On January 20, 2009…..I sat in my office and watched the inaugural address of the newly sworn-in President of the United States. As I watched and listened, I wrote down a comment in reference to something that Barack Obama said in his speech…. (I’m pretty sure that was right before I yelled what I had written at the television….and then turned it off). Here is the quote that troubled me the most…..”Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America”. Being true to his word, during the last 20 months….he and the Democrat controlled Congress, are well on their way to “remaking America”. While the words of Obama’s inaugural address in 2009 greatly troubled me….I should not have been surprised…..After all, here’s what he said during a campaign speech just a few days prior to the election in 2008……
My response to this video clip…(and the response that I wrote down and then yelled at the television....while watching his inaugural address)…was ”We don’t need to re-make America….we need to return it to what it was originally meant to be”. That was then…and now after 20 months of Obama being in office, I am beginning to realize a couple things. First of all…..that he obviously didn’t hear me when I yelled at the television during his inaugural speech. And secondly, that neither of us has changed at all….I only say that because he is still trying to “fundamentally transform…..and remake America”….and I am still writing and yelling at my television…..The good news is that I know that I am not alone. I believe that the majority of Americans don’t want to see their country “fundamentally transformed” or “re-made”. The problem is that when we speak up, too often we are labeled as hate-mongering bigots, racists, and ignorant Christian hillbillies….who are still clinging to our guns and our religion….(and I’m starting to think that when those things are said….they’re not meant as compliments). However, if I understand this “fundamental transformation of America” correctly….if you are a practicing Muslim, it is ok to hate Christians and Jews….it is ok to build a mosque in a location that will obviously cause great pain to those who lost friends and loved ones on 9/11…..and of course it is ok to cling to your car bomb and your religion…..To quote Barack Obama…”That is change you can believe in”. I believe it...because I have seen it. Yes we are seeing change…..but as I, and many others, have said all along….”All change is not good”.
I will admit that we live in a country that has flaws….but we don’t have to tear our country down and start over in order to fix a few flaws. If you have something of value, you don’t set out to “re-make” or "fundamentally change" it……No, instead you painstakingly attempt to return it to its original splendor. I don’t know anyone who “re-makes” classic cars….but I do know people who restore them. Yes we need to fix some things…..so let’s get to work fixing, not tearing our country down and then trying to re-build it. The way to fix the things that are flawed or broken in our country...is to continue to speak up for what we believe....and continue to speak out for what is right. Then we have to commit to some diligent research of those who are running for office, and then get out and vote for those people who will seek to fix....and not tear down this great country.
Violence is NOT the answer….Speaking hateful words to someone with whom you disagree...whether in person or on the internet....is not helpful (and for goodness sake…when you write something on the internet, use spell check so you don’t look like an ignorant hillbilly)…Burning a Qu’ran is not helpful (in fact it’s just stupid)…And calling Obama names, and using racial slurs when talking about him, does nothing to further a just cause. The only thing that is accomplished by doing any or all of those things, is to make the negative portrayal of conservatives, by the media, appear to be true....
Here's what I think......
Obama was wrong when he was running for office...He was wrong when he made his inaugural address...I only say that because I believe that after 233 years of being the greatest country in the history of the world....America doesn't need to be “fundamentally transformed” OR “re-made”. However after 20 months of Obama as president, with the help of a Congress that is controlled by Democrats, there are a few changes that now need to be made…..Not changes to the Constitution, or changes to the principles of the founding fathers….rather some personnel changes in November….followed by a few changes to fix the things that Obama and Congress have screwed up in the past 20 months…..Can we do it?.....To borrow another quote of Obama's....”Yes We Can”….Then Again….That’s Just Me
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Having The Right……Doesn’t Make It Right……
What are we becoming as a nation? In the past several years…we have attempted to force-feed political correctness into our society to the point of absurdity…..We have heard the word tolerance shouted from the housetops since the events of 9/11…..only to later find out that tolerance came with a few caveats….It seems that in reality, tolerance is NOT to be shown to everyone.....especially not toward those on the right...or to those who happen to be Christians. In fact...many times, when a Christian, or someone on the right….speaks out against something that they feel very strongly about….there is suddenly NO tolerance shown toward them. Instead they are quickly labeled as “Hate-mongers”…… ”Racists”…..”Islamophobes”…..or often as just plain “Ignorant”.
Of course, on the other hand….if a group of ILLEGAL immigrants decide to stage a protest, to point out how they are being treated unfairly in the workplace…..or if a group of Muslims stage a protest against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan….and in doing so, these groups decide to make a statement by publicly burning an American flag…..that’s perfectly fine…..and as “Good Americans” and Christians…..we are supposed to say “Well it’s their Constitutional right to burn that flag”…..and let it go. (As a side note….If you believe the ILLEGAL immigrant part….then let me say this…..”If they are here ILLEGALLY….they don’t have that right….because those rights belong to citizens….If they are here ILLEGALLY, they are not citizens….they are criminals”) Often....those who are first in line to "fight" for these people's right to burn that flag....are also the first in line to criticize anyone who offers a different opinion...Where's their tolerance?.....They are often the same left-wing, nut-jobs who....when someone decides to urinate or defecate on a painting of Jesus and call it “art”……they say…”Well, It’s freedom of expression…and they have that right”…….and all the while, as they are beaming with pride over their public showing of tolerance....they telling the Christians to shut up or be labeled as "intolerant" of others......
So it seems that here in America, “freedom of speech and expression” are virtually unlimited…..as long as you are not a Christian…..do not lean to the right politically….are not protesting against an abortion clinic....or you are not against the building of a Muslim mosque within 3 blocks of the site where Muslim terrorists attacked The World Trade Center…..(The word that comes to mind here is “duplicitous”)
Of course….then you have some idiotic, moron of a “pastor”…in Gainesville, Florida….who wants to burn a Qur’an. While I am completely and unequivocally against what he and his church are planning on doing……let me ask this question….”Do they not have the same rights and the same ’freedom of speech and expression’ as everyone else?” I only ask that since, to the best of my knowledge, the State Department hasn’t spoken out recently against ILLEGAL immigrants burning American flags….or even against Muslims building a mosque near the site of the Muslim terrorist attacks on The World Trade Center…..However....Hillary Clinton praised those who have spoken out against this idiot pastor saying….."Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. Many of you know that in 1790, George Washington wrote to a synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, that this country will give 'to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance'"……Hillary, are you actually going to talk about “religious tolerance”….and in the same breath condemn this moronic pastor? As ignorant and wrong as he might be, does he not deserve the same religious tolerance as the Muslims that he is obviously offending? Let me see if I understand this….we as good American Christians…..have to tolerate anything that Muslims demand…For example....in certain U.S. cities, Muslims who take a job as a cashier in a supermarket, can refuse to scan pork products…..In Minneapolis, Muslim cab drivers can refuse to pick someone up, if they are carrying a bottle of alcohol (not open and drinking it….just carrying it home after they have bought it)….These same cab drivers can refuse to allow anyone in their cab who is traveling with a dog….even IF it is a seeing-eye or service dog…..The list goes on and on….but I think you see where I’m going with this. It seems that Christians are called upon to tolerate anyone and everything…..BUT….they cannot have an opinion....or speak out against anything....for fear of being labeled intolerant. Some time back...I wrote about a despicable, hate-filled man named Fred Phelps (I refuse to give him the title of pastor)….and the members of his Westboro Baptist Church. If you recall....they are the ones who show up at the funerals of soldiers, carrying signs that say things like....“Thank God for I.E.D.’s” and “Your Son Is Burning In Hell”. I believe that they are wrong....and that there is no excuse for that type of behavior….I also believe God looks at that and is grieved…..but even as wrong as it is…..they DO have that right.
As far as I’m concerned…..here’s what it comes down to……..
Yes….Muslims have a right to build a mosque anywhere they want….. including in the crater where the World Trade Center once stood (if they could buy the land)
Yes….American citizens have the right to burn an American flag….(Americans NOT ILLEGAL immigrants)
Yes….Fred Phelps and his group of hate-filled heathens from Westboro Baptist Church….have the right to show up at the funerals of soldiers and carry signs that say all manner of offensive things
AND……Yes....the idiot pastor from Gainesville, Florida and his congregation…..have the right to burn a Qu’ran
However, let me add this…….Someday we will all stand before our Creator…..and at that point He will have the right to judge each of us for what we have done to one another while here on this earth…..So keeping that in mind….remember that while we all might have the right to do a lot of things….it doesn’t necessarily make it right....and someday we will have to answer to the One who knows the difference. Feel free to disagree with me....after all, you have the right to be wrong. Then Again….That’s Just Me
Of course, on the other hand….if a group of ILLEGAL immigrants decide to stage a protest, to point out how they are being treated unfairly in the workplace…..or if a group of Muslims stage a protest against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan….and in doing so, these groups decide to make a statement by publicly burning an American flag…..that’s perfectly fine…..and as “Good Americans” and Christians…..we are supposed to say “Well it’s their Constitutional right to burn that flag”…..and let it go. (As a side note….If you believe the ILLEGAL immigrant part….then let me say this…..”If they are here ILLEGALLY….they don’t have that right….because those rights belong to citizens….If they are here ILLEGALLY, they are not citizens….they are criminals”) Often....those who are first in line to "fight" for these people's right to burn that flag....are also the first in line to criticize anyone who offers a different opinion...Where's their tolerance?.....They are often the same left-wing, nut-jobs who....when someone decides to urinate or defecate on a painting of Jesus and call it “art”……they say…”Well, It’s freedom of expression…and they have that right”…….and all the while, as they are beaming with pride over their public showing of tolerance....they telling the Christians to shut up or be labeled as "intolerant" of others......
So it seems that here in America, “freedom of speech and expression” are virtually unlimited…..as long as you are not a Christian…..do not lean to the right politically….are not protesting against an abortion clinic....or you are not against the building of a Muslim mosque within 3 blocks of the site where Muslim terrorists attacked The World Trade Center…..(The word that comes to mind here is “duplicitous”)
Of course….then you have some idiotic, moron of a “pastor”…in Gainesville, Florida….who wants to burn a Qur’an. While I am completely and unequivocally against what he and his church are planning on doing……let me ask this question….”Do they not have the same rights and the same ’freedom of speech and expression’ as everyone else?” I only ask that since, to the best of my knowledge, the State Department hasn’t spoken out recently against ILLEGAL immigrants burning American flags….or even against Muslims building a mosque near the site of the Muslim terrorist attacks on The World Trade Center…..However....Hillary Clinton praised those who have spoken out against this idiot pastor saying….."Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. Many of you know that in 1790, George Washington wrote to a synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, that this country will give 'to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance'"……Hillary, are you actually going to talk about “religious tolerance”….and in the same breath condemn this moronic pastor? As ignorant and wrong as he might be, does he not deserve the same religious tolerance as the Muslims that he is obviously offending? Let me see if I understand this….we as good American Christians…..have to tolerate anything that Muslims demand…For example....in certain U.S. cities, Muslims who take a job as a cashier in a supermarket, can refuse to scan pork products…..In Minneapolis, Muslim cab drivers can refuse to pick someone up, if they are carrying a bottle of alcohol (not open and drinking it….just carrying it home after they have bought it)….These same cab drivers can refuse to allow anyone in their cab who is traveling with a dog….even IF it is a seeing-eye or service dog…..The list goes on and on….but I think you see where I’m going with this. It seems that Christians are called upon to tolerate anyone and everything…..BUT….they cannot have an opinion....or speak out against anything....for fear of being labeled intolerant. Some time back...I wrote about a despicable, hate-filled man named Fred Phelps (I refuse to give him the title of pastor)….and the members of his Westboro Baptist Church. If you recall....they are the ones who show up at the funerals of soldiers, carrying signs that say things like....“Thank God for I.E.D.’s” and “Your Son Is Burning In Hell”. I believe that they are wrong....and that there is no excuse for that type of behavior….I also believe God looks at that and is grieved…..but even as wrong as it is…..they DO have that right.
As far as I’m concerned…..here’s what it comes down to……..
Yes….Muslims have a right to build a mosque anywhere they want….. including in the crater where the World Trade Center once stood (if they could buy the land)
Yes….American citizens have the right to burn an American flag….(Americans NOT ILLEGAL immigrants)
Yes….Fred Phelps and his group of hate-filled heathens from Westboro Baptist Church….have the right to show up at the funerals of soldiers and carry signs that say all manner of offensive things
AND……Yes....the idiot pastor from Gainesville, Florida and his congregation…..have the right to burn a Qu’ran
However, let me add this…….Someday we will all stand before our Creator…..and at that point He will have the right to judge each of us for what we have done to one another while here on this earth…..So keeping that in mind….remember that while we all might have the right to do a lot of things….it doesn’t necessarily make it right....and someday we will have to answer to the One who knows the difference. Feel free to disagree with me....after all, you have the right to be wrong. Then Again….That’s Just Me
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Just For The Record……I Am NOT A “Birther”……
Recently I posted something on Facebook that was initially intended to be funny. (Of course acknowledging that in most jokes there is often a certain amount of truth) It was a statement about the legitimacy of Barack Obama’s citizenship. Since then, I have been inundated with comments regarding my statement. So to start with, please take a look at my original “posting”……………….
“I hope when Obama's first (and hopefully only) term is up...that he will move to Florida......
Why you ask?.....Ok I'll answer...
Because....while it seems that being the President of the United States doesn't require one to show a valid birth certificate....getting a driver's license in the State of Florida does....
Sooooo......welcome to sunny Florida”
As you can see it was intended to be funny (whether or not I accomplished that is not the point). As I have talked to different people, I have noticed that the conversation too many times comes back around to a “race thing”. I have said this before, but let me say it again………”Barack Obama is half black and half white….and I dislike both halves….Not because of the black/white part, but because of his views on running the country”. Why is it that we seem to have to turn everything into a racial thing in order to take the focus off of the real problem? In my opinion, the man is not qualified to run the United States…and it’s not because he’s black….it’s not because he’s white….and it’s not because he is half black and half white. It’s because he is WRONG.
I really dislike conspiracy theories…and, most of the time, the nut-jobs who spend their time defending some ridiculous idea that they cannot possible prove or disprove. BUT….the issue of Obama’s citizenship is easily proven. Show a copy of your real birth certificate….and move on. Don’t make snide remarks on national television (when asked about your religion, not about the authenticity of your citizenship)……such as “I can’t spend all of my time with my birth certificate plastered on my forehead…..”
I told someone recently that I look at it a couple different ways……How many times on a “cop show” do the cops pull up to a crime scene and someone is running away….A chase ensues and eventually the cops chase the guy down (usually through a dramatic tackle). The guy says that he didn’t do anything wrong (and it is later proven that he didn’t)….but the cops always ask the same question….”If you didn’t do anything wrong, then why are you running?” (A very valid question I might add) If Obama didn’t do anything wrong, then what is he running away from? Next scenario……You are pulled over for speeding…..and in the course of the stop, the cop asks if you have been drinking….If you haven’t been drinking, you simply answer “no”. If he disagrees with you, he might then ask you to step out of the car and perform a “field sobriety” test. If you have not been drinking, why would you refuse to step out of the car and prove that you're right and he's wrong? First of all....the cop who wants you to get out of your car and walk a straight line, touch your nose, etc….is not a conspiracy theorist….He is simply looking at the obvious facts ( the fact that you can't put more than three coherent words together, it smells like a brewery in your car, etc) and at some point the facts lead him to have “reasonable suspicion” that you have been drinking...(in spite of what you might say). The only thing I am saying is that if Obama has nothing to hide….stop all the running and refusing to prove everyone wrong…..produce a valid birth certificate…..shut all of the conspiracy theorists up….and then act like an adult…..stick out your tongue and say “Told you so….nany, nany, boo boo”
One of the things I don’t understand is the statement that even if he is not a legal citizen....we need to stop questioning it……because if it turned out that he's not, it would make us the laughing stock of the world…and it would create chaos in the country…..For example, here is a quote from an article dated Monday August 30, 2010, that was written by Wesley Pruden of The Washington Times,
“Most curious of all is why any Obama critic, with so much legitimate ammunition at hand, would indulge fairyland fantasies of impeachment, or arguments over his birth or his religious faith. Even if he was born in Kenya, he's the president now, and it's beyond imagining that the U.S. Supreme Court would unseat a sitting president and invite unimaginable legal chaos. Every White House order, presidential decision or executive order executed since Jan. 20, 2009, could be rendered "inoperative."
Seriously?......"Even if he was born in Kenya"….leave it alone?.....How stupid is that? Are we now saying that if someone does something illegal, that we shouldn’t pursue them, because it might cause too many problems?.....Or how about this one…..We shouldn’t prosecute them because after all, they do have a job right now and are supporting their family. Well….yeah….I guess that is what we are saying..... kind of how we are handling ILLEGAL immigration….so never mind. Maybe that’s why Obama is so soft on ILLEGAL immigration…..hmmmmm, sounds like another good conspiracy theory cooking up. SO….for the record, I am not a “birther”….just anti-ILLEGAL immigration. Then Again….That’s Just Me.
“I hope when Obama's first (and hopefully only) term is up...that he will move to Florida......
Why you ask?.....Ok I'll answer...
Because....while it seems that being the President of the United States doesn't require one to show a valid birth certificate....getting a driver's license in the State of Florida does....
Sooooo......welcome to sunny Florida”
As you can see it was intended to be funny (whether or not I accomplished that is not the point). As I have talked to different people, I have noticed that the conversation too many times comes back around to a “race thing”. I have said this before, but let me say it again………”Barack Obama is half black and half white….and I dislike both halves….Not because of the black/white part, but because of his views on running the country”. Why is it that we seem to have to turn everything into a racial thing in order to take the focus off of the real problem? In my opinion, the man is not qualified to run the United States…and it’s not because he’s black….it’s not because he’s white….and it’s not because he is half black and half white. It’s because he is WRONG.
I really dislike conspiracy theories…and, most of the time, the nut-jobs who spend their time defending some ridiculous idea that they cannot possible prove or disprove. BUT….the issue of Obama’s citizenship is easily proven. Show a copy of your real birth certificate….and move on. Don’t make snide remarks on national television (when asked about your religion, not about the authenticity of your citizenship)……such as “I can’t spend all of my time with my birth certificate plastered on my forehead…..”
I told someone recently that I look at it a couple different ways……How many times on a “cop show” do the cops pull up to a crime scene and someone is running away….A chase ensues and eventually the cops chase the guy down (usually through a dramatic tackle). The guy says that he didn’t do anything wrong (and it is later proven that he didn’t)….but the cops always ask the same question….”If you didn’t do anything wrong, then why are you running?” (A very valid question I might add) If Obama didn’t do anything wrong, then what is he running away from? Next scenario……You are pulled over for speeding…..and in the course of the stop, the cop asks if you have been drinking….If you haven’t been drinking, you simply answer “no”. If he disagrees with you, he might then ask you to step out of the car and perform a “field sobriety” test. If you have not been drinking, why would you refuse to step out of the car and prove that you're right and he's wrong? First of all....the cop who wants you to get out of your car and walk a straight line, touch your nose, etc….is not a conspiracy theorist….He is simply looking at the obvious facts ( the fact that you can't put more than three coherent words together, it smells like a brewery in your car, etc) and at some point the facts lead him to have “reasonable suspicion” that you have been drinking...(in spite of what you might say). The only thing I am saying is that if Obama has nothing to hide….stop all the running and refusing to prove everyone wrong…..produce a valid birth certificate…..shut all of the conspiracy theorists up….and then act like an adult…..stick out your tongue and say “Told you so….nany, nany, boo boo”
One of the things I don’t understand is the statement that even if he is not a legal citizen....we need to stop questioning it……because if it turned out that he's not, it would make us the laughing stock of the world…and it would create chaos in the country…..For example, here is a quote from an article dated Monday August 30, 2010, that was written by Wesley Pruden of The Washington Times,
“Most curious of all is why any Obama critic, with so much legitimate ammunition at hand, would indulge fairyland fantasies of impeachment, or arguments over his birth or his religious faith. Even if he was born in Kenya, he's the president now, and it's beyond imagining that the U.S. Supreme Court would unseat a sitting president and invite unimaginable legal chaos. Every White House order, presidential decision or executive order executed since Jan. 20, 2009, could be rendered "inoperative."
Seriously?......"Even if he was born in Kenya"….leave it alone?.....How stupid is that? Are we now saying that if someone does something illegal, that we shouldn’t pursue them, because it might cause too many problems?.....Or how about this one…..We shouldn’t prosecute them because after all, they do have a job right now and are supporting their family. Well….yeah….I guess that is what we are saying..... kind of how we are handling ILLEGAL immigration….so never mind. Maybe that’s why Obama is so soft on ILLEGAL immigration…..hmmmmm, sounds like another good conspiracy theory cooking up. SO….for the record, I am not a “birther”….just anti-ILLEGAL immigration. Then Again….That’s Just Me.
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