Brandon

Monday, December 31, 2012

Happy New Year

We hope it is!

 
First fireworks of the New Year 2013
explode over the Opera House in Sydney Australia.
Full size image here.
 
Check the Daily Mail for more as New Year's Eve around the world unfolds.

As you know the primary focus of this blog is on political issues and one cannot escape the fact that 2012 was a disappointment for me, for conservatives and for many who seek effective solutions to our nation's problems. Here's hoping 2013 will be better. I have my doubts. In the first four years of his presidency Barack Hussein Obama proved that he preferred partisan score settling to the leadership necessary to solve America's mounting problems. His attitude in the recent so-called fiscal cliff setup proved that there is every reason to believe he will continue that path.

Our nation's only chance is to hope we prosper in spite of Obama's best efforts to stymie private sector growth. The one bright spot on the horizon is growth in the energy sector, particularly natural gas development. If Republicans in Congress can forestall Obama's efforts to restrict that development in order to favor his campaign contributor's investments in more expensive green energy we might have a chance.


Motivating my thinking are the millions of Americans continue to face a New Year with grim economic prospects. For them we hold out hope.

Whatever happens over the next year you can count on Mike's America to continue the fight. For inspiration we look once again to Winston Churchill. First the British establishment tried to sideline him then the Nazis tried to silence him. Neither succeeded and his vision, leadership and strength of character made history. Let his example serve as a model as we move forward.

Let us resolve to make the most of this New Year and begin now on the long road to prepare for the day when wiser heads will prevail.
 
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Hawaii Dems Appoint White Male to Fill Senate Vacancy

Contrast with appointment of Tim Scott in SC!

GOP War on women, war on minorities. That was the Democrat mantra from the 2012 election. No many how many excellent minority and women elected officials the GOP showcased at their convention, the big lie worked once again.

But more than words, actions count. When South Carolina needed a replacement for the retiring Senator Jim DeMint, Republican Governor Nikki Haley, a woman, a Sikh, born to first generation immigrants from India, selected Tim Scott, a black male who grew up in poverty in a single parent household to fill the vacancy.

In an article titled "A party that doesn't think with its skin" Columnist Jeff Jacoby reflected on this event with the following: "An Indian-American governor appoints an African-American to the US Senate. Man, that lily-white GOP racism never ends, does it?"

Meanwhile, to replace the deceased Senator Daniel Inouye, the son of Japanese immigrants, the Democrat governor of Hawaii choose Brian Schatz, the Lt. Governor and Democrat insider who also happens to be a white male. When it really matters, Dems keep their minorities in the back of the bus.

The only black member of the U.S. Senate is a Republican. Minority Republicans continue to hold office in white majority states and districts. Elected black Democrats represent areas that are the product of special districts created for minority representation.

The GOP continues to be the home of the ethos best expressed by the late Rev. Martin Luther King who said that blacks should "not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Boxing Day Briefs

As you clear away the Christmas cheer, here are a few thoughts to carry with you...

 For our British and Commonwealth friends Boxing Day is an after Christmas event. Unlike more recent inventions like Kwanza (I may start a Mike's America day) Boxing Day has a long history.
While we don't celebrate it in the U.S. I will mark the holiday with an offering of a couple of news items that have caught my attention during the holiday season.

*Gun Control agenda sidelines mental health discussion.

A Christmas editorial in the Wall Street Journal bemoans the fact that the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newton, Connecticut has degenerated into the usual left wing namecalling and demands for gun control. None of which would stop the next shooter. Lost in the debate is the discussion of mental illness which is the common thread in nearly all of these horrific crimes. Dr. Torrey and Ms. Fuller of the Treatment Advocacy Center write a companion piece in the  Journal describing the problem. The Treatment Advocacy Center also keeps a database of preventable tragedies. How many more lives will be lost because a left wing political agenda which seeks to curtail the rights of lawful gun owners sucks all the political oxygen out of the room?

*Deport Piers Morgan!

Speaking of left wing name callers... CNN's Piers Morgan, who attacks and insults lawful gun owners and admits to being "gleeful" that the Newton tragedy helped him advance his anti-gun cause is upset that nearly 75,000 people have signed a petition at the White House web site demanding Morgan, a British national, be deported for his attacks on the 2nd Amendment. Funny how Morgan hides behind the 1st Amendment to protect his right to speak out yet seeks to deny others the protection of the 2nd.

By the way, a counter petition is circulating in Britain to ban his return: "We got rid of him once and why should we have to suffer again."

*Playing the Race Card while defending white man Piers Morgan

When confronted with ANY criticism, the immediate fall back position from the left is to scream "RACISM" as loud as you can. No difference in the Piers Morgan flap despite the fact that Morgan is white. Author Joyce Carol Oakes takes this absurd screed to a new low in a Tweet comparing the petition to deport Morgan to "the blood-bonding ...of Southern lynch mobs, crucified Negroes."

*Petition: "Gun Free Zone" for Obama?

While the White House petition to deport Piers Morgan has already passed the threshold of 25,000 votes required for action (don't expect any action to be taken unless those signatures are from Obama campaign contributors) a new petition has just gotten started. The kicker? " If Gun Free Zones are sufficient protection for our children, then Gun Free Zones should be good enough for politicians." But don't worry. Libs will make sure they have armed protection even if the rest of us do not.

*Egypt "definitely worse than under the old regime"

Illegal detentions, beatings, a breakdown in the judicial system are the first bitter taste of the what is in store for Egyptians who do not share the Muslim Brotherhood's zeal for imposing Shariah Law on the country. A Christian critical of the Brotherhood? You go to jail for insulting Islam. Richard Spencer, writing from Cairo for the Daily Telegraph has the story. Have a grudge against a neighbor? Accuse him, or her, of insulting Islam and off to jail with mandatory beatings! Things are likely to get much worse!

*Careful what you order!

After the big Christmas dinner you might consider giving the cook a night off. Why not visit a nice restaurant for your Boxing Day feast? Just be careful what you order.

The Daily Mail examines menus in restaurants in Asia which have been translated, badly, into English. Examples like "Nausea sauce pork," or "Half grilled chicken & herpes" might not be what you had in mind. My favorite is Tomato and egg noddles with "smell of urine."

As Julia Child would say "bon appétit!"

UPDATE: Strict gun laws don't prevent gun crime

A great article in Thursday's Wall Street Journal examines the experience in Australia and Britain where gun control laws are much more strict than in the U.S. Not surprisingly, the author found that taking away the guns from law abiding citizens made them more vulnerable to criminals who were not constrained by the law. The image of a mass shooting going on in one English village for EIGHT HOURS because no one, not even law enforcement, had the means to stop it!

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Holiday Fun with the Christmas Carol Puzzle

The most popular image at Mike's America!

Every year the various Christmas Carol Puzzle postings here get thousands of page views. More than all the other posts into which so much hard work goes but what the heck.

Here's the puzzle in case you missed it. The answers and more puzzles here.


xmasgame

Merry Christmas
from Mike's America!
 
 
P.S. There appears to be a problem with comment system at the present time. The "Intense Debate" service I have been using for many months now has become less than reliable. So no, I'm not ignoring you! Keep your fingers crossed it fixes itself without a major redo on this end.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Liberal Racists Leap on Tim Scott Appointment to U.S. Senate

Imagine the news headlines if Tea Partiers said this about Obama!

Last week I was proud to urge that my Congressman Tim Scott be appointed by South Carolina Governor Niki Haley to replace Senator Jim DeMint who is leaving the U.S. Senate to become President of the Heritage Foundation. Scott is a solid conservative who has served his constituents well and can be counted on to represent the wishes of conservative voters who elected DeMint.

Predictably, some of the left, no doubt including many who instantly accuse Republicans of being racist for opposing Obama's policies, jumped to Twitter to post overtly racist messages. Twitchy has the rundown. Among this sewer of left wing hate are tweets calling Scott "Uncle Tim," "House Negro," "Token Negro," "Uncle Ruckus" and more.

Imagine the news headlines you would see if Tea Partiers went ballistic with racial epithets directed at Obama. But you are not likely to see any of this in so-called "mainstream media" reporting.

Another of the inflammatory comments suggested that Scott is "black only in skin color." Yet, Tim Scott rose up from poverty in a single parent home where his mother worked 16 hours a day to keep the family going. His upbringing taught him the life lessons which led him to become a successful small businessman before entering politics. He knows that government isn't the answer to elevating black Americans trapped in poverty. He knows because he's lived it. And that's exactly why he's being attacked today!



Saturday, December 15, 2012

Christmas Horror in Connecticut

Predictably the Left seeks to politicize tragedy with anti-gun agenda while avoiding any accountability for the culture of violence THEY promote!

And as usual, focus on the REAL problem of mental health gets lost!

How many times have we been down this road? Some horrific gun crime occurs and rather than focus on the breakdown in mental health and community services which might have prevented the crime the left immediately goes bonkers for more gun control.

Would more gun laws have prevented the horror at the Newton, Connecticut school? Nope. Connecticut already has some of the toughest gun laws in the country. The guns used in this unspeakable horror were legally purchased by the shooter's mother who is among the victims.

The school itself is a gun free zone but laws about guns don't stop deranged shooters intent on mass murder do they? Had someone at the school been armed this tragedy might never have occurred.

Take away the guns say the Left. Really? You think that would work? Even if you could assure that all the guns were exclusively in the hands of law enforcement officers there is nothing to stop a would be killer from creating a bomb or chemical weapon to do the job. We have laws against those too. On the same day as the Connecticut shooting a knife wielding lunatic slashed 22 children at a school in central China. Ban cutlery next?

Democrats talk about "exploiting" the tragedy to promote gun laws that everyone knows will not solve the problem. It's the same idiotic attitude that causes them to demand tax hikes on the rich knowing that it won't do more than put a small dent in the deficit problem.

Then there's the usual Hollywood crowd who leapt to their Twitter devices to hammer out demands for gun control. But don't you DARE suggest to any of them that violent films, music or video games might play a role in unhinging a fragile mind. Nope... The Hollywood crowd stands firm on their First Amendment rights. It's the Second Amendment they want to do away with.

And Obama got into the act by calling for "meaningful action" to prevent such tragedies. He precedes that plea by listing other recent tragedies such as those at "a shopping mall in Oregon, or a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Aurora, or a street corner in Chicago." Never once does he or any Democrat allude to mental health or culture of violence issues which underlie that carnage. Nope.. it's guns, guns and guns. But why solve a problem when it comes in so handy for promoting a political agenda!

And did anyone ever stop to think that unhinged minds like the Connecticut shooter might see examples of violence coming directly from the left? Just this week we had another violent assault by Labor Union thugs in Michigan. Steven Crowder, who was assaulted in the melee has had to hire private security to protect his family. Union thugs now threaten to go to the school of the Governor's daughter and disrupt a soccer game.

It's no wonder gun sales are skyrocketing with Obama's re-election. On the one hand you have Democrats threatening to take away our guns and on the other you have them threatening to kill us and doing nothing about the mental health and cultural disease that causes tragedies like the Newton shooting to occur with greater frequency during the Obama era.

As I said following the Tucson shooting that left six dead and former Congresswoman Giffords damaged for life, we need to focus on the mental health aspects of this type of crime, not the tools by which perpetrator carries out the evil act. Failure to do so means we will continue to see more shootings, bombings, stabbings, or poisonings like the horror in Newton!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Republicans in Michigan Legislature Vote to Free Workers from Union Slavery

And once again, violence from Democrat Union thugs is the predictable response!

White House refuses to  condemn the violence?

On Tuesday, the Republican controlled legislature in Michigan passed a Right to Work law that reflected the result of a referendum vote in November. The legislation, signed into law on Wednesday by Governor Snyder (R) allows workers the freedom to work at a job without being forced to join a union. Hitherto, if you wanted a job in a company with collective bargaining you had to join the union and pay dues. Your wages were confiscated by the union for purposes beyond your control. In short, you were a slave to the union and your labor was not voluntary.

It's a great arrangement for unions. It gives them a steady supply of funds that goes to fund the lavish lifestyles of union bosses who make big six figure salaries. It's also a great arrangement for Democrats who rely on millions in forced contributions. In return, Democrats use taxpayer funds to support the unions and the cycle repeats. It's no wonder we have a runaway spending problem.

Naturally, any change in that corrupt arrangement is a threat to Democrats and union bosses. So, the result in Michigan was predictable. Supporters of the Right to Work law were beset by union thugs on Tuesday and Wednesday. Their goal, to intimidate those who support the law and silence opponents. Violence is their tool.

Tuesday, Union goons knocked down a tent that was sheltering the law's supporters from the cold fall weather injuring some inside. They then proceeded to vandalize the tent by cutting pieces of it for "souvenirs." The fascists also destroyed a hot dog stand operated by a black man. Racists?

But the worst came when Steven Crowder, a journalist with PJ Media asked the fascist goons why they were behaving that way. For his trouble, he was physically assaulted. There are multiple videos of the violent scene. Here's a screen capture of one thug throwing a wild punch at Crowder who is attempting to shield himself:

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You never saw any kind of violence like this at a Tea Party event. Unless it was fascist union goons showing up to beat another black man at the scene.


When Rush Limbaugh called birth control activist Sandra Fluke a bad word Obama took to the microphones to condemn Rush and called Fluke to offer his support.  When union thugs went wild destroying property and assaulting supporters of Michigan's right to work law, Obama is silent. Democrats played up the Fluke episode into their War on Women campaign theme. Do we now have evidence of a clear war on democracy from Obama's fascist labor thugs?

Welcome to Obama's America where fascist union goons are free to assault you and deny your freedom of speech and right to participate in the democratic process free of intimidation. It's no wonder gun sales spiked following Obama's re-election!

Sunday, December 09, 2012

Tim Scott for U.S. Senate

The replacement for Sen. Jim DeMint needs to be an unassailable conservative!

Photobucket
Rep. Tim Scott (R-SC)

Senator Jim DeMint is leaving the U.S. Senate to take over the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington next year which means South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley must appoint someone to fill the remainder of DeMint's term which expires in 2016.

South Carolina voters elected DeMint to be their conservative champion in the Senate and his replacement should honor their wishes. I can think of no one better than Tim Scott.

I proudly cast my vote for Tim as my Congressional Representative last month and would be only too happy to see him represent me in the U.S. Senate.

Like so many other black Republicans, Tim's story is an inspirational one for all Americans. He grew up in poverty in North Charleston in a single parent household. His mother worked 16 hours a day to keep the family together.

Tim worked his way up through the SC GOP circles and was first elected to Congress in 2010 with a wave of Tea Party support. He won re-election this year with 62% of the vote. He's a solid conservative with a 96% rating from the American Conservative Union.

South Carolina voters could count on Scott to continue the conservative traditions of Jim DeMint. And Scott, who has already demonstrated leadership potential in the House of Representatives would bring a fresh perspective to the Senate.

Perhaps what I would look forward to most is that Scott could criticize Obama without being called a racist. In fact, we could turn the tables on Democrats. When they go after Scott, as they surely would, we can point out that by their own rules that makes THEM racists. Oh the fun we could have!

TIM SCOTT FOR SENATE!

Obama's Arms for Hostages for Al Queda Scandal

Another scandal the press will sweep under the rug to protect their affirmative action President!

Remember the Arms for Hostages scandal that almost brought down the Reagan Administration? It was a big deal. Every day the press hammered home questions which the White House was unable to avoid. What followed was a Special Prosecutor and a slew of indictments and resignations. But all that happened because the media doggedly would not let the story go.

Just the opposite seems to happen whenever the Obama Administration is implicated in scandal.

Now, a month after the election we learn that weapons intended to help the rebels in Libya to defeat Khaddafi  fell into the hands of radical Islamist or Al Queda affiliated groups in Libya.

Could it be that this is the reason Obama has tried so hard to stonewall the investigation into the September 11th attack in Libya? Was he afraid the arms he authorized were used in the attack? We may never know since the same media that pounced on Reagan won't hold their hero accountable to the same standard. It's almost as if they don't think Obama is capable of meeting the standard of past presidents. What did George Bush say about the "soft bigotry of low expectations?"

Egpypt's Morsi is Destryong Egypt in Service to a Corrupt, Radical Ideology

Remind you of anyone else?

The violence continues in Egypt as the legitimate democratic movement remains under violent siege from the radical Islamist Muslim Brotherhood led by Egypt's President Morsi. Illegal detention and torture are now the rule. All for the sake of turning Egypt into another cesspool of terrorism and hate like Iran.

Who else would run roughshod over principled, democratic opposition for the sake of a radical ideology?


Friday, December 07, 2012

Senate Democrat Leader Blocks Vote on Obama Fiscal Proposal

And they say Republicans are obstructing Obama's agenda?

If you needed another example (you didn't really did you?) that Democrats are not seriously looking to solve the nation's fiscal problems but are merely posturing for political gain, here you go.

On Wednesday, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell offered to have a vote on Obama's proposal to end the fiscal crisis. This is the same proposal that has trillions in new taxes and grants Obama unilateral power to raise the debt ceiling. McConnell offered the vote to see how many Democrats would support it.

But Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid refused to allow the vote. He called the move a "political stunt." But isn't that exactly what Obama's proposal is? It's likely that Obama's proposal would get few if any votes in the same way the Senate rejected Obama's budget proposal by a unanimous 97-0 vote in May.

Refusal to bring Obama's fiscal plan for a vote leaves Obama free to continue demonizing Republican opposition and the class warfare rhetoric that substitutes for sound policy or honest negotiation with opponents.

Senate Democrats also know that passing Obama's plan, even if the House went along with it and Obama signed it would not solve the problem. Even if Obama taxed the rich at 100% of taxable income it would barely be enough to cover the deficit for one year. And you can only take 100% of income once. After that the Golden Goose is dead and what do you do?
Even a 100% tax on those making more than $200,000 wouldn't solve the fiscal problem.


Obama has rejected GOP plans which would raise revenues but keep tax rates the same. Obama insists on raising tax rates. Period! It doesn't matter that such increases lower revenue.

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Obama's plan has been exposed as a purely political and designed to be used to attack Republicans but not to solve the fiscal crisis. Obama is more than happy to return to this "fiscal cliff" again and again as long as it pays a political dividend to him. Meanwhile, the American people continue to suffer economically as a result!

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

34,000,000 More Reasons ObamaCare is Bad for America

When the cost of your pizza goes up to pay for this legislative malpractice, thank the Democrats!

Remember when then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the great intellectual  heavyweight of the Democrat Party said we had to "pass the bill [ObamaCare] to find out what is in it"? A bill with over 2,000 pages and Democrats made sure to rush it through before anyone, even Congressman voting on it, had a chance to read it.

Ever since then we've been learning more and more about what is in it. The bottom line: it's a jobs killer that will decrease the quality and availability of health care at the same time the cost of what care is available will go up.

And it's loaded with the kind of absolute governmental stupidity that only a Democrat could love.

Take this for example: under the new health care law a pizza restaurant will have to post detailed nutritional information for every possible combination of it's menu offerings. To a business like Dominoes Pizza it's calculated to be 34,000,000 nutritional statements. The cost for having this information at each store would be close to $5,000.

Grocery stores, which now offer a range of ready to eat items would also be slapped with new requirements adding a $billion in costs that will have to be passed on to consumers.

This is on top of businesses who are laying off workers or raising prices to avoid the most crippling aspects of ObamaCare's regulatory strangulation.

Bad politics makes bad law. And Nancy Pelosi and Democrats who rushed ObamaCare through without due consideration to the consequences are to blame for the lost jobs, higher costs of food and other products. Not to mention higher taxes and less available health care!

Democrats the Expert on Racist Politics

What started before the Civil War continues today. And blacks are STILL in the chains of poverty and oppression as clients of the Democrat Party!

If you haven't seen the film "Lincoln" you should. It's a good reminder about the racist roots of today's Democrat Party. And who can forget that following the Civil War, the Ku Klux Klan was dubbed the "terrorist arm of the Democrat Party!" And of course we cannot forget that not only did Republicans end slavery but we also were the champions of civil rights legislation in the 20th Century.

Not that this stops Democrats from trying to revise their own history and tar Republicans with the racist brush at every available opportunity. Another of those opportunities came this week as MSNBC's Chuck Todd describes how a "very smart White House aide" told him that 'with this Republican, with the way politics of Washington are today, there'd still be slavery.'"

And that racist statement is mild compared to the racebaiting that Democrats do on an almost daily basis. Oppose ObamaCare? You're a racist. Oppose Obama's massive tax increases and runaway spending? You're a racist. The bottom line, if you are an elected Republican and are unwilling to rubberstamp whatever Pharaoh Obama demands, you are racist.

Same with any criticism of the corruption and incompetence of his Administration. Case in point, the Benghazi terrorist attack on September 11, 2012. Victory Davis Hanson picks up the story:
But in the era of Obama, almost everything can be connected to race. So it was not long before the Black Caucus, the Washington Post, and liberal columnists alleged that racism and sexism drove Rice’s neo-Confederate detractors. President Obama, in his now-accustomed Skip Gates/Trayvon Martin posturing mode, also did his best to inflame the tensions, as he dared critics to come after him instead, as if they were bullies out to pick on a vulnerable black woman — and as if the president himself had not hidden behind Rice, throwing her into the public arena in the first place and then refusing to offer any details of his own reaction to the attacks that might have fulfilled his taunt by redirecting scrutiny onto himself.

There is sexism and racism in l’affaire Rice — but sadly it is all originating from the Obama administration and its supporters. First, having a woman or a minority as secretary of state has been accepted as the new normal for over a decade. Indeed, we have not seen a white male in the office since Warren Christopher stepped down in January 1997. Over that period, Bush’s first secretary of state, Colin Powell, was ridiculed by liberal critics for his misleading testimony about weapons of mass destruction on the eve of the Iraq War; I don’t recall him alleging racism. Vocal liberal senators tore into Powell’s successor, Condoleezza Rice, during her confirmation hearings; throughout her tenure, she was subjected to venomous criticism over her role in the Iraq War. Was Senator Barbara Boxer, who mercilessly grilled her, a racist? A disinterested observer over the last decade would conclude that the chief critics of black and female secretaries of state have been liberal Democrats — with no countervailing criticism of them from the Black Caucus, the Washington Post, or the Democratic party. Note in that regard that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales left the Bush administration under vicious liberal criticism — although not quite as harsh as the vitriol directed at Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. Again, their critics were not tarred with allegations of racism or anti-Latino bias.

For all the president’s condescending talk daring Rice’s critics to come after him instead, we should note that Rice herself apparently welcomes being in the arena. Here is what she undiplomatically remarked about potential critics in an interview for a book earlier this year: “People know not to mess with me. And if they haven’t learned, and they try, then they will learn.”
As Hanson points out, Rice is no wilting wallflower that needs a man, even a white man, to protect her. But if it suits the narrative and the political agenda she is apparently happy to be portrayed as the victim. Should someone of such weak character be Secretary of State?

Hanson also points out, as I have done, that Democrats used very personal and vicious attacks against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condi Rice. Also, judicial nominees like Janice Rogers Brown and Miguel Estrada were vilified. Never once did the worrywarts currently screaming "RACIST" against Republican criticism of Rice or Obama make a peep when Republicans were the targets. Just the opposite. Many of the same people who now see a Klansman with a burning cross behind every Republican were leading the charge against minorities in the Bush Administration.

And are Democrats who urged defeat of Republican congressional candidates like Allen West and Mia Love racist for doing so? Perhaps not. But then why do these same people accuse Republicans of being racist by pointing to the fewer number of blacks in the GOP congressional delegation?

I suppose it doesn't do much good to point all this out again. Those who are in the know don't need further convincing that Democrats use race for political gain. And racist Democrats who engage in these tactics have no moral principles to be upset by such obvious hypocrisy. But like the other big liberal lies like global warming, this one seems sure to keep coming back for more so document it we must!
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