Happy New Years - Welcome to 2009

What Israel Should Do About Hamas, the Gaza Strip, and Palestine

After four days of air strikes by Israel against the Gaza Strip, Israel is considering a ceasefire. Of course the media and the international community are criticizing Israel for this situation with Gaza saying that the Israelis need to stop - that Israel is trying to unjustly punish Hamas, or the Palestinians - that Israel is attacking and killing civilians and is in the wrong, and so on and so forth.

Israel, as usual, is taking great pains to only hit military installations, or Hamas terrorist facilities. They are doing whatever they can to ensure they do not hit civilian targets.

Israel originally pulled out of the Gaza Strip after forty years of presence in 2005, and they did so in the hopes that relinquishing the territory will somehow bring peace. Since then Hamas has launched literally hundreds, I believe the number is 650, missiles and rockets into Israel from the Gaza Strip. Israel, losing the lives of civilians that were specifically targeted by Hamas, sometimes with cluster bombs full of ball bearings ripping into women and children that are designed to create widespread damage and suffering, finally said a few days ago enough is enough - we need to protect our homeland.

As a result, not to punish, but to protect their nation, Israel responded.

The media and international community are all upset with Israel - - - where were these people when Hamas was hammering Israel? Where was the outcry regarding the death of innocent people in Israel while Hamas was launching rockets and missiles into Israel? Where was the outcry? There was none!

Has our media, and the world, become anti-Semitic? Has it gotten so bad that no matter what Israel does, even if it is to defend themselves, they are seen to be in the wrong?

At least the United States, specifically the Bush Administration, recognizes what is happening, and has condemned Hamas for their actions, and understands why Israel has taken these defensive actions.

There have not been any Israelis in the Gaza Strip since 2005, since they withdrew from that region hoping for peace as a result. Instead, they have received war from Hamas. And as they are attacked, and lose lives of their citizens, Israel is then chastised for responding.

My message to Israel is, "Don't give up any more land in the hopes for peace. I know you desperately desire peace, I know you desperately want to get along with you neighbors who are inhabiting land that really should be yours. But Israel, don't give up any more land for peace. Every single time you do so, the response will be as it has always been. It will be seen as a sign of weakness, and you will be attacked."

Far-Left Siege as O'Reilly Sees It

American Troops Overseas Enjoy Political Pistachio Radio

Last night's broadcast of Political Pistachio Radio, in addition to the numerous stateside listeners, drew as listeners over 180 troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. These brave men and women of the U.S. Military are heroes, in my humble opinion, and I feel privileged to have had them as listeners.

Thank you to Capt. Airborne for the help in acquiring these listeners, and for advising me of their listenership.

The Leftists Who Attack Christian Conservatives

Political Pistachio, as a blog, has been operating for nearly three years, and in that time I have made my share of friends, and enemies. A couple dozen far left liberals either continuously comment (and are deleted due to their tactics and/or profanity), send me hateful e-mails, or write about my posts on their own blogs or sites. Usually, when I respond to a statement made by them, it is because a number of them said essentially the same thing, and I feel it needs to be addressed. In those cases, I will respond to it in a post, usually addressing the attacker as a "particular liberal," rather than list the numerous names behind the ridiculous comment or attack. Some of them, in their arrogance, think I am specifically referring to them. And a couple have even made threats against me for not naming them or quoting them exactly. A few have even resorted to uncalled for statements about my mother, wife, and other members of my family. Earlier this year one even resorted to a personal attack at my house against me. Usually I take this in stride, understanding that they simply don't know what they don't know. Ignorance, in the case of liberalism, I suppose, is bliss.

Sometimes, however, a statement made by one of them is so untruthful, and such a dirty attack, that it must be addressed. Gay Agenda dot com wrote about my site: Political Pistachio is a great representation of what the Right is and stands for, as it is a truly inclusive site. That is it includes all the elements of the right and what makes the Right….well, WRONG! On this site, you’ll find a great deal of fear and intolerance. Not only for the LGBT community, but for those of different faiths, including Jews. You’ll find a blatant prejudice against Muslims, and basically anyone that doesn’t live in America (or was born here). You’ll find prejudice against those who don’t speak English. You’ll find guns, many references to God and Jesus, and you’ll find a virtual war against liberals or anyone who doesn’t live in fear of things different from them. You’ll find links to sites such as “Christians against Leftist”, “Gunz Roll Call”, and “The Liberals are Wrong” (you get the picture), and you’ll also find a great deal of rhetoric about “The American Way”.

While the Gay Agenda aims its propaganda attacks at Political Pistachio, and other "Right Wing" sites, in reality they are directing their attacks on people of faith, and specifically, Christianity. But in their attempt to subvert sites like mine with a claim that we are somehow blatantly prejudice, fearful, and intolerant - in reality their attacks resembles many other historical attempts to diminish and ultimately wipe out Christianity. This puts them in league with Nazism, which attempted to transform Christmas into a pagan holiday; and socialists and communists who, while presenting a full assault on religion, literally tried to replace God with government.

Interestingly enough, however, it is the Judeo-Christian principles that founded our Republic that give these peope the liberty to launch these attacks in the first place. And these people must remember that this nation was founded on freedom of religion (rather than freedom from religion as the left may indicate). Our founders recognized the great importance of faith to a society, especially faith that values free will. Without standards given by a higher authority America would be vulnerable to the same tyrannical monarchies and dictatorships that Europe was encountering. They understood, also, the value of a public display of faith so that the morals of the society would be held to societal scrutiny.

Understanding these truths does not make me fearful, or intolerant. In fact, it shows that I am someone that understands the founding of this nation much more than these liberals.

I was especially taken aback by the lie on that Gay Agenda site that Political Pistachio is not only fearful and intolerant of other faiths, but that the list included Jews!

Israel has no greater friend than the American Christian. We recognize that the Israelites are God's chosen people, and rejoice when members of the Jewish community recognize Christ as the messiah, and join the Christian family - a family that belonged to the Jews first - and was later shared with the Gentiles (non-Jews).

Nowhere on my site, as indicated by the Gay Agenda, will you find prejudice against those who don't speak English, either. I do believe, however, that anyone who wishes to come to this country as an immigrant should do so legally, as would be expected of us should we move to a foreign country, should learn the language of their new home. Granted, not all "legal" immigrants do so - my mother in law is one such person who to this day has not learned English. But if I moved to Mexico and called it my home, wouldn't I be expected to learn Spanish?

Let's face it, the liberal left is not about tolerance and fairness - they are about attacking anyone who disagrees with their agendas, and they are about stamping out the Christian fabric of this nation. They claim they are free thinkers that depend on reason, yet wish to eliminate the free thinking of anyone that questions their agenda.

And more interestingly, still, is that they focus their attacks on Christianity, while Islam practices slavery, hangs gays by a noose, and is outspoken about dominating the world with their religion. Why is it the liberal left doesn't attack Muslims like they attack Christians? Is it that in the end, they are really cowards, and feel they can get away with their attacks much easier with Christianity?

Christmas Stress, and the Whole Point of the Season

Normally my wife and I complete our Christmas shopping around September. More often than not we purchase our gifts while traveling, giving our family and friends a small piece of the world we have encountered beyond the rat race of Southern California. The last few years, however, we have not had the opportunity to travel far and wide as we were once able to. So, as a result, in preparation for Christmas, we have been splitting our time between the mall and Wal-mart, and a handful of specialty stores.

While we were out and about I often heard from folks, as I engaged them in conversation, that they were not real fond of this time of year. The hustle and bustle and stress of the Christmas season was too much for them. They'd rather the New Year hurry up and arrive so that their lives could return to the routine they are used to having.

Stress? What stress? It is Christmas!

They worry about the family get-togethers, the interaction of the different personalities at the reunion, the gifts they will be buying and whether or not they are going to be able to procure this year's "hot item" - after all, it won't be "hot" next year (which, I suppose, would mean that it could not possibly be that hot, after all). The kids are arguing, the spouse isn't cooperating, the in-laws are being demanding, and for some reason the idea of a Christmas present has lost its value of "giving," and has become more of a competition for who can conjure up the biggest, best, latest and greatest gift of all. So, for many, it is a very stressful time of year.

Even for those not caught up in the stresses mentioned above, just getting home from work can be a stressful endeavor. Traffic is more difficult to navigate through, there are more cars on the road because everyone is heading off to the next big sale. Then, trying to beat everyone to the sales, or whatever it is they are trying to get to, people drive more erratic around the Holidays. Drunk drivers get mixed into the mess, and so driving in its own right can make this a very stressful time of year.

For many years I was not real thrilled about the Holiday Season, either. For many years I was frustrated during the approach of Christmas. This stress that I held was largely due to the attitude of people, the fact that they really didn't care about what Christmas is truly all about. They care more about getting the biggest Christmas Tree, decorating their house so that it is the most elaborate on the block, buying the biggest gifts, receiving even bigger and more expensive gifts, partying until they puke . . . but, it is not for me to worry about all of that.

The way people are during Christmas cannot be my primary concern. That is not the point of Christmas. The whole reason for the season is something much bigger.

The Christmas Season is not about us giving to each other, although that is a large part of it. Believe me, I appreciate being able to see people giving to each other, even if in some cases the motive behind it may not be honorable. But Christmas is more about our failure as a species. How we fall short of the Glory of God.

We are a flawed species. We are unable, on our own power, to earn God's love. We are just not capable of it. We are riddled with sin. But God, in His infinite love for us, overlooks our inability to be righteous enough for him. He loves us so much that He wanted to give us the opportunity, despite our failures, to still commune with Him - to still have a relationship with Him - and to have the promise of eternity with Him.

God is not expecting us to get our lives straightened out. He is not expecting us to get it right, to improve ourselves through our own power. Ultimately, we can't. But that isn't the point, after all, as I said earlier, we are a flawed species. We foul up. It is in our nature to sin. And because of our sinful nature, our spirits are unable to commune with God. And when it comes to sin, since God is a just God, the sin must be paid for. A price must be paid for sin so that it may be cleared away. And a payment to God for sin has always been with blood.

In the Old Testament the atonement for sin was was the sacrifice of an innocent animal - a lamb, normally. Blood had to be shed to atone for sin. The ultimate lamb, Christ, was offered for all of humanity roughly two thousand years ago. The blood of Christ blankets our sin so that once someone accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they are able to commune with God again. Their spirit is enlivened, hence, the term "born again."

This gift was originally offered to the Israelites, God's chosen people. The first Christians were Jews. But the leadership, the Jewish elite, rejected Christ as the Messiah. The first Christians, those Messianic Jews, were instructed to also provide the message of Christ's sacrifice to the Gentiles (the non-Jew). And from there, Christianity grew.

The Christian faith met many challenges, and it struggled in its infancy. It met with persecution by the Romans against the faith, and against the worshipers of Diana, which are very similar to the modern day New Age movement and Secular Humanists. Organizations and groups falsely claiming to be Christian even emerged, though their writings and teachings did not hold to Biblical principles, and in the case of the gnostic gospels, were written hundreds of years after the events they claim to convey.

The underground Christians, the ones that refused to join the Roman Government when Rome, in an effort to quell the battles between Pagans and Christians, declared Christianity the official state religion, were the ones persecuted. They were the ones that kept to biblical principles, and did not allow paganism, and other outside influences, to change the Christian message.

But what is that message? What is the core message behind Christmas? What does this message say? What does it mean?

I am sure you have heard the story of Christ dying on a cross for our sins, and then walking out of the tomb three days later. But that is what the message of Easter is all about. . . the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But Christmas is about His birth. Why is that so spectacularly special, and how does it tie in to the promise of grace?

Christmas is about the beginning of the life of the Savior. Immanuel, the given name of Christ, means "God With Us." Over seven hundred passages in the Bible refer to the Trinity - or that Jesus Christ is God in the Flesh, while The Father and Holy Spirit (the two other personalities of God) remained in Heaven. The Old Testament is filled with prophecies of Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection - of which all but a few have been fulfilled (those few prophecies that haven't been fulfilled yet are believed to be waiting for the second coming before being fulfilled).

He came to us as a child. A baby. He became one of us. He took human form so that he could communicate God's message to humanity. Our spirits are dead in sin, remember.

I suppose if I wished to communicate with a member of the animal kingdom, I would have to become one of them. Not only to communicate with them, but to gain an understanding of their lives, and enable them to speak back. So it makes since that God would take human form in order to communicate with us, and to deliver the gift of salvation through a payment in blood.

Jesus Christ was born a humble birth. He was not born in a palace, with trumpets blaring the announcement of His arrival. He was born in a manger. A drinking trough for the barn animals. No inn had room in Bethlehem to take him in. Nobody was willing to give a sleeping space to Joseph, and the pregnant Mary.

Mary faced a lot of her own difficulties during the pregnancy. After all, it was a virgin birth. She was pregnant, but not married. The people in her homeland accused her of being unclean. And even Joseph, at one point, was ready to refuse to marry her - to break off their engagement - or at least until an angel visited him and set him straight.

So here was this baby, God in the flesh, yet human, experiencing what being born as a human is all about. I am sure he was capable of knowing all things and bypassing that stage of life if He so desired. I suppose He could have just jumped up and began talking to everyone, slinging a few lightning bolts around, what have you. But He withheld from that. He allowed Himself the full human experience. He was cold. It was dark. He was lonely. And that is how the Savior of Mankind, the sacrificial lamb of humanity, the eventual bearer of all the world's sin, God in human flesh, came to be with us.

That is what Christmas is about.

The sacrifice that He made, and the gift of Grace He offered.

Christmas is a celebration of a change in history. A change in direction. An opportunity for mankind to leave the ancient ways. To not have to worry about The Law as The Law was presented, and all the rituals that came with it. Christ fulfilled The Law. And He did it for all sinners, and for all sin, and for all people.

Christ was born an innocent baby in a humble environment, and died that horrific death on a cross at Calvary for everyone. Anyone and everyone has the opportunity to eternity through Him. But, that opportunity must be accepted. To not accept that opportunity, since God is a Just God, there is a penalty for the rejection of Christ. That is the only unpardonable sin. Once Christ is accepted, all other sin is forgiven. That doesn't give a person a license to sin. Because I love my wife, and because I have a relationship with her, I strive to do what is pleasing to her. And I strive to do things that will improve our relationship. Such is the way it is with Christ.

So while you are out there fighting the crowds during Christmas, or trying to recuperate after Christmas from all of the stress of the season, remember that all of that stuff is not what this time of year is really all about. I mean, the Santa Claus stuff, and the gifts, are a fun part of Christmas, and I enjoy all of that. Having a Christmas Tree, and playing Santa for the kids, creates joyful memories that I will always treasure. But, in the end, that is not ultimately what Christmas is all about. Christmas is about the birth of Christ. The season is about the opportunity for a flawed species to receive a gift of eternal life with the Creator.

It is about what Isaiah 9:6 foretells.

Constitutional Convention, Gay Agenda, Comparisons of Obamas to Kennedys

A little over a week ago Andrea Shea King invited Tom DeWeese of The American Policy Center - and the conversation revolved around the concern over the current threat of a Constitutional Convention being called. 32 states have passed resolutions calling for the convention, and only two more states are needed. According to the conversation during Andrea's Blog Talk Radio Show, if those two more state resolutions are passed, Congress will have no choice but to convene a Convention, throwing our U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights up for grabs, and possibly redefining many of the issues contained within it.

Loki of Founding Truth, and Bill Walker, co-founder of The Friends of the Article V Convention, disagree. They say that the Constitution will not be up for grabs as some folks fear, and that what is being called is actually an Article V Convention - or Amendment Convention - and any changes made must receive 75% of state approval (38 states) in order to be enacted, and no radical agendas can possibly receive that many votes.

Tonight, on Founding Truth, that will be discussed - and I will be there to stir the pot!

Tune in tonight at 8pm Eastern, or catch the archive later, HERE.

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Then, at 10pm Eastern, Political Pistachio Radio will discuss how the Homosexual intolerance of Rick Warren is unacceptable, and how Warren, under the pressure, came back with an unbelievable Politically Correct response. Meanwhile, the U.S. has refused to sign on to a United Nations declaration on sexual orientation - siding with traditional marriage . . . for now. The "hate speech" provision in Canada continues to restrict free speech rights for Christians who speak out against homosexuality and gay marriage. A surprising result to a liberal poll that asked: Should the motto "In God We Trust" be removed from U.S. Currency? And are the Obamas this century's Kennedys? Tune in live, or catch the archive later: HERE.

Peak Oil is Hoax -Here's Proof -Only 11 % of Discovered Oil Has Been Produced

The True Meaning of Christmas

For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given:
and the government shall
be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor,
The mighty God,
The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to our Heroes

Santa is a Liberal, A Special Christmas Story of Giving, and a little politics too. . .

Sunday night's broadcast of Political Pistachio Radio was a fun show. I began the broadcast by discussing New York's Obesity Tax and Obama's Stimulus Package - but then all heck broke loose! Josh P. Allem called in to join Loki and Prying1 on the air, and Josh decided to accuse Santa Claus of being a liberal, and what follows is some of the funniest stuff you could imagine. Then, after that, I read a story by Bill Bright called Marvelous Love. Bring tissues before you read the story, or listen to it read on the air - it is a tear filled story of love, and sacrifice - and what giving is all about. . .

Catch the episode below:



or on Political Pistachio Radio's site.

Humanity Yearns To Be God-like, SoCal Snow, Rick Warren and Obama, Clinton's Conflict of Interest as Sec. of State

Mankind has always wanted to be more like God, even if it takes falling for deception to do so; Storm Drops Snow on Malibu; Rick Warren to give Inaugural Invocation - and the Gay Community is Pissed! Saudis and Indians among Clinton Foundation donors - and Hillary to be Secretary of State: Is there a conflict of interest? This and more on the Political Pistachio Radio archive below:



Political Pistachio Radio

New York's Obesity Tax

New York Governor Patterson is proposing a tax on sugary soft drinks, any fruit drink that is less than 70% fruit juice, and other fattening items, to combat child obesity. So, in a sense, he is proposing an obesity tax.

Patterson's explanation for the obesity tax is that it is essential to encourage parents to ensure their children drink less soda, which is bad for you, according to Patterson. The tax is an 18% tax to be placed on these items in addition to any other tax already imposed. The idea is to tax the obesity causing items heavily in order to curb consumption. Isn't that always the liberal Democrat response to anything they have deemed to be bad for you, or needs to be controlled? The response is always to increase taxes!

If the left doesn't want you smoking? They increase taxes on cigarettes. Fossil fuels are bad for the environment? No problem - increase the tax and force auto makers to build shoe boxes on wheels that may be death traps, but hey, they get great gas mileage. Wealthy? Shame on you. The left thinks it is bad for those in poverty! Tax increase.

The Left wishes to curb your behavior, and control your activities. They want to save you from yourself. The government wants to save you from yourself because apparently you don't know how to run your own life.

I am not arguing that soda pop is good for you. In fact, most of the things that the liberal Democrats want to try to impose on you as being essentially good and should be done by people - - - I basically agree with, but I don't agree with their tactics. In other words, I agree that child obesity is a problem. I agree that our children eat too many fatty foods. I agree that our children, and everyone in society, for that matter, drink too much soda. But it is not up to government to dictate to us how to solve that problem, and how much we are allowed to eat or drink or whatever. Because, however much government does that, all it does is allow them to gain more control over your life. But, it doesn't change an individual's heart. It is the heart that causes people to do the wrong thing. A change of heart is what is needed to encourage people to help the poor, and so forth.

I agree that we should be out there feeding the homeless and helping the poor and helping people that find themselves in difficult situations of no fault of their own. But this should not be achieved through welfare, not through taxation, not through government control. That is what charities are for. That is what having a big fat heart is about. Volunteer your time, donate your money, or whatever. But that needs to be your independent decision. Government shouldn't dictate to you that you have to give to this poverty stricken group, or pay for that program. It is not up to government to determine that you have to volunteer your time. The government has no business telling you, when it comes to these things, that you have to do anything other than what you think is best for you. Now, obviously that statement right there can be taken to the opposite extreme, and I am sure the liberal left readers of this blog already have all kinds of attacks ready for that one.

Understand this: In the end, what it comes down to is the liberal left has their set of morals (relativistic and pluralistic as they may be) that they feel must be pushed on you, and that you must comply to, otherwise they see you as immoral. You must not be thinking about the best interest of society if you reject their version of things.

Once the left begins to dictate to you like that, they begin to control what you can say or do. But isn't that in opposition to free will? What about freedom and liberty? They seem to think that as long as you're getting fat, it doesn't matter if they are compromising the standards, principles and values of this nation when they try to manipulate your behavior through taxation. Who is the government to tell you not to eat fatty foods?

You shouldn't eat fatty foods. . . you should curb your appetite, and do whatever it is that needs to be done. You should be healthy, as a personal, individual desire. But all the government dictation in the world is not going to change your heart, and make you do the right thing willfully.

And notice I use the word "dictate" quite a bit. Because that is what they are doing - the government is dictating to you what you can and can't do, what you should and shouldn't do, and they are going to make sure you do the "right thing" by taxing you. They are going to herd your behavior in the direction they want it to go through taxation. I suppose higher taxes are sort of like sheep dogs. They bite you and bark at you and push you in the direction they want you to go. Higher taxes and government regulation and government control are the sheepdogs of government - and you, my friends, are the sheep.

"Dictate," by the way, is the root word from which "dictator" comes from.

Obama's Stimulus Program

Barack Obama is proposing an $850 Billion stimulus program.

When I discuss with folks the bailouts and stimulus programs that have already been implemented, how damaging to our economic structure they are, and how these actions by the government are opening the door for the nationalization of a number of private industries, members of the liberal left respond by proclaiming these are all the creations of George W. Bush - the supposed leader of the Republican Party.

Indeed, Bush is a large part of these ill-conceived ideas that are supposed to be designed to "save" our economy. And, if he truly believes that these bailouts and stimulus packages are good for the American economy, then he is hardly a fiscal conservative - no matter how much he proclaims that he is. About as close as he ever got to being fiscally conservative was his tax cuts, which are scheduled to expire during the Obama Presidency.

The Democrats were the ones dancing in the aisles and in the streets with excitement over this opportunity for the government to have a little more hand in the private sector. These programs give the government a little more say over how the banks lend money, a little more control on how the auto industry manufactures automobiles, and so on and so forth. Pandora's box has been opened a little farther, and now everybody seems to asking for a handout. States and cities and credit companies are asking for bailouts. It seems that everybody desires to be saved from their own failures.

An $850 billion stimulus package from Obama, however, is very fascinating because one of the chief arguments against conservative republicanism by the Democratic left for the last twenty years, or so, has been the out of control deficit. The large national debt has been all the Republican Party's fault, according to the left, and if we don't get this killer deficit under control all hell's going to break loose. In other words, the sky's going to fall, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Yet, Obama keeps coming up with all of these ideas to spend money that we don't have.

President Elect Barack Obama wants to increase spending, and then proclaims that somehow it is justified because while he is increasing spending he is going to either control the deficit, or the deficit doesn't matter because the programs to save the ailing economy are more important.

What amazes me is how historical data shows that any time you increase taxes on any sector or segment of the system, the revenue goes down. When the capital gains tax, for example, has been raised, revenue goes down because investors partly stop investing in those kinds of investments because they know they are going to be hit with higher taxes - so why invest when you can wait until taxes come down under a different administration and then start investing again? That's what investors do, or at least that is what smart investors do.

Obama wishes to raise the capital gains tax, which will lower revenue. And he wishes to raise the estate tax, which will lower revenue, because it will spur more people to use options like a living trust, or eliminating a bulk of property upon the approach of the twilight years, or finding other loop holes. That is what smart businessmen do.

So, Obama wants to raise all of these different taxes, as well as hammer the wealthy in tax increases as well, which will lower revenue, while he offers an $850 billion stimulus plan.

Do the Democrats no longer care about how large the deficit will be? They used to care about the size of the national debt when a Republican was president.

How interesting it is on how with certain issues the positions of the liberal left changes based on who's in office, and what people in either party are doing. When George W. Bush was spending outrageously it was bad (and I agree, actually - he was a very big spender for someone who claims to be a fiscal conservative), and the left was quick to point out the rising deficit - But when Obama does it, "Oh, it just might be necessary. Gosh, Obama must know what he's doing," the left essentially says. . . "He's surrounded by all of these experts. It's okay if he spends a lot, even though it's more than Bush was spending and Bush's spending record made us so angry."

How far must this go - How far must the liberals take control before the American People realize what the left is up to and cry out, "Enough is enough!"

Rick Warren Chosen By Obama to Give Inaugural Invocation, And The Gay Community Reaction

Last weekend I was in a conversation with a friend about TV Evangelists and Mega-Pastors. He is not a Christian as I am, but whenever matters of faith haunt him, I am one of the people he confers with. I told him that I am not real fond of flashy pastors because I don't think God desires times of worship to be similar to a circus act. The "You're Healed," forehead slapping, healers also fall into that category of pastors I am not entirely fond of.

With that said, I have to admit Rick Warren is a conundrum to me. For the most part I like him, though I am not completely familiar with all of his stances. I have noticed that he is a little less than conservative on a few social issues, but then again, opinions do tend to vary sometimes.

Rick Warren, despite any reservations I may have, however, has emerged as a solid voice for Christianity - so when I heard Barack Obama asked him to give the invocation at the Inauguration, I about fell over in disbelief.

Shortly afterward, I heard that the homosexual community was very upset with the choice of Rick Warren by Obama. This is not a surprise considering how outspoken Rick Warren is about his opposition to the gay lifestyle.

After really thinking about it, however, this is really not much of a surprise.

I personally doubt that Barack Obama has any values or solid positions. He is enjoying playing president, and he has simply not stopped campaigning. He knows he has the gays in his corner, so tossing them aside for a little while won't hurt him, he figures. Evangelicals, and most other Christians, however, are not real fond of him - and he wants to pull everybody together under his wonderful umbrella of "Can't We Just All Get Along." So, to try to pull the Christians in a little, who better to choose for the invocation than Rick Warren?

Yes, I realize that Obama's explanation is that Saddleback Church and Rick Warren, despite their disagreements with Barry Hussein Sotero Obama, had him visit them and give his side of the coin - so why not do the same for Rick Warren?

Personally, I just thought it was kind of funny how the gays began to whine so quickly. It's getting to the point that the only way they don't whine and cry and accuse you of being a hater is if you decide to be one of them and march with them in a gay parade. . .

Snow In Southern California - Hey, Mr. Gore, Where's That Global Warming You Promised?

The temperature is a dropping, and snow, it is a falling, here in Sunny Southern California, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. . .

That's right, folks, the snow is falling, and it is being measured in feet. Granted, the snow is falling on the Grape Vine, and the Cajon Pass (two highway arteries that connect Southern California with the Central part of the state), but it sure is a heck of a lot more than we are used to. . .

But hey, it is supposed to be warm outside, heating up every moment, isn't it? Forget the fact that the global temperatures have stopped rising. . . Al Gore promised me some Global Warming, dang it, and I am cold! Where is that Global Warming Mr. Gore promised?

After all, we have been trying to save the planet, and we don't want to have to realize that all of this war against global warming is a bunch of B.S., do we?

We need to Save The Planet! - or at least that has been the claim of those that have fallen prey to the Chicken Little story of man-made global warming. Despite the mounting evidence that the sun is the primary cause of any climate change (meaning that global changes in the temperature are natural, and cyclictic), that carbon levels lag behind changes in global temperature (meaning that increased carbon does not cause global warming, but that global warming causes an increase in levels of carbon in the atmosphere), and that our meager human green house gas emissions are minute and negligible when compared to that of the ocean and volcanoes, people around the world continue to follow the Pied Piper of Al Gore like blind mice heading for a steep, though green, cliff. "After all," they claim, "there is a scientific consensus that says it is all so!"

In Poland there is a United Nations global warming conference underway - and it turns out that there is not a consensus after all! Over 650 dissenting scientists from around the world are saying that Al Gore's claims, and the claims of the United Nations IPCC, are wrong! And many of these dissenting voices are former U.N. IPCC scientists, to boot!

Could it be that people are finally seeing the environmental hysteria for what it really is? Has the new religion of man-made global warming shown its hand for the land grabbing, freedom killing, government control mechanism that it is?

It is about time.

Obama Connection to Rod Blagojevich?

Friend, and political ally, of Barack Obama - Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich - was indicted for operating a bribery scheme that specifically was designed to sell Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder. Such a political corruption scandal has Obama's political foes asking about connections between Barack Obama and the Illinois governor - after all, it was Obama's Senate seat that caused the stir in the first place.

The scandal carries with it the typical degree of illegality and corruption one expects to see out of Illinois politics - after all, the corruption of Chicago area politicians is well known, and dang near legendary. In fact, Blagojevich is the 4th of the last seven governors to find himself behind bars.

Interestingly, after bail was paid, Blagojevich went back to work as if nothing had happened, and then refused to resign after many people of both parties asked him to do so. Even President-Elect Barack Obama recommended that Blagojevich step down. One comes to the conclusion that he is either very arrogant, or lacks a conscience, or both.

Immediately, after the scandal broke, Barack Obama said he had no contact with the governor, or Blagojevich's office - this coming only a month after Obama's advisor, David Axelrod, said otherwise in an interview on Fox News Chicago. Axelrod, of course, later issued a retraction, claiming that he was mistaken.

But here is what interests me: Obama's vacant Illinois Senate seat was to be filled by an appointment by the Illinois Governor, Blagojevich, and surely Barack Obama would have kept tabs on the status of the choice. Also, considering the close ties Obama had with Blagojevich, you would have thought they had at least had a conversation here and there, regardless of whether or not the exchange was regarding the U.S. Senate seat. The suggestion that Barack Obama has not talked to Governor Blagojevich since the election, to be honest, seems ludicrous.

In fact, I fully expected that they had been in contact, and I would not have been saying "ah ha!" had that come out after this scandal. The fact that Obama is claiming there has been absolutely no contact with Blagojevich, or his office, sends up many more red flags, than if Obama had said something like, "Yes, we've been in contact, but I was not aware of, nor did Rod say anything about, trading favors for my vacant Illinois Senate seat."

But that is the way Barry works. The moment a scandal, or a connection that may make him look bad, crosses the horizon, he detaches any and all connections to that person. But does it seem reasonable that the person who left a senate seat open would have absolutely no contact with the person tasked with filling the seat? Would it seem reasonable that something as exciting as being elected President of the United States would not prompt Barack Obama and Rod Blagojevich to at least have a chat about it?

Unlikely.

Mankind's God Complex

It is interesting how humanity is constantly striving to become god-like. This is nothing new. In the biblical story of the Garden of Eden the temptation by the serpent offered that by eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge Adam and Eve would become more like God because they would gain the knowledge of right and wrong, thus giving them the knowledge of things God understood that, up to that point, they did not comprehend.

In reality, in the story of Adam and Eve, the serpent did not lie to the first humans. They did not need to be lied to in order for the deception to take place. The truth only had to be presented in a way to elicit a certain response, or action. It was an enticement to become more like God. Who wouldn't want that?

The whole point of the Tree of Knowledge was obedience, but most folks miss the whole point.

One thing is for sure, however. Mankind has always strived to be more like God.

In today's society the key word for this constant human struggle to be more like God is "Spirituality." Some claim we are heading into a new age of enlightenment where the next step in human evolution is about to be upon us. Others say humans are multi-dimensional beings, and our dreams are actually contact by ourselves in other dimensions. One person once told me, for example, that if we dream we are flying it may mean that we are a bird in another dimension.

But these same people find a Judeo-Christian God something too difficult to believe in.

There are also those that believe in the power of the mind, and that the human mind is so powerful it is in complete tune with the rest of the body in ways that could lead to miracles. This may be a belief that stems from a story about Sigmund Freud in which he dreamed about having cancer, he interpreted the dream as something else, failing to recognize the opportunity to cure himself. He then subsequently died of the very cancer he dreamed he had. Some believe it was the cancer cells communicating with him, warning him.

I am not saying that dreams are random brain sequences, there may be a meaning to some dreams. Dreams, after all, played a significant role in many stories in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible. But once again, deception does not have to be a complete lie.

But to stay on point, the whole idea that humanity is progressing to perfection is a product of the Theory of Evolution. This movement, coincidentally, is populated by people who are also anti-Christian. The idea of progression to perfection is hardly compatible with the Biblical idea that we are all sinners and unworthy of God's love.

Progression to perfection makes sense on the surface. After all, we seem to become more advanced as a species with each generation. Our understanding of the world, and universe around us, increases with the passing of each cycle. So, with such constant progression, it would seem logical that eventually we will progress to a god-like state. And with that kind of thinking, it would seem that since Christians are diametrically opposed to such a human-centered ideology, those that support progressivism would see it as a necessity to eliminate the obstacle to human advancement towards perfection. Specifically, Christianity, and religion as a whole, would be seen as a hindrance to humanity's evolution - especially those that dare to believe in a Christian God.

But are we truly progressing?

In science there is the Second Law of Thermodynamics which says in the most simplistic terms that whenever something is left alone it will have the tendency to move toward a condition of chaos, rather than order. In other words, disorder always increases with time. Progressive evolution, however, proclaims the opposite. The liberal idea of human evolution progressing toward perfection is essentially saying that our species is moving from chaos to order. But if naturally we tend to go from order to chaos, isn't the idea of progression toward perfection in complete opposition to the logic of science?

For that matter, isn't the entire theory of Evolution itself in direct opposition to entropy? And if we are indeed moving from order to chaos as physics would profess, how did things begin in a state of order in the first place?

For many, the logical conclusion is that there was a creator, a designer, a blueprinter, who set everything in motion in perfect order. However, since that creation, we have been slowly progressing, or should I say "regressing," toward a state of chaos. Toward confusion. Toward disorder.

Anarchy, when standards and morals and order are abandoned, is often the result of such a deterioration.

Without order, without standards, humanity has the tendency to do the wrong thing - "naturally" the wrong thing.

The natural tendency of humans to do the wrong thing is confirmed, from a Christian standpoint, in the New Testament Book of Romans. Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Humanity, however, does not want to accept that. Humanity does not desire to accept the fact that we are a flawed being headed towards catastrophe should we abandon the standards of order given to us in the form of Godly morals and principles. We would prefer, it seems, to be arrogant and believe that we are able to move in the opposite direction of nature, move in the opposite direction of science, and move in the opposite direction of common sense - that we are somehow progressing toward perfection, and a god-like state, in an opportunity as a species to be, well, more like God.

As a species we have become so dead-set on our evolution toward perfection that agendas have been created to ensure it happens. These political agendas are designed to control you, herd you, and point you in the direction of progressivism - as San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom would say, "Whether you like it, or not."

But as I said earlier, there is only one thing that stands in the way of this agenda: Religion - and more often than not, Christianity. In order to become more like God, they must eliminate the belief in the true God. In a sense, the secular humanists are attempting to eliminate the competition.

And for those of you that are religious, but are not necessarily Christian, understand this: The desire of the liberal left secular humanists to eliminate, subdue, or control Christianity will not stop at Christianity. You, my friends, will be next.

The fate of one will eventually become the fate of all.

Secular Humanism, the religion of humanity, is on the rise. The agenda? Perfection. Order. And the elimination of anybody that gets in the way.

Cato Institute Regarding The Auto Bailout

"No" on 2-State Solution

The Inspiring Story of Playing With The Enemy on Political Pistachio Radio Tonight!

Imagine, if you will, playing baseball as a teenager on a farm-town ballclub for fun. A Major League Baseball scout, after watching you play, offers you the dream of a lifetime - the opportunity to play baseball professionally. Dad is not too keen on the idea, but you dream about it anyway. Then war breaks out, and your dream must be put on hold, only to escape you.

After a tour across the world, during the latter portion of your service in the U.S. Navy, while you still dream of the Big Leagues, you are tasked with guarding war prisoners - secret war prisoners that nobody knows about - and you are sworn to secrecy regarding your duty as a guard. You watch them through the fence, realize they are not a whole lot different than you, and out of boredom decide to get a bunch of friends together to challenge the prisoners to a little game of baseball . . . but the prisoners don't know how to play, so you must teach them the game as well.

Imagine a friendship developing between you and a prisoner. Imagine a friendship game being played between the players of the two countries. Imagine that the enemy is a group of hardened submarine sailors from Nazi Germany, and their capture is a part of a secret so secret that you can't even tell your family years later what it was all about. . . but it is a secret that was an instrumental part of the allied win in World War II.

This is the tale of Gene Moore from Playing With The Enemy by Gary W. Moore, and Gary, his son (and the author), is our guest tonight on Political Pistachio Radio.

If you missed the episode live, you can listen to the archived episode below:

Obama's Hands Covered With Chicago Politicians' Fecal Waste

Pay and Play Politics

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested for trying to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder. In a long line of questionable associations by Barack Obama, yet another one has come home to roost. Obama was quick to disassociate himself with Blagojevich with a statement, however, and the media will probably accept that with ease.

Blagojevich is yet another example of the corruption that is Illinois politics. Chicago politics, in particular, is the nastiest of the most corrupt political arenas (I heard on the radio today that 4 out of the last 7 Illinois governors have wound up in jail), in fact - and this is where our smug messiah President Elect was hatched out of.

I have a question about the investigation that landed Blagojevich into the hands of arresting officers, however. Why is it that the investigation was stopped when it was and the Illinois Governor was apprehended before he actually sold the seat? Did the investigators wish to keep him from actually committing the felony? Were they trying to protect other Democrats? Did they stop it before it became too complex and somehow dragged Obama into it?

Blogojevich spent little time behind bars, getting out quickly on bail, and is now claiming he did nothing wrong and it will take a pry-bar now to get him out of the governor's mansion. Could you imagine if he was a Republican? The left would be calling for his head!

One thing is for sure, however; the questionable associations of Barack Obama are finally starting to get through the skulls of the mainstream media . . . or at least some of them. This is yet another example of who the friends of Barack Obama are - and as you remember being told when you were younger by those more wiser than thou: You become who you hang around.

Political Pistachio Radio Shows you may have missed:

Did you join us live when controversial author Hilmar von Campe, a former Hitler Youth, joined us on Political Pistachio Radio to talk about how current cultural shifts in the United States are similar to those of Germany during Hitler's rise?

Also on that episode, Independent Filmmaker Jack Marino of Forgotten Heroes
joined us to discuss his pro Vietnam Troop movie currently out on DVD!

Catch the archive on the media player below:



How about the deceptive global warming agenda, and how it ties into New World Order conspiracy theories? Is there something to the movement towards global governance and secret organizations? Or is it just another tin-foil hat group of theories? You be the judge as we discuss these topics, and more, with Rob Roselli:

Infamy

December 7, 1941 changed America. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called it, "A date which will live in infamy." Americans were stunned that an enemy would dare attack America's shores. The horror of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii that would bring the United States into World War II served as a uniting event, bringing Americans together for a single cause: To defeat the monsters that attacked America.

The Japanese Empire killed over 2,400 Americans in and around Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 1,177 of those deaths were those that died aboard the USS Arizona battleship. That was 67 years ago, and though many people in today's society know nothing about the attack, or couldn't even tell you the significance of December 7th if asked, the memory of that day lives on in those that were alive when America was attacked.

For many who lived through World War II, everyday during the war, in their heart, was December 8th. Men of all ages swarmed the military recruiting offices to join the war, and fight for America.

Women joined the factories to work as builders of aircraft and other war machines. They planted "Victory Gardens" to grow their own vegetables, as many items were in short supply partly due to the war effort, and partly due to the Great Depression.

Through it, after the New Deal failed so spectacularly to end the depression, America worked together to win the war in Europe and the Pacific Theater. And the war effort also served to end the crippling economic depression that had waged its own war against America since 1929.

Twenty four of the 335 USS Arizona survivors are known to be alive. Four of those survivors made an annual pilgrimage to Pearl Harbor to attend a service at the USS Arizona Memorial. This year, one of their shipmates, Charles Guerin who died December 24, 2007, rejoined his fellow crewmen when U.S. National Park divers delivered his ashes underwater to the USS Arizona, as have many Arizona survivors before him.

As with the terror attacks on 9/11, no one should forget the stunning attack on American soil at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Though the memories are fading, and the importance of that day is being forgotten by some, for many it still remains a date which will live in infamy.

A Better Country by Arthur Borden - Book Review

Seldom comes along a book that, should it be read by a large segment of the American population, could arguably alter the direction of American Politics, and public attitude, towards the war on terror. A Better Country: Why America Was Right To Confront Iraq is one such book.

Author Arthur Borden, in A Better Country, does not try to argue against the "Gotcha" points the opponents of the campaign in Iraq have so thoughtlessly launched at the Bush Administration, and anyone who has supported the effort in Iraq. Mr. Borden, instead, takes a step by step, factual piece of evidence by factual piece of evidence, look at every variable that led up to the Bush Administration's decision to invade Iraq. The variables considered include the frame of mind of The President, the history of Iraq as a threat, the Carter Doctrine, the opposition's arguments, prewar reports from U.N. inspectors, prewar reports from the Amerian intelligence community, intelligence reports from other nations, the obligation of America to protect gulf oil from being controlled by a single entity or tyrant, the option of "containment," President Bush's understanding in a post-9/11 world that it was his duty to defend the homeland and protect the national security of the U.S., and compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein constituted a threat, and the ability to obtain dangerous weaponry, whether or not he had Weapons of Mass Destruction at the time of the invasion, to name a few.

In less than 100 pages Mr. Borden explains more about the war effort in Iraq than could be conveyed by thousands of pages of government reports. This compelling book reveals all arguments, explains what was done correctly, and incorrectly, during the War in Iraq by the Bush Administration, and successfully argues that America was right to confront Iraq in an uncertain post-9/11 world of security risks and blood thirsty tyrants.

A Better Country reminds us of the true nature of the global dangers that face America, and how failure to address these security risks may have been a risk that could have placed the American Dream in real danger.

A Better Country: Why America Was Right To Confront Iraq by Arthur Borden is a must read for anyone, regardless of one's opinion regarding the legitimacy of the War in Iraq, who is concerned about our presence in Iraq, and the ongoing global war on terror.

Hitler Youth Warns U.S. Cultural Trends Similar to Those in Germany During Hitler's Rise & Jack Marino, Independent Filmmaker of Forgotten Heroes

Tonight on Political Pistachio Radio we have a line-up of guests that you do not want to miss!

Former Hitler Youth, Hilmar von Campe, sees U.S. culture shifting slowly away from morality and personal accountability the same way as in Nazi Germany during the rise of Adolf Hitler. "I had thought that, as a soldier, I was fighting for my country," von Campe says, referring to his younger days serving under the Third Reich, "but I came to realize that, in reality, I was fighting for the immoral purposes of a bunch of gangsters."

As the Western World incrementally creeps toward a socialist mindset, and substitutes God's moral absolutes with relative and pluralistic moral concepts, Hilmar von Campe says that what we are seeing is a social and political movement not unlike that which led to the Hitler demagoguery, dictatorship, and oppression in the 1930's.

"There are disturbing similarities between the moral weakening of America, which is harmfully leading to an increased dependenced on government, and the rise of Nazi Germany in the early 20th century."

Hilmar von Campe also says that Islamism is following the footprints of the Third Reich, and that our soft approach to Iran's nuclear devlopment is sending the wrong message to countries like Turkey, North Korea, and India.

Hilmar von Campe is the author of a number of books, such as Defeating The Totalitarian Lie: A Former Hitler Youth Warns America (Second Edition of his book: How Was It Possible), and Moral Meltdown: The Core of Globalism. Listed in the 1992 "International Who's Who of Intellectuals," von Campe is a World War II veteran of the German Army, and former prisoner of war in Communist Yugoslavia who narrowly escaped in 1945 - crossing seven borders to freedom.

Forgotten Heroes is an action war drama that unfolds in the jungles of Vietnam and Cambodia. Countless Vietnam Veterans came home to a nation that refused to recognize them properly for their service. This film reconizes these heroes, and their sacrifice which allows us to live and work in freedom.

In Forgotten Heroes, veteran movie actor William Smith plays a Russian General who has chosen to defect to the United States, and is rescued by an offbeat young group of the U.S. military. Maintaining their high spirits, the brave American soldiers lead their Russian prize out of the southeast Asian jungles while pursued by the viet cong and a squad of Russian paratroopers led by the ambitious zealot Lt. Col. Brazinski.

Tonight, the Independent Filmmaker who Co-Produced and Directed this film is my guest during the second hour of Political Pistachio Radio. Jack Marino's film is on sale now on DVD, and 25% of the income from "Forgotten Heroes" is being committed to the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial.

Join us tonight on Political Pistachio Radio.

Sand To Glass

A few liberals (Ballbuster, Lance, Thomas, HarryOne to name a few) have been firing away at me constantly because of a statement I once made in a post - oh, I don't know, maybe a year ago, perhaps less than a year ago - where I used the phrase, "Turning Sand Into Glass." It is an obvious reference to a nuclear detonation. Heck, I even had a picture of a mushroom cloud attached in order to eliminate any doubt of the reference I was making. However, as the subjective liberal left tends to do, they took what I said out of context (or perhaps they simply misunderstood the point) and claimed I was saying something I wasn't.

Each one of the liberals listed above, and a few other minor show-up-and-comment-and-never-return-again visitors, decided that what I was saying was that I somehow glorify the destructive power of nuclear weapons, and that I somehow believe in the use of nukes indiscriminately - that I wish for the destruction of cities full of innocents, that I believe we should just go in there (wherever "there" may be) and just start nuking everybody.

I never said such a thing, and it is insanity that the leftards would even be so stupid as to proclaim that is what I was saying. Not a surprise, however, because this is how the left works. This is how they twist and turn words.

At the time that I was making this statement about "Turning Sand Into Glass," what I was trying to get across, and apparently I failed to be clear enough for the Lefties to understand, is that when you are facing an enemy of such a magnitude you must show them that you are stronger than them, and that you are willing to do whatever it takes to defeat them. In other words, when dealing with an unreasonable enemy that is hell-bent on using violent means to put whatever their message is across to you, they must be fully convinced that "we" are willing to use any and all parts of our arsenal to stop them. Whether or not we are actually going to use any and all parts of our arsenal is not the point. They, the enemy, must believe we are willing to. We must go in with the attitude that we are in there to defeat whatever it is we are in there to defeat - and we are willing to use whatever troop level, any weapon, and even be willing to turn sand into glass.

No sane mind loves nuclear weapons, or believes that such horrible weapons should be used readily and indiscriminately. But, as proven by the Cold War, making your opponent believe that you are willing to use such weapons if you must, and poising them in such a position that it backs up that threat, is a powerful weapon in its own right. If we fail to fully convince Islamofacism, for example, that we are willing to do whatever it takes to defeat them, that we have the resolve and the intestinal fortitude to follow through with our threat - if they don't truly believe that - then the War on Terror is pointless and doomed to fail. They will call your bluff, and they will do whatever they want to the point that it may result in the necessity of something like a nuclear device being used.

This is what happened in Japan during World War II. The Japanese had no fear of us. They believed they were stronger, and that they would be able to outlast the American Forces in a continued long, drawn out war in the Pacific. It took two atomic bombs to convince them otherwise - two blasts that killed less people, as it turned out, than would have died should we have had to invade Tokyo in a long, drawn out conventional invasion.

Am I glad we used the atom bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima? No, of course not. Nobody would ever be glad when people die - or at least nobody of a right mind. I am never happy when innocents, regardless of who they are, must suffer. But, if taking such a drastic action means stopping the slaughter of more people in the long run, then I support whatever it takes.

Once again, I am not advocating that we go in and start nuking people. I am not advocating that India go into Pakistan and start nuking the cities of that country because of what happened in Mumbai. But I am advocating making sure that the enemy takes us seriously.

I remember a science fiction television character once saying, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." I am a firm believer, when it comes to war, that sometimes the death of a few in a quick strike sends a much firmer message than a long, drawn out killing of many more, and will end wars faster.

That was part of the mismanagement of Iraq on the part of George W. Bush in the beginning. He tried to satisfy the left by being careful with how many troops he sent into the region, rather than going in with the attitude that we were there to take care of business decisively and quickly, and that we were willing to do whatever it took to accomplish the mission.

What the Obama Birth Certificate Controversy says, and doesn't say. . .

On July 20th, based on data received on Atlas Shrugs and Texas Darlin', I wrote that I believed Barack Obama may have not been born in the United States and that the Birth Certificate provided for all to view on the Daily KOS looked to be a forgery. Furthermore, comments by Obama's Paternal Grandmother that she was in the delivery room when Barack was born in Kenya adds more to the controversy that has been brewing around the question of whether or not Barack Obama is a Natural Born Citizen of the United States, and therefore eligible for the Presidency.

I don't know if Mr. Obama was born in Kenya, or Hawaii, or somewhere else. He may very well be eligible, and all this hullabaloo over his birth certificate is a moot point. But if that is so, then why has he not definitively put the question to rest?

If Barack Obama can prove his eligibility for the presidency of the United States of America, all questions will be let go, and I will say, "Welcome to the White House."

I would never wish ill-will on my nation, so should he take residence in Washington D.C. as President, I hope the Barack Obama does a fine job . . . but based on his past voting record, experience level, and policies, I think his presidency would be disastrous for the United States.

What would be even more detrimental to America is a president with divided loyalties. This is why the Natural Born Citizen clause in Article 2 of the U.S. Constitution is so important. Only a Natural Born Citizen is going to have undivided loyalties to this nation, and this nation alone.

Now, as the Supreme Court considers taking on the question regarding Obama's eligibility, new developments have surfaced that include the fact that no Hawaii hospital has any record of Obama, or his mother, ever being in any of them for Barack's birth.

The media, of course, has refused to touch this issue . . . and many wonder why that is? Is it because it is a foolish pursuit? Or is it because there is more going on than meets the eye?

And people are hungry to learn the truth - - - my most listened to radio show on Blog Talk Radio was all about Obama's Birth Certificate, and has recieved nearly 7,000 listeners. (Listen to that episode of Political Pistachio Radio HERE). In that episode Dr. Kate of Texas Darlin', and a gentleman named Jack, call in to discuss this issue with me. . . and the resulting conversation is interesting to say the least.

I have invited Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs to join me on the episode coming up this Saturday Night to discuss this matter further. Be sure to tune in live at Political Pistachio Radio.

History Lessons We Refuse To Learn - Roman Folly is Modern Folly

Creeping Incrementalism is incremental change of the status quo that is meant to guide humanity into a "new era" where all the rules have changed, and the old morals and standards are put away. Often, to achieve this progressive evolution, those behind agendas that push for societal shifts increase the strength of government, often at the expense of individual freedom. The societal changes, aimed at making the citizens more "enlightened," result in a loss of absolute standards, and eventually lead to the complete demoralization of a society. Once all values and standards are eliminated, and civilizations follow a more relativistic and pluralistic direction, the civilization crumbles from within - unable to fend off corruption and the eventual chaos that arises out of the uncertainty of what is right and wrong.

Great societies of the past have met their doom after pursuing such a course. But who would have ever thought that part of the collapse of these great societies was also economic failures not much unlike today's.

In short, the Romans tried bailouts too. And guess what? They failed.

Amazing how little we learn from history . . . as we repeat the very same folly. Of course, how are we going to recognize the right and wrong of economics if we can't even keep our moral standards in place?

Hillary Clinton Ineligible To Be Secretary of State

Last week a friend of mine, Loki, and I, were talking about the U.S. Constitution and he brought up an interesting tidbit. He said that if Clinton is appointed to be Secretary of State, she is Constitutionally ineligible.

Really?

Well she has been appointed, and as expected, the so-called Constitutional Professor, Barack Obama, is ignorant of the U.S. Constitution once again.

According to Loki, a Constitutional clause in Article 1, Section 6 of the U.S. Constitution states that members of the U.S. Senate cannot be appointed to civil office, like Secretary of State, if salary or benefits of the office were increased during the senator's term. It specifically reads: "No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he is elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United States which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been incrased during such time; and no person holding any office under the United States, shall be a member of either House during his continuance in office."

During Hillary Clinton's Senatorial term, however, the salary for Cabinet members was increased, and is scheduled to raise again in January of 2009. As a result, Hillary Clinton, and any member of the U.S. Senate, or House of Representatives for that matter, is constitutionally ineligible to serve in President Barack Obama's Cabinet.

So, in addition to the questions in the air about Obama's eligibility for the presidency based on the failure to produce legitimate proof regarding his birth place, Obama is now creating an unconstitutional cabinet as well.

Yeah, we are getting change, all right. Illegal, unconstitutional change.

Note: Loki further stated that Madison's Notes, which he brings up all the time on Founding Truth, explain that the reason for the clause is to combat the evils of corruption in government where legislators create salaried positions, or increased the salary of positions, and then appoint themselves to the positions (as was common in the British Government).

In the latest installment of The Founding Truth, a show I co-host (but missed last Saturday due to a personal emergency) Obama's Birth Certificate was further discussed, and Hillary's unconstitutional appointment was brought up as well. If you missed the episode live, you may listen to the archive below:



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Also check out what I wrote regarding the difficult task of Quitting Smoking Cigarettes!

The Lessons of Mumbai, India Terrorist Attacks

After a 60 hour long assault the terror attacks in Mumbai, India are finally over. Preliminary numbers state that 195 are dead, and over 300 people injured. The Islamic militant attacks were carried out by Pakistani nationals who may be connected to Pakistan's spy service.

India's liberal-leaning Congress Party, who recently gained power in the nation of a billion people, decided to take a kindler, gentler attitude toward the War on Terror - - - And what's the result of that softer, liberal position? Major attacks in Mumbai.

Will India and Pakistan, both nuclear powers, be at war by the end of the week? It may be possible, though nobody wishes to see two nations with nuclear capabilities at war with each other.

The terror in the streets of Mumbai began last Wednesday night, carried out by gunmen at 10 sites across Mumbai. The attackers, it has been said, were trying to search out Israelis, Americans, and British tourists. Indian forces were launching greandes at the Taj Mahal hotel Friday night. Five Jewish hostages were found dead at the Lubavitch Chabad House, a center of Orthodox Jewry. Some compared the siege to the Islamic terrorist attacks at the Israeli Olympic Dorm in Munich in 1972.

The Bush Administration condemned the attacks, as did President-elect Obama.

These attacks may be signs of things to come as left-leaning governments take a more casual approach when dealing with Islamism, and the threat associated with Islamic militants.

India's security cheif resigned after the Mumbai attacks.

When a Recession is not a Recession, but merely the possible beginnings of one

Last Spring I optimistically believed that, due to a few positive construction industry signs, the housing market would possibly rebound from its downward spiral. A short burst of activity, spurned on by the industry builders intentions to close their books on projects by the end of the year encouraged a slight, but short, increase in the sales of new homes in some areas around the country. The quick rise of hope, however, was short lived, and immediately afterward the numbers dropped lower than they had been in the months previously.

I never believed the short, but sweet, activity in construction and the real estate market would eventually become a new boom, or that the housing part of the overall economic picture would ever be what it was during the previous housing boom that came crashing down a few years ago. In fact, I am sure there is nobody that truly believes that we will ever reach that level of growth in the real estate market again. I did, however, hope that the activity I saw at that time could possibly be an indication that the bottom had been reached, and a new steady rise of consumer spending in the housing industry may stop the hemorrhaging.

Earlier this year I also indicated in a couple articles that I believe we are not in a recession, nor would we go into a recession should the government stay out of the way and allow the free market to adjust itself naturally as designed by our founding fathers. That is how Capitalism works. Ups and downs historically have created a roller coaster ride of statistics that, through the natural adjustments of the market, partly due to the habits of the consumer, would never allow the system to plunge into a deep depression as long as outside entities such as the government decide to refrain from manipulating the market in order to save us from such an economic catastrophe.

A number of liberals have been sending me messages and comments calling me an idiot and a liar because, as you have probably noticed, the economic downturn has been steadily worsening, and based on my articles of optimism, and the liberal subjectivity and misunderstanding of the written pieces, I obviously (to them) did not know what I was talking about. They have erroneously assumed that optimism considering a possible turn-around on the horizon must mean that I was somehow predicting a one hundred percent increase in the economy, and a return to the glory days of a robust economic engine.

Of course their attacks are an example of a very typical liberal attitude - always looking for that "Gotch'ya" moment.

I, like any other normal human being, understand that nothing is ever "for sure," first of all. Secondly, if these smear merchants of the fringe left were to read what I wrote carefully, rather than with subjective intentions, they would have noticed I repeatedly indicated that we would be fine economically without government intrusion. Capitalism is a self-correcting system, with mild highs and lows that are exaggerated whenever artificial manipulation by government bodies are applied. In short, any government intrusion through bailouts or over-regulation, regardless of the wonderful intention to save us from economic disaster, is literally turning us headlong into economic woes that even Jimmy Carter couldn't create.

Contrary to what the biased media and liberal Democrats are telling you, this is not the worse downturn since the Great Depression, and the Republicans are definitely not at full fault for the current financial difficulties this nation is facing.

However, if the government doesn't step aside right now and get out of the way of the American Free Market, if the weakest links of the economic system are not allowed to fail and fade away or be engulfed by larger and stronger institutions in their corner of the industry, and if the consumer (and government) doesn't stop living beyond their means while gladly accepting government welfare checks, we will be in for an economic disaster beyond imagining.

On the horizon are worse things than a housing downturn, credit crunch, and rising oil prices, should the current move towards more government involvement in the economy continue.

But are we currently in the worse economic pickle since the Great Depression, as the Democrats and Barack Obama proclaim, and ran their campaign on as they crammed unwarranted change down the throats of the unassuming voter?

Let's take a look at the numbers and decide from there.

When it comes to economic statistics, most will tell you the true indicator of a recession is the Gross Domestic Product, or GDP. This number is the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States. And the Gross Domestic Product did indeed decrease in the third quarter of 2008. . . but this hardly makes for a recession. Aside from a meager 0.2 drop in the fourth quarter of 2007, the last time we have experienced a negative percentage change of the GDP was -1.4 during the third quarter of 2001 - a number nearly triple the -0.5 we experienced last quarter. Negative numbers also appeared during the first quarter of 2001 and the third quarter of 2000. Some may say that those were a residual effect from the Clinton years.

If you compare the third quarter of 2008's drop of -0.5 of the GDP to the -3.0 of the last quarter of 1990, or the -2.0 of the first quarter of 1991, the current strain seems to be a minor hiccup. The numbers after the end of Jimmy Carter's mismanagement of our economy are even more alarming (-7.8 1980 2nd QTR, -0.7 1980 3rd QTR, -3.1 1981 2nd QTR, -4.9 1981 4th QTR, -6.4 1982 1st QTR, -1.5 1982 3rd QTR). Judging by the GDP, this is hardly a recession, and hardly the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. However, in order to convince the people that the Republicans were bad guys, and "Change" was the only thing that could save us, the Democrats had to paint the economy as gloomily as they could.

Some folks quote the unemployment numbers as being an indication of a recession, and that unemployment is spiraling out of control worse than any year since the Great Depression. The current 6.5 unemployment rate seems high if you compare it to the numbers over the last 10 years, even though the percentages remain within a point or two of each other all the way through that period. During the Great Depression unemployment rates topped over 20%, and in some years nearly reached 25%, well above the current 6.5%. In 1975 the unemployment rate was 9.0, in 1982 it reached over 10%. Once again, though the unemployment rate is higher than it has been in the last five years (and among the highest over the last ten years), it is hardly as high as it has been before, and hardly at a point that it will take major government influence to save us from disaster.

My point, I believe, is clear. The media and the liberal left created hysteria about the economy being the worst it has been since the Depression, and they did so soley for political reasons. It turns out that not only is this liberal information not true, if anything, our economy is only experiencing a minor bump in the road and has been essentially healthy over the last eight years of President George W. Bush. However, the bailouts, increases in taxes (business taxes, capital gains taxes, estate taxes, etc.) that Obama has suggested, and other government manipulation can (and will if put into place) send us into an economic direction that could prove to be exactly what the Democrats were swearing we were in the midst of already.

As Ronald Reagan proved after the recessionary years that followed the disastrous Jimmy Carter presidency, Fiscal Conservatism can not only change the direction of the economy, but lead us into years of prosperity. This is why it is so important that we begin now in planning to place Conservative Republicans (not moderates) into Congress in 2010 (as happened in 1992). The last time that happened, during the early 90's, the budget was balanced and the country returned to a few years of economic prosperity. However, if we do not inject fiscal conservatism back into the government, and get liberal government out of the way of Capitalism and the Free Market, then what we are seeing now will continue to worsen, until finally we will wind up in a full blown recession with the Democratic Leadership fumbling around searching for excuses and opportunities to blame someone other than themselves.

Economic Expert Predicts By 2012 Less Toys Will Be Bought For Christmas - - - So That People Can Buy Food!

As the current economic downturn worsens, and experts predict under Obama's leadership we will see an increase in job loss, crippling taxes, and an increase in the homeless numbers, the basic elements of survival will take precedence over luxuries like Christmas presents. Steve Shenk says that it is a reasonable possibility that Santa Claus may be out of a job by 2012 because Americans will have too many other priorities. . . like eating.

Steve Shenk, the director of eFoods Direct, is my guest tonight on Political Pistachio Radio. He will explain how, under the ever-increasing economic strain, we can take control of our budgets and fulfill our most basic elements of survival in a smarter and more economically way.

George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789

The United States of America was founded on Christian Principles and Values. Though the Founding Fathers never wished this nation to be a theocracy, nor did they desire that the government ever endorse any religion, they still recognized the importance of keeping our eyes on the Creator through Christian Principles and Values. As a result, this nation prospered, and became the most exceptional nation in the history of this planet. For those that doubt that the founding fathers desired this nation to remain trusting in God, read this speech by George Washington from 1789. For those that celebrate the Christian Foundations of this nation, enjoy the following speech.

George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; — for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; — for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; — and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; — to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

George Washington

Source: The Massachusetts Centinel, Wednesday, October 14, 1789