Month: April 2009

Governor Rick Perry of Texas is embarrassing his home state by denouncing the US government and talking about secession.

The fact that Texas gets much of its contribution to the US government back in government programs and aid seems to have not crossed the tiny brain of this disgraceful governor, who is by his rhetoric promoting a bad image of his home state and also encouraging secessionist radicals who in the recent past threatened violence and caused the then governor George W. Bush to take action against what he considered a dangerous breakaway movement in Texas in the late 1990s.

The people of Texas have the ability to remove Perry from office next year after ten long years under this incompetent governor, and it can be hoped that he will soon no longer be able to promote a bad image of the number two state in both population and land area.  Texas once disgraced itself by being part of the secession that led to the Civil War.  We do not need a repeat performance of that disgraceful event!

Fox News Channel was in the business today of promoting the Tea Party Revolution on Income Tax Day. 

The channel exaggerated the number of followers of this attempt to promote opposition to paying taxes, but the number was miniscule.  It is a disgrace that a so called news channel creates, rather then reports, the news!

The thought that crosses one’s mind is that to promote opposition to paying taxes is unpatriotic, as it is the duty and responsibility of all Americans to support our military, our police officers, our teachers, our firefighters, our postal service, etc and even our bureaucrats who make the system of our national, state and local governments work for us every day.  We pay far fewer taxes than any other democracy in the world, but it is our upper class who does whatever it can to avoid taxation.  Those who have benefited the most seem to think they are entitled to get our government services and benefits for free.

It is most ironic that this kind of so called "tax revolt" did not happen under Bush or Reagan, but occurs under Obama, who is lowering taxes for 95 percent of the American people .  It is also amazing how so many people do not realize that our national debt increase has grown primarily under Republican Presidents and Republican Congresses, but only when Democrats control both the Presidency and Congress do we hear the outrage of so called "patriotic" Americans.

Apparently, the transfer of income to the upper classes under Reagan and Bush II is alright via tax cuts, but when tax cuts benefit the masses and require a small additional percentage for the upper classes under Obama, that is a federal crime.  The fact that under earlier Presidents that we had the upper classes paying much higher percentage (90 percent under Eisenhower) is forgotten.  It is time for the complaining to stop and for taking on responsibility to pay their tax bill by those Americans, small in number, who protested today!

A special three judge Minnesota panel has come to the conclusion after a lengthy trial and recount of contested votes that Al Franken has defeated former Senator Norm Coleman by a larger margin of 312 votes, up from an earlier total lead of 225 votes.

It is now time for Governor Tim Pawlenty to do the right thing and issue an election certificate so that Senator Franken can be seated by the Senate.  It is time for the Republicans to concede defeat and for Norm Coleman to be gracious in defeat.

Unfortunately, that is not likely to happen as it is expected Coleman will mount a further appeal, and the Republicans in the Senate seem ready to mount a filibuster to prevent the seating of Franken.

This election has dragged out longer than any in living memory, and it is time to end it.  Senator Coleman, it is time tro show some statesmanship and demonstrate you are not a sore loser.  Enough is enough!  🙁

In his first foreign policy crisis since taking office, President Obama has triumphed and sent a strong message to both pirates and terrorists in general that America will not allow itself to become a victim of their dastardly behavior.

After five days of behind the scenes planning by the Navy and lack of rhetoric by the administration, Captain Richard Phillips, who had been held hostage since early Wednesday by four Somali pirates, was successfully rescued when it was obvious that negotiations had broken down and that the pirates were about to execute the heroic captain. 

Rather than the kind of confrontational rhetoric employed so often by the Bush Administration, Obama chose to remain quiet and allow the experts in hostage rescue to employ their best talents, but when it was obvious that a turning point was being reached, he personally ordered a quick military response to end the crisis and save the hostage.  What a great Easter gift to the nation with the saving of the life of this very courageous man, Richard Phillips, who showed the kind of character that is so sorely needed in America today.

Obama handled this crisis brilliantly, and it only adds to the impression that the First Hundred Days, coming to a close at the end of April, have been a major period of accomplishment both in domestic and foreign policy.  Obama has been proving that he is not just talk, but also action!  Congratulations, Mr. President!  🙂

Fox News Channel already had Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly, as well as regular contributions of Oliver North, Bernard Goldberg, and Dick Morris, but now they have recently graced us with the most loony, crazy one of them all–Glen Beck, late of CNN, which had the sense to let him leave 🙂

Beck is on a tear on his 5 pm show, and it is alarming that apparently he has gained a large audience willing to watch this maniac!

Beck is hysterical on his show, calling President Obama a "Socialist", but also lately a "Fascist", similar to Benito Mussolini, the dictator of Fascist Italy from 1922-1943.  Now how can one be both a Socialist and a Fascist?  The average person watching Beck has no understanding of these terms, and neither does Beck. 

Beck is lighting fires that could backfire on the nation, alarming crazy people who think the country is in danger of some kind of dictatorship led by Barack Obama.  The kind of recklessness displayed by Beck needs to be repudiated and the people of this country need to be educated in the true meaning of these ideologies.  Meanwhile, the threat of senseless violence based on heated rhetoric grows, and is of great concern for the safety of both the President and America at large.

Conservatives are promoting another issue in their assault on President Obama.

The fact that the President gave a deep bow to Saudi King Abdullah, when he met him at the G-20 summit this week, has become a major controversy, that it implies that our President is bending to the will of the oil kingdom.

This is really amazing and unbelievable, as we did not hear the same cry of outrage when former President George W. Bush held the hand of the King at his ranch as he escorted him around his property.  Also, the Bush family, including the first President Bush, is known to have had close contact and shown deference to the Saudi royal family over a long period of time.  The Republicans have been known to be very close to the Saudis, but if a new Democratic President shows a normal amount of friendship, it is suddenly a scandal. 
 
Do I approve of showing any deference to a royal family that I consider corrupt and disgraceful? Of course, the answer is no, but this is part of the necessary international relationships that this nation has, and it can only end when this country finally is able someday to tell the Saudis and the other Middle East oil nations that we no longer need their oil, and that we have found alternative energy resources.  Regrettably, that will not be happening as soon as the Obama Presidency.

President Obama certainly won over whatever group of skeptical Jews still exist about his commitment to Jewish causes, when he hosted and conducted a Passover Seder at the White House this evening, the first one ever set up and attended by an American President.

Obama had attended a Seder during the presidential primary season last year, but he now has gone one step further by hosting the Seder in the White House.  It seems to me that while Obama would like to see a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East, that American Jews can feel secure that he will take no action to harm the interests of the Israeli state.

During the campaign, many Jews had their doubts about Obama, a lot of it based on innuendo and myth, so now with what Obama has done, it should reassure the Jewish community as to the friendship of the White House toward Jewish issues.

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former NYC Mayor Rudy Guiliani have been trying to make traction by recent criticisms of President Obama on foreign and defense policy.  In so doing, they are joining former Vice President Dick Cheney in accusing Obama of undermining US national security.

Do either of these men really believe that they are improving their political future by their negative attacks on a President so soon after inauguration,  less than three months in office?  Gingrich has not been in elected office since 1998 and Guiliani since 2001, and neither has evidenced in any way that they have any real political support within their own party, let alone in public opinion polls.

If they wish to draw attention to themselves, fine, but their rhetoric is not likely to win them any support and give them any hope of playing a major role in the Republican party in the future.  New ideas and less belligerence on their part would be more likely to improve their standing and that of their party, which seems bereft of unique, original ideas.  The two men and their party at this point represent the past resisting the future!

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, a carryover from the Bush Administration, has gained the ire of Republicans by suggesting a reform of the defense budget and recognizing that war in the future will be different than the typical Cold War mentality that has continued to be a dominant influence in recent years.

It is surprising to see the conservative attacks on Gates, who many liberals wondered if he would be loyal to the changes that President Obama represented on defense issues during the campaign.  As it turns out, Gates has proved to be willing to think outside the box and to take on his critics directly.

So it seems to me that Obama’s gamble in keeping Gates has worked out for the best, and it could be that maybe Gates will stay longer as Secretary of Defense than originally forecast when he agreed to help Obama.  In any case, another smart move by Obama is contributing to necessary change in defense strategy that hopefully will succeed.

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has made a dramatic entrance on the national stage by his refusal to accept economic stimulus aid for education from the federal government, making him one of two governors to reject such aid.  The other, of course, is Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

His own party in the legislature and educational leaders in the state have denounced him, but Sanford seems determined to make himself noticed in such an outrageous way, as he is nearing next year term linits as Governor, and is predicted to be starting a national campaign to run for President in 2012.

If the GOP thinks that nominating Sanford or Palin is the answer to their minority status nationally, they will get a rude awakening in 2012.  This outrageous conduct by Sanford, as well as Palin, needs to be condemned.  It is unbelievable that South Carolina and Alaska, two of the poorest states in social terms, would reject federal aid, and the two governors need to be called on the carpet by responsible party leaders nationally.