Watch Lebanon

Interestingly enough, one of the indictments against George Bush is that he and Condoleezza Rice encouraged elections in Lebanon and Gaza. They look at the results and proclaim that elections are not for some societies. “Look what they did, they legitimatized Hezbollah and Hamas,” the claim goes. But I believe that time will tell and that history will show that the Bush vision for the region, that of democratizing country after country will be revered as one of the great accomplishments in our time. Facilitating change of any country from an oppressive regime to one where people chose their leaders stands up to any indictment.

Where one election turned out in favor of the better organized and better funded terrorist groups, there are always more elections to come. The unique thing about elections, if they are allowed to be freely done is that they provide a self-correcting mechanism for any society. Over time, the elected people tend to establish a balance in the middle somewhere between the radical extremes. Over-played agendas tend to be reversed. If one extreme catches a vacuum of credibility caused by the opposite extreme, they are able to rush in and seize more power than they normally would.

In Lebanon we may get to see the phenomenon. Hezbollah won based on people’s fears of a weak government. Lebanon’s popular President Rafik Hariri had just been assassinated, not only leaving a leadership vacuum on the Christian side, but leaving an angry population. Now, it appears that a stunning revelation is coming out of the UN inquiry into who killed Hariri. It might not have been the foreign nation, Syria. It might have been the opposition party itself, Hezbollah.

The UN has yet to announce the findings. A German newspaper has unofficially leaked the information. Truth was leaked in spite of a well organized blanket to cover it. The results could be catastrophic for Hezbollah not only in the upcoming elections, but militarily as well. Likewise, it could be another devastating blow to Iran’s ability to control the region. Hezbollah’s sponsor is also having an election. Perhaps the association will cause enough damage to the ruthless Shiites in Iran as well.

Should all that happen and elections do what they are intended to do, we will see the peaceful change of power against these radical Islamists – all courtesy of the Bush Doctrine. However, there is also a scenario many are concerned about. And that is the one where the Shiites of Hezbollah and Iran lose their elections and yet refuse to relinquish power, proving what many have suspected. That is the concern that they were only interested in democracy when it served their purposes. If that proves to be the case, they will go militant and the Middle East will erupt. Gone will be the canard that it is all about Israel. It is really all about ruthless power. It always was.

There are several great articles on this. If you only access the MSM you aren't getting it. Here is a good Michael Totten article.

Up to Jerusalem

Oh I know the press has so many things to cover that it just can’t do it all, right? And, the Pope is always going here and there and it is hard to just keep someone assigned to cover his whole itinerary. So it isn’t surprising that when you google Pope in Jerusalem you don’t bring up any stories from the main-stream media.

So, do you know he was in Jerusalem today? Yup, he went there and sat face to face with he head Muslim clerics in the City. Apparently, the chief judge there, the one in charge of enforcing sharia law really went off on the Pope about the evil Jews. AND POPE BENEDICT XVI GOT UP AND WALKED OUT ON HIM! Hey Judge! That was the Pope who got up and walked out on you!

I like Pope Benedict. I think he is looking for ways to make peace with Muslims. That doesn’t mean he is fooled by them. He has had a previous clash with them before. He accurately quoted from a 400 year old text and Muslims went berserk because they didn’t like what it said, even if one of their guys said it. He learned from that incident that in order to dialogue with them we need to first establish a peaceful rapport. That is what he was trying to do in Jerusalem. Good for the Pope. But when he got an earful of “we hate the Jews and so should you!” , he got up and walked out.

Now, President Obama, I hope you read my blog because I am giving you a big hint here. You are going to visit the same Middle East in a few weeks. This is a test. It is a test by God, himself. You are going to get the same blah, blah, blah from the same people. What are you going to do? Are you going to be a man, look them straight in the eye and tell them to pound sand? Or are you going to apologize for their harsh treatment and side with them on the idea that Israel must give them more land while they continue to pursue Israel’s extinction.?

The worst case scenario is if Obama somehow signs on as the Muslims’ benefactor and champion for their rights WHILE SIMULTANIOUSLY signing on as Israel’s protector and defender.

This is all happening in the next few weeks. Are you ready?

In the Process

I commented earlier about the phenomenon of the Tea Parties. A couple of things seemed amazing to me. 1) The tea parties were real protests with real grassroots people. No one belonged to some affiliation that brought then together. It was real and amateur. 2) The government and their press showed their shame by pretending to ignore the over 300 events that happened nation wide.

Only today did Barack Obama mention the Tea Party events. In a carefully crafted event, surrounded by “real people too” he criticized the protesters. Here it is.

I am not much of a Ghandi fan, but the man understood the mechanics and the process of peaceful protest. Regarding the process he said:

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win."

Does Obama understand he, his fans and his press represent the establishment that must make room for the new wave? They are the old school. Their ways are already tired, outmoded and headed for the trash heap. The process has started. Obama and the press ignored the Tea Parties. Now comes the ridicule. That will go on until they realize that with each attempt to ridicule them, the protests will grow. At that point the ridicule will turn to persecution. Gandhi knew that once they persecute you, unless you resort to violence yourself, you will win and they will lose.

It is all about Freedom

I just posted my thoughts on comparing the Tea Party demonstrations occurring across the country with leftist demonstrations. I remember back in the 70’s when I was attending college. Earth day in 1970 was the kick-off for many demonstrations on campuses across the country. I was there. My roommate was arrested along with about a dozen guys in my house. We didn’t have the media on our side. We didn’t have George Soros organizations on our side. We didn’t have the President on our side. We have come full circle. Here we are again. Lefists – Democrats, you are the establishment. You are the culture and we are counter-culture. You are the mainstream and we are the radicals. You believe that the government can do no wrong and we disagree.

April 15 is like that day in 1970. The President has a problem. Watch for protests to get larger and larger. Watch for the President having to make careful choices of where he shows up in public because there will be demonstrators there – always there.

Bookworm Room is one of my favorite bloggers. She is a young attorney and a young mother with excellent writing skills. She is an anomaly in the law profession these days because most attorneys have sold out to the leftist agenda. She has the courage to evaluate and believe in the important things in her life. Read her blog regarding the Tea Party demonstrations and how Leftists could be trying to steal their thunder.

It is all about Freedom.

Tea Parties Are Not a Joke

I have been watching to see how the Tea Party demonstrations were going to come off. You have to understand the context. It is not insignificant. The last time people took to the streets to protest the government in cities across the nation about anything was the Viet Nam war.

Oh liberals will tell you that there are plenty of demonstrations going all the time, environmental protests, gay rights events, etc. But those are carefully organized leftist charades made to look like the genuine article. The Tea Party demonstrations are the real thing. The passion is spontaneous. Ordinary people, not counter-culture people are painting signs, driving great distances and protesting the current Administration of our country.

Leftist organizers have to admire this. As a matter of fact, they tried to steal some of its thunder. Below is a photo of an organized effort by leftists against who they believe are the real culprits of the financial crisis: the evil banks.

Pathetic. Thirteen people in St Louis. They chose a middle-class town in the center of the country. Sounds like the best place for a photo op to steal a little thunder from the Tea Party demonstrations. One person remarked that there were so few people show up they couldn’t have even had a softball game.

Now below is a photo of a spontaneous demonstration, typical of what are hundreds, maybe even over 1000 demonstrations across the county around the week of April 15. But this one is in the land of the leftists, Pittsburg. More unemployed people, more Union people, more Democrats per capita than just about anywhere. You would think that there would be horrible attendance there and perhaps even efforts to discourage the demonstration.

This is something that even Barney Frank can’t shout down. I hope the Democrats are noticing. I bet if you took a poll, you would learn that the people who are attending these Tea Parties have never demonstrated about anything in their entire lives. It is happening across the country. It is happening on the Democrats’ watch. And it is all about protesting their actions. If you are a Democrat and you think you can rationalize that they are there to protest what Bush did also, then just show up and listen. If you would like to offer the lame Obama comment that this problem was there when he took office and he is just trying to fix it, then show up and listen to what the protestors are saying. They are not buying it. That is why they are out there. Democrats – this protest is for you!

Instapundit had the photos

I am Convinced: President Obama Needs Prayer

So, after 4 months of our new President - how is he doing?

I saw a celebrity on Mike Huckabee's show a couple of weeks back; Tony Danza. Huckabee asked Danza an open ended question regarding how he felt about the new administration. Danza's response was something like, "We are just so fortunate that he decided to be our President." Another celebrity started his time in front of a camera with the platitude, "Isn't it just great that we have an intelligent, knowledgeable, wonderful man in the White House now?

So, there are some who are extremely pleased with what they see so far.

Then there are others who are just as profoundly disappointed in his out of the gate performance. You can just shred off this criticism by saying it is negative emotion of the losers, but frankly the reality is that those who are disappointed tend to quote facts and figures. The reason I am asking the question now as opposed to a month ago is that I believe the old mantra "Obama just inherited the problem" is now over. Oh, sure Democrats and their most loyal media people are going to beat that drum incessantly. But the truth is that he is rapidly having to focus on repairing his own mistakes now. A recent article elaborating on that was titled something like, "52 days in office and 52 mistakes; 1408 to go . . . " I hope not. For all of our sakes, I hope not.

My Pastor, shortly after the inauguration sensed that he heard God say that Obama would have what he called a “stealth anointing”. God would move upon Obama in a way not unlike how He moved on Saul who became Paul. It is the best way I know to pray for our President. And if the lack of success is any indicator, he is getting closer to the point where he will be open to this huge transformation. At that point, he will really need our prayers, because like Paul, his allies will become his enemies and we Christians will need to surround him and protect him.

No Warmth for the Global Warmers

This is getting old. And it is stupid. It is stupid that over and over the same type of thing happens. Global Warmers trying to promote or prove global warming get frozen or blown off their location. Will they ever learn? Read about it here.

The latest challenge occurred as “scientists” ventured to the North Pole to measure the polar ice. Now that is good because apparently they have been verifying the ice thickness with fly-overs. Actual core sampling is more accurate.

Well, things didn’t go well. Here is a quote from the leader:

“We’re hungry, the cold is relentless, our sleeping bags are full of ice,” expedition leader Pen Hadow said in a statement e-mailed yesterday by his team. “Waiting is almost the worst part of an expedition as we’re in the lap of the weather gods.”
The severe weather is jeopardizing a journey aimed at projecting when global warming may melt the entire Arctic Ocean cap, a phenomenon that scientists say might trigger further gains in temperature.

Darn, how can you prove global warming at the North Pole when record cold and ice keep you from your task?

It’s the Gore Effect again!

Can You Handle More Truth?

Two years ago, I posted a link to a 47 minute long video clip on this blog and asked that you take the time to view it. I called the post "Can you handle the Truth?" I knew that many people would not have time to view it. But I wanted it to be on the Truth Seeker blog because Evan Sayet stated a truth that very effectively cuts through issues called “How Liberals Think.”

I know some watched it and in one case it caused an intense family argument. Mr. Sayet, who was once a liberal was sharing profound truth about what liberals believe and why.

Two years later he was given another opportunity to talk at the Heritage Foundation. This time his talk is an hour long. So here is what I am asking. Turn on your TV. Turn to one of those detective shows you watch week after week and figure out that it is a rerun. Instead of wasting that hour, put some headphones on and listen to Evan Sayet. He is entertaining, articulate and he makes you think about things you should think about.

Who AreThey? Why Shouldn't We Know?

There has been a realization recently of a nefarious group called Journolist. Journolist is an invitation-only website where liberal issues are brought up, discussed, and shaped. From them, liberal policies and approaches to news stories and information filters are formulated. Apparently membership to Journolist consists mainly of Democrat political strategists along with journalists, from television, newspapers and the blogosphere. Have you ever wondered why the Democrats have been so consistent in covering only certain talking points on issues and avoiding other important issues over the last couple of years? Given the randomness of perspective that has always endured in the press, it has been a mystery why lately this untalked about lock step of thought and reason has manifested so pervasively. Now we know why. Part of the entry agreement into Journolist is the pledge to never discuss its existence to outsiders. The realization of this group is now coming to light. It would be very healthy for America if the membership of this exclusive club was known by all Americans.

Think about it. The advantages of a journalist being a member of Journolist are enormous. You get the inside scoop for your stories. The more you regurgitate the party line, the more you get to contribute to the give and take of the formulation of positions. In this day and age when major news media establishments are headed for bankruptcy, this is probably the most secure lifeline a journalist could ever have. Where old-school news people had to get out and dig to get on the inside for stories, the inside is automatically opened for you. And there is the oh so enticing seduction of insider power that comes with this package.

There is no equivalent group on the right. For many reasons that I hope to cover later, it just isn't in our DNA. Our form of the Journolist is talk radio; hardly exclusive, hardly private, exposed for all the world to hear and partake in.

Now, a group like the Journolist group is not illegal. This is America, after all. But what I would like to know is that when I see an ABC or CBS or NBC talking head delivering news stories, I want to know if he or she is a member. When I read a political story generated by a reporter from the New York Times, it is important to me to know if the author of the story belongs to Journolist. Further, it would be very important if we knew whether or not the source of the story that the author was relying on for information is a member of Journolist. That will obviously help us understand the believability of their perspective on the issues better when we read it.

If the disclosure became mandatory, then perhaps maybe some day, membership in Journolist and other secret political/media webs would rightfully become a blemish to a reporter rather than a secret asset. And journalism, as a profession would be healed of its tarnished image

Understanding an Obama Economy

People have been dumbfounded recently about President Obama's lack of understanding when it comes to the economy, Is it that he doesn't understand? Perhaps he just understands a different version. This story will help to explain.

=====================================================================

Mrs. Obama noticed that the White House fence was in need of repair and over breakfast she told her husband it needed to be fixed. Believing this was an opportunity to put people back to work, he instructed a White House official to get 3 bids from contractors from across the country. The Official then contacted contractors from Tennessee, Chicago, and Minnesota. They all showed up 3 days later to bid the job.

The Minnesota Contractor takes out a tape measure and does some measuring, then works some figures with his laptop. "Well, he says, I figure the job will run $900. That would be $400 for materials, $400 for my crew and $100 profit for me.

The Tennessee contractor also does some measuring and figuring. He sharpens his pencil and makes a few phone calls. Then he says, "I can do this job for $700: $300 for materials, $300 for my crew and $100 profit for me.

The Chicago contractor doesn't even measure or figure, but leans over to the White House official and whispers, $2,700.

Incredulous, the White House official says, "You didn't even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?

The Chicago contractor whispers back, "$1,000 for me, $1,000 for you, and we hire the guy from Tennessee to fix the fence."

"Done" replies the government official.

Now you know why the Stimulus Plan will cost so much and what Obama means by trickle-up economics.

(borrowed and adapted from Melisa Clouthier's blog)

Democrats versus Reality

Yesterday, I glanced at a news item on TV and it was showing the inclement weather in the eastern part of the U.S. It’s March and the whole East Coast was getting a real blizzard. As I watched it I thought to myself . . . somewhere in that snow storm there is a global warming conference going on. Today, I found out I was right. There was a major global warming demonstration scheduled in Washington DC. How did I know? For the past six months all global warming conferences have been subjected to the Gore Effect. What is the Gore Effect? It doesn’t seem to matter where or when, but if you plan a Global Warming conference or symposium, or rally, or whatever, then count on it; a winter blizzard will accompany it. I think God wants the “true believers” in global warming to have to trudge through lots of snow to attend these conferences. Here is an account from usually politically correct Time:

But then came the snow. As 2,000-plus young activists — according to the organizers — gathered in the Spirit of Justice Park near the Capitol, bystanders were greeted with the surreal sight of a global-warming protest occurring in the middle of a freak March snowstorm. They chanted slogans like "Who is hot in here / There's too much carbon in the air" while huddling against the windchill. The greatest risk to the protesters wasn't aggressive cops — the D.C. police, just as chilled as the activists, had little interest in confrontation — but frostbite from the hours of marching and standing in the cold. "It's icy out there, so be careful," organizer Joshua Kahn Russell told the crowd before the march began.

The Gore Effect. It has happened so much over the past 6 months that it is now predictable.

Now, that is funny, but this is not so funny. I am sure it is going to be known as the Obama Effect. I noticed that it became predictable last week when President Obama spoke on our dire situation and the stock market reacted with a several hundred point drop. Then Ben Bernanke, the Treasury Secretary spoke the following morning. He gave facts and he gave figures. He gave as good of information as he could and he gave his observation of when our markets would heal. The markets rallied that day. Up over 300 points. That evening Obama, encouraged by the rally that day, did a preliminary State of the Union speech in front of Congress. The results were another several hundred point crash. Since then, every time he talks, the market crashes. It is not uncommon for people on blogs to now be pleading with him to just button his lip. The Dow is now well below 7000.

In an attempt to turn around the Obama Effect today, President Obama, using all of his intelligence on the subject told us that we should be buying stock. I am not sure who he thinks has investment money left to start buying. But the coup de grace came when he got all investment technical and said.

“What you’re now seeing is a profit and earnings ratios get to the point that buying stocks is a good thing if you have a long-term perspective on it,”

Well thanks, Barry but it isn’t the “profit and earnings ratio” it is the Price and Earnings Ratio. A ratio of profit and earnings? That would be meaningless. Note to those of you who voted for this guy: When it comes to the real world of economics, your guy is clueless. And our economy is tanking every time he tells us what he plans to do about it.

The best thing for us would be for Obama and Gore to go to Camp David and convince each other how smart they are – in private – for an extended period of time. No cameras, no microphones, just stay up there. They have their own reality and they are welcome to it. We would be fine without them.

Two Hospitals - Two Visitors

Just thought I would let you know about the experience of two hospitals recently. One is in a brand new hospital in Derby, England. The other is in a hospital in North Carolina. Each reports of several hospital personnel seeing spiritual visitors. But that is where the similarity ends.

Here is a link. Sources at the hospital in Derby report this:

"I don't want to scare anyone any more than necessary, but felt it was best I made you all aware of the situation and what we are doing about it.
"I've spoken to the Trust's chaplain and she is going to arrange for someone from the cathedral to exorcise the department."
One source told The Sun: "There have been dozens of sightings over recent weeks and people are scared witless.
"Several have seen a male figure cloaked from head to toe in black darting between rooms and through walls - especially in departments near the morgue.
"It's affected morale so much that bosses decided they had to act."

Oooooh man! That is worse than worrying about catching a staff infection. That’s a brand new hospital, too. Talk about ruining the grand opening!


But then there is the hospital in North Carolina. This is a Christmas day story. There are several You Tube stories on it. This is the most complete.



Let the video encourage you. The little girl was pulled off of life support. The death angel was probably lurking that hallway as well. But its purpose was trumped by the this being that was so bright that the light reflected off the floor.

Now is this something new? I think the new thing is the Internet. We are able to share and learn of these things instantaneously. I think these phenomena have always been with us. Don't you?

Time to Realize What Just Happened

Well now I am impressed. They did it. President Obama signs it today. He flies Air Force 1 into Denver and with as much fanfare as they can create, President Obama ratifies the largest tax increase that citizens of this planet have ever seen. With it, we in America have come full circle.

Remember your history? Remember, prior to this nation being founded a small incident in Boston Harbor? It was quite frankly insignificant. But it stood for a principle that turned out to be the start of a whole new standard that changed the world. Men stormed on board an English freighter, grabbed the shipment of English tea and threw it into the harbor. The famous cry of “No taxation without representation!” resounded and was forever remembered.

Think about what happened with the Stimulus Bill. “Stimulus?” It was the largest taking of citizen’s income in the history of the planet. It diverts more of our future income, directing it to the U.S. Treasury for its purposes. I remember, prior to the election that so many people were concerned that Obama was in favor of that socialist belief of redistribution of wealth. “That’s ridiculous!” was the reply. This spending package is the greatest redistribution of wealth that has ever happened in the earth’s entire history. And it was done by a Congress and Senate voting on a document that they did not even read. No taxation without representation! The Democratic leadership had no interest in anyone being able to read ahead of time what they were voting on. Our representatives did not have an opportunity to represent us. The casting of their votes was meaningless.

I believe that arrogance of power is the only reason a leader would do what Obama and King George did. Why did they impose their absolute power over their people? Because they could. I believe it fooled King George into thinking that his actions would have no consequences; that the people he was imposing his will on were powerless to stand up for themselves. They did stand up for themselves. Let us hope that this generation still has some of the principles and courage that our ancestors had.

A Marriage in Trouble

I have heard of some marriages like this. The courting was great. The romance was great. The wedding plans were great. The wedding was spectacular. Wedding album showed all the right photos.The plans they made for their marriage are wonderful. Now that they have come home from the honeymoon things just don't seem right. Then over the next few weeks, you get clues that things are not right. In your head you start hearing "Doo doo doo doo" (twilight zone music).

I'm getting the same clues regarding the Obama Presidency. On the surface this thing looks ideal. Great inaugural photos. Supporters are in denial. But the signals lately are not good. Obama's brain trust fails to answer the call because they don't pass the simple test of paying taxes. (Don't even go there about the "high bar". Paying your taxes is the lowest step these people couldn't get over.) Obama farms out the authorship of the Stimulus Package bill to big spending liberal Nancy Pelosi and it comes in looking like a San Francisco shopping spree. He then sends Geithner, his money guru to Capital Hill and the poor guy literally gets laughed out of the room.

In Whist or Bridge if the person in the lead has an Ace -10 and he suspects his partner has the King then he leads his 10 first. The opposition puts his Jack on the 10 and it looks good for him until the partner hits it with his King. With the King comes the inevitable taunt "You sent a boy to do a man's job!" It's beginning to look like that in Washington.

Democrats can respond that they were successful in getting the Stimulus Bill passed and things are going their way. But when you look harder, the reality of America isn't just summed up in the 61-37 vote in the Senate. America also consists of its people, and polls of people show a different percentage mix. And just as importantly, America consists of its GNP - of the collective businesses and production capacity. That isn't measured in polls, unless you call the stock market a poll. And it just gave a huge thumbs down. Doo-doo-doo-doo . . . .

Obama had to go back into campaign mode to try to muster up poll support for the stimulus package. He gave the microphone to a woman who pleaded for a kitchen and a bathroom. He gave it to a McDonald's employee who wanted better benefits. It apparently worked well enough to get the Senators to approve the Bill. But I predict that this form of extreme (and extremely dishonest) media manipulation will become ineffective if he tries it again. I think he just spent a very big portion of his political capital on this. Three weeks into his term of office. Things are not like we were lead to believe. They can posture and grandstand all they want. This marriage is in trouble.

Understanding Matthew and the TARP Funds

Wow - read the comments from my last few posts!

The Bible gives a great parable in Matthew 25:14-30. Jesus told this parable right after his triumphal entry. Given some assets of different sizes, three people were told to put it to work. It tells of two who invested and got returns and the third one who simply hid his money for fear of losing it. When the Master returned he took the money from the one who could do nothing with it and gave it to the one who knew how to use it.

Congress passed the TARP Fund Bill in record time. The original premise was that the bank regulators would buy bad loans (assets) from hemorrhaging banks to get them off the banks' books. But very soon into this plan the Regulators (FDIC) had to admit that they were not prepared to take on these assets. You see, we are not talking about notes and mortgages here, we are talking about houses and their owners, buildings, land, and stores, etc. Real physical properties that all needed real hands-on property management, people management teams. The FDIC consists of accountant types in expensive suits. What to do?

Perhaps FDIC should come up with a remedy like the Master did in the parable. Perhaps the FDIC should simply give the TARP money to the working banks and tell them to go buy out the unhealthy ones with all their bad loans. After all, we know how to manage the physical assets that their bad loans represent. My Bank did get TARP money. Please understand why we got it and take a big hint from me as to what we are to do with it. (I cannot discuss this beyond what I have said here).

PS

I like to gripe about the frustration of the times and I will likely continue to do so. It helps to give you an inside look at what I see. Anonymous knows me and so does OrangRecneps. We still have a picture of his 3 wonderful children on our refrigerator. Perhaps Kevin understands best. He once informed a commenter that posting an opposing argument to me was like peeling a banana for a gorilla.

It's all good and I love the interaction.

Let's Talk About Greed Some More

My last few posts have generated some replies that have shown the volatility of the issues at hand. I titled my last post "Greed". I was incensed that a preacher told his congregation that we were in this situation because of banker greed. I guess some agreed with that. My unstated point was that we bankers have been easy targets for that disingenuous remark.

My point in previous posts has been that we do not need government to fix these problems, especially by such heavy-handed interference.

Who comes to my rescue but Milton Friedman in a great 1979 Phil Donahue interview. The name of the video is "Greed"



Friedman's last questions for Donahue are the question for Obama supporters. I believe dim-wit Donahue even understood for a moment.

Greed

The other night on TV I saw a preacher giving a highly emotional sermon about the financial troubles of today. If I heard it correctly, he said he asked God about the reasons for the financial crisis and then was reminded that greedy bankers had taken advantage of poor people by making them home loans. They had no ability to pay them back, causing the disaster. I of course had heard that version many times but I had not heard anyone claim that he got that information from God. At the same time that I asked God if he really told the man that, the camera panned the congregation and I saw that it was obviously a group that was hearing exactly what they wanted to hear. They were all nodding their approval as he shouted out his revelation.

I have been immersed in this specific issue for my entire career. Much of my younger career was spent defending my profession against the charge that these greedy bankers simply would not lend money to poor people who needed houses. I never understood that charge because lending is all about income and credit, not about politics and race.

But now we are being blamed for just the opposite and yes, our motivation is that we are still greedy.

Now I am not going to defend all banks and all their decisions on how they lent. But I am a firm believer in things coming full circle when it comes to real estate lending. Real estate is technically a commodity. It is what they call a "hard asset". When you lend to a business, you are lending based on many intangibles (the business's reputation, its management philosophy, its brand recognition, etc). But hard assets are always about simply supply and demand. Politics can mess with supply and demand for a while, but the value of hard assets tends to self-correct over time. It is now in the self-correcting mode.

What happened between the time that greedy bankers shamefully refused to lend to poor people and the time when greedy bankers shamefully lent to poor people? A lot of politics happened. Gaining votes happened. Votes used to be worth a chiken in every pot. Then the value went up to a car in every driveway. Finally it became the driveway, itself.

How that equates to banker greed, I have no idea.

No Stimulus!!!

Thursday night, President Obama reminded Democrats in Congress in a speech that he won the election and that fact gives him a mandate to solve our financial crisis. He urged Congress to listen to him rather than listen to his constituency and pass the Stimulus Package.

Friday, it appears that three liberal Republicans caved based on a few adjustments in the bill and promised to vote for the bill giving the Democrats enough votes. However, I do not think this is over. According to Senators they are being besieged by calls, emails, and petitions against the stimulus.

I know that the best cure for our current situation is simply to allow our businesses the time to climb out, themselves. I also know that the Democrats cannot ignore the opportunity to bring European type socialism to the United States. I believe we need to resist this at all costs.

What to do:

At the very least, go to this website and sign the petition. There is even a place to add your comment if you wish. NO STIMULUS !!!

What a Honeymoon

There is just too much coming at us too fast. Here is the Administration that was supposed to bring real intelligence, skill, and ethics in to run the country. Like the smartest Captain ever, with great fanfare, Obama finally got to sit at the controls and expertly pilot our ship into the air. But with this take off, it looks more like another plane headed for the Hudson River.

Remember just prior to the election Joe Biden wagging his finger while making the absurd announcement that paying more taxes was more patriotic than paying less taxes? Well, the new Administration and its fawning press want you to forget that one.

Remember Obama saying he would not hire lobbyists into his administration? Uh - forget that, too.

When asked in a private moment by Chris Wallace what his biggest realization about Presidency was, Obama replied that at this level, all decisions are big ones. Ksnorghph! (sorry, I just snorted coffee up my nose). Oh really? Ya think?

Here is a run-down of some issue that were recognizable prior to the election and are now rearing their ugly heads.

1. In his short career in the Illinois State Legislature and the U.S. Senate Obama's favorite decision was to refrain from voting. He would vote "present" when roll call votes took place. It was an obvious cop-out strategy. That way he actually kept himself from having to defend a stand or position. Not the best training for his current job.

2. During his campaign Obama simply surrounded himself with people who would not provide cogent opposing arguments to his positions. Well . . . POOF!! That umbrella of protection is gone! It's the real world now. Over the last eight years, many Democrat positions were merely based on being anti-President. Many of their arguments were petty and political. The only reason they had traction was because the media loved to publish anything that was anti-President. Now Obama has to come up with real solutions, not just anti-Bush rhetoric. He admits, that is really hard to do.

3. Part of Obama's big sell was the promise that he would create a team measured by a "high ethical bar". Does anyone remember that Blago ran a campaign that promised a "high bar" based on the fact that the previous Illinois Governor was being prosecuted for corruption? Let's face reality here. Democrats, especially Chicago Democrats have rendered the "high bar" rhetoric meaningless. So far, all we have seen is shameless liars and tax cheats who seem oblivious to what the term means.

4. Obama's idea of International Relations with hostile countries is based on his collaborative nature. He wants to use the force of his personality to have a chance to present reasonable common ground. I work for a pretty large company with over a thousand employees. In a situation like this, a collaborative way of operating is good. But as Dick Cheney warned just today, there are people (leaders of very dangerous countries) who have no interest being collaborative with us. They oppose us with every breath they take. One of the horrors of WWII was the Kamikaze pilots; people who would do the unthinkable just to destroy as many of us as they could. We are now faced with regimes that use that tactic as their standard offensive weapon. They believe that blowing themselves up in the middle of a grade school classroom full of our children would be an ideal fulfillment of their life. Obama needs to get it through his thick skull that they view his collaborative overtures as stupidly naive. They chortle at the recognition of reality that our new leader is clueless about their intent and purpose.

5. His lack of respect for our military is just catastrophic. Obama is the first President since the tradition started to shun a banquet on Inauguration night honoring our Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. Not only that, but during his campaign, Obama shunned our wounded soldiers when he could have visited them in Germany, choosing to get a good workout instead. One of the things that Obama and his supporters couldn't comprehend is the fact that under Bush, many military personnel would simply re-up at the end of their tour of duty. To the Lefts way of thinking, we should have run out of military personnel at the middle of the campaign because no one in their right mind would waste their time, much less risk their lives fighting for democracy in the Middle East. But not only did we not run out of military personnel, they got better and better because the experience level became very high under the Bush Presidency. That is about to change. Look for a real crisis to happen now regarding maintaining numbers. The military is now Obama's military. It's an all volunteer military. Obama can switch things around and make sure that the Generals who think like him take over. But with no one to lead, they will be in big trouble. . . BIG . . . TROUBLE !!

6. Lastly, the bail-out fiasco. I believe this has the makings of a disaster for all Democrats in Washington. The huge Bail-out Bill has so many pages of pet Democratic projects that it will become the document that supplies everything needed by their opponents in the upcoming elections. Every Democratic Congressman and 1/3 of the Democratic Senators are very vulnerable here. Republicans have two years to find objectionable spending sprees that have been hidden in this bill. If Obama can convince the people that the Republicans are obstructionist and get the bill passed, it will become an albatross around Obama's neck.

7. OK - this is lastly. I have detected a theme from Obama. He wants Republicans and the conservative media to give him a chance. His message to them all is for all to be fair. The stakes are too high. Go easy on him. Go easy on his Administration. You mean like he did on Bush? The stakes were just as high. Did you detect a desire from the Democrats or their press to give Bush a chance? They were fully intent on taking him down. They opposed him every way they could, putting party politics ahead American soldiers lives and our Country's success. Now they want fair play?

8. Here is the last: This one is a longer term mistake, but it is real, nonetheless. Global Warming. Obama was quick to establish that his Administration is made up of true believers. It's a loser. He will have to eat his words on that, too. He had a real chance here to just say, "lets take one more look at the science." But no! He just trots along with the other lemmings on this one. That will prove to be a humongous mistake. The science supporting man-made Global Warming has been refuted. The issue of Global Warming ranks dead last among all issues by the public. The remedies for Global Warming are needless and expensive.

This is Barrack Obama's honeymoon. It will not get any better than this for him.

Heart Felt

Recently, my friend Strider included a very poignant video in his blog. It is one that fulfills all the criteria as a great video worth viewing. It has good music, a touch of humor and some deep thoughtfulness. It provoked me to jealously. Here is Strider’s video. Enjoy.

I think I can do that, too. I think I have found a video that captures all the high marks of a great 4 minute experience. Poignancy, thoughtfulness, etc. So here is my entry. This was sent to me by my great friend, Pastor Looney in Portland.