So What’s New?

So What’s New?

          On Friday, August 13, 2010, President Barack Obama hosted an official White House dinner to celebrate the beginning of the Islamic holy month, Ramadan Kareem.  In the course of his remarks at the dinner, he said, “But let me be clear.  As a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country.  And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan…”  The Lower Manhattan he was referring to, of course, was a site near Ground Zero for the murderous attack by Islamic radicals on September 11, 2001.

Apparently the President was concerned about being sensitive to those of the Muslim faith.  And although he made a passing reference in his speech to those who lost loved ones on that tragic day, it appears that he was not as sensitive to their concerns as he was to those of Muslims in Manhattan, or the Saudis who are reportedly providing funds for the construction of the mosque.  Whether out of honest regret, or for more crass political reasons in an election year, the next day the President tried to backtrack from his comments.  Needless to say, such over-the-top comments were not well received by the vast majority of Americans.

His defenders have focused on “Freedom of Religion” as their defense, while those who strenuously oppose the construction of a mosque have called such construction a travesty.  It is, of course, just that, a travesty.  It is upside down logic to equate the construction of one mosque, or one church, or one synagogue in a particular location with abridgement of religion.  As has been pointed out, there are more than 100 mosques in New York.  It is not the addition of another mosque that mortifies New Yorkers and Americans across the nation, but the intent of these particular builders of a mosque, as this particular site, to intentionally rub salt in a very raw wound. 

But really, what’s new about this latest genuflect to radical Islam?  Shortly after taking office, this young President trotted off to the Middle East to apologize for the United States and to make nice.  He apologized to erstwhile Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, and promised to hit the “reset” button on US Russian relations.  He warmly greeted the Communist oppressor, Hugo Chavez, and smiled as he was addressed as Comrade.

Nothing has really changed.  Liberals have always felt that if only the United States would be nice, if only we would be fair, if only we would appease and just talk, we could bring peace to the world.  Repeatedly they have exercised incredible naivety and flawed reasoning.  Why?  They make such misjudgments because they do not understand the fallen state of man.  They do not understand the flawed standing of human nature. 

Franklin D. Roosevelt referred to the mass murderer Joseph Stalin as, “Good old Joe.”  The Roosevelt and Truman State Departments were riddled with men like Assistant Secretary of State, Alger Hiss, who was an active agent of the Soviet Union.  Just as Obama has trashed our friends like Israel, Truman’s State Department undermined our ally, Chiang Kai-shek, and instead made it possible for the mass murderer, Mao Tse-Tung, to take over China.  And let’s not forget that it was Jimmy Carter that singlehandedly destabilized the Middle East by cutting the ground out from under the pro-Western, pro-American Iranian Shah of Iran thereby putting the Ayatollah Khomeini into power.

Why have American liberal leaders from Roosevelt to Obama been so naïve in dealing with those whose goal it is to destroy the United States?  The answer can be summed up in two words—moral equivalence.  None of these leaders, with the possible exception of Harry Truman, believed that the United States of America was any better or in any way morally superior to any other nation on the face of the earth.  Their foreign policy was based on moral equivalence—the belief that the Soviet Union was morally equivalent to the United States of America, the belief that radical Islam is morally equivalent to Judaism and Christianity.

Obama sees the United States of America as an evil nation, a bad people, who have oppressed the poor and minorities.  At the very best, he does not see America as an exceptional nation, but rather just another nation, no better or worse than any other nation.  Liberals are and have always been embarrassed by American power and might.  They smirk at the idea that America and Americans are somehow a kinder or more generous people than any other nation. 

They reject American exceptionalism as jingoism and belittle those who express pride in America and our American heritage.  They would be embarrassed to wear an American flag lapel pin or to fly a flag in their yard.  They dismiss those who first came to America for religious freedom as being nothing more than empire builders.  They go out of their way to disregard the Founders as men and women who lived in the fear and reverence of God.  Or, as amazing as it may sound, they actually claim that their political linage goes all the way back to Thomas Jefferson, a man who personifies the antithesis of modern liberalism.

Because of their lack of understanding of human nature, they have never embraced the core belief of the Founders that men are mortals corrupted by having power over others.  They see no genius in a Constitution that has at its central belief that government must be limited in order to preserve freedom for all.  They see no threat in a powerful, centralized government. 

So what’s new?  Liberals of today are no different than the liberals of the 1920s and 1930s who sought to gain power over others by creating a leviathan government that has total control over the lives of its citizens.  They seek power because they see themselves as wiser, nobler, kinder, and better than others.  They have disdain for the “little” people and hatred for those who seek to preserve American values of freedom, limited government, and traditional Judeo-Christian moral values.

So why shouldn’t we expect Obama to bow to dictators and insult our allies?  What’s new and different about such behavior?  It may be more blatant, but such naivety is in keeping with the best traditions of modern American liberalism.

Tim Scott & Allen West: Antidote to False Charges of Racism

Tim Scott & Allen West:  Antidote to False Charges of Racism 

United States Attorney General Eric Holder says that “Americans are cowards” when it comes to honestly discussing race.  It’s not cowardice, General Holder, it is intimidation by the liberal news media and so-called political correctness that keeps Americans, both black and white, from discussing race issues in America honestly.  And you, sir, have little room for talk because you are the chief officer responsible for justice in America, yet you embrace openly racist policies.  You walk away from a judgment against baton wielding members of the New Black Panther Party who were recorded on video threatening and intimidating white voters in a Philadelphia precinct.  And other members of your Department have made it clear that there can only be white racism, not black racism.  What happened to equal justice under the law for all Americans, regardless of race?

For political reasons only, those who believe in smaller government and more individual freedom are labeled as racists by the media wing of the Democratic Party, i.e. the so called mainstream media.  The “Tea Party” in its various forms and mutations has, in political desperation, been labeled racist without any evidence whatsoever.  This outrageous and dangerous smear is used to divide Americans, not to bring them together.  It is used to create division, not harmony.  It is thrown about to create anger, rather than to encourage peace.  The goal is manipulation, not finding solutions to real problems.

It’s a sad commentary on the left wing radicals who control the Democratic Party that they are willing to resort to such dirty and despicable tactics just to maintain power.  It is a kind of corruption that is much worse than theft from the public till.  It is a corruption of the soul that relies on the self delusion that the end justifies the means.  There is only one purpose in such corruption and that purpose is the aggrandizement of more power.  Liberal politicians are left without any principles to stand on.

They charge racism to maintain power when in their heart they know that such racism as America has experienced in the past remains in the past.  Of course, there are pockets of racism in America.  After all, racism is a sin, just as wanting more power over the lives of others is a sin.  This is an imperfect world and you and I are imperfect, sinful human beings.  Corrupt humans cannot create a perfect, utopian society.  All previous efforts to create utopia by centralizing power into the hands of one individual or group of individuals have always turned into a murderous, tragic nightmare of human slavery.  All future efforts to create utopia will have the same outcome.

There is no group of people who are morally or ethically better than any other group of people.  All men and women are sinners from birth.  This is what the Founders understood and that’s why they created a government that limited the power of those who served in government.  They knew that a concentration of power in the hands of a few or in one such as a King always leads to despotism.  It is the one, enduring lesson of history.

Charges of racism now being leveled against conservatives have one cynical purpose, to derail the blossoming interest in limited Constitutional government.  They are not intellectually serious charges, they are not honest charges, they are just politically motivated charges. 

There is only one way to expose the lie of false racist charges and that is to elect men and women like Tim Scott and Allen West to Congress.  Tim Scott is a native of South Carolina.  In an open and fair Primary, this conservative black American defeated Paul Thurmond (son of the late Senator Strom Thurmond) and Carroll Campbell (son of former South Carolina Governor of the same name).  Tim Scott is not only a rock solid conservative who, along with tens of thousands of other black Americans, supports the Tea Party movement, but he is also a role model for other aspiring young black Americans to emulate.  He advocates limited, Constitutional government, lower taxes, the Second Amendment, and a strong national defense.  In short, his philosophy is in keeping with that of our American Founders.  Because Tim Scott has only token opposition in November, you will be able to count on the voice and leadership of this rising American conservative in the next Congress!

Allen West is another great antidote to the lie that conservatism equals racism.  Allen is running for Congress in Florida’s 22^nd District and he deserves your immediate support  (http://allenwestforcongress.com/ ).  I have already sent him a check and I hope that you will also.  He came close to being elected two years ago and this time, with our support, he will win.

Lieutenant Colonel Allen West (USA- Retired) was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and is third of four generations of military servicemen in his family.  His parents instilled in him a very basic principle, love of God and Country.  Although he retired from active duty in 2004, he returned to Afghanistan in 2005 as an advisor to the Afghan army, an assignment which ended in November 2007.  Allen West received his Bachelors degree from University of Tennessee and his Masters degree from Kansas State University, both in political science.  He also holds a Master of Military Arts and Sciences from the US Army Command and General Staff Officer College.  He served in Operation Desert Storm and in Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he was battalion commander for the Army's 4th Infantry Division.  Col. West has been honored many times, including receiving a Bronze Star, three Meritorious Service Medals, three Army Commendation Medals (one with Valor), and a Valorous Unit Award.  He received his valor award as a Captain in Desert Shield/Storm.  He proudly wears the Army Master parachutist badge, Air Assault badge, Navy/Marine Corps parachutist insignia, Italian parachutist wings, and German proficiency badge (Bronze award). Allen and his family attend Community Christian Church in Tamarac, Florida.  His wife, Angela, holds an MBA and PhD. and works as a financial planner.

Like Tim Scott, Allen West understands and is committed to limited, Constitutional government.  It goes without saying that he believes in a strong national defense.

Tim Scott and Allen West are the antithesis of those who try to cynically pit one group of Americans against another.  They both cite the failure of the Great Society as a reason that black Americans should not trust the Democratic Party.  And they know that the politics of victimization serves only to empower politicians who fear the ascent of black Americans up the economic ladder.

Tim Scott and Allen West going to Congress is a good start, but it’s only a start.  Just imagine if we could elect 25 or even 35 solid black conservatives to Congress.  It can be done.  And when it is done you and I will destroy forever the myth that conservatism equals racism.  Not only would such success be politically beneficial, far more importantly, it would also be the right thing to do in order to bring racial harmony to our land and to end the politics of victimization which serve to hold back the economic advancement of black Americans.  I feel confident that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Patrick Henry would be delighted to see these descendents of slaves serve in the Congress of the United States. 

Let’s do all we can to encourage conservative black Americans to run for public office at all levels of government in order to create a better, greater United States of America.  Meanwhile, please help Tim Scott and Allen West create a permanent conservative black beachhead in Congress this year.  Such a beachhead will inspire other black conservatives to swell their numbers and bring an end to the cynical lie that conservatism equals racism. 

October Surprise?

October Surprise? 

As told today, the presidency of John F. Kennedy wasidyllic, and is often referred to as Camelot.  In truth, John Kennedy was not a popular President.  He had filled his administration withmore than 40 members of the very liberal Americansfor Democratic Action and had been unsuccessful in passing any significantlegislation, save his tax rate reduction bill, that proved effective instemming the tide of a mild recession.By late summer of 1962 it was evident that the Kennedy Administrationand the Democrats in general were in serious trouble.  A generic poll showed that the Republicans were more popularthan the Democrats and were in a position to make more than normal gains in thefall elections, possibly taking control of the United States House of Representatives.  And, as an aside, by the middle of 1963,a poll taken by Gallup or a similarly reputable polling firm showed that BarryGoldwater would beat President Kennedy in a head-to-head race for President in1964.  The Kennedy presidency wastragically cut short by an assassin’s bullet fired by Lee Harvey Oswald of thefar left Fair Play for Cuba Committee.  But I am getting ahead of my story.

In the summer of 1960 rumors from Miami's Cuban émigrécommunity of Soviet nuclear missile deployment on the island reached theKennedy Administration and important members of Congress, including New YorkSenator Kenneth Keating.  On August10, 1962, CIA Director John McCone sent a memo to President Kennedy expressinghis belief that sites for Soviet medium-range ballistic missiles were underconstruction in Cuba.  Still, many membersof the Kennedy Administration discounted the idea of nuclear missiles beingplaced in Cuba.  Senator Keating,who was a close friend of Director of Central Intelligence John McCone, pursuedthe matter diligently.  On August31, 1962, Senator Keating provided the United States Senate with photographicevidence that Soviet medium-range ballistic missiles were being installed inCuba.  But still the Administrationdeclined to acknowledge the threat of Soviet missiles in Cuba.

Instead of dealing with the problem when it would not haverequired a military confrontation with the Soviet Union on the high seas, Ibelieve that President Kennedy, along with his brother, Attorney General RobertKennedy, saw the issue as a political opportunity.  By showing resolve in the face of a crisis they believedthat they could rally the American people who were dismayed at the weakperformance of the young President at the June 1961 summit with Sovietdictator, Nikita Khrushchev, in Vienna, Austria.  Earlier that year, in April of 1961, the Administration hadshown weakness and vacillation when a CIA planned and initiated invasion byCuban exiles at the Bay of Pigs failed after the United States withdrew itspromised air cover for the invasion.

The fall elections looked like a bloodbath for theDemocrats.  There was only onesolution, a bold October Surprise that showed the resolve and courage of theyoung President who had thus far disappointed the American people.  The Kennedys were tough politicians andthey were desperate to save their floundering presidency.  Whether their actions were noble andprudent, or political and dangerous, the result was the same.

The Cuban Missile Crisis saved the Kennedys and theDemocrats in the 1962 election.  Itrecreated the image of a decisive President with the backbone and courage tostand up to the Soviet Union.  Thenet result was a dramatic turnaround in the election results that secured astrong Democratic majority in Congress.

I remember the lead up to the Cuban Missile Crisis well andI fear that the current Obama Administration will in desperation resort to asimilar strategy to rescue the Democrats from a drubbing this comingNovember.  On Sunday, August 1, ourcurrent Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, told Meet the Press host David Gregory thatthe US military has a plan to attack Iran.  He indicated that this would be a last resort action, but hecertainly put it on the table. 

Admiral Mullen’s announcement eerily reminded me of August1962.  Is the current administrationdesperate enough and cynical enough to utilize an international crisis toaffect the outcome of the 2010 elections?What do you think?

Perhaps there is no discussion in the Administration of anOctober Surprise.  Perhaps theObama Administration is too noble to risk American lives in order to advancepolitically.  But remember thatRahm Emanuel has repeatedly advised the President to never “waste acrisis.”  Right now, today,conservatives need to start talking about a possible October Surprise in orderto dissuade the Administration of taking such a foolish action for politicalreasons.  It needs to be shoutedfrom the house tops and broadcast over the airwaves. 

The November election is far, far too important to bederailed by an October Surprise.