The Politics of Distraction

Funny thing about the news media, it's kind of like a child with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), doesn't stay focused on one thing for very long regardless of how important that thing may be.  Sometimes the source of distraction is more important than the original issue, most times not so much.  All news outlets do it.  They feed this nation's notoriously short attention span.  Does anyone remember "Fast and Furious?"  No, not the Vin Diesel movie.  I'm talking about the gun-walking scandal that should, but probably won't, lead to the resignation or firing of Attorney General Eric Holder.  Just when the heat was really starting to be applied, here comes Solyndra, and the latest legal issues with Lindsay Lohan, and the Kardashian wedding/divorce.  Next thing you know, there wasn't any time in a news day for coverage of "Fast and Furious."  Now, granted, Solyndra is a pretty big deal.  Half a billion dollars in government money given to a company whose business model was so bad they were initially denied funding under the Bush administration.  The loan was later pushed through by the Obama regime and , surprise, surprise, the CEO of Solyndra is an Obama campaign bundler. Hmmmm. Interesting, no?  But Lohan and Kardashian? Really?  Can't those types of stories be left to TMZ?  I'm sure this isn't just a phenomenon of the Obama presidency, it's been going on on both sides for a long, long time.  But doesn't it seem sad that politicians are so corrupt that they need stories seemingly on standby to cover up their many indiscretions?  I remember hearing about a company, I'm not sure which one right now, that, in 2010, had to lay off a large portion of their workforce and was asked by the Obama administration to delay announcing the layoffs until after the election!  Ridiculous.  All to save votes.  Makes me sick.  The bottom line with "Fast and Furious", and I'll delve into the details of this later, is it's still under investigation by the Senate Judiciary Committee and Attorney General Holder still refuses to take even the slightest hint of responsibility for the botched operation which lead to the death of U.S. federal agent Brian Terry.  But the media, for the most part, is ignoring this story (yes, my liberal friends, FOX News is ignoring it too) because apparently, they feel that Kim Kardashian's wedding/divorce or allegations against GOP candidate Herman Cain for sexual harassment from his time as head of the National Restaurant Association in 1997 are of more importance.  Personally, and I may be reaching here but I don't think so, I think that "Fast and Furious" was botched ON PURPOSE to push an agenda of increased gun control measures.  But for right now, until Washington figures out how to spin the scandal to suit their needs, we'll have to continue to be force fed the ongoing misadventures of Miss Lohan and the Kardashian clan.  I'll leave you with this piece of advice:  Please don't get all your information from one source or one type of media only.  

11/11/11

Holidays mean different things for different people, and everyone has their favorites.  As a Christian, I appreciate Christmas as when we were given the ultimate gift and Easter as when we received the ultimate reward.  I like Thanksgiving because it involves two of my favorite activities, eating turkey and watching football.  Independence Day is important as well (for obvious reasons), but my favorite holidays have to be Memorial Day, and especially today, Veterans' Day.  Were it not for our veterans, we very well may not even be celebrating Independence Day anymore.  We Americans hold a special place for our veterans, and that is as it should be.  We have the world's only volunteer armed forces.  Every other nation, if they have a military force, require each and every one of it's citizens, especially men, to serve at least some time in military service.  We are different.  Our soldiers are doing what they do because they want to do it, not because they are required to.  That's huge.  The level of patriotism in these men ans women can never be questioned, for they stepped forward when no one else would. They ran toward danger when everyone else ran away.  They stood and said, "I will lay down my life so that this great nation can endure."  My grandfather served in the Air Force for over 20 years and fought in World War II.  My stepfather fought in Vietnam.  There are soldiers that fought in Iraq and Afghanistan that I am proud to call my friends (By the way, Don Meserve and Kris Penzig, welcome home!).  Although I also served, albeit briefly, these individuals and others like them served at a level that I never did and I would say all gratitude and appreciation should be bestowed upon them and not upon me, even though I've been told I'm just as much a veteran as they are.  I didn't believe it then and I don't believe it now.  But I will say this, if I was asked to serve again to defend this great country, I wouldn't hesitate.  I'd be at the recruiter's office tomorrow.  Let me close this by saying it is my sincere hope that all future soldiers are welcomed home like they are now, with great love and appreciation.  Let us be sure that what happened to our Vietnam vets upon returning home NEVER EVER happens again.  Tell your children how soldiers should be welcomed home or better yet show them so that we never make that horrible mistake again.  One day a year to say "thanks" isn't enough.  Every day should be Veterans' Day.  Thank you to all our soldiers and veterans.  Your sacrifice and commitment will never be forgotten nor will it ever be taken for granted.  God bless each and every one of you.

Anchor Babies

In Florida, 5 students are suing the state for charging them out-of-state tuition even though they have spent most of their lives in the Sunshine State.  Some of them were even born in Florida, all were born in the United States.  The reason they were asked to pay higher tuition?  Their parents are illegal immigrants.  Now I’m not in favor of extending rights reserved for U.S. citizens to illegal aliens or their children, but these children were born here, hence they are legal U.S. citizens.  This is guaranteed Article 1 of the 14th amendment.  If these kids meet the requirements for in-state eligibility, then they should be allowed to pay the discounted rate for students residing within the state.  The citizenship issue is pretty cut and dry within the law as it stands today, but it is breathing new life into the debate of “anchor babies.”  If you’ve never heard the term, it refers to children born in the United States to parents of illegal immigrant status.  These children then become eligible for welfare, food stamps, and other forms of government-provided economic aid.  This also makes it much, much easier for the parents to stay in the country, becoming essentially “anchored.”  Now, I’m a big proponent of the Constitution.  It is the law of the land.  However, I believe this to be one area that has a problem within it.  I believe that the granting of citizenship simply by being born on U.S. soil should be removed.  One of the parents, if not both, should be U.S. citizens in order for the child to be a U.S. citizen.  I also believe that this will strongly address the problem of illegal immigration.  If the parents know that the birth of their child in the U.S. will no longer mean a free pass to government handouts, they may be less likely to come here.  This could save the U.S. government millions, if not billions, of taxpayer dollars.  Just think about it.  We would grandfather in those already born to illegal immigrant parents, but for anyone born after the change goes through, no dice.  This problem could solve several issues with one fell swoop.  I can’t understand why someone didn’t think of this sooner.  Oh wait, that’s right, votes.  It all comes back to votes.  Time for REAL change, ladies and gentlemen, and that is term limits for Congress.  It needs to happen, folks.  We MUST stop allowing politics to be a career choice.