It could have been just the fanciful ranting of a semi senile old man… but, it wasn’t. He persisted in pursuing the evil empire until it became obvious that the central planning and control of the oppressive regime was no match for the creativity and industry of our free people. He knew that there was no substitute for victory. He knew that making nice with those who want to defeat you and wipe you from the history books only gives them time to regroup and plan for more dastardly attacks. He knew so much this current administration hasn’t even considered.

Knowing something is good. Acting on your knowledge is better. The best is seeing the culmination of this knowledge and action. Reagan called on Gorbachev to tear down the despised wall, he must have struck a nerve… and eventually the wall came tumbling down.

The reactions to this antipathy are more interesting. Both the first lady and her husband have made clear their disdain for patriotic, independent, Christian citizens like the ones who enjoy the sights and sounds of NASCAR. Mrs. Obama and Joe Biden’s wife had the audacity to show up at this event that decided the season championship. They surrounded a noble veteran who works to ease the transition of other returning veterans. Yet the race fans who paid $50, $100 or more to be there and watch their heroes battle each other on the one and a half mile Homestead Miami oval, did not take kindly to the intrusion of these two women that represent everything our country is not… at least did not used to be.

Given this oil and water mixture, the reaction could be predicted… and has been predicted. I, myself, called NASCAR, suggesting it was a mistake to have these beltway intruders take part in Sunday’s proceedings. The organization decided to honor the dishonorable and serve as a platform for the President’s re-election campaign. A campaign to destroy everything these fans hold dear.

It is interesting that when people reach a certain level in life they tend to regard themselves as members of an elitist club. That membership, for many, means that to keep their position, they support other members of the club. The fact that the management of both the sanctioning body and the track thought it was a good idea to have this socialist who was never proud of her country until the radicals in the Democrat Party gave her husband the presidential nomination is evidence that this ostentatious society does not view the world the same way the “common folk” see it – or even the way the drivers who risk their lives chasing a dream see it.

Also not surprising is the inability of the formerly mainstream media to understand the hostility of these little people who should be pleased that royalty should come down to be with them. They thought the reception their heroine was disrespectful and shameful. While it may not be anything to be rejoicing over, this behavior is what the regular people will do when they are, at last, given the opportunity to make their feelings known.

This is apparently not acceptable behavior when it comes to criticism of their chosen one. The peasants are to be quietly respectful and accept what the ruling class gives them. NASCAR fans do not regard themselves as dependent on any self appointed upper class group. They love their freedom and they jolly well intend to keep it. They could not be silent.

Even some with no use for the White House resident have been critical of the negative reaction of the crowd. They believe it is disrespectful of the position of first lady even if the one occupying it is unworthy of public adulation. It gives a bad impression of the race fans. It gives a bad impression of the American people. They believe civility is an important virtue, even overriding the outrage of our treatment by the current regime.

It might be good to remember that right and wrong are really more important than smiling and at each other and pretending everything is alright, and we can resolve our differences by talking things over and negotiating with those of good will who see things differently. The problem then, comes down to accepting the things done to us are coming from those who really are looking out for our best interests.

I have not been able to make that leap of faith.

“But how effective has that 10-year spending spree been?

“‘The number of people worldwide who are killed by Muslim-type terrorists, Al Qaeda wannabes, is maybe a few hundred outside of war zones. It’s basically the same number of people who die drowning in the bathtub each year,’ said John Mueller, an Ohio State University professor who has written extensively about the balance between threat and expenditures in fighting terrorism.”

The LA Times report goes on to say, “Like the military-industrial complex that became a permanent and powerful part of the American landscape during the Cold War, the vast network of Homeland Security spyware, concrete barricades and high-tech identity screening is here to stay. The Department of Homeland Security, a collection of agencies ranging from border control to airport security sewn quickly together after Sept. 11, is the third-largest Cabinet department and—with almost no lawmaker willing to render the U.S. less prepared for a terrorist attack–one of those least to fall victim to budget cuts.

“The expensive and time-consuming screening now routine for passengers at airport boarding gates has detected plenty of knives, loaded guns and other contraband, but it has never identified a terrorist who was about to board a plane. Only 14 Americans have died in about three dozen instances of Islamic extremist terrorist plots targeted at the U.S. outside war zones since 2001–most of them involving one or two home-grown plotters.”

The report also notes, “Large sums of Homeland Security money, critics complain, have been propelled by pork barrel politics into the backyards of the congressionally connected.”

See the LA Times report.

Add to the LA Times report a report by Madison Ruppert. In the report, Ruppert notes that it is clearly the Bill of Rights–especially the First Amendment’s freedom of speech and the Second Amendment’s right to keep and bear arms–that are suffering the most egregious attacks from the federal government’s “war on terror.”

Ruppert concludes his report saying, “In short, despite the fact that all the statistics and data in the world directly contradict the report’s findings and the claims made by clearly biased ‘experts’ on the threat of terrorism, especially of the homegrown variety, the HSPI and other bodies continue to fearmonger and lie to the American people to keep us scared while they empty our pockets and continue their imperialistic adventures in the Middle East and now North Africa.”

See Ruppert’s column.

Back to the Times report, not only do we Americans have about an equal chance of dying at the hands of a terrorist as we do dying in our own bathtubs, we have a much greater risk of dying at the hands of prescription drugs–something lawfully encouraged and tightly controlled by the US government. According to a recent report, more people now die each year from prescription drugs than from automobile accidents. That’s some 37,000 deaths via prescription drugs annually! (Come to think of it, how many people do you know who have died from marijuana?) And as hard as it will be for some people to accept, this number is gigantically greater than those who die from hard drugs such as heroin or crack cocaine. In fact, the prescription drug Vicodin, by itself, has killed more people than cocaine and heroin combined.

See the report on prescription drug deaths.

So, what has this trillion-dollar “war on terror” accomplished? If it’s not making us more secure, what is it doing? Well, for one thing, it has created a stupendous surveillance society. Virtually every piece of public communication is now captured and stored by the federal government. Surveillance cameras are now ubiquitous throughout the United States. We have a gargantuan federal police department (which is anathema to the US Constitution): the Department of Homeland Security. We have thousands of Orwellian laws, most of which were spawned by the Patriot Act. And more and more often, law enforcement agencies are demonizing US citizens for their religious and political beliefs and statements–even categorizing them as potential domestic terrorists based simply on those religious and political beliefs.

To refresh reader’s minds regarding how Americans have been labeled, profiled, and denigrated as “terrorists” because of their religious or political beliefs, please peruse the material on this web page.

Fortunately, it does appear that the combination of an emerging police state and a declining economy that has resulted from this “war on terror” is finally starting to catch the attention of the American people. According to a Brooking Institution report, “Six in ten Americans believe that that the United States weakened its economy by overspending in its responses to the 9/11 attacks. In particular, respondents felt this was especially true of the U.S. mission in Iraq. Two out of three Americans perceive that over the decade since 9/11, U.S. power and influence in the world has declined.”

A Rasmussen report further revealed, “As with the recent turmoil in Egypt, most Americans (67%) say the United States should leave the situation in the Arab countries alone.”

The LA Times is right to question what Americans are getting for their $75 billion a year contribution to the “war on terror.” Some could even argue–with convincing data–that the “war on terror” is in reality a “war on freedom.”

For more by Chuck Baldwin, go to http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/

by Congressman Randy Forbes

Military leaders have described U.S. forces as on the “ragged edge.”  What does this mean? Let’s take a look:

The United States has a shrinking force. In 1990, the U.S. had a 546-ship Navy; today we have 288. The U.S. had 76 Army brigades in 1990; today we have 45. Two decades ago, the Air Force had twice as many fighter squadrons and bombers as today.

The United States has a strained force. In the last four years, inspection failures for Navy ships have nearly tripled. Currently, 1 of 5 ships inspected is either unfit for combat or severely degraded, and a majority of the Navy’s deployed aircraft is unable to accomplish all assigned missions. Navy Adm. Jonathan Greenert indicated that “the stress on the force is real, and it has been relentless.” Marine Corps stockpiles of critical equipment such as radios, small arms and generators face severe shortages. Over a third of active Army units do not have sufficient personnel to perform their missions; an even higher percentage of units in the Reserve face similar challenges. Gen. Philip Breedlove provided his candid assessment: “Some portions of the Air Force are right at the ragged edge.”

The United States has an aging force. Navy ships and light attack vehicles, on average, were built 20 years ago; bombers average 34 years in age. Our tankers are nearly 50 years old.

[Congressman Forbes has introduced the Strong Defense: Strong America bill... and it is only four pages long!  Read it here.]

Some, primarily libertarians, are scandalized that there was an operation carried out purposely targeting an American citizen. They said that because of this citizenship, al Awlaki should have been afforded the due process of our criminal justice system.

If the Muslim cleric had been shot by someone stepping out of the shadows as he entered his New York City apartment, or if he were gunned down as he enjoyed a night at the theater in our nation’s capitol, then it would really be a problem with our government just exterminating someone they determine to be an enemy of the state. It’s not that this sort of thing, assisted “suicides” and the like, have never taken place – justified or not. This case, on the other hand, is just very visibly public.

Al-Awlaki’s life was not terminated while he was innocently minding his own business. The uproar from our libertarian friends needs to be moderated when they consider their own ideals. The ideals of individual choices and personal responsibility… and acceptance of the consequences.

Unfortunately, Mr. al-Awlaki made some bad choices that ultimately led to his demise. Although he was born in this country, it is apparent that he did not consider it his home. He chose, instead, to align himself with its’ enemies. He chose to side with those who hate us, not just in spirit, but in action as well. If he had stayed at home and wrote an occasional diatribe against the infidels surrounding him, we would have just written him off as another trouble making psychotic in our midst.

He did not stay home. He traveled half way around the world and worked with this organization dedicated to doing harm to you and to me. He lived with them. He worked with them. He led them. He put himself in a very dangerous position – and he paid the price.

From time to time, even local police are put in the position of taking the life of a citizen without due process. A few years back a crazed man near my home took a young woman hostage and, using duct tape, fastened the barrel of a shotgun to her neck as the police surrounded the house they occupied. To save the innocent life, a police sniper shattered his skull and blew away half his brain to keep him from pulling the trigger and killing the girl. This young man put himself in a position where the only option was to terminate his life.

Through negative choices, Anwar al-Awlaki did the very same thing. To those who see the US as responsible for creating the hatred of us in the Arab world, it is understandable that they would want to deal less harshly with our enemies. However, if I were to choose to step out in front of a speed eighteen wheeler, I would be responsible for my violent end, not the truck and not the driver.

These middle eastern wars have already cost us for too much in the way of precious lives and dollars we don’t have. For myself, I would not be willing to risk more American soldiers in an operation to give this traitor to the country we love a public platform to spew his hatred as part of the due process many would want him to have.

Just as it was necessary to cut off the signal from the brain to the trigger finger of the hostage taker before he could kill his victim, it is also necessary to cut off the head of the beast that seeks to destroy us, no matter where that head was born. Al-Awlaki understood we were his enemy when he became ours. As a result, he was introduced to the fallacy of the 72 virgin reward.

[Editors note: so many people want to get their face time as the public turns its attention to the tenth anniversary of the September 11th tragedy. Congressman Forbes is not one of them.  He is the real deal, one of he good guys in congress who voted against every single bailout and stood up for America at every opportunity.]

It is ten years later. Most of us remember where we were. We remember who we were with. We remember the phone calls we made, desperate to hear the sounds of our loved ones’ voices, to know they were OK. We remember the images of the twin towers crashing to the ground, the thick, gray ash that covered the New York City streets, the papers that littered the sidewalks, and the panic that followed. We remember the eery, weighty silence that swept the country in the days that followed. The images are burned into our minds.

Over the course of ten years since September 11, 2001, our nation has collectively gone through stages of grief: shock and denial that such a horrific act could have occurred. Anger at those who sought to take the lives of thousands of innocent people. Deep sadness over the senseless loss of lives and reflection as we try desperately to understand.

The final stage of grief is acceptance. While we have come to accept that this tragedy happened, we are resolved to never forget. As we enter a second decade of a post-9/11 nation, we face the reality that those Americans entering college this year were only eight years old when the attacks happened; old enough to know that something terrible had occurred, but probably too young to fully understand the gravity of the situation. Our nation’s high school freshmen very likely do not have any first-hand memories of that day.

It is natural to fear that, with each decade, our nation will forget a little more. Many worry that our younger generations will never grasp the sense of terror, the fear, and the vulnerability we felt that day as a nation – that they will never truly understand how it changed our nation forever.

But September 11th is not just a memory. It is a reminder.

It is a reminder of community. No matter the political, ideological, religious, or socioeconomic differences, America relies on the strength of her communities in great times of national need. Community is what helps us to prevail over tragedy.

It is a reminder of how vital our security, defense and law enforcement agencies are to our nation. They are in place to keep us safe. Without them we are vulnerable, and we cannot afford to hollow out our defense and national security structure. We must be vigilant to invest in resources and systems to protect our nation from those who would seek to destroy it.

It is a reminder that prayer has sustained our nation. Victims of the attacks prayed for help; family members prayed to be reunited with loved ones; first-responders prayed for strength and wisdom as they risked their lives; millions of Americans asked God for comfort, protection, and peace. Today, ten years later, Americans will join in pray again as individuals gather in churches, neighborhoods and with families to remember those who lost their lives that day.

It is a reminder that there are always those who are willing to give their all for others. There are men and women on the front lines and working behind the scenes to continue to defend America and to keep us safe. They are willing to go into a burning building or take down a hijacked plane in an act of selflessness. It is on their backs that we are able to stand.

We do not have to have first-hand memories to be reminded of something. But we do need to have someone tell us. As another decade passes, may the anniversary of September 11th be more than a memory. May it be a reminder. May those of us who experienced the day first-hand tell our stories to our youngest citizens. Make we make it a teachable moment for our nation. May we be reminded that our freedoms are precious and take pride in America as the home of the brave and the land of the free.

[Editors note:  Earlier this week we posted an article that referenced Federalist 2, written by John Jay.  I thought it would be well to include the full article as there is much to learn from Jay's valuation of unity.]

To the People of the State of New York:

WHEN the people of America reflect that they are now called upon to decide a question, which, in its consequences, must prove one of the most important that ever engaged their attention, the propriety of their taking a very comprehensive, as well as a very serious, view of it, will be evident.

Nothing is more certain than the indispensable necessity of government, and it is equally undeniable, that whenever and however it is instituted, the people must cede to it some of their natural rights in order to vest it with requisite powers. It is well worthy of consideration therefore, whether it would conduce more to the interest of the people of America that they should, to all general purposes, be one nation, under one federal government, or that they should divide themselves into separate confederacies, and give to the head of each the same kind of powers which they are advised to place in one national government.

It has until lately been a received and uncontradicted opinion that the prosperity of the people of America depended on their continuing firmly united, and the wishes, prayers, and efforts of our best and wisest citizens have been constantly directed to that object. But politicians now appear, who insist that this opinion is erroneous, and that instead of looking for safety and happiness in union, we ought to seek it in a division of the States into distinct confederacies or sovereignties. However extraordinary this new doctrine may appear, it nevertheless has its advocates; and certain characters who were much opposed to it formerly, are at present of the number. Whatever may be the arguments or inducements which have wrought this change in the sentiments and declarations of these gentlemen, it certainly would not be wise in the people at large to adopt these new political tenets without being fully convinced that they are founded in truth and sound policy.

It has often given me pleasure to observe that independent America was not composed of detached and distant territories, but that one connected, fertile, widespreading country was the portion of our western sons of liberty. Providence has in a particular manner blessed it with a variety of soils and productions, and watered it with innumerable streams, for the delight and accommodation of its inhabitants.

A succession of navigable waters forms a kind of chain round its borders, as if to bind it together; while the most noble rivers in the world, running at convenient distances, present them with highways for the easy communication of friendly aids, and the mutual transportation and exchange of their various commodities.

With equal pleasure I have as often taken notice that Providence has been pleased to give this one connected country to one united people — a people descended from the same ancestors, speaking the same language, professing the same religion, attached to the same principles of government, very similar in their manners and customs, and who, by their joint counsels, arms, and efforts, fighting side by side throughout a long and bloody war, have nobly established general liberty and independence.

This country and this people seem to have been made for each other, and it appears as if it was the design of Providence, that an inheritance so proper and convenient for a band of brethren, united to each other by the strongest ties, should never be split into a number of unsocial, jealous, and alien sovereignties.

Similar sentiments have hitherto prevailed among all orders and denominations of men among us. To all general purposes we have uniformly been one people each individual citizen everywhere enjoying the same national rights, privileges, and protection. As a nation we have made peace and war; as a nation we have vanquished our common enemies; as a nation we have formed alliances, and made treaties, and entered into various compacts and conventions with foreign states.

A strong sense of the value and blessings of union induced the people, at a very early period, to institute a federal government to preserve and perpetuate it. They formed it almost as soon as they had a political existence; nay, at a time when their habitations were in flames, when many of their citizens were bleeding, and when the progress of hostility and desolation left little room for those calm and mature inquiries and reflections which must ever precede the formation of a wise and well-balanced government for a free people. It is not to be wondered at, that a government instituted in times so inauspicious, should on experiment be found greatly deficient and inadequate to the purpose it was intended to answer.

This intelligent people perceived and regretted these defects. Still continuing no less attached to union than enamored of liberty, they observed the danger which immediately threatened the former and more remotely the latter; and being pursuaded that ample security for both could only be found in a national government more wisely framed, they as with one voice, convened the late convention at Philadelphia, to take that important subject under consideration.

This convention, composed of men who possessed the confidence of the people, and many of whom had become highly distinguished by their patriotism, virtue and wisdom, in times which tried the minds and hearts of men, undertook the arduous task. In the mild season of peace, with minds unoccupied by other subjects, they passed many months in cool, uninterrupted, and daily consultation; and finally, without having been awed by power, or influenced by any passions except love for their country, they presented and recommended to the people the plan produced by their joint and very unanimous councils.

Admit, for so is the fact, that this plan is only recommended, not imposed, yet let it be remembered that it is neither recommended to blind approbation, nor to blind reprobation; but to that sedate and candid consideration which the magnitude and importance of the subject demand, and which it certainly ought to receive. But this (as was remarked in the foregoing number of this paper) is more to be wished than expected, that it may be so considered and examined. Experience on a former occasion teaches us not to be too sanguine in such hopes. It is not yet forgotten that well-grounded apprehensions of imminent danger induced the people of America to form the memorable Congress of 1774. That body recommended certain measures to their constituents, and the event proved their wisdom; yet it is fresh in our memories how soon the press began to teem with pamphlets and weekly papers against those very measures. Not only many of the officers of government, who obeyed the dictates of personal interest, but others, from a mistaken estimate of consequences, or the undue influence of former attachments, or whose ambition aimed at objects which did not correspond with the public good, were indefatigable in their efforts to pursuade the people to reject the advice of that patriotic Congress. Many, indeed, were deceived and deluded, but the great majority of the people reasoned and decided judiciously; and happy they are in reflecting that they did so.

They considered that the Congress was composed of many wise and experienced men. That, being convened from different parts of the country, they brought with them and communicated to each other a variety of useful information. That, in the course of the time they passed together in inquiring into and discussing the true interests of their country, they must have acquired very accurate knowledge on that head. That they were individually interested in the public liberty and prosperity, and therefore that it was not less their inclination than their duty to recommend only such measures as, after the most mature deliberation, they really thought prudent and advisable.

These and similar considerations then induced the people to rely greatly on the judgment and integrity of the Congress; and they took their advice, notwithstanding the various arts and endeavors used to deter them from it. But if the people at large had reason to confide in the men of that Congress, few of whom had been fully tried or generally known, still greater reason have they now to respect the judgment and advice of the convention, for it is well known that some of the most distinguished members of that Congress, who have been since tried and justly approved for patriotism and abilities, and who have grown old in acquiring political information, were also members of this convention, and carried into it their accumulated knowledge and experience.

It is worthy of remark that not only the first, but every succeeding Congress, as well as the late convention, have invariably joined with the people in thinking that the prosperity of America depended on its Union. To preserve and perpetuate it was the great object of the people in forming that convention, and it is also the great object of the plan which the convention has advised them to adopt. With what propriety, therefore, or for what good purposes, are attempts at this particular period made by some men to depreciate the importance of the Union? Or why is it suggested that three or four confederacies would be better than one? I am persuaded in my own mind that the people have always thought right on this subject, and that their universal and uniform attachment to the cause of the Union rests on great and weighty reasons, which I shall endeavor to develop and explain in some ensuing papers. They who promote the idea of substituting a number of distinct confederacies in the room of the plan of the convention, seem clearly to foresee that the rejection of it would put the continuance of the Union in the utmost jeopardy. That certainly would be the case, and I sincerely wish that it may be as clearly foreseen by every good citizen, that whenever the dissolution of the Union arrives, America will have reason to exclaim, in the words of the poet: “FAREWELL! A LONG FAREWELL TO ALL MY GREATNESS.”

PUBLIUS

We often think of men like Washington, Jefferson, Adams… presidents all, but they were not alone in building the fledgling nation. There were others who drove the cause of freedom, helping pave the way to our independence. Patrick Henry was one of these who guided the our country into the light of independence. This future governor of Virginia is credited with helping his contemporaries see the need for independence and helping them to commit to fighting for it.

Through the years, his words have inspired many to a greater belief in both liberty and themselves. He demonstrated a single minded dedication to his country and its people. In view of the hazardous days ahead for our nation, it would be well to study these ideas coming from this man who loved his land and loved liberty.

It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ! For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.

It is when people forget God that tyrants forge their chains.

Perfect freedom is as necessary to the health and vigor of commerce as it is to the health and vigor of citizenship.

Are we at last brought to such humiliating and debasing degradation, that we cannot be trusted with arms for our defense?

The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able may have a gun.

The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government — lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.

Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined.

The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.

Fear is the passion of slaves.

O sir, we should have fine times, indeed, if, to punish tyrants, it were only sufficient to assemble the people! Your arms, wherewith you could defend yourselves, are gone; and you have no longer an aristocratical, no longer a democratical spirit. Did you ever read of any revolution in a nation, brought about by the punishment of those in power, inflicted by those who had no power at all?

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! – I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

If This Be Treason, Make The Most Of It!

Today we honor this man and his devotion. We see him as a hero of the first American revolution, yet are we ready to emulate him? Often our respect for law and order turns us into compliant servants of a government that is taking us down the road to financial and spiritual ruin. As we sing the praises of Patrick Henry, we need to remember that had the revolution failed, he would have experienced the short drop with a sudden stop at the end of a hangman’s rope… and we are afraid of minor infractions in our fight to remain free.

For those whose memories extend back as far as the 2008 presidential campaign, you may recall how adamant Barack Obama was about closing Guantanamo Bay and bringing the troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan. His followers hung on his every word, swooning occasionally for good measure. They thought the goal of world peace was at hand as their messiah would lead our enemies, which they didn’t really admit were our enemies, to beat there swords into plowshares. The reality is that he continued the war, even taking credit for the demise of Usama bin Laden. Our soldiers continued to die, and now, we are hearing reports of military involvement in Libya. The more pragmatic of his followers are amazingly silent while the true believers are hopping mad. And to put icing on the cake, Guantanamo Bay is still opened!

On the other side of the aisle, most Republicans talk a good fiscal conservatism game, yet, when push comes to shove, so many are entrenched in their own world of earmarks and pet government programs that economizing efforts are tepid at best. Many of their number have been infected with beltway fever to the point where they don’t even point out the madness exemplified by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recent pronouncements that it may become necessary to reduce military pay… while we are borrowing and sending billions to countries that don’t even like us and our tax dollars pay for gay film festivals in eastern European counties and support research that puts crabs on treadmills.

Who can forget that the original TARP program came through under the auspices of a Republican administration. After a initial rejection of the bailout scheme, party leadership cajoled and arm twisted members of congress until enough of them turned their backs on the angry citizens and the poison pill bill was passed. They had to take boatloads of taxpayer (or borrowed) dollars and place them in the hot little hands of financial institutions that had made irresponsible, even foolish, choices. Our betters tried to give us the understanding that the world would end if a single hedge fund manager had his Beamer repossessed.

The Republicans just defeated an attempt to raise the country’s debt limit. Is this a lasting victory? Not likely as many in the GOP camp have just as much a commitment to raising the limit as the Dems. They, to their credit – sort of, are insisting on significant budget cuts as not raising the limit would be “irresponsible”. What would really be irresponsible would be to continue to spend money we don’t have and pass the bill on to our children!

Of course, educating these children to be good taxpayers and loyal subjects of the state is something Republicans have fought for years. They even wanted to disband the Department of Education in Washington – but no more! No Child Left Behind slammed the door shut on the wisdom of keeping the national government out of the picture.

There are many other areas where the parties are more alike than different in their willingness to disregard the will of the electorate to pursue other directions. There is a well recognized consensus in this country that the borders need to controlled and illegal immigration be dealt with in a way that protects the US citizens. Yet neither party seems willing to take on the problem. We understand that the president’s party sees those sneaking across the border as merely unregistered Democrats. The Republicans, on the other hand, continue to foist the internationalist, open borders, free trade thinking that has led to the destruction of domestic manufacturing on their followers. It just wouldn’t be acceptable for those looking toward to a North American Union to maintain barriers between the potential member countries.

Some will argue that this analysis is grossly unfair since the Democrats took all the wasteful programs and pumped them up on steroids, exponentially increasing the dollars flowing down the drain beyond the ability of most people to comprehend. This is true. It is, however, only a difference in degree, not in kind. It’s like the difference between heading down the wrong road at 50 mph as opposed to 100 mph. You are still going in the wrong direction, but with the higher speed, there will be much more ground to backtrack and the results of the crash will be much more devastating.

For those that are still with me, you should not draw the conclusion that Republicans inside the beltway have the same reprobate character as Barney Frank, or the same lack of comprehension and understanding as Maxine Waters. They do, however, have a tendency to allow themselves to be herded into acting against their professed convictions. We are fast approaching the point where, like our cousins in Great Britain where the conservatives and liberals don’t really consider whether they should be backing various progress programs that extend the reach of Big Brother further into our daily lives. They just fight over which side can run the programs more efficiently and effectively.

We can see Republicans and Democrats alike conversing, cavorting, plotting and scheming at such globalist, internationalist groups like the Council on Foreign Relations, Trilateral Commission and (oh, horrors) the Bilderbergs. We can’t go off on all kinds of conspiracy theories, but the emphasis in all these groups is on the type of New World Order that George H W Bush was advocating. International cooperation is great, subversion of national sovereignty is not… no matter what promises of peace and safety are dangled before us.

There are many great Republicans trying to make a difference and they should not be rejected out of hand because of the party affiliation. By the same token, it is a mistake to think that just because they carry the GOP banner that they will carry the fight to our enemies – foreign and domestic. We just need to keep our eyes open and help them make the right choices… as we keep in mind, GOP does not stand for God’s Own Party!

Even Barack Obama has come to realize the impossibility of Israel accepting his decree to return to the 1967 borders. Had he considered the proposal before reading it from the teleprompter, it is doubtful the words would have crossed his lips. Unfortunately our public schools have produced several generations of geographically illiterate citizens who don’t know Jerusalem from Jersey City or Jamaica. Because of this, many Americans don’t comprehend why this proposal is such a problem.

Israel has universal service in the IDF, and I’m not sure I would be in favor of in our country, but I must say that most of our young soldiers I come in contact with are polite, intelligent and a credit to our country as well as their uniform. Simply adding an ROTC course or two to high school curricula would help people understand that, among other things, an adequate defense involves more than simply having expensive, high-tech weapons. The public would understand that there is geographic component.

In the case of Israel, it is the rift valley with the Jordan River running through it that provides a natural barrier to invasion from the east. They did not have this barrier in 1967 and they were attacked from this direction and others. Fortunately, six days later, the attackers were whining to the UN to make them stop defending themselves by destroying the invading forces. Those wanting to push the Jews into the sea thought the job would be easy if they did not have to cross the Jordan Valley. They were wrong.

If we can learn from history, we can see that going back to the old boundaries is only an invitation to further aggression. No responsible Israeli leader would agree to this form of national suicide. There is so much more to this plan that the formerly mainstream media ignores in an effort paint Israel as uninterested in Middle-East peace. This is just one of the many lies coming into our homes each evening via the evening news. On the other hand, there is so much truth in the Prime Ministers claim that if the Palestinians put down their weapons, there would be no more conflict, but if the Israelis put down their weapons, there would be no more Israel.

The video above shows some of the considerations in rejecting President’s plan… but it doesn’t explain why he would propose such a thing. Is he really that ignorant of the realities in the region? Is he really as intelligent as his followers would have us believe and is he working toward the anticipated outcome of an emasculated Israel? In some ways, it doesn’t really matter what the motivation of this post turtle president. The back of the book tells us we win, the enemies of God’s Chosen People gather to wipe them out… but it doesn’t work out quite that way.