ANNALS OF THE WEST: AN EXTENSION OF TRADITIONAL VALUES

BY PASSING OFF ORTHODOX BELIEFS AS "CRAP"
FORMER PRESIDING EPISCOPAL BISHOP KATHERINE SCHORRI
 ABETS HER CHURCH'S DECLINING NUMBERS CRISIS

THE DEATH SPIRAL OF 

MAINLINE CHRISTIANITY:  JOHN B. EXAMINES THE DECLINE 
OF
MAINLINE CHURCHES

The late conservative thinker Russell Kirk once noted that, owing to the close relationship between religion and culture, the deterioration of religion would invariably lead to a decline of culture.

If Kirk were alive today, it is certain that he would view 21st century America as confirmation of his dire view of the interconnected nature of religious and cultural decline. However, is it a matter of a debased culture  influencing religion, or could it be the other way around, as suggested by Kirk, and culture in decline could be the result of a deteriorating religious base?

A consideration of what have been called the "mainline" churches is illuminating.  Mainline Protestant churches would include Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, the United Church of Christ, American Baptists and some Lutheran denominations.  With a total of 31 million adherents in 1955, the mainliners today number slightly less than 20 million.  It should be kept in mind, too, that at the same time the population of the United States has  soared from 175 million to 310 million.  Thus, the plight of traditional American Protestantism becomes clear.  Mainline churches are in a demographic death spiral.

In the the Episcopal Church in the U.S., the decline has been nothing short of tragic.  I specifically recall that in 1960, the Episcopal Church numbered some 3.5 million parishioners.  Now the number stands at approximately 1.8 million. At the same time, the mother church and the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury have placed the Episcopal Church on a three-year suspension in participating in Anglican-wide policy making and decision-making.  In this regard, the Episcopal Church is currently considering degenderizing its prayer book and even using gender neutral pronouns in the liturgy.  For example, not a few Episcopalian clerics are now in favor of changing the Lord's Prayer to "Our creator who art in Heaven...." instead of "Our Father who are in Heaven......"

Various reasons are given for the decline. Some would have us believe that, since non-mainline Christians are statistically younger than mainliners, their birthrate naturally outstrips the older established churches.  Coupled with a trend toward more emphasis on individualism beginning in the mid-1960's with favored children of the middle class, the mainline pews are more likely to be filled - if they are filled at all - with senior citizens, a factor which further accelerates the religious death spiral.

Another interpretation has it that the established churches have for several generations been eroding the core beliefs of Christian dogma.  Later generations of believers, in comparison with their ancestors, have been much more likely to imbibe the academic theological nihilism and agnosticism encountered in higher education, and the result has been an accommodation of those denominations with the prevailing intellectual currents.  Significantly, approximately 52% of mainline baby boomers would be of the opinion that non-Christian religions are just as effective in leading their adherents to right action and spiritual growth, and that the teachings of Christ are in no way the only means to salvation.

THE NEW FACE OF A RESURGENT AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY?

Just as the nation as a whole has come under the sway of an elite political culture which has been out of touch with middle America, so also have the mainline churches come under the leadership of a theological elite with the tendency to place the causes which it champions ahead of the witnessing and obedience demanded by the essentials of the Christian faith.  On the other hand, those fundamentalist and evangelical groups which have shown explosive growth are not afraid to ask for commitment and obedience from their members.

CHURCH FLYING GAY RAINBOW FLAG

Although mainline denominations, in their progressiveness and liberalism, have considered themselves advocates for minorities, minority Americans shun those denominations in favor of fundamentalism and evangelicalism.  In their haste to come up with a rationalization for this trend, the mainliners are quick to say that the simplistic theology of non-traditional denominations is the appeal to less well-educated cohorts of the population.  But, by serving up generous portions of Christianity-lite with a multitude of theological interpretations, a strong argument may be made that the mainliners are, in effect, confusing the forest for the trees.  And, when one comes down to the real nub of the matter, when essences are not truly clear they are likely not to be truly understood.

From the perspective of Two for Texas, it is may be said without equivocation that the mainline death spiral is far more the result of the liberal denominations inculcating their ranks, from seminaries to local churches, with the issues and causes of the day and panning off amorphous theological points of view as a "new orthodoxy."

It is no longer unusual to find some mainline parishes flying the LGBT rainbow flag.  In fact, in many parishes, it is more likely that you will hear more about same-sex marriage and immigration reform than about the Beatitudes.  No wonder that, in confusing belief with cause and the prevalence of a choose-what-you-want-to- believe theology, there is not much to commit to in mainline churches.  As a comparison of fundamentalist churches and mainline churches shows a much lower rate of tithing with mainline groups,  it would seem that the bottom line is that financial support is an accurate barometer of commitment.

The most committed Christian environment in which I ever had the occasion to worship was in a Muslim country, where I lived for 6 years.  In that environment, the only religion tolerated was Islam, which meant that those of us who worshiped together as Christians  did so with the threat of government action hanging over our heads.  In such a circumstance, commitment was paramount.  And, in a real sense, this type of commitment is missing in much of today's American version of Christianity.  Those denominations which demand commitment from adherents who inhabit what is increasingly a pagan culture are those showing growth.  Could it be that  Christians still crave discipline, a fundamental theology and a straight forward approach to expressing the essentials of their faith? The present course of American Christianity would seem to be pointing in that direction.

Deo vindice!

God bless Texas and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!

AN OPEN LETTER TO MS. OPRAH WINFREY

November 27, 2013

Dear Ms. Winfrey:

Although we have never met, I have followed your career, owing to the fact that I was attending graduate school at Vanderbilt University in Nashville at about the same time as you were enrolled at Tennessee State. On at least two occasions during that time-frame, I took part in civil rights demonstrations with your fellow students at Tennessee State.

Last week, I became aware of remarks that you made while being interviewed in the United Kingdom.  In those remarks, you emphatically stated that that you were of the opinion that there was, at present, so much disrespect for the office of the president, because the White House was occupied by a black American.  As much as I admire you and your accomplishments, I must beg to differ.

Please know, too, that I am married to a person of another race, although my wife and I had never given much thought to that until the excessive raising of race-consciousness during the past four years.  She is, by the way, of the same approximate skin coloring as yourself.

As one who has lived long enough to merit senior status and as a Caucasian, I was taken aback by your allusion to the necessity of  old white people needing to pass from the scene before there could be resolution of the race problem in the U.S.  As the old saying goes, "It takes two to tango." So it might be beneficial to look at the situation from both sides of the fence. As one of your admirers, I would certainly hope that you would agree with me on this.

You should be aware, too, that I actually voted for President Obama in 2008.  It was not, however, too long after he took office that I discovered that I had made a horrible mistake.  

Therefore, Ms. Winfrey, I do hope that you will not say of me that I am simply a racist who, by opposing the policies of Barack Hussein Obama, is showing disrespect for the office of the presidency.  Indeed, I believe that we make a terrible mistake if we confuse opposition to the policies of an occupant of the presidential office with disrespect for the office in general.

Please be advised that I am opposed to President Obama for a number of reasons, and will set out my opposition in the following points:

1.  Our president was not vetted sufficiently to reveal his inadequacies for the office.  For example, early in 2009, I was aware that President Obama was confusing the cultures and languages of the Middle East with those of Central Asia.  What followed were several speeches in which the president laid bare his ignorance of basic knowledge of history, culture and foreign languages.  As one who had spent time in those regions, I found this deficiency to be particularly glaring.

2.  Our foreign policy has been a complete disaster. We have allowed the likes of President Putin of Russia to outshine us in the Middle East.  With fiascos in Egypt and Syria - and don't forget the infamous red line - our traditional allies are clearly wondering whatever happened to American resolve.  Then, too, our closest friend in the region, Israel, has been diplomatically and politically isolated.

3.  Living as I do on the border with Mexico, I am rightly concerned about porous borders and the increasing numbers of illegal aliens, who have continued, despite the party line from Homeland Security, to breach our frontiers.  There has been entirely too much foot-dragging by the Obama administration in dealing with this problem.

3.  I cannot recall in any other administration the outright prevarications that we have been subjected to.  A case in point is Benghazi, where we were told to believe that a misbegotten film had started it all.  Surely, there is more than meets the eye to this cover-up; and, hopefully, Congressional hearings will get to the bottom of it.

4.  Again, living along the border, I want the truth about the ill-conceived program called "Fast and Furious." Why, were Americans, including Hispanic-Americans, allowed to die when the Obama government smuggled American weapons to Mexican drug cartels?

5.  As a child, I recall that my family cherished the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution of the United States of America.  And, certainly, this included the freedoms laid out in the 1st Amendment.  Therefore, it is difficult for me to believe that the partisan activity demonstrated by the IRS was not known about in the White House.

6.  Fortunately, the American economy was saved from Cap and Trade, Card-Check and any other number of schemes that would result in economic chaos.  However, the travesty of Obamacare is still with us.  Rammed through Congress without widespread support in the country, this program has demonstrated, as no other, the incompetence, lies and disregard that have characterized the administration.  Not only can we not afford this disaster, it is disrupting lives and foisting more expense and pain on the great American middle class, the backbone of American society.

7.  I have had a high regard throughout my life for a president named Harry S Truman, who once said, "The buck stops here!"  Try as I might, I have found no similar sentiment of stepping up to the plate in any quarter of the Obama administration.  Indeed, the tendency is to lie and to obfuscate. America deserves better.

8. And, finally, I can recall no other presidency in my lifetime which has done so much to sow racial discord.  Supporters of President Obama are quick on the draw when it comes to playing the proverbial race-card, but, sadly, their concern for racial matters is all too often one-sided.

Again, Ms. Winfrey, I do hope that you will discern that I am a member of the "loyal opposition" and not one who is inspired by racial enmity.  I am unalterably opposed to this president, while respecting the office.  At this point, as a concerned American, I can do none other than to oppose this president by all the means afforded me by the Constitution of the United States of American.

With best wishes for your continued success and kindest regards, I am

Sincerely,

John W. Barham

CALDERONI'S CORNER

BEN CALDERONI

EX-MARINE AND AMERICAN PATRIOT 

BEN CALDERONI FURTHER ENLIGHTENS READERS ON THE MENACE OF 

GEORGE SOROS

Last week, while delivering a series of 5 lectures on Mexican history, I was fortunate to be able to once again sit down with Ben Calderoni in his office, located in the Bajio region of central Mexico.  What follows is the text of a dialogue with Ben, as he expressed his reservations about eccentric billionaire George Soros and his political machinations in the United States.

John B.:  Ben, thanks so much for hosting me again.  It is always a pleasure to visit with you and to pry into your very active mind about the strange world that we now find ourselves in, thanks to all the leftists who are now shaping public policy in the U.S.

Ben:  You're welcome any time.

John B.:  Ben, many of the readers of Two for Texas have been commenting on your article about George Soros.  Would you mind discussing Mr. Soros a bit more in depth?

Ben:  Not at all. Fire away.

John B.:  How deeply has Soros embedded himself in America?

Ben:  Quite deeply, actually.  I know for a fact that Soros has a very close relationship with the Clintons and with Obama, so close, in fact, that I often find myself wondering if our government now is for sale to the highest bidder and asking myself, also, if this sort of stuff can actually be happening to the country that I love and have served.  Not only is his influence felt at the White House and at the highest levels of our government, the man has extended his sway over vast segments of the media and has now embarked on an effort to influence elections on the state and local levels by establishing relationships with secretaries of state in various states of the union.

John B.:  Ben, was there ever any effort to forewarn Americans of Soros and his blueprint to reconstruct America?

Ben:  You know, give me a couple of seconds, and I can supply a direct quote from an impeccable source.  Here it is.  This is from Rachel Ehrenfeld, who wrote almost 17 years ago that, and I'm just going to read the quote:  "Soros uses his philanthropy to change or more accurately to deconstruct the moral values and attitudes of the Western world, and particularly, of the American people.  His 'open society' is not about freedom; it is about license.  His vision rejects the notion of ordered liberty, in favor of a progressive ideology of rights and entitlements."

John B.:  Ben, just how far has he gone to change the political landscape in America?

Ben:  Just about as far as one could possibly imagine.  For all practical purposes, he has hijacked the oldest continuously existing political party in history, the Democratic Party.  He owns it lock, stock and barrel, and is packing it with radicals, while ousting voices of moderation.  In this way, Mr. Soros has vigorously, cleverly and insidiously planned the ruination of our country, and a puppet named Barack Obama is leading the way.

John B.:  Ben, do you believe there is any solution to this problem?

Ben:  If I didn't, I would not be talking to you.  The solution is in the American people, who have to find their way through this morass of intrigue.  And, by God, I feel so sorry for our young people, who have grown up being subjected to an educational system that has cheated them of their fundamental heritage.  I noticed in one of your recent articles that you had noted that the millennial generation, which has overwhelmingly supported the president in the past, has now seen its support drop in the polls to the mid-40s.  And that's a good sign, as these youngsters are going to have to take the bull by the horns and lead the charge which, hopefully, will bring all of us who love America together.  And that includes Americans who are black, white, red, Asian, Latin, or whatever, people who are tired of being divided and subdivided by race, gender, age and all of the categories that the American Marxists have used for leverage.  It is very clear that what is happening is that President Obama has set out to destroy capitalism and to erect on its ruins a socialist dictatorship.  If history had been taught correctly in America, our people would know that socialism is nothing put a recipe for misery.  Just look where it has been tried throughout the world.  It's all so very obvious.  The most powerful and richest country in the world cannot afford to see itself destroyed by virtue of some fanciful ideas of polyanna economists and philosophers. All too obvious is the corrupt nature of it all.  For example, the president used the tax monies of the American people to create a slush fund to buy votes in Congress to pass Obamacare.  But, thank God for Obamacare!  Because it has revealed to one and all the flawed thinking and the incompetence of those who would force socialism upon us.  It is my earnest hope that this travesty will lead to a rotting away of this gangster regime which has trampled over our Constitution and has attempted to garner societal control in  a way foreign to America! Despite what Chief Justice Roberts had to say, the coercive portion of Obamacare is not a tax, it is simply a raw, blatant penalty, which would be used to browbeat our citizens.  It is wrong, wrong, wrong!  It is unconscionable and totally destructive to have a government takeover such a large portion of our economy.

John B.:  Ben, Ms. Winfrey recently stated that she was of the opinion that Americans were not respecting the office of the presidency, because the office was being occupied by a black person.

Ben:  Before you go any further, I'm going to break in with this.  Ophrah Winfrey can go fly a kite! I am so tired of this race stuff.  It is all part of the Soros design to divide us.  I don 't care what color Obama is, he is simply not right for our country, and I dislike him not because of his race, but I dislike him for what he stands for.  And that has absolutely nothing to do with the office of the president.  As a Marine, I took an oath to protect my country, and that included its institutions, such as the presidency.  That being said, I can still oppose this president with all of my might!  And, in that respect, I feel obligated to do so, because our president is a very dangerous man indeed!  What can be more dangerous for our country than having a president who is bereft of conscience, a serial liar, and one who cannot distinguish his fantasies from reality?  And this person who is supposedly the leader of the free world was once a candidate for whom I voted in 2008!  So Ophrah can't call me out for being a racist!  I cannot stand Obama because, with the support of George Soros, he has broken and divided my country, he is purging the military and he has allowed Muslims to have greater influence than their numbers would suggest.  But so many of our fellow citizens are afraid to speak out, owing to the possibility of an Ophrah Winfrey, who happens to be one of the most powerful women in the world, calling them racists. How pathetic!

John B.:  Ben, I hate to stop you, but I've got to give a lecture in about 45 minutes.  Any concluding thoughts?

Ben:  John, we - all of us who proudly call ourselves Americans - are imperiled.  Truly, our national security is at stake.  I believe that more and more of us are coming to the conclusion that we must demand an end to this madness and take action for our families, for generations unborn and stand up to the demagogues and those like George Soros, who wish to use their power to undo us and our beloved America.  We must get rid of every so-called "progressive" in Congress, starting with Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid.  There is absolutely no way that they and their colleagues in this rogue government should be allowed to destroy our country.

John B.: Thanks, Ben.  Anything else?

Ben:  As usual, Semper Fi, and God bless America!

LEGACIES AND DISTRACTIONS ISOLATE ISRAEL

SMALL MINDS IN BIG SUITS SACRIFICE AMERICAN IDEALS FOR PERSONAL FAME

At an early age, I was warned about "small minds in big suits," or, to phrase it more prosaically, smooth operators whose overriding concern is their own elevated place in their own little interpretations of history.  It is now all too apparent that my own country is now under the thumb of such individuals.

With a president who in his entire life has never "run" anything, not so much even as an organization in which there are lines of responsibility leading to genuine oversight, we now have a foreign policy based on hope and not on "realpolitik."  Given this man's lack of practical education, it is probably safe to say that he has never heard of Metternich, or, for that matter, any other major figure from diplomatic history.

As a "community organizer," it is not clear what our president ever organized.  As a state legislator in Illinois, on most occasions, he simply showed up and voted "present."  As a U.S. senator, he filled a seat and added little or nothing to effective dialogue.  As an Ivy League undergraduate, there is no indication that the young Barack Hussein Obama ever wrote a senior thesis.  And, as the editor of the law review at Harvard Law, apparently he never wrote one scholarly article.  In other words, he just showed up.

As for our secretary of state, he has done nothing but involve himself in government from the time he left the Navy during the Vietnam era. His greatest achievement, perhaps, is that he married the heiress to the Heinz fortune.  The man typifies the Obama administration inasmuch as he has had virtually no experience in the private sector.  His arrogance bespeaks his inadequacy for the post that he now occupies.  In many, many ways, he is one who has just been showing up for too long.

In the midst of the disaster of Obamacare, it is revealing that, quite suddenly, we now have a preliminary agreement with the outlaw state of Iran, an agreement in which the small minds in big suits have "given away the store" and stabbed Israel in the back.  We are now to believe that, as we loosen the sanctions against Iran, this country, noted for its widespread network of terrorism, will mellow into a Middle East pussycat.  Missing in this agreement are brakes on continued uranium enrichment and valid international surveillance of the Iranian nuclear program.  But somehow, we are supposed to believe that the Obama foreign policy which has taken us from failure to failure in Egypt and Syria will somehow carry the day and make Iran a partner for peace. From this quarter, what has been accomplished between Rouhani and Kerry only makes it more likely that there will be war in the Middle East.

Mr. Rouhani, after the announcement of the agreement, crowed that his nation's nuclear rights had been recognized.  And this only underlines that the Iranian capacity for carrying on with the enrichment of uranium has been in no way diminished.  Furthermore, we are to believe that Iran will maintain only 50% of its uranium stock, with verification coming only from some sort of surveillance cameras.  In return, not only are the sanctions being loosened, but several billion dollars of capital are being freed up for the Mullahs.  With so many lies in its past - and we suspect that Obama and Kerry have never heard of the Islamic practice of "taqiyyah" - those in their right minds, it would seem, would never trust the overlords of Hezbollah to make good on what we in the West call promises.

If it is true that our president weaseled a promise out of Benjamin Netanyahu not to take preemptive action against Iran, then Israel has been boxed in diplomatically.  This is the real tragedy of this mess.  We continue to treat our best ally in the region as a "red-headed stepchild,"

while others such as Saudi Arabia look on with ever growing disrespect for the weakness of the small minds in big suits.  And, all the while, Iran continues to spread its tentacles into the Shiite dominant Malaki regime in Iraq.

As the fiasco of Obamacare continues to fester, more distractions are likely.  And, like the preliminary agreement with Iran, they will likely be undertaken at great loss to the United States.  But, this is the way of small minds in big suits.  They cannot see beyond the scope of their own legacies and false pride.  And it should not be forgotten that being president means far more than just showing up.

Deo vindice!

God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!

THE GREAT MARCH TO TYRANNY: IS IT INEVITABLE?

It does not take a great mind to understand that, by its very nature, government is destined to grow. As human beings are organisms, the organic properties in human creations should be considered.  And government is a human creation.

For most who are engaged in one sort of undertaking or another, being part of that undertaking mimics an organic process, whereby  more time and effort are devoted  as attempts are made to  justify the existence of the undertaking by drawing in  others to its activity.  By this means, an organism grows, and, by growth, it is justified. Just like an amoeba, it enlarges and divides. So it is with government.

Legislators see their end all and be all as legislating.  If one is legislating, one is working for the passage of more laws.  More laws naturally lead to more regulation and more government.  And freedom inexorably suffers.

Chief executives in the modern era devote themselves to their "legacies."  One desires to have a prominent place in the annals of history, owing to a great achievement in the aggrandizement of prominence and power for government.  In effect, legacies grow government.

As government grows, bureaucracies grow.  After all, there must be regulators who regulate by establishing regulations for legislation and the legacies that prompted the legislation.  And, eventually, it always seems that the bureaucrats are subsuming the prerogatives of those who pass the laws in the first place.  And how ma
 legislative movements can you think of that have been devoted to nullifying laws?

And, if all else fails, there is always the judiciary, which has had a tendency under the left to act as an efficient conduit to change.  Yes, court packing schemes, some more discrete than others, invariably work toward growing government and limiting freedom.

Those who designed the oldest functioning written constitution in the history of the world were very much aware that freedom is a very fragile thing.  From top to bottom, the U.S. Constitution is replete with checks and balances, intended to protect ordinary citizens from the excesses of government.  Of course, there are many of a certain political persuasion who loudly proclaim that the Constitution, is a living thing, and should be interpreted in such a way as to allow for "modern" developments.  Some even say that the document is an impediment to providing for the poor and the downcast, as they disguise their own aspirations to monopolize political power.

When rights of the minority begin to be stripped, tyranny is at hand.  During the last week, we have witnessed an historic vote in the U.S. Senate, whereby the right of the minority to filibuster judicial appointments has been taken away.  By this action, the chief executive - with an approval rating in the polls presently resting at 36% - will be able to hammer his left-leaning judicial appointments into place, thus assuring favorable treatment for his legacy in the third branch of government.  In this way, alternative expressions of opposition will be muzzled.

With a left-leaning chief executive marinated in Ivy League Marxism and influenced by the innate anti-Americanism of his family background, power is all or nothing.  After all, the agenda of the far left has always experienced its greatest success in dictatorial environments.  Although support for this president is dropping precipitously, there are still too many of our fellow Americans who are all too willing to surrender freedom for security, not willing to realize that security is a double-edged sword .  Just as Esau surrendered his inheritance for a mess of pottage, too many of us are willing to sacrifice freedom for security.  And, in doing so, they are enabling those who would like for all of us to join them on the great march to tyranny.

Deo vindice!

May God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!

WOW, WHAT A GREAT DEAL! AND "FREE" B.C. PILLS, TOO!

With those who were born between 1974 and 1995, there was 60% support for Barack Hussein Obama in the 2012 election.  This age cohort was "all-in" when it came to global warming, ecology and same-sex marriage, but demonstrated little awareness of bread and butter issues, such as unemployment and effective stimulation of the economy.  However, opinion polls are showing that the president's approval rating has fallen appreciably for those between the ages of 18 and 29, who now give him thumbs up at a rate of a mere 45%.

Many of these "millenials" are waking up to the fact that not only will it be difficult for them to secure employment in the near future, but, also, mom and dad won't be around forever to provide room and board.  Coupled with that fact of life is the realization that the new health care legislation will hit them of all Americans hardest in the pocket book, with the young and healthy expected to pay a premium that, in most cases, will be at least 20 to 30% more expensive than those who are older and sicker will pay.  In effect, the young and healthy will be subsidizing the older and sicker.

For those seeking employment, it is estimated that Obamacare will lead to the demise of at least a million jobs, while around 10 million jobs will be transformed from full-time to part-time employment.  But, at least, Obamacare will provide "free" birth control pills for everybody, even for senior citizens!  But, it is now dawning on younger voters that Obamacare is going to cost them dearly.

Frequently heard these days is the expression "free money."  And that expression is most usually employed with government programs of one sort or another. But, sooner or later, most people wake up to the fact that there is no free money.  Even with the Fed pushing currency at record rates into the economy and government presses at full throttle, somebody has to pay.  With Obamacare, the millenials are now going to be joining the great American middle class in picking up the tab for the trend for more and more government involvement in more and more areas of our lives.

As of today, November 21, the president's approval rating has fallen to 37%.  As this number continues to plunge, so too will the numeric expressions of approval of our failed president coming from younger voters.  Welcome to the real world, millenials!

Deo vendice!

God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!

JUST SAY NO! RESIST OBAMACARE!

As Americans, we have a long and storied past of resistance to tyranny. And now, at the beginning of the 21st century, we are confronted with a monstrous piece of  legislation, which has the potential to lay west to our economy and lower the standard of living that Americans have enjoyed for generations.

As millions are losing the health insurance they were promised they could keep, the provisions of the law look even more onerous for 2014, when  health coverage provided through one's place of employment will begin to be adversely affected.  Estimates are that more than 90 million people will be affected.  In effect, the time factor will guarantee that cancellation notices go out just prior to the 2014 midterm elections.

Anyone with any sort of political savvy would recognize that Barack Hussein Obama has marked himself for political extinction. However, in the case of the president, doubts about his recognition of his own ultimate fate are in order.  Bur, judging from the increasing number of Democrats in Congress who now see the president as a liability, those in the know see the handwriting on the wall.

Marinated in leftist/Marxist thought in Ivy League settings  and stewed in the anti-Americanism of his mother and grandfather, Barack Hussein Obama has all the attributes of an ideologue.  And ideologues are well  known for clinging to their faculty lounge ideals, even as those ideals have brought them to rack and ruin.  Coupled with the thuggery of Chicago-style politics and a dearth of management experience in his resume, the president is sitting atop a gigantic potential for one of the greatest disasters in American history.  That this man would lie is now even more apparent by virtue of the "book cooking" that was done just prior to the 2012 presidential election, that showed unemployment figures in a much more favorable light than they actually were.

Yes, practicality is not one of the strong suits of this president.  If there were a practical side to the Obama administration, care would have been given to making certain that all features of the Affordable Care Act would work toward the benefit of all Americans.  Sadly, this was never the case, and ideology has trumped practicality in virtually every area of Obamacare.

A wiser man would have said, " Whoa, wait a minute!  This thing needs some work.  Let's get all factions in Congress to put aside their differences, put our heads together, and work for the American people!"  But, no, that was never the case, and the desire to ram through disastrous change that would forever scar our country was the goal of this failed president. Now, it is much too late for any sort of non-partisan rescue mission.

Dear readers, if our elected representatives are not willing to engage in protracted and determined resistance in order to rid America of this damnable farce of a law, then we must take it upon ourselves to resist.  Be assured that I would never counsel an uprising that was anything but peaceful, but passive resistance, in the manner of Mahatma Gandhi, may be our only recourse.  Are you willing to take to the streets and not cooperate with a government that, with every passing day, becomes more and more oppressive?  The time is now.  We are the answer, not an incompetent government that is bent on saddling us with a law that will condemn future generations to penury and ruin.

Deo vindice!

God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!

IT JUST KEEPS GETTING WORSE FOR OBAMACARE! THAT MEANS IT'S GETTING WORSE FOR AMERICA!

When it seemed that the news for Obamacare just couldn't get worse, initial enrollment figures were far from encouraging over at Health & Human Services for Kathleen "Ice Queen Katy" Sebilius and her hardy band of navigators, call-center operators and various and sundry bureaucrats.

In fact, Obamacare was about 90% off the numbers that had been anticipated for October enrollments. Combined with a website that just wouldn't work, news that navigators chosen to help prospective enrollees navigate the intricacies of the program did not go through background checks, and revelations of navigator malfeasance in Dallas,  it is difficult to imagine how this monstrosity is allowed to continue to function.  But, remember, this is an Obama government program, not one that would have to stand on its own in the private sector.

WHY DOES THIS POOR LADY NO LONGER SMILE?

As for the millions who are losing private plans that they liked and naively believed their president when he said, "If you like your plan, you can keep it! Period!" there has been no resolution as yet to their problem.  In several quarters, odds are that more government money will be utilized to subsidize those up to 100 million people who will find that policies equivalent to the ones they lost will be quite a bit more expensive on the exchanges.  If this becomes the solution, how will it work?  Will these millions of individuals be subsidized indefinitely?  Will they discover that the subsidies are for a limited period and thus find themselves entrapped into purchasing inordinately more expensive coverage on the exchanges?

Meanwhile, groups like the Urban League, which chose to enter the navigator business, continue to have their reputations tarnished with tales  of how associated navigators encouraged prospective enrollees to commit fraud in Texas.   Texas Senator John Cornyn, in reaction, has called for an end to the navigator program. And, in New Orleans, it has been revealed that Wayne Rathke, the founder of ACORN, the shady community organizing group caught red-handed in fraudulent activity, has pushed another of his groups, this time a labor union, into the Obamacare business.

How could any honest citizen in his or her right mind conceive of having anything to do with Obamacare?  It is nothing more than a giant scam, designed to perpetuate dependence, provide graft and patronage and ensnare Americans in a mishmash of bureaucracy.  And, remember which agency of government that was charged with enforcing this ill-begotten tragedy?  Why, of course, it's the totally non-partisan IRS, the very body known for harassment of citizen groups not known to support the present administration.  What a load of garbage!  No wonder Congress is not inclined to live by the laws it inflicts on others!

Deo vindice!

God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star state remain forever red!

OBAMA'S LEGACY: A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS!

JUST WHO ARE THE 38%?

A perusal of the polls on Real Clear Politics shows that President Barack Hussein Obama's approval numbers have dropped precipitously.  Major polls now indicate that his approval rating is down around the 38% range. To most, that would appear to be calamitous.  However, considering all the failures and shockers associated with this administration, it is surprising that the numbers are not even lower.

To reiterate, there is the Benghazi tragedy, the IRS scandal, Mr. Holder's ignorance of Fast and Furious, Justice Department harassment of journalists, roadblocks against voter ID laws, the collapse of any sort of coherent Middle East Policy, and a naive effort to bridge differences with the Mad Mullahs of Tehran.  And, to top off these failures, there is now the mother of all failures in the form of Obamacare.  And the administration is looking even more ridiculous as it looks for a quick "fix."

With a Democrat in the White House and Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress, Obamacare was rammed through, with no thought given to the majority of the American people who disapproved.  Now we see that the reluctance of Americans to support Obamacare was well founded.  It is a disaster that just keeps getting worse day by day.

If we were under a parliamentary system in the U.S., this administration would be long gone.  As it stands with our constitutional form of government, we have 3 more years with a president whose actions have shown that he has little or no regard for constitutional restraints.  Our saving grace is the hope that in 2014, Americans remembering the excesses of the Democratic Party, will vote to expel Democrats in droves from Congress.

But, again, what is perplexing is that there are apparently still 38% of Americans who believe that President Barack Hussein Obama is doing a wonderful job.  In pondering who makes up the 38%, we are confronted with various possibilities:

1.  A significant cohort of the 38% could be composed of people who are just downright stupid.  And this may be a distinct possibility, as the IQ level of Americans has been dropping steadily over the last few decades.

2.  Many of the 38% could be made up of those who don't pay attention and prefer to spend their time watching "Storage Wars," "The Jerry Springer Show," and, what is it?  You know, the program about the silly wives in New Jersey.

3.  And then there is the "gimme factor."If those who always have their hands out for "gimmes" are polled, they would likely be very pro-Obama.  So, the Obamaphoners, food-stampers, Medicaiders and various and sundry recipients of various and sundry benefits are probably pretty prominent in the 38%.

4.  Then there are the die-hard "progressives" (formerly known as Marxists and leftists) who just don't like much of anything at all about the U.S.A.; and, if the pollsters are able to reach them, they'll be giving the high-sign for Obama.

5.  Finally, government bureaucrats and employees on all 3 levels, who now make up a large proportion of the electorate, want to see more goodies flowing down the great Washington pipeline, even if it means that monstrosities like Obamacare are foisted on Americans.  For sure, they would be in the Obamacare camp.

So there you have it!  The 38% figure must be fairly accurate.  But, if things continue their downhill slide, even that number could get smaller. Dear readers, remembering that, let's hold out until November of 2014!

Deo vindice!

God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!

CRIES FROM CONGRESSIONAL ANCIENT MARINERS: MAN, OR WOMAN, THE LIFEBOATS! ABANDON SHIP! WHAT'S THAT AROUND MY NECK?

FROM CURL

With midterm elections coming on fast, Congressional Democrats are getting cold feet about the albatross of Obamacare that they, with the help of  President Barack Hussein Obama, tied around their necks. Constituent cries of "FOUL!" grow louder with each passing day of more and more news of Obamacare disasters. And, in Washington, finally, the "public servants" are listening

For Democrats representing constituencies in states leaning to the right, they are duly concerned about the possibility of Obamacare negatively affecting their reelection chances.

REPRESENTATIVE TOM COTTON

Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas, for example, is now trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and Barack Hussein Obama. Senator Pryor, who of course voted with other Democrats in favor of Obamacare, now has a dynamic young Republican opponent waiting in the wings as his opponent, whose experience, background and education could well presage another Ted Cruz-style politician, who wiould hit the Senate running.  Representative Tom Cotton, with his Harvard Law degree, military service in Iraq and his down-home persona, would appear to be in the right place at the right time to end the Washington career of Senator Pryor.  And Obamacare will surely give him a leg up.

SENATOR LANDRIEU IS RUNNING SCARED

And just south of Arkansas there's Louisiana, a state where, if the polls are correct, Obamacare is none too popular.  Senator Mary Landrieu, who came to fame with the "Louisiana Purchase" of 300 million dollars in Medicaid credits for Louisiana in exchange for Ms. Landrieu's vote in the Senate for Obamacare, had until just a few weeks ago remained a strong supporter for the legislation which gave birth to the law.  Now, even Ms. Landrieu, who is succumbing to midterm fever, wants to back off from some of the law's more odious features. Senator Landrieu, who hails from a long line of aristocratic Louisiana politicians, suddenly sees the potential for political disaster stemming from Obamacare.  But, just a couple of days ago, when Senator Landrieu was asked by a reporter if she thought the people of Louisiana were owed an apology from President Barack Hussein Obama, she just giggled and laughed.  But Senator Mary Landrieu may not be laughing when next November rolls around!

And then there are Democratic Senators Shaheen of New Hampshire and Udall of Colorado, who are demanding a "quick fix" before election time. But it's  not only the vulnerable of Congress seeking to cut their Obamacare losses, as well-established and secure figures are raising their voices to object to what is shaping up to be the disaster of the young century.  Even that venerable old left-winger from left coast California, Senator Dianne Feinstein, is letting it be known that enough is enough!

FROM ERICALLE:  THE OBAMACARE ALBATROSS

And now, in the United States House of Representatives, all those Democratic representatives who, probably like Representative Nancy Pelosi, wanted to pass the Affordable Care Act to see what was in it, have given what is, in effect, an ultimatum to President Barack Hussein Obama - either get your Obamacare act together by Friday, November 15, or else!  Perhaps it was ex-President Bill Clinton's earlier admonition that President Obama should honor his commitment to allow Americans to keep their current coverage that gave the erstwhile Democratic Obamacare enthusiasts in the House the courage to scurry forth with their ultimatum.

Suddenly, even left-of-center Democrat Congressman Kurt Schrader from the People's Republic of Oregon is lambasting the president, saying that Obama, in  promoting Obamacare, had been "...grossly misleading."  Representative Schrader was visibly perturbed about the growing number of stories from his constituents who have had policies they kept in force for years cancelled in response to the ukases proceeding from Obamacare.

As I recall, it was a mere three weeks ago that the Democratic leftists were jumping all over Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and the Tea Party for their failed strategy to defund Obamacare.  My, how the political atmosphere can change in such a short period of time!  If anything, their willingness to put it all on the line - even to the point of a brief shutdown - in an effort to stall a a terribly flawed piece of legislation is to be admired.  And it speaks volumes to their courage and commitment to those who sent them to Washington.  Cruz, Lee and their supporters are looking more and more like heroes!

Deo vindice!

May God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!

GOSH, OBAMACARE IS JUST TOO HOT TO TROT!

A LUCKY LIBIDINOUS COUPLE:
SHE'S GOT OBAMACARE!

Today's development in the continuously unfolding Obamacare saga just makes a person wonder what kinds of idiots are working in our federal government.  

It used to be that one's sexuality was an intensely personal thing, but, judging by the newest round of ads pushing Obamacare on millenials and gen-xers, Barack Hussein Obama and his bureaucrats just don't see it that way.

In a "got insurance" ad, "Susie" and "Nate" appear on the verge of making "whoppee."  In fact, the ad informs us that the young couple are "hot to trot." But all will be well, because Susie has her birth-control pills in hand, courtesy of Big Brother and Obamacare health insurance.  Now, all Susie has to worry about is, "getting him between the covers," because, after all, "OMG, he's hot!"

Wow, talk about an ad campaign that is demeaning to women, this is it!  And, all along, we were told that the Republicans were waging a nasty war on women.  But this would seem to put the shoe on the other foot, wouldn't it?

Would it be possible that the president would like for his daughters to follow the advice of the ad?  When all  is said and done, the message of the ad is that, thanks to Obamacare, young women can be as promiscuous as possible, and Obamacare policies will pick up the tab, even providing abortion -  if such is needed.

My, how times have changed!  I remember my father lecturing me as I came of age: "If you play, you pay!" His meaning, of course, was that as an adult I was responsible for my actions.  He counseled me that premarital sex was not a great idea, but, if I strayed, it was up to me to man up, and that included being responsible for sex and what came with it, including birth control.

But now, although birth control pills are not prohibitively expensive, our government even wants to get involved in that side of life.  And, somehow, this has become one of the great issues of the day.

POOR ADRIANA:  IT'S NOT HER FAULT!

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that the "Obamacare Girl," who graces the entrance to the Obamacare website, has not even signed up for the program her image is promoting.  The young lady, known as Adriana, is a citizen of Colombia, who is awaiting her U.S. citizenship.  According to Adriana, she was not paid for the Obamacare modeling gig, and  all of the public negativity directed toward Obamacare has brought some nasty remarks her way, although she would likely tell you that her photo does not imply endorsement!

Dear readers, this whole thing is just getting crazier and crazier.  With all of the expense, creation of dense bureaucracies, emerging fraud, and governmental involvement in areas of life that should be personal, don't you think that President Barack Hussein Obama should just call a halt to this mess and see if the private sector has some ideas about how to deal with the problem?  But, oh my, I might have forgotten what the problem was!  I believe it had something to do with making sure that 30 million uninsured people got insurance.  So, if that was the original problem, how have we arrived at a point where each day thousands of Americans are having their insurance cancelled?  Did I miss something somewhere?

Deo vindice!

God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State  remain forever red!

NAVIGATORS " NAVIGATIN..", COMMUNITY FOLKS "ORGANIZIN...":THEY'RE DESTROYING YOUR COUNTRY, AMERICANS!

James O'Keefe is at it again!  Just days after President Barack Hussein Obama visited the Dallas area  to extol the virtues of Obamacare, O'Keefe and his Project Veritas, in the kind of stealth operation O'Keefe specializes in, captured on video Obamacare navigator "trainees" counseling applicants for health coverage to commit fraud by covering up income, in order to qualify for taxpayer-provided health insurance subsidies.  The fraud was perpetrated at a community center by the same types of individuals exposed by O'Keefe when ACORN community organizers were caught counseling a fictitious pimp on how to gain access to government monies t expand his prostitution business.

NAVIGATOR TRAINEES AT WORK IN A COMMUNITY CENTER

Yes, Mr. and Mrs. America, this is what you are going to get with Obamacare.  Not only are millions and millions of Americans losing the health insurance they liked, not only is there a "white elephant" website that doesn't work, and not only are health care costs rising;  by grand design, you going are to see more and more fraud, more and more involvement in milking the system by the most unsavory elements in society, and the spreading of more and more tentacles of government into all areas of American life.

JAMES O'KEEFE

Even scarier about the Obamacare fraud in Texas are revelations that Enroll America, the supposedly non-partisan organization pushing the Affordable Care Act through networks with government, health care organizations, hospitals, community organizations and non-profits, is in league with Battleground Texas, the Democratic Party's well-financed effort to turn the political tide and transform the Lone Star State into a Democratically-controlled stronghold, which would crush the most vibrant private economy in America.  To foist total government control on America, it follows that the Republican Party of Texas must be brought to its knees and the private enterprise that made Texas a great state reined in.

Dear readers, don't you see what is happening?  More and more bottom-feeders will be placed at government troughs at your expense.  All sorts of phony grants and community "alliances" will be created with your money.  A whole new array of directorships, assistant directorships will be created, along with their staffs. The gravy will be spread through ensuing patronage and graft.  Those who will live a little bit better at public expense will be cemented in their relationship to government. "Community organizers" will be working 24/7 to build a voter base of "takers" for the Democratic Party. There will be more food-stamps, medicaid and public housing.  The American economy will be scammed and destroyed.  A once mighty nation will be consumed by growing legions of recipients of government largesse, all of whom will be card-carrying Democrats.  But, could we really expect anything different from a president whose greatest claim to fame is that he was an Alinskyite community organizer?  But, then again, making such a statement confirms, dear readers, that I must be nothing but an out and out racist!

Deo vindice!

God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!

MAD MULLAHS, FAILED TALKS, AMERICA & ISRAEL, AND THE ESCHATOLOGY OF BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA

Thanks to French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and his accurate assessment of the Iranian delegation at Geneva as being up to " a con-job," the parley ended with neither sanctions being ended nor meaningful concessions being made with regard to Tehran's nuclear program.

For Iran, agreement hinged on the ability to continue to exercise its right to enrich its uranium stocks, which currently are enriched to the level of 20%, some 70% below the level needed for nuclear weapons production.  Although the mullahs insist that their nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes, such as the production of medical isotopes, atomic experts have warned that Iran could reach the 90% enrichment level in a relatively short period of time.

So for the meantime, at least, the international sanctions against Iran will remain in place, Iranian inflation will continue in the 40% range, the rial will continue to fall and oil-production revenues, already diminished by half, will continue to plunge.  That the mullahs did not  budge is an accurate indicator of how much more they value their theology/ideology over the welfare of the Iranian people. But, as sure as our president has 3 more years to serve out his term, Iran will return again to a bargaining table that will probably be more bountifully set by Barack Hussein Obama.

When all the disasters, international and domestic, are tallied up for the Obama administration, the numbers are mind-boggling.  If America's enemies had pieced together a plan for the diminishment of American power and for  political destabilization on the home front, it is doubtful that they could have arrived at any level of success exceeding what has been wrought by Barack Hussein Obama in just over 5 years.  In observing Obama early in his term in 2009, it seemed as if his flawed and incoherent moves were made more from ignorance and poor preparation for the presidency than from design.  However now, in 2013, the reverse seems more likely.

With the benefit of hindsight, we now know that Barack Hussein Obama grew up in an environment that was not exactlyy suited for nurturing American patriotism .  His anthropologist mother loathed virtually all things American, and his bright but absent and unstable Muslim Kenyan father provided no foundation for the cultivation of traditional values.

In college, the young Obama quite naturally migrated toward campus leftists and their causes.He never outgrew his adolescent resentment over the fact that his grandfather had been imprisoned by the British during the Mau-Mau uprising in Kenya.  Rather, he persisted in a naive  romanticizing of Third World anti-colonial movements, based on outworn and tiresome works, such as Frantz Fanon's Les Damnes de la Terre.  It was not difficult for the half-black Obama to integrate the experiences of African Americans into his world view of endemic imperialism,. in what became a hodgepodge of anti-Western leftism.

Seeing Christianity as part of the the Western impulse toward colonialism, doctrinaire leftists are prone to view Islam in a more positive light because, after all, Islam for more than 2 centuries has been identified with that part of the world exploited by Western imperialism.  As for Zionism, little or nothing need be said as to its standing with radical Islamists and anti-colonial leftists alike as just another form of Western imperialism.

So the moderate Democratic candidate of 2008 has now undergone his leftist chrysalis, whereby we are confronted by the ultimate Obama, who was cultivated to the left from his earliest environment, through adolescence and an eventual university-level leftist percolation, resulting in his detestation of the West and America's place in the Western world.  Judging from his past actions, we must assume that he will continue to attempt to stealthily undermine America's best friend in the Middle East, Israel, and that there will be further efforts to accommodate the mad mullahs in Tehran.  As our president continues to show his true colors, so his fellow-travelers within the administration will more likely be identifiable as to their true place on the political spectrum.  The rough road for America and Israel will continue.

Let us pray for America.  Let us pray for Israel.

Deo vindice!

God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!

LOONEY TUNES LEFTISTS , PART II: YOU AND THE BULLY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Since a major cause du jour in these times is bullying,  a consideration of that rite of passage encountered by most on the road to adulthood might give us some insight into intimidation on a much larger playing field.

As a youngster, I confronted my share of bullies.  I was tall for my age, and any number of height-challenged bullies wanted to test their mettle against a tall kid.  My father gave me some good advice, assuring me that most people who were loud and boisterous in their efforts to push others around were, at heart, cowards.  Keeping that in mind, he further counseled me that, when challenged, most bullies would turn tail and run.

My father was right.  90% of the bullies I encountered stood down when I called their bluff.  As for the other !0%, their bark was far worse than their bite.

But, let's imagine that the bully in your neighborhood has cowed the members of his household as well as the kids living across the street. Then, all of a sudden, you get wind that Mr. Bully has taken up with your best friend, who lives on the other side of town.  And, coming on the heels of that news, you begin seeing the bully and the guy you thought was your best friend chowing down together in the lunch room at school.  Among the thoughts you are trying to process, one stands out:  You are about to lose your best friend!   And no other friends are in sight to take his place!

For sure, the same kinds of thoughts are troubling the minds of the leaders of Israel these days, as the Islamic Republic of Iran sidles up to the United States and other powers at a major powwow in Geneva.  Are those powers not aware that Iran has been a menace on the world scene for 35 years?  Do they not understand that Iran has never deviated from its message of hate and it's desire to finally, completely and totally destroy the Jewish state?  Has it not sunk in that Iran is on the verge of producing an atomic weapon and is highly unlikely to stray from that course?

I recall steely looks from mullahs encountered in the bazaars in Tehran in 1978.  The hatred contained in those looks conveyed that I was in no way welcome on their turf.  In short, their abhorrence of infidels was quite palpable.

So far, little or nothing has changed in Iran's world view.  Despite Hassan Rouhani's protestations to the contrary, the United States is still the Great Satan, and there was never any sort of occurrence called the Holocaust.

The economic sanctions imposed on Iran have taken their toll.  Consumer goods are in short supply, prices are rising astronomically, and the population explosion has resulted in millions of young adults yearning for the types of freedoms enjoyed in the West. All indications are that Iran now has a vibrant, functioning underground youth culture, which in virtually all ways, is inimical to the official Islamic culture of the Mullahs, and the country is learning the hard way that an economy which is almost solely petroleum-based cannot satisfy  a rapidly growing population becoming more and more aware of the outside world.

Unfortunately, the United States, owing to its "red-line" strategy in Syria and its fatuous support for the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt, has abdicated a great deal of respect in the Middle East, so much, in fact, that it has sent the stock of Vladimir Putin soaring.  Consequently, those we formerly called friends are now looking to other quarters for comrades.

As for those who concoct foreign policy in D.C., they comport themselves as though they have never been exposed to the historic enmity between Sunni and Shia.  So, in order to expose them to a bit of history, it should be known that there has been no love lost between Arabs and Persians, and the prospect of Iran becoming a nuclear power is probably just as frightening to Saudi Arabia as it is to Israel.  Ancient hatreds die a hard death in the Levant, and political evolution may lead sooner than we might think to Saudi fear of Iran trumping Saudi fear of Israel.  

For the moment, the fear of the Iranian bully in the Middle Eastern neighborhood might cause Israel to foresee 2 eventualities:

1.  Iran could possibly fulfill its fantasy of raining total destruction on Israel.

2.  Iran's newly-acquired nuclear status could be utilized to elevate the Mullahs to suzerainty over 
     the Muslim world.

In each case,  the outcomes would not be acceptable, and preemptive action would be the order of the Israeli  day.

In the meantime, the foggy thinking from Foggy Bottom is to relinquish the strong hand of sanctions that stand a good chance of bringing down the Iranian nuclear program, in favor of tagging along the primrose lane of wishful thinking that there is big change afoot in Tehran, and that Hassan Rouhani's smiling face presages a new day of peace and love.  For Israel, the looney tunes American leftists must seem loonier and loonier. No wonder Benjamin Netanyahu is fuming!

IN A THIRD INSTALLMENT, TO APPEAR IN A FUTURE POSTING, JOHN B. WILL TURN TO A SORELY PAINFUL TOPIC:  ARE THE LOONEY TUNES AMERICAN LEFTISTS TRULY AWARE OF WHAT THEY ARE DOING?

Deo vindice!

May God bless Texas and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!

CAUTION: LOONEY TUNES AMERICAN LEFTISTS AT WORK! POSSIBLE ROUGH ROAD AHEAD FOR ISRAEL!

It is difficult to imagine appointing individuals with little or no personal diplomacy to major diplomatic posts; however, that difficulty is easily overcome when one realizes that it is the Obama administration doing the appointing.

A case in point is U.S. United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power.  Not only does Ms. Power not even show up for some critical deliberations at the U.N., she is well known for "shooting from the mouth"in not-so-diplomatic ways.  Last Wednesday. at the U.N. Association for the United States Global Leadership Awards, the person chosen to represent this country on a very international stage said:  

AMBASSADOR  SAMANTHA POWER

"Hi, everybody!  You know life has changed when you're hanging out with Jane Fonda backstage.  There is no greater embodiment of being outspoken in behalf of what you believe in - and being 'all in' in every way -than Jane Fonda.  And it's a huge honor just to ever briefly have shared this stage with her."

It is unlikely that Ms. Power has any recollections of "Hanoi Jane" visiting North Vietnamese anti-aircraft installations in 1972, as Power would have barely been two years of age at the time.  Be that as it may, in a few short words, Samantha Power managed to offend just about every Vietnam veteran in the U.S.

Samantha Power has come a long way in a remarkably short period of time.  Educated at Yale, the Irish-born Power only received her Harvard law degree in 1999; nevertheless,  her notoriety for ill-advised words has long preceded her.  During the 2008 Obama campaign, for example, she had to be shuffled off center stage by Obama's handlers for saying of Hillary Clinton that she was "...a monster whose modus operandi is deceit."  Despite that statement and despite Clinton's service as Obama's secretary of state, Power was brought out of mothballs, given a variety of lesser Obama administration posts and somehow eventually nominated and appointed as U.N. ambassador.

Barely out of law school and using her directorship of an appendage of the Kennedy School of Government  for making a name for herself as a leading thinker against genocide, Power did not spare her adopted country, lambasting in public statements in 2003 America's foreign policy record:  

"American Foreign Policy needs a force reckoning.  We should open the files and acknowledge the force of a mantra we have spent in the last decade promoting in Guatemala, South Africa and Yugoslavia...Instituting a doctrine of the 'mea culpa' would enhance our credibility by showing that American decision-makers do not endorse the policies of their predecessors."

Continuing with her train of thought, Ms. Power referred to German Chancellor Wily Brandt's famous visit to the Warsaw ghetto, during which he went down on bended-knee to emphasize German contrition for the Holocaust.  In a not-so-veiled allusion that American transgressions were on a par with those of the Nazis, our present U.N. ambassador suggested, because of its foreign policy, America might want to consider doing the same.

Earlier statements concerning Israel were indicative of Power's thinking concerning the Middle East.  In 2002, she suggested that it would be worthwhile for  the United States to employ its forces to protect the Palestinians from the Israeli Defense Forces.  Furthermore, she was on record as stating that military aid to Israel should be suspended and funds previously committed to Israel should be devoted to the support of a Palestinian state.

Once engaged in the confirmation process for her ambassadorial post, Power changed her tune and became pro-Israel, indicating to skeptical senators that she would be a consummate defender of the Jewish state.  Her about face did the trick; and, since her appointment earlier this year, Power has generally adhered to a pro-Israeli line.  But, with recent developments in the Obama administration's Middle Eastern policy, Ms. Power may bear watching as a bellwether of things to come.

Samantha Power is, for all practical purposes, a nonentity. She is far from being the equivalent of previous ambassadors to the U.N., such as Adlai Stevenson, Daniel Moyniham, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Madeleine Albright and John Bolton. Nonetheless, she is an exemplar of the kinds of individuals that our president likes to surround himself with.  Significantly, Power is married to "regulatory czar" Cass Sunstein, a University of Chicago law professor, who has questioned the absolute nature of free speech as guaranteed by the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; and, in one of his zanier statements, suggested that animals should be entitled to bring suit in the U.S. legal system. One cannot imagine a couple being more suited for one another.

It is no secret that American foreign policy is a complete and utter disaster, and this is especially true in the Middle East.  From Libya and Syria to Egypt, America has gone from debacle to debacle.  Arab countries thought previously to be in the American camp are now scrambling to find alternative means of security.  Baffled  by the infamous Obama "red line" and most recently by a naive effort to "befriend" the Islamic Republic of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and the Emirates are no longer looking to Washington for leadership, because, obviously, leadership is not there.  

IS THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ISOLATING ISRAEL?

Recently, we have, perhaps, witnessed a harbinger of things to come when an unnamed official in the Obama administration confirmed in what, for all practical purposes was a "leak," that a strike on Hezbollah-bound missiles and war materiel near Latakia in Syria was carried out by the Israeli Air Force.  

Obviously dismayed by the inconsistency of America's policy moves, Israel, probably our only remaining friend in the troubled region,  is pondering what the future might hold.  Finally breaking his silence on what Secretary of State John Kerry is up to in Geneva, Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken out that Geneva is shaping up as "...the deal of the century for Iran" and "...a very bad deal for peace."  As for the Iranian atomic program, the Israeli prime minister bemoaned the likelihood that,  in return for the lifting of economic sanctions against Iran, it would appear that the Iranians will not give up even a single centrifuge.

And so, it is on this note that we come back to Samantha Power.  Is the nebulous thought of Ambassador Power representative of fuzzy-minded logicians deeper in the administration?  Might there be a "stealth anti-Israel" mindset embedded in the Obama White House?  These questions will be considered in a follow-up in a subsequent posting on Two for Texas.

Deo vindice!

May God bless Texas, and may the Lone Star State remain forever red!