Committee get this bill right.
From the very beginning, the strength of our nation was found not in the complex, but rather in simple truths that served as the foundation of our freedom.
These simple truths can be found in the Declaration of Independence that says we have certain rights endowed by the Creator and that those rights cannot be taken away from us. These simple truths are found in the structure of our government whose very purpose is to defend and protect those inalienable rights. These simple truths are outlined in our Constitution that says one of the primary roles of Congress is “to raise and support Armies” and “to provide and maintain a Navy.” This command is unparalleled in its importance – it is the only type of federal spending mandated by the Constitution. Read more of this article »
Most of us Americans have a deep and abiding respect and admiration for our country’s fighting men who have served–and are serving–within the US Armed Forces. We appreciate their willingness to put themselves in harm’s way for the preservation of our nation’s liberty and independence. We honor their sacrifice. Indeed, many of us share that sacrifice with the deaths, dismemberments, and paralysis of our most cherished loved ones who were killed or injured in the line of duty.
It is time, however, that we awaken to the reality of what our military is becoming and where it is heading. Suffice it to say, this is not your father’s army.
On December 8, 1941, my father, Ed Baldwin–along with his two brothers, Bud and Gene–marched down to a recruiting office in Little Rock, Arkansas, to enlist. The Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor the day before, and no branch of service had to beg people to enlist that day. Bud joined the Navy. Gene joined the Marines. When government officials saw Dad’s resumé, they selected him to help construct the atomic bomb. All three brothers served their country with distinction throughout the war. Read more of this article »
On his recent trip to Central America, President Barack Obama did more than cozy up to Marxist dictators; he also signed onto an international treaty that could, in effect, be used as backdoor gun control. It appears that Obama wants to use international treaties to do what congressional legislation is not able to do: further restrict the right of the American people to keep and bear arms.
Obama is using the oft-disproved contention that “90% of the guns recovered in Mexico come from the United States” as the stated basis of his support for the international treaty he is promoting. The treaty is formally known as the Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials (CIFTA) treaty. The Bill Clinton administration signed the treaty back in 1997, but the U.S. Senate has never ratified the treaty. Obama intends to change that.
To date, 33 nations in the western hemisphere have signed the treaty. The U.S. is one of four nations that have yet to ratify it. According to one senior Obama administration official, passing the treaty is a “high priority” for the President.
If ratified, the treaty would require the United States to adopt “strict licensing requirements, mark firearms when they are made and imported to make them easier to trace, and establish a process for sharing information between national law enforcement agencies investigating [gun] smuggling.”
Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee promises to “work for its [the CIFTA treaty's] approval by the Senate.” Read more of this article »
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Be the First to Comment 
The Monday, July 19, 2010, edition of The Washington Post featured an investigative report entitled “Top Secret America,” with the subtitle, “A hidden world, growing beyond control.” The report begins, “The top-secret world the government created in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has become so large, so unwieldy and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, how many programs exist within it or exactly how many agencies do the same work.
by Kelsey Hilderbrand
Now that the media circus surrounding the surprising honesty of General Stanley McCrystal is dying down, we can look at the reactions of both the players and spectators, and possibly learn something from them. Essentially they fall into two categories. There are those who see this as strictly an insubordination and chain of command issue. In the other camp are those who see only the right and wrong of the issue. Like many of life’s questions there is some virtue surrounding both positions, but they do tell us a lot about the person holding them.
Sometimes I look at the news and wonder if the people writing the stories or those talking to the press even think about what they are passing on the the formerly unsuspecting public. Of course the story may fit the propaganda needs of the issuing government or news organization, but they could at least work a little harder to give us plausible (mis)information that doesn’t strain the credibility of even recent public high school grads.
This weekend news broke about a skirmish between Israeli commandos and a supposedly unarmed ship carrying humanitarian supplies to the Gaza strip. There are conflicting reports, but the one that gets the most play in the formerly mainstream media is that the ship was attacked for no reason and those killed were simply well meaning, innocents trying to deliver supplies to the poor downtrodden people of Gaza.
People all over America are discussing freedom’s future. In short, they are worried. In fact, many are actually talking about State secession. In coffee shops and cafes, and around dining room tables, millions of people are speaking favorably of states breaking away from the union. Not since the turn of the twentieth century have this many people thought (and spoken) this favorably about the prospect of a State (or group of states) exiting the union. In my mind, this is a good thing.
[I recently received this from Congressman Randy Forbes (VA-4) and had to share this.]
Most of us Americans have a deep and abiding respect and admiration for our country’s fighting men who have served–and are serving–within the US Armed Forces. We appreciate their willingness to put themselves in harm’s way for the preservation of our nation’s liberty and independence. We honor their sacrifice. Indeed, many of us share that sacrifice with the deaths, dismemberments, and paralysis of our most cherished loved ones who were killed or injured in the line of duty.
