As most of America did last Tuesday, I watched the inauguration of our nation's first black president, Barack H. Obama. I watched a little of the pre-swearing in activities, the swearing in and inaugural speech and then some of the parade activities. I did not bother to watch live broadcasts from the inaugural balls, which really did not interest me all that much. What did interest and disturb me a little was an article that was posted at http://www.clevelandleader.com/print/8627. I have posted the article below.
The gist of the article is that our new president opted not to appear at what should have been one of the most important Balls on his agenda that evening - The Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball.
The Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball was begun in 1953 for President Dwight Eisenhower's inauguration. The event recognized recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award. There were 48 Medal of Honor recipients in attendance, who were undoubtedly disappointed by the Commander-in-Chief's failure to show. Over the past 56 years and 14 inaugurations, no President has skipped this event - until now.
It was the party without all of the celebrities that Obama skipped. The very people who he sought to have support him during his candidacy and campaign, who have fought to protect this country, were snubbed in favor of publicity and the opportunity to rub shoulders - yet again - with the out-of-touch Hollywood elite.
If President Obama is truly planning to be a president for ALL the people, perhaps he should consider, in the future, those people who have sacrificed more than most of us to preserve the freedom in this country which allows us to elect our leaders freely.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Welcome, President Obama
Like probably the majority of Americans yesterday, I watched as President Barack Obama delivered his much anticipated inaugural address. Although, in this blogger's opinion, the speech was not "one for the ages" as had been predicted by one newscaster, it was a very good speech which offered much hope and promise for America's future under an Obama presidency.
Now, today, the inaugural celebration is concluded, the inaugural balls are all over and the work of our new president begins. It is now time for all the rhetoric and all the promises and plans to begin to come to fruition. President Obama has inherited a plethora of serious problems to address and, as a citizen of this country, I pray that God will give him the wisdom and Divine Guidance to deal with all the problems which confront this great nation in such a way as to bring all the people of this country together again.
I hope that each citizen of the USA will join me in this prayer.
Now, today, the inaugural celebration is concluded, the inaugural balls are all over and the work of our new president begins. It is now time for all the rhetoric and all the promises and plans to begin to come to fruition. President Obama has inherited a plethora of serious problems to address and, as a citizen of this country, I pray that God will give him the wisdom and Divine Guidance to deal with all the problems which confront this great nation in such a way as to bring all the people of this country together again.
I hope that each citizen of the USA will join me in this prayer.
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
Do I need to say anything else?? I am sorry that I am not a better cartoonist because I have other ideas I would like to express in satirical cartoon format, but am unable to.
By the way, if it is too small to make out, that is Barack Obama standing just to the right of the Capitol Dome with bags of taxpayer money at his feet. You can figure out the rest!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Farewell, President Bush
Last night, we watched President George W. Bush give his farewell address to the nation. President Bush gave a simple, straightforward and heartfelt speech to bid the nation farewell now at the conclusion of his eight-year presidency.
For many people, especially those suffering from BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome), I imagine that the emotions ran from jubilation to relief that the Bush years were finally ending. I feel sorry for those people who have become so obsessed with the mistakes of the Bush years that they failed to see, and appreciate, the goodness and decency of a man who has spent the last eight years making some of the hardest decisions that ANY president has ever been faced with.
I, for one (and not the only one, by the way), am grateful that, at a time when we needed decisive leadership, this country was blessed to have a man like George W. Bush. In the long view, I believe that history will be kind to President Bush. He has faced and conquered challenges that were as tough as ANY president has faced in the history of our country.
Did President Bush always make the right decision? No, not in this writer's opinion. However, what I admire most about this president was his willingness to do what he thought was RIGHT, even if it was not POPULAR. That quality of leadership is what will, in time, render a favorable view of the Bush presidency.
In closing, I want to personally say thank you to President Bush for eight years of hard work and dedicated leadership of the U.S.A. and the Free World. God bless you, George Bush.
For many people, especially those suffering from BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome), I imagine that the emotions ran from jubilation to relief that the Bush years were finally ending. I feel sorry for those people who have become so obsessed with the mistakes of the Bush years that they failed to see, and appreciate, the goodness and decency of a man who has spent the last eight years making some of the hardest decisions that ANY president has ever been faced with.
I, for one (and not the only one, by the way), am grateful that, at a time when we needed decisive leadership, this country was blessed to have a man like George W. Bush. In the long view, I believe that history will be kind to President Bush. He has faced and conquered challenges that were as tough as ANY president has faced in the history of our country.
Did President Bush always make the right decision? No, not in this writer's opinion. However, what I admire most about this president was his willingness to do what he thought was RIGHT, even if it was not POPULAR. That quality of leadership is what will, in time, render a favorable view of the Bush presidency.
In closing, I want to personally say thank you to President Bush for eight years of hard work and dedicated leadership of the U.S.A. and the Free World. God bless you, George Bush.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
President, King, or God?
As we approach Inauguration Day for Barack Obama, I find myself wondering what we have elected. I know the election was for the office of President of the United States of America. However, since the conclusion of that historic election, based on various statements from inside the Obama circle, I have wondered whether we elected Barack Obama as our president, our king, or God.
As early as Sunday, November 9, 2008, a guest on the television show, MEET THE PRESS, was talking about the upcoming Obama presidency. I do not recall the woman's name but her position with the Obama organization put her in charge of the transition team, if my poor old 55-year-old memory serves me correctly. She spoke, with great anticipation, of being "ready to rule" on the first day of the Obama presidency. It was the term "rule" that kind of perked up my ears. Our elected national leader PRESIDES over the operation of our democracy...hence the name PRESIDENT. Since that Sunday morning, I have heard several references on television and radio to the upcoming "rule" of Barack Obama.
Even prior to Obama's election, we had quotes likening Barack Obama to the Savior, the Anointed One, the One We Have Been Waiting For. Speaking only for myself, I believe I will have to wait until Barack Obama walks across the Reflecting Pool on the Mall before I am ready to announce his presidency as the Next Coming.
The unfortunate aspect of all this falls on President-elect Obama himself. In this blog, on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, I stated that we must all now offer our support and best wishes for success for our new incoming president. However, I fear that the bar is being set so high for President Obama, that he is doomed to failure, in the eyes of many of his more liberal supporters, before he even starts his administration.
Barack Obama is a bright, well-spoken and accomplished politician. This fact is undeniable. Whether he will be a competent president for this great country remains to be seen. However, I am sure we are not going to crown him King for Life and even more certain that he falls more than a few steps short of being God.
Besides, that position is already occupied.
AMEN
As early as Sunday, November 9, 2008, a guest on the television show, MEET THE PRESS, was talking about the upcoming Obama presidency. I do not recall the woman's name but her position with the Obama organization put her in charge of the transition team, if my poor old 55-year-old memory serves me correctly. She spoke, with great anticipation, of being "ready to rule" on the first day of the Obama presidency. It was the term "rule" that kind of perked up my ears. Our elected national leader PRESIDES over the operation of our democracy...hence the name PRESIDENT. Since that Sunday morning, I have heard several references on television and radio to the upcoming "rule" of Barack Obama.
Even prior to Obama's election, we had quotes likening Barack Obama to the Savior, the Anointed One, the One We Have Been Waiting For. Speaking only for myself, I believe I will have to wait until Barack Obama walks across the Reflecting Pool on the Mall before I am ready to announce his presidency as the Next Coming.
The unfortunate aspect of all this falls on President-elect Obama himself. In this blog, on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, I stated that we must all now offer our support and best wishes for success for our new incoming president. However, I fear that the bar is being set so high for President Obama, that he is doomed to failure, in the eyes of many of his more liberal supporters, before he even starts his administration.
Barack Obama is a bright, well-spoken and accomplished politician. This fact is undeniable. Whether he will be a competent president for this great country remains to be seen. However, I am sure we are not going to crown him King for Life and even more certain that he falls more than a few steps short of being God.
Besides, that position is already occupied.
AMEN
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Christmas Day 2008
On this Christmas Day, when our country is so divided by secularism, separation of Church and state and other divisive sentiments, I have decided to reprint the following article. This essay was adapted from a sermon by Dr James Allan Francis in “The Real Jesus and Other Sermons” © 1926 by the Judson Press of Philadelphia (pp 123-124 titled “Arise Sir Knight!”). A similar version was published by syndicated columnist Jim Bishop one Christmas morning in his weekly column. I believe that it brings the true meaning of Christmas into focus for many people, both Christians and non-Christians. May you have a very happy and blessed Christmas this year.
One Solitary Life
There is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.
He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself...
While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress.
I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.
One Solitary Life
There is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.
He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself...
While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress.
I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.
Friday, December 12, 2008
End Of The Trail?
OK, the Feds, after a lengthy investigation, have apparently bagged Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich for conspiring to sell the appointment to fill the seat of President-Elect Barrack Obama. From all news accounts, it appears to be a dead bang case against Governor Blagojevich and, presumably, he will not be the governor of Illinois much longer. But is that the end of the trail??
Rod Blagojevich is a product of Chicago machine politics. He is just one of a long line of politicians who have risen to power through this corrupt system only to fall from grace and wind up disgraced and imprisoned. It is the nature of this particular beast. The type of patronage that is part and parcel of Chicago politics in general is the soil that sprouts so many corrupt politicians. People like Tony Resko provide the fertilizer to help the growth in the form of cash and shady deals. When they get caught, as they often do, it turns into a fishing derby, with every fisherman trying to catch ever larger fish. Tony Resko started talking and what he had to say was at least part of the reason for the investigation of Governor Blagojevich. Now it will be Gov. B's turn to flip and flop and maybe turn in someone bigger to cut himself a favorable deal with the Feds.
So far, there has been plenty of speculation concerning Rahm Emmanuel, the soon-to-be White House Chief of Staff, and even some speculation concerning President-Elect Obama. Such speculation may have no basis in fact and I hope it does not, for the sake of our country. Any legitimate trail that leads into the Obama White House would be absolutely disastrous for this country, for many reasons. However, one fact that is undeniable, even to the most ardent Obamaniac, is the fact that Barack Obama is a product of the same Chicago machine politics that have produced such politicians as Rod Blagojevich and former Illinois Representative Dan Rostenkowski. Rostendowski, who was convicted of mail fraud in 1996 and served 15 months in prison before being pardoned by President Bill Clinton, was the former Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
I sincerely hope that this trail ends at Governor Blagojevich's doorstep. However, as the old saying goes, "If you lay down with dogs, don't be surprised if you get fleas!" Is anyone in Wahington feeling itchy??
Rod Blagojevich is a product of Chicago machine politics. He is just one of a long line of politicians who have risen to power through this corrupt system only to fall from grace and wind up disgraced and imprisoned. It is the nature of this particular beast. The type of patronage that is part and parcel of Chicago politics in general is the soil that sprouts so many corrupt politicians. People like Tony Resko provide the fertilizer to help the growth in the form of cash and shady deals. When they get caught, as they often do, it turns into a fishing derby, with every fisherman trying to catch ever larger fish. Tony Resko started talking and what he had to say was at least part of the reason for the investigation of Governor Blagojevich. Now it will be Gov. B's turn to flip and flop and maybe turn in someone bigger to cut himself a favorable deal with the Feds.
So far, there has been plenty of speculation concerning Rahm Emmanuel, the soon-to-be White House Chief of Staff, and even some speculation concerning President-Elect Obama. Such speculation may have no basis in fact and I hope it does not, for the sake of our country. Any legitimate trail that leads into the Obama White House would be absolutely disastrous for this country, for many reasons. However, one fact that is undeniable, even to the most ardent Obamaniac, is the fact that Barack Obama is a product of the same Chicago machine politics that have produced such politicians as Rod Blagojevich and former Illinois Representative Dan Rostenkowski. Rostendowski, who was convicted of mail fraud in 1996 and served 15 months in prison before being pardoned by President Bill Clinton, was the former Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
I sincerely hope that this trail ends at Governor Blagojevich's doorstep. However, as the old saying goes, "If you lay down with dogs, don't be surprised if you get fleas!" Is anyone in Wahington feeling itchy??
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