Do You Remember?

In an age where we are now governed by the politically correct elite who are more concerned with their reputation around the world and less about facing reality and protecting the American people, it is time to remind them who our real enemy is.

After three Muslim extremist attacks on Americans, two successful and one (thankfully) not, over the past year, this e-mail, which was sent to me in April of 2004, seems to be even more relevant and needed today than then. I fear that the choices our President and his administration are making are only serving to weaken the United States of America and putting us back on a pre-911 path that will only bring destruction and death to untold numbers of Americans.

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Please pause a moment, reflect back, and take the following Multiple Choice test…no need to keep score. The events are actual cuts from past history. They actually happened!

Do you remember?

1. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by:

a. Olga Corbitt
b. Sitting Bull
c. Arnold Schwarzeneger
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

2. In 1979, the U.S. embassy in Iran was taken over by:

a. Lost Norwegians
b. Elvis
c. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

3. During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by:

a. John Dillinger
b. The King of Sweden
c. The Boy Scouts
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

4. In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:

a. A pizza delivery boy
b. Pee Wee Herman
c. Geraldo Rivera
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

5. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year-old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his wheelchair by:

a. The Smurfs
b. Davy Jones
c. The Little Mermaid
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

6. In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a U.S. Navy diver trying to rescue passengers was murdered by:

a. Captain Kidd
b. Charles Lindberg
c. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

7. In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:

a. Scooby Doo
b. The Tooth Fairy
c. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

8. In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by:

a. Richard Simmons
b. Grandma Moses
c. Michael Jordan
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

9. In 1998, the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:

a. Mr. Rogers
b. Hillary Clinton, to distract attention from Wild Bill's women problems
c. The World Wrestling Federation
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

10. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles to take out the World Trade Centers and of the remaining two, one crashed into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted and crashed by the passengers. Thousands of people were killed by:

a. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
b. The Supreme Court of Florida
c. Mr. Bean
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

11. In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against:

a. Enron
b. The Lutheran Church
c. The NFL
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

12. In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by:

a. Bonnie and Clyde
b. Captain Kangaroo
c. Billy Graham
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

The next three have been added at time of this blog post in order to update the questionnaire.

13. On June 1, 2009 two soldiers were shoot outside of a Little Rock, Arkansas recruiting center, killing one and wounded the other, by:

a. Mother Teresa
b. Kermit the Frog
c. Michael Jackson
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

14. On November 5, 2009 one of our nation's largest military posts, Fort Hood, was rocked by a shooting rampage that left thirteen soldiers dead and thirty wounded. The shooter was:

a. Citibank
b. a Mormon Bishop
c. Oliver North
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

15. On December 25, 2009, an attempted bomber aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253 was subdued by passengers and flight crew when his bomb failed to ignite properly. The attempted bomber was:

a. President George W. Bush
b. President George H. W. Bush
c. President William J. Clinton
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

Nope, I really don't see a pattern here to justify profiling, do you?

So, to ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, airport security screeners will no longer be allowed to profile certain people. They must conduct randoms searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, Secret agents who are members of the President's security detail, 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips, and Medal of Honor winning former Governors, and leave Muslim males between the ages 17 & 40 alone because of profiling.

Let's send this to as many people as we can so that the Gloria Alreds and her dunder-headed attorneys along with Federal Justices that want to thwart common sense, feel doubly ashamed of themselves if they have any such sense.

As the writer of the award winning story "Forrest Gump" so aptly put it, "Stupid is as stupid does."

Question With Boldness, Hold to the Truth and Speak Without Fear

The following is from the Glenn Beck show, August 24 thru 28, 2009:

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"All this week we are asking questions; I may not have the answers, but power left unchecked can turn very ugly, very rapidly. So it's vital that we all question with boldness, hold to the truth and speak without fear.

You need to start asking questions:

- Our unfunded liability for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid is close to $100 trillion. Is there any way to pay for these programs without bankrupting America?

- We are in so much debt, why spend more borrowed money on cap-and-trade and healthcare programs before we stop the flow of red-ink?

- The stimulus package funneled billions of dollars to ACORN. How does giving billions of dollars to ACORN stimulate the economy?

- If it was so important for congress to pass the stimulus bill before they even had time to read it why has only a fraction of the stimulus money been spent 6 months later?

- Bush said he had to abandon free market principles in order to save them, how exactly does that work?

- Why won’t members of Congress read the bills before they vote on them?

- Why are citizens mocked and laughed at when they ask their congressman to read the bills before they vote on them?

- Was the cash-for-clunkers program meant to save the earth or the economy? Did it accomplish either?

- How did Van Jones, a self-proclaimed communist become a special advisor to the president?

- Did President Obama know of Van Jones’ radical political beliefs when he named him special advisor?

- The Apollo Alliance claimed credit for writing the stimulus bill—why was this group allowed to write any portion of this bill?

- If politicians aren’t writing the bills and aren’t reading the bills, do they have any idea what these 1000 page plus bills actually impose on the American people?

- If the ‘public option’ health care plan is so good why won’t politicians agree to have that as their plan?

- If town hall meetings are intended for the politicians to learn what’s on our mind—why do they spend so much time talking instead of listening?

- Politicians are refusing to attend town hall meetings complaining, without evidence, that they are scripted. Does that mean we shouldn’t come out and vote for you since every campaign stop, baby kiss and speech you give is scripted?

- Why would you want to overwhelm the system?

- Is using the economic crises to rush legislation through congress what Rahm Emanuel meant when he talked about "not letting a crises go to waste"?

- What are the czars paid? What is the budget for their staffs/offices?

- Who is "surrounding" the President in the White House?

- Do any of the President's advisers have criminal records?

- Are the President's advisers working to better the country or their own ideals?

- Who are the anti-capitalists in Washington?

- What roles do they have in crafting bills?

- What was "STORM"? What happened to the founders, where are they now?

- What qualifications must one have to be a Presidential adviser?

- What is the difference between a community organizer and a community activist?

- Do the czars have power?

- Should a communist have the ear of the President of the United States?

- What role did the Apollo Alliance play in crafting bills?

- Does the President know the co-founder of the Weather Underground is a board member of the Apollo Alliance?

- How many people in the administration are connected to the movement for a democratic society?

- What role does George Soros play...CONSTITUTIONALLY?

- Why does the FCC have a diversity "czar"?

- Who is Mark Lloyd and how does he plan to "balance" the airwaves?

- Will he bring back the Fairness Doctrine or worse?

- Cass Sunstein once said he wants to balance the Internet; is that next?

- Will broadcasters who leave the airwaves be allowed to go to satellite or Internet without government regulation?

- Is there any place (that has a mass audience) where the government won't regulate free speech?

- Why does it seem every member of the Obama advisory team hates capitalism, unless those companies (like G.E.) are in bed with the administration?

- If Lloyd has his way, stations who don't comply to the governments definition of the "public interest" will have to pay a massive fine — that helps support public broadcasting.

- What will be the definition of "public interest"?

- Who defines "public interest"?

- Why should it be balanced? Because it's public airwaves? (Well, there are public roads that go by my house and I don't count how many Republicans and Democrats are driving on them)

- Why do we need a civilian force?

- Who is posing a threat to us?

- Who will this "force" be made up of?

- Who is the real enemy?

- Does the president know of a coming event? If not, who builds an army against an unrecognized enemy?

- Why won't the media get off their butts and look into these radicals in the White House? And into this civilian army?"

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These are important questions that all concerned citizens should be asking and our government should answer...our country and liberties are at stake.

Oh What a Tangled Web They're Weaving

The following article was published in Roll Call:

"Democrats are preventing Republican House Members from sending their constituents a mailing that is critical of the majority's health care reform plan, blocking the mailing by alleging that it is inaccurate.

House Republicans are crying foul and claiming that the Democrats are using their majority to prevent GOP Members from communicating with their constituents.

The dispute centers on a chart (see chart below) created by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) and Republican staff of the Joint Economic Committee to illustrate the organization of the Democratic health care plan.

At first glance, Brady’s chart resembles a board game: a colorful collection of shapes and images with a web of lines connecting them.

But a closer look at the image reveals a complicated menagerie of government offices and programs that Republicans say will be created if the leading Democratic health care plan becomes law.

In a memo sent Monday to Republicans on the House franking commission, Democrats argue that sending the chart to constituents as official mail would violate House rules because the information is misleading.

In their eight-point memo, which was obtained by Roll Call, Democrats identify a litany of areas where they believe the chart is incorrect.

For example, Democrats argue that the chart depicts a 'Health Insurance Exchange Trust Fund” that is “simply a recipient of IRS funds, with no outflow. ... This is false.'

The chart’s illustration of low-income subsidies is also 'misleading and false,' Democrats argue.

Congressional rules for franked mail bar Members from using taxpayer-funded mail for newsletters that use “partisan, politicized or personalized” comments to criticize legislation or policy.

The dispute over Brady’s chart is being reviewed by the franking commission, which must approve any mail before it can be sent. No decision had been made on the matter by press time.

Brady adamantly denied that the chart was misleading and said Democrats are simply threatened by the content of the graphic.

'I think their review was laughable,' Brady said. 'It’s ... downright false in most of the cases. The chart depicts their health care plan as their committees developed it.'

'The chart reveals how their health care bureaucracy works, and people are frightened by it,' he added. 'So this is their effort to try and discredit' the chart.

Republican Members have made 20 requests to mail a version of the chart to their constituents and have been told that the requests are being delayed while the commission reviews allegations that the chart is misleading.

'Hiding the truth about wildly unpopular policies is a Democrat specialty,' said one GOP aide. 'I’d like to see the flow chart on how Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi plans on implementing the open and transparent government she keeps promising everyone.'

'We have initiated discussions with the minority to try and resolve current differences and are operating in good faith to achieve that goal,' said Kyle Anderson, a spokesman for House Administration Chairman Robert Brady (D-Pa.). The committee has oversight of the commission.

Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.), ranking member of the committee and a member of the franking commission, said through a spokeswoman that he is also aware of the situation and is working with the members of the franking commission to resolve the differences, but he added that he believed Democrats on the commission were overreaching.

'He strongly believes that the franking commission does not have the authority to deny Member communications based on partisan differences of pending legislation,' said Salley Collins, a spokeswoman for Lungren.

The franking commission is made up of three Democrats and three Republicans.

Republicans quickly embraced Brady’s chart, and over the past week about 50 Members have posted it on their Congressional Web sites or used it in a floor speech. It has also been posted on the home page of the Republican National Committee."

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Since House Democrats are preventing Republicans from mailing this chart out to their constituents, we'll just use other methods at our disposal...blogs and e-mail.

Our Democrat friends...and I use that term loosely...swear that the government will never come between us and our doctors. Hmmm....what do you think?

America's Health Care System Is Not Broken

America’s health care system is not broken as President Obama stated during Wednesday’s press conference. Yes, our current health care system definitely needs some reform, which I mentioned in my previous blog.

Change the laws to allow small businesses to pool their resources to purchase affordable health insurance for their employees, tort reform, fix under-funding issues of current entitlement programs, secure our borders, and tax breaks for tax-payers who pay for their own health insurance equal to 100% of the cost they pay.

But it is far from being broken.

Opponents of the government’s health care reform bill are accused of lying…of not caring about the poor and uninsured…of trying to undermine the President. That is hardly the case.

We are participating in the Democratic process and exercising our Constitutional right to freedom of speech. We are trying to protect this country from what we consider an insidious takeover of our health care system and an eventual one-size fits all, single payer universal health care system.

We believe that the proponents of the reform bill are not being entirely truthful and a bit disingenuous.

Here are just a few statements in question:

Proponent Statement # 1: “Small businesses are being beaten out of existence due to the cost of insurance for their employees.”

Small businesses are being beaten out of existence due to higher payroll costs, rising taxes, high cost of business insurance and increased regulations.

In several states the minimum wage increases each year based on the rate of inflation, Oregon being one of them. In Oregon the increase has averaged 3%. In 2009 it increased by almost 6% (from $7.95 to $8.40). Oregon’s state minimum wage is the second highest in the country; just behind our Northern neighbor Washington at $8.55. Small businesses can not keep absorbing these increases in payroll for much longer.

As for the rising cost of health insurance, small businesses (unless their employees are unionized) currently have the option of not providing insurance if they can not afford it, passing more of the rising cost onto their employees or of dropping it altogether if it becomes too costly.

If the reform bill passes all employers with at least $250,000 in payroll will be required to provide health insurance for their employees. It will not be optional and, if any employers refuse to comply, they will face penalties of up to 8% of their payroll for every year they refuse.

This will be yet another added business expense that many small business owners will not be able to afford or avoid.

Proponent Statement # 2: “If you like your health plan, you can keep it, the only thing that will change is that you’ll pay less.”

While you WILL get to keep your private health insurance coverage if you like it…for the time being…don’t try to make any changes to the plan and, if you have an employer provided health insurance plan, pray you don’t lose it due to loss of employment.

On page 16 of the House’s plan, under the heading "Protecting The Choice To Keep Current Coverage" the "Limitation On New Enrollment" section of the bill states: “Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day of the year the legislation becomes law.”

In other words, if the House’s health care reform bill is passed:

• Those individuals who currently have their own private health insurance coverage will not be able to make any changes to their insurance plans or purchase a different private plan. They will have to enroll in the public option.
• Individuals who have an employer provided health insurance plan and lose that plan due to loss of employment will not be able to purchase their own private insurance plan. If they don’t find employment with another employer who provides health insurance, they will have to enroll in the public option.

The Heritage Foundation commissioned the Lewin Group, a highly respected health care policy and management consulting firm, to examine the impact the House’s health care reform bill would have on private insurance when a government-run health plan is introduced in the marketplace. The study found that:

• 88.1 million Americans could be transitioned out of their current plan as employers opt out of continuing their existing coverage. These Americans would lose the employer coverage they now have. The study also found that nationwide 103.9 million Americans would end up on the new government-run public plan.
• Yearly premiums for Americans with private coverage could jump as much as $460 per person as a result of more cost-shifting, which would stem from the public plan.

And let’s not overlook our seniors who may be facing proposed cuts of $535 Billion in Medicare? $170 Billion of these cuts are proposed for the Medicare Advantage program with $158 Billion of those cuts being in the fee for services program which low-income and minority senior citizens rely on.

The rest of the cuts will be for nursing homes, therapy, and hospital care. The average senior citizen can expect to have their health care costs increase by about $250.00 per month.

So you could lose your coverage, whether you like or not, if your employer can cut costs by putting you on the public option. If you want to keep your own private insurance you will pay more not less and senior citizens, the group who can least afford to pay more, will pay more.

Proponent Statement # 3: “This is not a trick. This is not single-payer. That's not what anyone is talking about.”

A single payer universal health care system is exactly what the ultimate result of this health care reform bill will be…not immediately, but within a few years. Those in favor of a single payer universal health care system are not stupid. They know exactly what they need to do to accomplish their goal.

On June 30, 2003, then Illinois State Senator Barrack Obama stated at an AFL-CIO Conference, “I happen to be a proponent of a single payer universal health care program. I see no reason why the United States of America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, spending 14 percent of its Gross National Product on health care cannot provide basic health insurance to everybody.

"And that’s what Jim is talking about when he says everybody in, nobody out…a single payer health care plan, a universal health care plan. And that’s what I’d like to see. But as all of you know, we may not get there immediately. Because first we’ve got to take back the White House and we’ve got to take back the Senate and we’ve got to take back the House.” (NOTE: Obama now says he is not for a single payer universal health care system.)

On July 21, 2008, Jacob Hacker; a Political Science Professor and the architect of the system in which private and public insurance options would compete, was commenting on his vision.

He said, “Someone once said to me that this is a Trojan Horse for a single payer. And I said, well it’s not a Trojan Horse, right? It's just right there. I’m telling you! We’re going to get there…over time…slowly. We’ll move away from reliance on employer-based health insurance as we should.

"But we’ll do it in a way that we’re not going to frighten people into thinking their going to lose their private insurance. Where you give them a choice of public and private insurance when their in the pool and we’re going to let them keep their private employment-based insurance if their employer continues to provide it.”

On April 18, 2009, Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) revealed the true goal of the public health care option. She said, “And next to me was a guy from the insurance company who then argued against the public health insurance option saying, ‘It wouldn’t let private insurance compete. That a public option will put the private insurance industry out of business and lead to single payer.’

"My single payer friends, he was right! The man was right!…This is not a principled fight. This is a fight about strategy for getting there and I believe we will!”

Does anyone doubt what is really going on here? I don’t.

Proponent Statement # 4: “You will not be denied care if you have a pre-existing condition.”

Oh, really? Well, how about the elderly who are going to see cuts in Medicare? Are they going to get the care they want or need? Let’s ask President Obama.

On June 24, 2009, during the President’s ABC Infomercial for health care reform, a woman named Jane Sturm told the story of her 105 year old mother who, at age 100 received a pacemaker.

She explained, “Her doctor said, ‘I can’t do anything more, unless you have a pacemaker.’ I said, ‘Go for it!’ She said, ‘Go for it!’ But the arrhythmia specialist said, ‘No, she was too old.’ Her doctor said, ‘I’m going to make an appointment because a picture is worth a thousand words.’

"And when the other arrhythmia specialist saw her…saw her joy of life and so on…he said, ‘I’m going for it.’ That was over five years ago.

"My question to you is, outside the medical criteria for prolonging life for somebody who is elderly, is there any special consideration that can be given for a certain spirit, a certain joy of living, a quality of life, or is it a medical cut-off at a certain age?”

The President’s reply, in my opinion, was chilling. He said, “We’re not going to solve every difficult problem in terms of end of life care. A lot of that is going to have to be, we as a culture and as a society starting to make better decisions within our own families and for ourselves.

"But what we can do is make sure that at least some of the waste that exists in the system that is not making anybody’s mom better, that is loading up on additional tests or additional drugs that the evidence shows is not going to necessarily improve care, that at least we can let doctors know and your mom know, that you know what, maybe this isn’t going to help. Maybe you’re better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller.”

Say what? We’re sorry…just take a painkiller?

My mother is almost seventy. She recently had a heart attack and required three stents to be inserted into her two arteries. If she had had this attack after the health care reform bill was passed would she be told, “We’re really sorry Marlene, but you have exceeded your usefulness to society. We’ll just give you pain killers?”

At what age are we going to be told that we’re too old to receive the health care we need and should start receiving end of life care…that we should just take painkillers and die peacefully like an animal being put to sleep? Seventy? Seventy-Five? Eighty? How old? And who will decide…some government bureaucrat who knows nothing about us? Take a pill…how absurd!!!

Finally, Proponent Statement # 5: “The government will not get between you and your doctor.”

Earlier this month, Energy and Commerce Committee member, U.S. Representative Phil Gingrey (R-GA), proposed an amendment to the health care reform bill which would ban government employees from overruling doctors on matters of direct patient treatment.

The amendment read, “In section 931 of the Public Health Service Act, as added by section 2401, add at the end the following new subsection: Nothing in this section shall be construed to allow any federal employee or political appointee to dictate how a medical provider practices medicine.”

“This is about the practice of medicine,” said U.S. Representative Joe Barton (R-TX), of the amendment. “If I asked for a show of hands about how many people think people in Washington should tell your doctor how to practice medicine on you, I don’t think there’d be anybody who would raise a hand. I wouldn’t raise my hand. I don’t want my doctor to be told how to practice medicine on me or my family.”

“My guess is most Americans would not like a detached bureaucrat who’d had a bad day to make that decision,” added U.S. Representative Roy Blunt (R-MO). “That’s what this amendment is all about…This is a debate about whether a federal bureaucrat can dictate to a medical provider…I would hope that this committee would decide that the doctor-patient relationship is more important than the bureaucrat-patient relationship.”

The amendment was rejected. 23 Republicans and one Democrat voted in favor of the amendment while 33 Democrats voted against it.

When Obama says, “This is not about me”, he’s right…it’s not about him…although he really wants it to be. For those of us who are opposed to this massive new entitlement program, it’s not about defeating him or ruining his presidency.

It’s about our right to privacy and keeping the government out of our medical records. It’s about our right to decide for ourselves, in consultation with our doctors, what health care we receive and when. It’s about keeping government bureaucrats out of our medical decisions.

Where's the Fire?

Where’s the fire? Why should we destroy the greatest health care system in the world to make sure that 45 million uninsured people or 13% of the population has insurance? Why should we destroy the insurance coverage of the other 87% of the population when half of those uninsured are uninsured because they choose to be and almost a quarter of them are illegal aliens?

I’m not saying that some sort of reform isn’t needed. I would be extremely naïve if I believed that. What I am saying is that they do not need to destroy our health care system. What I am saying is that they do not need to devise a health care system patterned after the failed socialized programs of Canada and Europe.

What they should do is change the laws so that small businesses, the largest employment sector in America, can pool their resources together to provide affordable health care for their employees. But at the same time, as put forth by The Heritage Foundation, combine these new pooling arrangements with, “other insurance market reforms designed to transition from an employer-owned and seller-driven market to a consumer-owned and buyer-driven market.” According to The Heritage Foundation, “the result would be to inject fresh incentives for both controlling costs and increasing quality into the broader health system. Insurers and providers would be forced to find ways to meet consumer demands for better results at better prices.”

What they should do is fix the Medicare, Medicaid and social security under funded issues before they add another entitlement program. Can America really afford another entitlement program that will ultimately be forced onto states already going bankrupt from mismanagement and too many federally mandated programs?

What they should do is change the civil justice system to reduce tort litigation and damages which have contributed to the rising cost of our medical care. The high costs of medical malpractice litigation and compensation payouts have significantly raised the cost of medical malpractice insurance for our medical care givers. Let’s make the plaintiff in lawsuits pay the court costs of the defendant, up to but not greater than their own court costs, if they lose.

What they should do is give every tax payer a tax credit equal to 100% of their out-of-pocket costs for health insurance. Not $2,500 for individuals or $5,000 for couples as the Republican plan calls for, but 100%. If the tax payer pays for the entire plan, he/she claims the entire cost. If the tax payer pays for a portion of their employer provided health insurance, the tax payer should be allowed to claim the portion he/she pays for that coverage. If the employer pays 100% of the health insurance, the tax payer receives no tax credit. The individual tax payers should have the same tax credit rights that employers who provide health insurance for their employees have.

What they should do is secure our borders. They should send the illegal aliens home and force them to come to this country legally before they receive any benefits, including health insurance.

What they should do is listen to the American people. They ignored us when we said “NO” to TARP I. They ignored us when we said “NO” to the bailout of the auto industry. They ignored us when we said “NO” to the Omnibus bill. They ignored us when said "NO" to the stimulus (porkulus) package. And, they ignored us when we said “NO” to the Cap and (Tax) Trade bill.

Today Obama was lamenting that there were some in DC who were set on blocking his health care reform. He was obviously talking about the Blue Dog Democrats (since Republicans couldn’t block his reform no matter how hard they tried) who got an earful from their constituents during the 4^th of July holiday and are now backing away from support of his reform. Maybe finally, FINALLY, someone is listening!

What they should do is SLOW DOWN! They should stop acting like this country is on fire and everything is an emergency.

An Open Letter to Our Nation's Leadership

This amazing letter was sent to Glenn Beck by a woman in Arizona who is a listener of his radio show. I heard the letter read by Glenn on his television show on Wednesday and found myself agreeing 100% with everything this woman had to say.

I have since gone to http://www.thepetitionsite.com/8/an-open-letter-to-our-nations-leadership and added my signature to this letter with over 106,000 other concerned citizens. Maybe, just maybe, this letter, which is an open letter to our nation's leadership, will be read by someone in Washington D.C. who might actually take notice...I won't hold my breath.

Here is the letter in its entirety:

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I'm a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you're willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would horribly feel so disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me?

Well, these are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:

One, illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S., I'm not a racist. This isn't to be confused with legal immigration.

Two, the TARP bill, I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We told you no, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.

Three: Czars, I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.

Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There is more to say.

Five, universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don't you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!

Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Mind your own business. You have enough to take care of with your real obligations. Why don't you start there.

Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes. Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census over with our taxpayer money. I don't trust them with our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello. Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate.

Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do you want me to hate my employers? Why ‑‑ what do you have against shareholders making a profit?

Nine, charitable contributions. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.

Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we'll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. Have you ever ripped off a Band‑Aid? We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.

Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let's have it. Let's say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk. Please try ‑‑ please stop manipulating and trying to appease me with clever wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.

Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now.

Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let's just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I'm busy. I'm busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.

I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to intelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.

From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don't want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we're morons.

We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented. You think we're so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work , pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone and we are now looking up at you. You have awakened us, the patriotic spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office. We have canceled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn't ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us when he will rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.

Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don't care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming.

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Amen sister!!!!!!!!

I Can't Believe I Agree With Pravda

A very interesting article appeared on Pravda's English speaking web site. I was amazed that I actually agreed with Pravda...who would have thunk it?

Here is the article in it's entirety...see what you think:

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"American Capitalism Gone with a Whimper

It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American decent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people.

True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists.

Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters.

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a BurgerKing burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our "democracy". Pride blind the foolish.

Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations" were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the "winning" side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the "winning" side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America.

The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Wiemar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.

These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system, by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, loses and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look little more then ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate them?

These men, of course, are not an elected panel but made up of appointees picked from the very financial oligarchs and their henchmen who are now gorging themselves on trillions of American dollars, in one bailout after another. They are also usurping the rights, duties and powers of the American congress (parliament). Again, congress has put up little more then a whimper to their masters.

Then came Barack Obama's command that GM's (General Motor) president step down from leadership of his company. That is correct, dear reader, in the land of "pure" free markets, the American president now has the power, the self given power, to fire CEOs and we can assume other employees of private companies, at will. Come hither, go dither, the centurion commands his minions.

So it should be no surprise, that the American president has followed this up with a "bold" move of declaring that he and another group of unelected, chosen stooges will now redesign the entire automotive industry and will even be the guarantee of automobile policies. I am sure that if given the chance, they would happily try and redesign it for the whole of the world, too. Prime Minister Putin, less then two months ago, warned Obama and UK's Blair, not to follow the path to Marxism, it only leads to disaster. Apparently, even though we suffered 70 years of this Western sponsored horror show, we know nothing, as foolish, drunken Russians, so let our "wise" Anglo-Saxon fools find out the folly of their own pride.

Again, the American public has taken this with barely a whimper...but a "freeman" whimper.

So, should it be any surprise to discover that the Democratically controlled Congress of America is working on passing a new regulation that would give the American Treasury department the power to set "fair" maximum salaries, evaluate performance and control how private companies give out pay raises and bonuses? Senator Barney Franks, a social pervert basking in his homosexuality (of course, amongst the modern, enlightened American societal norm, as well as that of the general West, homosexuality is not only not a looked down upon life choice, but is often praised as a virtue) and his Marxist enlightenment, has led this effort. He stresses that this only affects companies that receive government monies, but it is retroactive and taken to a logical extreme, this would include any company or industry that has ever received a tax break or incentive.

The Russian owners of American companies and industries should look thoughtfully at this and the option of closing their facilities down and fleeing the land of the Red as fast as possible. In other words, divest while there is still value left.

The proud American will go down into his slavery with out a fight, beating his chest and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is. The world will only snicker."

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Hmmmm....I couldn't have said it better myself. Thank you Pravda!!!!

Where Were We?

Many on the left and in the mainstream media are asking, “Where were all those protesters when President Bush was running up his deficits?”

Where were we?

We were writing our government representatives in the House and Senate asking them to stop the madness…AND being ignored.

We were calling our government representatives in the House and Senate asking them to stop the madness…AND being ignored.

We were e-mailing our government representatives in the House and Senate asking them to stop the madness…AND being ignored.

We were sending petitions to our government representatives in the House and Senate asking them to stop the madness…AND being ignored.

WELL…WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE IGNORED ANYMORE!!!

While President Bush’s spending was out of control and he ran up a $1.8 trillion deficit…most of that coming in the last year of his administration, due largely to the stimulus checks mailed out to tax payers last May and the $787 billion bailout package passed in October...we were fuming. The pot was beginning to boil.

But, now we feel the stakes are too high to just write, call, e-mail and petition our government representatives in the House and Senate, we see the need to take action on a much louder scale which cannot be ignored. Enough is enough. We want the madness to stop. We want the government, who works for us, to listen to us and stop ignoring us. WE WILL BE HEARD...one way or the other!!!

F.Y.I.

Contrary to the popular propaganda spewing from the left and the mainstream media, the “Tea Parties” held on April 15th were not sponsored or promoted by the FOX News channel. They were not sponsored or promoted by right wing extremist groups. They were not sponsored or promoted by the Republican Party. They were not sponsored or promoted by any right wing talk show host or Republican politician. They WERE sponsored and promoted by concerned conservatives from all political persuasions and walks of life who were exercising their Constitutional rights to peaceably assemble, to peaceably disagree with their government and to speak freely about those disagreements.

For those on the left, including Democrat and Republican politicians and news organizations like CNN and NBC, to marginalize and discredit the millions of American citizens who participated in the 800 plus rallies around the country is…using the same word one Democrat leader used to refer to the rallies...despicable.

At one rally, held in Atlanta, a CNN reporter…and I use that term loosely…walked up to a man holding a small child and asked him to explain why he was at the rally. As he was trying to explaining his reasons, she rudely cut him off by saying, “Don’t you realize you’re eligible for a $400 tax cut?”

She was visibly appalled that this poor, misinformed pauper was not kneeling down and praising Obama for his generous $13 per week…which, by the way, will be decreased to $8 per week in January, 2010…tax cut. After all, didn’t Obama promise a tax cut to 95% of working Americans? He kept his promise…didn’t he?

Are the left that shallow and ignorant to believe that the American people are just going to sacrifice their Constitutional rights for a mere $13 per week or for any other sum? Some are, but WE ARE NOT FOR SALE!!!

Are the left that shallow and ignorant to believe that the American people are just going to sit by and watch their Constitution shredded and their rights taken away? Some are, but WE WILL NOT…WE CAN NOT BE SILENT ANYMORE!!!

The conservative movement is being revived from the ground up and it is gathering steam. Conservatives from all political parties have finally realized they are not alone…there are others who feel the same way they do. Conservatives have finally found their voice and their cause…WE WILL PROTECT THIS COUNTRY…WE WILL PROTECT THE CONSTITUTION…WE WILL PEACEABLY RISE UP TOGETHER…WE WILL MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD!!!

If those on the left continue to ignore us they are going to get a BIG surprise. WE’RE MAD AS HELL AND WE’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!

The World Still Looks to America for Leadership

No matter what the Obama Administration, the liberals on both sides of the aisle, the mainstream media, or the rest of the world says; the world still looks to America for leadership.

Case in point:

Somali pirates have been terrorizing the high seas for months, yet no one has done anything about the problem. The world’s leaders have acted spineless and helpless…UNTIL an American ship was hijacked.

First, the brave captain offered himself up as the sacrificial lamb to protect his crew and the precious cargo they were carrying to the needy in Africa. The ship was allowed to continue on its course, while the captain was detained in a raft by four young Somali pirates.

Second, a ransom was requested in exchange for the life of the captain. Don’t they know America has never negotiated with terrorists or kidnappers?

Third, after five days adrift at sea, the captors agreed to have their drifting raft towed behind an American navy vessel.

Finally, on Easter Sunday, one of the captors put his gun to the head of the American ship captain. That was a fatal mistake for him and two of his comrades. In an effort to protect the captain, Navy seal sharp shooters took out three of the pirates simultaneously, killing them instantly. The captain was rescued and the remaining pirate was taken into custody.

Now, let’s fast forward to today. After two days of heightened hijacking activity, including the attempted capture of another American ship in retaliation for America’s actions in protecting its citizen, France FINALLY showed some guts by confronting one of the Somali pirates’ mother ships. They fired on it and took eleven pirates into custody. YAY!!!! It’s about time. Like always, until the Americans lead the way, no one makes a move.

I never thought these words would cross my mind, but they have…so…here goes…THANK YOU President Obama for standing strong against the Somali pirates and showing the rest of the world that America is still strong.

I am a woman of my word. When Obama won the presidency I promised that I would praise him when I thought he was right and oppose him when I thought he was wrong. FINALLY, he has done something that I can praise him for…and it didn’t hurt a bit.

A Time for Choosing

Some critics of the conservative movement, who say WE are trying to redefine ourselves, have a very limited understanding of who WE really are. WE are not the Republicans who hold political office in Washington D.C. THEY may be trying to redefine themselves, but WE are not.

THEY may have walked away from conservatism in an effort to make themselves more appealing to moderates, independents, democrats, minorities, etc., but WE have not.

THEY may have walked away from their conservative values, but WE have not.

THEY may be lost, but WE are not.

Our political leaders have abandoned US, their conservative constituents, and THEY no longer represent US or our beliefs.

WE are the true standard bearers of conservatism, THEY are not.

Ronald Reagan was truly the last, great conservative leader. He understood what it meant to be a conservative. He understood what was necessary to make this country great and WE, the citizens of the conservative movement, await the day when another true conservative leader will emerge to take the lead and represent us on the national stage...may that be Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, or another.

With that in mind, here is a video of a speech given by Ronald Reagan in 1964...yes...I said 1964. Although this video is almost forty-five years old, the message still holds true today. The liberals of 1964 are no different than the liberals of 2009...except that they have a lot more power and the ability to enact their agenda without any hindrance...and the conservatives of 1964 are no different than the conservatives of 2009...except that WE have very few representatives in Washington D.C. Pay close attention and you will understand that nothing has really changed over the past forty-four plus years.

Just Smoke and Mirrors

My fellow citizens, I wish to implore you; do not be distracted by the most recent “scandal” being paraded in front of you during the past week. It is just a “smoke and mirrors” tactic to keep your attention focused on something other than what’s really going on.

The $165 million in AIG retention bonuses is such a small amount of money compared to the trillions doled out in the form of bailouts and stimulus. It pales in comparison to the $3.8 billion in bonuses Bear Sterns paid out to its executives at the end of 2008. It means very little when compared to the millions in anticipated retention bonuses to be shelled out (at taxpayers expense) to federally funded Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae executives who are largely responsible for the housing market collapse. It means nothing!!

The feigned self-righteous indignation being leveled at AIG and its bonus recipients is a ploy to keep you distracted. It’s just an act for your benefit. The government is playing a shell game and many Americans are losing track of the ball. Don’t fall for it!

In reference to the AIG bonuses, President Obama stated on Monday, “Under these circumstances, it’s hard to understand how derivative traders at AIG warranted any bonuses, much less $165 million in extra pay. How do they justify this outrage to the taxpayers who are keeping the company afloat?”

We could say the same about congressional members who are getting automatic pay raises. Are their pay raises warranted? Aren't we, the American taxpayers, keeping them afloat...even with their absolute incompetence?

There’s a mob mentality building which is willing, once again, to allow the federal government to violate the constitution in the name of fairness. Cooler heads must prevail. We must look beyond what the government and the mainstream media are telling us. We must avoid becoming sheep, easily led astray, and educate ourselves. We must stand up and say enough is enough!

As I said before, the real scandal is not the AIG bonuses. Here’s why:

First, the AIG bonuses were protected in the $787 billion stimulus bill that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid pushed through congress in February. Remember? The stimulus bill was crucial to our nation’s survival…it was an emergency…it had to be passed immediately without anyone having the chance to read it. Within twenty-four hours of the house and senate versions being merged and tweaked it was passed by congress (thanks to three turn coat RINOs). Four days later, the president signed it into law.

Hmm…do you think if congress and the American people would have had those four days to review what was actually in the final bill, it would have been blocked until the AIG bonuses and a lot of other unnecessary pet projects were eliminated? Of course! That’s why no one was given the necessary time to read it first.

According to Newsmax.com, it was Democrat Senator Christopher Dodd "...who inserted language — known as the Dodd amendment — in the $787 billion stimulus bill that allowed all bonuses awarded before February 11, 2009, to be paid to AIG executives. That very amendment, which is now law, is now the chief hurdle to government officials who want to recover that money.

The amendment was meant to restrict executive pay for bailed-out banks, but it also included the exception for 'contractually obligated bonuses agreed on or before Feb. 11, 2009.'"

So what's the problem? These executives had a contract and their bonuses were part of that contract. I think the law is pretty cut and dry...unless you wan to score politcal points by inflaming an uniformed electorate.

Second, the real scandal is not the AIG bonuses; it’s the fact that the federal government used AIG as a clearing house to funnel billions in bailout dollars to foreign and domestic entities, so that they wouldn’t have to make an accounting to the American taxpayers.

Of AIG's $173 billion bailout monies $44 billion went to American entities while $62 billion went to overseas entities. Some of these recipients and their amounts received were:

• $13 billion to Goldman Sachs
• $7 billion to Merrill Lynch
• $5 billion to Bank of America
• $13 billion to banks in the United Kingdom
• $17 billion to banks in Germany
• $19 billion to banks in France
• $5 billion to banks in Switzerland
  

Wow...as an American taxpayer...what concerns you more; the fulfilling of $165 million in legally binding contracts that were protected by a law passed in February or $106 billion of taxpayer dollars being funneled to foreign and domestic entities in secret?

Third, on Wednesday, while the administration and the mainstream media were ramping up their rhetoric to whip the American taxpayers into a frenzy over the AIG bonuses, the Fed ramped up its printing of more dollars to the astronomical amount of one trillion greenbacks. Why? So that the Fed can start buying up its own Treasury Bonds and mortgage debt.

According to Bloomberg.com, "Fed policy makers said yesterday they plan to buy up to $300 billion of U.S. government bonds and step up purchases of mortgage bonds, expanding the central bank’s balance sheet by as much as $1.15 trillion. The extra supply of dollars threatens to overwhelm investors just as the budget deficit swells."

What's more important, $165 million in contractually obligated bonuses which were protect by congress and the Obama administration to begin with or the destruction of the U.S. dollar?

Finally, in an effort to correct their own incompetence, the Los Angeles Times reported that, "...the House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill to recoup the lion's share of the $165 million in bonuses paid to executives of American International Group Inc...

...The House tax measure, hurriedly drawn up on the orders of the Democratic leadership, imposes a 90% levy on those who were paid executive bonuses if their families earned more than $250,000 annually and if their firms, such as AIG, received more than $5 billion in federal bailout funds. It passed by more than a two-thirds majority, 328 to 93."

In a desperate attempt to prove their for the little guy, the House of Representatives took no thought of trampling on the Contitution and using the U.S. Tax Code to target a specific group of people. Doesn't this scare anyone? Doesn't this cause an alarm to go off in your head? If they can try and do this to a small group of people they deem as evil capitalists and the bane of society, what will they try next? Guns? Freedom of Religion? Freedom of Speech? These are all rights that they have talked about limiting. Will they?

Many Americans were angry with President Bush for what they perceived as his administration’s trampling on constitutional rights in the name of protecting the American people from further terrorist attacks. Well, by the looks of it, we better hang on to our hats because, it appears, the actions of the current administration are going to be far worse in the name of fairness.