Is My Country Still “‘Tis Of Thee”?

Image Source: Photobucket

Like many of you, I have watched as President Obama seems to be systematically dismantling the free-enterprise system and gradually implementing Socialism piece by piece. He’s already nationalized GM and Chrysler (screwing the stockholders in the process) by transferring their stock to the government and unions (The United Auto Workers now controls about 65% of Chrysler and 17.5% of GM).

If this healthcare bill is passed by the House, Obama will have grabbed control of approximately 1/6th of the nation’s economy in one fell swoop. True Marxists and communists (both long-timers and relative newcomers like Van Jones) are simply giddy with the prospects of this huge potential power-grab being accomplished without a shot being fired. Silently, they prepare for a celebration as Obama continues to spit out the rhetoric about how he is “laser focused on jobs” for those poor fools who still cling to his every word.

I read of the optimism today of Democrats who predict a healthcare reform “victory” for America. Did we really elect people this ignorant? Or are they knowing accomplices in the attempted overthrow of our healthcare industry and taking a huge step into added control of every aspect of our lives?

As I pondered the above, like a haunting voice in my ear, I imagined the words of Samuel Francis Smith, set to the music of Muzio Clementi’s Symphony No. 3. You know it (or you should) as “America” (not to be confused with “America The Beautiful”).

I recalled how we used to sing it with such pride as children in a far better era, long passed:

My country, ’tis of thee,
Sweet land of Liberty,
Of thee, I sing!
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
From every mountainside let freedom ring!

As I let the song play in my head, it dawned on me: This, ladies and gentlemen, was America. That sweet liberty that made America the shining beacon of hope for all the people in the world is growing dimmer with each new restriction placed upon us. And if the President has his way, the government will soon have the power to tell us what we can and cannot eat, and virtually every aspect of our lives will be defined by government charts and graphs determining whether or not we qualify for medical treatment based on standards we have no voice (and the government has no business) in establishing.

This is not the land of  the free, nor the land of “thee I sing.” It’s the land of “thee, I control!” There are other verses, but the final verse of the original song holds, perhaps, the most important of messages:

Our fathers’ God to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright,
With freedom’s holy light,
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King.

People like Barack Obama don’t want to recognize the Judeo-Christian acknowledgment of God as did the founders of this country when they wrote the Constitution. Indeed, the term “Judeo-Christian” wouldn’t be coined until 1899. But the concept, understanding, and acknowledgment was there.  And it still is with the vast majority of Americans.

Liberals and progressives would re-write history in the name of political correctness so as not to offend anyone. This is not the America we lived in until recently. Obama and the Democrats who back his agenda and the Democratic platform insist that all people must be legislated into equality. And the way they equalize is not by lifting up others, but rather by dragging down those who have achieved more through hard work and sacrifice.

This is not the America our forefathers envisioned. They saw a land where people’s achievements are limited only by their creativity, efforts and work ethic… not by legislation that punishes them for their accomplishment.

Today, I see a land where, the more you achieve, the higher the level of punishment by the government to bring you back down into the same level of others. It’s sometimes referred to as the crab-bucket system. Those of you who have gone crabbing know that if one crab attempts to crawl out of the bucket, the others eventually pull it back down with them.

Welcome to the great American Crab Bucket, folks.

Gerry Ashley

Irreconcilable Differences

 

Last week, Pat Caddell and Douglas Schoen wrote a dead-on accurate article in the Washington Post about the cost of the mid-term elections if Democrats continue to push for the House to pass this health care bill over the well-voiced and well-documented objections of the American people:

[T]he battle for public opinion has been lost. Comprehensive health care has been lost. If it fails, as appears possible, Democrats will face the brunt of the electorate’s reaction. If it passes, however, Democrats will face a far greater calamitous reaction at the polls. Wishing, praying or pretending will not change these outcomes.

Nothing has been more disconcerting than to watch Democratic politicians and their media supporters deceive themselves into believing that the public favors the Democrats’ current health-care plan. Yes, most Americans believe, as we do, that real health-care reform is needed. And yes, certain proposals in the plan are supported by the public.

However, a solid majority of Americans opposes the massive health-reform plan. Four-fifths of those who oppose the plan strongly oppose it, according to Rasmussen polling this week, while only half of those who support the plan do so strongly. Many more Americans believe the legislation will worsen their health care, cost them more personally and add significantly to the national deficit. Never in our experience as pollsters can we recall such self-deluding misconstruction of survey data. [Emphasis mine]

Given that so many Americans oppose this bill, so many have been so vocal about opposing it, and that it has been made clear to Congress and the President just what will happen if this monstrosity is forced upon us, one thing becomes very very clear. They can hear us. They just don’t care. And that bodes ill for us all.

If the Democrats are going to force into law a bill that is so unpopular with the public, what will they enact next?

And so it becomes all the more imperative to vote these preening popinjays out of office in November. Not just to send a message that they would have done better to listen to their constituents from the start, but also to prevent them from attempting the same thing with future legislation.

If this bill manages to pass the House, there are going to be numerous legislators who should start thinking now about looking for new jobs just before Thanksgiving. Because at this point, there are irreconcilable differences between the DC ruling elite and the rest of us.

While we are well beyond the “a la lanterne!” passions of centuries past, one can certainly picture a bevy of modern-day Madame DeFarges tweeting the names of every doomed Senator and Congressman in voting precincts across the country.

You’ll be able to identify her easily. She’ll be the one drinking tea.

Stoutcat

This Just In: Massive Massa Movie In The Works

From the Tongue-In-Cheek Desk of Grand Rants (Translation: there’s not a word of truth in this, folks!):

Longshot Pictures And Lawn Service (a subsidiary of Jerks of All Trades, Inc.) announced today plans to make a major motion picture about Eric “Tickle Me” Massa, the recently resigned Representative of the 29th Congressional District of New York.

Massa (Source: CNN)

“We’re in negotiations right now with several well-known actors who have indicated absolutely no desire whatsoever to play Massa,” stated Longshot President, Ima Hacke. “We’ve narrowed the list down to several who, we feel, would be embraced by the movie-goers as Eric Massa.”

At the top of the dream list is actor/director/anarchist Bob Goldthwaite. Goldthwaite has a history of odd behavior himself, so it would be a case of typecasting. Goldthwaite once set the guest’s chair on the Tonight Show set on fire during an interview with Jay Leno that resulted in him being banned from the show.

Goldthwaite (Source: Photobucket)

When asked about playing Massa, Goldthwaite reportedly responded, “I’m dying to play any politician that tickles his interns like that. Wait… no, that’s not really true. Its just that, as an actor, I’ve been pretty much available since “Shakes, The Clown” in 1991, so yeah, I’ll take it.”

When asked to respond to Hacke’s comments, Goldthwaite reportedly replied, “Shhhh… I never completed my court-ordered community service and I don’t want it to get back to them…”

Given the possibility that fire insurance will not be available on any project Goldthwaite is involved with, the odds in Las Vegas are that the part will go to former politician and actor Oswald Cobblepot.

Cobblepot, you may recall,

Oswald Cobblepot (Source: IMDB.COM)

was a former mayor of Gotham City, New York but had issues of his own stemming from a number of allegations surrounding his odd behavior  nearly 20 years ago. Cobblepot, in hiding until recently, was thought to have been killed in a confrontation with Batman.

“Sure, I’d love to play Eric Massa. I think we’ve got a lot in common,” said Copperpot. But the thing is, I haven’t completely ruled out running for his seat in Congress myself. I mean, there’s so MUCH to be done in Gotham and I get along great with President Obama. In fact, I’d say we’re (heh-heh)… “birds of a feather.”

Look for “MASSA!” appearing in your local theaters this summer (he’ll be the one tickling the workers behind the concession counters). But the movie isn’t scheduled to come out any time soon.

Enjoy your weekend!

Gerry Ashley

Han Solo, Strike Back!

 

Hmmm: Luke Skywalker as a farmboy from Iowa, Han Solo as a high-school jock with a hot rod, and Princess Leia as a snotty girl from the big city. I like it!

Stoutcat

And You Thought GAY Marriage Was Unusual?

Given the nature of what’s going on in politics today, sometimes it helps to remind ourselves (as well as our readers)  that our motto here at Grand Rants is “Our World Discussed.” Not “Our World Disgust.”

Got it?

It’s important to make sure we all understand the not-so-subtle difference because sometimes I come across things so oddly bizarre, I just can’t turn my head the other way. Given the depressing freak show in Washington, I think I found just the bizarre story to take my mind off forced health-care for a moment.

Witness this photo for example:

"Do You Take This Pillow...?"

What you are seeing is a young Korean man who just married his pillow.  (How’s that again” Oh yeah… our world “Discussed,” not “Disgust”).

According to the UK publication, METRO, 28 year-old Lee Jin-Gyu married his ‘dakimakura’ – a kind of large, huggable pillow from Japan with a picture of a popular anime character named ”Fate Testarossa” printed on the front.

Discussed, not Disgust.
Discussed, not Disgust.
(Say it with me, now…)
Discussed, not Disgust.
Disc… aw the hell with it!

This has to be particularly grating for gay couples in this supposedly “free” land of America who have to move to a different state to legally marry.  Unfortunately, it also just validated the comments of anti-gay groups who ask, “Where will it end? Today you marry gay couples… what’s next? Marry your dog?

(Note to myself: When Cooper climbs up to sleep on the bed with me tonight, no matter how hard he wags his tail, make it very clear – very clear – we’re “just friends.”)

I’m sure the late-night comics are preparing some great lines about this:

• The Groom’s parents were dead set against the marriage. After all, he’s Buddist and she’s Goosedown…
• During the vows, he promised to Love, Cherish, and launder her twice weekly…
• He’s from Seoul, she’s from JC Penny.
• For those of you wishing to send a little something in honor of their marriage, they are pleased to announce that they are registered at Bed, Bath & WAY Beyond
• She’s actually been married once before, but it ended in a pillow fight.
• There were rumors of additional incidents of spousal abuse in that marriage (which she denies, yet she can’t explain several minor bleach scars).
• The couple plans to adopt the two pin-cushions from her previous marriage.
• The maid of honor was a duvet from Daejeon.

One just has to wonder if this otaku (a Japanese term for ‘obsessive’ or ‘nerd’) isn’t somehow related to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il.

Gerry Ashley

Beware The Ides Of March – And Beyond

Obama Is Getting Angrier And Angrier... (Photo Source: Foxnews)

I was looking at Stoutcat’s earlier post, Insolence of Office, and was about to add my thoughts about that “halo” that appears to encircle “The Chosen One’s head.

Actually, if you look closely at the picture, that’s not a halo as was previously assumed. It turns out, it’s the atmospheric  fog he exists in from being in over his head.

Therein lies a potential danger, and I think it’s time to get serious: Obama is on a mission. He (and his ego) cannot accept anything less than victory in his quest. Sure, he fumbles about the Presidency, not knowing when to bow and when not to. Sure, he does little more than apologize to our adversaries for the great accomplishments of The United States. And yes, it has already come back to bite him in the asterisk.

In 2008, and with a society growing weary of the war in Iraq (which they conveniently forget they supported), Obama probably figured he could walk into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and declare whatever he wanted. He didn’t count on America waking up, however. Young, middle age, old, it doesn’t matter. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence now knows we’ve been duped.

BEWARE – DANGER AHEAD?

Obama didn’t plan on losing the public’s support so soon. I believe he figured he had at least one term, maybe two to get his deeds done. But this past year has caused him to accelerate his agenda. And that means the sharp pain you feel attempting its way into your backside is more than just healthcare. It’s Cap and Trade. It’s Nationalization of our economy. It’s the whole enchillada, folks. Obama’s getting desperate. And when desperate tyrants don’t get their way, they get angry and vengeful. And when they get angry and vengeful, they tend to pull out all the stops.

With mid-term elections just around the corner, time has become another factor. Dissent is starting to show in the Democrat ranks as members of the House and Senate ponder their own political futures. They aren’t nearly as likely to let Obama throw them under the bus to get his way as they once were,  and this is only making Obama more frustrated and furious.

Speculation is that Obama has raided the coffers of last year’s “Stimulus package” in order to buy or bribe support for his dream of health-care legislation… a cornerstone of his administration.

Make Way For The Healthcare Express - Source: San Diego Tribune

If Healthcare goes down to defeat this time around, Obama’s entire Presidency is in jeopardy. And even though he would like us to believe he is “laser-focused on jobs,” anyone with an IQ in double digits or above can see this is not the focus of his attention.

More and more, it’s becoming painfully obvious that the emperor has no clothes. Or health care. Or even the support of many of those who voted for him.

These are desperate times for President Obama. He’s already implemented desperate measures behind closed doors that appear to be little more than outright bribes, the most obvious of which are:

• A federal judgeship appointment for Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson’s brother
• “The second Louisiana Purchase“
• “Cornhusker Kickback” (which may have been negated due to a huge public backlash)

However, it’s the next act(s) of desperation we need to be concerned with.

My guess is we’re entering an era of new desperate measures by the Obama administration. Look for the President to push the Healthcare vote within the next two weeks, and if it fails to garner enough votes for a simple majority, look for him to throw America under the bus and use reconciliation or an executive order to implement the legislation that is likely to achieve his goal… not of providing affordable  healthcare, but enacting legislation that will bankrupt the United States economy once and for all.

Whether it’s healthcare that bankrupts our economy, or a President who’s about to explode, my fear is that something wicked this way comes.

Gerry Ashley

Insolence of Office

 

It’s getting more and more difficult to avoid titling many of our posts, “How’s That Hope and Change Working Out for You?“, as so much of the news these days tosses so many slings and arrows at the Obama administration. And however outrageous Obama’s fortune may be, it certainly doesn’t seem to be working out all that well for him.

From the millions of people now wondering why the President’s Chief of Staff was naked and poking Rep. Eric Massa in the chest in the Congressional locker room showers (ew!) to that unfortunate reference to visiting 57 states in his campaigning; from Obama’s Europalooza 2009 Apology Tour to reneging on missile shield defenses for Poland and the Czech Republic;  from the “stupid” comment that resulted in last year’s “Beer Summit” to his egregious and repeated mis-pronunciation of the term “corpsman” just last month, Obama’s halo is getting more and more tarnished as his term wears on.

And now this: a poll that suggests that Americans believe that the rest of the world respects the United States less today than it did two years ago. Allah at HotAir calls it devastating, and he’s right.

This is simply a staggering bit of news, and if the source were, say, Fox News, the administration would, no doubt, attempt to dismiss it as they always do. The catch is this: the survey was created by Democracy Corps, a “non-partisan” but left-leaining organization founded by James Carville and Stan Greenberg back in 1999.

Their poll shows a large loss in confidence that our President has actually restored “our image as the last, best hope on Earth”:

Moreover, beyond attitudes toward “hard security” issues, there are signs of resurgent doubts regarding America’s standing in the world. Even though voters are about evenly split on whether the country is more or less safe today, a 51 to 41 percent majority says the U.S. is less respected in the world than two years ago. This is surprising, given the global acclaim – and Nobel peace prize – that flowed to the new president after he took office.

Perhaps it is in part because of all that “global acclaim.” There’s also Obama’s unfortunate string of global gaffes (tasteless gifts to heads of state, bowing to everyone in sight, an embarrassing trip to Denmark in failed attempt to bring the Olympics to Chicago, crashing climate meetings in Copenhagen, oh, the list goes on and on…)  

President Obama, in the insolence of office, is not learning on the job. And the American people are beginning to sit up and take notice.

Stoutcat

Obama Vs Bush – A Study In Contrasts

Liberals never miss a chance to mock  and belittle former President George W. Bush.  And it didn’t help that he would frequently appear awkward in public, whether it was trying to walk off-stage to a locked door after a Press Conference or get tongue-tied while mixing his metaphors.

Still, there was something genuine about “W” that said to me, “The guy may  be flawed, but he’s real and when he tells you something, you know you can take it to the bank.

And there’s something else about “W” that I couldn’t quite put my finger on… but an e-mail circulating has hit the nail on the head. Comparing “W” with Obama, “W” comes off as real. Approachable. Willing to listen as much as he talks. These are all things Obama is NOT.

And here’s a classic case study in contrast. The “Elitist, effete, Obama” compared to… well look for yourself.

Truth in advertising: I’ve modified the text from the e-mail, but just a bit and it’s for emphasis only.

He seems aloof. Of course, Obama supporters pointed out that this was just me being a racist tea-bagger. But judge for yourself:

School Speech By Obama

• Presidential Podium. You don’t expect me to just stand here and talk out in the open, do you? I’m the President, Damn it!
• Presidential rug. Gotta have the rug! It completes the image we’re trying to create here.
• Teleprompters. What am I… supposed to speak candidly with these kids? Of COURSE I want my teleprompter. NOW!  Speaking of kids…
• No kids allowed within 20 feet.
• I’ve got my Secret Service Agents to make sure no little school kid comes up to me. Could have a bomb strapped to him, ya know?
• No… no American flag behind me.  Thanks.

School Speech By Bush

Notice any differences?

Yeah, me too:

• No Need For Presidential Podium – No special rug necessasry. The Kids will recognize me.  If not, their folks will tell them when they get older.
• Teleprompters? No thanks… I’m talking to the kids, not making a campaign speech. ‘
• C’mon, kids – gather around
• Presidential rug” Are you kidding? What kind of egotistical Fop would need to have that when talking to kids?
• Secret Service guy? Where? He’s nearby if I need him.
• Audio system? Got something here at the school I can use? That’ll be fine, thanks
• I’d like to have an American flag behind me.  Thanks.

Yeah, I miss him. And I’m not afraid to say it. But I miss Ronald Reagan so much more in these times. Mmm-Mmm-Mmm…

Gerry Ashley

Harry Reid – Traitor

Stoutcat calls  Harry Reid a Moron.

Alan calls Harry Reid a Jerk

OK, let me add my 2 cents worth.  Harry Reid is a traitor. For a United States Senator to stand in the halls of Congress and state categorically that he feels the war (in Iraq) is lost is to give aid and comfort to the enemy while our young men and women are over there fighting (and dying). Reid made this statement on April 19th 2007.

As a veteran of the Vietnam era, I say that this is nothing less than an act of treason. Unfortunately, in this era of political correctness, we have to make exceptions for the terminally stupid, so no one has the guts to act on this slap in the face to our young men and women in the Military.

Yes, he will probably be voted out of office this year. But that’s too honorable a fate. He should be BOOTED from Congress and stripped of his 100% retirement salary that you and I will be paying for the rest of his miserable life. And, he will undoubtedly remain in Washington as a high-priced whore lobbyist for some special interest group.

So, to “Moron” and “Jerk,” let’s add the most deserving of titles: Scum-sucking traitor.

Gerry Ashley

Harry Reid — Moron

 

Not only is Harry Reid a jerk (see Alan’s latest post), but clearly he’s also a moron. Not sure when this video was made, looks like it was posted online in 2008.

Try not to drink a beverage as you watch this, or you may end up with a ruined keyboard or monitor, as Reid earnestly tries to explain that paying our income tax is a voluntary activity:

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This man is the Majority Leader of the Senate; he’s also an idiot.

Nevadans, please vote him out in November!

Stoutcat