Friends,
As you know, I am no fan of the United Nations. Now, it looks like President Obama is becoming more of a Globalist than an American; I will not get into the birth certificate issue. The president wants badly to be seen as a “good guy” by the international community.
Last month, he traveled to Europe, and the Middle East looking for good will. At every stop he apologized for perceived wrongs of America, such as our arrogance. Not to put too fine a point on the issue, but is it arrogant to point out that twice in forty years this country saved the world from the despotism of megalomaniacal tyrants? Is it arrogant to point out that when Europe was in shambles after World War II it was the United States that funded much of the recovery from the utter devastation of that war? Is it arrogant to point out that America, along with our good ally England was able to face down the Soviet Union and end the cold war? Is it arrogant to point out that when Saddam Hussein invaded an ally, it was an American president who built a coalition of world nations to remove him? I might also point out that in none of these circumstances did the United States benefit financially. We did not take over the manufacturing base, agricultural base, or oil production base of any country we assisted. But I digress.
The president even went to Saudi Arabia to pay homage to the Saudi King. For an American president to bow to a foreign head of state, or for him to bow to anyone, for that matter, causes me to question whether he fully understands the role he has accepted. Let’s look at the relationship the United States shares with the international community, specifically the United Nations.
After World War II, this country joined with our war-time allies to establish a body that would prevent war and other international “man-made disasters.” The problem with the concept is that we made the pact with two devils, the Soviet Union and the Peoples’ Republic of China, not to mention the questionable friendship of France.
Over the history of this body, only one action that I can find has resulted in a victim of aggression being even partially protected, that being South Korea. Even that “police action” has never been finally put to rest. UN presence often results in either complete inability to accomplish the job or deploying thugs that terrorize the local populous, such as has been reported in numerous locations in Africa, or both. Seldom are these failures or abuses addressed by the whole body.
With this kind of track record what is the justification for President Obama to want to snuggle up to the UN? The Obama administration is attempting to gain a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. This is one of the agencies that is advocating for ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). As we all understand, any ratified treaty has the force of law over established US law.
The aforementioned treaty sounds wonderful until you start to dig into it. The UNCRC seeks to raise the best interest of children to a higher level. Who could argue against that? Well, it seems that the Supreme Court could. The Supreme Court held in Reno vs. Flores in 1993 that “‘the best interests of the child’ is not the legal standard that governs parents’ or guardians’ exercise of their custody.”
The main problem seems to be who will determine what is best for the child. According to the UNCRC it is not you, the parents. This is a major “nanny state” advocacy program. The UN will become the determiner of appropriate discipline of your children. Not only does it supplant US law, it supplants your parental rights.
President Obama may be comfortable turning his daughters over to the state to determine how they are to be reared, but are you ready to do the same?
One of the provisions of the Convention is that if a child does not like the way his or her parents are exercising their responsibilities, the state must provide legal representation for that child in court against the parents. I have a problem with the concept that a child can take the parents to court if the child objects to being grounded for staying out after curfew, of if he or she objects to having a curfew in the first place.
Those countries that have signed this treaty must go before the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child on a regular basis to report their progress toward implementing the treaty. This just adds another layer of bureaucracy to our already bloated federal government.
This is the direction our president wants
to take our country. With each passing day, we are losing more and more of our national identity. Our president is spending an inordinate amount of time and energy denigrating our standing in the world community, not to mention our sovereignty. It is incumbent on all of us to tell him that he is on the wrong track. We are a nation of laws decided upon by our elected officials, not those of other nations.
In Thomas Jefferson’s first inaugural address he warned, "Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations--entangling alliances with none, I deem [one of] the essential principles of our government, and consequently [one of] those which ought to shape its administration."
President Obama’s desire for ratification of the CRC tracks very well with his disdain of all things culturally American. This is the kind of man elected by those wanting “change.” Well, how is this change working out for you? How is this global lack of respect sitting with you? How is the loss of your parental rights going to work out for you?
If you would like to read more about this problem I would like to direct you to here
As always, I welcome your comments and discussion.
Also, I would like to thank Shyrl for her diligent research in support of this Discourse.
Dan
Dan Lanotte
- The Carpenter's Mate
- Falcon, Colorado
- I am a 31 year Navy veteran, 15 years as a SONAR Technician and 16 years as an Intelligence Officer. I am a Goldwater-Reagan Conservative with a deep love for this wonderful country of opportunity and am concerned about the continued abrogation of our freedoms. In addition to putting my thoughts and political philosophy in these pages I enjoy teaching firearms and personal protection in keeping with the spirit of the Second Amendment. My courses are listed at www.carpmateconsulting.com.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Beware of Right-Wing Extremists
Friends,
When little boys were growing up in the age of true American heroes like Lieutenant Audie Murphy, General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower, General of the Army Omar Bradley, General George Patton, and Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, they pictured themselves doing heroic things such as saving their comrades from certain death or rescuing the city from certain calamity. One picture they did not have of themselves was that of a terrorist.
We grew up steeped in patriotism. We had just emerged from under the cloud of three despotic megalomaniacs who wanted to split the world into three pieces for them to rule with their iron fists. Our thoughts were of the preservation of our freedoms and our nation. However in this day of globalism, these thoughts put my generation and those of like minds squarely in the crosshairs of our new administration and the agency tasked with preserving those freedoms.
I question whether members of our current administration fully appreciate how close we have come to losing our very national identity. With few exceptions, we have never gone into a war with a certainty of success. The number of Americans killed in action during all major wars since the Revolution stands at over 2.7 million. Those lives were sacrificed to guarantee that we would not have to live under the boot heel of despots.
The current list of patriots now includes the soccer moms, who want to protect their kids from crushing debt and oppressive government regulation; citizens who work every day to support their families and don’t want to see illegals come in and take their jobs; caring, loving parents who cherish their children and do not believe that a child is a throw-away commodity; and ordinary citizens, like myself, who “cling to their guns and Bibles” because they are guaranteed under our Constitution by the Founders.
The Department of Homeland Security sent a memo out to all law enforcement agencies in the US giving their assessment of Right-Wing extremist groups. You can view this memo here. (If DHS takes the link down you may email me and I will send you a copy of it.) The most astounding part of their concern is that they characterize returning veterans as potential terrorists. Why is this list of patriots now viewed by the DHS as potential terrorists and worthy of being watched? This may seem like a perplexing question but there is a simple answer. The current crop of Liberals has a major problem with criticism as evidenced by their push for reinstatement of the “Fairness Doctrine.”
One question that we patriots should be asking ourselves is “What freedoms will we lose under the guise of preventing Right-Wing-Extremism?” Already mentioned is curtailment of our First Amendment rights under the “Fairness Doctrine.” Additionally, if Right-Wing groups are seen as a threat, will the government try to limit our right of free assembly? Will groups like the Coalition for a Conservative Majority, www.ccm-cos.com, be banned from meeting or at least be required to obtain a permit? What about our Second Amendment rights? If those of us clinging to our guns and Bibles are viewed as a threat, can gun confiscation be far behind?
This egregious memo closely resembles one put out by the Missouri law enforcement folks a couple of months ago. They received so much heat for their memo that they removed it from distribution.
Now, Secretary Napolitano has released a statement saying that her department is not profiling anyone but that it is the department’s responsibility to safeguard the country and they are constantly “on the lookout for criminal and terrorist activity but we do not – nor will we ever – monitor ideology or political beliefs.” This sounds like a bit of double-speak. The department’s memo tells law enforcement agencies across the country to beware of all of these Right-Wing groups, including returning veterans. Someone please correct my thought process. How can you be associated with a Right-Wing group unless you have political beliefs that lean to the right? But the secretary says that they do not monitor ideology or political beliefs. Maybe I’m missing something.
The bottom line is that Secretary Napolitano’s “clarification” falls a bit short. The memo is still out there providing guidance for our country’s law enforcement agencies. I find this to be offensive to the extreme. This administration is pitting the government against its citizens just the way Lenin, Stalin, and Mao did. It is past time for the citizens of this great nation to tell the federal government to stay out of our meetings, churches, and homes.
As always, I welcome your comments and discussion.
Dan
When little boys were growing up in the age of true American heroes like Lieutenant Audie Murphy, General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower, General of the Army Omar Bradley, General George Patton, and Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, they pictured themselves doing heroic things such as saving their comrades from certain death or rescuing the city from certain calamity. One picture they did not have of themselves was that of a terrorist.
We grew up steeped in patriotism. We had just emerged from under the cloud of three despotic megalomaniacs who wanted to split the world into three pieces for them to rule with their iron fists. Our thoughts were of the preservation of our freedoms and our nation. However in this day of globalism, these thoughts put my generation and those of like minds squarely in the crosshairs of our new administration and the agency tasked with preserving those freedoms.
I question whether members of our current administration fully appreciate how close we have come to losing our very national identity. With few exceptions, we have never gone into a war with a certainty of success. The number of Americans killed in action during all major wars since the Revolution stands at over 2.7 million. Those lives were sacrificed to guarantee that we would not have to live under the boot heel of despots.
The current list of patriots now includes the soccer moms, who want to protect their kids from crushing debt and oppressive government regulation; citizens who work every day to support their families and don’t want to see illegals come in and take their jobs; caring, loving parents who cherish their children and do not believe that a child is a throw-away commodity; and ordinary citizens, like myself, who “cling to their guns and Bibles” because they are guaranteed under our Constitution by the Founders.
The Department of Homeland Security sent a memo out to all law enforcement agencies in the US giving their assessment of Right-Wing extremist groups. You can view this memo here. (If DHS takes the link down you may email me and I will send you a copy of it.) The most astounding part of their concern is that they characterize returning veterans as potential terrorists. Why is this list of patriots now viewed by the DHS as potential terrorists and worthy of being watched? This may seem like a perplexing question but there is a simple answer. The current crop of Liberals has a major problem with criticism as evidenced by their push for reinstatement of the “Fairness Doctrine.”
One question that we patriots should be asking ourselves is “What freedoms will we lose under the guise of preventing Right-Wing-Extremism?” Already mentioned is curtailment of our First Amendment rights under the “Fairness Doctrine.” Additionally, if Right-Wing groups are seen as a threat, will the government try to limit our right of free assembly? Will groups like the Coalition for a Conservative Majority, www.ccm-cos.com, be banned from meeting or at least be required to obtain a permit? What about our Second Amendment rights? If those of us clinging to our guns and Bibles are viewed as a threat, can gun confiscation be far behind?
This egregious memo closely resembles one put out by the Missouri law enforcement folks a couple of months ago. They received so much heat for their memo that they removed it from distribution.
Now, Secretary Napolitano has released a statement saying that her department is not profiling anyone but that it is the department’s responsibility to safeguard the country and they are constantly “on the lookout for criminal and terrorist activity but we do not – nor will we ever – monitor ideology or political beliefs.” This sounds like a bit of double-speak. The department’s memo tells law enforcement agencies across the country to beware of all of these Right-Wing groups, including returning veterans. Someone please correct my thought process. How can you be associated with a Right-Wing group unless you have political beliefs that lean to the right? But the secretary says that they do not monitor ideology or political beliefs. Maybe I’m missing something.
The bottom line is that Secretary Napolitano’s “clarification” falls a bit short. The memo is still out there providing guidance for our country’s law enforcement agencies. I find this to be offensive to the extreme. This administration is pitting the government against its citizens just the way Lenin, Stalin, and Mao did. It is past time for the citizens of this great nation to tell the federal government to stay out of our meetings, churches, and homes.
As always, I welcome your comments and discussion.
Dan
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The Enumerated Powers Act
Friends,
Wow! There is a new concept brewing in Congress, HR 450, also known as the Enumerated Powers Act. If this bill passes it would state “Each Act of Congress shall contain a concise and definite statement of the constitutional authority relied upon for the enactment of each portion of that Act. The failure to comply with this section shall give rise to a point of order in either House of Congress….”
What a concept, basing the actions of the federal government on only those powers granted by the Constitution. Now why didn’t I think of that? Actually, the Founders did think of it and spelled it out quite succinctly in the 10th Amendment which states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” This tells me that Congress, the President, and the Courts have specific powers and only those powers.
My hat is flying off my head to salute Representative John Shadegg, R-Ariz. and the 19 other representatives who have signed on to this ground-breaking bill that will receive no notice in the main-stream press or by the Democrat leadership.
As it turns out, this is not the first time Representative Shadegg has introduced the bill. He has introduced it every year he has been in Congress. I have a couple of questions for every member of Congress; “Why is it necessary that this bill should even be required?” and “Why do I not see every member of the House of Representatives name as a cosponsor and the same in the Senate on a companion bill?” I do not think that these are rhetorical questions. I want an answer from each and every one of these individuals. For over 150 years, successive congresses, presidents, and courts have taken on powers not specifically spelled out in the Constitution. To see the cosponsors of this bill go here.
As I have noted on numerous occasions, I am no Constitutional Scholar, but in my reading of this venerable document I have found no constitutional justification for bailing out any private corporation; no constitutional justification for ordering a corporate executive to resign; or even the constitutional justification to tell petroleum companies when or where they can explore or drill for oil. Where in our Constitution does it say that the federal government has the authority to tell us who will have health care insurance, or who will pay for it? Please do not misunderstand me, I want everyone to be able to have access to health care but it is not within the purview of the federal government to determine the scope of that need or provide it.
The continuous over-reach of the federal government has accelerated to the point where we will not be out of debt for at least three generations unless we turn this trend around now. This means taking a number of immediate steps:
1. Cancel the “Stimulus Package”
2. Cut corporate taxes to a maximum rate of 14%
3. Repeal the 16th Amendment
4. Pass a new amendment that guarantees all taxes will be fairly and equitably levied
5. Eliminate all cabinet/federal departments that do not directly fall in line with the enumerated goals and powers in the Constitution.
These measures only address the financial mess with which the federal government has saddled us. There are many more measures that should be taken to return the United States to the greatness that we once enjoyed. But our economy is arguably at the fore of our thought process at this time.
As usual, I welcome your comments and discussion
Dan
Wow! There is a new concept brewing in Congress, HR 450, also known as the Enumerated Powers Act. If this bill passes it would state “Each Act of Congress shall contain a concise and definite statement of the constitutional authority relied upon for the enactment of each portion of that Act. The failure to comply with this section shall give rise to a point of order in either House of Congress….”
What a concept, basing the actions of the federal government on only those powers granted by the Constitution. Now why didn’t I think of that? Actually, the Founders did think of it and spelled it out quite succinctly in the 10th Amendment which states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” This tells me that Congress, the President, and the Courts have specific powers and only those powers.
My hat is flying off my head to salute Representative John Shadegg, R-Ariz. and the 19 other representatives who have signed on to this ground-breaking bill that will receive no notice in the main-stream press or by the Democrat leadership.
As it turns out, this is not the first time Representative Shadegg has introduced the bill. He has introduced it every year he has been in Congress. I have a couple of questions for every member of Congress; “Why is it necessary that this bill should even be required?” and “Why do I not see every member of the House of Representatives name as a cosponsor and the same in the Senate on a companion bill?” I do not think that these are rhetorical questions. I want an answer from each and every one of these individuals. For over 150 years, successive congresses, presidents, and courts have taken on powers not specifically spelled out in the Constitution. To see the cosponsors of this bill go here.
As I have noted on numerous occasions, I am no Constitutional Scholar, but in my reading of this venerable document I have found no constitutional justification for bailing out any private corporation; no constitutional justification for ordering a corporate executive to resign; or even the constitutional justification to tell petroleum companies when or where they can explore or drill for oil. Where in our Constitution does it say that the federal government has the authority to tell us who will have health care insurance, or who will pay for it? Please do not misunderstand me, I want everyone to be able to have access to health care but it is not within the purview of the federal government to determine the scope of that need or provide it.
The continuous over-reach of the federal government has accelerated to the point where we will not be out of debt for at least three generations unless we turn this trend around now. This means taking a number of immediate steps:
1. Cancel the “Stimulus Package”
2. Cut corporate taxes to a maximum rate of 14%
3. Repeal the 16th Amendment
4. Pass a new amendment that guarantees all taxes will be fairly and equitably levied
5. Eliminate all cabinet/federal departments that do not directly fall in line with the enumerated goals and powers in the Constitution.
These measures only address the financial mess with which the federal government has saddled us. There are many more measures that should be taken to return the United States to the greatness that we once enjoyed. But our economy is arguably at the fore of our thought process at this time.
As usual, I welcome your comments and discussion
Dan
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Guest Writer - RNC "Survey"
Friends,
How many of you have received “surveys” from the RNC. These surveys are merely restatements of RNC policies and positions. They always end up asking for money. A friend of mine received one in the latest round of mailings and responded with a letter to Chairman Steele instead of filling out the “survey.” This is what he said:
Mr. Steele, et al,
The survey that precipitated this note is nearly the same as scores of previous surveys…you ask obvious questions. But yet I should be asking you the questions:
1. Precisely what are the top 3 innovations you will implement, different from all prior RNC efforts that will recapture Washington? Spare no detail - - I want to see your entire plan.
2. Why are you asking questions with verbiage such as “Should Republicans unite…?” and “Should we resist…?” etc? These are pathetic questions - - these actions should be already nailed down: unity, resistance, opposition, etc. If you are still asking these “feel good” questions, you are arriving at the dance too late. You’ve got a lot of time and lost ground to make up…now.
3. You and the RNC appear to have no fight. When the Dems are so bold as to publicly announce that they will exclude us from legislative deliberations (because “we won”). You tuck your tail and crouch in the corner. You should be raising ceaseless noise about it. You should be encouraging and leading the “tea parties.” You should be broadcasting all the e-mail addresses, the phone numbers, and the surface addresses for all members of the DNC, White House, and cabinet. You should lead the opposition, not merely observe it. In short, you and RNC hi-visibility senior leaders should be multiplying American voices; there are millions who hate the directions we see in our future. But no one feels threatened by ordinary people - - - but if we act together, the synergism will be noticed. Get out there.
4. Immediately use some of your budget to quickly publish a directory of the Dem’s info in “3” above. Flood the market with it. Send it to more than RNC members – make it available to Dems who also are worried about Obama. I’d like to see that directory on the streets in 30 days – we can’t let another month go by with the DNC railroad in full operation. You can do this - - - - Right?
Mike and team: I am in my second career, serving the aerospace industry. I already completed my first career, having served in the U.S. Air Force for more than 26 years. Mark it well: I did not serve for more than a quarter century so that my America can be stolen away one piece at a time. I did not serve so that I can watch any of the following:
• Gun rights weakened or eliminated
• Human life killed for research
• Statecraft reduced to kumbaya sessions with terrorists
• Release of terrorists who still want to kill you, me, and my family
• Doctors prosecuted for following their moral conscience
• Transfer of wealth from honest earners to productivity refuseniks
• The environment elevated to god-like status that trumps the American way of life, productivity, Divine authority, academic truth, and national security
• Military force structure and posture reduced to another Carter-like and Clinton-like shell, the remnants of which might be subordinated to the UN
• Cooperation by the US with forces wanting one-world governance and/or currency
• Punitive tax rates that drain money from every family, business, and estate
• Education based on union-driven mediocrity that eschews superior achievement by teachers or students
• Illegal immigrants being awarded front-of-the-line status to citizenship, free medical care, preferential in-state tuition, and government shields from arrest and deportation, abetted by “sanctuary city” officials
• Intrusion of family privacy, such as government access to medical records or submission of thumbprints to sell a home in Chicago - - - and similar invasions equally insidious
• Etc. etc, etc.
The list goes on and on, but I do not have time to write more. I sincerely hope I made myself crystal clear. I am exponentially disappointed in the RNC. The time is ripe for historic reversals in Washington in the 2010 elections. Yet there is not anything I see, hear, read, watch, receive, or research that indicates that my disappointment will be reduced one iota.
Forget the grade school-level surveys. Just go out and be a tiger. You and senior RNC and elected Republicans already know the right positions.
Thanks for listening,
Bill Weiford,
I would like to add to this letter, but to do so would be to detract from its effectiveness. It clearly states the Conservative viewpoint. This is the direction Conservatives must move to take back our State and our Nation.
If you agree with this letter, join us at the Coalition for a Conservative Majority www.ccmajority.org and our local Colorado Springs chapter www.ccm-cos.com.
As usual, your comments and discussions are welcome.
Dan
How many of you have received “surveys” from the RNC. These surveys are merely restatements of RNC policies and positions. They always end up asking for money. A friend of mine received one in the latest round of mailings and responded with a letter to Chairman Steele instead of filling out the “survey.” This is what he said:
Mr. Steele, et al,
The survey that precipitated this note is nearly the same as scores of previous surveys…you ask obvious questions. But yet I should be asking you the questions:
1. Precisely what are the top 3 innovations you will implement, different from all prior RNC efforts that will recapture Washington? Spare no detail - - I want to see your entire plan.
2. Why are you asking questions with verbiage such as “Should Republicans unite…?” and “Should we resist…?” etc? These are pathetic questions - - these actions should be already nailed down: unity, resistance, opposition, etc. If you are still asking these “feel good” questions, you are arriving at the dance too late. You’ve got a lot of time and lost ground to make up…now.
3. You and the RNC appear to have no fight. When the Dems are so bold as to publicly announce that they will exclude us from legislative deliberations (because “we won”). You tuck your tail and crouch in the corner. You should be raising ceaseless noise about it. You should be encouraging and leading the “tea parties.” You should be broadcasting all the e-mail addresses, the phone numbers, and the surface addresses for all members of the DNC, White House, and cabinet. You should lead the opposition, not merely observe it. In short, you and RNC hi-visibility senior leaders should be multiplying American voices; there are millions who hate the directions we see in our future. But no one feels threatened by ordinary people - - - but if we act together, the synergism will be noticed. Get out there.
4. Immediately use some of your budget to quickly publish a directory of the Dem’s info in “3” above. Flood the market with it. Send it to more than RNC members – make it available to Dems who also are worried about Obama. I’d like to see that directory on the streets in 30 days – we can’t let another month go by with the DNC railroad in full operation. You can do this - - - - Right?
Mike and team: I am in my second career, serving the aerospace industry. I already completed my first career, having served in the U.S. Air Force for more than 26 years. Mark it well: I did not serve for more than a quarter century so that my America can be stolen away one piece at a time. I did not serve so that I can watch any of the following:
• Gun rights weakened or eliminated
• Human life killed for research
• Statecraft reduced to kumbaya sessions with terrorists
• Release of terrorists who still want to kill you, me, and my family
• Doctors prosecuted for following their moral conscience
• Transfer of wealth from honest earners to productivity refuseniks
• The environment elevated to god-like status that trumps the American way of life, productivity, Divine authority, academic truth, and national security
• Military force structure and posture reduced to another Carter-like and Clinton-like shell, the remnants of which might be subordinated to the UN
• Cooperation by the US with forces wanting one-world governance and/or currency
• Punitive tax rates that drain money from every family, business, and estate
• Education based on union-driven mediocrity that eschews superior achievement by teachers or students
• Illegal immigrants being awarded front-of-the-line status to citizenship, free medical care, preferential in-state tuition, and government shields from arrest and deportation, abetted by “sanctuary city” officials
• Intrusion of family privacy, such as government access to medical records or submission of thumbprints to sell a home in Chicago - - - and similar invasions equally insidious
• Etc. etc, etc.
The list goes on and on, but I do not have time to write more. I sincerely hope I made myself crystal clear. I am exponentially disappointed in the RNC. The time is ripe for historic reversals in Washington in the 2010 elections. Yet there is not anything I see, hear, read, watch, receive, or research that indicates that my disappointment will be reduced one iota.
Forget the grade school-level surveys. Just go out and be a tiger. You and senior RNC and elected Republicans already know the right positions.
Thanks for listening,
Bill Weiford,
I would like to add to this letter, but to do so would be to detract from its effectiveness. It clearly states the Conservative viewpoint. This is the direction Conservatives must move to take back our State and our Nation.
If you agree with this letter, join us at the Coalition for a Conservative Majority www.ccmajority.org and our local Colorado Springs chapter www.ccm-cos.com.
As usual, your comments and discussions are welcome.
Dan
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Guest Columnist - A Letter to Senator Bennet
Friends,
A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine sent an email to our newly appointed Colorado senator, Michael Bennet. I will let her speak for herself.
Date: Friday, March 6, 2009
Senator Bennet:
All I've seen so far out you, the rest of the Congress and the President is a huge waste of my tax payer money. How dare you even begin to hint that what you and all the other self-serving government officials have done so far is what I believe in or has done any of us any good. The only people you have served are those who were foolish enough to vote your party into power - I would hope that you would have more integrity than being such a lap-dog for the unions.
Exactly why, as a practicing Catholic would I think that reinstituting a program for sending money to foreign counties to support their abortion laws is a good thing?
Why would I think that sending $900 MILLION dollars to the terrorist organization of HAMAS in the Gaza Strip is something that is good and right?
Why would I think that this unbelievably HUGE bail out scheme is anything that I believe in or want to have happen?
Have you ever lived any place that had Nationalized Medicine. I sincerely doubt it so let me explain it to you since, I, Senator Bennett have lived with that type of health care.(Germany and Italy). If you think health care is expensive now, just wait. Not per unit of care expensive, but in the TAXES to support it, plus the co-pays that you'll have to fork over. Oh are you one of the delusional people who think that nationalized health care, once you've paid all your taxes is free??? Do you think and self-respecting doctors are going to continue to practice under those conditions. In the 1940's England instituted National Health Care and lost about half their doctors in the process. Why do you think Canadians seek to come to the States for specialized care? Because you might die waiting for care in Canada, or England or Germany or Italy. But then you won't have to worry about that will you Senator. YOU, won't be stuck with a system that will decide if you are too old to bother with other than to put you in hospice care until you conveniently die. There will be at least two separate classes of care. One for people in the Nationalized system and one for those rich enough to afford private health care. Oh yes and whatever wonderful health care system you people in Congress vote for yourselves.
You Senator and your ilk have done nothing for me, for people like me - why??? Because we paid our taxes, we paid our loans and mortgages on time, we played by the rules and NOW, NOW you want me and the righteous people like me to bail out companies that should go into bankruptcy, people who should have stayed in apartments or rented homes until they could afford a home, people who have taken out extravagant 2nd mortgages and lived the high life.
Well Senator, I live in a 1100 sq ft condo, I served my country faithfully for 27 yrs, I've worked every day since I retired in 2004 and now I'm being laid off and you want me to be HAPPY about the crap you and the Obama supporters are shoveling at me and people like me and be happy and proud to pay MORE taxes.
Sincerely yours, a very unhappy constituent
In fairness to the senator, he did send a reply.
Friend -
A little more than a month into my term as your U.S. Senator, we've taken bold steps in Washington to help American families and grow our economy.
We acted to provide quality, affordable health care to eleven million children from low-income families - because parents shouldn't have to choose between feeding their kids and filling their prescriptions.
We made sure every person in America, regardless of race, age or gender, receives fair and equal pay for equal work - because given the times, folks can't afford to take home any less than they're owed.
And we enacted an economic recovery plan that saves or creates 60,000 jobs in Colorado, cuts taxes for 2.1 Coloradans, and lays the foundation for long-term growth and prosperity.
I'm proud to have served with a core group of Senators that provided a leadership role in developing the details of this recovery plan to ensure it targets the help to the right areas.
I supported these measures because I know American families are struggling. I know because I've heard, first-hand, the stories of how this economic crisis has affected folks in rural and urban communities across the state.
These are important and significant steps. But as President Obama said to America in his speech before Congress, they are only first steps.
Americans are still losing their homes and folks are still finding credit harder and harder to come by.
Health care is still falling further out of reach and young people are dropping out of high school at an alarming rate.
And our dependence on foreign oil threatens our economy, our security and the health of our planet.
While the steps we have already taken - on children's health insurance, on an economic recovery plan that makes historic investments in education and energy - give us reason to be proud, there's still a lot of work to be done.
But we'll only realize the change we need once we understand our problems will not be solved with Republican or Democratic answers, but American answers.
We'll overcome the challenges we face not with petty politics as usual, but pragmatic policymaking that puts the American people first.
Surely, we will have our differences. But with a little common sense, I'm sure we can find common ground.
And although the road ahead will be tough, I'm confident that, together, we can get the job done.
Sincerely,
Senator Michael Bennet
The first thing that jumped out at me is that he obviously has had these concerns expressed before because his reply looks pretty canned. I have gone over it pretty carefully and am still looking for an answer to my friend’s concerns. My main concern with his response is that it advances unconstitutional behavior. I have read the Constitution fairly carefully and have yet to find where that wonderful document authorizes expenditures of this type. I’m not talking about just the magnitude of the expenditure, but the type of expenditure. Senator Bennet seems to be perfectly content to allow this country to gather speed down that socialist “nanny” state that he and his cronies have us going down.
As always, your comments and discussions are welcome.
If you want to help us fight this ever-pervasive liberal slippery slope join us at www.ccm-cos.com.
Dan
Daniel C. Lanotte
dlanotte@falconbroadband.net
719-683-5506
A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine sent an email to our newly appointed Colorado senator, Michael Bennet. I will let her speak for herself.
Date: Friday, March 6, 2009
Senator Bennet:
All I've seen so far out you, the rest of the Congress and the President is a huge waste of my tax payer money. How dare you even begin to hint that what you and all the other self-serving government officials have done so far is what I believe in or has done any of us any good. The only people you have served are those who were foolish enough to vote your party into power - I would hope that you would have more integrity than being such a lap-dog for the unions.
Exactly why, as a practicing Catholic would I think that reinstituting a program for sending money to foreign counties to support their abortion laws is a good thing?
Why would I think that sending $900 MILLION dollars to the terrorist organization of HAMAS in the Gaza Strip is something that is good and right?
Why would I think that this unbelievably HUGE bail out scheme is anything that I believe in or want to have happen?
Have you ever lived any place that had Nationalized Medicine. I sincerely doubt it so let me explain it to you since, I, Senator Bennett have lived with that type of health care.(Germany and Italy). If you think health care is expensive now, just wait. Not per unit of care expensive, but in the TAXES to support it, plus the co-pays that you'll have to fork over. Oh are you one of the delusional people who think that nationalized health care, once you've paid all your taxes is free??? Do you think and self-respecting doctors are going to continue to practice under those conditions. In the 1940's England instituted National Health Care and lost about half their doctors in the process. Why do you think Canadians seek to come to the States for specialized care? Because you might die waiting for care in Canada, or England or Germany or Italy. But then you won't have to worry about that will you Senator. YOU, won't be stuck with a system that will decide if you are too old to bother with other than to put you in hospice care until you conveniently die. There will be at least two separate classes of care. One for people in the Nationalized system and one for those rich enough to afford private health care. Oh yes and whatever wonderful health care system you people in Congress vote for yourselves.
You Senator and your ilk have done nothing for me, for people like me - why??? Because we paid our taxes, we paid our loans and mortgages on time, we played by the rules and NOW, NOW you want me and the righteous people like me to bail out companies that should go into bankruptcy, people who should have stayed in apartments or rented homes until they could afford a home, people who have taken out extravagant 2nd mortgages and lived the high life.
Well Senator, I live in a 1100 sq ft condo, I served my country faithfully for 27 yrs, I've worked every day since I retired in 2004 and now I'm being laid off and you want me to be HAPPY about the crap you and the Obama supporters are shoveling at me and people like me and be happy and proud to pay MORE taxes.
Sincerely yours, a very unhappy constituent
In fairness to the senator, he did send a reply.
Friend -
A little more than a month into my term as your U.S. Senator, we've taken bold steps in Washington to help American families and grow our economy.
We acted to provide quality, affordable health care to eleven million children from low-income families - because parents shouldn't have to choose between feeding their kids and filling their prescriptions.
We made sure every person in America, regardless of race, age or gender, receives fair and equal pay for equal work - because given the times, folks can't afford to take home any less than they're owed.
And we enacted an economic recovery plan that saves or creates 60,000 jobs in Colorado, cuts taxes for 2.1 Coloradans, and lays the foundation for long-term growth and prosperity.
I'm proud to have served with a core group of Senators that provided a leadership role in developing the details of this recovery plan to ensure it targets the help to the right areas.
I supported these measures because I know American families are struggling. I know because I've heard, first-hand, the stories of how this economic crisis has affected folks in rural and urban communities across the state.
These are important and significant steps. But as President Obama said to America in his speech before Congress, they are only first steps.
Americans are still losing their homes and folks are still finding credit harder and harder to come by.
Health care is still falling further out of reach and young people are dropping out of high school at an alarming rate.
And our dependence on foreign oil threatens our economy, our security and the health of our planet.
While the steps we have already taken - on children's health insurance, on an economic recovery plan that makes historic investments in education and energy - give us reason to be proud, there's still a lot of work to be done.
But we'll only realize the change we need once we understand our problems will not be solved with Republican or Democratic answers, but American answers.
We'll overcome the challenges we face not with petty politics as usual, but pragmatic policymaking that puts the American people first.
Surely, we will have our differences. But with a little common sense, I'm sure we can find common ground.
And although the road ahead will be tough, I'm confident that, together, we can get the job done.
Sincerely,
Senator Michael Bennet
The first thing that jumped out at me is that he obviously has had these concerns expressed before because his reply looks pretty canned. I have gone over it pretty carefully and am still looking for an answer to my friend’s concerns. My main concern with his response is that it advances unconstitutional behavior. I have read the Constitution fairly carefully and have yet to find where that wonderful document authorizes expenditures of this type. I’m not talking about just the magnitude of the expenditure, but the type of expenditure. Senator Bennet seems to be perfectly content to allow this country to gather speed down that socialist “nanny” state that he and his cronies have us going down.
As always, your comments and discussions are welcome.
If you want to help us fight this ever-pervasive liberal slippery slope join us at www.ccm-cos.com.
Dan
Daniel C. Lanotte
dlanotte@falconbroadband.net
719-683-5506
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Educating Illegals
Friends,
There is a bill before the Colorado Senate, currently in the Education Committee, that will extend instate tuition to anyone who has graduated from or attended at least three years in a Colorado high school, irrespective of immigration status. This bill, Senate Bill 09-170, Nondiscrimination in Higher Education, spells out in the first paragraph that a person’s immigration status is immaterial to extending these benefits.
Once again I must be missing something here. This is the United States of America, a nation of laws. Among the body of laws are those detailing requirements for entry into this country. That should be the end of the conversation.
Now there is a group of legislators who want to sweep aside any concern for the laws of our country for the express purpose of extending rights reserved to legal residents and citizens to those who have already proven that they do not respect our laws. When these illegal students and their parents came into this country illegally they declared their disdain for our country and its laws.
Why would these legislators go through this effort to extend these benefits? This could be an interesting question to pose to Senator Romer, the bill’s sponsor. Let me lay out a simple scenario. With the liberal Congress and President, amnesty with a path to citizenship is a definite possibility. If you were one of these students who received this benefit, who are you going to thank when you are able to go to the polls? Of course you will thank these same liberals who enabled you to be forgiven of your crimes. What an ingenious way to keep your power over the long-term.
I am going to take a seemingly right turn. Let’s take a look at a couple of groups of bad guys. Of course there is our ever favorite, Al Qaida. What is their favorite tactic when dealing with non-believers? The perfect example is 9-11. Al Qaida took years to plan and prepare for the attack, and they were completely successful except for one plane-load of loyal Americans who fought back. There is some question as to Al Qaida involvement in the Mumbai massacre but they have studied it and there are indications that they are planning the same kind of attack on the US.
Another group we need to be concerned about is Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS 13. This is a street gang that started in Los Angeles among illegal El Salvadorians and has spread to and throughout Central America. It is currently in the major metropolitan areas in the United States. They have evolved from a street gang into, what I call, “bad guys for hire.” Their primary customers are the Mexican drug cartels and they use intimidation and brutal assassination as their modus operandi. However, like any good entrepreneur they will work for whoever has the money and the requisite brutality requirement.
Why have I taken this turn? Imagine the opportunity afforded to the illegal with this education bill. Illegals are not just poor Mexicans looking to benefit from our bounty. Illegals come in all races, religions, occupations, and motivations. Looking back at the time it took for Al Qaida to plan and execute 9-11, an education benefit such as SB 09-170 would fit nicely into their planning phase. Likewise, MS 13 goes back and forth across the US border with near impunity. Having gang members permanently stationed in Colorado will provide a suitable base of operations for their criminal enterprises.
The liberals in the Colorado State Legislature, along with Governor Ritter, are enabling our enemies and making it easier for them to increase their already considerable inroads into our society. This trend of giving illegals a pass must stop.
As always, comments and discussions are always welcome.
Dan
There is a bill before the Colorado Senate, currently in the Education Committee, that will extend instate tuition to anyone who has graduated from or attended at least three years in a Colorado high school, irrespective of immigration status. This bill, Senate Bill 09-170, Nondiscrimination in Higher Education, spells out in the first paragraph that a person’s immigration status is immaterial to extending these benefits.
Once again I must be missing something here. This is the United States of America, a nation of laws. Among the body of laws are those detailing requirements for entry into this country. That should be the end of the conversation.
Now there is a group of legislators who want to sweep aside any concern for the laws of our country for the express purpose of extending rights reserved to legal residents and citizens to those who have already proven that they do not respect our laws. When these illegal students and their parents came into this country illegally they declared their disdain for our country and its laws.
Why would these legislators go through this effort to extend these benefits? This could be an interesting question to pose to Senator Romer, the bill’s sponsor. Let me lay out a simple scenario. With the liberal Congress and President, amnesty with a path to citizenship is a definite possibility. If you were one of these students who received this benefit, who are you going to thank when you are able to go to the polls? Of course you will thank these same liberals who enabled you to be forgiven of your crimes. What an ingenious way to keep your power over the long-term.
I am going to take a seemingly right turn. Let’s take a look at a couple of groups of bad guys. Of course there is our ever favorite, Al Qaida. What is their favorite tactic when dealing with non-believers? The perfect example is 9-11. Al Qaida took years to plan and prepare for the attack, and they were completely successful except for one plane-load of loyal Americans who fought back. There is some question as to Al Qaida involvement in the Mumbai massacre but they have studied it and there are indications that they are planning the same kind of attack on the US.
Another group we need to be concerned about is Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS 13. This is a street gang that started in Los Angeles among illegal El Salvadorians and has spread to and throughout Central America. It is currently in the major metropolitan areas in the United States. They have evolved from a street gang into, what I call, “bad guys for hire.” Their primary customers are the Mexican drug cartels and they use intimidation and brutal assassination as their modus operandi. However, like any good entrepreneur they will work for whoever has the money and the requisite brutality requirement.
Why have I taken this turn? Imagine the opportunity afforded to the illegal with this education bill. Illegals are not just poor Mexicans looking to benefit from our bounty. Illegals come in all races, religions, occupations, and motivations. Looking back at the time it took for Al Qaida to plan and execute 9-11, an education benefit such as SB 09-170 would fit nicely into their planning phase. Likewise, MS 13 goes back and forth across the US border with near impunity. Having gang members permanently stationed in Colorado will provide a suitable base of operations for their criminal enterprises.
The liberals in the Colorado State Legislature, along with Governor Ritter, are enabling our enemies and making it easier for them to increase their already considerable inroads into our society. This trend of giving illegals a pass must stop.
As always, comments and discussions are always welcome.
Dan
Costs Demand Debate on Climate
Friends,
The following article is by our favorite guest columnist, Andy Pico. It was first published in the Colorado Springs Gazette on Monday, 09 Mar.
As always, comments and discussion are welcome.
Enjoy,
Dan
Costs Demand Debate on Climate
ANDRES PICO, GUEST COLUMNIST
March 6, 2009 - 8:48PM
In previous columns I have made the point that climate changes predicted by the Global Warming Hysterics have failed to occur. Some have pointed out that the current cooling trend is not long enough to reflect a trend. I agree and actually made the same point in an earlier letter. But in so doing I have pointed out that long-term trends clearly show cyclical climate fluctuations.
The current warming trend is merely part of that cycle. The current warming trend started before the start of the industrial revolution and any discussion of long-term climate trends have to go much further back.
The ice core data going back hundreds of thousands of years shows a very clear climate change history which is not in debate. That history shows cyclical climate changes.
Although obvious, there are those who claim there are no cycles in climate because if there are, then it is clear there are natural forces that drive climate change which is a threat to the political fraud being pushed.
The climate history shows within the Holocene period of the past 14,000 years there has been tremendous climate variability for the entire period. After the Younger Dryas event, the climate was relatively stable at a much warmer level than present for over 5,000 years. Within that period and since there is a measured climate cycle of about 1,500 years that goes from warm to cool to warm and so on.
The Medieval Warm Period was followed by the Little Ice Age followed by the current Modern Warming. This cycle is regular and extraordinarily well documented in an overwhelming amount of scientific literature. The temperatures are reconstructed from a wide variety of proxies and it has been determined that the average temperatures of the Holocene have been at least 3-4 degrees warmer than today with the average for the last 5,000 years at least 2-3 degrees warmer than today. Direct gas measurements of atmospheric CO2 taken during the later part of the Medieval Warm Period were measured in the range of 430 ppm (Beck) which, despite Al Gore's and James Hansen's hysterical predictions of catastrophe with the end of civilization and the boiling away of the oceans if we go over 400 ppm, was followed by the Little Ice Age.
The current warming started at the end of the Little Ice Age in about 1850. Those who show graphs of warming very conveniently chop off the earlier part of the warming trend to artificially manufacture a trend correlated with CO2. They suppress the actual linkage where warming temperatures cause the rise in CO2 as the oceans "breathe out" in a warming trend and "breathe in" during a cooling trend.
What does correlate with the start of the Modern Warm Period, the Little Ice Age and the Medieval Warm Period is solar activity, amplified by oceanic and atmospheric circulation cycles specifically the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation multi-decadal shifts. The solar correlation is extraordinarily strong when temperature trends and solar cycle lengths are smoothed to match the 22-year solar cycle.
All of this information is available in a vast quantity of scientific journals, textbooks, papers, studies, etc., all written by legions of scientists with solid scientific credentials and working with "carbon-free funding" despite propaganda to the contrary.
The Modern Warming has trended up for 150 years with periods of cooling. We are now at the start of a multi-decadal cooling period which began in 1998. The cooling is pretty clear on the monthly data from every reporting agency. If El Niño peaks and La Niña dips are smoothed, then 1998 is very clearly and undeniably the peak of the warming in the shorter term. The decade since is a gradual decline until 2007 at which point a sharp decline started. This was predicted by those paying attention to solar and oceanic cycles.
The climate models and the Global Warming Hysterics all predicted catastrophic warming and temperatures a full two degrees warmer than now.
The economic and governmental impacts of the measures being proposed to "fight global warming" are already having disastrous effects across the world, particularly on the poor and disadvantaged. The effects of the measures being proposed will be economically devastating across the entire country. Did you like paying $4 per gallon for gas? Stand by for $10 (Salazar). Do you like your current utility bill? Stand by to quadruple that bill (Obama). These are the policies they intend to mandate in a regime of central economic planning dictated by the government in a suppression of a free market.
These issues deserve an open, independent and honest scientific, economic and political debate.
-
Pico, of Colorado Springs, is a retired navy commander, naval flight officer and economist. He is a signatory of the Manhattan Declaration.
The following article is by our favorite guest columnist, Andy Pico. It was first published in the Colorado Springs Gazette on Monday, 09 Mar.
As always, comments and discussion are welcome.
Enjoy,
Dan
Costs Demand Debate on Climate
ANDRES PICO, GUEST COLUMNIST
March 6, 2009 - 8:48PM
In previous columns I have made the point that climate changes predicted by the Global Warming Hysterics have failed to occur. Some have pointed out that the current cooling trend is not long enough to reflect a trend. I agree and actually made the same point in an earlier letter. But in so doing I have pointed out that long-term trends clearly show cyclical climate fluctuations.
The current warming trend is merely part of that cycle. The current warming trend started before the start of the industrial revolution and any discussion of long-term climate trends have to go much further back.
The ice core data going back hundreds of thousands of years shows a very clear climate change history which is not in debate. That history shows cyclical climate changes.
Although obvious, there are those who claim there are no cycles in climate because if there are, then it is clear there are natural forces that drive climate change which is a threat to the political fraud being pushed.
The climate history shows within the Holocene period of the past 14,000 years there has been tremendous climate variability for the entire period. After the Younger Dryas event, the climate was relatively stable at a much warmer level than present for over 5,000 years. Within that period and since there is a measured climate cycle of about 1,500 years that goes from warm to cool to warm and so on.
The Medieval Warm Period was followed by the Little Ice Age followed by the current Modern Warming. This cycle is regular and extraordinarily well documented in an overwhelming amount of scientific literature. The temperatures are reconstructed from a wide variety of proxies and it has been determined that the average temperatures of the Holocene have been at least 3-4 degrees warmer than today with the average for the last 5,000 years at least 2-3 degrees warmer than today. Direct gas measurements of atmospheric CO2 taken during the later part of the Medieval Warm Period were measured in the range of 430 ppm (Beck) which, despite Al Gore's and James Hansen's hysterical predictions of catastrophe with the end of civilization and the boiling away of the oceans if we go over 400 ppm, was followed by the Little Ice Age.
The current warming started at the end of the Little Ice Age in about 1850. Those who show graphs of warming very conveniently chop off the earlier part of the warming trend to artificially manufacture a trend correlated with CO2. They suppress the actual linkage where warming temperatures cause the rise in CO2 as the oceans "breathe out" in a warming trend and "breathe in" during a cooling trend.
What does correlate with the start of the Modern Warm Period, the Little Ice Age and the Medieval Warm Period is solar activity, amplified by oceanic and atmospheric circulation cycles specifically the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation multi-decadal shifts. The solar correlation is extraordinarily strong when temperature trends and solar cycle lengths are smoothed to match the 22-year solar cycle.
All of this information is available in a vast quantity of scientific journals, textbooks, papers, studies, etc., all written by legions of scientists with solid scientific credentials and working with "carbon-free funding" despite propaganda to the contrary.
The Modern Warming has trended up for 150 years with periods of cooling. We are now at the start of a multi-decadal cooling period which began in 1998. The cooling is pretty clear on the monthly data from every reporting agency. If El Niño peaks and La Niña dips are smoothed, then 1998 is very clearly and undeniably the peak of the warming in the shorter term. The decade since is a gradual decline until 2007 at which point a sharp decline started. This was predicted by those paying attention to solar and oceanic cycles.
The climate models and the Global Warming Hysterics all predicted catastrophic warming and temperatures a full two degrees warmer than now.
The economic and governmental impacts of the measures being proposed to "fight global warming" are already having disastrous effects across the world, particularly on the poor and disadvantaged. The effects of the measures being proposed will be economically devastating across the entire country. Did you like paying $4 per gallon for gas? Stand by for $10 (Salazar). Do you like your current utility bill? Stand by to quadruple that bill (Obama). These are the policies they intend to mandate in a regime of central economic planning dictated by the government in a suppression of a free market.
These issues deserve an open, independent and honest scientific, economic and political debate.
-
Pico, of Colorado Springs, is a retired navy commander, naval flight officer and economist. He is a signatory of the Manhattan Declaration.
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