A letter to Newt Gingrich from his sister
Posted By: sm on 2008-11-24
In Reply to:
Dear Newt,
I recently had the displeasure of watching you bash the protestors of the Prop 8 marriage ban to Bill O'Reilly on FOX News. I must say, after years of watching you build your career by stirring up the fears and prejudices of the far right, I feel compelled to use the words of your idol, Ronald Reagan, "There you go, again."
However, I realize that you may have been a little preoccupied lately with planning your resurrection as the savior of your party, so I thought I would fill you in on a few important developments you might have overlooked.
The truth is that you're living in a world that no longer exists. I, along with millions of Americans, clearly see the world the way it as -- and we embrace what it can be. You, on the other hand, seem incapable of looking for new ideas or moving beyond what worked in the past.
Welcome to the 21st century, big bro. I can understand why you're so afraid of the energy that has been unleashed after gay and lesbian couples had their rights stripped away from them by a hateful campaign. I can see why you're sounding the alarm against the activists who use all the latest tech tools to build these rallies from the ground up in cities across the country.
This unstoppable progress has at its core a group we at HRC call Generation Equality. They are the most supportive of full LGBT equality than any American generation ever -- and when it comes to the politics of division, well, they don't roll that way. 18-24 year olds voted overwhelmingly against Prop 8 and overwhelmingly for Barack Obama. And the numbers of young progressive voters will only continue to grow. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning, about 23 million 18-29 year olds voted on Nov. 4, 2008 -- the most young voters ever to cast a ballot in a presidential election. That's an increase of 3 million more voters compared to 2004.
These are the same people who helped elect Barack Obama and sent a decisive message to your party. These young people are the future and their energy will continue to drive our country forward. Even older Americans are turning their backs on the politics of fear and demagoguery that you and your cronies have perfected over the years.
This is a movement of the people that you most fear. It's a movement of progress -- and your words on FOX News only show how truly desperate you are to maintain control of a world that is changing before your very eyes.
Then again, we've seen these tactics before. We know how much the right likes to play political and cultural hardball, and then turn around and accuse us of lashing out first. You give a pass to a religious group -- one that looks down upon minorities and women -- when they use their money and membership roles to roll back the rights of others, and then you label us "fascists" when we fight back. You belittle the relationships of gay and lesbian couples, and yet somehow neglect to explain who anointed you the protector of "traditional" marriage. And, of course, you've also mastered taking the foolish actions of a few people and then indicting an entire population based on those mistakes. I fail to see how any of these patterns coincide with the values of "historic Christianity" you claim to champion.
Again, nothing new here. This is just more of the blatant hypocrisy we're used to hearing.
What really worries me is that you are always willing to use LGBT Americans as political weapons to further your ambitions. That's really so ྖs, Newt. In this day and age, it's embarrassing to watch you talk like that. You should be more afraid of the new political climate in America, because, there is no place for you in it.
In other words, stop being a hater, big bro.
LINK/URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/candace-gingrich/a-letter-to-my-brother-ne_b_145739.html
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
Even Newt Gingrich can't *defend the indefensible*
if you missed it on Hannity and Colmes, you can see the video here. Newt in his own words. Definitely worth watching.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/05/12.html#a8260
Gingrich didn't have to step down
from being the speaker. He resigned of his own accord. He was not forced to resign.
Pelosi Erases Gingrich's Long-Standing Fairness Rules....sm
Pelosi Erases Gingrich's Long-Standing Fairness Rules
by Connie Hair
01/05/2009
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to re-write House rules today to ensure that the Republican minority is unable to have any influence on legislation. Pelosi’s proposals are so draconian, and will so polarize the Capitol, that any thought President-elect Obama has of bipartisan cooperation will be rendered impossible before he even takes office.
Pelosi’s rule changes -- which may be voted on today -- will reverse the fairness rules that were written around Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America.”
In reaction, the House Republican leadership is sending a letter today to Pelosi to object to changes to House Rules this week that would bar Republicans from offering alternative bills, amendments to Democrat bills or even the guarantee of open debate accessible by motions to recommit for any piece of legislation during the entire 111th Congress. These procedural abuses, as outlined in the below letter obtained by HUMAN EVENTS, would also include the repeal of six-year limit for committee chairmen and other House Rules reform measures enacted in 1995 as part of the Contract with America.
After decades of Democrat control of the House of Representatives, gross abuses to the legislative process and several high-profile scandals contributed to an overwhelming Republican House Congressional landslide victory in 1994. Reforms to the House Rules as part of the Contract with America were designed to open up to public scrutiny what had become under this decades-long Democrat majority a dangerously secretive House legislative process. The Republican reform of the way the House did business included opening committee meetings to the public and media, making Congress actually subject to federal law, term limits for committee chairmen ending decades-long committee fiefdoms, truth in budgeting, elimination of the committee proxy vote, authorization of a House audit, specific requirements for blanket rules waivers, and guarantees to the then-Democrat minority party to offer amendments to pieces of legislation.
Pelosi’s proposed repeal of decades-long House accountability reforms exposes a tyrannical Democrat leadership poised to assemble legislation in secret, then goose-step it through Congress by the elimination of debate and amendment procedures as part of America’s governing legislative process.
Below is the text of the letter on which the House Republican leadership has signed off.
January 5, 2009
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
H-232, U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Madame Speaker,
We hope you and your family had a joyful holiday season, and as we begin a new year and a new Congress, we look forward to working with you, our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and President-elect Obama in tackling the many challenges facing our nation.
President Obama has pledged to lead a government that is open and transparent. With that in mind, we are deeply troubled by media reports indicating that the Democratic leadership is poised to repeal reforms put in place in 1995 that were intended to help restore Americans’ trust and confidence in the People’s House. Specifically, these reports note that the Majority, as part of its rules package governing the new Congress, will end six-year term limits for Committee chairs and further restrict the opportunity for all members to offer alternative legislation. This does not represent change; it is reverting back to the undemocratic one-party rule and backroom deals that the American people rejected more than a decade ago. And it has grave implications for the American people and their freedom, coming at a time when an unprecedented expansion of federal power and spending is being hastily planned by a single party behind closed doors. Republicans will vigorously oppose repealing these reforms if they are brought to a vote on the House floor.
As you know, after Republicans gained the majority in the House in 1995, our chamber adopted rules to limit the terms of all committee chairs to three terms in order to reward new ideas, innovation, and merit rather than the strict longevity that determined chairmanships in the past. This reform was intended to help restore the faith and trust of the American people in their government – a theme central to President-elect Obama’s campaign last year. He promoted a message of “change,” but Madame Speaker, abolishing term limit reform is the opposite of “change.” Instead, it will entrench a handful of Members of the House in positions of permanent power, with little regard for its impact on the American people.
The American people also stand to pay a price if the Majority further shuts down free and open debate on the House floor by refusing to allow all members the opportunity to offer substantive alternatives to important legislation -- the same opportunities that Republicans guaranteed to Democrats as motions to recommit during their 12 years in the Minority. The Majority’s record in the last Congress was the worst in history when it came to having a free and open debate on the issues.
This proposed change also would prevent Members from exposing and offering proposals to eliminate tax increases hidden by the Democratic Majority in larger pieces of legislation. This is not the kind of openness and transparency that President-elect Obama promised. This change would deprive tens of millions of Americans the opportunity to have a voice in the most important policy decisions facing our country.
Madame Speaker, we urge you to reconsider the decision to repeal these reforms, which could come up for a vote as early as tomorrow. Just as a new year brings fresh feelings of optimism and renewal for the American people, so too should a new Congress. Changing the House rules in the manner highlighted by recent media reports would have the opposite effect: further breaching the trust between our nation’s elected representatives and the men and women who send them to Washington to serve their interests and protect their freedom.
Sincerely,
Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), Republican Leader
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), Republican Whip
Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), Conference Chairman
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.), Policy Committee Chairman
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wyo.), Conference Vice-Chair
Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), Conference Secretary
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), NRCC Chairman
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Chief Deputy Whip
Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.), Rules Committee Ranking Republican
(Click here for a pdf copy of the letter with signatures.)
Newt.
First of all, the clip was only a short segment of Alan questioning Newt. It stopped just as Sean started questioning. What was said during that interview? To be fair, it should have been included. Second, Newt did not seem to have a problem with the wire tapping so much as the explanation that was given to the American people. He felt Americans were confused...they are, but he also forcefully reiterated twice that he was in favor of VERY AGGRESSIVE anti-terrorist measures. The fact remains, though, that we are not privy to the entire conversation and so context is totally lacking.
newt and his ilk
O'Reilly, Hannity, Krauthammer, etc. Remember Mort Downey? He had a show where he would just scream vile things at people who lived other than the "traditional nuclear Christian family" model. People watched at first for the novelty but then his popularity faded away. I think this is the same fate that these old dudes like those above will share. Their time is over. The tactics of diverting the public's attention by creating scapegoats to hate whilst the corporations plundered the wealth has brought the country to its knees. Now is the time for young, fresh, idealistic individuals to assume control of their political parties and undo the damage.
Viva LA Obama.
Newt
I remember Newt wanting to put all the babies in new orphanages. Orphanages are things of the past. He wants no abortion, instead build and orphanage. I think he is small minded.
Was Newt thinking for himself...(sm)
when he voted for the bailout? What could he possibly have to say at one of these things? Maybe talk about taxes? You should probably look of the history of some of these people before you go blindly following them like sheep.
Is Newt your president? Lets stick with the present
There is about to be an explosion of spending and for those that really do work and think they won't be paying taxes, think again! You could only use half your brain or whatever is lucid and understand the ONLY way to pay for that kind of spending is by EVERYONE who works to pay taxes.
You really need to get off your one-party tunnel vision way of thinking, and I would say think like an individual, but I can see you are a follower of Obama, and as we all know, most of them have never thought for themselves.
I'm an independent......sure as heck didn't want a totalitarian government in power and if I had to choose between Newt and that backside kisser we have in office now, I'd choose Newt....
Too bad we're stuck with Obama and his crooked cronies!!
I feel it safe to say you have never had an independent thought in your life.....
No, it's Newt...No, it's Sarah...No, it's Anne Coulter...No, it's Steele...
X
Dems leak Palin's SSN, Fred on Fire, Newt
A few tidbits from Rush today. Compare Nancy Pelosi to Newt--not even a contest!
Mr. Newt Rips NBC Reporter
Gingrich fights back
Fred Thompson's speech at RNC video)
I'm with you, sister! nm
nm
Sister, Sister.
nm
my sister was here
and she said she has big plans if Obama gets in... She and her husband are going to quit their jobs... she is going to have another baby... they are going to live on government assistance.... LOL..... you know, I seriously think there are people with that mindset. WOOHOO... I WON'T HAVE TO WORK AND LIVE IS GOING TO BE GRAND.... whatever.
My sister and the BIL
decided to move into the parents' place after the parents passed on. There was some (a lot of) rehab work to be done.
So she and I were patching and painting in the living room. BIL was working on cabinets in the kitchen. Sis and I were having a good time and laughing in there. Playing music, dancing and carrying on, but actually accomplishing what we needed to do. BIL actually came in and YELLED at us for having 'too much fun.' I believe he must have thought we were laughing at him. (Which actually we had not been, until he came in and made an absolute doofus of himself. After which we could hardly keep a straight face.)
Nope, he really never did not fit in. Fortunately, the humor gene was passed on to their daughter; must have been X chromosome linked.
Amen my sister...NM
NM
Amen to that sister!!!!
Amen to that sister
I have a gay son who is a wonderful example of a human being and one of my favorite people in the world. I would hope that one day he could find a life partner to have a happy, loving life with and have the same rights as everyone else. I am sick to death of these closed-minded, ignorant, "all in the name of religion" fanatics who believe that this kind of love is a sin. HOW CAN AN EXPRESSION OF LOVE BETWEEN TWO CONSENTING ADULTS BE A SIN?!!! My God does not judge and condemn people that way.
AMEN SISTER!!!
x
Can I again an AMEN sister . . .
These haters seem to forget where their ancestors came from and why they came in the first place!! Duh, is it because they wanted the opportunity to better their lives, or practice their religion freely? I wonder if when our forefathers wrote the Constitution they intended there to be an expiration date? And those same ancestors are the ones that came over here, killed all the Native Americans they could, and the ones they didn't forced them into their religion and then put them on reservations. Kind of sound like history repeating itself.
Amen, sister!
*
you have never been to my sister's church
and she is not going to look for a different one either. You don't speak for God and neither do they.
These churches have their own agendas. Anybody can be brainwashed if they do not question authority.
Amen, sister!............nm
nm
Good for you - you tell them sister
I'm sorry for what you went through but sounds like you made the best of your situation and made the decisions necessary to survive.
Everyone should keep their nose out of every else's business. Nobody knows what other people are going through, hence they should mind their own business.
Yeah! Here you go, sister!...nm
nm
Amen, sister!
nm
My baby sister (in her 50s) says
Obama speaks 'real elegant' and also told me prior to the election that he does not use notes because he has a 'photogenic memory.' This is the sister who dropped out of high school and stays tuned to the MSM 24/7. Love her, but sometimes I need subtitles when we speak. Sort of like listening to comedian Norm Crosby (if anyone else is old enough to remember him.)
Amen, sister!
Reagan is often accused of cutting taxes for the rich. Who do they think PAYS the taxes? Also, after the first round of tax cuts, my federal income tax went down by about $100, and I was making, good grief, about 15k a year at that time? Guess I was one of the lucky rich who got a tax cut. Uh huh.
And when was the last time you went to a POOR guy looking for a job??
AMEN SISTER! nm
nm
This is what my sister told me
We grew up Methodist (12 years of church/sunday school in a Methodist parish). A few years back she became mormon and she was into baptizing every single person in our family (and her friends) who had died. This is what she told me. - By baptizing them they now can enter into ? (wherever the mormons go) because they weren't aware of the religion when they were alive, and now they are safe. We argued and argued about it. She even had the nerve to tell me after my mom died that my mom had expressed wishes to become involved in the mormon religion, but didn't get to before she died. So now she is okay now that she has been baptized. I told her that's funny because I was just visiting mom (who lives on the other side of the states) the week before she died and I had rosary beads that were blessed by a priest (although I'm not catholic - got them from a priest on the plane), and my mom was holding them and wanted to say that prayer of Mary - forge the name - Hail Mary full of grace, etc, etc., and she also asked for a Priest to say the last rites prayer when she was in the hospital. Sis was not real happy that I called for a Priest for my mom.
Anyway...I don't want to make this a religious discussion cos that's for a different board, but just telling you how my sister explained it.
I too still don't get it. I think it's more of a "feel good" thing for them. The person is long since gone and gone on to whatever realm they go to after they leave and I don't think there are different religions where they go - which btw she has already told me once I pass that because I'm not a mormon I will be on the same level with Charles Manson, Jefrey Dahmer, etc. But if I become mormon I will be elevated up to the next level. No offense to anyone on this board (I actually attended mormon services for a year when I was in the service), but it's just too "out there" for me and goes against everything I believe in, but so do all of the religions.
Amen, sister!
He is doing an outstanding job because he is intelligent. Nobody can refute that, though they try by painting untruths as if they are credible facts.
He is extremely popular with all free-thinking, intelligent people.
Amen sister. nm
nm
Amen to that, sister!
cnn - palin's father and sister
to speak about her. Why won't she be interviewed? What are the repubs hiding by keeping her in a cocoon?
My sister believes this stuff
My sister's church tells her this stuff to scare her and get her tithe. Let me tell you in the 80s she was no saint. It makes me feel bad for her that her church makes her so afraid and discourages her from thinking for herself.
Okay, then should they VOTE? My half-sister in
nm
My sister lost her job several months ago
and she cannot find anyone hiring in her area or anywhere near her area. She is a registered nurse and is in the process of a divorce and is trying to raise 2 little girls.
Remember when RNs were needed everywhere? Now they can't even find jobs.
ROFL. Paddle on, sister.....
down the river of denial. Obama is fast on the way to raising the debt to twice what it was after 8 years of Bush and a WAR. Oh, while we are on the subject of war....backed off on that hasn't he? Oh yeah, pulling some combat troops out in 16 months but leaving a "presence" indefinitely. Oops...one campaign promise shot to heck. And escalating the Afghan war and every one he pulls out of Iraq will end up in Afghanistan. More palatable to have Americans die there I suppose? Because the great and powerful O says so? Signed a bill with 900+ earmarks in it, after swearing he would do a line-by-line and cut earmarks? Boom! Down goes another campaign promise. I especially liked the earmark for how many million to study how to keep pig poop from stinking up Iowa. Yeah, that's something we need to do right now. Change? ROFL. More of the same, only worse....spend, Dems, spend. Go ahead.
And for the record...a poll back when Bush was elected said over 50% of Democrats wanted him to fail, and you are having apoplexy because Rush Limbaugh said he hoped Obama's policies failed? Okay when Dems do it, not okay when a Republican does it.
And for the record, not a registered Republican OR Democrat. Independent conservative that agrees with the kid...based on principles, not politics and power: respect the Constitution, respect life, less government, personal responsibility. Directly opposite the "ruling" party and Prez. The things that made this country great, and he appears he$$ bent on destroying in the first 6 months. And you guys cheering him on. LOL. Reminds me of Caesar fiddling while Rome burned.
The Letter sm
I do not watch Glenn Beck, but this is an excellent letter. This was written by a grandmother in Arizona. Wish there was 100 million more like her.
GLENN: I got a letter from a woman in Arizona. She writes an open letter to our nation's leadership: I'm a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you're willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would horribly feel so disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me?
Well, these are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:
One, illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S., I'm not a racist. This isn't to be confused with legal immigration.
Two, the TARP bill, I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We told you no, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.
Three: Czars, I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.
Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There is more to say.
Five, universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don't you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!
Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Mind your own business. You have enough to take care of with your real obligations. Why don't you start there.
Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes. Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census over with our taxpayer money. I don't trust them with our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello. Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate.
Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do you want me to hate my employers? Why ‑‑ what do you have against shareholders making a profit?
Nine, charitable contributions. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.
Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we'll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. Have you ever ripped off a Band‑Aid? We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.
Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let's have it. Let's say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk. Please try ‑‑ please stop manipulating and trying to appease me with clever wording. I am not the idjit you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.
Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now.
Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let's just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I'm busy. I'm busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.
I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.
From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don't want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we're idjits.
We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented. You think we're so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work , pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone and we are now looking up at you. You have awakened us, the patriotic spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office. We have cancelled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn't ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us when he will rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.
Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don't care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole darn congress if need be one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming.
http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/26742/
Amen, sister. Take another swig of the cough syrup...
and keep it coming. :-)
Seriously....hope you feel better soon.
The sister born 9 years later in Jakarta Indonesia?
the answer to that question? How many out there sit around discussing the hospital where there were born with their half-siblings? When did they ask her that question...before or after the legal challenges? Perhaps she made an educated guess based on Hawaiian geography and process of elimination. Would be interested in the context of that conversation. Got any links to that information?
He has provided his birth certificate. People can choose to either believe it or not, even though the courts, DNC, secy of the state of Illinois and the US secy of state seem to uphold its legitimacy). I think these other questions regarding 1996, 1998, 2002 and 2004 (the other years he was found to be eligible to run for office) when he was certified by the Illinois Secretary of State 3 times, the US Secretary of State in 2004 and the DNC and US Secretary of State in 2008 would be interesting to explore, in the interest of uncovering the ENTIRE story, especially since the constitution was not brought into the diaglog until Hillary lost the primaries, was not selected as VP and the reality of Obama's candidacy started to sink in with the republican base.
Furthermore, where the pubs think they are going to end up with this is almost too mind-boggling for even the most imaginative among us to conceive, so I really do wish they would enlighten us on that one.
Half sister ---college student --- left that
nm
CIA Agents Letter
CIA Agents Letter to US Senate and House
18 July 2005
AN OPEN STATEMENT TO THE LEADERS OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE.
The Honorable Dennis Hastert, Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Dr. William Frist, Majority Leader of the Senate
The Honorable Harry Reid, Minority Leader of the Senate
We, the undersigned former U.S. intelligence officers are concerned with the tone and substance of the public debate over the ongoing Department of Justice investigation into who leaked the name of Valerie Plame, wife of former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson IV, to syndicated columnist Robert Novak and other members of the media, which exposed her status as an undercover CIA officer. The disclosure of Ms. Plame’s name was a shameful event in American history and, in our professional judgment, may have damaged U.S. national security and poses a threat to the ability of U.S. intelligence gathering using human sources. Any breach of the code of confidentiality and cover weakens the overall fabric of intelligence, and, directly or indirectly, jeopardizes the work and safety of intelligence workers and their sources.
The Republican National Committee has circulated talking points to supporters to use as part of a coordinated strategy to discredit Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife. As part of this campaign a common theme is the idea that Ambassador Wilson’s wife, Valerie Plame was not undercover and deserved no protection. The following are four recent examples of this "talking point":
Michael Medved stated on Larry King Live on July 12, 2005, "And let's be honest about this. Mrs. Plame, Mrs. Wilson, had a desk job at Langley. She went back and forth every single day."
Victoria Toensing stated on a Fox News program with John Gibson on July 12, 2005 that, "Well, they weren't taking affirmative measures to protect that identity. They gave her a desk job in Langley. You don't really have somebody deep undercover going back and forth to Langley, where people can see them."
Ed Rodgers, Washington Lobbyist and former Republican official, said on July 13, 2005 on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, "And also I think it is now a matter of established fact that Mrs. Plame was not a protected covert agent, and I don't think there's any meaningful investigation about that."
House majority whip Roy Blunt (R, Mo), on Face the Nation, July 17, 2005, "It certainly wouldn't be the first time that the CIA might have been overzealous in sort of maintaining the kind of top-secret definition on things longer than they needed to. You know, this was a job that the ambassador's wife had that she went to every day. It was a desk job. I think many people in Washington understood that her employment was at the CIA, and she went to that office every day."
These comments reveal an astonishing ignorance of the intelligence community and the role of cover. The fact is that there are thousands of U.S. intelligence officers who "work at a desk" in the Washington, D.C. area every day who are undercover. Some have official cover, and some have non-official cover. Both classes of cover must and should be protected.
While we are pleased that the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting an investigation and that the U.S. Attorney General has recused himself, we believe that the partisan attacks against Valerie Plame are sending a deeply discouraging message to the men and women who have agreed to work undercover for their nation’s security.
We are not lawyers and are not qualified to determine whether the leakers technically violated the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act. However, we are confident that Valerie Plame was working in a cover status and that our nation’s leaders, regardless of political party, have a duty to protect all intelligence officers. We believe it is appropriate for the President to move proactively to dismiss from office or administratively punish any official who participated in any way in revealing Valerie Plame's status. Such an act by the President would send an unambiguous message that leaks of this nature will not be tolerated and would be consistent with his duties as the Commander-in-Chief.
We also believe it is important that Congress speak with one non-partisan voice on this issue. Intelligence officers should not be used as political footballs. In the case of Valerie Plame, she still works for the CIA and is not in a position to publicly defend her reputation and honor. We stand in her stead and ask that Republicans and Democrats honor her service to her country and stop the campaign of disparagement and innuendo aimed at discrediting Mrs. Wilson and her husband.
Our friends and colleagues have difficult jobs gathering the intelligence, which helps, for example, to prevent terrorist attacks against Americans at home and abroad. They sometimes face great personal risk and must spend long hours away from family and friends. They serve because they love this country and are committed to protecting it from threats from abroad and to defending the principles of liberty and freedom. They do not expect public acknowledgement for their work, but they do expect and deserve their government’s protection of their covert status.
For the good of our country, we ask you to please stand up for every man and woman who works for the U.S. intelligence community and help protect their ability to live their cover.
Sincerely yours,
_____________________________________
Larry C. Johnson, former Analyst, CIA
JOINED BY:
Mr. Brent Cavan, former Analyst, CIA
Mr. Vince Cannistraro, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. Michael Grimaldi, former Analyst, CIA
Mr. Mel Goodman, former senior Analyst, CIA
Col. W. Patrick Lang (US Army retired), former Director, Defense Humint Services, DIA
Mr. David MacMichael, former senior estimates officer, National Intelligence Council, CIA
Mr. James Marcinkowski, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. Ray McGovern, former senior Analyst and PDB Briefer, CIA
Mr. Jim Smith, former Case Officer, CIA
Mr. William C. Wagner, former Case Officer, CIA
letter from a soldier
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, if you are given this story DO NOT REENLIST!
From: aaronb
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2005 10:42 PM
To: soldiers@michaelmoore.com
Subject: army con artist
Mr. Moore,
I would like to start by saying that I think what you are doing for the troops is probably the most supportive thing any one human being could do during this troubled time. I would like to tell you my story, and I hope that it can help other soldiers in my position.
I am a specialist in the US Army, I have served four years on active duty, and I am separating from the service later this month. Earlier this year my wife and I had a baby girl. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, which is a genetic disease which affects the lungs. Her life expectancy is about 30 years old. When she was born she required surgery which kept her in the hospital for about a month. As you can probably imagine, this was quite expensive. I wasn't worried about paying for it because I assumed military insurance (TRICARE) would cover it. I went along with that assumption for the next few months, but about 2 weeks before I was scheduled to ETS, I made a routine trip to the tricare office at the base hospital. When I arrived there and showed them an outstanding bill from the hospital where my daughter had the surgery, which showed an outstanding balance of 127,000 dollars, I was informed that that bill must be paid by me personally because I was required to pay 20% of any medical bill from any hospital or clinic not in the military system. When I asked the clerk what my options were for payment, she informed me that I either pay the bill in full, or reenlist and the bill would be paid for by the army. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, so I left the office without saying another word, went home, and called the 1 800 number for tricare. The representative assured me that the clerks statements were entirely false and that my insurance policy had a catastrophic cap of 1000 dollars. While I have no proof, I believe that the clerk from the office at the hospital (who was a civilian) was receiving some type of payment to try and con soldiers with exceptional family members into reenlisting. I am considering obtaining legal counsel on this matter, but I doubt I have a case. I just wanted to write this to make sure it never happens to anyone else. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, if you are given this story DO NOT REENLIST! Contact the tricare hotline before doing anything based on what you are told. I hope that this has not happened to anyone else, but I fear that is not true.
Thank you for your help,
A soldier for peace
letter to Congress
Date: Sat, 3 Dec 2005 13:59:37 -0800 (PST)
From: NT <nancyt1210@yahoo.com>
Subject: Open Letter to Congress from a Veteran and Military Dad
Stan Goff is Vietnam veteran and son served in Iraq. An Open
Letter to Congress from a Veteran and Military Dad On Power By STAN
GOFF, Dec. 2, 2005
(Disclaiming in advance for the rare exceptions in Congress)
If there is one thing we can always count on, it's politicians who
walk over human corpses to show fear only in the face of something as
formless and abstract as an opinion poll. Many of us in the veterans and
military families antiwar movement are well-versed on so-called
realism--and that deference we are supposed to exercise when we approach
elected officials, hat in hand, for a few crumbs of your attention and
support.
We understand power very well.
You are fighting each other for your careers, and you are retaining
your power over us through distance and guile, and trying to promote
that power by pretending you are hearing our concerns. But we have more
than concerns at stake here.
It is because we understand power that we haven't the slightest
intention of allowing ourselves to be used to promote your careers past the
2006 elections. If you fail to demand US withdrawal now, you are
supporting the war; and if you support the war, as far as we are concerned,
you can go straight to hell in 2006.
It is because we understand power that we are not going to forgive
and forget that when the war fever was up, fed by the lies of
Republicans, the war was facilitated by the eager xenophobic complicity of most
Democrats, and by the slavish obedience of the corporate press. Most of
you not only co-signed what you knew to be an illegal invasion--you have
continued to sign the checks to perpetuate the war.
You wanted to be lied to about the war, because the polls supported
the war, and you were sniffing the political air.
It is because we understand power that we know that most of you did
this out of craven opportunism and a concern for your political
ambitions--knowing full well that no one you loved was likely to be sent home
without a limb, without an eye, without a life.
It is because we understand power that we know how cynically cavalier
you are with the lives of others, and how narcissistically
self-promoting.
It is because we understand power that we understand why many of you
are backpedaling in your support for the war. You are maneuvering to be
critical of the war. You demand the administration provide an
effective exit strategy. And you haven't said a goddamned substantive
thing, as the cameras shutter away for you. And you want us to play
along--so you can beat Republicans without taking a single real position. You
don't want to stop this war. You want to win an election. By the time
you win that election, another thousand troops and another 20,000 Iraqis
could be dead. We do not calculate time the way you do.
It is because we understand power that we know most of you will stand
by while those of us with less privilege see our loved ones sent to
kill and die. The real corpses produced by the exercise of power are no
more to you than a political calculation.
We understand power, because we know what really stands behind it.
Power is embodied in the mounted cops you use to police our protests.
Power is expressed by the armed guards for your gated communities. Power
is the ability to kill and maim and get away with it, even if you dress
it up in $5,000 suits and trot it out on the talk-show circuit, on
C-Span, in your interviews with CNN.
Power is projected onto other peoples using your Cruise missiles and
A-10s and Bradley fighting vehicles and the people who join the
military. And the price of that power doesn't merely come from our pockets. We
probably wouldn't fight you about how you rob us for your pork barrel
defense contracts. The price that has us in motion right now--you really
must understand this, because it means we will never back off--is
exacted on the bodies of human beings.
The price is exacted with mortars, with IEDs, with high powered rifle
ammunition, with bombs, with the same A-10s and Bradleys; and it is
exacted on the bodies of our loved ones and the loved ones of the Iraqi
people.
That's why we are not going to grant you the power to manipulate us,
to contain us, to corral us, or to pimp our grief over this war and its
costs on behalf of your political careers or the needs of a political
party. That's why were are going to be rudely explicit when we say that
your bombast against the Bush administration--as if they did this
without your help--in calling for a more effective exit strategy and
demanding that people merely think about a plan for withdrawal from Iraq
that will take months or years this verbiage is meaningless and
manipulative. We will never stand for studying a withdrawal, for phasing a
withdrawal, for delaying a withdrawal, for setting conditions for a
withdrawal, or for partial withdrawal. Never.
Our demand from the beginning remains unchanged. It is for
withdrawal, and for immediate, unilateral, unconditional withdrawal; and if
political careers go up in smoke as a consequence, we do not give a good
goddamn. People are dying in Iraq as a direct result of this war every
single day. Go back to your fucking law offices and let our children live.
Gradual, phased, planned, strategized, conditioned, delayed, partial
withdrawals get implemented, if at all, while those military sedans
continue to roll up in front of people's houses to announce the extinction
of a human being to his or her family and while the bodies are dropped
into the fresh graves at the cemeteries of Iraq.
Gradual, phased, planned, strategized, conditioned, delayed, partial
withdrawals get implemented, if at all, while the poisons accumulate in
the soil and water and food of Iraq, and in the bodies of Iraqis and
occupation troops.
Gradual, phased, planned, strategized, conditioned, delayed, partial
withdrawals get implemented, if at all, while the hospitals fill up
with the lamed, maimed, blinded, and disfigured.
Gradual, phased, planned, strategized, conditioned, delayed, partial
withdrawals get implemented, if at all, while the grief and horror
associated with this criminal war become the daily emotional fare of more
and more people, occupation forces and Iraqis.
No member of Congress has the moral right to dither on the question
of his or her precious career while a single constituent is facing the
fear of that devastating knock on the door. We say the emperor has no
clothes; and we say we know you when you feign concern with your eye
fixed firmly on your ambition.
An exit is not a strategy. An exit is a command.
If the commander in chief won't give that command, then you in
Congress--if you want to salvage anything that looks vaguely like a
conscience or a soul--will refuse to grant this administration another penny to
continue this war. We are not hearing you when you tap dance about
political realism. The mounting mass of corpses, that you have walked
over every time you voted a cent to continue this war, is about as real as
it gets. Don't you dare ever lecture military families and veterans
about realism. And don't you doubt that we understand power.
You may think you can respond to your careerist concerns in the face
of reversing polls. You may think you can pretend to do something, that
you can bewilder us into accepting half a loaf better than none.
To the tiny handful of you in Congress who have said what we say,
Out Now!, we commend you and thank you for your principled voices.
To those of you who are openly supporting this criminal
administration, we'll see you in the street, and history will consign your names to
the chapters about imperial bullying, comb-over machismo, and cognitive
mediocrity.
To those of you who call for half measures, phases, and strategies,
you are directly in front of us now. You are standing directly in our
path, and we are not going to go around you.
We are not going to commend you on being better than the
reactionaries.
We are not going to thank you for our half a loaf.
We are not going to try and give you the political cover you need to
wiggle around those shifting opinion polls while you salvage your
careers.
We do not love you. We find your ambivalence contemptible.
We love the people who are facing the real consequences of this war
while you schmooze your way through the chicken-salad circuits of
imperial power, nattering on about realism and phases and strategies.
You will not divert our attention away from you. You will redirect
neither our anger nor our will away from you. It is you who are standing
directly in our way; and every time you try to dicker about people's
lives with us like we are in street market, every time you try to pimp
our outrage at this crime, as a mere concern that only you are entitled
to address with your careerist half-measures, we will call you to
account. We will embarrass you. We will shine a spotlight on your cowardice,
your opportunism, and your grotesque cynical hypocrisy.
November 2006 is not an election to us; it is a body count. If you
think you can take us for granted over an election, think again.
Get it right, because we have never wavered on our position. The mass
of American society is moving toward us, not you. They are listening
more and more to us, and less and less to you. We are about saving lives,
not saving face. So get it right, and get it right fast. We are looking
at your political house with an eye to pulling it down.
We understand power very well.
Stan Goff is the author of Hideous Dream: A Soldier's Memoir of the
US Invasion of Haiti (Soft Skull Press, 2000), Full Spectrum
Disorder (Soft Skull Press, 2003) and Sex & War which will be released
approximately December, 2005. He is retired from the United States Army. His
blog is at www.stangoff.com.
Goff can be reached at: sherrynstan@igc.org
My Letter to the President
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Mr. President:
Are you proud of your accomplishments as president? I have highlighted just a few for you below. You and those you surround yourself with have:
• KILLED over 3600 AMERICAN TROOPS.
• MAIMED over 25,000 AMERICAN TROOPS.
• KILLED nearly 70,000 IRAQI CIVILIANS and 650,000 IRAQIS TOTAL have died as a result of US INVASION.
• Orchestrated WAR on IRAQ when the 9/11 TERRORISTS were MOSTLY SAUDI.
• Allowed NO-BID CONTRACTS for IRAQ war reconstruction and MONEY UNACCOUNTED FOR.
• DESTABILIZED MIDDLE EAST, now wanting TO SELL WEAPONS to Arab “allies.”
• Incurred the LARGEST NATIONAL DEBT IN OUR HISTORY, nearing 9 TRILLION.
• Shown INCOMPETENCE and INEFFECTIVENESS in response to HURRICANE KATRINA.
• Shown DISRESPECT FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL, initially attempting to reduce veterans’ benefits for those who put their lives at risk for this country in the past and leaving those who serve in Iraq without needed supplies.
• Done nothing about NEARLY 50 MILLION AMERICANS UNINSURED.
• CUT EDUCATION LOANS and REDUCED PELL GRANTS.
• Shown DISREGARD for THE CONSTITUTION of the United States of America with the so-called Patriot Act.
• Shown DISREGARD for the SAFETY and HEALTH of our ENVIRONMENT, for example, withdrawing the US from the Kyoto Protocol agreement and opening public land for oil drilling.
• Shown HYPOCRISY and FAVORITISM by COMMUTING SCOOTER LIBBY’S SENTENCE. July 19, 2005, Washington Post: “PRESIDENT BUSH SAID yesterday that he will fire anyone in the administration found to have committed a crime in the leaking of a CIA operative's name.”
• ALLOWED Attorney General ROBERTO GONZALEZ, a representative of truth and justice, TO REMAIN in government office AFTER HE LIED about his presence at a meeting regarding the questionably-timed firings of eight US attorneys.
Past presidents during my lifetime have not always behaved admirably, but your behavior and record in office reveal a decidedly un-Christian lack of ethics and morality exceeding that of any except perhaps Richard Nixon. Where did you leave your oft-professed Christianity? I pray the nation survives your destructive administration, and I pray you begin to live a truly honorable life from this day on.
Sincerely,
Letter from a soldier
Here is an email I received from my cousin. Thought it interesting enough to put up here. It is a letter written by a soldier in Afghanistan.
Hello everyone,
As you know I am not a very political person. I just wanted to pass along that Senator Obama came to Bagram Afghanistan for about an hour on his visit to “The War Zone”. I wanted to share with you what happened.
He got off the plane and got into a bullet proof vehicle, got to the area to meet with the Major General (2 Star) who is the commander here at Bagram.
As the Soldiers where lined up to shake his hand he blew them off and didn't say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the General.
As he finished, the vehicles took him to the Clam Shell (pretty much a big top tent that military personnel can play basketball or work out in with weights) so he could take his publicity pictures playing basketball. He again shunned the opportunity to talk to Soldiers to thank them for their service.
So really he was just here to make a showing for the American's back home that he is their candidate for President. I think that if you are going to make an effort to come all the way over here you would thank those that are providing the freedom that they are providing for you.
I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheer leaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States. I just don't understand how anyone would want him to be our Commander-and-Chief. It was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country.
If this is blunt and to the point I am sorry but I wanted you all to know what kind of caliber of person he really is. What you see in the news is all fake.
In service,
CPT Jeffrey S. Porter
Battle Captain
TF Wasatch
American Soldier
American by birth
MARINE by the grace of God
Semper Fi
an open letter to God
Sunday, August 31st, 2008
Dear God,
The other night, the Rev. James Dobson's ministry asked all believers to pray for a storm on Thursday night so that the Obama acceptance speech outdoors in Denver would have to be cancelled.
I see that You have answered Rev. Dobson's prayers -- except the storm You have sent to earth is not over Denver, but on its way to New Orleans! In fact, You have scheduled it to hit Louisiana at exactly the moment that George W. Bush is to deliver his speech at the Republican National Convention.
Now, heavenly Father, we all know You have a great sense of humor and impeccable timing. To send a hurricane on the third anniversary of the Katrina disaster AND right at the beginning of the Republican Convention was, at first blush, a stroke of divine irony. I don't blame You, I know You're angry that the Republicans tried to blame YOU for Katrina by calling it an "Act of God" -- when the truth was that the hurricane itself caused few casualties in New Orleans. Over a thousand people died because of the mistakes and neglect caused by humans, not You.
Some of us tried to help after Katrina hit, while Bush ate cake with McCain and twiddled his thumbs. I closed my office in New York and sent my entire staff down to New Orleans to help. I asked people on my website to contribute to the relief effort I organized -- and I ended up sending over two million dollars in donations, food, water, and supplies (collected from thousands of fans) to New Orleans while Bush's FEMA ice trucks were still driving around Maine three weeks later.
But this past Thursday night, the Washington Post reported that the Republicans had begun making plans to possibly postpone the convention. The AP had reported that there were no shelters set up in New Orleans for this storm, and that the levee repairs have not been adequate. In other words, as the great Ronald Reagan would say, "There you go again!"
So the last thing John McCain and the Republicans needed was to have a split-screen on TVs across America: one side with Bush and McCain partying in St. Paul, and on the other side of the screen, live footage of their Republican administration screwing up once again while New Orleans drowns.
So, yes, You have scared the Jesus, Mary and Joseph out of them, and more than a few million of your followers tip their hats to You.
But now it appears that You haven't been having just a little fun with Bush & Co. It appears that Hurricane Gustav is truly heading to New Orleans and the Gulf coast. We hear You, O Lord, loud and clear, just as we did when Rev. Falwell said You made 9/11 happen because of all those gays and abortions. We beseech You, O Merciful One, not to punish us again as Pat Robertson said You did by giving us Katrina because of America's "wholesale slaughter of unborn children." His sentiments were echoed by other Republicans in 2005.
So this is my plea to you: Don't do this to Louisiana again. The Republicans got your message. They are scrambling and doing the best they can to get planes, trains and buses to New Orleans so that everyone can get out. They haven't sent the entire Louisiana National Guard to Iraq this time -- they are already patrolling the city streets. And, in a nod to I don't know what, Bush's head of FEMA has named a man to help manage the federal government's response. His name is W. Michael Moore. I kid you not, heavenly Father. They have sent a man with both my name AND W's to help save the Gulf Coast.
So please God, let the storm die out at sea. It's done enough damage already. If you do this one favor for me, I promise not to invoke your name again. I'll leave that to the followers of Rev. Dobson and to those gathering this week in St. Paul.
Your faithful servant and former seminarian,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com
letter to the editor
Dear Editor,
It's been said, “If you can't refute the message, attack the messenger.”
I hear certain people demean the character of Jerome R. Corsi, the author of “The Obama Nation - Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality.”
I decided to investigate the book myself, rather than just take someone's word for it.
Interestingly, I found that Mr. Corsi received a Ph.D. from Harvard University and has written many books and articles, including a number one New York Times best seller.
In addition, he is a senior staff reporter for World Net Daily.
“The Obama Nation” is thoroughly researched and documented.
Corsi meticulously sourced his material with over 600 footnotes.
He began researching Mr. Obama back in 2005.
Of note, Corsi is not a Republican or a Democrat, nor does he intend to vote for Senator John McCain.
In this comprehensive book, Corsi examines Barack Hussein Obama’s extensive connections with Islam and radical politics, his affiliation with the black-liberation theology of Jeremiah Wright, his involvement with Chicago political fixer Tony Rezko, and Obama’s cult of personality, including the derivation of the words “hope” and “change.”
Corsi also documents Obama's far-left domestic policy, his controversial votes on abortion, his history of opposition to the second amendment, his determination to raise taxes, his impractical plan to achieve universal healthcare and many other important and pertinent issues.
Obviously, it is not my place, nor anyone else's, to tell someone how to vote or who to vote for, but I would suggest that readers thinking of voting for Mr. Obama owe it to themselves, and to the future of our country, to research more of his background in order to better understand his ideology, his policies and his politics. (Another interesting book is "The Case Against Barack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media’s Favorite Candidate.")
These books should be available at the local library and are eye-opening reads.
A letter to the editor -
From a Cuban-American, talking about "change." A real eye opener. He's been there, done that.
Letter to Obama....
http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/diarypage.php?did=11061
Letter to my employees...
Not sure who wrote this letter, but its quite a good read..
To All My Valued Employees,
There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country.
However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interests.
First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You've seen my big home at last years Christmas party. I'm sure; all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life.
However, what you don't see is the back story.
I started this company 28 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living apartment was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.
My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.
Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the Goodwill store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.
So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5pm, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to my hip like a 1 year old special-needs child. You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... You never realize the back story and the sacrifices I've made.
Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the people who didn't. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for.
Yes, business ownership has is benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds.
Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:
I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.
The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check? Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country.
The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy.
Here is what many of you don't understand ... to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.
When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the poor of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep.
So where am I going with all this?
It's quite simple.
If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more.
Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire. You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.
If you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about....
Signed,
Your boss
|
