The Brits Ain't Comin'

The British Parliament has voted to deny Prime Minister Cameron the authority to join President Obama in striking Syria.  If President Obama is going to launch an offensive against Assad he is on his own.  His staunchest ally has said “No thanks!”

There is an old saying in politics that presidents are always fighting the last war.  It is clearly evident that the ghosts of George W. Bush and Tony Blair are playing a major role in these deliberations.

Barak Obama ignored those apparitions as he drew his red line.  The British Parliament did not.     

The President Has A Dilemma!

The president has a dilemma.

What in the world is he going to do about Syria’s use of chemical weapons?

The president drew the proverbial “red line” in the sand and Assad stomped all over it.

In truth, the president made a terrible mistake with the whole “red line” threat.  Never utter a challenge unless you are prepared to back it up.

Now he has to do something or his “word” means nothing.

So what does he do?

He’d like to take out Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons; said to be the largest in the world.  But to do so risks releasing the gas and killing thousands of innocent civilians.

He’d like to arm the rebels and let them do the heavy lifting for him.  But it is estimated that 60% of the rebel forces are either Al Qaeda or Al Qaeda splinter groups.  Sending weapons to our enemies is not a good move.  Been there…done that!

And although he said: “Assad must go!” He’s really not sure if a regime change is such a good idea.  If Assad DOES go, who steps in to the power vacuum?  Al Qaeda!  Iran!  Hezbollah!

He also has to decide if he wants to go this alone.  His closest ally, Britain, wants more time to hash it out with parliament.  France is tepid at best.  Jordan has refused to allow him to send attacks across their airspace.  Russia and China have blocked any attempts at a UN coalition.  Any attack he authorizes will be met with retaliation against Israel.  When that happens everything goes to hell.

The home front isn’t much better.  McCain naturally wants him to turn Syria into a wasteland while most of his opponents want him to discuss the matter with congress before doing anything.  And Donald Rumsfeld thinks attacking Syria is a bad idea…as if anybody cares what Donald Rumsfeld thinks.  

As for the American people…they want a job.  They couldn’t care less about what goes on in Syria.  The thought of another Middle East war leaves them cold.  And the thought of spending millions if not billions of borrowed dollars on another war when we can’t afford to take care of our own; makes them very, very angry.

The president tried to explain himself last night in a national interview.  He sounded an awful lot like Bush 43 making the case to go into Iraq.  Not a good start.  And like Bush, President Obama seemed to be saying: “killing over 100,000 of your own people with conventional weapons is ok.  But killing a few hundred with chemical weapons is a no, no.

The truth is there are no good options.  None!  But the president feels that he has to inflict some form of punishment on Assad for crossing his foolishly drawn red line.

The president has a dilemma!               

We Have Barely Scratched The Surface

Today we commemorate the 50 year anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a Dream” speech.  His 19 minute oration has been deemed by many to be the single most important speech in American history.

President Obama will give an address from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial; the very spot where Rev. King stood a half century ago.  The president will note that his standing there behind the presidential seal is the embodiment of the sacrifice of those who came before him; and that if not for Dr. King, and Medgar Evers, and John Louis he would not be standing there today.  He will tell us that his very presence behind that seal is a testament to how far we have come in such a very short time.  He will caution us that we still have far to go.

We will applaud and pat ourselves on the back for our righteous benevolence.  For today we celebrate the tangible evidence that this is the land of equal opportunity.

Or is it?

50 years ago Dr. King dreamed of a day when: “all God’s children, black men and white men, Jews, Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, Free at last! Free at last!  Thank God almighty, we are free at last.”

Two hundred and thirty seven years ago Thomas Jefferson wrote:  “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights.  That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  We further proclaim ourselves to be “one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all.”  These words form the cornerstone of our society.

While Dr. King and Mr. Jefferson’s words are indeed powerful, they pale in comparison to utterances of a simple carpenter a very long time ago.

Two thousand years ago a man who billions believe to be the reincarnation of God himself said:  “whatever you do unto the least of my brethren, you do unto me.”

We claim to be a God fearing people.  Our treatment of “the least of our brethren” would say otherwise. 

With all due respect to President Obama and Dr. King, we have NOT come very far in a short period of time. 

We have barely scratched the surface.   

   

Democrats Are :-)

EATING THEIR YOUNG:  The Republican Party continues to destroy itself from within.  The Senate Conservative Fund, a political action organization led by current Heritage Foundation President and former US Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) is sponsoring attack ads against seven Republican senators who are running for re-election in 2014.  Presumably these seven senators are not conservative enough for the Republican base.  The funds’ most notable target is current Senator Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell. (R-KY).  McConnell had the audacity to say that the Tea Party goal of shutting down the government unless a continuing resolution is passed that defunds Obamacare is political suicide.  The Senate conservative Fund is spending $50,000 on a 60 second attack ad that will begin airing this Tuesday in Kentucky, where the embattled McConnell is seeking a 6^th term.

GONNA PARTY LIKE ITS 1999:  If you are not doing anything on September 10 you might want to head over to the Exempt America Rally organized by the Tea Party Patriots and ForAmerica.  Tea Party heartthrobs Ted Cruz and Rand Paul will be headlining the festivities.  The goal is rally support for the defunding of Obamacare.  Cruz, Paul and their buddies want to shut down the government if the upcoming continuing resolution includes funding for the president’s health care law.  Nothing endears one to the masses like delaying their social security checks or withholding unemployment their benefits.   Queries as to the group’s alternative plan to replace Obamacare were met with silence…and the soothing sound of crickets chirping in the back ground.

Democrats are smiling!     

Words Have Consequences

The Obama administration has concluded that the Syrian regime has in fact used chemical weapons against its people.

The question now is…how will the president respond?

Reports out of Washington are that the president is considering his options.

The president has said”  ‘Assad must go.”

The president has said that the regime’s use of chemical would be: “crossing a red line.”

Assad has ignored these warnings.  Assad believes that Americans are war weary and far more concerned about their own economic difficulties to be interested in another Middle East conflict.  Emboldened by support from Russia, China and Iran, Assad has thumbed his nose at the president.   

The president has boxed himself into a corner.  He has drawn the proverbial line in the sand.  To do nothing would show weakness and would bring an avalanche of criticism both here and abroad.

The president does have options other than engaging the country in another “Vietnamesque” conflict.  The US Navy has warships in the vicinity that are capable of reaching Syrian soil with cruise missiles.   The president could use these assets to take out Assad’s chemical weapons facilities, command and control facilities or communications network.  He could authorize a measured response that would send a very clear message.

The problem here is…what happens if THAT message is ignored.  What’s next?

Take out Assad?  Certainly the US has the capability of finding and killing the Syrian dictator.

Then what?  Once Assad is gone, who or what fills that vacuum?  Al Qaeda?  Hezbollah?  Iran?

The fact is there are no good options.

The president decided to weigh in on the Syrian conflict with his tough rhetoric.

Words have consequences.

   

Thank You, Colin Powell

“It immediately turns off a voting block the Republican Party needs…These kinds of actions do not build on the base…It just turns people away….I want to see policies that encourage every American to vote, not make it more difficult to vote…You can say what you want, but there is no voter fraud…How can it be widespread and undetected?”

That was former Secretary of State Colin Powell addressing a North Carolina forum about the state’s recently passed voter I’d law.  Seated in the audience was North Carolina Governor Pat McCroy, who took the stage to defend the bill immediately prior to Powell’s remarks.  McCory had signed the bill into law just a few days ago.

Colin Powell is a national treasure.  He is a conservative Republican who seemingly appears out of nowhere once or twice a year, offers a thoughtful common sense approach to the nation’s problems, and quickly disappears.  He is a breath of fresh air to the hate speech and inflammatory rhetoric so commonly associated with his Party.

The Republican Party would do well to listen to him.  

Put Up Or Shut Up

Words have consequences …especially when they are uttered by the President of the United States.

There is mounting evidence that the Syrian government used chemical weapons against its citizens. 

Numerous reports and videos coming out of Syria indicate that the Syrian government launched 30 missiles tipped with deadly sarin gas against a neighborhood near Damascus.  Hundreds perhaps as many as one thousand civilians died in yesterday’s bombing.  The deaths include several children.  Experts viewing the videos say the symptoms exhibited by the victims are consistent with the affects of exposure to sarin gas.

The president has stated clearly that any evidence of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government would be crossing a “red line” that would force the United States to act.  He said that the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government would be a “game changer” and that the United States “would not tolerate the use of chemical weapons.”

If the reports out of Syria are true, and the videos are certainly compelling, then the Syrian regime has crossed that red line and effectively thumbed its nose at the United States and its allies.

The question then becomes…what does the president due about it.

Earlier this year there were reports that the Syrian regime had used chemical weapons against the rebel forces killing 150.  The Obama administration responded by saying that the US would supply small arms and ammunition to t he rebels.  According to rebel leaders those promises have not been kept.

Let us be clear…we do not support placing US military forces in Syria.  History has clearly shown that our military involvement in the Middle East is little more than a fool’s errand.  But as the world’s lone super power it seems that we have a moral obligation to marshal our allies into a coalition focused on bringing an end to the bloodshed.  

As one Syrian rebel said to NBC’s foreign correspondent Richard Engle: “We understand the US does not want to fight our wars for us.  This is our battle and we will fight it.  But if our house is on fire and the US has a bucket of water or a bucket of sand, are they not morally obligated to use it?”

The turbulent conditions in Syria provide a veritable petri dish for the development of Islamic extremists hell bent on destroying America and its interests.  That’s not inflammatory rhetoric…that’s a fact.

We have commented that this president tends to make bold statements about international affairs but does little to follow through.  Once again he finds himself in the position of backing up his rhetoric.

Mr. President, the “red line” has been crossed.

What are you going to do about it?

  

  

New GOP Same As The Old GOP

It has been well documented that the Republican Party and the federal government have been held hostage by two powerful groups that are more concerned with their own self interests than the good of the country…the Tea Party and the NRA.

Time and time again these conservative organizations have found their views to be wildly unpopular with a vast majority of the electorate.  Yet they continue to turn a blind eye to popular opinion as they retreat further and further into the fringe of American politics.

The Tea Party has used fear mongering and hate speech to legitimize their obstructionist tactics in congress.  The NRA has used its massive PR machine to bludgeon moderates within the Party who would dare to seek a more conciliatory tone.

The result has been the continued decline in the Party’s status on the national political stage and the loss of 5 out of the last 6 popular votes in national elections.

Yet the hate speech and the hypocrisy continue.

Yesterday Tea Party darling Senator Ted Cruz was speaking at a rally.  Cruz has not formally announced his candidacy for president but his recent visits to key primary states is no coincidence.

Cruz was asked why the Republicans had not yet impeached the president. 

His answer: “Because we don’t have the votes.”

Wrong answer!

The correct answer, given by a legitimate candidate would have gone something like this: 

“We have not impeached the president because he has not committed an impeachable act.  We may disagree with many of his polices.  But his policies are legal within the boundaries of the law and the constitution.  If we want to rid ourselves of this president’s policies…the way to do that is to elect a Republican to the White House.”

The NRA has been an uncompromising rival against anyone who even whispers the words “gun control.”  Their most recent success came in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre when the president attempted to pass legislation requiring back ground checks on all gun purchases.  Part of the original bill established a national registry for all guns and gun owners.  The NRA successfully argued that the only reason for a national gun registry was: “to track them, tax them or take them.”

BuzzFeed and the New York Magazine are reporting the while the NRA may hate the idea of a gun registry they have been secretly maintaining a registry of their own for years.  The registry, which includes tens of millions of gun owners, has been compiled WITHOUT their knowledge or consent.

When asked about the existence of the registry an NRA spokesperson replied: “It’s none of your business.”

Apparently it is ok for the NRA to maintain a national gun registry without the knowledge or consent of tens of millions of gun owners.  We just can’t trust the feds to so the same.

In the wake of their 2012 electoral debacle the Republican Party promised a kinder, gentler version of the GOP that embarrassed itself over the past several years.  They promised to be more tolerant and more inclusive; to reach out to women, minorities and youthful voters.

The 2014 elections are fast approaching. 

The kinder, gentler more inclusive GOP has yet to be seen.

  

  

What Are We Doing In The Middle East?

Can anyone explain the current United States foreign policy in the Middle East?

Can anyone give us 25 cogent words on what we are trying to accomplish in the region?

Is our policy one of counterterrorism or counterinsurgency? 

Are we nation building or simply deposing regimes as a matter of course?

Let’s review!

For decades the United States supports the Mubarak regime in Egypt knowing full well that he tortures dissidents and violates the civil rights of his people.  We send him $1.3 billion in annual aid while his people starve.  The masses rise up to protest Mubarak’s abusive policies.  Suddenly we turn our back on him.  ‘It’s time for Mubarak to step down” the President Obama says.

Mubarak is arrested. The president says ‘The people have spoken.”  National elections are held.  The people vote Mohammed Morsi, a member of the anti-American Muslim Brotherhood, as their president.  The $1.3 billion in US aid continues. 

Pro-Mubarak members of parliament refuse to allow the newly elected Muslim Brotherhood members to be seated.  Morsi responds by granting himself sweeping powers and imposing his interpretation of Sharia Law.  The United States does nothing.  The aid keeps flowing.  After a few short months the masses rise up in protest.  Morsi is ousted in a military coup.  Violence erupts in the streets as the Egyptian military seizes control of the government.  It is only after the military kills hundreds of protesters that the United States “secretly” shuts off the money faucet.  US “allies” Israel and Saudi Arabia vow to replace the replace the American funds.  The US remains silent.

We see the United States following a different path in Libya.

Muammar Gaddafi is a ruthless dictator.  He tortures dissidents and violates the civil rights of his people.  He murders thousands of his people.  The Libyan people rise up in protest.  The president says:  ‘Gaddafi must go.”  The United States goes to the UN and builds a coalition for the purpose of outing the Libyan dictator.  The US and its coalition partners arm the protestors and conduct airstrikes against the regime.  Gaddafi is found by the rebels and shot.

Then of course there is Syria.

Bashar al-Assad is a ruthless dictator.  He tortures dissidents and violates the civil rights of his people.  He murders thousands of Syrians.  The Syrian people rise up in protest.  The president says: “Assad must go.”  But the US does nothing to facilitate Assad’s removal.  The administration refuses to arm the rebels.  Assad’s forces kill over 100,000 Syrians.   The US remains a silent spectator.

The Middle East continues to unravel while the world’s lone Super Power and provider of military security to most of the region stands on the sidelines.

So what exactly is our foreign policy in the Middle East?  We don’t have the answers…but we do know this.  When the president of the United States declares:  “(fill in the blank) must go” there are definitive repercussions.  

Those words come with consequences.  The president might want to avoid sticking his toe in the water unless he is ready to jump into the deep end.

And before jumping into the deep end the president might want to ask this question:    Is the United States of America so committed to democracy that it is willing to support a democratically elected Islamist government?

Our actions in Egypt, Libya and Syria would indicate that question has yet to be answered.   

                 

This & That

EGYPT – The Obama administration is “considering” discontinuing the $1.3 billion in aid given annually to the Egyptian government.  Apparently the administration “may” have issue with the Egyptian military gunning down hundreds of Egyptians protesting the ouster of their democratically elected president in a military coup.  The administration says that their decision will come in the “next several weeks or months.”

This is the kind of Washington mental masturbation that can drive one crazy.

The Morsi government was elected to office by means of free, democratic elections.  The Egyptian military, in response to anti-Morsi protestors, staged a military coup, removed Morsi from power and promised to hold another round of elections in the coming months.  When pro-Morsi factions took to the streets in protest they were fired upon by Egyptian military forces.  Hundreds have been killed…thousands injured.

The United States sends $1.3 billion in aid to Egypt annually.  99% of that aid goes directly to the Egyptian military.  100% of that aid comes from borrowed funds that we cannot afford.

We are sending funds we cannot afford to a military whose actions we do not support.

What is there to “consider”?

REPUBLICANS – There is a debate going on in the Republican Party right now that involves two issues that are key to the financial future of the country and its citizens: 1.) Should Republicans support a continuing resolution to keep the government running if that resolution includes funding for Obamacare or should they refuse and shut down the government  and 2.) Should Republicans support an increase in the debt ceiling or stand by their small government principles and refuse.

Unfortunately for the country, this party debate is not concerned about whether 30 million uninsured Americans will have access to affordable health insurance or whether the country will default on its financial obligations. 

No, the debate within the party is about how their position on these two key issues will affect their re-election chances in 2014.  

     

The Sum of All Fears

The president assured us that the NSA was not listening to the phone calls or hacking into the emails of law abiding Americans.

We now know that is not true.

We now know that the NSA has overstepped its authority and broken privacy rules thousands of times since Congress empowered the agency in 2008.

This should not come as a surprise to anyone.

When Congress passed the Patriot Act in 2001 we warned that they were opening a Pandora’s Box that would have far reaching consequences in the years to come.

Unfortunately our deepest fears are now being realized.

God Bless Newt Gingrich

The leadership of the Republican Party is meeting in Boston this week.  The purpose of the gabfest is to rebrand the party…to change the public’s perception that Grand Old Party is not the negative party of “no” “nope” and  “nu uh” but rather the party  of “hope” armed with a positive message of thoughtful ideas for  “a better tomorrow.”

One of the main speakers on the program is the bombastic Newt Gingrich.  Gingrich, certainly no stranger to negative political commentary, challenged his party to offer a more positive message.”

“I would bet for most of you, you go home in the next two weeks while your members of Congress are home and you look them in the eye and you say: ‘What is your positive replacement for Obamacare?” and they will have zero answer. We are caught up right now in a culture, and you see it every day, where as long as we are negative, as long as we are vicious, as long as we can tear down our opponent, we don’t have to worry, so we don’t.

He went on to explain that they were able to defeat “Hillarycare” in the early 90’s because they had a positive alternative plan.  “We need to build a new model of Republican answers that starts with the health system we need…and then say that’s why I’m against Obamacare.”

We are no fan of the “Newtster”…but he makes a valid point.

The Republican Party of Paul, Cruz and King is great for sound bites and headlines, and will certainly prevail in their gerrymandered districts.  But that party has no chance in a national election where blacks, Hispanics, Asians, gays, women and students are allowed to vote.

We need a good, healthy substantive debate about the important issues of our time.  A strong, viable two party system  facilitates that debate.

As much as we hate to admit it…the GOP should listen to Newt.

  

North Carolina Takes Steps To Stem Rampant Voter Fraud

In recent years the state of North Carolina has seen its elections tainted by an avalanche of voter fraud.

The North Carolina state legislature has responded.

Yesterday, North Carolina Governor Pat McCory signed into law one of the strictest voter I’d laws in the land.  The law requires voters to produce a picture I’d, eliminates one week of early voting, ends same day registration and prohibits out of precinct voting.

The law comes in the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision that wiped out part of the Voting Rights Act which required 15 mostly southern states (including North Carolina) with a history of discrimination to obtain federal approval before making any changes in their voting procedures.

In the 2012 elections and primaries there were 6,975,000 votes cast in North Carolina.

There were 121 cases of voter fraud brought up for prosecution by the North Carolina District Attorney.

That’s .0000174% of all votes cast…

     

The Role of Government

Do you trust the government?

That’s not a not a rhetorical question.  As an institution, do you trust the government?

If you trust the government today…did you feel the same way when “W” was running things?  Or are you just being political?

We believe that the government has an important part to play in our society.  We believe that the government serves a role that cannot be duplicated by private industry.

Yes, we’ve heard all the rhetoric about the evils of big government…how government should only be big enough to drown it in a bathtub.  These people say that the only thing they want from their government is a strong defense and a stable currency.  The people who make these statements are lying to you and to themselves. 

These people want well paved roads, clean drinking water and safe meat and produce.  They want safe prescription drugs and safe neighborhoods.  They want quality schools and safe airplane travel.  We don’t see the moguls of Wall Street providing these services.

We have a bridge in our town that spans the Ohio River.  17 % of our nation’s commerce crosses this bridge every day.  It is outdated and has deteriorated beyond repair.  The cost to replace it is $2.5 billion.  We have seen numerous proposals for its replacement.  Not one comes from private industry.  They all are based on government funding.

When people say they hate big government what they are really saying is that they hate government that helps those that are unable to help themselves.

The government has come under attack in recent weeks for overstepping its authority.  The AP, IRS and NSA “scandals” have ramped up the rhetoric over the evils of government.  The thought that our government might be is listening to our phone conversations or viewing our internet activity is to say the least unsettling.  We value our privacy.  We don’t like the government following our every move.

At the same time when the crack head steals our purse or the kid next door sets off a bomb in Boston we want to know where the CCTV cameras are.

The point is that safety and quality goods and services come with a price. 

Is there corruption in government?  Absolutely!  Waste, fraud and abuse?  No doubt!

Is corporate America any less susceptible to these human frailties?

We believe that government plays an important and irreplaceable role in our society. 

But government, like corporate America is run by people.  And the human condition has its faults.

Damned if you do...

The US State Department has shut down another embassy amid growing concerns of a terrorist attack.

This one is in Pakistan.

By our count that makes 20 embassies in the Middle East shuttered in the past month.

The president’s critics on the far right say that the administration is over reacting.

They say it projects a sign of weakness to our enemies.

These are the same folks who berated the administration for failing to protect the Benghazi consulate.

Damned if you do…damned if you don’t!

The Clown show Continues!

It’s that time again.  Come September the federal government will run out of money.  Once again Congress will be required to appropriate funds to allow the government to continue to function.  Since congress has failed to pass a budget they will be required to pass a “continuing resolution” to keep the government running.

The wackos on the far right of the Republican Party see this as an opportunity to defund the president’s signature piece of legislation…Obamacare.  Led by Senators Rubio and Cruz, the right wing wackos have boldly declared that they will shut down the government unless the continuing resolution defunds Obamacare.  They say that any republican who votes for a continuing resolution that includes funding for Obamacare is not a “true conservative.”

Let’s just call this declaration what it is…stupid. 

This is nothing more than a public relations ploy designed to appease the base and increase campaign contributions.  It is a reckless, selfish campaign stunt that in the end will have a devastating effect on the party.

The Republican House has voted 40 times to repeal Obamacare to no avail.  Harry Reid is never going to bring a vote to defund Obamacare to the senate floor.  And even if he did, it would never pass the president’s veto.  Obamacare isn’t going anywhere.

So what will Republicans accomplish if they go through with their threat?

Military personnel will not get paid.  Social Security checks will not get mailed.  Medicare and Medicaid benefits will stop.  Unemployment checks will be withheld.  The government will be forced to furlough tens of thousands of workers…

…and all this misery will be blamed on the Republican Party.

Republicans have lost the popular vote in 5 out of the last six national elections.  They can make it 6 out of the last 7 if they shut down the government.  Make good on their threat and they can watch President Hillary Clinton appoint the next 4 or 5 Supreme Court justices.

Democrats can only hope…

There is only one way to for Republicans to defund Obamacare.  Maintain control of the House…win control of the Senate…and elect a Republican president.

You don’t win national elections by shutting down the government.

              

If You Are Not Part Of The Solution...

If there is one thing on which most Americans agree it is that they are tired of the gridlock in Washington.  And every opinion poll out there clearly shows that a vast majority of Americans place the blame for that gridlock squarely at the feet of Congress.

Apparently House Republicans feel that they are above such criticism.

The AP reports that the House Republicans “will take a carefully orchestrated, staunchly anti-Washington campaign to the voters this month, blaming President Barak Obama and his fellow Democrats for Americans’ unhappiness with government.”

Prior to leaving for their August recess, all 234 House Republican’s received a 31 page advisory kit titled: “Fighting Washington for All Americans.”  In this piece of fiction they will find gems such as a suggested op-ed piece titled: “Every day I serve in Congress, I work to fight Washington.”

This is what people often do when they don’t have a solution to a problem…they deflect blame onto someone else. 

Look at their record.  Time and time again whether it is on gun violence, immigration reform, tax reform, infrastructure or education, they offer nothing in the way of a solution.  Their mantra is always the same: No, No, No and No. 

Most of us are familiar with the saying: “If you are not part of the solution…you are part of the problem.”  Apparently House Republicans didn’t get that memo.

When it comes to government Republicans like to quote their idol, President Ronald Reagan (which is interesting because THIS Republican Party would have found Reagan far too liberal to have ever been nominated) who once said:  “Government is not the solution to our problems…government is the problem.”

Reagan’s words ring true when we look at the gridlock in Washington.  House Republicans do not have the solution to our problems…House Republicans are the problem.

    

 

   

This & That!

VACATION’S ALL I EVER WANTED…A lot of folks like to take vacations in the summer…and Congress is no exception.   The 113^th Congress adjourned Friday for a five week recess having sent just 22 bills to the president in the first eight months of 2013…the fewest amount in history.  They DID hold 40 votes to repeal Obamacare as well as a slew of bi-partisan anti-abortion votes that don’t have a snowballs chance in hell of reaching the president’s desk.

Are you concerned about our high unemployment or crumbling infrastructure?  Do you think our tax system is antiquated or our energy policy ineffective?  Does it bother you that our education system is failing our children or that thousands of illegal immigrants pour across our borders every day? 

No worries!  The members 113^th Congress will look into those issues when they get back from the beach.

IT’S A SIGN OF THE TIMES…The federal government closed 19 foreign embassies after US intelligence agencies intercepted messages among senior al Qaeda members indicating that a major terrorist attack was imminent.  There is little doubt that the quick action by the government is a direct result of the fallout from the 2012 attack on the Benghazi consulate that took four American lives.

Bin Laden is no longer the face of terrorism.  Al Qaeda is a mere shell of its former self.  Terrorism is now conducted by small splinter groups of radicals that sprout up out of nowhere in the blink of an eye.  

This is the new normal.  This is what the world looks like with the Middle East spiraling out of control.  This is what happens when strong albeit oppressive governments are overthrown and replaced by weak governments unable to control what goes on inside their own borders.  This is the new world order…

…and it is truly frightening.