From the "It's all in how you say it" file to the "Oh my God, he actually said THAT!" file ...

Cheers to George Stephenopoulos for nailing down Mr. Obama on his assertion that "there are no new taxes in my Health Care Re-Form Bill ... HONEST!" I especially appreciated when Mr. Steph quotes THE DICTIONARY as to what a "tax" actually is:



Ok, so you've seen the lawyer at work ... How long do you think it'll be before he tries to redefine what "is" is?

~

From the "Somebody needs a drool cup ... QUICK!" file comes the amazing assertion that proves beyond a doubt that Zbigniew Brzezinski's judgment was certainly *IRONY ALERT!* 'spot-on!' when he led the Carter Administration's response to The Iranian Hostage situation.

He begins, in this great interview from an unlikely source, The Daily Beast, with his opinion on the Administration's inept handling of the heretofore simple art of saying "SURPRISE, WE'RE SCREWING YOU! No advanced missile defense for you!" Apparently, he feels they really just need to work on their 'bedside manner':

What about the way we informed our allies of our decision?
The way it was conveyed to the Czechs and Poles could not have been worse. It involved [laughs] waking up the Czech prime minster after midnight with a sudden phone call from President Obama. The Polish prime minister was at least allowed to sleep late. But as far as Poland was concerned, unfortunately, poor staff work did not alert the United States that today, September 17, is a particularly painful anniversary for Poland. In 1939, the Poles were still fighting the Germans when on September 17 the Russians stabbed them in the back. To the Poles, that is something very painful. And since they misconstrued—and I emphasize the word “misconstrue”—that the missile shield somehow strengthened their relationship with the U.S. when it comes to Russia, it was immediately suggestive of the notion of a sellout. It’s the wrong conclusion, but in politics, even wrong conclusions have to be anticipated.

How is it possible that the State Department did not bring up the sensitivity of this day to the Poles?
Lousy staff work. Period. I don’t know who precisely to point the finger at. It was obviously not anticipated in this case.

So, in the words of the immortal Homer; "DOH!" Unfortunately, the folks he's referring to are supposed to be the professionals at this sort of thing ... perhaps it's time to go recruiting, maybe at Best Buy or Costco!
Or, just perhaps, they really meant to send the message they did, and deeply damage our East European policy, just when the Soviets are ready to flex their muscles ... why do I feel bilious, all of a sudden?

And, to paraphrase the dear, departed Billy Mays, "But, that's not ALL!" No, ol' Mr. Brys has more really great ideas. Apparently, he's still all "wee-wee'd up" at the Israelis for that silly old Liberty incident. Obviously, he hasn't heard of "forgive & forget," much less "live & let live," as long as those trying to protect themselves are Jews:

Is the fallout as bad if Israel preemptively strikes Iran?
Absolutely. That is the way, more importantly, how the Iranians would view it. They really can’t do much to the Israelis, despite all their bluster. The only thing they can do is unify themselves, especially nationalistically, to rally against us, and the mullahs might even think of it as a blessing.

How aggressive can Obama be in insisting to the Israelis that a military strike might be in America’s worst interest?
We are not exactly impotent little babies. They have to fly over our airspace in Iraq. Are we just going to sit there and watch?

What if they fly over anyway?
Well, we have to be serious about denying them that right. That means a denial where you aren’t just saying it. If they fly over, you go up and confront them. They have the choice of turning back or not. No one wishes for this but it could be a Liberty in reverse. [Israeli jet fighters and torpedo boats attacked the USS Liberty in international waters, off the Sinai Peninsula, during the Six-Day War in 1967. Israel later claimed the ship was the object of friendly fire.]

Dear Reader, I hope you'll go and take a look at the sophomoric drivel the Progressives characterize as "gravitas." I get the feeling that he was barely hiding a snigger throughout this entire interview. Sadly, I can find very little in the Administration's actions to snigger over.

Battle Fatigue and " The Big Lie."

The first section of this article was sent by our correspondent C. Brooks Nielsen, and the second is my additional text. My thanks to C. for writing the perfect intro to a subject I've been deeply concerned with of late:

Today, I was led to gutenberg.net by the following article where I read James Murphy's introduction to his 1939 translation of Mein Kamf as well as a bit of the text. I intend to read more, but for now, I'm remembering how useful it is to me to give and receive what I can of information that powers common sense in the face of the unimaginable.

Currently, I am again facing what I have come to regard as a great test for those who wish to be a part of the common good; the struggle to absorb the worst case scenario of what's going on so as to play some part in better outcomes for all. Thanks to many others, I see myself as one of an infinite number of pieces of a glorious puzzle, each finding its own best fit. As such, I am hopeful that, more often than not, people may rise to a famous toast offered by political orators from Benjamin Franklin to Abraham Lincoln, United We Stand, Divided We Fall." According to answers.com, this phrase gained currency after John Dickinson's "Liberty Song" was published on 18 July 1768, in the Boston Gazette. The work contained the lines:

Then join in hand, brave Americans all—
By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall!



I am especially grateful today for this futher rich historical perspective regarding our ongoing challenge:
"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan - to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations." Abraham Lincoln, Second inaugural Address, March 4, 1865.

a warning posted at AmericanThinker.com September 01, 2009

from:
The Prince of Lies
By John Griffing

. . . Obama makes outrageous claims that his healthcare reform will reduce the deficit and rein in healthcare spending, but the CBO says just the opposite. How can the present healthcare crisis, supposedly a crisis of spending, be solved with more spending, and by an institution known for its reckless disregard for fiscal realities?

At the heart of this barrage of deception and dishonesty is an uncommon genius, innate to only the most devious sort. While Obama's opponents spend their precious time addressing each new lie, Obama will keep the focus off the end-zone, and government healthcare will sail into place. This strategy has a name; it is called "the big lie," and it depends on a fundamental truth of human nature: fatigue.

At some point, citizens grow weary of hearing that their leaders are out for their ill, that political policies are nothing more than grand deceptions. Who wants to believe their President is a serial liar that seeks to impose full Socialism on the land of the free? Some truths are too big to contemplate, an observation that would lead one of the world's most successful propagandists (*) to write:

It would never come into their [the people's] heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think that there may be some other explanation.


Obama is counting on this principle. Most Americans are growing tired and are ready for some sort of compromise, but we cannot give in to this impulse. Obama will not give up and neither can we. Be encouraged. Don't lose hope. We must push forward, and keep the heat on the enemies of freedom. Americans must stay alert or the lie of all lies will consume what is left of liberty in America.

(*Adolph Hitler)

~

The subject of "Battle Fatigue" has been weighing on my mind lately. After a harried & hurried month plus of going from quiet personal conversation to near-riot activism against the creeping mixture of socialism & fascism being rammed down our throats by our supposed "Leaders." (sic)

For me, battle fatigue is a fact of life. I suffer from CMT, a genetic neural syndrome, which means that I have 'good days', and I have 'bad days.' Today is a good day; last Friday, when we went to Sacramento, was a bad day. I tend to get every bug that comes my way, and they hang on after everyone else is feeling better. Fatigue is a constant companion, so I tend to be more persistent than many other folks.

Unfortunately, my only gross outward evidence of suffering from CMT is a sometimes visible tremor. I don't have to wear leg braces, as many CMT sufferers do, nor use a wheelchair as some of the more severely burdened folks do, either. I consider this a blessing, though it leads to the most irritating observation/excuse ever made: "Why, you wouldn't know it to look at you!"

But I'm going on about myself, and that's not my point. My point is that if I'm getting worn out by the whirl of activism that my simple life has been bombarded by of recent weeks, I can see and feel the fatigue of those who're shoehorning such activities into an already overburdened lifestyle. I can't describe the level of pride I feel when I look around at folks who're far more active as Leaders than I'm able to personally manage or call forth. Yet, I also see the danger of letting ourselves take a "vacation" from our activism.

But, even more insidious than 'dropping out' of our new found political activism is the danger of taking ease through compromise. I've had to say "buck up, 'lil soldier" to many folks lately, folks who've allowed themselves to become resentful of the violation of their time that activism has required from them. And yes, I've done my "preacher thing" to most of them, and even pissed them off in some cases. Thankfully, they've (mostly) forgiven me my lectures.

Still, I just won't shut up. My own dear partner often gets that 'fixed & dilated' look when I practice my latest lecture on her. Many of my Tea Party contemporaries get the same look, or subtly edge away as my volume rises ... until I remind them that we can't back down.

Why? Why not back down and compromise? The "other" side will compromise, won't they?

Sure, they'll compromise. But, WHY will they compromise?

Because, as long as the "other" side compromises, THEY WIN! They're fine with getting only part of what they want, because they know that as long as they are moving forward, they're winning.

That's why, when you go to get a divorce, the lawyer will tell you this: "Divorce negotiations are a process which, when successful, will culminate in both parties being equally miserable."

And that, my friend, isn't nearly good enough for the danger that we face. The "End Game" is all that matters to Mr. Obama, His Czars, and His minions. As long as they move forward, they're winning. And every inch we give, as we've seen with the "San Joaquin River Restoration Act," is followed by ever louder calls for us to give a mile.

For a Conservative movement that seems at times to be obsessed with Pro Football, we seem to be unable to apply the lessons contained within "the Game." Politics, like Football, is a game of inches and yards.

So, what is our answer. Simple, really simple. In fact, we all know the answer:

"Just say NO."

Once again, "The Gipper", or more precisely, Mrs. Reagan brings us the answer.

Just say No. No more compromise, no more irresponsible Government spending.
No more listening to "Czars" who have the audacity to call us racists, when they're the only ones bringing up color or ethnicity. That is, to say it simply, "If you want health care, pay for it yourself, bud."

Just say No. "No, I'm not ashamed to say NO." No, you can't sell our country to finance your power. No, I don't feel badly that Juan has to live in a country run by corrupt rich bastards, and NO, he can't come sneaking over the border to "immigrate," any more than Mexico will let me just sneak over their border to "immigrate." If I did, I can guarantee I'd be sitting in jail when they found out my status, instead of getting welfare & free health care.

Just say NO. No more encroachments on our personal freedoms. No Government bureaucrats in control of what of our personal information they're "entitled to," and who will receive what level of health care. No more Government bureaucrats telling me where I can or can't go on "Public Lands," because of a supposed "Health Hazard Emergency," when I've been going there for decades with absolutely no ill effects.

Just say NO to being "guilt-ed." No, I don't feel badly that people who want insurance have to pay ever higher insurance bills, when they elect Politicians who make regulations designed to favor Trial Lawyers and State-centric insurance policies. Ask pretty much any insurance professional, and they can tell you THE problem is Government.

Just say NO to LIES. Say No to the lie of people being "turned away" from health care. It just isn't true.


Just say NO. Say NO to morally bankrupt elitists who publish their true beliefs, then proclaim publicly to have changed their beliefs, then go out and make speeches that are describable only as pandering to their "select" constituency. (Hint: Look for Van Jones speeches.)



Just say NO. Say no to "Environmentalists" who try to make you feel guilty that you're not "Saving the Planet!" Be aware, these persons, without exception, are not interested in doing ANYTHING that restricts THEIR freedoms or "Lifestyles." They are interested only in keeping others under THEIR control, and making others pay attention (and THEIR BILLS) to THEM as much as they are able to legislate or regulate.

Just say NO to being guilty for what you've earned. Just say NO to mealy-mouthed, hypocritical Politicians, the type who say "I KNOW what my 'constituents' say, but I'll vote as I WANT!"

Just say NO. Just say NO to Politicians who insist that Government not only makes the "Rules" for Business, they get to VIOLATE those self-same "Rules" in operating the Government.

And, most importantly, "Just say NO" to Politicians (like Al Gore) who tell you that you have to accept and embrace a life of deprivation to "Save the Planet," while they (The "Nomenklatura" in Soviet parlance) fly around the World accepting the butt-kissing adulation of their "Equals."

Be like Ghandi, my chelas. Be like Martin, my Brothers. Sit down or stand, scream or be quietly resolute, but do this one thing:

Just say NO. NO MORE.