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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

12/08/2009

Two Exemplary Letters

Yesterday I received from two friends copies of letters they had written. One of them had written to his (and my) congressman, and the other had written a letter to the editor of his local newspaper. With their permission, I am posting both letters here, in the hopes that the writers’ activism and the letters’ contents might spur the rest of us to do the same.



December 8, 2009


The Honorable Joseph R. Pitts
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515


Dear Mr. Pitts:

I received your latest newsletter several days ago. The last line of the message on the front page asks recipients to let you know what they think. I shall do so now.

I think you have done Yeoman’s work on the Abortion issue for many years and for that I thank you.

I think many of the problems with health care today stem from government interference in the free market.

I think the current attempt by the government to take over health care is a ruse to destroy Capitalism and our free society in favor of a Socialist/Marxist society where government is the supreme authority in our lives, supplanting even my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I think the President of the United States is a Marxist who wishes to destroy (fundamentally transform) American society in favor of the aforementioned Marxist style government.

I think it is an outrage that you and your colleagues are not fighting this transformation every day on the floor of the House of Representatives and naming this administration for what it is; a Marxist/Socialist cabal of evil which will destroy freedom and our way of life if they are not stopped.

I think Barney Frank and Christopher Dodd should have been frog walked out of their offices when the financial meltdown occurred. Instead, they continue to work with our Marxist President in their attempt to take over every aspect of our way of life. And you and your colleagues say nothing and nothing and nothing. Absolutely outrageous!

I think John Murtha is probably the single most corrupt politician in Congress today, but he is a member of that very special “Old Boys Club” and so you and your colleagues say nothing. Shameful!

I think most of what is happening in Washington today is unconstitutional. The “General Welfare “ clause was never meant to grant government the kind of power which it has usurped from “the People” and you and your colleagues know that full well. And that includes your ideas for responsible health care reform.

I think you and your colleagues should read and study Congressman David Crockett’s speech to the House of Representatives in which he tells of a constituent who reminded him that money the government takes from the people by way of taxes was not his (Crockett’s) to give to another, no matter how righteous the cause may seem.

Finally, I think that Congress should be ashamed of the fact that they have spent my grandchildren into debt from which they will never recover. Add to that the fact that they are willing to allow a military defeat in order to pay for social reform which will ensure their power and wealth and you have a recipe for disaster for our freedom. And for reasons previously stated, I believe that you are complicit in the loss of that freedom.

Barry Up the Road



Editor—

Fifteen years ago during the Congressional debate over the future of Medicare, the Democratic Party was screaming “Republicans want to toss Grandma out into the street” after “making her eat cat food”. Remember "The Gingrich Who Stole Christmas"? Remember "Republicans Want Medicare to Wither on the Vine"?

None of that was true, of course, but now the Democrats are actually voting to cut Grandma’s home health care, hospital care, and even hospice care. For those who aren’t following the debate going on in the Senate right now, the Democrat plan raids the Medicare Trust Fund to the tune of almost half a trillion dollars - $436 billion according to the Congressional Budget Office - in order to provide for a new entitlement program for the uninsured.

These cuts include $137.5 billion from hospitals that treat seniors; $120 billion from Medicare Advantage, which is the insurance program that provides benefits to seniors which will be cut more than in half as a result of this $120 billion reduction; $14.6 billion from nursing homes that treat seniors; $42.1 billion from home health care for seniors; and $7.7 billion from hospice care, one of the most cruel cuts of all.

In the last two days, the Republicans have introduced amendments intended to protect our seniors, but they’ve been voted down by the Democrats every single time. On December 5th, the Senate Democrats made a grand show of “protecting home health care”, by passing a toothless amendment reading: “Nothing in the provisions of, or amendments made by, this Act shall result in the reduction of guaranteed home health benefits.” Then those very same Democrats – including Senator Kay Hagan – turned around and voted to leave the $42 billion in cuts to home health care intact. Senator Burr, on the other hand, voted to fully fund home health care for our seniors.

Yesterday the “Gregg Amendment” was voted on. This amendment was “to prevent Medicare from being raided for new entitlements and to use Medicare savings to save Medicare.” Once again the Democrats – including Senator Hagan – voted to raid Grandma’s Medicare Trust Fund to provide a new “universal health insurance” program (which still covers illegal aliens).

The Medicare Trust Fund is already forecast to become insolvent in 2017, and now the Democrats want to use it as a piggy bank for a host of new welfare programs. Where are the headlines reading “Democrats Want to Toss Grandma Out in the Street” or "Democrats Make Grandma Pay for Illegals' Health Care'?

John Cooper

by Barry Up the Road and John Cooper
(contributing Team Members of Allegiance and Duty Betrayed)

21 comments:

MontyPython2 said...

Great letter! But I thought Joe Pitts was one of the good guys. Has he been caving like everyone else?

Arlene Albrecht said...

Bravo!!!! Well done!

Steve Leiden said...

With all that's going on in Washington, letters to our representatives are about all that's left to us. Most of them aren't listening but it's our duty as citizens of a free country to contact them anyway. You're doing you're part Barry, and you're doing it well!

Cal Brindisi said...

These are both excellent letters. I've noticed that even people who are normally vocal conservatives have been pretty quiet during the past month. Are they being intimidated into silence? Is Joe Pitts one of them?

And the way this "healthcare reform" is treating seniors is disgusting. Just as you said Cooper, seniors are being robbed of their future ability to get healthcare in order to buy votes and give payback for past and future political support. Where's that headline?

2ndAmendmentDefender said...

Much of what this President and Congress are pushing is based on the premise that a citizen's "value" is determined by the amount of tax revenue he generates. Old people don't do that. They are seen as a drain on the treasury. So much for the idea that liberals are "compassionate".

Good letters both!

Lou Barakos said...

I'm not so sure letters to our representatives do a lot of good anymore. They don't seem to give a damn what their constituents think.

But letters to the editor sure can wake people up and make them think about voting the b@st@rds out!

Anonymous said...

I think Barney Frank and Christopher Dodd should have been frog walked out of their offices when the financial meltdown occurred. Instead, they continue to work with our Marxist President in their attempt to take over every aspect of our way of life.

That's the most outrageous part of everything they're doing. Most of what ails us was done on purpose. And most of the people offering the Marxist "solutions" are the same people that got us into this mess!!!!!!!!

John Cooper said...

Here's another letter I just sent to Harry Reid's web-form:

Dear Sen. Reid--

Your recent comments on the Senate Floor that Republicans tried to block the repeal of slavery prove that you are ignorant of history, and a total jerk besides.

You are without a doubt the worst Majority Leader in U.S. history.

I just sent another $100 to your opponent in 2010, Danny Tarkanian.

Enjoy your upcoming retirement.

John Cooper said...

Lou Barakos said...

"...our representatives...don't seem to give a damn what their constituents think."

I fully believe that many of them are just like Jihadist Martyrs - willing to die (politically) for the cause of socialism.

James said...

"Socialism needs two legs on which to stand; a right and a left. While appearing to be in complete opposition to one another,
they both march in the same direction."
-- Paul Proctor
All of them, including Republicians are more of a threat to America than Osama Bin Laden ever was.

John Cooper said...

I'm hearing rumors of an 'emergency' March on DC on 12-15. I want the tar and feathers concession!

Why the Personal Mandate to Buy Health Insurance Is Unprecedented and Unconstitutional from the Heritage Foundation.

"A mandate requiring all individuals to purchase health insurance would be an unprecedented form of federal action. The government has never required people to buy any good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States. An individual mandate would have two features that, in combination, would make it unique. First, it would impose a duty on individuals as members of society. Second, it would require people to purchase a specific service that would be heavily regulated by the federal government."

John Galt said...

All of them, including Republicians are more of a threat to America than Osama Bin Laden ever was.

Amen James!

And great letters, Barry and John! I second every word of both of them.

joanie said...

Barry, your letter is excellent! We have always supported Joe Pitts and recognized him as one of the staunch and outspoken conservatives left in the House, but I, too, have noticed that he has been silent of late, as have quite a few other normally outspoken conservatives.

It's almost as if they see the writing on the wall and they are afraid to get in front of the steamroller. The arm-twisting and extortion that are going on in D.C. are unprecedented (and I suspect we don't even know the half of it). I would imagine that there are many conservatives in politics, education and the media who are actually now afraid of losing their livelihoods (not to mention being audited by the IRS, etc.). And, in some contorted ways, who can blame them? We're not going to stop this Marxist march, so why become a fatality when their families depend on the paycheck and the job they need (and will need even moreso, considering the looming economic debacle)?

I'd like to think that, were I in their shoes, I would behave in a more prinicpled, patriot manner, but I'm not in their shoes, so who am I to throw stones? The First Amendment is hanging by a thread, and it won't be long before we have to look around to see who's listening before expressing our opinions.

And yet, in spite of all the unconstitutional abominations that have occurred since January, Obama's popularity still hovers around the 50% mark -- which simply proves that this country actually deserves what is waiting in the wings. It's just a tragedy that the remaining patriots (and their children) will suffer just as much as the 50% abysmally lazy, ignorant and apathetic among us.

Thanks for sharing your powerful letter.

~ joanie

joanie said...

John, your letter is excellent as well. And you have hit the nail on the head regarding the destruction of Medicare and the complete disrespect for seniors.

I think this president, and the majority of the members of the 111th, base their policies on four major beliefs:

(1) A genuine belief in Marxism, or something at least akin to socialism

(2) A genuine disregard for, and sometimes hatred of, the precepts upon which America was founded

(3) A desire to 'level the playing field' across all socio-economic bounds

(4) A belief that a citizen's 'value' is determined by his ability to add tax money to government coffers.

As regards (3), Obama was asked several years ago whether he supported financial reparations for the descendents of slaves, and his response was something like, 'No, but simply because that doesn't go far enough.'

Since he took office, the bulk of what he has tried to do has amounted to guaranteeing 'equal outcome' for all Americans, without any consideration for the amount of work and effort expended -- i.e., an unemployed, unmarried welfare mother with six children (with six different fathers) 'deserves' to live the same lifestyle as a farmer who gets up at 4 AM and doesn't finish his workday until 6 PM. (An admitted exaggeration, but not by much.)

Thanks for sharing your powerful letter.

~ joanie

joanie said...

James, I second John Galt's second of the excerpt from your post! :) The Proctor quote is a good one, but your own observation is even more powerful.

Cea said...

Joanie, on behalf of my mother, I thank you for posting these outstanding letters and comments! I will use them as fodder for additional letters of my own to my ‘representatives’, lazy social workers, and local paper/s. The current ‘in/home-healthcare benefit’ system is a travesty. The coffers for home-healthcare, hospice care, etc. are already bankrupt! What is being proposed isn’t even a caricature of ‘care’, health or otherwise! All of us are in jeopardy, today, here within the “current system”. For the harsh reality of the current ‘system’…those of us, clinging to our fifties, we need to look no farther than someone in our neighborhood who is attempting to care for an aging parent, to see the realities of the current system and the atrocities to come with the proposed ‘healthcare reform’. The ‘math’ or fixed formularies that are currently used to calculate what our seniors need is, horrific. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. What is to come? God alone knows. “Coverage” under the current plan is horrible…but under what’s being proposed, cat food and a litter box may, indeed, be luxuries. Please, please follow Joanie’s advice, as I will, and use the example of these writers as templates to your congressman, etal. If you know a senior, one of those card-caring members of the greatest generation, as euro-american scum lovingly calls them, ask them about their current struggle with the ‘health-care system’, and what it has done to their children, especially if they outlived their savings/retirement planning…it might scare you into activism. Many of our hard working, thrifty parents “banked on” social security, Medicare, etc. to provide for them…and we now have the duty, and with pride I will say, privilege of caring for them. However, the reality is, I will never financially recover. In the meantime, I’m stock-piling kibble, at least mom, the dog and me will be able to live in the car for a while under the ‘new-improved health-care reform’. I’ve had first-hand experience with what the ‘current system’ has to offer. What’s to come? Yikes!!!!

robmaroni said...

Good job!

Complete list of email addresses and phone numbers for House and Senate:

http://www.conservativeusa.org/mega-cong.htm

The Ghost of Carl Sagan said...

The Democrats' Assault on Seniors:

http://townhall.com/columnists/HughHewitt/2009/12/10/the_democrats_assault_on_seniors_wrecking_medicare_to_save_obamacare

Anonymous said...

Activist Judge: Congress Cannot Ston Payments to ACORN:

http://www.floppingaces.net/2009/12/11/activist-judge-congress-cannot-stop-payments-to-acorn/

This is why letters to Congressmen do little good. They're in the pockets of every major crook in the country and they have judges telling them to keep it up.

Barry up the road said...

Cal Brindisi and MontyPython2,

Joe Pitts is one of the good guys and has been for a long time but he has been largely silent on some very critical issues of late. I'm not sure what is causing that but I wanted to remind him that we are watching and expect better from him.

Thanks for the kind words and Merry Christmas to you and everyone else who commented.

Barry up the road said...

Joanie,

I am truly honored to have my humble letter published and to be considered a contributing team member of your excellent blog.