I asked some people recently, “If you could choose one character trait you would most desire in politicians what would that be?” I got a number of different answers and I’m sure that if I polled my friends list and social media I would get a wide array of character traits. Let me give you some that I was given and my response to them.

LISTED NOT NECESSARILY IN ORDER OR IMPORTANCE….

HONESTY…

I was told that ‘honesty’ is the most important quality in a political figure. But to take Bill Clinton’s approach to definitions what does honesty mean? When it comes to right and wrong it is incredibly important but even then differing moral ideals might render the definition of what is ‘honest’ differently. When it comes to speaking what one believes, honesty is important but some despots throughout history were honesty in describing what they desire/desired to do. Hamas is ‘honest’ in their declaration they want to obliterate Israel from the face of the earth but is that being honest in the sense of a quality you desire in someone?

TRANSPARENCY…

I was told that ‘being transparent’ was critical for a political candidate so the voters could know exactly what they were getting. Again if by ‘transparent’ we mean never obstructing investigations and being brutally honest and truthful about what has happened or is happening, that would or could be a good thing. If we mean being ‘transparent’ as Hitler became transparent in his desire to eliminate the Jews and build a Super Race while becoming dictator of the world if that is the transparency it is not a valued quality.

CHRISTIAN…

While I desire that those elected to high office know God and have the moral fiber that should accompany Christianity the interpretation of what being a ‘Christian’ involves is so vastly different among many I’m not sure of the value that distinction would afford with regard to elected office. I am a Christian and not ashamed to acknowledge it but we’ve had people who claimed to be and maybe are Christians who have been terrible leaders.

PATRIOT…

I had one person declare that only a ‘patriot’ should be elected to office and on some levels I would agree but again what do we mean when we say PATRIOT? I know what I mean but what I mean and what someone like Barack Obama means are worlds apart so while I want the leaders to be patriots I would need to quality the definition for it to be my ONE CHARACTER TRAIT I would have if I could choose it.

As I gave this some thought I realized that it would be almost impossible to desire only ‘one’ character trait. I want the elected officials to be honest, transparent, patriots, and men/women of character. I would like for them to be Christian under my definition and won’t get into that. I want them to be lovers of America, Freedom, the Rule of Law, and defenders of the Constitution of the United States of America. I want them to be for Limited Government, Reduced Spending, Less Taxes, and Sensible Regulations. I am not a ‘no government’ person but a ‘limited government’ one.

So what one character trait, if I could only choose, would I place at the top of my list? I would have to say INTEGRITY for this little noun carries a wealth of meaning all of which I would desire in a candidate and believe would propel them into the others that I heard.

Integrity (n) –

1. The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. Synonyms: Honesty, probity, rectitude, honor, good character, principles, ethics, morals, righteousness, morality, virtue, decency, fairness, scrupulousness, sincerity, truthfulness, trustworthiness.

2. The State of being whole and undivided.
Synonyms: Unity, unification, coherence, cohesion, togetherness, solidarity.

If I could instill in the heart and core being of a political candidate any one thing it would be INTEGRITY for in it I believe I would find the other qualities desired springing from the roots of that characteristic. Sadly, I do not see many, if any, political candidates who demonstrate INTEGRITY and that saddens my heart.

May God bless you and may God bless America!

I have been wondering when it would happen and it seems that it is happening over two years before the 2016 elections. The liberal media are showing signs of turning on their Boy Wonder in the White House for their prohibitive favorite candidate Girl Wonder Clinton. They know that with her baggage she would find it difficult to win election if she was to run just as a Democrat. No, Hillary has to run ‘against’ Barack Obama’s record on many fronts to enable her to dupe people into voting for her and in so doing will strip the Establishment Republicans of Obama’s record as a political weapon.

Hillary, with the help of the media, will be in a position to declare when the Republicans bring up Obama’s record that she will govern vastly different and highlight his bad policies. The problem is that many of them she not only supported but wanted to go even further when she and Libido Bill occupied the White House. The media will make Benghazi a non-topic, the Democrats will rally around that and any mention of it will result in immediate vilification as being sexist and ancient history. It will be, “What difference does that make now?” I see the machinery working now, the strategy sessions forming, and that man at her side who is one of the most astute politicians in modern history Bill Clinton working the game, spinning the spin, raking in the dollars, and rousing the troops. It is of great concern to me.

The only way to head this off is to nominate an articulate truly constitutional conservative who can challenge her claims, remind voters of her past failures, highlight her shortcomings, and refuse to be backed into a corner. That person must be a statesman/woman who like Ronald Reagan manifests enough charisma, is articulate, and disciplined enough to stay on message. The Senate, House, and White House are still winnable but it will take a shift in the power within the Republican Party to accomplish it. If the Karl Rove’s remain in control, the John McCain’s, Chris Christie’s, Jeb Bush’s, and that crowd remain in the driver’s seat we will see another milk toast candidate that will get waxed in 2016 no matter how bad Obama’s poll numbers are.

The media has long ceased to ‘report news’ and has been ‘creating news’ for a long time and that will not likely change in the next two years. The love fest they had for and with Obama will be transferred to Hillary and Obama will become as outdated as last year’s fashions. I don’t know how this is going to play out for people like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and those of that ilk and could cause a rift that divides the party but not likely. I truly believe that the Democrats will become more energized in the next few months and by the time 2016 arrives they will be tuned into what the media is selling, drinking the Kool-Aid, and believing the fear mongering that the Republicans are going to return blacks to slavery, women to being barefooted and pregnant without the right to vote, and things of that nature. It will be lies, lies, and more lies but what would be new about that?

I am praying that God move on the heart of a candidate that all factions of the Republican Party, Conservatives, Constitutionalist, and even Libertarians can view as a supportable candidate. I pray that the person garner enough grassroots support that the Ruling Class Elitist of the Party dethroned. I pray that the person demonstrate integrity, have enough oratorical ability to communicate the message of America, and disciplined enough to stay on point. I am praying for America and believe that if Hillary or any Democrat wins election as President in 2016 America as we know it is finished and may be anyway. Therefore I cannot let up for one minute and must pray, speak, write, give, and work to see our Constitutional Republic restored and the Elitist Oligarchy demolished.

May God guard and guide you and may He bless America again!

Comedian Ron White’s infamous routine ‘You Can’t Fix Stupid’ is a statement that I have thought about many times in my life. Why would I spend time on this matter? Simply because it seems that we have an ‘Epidemic of Stupid’ in America and it is spreading faster than anything I have ever witnessed. It is a problem that needs a cure, but is there a cure?

I recall, as a teenager saying something was ‘stupid’ and that you could not do anything to prevent stupidity. My dad challenged me and said, “Boy if you learn you can fix it.” I knew better than to challenge my father but I did not buy that simply because even as a teenager I had come to grips with the fact that some people were very knowledgeable and informed but were still STUPID. I had come to realize that STUPID was not dependent upon education or information it was the result of attitude.

I have watched people do stupid things because of their attitude. I have watched people do things that put them in harm’s way because someone told them they could not do it and believing their own invincibility thought they could prove the nay-sayers wrong. NOPE and as Bill Engvall would say, ‘Here’s Your Sign.’ I have observed people do what Albert Einstein said was the definition of Insanity. They kept doing the same thing over and over hoping for a different result. Even when they had knowledge that what they were doing had little or no chance of working and had failed miserably numerous times they still tried. If that is not a picture of S T U P I D what is?

When it comes to the voting public, the only hope we have of ‘Fixin’ Stupid’ is information coupled with experience. Unless and until the voting public personally experiences the disastrous policies of the federal government significantly and until we find someone who can speak rationally and articulately as to what is happening, why it is happening, and how it may be reversed they will remain S T U P I D. Although highly educated and having vast knowledge of many things, yet continuing to vote politicians into office and back into office that are damaging this nation qualifies as stupid in my book.

When it comes to politicians I have little hope that they will ever recover from the epidemic of stupidity that has permeated the Halls of Congress and the White House. They consider us stupid and we may well deserve that characterization because we allow them to wiggle off the hook of responsibility and accountability. It seems that once elected they go through the Congressional or Political ‘Sheep Dip’ of Accountability Teflon which prevents anything from sticking to them. The only reason that works is because we have not RISEN UP and DEMANDED something different to such a degree that it is unmistakable to them.

If I could somehow form a coalition of the left and right and throw the bums out just one time they would listen the next time. However that would be an exercise in futility and would probably even qualify as STUPID because the core values of the left and right are so diametrically opposite that each side would want the upper hand and the coalition would be at best shifting sand. There would be concessions, compromises, and treachery involved and we would end up with something no better and possibly worse as a result so I toss that idea aside. But, I will not give up on my desire to see ‘Citizen Representatives’ elected to Congress. I will not abdicate my pursuit of a restoration to a functional ‘Constitutional Republic’ in America. I will not cease to pray for my nation, our leaders, and citizenry for our hearts to be touched by the ‘core values’ and ‘principles’ upon which our Constitution was established and we RETURN leaving STUPID behind.

Will it happen in my lifetime? I wish I knew. Will happen? I wish I knew. Is it worth fighting for and giving all for? ABSOLUTELY! So as you continue your pursuit of Life, Liberty, and Happiness I urge you to stay informed, stay engaged, and keep the faith.

God bless you and God bless America!

That statement was brought back to the forefront of our consciousness by Ronald Reagan in the 1980’s but has been used for centuries according to the annals of history. It is believed that it was spoken by Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 1st century. Hadrian is reportedly to have said, “Peace through strength, or failing that peace through threat.” Others have used it through recorded history.

The idea of ‘peace through strength’ was a principle I learned in elementary school and discovered that to avoid being bullied or intimidated you had to demonstrate a show of force or strength. If you were successful the bullying and intimidation ceased to exist and you had peace. In the military this was once again brought to immediate awareness in boot camp where a group of guys from New York thinking they could intimidate the rest of us and bully their way into getting what they wanted had to be confronted. A few guys from Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas joined me in meeting this challenge head on and although there was a little physical altercation the peace immediately ensued after their leader was knocked unconscious. We did not want to fight but we were not going to be bullied so STRENGTH allowed us to negotiate or demand PEACE. I have seen this principle many times in life and while it is not always about physical strength it is STRENGTH. You NEVER attempt to negotiate from a position of weakness if you expect to achieve anything lasting and worthwhile.

As I reflect back on some of the most recent presidential administrations I find that most of them were able to present the idea that American Strength would be a force to be reckoned with if there were hostilities or aggression and for the most part it was effective. That changed somewhat with 9/11 but we still stood as a threat to the aggressors around the globe and people ‘feared’ the American military might and our resolve to use it. That was not the case under Jimmy Carter as was demonstrated in the Iranian Crisis and the hostages. That changed with the election of Ronald Reagan and it is my conviction that the Iranian government fully believed that President Reagan would use force if necessary and backed down. Peace was maintained during the Cold War because of STRENGTH not because of weakness, lack of resolve, and mealy mouthed rhetoric.

If you attempt to negotiate from weakness you had better be one exceptional negotiator or you will lose every time. Today we have the double edged sword of the perceived weakness of the current occupant of the White House and a belief by most of the world that we are incapable of doing what needs to be done militarily. That view is shared by some of our commanding leaders in the military and the Pentagon. Our military has been systematically decimated and diminished to the point that we may not be able to handle a single front conflict and most assuredly would be severely strained and stretched to go to two fronts. We are no longer considered STRONG by those who would do us harm. They view the mealy mouthed rhetoric of this administration as a sign of weakness and have watched as we in America the dismantling of our military machine. Both are indicators of the seriousness of our situation and the danger around the globe for America. Barack Obama, John Kerry, the Secretary of Defense, the Department of Justice, and Hillary Clinton all have demonstrated disdain for our military and thereby reduced us to ‘talk’ with no ‘walk’ to back it up. That is not saying our military could not it is saying those in power WILL NOT.

America is no longer ‘feared’ but we are still ‘hated’. When you have people in the highest positions of power who do not believe that America or any nation has any moral authority to stand for right and resist tyranny, terrorism, and despotism you have a situation where only bad things can ensue. Mr. Putin in Russia, North Korea, China, and the Islamic States have no fear or respect for the American president and do not believe we as a people have the resolve nor does our military powers still rise to the level of being a direct and imminent threat should they act, thus you see aggression like never before. It will not get better UNLESS and UNTIL we reverse course and restore the STRENGTH that will bring PEACE for our people. Again let me reiterate I believe in our military but not our leaders. I believe in the American military might but not the political leaders in Washington and the so-called leaders in DC negate the might of our military because they will not allow our forces to do what they are trained and capable of doing! That is the disastrous and dangerous part!

God bless you and God bless America!

Having worked in situations, competed in athletics, ventured into business, and been in combat I would suggest that none of those even remotely compare to today’s politics. As I watch the antics of politicians in Congress and the White House it often reminds me of ‘professional wrestling’ or as they called it back home ‘rasslin’. We were aware that frequently the opponents arrived at the arena in the same vehicle, played mortal enemies, left the arena to have a beer with their buds, counted the money, laughed at the crowd and planned the next event. One would have thought that they were mortal enemies during the match and many are shocked to learn it was all a ‘show’ and some still deny and are true believers.

In anything I have ever done, including the ministry, I did not find it a normal thing to hang out with people who publicly denigrated me and what I stood for. I did seek to have forgiveness in my heart and treat them civilly but to go golfing, out to eat, or to visit their homes. That was not on my ‘to do list’. When the President and the Democrats call Republicans a greater threat than Al Qaeda, hostage takers, haters, racist, and revile them so completely and vehemently how can the Republicans then find it palatable to go out to dinner with them, laugh, joke, share stories, and golf, etc.? HOW? I can answer that without needing ‘rocket science’ levels of intelligence – They share the same vision and goal – POWER!

They envision themselves the rightful owners of America and see their position as one that affords and entitles them to RULE while exempting themselves and their cronies from the repercussions of the edicts they enact. In a very real sense they are ‘entertainers’ on the stage of politics and we are the dolts who watch mesmerized by their oratory and wisdom (sic) because they are the Elite and we are then Uninformed. They are the ones destined to rule and we are the ones needing to be ruled over, at least in their view.

I have no doubt that our Founding Fathers understood the problem with Party Politics and many of them warned us of the danger but alas even some of their ranks fell into the trap of embracing. Some of that was done, in my view, to try to protect the nation but was done so with a mistaken interpretation of the climate of society and what the result would be. Power hungry people and groups will always seek to CONTROL and those in Washington, DC are no different. They are flawed human beings who have been afforded some power and thus the insatiable thirst for more and more surfaces very shortly after an individual tastes the perks of power in Washington.

If politics were not so serious it would be an entertaining comedy but it is far too serious for laughter. When those elected officials have the power to completely transform our world, socially, economically, medically, financially, and politically we dare not become amused and must become engaged. As Benjamin Franklin declared we have a “Republic if we can keep it.” The questions today are, “can we and will we?” How much is the Republic worth to you? How dear is your Freedom and Liberty? How much are you willing to tolerate from the Political Ruling Class that has emerged over the past century? When will we the people say ENOUGH?

You can blame the Republicans and exempt the Democrats over the so-called gridlock in Congress but when the Democrats shut the Republicans out of the room, refuse to negotiate, and call them a greater threat than Al Qaeda would you expect the Republicans to just comply? NO! But too frequently they just cave and concede only to have the Democrats use their concession against them further illustrating the illusion of bipartisanship. All this creates a situation in Washington that more resembles Professional Wrestling, as seen on TV, than it does serious political activity.

God help us if we don’t wake up and take all necessary steps to reclaim our government and once again make it a government ‘of’ the people, ‘for’ the people, and ‘by’ the people! May God be with us and may God bless America!

Courtesy of the White House, the Democrats, and the Leftist! That’s right if you are willing to ‘check your brain’ at the door you get your own special ‘warm and fuzzy’ to comfort you in these troubled times. Now what on earth could I be talking about? The list is too long to be exhaustive and it would be exhausting to review them all so let’s take just a handful of examples.

I thought Jay Carney was one of the prime Kool-Aid drinkers, detached from reality, spokespersons of this day but the new White House Press Secretary Josh Ernest advised us that this administration was truly one of the most ‘transparent’ in history. Oh I agree they are transparent in their intent but not transparent in being forthcoming with regard to the scandals and information requested by Congress and others even through the ‘Open Records Act’. They stonewall, deceive, lie, and fabricate stories rather than simple release the documents and tell the truth. Transparent? Yep, but not in the way Mr. Ernest meant or did he mean it just that way! He also declared with a straight face that the world was ‘much more tranquil’ under Obama. WHERE? Tranquil? I must not know the definition of tranquil because the world I see is anything but what I would call tranquil but the Kool-Aid crowd cheers and applauds when that spin is spun and pick up their ‘warm and fuzzy’ drifting off into their fantasy land of fictional tranquility.

Then Elizabeth Warren advised us that the ‘government shutdown’ was about ‘birth control’. It was the Republican’s war on women that prompted the shutdown and the primary focus was ‘birth control’. Really? You can’t make this stuff up! While I cannot believe they actually believe what they are saying, I do believe they believe we are too dumb, uninformed to know better and know the Media will run with their spin. Their belief in our gullibility seems to have no bounds. So once again, hearing that caused the Kool-Aid crowd to reach for their ‘warm and fuzzy’ and curl up in a fetal position nestling in the bosom of Big Brother feel safe and secure. All is well with that revelation.

Additionally Senator Harry Reid declared that IF we had passed “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” or AMNESTY we would not be having the Border situation because per Senator Reid everyone knows THE BORDER IS SECURE! Imagine that the ‘secure border’ is as porous as a sieve and people are flooding across including ‘gang members’, ‘criminals’, ‘terrorist’, and ILLEGALS from nations in the Middle East and around the world. In fact, a former Deputy Chief of the Border Patrol advised that 1 in 5 have criminal records and many violent crimes but they are welcomed with open arms by this administration. The morale of the Border Patrol is at an all-time low. I wonder why? But check your brain and pick up your ‘warm and fuzzy’ because Dingy Harry has issued his assessment of the situation and since the infamous leader of the Senate has spoken, the President has used his ‘pen and phone’, Nancy Pelosi has deemed this America’s opportunity we can take our ‘warm and fuzzy’ and be so secure.

Our borders are being erased and along with that our national sovereignty. Those coming in are now a drain on our economic system and will help facilitate its total collapse with the litigations, health care issues, housing, and jobs or joblessness. We have opened ourselves up for something far worse than 9/11 and I dare say that not only could the terrorist walk a ‘suitcase nuke’ across the border they might be able to transport a full blown nuke in our current situation (my brother made that statement recently). But, drink the Kool-Aid, check your brain at the door and get your warm and fuzzy because the ‘fundamental transformation’ and ‘remaking’ of America is speeding down the track at the speed of light.

Mr. Holder said of those of us who say, “I want my country back” we are using racist code. Never mind that’s what the Democrats said when George W. Bush was president but now if we say it we are racist. Again, your ‘warm and fuzzy’ is waiting for you and all you have to do to receive it is ‘check your brain’ at the door. Now don’t you fell all better?

May God help us and may He bless you and America!

I am convinced that this administration encourages if they do not create many of the ‘conspiracy theories’ that swirl around this president. I find it very sad and disheartening that so many of the bad reports, conspiracy theories that are associated with this administration are believable and it troubles me that I have come to expect the worst from this man and his administration. I do not like feeling that way regarding anyone and especially someone who occupies the office of President of the United States.

Sadly, so many of the ‘conspiracy theories’ have enough plausibility in them that one could actually envision how they could be true and some are. I would put absolutely nothing past this administration or the leftist in Washington, especially those who are married to the Alynsky model of politics where ‘the end justifies the means.’ Those following the Cloward-Piven Strategy and those who are aligned with the Fabian Socialist! THEY ARE DANGEROUS!

So often, as has happened in the past, a ‘Wag the Dog’ type scenario emerges where something is precipitated to divert the attention away from the actual issue and do an end run around the constitution, congress, courts, and constituents. Chris Matthews may get a tingle down his leg when he is with Mr. Obama but I feel something quite differently when hearing him speak, reading his declarations, or watching his actions. It is not a warm fuzzy that I feel but a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach realizing that we have just seen one more nail driven in the coffin of the republic and taken one more step toward the ‘fundamental transformation’ of America.

They (this administration and the leftist) want ‘conspiracy theories’ because they distract and are useful in discrediting the opposition. They use the most ludicrous of them to laugh at and cause people to cease hearing the opponents as they become labeled ‘kooks’. They want the ‘conspiracy theories’ because having them swirl around keeps this administration from having to be accountable as attention is diverted and there is ammunition to hurl at his opponents calling them bigots, racist, haters, and even terrorist. It gives them a venue to hide what is really happening and avoid having to come clean to the American people.

Bill Clinton was astute at using ‘Wag the Dog’. Other presidents have been guilty as well and Mr. Obama has pressed this to a level that must make Mr. Clinton green with envy especially in how well they have worked for him and NO ONE is challenging him. The Republicans in Congress and the National Party Leaders give lip service to push back but put no teeth in their criticism. The Democrats are, for the most part, in lock-step with his ideology and refuse to even consider the possibility of unconstitutional activity on the part of the administration. However, many are running away from him as the mid-terms approach but if reelected they will join ranks again quickly and shed their image of being centrist or conservative.

Yes, ‘conspiracy theories’ are a useful tool used by politicians and have been used in various venues for a long time. It is a means to incite anger, stir up the voting base draw sympathy from the public over the perceived abuse and unfairness of the conspiracy. Sadly, millions are sucked into this scam and sham and if it is written in the newspaper, broadcast on television, and proclaimed by the administration it must be the Gospel and they buy it hook-line-and-sinker. THINK, OBSERVE, EXAMINE and find the truth. It is there for you if you are willing to be open minded and actually ‘fact-check’.

Proper vetting of people who want to be elected and those wanting to be appointed to political positions or positions of power and influence is MANDATORY if we are to maintain a Free Republic. America it is up to us!

May God be with you and may God bless America!