And so it begins…

So tomorrow, January 20, 2009, we will be inaugurating our 44th President of the United States. Of course, I have some thoughts on this. Not all are what you would expect.

Thought #1: It Didn’t Have To Be This Way

The Republican Party allowed this to happen, by hubris and simple poor planning. Of course, choosing a lame duck like John McCain certainly didn’t help, either. I know in my heart that Obama would have won the election no matter what, but it seems as though we just gave up and conceded before the first vote was even cast. And while I believe that this is something we can learn from and build on, I know that we will have to survive at least 8 years of Democratic rule before we can even begin to try. And it’s all our fault.

Thought #2: I am Sick of Hearing About “History”

Yes, I understand. We elected the nation’s first (half) black President. Yes, it shows that we’ve come a long way racially…but that was true 20 years ago. Frankly, I think we could have done better, representative-wise. But what do I know?

Thought #3: I Hope Obama Does a Wonderful Job

I do. And anyone who is hoping that he fails has no more love for this country than Michelle Obama did before her husband was given the Democratic nomination. While I do not expect miracles…or even the bare minimum, I hope and pray that Barack Obama becomes the best, most successful President this country has seen this side of Ronald Reagan. To wish otherwise is treason.

I will have other thoughts as the Obama Administration moves along. For now, this is all I can stomach.

It’s Been Too Long…

I know, I know….I gave up on this blog when it became apparent that the forces that be (ie. the mainstream media) were determined to elect Barack Obama as our 44th President. I am not proud of the fact that I had a political crisis of faith, or that I sobbed like a baby on Election Night…but there it is. Honesty and determination are the only way we’re going to get through this.

So, I’m back. And determined to keep a very sharp eye on our new Commander in Chief. Stop in for updates…I’ll be watching.

Never Forget

Ode To A Nation

Today is our darkest hour,
Smiles and sunshine all but gone,
Fear and rage consumes all thought,,
Falling deep into the abyss
Total chaos abounds, spread round
The world, but immortal spirit
Prevails, breaking through the
Haze, signal of future to come…
The sun and smiles slowly return
And courage sustains us all

Amy Elisabeth Carey

Any Moron Can Run a Presidential Campaign…

…right?

Wrong. Ask Barack Obama.

The continued missteps and the vast underestimating of the intelligence of the American voter by Team Obuhma is staggering. It’s telling about his lack of political experience in general and governing experience in particular that Obuhma chose a group of absolute morons to help him get to the White House. They all assumed that media bias, his “charisma” and Obuhma’s race and untouchability of said race would be enough to get by.

Wrong.

Starting with the disrespect given Hillary Clinton (stupid and dangerous) and ending with this latest comment about “lipstick on a pig” (sorry, I do not buy the story that he was simply using a common turn of phrase…watch his face when he says it. He knows.), his handlers have been unable to prevent the rest of us for noticing that the Emperor is completely naked.

From his flip-flop on taking public funds for his campaign, to Jeremiah Wright, to William Ayers, to the deliberate snubbing of Hillary Clinton to the choice of Joe Biden to the Saddleback debacle to this latest comment…nothing but complete and total screwups. And the hits just keep coming.

The problem with trying to stop a sinking ship like Obuhma’s campaign is that you can’t tell the candidate himself to shut the hell up. He has to speak. And when he does, that’s when the fun begins.

Uh….um….urrr…

Just listening to him try to speak without a teleprompter is like listening to someone with a severe stutter try to tell a joke. It drives you crazy and it’s not funny.

I will touch on this more when the debates come up (speaking of funny…), but for now…if the Obuhma campaign wants to save some face, maybe they should try to hire Karl Rove.

It won’t help, and he’d never take the job…but at least his framework would be something to build on.

Hey…I’m just trying to help.

“Death once had a near-Sarah Palin experience….”

I’m sure by now you’ve seen the speech. The historic acceptance speech given by GOP VP nominee Sarah Palin last night. In front of the most energized, ecstatic RNC crowd since Ronald Wilson Reagan accepted the nod for President back in 1980.

Now, if you’re a Republican (like me) and a woman (also like me), I can only guess…but I’m willing to bet you had some tears in your eyes (yes…like me) by the time Governor Palin had finished her near-perfect oration of her life, family and accomplishments.

But it got even better.

I’m also willing to bet that Barack Obuhma’s campaign strategists sat on their wrung-out hands while our next Vice President evicerated their candidate on each and every glaring weakness he so blatantly displays, but that the drive-by MSM refuse to highlight. (MSNBC’s Chris Matthews and BathTub Boy, anyone?)

She pulled no punches.

I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a “community organizer,” except that you have actual responsibilities. I might add that in small towns, we don’t quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren’t listening. We tend to prefer candidates who don’t talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.

This is a beautiful first jab. There was an initial outcry from those of us who do cling to our guns and our religion for Mr. Obuhma to apologize. We’re still waiting. I love this line because it brings that elitist comment back out into the open, and serves to highlight the utter disdain that the Obuhma ticket has for working families.

Politics isn’t just a game of clashing parties and competing interests. The right reason is to challenge the status quo, to serve the common good, and to leave this nation better than we found it. No one expects us to agree on everything. But we are expected to govern with integrity, good will, clear convictions, and … a servant’s heart.

The part that ends with “…a servant’s heart.” should be the single most repeated line of this speech, for it is the most important and most telling. Sarah Palin got into politics to make a difference, to serve her fellow citizens. She honestly and deeply believes that our representatives in Washington are there serving at our leisure, not at the leisure of lobbyists, special interest groups and pork barrel seekers. Another section of last night’s speech serves to point out the distinction between this belief held by Governor Palin, and the elitist view held by the Obuhma ticket:

This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting and never use the word “victory” except when he’s talking about his own campaign. But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed … when the roar of the crowd fades away … when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot — what exactly is our opponent’s plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he’s done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make government bigger … take more of your money … give you more orders from Washington … and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world. America needs more energy … our opponent is against producing it.

The McCain/Palin ticket wants to go to Washington to serve the country’s interest. Obuhma/Biden want to rule the country and turn it into the socialist state the liberal Democrats have always dreamed of. And if they are elected…that is exactly what will happen. Obuhma has already promised to raise taxes, including the capitol gains tax…which will cripple small businesses and in essence destroy our economy.

They vehemently deny that will happen…as they vehemently deny being behind the vicious left-wing smears against Governor Palin and her family.

Horsepucky.

Obuhma sits on his lofty perch and decries any smear tactic against the Governor, while his BS machine continues to roll out the lies and demagoguery in total secrecy. Funny how they expect us to believe that The One is completely innocent of any wrongdoing. I suppose they think we’re stupid.

Oh, that’s right. They actually DO think we’re stupid.

Unfortunately for the Obuhma-ites, John S. McCain isn’t stupid. He isn’t scared, and he isn’t going anywhere. He has chosen a fantastic running mate. One who will not only unite an admittedly lukewarm Conservative base, but will bring about ACTUAL change in Washington, and the rest of the country.

God Bless Sarah Palin.

(Cartoon thanks to Brett Noel, aka PatriotArt. http://patriotart.com/posted/index.htm)

McCain/Palin 2008

I do not believe that John McCain could have chosen a better running mate. Sarah Palin is principled, intelligent, well-spoken, God-fearing and honest. Things neither Obuhma nor Biden could ever be.

This is indeed an historic day for women everywhere.

Obama: The New Robin Hood

So let me get this straight…Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive (fingers still crossed on Hillary enacting a coup at the DNC in Denver) Democratic Presidential nominee, wants to help you out with your gasoline bill. Not by drilling domestically, of course…that would be *insane*…but by stealing from the oil companies and redistributing their profits to “the people”.

From barackobama.com on his “Emergency Economic Plan”:

Forcing big oil companies to take a reasonable share of their record breaking windfall
profits and use it to help struggling families with direct relief worth $500 for an
individual and $1,000 for a married couple.

Forgive me if I’m wrong…but isn’t this a basic tenet of Socialism? Taking from those who prosper and giving it to those who do not? I know Senator Obama probably sees himself as some sort of modern-day Robin Hood (stealing from the rich to give to the “poor”), but income redistribution is pure and simple Socialism. To penalize the free market success stories and reward those who have not succeeded as well is Marxist, and Obama knows it.

And why bother anyway? What, is his little wifey going to use it to buy *2* pairs of earrings this time?

“You’re getting $600 – what can you do with that?” Mrs. Obama said in Pontiac, Michigan in July. “Not to be ungrateful or anything, but maybe it pays down a bill, but it doesn’t pay down every bill every month. The short-term quick fix kinda stuff sounds good, and it may even feel good that first month when you get that check, and then you go out and you buy a pair of earrings.”

No offense, lady…but this literally demonstrates the completely elitist attitude you and your husband carry around like a mink coat, the same attitude that has turned off quite a few voters. $600 is quite a bit of money to most people in this country. And we’re certainly not going to use it to buy one piece of jewelery.

The two of them are so out of touch with what real, honest, hard-working Americans need and want that they can’t help but let it slip out in casual conversation. It makes me giggle on a daily basis. I suppose we’re going to be able to do so much more with that $500 that her hubby is throwing at us, right? And while I’m at it…what’s wrong with paying down a bill? I understand that the idea of the check is for taxpayers to put the money back into the economy, and most did…but for those who don’t want to waste it, who want to catch up their car payment or cable bill or whatever, what’s it to you, Mrs. Obama? Just because someone wants to use *their own money* (yes, we do realize where you’re getting the money for the stimulus checks) to catch something up, why should that bother you? It’s our money, remember?

Well, until your husband becomes President and makes us all share our money with those who don’t work for it.

If you would like a giggle, too…try out Obama’s Fight The Smears website. Not only is about half the information BS, but the touchy-ness of the whole campaign is frightenenly hysterical.

Tsk, Tsk Mr. Edwards…

“I think this president has shown a remarkable disrespect for his office, for the moral dimensions of leadership, for his friends, for his wife, for his precious daughter. It is breathtaking to me the level to which that disrespect has risen.” ~John Edwards on then-President Clinton’s extramarital affairs.

Hmmm. Hypocrite much?

This creeps me out only slightly less than the thought of Clay Aiken rearing a child. (Stop that! Perverts!)

So, I’ve Been Thinking About It, And…

I have changed my opinion on the whole Brett Favre saga.

At first, I was sort of irritated with old Number Four. I mean, it was essentially a yearly tradition…”Will he or won’t he?”, “When will he decide?”….until Brett finally would announce his decision. This year, rather early for him, he decided to retire. Heck, he even managed to decide early enough to score the cover of the new Madden.

That should have been our first clue.

When the first whispers came out, (“Rumors persist that Favre is thinking of un-retiring…”) I was skeptical. I mean, this is one of the classiest and most loyal guys to ever play the game. He knows the Packers have adjusted their offense and given the starting job to perennial bridesmaid (now finally the bride!) Aaron Rodgers. They were prepared to move on. I never thought he was about to cause the biggest media trainwreck in the NFL since T.O. decided to do sit-ups in his driveway.

But derailed the Packers preseason, he has. And, frankly…he has every right.

Think about it from a non-NFL standpoint. You’re 55 years old, working as a succsessful accountant, still have good years left in you…but you’re tired. You’ve got the time in, and you decide to call it a day. You don’t sign anything official, but they give you a nice cake and send you on your way. A few weeks later….the numbers and order and heck, the feeling of accomplishment start calling. You find yourself thinking more about what you *used* to do than what you’re looking forward to doing.

So you call your old boss and tell them that you changed your mind. You don’t want to retire. Yet.

Instead of welcoming you back with open arms (which you really didn’t expect anyway), they tell you that not only can you *not* have your job back, but you can’t go to work for anyone else, either. You can stay retired, sit in the office and do nothing, or you can fight with the new guy for what is now his job.

Doesn’t sound very fair, does it?

It didn’t to me, either.

Brett Favre had been a loyal, steady, gung-ho member of the Green Bay Packers for 15 years. Hell, he won them a Super Bowl! The decent thing to do would have been to release him, or try to trade him. But instead, they decide to jerk him around, and try to paint him as the bad guy.

Luckily, the Packers have finally realized that the only way to redeem themselves is to let Brett go. They are currently negotiating with a few teams (most recently, the Jets and Bucs) to trade him outright. Good.

Hopefully, wherever Brett ends up, he is able to finish his career with the class and grace he has displayed for the last 15 years. I may not have understood at first, but now I do. And I wish him only the best.

Unless his new team is playing the Browns. Then he can kiss my butt.

**Last night Brett Favre was traded to the New York Jets….who are playing a preseason game tonight against…..wait for it…….Cleveland. Of course. LOL!**

Where Is Caylee?

2-year old Caylee Anthony has been missing since at least mid-June. Anyone with an internet connection or a passing aquaintance with the news already knows the specifics (such as they are) of this story.

Caylee’s mother, Casey Anthony, continues to deny knowing her child’s whereabouts. She swears she left her child with a woman who, after being brought into the police to talk, admitted to having *never met Casey or Caylee*, and in fact, Casey didn’t even know the woman after being shown a picture of her.

I am far from understanding why the police cannot get this woman to talk. I’ve never seen such an evil, evil woman getting away with what everyone with half a brain already knows…she killed her baby because she was cramping her style. And her family is covering for her. Don’t tell me they don’t know what happened. The fact that the mother of Casey has been hitting the talk show circuit like she’s a movie star should tip you off to the priorties of this family. They are standing behind Casey, come hell or high water.

My question is…who is standing behind little Caylee?