NOW, FROM THE GREAT PROGNASTICATOR...

IT’S PREDICTION TIME!

Now, I’ll let you be the decider in how well I did last year:

1. The Seattle Mariners will not win the World Series.   2. Obama will be the Democratic nominee.   3. Congress will not reduce the deficit or spending.   4. Mitt Romney will not be the Republican nominee.   5. Barack Obama will say that it's time he turned his attention to the national economy.   6. Israel will take out some Iranian nuclear sites.   7. Greece will file for international bankruptcy. 8. Nancy Pelosi will have a hissy fit.   9. Harry Reid will become the minority leader of the Senate.  10. The Mayan Calendar will end on December 21st. 

It looks to me as if I only missed #4, #6, #7 and #8, so I batted 60%.  And yes, the Mayan Calendar did end on December 21^st, so there. 

HERE'S MY LINEUP FOR 2013:

1.  The Seattle Mariners will not win the World Series. 

2.  Obama will face impeachment.

3.  Congress will not reduce the deficit or spending. 

4.  Nancy Pelosi will announce she is going to retire. 

5.  Barack Obama will say that it’s time he turned his attention to jobs. 

6.  Israel will take out some Iranian nuclear sites.

7.  Greece will file for International Bankruptcy, (they’re close now). 

8.  Ahmadinejad will flip Obama off.   

9.  The U.S. credit rating will be downgraded seriously.

10. The Dow will end 2013 lower than it ended 2012.  

ILLEGAL CRIMINAL ALIENS NEXT DOOR TO YOU?

The U.S. prison system has quite secretly released thousands of illegals convicted of crimes including murder into the general U.S. population in recent months.  Why?  Well, you are going to love this story.  

The Supreme Court ruled that illegal aliens cannot be detained for any reason longer than a prescribed amount of time, even if found guilty of crimes in the United States.  Theoretically, they should be deported back into their country of origin but, and this is a major "but," in many instances the country of origin is refusing to take them back.  Hence, they are released into the general U.S. population.  Furthermore, the rights of privacy and secrecy laws prevent local law enforcement agencies and you from knowing who they are, what their crimes were and where they are currently domiciled. 

Yes, a Chinese murderer could be living next to you, having served a very short sentence behind bars.  Even a member of the Mexican drug cartels could be in your neighborhood and there is nothing law enforcement can do about it.  If their native country refuses to issue the necessary papers, we can't send them home.  After six months, they must be set free and into our society.  In most cases, the victims if their crimes are not notified they have been released. 

Once released, an astonishingly high percentage of them commit more crimes and law enforcement is caught in another quandary; if they've already done six months behind bars, can they be re-arrested and put behind bars again? The answers vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.  There is a law against harboring illegal aliens, but that is rarely enforced these days due to the legal entanglements.  

Now, Mr. and Mrs. America, how do you feel about that?  Isn't this all just ducky?

That's MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted. 

OUR PROBLEM WITH ORGANIZED RELIGION

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I firmly believe that our country, or any country for that matter, needs a strong moral and ethical conscience if it is going to survive.  No one wants to live in a Somalia.  The fundamentals of morals and ethics lie in the teachings of religious beliefs.   The United States was founded on strong religious principles… not any particular religion, but on religious principles.  It is well known that a large number of the founders of this country were members of the Masonic Order.  The Masonic Order teaches belief in God and in moral and ethical principles; there is nothing in the Masonic Order that points to any particular religion. 

That having been said, I have found that organized religion is predominantly motivated by two things: money and control.  If you don’t tithe the church determined appropriate amount, or if you do not attend services as prescribed, you are treated somewhat like a leper.  To take it another step: if an organized religion has beliefs, why does it not stand up for them in the face of national adversity?  Is there no bravery to stand up for convictions among our churches? 

Let me be clear: I strongly believe in God and I am a Christian. But, you are extremely unlikely to ever catch me in a church.  I feel God’s presence in my life every minute of every waking day.  I will defend to my death my belief and I don’t mind being vocal about my beliefs or about what is wrong with my country. 

What is wrong is that our country had lost its moral and ethical compass and organized religion seem to me to be more interested in your attendance and tithing than standing up and attacking the degrading national conscience.  Preachers are totally willing to point a condescending finger at parishioners who have “sinned,” but they never speak out about the sins of our government; what they have to say is internalized to the extent that, well… do we really know that religions exist in this country anymore?  

Silence is not golden when it comes to the principles taught by all religions.  It is time that religious entities within our country start standing up for what they preach.  Only then will our governing officials be inclined to return to the moral and ethical principles upon which this country was founded and maybe that will cause all of the flocks out there to come home to their churches, synagogues or mosques.   

That’s MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.  

WHY REPUBLICAN PARTY IS USELESS

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The purpose of an organization, whether it be political or otherwise, is to represent the collective wishes of its membership in dealings with third parties or other organizations.  A political party is specifically formed to represent its members in the affairs of government through the process of nomination to office.  Theoretically, the party meets or otherwise conducts some type of mechanism to provide for the members to decide who should be nominated and what the party platform should be. 

In 2008, just about every member of the party recognized that McCain was a weak candidate; he had tried unsuccessfully to win the party’s nomination before.   Mitt Romney was also running and couldn’t get past first base in the process.  McCain lost to Obama and in 2012, the “would be” Romney ended up getting the nod and the support from the party hierarchy.  The hierarchy then busied itself with engineering his ascension to the nomination. 

From a practical point, you have to ask yourself how the guy who couldn’t beat McCain in 2008 could win against Obama in 2012 when McCain himself could not; how can the assumed “second best” do better than “the best?”  That should have been the first clue.  As things progressed, Romney never could get a convincing win in any state against the remainder of the field until all of the others were forced out; he was always getting below 50% of the vote, meaning that the majority of the members wanted someone other than him to ultimately become the nominee.

But, the party hierarchy was not to let a trivial thing like the wishes of the majority of the membership to get in the way of its own agenda.  It did everything it could to undermine each and every other candidate for the nomination, one-by-one cutting them out of the field like a border collie on a range-day.  As a result, a large number of the membership stayed home on Election Day or voted for an independent candidate.  In fact, it is clear that Obama did not win the election; the Republican Party hierarchy handed it to him on a silver plate. Obama's popular vote count in 2012 was significantly lower than what he achieved in 2008, but he still won. 

As you can see, the organization no longer represents the collective interests or desires of its membership.  Furthermore, those at the top of the party who hold office in Washington are proving themselves to be ineffective and out of touch.  In the matter of taxing the rich, for example, 67% of Americans favor increasing taxes on the rich and the majority of the rich support higher taxes on themselves.  Yet, the House Republicans pretend to be unyielding in their opposition to Obama’s demand to raise taxes on the rich. Most of the party membership would just as soon get past this obstacle and deal with the remaining fiscal issues, but the hierarchy won’t budge.  Instead, the House Republicans will fight the whole thing to the bitter end, then cave in to Obama’s demands entirely as they have historically done before when, in fact, a better deal could and should have been cut. 

The party hierarchy is in total denial of the fact that few members want anything to do with them anymore and would just as soon seek other political alternatives.  All of which means leads to natural the conclusion that the Republican Party is now convincingly useless. 

That’s MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.    

BENGHAZI: AMERICA'S 2012 NATIONAL SHAME

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As you know, I spent the major part of my pre-Christmas and Christmas snowed in, with no electricity, water or cell phone.  It was too dark to read.  There I was, in forced solitude and down time.  That gives one a whole lot of time to think and contemplate.  

Here we are over 4-1/2 months since that awful Benghazi Massacre;  our President has done nothing about it and obviously does not intend to.  The coverup of events continues in full force.  By and large, the media and press refuse to cover the story, evidently at direction from Axelrod.  The guy who shot the video which supposedly caused Benghazi was originally said to be a paid informant for the State Department.  Then he was arrested, slammed into incarceration and never heard from or about again.  Is he our nation's first political prisoner someplace?  

There's been a suggestion floating around on the Internet that Benghazi was actually an Obama plot gone awry.  The lack of security there was not by accident, but by design.  Local "rebels" were supposed to charge the Consulate and take the Ambassador and staff hostage.  That's why all available response from the military and CIA agents at or near the scene were told to "stand down."  Three defenders of Stephens, however, ignored orders and fought back; the "rebels," not expecting resistance, became angry and the massacre ensued.  Obama was in a trap.  His plan had been to have a "crisis" leading into the election, but his "crisis" had turned into a nightmare.  Hence, the conflicting stories and the coverup.  Hence that lack of retaliation.  

Well, I'm not a conspiracy buff, but this explanation is the only one that makes sense, considering all that has happened or not happened since that massacre.  It explains the dearth of protection and security and the refusal for any approval for military assistance as the massacre unfolded.  

All things considered, one has to wonder if the video "creator" was not hired by the State Department to create the video and to fire off the rounds of protest that occurred in the Middle East, thereby providing an explanation for the rebels appearing at the Consulate, leaving and returning to perpetrate the final Benghazi Massacre.  

Our national tragedy is that no one seems to give a rat's ass about Benghazi.  How one can talk about "happy holidays" under the circumstances escapes my rationale. 


That's MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.  

IT'S TRULY CHRISTMAS

Where I am on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM PST, the electricity has been off for ten hours.   Since my water comes from a well powered by electricity, I have no water and no stove.  My old desk top and my brand new desk top are both dark and silent.  My cell phone ran out of juice an hour ago and it's too dark to read.  The battery in this laptop will soon be dead. 

But, some things are good in life.  There's well over two feet of fresh snow on the ground and more coming; I couldn't get out of my driveway if I had to.  I can stand by the wood stove gazing out at the falling flakes while I contemplate breaking into the liquor cabinet or even popping some popcorn on that wood stove.  I'm so totally isolated; even Obama can't get to me. 

And so it is, my friends, that I sign off a day early for the Christmas holiday.  I'll be back on Wednesday the 26th, presuming that the electricity will be back on by then.  Cheers!

THE GUN CONTROL MYTH

Those who advocate for gun control in any of its myriad forms simply don't have any common sense.  They are out of their collective trees.  They belong in an asylum themselves.  

Narcotic, hallucinogenic drugs in this country are illegal.  Yet, you and I both know that we can stand on any corner in America and score illegal drugs.  It's an irony, of course, that many gun crimes are committed by illegal drug users.  This goes to the next step: there are already many guns that are illegal in various states of the country and I'll guarantee you that if I want one, I can get my hands on one in very short order.  It is very naive of you to think, if we ban assault rifles, they are going to go "poof" and disappear from the country.  In fact, even Obama is suggesting that current owners of those guns should be allowed to keep them.  So, this tactic is purely cosmetic; it's simply a "feel good" effort. 

Let's discuss the size of magazines.  The theory is that when the bullets run out, the criminal is done shooting.  When you train for self-defense, one of the things you learn to be prepared for is several opponents; you don't want to be limited to ten rounds.  Just in case,  I carry four ten-round magazines for each sidearm, one in the weapon and three on my belt.  I have practiced dropping empty magazines out of my pistols and putting in full magazines until I was blue in the face.  I'm pretty fast at it, so this tactic is also a cosmetic farce.  

Well, just what do we do then?  Punt?  

I don't advocate turning one's back on this problem, either.  I've said it several times in this blog and others; the problem is a systemic societal problem.  We didn't see this type of shooting back in the 50's or 60's.  We need to examine the changes in society and family units that have occurred since then and we have to correct changes that have brought about this atmosphere for rampage-style shooting sprees.  But, that will take time to study, time to create changes, time to take effect.   

What do we do in the interim?  

The NRA has the right idea: put armed guards in the schools.  In fact, instead of limiting gun ownership, we should be encouraging more responsible citizens to buy and carry sidearms after appropriate training.  Declining private gun ownership in communities actually causes violent crime to go up; the reverse is also true.  

We also need to quit glorifying these events.  Newtown happened a week ago and is still front page news everywhere.  Frankly, I look at the Benghazi Massacre and I wonder where the outrage is over that.  We need to enforce the gun laws that we have.  We need to increase the penalties for the use of a firearm in the commission of a crime.  We need to cut back on the depiction of gun violence on TV and in video games.  We need to pay better attention to our surroundings and the people in them.  And we need to educate people on what damage a bullet actually does when it hits flesh. 

What I am saying here is that the "knee jerk" reactions we are talking about in the aftermath of Newtown need to be reconsidered in the face of the reality of the fact that the availability of guns is not the issue.  The issue is how the shooter got into the frame of mind to do what he is doing.  Let's quit pussy footing around the issue and get down to brass tacks. 

That's MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted. 

NO SPENDING CUTS = NO TAX INCREASES

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Obama has gone bananas; he keeps trying to force his tax increases on the rich and keeps insisting that any spending cuts will come later.  As a matter of fact, he wants $1.6 in increased spending.  

In actuality, the country should go back to 2008 taxes and 2008 spending; every single one of us Americans have had to do that.  

This damned government is raping all of us.  I'll go along with some tax increases when, and only when, we legitimately cut spending.  Anything less is tantamount to pillaging and plundering.  

That's MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted. 

2ND AMENDMENT COMPROMISE

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The liberal-left in this country, which includes the media, the press, left-wing Democrats, school teachers, university professors and a good chunk of the country on food stamps and welfare assistance... they are all screaming like hell to ban all guns in the country.  Being a proud Life Member of the NRA, I totally disagree with them.  But, being an American who has the best interests of his country at heart, I'm willing to compromise. 

Here's the offer: American gun owners will agree to repeal the 2nd Amendment totally and in its entirety, in return for which we will require:  

1. All left-wing liberals must leave the country
2. All high school students must take American History and Civics in order to graduate
3. History books shall be rewritten to convey actual American history
4. Any illegal alien caught in the country must serve five years in prison without early release and must take and pass American History, Civics and citizenship before being released
5. Murder will be made punishable by hanging in every state of the Union
6. Any person voting must possess valid picture identification issued at no expense by the Federal Government
7. A balanced budget amendment must be passed and adhered to
8. Any crime of violence must be considered a Federal felony
9. Any foreigner desiring to become a citizen of the United States must pass the citizenship requirements and be voted on and admitted by the majority of the people in the state in which he/she resides
10. All attempts to remove religion from this country must cease
11. All police and federal employees must also be disarmed; absolutely no guns will be permitted in the country for any reason whatsoever
12. Possession of a gun shall be punishable by ten years in a Federal prison
13. Drug laws will be enforced
14. Lobbying of government officials shall be outlawed
15. All candidates for any public office must prove citizenship
16. The issue of gay marriage shall be a state's rights issue
17. Opinion in the media or press must be confined to the editorial pages; all news must be reported as it actually occurs
18. Any holder of a federally elected office may be removed at any time upon 2/3 vote of the registered voters
19. Any eligible citizen who refuses to register to vote will be denied any government assistance; he/she may elect not to vote, but they must be registered
20. ObamaCare will be repealed

Each and every one of these requirements must be met and on that basis, I would support repeal of the 2nd Amendment.  Any takers? 

That's MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted. 

OFFICIAL BENGHAZI REPORT

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Although it was said the official State Department report on the Benghazi Massacre would never see the light of day, news leaked last night about some of the contents:

• Systematic failure at senior level caused security problems
• Should have been more agitation by those in Benghazi for better security
• State relied on Libyian militia
• In early hours and days, the conversation at State and intelligence was about Al Qaeda, not the video
• No one in State should be disciplined

Pardon me Barry, but it sounds like one of your typical whitewashes to me. 

That's MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.   

CLAMOR FOR GUN CONTROL SIZZLES

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After a series of horrible tragedies involving guns, several Congressional leaders, the media and liberal America is demanding gun control.  Diane Feinstein and Nancy Pelosi intend to lead the charge in Washington; Obama promises to push gun control and may use Executive Orders to start the process.  Discovery Channel has decided to cancel its hit show, “AMERICAN GUNS.”  And so it begins in earnest, an overt and concerted attempt to overthrow the 2^nd Amendment with no regard for the facts. 

Why did the shooter’s mother feel it necessary to have guns for self-defense?  Because there is a sick society out there that rapes, plunders and kills on a regular basis?  Because there is a justice system in this country that lets violent criminals get away with reduced sentences and slaps on the wrists? 

Do you suppose that Adam Lanza would have gone back to bed if his guns had malfunctioned went he went into his mother’s bedroom, or would he have headed for the kitchen to get a knife?  Or to the garage to get a hammer? 

Let’s stop right there.  Adam Lanza had decided, premeditated, to kill his mother and as many kids as he could.  He was at least mentally deranged at the time.  HE is one who pulled the triggers; they did not pull themselves.  Millions of guns are in people’s houses right now, not shooting anyone or anything. 

Don’t you dare try to convince me that guns are the problem, any more than cars when driven by drunkards are to blame for traffic deaths.  In both cases, there is a human being causing the deaths and there are sociological reasons for their frames of mind. 

That is where our efforts should be directed. 

That’s MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.