America's opportunity

On Friday, many Americans received news that they had long wished for - Speaker John Boehner is to retire his position at the end of October.

This presents the Republicans in the House of Representatives with an opportunity to come outside of the Washington Bubble and elect someone who resonates with Republican voters.  Let's not forget, when considering the candidates, that the Tea Party is Republican.  Indeed, many who follow that group, consider that they are the true keepers of Republican ideals.

The early front-runner, Kevin McCarthy, from California seem to be very much the  'establishment' candidate.  A man who can be relied upon to not rock the boat, to not confront the Obama regime - to be a good ol' boy.  Boehner without the orange perma-tan.

It would be a grave mistake for Karl Rove and Reince Preibus to push and impose 'more of the same' on Republican supporters.  The grassroots, and that doesn't just mean, the Tea Party, need to be brought back into the fold.  The Republican leadership will ignore them at their, and America's peril.

Simply put, America (and, come to that the World) cannot take another 4 years of Democrat mis-management.  There is no time for the dubious luxury of RINOs.

The clear choice should be Rep.Trey Gowdy.  He has stirred the pot by pursuing Hillary Clinton over Benghazi.  He may yet be able to bring her to book for, what was at best a serious dereliction of duty and at worst complicity in the unnecessary death of Americans and then in the reprehensible cover-up  of the background to the events.   Having opposed Boehner's debt limit measures in the past, being fundamentally against Obamacare, which he wants to repeal, wanting to limit the interfering and anti-business regulations that emanate from the Climate Change fools that run the Environmental Protection Agency and strongly in favour of a balanced budget, Gowdy demonstrates all of the characteristics that are wanted by a leader of the Republicans.  He is 'sound', as they say in Britain, on all of the issues that really matter to Republicans and right-thinking Americans.

He does seem to lack the ability to tear-up and bawl at the drop of a hat but my thinking is that this is something America can live without.

The selection of Gowdy should also help to thin out the current crop of those seeking the nomination for Republican candidate for President.  It would send a clear message to America and particularly, the Democrat Party, that the Republicans mean business.  That the Republicans are going to focus on the key issues affecting America:

• The rampant and unaffordable spending of the Obama administration and proposed by the Democrat candidates.
• The swamping of America's cities by illegal aliens.
• The weakening of America's military
• The abandonment of America's traditional allies in favour of nations that seek the very destruction of America.
• The restoration of respect for the rule of law, including the Constitution, and the protection of those that serve and enforce the law.
• Ensuring that veterans, who have loyally served America, receive the medical treatment that they need.
• That terrorism and the evils of Islam are recognised as the truly single greatest threat to the very existence of the United States and not the pseudo-science and doctored-results backed Climate Change. 
• That the education of America's future generations must emphasise the importance of the Judeo-Christian values upon which America was founded.

Of course, Gowdy probably won't be elected.  McCarthy will get the role and will continue the obeisance to Obama and in doing so, will cause continued hardship for millions of Americans and will accelerate the decline of America.  This will also cause many Republicans to move ever further away from the Republican Party and to not vote for it in 2016 - why would any Republican vote for the likes of Bush or Rubio, when a true Republican like Ted Cruz is sidelined by the establishment?


 

What's wrong with America Part 3

Today is July 4th - America's Independence Day.   Happy 4th of July to you all!

Okay, niceties out of the way, now down to business.

What is up with you guys?  While you sit out with your families and have your picnics and BBQs, today, you will probably agree that President Obama is a failure or be more truthful and call him a disaster but then you will kick back and say 'hey, he will be gone in 2016'.  Are you sure?  Frankly speaking this is an American President that has little regard for the US Constitution, especially when it doesn't fit his agenda.

You all (I am English and we don't say y'all!) need to get focused.  America is in trouble and getting in deeper. 

America's southern border states are being flooded with illegal immigrants but instead of strengthening the border, the DHS chief is suggesting that this is a consequence of not offering an amnesty to illegal immigrants!  Don't look for logic in that argument - he is a government employee!

The IRS scandal continues.  We are now supposed to believe that Lois Lerner's e-mails have become lost!  Right!  What kind of system does the IRS employ?   When conducting investigations, the Department of Justice requires private companies to have e-mails from the neolithic period available for review!  Also, isn't it kind of worrying that data, say personal tax returns, can just disappear, just like that?  Who is the IRS' Chief Information Officer - Kriss Angel?

The Veterans Administration debacle continues.  It was never about just changing the man at the top (though that was a start).  The VA needs root and branch reform and a sharp injection of transparency (that's the buzzword for what used to be called openness and honesty!).  Mostly what it needs though is for America's veterans to receive the care to which they are entitled.  Somehow I don't think that is high or even on the agenda.

The Benghazi hearings, chaired by Trey Gowdy, may uncover more shenanigans and  double dealing but, by itself will unlikely unseat Obama.

The attack on Second Amendment rights will continue.  Here the fightback is in the hands of ordinary Americans - simply boycott those organisations that support taking away your rights.  There are lists a plenty of who these are.  Remember the power that consumers have - think Duck Dynasty!  People power got a wrong, righted!

Ignoring the law, the Obama administration freed 5 Taliban terrorists in exchange for someone who it is widely claimed was a deserter.  That was against US law and could easily be considered as treasonous since it directly aids America's avowed enemies.  

 And so it goes on and on.  See here  http://bit.ly/1ksmipu  and here http://bit.ly/1oidzHz

Today though, when you sit with family and friends, resolve to join the movement to impeach President Obama.    Write and call your elected representatives, congressmen and women and Senators and Governors.  The message is simple, Impeach Obama, he must go - Signed John Doe!  Don't depend on others to do it, ACT! 

Today, America starts another year of independence - make a new year's resolution to do all you can to impeach President Obama and then go after Attorney General Eric Holder and the rest of the people that have dragged America down.  2016 is too far away to wait.  The American democracy and Constitution includes suitable provisions to defend it against enemies both foreign and domestic - use them, while you still can.  2016 might be too late!

You may think it presumptuous, on the day that you celebrate your independence from Great Britain, that a Brit is giving you such advice but I do so out of a very strong belief that the world needs a strong USA and right now, because we don't have such, there is much greater peril for us all. 

What is integrity?

I think most people would say that integrity is about doing the right thing.  The best description I have heard is that 'integrity means doing the right thing, even when no one else is looking'.

Most people would, I suggest, also like to think that they and their fellow countrymen and most particularly their political leaders, act with integrity.  There is a sense that is common, on how we should behave.

However, and you knew there was one coming.  However, when people enter through the doors of the  political world, integrity leaves through the windows.

In short, why do politicians act as poorly as they do?  And, to be clear, when I say politicians I include all the government service bureaucrats and all of those that swim in the public-funded pool - be they directly funded organizations, NGOs or 'funded' scientists, etc..

Take Lois Lerner, as an example.  This is the woman that was, until recently, the head of America's Internal Revenue Service.  During her tenure, the IRS targeted right of centre groups.  These groups were entitled to certain tax-privileged status under the US Tax Code, so long as they met certain conditions.  Lerner's IRS repeatedly challenged and delayed the special tax status for these right of centre groups - such as various Tea Party organizations.  The purpose seems clear.  Use unelected government employees to frustrate, using illegal means, the rights of American citizens to exercise democratically passed tax laws, in the furtherance of opposing political aims.  One defence put forward by Lerner and her allies, is that they applied the rules 'even-handedly'.  They did the same due diligence on tax exempt status for left of centre groups.  As evidence they talk of 5 or 6 such groups being impeded in gaining their special status.  When you contrast that with the hundreds of 'right' groups that suffered delays and bully-boy tactics, you can see a very clear political agenda being followed.

Lois Lerner, an employee of the IRS - or, put another way, a (well) paid servant of the American people, was called before Congress.  Now, excuse me while I get a little 'utopian' on you but Congress, or in the UK, parliament, is where the representatives of the people go to transact business on behalf of their electorate.  Where we expect them to do things and hold people to account for things, that we, as individuals cannot.

Ms Lerner, then preceded to plead the 5th Amendment in front of Congress.  She refused to answer questions put to her, on the grounds that to do so honestly, might incriminate herself.   So, when asked, by representatives of the American people,  about how she did the job for which the American people lavishly compensate her, she refused to answer.  I guess I wouldn't make a good juror if Lois ever came to trial before me.  I figure that asking her how she carried out her job is an entirely legitimate question and, when she pleaded the 5th, I would draw the reasonable conclusion that she was  not carrying out those duties in a legal manner otherwise she wouldn't be worried about self-incrimination.

Anyway, it seems that Lerner will now face sanctions of some kind as the House of Representatives found her to be in contempt of Congress.  The vote was 231 in favour and 187 against.  Those in favour included 6 Democrat party representatives.  In terms of integrity though, I find it both appalling and and at the same time interesting/instructive that 187 politicians - all Democrat Party members - didn't see that Lerner's actions were, in fact, a contempt of Congress and, by extension, contempt for the American people.

To take it a bit further, acting with integrity, screams that Lerner is in contempt.  Abandoning integrity and toeing the party line, says that while she may be in contempt, we Democrats won't throw her to the Republican wolves nor will we do anything that aids the opposition.  (Or, for that matter, we Democrats will do nothing to restore the faith of the people in politicians either knowing or doing the 'right thing'!)

Some of those 187 will be out of a job, come November and will have more time to ponder their character deficiencies.  But think about it.  What causes such people to abandon morality on political grounds?

In case you think I am Lerner obsessed, I am not.  I am just using that to illustrate the point about the decline or lack of morality that is seen in modern day politics.  My focus is on the UK and US.  These are 'mature' democracies and as such, one would expect the basic values to be more ingrained.   There are numbers of European countries, for example, where democracy and the rule 'of the people, by the people' are new concepts - some being in place for less than 40 years.  In those countries, one might expect the flower of integrity to be fragile and initially feeble as the plant comes up against modern day real-politiks but in the established UK and US democracies - countries founded on documents like Magna Carta and the US Constitution and indeed, a Judeo-Christian religious ethic - one would really expect that the roots of integrity and basic honesty, would be deeper and stronger.

What makes Jay Carney, the White House Press spokesman, stand up in front of a largely compliant media, and day after day, dodge and prevaricate, when answering the few questions that he gets asked, about Benghazi?  It surely isn't to protect the national security interests of the USA - that might make it slightly more legitimate - but no, it is solely to protect the Obama administration (the one that was elected by we the people, I do hope you are keeping up! ) from questions to which the people, want answers.

I do hope my American readers don't think I am targeting them and suggesting that my home country is any better.

In the UK, we have seen and heard, over the years countless examples of politicians and public servants acting without integrity.  From accepting money to ask questions in parliament to other far more serious issues. 

To illustrate the latter.  Under the (envy of the world, so British leftists claim) National Health System
more than 1,300 patients died at a hospital group called Mid Staffs.  These hospital patients were found to have received very poor and in some cases downright inhumane treatment from the staff into whose care they had been placed.  An eventual Public Inquiry found significant numbers of short comings and examples of abuse.

And yet.  Sir David Nicholson, then head of the NHS area that included Mid Staffs, who later went on to become overall head of the NHS received no punishment.  Indeed he was able to retire, just this year on a full, highly remunerative, pension.  Andy Burnham, who was the Labour Party minister responsible for the NHS, has received no sanction.  Indeed he continues to represent that portfolio for the Labour Party.  

Okay neither received punishment.  I think that many, if not most, people would say that they should have experienced some small percentage of the suffering that  was inflicted on those 1,300 victims but, that aside, what kind of people are they, that they have no integrity or moral compass that screams at them saying 'this was wrong and even while I didn't personally commit any injury to people, this happened on my watch and I must set an example and do the decent thing' ?

Why is it that so many people, on entering politics or public service, abandon basic morality and act with little or no integrity?  We have scientists for heaven's sake, scientists who purposefully distort data and suppress information and then seek to silence and punish any critics, all in the furtherance of  an unproven theory.  (In fact a theory that is not just unproven but for which the contrary position is becoming ever more apparent, based on facts and evidence!)

We have American military people who are given orders to not go to the aid of  Americans that are being attacked (and ended-up being brutally tortured, raped and murdered) and these people do not have the integrity to do the right thing.  Incidentally, the current stories suggest that President Obama wasn't even in the White House Situation Room while events in Benghazi unfolded.  The word is that the President's special adviser, his fellow-traveler from Chicago, the unelected Valerie Jarrett, was calling the shots.  Maybe that's what Jay is covering-up?

I am not seeking to set off some kind of moral crusade here but is it so crazy to expect higher standards from our elected officials?  Suppose it is.  Is it crazy to expect that those that are paid by 'the people' are at least answerable to those self same 'people' and this is especially important when those 'sucking on the public teet' are unelected.

Please feel free to pass this on and particularly to your elected representatives - we really do need to bring about change and restore the notion that acting with integrity is the right thing to do.

 

2014 Predictions

Well, if journalists can do this, why can't I?

Scotland will vote to remain in the UK and not seek independence, though it will be a closer-run thing than many first predicted.  Indeed, (hedging bets here) it may yet go the other way given the lack-lustre performance of the No campaign and the reluctance of the UK parties to engage and promote the Union.

The UK (read South-East England) will not be flooded by Romanians and Bulgarians.  Total immigration will be less than 20,000

Pope Francis will continue to amaze the world with his humility and engagement.

Vince Cable will manufacture an excuse to leave the Coalition, at the start of the second half of the year.  Then he will successfully challenge Nick Clegg for the leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party and lead his party to its eventual near annihilation at the 2015 General Elections.

President Obama's Democrats will suffer heavy poll reverses in the mid term elections.  This despite some Republicans seeming to spend more time attacking Tea Party activists than their liberal opposition.

Calls for a full investigation of the horrific events that occurred in Benghazi will gather strength but until the new members are sworn-in, most of the action will be on Twitter, where the Justice for the Benghazi 4 movement will gain increasing traction.  So Hillary remains safe for now but the eventual investigations will haunt her 2016 bid and make her wish she had got them out of the way, with a more compliant Congress.

In a move to improve efficiency, France's Socialist government will enact legislation to cut out the middle-man and have all wages paid direct to the State's tresor.  Apart from making it easier to identify those that exist or participate in the 'black' economy (not a racist statement, before any liberals complain), this will also reduce stubbornly high unemployment as more tax-collectors are hired.

Greece and Italy decide to not follow the French example - rumours that this is because some many of those countries' politicians operate within the 'black' (still not racist) economy will not actually be proven but nevertheless will abound.

The UK's Labour Party will formally change it's name to the Labour,Welfare and Minority Interests Party and will officially abandon any pretence of representing actual workers.

Ed Balls, in a move designed to avoid being sacked by Ed Miliband, will challenge him for the party leadership role.  In a close-run race, Len McCluskey, leader of the UNITE union,  will emerge as the winner, even though not a participant!

UK Prime Minister, David Cameron will react to Labour's attacks about the Cost of Living 'crisis' by abolishing the so called Green Taxes.  This will anger his Lib Dem partners but Cameron will tell Clegg it is the price to pay for support of Clegg's candidacy for a EU Commissioner role.

Cameron will also face internal opposition from those who accuse him of being a TINO (Tory in name only) and such opposition will increase following the Euro elections at which all parties will do badly, except UKIP, who score spectacularly well.  Indeed, it is only the Euro-sceptic MEPs, like Daniel Hannan, that retain their seats on the Euro-Gravy-Train.

The European Commission and Parliament will continue to enact directives that strengthen, on paper,  the undemocratic nature of their rule and which ignore the voices of the European people, expressed through the ballot boxes. 

 Youth unemployment in Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy will continue at high levels that will haunt those countries for years to come.  Ireland too will continue to export its problem by large-scale youth emigration and the country will pay its price for EU inspired de-population with large-scale issues around unfunded pension liabilities - as in most countries, pension payments require a working and contributing mass of young people, to be viable!

Moves will continue to seek the impeachment of President Obama but while the mood in America will be marginally in favour, Congress will continue to not represent the will of the people and so Obama will continue in office but will find Congress much less compliant, especially as high-profile cases showing the effects of Obamacare's failures hit the headlines with increasing frequency, as even Obama's media supporters bow to pressure to stop hiding the truth.

China will continue to expand its economy but will be less involved in buying US Treasury bills and funding America's deficit and debt mountains.

Brazil will host the football World Cup but organizational problems will mar the occasion.

Russia will use a very heavy hand to confront their domestic terrorists and will ignore the 'human rights' whining from the West.

Then there are the predictions that are border-line wishes.......

Arsenal confound the doubters and not only win the English Premier League title but also complete a remarkable treble by gaining  victories in the FA Cup and the European Champions League.

David Cameron uses one of the many recesses that the UK parliament enjoys and reads-up on what it means to be a Conservative and then, in an amazing transformation decides to start to implement such policies.  Consequent upon this, Cameron corners Nick Clegg and explains to him the outcome of opposing the changed approach and advises that the Tories will rule in a minority government rather than continue to pander to the idiotic and damaging policies of the Lib Dems.

Notwithstanding the earlier prediction, moves to impeach Obama become a central policy plank and receive wide-spread and united Republican support.  Worried Democrats, pick-up on the public mood and  transfer their allegiance to the camp pushing for the ouster of the would-be Emperor of the Free World.

Difficult to know whether any desires relating to the US Supreme Court, supporting the US Constitution and the American people count as predictions or wishes.  Will they strike down the 'Executive Orders' that are being repeatedly issued by America's ruler, in contravention of the US Constitution or will they continue to pursue a 'leftist' and un-American agenda?

As a choice, this would be a profound wish - that the scales fall from the eyes of politicians around the world and the eco-nonsense ends as soon as possible.  Not only this though, but in an unprecedented attack of common sense, the world's politicians immediately repeal all of the restrictive eco-laws that have so negatively impacted the world.  If, in the process, Al Gore and the climate science lobby were convicted of gross fraud, then that would be an added bonus! 

I could go on.  I have probably thought this before but this time I will say in print, I sense that 2014 will herald some significant changes for America, the UK and Europe.  

 

US - Please don't deport Piers Morgan

I would like some democracy-loving American to start a petition to keep Piers Morgan in the USA.

The grounds would be the what I believe are his comments being protected under the  First Amendment to the US Constitution.  The framers maybe didn't anticipate the abuse of the rights nor the mindless mutterings that would be protected under the amendment but they were good people acting in a good way and they would, I believe, have accepted that sometimes the greater good is served.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I do have another motive.  I don't want this over-rated ass, back in the UK.  The USA is a big country and you have absorbed the witterings of many fools, in the past, so please, do the UK this favour.

A major concern, for me, is that people might look at Morgan's journalistic record and conclude that his First Amendments privileges are forfeit because of his prior mendacity or rather the lying that occurred on his watch.  He was the editor of the UK tabloid, the Daily Mirror, when they published expose photos that purported to show British troops torturing Iraqi prisoners.  Thing was, the photos were speedily exposed as being frauds.  I can't remember the exact details but I seem to recall something of the apology which said that 'yes, these were made up but they depict real events'  Or words to that effect.

Please though put this to one side and consider the service you are doing for an old ally. 

Of course his ravings about gun-control, coming as they do, from someone raised in the super-controlled (some would say, over-controlled) European environment, take no account of how the US has come about and stayed together as a union.  How could they?  In Europe, the concept of protecting your own home or life is something that is 'farmed out' to the police.  In the UK this is particularly worrying when there are regular exposes of police lies, cover-ups and evidence fabrication, such that, today, many question who it is the police actually protect.  

The US Constitution and its Amendments are not to blame for the horrific massacre in Newtown.

Neither are the gun manufacturers.  We don't blame car manufacturers when the product they produce is involved in the deaths of three times more people than die of gun related deaths.

The one to blame, seems to be universally accepted as being Adam Lanza.  You might, just might look at apportioning some responsibility to a state that didn't offer better medical treatment for people with mental health issues but fundamentally, it was a person, Adam Lanza, that did the killing.

Morgan and his gun control zealots can take all of the guns away from all of the people but that won't, I am sorry to say, stop mad people killing innocents.

On the same day as the Newtown massacre, a madman ran amok in China and stabbed 20 children.  So, ban knives?