Let’s put an end to hyphenated Americans

        “This is not a liberal America and a conservative America – there is the United States of America.  There’s not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America – there’s the United State of America.” – Barack Obama, 2004 Democratic National Convention Keynote Address

He also said he didn’t want to pit Blue America against Red America, giving a lot of people, including a number of whites, high hopes for a Barack Obama in 2008. … read more

Is the American flag next up for “the offended?”

It’s unfortunate that we cannot generate the same protective enthusiasm for our American flag that some have generated for the denigration of the Confederate Battle Flag.

Demonstrators dance on an American Flag during a weekly Occupy Denver protest at Civic Center. Earlier that day, protesters avoided interference at the Veterans Day parade and issued a statement that read; "Occupy Denver supports the valor and sacrifice of the men and women of our armed forces, and unilaterally wishes to show unwavering support and respect for the Veterans Day Parade."

Photo courtesy of victoriataft.com.

Most of the talking heads on TV and radio dislike Rush Lumbaugh, so when he warned Tuesday that the American flag would be the next target of “the offended, “ his remarks were red meat for them.  Ridiculous.  Far-fetched.

Yet today, with all of the uproar over the Confederate Battle Flag as a symbolism of slavery, CNN’s Ashley Banfield asked whether the Jefferson Monument’s existence was being treated equally since Jefferson was a slave-owner.  Ho hum. Continue reading

When a national scandal hits close to home

I’ve often wondered why people I know and meet do not seem to be as outraged as I am when it comes to the scandals emanating from the Obama administration.

One view might be that some of them have soured on politics, and see the scandals of one kind or another as common no matter what the political party.  Others are simply oblivious to the news and have become part of the low-information crowd, like the Iowa Democrats who see Hillary Clinton as honest and trustworthy.

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Cartoon courtesy of cagle.com

After considerable thought, I don’t believe there is a single answer, but I wonder if it’s because they are so removed from the events that they falsely believe those scandals don’t affect them personally.  They just cannot relate to the Benghazi lies, the IRS targeting of conservative groups, the $6 billion unaccounted for in the State Department, the Lerner and Clinton e-mails, and the executive orders on illegal immigrants. Continue reading

We are NOT a war-weary nation, Part 2

In Part 1, I wrote of my concern over the constant drumbeat that Americans have become war-weary, a belief attributed to President Obama, his supporters, and an adoring media.

I believe Americans are Obama-weary.  They simply cannot support a commander-in-chief who is unwilling to use what is still the best fighting force on the planet. And it doesn’t help when his generals echo his belief.

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The Military Oath courtesy of the angelfire.com

When I hear the president say he’s not going to send our troops into harm’s way, I am reminded of a recent exchange between Fox’s Melissa Francis and a fellow panelist.  Francis had just made a strong position for U.S. involvement in Iraq when she was asked, “would you send your son or daughter?”  Embarrassingly, she said, “no,” and was not pleased with herself.

There was no reason for her to be embarrassed.  We have an all-volunteer military, a courageous group of warriors, men and women, who sign up knowing that they are signing up for war. Continue reading

A letter writer not among the war-weary

In a letter to the editor of The Arizona Republic, an individual writes, “We are being told that we will not put boots on the ground in the Middle East to defeat ISIS and stop the daily slaughter of innocents because the majority of Americans are opposed to it.”  He adds, “if that’s how decisions are made in Washington these days, then why do we still have ObamaCare?,”… read more

We are NOT a war-weary nation, Part 1

I’m tired of hearing the president and some politicians talk about how Americans are war weary. The same goes for the pundits who repeat that belief over and over.

The president’s political promises to get us out of Iraq and Afghanistan may satisfy him and the left, but to our enemies it is a sign of weakness.

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This graphic courtesy of spenttheyearasaghost.wordpress.com

I wonder what “The Greatest Generation” must think.  Growing up during the Great Depression, many went off to fight in World War II, and others made their contribution at home.  These men and women fought not for fame and recognition, but because it was the “right thing to do,” wrote Tom Brokaw in his book.

In his transformation of our country, President Obama has turned this once strong country into a nation willing to let the Hitler’s, Mussolini’s and Hirohito’s of today slaughter their way across the Middle East, annex neighboring countries and expand their reach.  We have forgotten what it means to go to war to win.

Today we see history being repeated and clearly laid out in a recent op-ed by Victor Davis Hanson, a historian and columnist of note.  He reminded readers how we stood by and allowed Hitler and the Third Reich to terrorize Europe, Mussolini take over much of the Mediterranean and the Japanese war machine occupy much of the Pacific.  Had they just been satisfied with their winnings, writes Davis Hanson, “there was no evidence that the tired Western democracies would ever have stopped them.” Continue reading

Will Obama’s intimidation of the court backfire?

In a January post, I indicated my concern that the Supreme Court would decide in favor of the administration in King v Burwell, the ObamaCare case challenging an IRS rule granting tax credits to individuals in the 34 states that didn’t adopt a state exchange.

My position hasn’t changed in the subsequent six months.  Perhaps it’s the unending string of bad news emanating from the nation’s capital that causes my pessimism.

The president, obviously concerned that his already crumbling key piece of legislation will go down in a court decision, soon to be announced, has again directed unprecedented criticism toward the court.

During a press conference at the G-7 summit in Germany earlier this month, he suggested the court would be ignoring established legal guidance if it ruled against the administration.  “This should be an easy case, “he said, “frankly it probably should have stayed out of this fight.”  So much for our Constitutional genius in the White House.

Speaking at the Catholic Health Association conference,  he warned, “Do they (the court) really wish to cause the massive societal upheaval that would come from killing a law that is now a routine part of American life?” Continue reading