Independent View

Sec of State Clinton Clarifies Libyan Situation

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 20:47:00 +0000

If you share my thoughts, watching news of the rapidly developing situation in Libya, you are probably thinking "What is really happening, how has the United States become embroiled in this conflict within Libya and what is the US position?"

While I still have many questions, I believe that this position statement made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Paris answers some of our basic questions. It's one of the clearer policy statements to come out of this current Administration and, I think, worth sharing with readers of the Independent View.

Sec of State Clinton Speaks on the Libyan Situation

Argument In Favor of Developing Domestic Oil Resources

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 21:14:00 +0000

I agree with Rep. Young. With almost 3/4 of our oil coming from foreign sources, most of those sources not friends of the US, developing our domestic oil resources is essential to our national security as well as to our economic well-being.

~~ S. Lane

Click on the link below to view and listen to Rep. Young's speech in the House of Representatives.

Rep Don Young Urges Producing American Energy & Opening ANWR

[Posted by Sue Whalen blogging as S. Lane 3-18-2011]

The stunning decline of Barack Obama: 10 key reasons why the Obama presidency is in meltdown

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:24:00 +0000

This article zeroes in on the failures of the Obama Presidency with concise clarity. Very worth reading -- and rereading and sharing with your friends and associates of whatever political party or point of view.
Thanks to my friend JB for posting this link at Facebook.

~~ S. Lane

The stunning decline of Barack Obama: 10 key reasons why the Obama presidency is in meltdown

Nile Gardiner

Nile Gardiner is a Washington-based foreign affairs analyst and political commentator. He appears frequently on American and British television and radio, including Fox News Channel, CNN, BBC, Sky News, and NPR.

The last few weeks have been a nightmare for President Obama, in a summer of discontent in the United States which has deeply unsettled the ruling liberal elites, so much so that even the Left has begun to turn against the White House. While the anti-establishment Tea Party movement has gained significant ground and is now a rising and powerful political force to be reckoned with, many of the president’s own supporters as well as independents are rapidly losing faith in Barack Obama, with open warfare breaking out between the White House and the left-wing of the Democratic Party. While conservatism in America grows stronger by the day, the forces of liberalism are growing increasingly weaker and divided.

Against this backdrop, the president’s approval ratings have been sliding dramatically all summer, with the latest Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll of US voters dropping to minus 22 points, the lowest point so far for Barack Obama since taking office. While just 24 per cent of American voters strongly approve of the president’s job performance, almost twice that number, 46 per cent, strongly disapprove. According to Rasmussen, 65 per cent of voters believe the United States is going down the wrong track, including 70 per cent of independents.

The RealClearPolitics average of polls now has President Obama at over 50 per cent disapproval, a remarkably high figure for a president just 18 months into his first term. Strikingly, the latest USA Today/Gallup survey has the President on just 41 per cent approval, with 53 per cent disapproving.

There are an array of reasons behind the stunning decline and political fall of President Obama, chief among them fears over the current state of the US economy, with widespread concern over high levels of unemployment, the unstable housing market, and above all the towering budget deficit. Americans are increasingly rejecting President Obama’s big government solutions to America’s economic woes, which many fear will lead to the United States sharing the same fate as Greece.

Team Obama Calls Out Swat Team on Tea Party Patriots!

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Sun, 02 May 2010 22:48:00 +0000

S. Lane

Really !!

Definitely overreaction. Even the SWAT team members appear uncomfortable being there to police a peaceful gathering of patriotic moms and grandmothers, dads and grandfathers --

citizens exercising their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and assembly

AND singing "God Bless America"

Now how threatening is that?

Team Obama Calls Out Swat Team on Tea Party Patriots!

STEYN: Bigotry label for thee, not me - Washington Times

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Sun, 02 May 2010 20:28:00 +0000

This Washington Times editorial, written by Mark Steyn, a European immigrant, living legally in the United States, gives a reasoned perspective on immigration and why the influx of illegals is a serious problem which justifies legislation such as that passed in Arizona to control and contain it. The article also points out that large scale immigration into any country is not necessarily the boon the the host country's economy that some claimed it to be.

No, I am not anti-immigrantion if the immigrants come into our country legally. I am opposed to condoning illegal immigration and I do sometimes question whether the quotas for legal immigrants are set to high for the 21st century economic needs of the United States. ~~~ S. Lane

STEYN: Bigotry label for thee, not me - Washington Times

Obama’s Budget Director: Powerful Rationing Panel (Not Doctors) Will Control Health Care Levels

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 04:41:00 +0000

What those who researched the Health Care Plan prior to its passage by Congress realized, but many in the public, hearing only what supporters of the plan told us did not. This does not bode well for elder Americans who face potential rationing of medical services. ~~~ S. Lane

Breitbart.tv » Obama’s Budget Director: Powerful Rationing Panel (Not Doctors) Will Control Health Care Levels

Taxes: All Options "On the Table"

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 01:21:00 +0000

So much for the election campaign promise of no tax increases for anyone earning less than $250,000 a year.

Now a spokesman for the Obama administration says that everything is "on the table" and that includes consideration of additional taxes.

~~~ S. Lane

Interesting Observations about Education and Common Sense

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:54:00 +0000

Education does not always equal common sense, an observation which, as the writer of this article observes applies to those on both the liberal and the conservative sides of the political spectrum.

~~~ S. Lane

The A Students And Common Sense

Today on the Right, one side is arguing for what's come to be called a common sense conservatism, while intellectuals on the Right, especially some young ones, whine incessantly because they interpret it as a lack of ideas. So, they're invested in this or that cause of re-invention based upon everything from shopping at Sam's Club, to eating granola bars. And that is why I give our intellectuals such a hard time. If they're permitted to do on the Right what Obama and his A students are now doing on the Left, common sensemay disappear from American government for all, or a very long, time.

A Plague of ‘A’ Students
Why it’s so irksome being governed by the Obami.

The secret to the Obama annoyance is snotty lecturing. His tone of voice sends us back to the worst place in college. We sit once more packed into the vast, dreary confines of a freshman survey course—“Rocks for Jocks,” “Nuts and Sluts,” “Darkness at Noon.” At the lectern is a twerp of a grad student—the prototypical A student—insecure, overbearing, full of himself and contempt for his students. All we want is an easy three credits to fulfill a curriculum requirement in science, social science, or fine arts. We’ve got a mimeographed copy of last year’s final with multiple choice answers already written on our wrists. The grad student could skip his classes, the way we intend to, but there the s.o.b. is, taking attendance. (How else to explain this year’s census?)

--
Sent via a FeedFlare link from a FeedBurner feed.
http://www.google.com/support/feedburner/bin/answer.py?answer=78966&topic=13246

"Obama's credibility crisis"

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:31:00 +0000

Of particular interest in this Washington Examiner Editorial (April 25, 2010) is the writer's observation that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius admitted that "We don't know how much [the Health Care Bill] is going to cost." Really? A careful reading of the bill would have revealed that it will increase spending and therefore add to our national debt. Meanwhile, as Ms. Sebelius was claiming the administration didn't know what their health plan would cost, President Obama was assuring us that it would "reduce government health care spending." . . . . Just one of the areas this editorial notes in which Obama's statements do not square with the facts. ~~~ S. Lane

On Obamacare, the president and his appointees said repeatedly over the last year that it would reduce government health care spending. Yet now comes Kathleen Sebelius, Obama's Department of Health and Human Services secretary, confessing that "We don't know how much it's going to cost." Why is Sebelius only now saying this when her own department just made public a report obviously months in preparation that projected government health care costs overall will go up, not down? That same HHS report also said Obamacare's Medicare cuts could put 15 percent of all hospitals out of business, making treatment harder to get and more expensive, especially for seniors.

Read more at the Washington Examiner

"Something Fishy Is Going On"

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:49:00 +0000

What you'll see in this video explains why I don't buy fish and seafood unless it is labeled "Product of USA" and is fresh. There is one store where I live that has a special seafood/meat counter and the "butcher" will answer my questions as to where the products come from and whether they are farm raised or wild, fresh or frozen. Unfortunately we cannot trust unlabeled fish or seafood. And obviously inspection is lax at best. The FDA isn't doing it's job of protecting consumers -- no surprise there of course. Trade policies that over a long period of time encourage importing foreign products and regulations that discourage domestic production also contribute to the increase in unsafe foods and produce in our groceries. Thank you GATT, NAFTA and over zealous environmental policies. ~~ S. Lane

One Point of View

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:30:00 +0000

This article from the East Valley Tribune presents an interesting commentary on President Barack Obama's behavior and actions as president. ~~ S, Lane

Going off the deep end - Floyd and Beth Brown

East Valley Tribune - Phoenix, AZ - April 13, 2010

To read the full article and see comments, click on the link above ...

A recent analysis by Roger Simon of PJTV Media maintains that Obama is showing signs of mental illness. A wide variety of commentators have observed that Obama displays severe narcissism. Obama is conceited, and he is demonstrating a serious disassociation from reality.

A recent case in point was Obama's bizarre and meandering 17-minute, 2,500-word answer to the simple question about how he could justify raising taxes for ObamaCare during a recession when citizens are already overtaxed. Obama's wildly inappropriate answer left the audience stunned and led commentator Charles Krauthammer to mockingly say, "I don't know why you are so surprised. It’s only nine times the length of the Gettysburg address, and after all Lincoln was answering an easier question, the higher purpose of the union and the soldiers who fell in battle."

This lapse of delusion occurred in front of a friendly audience. Overall, Barack Obama seems to be slipping into a slightly more delusional state these days.

On Monday, following his embarrassing answer on Saturday, Obama stopped by the Washington Nationals home opener to loft an effeminate toss toward home plate constituting the ceremonial first pitch. After this display, Obama was mucking it up in the press booth talking about his love of the Chicago White Sox. The announcers asked Obama which players he supported growing up a White Sox fan. After hemming and hawing for about 30 seconds, Obama responded that he grew up in Hawaii and was actually an A's fan. Again, he avoided mentioning any players by name. Obama seems to believe that he can say whatever he wants, and not reap the consequences or be forced to defend his empty assertions. Obama behaves in a manner so disconnected from reality that he is shocked when someone has the audacity to question him. Obama acts like his word is infallible.

In March of last year Obama was on “60 Minutes” with Steve Kroft. Throughout the interview as Kroft questioned about the economic downturn and people losing their life savings, Obama just kept laughing. A one point CBS’s Kroft stopped him and asked, “Are you punch drunk?" How will the American people react to seeing their president laugh off their predicament? Obama’s inappropriate laughter clearly demonstrated he has lost touch with the pain that people are feeling.

Obama portrays himself as the larger-than-life figure towering above the political fray. At the summit when Obama was pushing his health care package through Congress, he attempted to act as if he were the chief arbiter of truth. With petty insults, he slapped down what the Republicans proposed and audaciously claimed his was a “bipartisan bill.” Obama distorts the truth with such frequency that one must start to question if Obama even realizes he is lying or is so disassociated from the truth that he believes what he says.

A further example of Obama’s delusions of grandeur occurred when he gave himself a “good solid B plus.” Believing that his presidency was an above average success when America is hurting is absurd. Obama went so far as to claim that he would give himself an “A” once health care was passed. Obama is not living in the same reality as the rest of us.

Five More Join in Suit Challenging Health Care Bill

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 06:56:00 +0000

For those of us who believe that we should continue to be free to make choices regarding whether or not to purchase health insurance and, if we purchase it, to freely choose our carrier and type of policy and make our own choices about our health care providers and procedures, it is encouraging to see that states are challenging the Constitutionality of the Obama health care plan. ~~ S. Lane

UPDATE 3-Florida says challenge to healthcare reform widens

* Five more states joining suit, which will now group

Reuters Wed Apr 7, 2010 3:35pm EDT

Poem: A Soldier Died Today

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 22:18:00 +0000

Generally, poetry really isn't my favorite form of literature, but sometimes a poem comes along that is simple, direct and down-to-earth and really "speaks to me." This is one of those so I just thought I'd share it here. ~~ S. Lane

Just a Common Soldier

by A. Lawrence Vaincourt 1985

He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Bob has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.
He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories

From the time that they were young

But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.

It's so easy to forget them,
For it is so many times
That our Bobs and Jims and Johnnys,
Went to battle, but we know,

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier--
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:

"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,

A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

"Obamacare" - An Analysis of Impact on Constitutional Liberties

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 20:18:00 +0000

Though somewhat long, this analysis of the health care bill, now passed by Congress, is well worth reading. If it seems a lot to digest in one reading, bookmark it and come back to read in depth as I did when I originally received this information from a friend at one of the list groups I belong to. ~~ S. Lane

Under Liberty is the stuff about home visits....

Brief · March 15, 2010

The Foundation

"I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary...." --Thomas Jefferson

For the Record

"'We allow the insurance industry to run wild in this country,' President Obama declared [last] Monday. 'We can't have a system that works better for the insurance companies than it does for the American people.' Yet Obama's plan to tame health insurers would boost their business, protect them from competition and guarantee their profits, all at the expense of consumers and taxpayers. It is therefore not surprising that the insurance companies, while they object to the president's rhetoric and quibble over some of the details, are happy to be domesticated. ... As he himself notes, 'They're going to have 30 million new customers,' thanks to the government's mandates and subsidies. To distract us from the favor he is doing for insurers, Obama claims to be getting tough with them by demanding that they take all comers and charge them all the same rates, without regard to health. While abolishing risk-based pricing contradicts a basic principle of the insurance business, the industry has to weigh the loss of that freedom against the gain of government-guaranteed revenue. Despite his talk about reining in 'excessive' premium hikes, Obama's plan commits him to keeping insurers financially sound so they can provide the coverage he is promising. ... In essence, then, Obama's plan would use money forcibly extracted from taxpayers and policyholders to keep insurers healthy." --columnist Jacob Sullum

Opinion in Brief

"For Congress to guarantee a right to health care, or any other good or service, whether a person can afford it or not, it must diminish someone else's rights, namely their rights to their earnings. The reason is that Congress has no resources of its very own. Moreover, there is no Santa Claus, Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy giving them those resources. The fact that government has no resources of its very own forces one to recognize that in order for government to give one American citizen a dollar, it must first, through intimidation, threats and coercion, confiscate that dollar from some other American. If one person has a right to something he did not earn, of necessity it requires that another person not have a right to something that he did earn. To argue that people have a right that imposes obligations on another is an absurd concept. A better term for new-fangled rights to health care, decent housing and food is wishes. If we called them wishes, I would be in agreement with most other Americans for I, too, wish that everyone had adequate health care, decent housing and nutritious meals. However, if we called them human wishes, instead of human rights, there would be confusion and cognitive dissonance. The average American would cringe at the thought of government punishing one person because he refused to be pressed into making someone else's wish come true. None of my argument is to argue against charity. Reaching into one's own pockets to assist his fellow man in need is praiseworthy and laudable. Reaching into someone else's pockets to do so is despicable and deserves condemnation." --economist Walter E. Williams

The Gipper

"Welfare is another of our major problems. We are a humane and generous people and we accept without reservation our obligation to help the aged, disabled, and those unfortunates who, through no fault of their own, must depend on their fellow man. But we are not going to perpetuate poverty by substituting a permanent dole for a paycheck. There is no humanity or charity in destroying self-reliance, dignity, and self-respect ... the very substance of moral fiber." --Ronald Reagan

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Liberty

"It's all supposed to be voluntary, those 'home visits' that are tucked into the mammoth Obamacare bill. If you have a strong stomach, and a stronger bottom, you can find home visitation on pages 568-595. That's Section 2951 of H.R. 3590, the Senate [health care] bill.... The bill provides for federal funding and supervision for this vast expansion of government intrusion into family life. This is the Nanny State on steroids. Is your family being 'targeted' for such home visitations? Let's see if you fit into one of these very broad categories: Families where Mom is not yet 21. (No mention here whether she is married or not.) Families where someone is a tobacco user. (Does this include the White House? Watch out, Sasha and Malia! Does Grandpa, whom you love and have taken in, enjoy his after-dinner pipe?) Families where children have low student achievement, developmental delays, or disabilities. As if that list were not wide-ranging enough, here's the net that can encompass tens of millions: Families with individuals who are serving or formerly served in the armed forces, including such families that have members of the armed forces who have had multiple deployments outside the United States. [Emphasis added.] ... Do you spank your children? You should know that HHS bureaucrats think you are an abuser. Do you support the Second Amendment? How would you like HHS bureaucrats asking your children if you maintain firearms in the home for family protection? Do you home-school your kids? Take care. Members of Congress who have tried to abolish home-schooling are big backers of this health care bill. Do you wonder why? ... One thing is clear: For life and liberty, we must defeat ObamaCare." --columnist Ken Blackwell

Government

"The most disturbing part of the ObamaCare debate is not about where Republicans and Democrats disagree, but where they agree. Take this issue of those with pre-existing illnesses. Many Republicans actually support government action to prevent insurance companies from refusing to insure them. Ignoring the benefits of cost-lowering free market competition and the role of charity, many Republicans believe it acceptable to force an insurance company -- in business to insure against unknown risks -- to 'insure' someone currently experiencing a known risk. ... But this should not surprise anyone who observes the allegedly 'fiscally conservative,' 'pro-free market,' 'limited government' party in action. From the acceptance of the New Deal to government bailouts of private industry, Republicans -- sooner or later -- go along. ... The entire ObamaCare debate starts off in the wrong place -- with Republicans agreeing that 'reform' is necessary, health care 'costs too much' and that government must 'make health care more affordable.' But it is because of government -- laws, regulations and policies -- that users pay more for services and drugs than they otherwise would." --columnist Larry Elder

Culture

"It was once the proud declaration of many educators that 'We are here to teach you how to think, not what to think.' But far too many of our teachers and professors today are teaching their students what to think, about everything from global warming to the new trinity of 'race, class and gender.' Even if all the conclusions with which they indoctrinate their students were 100 percent correct, that would still not be equipping students with the mental skills to weigh opposing views for themselves, in order to be prepared for new and unforeseeable issues that will arise over their lifetimes, after they leave the schools and colleges. Many of today's 'educators' not only supply students with conclusions, they promote the idea that students should spring into action because of these prepackaged conclusions -- in other words, vent their feelings and go galloping off on crusades, without either a knowledge of what is said by those on the other side or the intellectual discipline to know how to analyze opposing arguments. ... A philosopher once said that the most important knowledge is knowledge of one's own ignorance. That is the knowledge that too many of our schools and colleges are failing to teach our young people." --economist Thomas Sowell

Faith & Family

"If anyone was looking for a self-righteous extreme feminist, they found one in Angie Jackson. This is a woman who was so proud she was aborting her baby that she announced she would 'tweet' her chemical-cocktail abortion live, as it happened, on Twitter. The liberal media found this made-for-TV slaughter fascinating, and not at all a controversy worthy of discussing with two sides. Newsweek's Sarah Kliff proclaimed: 'One hundred thousand people have watched Angie Jackson's abortion. Late last month, Jackson posted a video of herself to YouTube, recorded after she took RU-486, a medication used to end pregnancies.' Kliff asked only 'why shame remains' about the act of killing one's baby. Jackson was honored for her courage in 'demystifying' and 'destigmatizing' the procedure: 'We need 10,000 more of her,' proclaimed Peg Johnston, chair of something called the Abortion Care Network. This desire for 10,000 more unashamed abortions is what 'pro-choice' is all about." --columnist L. Brent Bozell

Reader Comments

"Mark Alexander's essay, 'When Debating a Liberal...,' was excellent analysis. Thank you! It is very helpful to understand the futility of arguing with the 'radical left.' I have been naive enough to believe that surely they, too, sought truth and that a logical presentation of truth would change their minds. I have been beating my head against the wall. I look forward to less knots on my noggin now!" --Anne

"The 'Slaughter Solution' will result in the slaughter of the Dim's at the polls. It unfortunately will destroy the America health care system first. A bigger tragedy, of course, would be the decimation of the Constitution. I could not sleep last night contemplating the consequences of such a move by the duly elected representatives. This proves that the more local the Govt the more accountable it is and opens new vistas of remedies for such traitorous behavior.

"For the census I will answer only the one constitutionally mandated question (see Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3) the number of residents in the home. If they want any other questions answered they should follow the Fourth Amendment and present a warrant. And if they press further I will follow the Fifth Amendment and refuse to answer. Patrick Henry call your office." --Howard

Political Futures

"Republicans were fired from their control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the election of 2006 for a number of reasons. Spending too much generally was one of them. Bloating appropriations bills with 'earmarks' to reward friends and supporters was another. Iraq was certainly a major contributing factor. But, what weighed House Republicans down like an anchor around their collective necks was: Scandal. Duke Cunningham's written menu of acceptable bribe amounts. Jack Abramoff buying Members and staff like heads of romaine lettuce at Whole Foods. And the father of all the scandals, Mark Foley. I won't regurgitate the whole sordid Foley story here ... but it involved the Florida Republican having inappropriate text-message conversations with a 16-year-old male page; the House Republican Leadership knowing about it; and nothing being done. The implication was that Speaker's office thought it was more important to protect the GOP brand than to protect a teenaged page from the predations of a Member of the House. Foley became the shorthand for everything voters disliked -- hated -- about Republicans in the House. ... It is important to remember what that felt like, four long years ago, because House Democrats [now] find themselves in much the same position." --political analyst Rich Galen

The Last Word

"'Maybe it will take a woman to clean up the House,' Nancy Pelosi boasted before the 2006 midterm elections. Looks like those XX chromosomes didn't give her much advantage over the old cleaning crew. ... On Thursday afternoon, by a vote of 402-1, the House overwhelmingly passed a privileged resolution offered by the Republican leadership demanding a formal House Ethics Committee investigation of Pelosi and her (mis)handling of harassment allegations concerning disgraced former New York Rep. Eric Massa. The soft-on-corruption ethics panel (see under 'Rangel, Charlie') had decided to shut down its investigation after Massa abruptly resigned on Monday. But with reports piling up on how Massa kept a Capitol Hill playhouse filled with young, low-paid male staffers, and how Pelosi's office had fielded complaints of his bizarre and inappropriate behavior back in October, the House decided to pry the lid back open and put a stop to what the resolution calls the 'public ridicule' the seeming cover-up has invited. Housecleaner Pelosi cannot be pleased by the second-guessing of her handiwork. Color her an un-merry maid. Even Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy, fresh from his raving House floor meltdown over media coverage of the Massa mess, voted for the GOP-initiated House resolution. Finally: Bipartisanship we can believe in!" --columnist Michelle Malkin

(To submit reader comments click here.)

*****

(Please pray for our Armed Forces standing in harm's way around the world, and for their families -- especially families of those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who granted their lives in defense of American liberty.)

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It Was A Republic, But We Couldn’t Keep

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:37:00 +0000

Will it never end?

Will the daily, relentless assault on our freedoms by the current socialist-in-chief, President Barack Obama, and the socialist Democrat-controlled Congress never end?

Will the constant pounding and pounding on the Constitution by Obama and Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the rest of the socialist elite elected class—as they work to not just chip away at our nation’s foundation as progressives before them, but to obliterate it completely—never end?

Will the takeover of business and industry never end?
Will the calls for a cap-and-trade system that will raise taxes and energy costs and further erode out economic well-being never end?
Will the push for amnesty for illegal aliens never end?

Will the spending and the money printing and currency debasement never end?
Will the hubris of the elected class never end?
Apparently not.
Day by day; week by week; month by month the socialist Democrats pounded away at so-called healthcare reform. In office for 14 months, the Obama-Pelosi-Reid triumvirate worked to enact a socialist, European-style big government healthcare system on America.
~~ To read the entire article, click on the link at the top of the page. S. Lane

Democrats' deafness reaps hate mail | detnews.com | The Detroit News

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 20:41:00 +0000

A little calm is in order amidst the major media's emphasis on the violent nature of reaction to the passage of the health care bill.

With only a few exceptions, protests have been limited to angry language of the type that is a fairly common in heated political disagreements. As the writer of this article states, some of the language is inappropriate and rude (and I would add rhetorical exaggeration), but that doesn't alter the fact that a significant portion of the American people are not pleased with being ignored by their Representatives and Senators. Nor are they pleased with a bill that gives the federal government control over 1/6 of the economy, dictates (yes dictates) that they purchase health insurance, takes away choices and plants the seeds for controlling the amount and kind of health care they will be eligible to receive in the near future. The people are justified in being displeased, though not perhaps in the way some express that displeasure. But the level of their rhetoric is understandable and the actual "threats" are being grossly overstated by much of the media. ~~~ S. Lane

Democrats' deafness reaps hate mail

From The Detroit News

The real threat presented by the hate mail is to the Democratic pretense that they've passed a bill demanded and welcomed by the American people. Neither Stupak nor Schauer can say with any credibility that their votes represented the will of their right-of-center Michigan districts.
Nor can the Democratic caucus as a whole. Democrats won the White House and control of Congress on the votes of a broad majority of the country. Then they declared a mandate to govern on behalf of their narrow partisan base.
That's why people are angry. They feel betrayed. And they don't get a sense that their feelings matter in Washington.
Elections have consequences. But so does political arrogance. Democrats made a higher priority of delivering a political victory for President Barack Obama than serving the nation with good policymaking.
Now they're learning that the majority isn't silent. If Democrats keep pretending not to hear the people, they'll only grow louder and angrier.

Democrats' deafness reaps hate mail | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Congress health care vote: a dark day for freedom in America

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:35:00 +0000

This short article published in the UK Telegraph is a "must read." It is especially interesting because the writer knows government health programs first hand, living in a country where government health care has been a reality for quite some years. ~~ S. Lane

Congress health care vote: a dark day for freedom in America

Reading Tea Party Leaves

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:23:00 +0000

Good article about the Tea Party movement and it's detractors. Thanks, JB, for posting this at your Facebook page. ~~ S. Lane

Reading Tea Party Leaves

By Jonah Goldberg

Reading Tea Party Leaves

Judge Andrew Napolitano: Regulating Health Care is Not a Constitutional Right of The Government

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:27:00 +0000

FreeTheNation
October 02, 2009

Judge Andrew Napolitano gives a speech from the heart about freedom and from where our rights come. The Judge explains the hard core truth about the Constitution and why we must fight to regain and retain our freedoms. Courtesy of www.CampaignForLiberty.com. Edited by FreeTheNation.com
Ron Paul, Rand Paul, Peter Schiff, Tom Woods, Andrew Napolitano and Daniel Hannan are the new FREEDOM FIGHTERS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n2m-X7OIuY

What the Health Care Debate is Really All About

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 06:20:00 +0000

Good article at Real Clear Politics which takes a sensible approach to analyzing the health care cost issue.

What the Health Care Debate is Really All About

While We Scrimp, Congressmen Spent Like Money Grows on Tres

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:11:00 +0000

CNN's Cafferty attacks the free spending, junketing liberals in Congress. He's right on this time. ~~~ S. Lane

Global Gun Control Warning

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:09:00 +0000

I don't think the facts and warning in this video is exaggerated. ~~~ S. Lane

Michael Connelly on the Health Care Bills

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:08:00 +0000

Whether anything can now stop passage of the Obama Health Care legislation is doubtful. However, considering the massive new controls and taxes this legislation would impose on us all, it is certainly worth making that effort, keeping the pressure on our elected Representatives and Senators. This article by retired Constitutional lawyer Michael Connelly underscores the reasons. ~~~ S. Lane

The Truth About the Health Care Bills

Posted August 12, 2009

Well, I have done it! I have read the entire text of proposed House Bill 3200: The Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009. I studied it with particular emphasis from my area of expertise, constitutional law. I was frankly concerned that parts of the proposed law that were being discussed might be unconstitutional. What I found was far worse than what I had heard or expected.

Mainstream Media Beginning to See a Glimmer -- Quite a Bit Too Late

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:12:00 +0000

It seems that at least a few in the major media, despite a consistently liberal bias, are (finally) seeing a few flaws in Barrack Obama. Finally realizing (or finally admitting publicly) that his promises just do not square with reality, with his actions. While this certainly seems like too little, too late, it is at least a bit encouraging that even a few of those who would tolerate no criticism of a man who appeared to be their idol are beginning to realize that he has flaws. I'm not counting on anything here, such as the major media standing up on issues that threaten our Constitutional republic, but even this amount of actual journalistic objectivity is a welcome change. ~~~ S. Lane

CBS Catches Up with Conservatives and Realizes Obama Has 'Credibility' Problem

Long after conservatives and the American people figured it out, CBS on Monday night came to the realization President Barack Obama has a "credibility" problem fueled by the "disconnect" between Obama's promise to reduce the deficit as he pushes for massive new spending. Back in August, the CBS Evening News denigrated the town hall questioners as "unruly protests," but on Monday reporter Chip Reid warned:

The American people are increasingly questioning the President's credibility. He says the stimulus has saved or created 640,000 jobs, but only seven percent of Americans believe it has created any. And he's repeatedly promised health care reform will not increase the deficit, but a mere 19 percent believe him.

Reid proceeded to relay how CBS News analyst John Dickerson "says for many Americans there's a basic disconnect -- a President who promises to trim the budget but only seems to want to spend and spend." More amazing for CBS, Reid noted how "highly respected foreign policy analyst Leslie Gelb" called Obama's just-completed Asia trip "'amateur hour' for failing to get deals locked in before the President left home."

Katie Couric set up the story by asking: "Is the honeymoon over? Though President Obama has been in office less than a year, many Americans are growing disenchanted with his handling of the enormous problems he and the country are facing -- from unemployment to health care to Afghanistan." She introduced Reid by worrying: "Are there signs of strain apparent at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue these days?"

(Meanwhile, over on World News, ABC anchor Charles Gibson fretted over all the "problems" Obama "faces, all coming to a head, it seems, soon. Health care to be debated by the Senate but support could easily unravel, a much delayed presidential decision on more troops for Afghanistan and, on the horizon, the huge ballooning costs of the federal deficit.")

The MRC's Brad Wilmouth corrected the closed-captioning against the video to provide this transcript of the story on the Monday, November 23 CBS Evening News:

KATIE COURIC: Turning to politics now, is the honeymoon over? Though President Obama has been in office less than a year, many Americans are growing disenchanted with his handling of the enormous problems he and the country are facing – from unemployment to health care to Afghanistan. His poll numbers are sliding, and at least one poll, Gallup, shows his job approval rating has fallen for the first time below 50 percent. Chip Reid is at the White House tonight. And, Chip, are there signs of strain apparent at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue these days?

CHIP REID: There sure are, Katie. The President is getting battered on everything from health care to the economy to foreign policy. Some polls show Americans are increasingly questioning his credibility. It's a speech the President has given over and over-

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA Our economy's growing again for the first time in more than a year.

REID: -emphasizing the good news and promising to fix the bad.

OBAMA: I will not rest until businesses are investing again and businesses are hiring again and people have work again.

REID: But with unemployment over 10 percent and expected to rise for months to come, he offered no new ideas. He says next week's White House jobs summit will break new ground, but critics are already dismissing the summit as a gimmick. To make matters worse, the American people are increasingly questioning the President's credibility. He says the stimulus has saved or created 640,000 jobs, but only seven percent of Americans believe it has created any [CBS News poll]. And he's repeatedly promised health care reform will not increase the deficit, but a mere 19 percent believe him [Quinnipiac poll].

JOHN DICKERSON, CBS NEWS POLITICAL ANALYST: The more he talks about these hard issues, the less people are buying it.

REID: Dickerson says for many Americans there's a basic disconnect – a President who promises to trim the budget but only seems to want to spend and spend.

DICKERSON: People want something to be done about the deficit, and here he's talking about spending a trillion more dollars.

REID: All this comes as the so-called debt bomb is getting ready to explode. The national debt is now more than $12 trillion – simply paying the interest on the debt is expected to soar from $200 billion to $700 billion by 2019. The President is also suffering a credibility gap on foreign policy. He called his eight-day Asia trip a "job strategy" but came home with little to show for it. Highly respected foreign policy analyst Leslie Gelb calls the trip "amateur hour" for failing to get deals locked in before the President left home. On Afghanistan tonight, the President holds his ninth meeting with his war council, a full month after Dick Cheney accused him of dithering over the decision – and the President says it's still several weeks away.

REID, AT WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING: Are you concerned that Americans are increasingly looking at this President as simply indecisive and uncertain?

REID: It's a topic that dominated today's White House briefing.

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think the American people want the President to take time to get this decision right.

REID: But while the President is taking all that time, some Democratic opponents of a troop surge are stealing the spotlight. They're calling for a war tax to pay for any additional troops.

— Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center

Letter to President Obama - Harold Estes

noreply@blogger.com (Sue Whalen blogging as S Lane) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:52:00 +0000

I checked Snopes on this. According to Snopes the truth of it is "Unverified." However, everything it says rings true as something a retired Navy Chief would write and it's very well stated. ~~ S. Lane

snopes.com: Letter to President Obama - Harold Estes

Posted using ShareThis

Here is an email letter circulating the Internet. The validity is still to be determined but the point is still clear. Source: TCUnation

This venerable and much honored WW II vet is well known in Hawaii
for his seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes
all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body,
he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now.
He dictated this letter to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president.

Dear President Obama,

My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don't believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.

I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos'n Mate. Now I live in a "rest home" located on the western end of Pearl Harbor, allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.

One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man.

So here goes.

I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do, but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish.

I can't figure out what country you are the president of.

You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like:

" We're no longer a Christian nation"

" America is arrogant" - (Your wife even

announced to the world,"America is mean-

spirited. " Please tell her to try preaching

that nonsense to 23 generations of our

war dead buried all over the globe who

died for no other reason than to free a

whole lot of strangers from tyranny and

hopelessness.)

I'd say shame on the both of you, but I don't think you like America, nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do, for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.

After 9/11 you said," America hasn't lived up to her ideals."

Which ones did you mean? Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British? Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man, that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War? I hope you didn't mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands, and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around, because we stand for freedom.

I don't think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.

Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man.

Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don't, I'll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue. You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.

And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don't want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts, who was putting up a fight? You don't mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don't want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.

One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life, but you're the Commander-in-Chief now, son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of.

You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president.

You're not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That's not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now.

And I sure as hell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle.

Sincerely,

Harold B. Estes