Revolution, Part One

I never finished the book. Obama's book. I would have, but within the first 24 hours of his inauguration he had already shredded the Constitution in so many ways I never believed possible that I was stunned. I spent the next few months watching in paralyzed silence while he erased the history of this Constitutional Republic with every stroke of his pen and surreptitiously replaced it with the pathetic veneer of Socialism and Communism.

I was wrong. Again. There, I said it. Again. Barack Obama is a liar of the first order and I got played. Many people did. I opted on the side of hope, for the sake of history and unity in the country and gave the man a chance, hoping he would live up to the dream of a great African-American President finally showing the world that America can work for everyone. Then his mask started to slip and I saw the evil grin behind it.

In the seven months since Jan 20, so much has happened to further derail the freedom train that I've been at a loss on where to begin; so much needs to be said (and done) in response to the abuses Obama's regime has committed. It became clear that if I was going to continue to post here I'd better get started and write quickly, as the Obamanation was certainly not going to wait for me to catch up. I am writing quickly and not editing much, so if I don't sound polished please let it slide. There's not enough time any more to sound pretty. There's too much that needs to be said.

So, let's start with the obvious: health care protests. If you "tweet" and follow even a few of us who are vocal about stopping socialism, you already know that the outrage in this country is many, many, many times greater than the regime wants anyone to know. I'm not talking about some vague conspiratorial reference to "the State-run Media" (though it is -- but as a "volunteer army"). I'm talking about the marching orders the regime sends its own troops. HCAN (Health Care for America Now) is one of the liberals' primary vehicles for creating the appearance of grassroots support for their socialist agenda. Liberals sprinkled throughout various organizations (some with very officious titles) write in favor of initiatives that Statist liberals promote and are then swept into the HCAN sphere as a badge of support. For instance, in NC we have entities like: "Latin American Coalition" and "Sanderson High School Young Democrats" and even "Health Policy Class, North Carolina Central University," and of course, ACORN. In the Mafia, ACORN would be the soldiers. In Obama's regime they do the same job.

Those in the organizations who dissent (like many of us prior to the present regime) remain unhappy but silent, while the activists show up for the cameras. It's an old tactic, used everywhere. Recall scenes in Iraq, Iran, Libya, Palestine, etc., where the powerful use the people as puppets to present their mockery of the truth. Same happens here. With a twist. HCAN members are being instructed to:

"Get to your location early and make sure you set up the venue in a way that ensures that the attendees you want are at the front and that any protesters who come are sequestered as far as possible from the stage."

"We should demonstrate that we are the majority by chanting [...]"

All fine tactics for a debate, but this is not a debate. And supporters of these policies are clearly a minority. When a servant of the people attends a public gathering to hear the grievances of the constituents, that servant has an ethical obligation to hear the complaints. Yet, cowards like North Carolina's Brad Miller (who staged a "death threat" on himself so he could cancel when he found out that hundreds of people from the local conservative coalition "Triangle Conservatives Unite" were coming to show they were against the Obama plan) are declining to even meet with constituents during this recess they are taking on the tax payer dime. We are paying for their vacations and they don't even consider us worthy of a few minutes of their time. And why? They are afraid of being seen on TV or YouTube with an angry crowd that won't be satisfied with their scripted pablum.

The spark that lit my fuse was Boxer and Pelosi's assertions that we were simply meat shoved into the mess by Big Pharma, The Insurance Companies, and the GOP to "hurt our President." We are (according to the HCAN playbook):

"far right-wing idealogues recruited by paid organizers. Much of this recuritment and organizing is by industry lobbyists and public relations firms to engage radical right-wing groups."

Give me a break. The GOP couldn't organize a lemonade stand. And if the State Run Media would actually air video of the massive numbers of protestors at every sighting of a Congressman, Senator, or the "President" all of America would see mostly seniors, professional people, and (guess what?) even blacks carrying signs to try to be heard when they'd all rather be at home enjoying their lives. Today there was news that a group of SEIU (read: Union) thugs had pulverized a black conservative protester in St. Louis during the hours leading up to a planned town hall meeting there. The man ended up in the hospital while spineless Senator Carnahan packed the meeting location with more union muscle through the handicapped entrance in the back, then had security close the door on the average folks who showed up to communicate their displeasure with the politician. Liberals expect blacks to support them and when they don't, there's hell to pay.

Folks, your America looks a lot like China or the U.S.S.R. to me right now.

What we are seeing in these town hall explosions is the angry frustration of people who finally recognize that the government really has stopped listening to us and have their own agendas. Our so-called representatives only show up for photo ops where the stage is managed and people tell them how good they look. They ride the wave of money to their offices in D.C. and then reward their faithful donors with power and perks. When they encounter the hostility of the disenfranchised constituency they marginalize us with claims that we're "phony" or "set up" and therefore undeserving of their ear. The mainstream media then promptly engages to validate them by flatly refusing to perform any true investigative journalism or balanced reporting. (You can thank Walter Cronkite for that legacy.)

Thank Almighty GOD for the Internet. It's the only place, other than talk radio, where you can get anything close to "news" any more. Yes, talk radio is biased toward Conservative values. But, guess what? The country is biased toward Conservative values too. That's why you are now seeing grandma banging her cane on the closed door of the Castor "town hall meeting" in Ybor City, Florida [video no longer available] to yell about how outraged she is!

There are so many other things that I want to comment on, but reader fatigue must be setting in by now. One last item: there's a march on Washington planned for September 12, 2009. You can find out more here and here. If you can come, please do. Add your voice (and your sign, and your flag) to the tide of patriots who will attempt that day to finally be noticed by the government to whom we grant power.

God bless America. Please.

Redaction

This is a placeholder for an upcoming entry that has been percolating these many days since the inauguration. Suffice it to say that the actions belie the words. I hope to have a cohesive comment in place of this short paragraph within the next two weeks. Keep your wits about you, folks. The pea is not under the shell you're watching.

(later that same Summer) Taking longer than I thought....

Renewal

I'm reading Barack Obama's book The Audacity of Hope. I bought it on a flight to see my family at Christmas a few weeks ago. I hadn't planned to read it, but the F. Paul Wilson novel I'd brought with me turned out to be one I'd read already, and -- as it's a series -- it made no sense to read it again (yet). So, I found myself staring at the man of the hour on the cover of this tastefully minimal paperback cover. Sure, why not? Maybe I'll see what all the fuss is about.

I did not vote for Obama. I am one of the most cynical people I know. My trust in government faded a long time ago. I had been certain, during the campaign, that Obama was just a prop for the Democratic Party and, in spite of the cool factor of himself and his wife, and the historical impact of a black man running for President in America, it was all just a papier-mâché hat to go with the tired old slogans. Then I started the book.

I'm not one of those who has trouble saying I was wrong. I have to do it a lot. I am also not easily lied to. It's unusual for someone to lie to me without my knowing it. I can't explain how, but I sense it. What I found in Obama's book was the most refreshingly honest assessment of the tired politics of this country that I've ever read. He is an eloquent man, not just charismatic. I know good writing, and he has a gift. But I was struck mostly by the clear statement of what he believed about the potential for Americans to do great things, a power that has been gathering dust for a long time. I found myself agreeing with him on page after page. I began to be suspicious that I was being played by the author. He is, after all, a politician. But further reading only brought more agreement.

I am not a liberal. That's why I didn't vote for a Democrat, even though I always found Obama to be a likable guy. I vote on ideology when I can. McCain's campaign was a disaster, by any measure. I admire him greatly, but it was painful to watch him reciting his scripts. I thought his concession speech was the most gracious and supportive of any I've ever heard (given over the rude behavior of many in the crowd). Honestly, I thought his best face through the entire campaign was the one he wore that night. Sad.

Obama is a sharp politician, better than Clinton I think. And as distasteful as it is for me to say this, sometimes that is a good thing. One of the arguments we always have is over the balance of power in Washington and what color (red or blue) is the Congress. Recalling American Government 101, the President doesn't really "run" the country, though we all fall into that kind of thinking. A President's most important job, the one he (or she, someday) must do well is to lead by example, to cheer on the hopes of the people, to inspire us to pitch in and participate to get the job done. None of that happens if we distrust and oppose our government. That's the problem Obama is talking about in the book. And it's a problem I believe he is more than capable of fixing. It's one he started fixing a year ago when his campaign exploded with volunteers and donations. Now I find myself, like millions of others I once thought were "drinking the koolaid," to be hopeful. I can't wait to see him sworn in today. I am expecting great things from Barack Obama.

By the way, Max Lucado is calling for prayers today. Consider joining us.

Racism

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as expressed in one of his most famous speeches, looked forward to a day when a man would be judged by the content of his character instead of the color of his skin. Though some who continue to operate under the mantle Dr. King was asked to wear contend that there is still much to do, I think much of what Dr. King longed to see has come.

I was born in south Mississippi in the 50s. That was a culture where the "N" word was the accepted vernacular for any dark-skinned person. I used it too. I remember a time, around first grade when I first realized that it was a word that could be used to hurt people. My family moved to Arkansas a couple of years later and as the 60s began to turn everything upside down, we struggled to let go of that word and the kind of thinking that went with it. My dad went along with the change too and taught me that God, who made us all and sent His Son Jesus to die for us all, judges us all alike. He would often remark that "there are 'good' and 'bad' in every race." That was his way, I think, of teaching me that racism was wrong and I'm glad he did.

There's a million things I could say and that have been said about this business of race and I'm just writing a blog entry, so I'll let it go with this...

Our country has a shameful mark on its history. We may never be able to look at each other without the shadow of that shared memory filtering the space between us. But considering Barack Obama will become our President this week, from my perspective, our culture has come a long, long way. And I'm happy to have seen it.

Rehearsals

A little backstory first... I'm a performing musician -- guitar, mostly. Used to write a lot, but that's a post for another day. Spent a lot of years gigging "on the side" and a few years making my living at it. (That's me at Kerrville, Memorial Day 2000) Now to the present, where I devote all my music time to praise and worship music in mostly contemporary settings for my church (PBC) and related venues. It's something I was meant to do. And where I do it mostly (see previous link) has a very controlled and highly organized approach to rehearsals that I sometimes find antiseptic. Well, I used to. I've come to realize, after a number of alternate venues that hailed back to my earlier, less structured days, that the way the folks at PBC do it is a real treat.

I'm usually the guy mouthing off (mostly for comic relief). Guess now I'll have to find another outlet for my sarcastic wit. Maybe I'll write a blog...

Reluctance

Blogging? How ridiculous.

Blogging epitomizes the narcissistic "reality" culture in which I live. So, here I am. Heaven help me.