Let Me Rant For A Bit

On Monday, two California based journalists Euna Lee, 26, and Laura Ling, 32, were sentenced by North Korea to 12 years of hard labor. Immediately the Ø administration struggles to respond took front page. First it was mentioned that Al Gore would be sent to help negotiate their release, after all they work for him. Apparently not very pleased with response from Al, the admin immediately turned to Gov Bill Richardson for help. Later in the week it was back to Al.

My question is very simple: "Is this not what we pay Hillary to do"?

It was my understanding from reports I was able to decipher that Chrysler stock holders, share holder, bond holders (not really sure which), tried to get help from the Supreme Court to stop the sale of the company to Italian Fiat. From what I gather, it was due to the fact that the arrangement presented favored the unions and not to the owners, as it should be. The SC allowed the sale to go through by not listening to arguments (correct me if I'm wrong).

And speaking of the union, if Ø's universal health care plan ever becomes a reality, the unions will see windfall earning due to the fact that now the government will subsidise workers' health plans so they won't have to. Pretty sweet, huh?

So much to say about health care, so little time...

This plan is being shoved down our throats with the argument that "every American has the basic right and/or need for affordable health care". According to Maslow's hierarchy's of human needs, health care is no where to be found.

So, let's suppose for a micro instant that this is true, that this package of bologna will pass. Will the government then focus on providing water, food, sex, etc to all. After all, these are basic needs as well. And if this is so, why are there so many hungry people in our land? Shouldn't the government address this first? Just a thought!

I also went back and read the constitution (not really, I already know it doesn't) to look for the place where it spells the "right to health care" and couldn't find it.

Also, what's with the argument of a "Public Option"? Wouldn't a "Public Option" put the legit insurance companies out of business? Who makes the rules? The Government. Wouldn't they make the rules to favor their state sponsored "Public Option".

Not sure about you, but I don't want my health care plan to be managed by the same people that manage the USPS, The Veterans Administration, Amtrak, Social Security... Am I forgetting others?

Two horrible, inexplicable acts of violence in the past few days, two different ways they were reported.

First was the shooting at the Army Recruitment office in West Little Rock by Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, 23 and the second the shooting at the Holocaust Museum by James von Brunn, 88.

Both of these are tragic, despicable acts of violence that no sane person would condone. So why is it that the media has found it necessary to treat them different. I explain... In the case of von Brunn there was not enough ink, not enough air waves, not enough megabytes to describe the hatred of the white supremacist. "It was the hatred and extremism that drove him to this".

I have searched high and low and cannot find the same description of the act performed by Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad. So I ask... why the different treatment? Was the shooting of the two recruiters, one fatally not the act of "hatred and extremism"?

"Pay as you go" declared Øbama midweek. We cannot spend another dollar without first reducing a dollar of spending to cover for this. Damn, wish we would have thought of that!

The left has to be scared and scrambling because they know the train is coming and is coming fast, so fast that it's going to hit them so hard, they will be knocked out silly! Let me explain...

On Wednesday, USA Today thought it necessary to spend half of their front page to ask the question: "Who speaks for the Republican Party". They know something is going on, they know there's a movement taking place, they just don't know how, who or where it's coming from. They are scrambling to figure out who to blast next and how to take them down. My answer to their question is: "who gives a darn, most of us don't need someone to speak for us. We speak for ourselves and somehow our message has been united and is loud." Could this fear come from the fact that the latest poll show public opinion favoring the Republicans? And this only five months into the new administration.

Two more issues that deserve mention but little attention. One is the comparison of Øbama to God by Newsweek's Evan Thomas. Mr. Thomas, sir... the only and I mean only similarity between Øbama and God is that neither has a birth certificate.

And I close my weekly rant by asking David Letterman. Are you serious? Could you stoop any lower? Oh, I'm sorry I forgot, you can't get lower than where you are. Good news here is that Mr. Letterman continues to show the classless character of the left leaning entertainment industry.

"A Matter Of Public Responsibility"

On Tuesday Øbama pitched his plan for "pay-as-you-go" for Congress, calling this a matter of public responsibility. No kidding?! This administration is full of Einsteins.

Where in the world has this man been? Oh yeah, never mind... Egypt, France, Germany, etc.

Barely five months into his administration and his support has dwindled to insignificant numbers. According to the Rasmussen Reports, more American now trust the Republicans to take care of the Economy than they do the present Administration.

So stop playing games with us sir! We know what you're up to and come next elections, we're holding you and yours accountable. And as much as you and your puppet media would like for us to, we're still not drinking the Kool-Aid.

A Happy Liberal...An Oxymoron

During my many hours on the road this week, I was privy to a conversation on the radio regarding the "happy index" comparing liberals and conservatives, and I must tell you that I was not surprised by the conclusions.

It appears that conservatives, specially older white male conservatives are the happiest of the bunch. Not sure if I heard why they're happier than white female conservatives, but that was the conclusion.

One of the studies mentioned was published by LiveScience.com where reasons for this are explained.

I see it all around me, but I will not divide male vs. female. I will just compare Conservatives vs. Liberals.

Conservatives are taught to work for what they get. To appreciate what they have and enjoy the fruit of their labor. Liberals are taught to wait for the hand out because it is owed them. Liberals grow old and tired always thinking that they didn't get what should have been theirs. Conservatives grow old enjoying what they have accomplished.

At a youg age, liberals are sucked into this belief. They will fight for years for the cause, while conservatives will work their way through their young years. When liberals reach the mid 30's they find that the cause they fought for really wasn't worth fighting for but now they're way behind the eight ball and decide to blame conservatives for their misfortune. They find themselves, at this point in life, somewhat unemployable because they have little to show. This could make anyone very unhappy.

There are numerous successful "liberals". So why are they unhappy? Very simple. They're caught between a rock and a hard place. They think they need to be true to the liberal movement but now they don't think that they should distribute their good fortunes with other liberals. This, again, could make anyone very unhappy.

Look around you, look for signs of the "Happy Index" amongst your conservative and liberal friends, you will see that I'm not far off.

GM, The Hummer, Bernanke and More... My Two Cents Worth

Once again, and much to the delight of the blogosphere, this week's headlines have provided a sea of opportunities for all those of us that like to give our two cents worth.

Before I even had a chance to get my first cup of coffee on Monday, various news outlets were already reporting that GM had officially filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Not surprised, I was. Not surprised at all. For the last few days, if not weeks, the word on the street was that this was inevitable. This was just a matter of time and it would happen sooner rather than later.

Shouldn't had this been done before we gave GM all those gazillions of dollars? What will happen to that money? Any bets on this? Will we ever see this money again? I'm not a betting man, but I put my money on "not".

What did this bailout accomplish? Nothing! Nada! Silch! Zero! Just a waste of money and time. We have Saturn in our back yard. Middle Tennessee is a state of shock. Representative Bart Gordon (D) of TN's Sixth Congressional District supported the bail out because it would save "all those jobs", although when the time came to cast a vote, he was no where to be found.

Has anyone else noticed how quiet the unions have been this week? Nothing to say, I guess. Will they be taking care of all those union members that loose their jobs? Or will they be added to the State's unemployment rolls? Governor Bredesen of TN already said that he's going to add people to the Unemployment service to hand deliver the unemployment checks to the auto workers so they don't have to travel to the unemployment office to get their check? What's up with that?

Speculation as to what would take place was the talk of the day. Which lines would survive, which would be sold, which would just disappear. Talks of possible buyers for Hummer, SAAB and Saturn were making the rounds.

On Tuesday, GM announced that it was in negotiations with a Chinese company, Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company. Reports speculate that a mere $80 million is the price tag for the Hummer Brand. I say "mere" because in the whole scheme of things that's a drop in the bucket.

So I have a few questions: Where will the new Hummer be built? Will they take production to China or use present facilities? Will the American people support a Chinese built automotive? If to be sold in the United States, will they have to abide by the new and improved fuel efficiency standards imposed by the administration? Will a Hummer ever run on 45 mpg? Will the government give Hummer an exemption to these standards in order to make the "deal" with the Chinese possible? If exemptions are made, will other vehicles get same exemption?

And what about the Humvee? Will the military version of the Hummer be made in China? The Pentagon says not a chance

With the nationalization of GM and Chrysler how will Ford fare? The government makes the rules for auto manufacturing, they'll have to make the rules to favor GM and Chrysler so Ford will have to follow. What will happen to Ford if this does happen?

So many questions, so little space.

Last Friday the Øbama administration sided with the Saudi Royals against the 9/11 families lawsuit. In a nutshell what this means is that the 9/11 families cannot sue in U.S. courts the Saudi Arabians for their part in the attacks of September 11. Nice going chief! The Saudis over your own American people.

This week he traveled to the land of his roots. This was all just a little to calculated for me.

And finally, this week's "Einstein Award For Brilliance" goes to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke for declaring to the House Budget Committee that "large U.S. budget deficits threaten financial stability and the government can’t continue indefinitely to borrow at the current rate to finance the shortfall". No? Really?

The Era Of Irresponsibility and Double Standards...My Two Cents Worth

This has been a very busy and active week in the news. It all started on Monday when Øbama (I still refuse to put the title of President in front of his name) introduced Sonya Sotomayor as his nominee for the soon to be vacant Supreme Court seat.

It became apparent and very quickly, that Sotomayor is a racist. Her controversial remarks in 2001 clearly defines her as such. Don't agree? Well, had this been a statement by a Conservative President's appointee, what would the reaction be? My point exactly.

She was born in the Bronx, not in Puerto Rico. This makes her an American, not a Puerto Rican nor a Puerto Rican-American. Her "Latino" or "Hispanic" roots don't impress me a bit. And this will definitely, in my estimate, will not make her a better judge.

Should she be confirmed? I'm not sure. I Googled her name to find out more about her, there are over 2.4 million results. I trust that the system will work.

Will she be confirmed? Probably. "The White House expects and demands a quick and smooth confirmation". If she truly is the "best" person for the job, so be it. If she's not, will there be someone with enough guts to fight this nomination? Probably not.

Senator Graham wants an apology for the comment that seems to be the most controversial issue to date. What the hell will this accomplish? Okay, should she apologize, what then? All's forgiven?

Can't hardly wait to see how this plays out. Only good thing here is that her appointment will probably not change the philosophical make up of the court.

Also this week, Øbama thought it best to spend $250,000 per day of taxpayers money to travel to California to raise money for the Democrats. And he thought it prudent to spend who knows how much to go on a date with MrsØ in New York. I wasn't aware that it was the taxpayers function to finance his personal trips. All this during a time when Americans are hurting.

Last night's news brought us the story of American fighters landing in Japan. This to prepare the U.S. to attack or engage into fight with North Korea.

Okay, so what has North Korea done to the U.S.? Why should the U.S. engage into a fight with them? Was this not the battle cry for the entire Bush Administration regarding the fight in Iraq? Were we not told during the campaign that one of the many "changes" coming was more "dialog"? Has Hillary been in North Korea "dialoging" her way out of a conflict? I cant remember the news reporting this. Maybe I have been under a rock.

And why haven't I heard the entire world, specially the Europeans, express their disgust with this measure? Oh, yeah... the North Koreans have the capability of reaching Europe with their weapons, as does Iran. Now I get it.

And that's my week's "two cents worth".

History Being Repeated?

Earlier in the week, I received an email from the TRP - Tennessee Republican Party. This email included the following excerpt.

My Fellow Americans my name is Raul Lopez. I am a Hispanic, I am a Republican, and I live in the GREATEST country in the world and I’m proud of it. Why do I love the United States of America? Because of its people, because of its Christian values and because of its form of capitalist Government. You see capitalism encourages faith, family, freedom, and fiscal responsibility.

For those who don’t know me I was born in Havana Cuba. My family and I escaped when I was young because we hated extreme socialism (Communism) and the bondage it imposed on its people. We came to the greatest country in the World; the United States of America. After a couple of years my grandmother used to sit us down every year and tell us a story.

It was about a young charismatic, articulate speaker who took the country by storm. He would go from town to town preaching his "gospel of change". His "change" promised redistribution of wealth, where everyone would prosper and flourish. Every time he made a speech his support grew larger and larger. In fact his support grew so large that the crowds finally put him in power.

Well, as soon as he took control and became the leader of the country, he quickly began his plan of "change". Unfortunately, it wasn’t the "change" the people were expecting.

He took control of the banks and businesses, and quickly got rid of any executives who disagreed with his way of thinking. He took control of the schools to start indoctrinating the children with his left wing agenda. He took control of the churches and thus minimizing their influence on the people and their lives. He took the people's guns thus eliminating any chance of revolt to his ever increasing power over the land. And then he also created a nationalized healthcare system which ultimately turned into a nationwide rationed healthcare system.

And he did all this very quickly under the umbrella of "change".

Who was this ruler?

Fidel Castro. Does this story sound familiar?

My friends, we can’t let history repeat itself. We must stop President Obama from spreading his Socialist agenda.

And we must do it now.

Being an immigrant myself, this touched a special nerve with me. Although I came to America at an early age, I returned to Colombia to "find my roots" but quickly realized why it is that I love the United States so much. I rapidly packed my bags and returned home and have proudly lived, worked and paid my taxes here for years. My wife and I have raised two daughters and are putting them through college. We have volunteered countless hours - to many to count - in our community, attended our church somewhat regularly. I have also spoken my mind when needed to without fear of retaliations and earned a reputation of being plain spoken amongst my friends. I have flown the stars and stripes in my front yard since the day we bought our first house, we have paid our mortgage and credit card bills on time. We have bought American made whenever possible and have supported our local merchants every chance we've had.

Things have not always been easy but we have managed to always make it work. We have never received nor asked for a handout because we believe on the power of hard work. We see many abusing the system and our stomachs turn, but we move on. We do this because...

... we live in the only country in the world where, by our estimate, this is possible.

The problem as I see it is simple: Like Mr Lopez in the above article, myself and millions upon millions more, we migrated here...legally...to escape the tyranny and oppression our lives where filled with, to find and live the American dream. If we allow Øbama's agenda to succeed, what will become of us? and more importantly... where would we go? There are no more options, this is it!

Janeane Garofalo's View On The Tea Parties

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

After watching this whole thing, I was mad as hell and offended as all get out. I am writing letters to GE, MSNBC, NBC and FOX. I am demanding an apology (although I know I'm not be getting one). I have been a huge "24" fan since day one, but I will not be watching the conclusion of the series, nor will I be a return viewer.

Being labeled a racist just because I dared to rally against big government and out of control spending, my constitutional right, is well... unacceptable. Add to the insult the fact that the network supporting this view, MSNBC-NBC, is being kept afloat by my tax dollars, $140 Billion worth of bailout money received by its parent company GE.

To contact GE, click here

To contact MSNBC and NBC write here:
NBC News
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, N.Y. 10112

To contact Fox write here:
FOX Broadcasting Co.
P.O. Box 900
Beverly Hills, CA 90213

Additionally, I will be getting in touch with my local NBC and FOX affiliates and their local advertisers.

If this makes me a redneck, a proud redneck I will be. And by the way, who said that rednecks are not Americans with equal rights to speak their mind. Will the entire redneck community of the USA be added to the DHS terrorist watch?