Post Scripts

Posted by Tina

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of “The Gettysburg Address” Ken Burns of PBS has made a new movie called, “The Address”.

There is also a national initiative challenging all Americans to memorize Lincoln’s famous speech. Follow the link or go to learntheaddress.org to see video of presidents, celebrities, governors, journalists…and perhaps your neighbors recite (or read) the famous address. Apparently, a group of children at a school for learning disabilities is memorizing it…if they can do it anyone can.

At a time when Americans feel divided and have been through the trials and tribulations of economic woes this could be a unifying experience that reminds us all of the value of freedom and values new have shared as Americans. Are you up for it?

by Jack

The Russians are claiming after their ultra modern 5th generation T-50 fighter is in full production, they will have exceeded the limits of what human pilots can endure. They will have no choice but to move on to robot fighters that will be the 6th gen of fighter and their first line of defense.

“Givi Janjgava, the chief designer of the JSC Ramenskoye design bureau where the onboard electronics for the Su-30, Su-35 and T-50 fighters were developed, agrees that the future of fighter aviation lies in unmanned aerial systems. Moreover, much of what needs to be developed already exists and is operational in Russian fighters.” Reports, Russia Beyond the Headlines.

The Russians most advanced, top secret T-50, appeared recently at the MAKS airshow. It was clear this was a stealth aircraft and that it was fast and highly maneuverable. Three T-50’s did aerobatics stunts like the [Bell] and [Pugachev’s Cobra]. According the Russians those manuevers can’t be matched by any other aircraft in the world, including the USA’s F-22 Raptor, despite it sharing a vectored thrust system similar to the T-50’s.

The T-50 is designed to fly itself while the pilot works on locating enemy aircraft and firing long range air to air missiles, before the enemy even knows they are in the area. The plane can change altitude or follow the terrain just feet off the ground when in auto pilot. The T-50 has a number of failsafe systems to prevent pilot error. For example the T-50 will not allow it’s weapons to be fired if doing so will harm the aircraft, such as launching a missile while flying too close to the ground. If the pilot should become incapacitated the plane will know it and will eject the pilot safely.

The Russian designers of the T-50 are looking forward to building a fully robotic aircraft, citing the time it takes to train a pilot (typically 1 year) and the pilots physical limitations hold back the plane’s ability and readiness. The designers of the next generation Russian robot fighter say their fighter will have no issues over fatigue or weather and will be ready day or night.

Because weapon technology has advanced so quickly, planes that fly supersonic or hypersonic may be unnecessary in the future. Subsonic drone aircraft could conceivably launch cruise missiles into another hemisphere without ever leaving Russian airspace.

“The fate of a 6th generation, then, depends very much on the advent of a corresponding new global enemy. This could be a new Chinese fighter superior to the F-22 or the T-50, or some kind of extraterrestrial invaders in flying saucers. Both the former and the latter are unlikely. Therefore, Moscow and Washington will still have a long time to consider whether it is expedient to spend huge sums of money on developing an aircraft, which clearly does not have a combat mission to perform and which—and this is the most important thing—is worthy of an enemy.” Russia – Beyond the Headlines

Has there ever been a time in history when two or more people were in complete agreement on the big issues of the day? Not that I am aware, not even in the Garden of Eden between Adam and Eve! So, when you come here to express an opinion know that it’s bound to be challenged! We know that every time we post an article and we appreciate the commentary, good or bad. Because this is what free speech is all about! We say this most humbly, being criticized and sometimes even being offended, is a very small price to pay for this great freedom.

Never forget how important free speech is and may we add, try to be respectful because no matter how far apart our views may be, we’re all sharing the same lifeboat!

Thank you for making our blog so successful – we owe it all to you. Keep expressing yourself! 8 Years and still going strong!

by Jack Lee

Native Americans paid dearly for a great learning opportunity and I hope we won’t let that go to waste.   I’m talking about what happened to the Indians when a powerful centralized government took over the management of their daily lives.   Progressives want to do that to us and they are relentessly driven to create a new socialist bureaucracy, ostensibly for the benefit of the poor and middle class. The sales pitch is free health care, education, housing, transportation, even free cell phones for the masses. All we need is your vote.

In the progressive’s ideal world government takes from the rich and gives to the poor to balance everything… fairly.

Native American reservations were turned into virtual prison camps. They kept the Indians locked in poverty for over a 100 years because they became dependent on government for their every need. The damage caused by this mistreatment is almost unfathomable. American Indians now suffer from highest rates of drug abuse and alcohol abuse in the world. This has led to dysfunctional family units and those ills are passed on to the next generation because of a character crushing cycle of dependency thanks to big government.

“. . . the opportunity to work one’s way out of poverty was “cut off” by government rules, regulations, and policies, such as the Dawes Act. But perhaps the greatest atrocities came from well-meaning, government empowered “social engineers” in the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) who felt justified in using the power of the federal government to engage in radical social experiments, forcing Native Americans to abandon much of their cultural heritage, outlawing Native American traditions and practices, even going so far as the forced adoption of Native American children to help “engineer out” what was viewed as “backward beliefs.” Excerpt from the article, “Why the history of native Americans is the best argument for small government” by Steve Curtis.

Today, progressives want to take us off the path chartered by our founders and onto a new path tha embraces socialism and big government. Progressives have figured out they can gain access to power by using a calculated appeal to the greed and prejudices of the poor and working class. This has resulted in a new populist movement that has all but destroyed California.

Progressives blame the rich for everything and it’s all about working for one ultimate goal… a strong central government that is in charge of our daily lives. But, to get there they need to unleash the power of the every day voter. In populism, it’s mob rule until the next phase enters the scene and that would be a powerful central government. The progressives dream of a strong central government has manifested itself into the greatest threat this nation has ever faced. This is why I say, we can learn a lot from the mistreatment of our Native American’s by big government. If progressives have their way, we’re going to be the next group of kept people… working for the goverment, is that what you want?

Posted by Tina

What do you think of the following statements:

…conservatives know that human flourishing comes from aspiration nurtured in community. This is true for the poor and rich alike. So any policy or program that works against this goal isn’t compassionate; it’s destructive. Meanwhile, conservatism — properly understood — nurtures conditions in which all of these institutions together can elevate the lives of all citizens, including the poor, far more than government alone ever could. That’s why conservatism is compassionate.

After commenting follow the link to read the article in “The American”

by Jack Lee

The Blind Men and the Elephant is an ancient Indian parable that has been retold in countless variations by cultures throughout the world as a means to illustrate relativism and truth. In the story, six blind men touch different parts of an elephant and find that they are in complete disagreement with each other as to their belief in what the elephant was. The same is true when people are asked to define ethics. Substitute the word “Ethics” for “Elephant” and the six men may describe, “Morality,” “Legality,” “Belief,” “Principles,” “Values,” and “Integrity.”

California’s large Latino caucus is being probed for corruption by the FBI.  Fully one fifth of the entire State Legislature belongs to the Latino Caucus.  They  controls hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds.  This makes the Latino caucus the single most powerful component of the Democratic Party that runs California from top to bottom.

The FBI is now investigating Sen. Kevin Leon for brokering a deal between Sen Ron Calderon and Sen. Ricardo Lara wherein Lara retained his seat as the caucus chair in exchange for a donation of $25,000 to a nonprofit enterprise run by Calderon’s brother, a former Assemblyman.

California has a long standing reputation for having the best politicians money can buy and it’s not referring to their salary. The State’s campaign finance laws are so loose that legislators can legally doing fund raising while passing legislation! The quest for massive so-called campaign fund raising in Sacramento year around has resulted in many examples of corruption.

“A California organization receives $11 million from another group based in Arizona, which received the cash from a separate group, which in turn had it funneled from a fourth, based near Washington, D.C. Drug cartel money headed for an offshore account? No, just legal CA electioneering.” stateintegrity.org/california 2012.

According to the National Association of Attorney Generals speaking in general terms, “Campaign contributions seem to be universally protected from scrutiny and oversight and are therefore ripe for abuse. Campaign contributions create feelings of being beholden to the donor in appreciation for past contributions, and in expectation or hope of future contributions.”

In the past we’ve seen the FBI’s Abscam take down a number of democrats for receiving illegal campaign money aka bribes, in return for helpful legislation and prior to that were four democrats busted for receiving campaign contributions tied to the Red Devil fireworks manufacturer in exchange for legislation.   Unfortunately, the indictments are fairly rare because the crime is difficult to prove and typically the only witnesses are the people conspiring to commit the crime.

Brenda J. Elliott reported in 2011, “Kinde L. Durkee, a prominent Burbank, California-based Democrat campaign treasurer who works for federal, state, and Orange County lawmakers, was arrested by the FBI Friday on “suspicion of mail fraud.” Durkee is expected to appear in court tomorrow. Caliornia Assemblyman Jose Solorio, after being contacted by the FBI to “break the news,” wrote to inform his constituents that he had fallen “victim to alleged mail fraud” by Durkee. Either Solorio and a long list of Durkee’s other clients cannot read or should be considered as accomplices to Durkee’s crimes.

Read the following, then ask yourself how did they NOT know:   That client list, by the way, includes several California members of Congress: Senator Dianne Feinstein and Representatives Adam Schiff, Loretta Sanchez, Linda Sanchez, Laura Richardson, and Susan Davis. Durkee’s clients also include MoveOn.Org Political Action, Iranian American Democrats of Los Angeles County, and former Congresswoman Diane Watson.   They are all democrats and they all had to have known what Durkee was up to, or at least they should have had some suspicions if they or their aides actually read California newspapers or have spent any time on the internet.” – See more at: http://kleinonline.wnd.com/2011/09/05/blog-corrupt-democrat-california-campaign-treasurer-arrested/#sthash.gczBURNH.dpuf

Posted by Tina

Woo hoo! The President will announce this morning that you can keep that old substandard plan for a year and your insurance company has to let you know about it. Oh boy, way to make the mess a little more messy. I wonder what will happen next year when the business plans are expired for being substandard (remember they got a years waiver)? We’ll go through this all over again.

I heard from my CPA. She sends a letter out each year advising her clients of changes in tax law that will impact their tax return. she says she has no idea what to put in the letter. This year the law has changed so many times there is no certainty.

Democrats and Republicans are still considering “fixes” for the ACA. But there are many lawmakers and journalists who continue to think there is no way to fix Obamacare,

Scrap it!

PS AM I THE ONLY ONE GETTING ANNOYING POP UPS EVER TWO SECONDS IMPLORING ME TO BUY HEALTH INSURANCE?

Posted by Tina

Holy guacamole…but are we surprised?

A report out of the Pentagon shows that the U.S. government has given over $150 million to groups that fund terror attacks in Afghanistan.

The reports on ABC interviews with Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat, New Hampshire and Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction John Sopko:

‘It’s like the United States government subsidizing the Taliban, al Qaeda, the Haqqani network, those groups that are trying to shoot and kill our soldiers,’ New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen told ABC News.

Forty three companies are involved with ties to the Taliban, al Qaeda, and the Haqqani network. Bureaucratic red tape so far has prevented the U.S. from pulling the funds.

‘The reason they’ve given us is that it’s not fair to these contractors that the evidence that we’ve presented, and this is evidence collected by the United States government, is classified,’ said Special Inspector General John Sopko.

‘That’s the absurdity of it. We can probably attack them via drone on Monday and we’ll issue them a contract on Tuesday,’ the told ABC News.

Wasting our hard earned money is bad enough. But giving it to our enemies? How nuts is that!

Thanks go to Harold for this link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rDEPWF4K9S4