Tag Archives: George Washington

Articles of Interest

“‘Tis Well”: An Original Poem

February 8, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

By AK Fielding

George Washington 2 SC “‘Tis Well”: An Original Poem

On a cold December day,

The sky was dull and gray.

The river Potomac lay frozen,

The sounds of birds, painfully broken.

People arrived in droves for the procession,

Many aghast at the shocking revelation.

A great white steed trod slowly through the crowds of Virginia,

The empty saddle signifying the great loss for America.

The one Wheatley praised for his valor and virtue more,

Now lay forever behind heaven’s door.

Despite his request for a private burial,

Americans flocked to see the greatest memorial.

Thunderstruck most were for they could not have conceived,

A man as great would so soon be grieved.

The troops, the band, the mourners marched on,

Heavy hearts, each, in disbelief that he was gone.

The clergy prayed and the Masons performed the final rites,

Some watched while others took to flight.

The shroud concealed the greatest American,

Who lived by principles now long forgotten.

In the simple red brick tomb in Mount Vernon he now lays,

Unaware of the mayhem of his country’s present days.

A man once celebrated and unanimously elected,

Is now forgotten and mostly disrespected.

For ‘tis true he was born in February,

But they will not even honor his memory.

Columbus Day they gladly celebrate,

But a special day for this extraordinary Leader, they hate.

Of all the politicians we see,

He was the greatest Statesmen there shall ever be.

Should you ever hold a dollar in your hand,

Do remember that George Washington was a great man.

Photo Credit: OZinOH (Creative Commons)

Articles of Interest

The Case For Celebrating George Washington’s Birthday

February 5, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

By G. Michael Fielding

Merriam-Webster defines a Statesman as a “wise, skillful, and respected political leader.” The same dictionary describes a politician as “a person experienced in the art or science of government.” It also gives the definition: “a person engaged in conducting the business of a government.”

When we think of a President today, who do we think of? Our first thought may well come towards our current President. Or we may think of JFK, or Ronald Reagan, or Franklin Roosevelt. But if we are honest with ourselves, what exactly comes to our minds when we think of our current President? Could it be intimidation, class-warfare, or an iron fist of demands that must “take place or else”? The problem with our current President is that he wasn’t elected to be President. What came to be, as a result of the media outlets and the entertainment industry, is the election of “Hollywood” to be our leader. Not Hollywood in the real sense of the word such as film, actors, movies, and film producers, but a political celebrity.

Now, when we look in our wallets and pull out a dollar bill, does anyone take the time to think about the face on that bill? It is a man we refer to as the “Father of our Country,” George Washington. Our first President was not the intellectual beast that graced such men as Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, or James Madison. As a matter of fact, Washington’s educational background was minimal with no more than maybe five years of formal education, with the rest of his learning occurring through his mother and self-teaching. He didn’t come across as a particularly affectionate man; and according to the Catholic Exchange, he spoke little in public meetings and “lacked the charisma of many of his successors. Defeating the British with his ragtag army was an impressive feat, but he was not a traditional military hero. He won no spectacular victories during the Revolutionary War. Although he is widely admired as an outstanding president, few of his policies were stupendous successes.”

What was it that set this leader aside from most leaders in America during his day? His character and statesmanship was what gained respect from those who far exceeded Washington in so many areas, including intellect. He was a master at mastering self-control. Washington wrote to his friend and aide de camp Alexander Hamilton: “I hope I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain (what I consider the most enviable of all titles) the character of an honest man.”

Though he was not a master of great military exploits, he was nonetheless a master of himself. Virtue and character were the great President’s high marks as nothing was more profound than when he resigned as Commander and Chief of the Continental Army and then declining a third term as President of the United States. Keep in mind that this man could very easily have ran a third, a fourth, and a fifth term; and every time, Washington would’ve received a perfect electoral vote. Every time! Does anyone feel the same could be said of the most “cool and hip” President of this generation? Voting for a leader should never be based on race, which is something the milquetoast G.O.P needs to get through their thick skulls. But if it must, hypothetically speaking, please consider Allen West. Because if there is one thing we all need to remember this upcoming President’s Day, it is that true leadership doesn’t rest with leaning on the backs of racist, misogynist “rap artists” but rather in the mastery of one’s character and virtue.

Photo Credit: OZinOH (Creative Commons)

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

Articles of Interest

Obama: America’s First Pharaoh?

January 20, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

By capblack

Obama reminds me more of an ancient pharaoh than an American president.

There’s a un-subdued haughtiness that makes me wonder when he’ll declare “So let it be written; so let it be done!”

He carries himself as someone assured his throne atop the tribal pyramid is due to Divine right and nothing less.

I never thought I’d get the chance to see a real pharaoh in action, but now I have a ringside seat.

Obama taps into a subconscious desire many have to be led. His Messianic following has handed him the reins twice, despite a dismal economic record and foreign policy outrages like Benghazi.

The American premise that we’re a free people isn’t automatic. Unless succeeding generations preserve it, none should be surprised that a pharaoh now presides.

Freedom is hard work with no guarantees. Handing it off to one person who says he has all the answers is much easier.

Is it any wonder America’s pharaoh first shed public tears when talking to campaign staffers shortly after his reelection victory?

These peons’ loyalty had rewarded their God-king with another term. He graced them with his presence and rendered the supreme gift of a show of imperial emotion.

As an American whose grandparents and parents, not to mention myself personally, had to earn that title against entrenched opposition, this whole pharaoh thing rubs me the wrong way.

Americans aren’t supposed to bow and scrape before monarchs. I consider monarchy to be a primitive, oppressive concept well beyond its expiration date.

George Washington declined the offer of royalty as reward for his leadership. Notice how our presidents are called “Mr President” and not “Your Highness” or “Sire.”

One day, a future president will be called “Madame President” or “Mrs. President.”

These titles are identical to those used by what monarchies narrow-mindedly refer to as so-called “commoners,” (i.e. you and me.)

Respecting the office of president is something I was weaned on.

Acting like a flunky to a would-be modern pharaoh is something in good conscience I can’t do.

I was born a free man and intend to stay that way.

Cap Black The Hood Conservative
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Photo credit: Dan Jacobs (Creative Commons)

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

Articles of Interest

Can An Oath Of Office Be Treason?

January 20, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

By Gerald Todd

In an era where lying has become an art form, is it possible to hold those who take a solemn oath to protect and defend the Constitution to that pledge of honor and responsibility?

The oath to be taken by the president on first entering office is specified in Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.

The Constitution (Article VI, clause 3) requires that Senators and Representatives take an oath of office to support the Constitution. It reads:

I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

The military officer’s oath is similar. Solemn oaths are very serious business; an elected or hired official or military officer takes within his or her hands power over the lives and welfare of one person, or 350 million.

The Presidential oath being taken on January 21, 2013 must discern where the officeholder’s heart is and what level of power he lusts for. The same holds true for all who dare make that solemn promise while looking into 350 million pairs of eyes…

The Founders were common in their belief in the core teachings of the Bible as is over 80% of the American population. The inscription on George Washington’s tomb – designed by him, reads: “I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord, he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” (John 1: 25-26)

(Did he want himself remembered as a “deist”?)

It is from this belief that the core principle of the Constitution found in the Declaration finds meaning: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Would it be an understatement to say that few other than our beleaguered military take their oaths of office seriously? Renewed or newfound Love of Country is the easiest way to reverse the mortal danger he and the nation he uses are facing. The opposite of love is not hate, but use! One who truly loves cannot use the beloved, willing to lay down his life for her/him. That is what oaths are all about! The Founders saw that swearing an oath upon the Bible was natural and binding.

Today, we have three problems:

1. Swearing on the Bible as above with no intention of upholding that solemn promise. The current President actually believes the Constitution is “dead for all practical purposes” (as stated to Vladimir Putin in 2009.) Too many public servants take the oath as a rite of passage with no binding responsibilities. That must change. Now!

2. Swearing to uphold the Constitution on the Qur’an (Koran) is oxymoronic in that the holy book of the Muslims is also a theocratic code of laws strictly observed with severe penalties. It is called Sharia (Law). Buddhists, Hindus, Shintos, Sikhs, Jews, and almost the entire world’s ways of connecting with our Creator have found a place within the framework of freedom the Constitution affords. Some will always struggle because of local prejudices, but they all have the foundation of freedom to stand and build on. Not so under Sharia.

3. After years of political correctness, misguided social justice, and divisive diversity, the American people have been conditioned to be influenced by a drive to totalitarian rule. One of Alinsky’s protégés, the young lawyer Barack Hussein Obama, became its most powerful and persuasive adherent. He should take the oath on “Rules for Radicals.” (Alinsky dedicated “Rules” to Lucifer.)

Listed below are the basic tenets of the “Rules for Radicals” bible. Some call it good politics. I call it spiritual warfare. (Note: righteous citizens, elected, hired, and military are the “enemy” referred to here. My comments are in parentheses)

1. “Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have.” (And boy have we let them bamboozle us with political correctness and the ACLU!)

2. “Never go outside the expertise of your people.” (Done consistently, in every aspect of life – health, education, welfare, environment, energy, religion, and labor, then lied about)

3. “Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy.” (Not likely, but “progressives” will even lie about the obvious.)

4. “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.” (We should “put on the whole armor of God” – it might feel good for a change!)

5. “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon”. (Ask Congress, Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, etc.)

6. “A good tactic is one your people enjoy.” (He who laughs last…)

7. “A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.” (Exceeds their own expertise and is ultimately exposed for the lies the tactic is built from. Progressives get bored because they exceed their own knowledge or capability to understand technology or stewardship.)

8. “Keep the pressure on, with different tactics and actions, and utilize all events of the period for your purpose.” (A daily does of new crises, talking points with the complicit 5th Column in the mainstream media)

9. “The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.” (Health care, fiscal cliff, debt ceiling, ad nauseum)

10. “The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition.” (They are masters at it; but when their house of cards crumbles, they’ll cry like babies.)

11. “If you push a negative hard and deep enough, it will break through into its counterside…” (Love conquers all, but tough love is what is needed here.)

12. “The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.” (With cadres “eating out the peoples’ substance,” they are ready every day with thousands of new rules and highly-paid operatives to seek to enforce them.)

13. “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.” (Republicans have been suckered into this deep freeze for decades, with the only reprieve being under President Ronald Reagan. They will never love you, and the 5th Column media will never be on your side.)

Anyone who has faced a bully, spent time pondering Scripture, or reading history sees we are engaged in all-out spiritual warfare. While political strategies are critical, the war must be fought on the spiritual plane.

On April 14, 2005, I was privileged to be asked to read Washington’s prayer over his very tomb at Mt. Vernon. This circular was directed to the Governors and States of the new nation; his reference to them has been replaced by the words “the United States.” Otherwise, the words and spelling are those of General Washington:

I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have the United States in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government. To entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Fields, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristicks of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion (a paraphrase of Micah 6:8), and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation. Amen.

Now we too must pray and act!

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

Articles of Interest

Re-Elected To Do What, Mr. Obama?

January 19, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

By Michael Nellett

Watching Barack Hussein Obama give his “last” press conference of his first term in 2013 was quite telling. If you closed your eyes and listened, you might have thought you were in a banana republic somewhere in South America. Obama has a definite “I” problem when he speaks. “I will not negotiate on the debt ceiling”. “I will not cut spending on entitlements.” “If I have to go around Congress on gun control action, then that’s what I’ll do”. “I have been encouraged to simply raise the debt ceiling on my own authority.” Blah, blah, blah. Oh yeah, ” I won the election; therefore, things will be done MY way.” This egocentric megalomaniac needs to be reminded of a few things to start the New Year right, I guess.

First of all, Mr. Obama, the voters in this country did NOT give you a mandate for anything. They simply maintained the status quo of Congress. Secondly, your power and authority are limited by the Constitution (you know, that document that you and your cronies promised to “preserve, protect, and defend”!) You are not our king or Messiah (at least to the people that I know), you have not been given the position of dictator (benevolent or otherwise), nor have you been given the power or authority to do as you please when you please. Thirdly, this is a nation of laws, Mr. Obama; and you do not have the discretion of which laws to enforce and which ones NOT to enforce. You too, sir, are also under the same law and dangerously close to impeachment (see Fast and Furious, Benghazi, Solyndra, etc.)

Your war against guns, Mr. Obama, is unconstitutional in any form that it takes. You want the Second Amendment changed, Mr. Obama? There is a procedure for that. Oh that’s right, you were a “Constitutional Law” professor once upon a time, weren’t you? Looks like you might have to brush up on your field of study, Mr. Obama. When the federal government goes out into the private sector and buys 1.6 BILLION rounds of .223 rifle ammo and 40 caliber handgun ammo when the government is trying to wind DOWN its last war, the people have a tendency to get a little nervous. You haven’t exactly been a pinnacle of transparency, Mr. Obama. Contrary to what your friends on the left may tell you, there are enough freedom-loving, God-fearing patriots still alive in the United States to make any kind of government intervention on our liberties one bloody fight.

You might want to remind Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that BY LAW, a budget is to be passed no later than April of each year. We all know that he’s been busy in the Senate blocking every reasonable piece of legislation to come his way, but he is 3 1/2 years late in getting a budget passed! Looks like ole’ Harry might just be in line for a little legal discipline himself! Oh yeah, I was just wondering that with the country’s economy going to hell in a hand basket rather quickly, if you have given any more thought to exactly how you are going to get us out of this mess without cutting spending?

You seemed to get a bit testy when any of the reporters at your last press conference pressed you for answers to the questions that they thought were relevant. Did any of your English professors at Harvard ever teach you to give short, concise answers? I know that you fancy yourself as Lincoln, but he didn’t recite the Gettysburg address every time he was asked a question. Why do you feel that you shouldn’t be questioned about your actions or your policies? Every President since George Washington has had to do that comes with the office. Maybe you’re trying to hide something?

You have shown by your actions in the recent “fiscal cliff” fiasco that you are not capable of compromise or face-to-face negotiations, nor are you flexible in your ideology (traits not conducive to an accomplishment-driven presidency.) You will find that the 2012 election will NOT be repeated again. Leadership is what this country needs now, not some ideologue who is hellbent on changing 200-plus years of the most successful and prosperous country in the world. America will not fall without a fight, Mr. Obama.

How are you going to explain to your middle class working base why their taxes went up when you promised them that their taxes wouldn’t go up even one dime? You have made too many promises, Mr. Obama; and you forgot that you are the “temporary leader” of a republic, not your own dynasty. You can be as arrogant as you want to be and as ruthless as you think you can be; but beware that, there are limitations to what you legally are allowed to do. Impeachment is a very real option, Mr. Obama.

Photo credit: SS&SS (Creative Commons)

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

Articles of Interest

The Significance Of The United States Constitution: Then And Now

January 16, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

By AK Fielding

Degrading the United States Constitution seems to be the latest fad in our country. Most recently, in a debate with author Ben Shapiro, British journalist Piers Morgan attacked the Constitution and called it a “little book.” Morgan lives and works in the United States but is clearly unaware that the United States Constitution is not a “little book” but the supreme law of the land. Morgan is not alone in his berating of the Constitution; the current administration continuously tries to bend the law to its will at every opportunity. The latest attack against the Second Amendment is hardly a response to a new situation but an outcome of years of planning to eradicate the Constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans. Ironically, those attacking the Second Amendment unhesitatingly hide behind the First Amendment to cover their disparaging remarks about the same Constitution they despise. For people such as Morgan, clearly unfamiliar with United States history, a short lesson on the Constitution is in order.

On May 14, 1787, the Federal Convention met at the Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The plan was to correct errors in the loosely tied Articles of the Confederation. By June, it was evident that the Articles of Confederation was incapable of supporting the form of government required by the new Republic. Hence, the delegates worked methodically to create an entirely new type of document that represented the co-operation of all.

Lest someone feel the process involved in writing the Constitution and ratification was an easy one, a few points are worth noting. To begin with, the delegates to the Convention arrived in Philadelphia under the steady onslaught of daily rain. Unfortunately, far from cooling the city, the rain simply added in making it more humid and unbearable. It may seem a minor problem to us today because of the advent of air-conditioning but for delegates of the Constitutional Convention, the heat, humidity, and flies alone created a nettlesome atmosphere often leading to escalated tensions in the meetings.

Despite the heat, 55 of the appointed 74 delegates arrived in Philadelphia. Many of them remained in the city, the others traveled back and forth from their respective states to attend the sessions. Yes, it required more than one session because they did not automatically agree on all terms of the Constitution. Indeed, it took four long months to convince enough of the delegates to sign the Constitution. The opposition was heavy from the beginning. Alexander Hamilton, for example, arrived from the dissenting state of New York straddled with two other delegates, both anti-federalists. Many of them favored one possibility over another and it would take several gruesome hours daily to convince all to agree upon one resolution. For instance, James Madison and George Washington favored the Virginia Plan that called for a bicameral legislative branch, an executive branch led by a single person, and a judicial branch headed by a supreme court. Others such as Benjamin Franklin, John Lansing and William Paterson backed the New Jersey Plan that suggested a unicameral legislative branch, and an executive council. After giving an uninterrupted six-hour long speech on an alternative plan, Hamilton retired to New York, leaving the delegates behind with a milder opinion of the Virginia Plan.

Even after Hamilton’s grandiose speech, far from reaching common ground immediately, the delegates fought over the specifics and only came to an agreement on September 17, 1787 to sign the new Constitution. The signatures secured a new Constitution at the convention but it still needed ratification to become law. Anti-federalists such as Patrick Henry and George Clinton worked diligently to undermine the ratification process. In response, Hamilton, Madison, and John Jay fired away in support of ratification of the Constitution in a series of essays and articles noted for the magnitude of their literary and political beauty. The Federalist Papers have long become a masterpiece in political discourse and should be on the bookshelf of every American citizen. The final ratified Constitution included a Bill of Rights that carefully laid out the rights of individuals without which we may never have had the final product we see today.

The Constitution stands as the lifeblood of our great nation. To undermine its authority is to undermine the intelligence, wisdom, hard work, dedication, and sacrifices of the Founders who worked against all odds to create a law to safeguard the natural rights of people. Therefore, We the People must respect the Constitution for through its provisions our rights remain protected against those who tread upon us. It is our duty as Americans and patriots to honor the supreme law of our land and to correct those who ridicule it or try to minimize its relevance. It is true that we no longer live in the eighteenth century, but our Founding Fathers had the foresight to devise the Constitution to last beyond their time; and for over 200 years, it has done so remarkably well.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

Articles of Interest

Washington’s Spending Addiction And Fiscal Deception

January 12, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

By David Fiorazo

There has been plenty of confusion and misinformation about the national debt, the fiscal cliff, and new taxes on Americans thanks in part to the use of clever White House talking points and a complicit national media. Let’s clear up some of the current issues with facts and truth by looking at the numbers.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the latest fiscal cliff deal will add an additional $4 trillion to the national deficit. This is not a good way to begin 2013. What we do know is that the 150-page Obama-Biden-Reid ‘Tax And Spend’ increase passed the Senate and House with few details getting out to American taxpayers. Only ignorant and under-informed citizens still believe that there is any accountability in the Obama administration or that they’re attempting to govern with transparency.

With new Obamacare taxes already kicking in as of January 1, this is not a good sign. We constantly heard the president and his minions say that “taxes will not increase for the majority of Americans,” especially for those making less than $250,000 a year.

What we now know is the farcical fiscal deal doesn’t just hit the wealthy hard; taxes now increase for 77% of Americans because the temporary payroll tax cut was not extended, causing the Social Security tax to jump 2%, from 4.2 to 6.2 percent. We are now taking home anywhere from $50 to $189 less every month.

Already, many poor and middle-class folks have reacted in anger or shock, including some Democrats who believed it would not affect them. The average American family making $50,000 a year will be hit with around $1,000 due to tax increases.

How quickly we forget that in just one term, President Obama increased the national debt as much as all prior Presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush combined.

Before continuing, let’s recall a 2008 quote from then-Senator Obama who blasted President Bush for adding $4 trillion to the national debt – even though most Democrats and Republicans agreed to the spending in the hopes of avoiding a crash of the U.S. banking system and economy:

The problem is, is that 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 dollars for the first 42 presidents — number 43 added $4 trillion dollars by his lonesome, so that we now have over $9 trillion dollars of debt that we are going to have to pay back — $30,000 for every man, woman and child.

Hopefully, more open-minded Americans now see the hypocrisy of Obama claiming that the Bush administration’s spending was both “irresponsible” and “unpatriotic.”

To raise taxes on people in all tax brackets (not just “the rich”) was a mind-boggling move in what many call a recession, but this is exactly what they enacted. Cuts were not considered, now was the national debt of $16.4 trillion; so the hard-working people in America lose.

Before we detail some of the pork, it needs to be pointed out that the bill seems to take direct aim at married couples, penalizing them with hundreds of dollars in what might as well be called fines. Heterosexual marriage is practically being discouraged against. Families are the backbone of the free market system and key to getting the economy growing again. We’re now seeing evidence that this administration has much more invested in growing government than the private sector.

Senators received the fiscal cliff bill at the last minute and voted on it without reading through the legislation. Who can forget the Obamacare bill being shoved through Congress (while Nancy Pelosi infamously said “You have to pass it to find out what’s in it.”)? What did Pelosi think of the fiscal cliff resolution? She said it was “a happy start to a new year.” The bill contains $25.1 billion in cuts, however; big government liberals are thrilled because the same bill also increases spending by $330 billion over ten years.

Basically, the deal contains $10 in tax increases for every $1 in spending cuts. Imagine trying to operate a family budget or small business using this method.

President Obama approved of the temporary band-aid as he continued his Hawaiian vacation on the taxpayer dime. He successfully piled America’s fiscal problems onto taxpayers, further showing he never cared about cutting spending. This is who half of American voters chose to reelect.

Also seeing major tax increases are those earning $400,000 and couples that make $450,000 – sounds like a marriage penalty to me – including capital gains and dividend taxes. Moreover, deductions are now limited for individuals making more than $250,000 ($300,000 for couples). It seems like the Left no longer only considers millionaires “rich.”

Our government is adding about $4 billion a day to the national debt while the new ‘spending money we don’t have’ deal provides generous tax breaks, perks, and pork to selected corporate friends. The list includes:

$12.1 billion for the wind-energy (green) sector, $430 million for Hollywood film producers, $222 million for rum distillers in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, $331 million for railroad operators, $650 million tax break for manufacturers of energy-efficient appliances, and $59 million to algae growers for biofuel efforts.

Meanwhile, unemployment has barely budged, food stamps have massively increased, and U-6 Total unemployment remains at 14.4 percent.

If any good news can come from Republicans caving again, John Boehner told the Wall Street Journal he will never again negotiate with Obama behind closed doors because the president has shown his true red colors, and his actions don’t match his public statements.

At one point several weeks ago, the President said to me, ‘We don’t have a spending problem.’” Once he got over his shock, the House Speaker fired back, “‘But Mr. President, we have a very serious spending problem.’

In keeping with the motto of not letting a good crisis go to waste, even the Senate wouldn’t even help hurricane Sandy victims without dealing themselves millions in new pork. Nearly a quarter of the $60-billion package goes somewhere else than directly to the victims or the infrastructure actually damaged by the hurricane. No surprises here. Both parties are at fault.

It seems our leaders in Washington keep doing the same things over and over again and expect different results. It’s fiscal insanity. Democrats now say the fiscal cliff is just the tip of the taxing iceberg while Republicans say they’ve compromised enough. According to The Hill, the President’s party is pushing for another trillion in “new revenue” before the year is out. Revenue (government income) to them means taxing the people. Americans are taxed enough already. Have we now gone past the point of no return? How much more will the people take?

Photo credit: Jessie Owen (Creative Commons)

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

Articles of Interest

Preserving Liberties And Protecting Schoolchildren

January 10, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

By Anna Bryson

(Editor’s note: this article originally appeared at ThoughtfulWomen.org)

I am currently an elected school-board trustee of the tenth largest school district in California. I have served as trustee since December of 2006, and I am currently clerk of the board and have previously served as president and vice president. Our governing board has responsibility for more than 51,000 students and 3,900 employees on 55 campuses in seven cities.

My father and uncle were Air Force generals, so I grew up in a household of gun owners. My father hunted game all over the American South; and while serving as a diplomat, he hunted wild boar in Italy and, with my brother, hunted big game in the Amazon basin of South America. In our house, when I was growing up, hunting rifles and shotguns were kept in a locked case; but my father also kept a personal handgun in our home for our protection. At age 16, I was taught by a firearms professional to shoot a pistol. I am a life member of National Rifle Association and a family member of the California Rifle and Pistol Association, but I evaluate each firearms proposal on its merits.

On Dec. 14, 2012, a mentally-disturbed young man in Newtown, Connecticut murdered his mother and removed her weapons from their home. He then went to Sandy Hook Elementary School and proceeded on his evil course: He pulled the trigger time after time, slaughtering 20 first graders and six adults. This was the greatest tragedy in an elementary school in American history and one of the greatest single tragedies in American history. As the mother of two daughters (one of whom has been a schoolteacher in three states) and grandmother of five grandchildren, I know and share the strength of the love we have for our children and how highly we regard our teachers.

Americans have seen terrorists hijack airplanes to hold planes and passengers for ransom. We have seen, on Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked airplanes turned into guided missiles aimed at our office buildings. To guard against this, we now have armed federal marshals and armed pilots on various passenger flights. My son-in-law is a pilot for a major passenger airline and is federally authorized to be armed in the plane’s cockpit.

But most of our public schools are gun-free zones, and people who would do evil are aware of this. Why should evildoers have a sense of comfort and unchecked power when they go on a school campus?

Wouldn’t it be better if they were wondering: Is there someone here who might stop me in my tracks before I can carry out my self-glorifying destruction?

It is a shame that we live in a time when such puffed-up viciousness is in the news. Self-absorbed people filled with spite and malevolence sometimes start attacking other people. Such twisted massacres are unpredictable and not easy to fathom. But we can learn about such self-glorifying destruction from Milton on the rebellion in Heaven and in the novels of Dostoevsky.

Strong local communities and strong families can help parents bring up decent children. We need social respect for authority based on wisdom, experience, and expertise. We need a society that upholds self-help, self-discipline, and the work ethic and does not celebrate antisocial deeds and the violent enemies of normal life. We need widespread recognition of the values taught by religion and ethical philosophy.

But even in a strong, healthy society, evil will sometimes rear its head. Sometimes evil people will obtain weapons – as in this case, when a young man killed his own mother and stole her legal weapons.

Sadly, I am only too aware of threats to children in schools. In our school district, we have sheriff’s deputies who carry weapons at various schools. Our superintendent and security administrator are reviewing our options for the future. Just after New Year’s, I was at a firing range in Orange County. One-fifth of the newly interested women who were there for instruction were teachers. At the same time, I have received communications from some constituents – teachers and parents – who are concerned about an expansion of the carrying of arms on campuses. My constituents deserve to have a careful consideration of all options in these difficult times.

I am a strong believer in the Second Amendment. The war for American independence began when “embattled farmers” fired shots “heard round the world.” The British colonial rulers tried to confiscate the guns of people living in and around Boston. George Washington and the American Revolutionary army were familiar with firearms and owned guns. Our constitutional Republic came after the war was won by an experienced armed citizenry. The Founders knew that we as individuals have the right to protect ourselves with appropriate tools for the job.

At the same time, I am an elected leader of a local school district. We have 15 thousand school districts in the United States. Families often can move from one district to another district they like better. By doing different things in different districts, political leaders are able to try out new policies and match policies to the preferences of voters. But a uniform solution imposed on every school in the country would get rid of the advantages and dynamism of competitive federalism. Some people have advocated a one-size-fits-all policy of disarmament or a one-size-fits-all policy of armed guards (or armed teachers or parents) in every school. Such uniformity is wrongheaded and unwise. It makes more sense to change federal and state policies to allow local districts the latitude to apply a variety of local solutions.

We must recognize that though we strive to raise decent children in our families and neighborhoods, some few will still go astray. We must protect innocent people as best we can against renegades and marauders. We must preserve our rights and try local solutions, not sweeping utopian schemes. Only in this way will we preserve the families and friends that we love and the liberties we cherish.

Anna Bryson lives in Laguna Niguel, California and is an elected trustee of the Capistrano Unified School District in south Orange County. The views expressed here are her own and do not represent official views of the school district.

Photo Credit: kjarrett (Creative Commons)

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

Articles of Interest

Our Bill Of Rights And The New Witch Hunt

January 9, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

By AK Fielding

On a cold night of March 1692, all was quiet except the chilling moans escaping from a house belonging to the village minister, Samuel Parris, of Salem Village in Massachusetts. In a back room of the house, a nine-year-old girl clutched her throat and began spinning around as if in a trance. Elizabeth Parris then flung her frail body on the hard wood floor in a fit of passion. Another young girl, Elizabeth’s eleven-year-old cousin Abigail Williams, followed suit; and soon, both girls were screaming hysterically. They fought and clawed the air as if fighting against a supernatural beast. The floorboards beneath their small bodies creaked, and the noise echoed throughout the small house. Elizabeth’s father called for the village physician immediately. After much deliberation, the doctor pronounced that the girls were suffering from “bewitchment.” Soon, the two girls accused other villagers of witchcraft; and for the next several months, the small New England community was in an uproar.

From June through September of 1692, the Salem Witch Trials condemned hundreds of people as witches. The accused were men, women, and children and included people from surrounding neighborhoods. Once the fervor against the “witches” began, there was no end to the accusations. People from all levels of society were accused and tried as witches, including the Governor’s wife. At least nineteen condemned men and women died from hanging. Other witches either died in jail or lived the duration of their lives as social outcasts-always afraid of the authorities.

No one explanation provides the answer to why the Salem Witch Trials reached such a great height. Indeed, the Salem Witch Trials remain curious even today because of the magnitude of people who were accused, convicted, and executed for it. Historians have stated economic, social, and frontier troubles with Native Americans and petty jealousies as a few of the reasons why so many accusations arose. Whatever the cause(s), one thing is certain: many innocent people lost their lives because of the hysterics prompted at the behest of a few.

As with those hunting for witches in 1692, today, the liberals are also looking for “witches.” The unfortunate and inhumane killing of innocent children in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012 has renewed the liberals’ taste for vengeance. Unfortunately, criminals are not the focus of their wrath, but it is the Bill of Rights. Liberals feel that the law needs to be “reformed.” Indeed, they would like to do away with the Bill of Rights completely if at all possible. They are not interested in finding true solutions that work to keep such tragedies from recurring; instead, their ultimate goal is the destruction of our liberties as American citizens. To achieve this goal, they have shamelessly used the tragedy of the Newtown shooting to promote their own political agenda: banishing the Second Amendment altogether. Their argument is that by banning guns, there will never be another tragedy in America.

Indeed, their argument would serve well if only it made any sense. In most states, law-abiding citizens who own guns must first pass a thorough background investigation and fingerprinting/ identification process before they can acquire any weapons. Some states require firearms safety training before they issue permits. Suffice it to say, those people who own guns legally must meet state standards (which differ widely by individual states) to own guns. For someone to go through the stringent process of becoming a gun owner only for the sake of going on a shooting spree seems illogical to say the least. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule; but most law-abiding citizens are aware of the risk they take if they use their guns to hurt innocent people.

Typically, people who own guns legally do so for protection, recreation, or mere nostalgia. If anything, many of these law-abiding citizens have used their weapons to defend themselves and even protect others. A 2012 study performed by Clayton E. Cramer and David Burnett for the Cato Institute in Washington D.C. shows several true examples of law-abiding citizens who used their guns for self-defense purposes.

The “right to bear arms” is a fundamental right given to every American citizen. George Washington once said: “The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference – they deserve a place of honor with all that’s good.” Yet, liberals have long forsaken Washington and are now working diligently to eradicate the Bill of Rights, too. Criminals will continue to find ways to get guns as they do even now with the current laws in place. If anything, by banning guns, the government will only further assist criminals in attacking innocent people who will have no way to protect themselves from the criminals’ dastardly deeds. Consider what a difference it would have made on September 11, 2001 if any American citizen on Flights American 11, United 175, American 77, and United 93 had carried legally-obtained guns. What liberals don’t seem to understand is that those who want to commit a crime by definition are not law-abiding individuals to begin with. As such, to expect such people to honor “reformed” laws that ban guns altogether is foolhardy. The only thing these “reforms” will bring about is the further destruction of American society.

As with the Salem Witch Trials and September 11, 2001, the Newtown shooting has become an infamous part of American history. All of us will remember it forever. It is a disgrace for the liberals to suggest that only they feel the pain for the loss of those innocent lives. It is equally shameful for them to use the tragedy of the Newtown shooting as a way to punish law-abiding American citizens by eradicating our constitutional rights. Laws need to be “reformed”, but not to hurt those who abide by them. September 11, 2001 united all Americans regardless of their personal beliefs; should not the Newtown tragedy do the same?

Follow on Twitter: @AKFielding

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Western Journalism

History

Oil paintings mark moments in political history

January 8, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

By hnn

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Artists often put oil to canvas at this time of year to render the official portrait of a governor or legislative leader who’s coming or going from office.

Oil paintings of American politicians go back to George Washington. It’s a tradition that’s been made largely immune to budget pressures thanks to private funding.

But the practice isn’t without its challenges. The commissioning and placement of the portraits — most consistently governors, but also legislators, justices and other statewide officials — can raise quirky questions.

What of the Ohio governor whose portrait probably took longer to paint than her 11-day tenure in office? Or the image of an Oregon governor whose past misdeeds were later revealed?…

Source:

WaPo

Source URL:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/oil-paintings-mark-moments-in-political-history-change-of-guard-in-us-capitals/2013/01/07/d9e4c516-58a1-11e2-b8b2-0d18a64c8dfa_story.html

Date:

1-7-13

Source: FULL ARTICLE at History News Network – George Mason University

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Tag Archives: George Washington

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Our Bill Of Rights And The New Witch Hunt

Oil paintings mark moments in political history

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