America's Seven Deadly Sins

Since the dawn of the 21st Century and the election of George W Bush in 2000, there have been seven major "sins" committed by the United States that has led to the point where we are today. America has gone from the shining city on a hill to the punching bag of liberals and progressives worldwide. The Obama administration has taken the baton from those liberals and progressives and ran with it. Barack Obama is taking this country down a long and troubling road. When Barack Obama came to the White House he did indeed inherit a recession, however, it is a direct result of his policies that this recession has become as bad as it is today. President Bush also inherited a recession when he came to power in 2000, however, it is directly because of his policies of lowering taxes for corporations that led to a much shallower recession than anticipated.

The first deadly sin is the media. The mainstream media has always leaned to the left, however, never in American history have we seen the attitude of the media that we have today. Almost every major newspaper and television station in this country openly endorsed Barack Obama for President. According to prweb.com, 94% of articles about Barack Obama printed by newspapers from January through November 2008, portrayed Barack Obama in what they called a "positive light". Meanwhile, only 17% of articles about John McCain portrayed him in a "positive light". The end result was that Barack Obama was the least vetted president in US history. This is obvious when we look at the birth certificate issue. Barack Obama has spent more than $800,000 to a Chicago law firm to keep his birth certificate sealed. Last week on CNN, Newsweek's Evan Thomas when speaking about Obama said "In a way Obama is sort of standing above the country, above the world, he's sort of God". This simple quotation sums up the long standing media and far left view Barack Obama. Not as a President, but a God that can do no wrong. When the people of America start to envision and even state emphatically that the President is a God, then America has taken a huge step in relinquishing their freedoms and their future to the will of the government. This is something that the Founding Fathers, and George Washington in particular, warned against more than 225 years ago

The second deadly sin is tolerance is a one way street. This week Carrie Prejean, the former Miss California, was fired from her position. During the Miss America pageant, Ms Prejean was asked her position on gay marriage and stated "I believe that marriage should be defined as between a man and a woman". Before the question arose, Carrie Prejean was the hands down favorite to win the competition, however, after she answered the question truthfully, she lost. The judges who vote for the Miss America pageant were people such as Perez Hilton, an openly gay celebrity gossip columnist. After losing the Miss America crown, she was fired from her position as Miss California as well. The left has zero tolerance for conservative views while progressives demand tolerance from the right. If a conservative has an opinion that doesn't line up with the left's view then those people are demonized. Anyone who is against gay marriage is a "homophobe", anyone who is against Barack Obama is a "racist", anyone who is pro-life is "sexist" and against women's rights. When Bill O'Reilly spoke in a witch like voice while talking about Helen Thomas, the NOW and Code Pink blasted him but when David Letterman said that Sarah Palin's 14 year old daughter was "knocked up by Alex Rodriguez during a Yankees game" and said that Sarah Palin looked like a "slutty flight attendant", those organizations were silent.

The third sin is socialism. In the 1950's, socialism was considered taboo in the US. However, today, 1 in 5 adults say they would prefer socialism to capitalism. Is it any wonder that young adults (under 30) would hold that opinion given the amount of liberal teachers molding their world views. The Obama administration has already taken over GM and Chrysler as well as Bank of America and AIG. When GM emerges from bankruptcy, the companies that did NOT take bailout money will be unable to compete. For example, Ford will produce more of the cars that people actually WANT to drive, however, GM will be able to offer tax breaks to consumers which will force Ford out of business. The health care industry, while in serious need of reform, will not be better if the government seizes control. In the UK, where they have socialized medicine, bureaucrats determine whether or not you can have a procedure. If a 78 year old man needs dialysis, the government is most likely going to turn them down because of their age. Their reasoning is as follows: why waste $30,000 per year on a person who is already past the life expectancy for an average man. Also, in the UK there are year long waiting lists for procedures that are available on demand here such as CT Scans, X-Rays, and endoscopy. These procedures are able to detect injuries and illness before any symptoms present themselves and hel save lives. If socialized medicine is passed, then we all should be prepared to have a government official determine whether or not a procedure is worth the money. If Barack Obama has his way, then the country's largest bank, insurance company, auto-maker, and the healthcare industry will ALL be under government control.

The fourth sin is our apologist attitude. Since coming to office 5 months ago, Barack Obama has given speeches at the Brandenberg Gate in Berlin, at Cairo University and on Al-Jazeera TV. All of his speeches have been in stark contrast to the iconic speeches given by Reagan, Kennedy, and Nixon. Those Presidents stressed the benefits of a worl in which America is a superpower. They spoke of how Americans have fought and died for freedom and injustice all over the world for the last 100 years. They talked about the hope that America brings to the world, the benefits reaped by the world from American innovation and how, overall, American ideals make the world a better place. Barack Obama quoted from the Koran, and told the Muslim world that we are sorry for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He failed to mention that Americans made free elections possible in both of those countries and released them from the terrors they were living through under Saddam Hussein and the Taliban. He failed to mention that America lost lives to stop the genocide of Muslims in Serbia and Croatia. He didn't speak about how America lost many lives trying to bring food and supplies to Muslims in the war ridden country of Somalia and Darfur. Instead he apologized on Al-Jazeera for "America's colonialist attitude and arrogance". He apologized to the young generation of Germans in Berlin about "Our arrogance" but didn't say a word about how America lost hundreds of thousands of lives to free Europe from Nazi occupation. Barack Obama has ordered the military to stop using the terms "enemy combatant", "acts of terrorism" and "Muslim terrorists" opting instead for "detainees", "man-made catastrophe's" and "freedom fighters" instead. This move by Barack Obama, especially in the Muslim world, gives the perception that he is weak and weakkness is abhorred in that part of the world.

The fifth sin is liberalism. In the last 20-30 years, the baby boomers have come to power and unleashed alot of their philosophies and social views on our political structure. Our country has gone from a place where everyone has the same chance of success and this was based on each individuals determination and ambition. Today, we have become a country of entitlements. Massachusetts recently passed legislation giving those who receive welfare a free car. These welfare recipients get a car, the taxes paid and do NOT have to return it EVER. If I was on welfare and receiving free food (food stamps), free income from DSS, free or deeply reduced housing (section 8) AND a free car, what is my incentive to ever get off welfare? There is none. President Obama also wants to give those who can't afford it free college tuition and free healthcare. Meanwhile, hardworking families who do NOT want state assistance are struggling to make car payments, struggling to make rent, struggling to pay their insurance premiums which can be as high as $800 for a family and are unable to afford college. The result is that the hardest working, honest Americans are unable to get an education while those who don't want a job can go for free if they choose. Barack Obama is someone who is committed to equalize the playing field, which is honorable, but he going about it in the wrong way. Instead of moving those on the bottom up, he wants to bring down those on top.

The sixth sin is politicians. Politicians in this country seem to be more corrupt and self serving than ever. Don't get me wrong, there are honorable men in Washington, such as John McCain and Joe Liebermann, however, it seems as if everyday we hear about more corruption and hypocrisy. Last week the Supreme Court heard a case about pictures of a few idiot American soldiers abusing prisoners at Gitmo (similar to the Abu Graib situation). The Generals on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan have pleaded with President Obama not to release the pics because they said that "the release of these photos will result in the death of American soldiers". The Generals, including Gen Petraeus, are worried about Muslim outrage and the President agrees with them. The ACLU is suing under the Freedom of Information Act to have the photos released. The Senate, sponsored by Liebermann and Lindsey Graham, passed unanimously a bill that would delay the release for up to 3-5 years. The House, led by Nancy Pelosi, have refused to pass the same bill. Nancy Pelosi is playing politics with American soldier's lives. Chris Dodd, the recipient of several hundreds thousands of dollars from AIG, put language in a bill that would allow the execs of AIG to keep their bonuses despite receiving bailout money. Senator Dodd who received more money than any other politician from AIG (Barack Obama was 2nd) feigned outrage when asked about the bonuses. He eventually admitted that he put the language in, AFTER the public outrage had died down. Harry Reid put an earmark in the "Stimulus Bill" that provided for an $800 million train between Las Vegas and Reno in his home state. This "Stimulus Bill" had more than 8,500 earmarks in it and it authorized more money to be spent than any other bill in American history. Barack Obama said during the campaign that he would use the line item veto for any earmarked bill that came across his desk. He also said that every bill would have a "sunlight period" during which the public could read and discuss any legislation before it was passed. Obama not only signed an earmark laden bill but he also signed the bill within 12 hours, not allowing the senators who passed the bill to read it, let alone the public. This just goes to show that Washington is filled with those who will say anything to get elected and do anything to stay there.

The seventh sin is Barack Obama. President Obama has broken many campaign promises within 3 months of coming to office. Among them are the previously mentioned earmark and "sunshine period" promises as well as the promise not to hire former lobbyists (at least 24 on his staff as of now), his promise to bring fiscal responsibility (he has spent more money than any president ever in 6 months and added more to the national debt than every previous president combined). President Obama has appointed more than 20 "czars" to oversee everything from healthcare to CEO's pay. These czars are unlike secretaries that have to be confirmed by and answer to the US Senate. These czars ONLY have to answer to the president. The pay czar is currently proposing a plan to limit CEO pay to $400,000. This is another example of Obama trying to level the playing field by bringing the top down instead of the bottom up. Obama also has the largest budget in history which the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says will triple the national debt within 5 years. Obama wants to implement cap and trade which increases the cost of oil and gas for major industries. This would work well if an alternative was widely available and being used, however, we don't have enough windmills, solar panels and hydrocells to power every industry in the US so the result will be higher operating costs for businesses which means higher prices for Americans as well as an average increase of $100 per month per home in elctric bills. Obama appointed at least 8 people who, were they average citizens would be in jail, cheated on their tax returns. Tim Geithner, the Treasury Secretary said "I didn't understand the forms." This is the man in charge of our financial system. Attorney General Eric Holder dropped all charges against the Black Panther Philadelphia Chapter's president who was video taped outside a Philly polling station brandishing a police baton and yelling "be prepared to be ruled by the black man". Holder dropped all the charges AFTER THEY PLEAD GUILTY!! Barack Obama has spent 800k to a Chicago lawfirm to keep his birth certificate sealed. Every President in US history has had to show his birth certificate except Obama. Why? It is unconstitutional for a foreign born person to be President. Barack Obama grew up and was mentored by socialists such as Bernadine Dorn and William Ayers. He also was mentored by the racist Reverand Jeremiah Wright. Its no wonder then that Obama wants to increase taxes for companies to world high levels. This won't create jobs but will actually force comanies to lay off. If these companies do stay in business then they will most likely move over seas to a lower corporate tax rate country. Obama also spoke about how "the days of CEOs flying to Vegas for the day are over" the flew to New York to see a broadway show with his wife. I have no problem with "date night" but practice what you preach. It is obvious that Barack Obama has nothing but contempt for corporate America. He is punishing the successful people in this country by taxing them at levels never before seen, limiting how much money an individual can make and increasing the cost of their companies to do business.

If things keep going the way they are. If Barack Obama implements all of his policies and, God fobid, gets elected to a second term. Then America as we know it will cease to exist. Do you want the government in the car making business? Russia and Germany tried it and it was a miserable disaster. Do you want the state to control the media as it does now? A state run media controls the views of the people, the days of freedom of speech is over because Barack Obama will attack those who attack him via the media (he already has on several occasions). Do you want the government telling you and your family what medical procedures you can and cannot get? Do you want the government controlling the banks in the US? If they do then they will be able to make loans to political allies and contributors while denying them to opponents. We are headed for a disaster. If Obama gets his way then this country will radically change in ways you and I have never seen.

The War on Terror...The Battle Against Terror...The Asking of Terrorists Nicely to Stop

Guantanamo Bay Cuba is home to some of the most despicable, vile and violent people in the world. It is home to terrorists whose stated objective is to "Strike Americans wherever they are" and "does not differentiate between military and civilian targets". Al-Qaeda has taken American soldiers, businessmen and even journalists and beheaded them, afterwards posting the videos online as a recruitment tool for their organization. Al-Qaeda has taken American servicemen, cut them open, ripped out their entrails, burned their bodies and drug them through the streets of Mogadishu. Al-Qaeda has bombed innocent civilians in New York, Washington DC, London, Madrid, Bali, Kenya and Tanzania. Al-Qaeda is responsible for thousands of deaths worldwide dating back to the early 1990's. Al-Qaeda would like nothing more than to cut off the heads of Americans and send the heads to our mothers in baskets. These are the kinds of people who call Gitmo home.
Since the War on Terror began in earnest in 2001, America has been faced with an unusual question. What to do with POWs when the people you are fighting are not representatives of a nation or state. The Department of Justice under George Bush concluded that because these terrorists were captured on the battlefield trying to kill American servicemen that they could be held as "enemy combatants". After all, the Geneva Convention and the UN Treaty regarding the rules of warfare were written under the assumption that wars were fought between 2 or more sovereign nations, not by highly skilled and organized terrorist cells fighting under many different flags. At the peak of Gitmo's operation there were around 750 terrorists held at the prison. There are currently roughly 250 "enemy combatants" still being held there. Barack Obama, more concerned with what Europe thinks of America than protecting America's citizens, has promised to close Gitmo since he announced his candidacy for the Presidency. There is one small problem, however, and that is what to do with the 250 highly dangerous individuals still being held in Cuba.
I have never been inside Gitmo nor have I been inside a US Federal Supermax prison but if given the choice, I would choose Gitmo 100 times out of 100. The prisoners at Guantanamo Bay receive 3 hot meals per day, they are free to practice their religion freely, they receive the best medical care in the world courtesy of the American taxpayer and they get time outside of their cells each day to exercise. In short, they receive the best treatment of any POW's in history of human warfare.
Some of these "enemy combatants such as Khalid Sheikh Mohamed and Ramsi bin-Alshib were rather high ranking members of Al-Qaeda. They were privy to such information such as when the next terrorist attack against the US would happen and where that attack would take place. CIA operatives, with the blessing of the Department of Justice, Nancy Pelosi and other high ranking Dems in Congress as well as President Bush himself, were charged with interrogating these "enemy combatants" for information they may have had regarding future terror attacks. Approved interrogation techniques included waterboarding, putting a caterpillar in the cell of a man afraid of bugs, creating "movie quality walls designed to make loud thuds when struck", "placing one hand on each side of a terror suspect's shirt and pulling them toward you" and "wearing the same outfit as the terrorist being questioned". I refuse to call them "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" because they are not enhanced, defined by the dictionary as "to make greater, as in value, beauty, or effectiveness; augment", they are just techniques. Far left groups such as the ACLU, Amnesty International and the European Commision on Human Rights claim that these techniques are considered "torture". I seriously would like one of these groups to honestly answer how we expect to get pertinent iformation, which could save thousands of lives, without even the slightest bit of intimidation. Maybe we should just ask them very politely to please tell us how they plan on murdering thousands of our citizens in the near future. If they want to see torture, and I mean REAL torture, maybe they should've seen our servicemen in Vietnam when they have battery cable attached to their genitals while electricity passed through, or when Sadaam Hussein hammered nails under the fingernails of his political opponents in order to make them talk. They should've been there when the Japanese made our men walk 60 miles in the Bataan Death March, killing 1 in 4 along the way, or when the Janjaweed in Darfur use repeated gang rape as a weapon of fear in their quest to kill all the Christians in the Sudan. Torture is defined by the dictionary as "anguish of body or mind...the infliction of intense pain (as from burning, crushing, or wounding) to punish, coerce, or afford sadistic pleasure". Waterboarding or simlated drowning does not cause agony or pain, it doesn't "afford sadistic pleasure". Waterboarding is simply NOT torture.
Barack Obama says that Guantanamo Bay is "the best recruiting tool Al-Qaeda has ever had and a black eye for America around the world". I'm sure the terrorists know that Obama is now our President and is in the process of closing down the prison. So, will Al-Qaeda stop the attacks once the prison is closed? I doubt it. Gitmo and the methods of interrogation used there have kept America safe from terror attacks ever since 9/11. Why would we now stop using a base that has been effective for us? The only logical answer is that Barack Obama is playing politics with the safety of American lives. Since taking the oath of office, Barack Obama has told terrorists the techniques America will use should they be captured, he has officially dropped the term "enemy combatants" and "War on Terror" from the English lexicon for the more PC "Ongoing global operations".
The left in this country is the sole reason that America, both economically and militarily, has lost its foothold as the "Shining City on a Hill" as Ronald Reagan described us. America would have had absolutely no chance of victory in WWII had the left existed back then as it does today. Can you imagine a senior senator in the early 1940's saying "our boys fighting in Europe are murederers killing innocent women and children" or some group coming out and saying "If you use the terms "Kraut" to describe the Germans or "Japs" to describe the Japanese you may be charged with using hate speech" or some media outlet knowingly using forged documents in order to discredit FDR? We would be speaking German right now if the far left existed back then as it does today.
The fact is that we have not been attacked since 9/11 thanks to the efforts of George Bush and Dick Cheney. Whether you like them or not, they kept you and I safe. Now Barack Obama is dismanteling almost every policy that led directly to our safety. If America gets hit again on Obama's watch, then he will have a lot to answer for. This is not a battle in which we can afford to be politically correct or worry about hurting soemone's delicate sensitivities. We are fighting an enemy that wants to kill us pure and simple. And Barack Obama is doing everything he can to give them what they want.

Broken Promises and Too Much Spending

Barack Obama has been in office for 73 days now and yet he still seems to be in campaign mode. The only difference now is that our economy, our jobs and our country are now actually being led by inexperience and broken promises. Since taking office, Barack Obama has broken more promises than I can even count. Among the lies are his promise not to hire former lobbyists on his staff. He currently has more than a dozen former lobbyists working for him. Barack Obama stated he would allow any legislation to be posted online for 5 days so the public could debate the merits of a bill before signing it into law. The Stimulus Bill wasn't even read by a single Congressman, let alone the public. After it passed the house, it took Obama 17 hours to sign the bill. President Obama promised to use the line veto on any earmarks included in legislation that reached his desk. When the stimulus bill was signed it included over 8,500 earmarks. President Obama promised to bring the troops home from Iraq within 16 months (May 20 2010) of taking office. He has since revised his timetable to Dec 31st of 2011, the same timetable agreed to by both President Bush and the Iraqi government. The list goes on and on. I'm beginning to think that Barack Obama was just saying these things to get elected.
Since taking office, President Obama's appointees to major cabinet positions has been less than stellar. At least 8 of his appointees have been proven to have cheated on past income tax filings. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner even described Turbo Tax as "too confusing". Tim Geithner is the man that was chosen to run the US Treasury and is confused by filing taxes? That's amazing to me.
Obama's spending proposals for the next 2 fiscal years is the most radical in the history of the United States. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Committee stated Obama's budget will have negative consequences short term and little to no impact long term. They stated that Obama would be "better off doing nothing". Barack Obama's budget will double the national debt while, according to the CBO, essentially do nothing to help our economy. The Chinese, who ponied up the money for the Stimulus Bill, have recently voiced concerns over our ability to repay the money. According to the experts and our lenders it looks as if there is a disaster down the road and Obama is steering us right into the heart of it. Barack Obama will add more money to the national debt than every president from Washington to Bush. Another lovely consequence of all this spending will be the massive inflation it brings. But have no fear, the man in charge can't understand his own tax return.
President Obama also promised no taxes for 95% of all Americans. This is obviously impossible since more than 5% of the country pays no income tax to begin with. However, for arguments sake, lets give the president the benefit of the doubt. Recently cigarette taxes were increased by $1 per pack. A study in the Wall Street Journal recently showed that out of all of the smokers in the US, 1 in 4 live on a household income of less than $30,000 per year. Therefore, the new cigarette tax disproportionately affects low income families. The President's budget includes a cap and trade tax which will result in a higher cost of living for all households, low income included. Cap and trade basically limits the amount to carbon emissions that companies can have. This is supposed to force them into using renewable energy. However, 99% of companies don't have access to renewable energy sources and will therefore just pay higher taxes. They will certainly not just eat this higher cost of doing business but will rather pass the cost onto the customer. As a result of Obama's cap and trade tax on carbon emissions, the average electric bill per household will increase by $100 per month. $100 per month is a huge amount and will have very negative consequences for low income families. Cap and trade also has a negative affect on the employees of companies who exceed their emissions limit. These companies will begin laying people off and when companies lay off, they lay off the lowest wage earners first. Obama seems to have a personal vendetta against corporate America. It appears he wants to tax every successful company in the country into bankruptcy. The President is raising every single tax that can have an adverse effect on a company's bottom line from payroll taxes to income tax. This will certainly result in layoffs (again affecting low income workers) and/or higher prices for consumers which will hurt low income families the most. Any way you look at it, this budget is a disaster waiting to happen.
President Obama rode the recession, while preaching hope and change, all the way to the White House. The themes of Obama's speeches made for a feel good moment but they lack any major impact when it comes to actual policy making. I'm afraid that Obama's inexperience is beginning to show and that parlayed with his political leanings is a bad combination. It feels as if our domestic policy is being based on a political science class straight from Columbia University. Inexperience plus recession plus spending like a sailor on shore leave equals more economic disaster for the US. President Obama is raising taxes on the people who create jobs in this country. He is nationalizing our banking and healthcare systems. He is bailing out companies like AIG who gave him tons of money for his campaign. The American people are starting to come around and understand that maybe this guy isn't who we thought he was. The American people are beginning to realize that you can't spend your way to prosperity. They are slowly learning that you can't tax yourself out of a recession. Now Barack Obama needs to start thinking about who he works for.

What the hell is going on?!?!

Today Senator Chris Dodd admitted that he was the one who took out wording in a bill that would have limited and/or prevented bonuses that were given to AIG executives. This was a reversal from yesterday when Dodd said "I don't know how that wording got taken out, when it left my desk there were no dates or exemptions on bonuses..." Senator Dodd said today that the Treasury Dept, headed by Barack Obama's handpicked Secretary Tim Geithner, forced him to exempt the bonuses at AIG. Guess who received more money from AIG last year than anyone else in the world. Chris Dodd and Barack Obama. The Obama administration and senators on both side of the aisle expressed outrage that a company that received hundreds of billions of dollars from the federal government in bailout money was handing out millions in "performance bonuses". The public was outraged as well that a company that needed federal assistance to avoid bankruptcy is giving out millions to their employees and saying "job well done". What the public didn't know is that Obama and Dodd were returning favors to AIG executives for filling their coffers. Barack Obama went on national TV yesterday acting outraged, at the same time knowing that these bonuses would be safe precisely because of him. President Obama promised transparency in his government and to fight for the middle class. It turns out he is no different than any other politician in Washington. He scratches the backs of those that give him millions with the money of the taxpayer.

The cost of war and the economy

One year ago the talking points coming out of the left were full of references to the amount of money George W Bush spent on the war in Iraq. Olbermann and the Huffington Post would blast Bush almost daily for spending a trillion dollars in Iraq. Barack Obama took office exactly 22 days ago and has proceeded to spend 2 trillion dollars. In spite of this 2 trillion dollar expenditure, unemployment has almost doubled, from 3.8 to 7.2%, the Dow Jones is down over 200 points, banks still are not lending money despite the fact that our tax dollars went towards their bailout and homes are losing value at record rates. Barack Obama says that the current economy is the worst it has been since the great depression and it is in his best interest to do so. If he happens to be President when we emerge from this, then he looks like a hero; if he is unable to bring us out of this, then he can say he inherited the worst economy since the 1930's. Despite Barack Obama's claims, this economy isn't the worst since the depression. It's not even the worst since 1980. Ronald Reagan inherited much higher unemployment and inflation rates. However, let me fill you in on how much money 1 trillion dollars is. If you spent 1 million dollars every day since Jesus Christ was born through today, you still would only be at 3/4 of a trillion dollars. In fact, you wouldn't spend a trillion dollars until sometime around 2740!!! The problem with Obama's stimulus bill is that it won't stimulate the economy immediately, if ever. The Congressional Budget Office, a group with no political ties and whose job it is to track money being spent in Congress, has said that the stimulus won't stimulate the economy at all. The reason? First of all, the money won't get into the economy fast enough. Only 9% or 26 billion will be flowing into the economy by the end of the fiscal year (Sept 2009). Second, less than half of the 30 billion set aside for highway construction will be in the economy within 4, with only 4 billion being spent by September 2010. Finally, only 1 out of every 7 dollars set aside for "green" jobs will be spent by the end of 2010. The CBO says that the stimulus plan is so backloaded that by the time the money makes it into the economy, the downturn would have ended on its own. They also said that short term gains would be nullified by long term losses. In essence, the economy would be better off if Obama did nothing at all. On top of the time table problems, the Dems in Congress, namely Pelosi and Reid, have tried to introduce such things as expanded funding for abortions and condom give aways into the stimulus package. Clearly there are problems with this stimulus package and some of the items budgeted for. If a stimulus package is an absolute must, and most economists agree that we are at that point, then only include items that directly and immediately stimulate the economy. If items such as the proposals from Reid and Pelosi are viable then let them stand on their own at a later date. But don't try to throw in items like giving condoms away at public schools and try to pass it off as an economic stimulus package. 1 trillion dollars is a ton of money. We are probably going to have to borrow from China or Japan in order to fund this package. If that's the case then this is truly a national security issue. Barack Obama better make sure that this is the answer before he sells our soul to the devil. Because if he's not, then the cure may be worse than the disease.

Israel and the Gaza Strip

Six months ago a cease fire agreement was agreed to by both the Palestinians and Israel with the aim of ending the seemingly infinite cycle of violence that has plagued both parties since 1948. Hamas and the Palestinians fired 126 rockets into Israel during November and another 98 during the first 3 weeks of December effectively ending the ceasefire. The Palestinian people and Hamas ripped up the peace documents and threw them in the garbage. Hamas leaders, living safely in Syria, have decided to stash bomb materials, rockets and other weapons in warehouses located in residential areas. This was a very deliberate decision. The thinking among Hamas leaders is that an Israeli strike against their waepons caches will undoubtedly cause civilian casualties and outtrage the international community. This leaves Israel in an unenviable position; either live with hundreds of rocket attacks and the daily murder of your citizens OR launch a counter-attack resulting in civilian casualties. Of course, as we have seen over the last few days, Israel has decided on the latter. Personally, I don't blame them one bit. The Israelis have been extraordinarily patient in this situation and have given the peace process ample time to work. Enough is enough. It should be understood by everyone in the West that peace will never exist between Hamas and Israel. For that matter, peace will never exist between and Islamic state and a non-Islamic state, ever. These people have hate in their very bones. They will never be satisfied until everyone in the world is converted "under the penalty of death" (according to the Koran). The credo of the Muslim Brotherhood, the world's largest Islamic organization, says it all “eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God’s religion [Islam, natch] is made victorious over all other religions”.
Some experts believed that when Israel gave the Gaza back to the Palestinians in 2005 that it was a watershed moment upon which the Middle East could build a lasting and concrete peace agreement. The Palestinian spokesman, Mr Arakat, was on CNN tonight stating his concerns and his wish for a lasting peace. Of course this was all just posturing. The Palestinians had their "peace". They had a cease fire agreement in place which they broke. The Hamas charter specifically states that it is Mohammed's will that Muslims "fight the Jews and kill them". How can a lasting peace exist when Hamas' stated purpose is to kill Jews? Israel has made concessions, agreed to peace agreements and ceasefires. In every instance, Hamas and the Palestinians have broken their end of the bargain.