Political correctness in the military?

In Memoriam

We have a request: Please, we implore you, have a read of the “Political Correct” tab at the top of the homepage or if you’re feeling especially adventurous today, then rush immediately to what is quickly becoming the most read article on this blog: Dismantling Language…Why? 

As we have stated with an over-preponderance of justifiable facts that the notion is brought forth when one engages in ‘politically correct speech’ there exists the constant changing of names, labels, and identifiers for whatever reason – the backlash of doing so causes a slow dismantling of language of a society, ergo, the actual dismantling of the society itself.

And folks this is happening in America right now as we get ready to roll with this article. Consider if you will, that those who refuse to assimilate fully into the ‘host culture’ are bringing with them certain norms, traditions, and beliefs from their previous ‘home cultures.’ This is no more evident that with those who simply refuse to learn or even attempt to learn English!

Now if not learning the ‘host’ language of one’s adopted homeland, moreover, uniting with ‘protected classes’ of people who claim discrimination for not doing the simplest requirement of decency. We have a couple of examples of how being politically correct with language is already a detriment to America. Yet first we need to ask why it is so important that entire meanings of words and the norms of a society be changed to accommodate those who refuse to honor a place that gives them so much?

It should come as no surprise to anyone who reads or catches the news on an infrequent basis to know that many experts are now alleging that an “overly politically correct” military may be at the root cause for this Army Major Nidal Hasan to go completely off the rails and murder people without mercy. So what does this claim have to do with the notion of political correctness?

Simply this – as a society that believes it is inappropriate to even mention anything about being Muslim (the “M” word) for fear of reprisals or direct special interest group lawsuits – and to be compliant with all of the rubbish that surrounds equal employment opportunity (EEO) and “protected classes” acts – rather than to simply deal with it even our own military has begun its denial.

We would like to espouse these ideals that have come from those classes: In the LGBT community why do you think that same-sex marriage is meeting a rise in resistance? Why do you think there is a rise in resistance for “don’t ask, don’t tell” policies? Moreover, if anyone with a lick of common sense examines why, or, the causal effects of discrimination – we’d like to suggest to you: How do cultural stereotypes originate? Is it possible that perhaps predicated upon behavior a person or protected class of people exhibits just may be inherent in those very affects?

 

 

How many more rules and norms can we break?

Justification is an interesting word. In most contexts people use the word “justify” as a means of defending a particular position – albeit, whether it is to give good reason for or to substantiate a posture in a debate – justifications, when used properly can serve to validate just about anything, that is, so long as the position is worth the justification.

There are no excuses or attempts to align one’s thinking when there is an over-preponderance of data that supports a different conclusion. We have tried our level-best at this site to present findings of public opinion, statistical data, polls, surveys, and simple information gathering to illustrate that “We the People…” does not want the current health care plan as was presented in the House of Representatives.

Therefore we would like to ask every Democrat or Republican who reads this blog, members of the intelligentsia, scholars, and of course – those in the know – why a bill such as this one (H.R. 3962) dubbed ‘‘Affordable Health Care for America Act’’ is considered ‘affordable’ at $ 1.1 trillion of tax-payer funds. Ironically, when push came to shove a lot of comprising – or soul selling – went on. Consider these issues:

I think we can all agree that the oxymoron known as ’separation between church and state’ was completely and recklessly rationalized in this cluster-muck of a Bill inasmuch as the issue of abortion threatened to derail House Democrats’ health care bill Friday unless staunchly anti-abortion Democrats and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops succeeded in their effort to get strict abortion limitations into the measure.

In a stark illustration of Democratic leaders’ bind on this issue, staunch abortion rights supporter Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colorado, emerged from late night talks in Pelosi’s office warning that she and others would vote no if leaders agree to ban abortion from the public option.

DeGette said that the (‘Pro-Choice’) caucus includes 190 members, and its leaders met Friday and agreed not to support language banning abortion from the public option.

And that was not the only issue where quid pro quo was used to adjust the thinking of another group within a group. Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus staunchly oppose adding a provision to the bill that would bar undocumented workers from using their own money to buy health insurance policies available through the exchange.

Pelosi’s bill includes various requirements for immigrants to verify their citizenship before getting federal subsidies to buy health insurance. Conservatives, however, have called the requirements insufficient.

Far be it from us on how to tell anyone how they should be spending their own money – in fact, that’s what the government is for. However, we do have some degree of difficulty with the notion that, “Even though you’ve broken our Manner of Laws, and quite openly without the political correctness, you still are a criminal and a fugitive of justice.” So what’s up with the culture of Congress that supports this sub-culture that supports another sub-culture that is motivated by special interest groups?

And people want to address the notion of a global leadership? Oh how ‘touchy-feely.’

 

Town halls, tea parties, and Congress!

Wake up America!

Shocked! Is perhaps the only word we can use with any degree of professionalism around here given the outrageousness of the ‘ruling elite’ we have in Washington D.C. We believe there is a profound disconnect between logic and common sense for those who allegedly represent us in the Nation’s capital, and what is really going on in America.

It is very much like the ‘divine right’ that kings and queens espoused of in ancient times – you know that fixation that humankind has with [wanting] to be god. Yet, what we are witnessing today is unequivocally open corruption in the most heinous ways; and here is what is troubling us: How and why are these people getting away with selling us out?

Americans please be advised that there is no limit to greed, money, or expectations when it comes to politics and those who work in and around politicians. And please – don’t try and say “The American people have spoken, Mr. President…” insofar as it wasn’t the American people either voting in the House of Representatives or even supporting this legislation.

Hard statistical data from The Pew Research Center clearly shows health care reform, many of the key provisions remain popular, though support for the overall package has slipped. More people now generally oppose the health care reform proposals in Congress (47%) than favor them (34%). This represents a decline in support for health care reform since mid-September, shortly after President Obama’s nationally televised address to Congress on the issue.

Included in the same report was one of the main reasons the disconnect between support for specific elements of health care legislation and overall opposition to the proposals in Congress appears to be driven by a lack of understanding about what is being proposed, the complexity of the topic, and declining trust in Congress. (Please see Pew Research Center coverage, click here.)

We could be totally incorrect here, however we suggest that the declining trust in Congress by the American people is exactly what is demonstrated by their lack of “true representation.” Don’t fool yourselves – Congress doesn’t have the people’s best interests in mind – rather they have sold out to their own party lines and special interest groups. In other words they have sold out for their own sordid gain.

There are some folks in ‘The Institution of Congress’ who are not corrupt and really do have your interests in mind. Hopefully this week we will be able to bring a few here and feature their report cards.

If unruly citizens with an axe to grind show-up at town hall meetings; moreover, if peaceful protesting in the form of tea parties are not being heard; in addition to hard data of failure by public opinion supported by data, then what have we learned from the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., or even the American revolution?

 

Founding Father’s Quote Friday – Montesquieu

THE LANGUAGE OF RIGHTS came quite naturally to the colonists; it was, they thought, their native tongue. As many historians have argued – since the eighteenth century – the original English settlers had carried all their rights with them, and passed these rights on to their descendants as a birthright even a patrimony.

The belief that Brits and Americans enjoyed unparalleled liberty in the exercise of their rights permeated their political science and even the popular culture of the time. However, the frequency and enthusiasm with which they celebrated their rights and liberties also gave those terms a rather shoddy impression. In fact, no word was used more with various meanings and values than liberty.

Along with life and property, it was one of the great triad of inalienable natural rights. Yet, for the colonists, liberty was also a state of mind, the sense of personal security that enabled citizens to exercise other rights free from the fear of tyrannical rule. As French philosopher Baron de Montesquieu put it:

“The Political liberty of the subject is a tranquility of mind arising from the opinion each person has of his safety.”

Liberty was also a behavior that was often defined in relation to its deviant opposite, extravagance or even recklessness. Therefore, much as the concept of rights often implied a set of duties and obligations, so true liberty had to be exercised with restraint. Moreover, thinking systematically about rights involved distinguishing the – inalienable natural rights that individuals could never renounce from those – alienable rights whose exercise was subject to the regulatory power of the state, or in other words, the manner of laws.

Most scholars presume the class of alienable rights comprised all other rights that existed in the state of nature but which had subsequently been placed under the control of society. However, in most activities that constituted the realms of life, liberty, property, and religion were subject to regulation by the state – that is, so far as no obvious landmarks marked the boundaries beyond which its authority could not intrude, if and only if its actions met requirements of law.

We believe that there exists gaps and various silences in the U.S. Constitution and many scholars have sought to reconstruct the larger intellectual context that shaped the contours of American thinking of the eighteenth century. We also believe that without the understanding and influences of Montesquieu, Locke, and Hobbes on their American contemporaries – Madison, Jefferson, Randolph and Adams – furthermore, without reading the colonists’ writings it would be indeed very difficult to understand their reasoning.

 Yet, in finale for this installment, one must appreciate that everyone who influenced the Constitution was in fact a person who was the product of The Enlightenment.

 

Immigration reform through 111 House Democrats

Not 'undocumented' rather illegal aliens

It appears – rather obviously – that there was much more at stake in the interim elections last night other than becoming a new Governor, or re-election of other incumbents. Hoping to jump-start a major legislative drive on immigration reform in the U.S. Congress, more than 100 pro-reform House Democrats signed a letter reminding President Obama of his administration’s commitment to overhaul immigration. 

The letter expressed House Democrats’ “commitment to fix our broken immigration system” and cited “strong support for moving forward on fair and humane comprehensive immigration reform this year.” One of the signees, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat, is gearing up to introduce a major immigration reform bill as early as next month. (Further reading on Rep. Gutierrez, click here.)

Immigration advocates and their allies in Congress believe there is a window for immigration reform to pass early next year, before midterm elections complicate the political calculus.

“The room for doing this is very tight,” Gutierrez said earlier this month on the Spanish-language Univision network’s political talk program, “Al Punto.” “We have to do it in February or early March of next year.”

The recent moves might help Democrats show Hispanic voters that the party is aware of widespread frustration with the current immigration system. But there’s still no clear commitment to a timetable for an overhaul, or certainty that it will come.

“The timeline for immigration remains uncertain,” acknowledged Rep. Joseph Crowley, the New York Democrat who organized the letter on immigration sent to President Obama and signed by 111 House Democrats.

Time, he went on to admit, is short. Because of the November 2010 elections, “the further we go into next year… the more difficult I think it will be to address this issue” as risk-averse incumbents avoid controversial issues like immigration.

Quite recently we featured an article dealing with an ‘open forum’ conducted by National Public Radio (NPR). Immigrant advocates know that once health care reform is settled, immigration will compete with other crucial issues, including banking regulation and the interrelated climate and energy questions, for political attention.

As always, immigration reform pivots on one sensitive question: What happens with the nation’s 12 million undocumented immigrants? While most pro-reform advocates envision a path to some sort of legal status for undocumented immigrants already in the country, opponents call such plans an amnesty that would encourage still more illegal immigration. (For further reading click here.)

When pushed to outline a reform plan that House Democrats could get behind, Rep. Crowley emphasized tighter border security and the targeting of “bad actor” employees who exploit undocumented immigrants. These get-tough measures are clearly designed to attract Republican support for a reform bill that would presumably create a path to legalization for those without papers.

Well! If that is what nearly one-third of the House has as a strategy it becomes very apparent that they don’t get it at all – meaning of course, the pulse of the American people and immigration reform. While pro-immigration special interests continue on with the rhetoric of ‘paths to citizenship’ it only illuminates how far away from real grassroots immigration reform that the American people want.

 

700 million people worldwide want to permanently move to another country

Planning ahead?

Have you ever seriously feared falling asleep while driving? We often wondered how many people behind-the-steering wheel ever really woke up before the collision. Think about it – if one is asleep with a motorized vehicle underneath them traveling at 60 miles per hour – and smack into another motorist head-on or a tree, or a fence for that matter – do you think the person would wake up? 

That is precisely how we feel about the grotesque negligence that has happened with our immigration services. Better put, it’s like Mach II with hair on fire without a parachute! Most have probably seen this little article from the AP but we felt that it is a good precursor to what may be in store.

Some 700 million people worldwide, or more than all the adults of North and South America combined, think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence and want to permanently move to another country, a poll showed Tuesday.

Residents of sub-Saharan African countries were the most likely to want to move abroad permanently, the polls conducted in 135 countries between 2007 and this year by Gallup showed.

On average, 38 percent of the adult population in sub-Saharan Africa, or around 165 million people, said they would up stakes and head for another country if they had the chance.

The most popular destination was the United States, where nearly a quarter of the 700 million — around 165 million people — said they would like to settle.

In joint second were Britain, Canada and France, each being named as the preferred destination of around 45 million people.

Thirty-five million said they would go to Spain, 30 million to Saudi Arabia, and 25 million each to Australia or Germany.

The least likely to want to emigrate were Asians — only one in 10 Asian adults said they would move to another country.

Nearly 260,000 people aged 15 years and older were surveyed, either by phone or face-to-face, for the poll, which has a margin of error of around five percent.   

 

Media accuracy? Look at the polls

Just like the state of Congress we are uncertain if there has been a time in American history when news organizations have been at an all time low. If one thinks about this phenomena contextually – what else could be said when a presidential administration is feeding misleading information to other agencies about any organization has the gall to question his leadership or lack thereof?

What else can be more disheartening to those in the educational environment when New York Times reporters are guilty of plagiarisms? In addition, so many news organizations are quick to assess and rather than just reporting facts, ostensibly must adding ’spin’ to it in order to make it interesting. Bias seemingly is at an all time high – why – because the news business has entered into the realm of politics.

According to The Pew Research Center the public’s assessment of the accuracy of news stories is now at its lowest level in more than two decades of Pew Research surveys, and Americans’ views of media bias and independence now match previous lows.

Just 29% of Americans say that news organizations generally get the facts straight, while 63% say that news stories are often inaccurate. In the initial survey in this series about the news media’s performance in 1985, 55% said news stories were accurate while 34% said they were inaccurate. That percentage had fallen sharply by the late 1990s and has remained low over the last decade.

Similarly, only about a quarter (26%) now say that news organizations are careful that their reporting is not politically biased, compared with 60% who say news organizations are politically biased. And the percentages saying that news organizations are independent of powerful people and organizations (20%) or are willing to admit their mistakes (21%) now also match all-time lows.

But the starkest partisan division is seen in assessments of The New York Times. Although most Americans are not familiar enough with the Times to express an opinion, Republicans view The New York Times negatively by a margin of nearly two-to-one (31% to 16%), while Democrats view it positively by an almost five-to-one margin (39% to 8%). More independents rate the Times favorably (29%) than unfavorably (18%).

More favorable Republican ratings are reserved for The Wall Street Journal. Within the GOP, the balance of favorable to unfavorable assessments of the Journal is second only to that for Fox News. Democratic and independent assessments of The Wall Street Journal are also, on balance, positive.

The poll finds that television remains the dominant news source for the public, with 71% saying they get most of their national and international news from television. More than 42% say they get most of their news on these subjects from the internet, compared with 33% who cite newspapers. Last December, for the first time in a Pew Research Center survey, more people said they got most of their national and international news from the internet than said newspapers were their main source.

We see a trend largely concerning the blogosphere – that is news information gathering from several very reputable individuals, smaller organizations, and at times perusing the online version of a particular news event from any of the majors. Again, we suspect that people with – efficacy and wanting to be informed – as to the real story will be drawn to the Internet. (Please for further reading see by clicking here.)

 

Recap of public opinion/public policy

In our last several articles we’ve made available statistical data vis-a-vie illegal immigration; furthermore, we have included valuable information from The Center for Immigration Studies clearly showing the attitudes and allegiances of the people surveyed.

In addition we were in the process of a multipart series on the benefits of public opinion and public policy throughout the history of our nation and how within the last twenty years America is realizing that their ‘elected government officials’ are just the same as we are; albeit, most would argue that these officials are to a greater degree far more unscrupulous. “Just the facts, ma’am, just the facts…” (Joe Friday from ‘Dragnet’.)

At an earlier time in America’s history where flower power, make peace not war, make love not war, and where the daily hand gesture was the Peace Sign, America had different problems and issues to work through; therefore, the method the public used – to be heard – were the campus sit-in’s, free press, free concerts and letting our voices be heard. We still have a problem with “protests” inasmuch as the people then were not protesting anything – they simply wanted to live their lives with far, far less government intervention.

The government then – as it is now – believes they know what is best for everyone – not just America, but internationally as well. When we reflect on health care, global warming, ‘the ice is melting, the ice is melting,’ and other bogus non-scientific methodology used to come up with complete fabrications while at the same time seeing tens of millions of illegal alien’s coming in hordes into this country it makes one want to regurgitate!

In other words, where are the hope and change(s)? You can bet your last tax dollar that the only thing that’s gotten any bigger or changed since ‘Messiah-dom’ occurred is the size of the federal government. However, all us if you will – most would not mind bigger government IF it was more competent. This simply is not the case.

Anyone – all anyone needs to do is look at what’s happened to the what…8 or 10 different sales pitches for Universal Health Care…or how the immigration situation just continues to get worse to see that it’s up to us people! Let our voices be heard! What would happen if billions…not millions, but billions were spent on keeping illegal’s out? If they were really serious and truly wanted to stop all of this…try land mines.

Remember, it is our – the public’s opinion that saved the Clinton presidency; stopped an unconscionable war in Vietnam; and, let’s put an end to faulty immigration services – let’s start with the amount of Visa’s being granted.

 

FFQF – Abuses of government

Yes we know that today is Founding Father’s Quote Friday and you can bet we’ll have a quote from one or two of our founder’s; however, setting the stage and making real the notion of what our beloved government does not see – the affects of Amnesty – and the consequences upon the American people and our homeland.

Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. What is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? James Madison, Federalist No. 51, February 8, 1788

Moving on we happened upon my of my all time favorite “research dedicated” websites today – the organization is The Center for Immigration Studies. Earlier this week we made a reference to what would happen if “shamnesty” were passed or some other make-shift excuse for it like granting permanent residency to illegal aliens without looking to the consequences of such an action. The actual quote we used was – “If you grant amnesty – this will only inspire those who want to come”…and come they will in mass. (Please see additional story by clicking here.)

The Center for Immigration Studies is about as reputable as any organization could hope to become. Diligent, hard-working, fact-finding, with thorough research, and impeccable sources are the hallmarks of CIS. We believe in the work they are doing and who the recipients are who access them as well, such as The Pew Research Center and The Heritage Foundation.

Ladies and gentlemen as much as we’ve discussed fair and accurate reporting – especially when dealing with statistical data – we can think of no better site that has the integrity of CIS. Give them a visit by clicking here. We just can’t seem to control ourselves over some of the findings of the data in a survey conducted by Zogby International. Ready?

An overwhelming majority (69 percent) of people in Mexico thought that the primary loyalty of Mexican-Americans (Mexico- and U.S.-born) should be to Mexico. Just 20 percent said it should be to the United States. The rest were unsure.

Of Mexicans with a member of their immediate household in the United States, 65 percent said a legalization program would make people they know more likely to go to America illegally.

Interest in going to the United States remains strong even in the current recession, with 36 percent of Mexicans (39 million people) saying they would move to the United States if they could. At present, 12 to 13 million Mexico-born people live in the United States.

The methodology used in procuring this data was exceptional – we hasten to add that this research was not gathered like any one of the main-stream media polls such as ABC, MSMBC, CBS, or CNN. Often times we refer to the validity of the data; moreover, the reliability of the findings.

Therefore having read this article can you openly say that those who are living in the United States illegally albeit students, diplomats, guest workers, border-jumpers, or otherwise – can you say with absolute certainty that these individuals are of “good moral character” attached to the principals of the U.S. Constitution or have renounced their alligence to former nations?

 

We are being under estimated…

Prior to addressing our last (for now) installment of “Public Opinion” it is our hope beyond all hope that one was able to read the last paragraph of our previous article. If not, let us help you with that:

“In finale, using public opinion through the use of other less seemingly ‘hawkish’ tactics it also illustrated the extent to which leadership could address and educate a public; but even more important leadership came to the understanding of how educated the American public had become.”

And if we are still having difficulty comprehending that the American public is getting smarter, more informed, and wiser then let’s have the current situation regarding various health care initiatives being spearheaded by a small faction of the quasi-leadership in Washington D.C.

If those people in the 1960s and 1970s could see how effective their voices were then and what trail they blazed through history and to see it today is nothing shy of a miracle! When the American public believes in something; moreover, with hearts and minds engaged, this is when we believe that America is the most dominate nation on earth.

America’s history has been one additional magnificent feat after another, brought to us mainly by those who had been stripped of their own person liberties. Big, powerful, and overwhelming governments do that, by government intervention in every aspect of our lives we arrive at Janis Joplin’s infamous line; “Freedom is just another word for “nothing left to loose.” And with huge government invading everything from what kind of light bulb we use to who we can worship then there isn’t much else to lose, right?

However we come upon one of our most favorite words – efficacy – the ability that we can, and that we do make a difference – regardless of what the main-stream media says, regardless of Capitol Hill, We the people of the United States have an effect on what happens to our country.

Now then…if this health care debauchery is any indication of how our “elected officials” intend on handling illegal immigration well we need to start now people! There is not one part of our being that believes that if Capitol Hill had things their way then there would be 30 million more either citizens or permanent residents to deal with in the United States. We know that they would take the “easy-out” option. They through their arrogance and lack of attending to their jobs have caused a problem of epic proportions. We did not.

However, if we unite and lock arms and use our voices, we need to tell them what it is that we want – regardless of how much so-and-so received – that simply is not our problem or concern; saying no to amnesty and rewarding illegal behavior is our business.