Monday, November 22, 2010

No,Thank You - I'll Just Drive

What in the world has happened to our freedoms in this Nation? Apparently, we are being stripped of our right to no illegal search and seizures. This TSA screening process is completely anathema to everything our country stands for. For the first time in our history, we are being FORCED to submit to invasive security measures in order to board an airplane. This is simply not necessary as we already have metal detectors and xray screening of our luggage in place to prevent any in air attacks.

I realize that the "Christmas Day Bomber" Abdulmutallab managed to evade the security protocols that were in place and attempted to light an explosive device while in the air, but he was foiled before the explosives could ignite thanks to some very patriotic passengers. However, there is one important part of the scheme that is being left out - he was a radical Muslim bent on jihad. Just another radicalized Muslim determined to be a martyr in the cause of jihad on the Great Satan.

This is the part that is consistently being downplayed by those at the TSA and Homeland Security is that all those who are trying to blow up planes or Times Square or murder soldiers have one thing in common - they are all Muslim. After 9/11 the liberals talked incessantly about the dangers of profiling and the erosion of personal liberty. Now, we get to see the result of assuming everyone is a risk and not using our brains to determine threats. If everyone is patted down rather aggressively like they are doing at all US airports, then that assumes that all people that are flying are a national security risk, even those that are fighting to preserve our liberties.


Imagine the Army soldier just flying home after a year fighting in Afghanistan. He is so excited that he is finally going to see his wife and brand new baby boy and is honored to have served his country in her time of need. He arrives at the airport prepared to catch a flight home to Iowa and is very excited. But first he has to go through security. This means that he will either have to submit to x-rated full body scans or a pat down by one of the TSA officials. This airport is smaller than most, so there are no scanners. A pat down is his only option. Now, he gets to be treated like the terrorists that he was fighting against in Afghanistan - he is seen as a risk and is subjected to a man with blue gloves on "feeling his junk". How does it makes him feel to be in his own country and have to be subjected to an invasive search for weapons or explosives before he can board a plane to go home? He is the farthest from a terrorist that this Nation has, yet he is treated like a suspect all the same.

Is this the freedom that he fought to protect? Is every citizen going to be treated as a possible terrorist now? If we were to profile, not racially, but using intelligence gathered from our intelligence agencies, we would not be subjecting everyone to this security procedure. The Israelis and the Brits have been using intelligence profiling for years and have successfully managed to keep terrorists off their planes. Simply checking passports for country of origin and countries visited could keep thousands of people, perhaps millions, out of long security lines across the country everyday. There is simply no need to full body scan or pat down every single passenger at the airport on the off chance that one of them might be planning an in air terrorist attack.

The body scans wouldn't be so bad if they didn't save the images on a computer and hadn't already been leaked on the Internet. Clearly the TSA cannot ensure the safety of these body images and they should not be tasked with performing them if they can't keep them off the web. Also, there have been reports of very young children being patted down, rape victims trying to opt out and not being allowed to select a different type of security check. I even read about a case with a bladder cancer survivor that wears an ostomy bag. He told the TSA screeners of his problem and they ignored his caution not to break the seal between his bag and his body and then he was covered with urine. They didn't even apologize for their mistake! Do we really need to pat down children? This could be construed as molestation in any other situation. I am livid about the processes that the TSA and the Obama administration has instituted and am determined NOT to fly until they are changed.

How would Obama feel if he got a pat down in his crotch every time he boarded Air Force One? What about watching his wife, Michelle, get patted down? Or even worse, his daughters Sasha and Malia? The true test of any law is to apply it across the board and see if it works. If the Congressmen and women and their families were subjected to these pat downs, I truly believe they would be squawking even louder. This is simply ridiculous and should be changed immediately. Maybe someone should pat down Janet Napolitano and touch her in places that she wouldn't want to be touched. If someone touched me or my child like that - I would be ready to take off his head. How is it any better because the so called Transportation Security Administration official does it?

Thursday, October 7, 2010

"Voter's Remorse"

Have you ever made a large purchase, such as a car or major home appliance, taken it home and then had second thoughts about the purchase and perhaps the price of the purchase? This is commonly known as "buyer's remorse". This is similar to the condition that many Democrats have found themselves in; only it is "voter's remorse". They spent their time, energy, money and the most valuable of all, their vote, on the election of Barack Obama to the White House and the Congressional control by the Democrats and now they find themselves disappointed. This disappointment can be seen in the many recently taken polls measuring Obama's job approval rating and the approval rating for Congress, as they have plummeted since the inauguration. Obama's approval rating is hovering in the upper 40s - lower 50s on average and Congress' approval rating is at an all time low of 11%. This is surprising given the massive wave that swept all of them into power in 2008. Other polls show that the country is fairly equally divided between three political parties; Republicans, Democrats and Independents; yet the approval ratings are nowhere near the same breakdown. Real Clear Politics has the Obama approval rating at 45.5%, a significant decrease from his upper 60s after the inauguration and it continues to decrease. The reasons for this are pretty clear - the conservatives are angry at all the far left policies that Obama and Congress have passed and the liberals are angry that they haven't done enough to create the "change" they were all promised. This is not the position that the incumbent Democrats hoped to find themselves in heading in to the midterm elections. Unlike the 2008 elections when every Democrat wanted to be associated with Obama, many are distancing themselves and their re-election campaigns from the President.

This is obvious in many Congressional districts and can be observed by watching their commercials. In my district, for example, the incumbent is a newly elected Democrat that voted for Pelosi as Speaker and allied himself with Obama in 2008. Now, a look at his campaign commercial shows that he is attempting to fool the voters of his district by distancing himself from Obama and Pelosi regarding major votes, such as healthcare and the stimulus package. I have seen many commercials like his across the country. Democrats are running scared this year and know that they have a real chance of losing control of Congress next term. I personally find this humorous since it is their leadership and radical policy changes that have put them in this position in the first place. For example, the polls all showed that a majority of the country disapproved of the healthcare bill; not to mention the general disagreement expressed at rallies and town hall meetings; but the Democrats ignored the will of the people and pushed it through without even reading it in full. Now they maintain that the wasteful stimulus package actually was successful in ending the recession and saving and/or creating millions of jobs in spite of the general feeling amongst voters that it did not work and certainly did not help as much as it was promised to. The demise of the Democrats this election is inextricably linked to their blatant disregard for the will of the people. Minority Leader of the House John Boehner warned them during the healthcare debate that the will of the people will only be ignored for so long until the people take back the control.

All generic ballots between a Democrat or a Republican show Republicans up by an average of 5.2% and some have them up by 13 or more points. This is a new tidal wave that is sweeping across America and will bring REAL change to Washington. The Republicans' "Pledge To America" may not go far enough for some conservative voters, but it represents a promise of new beginnings for the next Congressional term starting with the repeal of Obamacare. Some say the Republicans have peaked too early and may not be able to sustain this lead until the election, but that was said in the early summer and we are now 3 weeks out from the November midterm election. It appears that they are only gaining ground, not losing it. I definitely hope that is the case. Much will be said by both sides of the aisle in these next few weeks via rallies and campaign commercials and the American public will decide what they want Washington to do for them. The Republicans have made a real pledge to listen to the will of the people and pull this Nation back from the brink. The Democrats simply promise to continue the failed policies of President Obama with the hope that now they will work as promised earlier.

When you have buyer's remorse, it is not often that you will return the item that is causing you discomfort. November 2nd will determine if "voter's remorse" is enough to return this government to the store it came from: the people.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Freedom of Religion?

I have been wanting to write about the Ground Zero mosque controversy for quite some time and I finally have decided to do it. This debate has captured the attention of the Nation and is even being used in political campaigns. For me, the decision is easy. I am of the opinion that although the developers have every RIGHT to build a mosque there, it is not appropriate for them to do so. Islamic history tells us that Muslims like to build mosques at the sites of their greatest victories; IE. Jerusalem and Constantinople. Ground Zero is the site of one of their greatest victories, as perceived by Muslims. For Americans, it is a site of great tragedy and the rebuilding of One World Trade Center represents great triumph. Although 2, 711 Americans lost their lives there, America has risen to the challenge of answering the terrorists and have been striking out against Al Qaeda. For many Americans building a mosque at this site represents a slap in the face to all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and the families and friends that lost a loved one.

President Obama is missing a great opportunity to demonstrate that he is not completely out of step with the American people, as so many have said lately. He should have spoken out against the building of the mosque, but instead he equivocated their project by saying that they have a right to build it there. Then he tried to clarify and messed it up even further. The right thing to say would have been that the right of the developers to build there is not in dispute, rather it is the wisdom and situational awareness that is being questioned. Several polls have been taken lately regarding the President and his job approval rating as well as questions about his religion. Over 24% of the Americans questioned believe that President Obama is a Muslim. His response to this issue has done nothing but solidify this possibility in the minds of the voters. Obama has governed from the far left and has enacted many things that most Americans do not agree with; healthcare, the wasteful stimulus, pushing cap and trade and other pieces of unpopular legislation. This was a clear opportunity to dispel the religion questions by demonstrating his disagreement with the Muslim developers of Ground Zero's choice of location. The mantra for selling real estate has always been "Location, locations, location!" This has never been more true than in the case of the Ground Zero mosque. Many Democrats have spoken out against the building of the mosque and have probably won a few votes from their constituents for their willingness to oppose the President's opinion. This was a smart move made by the Democrats.

Another concerning aspect of the development of the mosque is the funding of its building. It has been discovered that the developer, Sharif el Gamal, has not paid his property taxes for quite some time and only has a few thousand in the bank. This is a far cry from the 100 million dollars that is needed to build this mosque or as they call it, the Cordoba Center. The imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf continues to insist that the center will be a place for multi-cultural worship. This is simply not true. According to the Quran, a Muslim may lie to an infidel if it serves the greater purpose of Islam. Therefore, the imam can say anything to get the "Cordoba Center" built and then change his mind about the multiculturalism aspect of the center. Also, what red blooded American or New Yorker, for that matter, would want to go pray at the site of a great victory for Islamic terrorists. Have we forgotten the images on television and in the newspapers the day after September 11th? The images of Muslims rejoicing in the streets and burning the American flag as the towers fell. These images will forever be ingrained in my memory and although 9-11 was perpetrated by radical Islamists, I feel that the collective rejoicing of the Muslim world truly demonstrates how most Muslims feel about America and the awesome people who call her home. Building this mosque at Ground Zero is not only a very bad idea, but to allow it to be built represents a total lack of regard for the people who call it their resting place. Just think about this: would we ever build a Shinto temple at Pearl Harbor?

Friday, April 16, 2010

But, I don't want to be....

At the Nuclear Security Summit on Tuesday President Obama responded to a question about peace in the Middle East by saying that "whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower". Of course this statement went basically unnoticed by the mainstream media with the exception of Fox. How surprising that none of the other stations wanted to cover this? Is it because they feel that their audiences will be outraged and upset over Obama's comment or more likely, because they see nothing wrong with his statement and agree with him? I submit to you that it is the latter.

Once again, our President has shown, on foreign soil, just how un-American he is. If you were to ask the random man on the street what he thinks of this comment, he would probably tell you that he likes the fact that America is a superpower. I know I do. Our superpower status was earned, not given to us by the rest of the world. It took several wars and a couple hundred years for us to rise to this level. We had to defeat England with a ragtag army of true Patriots. Then we had to fight once again in 1812 to maintain our sovereignty, and again in 1861 when we fought with ourselves to establish the country we now call home. After the Civil War, America went through a great rebuilding and emerged as a great power for good in the world. As proven by World War I and World War II when thousands of brave American men fought a war overseas to rid Europe and Africa of Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito.

We are a nation of great men and women, a nation built on principles of faith and charity, self-reliance, independence and strong moral fiber. What other nation on the planet can hold a candle to the spirit of America? And yet, our President - the person who should be our greatest cheerleader- believes that we should not be a world military superpower. Is it not better to be the King, than the court jester? Would he rather we were afraid of another country's military might and under the boot of a lesser nation? Is it truly his plan to destroy everything that America stands for, including the generosity of Americans towards our fellow citizens and those around the world. John McCain said it very well when commenting on Obama's statement - he said "We're the dominant superpower and we are the greatest force for good in the history of the world." What other nation would secure freedom for a faraway people and then return their country to them with all of its treasure? No other nation, that;'s who!

I am personally affronted but sadly, not surprised, at Obama's comment. Since his inauguration he has done everything to apologize for the greatness of America in every nation he has visited. I still cannot believe that we actually elected this man President, since he constantly demonstrates his utter contempt for America's might and goodness. Of course, we are stuck with this man until January 20, 2013. I pray that the America I know and love dearly will still exist.

Friday, January 15, 2010

When the Smoke Clears....

While the country slept, the White House and the Democratic Congressional leadership brokered backroom deals with the unions. Does this sound like transparency to you? Does Obama seem like he is trying to hide from the people all of his deals and favors to implement what he calls "health care reform"? Is he even aware of the promises he made and the consequences of breaking those promises to the American people? I think not. I fired off two letters this morning - one to Senator Jim Webb and one to Senator Mark Warner, both of Virginia. I am appalled by the lengths to which these Democrats will go to pass reform that over 50% of the country does not want and does not agree with. This is insanity at its most basic form. How can they possibly sleep at night knowing they are ignoring their constituents and circumventing the Constitution they are sworn to uphold? What more will be demanded of them in order to pass this worthless bill? Will they now bow to the wishes of any group that contributes to their re-election coffers?

As the wife of a retired Navy Chief, I am astonished that the Democrats and the President are willing to fore go taxing union workers health care plans, but are more than willing to harm the veterans and families of active duty military by cutting Medicare and Tricare by half a trillion dollars. I never thought, for a second, that this country, which has always placed such a high value on military service would ever decide to give greater benefits to teachers, autoworkers and shipyard employees than they would to the men and women who have fought for and served this country in her time of need. But, this is exactly what they have chosen to do. The deal that the White House made last night with the unions is not only unconstitutional, but it is quite simply, unconscionable and must be defeated NOW! I have a Political Science degree and I know for a fact that it is against the Constitution to single out a population or individual and tax them more heavily than the rest of the citizens; likewise the tax cannot be waived for them either. Have we become a nation ruled by elitists so much so that only those who can afford to contribute to the coffers of the power-brokers have a right to be heard and are afforded special "arrangements"? If this is the case, the next time I am pulled over by a police officer for a traffic violation, I am going to offer him a bribe in the hope that my contribution to his personal "coffers" will deter him from writing me a ticket. If that fails, maybe I can convince the judge to let me pay my fine in 5 years or so, when it is convenient for me. That is exactly what this deal with the unions amounts to (a bribe) and I am ashamed of our President and Congress for agreeing to it. You should be as well. Of course, they will tell you that they will start paying those taxes on their "Cadillac" health plans in 2018, but there are two major flaws with that prediction. The first - 8 more years is plenty of time to negotiate another favorable deal with 4 more elections in the middle, and the second - if this bill passes, private insurers will go bankrupt and we will all be on socialized medicine anyway so no one will be paying extra taxes. We will already be taxed to death.

In my letters this morning, I told Webb and Warner to update their resume's because they were going to need them when they get voted out of office in 2012 and 2014, respectively. We all need to tell our Senators and Congressmen the same thing. Most members of the Congress, even Democratic ones, disagree with parts of or most of this bill. If they are to be true to their conscience, not to mention, their constituents, then we must urge them to vote against the entire bill. Let them know that you are prepared to work against them in the next election campaign and that many will join you. This is really all they care about, in the end anyway. If they truly cared about the people they are meant to serve, they would not even be considering voting for this sham of a reform bill. My hope is that calling into question their loyalties will sway them to the right side of this argument. This is probably false hope, but it's worth a try, right?

It is simply appalling that our nation's leaders are willing to broker a deal that takes revenue from the Federal government in order to maintain a positive relationship with a voting bloc. With the loss of $60+ billion from the un-imposed taxes on the unions, this bill no longer achieves the "budget-neutral" status that Obama has demanded. Hmmm.... will he still demand its passage in spite of this, or will he find another sub-population to tax to make up for the lost revenue? Time will tell, but my money's on him passing it anyway.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Coming Soon...

Please check back later tonight for a new posting. Thanks.

About Me

I am a conservative Republican female in my early 30's. I have a degree in Political Science from a private, Christian university. I am married to a Retired Navy Chief and could not be prouder to have been a military wife. I am proud of my country, my party and my beliefs. I believe in small government and fiscal responsibility. Ronald Reagan is my hero.