By Douglas V. Gibbs
The Baucus Bill has cleared a hurdle (a very short hurdle at that), making its way through the Senate Finance Committee. The text is not available (they made that mistake before - when people could see what was in it they spoke out against it) and it is being shoved through whether you like it or not.
The new health care bill is a merging of two bills, both written by Democrats without any GOP consideration, in the hopes of gaining the 60 votes necessary to guarantee passage, to overcome a Republican filibuster.
Under fire that the old bill contained a public option, and a requirement that employers offer coverage, the new bill only requires that all Americans obtain insurance, or be subject to a fine (tax) for non-compliance.
During the vote, the female version of Arlen Specter (Olympia Snowe of Maine who is known for her "progressive" politics) broke ranks and joined the communists (err, uhh, Democrats) in the vote.
Finance Committee Republicans claimed the bill contained higher taxes, and more government control of health care in America.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Study by America's Health Insurance Plans
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Difference Between Liberals and Conservatives
The following comes from an Email that has been floating around. Today I got it for the third time. I don't know who wrote it, but it hits the mark when comparing liberals to conservatives.
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If a conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn't buy one.
If a liberal doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.
If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn't eat meat.
If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.
If a conservative sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy.
If a liberal sees a foreign threat, he wonders how to surrender gracefully and still look good.
If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.
If a liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.
If a person of color is conservative, they see themselves as independently successful.
Their liberal counterparts see themselves as victims in need of government protection.
If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.
If a conservative doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels.
Liberals demand that those they don't like be shut down.
If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church.
A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced. (Unless it's a foreign religion, of course!)
If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.
A liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his through a government run system.
If a conservative slips and falls in a store, he gets up, laughs and is embarrassed.
If a liberal slips and falls, he grabs his neck, moans like he's in labor and then sues.
If a conservative reads this, he'll forward it so his friends can have a good laugh.
A liberal will delete it because he's "offended".
---------
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
------
If a conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn't buy one.
If a liberal doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.
If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn't eat meat.
If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.
If a conservative sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy.
If a liberal sees a foreign threat, he wonders how to surrender gracefully and still look good.
If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.
If a liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.
If a person of color is conservative, they see themselves as independently successful.
Their liberal counterparts see themselves as victims in need of government protection.
If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.
If a conservative doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels.
Liberals demand that those they don't like be shut down.
If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church.
A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced. (Unless it's a foreign religion, of course!)
If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.
A liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his through a government run system.
If a conservative slips and falls in a store, he gets up, laughs and is embarrassed.
If a liberal slips and falls, he grabs his neck, moans like he's in labor and then sues.
If a conservative reads this, he'll forward it so his friends can have a good laugh.
A liberal will delete it because he's "offended".
---------
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Rush Limbaugh is Wrong About Lincoln and the Civil War
By Douglas V. Gibbs
Rush Limbaugh is usually right. He agrees, claiming a 99.1% accuracy. In fact, I have only disagreed with him twice in my life. I was adamantly against NAFTA from the very beginning, he was not; and a school measure on the ballot a dozen years ago I supported he did not (he turned out to be right on that one, I realized after the fact).
Yesterday, Rush Limbaugh made mention of Lincoln and the American Civil War, and I found myself opposed to him in opinion for the third time in my life.
Limbaugh, answering accusations that he's racist and supports slavery, ventured into the topic of the war that divided a country. He said that the civil war was all about slavery, despite the claim by some it was about state's rights.
I think Rush Limbaugh misses the point.
Slavery was the primary ingredient, and had slavery not existed in America the civil war would have never been fought. Slavery was a component that weaved in and out of every issue of that day, especially when it comes to the war. Slavery was a major topic of political discussion, and an abolition movement was underway in The South as the 19th century ventured into its second half. Therefore, I can understand why people demand that the American Civil War was about slavery.
A war was not required to end slavery in America, no more than a war was required to end slavery in Britain when Mr. Wilburforce was so determined to end the sin of slavery through legislative means. Had there have been no war, slavery would have ended in the United States because of pressure by abolition groups, probably not very much longer than the time it took to kill all of those Americans in the Civil War. Therefore, slavery itself did not cause the war in the United States. The federal government stepping on state's rights (over slavery) caused the seccession of the Confederacy, and ultimately led to the War Between the States.
The states did not secede because they wanted to fight to keep their slavery. The states seceded because the federal government was taking unconstitutional steps to pressure The South out of their use of slavery.
Slavery was a huge component, and the existence of slavery is linked to the causes that brought on the Civil War, but slavery itself was not the cause.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Rush Limbaugh is usually right. He agrees, claiming a 99.1% accuracy. In fact, I have only disagreed with him twice in my life. I was adamantly against NAFTA from the very beginning, he was not; and a school measure on the ballot a dozen years ago I supported he did not (he turned out to be right on that one, I realized after the fact).
Yesterday, Rush Limbaugh made mention of Lincoln and the American Civil War, and I found myself opposed to him in opinion for the third time in my life.
Limbaugh, answering accusations that he's racist and supports slavery, ventured into the topic of the war that divided a country. He said that the civil war was all about slavery, despite the claim by some it was about state's rights.
I think Rush Limbaugh misses the point.
Slavery was the primary ingredient, and had slavery not existed in America the civil war would have never been fought. Slavery was a component that weaved in and out of every issue of that day, especially when it comes to the war. Slavery was a major topic of political discussion, and an abolition movement was underway in The South as the 19th century ventured into its second half. Therefore, I can understand why people demand that the American Civil War was about slavery.
A war was not required to end slavery in America, no more than a war was required to end slavery in Britain when Mr. Wilburforce was so determined to end the sin of slavery through legislative means. Had there have been no war, slavery would have ended in the United States because of pressure by abolition groups, probably not very much longer than the time it took to kill all of those Americans in the Civil War. Therefore, slavery itself did not cause the war in the United States. The federal government stepping on state's rights (over slavery) caused the seccession of the Confederacy, and ultimately led to the War Between the States.
The states did not secede because they wanted to fight to keep their slavery. The states seceded because the federal government was taking unconstitutional steps to pressure The South out of their use of slavery.
Slavery was a huge component, and the existence of slavery is linked to the causes that brought on the Civil War, but slavery itself was not the cause.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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Monday, October 12, 2009
A Quick Sports Break
By Douglas V. Gibbs
Two out of three ain't bad, right?
I am a huge Angels of Anaheim fan. Have been since I was a kid in the mid-seventies. Grew up around Los Angeles Dodgers season tickets my aunt had, and often went to Dodgers games as a result, but I never felt a part of the Dodgers' crowd. I guess it was something about Los Angeles. I was not fond of living there. I felt I related more with the Angels. The underdogs. The team of Orange County and the Inland Empire. Then, when my folks moved out of the Los Angeles concrete jungle, to the Inland Empire, I was finally able to share my love of the Angels with other Anaheim fans.
Yesterday, my beloved Angels won their series against Boston in a dramatic comeback in game three to complete a sweep, and are now on their way to the League Championship Series to face New York (besides the Dodgers, the other team I love to hate).
I have a lot of family in the State of Arkansas, therefore I am a huge Razorbacks fan. I grew up around hog-hats and Razorback talk. I can still remember when Arkansas dominated the Southwest Conference, and moved to the SEC in search of real competition. Their last year in the SWC, after saying that the Texas teams were no competition, resulted every team in the conference beating the Hogs in beat-down fashion that year. Since then, it has been a rough ride in the Southeastern Conference. This year, after winning their first game against a nobody, Arkansas suffered losses against Georgia and Alabama. Then, dominated Texas A&M a week ago, and beat handidly Auburn last Saturday. Best of all, the quarterback is a sophomore, and the team is young, well coached, and up and coming.
The win on Saturday against Auburn, I believe, is the first step towards having a very good season, and setting up a championship run next year.
Ken Stabler and George Blanda were still on the Oakland Raiders when I became a fan. It seemed logical. My father was a Niners fan, and Dad liked the Chiefs. What better team to pick as a kid to get both of them all tethered up? Then, when the Raiders moved to Los Angeles, I became an even bigger fan, attending a few games with friends. I later got to meet Napolean McCallum shortly after I got out of the Navy, and got to talk to him on a regular basis. He sent me an autographed picture of him one year (after I had asked), and I still have the autograph from the day I first met him. At that point, my Raiders fanship was complete.
Yesterday the Raiders got slaughtered by the Giants, and are no doubt the worst team in football. I heard a commentator say today that Jamarcus Russell is so bad that even Ryan Leaf thinks he sucks. I still wore my Raiders hard hat today on job sites, and I am a fan until the day I die, but I would really like to see the Raiders get their collective stuff together, and quit playing like a second-rate pee wee team.
Well, two out of three over the weekend ain't bad, right?
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Two out of three ain't bad, right?
I am a huge Angels of Anaheim fan. Have been since I was a kid in the mid-seventies. Grew up around Los Angeles Dodgers season tickets my aunt had, and often went to Dodgers games as a result, but I never felt a part of the Dodgers' crowd. I guess it was something about Los Angeles. I was not fond of living there. I felt I related more with the Angels. The underdogs. The team of Orange County and the Inland Empire. Then, when my folks moved out of the Los Angeles concrete jungle, to the Inland Empire, I was finally able to share my love of the Angels with other Anaheim fans.
Yesterday, my beloved Angels won their series against Boston in a dramatic comeback in game three to complete a sweep, and are now on their way to the League Championship Series to face New York (besides the Dodgers, the other team I love to hate).
I have a lot of family in the State of Arkansas, therefore I am a huge Razorbacks fan. I grew up around hog-hats and Razorback talk. I can still remember when Arkansas dominated the Southwest Conference, and moved to the SEC in search of real competition. Their last year in the SWC, after saying that the Texas teams were no competition, resulted every team in the conference beating the Hogs in beat-down fashion that year. Since then, it has been a rough ride in the Southeastern Conference. This year, after winning their first game against a nobody, Arkansas suffered losses against Georgia and Alabama. Then, dominated Texas A&M a week ago, and beat handidly Auburn last Saturday. Best of all, the quarterback is a sophomore, and the team is young, well coached, and up and coming.
The win on Saturday against Auburn, I believe, is the first step towards having a very good season, and setting up a championship run next year.
Ken Stabler and George Blanda were still on the Oakland Raiders when I became a fan. It seemed logical. My father was a Niners fan, and Dad liked the Chiefs. What better team to pick as a kid to get both of them all tethered up? Then, when the Raiders moved to Los Angeles, I became an even bigger fan, attending a few games with friends. I later got to meet Napolean McCallum shortly after I got out of the Navy, and got to talk to him on a regular basis. He sent me an autographed picture of him one year (after I had asked), and I still have the autograph from the day I first met him. At that point, my Raiders fanship was complete.
Yesterday the Raiders got slaughtered by the Giants, and are no doubt the worst team in football. I heard a commentator say today that Jamarcus Russell is so bad that even Ryan Leaf thinks he sucks. I still wore my Raiders hard hat today on job sites, and I am a fan until the day I die, but I would really like to see the Raiders get their collective stuff together, and quit playing like a second-rate pee wee team.
Well, two out of three over the weekend ain't bad, right?
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
ZoNation: Saturday Night Live dared to make funny about Obama. . .
and the media is all up in arms:
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Molotov Mitchell: Proof Positive : Confidence Men
Molotov Mitchell addresses the Obama Birth Certificate issue, asking . . .
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Sunday, October 11, 2009
A New American Revolution
By Douglas V. Gibbs
My son, after talking to a number of his friends and acquaintances, asked me about a civil war that is brewing in America. He said many of the people he knows are buying a lot of ammunition before the ability to buy it is taken away by the federal government. He said they are preparing for defending their freedom. He said they fear the Obama-led government is coming to take their guns, their freedom, and their will to live.
I told him that I did know about people buying ammunition like it is going out of style. I have no problem with people being well armed, for the ability to defend oneself is one of the most important aspects of freedom. I do not believe, however, that some armed civil war against Bolshevik-style government lackeys is on the horizon. That kind of thing exists in the realm of the ravings of people like Alex Jones, and I just don't buy into it.
This is not to say that I don't believe that the Obama-led government is trying to take away freedoms, change the American form of government, and that Revolution to take back this country is brewing.
Revolution is a powerful word. Revolution, however, does not necessarily mean "armed conflict."
John Adams, the second president of the United States, said of the American Revolution that "The Revolution was effected before the War commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments of their duties and obligations ... This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people, was the real American Revolution."
A bloodless coup is occurring in Washington DC. Big government socialists are ignoring the U.S. Constitution, and are trying to ram as much Marxism into the American form of government as they can before a revolution arises to stop them. The revolution is not necessarily one with guns and soldiers, but of the people rising up and voting them out of office.
Creeping incrementalism has been their tool, but Obama and gang got excited, and have been trying to inject more socialism into the American government than has ever been attempted before, and the people are rising up in disagreement. This is why the leftist strategy has always been about incremental gradualism. As "The Unseen Hand" by A. Ralph Epperson states on page 47, in reference to the socialist liberal candidate's strategies:
"The strategy is to promise the American people one thing and to deliver another. Never make it appear that you, the candidate, are supporting socialism or are a Socialist, even though the platforms you will support after your election are indeed socialist in nature. And you must never deliver so much socialism that the American people will discover the exact nature of the game and remove you from office."
Obama has stepped outside the strategy, and the American people have noticed.
Leftists are upset, not because he is not succeeding in his transformation of the American government into the progressive model of modern liberalism, but because Obama is messing everything up by injecting too much, too fast.
The frog thought he was in a sauna before Obama, then the Democrats turned up the heat, and the frog realized it was in a pot about to be boiled to death. Now, the frog is jumping out of the pot, and the Democrats are standing next to the fire with logs in their hands, caught red-handed.
The Revolution of ideas against their socialist agenda has begun. I suppose my son is right that a civil war may be on the horizon, but not a civil war like the one Abraham Lincoln was president during. This one will be ushered in by an awakening of the people, and a move away from progressivism by the GOP.
The Marxists thought this was their shot. The American people denied them, and a revolution of liberty has risen. The question is, will there be enough politicians that value liberty to stand with the people?
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
My son, after talking to a number of his friends and acquaintances, asked me about a civil war that is brewing in America. He said many of the people he knows are buying a lot of ammunition before the ability to buy it is taken away by the federal government. He said they are preparing for defending their freedom. He said they fear the Obama-led government is coming to take their guns, their freedom, and their will to live.
I told him that I did know about people buying ammunition like it is going out of style. I have no problem with people being well armed, for the ability to defend oneself is one of the most important aspects of freedom. I do not believe, however, that some armed civil war against Bolshevik-style government lackeys is on the horizon. That kind of thing exists in the realm of the ravings of people like Alex Jones, and I just don't buy into it.
This is not to say that I don't believe that the Obama-led government is trying to take away freedoms, change the American form of government, and that Revolution to take back this country is brewing.
Revolution is a powerful word. Revolution, however, does not necessarily mean "armed conflict."
John Adams, the second president of the United States, said of the American Revolution that "The Revolution was effected before the War commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments of their duties and obligations ... This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people, was the real American Revolution."
A bloodless coup is occurring in Washington DC. Big government socialists are ignoring the U.S. Constitution, and are trying to ram as much Marxism into the American form of government as they can before a revolution arises to stop them. The revolution is not necessarily one with guns and soldiers, but of the people rising up and voting them out of office.
Creeping incrementalism has been their tool, but Obama and gang got excited, and have been trying to inject more socialism into the American government than has ever been attempted before, and the people are rising up in disagreement. This is why the leftist strategy has always been about incremental gradualism. As "The Unseen Hand" by A. Ralph Epperson states on page 47, in reference to the socialist liberal candidate's strategies:
"The strategy is to promise the American people one thing and to deliver another. Never make it appear that you, the candidate, are supporting socialism or are a Socialist, even though the platforms you will support after your election are indeed socialist in nature. And you must never deliver so much socialism that the American people will discover the exact nature of the game and remove you from office."
Obama has stepped outside the strategy, and the American people have noticed.
Leftists are upset, not because he is not succeeding in his transformation of the American government into the progressive model of modern liberalism, but because Obama is messing everything up by injecting too much, too fast.
The frog thought he was in a sauna before Obama, then the Democrats turned up the heat, and the frog realized it was in a pot about to be boiled to death. Now, the frog is jumping out of the pot, and the Democrats are standing next to the fire with logs in their hands, caught red-handed.
The Revolution of ideas against their socialist agenda has begun. I suppose my son is right that a civil war may be on the horizon, but not a civil war like the one Abraham Lincoln was president during. This one will be ushered in by an awakening of the people, and a move away from progressivism by the GOP.
The Marxists thought this was their shot. The American people denied them, and a revolution of liberty has risen. The question is, will there be enough politicians that value liberty to stand with the people?
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
.jpg)
Liberal Media Hypocrisy
The audio is on the Rachel Maddow MSNBC show, discussing the anti-Americanism of Tea Partiers who are dangerously (from the point of the view of the left) screaming for a return to the U.S. Constitution and for the American Form of Government not to be changed over into a socialistic, liberty killing leftist regime.
Wow, how un-American is it to wish a return to the Law of the Land called the U.S. Constitution? The visual, as you will notice, is from the last presidency. Hmmm, where were these worried journalists back then with the vitriol was indeed anti-American and dangerous?
What is even wilder is that these leftist idiots can't recognize the similarities between National Socialism (Nazism), and their own liberalism. Obama's policies of taking over health care, private businesses, and creating a mandatory national service force are exactly in tune with what Hitler was proposing.
Amazing.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Wow, how un-American is it to wish a return to the Law of the Land called the U.S. Constitution? The visual, as you will notice, is from the last presidency. Hmmm, where were these worried journalists back then with the vitriol was indeed anti-American and dangerous?
What is even wilder is that these leftist idiots can't recognize the similarities between National Socialism (Nazism), and their own liberalism. Obama's policies of taking over health care, private businesses, and creating a mandatory national service force are exactly in tune with what Hitler was proposing.
Amazing.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Faith Based Conservative
My Conservative Identity:
You are a Faith-Based Fighter, also known as a religious conservative. You believe in Judeo-Christian values, restoring God’s rightful place in the public square, and in showing all the unwashed and unsaved liberal sinners the path to salvation, or at least to the GOP.
Take the quiz at www.FightLiberals.com
Tort Reform and Agro-terrorism
The health care industry is a mess. The system is leaving millions without care, and the insurance industry is impossible to deal with because of their out of control greed. Costs are up, and consumer confidence is down. The only way to fix it is to remove all profit incentives, and let the federal government control the entire system.
Or at least that is what the Left would like you to believe.
One quick statement: Without a profit incentive, quality doctors will take their business elsewhere, and less above-average minds will persue a career in medicine. Result: Less medical personnel, lower quality care, long waiting periods, and a collapsing health care environment.
There are many factors contributing to our expensive health care system. The solution is not to pull the whole engine out, and then replace it with one that has a history of breaking down. The solution is to approach the individual problems, and resolve them with either free market solutions, or "Constitutional" government involvement.
Part of the problem is frivolous lawsuits, an aspect of the health care problem the Democrats are ignoring. One of the plans of attacks in solving the ever-increasing costs of health care, that has been proposed by conservatives and Republicans alike, is Tort Reform. The question is, however, how can regulation of lawsuits be applied constitutionally? Can only the states pass legislation to deal with malpractice suits that are usually not necessarily malpractice, or is the federal government allowed to place restrictions and controls on the legal field?
Tonight, on the Founding Truth Radio Show, hosted by myself, and Loki, we will take a long constitutional look at this issue. Join us live at 5:00 pm Pacific, 8:00 pm Eastern, for a look into the Constitutional Founding Truth of our nation, and the issues that present themselves.
See you live, or by archive, at BlogTalkRadio.com/Founding-Truth.
Then at 7:00 pm Pacific, 10:00 pm Eastern, Terrorism expert Tim Downs joins the Political Pistachio Radio Revolution to discuss the threat of agro-terrorism.
Since the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, counter-terrorism experts have been working to keep America safe from additional threats. Agro-terrorism is one of those threats that receives considerable attention. A single attack on U.S. farms could instantly contaminate the nation's food supply. . . and affect millions of Americans.
Terrorism expert Tim Downs joins us to discuss the possibility of agro-terrorism, as well as his recent book "Ends of the Earth" which explores such a scenario.
Mr. Downs has been on radio and television programs worldwide, and now you have a chance to hear what he has to say on Political Pistachio.
Join us live, or catch the archive later, at BlogTalkRadio.com/PoliticalPistachio.
The Real Reason For Service To Freedom
By Douglas V. Gibbs
My youngest of two grandsons is sitting on my lap, fiddling with the remote control for the television in between glances at my fingers as they type on this keyboard. He is wearing a new sweater, and a six tooth smile. He is curious about everything, and content on my lap. He loves the dogs, but the hyperactive one catches his attention the most. The walker is his freedom, and his mom and my wife and I are his guidance.
I voluntarily served my country in the United States Navy between 1984 and 1988. I chose to enlist, chose to endure boot camp, chose to serve on two naval vessels, and chose to endure each and every arduous bit and piece of my military journey from shaking the recruiter's hand, to the day I received my DD214.
A number of factors played into my decision to join the U.S. Military. My step-dad, a father in every sense of the word since I was almost three years old, served in the United States Marine Corps. He rarely spoke about his years in Vietnam, but when he did I was all ears. My grandfather served in World War II as an Army Airman. I loved to listen to his stories about the military as well, though some of them were doubtful (He used to tell the kids he punched Hitler in the nose). I planned, while I was in high school, to serve in the military. I was flirting with joining the Marines. I spoke with recruiters, and attended the military class on career day.
College beckoned. I took a couple classes. My aunt, who had set up a college fund for me, was encouraging me to begin my collegiate career at Occidental, but run-ins with the college world made it a difficult road to travel.
After graduating high school, in a sudden fit of obviously displaced urges of independence, I wrote my folks a cowardly note, and moved out, finding a roach-infested place downtown. I worked at a pizza place, lived in a one room apartment, squeezed in school studies (and debated communist teachers), and did it gladly for my freedom. After all, life may have been rough, but I chose that course of navigation.
During that period of independence I got my girlfriend, now my wife of 25 years, pregnant. Suddenly, the choice of fatherhood was thrust upon me, and I took a hold of it by both horns. I enlisted in the Navy.
Less than a year into my military service my beautiful son was born. Three months after that I fell asleep at the wheel of a compact sedan and wound up in intensive care, struggling for life, in a near death tragedy that changed me forever.
I was discharged with a partial disability shortly before my four year enlistment was up, taking with me a pair of Battle Efficiency Ribbons, and a family.
Now, I am a 43 year old man with a wife, two adult children, two grandchildren, and a blog.
I am sure there were better paths I could have taken. My biological father comes from a very wealthy family, and had I chosen to go back to school, life would have been my oyster. Anything I wanted was available. All things were possible. An easy road to a life of professionalism was mine to take should I desire to do so.
My joke is often that I am the only poor Gibbs.
I chose, freely, the path less traveled. I chose freely to make mistakes, to learn from my journey, and to become a construction worker and truck driver, rather than the corporate lawyer I seemed destined to become when I was younger.
When I read things like what Rahm Emanuel has to say regarding mandatory national service:
"Citizenship is not an entitlement program. It comes with responsibilities... Everybody - somewhere between the ages 18 and 25 - will serve three months of basic training and understanding in a kind of civil defense. That universal sense of service - somewhere between the ages of 18 and 25 - will give Americans, once again, a sense of what they are to be American and their contribution to a country and a common experience."
. . . It makes me cringe.
Mandatory service is indentured servitude. Government programs designed to teach mandatory service programs are, in a very real sense, re-education camps. The Democrats believe that they know how to be good Americans better than you, and to save that blessed knowledge, they have set up programs to bring your children up in their image. Children like my grandchildren. Children like I was, preparing to freely make poor decisions that will be the first step in the long journey of their life.
Serving your country falls under the label of "service" - because it is something people do as an individual, independent, voluntary choice. That is true freedom. It is freedom to have the choice to not serve, even if you should, as well.
With freedom comes responsibility, and we are sometimes irresponsible. With freedom comes choices, and sometimes we make the wrong choice. That is the wonderful thing about America - we have the freedom to offend or be offended, to have opinions, to be politically incorrect, to screw up, to do stupid things, and to learn from each of those experiences and become more responsible with time. No text book, or politician, can teach me the character I gained through my adventures in life.
Government believes it knows better than we do on how to run our lives. They believe they know what we should be doing for the common good. But what good is the common good if the individual is gone? What good is the community if the pieces of the puzzle are only acting out in the way the government has decided they should?
And most interestingly of all, Liberals entertain two schools of thought that are diametrically opposed to each other. The free-for-all attitude of ultimate freedom that is free from all morals, institutions, and consequences is not freedom at all, but slavery to undisciplined actions. Meanwhile, governmentalism wishes to curb your behavior into what is good for the state. It makes no sense. Don't smoke, don't drink sugary sodas, don't eat anything with trans-fats in it, but bend over and have AIDS shot directly into your body through unhealthy, unsafe, and immoral behaviors.
The response to that statement by members of the Left at this point surely was "How can you say that after championing freedom?"
I never said you shouldn't have the freedom to be sexual lifestyle idiots, though I don't believe anyone should be able to steal the definition of an institution like marriage, either. I just ask that you, or anybody, for that matter, be responsible, not only to yourselves, but to everyone else. You are entitled to make your mistakes. Your lives are the direct result of the decisions you make, regardless of who you are and what your decisions are. All that I ask is when practicing our freedoms, we take something into careful consideration:
Let's enable those sweater wearing, smile bearing grandchildren the same opportunity when they grow up, too.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
My youngest of two grandsons is sitting on my lap, fiddling with the remote control for the television in between glances at my fingers as they type on this keyboard. He is wearing a new sweater, and a six tooth smile. He is curious about everything, and content on my lap. He loves the dogs, but the hyperactive one catches his attention the most. The walker is his freedom, and his mom and my wife and I are his guidance.
I voluntarily served my country in the United States Navy between 1984 and 1988. I chose to enlist, chose to endure boot camp, chose to serve on two naval vessels, and chose to endure each and every arduous bit and piece of my military journey from shaking the recruiter's hand, to the day I received my DD214.
A number of factors played into my decision to join the U.S. Military. My step-dad, a father in every sense of the word since I was almost three years old, served in the United States Marine Corps. He rarely spoke about his years in Vietnam, but when he did I was all ears. My grandfather served in World War II as an Army Airman. I loved to listen to his stories about the military as well, though some of them were doubtful (He used to tell the kids he punched Hitler in the nose). I planned, while I was in high school, to serve in the military. I was flirting with joining the Marines. I spoke with recruiters, and attended the military class on career day.
College beckoned. I took a couple classes. My aunt, who had set up a college fund for me, was encouraging me to begin my collegiate career at Occidental, but run-ins with the college world made it a difficult road to travel.
After graduating high school, in a sudden fit of obviously displaced urges of independence, I wrote my folks a cowardly note, and moved out, finding a roach-infested place downtown. I worked at a pizza place, lived in a one room apartment, squeezed in school studies (and debated communist teachers), and did it gladly for my freedom. After all, life may have been rough, but I chose that course of navigation.
During that period of independence I got my girlfriend, now my wife of 25 years, pregnant. Suddenly, the choice of fatherhood was thrust upon me, and I took a hold of it by both horns. I enlisted in the Navy.
Less than a year into my military service my beautiful son was born. Three months after that I fell asleep at the wheel of a compact sedan and wound up in intensive care, struggling for life, in a near death tragedy that changed me forever.
I was discharged with a partial disability shortly before my four year enlistment was up, taking with me a pair of Battle Efficiency Ribbons, and a family.
Now, I am a 43 year old man with a wife, two adult children, two grandchildren, and a blog.
I am sure there were better paths I could have taken. My biological father comes from a very wealthy family, and had I chosen to go back to school, life would have been my oyster. Anything I wanted was available. All things were possible. An easy road to a life of professionalism was mine to take should I desire to do so.
My joke is often that I am the only poor Gibbs.
I chose, freely, the path less traveled. I chose freely to make mistakes, to learn from my journey, and to become a construction worker and truck driver, rather than the corporate lawyer I seemed destined to become when I was younger.
When I read things like what Rahm Emanuel has to say regarding mandatory national service:
"Citizenship is not an entitlement program. It comes with responsibilities... Everybody - somewhere between the ages 18 and 25 - will serve three months of basic training and understanding in a kind of civil defense. That universal sense of service - somewhere between the ages of 18 and 25 - will give Americans, once again, a sense of what they are to be American and their contribution to a country and a common experience."
. . . It makes me cringe.
Mandatory service is indentured servitude. Government programs designed to teach mandatory service programs are, in a very real sense, re-education camps. The Democrats believe that they know how to be good Americans better than you, and to save that blessed knowledge, they have set up programs to bring your children up in their image. Children like my grandchildren. Children like I was, preparing to freely make poor decisions that will be the first step in the long journey of their life.
Serving your country falls under the label of "service" - because it is something people do as an individual, independent, voluntary choice. That is true freedom. It is freedom to have the choice to not serve, even if you should, as well.
With freedom comes responsibility, and we are sometimes irresponsible. With freedom comes choices, and sometimes we make the wrong choice. That is the wonderful thing about America - we have the freedom to offend or be offended, to have opinions, to be politically incorrect, to screw up, to do stupid things, and to learn from each of those experiences and become more responsible with time. No text book, or politician, can teach me the character I gained through my adventures in life.
Government believes it knows better than we do on how to run our lives. They believe they know what we should be doing for the common good. But what good is the common good if the individual is gone? What good is the community if the pieces of the puzzle are only acting out in the way the government has decided they should?
And most interestingly of all, Liberals entertain two schools of thought that are diametrically opposed to each other. The free-for-all attitude of ultimate freedom that is free from all morals, institutions, and consequences is not freedom at all, but slavery to undisciplined actions. Meanwhile, governmentalism wishes to curb your behavior into what is good for the state. It makes no sense. Don't smoke, don't drink sugary sodas, don't eat anything with trans-fats in it, but bend over and have AIDS shot directly into your body through unhealthy, unsafe, and immoral behaviors.
The response to that statement by members of the Left at this point surely was "How can you say that after championing freedom?"
I never said you shouldn't have the freedom to be sexual lifestyle idiots, though I don't believe anyone should be able to steal the definition of an institution like marriage, either. I just ask that you, or anybody, for that matter, be responsible, not only to yourselves, but to everyone else. You are entitled to make your mistakes. Your lives are the direct result of the decisions you make, regardless of who you are and what your decisions are. All that I ask is when practicing our freedoms, we take something into careful consideration:
Let's enable those sweater wearing, smile bearing grandchildren the same opportunity when they grow up, too.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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Friday, October 09, 2009
Tonight' Blog Talk Radio Show 10.9.09
Tonight's show on Blog Talk Radio has been canceled much to our discretion.
We will return tomorrow night.
Thanks.
We will return tomorrow night.
Thanks.
World State at America's Front Door
Brannon Howse says, "Socialists don't really want to own [the world] if they can control it. And all they need to control it is a financial crisis that allows them to change laws, inflate currency, and buy stock in corporations. Many elected officials at the state and federal level are Fabian socialists committed to bring about a social revolution in America by deliberately creating an environment in which chaos and crisis can flourish for the purpose of bigger government, and move us toward globalism."
Tonight, Brannon Howse is our guest on the Political Pistachio Radio Revolution. Join us live at 7:00 PM Pacific, or catch the archive later at BlogTalkRadio.com/PoliticalPistachio.
Obama's Freaky Connections
by Douglas V. Gibbs
William Ayers was Obama's neighborhood buddy, and the writer of Barry's autobiography. Ayers is also a terrorist, and co-founder of the anti-American Weather Underground organization.
Frank Marshall Davis was Barack Obama's childhood mentor, as well as publicly identified as a member of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA).
Van Jones, Obama's short-lived Green-Jobs Czar, is an admitted communist.
Obama's science czar John Holdren is a socialist globalist that desires the creation of a "Planetary Regime" to control world population through compulsory sterilization and forced abortion.
Regulatory czar Cass Sunstein has a whole host of quirks from suggesting a new Fairness Doctrine, to government paid abortions, to believing animals deserve "human" rights and should be allowed to sue people.
And then we have the most recent freaky, crazy scumbag that Obama associates with:
Creepy "safe schools" chief Kevin Jennings, who is an open homosexual activist who, as a member and former director of GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), promotes sexual anarchy and the normalization of the criminal practice of pederasty.
One of Jennings' past activities includes, while he was a teacher, advising a 15 year old boy to continue to be sodomized by an "older man" who had lured the kid home from a bus stop toilet.
And then folks want to call The Right racist for rejecting Obama's policies, and the people he keeps appointing as czars.
His freaky connections say a lot. If that is not enough for someone to take notice, I don't know what will.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Book confirms: Ayers wrote Obama's book - Jack Cashill
Obama’s Communist Mentor - Accuracy In Media
Commies, Fascists and Perverts, Oh My! - Townhall, Matt Barber
William Ayers was Obama's neighborhood buddy, and the writer of Barry's autobiography. Ayers is also a terrorist, and co-founder of the anti-American Weather Underground organization.
Frank Marshall Davis was Barack Obama's childhood mentor, as well as publicly identified as a member of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA).
Van Jones, Obama's short-lived Green-Jobs Czar, is an admitted communist.
Obama's science czar John Holdren is a socialist globalist that desires the creation of a "Planetary Regime" to control world population through compulsory sterilization and forced abortion.
Regulatory czar Cass Sunstein has a whole host of quirks from suggesting a new Fairness Doctrine, to government paid abortions, to believing animals deserve "human" rights and should be allowed to sue people.
And then we have the most recent freaky, crazy scumbag that Obama associates with:
Creepy "safe schools" chief Kevin Jennings, who is an open homosexual activist who, as a member and former director of GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), promotes sexual anarchy and the normalization of the criminal practice of pederasty.
One of Jennings' past activities includes, while he was a teacher, advising a 15 year old boy to continue to be sodomized by an "older man" who had lured the kid home from a bus stop toilet.
And then folks want to call The Right racist for rejecting Obama's policies, and the people he keeps appointing as czars.
His freaky connections say a lot. If that is not enough for someone to take notice, I don't know what will.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Book confirms: Ayers wrote Obama's book - Jack Cashill
Obama’s Communist Mentor - Accuracy In Media
Commies, Fascists and Perverts, Oh My! - Townhall, Matt Barber
President Barack Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize
By Douglas V. Gibbs
At first I thought it was a joke, but it turns out to be the real deal. Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" less than nine months after he took office. The committee also said, "He has created a new international climate."
Yeah, a new international climate, alright. The international climate has been marching in goose step fashion to a "New World Order" with King Obama at the helm, and these idiots give him a prize for it.
The idiotic Nobel Peace Prize committee gave Obama a Nobel Peace Prize, in all honesty, for moving the whole world into position to be a global form of the Soviet Union with Obama as "Mr. International Uniter." He is already a narcissistic, arrogant socialist globalist - and now they have propped him up as some kind of worldwide savior.
What they did is reward him for screwing the United States, threatening the national sovereignty of nations worldwide, and introducing socialism into a country (America) that nobody thought would ever bend over and take it as has the United States under Barack Obama.
Then again, this is no surprise. After all, they did give a Nobel Peace Prize to Al Gore for his work in the field of imaginary manmade global warming, and to Yasser Arafat in 1994 for being less of a piece of crap Islamic terrorist than usual.
Who's next? Fidel Castro because Michael Moore says that communist dictatorships have wonderful health care? Osama bin Laden for successfully hiding out in a cave? Kim Jong Il for his contribution to uniting eastern Asia in fear of the nuclear little guy? Might as well give the entire Muslim ideology a Nobel Peace Prize for their restraint in only terrorizing Israel, but not successfully achieving their goal of wiping Israel off the face of the Earth. (sarcasm of course)
Obama's win of this Nobel Peace Prize is just further evidence of the deterioration of the committee into a socialist regime that plays favorites when more deserving humanitarians and achievers of peace deserve the award.
Makes me sick that they gave it to an egotistical, arrogant narcissist like Obama. Now he'll really be strutting around on Late Night Talk Shows, thinking he's the cat's meow.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Barack Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize - New York Times
At first I thought it was a joke, but it turns out to be the real deal. Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" less than nine months after he took office. The committee also said, "He has created a new international climate."
Yeah, a new international climate, alright. The international climate has been marching in goose step fashion to a "New World Order" with King Obama at the helm, and these idiots give him a prize for it.
The idiotic Nobel Peace Prize committee gave Obama a Nobel Peace Prize, in all honesty, for moving the whole world into position to be a global form of the Soviet Union with Obama as "Mr. International Uniter." He is already a narcissistic, arrogant socialist globalist - and now they have propped him up as some kind of worldwide savior.
What they did is reward him for screwing the United States, threatening the national sovereignty of nations worldwide, and introducing socialism into a country (America) that nobody thought would ever bend over and take it as has the United States under Barack Obama.
Then again, this is no surprise. After all, they did give a Nobel Peace Prize to Al Gore for his work in the field of imaginary manmade global warming, and to Yasser Arafat in 1994 for being less of a piece of crap Islamic terrorist than usual.
Who's next? Fidel Castro because Michael Moore says that communist dictatorships have wonderful health care? Osama bin Laden for successfully hiding out in a cave? Kim Jong Il for his contribution to uniting eastern Asia in fear of the nuclear little guy? Might as well give the entire Muslim ideology a Nobel Peace Prize for their restraint in only terrorizing Israel, but not successfully achieving their goal of wiping Israel off the face of the Earth. (sarcasm of course)
Obama's win of this Nobel Peace Prize is just further evidence of the deterioration of the committee into a socialist regime that plays favorites when more deserving humanitarians and achievers of peace deserve the award.
Makes me sick that they gave it to an egotistical, arrogant narcissist like Obama. Now he'll really be strutting around on Late Night Talk Shows, thinking he's the cat's meow.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Barack Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize - New York Times
Water Main Breaks Plague Los Angeles During Mandatory Water Conservation
By Douglas V. Gibbs
Thirty water main breaks have occurred in Los Angeles since September first, and that is not even counting the dozen or so water main breaks in the surrounding cities. The "major blowouts" have affected customers, caused street closures and flooding, required significant street repairs and have generated media attention.
I remember a couple times sink-holes caused by water main breaks dropping fire trucks into the street, leaving the vehicles almost verticle.
Strangely, we are suffering a larger rash of water main breaks than usual, and it is coincidentally happening at the worst possible time - during a drought that has us under mandatory water conservation.
As the water mains break, and the water levels reach critical levels, the quality of water is also deteriorating.
But the State of California is broke after decades of leftist politics (including the Republicans who also have been "tax and spend" politicians).
And we thought Tijuana water (and politics) was bad. . .
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Map of Los Angeles water main breaks - Los Angeles Times
2 more water main breaks flood streets - KABC TV Channel 7 News, Los Angeles
Interactive map: Water main breaks in Los Angeles during September 2009 - KABC TV Channel 7 News, Los Angeles
L.A.: Don't Drink the Water - LA Weekly, Los Angeles Blog
Thirty water main breaks have occurred in Los Angeles since September first, and that is not even counting the dozen or so water main breaks in the surrounding cities. The "major blowouts" have affected customers, caused street closures and flooding, required significant street repairs and have generated media attention.
I remember a couple times sink-holes caused by water main breaks dropping fire trucks into the street, leaving the vehicles almost verticle.
Strangely, we are suffering a larger rash of water main breaks than usual, and it is coincidentally happening at the worst possible time - during a drought that has us under mandatory water conservation.
As the water mains break, and the water levels reach critical levels, the quality of water is also deteriorating.
But the State of California is broke after decades of leftist politics (including the Republicans who also have been "tax and spend" politicians).
And we thought Tijuana water (and politics) was bad. . .
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Map of Los Angeles water main breaks - Los Angeles Times
2 more water main breaks flood streets - KABC TV Channel 7 News, Los Angeles
Interactive map: Water main breaks in Los Angeles during September 2009 - KABC TV Channel 7 News, Los Angeles
L.A.: Don't Drink the Water - LA Weekly, Los Angeles Blog
Thursday, October 08, 2009
TBS Fouls Up Baseball Playoffs
By Douglas V. Gibbs
As technology improves, the strangest foul-ups appear. In the case of game 1 of the Division Playoff Series between the Angels and Red Sox, in the Los Angeles market advertisements kept starting during play, interrupting the game. Up to the fourth inning, the mistake happened three times. Then, during a planned commercial break, the whole series of commercials got messed up, and a couple advertisements did not play through completion, followed up by a momentary black screen.
If TBS, or the local tech-people for TBS, can't get it right, maybe they are not the right choice for televising an important sporting event like Major League Baseball's division series playoffs.
Get it right, or be replaced with a network that will.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
As technology improves, the strangest foul-ups appear. In the case of game 1 of the Division Playoff Series between the Angels and Red Sox, in the Los Angeles market advertisements kept starting during play, interrupting the game. Up to the fourth inning, the mistake happened three times. Then, during a planned commercial break, the whole series of commercials got messed up, and a couple advertisements did not play through completion, followed up by a momentary black screen.
If TBS, or the local tech-people for TBS, can't get it right, maybe they are not the right choice for televising an important sporting event like Major League Baseball's division series playoffs.
Get it right, or be replaced with a network that will.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Assassin Hybrids Too Quiet
By Douglas V. Gibbs
In electric mode, which is when a hybrid idles or cruises at less than 15 miles per hour, hybrid cars are very quiet. Too quiet, according to the National Federation of the Blind. The silent vehicles are being called a danger to the blind, and it is being demanded that the vehicles make more noise.
In short, for the safety of those that require being able to hear a vehicle in order to realize its presence, engineers are considering making hybrids more audible with artificial sounds.
Because we are conditioned to hear a motor when a vehicle is near, the suggestions primarily revolve around giving these cars a, well, car noise.
It seems interesting that after decades of trying to make cars quiet, it turns out they've become too quiet, and now need noises added for safety.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
The Deadly Silence of the Electric Car - Washington Post
In electric mode, which is when a hybrid idles or cruises at less than 15 miles per hour, hybrid cars are very quiet. Too quiet, according to the National Federation of the Blind. The silent vehicles are being called a danger to the blind, and it is being demanded that the vehicles make more noise.
In short, for the safety of those that require being able to hear a vehicle in order to realize its presence, engineers are considering making hybrids more audible with artificial sounds.
Because we are conditioned to hear a motor when a vehicle is near, the suggestions primarily revolve around giving these cars a, well, car noise.
It seems interesting that after decades of trying to make cars quiet, it turns out they've become too quiet, and now need noises added for safety.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
The Deadly Silence of the Electric Car - Washington Post
Angels of Anaheim: Playing For Nick Adenhart, and Jon Wilhite
By Douglas V. Gibbs
During the first week of the 2009 baseball season a rookie pitcher for the American League West Division Champions Angels of Anaheim was killed in a tragic auto accident. Nick Adenhart had pitched the game of his life, and on the way to celebrating with his friends, Nick, and three others in a vehicle with him, were hit by a drunk driver.
Number 34 adornes the left breast of the Angels' uniform, and Adenhart's jersey sits in the dugout with the players. Nick Adenhart's image is portrayed on the centerfield wall. The Angels are playing their hearts out for their fallen teammate. This post-season is about more than just winning, for the Angels of Anaheim.
From the tragedy arose a miracle beyond imagination. The miracle also resides in the hearts of the Angels. The miracle's name is Jon Wilhite.
Jon was the fourth passenger in the vehicle that Nick Adenhart died in. Wilhite suffered an internal decapitation. Only his neck muscles and skin held his head on his shoulders as the demolished vehicle came to rest on the highway. Rescuers peeled back the roof of the vehicle to get to him, and were able to transport him without enabling further damage.
Wilhite should be unable to take care of himself, considering his injuries. But six months after the near fatal accident he is walking, talking, lifting weights, jogging, and smiling as he participates in the celebrations for the Angels at his parent's home in Murrieta, California (coincidentally, my hometown as well).
Playing baseball is a part of what saved Jon Wilhite's life. The strong muscles in Jon's neck contributed to his head remaining on his shoulders. 95% of people who suffer internal decapitation die immediately. Of the remaining, almost all either die, or become quadriplegics.
During the healing process, Jon gets tired really quick, but his spirits remain high, and his determination keeps him moving forward. One thing is for sure: Nick Adenhart remains with Jon, and both Jon and Nick are in the hearts of the Angels.
Today, the Angels begin their post-season journey toward the World Series. And yes, they are playing for a chance for a world championship - but even more, the Angels of Anaheim are playing for Nick Adenhart, and Jon Wilhite.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
After the Adenhart Tragedy, an Angels Miracle - Time, Kevin O'Leary
During the first week of the 2009 baseball season a rookie pitcher for the American League West Division Champions Angels of Anaheim was killed in a tragic auto accident. Nick Adenhart had pitched the game of his life, and on the way to celebrating with his friends, Nick, and three others in a vehicle with him, were hit by a drunk driver.
Number 34 adornes the left breast of the Angels' uniform, and Adenhart's jersey sits in the dugout with the players. Nick Adenhart's image is portrayed on the centerfield wall. The Angels are playing their hearts out for their fallen teammate. This post-season is about more than just winning, for the Angels of Anaheim.
From the tragedy arose a miracle beyond imagination. The miracle also resides in the hearts of the Angels. The miracle's name is Jon Wilhite.
Jon was the fourth passenger in the vehicle that Nick Adenhart died in. Wilhite suffered an internal decapitation. Only his neck muscles and skin held his head on his shoulders as the demolished vehicle came to rest on the highway. Rescuers peeled back the roof of the vehicle to get to him, and were able to transport him without enabling further damage.
Wilhite should be unable to take care of himself, considering his injuries. But six months after the near fatal accident he is walking, talking, lifting weights, jogging, and smiling as he participates in the celebrations for the Angels at his parent's home in Murrieta, California (coincidentally, my hometown as well).
Playing baseball is a part of what saved Jon Wilhite's life. The strong muscles in Jon's neck contributed to his head remaining on his shoulders. 95% of people who suffer internal decapitation die immediately. Of the remaining, almost all either die, or become quadriplegics.
During the healing process, Jon gets tired really quick, but his spirits remain high, and his determination keeps him moving forward. One thing is for sure: Nick Adenhart remains with Jon, and both Jon and Nick are in the hearts of the Angels.
Today, the Angels begin their post-season journey toward the World Series. And yes, they are playing for a chance for a world championship - but even more, the Angels of Anaheim are playing for Nick Adenhart, and Jon Wilhite.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
After the Adenhart Tragedy, an Angels Miracle - Time, Kevin O'Leary
Newt on a Brewing Health Care Bill Scandal in the Senate
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Afghanistan Eight Year Anniversary Filled With Questions
By Douglas V. Gibbs
When former President George W. Bush launched the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan merely four weeks after the terrorist attacks against America on September 11, 2001, the Taliban had a stranglehold on the country of Afghanistan, and al-Qaeda was using the region as a base for their terrorist activities. The Taliban was dispatched, and al-Qaeda vanished into the hills, as American troops took root. The goal was for Afghanistan to no longer be a safe haven for Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida terrorists. As the war on terror broadened into Iraq, Osama bin Laden is believed to have retreated to the countryside along the Afghanistan border with Pakistan. Osama was never caught, and remains to this day at large. Some even suggest that Osama bin Laden is dead, though no such report has ever been confirmed.
Eight years later Afghanistan is Barack Obama's war, and despite tough talk during his presidential campaign, the Democrat is not sure what to do with the increasingly unpopular conflict. His military advisers recommend increasing troop numbers, and a year ago Obama pledged to listen to his generals, as well as ensure an adequate number of personnel is in the "right war." However, now Obama questions whether or not to add troops, though he has readily indicated that U.S. troops will remain in Afghanistan with no pull out date on the table in the near future.
Robert Gibbs, Obama's Press Secretary, recently told reporters that the White House is taking care to make the decisions regarding Afghanistan carefully. Defense Secretary Robert Gates echoed Gibbs', saying, "It is important that we take our time to do all we can to get this right. In this process, it is imperative that all of us taking part in these deliberations - civilians and military alike - provide our best advice to the president candidly but privately."
A recent Taliban assault on a remote U.S. outpost where troop numbers are stretched thin, killing eight American soldiers over the weekend, added to the pressure, and served as fuel for renewed cries by some anti-war voices. General McChrystal, the top Afghanistan commander, is asking for up to 40,000 additional personnel.
A number of American media outlets are reporting that the Taliban regime is a shell of what it once was, and that al-Qaeda is scattered and weakened. Nonetheless, with a weak Afghan government in place, the insurgents still believe they can retake control over Afghanistan with continued attacks.
Interestingly enough, only a year ago the Democrats were proclaiming that our very presence in the Middle East was encouraging terrorism, and was stimulating the breeding of anti-American hatred, while increasing terrorist activity. Suddenly, with a Democratic president in the White House, the press now wishes us to believe that though we still remain in Iraq, and are considering increasing the number of troops in Afghanistan, suddenly the terrorists are weak and dwindling in number. Do the terrorists pay that close of attention to American politics? Is the presidency of Obama magically making them suddenly weaken and drop in numbers, while their anger at Bush made them strengthen and increase in numbers only a year ago with a Republican President?
I would suggest that Islamists don't care who the President of the United States is. They hate the "Great Satan" regardless of the leadership, and will not set aside their desire to topple and dominate America until the day comes that they succeed (not that I am suggesting such success by the Islamic Jihad is in the cards).
One thing is for sure, this war has lasted longer than originally envisioned, and the 800 lives lost is more than imagined possible. Clearly, the conditions of the war have not changed, with little progress evident. The United States may be falling into the same trap that Russia fell into. The terrain is unmanageable, and the scenario is very different than Iraq's, meaning that an increase in troop levels may not be the cure-all for the difficulties in the conflict.
If the reports by the press are true about the Taliban's increasing inability to be a danger to the world, and al-Qaeda's rapidly weakening position, one wonders if remaining in Afghanistan should be considered at all. Obama has made it clear that he is not looking for victory in the region, and that his only intent is to keep al-Qaeda from using the region as a safe haven. If al-Qaeda is so weak, and they are on the run, then why continue such a strong presence in the region? Why not follow al-Qaeda to where they've run to?
The answer brings Pakistan into the picture, and though Obama talked tough about Pakistan during his presidential campaign, a move into that country at this juncture could prove disastrous considering Pakistan's nuclear capabilities in play, Iran's defiance, and the delicate state of Iraq.
In the end, I don't think Obama is taking his time to make these decisions because he is trying to be careful to make the right decision. I believe Obama simply does not know what to do, and is trying to buy time in the hopes that the answer will reveal itself to him through a yet unrevealed international event.
Remember, this leadership thing is something new to Mr. Obama. He's a campaigner and a community organizer, not a commander in chief.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Obama, advisers weigh Afghanistan shift, Pakistan - SFGate, Jennifer Loven
8 years in, Obama weighs Afghanistan options - Breitbart, Ben Feller
White House: US won't pull out of Afghanistan - Forbes, Anne Gearan and Lara Jakes
Afghanistan - 8 Years Too Long! - Washington Peace Center
Afghan Taliban say they pose no threat to the West - Reuters/Yahoo News, Sayed Salahuddin
When former President George W. Bush launched the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan merely four weeks after the terrorist attacks against America on September 11, 2001, the Taliban had a stranglehold on the country of Afghanistan, and al-Qaeda was using the region as a base for their terrorist activities. The Taliban was dispatched, and al-Qaeda vanished into the hills, as American troops took root. The goal was for Afghanistan to no longer be a safe haven for Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida terrorists. As the war on terror broadened into Iraq, Osama bin Laden is believed to have retreated to the countryside along the Afghanistan border with Pakistan. Osama was never caught, and remains to this day at large. Some even suggest that Osama bin Laden is dead, though no such report has ever been confirmed.
Eight years later Afghanistan is Barack Obama's war, and despite tough talk during his presidential campaign, the Democrat is not sure what to do with the increasingly unpopular conflict. His military advisers recommend increasing troop numbers, and a year ago Obama pledged to listen to his generals, as well as ensure an adequate number of personnel is in the "right war." However, now Obama questions whether or not to add troops, though he has readily indicated that U.S. troops will remain in Afghanistan with no pull out date on the table in the near future.
Robert Gibbs, Obama's Press Secretary, recently told reporters that the White House is taking care to make the decisions regarding Afghanistan carefully. Defense Secretary Robert Gates echoed Gibbs', saying, "It is important that we take our time to do all we can to get this right. In this process, it is imperative that all of us taking part in these deliberations - civilians and military alike - provide our best advice to the president candidly but privately."
A recent Taliban assault on a remote U.S. outpost where troop numbers are stretched thin, killing eight American soldiers over the weekend, added to the pressure, and served as fuel for renewed cries by some anti-war voices. General McChrystal, the top Afghanistan commander, is asking for up to 40,000 additional personnel.
A number of American media outlets are reporting that the Taliban regime is a shell of what it once was, and that al-Qaeda is scattered and weakened. Nonetheless, with a weak Afghan government in place, the insurgents still believe they can retake control over Afghanistan with continued attacks.
Interestingly enough, only a year ago the Democrats were proclaiming that our very presence in the Middle East was encouraging terrorism, and was stimulating the breeding of anti-American hatred, while increasing terrorist activity. Suddenly, with a Democratic president in the White House, the press now wishes us to believe that though we still remain in Iraq, and are considering increasing the number of troops in Afghanistan, suddenly the terrorists are weak and dwindling in number. Do the terrorists pay that close of attention to American politics? Is the presidency of Obama magically making them suddenly weaken and drop in numbers, while their anger at Bush made them strengthen and increase in numbers only a year ago with a Republican President?
I would suggest that Islamists don't care who the President of the United States is. They hate the "Great Satan" regardless of the leadership, and will not set aside their desire to topple and dominate America until the day comes that they succeed (not that I am suggesting such success by the Islamic Jihad is in the cards).
One thing is for sure, this war has lasted longer than originally envisioned, and the 800 lives lost is more than imagined possible. Clearly, the conditions of the war have not changed, with little progress evident. The United States may be falling into the same trap that Russia fell into. The terrain is unmanageable, and the scenario is very different than Iraq's, meaning that an increase in troop levels may not be the cure-all for the difficulties in the conflict.
If the reports by the press are true about the Taliban's increasing inability to be a danger to the world, and al-Qaeda's rapidly weakening position, one wonders if remaining in Afghanistan should be considered at all. Obama has made it clear that he is not looking for victory in the region, and that his only intent is to keep al-Qaeda from using the region as a safe haven. If al-Qaeda is so weak, and they are on the run, then why continue such a strong presence in the region? Why not follow al-Qaeda to where they've run to?
The answer brings Pakistan into the picture, and though Obama talked tough about Pakistan during his presidential campaign, a move into that country at this juncture could prove disastrous considering Pakistan's nuclear capabilities in play, Iran's defiance, and the delicate state of Iraq.
In the end, I don't think Obama is taking his time to make these decisions because he is trying to be careful to make the right decision. I believe Obama simply does not know what to do, and is trying to buy time in the hopes that the answer will reveal itself to him through a yet unrevealed international event.
Remember, this leadership thing is something new to Mr. Obama. He's a campaigner and a community organizer, not a commander in chief.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Obama, advisers weigh Afghanistan shift, Pakistan - SFGate, Jennifer Loven
8 years in, Obama weighs Afghanistan options - Breitbart, Ben Feller
White House: US won't pull out of Afghanistan - Forbes, Anne Gearan and Lara Jakes
Afghanistan - 8 Years Too Long! - Washington Peace Center
Afghan Taliban say they pose no threat to the West - Reuters/Yahoo News, Sayed Salahuddin
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