Good or Bad for the Jews

"Good or Bad for the Jews"

Many years ago, and for many years, I would travel to Morocco to visit uncles, cousins, and my paternal grandmother. Some lived in Tangiers;...

Sunday, November 4, 2012

No Hope Without a Change

I have made no secret of my disgust with Obama since he took office, and see him as the worst President in my lifetime, even worse than Jimmy Carter. By way of full disclosure, that opinion preceded this misadministration's derailing of my Foreign Service career. I voted for McCain in 2008, not because I thought him a great candidate--I thought he wasted Governor Palin--but because I saw in him and the people around him a decency and genuine patriotism missing in the Obama crowd. These past four years have confirmed my initial skepticism about Obama and the people around him.

There are many reasons why Obama must be defeated. The principal one is his delusional liberal ideology from which all else flows. He is a creature of the faculty lounge/Hollywood brand of intolerant leftist cynicism about, contempt for, and ignorance of America and how the world works. These liberals insist on seeing what they believe. They see a world awash in turmoil and poverty because they believe America's success comes at the expense of the rest of the world. We are rich, because they are poor; they are poor because we made them so; we can only be rich if they are poor. From here comes Obama's "apology tour," his disdain for our military--except when it brings him electoral advantage, e.g., killing Osama--and our increasingly absurd foreign policy evermore removed from our real interests. The world is now a much more dangerous place for American interests than it was four years ago. Russia, China, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, and terrorist groups all over the world are emboldened by our failure to develop domestic sources of energy, our half-hearted efforts to halt Iran's nuclear program, the easy manner in which Obama threw away our victory in Iraq, and the disastrous and cowardly handling of the Benghazi attack. Obama's generally cavalier attitude toward American security, interests, and power ensures that we will have more attacks on our people, facilities, and homeland.

That ideology carries over to the domestic scene, as well. Life for Obama consists of problems that need government solutions. The government should expand continually its power to control and regulate to ensure our health and safety. Obama, the community organizer, sees a constant struggle against the rich. The "poor" must be organized, led, taught to hate the "rich," and assured that the "rich" only got so because they rigged the system, and what they have, well, they "didn't build that." That system must get rejiggered to "help the poor" live in stress-free poverty. Wealth, after all, is just a fantasy and not something to be sought by hard work and innovation. The government in the hands of the comfortable and "educated elite" will redistribute wealth and income so that nobody is unfairly "rich." For Obama and his followers the government is the only source of legitimacy, status, and power in society. The government will get you your "revenge." As we see on MSNBC and in endless Hollywood movies and TV shows, the world's evil is caused by rich white CEOs who can be stopped only by gutsy single moms, crusading journalists, and, above all, dedicated public servants.

That view, for example, provides the driving force behind Obamacare. In one stroke, the government takes over one-sixth of the national economy. Our health care gets taken away from "foolish" consumers, and "greedy" drug companies, hospitals, and doctors, and put into the hands of the IRS. Obamacare seeks to push private insurers out of the medical care arena and leave government as the sole health care provider. The same government that cannot provide food and bottled water to flood victims in New York City will decide what medical care you can have, and do it at a budget-breaking cost that ensures our inability to have a credible military.

With another Obama term, the private sector permanently will come under the heel of the government. Production of energy will comprise a government responsibility; the government will select what energy is good and what is bad, and where we should "invest." The government will pick winners and losers--the market be damned. The government will decide what type of cars we drive, and what we feed our children. The government will provide. The government will decide.

If Obama gets re-elected we could face one of those cliched tipping points. There might well be no going back, no undoing the damage he will do to our national identity and character, not to mention to our economy and standing in the world. Once you become a pet dog who depends on his master for food and shelter, then you cannot object when the master puts a collar and a leash on you, ties you to a stake in the backyard, and tells you to stop barking--all for your own good, you understand.

Voting against Obama is made even easier by the fact that the 2012 Republican candidate, Governor Mitt Romney, is the polar opposite of Obama. Romney is a decent person with a record of success in the private sector and in the government sector. Romney is easy to vote for. He understands and appreciates America's uniqueness, and the reasons for our success in the world. Can anybody imagine President Romney going on a global apology tour? Abandoning our people to a howling mob of jihadis in Benghazi? Trying to appease the Russians? Running a "Fast and Furious" operation? Trying to destroy our private sector? Trying to reshape America into some sort of replica of the failed European social-democracies? He understands that saving our economy and our nation is not rocket science; it is common sense; it is returning to our founding principles.

Already having voted for Mitt Romney for President, I very much hope and trust he wins the election next Tuesday, despite the best efforts of the media, dead voters, illegal aliens voting illegally, the Hollywood and university crowd, and Chris Christie. I know there are endless dueling polls and pundits, all making excellent arguments as to why one or the other candidate will win. I don't pretend to know whether the polls, in fact, are as erroneously and heavily skewed in favor of Obama as some Republicans claim--I believe they are but am not an expert. I see that the Vegas odds makers have Obama winning, but do they have any knowledge beyond those polls? I don't know. I do know that for the sake of America, for the sake of freedom, and for the sake of our children Obama must go. I can only hope that there are still enough Americans out there who agree.

For me the choice is obvious: Obama must be defeated for America to win.

Romney 2012.

27 comments:

  1. Amen. It seems to me that if we didn't have widespread fraudulent voting or votes that for example mysteriously disappear from our military in Afganistan we would see that more Americans than not are not stupid.

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  2. There is something I have noted with respect to your writing, something not typically encountered.

    I do not know who first opined this - there is what I believe, what I know, and what I can prove. For myself, I am often guilty of sounding like I know those things which I believe. It is not a unique problem - seems pretty common. I want to commend you for having both the insight and integrity to make those distinctions in your writing. In my experience it is an uncommon trait.

    Obama has pointed the USA on a path to ruin. Obviously, he must be soundly defeated. But there is still Congress... Had Congress done its job the damage Obama has inflicted on the country would be much less. After Romney's win, there sill be a lot of work left to do.

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    1. re: "Obama has pointed the USA on a path to ruin. Obviously, he must be soundly defeated. But there is still Congress... Had Congress done its job the damage Obama has inflicted on the country would be much less. After Romney's win, there sill be a lot of work left to do."

      Removing Obama is a good thing, but there is still the anti-American socialist construct that accepted his leadership that must be dealt with. Obama, is not the leprous scab on the fair skin, but rather the rotted appendage on a very sick public politic. Yes, Obama must go, but he is the result (IMO) more than the cause of our ill-favoured situation.

      It is not just congress that needs dealt with, but politics down to the village levels. Our grade school principles are teaching children the joy of Jill having two Mommy's, etc. We seem to be a country adrift from all responsibility, IMO.

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    2. Anon,
      Yes, much is to be done. Augean stables time. The MSM will howl and storm, we'll see if the new bunch can turn a deaf ear and do what needs to be done. I personally think it's possible ( the MSM has mostly burned themselves to the ground creditability wise) time will tell.

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  3. Where I teach, my Hispanic immigrant students (and presumably their parents) see Obama's Dream Act as a panacea, and I've known only a handful of African immigrant students/2d generation who have seen past Obama's color (one was the son of a Nigerian immigrant small businessman, who was worried about what's happening to the country's business climate).

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  4. Yes, the O must go.

    However, you missed a big reason, Dip, despite your usual acuity:
    Obama has a record of nibbling at the First Amendment in order to please his political constituents, whether domestic or foreign.

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    1. The producer of the infamous anti-Mohammed video certainly found that out!

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    2. Yes, this to me is the number one reason Obama is unfit to be President. Of course there are a lot of competing reasons with a claim for number one, but for me this is the worst thing about him - and it was apparent during his first Presidential campaign.

      D

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  5. I agree with you about Obama. It was obvious in 2007 that he was a con man. However, I disagree with you about Romney, who is very much a good man. I would trust him with my family and my fortune, but he is another George Bush. He will keep silent on issues in order to be above the fray in the same way that threw the country and close associates under the bus. Scooter Libby couldn't be pardoned even as a parting move. The damage to the party left Bush hated by many, and he seemed to be getting worse. Romney will treat Congress/Democrats the same way Obama treats Iran, with a never ending desire to talk and be nice. The GOP will continue to avoid acting like an opposition party because it believes that it can't win, and therefore shouldn't put up a fight. Romney is simply a better choice than Obama. His inability to win votes in the primary shows that. The GOP's incapacity to fight will only hold him back, unless we are really lucky and change party leadership.

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    1. Your comment makes me face my own bias - as I do not see Romney as another George Bush. I cast him as a moral Bill Clinton. He will compromise as Clinton did. In the case of Romney it will be for the good of the country and to ensure change (even if incremental) is achieved. In this election we have a very good man challenging... I want to say evil but that would seem over the top. It isn't but it would seem that way. Hmmm. Did I just say Obama was evil?

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  6. Kepha,
    I'm here in central Texas and I the ones I talk to represent the majority of those here to work and their relatives. This group is ANGRY at Obama ( Re: Fast and Furious). I almost never initiate this conversation they do. The Hispanics here ( citizens, multi- generational, etc) despise Obama for the same reasons we do. A good example is a hispanic friend of mine works the counter at a very busy contractors suppy company. He says of the hundreds of mostly mexicanos he talks to every day to a man they despise Obama.

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  7. Since I'm being Mr. Hot Air today, I want to go ahead and addrees my fellow commentors (and fellow Americans for that matter) be happy warriors my friends, try to tone down the doom and gloom. Things are not nearly far gone as we think. Look at it this way, the Lefts' control of Academia, Unions, Public Unions, Media, and Public Discourse is being challenged in ways undreamed of in 50+yrs. Those power bases are collapsing in front of us and though it may be hard to see we ARE winning and winning big in the long term. Remember nothing aggravates Liberals more than happy people who ignore, disagree, and laugh at them.

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    1. All glory is fleeting, my friend.

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    2. Look upon my works ye mighty, and despair!

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  8. Remember we have to win the Senate to undo the damage Obama has done. Harry Reid has already said he won't support anything from Romney. Also not the Democrats are running as moderates while Harry Reid is pouring money into their campaigns so you know they will vote with him all the way all the time.
    It is time to take our country back and become a people that are self governed not controlled by the government. I pray R/R will win....

    PS Diplomad. My father was an intelligence officer who died in 1971 when I was 13. All my memories of him included him educating me on the evils of communism, socialism, fascism and all the "ism's" but he also taught me about the evils of the liberal hippie 60's crowd and their intent to destroy the country. Thank you for your service to protect our freedom.

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  9. Beautifully, brilliantly written as usual. Thank you Mr. Mad.

    Hey friends, check out this damning list:
    http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2954838/posts

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  10. I hope you're right. It still boggles my imagination that millions of Americans are still persuaded by the former junior senator from Illinois' dog and pony show. I claim no special knowledge about anything and I could see that he was a phony from Day 1.

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  11. My power finally came on this evening at 7:20. I was here by myself for 7 days without power or lights. On day three my cell phone died and I had no way to get out of the community because none of the traffic lights were working. My cell phone died and my batteries died. I was left huddling around my radio with my propane latern untill it died...
    Did FEMA or the National Guard or the Red Cross show up? No...
    It was the generosity of my neighbors and the local merchants that brought me through. My local church had a sign up "Hot soup today." (Does anyone know of any mosque that did outreach to the community?)My neighbors and my local merchants, some of which ran a tab for me, helped me through. Nothing the federal gov't did helped me. In fact, by listening to the radio (till the batteries ran out) the Federal response sounded like a clown show, as had the Red Cross.
    This morning a flotilla of tree trimming workers gathered on the street outside my home. I went out and started cheering them! "Thank you for coming to help us! I am very cold and I welcome your help. Thank You!" The men seemed to be amused by an old woman out jumping up and down! Good... Anything to motivate them!
    I have been going on exploratory missions in my community since last Tues. A good sign, power was retored to the immediate traffic lights. I ventured on and the local diner was open! They had a sign out "enjoy a meal and power your cell phone." I took full advantage and had a very liesurly breakfast, making sure that the cell phone was fully powered up. I don't usually drink coffee because the caffiene bothers me; I had two cups...
    From what I can see from the local news coverage the churches are taking the lead here in this area (eastern Long Island.) Not Pres. Obama, not the Nat'lGuard, not Gov Cuomo but the churches and the local merchants. In other words, the community..,.
    On Friday, when I really hit the wall, I went down to the local gas station. I didn't know what would happen, perhaps they would know of a local warming station or something like that. I told my friend Ozzie at the gas station that I had no heat, hot water, electricity or cell phone. Ozzie took the batteries out of his flash light and gave them to me. He also allowed me to power my cell phone even though he was operating on generator.
    What I am trying to say is that MY COMMUNITY hung together and helped themselves. not the gov't... I can't tell you how decent my neighbors and local businesses have been. The gov't has had nothing to do with it.

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    1. Terrific post. Many thanks and I am glad to see you kept your sense of humor.

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    2. I will only add to Babs story that the next time you have two or three days notice of a big storm coming that you head out and stock up on food, water, fuel, batteries, etc... I am appalled at the thousands of people who are complaining that the feds have not delivered food & water as if this was FEMA's responsibility. Out here in very rural earthquake country where we only get about 5-10 seconds warning, I keep several weeks (yes weeks!) of dry and canned goods for a family of five, 20+ gallons of fuel for the generator which I rotate to keep fresh, a hand operated pump to get fuel from our cars, and plenty of ammunition. City dwellers don't seem very attached to reality...

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  12. Babs post is one of the incremental changes I have noticed missing from our world today. I grew up with wonderful stories about people pitching in to help one another. I heard many people's stories of success and their struggle to get there. I noticed the lack of these histories about a year ago when I ordered from a company called US Wings and the story of the owner came with the package. I read the first part to my children 12 and 16. Before we read it I told them my childhood was filled with people that had a tough history and overcame to live admirable lives. Where have these stories gone? Why the endless focus on misery and ingratitude? How has our culture allowed this misery to be front and center at all times as though there is nothing else. More importantly how do we change it?

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    1. I find federalism as a likely first cause to the incremental changes you mention. 50-years ago New Yorkers in general would not be sitting around fretting over a cancelled marathon. They would be helping their neighbors. Today, they sit back waiting to see their federal tax dollars go to work and get the electricity back on line, clean the rubble from the streets, carry water and food to those in need, etc.
      Lost in the centralization of relief efforts is efficiency on the part of the giver and gratitude on the part of the receiver. I am not suggesting those helped by the federal government are not grateful - but I am saying they would be more grateful for the help if coming from neighbors. Going the next step, the recipients of relief efforts would likely be more inclined to ensure they gave back in turn when they were able.

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  13. What I am trying to say is that our culture has been hijacked. This started in our educational system we need to take our children back give them a thorough education in math, GUM, history and science. We need to stop wasting our time on the "educational experiments". Hopefully the return to basics will teach them how to choose based on facts rather than the garbage foisted on them through our schools. We cannot expect any better until this task is taken to hand.

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    1. As a very disillusioned public school teacher, I've tended to dismiss the idea of vouchers, parents in control of the money and deciding which school to patronize, as just tinkering around the edges. But I've thought more about it as I've heard Romney and Ryan mention vouchers on the stump, and now believe that this simple idea may have quite a bit of merit. One reason government bureaucracies are so dysfunctional is that there is no customer focus. The money doesn't come from the customer, it comes from the top down. This voucher idea could change that. The problem with our schools isn't just the teachers, it's the whole dysfunctional system.

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    2. I live in a rural area. I do have some motivations and freedoms that others do not. Our brick and mortar schools are a failure due to the social experiments of keeping everyone equal. I grew up in the 80's when responsibility for ones self and actions was somehow removed from American culture. At eighteen I found myself with no safety net and no skills. My math skills nonexistent I wandered through life and did everything the hard way. Eventually I figured the "do what you love group" left something extremely important out. Do what you love after you are able to feed, clothe and put a roof over your head. On the realization it was up to me I set out to change my life. I apprenticed with everyone I could and eventually my husband and I started a business that gives thirty people a wage. I didn't realize what a mess the school system was in until it failed my children. I took them out of school put them on an online program and had to learn every math and GUM skill I wasn't given earlier in life. The math alone would have shaved ten years of struggle off. I have a 16 year old girl in calculus and a 12 year old boy headed in the same direction. The difference between a good job and a great job is math.

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  14. Dip:

    Your words, as usual, are memorable. The one that stood out to me, in describing your decision to vote for McCain, was "decency." That and his love of country motivated me too to vote for him even though I had some small hope that America's first African-American president would have a good influence on race relations. How wrong that turned out to be, thanks as much to Eric Holder as Obama! How ironic is it that our chief law enforcement officer should encourage illegal actions regarding race and firearms possession, among other things.

    Question for you: have you thought of offering your services to a Romney State Department? I'm giving some thought to it, explaining that I'd like to be part of an attempt at a general reversal of their left-wing dreamworld. Just a thought. . .

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