Fly Over Country

That's the political phrase for states, cities, peoples who really don't matter in an election. Politicos spend time in St. Louis and Kansas City, but the rest of Missouri is "fly over country".

For President Obama's White House- all of America is fly over country. Not just figuratively, but literally.

I was voluntering on Monday morning when a Priest friend got a frantic call on his cell. A passenger jet was flying low over NYC being chased by fighters. Her building was evacuted.

Then the Priest got another call. Then another. What was going on?

A photo-op.

That's what the Obama White House thinks of America. America is a backdrop. America is a prop. No matter the cost ($385,000 is some cost) and without care for the impact on the environment (what's the "carbon footprint" on that photo?) and where is green-Hollywood to decry this wasteful contribution to global warming?) and without any sensitivity for millions of New Yorkers, someone ordered a photo of Air Obama over flyover country.

I don't have close friends who died on 9-11, but like most New Yorkers I know several people who were killed that awful day. Low flying planes over Manhattan isn't just "reminiscient" of that day. It is that day.

I can't imagine what would have happened should Winston Churchill have wanted to make a documentary in 1948 and, to create the necessary effect, turned on the air raid sirens throught London one night. Imagine the panic as our English friends sitting at home hear those chilling alarms which had been silent for years. Imagine the ANGER when they learn that it was planned, and not as an unannounced drill, but as part of an ad campaign.

This photo shoot is indicative of what Rush Limbaugh called a 9-10 mentality- and should evoke tremendous concern among all Americans. What kind of people go forward with such a plan without even considering the general public?

But worse, not in terms of national security but because of human character, is the utter belief that Americans, their fears, their concerns, their issues, are ancillary to Obama's needs and promotion. Americans are secondary. Americans are expendable.

Monday's photo shoot over New York City is a dangerous window into the Obama White House. If this is what they think of Americans, and the way they plan on using their power and piggy banks to promote themselves, we have much to fear.

Obama the low-self-esteem President

Perhaps Obama's biggest weakness is his weakness.

Obama reminds me of one of those high school underclassman who wanted desperately to be popular with the seniors.

It's as if his biggest fear in life is to be rejected.

It's not merely a political weakness; it's a psychological weakness. One can observe the vital importance of acceptance in Obama's facial expressions and posture. Recall the election day victory speech in Grant Park on November 7th. For minutes on end, Obama stood before the crowd, not waving, not smiling, not pointing willy nilly to some random person and giving a thumbs-up a la Clinton, not holding his kids like Palin. Obama basked in his glory. A stern countenance, chin slightly upturned, Obama allowed himself to be celebrated. It was an affirmation, and Obama feeds off of affirmation.

Obama's weak psyche is, partially, understandable. Quite frankly, who wants to be another Bush? or Rove? or Rick Santorum??? No one wants to be demonized, parodied, mocked relentlessly by a merciless press and late-night comics. It makes sense that a political personality, elected by the people, should strive to be accepted by a majority of them (especially when he needs the masses one more time in 43 months time...).

But this need to be popular, to be loved and celebrated, is carried into a dangerously weak foreign policy. Rather than stand on principles, Obama is ruled by personality. The cordiality with which he greeted Chavez (who called Obama's predecessor "the Devil" and could "smell the sulphur) demonstrates weakness. In Obama's mind, he is the anti-Bush, and therefore his persona will win over Chavez. In the dictator's mind, Obama is just another gringo President, but unlike Bush, this one can be manipulated. What Obama sees as a foreign policy gain is actually an international loss. But he's too naive to tell the difference. After all, he is popular and isn't that all what matters?

Yet look at the comments made by French President Zarkozi. Tempting Obama to walk on the waters of the English Channel is such an immature joke, a rude and crass joke made about the American President... why Zarkozi say it? Because he doesn't take Obama seriously. Obama has become the joke.

Kim Jung Il would not have restarted their nuclear program under Bush. Maybe the 6 party talks weren't wholly successful, but they did retard the crazy Korean's nuclear progress.

Then there is Amadinejad. And Qadafi- the leader who, under the Bush Administration, surrendered his entire arsenal of weapons.

Obama's cavalier attitude towards the Queen coupled with a kowtow to the Saudi King, the outreach to Castro and the snub of Gordon Brown, the relentless America-bashing around the world stages from Europe to Mexico- these are all signs of a weak man who craves popularity.

America doesn't need another weak President. Remember Carter?

As Obama goes about trying to become the most popular Sophomore in high school, what he really does his embarrass himself and degrade the office of the President. I cannot imagine Bush shaking hands with a man who called Clinton "the devil". Nor can I imagine Clinton doing that either... dare I say Clinton had more confidence in himself and in his office.

Obama just looks like a fool. Yeah, sure, the seniors may talk to him more than other sophomores. But they also make fun of him publicly. They will use his house to throw a party, but they will trash the place, break his mom's pearls and drive off in his dad's Rolls Royce with the prom queen.

In his mind, Obama thinks his popularity will lead to success. And for that he is personally happy and feels fulfilled as the world leader. But he leaves a path of destruction that someone will have to clean up.

Pravda

This CNN reporter should be fired.



When tens of thousands of Americans in hundreds of "Tea Parties" in every one of the 50 States of our great nation gather to complain about the excess of taxes and burden that the government has placed on our shoulders, she has this to say.

Not only is she antagonistic, she is also quite a fabricator. "This is not really family viewing". Do you believe that CRAP?

Promoted by the right-wing FOX (who also beats us in every demographic and poll and whose space we use to advertise out crap CNN shows).

Poor CNN. Your glory days are so far behind you.

Shameful, really.

Party on, tea people.

Piracy: to police or to purge?

I'm not going to pretend that Obama is 100% wrong all the time. Besides being logically flawed and intellectually immature, it's just untrue. That petty mentality which sees only mistakes and error and flaw is only found on the left. Even Barney Frank can be "right on" sometimes.

So I applaud Obama's decision to authorize the use of force to free Captain Phillips who was being held in the Indian Ocean for the past few days by pirates. I'm proud that our armed forces are so well trained, that our Navy SEALS are truly brave and courageous and that our priorities, taught by Gen. Washington long ago, always value American lives and fight at all costs to save our citizens.

I'm not sad that 3 pirates died in the process. Nor am I sad when I kill the mosquito that bite me and buzzed in my ear all night. A fourth pirate was captured. Too bad waterboarding cannot be used to interrogate him. Maybe our men and women in uniform can invent a new method just for this pirate: something involving electric eels and or mousetraps....alas, some dreams cannot come true.

So President Obama- thank you for acting like a commander in chief and giving the green light. Now go the next step...

The pirates of the Caribbean, romanticized by Disney, Captain Hook, the genius Johnny Depp and uber-hot Kiera Knightly are not accurate depictions of the men (and women) who terrorized the warm Caribbean seas during the 17th and early 18th century. What brought about their demise was not just heroism at sea but the destruction of their bases, their ports, their reloading and restocking places. A ship, constantly at sea, will run out of food and water and die.

The British, Spanish and Dutch, despite being economic and political enemies, formed an alliance against the pirates. Any colony caught aiding and abetting the pirates by allowing them port would be considered an enemy of the other nations subject to war and risking the cargo and commerce of that nation. This alliance forced the pirates to use unclaimed islands as bases- mostly Nassau.

Famous pirates like Blackbeard, another one romanticized but in reality nothing more than a common murderer, thief and rapist, were hunted down and killed. Robert Maynard finally caught up with Blackbeard off the coast of North Carolina where his ship, the Queen Ann's Revenge, had luckily run aground. Did Blackbeard bury his treasure somewhere in the outer banks...? Irrelevant. But enticing.

My point- to clean the Caribbean, make it safe for commerce and travel, the pirates were killed at sea and on land. Obama should do the same.

He needs to order the systematic destruction of all pirate ships in international water. I think our Navy is up to the task. And Obama needs to launch a preemptive (yes, I said it, preemptive) strike on pirate ports in the Horn of Africa, particularly Somalia.

Aiding and abetting the pirates is conspiring against the free world. They are complicit and guilty. If Somalia is turned into another Jamaica or Hispaniola of the 1740's, meaning it does not offer port to any rogue pirate ship, then the pirates will be stuck at sea where they will die or we will kill them.

My hope is that Obama takes this to the next level. Otherwise America turns into a navy police- and we run the risk of more pirates being successful and terrorizing the seas forever.

Kill the pirates. Sink them at sea, burn their boats on the land. Kill the pirates. And we will not have to deal with them again.

Let's eradicate this threat completely and not look back at a lost opportunity to purge the world of scum.