An Open Letter to President Obama

Dear President Obama,

I have no illusions that you will ever see this, but someone will and hopefully will spread it around to a wide audience.  At any rate, I have a feeling I will feel better for having written it.

As you're so fond of saying, let me be clear:  I didn't vote for you either time and I've never been enthralled by you.  I'm not one of the millions whom you were able to fool. I've never thought you were good at giving speeches; you're merely adequate at reading a teleprompter.  People speak of how intelligent you are.  That's debatable, but one thing has become glaringly apparent over the past five years: you are totally lacking in wisdom. 

You were (and are) very predictable.  You did exactly what I expected you to do, i.e., try to tear this country down and remake it into something our founding fathers wouldn't recognize.  I pray every day that you will not succeed in this mission.  You are the first president in my lifetime who doesn't seem to even like this country, let alone love it.  That makes me angry, yet also sad.  You bow to our enemies and insult our allies with your arrogance and disrespect. I don't think you understand traditional American values; you seem alien to me.

You are totally lacking in leadership skills.  One of the hallmarks of a good leader is the ability to guide and persuade others.  In your infinite arrogance, you seem to think that you just have to make a pronouncement and, poof, it'll be done.  You even said as much recently, when you stated it was "shocking" that others would oppose you.  Why should you be shocked by that?  Only someone who vastly overestimates himself would be surprised that not everyone agrees with him.  

Your indecisiveness is pathetic.  You talk and talk, and debate and debate, and somehow end up paralyzed and unable to take action.  Meanwhile, Iran gets steadily closer to having nuclear weapons, the Middle East is in constant turmoil, N. Korea and China become more aggressive and the Russian president is openly disdainful toward you.  It's obvious that other world leaders do not respect you and that's an embarrassment.  

I believe that every move you make is politically driven.  The good of the country is not foremost in your mind; you're only interested in what's good for your political career.  People who disagree with you are labeled as "enemies" and targeted for intimidation. I believe the election of 2012 was the impetus that drove the decision not to help our ambassador and three others in Benghazi.  You have their blood on your hands, but I'd bet that you don't lose sleep at night over it.  

You are barely able to disguise your tendency toward tyranny.  Just yesterday,  in Africa, you told the American press to "behave".  Who in the world do you think you are?!  The press is supposed to be a watchdog, reporting honestly on an overreaching, intrusive government to protect the people from such.  Unfortunately, many of our media fail in that role, but nevertheless you seem to have a warped view of how the American press should act.  

You have demonstrated time and time again that you have no respect for our Constitution or our laws.  When the Supreme Court rules against your administration, you just carry on as if their decision means nothing.  Your entire administration is rotten to the core and no one is willing to take responsibility for anything.  

It takes a special kind of politician to anger people from one end of the political spectrum to the other, yet you've managed to do so.  I feel certain that you're concerned about how history will see you, but let me assure you:  your legacy will be one of indecisiveness, corruption and abject failure, the worst president of my lifetime.

Forgive?

Paula Deen is being buried in a mountain of scorn by all those people out there who are without fault themselves.  I'm not a Paula Deen fan, but does this punishment fit the "crime"?  

From what I gather, she uttered the "n" word years ago.  I'm not defending that, as I understand what a hurtful, hateful word it is and the feelings I know it engenders.  However, when is enough, enough?  

She has lost her television program, Sears and JC Penney are dropping her and now it's been learned that her upcoming cookbook has been cancelled by the publisher. All this for a word she uttered many years ago.  

The self-righteousness of the people doing the punishing here is truly nauseating.  Can all of them truthfully claim that they themselves have never uttered a hateful word?  The thing that's really galling is the way so many people are willing to overlook or quickly forgive behavior that is truly despicable, e.g., Anthony Weiner's sending of pictures of his genitals, but condemn someone like Paula Deen for saying something that's offensive. This seems totally disproportional to me.  Enough is enough, folks.  Give her a break. After all, those casting stones are surely not without sin themselves.

A Radical Idea

Suddenly, Republicans are in a panic about passing immigration reform legislation.  Why?  We've been rolling along with things the way they are for years now, so why all at once does this have to be done?  Why, also, does it have to be done in one big piece of comprehensive legislation?  The answer is simple:  votes. The Republican leaders seem to think this is the only way to win Latino votes.   I believe Latinos will still, by and large, vote for Democrats no matter what legislation passes. Republicans will never be able to outdo Dems with the freebies, so why try?

Representative Bob Goodlatte (R., Va.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, opposes the Senate's comprehensive bill and plans instead to advance a series of more narrowly focused immigration bills.  This is the best way, in my opinion, to accomplish true reform and come up with good legislation.  The Senate always seems to want to come up with huge, sweeping legislation; unfortunately, what we usually end up with is a 2,000 page bill that is incomprehensible and causes more problems than it solves.  

I believe there is a way to win Latinos over to the Republican side, and it involves what some Republican leaders may consider to be radical.  How about actually going into predominantly Latino areas and talking to them?!  Hispanics are like the rest of us:  they want financial security and freedom to pursue it.  Republicans should conduct an enthusiastic outreach to Hispanic communities and explain to them why conservative policies offer them what government handouts cannot:  the best opportunity to take care of their families and become financially stable and secure.  People who are dependent on the government for their income and care are in a very vulnerable position, and dependence on the government will keep people poor forever.  Once Latinos understand that, Republicans can win them over.  

The Morphing of Homeland Security

The Department of Homeland Security was formed during the George W. Bush administration in response to the attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001.  National Strategy for Homeland Security defines their mission as  "a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do occur". Because the Department of Homeland Security also encompasses the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), they are also responsible for preparation for and response to natural disasters.

It should be clear to every thinking person that our main threat from terrorism comes from Muslim fanatics. There have been numerous attacks by Islamists against Americans and other westerners:  the attack on the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983, the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, the attack on the USS Cole in 2000, and the ultimate attack on our own soil on September 11, 2001, to name a few. Not all Muslims are terrorists, but the vast majority of terrorist attacks on this country have been by Muslims.  

During the Obama administration, a couple of things that raise red flags have occurred. Janet Napolitano, head of Homeland Security, has made it clear that she considers returning veterans and conservative political groups to be dangerous and possible terrorist threats. At the same time, the administration twists itself into knots in their efforts to avoid labeling violent acts as terrorism, and in particular terrorism perpetrated by Muslims.  For example, in 2009 Major Nidal Hassan went on a shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. Hassan had clearly displayed signs of growing fanaticism, carried cards identifying him as a "soldier of Allah" and shouted "Allahu Akbar" as he murdered 13 people and attempted to kill 32 others.  Yet, in spite of this, Obama has insisted on referring to this horrible incident as "workplace violence".  

On the other hand, there were protests yesterday by tea party members outside several IRS offices across the country in response to the IRS' admission that they unfairly targeted conservative groups seeking nonprofit status.  Despite what Obama and other left-wingers would have you believe, tea party gatherings are not known for being violent or disruptive, yet armed Homeland Security agents were highly visible at these protests.  Why not have the local police there instead? The answer is that tea party members are usually conservative and clearly Napolitano considers them a threat to the security of this country.  

This shift in attitude is, to my way of thinking, alarming.  Add to that the fact that Homeland Security has recently purchased 2,700 armored vehicles for domestic use and it starts to get creepy. Last, but certainly not least, DHS has also gone on a buying spree for ammunition, stockpiling an astounding 1.6 billion bullets.  Makes one wonder what they're preparing for, doesn't it? 

Bully Mindset

The Internal Revenue Service is supposed to be nonpartisan and impartial in executing our tax laws.  As revealed recently, however, this has certainly not been the case in recent years.  I refer, of course, to the targeting of conservative organizations seeking tax-exempt status.  

To refresh your memory, these organizations were subjected to long, intrusive questionnaires which inquired about the resumes of their past and present directors, as well as attempts to obtain the names of their donors.  The waiting times for approval of their tax-exempt status were so long that some organizations simply gave up and quit trying.  

President Obama made a puzzling statement yesterday, saying that "if in fact IRS personnel" targeted conservatives, that would be "outrageous".  Why make this conditional, when the IRS has already admitted its actions?  Actually, the actions of the IRS may be worse than what they have admitted.  

Meanwhile, what we the people are getting are the usual obfuscations and outright lies from the administration. President "I never knew anything about this" Obama would have us believe that he was totally unaware of the situation, yet he "joked" in 2009 that he could use the IRS to target political enemies, but said, of course, that he never would.  

IRS spokeswoman Lois Lerner insists there was no political motivation in what the IRS did.  If that's the case, then why did they target only conservative organizations? There are abundant data that these, and earlier, inquiries were indeed politically motivated. It's also known that these inquiries came not just from the Cincinnati office, as Ms. Lerner implied, but also from offices in California and Washington D.C. 

IRS officials are still sticking to their story that these questionnaires were not meant to intimidate these groups. Yet anyone who has ever received mail from the IRS can attest to the fact that when that envelope arrives, your blood runs a bit colder.  Everyone  knows that the IRS doesn't contact you just to be friendly.

I don't know how much President Obama knew about this and I'm not implying that he gave direct orders to harass these conservative groups. Obama politico David Plouffe tweeted that what the IRS did was "dumb and wrong", but that Republicans will use this to raise more money.  In Plouffe's world, apparently all that matters is partisan advantage instead of equal treatment under the law that Americans have a right to expect from their government. The actions of the IRS were prompted by a mindset that's prevalent in this administration, i.e., hit your enemies hard with whatever means you have available. That bully mentality has filtered down from the very top.  Whether you're conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat, every American should be disturbed by this abuse of  power.  

Murder Is Not a Normal Part of Life

The Benghazi hearings began again today, with witnesses who were on the ground in Libya testifying as to the terrible events of September 11, 2012. As you'll recall, our ambassador and three other men were killed by Islamic fanatics on that terrible night. 

The State Department has done its best to avoid taking any blame for these deaths, Hillary Clinton famously saying during her testimony, "What difference, at this point, does it make?"  I daresay it matters a great deal to the families of these men, as well as a large segment of the American populace.  

Today, Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD) added his own inane statement to the proceedings, saying "death is part of life".  Well, Mr. Cummings, natural death is part of life, but our ambassador and three others were murdered. Would you dare make such an insensitive statement about the children who were killed by a crazed gunman in Connecticut?  What about those who died at the hands of James Holmes in Aurora, Colorado?  

This particular consulate had been attacked twice previously by Islamists in 2012.  That fact alone should have made increased security imperative, yet none was provided.  September 11 is a significant date in our recent history, yet when that anniversary approached, no additional precautions were taken.  Didn't common sense dictate that this was a date which might entail heightened danger, especially in light of the fact that we had advanced warning?  

Now Democrats are in full CYA mode in their attempt to protect the administration.  I look at the testimony and it's sickeningly clear that this administration cared more about politics than it did about saving American lives (keep in mind that this occurred before the election).  In fact, it's been reported that after hearing that the consulate was under attack, the president was so concerned that he went to bed to rest up for a fundraiser the following day in Las Vegas!  

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said a few days ago that "Benghazi happened a long time ago".  To that, I would say two things:  first, how dare you and this administration be so flippant about these murders?  Second, Benghazi happened eight months ago.  I'm sure that doesn't seem like a long time to the families of these victims; eight months is a long time only to children.  

President Cool

My thoughts and prayers, like that of many Americans, go out to the victims of yesterday's bombings in Boston.  If any good comes of this, it will be to remind all of us of the need for constant vigilance.  

President Obama likes to project a cool image, an illusion of being above the fray to which we mere mortals are subject. For me, however, the cool act is wearing very thin.

There are circumstances in which it is wholly appropriate to feel, and show, anger and outrage.  Yesterday was one such instance, but there was the president making pronouncements in his usual robotic manner.  Where is your anger, Mr. President?  Why aren't you totally outraged that terrorists would make such a bold attack on a major American city?  Instead, we get the usual cliches that he speaks after every untoward event:  "let me be clear", "make no mistake", etc., etc., etc.

I suspect that Mr. Obama doesn't show these emotions because he doesn't actually experience them as most normal people would. He can appear above the fray because on an emotional level, he is above the fray, lacking the empathy needed to put one's self in another's shoes. He is detached from these horrible events, as if he were watching a fictitious movie. The only time I can recall seeing him show a flicker of genuine anger is when a reporter asks him a tough question (and that doesn't happen very often).   

I want my president to be angry about these attacks on America and to show that anger.  I want to see the emotions that most Americans are feeling now reflected in the president.  What I see is Mr. Cool, but I have to wonder:  is Obama really cool, or just cold-hearted?