Ending the D.C. Orchestration

With the passage of the CAP and Trade bill in the House of Representatives yesterday, I really have only one simple question for all voters:  how long are you going to continue to allow the two-party system to hijack your Constitutional Republic?  For decades, perhaps more than a century, our Constitutional Republic has been in jeopardy, and quite honestly the two-party system just no longer works.  I know many of you will argue that we cannot abandon the two-party system and the Republican party, but I have had enough.  Washington isn’t made up of Democrats and Republicans.  It’s comprised of political players and two parties that are more concerned with power than the rights of the people.  They orchestrate votes for various bills regardless of the will of the people.  You have no voice in Washington D.C. regardless of your political persuasion, so why do you continue to allow yourself to be played like a fiddle?

Back in September of last year, the American People overwhelmingly opposed The Toxic Asset Relief Program (TARP) also known as the bailout of the banking industry.  Your Republican nomination for President supposedly suspended his campaign and returned to Washington on your behalf to address this important legislation.  Did then Presidential Candidate  John McCain support the will of the people?  Of course not, he argued that the bill had to pass to protect us from a far worse economic crisis.  Unemployment stands today at 9.4% nationwide and will probably reach 10% within a month or two.  So how’s that TARP bill that both sides (Republicans and Democrats) as well as George Bush said had to pass or disaster would strike us all working out for you.  Well, I’ve got news for them, it passed and we are experiencing an economic catastrophe.  Don’t tell me if they didn’t pass it, things would be worse because I’m not buying it.

The stimulus package, which had no provisions in it to immediately stimulate the economy and was simply a payoff to special interest groups was passed last February.  We called our Representatives and Senators, we begged them not to pass the stimulus.  The public knew the stimulus wasn’t going to stimulate the economy.  They passed it anyway with the help of 3 Republican Senators.  How many times America do you have to be slapped in the face before you realize it hurts and you’ve had enough?

And just yesterday, after thousands upon thousands of calls were made to Washington D.C. flooding their phone lines and email boxes, telling them please don’t destroy an economy that is already on life support, and what happens?  Of course, they passed it with 8 Republicans voting yes to the legislation allowing a few Democrats in coal and agricultural states to say no.  Now of course, this bill is not law yet as it must make it through the Senate, and it may not make it through the Senate because the bill is just that bad and will economically destroy this country, but it’s a scary thought that we have only 40 Senators standing between CAP and Trade and utter disaster for all of us.

Gas prices rose above $4.00 last summer.  By this time next year, they will be $4.00 again.  If the CAP and Trade bill passes the Senate, they’ll be $5.00 next summer and on the rise.  We have a wealth of oil, natural gas and coal and the knowledge to produce safe Nuclear plants in this country.  We have the resources to be energy independent in this country.  Why aren’t these resources used?  Power!  It’s that simple.  The power mongers of Washington D.C. in the special interest groups, lobbyists and legislatures (the House of Representatives and Senate) won’t allow this country to become energy independent.  But you keep voting for them.  You keep sending the same folks back to Washington D.C. year after year, election after election.

I for one am done!  I’m not saying I won’t vote for a member of one of the two parties in the future, but I will never throw away my vote again based on party affiliation.  If a Democrat can prove to me they are a Reagan Democrat and believe in and will stand up for the Constitution, he or she will have my vote.  If a Republican doesn’t prove to me they are fiscally conservative and will uphold the Constitution, my vote will be lost to them.  John McCain is one of my two Senators.  He will not have my vote in the 2010 election.  I will campaign diligently against him in the primary for any candidate that can prove to me he or she is truly a conservative.  If John McCain makes it past the Republican primaries in 2010, then I will look at every candidate on the ballot and vote for the one that represents the following:  adherence to the Constitution, a hard stance against illegal immigration, and fiscally conservative principles.  If no candidate exists with that resume, I simply will not vote.  I’m tired of sending people to Washington D.C. who ignore my voice and do not represent me.

Will you join me?  How many Americans have reached their limits and are finally going to say enough is enough?  If you aren’t actively seeking true representation, if you are not actively making your voice heard, then you are part of the problem too, and I have had enough of you.  Please join me in taking back our country for the American People.  Start thinking, start participating,  otherwise, we might as well all just give up and resign ourselves to our fate.

The Call to Thought

There is a revolution brewing in this country, but it is not a call to arms, it is a call to thought.  There will be no bloodshed, there will be no violence and there will be no secession.   There will simply be a return to the promise of this country and the beauty of its simplistic yet profound message: that all men are created equal and that all men have unalienable rights that include the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness ensured through adherence to a system of government known as a Constitutional Republic that is for and by the people.  Oh how those of you in the government have strayed, but how easy it will be for the American People to return to that promise and guarantee because we will heed the call to thought.

It began with the Tax Day Tea Parties and continues today at the Town Hall Meetings.  It is a call to all Americans of all walks of life, of all political persuasions regardless of party or ideology.  As Americans, we know a few basic truths:  the American system of government has allowed us to produce liberty over tyranny, has allowed us to freely debate our differences, has allowed us to produce a more just and more civil society and has allowed our citizenry to prosper.  Does the government which includes the Federal and State governments as well as the local Municipalities really believe that a free people are going to willingly give up their freedoms and rights to prosperity?  The masses will rise up in peaceful protest to such acts and will return this country to its founding principles because we will heed the call to thought.

While those in power continue to divide us along party lines and ideology, pit us against one another through class warfare and racial divides, there are truths that stir within us.  All honest Americans strive for the same promise that the people’s law, a system of government by and for the people, binds us all inextricably against the power mongers and soft tyrannists among you.  You can cheat on your wives.  You can get yourself a sweetheart deal from a mortgage lender.  You can sell your stocks for profit when you are made aware of a looming economic crisis.  You can pass legislation in the dead of night further indebting this nation.  You can force a green economy on an economy that is on life support and hide the taxation in the veil of energy regulation or how the American People like to refer to it as CAP and TAX.  You can force national health care on us when you know that there is no health care crisis in this nation other than the government’s self created health care liabilities through Medicare and Medicaid and the litigious trial lawyers.  But what you may have forgotten, or what you may hope that we forget, is that we know who you are.  You have not gone unnoticed, and you will not steal from us, nor pardon the expression financially rape this nation’s citizenry.  We are the American People and we will not allow you to destroy our liberties through tyranny.

The people of this country have common yet simple wants and desires.  We want to be able to pursue our lives independent of government interference.  We wish to help our neighbors through troubled times rather than depend on a government to do it for us.  We desire a better life for our children then we have had, or for some, to ensure our children enjoy the same prosperity we have enjoyed.  We will not be bullied into submission by a government that does not keep its promises to its citizenry.  We will not allow our government to indebt our children with the unnecessary expenditures that you have forced upon them.  We will not allow you to indebt this nation with unnecessary programs veiled in false crises.  We will work together to ensure the promise of our founding fathers.  We will insist that you actually represent us because we believe in the principles of, fundamental truths and laws of this nation even though you have forgotten them or worse purposefully subverted and corrupted them for your own personal gain.

It is you whom are gravely mistaken if you think the people of this nation do not stand together.  It is you whom seek to divide us while we seek to unite under our common rights and freedoms.  I will stand with my gay sister, he will stand with his black brother, she will stand with her Asian friend, and we will all stand together against you, the government.  You have lost your way, you have made promises you had no right to make, you have made promises you could not fulfill, you have made promises you never intended to keep, and we will hold you accountable.  Our founding fathers not only envisioned the three branches of the federal government providing the checks and balances against tyrannical rule, but they also envisioned the wings of the American Eagle keeping it in straightforward flight by never succumbing to extremism on either wing of the ideological political spectrum.  We understand this, and we have seen the flight of the eagle aloft in a drunken stupor flying erratically above us, but no more.  We will put aside our contentions; we will stop our fight against one another’s ideologies in order to rescue our nation from the edge of insanity manifested in soft tyranny for which you are responsible.

We are no longer Democrats, Republicans, or Libertarians.  We are simply the American people, the voting bloc of this great nation, and we have had enough.  We may not always agree on our politics, but most of us agree that you no longer represent us, and more importantly that you no longer represent the ideals, promises and guarantees in the founding of this country.  We will heed the call to thought, and you will find yourselves on the wrong side of history.  Your only historical reference will be that you began the great awakening of the masses whom have returned to critical thought and whom will ensure that we return our Constitutional Republic to its rightful owners, the American People.  Your legacy is tragic, but our awakening will be our great calling.  If you continue on the path you are following, you will discover that we have not forgotten your deeds, and we will provide you with a resounding answer in 2010.  Let all who agree join the American People in our call to thought returning us to our responsibilities which will return us to the promise of our nation and the lives, the liberties and the happiness we have the blessing and the right to enjoy.

President Obama’s Statement to the Iranian People

As most of you know, I am not a fan of President Obama; however, I think that all of us should support President Obama’s statement today as it supports the freedom of the people of Iran.  We take our freedoms for granted, but imagine what it must be like to live in a Theocracy where the elections that were held are an afront to true democratic freedoms.  I’m not an expert on Iran, however, I do know that when the Theocratic leaders decide who can be on the ballot and then tally the results of an election, those elections hardly represent the true democratic freedoms that many other countries enjoy.  It is clear that we should support all people who seek freedom from tyranny, and today President Obama’s statement supported the people in Iran.  In turn, we should support President Obama’s statement and keep the people of Iran in our thoughts and prayers.  The following is part of the statement from President Obama on Iran:

The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights.

God Bless Janet Contreras

Who is Janet Contreras?  Just a simple mother and grandmother from Arizona.  A woman whom has had enough with our Federal Government no longer representing we the people.  She wrote a letter to her representatives and forwarded the letter to Glenn Beck.  Glenn Beck posted the letter on his website and read it on his show.  You can find the full letter here.  If you haven’t heard about or read Janet’s letter yet, please take the time to read it in its entirety now.

I read Janet’s letter, and before I was finished reading it, tears were streaming down my face, and I felt myself mentally applauding her for so honestly expressing what so many of us are feeling.  In fact, I would venture a guess that a majority of Americans maybe even an overwhelming majority of Americans feel as Janet does.  God Bless You Janet Contreras.  Here are a few excerpts of my favorite portions of her letter.

The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you’re willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now.

I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.

From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don’t want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we’re morons.

We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented. You think we’re so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work , pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone and we are now looking up at you. You have awakened us, the patriotic spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office. We have cancelled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn’t ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will.

Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don’t care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming.

ThoughtfulNews.com Launches

I don’t know about you, but I get so sick of seeing the sensationalized headlines on the Drudge Report used to get people to read news stories.  Some folks think Matt Drudge is a genius, but I just find it par for today’s modern world course  of propaganda and sound bites.  For those thoughtful readers whom are looking for a one stop shop to find thoughtful news stories about U.S. and World Politics, I would recommend ThoughtfulNews.com.  It isn’t ground breaking stuff, but at least someone is pointing out compelling news stories worth reading without the sensationalism of Drudge.

King Obama I

There is much to parse through in President Obama’s speech today given in Cairo, Egypt, but I wanted to start by looking at the use of the word I 53 times in his speech.  One would think that when a Head of State was speaking to the people of another land regarding political policy, he or she would not use the word I nearly as often as the word we or our administration or our country, etc.  However, President Obama used the word I 53 times seemingly an excessive amount, so let us take every sentence where he used the word I and place them here, so we can look at them and deduce how often the word we or a similar word could have been used.

I am honored to be in the timeless city of Cairo, and to be hosted by two remarkable institutions.

I am grateful for your hospitality, and the hospitality of the people of Egypt.

I am also proud to carry with me the goodwill of the American people, and a greeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country: assalaamu alaykum.

I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition.

I do so recognizing that change cannot happen overnight.

No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have all the complex questions that brought us to this point.

But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly the things we hold in our hearts, and that too often are said only behind closed doors.

That is what I will try to do – to speak the truth as best I can, humbled by the task before us, and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart.

I am a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims.

As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith.

As a student of history, I also know civilization’s debt to Islam.

I know, too, that Islam has always been a part of America’s story.

So I have known Islam on three continents before coming to the region where it was first revealed.

And I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.

And I believe that America holds within her the truth that regardless of race, religion, or station in life, all of us share common aspirations – to live in peace and security; to get an education and to work with dignity; to love our families, our communities, and our God.

And so in that spirit, let me speak as clearly and plainly as I can about some specific issues that I believe we must finally confront together.

In Ankara, I made clear that America is not – and never will be – at war with Islam.

I am aware that some question or justify the events of 9/11.

I believe that the Iraqi people are ultimately better off without the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, I also believe that events in Iraq have reminded America of the need to use diplomacy and build international consensus to resolve our problems whenever possible.

I have made it clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no bases, and no claim on their territory or resources. Iraq’s sovereignty is its own.

That is why I ordered the removal of our combat brigades by next August.

I have unequivocally prohibited the use of torture by the United States, and I have ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed by early next year.

Tomorrow, I will visit Buchenwald, which was part of a network of camps where Jews were enslaved, tortured, shot and gassed to death by the Third Reich.

That is why I intend to personally pursue this outcome with all the patience that the task requires.

Rather than remain trapped in the past, I have made it clear to Iran’s leaders and people that my country is prepared to move forward.

I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others do not.

That is why I strongly reaffirmed America’s commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons.

And I am hopeful that all countries in the region can share in this goal.

The fourth issue that I will address is democracy.

I know there has been controversy about the promotion of democracy in recent years, and much of this controversy is connected to the war in Iraq.

But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn’t steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose.

I saw it firsthand as a child in Indonesia, where devout Christians worshiped freely in an overwhelmingly Muslim country.

That is why I am committed to working with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill zakat.

The sixth issue that I want to address is women’s rights.

I know there is debate about this issue.

I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality.

I do not believe that women must make the same choices as men in order to be equal, and I respect those women who choose to live their lives in traditional roles.

Finally, I want to discuss economic development and opportunity.

I know that for many, the face of globalization is contradictory.

But I also know that human progress cannot be denied.

I am emphasizing such investments within my country.

And I will host a Summit on Entrepreneurship this year to identify how we can deepen ties between business leaders, foundations and social entrepreneurs in the United States and Muslim communities around the world.

And today I am announcing a new global effort with the Organization of the Islamic Conference to eradicate polio.

The issues that I have described will not be easy to address.

I know there are many – Muslim and non-Muslim – who question whether we can forge this new beginning.

And I want to particularly say this to young people of every faith, in every country – you, more than anyone, have the ability to remake this world.

We do not have Kings in America, we democratically elect Presidents whom are to follow and adhere to a Constitutional Republic.  When you read all of the passages above where he uses the word I, how often is he speaking for  you?  Our liberal friends will remind us that he uses I numerously in this speech because of his unique and enlightened upbringing, and we do not begrudge them their insight; however, our leader, our President (not our King) is to speak for all Americans, for American tradition and for American Exceptionalism.  To do any less is to be a Demagogue.  Americans reject demagogues, and long ago, we rejected a King.  What we need is a President who speaks to the World on behalf of and in the interest of the American people.

Update:  It’s also been discovered that in his GM bankruptcy speech he used “I” 34 times.  See complete story here.