Musings After Midnight -- With ear to the ground, more rumblings heard from the political landscape

Good evening, and welcome.

Much has happened since the last time we met here on this forum, which has become our virtual fireside chat about the events of the day, the preservation of liberty, and other such issues of vital importance.

So, sit back and relax. Have a soothing beverage. Have a cigar. Or maybe the pipe. I have some of the finest tobacco to be found anywhere, courtesy of a local dealer who offers only the very best to his customers.

Recently I have discovered the pleasures of the corncob pipe. They are very inexpensive, which is probably why the higher end tobacco shops do not carry them. But I will guarantee you that you will get a mellow, fine smoke from these pipes that have a very long history.

I have to watch myself with this, though, because as an intermittent asthmatic, I cannot smoke like I want. So, I have to limit myself to special occasions.

Now, let's get down to business.

As most of you already know I try to keep my ear to the ground to ascertain what is going on in the vast political landscape. And I must be quick to say that there is always something going on there. It is relentless. And some of the most important activity is that which we cannot see. The political underground is where the power is, where the forces of good make plans to keep the fires of liberty flickering...and where the evil forces reside in their attempt to snuff out those fires. These individuals rarely show their faces above the ground, except for the purpose of wearing masks. Masking is vital to the forces of collectivism and progressivism, for this is the only way they can succeed. Dangerous enemies of liberty would never make any headway if they told the truth to the public. Most Americans would find the ultimate ends of progressivism so repulsive, so untenable, so unconscionable, that they would relegate the proponents of such tyranny to the dustbin of worthless radicals who are not to be taken seriously, much less elected to public office.

Most progressives/collectivists are smart enough to know this. They know they cannot tell the truth. They know that telling the truth will mean the end of their movement. Their goals, their dreams, all they have worked for since the late 1800s would go up in smoke right before their very eyes.

Thus, the progressives must lie to get elected. They must lie to get their agenda and proposals accepted by the public. They must lie to get their proposed laws passed by Congress. And they must lie to the public once again about the nature of the fallout of that agenda.

Welcome to the world of the vast political underground. Nothing is as it seems in public. And I mean nothing. People are not who you think they are. Their real goals are usually the opposite of what they have led you to believe. This is the only way they can lure you into supporting them.

It just so happens that 2008 was the year of the perfect political storm. All of the various components of the collectivist agenda came together in one nightmarish superstorm, a demonic cyclone in which Marxists, Islamofascists, Nazis, totalitarians, liberals, and others who affirm the goals of collectivism/progressivism all coalesced together to take control of the White House and both houses of Congress, with supermajorities that insured the minority Party had no power whatsoever.

This demonic cyclone rammed through an unpopular law in the middle of the night with no support at all from the minority Party in either the House or the Senate. This has never happened in the history of the country. For the very first time in our history, a broad, sweeping law that would not only totally change and revamp the healthcare system but change the very nature of our Republic, was passed without any support from the Party not in power. In the past such sweeping legislation was passed with at least some bipartisan support in both houses of Congress. But not this time.

Not a single Republican voted in favor of Obamacare in either the House or the Senate.

Now, I want you to let that sink in for a bit. Conservatives such as myself have often bemoaned the fact that Republicans have been stymied and hamstrung by dangerous progressives (RINOS) who form what is known as the Republican leadership establishment. These Republicans often vote with Democrats on legislation that is denounced by conservatives. Yet when it came to Obamacare, even John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Lisa Murkowski, Olympia Snowe, John Boehner, and Eric Cantor voted against it. All of them, every single one.

That alone should have told us something about the danger lurking in the Obamacare law. And the very fact that Reid, Pelosi, Obama, Biden, Schumer, Hoyer, and others would ram through this legislation and approve it without ANY Republican support whatsoever, should have been enough to show the country that this crowd is not interested in "looking out for the people" or "reaching across the aisle for bipartisan solutions." In a pig's eye they were. They don't care about you or me. They don't want bipartisanship except when THEY are the minority Party. The ONLY thing they want is power, control, money, and bigger and bigger government. They wish to be the ultimate authority in all matters.

And now that we know what Obamacare is all about, we can understand why they rammed it through, why no Republican voted in favor of it, why they lied incessantly about its provisions, and finally, why Nancy Pelosi said, "We have to pass the law before we can know what's in it."

Most did not read it, for sure. But I will guarantee you that just as sure as the sun rises the ones in leadership knew full well what was about to happen, which is why they lied and why they did not want to tell us what was in the law. Even if they did not read the entire law, they had been fully briefed by the authors of it, such as Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel (Rahm "Dead Fish" Emanuel's brother), and David Cutter of Harvard, among others.

Yes, Pelsoi knew. Reid knew. Schumer knew. Hoyer knew. Even Kirsten Gillibrand, the junior Democratic senator from New York, admitted that she knew. Gillibrand has not been around that long. So what would lead us to believe that a junior senator knew but Pelosi, who has been around forever, did not? Such a notion is laughable. They ALL knew.

Oh, but if you like your current plan and your current doctor, you can keep them. You knew that didn't you.

One commentator counted the number of times Obama made that promise to the American people. He got as high as 48 and quit counting. But now, the Fuhrer has relented and "allowed" people to keep these plans for an extra year. An extra year? Why not, like, from now on? And nevermind that most of these plans have already been cancelled due directly to the provisions of the Obamacare law, which forbids companies from offering to the public any plan that is not approved by Obamacare.

So, the Obama one-year extension comes just a tad late for most people. They have already been dropped. Their plans have been discarded in accordance with what the providers thought was the law. And now they are being asked to go back and resurrect those plans because Obama is taking a political shellacking from the public? Of course he is paying them off to sooth ruffled feathers. They are being bribed to continue supporting the Obamacare law. But no need for worry, any losses they incur will be more than compensated through health insurance company bailouts and hidden taxes in the new law that are designed to go directly to the insurance companies.

This is what it has come to, folks. If a private corporation had engaged in bribery, you and I both know what would happen. But not if government does it. What kind of a perverted standard is that?

These people are criminals. And those who aid and abet them are criminals, and that includes companies and voters who continue to support them in spite of their known lies and corruption.

Yeah, that's right, I said it. If you support this bunch, you yourself must be a criminal. 

I can be most forgiving and accommodating toward those who were genuinely fooled by Obama and company. I realize that many people today are stretched to the limit. There are limits on their time, limits on their money, limits on their ability to keep up their mortgage payments, and the like. Many do not have the time or the energy to keep up with politics.

These people can learn a valuable lesson in all of this. Politics is important, and we had best pay close attention. We had best not accept what we are told at face value, but dig much, much deeper to get at the real truth. If you have learned these lessons sincerely, I can fully embrace you.

But if you can sit back and look at the lies of Obama, incessant lies, lies upon lies, lies he even told to you directly, making promises to you that he knew he could not keep, but he made them anyway just to get your support, and yet you still support this scam we call the Obama administration and their enablers in Congress, then I have no qualms whatsoever about telling you that you are aiding and abetting criminals. And you know what that means. People who support criminal activity become accessories to the crime. That means you, yourself, are a criminal.

My friend, you need to do some deep, serious soul searching. You need to understand the gravity of your position. You cannot claim any regard for morality or ethics or spirituality of ANY kind if your heart is so corrupt that you can fully embrace the deception and debauchery of the present administration and their allies in Congress.

Now, at the outset I told you I had heard more rumblings from the political landscape that should be of great interest to you. Not all of it is good, but not all of it is bad.

First, the bad news.

I have become aware in recent days that in spite of losing significant support from the American people (Obama's approval rating is down to only 37 percent), the Obama camp is most resilient and has incredibly deep support from leftwing financiers and those who are committed to the progressive vision for the country and the world. These people never give up. They have been around since the late 1800s under various and sundry names. Who would have thought that in 2008, after over 100 years since they first made waves in the world of politics, that they would show such considerable strength?

But when one looks at who, exactly, is in this movement, it soon becomes all too clear that we who oppose them have a most arduous task on our hands. They will not be easily defeated. Consider some of the main players: the leadership of the Council on Foreign Relations, George Soros and his various organizations, the Federal Reserve, Wall Street mega-banks, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the EPA, the FBI and the ATF, the NSA, the FISA Court, the IRS, John Podesta's Center for American Progress, and murky financiers from the European Union and from radical Islamic nations who wish to influence U.S. policy.

Remember that the Clintons and Obama have been the recipients of thousands of political donations from overseas, the names of which have been kept secret. But what we do know is that Communist China has pumped money into leftwing politics in this country. So have Islamic extremist nations. No wonder the American Leftwing finds itself in bed with Islamic radicals, the "Palestinians," the Muslim Brotherhood, and other like-minded groups. Following the money trail is always such an incredibly enlightening process.

Further, we have seen how far the Obama camp will go to achieve their goals. Lying to the public is only part of it. We now know that the administration manipulated the unemployment figures just two months prior to the 2012 elections. Many of us said at the time that something was amiss, that what we were observing in the corporations and small businesses at the time was not consistent with the unexplained, sudden drop in the jobless rate in September of that year.

Well, now we know that the administration had cooked the books. The real unemployment rate (that is, as "real" as the government can be) was at least three-tenths of a percent higher than what was being reported. This meant that an unemployment rate of 8.1 dropped, in one month's time, to 7.8 -- just in time for the presidential election. Obama could then claim, "My policies are working."

Of course, I had already outed the government on its false figures on unemployment, along with others who saw the same thing. The government has gradually changed the manner in which it calculates unemployment. At the height of the recession in 2009, the government claimed that the jobless rate was in the 8 to 9 percent range. But if we were to use the same method that was used during the Great Depression of the 1930s to calculate unemployment, the rate would be 20 percent...some economists placed it even higher than that. This matches the unemployment figures of the 1930s.

The Obama administration has never, ever counted as part of its calculation of unemployment the number of people who have quit looking for work in despair. Many have gone five years without a full time job, despite their best efforts. Many of these gave up after so much disappointment.

Well, guess what. When you drop out of the employment market, you are no longer counted as unemployed, in spite of the fact that you have no job.

How convenient for the administration and Congressional Democrats.

Thus, not only were the books manipulated by ceasing to count those who drop out of the job market in despair, but the administration cooked the books on its own skewed jobless figures. What they saw was a jobless rate of 8.1 percent. What they reported was 7.8 percent.

This is why I contend that nothing in this administration is as it seems to be. It is all smoke and mirrors. Manipulated figures. Outright lies and deception. And this has happened not once, not twice, but over and over and over again.

Fast and Furious. TARP I and II. The bailouts. The economic stimulus that wasn't. Benghazi. Egypt. The Fox News-Associated Press eavesdropping scandal perpetrated by the Feds. The NSA spying scandal. The IRS scandal that targeted the Tea Party, conservatives, Christian groups, etc. And now the Obamacare scam.

"If you like your current healthcare plan, you can keep it. If you like your present doctor, nobody is going to take that away from you, period."

Anyone who would do these things and deceive the American people this way, over and over, is not to be trusted. That should go without saying. But some Americans, apparently, are slow to learn. How can you trust someone who lies to you on a daily basis about the most important issues effecting your life?

And that is why I say we are entering a most dangerous period in this whole sordid saga. Obama and his minions have shown they will not hesitate to do anything to keep their power and to amass more power. They will lie, cheat, deceive, steal, bribe, and who knows what else, to maintain their current status as the kings and queens of the hill.

Now that millions of Americans are onto them, many for the first time since this crowd took office, the faceless, nameless figures of the vast army of underground operatives and thugs are probably becoming more desperate. In all likelihood they will become even more desperate as we edge closer to the 2014 midterm elections.

We have already seen at least some signs of their desperation. In Texas, cops set up a roadblock on a major roadway and took saliva samples from every single driver. Who ordered such an act of tyranny? Where were the court-issued warrants?

In addition, some trustworthy citizens are already sitting in federal prison on trumped up charges. You didn't hear that from me. But if your government would lie to you about your healthcare, what is to prevent them from arresting you simply because they don't like your views? If they decide you are expendable, then off you go to prison.

And remember, New York State has already implemented a provision of its new gun and ammo law that encourages citizens to turn in their family members, neighbors, and friends if they have seen them loading more than seven bullets into a gun in the privacy of their homes.

Any government entity that will do that will kill you if you get in their way.

We are not dealing with nice people here. They are not good, honest, trustworthy public servants. They are deadly tyrants.

And so, my friends, we are going to see increasing confrontations between the forces for liberty and the forces for government control of our lives. The rubber is about to meet the road. Are you ready?

And let me be very clear about one thing. If you wish to deprive me of my guns and ammunition, then you are not for liberty and you are not my friend. If you wish to dictate to me what I can and cannot eat, what I can and cannot drink, what I can and cannot smoke, and such, then you are not for liberty and you are not my friend. If you wish rob me of my right to have the doctor of my choosing, and the healthcare plan of my choosing, and even the right to decide I don't want any damn insurance at all, then you are not for liberty and you cannot be my friend.

It all boils down to liberty vs. tyranny. Freedom vs. slavery. If you support measures that restrict my liberties and freedoms, then you are automatically for tyranny and slavery to an all-encompassing, all-powerful central government. There is no middle ground here.

That's the bad news. Now for the good news.

Patriots all across this land are awake and paying attention. In some ways the Obamacare debacle was a blessing in disguise. It woke some people up who have not been awake in years, and not even Benghazi, the NSA spying scandal, or Fast and Furious could wake them. But Obamacare sure did.

It is very personal, and sobering, when you believed your president when he promised you that you could keep your current insurance plan and doctor if you like them, only to find that within the last seven weeks since Obamacare was rolled out you received a piece of mail telling you that since your current plan is no longer allowed by federal law, it has been discontinued and you are thus dropped from your insurance plan.

Yes, it is now very personal. As one lady put it, a 58 year old who received one of those letters, "He lied to me!!"

Well, he sure did. Now what are you going to do?

At least she is awake, and millions like her who thought they could trust Obama, Reid, Pelosi, and even Hillary, are awake as well. And they are damn mad.

Trust is a lot like toothpaste that leaves the tube. Once it is gone, it is awfully hard to get back.

This means that millions of people who were not watching closely before are now watching with a telescope. They are placing every word uttered by Obama and his minions to the test. Is this yet another falsehood? Another deception? Another ruse? Can I trust this smiling face? He seems so likable. But, but...he was smiling and entirely likable when he lied to me. So how can I trust these smiles? Maybe there is much more to a person than simply the likability factor. Ted Bundy was a charming individual too.

We as Americans have GOT to get over our obsession with how a person "comes across on TV." We CANNOT accurately make judgments about a person's character or trustworthiness based upon how they look on television. Those who know how to manipulate the masses through videos, TV, and such, are taught how to fool you. Even an actor is taught how to fool you. When you watch them in a movie, the name of the game is to get you to believe they ARE the person they portray on the screen. Nothing is wrong with that, for sure, but it makes my point. Those who know how to manipulate the masses through images are very good at fooling you, some for nothing more than entertainment purposes, but others for evil intent.

I'm glad that Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Robert De Niro, and others can so thoroughly entertain me by their ability to actually become a fictitious character on a movie screen. They are so very good at what they do. Good acting is one of life's pleasures. But I don't want my president to be a good actor. I don't want him to fool me. And when he does, he loses something vital to governance -- in a free society you cannot lead unless the people can trust that what you tell them is the truth.

And that is precisely what has been lost.

There are many ways that the liberty and patriot movement is making headway. Gone are the days when progressives in power can successfully enact gun bans. They tried, but they failed except in the most virulently blue states. Gone are the days when JBTs can perpetrate a Ruby Ridge, a Waco, etc, and not expect some sort of response from citizens who will not stand for oppressive violence by ANY government official.

Patriots are doing their part, most often in secret, away from public view. They are not violent in any manner whatsoever. But they ARE cunning and courageous. They know how to thwart the plans of tyrants under cover and without a single shot being fired. They are smuggling "illegal" firearms into states that have banned what most citizens would view as perfectly acceptable means of self-defense. But they are not going to allow government tyrants to deprive them of a guaranteed Constitutional right. So, the vast underground is very active, much as it was during Prohibition when again, government jackbooted thugs tried to prevent citizens from drinking alcohol.

How did that work out for ya, you progressive knucklehead?

And one more thing, my dear patriot friend, remember that as long as human beings long for the freedom to make their own decisions, chart their own course, live out their lives as they see fit, apart from the crazed nannies and social change agents of the surveillance state, then liberty will never be totally removed from the earth. It is much bigger than you or me. Liberty is part of our deepest longings, our hopes, and our dreams. People don't dream of becoming slaves. They dream to be free, to fly, to be their own person as a competent, reliable, and self-reliant human being. This means our cause is part of the human spirit. It is part of our nature as human beings to want to live free. And that is why, in the end, we cannot lose.

Democrats angry, threaten to bolt on Obamacare

After a month and a half of constant bad news about Obamacare's provisions and the disastrous rollout of the website on Oct. 1, public opinion has turned so sour against President Obama and the new healthcare law that Democrats are now expressing outright rage behind closed doors, with some threatening to scrap the rollout entirely and implement a new website in its place.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Judge bars Holder from appeal on Fast and Furious documents

A federal judge ruled on Monday afternoon that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder cannot appeal a court ruling in September that upheld his contempt of Congress citation.

Holder was held in contempt for his refusal to turn over documents pertaining to the investigation of the Fast and Furious scandal by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which is chaired by U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

A milestone for the maestro

Forgive me, folks, for feeling compelled to post about this, but, I must.

On this day in 1899 Maestro Eugene Ormandy was born in Hungary. Later, of course, he became the famed conductor of the unparalleled Philadelphia Orchestra, a position he held for 44 years. Ormandy propelled the orchestra to wide acclaim as the best in the world, and thus, they sold more classical music recordings than any other orchestra in history. It was said that Ormandy and the Philadelphians sold more records that all of the top orchestras in the world combined, including the New York Philharmonic during the Bernstein years, the Chicago and Boston symphonies, and the great Vienna Philharmonic in Austria.

Upon stepping down in 1980, Ormandy became the Conductor Laureate of the orchestra at the age of 81. He remained in this position until his death in 1987. But even in retirement he maintained a regular schedule of performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, in addition to the monthly performances conducted by his hand-picked successor, Ricacardo Muti.

Read more about the Philadelphia Orchestra's commemoration of Ormandy's birth here, on their Facebook page. 

Now, that wasn't so bad was it? You know how I am about my music...and "my" musicians and conductors.

The Gun Rights and Liberty News Roundup for 11/18/2013

David Codrea reports that the Hearst Washington Bureau did a hit piece against guns, invoking the name of Lee Harvey Oswald to spread outright falsehoods.

Kurt Hofmann sounds the alarm that if the Brady Campaign gets its way, it will mean the end of the Second Amendment.

Bearing Arms reveals that the Obama DOJ did, after all, have an internal memo that called for the registration and confiscation of all guns. We are dealing with very dangerous people here, folks...as bad as Nazis if not worse.

WRSA declares that you are eight times more likely to be killed by a law enforcement officer than a terrorist, and he has the link to the stats that prove it. Question: what happens when the cops BECOME the terrorists in a regime like Obama's????

The Market Ticker hints that it sort of may be time for senior adults to get the heck out of AARP, which pushed for Obamacare and thus is complicit in advocating for the outright DEATH of seniors! There are excellent alternatives to AARP. That org. needs to be destroyed. They are part of the murderous enemy.

Mike Vanderboegh provides the very latest on the armed civil disobedience movement.

Way Up North says he just returned home to a temperature of three degrees (+3 F) in Anchorage after spending some time in a place where it was 80 degrees at dinner time last night.

Tam has some gun stuff to report.

Nicki was prompted to make an important distinction -- military spouses are not veterans!

Alphecca systematically takes apart a columnist in Wisconsin who blabbered like a fool on the subject of guns.

Pamela Geller posts some updates on the resolution at the U.N. on Iran human rights.

Days of our Trailers reports that there will be an anti-gun meeting tonight in Rockford, Ill.

Every Blade of Grass says he assisted with some NRA-sponsored gun classes lately, and he presents this report.

The Gateway Pundit issued some breaking news about something many of us predicted when it became clear Obamacare was failing -- taxpayers are now forced to bail-out the health insurance industry over Obamacare losses. WHY THE HELL IS IT THAT EVERY TIME OBAMA AND THE DEMS MAKE A MESS OUT OF SOMETHING IT COSTS ME MONEY WHEN I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT???!!!

Golden Geese News notes that even the leftwing hack/actor George Clooney is upset with the electric car industry, which, by the way, is another bumbling mess Obama created with OUR tax dollars!

Brigid opines on early rising, hunting, guns, and ammo. Always a good read.

Stand Up America declares that Democrats owe Americans an apology for Obamacare...along with the very latest developments on the debacle.

New developments in ATF Fast and Furious scandal

New developments in the ATF Fast and Furious scandal involving the deliberate arming of Mexican drug cartels by the U.S. government have brought new attention to the three-year-old scandal that rocked the Obama administration.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was held in contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the scandal.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Death threats issued against recall activists in Colorado

The Examiner has learned that death threats have been issued against activists who are leading the effort to recall Sen. Evie Hudak, a Democrat state senator, who raised the ire of gun owners when she voted in favor of strict anti-gun laws.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

New York sheriff refuses to enforce anti-gun SAFE Act

The landslide victory of Sheriff Timothy B. Howard of Erie County, N.Y. is a good indication, say gun rights activists, that Gov. Andrew Cuomo's anti-gun SAFE Act is far from being accepted as law in the state.

Howard refuses to enforce the SAFE Act, stating that the law is unconstitutional and that his oath of office requires him, first and foremost, to uphold the Constitution.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

The Gun Rights and Liberty News Roundup for 11/14/2013

In the Middle of the Right notes that Obama has relented and will now "allow" citizens to keep the plans and doctors they like...for a little while longer. Well, gee, thanks, Mein Fuhrer.

Borepatch declares, "It's not surveillance of people they think are guilty. It's surveillance of people they think are innocent."

The Constitution Coalition says that despite the pleas of veterans, a school board has steadfastly refused to allow the daily reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Molly Minute explains how to shoot a revolver.

From 90 Miles from Tyranny: "It's time to put a face on Obamacare."

NW Guns and Gear provides a gun review and a video.

The Daily Smug shares an Obamacare horror story along with the video that goes with it. A must-see.

Give Me Liberty notes that the Washington Post has published an anti-Thanksgiving screed that is becoming all too common among the MSM and those committed to historical revisionism.

Shall Not Be Questioned provides an interesting piece on "running against the SAFE Act in N.Y."

David Codrea reports that "prohibited persons" are qualifying as Obamacare navigators.

Nicki comments on the question, "What is this personal responsibility you speak of?"

Traction Control says that a Texas Republican has drawn up the Articles of Impeachment against Eric Holder.

The Wandering Minstrel declares that guns are the best insurance policy.

Mike Vanderboegh explains why we as Americans have crossed a critical line where we can no longer "just get along." The issues are too volatile and the forces of statism are too intent to rob fellow citizens of their rights and freedoms. In other words, how on earth can I get along with you if you want to take my gun, my freedom to choose my own doctor and health plan, muzzle my right to free speech, and force me to eat stuff I don't like just because you think it is "good for me?" We can never be friends if that is your attitude toward my freedoms. Now, when you decide to leave me the hell alone and live your own life and stop trying to meddle in mine, then perhaps we can be friends. Got it?

Kurt Hofmann muses that the blame game has reached ridiculous proportions. Some are now claiming that the NRA is to blame for Americans rejecting the "junk touching" going on by perverted TSA officials at airports. The NRA??? Gosh.

Pamela Geller reports the shocking news that the world's largest publisher of children's textbooks have summarily removed Israel from its maps of the Middle East.

Gateway Pundit says that even some Democrats are slamming Obama's "fix" for Obamacare he announced late today, stating that "he's just creating chaos." Folks, don't be fooled by O's "fix." Most of those policies are gone with the wind, never to return due to the cold, hard facts of doing business. Plus, O cannot force states or insurance companies to re-offer any plan. This was nothing but a political stunt, pure and simple.

WRSA provides food for thought on the notion that tyranny can be stopped without violence. Read it all, and think.

Anti-gun toll free tip line rewards citizens for turning in family to police

If you have a phone, and you are aware that your neighbor, your friend, or even your family member is a gun owner, you can now single-handedly launch an investigation into their activities by using a new toll free "tip line."

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Disinformation on Benghazi

Excerpt:

A trusted informant suggested in passing that the entire episode surrounding the CBS Benghazi story was from the start a part of a disinformation campaign launched by the Obama administration. This tactic was launched to throw investigative journalists -- and curious citizens -- off track in their pursuit of the real truth.

This administration is highly adept politically, for the most part. In spite of their many bumbling failures, the one area that they have developed into a well-oiled machine is political spin and manipulation.

According to those in the know, behind the scenes, the Benghazi story aired by CBS was intended from the start to be a red herring, a false flag, a part of its disinformation campaign to hide the real truth about what happened in Benghazi.

Click here to read the entire article at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

The Gun Rights and Liberty News Roundup for 11/12/2013

Mike Vanderboegh shares a news item that perfectly shows why people like me have given up on the GOP. This does not mean I won't vote for conservative Republican candidates, but the term "Republican" and "conservative" are vastly different.

David Codrea highlights the hypocrisy and entitlement mentality that characterizes the "progressive mentality" toward guns.

Kurt Hofmann reports that the anti-gun bigots have maligned and libeled a Texas gun rights group.

WRSA flips the bird at the current tyranny and points to a sobering read outlining why the voting box has failed in America.

Karl Denninger gives us the bottom line on healthcare.

Tam posts some thoughts on the American Civil War.

Traction Control calls our attention to some comments on gun control.

Golden Geese News says that this could be good news or bad news, but can't tell which. Take a look.

Gateway Pundit reports the enraging news that under Obama, the government is now redistributing 81 percent of your tax dollars to other parts of the world. You read that right. 81 percent of all receipts!

CLO informs us that the gun rights org NAGR is doing the things the NRA should be doing but isn't. Take a look.

Days of our Trailers has the scoop on the numbskull who called gun owners "terrorists who will shoot and rape you."

Pamela Geller provides info that should be a wake up call to those who doubt the evil inherent in radical Islam. They have now declared that Jerusalem is "Islamic."

Alphecca has information indicating that gun stocks are still a good buy.

Roberta X reports some disturbing news concerning some of the police officers who were first responders to the Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut last year.

Blonde Sagacity has a most interesting piece titled, "Why I post about politics."

Stand Up America gives us an update on the still-developing debacle in Syria.

Archer Garrett provides all of today's news of interest to the informed patriot.

How much of the truth are you prepared to see?

"People see only what they are prepared to see," wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. People largely deny harsh truths up to the point at which they are forced to see it. Even then, many still live in denial.

The Emerson adage is particularly true in the realm of politics. When despotism begins to take hold in a nation, complete with tyranny, lies, deception, and ultimately, atrocities, normally the citizens are not prepared to see it. They will deny it is happening.

Corrupt politicians know this and use it to their advantage by committing the most egregious acts of treason, oppression, and graft.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

The Obamacare 'apology' that wasn't

Excerpt:

It also comes as no surprise that the much-touted Obama "apology" for the Obamacare debacle turned out to be the apology that wasn't.

The mere use of the terms "I regret," and "I'm sorry" do not necessarily constitute an apology. The meaning of these words depend entirely on what was stated just prior to and just after the use of the terms.

And this leads us to only one conclusion. Obama did not offer a heartfelt apology at all. Several telltale signs of a genuine apology were conspicuously missing from Obama's statements, which were never challenged by Todd.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

The Gun Rights and Liberty News Roundup for 11/7/2013

Kurt Hofmann calls our attention to something that has the anti-gun statists alarmed.

Mike Vanderboegh says that the "American Iron Curtain" is falling on the United States.

From the War on Guns: "Third World Hellhole Checklist."

WRSA posts the quote of the day from George Orwell.

The Twisters issue a timely warning and a reminder that we cannot, we MUST not, fall for the lies of government. We MUST not be that gullible, although that lesson often falls on deaf ears.

Stand Up America reports that atheist leftist billionaire George Soros is now officially on the Hillary bandwagon. This is not surprising given that he put up the funds to start the infamous, subversive Center for American Progress as a think-tank just for Hillary.

Tam blogs on hybrid gun holsters. She's not impressed.

Squeaks writes of her own personal experience with the current healthcare debacle and her struggles with Lyme Disease.

Oleg Volk evaluates what I call "the itty bitty gun" -- the Boberg XR9. Plenty of good photos. 

Gateway Pundit has a clip from the Country Music Awards last night during which Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley let it be known in no uncertain terms what they think of Obamacare. I love it.

Every Blade of Grass provides some info on the meteor shower that many U.S. citizens have seen in recent days. I read where there's even more to come.

Days of our Trailers reports the straight scoop on the gun columnist who was fired over at Guns and Ammo Magazine. 

Pamela Geller says that Ireland is now marking goods from Israel with a yellow sticker. Now folks, I know enough about history to know that Nazis in Europe forced Jews to wear yellow stars for public identification and humiliation -- before they killed them. Ireland can kiss my royal arse.

Alphecca notes that gun sales are now dropping after a six year run during which the industry saw its best sales in history. Now, if this means most Americans now have everything they need, well and good. But if there is some other reason, then it is not so good.

Roberta X blogs on the fact that Politico has now discovered gun-friendly talk radio.

Obamacare is but one big killing machine

Excerpt:

Lest anyone misunderstand what this will mean in practical terms, Obamacare is going to be one big killing machine. Forget the death panels. They probably won't be needed except in very large cities where there are high concentrations of sick people. The very fact that rural areas that are covered by only one insurance company will lead to a skyrocketing death rate among residents living in those counties.

And here is yet another little item that will shock most Americans when they actually put Obamacare to work in their lives. If you go outside "the network" for care, such as traveling out of your county to go 100 miles away to the nearest cancer hospital for chemotherapy, the Obamacare plan will not pay a single dime of that care. Nothing. Zilch.

Click here to read the entire thing at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Billy Graham addresses the nation in special event

Something very special is happening tomorrow and continuing throughout the weekend. Evangelist Billy Graham, who turns 95 this month, will address the nation.

The ministry site has all of the details. Take a look.

This is an historic opportunity, my friends, and it may well be Graham's very last public appearance.

Things are not as they seem

In the midst of wartime, governments often engage in what is known in counterintelligence as false fronts and false flag operations that utilize agent provocateurs.

The British were particularly adept at such espionage in the early days of WW II prior to U.S. involvement. Under Churchill and the British army, false information was funneled to the German Nazis. This practice was quite effective given that the Nazis believed it was their own intelligence that discovered the information.

Churchill was able to foil Hitler on many occasions by implementing this technique.

But the thing to remember is that governments often engage in such schemes outside of wartime.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

The Gun Rights and Liberty News Roundup for 11/5/2013

Days of our Trailers posts an extremely important piece titled, "Why I Oppose 'Universal Background Check' Laws." Read it all. Excellent!

Every Blade of Grass tells a true tale of woe that is "coming to a town near you." Obamacare is even adversely impacting the schools. If the budget crisis won't spur this trend across the country, Obamacare will.

Freedom Outpost notes that Thomas Sowell wonders if we are already in the middle of a race war. Maybe so. We are already in the middle of "The Stealth War" as well.

Traction Control pleads with citizens in Virginia to vote for Cuccinelli for governor today.

The Smallest Minority has the quote of the day, culture edition.

The War on Guns reports the latest on the closing of the smelter industry, meaning that lead will become scarce and thus, ammo will be hard to get. Gun control using the backdoor method.

Gateway Pundit says Obama's approval rating has dropped into the danger zone -- 39 percent approval. It is an adage of politics that if a president's numbers drop into the 30s, things are getting pretty bad for his agenda.

The Market Ticker explains why he thinks this time Obama's lies will hurt him beyond repair.

A Geek with Guns has some advice for gun control freaks when they attempt to make coherent arguments in favor of gun restrictions.

The Constitution Coalition notes that Mary Katherine Ham totally embarrassed liberal Juan Williams on Fox News last evening.

Never Yet Melted blogs on the slow death of free speech at Harvard. Of extreme importance.

The Daily Smug reports that a retired General says that some within the military want to forcibly remove Obama from office!

Virtual Mirage asks, "Will Doctors 'Go Galt'?" I think so. Many have already said Obamacare will drive them out of medicine.

The Well-Armed Woman Blog provides the basics of reloading for women.

Yankee Gun Nuts shares a report on Obama's assault on the Second Amendment.

Today's elections foreshadow 2014 midterm races

The upcoming midterm elections in 2014 will be an all important gauge on several fronts. First, 2014 will be a test to see how deep and intense is the anger of the electorate toward the two major political Parties in Washington. And second, the midterms will be referendum on Obamacare.

Americans have an opportunity today to get a glimpse into the mood of the electorate. Longtime Democratic operative Terry McAuliffe is running for governor of Virginia...

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

The Gun Rights and Liberty News Roundup for 11/4/2013

Mike Vanderboegh has a warning he passes along involving the FBI and something called COINTELPRO.

David Codrea says that the most important thing that freedom activists can do is to actually do something. Read what he wrote to a reader who had a question about how to get involved. Good stuff there.

Kurt Hofmann highlights the story of one person caught in the latest crossfire at LAX and his comment on the utter helplessness one feels in a "gun free zone."

WRSA notes that America has now crossed a dangerous line in which the people who work for a living are overwhelmed by those who vote for a living. Read it all.

Way Up North reports on how law enforcement officers often are the first to violate the Four Rules of gun safety.

Tam takes Forbes Magazine to task for writing stuff about the AR that is simply not true.

Nicki says that "the Bastard" is yet again sticking his nose where it doesn't belong -- in another state where he has absolutely no jurisdiction. This is why we call Bloomberg "the Bastard." He deserves the title.

John Jacob H, in case you missed it, posted a must-see, a chart on America's finances. Before you yawn and go back to sleep, you had best keep up with this stuff. When it all collapses, you will be sorry you did not pay attention.

Golden Geese News stole this piece from another blogger and says it is hilarious. Be sure to follow the link.

Gateway Pundit notes that one of the main architects of Obamacare, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, has finally come clean about the whole thing and admits that Obamacare is designed to make "the individual market" in healthcare to "go away" entirely. There you have it, folks. The next step is government provided and government run healthcare from top to bottom. Socialism. Think about that before you vote for some pond scum like Terry McAuliffe in Virginia or that baby-mutilator in Texas who is running for Governor as a Democrat. You cannot continue to complain about the mess we're in if you are going to vote people like this into office, period.

CLO offers an important post on "gun fit."

Pamela Geller reports that one of Judaism's most holiest sites, the Temple Mount, was hijacked by a bunch of head-choppers who stormed the meeting, hurling insults and threats at Jews gathered there.

Alphecca explains in detail how the official Obamacare website in D.C. is a hacker's dream, complete with intimate details of the private lives of citizens all over the country.

Karl Denninger says that young Americans are waking up to the fact that they have been screwed over by government for the past 8 years, and now they want no part of it. Well, unless they start putting pressure on Obama and the Dems first, and then the RINOS, then I'm sorry but they get what they deserve. The voted for this stuff..twice.

Roberta X offers up some commentary on the lunatics who shoot up innocent victims.

Archer Garrett's The Sentinel is a good clearinghouse of important news stories you won't find anywhere else. Bookmark it and visit it daily.

Stand Up America reports that not only is Obama blaming the insurance companies for the mess Obamacare has created, but now he is blaming patients as well! What a worthless JERK!

Lessons from the political frontlines

After spending forty years on the frontlines of politics, at least two key lessons have remained as immutable truths. Never trust a politician, period. And in particular run as fast as you can to get away from a politician who makes false promises just to get elected.

"But," you protest, "They all do that."

Well, no. While it is true that in modern America most politicians have proven themselves to be untrustworthy, not all tell a series of one lie after another just to get elected so that they can unleash the fury of a hidden agenda.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

The next phase of the Obamacare scheme begins today

The Examiner reported on Thursday that apart from the obvious ominous aspects of Obamacare, a key component of the new law is to register multimillions of lower income persons to vote. Their goal, according to documents obtained by the Examiner, is to register 68 million new voters, most of whom will vote for Democrats.

Further information has been uncovered, however, that shows that the next phase of the Obamacare scheme begins today.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Alright, pilgrims, time to move on

Well, it is Nov. 1. That means that a long month of events where I sang, preached, and conducted Bible studies is over.

October was a good month, all in all, and I truly appreciate the opportunities given to me to stay involved in these activities. This is not to mention that when I have a good month like this, my financial status is greatly enhanced.

Being below the poverty line, even while working three jobs, is no fun. And every little bit helps. So, thank you.

I was able to stay pretty healthy during it all. The voice held up very well, thank the Lord. And the eyes finally cleared up, for now. For this I am eternally grateful to the Lord. I cannot do what I do if I am sick, and that means I don't get paid. People who work for themselves have no "sick time." If you don't work, you don't get paid, and if you don't get paid, you don't eat.

So, after taking some time to rest this weekend (if I can), I will be back with the Liberty and Gun Rights News Roundup next week. Of course, "rest" when you are a news writer and commentator is totally dependent on what's happening in the realm of current events. If there is a break in the action, I will rest. But if not, I won't.

Too much is happening right now with Obamacare to take too much time for rest. I hope you have been keeping up with the stuff I have helped uncover regarding the new law. This is the stuff of criminals. Americans have been duped much more thoroughly than anyone realized. Take a look at today's and yesterday's Examiner articles, and you will see what I mean.

So, pilgrims, time to move on the next thing. And that will be a return to some normalcy around here. Hope you will keep coming back, and thanks for your loyalty in reading these pages.

Election watchdogs charge Obamacare is but a massive voter registration scheme

In a bombshell revelation late Wednesday, two major national election watchdog groups charged that Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is but a massive voter registration scheme.

Gregg Phillips of Voters Trust and Catherine Engelbrecht of True the Vote discovered that an organization called Demos, which is funded by leftwing billionaire George Soros, has published a document detailing how the Obamacare law is written in such a way as to help Democrats get elected by using the healthcare law to register multimillions of low income citizens to vote.

So thoroughly does the voter registration drive permeate the Obamacare law that Phillips declared, "I think {it} is the biggest voter registration fraud scheme in the history of the world."

Read the rest of this explosive report at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Whoppers: some of the lies Obamacare shills told Congress

Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.

In two days two Obama administration officials not only lied under oath but told some of the most fantastic whoppers that so stretched the line of credibility that some citizens were rolling in the floor, holding their tummies, and turning beet-red in the face with uncontrolled laughter.

Click here to continue reading my latest at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Gun rights advocate targeted, shots fired

Those who have stated publicly that they are part of a patriot resistance movement that not only seeks to restore full Second Amendment rights to all citizens everywhere but to restore the entirety of Constitutional law have been increasingly targeted by members of the collectivist machine that now runs the country.

Read the entire thing by clicking here to go to Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner. 

Take the name...

Something just for your encouragement over at the ministry site.

Be blessed!

White House admits to lies about Obamacare

This is beginning to sound like a broken record, I know, but, "We told you so."

For nearly five years we conservatives and libertarians have told you that Barack Obama was lying when he said that "if you like your current healthcare insurance plan, you can keep it."

He also said, "If you like your doctor, you can keep him/her."

How many times has he said this over the past five years? Too many to count.

Click here to continue reading my latest today at National Conservative Examiner. 

Musings After Midnight: No-Compromise or Compromise -- How to Decide

Good evening.

Pull up a chair, have some coffee, hot tea, scones, or whatever you wish to make you more comfortable. It's time for another session of these late night chats.

It's been rather cold in the Carolina mountains and Piedmont regions this past week. I like it. Colder weather seems to suit me much, much better than hot weather.

Tonight we turn our attention to some issues that have come to the surface since the last time we talked, namely, that Barack Obama has referred to our position as conservatives and libertarians as "my way or the highway." Each time the debate about the debt ceiling comes up, this is his standard manner of caricaturing the opposition.

Funny that Obama is a man who has persistently blamed others for things he himself does. When he complains that we won't budge on our insistence that Obamacare be defunded, he fails to mention that his position is set in stone as immovable as the Rock of Gibraltar. He never compromises. Not at all. Not even a little bit.

But this is his modus operandi. Blame the opposition for what you yourself are doing, and thus hide your actions in public view by focusing all of the attention on your detractors. Obama has done this on any number of issues. So have the Democrats in Congress. So has the elitist Republican leadership structure that aids and abets them.

Thus, he wants all of the pressure to be placed on his opposition to compromise while he himself doesn't have to compromise at all.

And then his lemmings go to work in the public square to continue the pressure by claiming that "he is the president, duly elected, and thus he is entitled to get what he wants."

Uh, no. Wrong. No president is entitled to get everything he wants, no matter how many people voted for him. Where in the Constitution is such an asinine notion found? It isn't there.

In addition, all of the Tea Party conservatives in the U.S. House of Representatives were duly elected by the people as well. Does this automatically entitle them to get everything they want?

The concept of a president being given such broad, sweeping power fails to grasp the concept of separation of powers and the system of checks and balances that is inherent to our form of government. A president does not have the power, for example, to raise taxes, dictate a budget, or usurp the authority of the Congress in any way whatsoever.

Those who claim he does, or who promote such a concept, support a dictatorship, period. We do not have a dictatorship in the United States of America, and multimillions of patriots will make sure with their own life's blood that we never have one.

The separation of powers concept is central to the Constitution. A president has certain enumerated powers, and his authority is limited by those enumerated powers. The House has certain enumerated powers, and their authority is also limited by those enumerated powers. The same with the Senate. The same with the Supreme Court.

The Congress, the Court, and the President have no power whatsoever except what is specifically enumerated in the Constitution. Their authority rests solely within the bounds established by the Constitution. And when they step outside those bounds, they are in violation of the law and are acting as criminals.

And you know what we do to criminals. Are presidents, Congressmen, and judges above the law? Absolutely not. Enough Congressmen have sat in prison to make it abundantly clear that crimes committed while they are in office carry a heavy price.

Presidents have been charged with crimes and impeached. So have judges. Judges have sat in jail just as surely as the criminals they have thrown into such a place.

All citizens of the United States, whether they sit in elected offices or not, must abide by the same laws. We have never had a ruling class. Our Founders fought long and hard to prevent it.

Yet there are many voices in America today who want exactly that -- a permanent ruling class of elitists who "know what's best for us, the citizens, who lack the understanding to make those kinds of decisions." Bull.

And many would make Obama a dictator. They want him to have anything he wants, with no opposition. And woe be unto you if you oppose him. You will be placed on some watch list, probably as a suspected domestic terrorist, harassed by the IRS, the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies who have targeted you, and at the very least you will be caricatured as enemies of America, hard-headed, stubborn, and irrational sticks in the mud who insist on "my way or the highway."

Oh, my, the horror of it! I am a hard-headed, stubborn, irrational stick in the mud who insists on my way or the highway!! Well, hell, tar and feather me, throw me in jail, draw and quarter me before I go on a maniacal spree.

Let's tell the actual truth here. It is the president who is anti-American, hard-headed, stubborn, irrational, and exhibits an attitude of "my way or the highway."

Now that we have established the unvarnished truth about the current occupant of the White House, let us turn our attention to this whole notion of "compromise."

Misguided Republican elitists who are now attempting to destroy the Tea Party (people such as Karl Rove, Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, John McCain, Kelly Ayotte, Eric Cantor, John Boehner, Orin Hatch, and many others) claim that we must always be willing to compromise. After all, our Founders did.

Even Hugh Hewitt spoke of this on his radio show, claiming that since the Founders had to compromise to get what they wanted, conservatives must do so today.

Again, bull.

Now, let's dissect this notion for a moment so we can understand clearly what we are dealing with.

First, it is true the Founders compromised. But the issues on which they were willing to compromise were things that they considered secondary in the short term. Either they were not important enough to take on now, or, they could be dealt with once some other things they wanted to do were out of the way.

Second, the Founders did not compromise on the broad, basic, elementary issues of liberty and personal freedom. The God-given rights of citizens had to be protected by government against any and all who would attempt to prevent the citizens from exercising those rights.

I can just hear the hopelessly ignorant now, howling in some indeterminable gibberish that the Founders did not agree on these broad issues because there was significant opposition to having a Constitution.

Wrong again, Einstein.

The reason why some of the Founders did not support a Constitution at the federal level was NOT because they did not believe in personal freedom and maximum liberty but because they had already addressed these issues or were in the process of addressing these issues at the state level. The individual states had Constitutions. Some of the Founders believed this was enough, and thus, they opposed a federal government structure. They believed that the individual states were sufficient to protect the God-given rights of citizens through various state militias.

And no, if you think this means the National Guard, you are wrong yet again. They did not oppose a National Guard under the control of state governors, but they believed that each individual citizen was part of the militia, that they must be willing to fight at the drop of a hat to protect their lives, property, and states from tyranny. And thus, they must be armed.

So, the next time you hear some self-appointed genius on Constitutional issues (mainly public school teachers, university professors, judges, law professors, and politicians) talk about the notion that "even the Framers disagreed on key issues and had to compromise," you will know in your own mind that this individual is a bare-faced liar unless they specifically cite the fact that they compromised only on secondary issues.

The fact is the Framers were in complete agreement on the key issues -- self-government, maximum freedom, individual liberty, unalienable rights, etc, etc. If they did not support codifying these in a national Constitution, they certainly did support doing it at the state level.

The areas in which the Founders disagreed were not considered to be as important as the specific issues they enumerated in the Constitution. And it was not always the fact that they considered such things to be unimportant. In some instances they came to conclude that those particular issues had best be put off until later, that this was not the time to move on them.

Did they always do the right thing in being willing to compromise on or table such secondary issues? No. But we have never had to live under the circumstances they did. How do we know we would have done any better? It was a time of great danger, of war, of bloodshed, of great suffering and loss. And they almost lost to the modern, advanced, and large British army.

So, there were no guarantees anyway. They did the best they could under the circumstances.

Thus, compromise is reserved only for those issues that are secondary, those issues that do not strike at the heart of what this nation is about. But when it comes to the basic philosophy of liberty and individual freedom, there can be no compromise because to do so would mean someone would be deprived of exercising their God-given rights. Rights are not subject to majority vote. It does not matter how many vote against the right to free speech, for example, if such a vote were to be held. The right to free speech is protected in the Constitution against any and all attempts to deprive the citizens of the right to exercise that freedom, no matter how many disagree with it.

The same is true with freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble, unfettered gun rights, and so forth. These rights are protected even against a majority vote. You have no right in a free society to vote to deprive citizens of their rights!

These are matters on which there can be no compromise whatsoever. None. Zero.

Patriots will never allow such tyranny to stand if it ever occurs. War will break out that is every bit as bloody, painful, and sad as the Revolutionary War.

And so, Mr. McCain, Mr. Graham, Mr. Boehner, Mr. Obama, Mr. Reid, save your talk of compromise for the votes during which you decide whether or not to give lump sum to California to build a high speed rail system to Las Vegas. Don't lecture me about the need to compromise on issues that go to the very heart of a free society -- immigration limitation, unfettered gun rights, taxation and the debt, socialism (Obamacare), the freedom to speak freely against the government, the freedom to write freely against the government and you barnacle politicians, and such.

We have drawn a line in the sand on each of these issues because to compromise on THESE things means we lose some more of our freedom. Any anybody who supports such things only prove they are tyrants, despots, slave-masters, and elitist scum who need to be ousted from your seats of power and put out to pasture.

Now, some of you barnacles whose lips are permanently fixed on the taxpayers' tit, will call me all sorts of names. Reid and his Democrat vermin called us "arsonists, anarchists, hostage-takers," and even worse.

Well, I am but a Constitutionalist. A Jeffersonian Republican-Democrat (at the time both terms were used interchangeably). I want the Constitution upheld and followed as the final rule of law of the land. And I want to preserve ALL of the liberties our Founders fought and died for.

If you think I am a threat to America, a homegrown terrorist, an insurrectionist, and such simply because I support these things, then that shows just how perverted, evil, and dark your mind and your motives have become. In America we used to hold up such people as role models. Today they are trashed, their reputations assassinated.

YOU are the ones who are the threat to America. And under no circumstance should you be allowed to serve in public office, not as an elected official, or as an unelected official appointed to that vast, underground, illegal bureaucracy that you have created to rule over us with no recourse.

I, for one, have no intention of stopping until this has been totally dismantled, the Constitution upheld with its barebones, limited federal structure, and YOU are run out of town on a rail.

And THAT is where you can take your precious "compromise."  

Obamacare: It's bad, but how bad?

Americans were warned early on in 2008 about Obamacare. Most turned a deaf ear. Americans were warned again in 2012. Most turned a deaf ear yet again.

Unfortunately for the entire country there is a heavy price to be paid for these two colossal mistakes in electing those who had promised they would give us this fiasco.

The excuse, "But...but we were lied to," doesn't cut it. There were plenty of us telling you the truth, but you chose instead to listen to liars who called us liars because we dared expose them and their plans.

Now, if the website for signing up for Obamacare is in shambles, you can be sure that what is behind the scenes in the program is much worse. A website that won't work is only an outward symptom of an inner system failure.

And we, the dumb schmucks got screwed.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Well, I'm back...

I was gone for a few days there, as you may have noticed, pondering, plotting, planning, and such, not to mention my continued string of musical programs and Bible studies I'm doing in October.

These things are a blessing, for sure, and I enjoy them immensely. But the downside is utter, unadulterated fatigue. The fatigue kicked into high gear this week.

But, we must press on. "I" must press on!

These are not the days for rest. These are the days for vigilance and action.

Read my latest below, and THINK. Think long and hard. Ruminate. Cogitate. Digest. And let the truth fill you -- pure, unvarnished truth. Lies or half-truths will doom us. Most Americans are already there. You will be different. You MUST be different.

Reality will make you different. But reality will lead you to make rational decisions.

'Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies...'

The popular super-group Fleetwood Mac certainly did not intend for the lyrics of one its most popular songs, "Little Lies," to be used politically, yet at least some of the lyrics perfectly describe politics in America today.

Following one of the events I have been doing for churches this October, a lady approached me afterward with some profound if not positive truth.

She stated that most Americans, not even most Christians, wish to hear the whole truth anymore -- not in politics, not in Christianity, not in economics, not in anything whatsoever.

She said that Americans want to believe fairy tales that placate them and sooth their fears, even if those words are patently false. She said Christians have turned their backs on the Gospel. How? They want only half-truths and not the whole truth. The whole truth is too unpleasant and painful.

A half-truth is not the truth but a lie.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Colorado launches effort to recall 3rd state senator

Pro-gun activists in Colorado say there is a third state senator who needs to get the boot. Evie Hudak, who represents Westminster north of Denver, has been targeted by conservatives and gun rights advocates for her wildly extremist statist views on a myriad of issues.

Two state senators have already been ousted by disgruntled voters in recall elections.

According to Colorado law, citizens who wish to mount a recall election must receive 18,900 signatures from district residents on a special petition.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

More for the serious music aficionados

I didn't get finished the last time I posted one of these entries on serious music. I promise this time it won't be so lengthy.

Why do I do this? Because I am convinced that if Americans are to salvage what's left of our disintegrating culture, we must study history, the classics of great literature, Constitutional law with an emphasis on original intent, and the great music of the centuries, among other things.

There is a reason why the works of Bach, for example, are still revered and played to this day. His music was timeless. As with all classical works, there are layer after layer of pleasures to be had, which leads to a rich listening experience.

-------------
So, let's review what we have discussed so far.

All time best symphony orchestra:
The Philadelphia Orchestra, especially during the years of Leopold Stokowski and Eugene Ormandy, the latter of which served for 44 years, the longest tenure of any orchestra conductor in the world.

All time best conductor: Eugene Ormandy

All time best string musician: Itzhak Perlman -- solo violin 

All time best pianist: three-way tie with Arthur Rubinstein, Vladimir Horowitz, and Sergei Rachmaninoff
----------

Now we shall turn our attention to other instruments and vocalists within the classical music genre. 

Best performance of a classical choral group:
a. Robert Shaw Chorale
b. Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Shaw's tenure as choral conductor for the Atlanta Symphony was most remarkable. He was a relentless perfectionist and insisted that his vocalists sing a Capella. Anything you can find by Robert Shaw will be the best of the best in choral singing.

All time best trumpet in a symphony orchestra:
Frank Kaderabek of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Hand picked by Eugene Ormandy, this musician was in a class all his own. Ormandy required a lot out of the trumpets and horns due to his emphasis on strings. It is perhaps more difficult for a good trumpeteer to hold back in deference to balance than to play full blast. But there are many pieces of music that call for the full volume of the trumpet section, and when Kaderabek, the first chair, was allowed to shine, he did so with amazing precision and emotion. Ormandy's insistence on balance and blend was always there, but Kaderabek never failed to deliver when it was time for the trumpets to hold forth. He was, simply, amazing.

All time best clarinet:
Anthony M. Gigliotti, Philadelphia Orchestra -- another musician hand picked by Ormandy and who played with the Philadelphia from 1949 to 1996. Again, an amazing musician.

All time best oboe:
Richard Woodhams, Philadelphia Orchestra, another Ormandy pick, 1977 to present.

All time best bassoonist:
Bernard Howard Garfield, Philadelphia Orchestra, 1957 - 1999

All time best horn:
Nolan Miller, Philadelphia Orchestra, 1978 - 2008 
Jennifer Montone, Philadelphia Orchestra, 2008 - present

All time best solo vocalist:
Female: Beverly Sills, Metropolitan Opera
Male: Luciano Pavarotti
Honorable mention: Robert Merrill, Metropolitan Opera

You will note that most of the best musicians within the realm of serious music were or are presently part of the Philadelphia Orchestra. This is not by accident. The orchestra was considered the best in the world under Ormandy because he made sure he hired the best musicians. An orchestra is only as strong as its weakest musician. And Ormandy never had an inferior artist in the bunch, yet another reason that attests to his genius and his status as the best orchestra conductor of all time.

I am following some young musicians who have come along who show great promise in this regard, some who play at Philadelphia, some at Chicago, some in the great Chinese orchestras, and others at Vienna. Time will tell if they will rise to the level of greatness portrayed by the stellar musicians listed above, who played during the golden era of classical music in America.

Now Obama wants 11 million illegal aliens to vote

Excerpt:

Obama and his minions have found a treasure trove of votes among illegal aliens. At least 11 million. Others place such estimates at 20 million or more.

In my moral and ethical system, people who are allowed to push to the front of the line waiting for citizenship are cheaters. What about those obeying our laws and patiently waiting their turn? They are slapped in the face by our own government. Lawbreakers are given preference.

This is unethical, immoral, illegal, and a disgrace to all that is good, right, and honorable.

Click here to read the entire article at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

No 'deal': Obama gets his way

A "deal" is not really a deal unless both parties involved get something they want. Remember that as we move forward.

The so-called "deal" Republicans, Democrats, and Obama reached last evening is not really a deal because only one side got what they wanted -- Obama and the Democrats.

What did the Republicans get? Nothing. Zilch. Naught.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

An open letter to the ATF

To the current leadership of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (the ATF) and its parent agency (the DOJ):

The leak of your new training manual to the public only proves what countless citizens, particularly conservatives and libertarians, have known for at least two decades, Your agency is not a force for good but for evil. You are a threat to the freedoms of all Americans.

And you need to be reined in swiftly and irrevocably.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Truths and lies about the current government mess

At the outset, the public cannot trust politicians in Washington or their mouthpieces in the media to tell the truth. Before making a discovery of the truth, one must start there or else you have shown you are too gullible to accept the real truth.

Once we get past the myth that we can trust government and the media, we are ready to move on to the real truth...and the real lies.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

The 'Stealth War' goes public

The United States has been involved in "The Stealth War" for at least a year. The participants are ordinary citizens who have pledged to uphold the Constitution at all costs and resist efforts by the current government to negate the protections of every right and every liberty that have made America unique.

Until now the actions of these participants have been covert, focusing on behind the scenes maneuvers. The broad guiding principles of the movement are defy, resist, evade, smuggle, and sabotage...

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Is the 'default on the debt' deadline a false flag operation?

Excerpt:

The new law was supposed to lower costs and make healthcare available and affordable for all. But even in the exchanges created by the law, the out of pocket deductibles are so high that most of the people the law is intended to help are hurt the most. A $5000 out of pocket deductible or more is unaffordable for most Americans.

But very little of this has been reported in the news, and when it has, it has been buried by the tumult caused by the partial government shutdown and negotiations over the debt limit.

It would almost seem as if the Obama minions made sure that the focus has been on raising the debt limit rather than the disastrous effects of Obamacare.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

For the serious music aficionado

In September this little blog celebrated its seven year anniversary. Little did I know in Sept. of 2006 that this would turn into a source of information for an audience I didn't even know existed then.

The whole thing was an experiment of sorts. I just sat down and began to write. I didn't even know if anybody would read it, and in fact I believed that if anyone did read it, that number would be very, very few.

I was right. I think that for the first six months I averaged 10 readers per day. Things began to change after that, and now I have a nice little group of faithful readers. I want you to know that you are deeply appreciated and valued for stopping by here day after day to avail yourselves of my navel gazing. I consider many of you to be friends.

One of the things I have enjoyed about this blog is that it has been more than just a political blog. True, I write mainly about politics, and one of my favorite subjects, gun rights and liberty. But the original "mission" or objective was to write about the modern culture as well. I have written about religion, singers, philosophy, history, movies, and most everything else that effects the modern American culture.

Music has been one of those subjects.

Most of you know by now that I cut my musical teeth on Southern Gospel Quartet Music. I love the harmony that is produced when four men who know what they are doing blend their voices in tight-knit harmony. I have written extensively here and over at the ministry site about this music and its impact on my life.

I like lots of different types of music -- jazz, pop, rock, blues, easy listening, bluegrass, and country. But I also love what is known as "classical" music.

I am convinced that the changing culture in America is missing something significant and life-altering by ignoring the great classics as played by the great orchestras, violinists, pianists, trumpeters, bassoonists, etc.

John F. Kennedy stated, "Above all, we are coming to understand that the arts incarnate the creativity of a free people. When the creative impulse cannot flourish, when it cannot freely select its methods and objects, when it is deprived of spontaneity, then society severs the root of art."

Creativity is at the heart of the artistic endeavor. And some artists have been able, almost miraculously so, to unleash their creativity to a degree that the ages have pointed to their work and proclaimed it exceptional.

Who can look at Michelangelo's breathtaking work at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican and not come away from it overwhelmed, knowing that one has been in the presence of sheer greatness and genius?

Who can listen to one of Beethoven's symphonies and not experience the very same thing?

Such creativity reminds us of the fact that God Himself created Man to be free, and when the human spirit is set free and is not shackled by the false and oppressive chains of human slave-masters, Man is free to soar above the clouds. This is of utmost significance that has broad ramifications for all of human life from politics, to education, to business, to architecture and to every other human endeavor.

Unfortunately, this society has somehow decided that these things are unimportant, unnecessary, and peripheral. But let me remind you than in history great civilizations that moved the dial forward toward liberty and greatness in the political and social realm also gave us the greatest music, painting, sculpture, and architecture of the world. The two go hand in hand. When creativity in music and the arts is squelched, other areas of human endeavor are also squelched.

This is why it is important that students in America today learn the arts. They need to know something about Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky, as well as da Vinci, van Gogh, Chaucer, and Shakespeare.

A student that can go through 12 years of primary and secondary schooling yet knows nothing of these things is woefully uneducated, no matter what he can do in other fields.

Great music is one of the keys to unlocking the door to the arts. Great music has withstood the test of time over countless generations. Great music has not been discarded but revered. That is why after the passing of the centuries the music of Brahms, Hayden, Chopin, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Wagner is still being played and cherished.

So, with these things in mind, today I wish to highlight and celebrate the greatest of the artists who play and have played the greatest music of all time. I offer this not only as opinion but as informed opinion. I have sung and performed many of these pieces myself, and I have conducted some of it as Music Director for various churches. I have studied these things and immersed myself in the work of those who have performed these great works.

I would like to highlight the very best of these performers, not merely to say congratulations for a job well done but to offer a suggestion to those of you who may be new to these things, particularly the young. If you want to get started in listening to the great works of art as described above, why not go to the very best?

First of all, one must start with a good orchestra. The orchestra is key to the overall sound. And in addition, a good orchestra will over a period of time employ the services of the very best instrumentalists in the world as guest performers.

You will note that in some of the categories listed below, I will make only one or two choices rather than a ranking of several. This is due only to the fact that the persons named are unequaled.

I. Best Orchestras in the World in terms of overall quality, balance, sales, volume of work, and overall acclaim.

1. The Philadelphia Orchestra.
This orchestra is the best, hands down, due to the fact that for over 40 years it was considered the world over to be the very best orchestra in existence, particularly under the tenure of conductor Eugene Ormandy. The Orchestra under Ormandy also outsold all other orchestras combined and received three Gold Records as well as other honors. The Philadelphians recorded on the two top record labels in the world at the time -- RCA and Columbia. They traveled extensively and were the first American symphony to be invited to play in the Soviet Union and in China.

The orchestra was known for what came to be called "the Philadelphia Sound," the groundwork of which was laid by Ormandy's predecessor, Leopold Stokowski, and perfected by Ormandy with his heavy emphasis on strings.

In terms of fullness of sound, lush harmonies, and balance, it gets no better than the Philadelphia Orchestra. And, given that Ormandy's tenure was the longest of any conductor on record, they played and recorded the complete works of almost everybody. Columbia Masterworks, under Sony, has remastered and reissued many of these recordings on CD for the new generation to enjoy. A young person would never go wrong in making a purchase of anything played by the Philadelphia Orchestra.

But make sure that when you make such a purchase that either Ormandy or Stokowski is named as the conductor. The years following the Ormandy tenure saw a disintegration of the sound for which the orchestra became known and loved, although my sources in Philly say that the orchestra is now getting its old sound back with its lush, full tones.

2. The Vienna Philharmonic
This venerable orchestra has been a mainstay in Europe for many years, and the quality of the sound has been consistent throughout. Even in the modern era one can count on the Vienna to produce high quality and balanced music that is unsurpassed  by most orchestras. As far as recordings go, CDs may be hard to come by, but YouTube has a library of vids of this wonderful orchestra. There you may be able to find info on where and how to purchase their music on CD.

3. The New York Philharmonic
For several decades the New York Philharmonic was considered by many to be the best orchestra in the world. Although I strongly disagreed with that, no evaluation of great music could possibly be considered seriously without citing the New York Philharmonic. Its most famous conductor, of course, was the great Leonard Bernstein who put his unique mark on everything he touched -- sometimes to the orchestra's benefit, and sometimes to its detriment. But Bernstein was Bernstein, and his contribution to serious music cannot be overstated.

One interesting tidbit about this orchestra was a little experiment I conducted back in the 1970s. I was most familiar with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra's rendition of Handel's Messiah. It is absolutely wonderful. I had never heard the NY Phil. do the piece, but I ran across it in a music store, and I decided to buy it to compare the two.

Bernstein's interpretation of The Hallelujah Chorus was very different from Ormandy's. Bernstein played it slowly, deliberately, and with a great dramatic flare. Ormandy, on the other hand, played it at normal pace, some would say too quickly, and he used woodwinds at places where Bernstein used trumpets. I have to say I enjoyed the N.Y. Phil. rendition, and I could just envision Bernstein conducting the piece with his usual dramatic flare. It was very interesting to see the difference. I still think the Ormandy version is better, but I did enjoy the N.Y. Phil. version as well.

4. The Chicago Symphony
When Eugene Ormandy retired and was given the position of "Conductor Emeritus" in Philly, at the age of 80, he did a gig with the Chicago Symphony that was most remarkable. This great orchestra's star seemed to rise as the sun began to set on Philadelphia and the N.Y. Phil. Today they are considered one of the best in the world.

5. The Pittsburgh Symphony.
Probably the most underrated symphony in the world, the Pittsburgh is simply wonderful. I had the opportunity to hear them in person on one occasion, and I can only say I was pleasantly surprised. They never got the recognition they deserved. They simply played their pieces to perfection and let the chips fall where they may. They had excellent balance, they could do the string thing with great skill, but they could also blast forth with the trumpets with the best of them. It was a great listening experience, definitely worthy of top five standing.

Honorable mention: The Boston Symphony, The London Symphony, The Beijing Symphony, the China National Symphony Orchestra.

Next, we shall evaluate and rank the great conductors. A good conductor is key to the success of an orchestra. I admit I am appalled by the modern practice of orchestras to contract with several different conductors throughout the year. When I was coming along an orchestra hired one main conductor who was responsible for the group, its sound, and its musicians. Today, there is no point person, and thus, all orchestras tend to sound the same. There is no uniqueness of sound that is associated with that orchestra and that orchestra alone.

At one time you could recognize an orchestra by merely listening to it. You could listen to a record and know immediately, by the sound, that it was Ormandy and the Philadelphia or Bernstein and the N.Y. Phil. The conductor shaped and molded the sound of his orchestra according to his own interpretation of the individual piece before him.

Thus, you won't find many modern conductors on my list, if any. Ormandy was the last of a kind when we lost him 1987. And, not surprisingly, sales of classical music began to plummet, and the great orchestras such as Philadelphia lost their recording contracts with the major labels.

Of course, a big part of the plummeting sales is attributed directly to the retirement and subsequent death of Eugene Ormandy. As the top selling conductor of the top selling orchestra in the world, his passing from the scene in itself accounted for a major part of plummeting record sales. But other factors were at play, such as the revolving door of conductors who have no individual, emotional stake in an individual orchestra and city. Ormandy, for example, was heavily involved in the life of Philadelphia, and the fans knew it. Even long after his death, a foundation still exists in his name that gives grants to educational institutions for the specific purpose of teaching and advancing the cause of classical music.

So, here are the top orchestra conductors of all time.

1. Eugene Ormandy.
Ormandy was the only conductor on record to so shape the sound of an orchestra that it was able to rise to the top of the music world, rivaling the best sellers in other musical genres. His three Gold Records prove it.

"The Philadelphia Sound" was his. And he would tell you so. When reporters would ask a question about the Philadelphia Sound, Ormandy would either quip, "C'est moi," or "the Philadelphia Sound! That's ME!!"

And he was right. Some wanted to give the credit for the sound to Ormandy's predecessor, Leopold Stokowski. And indeed, Stokowski laid the foundation for it, but Ormandy expanded it and perfected it.

I admit I loved the man. His story of leaving his homeland of Austria-Hungary due to what he saw happening in Europe, which eventually led to Hitler and WWII, is inspirational. He had received acclaim as a violinist, but he left it all, came to America, and changed his name (his family were Hungarian Jews). He started over here at the bottom of the ladder and worked his way up. It all happened quickly because Ormandy was a certified genius, and it was not long until the movers and shakers in music noticed his gifts and abilities. In no time he was filling in at Philadelphia, took a job as sole conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra, and then accepted an offer by Stokowski in Philly to be his assistant. In two short years Stokowski was too ill to continue, and Ormandy was promoted to the sole conductor and music director.

He was an immediate sensation. He conducted his pieces by sheer memory.

I never cease to be very deeply moved when I watch him conduct. His live performances on video of works such as "Scheherazade" by Rimsky Korsakov, Beethoven's 8th Symphony, and others, are full of the depth and breadth of human emotion, all brought forth from the musicians by the maestro's touch. No one, or at least very few, could do that as effectively as Ormandy.

2. Leopold Stokowski
Stokowski was Ormandy's predecessor at Philadelphia, and he essentially put the orchestra on the map as a major symphony. It was Stokowski who developed the full, lush sound for which the Philadelphia became known and which was a mainstay of their music for the next 55 years at least. His recording of The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky is done to perfection.

When Ormandy assumed the reins at Philly he expanded the sound Stokowski had developed. Ormandy, being a violinist, emphasized strings, and he wanted a sound in which the strings were predominate, although he also used the full sound of the trumpets and other brass instruments as well. Even then, the violins and strings equaled the volume of the brass. Ormandy did this by sometimes doubling the size of the string section.

This is not to undercut the significance of Stokowski, however. Stokowski had laid an important foundation which Ormandy later took and ran with.

3. Arturo Toscanini
Toscanini is perhaps best known as one of the early conductors of the New York Philharmonic. He also served as music director of the Metropolitan Opera, and was founding conductor of the NBC Orchestra.

Toscanini was known for his photographic memory who, like Ormandy, conducted his pieces without music, from rote memory. It was also Toscanini who had considerable influence on a very young Eugene Ormandy who, while in his 20s, would study Toscanini and learn the techniques of conducting from him. No doubt Ormandy developed his own unique style, but from Toscanini he learned poise and dignity on the conductor's podium, and, although the two could express and call forth deep emotion to be discovered in music, absent was the dancing around and the antics that came to be associated with Leonard Bernstein and modern conductors.

Toscanini's influence cannot be overemphasized.

4. Leonard Bernstein
His creativity and ultimate passion for what he did makes Bernstein a shoo-in for the top five. While Bernstein was never my cup of tea, I have to include him in the top tier because of his uniqueness and the sound he produced from one of the finest in the world -- the New York Philharmonic.

Bernstein was also interested in education, in exposing the young to the intricacies of classical music. Most students who came along during the 50s and 60s can remember his "Young People's Concerts" which were played by a generation of teachers for their students. Here, Bernstein would explain in detail the musical piece in question, its composer, and the historical context. This alone made him a force in the music world.

5. Herbert von Karajan
Many music teachers and other conductors consider Karajan to be the greatest of all time. While I will argue with that, I definitely think he belongs on the top five. Most closely associated with the Berlin Philharmonic, Karajan was highly popular in Europe, reportedly having sold 200 million records, though that figure is understandably in dispute. I highly doubt that any orchestra sold that many records, not even Philadelphia, which was cited as the top selling orchestra in the world.

Not all were impressed with Karajan, interestingly for the same reasons many dislike Ormandy. His recordings were polished to perfection. He was known for drawing out beautiful sounds from an orchestra, and the common people loved him for it.

It is almost as if the music professors and many conductors believe that if your music is popular and actually sells, then you are automatically excluded. Ormandy is not even mentioned in the top 20 of many lists of the top conductors of all time, which, to me, is an outrage and points to nothing but sheer childish stupidity and professional jealousy.

Ormandy and Karajan actually got the music out to the most people. Isn't that what we want?

III. Top individual musicians

1. Strings
a. Itzhak Perlman -- violin soloist
b. Norman Carol -- concert master, the Philadelphia Orchestra
c. Maya Beisar
d. Alisa Weilerstein

2. Piano
a. Arther Rubinstein
b. Vladimir Horowitz
c. Sergei Rachmaninoff

Reports indicate Republicans set to cave to Obama

Reports from inside and outside the government indicate today that House Republicans are set to cave to the demands of Barack Obama and Senate Democrats on reopening the government and raising the debt ceiling.

Several major news organizations operating within the Beltway reported today that those closest to the House Republican leadership say that Speaker John Boehner is ready to give Obama most of what he wants -- reopening the 17 percent of the government that is closed, and raising the debt ceiling.

Such a deal would give Republicans basically nothing of major consequence except a few token items that Obama has stating he is willing to give.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Heads up, Patriots!

I just got word that the so-called "Common Core" curriculum that is being rolled out for public schools contains a very interesting assignment for students.

Students are asked to remove two amendments from the 10 that make up the Bill of Rights, since they are "outdated."

You read that right. Our public school kids are now going to be taught that the Bill of Rights is outdated, obsolete, and that if they had a choice to remove two of them, which two would it be?

I know that the Obamanoids and their enablers in Congress and outside government want this to enrage us. I am here to tell you it has done more than that. This sort of thing is enough to rouse the citizenry to open combat in the streets. Yes, you read that right too. Open, hand to hand combat.

We are not about to allow anybody, anywhere, not even by "majority vote" to remove God-given rights from the protections they are afforded in the Bill of Rights. If they do so, there will be immediate dire consequences on our own soil such as we have never seen in our history, not even during the Civil War.

This would be a war over human rights and a rogue government attempting to rob citizens of those rights. Therefore, the war that would ensue would be bloody, deadly, and the carnage left in its wake would sicken the most iron-clad stomachs among us.

The leviathans that occupy the current government in elected and unelected offices need to know exactly what they are facing if they pull something like this. I would strongly suggest that the politicians who have authority over this Common Core curriculum remove such an exercise immediately. I would also urgently suggest that they remove the wording referring to The Bill of Rights as "outdated" immediately, like, TOMORROW!

If they leave in such wording and allow this "exercise" to remain part of the curriculum, we will only assume that they approve of this evil, oppressive, and dangerous propaganda. Any delay will be perceived as a direct threat to the citizens of this country who value ALL of the rights delineated in the Constitution.

This is not intended as a threat to anyone, anywhere, but a word of warning to the wise who have sense enough to know when they have gone WAY too far. This can be corrected most easily. Remove this from the Common Core curriculum now.

Breaking: Boehner, Obama in talks on debt limit

There is late breaking news on the ongoing government shutdown and the looming fight in Congress on raising the debt limit. Minutes ago CBS News reported that House Speaker John Boehner emerged to talk to reporters, during which he disclosed that he and the president are engaged in talks that would raise the debt limit temporarily until Nov. 17.

Boehner stated that the temporary measure would give him more time to negotiate a permanent agreement with the president on the national debt.

A CBS News reporter at the scene further stated that talks between Obama and Boehner include a path to end the partial government shutdown.

It is not clear as to what concessions, if any, Obama is expected to make...

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

A busy month

Just a heads up on the flurry of activity here.

Beginning the last Sunday of September and continuing with the month of October, I have been super busy doing musical programs for churches and leading Bible studies.

As you know I have a part time ministry on the side. I sing, and thus, I do concerts for churches free of charge and on a love offering basis. I have never turned down a church due to their inability to pay. My last concert was very gratifying. The people were super-gracious and a joy to sing for. I love doing these things to the degree that I would do it full time if had the opportunity.

I also do Bible studies and fill in for ministers on Sundays and Wednesdays from time to time. That, too, is always gratifying.

When I get busy like this, I am unable to do what I normally do on this site. I am sorry about that.

In addition, discouragement sets in when it comes to politics. I am as troubled by what I see  happening to our country as I have ever been. When Obama got reelected in November, I remember writing that I did not see how the nation could survive another four years. My view about that is that now we are in even worse shape...just within a few short months. I don't think we will make it four years if things do not change drastically.

So, I do my best to write and sound the alarm. But frankly, not many listen. When I see people turn a deaf ear to the truth, I get so distressed that I literally get sick. During those times I have to take a day or so to regroup.

Thanks for understanding, and thanks for your prayers during this time.
(Cross-posted at Martin Christian Ministries).

Why the debt ceiling does not need to be raised

Throw out everything you think you know about the debt ceiling, government spending, the "full faith and credit of the United States," and other such terms being thrown about in the current debate between Obama and the Democrats on one side, and Republicans and libertarians on the other.

More than likely, unless you are fully informed because you follow these matters very closely, everything you assume about such issues is false.

The things Obama is telling you are false. The things Senate Democrats are telling you are false. And the things being told to you by many Republicans of the elitist leadership establishment are false.

Even the economists who appear night after night on television news shows are peddling lies. Truthful and honorable economists who are honest and trustworthy are out there, but they are not the ones being paraded out before the public on a daily basis to parrot the Administration's propaganda.

The bottom line, the simple fact that nobody is telling, is that the so-called debt ceiling does not need to be raised...

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner. 

Because we are mature adults and not children...

Excerpt:

No normal, fully functioning citizen needs the government to survive. Why? Because we are mature adults and not children. We don't need to rely on government. We are independent and we can think for ourselves. And more importantly, we don't need government and its mouthpieces in the media to tell us what to believe. We can see right through the bilge you unleash on us relentlessly, night after night on your so-called "news" broadcasts. And frankly, we are sick and tired of it.

However, in order for politicians with the ideological stripes of Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, Bernie Sanders, Mary Landreau, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, Patrick Leahy, and others to continue with their expansion of the power and influence of big government, they must convince the populace that we cannot do without them and their costly programs that have brought the nation to the brink of bankruptcy.

Such thinking is regressive.

By the time a person reaches adulthood we as a society expect them to be able to work a job, make their own money, choose and live in their own home, pay their own bills, and in essence, show some degree of self-sufficiency. Those who reach adulthood but cannot do these things we refer to as mentally impaired...

Click here to read the entire article at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.

Early reports on Obamacare confirm conservative warnings

Beyond the vast, obvious ideological differences that separate supporters of Obamacare from those who are against it are the cold, hard facts that prove the new law is harmful to the country and to individual citizens. The law even hurts the very people it supposedly intends to help.  

The conservative problem, of course, is that Obamacare is a direct attack on free markets and limited government. It is not that conservatives and libertarians are against helping the poor and needy get healthcare, even insurance if they want it, but that there are numerous ways to do this without restructuring the entire American system of healthcare, which in general functions very well.

These matters have been widely discussed already. But the main focus as of now is the fact that we have raw data coming in that prove that the warnings of impending disaster if Obamacare is implemented were true all along.

Click here to continue reading at Anthony G. Martin's National Conservative Examiner.