Dependence Day

By Kelli Krauss

Upon celebrating the 4th of July, the birth of our nation under the Declaration of Independence in 1776, I couldn't help but wonder what direction our nation is free-falling to. Our Founding Fathers risked everything to fight for a country that they believed in. A free country. A country where "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." When America finally won her Independence from Britain, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights were written with the purpose of limiting government. We fought for Independence and they knew that we needed to preserve it. We needed to create a country where the strong arm of the government could not interfere with our right to live free. Are we still that country? The country that stands for freedom and an individual's right to earn a good life? I am not so sure anymore. There are more and more people out there that think they deserve a good life and that the government should provide it. The current Democratic controlled Congress and President Barack Obama are only too happy to comply with this.

Since his inauguration on January 20th, President Obama and Congress have been spending tax payer money uncontrollably, have taken over a portion of the auto industry, are setting the stage to control and regulate more of the banking industry and Wall Street, and now they want to take over the health care system and pass a Cap and Trade bill that will raise prices for all Americans on everything from heating your home to things you purchase at the store. If the Cap and Trade bill passes in it's current form, a government agency will be created that will inspect your house before you can sell it and tell you what improvements need to be made to meet government "green" regulations. Just as medical decisions should be made by a doctor and the patient, shouldn't improvements on a home be made between the buyer and the seller based upon an independent home inspection? Not according to the current administration and those running Congress. They know what is best for every American.

Our President couldn't even get off the fence to come out with a strong stand on Iran, the election and the protests for freedom. First he said,"We're still waiting to see how it plays itself out...." and that "The difference between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi in terms of their actual policies may not be as great as has been advertised. Either way we are going to be dealing with an Iranian regime that has historically been hostile to the United States." I am sure to the people protesting, there was a difference. To many who were protesting, it was not so much that Mousavi himself didn't win, it was the idea that Ahmadinejad could take an election illegally. Obama claims he didn't want to "meddle" in Iran's problems, but by making these comments and belittling what the people there were protesting, he did. If there was no difference between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi and both regimes would be hostile to the U.S. anyway, then why be so timid and not condemn the actions of the government?

It was only after coverage of the protests increased and the tragic shooting of a 26 year old woman by the Iranian Basij Militia while exiting a car, that President Obama decided to speak with stronger criticism on the actions of the Iranian government, "When a young woman gets shot on the street when she gets out of her car that's a problem." Mr. President, it is more than a problem, it is murder.

Now to the complete other end of the spectrum, when the Congress and Supreme Court of Honduras had their military remove the leftist leaning President Zelaya, Obama came out quick. He claimed immediately that it was "not legal" and that Zelaya should be reinstated as President. In fact Zelaya was corrupt, had mismanaged finances of the government and was trying to circumvent the Constitution of Honduras by extending his term of office. The Congress agreed with the Honduran Supreme Court's ruling that Zelaya was in violation of the their Constitution and the military complied by removing Zelaya. As Hans Bader stated in his article, Will Obama blackmail Honduras into installing a bullying would-be dictator?, "The Honduran military's role in enforcing the court order does not make it a "coup" any more than federal troops' role in enforcing the court-ordered integration of the Little Rock public schools in 1957 constituted a military occupation or takeover."

What is scary is that Obama stated that the "U.S. will stand on the side of democracy" so to him, Zelaya represented democracy! In taking this stance, President Obama has now found himself agreeing with Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro and every other leftist dictator and leader in Latin America. I applaud Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for taking issue with the Obama administration on it's reaction to Honduras.

In a letter to Obama, Ros-Lehtinen stated "the U.S. stance from the onset appears to have been focused on supporting one individual, President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales, irrespective of the Honduran constitution, rule of law, and democratic institutions. ... [T]here has been no apparent attempt by the U.S to discern the truth about the status of democratic and constitutional order in this Central American country, before making summary conclusions and issuing condemnations based on incomplete information." She ended the letter by saying she hoped the Obama administration "will not have the U.S. response hinge on unconfirmed reports and accusations by sources with a vested interest in ensuring a particular outcome that may, or may not be in the interest of the United States."

The Senate will soon start confirmation hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who President Obama has nominated for the Supreme Court of the United States. She has stated, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman, with the richness of her experiences, would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." I argue that she does not see all people equally. She first sees ethnicity, then gender, and then the law, which she wants to create. In 2001, she said this, "Personal experiences affect the facts that judges choose to see. My hope is that I will take the good from my experiences and extrapolate them further into areas with which I am unfamiliar. I simply do not know exactly what that difference will be in my judging. But I accept there will be some based on my gender and my Latina heritage." Anyone who is a judge and makes it clear that they will be bringing their bias to the bench based on their heritage, gender and experiences, should not be anywhere near the Supreme Court.

Our country is changing. It is changing because we are being led by a man who lacks the knowledge of what freedom and democracy is, to be President of the United States of America. If the United States doesn't stand up to the government of Iran and doesn't give the people of Iran the message that we stand solidly with them in their struggle for freedom; if our leader doesn't see that in Honduras, the wheels of democracy were actually working in the ousting of Zelaya; if our President and Congress force government controlled health care and continue to take over industry after industry; if our government sees fit to impose taxes and create another federal bureaucracy to make the country "green", and if a judge gets confirmed to the Supreme Court who clearly doesn't see all people equally and sees her role as one to create law and not interpret it justly, where is our freedom headed?

The American people need to understand that if actions are not taken to stop the current trend of government interference in our lives and it's inability to stand up for the struggles of freedom in the world, we may be longing for the days of celebrating our hard fought-for Independence because we will be mourning our complacent birth of Dependence. Dependence on a government that thrives on power. The power to tell you what is right for you. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, " That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves."

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The U.S. Foreign Policy Circus

By Kelli Krauss

The current foreign policy stance held by the Obama administration, being heralded on the left as the way back into the good graces of other countries (including ones that want to destroy us), has been like watching a circus. President Obama is the ringleader with his blame America speeches and our State Department, headed by Hillary Clinton is like the car full of clowns. With every foreign affairs mishap, it's like another clown exiting the car. The question is how many clowns are in there?

First, Hillary Clinton went to Russia and met with Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister. She gave him a plastic "red button" with Russian print on it that was supposed to say "reset" to represent the "reset" of relations between our two countries. Unfortunately, the Russian was wrong and the button actually said "overcharge." Apparently, they gave him the button that was meant for the American people.

Then Secretary Clinton went to Mexico where she continued to blame the U.S., citing the statistic that "90 percent of the weapons used to commit crimes in Mexico come from the United States." In fact, only 17 percent of guns found at Mexican crime scenes have been traced to the U.S. An ATF spokeswoman stated the statistic as being, "over 90 percent of the traced firearms originate from the U.S."

While in Mexico, Secretary Clinton stopped at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe to leave a bouquet of white flowers, “on behalf of the American people." She then asked, "Who painted it?" to which the Monsignor responded “God!” She apparently did not do her homework. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was miraculously imprinted by Mary on the cloak of St. Juan Diego in 1531. Upon leaving the basilica, Mrs. Clinton told some of the Mexicans gathered outside to greet her, “You have a marvelous virgin!” Don't forget, this is "on behalf of the American people."

Secretary Clinton then went to China to beg and plead with them to keep buying U.S. debt. This was extremely important because the President and Congress are finding all kinds of ways to spend money that our country doesn't have and someone has to pay for it. Why not the Chinese and then eventually the next generation of Americans?

The U.S. then sent four detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the lovely island of Bermuda. Bermuda has control over it's own affairs which include immigration, but not foreign policy, defense or security, because they are still a British territory. Decisions on these matters would be made in London. Except if you are President Obama, the ringleader, then you let your operatives and State Department blindside one of our most reliable and important allies.

Meanwhile, North Korea continues to launch missile tests and threaten the U.S. with attacks if anything is done to prevent them or their pursuit of nuclear weapons. Our response, they are a "grave threat" and we are "looking into it." Now, because the Bush Administration took North Korea off the terror list, we are trying to decide if we should put them back on. It is like the green, red and yellow cards my kindergartner gets at school. If they are having a good day, they keep the green card next to their name. When they start misbehaving, they get the yellow card for a warning, and when the teacher has had it, the red card goes up along with a note home. Right now, North Korea has a yellow card and we are trying to decide if we want to switch them to red and send a note to the mother of all foreign affairs, the dysfunctional United Nations.

We also had members of the Congressional Black Caucus visit Cuba. "Former President Fidel Castro is very engaging, very energetic," said CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee, a California Democrat. "Our conclusion is, given the new direction in our foreign policy, that it's time to look at a new direction in our policy toward Cuba." Lee and others gave much praise to Castro, saying that he was warm and receptive to them. Lee described her time with Castro as, “quite a moment to behold." Representative Bobby Rush, an Illinois Democrat said, “It was almost like listening to an old friend", and "In my household I told Castro he is known as the ultimate survivor." I guess that would be true if your old friend is a communist tyrant who is a human rights abuser, suppresses free speech, fair elections and imprisons political dissenters.

Now we have our State Department telling its embassies and consulates around the world that “they may invite representatives from the government of Iran” to their Independence Day celebrations which are gatherings that usually have hot dogs, red-white-and-blue decorations, fireworks and is a general celebration of America, it's roots and values. Nothing like a friendly barbecue to show that the communication lines are open with a government that wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth and whose leader despises America.

This was announced right before Secretary Clinton went to El Salvador where she is trying to improve relations in Latin America because they are concerned about the influence that Iran has been gaining there. Of course while there, as is the pattern with the Democrats (they did it for eight years, so I guess habits are hard to break) Clinton blamed the Bush administration and their policy in Latin America for the Iranian influence.

Even with the ongoing violence taking place in Iran today, with protesters marching in the streets, risking their lives in opposition to the current government and their election controversy, State Department spokesman, Ian Kelly said, "There's no thought to rescinding the invitations to Iranian diplomats. We have made a strategic decision to engage on a number of fronts with Iran. And -- and we tried many years of isolation, and we're pursuing a different path now."

So to recap our foreign policy: we gave a plastic "red button" to Russia that didn't translate correctly; we went to Mexico and falsely accused the U.S. of supplying bad guys with guns; told the people in Mexico City that they have a "marvelous Virgin"; begged China to buy up more of our debt because we can't stop spending like drunken sailors; we sent Gitmo detainees off to live in a paradise governed by our ally without notifying them; we have scolded North Korea; engaged Fidel Castro, the communist dictator, and praised him; and now we are going to invite representatives from Iran to come and celebrate America's birthday with hot dogs, which depending on what kind you buy, they can't even eat because Muslims don't eat pork. With three and a half years left to this administration and it's foreign policy, I think the clown car is going to be really big.

The Sky is Falling!

By Lenice Moynihan

Obama the need for health care is not a ticking time bomb, you are. You sound like Chicken little crying the sky is falling. Since you have been in office every other week you tell us just that. You continue to play on people's fears and use rhetoric to press emotional buttons. Now that really isn't the ploy of a thinking man but more like a con artist. Of course, you have found an audience of fools and they must take the blame for that.

There are many of us that do think for ourselves Mr. Obama and we think you are toxic for this country. You are only concerned with your agenda - to hell with our constitution. You do not seem the least bit interested in the private sector or our Bill of Rights. Something is rotten in Washington DC and me thinks it is you! Many of us see how you are trying to revoke the will of the people all the while creating a fascist state. This is based on your actions sir not your empty words. A thinking man understands he is judged by his actions. You could be a ventriloquist for all the times you have talked out both sides of your mouth.

There is an uprising in Iran due to a forged Presidential outcome. We have not heard word one from you on this revolution. We are told you are biding your time and watching. The Iranian people have the will to rise up against a totalitarian regime yet you are biding your time? Could this be because the corruption of this election is a little to close to home? We must ask ourselves are you more sympathetic towards Ahmadinejad or the people? You scare me Mr. Obama. You truly, truly scare me.

The Bright Spots in a Bleak Economy!

Every night I read through the news to decide on a topic to write. Tonight, I was almost depressed reading the news. There were so many stories about how bad the economy is and how much worse it could get. Almost every news story started with "the worst in X amount of years." Instead of contributing to the negativity, I decided to put some positives out there. A few bright spots so to speak.

First, oil prices fell below $50 today for the first time in almost two years. The average price of gas is down almost fifty percent to $2.02. With the dramatic drop in oil and gas prices, the consumer price index data for October was historic as well. October’s 1 percent drop in consumer prices was the largest monthly decrease in the 61-year record of comparable data.

In keeping with my positive theme, this is good news for those of us who have to buy anything right now. People may have a few extra dollars to spend on their kids for Christmas rather than putting it them in their gas tanks to get to work.

Second, due to the same drop in prices, a few of those countries that do not have our best interest at heart are falling on hard times. Iran continues to feel the pressure of the falling gas prices. With less income from their oil, they may be slowed in some of their evil ambitions. The strain could eventually push the people of Iran to question their leadership. We could hope that leadership gets tossed out on there butts. (I know it's wishful thinking, but this is a positive article.)

Finally, with the economic data not so bright, the illegal immigration into the country has dropped 46%. With the reduction in jobs and the elimination of some construction jobs, the opportunities for illegal immigrants is on the decline. This does not account for the number of illegal immigrants who have returned to their native countries for the same reasons.

My point to all of this is that for years we have been told how bad things were. Some justified. Others exaggerated. If you are a person who see things half empty, you most likely will find your life half empty. If you are a person who see things half full, you most likely will find that your life is in fact full. There are bright spots in everything we see in life. You just have to look for them.

While Our Heads Are Buried in The Financials, Russia Swoops Into Our Backyard!

The financial news this week has been frightening to say the least. However, hidden deep behind the financial news is an even bigger threat that has gone undetected in it's entirety by the American public and most politicians. While we have our eyes on Wall Street, Russia has it's eye on us.

On September 8, Russia announced that it will send a naval squadron and long-range patrol planes this year to Venezuela for a joint military exercise in the Caribbean. On September 10, two Russian strategic bombers landed in Venezuela. Both countries say that they were holding joint military exercises over neutral water before the planes return to Russia. This is a direct response to America's defense of Georgia. The US currently has ships off the coast of Georgia delivering aide supplies.

This week Russia took it's aggression a step further agreeing to an arms deal with both Iran and Venezuela. Russia is sending anti-aircraft systems to Iran despite objections from the United States. Russia is offering to send it's S-300 surface-to-air missile system to protect Iran from a possible attack on it's nuclear facilities by either the U.S. or Israel.

Russia also disclosed that Hugo Chavez and crew have requested anti-aircraft systems, armored personnel carriers, and a new fighter jet that will be in production in the next few years. Russia has increased it's own military spending this year by 20-25% above it's 2007 military expenditures. We have had our eye on Iraq and Afghanistan for so long that we are missing an even bigger threat creeping into our own backyard.

I have watched Senator Obama's response to the financial crisis in the past few days. He didn't take a stance on whether we should be bailing out these institutions until the Bush administration did it for him. He says he has his own plan on the issue, but won't share it until he reviews Henry Paulson's plan. How long would it take him to make a decision on our national security?

Also in the news today, was the announcement that Governor Palin had been uninvited to a rally in support of Israel. Senator Clinton was originally schedule to attend, but withdrew from the event after Palin was invited. After Clinton withdrew, Obama supporters, if not the campaign itself, pressured the Jewish groups holding the event to uninvite Palin.

If the Democrats and Senator Obama cannot reach across the aisle on something both sides agree with, how will they reach across the aisle to deal with bigger conflicts? We need someone who will put politics to the side and deal with these growing threats head on.

We must get our heads out of the ground and start watching all of the threats against us. It doesn't help that Russia and China just bought up half of our country in the past few weeks while we were worried about the almighty buck.