Racism and Xenophobia: The Continuing Hyperbole of Pro-Obama Intelligentsia

I don't know about you but I am growing increasingly fatigued by the fallacious allegations being levied against individuals such as myself for merely opposing the policies of this administration. Many of the most recognizable left wing pundits have taken to incessant insidious remarks against people such as myself. They've levied charges of racism, xenophobia, misanthropic social values, and homophobia. Are there individuals within the vast conglomerate known as America who possess these socially aberrant beliefs? Of course there are however; are we to believe that they only exist on the right side of the political spectrum? Such a belief would wreak of intellectual mediocrity. The only time that I ever consciously think of President Obama as our first black president is when these liberal commentators throw it in my face. The same also holds true for their fear mongering over the whole Muslim issue. They are skilled at the art of hyperbole but; why should we take these accusations seriously? Does anybody remember their tired old facetious mantra, "Bush lied and people died"? Now we're supposed to believe that they possess the moral obligation to chastise a portion of our society that holds opposing views. I say, how dare they assume to know how I think based solely on my dissent against this president and this congress. For example, just last week, Maureen Dowd, Kirsten Powers, and Juan Williams threw unfounded allegations at those of us with opposing views.

Maureen Dowd penned an opinion piece in the NY Times titled, Going Mad in Herds. The thesis of her essay compared America to a dysfunctional family. She accused us of having a "national nervous breakdown". She used provocative comments from Rush Limbaugh and Reverend Franklin Graham to make her point. She also mentioned the fact that in a recent poll 18% of Americans believe President Obama is a Muslim. America has always had a high percentage of the electorate who are either uninformed or who choose to accept suspect data. I would love to know the percentage of those on the left who believe former President Bush is a dunce even though he possesses a Masters degree from an Ivy League school? Her examples were shallow at best and in my view, she reverted to the childhood practice of hurling insults at your opponent as a defense mechanism against losing the argument based on objective reality.

Kirsten Powers authored a piece for the Daily Beast called, The GOP's Long, Hot, Racist Summer. Much like Ms. Dowd, Powers relied on ad hominum attacks to make her point. She fell back on the tired old left wing game plan which chooses to label your philosophical opponent as intellectually inferior. Sarah Palin was yet again a favorite target for disdain, as well as, trying to make the point that Michael Savage is more relevant to conservatives than he truly is. Michael Savage is no different than Rosie O'Donnell. Both of them represent fringe elements of the political spectrum. She then went on, without a single thread of solid evidence, to label the Imam and those supporting the construction of an Islamic center and mosque close to ground zero as moderate Muslims. Maybe they are, and maybe they're not however; why is it wrong to question their intent or the source of their funding? Did we learn nothing from our oblivious behavior patterns prior to 9/11?

During the round table discussion on last Sunday's, Fox News Sunday, Juan Williams seemed to be angry. His body language and verbal tone wreaked of frustration. It seems that the left is surprised that their message is not going well with the American public. On numerous occasions, in reply to the conservative panelists he fell back on the frail position that President Obama is not doing well because a large percentage of the American public doesn't like that he is black. Excuse me? I never think of President Obama as our "black" president. He is our president and his policies and my support or opposition to them has nothing to do with the color of his skin. All I have to say to Juan Williams is, how dare you! If I'm not mistaken, President Obama won with a majority of the vote in 2008. Does Juan Williams not realize that a high percentage of those voters were white?

Liberals are clearly frustrated that their message seems to be falling on deaf ears. They should sit down with President Clinton for I am sure that with his homespun drawl he would simply state, "It's the economy, stupid!" By and large, Americans exist in the dead center of our nation's ideological spectrum. We don't like being told how we think or how we should think. We also don't appreciate being lectured on how we should act or react to the environment around us. In a nutshell, most of us simply want to be left alone to enjoy our family, friends, and local communities. Liberals, and conservatives for that matter, would do well to contemplate on just how vast, both physically and ideologically, this nation is. Pundits from both sides of the aisle would be well served to spend a month or two with a working mom or a laboring father. These voice boxes exist in a self constructed aquarium of geographic isolation. It is quite easy to prove this point. The population of the United States is now estimated to be 310,085,000. The land mass of this nation is 3,794,101 square miles. The better known commentators tend to live in large urban centers and their work load keeps them from truly knowing the average American. The following list depicting the population and land mass in square miles of six large cities where many of these socio-political hacks live will highlight my point.

1. New York City: Population: 8,391,881---Area: 468.9 square miles
2. Washington D.C: Population: 599,657---Area: 68.3 square miles
3. Chicago: Population: 2,853,114---Area: 234.0 square miles

4. Los Angeles: Population: 3,833,995---Area: 498.3 square miles
5. San Francisco: Population: 808,977---Area: 231.92 square miles
6. Seattle: Population: 617,334---Area: 142.5 square miles

These cities represent only 5.516% of our nation's population and cover a mere .043328% of our country's total landmass. We all are a product of our environment so, how can individuals who reside in such a tiny enclave feel they can knowledgeably understand who I am, what I think or, what I want to become? Rather than accuse me of being an uninformed misanthrope, maybe they should lace up a pair of work boots and experience my life before they feel free to mislabel me and many of my fellow Americans.

De Oppresso Liber

President Obama: The Great Equivicator

It has been a long time since I've taken the time to write an essay. Like many of us, I've become turned off by the actions of President Obama and the democrat controlled congress. This malaise has made it difficult to put pen to paper without coming across as a pathological naysayer. The country is currently in an epic struggle over it's very identity. As I feared, this president is more than likely going to earn the dubious distinction of being the most divisive executive that our nation has suffered under in recent history. His inability to take a stance was foreseen by his numerous "present" votes as a state and federal legislator so, I find it slightly humorous when many of us after observing yet another political vacillation, shrug our shoulders in disbelief. It seems that a large part of the electorate have removed their rose colored sunglasses and are now observing their president in the full light of day.

We all need to ask ourselves a series of questions. What does it mean to be an American? Is nationalism still an important aspect of human culture? When does social philanthropy cross over into the realm of fiduciary insolvency?

Naturally, there is no simple answer to our first question. We are a diverse nation and the definition of what it means to be American is constantly changing. That said, there is a trait which crosses over all social distinctions. We have an inherent independent streak and the idea of self reliance arrived on our shores with Captain Smith and the Jamestown colony. The pilgrims at Plymouth Rock were also extremely self reliant. This trait was directly responsible for the continual push westward as pioneers settled new country. The fact that our nation was settled far from European influences and bordered by two oceans further developed this ideal. President Obama seems to espouse a higher belief in communal reliance than in individual tenacity. The Pilgrims initially thought likewise and put this ideal into writing with the Mayflower Compact however, the fledgling colony almost failed during its first year. It was not until the colonists began to work for themselves that they began to flourish. Our nation would do well to remember the lessons from its past.

Our president seems enamored with the idea of post nationalism. Rather than a conglomerate of nation states, our president sees the world moving into a period of global social restructuring. I do not believe that humanity has developed beyond the principle of nation states. Are the French willing to become more like the English? Do Puerto Ricans see themselves as indistinguishable amongst a vast Hispanic body politic? Are the Italians no different from other Mediterranean cultures? People desire a sense of belonging and the nation state allows them to achieve a sense of commonality and distinction at the same time. Human beings enjoy their cultural differences and the key is to learn how to peacefully coexist while not losing national identities.

Currently, state after state in our Union is operating in the red. Sooner or later, government will come to the realization that it too, will have to learn to live within its means. The family unit cannot long survive in an environment of deficit spending. If it did so, mortgages would be foreclosed, cars repossessed, credit cards cancelled, and eventually the family would disintegrate. Why should we expect any different outcome from governmental deficit spending? President Obama seems intent on the belief that the government can write checks that it cannot possibly cash. All of us can agree that we should help our neighbor and others in need but we cannot do so to the detriment of the whole. We can provide those unable to row with an oar but, it is up to them to place it into action. As a culture, we should clearly portray a sense of expectancy that they do so. We cannot afford to give any of our citizens a free ride at the expense of the rest of us toiling away just to make ends meet.

Our president will soon complete two years in office. Thus far, we have an unwanted health care bill, an environmental disaster in the Gulf, close to 10% unemployment, two ongoing wars, and a stagnant economy. So much for the Hope & Change train. It too, just like our nation, has run out of steam. It is time for those of us with clear vision to stoke up the burners and get the train moving on a new track. I am proud of where we have been and hopeful for where we may go so, I ask all of you to challenge perception, research reality, perform your analysis for action, and act! I'm hoping that a strong wind of change will move into our capital this November with much the same force as the zephyrs that scream down the eastern flanks of the Sierra Nevada Range.

De Oppresso Liber