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REQUIEM

Below are the two final essays to be posted on Allegiance and Duty Betrayed. The first one is written by a friend -- screen name 'Euro-American Scum' -- who, over the past four years, has been the most faithful essayist here. He has written about everything from his pilgrimage to Normandy in 2004 to take part in the 60th–year commemoration of the invasion, to his memories of his tour in Vietnam. His dedication to America’s founding principles ... and those who have sacrificed to preserve them over the past 200+ years ... is unequaled. Thank you, E-A-S. It has been a privilege to include your writing here, and it is a privilege to call you my friend.

The second essay is my own farewell. And with it I thank all of the many regular visitors, and those who may have only dropped in occasionally, for coming here. I hope you learned something. I hope a seed or two was planted. But, even if not, I thank you for stopping by ... 25 March, 2010

7/20/2008

Saint Barack and the Missus

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Just a few brief comments on a couple of recent statements uttered by Saint Obama and his attractive, classy, brilliant, scholarly, accomplished, mother-of-the-year (the fair-and-balanced media can’t be wrong, can they?) wife.

Since Obama’s campaign for the presidency began, the two have uttered countless (adj. – too numerous to be counted) statements that beg for analysis by rational minds. Trouble is, few (rational minds, that is) are to be found in the mainstream media. After all, minds, besides being a terrible thing to waste, are of finite dimension and capacity. And, when they are filled to overflowing with biased, left-leaning grey matter, there is precious little room left for ‘rational’.

Ditto for the majority of the American electorate. The finite volume of the average American’s brain is just overflowing with important stuff with which our dolt ancestors didn’t have to contend (you know – the need to remember what day and time ‘Deal or No Deal’ airs, how Angelina and the twins are doing, and volumes of other similarly weighty and life-sustaining pieces of information). ‘Rational thought’ is a luxury we can no longer afford.

But I digress ...

I’d like to take a look at just a couple of comments recently offered up for our perusal by Obama and the missus. We’ll do more at a later time. On any given day, they utter dozens of statements that require careful scrutiny, lest we few remaining ‘rational thought dinosaurs’ be driven mad by swallowing them at face value.

The truth is, in order to get things like universal health care and a revamped education system, then someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more ... Michelle the Merciful

[convenient Marxist translation: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.]

First of all, Michelle ... call me picky, if you like, but you need to remember that, despite its inferiority to Spanish, in English grammar, person is important. ‘Someone’ is not a ‘they’. ‘Someone’ is a ‘he’ or a ‘she’. The grammatically (if not rationally) correct statement should be: ... then someone is going to have to give up a piece of his/her pie ...

More importantly, Michelle, do you not think that the working people of America, most of whom are handing over to the government, in one form or another, more than thirty percent of the fruits of their labor, are sharing their pie sufficiently already?

As for your inference that Americans are going to have to be more willing to give to others (at the figurative point of a gun, it would appear), are you aware that Americans are the most charitable people on the face of the earth? That, when allowed to use their time and money as they see fit, they give more of both to the less fortunate than have any other people in the history of mankind? (By the way, Michelle, how does that particular observation mesh with your recent comment, made during a South Carolina stump speech, that America is 'just downright mean'?)

Are you also aware, Michelle, that nowhere in the U.S. Constitution is the federal government granted the power to dictate educational standards or curricula, or the power to provide universal healthcare to everyone (either citizens and/or illegal residents)? As a matter of fact, the decisions regarding both are left to the states, or the people themselves.

I, for one, am becoming increasingly aware that you, and your husband, are arrogant, racist, elitist, anti-American, Marxist would-be tyrants. And the thought that he may soon be serving as President, and you as First Lady, is among the most horrifying thoughts that have ever entered my mind.

Michelle, before moving on to your husband's comment, I'll refer to yet another of yours, without editorial comment from me. I believe this one reeks so harshly of arrogant, narcissistic elistism that any reader here would be highly insulted if I even attempted to parse it:

Barack Obama will require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism ... that you come out of your isolation ... Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed.

Dear readers, have you managed to keep your breakfast/lunch/dinner down, or should I have preceded that particular piece of condescending conceit with an 'impending nausea' warning?

We need somebody who's got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it's like to be a young teenage mom ... the empathy to understand what it's like to be poor, or African-American, or gay, or disabled, or old. And that's the criteria by which I'm going to be selecting my judges ... Saint Obama (in describing his Supreme Court litmus test)

More Grammar 101: Senator, 'criteria' is a plural noun. 'That's the criteria' should correctly read 'Those are the criteria', or 'That's the criterion.' (End of grammar lesson ... I, and many Americans, would forgive you saying, 'I ain't got no criteria,' provided your intentions were honorable. But such isn't the case.)

Senator Obama, I'll see your empathy for the young teenage mom (and all of your other 'victims' mentioned above), and raise you my empathy for the unborn child. A legal scholar who believes in the sanctity of life -- say, a Clarence Thomas or an Antonin Scalia -- what color would your litmus paper turn in his presence?

The problem with relying on emotions (either genuine, or politically-motivated – the latter being the one with which you are most intimately acquainted) to decide cases that come before the Court is that there are invariably passionate emotional arguments on both sides. That is why an unwavering duty to uphold the original intent of the Constitution must be the foremost criterion in selecting judges to sit on the highest court in the land. Emotions must play no part in that noble calling.

Are you really an attorney, or is that assertion just a convenient creation of one of your P.R. people? If you are indeed a member of the bar, did you miss the class in law school in which the professor dispensed the time-honored lesson that justice is blind? The law, and the interpretation of law, has nothing to do with empathy. It has to do with impartiality in upholding the U.S. Consitution -- not any single man’s personal perception of what is ‘fair’ or ‘right’.

Barack Obama regularly displays a blatant contempt for the most magnificent blueprint for governance ever conceived by the mind of man. The quote above is simply one of countless comments that exhibit that contempt. If he places his hand on a Bible on January 20, 2009 and affirms:

I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States ...

... he will be lying.

In addition, America’s slide into socialism, and Islamic terrorists’ ability to accurately position her in their crosshairs, will be strengthened to a measure beyond anything any of us can now envision.

The arrogance and elitist attitude of Senator Obama also became glaringly apparent over the past few weeks as he announced his strategy for Afghanistan and Iraq before departing on the ‘fact-finding mission’ (read: campaign swing) that will include visits to both Iraq and Afghanistan – in effect, saying that nothing that occurs during that trip will alter his view, or change his strategy to wind down the war in Iraq.

Here we have a man whose ‘qualifications’ for the presidency seem to amount to a brief and unremarkable stint in the senate (without a single meaningful legislative achievement to show for it) and a history as a ‘community organizer’. On the other hand, more than a hundred thousand duty-bound Americans have served, and are serving, in Iraq and Afghanistan, witnessing both a past and a continuing brutality that you or I cannot even imagine, leaving their friends and family in order to travel to a violent war zone, placing their lives on the line each and every day – and many even re-enlisting two or three times. Yet this ‘community organizer’ has in effect declared that nothing he witnesses in either war zone, and no words, admonition or advice he hears from those Americans who are serving there, will affect his preordained view of that war ... or their amazing accomplishments in prosecuting it.

It would be difficult to conceive of a more insidious kind of arrogance, either historical or present-day. Yet, six months from now, this man may well be the Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces, and leader of the free world.

... which all lends tragic new meaning to the phrase 'the inmates are running the asylum'.

~ joanie

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautifully written, J.

Anonymous said...

Senator Obama, I'll see your empathy for the young teenage mom (and all of your other 'victims' mentioned above), and raise you my empathy for the unborn child.

BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Well done as always Joanie, especially the four words "He will be lying." Honesty is underrated these days, especially in our leaders.

Anonymous said...

As Charles Krauthammer stated in a recent Nation Review Online Article "...has there ever been a presidential nominee with a wider gap between his estimation of himself and the sum total of his lifetime achievements?"

Anonymous said...

From the Krauthammer article:

Barack Obama wants to speak at the Brandenburg Gate. He figures it would be a nice backdrop. The supporting cast — a cheering audience and a few fainting frauleins — would be a picturesque way to bolster his foreign-policy credentials.

What Obama does not seem to understand is that the Brandenburg Gate is something you earn. President Reagan earned the right to speak there because his relentless pressure had brought the Soviet empire to its knees and he was demanding its final “tear down this wall” liquidation. When President Kennedy visited the Brandenburg Gate on the day of his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech, he was representing a country that was prepared to go to the brink of nuclear war to defend West Berlin.

Who is Obama representing? And what exactly has he done in his lifetime to merit appropriating the Brandenburg Gate as a campaign prop? What was his role in the fight against communism, the liberation of Eastern Europe, the creation of what George Bush 41 — who presided over the fall of the Berlin Wall but modestly declined to go there for a victory lap — called “a Europe whole and free”?

Does Obama not see the incongruity? It’s as if a German pol took a campaign trip to America and demanded the Statue of Liberty as a venue for a campaign speech. (The Germans have now gently nudged Obama into looking at other venues.)


It looks like Krauthammer and Joanie have the same take on this guy. < g >

Anonymous said...

On July 2, 2008, Obama stated that the U.S. “cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we’ve set.” He continued, “We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.” Whoa there, compadre! (That’s a little Spanish there for the man who wants us all to learn it.) Will this “national security force” also wear brown shirts? Oddly enough, it seems that Obama’s campaign realized that wouldn’t fly—the line was stricken from the transcripts given to the media, though it is still in the video posted on YouTube

While you are on Youtube with the above link, meander over to Obama the Movie trailer (Clear and Present Danger)

Anonymous said...

This is one of your best, Joanie. I forwarded it to many friends, although it won't help our cause since none of them are planning to vote for "the saint" anyway.

Anonymous said...

OMG "anonymous"! That movie trailer for "Obama: Clear and Present Danger" is genius! If only it could be made into a real movie!

Anonymous said...

It would be difficult to conceive of a more insidious kind of arrogance, either historical or present-day. Yet, six months from now, this man may well be the Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces, and leader of the free world.

There's where you needed to insert a nausea warning. God help us.

Anonymous said...

Good job Joanie. I can always count on you to bring the hypocrites up short, and you have tackled two record-breaking ones here.

Anonymous said...

Jonah Goldberg seems to agree with you and Krauthammer, Joanie:

Obama's Arrogance

Anonymous said...

Your seond comment of Mrs. Obama's makes my blood boil more than anything else. Both of them picture us as stupid idiots who need a savior, and we all know who they think that savior is.

Anonymous said...

"Barack Obama regularly displays a blatant contempt for the most magnificent blueprint for governance ever conceived by the mind of man. The quote above is simply one of countless comments that exhibit that contempt. If he places his hand on a Bible on January 20, 2009 and repeats the oath below, he will be lying."

What's your point? Honesty is no longer required for the presidency. Bill Clinton was elected TWICE.

Anonymous said...

It's bad enough to read about their arrogance, to actually see them deliver it is disgusting:

Michelle Obama Bashes America at USC

Anonymous said...

Every word true (if a bit sarcastic) ;) and very well said!

Anonymous said...

Joanie, you and Krauthammer should be hired by Fox for a new show: "The Beltway Guy and Gal."

I'd watch faithfully. ;)

Anonymous said...

Your cogency rivals that of any nationally syndicated columnist.

Anonymous said...

Iraq agrees conditionally with Obama on troop pullout, irking McCain and White House

How many of our troops have we lost over there? How much money have we spent on this war? And Nouri al-Maliki is sidling up to Obama? They hell with them!

Anonymous said...

The New York Times hit a new low today with their refusal to publish McCain's op-ed piece unless he abides by their strict guidelines (none of which they demanded of Obama, I'm sure.)

If you think the media are biased now, just watch the next 3 1/2 months. Most political stories will read like an Obama campaign ad.

Anonymous said...

About the "community organizer" label:

From a recent Byron York column:

Perhaps the simplest way to describe community organizing is to say it is the practice of identifying a specific aggrieved population, say unemployed steelworkers, or itinerant fruit-pickers, or residents of a particularly bad neighborhood, and agitating them until they become so upset about their condition that they take collective action to put pressure on local, state, or federal officials to fix the problem, often by giving the affected group money.

Not exactly what we need in a President.

Anonymous said...

God bless you Joanie!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

John Galt said:

Joanie, you and Krauthammer should be hired by Fox for a new show: "The Beltway Guy and Gal."

I second that motion!

Anonymous said...

... he will be lying.

The current Democratic mantra on energy is: "We can't drill our way out of this problem." Apparently their plan is to talk our way out of this problem.

Democrats are also alleging that the oil companies are sitting on millions of acres of oil but are refusing to drill -- presumably because oil company executives hate the American people and perversely don't want to make money.

Manifestly, those acres are being explored for oil or have already come up dry.

If the Democrats really wanted oil companies to find more oil, they'd allow oil companies to drill offshore and to drill in ANWR, which we happen to know is bursting with oil.

But they don't. They don't want drilling. They don't want more oil. They want humans to ride bicycles and then to die. We deserve it: We were mean to the polar bears.

It's good to know that in the middle of a crisis, the Democrats are still liars. As long as we're fantasizing about "alternative" energy sources, what we really need is a car thatruns on Democrat lies ..... Ann Coulter

Anonymous said...

I read that Byron York article, John Steever. It made it clear that Obama was nothing more than a well-dressed Jesse Jackson. Such a man has no business being President- part of a president's job is to keep such people from succeeding.

Anonymous said...

Obama's wife comes the South part of Chicago--the home of the Nation of Islam and the home of Jesse Jackson's operation. It is also the home of two of the largest black gangs in the country--the Vice Lords and the Black Gangster Disciples. South Chicago is biggest source of hatred of whites, hatred the US, etc in the country.

Obama's wife is straight from there. She was stupid enough to open her mouth in public and say clearly that she is filled with that hate when she said that "for the first time" she "wasn't ashamed of this country."

All of the haters and terrorists back Hussein Obama.

His stupid wife did Obama great harm when she relaxed and opened her mouth that time.

Anonymous said...

Catch this: Obama Snubs Fox

Anonymous said...

If it's any consolation, the democrats I know here in NC won't be voting for Obama. They're either voting for McCain or plan to sit it out.

Luis said...

Great article Joanie.

You will have probably seen that Mr. Obama arrived in London last evening as part of his world tour.

He seems to be acting as if he is already American President which to say the least is presumptious. I hope that awakens a few people into campaigning against him.

His speech in Berlin seemed particularly vacuous. Some Germans seemed to love it but maybe someone should remind him he is running to be President of the USA and not Germany !

Needless to say I won't be waiving any flags at him in London today:-)

Anonymous said...

This column should be read far and wide, especially by all the idots clamoring for "change"!

Anonymous said...

I'm very glad to hear that you won't be taking part in the political orgy in London today, Luis. :-) The American media are making it sound like right-thinking Americans are the only people in the world who can see through this man.

joanie said...

Thanks, all, for the kind comments. :)

~ joanie

joanie said...

no-way_a_liberal:

Thanks for the steer to the Krauthammer article. He is, far and away, the most astute commentator in America today. When he sits on the FoxNews panel with Brit Hume on 'Special Report', the comments of the other 'gurus' invariably pale in comparison to his.

When Hume steps down as host of 'Special Report' (and as managing editor of Fox's Washington Bureau) after the election in November, I would love to see Krauthammer fill his shoes. But I doubt the position would be offered to him, and I doubt he would even accept it.

~ joanie

joanie said...

Perhaps the simplest way to describe community organizing is to say it is the practice of identifying a specific aggrieved population, say unemployed steelworkers, or itinerant fruit-pickers, or residents of a particularly bad neighborhood, and agitating them until they become so upset about their condition that they take collective action to put pressure on local, state, or federal officials to fix the problem, often by giving the affected group money.

Bears repeating. Thanks, John Steever.

~ joanie

joanie said...

Thanks, as always, for the very insightful comments, Luis.

I had my suspicions that you would not be present at the Obama rally in London. I hold you in deep respect, and your presence at such a rally would definitely not coincide with that opinion. :)

~ joanie

Anonymous said...

I'm not thrilled that Obama's European trip didn't give him a "bounce." I'm disguted that his numbers aren't now in the toilet. This creep, with no credentials, thinks he's a god!

Anonymous said...

Michelle OBAMA:

I have said and will continue to say that I am absolutely proud of my country and in no other place in this country could my story be possible. I mean, that’s, you know, I am here because of the opportunities that my father had, that my mother had, um, you know, we are who Americans were supposed to be.