We're not big followers of the birther gaggle, however we think this could be put to rest if our Dear Leader produced a valid birth certificate. Why does he let this issue fester?
On the other hand, we are no stranger to both serving in the military and the military resignation. Unfortunately, there are many in the military who are unfamiliar with the latter. The resignation - the ultimate gesture of standing on principle.
There were too few resignations during the Clinton years of bombing aspirin factories, losing the nuclear codes, DADT #1, and taking a pass on OBL to make a golf game.
There are far too few resignations in the current administration, especially with the rush to DADT #2 during wartime.
The problem - a politicized group of generals at the top. We're sure they would say they'd resign if necessary, but they'd say they feel they can better influence events by staying on. Sure. Better to draw a line tomorrow that you won't cross rather than today.
So LTC Terrence Lakin, an Army doctor, refused to ship out. His reason: it is unlawful to follow orders from a president that appears illegitimate without a birth certificate. Technically, we think he's right. And he's going to military prison for 6 months.
LTC Lakin should have resigned, but he stood on principle and law. His 6 months will feel shorter to him than the next 6 months where our military brass will have to look at themselves in the mirror.
Watching a corrupt and inept commie give his White House podium to a disbarred and impeached former president is, well, pretty boring.
We're just glad it wasn't Carter.
IowaHawk, however, went straight for his keyboard on this:
Ending weeks of speculation and rumors, President-Elect Barack Obama today named Bill Clinton to join his incoming administration as President of the United States, where he will head the federal government's executive branch.
"I am pleased that Bill Clinton has agreed to come out of retirement to head up this crucial post in my administration," said Obama. "He brings a lifetime of previous executive experience as Governor of Arkansas and President of the United States, and has worked closely with most of the members of my Cabinet." --- Obama also announced that he had accepted his own appointment of himself as an Assistant Undersecretary in the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
"It's a fairly low-stress job that I'm reasonably qualified for," said Obama. "I really can't do much damage there, and it will give me plenty of free time for Oprah specials. Plus work on my next autobiography and re-election campaign."
Obama is lucky Bill accepted the podium. There should be some hard feelings.
President Clinton had exactly two accomplishments in his 8 years as president: 1) NAFTA and 2) Welfare Reform.
Obama erased the good parts of both policies early in his term, thus stealing (as all commies do) Clinton's potentially promising legacy in those two areas.
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Is there a precedent? We're still a novice in our studies of Communism, so please correct the record here if we are mistaken.
For example: we cannot recall Stalin giving the podium to Khrushchev. Was that because Stalin was a bit possessive of his position of power, or was he just worried Khrushchev would pound the podium with his shoe?
And if it is a worry of the podium recipient to take off an article of clothing that they are known for taking off... why did Obama pick Bill Clinton?
Whose style is Obama copying here?
Who was impressed by this gesture?
Who was meant to be impressed by this gesture?
The big negative that comes to mind has nothing to do with symbolism or fatigue or judgement. It is not about today's reaction, albeit a good one from IowaHawk.
The big negative is that Obama is young, and he will spend many days in retirement looking back at his decisions. It won't be until he is out of power that he will see these events in context. He will suffer with these regrets, and being who he is, he'll be on TV all the time to make us suffer his excuses.
His only hope is that we will forget, or maybe be re-educated.
Video: Unintended Consequences from the folks at Reason:
This topic could be made into a 2-hour documentary film.
And related, the sad story of Canadian Marlene Stephens who died in an Emergency Room after complaining of breathing problems for 90 minutes. We've read many similar stories from Canada and the UK. It appears there are some unintended consequences to universal government health care. We noticed two things about this story and anticipate these in future US stories:
1) Read the article and notice that the government official refers to stats, trends and money spent. The fact with universal health care is simple: the individual is subordinate to the government.
2) and the quote at the end by the victim's mother: "This should not be happening in Canada."
Speaking of "should"... we wonder what Captain Hindsight would say about Universal Health Care.
Our Dear Leader says Republicans are "hostage takers". Supposedly those tea-bagging bourgeoisie idiots are holding the American people hostage.
I've said before that I felt that the middle-class tax cuts were being held hostage to the high-end tax cuts. I think it's tempting not to negotiate with hostage-takers, unless the hostage gets harmed. Then people will question the wisdom of that strategy. In this case, the hostage was the American people and I was not willing to see them get harmed.
Tell us, will the American people feel more like hostages when A) high-earners pay 35% instead of 39.6%, or B) they wait an average 18 months for a critical medical procedure?
In other words, Mr. Commie Obama, don't preach to us about the virtues of negotiating. We remember the ObamaCare "negotiations":
Unlike Obamacare, the embrace of the evil Bush tax cut extension was bipartisan. As Michael Barone notes at NRO:
Obama had to abandon his goal of raising taxes on high earners not because Republicans opposed it but because not enough Democrats supported it. Pelosi couldn’t summon up a majority on the issue back in September, and Harry Reid could get only 53 of the needed 60 votes this month.
Democrats, not Republicans, are responsible for the extension of most of the “Bush tax cuts.”
This extension of the Bush tax rates does nothing for America other than stick a feeding tube down our throats while the courts decide our fate, now two years further down the road.
Obama's communication problem is that he is communicating far too much. The circumstances called for conciliation, toward both the adversaries with whom he has compromised and the supporters he disappointed by doing so. Instead, he gratuitously insulted both groups, displaying a degree of political incompetence that, while perhaps harmless to the country in this situation, is worrisome when we contemplate the prospect that he will be called on to deal with an international crisis, perhaps one involving real hostage takers, in the next two years.
1. ... if raising the debt ceiling is not part of the deal, then Republicans have another opportunity to take some hostages early next year. 2. And more ominously, we haven't raised the debt ceiling or included it in the negotiations, so the Primary Hostage -- namely, everybody, you and me -- is still in play, and we can expect severe "austerity measures" to kick in... 3. Obama is willing to call Republicans "hostage takers" and irritated liberals "sanctimonious", but his people haven't yet addressed how they're magically going to stand firm on something two years from now that they're willingly giving away today. 4. If America is expected to subject themselves to yet another Republican tax-cut experiment, and set itself up for not one, but two more rounds of hostage taking when these "temporary" measures run down their own clocks, the White House needs to be a lot clearer on why this newest one won't result in the same disaster all the last ones have caused. "Trust us next time around" is not a plan. 5. The anger has resulted in House Democrats taking some hostages of their own, mainly on the estate tax... 6. Taking hostages seems to be the only way to get a seat at the negotiating table, so why not join in the fun? 7. However, only 27% favor expiring all the tax cuts. With 4% unsure of what they think, that means 69% think extending middle-class tax cuts is a good idea. The question is whether they are fine with having been taken hostage in order to get them. 8. N/A - just a link to a post in the right navigation bar.
While fun to see the criticisms from the liberalsprogressives communists, we know it is just noise.
Remember the PUMA movement in 2008 where Hillary supporters said they'd boycott the election unless Hillary was named VP? We met many of them at the DNC convention and there was no question they were passionate about their position. There was also no doubt here that they would fall into line by November and vote for Obama.
There is no doubt here that those complaining today about the Bush Tax Cut Extensions will fall into line by November 2012. Ideology trumps all else, including their opinions and outrage.
Marx would have it no other way.
Our campaign 2012 "I Mis-Spoke" prediction:
Obama:
"Don't forget, I cut taxes for everybody in December 2010."
I am convinced that Obama is a rather nice person, as was Pol Pot of Cambodia. --- The 3.3 million killed in the Soviet Ukraine were killed not by Hitler but by Stalin, and the Ukrainians that died in the famine of 1933, that followed Stalin's destructive collectivization of the farms. The farms. The farms.
Now Obama has not collectivized the United States' farms for better production, comma, yet, period. But he has taken over General Motors. He has nationalized the health care system.
Do you think it is beyond this man to nationalize agriculture in the United States of America?
I would say that this transformational dupe that we have in the White House is capable of anything.
Any libs out there want to challenge this thinking? This connecting of world history with our current situation?
Any bedwetters want to bleat about how calling Obama a socialist hurts the nation's political discourse, poisons all opportunities to find common ground and is the reason, rather than the DNC and Obama, that we find ourselves in today's uncertain times?
Our Comments are wide open for endless blather. Have at it.
