A Change in Tone

When I started blogging four or five years ago I saw it as an outlet for political issues of interest to me.  I got a visit from time-to-time by people who did not share my opinions and that has been fine.  As a conservative I am all about freedom and I decided not to moderate my blog for that reason.  I recently ran across one of the most vicious and unreasonable people that I have encountered on-line.  I don’t have that problem with liberals that I encounter in person – they tend to be infinitely more respectful.  However on-line anonymity gives cowards and scoundrels a screen from justice that translates into offensiveness. 

For liberals who don’t understand polite discourse or even the art of debate:

When someone provides you an opinion supported by facts you aren’t “debating” when you say “You’re stupid.”

When someone presents you with a factual argument you aren’t “debating” when you call them a racist.  The proper response would be to counter – if you can – with facts of your own.  

When someone tries to conclude an argument with supporting facts you aren’t “debating” when you change the subject.  Sometimes you are going to be wrong and it’s cowardice to run away from that fact. 

If you get angry, frustrated, or tied up in knots over dealing with conservatives – maybe it’s you.  After all, polling has uniformly shown for decades now that there are generally twice as many self described conservatives as there are self described liberals.  You would be foolish to not at least consider the possibility that you are wrong. 

I apologize to my regular visitors that it took me this long to recognize the particular psychoses of the liberal alluded to.  However you shouldn’t be burdened with his hate-filled screed anymore.  If necessary, I will go to a moderated blog though I prefer to eject his vitriol in other ways.  

     

A Visit to Academia

Sunday afternoon we attended my son’s graduation.  He and 39 others received Master’s Degrees and we couldn’t have been prouder of him.  The entire affair included several hundred other students receiving various Bachelor of Arts and Science degrees.  There was all the pomp and splendor of academics in flowing gowns in a dizzying array of colors with colored cords, medallions, and accoutrements.  I skipped my college graduation ceremony and opted to just attend my Marine commissioning ceremony that afternoon instead.  So my understanding of these events is shallow. 

The speeches that day were standard liberal pabulum.  People who live in academia confuse wisdom with education.  They had no doubt provided these students with a great array of education, but the students weren’t going to gain wisdom until they tried to apply that education in the real world.  The people on the dais bestowing the honors were educated – but wise?  I don’t know.  Many were about my age and I couldn’t help wondering what they were doing while I was training to serve my country – demonstrating their hate for our country no doubt. 

Nothing that the academics said surprised me however the crowd’s response did pleasantly surprise me.  As each graduate’s name was called there were cheers and calls from his or her supporters.  Like me they were all there for a specific graduate or perhaps a group of graduates.  The crowd was silent for the most part unless their graduate’s name was called.  That is until the first the narrator added after his name “ . . . . he has also earned a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army.”  The crowd and the assembled students erupted in applause.  In addition to my distinctive Marine “OOH-Rah!”  There were also a number of army “Hoo-Ah!”  That happened for each of the seven men and women who had been commissioned second lieutenants.  I thought it was wonderful.  The only ovation that was louder was the one for Graduate Young who was the last name called that afternoon. 

The President of the University got up to make his final remarks.  More liberal pabulum for the most part.  Academics must not encounter real people very often – I guess once a year at graduations.  What I found interesting is that the President started listing “important” events that had occurred while the class of 2011 had been in school.  Of the things mentioned was the election "of the first black President Barack Obama . . . . " silence from the crowd.  He continued with other meaningless incidents that had occurred until mentioning that "Osama bin Laden was killed last week . . . " and the crowd erupted in applause (including much of the student body).  The "OOH-Rah" they heard was me.  It may be wishful thinking - but I think the President looked a little shocked. 

All-in-all I think it was probably good for academia to have had the opportunity to meet America on Sunday.  

     

Oil in Liberal Double-Speak

President Obama was campaigning in Indiana today and according to the Los Angeles Times he said:

"Oil companies over the last five years, through a recession, through ups and downs, the top five oil companies, their profits have ranged between $75 billion and $125 billion," he said. "And yet they still have a tax loophole that is costing taxpayers $4 billion every year. Now, if you're already paying them at the pump, we don't need to pay them through the tax code."

It is wonderful news that five companies are making money.  That is good news to the hundreds of thousands of people employed either directly or indirectly by these companies.  It is particularly good news to the tens of millions of people who have money invested in those companies.  Only a liberal could turn profits into a bad thing.  I don't hear them complaining about the profits Apple and Steve Jobs are making. 

The “tax loophole” is actually a tax credit for royalties that oil companies are required to pay foreign governments.  This tax credit was put in place in the 1950s by the United States Department of State to level the international economic playing field.  If US oil companies don’t get that $4 Billion tax credit they might absorb some of it, but the remainder of it will be passed on to the consumer at the pump.  Some liberals like Representative Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (Idiot-FL) have referred to this tax credit as a “subsidy.”  Liberal double-speak at its most perverse. 

Why doesn’t the Federal Government cut the $4 Billion out of the sinfully wasteful budget of the Department of Energy?  A useless bureaucracy put in place by Jimmy Carter (now elevated to the second worst president in American history). 

This year according to Mr. Obama “the nation reached its highest level of oil production since 2003. But with only 2 percent to 3 percent of the world’s oil reserves, it’s not enough for a nation that consumes about 25 percent of the oil.” 

Again, classic liberal doublespeak.  Technically speaking all of the elements of this statement are correct, but put together it creates a false narrative.  Mr. Obama is implying that his regime is responsible for increased oil production.  However if the argument shifts to drilling he has said that nothing he could do would impact oil levels for a decade.  In this sense he wants to have his cake and eat it to.  When it serves his purpose the good news is a result of his leadership.  When there is bad news, if it wasn’t George Bush’s fault then he can’t do anything about it for a decade.  Classic liberalism. 

The fact that we may command only 2-3% of the world’s oil reserves has nothing to do with the amount of oil that we consume.  That’s like doing a transportation study by comparing the number of railroad miles with the number of two-car automobile garages.  The two figures have no relationship.  By any competent industry analysis we have vast quantities of oil within our borders and off our shores.  Exploiting those resources would drive down prices and employ Americans instead of foreigners in recovering, refining, and delivering petroleum products.  It is quite simply insanity to not step up oil production in the United States. 

President Bill Clinton said 15 years ago that drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) wouldn't result in oil in the market place for . . . . . . . . .well now.  We would be driving on that oil now.  Mr. Obama is using this same tired excuse – we need to start drilling now.  

     

Let’s Get On to Something Else

A very good thing happened on Sunday night when Navy SEALs entered Osama bin Laden’s house and killed him.  Personally I don’t give a hoot how that happened – I’m just deliriously happy that it did happen.  Now however the press appears to be bent on flailing all the details hoping to spin this into a bad thing.  Can the other news stories be that trivial?   Let’s get on to important stuff.  To set the record straight:

Was bin Laden armed or unarmed?  No one should care but apparently he was.  If the SEALs had captured him Attorney General Eric Holder would have bounced bin Laden around the Un-Justice system until we finally get rid of Eric Holder in January 2013.  Holder isn’t interested in justice – frankly I don’t know what he is interested in.  We’re better off with bin Laden dead. 

Should we release photos of the bastard or not?  I don’t think it serves any purpose.  Besides al Qaeda barbarians will just point to the birth certificate released last week and say “If they can fake that, they can fake anything.”  (For you humorless liberals out there – I’m kidding)  I agree with the President we don’t need it, “spiking” the ball makes it look like you haven’t been to the end zone before, and al Qaeda is already referring to bin Laden as a “martyr.”   That’s good enough for me. 

We apparently gave bin Laden an honorable Muslim burial.  That’s okay with me.  As much as I wanted us to sew him up in a pig carcass I’m glad we didn’t.  Americans don’t dishonor enemy dead – such a thing is punishable by the Uniform Code of Military Justice.  Just because bin Laden and his followers are unspeakable barbarians does not give us carte blanche to do the same to them.  American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines are your friends, neighbors, and relatives – when they come home we don’t want them haunted by such things.  We are the good guys – we have always worn the white hats – don’t let these sorry excuses for human beings change that. 

Was it murder?  Only a lunatic could come to that conclusion.  When a SEAL or any other member of the military comes up against the bad guys I want them to have simple rules of engagement that give them the widest latitude while protecting our guys.  A mentor of mine years ago put it succinctly when he told us “Don’t kill nothing that don’t need killin’.”   Clear enough.  If you are hanging out with a bad guy though, we don’t have to check your stripes – you are fair game too.  Osama bin Laden was an evil, vicious bastard who should have been under “shoot on sight” orders from day one. 

Okay – there you go.  The economy is still in the tank, unemployment is stuck, inflation is burning up our pay checks, our Federal government is completely out of control, and the border still leaks like a sieve.  We have more important things to talk about and do.  

     

There is more work to be done

As much as I am enjoying the death of Osama bin Laden, there is a lot of work yet to be done.  I have congratulated the President for keeping one of his campaign promises (I think this is the only one) so it is time for him to move on as well.  

Watching some of the news coverage makes me think that we are getting a little overcome with glee over a relatively minor event.  Senator Barbara Mikulski (Idiot – MD) likened the feelings inspired by the death of bin Laden to the how she felt when World War II ended.  Really?!?  What a moron. 

When American Naval intelligence got wind of an inspection tour of forward bases to be conducted by Admiral Yamamoto (the architect of the arrack on Pearl Harbor) an attack was ordered by President Roosevelt.  Long-range Army fighters intercepted the Japanese bomber carrying Yamamoto and shot it down on 18 April 1943.  It was an important event to both sides, but it had little actual impact on the war.  It wasn’t until August 15^th 1945 that Japan surrendered.  This is the closest historical event to what happened last Sunday evening. 

I’m glad that bin Laden is dead.  I’m happy that fish are feeding on his putrid remains.  I’m happy that President Obama ordered the action.  I am delighted that we have Navy SEALs and no one else does.  However it ain’t over until the proverbial fat lady sings and she isn’t even warming up yet.   

I hope that this incident informs our President how magnificent the American military really is. 

God bless the United States and success to the Marines (Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, and Coasties).  

     

Good Job Mr. President – I didn’t think you had it in ya

It has been awhile but this is the second time that I have found reason to congratulate you.  That doesn’t seem to be much of a record in nearly 2 and ½ years – but I didn’t expect that you would do that well given your lack of experience and obvious biases.  However this was a good call.  That bastard Osama bin Laden deserved to die, indeed he needed to die.  By continuing the policies of President George W, Bush in this narrow area it appears that you have succeeded.  You might consider the Bush path in any number of other areas as well.  

I do have a bone to pick with you though.  During your latest “I” speech you said: “The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda.”  That is an interesting analysis.  That’s a bit of bravado and it is certainly self-serving. 

You might consider that barbarians under the direction of bin Laden took down two of our buildings.  George Bush responded by taking down two of their countries – that’s the way Americans play the game.

Al Qaeda is a symptom of a greater problem, it is not the problem.  During your endless campaigning you accused President Bush of taking his eye off the ball – sadly, you don’t know what game you are in so you wouldn’t recognize the ball if or when it lands in your lap.  We are at war with militant Islam both here and abroad.      

I can see from your position and your particular psychoses that you probably think that the lead sled dog is the most important person in the world.  You are not and bin Laden was not.  You are imminently replaceable and unfortunately so is bin Laden.  We will get rid of you at the ballot box in 2012.  No doubt some vicious barbarian has already started pulling Al Qaeda’s strings from some rat-hole in Sand-Nazis-Ville.   

But for now – good job.  It would be nice to be able to say that to you more often.  There are a lot more bin Laden’s out there – let’s step up the effort to get them.  Fortunately you still have a place to put them if the SEALs snatch a few – Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.   

     

God is Great (Allah not so much)

Osama Bin Laden is dead.  Thank God and the United States Military. May you rot in Hell you vicious bastard.  I only wish that we could see your face as Satan welcomed you to eternal torment. 

Good job to the President and the National Command Authority.  I hope that all Americans who have lost loved ones or those who have been injured now have a measure of peace.

I am particularly glad he was killed and that we don't have to endure a trial that Attorney General Holder could screw up.  Now let's pour it on and get the rest of them.