Monday – January 31, 2011
A wink and a nod!
Have you ever wondered how our foreign policy works and how it is performed? The events that are now playing out in Egypt are an example of the wink and a nod diplomacy that has occurred over the course of thirty years.
As I watched with great interest the footage of the rioting in Egypt streaming live, I thought about how our own revolution took shape and how it became a reality. In our revolution we were protesting taxes and tyranny. Our people at that time wanted to own property and wanted to create wealth for their posterity. This is something that I have written about before.
In Egypt, it is not so different. However, what we forget is that it is now the twenty first century. In the twenty first century we, as a world, should not have this great disparity from country to country, from culture to culture. This country should be allowed to encourage freedom, when ever and where ever possible. We should be practicing foreign policy with an even hand. It should be direct and it should be one that favors democracy for democracy’s sake.
George Washington said, on September 19, 1796, "The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is in extending our commercial relations to have as little political connection as possible... Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rival ships, interest, humor, or caprice?... It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world."
Foreign policy should be a policy by which every side knows where we stand, as a country and as a people. Far too many times in recent history we have become victims of our victimization. Hosni Mubarak has ruled Egypt for thirty years. For thirty years Hosni Mubarak has taken billions of our dollars in aid for the betterment of his country. Egypt is the second largest foreign recipient of U.S. foreign aid funds. Where has the money gone? If the aid was used for the reforms that are needed now, then his country should not be clamoring for freedom, education, jobs and decent wages. This is a common theme in many Arab countries today. Our aid and foreign policy initiatives changes with each despot, dictator and time zone. Hosni Mubarak has just appointed a Vice President after thirty years of rule without one. Why was he allowed to stay in office this long without one? Why were the reforms not made earlier? These are some very simple questions that need to be asked. My father once told me there is no such thing as a dumb question.
Our Middle Eastern Foreign Policy has lacked direction, purpose, strength and economic firmness for decades. Iran is a result of a policy that was designed with a wink and a nod. Osama Bin Laden was a consequence of abandonment in Afghanistan some twenty years ago, because of a wink and a nod.
The problems in Egypt today are a result of a despot that has been enabled by economic aid in as much as the wink and a nod. A foreign policy of containment does not work any longer. The citizens of countries like Egypt want democracy and they want the rule of law. A leader who says that he can deliver and doesn’t does not deserve to lead and does not deserve the support by free governments. But when a wink and a nod are given the leader might misinterpret a policy initiative and the meaning in direction to move his country towards freedom and democracy.
The problem of democracy is not the freedom it gives, but the support it sometimes gives to despots and the lesser of two evils. Many of the Arab leaders that were supporters of democracy soon became corrupt when they figured out that the money was free and lip service was all that was needed to keep the aid coming in. Thus, the wink and the nod! We saw it in Iran and Iraq and now Egypt.
The bigger picture now is one that might be devastating to the region and our interests here at home. There are three acts to this play. The first act is what we are seeing now: protest, riots and civil unrest. The second act is in the replacement of the current government by either Mohamed ElBaradei or the new Vice President Omar Suleiman. The third act is the ousting of these individuals by an Islamic Faction. The “Muslim Brotherhood” could be just the one. Founded in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna, a schoolteacher, to promote implementing of traditional Islamic sharia law and a social renewal based on an Islamic ethos of altruism and civic duty, in opposition to political and social injustice and to British imperial rule. The organization initially focused on educational and charitable work, but quickly grew to become a major political force as well, by championing the cause of disenfranchised classes, playing a prominent role in the Egyptian nationalist movement, and promoting a conception of Islam that attempted to restore broken links between tradition and modernity. This is the template that has been used in Iran and other Arab states in the 20th century.
The cause and effect of a problematic foreign policy is two fold. It has a destabilizing effect in political circles and in financial circles. Egypt is the home of the Suez Canal. Our oil imports and other shipments that our economy is built upon are linked in Egypt. Grain and other food imports such as beef come to us through the Suez Canal. The bottom line is, if the canal becomes embroiled in the political fight that is now developing in Egypt our economy will suffer. Our political clout in the region will suffer and Israel our only democratic friend in the region will also suffer.
The time has come for solid foreign policy parameters, that is even handed and that takes into account people, culture and the better interests of democracy that does not include the wink and a nod any longer!
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: This is not a Republican or Democrat finger pointing session. The problems in Egypt are because of both parties and career employees at the State Department doing the wink and the nod!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
A tale of two cities!
Friday – January 28, 2011
A tale of two cities!
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities,
When we stop to analyze these words we should consider our time in history. Some do say that it is the best of times. That, of course, depends on if you have a job. Some would say it is the worst of times. That, of course, depends on if you don’t have a job. Some would say it was the age of wisdom. That, of course, depends on what side of the aisle you are on. If you are on the wrong side, then it is truly the age of foolishness, for comparison purpose only.
The new unemployment numbers are out. For the week ending (January 22) new time unemployment claims are 454,000. This was unexpectedly high. It was estimated that the new number would be 408,000. The new number is 50,000 more than expected. A good economy would have about 350,000 job losses in one week, on a four week moving average. According too many economists the normal job movement numbers at that rate would indicate an economy that is building jobs and not loosing them.
This is truly a tale of two cities, because if you are the Head of State, in Washington D.C., you would be saying that jobs are being created. However, if you are a non elected citizen, living in Detroit, you would be saying I got laid off a year ago and I can’t find another job. There are 3.9 million people who are still unemployed. This does not take into account the others who have been unemployed and those whose benefits ran out two years ago.
One might ask: what city has the season of light, because it is still the season of darkness for many, for comparison purpose only.
The CBO (Congressional Budget Office) projects a 1.5 trillion dollar deficit in 2011. They also predicted that normal unemployment numbers of 4.6 % to 5% won’t begin before 2016. I guess that is the spring of hope that we all are waiting for, for comparison purpose only.
The one sided Congressional Crisis Inquiry Commission released their findings on a report that investigated the financial crisis of 2008. They said the “2008 financial crisis could have been avoided. Let us be clear, this calamity was the result of human action, inaction and misjudgment and not of Mother Nature.” However, what they didn’t say is that it was also the huge global capital flows that contributed to the financial bubbles and that government was encouraging home ownership. It was the failure to stop the flow of toxic mortgages and low mortgage standards. In 2007, 1 out of 3 mortgages had down payments of only 3% to qualify. The standard was 20%. What they didn’t say is that in the 70’s under Jimmy Carter the Community Reinvestment Act provided that government backed the mortgages for low income and minority families. This was noble but not economically sound. No matter whom the noisiest authorities are, for comparison purpose only, they are insisting that they be received for the good and that the others are evil.
When we compare who is right and who is wrong, we must remember the history of our objection. I object to a finding that is made public by a one sided panel. This week, I wrote about the 1000 plus panels that the president can go to for findings and get the results that are needed to support a viewpoint and to even re-write history.
I wrote this week about Jeffery Immelt of General Electric, taking the leadership of one such panel, The Counsel on Jobs and Competitiveness. The title of today’s FORUM is “The Tale of Two Cities.” If we are creative with the title, we can stretch it a bit to fit this comparison. The Democrats will always have Halliburton, to demagogue the Republicans, along with Dick Cheney and George Bush, regardless of the truth. For comparison purpose only, let’s make General Electric the Republican’s FORUM for demagoguery. Jeffery Immelt has closed 25 General Electric plants. He has stopped the production of the incandescent light bulb and moved production of the new mercury light bulb to China.
General Electric has the largest PAC (Political Action Committee) and it supports the Democrats. Immelt is a believer in green energy and he has moved GE exclusively in that direction. Immelt is an Obama supporter and contributor. He now heads a commission that will provide documentation in the value and necessity of green jobs.
In the tale of two cities, Washington D.C. and Chicago, the President’s former Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, wants to be Mayor of Chicago. The Illinois Supreme Court overruled a lower court decision and granted that Mr. Emanuel could run for Mayor, after a residency dispute made him ineligible. My money would be on Emanuel becoming Chicago’s next Mayor and it’s next head of the political machine. In the tale of two cities, the connection between Chicago and Washington is still very real.
No matter what the city, the tale of politics will continue to play out until the end of time. Like Dickens wrote, “we had everything before us, we had nothing before us.” When you look at the connections of people and their desire to rule, from the standpoint of power, then it truly becomes a winter of despair.
As Dickens writes in the story of “A tale of Two Cities" - "Repression is the only lasting philosophy. The dark deference of fear and slavery, my friend," observed the Marquis,” will keep the dogs obedient to the whip, as long as this roof," looking up to it, "shuts out the sky."
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: History and the tales of stories can sometimes be fiction. However, we must recognize the difference when fiction becomes fact. There is no comparison between the two.
A tale of two cities!
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities,
When we stop to analyze these words we should consider our time in history. Some do say that it is the best of times. That, of course, depends on if you have a job. Some would say it is the worst of times. That, of course, depends on if you don’t have a job. Some would say it was the age of wisdom. That, of course, depends on what side of the aisle you are on. If you are on the wrong side, then it is truly the age of foolishness, for comparison purpose only.
The new unemployment numbers are out. For the week ending (January 22) new time unemployment claims are 454,000. This was unexpectedly high. It was estimated that the new number would be 408,000. The new number is 50,000 more than expected. A good economy would have about 350,000 job losses in one week, on a four week moving average. According too many economists the normal job movement numbers at that rate would indicate an economy that is building jobs and not loosing them.
This is truly a tale of two cities, because if you are the Head of State, in Washington D.C., you would be saying that jobs are being created. However, if you are a non elected citizen, living in Detroit, you would be saying I got laid off a year ago and I can’t find another job. There are 3.9 million people who are still unemployed. This does not take into account the others who have been unemployed and those whose benefits ran out two years ago.
One might ask: what city has the season of light, because it is still the season of darkness for many, for comparison purpose only.
The CBO (Congressional Budget Office) projects a 1.5 trillion dollar deficit in 2011. They also predicted that normal unemployment numbers of 4.6 % to 5% won’t begin before 2016. I guess that is the spring of hope that we all are waiting for, for comparison purpose only.
The one sided Congressional Crisis Inquiry Commission released their findings on a report that investigated the financial crisis of 2008. They said the “2008 financial crisis could have been avoided. Let us be clear, this calamity was the result of human action, inaction and misjudgment and not of Mother Nature.” However, what they didn’t say is that it was also the huge global capital flows that contributed to the financial bubbles and that government was encouraging home ownership. It was the failure to stop the flow of toxic mortgages and low mortgage standards. In 2007, 1 out of 3 mortgages had down payments of only 3% to qualify. The standard was 20%. What they didn’t say is that in the 70’s under Jimmy Carter the Community Reinvestment Act provided that government backed the mortgages for low income and minority families. This was noble but not economically sound. No matter whom the noisiest authorities are, for comparison purpose only, they are insisting that they be received for the good and that the others are evil.
When we compare who is right and who is wrong, we must remember the history of our objection. I object to a finding that is made public by a one sided panel. This week, I wrote about the 1000 plus panels that the president can go to for findings and get the results that are needed to support a viewpoint and to even re-write history.
I wrote this week about Jeffery Immelt of General Electric, taking the leadership of one such panel, The Counsel on Jobs and Competitiveness. The title of today’s FORUM is “The Tale of Two Cities.” If we are creative with the title, we can stretch it a bit to fit this comparison. The Democrats will always have Halliburton, to demagogue the Republicans, along with Dick Cheney and George Bush, regardless of the truth. For comparison purpose only, let’s make General Electric the Republican’s FORUM for demagoguery. Jeffery Immelt has closed 25 General Electric plants. He has stopped the production of the incandescent light bulb and moved production of the new mercury light bulb to China.
General Electric has the largest PAC (Political Action Committee) and it supports the Democrats. Immelt is a believer in green energy and he has moved GE exclusively in that direction. Immelt is an Obama supporter and contributor. He now heads a commission that will provide documentation in the value and necessity of green jobs.
In the tale of two cities, Washington D.C. and Chicago, the President’s former Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, wants to be Mayor of Chicago. The Illinois Supreme Court overruled a lower court decision and granted that Mr. Emanuel could run for Mayor, after a residency dispute made him ineligible. My money would be on Emanuel becoming Chicago’s next Mayor and it’s next head of the political machine. In the tale of two cities, the connection between Chicago and Washington is still very real.
No matter what the city, the tale of politics will continue to play out until the end of time. Like Dickens wrote, “we had everything before us, we had nothing before us.” When you look at the connections of people and their desire to rule, from the standpoint of power, then it truly becomes a winter of despair.
As Dickens writes in the story of “A tale of Two Cities" - "Repression is the only lasting philosophy. The dark deference of fear and slavery, my friend," observed the Marquis,” will keep the dogs obedient to the whip, as long as this roof," looking up to it, "shuts out the sky."
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: History and the tales of stories can sometimes be fiction. However, we must recognize the difference when fiction becomes fact. There is no comparison between the two.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Rejection:
Thursday-January 26, 2011
Rejection:
I have asked that you look for the truth and look for the proof of success in all of what has been done for the sake of growing government to help us. What you might find is that there has been very little of what we would consider success.
Government spends 4 billion dollars a day in just interest rates (finances charges) on our debt. This was reported by Neil Cavuto on FOX. This is why I am talking about rejection!
Rejection is defined: The action of rejecting: the sate of being rejected b: the immunological process of sloughing off foreign tissue or an organ (as a transplant) by the recipient organism 2: something rejected.
The president is constantly comparing us to countries like China. They have a great infrastructure, he says. They have speedy trains, he says. But what he fails to tell you is that China uses slave labor to build the tracks and buildings. Unions don’t exist there, along with environmental impact studies that are needed when we build here. China doesn’t care about impact studies, they just build. The fact of the matter is that passenger trains don’t work here like they do in China. The only trains that work here is when we ship cargo, because of something called commerce. Commerce is what makes us the largest economy in the world and in all of human history.
Why we should use rejection, as Paul Ryan said Tuesday night in the Republican rebuttal, as a way to bring back this principle: “The importance of limited government and the blessings of self government.” This is the principal of what our country was founded on. We cannot be compared to China and we should not give into Russia to get a nuclear treaty.
We should reject our government, because we cannot and we should not continue to trust it any longer. We are going to be told that we must invest in education, infrastructure and green environmental technology. Oil, manufacturing and business is out, because these things cannot be controlled easily by government.
We should reject our government, because we have spent close to two trillion dollars on what? Where are the jobs and where is this robust economy that we were promised, because of the investment that was made on our behalf?
The words “The importance of limited government and the blessings of self government” mean something. It is a principal that must not be forgotten. Of all the things that were said Tuesday night, these ring true.
We do need better education, but that comes from teachers who want to teach and unions that should not be so powerful. Education starts at home with parents who don’t send their kids to school to be baby sat. Technology can grow, if market forces are given the opportunity. These are the things that are meant when we speak of limited government and self government. There are going to be those that break the system when they do use the laws to prosecute. Don’t use government to be the moral authority it has never been and it will never be.
It is okay to reject business as usual. This is what we are rejecting now. But when we want an alternative way of doing things, don’t use government to decide what the new ways of doing things are. We need to go back to the future and require that our government is limited and that we are self governed to the task of building, teaching and developing the technology that will keep us great.
Reject the notion that government should drive every aspect of our life. We did not make it to the moon by government alone. A president lead the nation in establishing a goal, but engineers, creative thinkers and private industry created the means to meet the goal.
Reject the notion that some budgets can be slashed by replacing those budgets with new ones that will grow the government. Reject the notion that technology must be supported by government this is the code for new government subsidies.
Step back slow down and find out what your priorities are. These priorities should be your government’s priorities.
Washington said as much in his first State of the Union:“ In resuming your consultations for the general good you can not but derive encouragement from the reflection that the measures of the last session have been as satisfactory to your constituents as the novelty and difficulty of the work allowed you to hope. Still further to realize their expectations and to secure the blessings which a gracious Providence has placed within our reach will in the course of the present important session call for the cool and deliberate exertion of your patriotism, firmness, and wisdom.”
Our leaders seem to want us to be rock stars, financiers and computer geniuses. Maybe we want our politicians to be the same as well. For me, I want people to be self governed, with character and confidence. Our President comes from academia and a Chicago Political machine. This does not make a great leader. A great leader knows how to go back to the future and learn the lessons that others died trying to perfect.
Washington said it best: "The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American People." First Inaugural Address, 30 April 1789.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Every day we make history, we make history as a nation and as a people. Our leaders must walk among us to know the distance we have traveled to make a life that is good and prosperous. Don’t reject this - reject what will prohibit this.
Rejection:
I have asked that you look for the truth and look for the proof of success in all of what has been done for the sake of growing government to help us. What you might find is that there has been very little of what we would consider success.
Government spends 4 billion dollars a day in just interest rates (finances charges) on our debt. This was reported by Neil Cavuto on FOX. This is why I am talking about rejection!
Rejection is defined: The action of rejecting: the sate of being rejected b: the immunological process of sloughing off foreign tissue or an organ (as a transplant) by the recipient organism 2: something rejected.
The president is constantly comparing us to countries like China. They have a great infrastructure, he says. They have speedy trains, he says. But what he fails to tell you is that China uses slave labor to build the tracks and buildings. Unions don’t exist there, along with environmental impact studies that are needed when we build here. China doesn’t care about impact studies, they just build. The fact of the matter is that passenger trains don’t work here like they do in China. The only trains that work here is when we ship cargo, because of something called commerce. Commerce is what makes us the largest economy in the world and in all of human history.
Why we should use rejection, as Paul Ryan said Tuesday night in the Republican rebuttal, as a way to bring back this principle: “The importance of limited government and the blessings of self government.” This is the principal of what our country was founded on. We cannot be compared to China and we should not give into Russia to get a nuclear treaty.
We should reject our government, because we cannot and we should not continue to trust it any longer. We are going to be told that we must invest in education, infrastructure and green environmental technology. Oil, manufacturing and business is out, because these things cannot be controlled easily by government.
We should reject our government, because we have spent close to two trillion dollars on what? Where are the jobs and where is this robust economy that we were promised, because of the investment that was made on our behalf?
The words “The importance of limited government and the blessings of self government” mean something. It is a principal that must not be forgotten. Of all the things that were said Tuesday night, these ring true.
We do need better education, but that comes from teachers who want to teach and unions that should not be so powerful. Education starts at home with parents who don’t send their kids to school to be baby sat. Technology can grow, if market forces are given the opportunity. These are the things that are meant when we speak of limited government and self government. There are going to be those that break the system when they do use the laws to prosecute. Don’t use government to be the moral authority it has never been and it will never be.
It is okay to reject business as usual. This is what we are rejecting now. But when we want an alternative way of doing things, don’t use government to decide what the new ways of doing things are. We need to go back to the future and require that our government is limited and that we are self governed to the task of building, teaching and developing the technology that will keep us great.
Reject the notion that government should drive every aspect of our life. We did not make it to the moon by government alone. A president lead the nation in establishing a goal, but engineers, creative thinkers and private industry created the means to meet the goal.
Reject the notion that some budgets can be slashed by replacing those budgets with new ones that will grow the government. Reject the notion that technology must be supported by government this is the code for new government subsidies.
Step back slow down and find out what your priorities are. These priorities should be your government’s priorities.
Washington said as much in his first State of the Union:“ In resuming your consultations for the general good you can not but derive encouragement from the reflection that the measures of the last session have been as satisfactory to your constituents as the novelty and difficulty of the work allowed you to hope. Still further to realize their expectations and to secure the blessings which a gracious Providence has placed within our reach will in the course of the present important session call for the cool and deliberate exertion of your patriotism, firmness, and wisdom.”
Our leaders seem to want us to be rock stars, financiers and computer geniuses. Maybe we want our politicians to be the same as well. For me, I want people to be self governed, with character and confidence. Our President comes from academia and a Chicago Political machine. This does not make a great leader. A great leader knows how to go back to the future and learn the lessons that others died trying to perfect.
Washington said it best: "The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American People." First Inaugural Address, 30 April 1789.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Every day we make history, we make history as a nation and as a people. Our leaders must walk among us to know the distance we have traveled to make a life that is good and prosperous. Don’t reject this - reject what will prohibit this.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
What have we forgotten?
Wednesday-January 26, 2011
What have we forgotten?
When you want to win in politics you run and you sound like a conservative. On the whole the Presidents speech last night was good it was not earth shattering. I believe a lot of republicans agreed with him in principal however every thing remains in the details. Why is it when a politician gets involved in our lives they always want to enact new initiatives? What we should be demanding of our government is to just stop the spending and let the free market do what it does best.
The encouragement of genuine market forces are what are needed to turn the economy around. A freeze in spending is good but how does that translate to the regular guy? Every time a new initiative is announced it takes money to establish it. Every time a new initiative is announced it takes resources to manage it. It does increase the size of the bureaucracy because of the resources it consumes. Remember government does nothing to produce revenue it takes the revenue from us and it decides what to do with it.
Any body can throw more money at a problem and initiate more programs to remedy a problem. Why can’t we just stop and let things happen by themselves without the investments that politicians think we like to hear about. Let’s face it last nights speech was the beginning of the presidents re-election bid.
As of January 25, 2011 - 222 annual messages and State of the Union Messages had been delivered by Presidents; of these, 73 were delivered in person by the chief executive. This is a pretty simple procedure. Every year the President is invited by Congress to deliver a State of the Union address. This year we also listened to a rebuttal given by the Republicans. The Tea Party had their rebuttal to both. Haven’t we had enough messages and enough formulas to listen too for this year?
America is a simple country but when government gets involved it manages to make the most simple of tasks monumental. I wrote this week that there are over 1000 panels that the President seeks advice from. Even if one of the heads were right in their assessment how would the president ever know?
The Presidency is a hand’s on job. There is no training school or online training class to teach a prospective office holder. This is why our choice every four years is a crucial choice for the future. The president said last night that “we can win the future.” We are living the future because of the past decisions that some of us warned others of. To my point how can any one know who is right any more?
Spending is not investing adding bureaucrat’s is not improving government and spending freezes do not slash budgets.
We have a tendency to put great stock into the individuals we place in the office of the presidency. We had an impeachment not to long ago. We had a failure of one president in just four years. And we had a successful president that served for eight years and that set up an economy that would grow for a quarter of a century. I am not naming names but I think you know who I am talking about. The most successful presidents kept things simple with simple messages. I was criticized not to long ago by being one of these simple thinkers. It hurt for a minute then I considered the source, it came from a bureaucrat.
The President said we must not re - fight the battles of the last two years if things need fixing then fix those things so we can move forward.” I agree we must now fix everything that this President and his Party has broken so that we can move forward. This is a simple approach to a simple problem.
Every example that the president cited last night about little companies and people doing big things had nothing to do with government telling them how to do it.
The thing I didn’t hear last night was two simple words. Liberty and freedom, these are simple words but they are what America is all about. Don’t forget it!
Liberty does not come from restrictions and regulations. Freedom comes from the ability to compete to secure a bright future so that we can win tomorrow.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: The last paragraph of Washington’s First State of the Union – January 8, 1790 read “The welfare of our country is the great object to which our cares and efforts ought to be directed, and I shall derive great satisfaction from a cooperation with you in the pleasing though arduous task of insuring to our fellow citizens the blessings which they have a right to expect from a free, efficient, and equal government.”
What have we forgotten?
When you want to win in politics you run and you sound like a conservative. On the whole the Presidents speech last night was good it was not earth shattering. I believe a lot of republicans agreed with him in principal however every thing remains in the details. Why is it when a politician gets involved in our lives they always want to enact new initiatives? What we should be demanding of our government is to just stop the spending and let the free market do what it does best.
The encouragement of genuine market forces are what are needed to turn the economy around. A freeze in spending is good but how does that translate to the regular guy? Every time a new initiative is announced it takes money to establish it. Every time a new initiative is announced it takes resources to manage it. It does increase the size of the bureaucracy because of the resources it consumes. Remember government does nothing to produce revenue it takes the revenue from us and it decides what to do with it.
Any body can throw more money at a problem and initiate more programs to remedy a problem. Why can’t we just stop and let things happen by themselves without the investments that politicians think we like to hear about. Let’s face it last nights speech was the beginning of the presidents re-election bid.
As of January 25, 2011 - 222 annual messages and State of the Union Messages had been delivered by Presidents; of these, 73 were delivered in person by the chief executive. This is a pretty simple procedure. Every year the President is invited by Congress to deliver a State of the Union address. This year we also listened to a rebuttal given by the Republicans. The Tea Party had their rebuttal to both. Haven’t we had enough messages and enough formulas to listen too for this year?
America is a simple country but when government gets involved it manages to make the most simple of tasks monumental. I wrote this week that there are over 1000 panels that the President seeks advice from. Even if one of the heads were right in their assessment how would the president ever know?
The Presidency is a hand’s on job. There is no training school or online training class to teach a prospective office holder. This is why our choice every four years is a crucial choice for the future. The president said last night that “we can win the future.” We are living the future because of the past decisions that some of us warned others of. To my point how can any one know who is right any more?
Spending is not investing adding bureaucrat’s is not improving government and spending freezes do not slash budgets.
We have a tendency to put great stock into the individuals we place in the office of the presidency. We had an impeachment not to long ago. We had a failure of one president in just four years. And we had a successful president that served for eight years and that set up an economy that would grow for a quarter of a century. I am not naming names but I think you know who I am talking about. The most successful presidents kept things simple with simple messages. I was criticized not to long ago by being one of these simple thinkers. It hurt for a minute then I considered the source, it came from a bureaucrat.
The President said we must not re - fight the battles of the last two years if things need fixing then fix those things so we can move forward.” I agree we must now fix everything that this President and his Party has broken so that we can move forward. This is a simple approach to a simple problem.
Every example that the president cited last night about little companies and people doing big things had nothing to do with government telling them how to do it.
The thing I didn’t hear last night was two simple words. Liberty and freedom, these are simple words but they are what America is all about. Don’t forget it!
Liberty does not come from restrictions and regulations. Freedom comes from the ability to compete to secure a bright future so that we can win tomorrow.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: The last paragraph of Washington’s First State of the Union – January 8, 1790 read “The welfare of our country is the great object to which our cares and efforts ought to be directed, and I shall derive great satisfaction from a cooperation with you in the pleasing though arduous task of insuring to our fellow citizens the blessings which they have a right to expect from a free, efficient, and equal government.”
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
How to view the speech!
Tuesday-January 25, 2011
How to view the Speech!
“He shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” Article II, section 3 of the U.S. Constitution
Tonight, the president will deliver his second State of the Union Speech to the nation. Every time I have listened to a State of the Union, I want to be inspired. I have heard some great speeches in the past, by both a Republican and Democratic President.
We should not have to view a speech of this kind with the perspective of - is this speech going to remake this Presidency? Some Presidents have remade their presidency with this type of speech. Clinton did it and Carter tried to. Nixon had no choice and George W. Bush gave eight of them and only two needed the talk, because he had to walk the walk.
This President will demonstrate how he has moved to the center. This President has no choice but to do so. This President will invoke the platitudes that we look for and he will do a fine job of it. This President will make political points by introducing two victims of the shooting in Arizona, an aide of Gabrielle Gifford’s and young Christina’s parents.
This president has the capacity to do great things, but he can’t, because he will, in his own way, tell us that we need government. He will, in his own way, make us all victims of greed and victims of a system that is broken. This President will do his level best to blame others for the deficit and the great recession. This president will do his level best to make us feel as if he has delivered and has rescued this country from the failures of the past.
This President has now been in office for two years and five days. With every speech, we are told that it will remake his presidency. We have been told that this president is above the others. Last week, the Vice President said this President is the best we have had since Roosevelt. Shouldn’t we become suspect when this president needs to remake his presidency every time he speaks? This should be the speech that we now start to question!
This President will tell us that we still need to invest, but that we need to be selective in what we invest in. He will tell us that the poor and the aged should not go without food. He will tell us that the poor and the aged will now have health insurance, because of his great capacity to lead. The President will tell us that we need to invest in education and infrastructure. We need to invest in green technology and that we need to bring jobs home. This president will tell us that he will now focus on job creation, because the road to a better America has been paved to do just that.
This President will not talk about failure, he will talk about success and, while he will work with the other side, we should not forget that the damage has been done. This president is responsible. Just last year, this President said, in his State of the Union address, that we need to create jobs and that is the way out of recession. In the year that has since passed, we still have a 9.8% unemployment rate. Companies are still laying off people instead of hiring. We have spent over a trillion dollars in stimulus money and the government cannot account for the permanent jobs that they say have been created.
The questions that we should be asking this president are: are we safer, are we better off, are we more secure and are we freer and are we stronger?
While the job picture is still bleak, he will talk about the challenges abroad. Iran is closer now than ever before to getting the bomb and will fill the vacuum in the Gulf region when we leave Iraq in a few short months. Oil is going up and our energy needs are now being eclipsed by China, who is growing, because they are creating the jobs we have let them have. On these issues this President will speak of the joint cooperation that he created with the Chinese leader last week. This president will challenge oil prices by saying we need wind to power our houses and batteries to run our cars. This President will tell us that a nuclear Iran will not stand.
Tonight, this President will tell us that he has been a success. Tonight, we will hear about how the world is safer because America is now stronger.
Tonight, view the speech with an open mind and then tomorrow question what he said and look for the proof of his success.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: This year the President will be challenged on many policy matters. He will be tested this year not only on the domestic front but also on the foreign policy front. Words alone do not make a presidency.
How to view the Speech!
“He shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” Article II, section 3 of the U.S. Constitution
Tonight, the president will deliver his second State of the Union Speech to the nation. Every time I have listened to a State of the Union, I want to be inspired. I have heard some great speeches in the past, by both a Republican and Democratic President.
We should not have to view a speech of this kind with the perspective of - is this speech going to remake this Presidency? Some Presidents have remade their presidency with this type of speech. Clinton did it and Carter tried to. Nixon had no choice and George W. Bush gave eight of them and only two needed the talk, because he had to walk the walk.
This President will demonstrate how he has moved to the center. This President has no choice but to do so. This President will invoke the platitudes that we look for and he will do a fine job of it. This President will make political points by introducing two victims of the shooting in Arizona, an aide of Gabrielle Gifford’s and young Christina’s parents.
This president has the capacity to do great things, but he can’t, because he will, in his own way, tell us that we need government. He will, in his own way, make us all victims of greed and victims of a system that is broken. This President will do his level best to blame others for the deficit and the great recession. This president will do his level best to make us feel as if he has delivered and has rescued this country from the failures of the past.
This President has now been in office for two years and five days. With every speech, we are told that it will remake his presidency. We have been told that this president is above the others. Last week, the Vice President said this President is the best we have had since Roosevelt. Shouldn’t we become suspect when this president needs to remake his presidency every time he speaks? This should be the speech that we now start to question!
This President will tell us that we still need to invest, but that we need to be selective in what we invest in. He will tell us that the poor and the aged should not go without food. He will tell us that the poor and the aged will now have health insurance, because of his great capacity to lead. The President will tell us that we need to invest in education and infrastructure. We need to invest in green technology and that we need to bring jobs home. This president will tell us that he will now focus on job creation, because the road to a better America has been paved to do just that.
This President will not talk about failure, he will talk about success and, while he will work with the other side, we should not forget that the damage has been done. This president is responsible. Just last year, this President said, in his State of the Union address, that we need to create jobs and that is the way out of recession. In the year that has since passed, we still have a 9.8% unemployment rate. Companies are still laying off people instead of hiring. We have spent over a trillion dollars in stimulus money and the government cannot account for the permanent jobs that they say have been created.
The questions that we should be asking this president are: are we safer, are we better off, are we more secure and are we freer and are we stronger?
While the job picture is still bleak, he will talk about the challenges abroad. Iran is closer now than ever before to getting the bomb and will fill the vacuum in the Gulf region when we leave Iraq in a few short months. Oil is going up and our energy needs are now being eclipsed by China, who is growing, because they are creating the jobs we have let them have. On these issues this President will speak of the joint cooperation that he created with the Chinese leader last week. This president will challenge oil prices by saying we need wind to power our houses and batteries to run our cars. This President will tell us that a nuclear Iran will not stand.
Tonight, this President will tell us that he has been a success. Tonight, we will hear about how the world is safer because America is now stronger.
Tonight, view the speech with an open mind and then tomorrow question what he said and look for the proof of his success.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: This year the President will be challenged on many policy matters. He will be tested this year not only on the domestic front but also on the foreign policy front. Words alone do not make a presidency.
Monday, January 24, 2011
The fix is in:
Monday – January 24, 2011
The fix is in:
I thought about the quote that I ended Fridays FORUM with: Thomas Jefferson wrote to John Taylor in 1798: “ It is the old practice of despots to use a part of the people to keep the rest in order; and those who have once got an ascendency and possessed themselves of all the resources of the nation, their revenues and offices, have immense means for retaining their advantages.”
Jefferson also wrote to Spencer Roane in 1821: “Time indeed changes manners and notions, and so far we must expect institutions to bend to them. But time produces also corruption of principles, and against this it is the duty of good citizens to be ever on the watch, and if the gangrene is to prevail at last, let the day be kept off as long as possible.”
In Fridays FORUM, I reported on Steve Cohn, a Democrat Congressman, indicting the Republican Party as Nazi’s and if you tell a lie long enough people will begin to believe it. This comparison of one party using a notion like the one Congressman Cohn used is the gangrene that Jefferson referred to in 1821.
Jefferson also referred to the corrupt taking the resources of the nation to retain their advantage.
President Obama announced on Friday that Jeffery Immelt, General Electric CEO, will chair a new council on Jobs and Competitiveness. The President and Mr. Immelt want to grow the economy and invest in clean energy. When Mr. Immelt took the reigns from Jack Welch at GE the stock was trading at $40.00 a share, good dividends for stock holders. Today the stock is trading at around $20.00 a share.
This alliance between the White House and GE has grown into a complex relationship that will pick winners and losers. Wanting to create jobs and growing the economy is a noble thing. It is the right thing to do for America. However, when you say that you want to create jobs and grow the economy you better have a plan. The President made a big point in announcing on Friday that part of this deal will include selling generators to India creating 400 jobs. This is great, but it is not immediate.
I can’t think of one policy or one single act that this president has created or presided over that will create immediate jobs in the sluggish jobs market. I don’t believe a President creates jobs. I would never say this about a Republican president either. But a president must create an environment that jobs can be created. This President has done nothing that will improve or build on the environment to create jobs.
If you look at Mr. Immelt’s record you will see the same. GE grew under the principled leadership of Jack Welch. I would have given the President kudos if he enlisted the services of Mr. Welch because Mr. Welch knows hoe to grow business. Mr. Welch also knows the difference between the earth’s environment and the environment that is needed by business to grow the economy.
A little known fact, there are approximately 1,000 advisory panels in existence that the president can rely on. They employ or use the talents of 74,000 people. In 2000 they cost the tax payer 215 million dollars to run, in 2010 the budget is 386 million dollars. In 2011 the President will spend over 400 million dollars to run. I believe that this is what Jefferson meant when he said: “those who have once got an ascendency and possessed themselves of all the resources of the nation, their revenues and offices, have immense means for retaining their advantages.”
The President will now use these resources to create the vision that jobs are being created and that we have professionals working hard to find ways to create jobs. If a professional that is appointed to one of these counsels has lost half the wealth of a prosperous company in four years then I think we should be asking some questions.
The government and GE have created this unholy alliance and it is one that we should pay close attention to. I have written in the past about how the Corporate Industrial Complex when linked to the government can and will rob the economy of the necessary wealth in brain power, capability and necessary elements in job creation. In Jefferson’s own words he warned: “It is the old practice of despots to use a part of the people to keep the rest in order.”
The President will address the both Houses of Congress, his government and the citizenry of the State of the Union tomorrow night. He will speak about the necessity of binding us under one system of government and he will appeal to us to use our better sense in civility. He will speak of his efforts to create jobs he will use the environment to speak about clean energy and the jobs associated with it. He will ask us for patience and he will act as if he is one of us. If he were to forget about all of what I just wrote about and concentrate his efforts to be one of us he would then see the environment we live in and the environment we need to create jobs and to go look for jobs.
The theme of the night will be “Winning for the Future.” He will speak about a centrist agenda. Remember one thing if you ever run for office or want to run you win by acting like a conservative. He will act like a conservative and talk about deficit reduction he will; say we will have a vigorous debate. However, the one he can not escape from is that government is still growing and the deficit is still ticking away like a time bomb. This speech is only the beginning of the set for the 2012 election. The fix is in and the lines are being drawn. The players are in place and the president will have the platform for two more years.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: The fix is in – the question is will it be one that creates the win for our future.
The fix is in:
I thought about the quote that I ended Fridays FORUM with: Thomas Jefferson wrote to John Taylor in 1798: “ It is the old practice of despots to use a part of the people to keep the rest in order; and those who have once got an ascendency and possessed themselves of all the resources of the nation, their revenues and offices, have immense means for retaining their advantages.”
Jefferson also wrote to Spencer Roane in 1821: “Time indeed changes manners and notions, and so far we must expect institutions to bend to them. But time produces also corruption of principles, and against this it is the duty of good citizens to be ever on the watch, and if the gangrene is to prevail at last, let the day be kept off as long as possible.”
In Fridays FORUM, I reported on Steve Cohn, a Democrat Congressman, indicting the Republican Party as Nazi’s and if you tell a lie long enough people will begin to believe it. This comparison of one party using a notion like the one Congressman Cohn used is the gangrene that Jefferson referred to in 1821.
Jefferson also referred to the corrupt taking the resources of the nation to retain their advantage.
President Obama announced on Friday that Jeffery Immelt, General Electric CEO, will chair a new council on Jobs and Competitiveness. The President and Mr. Immelt want to grow the economy and invest in clean energy. When Mr. Immelt took the reigns from Jack Welch at GE the stock was trading at $40.00 a share, good dividends for stock holders. Today the stock is trading at around $20.00 a share.
This alliance between the White House and GE has grown into a complex relationship that will pick winners and losers. Wanting to create jobs and growing the economy is a noble thing. It is the right thing to do for America. However, when you say that you want to create jobs and grow the economy you better have a plan. The President made a big point in announcing on Friday that part of this deal will include selling generators to India creating 400 jobs. This is great, but it is not immediate.
I can’t think of one policy or one single act that this president has created or presided over that will create immediate jobs in the sluggish jobs market. I don’t believe a President creates jobs. I would never say this about a Republican president either. But a president must create an environment that jobs can be created. This President has done nothing that will improve or build on the environment to create jobs.
If you look at Mr. Immelt’s record you will see the same. GE grew under the principled leadership of Jack Welch. I would have given the President kudos if he enlisted the services of Mr. Welch because Mr. Welch knows hoe to grow business. Mr. Welch also knows the difference between the earth’s environment and the environment that is needed by business to grow the economy.
A little known fact, there are approximately 1,000 advisory panels in existence that the president can rely on. They employ or use the talents of 74,000 people. In 2000 they cost the tax payer 215 million dollars to run, in 2010 the budget is 386 million dollars. In 2011 the President will spend over 400 million dollars to run. I believe that this is what Jefferson meant when he said: “those who have once got an ascendency and possessed themselves of all the resources of the nation, their revenues and offices, have immense means for retaining their advantages.”
The President will now use these resources to create the vision that jobs are being created and that we have professionals working hard to find ways to create jobs. If a professional that is appointed to one of these counsels has lost half the wealth of a prosperous company in four years then I think we should be asking some questions.
The government and GE have created this unholy alliance and it is one that we should pay close attention to. I have written in the past about how the Corporate Industrial Complex when linked to the government can and will rob the economy of the necessary wealth in brain power, capability and necessary elements in job creation. In Jefferson’s own words he warned: “It is the old practice of despots to use a part of the people to keep the rest in order.”
The President will address the both Houses of Congress, his government and the citizenry of the State of the Union tomorrow night. He will speak about the necessity of binding us under one system of government and he will appeal to us to use our better sense in civility. He will speak of his efforts to create jobs he will use the environment to speak about clean energy and the jobs associated with it. He will ask us for patience and he will act as if he is one of us. If he were to forget about all of what I just wrote about and concentrate his efforts to be one of us he would then see the environment we live in and the environment we need to create jobs and to go look for jobs.
The theme of the night will be “Winning for the Future.” He will speak about a centrist agenda. Remember one thing if you ever run for office or want to run you win by acting like a conservative. He will act like a conservative and talk about deficit reduction he will; say we will have a vigorous debate. However, the one he can not escape from is that government is still growing and the deficit is still ticking away like a time bomb. This speech is only the beginning of the set for the 2012 election. The fix is in and the lines are being drawn. The players are in place and the president will have the platform for two more years.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: The fix is in – the question is will it be one that creates the win for our future.
Friday, January 21, 2011
There is only 24 hours in a day:
Friday – January 21, 2011
There is only 24 hours in a day:
I don’t know about you, but I try to pack as much as I can into a 24 hour day. Most of what I do is physical and sometimes I even get to use my brain.
Most of what is supposed to be done in Washington, D.C. is not physical, but is brain power. Maybe this is the problem. In less than 24 hours, since the healthcare debate ensued, once again in Washington the term civil behavior has been taken to new heights. The name calling and slinging of partisan rhetoric once again showed its nasty side.
If we were to follow the Democrats lead and behaved like they did after they won the House we would be saying “we won you lost.” Or we might say, “They can participate but they have to sit in the back seat.” Or we might compare the Democratic Party to the Nazi, Joeseph Goebbels. The Republicans have done none of this. The only thing they have done is to vote to repeal Obama care.
The only thing they have done is to put together a plan to replace Obama care. The brain power they have used is to put together a plan that would – cut cost, waste, fraud and abuse. It would expand insurance coverage, reduce premiums and let people keep the coverage they have and block federal funding for abortions. They would do this by letting people buy insurance coverage across state lines, allow for the creation of insurance associations, create high risk pools and make all cost 100% deductable. Not bad for using the brain power of a party in less than 24 hours.
By now you have all learned that Congressman Steve Cohn, Democrat of Tennessee, has indicted the entire Republican Party as Nazis by his comparison to that of Joseph Goebbels. I find it interesting that in less than 24 hours this comparison has been made and it has been made to scare people into not wanting the repeal of Obama care.
The sorry fact behind this despicable language and behavior of this elected official is this: The only lies that were being told about Obamacare came from the likes of people like Steve Cohn. The truth about all the pitfalls, the death panels (end of life counseling) the cost factors and don’t forget the transparency and transportation of policies came form people who read the 2000 page document and reported on what they found. The people who read the law did not vote on the law. The people who voted on the law did not read the law in fact they said “We will have to pass it to see what is in it.” This quote can be attributed to Nancy Pelosi a crony of Cohn’s. The dirty little secret is this bill has been around for about 60 years and it was authored by the progressives and kept hidden until they could find a way to make it law. This unfortunately is the truth.
With the Presidents plea for civility in discourse we cannot trust that the Democratic Party will act in accordance to the Presidents wishes. Congressman Cohn certainly hasn’t and won’t.
I can’t remember when a Republican acted this way or used the description that Congressman Cohn used. The rudest display that could come close was the comment that was made at the last State of The Union when a republican congressman said in the well of the House “Liar” to the president. Though this is against the rules in the house to show disrespect to the President it was however the truth.
Joeseph Goebbels talked of the big lie in the middle of the 20th century, he said:
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
In 1998, on this date, news of the Lewinsky/Clinton affair was published President Clinton vigorously denied all allegations.
I don’t know what the biggest lie of the last century was, the Nazi lie or the impeached Presidents. However, this century should take on a different note, because we should by now be able to recognize tyranny when we see it.
As I see it, in the last 24 hours the Democratic Party is up by one lie over the Republican Party. But who is keeping score? Thomas Jefferson wrote to John Taylor in 1798: “ It is the old practice of despots to use a part of the people to keep the rest in order; and those who have once got an ascendency and possessed themselves of all the resources of the nation, their revenues and offices, have immense means for retaining their advantages.”
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: This is a message to our legislators, there are 24 hours in a day lets make the best of the time we have and make the best decisions we can for the country and lets not lie about who we are in as much as what we are.
There is only 24 hours in a day:
I don’t know about you, but I try to pack as much as I can into a 24 hour day. Most of what I do is physical and sometimes I even get to use my brain.
Most of what is supposed to be done in Washington, D.C. is not physical, but is brain power. Maybe this is the problem. In less than 24 hours, since the healthcare debate ensued, once again in Washington the term civil behavior has been taken to new heights. The name calling and slinging of partisan rhetoric once again showed its nasty side.
If we were to follow the Democrats lead and behaved like they did after they won the House we would be saying “we won you lost.” Or we might say, “They can participate but they have to sit in the back seat.” Or we might compare the Democratic Party to the Nazi, Joeseph Goebbels. The Republicans have done none of this. The only thing they have done is to vote to repeal Obama care.
The only thing they have done is to put together a plan to replace Obama care. The brain power they have used is to put together a plan that would – cut cost, waste, fraud and abuse. It would expand insurance coverage, reduce premiums and let people keep the coverage they have and block federal funding for abortions. They would do this by letting people buy insurance coverage across state lines, allow for the creation of insurance associations, create high risk pools and make all cost 100% deductable. Not bad for using the brain power of a party in less than 24 hours.
By now you have all learned that Congressman Steve Cohn, Democrat of Tennessee, has indicted the entire Republican Party as Nazis by his comparison to that of Joseph Goebbels. I find it interesting that in less than 24 hours this comparison has been made and it has been made to scare people into not wanting the repeal of Obama care.
The sorry fact behind this despicable language and behavior of this elected official is this: The only lies that were being told about Obamacare came from the likes of people like Steve Cohn. The truth about all the pitfalls, the death panels (end of life counseling) the cost factors and don’t forget the transparency and transportation of policies came form people who read the 2000 page document and reported on what they found. The people who read the law did not vote on the law. The people who voted on the law did not read the law in fact they said “We will have to pass it to see what is in it.” This quote can be attributed to Nancy Pelosi a crony of Cohn’s. The dirty little secret is this bill has been around for about 60 years and it was authored by the progressives and kept hidden until they could find a way to make it law. This unfortunately is the truth.
With the Presidents plea for civility in discourse we cannot trust that the Democratic Party will act in accordance to the Presidents wishes. Congressman Cohn certainly hasn’t and won’t.
I can’t remember when a Republican acted this way or used the description that Congressman Cohn used. The rudest display that could come close was the comment that was made at the last State of The Union when a republican congressman said in the well of the House “Liar” to the president. Though this is against the rules in the house to show disrespect to the President it was however the truth.
Joeseph Goebbels talked of the big lie in the middle of the 20th century, he said:
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
In 1998, on this date, news of the Lewinsky/Clinton affair was published President Clinton vigorously denied all allegations.
I don’t know what the biggest lie of the last century was, the Nazi lie or the impeached Presidents. However, this century should take on a different note, because we should by now be able to recognize tyranny when we see it.
As I see it, in the last 24 hours the Democratic Party is up by one lie over the Republican Party. But who is keeping score? Thomas Jefferson wrote to John Taylor in 1798: “ It is the old practice of despots to use a part of the people to keep the rest in order; and those who have once got an ascendency and possessed themselves of all the resources of the nation, their revenues and offices, have immense means for retaining their advantages.”
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: This is a message to our legislators, there are 24 hours in a day lets make the best of the time we have and make the best decisions we can for the country and lets not lie about who we are in as much as what we are.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Yesterday, today and tomorrow:
Thursday – January 20, 2011
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow:
I went to the Detroit Auto Show yesterday and driving down Woodward Avenue a once grand Avenue I couldn’t help thinking these thoughts. I thought about all the great men, the industrialists: Ford, Durant, Chevrolet, Firestone and Edison that once graced the city. These men changed the history of the world because they were here in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit has produced great Hollywood legends: Tom Selleck, Robert Wagner, Sonny Bono, Jerry Bruckhiemer, Francis Ford Coppola, Tim Allen, Ellen Burstyn, and Elaine Stritch just to mention a few. Some of the greatest songs and song writers and music traditions were born here in Detroit, MOTOWN.
I then thought about the politicians that once graced our Grand City.
On September 5, 1960, John F. Kennedy, gave one of his most influential campaign speeches at Cadillac Square, in Detroit, Michigan. He went on to win the election, as a result of this famous speech. On October 16, 1962, Detroit Michigan was selected as the American contender for the 1968 games. On September 16, 1963, Kennedy signed into law a bill providing congressional endorsement to invite the Olympics to be held in Detroit and Lake Placid.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to visit Detroit in June of 1963 two months before he spoke in Washington D.C., and gave a version of his “I Have a Dream” speech here after walking down Woodward Avenue.
On July 16, 1980, in Detroit, Michigan Ronald Reagan won the nomination to be the Republican Presidential candidate here in Detroit, Michigan.
These are all great events and these are all great men and women who were responsible for these events happening here in Detroit.
As I continued down Woodward Avenue, I thought about how the Unions have taken so much of the greatness for their own profit. I thought about how G.M. and Chrysler were bailed out, as a result of greatness lost. I drove by Henry Ford’s first production facility in Highland Park, now an empty building going to rot. This is where he turned out the Model A and the Model T by the millions. I thought about how Ford made it through without being bailed out and how Ford became the first American auto company to turn a profit in recent history with out government aid.
I thought about the Union fights and the strikes that have plagued this great city. I thought about the commerce that made Detroit a destination for pleasure and business in the beginning part of the twentieth century. I then thought about the recent mayor and the disgrace that he caused for himself and the city. I then thought about why the decline of Detroit has been so steep and so prolonged. I could not answer that except to say that great men and women still work here and visit here, but great men and women don’t want to stay here.
Detroit produced great men and women yesterday, but today they are too few and far between. For a better tomorrow we must keep our wealth here and we must make sure that our wealth produces the elements necessary to be a city worthy of great attention by people who recognize greatness in a place they can call home.
As for the product I saw, Detroit should be proud of what it is producing. I would put any product I saw at the auto show up against any other car form any country. This is a start, now we just have to get people working so they can buy the product and be proud to drive the product that comes from Detroit.
The House voted to repeal the Obama Healthcare law yesterday and today the republicans will introduce there solution to reform. A few elements include Tort reform and encouraging competition these are the missing elements that I have written about and that need to be explored before anything else. The Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell will also introduce and forward a motion in the Senate to repeal the healthcare law. The Senate version will be authored Jim DeMint of South Carolina. The Senate just might consider a vote now.
That was yesterday, today we must build for a tomorrow that returns the greatness of America. It starts with the reforms that are necessary to move the harmful confines of government away from its citizens and provide the freedom that is needed to create the new products and grow commerce in the way it was intended from the beginning. Ford saw the light that Edison made. Others grew their ideas from these ideas and went on to make newer products for the ages. Technology and ideas have to be cultivated like the art of actors and statesmen we all have a stake in making greatness happen once again.
On this date in 1961 JFK gave his inaugural address in front of a nation and in front of spectators that bared the 20 degree winter winds that blew. His speech was about greatness and it challenged a nation to live to a higher standard. That was yesterday today we can take that same message and apply it to tomorrow.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Yesterday, today and tomorrow are connected, greatness comes out of recognizing what has occurred yesterday and making it work for today so tomorrow our posterity has something to grow with.
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow:
I went to the Detroit Auto Show yesterday and driving down Woodward Avenue a once grand Avenue I couldn’t help thinking these thoughts. I thought about all the great men, the industrialists: Ford, Durant, Chevrolet, Firestone and Edison that once graced the city. These men changed the history of the world because they were here in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit has produced great Hollywood legends: Tom Selleck, Robert Wagner, Sonny Bono, Jerry Bruckhiemer, Francis Ford Coppola, Tim Allen, Ellen Burstyn, and Elaine Stritch just to mention a few. Some of the greatest songs and song writers and music traditions were born here in Detroit, MOTOWN.
I then thought about the politicians that once graced our Grand City.
On September 5, 1960, John F. Kennedy, gave one of his most influential campaign speeches at Cadillac Square, in Detroit, Michigan. He went on to win the election, as a result of this famous speech. On October 16, 1962, Detroit Michigan was selected as the American contender for the 1968 games. On September 16, 1963, Kennedy signed into law a bill providing congressional endorsement to invite the Olympics to be held in Detroit and Lake Placid.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to visit Detroit in June of 1963 two months before he spoke in Washington D.C., and gave a version of his “I Have a Dream” speech here after walking down Woodward Avenue.
On July 16, 1980, in Detroit, Michigan Ronald Reagan won the nomination to be the Republican Presidential candidate here in Detroit, Michigan.
These are all great events and these are all great men and women who were responsible for these events happening here in Detroit.
As I continued down Woodward Avenue, I thought about how the Unions have taken so much of the greatness for their own profit. I thought about how G.M. and Chrysler were bailed out, as a result of greatness lost. I drove by Henry Ford’s first production facility in Highland Park, now an empty building going to rot. This is where he turned out the Model A and the Model T by the millions. I thought about how Ford made it through without being bailed out and how Ford became the first American auto company to turn a profit in recent history with out government aid.
I thought about the Union fights and the strikes that have plagued this great city. I thought about the commerce that made Detroit a destination for pleasure and business in the beginning part of the twentieth century. I then thought about the recent mayor and the disgrace that he caused for himself and the city. I then thought about why the decline of Detroit has been so steep and so prolonged. I could not answer that except to say that great men and women still work here and visit here, but great men and women don’t want to stay here.
Detroit produced great men and women yesterday, but today they are too few and far between. For a better tomorrow we must keep our wealth here and we must make sure that our wealth produces the elements necessary to be a city worthy of great attention by people who recognize greatness in a place they can call home.
As for the product I saw, Detroit should be proud of what it is producing. I would put any product I saw at the auto show up against any other car form any country. This is a start, now we just have to get people working so they can buy the product and be proud to drive the product that comes from Detroit.
The House voted to repeal the Obama Healthcare law yesterday and today the republicans will introduce there solution to reform. A few elements include Tort reform and encouraging competition these are the missing elements that I have written about and that need to be explored before anything else. The Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell will also introduce and forward a motion in the Senate to repeal the healthcare law. The Senate version will be authored Jim DeMint of South Carolina. The Senate just might consider a vote now.
That was yesterday, today we must build for a tomorrow that returns the greatness of America. It starts with the reforms that are necessary to move the harmful confines of government away from its citizens and provide the freedom that is needed to create the new products and grow commerce in the way it was intended from the beginning. Ford saw the light that Edison made. Others grew their ideas from these ideas and went on to make newer products for the ages. Technology and ideas have to be cultivated like the art of actors and statesmen we all have a stake in making greatness happen once again.
On this date in 1961 JFK gave his inaugural address in front of a nation and in front of spectators that bared the 20 degree winter winds that blew. His speech was about greatness and it challenged a nation to live to a higher standard. That was yesterday today we can take that same message and apply it to tomorrow.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Yesterday, today and tomorrow are connected, greatness comes out of recognizing what has occurred yesterday and making it work for today so tomorrow our posterity has something to grow with.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Today, for the first time.........
Wednesday – January 19, 2011
Today, for the first time……..
Today, for the first time, our Congress is actually going to do something that they were sent to Washington to do. The 112th Congress, under the leadership of the new Speaker, John Boehner, is going to start the process of repealing Obama Care.
Though there have been repeals of law, in the history of Congress, this one will stand out to be the most important in recent history. The repeal of this law must be total it must encompass the entire law and not just portions of it. The country cannot move on until the root of this bill is totally gone. If any portion of it survives it will only provide room for growth of this bill in future Congresses.
This law should be repealed, because of the disastrous affects it will have on our society and on our people. Many polls and many experts are telling Congress to move on this. We have all heard the reasons why this healthcare law should stay intact. We have all heard the reasons why it shouldn’t. Quite honestly, many of us really don’t have the answers as why it should stay and why it should go.
Let’s start with the obvious. This law was passed in a one sided government. This law was passed in the dark of night, behind closed doors. Any law and any legislation that is voted on should not be passed with intimidation and scare tactics.
This is the first time in recent history that a law and or any piece of legislation was poised for the take over of 1/7 of the economy. It gives the bureaucracy unlimited growth and power over the individual.
Ludwig von Mises wrote in his introduction to bureaucracy in 1944:
“But now, for many years and especially since the appearance of the New Deal, powerful forces are on the point of substituting for this old and well‑tried democratic system the tyrannical rule of an irresponsible and arbitrary bureaucracy. The bureaucrat does not come into office by election of the voters but by appointment of another bureaucrat. He has arrogated a good deal of the legislative power. Government commissions and bureaus issue decrees and regulations undertaking the management and direction of every aspect of the citizens’ lives. Not only do they regulate matters which hitherto have been left to the discretion of the individual; they do not shrink from decreeing what is virtually a repeal of duly enacted laws. By means of this quasi-legislation the bureaus usurp the power to decide many important matters according to their own judgment of the merits of each case, that is, quite arbitrarily. The rulings and judgments of the bureaus are enforced by federal officials. The purported judicial review is in fact illusory. Every day the bureaucrats assume more power; pretty soon they will run the whole country.
This vehement indictment of bureaucracy is, by and large, an adequate although emotional description of present-day trends in American government. But it misses the point as it makes bureaucracy and the bureaucrats responsible for an evolution the causes of which must be sought for elsewhere. Bureaucracy is but a consequence and a symptom of things and changes much more deeply rooted.
The characteristic feature of present-day policies is the trend toward a substitution of government control for free enterprise. Powerful political parties and pressure groups are fervently asking for public control of all economic activities, for thorough government planning, and for the nationalization of business. They aim at full government control of education and at the socialization of the medical profession. There is no sphere of human activity that they would not be prepared to subordinate to regimentation by the authorities. In their eyes, state control is the panacea for all ills.
Approximately 75% of Americans either want the bill repealed or make changes that make sense. 26 States are now suing the government over its constitutionality. There is no question that healthcare needs reform. But let’s get back to the basics. Start with Tort reform, and medical fraud. Go to free market principles of competition by taking down state to state barriers in insurance law and regulations. If this Congress can do this then they will be the first Congress to do the people’s work.
As we start the debate of repeal in the halls of Congress, Great Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron of the Conservative Party, has announced that he will spearhead a movement to reform that country’s healthcare system. He says that it cost his government 158 billion dollars a year. He said that patients are not getting the services that the government had promised. Some say this is a back door attempt to privatize the healthcare system that was put into place after World War II. Great Britain’s healthcare system is the country’s largest employer. After half a century, they have realized the error of their ways. Progressive politics and policies have not worked there, so why would it work here? This is the $64,000.00 question that this government has failed to answer.
The debate will start today and it will probably be voted on as early as tonight certainly by weeks end. The next hurdle is the Senate. If it passes there, then it goes to the President. The question is will he, himself, listen to the will of the people? Chances are, it will not pass in the Senate, but at least the Congress is doing what they were sent to do.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Give this Congress a chance, pay attention to what they are doing and start a dialog with your representative. For the first time you will realize that your voice will be be heard.
Today, for the first time……..
Today, for the first time, our Congress is actually going to do something that they were sent to Washington to do. The 112th Congress, under the leadership of the new Speaker, John Boehner, is going to start the process of repealing Obama Care.
Though there have been repeals of law, in the history of Congress, this one will stand out to be the most important in recent history. The repeal of this law must be total it must encompass the entire law and not just portions of it. The country cannot move on until the root of this bill is totally gone. If any portion of it survives it will only provide room for growth of this bill in future Congresses.
This law should be repealed, because of the disastrous affects it will have on our society and on our people. Many polls and many experts are telling Congress to move on this. We have all heard the reasons why this healthcare law should stay intact. We have all heard the reasons why it shouldn’t. Quite honestly, many of us really don’t have the answers as why it should stay and why it should go.
Let’s start with the obvious. This law was passed in a one sided government. This law was passed in the dark of night, behind closed doors. Any law and any legislation that is voted on should not be passed with intimidation and scare tactics.
This is the first time in recent history that a law and or any piece of legislation was poised for the take over of 1/7 of the economy. It gives the bureaucracy unlimited growth and power over the individual.
Ludwig von Mises wrote in his introduction to bureaucracy in 1944:
“But now, for many years and especially since the appearance of the New Deal, powerful forces are on the point of substituting for this old and well‑tried democratic system the tyrannical rule of an irresponsible and arbitrary bureaucracy. The bureaucrat does not come into office by election of the voters but by appointment of another bureaucrat. He has arrogated a good deal of the legislative power. Government commissions and bureaus issue decrees and regulations undertaking the management and direction of every aspect of the citizens’ lives. Not only do they regulate matters which hitherto have been left to the discretion of the individual; they do not shrink from decreeing what is virtually a repeal of duly enacted laws. By means of this quasi-legislation the bureaus usurp the power to decide many important matters according to their own judgment of the merits of each case, that is, quite arbitrarily. The rulings and judgments of the bureaus are enforced by federal officials. The purported judicial review is in fact illusory. Every day the bureaucrats assume more power; pretty soon they will run the whole country.
This vehement indictment of bureaucracy is, by and large, an adequate although emotional description of present-day trends in American government. But it misses the point as it makes bureaucracy and the bureaucrats responsible for an evolution the causes of which must be sought for elsewhere. Bureaucracy is but a consequence and a symptom of things and changes much more deeply rooted.
The characteristic feature of present-day policies is the trend toward a substitution of government control for free enterprise. Powerful political parties and pressure groups are fervently asking for public control of all economic activities, for thorough government planning, and for the nationalization of business. They aim at full government control of education and at the socialization of the medical profession. There is no sphere of human activity that they would not be prepared to subordinate to regimentation by the authorities. In their eyes, state control is the panacea for all ills.
Approximately 75% of Americans either want the bill repealed or make changes that make sense. 26 States are now suing the government over its constitutionality. There is no question that healthcare needs reform. But let’s get back to the basics. Start with Tort reform, and medical fraud. Go to free market principles of competition by taking down state to state barriers in insurance law and regulations. If this Congress can do this then they will be the first Congress to do the people’s work.
As we start the debate of repeal in the halls of Congress, Great Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron of the Conservative Party, has announced that he will spearhead a movement to reform that country’s healthcare system. He says that it cost his government 158 billion dollars a year. He said that patients are not getting the services that the government had promised. Some say this is a back door attempt to privatize the healthcare system that was put into place after World War II. Great Britain’s healthcare system is the country’s largest employer. After half a century, they have realized the error of their ways. Progressive politics and policies have not worked there, so why would it work here? This is the $64,000.00 question that this government has failed to answer.
The debate will start today and it will probably be voted on as early as tonight certainly by weeks end. The next hurdle is the Senate. If it passes there, then it goes to the President. The question is will he, himself, listen to the will of the people? Chances are, it will not pass in the Senate, but at least the Congress is doing what they were sent to do.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Give this Congress a chance, pay attention to what they are doing and start a dialog with your representative. For the first time you will realize that your voice will be be heard.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
What we need to fix:
Tuesday-January 18, 2011
What we need to fix:
Yesterday was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. I did not forget. I just thought that yesterday’s FORUM would set up my message for the week.
Dr. King was a great man. He was a leader. He was a man of peace and he is remembered for his contribution to mankind and politics in America. Not a bad way to be remembered.
Dr. King was taken away too soon. I believe that if he had lived his dream of equality would have taken on a different face. His dream of equality was based on the character of the man and not the color of the man. I believe that he would have refused to be part of the division that has occurred in this country. I don’t think that the division is based on color in as much as it is based on ideology.
Dr. King was a messenger of uplifting speech. He spoke in terms that the layman could understand and those who were in power could not refuse. This is the mark of a great man and a great leader.
This week, we celebrate his birthday and the birthday of a generation of new Americans that John F. Kennedy had spoken about in his inaugural address on January 20, 1961. What do these two men and their messages have in common? What can we take from their messages and what needs to be fixed today, because of their messages?
Both men had a drive and both men became leaders in a time when true leaders were needed. Both men were taken from their positions of leadership by the bullets of an assassin. Both were taken because of the ideology they preached. Both were taken by men that believed violence was the cure all for society’s problems. Both men left behind families that would be fatherless and a nation that did not better itself when it needed to be better. However, both men’s legacy’s still live for some.
Both men were fighting to make America better and to make it live up to its dream. Unlike leaders today, who are fighting to make America even in the world or make America get even with it greatness. This is what we need to change.
Part of the problem we have today is that 7 out of 10 Americans today were not even born when these two men either took office or became prominent in their quest for making America great.
Both men are remembered and both men vocalized the need for individual liberty and freedom. Both knew that government had its role in society and both knew that government should be limited in that role. In the years that shaped these two men, America was hardened by the violence of war and by the violence of discrimination.
Both men knew what needed to be fixed and both knew what not to change. Both wanted Americans to be self reliant and both wanted Americans to be responsible for their actions. Both wanted economic freedom and both knew liberty was born from that freedom. Kennedy lowered taxes and King raised the spirit of the America’s soul.
These are things that we forget and these are the things that we must teach our young. When I viewed the statistic today that said 7 out of 10 Americans today were not even around then, it alarmed me because of the how the history of these two men have been forgotten or has been changed to reflect the needs of today.
A new CBS News poll asked this question: “Do you think most Americans are more interested in what their country can do for them or what they can do for their country?”
79% answered the question with what their country can do for them to 15% saying what they can do for their country.
This is what needs to be fixed. The new mind set of the 7 out of 10 Americans that were not around then to see the greatness of spirit and the greatness of freedom that these two men died for will be forgotten. Just as the history of the founding of the country is now being forgotten and replaced with a new version to fit the agenda of today’s leaders, the words still live on and it is the words that we must not forget and that we must teach those that were not around.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Our leaders must be the first to be educated. Over the course of 50 short years we have made tremendous progress on some fronts. We have also made tremendous reversals in others.
What we need to fix:
Yesterday was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. I did not forget. I just thought that yesterday’s FORUM would set up my message for the week.
Dr. King was a great man. He was a leader. He was a man of peace and he is remembered for his contribution to mankind and politics in America. Not a bad way to be remembered.
Dr. King was taken away too soon. I believe that if he had lived his dream of equality would have taken on a different face. His dream of equality was based on the character of the man and not the color of the man. I believe that he would have refused to be part of the division that has occurred in this country. I don’t think that the division is based on color in as much as it is based on ideology.
Dr. King was a messenger of uplifting speech. He spoke in terms that the layman could understand and those who were in power could not refuse. This is the mark of a great man and a great leader.
This week, we celebrate his birthday and the birthday of a generation of new Americans that John F. Kennedy had spoken about in his inaugural address on January 20, 1961. What do these two men and their messages have in common? What can we take from their messages and what needs to be fixed today, because of their messages?
Both men had a drive and both men became leaders in a time when true leaders were needed. Both men were taken from their positions of leadership by the bullets of an assassin. Both were taken because of the ideology they preached. Both were taken by men that believed violence was the cure all for society’s problems. Both men left behind families that would be fatherless and a nation that did not better itself when it needed to be better. However, both men’s legacy’s still live for some.
Both men were fighting to make America better and to make it live up to its dream. Unlike leaders today, who are fighting to make America even in the world or make America get even with it greatness. This is what we need to change.
Part of the problem we have today is that 7 out of 10 Americans today were not even born when these two men either took office or became prominent in their quest for making America great.
Both men are remembered and both men vocalized the need for individual liberty and freedom. Both knew that government had its role in society and both knew that government should be limited in that role. In the years that shaped these two men, America was hardened by the violence of war and by the violence of discrimination.
Both men knew what needed to be fixed and both knew what not to change. Both wanted Americans to be self reliant and both wanted Americans to be responsible for their actions. Both wanted economic freedom and both knew liberty was born from that freedom. Kennedy lowered taxes and King raised the spirit of the America’s soul.
These are things that we forget and these are the things that we must teach our young. When I viewed the statistic today that said 7 out of 10 Americans today were not even around then, it alarmed me because of the how the history of these two men have been forgotten or has been changed to reflect the needs of today.
A new CBS News poll asked this question: “Do you think most Americans are more interested in what their country can do for them or what they can do for their country?”
79% answered the question with what their country can do for them to 15% saying what they can do for their country.
This is what needs to be fixed. The new mind set of the 7 out of 10 Americans that were not around then to see the greatness of spirit and the greatness of freedom that these two men died for will be forgotten. Just as the history of the founding of the country is now being forgotten and replaced with a new version to fit the agenda of today’s leaders, the words still live on and it is the words that we must not forget and that we must teach those that were not around.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Our leaders must be the first to be educated. Over the course of 50 short years we have made tremendous progress on some fronts. We have also made tremendous reversals in others.
Monday, January 17, 2011
The road we choose:
Monday – January 17, 2011
The road we choose:
No matter what we do, no matter what events shape our lives, we do have a choice to travel the road of destiny.
This week, the President will meet with Chinese President, Hu Jintao. Many things will be discussed. The Chinese President will be philosophical in his approach and President Obama will be a gracious host. Both realize that the road they take their countries down in the next twenty five years will be a road that causes one to be filled with potholes or one that is smooth and fast.
So far, our history in negotiating with China has been one that was born out of selling bonds for cash. The Chinese, on the other hand, have negotiated out of strength. The one thing we both have in common is the need to survive. Both of our countries need each other. The Chinese needs the U.S. to grow their economy and we need the Chinese to keep our economy solvent.
However, the road to negotiating can be a tough one if you negotiate out of fear. John F. Kennedy said as much in his inaugural address on January 20, 1961. In the 14th paragraph of the speech he said: “So let us begin anew—remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.”
President Kennedy knew the value of strength and he knew the value of holding strong on American values and principal. No one can accurately tell us what Kennedy would do this week with the Chinese. But we do know that he would never have created the deficits that have weakened our position. Some would argue that was a different time. That might be true it was fifty years ago and the world was a different place. But one thing remains constant. Our system of government is unique to the world and is one that is not honored by many in the world.
It is easy for me to sit by and observe. It is easy for me to find these tidbits of history and make them fit my argument. It is easy for me to publish a FORUM everyday. It is easy for me to voice my opinion to the audience on the World Wide Web.
It is not easy for a government official who needs the buy in from another government leader when the agendas are different.
The Chinese look at America as one that is weak and one that will do anything just to keep the consumer buying. The Chinese know that consumption is what makes us tick. The Chinese know that we Americans love to go to Wall Mart every Saturday to fill our carts with the products they make because they are so affordable. Regardless if the merchandise is cheap and does not reflect quality, they know it doesn’t matter.
I was at Marshall’s yesterday looking for a new non stick fry pan. I could not find one that was made in America. So I didn’t buy one. I decided to wait a few weeks and spend a little more money on a non-stick pan that was made in America at another store that isn’t a discount store. You might be asking: what do a fry pan and negotiating have in common? It has everything to do with negotiating, because we can be come strong if we demonstrate a desire for quality in our products over a cheap price.
The Chinese will manipulate their currency and make it virtually impossible for us or other countries to compete. The Chinese value our business but they do not value our form of government. The Chinese value honor but they don’t necessarily value a fair playing field when it is given to them.
So where is the FORUM going today? I am not going to rail on the President because we are now being told we must be civil. I will not criticize the Chinese because they have a tradition in doing business that we must respect.
However, this doesn’t stop me from saying what I would do, if I were negotiating. If I were negotiating I would be polite. I would show honor and I would meet strength with more strength. I would be gracious and I would demonstrate my ability to engage in battle with tactics that they understand.
I would be firm in asking them to stop manipulating their currency. I would tell them that I am imposing a tariff of at least 20% on all goods coming into this country. That, in itself, would eliminate our debt and the payments on the interest. I would instruct them on the benefits of allowing their companies to build plants here to sell their products here. I would then say they must allow our products and our companies to do the same. I would then say, in about 25 years, you would start to see the benefits of free enterprise and start to feel the effects of a society that appreciates when the right thing and the honorable thing is done when human rights are looked out for through self reliance and responsibility.
I would also say to them that we have seen the error in our ways and we are now prepared to do something about it. This is the road we are choosing to go down.
When America acts tough and can demonstrate that toughness with action we will never fail. When America votes we often times vote for the strongest candidate. Sometimes we make a mistake. A mistake here only costs us four years and not twenty five.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: This week will mark the fiftieth anniversary of JFK’s inauguration. I don’t think America made a mistake then, because of the road that we, as a nation, were looking to go down. JFK said on that January morning:
“We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage—and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.”
The road we choose:
No matter what we do, no matter what events shape our lives, we do have a choice to travel the road of destiny.
This week, the President will meet with Chinese President, Hu Jintao. Many things will be discussed. The Chinese President will be philosophical in his approach and President Obama will be a gracious host. Both realize that the road they take their countries down in the next twenty five years will be a road that causes one to be filled with potholes or one that is smooth and fast.
So far, our history in negotiating with China has been one that was born out of selling bonds for cash. The Chinese, on the other hand, have negotiated out of strength. The one thing we both have in common is the need to survive. Both of our countries need each other. The Chinese needs the U.S. to grow their economy and we need the Chinese to keep our economy solvent.
However, the road to negotiating can be a tough one if you negotiate out of fear. John F. Kennedy said as much in his inaugural address on January 20, 1961. In the 14th paragraph of the speech he said: “So let us begin anew—remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.”
President Kennedy knew the value of strength and he knew the value of holding strong on American values and principal. No one can accurately tell us what Kennedy would do this week with the Chinese. But we do know that he would never have created the deficits that have weakened our position. Some would argue that was a different time. That might be true it was fifty years ago and the world was a different place. But one thing remains constant. Our system of government is unique to the world and is one that is not honored by many in the world.
It is easy for me to sit by and observe. It is easy for me to find these tidbits of history and make them fit my argument. It is easy for me to publish a FORUM everyday. It is easy for me to voice my opinion to the audience on the World Wide Web.
It is not easy for a government official who needs the buy in from another government leader when the agendas are different.
The Chinese look at America as one that is weak and one that will do anything just to keep the consumer buying. The Chinese know that consumption is what makes us tick. The Chinese know that we Americans love to go to Wall Mart every Saturday to fill our carts with the products they make because they are so affordable. Regardless if the merchandise is cheap and does not reflect quality, they know it doesn’t matter.
I was at Marshall’s yesterday looking for a new non stick fry pan. I could not find one that was made in America. So I didn’t buy one. I decided to wait a few weeks and spend a little more money on a non-stick pan that was made in America at another store that isn’t a discount store. You might be asking: what do a fry pan and negotiating have in common? It has everything to do with negotiating, because we can be come strong if we demonstrate a desire for quality in our products over a cheap price.
The Chinese will manipulate their currency and make it virtually impossible for us or other countries to compete. The Chinese value our business but they do not value our form of government. The Chinese value honor but they don’t necessarily value a fair playing field when it is given to them.
So where is the FORUM going today? I am not going to rail on the President because we are now being told we must be civil. I will not criticize the Chinese because they have a tradition in doing business that we must respect.
However, this doesn’t stop me from saying what I would do, if I were negotiating. If I were negotiating I would be polite. I would show honor and I would meet strength with more strength. I would be gracious and I would demonstrate my ability to engage in battle with tactics that they understand.
I would be firm in asking them to stop manipulating their currency. I would tell them that I am imposing a tariff of at least 20% on all goods coming into this country. That, in itself, would eliminate our debt and the payments on the interest. I would instruct them on the benefits of allowing their companies to build plants here to sell their products here. I would then say they must allow our products and our companies to do the same. I would then say, in about 25 years, you would start to see the benefits of free enterprise and start to feel the effects of a society that appreciates when the right thing and the honorable thing is done when human rights are looked out for through self reliance and responsibility.
I would also say to them that we have seen the error in our ways and we are now prepared to do something about it. This is the road we are choosing to go down.
When America acts tough and can demonstrate that toughness with action we will never fail. When America votes we often times vote for the strongest candidate. Sometimes we make a mistake. A mistake here only costs us four years and not twenty five.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: This week will mark the fiftieth anniversary of JFK’s inauguration. I don’t think America made a mistake then, because of the road that we, as a nation, were looking to go down. JFK said on that January morning:
“We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage—and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.”
Friday, January 14, 2011
No matter how you slice it:
Friday-January 14, 2011
No matter how you slice it:
No matter how you slice it, it’s still the liberal that we have to contend with. Civility does not come in the form of censorship. The left now wants everyone to tone it back. The left is now taking the high road after their attempts in the wake of the Arizona shooting to paint the conservatives as the terrorists that cause shootings and despair with the loss of life. The left would have you believe that they own the new movement of peace, because of the man that preached to a crowd.
Some feel that the tragedy in Arizona has given the president his Shuttle disaster, his Oklahoma City or even his 9/11. This is a sick notion to wait for disaster, but the liberal always tries to make a profit off of tragedy. No matter how you slice it, this event was used to advance a goal to censor conservatives and advance the presidents popularity.
The speech that was given in Arizona on Wednesday was a test for the bigger picture coming later this month, the State of the Union Address. The speech given this week is a blue print of a theme the president wants to advance, because he can’t advance anything else except the theme: civility. Every liberal knows what they have done in the wake of the tragedy. Every democrat knows why they have lost their hold on power. However, every democrat knows how to bring back the base and that is through a display of compassion and the new politics of civility.
It was not a conservative who went on the rampage in Arizona. It was not a conservative who has spent the nation’s wealth on programs that are supposed to help people like the shooter. It was not a conservative who started to point the finger of blame in less than two hours after the shooting. It was not a conservative who forced an innocent person unattached to the shooting into the limelight to defend a position and to defend themselves against accusations of guilt. No matter how you slice it, still boils down to the worst kind of politics. It still boils down to using divisive tactics.
I had a conversation yesterday with someone I didn’t know. I overheard someone say in line at the Home Depot, that Sarah Palin, through her policies, led to the disaster in Arizona. I broke into the conversation and asked what policies are you referring to? As one would have guessed, the person slinging the accusations couldn’t answer the question. I then inquired who that person voted for. They didn’t answer and told me to mind my own business. I then begged that persons pardon and asked what did Sarah Palin ever do to you or anybody else in the nation? Her response was: she is still living. This is a true story. I later saw this person driving away with her friend. I noticed a bumper sticker that read “I am enlightened. I voted Democrat.”
When we speak of civility, this is a perfect example of what has to stop. Though this person was not responsible for the shooting, nor was she responsible for the attacks against conservatives this week, she is responsible for a declining nation.
This week, unemployment figures rose to 445,000 people filing for unemployment benefits. The trend is in the wrong direction. The producer price index rose to 1.1%. The true barometer of inflation, when it arrives, are rising prices at the grocery store and at Home Depot. The price of oil is creeping up to that $100.00 a barrel price. This will equate to higher prices at the gas pump, the national average is $3.09 up about .28 from last year. Unemployment is still right under 10%. Our debt is still rising and the presidents signature piece of legislation (health care) is about to undergo some extensive surgery. Foreclosures are on the rise and housing values are still plummeting.
These are the reasons that the president is calling for civility. He does not want the criticism, because he can’t win when it occurs; hence the censorship of conservatives and the outlets they use.
When we analyze who causes violence we can clearly see it is not the conservative. Do conservatives riot when they are displeased? Do conservatives employ professional leftist protestors that show up at every liberal gathering and at world economic summits? Do conservatives continually call for reductions in freedom and liberty through legislative policies? Do conservatives call on government to take up the slack when personal responsibility is taken out of the societal norm?
These are all reasons that support my premise that the president has nothing else to talk about in the State of the Union later in the month, except to ask for more civility.
At the age of 16, George Washington wrote his rules of civility. In these rules, a spirit lives and a spirit thrived on decent behavior. Washington would never use tragedy as a way to cater to a base. But then, Washington warned us against political allegiance. On this day, in 1784, the Revolutionary War ended. The war, which was a consequence to what started in peaceful dissent, created a nation of citizens that were civil and that wanted the best for each other and not for party.
I think we should review Washington’s rules of civility so we can determine how to once again be civil. (http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/manners/rules2.cfm)
I end this week with what Washington said: “Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversitybefore it is entitled to the appellation.”
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: No matter how you slice it, liberals do not own the meaning of civility. They do own the reason why the country is in decline.
No matter how you slice it:
No matter how you slice it, it’s still the liberal that we have to contend with. Civility does not come in the form of censorship. The left now wants everyone to tone it back. The left is now taking the high road after their attempts in the wake of the Arizona shooting to paint the conservatives as the terrorists that cause shootings and despair with the loss of life. The left would have you believe that they own the new movement of peace, because of the man that preached to a crowd.
Some feel that the tragedy in Arizona has given the president his Shuttle disaster, his Oklahoma City or even his 9/11. This is a sick notion to wait for disaster, but the liberal always tries to make a profit off of tragedy. No matter how you slice it, this event was used to advance a goal to censor conservatives and advance the presidents popularity.
The speech that was given in Arizona on Wednesday was a test for the bigger picture coming later this month, the State of the Union Address. The speech given this week is a blue print of a theme the president wants to advance, because he can’t advance anything else except the theme: civility. Every liberal knows what they have done in the wake of the tragedy. Every democrat knows why they have lost their hold on power. However, every democrat knows how to bring back the base and that is through a display of compassion and the new politics of civility.
It was not a conservative who went on the rampage in Arizona. It was not a conservative who has spent the nation’s wealth on programs that are supposed to help people like the shooter. It was not a conservative who started to point the finger of blame in less than two hours after the shooting. It was not a conservative who forced an innocent person unattached to the shooting into the limelight to defend a position and to defend themselves against accusations of guilt. No matter how you slice it, still boils down to the worst kind of politics. It still boils down to using divisive tactics.
I had a conversation yesterday with someone I didn’t know. I overheard someone say in line at the Home Depot, that Sarah Palin, through her policies, led to the disaster in Arizona. I broke into the conversation and asked what policies are you referring to? As one would have guessed, the person slinging the accusations couldn’t answer the question. I then inquired who that person voted for. They didn’t answer and told me to mind my own business. I then begged that persons pardon and asked what did Sarah Palin ever do to you or anybody else in the nation? Her response was: she is still living. This is a true story. I later saw this person driving away with her friend. I noticed a bumper sticker that read “I am enlightened. I voted Democrat.”
When we speak of civility, this is a perfect example of what has to stop. Though this person was not responsible for the shooting, nor was she responsible for the attacks against conservatives this week, she is responsible for a declining nation.
This week, unemployment figures rose to 445,000 people filing for unemployment benefits. The trend is in the wrong direction. The producer price index rose to 1.1%. The true barometer of inflation, when it arrives, are rising prices at the grocery store and at Home Depot. The price of oil is creeping up to that $100.00 a barrel price. This will equate to higher prices at the gas pump, the national average is $3.09 up about .28 from last year. Unemployment is still right under 10%. Our debt is still rising and the presidents signature piece of legislation (health care) is about to undergo some extensive surgery. Foreclosures are on the rise and housing values are still plummeting.
These are the reasons that the president is calling for civility. He does not want the criticism, because he can’t win when it occurs; hence the censorship of conservatives and the outlets they use.
When we analyze who causes violence we can clearly see it is not the conservative. Do conservatives riot when they are displeased? Do conservatives employ professional leftist protestors that show up at every liberal gathering and at world economic summits? Do conservatives continually call for reductions in freedom and liberty through legislative policies? Do conservatives call on government to take up the slack when personal responsibility is taken out of the societal norm?
These are all reasons that support my premise that the president has nothing else to talk about in the State of the Union later in the month, except to ask for more civility.
At the age of 16, George Washington wrote his rules of civility. In these rules, a spirit lives and a spirit thrived on decent behavior. Washington would never use tragedy as a way to cater to a base. But then, Washington warned us against political allegiance. On this day, in 1784, the Revolutionary War ended. The war, which was a consequence to what started in peaceful dissent, created a nation of citizens that were civil and that wanted the best for each other and not for party.
I think we should review Washington’s rules of civility so we can determine how to once again be civil. (http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/manners/rules2.cfm)
I end this week with what Washington said: “Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversitybefore it is entitled to the appellation.”
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: No matter how you slice it, liberals do not own the meaning of civility. They do own the reason why the country is in decline.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Truth, justice and the American way:
Thursday – January 13, 2011
Truth, Justice and the American way:
This week, we all have been exploring the truth behind the shootings in Arizona. We all have branded our own version of what swift justice should be and what justice can bring. But what we have forgotten is the American way of doing things.
In times of turmoil, stress and the robbing of our national innocence through acts of violence we strive to make sense of the senseless. Sometimes it is impossible to make sense of violence and sometimes we can. The question is should we?
Part of making sense and coming to terms with violence is to talk about it. We have instant access to counseling when things happen. We have instant access to the news cycle. We have instant access to just about everything including putting our grief on display.
I think we have all been appalled over the behavior of some who have tried to profit politically over a sheer act of murder. Those who have been a part to this are now asking why some members of the right are being so defensive. Yesterday, Sarah Palin released a seven minute video explaining why she wasn’t responsible for murder, because of rhetoric and symbols on a map. Rush Limbaugh has spent the whole week doing the same. He, however, offered the proof as to who was lying and who wanted to profit politically over the murders in Arizona. This should be enough. but for some it isn’t. Sarah Palin is now being criticized for the use of the term blood libel. Even Alan Dershowitz, the liberal icon, constitutional attorney, came to her defense and said this should not be taken out of context. She said nothing wrong.
The left will not stop in their pursuit to get people like Sarah and Rush off the airways and out of the public spotlight. I find it interesting when a horrific national calamity occurs, these people are not in the limelight and they prefer to take the back seat. However, when stones are thrown and words are spoken even these people must come out to tell the truth. At every turn in this story the evidence has been supported and the evidence has been analyzed. There was one outcome the shooter acted on his own, a sick way of expressing his inner being.
The shooter’s friend, Zach Osler, said on Good Morning America: "He (the shooter) did not watch TV, he disliked the news," Zach Osler said. "He didn't listen to political radio, he didn't take sides, he wasn't on the left, he wasn't on the right." Osler said that Loughner was angry at the world. "He wasn't shooting people, he was shooting at the world," the friend said.
This should be proof positive that the left has been out of line and have tried to profit over murder and grief to score political points among their base.
It is a sad day in America when events occur that take the brilliant beam of life that has been given to us by a higher source. It is sad day in America when our leaders take to the pulpit and fling the accusations that they have. This is not truth, justice and the American way. But, then again, the last few years has been anything but that.
Making sense of the senseless should not remake a president. Many put political stock into what the President said last night. We will see if he profits over this tragedy. He alone should not profit. The nation should profit. This will be the win for America. The term tragedy is what has been lost in the dialog across America, not the cheers that the president wanted. The President spoke about loss and the news cycle, he spoke of love and he spoke about civility in our discourse. He spoke about this making the victims proud. I can’t disagree except to say questioning idea’s is one thing but putting the blame on others that had no part in the tragedy is another thing. Stop that and the nation will heal and it will win.
America cannot make sense of the senseless, until it begins to win. America has to heal so it can win. When we are divided by those who don’t want America to win then senseless acts will occur. The shooter was angry at the world. Those who divided and pitted some against others to score political points don’t want the healing to begin either.
However, those who were injured in this tragedy will heal and they will be the inspiration for those who want to win. Words cannot do the job until the body is ready to heal. The body of our nation must heal so the nation can win.
Truth, justice and the American way is a formula to start with. The rest is up to us. I know I am ready to win are you?
The Act of January 13, 1794 - provided for 15 stripes and 15 stars to be added to the nation’s flag. In 1795, the two stars were added, representing Kentucky and Vermont, bringing the total number of stars to 15. Two stripes were added to make a total of 15 stripes. This was the only U.S. flag to have fifteen stripes. In 1818, Congress proclaimed that one star for each new state would be added on the 4th of July following the state's admission to the union and there would be thirteen stripes representing the thirteen original colonies. The 15 star flag flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 and inspired the writing of the National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.
This might be a simplistic view on where to start the healing. It might be nothing more than a symbol. But it is the flag that we all love and that we all rally around in times of morning and despair. The victims of the events in Arizona we’re attending a rally for what the flag means. It is the union of free people and ideas that make us whole. We should give tribute to the banner in honor of the victims.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: To heal we must believe and to believe we must be free, this truly is truth, justice and the American way.
Truth, Justice and the American way:
This week, we all have been exploring the truth behind the shootings in Arizona. We all have branded our own version of what swift justice should be and what justice can bring. But what we have forgotten is the American way of doing things.
In times of turmoil, stress and the robbing of our national innocence through acts of violence we strive to make sense of the senseless. Sometimes it is impossible to make sense of violence and sometimes we can. The question is should we?
Part of making sense and coming to terms with violence is to talk about it. We have instant access to counseling when things happen. We have instant access to the news cycle. We have instant access to just about everything including putting our grief on display.
I think we have all been appalled over the behavior of some who have tried to profit politically over a sheer act of murder. Those who have been a part to this are now asking why some members of the right are being so defensive. Yesterday, Sarah Palin released a seven minute video explaining why she wasn’t responsible for murder, because of rhetoric and symbols on a map. Rush Limbaugh has spent the whole week doing the same. He, however, offered the proof as to who was lying and who wanted to profit politically over the murders in Arizona. This should be enough. but for some it isn’t. Sarah Palin is now being criticized for the use of the term blood libel. Even Alan Dershowitz, the liberal icon, constitutional attorney, came to her defense and said this should not be taken out of context. She said nothing wrong.
The left will not stop in their pursuit to get people like Sarah and Rush off the airways and out of the public spotlight. I find it interesting when a horrific national calamity occurs, these people are not in the limelight and they prefer to take the back seat. However, when stones are thrown and words are spoken even these people must come out to tell the truth. At every turn in this story the evidence has been supported and the evidence has been analyzed. There was one outcome the shooter acted on his own, a sick way of expressing his inner being.
The shooter’s friend, Zach Osler, said on Good Morning America: "He (the shooter) did not watch TV, he disliked the news," Zach Osler said. "He didn't listen to political radio, he didn't take sides, he wasn't on the left, he wasn't on the right." Osler said that Loughner was angry at the world. "He wasn't shooting people, he was shooting at the world," the friend said.
This should be proof positive that the left has been out of line and have tried to profit over murder and grief to score political points among their base.
It is a sad day in America when events occur that take the brilliant beam of life that has been given to us by a higher source. It is sad day in America when our leaders take to the pulpit and fling the accusations that they have. This is not truth, justice and the American way. But, then again, the last few years has been anything but that.
Making sense of the senseless should not remake a president. Many put political stock into what the President said last night. We will see if he profits over this tragedy. He alone should not profit. The nation should profit. This will be the win for America. The term tragedy is what has been lost in the dialog across America, not the cheers that the president wanted. The President spoke about loss and the news cycle, he spoke of love and he spoke about civility in our discourse. He spoke about this making the victims proud. I can’t disagree except to say questioning idea’s is one thing but putting the blame on others that had no part in the tragedy is another thing. Stop that and the nation will heal and it will win.
America cannot make sense of the senseless, until it begins to win. America has to heal so it can win. When we are divided by those who don’t want America to win then senseless acts will occur. The shooter was angry at the world. Those who divided and pitted some against others to score political points don’t want the healing to begin either.
However, those who were injured in this tragedy will heal and they will be the inspiration for those who want to win. Words cannot do the job until the body is ready to heal. The body of our nation must heal so the nation can win.
Truth, justice and the American way is a formula to start with. The rest is up to us. I know I am ready to win are you?
The Act of January 13, 1794 - provided for 15 stripes and 15 stars to be added to the nation’s flag. In 1795, the two stars were added, representing Kentucky and Vermont, bringing the total number of stars to 15. Two stripes were added to make a total of 15 stripes. This was the only U.S. flag to have fifteen stripes. In 1818, Congress proclaimed that one star for each new state would be added on the 4th of July following the state's admission to the union and there would be thirteen stripes representing the thirteen original colonies. The 15 star flag flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 and inspired the writing of the National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.
This might be a simplistic view on where to start the healing. It might be nothing more than a symbol. But it is the flag that we all love and that we all rally around in times of morning and despair. The victims of the events in Arizona we’re attending a rally for what the flag means. It is the union of free people and ideas that make us whole. We should give tribute to the banner in honor of the victims.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: To heal we must believe and to believe we must be free, this truly is truth, justice and the American way.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The victim:
Wednesday – January 12, 2011
The victim:
This week has been occupied by the shooting in Arizona. I do not take particular exception or take particular glee in writing about this tragedy. However, the tragedy in Arizona is a symptom of what might be wrong in America.
We are not talking about the victim’s we are talking about the politics. We are not talking about the cure, we are talking about blaming. I took the opportunity to write about my thoughts and what I perceived to be what was happening in the story and the dialog. Much of what I have said is true. Much of what I have said is now echoed by many Americans. In a poll taken by CBS, this question was asked: did harsh political tone have anything to do with the Arizona shootings? The respondents said this: 57% said no while 32% said yes. 19% of Republicans said yes while 69% of Republicans said no. The Democrats scored with 42% saying yes and the 49% saying no. Independents scored with 33% saying yes while 56% saying no.
Many of the most ardent liberal’s were making up the news and not talking about the facts.
I felt compelled to bring some light into this very dark side of America. When America turns dark with hatred we all become victims. We hear the hate speech of political vitriol and we become victims of false assumptions. We hear one side of the spectrum making up the fabrication of a story line that would do them well politically down the road. Consequently, the other side was forced to defend the truth and bring out the false hoods of the fabrication and the indictment of being guilty of conservatism.
There was not one conservative hurling the accusation of what might be the cause. There was not one conservative that as we have now found out was the cause. This was yet another story of divisive politicking by a divisive group of politicians who have lost their way. We are now the victims!
The American conscience was yet again being called on to sort out truth from fiction. Many now on the left are backing away from the outlandish claims that have been made this week. That is a start to healing some of the vitriol that has been on display.
Yesterday, I asked a question, I believe I was one of the first:
“While the left is making it seem like conservatives are at fault, our media should be asking and investigating what his family life was like and where the safety net failed that moved him to shoot. I can assure you that it is not conservative vitriol.”
Yesterday, we found out there were no security details on site. The Sheriff of Pima County, who started the vitriol by blaming conservatives for the shooting, was absent from the site. Yesterday, we found out that the Sheriff of Pima County was an active campaigner against the Arizona Immigration law. Yesterday, we found out that the shooter answered no to taking drugs on his federal permit to buy the gun. We now know he was a drug user. This is like asking a terrorist if he has a box cutter or explosives on his person before he boards a plane. Yesterday, we found out that there are over 10,000 people who suffer from mental illness that have guns in the state of Arizona, the shooter was one of them. Yesterday, we found out that the Sheriff knew of the shooters mental illness and the threats that he posed to that community. We are still finding out what fears the people of that community had of the shooter. Yesterday, the family of the shooter said they had no idea of the extent of the shooters illness. A family should be responsible for getting the help needed when the shooter was kicked out of school and told he could not come back until he had a psychiatric exam. The family could not have been unaware of the shrine to the occult and the skull that was on display in the back yard of the shooters house.
Most of what I have listed here is what apparently has slipped through the cracks of the system. It is the fault of humans not enforcing and being aware of the numerous signs that detailed the deep and disturbed psychosis of the shooter. The shooter should not become the victim in all of this. The shooter is innocent until proven guilty. The shooter will have an insanity defense and that in itself is insane.
In all of the vitriol we have forgotten about the 6 who were killed and the 14 innocent people who were injured. The tragedy in all of this is that the people who were killed could have gone on to be constructive members of their society no matter what their political beliefs were. The injured now will carry the scare of that fateful day when they escaped death at the hands of the shooter.
We must resist the temptation to make the shooter the victim because society failed him. The system is what failed and those who have cause the vitriol are also the ones who caused the system to fail. The victims who unfortunately have left this existence will not be able to tell their story. Their memory is what needs to be enshrined and not the display that was in the backyard of the shooter. The victims here are what matters. The ultimate fate of the shooter will be in the hands of the system. Let’s hope that the system doesn’t fail again for the sake of the victim’s.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: If our public servants would only do their job there wouldn’t be victims in our society! Maybe the President will touch on this today in the speech that could redefine his presidency out of this tragedy.
The victim:
This week has been occupied by the shooting in Arizona. I do not take particular exception or take particular glee in writing about this tragedy. However, the tragedy in Arizona is a symptom of what might be wrong in America.
We are not talking about the victim’s we are talking about the politics. We are not talking about the cure, we are talking about blaming. I took the opportunity to write about my thoughts and what I perceived to be what was happening in the story and the dialog. Much of what I have said is true. Much of what I have said is now echoed by many Americans. In a poll taken by CBS, this question was asked: did harsh political tone have anything to do with the Arizona shootings? The respondents said this: 57% said no while 32% said yes. 19% of Republicans said yes while 69% of Republicans said no. The Democrats scored with 42% saying yes and the 49% saying no. Independents scored with 33% saying yes while 56% saying no.
Many of the most ardent liberal’s were making up the news and not talking about the facts.
I felt compelled to bring some light into this very dark side of America. When America turns dark with hatred we all become victims. We hear the hate speech of political vitriol and we become victims of false assumptions. We hear one side of the spectrum making up the fabrication of a story line that would do them well politically down the road. Consequently, the other side was forced to defend the truth and bring out the false hoods of the fabrication and the indictment of being guilty of conservatism.
There was not one conservative hurling the accusation of what might be the cause. There was not one conservative that as we have now found out was the cause. This was yet another story of divisive politicking by a divisive group of politicians who have lost their way. We are now the victims!
The American conscience was yet again being called on to sort out truth from fiction. Many now on the left are backing away from the outlandish claims that have been made this week. That is a start to healing some of the vitriol that has been on display.
Yesterday, I asked a question, I believe I was one of the first:
“While the left is making it seem like conservatives are at fault, our media should be asking and investigating what his family life was like and where the safety net failed that moved him to shoot. I can assure you that it is not conservative vitriol.”
Yesterday, we found out there were no security details on site. The Sheriff of Pima County, who started the vitriol by blaming conservatives for the shooting, was absent from the site. Yesterday, we found out that the Sheriff of Pima County was an active campaigner against the Arizona Immigration law. Yesterday, we found out that the shooter answered no to taking drugs on his federal permit to buy the gun. We now know he was a drug user. This is like asking a terrorist if he has a box cutter or explosives on his person before he boards a plane. Yesterday, we found out that there are over 10,000 people who suffer from mental illness that have guns in the state of Arizona, the shooter was one of them. Yesterday, we found out that the Sheriff knew of the shooters mental illness and the threats that he posed to that community. We are still finding out what fears the people of that community had of the shooter. Yesterday, the family of the shooter said they had no idea of the extent of the shooters illness. A family should be responsible for getting the help needed when the shooter was kicked out of school and told he could not come back until he had a psychiatric exam. The family could not have been unaware of the shrine to the occult and the skull that was on display in the back yard of the shooters house.
Most of what I have listed here is what apparently has slipped through the cracks of the system. It is the fault of humans not enforcing and being aware of the numerous signs that detailed the deep and disturbed psychosis of the shooter. The shooter should not become the victim in all of this. The shooter is innocent until proven guilty. The shooter will have an insanity defense and that in itself is insane.
In all of the vitriol we have forgotten about the 6 who were killed and the 14 innocent people who were injured. The tragedy in all of this is that the people who were killed could have gone on to be constructive members of their society no matter what their political beliefs were. The injured now will carry the scare of that fateful day when they escaped death at the hands of the shooter.
We must resist the temptation to make the shooter the victim because society failed him. The system is what failed and those who have cause the vitriol are also the ones who caused the system to fail. The victims who unfortunately have left this existence will not be able to tell their story. Their memory is what needs to be enshrined and not the display that was in the backyard of the shooter. The victims here are what matters. The ultimate fate of the shooter will be in the hands of the system. Let’s hope that the system doesn’t fail again for the sake of the victim’s.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: If our public servants would only do their job there wouldn’t be victims in our society! Maybe the President will touch on this today in the speech that could redefine his presidency out of this tragedy.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
AN OPPORTUNITY!
Tuesday – January 11, 2011
An opportunity!
Today I was going to write about the 14th amendment, how it originated and how to view the words that make up the content and meaning of the amendment. It is not as cut and dry as some would have you believe. I was going to offer up a court case that offers in its dissent the reason why the 14th amendment should not apply to anchor babies. I will get to this later in the week.
There is something that has been weighing heavily on my mind today.
Let me challenge you today to turn the childless, untruthful political assaults into a reason to unify. Violence from all sides is reprehensible. I am referencing the news media and political leaders who have turned the Gifford’s shooting into a right wing political assault. Yesterday I said I was involved in a conversation about the shooting and the first assumption that was made to me was it was a tea party person. This tells me that there are people who can’t wait for a tragedy of this type to be attached to a tea partier or a conservative. This also tells me that there are also people who will tilt the facts to make it appear that a tea partier was responsible.
This past weekend many of the comments on TV and radio have to do with the tea party movement, talk radio and yes, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and Glen Beck. Many in the media have turned this into a repudiation of the conservative movement. Many have intimated that it is the conservative movement and its media members that caused Jared Loughner to commit the act of terrorism that he did. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is a template that have always been used by the liberals in events such as the horrific attack in Arizona to move their agenda forward.
I said yesterday that this is not a gun control case. I say today that it is a nut control case. The shooter is unbalanced and like the aftermath of many other tragedies his behavior was noticed, but nothing was done. The shooter had it in for Representative Gifford’s since 2007. We have learned he was obsessed with her. The shooter was asked to leave his school and get a psychological exam before coming back. Many of his classmates exhibited fears and concerns about his behavior and thoughts. Many felt unsafe in the environment that should have been safe – our society.
The FBI has said that Loughner’s profile was that of a “loner who was a disenfranchised angry young man.” He was a drug user and practiced the occult with a skull that was enshrined in his backyard. He is a deranged, insane and emotionally disturbed being. While the left is making it seem like conservatives are at fault, our media should be asking and investigating what his family life was like and where the safety net failed that moved him to shoot. I can assure you that it is not conservative vitriol.
Paul Krugman of the New York Times said “We don’t have proof yet that this was political, but the odds are that it was.” He went on to say: “Republicans will yell about the evils of partisanship whenever anyone tries to make a connection between the rhetoric of Beck, Limbaugh, etc. and the violence I fear what we’re going to see in the months and years ahead.” Krugman’s words are what cause political vitriol.
Sherriff Dupnik of Pima County, Arizona continues to politicize the shooting of Rep. Gabby Gifford’s and the death of several aides and bystanders.
He said on FOX News: “When you have people like Sharron Angle in Las Vegas running against [Harry] Reid making outrageous statements such as we may need to resort to taking the second amendment in certain cases, for people like Sarah Palin to say we have people like Gabby Giffords in our cross hairs, they are irresponsible not without consequences and we are seeing the fruit of it here.” What I have to ask is this: where were the Sheriff and Loughner’s family in all of this? I am sure that Sheriff Dupnik was aware of the shooters proclivities, certainly his family had to have been.
Loughner went to a local WALMART to purchase his ammunition. The clerk there observed that the shooter was displaying strange behavior and refused to sell him the bullets he needed. The shooter then went to another WALMART and was able to buy them there. Some of us are more apt to recognize warning signs and some just don’t. The Sheriff should have been more alert and the clerk should have reported his fears certainly his family should have. Curbing violence does not happen with government, it happens with citizens who report their concerns and local authorities acting on those concerns.
The liberal has spent billions of dollars over the course of decades to protect these individuals who do harm. They have turned this violence into a rightwing conspiracy over the last 50 years of history. Lee Harvey Oswald was portrayed as a right wing extremist. He was found to be nothing more than a communist nut case. The assassin of Dr. King, James Earl Ray, was found to be nothing more than a racist petty criminal. Look at John Hinckley whose failed assassination attempt on President Reagan was the result of his obsession with actress Jodi Foster.
The list goes on. It is not a gun problem; it is a problem with recognizing those who have violent tendencies. Unfortunately, we cannot do anything until something happens, because of the political correctness that is attached too much of the destructive forces in our society. Every one who came into contact with the shooter said one thing: he is dangerous and he will commit a horrific act.
This is a genuine tragedy that is not being treated like one. It is being treated and massaged for political benefit. Mark Penn, a Democratic strategist, said in 2010, “what Obama needs is his Oklahoma City.” This is now an opportunity for the President to call for unity and to call for real action that will stop another unbalanced person from committing another genuine tragedy. He must not use this as an opportunity in the way his former Chief of Staff wanted him to use an opportunity: “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” –Rahm Emanuel. This is not a gun ownership case. This is not a reason to blame the far right it is a reason to look at why these people can be free to commit acts of violence in an open environment that is supposed to be safe for one and all.
The President can no longer say or use the words he himself used as a Senator in 2008. “If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun.” There has never been a connection of a tea party member or a conservative using a phrase like this. This goes unnoticed by the press as did the violence that the president’s former relations have committed and professed as needed elements for social change. I bring in the terrorist Bill Ayers and, of course, the Reverend Wright. However, when a conservative brings this into the political discourse they are the ones who are identified as partisan and unbalanced for not understanding the deeper meaning of these educated and intelligent people.
The suspected shooter will get his due process. The suspected shooter will cost the government millions of dollars for his defense. The question I have is where is the due process for those along with the Judge and the little girl who will not wake up to see another day’s sunrise?
It is not a matter of saying political campaigns should not use the word or the symbol of “target” in any advertising or in any political discourse. The fault in this case is not the words or the process of campaigning. The fault comes in the form of those who did not recognize the signs that were there far before the campaigns of 2008 and 2010. The fault does not come from those who exercise their freedom of speech in a responsible way.
I challenge you to use political discourse to change the ways of government and those that would have you believe that a conspiracy of conservative thought and action are at fault.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: I challenge myself everyday to be a good citizen and to recognize those who want to do harm in our environment of freedom and liberty. Some might think I am extreme but most of my ideas come from people who are far greater than those who will shift the blame to convenient targets for political gain.
An opportunity!
Today I was going to write about the 14th amendment, how it originated and how to view the words that make up the content and meaning of the amendment. It is not as cut and dry as some would have you believe. I was going to offer up a court case that offers in its dissent the reason why the 14th amendment should not apply to anchor babies. I will get to this later in the week.
There is something that has been weighing heavily on my mind today.
Let me challenge you today to turn the childless, untruthful political assaults into a reason to unify. Violence from all sides is reprehensible. I am referencing the news media and political leaders who have turned the Gifford’s shooting into a right wing political assault. Yesterday I said I was involved in a conversation about the shooting and the first assumption that was made to me was it was a tea party person. This tells me that there are people who can’t wait for a tragedy of this type to be attached to a tea partier or a conservative. This also tells me that there are also people who will tilt the facts to make it appear that a tea partier was responsible.
This past weekend many of the comments on TV and radio have to do with the tea party movement, talk radio and yes, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and Glen Beck. Many in the media have turned this into a repudiation of the conservative movement. Many have intimated that it is the conservative movement and its media members that caused Jared Loughner to commit the act of terrorism that he did. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is a template that have always been used by the liberals in events such as the horrific attack in Arizona to move their agenda forward.
I said yesterday that this is not a gun control case. I say today that it is a nut control case. The shooter is unbalanced and like the aftermath of many other tragedies his behavior was noticed, but nothing was done. The shooter had it in for Representative Gifford’s since 2007. We have learned he was obsessed with her. The shooter was asked to leave his school and get a psychological exam before coming back. Many of his classmates exhibited fears and concerns about his behavior and thoughts. Many felt unsafe in the environment that should have been safe – our society.
The FBI has said that Loughner’s profile was that of a “loner who was a disenfranchised angry young man.” He was a drug user and practiced the occult with a skull that was enshrined in his backyard. He is a deranged, insane and emotionally disturbed being. While the left is making it seem like conservatives are at fault, our media should be asking and investigating what his family life was like and where the safety net failed that moved him to shoot. I can assure you that it is not conservative vitriol.
Paul Krugman of the New York Times said “We don’t have proof yet that this was political, but the odds are that it was.” He went on to say: “Republicans will yell about the evils of partisanship whenever anyone tries to make a connection between the rhetoric of Beck, Limbaugh, etc. and the violence I fear what we’re going to see in the months and years ahead.” Krugman’s words are what cause political vitriol.
Sherriff Dupnik of Pima County, Arizona continues to politicize the shooting of Rep. Gabby Gifford’s and the death of several aides and bystanders.
He said on FOX News: “When you have people like Sharron Angle in Las Vegas running against [Harry] Reid making outrageous statements such as we may need to resort to taking the second amendment in certain cases, for people like Sarah Palin to say we have people like Gabby Giffords in our cross hairs, they are irresponsible not without consequences and we are seeing the fruit of it here.” What I have to ask is this: where were the Sheriff and Loughner’s family in all of this? I am sure that Sheriff Dupnik was aware of the shooters proclivities, certainly his family had to have been.
Loughner went to a local WALMART to purchase his ammunition. The clerk there observed that the shooter was displaying strange behavior and refused to sell him the bullets he needed. The shooter then went to another WALMART and was able to buy them there. Some of us are more apt to recognize warning signs and some just don’t. The Sheriff should have been more alert and the clerk should have reported his fears certainly his family should have. Curbing violence does not happen with government, it happens with citizens who report their concerns and local authorities acting on those concerns.
The liberal has spent billions of dollars over the course of decades to protect these individuals who do harm. They have turned this violence into a rightwing conspiracy over the last 50 years of history. Lee Harvey Oswald was portrayed as a right wing extremist. He was found to be nothing more than a communist nut case. The assassin of Dr. King, James Earl Ray, was found to be nothing more than a racist petty criminal. Look at John Hinckley whose failed assassination attempt on President Reagan was the result of his obsession with actress Jodi Foster.
The list goes on. It is not a gun problem; it is a problem with recognizing those who have violent tendencies. Unfortunately, we cannot do anything until something happens, because of the political correctness that is attached too much of the destructive forces in our society. Every one who came into contact with the shooter said one thing: he is dangerous and he will commit a horrific act.
This is a genuine tragedy that is not being treated like one. It is being treated and massaged for political benefit. Mark Penn, a Democratic strategist, said in 2010, “what Obama needs is his Oklahoma City.” This is now an opportunity for the President to call for unity and to call for real action that will stop another unbalanced person from committing another genuine tragedy. He must not use this as an opportunity in the way his former Chief of Staff wanted him to use an opportunity: “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” –Rahm Emanuel. This is not a gun ownership case. This is not a reason to blame the far right it is a reason to look at why these people can be free to commit acts of violence in an open environment that is supposed to be safe for one and all.
The President can no longer say or use the words he himself used as a Senator in 2008. “If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun.” There has never been a connection of a tea party member or a conservative using a phrase like this. This goes unnoticed by the press as did the violence that the president’s former relations have committed and professed as needed elements for social change. I bring in the terrorist Bill Ayers and, of course, the Reverend Wright. However, when a conservative brings this into the political discourse they are the ones who are identified as partisan and unbalanced for not understanding the deeper meaning of these educated and intelligent people.
The suspected shooter will get his due process. The suspected shooter will cost the government millions of dollars for his defense. The question I have is where is the due process for those along with the Judge and the little girl who will not wake up to see another day’s sunrise?
It is not a matter of saying political campaigns should not use the word or the symbol of “target” in any advertising or in any political discourse. The fault in this case is not the words or the process of campaigning. The fault comes in the form of those who did not recognize the signs that were there far before the campaigns of 2008 and 2010. The fault does not come from those who exercise their freedom of speech in a responsible way.
I challenge you to use political discourse to change the ways of government and those that would have you believe that a conspiracy of conservative thought and action are at fault.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: I challenge myself everyday to be a good citizen and to recognize those who want to do harm in our environment of freedom and liberty. Some might think I am extreme but most of my ideas come from people who are far greater than those who will shift the blame to convenient targets for political gain.
Monday, January 10, 2011
WHY?
Monday – January 10, 2011
WHY?
The shooting in Arizona of Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford is a despicable act of a desperate and deranged individual.
I had a conversation over the weekend about the shooting and the first words that were said were that the shooter was a Tea Partier. This is not factual and it is a dangerous road to go down when an event of this type occurs.
What we do know is that the suspected shooter Jared Loughner was unstable and a danger, not only to himself, but to others as well.
This is not a gun control issue, nor is it an issue that should turn political. This, unfortunately, is an issue of someone who should not have been allowed to enter the confines of that setting. There was a past history between the shooter and the Congresswoman. The suspected shooter displayed a pattern of behavior for two and a half years that was known, but went unattended.
When we look at political violence in America, we need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves: are we capable of this behavior or are we immune or are we lucky that it has not reached our own neighborhood? When I hear of stories like this I ask myself what makes me different. I am vocal and I have my opinions. However, it stops there.
We can have a discourse and we can question ethics and the agendas of our elected officials. Our forefathers questioned loyalty and patriotism. We can use the word socialist, because there are self ascribed socialists in our two party system. We should question citizenship, when our own president has blocked every effort to discover his true national origin. We should question our government and be heard in the process. There is the left and there is the right. There is also everything in between and outside of these labels, as well. When we have legitimate discourse in this country we are staying within our constitutional rights. When we display violence, we not only diminish but threaten every right that ensures our freedom. I deplore this behavior and I worry about the future of this country if it continues.
Political violence has unfortunately been a part of our history: Assassination Clubs - a true story: This is an excerpt from the State Library of Louisiana archives:
“I was very lucky in knowing and being a close friend with an old eccentric gentleman in Winnfield who as a young man, was invited to a secret meeting. He said at the time he had no idea what the meeting was about. He only knew the close friend who invited him was a well known doctor who was born and raised in Winn Parish and a person he trusted. After having met the man in Shreveport, he was blindfolded and taken to an unknown location where he had to take an oath on a Bible that he would not reveal what was going on.
The meeting was actually a [Huey Long] 'assassination club' meeting. The members were doctors, attorneys, businessmen … upper class folks. He said he had never told that story until he told me about it, as he did not want any part of it, even though his family was strong anti-Longs. But he did like Earl.” Greggory Davies, retired Winn Parish Deputy Sheriff. (http://www.hueylong.com/life-times/assassination.php)
By 1935, tensions ran high in Louisiana, as rumors of multiple plots to assassinate Huey Long swirled around the capital. Huey’s consolidation of personal power led to talk of armed insurrection by his enemies. On September 8, Huey was shot by the relative of a political enemy in the State Capitol, and he died two days later at age 42. News of Huey’s death made headlines around the world, and an estimated 200,000 mourners flocked to Baton Rouge to pay their respects. One of Huey’s campaign slogans was “Everyman a King- Share our wealth.”
In 1954, three members of the Puerto Rico Nationalist Party—Lolita Lebron, Irving
Flores Rodriguez and Andres Figueroa Cordero—purchased a one-way train ticket from New York to Washington, D.C., on March 1, 1954, where they met colleague Rafael Cancel Miranda. The four entered the gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives to view the 243 congressmen in session. After watching the proceedings for about a minute, they took out their German automatic pistols and began firing into the chamber, as Lebron shouted, “Puerto Rico is not free!” The bullets injured five Congressmen, but all would survive. Alvin Bentley, the 35-year-old Michigan Republican, was hit in the chest and suffered the worst wounds.
In 1978, the assassination of U.S. House Representative Leo Ryan in Guyana became a larger story, because of the Jonestown massacre perpetrated by Jim Jones.
We cannot nor should we make comparisons to the other political attacks that have occurred in our history. Each event as I have listed today had different circumstances due to the time in history. These events unfortunately occur and this is why we have always come together as a country when they do.
We cannot forget Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, both John and Bobby Kennedy and Dr. King. I pray that we won’t have Congresswoman Gifford’s to add to this list. My prayers also go out to the families who lost their loved ones because of the innocence of their attendance at this public event.
This type of violence cannot stand any longer in our country. We cannot turn this into a political witch hunt, nor should we allow our leaders to do so. We cannot have our leaders insulate themselves from the public they serve. It is up to us, the citizens, to make officials aware of anger on the part of some that would make death their calling card.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: When we experience a national tragedy as we experienced this weekend we need to ask why - and then look to the future and be thankful we have been lucky enough to do so.
WHY?
The shooting in Arizona of Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford is a despicable act of a desperate and deranged individual.
I had a conversation over the weekend about the shooting and the first words that were said were that the shooter was a Tea Partier. This is not factual and it is a dangerous road to go down when an event of this type occurs.
What we do know is that the suspected shooter Jared Loughner was unstable and a danger, not only to himself, but to others as well.
This is not a gun control issue, nor is it an issue that should turn political. This, unfortunately, is an issue of someone who should not have been allowed to enter the confines of that setting. There was a past history between the shooter and the Congresswoman. The suspected shooter displayed a pattern of behavior for two and a half years that was known, but went unattended.
When we look at political violence in America, we need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves: are we capable of this behavior or are we immune or are we lucky that it has not reached our own neighborhood? When I hear of stories like this I ask myself what makes me different. I am vocal and I have my opinions. However, it stops there.
We can have a discourse and we can question ethics and the agendas of our elected officials. Our forefathers questioned loyalty and patriotism. We can use the word socialist, because there are self ascribed socialists in our two party system. We should question citizenship, when our own president has blocked every effort to discover his true national origin. We should question our government and be heard in the process. There is the left and there is the right. There is also everything in between and outside of these labels, as well. When we have legitimate discourse in this country we are staying within our constitutional rights. When we display violence, we not only diminish but threaten every right that ensures our freedom. I deplore this behavior and I worry about the future of this country if it continues.
Political violence has unfortunately been a part of our history: Assassination Clubs - a true story: This is an excerpt from the State Library of Louisiana archives:
“I was very lucky in knowing and being a close friend with an old eccentric gentleman in Winnfield who as a young man, was invited to a secret meeting. He said at the time he had no idea what the meeting was about. He only knew the close friend who invited him was a well known doctor who was born and raised in Winn Parish and a person he trusted. After having met the man in Shreveport, he was blindfolded and taken to an unknown location where he had to take an oath on a Bible that he would not reveal what was going on.
The meeting was actually a [Huey Long] 'assassination club' meeting. The members were doctors, attorneys, businessmen … upper class folks. He said he had never told that story until he told me about it, as he did not want any part of it, even though his family was strong anti-Longs. But he did like Earl.” Greggory Davies, retired Winn Parish Deputy Sheriff. (http://www.hueylong.com/life-times/assassination.php)
By 1935, tensions ran high in Louisiana, as rumors of multiple plots to assassinate Huey Long swirled around the capital. Huey’s consolidation of personal power led to talk of armed insurrection by his enemies. On September 8, Huey was shot by the relative of a political enemy in the State Capitol, and he died two days later at age 42. News of Huey’s death made headlines around the world, and an estimated 200,000 mourners flocked to Baton Rouge to pay their respects. One of Huey’s campaign slogans was “Everyman a King- Share our wealth.”
In 1954, three members of the Puerto Rico Nationalist Party—Lolita Lebron, Irving
Flores Rodriguez and Andres Figueroa Cordero—purchased a one-way train ticket from New York to Washington, D.C., on March 1, 1954, where they met colleague Rafael Cancel Miranda. The four entered the gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives to view the 243 congressmen in session. After watching the proceedings for about a minute, they took out their German automatic pistols and began firing into the chamber, as Lebron shouted, “Puerto Rico is not free!” The bullets injured five Congressmen, but all would survive. Alvin Bentley, the 35-year-old Michigan Republican, was hit in the chest and suffered the worst wounds.
In 1978, the assassination of U.S. House Representative Leo Ryan in Guyana became a larger story, because of the Jonestown massacre perpetrated by Jim Jones.
We cannot nor should we make comparisons to the other political attacks that have occurred in our history. Each event as I have listed today had different circumstances due to the time in history. These events unfortunately occur and this is why we have always come together as a country when they do.
We cannot forget Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, both John and Bobby Kennedy and Dr. King. I pray that we won’t have Congresswoman Gifford’s to add to this list. My prayers also go out to the families who lost their loved ones because of the innocence of their attendance at this public event.
This type of violence cannot stand any longer in our country. We cannot turn this into a political witch hunt, nor should we allow our leaders to do so. We cannot have our leaders insulate themselves from the public they serve. It is up to us, the citizens, to make officials aware of anger on the part of some that would make death their calling card.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: When we experience a national tragedy as we experienced this weekend we need to ask why - and then look to the future and be thankful we have been lucky enough to do so.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Time is flying by:
Friday – January 7, 2011
Time is flying by:
It’s already the seventh day of the New Year. We have spent around three and a quarter million dollars per minute of this New Year. At years end – well, you do the math. This is the scary thing about government.
Ask yourself what have you gotten for the money that Washington has spent? If you can’t answer that, then ask your Senator or Congressman. They will tell you that all sorts of benefits were given to you and what they have done to deliver your states fair share of the federal budget. This is the problem.
Next week, the new Congress will debate repealing Obama care. This should be repealed, because it doesn’t pass the constitutional test that should have been applied to the law in the first place. In the coming weeks, the new Congress will debate raising the debt ceiling. This should not be raised. If it is it will be another license to spend our posterity’s wealth. If you didn’t know, our founding documents talk about our posterity and guaranteeing their rights and their prosperity.
I remember the movie “Dave”. It starred Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver. Regardless of their real life political preferences, the movie has a message in it. Kevin, who played “Dave”, was a look alike to the President. Long story short, the President suffered a stroke. After a crazy story line, “Dave” was enlisted to step in and pretend he was the president. He then started to realize what the president must do. “Dave” became a leader and slashed the budget to keep a much needed educational program solvent.
This is a simple story that only Hollywood could produce. But there is a message here. In the movie, the president, along with Cabinet and Congressional leaders, addressed where every dollar was spent on every program. In the end, they balanced the budget and made government work for the people. There should be a moratorium on starting new programs while the old ones are reviewed and or discontinued.
This would be a monumental task to ask of anyone. However, this is what our leaders are getting paid to do. The salaries of our representatives come from us and we should demand that this moratorium be put into action while a real review is done. The supposed debt commission has filed their report but it didn’t address the problem. The problem lies in the way the Federal Government does their business. The problem is we support programs that have never worked and create new ones that pretend to work.
Each piece of legislation going forward will now have a constitutional litmus test applied to it. This is a good thing because many of the programs and the manner in which the funding is appropriated probably are unconstitutional. Certainly many aspects of Obama care are. The Democrats are now complaining that there are no hearings on the repeal of Obama care. My response is: where were the hearings when they passed Obama care behind closed doors at the midnight hour?
The U.S. Constitution was read on the floor of the House yesterday; the first time in our history. This doesn’t surprise me, because the majority of our law makers probably don’t want to follow it, because it restricts them from deliberating and making good decisions. The Constitution was designed to restrict government form enacting bad legislation and robbing us of our liberty and freedom when it is followed. This is the inherent problem with how government is run today. There is no deliberation and there is no allowance of Constitutional authority.
The Constitution was radical in its day and it was created by radical men who had conservative beliefs. It’s no wonder that Representative (D) Gerald Nadler of New York scoffed at the idea that the Constitution was being read in Congress. FOX News reported that Nadler said this was “nonsense” and it was “propaganda.” It is not wrong to read the Constitution in the Halls of Congress. The document is supposed to uphold the body of laws that the nation was founded on. I question Nadler’s patriotism and his agenda. I wrote about Barney Frank yesterday and his remarks on The O’Reilly Factor more than a year ago. I also question his patriotism and his agenda.
Our Constitution affords every man, woman and child equal rights. The Constitution affords the men and women that serve the right to serve and their right to hold office. It also affords us the right to vote them out of office. Unfortunately, the Nadler and Frank constituency must be ignorant or not care about their comments.
As we wrap up the first week of the year, we must realize that our work in restoring the meaning of the Constitution is just beginning. The Constitution lays out the framework of our society and it places limits on government. The Constitution is the framework of our moral code. It is the framework by which our values, rights and our responsibilities reside.
The document is on our side and the arguments in support of the document are on our side. What are not on our side are those in government that pay no attention to the things that I just outlined.
We need to trust the Constitution, we need to deliberate and we need to have confidence in our leaders who enforce what is in the document. The first two things are easy it’s the third one that I worry about.
To understand what went on in the creation of our country and the Constitution, we must go back in history, as John Adams said. Adams was a Federalist, but he also knew the boundaries of government and he brought the Constitution into view, as our nation was just beginning. He fought for and maintained the idea of freedom. Though he believed in a strong government, he was opposed by Jefferson, but none the less a patriot. He said in 1815, “As to the history of the revolution, my ideas are peculiar, perhaps singular. What do we mean by the Revolution, the war? That was no part of the revolution. It was only an effect and consequence of it. The revolution was in the minds of the people, and this was affected, from 1761 to 1775. In the course of fifteen years before a drop of blood was drawn at Lexington. The records of thirteen Legislatures, the pamphlets and Newspapers in all the colonies ought to be consulted, during that period, to ascertain the steps by which the public opinion was enlightened and informed concerning the authority of Parliament over the colonies.”
Time is flying by. In the next year, we must regain the confidence in our Constitution by using it. We must learn our history and we must insist that our leaders do the same. Our Constitution guarantees this right. If we don’t use it then we will loose it!
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: See the movie ““Dave””. He knew that his time was flying by and something needed to be done. Tell me if I am wrong about how ““Dave”” approached a government problem. Then read the quote by Adams again.
Time is flying by:
It’s already the seventh day of the New Year. We have spent around three and a quarter million dollars per minute of this New Year. At years end – well, you do the math. This is the scary thing about government.
Ask yourself what have you gotten for the money that Washington has spent? If you can’t answer that, then ask your Senator or Congressman. They will tell you that all sorts of benefits were given to you and what they have done to deliver your states fair share of the federal budget. This is the problem.
Next week, the new Congress will debate repealing Obama care. This should be repealed, because it doesn’t pass the constitutional test that should have been applied to the law in the first place. In the coming weeks, the new Congress will debate raising the debt ceiling. This should not be raised. If it is it will be another license to spend our posterity’s wealth. If you didn’t know, our founding documents talk about our posterity and guaranteeing their rights and their prosperity.
I remember the movie “Dave”. It starred Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver. Regardless of their real life political preferences, the movie has a message in it. Kevin, who played “Dave”, was a look alike to the President. Long story short, the President suffered a stroke. After a crazy story line, “Dave” was enlisted to step in and pretend he was the president. He then started to realize what the president must do. “Dave” became a leader and slashed the budget to keep a much needed educational program solvent.
This is a simple story that only Hollywood could produce. But there is a message here. In the movie, the president, along with Cabinet and Congressional leaders, addressed where every dollar was spent on every program. In the end, they balanced the budget and made government work for the people. There should be a moratorium on starting new programs while the old ones are reviewed and or discontinued.
This would be a monumental task to ask of anyone. However, this is what our leaders are getting paid to do. The salaries of our representatives come from us and we should demand that this moratorium be put into action while a real review is done. The supposed debt commission has filed their report but it didn’t address the problem. The problem lies in the way the Federal Government does their business. The problem is we support programs that have never worked and create new ones that pretend to work.
Each piece of legislation going forward will now have a constitutional litmus test applied to it. This is a good thing because many of the programs and the manner in which the funding is appropriated probably are unconstitutional. Certainly many aspects of Obama care are. The Democrats are now complaining that there are no hearings on the repeal of Obama care. My response is: where were the hearings when they passed Obama care behind closed doors at the midnight hour?
The U.S. Constitution was read on the floor of the House yesterday; the first time in our history. This doesn’t surprise me, because the majority of our law makers probably don’t want to follow it, because it restricts them from deliberating and making good decisions. The Constitution was designed to restrict government form enacting bad legislation and robbing us of our liberty and freedom when it is followed. This is the inherent problem with how government is run today. There is no deliberation and there is no allowance of Constitutional authority.
The Constitution was radical in its day and it was created by radical men who had conservative beliefs. It’s no wonder that Representative (D) Gerald Nadler of New York scoffed at the idea that the Constitution was being read in Congress. FOX News reported that Nadler said this was “nonsense” and it was “propaganda.” It is not wrong to read the Constitution in the Halls of Congress. The document is supposed to uphold the body of laws that the nation was founded on. I question Nadler’s patriotism and his agenda. I wrote about Barney Frank yesterday and his remarks on The O’Reilly Factor more than a year ago. I also question his patriotism and his agenda.
Our Constitution affords every man, woman and child equal rights. The Constitution affords the men and women that serve the right to serve and their right to hold office. It also affords us the right to vote them out of office. Unfortunately, the Nadler and Frank constituency must be ignorant or not care about their comments.
As we wrap up the first week of the year, we must realize that our work in restoring the meaning of the Constitution is just beginning. The Constitution lays out the framework of our society and it places limits on government. The Constitution is the framework of our moral code. It is the framework by which our values, rights and our responsibilities reside.
The document is on our side and the arguments in support of the document are on our side. What are not on our side are those in government that pay no attention to the things that I just outlined.
We need to trust the Constitution, we need to deliberate and we need to have confidence in our leaders who enforce what is in the document. The first two things are easy it’s the third one that I worry about.
To understand what went on in the creation of our country and the Constitution, we must go back in history, as John Adams said. Adams was a Federalist, but he also knew the boundaries of government and he brought the Constitution into view, as our nation was just beginning. He fought for and maintained the idea of freedom. Though he believed in a strong government, he was opposed by Jefferson, but none the less a patriot. He said in 1815, “As to the history of the revolution, my ideas are peculiar, perhaps singular. What do we mean by the Revolution, the war? That was no part of the revolution. It was only an effect and consequence of it. The revolution was in the minds of the people, and this was affected, from 1761 to 1775. In the course of fifteen years before a drop of blood was drawn at Lexington. The records of thirteen Legislatures, the pamphlets and Newspapers in all the colonies ought to be consulted, during that period, to ascertain the steps by which the public opinion was enlightened and informed concerning the authority of Parliament over the colonies.”
Time is flying by. In the next year, we must regain the confidence in our Constitution by using it. We must learn our history and we must insist that our leaders do the same. Our Constitution guarantees this right. If we don’t use it then we will loose it!
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: See the movie ““Dave””. He knew that his time was flying by and something needed to be done. Tell me if I am wrong about how ““Dave”” approached a government problem. Then read the quote by Adams again.
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