CALVIN-ISM FOR THE MODERN AGE

There has been a lot of talk over the past year that what the country really needs is another Ronald Reagan.  I was still a kid when the Gipper was president, but my memories of that time, particularly when put in the persepective of the deprivations of the Carter years, was of a prosperous time where it was still a great thing to be American.  There are many people, particularly in the Tea Party, who would like to see a return to those times.  But I have another role model that we might want to keep an eye out for.  This man has been relatively overlooked by history, which is a shame. 

Particularly after the excesses of the past two years under Obama and the past four years with the purse strings controlled by Pelosi, we are in need of a modern-day Calvin Coolidge.  Yes, that's right.  Coolidge.  "Silent Cal" is a Tea Partier's dream candidate, and he would be willing to take the sometimes unpopular steps to bring us back from the brink that we are teetering on.  Much like the religious reforms of calvinism were a revolutionary movement back in the 1600's, we need our own fiscally conservative, small business Calvin-istic revolution today. 

Coolidge is really the anti-Obama.  Everything that Obama is and stands for, Coolidge is the polar opposite.  Obama has rockstar status, relying heavily on his personal charm and preaching from the pulpit style to woo the electorate.  He is professorial, arrogant and cool in demeanor.  He passes the buck and is quick to point the finger of blame, and his opinion of taxation is that it is the American people's patriotic duty to pay up, and that he and his cronies can spend our money better than we can. 

Coolidge, on the other hand, was a humble, quiet, retiring everyman who was not prone to being wordy - the closest to cool he ever came was the 'cool' in his name.  His speeches were effective, skillfully delivered, and numerous, but not very memorable.  The buck stopped with him, and instead of wasting time placing blame, he spent his time trying to fix the problem.  His opinions on taxation were as revolutionary in that era of progressivism as they would be in this age of progressivism.  He felt that it was the duty of the government to keep spending to a minimum so that the American taxpayer could see more of their money in their own pockets.  His view of government was to keep it as minimally invasive as possible, whereas Obama thinks government is the answer for everything.  How successful were his policies?  Well, the Roaring Twenties were under his watch, if that is any indication.

We are in desperate need of austerity, but more importantly, we are in desperate need of politiicans who are willing to risk broad popularity in order to do what is necessary to save this country from the fiscal disaster that is looming just over the horizon.  The days of kicking the can down the road are gone.  The time for action is now, and Silent Cal might just hold the solution, if our politicians are willing.  For those who question the wisdom of looking for another Calvin Coolidge, I will leave you with this clip, via the Cato Institute:



In closing, here is a gem of a quote from Silent Cal that our current president should really take to heart:

"The words of a President have an enormous weight," he would later write, "and ought not to be used indiscriminately."

HEADLINE OF THE YEAR

This headline is just too perfect.

I seem to recall the Devil losing last time, too.

DIS-GRAYSON STRIKES AGAIN

Wow.  Just....wow.  My jerktacular congressman is up to his usual shenanigans again.  He made an appearance on MSNBC today.  This piece of...work is actually trying to indignantly deride his opponent, Daniel Webster, for "These blistering, evil negative ads". 

That's right, the guy who has called his opponents terrorists, klansmen and neanderthals, the man who so thoroughly, viciously twisted words out of context that even lefties said 'whoa', the self-same fellow who accused republicans of wanting people to die, is lecturing on constructive dialogue. 

Wow.

And, of course, being a good lefty, he throws down his victim card for good measure.  The guy who has ads calling his opponent an extreme, unpatriotic, draft-dodging terrorist is concerned about being called a loud-mouthed, national embarrassment of a liar on tv because of his own boorish behavior.  After all, Grayson's kids are being harmed by this reckless pointing out of obvious character flaws.   I'm sure Webster's six kids weren't bothered at all by hearing their father being called a draft-dodging member of the Taliban.  It's quite obvious Grayson is the injured party - nay, the helpless victim - in all of this.  Big Poor baby.

This clown's attempt at righteous indignation simply adds a new level to his obnoxiousness.  At the end of September, the polls showed Webster up by seven.  Let's hope that holds.  I just don't think I could go another two years with this national joke representing me. 

Hey Grayson - the reason people are "out to get you" is because you are an obnoxious embarrassment that lowers the level of every debate you participate in.  You have diminished the standing of your office with your words and deeds on a near-daily basis. You are the nasty little bully on the schoolyard, Mr. Grayson.  Nothing is too low for you.  And when someone stands up to you and gives you just a taste of your own medicine, you run home crying to mommy.  There is no place for you in the grown-up world of national politics.  Take your ball and go home, no one wants to put up with you anymore.

I got my absentee ballot this week and can't wait to not vote for Grayson.  I've put it off so that I can savor the anticipation first.  I'm planning on filling in the ballot in reverse, saving the best for last.  Who says politics can't be fun?

TEN YEARS, ZERO JUSTICE

Today is the tenth anniversary of the bombing of the USS Cole.  Seventeen brave sailors died that day, and thirty-nine more were wounded.  Less than a year later, September 11th would overshadow all previous attacks, making them seem insignificant by comparison.  Many people see that as the beginning of the war on terror - a carefully planned act of war on innocent civilians.  Many people became aware for the first time that there were factions who hated us and wanted to kill as many of us as possible. 

In reality, the 1990's were full of terrorist attacks, many of which were shrugged off by the Clinton administration.  Because they occurred in foreign lands, and the primary victims were military personnel, the American people shrugged them off, too.  But it was a planned campaign, an incessant poking of the bear that would escalate with each lack of response.

Which brings us to the USS Cole bombing.  It's hard to forget the images of the crippled ship coming home; the  huge 60' by 40' hole torn into her side was a disturbing reminder that even we, the strongest country in the world, could be brought low.   The response to this deadly attack on our brave men and women in uniform?  Nothing so far. Ten years, and nothing has been done to bring the mastermind of the bombing, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, to justice. 

Clinton vowed retribution:

“You will not find a safe harbor,” he proclaimed. “We will find you and justice will prevail.”

Eh, not so much. But what else was he supposed to say less than a month out from a major election cycle?  The words and actions of politicians seldome sync. Nashiri is the only person we are holding for the Cole bombing (some planners eventually gave their sick and twisted all for Allah on 9/11), but the attack was credited to Osama Bin Laden (who actually read poetry about the bombing) and al Qaeda a mere two weeks after the event.

The Cole bombing was central to the intel about potential future strikes by al Qaeda - intel that was shrugged off by the incoming Bush administration.  Less than a year later, that intel would prove true and everyone's attention would be focused on al Qaeda as they tried to come to grips with the events of 9/11.  At least the Bush administration managed to capture Nashiri and place him in Gitmo in 2006, but nothing has been done since.

In early February of 2009, President Obama actually withdrew charges against Nashiri.  The reason for the withdrawal was so the DoJ could reveiw handling of high value prosecutions of Guantanamo detainees.  The DoJ recently filed a motion saying there were no immediate plans to file new charges - a motion that was met with dismay and disbelief by the victims and families.

And so another year has passed without justice for the Cole victims and survivors.  That makes three presidents now who have dropped the ball. 

This unwillingness to prosecute war criminals made the enemy think we were weak.  Each incident was an escalation.  When even the Cole didn't register, the plans for 9/11, which was already deep in the planning and preparation stages, went into high gear.  They thought they could attack with impunity and expect little response - and why would they not?

Would retaliation for the Cole attack have averted 9/11?  Who knows?  On the one hand, al Qaeda might have been disrupted and funding siezed, which could have stopped the attacks.  On the other, strikes on al Qaeda might have been a catalyst in and of itself, triggering the attacks anyway.  Either way, the perpetrators of the attack on the USS Cole remain unpunished, and wondering what might have been takes time away from dealing with what really has occurred.  Which leaves unanswered the burning question of the day -

When will there be justice for the Cole?

SURPRISE, SURPRISE

Lets see...

Federal spending has increased 9% just this year - after a record of 16% in 2009. 

We are throwing away money that we don't have to dead people and criminals.  And lets not forget the chinese 'sex workers', co-eds and turtles.

Meanwhile, the dollar is sliding into irrelevance.

What's a desperate Fed to do?  Inflation!

The Pelosi-led Congress cut and ran a week early without passing a budget  or even taking a vote on the Bush tax cuts. 

A record breaking 41 million people are now on food stamps.  Ironically, some Obama supporters will have to stop drinking the kool-aid, at least if they live in NYC.

The United States has ceded sovereignty over a large piece of Arizona, Pakistan is taking billions of our taxpayer dollars with one hand and stabbing us in the back with the other, and Iran is eagerly exploring the trafficking possibilities in Afghanistan. 

The woman leading Congress thinks that food stamps and unemployment checks are the "biggest bang" for our stimulus buck. 

A congressman running for reelection claims there is no national debt.  

Is it any wonder republicans are leading in the polls?