On this day, four years removed from the election of Barack Hussein Obama, our country faces one of its worse crisis's since the Great Depression and World War II. Today's generations have never dealt with such apocryphal times, nor have we had these types of looming economic disasters staring directly into our eyes. Terrorism, foreign and abroad, threatens our existence; how we meet this challenge will define us as a nation.
Let me first help everyone understand what terrorism does to an individual. Psychologically, once a human has been terrorized, h/she will withdraw and become submissive to the perpetrator, possibly making excuses for the terrorist if the victim believes expressing such "reasoning" will curtail future incidents. Oftentimes a leader will appear clothed as a savior but revealed to be an oppressor, essentially positioning himself in such a way to magnanimously usurp power from those who only want the perception of safety--safety promised after an individual or group has been terrorized. A prime example of perceived safety is Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration, or TSA. So bureaucratic is TSA that if a frequent traveler truly believes h/she is safe while flying, they are either naive or blind to the truth.
We must continue to battle terrorism on its doorstep or terrorism will win here at home. Signs of a terrorist victory are demonstrated by a scared populace who willingly give up freedoms, not by terrorists conquering lands or defeating armies. George Bush capitalized on our fears when he passed the Patriot Act giving the government unprecedented power and insight into our personal lives. Barack Obama has shied away from aggressively challenging our foreign enemies but has assaulted our right to keep and bear arms. Obama, however, has done so in a very strategic manner--the impact of his actions are minimal until the opportunity arises to push additional legislation through. Each time an attack is committed with firearms the call to "do something" will be shouted from the roof tops and our legislators will do just that: something. Something, in this case, shall be defined as stripping the citizenry of another right. Slowly but surely as a nation we become weaker, and slowly but surely our government gleans more power.
Our Constitution is the fabric from which our country was sewn. Frequent interpretation lessens its validity and each time the citizenry allows our elected officials to interpret it, our country suffers. Now I would like to clarify that some amending has been instrumental in our evolution as a free society: women and minority suffrage are prime examples of required amending. But continued relenting by the populace to allow our elected officials to bend The Constitution to their will opens each of us to being controlled by the very people whose only job is to protect the document they are bending! How disastrous and mortifying these days are for each of us.
To what am I alluding when I talk about interpretation or bending of our Constitution? As I stated above, the most recent assault on our rights has come via presidential order. The cold hard truth is our most powerful elected official has decided to redefine what constitutes an "assault" weapon and how many rounds a weapon can and will hold. To minimize casualties during sinister and murderous shootings, the president and his minions have decided these ideas are in our best interest. The government has also called for a national gun registry, which outwardly sounds okay, but what we don't comprehend is that our elected officials will be the deciders of who can own a weapon and who can't. Should I not pay a speeding ticket or post something to some social media site a government official doesn't like, my name could appear as one not qualified to own a firearm. As far reaching as this may sound, ideas such as these are being seriously considered on the federal level. Some congressmen have even bantered around the possibility of the forced disarming of America! These are your elected officials who have sworn an oath to protect The Constitution, the same document that protects our right to keep and bear arms.
Next, I would like to briefly discuss the economic disaster we have staring directly at us. Our country is over sixteen trillion dollars in debt with much of that debt owned by China--a sworn enemy to freedom and democracy. To default on our debt would be globally disastrous; to borrow any more money from China or any other country is equally disastrous. Our president, and many on his side of the aisle have called for increased taxation in order to pay down much of our debt; thus far, there have been no signs that spending will be curbed on the federal level.
We have been called upon as patriots to help our country pay its debt. I do not believe there is an American reading this who doesn't believe h/she should help, but when is enough really enough? The truth is if everyone making $250,000 per year and above were taxed at 100%, our debt still wouldn't be paid. How do we pay the debt, then, without creating another market disaster? It's really quite simple--stop spending. How does the cessation of spending impact America? Obviously, the absolving or cutting back on many programs and jobs will hurt some, but our government is out of control. The United States Senate has not passed a budget in almost four years! Why haven't they passed a budget you may ask? Because they know they can't curtail their appetite for spending your money. Should we give in and pay more money (taxes) our government will do nothing but spend it--this is their legacy and this is our president's history.
The quick and easy solution to our problems are to demand tougher penalties for criminals and those who assist criminals up to and including a speedy trial (Constitutionally protected) and a speedy penalty (death if required). I have no problem paying more money to hire more police officers, so long as those police officers aren't a part of the bureaucratic mess (IE. unions, etc.). What I do have a problem with is paying money into ineffectual programs that do not have success rates above eighty percent (it doesn't matter the program, should it not be successful by this definition, federal funding should be pulled immediately). I do not believe the government has the ability to run a business, nor should it embroil itself in the private sector. Bank bailouts, government loans and mandating nationalized insurance are areas our elected officials have no place in delving. Government health has proven itself a failure time ad nauseum in other countries and there's no reason to believe it will be successful here.
Lastly, I want to point out that I still believe in the United States of America and I believe she will survive in spite of our elected officials, not because of them. Our country's leaders have specific duties as outlined by our legal documents. Now is the time for us to hold them accountable, demand term limits for congressmen/women, make them adhere to budgets and pay back our debt. They must never be allowed to dig us in a hole like this again, ever!
I call on each of you to write and call your elected officials and demand a return to responsibility, both personal and governmental, fiscal and social. Only then will our nation prosper and move forward with absolution. Until then, the word "forward" will only be recognized as a campaign slogan.
Sincerely,
Howard Upton
You need to read some history books and learn about American History. This is hardly the first time the country has been threatened by "terrorists" or a foreign threat. I suggest you read some WWII history, especially about the war in the Pacific. Then go visit the areas along the cost line of the west coast of the US where there were forts readied for attacks from the Japanese.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, home grown terrorists are more of a threat to this country than those from a foreign country. Does the name Timothy McVeigh ring a bell or are you suffering from selective memory?
I suspect it is selective memory as both Osama Bin Laden and Muammar Gaddafi were both dispensed of by the Obama administration, something that the previous administration had zero interest in doing, despite the fact Bin Laden was responsible for 9-11. In fact, the Bush administration stated blatantly that going after Bin Laden was not a priority for them. Yet, they started a war based on lies and those on the right ate it up as gospel.
The police and fire unions are not part of a bureaucracy, they protect these men and women from the bureaucracy which would cut their pay and benefits despite the danger that it would put them in, along the general citizenry. The destruction of unions have lead to some of the economic problems we are in. There is no one to protect the working men and women and our jobs have been allowed to go oversees because there is no one keeping an eye on the collusion of business and government.
We are the only industrialized country without universal healthcare and yet, we are the richest country in the world. Shame on us! Universal healthcare will actually save this country millions of dollars because diseases will be caught early thanks to preventive healthcare. There is nothing about universal healthcare that goes against the Constitution. In fact, it brings to fruition the idea of life being an inalienable right as stated in the Declaration of Independence.
No one, I repeat NO ONE has discussed the forced disarming of anyone. That is false rhetoric being passed around by delusional conservatives. In fact, there is another myth that is being passed around by them that talks about how Australians were forcibly disarmed and cannot own guns. That is absolute rubbish. Some Australians had their guns bought back by their state and territorial governments. Australians can own personal weapons, they just have to be licensed and just show due cause to own a weapon.
The 2nd Amendment of the Constitution guarantees an American's right to keep and bear arms, but there is absolutely nothing in the 2nd Amendment, nor any other amendment, that says the government cannot restrict what those arms are. The government is well within its legal right to ban any guns, ammo or gun accessories they see fit.
We do not need more excuses to put people in prison. I suspect the corporations that own our prisons would love that as they are making millions of dollars off the taxpayers with their private prisons. Out of all the industrialized countries in the world, the US of A has the highest prison population. Hardly the land of the free. The war on drugs, which has been an epic failure, has put more people in prison than any other crime. We have murderers and rapists let out of jail before someone who has been charged with a minor nonviolent, drug crime!
I'm sure we differ greatly in our views of this country, but just because you don't agree with something doesn't mean its unlawful or unconstitutional. Read some American history, do some research and stop believing every Internet rumor you read.
By the way, I do agree with you about the Patriot Act. I suspect, under the scrutiny of a Supreme Court that is actually interested in defining laws under the Constitution, the Patriot Act would not pass muster. The Thurgood Marshall court would be appalled by some of the findings SCOTUS has allowed.
Good Day,
Anita
Anita,
DeleteThank you very much for taking the time to read and reply to my blog entry. Without going into extreme detail, which I'm not opposed to doing on most days (I just honestly get tired of the same rhetoric and rancor from the uninformed left), let me state emphatically that I am a student of American history--not a general lay person, but a Constitutional student. I want to be very clear on this fact and make sure you understand that my "news" doesn't come from social networking sites or even Fox News (as you libs love to point out so vigorously).
You point to a home grown terrorist from 1994 yet kindly omit the recent attacks on American soil in Benghazi. I would find this oversight lacking integrity but I know full well the anguish caused by four lives lost at the hands of this administration. Naturally, I type this in the deepest of sarcastic "tones," as I know there is no remorse from the left for the derilection of duty perpetrated at the hands of Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The terrorist threat, now all but immeninent in Iran is our next greatest international threat, but you make no mention of that. Insofar as UBL being justifiably terminated by our Navy SEALs--that's wonderful! Mommar Qaddafi's demise was brought about by Obama's uneducated support of the Arab Spring, which we've seen is fully and completely ruled by the Muslim Brotherhood. You define the ousting of a dictator and the ruling party's affiliation by a terrorist network as success? That's very strange, don't you think? And let's not forget what country the four Americans were in when they met their untimely demise at the hands of AQ (who Obama had said were all but finished just a few weeks earlier).
Universal Healthcare (Obamacare, aka AHCA) has already created an unjust financial burden on the entire country. This industrialized nation does not turn away its sick in hospitals, so your argument bears no merit. The continued push by your side to "spread the wealth" is inherently built into Obamacare, no matter how you slice it.
You should re-read what I wrote about police and firemen. I said I have no issue using money to hire more of them, insomuch as unions and red tape are not created by their hiring. Is that really too much to ask? Of course it is if my name is Anita.
YOU MIGHT want to do some research if you honestly believe there haven't been elected officials in this country calling for the forced disarmament of its citizenry. Where have you been? Do you not pay attention or is MSNBC your only source for news? Your reply is shameful.
Lastly, you obviously have no understanding of our Constitution if you think the government has the right to restrict any firearm and ammunition it sees fit! Do you not understand that the 2nd Amendment was put into place for the populace to defend itself against a tyranical government?!
As tiring as your misinformed points are, I do appreciate you expressing them here; it's important for people to see that your line of thinking is absolutely wrong for our country.
I am happy that we can agree about the Patriot Act, but I suspect had this been an Obama piece of legislation you would be singing its praises, but naturally I'm just assuming that to be true.
Here's hoping you find peace and prosperity, Anita. And if you find prosperity, please remember to "spread the wealth."