Conservative commentary on current news and events by the last hold-out in the conservative redoubt, stationed deep in the heart of the latte-sucking liberal occupation zone, Northwest Command. Guerrilla blogger standing up to oppression and daring the left to come and get me!!
This week's hero is Ray Vivier, one of the bravest men you have never heard of. He was a Marine veteran, a metal worker, father, drunk and hero. Ray struggled with alcoholism, but had gotten off of the sauce, dragged himself off the streets and gained employment as a welder. He was living in a boarding house on November 7, 2009 when two men set fire to the house. Ray died, at the age of sixty-one, from smoke inhalation and burns to over eighty percent of his body rescuing five of his fellow tenants. The blaze ultimately claimed two other lives, and the men responsible have been charged. One can only hope they suffer as Private Vivier suffered. He was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetary with full military honors. Ray Vivier vowed to never leave a man behind, and he never did. He died a hero, giving his own life to save others. Rest in peace brave soldier, we will keep the watch.
"Here was a gentleman [who] didn't have much -- but in the end he gave his life which is a lot so that others can live," --- Haraz Ghanbari
Here is my response to The Chosen One's State of the Union Address Lecture: Madam Speaker, Vice President Biden, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans: I am surprised, he could have sneaked another "my" into this speech in the first line and would have had the cover of tradition. Is he an American? I still have not seen a birth certificate. Our Constitution declares that from time to time, the President shall give to Congress information about the state of our union. For 220 years, our leaders have fulfilled this duty. They've done so during periods of prosperity and tranquility. And they've done so in the midst of war and depression; at moments of great strife and great struggle. Has he started reading the constitution, or did the speech writer just put that in. It's tempting to look back on these moments and assume that our progress was inevitable -- that America was always destined to succeed. But when the Union was turned back at Bull Run, and the Allies first landed at Omaha Beach, victory was very much in doubt. When the market crashed on Black Tuesday, and civil rights marchers were beaten on Bloody Sunday, the future was anything but certain. These were the times that tested the courage of our convictions, and the strength of our union. And despite all our divisions and disagreements, our hesitations and our fears, America prevailed because we chose to move forward as one nation, as one people. Again, we are tested. And again, we must answer history's call. Is he saying what I think he is saying? Is he really calling for us to rise up and take our country back?
One year ago, I took office amid two wars, an economy rocked by a severe recession, a financial system on the verge of collapse, and a government deeply in debt. Experts from across the political spectrum warned that if we did not act, we might face a second depression. So we acted -- immediately and aggressively. And one year later, the worst of the storm has passed. "So I am going to blame Bush, spend even more of your money, and tell you that it is all over while those evil banks are repossessing your house."
But the devastation remains. I thought the worst had passed, guess you were just kidding.
One in 10 Americans still cannot find work. Unemployment is much closer to 18% than 10%.
Many businesses have shuttered. Home values have declined. Small towns and rural communities have been hit especially hard. And for those who'd already known poverty, life has become that much harder. And what have you done to help? Not a damn thing as far as I can tell.
This recession has also compounded the burdens that America's families have been dealing with for decades -- the burden of working harder and longer for less; of being unable to save enough to retire or help kids with college. Not to mention paying for deadbeats who will not get jobs or stand on their own two feet.
So I know the anxieties that are out there right now. They're not new. These struggles are the reason I ran for President. These struggles are what I've witnessed for years in places like Elkhart, Indiana; Galesburg, Illinois. I hear about them in the letters that I read each night. The toughest to read are those written by children -- asking why they have to move from their home, asking when their mom or dad will be able to go back to work. Yeah, a millionaire feels my pain. Is it just me, or is he especially long winded?
For these Americans and so many others, change has not come fast enough. Some are frustrated; some are angry. They don't understand why it seems like bad behavior on Wall Street is rewarded, but hard work on Main Street..................................... Agggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Shut Up! Shut up! SHUT UP!!!! I am so tired of listening to this ass. Allow me to summarize. Lies, lies, promises I have no intention of keeping, inane idiocy, bipartisanship so the peepul can blame them too, aaaaaaand oh yeah, it's Bush's fault. [Big Smile]
The man is still campaigning and not leading. Three more years of this might be more than I can take.
I have not been feeling well of late, so when I returned home from work, I took a little nap. The first thing I did when I woke up, was log in to the news. I searched frantically for news of the Massachusetts election results, and saw the great news. First, Congratulations Senator Brown, do us proud and never forget that loyalty is rewarded, and dishonesty will be severely punished. To all my conservative readers, we won a great victory right in the belly of the beast. To all you libs out there, let me offer you this consolatory sound bite.
I feel duty bound to caution you all against complacency. While this is a tremendous victory within the walls of a liberal stronghold, the war against freedom still rages, and the enemies of liberty many and varied. Hopefully this will sound the death-knell of CommieCare, and send a clear message to Washington. Having won a decisive victory, we must keep the pressure on Congress to ensure a greater victory, and to reclaim our birth-right of freedom. I have more to say on this subject, but I will save it for later in the week.
This week's Patriot and Hero is an obvious one. Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Junior fought on the front lines of the Civil Rights movement. He faced angry dogs and angrier bigots. He risked life and limb to bring equality to all, but most especially to his downtrodden brethren. My eldest daughter recently asked my about the good Doctor. In response to her queries, I told her what I knew, and had her read the "I Have a Dream" speech. I found myself inspired by the good Doctor's powerful message. This great piece of American rhetoric was written to inspire the Civil Rights movement and to list the grievances of a wronged people. As is my wont, I have included both the text of this great speech, but also a recording in the authors own words.
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.
There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, From every mountainside, let freedom ring! And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
A man staggered into a hospital with a concussion, multiple bruises, two Black eyes, and a five iron wrapped tightly around his throat.
Naturally, the Doctor asked him, 'What happened to YOU?'
'Well, I was having a quiet round of golf with my wife, when at a Difficult hole, we both sliced our golf balls into a field of cattle.
We went to look for them and while I was looking around I noticed one of The cows had something white at its rear end.'
'I walked over, lifted its tail, and sure enough, there was a golf ball With my wife's monogram on it - stuck right in the middle of the cow's butt hole.
Still holding the cow's tail up, I yelled to my wife, 'Hey, this looks Like yours!''
You might have noticed that the title of this week's American Patriot/Hero of the week post is missing something. This is not an oversight on my part, I purposely removed the "American" and "Patriot" parts because this week's honoree is not an American, and while he me be a patriot, typically these posts are only for patriotism of the American variety. This weeks honoree is so great is my esteem however, that I could not let the chance to honor him pass me by.
I recently took a vacation from work, and blogging, to spend time at home with my family, and especially my children. While on vacation, I lived under a rock. No news, no blogs that I had not written in preparation for the break, and I only checked my email once. Mostly I played Assassin's Creed II, my new favorite video game that my oldest daughter bought me for Christmas. As such I only learned of the Panty Bomber this Monday. There will be more on that later this week, now back to my Hero post.
This week's honoree is Jasper Schuringa of Amsterdam. After that idiot Umar Farouk Abdullmatallab, boy that is a mouthful, burned off Captain Winkie in a failed attempt to blow up the plane, Mr. Schuringa body tackled this TERRORIST, and took his bomb away, suffering burns to his hands in the process. This man showed great courage in the face of possible loss of life and limb, and could very well have saved the lives of every soul on the plane. My only regret is that Mr. Shuringa, nor any other passengers, worked this douche bag over.
It is my sincere hope that either The Chosen One will bestow the Presidential Medal of Freedom, or our Congress will award the Congressional Gold Medal for his brave acts. I doubt this will be the case as I am sure in my heart that the libs are disappointed that some American Citizens did not get waxed by a Terrorist Attack thereby giving them a crises to exploit. God knows Rahm Emanuel is crying himself to sleep.
Until and unless our Dear Leader and his tame Congress get their thumbs out and do what is right, my kudos will have to suffice. I do however recommend to all of my readers that you call your Senators and Congressmen to pressure them to honor this brave man.
Here is a great email that my boss sent to me. It was very funny, so I thought I would share it, slightly modified. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year all.
To All My Democrat Readers: Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2010 but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.
To My Republican Readers: Merry Christmas, and here's hopes for a happier New Year!
Now, we must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men. - The Boondock Saints
"[N]o amount of force can control a free man, whose mind is free. No, not the rack nor the atomic bomb, not anything. You can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him." -Robert A. Heinlein
Thirty-one year old husband, and father of two beautiful little girls. I am tired of seeing my nation destroyed piecemeal, my freedoms stripped away one at a time and watching America limping into socialism.
