I’ll leave out what we should have done but the point is we should have done SOMETHING and we didn’t do anything. This administration has still done NOTHING since the event, which was a clear attack on the United States, and I want to know why given the fact that information is coming out now that they lied (we all knew that then too) and are continuing to deflect, dissuade, and disguise the truth.

Cross posted at www.FirstChevalier.com

Conservatism is not a cloak or robe you put on when convenient (i.e. election time). It is a way of life. We need representatives and senators who will stand up when times are tough and take a stand. Unfortunately, establishment Republicans are more interested in being in Washington than they are in the well-being of their constituents.

We almost removed Mr. Chambliss in his last election cycle due to his TARP vote. Please, do not let this additional instance of conservative hypocrisy go unpunished or we will get more establishment types who feel they can play the electorate for ignorant fools.

Here’s the question…

As you know, your opponent recently accused you of waging a campaign filled with anger and hate. You told Entertainment Tonight that anyone who attends your rallies can see that they are not angry or hate-filled affairs. But in recent weeks, your campaign has suggested repeatedly – without proof – that Mr. Romney might be hiding something in his tax returns. They have suggested that Mr. Romney might be a felon for the way that he handed over power of Bain Capital. And your campaign and the White House have declined to condemn an ad by one of your top supporters that links Mr. Romney to a woman’s death from cancer. Are you comfortable with the tone being set with your campaign? Have you asked them to change their tone when it comes to defining Mr. Romney?

Here is the response…

Well, first of all, I am not sure that all of those characterizations that you laid out there were accurate. For example, nobody accused Mr. Romney of being a felon. And, I think that what is absolutely true is if you watch me on the campaign trail, here’s what I’m talking about. I’m talking about how to put Americans back to work.

Both the question and Mr. Obama’s response can be found here along with a video of both from Real Clear Polotics.

The following link goes to a Politico story by Jennifer Epstein run on July 12 of this year. In that story Stephanie Cutter is quoted in the third paragraph as saying the following…

“Either Mitt Romney, through his own words and his own signature, was misrepresenting his position at Bain to the SEC, which is a felony.”

That sounds like an accusation of a felony to me. In fact, regardless of what the ‘legal’ definition of an accusation is, this was meant to be taken as such. It was meant to be taken as an accusation Romney had committed a felony, that is, until it backfired and didn’t go over well.

“The Copts must get out of Egypt as soon as possible – for the many millions who will not be able to get out, I expect things will continue to deteriorate – just as they did for Germany’s and Europe’s Jews from the 1930s onward,” Lopez said.

Forget religion and Christianity for a minute. A government that is willing to openly sanction something like this should be voicefourously and actively opposed. If this is real how long do we tolerate it or world leaders who do not oppose it?

What I have is a montage that was broadcast yesterday covering ten (10) different people using the EXACT same words or phrasology on the SAME day about the SAME event. Eight of these people are media figures from NBC, CNN, MSNBC, US News and World Report, ABC, among others.

Here is a link to the transcript of the montage with a few other bits thrown in. How do all these supposed ‘objective journalists’ come up with the nearly EXACT same phraseology and wording if they are not in collusion?

This montage comes from the Rush Limbaugh program. If you listen to his show then you know these sorts of montages are common place. This is NOT an isolated incident. Feel free to live under the illusion that the media is ‘reporting’ if you want to, but keep in mind these people DO NOT have your best intentions at heart. They wan to the implementation of a socialist, progressive agenda that keeps them in power. They are only interested in protecting the New Aristocracy, of which you and I are not a part (and they like it that way).

Cross posted at www.firstchevalier.com

Today is Chick-Fil-A appreciation day, a campaign started by Mike Huckabee and not connected with official Chick-Fil-A policy in anyway. You can like it on Facebook here or at www.isupportchickfila.com. Before you start spewing your hate-filled comments I’ll remind you of the Left’s own mantra that hate is not a family value, but I am interested in what ‘family’ values you do hold? See, you can find out what family values I believe because I am a professed Christian just as Dan Cathy is. He had nothing to say other than he supports the biblical definition of marriage. His actual remarks can be found here in the last three paragraphs from the bottom of the story but I’ll quote them for you…

“We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.

“We operate as a family business … our restaurants are typically led by families; some are single. We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that,” Cathy emphasized.

“We intend to stay the course,” he said. “We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles.”

That’s all he said. He didn’t say anything negative about the Gay Lesbian Transgender community. His stores do not refuse service to the GLT community. His company does not refuse to hire GLT employees. His remarks were nothing but a positive statement endorsing marriage between one man and one woman.

Despite the positive remarks Dan Cathy made people across the country are castigating him for his view because he dared to voice it in a public forum. Where is the vaunted tolerance the Left lectures America about all the time? I guess it’s only necessary when Christians are in the room. I guess tolerance is only necessary when Judeo/Christian values are being assaulted or offended. I guess tolerance is only for other people.

You see, Christians do not get up in the morning and say, “Who has offended me today so I can have the energy to go about my day?” We get up in the morning and thank God for the blessings He has bestowed upon us. We have joy in our heart. We have hope in our lives. We are happy. These things seem to offend some people but I think I know why. They don’t have any tolerance. If they had any tolerance at all then they would hear the reasons why Christians have hope, joy, and love in their life. If they had any tolerance at all we could give an answer to every man who asks us the reason for the hope that is in us. The best part is they could have that same joy, hope, and love if they’d just have a little of that tolerance they say America needs.

Last time I looked this was still the UNITED States of America. The First Amendment is still in force. Political speech is still protected. I have to TOLERATE Michael Moore as he bashes me but guess what? He has to tolerate Dan Cathy as he upholds a biblical definition of marriage. Both men are speaking about what they believe, and both men should be allowed to speak regardless of what your opinion is of either of them. You can support them or not with your words, deeds, and treasure if you want. You can also choose not to support them, as pleases you.

Today is Chick-Fil-A appreciation day, and my family chooses to support Dan Cathy’s company.

UPDATE
Here is a Chick-Fil-A update for you. CBS news had a truck out at one location and was caught on tape here explaining that they are not going to film the tons of people showing up today because, ‘…it’s not a protest so we’re not going to shoot it.’ Restaurants being closed by Fire Marshal’s because there are too many people, lines out parking lots and into traffic, literally hundreds of people participating and that isn’t news because it’s not a protest. Well, they’re correct, it’s not a protest it is IN SUPPORT of something. Guess they’re not interested in what it is in support of.

cross posted at www.firstchevalier.com

If Obama wins the election Holder can either continue to stonewall.  In which case the Justice Department continues to refuse to prosecute him.  Done.  If Justice does prosecute him he drags things on for years and does little if any time at all until the end of Obama’s second term at which point Holder gets a pardon.  Done.

If Obama looses the election, Holder turns the documents over immediately and plays out the results but takes the fall.  Obama again pardon’s Holder at the end of his term.  Done.  In either case Holder gets a pardon as long as he does what he is told to do.  This puts the responsibility squarely on Barack Obama.  Why should he have responsibility at all?  For one, he has exerted executive privilege, which can only be done on documents he has been a party to or is involved in to some degree.

The very fact that Obama chose to help protect Holder on this means Obama himself has told us he is taking responsibility.  He is the leader and is covering one of his subordinates with his executive privilege.  If there was nothing in the documents Obama should have stayed out of it allowing it to take its course.  Now that he is involving himself he is taking ownership as something that happened on his watch.

Holder must hold out until after the election regardless of what is contained in the documents.  Holder is going to take the fall, or a concerted attempt will be made to pin it on him by the Democrats so Obama isn’t impugned.  Obama can pardon Holder, but he cannot pardon himself.  Eric Holder is going to become the Oliver North of the liberals though he is not nearly as honorable as Colonel North, in my opinion.

cross posted at www.firstchevalier.com

First, the war games in the Mediterranean conducted between China, Russia, Iran, and Syria.  All four nations will have substantial forces in, or off the coast of, Syria while that country is being accused of human rights violations against its own people. Russia is currently in a verbal argument with the US because we are arming the rebels and they are arming the government forces who are slaughtering the people.  This scenario sounds just like another one from forty-odd years ago, which occurred in the Republic of Vietnam.  However, that time we weren’t worried about an insane leader of a country who was pursuing nuclear weapons and espoused destroying another sovereign nation.  You can read the story from the Times of Israel here.

Second, border incursions into Israel are occurring from Egypt while that country is in the process of “electing” a pro-radical Islamic regime from the Muslim Brotherhood. Today the Times of Israel also reports elements identifying themselves as pro-al-Qaida took responsibility for the attacks. The Left and liberal media spun the meme about a democratic movement in Egypt while President Obama and his surrogates tried to explain how his administration was responsible for this movement.  Conservatives screamed from the rooftops that this was not the case and would only end in a greater threat in the region to both the US and Israel.  Now, that threat is materializing at perhaps the worst possible time.  A link to that story and video of the terrorists claiming credit can be found here.

Third, the US is sending over 13,000 troops back to Kuwait City in order to be able to respond to any situation in the region more effectively.   While the joint war games task force from the New Axis of Evil is reported to be around 90,000 strong we still have superior equipment.  This may not be as much of an advantage with the Chinese and Russians involved, but is still an advantage.  The problem this creates for us is one of logistics if Iran closes the Straights of Hormuz as they have threatened in the past.  Additionally, with the failure of the US State Department to keep strong ties with our allies abroad we may end up going it alone.  From the stand point of loosing a war our forces could be utterly destroyed in that region without ongoing support from our allies.  That might embolden other attacks not in the middle east, but across our porous borders here at home.  A link to this story from Apnews.myway.com can be found here.

These developments do not bode well for the stability of the region, our forces stationed there, our allies there, or US citizens across the world. I am fearful that with the four nations the US is at odds with in the process of practicing their ‘war games’ an incident that requires a US response will occur ‘by accident’. I will take it that there is no coincidence between forces in that region becoming emboldened to act while these war games are being conducted and those forces remaining in place for an “extended period of time”.  This development could have grave national security repercussions if they develop in a sideways manner.

Anyone who is not at least concerned by these events should be. We as members of the global community should be worried for the safety and security of that region. I don’t think I’m alarmist when I say that these developments present a grave threat to Israel, her people, and her very existence. We cannot sit by and fail to be vigilant to these developments. To ignore these developments is irresponsible, but I fear that is exactly what the current administration will do.

Cross-posted at www.firstchevalier.com

In an article today on Yahoo! (found here) Senator Snow laments the Senate not working together to solve problems in this quote,

“And so it becomes more divisive and I think ultimately has manifested itself in the Senate and an overall process that lends itself to dysfunction and political paralysis that doesn’t allow problems to be solved.”

Congresswoman Snow we do not want your solutions. We do not think the government IS a solution (to paraphrase The Gipper 10 second video found here). We believe people are the best solution to their own problems. I respect your freedom to believe what you want and to voice those opinions. But please do not be disingenuous with which party you stand with because as demonstrated by your voting actions you do not believe the majority of what Republicans believe, and you certainly do not believe what Conservatives believe.

I was on Redstate chat during the debate and hands down Newt won. We all agreed I think. those that didn’t agree thought their candidate did the best who ever they were sold out for in the first place. This morning I find Drudge with a voting graphic up asking who I though won the debate. Imagine my surprise when the tally came back as the image I’ve inserted here!?!

I’m fully okay with people having a differing opinion than I do (and I expect it). The Drudge Report is fully in the tank for the Romney camp and are lending credence to a suspected deal between him and Ron Paul over something. Could it be a RAND Paul VP nomination? Hmmmmm. Time will tell.

In any event I still am open to information and am gathering/evaluating it all ahead of Super Tuesday. I am NOT interested in attack ads; defense ads, yes. I want to see more of Newt’s positive spin, going after BHO, and why I should vote FOR someone, not AGAINST someone.

I’m against Barack Hussein Obama. I’m against the Socialist direction this country is taking. I’m against the anti-exceptionalist stance this administration is taking around the world. Tell me what you are FOR? Tell me why I should be FOR YOU? Tell me what You will DO to make my beloved country great again? This I can get behind. This I can volunteer for. This I can donate money too (when the companies in this country aren’t scared stiff about the next piece of legislation/regulation and start hiring again).

Cross posted at firstchevalier.com

¹⁵ Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
¹⁶ Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
¹⁷ Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
¹⁸ A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
¹⁹ Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
²⁰ Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Matt 7:15-20 (KJV)

Cross posted at www.firstchevalier.com

I don’t want to know what you’ll do for me. I want to know what you’ll do for my country?

Some rules about responses, gentlemen…First, Don’t give me platitudes or trite campaign answers. Conservatives can tell if it’s from the heart or if you’re mouthing what some consultant has fed you from a focus group. We’re smart like that and so are the independent voters you guys are all so worried about (don’t be or you’ll loose in my opinion). Second, these answers need to come from the candidate not some super PAC or other mouthpiece that would even present the appearance of plausible deniability, which is the tactic of someone eying a run to the center for the general election.

Now on with my questions and suggestions…

Mitt Romney

First and foremost I want to hear from you how RomneyCare was a mistake. How you wouldn’t create RomenyCare again for Massachusetts. How you will not just allow a single bill in Congress to be proposed on repealing ObamaCare and if it fails claim you kept a campaign promise to ‘Repeal ObamaCare’. A failed attempt in Congress is not the same thing. Saying ‘well guys I tried’ isn’t going to cut it. We DON’T want a better version of nationalized healthcare. We want the government OUT of our lives and out of our way.

Second, I want to hear from your mouth the words, “I will not run to the center in a general election”. We conservatives like character. We watch voting record. I fully believe you can change your ideals. Heck, anyone breathing who doesn’t grow and change over the course of ten years is stagnating in my view. So, I can be convinced you’ve changed from your liberal Republican days to a conservative view but you have to disavow those liberal views not just ‘distance’ yourself.

Rick Santorum

Full disclosure: I’m currently leaning toward voting for Rick Santorum in the Georgia primary in two weeks.

First, I want to hear how you will limit government, not grow it?

Second, I want to hear more on how some of your previous votes were wrong i.e. raising the minimum wage, voting against pay as you go, raising the debt limit, etc.

Newt Gingrich

First, since character matters to conservatives Mr. Speaker I’d like to know how you can allow ‘what God has joined together let no man put asunder’ twice? I understand the second wife is considered to have been the ‘home wrecker’ but it takes two to tango so why was there an opportunity in the first place for the home to be wrecked? I will allow forgiveness and learning from mistakes but this is germane to how you will govern in my opinion. I can be swayed on this topic I just want to hear you sway me.

Second, you have some situations in the past that have you reaching across the isle (or the couch) to work with liberals. I want to know how you are going to defeat their ideas, not work with them on co-opting our ideas into implementing small portions of theirs? Again, I can be swayed and I am willing to allow for learning here but I don’t want a president (or congress for that matter) passing more laws. I want them repealing laws so business won’t be worried about the next tax on their revenues based on who they hire.

Ron Paul

Representative Paul, I want first to hear how you will NOT run under a third party banner if you do not get the Republican nomination. I will not hear anything else you say until this is cleared up because I see it as a power play. We all know any third party run by a republican-like (you sir are not a Republican you are a Libertarian) candidate such as yourself or Trump will only guarantee another four years of Obama.

Second, I want to understand how pulling our troops out of the world allowing our enemies i.e. AL Quaeda, Taliban, Iran, et al to consolidate, fortify, and strengthen make the United States of America safer?

My suggestions for the candidates

To all the candidates I say; Fight, but not each other. I want to hear how you are the guy for the job against Obama, not how bad the other guy is. America LOVES someone who will stand up and be counted. Demonstrate this by becoming aggressive for what you believe in. These current times are going to call for a strong president who isn’t afraid to walk the walk against enemies who are not just looking to defeat you in an election; they want your blood on the ground and by definition the American people’s blood flowing in the streets. How can you fight them if you can’t demonstrate a backbone in a simple presidential election (by comparison).

Ignore the mainstream media. It astounds me how we lament the liberal bias in the mainstream media in this country then every Republican seems to take their queues from it including many conservatives. Don’t play their game and don’t be afraid to get in their face when you know they’re being false.

Mitt Romney

You have a good message. I don’t begrudge you your wealth. I’m happy you made your money and would like to be as wealthy as you some day. Stop being nice, specifically to Obama. Turn that attack add spirit you are pitting against the people you ostensibly will want to work with later against the opponents you need to attack, which are our enemies and the liberal ideas currently being passed as law in this land.

Rick Santorum

The overt public demonstration of your faith is beginning to feel very Pharisee-like. If it’s captured on camera in genuine fashion fine but just be yourself please. I say that because it hasn’t been captured like it is now until it started working for you in the polls. Also, Please keep going after both Obama and anyone who is untruthful. I’m tired of Republicans who just stand there and take it.

Newt Gingrich

Staying in it til the end is not a viable strategy or good for the party as a whole if you’re truly not in it. Please publicly announce you’re rethinking this. Also, please return to the campaign of ideas and attacks on Obama. That worked. It resonated. It is what we want to hear, not attacks on other Republicans, though do defend yourself. We are smart enough to know the difference between an attack ad and a offensive defense ad.

Ron Paul

I love how you tout the Constitution and wish more of our candidates would expound upon its virtues as you do. I think you need to tie everything in this campaign to either where it is constitutional or is not constitutional siting chapter and verse to back it up. Then you can continue to return the conversation to how judges have wrongfully misinterpreted the framers intent or how your ideas are founded in principle.

Cross posted at www.firstchevalier.com

]]> http://www.redstate.com/firstchevalier/2012/02/21/not-what-youll-do-for-me-but-what-youll-do-for-my-country/feed/ 0 http://www.redstate.com/firstchevalier/2012/02/19/who-are-the-new-new-nine/ http://www.redstate.com/firstchevalier/2012/02/19/who-are-the-new-new-nine/#comments Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:53:00 +0000 firstchevalier (Diary) http://www.redstate.com/firstchevalier/?p=94 Read More »]]> This past weekend beginning on February 17th NASA is celebrating the 50th anniversary of John Glenn’s historic flight aboard Friendship 7 in which he became the first American to orbit the earth in space. Of the original nine Mercury astronauts only John Glenn and Scott Carpenter, also in attendance, were present along with a large number of other project personnel. The article covering the event was written by Marcia Dunn of the Associated Press and can be found here.

These pioneers of the American space program worked from ideas and inspiration. They had to create the tools that made the tools that created the machines that sent men into space. They had no guide, no rule book, no teacher but trial and error. They made tremendous leaps, and sometimes costly mistakes but in no case did they ever stop, cease, or retreat from the goal set for them by President John F. Kennedy.

When the Mercury program accomplished it’s goals a new group of astronauts were sought, found, and trained. These men became the pioneers of lunar exploration. The New Nine as they were called led the American people and the world to the moon and back. The New Nine led. The New Nine became world leaders in how things are done in space. Because of the efforts of the Mercury Program the New Nine were given leadership, expertise, and experience in space.

Now, America has retired the ground-breaking reusable vehicle known as the space shuttle. By all reckoning it is what most of us who grew up admiring the Apollo missions would call a true Space Ship akin to science fiction tales of same (though the Apollo capsules and lunar landers were indeed space craft in a very real sense). With the departure of this remarkable American vehicle we have voluntarily slowed our pace allowing the world to catch us in the ‘Space Race’. We will and are quickly being overtaken by the Chinese, Japanese (quietly), and Russians.

The most telling, insightful, and challenging quote from the entire AP piece comes at the very end in a quote from Scott Carpenter’s address to the crowd…

“Maybe one day before too long the great hero John Glenn himself may be replaced by another national hero who represents the command of a Mars crew returned safely.”
“John, thank you for your heroic effort and all of you for your heroic effort,” Carpenter told the Mercury old-timers. “But we stand here waiting to be outdone.”

We stand here waiting to be outdone….

We have to wonder given the current state of the American space program, out done by who? Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were in the New Nine. Such storied names as these set an amazing precedent to surpass. The question remains not only who will be the New New Nine, but more importantly when will America commit to finding these brave souls?

Cross posted at firstchevalier.com

]]> http://www.redstate.com/firstchevalier/2012/02/19/who-are-the-new-new-nine/feed/ 0 http://www.redstate.com/firstchevalier/2012/02/08/and-now-the-lighter-side/ http://www.redstate.com/firstchevalier/2012/02/08/and-now-the-lighter-side/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:43:20 +0000 firstchevalier (Diary) http://www.redstate.com/firstchevalier/?p=91 Read More »]]> A friend of mine, Ramled, on Facebook posted a link to this video that demonstrates what monogamy and true love can do and look like. The clip isn’t long and it’s a heart warming little interlude to the day. I thought I’d toss it up here to break up all the doom and gloom of ‘my candidate can beat up your candidate’. Enjoy.


60 Plus year old piano duet, inspiring

]]> http://www.redstate.com/firstchevalier/2012/02/08/and-now-the-lighter-side/feed/ 0 http://www.redstate.com/firstchevalier/2012/01/24/welcome-to-second-place/ http://www.redstate.com/firstchevalier/2012/01/24/welcome-to-second-place/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:15:45 +0000 firstchevalier (Diary) http://www.redstate.com/firstchevalier/?p=87 Read More »]]> We are now officially not the leading space agency in the world and I’d like to bid a fond farewell to the shuttles heading to static display (article found here). We are arguably second to Russia who can still get men and materiel to the International Space Station. For that matter, China is actively pursuing manned space flight as well striving to land on the moon and establish a space station separately from the international one. In fact, China’s space program plans to launch 21 rockets and 30 satellites in 2012 (found here). In contrast, according to NASA’s website (found here) we have only 7 domestic launches planned in 2012 with as many from Baikonur as well. So maybe we aren’t even in second place.

We learned a great deal from out time in space. We gained so many modern conveniences from the lessons learned as we taught ourselves how to reach, navigate, and survive in the cold black of the vacuum. Now, we have abandoned one of the grandest adventures Man has ever undertaken to other countries. They are now learning new lessons. They are now bringing their people tremendous new innovations. They now control the high ground (from a military perspective). But most startling of all is they are now expanding the horizons of mankind as our representatives to the cosmos.

We have abdicated first place. It wasn’t taken from us someone decided to voluntarily give it up. When did the American spirit become one of surrender? When did the American way become one of giving up? When did America decide it’s okay to be second to any one in anything? But most of all, who is going to reclaim our legacy of hope, excellence, and leadership; and when will that person take the mantle of Leader?

cross posted on The Cavalier’s Sword at firstchevalier.com

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