Dear Senator Hutchison,

In your Friday vote for cloture on the healthcare bill, when you voted with the two most LIBERAL Republican senators to end debate, in effect, you helped push this freedom killing bill down the road, and gave Ben Nelson an opportunity to SCREW the rest of the country. 

Although your stated reason was to allow passage of the armed services appropriation bill, this healthcare bill, when passed, will make this country unrecognizable to those troops, if and when they return home.

What are the troops fighting for? Our freedom? If that is true, then YOU have stabbed them in the back by helping to kill the very freedom that they are fighting for.  If I were a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine, my thought would immediately be, "What the hell am I fighting for? My country is selling its birthright for a mess of pottage!"

Senator, I am ashamed of you. Forget my vote for you for governor. You don't deserve it.

Some say that both major parties want the same things, they just have very different approaches to the problems that we all have.

When it comes to individuals who identify with Democrat or Republican, this is probably true.
 
When it comes to the actual party politicians, I doubt it.  

When it comes to the underlying philosophies: Socialism/Statism vs.Conservatism/Federalism, it truly comes down to Tyranny vs. Liberty. 

The current direction of Washington, DC is toward MORE control of individuals, greater public debt, and higher taxes.  These things will, without any doubt, result in much less freedom, more regulation, and the ultimate oppression and suppression of a once free people.

And this is what I wrote (on their Facebook wall):

The biggest problem with the RNC's "Big Tent" theory is that the Party winds up with a discoherent philosophy. If the Republicans want to claim Conservatism, then they must do so without reservation. Half-hearted conservatism results in support of candidates like Dede Scozzafava (a philosophical Socialist) against real... philosophical Conservative. The Party keeps shooting itself in the foot in this way.
Some say there's not a dime's worth of difference between the two parties.  Can you tell me where there's a dime's worth of difference between Dede Scozzafava and a very liberal Democrat, besides the "R"?  You guys need to buck up and BE the Conservative Party or this country is doomed to become the Socialist Utopia the Left envisions.

I sure hope they are reading my little missives. I am very dissapointed in my congressman Pete Sessions (TX-32), and Chair of the NRCC. His support of  Ms. Scozzafava in NY-23 and his continued defense of his affirmative vote on TARP, are very troubling to me. He has a long-shot opponent in the Republican Primary whom I have been in contact with. David Smith is his name.  I hope he gives old Pete a run for his money.

The main reason Healthcare is so da**ed expensive is because Government has gotten squarely in the middle of the process over the last 50 years.  Now, if this Healthcare bill actually passes, we will be FORCED into a system where ONLY the Government can choose your treatment and what you pay for it. (Government Rationing? You bet!)

And with Democrats and Liberals, (ie. SOCIALISTS) perpetually in charge of the system, see if there aren't political motives involved in the rationing. I have a great insurance plan WHICH I EARN, through my employer. Some might call it a "Cadillac plan". This new GI (Government Issued), plan will eventually force everyone who has the Cadillac to either pay double or triple for it, (higher taxes) or trade it in for a '69 VW on blocks (GI plan).

Show me in the Constitution where it says I must purchase ANY product or service, or pay for it for others out of my taxes. IT AIN'T THERE!

They are trying to guarantee something that cannot be guaranteed.

1. Your health
2. Your life.

No one can guarantee that you won't get sick, or that you will get well.  It doesn't matter if you have the Cadillac or the VW.

I don't care who you are, you are going to die at some point.  Show me ONE exception!

My desire is to live my life to the best of my ability, whatever may come. I do not want to be dependent on you, my fellow citizen via the Government, nor do I want you to be dependent on me.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I do believe in charity, but not this perpetual welfare that the Government wants to push on us all. We are stuck paying for a bunch of freeloaders who are gaming the system

My faith is in God my Maker, not my fellow man whom I know will fail me.  God or Government?  I choose God.  This is the only kind of dependence I believe in.

Psalm 121:1-3 says this:
 ¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—
       where does my help come from?

 ² My help comes from the LORD,
       the Maker of heaven and earth.

 ³ He will not let your foot slip—
       he who watches over you will not slumber;

Therefore, I say, quit trying to give me healthcare.  I have it already.  Get the Government out of my face and off my back!

Republican leadership is out of step with the base of the Party. So says this Rasmussen poll published yesterday. Briefly stated, it says that 73% of GOP voters believe GOP Congressional leaders are not representing their views. Nothing has made this more clear than the recent high-level endorsements of the very liberal Republican nominee for the NY-23 Congressional district, Dede Scozzafava.  Now, Scozzafava is, without a doubt, a Republican in "good" standing. ('Scuse me while I pull my tongue out of my cheek.)  How she got the nomination is related here. 

In my humble opinion, this would reveal the worst aspects of Party politics were it not for my own Congressman, decent conservative Republican and Chairman of the NRCC, Pete Sessions (TX-32) endorsing this Liberal with an "R".  Also endorsing are almost always reliable conservative Republican Congressman Jeb Hensarling (TX-5), and sometime sane, sometime insane former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.  Really, now!

I will stipulate that party politics is by nature a team sport.  I understand that Republicans back other Republicans, for without the victory of the Party, the agenda (ie. Conservatism) cannot be advanced.  But, please tell me, how in God's Name, can Conservatism be advanced by endorsing a candidate whose political philosophy is antithetical to the Conservative ideals. Listed below, from Parcbench.com are the sins of Dede Scozzafava.

• Scozzafava supports Obama’s massive trillion dollar “stimulus” packages and generally supports government intervention in our markets.
• The NY Democratic Party actually considered running her as their own candidate.
• The Working Families Party, which is essentially a socialist political party, has endorsed her in past elections.
• She has voted for massive tax increases and refused, until October 15, to sign a no tax-increase pledge.
• Not only is she pro-choice, but she was actually on Planned Parenthood’s board.  Yet it gets worse: she was the recipient of their most prestigious honor, the Margaret Sanger award (the same Margaret Sanger who advocated eugenics).

If this is what New York Republicans are like, New York can have them. I will not send any money or support to the NRCC as long they think this is the winning strategy.

Oh, but wait! There is a real Conservative in that race. Doug Hoffman, by many accounts a solid Conservative, sought the nomination, but was denied by the NY-23 Republican Party bosses. (There was no primary race). Doug Hoffman is running for that seat as an Independent Conservative. Currently, he is polling very close to Ms. Scozzafava, and some believe he can beat her and the Democrat.  Hoffman has been endorsed by real Conservative luminaries, Sarah Palin, Fred Thompson, "Richard" Armey ('cuz you can't spell his name with a 'D' on Townhall) and Rick Santorum.  I would love to see Doug Hoffman blow the doors off of the Scozzafava campaign and beat the Democrat, too.

To me, it doesn't matter whether the Liberal Republican wins or the Liberal Democrat wins. What do you get with either one? Liberalism, and advancement of the Liberal agenda.  So the only favorable outcome is for the Conservative Doug Hoffman to win that seat. If you want to help, here's how.  Doug Hoffman for Congress.

Today we mark the 8th anniversary of that day which has changed America, forever.

To those who have taken upon themselves to serve this country in the capacity of defending against this amorphous enemy, I salute you, and I thank you.  My gratitude to you for keeping me, my family, and this country safe and secure for these 8 years cannot be expressed in words.

Soon after that fateful day, our president, George W. Bush, said, "You are either with us, or you are with the terrorists." That statement still rings with truth to me today. In that statement is a basic understanding of the ongoing struggle of good against evil. It is an understanding of the evil that continues and grows and festers to this day; evil that will be there tomorrow, next month, next year, no matter who is elected to any office in this country. That is why we MUST fight on.

Sadly, many of my countrymen have forgotten, or discounted the meaning of those words on that day. They misunderstand, even disbelieve the evil that is in the hearts of those who perpetrated those attacks. Can such evil exist?  Oh, yes, it most certainly does. Believe it or not, it exists in the very nature of men. Examples of such evil are legion. Men who have sought to subdue and control others by fear, force and mass killing. Their designs on us remain. That is why we MUST fight on.

The Islamists who carried out the attacks on 9/11, fight us, not to win independence from us, nor to retaliate against some wrong we have done. They may claim that is the reason, but their writings and internal communications reveal a desire to conquer, subdue, and to rule over us. They wish to Islamicise the West. They wish to turn us into them or kill us. They hate our freedom, our customs, our prosperity, and our Christian religion. If you do not want to give up your American way of life, nor bow toward Mecca five times a day, you must conclude that they are evil. That is why we MUST fight on.

Their success may not occur in this generation, nor in the next. But if we do not fight on against their agression, they will surely, one day succeed. Weakness invites agression. Currently, we have made ourselves weaker by granting rights and privileges to our enemies the likes of which none has ever had. We have pulled our punches and chastised ourselves for pursuing the enemy too agressively. In doing so, we make it that much harder for the men and women in uniform to protect us from further attack.
But, even so, we MUST fight on.

Take this day, and remember what happened eight years ago. Remember how you felt and the determination and resolve that brought us together as a nation.  We were one against a common enemy on that day. That fact has not changed, though most have forgotten or returned to their slumber. The enemy still has his resolve. We must find ours once again. We MUST fight on.

 I have written another letter to my congressman, Pete Sessions. I know he feels pretty much the same way I do about Obamacare, but I have to let him hear it in both ears. Hopefully he can pass on some of my sentiments to his "colleagues" in the Politburo. I hope he gets a lot of the same thing when he comes to Richardson City Hall for his Townhall meeting next Wednesday. Enjoy.

Dear Congressman Sessions,

I used to believe that I lived in the United States of America, the Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave. I used to believe that Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness were the eternal truths, the "unalienable rights" that all free men were entitled to. Now I see that I am being moved to some new country, where my unalienable rights are going to be squashed, and it's beginning to look a whole lot like the Soviet Union.

I can look back over my 53 years on this earth, and I can see how we've gotten here. Public Schools have quit teaching our history and pride in our country. We, as a people, have quit believing in and praying to God. Politicians have sold our heritage to enrich themselves and empower their parties. They've made promises of bread and circuses to every citizen in exchange for votes. When that wasn't enough, they made those promises and more to citizens from other countries to entice them to come here in ever greater numbers, illegally, I might add. The Constitution is shredded, reinterpreted, trod upon, spat upon, and rendered useless and ineffective.

They might as well take it out of its protective case in the National Archives Building, and let it rot. It's doing us no good in the condition it's in currently. You cannot now, read the plain meaning of the words, and see how this government complies with it. I will assert that 12 or so generations of lawyers and judges have done a terrific job of mucking it up.

We no longer have a "government of the people, by the people, and for the people." Replace the word "people" with "politicians" and it is now more close to correct. Here we are in middle of a debate that should never happen in this land of liberty. How much more government are we going to allow in our healthcare? If the government wholly consumes the healthcare industry, which the current plan in consideration will do, then none of us will have the freedom to choose otherwise. The government becomes the sole arbiter of your life and your death, and the quality of your life, should you ever become seriously ill.  Do you want that to happen? I don't!  I don't trust this government, or ANY government to have MY best interests in mind. The goal of all governments is to exercise power.

Congressman, am I correct in stating that YOUR most excellent Congressional healthplan will not change at all? Won't you still enjoy all of the options you enjoy now?

Let me make a prediction. When this government plan is in place, at some point, even your precious healthplan will suffer in some way, at least in cost. High demand and low supply will always cause the price of a commodity to rise. Invariably, this plan will squeeze providers so that there will be fewer and fewer going into the profession and more and more leaving it. Even your plan will become extremely expensive to maintain at the current level of benefit. But YOU will not pay. The taxpayers will! At the same time we will have to pay to maintain your Cadillac plan, we will also be paying for the second or third class care allotted to us by our ever loving Federal Government.

There is but one way to control the costs of this plan. That is to place chains on both patients and providers. Restrict patient access through rationing, and restrict payments to providers. Already this happens in the Medicare and Medicaid systems. It is the private insurance system that is keeping the entire cost structure afloat.

I have no confidence that a politician or bureaucrat in Washington, D.C. can administer any program or regulate my life in any way to my liking.  I don't trust or rely on the bozos in Austin, the Dallas County Comissioners, or even those in my city hall to add to my life any great "quality".  My goal is to provide for myself and my family the best that I can, then to be LEFT ALONE by interfering government do-gooders, and nanny-state regulators.

Excuse me while I declare my INDEPENDENCE.  What prescriptions for my life the government may impose, I reject. Now, I'm not talking only about the healthcare the government may provide, I'm also talking about what they may IMPOSE. If I smoke, drink liquor, or if I am overweight, will they be able to deny me care if I need it? And what if I commit the sin of being old?

Are they going to make sure that I don't eat Twinkies every day? Is Big Nanny Government going to check my grocery and fast food receipts? Already there are "watchdog groups" talking about how much "the obese" are costing the healthcare system, and we've heard how costly smokers are to healthcare for my entire life. Once in place are they going to use it to control my behavior? “You’d better eat right”. “You’d better exercise”. “We’re going to have to deny you care if you’re naughty”.

I do not see this healthcare legislation as some benign government benefit, that will be "for my own good." I see it as a Trojan Horse, that once brought into the city gates, threatens to take away what liberty that I have left. I will not cede my liberty to the government for the sake of any other citizen. For, if I do, no citizen can claim liberty. We will all become beggars to the state. We will all lose our freedom. We the People ... are so screwed!

I would rather have no doctor and no access to healthcare if it means giving up my liberty.  I'd rather live or die in the hands of my loving God, than be beggared to a faceless government bureaucrat who most likely does not have my best interests in mind.

Yesterday, I attended the Dallas Tea Party at South Fork Ranch. As you may know, this is the place made famous by the 1980's TV show "Dallas". Now, we spent no time in the luxurious manse that J.R. Ewing used to call home. Instead, we were in the back pastures, sweating  in the hot Texas sun. Despite the heat, our enthusiasm and patriotism was not wilted at all. Thousands showed up at South Fork to voice their concerns over our massive national debt, protesting runaway government spending, and the impending gargantuan tax bill which will soon fall on our shoulders, and the shoulders of our children and our grandchildren.

In a period of time just less than a year, we have moved from a government that had some view to fiscal responsibility, to one that has no concept of an empty bank account. It seems that there is no end to the amount of federal spending, "investing", financing, and outright owning that this government can do. If they have any accountants in this administration, it is doubtful if they have passed their basic math skills. (Hey, wait a minute. Isn't Timothy "Turbo-Tax" Gheitner the Secretary of the Treasury? Hmmmm.)  And they do not have any respect for the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence which we celebrated yesterday.

Update: As many as 35,000 in attendance.

On Michelle Malkin's blog there is a streaming video link to the entire afternoon and evening events. (here)

Entertainment was provided by Beatlegras, The Hunter Sullivan Band, and the finale by Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees.

Local organizers, Philip Dennis, James Dickey, Ken Emanuelson, and Katrina Pierson gave opening remarks. See http://tinyurl.com/p45dtz
for Dallas Tea Party Facebook page. (Also see http://dallasteaparty.org/)

On the Tea Party roster we had:

Michael Patrick Leahy, co-founder of Top Conservatives on Twitter (TCOT) and one of the leaders of the national Tea Party Movement also spoke. (http://www.michaelpatrickleahy.com/)

Congressman Michael Burgess, Denton, Texas (TX-26), one of the really good ones.

Dr. Merrill Matthews, (below), from the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) http://www.ipi.org/ .  In his speech, he compared our current situation to that of the Founders.  He said, "the greatest threat to our liberty is coming from Washington, D.C."


Jon-David Wells, (below), afternoon talk show host on 570 KLIF's "The Wells Report" (http://tinyurl.com/cl9mlq) dressed in 18th century costume gave a rousing speech linking the importation of illegal alien labor to a dilution of benefits from our tax dollars and of our votes as citizens.


Michael Johns, (below), is active on the national level in the Tea Party Movement. He travels the country speaking for freedom and liberty. Michael spoke at Tea Party events in New Jersey on Friday, Washington, D.C., Saturday morning, and here Saturday evening. See his blog here. He is also an activist on Twitter and Facebook where I have had contact with him.



Captain Scott O'Grady, if you remember, gained fame after being shot down over Bosnia and surviving to escape out of enemy Serb territory.


Wayne Allyn Root, (below), a Libertarian, declared W.A.R. on big government. Root, from Nevada was a college classmate of Barack Obama's. He says emphatically, that Socialists are running our government.


And of course, the headliner of the evening, Michelle Malkin. This lovely lady of the Right spoke to us about the Founding Fathers and that we, the Tea Party Protesters are their heirs. Liberty is the reason for our celebration of the 4th of July. The "transcendent truth" of our founding is the "unalienable sovereignty of the People over the government."  "Freedom is not for the government to give, it is for all of us to be sure that the government does not take it away."



Funny story: This vendor was selling T-shirts, books, longhorn horns, and caps. He has a cow tail attached to a standard on his trailer. The sign says "If you're full of bull, give it a pull", so, naturally, I did.  Unfortunately, when I let go, the cow tail came off of the standard and shot up into the branches of the tree above.  Being the good citizen that I am, I volunteered to climb on top of his trailer and try to retrieve it. After a lot of effort, he and I finally got the tail back down.  I told him that he needed to make his cow tail "idiot proof", to which he agreed. He considered me a good sport, so he gave me one of his caps.


I volunteered to sign up people for Tea Party email alerts. I walked all through the crowd, and there was something extraordinary that I noticed. Everyone I talked to was kind and polite. I sensed no annoyance by my intrusions into their space. Everyone was there for the same purpose and of the same mind. I did not hear any sniping back and forth about whether or not Sarah Palin is stupid, or should we ditch "Reaganism". The focus was on our ever-growing debt, the ever-growing government, and our ever-shrinking rights and take-home pay.

Bob's my uncle has been out of commission lately, just needing some downtime. However, I have been making my voice heard in other venues. I just posted this on Jim DeMint's Facebook page in response to a recent article he wrote, entitled "We the People vs. "I Won".    I wanted to share it here and hope it will cause you to think.

We stand at the cusp of history. Will this Administration and this Congress spell the end of Constitutional America? Or will the people rise up and reclaim their birthright, the freedom, the liberty, the right to pursue their OWN happiness, and not that of powerful bureaucrats from an overbearing, all-powerful Federal Government.  That is the question I ask.
 
How do we get back our Freedom once it has been usurped? How do we get back our property once it has been confiscated? How can we once again see what our Founders saw of the danger of tyranny? The Founders! You know, the old white guys on the money, who wore powdered wigs and fought a Revolution, defeating the most powerful army on earth.

Now the most powerful army on earth belongs to our National Government.  The very Government that is seeking to take your rights and your liberties as I write.  Be afraid!  Be very afraid.  
But, hey, just remember, "It's for your own good."

Garnet92 (Pesky Truth) and I had the privilege and pleasure to drive downtown together to the Dallas Tea Party. Mark Davis, talk show host from WBAP 820 emceed the event, keeping the crowd of several thousand entertained with his personable style and introducing the speakers, none of whom were politicians. Here is the link to the Dallas Morning News story. Thousands show up for Dallas 'tea party'


Of course, most people had homemade protest signs, with clever criticisms of our over-bloated government.


One of the founders showed up, as well. I'm not sure if this is Ben, George, or Thomas.


Bob's my uncle drew a lot of attention with his sign, a 3 ft. x 3 ft. print of the 1934 cartoon. Here are two Right Wing Extremists admiring one another's protest signs. Garnet92 managed to elude the lens of my camera.


These two gentlemen liked the Carey Orr cartoon, so they volunteered to hold it up for me so everyone could see it.

Does this not look very familiar to todays headlines and fears?

The cartoon below in my previous post was printed in the Chicago Tribune, handwritten date: 4/20, copyright at bottom 1934. The cartoonist is Carey Orr, who was the editorial cartoonist for the Trib.

"Planned Economy or Planned Destruction?"

"Depleting the resources of the soundest government in the world"

In the wagon are Harold L. Ickes, Secretary of the Interior for 13 years under FDR, (and father of Harold M. Ickes, of Clinton Admin. fame),  Henry A. Wallace,  Secretary of Agriculture, Later FDR's VP in 1940, Donald R. Richberg, second head of the NRA (National Recovery Administration), and "young pinkies from Columbia and Harvard"  ie. "Eggheads", "the Brain Trust", "Drunk with POWER"

 The guy atop the donkey is Rexford W. Tugwell, Undersec. of Agriculture, original member of FDR's Brain Trust.  His label reads, "Tugwell - Head Brain Truster"

 Stalin stands in background saying "How red the sunrise is getting!"

I suppose this is Trotsky in the foreground with the "Plan of Action For U.S."

"Spend! Spend! Spend! Under the guise of recovery - bust the government -  blame capitalists for the failure - junk the Constitution and declare a dictatorship."

Since 1934, America has moved far down the path from self-sufficient, independent behavior, toward Socialist, Collectivist, Government Dependence.

Update the names and faces to today’s headlines.

The names now are Barack "The Prez" HObama, Timothy "Turbo-Tax" Geithner, Rahm "The Ballerina" Emanuel, Nancy "The Tuna" Pelosi, Harry "The Undertaker" Reid, Chris "Countrywide" Dodd, Bawney "Sub-Prime" Frank, Ben "The Fed" Bernanke.

Looking on at our self-destruction and nodding their approval are now Russia’s Putin, China’s Wen Jiabao, Iran’s Ahmadinejad, hosts of Islamic Jihadists, and North Korea’s Pot-bellied dictator, Kim Jong Il.

Instead of shoveling money on the street, They are throwing it at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Big Banks, Wall Street, AIG, Goldman Sachs, European Banks, The United Auto Workers, GM & Chrysler. Thank God, at least Ford refused a bailout.

Our tax dollars are going to these big-monied institutions and for no other reason than so this government can control them. That money does not even exist. It is being printed as we speak. My children and my grandchildren will pay the bill. With what, I just don’t know.

Chilling!

Every day new revelations are forthcoming that show the corruption, thievery, and downright ineptitude of our elected representatives. Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted to tax all AIG executive bonuses at 90% in order to recover these monies for "the taxpayer". I cannot wait to be "enriched" by this piece of legislation. I just know that, as a taxpayer, as soon as they are able to yank that bonus money away from those execs, they are going to cut me a bonus check for $1 million. Yeah, right!  Why has our Government handed out $180 Billions to AIG only to choke on $165 million? It's an issue they can use.

Now don't get me wrong. AIG is fully culpable in the Sub-prime mortgage debacle.  They don't deserve bonuses for their bad judgment. Their failure is a direct result of massive investment in the Credit Default Swap business. AIG was stupid. Your government guaranteed those risky loans through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, thus creating this market. What I am saying is that Congress, your government created the circumstances under which AIG and other banking and insurance entities have failed. They made stupid investments based on unreal guarantees from your Federal Government.

So, it is interesting to me that the Stimulus Bill contained language protecting those AIG bonuses now in question. Now, how did that get in there?! Some Congressional Aid must have tripped and accidentally inserted that language during the conference committee meeting. Oh crap! Get the name of that aid! We need to investigate! Probably a Republican! They should be fired, and their taxes audited!

But, wait! The name of Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) keeps coming up in conjunction with that bonus protection clause. Hmm. I also seem to remember something about Chris Dodd having received in excess of $100,000 in campaign donations directly from AIG. Hmm. Isn't he the top recipient of AIG money in Congress. Why, yes, I believe he is!

On Tuesday, Dodd denied having anything to do with the bonus protection language. On Wednesday, he admitted that he did write that into the bill. Thursday he pointed the finger at the Obama Treasury Department; they "made him do it". Now "Tax-cheat" Tim Geitner, Treasury Secretary, is himself is admitting that he told Dodd to protect those bonuses. Hmm.

One more thing. In his short time in the US Senate, didn't Barack Obama receive in excess of $100,000 in campaign donations from AIG? Hmm. And isn't "Tax-cheat" Tim Geitner the President's Treasury Secretary? Say, wasn't Tim Geitner a player in writing the Bailout Bill last September and the Stimulus Bill in January? Why, yes, I believe he was. Hmm.

Now there is OUTRAGE!, OUTRAGE I tell you, that these bonuses should be paid to AIG executives. HOW COULD THEY!!! Those scoundrels at AIG enriching themselves off of the taxpayer. After the law that was passed by the Democrat Congress and signed by the Socialist President guaranteed that the bonuses should be paid to those "good buddy" AIG executives. Now, Congress has passed a new law which is, in effect, an Un-Constitutional Bill of Attainder, going after and punishing a specific group of people RETROACTIVELY. Having passed a law that specifically rewarded the AIG executives, they are now punishing them to try to cover their own ASSES! Our OUTRAGE should be directed at Congress and this President for lying through their teeth at the Citizens of this Country, for refusing to follow the Constitution, for trying to turn this country into their idea of some Socialist Utopia simply by ruining the capitalist system that has made it great.

The Constitution of the United States, Article I, Section 9, paragraph 3 provides that: "No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law will be passed."

"These clauses of the Constitution are not of the broad, general nature of the Due Process Clause, but refer to rather precise legal terms which had a meaning under English law at the time the Constitution was adopted. A bill of attainder was a legislative act that singled out one or more persons and imposed punishment on them, without benefit of trial. Such actions were regarded as odious by the framers of the Constitution because it was the traditional role of a court, judging an individual case, to impose punishment." William H. Rehnquist, The Supreme Court, page 166.

"Bills of attainder, ex post facto laws, and laws impairing the obligations of contracts, are contrary to the first principles of the social compact, and to every principle of sound legislation. ... The sober people of America are weary of the fluctuating policy which has directed the public councils. They have seen with regret and indignation that sudden changes and legislative interferences, in cases affecting personal rights, become jobs in the hands of enterprising and influential speculators, and snares to the more-industrious and less-informed part of the community." James Madison, Federalist Number 44, 1788

It appears to me that Justice Rehnquist and James Madison have covered this situation with great aplomb, without any equivocation or ambiguity. Congress is specifically singling out and punishing AIG execs for fulfilling the obligations of contracts, (previously sanctioned by Congress), and at the same time, ensnaring "the more-industrious and less-informed" American People.

On February 7, this year, Newsweek Magazine, on it's front cover, declared:

We Are All Socialists Now
"In many ways our economy already resembles a European one. As boomers age and spending grows, we will become even more French."

The article begins with a quote of Indiana Congressman Mike Pence on Fox News appearing with Sean Hannity and talking about Obama's "nearly $1 trillion stimulus bill."  Pence was complaining about the pork in the bill, specifically calling out $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts and $20 million for "fish passage barriers".  Hannity ended the segment, calling the bill, "the European Socialist Act of 2009"

The article's authors went on to describe how "The U.S. government has already—under a conservative Republican administration—effectively nationalized the banking and mortgage industries. That seems a stronger sign of socialism than $50 million for art. Whether we want to admit it or not—and many, especially Congressman Pence and Hannity, do not—the America of 2009 is moving toward a modern European state."

While I agree with the first part of the above statement excepting the word "conservative", "a ... Republican administration - effectively nationalized the banking and mortgage industries", The second part, is patently false.  Sean Hannity opposed the Bush-Paulson-Bernanke "Bailout Bill" last year, and Mike Pence voted "nay" to the $750 billion TWICE!  What Newsweek fails to realize is that conservative oppostion to this type of massive government spending is based on principle, not political expediency. We did not support George Bush's bailout, only to oppose Barack Obama's.  We opposed both - ON PRINCIPLE!

Recently, a reporter asked Mr. Obama, "Are you a Socialist?" This article in the UK Telegraph states his answer: "He's absolutely definitely not a socialist, the President insisted. But, he suggested, his predecessor George W. Bush was:"  http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/toby_harnden/blog/2009/03/08/barack_obama_george_w_bush_is_a_socialist.  

Now, I don't believe George Bush is an ideological socialist. He is a Bush, however, and Bushes tend to be non-ideological.  George Bush is even somewhat conservative, but again, not ideological.  That is why he could not recognize the Henry Paulson bailout plan as ideologically socialist. That is why he could say, "Well, I obviously have made a decision to make sure the economy doesn't collapse. I've abandoned free market principles to save the free market system."  In effect, George Bush, in the last month of his presidency has served one up, right across the plate, belt high, for Barack Obama to "go yard" with it.  BHO is swinging for the fences as I write.

As the Obama presidency rolls along, and his Socialist, big-government agendas are revealed in ever greater fashion, Bob's my uncle has once again been proven to be more prescient than Newsweek Magazine.  I wrote a letter to my own Texas Republican Senators and Congressman shortly after the bailout vote was taken, approving that monstrosity.  I did not blog it at the time because it seemed surreal to me that I would even write a letter like this.  I am including it here:

October, 2008

Dear Komrade,
Since your recent vote to affirm the Socialist State in Amerika, I have been trying to determine how I should personally react to and handle the situation.  The government has taken ownership positions in many of the largest banks and financial institutions, thereby exercising some degree of control over them.  This will facilitate the central planning of the economy that has long been desired by the political far left.  At the same time, the largesse of the Federal Government has been bestowed upon the very rich on Wall Street, while, here I am in middle Amerika, with nothing more to show for it, than a diminished investment portfolio.  Now, komrade, I don't want you to misunderstand me.  I have long held to kapitalist principles, yet I am not a rich man.  I have always paid my taxes as required by law.  I have saved and invested as prescribed by kapitalist principles, and hoped to someday retire comfortably and enjoy my latter years until my death.  Now, that dream is in doubt.
Is it time, now, for me to subscribe to the socialist agenda?  Depending on where you draw the line, I am probably very close to the level of poverty which would allow me to receive money from the government for college tuition, food stamps, housing assistance, etc., yet, up to now, I have preferred to work and earn my own way.  Now, with the impending election of the Socialist Barack Obama, and with Sen. Reid in the Senate, and Pelosi in the House, I see an all-out Socialist future in Amerika.  It would not be hard for me to cut back on my work and salary enough to "qualify" for many of the government programs that are now available.  I could certainly use the break, because I've been working very hard for many years now, and if I play it right, I could possibly make out like . . . um . . . uh . .  a good Socialist.  If the economy takes the expected deep downturn following an Obama election, I may have no choice.

Your komrade,
(Bob's my uncle)

This letter actually prompted a phone call from the office of my Representative Pete Sessions.  His chief of staff called me directly and we spoke for about 20 minutes.  While I appreciated the attention from my Congressman's office, I did not appreciate the fact that he voted for giving away the taxpayer's money to Wall Street and the banks, all to no avail.  None of this has worked, nor will it work. John McCain now agrees with me, calling the stimulus bill "generational theft".  We are spending money that exists nowhere.

After my conversation with the chief of staff, I wrote a followup letter:

Dear Congressman Sessions,
I sent you an email, yesterday, decrying the Socialism that is now being foisted upon the government and the people.  As is my manner, I couched the communication in satire.  However, in my view, it was more poignant than satire, because it is my vision of the future under an Obama presidency with socialist Democrat control of the Congress.  
Here is the point I want to make about the bailout.  I don't understand the connections between $750 billion dollars in a bailout scheme for very rich individuals and companies, and I don't trust the President, Mr. Hanky Paulson, the Congress, or anyone who is involved in promoting it and implementing it.   I only realize that somehow, I'm on the hook for about $10,000, individually. (My share of approximately $1.5 trillion recently allocated for such bailouts.)  Meanwhile, the criminals have been identified, but their prosecution seems to be far off if ever.  In short, I'm screwed two ways.  The economy is in the toilet, and I'm helping to bail out some rich guys with tax money I haven't even earned yet.  The American People instinctively understood this a couple of weeks ago.  That is why Congress was flooded with calls, emails, and faxes to not do this thing.    IT IS A QUESTION OF TRUST!  There is none.   
I spoke with your chief of staff, Mr. Harrison, yesterday.  He was kind enough to call me back in response to my email.  I am afraid that I do not have the confidence that he expressed to me that everything will be alright.  Actually, he never said that, but he did try to put a bold, positive face on our present situation.  While I appreciate the call and the effort, in my opinion, we face a very bleak, perhaps violent, and depressing future.
I told Mr. Harrison, that I blog on Townhall.  If I can help in this way, please let me know.  Politics is about communication, so let us communicate.  You have my email address.
Here is the link to my blog if your are interested:

http://backyardgrillblog.blogtownhall.com/

Sincerely,
(Bob's my uncle)

Needless to say, I have not heard back from the good Congressman.

Announcement:

Bob's Nephew has a new grandson, born yesterday February 24.  A handsome young lad, weighing in at 7 lbs., 2 oz. and 20 inches long.
Mother, baby and the new dad are all doing fine, and as for myself, all of the buttons have popped off the vest.

Oh, by the way, this young man has already expressed his opposition to the Obama Stimulus Package.