Eerie

While watching a documentary on the Military History Channel last weekend, a creeping chill took hold of me.  The show, entitled "Inside the Mind of Hitler", brought to mind some disturbing analogies with current events.  No, I'm not suggesting that Obama is another Hitler. What was chillingly disturbing was the similarity between how the German people idolized and blindly followed Hitler and the way many of Barack Obama's supporters behave toward him. The Germans considered Hitler to be their "savior". 

The "mainstream media", by and large, fail to report the president's gaffes and his less than sterling comments and actions. They print only what they want people to know. They provide cover for him and the result is that many people have a false picture of who Barack Obama really is and where he wants to lead the country. They have formed a rosy, positive picture of Obama in their minds which cannot be altered by facts and reality.

As with Hitler, a certain segment of our society is attempting to deify President Obama.  Newsweek called the recent inauguration "the second coming", a term with distinctly religious overtones.  Jamie Foxx referred to Obama as "our lord and savior" and people mindlessly cheered. This is deeply offensive to those of us who hold religious beliefs and I suspect the real Lord and Savior can't be too happy about it either.  

Human beings are all flawed to one degree or another, some more deeply than others. Following any human leader unquestioningly is inherently dangerous, especially if that leader has goals and motives that are less than honorable. It may well be impossible to reach those people who refuse to see how deeply flawed Barack Obama actually is. Their unquestioning, mindless devotion is frightening, and reminiscent of the old saying "there are none so blind as he who will not see." 

Listen Up, Republicans!

Republicans continue to amaze and dismay many of us with their ineptitude in dealing with President Obama.  Not that they'll listen, but here are a few tips for the Republican "leadership".

• Do something different!  What you've been doing isn't working, so it's time to come up with a new strategy. Never, ever forget that Barack Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, et al. are NOT honorable people. They are fundamentally dishonest and will do whatever they can to destroy you. Maintain your integrity, but don't trust that these people will keep their word about anything.  
• Call out Obama on his lies and deceptions. Don't allow him to stand there and say that if you don't raise the debt ceiling, the U.S. will default on its obligations. Not raising the debt ceiling does not equal default. True, some cuts will have to be made and this will be painful. Make it clear that the president gets to decide what is cut, so if Social Security, welfare or Medicare recipients don't get their benefits, it's because the president chose to make cuts in those programs!
• Decide what you believe in and develop the courage to stand by your principles.
• Don't assume people know more than they actually do. Explain clearly and concisely, without being condescending, why you're taking the position that you are. Don't throw terms like "capital gains" around freely.   I'd bet that most people in this country couldn't tell you what capital gains even are.  
• Don't pander to us by trying to give us more "goodies" than the Democrats.   
• Pick one or two people in both the House and Senate to be your spokespeople. They must be able to clearly articulate your positions and the reasons behind those policies. Make use of the social networks and technology available to you. Better yet, follow the advice of Daniel Henninger, who writes in the Wall Street Journal that the Republicans should create an office of chief party spokesman, one for the House and one for the Senate. This position would be analogous to the White House's press secretary (hopefully, the Republicans can find someone more charismatic than Jay Carney - shouldn't be difficult!). This might bruise a few egos of those politicians who like to appear on the Sunday morning talk shows, but so be it.  

Americans are hungry for real leadership and courage.  We're not getting it from this administration, so Republicans must step up to the plate and fill that void.  

The Propmaster

Some people are slowly coming to the realization that President Obama is a user of people.  As you may remember, when signing the "Affordable Care Act", a.k.a. Obamacare, he had a young black boy standing there beside him, a boy who, sadly, had lost his mother to cancer.  

After Hurricane Sandy, and just prior to the election, Obama was photographed with his arms around a woman who had suffered major losses in the storm as he promised her that he would cut through the red tape and get help for her from FEMA.  She has yet to hear back from him or to receive any assistance from the government and has belatedly come to the realization that she was merely a photo-op for him.  

Many Obama campaign workers are now complaining that they are being shut out of inauguration festivities.  They "worked their butts off" for him and now that he no longer needs them, they're getting the cold shoulder.

Today, the president is planning to make an appearance to propose sweeping changes in gun laws, using children who supposedly have written letters to him as a backdrop.  It wouldn't be surprising if he said "Gun lovers want to kill these children".   

To Barack Obama, people are props to be used and then tossed aside when they have served their purpose and are no longer useful to him.   It's particularly hypocritical for him to appear with children, whose futures are being compromised by the unsustainable debt with which he's saddling them.  

It takes some people longer than others to see this man's true nature.  Let's hope and pray that the majority of people will come to see this amoral narcissist for what he is and rise up to remove him from office.  

Guns Can Save Lives Too

President Obama and Vice-President Biden are meeting today with victims of gun violence.  Since fairness seems to be important to Obama, having heard him use the word "fair" several times in his efforts to redistribute our wealth, I'm just wondering if Obama and Biden will also be talking to some of the people who have saved lives with their guns?  Somehow, I doubt it.

Did you know.....


• A 1997 high school shooting in Pearl, Miss., was halted by the school's vice principal after he retrieved the Colt .45 he kept in his truck. 
• A 1998 middle school shooting ended when a man living next door heard gunfire and apprehended the shooter with his shotgun. 
• A 2002 terrorist attack at an Israeli school was quickly stopped by an armed teacher and a school guard. 
• A 2002 law school shooting in Grundy, Va., came to an abrupt conclusion when students carrying firearms confronted the shooter. 
• A 2007 mall shooting in Ogden, Utah, ended when an armed off-duty police officer intervened. 
• A 2009 workplace shooting in Houston, Texas, was halted by two co-workers who carried concealed handguns. 
• A 2012 church shooting in Aurora, Colo., was stopped by a member of the congregation carrying a gun. 
• At the recent mall shooting in Portland, Ore., the gunman took his own life minutes after being confronted by a shopper carrying a concealed weapon. 
2500 times last year alone legal gun owners stopped violent crime when confronted with it long before any police assistance arrived. 

Of course, you probably didn't know any of this because mainstream media doesn't find it worth reporting. It's not sensational enough and doesn't fit with their agenda. What's insane is people who think removing rights from responsible people will somehow keep them safe. 
I wonder what else we have NOT been told, before it's too late.

In the Crosshairs

In the wake of the shooting tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, the anti-gun people are predictably calling for more restrictive laws on firearms.  No one is against common-sense regulations on weapons, e.g., background checks to make sure a prospective buyer doesn't have a criminal record or history of mental illness.  

The problem with gun laws, as with all laws, is that only law-abiding citizens obey them.  Criminals couldn't care less about the laws - that's what makes them criminals.  Thus, more restrictive gun laws are unlikely to reduce criminal behavior.  

The gun control crowd is focused on a symptom and not the disease.  Al Sharpton, in advocating for stricter gun laws, used the analogy of a headache.  To paraphrase the good reverend, if you have a headache,  you take an aspirin to get rid of it.  What Sharpton seems to miss is that a headache is a symptom of another, deeper problem.  If you only treat the symptom and do nothing about the underlying causative disorder, the symptom will recur over and over.  

In a similar fashion, enacting tighter gun control laws will do nothing to prevent future violence and will certainly not alleviate the underlying problem.    Clearly, in the shootings in Arizona (Gabby Giffords), Colorado and Connecticut, all three gunmen were mentally deranged to one degree or another.  It would be more useful to focus on recognizing and treating mental illness than to focus on the means by which they achieved their atrocities.  Charles Krauthammer, who at one time was a practicing psychiatrist, has said that it used to be easier to commit people who were believed to be a danger to themselves or others, but organizations such as the ACLU have made involuntary commitment more difficult.  While recognizing that abuse is certainly a concern with involuntary commitment, there surely is a way to formulate common-sense laws that will protect the community while preserving the rights of the mentally ill.  It's time to focus on the people who perpetrate these heinous acts instead of the inanimate weapons which they employ in their violence.  

Can It Happen?

Happy New Year to everyone!  I usually start a new year full of hope and enthusiasm, but this year is different.  I awoke this morning feeling a little overwhelmed by all that's wrong with our government right now.

My dream wishes for 2013 are as follows:

• A president and Congress who can put aside their egos and power trips to do what is best for our country.
• A president who can get past his need for adulation.
• A comeback for common sense and spending restraint.
• Return of manners and respect for others.
• Strengthening of traditional morality.
• A revival of personal responsibility instead of passing the buck.
• A realization among the electorate that we have an irresponsible president and an appalling lack of leadership in Congress; hopefully, this will result in voters removing many of these jokers in 2014.  
• Restoration of respect for the United States in the world. 
• Accountability and prosecution of those responsible for the fiascoes of Fast and Furious and Benghazi.
• Last, but certainly not least, recognition and reverence for God, and restoration of Him in our public institutions.

Is there any real hope I'll get my wishes?  With God, all things are possible and I will continue to pray for our country.