Right Up in Your Grille

A Method to the Madness

In the movie Hunt for Red October, there was a famous scene in which Captain Ramius (Sean Connery), shocked his crew by turning into the path of a torpedo fired from a Soviet submarine. The horrified crew thought that Ramius -- who was thought by this time to be deranged and suicidal -- meant to end his life along with the rest of the members of the Red October.  Ramius knew that the Soviet commanders used a timing device on torpedo warheads, and thus knew that by closing the distance instead of attempting to flee meant that the torpedo would bounce harmlessly off the hull before it could arm itself.

It was a brilliant tactic, and one I have thought of recently considering the machinations of the Obama regime in light of the spate of scandals besieging it. But then I thought that the analogy was a bit off kilter since Ramius was a Capitalist raised in a Marxist world and Obama is a Marxist raised in a Capitalist world. And then the philosophy of political Ju Jitso kicked in, and I realized that Obama is not nearly as out of the loop as he would have us believe. Brilliant tactics emanate from this administration, and whether they are the brain trusts of Obama himself or the works of those close to him, the fact remains that we are all being played for fools.

The IRS scandal came to light because the IRS itself leaked a planted question designed to bring it all out in the open. The media dutifully plastered the emerging scandal all over it's duly outraged pages, and then quickly moved to dismiss the story as old news, thinking it had placated the majority of casual news consumers. It was not a bad calculation, since most people have already moved beyond the stories significance in favor of the latest Justin Bieber news.

All of this was cleverly designed to deflect the increasing scrutiny bestowed on the Benghazi hearings toward a scandal much more easily manageable. Who is discussing Benghazi now? And just in case Congress decides to ramp up that particular conversation again,  Obama has just turned into the torpedo by promoting Victoria Nuland to assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs.

Nuland played a major role in the editing of the official Benghazi talking points in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2012 attacks on an American consulate that left Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans dead. She expressed concern over the mention of terrorists -- particularly the mention of al Qaida operatives -- in the final report to be presented to the public.

Like Ramius, Obama knows that the tactic of turning into the torpedo will only work once. The opposition will quickly recalculate and attack again, this time with a better chance at success. He got lucky in the Senate, though...he's got Republican allies who will add credibility to this promotion.

RINOs McCain and Graham

Non-wacko birds John McCain and Lindsay Graham -- both Republicans -- have endorsed the promotion of Nuland. These two turncoats have also endorsed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's attempts to raise the debt ceiling on a 50 percent vote, knowing that the Democrat controlled Senate can shed five members in the vote and still win.

And now I shall risk an IRS audit by saying plainly that it is time for the TEA Party to get back in the game. It is time for true patriots to rally behind and defend our Constitution. Our government is not only defying the will of its people, they are doing it in bold fashion, or as the vernacular goes, "getting up in our grilles". 2014 is just around the corner, perhaps jostling with the tyranny that resides there. It's time we forget the level of allure of a particular candidate, and start throwing the relics who have ruined our country out of their comfortable chairs in Congress.

Reset the torpedoes, boys.

Sphere: Related Content

The Answer Must Be Treason

The Reaper On Vacation

For as tantalizing as the latest Obama-IRS scandal is to your garden variety political junkie -- of which I am one -- one must question why an administration would suddenly release such a damning story. What is it that could compel an administration to invite such a hell-storm upon itself, which might stall any possible political progress for months or more, at this time? Perhaps in the hopes that it will also stall any judicial progress, as well.

Obama's new term is only months old, and yet he is fighting for his political life. Between the AP revelations that the Department of Justice tapped the phone records of 20 lines at the AP building, and the damning news that the IRS was targeting Conservative groups during an election year, it is easy to understand how anyone could quickly forget about...Benghazi!

Oh yeah, remember Benghazi? That messy affair where four Americans died, including a U.S. Ambassador, and on sovereign U.S. territory? The Congressional questioning and the resulting answers were getting quite hot and heavy, nearly sucking the mainstream media into the fray. And then wham! Two less equally damning but no less insignificant stories hit the front pages.

Call me cynical, folks, but this is almost a classic case of feeding the beast in hopes of being eaten last, which begs the question; how close were we getting to the real truth on Benghazi? How close were the members of Congress to discovering justification for heads to roll? The answer is chillingly clear, at least to me.

Ambassador Stevens?

The possibility of being charged with treason might make a President begin releasing anything and everything to throw off the scent, even if the other stories are nearly as damaging to an administration albeit punishable to a much lesser degree. The strategy seems to be working for now, as the coverage on the Benghazi hearings seems all but non-existent. And if political junkies have a hard time finding coverage, the low-information voter will have virtually forgotten about Benghazi already.

The real question remains, however; how long can Obama, et al, escape the consequences of their awful performance -- nay, their negligence and malfeasance -- during the Libyan attacks of September 11, 2012? And will our Congress relent under the absence of interest by the American people and simply abandon the search for truth on this matter?

Most of my friends -- also politically plugged-in types -- will not forget about Benghazi, no matter how the other two current scandals play out. To the apparently uninterested out there, I have this bit of outrage to offer you: remember that the hearings on Benghazi had progressed far enough to discover that the alleged video demonstration-turned-all out assault on our Consulate in Libya was a lie, and that Obama and his cohorts knew this from the start.

Also remember that knowing this, Obama went to sleep while the four Americans were dying in Libya, and left on a campaign trip to Las Vegas the next morning, having to know that Stevens was dead. And that he lied for weeks thereafter about a phantom protest over a video that his own people on the ground in Libya said played no part in the attack.

There were two separate stand down orders given to special ops in Tripoli ready to board a C-130 and fly to Benghazi to help those under attack, and the two dead SEALS who were in a nearby CIA safehouse -- Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty -- were denied permission to join the fight. They defied orders and fought valiantly until dead, all the while hoping that help would arrive. It never did, because no one gave the order to send it.

Obama and his handlers have basically said, "Hey! Look over there, the IRS!" to hopefully delay consequences over the Benghazi tragedy, which they caused. The timing suggests it, and I believe it. Obama sees the handwriting on the wall, and is trying furiously to erase it.

We can only hope that the AP and IRS scandals play a part in bringing justice to members of Obama's administration, but that we also do not lose focus on uncovering the truth of the heinous actions of a Commander in Chief so inept at best, or so sinister at worst. Treason is a serious charge for anyone, but none so much as the President of the United States, but if the cookies crumbs lead us in that direction and to the conclusion that they must, the IRS story will appear meaningless by comparison.

Sphere: Related Content

A Pox on Our House

Benghazi Schmenghazi

The title is not exactly Shakespearean, but it serves the same purpose to describe what has happened to our once-great nation. There is something seriously wrong with America, and it must be changed, lest we go the way of Ancient Rome.

America was founded by great men who put their trust in God, fought valiantly for their freedom, and were ultimately victorious, thence enjoying the blessings of God for nearly two centuries. Then, we had to muck it all up.

For anyone who still believes that folks like Jane Fonda and her entire hippie entourage are responsible for the so-called "great changes" made to this country since the peace revolutions, I suggest you take a look around you. Where is the free love Utopia of which you dreamt? Where are the positive changes you think you fought so hard to achieve? All I see is a Godless nation of miserable people still wandering in search of relief like a dehydrated blind man. None of what any of you envisioned back in the 1960's has come to fruition; you've only brought misery and a cold shoulder from the Lord.

Don't get me wrong, because I am the farthest thing from an Evangelical you're likely to find, but I still believe in God and the ways to remain in His favor, even while acknowledging that we are all sinners to one degree or another. The point is to keep it to a minimum and be contrite -- genuinely contrite-- as often as possible. (You want to thumb your nose at God, be my guest. I'll check your condition later, from my cloud.)

But we have grown very adept at breaking one of His greatest commandments: Thou shalt not lie. Or, if you prefer, "thou shalt not bear false witness". Yes, it was the ninth commandment, but like our Bill of Rights, there were ten, and it is included, so it is Great. We as a people have become dependent on lying, and at great lengths, none more so than our politicians.

We have reached a point in our history where text books can be rewritten over and over again to suit the whims of today's liars without question. In fact, it's gotten so bad that our own journalists -- charged with reporting history as it happens -- have begun the revisionist process in real time. Yes, I'm talking about Benghazi. These alleged journalists seek to change history as it is occurring, despite what we already know and find to be obvious.

Susan Rice lies on television

We already know that the talking points were altered (revised rewritten), and that the people on the ground in Benghazi on September 11, 2012 knew the attack was terrorist related, and that no demonstrations were taking place, and that no YouTube video was responsible. We also know that Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice went on five Sunday talk shows on September 16, 2012, and repeated the lie about the alleged video outrage. We know the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton spoke of the same lie at the funerals of the deceased from Benghazi, and we know that the president spoke of the very same lie before the United Nations two weeks later.

Now that the Congressional hearings are under way, liberal "journalists" are trying to sway the American people into thinking that this is some sort of witch hunt, when the truth actually still has some value to most people. Some, though, are easily bought and sold on whatever the main stream media tells them.

America has been co-opted by a liberal minority in control of everything from our early education to our later information sources, and that minority is going to be the ruination of us all. We've turned away from God to pursue our earthly desires and shunned the very thing that got us this far, and we wonder why it's all going to Hell?

The devil is happy with table scraps.

Sphere: Related Content

What a Cushion a Compliant Media Makes

Redundancy: an Unhinged Democrat

What we're seeing play out before us in the Benghazi hearings is a combination of media malfeasance coupled with a Democrat Party -- and administration -- emboldened by the former. But since the former has been an ongoing, decades-old phenomena, the latter is growing into a monster that feels it can literally get away with murder. And it has. The black hats are winning everyday, and the people are paying a heavy price.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's earlier Congressional testimony -- in which she infamously stated, "what difference, at this point, does it make?" -- is evidence of the problems we now face in America. We are being ruled led by a group of emotional misfits who feel they can operate with impunity if they only yell loud enough or cry hard enough. And our alleged watchdogs in the media will either fall for the chicanery or participate in it. Yet none will question either the validity of the statements nor the crassness with which they are made. Imagine for one minute how a parent or spouse or child of one of the dead in the Benghazi affair must have felt with Ms. Clinton's angry question.

"Water under the bridge" according to Madam Secretary. "Old news", according to the president's spokesman, Jay Carney. "Time to move on", say them all, but there is still the matter of the truth to be sought and discovered, and we will not rest until we are satisfied that the truth has at last been unearthed.

As important as the Benghazi hearings are for the immediate veracity of the moment, however, there is also the larger picture I feel is paramount in getting our nation back on track, and that is holding the people we select to represent us -- as well as the people selected to inform us -- to the reality that we are not all the stupid sheep they presume us to be. But it is incumbent upon us to also reverse the damage done to our society by the Department of Education and their stranglehold on our children in order to prevent the continued -- and not entirely unfounded -- perception that the elites have of us.

If we allow ourselves to be lied to, the lies will only become bolder and more frequent. It is a natural tendency of a pusher to provide more of that which keeps a user in line, just as the media will propagate more lies if they feel they placate the masses. We must break that addiction by refusing to sit like sponges in front of the TV and accepting what we're told as truth. This will also discourage our politicians from telling a lie that must be covered up from telling them in the first place.

 The Democrats, and to a lesser degree (in my opinion) even the Republicans are all guilty of enjoying the cushion of media complicity. (I say Republicans to a lesser degree simply because most of the so-called  mainstream media are Liberals, but there are those rare times when even a Republican skates on a charge of corruption).

Regarding the Benghazi hearings, I am heartened that we have finally begun them in earnest, and even more encouraged that a major news network has taken notice and reported somewhat about the proceedings. I suppose that when the truth becomes more evident, it is more difficult to ignore, even for a Liberal news outlet.

If only the Democrats on the committee would demonstrate less partisanship and more of a thirst for the truth, then I would be damn near giddy. Sadly, the game between the Liberal establishment and the Liberal media is one of "if we lie, you swear to it", and the practice tends to pull the media lapdogs back into line when the politicians refuse to admit the slightest possibility of error.

I can remember a time when a politician -- when caught -- would resign in shame with not much of a fight, simply because the truth about him (or her) had been discovered and reported. The modus operandi of such people today is outright denial and outrage over the audacity of someone daring to make the charge in the first place. All this has done is give politicians the idea that anything is possible as long as one's poker face could withstand the slightest scrutiny.

It's all a matter of trust, folks. Trust is a commodity most fragile, and once it is violated, rebuilding it is a most daunting task. It is sad that we must try to rebuild that treasure with our journalistic community, and it must noted that most marriages are not strong enough to weather such a storm. Most betrayed spouses end up with someone new. We have also begun trying new partners, such as talk radio and the myriad websites that feed us the information we crave. Can the old-guard networks win us back?

This week is a great test on that question.

Sphere: Related Content

American Pie Replaced by Upside Down Cake

An Eagle Scout in trouble.

Many of us -- particularly people of my age group -- grew up believing in America as the home of baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and the beautiful red, white and blue bunting that adorned festive locales during the summer months. America was a special place we enjoyed for the unique place we held in a world full of madness, surrounded by murder and tyranny while enjoying our own little cocoon of sanity. Those days are gone, my friends, just as many of your high school sweethearts suffered the same fate.

America has lost its collective mind, thanks to an inept media and -- dare I say it -- the board of education. Federalizing anything is always a bad idea, but to bring the education of our young under the auspices of a federal bureaucracy is lunacy, as we are learning today. The case of David Cole Withrow is a prime example.

The young man from Johnston County, NC, recently made headlines and earned the wrath of the Johnston County School Board for a transgression that never should have been, especially if one were to actually read the district rules by the letter. Withrow is an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America, and he's also an honor student at Princeton High School, two marks that make him an outstanding young man, at least in the America in which I was raised.

A few days ago, Withrow arrived at school in his truck and reached in the back to grab his book bag, only to realize that the shotgun he used for skeet shooting was left back there. Having no time to go home and remove it -- as he didn't want to miss a class -- Withrow went straight to the office to call his mother and ask her to come and get the gun and bring it home. But school administrative staff overheard the conversation and called police, and this young man was arrested and immediately expelled.

While the schools of America today have "zero tolerance" policies in place, they also exercise zero common sense. Withrow made an honest mistake, tried to rectify it as soon as possible, and was punished nonetheless, regardless of his exemplary background, and with no regard for his future. Yet, kids that are disruptive by malice in schools across this country are given chance after chance, and remain a disruption, usually because they are considered minorities and no one wants to appear "intolerant". Doesn't zero tolerance implicitly indicate intolerance?

Our problem is that the insanity doesn't end in our schools. Today we had the President of the United States speaking to a group of students in Mexico, and what he said was stunning, but you won't hear about it on the evening news.

President Obama was talking about our problems here in America as though he has nothing to do with any of them, and to an audience of people who are not Americans. (Yet)? What was particularly galling was Obama speaking of gun violence and the Second Amendment to our Constitution, something his audience doesn't know about, nor much less cares. A man complicit in Fast and Furious -- a program which gave hundreds of high powered weapons to Mexican drug cartels -- complaining about illegal guns going to Mexico from the United States is the height of hypocrisy, and I bet you won't hear about this in the news, either.

And finally, getting back to the schools, we have the Federal Drug Administration and the federal courts fighting over the age at which young girls can get an over-the-counter drug to end pregnancy without a parents consent. The Federal judge wanted no age restriction (he's from New York, after all) while Obama's FDA set the limit at 15. Great, so now a 15-year-old girl can get an abortion pill whenever she wants, but in school, she still can't pop an Advil to help with a headache without facing suspension or expulsion.

It makes one truly wonder why a wonderful young man like David Cole Withrow even strives to become the best that he can be in a country such as this. Perhaps there is still hope for us in spite of my own cynicism?

One can only hope and pray.

Sphere: Related Content