The Silent Majority presents a liberal perspective by Chris Dominguez

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Mitt Romney won Florida.  Decisively.  Predictably.  (Well, almost predictably.)  Running against a man with a lot of negatives to exploit, and enjoying the kind of financial resources necessary to exploit those negatives, Romney fought an ugly fight to win an crucial primary election in an important state.

We will hear a lot about how Romney’s Florida victory has “revitalized” his campaign, giving him crucial “momentum” and “energy” going into the next round of primaries.

Most of this, unfortunately, is media hype.  Romney was never dead to begin with, so this victory doesn’t revitalize anything.  And “momentum” and “energy” are scientific metaphors which don’t have much meaning until you specify exactly what they are supposed to mean in the political context.

What is definitely true is that Romney took advantage of Gingrich’s many weaknesses, and thereby showed just how vulnerable Gingrich is to a negative campaign.  But the same could be said about Gingrich after his victory in South Carolina — that he took advantage of Romney’s many weaknesses, and showed how vulnerable Romney could be.

So what does this all mean?

Well, the smart money is betting on Romney to win the Republican nomination at this point, mostly because he has deep pockets and a strong organization.  (And also, I guess, because he doesn’t have two ex-wives and a record of ethical violations.)  But it looks like Romney hit Gingrich so hard that Gingrich is taking it personally — which could mean that Gingrich will turn the remainder of this primary season into a brutal, drawn-out and highly personal attempt to hurt the man who hurt him.

As a Democrat and a Lah-tee-no, I naturally find this intramural Republican bloodletting to be entertaining, and I’ll be looking forward to the rest of the primary season.  As an American, though, I have to say that I am distressed to see the GOP, the former “Grand Old Party,” self-destruct this way.  Surely it can’t be true that the best representative of the vocal and committed Tea Party movement is the twice-divorced, ethically-challenged fatbody with a loud mouth and a trophy wife that is Newt Gingrich.   Surely it can’t be true that the best representative of the Republican establishment is the flip-floppy millionaire whose career path is a strange combination of Gordon Gekko and the Richard Gere character from Pretty Woman  – but without the civilizing influence of Julia Roberts to make him human again.

What this means is that the Republican party doesn’t deserve to win the 2012 presidential election against Barack Obama.  You guys might still win — because of the economy, which is largely beyond any president’s control, or because President Obama makes some sort of crucial unforced error — but if you do, it will have nothing to do with the quality of the candidate you eventually put forward or the ideological power of your ideas.  Gingrich and Romney are low-quality candidates by any measure, and if you guys cared about conservative ideas, Romney would never be in the driver’s seat.

This Republican party is not a suitable vehicle for the aspirations of the 50% of the population that leans conservative.  However, my conservative friends, this appears to be the Republican party you’ve got.

Oh — and one more thing.  Sarah Palin is running around saying that you guys ought to vote for Gingrich in the upcoming primaries to “annoy a liberal.”  Trust me, my conservative friends: if you vote for Gingrich, there is no way on God’s green earth that you will annoy a single one of us.  As a matter of fact, there may be no better way to make liberals happy than to vote for Gingrich in the upcoming primaries.

Anyway, there’s only one sure way to find out, right?

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The Silent Majority presents a liberal perspective by Chris Dominguez

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It looks like the Republican establishment is pulling out all the stops in a last-ditch effort to ensure that Newt Gingrich is not the 2012 Republican nominee.  And for what it’s worth, I think it’ll work.  Newt has a lot of weak spots that it will be easy to exploit, and believe you me, they are in the process of being exploited, even as I write.  On the other hand, I find it difficult to forget that the Republican establishment also pulled out all the stops last summer, too, and Gingrich is still here.  It is true that Gingrich has political liabilities that should be fatal to his career — his multiple adulteries, his ethical violations, his unpredictable personality and his predictable megalomania — but his chief rival Mitt Romney does too.

Where we will all end up, then, is anybody’s guess.

Well, my conservative friends, this ain’t my fight.  I’ve already got my candidate for the 2012 election.  But I have to admit that I am fascinated by what’s happening in Florida right now.   I mean, how did Gingrich do it?  How does a chubby, unattractive, multiply-adulterous, ethically-dubious man with a terrible personality end up as a serious threat to a guy like Mitt Romney?

(By the way, in the Hispanically-challenged Dominguez household, Romney’s name is pronounced “Mik Rongney.”  Yes, my conservative friends, I’m working on my English, but I have to admit that it’s taking longer than I thought it would.  Plis don’t be too impatient with me.)

The answer, of course, is that he does it with words.  In terms of sheer ability to produce and manipulate political rhetoric, Gingrich is one of the best this country has ever produced.  And also: he has no shame about anything he has ever done, and therefore never fights with one hand tied behind his back, the way that Richard Nixon did.  As a result, Newt Gingrich is, as one of our most contemporary politicians once said about a powerful rival, “an unusually good liar.”  He will pull out all the stops, go on the offensive when he ought to be pulling back in a defensive crouch, shade the truth without feeling guilty about it, turn disgusting sentiments into homespun pieties that sound just like common sense, and say audacious things in a professorial tone that suggests that you shouldn’t worry too much if you don’t understand; just do your homework and your reading and it’ll all be clear by next week.

As a matter of fact, the rhetorical innovations that he introduced to American politics in the 1980s and 1990s continue to dominate the American political scene.  If conservatives think that Democrats are “bizarre,” “hypocritical,” “anti-family,” “radical,” or “permissive,” it is due in no small part to the fact that Gingrich noticed how effective these particular words are, and published a memo in 1996 showing his fellow Republicans how to use these words systematically to defeat Democrats.

As we have all seen in these endless Republican debates, Gingrich can hold his own on the debate stage.  To be sure, he didn’t do all that well in the debate that was held last night — but that’s merely a function of the can’t-win-them-all feature of politics.  Gingrich is a good debater and a great manipulator of political language.

So Gingrich could, in theory, give President Obama a run for his money in a presidential debate.  Maybe that’s enough for the Tea Party.  Maybe it’s enough to see the President spar with an intellectual equal for once, instead of constantly watching him brush off challenges from intellectual pygmies like Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann.  If nothing else, it would be entertaining.

That’s the drawback for me and my Democratic friends.  I wouldn’t want to see Gingrich on a debate stage with President Obama, although I would definitely tune in.  A debate between Gingrich and Obama would be more suspenseful than any mystery or spy thriller could hope to be.

Here’s the drawback for you, my conservative friends.  Gingrich is a master of political rhetoric.  He creates his own reality-distortion field.  He is a shameless liar.  And he, personally, will do just fine whether he wins the presidency this year or not — he’ll have his millions of dollars and his beautiful Callista to keep him warm.  But words and rhetoric tend to stick around long after the speaker leaves the stage.  Gingrich has already manipulated the conservative mind — he’s been doing it for years — and if you guys have to support him in the 2012 election, you will have to accept his rhetoric as well. And you will have to live with the consequences.

You will have to swallow every exaggeration, every shading of the truth, every harebrained idea, every dubious historical analogy, every ridiculous pseudo-scholarly interpretation, that comes out of Gingrich’s mouth.  You might even come to believe the things he says.  And after he loses, the entire conservative movement will have to spend years, maybe decades, getting its bearings on reality again.  And if he should win…

Well, either way, I’m here to tell you that it’s a risk that conservatives really don’t want to take.

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Related External Links

• Newt's Rubio Rumble @ 2012 Presidential Election Year
• Morning Briefing for January 27, 2012 | RedState
• Gingrich sticks to the coded Republican playbook on racial matters …
• Simon Sheaff: Best and Worst of the GOP Presidential Debate
• Fact-Checking the Republican Presidential Debate in Jacksonville …

The Silent Majority presents a liberal perspective by Chris Dominguez

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All right, my conservative friends.  I know you don’t like Mitt Romney.  But do you really think that Newt Gingrich is your best card to play against President Obama in 2012?

Tonight,  Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary.  In one fell swoop, he has boosted his own campaign, crippled Romney’s campaign, and given hope to adulterous Republican politicians everywhere.  Mark Sanford must be wondering why in the sam hill he resigned his governorship, seeing as how the Palmetto State is so forgiving.

Speaking as a Democrat, I’ll say that I don’t mind seeing Gingrich do all right in the Republican primaries.  Unlike Cain or Bachmann, he has considerable experience at the top of the political food chain, he appears to be reasonably sane for a 2012 Republican, and — unlike Palin or Joe the Plumber — he actually has an IQ.

On the other hand.

On the other hand, Newt’s a serial adulterer who cheated on his second ex-wife with his current wife, and who cheated on his first ex-wife with his second ex-wife.  He’s been formally reprimanded by the U.S. House of Representatives for ethical violations — during a period when the House was controlled by Republicans.  Also on that other hand: he lost his Speakership because of his palpable personality flaws.  And also on that other hand: at a time when the American people appear suspicious of intellectual elites, he’s a man with a Ph.D.  At a time when many Americans have doubts about the rich, he’s a guy with a $500,000 line of credit at Tiffany’s.  And on that same other hand: in a Republican primary electorate dominated by a Tea Party faction that is all about conservative fundamentalism, Gingrich is a perfect representative of exactly the sort of corrupted Republicanism that lost the Republicans the House of Representatives and the Presidency within the last decade.

As I come to think of it, this is an awful lot for just one hand.

But wait, as the saying goes: there’s more.

One of the most passionate issues, on both sides of the aisle, has been gay rights.  The standard conservative line on gay rights has been that marriage ought to be between a man and a woman, and that any flex in the traditional meaning of marriage is tantamount to an attack on traditional institutions.  Gingrich may not be the best man to make this case to the American people.

Gingrich is also knee-deep in the 2008 financial crisis, having served as a highly-paid lobbyist to Freddie Mac between 1999 and 2002, and then between 2006 and 2008 — that is to say, during the key years of the problem — and having earned over $1,000,000 from Freddie Mac for his services.  Oh — and his line on this issue was that he had worked as a “historian” for Freddie Mac.

To which we reply: of course Gingrich worked as a historian.  Freddie Mac isn’t just your average gigantic multi-billion dollar corporation with important government and financial interests to protect; it’s a hotbed of cutting-edge research in the humanities and the social sciences.  Bet you didn’t know that, didja?  And here’s another fact for you: brilliant young history Ph.D.s coming out of Yale and Stanford are getting job offers with salaries in the range of $250,000/year.  Forget Wall Street.  Forget computer programming.  History is where it’s at, baby.  Especially if you are an expert in the history of the Belgian Congo, which just happens to be Gingrich’s scholarly specialty. 

Anyhow, Gingrich is still in the history business.  He just happens to be making it rather than writing it.  He surely must be the first presidential candidate to declare himself in favor of open marriage and go on to win an important primary race.

So what happens now?

Folks, I gotta tell you, I just don’t know.  This Republican field has been full of surprises of the sort that even superior experience and knowledge simply cannot cope with.  Donald Trump is in, then he’s out.  Sarah Palin is in, then she’s out.  Bachmann, and then Cain, and then Ron Paul, at the top of the polls.  Rick Perry gets in the race, looks like the man to beat, and then gets absolutely crushed in a matter of weeks.  Gingrich likes open marriage, and then he wins South Carolina.

I do know this: Romney is fighting for his life, and Newt has a lot of negatives to exploit.  So they are going to get exploited.  It’ s not going to be pretty.

Also this: a man who has cheated on two of his three wives probably has more sexual skeletons in the closet waiting to come out.  And a man who has been censured by his own House of Representatives probably has more financial skeletons in the closet waiting to come out.  And Gingrich will whine about the liberal media again, the way he always does, but eventually someone will point out that it wasn’t the liberal media out that forced him to go out and violate the commandment against adultery.  Or all the other commandments he appears to have violated.

Whatever.  I’m sure President Obama is quaking in his boots.

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Related External Links

• South Carolina Primary Election 2012: Newt Gingrich Wins Most …
• Newt Gingrich | SC Primary | Exit Polls | The Daily Caller
• Newt Gingrich wins startling victory in S.C. Republican primary …
• Newt Gingrich wins South Carolina Republican presidential primary …
• White House Race 2012 – AubreyJ.org: Presidential Election 2012 …

The Silent Majority presents a liberal perspective by Chris Dominguez

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Ah, my conservative friends.  It has been a long time, hasn’t it?  Almost two full months without a post from Silent Majority’s resident liberal voice.

I certainly owe ol’ Southron an apology for being gone for so long without giving him any notice whatsoever, but please, folks: I was knee-deep in a different writing project and I didn’t want to jinx myself by getting wrapped up in the day-to-day details of the Herman Cain disaster.

On the other hand, today’s news is far too fascinating to pass up.

Let me see if I have this straight.  Numero uno, Rick Perry is out of the race.  On the heels of the Huntsman withdrawal, this shows that the Republican 2012 presidential field is really starting to shape up, and in some surprising ways.

(I have to admit that I originally thought Perry would be a strong candidate.  In retrospect, that’s pretty embarrassing.)

(In fact, the presidential campaign of el Perris has been the occasion of, not one, but two serious political errors for me.  First, I thought that our good friend Rick would do far better in the presidential race.  And second, in the pages of this blog, I defended Mr. Perry against the charge that he was stupid.)

(Oh, the shame.)

(Do you hear that sniffly noise coming from behind your computer screen?   That’s me, weeping uncontrollable tears over my lost dignity as a political analyst. )

(Ah, Dio’ mio, where was I?)

(Oh, yes: the Rick Perry and Jon Huntsman withdrawals.)

I also had hopes that Huntsman would be there at the finish line.  It wasn’t embarrassing to me to see Huntsman withdraw — he’s pretty clearly not the right Republican for this tea-drinking version of the Republican party — but it was definitely disappointing.  Huntsman seemed like the one guy in the Republican race who was both trustworthy and sane.  He’ll be all right, mind you — as a matter of fact, I think Huntsman will probably be the Republican frontrunner in 2016.  Still, I sure am sorry to see him go.

And so now we are faced with a Romney vs. Santorum vs. Gingrich vs. Paul race.

Except that — numero dos — Gingrich’s ex-wife has come out with allegations that Newt wanted to have an open marriage.

My Republican friends, with all due respect: What the hell is going on with your party? 

Do I not remember Gingrich yammering endlessly about family values?  About how the Democrats were all morally suspect, what with their gay-rights and Paula Joneses and their out-of-wedlock welfare babies?  Am I not correct to think that Gingrich was one of the guys who pilloried Bill Clinton for years on end over a consensual relationship with a female who had actually pursued him? 

Of course, this news about Gingrich is not really that much of a surprise, if you think about it.  Gingrich is, after all, a twice-divorced serial adulterer who was censured by the House of Representatives for ethical violations.

But still: Newt Gingrich wanted an open marriage.  This may not be quite as good as the story of the Republican Senate candidate who was married to the actress who played Seven-of-Nine on Star Trek and took her to sex clubs in Paris and New York so that he could engage in wife-swapping, but it’s pretty darn close.

Meanwhile, there’s Rick Santorum, who is running for president because he thinks that the Democrats are a bunch of perverts.

Ha.

Perhaps Santorum should worry a bit less about my fellow liberals, and a bit more about his fellow Republicans, n’est-ce pas? 

For what it’s worth, it looks like Santorum still has a chance.  He’s shaping up to be the only viable alternative to Mitt Romney.

Who would’ve thunk it?

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Related External Links

• Gingrich wanted an open marriage, Rick Perry is out. I think this …

The Empire Prepares To Strike Back

A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

The UK’s “The Guardian” has an excellent article by Simon Tisdall entitled:  “Putin prepares the Russian empire to strike back.”  (HERE)

Mr. Tisdall, right at the outset of his article, states what to Americans, on the right side of the political spectrum, is obvious.  He says:  “The reincarnation of the current PM as president poses a challenge to western powers for which they seem ill-prepared.”  Mr. Tisdall is absolutely “spot-on.”

The recreation of the Russian Empire is another reason the United States MUST relieve Mr. Obama of his seat in the Oval Office and replace him with a realist – a conservative realist.

Remember when Obama was so proud of his “reset” of Russian/American relations?  It seems as if it was only yesterday. It was so ridiculous, that when I read it, I actually laughed aloud.  (I assure you, it WAS an incredulous guffaw.) The naiveté of the Obama Administration is just incredible.

Russia is an enigma to the left. They STILL believe that socialist Russia had it RIGHT – and they believe that THEY, the American left especially, can actually make socialism work if only they get the chance.  They remain befuddled by the collapse of the old socialist Soviet Union, anchored (and enforced) by Russia.

Russia has an inferiority complex the size of, well, Russia.  Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has felt naked and vulnerable.  There was, for a very short time, a vacuum of leadership.  And we all know that nature abhors a vacuum.

Always, prowling around the edges of a leadership vacuum are the political predators ready to pounce and claim the leadership role for themselves.  Often these “alpha” types are more than ready to enforce their claim with force of will and/or force of arms — and some gain the leadership role by guile and ruthlessness.

Vladimir Putin is ready and willing to do whatever it takes to solidify his hold on the Russian government and the Russian people. Evidence?  The recent contested elections in Russia.  Understand:  There was no way Putin’s party was going to lose that election.  And they didn’t.  Come March, Putin will be returned to the office of President and he will begin his plans to rebuild the old Russian (Soviet Union) Empire.

In his article, Mr. Tisdall says, “As president, potentially until 2024, Putin has one overriding objective: the creation of a third, post-tsarist, post-Soviet Russian empire.”  Mr. Tisdall continues, “Reinstalled as president, and with his political potboy, Dimtry Medvedev, pushed aside, Putin will again exercise unchallengeable control over Russia’s external affairs.” (SOURCE)

Putin has publicly stated that the collapse of the Old Soviet Union was “”the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century”.  Remember now, this is coming from a former officer in the USSR’s KGB.

Mr. Tisdall warns: “Elements of Putin’s strategy to make Russia great again are slowly coming into focus. Much of the plan is defined by Russia’s opposition to the US, the traditional foe. Thus, the Kremlin announced last week that it would renounce the strategic arms reduction treaty (known as New Start) agreed with Washington two years ago if the US did not abandon its European missile defense plans.” (SOURCE)

Oops!  Obama’s “reset” with Russia was just blown out of the water.  According to Mr. Tisdall, “The reset is viewed by the White House as a major foreign achievement (and 2012 re-election asset) for a president who has but few to his name.”  (SOURCE)

Lauren Goodrich, in a Stratfor paper, recently said this:  “”Russia will begin this new iteration of a Russian empire by creating a union with former Soviet states based on Moscow’s current associations, such as the customs union and the collective security treaty organization. This will allow the ‘EuU’ [a Eurasia union] to strategically encompass both the economic and security spheres … Putin is creating a union in which Moscow would influence foreign policy and security but would not be responsible for most of the inner workings of each country.” (SOURCE)

It would seem that the world is about to return to a bi-polar power struggle many thought was over when the so-called “Cold War” ended. Mr. Tisdall is right.  The US is nowhere near ready to face a ruthless Russia on the rise … again.

Putin has Obama’s number.  He understands, as does the American right, that Obama can be “rolled.”  Unlike Obama, Putin will not hesitate to exert Russian power in Asia and anywhere the Russians feel is their “Near Abroad.”

The time will come, and very soon, when Putin will have to be contained.  And let’s face it my fellow Americans, Obama can’t do it. Our President is simply not up to the job.

J. D. Longstreet

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VOTE CONSERVATIVE IN NOVEMBER 2012
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Conservative? Then visit “INSIGHT on Freedom” at http://www.csadispatch.blogspot.com/ Find conservative comment on nearly everything at “INSIGHT on Freedom!”

A Day of Infamy – 70 Years Later

A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

My personal journey to becoming a conservative began at Pearl Harbor. My philosophy on politics had its birth on the morning of December 7th, 1941.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning in Paradise when ……… ……… ………

Around 8 AM, (70) years ago today, the Japanese swooped in, out of a brilliant blue sky over Hawaii, and bombed the port of Pearl Harbor to smithereens. Much of the muscle of our Navy was destroyed. Two thousand and four hundred US servicemen were killed.

I was seven months old.

In the next four years, as my consciousness grew, I became aware of all the activity around me. I saw soldiers in uniform. I saw my grandmother crying when the telegram came that her baby boy had been “Killed in Action” somewhere in Europe.

And finally, I remember guns being fired into the air, people running through the streets of our little South Carolina town, hugging and kissing each other. I remember folks saying: “It’s over!” And it was. But it left an indelible mark on my family and an even deeper mark on me.

Those first 4 years of my life, the formative years, were experienced under intense stress. I learned the cost of war right from the beginning stages of my life. I lost one uncle, in Belgium (the Ancestral homeland) another was machine gunned through both thighs and lay in a freezing stream in France, all night, until American troops found him the next morning. The icy water of that frozen stream saved his life. He suffered ”shell-shock” (referred to as “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” today) the remainder of his life. A summertime thunderstorm became an instant German artillery barrage. He would race for cover. The flashbacks were ever with him.

Others of my family were in the Pacific fighting the Japanese. They, too, came home with stories of Japanese Kamikaze planes hitting their ships and, in one case, finding the pilot alive.  For whatever reason, the plane with the bomb attached, did not explode.

When we could get those veterans to talk, which was not often, I was spellbound by the stories of their experience. I soaked it up like a sponge.

You see, I learned, both from personal experience, and the second hand experience of my family members, who were in the hell of the Second World War, what war really is. And, I learned that you have no choice when the enemy brings the war to your doorstep, you must fight back, and you must prevail, no matter the cost.

Today, we find ourselves in another war, which was brought to our doorstep. In doing so, the enemy killed many more people with their sneak attack than the Japanese did with their sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.

I don’t suffer fools lightly. My generation shares that quality. Today we have people in our government who are advocating a policy of retreat for the United States in our war against terrorist in the Middle East. It does not seem to matter to those folks that an enemy, which has brought war to our shores, will not quit, and go home, just because we do. They will follow us back to our own country and continue to wage war against us here… in our land.

It makes no difference how many medals hang from a man’s uniform or suit jacket. For all the times he was right, represented by those medals, there are times when he is wrong.

Had the United States listened to the “doves” after Pearl Harbor, I would most likely be writing this missive in German rather than English. It was that serious then, and it is that serious now.

So, as we think, today, of the men and women who gave everything they had, including their lives, to insure that you and I would have a free country, let us think of the men and women serving today for the same reason.

On December 7th, 1941 the Japanese, and the Germans, wanted nothing less than the conquest of the world. Today the Islamofacists want the same thing.

You have to ask yourself… as an American… are you going to stand down, ground your weapon, and allow this evil from the deepest, darkest, depths of hell, to take your country? That is the question all Americans must ask themselves. For, understand, they will not stop with America. Once America is out of the way, the remainder of the world will fall to them as easily as dominoes.

The Men and Women (Caps Intentional) of 1941 had to ask themselves the same question. We had better thank Almighty God they answered in the affirmative.

Today, we honor them for it. But they will tell you, those who survive to this day, that there was no real question about what the people of America would do. It was simply understood that freedom was far too precious to allow the forces of evil to take it from us. And so they marched forth to stop it and preserve this country for you and me. And they did!

We can never thank them enough. Not only did they save America, they saved the world!

Are we, as Americans, prepared to give up our freedom today after that generation gave so much of their blood to preserve it for us?

I pray to God that America will finally awaken to the danger that threatens us and take the painful steps, whatever they might be, to preserve this country, and again, the world.

J. D. Longstreet

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VOTE CONSERVATIVE IN NOVEMBER 2012
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Conservative? Then visit “INSIGHT on Freedom” at http://www.csadispatch.blogspot.com/ Find conservative comment on nearly everything at “INSIGHT on Freedom!”

Related External Links

• This Day In History – December 7th
• Pearl Harbor Day, Remembered… 70th Anniversary of “Day of …
• Remembering Pearl Harbor, 70 Years Later | NC Rumors
• U.S. marks 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor | The Raw Story
• The Day of Infamy | History in an Hour

Christian Churches To Go Underground in America?

A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

Back in 2009, I wrote a piece in which I asked if the Christian church in America was being forced to go underground.  As I recently read the news that pastors were being sued for preaching that homosexuality is a sin, I saw clearly that yes, the “real” Christian church in America, in order to continue to stay true to their belief and to God, will be forced to do as the early Christians did – go underground.

At the risk of being accused of being a wild-eyed, bible-thumping, Holy Roller, I need to explain what I mean when I say “the REAL Christian Church” in America.

In the past three decades, or so, many of the mainline Christian churches have slipped away from their foundation on the Holy Scriptures and adopted more and more secular tenents and leftist, politically correct, philosophy until they have become only a shadow of the true followers of Christ. In my opinion, those denominations can no longer claim to be “Christian” churches simply because — they are not.

A few years ago, I left my own denomination, one of the mainline denominations in America, because it had chosen to forsake the tenents of the Bible and the “Good News,” the Gospel, as enunciated by the very person from whom the church had received its mission.

Allow me, please to state, flat out, that I do not hold myself to be a better Christian than any other follower of Christ.  Nosiree!  I am nothing more than a sinner saved by the grace of God – no more, and no less.  It was a gift from a loving God.  There was nothing I could have done and nothing I can ever do, which would have either bought that grace – or — made me worthy of receiving it.  In the eyes of God, I believe I am just as bad as the worst murderer on death row and just as good as the Pope. Our shared commonality is that we are all sinners.

Unfortunately, many of our mainline denominations have become nothing more than social clubs with many franchises nationwide. Their pastors “preach” feel good “sermonettes” about the environment, and things like “social justice.”  In my opinion, that is not the mission of a church that purports to follow Christ.  In fact, Christ, Himself, spelled out the mission of the church in what we refer to as The Great Commission.  

After His resurrection and shortly before he ascended to heaven, he gave his followers this mission:  ¹⁸And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

 ¹⁹Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

 ²⁰Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.  Matthew 28:18-20

That commission from Christ is the reason the church exists … period.  To fulfill that mission the church MUST stand firmly upon the foundation of the Holy Scripture and the teachings of Christ.  That means insisting that the standard(s) set by Christ are, and remain, the guiding force behind everything the church does.  Of course, that means pastors are compelled to preach that those things the Scripture marks as sin are duly, and publicly, noted from their pulpits as SIN.  If a church is reluctant to do this, or refuses to do this, then, in my opinion, that church is not a Christian church.

Today, in America, pastors are fearful of preaching the scriptures.  They are fearful of pointing out man’s failings, man’s falling short of the mark.   They are concerned that they will be dragged into court, and accused of slander or some form of libel because some sinner, as defined by the scriptures, has been offended or even embarrassed.  It is a very real threat, especially to the evangelical church in America.

As a result those churches, which hold true to the gospel, now feel that they must consider meeting in secret for Bible classes, for worship services, or other bible centric gatherings. 

The fact is, dear reader, America has deteriorated into such an ugly mess, that she has become the kind of country to which early America used to dispatch missionaries of The Gospel.  

There is a clear attempt by the government (local, state, and federal) to criminalize biblical preaching and prevent thousands of churches and clergymen from practicing their faith without threat of penalty from our government.

So, yes, the Christian Church, I believe, WILL be driven underground in America, as it has been in other nations around the globe. Otherwise, it will cease to exist in this land many firmly believe was founded by Christians.    

As much as it pains me to say this — America is no longer a Christian nation. At least, America’s government no longer governs by men and women who base their convictions on the Judeo-Christian code of laws and beliefs.

And very soon now, I believe, the Supreme Court of the land will be in the hands of socialists, as well, and THAT will be the end of the experiment called “America” — a nation which was to have been governed only by the voice of it’s people and their God.

The wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah could not hold a candle to the wickedness in America today. 

If the true Christian church is to survive in America, it MUST go underground.

J. D. Longstreet

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VOTE CONSERVATIVE IN NOVEMBER 2012
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Conservative? Then visit “INSIGHT on Freedom” at http://www.csadispatch.blogspot.com/ Find conservative comment on nearly everything at “INSIGHT on Freedom!”

Another Vacation For Obama?

A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

It seems our over-worked President is off on another vacation … this time for over two weeks – seventeen days, to be exact.  It seems only yesterday he was on vacation in Massachusetts.  Wait!  That WAS earlier this year, but it was only eleven days at Martha’s Vineyard.

One would have to surmise that ruining a country is stressful for Obama.  It must be all his leading from behind that does it.

Why do we not hear the cries “Imperial Presidency” from the Mainstream Media these days?  Two reasons:  Obama is not a republican – and — Obama is a socialist democrat — as is the bulk of the Mainstream Media.

Does Obama not realize there is a recession on?  The man must be completely tone-deaf to the cries of the average American today.  I mean, you would think a person running for President, especially a candidate who swears he is “fighting” for the middle class would be a tad more circumspect when it comes to grandiose vacations and such, but not Obama.  You would think that candidate would also be circumspect about spending the taxpayer’s dollars when the country is broke, but again, not Obama.

Its as if the rules don’t apply to Obama. In his arrogance he comes across as being above all that.  I mean, act with some class, for heaven’s sake! 

People are hurting out here in fly-over country but our President is living it up at great expense to US taxpayers, the very same ones worried over how they are going to pay the rent, put groceries on the table, make the payments on their house or car, and yes – how they are going to afford gifts for their children this Christmas.  NOT our illustrious President, however.  He just flies over it all in that gorgeous 747 on his way to a tropical island state for a Hawaiian Christmas with his family… you know, the kind of Christmas vacation we all dream of … knowing full-well we will never realize that dream.

What is it with this guy? Is it that he knows he is a one term President with only a year left to enjoy all the perks of the office of President of the United States — and his intention is to take advantage of all of them he possibly can?  Frankly, I believe that is partly the answer.  But I think there is more to it.  I think he just doesn’t give a damn what you or I think about his extravagance in office.  

“The President’s family covers the cost of a private beach front residence in Kailua, Oahu, for their vacation – a ‘Winter White House’ that costs up to $3,500 a day, or $75,000 a month.

But the local and federal taxpayers help pay the bill for travel and security.

Last year the trip cost more than $1 million, according to the Hawaii Reporter.

It follows an 11-day stay in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, earlier this year, which is also believed to have cost the U.S. taxpayer millions.” (SOURCE)

Over the past few months there has been a plethora of commentaries about which is the worst President the United States has ever had – Jimmy Carter or Barack Obama.  Having survived BOTH (so far) I have to tell you Obama leaves Jimmy Carter in the dust when it comes to a contest over which of them is America’s worst President.  I mean, COME ON!  At the very least, Jimmy Carter was humble.  No one can call Obama “humble” with an iota of veracity.

Obama has spent America into the poorhouse while he wallows in the lap of luxury.

You have to wonder if Obama’s campaign has a public relations firm on the payroll.  Somehow, I cannot see Obama accepting advice from any one, let alone acting upon that advice.  The man’s lifestyle, as a public official, would be a nightmare for any public relations firm.

These days Mr. Obama comes across as a caricature of a cartoon politician (if that is possible).  With his soaring oratory, his lifestyle, his total ineffectiveness as a national leader, and his rejection of a global leadership role, well, he appears to be a pretty fair public speaker – and not much else.

It has become as clear as crystal to the American voter that if America is to make it out of this mess, in which we currently find ourselves, then we desperately need someone, other than Obama, to take charge and lead.

Great nations make great mistakes.  America made one in November of 2008.  Now it is time to set the matter aright.

J. D. Longstreet

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VOTE CONSERVATIVE IN NOVEMBER 2012
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Conservative? Then visit “INSIGHT on Freedom” at http://www.csadispatch.blogspot.com/ Find conservative comment on nearly everything at “INSIGHT on Freedom!”

Elections Have Consequences

A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

It is less than a year to Election Day 2012.  By now, we should all know that elections have consequences.  We are all suffering as a result of the consequences wrought by turning the entire US government over to the democrats beginning as far back as 2007.   We very nearly lost our country … and the danger isn’t over yet.

Over the next few months, we are going to see the Mainstream Media in America pull out all the stops as they run interference for President Obama and the Democrats.  It will become increasingly difficult to dig through the layers of bovine scatology the MsM will pile up to camouflage the damage the Obama administration has done to America.  They will make every effort to destroy the republican candidates – and — when the GOP nominee is decided, expect the MsM to tear him to shreds.

Already, Obama is declaring how he needs another term to finish the job.  I agree.  One more term of Obama and America WILL BE FINISHED. 

It appears that Obama is planning on a “Blame it on Bush” themed campaign.  Don’t expect “The One” to take responsibility for anything!  Our fearless “Bystander-in-Chief” will happily take the credit — but never the responsibility or the blame.  He’s just that kind of guy.

Over the next few months the Republicans will be blamed for everything that has happened to America under the Obama administration. But before you buy into all the leftist propaganda we suggest you consider the article below, which has been floating around the web. 

I have no idea who authored the article below but it IS interesting.  Please read on: 

Remember January 3, 2007

The day the Democrats took over was not January 22, 2009 when Obama took office with Democratic control of both house of Congress. It was actually January 3, 2007 the day Democrats gained control over the House of Representatives and the Senate. The infamous start of the 110th Congress. The Democratic Party controlled a majority in both chambers for the first time since the end of the 103rd Congress in 1995.

For those who are listening to the liberals propagating the fallacy that everything is the Conservatives or Bush’s fault, think about this:

January 3, 2007 was the day the Democrats took over the Senate and the Congress.

At the time:

The DOW Jones closed at 12,621.77

The GDP for the previous quarter was 3.5%

The Unemployment rate was 4.6%

George Bush’s Economic policies had just set a record of 52 STRAIGHT MONTHS of JOB CREATION after orchestrating a recovery of a mild recession he inherited from the aftermath of the Clinton era!

Remember the day… January 3, 2007

It was the day that Barney Frank took over the House Financial Services Committee and Chris Dodd took over the Senate Banking Committee. The economic meltdown that happened 15 months later was in what part of the economy?

Remember, the Community Reinvestment Act they sponsored? You can thank Congress for taking us from 13,000 DOW, 3.5 GDP and 4.6% Unemployment to this CRISIS by dumping 5-6 TRILLION Dollars of toxic loans on the economy from YOUR Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fiasco’s! 

(BTW: Bush asked Congress 17 TIMES to stop Fannie & Freddie – starting in 2001, because it was financially risky for the U.S. economy, but no one was listening).

And who took the THIRD highest pay-off from Fannie Mae AND Freddie Mac? Then Senator Obama.

And who fought against reform of Fannie and Freddie? Obama and the Democratic Congress.

REMEMBER JANUARY 3rd, 2007…. “THE DAY THE DEMOCRATS TOOK OVER!”

Bush may have been in the car, but the Democrats were in charge of the gas pedal, the steering wheel and they were driving. Set the record straight on Bush!

So, as you listen to all the commercials and media from the Democrats who are now distancing themselves from their voting record and their party, remember how they didn’t listen to you when you said you didn’t want all the bailouts, you didn’t want the health care bill, you didn’t want cap and trade, you didn’t want them to continue spending money we don’t have.

I’m not forgetting their complicity in getting us into this mess, and I’ll be marking my vote accordingly!

“It’s not that liberals aren’t smart, it’s just that so much of what they know isn’t so” -Ronald Reagan

Every election is important.  But I cannot think of a single election in my lifetime of over seven decades that was as important to America as the election in November of 2012.  

As we stand on the cusp of a global financial collapse America will need a leader, indeed, the WORLD will need a leader not afraid to lead from the front.  What America does not need is another four years of Obama.

J. D. Longstreet

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VOTE CONSERVATIVE IN NOVEMBER 2012
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Conservative? Then visit “INSIGHT on Freedom” at http://www.csadispatch.blogspot.com/ Find conservative comment on nearly everything at “INSIGHT on Freedom!”

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The Sino-America War

A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

It is coming as sure as the sun rises in the east. China and America are headed for a military showdown.

China’s recent announcement that it will now consider roughly 90% of the South China Sea it’s territorial waters will certainly cause our two navies to brush up against each other and create sparks… sparks that could easily ignite a global conflict between the US and China.

“China’s aggressive behavior and threatening rhetoric are complemented by massive militarization. Beijing is projecting military power far from its shores with a rapidly growing, modern blue-water navy, long-range aircraft with refueling capabilities, a global satellite network, anti-access ballistic missiles (read aircraft carrier killers) and its first aircraft carrier. These instruments of war provide Beijing an expeditionary capability that could lead to a shooting war.” (SOURCE)

Things have gotten so touchy between the US and China militaries that “… the U.S. established a cold war-like hotline between China’s People’s Liberation Army and the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff …”) (SOURCE)

With tensions so high it is prudent to expect the US 7th Fleet to find itself in perilous situations with China’s navy as the 7th fleet patrols the South China Sea.

All this pugnacious behavior by China has scared the dickens out of many of the neighborhood’s Asian countries. They have begun banding together and they are asking the US to join with them to aid them in countering China’s expansionist moves in the region.

Just as things are reaching critical mass in the Middle East and China is showing signs that it is about to begin throwing it’s military weight around, the US government is seriously discussing massive cuts in the US military. If the huge cuts in the military budget, made possible by the failure of the Congressional “Super Committee’s” inability to reach some sort of agreement, are actually allowed to come to pass, the US will have a military slightly larger than it had at the beginning of World War One. The feared “hollow military” will become a fact — and the world will be defenseless against such opportunist countries as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, not to mention the Islamofacists and their terror machine.

Look. Cutting the US military at such a critical time in world history would be stupid and idiotic — not to mention suicidal.

A US-China war has been brewing since shortly after the Second World War. With Chinese interests and assets all over the world now, when it comes, it will be a global conflict.

The ‘dogs of war” are inevitably set loose when America elects a weak President. Mr. Obama has proven to be an astonishingly weak President. His administration has been a “by-stander” administration. He enjoys leading from the rear much as “parade ground generals” do. It looks good, but it does absolutely nothing to either maintain the peace or instill confidence in the military — let alone our friends and allies.

If history has taught us anything — it is that a weak US President invites trouble from America’s enemies.

Leftist and liberal presidents usually ARE weak in defending America. It appears they are embarrassed for being an American citizen, and they jump at every chance to apologize to the world for what THEY consider America’s mistakes. Such weakness only emboldens America’s enemies and makes a laughing stock of America’s President. More importantly, it places the people of the United States in danger.

Some in the Obama Administration are suggesting to the President that the US should reduce its military commitment in the Middle East and re-focus on Asia. They are claiming the US has allowed Asia to “slide,” if you will, in the past few decades. I agree with only a part of that suggestion. It seems to me that America should focus on China and prepare for the inevitable – military conflict with the Chinese. At the same time, the US cannot afford to turn its back on the Middle East. The plain truth is — we MUST have Middle Eastern oil. AND we have Islamic enemies based in the Middle East who are intent on the destruction of the US (and Israel). In fact, the US will not BE ALLOWED to turn away from the Middle East, even if we wanted to.

China’s neighbors in Asia are seriously seeking to create a sort of NATO of Asian states with the US as the anchor, just as in NATO. That may, in fact, turn out to be a good idea. Even the former enemy of the US, Viet Nam, is angling for an American security blanket in Asia. THAT should tell you just how frightened China’s neighbors really are.

Even Europe is unstable these days. European history teaches us that European states tend to go at each other’s throats when desperation sets in — as it seems bound to do in the very near future.

The US simply cannot afford to reduce its military when the world is on the brink of utter chaos.

The wisest course, it seems to me, is for the US to BUILD-UP its military, and prepare for the coming contest between itself and China. On the other hand, the US needs to accept that America is in the Middle East for many decades to come. To make huge cuts in the US military budget now, or in the immediate future, is a pipe dream and should be trashed and forgotten.

J. D. Longstreet

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VOTE CONSERVATIVE IN NOVEMBER 2012
***********************************
Conservative? Then visit “INSIGHT on Freedom” at http://www.csadispatch.blogspot.com/ Find conservative comment on nearly everything at “INSIGHT on Freedom!”

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