Come On-Quit Lying to Us!

Calling President Obama, Senator Harry Reid, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi disingenuous is, at best inaccurate.  Let’s face it; these three have been lying through their teeth to the American people.  They have shifted into high gear over the government shutdown/continuing resolution and the debt ceiling.

In the first place, all three keep talking about how they are willing to negotiate with the Republicans.  Then they turn right around and say that they will not compromise on any of the points that have been brought up by the Republicans.  Apparently none of them understand the meaning of negotiate (“to bring about, through discussion and COMPROMISE).  It is obvious that Obama, Reid, and Pelosi have no intention of compromising, and they have actually stated their intention is not to compromise, in spite of their rhetoric.

Before the 2008 election, when the Congress (made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate) was debating raising the debt ceiling, then Senator Obama made the following comments about President Bush.  “The way Bush has done it over the last eight years is to take out a credit card from the Bank of China, in the name of our children, driving up our national debt from $5 trillion.  The first forty-two presidents, number forty-three added $4 trillion by his lonesome so that we now have over $9 trillion of debt that we are gonna have to pay back, $30,000 for every man, woman, and child.  That’s irresponsible.  It’s unpatriotic.”

After making that statement, Obama voted AGAINST raising the debt limit.  Now, after running the national debt up to $17 trillion, Mr. Obama is demanding that Congress vote to raise the debt limit, saying that it is necessary just to pay our bills.  Is he irresponsible and unpatriotic?  (I’m just using his definition.)

Obama has said numerous times that the inflammatory rhetoric needs to cease.  Does he mean calling Republicans “jihadists” or likening them to wife abusers?  Does he mean calling anyone opposed to Obamacare as racist?  Maybe he is referring to those calling Republicans terrorists, extremists, or arsonists.  ALL of these comments came from Democrats, some in the House, some in the Senate, and some in the White House, specifically Mr. Obama himself, after his call to cease the inflammatory rhetoric.

It should be noted here that the government “shutdown” is somewhat a misnomer.  Actually, only about 18% of the government is shut down (Perhaps we should simply dismiss that 18%.  We seem to be getting along just fine without them.  We could eliminate the EPA, the Commerce Department, the Education Department, and the Energy Department.  That would save plenty of money.

The Obama administration (and the buck stops at Obama’s desk) has the option of declaring what/who is essential to the operation of the government.  With that option, his administration has decided to inflict as much pain as is possible.  Although funding Sesame Street, the decision was made to cease funding cancer research at the National Institutes for Health.  Although it cost more to close the “open-air” memorials around Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Arizona, Normandy, and South Dakota, among others, the Obama administration chose to assign Park Rangers to erect barricades to prevent us “commoners” from having access to the monuments.  Even private businesses and privately owned homes on leased federal land had access blocked.

We are still being fed the same old party line about how good the “Affordable” Care Act is.  If it’s so darn good, then why did Obama grant so many waivers on implementation (including unions, members (and their staffs) of the Congress, members of the Supreme Court, and members of the Obama administration, allowing them to opt out of Obamacare or receive a subsidy from the government (paid for by you and me)?  If Obamacare is good enough for us, why isn’t it good enough for them?  By the way, that is one of the sticking points the Democrats had with the House Republicans.  The House Republicans felt that, if Obamacare is good enough for us peons, it should be good enough for Congress.  The Democrats obviously do not feel that way.  The proposal to remove the Congressional exemption was removed by Senate Democrats.

What about the word “affordable” being used?  What is affordable about Obamacare?  There are plenty of horror stories of insurance premiums skyrocketing, along with horrendous co-pays or deductibles.  What about people being moved from full time employment to part time employment?  What about the promises we heard out of Obama’s mouth?  “If you like your current plan, you can keep it.  If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.”  These promises were no more than more lies.

There is no need to go on further.  If this isn’t sufficient proof of the lies being spoken and perpetrated on the American people, then additional proof will not convince you.  If you haven’t heard about these things, then you are obviously getting all your news from ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, or the Comedy Channel.  Otherwise, you need to move that rock and climb out from under it.  You might find out what is going on before it’s too late!

I have two solutions.  You are welcome to pick either, or, if you can come up with one that is better, please offer it.  First, the House Republicans could pass a bill funding the government, without funding Obamacare, and send it to the Senate.  The Senate doesn’t even have to read the bill.  All they have to do is use Nancy Pelosi’s advice:  “We have to pass the bill to see what’s in it.”  My second solution, which may be better overall, is that a huge sinkhole open up under Washington, D.C. and swallow up the whole mess!  Take your pick.

No Religious Liberty for US Military?

A DISCLAIMER UP FRONT:  The odd spacing in this blog is not by my neglect or ignorance.  For some reason, "Blogger" will not save the spacing I have entered in this blog.  Thank you for understanding and for reading my blog.

       So that you will understand from whence my viewpoint is derived, let me give you a little personal background.  I enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1968.  After training, I was assigned to the U.S. Army Security Agency, a communications intelligence agency (similar in scope to the National Security Agency), earning the Meritorious Service Medal.  After a number of years as a member of the ASA, I was assigned to the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC).  Later, I became a member of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, earning two Army Achievement Medals, two Army Commendation Medals, one Meritorious Service Medal, the Gold Recruiter Badge, and the Army Recruiter Ring.  Also, I was assigned to an infantry division for a while.  Altogether, I served on active duty in the U.S. Army for a little over twenty years.

I am proud of my service, and I realize that my successes were by the grace of God.  He protected me through that twenty plus years and gave me favor with most of my superiors throughout that time.  When I first enlisted in the Army, I was a nominal Christian.  After about fourteen years active duty, I became a true, born-again Christian.  During my tenure as an Army Recruiter, I enlisted many young men and women into the Army.  Today, though I honor our military members, I would NOT recommend any Christian become a member of the Armed Forces of this country.  My reasons follow.

Shortly after I retired from active duty, under the direction of then-President Bill Clinton, the “Don’t Ask; Don’t Tell” policy came into being, allowing openly gay and lesbian people to enlist in the military services.  Prior to this, simply answering on the application for enlistment that he/she had participated in any homosexual acts was an immediate disqualification.  Under President Barack Obama, this policy has been abolished.

It appears now, however, that the policy of “Don’t Ask; Don’t Tell” has been reinstated.  This time, though, it applies to Christians, especially evangelical Christians.  There was already an unofficial (I think) war being waged against Christians in the military, but lately it seems to have become official policy.  Some examples are listed below:

·         The Air Force censored a video created by a chaplain because it included the word “God.”  The Air Force feared the word might offend Muslims and atheists.

·         A service member received a “severe and possibly career-ending reprimand” for expressing his faith’s religious position about homosexuality in a personal religious blog.

·         An enlisted service member received a career-ending punishment for sending personal invitations to his promotion party which mentioned that he would be providing Chick-fil-A sandwiches due to his respect for the Defense of Marriage Act.

·         A senior military official at Fort Campbell sent out a lengthy email officially instructing officers to recognize “the religious right in America” as a “domestic hate group” akin to the KKK and Neo-Nazis because of its opposition to homosexual behavior.

·         A chaplain was relieved of his command over a military chapel because, consistent with DOMA’s (Defense of Marriage Act—a federal law) definition of marriage, he could not allow same-sex weddings to take place in the chapel.

·         An enlisted service member was threatened and denied promotion by a senior Non-Commissioned Officer for expressing–during a personal conversation–his religious belief in support of traditional marriage.

There are numerous other examples that could be listed, but these are certainly enough to show a pattern of anti-Christian sentiment existing in the U.S. military.  Last month Coast Guard Rear Admiral William Lee told a National Day of Prayer audience that religious liberty is being threatened by Pentagon lawyers, and service members are being told to hide their faith in Christ.  Now, to make matters worse, the Obama administration has issued a Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) on H.R. 1960, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2014.  Among other items, the SAP includes as an objection to the bill:

Expansion and Implementation of Protection of Rights of Conscience of Members of the Armed Forces and Chaplains of Such Members:  The Administration strongly objects to section 530, which would require the Armed Forces to accommodate, except in cases of military necessity, “actions and speech” reflecting the “conscience, moral principles, or religious beliefs of the member.”  By limiting the discretion of commanders to address potentially problematic speech and actions within their units, this provision would have a significant adverse effect on good order, discipline, morale, and mission accomplishment.  (Keep in mind that the administration doesn’t believe that allowing LGBT members to serve openly will have an adverse effect.)  The SAP includes a veto threat:  “…if the bill is presented to the President for approval in its current form, the President’s senior advisers would recommend that the President veto the bill.”

In other words, President Obama indicates that he will veto any bill that forbids his appointees or officers from telling a soldier he cannot mention Jesus during prayer or have a Bible on his desk, or that keeps those appointees from telling a chaplain (who is an ordained clergyman) what religious teachings he can do in worship services, or what spiritual counseling he can give to another soldier.

It has been said that there are no atheists in the foxhole.  However, if we continue to tell God that we don’t want Him present in our lives, eventually He will not be present in the foxhole with our soldiers.  Neither will He keep His hand of protection on this nation.  God is long-suffering, extremely patient.  However, He is also a just God, and His patience is not never-ending.  At some point, our nation will have to suffer His judgment, if we continue telling Him to get out of our lives.  That point is not far away, either.  I am not so foolish as to speak for God.  Neither am I going to predict that date of His return.  Still, His word indicates that it is soon.  As a nation, we have thumbed our collective nose at Him entirely too much.  Do we really want God to remove His hand from us?  When He does, we are on our own.  Frankly, I much prefer God’s hand of protection on us.  That has served us well for over 200 years.

 

        Although the percentage of people in the United States who are truly “born-again” Christians has dwindled over the years, we still have a commission.  We can read it in 2 Chronicles 7:14:  “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  It doesn’t take all the people; it takes only God’s people.  Let’s join together and obey 2 Chronicles 7:14.  Will you join me?

Did I Wake Up in the Old Soviet Union?

Someone please wake me!  I feel like I am either dreaming, or I went to sleep in the United States of America and woke up in the old Soviet Union.  Our Department of Justice seems to have turned into the KGB.  I can understand the Obama administration’s extreme dislike for Fox News Channel.  After all, Fox, which just happens to be the highest rated cable news network, is the only major news outlet that isn’t afraid to ask the hard questions of the Obama administration.

I do believe, however, that even the Obama administration has gone too far this time.  As if the apparent cover-up of the Benghazi fiasco and the IRS fiasco were not enough, now the Department of Justice, led by Attorney General Eric Holder, chose to violate the constitutional rights of James Rosen, a Fox News investigative reporter, who was investigating how the Obama administration was handling the nuclear situation in North Korea.  In an effort to determine which State Department employee(s) leaked information to Rosen, the Department of Justice obtained a warrant from the court to obtain James Rosen’s telephone records.  To do so, however, DOJ named Rosen as a co-conspirator in what they termed a case of espionage.

It is a shame that our Attorney General lacks knowledge of the law.  As a former holder of a TOP SECRET security clearance with access to special intelligence information, I thoroughly understand that the responsibility of safeguarding sensitive or classified information rests with the government employee possessing the information.  It is the responsibility and duty of the reporter to ask the questions.  If answering the questions would result in divulging sensitive or classified information, then the possessor of the information is bound by law not to release the information.  All he/she has to do is decline to answer the question, explaining that he/she is unable to answer because the information is classified.  It’s quite simple.

It appears to this writer that this is not truly a matter of an espionage investigation, at least not as far as James Rosen is concerned.  Instead, it appears that this is simply a heavy-handed, terribly clumsy attempt to intimidate Fox News and anyone else who dares to investigate the Obama administration.

The Obama administration in general, and the Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service in specific, have gone way over the line this time.  It is past time that someone inform Mr. Obama and his cohorts that this is still the United States of America, still governed by the Constitution of the United States (not Chicago politics), and Mr. Obama and his administration need to abide by the law.  Mr. Obama is the President of the United States, not King (or dictator) of the United States!

It's the Fault of the Congress

President Obama, when he is not blaming former President George W. Bush for the problems in America, tends to blame Congress. At first, I thought it a bit curious that he would blame Congress, since his party, the Democrats, control one house of Congress—the Senate. Then it dawned on me. Most people, primarily due to lack of knowledge, believe that the Congress is controlled by the Republicans. Others believe that the House of Representatives, under control of the Republicans, is the Congress.

Folks, if you took Civics or Social Studies, depending on what it was called when you took it, you should remember, the Congress is made up of two houses—the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House members serve two-year terms. The Senate members serve six-year terms. The Speaker of the House, Representative John Boehner, is a Republican, and the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Harry Reid, is a Democrat. Mr. Boehner, as Speaker of the house, runs the House. His predecessor, in control of the House from 2006 until 2010, was Representative Nancy Pelosi, from California (San Francisco area), a very liberal Democrat. Senator Reid, as Majority Leader of the Senate, runs the Senate, and the Democrats control the Senate.

Mr. Obama would like for us all to believe that the Congress (House and Senate) has stopped all of the things he has tried to do to cause the economy to improve. For his first two years as President, his party, the Democrats, controlled both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Remember, they shoved Obamacare down our throats. They were able to do so, because the Republicans did not have enough people in either house of Congress to stop it.

The Republican Party, in control of the House of Representatives, has passed over twenty bills aimed at enabling American industry to create jobs. Harry Reid (DEMOCRAT), as Majority Leader of the Senate, has refused to bring a single one of them to the floor for a vote. The SENATE (read Democrats and Harry Reid) has blocked everything the Republicans in the House of Representatives have tried to do. If either Mr. Obama or Mr. Reid were serious about creating real jobs, they would bring these bills to the floor for an up or down vote.

Since the Democrats gained control of the House and Senate in 2006, they have failed to pass a federal budget, instead voting in “stop-gap” measures to keep the government running. Mr. Obama has not submitted a serious budget to the Congress (the House of Representatives and Senate) since he took office over three years ago. What he has submitted, Mr. Reid and the Democrats defeated in the Senate.

If you want to blame anybody for the ills of the American economy, and you don’t want to blame Mr. Obama, then you need to blame Senator Reid and the Democrats in the Senate. That is where the bottle neck is located (once you get past the bottle neck in the White House). They can ram through Obamacare, and they can take time to file lawsuits against Arizona, Alabama, and South Carolina to overturn their immigration laws. They can take the time to block South Carolina’s attempt to inject some integrity into our elections by requiring a photo I.D. to vote. Mr. Obama can find the time to take nineteen vacations in three years (at enormous taxpayer expense), but Mr. Obama and the Democrats in the Senate can’t seem to find time to pass a budget. It seems to this writer that the problem resides in the White House and the Senate. I would say it’s time to clean house in both houses—the Senate and the White House! Unfortunately, as long as our government robs Peter to pay Paul, they will always have Paul’s vote. When Paul outnumbers Peter, we will go down the drain.

It's Still Horse Manure!

As he has done in the past, President Obama is playing Christians (especially Catholics) for fools. He’s betting that we are fools or, at least, extremely naïve, and will believe that his “compromise” on the Obamacare requirement for employers to provide, through their healthcare policies, birth control, including the “morning after” pill, and abortion. It’s nothing more than an accounting gimmick. Anyone who buys it is either naïve or a fool. You can call a pile of horse manure a rose, but it still stinks.

This is all sold under the guise of “healthcare” for women. Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the House of Representatives (praise the Lord it’s former), in her usual two-faced support of the President, said, that Republicans want “to use the excuse of religious freedom” to take an action that will harm women's health (emphasis added). In the first place, it has nothing to do with “women’s health”. In the second place, she ignores the fact that a large part of the female population of the United States is Republican. Nobody in their right mind would want to “harm women’s health”. As far as using “the excuse of religious freedom” is concerned, it’s not an excuse when we are talking about the exercise of religious freedom. It’s in the constitution! It’s called the 1st Amendment! Read it, Ms. Pelosi. You just might learn something!

Vote for Sale!

Bart Stupak, who claims to represent Michigan’s 1st Congressional District, is either stupid or a liar. If he truly believes that an executive order by the President overrides a law that has been passed by Congress and signed by the President, then he is stupid and has no business serving in the Congress. If he does indeed know that the President’s executive order will not override law, then he is a liar by saying that the President’s order will prevent federal funds being used for abortion.

The total truth, I believe, is that Mr. Stupak sold his vote to President Obama. I believe that it is more than just a coincidence that some $700,000 in federal funds has suddenly found its way into Stupak’s district for an airport.

Mr. Stupak has demonstrated vividly the lack of integrity among the Democrat party throughout the political spectrum of the United States. Although elected to represent the voters, the Democrat party has chosen to use its majority in both houses of Congress to force its left-wing liberal agenda down the throats of the American people. May they face the wrath of the American people this coming November!

Where Does the Buck Stop?

At what point in his term as President of the United States, does Mr. Obama live up to the phrase, “The buck stops here,” and quit blaming everything on George W. Bush? Mr. President, if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Just be sure and take Rahm Emmanuel, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid with you. Don't forget Robert Gibbs and David Axelrod, please!

Mr. Obama ran as if he were the savior of the world. Now, anyone with even a modicum of intelligence knew he wasn’t, but he wanted us to believe that he was. Well, if you want the position, Mr. Obama, then save the world.

George W. Bush, like any President, had his shortcomings. He inherited problems from President Clinton, the same as any new President does. Yet, I never heard President Bush blame those problems (or any others) on his predecessor. He didn't even blame the 9/11 attacks on Mr. Clinton, though he could have made a case for it. It’s a shame Mr. Bush’s successor doesn’t have the same integrity.

When Mr. Obama was inaugurated, I told my wife, “I hope he is such a good president, that I want to rush to the polls in November 2012 to vote for him. At the rate he is going, though, I’ll rush to the polls in 2012, but it won’t be to vote for him. I would have a lot more respect for him as a man, regardless of his policies, if he had the courage and integrity not to blame his predecessor and simply accept the responsibility he said he wanted, when he decided to run for President.

President Pelosi?

In his first two months as President, Mr. Obama, the man who campaigned as a man of the people, a man who would listen to the people, has so far seemed to have listened only to Nancy Pelosi. In fact, from what this writer has observed, Mr. Obama has spent most of the last two months campaigning while Nancy Pelosi has been making the decisions on how to run the country.

The people of San Francisco elected Nancy Pelosi to represent them in Congress. The liberal left of the Democrat party in the House of Representatives elected her Speaker of the House. Nowhere is there a record of her being elected President of the United States. It is time for Mr. Obama to stop campaigning and start governing, and it’s time for Nancy Pelosi to cease being the de-facto President.

Mr. President, you are a smart man, but if you continue listening to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and her Senate counterpart Harry Reid, you are acting quite foolishly. Their interest is not in what is best for the nation, but in what is best for them and the Democrat party.

Hope and Change?

When he was running for President of the United States, then Senator Barack Obama's theme was Change We Can Believe In. He promised us change and hope. People became so wrapped up in his promise of change and hope, they seemed almost to worship him as he appeared on the stage.

He promised us that we would no longer have lobbyists serving in the White House. Well, he has lobbyists serving on his staff.

He promised us what he described as an ethical administration. He has nominated a number of people with ethical problems to become cabinet secretaries, people who had chosen not to pay their taxes (until nominated), people with questionable associations.

He promised us an administration that focused on the future rather than dwelling on the past. He has consistently blamed all the ills of the nation on the previous administration (as if the Democrat-controlled Congress had nothing to do with them).

He promised us no earmarks (pork) in legislation. Both his so-called Stimulus bill and the latest spending bill are so full of pork, we should have a national barbecue.

He promised us fiscal responsibility. He has doubled the national debt. In less than two months, he has, with the help of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid (and three liberal Republicans), authorized (or soon will) more spending than every President since the founding of the United States combined.

Instead of having a third term of George Bush, as he and his fellow Democrats hammered into everyone during the campaign, he has given us the second term of Jimmy Carter. By the time President Obama finishes his first term, Jimmy Carter's economic disaster of 18% inflation will seem mild by comparison.

I now know what the hope and change are: We hope for a change in the make up of the Congress and the Presidency as soon as possible. Of course, as long as President Obama operates with the policy of rob Peter to pay Paul, he can be sure than he has the support of Paul. I just wonder how long it will be before we have to pay $12.00 for a gallon of gas and $10.00 for a loaf of bread. Maybe then, even Paul will be ready for change. Lets hope for a change soon--either in policy or people!

New President Obama

I just finished watching the inauguration of President Obama. Although I did not vote for him, I now have an obligation to pray for him, as do all Christians. I pray that our Lord will give him wisdom and direction in all that he does. I pray that our Lord protect him and his family. May Almighty God direct his every step so that he will govern in a Godly manner.

May President Obama always seek God's face and His direction. May he surround himself with wise men and women whose primary interest is what is best for our nation. May President Obama remember that God is the only true source of wisdom. I pray that he will learn quickly to rely on God not on man.

Please, folks, pray for President Obama. This is a dangerous time, and he needs our prayers! May God bless and protect him and his family.