Letter to a Young Mom Asking For Another View After Conversation with a Liberal Acquaintance Rob (on the then Presidential candidacy of Barack Obama in 2008) Part III
Energy and Healthcare
Young
Mom, Rob did not review these issues in any detail. They are, however,
crucial. The price of energy has enormous repercussions for each of us
every day. It is not just what we pay at the pump. Fuel costs, like
corporate tax rates, are part of businesses doing business and are
passed down to us in increased cost for food, services and necessary
items for daily living. Energy is also a national security issue. We
send $800,000,000, 000 a year to oil producing nations, several of whom
are sponsors of the Jihadist movement bent on our destruction.
Senator
McCain has outlined a realistic energy plan that supports all
alternative fuel developments, but also realizes alternative energy is
not an immediate answer to our problems. McCain supports programs which
will make it possible to build nuclear reactors ASAP. Eighty percent
(80%) of French electricity is supplied by nuclear reactors. In the US,
20% of our energy is from nuclear. This is because environmentalists
have carried the day and despite the record of safety in nuclear power,
they have convinced many of the American people and legislators that
nuclear is not safe. Similarly we have not built an oil refinery in
this nation for twenty years and oil companies are unable to drill some
of the lands they now have access to due to environmental regulation.
We have not built a nuclear reactor in this country since 1996.
Senator
McCain realizes that for the next 20 years at least, we will require
oil to drive our economy. Should we attempt to become oil independent?
Yes. Both candidates agree on this. Senator Obama says we can be “off
oil” in ten years. This means no gas powered transportation or home
heating in ten years, but is this possible? Denmark is perhaps the most
advanced nation in pursuit of alternative energy. Denmark has invested
in wind technology for twenty years. Despite enormous investment and
the most vigorous wind industry on the planet, this small nation is only
able to derive 20% of power from wind; and the wind power they have has
been costly and it is very unreliable. Denmark has not kicked the oil
habit. Based on population, consumes oil at half of the current level
of US oil consumption. Denmark remains dependent on oil, the difference
is they do not import it, they drill for it.
Denmark
aggressively drills for oil in the North Sea. They have drastically cut
their oil imports by building an oil industry which exports more than
it consumes. What are those of us out here seeing gas and food prices
go up supposed to do Young Mom while President Obama attempts to force a
green dream on us which has not been attainable in twenty years for an
extremely small, committed European state? Senator Obama has said he
believes gas prices should go up, not too fast, but that we should pay
more for oil and gas. He has said this pain is necessary in order for
us to become less dependent on oil. He believes we should be paying
more for gas. In pursuit of his goal of weaning us from oil, Senator
Obama has supported everything possible to make sure there is no chance
the price of gas will drop. He has opposed any domestic oil drilling
legislation that would result in more oil coming out of the ground and
he wants to institute a windfall profit tax oil companies. The result
of that will be the same as other corporate tax increases. Oil
companies will pass the tax on to us and ultimately, as happened under
Jimmy Carter when he instituted a similar tax in 1980, oil production
will drop. In the meantime Senator Obama will levy taxes to support
green energy sources. This is part of Senator Obama’s vision to develop
an energy industry supported by the state.
The problem
is, Young Mom, the nation in the world most committed to this process
has over twenty years only managed to generate twenty five percent total
of its energy from non-carbon sources. If this much smaller nation of 5
million people, totally committed to this process still needs oil, who
in their right mind believes we, a nation of 300,000,000 will eliminate a
need for oil in ten years? Yes, we can and should try, but we need a
leader who recognizes the realities of energy and who will build the
bridges required in a thoughtful energy independence plan. This means
recognizing that we have tremendous untapped oil reserves and that
irrational environmental concerns have severely limited our ability to
pursue a variety of energy sources. We can safely drill. We can build a
self reliant oil industry (as Denmark has done). We need nuclear power
and fast tracking of plants, not hesitation and double talk from
Senator Obama on what we will do with reactor fuel. France does this
for goodness sake Young Mom! We need clean coal, but despite what Nancy
Pelosi thinks, this is a carbon fuel. And yes, we need alternative
sources, but it is socialist and tyrannical to presume that the state
should punish citizens and the economy with unnecessary oil and gas
costs in its pursuit of a utopian vision of energy which even the most
determined European states have been unable to achieve.
Exxon
made 40 billion on sales of $404 billion dollars in 2007 Young Mom,
roughly a 10% net profit on sales. They are lots of costs which go into
running an oil business, something those warring on big oil rarely talk
about. That said, 10% profit is not bad, though not as good as
Microsoft. Exxon didn't hit the lottery though, the government did.
For all the sales taxes, duties and income taxes collected, the
government pulled in a $102 billion on Exxon's sales of $404 billion.
Young Mom, nearly 25% of all of Exxon's sales (not profit, sales!) goes
to some governmental entity! Increases or sustained elevations in the
price of gas will have devastating effect during the economic tailspin
many believe will result from Obama economic policies. As we pump gas
we cannot afford during a possible Obama Presidency, paying $5 or more a
gallon, we all must remember that the government puts $1.00 in its
pockets, the oil company keeps $0.50.
As a physician it
is clear to me that the Obama health plan clearly puts us on the road to
nationalized healthcare. Some may disagree with the approach, I just
wish the Senator would honestly state his intention. He believes we
need government control over the healthcare system. Many agree. The
driver in this discussion is the oft repeated statement that 47,000,000
are uninsured. First, this does not mean these people have no
healthcare. In fact, everyone in this country can show up at the
emergency room and get healthcare. When this group is analyzed one
finds that a third are eligible for Medicaid but are not signed up, a
third could possibly afford healthcare insurance but have made the
decision not to purchase it and a third need real assistance in getting
on an established plan.
Senator McCain proposes giving
individuals choice in choosing healthcare, and offers monetary
assistance to do so. He proposes a tax credit of $5000 for families
purchasing healthcare on their own. Senator Obama has been erroneously
advertising that voters will lose health benefits and money under the
McCain health plan. Senator Obama is portraying the McCain move to
consumer driven health as workers getting a $5,000 tax credit, health
insurance costing $12,000 per family, and the worker getting stuck with a
$7,000 bill. Right? Wrong! Here’s how it would really work. Suppose a
worker gets $50,000 in cash wages and $12,000 in health insurance.
Right now, he pays federal income taxes on the wages but not the health
insurance. Let’s assume, for reasons of simplicity, that the tax rate he
is paying is a flat 25% on his wages. He therefore pays $12,500 in
federal income taxes. His after-tax, after-health-care income is
$37,500. Now, under the McCain plan, his employer keeps paying the
premium, which is now counted as income to the worker. He therefore pays
federal income taxes on $62,000, or $15,500. But he also gets a tax
credit of $5,000 for health insurance, which means that, all in all, he
owes $10,500 in federal taxes, or $2,000 less than he does today. His
after-tax, after-health-care income is $39,500. If the worker decides to
buy his insurance in the open market instead of through the employer,
the result will be the same. His employer is indifferent to how he pays
his worker as long as total costs are the same. So instead of paying
premiums, the employer pays his worker $62,000 in cash wages and does
not pay anything toward insurance. The worker again owes $15,500 in
taxes on this compensation, and he also must buy health insurance
costing $12,000. So, his pre-tax income is $62,000, he owes $12,000 in
health insurance premiums, and he owes $10,500 in federal taxes (after
claiming his credit). His after-tax, after-health-care income is the
same: $39,500 ($62,000 – $12,000 – $10,500), or $2,000 more than today.
This
plan would be a break even or slight cost to wealthier taxpayers.
McCain would also eliminate restrictions on purchase of healthcare
insurance across state lines. Many states have enacted healthcare
mandates for insurance policies which have driven the cost of insurance
through the roof for all. Perhaps you don’t want an insurance plan that
covers the cost of cosmetic plastic surgery or artificial reproductive
technologies. You have the choice in the McCain system to purchase a
plan which meets your needs. You keep the amount of money left over and
there will be money left over for most Americans.
Senator
Obama proposes a National Health Insurance Exchange which will create a
government mandated benefit for all. He reports that you can keep your
current plan and doctor, but follows on with reporting that those
employers who do not offer the plan proposed by the Exchange will be
fined. He refuses to state what the fine, or “incentive” for employers
to join the Insurance Exchange will be. He most recently refused to
discuss this issue in the last debate with John McCain.
Young
Mom, as a healthcare provider I have great concern with Senator Obama’s
healthcare plan. It will force individuals and employers into a health
care benefit managed by the government. The results of such
experiments in healthcare, socialized medicine adventures, are visible
throughout Europe and in Canada. Costs have continued to rise and cost
containment, at the expense of quality, becomes the only course of
action for governments committed to offering a one size fits all
solution for individual health care. The government approach presumes
the government is best suited to determine what health benefit
everyone needs. Senator Obama says that he simply wants all Americans
to have the same benefit legislators have, the Federal Employees Health
Benefit Program (FEHBP). We need to discuss the FEHBP.
Young
Mom, the FEHBP is not a described benefit, though that is how Senator
Obama presents it. This year, 283 plans are available through the FEHBP
at the national and local levels. The benefit packages change from year
to year— sometimes dramatically—depending on prevailing market
conditions, consumer demand, and insurers' willingness to compete and
offer different packages through the FEHBP. This wide range of
personal choices and the intense competition among the various health
plans are precisely what make the FEBHP both popular and successful. It
is the closest thing that Americans—at least those Americans who work
for the federal government—have to a functioning, consumer-driven
national health insurance market.
The Obama plan has
nothing to do with such choice and plan competition. Despite Senator
Obama's rhetoric of "choice and competition," his plan is a vehicle for
new regulations and federal power that would leave ordinary Americans
with even less control of their health care dollars than they exercise
today. As a parent and physician Young Mom, the Obama plan is bad
medicine.
Instead of using the massive power of the
federal government to impose a top-down change on the health care
system, Senator Obama and other policymakers would be wise to transfer
direct control of health care dollars to individuals and families.
Senator McCain’s plan recognizes that this would enable Americans to
exercise real personal choice of health plans and benefits while making
health plans and providers compete directly for consumers' dollars by
providing value to patients.
The War against Jihadism, National Security and Homeland Defense
Rob
leaves on the table several other important topics which you as a Young
Mom should consider carefully in selecting the next Commander in
Chief. We are currently engaged in a war with Jihadists and radical
Muslims around the world. Despite what Senator Obama says, we did not
ask for this conflict. The game was clearly on in 1979 with the taking
of the American Embassy in Iran, but has roots even earlier than that.
Despite this, the United States has been the greatest provider of
financial aid to developing Muslim nations worldwide. I would suggest
this has not always been wise policy but US economic aid to Egypt,
Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey dwarfs that
supplied by any other nations. We have been the savior for millions of
Muslims worldwide not only through economic aid but through military
support. We have sacrificed our most precious treasure to protect
Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan from control by tyrannical regimes bent not
only on our destruction but the torture and destruction of their own
people.
Senator Obama would have you look upon the
military as a needy special interest group sacrificed in meaningless
imperial adventures. Talk to military members who have served in those
arenas Young Mom. Military members are proud of the service we have
performed worldwide to ensure the safety of our nation. In performing
this duty we have also created safe space for people around the world to
attempt the experiment which has been successful here.
The
war we are engaged in now concerned mom has multiple fronts. It is in
Iraq, Afghanistan and may be elsewhere in the future. Senator McCain
recognizes the vicious enemy before us and the global conflict we are
engaged in. Senator Obama does not. He sees separate individual
conflicts. Obama talks about ending the war in Iraq. Well Young Mom,
you would never know it from the cricket sounds in newsrooms, but we are
winning and very likely have won the war there. Camp Fallujah was
closed this week. You didn’t read it in the NY Times or hear about it
on the nightly news. There is nothing left for Marines and Army members
to do in Anbar province. We have begun bringing troops home. This is
happening because John McCain supported General Petraeus’ strategy of
counterinsurgency and demanded the surge. McCain defied the Bush
administration, criticized war planning and demanded a different
approach. It has worked spectacularly. Senator Obama said the surge
would not work and would make things worse. He demanded withdrawal on a
timetable which would have given AQ in Iraq a light at the end of the
tunnel. There are many who would argue about whether we should have
gone. There were many good reasons; enough reasons in fact that the
Senate authorized this conflict (77-23). Senator Obama reports he was
against the war. Fact is, he was not in the Senate at the time. It is
easy to be in the State Senate and say such things. Do you believe
Senator Obama would have voted differently than Clinton, Kerry or his
running mate Biden? The fact is, like it or not, we remain at war with
Islamofascism and we are in Iraq.
The approach advocated
by John McCain took courage. He defied his party in being critical of
the war effort. McCain knows we are engaged in a multi front war and
that to lose the Iraq battle would have been a disaster for many. The
Obama approach would have been a victory for Islamofascism. It has also
been reported that on his recent world tour Senator Obama, while in
Iraq, asked PM Maliki to
delay US troop withdrawal. Per the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Senator Obama reportedly told Maliki
that when a new administration came on board, they should be the ones to
coordinate such a withdrawal. If Senator Obama believes so firmly in
withdrawal, shouldn’t he be celebrating the fact that it is safe to
bring some troops home now? The cynic would say no, he wants to take
credit for that himself if he is elected. The fact is that the only
reason anyone will be coming home in an orderly fashion and the Iraqis
have a chance at stability is that the Petraeus strategy has secured the
country. Such conversation by Senator Obama also displays a despicable
disregard for the safety of our troops. If it is safe to bring them
home, do so. Maintaining deployed forces, even if not actively engaged
in battle, is a hardship on military members and families which is
endured as long as it is required. In addition, requesting that Maliki
keep US forces in place until a possible Obama Presidency is realized
puts military lives at risk.
Young Mom, the world views
of the two Presidential candidates men are polar opposites. Senator
Obama sees the United States as needing to assume its place in the
larger world community as another member. He sees the United States as a
big part of the world’s problems. Senator McCain sees the US as a
world leader who must work with other nations, maintain alliances, but
retain our ability to function independently in our best interests.
Senator McCain sees the United States as a big part of the solution to
the world’s problems. Obama believes, much as Neville Chamberlain did
in the 1930s, that our enemies are reasonable people who can be talked
with, or at least bought off. While Senator Obama and the media would
have us all believe the US has not spoken with rogue nations which
concern us most, President Bush’s administration has held talks with
Iran, North Korea and Venezuela. We have encouraged European allies to
take the lead on Iranian negotiations. They asked for this
responsibility. The President of the United States should never walk
into such dens of snakes without clear pre-conditions and expectations.
Senator Obama has stated clearly that he would meet “without
preconditions” with top leaders in nations determined to destroy us and
our allies. McCain has made clear he will meet with anyone when the
time and conditions are right.
Young Mom, the Senator
Obama national security and worldview is naïve and dangerous. Leaders
of the worst of nations and terrorist movements (Venezuela, Iran, Hamas,
North Korea) have espoused their support for Senator Obama. Do you
think that is because he will insist that they conform to accepted
standards of behavior for modern governments? When Senator Obama says
“Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet
Union. They don't pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union
posed a threat to us,” he reveals a staggering lack of understanding of
the ideology of these nations’ leaders. These rogue nations with
emerging nuclear capability, have all demonstrated a commitment to
supporting terrorism. They are unstable and irrational, unlike the
USSR, and have the potential to lethally impact democratic nations
crippled by political correctness with relatively open borders.
In
his note to you Young Mom, Rob does not even mention national security
or the war on Jihadism as an issue which he feels will impact his
family’s future. Simply amazing in this day and age. This is the world
view, however, of those wearing liberal eyeshades. Despite the
continual escalation of a war against the West over the last thirty
years, liberals refuse to recognize the enemy. Some of our allies do,
however. This is from Geert Wilders, Chairman of the Party for Freedom
in the Netherlands, speaking to America:
I
come to America with a mission. All is not well in the old world. There
is a tremendous danger looming, and it is very difficult to be
optimistic. We might be in the final stages of the Islamization of
Europe. This not only is a clear and present danger to the future of
Europe itself, it is a threat to America and the sheer survival of the
West. The danger I see looming is the scenario of America as the last
man standing. The United States as the last bastion of Western
civilization, facing an Islamic Europe. In a generation or two, the US
will ask itself: who lost Europe? Patriots from around Europe risk their
lives every day to prevent precisely this scenario form becoming a
reality.
Dear
friends, liberty is the most precious of gifts. My generation never had
to fight for this freedom, it was offered to us on a silver platter, by
people who fought for it with their lives. All throughout Europe
American cemeteries remind us of the young boys who never made it home,
and whose memory we cherish. My generation does not own this freedom; we
are merely its custodians. We can only hand over this hard won liberty
to Europe’s children in the same state in which it was offered to us. We
cannot strike a deal with mullahs and imams. Future generations would
never forgive us. We cannot squander our liberties. We simply do not
have the right to do so.
This
is not the first time our civilization is under threat. We have seen
dangers before. We have been betrayed by our elites before. They have
sided with our enemies before. And yet, then, freedom prevailed.
These
are not times in which to take lessons from appeasement, capitulation,
giving away, giving up or giving in. These are not times in which to
draw lessons from Mr. Chamberlain. These are times calling us to draw
lessons from Mr. Churchill and the words he spoke in 1942:
“Never
give in, never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large
or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.
Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might
of the enemy”.
As you weigh your vote Young
Mom, you must give serious thought to considering who should assume the
role of Commander in Chief. Joe Biden made some disturbing comments
about what faces us in an Obama Presidency:
"Mark
my words," the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the
second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. "It will not be six months
before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The
world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator
president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing
here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have
an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this
guy."
"I
can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might
originate," Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the Middle
East and Russia as possibilities. "And he's gonna need help. And the
kind of help he's gonna need is, he's gonna need you - not financially
to help him - we're gonna need you to use your influence, your influence
within the community, to stand with him. Because it's not gonna be
apparent initially, it's not gonna be apparent that we're right."
Joe
Biden almost bluntly declares here that a President Obama will invite
challenges from enemies abroad. If Obama power diplomacy is going to be
so effective, why will this happen? Senator Obama tells us, “if
America is willing to come to the table, the world will be more willing
to rally behind American leadership to deal with challenges like
terrorism, and Iran and North Korea's nuclear programs.” I don’t know
about you Young Mom, but Biden’s comments are shocking to me. The VP on
the Dem ticket, who in debates said about Obama and his ability to be
President, "I think he can be ready, but right now I don't believe he
is. The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job
training", warns us that a President Obama will react to the coming
crisis in a way that demoralizes the country and which shatters public
confidence in Obama.
Young Mom, no one is
suggesting this would happen under a President McCain. There will be no
rush by our enemies to challenge a President McCain. Why, because he
is committed to protecting our nation and our allies. Why would
thoughtful voters ever consider casting a ballot for a Senator Obama
when his VP, someone familiar with foreign affairs, predicts a calamity
within the first six months of an Obama Presidency? Young Mom, I want
to elect someone who will be equipped to prevent such an occurrence.
When even Joe Biden tells you that disaster awaits the first six months
of an Obama Presidency, we should listen. There's no way to deny the
reality of the defeatism and retreat represented by a vote for Obama and
which our enemies see in a President Obama.
John McCain
has led a thoroughly examined life which has been ruled by honor and
what he has judged to be good sense. He is not a man who wavers, not a
man who will ever compromise the security of this nation to any enemy.
Rob and most liberals believe the forces committed to the destruction of
Western civilization are an exaggerated figment of Republicans’
imaginations. You will have to form your own opinions about this Young
Mom, but there is no doubt that the next President will have to make
vital national security decisions that will have enormous repercussions
for future generations.
The Stealth Candidate
As
you consider your next Commander in Chief Young Mom, you should be
aware of an important fact. Senator Obama, if he were a civilian
applying for secret, or even top secret clearance, would be denied.
Senator Obama could not work as a civilian at Lockheed or at the White
House. I have been through the clearance drill and know others involved
in this process at the White House. Senator Obama would be denied not
because he has a funny name and not because of his color.
The
mainstream media has done this nation an enormous disservice in vetting
Senator Obama. I would highly recommend reading Senator Obama’s books,
Dreams From My Father and
Audacity of Hope.
They are fascinating reading and offer some interesting insights into
Senator Obama’s thought process and his struggle for identity. Perhaps
most importantly, this is the only detailed accounting we have of the
Senator’s activities over a twenty year period (1979-1999). Senator
McCain’s life is an open book. During his twenties McCain was being
tortured in a POW camp, Senator Obama by his own account (Dreams) was
attending school, socializing with radicals at Occidental and then
Columbia, and doing drugs. Senator Obama has NEVER talked about why he
went from Occidental to Columbia, what his relationship was with
Pakistani students at Occidental, how same students influenced him to
move to New York, why he took several extended trips to Pakistan while
in school, what the details were of his decision to go to Chicago, did
he meet Bill Ayers while at Columbia, how did a very average student got
into Harvard Law first time around, and exactly how was all this paid
for?
Senator Obama has a laundry list of documents he has
either refused to produce or actively obstructed distribution of.
These include all transcripts from all colleges and law school, theses
from all colleges and law school, birth certificate (not certificate of
live birth...there are many stories from his Kenyan family that he was
born in Kenya while his mom was there, not Hawaii), passports, college
loan documents, selective service registration, Illinois state senate
schedule and agendas, client list from his time at law firms in Chicago,
and medical records.
So, no secret clearance would be
granted without releasing all these records. No secret clearance would
be approved with a history illegal drug use. No clearance with an
established record of consorting with known criminals and terrorists.
Three strikes, and you don’t get three strikes when applying for secret
clearance. This might not mean much to those who have not been involved
in the military or national security work. To those who have spent
time in these areas, the thought of a President who never served in the
military (understood many future President’s will not), who will not
produce his selective service registration (making one wonder if Senator
Obama is registered) and who could not meet the requirements for
clearance, is incomprehensible.
Rob, attempts to dismiss
Senator Obama’s friendship with William Ayers as attempting to paint
Senator Obama unfairly with the radical brush. If one is to believe
Rob, then Senator Obama is an absolute incompetent and imbecile. Rob is
asking for the willful suspension of disbelief. He suggests that it is
unreasonable to believe that two men share core values when Senator
Obama took his first executive job from Ayers, served the Ayers project
for six years, served with Ayers on other boards and decided to launch
his first political campaign from the Ayers living room.
Rob
is correct that Bill Ayers is only one part of the patchwork of
mentors, friends and associates that form the Obama cloak of
radicalism. Jeremiah Wright, as the former pastor of Trinity United
Church, a church Obama attended for twenty years, preached the gospel
according to black liberation theology (BLT) from his pulpit. BLT,
according to James Cone (a mentor for Wright), one of its founders, has
written, “Black theology will accept only the love of God which
participates in the destruction of the white enemy. What we need is the
divine love as expressed in Black Power, which is the power of black
people to destroy their oppressors here and now by any means at their
disposal. Unless God is participating in this holy activity, we must
reject his love.” Rob is not telling the truth Young Mom when he says
this was never preached from the pulpit. Pretty much all of the vile
bile spewed by Jeremiah Wright was done from the pulpit, much like other
Obama minister friends (Pfleger, Meeks). Rob must not think you have
access to You Tube, but check out this one of many videos of infamous
Wright performances. The word according to Rev. Wright:
“The
government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a
three-strike law and then wants us to sing ‘God Bless America.’ No, no,
no, God damn America, that’s in the Bible for killing innocent people.
God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn
America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme.”
(2003)
Most of the available tape of
Jeremiah Wright is from the pulpit. What is truly astounding is that
Trinity has maintained its tax status as a non-profit organization.
That should have been stripped away years ago. Rob says that Wright
never preached hate from the pulpit. He says that it is inconceivable
that Trinity could be a racist anti-American institution. In fact,
looking at the tapes of Wright and the reaction of the crowd, it is not
at all hard to imagine that what Rob denies is fact. Rob describes
Wright as the person who brought Obama to Christ. Obama
has written regarding his belief that the black churches would play a
critical in developing a political power base. From
Obama::
"Nowhere
is the promise of organizing more apparent than in the traditional
black churches. Possessing tremendous financial resources, membership
and — most importantly — values and biblical traditions that call for
empowerment and liberation, the black church is clearly a slumbering
giant in the political and economic landscape of cities like Chicago. A
fierce independence among black pastors and a preference for more
traditional approaches to social involvement (supporting candidates for
office, providing shelters for the homeless) have prevented the black
church from bringing its full weight to bear on the political, social
and economic arenas of the city."
Rob
attempts to diminish any concerns you might reasonably have about
Senator Obama and black liberation theology by stating that Obama has
denounced Wright and that his close religious relationship with Wright
might “understandably engender certain forgiveness that strangers would
not indulge.” Rob rationalizes such acceptance based on his
recollection of the neighborhood priest he knew growing up who, outside
of church, shared racist sentiments and smelled of whiskey. Rob,
however, did not come to this priest at twenty seven, listen to his
sermons for twenty years, as an adult ask this man to bring him to
Christ, preside at his wedding and baptize his daughters. Senator Obama
has also made it clear that he sees the black church as vital in
furthering his hopes of developing a political action base in black
communities. So based on Senator Obama’s writings it is not absolutely
clear at all that he found Christ. What he did clearly find was another
means to further his quest to solidify a political power base.
There
is great detail that can be found regarding other troubling Obama
connections, including Rashid Khalidi, political fixer Antoin "Tony"
Rezko, Nadhmi Auchi, Bernadine Dohrn, Rev. Meeks, Rev. Otis, Father
Pfleger Louis Farrakhan, and Aiham Alsammarae. I would be happy to
supply or refer you to places for more detail about these relationships
Young mom. It appears to me that Senator Obama could make all these
concerns about his past and personal relationships go away if he would
answer questions and release documents. The problem is that main stream
media will not ask these questions, Obama will not spend time with
anyone who will publicly put these questions to him and he is unwilling
to release the pertinent documents.
Rob doesn’t mention
any of the latter relationships but attempts to dismiss the Wright-Ayers
connections as an unfortunate consequence of choosing work in public
life. According to Rob, such nasty characters will happen along on an
ambitious individual’s career path. Rob reports that John McCain has
had associations with Roger Quinn and William Timmons. Lets assume what
Rob says is true about these men, which I don’t necessarily believe is
the case. There isn’t space to quibble over it. These are hired hands,
not mentors that have over decades guided McCain’s personal, religious
and professional development. Much like the priest Rob discussed, this
is another effort to dismiss disturbing insights into the Obama
character using laughable attempts at moral equivalence.
Running a Campaign
Lastly
Young Mom, you should be aware of the strategies being employed by the
Obama campaign to attempt to secure this election. A principal weapon
in the Democratic election effort is ACORN, the Association of
Community Organizers for Reform Now. This group purports to be
apolitical, committed to representing the interests of the
underprivileged in a variety of underserved areas, mainly urban. A
review of ACORN’s history demonstrates that they are anything but that.
A complete primer on this band of thieves masquerading as community
do-gooders can be found
here.
With some diligence, you can find multiple reports from a variety of
MSM sources, implicating ACORN in fraudulent voting activities in the
upcoming election. In
Cleveland. In
Detroit. In
New Mexico. In
Las Vegas. And in
Milwaukee the “community organizers” are hard at work, and it ain’t at removing
asbestos from rundown housing or tutoring in school basements. They are
paying people to register to vote, sometimes with money, in other cases
with cigarettes. They are encouraging individuals to register multiple
times to vote.
There are too numerous to report past
reminders of ACORN activities out there, but this one from 2007 in
Seattle is representative of numerous others:
The Seattle Times
adds that the announcement of criminal charges came after the King County Canvassing Board revoked 1,762 allegedly fraudulent voter registrations submitted by ACORN employees. According to prosecutors, six ACORN workers “had
admitted filling out registration forms with names they found in phone
books last October. The canvassers filled out the forms while sitting
around a table at the downtown Seattle Public Library.”
Senator
Obama, is intimately linked to ACORN (has taught at ACORN leadership
seminars, represented ACORN interests in motor voter registration).
From Senator Obama meeting with ACORN leaders last November, “I've been
fighting alongside ACORN on issues you care about my entire career. Even
before I was an elected official, when I ran Project Vote voter
registration drives in Illinois, ACORN was smack dab in the middle of
it, and we appreciate your work.” ACORN is a supposedly non-partisan
voter registration organization that has had many of its activists
indicted and convicted of voter fraud violations. Senator Obama has
been involved with ACORN throughout his career and in turn, ACORN’s
political arm has endorsed him while its non-political arm is pledging
to spend $35 million this year registering voters— quoting John Fund,
“most will be real but many fictional.” The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
has details regarding the Senator’s willingness to provide less than
transparent support for ACORN activities:
U.S.
Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign paid more than $800,000 to an
offshoot of the liberal Association of Community Organizations for
Reform Now for services the Democrat’s campaign says it mistakenly
misrepresented in federal reports.
An
Obama spokesman said Federal Election Commission reports would be
amended to show Citizens Services Inc. — a subsidiary of ACORN — worked
in “get-out-the-vote” projects, instead of activities such as polling,
advance work and staging major events as stated in FEC finance reports
filed during the primary.
Rob mentions in his
note that Senator McCain has ties to ACORN, and attempts to dismiss the
group as a non-sequitur in campaign discussions. McCain did attend an
immigration rally which ACORN co-sponsored. That is the extent of
McCain’s association with ACORN. The group is perpetrating massive
voter fraud across the country, is registering democrats mainly in
cities, has had its offices raided by police in Las Vegas for suspicion
of voter fraud, and has received $800,000 worth of support from the
Obama campaign.
The financing of the Obama campaign
is equally troubling Young Mom. Senator Obama has received historical
records of donations under $200. These donations now total greater than
$220,000,000. Donations less than $200 are not routinely monitored by
the FEC and this might be a tribute to the amazing democratization of
politics in the internet age. These
Newsmax and
Spectator pieces report on known multiple illegal Obama campaign donations.
For
example, a donor identified as “Pro, Doodad,” from “Nando, NY,” gave
$19,500 in 786 separate donations, most for $25. For most of the
donations, Mr. Doodad Pro listed his employer as “Loving” and his
profession as “You.” Mr. Doodad apparently has a “You” partner at the
“Loving” named “Good Will”. Following FEC requests, the Obama campaign
began refunding money to Doodad Pro in February 2008. In all, about
$8,425 was charged back to a credit card. But that still left a net
total of $11,165 as of Sept. 20, way over the individual limit of
$4,600. Regarding Mr. Good Will, analysis of the 1.4 million individual
contributions in the latest master file for the Obama campaign
discovered 1,000 separate entries for Mr. Good Will, most of them for
$25. In total, Mr. Good Will gave $17,375. Following this and
subsequent FEC requests, campaign records show that 330 contributions
from Mr. Good Will were credited back to a credit card. But the most
recent report, filed on Sept. 20, showed a net cumulative balance of
$8,950 — still well over the $4,600 limit.
Let’s presume
Mr. Doodad’s and Will’s donations originated in the US. How about the
possibility of illegal donations to Senator Obama from foreign
nationals? This from the “
The American Thinker”:
Despite
dropping the groundbreaking bombshell story of "Palestinian" brothers
from the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza who donated $33,000 to Obama's
campaign, no big media picked up the story. Jihadis donating to Obama
from Gaza? Could there be a bigger story? Foreign donations are
illegal, but this story was all that and so much more. The "Palestinian"
brothers were proud and vocal of their "love" for Obama. Their vocal
support on behalf of "Palestinians" spoke volumes to Obama's campaign.
There
has been no mainstream press or media interest on these subjects.
Honestly Young mom, would there be interest if John McCain got donations
from Palestinian refugee camps?
Obama returned the
Palestinian dollars, but never reported it to the FEC; and as above,
Camp Obama has been much slower to return other illegal donations. For
the doubters, observations can be corroborated by going to the FEC
website. All the campaign contribution data is there. You can troll
through it just as the above sources have done. Other foreign
contributors of small donations to the Obama campaign, with uncertain
national status, come from France, Virgin Islands, Planegg, Vienna,
Hague, Madrid, London, AE, IR, Geneva,Tokyo, Bangkok, Turin, Paris,
Munich, Madrid, Roma, Zurich, Netherlands, Moscow, Ireland, Milan,
Singapore, Bejing, Switzerland, Toronto, Vancouver, La Creche, Pak
Chong, Dublin, Panama, Krabi, Berlin, Geneva, Buenos Aires, Prague,
Nagoya, Budapest, Barcelona, Sweden, Taipei, Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro,
Sydney, Zurich, Ragusa, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Uganda, Mumbia, Nagoya,
Tunis, Zacatecas, St, Croix, Mississauga, Laval, Nadi, Behchoko, Ragusa,
DUBIA, Lima, Copenhagen, Quaama, Jeddah, Kabul, Cairo, Nassau and
Luxembourg.
How about those small donations democratizing
the election? Unmonitored and in the internet age, well, maybe not the
democratization we might have hoped for. This might all be a moot
point. While not specifically commented on at this time by the Senator,
would an Obama administration consider election reform that would
include legalizing foreign contributions? This would conform to his
worldview. If just these reported observations, very possibly the tip
of the Obama iceberg, were attributed to John McCain, would it make it
above the fold of the NYT…for days? Would McCain still be in the race
Young Mom?
So where is the national outrage over the
conduct of the Obama campaign? Is the actual activity itself OK, as
well as the willingness of main stream media to look the other way and
functionally serve as a cog in the Obama machine? There are clear
disagreements that many of us have on critical political issues, but
most conservatives couldn’t support a Republican campaign built on such
tactics. Is it reasonable to assume that for most, at least in this
country, political views are derived from core values that include
courage, integrity, honesty and commitment? If so, why are some of us
willing to tolerate, and others actively support, a campaign and
adulating media that promote goon tactics as standard operating
procedure in pursuit of the Presidency? If a fellow citizen fully
accepts the Obama political solutions as best, fair enough, we can
debate those points. May the best plan win. Where, however, is the
anger from both sides of the aisle over the deceptive, deceitful, and
thuggish conduct of the Obama campaign, with the traditional media as
unindicted co-conspirators? I expect this observation will elicit
protests from Liberal friends but the Republican playbook is simply
different. John McCain is simply an honorable man who refuses to
debase our political system this way. If he had Young mom, you would
have heard about it.
hero types. He's a hand grenade guy." I
asked for clarification. "Hand grenade guy?" John Finn said, "Yes CAPT,
John here was in Vietnam. Go ahead John, show him." John Baca smiled and
lifted his shirt. His belly and chest were a mass of scar tissue. John Finn
continued, "John here was out one night on a patrol. VC rolled a hand
grenade into his position. He took his helemt off, covered it, and laid
on the helmet. Saved 8 guys. Cost him two years of surgery here at Naval Hospital
back in 1970. Amazing he lived. You guys did a good job. Go ahead John, tell him the story."
