Today the Attorney General of Florida was expressing solidarity with the people of Florida’s gay community. She reassured them that her office will pursue to the fullest extent of the law anyone who targets the community. Not missing a beat, CNN reporter Anderson Cooper confronted her and asked whether or not she was being a hypocrite in expressing solidarity with the LGBTQ community because she did not support Gay marriage, and she vigorously defended the State’s position in court. Mr. Cooper, pursuing his line of questioning from the perspective that the liberal position is the default position of most Americans, went on to point out that she never even mentioned Gay Pride Month in any of her tweets. For anyone who does not understand the significance of this, Mr. Cooper seems to believe that in order to have empathy for Human beings, one must agree with all of the choices that people make. In Mr. Cooper’s world, tolerance also means acceptance of opposing positions, tolerance is a one way street and means the capitulation of all of one’s personal convictions.

People were mercilessly gunned down in a nightclub, over fifty were killed, the death rate may climb even higher, and many more were injured. Family and friends are grieving for the loss of their loved ones, and still others are worried about those who have been wounded. Any human being would have compassion, be moved by such a tragic event, and want the best for those who suffered at the hands of the attacker. The Attorney General no doubt wanted to reassure all members of the Florida constituency that their leaders are with them in this crucial time, regardless of their political beliefs or chosen lifestyle.

One would think that in a time like this, people would be united in their support for the victims of this horrific act, but the radical left is incapable of separating themselves from their ideology even in these difficult moments. Anderson Cooper does not understand how this woman could honestly feel compassion in her heart for those affected by the tragedy, nor can he believe that that she stands in solidarity with them, as she pledges to use the force of her office to prosecute anyone who targets members of the gay community. He is honestly puzzled that she may disagree with gay marriage and the homosexual lifestyle, but feel compassion for the gay community in this situation. In his world view these two things are incompatible. The focus quickly shifted from the victims to the propagation of the liberal agenda. This attitude and behavior is not isolated, it is no accident. This is standard operating procedure for the left, and they stop at nothing to further their ideology, nothing is sacrosanct.

These actions are all part of a concerted effort on the left to portray anyone who disagrees with their agenda, as hateful and bigoted, and they have no problem using this tragedy to further their ideology. In their minds, it is not possible to disagree with their social engineering, and hold no malice towards the proponents of such experimentation. Staying true to the cause, yesterday the ACLU blamed “the Christian Right” for the murderous rampage of the Islamic terrorist.  One of their lawyers proclaimed “you know what is gross — your thoughts and prayers and Islamophobia after you created this anti-queer climate,” another lawyer questioned the sincerity of lawmakers who expressed their condolences because these lawmakers sponsored what liberals consider to be “anti-LGBT legislation” (legislation meant to protect religious freedom guaranteed under the United States constitution). Not to be outdone, planned parent got in on the action and asserted that toxic masculinity, and a global culture of imperialist homophobia was responsible for the massacre, President Obama proclaimed that “we need the strength and courage to change our attitudes toward the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community” as though our attitudes went and shot up the nightclub, killing and wounding over one hundred people. The left does everything in its power to avoid laying the blame for the massacre on Islamic terrorism, but takes sickening delight in ascribing culpability to those they see as a threat to their agenda.

Rahm Immanuel (President Obama’s former chief of Staff and the current Mayor of Chicago) once said “you never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before”. In true fashion, the radical left is using the tragic events that happened in Orlando to further their agenda. In every situation, no matter how tragic; liberal ideology reigns supreme.

People often forget that a Soldier’s mission is to fight and win the nations wars, and that war is a brutal, savage endeavor. In the confusion, the chaos and the fog of war men are called on to make split second decisions about hurting other human beings, and the slightest bit of hesitation can get one maimed or killed. To survive requires a mindset that puts in gear the classic “kill or be killed outlook”. It is a dark place and only those who have gone there can truly understand. During the Iraq war there was an outcry when cameras captured Marines firing on an enemy combatant who appeared to be wounded, lying on the ground, and not a threat to anyone. What the cameras did not capture and people did not know was after that battle, some combatants continued to attack while pretending to be dead or wounded-and while being truly wounded. The people sitting in judgement in TV land saw cruelty. The men in the midst of the battle had to make a quick judgement call and respond to what appeared to be another “wounded” combatant preparing to fire on them. It is easy for people to lose sight of these harsh realities when sitting thousands of miles away in the comfort of their living room.

People spit out nice sounding clichés like “war is not the answer” and “make love not war” they philosophically declare that “nobody wins a war,” but in a world where evil exists; these clichés mean nothing. The aggressive use of force is sometimes necessary in order to stop evil and give peace a chance to thrive. Make no mistake about it, Soldiers do not delight in war, for it is “the soldier above all others who prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war” (General Douglas McArthur). On June 6 1944 allied forces led by American Soldiers were called upon to bear the scars of war in a battle unlike any before it. Young men said goodbye to family, friends, fiancés and other loved ones in their lives, to answer the call. They understood that they might never see their loved ones again. Many paid the ultimate price in answering that call, others came back permanently scarred. They never attempted to shirk the heavy burden that they were called to bear, but responded to the sense of duty that they had. These men knew that they had the full support of a grateful nation, they understood that their cause was just, and they gave their all confronting evil, and in defense of freedom. No one back home was protesting the war, no one was offended by the concept of American might, there were no peaceniks demanding that we give diplomacy a chance. Americans understood that a decisive victory was needed. The allies defeated Hitler’s Army at a costly price and liberated the people who were held captive by his iron grip. The world soon learned the shocking depths of depravity to which people can sink when the plight of the Jews in the Holocaust became known.

Americas fighting forces are the most compassionate, have shown the most grit and determination, and shown the world that freedom is worth the cost of the ultimate price. America, like individuals is not perfect, but America is the greatest entity for good in the world, while also vigorously and unapologetically pursuing its interests (as it should). The sacrifices that America’s service men and women have made the world over has helped to usher in an era of prosperity in the different regions of the world that they have liberated. Western Europe experienced unparalleled economic growth, peace, political and economic stability, with Germany becoming the third biggest economy in the world and the mecca of engineering, Japan rose to become and industrial giant and an economic power, becoming the second biggest economy in the world. After the surrender of Japan, and the United States Military took control of South Korea they sacrificed another fifty-five thousand Soldiers in defense of South Korea five years later to beat back the forces of the invading North Korean Army. South Korea eventually went on to become the fourth largest economy in the world and the premier ship builders on the planet. Compare the countries where there continued to be an American presence and the countries where the Soviet Union remained. Look at North Korea today, East Germany during the split of the country, the countries that formed the Warsaw Pact and African Nations that aligned themselves with Russia/The Soviet Union. All of these countries experienced unprecedented misery, suffering, economic disaster, political chaos and corruption. There are no success stories!

It is interesting to note that the two American Military campaigns where no American Military presence was left or significant aid continued, both countries soon also became catastrophic failures. On both occasions the Military effort was sabotaged by liberal politicians in pursuit of their ideology, and the desire to embarrass their political opponents. Despite American Soldiers being portrayed as barbarians, scenes of the war being beamed nightly to living rooms, and people calling for withdrawal from Vietnam, American Soldiers were able to overcome the Vietcong, forced them to concede, and got them to sign the Paris peace agreement in 1973. America left Vietnam but continued providing Military aid to the South in order to keep the North at bay and ensure they upheld their part of the agreement. After the peace agreement was signed, a liberal Democratic congress swept into power in the United States and they proceeded to cut off Military aid to South Vietnam. With no more Military aid to the South, the North resumed their attacks and South Vietnam fell. The slaughter of five million people in the killing fields of Laos and Cambodia followed the fall of Saigon. To liberal politicians, their ideology was more important than the sacrifices made by America’s Service men and women, and more important than the slaughter of those millions of people. True to form liberals would give a repeat performance during the Iraq war. After voting to send more American’s into harm’s way based on information they had, they then proceeded to do everything in their power to sabotage the war effort. Who can forget the words of Harry Reid when he stood up on the Senate floor said “Mr. President this war is lost.” Once again the prowess of American fighters prevailed and they gained another victory for their country, and once again liberal ideology trumped the sacrifices made by our Armed Forces. After so much blood and sacrifice, American troops pulled out of Iraq. The country quickly regressed into chaos and the scourge of ISIS was borne.

Recently someone wondered aloud if the victories of World War two would be possible today. With the carnage, the savagery, the deaths of civilians and all of the other catastrophic side effects of war being broadcast on TV every night, how would the American public and Politicians react today? As America reflects on the sacrifices of those brave men who stormed the beaches of Normandy seventy two years ago, remember that they were successful because they were given the tools that they needed to succeed, perhaps the most important tool being the political will to follow through on the commitment that its leaders had made.

Is it possible that one of the main reasons people are so up in arms about Donald Trump is because he fights back? In the past, all that was needed to shut up a Republican was to accuse that person of racism, sexism or any flavor of the day “ism,” and that person would go into hiding. The accusers never needed to have proof, only to continue perpetuating the narrative and that was enough. The media would pick it up and they too would push the narrative, then as sure as the sun rises in the east; the accused would apologize for offending whoever was the aggrieved person or victim group. Trump (obnoxious as he is) says what is on his mind, he does not yield to the pressure of political correctness, then goes on the offensive when people try to label him, or purport to know what is going on in his mind and on his heart. He not only defends himself, but he goes into full throttle attack mode and he does it aggressively.

Liberals have grown so accustomed to assassinating the character of anyone who disagrees with them, without the targets of their vitriol putting up any kind of real fight that they are shocked, and do not know what to do with someone like Trump who defends himself. On the other hand, the members of Mr. Trump’s party have been so scared of the left and being labeled by them, that they believe any deviation from their strategy of constantly playing defense, apologizing, and trying to show everyone that they are not bad people is going to doom their party.

It took Donald Trump’s brashness to finally bring attention to the exploits of Bill Clinton. People have known about Bill Clinton’s shenanigans for years. They were no secret, but Clinton has never been vigorously challenged about them. Many of the women who claim to have been mistreated by Clinton, have claimed that Mrs. Clinton, in defense of her husband, have tried to intimidate them into silence. In other instances she has tried to humiliate them publicly, but was never called out for her actions by anyone in the media (except maybe fox news and other conservative radio hosts).

In the 1970s Mrs. Clinton defended a pedophile rapist in court who had raped a 12 year old girl. The Washington Free Beacon’s Alan Goodman reports that Mrs. Clinton in an interview describes how she was certain that the defendant was guilty, but she used a technicality plea bargain on his behalf, and got him a sentence of time already served (two months). Before anyone says that she was only doing her job as a lawyer, remember that this is a woman who sells herself as a champion of the defenseless (particularly women and girls) and in addition; she did not have to take the case (especially if she felt strongly that the defendant committed the brutal crime). These things were known for years, but the complicit media never cared enough to question her on these issues. For the faithful, the cause of the liberal ideology is what matters most.

Donald Trump has made it clear that he “hits back” and people (particularly liberals) are in a quandary because he hits back hard, and he plays as dirty as they do. They are not accustomed to anything like it.

As they continue to defend the Clintons, the media stresses that these are all old accusations and nobody wants to rehash the “discredited claims” of the past. These are the same people who in 2012 thought that it was important for the electorate to know that Mitt Romney transported his dog on the roof of his car twenty years earlier, and that he once played a prank on a school mate in high school. They now believe that old claims of impropriety are irrelevant, and that the alleged women victims have been discredited. In true liberal fashion they offer no evidence showing that the claims of the women have been discredited. They just say it. Normally that would be enough except for an unorthodox candidate by the name Donald Trump.

There are many concerns about the Clinton foundation, but in addition to all of the other problems with their foundation; in 2013 it was revealed that the Clinton foundation gave only ten percent of its donations to charity, thirty three percent went to salaries, and the rest went to other administrative costs. Imagine what the response would be if the people who run this foundation were not named Clinton, or if they were not liberals. Again this is not anything new, but Mr. Trump has been critical of their organization’s dubious accountability practices, and as a result more people are asking questions about the Clinton foundation. One year ago the foundation had to refile its taxes up to five years back because of “errors”  to the sum of millions of dollars in their reporting. In another glittering example of how liberals can do no wrong, all they needed to say was oops my bad and that was the end of it.

It is because of Donald Trump that Americans are now more aware of the illegal immigration problem. He has highlighted the negative effects that cheap unskilled labor has on the wages of Americans. Because of Mr. Trump many Americans who were not paying attention are now aware of the explosion of crime committed by illegal immigrants. People are now talking about health risks posed by the lack of checks on the influx of people coming illegally from third world countries where many communicable diseases that have been virtually eliminated in the United States are still rampant, they are more cognizant of the added burden that unchecked illegal immigration places on an already overburdened welfare system. For the first time in years, the issue of illegal immigration  and the ramifications on the country is in focus.

People may disagree with Donald Trump and his rhetoric, even conservatives do not trust him and they are concerned about his stance on some important issues. He no doubt could use some lessons on tact. He definitely needs to learn how to be more gracious towards people in general, but he has been able to shake up the political class, draw attention to many of the issues that people are concerned about, and highlight the hypocrisy of the left in a way that few have been able to do.

 

 

The relentless march of the left in pursuit of their radical agenda continues unabated. Destructive policies are championed with gusto regardless of the consequences. A new victim group is invented seemingly every day, and with it comes a suffocating onslaught by liberals on the rest of the country to not only give in to their demands, but they also demand acceptance. We now live in a country where many people no longer see themselves as being primarily (with the help of God) responsible for shaping their own future. They honestly believe that it is the role of the government to provide their needs.  They become incensed whenever things go wrong in their lives and they have to put forth effort, time and/or spend their own money to satisfy their needs and achieve their goals. They complain that life is unfair, they are jealous of those who are successful and they believe that there is a government formula or solution to make everything in life fair.

These people do not accept that people have different abilities and talents, that some are willing to work harder than others to achieve their dreams, and most of all they cannot accept that sometimes things simply go wrong in life. They believe that there is a bogey man for everything that goes wrong in life, and they look towards the government for the solution to all of their problems. They are the people who fret over corruption on Wall Street, but are often willing to look the other way when it comes to government corruption. The fact that the Government earns trillions of dollars in tax revenue every year yet continues to find itself so deeply in debt is of little consequence to these good people. While they fret at Goldman Sachs, their ire is not stirred to the same degree by government incompetence that is daily on display, and costs taxpayers billions of dollars each and every single day. For many, as long as they could continue to feed off of government largess, as long as they continue to get their goodies from the public trough “it’s all good”.

It was over two hundred years ago that a very wise man said “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits, with the result that the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy”.

Today in America we have gone from being a country of self-made individuals to being very dependent on the government for our wellbeing. It is this attitude that caused the country to throw a collective tantrum a few years ago when a sitting President dared to suggest that people should be allowed to invest some of the money that they put into Social Security into a private fund of their own choice. Assurances that this change would only affect people within a certain age group did not matter. Members of the opposing party responded with the usual demagoguery, misrepresentation, and scare tactics in response to the President’s proposal. The idea of people being in charge of their own destiny is counterproductive to the liberal agenda because it gives those in control less power over the people. Today we have a government that is 20 Trillion dollars in debt, with billions more in monthly deficits, three quarters of the country’s budget goes into social programs (all of them unfunded liabilities). Social Security operates like a Ponzi Scheme and It takes about three people paying into the fund to pay for every one individual who collects it. There are ninety four million people out of the labor force, eleven million on disability another forty six million living in poverty despite the trillions upon trillions of dollars spent on the war on poverty.

Liberal cities all over America are failing, many of them are cesspools of crime, unemployment, they lag behind in education and the list of failure goes on, but liberals remain undaunted. They continue to demand more goodies, more free stuff, more spending more “taxes on the rich”. The idea of cutting spending implementing sound fiscal policy and teaching people to be self reliable is never an option for them. Tax and spend is their mantra. Keeping people dependent on the government furthers the cause of liberalism because once people are hooked, getting them to believe that they can be self-sufficient again is improbable. Liberals can then use the excuse of compassion to make even more demands and the cycle never ends.

In the unrelenting pursuit of their liberal agenda, they also seek to radically alter the culture through social engineering, and they are just as vicious in the way that they seek to bring about their panacea. The President recently directed that schools all across the country to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms that matches their “gender identity”. Mr. Obama threatened to withhold funds from States with schools that receive federal funding if they do not comply with the directive. This President who has absolutely no problem releasing billions of dollars to a tyrannical Iranian regime with an atrocious human rights record, and that has fought a proxy war with America, killing many of our Service members during the Iraq war, is going to withhold funds from States that do not follow the administration’s “guidance”. Mr. Obama has no issue extending a conciliatory hand to the vicious tyrants of Cuba, smiling takings photos with them, posing in front a gigantic mural of the psychotic murderer Che Guevara (a man personally responsible for the torture and deaths of thousands of people), but he will not extend the same generosity to Americans who disagree with his new policy. He has no problem withholding funds and holding states hostage to his agenda. This is liberalism at its finest. it is dangerous and has to be defeated!

There was a time when people had a story to tell. They told it with thankfulness for having gone through it. While going through their experience they thought it would never end, but many came up with inventive ways to make it through tough times. Many mothers have used the experience of going through hard times to teach their children thrift, to be thankful, to sacrifice, to be compassionate to others, and for many other life lessons. They tell stories of working two, sometimes three jobs, of standing out in the cold early in the morning time and returning late in the evening to prepare dinner for the family, then get ready to do it again the next day. Many of these people would tell you that their experience was rough, and that while going through it they longed for change, but they used their situation to motivate them to do better, to educate themselves, to bring out their entrepreneurial spirit and inventiveness, and claw themselves out of their difficult circumstances.

Dr. Benjamin Carson will tell you that his mother at one time could not read, but she knew that she wanted a better life for her children, so she paid attention to the habits of the successful people for whom she worked and tried to copy them. She did not blame her dire situation on others, instead she learned valuable lessons that she applied to her own life. She emphasized the benefits of education to her children. The sacrifices that she made and the lessons that she instilled in her sons paid off, and they grew up to be successful men, making a major difference in the world. Mr. Carson says that his mother never used her situation to go on an excursion to pity Ville, but instead she used it to drive her (all while raising her boys in the inner city). She accepted public assistance, but never used it as a means to stay where she was. It was not an automatic option, people usually resorted to it after all else had failed. As Dr. Carson states, there was a stigma attached to accepting government handouts in those days and his mother worked hard to get off public assistance.

How many times have we been intrigued by the stories of old timers as they told of their hardship? Many of them would recall their tales of privation with pride, mindful of how it helped to shape their character and prepared them to face life with the understanding that it is not a bed of roses, that sometimes it is unfair, and that at other times “life just happens”. For many of these people, a common thread that runs through their experience is a dogged determination to make it out of their circumstance. They do not blame others for their predicament. They have a tenacity that stares obstacles dead in the face with an optimism that they can overcome them all. This attitude is most demonstrable in the attitude of the pioneers from the early days of this country’s history. These people had none of the amenities that we have today, but through sheer determination, faith in God, belief in themselves and each other and the will to succeed, they helped to make this country into what it is today. We could learn from them!

It is amazing that today, with all of the creature comforts that we have; there is so much despair. Many think that the American dream is dead, still others believe that this country’s best years are behind. Sadly, the things that people once proudly recalled as part of their story, are now seen as evidence of a system that is against them. A large segment of the populace no longer views challenges in their lives with the same perspective most once did. This in large part is due to a prevalent political philosophy that continues to stir up dissatisfaction amongst the people. Grievance is the tactic of choice, and proponents use every crisis as an opportunity to gin up the people against each other. Advocates of this philosophy tell the poor that it is the rich who are responsible for their poverty, they tell women that men are against them, they tell black people and minorities that white people want to subjugate them. These people have no problems destroying the characters of decent people, calling them racist, misogynist, homophobes and doing whatever it takes to further their agenda. They are relentless and they are never satisfied. Each night that you turn on your television set, one of them is pontificating about how terrible the country is. They assure us that they have all of the solutions, that we just need to give them more power. They push the narrative that the only reason bad things happen to people is because others are working against them. They promise to fix all of the problems that ail us. With them in power they vow that no one will ever have to worry about anything because they will prevent bad stuff from happening. Everything will be free, there will be no more poverty, no homelessness, no racism, no sickness or injustice, and a law will be enacted to take care of every problem. Beware of them! With them in power, no one will ever again have a story to tell.

 

If there was ever a doubt that many black Americans bask in the status of victimhood, the evidence is seen in their latest complaint. Many now complain about so called “cultural appropriation.” All over campuses and other places in America, young black activists confront white Americans about white people “stealing their culture.” The people who engage in this behavior that feeds off of a victim mentality do it with gusto, with the same fervor of a pig that wallows in the mud; they wallow in the sludge of victimhood. They see themselves as special because they are victims, and they seize every opportunity to promote the narrative that they are. They refuse to thrive. One of the people most recently targeted as a perpetrator of abuse by members of the victim brigade is a singer by the name of Justin Bieber. What was Mr. Bieber’s crime, you may ask? Get ready for it because it is egregious. Mr. Bieber dared to (wait for it) “appropriate” dreadlocks as a hairstyle. The audacity of this white man! What new way will these people find to continue humiliating and oppressing black people? As the sound of the violin continues, let us step back, take a look at this nonsense and call it out for the utter foolishness that it is.

Instead of seeing themselves as trendsetters, as Americans leading the way in the style league, many black Americans whine about others taking “their culture”. This attitude is indicative of the mindset that many of them have consciously chosen to adopt. They see themselves as some type of “other,” and not as real Americans. They stand on the outside and refuse to engage as Americans. They do not view themselves as contributors in the context of the larger American Culture, but instead to “black culture”. They view this as a very distinct and separate culture, and it has no place in any concept of a unified people. In this context, R&B is not American music but black music, rap is not an American thing, it’s a black thing, white people wearing dreadlocks are not copying a fad popular with Americans, but they are copying a black fad.

If a trend, type of music or practice is considered to be the exclusive domain of black people, then conversely; the same holds true for white people, Asian Americans, Hispanics etc. It would then mean that no black person should ever aspire to the opera, being a ballerina would be off limits to people of color because it is not “their culture”? Practicing martial arts like Kung Fu and Karate would not be practiced by anyone outside of the Asian culture according to this reasoning. We can even take this silly rationale further by questioning whether a person of Chinese decent would have any business learning Karate, or whether a person of Japanese origin should practice Kung Fu, because like other ethnic groups; Asians are not monolithic, and they do have different cultural practices.

Some practices may have cultural roots in a particular group, but that does not make the practice the exclusive domain of the group, because in a cosmopolitan society; cultures often become intertwined and developed into its own customs to form a unique common culture. Sure there are some practices that are unique and sacred to distinct groups, and there are times purely out of respect to these groups, in these unique circumstances that society defers to them and their traditions, but those are rare instances.

The drivel that is being promoted by members of the victim posse on the other hand is something that must be rejected by clear minded people, because to endorse it is to give it legitimacy that it does not deserve. Not because a trend, a style, type of music or anything else was started by a black person or any other group for that matter, does it mean that it is black culture or the culture of the other group. Again, if we were to consistently apply this principle, it would further mean that a black person has no right trying to make it in Nascar, a Hispanic person would not be allowed to open a Chinese restaurant, and a person of Asian descent who may love the Quinceañera tradition and wish to incorporate aspects of it into their own traditions are committing a “cultural crime”.  We should embrace the unifying of a people (the American people) in this manner, but instead we use it to continue promoting the “us versus them” syndrome.

People are either woefully unaware or they do not care that this behavior promotes the segmentation of society and discourages unity amongst the people. This philosophy when encouraged and pursued leads to the Balkanization of nations because it rejects the notion of a common culture (an American culture in this instance).This may seem farfetched, but it is important to remember that many of the radical changes that occur in societies do not happen overnight, but over a long period of time. Radical ideas are implemented slowly, and little by little. Eventually people become numb to the changes. Over time and with each new generation, radical ideas seem like the norm.

Whatever you may think about the Iraq war, the fact is that by 2011 Iraq was mollified. The insurgency was defeated at a costly price, and Military experts warned that in order to sustain the peace, the United States would have to maintain a significant presence in Iraq to secure it. All indicators pointed to Iraq eventually slipping back into chaos if the United States did not show the leadership needed, and did what was necessary to ensure that this did not happen.

Prior to obtaining such a hard fought triumph, the Iraq war was a highly charged, hot button political issue. Both the House and the Senate voted for the decision to go into Iraq. As Iraq continued to violate United Nations resolutions for over a dozen years, (the last of which was passed on 8 November 2002, UN Resolution 1441) both Democrats and Republicans in the house and Senate voted overwhelmingly to go in to Iraq.

The loss of support by politicians for the war came after support by the American people started to wane. When it was no longer popular to back the war, politicians who were gung ho about sending America’s Service Men and Women into harm’s way, and who for years prior had called for action against Saddam Hussein suddenly claimed that they were fooled into voting for the war by the administration at the time. For the next few years that followed they did everything in their power to sabotage the war effort and continued to undermine the work of the men and women who were gallantly performing the duties that they were called to do. Service members were wounded, disfigured, scarred, and many died. Today so many who survived walk around wounded on the inside, and they carry internal scars of battle that cannot be seen. They had no agenda, they simply answered their country’s call.

Despite the political wranglings at the time, the continued lack of support, the media propaganda, and constant deluge of calls by those in opposition to count our losses and pull out of Iraq, General David Petraeus (one of the greatest Military minds according to the experts) devised and proposed a plan to lead us to victory. Moveon.org called him General Betray us for daring to believe victory was an option. Then Senator Hillary Clinton famously declared, “the report that you provided us would require a willing suspension of disbelief”.

The thought of victory so disturbed liberals, blinded by their ideology and such a strong desire to rub a lost war in the face of President Bush, that they absolutely refused to consider that a winning strategy was possible. Winning the ideological battle was more important than winning the war. The genius of General Petraeus, the tenacity, bravery, fighting will and commitment of our Military proved liberals wrong however and our Military defeated the insurgency.

Despite the advice of his Generals and Military Experts everywhere however, President Obama decided that it was more important to fulfill his promise to pull out of Iraq, and in 2011; after claiming that the administration failed to negotiate a Status of Forces agreement, he pulled out the troops. The horror of this decision was obvious to any objective observer at the time, but it did not matter. Liberal ideology and   placating the base superseded everything else.

In 2013 as ISIS was rising to prominence and the United States had the opportunity to show leadership confronting the threat that ISIS posed, Mr. Obama derisively dismissed the concerns of the world and infamously referred to ISIS as “the JV team”. Since becoming President our Afghanistan strategy has been a disaster and we have lost more troops in the first four years of his administration than in the previous eight years, and the Taliban has gained resurgence after Mr. Obama confidently proclaimed that “Osama Bin Laden is dead and al Qaeda is on the run”. Many warning signs before the Benghazi tragedy occurred were ignored. Today Libya continues to be a hotbed and safe haven for Jihadists after US Foreign Policy supported the ousting of the strongman Muamar Ghaddafi with no clear strategy to fill the vacuum left as a result. Today the entire Middle East is on fire and there is tumult around the world as a direct result of a waffling American Foreign policy and lack of leadership. Just a day before the horrible Paris attacks President Obama declared that ISIS was contained, and before the San Bernardino attacks he asserted that the US is safe from attack. A day after the Brussels attack he proclaimed that ISIS is no existential threat. His bizarre behavior continues as he does the Tango (both literally and figuratively), seemingly unmoved by calls to show more leadership, and his list of blunders continue.

No one is saying that any administration will have all of the answers to the difficult issues the country inevitably faces, but Mr. Obama’s nonchalance and lack of leadership demonstrates that his overall strategy continues to be based on hope as a course of action. To many observing, his behavior seems to be from a scene directly out of the twilight zone. Americans should be concerned. To the true disciple, Liberal ideology trumps everything.

Listening to the news today revealed that a Policer Officer was killed in Tampa Florida by a wrong way driver, but that is not the end of the story. As the driver traveled on the wrong side of the road, a woman who realized what was happening, tried to get his attention by blinking her lights at him to warn him that he was on the wrong side of the road. He continued coming in her direction, and she attempted to maneuver her vehicle to avoid him crashing head on into her, but found that she was not going to avoid getting hit by him. Suddenly a police car with blinking lights sped past her and got in front of her vehicle to take the hit from the driver who was on the wrong side of the road. The police officer took the hit and later died at the hospital. Just another day in the heroic lives of the people who sacrifice themselves every day to protect people they do not even know. It is another sober reminder that we can go about our lives blissfully unaware of the dangers that are averted every day because of those who are willing to face danger on our behalf. Say a prayer for the people who serve us in such an unselfish way.

Donald J. Trump! Provocateur, agitator, rebel, businessman, presidential candidate. He is brash, uncouth, unconventional, and at times just plain socially unacceptable. In spite of all of this, people are flocking to him and embracing his message. Some dismiss him as a clown, others say he is not serious, yet others call him a fool. What is this man’s appeal? The answer to this question is not so difficult, and in fact; it is plain for anyone who is willing to look beyond the narratives and the clichés to see. Mr. Trump has tapped in to dissatisfaction amongst the people, he has touched the collective nerve of a populace that is tired with business as usual, and is fed up with the political class. He has managed to awaken people to the political process in a way that few others have been able to do. Love him or hate him he has gotten our attention.

In an age when it is in vogue to bash ones country, to point out only the things that are wrong in America, to portray it as an unjust society, and when patriotism is woefully out of fashion, Mr. Trump is unapologetic about his love for this country. He does not apologize for America being the country that it is. He laments that America is being outmaneuvered by other countries in trade deals, and other agreements like the Iran nuclear agreement. He points to the massive trade imbalance with China, Mexico and other countries. After years of America’s borders not being protected, and people flocking to this country illegally, Mr. Trump talks of protecting our borders, and protecting American workers affected by the influx of low wage unskilled labor. In Donald Trump, people see strength; he is unaffected by the shackles of political correctness, and says what is on his mind. In today’s America, when people could lose their jobs for voicing what others deem to be offensive speech, or the wrong opinion, when people are threatened by government officials for their religious convictions, they like Mr. Trump’s cavalier attitude. He is not afraid of being labelled a racist, misogynist or any other label that people try to pin on him.

These are just some of the reasons why Mr. Trump is so popular. It is not rocket science. The people who support him are not stupid, nor are they bigots, in fact; they are tired of having their legitimate concerns brushed aside by political elites in both parties over a long period of time. They are motivated by love of country, and the prospect of what they see as someone who is willing to fight for them. These people are willing to look past his flaws and his rough edges because they believe that he can and will do what he says he will do. They have experienced governance against the will of the people, and seen promises broken time and again by professional politicians they are willing to take a chance on an outsider.

People love Donald Trump because he does not maintain a defensive posture. When he is accused of bigotry, when any pejorative term is thrown at him, or he is attacked in any way; he does not play into the narrative the way that members of his party do all of the time. He does not assume the guilt that others try to put on him. They see in him a sort of everyman who is willing to fight. As one person put it “Mr. Trump champions the things he believes in”.

For those worried about belittling the office of the Presidency, that was accomplished a long time ago when a sitting President literally used his office as a place to have a nineteen year old intern perform fellatio on him. The office of the Presidency was demeaned when that same President committed perjury in a sexual harassment case that was brought against him (while he was President) ended up losing his law license in his home state, and suspended from practicing before the Supreme Court. The political process leading to the Presidency was tarnished when the American people decided that they did not care that more than eight women accused Bill Clinton of either sexual assault, rape, or sexual harassment. The process was further corroded when candidate Barrack Obama was blasting “ninety nine problems but a b….ch aint one from the speakers at one of his rallies back in 2008 when the Vice Presidential candidate on the other side was a woman, or when Celo Green was gleefully singing his hit song f…..k you while simultaneously giving the middle finger at a Barrack Obama fundraiser back in 2012.

As people get on Mr. Trump for demeaning the process. The lead candidate on the other side, a few years ago, during her first run for President; claimed that she came under fire while getting off a chopper on an official visit in Bosnia. It was a lie and she later apologized. As Secretary of State she conducted her official business on a personal server at her home seriously jeopardizing the security of this country. In any other job she would have at least have been suspended (if not jailed), instead she is running for President, and her supporters do not care.

There is always talk about using diplomacy when it comes to dealing with despots and other tyrannical regimes around the world. Surely, if Mr. Trump wins the Presidency they will make accommodation for an American leader who is rough around the edges.

This is not a defense of Mr. Trump’s behavior. It is often despicable. This is just an attempt to add some perspective to the Trump phenomenon, and it is definitely a defense of the people who support him.

At its core, liberalism is the belief that people are incapable of taking care of themselves and therefore need to look to the government to supply their needs. Liberalism does not accept that in life bad things sometimes do happen, and that there is no way to eliminate the natural negative consequences of living. In Liberalism one assigns a villain to every bad thing that happens, and there is a belief that the government can legislate every problem away. As a philosophy it is based on vapid, empty, feel good utopian dreams that will never be realized. Liberalism does not accept that in life things sometimes just go wrong, and that often no one is to blame. At the heart of this philosophy is the belief that good intentions matter (despite the consequences) most. It is based on pure, unadulterated emotionalism, and because of this people lose sight of the reality that life is sometimes just “unfair”.

In the effort to fix what people used to overcome through tenacity, hard work, innovation, by neighbor helping neighbor, and churches and other charitable organizations contributing to society, all types of disastrous policies are implemented with not much thought about the long term consequences of these policies.  Liberals say things like “no one should have to work two jobs just to take care of their family”. If something is considered to be a critical need for survival, liberal dogma says that people should not have to struggle to pay for it.  In liberalism, charity is the government taking people’s money and distributing it to others. Liberals will express rage at any rich person caught in unscrupulous dealings, but never express that same anger at a corrupt, incompetent government that is seventeen trillion dollars in debt. Left up to liberalism, no one would have a story of overcoming, or the inventiveness that is often born out of adversity.

One example how liberalism causes harm is the way that it has practically caused the cost of health insurance to go through the roof (even before Obamacare) because of government mandates. With each new mandate by the government, the insurance companies would raise their prices to make up for increased cost. Liberalism strives to create a perfect system where nothing ever goes wrong, and each time that something does go wrong, more rules are made up to fix it, then there are more unintended consequences that become part of a vicious circle. They believe that problems, through some magic formula must be distributed proportionately amongst the population.

Liberalism does not prepare people for the real world. In a culture that says everyone is a winner, where participation trophies abound, where coaches are fired for allowing players to play too hard against inferior teams, where college faculty must prepare “safe spaces” for students who are “hurt” by speech they deem to be offensive, and where feelings trump everything else, young people are often unprepared to deal with the reality that life is sometimes difficult.

It is liberalism that drove the decision by the government to take the banks to court to force them to stop asking questions of their customers that validate their customers’ ability to repay loans. It is liberal philosophy that made the justice department then place pressure on the banks, and threaten to sue them if they did not lend money to people who obviously could not repay those loans. When the banks devised schemes to make back their money, and the whole thing came crashing down, liberals blamed the banks without looking at the role their philosophy played.

It is liberal philosophy that is responsible for the ban of the most effective treatment ever for mosquito borne diseases. As a result of this ban, tens of millions of people all around the world have died from diseases like malaria and yellow fever. Today DDT is once again being looked at by the World Health Organization as a viable option to fight vector borne diseases, but no one will ever be held accountable for the ban that has cost millions upon millions of lives over the decades because of this foolish policy that was implemented in the first place.

Liberal philosophy ignores the unintended consequences of human trafficking, and the steady flow of drugs across the border, or that a country without borders is likely to become a pipeline for all types of criminal elements and health risks. Liberals do not consider the economic consequences of illegal immigration to workers in this country It does not cross their mind that corrupt governments will never have an incentive to mend their ways as long we openly encourage illegal immigration. What makes liberalism a particularly dangerous philosophy is that to a large extent it is based on good intentions, and because of this it often clouds the judgement of many otherwise decent and intelligent people.