Ennui

I am not sure how this post is going to turn out. There is sadness, frustration and, yes, resignation flowing through my thoughts and I am not happy with any of those emotions.

Is the sadness a result of the knowledge that most Americans are willing to accept what those in DC are feeding us? A consequence of years of misinformation from both the White House and Congress that we have gotten to the point of “accepting those things [we] cannot change”? Or, the realization that we CAN change them, but are too lazy to do so? What happened to the American Spirit? Yeah, sure, we make snarky, sarcastic remarks about the policies and lack of same of the Ego in Chief. We yell at the TV when yet another insane proposal is made by a member of Congress that we know will never see the light of day or Barry acts like a little child by refusing to meet with our most treasured ally in the Middle East because he chose to talk to a joint session of Congress without permission. We sigh at the announcement of more committees to investigate the findings of other committees that were formed to decide if the very first committee’s findings were just partisan hogwash. Then we let them spend money that we really don’t have to fund said committees, bitch about the national debt under our breaths and bemoan the fact that we can do nothing about it.

Trust me. I am no better than any other American. I bitch, piss and moan right along with the rest of you. I wrack my brain trying to figure out what my one voice can do to change what our nation has become. Talking to the television has become second nature. My dogs think I’m nuts. No, not nuts. Just frustrated. I believed our Constitution would not allow us to get to this point. I believed that those we voted into office would respect the most important document in the history of our great nation. Instead, most of those in DC seem to spend time emulating the NFL – trying to figure out how to run plays that avoid the defensive line our forefathers built to save us from what we have become so that they can score points for their personal campaigns. Just another check in the “win column” so that they can use that to hold on to their cushy government jobs and become Legacies in the DC world. Short of leaving our homes and parking our butts on their doorsteps 24/7 (which seems not to work well, either) what recourse do we have? Do I sound defeatist? Perhaps. I really am not that kind of girl. Believe me, I have been reading and studying a lot over the past few years. The only power we seem to have, short of physically removing those who seem determined to ignore the will of the people and undermine the good works our forefathers did, is the power of our words. However, if our words are crumpled into a ball and thrown in the trash time after time after time, who among us is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and eradicate the cockroaches in the cupboard? Very few, I believe. We talk a good game. Then, we look at our comfy couches, flat screen TVs, fairly well-stocked pantries and sedentary lives and say to ourselves “Do I really want to jeopardize all of this for freedom?”

Freedom. Ha. Are we truly free when our government can tell us that we count less than those who cross the border illegally? That we should accept the fact that many American citizens will lose their jobs to H1B rated illegal workers who have been given Social Security numbers and drivers’ licenses? That the illnesses our children are contracting are just minor inconveniences we must endure in order to have a more affordable work force? Allow me a moment of immaturity. I have heard people labeled “stupid” because they believe the more recent epidemics of diseases that had been wiped out in America are the result of unvaccinated children crossing our border. You are “stupid” if you believe this is not the case. Immaturity moment has ended. Will those immigration advocates be so protective over illegals when the M13 roles double and triple in hard hit inner city communities and the death tolls rise, or will they join the rest of us in demanding better border security and a larger police presence in those areas? No, they will join in making more videos and organize demonstrations demanding the death of police officers. I used to criticize the police for accepting “toys” from the federal government – things that seem like overkill (pardon the pun) in small towns that previously knew nothing of violent crimes. I even deduced that they could be used if the Anointed One decided to declare Martial Law based upon some manufactured national crisis. That is a belief I still hold in the back of my mind, but after Ferguson I can sort of understand the desire of smaller police organizations to own equipment that can compensate for the lack of personnel if serious situations arise. Sort of…

Because Americans are constantly being pitted against one another based on race, ethnicity and religion day after day by the likes of Holder, Sharpton and Obama (and a whole host of others), we are ignoring one of the biggest threats to our nation since 1993. ISIS is not a threat to us since they are predominantly in Syria and Iraq? Really!?!? I am sure the rookie cops who were attacked by the man screaming “Allahu Akbar” and wielding a hatchet might disagree. Perhaps those who survived Fort Hood would have a thing or two to say about that. Or how about the family of the soldier killed at the Recruitment Center in Arkansas? The list can go on and on. Is it possible that the level of ignorance in the White House is so great that they believe one ocean will stop them dead in their tracks and put a halt to any violence in the United States? Does what people did 800 or 500 years ago in the name of Christ really even out the playing field? I guess we are supposed to accept the rapes, live burials, beheadings and burnings of live human beings because Christians committed heinous acts centuries ago. Just forgive and forget. We had our time, this is theirs. My inner angry woman keeps asking, “Is it January 20, 2017 yet?” I don’t know if our Republic can hold on that long.

It is sad that recalling the days of Jim Crow, Watts, Internment Camps during WWII, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki or the Sandy Creek Massacre in Colorado can be used time and again to classify us as a nation of hate and divisiveness, but we are Islamophobic when we mention the crimes against humanity committed by ISIS. Sorry, Barry, I would rather be classified an Islamophobe than declared dead after a terrorist attack on US soil – which is inevitable and a lot more imminent than you think. I agree that what has happened to minorities in our nation, or original citizens such as the Native Americans, were horrific. We have worked hard as a nation to correct those wrongs. Not perfect yet, but we have come farther than many other nations in the world to mend our wounds. Although, you seem to be doing all you can to destroy the good we have accomplished. We need to concentrate on the threats of today, not the mistakes made in the past, if we want to survive as a nation. But, I have resigned myself to the belief that you truly dislike America.

This may sound like a strong statement. Maybe if you, just once, sounded sincere when you talk about protecting us and our most treasured way of life I would not feel that way. Perhaps if you stopped blaming the past and started fighting for the future for the sake of our children and grandchildren, I would excuse you for some of your lack of enthusiasm. Sadly, I stand by my statement that you dislike America. You seem to want a Saul Alinsky “paradise”. Those who choose not to educate themselves may think this would be a perfect world if their only source of information was the wide-eyed oratory of cult-like liberal Alinskyites. However, his world is not much different from that of Lenin or Stalin and I WILL get up off my dead ass to protect my child, my husband and my country from the horror of a future like that. Mark my words…

Bring me your poor, your hungry, your Ebola infected!?!?

Panic in tough situations is not in my nature. I am more of a “take charge” kind of person who collapses into a gallon of Pabst once the emergency is over. So, I feel that it is important to be concerned about the possibility of Ebola spreading within our borders; I do not believe it is time to hit the panic button – yet.

The Ego in Chief’s actions might change my views about this (and other communicable diseases) if he stays on his current, extremely wishy-washy course. There are so many questions to be answered and contradictory statements and actions to be explained, but the American public will never be told the entire story until we are living smack-dab in the middle of it.

News was released yesterday of a memorandum from The State Department (copied to the Department of Homeland Security and White House) outlining a plan to allow patients with active Ebola to be transported to the United States from West Africa for treatment. Of course, Mr. Less-than-Ernest uhmmed and ahhhhed his way through a lame statement directing reporters to ask those Departments about the memo because the White House had not read it – or some other such blather. According to what has been reported, the total financial toll per patient will be approximately $500,000.00. Seriously? We just spent (more than likely) our next three years’ budgets on accommodating thousands of potentially disease-ridden illegals, feeding them, clothing them and shipping them via air and land across the country without our knowledge! But, we can’t afford more Border Patrol agents or a completed fence?

These are the questions I would love to have answered (but never will):

• We have sent some 3,000 troops to West Africa to build hospitals and assist with the current Ebola crisis there. Why are we putting them in harm’s way if the ultimate intent is to bring sick people here to be treated?
• Why did we send regular ground troops and not the Army Corps of Engineers and/or Seabees if the mission is mainly to build medical and quarantine facilities? Oh, that would make sense! Answered my own question, I guess.
• Part Two of the second question would be “Why are we putting them in harm’s way if the ultimate intent is to bring sick people here to be treated?” Why do we need to build facilities if the sick are not going to be there to use them?
• I completely agree with the Pentagon and DOD’s assertions that the troops should be quarantined on the base in Italy before repatriating to the U.S. for 21 days to ensure that they have not contracted Ebola. Why is it so obvious a solution to the Military brass, but not to you, Barry, or your minions?
• If planes can fly sick people into our country, why can’t they just send medical supplies to West Africa and let those people remain there? I am sure that the plasma from those who have survived Ebola can be transported safely by military aircraft and be used to treat patients in their home countries. Sorry, that was common sense. I will self-flagellate later 😉
• How can the government expect us to trust the CDC (also “the government”) when they say that doctors and nurses exposed to Ebola patients both in West Africa and here at home are responsible enough to self-quarantine when they clearly are not? I don’t know about you, but I have more respect for other people than to hop on a plane to Ohio or take a few subway rides through New York City when I know I am within the 21 day incubation period. Sorry you’re bored. Catch up on your reading. Perhaps refresh your knowledge of the nature of Ebola and the fact that you can go from asymptomatic to full-blown infectious in a New York minute. Just a suggestion…
• Perhaps the actions of the doctors and nurses who went to West Africa (or the nurse from Dallas who tended to Mr. Duncan) could be considered heroic. However, the “heroism” ends there. I see nothing heroic in not showing their fellow citizens the same respect and concern by disregarding all they know about this virus in order to satisfy their own needs. The nurse who was quarantined in New Jersey (until she whined so loud I could hear her in Colorado) is now openly stating that she will not be kept prisoner in her own home in Maine and fully intends to go out if she feels like it. Do they not remember taking the Hippocratic Oath? “I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure. I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.” (Lasagna, Hippocratic Oath).
• Why can you, Barry, not keep your damned nose out of the states’ business and stop criticizing them for initiating their own forms of quarantine for those arriving from the infected areas? Personally, I do not think they are carrying it far enough! Fever or not, anyone with a Visa from West Africa should be quarantined for a minimum of 21 days before being allowed to engage with the general public. I would even go a step further. Quarantine them in their respective homelands for 21 days before they can get a Visa in the first place! Uh, oh. More common sense. AND, I guess I am a racist as well. Shit… You are not taking care of the business that is your business, so the people have to do it for you. Believe me, if I was able to build a fence along our southern border, I would do it myself. I would build humane quarantine facilities in the Border States and examine people for any and all communicable diseases. They would then be held for the time recommended for each individual disease or virus until they are medically cleared. Finally, I would ship them back to their own countries happy, healthy and out of our hair!

Take care of your own before others. If grown people choose to put themselves in harms’ way, they must accept responsibility for their actions, heroes or not. Our soldiers might be members of a volunteer military, but they seem to understand what others cannot. The mission is to protect our country, our children, first and foremost – above all else. All you care about protecting, Mr. Obama, is your own skinny ass.

I would like to thank Antonio F. Branco for allowing me to use his wonderful cartoon in this blog. Mr. Branco is an extremely talented artist with a kick butt sense of sarcasm and an uncanny grasp of the importance of events affecting our nation. The link to his work is

http://comicallyincorrect.com/

I highly recommend a visit to his site. ~Katrina

Dear Mr. Obama…

Dear Mr. Obama,

I am the parent, husband, wife, sibling or child of a U.S. Military Veteran who sat (forgotten and neglected) on a waiting list with the Veteran’s Administration to see a doctor for treatment. I did not know my loved one’s name had been placed in a drawer, in the dark shadows of some bureaucrat’s desk. It no longer matters. They are gone now. If the list that contains their name is ever found, you can remove it. Your “help” is no longer needed.

I am a member of the Military who is still serving in Afghanistan. You know, one of the people whose life you put in jeopardy by again announcing a timeline for withdrawal of our troops. If my transportation home is a flag-draped coffin, please stay away when I arrive. My family will not need you to remind them why I am being carried by six of my fellow service members and not carrying my child in my arms for the first time.

I am a Border Patrol Agent who witnessed the death of Brian Terry at the hands of illegal thugs who carried weapons supplied by you. I look at the bean bag in my hand as I load my “gun” and wonder why I still do this when you have just released thousands of convicted illegal criminals into our system. I look across the border and think of Andrew Tahmooressi, a U.S. Marine being held in a Mexican jail because of a wrong turn. Then, I turn my head toward my home land and question why you have let illegal immigrant murderers and rapists run free while he sits there… My friend is in the ground, his family still has no answers and one of our Marines is held captive in a country that is supposed to be our ally.   Do you even care?

I am the spouse of a victim of the radical Islamist who killed 13 at Fort Hood. You remember that, don’t you? It was nothing but workplace violence according to your Attorney General. I and our 4 children are suffering not only from the loss of my spouse and their parent, but financially. Because of the bad decisions made by all of you in Washington, benefits we should be entitled to will not come. I work two jobs and my children have essentially lost both parents, although I am fortunate enough to tuck them in at night when my second shift allows.

I am the son of a Sargent in the U.S. Army who I never met. I do not know if my father is alive or dead. He is a POW in Viet Nam. Well, that is what we were told by some who were able to escape and come home. How can you allow Jay Carney to stand there in front of the American people and explain that Sgt. Bergdahl was released through a deal you made with the Taliban because Americans do not leave our soldiers behind? If that is so, why did I have to grow up without my father? What have you done to secure the release (or find the remains) of our men and women who are either MIA or POWs in Viet Nam? Nothing. Not a damned thing!

I am a former POW who was held in the Hanoi Hilton for 8 years. Our guards did not speak to us in English. In fact, they rarely spoke to us at all. They communicated through torture. However, even being isolated from my fellow Americans did not cause me to forget my native tongue nor did the North Vietnamese succeed in indoctrinating me into their form of Communism no matter how many days they withheld food and water, or committed unspeakable acts of torment and pain. I was captured when my helicopter went down. I did not leave my base to seek them out. I went into the POW camp an American, and I remain an American today – language, customs and all.

I am a NYC Firefighter (Retired) who is now battling a rare form of cancer. Although my doctor says it was most likely caused by the work I did at Ground Zero on (and long after) that horrific day in September 2001, I still await the help my country promised me. I know you were not in charge then, but you are now and any decisions concerning the care all of us were to receive were made under your watch. I watched many young men and women enlist after that day. Our small part of Staten Island felt like a ghost town when they left. Only a few returned. In speech after speech you have taken credit for “decimating” the head of the snake that is the Taliban. Why then, sir, are you reattaching it to the body by releasing the worst-of-the-worst into Afghanistan? Do you need a new “shiny thing” that badly? Maybe this disease is a blessing in disguise. I will doubtless be gone before the next terror strike on our beloved nation. In fact I pray for it to be so.

I am one of those told to stand down on September 11, 2012. I ran toward the fire despite those orders. I survived, unlike Ambassador Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. We were under attack by terrorists, period. Now you have chosen to release five high-ranking members of the Taliban. How many times are you going to spit on the memories of those men?

I am a resident of Boston. Martin Richard was 8-years-old when he was killed by terrorists on our own soil during the Boston Marathon. Can you explain to his family why one man was so important that you had to send five Taliban members back to their homeland? Most likely not.

Sir, by your own words and actions you have proven that you would have done less harm to the American people by remaining either an ineffectual Senator or a Community Organizer. We do not need your perversion of the truth or stump speeches anymore. Do us all a favor and stick to golf. If you are going to spend our money, at least do it on something you don’t suck at.

Sincerely,

Those Americans Who Pay Attention

Under Penalty of Perjury…

My friend just applied for a Commercial Driver’s License Class A in the state of Colorado. He was required to bring his current Colorado Driver’s License OR Original Birth Certificate/Certified Copy of Original and valid Driver’s License from the originating state (which will be used to issue a Colorado Driver’s License), 3 pieces of mail proving that he lives where he says he lives – which should include utility bills – and a Health Card from the state of Colorado proving that he won’t drop dead behind the wheel anytime soon. “They was taking plaster tire tracks, foot prints, dog smelling prints, and they took twenty-seven eight-by-ten glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against us” (Arlo Guthrie). Pain in the neck, but no big deal.

The application was signed at the DMV, as was the paper form of the new CDL permit, in order to ensure that he was the one who actually signed it. Makes sense, right? I mean, who wants some terrorist driving a truck into a building or loading it with explosives or chemical agents and blowing it up in the middle of one of our major cities?

I just have one question – how do they know he really lives where he says he does? He used the same proof to get his regular license as he did to get his CDL. What if he was a sugar daddy who paid his mistress’ bills? What if he paid for his elderly parents’ electric and gas? What if he went to some computer geek and had her create a bill with his name on it for $50? They don’t check. As a matter of fact, they didn’t even make copies of his proofs of address to keep in a file! Bloody freakin’ geniuses, they are.

Is our federal government any better? (Really…you have to think about that before you answer it? Geesh…) Well, actually they are a bit more polite than some of the people at the DMV. Our government provides her citizens with a quick way to register to vote in federal elections. It is called the “Voter Registration Application”. The application is a simple postcard that is mailed to the address printed on it within a certain amount of time prior to the date of whatever election you wish to vote in. However, “Please do not use this application if you live outside the United States and its territories and have no home (legal) address in this country…” Shit, I know that I would definitely follow the rules if I were a foreign national bent on the destruction of the United States or an illegal immigrant wishing to skew an election in favor of those who desire to give me amnesty. THEY SAID PLEASE FOR GOD’S SAKE!!!!

I am not even going to get into the whole Arizona ET AL. v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., ET AL. case that was just decided by the Supreme Court. Come on, we all knew that Arizona was not going to win. It is about the stupidity of a system that blindly allows ANYONE – dead, cloned, illegal, terrorist – to register to vote without showing any proof that they are who they say they are. And, the proof that an individual must produce when they actually go to the polls is ambiguous at best:

“First Time Voters Who Register by Mail
If you are registering to vote for the first time in your jurisdiction and are mailing this registration application, Federal law requires you to show proof of identification the first time you vote. Proof of identification includes:
A current and valid photo identification [which can be purchased for a fee from your local forger] or a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or government document that shows your name and address [which can be purchased for a fee from your local forger].

Voters may be exempt from this requirement if they submit a COPY of this identification with their mail in voter registration form. If you wish to submit a COPY, please keep the following in mind:
Your state may have additional identification requirements which may mandate you show identification at the polling place even if you meet the Federal proof of identification.
Do not submit original documents with this application, only COPIES.”

Okay, I am going to get into the Arizona ruling for just a sec… Why did they shoot down Arizona’s Proof of Citizenship Requirement because they felt it went beyond the requirements set forth by the federal government when the federal government advises applicants that “Your state may have additional identification requirements which may mandate you show identification at the polling place even if you meet the Federal proof of identification”? Huh?

Still wonder why our voting system is screwed up? Still wonder how Barry won? I don’t.

Move over “Slick Willy”…here comes “Slippery Specter”

I am watching a town hall meeting streaming live from Pennsylvania.  Arlen Specter (D-PA) is taking questions from the “Organized Mob” of “un-American” “Astro-turf” radicals.  Not to mention that they are only there because they hate that a black man is President.  What a brave soul.

His sound guy (who looks as though he could take on the entire defense of the New York Giants) has been vigilantly controlling the microphone, protecting the defenseless Senator from this room full of crazed individuals.  What a guy!

One of the questions pertained to medical coverage for illegal immigrants.  Arlen stated that he would not vote for a bill that included health care benefits for illegals.  This drew applause from some in the audience.  Ahem, uh, this is technically true.  You see, Specter and his cronies are in favor of legislation that would give amnesty to illegals.  So, technically, there would be no illegal immigrants because they would all be given a free pass to citizenship if many members of Congress have their way.

Not that they don’t already have more rights and opportunities than some true American citizens.

A very calm, collected woman asked Arlen about Section 1233 and the possibility that end-of-life counseling would include euthanasia.  Specter pointed his finger as though berating a child for drawing on the living room wall, raised his voice and said (I am paraphrasing here) “There is no such provision in this bill.  That is a lie!  People are spreading rumors!!!”…blah, blah, BLAH.  Kudos, Arlen.  You turned the tables on those damned radicals and you told them! Didn’tcha.

This being said, I have now dubbed the Senator from Pennsylvania “Slippery Specter”.

Air Sickness Bags are Located in the Seat Back in Front of You…

Have you noticed that things are pushed through Congress so fast that the G-forces are messing with your stomach?

You know, Barack, why don’t you just get it over with?   Why don’t you cram all your wishes, hopes and dreams (along with those of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid) into one HUGE, “America, bend over, put your head between your legs and kiss your a** good-bye” piece of legislation.  Stop the slow trickle of agony you are putting us through.

To stand there in the Rose Garden and say “THIS WILL HAPPEN!” like some little child throwing a temper tantrum was quite unbecoming.  Why is anybody bothering to debate any bill his administration puts before Congress?   Barack says “This will happen!”

Now our benevolent government has added Landlord to their list of gifts to the unwashed.  Okay, we are taking your house away from you because unemployment in your state is through the roof and many of the jobs you can do just to get by are taken by illegal immigrants, BUT we will let you live in your house for 5 years.  Oh, gee, thanks…I think.

I think I have administration overload.  I am simply watching all of this crap being wheeled in at the last minute, unread, and voted on in 2 or 3 days.  Then I see the unemployment numbers rise, the deficit grows larger by the second, businesses closing and I wonder why?  I will ask the same question I have been asking for months…

Why are the American people not allowed to vote on our own future?

Anyone?

Picky, picky, picky…

Correct me if I’m wrong (oh, silly me.  I know you will!), but didn’t we just go through a whole “Minutemen are evil, rotten vigilantes with too much time on their hands and too much hate in their hearts” thingy?  I mean, the poor illegal immigrants just wanted a place to live and a steady income to support their families back in Mexico, right?  Besides, we Americans were just too fat and lazy to do the jobs they are willing to do.  Heck, we felt SO bad that we even let them have a couple of GM plants to help their economy.  Besides, the border violence is our own damned fault because our gun laws are too liberal.

Well…how come the government is now asking for volunteers from the National Guard to patrol the border between Mexico and the U.S.?  Hello?  Is there anyone in Washington, DC who can explain this?  Why – if the borders aren’t as bad as we thought and, well, the illegals are just fun loving family guys – do we need a volunteer Border Patrol?  And an unarmed one at that?  What good are they gonna do?  I can see it now… “Hey, dude.  I wouldn’t climb that fence if I were you.  Yo, hey DUDE!!!  You know, that’s just not right, man.  I’m tellin’ ”

Come ON, people.  This borders (no pun intended) on the ridiculous!  I can see soooo many Saturday Night Live routines coming from this one.

By the way, congrats to the Senate Democrats on achieving their filibuster-proof majority.  But, dude, Al Franken? Seriously?