This is a Time for Courage

This came in an email message and is something that cries out to be shared:

TEA Party in Lubbock , TX

At the TEA PARTY, a black man , Dr. Donald May , delivered this message from the courthouse steps in Lubbock . He electrified the audience like I haven't seen in a long time. His delivery was masterful. I am sorry you could not see him in action. Anyway, I thought you might enjoy his words. The news media was there, but not one word of this man's appearance ever appeared on TV or in print, even though he completely dominated the scene.

This is A Time For Courage
April 15, 2009 - 11:49 pm


Ladies and gentlemen, This is a Time For Courage.

We are gathered here today on the Plains of West Texas in common purpose. We are here to remind our government that this is our country. We the People are still in charge, and our government is still our servant and not our master.

Our Nation's founding document is The Declaration of Independence .... It tells us that our rights come from God and not from a small group of Elite men and women.

Our Constitution starts with the words "We the People." Our Constitution was written for ordinary Americans like you and me. Our Constitution protects us from our government and from the politicians.

Our President has complained that our Constitution gives ordinary people too much protection. He has ridiculed us for the high value we place on our Bibles, our guns, our personal property, and our Liberty .. He tells us we do not deserve to keep the money we have earned.

We are told freedom has not worked. Personal responsibility, free enterprise, and Liberty have not been effective. Our government will now make more of our decisions for us.

Other than our military, I can think of not one government agency I have ever found to be helpful.

And speaking of our military, how about those Navy Seals blowing the heads off those three terrorist pirates? Don't you just wish our entire government would function with such efficiency, professionalism, and courage?

We watch in disbelief as our beloved United States is weakened economically, militarily, and morally by a Radical President and his eager accomplices.

What has taken generations to build is systematically destroyed and replaced with the same Socialist Evil that brought poverty, destruction, and despair to untold hundreds of millions.

The problems we face today have occurred because we have not defended our Nation from Socialism. For too long we have allowed the wrong people to make the worst possible decisions..

The Bible warns us of class hatred. The Radical leadership of our government daily fans the evil flames of class envy.

Our European and Canadian friends beg us to not make the same Socialist mistakes they did.

The President of the European Union warned our President that his Socialist economic plans are taking the World down the "road to Hell."

The path to power for Socialists includes taking God and guns from the citizens. Without spiritual and physical protection, people cannot defend themselves and their Liberty . They soon become slaves.

We are angered that our President apologizes for the exceptionalism and heroism of the United States of America . We are deeply troubled that he told others the United States is not a Christian nation.

We are angered that we have been called cowards and racists because we oppose Socialism. Socialism is not racial. Socialism is an equal opportunity destroyer.

We are angered that a recent Department of Homeland Security report has singled out our military men and women who are returning home as being radical threats.

The report also characterizes you and me as right-wing extremists and radicals because we favor smaller government and lower taxes.

You and I are average citizens who believe just like most of our fellow Americans. We want our government to leave us alone and to keep its hands off our money, our religion, or guns, our private property, and our lives.

W e demand that our government stop spending money it does not have.

Stop confiscating our money and private property.

Stop printing money.

Stop subsidizing Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the other failed financial institutions and companies.

Mr. President, stop appointing tax cheats to positions of power and influence.

Mr. President, secure our borders.

Mr. President, do not divert money from our missile defense , F-22 Raptors, and other vital military equipment. This gives encouragement, aid, and comfort to our enemies. Protecting us is your number one job..

Mr. President, do not give voting rights to millions of illegal aliens and felons. You have no more right to create new voters for your benefit than you do to use our money to buy the 2010 and 2012 Elections.

We gather peacefully here today because there is a growing concern for what our government is doing to us and to our future. We fear for the very survival of our Republic.

Yet there is much to make us hopeful and to fill our hearts with optimism and courage. This is still our country!

The Constitution of the Unites States belongs to We the People. Our Constitution still protects us from our government.

Call every possible elected official, including our President, Vice President, and the Speaker of the House.

Demand that they stop stealing our money and giving it to ACORN and their other political supporters in order to buy votes.

Call Senators Cornyn and Hutchison, and Representative Neugebauer . Thank them. Urge them to do much more. Remind them now is a time for action and not for campaigning.

Volunteer to work on our 2010 Census. Confront ACORN. Keep our Census honest... We must not allow our President to take control of our Census for his political advantage.

We must replace as much of our Far Left Congress as possible in 2010. Get involved... Do not let the ACORN control our 2010 Election.

Talk with someone every day who does not understand our nation's history and our great heritage. Tell them why the United States is a good and prosperous nation. It still remains that brightly lit city on the hill. It still is the best hope for all mankind.

Talk with all of the young people you can find. They are our future. Many do not understand what they have and that their future is being destroyed.

Encourage your elected State officials to pass legislation that will protect us from our Federal government . This is a time for strong peaceful action. Let us pray that We the People can quickly return our government to its Constitutional responsibilities.

Our President and Congress were elected to be our servants and not our masters.

May God help our President and Congress to quickly realize the error of their ways and stop their reckless and unwarranted spending, cut our taxes, and reduce the size of our Federal bureaucracy.

If they do not, may God grant us the courage and determination to vote them out of power next year.

May God richly bless and protect each of you, and our Constitution, as together we pursue Liberty !

Delivered at the Lubbock , Texas , TEA Party by Dr. Donald May

White House "FISHY" Rat Link Eliminated

The White House Blog that asked people to report "Fishy" information has removed its email link.

The fact that our government would try to "chill" dissent by asking United States Citizens to rat on each other because they might disagree with the administration is contrary to everything that our founding fathers fought for.

If you are unaware of the contorversy, check this post for additional information: Something's Fishy in Washington

Farm Death Due to Small Fish

See What A Small Fish Wrought
Congress created a dust bowl that rivals the New Orleans Katrina disaster and yet, the Obama administration has allowed the situation to get worse and FEMA won't help to feed the starving people. Catch the story here:
http://calbizblog.com/2009/06/25/congress-created-dust-bowl.aspx
and then go to the Wall Street Journal for the food line article in the September 2, 2009 issue:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125184588670777629.html

Before and After photographs of the Central Valley disaster

http://www.delmarfarms.com/

http://beetlebabee.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/dead-and-dying-californias-central-valley-dust-bowl/



The slow death of fields of fruit and vegetable crops and groves of fruit and nut trees in the Central Valley of California has been in the news for several years because of water rationing to protect a fish. The thousands of workers who are unemployed and the farmers who have seen their businesses wither away have cried out for help.

Our federal government has refused to let the waters flow and now FEMA denies aid to those who are starving and out of work. Van Jones, President Obama's advisor and Green Czar was critical of the last administration's failures to quickly respond to the Katrina mess. He said, in his book, The Green Collar Economy:

"…it wasn't Hurricane Katrina that wrought that catastrophe. It was a "perfect storm" of a different kind: neglect of our national infrastructure combined with runaway global warming and blatant disregard for the poor." [p. 22]

In his dissertation on food, he made a case against importing and exporting food that is grown in the U.S. because of the pollution generated. ["Food" p. 125-132].

It seems to me that the Obama administration has had the power and the time to turn the disaster around that threatens the health and survival of the farming community in the Central Valley. That it chooses to ignore the people who have pleaded for water for several years is indicative of Obama's inability to govern responsibly. This "perfect storm" can be disrupted by the current administration – it seems to have held the former administration to a higher standard with Katrina while turning a blind eye to the disaster in California.

Van Jones says: "…every people is a chosen people". [p. 77] Our present government is making an exception with the Central Valley people. Barak Obama and Van Jones make use of people of faith to move their programs – they should take some advice from the Handbook where it says:

"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it."

[Proverbs 3:27]

Dear Mr. President,

I cannot understand the inaction of your administration to the cries for help from the people of California's Central Valley. I remember it as a lush farming area. Like the green and prosperous irrigated communities around New Mexico that I saw this summer, the Central Valley was a place of pride among the poor and immigrants who worked the soil for generations.

You've had time to rectify the problem of water rationing but, so far, the absence of action has led to food lines in communities that should be self-sufficient.

While I don't agree with Van Jones' politics, I applaud his efforts to help people. You might benefit from reading his book, The Green Collar Economy. Look, particularly, at the section about food [p. 125-132]. Coming from Chicago, you are, or should be, familiar with the commendable efforts that Jones describes.

I can't understand how a former "community organizer" who's achieved what you have, is able to allow the devastation of a major agricultural area that is so essential to the well-being of the people of the United States and the strength of the economy.

The "Hope" that I voted for has turned out to be a big disappointment.

"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it."

[Proverbs 3:27]

This Really Stinks

George Orwell never imagined the government surveillance that became possible with the development of the computer and the internet.

Check out this news video and see how you can innocently give the government permission to hack into your personal computer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAOBlqUqUZ8

The Fishy Health-Care Logo

There's been some discussion about the health-care logo. Emails were sent to Congressman Tim Bishop and The White House today that asked what the symbols represent.

Graphic images convey subtle -- some might suggest "subliminal" -- messages that need explanation. The thirteen stars in the Betsy Ross Flag, for instance, represented the thirteen colonies.

One wonders what the three stars in the health-care logo represent. Could it be the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of our government? Could it stand for the Father, Son and Holy Ghost? Maybe the Taoist concept of Good Fortune (Fu), Prosperity (Lu), and Longevity! How about Larry, Moe and Curly? Mexico, the US and Canada? How about the military or hotel designations from 0 to five with three being mediocre? There's a purpose for those three stars.

And what's that circle with the three red stripes? The eye is immediately drawn to it. Does the circle stand for Obama or Oprah? Is it merely a container for the stripes that seem to want to wander out of sight? Reminds me of Mexico, the US and Canada or Communist China, Cuba and Venezuela. But, surely, there must be another meaning. Anyone want to offer a guess?

See those faint light rays emanating upward from the circle and stripes that cover the upper globe? Does that signify that the program will eventually cover the earth with the United States as the foundation for the more that 1 trillion dollars needed to kick off the project?

The people seem to be on the US map and also on a distant horizon symbolizing world-wide coverage in the program.

"ORGANIZING" is what the President did in Chicago, right? Who's doing the organizing now -- is it the Legislative or Executive branches or both? Judging from the 1,000 plus pages of the complex bill and people like Congressman Conyers who can't understand it, maybe someone else is working behind the scenes. Who will be revealed if Toto pulls the curtain aside -- another wizard?

Then there's the "HEALTH CARE". Notice the bold type: it seems to signify that the organizing is temporary and the result is permanent -- or "cast in stone". Three words are missing: accountability, affordability and evaluation. Who is responsible for this, how will it be paid for and how will we know if it works?


According to the bill approved by the House of Representatives on July 14, 2009, it looks like whatever funds were asked for, an additional $38,800,000,000 will be required between 2010 and 2019 for Community Health Centers (Subtitle H -Miscellaneous, Division c - Public Health and Workforce Development, Title I - Community Health Centers, Sec. 2101, Increased Funding). Who comes up with figures like these? Neither John Conyers, Nancy Pelosi or most Americans can dream up figures like these. Someone must have had too much Kool Aid when they developed this puzzle.

There's more. Near the end of the Bill in Part 3 -- Advisory Committee on Health Workforce Evaluation and Assessment - reports will be made to Congress by a 15 member Advisory Committee that will serve without pay under the Secretary and Assistant Secretary of Health. Of course, the members will receive travel expenses and a per diem. Will someone please pull the curtain aside and reveal the true costs of this part? Will someone please tell the American public how these 15 people who will volunteer their time will adequately evaluate a plan as complex as this?

Something's fishy with the logo and the plan. It's not too much to expect Congress and the President to explain what all this means.

They're Pushing for Less than a Full Flying Fish

How magnanimous -- Congress is backing off its request for spending over half a billion dollars for jet planes for jet trips for members of congress. Instead, it appears that congress is going to entertain the Pentagon's request for a mere $220 million.

(See The New York Times report at: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/08/10/us/politics/politics-us-usa-congress-jets.html?scp=1&sq=congress%20jets&st=cse .)


Call me naive, but isn't under a quarter of a billion dollars still a lot of money to spend so that our privileged members of congress and their spouses can fact-find and vacation around the world? It seems to me that the $220,000,000 could be put to better use in building shelters for citizens who have lost their homes. The Obama administration and the Congress haven't acted quickly enough save those folks from the toxic mortgage rates that are being imposed through ARM's.

What's wrong with expecting congress to use commercial transportation as Joe Biden did?

Talk About A Fish Story...Everyone's Crabbing About Something!

The choice was between a gambler and a dreamer. The country seemed ready for a change as the founding fathers provided for in the Constitution.

So, I voted for the dreamer. Obama' rhetoric was spell-binding. Most of us were ready for change and we had an abundance of hope.

Here it is, six months into the President's term and I, and much of the country, are unhappy with the programs that we see in the White House and the Congress. These people just don't seem to be on the same wave length as the rest of us. I regret that I voted for Obama. I was fooled and a fool for falling for the hype!

Federal elected officials get a very generous salary, pension, health care and perks and live better than the average American. Few of them have run businesses or practiced medicine and yet they're making business and medical decisions that will tank the economy and affect the lives of Americans for generations to come.

Gongress and the President don't practice frugality but they do come up with wild schemes to spend our money. Bernard Madoff would have fit in very well with our political leaders.

We citizens are reacting to the possibilities of our health care changing, rising taxes and unrestrained spending. As a result of our outspokenness about the fishy stuff in Washington, Speaker Pelosi called us mobs and the White House wants citizens to turn in people who send emails or write blogs that may contain "fishy" information.

History has shown that if the people remain silent, the leadership will use its power to subjegate its citizens.

Pastor Martin Niemöller was imprisoned by Hitler for speaking out against the tyranny of the Nazi power and was sent to Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps. He said:

In Germany they first came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me —
and by that time no one was left to speak up.

Now, those in power are not Nazis but recent comments painting citizens as "mobs" and representing organized political groups are unfounded. The only way to maintain the freedom guaranteed in the First Amendment is to express opinions by attending meetings and communicating through whatever legal channels are available while they're free of government control and censorship. Write a letter or send an email expressing your opinions about this mess.

Flying Fish in the House

The House of Representatives wants to spend $500 million to upgrade exclusive jet travel -- this comes after criticism of corporations using their own jets for travel. There's a big difference in the the way the Republic's leaders live and the way that the rest of us live.

Ordinary citizens using commercial airlines suffer the indignities of searches, waiting and delays or cancellations. Members of Congress -- and accompanying spouses -- are flown around the world by the Air Force in comfort in better than first-class conditions. It would probably be more cost-efficient for them to fly on commercial airlines.

Congressional Salaries
Congress members earn $174,000 per year. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is paid $223,500. The Majority and Minority leaders in both the House and Senate are paid $193,400 each. Our Congress members receive an enormous pension based on their highest three years in office. Go to http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/congresspay.htm. The revelation is as astounding as Houdini's magic.

Reading the Bills

Congressman Conyers moans that it's too hard to read the bills. It ought to be a crime to send someone to congress who can't read the bills and make an independent decision about the worthiness of the bills before voting.

It is expected that these ruling elitists would craft bills after consulting with their constituents AND it is expected that they would read the bills on which they vote.

Contact your elected representatives and ask about the particulars of this $500 million airplane scheme. Ask how they voted and why.

Something's Fishy in Washington

The White House Blog site asks citizens to forward information about emails and blogs that seem "fishy".
Go to the site and see what it says before it's removed for its audacity: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Facts-Are-Stubborn-Things/

The First Amendment of the Constitution says:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

It seems that someone in the White House considered criticism of the runaway government spending to be worthy of monitoring. Forget about the First Amendment -- the important thing is that the administration and the Pelosi House stifle honest dissent.

In response to the outrageous White House attempt to gather data about people who disagree with the health-care proposals of the President and Congress I responded with the following including my name and address:

*****

Based on what I've heard on the news and read in the Wall Street Journal and other newspapers across the country, I've come to the conclusion that our elected officials are playing with firecrackers in an attempt to come up with a health care plan. I don't like what I've learned about the plans and I don't like the fact that one congressman said that he wouldn't read the plan before he votes for it.

Plans for raising the funds for the government health plan are unsatisfactory. We don't have enough rich people to tax. Adding taxes to business will result in higher costs for products and services. The "value added tax" that is currently being debated will lead to higher prices for everything.

We need health care reform but the procedure the government is using and the direction it seems to be going in frightens me.

Government runs the VA health care program and has done a disservice to our veterans -- that model cautions citizens like myself to be wary of it.

The whole process is FISHY.

Bailing out the auto companies at the expense of the share holders was a disgraceful departure from traditional business practices.

The cap and trade fiasco is going to mean higher energy costs for our citizens.

Structuring a level of government enforcers (Czars) that have the authority to enact policies without congressional involvement is a dangerous mistake.

The US administration's leftest-leaning position on Honduras (see The Wall Street Journal, 7/27/09, p. A13) and its soft views on Iran lead one to suspect that we seem to be in an appeasement mode similar to Britain's Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain.

The administration's pressure on Israel is a departure of support for one of the Middle East's strongest democracies and a valued ally.

There's so much to be alarmed about with our current government. The President blames the former administration for the deficits and then piles on so much more in an unrealistic attempt to move the economy. I don't know who came up with the stimulus ploy that resulted in my government sending me a check. Those checks were expensive and the realism is that we all will pay for the expenditure through higher taxes.

Now, the White House has the audacity to turn honest dissent into an opportunity for neighbor to turn against neighbor by reporting them for "fishy" emails.

This is from the White House web site:

"There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov."

(http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Facts-Are-Stubborn-Things/)

The Gestapo and the KGB used that same basic tactic to stem criticism of their dictatorships. What does my government intend to do with the data base of people who express their constitutionally-protected right to free speech and assembly?

Consider this a "fishy" email from a concerned citizen.

*****

Consider this a "Fishy" blog.
It's critical that the administration and Congress get the full picture about the values of their constituents.
We expect our elected officials to read the bills on which they vote. We don't need a bunch of toadies making decisions for us. We need intelligent representatives who can read and form opinions and speak independently. We don't need the kind that can't be bothered doing the job that they were elected to do and for which they enjoy benefits and perks that the average citizen will never experience.

Rep. John Conyers Jr., Michigan Democrat, insulted the American public when he said recently:

“I love these members, they get up and say, ‘Read the bill,’” said Rep. John Conyers. “What good is reading the bill if it’s a thousand pages and you don’t have two days and two lawyers to find out what it means after you read the bill?”

(see: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/29/read-the-bill-congressmen/ )

Hey, Rep. Conyers, I downloaded the bill, reformatted it with Word and took it to Staples and had it printed and bound. It cost me $32 and I'm determined to read it and contact my Representative, Tim Bishop, with questions.

It appears that the "transparency" of President Obama's platform has turned into a foggy San Francisco Bay view. The mist is obscuring the view.

No wonder veterans and senior citizens and people from all walks of life are expressing their displeasure with our representatives in congress -- the people that Speaker Pelosi refers to as "mobs". Catch a spirited display on You Tube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOLs7Cybnqw
Search for: TIM BISHOP PROTEST, SETAUKET, NY (part one)

I haven't had the opportunity to attend one of the Town Meetings but I'm looking forward to the opportunity.

Meanwhile, I'll compose these "Fishy" thoughts. If the White House takes umbrage, the people in charge know where to find me.

Bob