Obama, ACLU, and Terrorist

You know, at some point you just have to sit back and say “Duh”. Indications now seem to say that the Obama Administration is going to miss the deadline for their report on Guantanamo. Hello, Mr. President… is it just a little more complicated than you thought before you took office?

Maybe the President should have considered just what his briefing level was on Guantanamo before he promised to close it. Now, according to CNN WireCNN Link, even the ACLU is getting involved. Gee, and here I thought all they wanted to do was run God out of the United States. Turns out I was wrong, they also want to push for the closing of Guantanamo and freedom for those terrorist, potential and otherwise, living there. After all, what do we have to be afraid of? According to the PentagonCNN Commentary only one in seven terrorist return to their former terrorist activity. Those are pretty good odds if you ask me. Sure, let’s just release all the potential terrorist. I’m all for it, on one condition. I want to ensure that they have the name and address of each person in the ACLU pushing for their release. I mean the ACLU members should be fine with this shouldn’t they? After all there is only a one in seven chance that any of those potential terrorist will harm someone in the ACLU.

So, the ACLU still pushes and Obama still listens only now there is a new twist. Just as I wrote in an earlier article, it is very likely that President Obama’s head is still spinning from all the information he learned from President Bush when he took office. For over seven years, President Bush oversaw the protection of the United States. He saw the inside reports, the reports from the press and the reports from the front lines (some which we still haven’t seen). President Bush saw fit to take measures to protect Americans, a task he was elected to do. Now President Obama has been elected to handle that task. I’m sure it is a heavy load for the President. But my message for the President is simple, I respect you, respect your position, and respect you as a person, but in the end you did not know it all like you thought. Now that you are the President, you are required to know it all. Don’t you just get that “Duh” feeling?

Curtis Coleman Explores U.S. Senate

Curtis Coleman is exploring. He’s not heading to the moon or out west; rather he is exploring the possibility of a run for the U.S. Senate. It’s not just any seat that he’s eyeing. He’s looking into taking on Blanche Lincoln who has been entrenched in her current seat since her election in November 1998. For years she has held this seat with little opposition and has rode on her claim to fame as being the youngest woman elected to the United States Senate (a point she makes in her bio section at http://lincoln.senate.gov/). So what mode of attack can Mr. Coleman employ as he “explores” a run for the Senate? The answer is simple, the Internet.

Mr. Coleman is just about everywhere on the Internet. When Mrs. Lincoln first ran for office, little thought was given to an Internet campaign. Mr. Coleman on the other hand seems to have embraced the use of the Internet as if it is the main gun in his arsenal to take down the entrenched Senator. Consequently, I first learned about the Coleman campaign from the “Coleman for Senate Exploratory Committee” site (http://www.curtiscoleman.com/). This site opens with an exceptional video introduction by Mr. Coleman himself. He magically strolls across your open browser, introduces himself, and introduces you to his campaign. The site goes on to feature his views, what he stands for, a review of his family, his work history, and naturally ways to “join the team.” The site is impressive for an “exploratory” site.

But wait! Much like the pitch salesman, there is more. Mr. Coleman is not sitting still with his well tailored website. You can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter. There’s even a group on Facebook for Coleman supporters. On the Twitter site, Coleman has posted links to his extensive written works about our current state of government affairs and even a post welcoming a new grandchild into the world. As a result of the use of Facebook and Twitter, I have received a couple of notes from Mr. Coleman in regards to the local Miller County Republican Committee and mutual friends. He has been open, direct, and quick to respond to any questions I've had.

I’m not going to try to detract from Mrs. Lincoln in this post. Mrs. Lincoln is a Democrat and she has served Arkansas in the Senate. To be honest, I have agreed with some of her votes and disagreed with others. This is a trait common for any elected official, but I have never felt an outreach from Mrs. Lincoln. Sure, she will shake my hand, ask for my vote (and money), and smile at the camera, but she has never reached out to me by snail mail (you know, U.S. Post Office) or by the Internet. Mr. Coleman is raising the bar. He is reaching out to people who reach to him. He’s filling a void often felt by voters when politicians seem uninterested in anything except a vote. He’s blogging, he’s using Facebook, he’s sending messages through Twitter, and he’s listening to people. In the age of Internet, we need leaders who are willing to reach out to the voters using current technology and Mr. Coleman has found that outlet.

What can I say, as a result of Mr. Coleman’s brilliant use of the Internet, I found out more information about him, his campaign, where he stands, and mutual friends we both know. Had it not been for this personal touch and use of the Internet for direct, fast communication, it’s likely I would have seen a sign somewhere asking me to vote for Curtis Coleman, and I would have wondered just who Curtis Coleman is and what he means to me way down in Texarkana.

Curtis Coleman's site
Curtis Coleman on Twitter
Curtis Coleman on Facebook
Curtis Coleman on Blogspot

Psst...Hey, Gibbs..."It was McCain...Obama Ran Against McCain, Not Bush!"

The White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is apparently confused about who Obama’s opponent was in the last presidential election. George Bush has been very careful not to criticize and not to offer suggestions to President Obama out of respect and because he believes it is the right thing to do. When asked about the closing of Gitmo, Bush again stated that he was not going to criticize Obama and that he believes there are people there intent on killing Americans. That is a straightforward, honest answer, and an answer that many Americans would agree with. If you don’t believe Americans would agree with this, just search and see if you can find a city, town, county or state jumping up and down with joy and wanting Obama to send those in Gitmo to them. Hello? Nobody wants the terrorist, potential or real, living in his or her area. After Bush made the comment the press took it to the White House in apparent hopes of stirring up a feud to fuel papers. In the end, all they apparently caused was confusion for the current Press Secretary of the White House who for some reason believes Obama ran against Bush.

Secretary Gibbs had an outstanding comeback to the questions ask. He replied simply, “we won”. When I first read this I was a little confused. I thought he might be referring to the war on terrorism, but if that was the case why do we still have Homeland Security working, why are our troops still abroad fighting terrorist and why do we have money being spent on our nation’s security against terrorist. So, I know that Gibbs must not be talking about the war on terror, but later in the article it became clear. Gibbs stated “we kept score last November and we won.

Secretary Gibbs, yes George Bush was unpopular in the polls at the time he left office. After all the economy was bad, gas prices were high, jobs were being lost, the housing market was crumbling and the war on terror was still going. In the end you and I know that Americas blame the current administration for anything going wrong. If you don’t believe that, then just ask Jimmy Carter what happens when you haven’t won your second term yet and the economy is bad, gas prices are high, jobs are being lost, the housing market is crumbling and you have terrorist acting up around the world (you remember Iran, right Mr. Gibbs?) So, George Bush most likely would not have won an election against President Obama, but once again Mr. Gibbs, Obama did not run against George Bush. Just as a refresher for your future comeback comments, Obama won against John McCain. You know, white haired American War Hero who also showed respect to President Obama during the election and after. It sounds like President Bush and Senator McCain have pretty much shown a great deal of respect for President Obama. Maybe you should consider this and at least show them the respect of learning the name of whom your boss ran against in the election (yeah, the one last November).

White House fires back at Bush comments: 'We won'

Tax Increase Right on Track

Remember all those people yelling and cheering for Obama as he announced we were all going to have to work together to get the country back on track? I do, I cringed when he said it because he wasn’t talking about cutting taxes so we could keep more money. He wasn’t talking about government limiting what physicians can charge and he wasn’t talking about the government paying off physician and nurse education bills so they would be comfortable with charging a mandatory reduced rate. No, he was talking about raising taxes. It’s that simple.

So, how did he play this game. First he gave everyone a nice little tax break. A lot of folks saw a slight increase in paychecks, some people living in nursing homes and institutions got a one time stimulus check (I’m sure they all loaded on the bus and went to spend it at Wal Mart) and some folks flat saw taxes dropped from their paycheck. Yes, completely and I’ve seen those paychecks and the proof. But you cannot have health care reform, save the economy, and get the socialistic programs you want without money. So, where does that money come from? I’ll give you yelling and cheering crowds a hint...You. Yes, you and me are going to pay for all these nice programs.

Now, I know, you still don’t believe me. Like I said, Obama’s game is simple, he comes out and says, “Hey, I’m a nice guy. I’m giving you some money, help, the things you need.” But wait, then he sends out his number one man to say, “Well, we might have to raise taxes to pay for all this, we just can’t rule it out.” Still don’t believe me? Sure, I’m sure as a Republican I’m making all this up just to “Bash Obama” right? I’m having a BO session you think, right? No, here are the words from Biden and you decide what he is saying from CNN.Com’s own pagelink:

(CNN) — Vice President Joe Biden said Sunday that the Obama administration opposes taxing the medical benefits employers provide workers to pay for health care reform, but he refused to rule it out entirely.

Okay, try as I man, I’ve still not convinced you have I? What about this statement also in the same article, “Biden noted that the administration also seeks to raise $300 billion in taxes by limiting the deductions of high-income Americans”? Now ask yourself what is the definition of “high-income Americans”? Compared to some in Mexico, or Central America, we are all “high-income Americans”. Many of you who stood and cheered and yelled for Obama are “high-income Americans” (Oprah) in my viewpoint. In fact, a great many Obama supports make more money than I’ll ever see (unless someone reads these articles and offers me a commentary job..hint, hint).

So, here’s the way I see it, a “high-income American” is anyone making more money than I do each year. So, Obama will cut out some of your deductions. Oh, don’t worry, us lower income families will likely still be able to take the deduction, but your pay scale will cut you out. Next time before you go yelling and screaming for Obama, you just might want to ask what this man’s opinion is on the definition of “high-income Americans” and just who decides if his definition agrees with the rest of us.

Vote Steve Harrelson…Democrat!

When a Republican supports a Democrat, people seem surprised. All sorts of questions go around the table “How can you support a Democrat?” “You’re going to a Republican meeting and then a Democrat meeting?” and so on. Tuesday evening (6-9-2009) I stood in the hot afternoon sun with other supporters of Steve Harrelson and was not the least bit surprised to see several Republicans in the crowd. There was no intent to sabotage or detract from Steve’s moment, but instead these Republicans were present to support Steve. Support ranged from donations, to well wishing and handshakes. It was support for a man who represents people over parties.

Surprisingly, Steve is one of those Democrats who can transcend political parties after elected. He doesn’t look at people and say, “Well, you’re a Republican and you didn’t support me; therefore I won’t listen to you now that I’m elected.” Instead, Steve recognizes that while he remains a true Democrat at heart, he is elected to represent the people. This young man has what it takes to be Governor, Senator, Congressman or just about any other elected position he wants to pursue because of his ability to cross party lines. Steve has already proven that he can represent the people and not the party once in office.

So, because Steve is able to cross those lines, does listen to people, and works hard at his elected positions, I will once again support his drive for office. The first time he ran, I must confess I was a Democrat. After years of internal conflict, I like to say I came home to the Republican Party, but that’s another story. This is about Steve and he is running for State Senator District 21. It’s an important position in the state of Arkansas and a position that Steve will be able to fill with the same excellence we have seen from him as the House Representative for District 1. Once again, I will be proud to stand at the polls holding a sign for Steve Harrelson; although this time I certainly hope it doesn’t rain most of the day. (And yes, that’s yours truly on the left in the photo with Steve)