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“Fundamentally Changing America”

by Colonel Bob Pappas, USMC, Retired  

Much discussion is adrift in the written media and broadcast media that Putin outmaneuvered Obama in the recent intervention Syrian debacle…and it is a debacle no matter what face his lapdog media propaganda machine attempts to paint on it.  But the use of the word outmaneuvered is being too kind. Has Obama, and thus the United States of America been embarrassed? No, not embarrassed although that is also true, and not outmaneuvered as many in the media suggest. No, Obama has taken a calculated, major step to reduce the United States to where he wanted it from the outset…just another country. Is he embarrassed or feel weakened? In his case, not at all. Anyone who has the temerity to state as Obama did, that “raising the debt ceiling does not increase the debt” and actually believe it is out of touch with reality; but those two facts are complimentary with a third fact, that his primary objective is to cut America down to size.

 In a primetime speech justifying U.S. intervention in Syria, it is ironic that Obama said, “That’s what makes America different. That’s what makes us exceptional.” For context and clarity one should recall Obama’s, “…we’ve been arrogant,” “the United States is no longer a Christian nation,” “the United States is one of the largest Muslim nations in the world,”  “My Muslim faith… oh, that’s right, my Christian faith.” in response to George Stephanopoulos’ prompting.

In a moment of supreme irony Obama cited “American Exceptionalism” as the moral authority for taking action against Syria. The irony arises from his 2009 comments in response to a reporter’s question on American exceptionalism, “I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.” In other words Obama’s opinion was that there was nothing any more exceptional about the United States than those defunct empires…and at least during his term in office it is so. 

But, then he quickly and duplicitously added, “We have a core set of values that are enshrined in our Constitution, in our body of law, in our democratic practices, in our belief in free speech and equality, that though imperfect, are exceptional…”  Even this “amplification” is saturated with irony because his citation of “values enshrined in the Constitution,” is a set of values to which he is fundamentally opposed. The Constitution’s most salient virtue is its limit and restraint on the role of government in American life; opposed to that, Obama wants the pervasive and invasive government, not less; witness “Obamacare” arguably the most personally intrusive, most controlling, the most economically destructive, the most divisive piece of legislation since the Civil War. And if Democrats and the lapdog media succeed in cramming it through just as they did its passage, it will be the formal introduction of Fascism in the United States.

Readers are further reminded:

•      Candidate Obama refused to wear any U.S. Symbol and stood with hands folded over his crotch during the playing of the National Anthem, thereafter demanding that he be judged by his character rather than by any symbol (or posture)…that is, until he spoke to the VFW;

•      Michelle’s well known, “for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country…”

•      And, her later… “all this for a damn flag;”

•      Maligning Christians who “cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them;”

•      Obama’s revocation of a rule intended to protect healthcare workers who refuse to participate in medical procedures that violate their consciences;

•      His direction that the cross behind him when he spoke at Georgetown University be covered;

•      Three pro-abortion candidates he nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican…each of whom was rejected;

•      Refusal to follow G.W. Bush’s precedent to host National Day of Prayer at the White House;

•      His declaration that it was a mistake when he left the words, “the Creator” out of a recitation of that portion of the Declaration of Independence…then substituted other words for “the Creator” in a number of subsequent speeches;

•      The Federal Law prescription of, “In God We Trust” being the National motto, not Obama’s version, “E pluribus Unum;”

•      His Support of passage of a Federal Law that would obviate conscience protection in hiring practices and whose ultimate effect would be to force religious organizations to hire people whose lifestyles are contrary to Christian Churches’ doctrinal and/or Biblical teachings;

•      His Objection to addition of President Roosevelt’s D-Day Prayer to the World War II Memorial;

•      His declaration that religious beliefs in the United States and worldwide are obstacles to protecting the rights of sexual perverts;

•      And etc…There is another, full page of common sense and anti-Christian examples but will spare readers.

Measuring his accomplishments, Obama is a dream come true if one is: an atheist given his attacks on Christians and Church Doctrine; a sexual pervert based on his successful efforts to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and Don’t ask, Don’t Tell; or, a Muslim incident to his general embrace of Muslims and the Muslim Brotherhood. But if one is an ordinary hard working American Christian, Obama is well on his way to the title of Anti-Christ.  How any Christian, especially my black Christian brothers and sisters can embrace his agenda, is incomprehensible.

Semper Fidelis and Peace
Bob Pappas

Copyright © September 21th, 2013 by Robert L. Pappas. With proper attribution, this essay may be quoted and redistributed, except it may not be used in conjunction with any advertisement without the author’s expressed written permission.

Obama’s Sequestration and the Navy Yard Massacre

Who proposed the Budget Control Act (Sequestration)? Answer: Mr. Obama. Who signed into law as part of the Budget Control Act (Sequestration) the requirement that Congress comes up with a budget deal by creating a Super Committee to devise requisite budget economies? Answer: Mr. Obama. If sequestration is an underlying cause of the Navy Yard massacre as alluded to by D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, who initiated and was Sequestration’s main proponent? Answer: Mr. Obama.

As a result of the Budget Control Act, in August 2011 a Super Committee was created by Congress to come up with the requisite cuts, $1.2 trillion over ten years. On November 21st, 2011 the deadline arrived for the Committee to report its work at which time Joint Chairmen, Democrat Murray of Washington, and Republican Hensarling of Texas announced that the Committee was unable to reach agreement despite intense negotiations and pressure from all quarters.

 

When the Committee failed, and Sequestration was triggered to go into effect January 1st, 2013, who declared that he would veto any action by Congress to change the law and thus avoid Sequestration? Mr. Obama said,

"Already some in Congress are trying to undo these automatic spending cuts. My message to them is simple: No, I will veto any effort to get rid of those automatic spending cuts to domestic and defense spending." In the meantime whose duplicitous position was it when he declared, "We need to keep the pressure up to compromise, not turn off the pressure," "Although Congress has not come to an agreement yet, nothing prevents them from coming up with an agreement in the days ahead."

 

Over the course of the next thirteen months Obama gradually “evolved” to being anti-Sequestration and in a series of speeches began to blame Republicans. It reached its zenith during one of the Presidential Debates in the Fall of 2012 when he declared, that sequestration "will not happen," wherein he effectively dismissed the possibility that the 10 percent cuts to Federal Spending would take place in January 2013. 

 

Over the course of the next two months, he began a “full court press” to force Republicans agree to raise taxes “on the wealthy” and thus avoid Sequestration.  It is notable that Mr. Obama’s efforts were not effectively called out by his opponents, who could have cited promises in a dozen statements that he would not raise taxes, “not even one penny,” a statement that was disingenuous and proved to be deception for the purpose of gaining votes.  The latter worked.

 

In a complete distortion of reality Democrats blame Budget Sequestration as being a Republican initiative when the facts are that it is the bastard child of, and its malevolent implementation is that of the Obama Administration.  The Administration’s Sequestration objective is to cause ordinary Americans the most pain possible and to pin that pain on Congressional Republicans for its existence. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

 

Sequestration is variously blamed for everything from flight delays to global warming. Now, in its ugliest form, it is being indirectly blamed on Republicans for a madman’s massacre of a dozen people at the Navy Yard in Washington.  The crown jewel of mendacity was uttered by Washington, D.C. Democrat Mayor Vincent Gray, "It's hard to know,…We're continuing this investigation. But certainly, as I look at for example, sequestration, which is about saving money in the federal government being spent, that we somehow skimped on what would be available for projects like this, and then we put people at risk. Obviously 12 people have paid the ultimate price for whatever -- you know, whatever was done to have this man on the base."

 

And not to miss a good crisis, Senator Feinstein of California has mounted her ubiquitous anti-2nd Amendment soapbox stating:

“This is one more event to add to the litany of massacres that occur when a deranged person or grievance killer is able to obtain multiple weapons—including a military-style assault rifle—and kill many people in a short amount of time. When will enough be enough? Congress must stop shirking its responsibility and resume a thoughtful debate on gun violence in this country. We must do more to stop this endless loss of life.”

By including the words, “deranged person” in her comments Feinstein believes she has inoculated her remarks from rebuttal.  To the unthinking, ignorant and deceived her remarks may actually make sense. But, to the thoughtful her duplicitous statement reveals her disregard of the underlying source of violence, violent video games and mental illness.  She chooses rather, to blame inanimate objects for something perpetrated by Aaron Alexis, a person with a record of mental illness and obsession with video games.

 

In an Associated Press report, U.S. law enforcement officials said that a Navy contractor identified as the gunman in the mass shootings at the Washington Navy Yard had been suffering a host of serious mental issues, including paranoia and a sleep disorder. The officials said that Alexis had also been hearing voices in his head. If that is the case and it was known, which it was, what the hell was he doing with a security clearance? Is this another case of “we can’t fire him,” out of politically correct racial concerns?

 

During a News Conference D.C. Mayor Gray at first applauded virtually all law enforcement personnel as having effectively contained what could have been a larger tragedy. Then, while offering absolutely no connection to “Sequestration” cited it as being a possible underlying cause.  Any person who actually gave thought to Gray’s remarks should point out that if he is “going down that road,” he should be reminded that Sequestration was Obama’s initiative and is its Chief Enforcer.

Semper Fidelis and Peace