I saw the State of the Union address as a pre-emptive strike against any conservative attempts to de-fund already redundant and/or superfluous government programs. To his credit, the president knows how to articulate ideas; but that is the essence of his ability. He does not play well with others. He has not interacted with Congress in a bi-partisan way and has set himself above the law by making demands via “executive orders” rather than congressional actions. The “change” that was promised four years ago has been detrimental to the American economy and a hindrance to the personal freedoms of most Americans. The president talks about coming together as if it included him, when, he exempts himself from what he demands of others. We need to use less fossil fuels while he takes Air Force One to lavish vacations and speaking venues that serve only to inflate his ego. He admitted that the “sequester” was a bad idea; it was HIS idea. I think that when the American people saw the panel of people who were deemed capable of solving the sequester problem, they had to know that there would be no agreement. This was another show for the benefit of the unintelligent people who believe the rhetoric. This POTUS is great at seizing an opportunity to LOOK like he cares. The appearance of concern strengthens the dedication of his devotees. When you examine the facts, they were just  photo ops to promote his agenda, whatever it might have been at the time. On raising the minimum wage, I am not an economist but I believe that raising the minimum wage will disable our economy even further. Personal observation alone will show that every time the minimum wage goes up, so does the price of all commodities. It does not take a genius to figure that one out, so why the hype? Is the real purpose of his agenda to destroy America?

Regarding our military, since when has it been a tactical advantage to announce your plans to the enemy? And it sounded like there was a veiled reference to arming some of the countries that have harbored terrorists. Whatever the rationale, that is not a good idea. Really, paring down our defense system while building up countries that have cultivated an anti-American attitude? That is kind of like giving the bully on the playground a stick so he can beat you to a pulp.

The president did mention transparency several times. I guess he doesn’t mean about the Benghazi attack or the Brian Terry murder with a “fast and furious” gun. And where did he mention that the murders in Chicago are the result of illegal guns, not ones purchased according to law. News flash: criminals are NOT law abiding citizens. And, conversely, law abiding citizens are not criminals.

If you believe the rhetoric proposed in the State of the Union address, then you probably believe in the tooth fairy. Talk is cheap. Something that is not cheap is hiring a lawyer to keep your college transcripts concealed. I wonder which liberal billionaire is taking care of that? There won’t be any transparency with that issue, either. The proposals that are suggested by the president should be compiled into book form and titled “Obama’s Fables” but that suggests that there is a moral to the stories. The only moral I can see is “never trust a lawyer”.

There was a time when people looked forward to receiving the news of the day; unfortunately, that time has passed.  The written word was often given an extra printing when something big happened. The spoken word would generate program interruptions with a news flash. Today, the people who call themselves news outlets are nothing more than whores to advertisers and panderers of propaganda. Instead of printing an honest account of events, they decide what version fits their agenda and use their editorializing as if it were factual. There are two sides to every story and presenting only one side is equivalent to lying. It is called a lie of omission, in case you haven’t heard.

Political issues are polarizing. Your unabashed devotion to one particular side, prevents truth from surfacing. Your opinions should be reserved to the editorial section while the truth should be presented in its entirety. Anything less than that is prevarication. Your distortions create fantasy; and a dangerous fantasy at that.

Where were you when Brian Terry was murdered with a gun that our government allowed to pass into the hands of criminals? Where were you when four brave Americans were murdered in Benghazi while presidential staff watched in real time? Why have you not spoken out on these issues? Were you so enamored with the president that you could not see what happened? If that is true, than you are not a news outlet, you are a groupie. Newsmen tell the truth regardless of the fallout.

You were quick to tell the story of our presidents visit to New Jersey after super storm Sandy. Nice photo op. But you have not been quick to report that much of the funding that was promised, has yet to be delivered because the  funding bill had so many attachments to it that were not “Sandy” related. More absence of the truth. The president’s staff has openly declared, “never let a crisis go to waste”. And he doesn’t. Of course the kind of crises is decided by what would benefit his agenda. Brian Terry would not; Benghazi would not, any truth related to the growth of terrorist organizations would not.

We have been told repeatedly that we have to tighten our belts during the recovery process; but the belt tightening does not seem to apply to the president. He takes his family on lavish vacations while hard working Americans struggle to pay their bills. He is definitely not a good role model. Seems he feels entitled to ride on the backs of the taxpayers. Oh, that might be the problem, entitlements. I do not mean the entitlements that Americans were swindled into paying toward their social security which were subsequently stolen from the lockbox. I mean the entitlements that third and fourth generation welfare recipients are receiving. By the way, I am not against welfare, just its abuse. I am talking about the fraud and waste in these programs and the duplication of federal  committees. I am talking about congressional salaries and perks which should be addressed. After all, they are the ones who created this boondoggle of financial burden. And why are they not subject to the very same laws that we, as taxpayers who pay their salary, must endure?

If you want your customer base to increase, then start bringing the real news. Local airways will have the attention of people  who want to know what is happening in their neighborhood. And newsprint circulation will depend on people who clip coupons and those who have cats. Intelligent people will find real news elsewhere.

When our founding fathers developed the three branches of government, I’m sure it was meant to be a system of checks and balances to insure the safety and freedom of the people of the new republic of America. The legislative branch has, instead, evolved into a self-serving  entity unable or unwilling to protect the people; choosing to perpetuate the lifestyle of the rich and famous to which they have become accustomed. The laws they enact are mandated for the people while they exempt themselves from their own excremental dictates. When presenting new legislation, they parse their words to make it seem as if they care when the reality is that the only thing they care about is making sure they are re-elected to the post that requires less than a full work week and has so many perks that there is little they have to pay out of pocket. And STILL they cannot cooperate for the benefit of the American people who pay their salary plus expenses!!!

When I was young, I attended a small elementary school which taught grades K – 8. At recess time, all of the grades were released into the playground. The understanding was that the older children would look after the younger ones to insure fair play. It was, back then, a privilege to be considered one of the responsible ones. Congress has changed their responsibility into privilege; as in, I am better than you and therefore I do not have to abide by the rules. They have become a playground of irascible individuals unable to think what is best for the people. If you want to play ball, you have to give me your lunch or whatever else I want or I won’t let you play. Bully mentality! If this were to happen on a playground, in my day, a brave student would tell a teacher. Unfortunately, there is no teacher to tell, just the president, I mean principal. Go to the president, I mean principal, with your concern and he will say that he will take care of the matter. After you leave, he ridicules your concern sometimes behind your back but sometimes right in your face. None of this benefits our country. The executive branch is not a monarchy. It is not a dictatorship. There is such a thing as “abuse of power”.

Finally, I had a piggy bank when I was little. It had a slot to deposit coins but no way to remove the coins once they were deposited. I found that I could get a few coins out by turning the bank upside down and inserting a butter knife into the slot so the coins could slide out. This always made me feel like I had somehow cheated and so I made an effort to return the coins whenever I earned more. Congress has been sliding coins out of various lockboxes like the social security lockbox, and using the coins at their pleasure and with no intent to return them. This “rob Peter to pay Paul” attitude never works. There is never a payback but there is always a new piggy bank to  raid. Always on the backs of hard working American people but never at the expense of the political parasites who envision themselves above the fray. Try getting a real job you worthless incompetents.

The fiscal cliff is fast approaching but what the heck is the fiscal cliff? Unless you are an economics major, it’s all Greek to you. Hmmm, that could be a hint. With the “occupy movement” participants  as our focus, there is no doubt that they not only do not understand what is happening, but, for the most part, they don’t care. It is somebody else’s job. Kind of like living with your parents who used to be ’empty nesters’, and not seeing or contributing to the expenses that have to be paid in order to stay in survival mode. There are, of course, exceptions; so forgive me if I generalize. One thing they proclaim is correct: it  IS  somebody else’s job; however, if that somebody else does not do their job, then it becomes everybody’s problem.

The audacity of government is their indifference to the people they govern. Are their decisions based on what is best for the people? NO!!! They are based on idealogical tugs of war. Finger pointing is their weapon of choice but I was taught that when you point a finger at someone else, there are three other fingers pointing back at you. Besides, blame solves nothing. If these high and mighty politicians gave a hoot about the American people, they would not enact laws that we must abide by while excluding themselves from the same laws. They would not give themselves a raise – on top of all of their perks – while Americans are out of work. Their faux concern is expressed by extending some government program which gifts the means to barely survive. To paraphrase: Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he can eat for a lifetime. When the government gives you a fish, you will never learn to fish for yourself. Furthermore, they do not want you to learn how to do anything for yourself. As long as they are your “sugar daddy” you will feel indebted to them. The bonus for them is that they get to tell the world how much they care about you. Puhleez!!! To keep you barely surviving is to keep you from learning how to stand on your own two feet. It destroys your self esteem, a subliminal effect,  by reducing you to a beggar. How is the government able to take care of you? By increasing the tax burden of hard working, successful and productive entities. In the early years of The United States there were no taxes. Today there are taxes on so many aspects of out lives that I think no one knows all of them. Is anyone out there learning the history of the United States? Our first assertion as a nation was to rebel against the unfair taxes imposed by Britain, particularly the tax on tea. Inform yourselves.

In some way or another we will all be affected  negatively by this fiscal cliff. The really sad part is that there is nothing we can do to change it. Our futures depend on politicians who are not doing what is best for the American people. In some cases, they are not even doing their job as required by law. And, as the battle ensues, they will stand and point their fingers at their opponents. Remember, you political parasites, you made the problem, now fix it; and fix it without making more problems for our future.

How many words are there to describe the horrific events that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown? If you used every word a hundred times, it still would not suffice. One cannot begin to imagine the overwhelming grief of the families of those who were senselessly slain. As more information becomes available, some of the initial reports must be corrected and the story re-told. It is devastating to have to hear it repeated one more time; your heart breaks over and over for the parents, grandparents, and relatives of the victims. And, yet, you know that in a few weeks or months it will be old news; but for these families it will never be over. Their lives are forever altered; their Christmas time will never be the same. The children were innocents, still babies in the eyes of the world. The adults were doing their best to protect the children. None of them were in a place where they should not have been. The shooter went out of his way to commit this heinous crime.

There are still bits and pieces of information being gleaned from various sources and the press is anxious to hear from relatives of the victims as well as relatives of the accused. So far both have requested privacy and that should be respected. Eventually, more will be told. The best thing we all can do is to pray. Pray for the families who need some kind of solace, however unlikely it may seem at this time. Pray for the children who have been imprinted with this horror and may not be able to face a classroom again. Pray for the first responders who came upon an unthinkable scene and felt helpless in its aftermath. Pray for the survivors who may feel a measure of guilt, they could not have changed a thing. This community appears to have a firm resolve and strong faith; they are praying for one another and reaching out to try to help. They are quietly grieving together. This is not a place where drive by shootings happen. This is a place where you would want to live before this tragedy visited. Pray for this community as if you were a part of it; because, the media has made all of us a part and we can not, in good conscience, turn our back on them. Be faithful in your prayers for we are helpless to do anything more than that.

Merry Christmas to everyone; and if your celebration is called by another name, then may it be filled with love, joy and peace. This is the message of Christmas: goodwill to all. I am one of those who celebrate Christmas, yet I understand that this time of year is celebrated in many different ways. I may not know each individual custom for the many differences we have, but that does not prevent me from wishing all of you peace and happiness. Furthermore, I will not try to erase your symbols of the season.

Christ may or may not have been born on December 25th but the importance of His coming is what is commemorated. I believe that He is the Son of God but you may think of Him as an important historical figure. There can be no doubt that He lived an extraordinary life, giving us examples to learn from and live by. It is in those examples that we learn love, kindness, tolerance, patience, and most of all forgiveness. True Christians are exalted; they can face criticism with faith, difficulty with hope, and hatred with love. Christmas is a reminder that He came to show us how to “Love one Another”.

There are those who would change “Merry Christmas” to something politically correct. I have never met a person who was offended by a “Merry Christmas” greeting. In fact, when I am greeted by “Happy Holidays”, I respond with a smile and say “Merry Christmas to you, too”. More often than not, they smile and apologetically imply that they are not permitted to say “Merry Christmas”. I just let them know that I understand; however, since I am not bound by their company’s rules, I can say, Merry Christmas”.  It seems to me that the changes the pc are trying to make are really a veiled attempt to eliminate “Christ” from Christmas. They are to be pitied because they do not know the power of love. Christianity has been persecuted from its inception and has survived for more that 2000 years in spite of the bias. What makes these pc police think they are more capable than lions or fire? My wish for them is that they find peace within themselves so that they can understand and accept that we are all different and, under the constitution of the United States, we are entitled to our own particular expression of faith. The first amendment grants us “freedom OF religion” not freedom FROM religion.

One last thing, please do not write “Merry Xmas”. The “X” crosses out Christ.  True Christians will wish a Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

First let me say that General Petraeus has been an outstanding military man. His achievements are well documented and publicized. His more than thirty seven years in the army deserve high commendation. And, yet, all of that becomes detritus in light of the most recent reports. The man who was thought to be a perfect example of discipline and order has been proven to be a mere mortal; succumbing to the same temptations as men have since the creation of Adam and Eve. It is unfortunate that his legacy will include this event.

Paula Dean Broadwell met General Petraeus at the end of 2006. Since both were members of the army (she had served and was in the Army Reserve) they must have found common ground in many of their conversations. Though the general claims to have been involved with her for less than a year, it seems that is questionable, at least in my mind.

When I heard the announcement that the president made about General Petraeus leaving the military to become head of the CIA, something felt amiss. It seemed an incongruous move.  I am not a pundit but my instincts were telling me that something was wrong. Why was this successful military man, who must have loved serving in that capacity, switching gears now? His relationship with Mrs. Broadwell sheds some light on the subject; but I have more questions. At what point did their relationship become an affair? They had known one another for more than five years. If human nature is any indication, it would seem that their intimacy went on for more than just the year it has been claimed. More importantly, was the white house aware of the affair? I say, “more importantly” because, if there was knowledge before the CIA position was offered, that would imply a set of circumstances whereby one party would be beholding to the other party. Where one might expect favors or information to be distributed according to the blackmailer’s point of view. Yes, I said “blackmailer”. This goes back to Benghazi. The ambassador was killed in a facility that was considered under the control of the CIA. The white house did nothing to help the four Americans who were murdered there. Did the white house think that General Petraeus would do as he was told because of what they knew about him? Did he disagree with the white house talking points? His loyalty to the military would mean standing up for those who died in service to their country. That may have been the reason he was “outed”. There is so much more to be discovered about Benghazi and this white house agenda but I fear we will never know. They have skillfully created distraction after distraction in an attempt to keep the truth from surfacing. It is my prayer that congress will pursue discovery of the answers and accountability for the failure in Benghazi. Perhaps that will finally give peace to the families of those brave American souls.

Few people have the ability to impassion a crowd. The president is one of them. He has an hypnotic effect on those who do not see through his facade. They seem to lose all sense of reason when they hear his voice. The most recent example is his explosive yet patronizing defense of Susan Rice. His response to various questions during his press conference was toned in equal measures; however, when he defended her name, the timbre of his voice was raised noticeably. I believe that these gestures are a subtle way of signaling his most liberal followers into action. He did it when he accused the Baltimore policeman of racism because the policeman was doing his job. Remember the beer summit afterwards? He did it when he said, “If I had a son he would look like Trayvon”. This one brought the black coalition down to Florida. Did you not have anything more important to do as President of the United States? Or were you looking for another opportunity to divide the people you are supposed to be uniting? Each state has its own laws which, at times, can be difficult to enforce. They do not need you to run interference; unless they request it. What you did was to make a bad situation worse. Another example is the “occupy” movement which you encouraged; somehow you always choose to be on the side of whatever will cause the most trouble. You must be so proud of yourself. Never let a crisis go to waste.

Now, back to Susan Rice. How dare the president try to defend her when he is the one who put her in harm’s way. Is Secretary of State an appointment for her blind loyalty? I do not know if she is qualified for that position but I do know that her rubber stamping the misleading talking points creates a doubt in my mind, to say the least. And, when members of congress  expressed similar doubts, surprise, another angry crowd. This one claiming the lack of confidence in that appointment was based on race and/or gender. Puhhleez!!! Is that their defense for everything? Oh, yes it is because there is no defense against incompetence. If this group of women of color thinks they have done Ms. Rice a favor, they have not. Again a division widens the gap between individuals who can think and those who follow the “Pied Piper of Washington”. A hundred and fifty years ago, you would have had a legitimate complaint but not today. Not after The Emancipation Proclamation, not after “Affirmative Action” and certainly not after all that Martin Luther King Jr. accomplished. So stop whining and start using your head for something other than a hatrack. And, Mr. President, your words claim that you are a unifier; your actions are proof that you are not.

Yesterday the president held his first news conference in eight months. It was so exciting that I fell asleep half way though the response to his first question. Why in the H-E -double hockey sticks does he have to filibuster with his responses which are not really answering the questions anyway? God forbid one of the press corps (that’s pronounced ‘core’, Mr. President) should ask a direct question requiring a direct answer. The response is even longer and still does not answer the question. For example: What did you do to save the lives of four brave Americans who died in Benghazi? The president dances around this by answering a question with a prosecutorial attack. The Armed Forces code… the Department of State code….the Intelligence Bureau code… and on and on. Meanwhile, back at the ranch you still do not know what HE did. And the rest of the press corps are aghast at the directness of the question. I’m sure Ed Henry and his associates felt like chum in a shark tank.

During one of his tirades against anyone who has an honest question, he diverted to the senators who wanted to know who gave the information about Benghazi to Susan Rice. After all, she appeared on four Sunday morning news programs insisting it was an obscure video that generated the attack.  The president accused them of “besmirching” the reputation of Susan Rice, not related to Condaleeza Rice who knows how to think. Excuse me, but didn’t  YOU besmirch her reputation when your administration asked her to be point on an issue completely unrelated to her job? WOW! You really are a piece of work. Looks like you used her. And then you suggested that if they wanted to come after someone, they should come after you. Well, you made that kind of difficult by hiding behind her skirt instead of appearing on those programs yourself. I wondered why. The only thing that occurred to me is that you love to appear on the entertainment programs where your lies can not be prosecuted. After all, it is freedom of expression. But if you appear on a news program as President of the United States and lie, it becomes an impeachable offense.

In conclusion, we all acknowledge the president’s speaking abilities, especially when reading from a teleprompter. But, somehow, he stumbled when trying to say “besmirched”. And, I have noticed that without a teleprompter his speech comes out in short bursts punctuated by “uughh”. It’s as if he is on a five second delay which begs the question, “Who is feeding him the politically correct answers”? Is the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain? In the end the curtain will come down and the truth will be told.

I abhor the term “targeted demographic”! It gives the impression that you are being stalked by a sniper. Oh, wait, they are sniping about getting you into their camp; as if you should  to be herded. People are more than demographics and honestly they generally fall into more than one demographic (ugh, hate using that word). For instance, a single female  mother of two children or a widowed female senior citizen of any ethnicity are reduced to a number instead of being seen as the sum of their experiences. There is no empathy for the persona, only a drive to “get” their vote. Nobody wants to feel like that.

Now, here is the sad truth. Like it or not, we are all targets. But the DNC just goes quietly to the schools and poor neighborhoods and tells them how important they are, gives them a voter registration ballot and lets them know they can thank BHO for caring about them. Does he really care? Only about their vote in that particular election.

The RNC is all about numbers. They are brilliant when it comes to crunching numbers (except for this election) and they can readily provide statistics for whatever you ask. However, people are more than just numbers. They are a composite of their life’s history. They are mothers, fathers, teachers, students, employers, workers, and, thanks to America they worship at the altar of many different religions. They want to do the right thing but are just independent enough that they won’t be herded into a place where they are not appreciated. Learn to think of them as individuals, not just numbers. Reach out for their opinions on hard fought questions. Most people won’t hesitate to let you know how they feel.

There is this thing called the internet; a great place to express yourself. And when you ask them a question, it isn’t fair to just give them the option of two or three of your desired responses. Sometimes the answer is not what you want to hear; but, if you are smart, you will listen to it anyway. You may learn something about the way that America thinks.