Another Obama Stimulus Package?

Here’s a challenge for the logic of common sense: In addition to the unaccounted for sacks of money dropped off on Hamid Karzai’s desk each month, we are now going to pay the Russians a billion dollars to build Karzai a fleet of helicopters (see http://news.yahoo.com/ap-exclusive-accusations-dog-russian-081242871.html).

Despite defying all logic, according to an Associated Press report, “U.S. military officials insisted a top-secret Pentagon study proved the need to buy Russian helicopters for Afghanistan's security forces.”

Illogical? Yes. Truthful? No! Again, according to the AP, “the excerpts show the U.S. Army's workhorse Chinook, built by Boeing Co. in Pennsylvania, was the most cost-effective single platform type fleet for the Afghan Air Force over a 20-year period.”

Wow, is this part of Mr. Obama’s economic stimulus plan … for Russia? It’s not enough that many of the hi-tech components of our military’s weapons are manufactured off-shore – often by the Chinese – now we are going to pay the Russians a billion dollars to build helicopters so we can give them to the Afghan army.

Let’s put this in perspective people. Our own government is taking one-billion dollars out of your and my pay to give to a country that doesn’t like us much to provide jobs making a weapon system that we will give to another country that doesn’t like us so they can protect themselves from the Taliban that doesn’t like anyone.

Does anyone honestly believe that this makes sense? Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the Senate's No. 2 GOP leader doesn’t. He said DOD "repeatedly and disingenuously" used the 2010 study to justify the Russian helicopter as the superior choice for the Afghans.

Although this deal was set in motion in 2010, Congress only recently received a copy of the document.

Now get this, the Pentagon continues to insist that they have made the right decision in this acquisition! The rationalization used is "that the Mi-17 stands apart" when compared with other helicopters. If that’s true, then why aren’t our forces equipped with these great beasts?

The Pentagon denies it misled Congress. They insist the refurbished Chinook would cost about 40 percent more to buy and maintain than the Mi-17.

AP said, “Boeing executives informed congressional staff during a meeting held in late September that the cost of a refurbished CH-47D would be in the $12 million to $14 million range, according to a person knowledgeable about the discussion but not authorized to be identified as the source of the information.

That would make an overhauled Chinook $4 million to $6 million less than what the department is currently paying for Mi-17s, according to figures compiled by the Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell, the Pentagon office that fills urgent requests for equipment from battlefield commanders.”

I smell a rat! In a country like Russia where corruption in business dealings is simply the cost of doing business, it should come as no surprise that this deal wreaks of misconduct. The amazing part is that our own Pentagon has guzzled the kool-aid and steadfastly insists this is a “good deal.”

Maybe they should try convincing the workers at Boeing of this “good deal.” And while they are at it, they might tell our troops why they think the Mi-17 is a better helicopter than the Chinooks we rely on. I’m afraid both cases would be a hard sell.

I guess this sort of dealings is why many think that military intelligence is an oxymoron.

Are You Ready for Sol Invictus?

Have you finished your Winter Solstice shopping, opened windows in your Advent Calendar, or put up your Yule Tree or Festivus pole? As the saying goes, “what goes around comes around.” The latest trend to take Christ out of Christmas is nothing new.

Not even the best Biblical scholars or archeologists can say with any certainty the precise day of the birth of Jesus Christ. There are strong arguments and historical record that, for whatever reason, that day has been celebrated on or near pagan holidays. Sol Invictus (the day of the unconquered sun) is a Roman Saturnalia day of celebration occurring on what is now December 25 of our calendar. The Winter Solstice occurs on December 21, and was a day of celebration long before Jesus was born.

Is it mere coincidence that these dates were chosen to celebrate His birth, or did the Catholic Church pick these Pagan holidays to give recent converts an alternate reason to celebrate the day? Since sometime around the 16^th century, celebration of the day Christ was born has grown in nature from a pious religious observance to the crescendo in the 20^th century of joy and good tidings surrounding His birth.

Here in the 21^st century, we are seeing increasing trends toward secularism and yes, even atheism. Separation of church and state is becoming separation from church by the state. Today we have recently manufactured celebrations for the season such as Kwanza and Festivus (yes folks, there are actually people who have adopted the ridiculous holiday made up for the Seinfeld comedy show). Christmas is increasingly replaced with X-mass, Christmas carols sung in school can not contain references to God or Jesus, some stores no longer play Christmas music, and Nativity scenes can no longer be displayed on public grounds. They have all but taken Christ out of Christmas.

Maybe the downward slide toward a secular holiday began in the last century when the drive was on to give bigger and more expensive presents each year – not just to your kids, but an ever-expanding list of others. Retailers began to rely on the Christmas season for their entire year’s profit. Christmas music was timed to get people in the mood not to merely celebrate the birth of Christ, but to buy. Thanksgiving and Christmas became “the holidays.” Christmas music is piped throughout stores and malls beginning on Thanksgiving. Mailboxes are stuffed with catalogs, and television commercials inculcate children with the latest gotta have toys and Christmas goodies, although that is not the limit of their brainwashing. These days, even adults are imprinted with big ticket items such as luxury cars as gifts.

We have reached the point where the day after Thanksgiving, aka “Black Friday,” is a major highpoint marked on every calendar. And now even one day of incessant spending is not enough. They have an entire week of “Black Friday” sales and the stores are even open on Thanksgiving! What a day to be thankful for. We can gorge ourselves on Turkey, Yams and cranberries then go right out and splurge on junk and trinkets you never would have bought at any other time of year – and for people you haven’t given even the time of day the rest of the year.

Secularists have even managed to re-name the holiday so those not of the Christian faith won’t feel like they are celebrating the birth of a religion they don’t believe in by buying presents. That is sure to help the bottom line of retailers.

Okay, let’s get back to the “reason for the season.” Presents? Sure, the Magi brought the newborn Christ presents of Gold, Frankincense, and Mir. The baby Jesus was destined to become the founder of the largest religion on earth, and as many believe the salvation of our souls. For someone like this you give presents (I’m not sure what Mir is, though, but a hotel room might have been more appreciated that night).  For your grouchy old Aunt Henrietta and Uncle Charles, you don’t spend money you don’t have on your credit card to buy presents they would never appreciate. They can’t save your soul and probably won’t even leave you in their will.

Some people say we are recovering from the “great recession.” Maybe someone might be doing a little better than they had been the last few years. I’m not one of those fortunate people, and I’m not likely to shower gifts on hoards of people at Christmas time.

I will celebrate December 25^th as the birth of Jesus Christ, and wish everyone a merry Christmas, while I forgo the Festivus pole and Kwanza festivities. And just so I don’t alienate all the secularists and atheists, I wish you a prosperous season and a happy Sol Invictus (be sure to wear sunscreen for the celebration).  

Life is Not a Video Game

Have you ever watched people as they leave a movie theater? For instance, a man who just spent two hours watching a John Wayne movie might tend to walk a little different, or a young person leaving a Star Wars movie might imitate a “Wookie”. It happens; I have seen it. I even noticed it happening to me on occasion.

For most people the effect doesn’t last long. There are some, however, who will spend the rest of their lives imitating their favorite character.

Enter the video game. Here the player is the main character even though the environment is made up. The player can act out a personality guided by actions programmed into the game. In other words, the player becomes the lead character in a surreal world. It is a world where he or she must make decisions and take actions that affect the outcome of the game’s fantasy. While playing the game, the player’s world is only what the game maker intended. The player experiences emotions that go with the actions.

This is the same technique used to train pilots on flight simulators. Pilots receive the very realistic experience of flying an aircraft in an environment controlled by the simulator’s program. When they have completed the training, they know what it feels like to fly under any number of adverse conditions and will act according to the response made under simulated conditions. The simulator programs an automatic response by the pilot.

Is it any wonder, then, that people who spend untold hours playing a video game will become “trained” to react to situations experienced in the game? When the games or a particular game becomes an obsession there should be some serious red flags raised – especially if it involves the many violent video games. Repeated playing by young, impressionable minds can blur the line between the real world and the fantasy world of a video game. Play by someone with autism or a mental disorder can have a disastrous outcome.

One case-in-point is that of Adam Lanza aka the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooter. Investigators found that Lanza became a recluse in his own home. He had cut off contact with nearly everyone in his life and only communicated with his mother by email. The windows of his room were covered with black trash bags.

Diagnosed with an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) named Asperger’s Disorder, he was obsessed with “Dance Dance Revolution” a non-violent dance simulation game played with the wii game platform. He was known to spend as much as ten hours a day playing the game.

The November 2013 final report names the following twelve video games as being part of Lanza's collection: Left 4 Dead, Metal Gear Solid, Dead Rising, Half Life, Battlefield, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Shin Megami Tensei, Dynasty Warriors, Vice City, Team Fortress, and Doom. No one can say how much time he spent with any of these violent games, but Lanza’s OCD and obsession with another video game might lead us to believe he could have been similarly obsessed with them.

Adam Lanza is just one instance of a connection between horrendous violence and violent video games. I would wager that taking look at the evolution of homegrown violent incidents, one could find a direct correlation in the increase in numbers and severity with the increase in realism and mayhem in video games.

Yet mainstream media and anti-gun groups would rather highlight the fact that these acts were committed with guns. Most of the tools used in the violent videos are guns – some very realistic and others quite fantastic – but they are weapons that “shoot” some sort of projectile. Are these mass-murderers being programmed and trained to use guns in their distorted world?

A Supreme Court ruling that sights the First Amendment currently protects violent video games. While concerted efforts are being made using these horrific acts to tear up the Second Amendment, there seems to be little to no action or even inquiry into the role violent video games have played in them.

It must take a very sick and twisted mind to program the carnage and mayhem found in many of these games. The creators of these games need to take some responsibility for the horrible consequences of their creations. As I see it, they might even be considered co-conspirators in these savage acts.

Life is not a video game. You can’t reboot and start over when you are killed off.

The Storm on the Horizon

Talk in the media has it that Obama wants very much to take on the immigration legislation change issue, which keeps getting derailed by “manufactured” crises. Yep, the Obamacare crises was manufactured by (wait for it …) the Obama administration!

When they do get around to the immigration issue, you can bet it won’t be pretty. Already, several states – including California – have given what amounts to amnesty for those sneaking into our country – driver’s licenses, in-state tuition rates, college admission preferences, housing, welfare, healthcare, and admission to the country of pregnant women for the sole purpose of the baby being born a US citizen. It was even reported that non-citizens voted in the last election. Life is good if you are here illegally.

I have known a few illegal immigrants. Many are good hardworking people who only want to make a descent living and support their family -- a laudable goal. Some are merely drug mules, gang members, and lowlifes looking to make a quick buck and cause trouble. Many criminals are deported only to keep popping back on this side of the border and committing more crimes.

There is a myth that illegals only do the work that citizens won’t do; that they live in poor living conditions and make meager wages. Maybe there are some people in that situation, but a friend went to hire a day laborer hanging out near Home Depot. The labored wanted $150 a day – paid “under the table” -- and meals. He would start at about 10:00 a.m. and work no longer than 5:00 p.m. That’s a seven-hour day with lunch break, tax-free. The laborer doesn’t pay into social security, but is entitled to collect from the fund. He doesn’t pay for healthcare (not even for Obamacare), but goes to the hospital emergency room for any ailment, even a cold. He can’t (or won’t) pay for his medical bill, so the hospital passes the cost on to those who can pay. His wife and kids get the same service.

The downside to being an illegal is they might be deported – a free ride across the border. After that, they will need to find and pay a coyote to smuggle them back to this side of the border. Many of the illegals know the trafficking route by heart. Some of the unfortunate ones might become stranded in the desert, they could even die there, but most make it through and settle down until the next time they are deported.

With the sanctuary cities and local police unable to even check for proper documents, the chances of being deported after successfully sneaking through the border are slim and becoming non-existent.

Yet, even that is not enough for some. It has been reported that California is near to or may even now have a Latino majority. One can only imagine how many of those are here with legitimate documentation. There is a constant push in the legislature, though to relax or circumvent the federal immigration policy. Interesting enough, when states like Arizona and Alabama tried to strengthen their laws to support deportation, the federal government sued them, stating only the federal government can make immigration policy. Nothing has been said about California’s sanctuary cities, driver’s licenses or any of the other give-aways to illegals.

There is an active Latino movement called reconquista that is committed to taking back the states we legally bought from Mexico after the Mexican-American war. With the huge influx of illegal immigrants in every state, one can only think that the reconquista movement does not intend to return only a few states. They are quietly invading our country place it all under Mexican control – and our own government is giving them all the assistance they need.

Do we need changes in immigration policy? You bet. We need to deport the 22 million people here illegally and put them at the bottom of the list for legal entry. We also need to buttress the southern border so no one can sneak across, and expand the Border Patrol.

This legislation is far more important than Obamacare, or the failed budget. The sooner we get to it, the better. Legal immigration is what made America. The diversity of immigrants made America great. Illegal immigration is a threat to the sovereignty of our country.

Hope to Change

I found an email in my inbox today labeled “George Will:  We Have A New Worst President”, in which the widely published columnist George Will hits on several of the reasons Barack Obama is the worst president we have ever had. This is not a new concept. I have heard many people remark that Jimmy Carter no longer holds that title. Almost daily, I get comments about Obama’s failings as president.

Worst president ever.  That’s an interesting concept, considering that William Henry Harrison only spent 31 days as president. That means Harrison did a better job in the month he served than Obama has in the five years he has sat in the Oval Office (when not on vacation).

So, what does “worst” mean in this instance? Judging by the explanations and reasoning given, it means Obama has done a poorer job of safeguarding the wellbeing and liberty of our country than any other president in the history of our nation. I’ll buy that. In fact, I would even say that Obama’s actions have been detrimental to the wellbeing and liberty of our nation. Under his administration, we are deeper in debt and spending more on frivolous and unnecessary programs than any previous president.

But that is not the only detrimental product of this president. Besides apologizing to the world for the success of our form of government, Obama has driven us deeper into dictatorial socialism with his czars and rule by executive order.

The Obamacare fiasco – which, by the way, is simply a form of wealth distribution -- is only the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Beneath the surface of this administration lurks a foundation of lies and outright deceit, from the Benghazi affair all the way to, “if you like your health insurance plan you can keep it.” This sure makes Bill Clinton’s lies – for which congress voted impeachment – look tame.

There was a time when a person wouldn’t (maybe couldn’t) even appear interested in being president. Someone would place a name in for nomination, and the candidate wouldn’t even appear to actually campaign for the job. These days, presidential candidates present a somewhat less humble posture. Obama has taken that a giant leap further. He is narcissistic enough to believe he is a ruler rather merely an executor of congressional legislation. He treats the US Treasury as his own private piggy bank by taking multi-million dollar vacations and giving his wife her own taxpayer subsidized staff.

One can study every character and punctuation mark – even read between the lines – of the constitution, and nowhere will you find the official position of “First Lady.” The president’s wife is not an employee of the US government. Why does the government furnish her with a staff and government funded “vacation” trips replete with government transportation, security, and “staff.” Although the First Lady doesn’t get a salary (not an employee?), she does receive a “budget”, thanks to (who else?) Jimmy Carter. I’m sure somewhere in the White House accounting mess there is an item titled First Lady Budget, but I couldn’t find it. There are 460 employees of the White House, most make around $100k +/- salaries. Maybe the First Lady’s staff is in that bunch. We pay Obama $400k per year, but this president seems to have brought bennies to a new level.

As Sarah Palin said during the last election, “how’s that hopey-changy thing working for you?” Well it’s not working for me. Let’s hope our next president is a dramatic change for the better. Only a reincarnation of Joseph Stalin could make it any worse.

Our Bizarro Legislature

As a youngster, I read a few comic books. I remember one Superman comic that featured a parallel planet that was the inverse of ours. I think it was called planet Bizarro in which everything ran backward, good was bad, bad was good, up was down. Of course, on planet Bizarro, Superman was a green, ugly character in a filthy costume that destroyed everything. It was not unlike the way liberals would like to make our planet.

Since its founding, our country has vigorously promoted the individual freedom and capitalist values that made our country the most successful form of government in the world. We worked hard to insulate our country from the Marxist concepts that enslaved many other nations. Eventually, even the staunch Marxist countries -- China, the Soviet Union, Vietnam, East Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovokia, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, and even today’s Cuba – realized the utopian ideals of Karl Marx are altogether unobtainable without free markets and individual freedom.

During the ‘60s and ‘70s the revolutionary spirit struck our nation and some people latched on to the Marxist tenets. Most of these people weren’t actually Marxist – many didn’t even understand the principals of Marxism. They were mostly antiwar and for free-love, loud music, and drugs. But the “establishment” stood in their way, so they rebelled. Many of these “Hippies” were well educated and highly indoctrinated by the communist infestation in our institutes of higher learning.

The “Hippies” grew up. Many are the leaders of today. They have infiltrated corporate boardrooms, schools, Hollywood, the media, and all levels of our government. These people are still left-leaning, just not as openly radical as in the “Hippie” days. Their revolution is slowly taking place, and it is a clear erosion of the values that made America great. With no fewer than 70 members of congress registered, proud, card-carrying members of the American Socialist party and a president who openly associates with avowed Marxists, is it any wonder that America is progressively resembling life on planet Bizarro?

Our Grand Old Party is not looking quite so grand these days. Once the party of the workingman and woman, the Democratic Party evolved to become the party of tax-and-spend liberals, and now it is even the party of socialists promoting the tenets of Karl Marx and Mao Zedong. New York City just elected a radically left-leaning mayor, and the Virginia governor’s race narrowly went to a liberal Democrat.

Once in power, the liberals work to ensure that anyone with conservative ideas is locked out of government by promoting “open” primaries and the demise of the Electoral College. Open primaries allow liberals to manipulate the slate of candidates to ensure a Democrat win. Without the Electoral College, the more populous – and liberal – states swamp the voice of the conservative rural states. It is simply the erosion of the checks and balances that America’s founding fathers worked so hard to achieve.

Nonsense, you might be thinking, America is a democracy. Every citizen gets a vote. Wrong! Our form of government is a Republic. Citizens vote for a person to represent them in the business of the government. Does your representative present your views in governing? It’s up to you to make sure he or she does.

“Ask not what your country can do for you. Rather, ask what you can do for your country.” These momentous words were spoken by a Democrat, John F. Kennedy. Today’s mantra of the Democrats seems to be, “vote for me and I will give you whatever you want.” The Democrats keep the electorate poor and drive jobs away with taxes and asinine regulations then dole out tidbits for votes. Does this sound like the party of the workingman and woman?

Sure, the liberals decry the Tea Party – as if it were a party unto itself. There is no Tea Party. There are people within the Republican Party that denounce the taxes and regulations that are killing our jobs. These people have taken a patriotic stance against the onerous taxes and regulations in the same manner as those patriotic men who threw British tea into Boston harbor over 200 years ago – one of the major actions from which the United States of America grew.

Please, before it’s too late, help stop America from sinking into the quagmire of socialism. Vote for people who will represent your ideals and ideas in government, not those intent on creating a Bizarro planet on earth.

NSA, Your Friendly Snoop

“One ringy-dingy, two ringy-dingy, hello, is this the party to whom I am speaking?”

“Hallo Ernestine, Chancellor Merkel here. Ein moment bitte. Barack, you can hank op please. Dis ist nicht ein konferenz call.”

Funny? German Chancellor Angela Merkel didn’t think so when she found out the NSA has been consistently listening to her call phone calls. In fact, the NSA listens to phone calls of many leaders of our friendly allies. While some allies take it in stride, others who grew up in oppressive governments – like NAZI Germany and communist East Germany – are understandably concerned.

But we’re the good guys! The NSA is just trying to keep the US safe from terrorists. Although that is a laudable goal, just what makes them think Angela Merkel would be having conversations with terrorists. Sure, leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood might be cooking up some nasty business, and eavesdropping on them would be a real good idea.

Is there a difference between gathering intelligence and just plain snooping? I believe there is, but to differentiate one would probably be accused of “profiling”. It’s the same affront to logic that requires the TSA to pat down 80-year-old grandmothers and 4-year-old girls at the airport while passing Muslim men for fear of being labeled as profiling.

So now we are paying the National Security Agency to listen to the German Chancellor make a hairdresser appointment, or campaign strategy, or maybe confidential EU strategy with an Italian Minister. It is almost certain, though, that she will not be discussing terrorist hits on America.

The NSA has some of the most technologically advanced equipment in the world, much of it evolved from that of the cold war when spy craft was a necessary factor in survival of the free world. While other countries may not have the advanced technology we do, there can be no doubt they are spying on us too.

When Obama took office, he became the first president to use cell technology – his Blackberry. There was always the fear that wireless technology could be hacked. Apparently, that was a valid fear, but our own security agency seems to be the ones doing the hacking. If we can hack cell phones, it’s a safe bet other technologically proficient countries or groups can too, for instance China or Russia, maybe even Al Qaida. Do you think they might be interested in hearing about Obama’s golf game? Maybe they are spellbound listening to him recount about Michelle’s latest taxpayer-paid multi-million dollar vacation.

I guess the bottom line is even though we have the ability to snoop on anyone in the world, logic and common sense should dictate whom we target. Shame on us for spying on our friends. The thing is, if we can do it, so can other, maybe not so friendly, entities. Folks using unsecured devices for communication should not expect privacy. Critical conversations over these devices should always be handled as if they were being broadcast to everyone in the world.

If Angela Merkel or any other high-profile government leader is communicating critical information over unsecured devices, they are too naïve to be in a leadership position. If your cell phone is limited to benign, droll, personal chitchat, the NSA and probably anyone else listening will become so bored they will eventually give up.