Picture Of The Week

The 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner hosts a State Dinner for the man holding the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner as a poltical prisoner.

Obama: "We have no greater ally than France"

Lost in the tragedy and noise of the Tucson shooting has been a comment made by President Obama during a press conference last week with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Obama stated that “We don’t have a stronger friend and stronger ally than Nicolas Sarkozy, and the French people.” Apparently our president wasn’t paying attention in his history classes, and hasn’t been watching the news for the past ten years.

This statement is over a week old now and I have just heard it yesterday, but the Brits have heard it and there has been predictably negative reaction in the UK press. Patrick Mercer, a former commander of the Sherwood Foresters regiment, stated in the Daily Mail “I’m getting a bit fed up with the American President using terms like "best ally" so loosely”. Every American should be infuriated by these careless comments. Great Britain and the United States have a very special relationship that is unmatched by any other nation. When the chips are down and we need someone to stand behind us the Brits never fail us. Can the same be said of the French? Of course not, in fact they often go out of their way to point out when they believe we are wrong. Obama has repeatedly over the past two years insulted Great Britain with seemingly little thought. Who doesn’t remember the bust of Winston Churchill that was given as a gift post 9/11 that was returned by the Obama’s? Or Obama refusing to meet with the British Prime Minister after his inauguration?

The French are our ally, but to raise their allegiance to that of the British is absurd, and one has to look no further than recent history to prove it. In 2003 when the U.S. invaded Iraq the French were outspoken opponents of the war while Tony Blair and the British supported the move. Even now in the war in Afghanistan the British have 10,000 troops serving in Helmand Province almost three times the number of French troops. No country beside the U.S. has lost more servicemen in Afghanistan that the British with approximately 350 killed. The French are third on the list after Canada with approximately 50 combat deaths. While the number of war dead itself shouldn’t signify the strength of an ally the numbers can be used to see who is shouldering the burden, and more fully committed to the cause.

Some point to the experience of Obama’s father and family under British colonial rule in Kenya as the cause for is dislike of America’s greatest ally, but whatever the reasons Americans need to be concerned that our president in damaging our most important international relationships. Sarkozy has admittedly been more pro American than previous French leaders and our relationship with France is important, but not so much so that he should risk alienating our other friends. For a president that gave an entire campaign speech on the importance of words, and has recently called for a return to civility due to the power of the language being used in public debate, it is hard to imagine he does not understand the ramifications of these statements. While I find it difficult to believe that Obama is intentionally doing harm to our international relationships, I do believe that he undervalues the significance of them, and he probably doesn’t see why all our allies shouldn’t be held in equal accord. His naiveté with regard to the international consequences of this philosophy is disturbing at best, and we can only hope that the British and our other allies know that we the people understand the significance of these relationships, and in 2012 we will elect a president who does also.

Maine Governor's Refreshing Approach to Special Interests

Maine’s new governor, Paul Lepage, nearly blew his election bid with his direct sometimes crass style. Now that he has moved into the Blaine House he continues to rankle his opponents by living up to his campaign promises and speaking his mind regardless of PC considerations or political consequences.

On his first day in office Governor Lepage signed an executive order allowing state officials to question the immigration status of individuals requesting state services. This would most significantly impact offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Health and Human Services. This policy reversed eight years of illegal alien friendly policies in the state. In his final days in office the outgoing governor pardoned several legal resident aliens who were facing deportation as a result of their crimes, and was in general soft on immigration issues. The new governor’s policies are a breath of fresh air to conservatives around the state.

Despite a planned protest of this policy in Portland over the weekend, a city that had a question on the November ballot that would have given resident aliens the right to vote in municipal elections, this decision hasn’t brought the loudest complaints of his first two weeks in office. Last week Governor Lepage declined to participate in NAACP events celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Later in the week when asked how people might perceive his decision he responded “tell them to kiss my butt”. This answer has brought the new governor national attention. Now I will freely admit that the Governor’s choice of words was questionable, but he holds the opinion that no special interest is more important than the needs of all Mainers, and during these difficult times he only wants to deal with issues that affect the entire state. The NAACP of course took exception to this referring to themselves as a “public interest” rather than a special interest.

Conservatives around the nation should look to Governor Lepage as an example. This is no time to be worrying about people’s feelings. It is time to focus on the issues that affect all citizens, and stop worrying about the interests of a select few. The ridiculous amount of time spent by a lame duck congress on don’t ask don’t tell, or the endless referendums around the country on gay marriage come to mind as recent examples of misplaced energies. As much as the NAACP my resent it, they too are a special interest group. Their very name identifies them as such. As a white, male, middle income taxpayer I fail to see how they serve the “public interest”, and could write and entire commentary on how they and their liberal allies have failed the special interests they do represent.

New Republican leaders around the country have come to power in towns, cities, states, and a country in crisis. It is time for bold action, not tiptoeing around trying not to offend people. The Governor could have used more sophisticated language in expressing his view, but that is not his style. Whatever the language chosen his intentions were right on. In these trying times we need effective leadership and effective leaders rarely have the love of all they serve, but it that really the goal? We need results not adoration. I urge Republican and conservative leaders around the country to take a page from Governor Lepage’s playbook. Say what must be said and do what must be done. Stand tall and lead us from the mess we find ourselves in.

Photo Of The Week

Nine year old Christina Green whose tragic death saturday has become lost in the political rhetoric.

Short Take

The politicizing of the tragedy in Tucson began almost immediately with the irresponsible remarks of Pima County, Arizona, Sheriff Clarence Dupnik. He has continued to make use of his bully pulpit in the days since, but when pressed in an interview he had to admit there was not yet evidence to support a political motive for the shooting.

For anybody to stand over the bodies of the dead and wage political war is reprehensible. This is not the time. They are adding to the rhetoric they claim to want to diminish, and their personal attacks against conservatives have led to predictable and justified responses from the right only adding fuel to the fire. Adding to my own frustration is the hypocrisy of the argument. All sides are guilt of incendiary rhetoric, but have the liberals forgotten the Bush years when comments in support of killing President Bush were considered in vogue? Much fuss has been made about Palin’s map with crosshairs over the congressional incumbents’ she targeted, but has anybody heard the The Daily Kos had a similar map that has been conveniently scrubbed from their site? If Palin’s map was a clear call to violence than what would one call this image of Palin that has been since removed from Getty Images?

Or Sandra Bernhard’s warning that if Palin came to New York she would be “gang raped by my big black brothers”?

The list of violent insinuations and threats from the left is long, and more vulgar than anything the right has come up with. Was it not President Obama who recently urged Latino’s to punish their enemies? The press would never allow this language from a conservative. The left, with Sheriff Dupnik leading the charge, was the first to politicize this tragedy, but I would suggest they keep quiet and look at their own tactics before pointing fingers.

The above image was taken from Michelle Malkin’s website http://michellemalkin.com/ I would recommend everybody visit this site and read her column “The progressive “climate of hate:” An illustrated primer, 2000-2010”

A Sad Day

I had an idea for this weeks column all ready to go, but with the news of the day I want to offer a few thoughts on the shooting of Rep. Giffords in Tucson. I have been reading the news accounts from around the web all evening. They pretty much all read the same and offer very little real information. What has been most saddening to me while reading these news accounts, other than the event itself, is the tone of the posters in the comments sections of various media sources.

With no evidence to support any conclusion either way most on these message boards are pointing at the supposed anger stirred up by the Tea Party and Sarah Palin. They have already reached the conclusion that some right wing nut job fueled by seeds of hatred planted by Palin, Limbaugh, and Beck took to the streets to attack the “enemy”. This very well may be true, but it is just as likely not. History has proven, even recent history, that liberals are just as likely to commit violence against the government as conservatives. Given recent history one might argue they are more likely, but I am going to stick with equally likely.

Comments made by Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik undoubtedly fueled these online postings. His remarks to the press can only be characterized as irresponsible. While many may agree with his general sentiment that divisions within our country are running dangerously deep, to imply that that was a factor in this incident just adds to the divisions he is so concerned about. I would say to the same to all these posters on the message boards smearing Palin and friends. They decry the divisions they believe have been created by these national figures while they dig the trenches deeper with their bitter posts. The hypocrisy is absurd.

The snippets of information about the shooter that can be found online don’t support a conclusion either way, but they certainly don’t point to a conservative idealist. CNN lists his favorite books to include “The Communist Manifesto” and “Mein Kampf”. For those of you getting ready to point at Hitler and scream “see right wing nut” let’s not forget he was a pro worker socialist before he went completely insane. Other information released from his YouTube and Myspace account indicates he was just plain looney.

As a final thought I would like to say that no matter your party affiliation all should be able to agree that this is a tragedy for the victims, the families, and America. The politics of the shooter will never change that. In the end does it really matter what the politics of the shooter are? Is Sarah Palin and worse than Keith Olbermann? Each side has its instigators and if it turns out politics was the true motivation for this shooting than both sides need to look hard at their rhetoric. If it happens to be a conservative minded individual it means little. Liberals have proven themselves capable of violence in the past, and it could just as easily been one of theirs. We all need to bring political discourse back to more civilized discussion. Most likely we have been victimized by a true nut whose ideology will be difficult to decipher. It has sadly happened before and it will happen again.

Photo Of The Week

Pelosi passes the gavel

Short Take

Am I the only one that finds it ironic that when it comes to abortion liberals are all about free choice and a woman's body being her own, but they believe people are incapable of deciding how many potato chips to eat or how much salt they should have? Somebody needs to explain to me why we can kill unborn babies in the womb, but we need to legislate salt and fat intake.

10 Things Every Man Should Be Able To Do

While fighting with my snow blower during this past weekend’s “blizzard” I began to think about the things that a “true man” should be able to do. Before I even get started yes this column will use old and antiquated stereotypes. It will discuss ideas about manhood that are holdovers from decades gone by. That said, they call them the good old days for a reason. In this modern society men are continually being told to suppress their masculine sides, or at the very least masculinity is being redefined and many of the skills our fathers had are no longer considered valuable. In the interest of preserving the traditional male role I have compiled a list of skills every man should have.

Change a Tire. This is the most basic of man skills. Even the most progressive of us scoff at the man on the side of the road with a flat calling for help on the cell phone. In urban areas help is but a phone call away, however pathetic the call is. What happens when the family is loaded into the SUV on that cross country road trip and you hear the tell tale flap flap flap in the middle of nowhere? Should you hike to the nearest high spot arm outstretched looking for that extra bar that will allow the call to go through? How about just rolling up your sleeves and learning a skill that could someday get you out of a jam in those parts of the world where cell coverage is spotty at best, or get you to that board meeting on time back in the city. The grease stain on your tie will impress your coworkers, I promise.

Build a Fire. The first thing that comes to mind here is probably a couple Boy Scouts with their three matches trying to get their merit badge. While this is not a bad skill to have and any self respecting male ought to be able to start a campfire, I am not talking about a fire in the woods. How many times have you seen somebody trying for that mood effect of a crackling fireplace only to fail miserably as newspaper after newspaper is fed to the tiny flame? I just saw it at a Christmas party and have seen it many times before. A man should be able to get a fire going and keep it going if they are roasting marshmallows or trying to set the mood. If you’re one of those who use the tv fire you may already be a lost cause, but I suggest you get out there and start rubbing two sticks together there may be hope for you yet.

String Christmas Lights. This skill is particularly appropriate as we come to the end of the Christmas season. We have all seen far too many yards filled with plastic reindeer, or worse, the inflatable Santas that come complete with their own air pump. Even if a yard lacks the tacky plastic decorations the lighting is sadly askew or overdone. Since the outside is traditionally the man’s domain and we are dealing in traditional stereotypes here I maintain that a man should be able to string up some Christmas lights in a neat and visually pleasing way. It’s not that hard really, just take a little time, use the minimalist approach, and throw those little bulbs that make everything blink right into the garbage.

Sharpen a Knife. Again I am not speaking in terms of your Bowie knife, just the stuff you use around the house day to day. If you are going to be a modern man and prove your worth in the kitchen you have to be able to keep knives sharp. Ever cut a tomato with a dull knife? Or, the ultimate in male domestic duties, carve a turkey? Without a sharp blade you just make a mess of things and look foolish. All the relatives, especially the old men, will be looking at how that turkey is carved off the bone. This is your chance to prove yourself, but you don’t stand a chance without a sharp knife. Of course if you do have a Bowie knife it should be sharp enough to shave with. Why else do you own it Rambo?

Rebuild a Carburetor. So rebuilding carburetors might be a bit extreme, but I am sure it got your attention and it’s not a bad goal to shoot for. The point here is there are a lot of small internal combustion engines around the typical house. Most would at least have a lawn mower and weed whacker, and you can throw a snow blower in for those of us in the northern states, plus whatever hobby equipment a man might own, ATV, snowmobile, ice auger, etc. Do you really want to pay $50 an hour to the local small engine repair guy every time one of these machines hiccups? If you bought your lawn mower right you can quickly exceed the cost of a new one by taking it the repair shop. Every man should be able to troubleshoot a simple engine. If you can’t tell if you have water in your gas or if you have fire at the plug, and especially if you have no idea what I just said, find a class and learn a little something. It will pay for itself the next time the lawn mower needs its blades changed.

Change a Light Fixture. This is another category were the skill might be too specific, but it is part of a larger point. Any man should be reasonably handy around the house. Our traditional role is that of a “fixer” so what good are you if you can’t fix simple problems around the house? And yes, changing a light fixture is a relatively simple task. You can keep a lot of money in your pocket if you have the wherewithal to tackle household problems yourself.

Use a chainsaw. The chainsaw is the top of the heap when it comes to power tools. Powered by a gas engine with a fully exposed blade rotating in front of you the chainsaw can bite you if you don’t know what you are doing. Certainly if you live in a place where a chainsaw would be practical you should learn to use one. There is nothing more pathetic than one man watching another man break a sweat doing a masculine task because they don’t know how. What will you do the next time a tree falls down on your property? For those of you thinking “what the hell do I need with a chainsaw,” take a look at the larger point. Power tools are the stereotypical and traditional domain of the male, and you should know the basics about the most common of them. Once you gain the confidence to replace that light fixture you’re going to want to know how to use this equipment. Take a simple woodworking class, your wife will thank you when that new book shelf appears for her to display those Danielle Steel novels collecting dust under the bed.

Catch a fish. Almost every child at some point becomes enamored with the idea of catching fish. If you can’t take your kids to the local pond and help them catch a few trout or sunfish, or if you can’t tell the difference between a trout and a sunfish, it’s time to take serious stock. I am not saying you have to be a master fisherman to be true man, but it shouldn’t look like you are wrestling a six foot stick when you are rigging up the rod either. If you don’t know the first thing about catching a fish I suggest you take a day, get out there and try, because you are spending way too much time at the office. Your kids will thank you for it.

Discuss Current events. Part of being a man is being a productive member of your community. You can only do this if you pay attention to the world around you. Nobody expects an expert on foreign policy or health care, but being able to name your city councilors or town selectman would be a start. Another consideration here is respect for others’ opinions. If you are up on current events and are strongly aligned with the political philosophy of one of the major parties you can still listen and be respectful of others positions. I have lost friends because of my political opinions. Taking political discussion to this extreme is absurd. A true man will be able to make informed decisions at the ballot box, and be always respectful of other opinions.

Be a dad. Any stiff can make a baby, but it takes a man to be a dad. If you are going to have children, act like they are a gift from God because, well, they are. The rewards you receive from playing an active role in raising your children are difficult to put in words, but suffice to say it will leave you warm and fuzzy on the inside. Your children’s benefit will be immense. Kids need both a male and female influence in their lives and you are half that equation. In this era of divorce and the redefinition of the family it is more important than ever for men to play an active role in their kid’s lives. Even if you are divorced you can still be a father to your children. Never put the kids into grownup fights, even if the stresses of parenthood led to the separation, it is still not the kid’s fault, and they should never be used as a weapon against the ex Mrs. Take the high road, leave the kids out of your problems, and be their dad. Who do you want teaching your son to be a man? You or the schmuck the ex is shacking up with? Men step up at critical times and this is one of those times.