Well, at least it does in Honduras. What the state-run media is calling a "military coup" was actually the arrest of their president for violating their Constitution, after attempts to get him to comply with the Constitution failed. It was carried out on orders from the Supreme Court after the Congress intervened.
What I can't figure out is why Obama is joining with the likes of Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro to side with the ousted would-be dictator.
Aside from the obvious question as to why the president of the United States of America wouldn't defend another country's right to uphold its own Constitution (oh yeah, he doesn't respect ours either), wasn't it just last week that he was telling us we have to be uber-careful to not be seen as meddling in the affairs of other countries? He turned a blind eye to the plight of Iranian citizens who wanted nothing more than freedom and integrity in their elections and took something like two weeks to make a statement (rather tepidly IMO) against the violence perpetrated on the people by their own government. Yet he wasted no time in rushing to the defense of a man who was removed from office for illegal activity.
Back to my original point about the rule of law... while I'm pleased to see Hondurans standing up for their Constitution, I can't help but wonder about the rule of law in our own country.
We have a president who continually violates the law and the Constitution whenever it suits him, a media that by and large refuses to call him on it, and so far the Supreme Court hasn't really weighed in. The rule of law has been replaced by the rule of "empathy" (isn't justice supposed to be blind?), or the rule of "I won" (so therefore I can do whatever I want and you can't stop me). The Chrysler and GM deals are one example. Bankruptcy law calls for the secured creditors to be paid first, before unsecured creditors. Yet Obama inserted himself into the proceedings and forced the secured creditors to take a backseat to the unions, who were unsecured creditors. Some bondholders took their case to the Supreme Court but SCOTUS declined to even hear the case.
The administration (via the Car Czar's office) had involvement in the closings of dealerships, in which they actually took businesses from families that had owned them for generations, with no compensation, and gifted them to competing dealers (many of whom just happened to be Democrat donors).
And speaking of czars, I've lost count of how many we have now. It's unconstitutional to have unelected government officials circumventing Congress and answerable only to the president. There have been such positions under other presidents, but not nearly so many and not with the scope of power that Obama is conferring on them. It makes a mockery of the separation of powers established in our Constitution, and it needs to stop.
You'd think that Obama might at least follow the laws that he himself co-sponsored, right? Not so much. Last year, he co-sponsored a bill that was passed to protect the independence of Inspectors General, which required that IG's could not be fired without 30 days notice and an explanation to Congress of the reasons. Yet after Gerald Walpin reported his findings of abuse of taxpayer money by Sacramento mayor Johnson, the White House gave him one hour to resign or be fired, offering no explanation. It just so happens that Mr. Johnson is an Obama supporter / crony. After an uproar over this illegal firing of someone charged with protecting taxpayer funds, the White House attempted to besmirch Walpin's reputation by claiming he was "confused and disoriented" and basically unfit. I've seen interviews he's done, he's anything but. It would seem that it's the White House that is confused. It looks like the Senate is trying to look into this, and that's good.
It makes me very nervous to see a president so arrogantly disregard the law on a whim, and especially since many of the cases appear to involve either payoffs to or protection of supporters / donors / special interests. Cronyism and corruption should not be tolerated, and I hope that the administration will take greater care in the future to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, and that Congress and SCOTUS will step in as needed. The confidence of the American people in our government and our laws is at stake.
Here is the end of John Boehner's comments in the House prior to the vote on "crap and tax." He is absolutely right when he says the American people expect and deserve better than to have our so-called representatives vote on a bill that they haven't read (how could they? it was 1,200 pages plus a 300 page amendment filed at 3am the morning of the vote), that hasn't even been completely written (placeholders?!), against the will of millions who melted the phone lines to express their disapproval of this. They knew full well that this bill is against the will of the people, that's why they chose to vote on it on a Friday evening, just a few days before a holiday weekend. It's why the Democrats spent the day making deals for who would be "allowed" to vote against it as long as they could still pass it. They know this will be a make-or-break issue when the next election comes around, and it's not that far off.
I'm glad to see someone stand up for what's right. I hope to see more of that. I for one, am sick and tired of Congress and this administration blatantly ignoring us and treating us like we're utterly stupid. The TARP bill that no one seems able to track and that is quickly becoming a federal slush fund to bail out whoever they want, the stimulus bill that no one read (and that hasn't done a thing to stem the tide of rising unemployment), the omnibus bill with 8000 earmarks, takeovers of the banking and auto industry, now this, and coming soon, government-rationed healthcare for everyone. They lie to us on a regular basis and think it doesn't matter, and the MSM doesn't call them on it.
It's exhausting, but we can't give up. If we do, the progressives on both sides of the aisle win and American exceptionalism, American liberty as we have always known it, will no longer exist or will be much more restricted for the next generation. The next election can't come soon enough, but in the meantime, we need to keep standing up and trying to wake up as many Americans as we possibly can.
As for crap & tax, this is not a done deal. As I understand it, there are still a few days for representatives to change their vote. And it still has to get through the Senate, which will be more of a challenge.
~~~~~~~~ Question - if lawmakers can't be bothered to actually read the bills before passing them, then perhaps we ought to be exempt from following whatever laws are in the bills. After all, if they haven't read it they don't know for sure what's in there so how would they know if we're following it or not? Just saying.
The House is voting today on the Waxman-Markey Cap and Trade bill (aka Cap and Tax because it represents a huge tax that will raise the cost of literally everything in this country). Please call the switchboard at 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121, or click here to find the contact information for your Representative.
When I called this morning, the switchboard numbers were busy, but I got through to my Congressman and confirmed he is voting no. If you don't get through, please keep trying! This is big enough that I would go so far as to say it will be a make-or-break vote in terms of whether I would vote for someone in the next election.
He can't get it through Congress so he wants to circumvent the House (only the Senate ratifies treaties), not to mention yet more trampling on the Constitution. Let's hope the Senate won't go for this, time to start calling / writing.
Glenn Beck read this on his radio program today, he received this from someone in Arizona, it's an open letter to Washington, DC. I'm sharing it here to spread the word, I think a lot of us feel this way (I know I do). It's a little long, but well worth the read.
UPDATE: Please take a moment to sign the petition if you agree with this letter.
I'm a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. 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. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would horribly feel so disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me?
Well, these are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:
One, illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S., I'm not a racist. This isn't to be confused with legal immigration.
Two, the TARP bill, I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We told you no, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.
Three: Czars, I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.
Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There is more to say.
Five, universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don't you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!
Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Mind your own business. You have enough to take care of with your real obligations. Why don't you start there.
Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes. Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census over with our taxpayer money. I don't trust them with our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello. Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate.
Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do you want me to hate my employers? Why ‑‑ what do you have against shareholders making a profit?
Nine, charitable contributions. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.
Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we'll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. Have you ever ripped off a Band‑Aid? We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.
Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let's have it. Let's say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk. Please try ‑‑ please stop manipulating and trying to appease me with clever wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.
Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now.
Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let's just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I'm busy. I'm busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.
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. There are candidates among us when he will rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.
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.
I'd love to hear your reactions. And on that note, are you planning to participate in one of the many July 4th tea parties, and/or join the march on Washington on 9/12?
I want to preface this by saying I do not in any way, shape, or form condone murder of any kind. The man who killed Dr. Tiller (and in a church, no less - was I the only one surprised to learn that Tiller actually attended church? seems a bit incongruous but I'm getting off-track here...) was wrong to do so. As Mel pointed out, he deprived Tiller of the chance to change.
Having said that, I came across this and I think it captures well the absurdity of the position that many who are pro-abortion take.
I might point out though, that for all the hand-wringing on the left over late-term abortion doctors being 'at risk,' the fact remains that it is far, far more dangerous to be an unborn child in America than it is to be an abortion doctor. Approximately 10 million times as dangerous, based on the fact that in the last 36 years, 49 million babies have been killed by abortion, compared with 5 abortion doctors killed in that same timeframe.
Do we really want government bureacracy to come between our families and our doctors? I know I don't.
The Obama administration is bent on shoving government-run healthcare down the throats of the American people, whether we like it or not. People need to understand that "universal healthcare" does not mean "free healthcare." It doesn't even mean "accessible healthcare." What it means is government-controlled healthcare. Each and every American will pay for it with significantly higher taxes, and many will pay with their lives as a result of delayed / denied care.
If you believe the claims that those with private insurance will be able to keep it with no change, you need to see this:
The goal will be to drive private insurance out of the market. One way to do that is by making it cost-prohibitive. Obama is open to proposals to tax employer-provided health insurance benefits for the first time ever. Government-run healthcare would, of course, not have such a tax. This will effectively tax the private health insurance industry out of business in my opinion, because most families will not be able to take on the additional tax burden of maintaining their private health insurance, on top of their premiums and the already increased tax burden that's coming in order to pay for the government's out-of-control spending.
Obama keeps talking about healthcare reform in terms of "cutting costs" and yet, clearly by the way he and Congress are struggling to come up with the funding for this, it's going to significantly increase costs to the American taxpayers, not decrease them. One proposal to cover the added cost is to impose a VAT tax, or national sales tax. It is worth noting that (1) this would signifantly increase the cost of literally everything, (2) it would be a tax increase on every American, and (2) every other nation that has a VAT tax does not also have a national income tax - it's either / or, not both. And yet, our government would impose both on us, which would cripple our already struggling economy.
As a final thought, I refer you to one of many articles about what's being called "Dealergate," controversy over how decisions were made regarding which Chrysler dealers would be closed and which would remain open. The questions surround whether politics played a role in making those decisions, and neither the White House or Chrysler has responded to requests to explain how they selected which dealers would be closed.
Do we really want to even open ourselves up to the possibility of life-and-death medical decisions regarding who gets care (and when) and who doesn't in the hands of the government? Do we want to take a chance on those decisions potentially being influenced by politics? If we move to a single-payer system, as Obama and others would like to, where is the choice for the American people? Where are the options? What alternative would you or your family have if denied care by the government?
Consider this - people in countries with socialized medicine such as Canada and Britain have one last resort when their government-controlled healthcare fails to provide adequate care, or even denies life-saving treatment. They turn to the United States. Our healthcare system as it stands today is the best in the world. It is by no means perfect, and certainly some aspects are in need of reform. But even those without medical insurance or the ability to pay are not turned away - ER's will treat them in an emergency, and there are many charitable foundations set up to help families in need. Everyone will benefit if we focus healthcare reform on targeting specific areas that need improvement rather than destroying the entire system and replacing it with a government-controlled bureaucracy that offers no options.
