GOP’s “Pledge To America” Falls Short … VERY Short!

GOP’s “Pledge To America” Falls Short … VERY Short!
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet

The Republican Party made a spectacular mistake in publishing their “A Pledge to America.” In an attempt to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory they have raised questions about their own party’s commitment to issues their base is most concerned with and about which they would like answers.

For instance, the pledge says nothing about a fence along the US/Mexico border. It is ambiguous about worksite enforcement of immigration laws and, most important of all, it does not mention amnesty for illegal aliens. WHY???

The 2008 Republican Platform committed the Republican Party to completing a border fence, enforcing immigration laws at the worksite, and opposing an amnesty. But “The Pledge” is ominously quiet on these extremely important issues. Again … WHY?

“The Pledge” says this: “Our borders are a vital part of our security, so we will act decisively to ensure that the federal government fulfills its constitutional duty to protect our citizens and our Nation, working closely with our state and local governments …” This is far too broad a statement to satisfy the GOP base -- not to mention the host of Independents and Tea Party members looking to cast a GOP ballot in November.

Nowhere in The Pledge is the word “FENCE” mentioned. The Pledge only says: “We must take action to secure our borders, and that action starts with enforcing our laws. We will ensure that the Border Patrol has the tools and authorities to establish operational control at the border and prohibit the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture from interfering with Border Patrol enforcement activities on federal lands.”

The Pledge says nothing about putting the quietus on the Federal Lawsuit against the state of Arizona for passing a state law that would, in fact, assist the federal government in enforcing immigration laws -- at least along that part of the border that bisects Mexico and Arizona. Why do you suppose that was left out, huh?

What about those employers who hire vast numbers of illegal aliens? Reports tell us the government already has a list of the worst of these offenders. What will a GOP controlled government do about them? Why doesn’t The Pledge address this?

In 2008, the Republican Party Platform had this to say about worksite enforcement: “Our commitment to the rule of law means smarter enforcement at the workplace, against illegal workers and lawbreaking employers alike, along with those who practice identity theft and traffic in fraudulent documents.” As broad a statement as THIS is better focused than The Pledge.

And what about amnesty for illegal aliens already in the US? The GOP platform of 2008 said this: “"We oppose amnesty. The rule of law suffers if government policies encourage or reward illegal activity. The American people’s rejection of en masse legalizations is especially appropriate given the federal government’s past failures to enforce the law.” The Pledge to America does not mention the party’s position on amnesty for illegal aliens now living in the US. Again, we have to ask WHY?

This omission is worrisome, very worrisome. I have to wonder what, exactly, is the position of the Republican Party on amnesty for illegal aliens, on constructing a formidable fence along the border between the US and Mexico, plus what, exactly, the GOP plans to do to bring the full force of the law down on those employers who continue to hire illegals they know, or should have known were/are illegally in the US.

All indications are that the US electorate is readying itself to place its trust in the GOP and hand them control of the legislative branch of the government in a little over a month. I don’t think it is asking too much to inquire of the GOP what the party’s position is on amnesty for illegal aliens, on securing the border with a physical fence, and enforcement of immigration laws with employers. We want to know and we want to know NOW before we cast a vote for another government with which we will be constantly at odds over illegal immigration.

Look, the American people feel the Democrats, and especially the Obama Regime, have snookered them. They are looking for a change… a change “BACK” if you will, to a responsive constitutional republic in which they can have, at least, a reasonable amount of trust and confidence. With The Pledge to America, the Republicans have given them reason to be distrustful not for what The Pledge says – but for what it does NOT say.

The GOP did itself no favor by publishing The Pledge to America. It was a dumb move on their part and it will cost them at the polls.

Now is not the time for overconfidence. No election is over until the last vote is counted. Even then, there are times when a recount is required to determine a winner.

Never, ever, present the enemy a target unless there is a well thought-out plan to use that target to entrap said enemy. With The Pledge to America, I see only a target with nothing very well thought out – at all.

J. D. Longstreet

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J. D. Longstreet blogs daily at INSIGHT on Freedom

http://www.csadispatch.blogspot.com/

It Is A Fearful Thing To Fall Into The Hands Of The Living God

It Is A Fearful Thing To Fall Into The Hands Of The Living God.
A commentary by J. D. Longstreet

Allow me to say, right up front, that Mr. Glenn Beck does not need me to defend him.

I don’t know, for sure, what motivates Mr. Beck. I’d like to think it is love of God and country. But I don’t KNOW that.

Those of you who regularly read my blog, “INSIGHT on Freedom,” already know that I am about as “southern” as it is possible to be. My ancestors sailed into Charles Town Harbor, at what is known today as Charleston, South Carolina, in 1789 and were settled in the 98th Precinct of South Carolina. I grew up in the red clay and sand of the northern part of the state, in the piedmont, the foothills of that beautiful state.

I grew up at a time when a southern gentleman had a bible in one hand and a firearm in the other. We could pray or fight, at the drop of a hat, whatever the preference of our advisory might be.

I spent my youth reading, hunting, and getting an education. It was important that a southern man be well read, able to defend himself and his family, and have as much education as he was able to handle. (Yes, I DO believe there are those among us who are educated beyond their ability!) Not satisfied with the education I was receiving in school, I read an entire set of encyclopedias, front to back, just to broaden my knowledge, and insure that I knew a little bit about a lot of things. I cannot tell you how important that became in the field of endeavor I chose later in life.

I was taken to many “tent meetings” as a child. I observed and studied those “traveling preachers.” I listened to their delivery, their gestures, their play on emotions, and, on occasion, their sincerity. A wise person once said that when you can fake sincerity you’ve got it made – or words to that effect. I am satisfied that in those tent meetings, I saw both, real and unreal sincerity. BOTH made and impact on me.

I have seen the effect an old fashioned revival can have on a community. I have seen lives changed, for the better, in a moment of introspection keyed by something that raspy-voiced old bible thumping preacher said, or a single line of scripture that burned with the intensity of a laser deep into the heart and soul of a person weighed down by the cares and woes of a life squandered.

I have seen, first-hand, those “redeemed” people pick up the pieces of their shattered lives and begin to rebuild it, restore it, and honor it. I have seen this – and it left a life long impression on this scribe.

So – what did I learn? I learned an extremely important truth. It does not matter who the messenger is, what matters is – the message. The power is not in the messenger. The power is in the message. And if that message is truth, then, them believe me when I tell you, freedom is close behind.

Our nation is in dire straits. In my seventy years of life, I have seen America go from a God-fearing nation to a “fearing” nation. Of all those hell fire and brimstone preachers I was exposed to as a child, not a single one of them wore a bulletproof vest, as I believe Mr. Beck did last Saturday. (A faint outline of the vest was visible through Mr. Beck’s shirt. At least, that is what I took it to be.) That, alone, speaks volumes about the state of our country.

Another thing I learned as a youth was this truth: God uses people who are broken, who have failed, who have buckled under the stress of their lives, who are physically imperfect, and who are reluctant to stand out from the crowd, even for a moment, even to work great wonders.

Yes, Moses had a speech impediment. He was reluctant to go back to Egypt where he was a wanted man – wanted for murder. He asked that his brother Aaron be sent instead of him. In the end, he went -- and the rest, as they say, is history (at least bible history, anyway.) In the New Testament book of Hebrews chapter 13, verse 31, the writer says the following: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Consider that Mr. Beck may have fallen into the hands of the living God. Look at the life history of the Apostle Paul. Early in his life he took on the task of destroying the early Christian church. After his experience on the Damascus Road, he became the messenger of the gospel to all the Gentiles of the world including those of us who live today, 2000 years later.

I watched the entire telecast of the Restoring Honor Rally, last Saturday, and within ten minutes I exclaimed to my wife that I recognized it as an old-fashioned outdoor revival meeting. Because that is exactly what it was. And, I hasten to add – I don’t see that as a problem.

In the Old South, dishonoring a man could cost you your life. The man whose honor was questioned could demand satisfaction and, more often than not, the debate was settled by a duel to the death on the Field of Honor.

Honor was, and ought to be, a precious thing. The honor of a nation is a mirror image of the honor of that nation’s people. Our very own leaders have called our honor, as Americans, into question. The people are now demanding satisfaction. As was said at the Restoring Honor Rally, Now is not the time to fundamentally change America, now is the time to RESTORE America.

Look, I do not walk in lock step with Mr. Beck, or with any man or woman. Anyone who knows me personally will tell you that of all the birds perched on the power line facing north; I am the lone bird facing south. It is my nature.

I would ask only this: Consider the message from Saturday’s rally. Restoring America’s honor is restoring America. The restoration of America is vital, not just to Americans but to the nations of the world. Consider which nation will slip into the leadership position that America gives up. THAT is truly frightening.

The restoring Honor Rally, last weekend, sent chills of fear through the ranks of the leftists, progressives, liberals, and the very few real democrats left in our government. They have now seen the evidence of just how far they have distanced themselves from the American people. When half a million people journey to the nation’s seat of government to PERSONALLY register a protest, any reasonable person would have to take notice and reconsider the course they have plotted for America. But they won’t.

I submit that half a million gathered on the national mall Saturday was just the vanguard of a nationwide movement retake America from those who are determined to “fundamentally change” her from the constitutional republic The Founders meant her to be into a socialist sewer.

They must be stopped. The Mid-Term Election, on November 2nd. That is our new “D” day.

You may not care for the messenger – but, for the sake of America, for your sake, heed of the message.

J. D. Longstreet

In Obama's Fascist America

In Obama's Fascist America
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
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Is Obama a fascist?

Ok -- so what is a fascist? According to The Urban Dictionary a fascist is "someone who believes in a totalitarian state rule by a supreme leader (dictator) who controls everything possible and treats people harshly -- to gain the leader's own success...." (SOURCE)

Sound familiar? In a piece by John Griffing, published at American Thinker, Mr. Griffing says the following: "At its core, fascism is really just a system where government, through agreements with the private sector, controls virtually all property and income indirectly and Obama has embraced this template."

Mr. Griffing goes on to say: "Fascism is correctly associated with tyranny since nations that employ the tenets of fascism almost always transition from a republican or parliamentary form of government to some sort of personality cult usually centered on an economic "savior." Fascism requires extensive state control, and if this control is not centralized in a singular personality, the results will be muddied and plagued with excessive overlap. All of Obama's actions have highly fascist overtones." Read the entire article here (SOURCE)

It is gratifying, to say the least, to find someone who agrees with our viewpoint of Obama and his regime. It is truly frightening to see America being fundamentally changed from a constitutional republic into a fascist dictatorship under Obama. But, that is what we have in America today.

What? You say it can't happen in America? Well, I hate to disagree with your assessment, but dear reader, it already has happened. The task of freedom loving Americans now -- IS TO CHANGE IT BACK! That goal is becoming ever more difficult, with every passing day, as the line between the private sector and the public sector is being systematically and intentionally blurred by the Obama Regime. You may not wish to admit it, even to yourself, but, as Mr. Griffing says in his article at American Thinker, "individual liberty can often be conditioned on complicity with state aims, as manifested in the private sector sphere." He is spot on!

Look, we Americans are being "conditioned" by the Obama Regime to jump through any hoop Obama should hold up in front of us.

Many weeks ago we warned of an avalanche of taxes on the horizon for America. That avalanche is about to come rumbling down to crush the last remnant of resistance to the Obama fascist agenda.

Obama and the democrats have bankrupted America. We are broke. There is no more money available within the government budget to stave of the insolvency of America.

So what must happen? Huge tax increases. As Charles Krauthammer has warned us: "There just isn't enough to cut elsewhere to prevent national insolvency. That will require massive tax increases, most likely a European-style value-added tax." Read the entire article here (SOURCE)
Americans who have already been mentally "conditioned" will simply lie down and allow the Obama taxes, such as the VAT tax, to wash over them. Those of us who are not "conditioned" will fight it every step of the way. Even the Vat tax is the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. It cannot cover the shortfall of funds America faces in the future.

Only a strong fascist leader could "condition" Americans to accept what is coming next -- the looting of the individual American.

In an article at the American thinker written by Kyle Anne Shiver and entitled: "Barack Obama, the Quintessential liberal fascist" Shiver says: "Neither did Barack Obama invent the political "ideology of change," nor design its carefully crafted propaganda. While media folks talked of the tingles up their legs and the brilliant rhetoric of Barack Obama, they were heralding the speaker only, not the creator of the movement and its slogans. That would have been Saul Alinsky, the man who took fascism and cunningly made it appear to casual observers every bit as American as apple pie.

Barack Obama is merely the movement's closer, the quintessential liberal fascist with a teleprompter." Read the entire article here
(SOURCE)

As much as I dislike admitting it, we HAVE become conditioned “not to see the forest for the trees.” We inhabit Obama’s fascist America, yet we don’t seem able to see it for what it is. Today we Americans seem to lack what the military refers to as “situational awareness.” Just as on the battlefield where lack of situational awareness can easily lead to the demise of the individual, it can also lead the people of a country into placidly standing by as their nation is hi-jacked and “fundamentally changed,” from a nation where the government serves the people -- to a nation where the people serve the government.

That has already happened. The question now is -- can we change it back to its rightful condition. We have a chance this November to begin that renewal. Lets not allow the chance to save America pass us by. It MAY be our last chance.

J. D. Longstreet

“We The People” Is A Fallacy!

“We The People” Is A Fallacy!
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
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In logic and rhetoric, a fallacy is a misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning in argumentation.

You know, we claim, here in America, that our government is made up of “we the people.” In the past year and a half, or so, of the Obama Regime, we have learned that is false. Oh, it may have been true to varying degrees, in decades past, but no more. Now the government is made up of socialists and Marxists hell-bent on enslaving “we the people” of America.

When the democrat/socialists took power in 2006, they laid low for the next couple of years in hopes of electing a president from their party, which ultimately, they did.

During those nearly two years they were busy as a one-armed man at a paper hanging contest formulating new laws they intended to pass when they had a veto proof Congress and a President, in place, to sign those bills into law. How else do you explain the near instantaneous appearance in the House and the Senate of “new” bills, which were hundreds, even thousands, of pages thick. You do not prepare such documents overnight.

They had been planning the hi-jacking of America. To a great extent, they have been surprisingly successful. It took the American electorate three years to figure out they had been blind-sided by a socialist/marxist plot to take the US from a constitutional republic to a socialist/marxist dung heap.

Conservatives have been fighting around the clock, during those three years, to prop up a reluctant Republican Party and attempt to instill a little steel in their spines and force them to fight, to block, to box-in, to obfuscate, to do whatever they legally could to de-rail the socialist/marxist scheme to drag America down to the mediocre level of many of the European and third world countries on the globe. You see, we conservatives knew, all along, that the so-called democrats did not believe in “American Exceptionalism.” They are ashamed that America is a “super power.” In their minds it is “unfair” for America to be better than other countries. It is the “Social Justice” thing -- you know, Socialism, Marxism, and yes, Communism!

You see, dear reader, when you look at America today understand that THIS is what ignorance and apathy can do to a great country, even a super power.

The most efficient tool the socialist had going for them was political correctness. It demanded so-called “social Justice” by changing the meaning of perfectly good words and phrases and raining down on us pure leftist propaganda such as the global warming hoax. They have even changed “illegal alien” to “undocumented immigrant!” Of course, it is pure bunk, but when our children are indoctrinated in the government school system, they buy into this propaganda because people in authority are soaking their little brains in a bath of their leftist garbage.

As an aside: We desperately need and independent educational system in America. One that accepts not one single dollar of government money and brooks no government interference and NO teacher’s unions allowed. Then, and only then, can we expect to have our children actually gain an education on a par with young scholars in rest of the world. Today, our American students are the recognized dunces of the world. Many are dumb as a fence post and graduate high school unable to read their diplomas.

Americans have a single shot at saving what is left of this once great country: The Mid-Term Election this coming November. To save America we must turn out in droves and vote for the conservative candidates. Already the socialists are mustering their troops to deny us that victory by force of numbers. They intend to flood the polling places with the voters who traditionally vote in blocks for democrat/socialist candidates. For the most part they are the Americans who depend upon the dole of the federal government for their continued existence. They are the “wards of the government” and they will do Obama’s bidding, and Obama is counting on them to save his party in November.

Finally, in my opinion, the Tea Party is going to have to suck it up and begin endorsing candidates for the election in November. Otherwise, what’s the point? I believe it is time for the Tea Party to put their accumulated power to good use in rescuing America from the clutches of the socialist/marxists now in power.

The people who have hi-jacked America have a lot for which they will be called to account. Thousands of years ago a prophet, by the name of Isaiah, said: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21) The Obama Regime would do well to harken to the words of this ancient prophet.

Our socialist overlords can deny their socialism as much as they like, but as Jesus, Himself, said: “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” (Matthew 7:16) If history has taught us anything, it is that the fruit of the socialist/marxist tree is the fruit of a poison tree. It can, and will, poison a nation -- even unto death. In olden days the ancients upon locating a tree with bad fruit, would hew it down and destroy it to save their orchard. It is time to exercise our horticultural husbandry skills and do a little “hewing” at the ballot box in November

J. D. Longstreet