Why I quit...

By Findalis

Desert Storm vet explains decision to leave Air Force after 22 years.

By MIKE BANZET

I never expected to write this letter, but my Mom e-mailed me to get information about my career for a writeup on Veterans Day, and as this is the first such holiday in 22 years when I will not be on active duty, I felt compelled to let you know why I decided to quit.

Quit is a strong word, I know. Everyone I’ve talked to has repeated that I’ve had a marvelous career and that I’ve retired with honor. Maybe that’s true on paper; I guess that it’s reflected by the record. But that’s not how I feel. I feel like I’ve quit. And because I’m not a quitter, I feel I have to explain why — not that anyone is asking, but because perhaps they don’t know to ask.

Briefly, my career had been a representation of the promise of this country. Starting out on the lowest rung of the rank ladder as an F-4G Wild Weasel crew chief, continuing on F-16s and the F-117A Stealth fighter in Desert Storm, then a small part of Desert Fox as a nuclear Maintenance Officer and finally a pilot that took part in numerous deployments in Southern Watch, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. I finished up an awesome year on the ground in Iraq, and was selected to receive a coveted “Definitely Promote,” assuring me of promotion to lieutenant colonel. They don’t pass out many of those. My dreams were right in front of me. All I had to do was grab them. And then I retired. Why?

Atlas Shrugged.

I had chosen, freely, to place my life between those that would do harm to the U.S. and those whom I would protect: her citizens. I had always believed in the best of America and the people of her lands; that despite occasional missteps there was a general “rightness” to our way. I lived that belief for 22 years, leading and following warriors into combat. I’m certainly no war hero; my brothers in arms have seen far more combat, more intense and personal than I. But I have become acquainted with death in a way that I hope you never do. My last tour, on the ground in Iraq was where my heart started to be hardened towards you, the electorate, and culminated in this letter, written two days before our elections. And here’s why.

You’ve elected officials who, for partisan points, spoke openly that the “…war is lost.” I happened to be in a dining facility in Baghdad that day, filled with the (mostly) young faces of (mostly) Army men and women. CNN was on the TVs, and things got very quiet when this elected official continued on, railing that the mission that some of these very people were here to do, had “…failed.” Yet, they would be donning their body armor, strapping on med kits and weapons, mounting HMMVs or MRAPs and heading outside the wire, ensuring that the newborn democracy in Iraq, purchased with so many lives, would be safe another night. The newly re-invigorated insurgents would be waiting, teeth bared back in a hateful smile, gripping the IED detonator, the RPG launcher, or the AK-47s to ply their trade with new energy, because the Senate Majority Leader had said they were winning.

You elected officials who continually defame and berate military members, whether it is the observation that if you’re not too bright, you’ll get “…stuck in Iraq” (this from a guy who has two Purple Hearts for self-inflicted wounds, and known for throwing someone else’s medals away in protest), or the calling of combat Marines cold-blooded killers (in a war; before trial). You’ve elected officials in the role of commander-in-chief who “loathe” the military, while using ROTC deferments and special treatment to avoid military service that the less “connected” take as a responsibility. On the basis of “change,” you elected someone who had close, ongoing associations with people who were part of an organization that tried to kill us [U.S. military] on our own soil.

You elected officials that promised to take property from some Americans, and give it to you, merely because they had more than you did. Those Americans that these officials have labeled as the “rich” are your neighbors, who provide jobs and pay far more in taxes than you ever will. That means they are already subsidizing your lifestyle choices; you just want more of their property without the responsibility of risking your wealth and labor to get it. You would rather hire someone to take it from them. And you have.

Yet these same officials from this same party are the wealthiest group of people in both the House and Senate. They have offshore accounts, forbid unions in their businesses and use every tax loophole they can find with their armies of accountants. But you keep sending them back to those jobs, because they promise to steal from some Americans and give to you.

You elect officials who openly embrace illegal activity; but they don’t have to live with the consequences. Other Americans pay the price. You support “sanctuary cities” and open defiance of federal law, including supporting administrations who sue our sister states as they desperately try to control a crime epidemic by supporting federal law. You support an administration that leads a party that gives a standing ovation to the leader of a country that exploits our kindness and actively encourages law-breaking in our country while insulting our fellow citizens who dare to try to enforce the law. Check out your elected officials; did they stand and applaud the racist diatribe of the president of Mexico? Did they join the attorney general and the head of Homeland Security in applauding this gaping hole in (homeland) security and law? Do you have locks on your doors? Why?

You elect officials who are openly racist, decrying that “White folks’ greed drives a world in need…” and that their own grandmother was a “…typical white person.” Someone who sits in admiration as their pastor (small p; no capital letters for racists), in a church he attended for 20 years, slanders the United States as the “…U.S. of KKK America” and delights that the 9/11 “…chickens have come home to roost.” Someone who refused to denounce a paramilitary, racist organization that placed its members in front of polling places armed with billy clubs, and yelling racist, threatening epithets. On video. And the Attorney General did nothing.

Oh, wait. The Justice Department is now apparently, under sworn testimony, the Department of Racial Payback. And you continue to support the party that supports this blatantly racist behavior because they say that they will stick it to “the man” on your behalf. A Nation of Cowards? I don’t think so; the courage of this breathtaking racism is without equal in modern times. One would think that you would use your votes to eradicate these racist policies from the U.S. But that assumes eradicating racism is your aim. It’s not, or you would be as incensed at this blatant racism as you would if sheet-covered whites were there. But longtime Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd’s old gang has been rightfully disgraced and shamed into a virtual non-existence. Thank goodness that 52 percent of you discourage that kind of behavior.

But you don’t. You support the tactic of using the epithet of “racist” as the cudgel of choice for racists who don’t like policies that conservatives advocate. Don’t like illegal activity? Racist. Your party insists that to provide a photo ID — proving you are who you say you are — is not only too much of a burden to ask a voter to bear, but it’s racist as well. This not only terribly insulting to all races, but when the burden of proof to rent the DVD “Second Hand Lions” (amazing movie!) is higher than that required to vote for someone who has control of nuclear weapons or deploying men and women into harm’s way, there is something wrong.

It doesn’t end there. Don’t like a particular female’s policies? Sexist. Yet, you support politicians who prey on 20-year old interns, seduce underage male interns, and, as a double bonus, support a person for the Supreme Court who says she is “wiser” than white people because of her race and sex. And any opponent of hers must be sexist and racist. Yet the prevailing double standard makes “bitch” an acceptable term for a conservative grandmother with the temerity to want to stop illegal activity. And “whore” is acceptable terminology for any conservative woman.

Sarah Palin seems to be a nice person, the kind you would love to have as a neighbor, regardless of her policies; but you insist that she is stupid and vile. She is ignorant and inexperienced, clearly not ready for anything, as holding a variety of elected and appointed positions culminating in the governorship of Alaska clearly doesn’t hold up against… an organizer of race-based communities. Sexist, if a conservative said those words about a liberal, but because she is not pro-killing-little-kids, 52 percent of you decided she was worth vicious ad hominem attacks that continue to this day. Not just saying that you disagree, but saying she is evil. You support it all. All because the folks that practice this abhorrent behavior promise to give you free health care stolen from other Americans who haven’t paid their ill-defined “fair share.”

My oath was this: “I, Mike, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

I took that oath seriously. But you have responsibilities, too. You should take them seriously.

Mike Banzet, a retired major in the U.S. Air Force, is a 1986 graduate of Flathead High School in Kalispell, Montana.

When I first read this letter I knew I had to post it in its entirety, without any embellishes or comments from me.  Major Banzet's words speak louder, clearer, with an eloquence that stands alone without overt embellishments.

It is a shame that men and women who serve our nation find themselves disillusioned and repelled at the level of revulsion directed at them by many of the esteemed Members of Congress.  Many of which never served a day of their lives in uniform, let alone in a combat zone.  These respected public servants are not fit to lick the shoes of Major Banzet, let alone speak against them.

Let the words of Major Banzet be a wake-up call to us all.  For if the Major Banzet's leave our military disillusioned and disheartened, we will be faced with the reality of a second class military incapable of defeating our weakest foe and unable to defend this nation from those who would destroy it from within.  A military the former Soviet Union wanted us to have and their fellow travelers are trying to turn into the new reality.


In Tribute To The Men And Women Of the US Air Force


Wild Blue Yonder

Dianne Feinstein Hand Notes 1990 - Another Cheating Moment for Feinstein

Liberals reported Sarah Palin's "hand notes" as further proof of Palin's lack of intelligence - can't make a speech without notes - nevermind that the President cannot utter a word without his TOTUS (Teleprompter of the U.S). What would Liberals do without Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin, neither of whom lack for anything, as they well know.

Palin wrote three topics on the palm of her hand when addressing the National Tea Party in Nashville. Palin has a lot to say. She never lacks for words. It is easy to get wound-up, go long on one topic and end up short on another. So, she wrote a reminder on her palm.

And so did, now Senator, Dianne Feinstein, but Feinstein was in a debate; notes, including palm notes were forbidden - but she did it anyway. Watch the video of Feinstein, and notice that former Bush Press Secretary, Dana Perino, said had she done the "palm note" tease from the White House Press Secretary's podium, as did Robert Gibbs, she would have probably been fired.

Dianne Feinstein Uses Palm Notes h/t Hot Air

Linked by The Lonely Conservative - Thank you Karen!

Barocky Road Cone: Ice Cream honors Barack Obama

Another laugh for the day (see another here):

Barocky Road

In honor of the 44th President of the United States, a well known Ice Cream shop has introduced a new flavor:   "Barocky Road".

Barocky Road  is a blend of half vanilla, half chocolate, and surrounded by nuts and flakes.

The vanilla portion of the mix is not openly advertised and usually denied as an ingredient.

The nuts and flakes are all very bitter and hard to swallow.

The cost is $100.00 per scoop.

When purchased it will be presented to you in a large beautiful cone, but then the ice cream is taken away and given to the person in line behind you who didn't have the money to buy ice cream.

You are left with an empty wallet and no change, holding an empty cone with no hope of getting any ice cream.  Are you stimulated?

Nidia Lopez is Jersey City Resident: Nidia Boehringer Lopez is Orlando Resident: Politics the New Jersey Way

Do politics ever get more interesting than in New Jersey? Nidia Lopez is a Councilwoman representing Ward C in Jersey City, NJ. She was elected to the office on May 12, 2009. She has not filed a tax return in New Jersey for three years, yet her lawyer argues she is certainly a citizen of Jersey City. But is she actually a resident of Orlando, Florida?

Nidia Lopez

Lopez purchased a 4-bedroom home in Orlando's MetroWest in 1997, and filed for homestead exemption there - under the name Nidia Boehringer. Boehringer married Ben Lopez, "Hudson County's [NJ] director of Family Services" in 2001.

According to this report, Lopez filed for exemption in Florida for 2009, but a tipster turned her in and an investigation began. She filed her federal taxes as a resident of Florida in 2006 and 2007, but asked for an extension for 2008.

Nidia Lopez and/or Nidia Boehringer is registered to vote in both Jersey City and Orlando, but she didn't have a New Jersey driver's license until June 2009. Jersey City News said Lopez voted in Jersey City and Orlando in 2003. A spokesman for the Florida Division of Elections says this is a third-degree felony offense, "punishable by up to a $5,000 fine and/or up to five years in prison.

But Lopez's attorney, Bill Northgrave, said he only has to prove that Lopez had been a full-time resident of Jersey City for the year before her election, which he said will be no problem.

"The fact that she didn't pay taxes in (New Jersey in) 2006 and 2007 is completely irrelevant to the case. The only thing that's relevant is whether she was a resident of Jersey City, N.J., for one year prior to May 12, 2009," he said.

 A lawsuit is underway to challenge her election. It was announced today that testimony in the case is now closed. The attorney for the plaintiff, Diana Jeffrey, said Lopez' testimony claimed the following:

Basically she said she didn’t know she had to –[didn't know] that she had to file taxes from her New Jersey address even though she worked exclusively in New Jersey, and as to the mortgage documents said they say her Florida home was her primary residence,she said she didn’t read them, just signed them,” said Jeffery.  

Jeffrey said that Lopez admitted that she renewed her driver’s license in Florida in 2006, and said that she was unaware that she was supposed to get a New Jersey driver’s license if it was her permanent address.

The state of Florida has sent Lopez a bill for $30,473.59 in back taxes. What about taxes owed in New Jersey?

Remember the multiple federal arrests of officials in Jersey City in July 2009? There was Leona Beldini, who served as Deputy Mayor of Jersey City under Mayor Jerramiah Healy. And Jersey City Council President Mariano Vega, Joseph Castagna, Guy Catrillo, John Guarini, Maher A. Khalil and Michael Manzo. The arrest of Jack Shaw, a political consultant in Jersey City, ended in his suicide just days after the crime sweep. The charges against these city leaders were "conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right."

When the New York Post reported the story, they somehow forgot to point out the party affiliation for this motely crew, except for two Republicans, John Guarini and Guy Catrillo - but Catrillo ran for the Democrat mayor seat, a defecting Republican, but the NY Post didn't get the memo.

Mayor Healy has admitted to being "Jersey City Public Official 4" in the federal complaint against those shown above. Some of those indicted are accused of "acting as middlemen" for Healy in the federal probe, but the mayor remains free of charge.  He is standing by the first Hispanic-female member of his city's council.

From the transcript of Jersey City Councilwoman Nidia Lopez's deposition with attorney Howard Myerowitz, who is representing her former opponent, Norrice Raymaker, in a lawsuit that charges that Lopez is technically a Florida resident:

Myerowitz: Have you ever been involved in any lawsuits as a plaintiff?

Lopez: Does this mean I am being sued or I am suing?

Myerowitz: That means you are suing somebody else.

Lopez: Yes. I once fell on a French fry in Orlando, Florida in the House of Pancakes.

Myerowitz: When was that?

Lopez: 1990-something, maybe 1995, I don't know, in the nineties.  Another lawsuit was in New Jersey with Evelyn Padin with a pair of shoes that I fell. 

My goodness. She fell in the House of Pancakes and she fell from a pair of shoes - and sued.Those trying to send Lopez packing from the Council say the pancake breakfast they held as a fundraiser to pay for the suit against Lopez, had nothing to do with the incident at an Orlando International House of Pancakes.

Who voted for this woman? The first Hispanic female member of the council, receiving more votes than all the combined votes cast for 5 other candidates? What was ACORN doing around May 12th in Jersey City?

Many New Jersey taxpayers are outraged. They point out that her party affiliation is never mentioned. Blogger Chris Wysocki suggests that Lopez is probably in line for an Obama cabinet position:

It's Hudson County New Jersey where the dead vote, and apparently the living vote twice. And most importantly, where paying taxes is somebody else's job.

Well, we know she is a Democrat. If she wasn't, Mayor Healy would be all over it. If Lopez was a Republican, she'd already be behind bars.

Alec Baldwin Eyes Congress: Watch Out Lieberman, Al Franken Congressional Inspiration

Alex Baldwin says a law firm has asked him to consider running for the governor of Ohio, but Baldwin is eyeing the halls of congress. Ah, what an inspiration Al Franken must be for the many, always-political, Hollywooders. See Update 12-18-09 - below.

Alec Baldwin - Senator Alec Baldwin?

In an interview with Playboy magazine, Baldwin says there's plenty of fodder to use against him, should he decide to enter politics, but:

I'll put it this way," he told the magazine. "The desire is there; that's one component. The other component is opportunity.

I'd love to run against Joe Lieberman," Baldwin said of the Independent Democratic senator who is no favorite of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. But Baldwin dismissed the idea, saying "It's all fantasy."

Baldwin is a native New Yorker and he sees many opportunities to make his fantasies come true:

How much longer will Chuck Schumer stay as senator? After 2013 Bloomberg will be gone. What happens then? Do I run for Congress on Long Island? What's Tim Bishop going to do? He represents my district. People get sick, die. They're offered lucrative deals and want to cash in and make money for their retirement. People misstep," he said. "Unfortunately, an opportunity for me may mean bad things for someone else. I don't wish that."

Baldwin is perhaps most famous for a voicemail he left for his daugther. Divorced from Kim Bassinger, Baldwin was infuriated with his daughter Ireland because he could not get in contact with her. Yes, "infuriated" is the right word. Now, the two seem to have reconciled.

Alec Baldwin and daughter, Ireland - January 2009 (photo)

Alec Baldwin is the star of NBC's 30 Rock. He's a hilarious and very talented guy with a razor-sharp wit and a spirit of mean politics, and a mean temper.

12-18-09 Update:

At the premiere of It's Complicated, Baldwin teased reporters by admitting that he will stay with 30 Rock for two more years and then he may be interested in politics. Baldwin says he needs to get his graduate degree, so looks like school is in his future.

 Alec Baldwin (Video)  Alec Baldwin Phone Call to his daughter (Video)

Just another Week in Utopia

by Lonely Conservative

It’s been another long, strange week here in Obamanation.

Republicans finally found a way to make themselves useful for a change. They remained united and found a few moderate Democratic senators to join them to block President Obama’s knuckleheaded proposal to let bankruptcy judges cramdown borrowers’ mortgages. This is a small victory in the age of personal irresponsibility and taxpayer bailouts. Enjoy the moment as these moments are few and far between these days.

Former Republican Senator Specter Defector jumped across the aisle to hold hands and sing Kumbaya with the democrats. It’s not all bad, he’s now their problem. And he may have thrown a monkey wrench into Barack Obama’s judicial nominees making it out of the Judiciary Committee. That should be kind of fun to watch.

Speaking of the judiciary, Supreme Court Justice David Souter has decided to retire. Thankfully Souter’s a liberal so his retirement won’t change the liberal/conservative split on the Court. But it’s not all good; Michelle Malkin has an introduction to the top three potential candidates. You’re going to wish they were simply your run-of-the-mill liberals. As Michelle cautions: Gird your loins.

A video surfaced of Democratic Representative Jan Schakowski at which time she revealed the true intentions of the democrats when it comes to health care. They really do want to destroy the private health insurance industry. Gee, who knew? Where’s the media on this one? Perhaps they’re admiring Michelle Obama’s new tennis shoes.

President Obama held another news conference, this time to celebrate his 100th day of campaigning governing. It was more of the same: lies, lies and some more lies. The ratings were way down since his two prior prime-time pressers. Perhaps viewers got confused - when they saw Lie to Me listed in the TV Guide they thought they were tuning in to Obama.

Living in Obamanation is pretty good if you’re a member of the United Auto Workers union. Obama will stop at nothing to protect their interests, while pretty much selling out anyone else in the process that stands in his way. Even teachers and retirees - you know - those greedy speculators. As far as Obama’s concerned, the rule of law should only be followed when it benefits those he deems worthy.

The swine flu is still in the news. The Obama administration did their best to keep people from panicking. They went so far as to send Vice President Biden to the Today Show to proclaim that Americans should stop doing, well, everything! But Joe Biden was outdone when it comes to terrorizing the citizenry. The White House took care of that earlier in the week when they flew Air Force One really close to New York City landmarks so they could take a picture. Let’s hope it came out, New Yorkers may sour on the new administration if they keep that up.

Congress has been very busy. There are so many socialist policies to ram through and so little time. Which is why it makes perfect sense that they decided to take up precious time to investigate college football. There are probably quite a few Americans who would be content if all Congress did was investigate college and professional sports; perhaps our republic would survive the next four years. But then again, American sports as we know them would be destroyed. That’s a tough call.

President Obama sure is showing himself to be quite the odd fellow. He announced that one of the top qualifications he’s looking for in a Supreme Court Justice is empathy. But rather than empathize with hundreds of thousands of working Americans concerned about unprecendented government spending, he openly mocked them. In Obamanation some groups are more deserving of empathy than others. Get used to it.

While it is a bit unsettling to witness our government in action, one must be able to appreciate the delicious irony in all of it. Hey, if you can’t beat ‘em, laugh at ‘em!

2008-What a long, strange year it's been

Cross Posted at The Lonely Conservative

Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, liberals and moderates can all agree that 2008 was an interesting year, to say the least. Who would have thought the New York Football Giants would have bested the New England Patriots in the Superbowl? If you thought that would be the strangest thing to happen this year you don’t follow politics too closely.

2008 kicked off in the midst of the Presidential primary season. Democrats bickered over who cared more about the impoverished and who wanted our troops out of Iraq sooner. Republicans went back and forth, each claiming to be the most conservative, while Republican voters kept wondering how they could channel Ronald Reagan. It was all but assumed that Hillary Clinton would be the nominee of the Democratic Party while the Republican field was wide open. Mike Huckabee did well with Christians and John McCain did well with Democrats and the New York Times.

Some Romney supporters were screaming “It’s the economy stupid!” and “Never nominate the candidate endorsed by the New York Times!” but much to their chagrin, Charlie Crist spoke, John McCain became the Republican nominee and Rudy Giulianni’s Florida vacation came to an abrupt end. In the mean time New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was brought down by a hooker. Hillary Clinton was fighting for her life against Barack Obama and the Main Stream Media throughout the spring. She vowed to take things all the way to the convention, and who could blame her? She was going up against a rival who began his presidential campaign almost immediately after being elected to his first term as a US Senator. But just as John McCain was the media’s darling before going up against the New Messiah, Hillary and her supporters finally understood what conservatives have complained about for years. There is media bias! Poor Hillary couldn’t catch a break, and Bubba didn’t help.

The media helped propel Barack Obama to the top of the Democratic ticket. Gas prices soared over the summer while the Democrats and John McCain railed against the obscene profits of oil companies. Showing how little he knows about the economy, Barack Obama swore he would fund his goodies with a windfall profits tax on the evil oil companies. Republicans spent the summer wishing for a primary do-over. The junior senator from Illinois travelled abroad over the summer where he announced we are all citizens of the world and under his leadership America will soon become a beautiful collectivist utopia. Thousands of German concert goers cheered The One while listening to a free rock concert and swilling beer. J

John McCain kept a low profile until the end of August when he announced Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. The world was stunned while conservative rejoiced! Maybe John McCain did have a conservative bone in his body! They finally had something other than his heroic war record to cheer about. Conservatives found a reason to go to the polls in November and wouldn’t even have to be drunk to do so! John McCain actually pulled ahead of Barack Obama in the polls. McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin was so brilliant that the left was enraged and the media went into a frenzy. Reporters and investigators were air-dropped into Palin’s home town of Wasilla, Alaska to dissect every aspect of the woman’s life. They spent more time digging into Sarah Palin’s past in a week than they did to Barack Obama in two years.

Feminists loathed her for not aborting her baby when she learned the child would have Down’s Syndrome. Yes, Sarah Palin was a conservative dream. A really middle class American who put her money where her mouth is and didn’t just talk the talk. Unfortunately for Palin, she had to go on television and defend John McCain’s record in her early interviews. That would be a hard, if not impossible task for any good conservative. The networks’ editing of her answers didn’t help either. But Sarah Palin didn’t let it stop her. She wasn’t there to please Washington’s elite media. Barack Obama’s choice of Joe Biden as a running mate really wasn’t a joke and the two went on the stump together.

Gaffe after gaffe were ignored by the adoring media, while every aspect of Sarah Palin’s life was put under a microscope. Barack Obama’s “God D*mn America” pastor was ignored but it was reported that Sarah Palin speaks in tongues. Going to 57 US states was suddenly not impossible, yet a corruption-fighting, self-made governor with an 80% approval rating inexplicably became a liability. The media’s love for their Chosen One grew deeper with each passing day. One famous commentator admitted on live television to a thrilling physical reaction when the debonnaire democrat spoke. This love affair was a sight to behold. William Shakespeare himself couldn’t have conjured up such complete devotion.

After the government rescue of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the resulting failure of Lehman Brothers, John McCain failed to defend his and President Bush’s proven record of urging more oversight of Fannie and Freddie. Instead he blamed the whole mess on greed. Then Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson appeared on TV to announce that if we the people didn’t immediately hand over nearly a trillion dollars to him that the economy would immediately collapse. The strategy of manufactured crisis was coming to fruition right before our eyes and Republicans played right into their hands.

President Bush suddenly befriended Democrats even though they persisted in calling him names. John McCain announced he was suspending his campaign until an economic rescue bill agreement could be reached in Washington. He called on Barack Obama to join him. Barack Obama and his staff had high fives all around in celebration of their upcoming victory. Mr. McCain went to Washington and did…..absolutely nothing! He didn’t insist on an immediate reduction in capital gains taxes to keep capital flowing into the US economy. He didn’t insist on suspending mark to market accounting rules which would have eased the balance sheets of our financial institutions. Heavens no! Had he done that he may have appeared to be conservative.

The maverick whose campaign theme was “I am not George W. Bush” went along with George W. Bush and sidekick Hank Paulson like a devoted puppy. 70% of the public was against the rescue plan, so naturally it passed with bipartisan support, save for a few lonely conservative republicans and moderate democrats. The economy immediately went into a tailspin and Americans watched their life savings disappear into thin air. John McCain continued to blast greed while Barack Obama’s poll numbers went up. Barack Obama kept at it, blaming the economic crisis on the failed economic policies of the past eight years. He and the media forgot all about Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid.

The drum beat from the Democrats and the media played on and on. It was the Republican’s fault and so what if Fannie and Freddie gave more money to Obama and the Democrats than anyone else? So what if Democrats were complicit in the failure of the GSE’s or made statements that caused a bank to fail and the entire US insurance industry to take a one day stock loss of 30% and up. The public had no need to know that useless information. Heck, they didn’t even know that Democrats have controlled both houses of Congress since 2006. Yes, it was a good year to be a Democrat. Had it been reported that Republicans failed to stop the Democrats, perhaps things would have turned out differently, but alas, it was not to be. Then Mr. Obama showed up in the yard of Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher who had the nerve to ask him a question.

The media and the left went after Joe the Plumber with a vengeance not seen since Sarah Palin hit the campaign trail. They had to work overtime in their attempts to destroy and discredit two conservatives at the same time. Even coastal conservative elites with ivy league degrees joined the chorus against Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber. (Let’s hope those “conservatives” are enjoying the DC cocktail party circuit!)

How dare these two regular people show up and act all normal, middle class and conservative!? What happened to the big tent? The elites even turned on their own moderate maverick John McCain when he started pretending to be conservative. Granted, he was sending mixed messages, like calling Barack Obama a socialist and in the next breath promising to bailout delinquent homeowners. But hey, he was convinced by the media and Colin Powell that Americans only like liberals.

A few maverick reporters had the nerve to ask some tough questions of Obama and Biden. Let’s just say they learned their lesson. Newspaper journalists whose editors failed to endorse Barack Obama were kicked off his campaign plane. They learned their lesson, too. But Obama promised a new transparency in government. As expected, the media lapped it up. Sarah Palin finally broke free of the McCain campaign’s bubble of suppression at the same time Joe Biden was put in the corner after one too many gaffes.

There are only so many ”paying higher taxes is patriotic” statements a politician can make before the voters start to catch on. Conservatives flocked to McCain rallies to see Sarah Palin. Despite McCain’s mixed messages it seemed there was hope for his campaign. The stock market rallied just before the election, only to suffer deep losses after the results came in. Job losses in November soared higher than we’ve seen in a generation. Nobody can figure out what investors and business owners know that the media doesn’t.

Barack Hussein Obama will be sworn in as the next President of the United States. The world now knows what most conservatives believed all along, that America is not a hateful racist country that would never vote for a black man who is willing to throw family members and life long friends under the proverbial bus when it suits him.

Gay Americans aren’t convinced we’re now a nice nation, but again, sometimes supporters have to be thrown under the bus in the name of unity and hopeandchange. President elect Obama wasted no time in putting together his new team. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich also got busy trying to sell Obama’s senate seat to the highest bidder. So busy, in fact, that the poor fellow didn’t even have time to visit his barber. Democrats across the land stepped out of character to denounce a fellow Democrat caught up in scandal. Americans were surprised again when Barack Obama announced he would appoint Hillary Rodham Clinton to be the next Secretary of State. They weren’t surprised that nobody’s concerned about former President Bill Clinton’s funny money dealings with foreigners. No, they were surprised at Caroline Kennedy’s unexpected desire to be appointed to Hillary’s senate seat. But hey, now that we’ve elected the most inexperienced candidate for President the sky’s the limit. So what if she hasn’t held a full time job, she’s a Kennedy! We’ll have to wait and see how that plays out.

The accidental governor of New York, David Paterson has bigger things to worry about. He’s presiding over an enormous budget deficit (unless you compare it to California) and wants to raise taxes on everything from iPods to malt liquor. He’s convinced that new and creative taxes will lure new business to New York State.

He should just wait until Obama takes office and then stand in line with his hand out. Bailouts continue with more to come in 2009. The Bush administration caved in to the UAW, oops…the auto companies, giving about $17 billion to GM and Chrysler to tide them over until the real Santa Claus comes to town in January. And it isn’t just the auto companies who can expect to be stimulated by the stimuli promised by our President elect. He promises to create 3 million jobs by taking money out of the private sector (aka - taxation) and “investing” it in technologies that aren’t profitable for the private sector.

Let’s hope it works, since he also said he would bankrupt the coal industry. (Be sure to save your energy bills from 2008, just for the sake of nostalgia.) Despite scientific evidence that solar activity causes our climate to change, Mr. Obama has promised to spend…oops again…invest billions of taxpayer dollars to combat man made global warming. This after the coldest fall we’ve seen in a number of years. But scientists be damned! Carbon is bad and we must stop it! We’ll have to figure out how to make plants grow without carbon at a later date, after we figure out how to pay for the trillions of dollars we need to spend eliminating carbon and ”saving” our economy.

Things aren’t all bad for conservatives. The surge in Iraq produced results beyond even Barack Obama’s wildest dreams. There are so few Republicans left conservatives no longer have to spend much time defending them. Gas prices are lower now than we’ve seen in years. (Enjoy it while it lasts as any hopes of increased domestic oil production are dashed.) And with any luck Joe Biden will receive enough media coverage to offer some comic relief for the next few years, we’re sure going to need it. Happy New Year!

Global Climate Change is Not Settled Science

The US Senate Minority Committee on Environment and Public Works has released a statement on man made global warming claims. While the UN global warming conference is underway, hundreds of renowned scientists are coming forward denouncing global warming. Read the full statement here.

POZNAN, Poland - The UN global warming conference currently underway in Poland is about to face a serious challenge from over 650 dissenting scientists from around the globe who are criticizing the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore. Set for release this week, a newly updated U.S. Senate Minority Report features the dissenting voices of over 650 international scientists, many current and former UN IPCC scientists, who have now turned against the UN. The report has added about 250 scientists (and growing) in 2008 to the over400 scientists who spoke out in 2007.

A full report is set to be released by Thursday morning. The following are the best quotes from scientists in the report:

Warming fears are the “worst scientific scandal in the history…When people come to know what the truth is, they will feel deceived by science and scientists.” - UN IPCC Japanese Scientist Dr. Kiminori Itoh, an award-winning PhD environmental physical chemist.
“The IPCC has actually become a closed circuit; it doesn’t listen to others. It doesn’t have open minds… I am really amazed that the Nobel Peace Prize has been given on scientifically incorrect conclusions by people who are not geologists,” - Indian geologist Dr. Arun D. Ahluwalia at Punjab University and a board member of the UN-supported International Year of the Planet.
“The models and forecasts of the UN IPCC “are incorrect because they only are based on mathematical models and presented results at scenarios that do not include, for example, solar activity.” - Victor Manuel Velasco Herrera, a researcher at the Institute of Geophysics of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
“It is a blatant lie put forth in the media that makes it seem there is only a fringe of scientists who don’t buy into anthropogenic global warming.” - U.S Government Atmospheric Scientist Stanley B. Goldenberg of the Hurricane Research Division of NOAA.
“For how many years must the planet cool before we begin to understand that the planet is not warming? For how many years must cooling go on?” - Geologist Dr. David Gee the chairman of the science committee of the 2008 International Geological Congress who has authored 130 plus peer reviewed papers, and is currently at Uppsala University in Sweden.
“Gore prompted me to start delving into the science again and I quickly found myself solidly in the skeptic camp…Climate models can at best be useful for explaining climate changes after the fact.” - Meteorologist Hajo Smit of Holland, who reversed his belief in man-made warming to become a skeptic, is a former member of the Dutch UN IPCC committee.
“Many [scientists] are now searching for a way to back out quietly (from promoting warming fears), without having their professional careers ruined.” - Atmospheric physicist James A. Peden, formerly of the Space Research and Coordination Center in Pittsburgh.
“Creating an ideology pegged to carbon dioxide is a dangerous nonsense…The present alarm on climate change is an instrument of social control, a pretext for major businesses and political battle. It became an ideology, which is concerning.” - Environmental Scientist Professor Delgado Domingos of Portugal, the founder of the Numerical Weather Forecast group, has more than 150 published articles.
“CO2 emissions make absolutely no difference one way or another….Every scientist knows this, but it doesn’t pay to say so…Global warming, as a political vehicle, keeps Europeans in the driver’s seat and developing nations walking barefoot.” - Dr. Takeda Kunihiko, vice-chancellor of the Institute of Science and Technology Research at Chubu University in Japan.

The report will include evidence of solar activity, sea level data, and evidence of cooling, among other things. Contrary to popular belief, the science is not settled as the global climate change alarmists contend. Far from it.
Despite all the evidence, US lawmakers and our president elect are promising to spend billions of our dollars to combat a non-existent problem. The media refuses to report any contrary evidence.
Add this to the list of betrayals by the US media and the politicians they protect.

Cross Posted at The Lonely Conservative

I Told You So

By Jim Simpson Newsmax reports today that Republicans are concerned about Bob Barr’s candidacy. If you had read some of my previous columns, you would know that I identified third party candidates as a potential Republican nightmare over a year ago. And as I said in a more recent column, Barr could well become John McCain's Ralph Nader. Barr will not pull a lot of votes, but he doesn’t have to. One or two percentage points could spell the difference between victory and defeat for John McCain next fall. Barr should knock it off and get with the party. As the House Republican who lead the charge for Clinton's impeachment, He of all people should know the potential dangers of another Democrat presidency. Sometimes I think the Republican Party suffers from suicidal tendencies. He may just be the one who supplies the ammunition.

Revisiting Obama’s Liberation Theology Church

Cross-posted from Faultline USA In March of 2007, I wrote an article expressing grave concerns about Obama’s Liberation Theology church and his controversial pastor, Jeremiah Wright. Last year few Americans, other than Theologians or graduates from left-leaning seminaries such as Brite Divinity School, even knew about Liberation Theology. The following republished article exposed the truth about Jeremiah Wright’s church and quotes from the works of James H. Cone, one of the primary authors of Black Liberation Theology. Additionally provided are some important points about the grave dangers of Liberation Theology written in 1984 by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI). Following is the text from Obama’s Marxist Liberation Theology Church : The best lie is a little pig that’s always hidden between several fluffy layers of truth and covered with a lot of lipstick and charisma. This is a follow-up to yesterday’s article originally posted on Right Truth and here “What Obama’s Church Preaches” Note: This article isn’t so much about religion as it is about the politics of political revolution as fomented in all Liberation Theology churches. Read also the post by Church and State: Obama's Pastor Embarrasses Entire Congregation. Be sure to View the video where “Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Barak Obama's pastor, went on Hannity & Colmes last night to respond to claims that his church is a black separatist congregation.” Obama’s pastor, Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, continued to evade Hannity while he hammered away asking again and agin if Hannity had ever read James H. Cone, one of the primary authors of Black Liberation Theology. Oddly enough, I just happen to have several of Cone’s works on hand. Here’s just a little from Cone’s classic book A Black Theology of Liberation (Twentieth Anniversary Edition): Emphasis added by me: The definition of Jesus as black is crucial for christology if we truly believer in his continued presence today. Taking our clue from the historical Jesus who is pictured in the New Testament as the Oppressed One, what else, except blackness, could adequately tell us the meaning of his presence today? Any statement about Jesus today that fails to consider blackness as the decisive factor about his person is a denial of the New Testament message. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus reveal that he is the man for others, disclosing to them what is necessary for their liberation from oppression. If this is true, then Jesus Christ must be black so that blacks can know that their liberation is his liberation. . . The black Christ is he who threatens the structure of evil as seen in white society, rebelling against it, thereby becoming the embodiment of what the black community knows that it must become. . . To be a disciple of the black Christ is to become black with him. Looting, burning, or the destruction of white property are not primary concerns. Such matters can only be decided by the oppressed themselves who are seeking to develop their images of the black Christ. . . Whites do not recognize what is happening, and they are thus unable to deal with it. For most whites in power, the black community is a nuisance –something to be considered only when the natives get restless. But what white America fails to realize is the explosive nature of the kingdom. Although its beginning is small, it will have far-reaching effects not only on the black community but on the white community as well. Now is the time to make decisions about loyalties, because soon it will be too late. Shall we or shall we not join the black revolutionary kingdom? An excellent overview of the grave dangers of Liberation Theology was written in 1984 by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI). Here are some of the important points Ratzinger makes about Liberation Theology: 1. Liberation Theology has it center of power in Latin America and in African Theology, but is found in many Christian denominations throughout the Third World. 2. Liberation Theology is a new interpretation of Christian reality. 3. Liberation Theology is radically Marxist. “ . . .the world must be interpreted in terms of the class struggle and that the only choice is between capitalism and Marxism.” 4. Liberation Theology thrives on perpetuating class struggle. The only people of the Church are those who participate in class struggle. 5. Liberation Theology is a theology of bloody political revolution. All of Christian reality is reduced to politico-social liberation praxis (action). 6. Liberation Theology rejects traditional scriptural interpretations. “The experience of the "community" determines the understanding and the interpretation of Scripture. . . Ultimately, what is normative for interpretation is not historical research but the hermeneutic of history experienced in the community or the political group.” 7. Liberation Theology makes the Bible subject to a Marxist view of history. “The "historicality" of the Bible must justify its absolute dominance and thus legitimize the' transition to materialist-marxist philosophy, in which history has taken over the role of God. . . historical criticism has loosed Scripture from the traditional interpretation, which now appears to be unscientific. 8. Liberation Theology is a threat to the faith of the Christian Church. Here Ratzinger analyzes some of the central concepts of Liberation Theology: Faith: Jesus' experience of God is radically historical. "His faith is transformed into fidelity." Thus faith is fundamentally replaced by "fidelity to history". . . Hope is interpreted as "confidence in the.future" and as working for the future and thus is subordinated once more to the history of class conflict. . . Love consists in the "option for the poor"; i.e., it coincides with opting for the class struggle. . . Kingdom of God: “ . .the Kingdom must not be understood in a spiritualist or universalist manner, not in the sense of an abstract eschatological eventuality. It must be understood in partisan terms and with a view to praxis. The meaning of the Kingdom can only be defined by reference to the praxis of Jesus, not theoretically: it means working at the historical reality that surrounds us in order to transform it into the Kingdom.” Overcoming Dualism “Here we must mention another basic idea of a particular post­conciliar theology which has led in this direction. People said that after the Council every dualism must be overcome: the dualism of body and soul, of natural and supernatural, of this world and the world beyond, of then and now. Once these supposed dualisms had been eliminated, it only remained to work for a kingdom to be realized in present history and in politico­economic reality. This meant, however, that one had ceased to work for the benefit of people in this present time and had begun to destroy the present in the interests of a supposed future: thus the real dualism had broken loose.” Note: The above explanation of overcoming dualism certainly gives us some insight into the suicidal nature of leftist thought! Death and Resurrection: “ . . . Man has taken over God's gesture — this manifests the whole transformation of the biblical message in an almost tragic way . . .” Eucharist is interpreted as a celebration of liberation in the sense of politico-messianic hope and praxis. The word redemption is largely replaced by liberation, which is seen, against the background of history and the class struggle, as a process of progressive liberation. Action is truth “. . . The only true orthodoxy is therefore orthopraxy.” Ratzinger’s Summary In trying to arrive at an overall evaluation it must be said that, if one accepts the fundamental assumptions which underlie liberation theology, it cannot be denied that the whole edifice has an almost irresistible logic. By adopting the position of biblical criticism and of a hermeneutics that grows through experience, on the one hand, and of the marxist analysis of history, on the other, liberation theologians have succeeded in creating a total picture of the Christian reality, and this total view seems to respond fully both to the claims of science and to the moral challenges of our time, urging people to make Christianity an instrument of concrete world transformation; it seems to have united Christianity, in this way, with all the "progressive forces" of our era. One can understand, therefore, that this new interpretation of Christianity should have exercised an increasing fascination over theologians, priests and religious, particularly against the background of Third World problems. To say "no" to it must seem to them to be a flight from reality as well as a denial of reason and morality. On the other hand, if one considers how radical this reinterpretation of Christianity is, it is all the more pressing to find the right answer to the challenge which it presents. We shall only survive this crisis if we succeed in making the logic of faith visible in an equally compelling manner and in presenting it as a logic of reality, i.e., manifesting the concrete force of a better answer attested in lived experience. Since it is so, since thought and experience, interpretation and realization, are equally called for, it is a task for the whole Church. Theology alone is insufficient, Church authority alone is insufficient. Since the phenomenon of liberation theology indicates a lack of conversion in the Church, a lack of radical faith, only an increase in conversion and faith can arouse and elicit those theological insights and those decisions on the part of the shepherds which will give an answer to the magnitude of the question. Join the Christians Against Leftist Heresy blogroll sponsored by Faultline USA

Digg It!

The War Politicians Don't Want to Talk About

The dedicate and hard-working group at ANEWTONE has announced surpassing it's ONE MILLIONTH hit for 2008 - and over THREE MILLION since the site fired-up in mid-2005. It's easy to see why ANEWTONE is having such tremendous growth - just read the piece below written by 


~Snooper~

War News The War Politicians Don't Talk About

American politics. At times, especially in recent times, can be an international embarrassment. In my short 53 years on this planet, I have been a keen observer of politics ever since I voted for that fellow from Georgia. You know. Him. The guy that hates Israel and loves terrorists and tries to convince people that he is sane. I figured out he was insane when he screwed the Shah of Iran and put into power those "nice religious people". He then accepted the Shah into the US for medical treatment and then had him ejected from the US because those "nice religious people" demanded it. Then, he gave the Panama Canal to the Red Chinese and had American military members killed in Iran on a rescue mission of the American hostages. He later claimed that if he had had one more chopper, he would have won re-election. Idiot. Alas, I digress. Getting back to American politics, I discovered many years ago that the vast majority of the politicians that wind up in DC don't give a hoot about the American People. All they care about is the Almighty Power they get to wield. Power is all that matters. Tenure in office is all that matters. Bribing constituents of their districts for votes is all that matters. Case in point is Murtha, the soon to be EX-Marine, hopefully, that disgraced his uniform and the Oath he swore at one time but tossed that solemn Oath out the window for political gain. He isn't the only one, either. The list is long and brutal. Why won't the current crop of contenders for the Presidency on the DNC ticket talk about what is going on at this moment in Iraq or Afghanistan? And, what about those 18 Iraqi Benchmarks they so whined about all of last year? For that matter, whatever came of "the war is lost"? For that matter, whatever came of the Democrat Party chant of "we are going to end this war"? Were those words and mantras merely to win an election? Certainly they would not stoop to such new depths as to lie their way into power, would they? Well, as it turns out, the answer is an astoundingly, resounding and rising crescendo of YES! In today's NY Post, Amir Taheri has an article addressing the various candidates and The Why they don't talk about Iraq much...they can't. It exposes them for being on the wrong side of the war for political gain and would have to admit that Bush was right. Even though he was and is right, they cannot rise above their self-induced quagmire of failure. They would also have to admit that Iran is indeed behind about 90% of the turmoil now in country, both in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hell, I knew that back before 91101. Surely they did as well. But, it isn't politically expedient to admit so. This is why American politics is so damn embarrassing. The entire world knows that Iran is behind the unrest. Only a fool does not. Please excuse me for stating the obvious to the oblivious. Political Correctness. Multiculturalism. Identity Politics. The cowards' rants of stupidity, self-imposed. A political quagmire of their own making. Perhaps they should redeploy? I will end this with a quote from George Orwell found at the American Thinker and discussed tonight at JPM's BTR show.

"We have now sunk to a depth where the restatement of the obvious is the duty of intelligent men" - George Orwell.

Sadly, there aren't many intelligent men left in this country. At least not many that are willing to speak out. Article End. Permalink: http://maggiesnotebook.blogspot.com/2008/04/war-politicians-dont-want-to-talk-about.html Trackback URL for this entry: http://haloscan.com/tb/maggiesnotebook/5255654999083579631 Technorati Tags: ANEWTONE,Snooper, U.S. Marines, Senator John Murtha, War Politics, Multiculturalism, Political Correctness, War on Terror, Jimmy Carter, Panama Canal, Shah of Iran, Iraq, U.S. Military,

Eminent Domain, Obama, and the little guy

Cross-posted from Faultline USA

Yesterday three minor news stories came together into one story, and then the story really got interesting. Hang in there and read on. Don’t you want to find out why Obama positioned himself in alignment with the rotation of the earth?

(1) Congress was opened for the first time by a Hindu prayer. The Hindu cleric’s prayer to open Congress was disrupted by some Christians. Read three different takes on this from Christian Newswire, Religion Clause, and the lefty Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

(2) Eminent Domain Reform was introduced in U.S. House of Representatives. The Castle Coalition reported yesterday that Reps. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and F. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) introduced the Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2007 to stop taxpayer funding of eminent domain abuse. . . “It prevents Americans’ federal tax dollars from being used to kick them off their land for private development, while allowing federal money for traditional public uses like roads and post offices. ” According to Steven Anderson, director of the Castle Coalition, “Unsurprisingly, tax-hungry governments and land-hungry developers prey on those that are less likely to be able to defend themselves.

It is vital that the federal government stop subsidizing this blatant abuse of power.” Eminent Domain reform is desperately needed following the disastrous Kelo vs the City of New London Supreme Court ruling. This reform should have broad bi-partisan support. Lefty groups, however, are a bit too fond of portraying the “little guy” as an inner city minority or a member of a “marginalized” group. In fact, the little guy is just as likely to be a farmer or rancher who will lose family land to the NAFTA highway, to some kind of questionable “city” government, or to big money private development.

Read about the consequences of Kelo vs City of New London. “In Kelo v. City of New London, the U.S. Supreme Court held that anyone’s home or business can be taken if the government thinks someone else can make more money with the land. The floodgates to eminent domain abuse have busted open. However, there is a silver lining.” Also read The Impact of the Kelo Decision from reason.org.

(3) An Iowa farmer is being threatened with Eminent Domain by the Maharishi Vedic City. Bob Palm and his two brothers have 149 acres of farmland that has been in their family for 115 years. After the Palm brothers announced plans to raise hogs on the farm, the Maharishi Vedic City became upset because the city does not allow the sale of any non-organically raised product (that means only vegetarian). The city offered to buy the farm to build a park after appraising the farm’s value at $2,675 per acre. The Palms refused to sell and the “peace-loving” cult threatened to bring Eminent Domain proceedings.

Currently they are at a standoff. I am really curious. Isn’t this America, the land of the free and home of the brave? How did Maharishi Vedic City become a genuine city in Iowa? Aren’t all American cities held to some basic standards of freedom of diversity? Apparently not so! In Maharishi Vedic City no one is allowed to sell non-organic products. The city is vegetarian. The official language is Hindu Sanskrit. Need I go on? So how can this so-called American city even be considered a real city much less bring Eminent Domain proceedings against a neighbor? For some history on the Utopian, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and his Transcendental Meditation cult read Heaven on Earth .

Living in the hope of spending the afterlife in heaven is a definite waste of the glorious gift of human life. So every individual must try to create a heavenly environment on earth, and one Hindu spiritual leader thinks it's very much possible to build heaven on earth! He is Maharishi Mahesh Yogi — the notable Vedic teacher and celebrated guru of transcendental meditation, and the vital force behind such Vedic institutions as the Maharishi University of Management and the Maharishi International University.

According to a 2000 article by Rick Ross it’s all about big money and politics:

Today, amazingly, the Maharishi is still purveying bliss - only to the gentry, not below stairs. He has become a fashion icon. His sly smile no longer looks down from a thousand college notice boards, but he is the pin-up of politicians, accountants, doctors, businessmen and journalists. In this era of anxiety, his New Age message is the antidote to executive stress.

What is Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Natural Law party?

According to the Natural Law Party (U.S.) "50-Point Action Plan to Revitalize America," "there are simple, humane, cost-effective, scientifically proven solutions to all of America’s problems. The Natural Law Party was founded to implement these solutions immediately in government." The discussion of their actual policy in their printed material and web site, while quite lofty, is extremely vague. Nowhere in the literature they mail to prospective members do they mention that all of these "solutions" are based on products of one controversial group. But in actuality the Natural Law Party is a global "political" front -- with organizations in 80 countries -- for the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement.

The Maharishi is a Hindu monk who began teaching TM in the 1950s. The public best knows him for his association with the Beatles, who learned TM from him in the late 1960s. It's interesting to note that in 1957, the Maharishi claimed he would bring the world to enlightenment within 10 years -- and would then retire to the caves of the Himalayas to spend the remainder of his days in quiet meditation. Yet, today he governs a world-wide spiritual empire worth over $3.5 billion dollars.More details and source documents. Return to top.

Also read Secrets of the Natural Law Party. Here’s an excerpt from the chapter Unnatural FAQs:

. . .Since the 1970s, the Maharishi has touted TM as a secular form of meditation that does not conflict with any religion, philosophy, or governmental system. But in fact, insiders report that TM is secretly a very fundamental form of Hinduism. According to former Maharishi International University professor Anthony D. DeNaro, the Maharishi once snapped, "When America is ready for Hinduism, I will tell them." The Maharishi incorporated his original movement as a religious organization with himself as its "spiritual head." He has said that he chooses the names of Hindu gods as mantras for his followers. Four U.S. courts have found that TM is religious or a religion. . . .

All the more reason why this city isn’t an American city and should not have the power of Eminent Domain! Obama woos Vedic City, folks! Also see Politico Blog. Here’s an excerpt from with bold added by me.

FAIRFIELD, Iowa-Sen. Barack Obama drew his heartiest welcome of a two-day swing through Iowa in the state's capital of inner peace. . .Obama had positioned himself in alignment with the rotation of the earth, in accordance with the teachings of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, whose followers moved en masse to this small Iowa city more than 30 years ago.The Maharishi’s transcendental meditators, along with vacationing pilgrims from the East Coast, turned out in large numbers in the town’s traditional green square to hear the Illinois senator deliver his stump speech on the night of July 3-more people, Fairfield’s sheriff said, than had come out to greet a sitting president.“I saw him and I thought, ‘Oh my god, this is somebody who could lead us into a new era,’” said Nancy Watkins, an international student adviser at the Maharishi University of Management.

A liberal’s take on the event. Here’s an excerpt. Highlights added by the liberal:

Meditating Iowans At Peace With Obama CBS News, NY turned out in large numbers in the town’s traditional green square to hear the Illinois senator deliver his stump speech on the night of July 3 — more people, Fairfield’s sheriff said, than had come out to greet a sitting president. ..... "Somehow we have lost the capacity to recognize ourselves in each other,"” Obama said, to an intently nodding crowd of at least 1,000. "You know, people talk a lot about the federal deficit, but one of the things that I always talk about is …an empathy deficit," he continued, to applause. ...... Obama spoke as Washington wallows in a summer of intense conflict. Subpoenas are flying from the Hill to the White House. ..... In some of his speeches, he didn't even mention President Bush. .....

This is a central gamble of Obama's campaign for President. The loudest voices in the Democratic Party — from Chairman Howard Dean to former Sen. John Edwards and Sen. Hillary Clinton — have been sounding steady notes of confrontation with the White House. Clinton and Edwards argue that they will win the partisan wars. ..... Obama argues that the country, and even partisans, are tired of partisan warfare. .... a suburb — the fist new city incorporated in Iowa in decades — called Maharishi Vedic City, in which all buildings face East.

Now I wonder if the crowd was nodding in agreement with Obama or just head-bobbing in transcendental meditation? No matter. It sure looks like Obama won’t be visiting any farmers facing Eminent Domain these days, now does it? Obama’s got more bread to butter and he knows exactly where to find it! H/T to Iowa Voice “Gurus Love Obama” (from someone living in the midst of these folks) . . .

Oh, by the way…you know what that “Yoga flying” really is? They cross their legs, go into a “trance” (some “herbs” might be involved, if you get my drift), and then proceed to hop/bounce around a gymnasium. They barely get a few inches off the floor, yet they think they’re actually flying. And that’s just stage 1! Pure freakin’ nutjobs. So if they want to be supportive of Obama, more power to ‘em. But I’ll just bet you won’t see any “Endorsed by The Maharishi University” on any campaign flyers anytime soon.

Barack Obama Eminent Domain Christian Hindu Congress politics Iowa Maharishi Vedic City

The Bamboo Shower Curtain

According to Wikipedia:

The Bamboo Curtain was the east Asian version of the Iron Curtain. It marked the border between the communist states of East Asia, especially the People's Republic of China during the Cold War, but excluding the eastern Soviet Union . . . The term "Bamboo Curtain" was used less often than the term "Iron Curtain" in part because while the latter remained relatively static for over 40 years, the former shifted constantly.

Today we are encountering a new Marxist strategy that I call the “Bamboo Shower Curtain.”

To learn more about what lurks behind the shower of eco-friendly Bamboo products read Going Green Could Enslave Us ALL Bamboo Live Earth Green Party eco-friendly ecology politics carbon footprints