Month: November 2010

South Florida Gains Two New Controversial GOP Congressmen! :(

Ronald 1 Comment

In the recent midterm Congressional elections, South Florida saw two new GOP Congressmen elected, both of whom are bound to make news, but probably not in a positive way! 🙁

David Rivera is the new Congressman for the 25th Congressional District in Miami, who has been accused of domestic violence against a woman years ago, and was involved in a car crash into a truck carrying fliers accusing him of domestic violence, even though he denies the whole story. But the Miami Herald has done investigation on this and claims that Rivera is covering up on this matter! 🙁 So the matter is not likely to go away anytime soon!

Even more controversial is the new Congressman for the 22nd Congressional District in Broward and Palm Beach Counties, and one of two newly elected African American Republican Congressmen. Allen West was a lieutenant colonel in the US Army who retired under fire for his tactics in Iraq in 2003, and he is seen as one of the most right wing members of Congress, similar to Michele Bachmann in using loose rhetoric! He had a motorcycle gang as a security detail, and briefly hired right wing talk show host Joyce Kaufman, a Fort Lauderdale radio celebrity, as his Chief of Staff until she backed out two days later, after her fiery speech during the campaign advocating using the Second Amendment if the election results were unsatisfactory! 🙁

These two Florida Congressmen will give the GOP leadership headaches in all likelihood, and will not follow the old line that freshmen are seen but not noticed! 🙁

Will “Permanent War” Lead To Decline Of America As A Superpower? :(

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A retired colonel in the US Army, Andrew Bacevich, has written an important book about perpetual war, which makes one realize that such a situation, as we have now in Afghanistan, and with continued involvement in Iraq, and now possibly a war in Korea renewed, is a tragic situation which will lead to the downfall of the United States as a superpower! 🙁

Bacevich, a former West Point instructor, member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a professor of international relations at Boston University, has published a book about the Vietnam War and the opposition, at the time, of Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman.

Bacevich utilizes this book on Fulbright to point out that we now have a situation that is being made permanent with the unwillingness of President Barack Obama to decide to withdraw from a war in Afghanistan which cannot be won, is bleeding our economy, and preventing us from dealing with the domestic crisis we face as a nation since the collapse of Wall Street in 2008! 🙁

Pointing out that we spend $700 billion per year on defense, more than all of the other nations of the world combined, Bacevich warns that we are going down the road of disaster, and that Obama is caving in to the defense establishment by continuing the involvement in Afghanistan at a time when many NATO nations are cutting back, and others, such as Great Britain, are making clear their limits on future commitment!

Bacevich asserts that we need to rebuild our own society, and that we cannot afford the financial cost for “permanent” war, and have limits on troops available for constant warfare! We cannot be global policemen, and occupy dozens of countries with our military so many years after World War II and Korea! Bacevich concludes that the Founding Fathers would be shocked to see us as much involved overseas as we are now in the 21st century! 🙁

Of course, others come out in support of what our government is doing, and call Bacevich an old style isolationist, but when one realizes that a great portion of our national debt has been for war and defense, and that we are hemorrhaging so much funding for the military at a time of desperation at home, Bacevich just seems to make a lot of sense, and causes one to have to sit and reflect on his message in a serious manner! 🙁

The Iowa Presidential Caucus Of 2012: A Battle Between Mike Huckabee And Sarah Palin?

Ronald 1 Comment

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is seen by many observers as having an edge to win the Iowa Presidential caucus if she decides to enter the Presidential race.

With her strong support among evangelical Christians and conservative Tea Party activists, it is feared among mainstream Republicans that she would get an early boost in financial support and media exposure if she was to win the first test of voters in that crucial midwestern state.

But if one thinks back to the 2008 Iowa caucus results, the realization is that former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, himself an ordained Baptist minister, won that contest over John McCain and Mitt Romney, even though he floundered after that victory.

So if both of these former Governors and Fox News Channel employees decide to compete in this contest, along with many others, it is far from certain that Palin would indeed have an edge to win Iowa!

This far ahead, there is no way to forecast how the caucus would turn out, and remember, it is NOT a guarantee that winning the Iowa Presidential caucus would be the first step toward the nomination of the Republican Party for the Presidency of the United States! It could just be gaining headlines and attention that disappears once the New Hampshire primary takes place!

Is A Republican “Dark Horse” To Emerge In 2012 Presidential Race?

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“Dark Horses”, candidates who are not thought of seriously and come from behind to win or be major factors in a political race, are a part of America’s political culture!

We have had several “dark horse” Presidential nominees of a major party, and four have become President, all Democrats–James K. Polk in 1844, Franklin Pierce in 1852, Woodrow Wilson in 1912, and Jimmy Carter in 1976!

Wendell Willkie, the 1940 GOP nominee for President, was also a “dark horse”, but lost the race to Franklin D. Roosevelt.

However, we had “dark horses” who excited the races in both parties in the past two presidential election cycles before flopping–Howard Dean in 2004 for the Democrats, and Mike Huckabee in 2008 for the Republicans!

So therefore, there are a few potential candidates for “dark horse” for the GOP for 2012! The candidates being talked about are primarily Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty, and Haley Barbour.

But the names to watch for 2012 might include:

Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana, who has charisma, good looks, strong conservative and Tea Party credentials, and has had a leadership position in the House as Conference Chairman of the GOP.

Senator elect Marco Rubio of Florida, who is often called the Cuban Barack Obama in reverse, and is young, charismatic, good looking, has fervent support from conservatives and Tea Party people, and represents the largest state in population of any GOP potential candidate who is seen as a possible nominee.

Senator John Thune of South Dakota, who is charismatic, handsome, strong conservative, seen as best bet for any Senator seen as a possibility in a primarily competition among Governors and former Governors.

Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts, who is handsome, charismatic, and started the victory wave against the Democrats when he won the Senate seat of the late Ted Kennedy, but will have trouble being elected for a full term in Democratic dominated Massachusetts, so might run for President instead, although probably too moderate for the Republican base.

Could any of these four seriously become the Presidential nominee? Well, we have only had one Congressman go directly to the White House (James Garfield), and he was assassinated after only a few months in the Presidency! Both Rubio and Brown will have had very brief experience on the national level by 2012, similar however to Barack Obama!

Thune will have had eight years in the Senate, along with six previous years in the House of Representatives, so will be, by far, the most experienced nationally of any of these “dark horse” possibilities by 2012!

If one had to prognosticate who among these might have the best chance to emerge, were they to run, the best bet is that it would be John Thune, so it will be interesting to watch and see what happens to this group of potential candidates! Stay tuned! 🙂

The “Nanny State” Attacks Of Sarah Palin And Other Conservatives: Promoting Hatred And Suspicion Of Government! :(

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Sarah Palin is on a tear, seemingly now attacking some prominent figure on a daily basis, or showing her total stupidity and lack of knowledge about what a candidate for President needs, to take on the burden of that office! 🙁

No sooner than attacking former First Lady Barbara Bush and being unable to distinguish North Korea from South Korea, the former half term Governor of Alaska and Vice Presidential nominee of the GOP in 2008 now is on the attack against our present First Lady, Michelle Obama, who has the highest approval rating of any public figure with 65 percent!

Why is this? It is because Michelle Obama is promoting an anti obesity campaign among the children of America, many of whom are overweight, make poor choices in what they consume, and are in danger of becoming diabetic in alarming numbers in the future! It is also a major problem among adults in this country who fail to consider that what you put in your mouth affects long term health!

This campaign comes after Nancy Reagan’s campaign against drugs in the 1980s and John F. Kennedy’s crusade for physical fitness in the 1960s!

Is it wrong of the national government to promote an anti obesity campaign, a war against drugs, and a physical fitness agenda? Any sane person would say, of course not, but not Sarah Palin, who accuses Michelle Obama of promoting a “nanny state”, a charge also leveled by conservative talk show hosts on radio and on Fox News Channel! 🙁

Under the same thought, it apparently is improper of state and local government officials, such as in California and New York City and elsewhere, to ban smoking in public places, and for the US government to be planning new, explicit pictures on cigarette packages of the damages of smoking! But is it such? NO, because it is obvious that human beings often make wrong choices which affect their health and well being, and the government is intervening to attempt to promote different behavior through the leadership of public figures who carry weight among our citizens!

Instead of applauding Michelle Obama, Nancy Reagan, John F. Kennedy, the California state government, the New York City government, and the Department of Health and Human Services for their promotion of good health, instead we are told that the “Know Nothings” who think parents always know what is best, should rule the day!

The answer is NO, as many adults make WRONG choices that affect the health and well being of their children for the rest of their lives! There is nothing wrong with promoting good health and good habits!

And, by the way, if Sarah Palin is such a good parent, then why is it she cannot teach the values in her children to avoid becoming pregnant when still teenagers and unmarried? And realize that if young women, less fortunate in their family assets than Bristol Palin, become pregnant, it often condemns them to a lifetime of poverty!

Should not the national government do everything it can through advocacy and example to avoid promoting poverty and bad health? Of course!

So what it comes down to is that Sarah Palin and other conservatives are simply promoting hatred and suspicion of government, as the Tea Party Movement has been doing! 🙁

That could be called libertarianism by many, or maybe it is actually anarchism in hiding? 🙁

47 Years After Kennedy Funeral, Has America Lost Its Idealism and Optimism About the Future?

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A half century ago, when John F. Kennedy was President, there was a sense of idealism and optimism, a sense of commitment to others, and a belief that challenges could be overcome and great things accomplished!

Today, there is little sense of these feelings in America, and we have become a very self centered, materialistic society, in which family life has deteriorated, and gloom and doom resonates! 🙁

There is cynicism, pessimism, fear, and hysteria present among a large portion of the population, and no longer do most people believe in the so called “American Dream” of happiness and success!

We are being told that we cannot sustain New Deal social programs, cannot promote a decent education system, deal with the energy crisis, create jobs for millions of unemployed Americans, and rebuild our infrastructure which is in desperate need of repair!

A nation that does not have dreams and goals, but instead practices the art of personal destruction of public figures in the name of partisanship, is a nation in a terminal state if we cannot revive faith in the future! 🙁

Could it be that 47 years ago, with the Kennedy funeral and burial in Arlington National Cemetery on this day,  our nation’s greatness had reached its peak?

Some would say absolutely YES, that the nation never has fully recovered from the horrors of the Kennedy Assassination, and that we are in a funk of our own making that will bring us down to a second rate power, unless we can restore the feelings and beliefs so prevalent when John F. Kennedy was President of the United States!

Iowa Congressman Steve King Wants To Abolish Birthright Citizenship In 14th Amendment! :(

Ronald 2 Comments

Right after the Civil War, the Republican Party passed the 14th Amendment and sent it to the states for ratification, and in 1868, the most important amendment since the Bill of Rights, up to the present day, went into effect!

The excuse of a Republican Party of 2010 now has Representative Steve King of Iowa, one of the most outrageous members of the House, wishing to repeal the birthright citizenship portion of the amendment, put into place 142 years ago!

Constitutional experts say this attempt to take away citizenship from children born of illegal immigrants would be unconstitutional, but the plan is to pass legislation and have it challenged, and then push for a constitutional amendment to ban “anchor babies”!

Others, including Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have also backed such an idea, which would be setting up a new category of children born in the United States, who would be technically stateless!

If such a law or amendment was passed, it would be a violation of human rights, but it is certain no such amendment could pass, since it would require a two thirds vote of both houses of Congress, and thankfully, such despicable thoughts are not shared by that large a number of the members of Congress! 🙁

Sarah Palin, Barbara Bush, And North Korea! How Can Anyone Take Sarah Seriously? :(

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Sarah Palin lashed out today at former First Lady Barbara Bush for suggesting that Sarah should stay in Alaska, during the interview conducted by Larry King on CNN with the first President Bush and his wife.

Calling them “blue bloods” who were “immature”, “inefficient”, and “unprofessional”, she said the American people did not want the Republican Party dictating who they should support! One has to wonder what she meant by the terms described above, as it is all very unclear, as she is on a regular basis! 🙁

But even worse than her reaction to Barbara Bush is Sarah Palin’s reaction to the threatened war between North and South Korea. Does not a President or a Presidential candidate need to know the basics of international relations, such as North Korea is the Communist nation that is the threat, and South Korea is our ally and a democratic nation? According to Sarah, we must back our ally, NORTH KOREA! 🙁

Is that an acceptable flub? Absolutely NO, and is further proof, along with her inane comments about “blue bloods” and Barbara Bush, that it is time for Sarah to bow out of the Presidential race before she becomes the laughing stock of the country, which actually, in many ways, she already is! 🙁

The Hypocrisy Of Freshman Republican Congressman Andy Harris On Health Care! :(

Ronald 1 Comment

Congressman elect Andy Harris of Maryland is a doctor who ran for Congress opposed to the Obama Health Care reform legislation!

Harris seems to have forgotten the Hippocratic Oath, as he was unconcerned about the reality of 30 million and more Americans lacking any health care, many with pre-existing conditions! 🙁

Instead, he has subscribed to the Hypocritical Oath–to condemn health care while being a doctor by profession, but complaining that the government sponsored health care plan for Congressmen does not kick in for a month after he takes the oath! 🙁

Harris had the gall at an orientation meeting for new members of Congress to complain about having no health care coverage for a month, when many have not had it for many years, and will continue to be in that state if the repeal of health care legislation ever comes about!

One would think that Dr. Harris should have enough wealth that he can afford to cover his own health care for a month!

In fact, one has to suggest why Harris would want to expect taxpayers to cover his health care costs, when he has plenty of assets to afford it on his own, unlike the millions of Americans who lack any ability to pay for health care!

Why doesn’t Harris think of government paid health care for him as “socialism”, and reject it?

In fact, why don’t the American people demand that all critics of the Obama Health Care plan be denied coverage, whether already in Congress or newly elected?

In other words, Republican naysayers, practice what you preach! Turn down any “handouts” from the government, and save taxpayers money!

Sarah Palin: The Prima Donna “Victim” Who Wants To Reform Journalism! :(

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Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has been the rage lately, with much attention being paid to her likely decision to run for President!

However, Sarah Palin is coming across as a prima donna, who sees herself as a “victim” of the “lamestream” news media, who have the gall to challenge her credentials and her knowledge of public affairs! She seems to be unable to accept criticism of her thin record and her public activities, expecting that only positive points can be made about her in print and on cable and television and radio!

Sarah lives in her own reality, with the idea that a person who has shown evidence of very little reading and a shallow knowledge of every topic and issue, somehow is qualified to be President of the United States!

The mainstream Republicans, along with independents and Democrats, are horrified at how Sarah Palin is co-opting all attention, despite the fact that her base are those Americans who never read and are totally lacking in knowledge and understanding of complex issues in foreign and domestic policy!

Can we afford to have such a “Know Nothing” mentality in the White House? Can we rely on a person so ignorant of issues to make tough decisions that affect the nation and the world in so many ways? 🙁

If Sarah Palin wishes to run for President, she needs to get a crash course in the issues, as we cannot afford to have a mediocre President in the 21st century! We have a right to expect the BEST from our leaders, not the least!

And if Sarah Palin wishes to run for President, she cannot be given a free pass to avoid questioning and interviews by news media she does not like! She is going through a job interview, and must answer all queries by ANY and ALL media if she wants the job, just as much as all of us must do the same when we apply for employment!

Instead of blaming Katie Couric of CBS for asking her what newspapers and magazines she reads, and what Supreme Court decisions she does not like, she needs to show evidence that she can answer such questions and has a fund of knowledge on public affairs!

Sarah Palin claims to want to “reform” journalism, so that it promotes the truth, but is she trying to say that Fox News Channel and Sean Hannity are the total truth in journalism? Any neutral observer would contest that what Fox News Channel does is true journalism, but rather is propaganda, lies and mistruths!

Sarah Palin should not be given the privilege of saying NO to the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, or any other news organization! She cannot be allowed to dictate who she talks to or answers questions from, as she must go through the obstacle course that every Presidential candidate goes through!

Has Barack Obama had the privilege of choosing his media contacts, as a candidate or as President? Whoever wishes to lead us must satisfy OUR expectations, not his or hers!

We do not have room for a prima donna “victim” in the White House, as the challenges of the Presidency requires a person who can deal with much bigger stresses than Katie Couric or any other journalist can pose!

In other words, as Harry Truman said, “if you cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!”