TELLING IT LIKE IT IS !

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Archive for January 19th, 2009

LINCOLN VS OBAMA

Posted by straight shooter on January 19, 2009 under Political, Social Concerns, Theological Concerns

It’s ironic that Barack Obama chooses to infuse these opening days of his presidency with the imagery of Abraham Lincoln.

I don’t think there could be two more different men. Understanding why may help us think about what to expect in the days ahead.

Beyond his trademark “change we can believe in,” Obama’s defining theme has been unity and inclusiveness. “…There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America – there’s the United States of America …. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States … and have gay friends in the Red States … I value life but I vote for abortion …”

Obama does not suggest that we don’t have differences. His point is that those differences are not critically important and they’re getting in our way. Let’s put differences aside, get practical, and solve our problems. Everything is negotiable … right and wrong … good and bad… WHAT? No it isn’t!

The inaugural ceremonies have pastors for everyone. A white evangelical that opposes same-sex marriage, a white homosexual sinner, a left-wing black male, and a left-wing black female. Oh, and don’t forget the Islamic prayer representative. Yes, and we see what their prayers do.

His economic stimulus plan has large government expenditures to please Democrats, tax benefits to please Republicans, bailouts for everyone and their dog, and of course don’t forget the pork.

Lincoln, too, sought unity … a very different type of unity. Lincoln’s notion of where national unity would lie was a far cry from Obama’s because its focus and philisophy was totally different.

Lincoln prophetically stated this challenge after accepting the Republican nomination for the presidency in 1858. “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure half slave and half free. I do not expect the union to be dissolved. I do not expect the House to fall. But I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other.”

As historian Harry Jaffa points out, “For Lincoln, as for Jefferson and for all genuine supporters of the principles of the Declaration of Independence, the distinction between right and wrong is antecedent [the forerunner] to any form of government and is independent of any man’s or any majority’s will.”

Lincoln knew that some principles are so fundamental they cannot be compromised. He knew that we couldn’t ignore our key differences. Unity could only come from facing them and making the hard choices keeping in mind a biblical right and wrong.

We have many Americans today who read the same Bible but edit the truth of its principles, directives, context, and content to make claims to support their desires, instead of taking the intent of what it says as it is, as it was meant to be. Now we have Americans as well who do not see the Bible as relevant and would claim that there are no truths.

Our future will reflect today’s choices.

On the hardest moral dilemma of his day, Abraham Lincoln stepped up to the plate and took a stand. He did not say that it was above his pay grade. This is what makes Abraham Lincoln very different from Barack Obama … Lincoln stood on the moral high ground. The ground on which this countries forefathers stood.

Americans are constantly being betrayed by unethical behavior in American business and in Washington … the behaviors of greed, lies and dishonesty for the love of money and power. Moral problems are what lie at the root of our faltering economy.

The sanctity of life and sanctity of property are cut from the same cloth of eternal law. It’s this law that defines our free country. Our new president, who sanctions both abortion and massive government intrusion into our economic lives, sees things very differently.

These fundamental differences matter immensely and what is chosen will define our future. As Lincoln said, the nation “will become all one thing, or all the other.” I’m not looking forward to what it will become unless there are some major changes and departures from the direction Obama has stated.

Bottom line … Obama has little in common with Lincoln! Lincoln was willing to do what was right.

BTW COULD YOU MAIL IT TO ME?

Posted by straight shooter on January 19, 2009 under Abortion, Political, Social Concerns, Theological Concerns

Physician-assisted suicide is legal now in Montana, although the court ruling legalizing it is under appeal.

Doctor-assisted suicide has been legal in Oregon and recently in Washington, but Rita Marker of the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide says what sets the situation apart in Montana is that the ruling has no boundaries or safeguards.

“So you have a situation where even the flimsiest, and really pretty useless, safeguards that are in the Oregon law, and in the Washington law when it goes into effect next month – those aren’t even in place in Montana,” she explains. “So you pretty much have something wide open.”

This law will be used frequently in Montana. “Of all the states, [Montana] has the highest suicide rate in the entire nation,” Marker notes.

The court’s decision here obviously makes it too easy on terminally ill residents who want to die. All they have to do is phone in their request, and then a prescription for a lethal overdose could be mailed to them. Wow, what a concept “Death By Mail!”

The court’s action could be considered judicial activism among other things, according to Marker. “It’s judicial activism, judicial malpractice, judicial arrogance – all of those things,” she concludes. “Without question.”

I having a bad day and want to die … btw could you mail it to me?  IDIOTS

A senior policy analyst with The Heritage Foundation says the federal government shouldn’t be bailing out the public school system. It is reported that federal aid for public education could grow as much as $140 billion under a stimulus plan being crafted by the Obama administration.

But Dan Lips of The Heritage Foundation says despite state budget deficits, the burden should not be shifted to federal taxpayers. “It’s simply fiscally irresponsible to be passing this buck to Washington, especially considering the ballooning federal deficit,” he contends. “And there are alternatives that can be done.”

Lips says one of those alternatives is expanding school choice. “School-choice programs have been shown to improve efficiency and actually save states and districts money over time,” he points out.

Wouldn’t that be a great alternative to looking to Washington for a bailout?

Another alternative is for Congress to remove some of the red tape in how federal money is currently spent on education at the local level so as to free up money that is wasted on bureaucrats.

Firing the teachers who can’t teach, and actually educating the students instead of socially engineering them would be a couple of other excellent ideas. Unfortunately almost all the democrats and a number of republicans are tied up at the Teacher’s Union feeding trough.

DON’T’ WORRY ABOUT THE “O”s

Posted by straight shooter on January 19, 2009 under Political

Karl Rove was asked on Fox and Friends this morning about his memories of his first day at work in the Bush White House. He described finding some unidentifiable foul-smelling goop all over his computer keyboard. He then walked down the hall to find another staffer’s office with the desk literally turned upside-down and papers everywhere looking like a hurricane had blown through. Then there was the case of the missing “W’s” from the computer keyboards. This certainly showed the vindictiveness, childishness, irresponsibility, and lack of respect of the Clinton administration staffers … not only for the new administration that would be coming in but to the governmental system and the White House itself.

It’s amazing how quickly that was all forgotten, and how little the media made of it. Looking back for articles about it and you will find there weren’t many. Part of the reason may be that, according to Rove on Fox and Friends today, and press reports quoting Ari Fleischer at the time, the Bush White House decided not to play it up, and certainly not to seek prosecutions for the destruction of government property. President Bush didn’t have to do that but he was a bigger man than rodeo Bill Clinton and staff.

But at the request of Bob Barr, the General Accounting Office looked into the reports and found that the Clinton team did about $15,000 in damage before vacating the White House. The GAO concluded that “damage, theft, vandalism, and pranks did occur in the White House during the 2001 presidential transition.”

I doubt the Obama team has anything to worry about along those lines … the different between having integrity and not!

BUT IT’S OKAY, BECAUSE HE’S … YOU KNOW … OBAMA !

Posted by straight shooter on January 19, 2009 under Political

Obama’s Inauguration Has Been Financed Partially By Bailed-Out Wall Street Executives

The country is in the middle of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, which isn’t stopping rich donors and the government from spending a minimum of $170 million, or more, on the inauguration of Barack Obama.

The actual swearing-in ceremony will cost $1.24 million.

The federal government estimates that it will spend roughly $49 million. Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland have requested another $75 million from the federal government to help pay for their share of police, fire and medical services.

And then there is the party bill. “We have a budget of roughly $45 million, maybe a little bit more,” said Linda Douglas, spokeswoman for the inaugural committee.

Among the expenses: multiple concerts, the parade, large-screen TV rentals for all-free viewing on the national Mall, $700,000 to the Smithsonian Institution to stay open (for whatever reason other than pork) and, of course, the balls, including three that are being pitched as free or low cost for the public.

But there are plenty of rich donors willing to pick up the tab. These are people giving mostly $50,000 apiece. They tend to be corporate executives, celebrities, the elite of the elite.

Best Seats in the House

The biggest group of donors were none other than the recently bailed-out Wall Street executives and employees. Seems the finance sector is well represented, despite its recent troubles they still managed to pull together nearly $7 million for the inauguration.

The donors will get some of the best seats in the house (another reward for bad behavior) for the inauguration, as well as admittance to some of the best balls and other events. Of course this is to establish themselves from day one as his biggest financial supporters. And if there’s something they need or to tell him down the road, they will have an easier time doing that than everyone else.

Besides Wall Street firms, a large chunk of the money came from liberal supporting employees at companies such as Microsoft, Google and DreamWorks Animation.

  • According to the Center for Responsive Politics Microsoft CEO Steven Ballmer and his wife, Connie, each gave $50,000. So did Microsoft chairman and co-founder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda.
  • DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and his wife, Marilyn, each gave $50,000. Filmmaker and DreamWorks co-founder Steven Spielberg and his wife, Kate, both also gave $50,000. And DreamWorks employees gave a total of $275,000.
  • Of course billionaire investor George Soros and his family contributed $250,000 to the inauguration, and Google co-founder Larry Page and CEO Eric Schmidt each donated $25,000.
  • Other big-name donors who gave $50,000 include filmmaker George Lucas, artist Dale Chihuly, Los Angeles Dodgers President Jamie McCourt. Citigroup managing director Raymond J. McGuire; Oracle President Charles E. Phillips Jr.; actresses Halle Berry and Sharon Stone; and Melvin Simon, co-founder of Simon Property Group, the largest mall owner in the United States.