Archive for the ‘Government’ Category

There is nothing extraordinary about President Obama’s announcement that “undocumented workers”( a/k/a illegal aliens) will be able to buy their way into a minimum two- year extended stay in the U.S., after which time their status will need to be renewed. The cost is $465. Even fee waivers will be available under “limited circumstances.”

Bypassing Congress to afford special status to certain individuals isn’t new. However, it’s usually done by Executive pardon by an outgoing President and granted to the rich and influential. To wit: Mark Rich. You remember. He was the fugitive financier and husband of a large contributor to Bill Clinton’s Presidential Library who was convicted of securities fraud then fled the country to evade incarceration. When his wife “petitioned” the Clinton Administration, it resulted in Rich’s pardon by Executive pardon as one of Clinton’s, literally, last acts as President.

The only difference between what the Obama Administration is now doing and the usual route via Presidential pardon in this “pay to play” amnesty, is one of cost. It’s Obama’s latest implementation and variation on redistribution of wealth. It’s redistribution of patronage. Now gaming the system can be accessed by those less rich and less influential. Unless, of course, you dismiss the influence that Latino’s will have via their vote come November 2012.

I saw “The Dark Knight Rises” this past weekend and I was struck by how much the horrific tragedy in Colorado unfortunately obscured and overshadowed the prophetic message of the movie. Gotham was driven to the brink of extinction by political corruption and manipulation of the masses through class warfare and the continual lowering of both the ethical and moral bars.

Sound familiar?

Obama isn’t the first. He’s the inevitable result of our allowing greed, corruption, deceit and indifference to flourish not only in the political arena but in our own lives as well. When each of us lives Gandhi’s message to “be the change you want to see in the world”… only then will we be able to lift ourselves, the culture and the Nation out of the ethical and moral morass we’ve created through self-interest, apathy and our endless desire for more of everything.

While many are making much of what happened yesterday in Arkansas and Kentucky, it’s no surprise to me.  That’s because I’ve been saying, for quite some time now to anyone who will listen, that Barack Obama is finished.  He will not be re-elected.  The reason for my optimism is that we’ve reached the tipping point. A sufficient number of Americans are now awakened to the reality that 1) he has no leadership capability and 2) he has no core.

This President was elected on a hope and a prayer….not hope and change. He was successfully marketed and insufficiently vetted.  The inevitable outcome of that carefully crafted combination was that we elected not only a man without qualification, but more importantly, one with a political and social agenda that flies in the face of what it means to be an American.

Neither three years of on-the-job training nor the stated preferences of the American people have caused this President to waver from his anti-capitalist, anti-western, anti-personal freedom stance.  He has brought a hubris and arrogance to the office that was obscured, for quite some time, by the limelight of being the first African-American President.  That light has faded to reveal a vacuous, condescending and opportunistic man.  Which is why recently in Arkansas, Kentucky and West Virginia an out of state lawyer, an “uncommitted” and a felon, respectively, nearly matched Obama’s vote totals in the Democratic primaries.

I am heartened by this timely and needed turn of events. I am, as stated at the outset, not surprised.

One of the characteristics of the unprecedented global change in Consciousness we are transitioning through is the inability to sustain deception. Simply put, there are no more secrets.  True Light, the Light of Creator, does many things but perhaps none more meaningful than unveil the shadow side of things. Absent the shadow, Truth emerges. Therein lie the basis for my optimism.

Yes, we are transiting some difficult circumstances. Yes, we all feel the challenges. Yes, there is much being asked of us and, likely, more to come. But the shadow has been unveiled for all to see and many have now opened their eyes.  It is not Obamacare that will be repealed in November but Barack Obama himself and what he tried to do. And failed.

 

It’s pretty obvious why “The Avengers” has hit a financial home run in its opening  weekend. Perhaps our political candidates running in 2012 would do well to pay attention.  The message is that people are 1) looking for leaders, 2) heroes and 3) anyone capable of cleaning up the mess.  Without real life satisfaction, they are flocking to theaters to get lost in the escape of watching it on screen.

Beware.

While it’s a good sign that people are finally fed up with the deceit and corruption that we’ve permitted and, in too many cases, participated in… threshold moments such as this one have historically been “ripe for the pickings” by less than altruistic individuals.

If we are to survive and establish an ethical and moral code that reflects who we really are and what we are capable of, then we’ll have to be fully conscious and personally responsible in order to avoid being seduced by those who would take advantage of our collective frustration and anger to manipulate us into an even darker reality.

We became a consumer society. As such, we became accustomed to being taken in my promises and marketing ploys that have as their end game making you want to buy what someone else has to sell. In our quest for authentic leadership we bought “Hope and Change” in 2008 with less scrutiny than we buy a car. That abdication of personal responsibility got us where we find ourselves today. To make the same mistake twice will be fatal to the culture and the Nation as we have known them each to be.

Change is filled with opportunity.  This is a time in our history, both national and human, when creative thinking is called for as is the “heavy lifting” required by each of us to see the world through this transition. Metamorphosis is never an easy process; however, when properly accomplished, it’s always a beautiful one.

We each hold in our hearts and our minds the potential for unprecedented growth. The question is “Do we have the wisdom and courage to make good use of it?” We can succeed but only if we, as individuals, identify the hero within and then act accordingly.

I am hardly in the dark when it comes to politics, the news generally and Israel specifically. After all, I write this blog post regularly, do three hours of talk radio a week and I’m a Jew. Which is why I was so surprised to hear today, for the first time ever, the term “Israel-Firsters.”  I had no idea what it meant or whose agenda it was supposedly furthering. It turns out the term may have been created by MJ Rosenberg, writing for the Left’s  Media Matters financed on-line blog “Political Correction.” I am not certain whether Mr. Rosenberg originated the phrase or just likes to use it a lot. But use it he does.

I am somewhat familiar with Mr. Rosenberg from my work several decades ago that involved interaction with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (A.I.P.A.C.). Back then, Mr. Rosenberg had a diametrically opposed position on American-Israeli relations than he has today. While I have no idea what caused his political “conversion,” he is now the prototypical convert. He is a zealot for his new belief system. In his case, that belief system is founded upon a disdain (a mild choice of wording for sure) for all Americans who support the right of Israel to exist as well as any strategic interest common to both the United States and Israel.

Israel-Firsters apparently refers to those Americans who allegedly put the interest of Israel before the best interest of the United States and see it as “Israel first and above all else.” This term is thoroughly expounded upon, in the negative, by Michael Scheuer in a post titled “Turning The Tables on The Israeli-Firsters.”

I’d like to address two points to both Messrs. Rosenberg and Scheuer.

First, when a position is so extreme that it can’t help but be conveyed with a mean spiritedness, such an undertone belies both objectivity and any assertion of neutrality. Both Messrs. Rosenberg and Scheuer cannot help but write about Israel without sounding as if they have either some axe to grind or political agenda to advance. So much for intellectual honesty.

Secondly, Mr. Scheuer’s assertion that the U.S. is inappropriately enmeshed in a “religious war” between Jews (Israel) and Muslims (the Arab world) is another attempt to reframe the reality in order to advance a political agenda. While it is true that the Koran, and thereby Arab nations, seek the annihilation of the State of Israel and all Jews on religious grounds, Israelis and Jews generally simply seek to live in peace within the borders of their state without imposing any religious agenda on those whose belief system is different from their own. Any insertion by the United States into that conflict is for the sole purpose of obstructing the stated intention of the Arab nations to eradicate the only democratic government that remotely resembles and supports principles and values similar to those held by the United States. Simply put, like attracts like and friends stand up for friends.

As a guardian of the Constitution and free speech, I defend Messers. Rosenberg’s and Scheuer’s right to publicly state their opinions. Unfortunately, both are giving voice merely to their “estimates of reality” based upon very limited perspectives and as such, reach conclusions that are grossly imprecise.

I, personally, prefer to draw my conclusions based upon fact, not opinion.

 

This post will be shorter than most. Mainly because I am speechless (perhaps “wordless” is more accurate under the circumstances).  I just read the headline story on Fox News.com that President Obama issued the following “stern warning” to the Supreme Court regarding their decision on Obamacare due in June. It reads, in part as follows:

“I’m confident this will be upheld because it should be upheld.”

“Ultimately, I am confident that the Supreme Court will not take what would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress.”[…] and compared the court’s rejection of the law to “judicial activism.”

The definition of “arrogance” in Wikipedia will now necessitate a photo of the President to accompany the definition. In fact, why don’t they drop the “Of Hope” from the next printing of his autobiography and just title it “Audacity.”

Where I come from its called “chutzpah.” Whatever you call it…exactly who does he think he is?

 

I think it’s important to disclose a vested interest up front. I am an American Jew, so the fate of U.S.-Israeli relations matters to me for three reasons. As an American, I want to keep close those nations that are democratic in nature and founded upon principles and values similar to those of my country.  As a Jew, I am emotionally and historically tied to the land of Israel and, particularly, its reestablishment as the Jewish homeland in 1948. As an inhabitant of planet Earth, I want the highest good for all concerned.  Having now indicated that I have a “dog in this hunt” (actually, three dogs), I now approach the topic of a recent U.S. State Department action.

Yesterday, our State Department issued an official communication regarding travel by one of its representatives. A screen shot of the original release looked like this:

The problem with the release is that it distinguished Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, from Israel itself. The other names in the title of the release are countries, as is Israel. So, the implication is that in some way Jerusalem is independent of Israel. This is a fiction but one which I believe the Obama Administration would like to foster as it has previously. This is not the first time Jerusalem has been singled out by this Administration and referenced as being separate from Israel. And as happened on prior occasions, when called on it, the Administration made a “correction.” Now, the corrected version reads “Acting Under Secretary Kathleen Stephens Travels to Algiers, Doha, Amman, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv. (italics added).

So, where’s the harm? Well, none… if it were a one time, isolated “mistake.” But it is instead a pattern of words and actions by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, this State Department and this White House that have been hostile to a longtime friend and ally.

In so many ways we are living through an extraordinary time of change. What accompanies change is chaos. In times of chaos it is best to know what is at your core and be able to access it should you need to stabilize and even, perhaps, defend what you believe in and value. The same is true for nations.

In a technological world experiencing rapid, global, political upheaval we are both connected and reliant upon one another to a greater degree than has ever historically been the case. For any nation, ours included, seeking to self-organize within the larger self-organization taking place globally, we would be wise to know who our friends are and treat them as such.

For our government to willfully, blatantly and repeatedly disregard both U.S. law, which recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, as well as Israel’s decision as where it chooses to place its capital within its own borders, is not only a violation of the Jerusalem Embassy Act passed by the U.S. Congressional in 1995 but also an insult to Israel. Worth noting is that only when Israel has been in political, military and geographic control of Jerusalem have all three major world religions had the right and the access to worship.

In case you haven’t had the experience, friendships don’t survive repeated insults. It makes one wonder if that’s the real purpose after all.

So I’m wondering out loud because if I’ve learned one thing from history its to not be quiet and to not sit down.

 

 

When I was in law school, my closest friend had a philosophy by which she lived. “Prepare for the worst and hope for the best” was her motto. When I asked why she felt as she did, her reply was “because I want to stay positive and if I am prepared for the worst I can then put it out of my mind and focus on the good.”  As someone with a propensity to worry, I took it as good advice and have lived by it ever since.

So I find misguided all the condescension toward people who choose food storage or a contingency plan for their family in case of emergency. At best it’s misguide but at worst it’s irresponsible. After all, we are living in rather precarious times.

Economic chaos, terrorist threats, and natural disasters hover, most days, just beyond the horizon. Any one of them is enough to cause worry and stress yet all three remain immanent and ongoing potentialities. But for being motivated by intolerance or political agenda, I see no good reason to disparage anyone who chooses to provide for themselves or their loved ones in the face of potential harm.

I am willing to bet that most of the people who seek to condemn or condescend others for preparation, carry comprehensive coverage on their auto insurance. You know, the coverage that assures you that if your car gets stolen, burned, vandalized, weather damaged, or is in a riot or missile attack etc. you’ll be able to return it to its pre-damaged condition with the assistance of the insurance company’s funds.  So let’s see. It’s not crazy, in fact it’s prudent, to prepare in advance for your car’s well-being but not for that of your life or the life of loved ones?

Please.

This is about intolerance and politics. It’s about divide and conquer. It’s about “us” against “them.” It’s primarily about Progressives against Conservatives…since it’s mostly Conservatives who do this kind of preparation. As for me, I’m an Independent. Not just politically but in my thinking as well. I live life as I see fit and draw my own conclusions after a reasoned and thorough study of the facts.

It seems to me that in a nation where Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve print money as if life is a game of Monopoly, a world where terrorists plot globally to destroy the values and principles upon which this country was founded, and where Nature has had just about enough of humankind’s lack of appreciation and disregard for balance…a little extra food, water, protection and a contingency plan seem to fit just fine into my law school colleague’s philosophy.

Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

 

Never before in my lifetime has this nation been so polarized, with the divide most evident in the rhetoric and posturing of our elected officials.  The run-up to the 2012 Presidential election seems like a war rather than a competition. But perhaps war is the inevitable result of competition in the extreme.

Admittedly, this is a tricky topic to approach. Our society, especially our economic life, is based upon competition. To in any way disparage competition raises the ire of all who believe capitalism and free markets to be the best system for economic prosperity. This same group tends to bristle at the whole concept of “participation trophies for everyone” in academics and sports, rather than acknowledging, and rewarding, only winners.

At the other end of the spectrum are those who advocate equality as an end result rather than equal opportunity as a starting point.  This group favors social justice rather than equal justice and would, among other approaches, redistribute wealth so that everyone has a “more balanced outcome” regardless of input and effort.

It seems an irreconcilable morass. But here’s the good news. Life is paradox.

It is the vast distance and seemingly conflict-laden discrepancies between these two positions that will eventually lead us to resolution. Extremes cannot exist for long without self-destructing. Such tension defies the Universal Laws of Balance and Wholeness. It is out of such destruction that we, as a nation and as a people, will emerge stronger and wiser.

It will not be an easy time transitioning to a better way of leadership and conflict resolution. Old patterns die hard.  We are all living the tension that must exist when polar opposites tug at one another for dominance. Many of us also understand that the “chrysalis” stage in transformation is not an easy place to be…however temporary. But dominance is what brought us to this evolutionary moment.

Those in positions of power who arrived there through dominance, deception and greed will not readily release their grip.  Make no mistake. There is war being waged. It is a spiritual war for the soul of humankind. And so we must experience the discomfort and uncertainty of profound change in order to arrive at the comfort and certainty that awaits us on the other side of this transition and expansion of human consciousness.

Take heart. Seek your own internal balance. It is worth the challenge and the wait.

It always has been. It always will be.

There is a priceless lesson from the 2008 Presidential election if you want it. The Nation voted for “Hope and Change” presumably because that’s what we sought. I think it’s an accurate assessment to conclude that we’ve actually lost hope and gotten change we never anticipated. Why? Because we each abdicated personal responsibility for maintaining hope and affecting change by instead believing that one man, promising to give us both, would do what we were unwilling to do ourselves.

Enter Ron Paul.

I have been asking myself “What is the zealous appeal he ignites in, particularly, young voters?” I’ve concluded that young people are yet idealistic and believe, in theory, what is tremendously difficult to accomplish in reality. This is not a bad thing. It is, however, a perspective that is usually tempered by life experience. Hence, most people become more conservative in their views as they age and have those life experiences. So Ron Paul, in his straightforward and honest way, reflects the idealistic views of the young…but he also reflects the best in us regardless of age. He is the out-picturing of our Higher Selves.

I have always held to the conviction that we get the leaders we deserve. This explains Barack Obama. We wanted a free ride and someone else to row the boat. He promised both. Well, we got our free ride, only now the boat is careening down the rapids and controlling the oars is a man who cannot, or will not, change course.

Ron Paul’s rise to the status of serious Presidential contender is a good sign whether he is the nominee or not. Under the “leader we deserve” theory, it bodes well for our awakening to the necessity of speaking truth to power and the need to make tough decisions.

But let’s not deceive ourselves yet again.

Neither Ron Paul nor any elected official can do it for us.  A leader can inspire and can point the way but each of us must do the heavy lifting for ourselves. Unless we are willing and able to grow up and accept this truth, we’d better take one last look around at the scenery because this boat is going down.

M. Zuhdi Jasser, M.D., a devout Muslim, is Founder and President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, “created in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the United States as an effort to provide an American Muslim voice advocating for the preservation of the founding principles of the United States Constitution, liberty and freedom, and the separation of mosque and state.” When looking for what is often called a “moderate Muslim” Dr. Jasser is the prototype and an admirable representative of that group.

When Dr. Jasser was asked in a recent interview about Islamic extremism he said “It’s not so much Islam against the West as it is a civil war within Islam.”  This statement fascinated me and got me thinking about the problem and the solution to radical Islam. United States history can be instructive.

During the founding of this Nation, and through the end of the 19^th century, we too were internally torn apart by a philosophically, and even religiously, sanctioned belief that physical and psychological enslavement of a targeted group of people was acceptable behavior and policy. Such is the well-documented history of African-Americans. However, this shameful time in our cultural evolution led good and decent people to stand for what was right, even at the price of brother against brother and the loss of 620,000 lives.

If we have been conditioned to perceive Islamic terrorism as a war against all Western nations then we may be misguided in our response and efforts to combat it. Further, we may altogether miss the instructive view that Dr. Jasser sets forth.

If, instead, there is a civil war occurring within Islam generally, then would it not behoove all freedom loving nations to seek out and support the internal Islamic opposition that itself seeks freedom from the fear of living under Sharia law as promulgated by the extremists?

Perhaps the greatest blunder by Barack Obama and the current U.S. foreign policy approach is the recognition and credibility given Islamic extremist groups (e.g. the Muslim Brotherhood) at the expense of marginalizing moderates such as those represented by Dr. Jasser.

This is not to say that it is unnecessary for us to be prepared to defend against Islamic terrorism. However, should we not simultaneously allow for such insight as that expressed by Dr. Jasser then we may have no one to blame for the outcome but ourselves.  Having failed to support, and even abandoned, those Muslims who similarly revere life and freedom as do we in the West, we will find ourselves overcome by the forces of darkness simply because we did not stand with and  for what was right.