1. I watched the South Carolina debate and there were two who even were close to sounding like they had a clue. Rick Santorum was good (and I ranked him second), but Herman Cain won the debate hands down. Fox News had a focus group watching the debate also. Almost none of them, at the start of the debate, were Cain supporters but at the end nearly all of them said he had won. And in the end, most of them picked Cain as their candidate. This says that he has enough charisma to win over large blocks of people in a short time.
2. Cain took over a failing Godfather’s Pizza and made it profitable. As CEO he proved himself to be a natural born leader and a man who knows how to run a business. That means that he knows what is good for business and therefore what is good for our economy.
3. Cain stands behind the constitution, the idea of limited government and free market economics.
4. He supports Israel and their right to exist and defend themselves in the middle east.
5. He is a communicator. He has a clarity of thought and speech comparable to Ronald Reagan.
6. Cain has demonstrated a great diversity of competencies. His academic achievements are stellar. He has proven himself successful as a specialist on computer systems and ballistics for the U.S. Navy, CEO of Godfather’s Pizza and head of the Federal Reserve Bank in Kansas City.
7. He has opposed Obama-Care from the time it was Hillary-Care, taking Bill Clinton to school on the subject at a town hall meeting.
8. He is a man of faith and high moral values.
9. Last, but certainly not least is his racial advantage over the other candidates. Hear me out on this one. The mainstream media is totally protective of Obama . . . not because of who he is, but because of the liberal positions he takes. They are the same positions espoused by the media. Anyone who challenges Obama’s policies will be, as they have in the past, branded a racist. But Herman Cain takes away that option . . . he is black also. A Cain candidacy will force the public dialogue to be over the issues and not over whether the Republican is or is not a racist.

In my humble opinion, the Obama presidency has been the biggest disaster this nation has experienced since 9-11. He is certainly the top candidate for “Worst President in History”. It is imperative that we find a candidate to beat him next year. And all the signs seem to point to one man:  Herman Cain.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has struck down a requirement that unmarried clergy remain celibate, removing a key barrier for gays and lesbians who want to be ordained.

Presbyterians endorsed the new policy last year at their general assembly, but needed ratification from the majority of its 173 presbyteries, or regional districts. The Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area in Minneapolis provided the deciding vote Tuesday night. The new policy takes effect July 10.

The change will allow regional bodies to decide who should be ordained, and some are expected to continue to reject gay and lesbian candidates.

About 100 of the 11,000 PCUSA churches have already broken away in anticipation of the vote, but other conservative congregations have decided to remain in the 2.1 million-member denomination for now.

The outworking of this is that the PCUSA has officially sanctioned sexual sin among their clergy in two different ways.

1. The purpose of this rule change was to allow homosexuals to be ordained. Homosexuality, according to the Bible, is a sin. Therefore the church is approving the sexual sin of homosexuality for their clergy. One must assume they have approved it for the laity as well, since the clergy is supposed to be held to at least the same moral standards as the members of the congregations. . .and in actuality the clergy should be held to a higher standard.
2. The way the church went about allowing homosexuals to be ordained, since they cannot legally be married in most states, is to remove the requirement for celebacy for unmarried clergy. This means that the church officially approved premarital sex for the preacher. BUT the Bible says that any sex outside of the marital bonds is a sin.

I cannot condemn this action by the PCUSA strongly enough. When a denomination abandons the clear teaching of Scripture and openly sanctions sin — any sin — they have ceased to be a Christian organization. They are no longer a church. They might be called a social organization, a theological discussion group — pick whatever category you like — but they cannot be called a church when they leave behind the laws which God has given for mankind to follow.

It must be said that there is sin in all churches because churches are composed of people. And people are fallible and tend to sin. That is one thing. But it is another issue altogether when a church teaches that it is acceptable to sin. If you are a member of one of those other 10,900 PCUSA churches which did not break from the denomination, I urge you to take action. Demand to know why your church stayed and when they intend to leave. If they do not intend to leave, you have a choice to make. Attend a church which you know is not a Christian church, or go somewhere else.

The last two years, since Obama took office, we have seen the most radical change in our nation’s history. The White House and Congress fairly sprinted toward socialism and the people overwhelmingly rejected that agenda. Hundreds of thousands made pilgrimages to Washington, DC to protest what was happening. Many more participated in rallies closer to home. The primaries came around, and the voters sent an unmistakable message to Washington by nominating solid conservatives.

Then we got amnesia. Here is today’s situation:

• Pollsters are predicting a turnout of substantially less than 50 percent. . .probably under 40.
• Republicans, who have had large leads, are barely hanging on in the polls because the voters have forgotten what the issues are and have allowed sleazy and primarily untrue attack ads to sway their votes.

America, we can do better. We must do better.

We must stay focused on what the left is trying to do to our country. In times past, I would have considered my current position as paranoia, but the events of the last two years have proven conclusively that we are running rapidly downhill into a mire of communism. And the only way to keep ourselves free is for the sane citizens among us to vote . . . and cast our vote based on the issues. If we fall asleep on election day, or we allow our vote to be swayed by name-calling attack ads by those who will not face the issues, then we will lose control of our destiny.

This is not mere political maneuvering on my part. The consequences of this election are almost beyond words. This November, you will decide whether The United States of America even exists in the near future. You will decide whether we remain free, or give up our freedom to Marxism.

Listen to the patriot within. Go to the polls on November 2, and do your part in perpetuating freedom for our children. Our destiny is in your hands.

The media reaction has been to express shock and to be supportive of family and friends and this is rightly so. However, it seems to me that it is time that someone spoke up with a dispassionate voice of reason. I realize that by doing so, I am going to be despised and have the most unkind words hurled at me. So be it. Somebody has to say this.

When any person commits suicide, their loved ones need compassion. They have been dealt a devastating blow and will live with the trauma for the rest of their lives. My heart truly goes out to them.

But in the midst of their grief, there is a natural tendency to try to make sense of what has happened to them. In our current sociological soup, that invariably leads them to try to fix blame and we, as a society, assist them. In so doing, we all contribute to the next rash of suicides by granting a sick kind of glorification to the act.

Suicide is a highly selfish act. It is full of self loathing and self pity. If you could hear the internal dialog of someone considering suicide, something like this is going on, “I hate myself. It would be better if I had never been born. There is no other way out. They will really be sorry when they find out I’m dead. I’ll show them.”

It is the ultimate expression of self hatred and it is the ultimate middle finger to someone who is perceived as an enemy.

Many times, this enemy is said to be a “bully”. But when we use that term, let us be sure of what we are saying. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, a bully was some ruffian child who demanded your lunch money. If you refused to give it to him, he beat you up. Currently, the term is used to refer to anyone who utters a disparaging word or acts in a way which causes someone to feel offended or ashamed.

This is an important definition because it demonstrates the extremely low threshold at which our children are willing to end their own lives. And this threshold is created by a society in which we are all perceived as victims–a society in which the concept of responsibility for our own actions has been lost.

The bottom line is this — when Horatio kills himself:

• it is not a bully’s fault . . . assuming the “bully” did not force Horatio to commit suicide.
• it is not the parent’s fault.
• it is not the school’s fault.

As hard as it is to hear this, it is Horatio’s fault. That is the thing about suicide . . . no one other than the individual who kills himself is to blame. Others may have played a role in that person’s development, or helped create an uncomfortable environment but they are not to be held responsible for the death of a person who decided to kill himself.

Horatio decided that he just did not care what he was doing to his loved ones–what kind of mess he was leaving for them to clean up, what kind of psychological trauma he was leaving them with. Nothing mattered anymore besides the pain Horatio was feeling . . . nothing and nobody else was important. It was all about Horatio.

As a people, we can do better. We can teach our children that they need to take responsibility for their own actions. We can teach them that life is sacred and taking a life is the most sinful thing a person can do . . . including taking our own life. We can teach them that there are consequences for their actions and they must carefully consider those before they act. And we can teach our children some coping skills so that when the “bully” strikes out with an epithet, they can say “sticks and stones can break my bones but names can never hurt me.”

We can teach all of those things . . . but that means we first must begin to value morality and that just does not seem to be in our national mind anymore. So let us at least stop trying to blame someone else, for this will most certainly result in a further loss of freedom as we continue to try to legislate the problem away.

Here is a quick recap of a few of the new ways the federal government can now snoop into your private life.

• X-ray Vans. The feds have acquired some 500 x-ray vans which will be patrolling the streets, looking into your car, your house and through your clothing. (I’m not making this up!)
• The aforementioned internet spying on you.
• The financial reform law. The feds can now look into your bank account or other financial records.
• The takeover of Fannie and Freddie. The feds can now look at your mortgage.
• ObamaCare. We do not yet know all of the implications because the law is SO HUGE, but it does require doctors to make your medical records electronic and gives the government the ability to look at them.
• Student Loans. The feds took over the student loan program and now have access to your student loan records.
• If you own a small business, the feds can and do monitor your business finances and may declare you in danger of failure at any time . . . and seize your business.
• Your location. The feds can now monitor your location via your cell phone and place a GPS tracking device on your automobile without a search warrant.

I am sure there is more, but this should be enough to make the point. The federal government is now able to monitor you and all of your important records. Add to this that the government has taken upon itself the right to assassinate its citizens, and the scenario becomes dangerous.

Sound a little bit Orwellian to you? It does to me and quite frankly, given that the current administration has demonstrated some decidedly Marxist leanings, it is downright frightening.

Let us not forget that the regimes of Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, and Castro, et al murdered tens of millions of people. It may sound paranoid to suggest that the same thing could happen in the United States, but it is certain that all of those countries thought it could not happen to them either.

***********

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

G. Washington.

Since history is written by the victors, here are two possible versions of what you might see:

VERSION 1

In the first decade of the twenty first century, the United States was dangerously close to being completely taken over by communism. The bloodless coup which had been envisioned by the Soviet Union during the cold war was well underway, having taken on a life of its own. The communist left wing held majorities in both houses of congress. They had control of the executive branch and held nearly half of the seats on the supreme court.

Their power to sway public opinion was cemented by support from approximately 95 percent of the media. All television networks except one acted as propagandists for the left, as did the overwhelming majority of newspapers and magazines. Even the movies being spit out by Hollywood carried the communist agenda embedded deeply in their story lines.

Our educational system had also been taken over. It had become impossible to get a college degree or even to get through grade school without being subjected to communist indoctrination. Fortunately our constitution, although it had suffered heinous misinterpretation, remained intact.

In 2009 Barak Obama became the president of the United States. Since he had clear majorities in both houses of congress, he was able to push through any law he wanted. Against the will of the people, he seized control of the lions share of the economy. He forced laws through congress which gave him power that would be the envy of dictators across the globe. His clear intent was to transform America into a communist nation during his administration.

But then a group of citizens who called themselves the Tea Party rose up in protest. Their movement spread across the land and it became clear that the majority of Americans wanted to save their nation. They found a few brave patriots who were willing to run for political offices and in 2010, the Tea Party candidates were able to regain control of congress.

As congress then tried to undo the damage which had been done by the communists, Obama vetoed every single law they enacted. But the Tea Party stayed strong and in 2012, Obama was defeated in his bid for re-election.

It took several election cycles, but at length Americans regained control of the government and the economy was once again strong.  Nearly twenty years passed before we were able to purge our educational system of the radical teachers and professors.

Thanks to the perseverance of the Tea Partiers we still have our great republic. We are still free Americans.

*********************

VERSION 2

For over two hundred years this land was blinded by the illusion of religion and crippled by the greed of capitalist pigs. The people were gravely oppressed by those who led them to believe that they were free.

Then in the 1960s the people began to awaken to the truth and to revolt against these robber barons who had kept them in perpetual poverty. It took nearly fifty years to overcome the gigantic corporations who had the nation by the throat. But finally in 2008 Chairman Barak Obama was elected to the office of president of the so-called United States of America.

Chairman Obama waged a brave and fierce battle against the forces of capitalism. In 2010, a group of unintelligent racist capitalists, called Tea Baggers, tried desperately to stop the revolution. They had a meager victory and gained control of congress but the great Chairman Obama was able to use his veto power to keep them at bay.

By the next election cycle the idiot Tea Baggers had resumed their slumber and the public realized that the economic collapse had been the fault of the greedy capitalists. In 2012, Chairman Obama was reelected along with enough congressmen to seal the fate of the pigs. The Chairman immediately replaced the capitalist constitution with the one which we all now enjoy and the Union of the Socialist States of America was born. What a glorious day!

All capitalists were sent to re-education camps and now it is universally known that Chairman Obama is our greatest hero. He is the father of our country. Because of him, all workers share equally in our wealth and every family is entitled to their loaf of bread at the end of the week. All hail Chairman Obama, PBUH.

This is to be taught in the classrooms each day with no exceptions under penalty of death for treason.

********************

The victors get to write history. Which version appeals to you?

If you like version 1, then you must get out and vote — this election and every election. Do not go to sleep and allow the destruction of our nation to become complete. We still have the same constitution which our founding fathers gave us . . . for now at least. VOTE.

Literally, “ad hominem” means “to the man.” The technique is to attack the opponent rather than his argument.  If the one side were to say that government spending will not stimulate the economy, his opponent would say, “You’re an idiot.” That is an ad hominem. It contributes nothing to the discussion but is sometimes an effective way of silencing those with whom you disagree.

This tacky tactic has been used by those who are incapable of performing in sound debate for centuries and today it is used more than ever. . . because more than ever, we have become incompetent debaters. Ironically, it is most heavily used by the “intellectual elite” who gravitate to the left. I use quotes for the phrase because if they truly were intellectuals they would be competent at debate — but I digress. ; )

The newest ad hominem tactic is to call people “whatever-PHOBES.” It started with the quintessential debate losers, homosexuals. We were all called homo-phobes. Now it has been adopted by the muslims and we are all islamaphobes. And on and on it goes.

However, if the debate-challenged among us insist upon using ad hominems, should they not at least be required to use appropriate insults? Let us examine exactly what they are calling us…phobics.

The linguistic definition from Merriam Webster: A phobia is “an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation”

The psychiatric definition from the DSM IV (Diagnostics and Statistics Manual) : A phobia is an “unreasonable fear”.

Note the use of the word “fear” in both cases.

This author has been called both homophobic and islamaphobic. And by the above definitions of phobia, the names are invalid for I have no fear of either one. I have moral objections to both homosexuality and Islam, but I am not afraid of either. And I think that is true of most, if not all, of those targeted by the left with these names.

I suggest that next time you become the object of an ad hominem that your retort be to ask if that is the best argument your opponent is able to supply. Perhaps they are so inadequately educated that they really cannot supply a valid argument–in which case they may want to leave the debate to those who can.

And if you disagree with me, you are a racist, Christophobe. ; )

God Bless the USA

May they rest in peace, those innocent victims whose lives were stolen by Islamic radicals on September 11, 2001. Their only offense was to show up for work in the United States of America. We will never forget.

He claims that this is an investment in our country and oh, by the way, it will stimulate job creation. Of course, he is careful NOT to use the word stimulus. Oh, brother! Here we go again.

Let us be honest. It IS a stimulus package just like the previous one which not only did not work, but actually made the economy worse. We went from 7 percent unemployment to 9.6 percent in only two short years. And this one will be no better because just like the last stimulus, it will create very few temporary jobs and cost us a fortune in additional debt.

If you make 40k per year, that 50 BILLION bucks would pay your salary for ONE MILLION TWO HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND YEARS. It is not a minor bit of pocket change.

America, just say no to more Obamunism. No more spending. We cannot spend our way out of this depression. The only solution is to stop the spending, deregulate business, get out of the way of the free market and let it heal itself which it most certainly will do.