CALDERONI'S CORNER

THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: 

WHO WON?  WHO LOST?

BEN CALDERONI

Was there any question as to who was going to win?  Of course not; the corrupt Obama administration won - again.  And, of course, honest, hard-working American citizens were shafted - again, while the president, Senator Reid and Representative Pelosi went about their merry way in paving the way for the enslavement of future generations of Americans to poverty and misery.

In negotiating with anyone, you have to study your foe - who he is, where  he comes from:  money, wife, children, education, etc.  You cannot negotiate with someone who has nothing to lose - in this case, the president, whose arrogance may be summed up as, "It's my way or the highway!"

This president is negotiating with our money and our future.  Either way, he wins.  As to the shutdown on the 17th, he wins, as his main goal is to destroy America.  In the process, he got the Republicans to agree to raise the debt limit and to fund Obamacare.  This president is, for all practical purposes, a scam artist who has wasted trillions of dollars on socialized medicine schemes, blatant and corrupt kickbacks to his political donors and failed "green energy" projects.

The United States is BROKE, with 17 trillion in debt, and that figure is rising by the day.  We simply cannot afford this rotten administration, which many times has shown itself to be incompetent and irresponsible.  They have destroyed everything they have ever touched, including the postal service, and now they dare to take over the 1/6 of the economy represented by health care.

With impunity, they used the shutdown to threaten veterans and those drawing social security, the majority of social security recipients being women.  How very low it was to threaten to hold back social security outlays on November 1 - unless, of course, the Republicans caved and agreed to a deal!

The government is now playing games with our money and our lives.  They have nothing to lose; however, it is up to us to remind them that the funds in Social Security belong to us, the citizens, and not to the government.  This is our hard-earned money, yet they threaten to take it away.  Yes, it is time to fight back; and, no matter how incredible it seems, our own government has, in effect, declared war on middle America, that segment of society which pays the bills.

In the den of thieves and liars that now passes as the White House, nary a word was heard about cutting back on the extravagant lifestyle of First Lady Michelle Obama, who employs her own personal staff of 22 assistants at an annual cost of  1.6 million dollars, plus benefits.  As for the president's staff of 469, isn't there some room for cost-cutting?  And, do we really need 43 persons called "czars" reporting to an American president?  And why must the vacations of a chief executive, who is supposedly a champion of the downtrodden, cost this nation more than 15 million dollars?

Why are not drastic cuts considered for the food-stampers, medicaiders and Obamaphoners?  Of course not, for such action would spread misery to the core  of this president's constituency.  Better to keep the bread and circuses going in an effort to expand the base.

We, the people of these United States, must take action.  We cannot afford to waste any more time in requesting significant action from our representatives.  It is now time for us to demand that this government should abide by the Constitution and the rule of law.  Either our "public servants" listen to us, or we fire them.  Yes, throw them out of Congress and expose them for the charlatans that they are!  

I shall continue to expand on this theme in future postings.

God bless America!

BEN CALDERONI JOINS TWO FOR TEXAS

BEN CALDERONI

Two for Texas and America is pleased to announce that there are now two contributors publishing timely columns.  The editorial staff will be augmented by Ben Calderoni, who will be joining John Barham to form a dynamic duo of conservative commentary and thought.

Mr. Calderoni, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.  For many years, Calderoni served as a senior executive for major oil companies operating in Latin America.  He currently lives in Mexico, where he is an entrepreneur involved in real estate and tourism.

Ben Calderoni is far from shy in admitting that he voted for President Barack Hussein Obama in 2008, believing that the Democratic candidate was truly a middle-of-the-road politician.  Like many, however, Ben  was soon disillusioned to discover that President Obama had no intention of adhering to a moderate course.  Since that time, he has devoted himself to exposing not only the mendacity of the present administration, but opposing as well the ill-advised and reckless economic schemes prevailing at the highest levels of Congress.

Ben Calderoni is not known for pulling his punches.  His straight forward style will tell each and every story like it is.  He is a hard-hitter who believes strongly that the bullying tactics of the left must be met with an uncompromising response and a commitment to exposing the nefarious plans of the Washington elite to impose a socialist society on America.  Two for Texas is truly honored to be able to welcome Ben Calderoni to its blog.

MASS SHOOTINGS AND THE LARGER PROBLEM OF THE MENTALLY ILL

COLORADO SHOOTER JAMES HOLMES

Congress Avenue in Austin was, for many years, one of my favorite destinations in Texas.  There were bookshops, boutiques, nice hotels, coffee shops and, during the week, the thoroughfare was full of well-dressed people, who worked in banks, law offices, engineering firms and state office buildings.  Lunch hour on Congress was a veritable fashion runway, as the young and up-and -coming folks crowded into trendy restaurants on the avenue.  For me, flying from Brownsville to Austin for meetings was not at all hard duty.

ADAM LANZA: NEWTOWN SHOOTER

But, alas, that was more than 20 years ago.  Austin now prides itself on being "weird,"  and it more than lives up to its desired designation.  If one strolls along Congress today, one not only encounters   the cacophony and exhaust of a plethora of buses, on most blocks there is the lingering odor of human feces and urine, the calling cards of of Austin's ample population of the weird.  Odds are also great that strollers will be panhandled and even harassed by individuals whose appearance easily sets them apart as seriously disturbed human beings.

Yes, we are now paying the price for policies set in motion during the late 1960's.  The idea at the time was that pharmaceuticals could more easily and inexpensively control the growing number of mentally incompetent individuals.  As a consequence, cities like Austin have burgeoning populations of street people who have become menaces to themselves and to the population at large.

ARIZONA SHOOTER JARED LOUGHNER

Little thought was given to where the deinstitutionalized would live, how they would eat and what means would be employed to insure that they would be able to regularly receive their medications.  And, today, federal, state and local authorities seem at a total loss on how to deal with the situation.

NAVY YARD SHOOTER AARON ALEXIS

Ever notice how the perpetrators of mass shootings are either  mentally unstable adults or  children coming from homes marked by irresponsible parents?  Yet, if normal citizens would demand that our authorities issue public information on these individuals and keep close tabs on their whereabouts and  backgrounds, we would be accused of prejudice and breach of privacy. It is easy to imagine the ACLU making a cause celebre out of any such effort.  Consequently, demented minds are given carte blanche to wreak havoc on society, engaging in atrocious acts of mayhem, massacre and murder.

It is even more absurd how the anti-gun lobby is quick to capitalize on the acts of the manic, somehow tying their deeds to the great mass of honest, tax-paying American citizens who believe in the unqualified legitimacy of the 2nd Amendment and in their right to possess arms.  The hypocrisy of the anti-gunners blinds them to the havoc in our society which stems from the failure to deal in a meaningful way with the larger issue of mental health and how government has failed us in this regard.

How was it, for example, that the behavior of Aaron Alexis, a Navy veteran and a civilian who worked for the Navy, was never deemed to be problematic, bizarre and dangerous?  How was it that Major Nidal Hassan was not seen to be a menace at Ft. Hood?  There are, indeed, a myriad of questions that need to be asked about the dense, obtuse and nonsensical policies of government which make it all too likely that atrocities of this kind will continue to occur. And it must be remembered that the exploitation of the senseless acts of the demented for the purpose of disarming the general population will not result in a safer, more secure society, but only in a country which has surrendered a vital freedom.

Deo vindice!

WITH PORK AND EARMARKS, IT'S BUSINESS AS USUAL!

In a Congressional effort to restore a functioning government and to end a budgetary impasse, one would hope that our "public servants" who have committed their lives to unselfishly serving the United States of America would have focused totally on the task at hand.  However, in the recently completed agreement to end the shutdown, our ever opportunistic Solons in D.C. sealed the deal by loading on several million dollars worth of our tax monies for pet projects that had nothing at all to do with the business at hand.

And, before we get too jubilant over the reopening of the government, it might be well to remind ourselves of a few things.  For one, those people in D.C. on opposite sides of the aisle just do not like each other.  In fact, there is no love lost between right and left on the political spectrum, and this will make it more difficult than ever to expect these "statesmen" and "stateswomen" to work toward a modus vivendi.

The agreement to end the shutdown provided that spending could resume - but only until the middle of January.  And, with so much rancor existing between the concerned parties, it is beyond one's imagination that, come January, the warring factions will bury their hatchets and work together for the good of the country.

Our aloof president, who has "red-lined" this country out of virtually all of its allies in the Middle East, never pretended to give any leadership toward compromise on what he considers his crowning achievement - the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  At the same time, Obamacare has badly stumbled coming out of the gate, giving more fuel to critics who see the present administration as totally incompetent.  Once again, presidential leadership will be nil when crucial budgetary matters must be resolved.  Why do I have a feeling, dear readers, that, in the final analysis, we are all about to be red-lined?

A quick check of the polls reveals that the president's approval rating is steadily dropping toward the 40% range.  Congress, with its recent debacle over the shutdown, rates about as low as a trip to the dentist.  If for some reason there were a "love-fest" in Congress, just how many Americans would have any trust left for the principal actors at this point?

To make matters even worse - if that's possible - the shutdown -ending deal was marked by a significant amount of pork and earmarks being attached.  There was 2.2 billion for dam completion in Kentucky, 450 million for flood relief in Colorado, 636 million for tackling wildfires,  and even 174,00 to the multi-millionaire widow of deceased Senator Frank Lautenburg of New Jersey, who probably considers the death benefit to be nothing more than chump-change.

So, dear readers, we seem to be stuck between that proverbial " rock and a hard place."  It is most apparent that, no matter the gravity of matters to be considered before the august body of Congress, any and every opportunity will be taken to advance the extraneous interests of our "public servants."

The pundit Lou Dobbs was fond of saying that our country had "...the best government that money could buy."  I, for one, am becoming more and more convinced that our present government would not be worth buying, no matter the price.

Deo vindice!

"ICE QUEEN KATY" TO WALTZ IN BOSTON WHILE WEBSITE CRUMBLES!

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO "THE BUCK STOPS HERE"?

KATY "CUTS THE RUG" WITH CHUBBY HUBBY

Serving as a dean and provost  during my career in higher education,  I knew that I was ultimately accountable for what worked and didn't work in my area of responsibility.  For example, as a dean of student affairs, I supervised admissions, registration, student employment, financial aid, athletics, child care, campus security, student housing, testing and grant-supported programs.  On many occasions, I was forced to curtail my personal plans to deal with unanticipated developments and emergencies.  I can't even guess how many football tickets to games at my alma mater that went unused because of last minute problems on campus.

In the private sector, expectations are perhaps even higher.  If a new product, for example, is flawed,  those responsible will be called to task.  They might even be fired.  At the very least, the concerned managers and developers will spend long hard hours in rectifying the problem.  The market place is, indeed, a very competitive place where incompetence cannot be tolerated.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sibelius is directly charged with oversight of the implementation of the oddly misnamed Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare), which latest polls show Americans opposing to the tune of 56%.  With recent news indicating that the new law is experiencing a myriad of "glitches," accountability for the foul-ups is not forthcoming.  In other words, nobody in the administration is willing to utter a "mea culpa."

"ICE QUEEN KATY" SIBELIUS TURNS DOWN LUNG-TRANSPLANT
FOR 10-YEAR-OLD

Yes, dear readers, this is the same Secretary Sibelius who last June turned down a dying 10-year-old girl for help in obtaining a lung transplant.  And now, with Congressional leaders calling for her testimony on assorted problems with insurance exchanges and a barely functioning Obamacare website, "Ice Queen Katy" can't be bothered, because she is slated to be waltzing in Boston on Thursday evening.  I can only say that if I had responded in like manner, even at my low level of responsibility, I would have been presented post-haste with my walking papers!

Obamacare is supposed to be the great achievement of the 21st century and the savior of those not endowed with medical insurance!  It is, we are told, the crowning glory of the Obama administration.  With all of the hoopla and 3 and 1/2 years to prepare, should we not expect the system to function?  What would Steve Jobs and Bill Gates do in such a situation?  Would they be accountable?  Would they demand accountability from those charged with responsibility for project implementation?  Of course they would.  And they would not go prancing off for a gala in Boston!

Do you not agree with me, dear readers, that we deserve better from our "public servants?"

Deo vindice!

RELIGION OF PEACE SLAUGHTERS 85 CHRISTIANS IN PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN

 CHRISTIANS PREPARED FOR BURIAL IN PAKISTAN

As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.  (John 13: 34-35)




Love is a word that calls forth many things in many minds.  Certainly, love is not passive.  By its very nature, it is demanding.  St. Paul's definition spans a tremendous assortment of characteristics, as he declared, "Love is always patient and kind; love is never jealous; love is not boastful or conceited, it is never rude and never seeks its own advantage; it does not take offense or store up grievances.  Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but finds its joy in the truth.  It is always ready to make allowances, to trust, to hope and to endure what comes."

Be that as it may, the words of Jesus carried even more profound  depth when he called upon his followers to love one another.  We may indeed endure what comes, but to imagine that Christ would wish his followers to do so in a passive manner strains one's credulity.

A Christian loving presence would also include protection, support, sympathy, sharing, commitment and encouragement.  And God knows how very much Christians throughout the world are in need of this kind of love from their fellows in the the lands where Christians are now being actively persecuted.

Most American Christians have no idea that 85 of their coreligionists fell victim to a suicide bomber on September 23 in Peshawar, Pakistan, for such news rarely or ever is covered by the leftist-controlled major media outlets. And neither, apparently, does the U.S. Department of State feel that any effort should be expended in speaking up for beleaguered Christian minorities in Muslim countries.

In Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, Taliban-inspired attacks on the tiny Christian population are a daily occurrence, as efforts to impose Sharia law take on renewed emphasis.  And, despite Christian pleas for protection, Pakistani law enforcement continues to turn a deaf ear.  Consequently, Christian shop-owners, workers and others going about their daily routines are subject to murder, extortion, kidnapping and rape from Muslim extremists.

In such a setting,  it should not be forgotten that religious minorities are virtually helpless, as their government is unwilling to afford them any sort of defense.  In effect, those Christians among their numbers are martyrs for the Faith, daily undergoing persecution that would rival that of believers in the early Church.

Keeping in mind that Islam is living in its 15th century, it perhaps is more understandable how countries such as the "Islamic Republic of Pakistan" can pass and impose blasphemy laws on their populations.  A case in point is that of Asia Bibi who, after her conviction in a Pakistani court for blaspheming Islam because she testified of her love for Jesus, has spent years languishing in prison.  Asia Bibi continues to be subject to mistreatment, malnutrition and separation from her family; but, still, she remains strong in her faith.

Strangely, a U.S. government which prides itself on promoting individual rights, freedom and equality on the international scene is largely ineffective or silent in speaking up for Christians.  But what can be expected in a country which more and more is witnessing the erosion of Christian values from its society as its government runs rough shod over religious freedom in many of its official undertakings?

At the same time, Washington appears to be doing all that it can to promote more Muslim immigration to the United States.  For example, the Muslim component of those entering the country as "political refugees" is now up to 40%, virtually all of whom are eligible for Medicaid, food stamps, public housing, disability insurance, child care, Obamaphones, home energy assistance, post-secondary education assistance and much, much more.  And, all the while, Asia Bibi whiles away her time in a dirty Pakistani prison.

As Christians, we should never miss the opportunity to excoriate our public servants who forget that this was once a Christian nation that cared about persecuted Christians abroad.  Yes, and we should demand that our government put teeth into its resolutions to support persecuted religious minorities.  Countries such as Pakistan should be put on notice that their failure to protect Christians and other minorities will cost them in terms of foreign aid.  And, our feckless representation in the U.N. must be made to continuously cry out to the international community that religious persecution is evil and insupportable.

And, on this Sunday in October 2013, let us pray for Asia Bibi and all Christians throughout the world who pay a terrible price for their strong faith.  We could also send hope to Asia through letters expressing our LOVE.  Asia's prison address may be obtained through Voice of the Martyrs at:
www.prisoneralert.com/

And, last but not least, the Pakistani embassy in Washington needs to know of the displeasure of American Christians who condemn that country's 15th century religious policies:
info@embassyofpakistanusa.org

Deo vindice!

"SOMETHING IS ROTTEN IN THE STATE OF DENMARK!"

Words spoken by Marcellus in Shakespeare's Hamlet voice his conviction that the reign of King Claudius had ushered in a time of moral and political corruption, although the king himself had originally cut a monarchical figure and had possessed all of the superficial characteristics of a ruler.  Somehow, I cannot help but draw parallels between Claudius and the present occupant of the White House.

During the recent shutdown, which by the way affected only 17% of government, it became crystal clear that there was a dichotomy of enforcement, which was defined by political considerations.  For example, World War II veterans originally encountered barriers upon attempting to visit the monument to their sacrifice of 70 years ago, while National Park personnel were under orders to allow an immigration demonstration on the National Mall, never mind the fact that there is virtually nothing to do for park personnel in keeping a monument "open."  Obviously, our veterans do not rate as highly as illegal immigrants in the minds of the leftist oligarchy now in power in our nation's capital.

Like King Claudius, President Obama dazzled his onlookers with original promise that would remain unfulfilled.  In Obama's case, statements that rang with the "audacity of  hope" have resonated hollowly from the mendacity of the one who uttered them.  As examples, the following may prove enlightening:

1.  Obamacare:  The law will save the average family $2,500 each year.

2.  Obamacare:  If you like your present medical plan and your present doctor, you will not have to change.

3.  Obamacare:  The process will be open and transparent.

4. NSA:  American citizens will not be wiretapped illegally.

5. Government bailout of financial institutions:  Every dime will be recovered, with interest.

6.  Budget:  The deficit will be halved.

7.  Same-sex marriage:  The Defense of Marriage Act will be supported.

8.  ACORN:  He never really had anything to do with the organization.

9.  Guantanamo:  The base will be closed.

10. Taxes:  Those earning less than $200,000 annually will not be subject to an increased tax load.

Many voted for Obama in 2008 under the false premise that he would unify the country. But the nation has been divided as never before.  Most would agree that their president should be a mediator and an arbitrator.  However, in the recent Congressional stalemate over the budget, our president did not deign to moderate or compromise.  In fact, he was missing in action as partisanship prevailed, and Congress divided along party lines.  Never in memory had a president presented such an aloof image in a like situation.

On the international scene, the Russian president is now seen as a much more dynamic force than the American leader.  As a result, the few allies of America in the Middle East are now scrambling to rethink their alliances.  And Americans are wondering how it could ever have been conceivable that their country could support an insurrection in Syria controlled by jihadists and Islamists.  Is the foreign policy concocted in Washington on almost a daily basis the result of incompetence or design?

And, finally, lest we forget, this administration has been marked by the tendency of the IRS to be used as a bully-boy against political enemies, the lying and deceit of the Benghazi disaster and the inability or reluctance of the Justice Department to explain how thousands of American firearms were forwarded to Mexican drug cartels.  If Americans are not disturbed by these instances of questionable governmental ethics, then there is something very wrong with the body politic.

Yes, dear readers, it may be that America has reached the nadir of its political decline.  Just as Marcellus saw a reign that fostered moral corruption and deterioration, we are witnessing that things have gotten out of hand in Washington; and, indeed, something is very rotten in the state of America.