My Year in Review for 2012

This past year has been a good one in a material sense for me, intellectually and spiritually quiet if not diminished; actually static. Instead of resolutions, that I gave up years ago, I select the most influential moments of the past year, then reflect on what was experienced or done, and see what can be built on or needs to be taken away. Then at the macro level, there's the reflection of what's happened socio-economically and politically.

Materially I have new computer\monitor\printer, home theater system, iPhone player\speaker unit, fancy Cusinart coffee maker, Kindle Fire HD, and new luxury car. Things that make my life more enjoyable and comfortable, and for which I'm so grateful. These came about because of a combination of a good job and gifts. A nice combination to be sure.

Spiritually I've not challenged myself. Part of that is my reduced religious prayer and study time. Part of it is I've been on sabbatical from the Elders in my church. What has kept me connected is the Bible study group I attend and choir. I'm back from sabbatical and am ready to re-engage in church. Being an introvert and not so much a social person it's always a bit of a challenge, and I recognize the benefits and growth that come about because of it. I have, over this past year, bought a few religious books, read three or four of them, and recognize it's time to immerse myself in the rest. It's also time to get back to increasing prayer and devotions.

Intellectually I've been pretty lazy. I've read only sixteen books this year, mostly fiction, and much of my free time has been watching vids or TV. Having streaming movies and missed TV shows constantly available can be a great time waster (as enjoyable as it is) and mind numbing. It's time to exercise some self discipline and increase my reading and study time. Best non-fiction book of the year was Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics by Ross Gregory Douthat. Best fiction The Road Home by Jim Harrison.

While we're on best of...best movie, well, I can't make up my mind. Looking at my little blurbs I put here in my blog it must have been a pretty good movie year. I saw 26 movies. Six I gave four out of five stars in my little rating system. One I gave five stars, and that was "For Greater Glory" about the Cristero War of 1926 to 1929 in Mexico. The Mexican government declared war on Catholic Church, murdering them wholesale. A history not known by most, and I think a must see movie for all Christians. The movies I gave four stars - "Act of Valor", "Cloud Atlas", "Lincoln", "Skyfall", "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" 3D, "The Hunger Games", “2016: Obama’s America”. 

My blog posts too have fallen off, and writing so much clarifies thinking, organizes it, and puts things in perspective. It also lends itself to learning and expanding how we view things. So more writing.

Out of my sphere of influence,  other than my vote, was the election,. I viewed it as a tipping point; the solidification of a majority of citizens rejecting God, religion, Church, the traditional family, traditional values; the belief system that was the foundation of America. This election was more about how a majority of citizens "felt" than the hard cold reality of a fiscally irresponsible government, that has lead us to a point where our debt and deficient can't be paid off and will negatively impact our children's children's children. I was stunned a majority of citizens think this is a good thing. I read a couple days ago that eleven states have more people on government assistance that there are people working. A portent of things to come.

All I can do is continue with my religious and intellectual life, influence and be influenced by my sphere of family, friends, associates. A line from Gandalf in the latest Hobbit movie, he said the powerful are not so much the difference, but how ordinary people act, especially in difficult or dangerous times. Said many times before, and I pray in these troubled times enough individuals take that idea to heart.

What I take to heart is my love for, and being loved by so many. What I pray for are those that have never heard of Jesus hear of Him and that those that have put Christ out of their lives let Him back in. What I take to heart is love of my church. What I take to heart is love of our military. What I take to heart is love of my country and liberty.

    

Two Political and Social Trends That May Work in Favor of Conservatives, Republicans and Christians

Democrats, a couple weeks after The Election, are still gloating, often doing it with an over abundance of mockery. Poor form, but to be expected from such an uncivil and morally bankrupt group. I've written my view of what happened that day was a tipping point past which the majority of Americans have decided to reject traditional political\economic values that built the most free nation in history, opt for Statism, and reject traditional social and religious values that provided the foundation of healthy and stable relationships.

I can't give up to the notion all is lost. There are political and social realties in play that may move things back in balance; balanced budgets and balanced social relationships.

A political reality is though Democrats, Leftists, Statists, Socialists, Communists, Fascists have won the Executive and Senate, the failed status quo remains at the Federal level. In 2010, not only was a large Republican and Conservative majority of the House elected by historic margins, but there was a huge increase of governorships and legislatures gained by them. That build up continued in the last election, and won't be reported in the sycophantic Obama Press.

In 2010 Republicans and Conservatives gained about 700 state legislative seats, the result being 61 legislative chambers are controlled by them. Twenty five states (after swearing in next year) are controlled by Republicans, thirteen by Democrats, the rest a mix, leaning mostly Republican. Voters kept to that trend of Democrats control federally, with local control to Republicans. The Democrats, while desiring and working on it, have yet to overturn the Constitution and deny State's rights, so their Federally mandated, debt ridden, unfunded programs can still be blocked. There are governors and legislators that have the political courage lacking in many of the federal level RINO's to do so.  

In the next two elections there will be more noticeable evidence of success or failure, so the choice will be crystal clear. The late great state of California is a one Party state, controlled wholly by Democrats with no Republicans to be found, is $billions in debt and borrowing more, businesses and people are fleeing the state, decreasing the tax base. California is now the poorest state in the Union, traditionally a spot held by a Southern state. Less than a third of the legislature is Republican, two thirds are needed to raise taxes without a vote of the citizens, so from now on they can increase taxes whenever they want. States like Texas have exercised low tax rates, are pro business, so people and businesses are moving there. I've noticed though, that people moving from failed Democrat states like California and Michigan, vote in, once they've moved, for Democrats and the policies that caused their states of origin to fail. An amazing thing. That trend may be changing, looking at the increase of states being moved into the Republican column. (In my state of Nevada, the influx of Californians has changed the state from Republican to Democrat. We have the worst unemployment and foreclosure rate in the nation. Mostly Republicans won state and local offices.)

Regarding social traditions and values, the Democrats advocacy of State funded abortion and infanticide on demand, their attack on the traditional family, an education system with an increasing dropout rate and stupid students, the increase of out of wedlock babies being born, the growth of unmarried women left to raise children (a result of anti family attitudes), the rejection of the Church where family values are taught and practiced across race and generational lines, is increasingly showing the results of social decay that can't be missed. What Democrats leave are people disconnected from each other and their communities. Empty hearts and empty communities; just people with the mindset the State will take care of it, whatever "it" is.  

When this country most thrived, church attendance was high, community and neighborliness was high, taxes were low, marriage was high, abortion was low, birthrate was high within marriage, out of wedlock birthrates were low, school dropout rates were low.

Republicans and Conservatives at the State level must keep doing, like Scott Walker in Wisconsin and John  Kasich in Ohio, lowering tax rates, balancing budgets and increasing employment. Citizens are beginning to notice.

What Pastors must do, is preach the need for and the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman, against abortion, and the need for the nuclear family to raise well adjusted, well educated children. These are not political issues as Secularists would have everyone believe, but moral issues. Secularists push the idea these are political issues to keep Pastors talking about them out of fear of losing their tax exempt status. That's a ploy to circumvent freedom of religion. The State has no power to do so.

These are two things Conservatives, Republicans and Christians must recognize and support. Elect locally and advance the causes of religion and social traditions. 

Tipping Point and the Seven Deadly Sins

Originally posted at the Wind Rose Hotel

This week America passed the tipping point. We found out America has moved from a constitutional republic based on moral scriptural values and beliefs, to an America that embraces and promotes the seven deadly sins. We have in Barack Obama and the Democrat Party, their supporters in the Jurassic Press and the trendy popular entertainment media, advocates for  wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony.

In Obama's closing speeches running up to the election, he exhorted his supporters to vote for revenge, wrath. That he would say such a thing is puzzling since he has been in power for four years, so who is revenge directed toward? Statistism, Marxism, the Left, have been the Establishment since the 1930's, in both politics and culture, yet they still play the oppressed minority. That Obama made the statement indicates he and his Party believe in and practice wrath, even against those they triumph over. There's been a lot of gloating and insulting of Republicans, Conservatives and Christians since election day.

Obama and the Democrat Party advocate greed with their notion of confiscating the wealth from those that are the most productive. An interviewer a few years ago asked Obama, noting that every time tax rates were reduced, revenues to the government went up, why did he still advocate for a higher tax rate for the wealthy? His answer was his standard 'they have to pay their fair share', regardless of the results. They use the concept of fairness, deciding what that is, to line their own pockets, increase their own wealth, at the expense of others.

They promote sloth by their notion of redistributing the wealth, telling people even if they don't work hard enough to get the things they want on their own, the government will make up the difference. The more slothful one is, the increased difference will still be made up, necessitating going back to confiscating yet more from the producers to compensate.

Obama and his fellow Statists promote pride with the notion of self esteem, that one doesn't have to accomplish anything to be proud of oneself. We have students coming out of school barely able to read and write, no knowledge of art, history, literature, mathematics, civics. Students think they know these things, and tests show the opposite. Yet they are still proud of their nonexistent accomplishments.

They promote envy with their constant attack on the successful. Hey, look at that guy, he has more money than me, what an evil and despicable person! Why should he have more than me?

Statists, Leftists, promote lust. Look at all the movies, books, TV shows, and magazines that sex is central. The entertainment "reporters" on the show "TMZ" openly and happily talk about the porn they watch when at one time such things were secretive and hidden, viewing was an embarrassment. Adultery is becoming more acceptable; there's even a social media that helps adulterers hook up.

Lastly, gluttony. The Obama's have spent over a billion dollars on vacations and parties since they've been in office. They eat and feed their supporters large quantities of the finest cuisine, while exhorting others to eat moderately and plainly. They constantly exhort others to do with less, while they ever increase their own consumption.

What was rejected a few days ago by Americans, is the notion we do the best we can for ourselves, for our families and friends, without government intervention, and that there is a tried and true moral and behavioral code over a couple thousand years that lends itself to successful happy people, in turn happy successful communities, in turn nations that receive the blessings of God.

Scripture makes it quite clear with the examples of the Israelites; every time they denied God, turned their back on Him, serious, bad things happened to them.

A few days ago we decided to make it official, and turned our backs to God. We have made the State our religion.

Summation of Obama Presidency to Date

Failure

I find it hard to believe anyone can be undecided about who to vote for in this upcoming election. This should be a final nail to convince those that this man is a liar, says one thing, does another, and claims he has done what he said he was going to do in the first place. This covers every issue from transparency (he had a meeting on transparency and it was closed to the public) to Health Care (he said costs wouldn't go up and they did; it's not even fully implemented yet) to energy (he said before the election that he would bankrupt coal companies and necessarily costs to consumers would skyrocket).


http://youtu.be/gTtePpL3EQw

The choice is clear, don't obfuscate. You're either for a communist that is hell bent on impoverishing this country, disarming the citizens, weakening our military beyond any capable functionality, is an anti Christian bigot; or for a successful capitalist that supports a growing economy that benefits all, supports freedom of religion, supports the second amendment, and supports a strong military.

I'm sick of Leftists/Democrats that say they're for the latter, then vote for and behind closed doors work and say the things that are antithetical to what this constitutional republic is about.

The End of Obamaland is at Hand

Even Leftists have to have jobs, feed their kids and pay for their housing. No amount of excuses and lies, spins and deceptions can cover the fact Obama's presidency is toast. Even during the summer, vacation time, no school time, generally play time for citizens, the unemployment numbers are glaringly bad. Over a $trillion a year is added to the debt. Energy and gas costs are up. Houses are loosing value. Food stamp dependence is up. Homelessness is up. He's attacked the Catholic Church. He and his political party have forced a health care program that less than half of citizens want or wanted. Doctors are beginning to leave their jobs. Health costs are rising. I think even Leftists are coming to the realization our country is in grave danger of cultural and economic collapse.

I suspect 40%-43% of the country will vote for devastation and failure no matter what. They will do so because Obama is black and\or believe in communist ideology. It's an amazing thing so many would rather live under tyranny rather than be free.

Obama came to office with his way paved by others, and didn't rise to power by merit. I'm reminded when I write this, he and the Democrats keep trying to make an issue of Romney's wealth, which was developed over a long period of time with great risk and investment, not to say a mastery of business and economics. Obama never invested anything of his own, never risked anything, and never mastered anything. He's a charlatan. That word comes from the French, a seller of medicines which do not work, a swindler that does this for money and fame. When caught, especially in America, they were run out of town, tarred and feathered. We're much more civilized now, Obama will simply be voted out of office. If what happened in the 2010 elections when over 60 House and Senate seats were lost by the Democrats, and the recent win by Ted Cruz in Texas, plus the win over government\Democrat supported union thugs in Wisconsin is an indicator taken seriously, it has to be Obama and the Dems recognize their backs are against the political wall.

Citizens can see, even feel, the failure of results generated by this president. They don't need to get in the weeds of economics and politics, all his violations of the Constitution he's engaged in, to know, this man is a failure, and his failures are dividing and destroying this country. By him and his party attacking what nearly everyone sees as a decent, hard working, successful businessman and family man; by attacking his wife and children, does not grow the respect for Obama that is needed for a win of the presidency. It's all because there is only failure and blame to run on, no successes to point to.

Even the Re-elect Obama Press can no longer cover what an incompetent fake Obama is. No complacency though. He's getting funds and support from totalitarians all over the world, the funds illegal of course, but the  law never stops this man-child. He and the Democrats will cheat, get a huge number of illegals to vote, and do anything they can to remain in power. The well being of the country be damned.

Nixon Redux - Obama's Enemies List.

Nixon had his enemies list, which until leaked was secret. Once it was out there, Leftists crowed proudly they were on it. Obama has an enemies list too, and he makes it quite public, and includes names in his speeches. Nixon’s list was primarily political and media personalities which are semi-political since they support Democrats. The shameless Obama attacks private citizens; all they’ve done is donate to candidates or causes Our Dear Leader objects to.

This is from a “Paid for by Obama for America”, official campaign site. It’s a personal attack on private citizens that have contributed to Romney’s campaign, and portrays them as criminals for doing so. "Quite a few have been on the wrong side of the law..." yet not one of the private citizens mentioned has ever been  brought to trial and certainly not indicted for breaking any laws. SEC, Dept of Justice, and IRS, controlled by Obama can certainly change that. I see this as a direct threat by the government to private citizens for stepping out of line and opposing Our Dear Leader. 

A couple examples from the site:

Sam and Jeffrey Fox: Sam and Jeffrey Fox serve as co-chairman of Romney’s finance operation in Missouri and, together, have donated $220,000 to Romney’s presidential ambitions. They also control the Harbour Group investment firm which bragged about buying an automotive accessories manufacturing company in Kansas in 1997 and moving production to Mexico. In 2002, the Harbour group’s Mexico operation decided to outsource to China because China was “offering incentives and making it easy to open operations there.” The Chinese government awarded Sam Fox the Marco Polo Award for “his company’s role in China’s economic development and his humanitarian contributions to that country.” 

 Kent Burton: Kent Burton is one of Romney’s new bundlers who raised more than $25,000 in one month for Romney’s campaign. He is also a registered lobbyist for a wide array of energy clients, including Marathon Oil and Shell Oil.

 OH MY GOD! A braggart and a registered lobbyist! Filthy capitalist running dogs! They invest in companies that employ people and generate income! The horror! As if the Bamster has no filthy capitalist running dogs not only donating to his $billion campaign (reportedly) but work for him; plus his capitalist running dog czars (along with some self identified communists) that he’s appointed that only report to him and are not answerable to Congress.  

Because this man-child has nothing positive to show from his first term as president, is an abysmal failure, a looser, he has to attack private citizens. Shameful and weak. 

Test of Fire: Uber Powerful Catholic Church Election 2012 Ad

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” Psalm 127:1

http://youtu.be/D9vQt6IXXaM

That the Catholic Church is standing for what is right and moral lifts my spirits. We pray this is the beginning of  people waking up the threat to this country faces from this administration and his political party. We pray too that we Protestants begin to pay attention to this threat too. We to are having our religious liberty threatened and need to form a strong coalition, a bond to thwart this challenge to the Body of Christ. It has been said here and elsewhere many many times, one of the first things a totalitarian government needs to strike down is religion. 

Rick Santorum's CPAC 2012 Speech - Impressive

This is the first time since we began this process of picking a presidential candidate for the Republican Party, that I was impressed by Santorum. He talks about founding principles, conservative principles; it would be good to have someone in the White House that could re-teach and advocate for those.

 “Are we going to believe, as our Founders did, that our rights don’t come from the government, that they come from a much higher authority?”… “There are those in the Oval Office who believe that’s not the case, that rights do, in fact, come from the government, and they have gone around convincing the American people that they can give you rights. We see what happens when government gives you rights. When government gives you rights, government can take away those rights. When government gives you rights, they can coerce you in doing things in exercising the rights that they gave you.”

“As a result, government will own because you will have to pay tribute to Washington in order to get the care you need for your children.”

This is well worth the 20 minutes. Impressive, profound, and, strangely enough, moving. 

http://youtu.be/RxHM2_9t7G8

“Why would an undecided voter vote for a candidate the party is not excited about? We need conservatives now to rally for a conservative to go into November, to excite the conservative base, to pull with that excitement moderate voters and to defeat Barack Obama in the fall. … Please walk out of this gathering and choose the candidate that you believe is the right person to lead this country, so you can say, ‘I have done my duty. I have kept my honor.’”

Indeed. 

Rep. Allen West - "Obama, Reid, Pelosi, get the hell out of the USA"

http://youtu.be/o8YDnd1Yoyk

Obama and Democrats by the Numbers

A Republican in the Executive Branch with the record laid out below would be driven out of office without hesitation. Bush 1 was driven out of office after one term, and overall didn’t do so bad a job. Bush 2 was excoriated in the media daily. He had, I think, 54 consecutive months of economic growth, and managed the beginning of World War IV; including ensuring no successful terrorist attacks on US soil. That was done with his opposition doing everything they could to assist the enemies of the United States...can’t listen to suspected terrorists conversing with people in the US, or follow their money, etc. Bush 2 blew it in the end by giving up on free markets and signing off on TARP and some other socialist stuff. Overall, pretty good job though. Clinton, overall, a pretty good job, though you can bet if a Republican was bangin’ the female staff in the oval office; he would have been booted out of office PDQ.

Now we have a Marxist ideologue, racist, anti-Christian, pro-Islamist buffoon as president. A guy raised by Communists, hung out in college with racists, Marxists, Stalinists, advocating the overthrow of democracy; our a constitutional republic. That’d be us, Americans. Throw in his blatant religious lie about his quarter century in the anti-American, pro-communist, anti-Christian (they were all about liberation theology, not the teachings and acceptance of Jesus Christ as personal savior) racist church of Jeremiah Wright. Obama said after a quarter century, hey, who knew? Truly?

That’s the set up. Here’s the numbers.

Obama gets elected with the unemployment rate 6.8%. It’s now 8.6%. About 950,000 people are no longer looking for work; they are not longer factored in. Add them in, and the unemployment rate is about 11.5%. About 25% of African American men are unemployed. How's that hope and change thing working?

Gas was $1.88 in 2009. It’s about $3.50 now and climbing. 102% increase.

Average electricity bills for households have increased about $300 per year since he’s been in office.

The Census Bureau reports about 146.4 million people are living at or below the poverty line. That’s 4 million more that when he took office.

Credit card debt is going up, especially among seasoned citizens who are having to supplement their incomes.

The average age of a car on the road now is 10 years. Over the past 20 years the average age was about 6.5 years.

Our national budget is about $3.8 trillion, but heck, lets round it up to $4 trillion. Our revenues are only about $2.1 trillion, and revenues will be going down, spending will be going up. Another $Trillion is being added to the debt ceiling this session of Congress. 

Much talk lately of this being the “food stamp president”. The Media Outlet for the Democrat Party, aka NBC, CBS, NY Times, LA Times, ABC, Time Magazine, etc. are all saying there were more people on food stamps under Bush. It’s amazing such blatant lies are fabricated and reported as fact, but we’ve come to expect it. Journalism died with the election of Barak Hussein Obama. Right now about one in seven Americans are on food stamps, about 14 million more people that when he took office. Pointing this out to the Jurassic Press and Democrats means you’re a racist. Problem is the majority of people on food stamps are white. I guess one could say Obama and the Dems are racist, forcing white people to go on food stamps.

Racial tension has skyrocketed. Energy costs have skyrocketed. The national debt has skyrocketed. Personal debt has skyrocketed. Everything that benefits the citizens of this country has plummeted.

Remember too, most of the 20th Century, the Democrat Party held power in Congress. They can blame Republicans all they want, but most legislation passed in the last 100 years was passed by them. The first two years of this administration, Democrats controlled both houses of Congress. They are the establishment. They write the rules. They are the ones responsible for this mess. The Republican Party is stupid and weak. Cowards. Blaming them for this mess is like blaming the little kid for getting beaten up by the bully. 

The guy is a looser, for the rest of us. For him and the Democrats, he’s a winner. They’ve gotten what they wanted. It’s like Nikita Khrushchev said, “We can't expect the American People to jump from Capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism.” Obama and the Democrats are continuing this legacy.

There’s way more at stake with this election than jobs and debt. 

Election 2012: Stop McCain II Before It Starts

Same political minds, loosers 

You know a Republican presidential candidate is a RINO when the Jurassic Press says the guy is great, just what the Republican Party needs. Jon Huntsman is an accommodationist to the Left, like McCain, Lugar, the Bush's, and all the rest. Huntsman announced at the Statue of Liberty where Reagan did, and invoked Reagan several times. Problem is, Reagan was a conservative. Huntsman is a Liberal.

His strategy going into the primaries is not to appeal to the base of the Republican Party, but to independents and disaffected Dems. That strategy alone speaks volumes. As Mark Levin's analysis below shows, Huntsman even uses the same words as McCain, talking about civility, respect of the opposition, getting along, taking the high road. Really? That got McCain and the Republican Party where?

Just before Huntsman announced, his campaign manager, John Weaver, said, "There's a simple reason our party is nowhere near being a national governing party."  “No one wants to be around a bunch of cranks.” He was referring to conservative Republican candidates. Starting off bashing fellow Republicans. Weaver by the way is a former McCain "strategist". Looser. Weaver has mocked Pawlenty and Romney. Not by policy statements, but personally. Looser. About Pawlenty he said, "Tim's a nice guy, and there's nothing worse than seeing a nice guy pretend that he's angry. Is that really what we want to be? Is that how we're going to define ourselves? When's the last time an angry man ever solved a problem without using a gun?" Really?


He's said nothing nearly as harsh as this about his friend Obama. Weaaver again: "The frustrating thing is that Obama's beatable."  "But to beat Obama you have to be bigger than Obama. That's how we save our party." Being a RINO, McCain II, is going to beat Obama? What's are they going to save the Party from? Conservatives? Huntsman was booed at a TEA Party event in Utah. That speaks volumes about this guy too.  


Huntsman wrote to Obama in an Aug. 16, 2009 note: “You are a remarkable leader,” (underlining the word “remarkable,”) “and it has been a great honor getting to know you.” 

Huntsman supported Obama's "stimulus" packages. He supported the "DREAM act", the "comprehensive" Democrat program to make illegal aliens (undocumented Democrats) legal. He's was for SCHIP which was supposed to be healthcare for kids but turned out to be a massive healthcare bill for adults too (a Dem program that McCain was for too). He supports the global warming crowed and the legislation that grows from that.

The danger here is his strategy going into the primaries is the same as McCain. By the time the primaries moved into "flyover country", RINO McCain was locked in. Many of those states have open voting, you don't have to belong to the party of the candidate to vote for him. Dems and other Statists crossed over and voted McCain, knowing he couldn't win. Huntsman must be stopped at the starting gate.  

Great analysis here by Mark Levin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=39AdchqsNvw

4 More Years! 4 More Years! 4 More Years!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIA5aszzA18&feature=player_embedded

Yep, sure lookin' forward to continuing such monumental hopey changey stuff....