Faith in America...

...as so it is the title to the speech given this morning at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library by Gov. Mitt Romney. I've posted below a link to the speech video feed. Whe Time allows, I'll come back and post the full text of the speech. It's a great speech on the role of religion in this nation, regardless of what your personal beliefs may be.

Happy (And Safe) Halloween

Sorry...I just have to show off my carving skills!!!!

Congratulations

Congrats to my baby Sister and New Brother-in-Law, Mark.

Rumors of my Business

There are things in life that can be a times difficult to endure. Examples would be my Braves missing the playoffs for the second straight year. The Dolphins resembling Michigan against Appalachian State every weekend, and so on. Seriously though, being a Mormon couple, married for 4 years and having not had any children is not a walk in the park either. A couple of weeks ago, I was in Daytona attending my kid sister's wedding reception. During a lull in the festivities I had excused my self to the parking lot so as to address a burned out headlight, as we would be traveling that night for 2 hours home in South Florida. It was while I was changing out the light bulb when I heard a voice come from behind me state, "So, I hear you two are going to adopt." I was stunned! My wife and I, albeit have discussed several options regarding the start of our family, NOTHING had been determined and NOTHING had been told by either of us stating so to ANYONE! Recognizing the voice being a long-time friend and childhood influence, I calmly turned and corrected the individual concerning the matter. For the record, we are not adopting, we've not given up on having children on out own, and feel that this great test of our faith will be greatly rewarded.
What really burned me was that fact that I this matter came up more than once that night, both for me and my wife. This upset us for several reasons'; 1. We didn't even live in this town, yet people were concerning themselves with our personal life. 2. IT'S NON OF THEIR FREAKIN BUSINESS!!!!! 3. Don't tell us you understand. You DONT! I know who the source of the rumors is, and it really irritates me. I hope that it stops. Perhaps the energy wasted gossipping about the affairs, or shortcomings of other would be better spent instead on praying for them. Standing in silence at our side (And others in our same position) in support of seeking a miracle. One man is my friend and stands by my side. The others simply stay behind me and spew venomous rumors of no substance, pushing in further the dagger that currently pierces my heart.

Greenparty Funding via the DNC.

Today, Ralph Nader filed a lawsuit in federal court against the DNC and the john Kerry campaign. HIs allegations elude to the DNC's attempts to "bankrupt" his campaign through numerous lawsuits preventing his name to appear on the ballots of 18 different states. He also accuses the Kerry Campaign of dispatching "party crashers" to prevent the success of a petition drive in attempt to get him on a state's ballot (I believe they mention Oregon as the State where this happened.) Anyways, I think this is great. The amount of damages sought by Nader is not know at this time, but I wonder if this is Naders new fundraising tactic for Nader '08!!! Seems some of the "green" contributors in Caliwood, I mean Hollywood are flocking in the direction of Obama and Clinton. Regardless, why let them enjoy all those hundreds of millions in campaign cash. Sew the scums and use their efforts to cash roll your own campaign! What a great strategy!!!! I can hardly wait to see his first TV ad down here in Sunny and Warm Florida. The best part will be on the bottom of the screen; "This ad paid for in part by the Democratic National Committee's campaign litigation fund." What a HOOT!

Great TV Drama!!!

Well after taking some time this summer to take a few shots at the state of our current TV offerings, I have GREAT news!!! PRISON BREAK IS BACK!!! Yep, and just a little more than an hour from this posting, the Third Season of Prison Break begins on FOX. If you are craving 'non-reality' drama that is superbly written, than you need to go no farther than FOX tonight at 8pm. (And it ends in time to watch MNF!!!)

New DNC Contender!!!

Apparently from the material of his last video, looks like UBL has hired on some of the speech writers from the DNC.

New Layout!!

Today I made some upgrades to my PC, which eliminated the frustrating task of messing around with some design idea's that have been in my head. Primarly with the blog header. Expect to see the header change ofter over the course of the next month or so as I tinker around with these brainstorms!

Death of "A Great American Hero."

OK, I have a confession to make; I have, in my garage, a box. Not just any box, but a very special box. Inside of this box is what remains of my Transformers and GI Joe figurines. This box is controversial in my home; my wife feels that it needs to be burned. It is whenever this is said that I decide it’s time for a trip down memory lane and the box (and its contents) comes out to play.

This past summer was a great one for us Transformers’ Fan’s. This summer’s blockbuster hit movie of the same name was worth putting up with the tweeny’s who weren’t even alive when I bought my first Optimus Prime figurine (Only to have its’ legs broken off by a certain younger brother of mine.). The movie will certainly be a release date addition to my DVD collection when it’s released, I’m assuming this holiday season. I f you’ve not seen the movie yet, there are still a few theatre’s out there with the movie still showing.

This brings me to my other Childhood toy (and comic) obsession, G.I. Joe. This storied childhood hero has his roots back in the Second World War. The story is that this elite group of soldiers where the driving reason behind the defeat of the Germans in the European Theatre. As time evolved so did this hero, it would be further molded by the joint forces of Hasbro and Marvel Comics and soon we came to know GI Joe: A Great American Hero. Now the “Joes” were an Elite Spec Op team dedicated to fighting espionage and the terrorist organization know as C.O.B.R.A. The Joe’s by this point was a diversified unit of males, females, and was multi-racial. My personal favorite (And across the board most popular among all Joe fans) was the Ninja Espionage specialist, Snake Eye’s. The stories were well written aimed at a young demographic, providing storylines with a moral underlining. The COBRA team had characters that essentially represented in there own behaviors and past histories represented essentially the “seven deadly sins.” The Joe’s on the other hand balanced this with a representation of all that is right about “The American Way.” in defense of Truth, Freedom, and Justice.

Why mess with a good thing!!!??? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Do these phrases sound familiar? Apparently the execs at Paramount Pictures haven’t. Word as gotten out that the planned movie, based on the GI Joe’s and slated for a Summer 2009 release, has seen a drastic change to the make-up and mission of the GI Joe’s all in the name of “Global Acceptance.” Soooooooo an American Movie, produced by an American Film Studio, based upon an American Hero, is loosing his American identity in the name of foreign acceptance? If you listen carefully, you can hear the sinister laugh of Cobra Commander as his plans for the eventual demise of the Joe’s has finally come to be after struggling to do so for more than 30 years now.

Well for the sake of Paramount Pictures, its’ employee’s and its’ shareholders, I hope the film cost’s less than a few million to make and distribute. I feel that if this direction holds fast (The movie is still in pre-production), that this release will make the Lopez-Affleck mega-bomb “Gili” look like a blockbuster. I don’t even think it would be a profitable expense domestically as a straight to DVD release. Paramount, if your intention is to make a movie about a globally integrated military force, call it UN Joe, but don’t disrespect the men who gave their lives, inspiring the creation of “A Great American Hero.” For HASBRO, you need to come to your senses, there will be poor sales of any movie-related sales in the Toy isle’s. The expense you take in attempting to do so will prove detrimental to your stock. The disappointing sales reports get even worse. For me, its time to review my investment holdings and make sure that the Funds I own have minimal to no exposure to this farce of a business enterprise. It’s not too late however for the course to be changed and for this Movie to be done right. Follow the mold of the Transformers movie and present the characters that we grew to love (even the bad guys) as they were originally meant to be. Do this and you’ll be rewarded as greatly, perhaps even more so than with “The Transformers.”

Back from the Break

Well kiddo's I'm back, and soon on the next post (Already written...sitting on the laptop) it will be with a vengence!! I've been very busy over the last 2 weeks with work meetings and some long hours at the end of the month (Gotta hit those sales targets!) and personally as the month of September has 6 Birthdays and 1 Wedding Anniversary in my immediate family, all but 1 Birthday fall during the 1st 10 Days!! So, now that it's all out of the way, back to business.......

Banks Reap, what they have Sown

The last several months in the home sales and finance industry has been a very tumultuous one. It has been one for me personally as well, but not in the way you are thinking. I currently don't own my home, I rent, and my landlord paid cash for the property as therefore is not leveraged on the home. Where this effects me however is at work, for those not aware my day job is that of a Small Business Financial Specialist for one of the largest banks in the United States. My position is unique in that it allows me to see to the banking needs of small businesses, as well as the personal financial needs (Not just banking) the owners and employees as well. My comments that follow are mine, independent of my employer and are impressions I have based upon 8 years of experience in the Banking industry. This is further supplemented from lessons learned in my college Macro Economics class.


Hopefully the title of this post is providing you with some idea of my angle with the current housing correction. I could quite possibly test the limits of this blog going into the economic details of the Housing industry, with the corresponding Home Finance industry but you and I both don't have the time to read (or type) into such detail so I'll do my best to avoid any tangents. The current financial and home sales situations are a reaping of our own general greed. For the majority of the last few months, I've viewed the primary culprit as the greed of the mortgage industry, but as I've dived deeper into the stories being told, and the things I've personally observed as a lender, I can not leave blameless what has also been a prideful lust of material wealth on the actions of the borrower/home owners. Both of these view points will be addressed.

Everyone has seen those signs at the intersection teasing you with mortgage rates of 1.25%. Well in the itty-bitty print under the big print was that 1.25% was in index payment, not the interest rate. These were Adjustable Rate Mortgages, with rate increases as soon as 12 months, payment re-cast (Re-Amortization's) as soon as 3 or 5 years. Now the ARM mortgages, teasing with low variable rates aren't an evil thing, they have there purposes, but during the housing boom of the mid 2000's, their features were abused by the mortgage industry to get quick easy sells, and to entice buyers into mortgages too large for the average buyer.

A great example of this was a recent tactic used at the start of this year in my development. KB Homes, who was in the process of liquidating their inventory here was advertising new homes with payments as low as $525/mo. Now the cheapest properties available at this time were still high with discounted prices floored at 170k. 525.00 a month is a p&I payment roughly for a 65-75k loan (I'm estimating in my head with that figure, but it's not a gross example.) The problem with this scenario is that ARM's are meant for short term borrowing, often used by home investors and executives who often find themselves moving every 4 to 7 years as they advance with their companies. During the housing boom however, the low monthly payment features (including Pay-Option ARMS with the interest deferring index payment) to put borrowers into homes they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford using a conventional 30, or even a now used 40 year Mortgage. Furthermore the effects were amplified by offering up to 100% financing with the interest deferring Pay-Option versions of the ARM, with the index payment deferring interest, the balance due on the mortgages often at times was racing the market value gains during the market boom.

The final dagger and what had proven the most deadly feature of these products is the rate increases and payment recast. The first, rate increases may not seem that bad when you look at a increase cap of 2% (going from 5% to 7%) However a increase of 200 basis points (2%) on the loan rate equates to a 20% increase in the payment. (i.e. a 1000.00 min payment is now 1200.00.mo) The second dagger in this feature is the payment recast. What this is basically is a reset of your minimum payment for the mortgage. Often times, based on the variables of rate environment and the number of index payments made (deferring interest) a consumer could realistically see a payment increase in excess of 1,000.00. Magnifying this effect here in Florida, most notably in the South Florida is the skyrocketing escrow cost associated with Homeowners Insurance and Property Taxes. I've personally seen a few clients experience increases of more than 150% in their Insurance premiums. That's a discussion for a later time.

It was very irresponsible for the mortgage industry to recklessly lend out money, leveraging the American Dreams of many with fully financed Adjustable Rate products. It was a recipe for disaster, the Market Correction that we are currently experiencing was long fore-told by analyst. Honestly, anyone who had paid attention in their Economics classes in High School and College could had seen this day coming in the Real Estate industry. There comes a point when a products market becomes saturated with both supply and demand. When this pinnacle is reached, a tumble will happen. Unfortunately the rising rate environment fueled by the Fed Board resolve to restrain inflation helped to pull the correction in the R/E Market a little faster.
The American Economy is a resilient one and will survive this. There will be a price. We can lower rates now, but risk a skyrocketing inflation rate, that could potentially mirror that experienced in the 1970's. The option I feel is to allow the market and Economy do what it does best on it's own, Correct and Recover. Any interference on the part of the Federal Government will only magnify these events (and please note that Corrections come BEFORE the recovery....so contemplate if you want the Government magnifying a correction) A government bailout of the housing industry would have much the same effect as a near none existent lending rate, which is essentially free money. This would in turn provide inflationary fuel to the market necessitating further INCREASES in the Federal Funds Rate and soon we'll be thinking that Carter is back in the White House.

The ramifications of the housing and mortgage boom of the early-mid 2000's will be painful, but as we look back to view what went wrong, make the necessary changes needed to protect the market from suck vulnerabilities we will create an even stronger housing market, supported by a more stable lending/borrowing environment for the Home Owners and the Banks. Something said in a training meeting on our "Pick-A-Pay" Pay Option mortgage product (Brought over with the Golden West/World Savings merger) has stuck in my head and applies well to this scenario, "If you protect the customer, you protect the Bank." Lenders such as Countrywide and the Sub-Prime lenders were looking out only for their stock value and wallets. Now, they are reaping what they have Sown.

(Note: Wachovia's Pay Option product, the Pick-A-Pay Mortgage is note a "Pay Option ARM", it has a lower foreclosure rate than the Nationwide average on conventional 30 Year Mortgages. With a maximum 80% LTV, and limits on Index Payment increases, 7.5% versus 20% on Pay Option ARM's, It provides options and protection that help ensure that the borrower is protected from foreclosure as much as possible on the Lender's part. For more information about this solid product, please refer to Wachovia's Website.)

Cars, Cars, and American Cars??!!

Well the unthinkable happened this last week, Toyota's Lexus brand was supplanted, and done so badly by the tadem of GM (Buick and Cadillac) and BMW over taking the reigning japanese brand in the area of Customer Satisfaction, which is actually saying alot given the great distain for BMW's I-Drive system. But bigger than that is the recent improvements in quality ratings for two of Detroit's Big Three, GM and Ford. Where as GM of late has seen profitable improvements through cost reduction going so far as to eliminate an entire brand (Oldsmobile) as seen improvements in it's Mechanical quality. This would prove beneficial for GM if they will now match that with quality material and workmanship on the interiors. Even in the Cadillac brands are cheap vinyl plastics found in abundance. Ford in the flip side has still stuggled in reaching a profit while as seeing vast improvements in both material quality and mechanical workmanship seen most dominately in the Focus and 500/Taurus sedans as well as their Lincoln/Mercury clones. That being said, Ford as waited till the 2008 Model year to place a sufficient engine in it's mide sized/full sized sedans. The previous 500, now renamed Taurus will see a nearly 65 HP increase from the '07 to '08 Models years as the Taurus is now presenting a comparable engine option against the Japanese offerings. Of course, this is still behind the trends as Toyota is offering a 270HP+ variant of the 300+HP V-6 found in the Lexus GS and IS models and Honda is rumored to looking at a 300HP V-6 for the newly re-designed Accord line set for launch this Fall (And it looks REALLY sharp too!!) Speaking of Honda, the focus on the new Accord has allowed another redesign (a little bit) to slide under the radar, that being the S2000 CR, a more powerful version of the already nimble S2000 roadster. This car will be fast, and ever more fun than it's base version!!!

More Useless Information..

Has been posted on our "Pit of Useless Information" Blog. Check it out!!!!!

Baseball Notes

Just a couple of notes and commentaries about the current baseball season;

-Last night, Atlanta Braves skipper, Bobby Cox, was ejected from a game for the 136th time in his career, setting a new Major League Career Record. Normally getting thrown from a sporting event isn't much to brag about, but for those who've followed the Cox lead Braves since the 1991 Season have learned to appreciate this record. Pretty much every ejection has come in the defense and protection of his players. The professionalism of the Braves organization is alot about Bobby Cox, who expects the best of his players, and will give it all to defend and protect them. Last night, the record setting ejection came as Bobby was keeping All Star (and future Hall of Fame) 3rd Baseman, Chipper Jones from being ejected as he debated a bad call from the Homeplate Umpire (Replays clearly supported Chipper and Bobby's position on the matter.)
Bobby Cox, sure 1st Ballot Hall of Famer himself as a Manager, is and will forever be a players Manager.

-Speaking of my beloved Bravos, they showed great championship contending form in beating the SF Giants thanks to a walk-off double off the bat of the afore mentioned Chipper Jones. The NL East Div has been put on alert, with the addition of 1st Baseman, Mark Teixiera, The Brave arguably have the most potent line up in the National League, possibly even in both Leagues.

-In the shadows of the tainted efforts of a Outfielder we'll not name comes a truly inspiring story in St Louis. For those not paying attention, may still remember the disastrous ending of the Pitching career of South Florida (Treasure Coast) Phenom, Rick Ankiel. Some remember the wild pitches so far off that, it would make my 4 yr old nephew look like Greg Maddux. Well, note I specified the PITCHING with the career, because 3 years later, Rick is back in the Majors with the STL Cardinals, playing OUTFIELD. This is no gimmick! And trust me when I tell you that the value of my Rick Ankiel rookie cards are about to go back up! The kid can hit! Not just for average either, check these stats from Ricks first 5 Games, 22AB, 7 Hits, 3 HR's, .773 SLG, and .318 Avg. Not bad for someone who was ready to walk away 2 years ago. Rick has had at least one hit in every game he's played so far (knock on wood), and is playing solid defense in Right Field, where his strong arm will come in handy!! Those of you out there looking for a truly inspiring story from this years baseball season, you need to look no farther than Rick Ankiel.

Things to sleep on part 2.

NEWSFLASH!!! TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMS IN EASTERN ATLANTIC!, MORE INFO TO COME ON THE 11 O'CLOCK NEWS!!!!!!

Here it comes, what was referred to the "The Real Hurricane Season" last night at a meeting I attended. Well in light of the recent formation of tropical depression 4, I thought I'd borrow from Dave Letterman and create my very own top 10 list...

The Top 10 Reasons you can tell that the Hurricane Season has begun.
10. (Remember...the list starts here) The 5 O'clock Weatherman in Panquitch, UT is now a self declared "Hurricane Specialist."
9. Dan Billow, of WESH-TV Orlando (NBC) asks for a Office position (That one is for you Mick!!!!)
8. Every freaking network runs a 5 night Documentary on surviving hurricanes.
7. Hurricane Tracking inserts begin to show up in the Newspaper.
6. You begin a tri-weekly fast to prepare your body to appreciate the delicacy known as the M.R.E. (Or other dri-packed Meals also Rejected by Ethiopians)
5. You program the TV to SKIP The Weatherchannel.
4. Bloomberg TV, C-SPAN, MSNBC are no longer safe havens to avoid the "Hurricane Over Hype."
3.. You need a new fire extinguisher after the recent test of the generator bought from the guy in the parking lot with the "Great Deal."
2. You're on 2 weeks medical leave because you "Didn't need Help" from the guy at Lowes when loading the new Generator.
1. Blocking the Weatherchannel.....CANT STOP JIM CANTORE FROM APPEARING EVERYWHERE!!!!!!

OK.....Top 10 List #2..... Top 10 New Slogans for Hurricane Season (Um...for Floridians)

10 (Again...for Mick) Dan Billow Whine about the "Stinging Rain" Season
9. Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is ....where?
8. You're in Good hands, unless you're with AllState.
7. MRE's, Its what's for dinner!
6. Hurricanes, the South's new defense against Northern invasion.
5. Citizens, it's your back-up "Good Neighbor"
4. Vanguard, it leaves YOU on guard!
3. Beach Sand pumped on today, eroded tomorrow.
2. Storm! It's the other "Surge."
1. (This one is for Me-Ma)
Hurricanes: The New Immigrant and Yankee Population Control

Things to Sleep on...

OK, I know the title is a pretty hokey pun, but don't blame me...I inherited the trait from my dad.

1. BMW has begun releasing details and marketing for the highly anticipated 2008 M3. The new car breaks from previous generation models in now coming equipped with a V-8 Engine. The 4.0 Liter power plant is expected to produce in the area of 413 HP and propel the Uber-Auto to 60MPH in about 4.5 seconds. However if you are looking to buy one, you had better start saving long before the car goes on sale in the Spring of '08 as the car is expected to demand a price north of Sixty Grand ($60,000).

2. For those of you heartbroken over the end of point one, take heart because the M3, while the most exciting to drive, is not the big head turner for BMW in the '08 Model year. That Honor would go to it's 1-Series line which to this point has only been sold in Europe. Now BMW has decided to bring the car overseas to the US with two models, the 128 and 135 Models, both packing class leading v-6's, with the later producing over 300 HP!!!! It is rumored by some that the 135, which also will come with a M3 inspired aero package and suspension components (Including 6 caliper disc brakes on the Front) could possibly provide the driver with a sub 4.5 0-60 times with price tag UNDER Thirty-Four Thousand Dollars ($34,000). I don't know about you, but a sporty coupe with these numbers, and BMW's meticulous engineering and quality, the 1-Series line of cars could prove a money-fall for the makers of the "Ultimate Driving Machine."

I don't know about you....but I'm really starting to think my next car will be a Bimmer!

OH YEAH!!!!! I can definantly see this car parked in front of my house!!!

Only question left to ask is....Does in come in Dark Blue with a Tan Interior???

The American Dad....

A couple of weeks ago I sounded off on what I had viewed as an eroding image of the American Dad being portrayed in Movies and on TV. Linking in and feeding off of a article from Men's Health magazine, I isolated and highlighted a couple of bad examples. I now would like to look at some positive examples in the Media.
Today, more than ever we are in desperate need of strong father figures (and Mothers too!) in the American home. The assault upon the American family is at an unprecedented scale today. The issue of the family in fact has become a cornerstone issue for the Presidential Campaign of Fmr Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney. Fortunately I feel that there are a couple of good examples in TV now, and both may be surprising for you. The first, has his fame from slamming other men onto a canvas mat, to the cheers of millions, and millions of "Hulk-a-maniac's" everywhere. Yes, you've guesses correctly, I'm referring to Terry "Hulk" Hogan.
Many Saturday's in my childhood were spent sneaking over to my friends house so the we could watch our favorite wrestler, Hulk Hogan take on the likes of Andre the Giant, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, The Ultimate Warrior, and so on. Now known as the "WWE" (World Wrestling Entertainment), the World Wrestling Federation built into a behemoth entertainment empire by the McMahon family is on built upon Shock value, storylines, and now a taste of sexuality with its' "Divas." Not really the first choice one might have for looking for a male role model.
With all of this in mind, it was with great skepticism that I watched the first episode of the VH1 show, Hogan Knows Best. My expectations, (one's based upon previous "reality" family shows such as MTV's "The Osbornes") were greatly exceeded as we were exposed to a different view of the Hulkster, one as a very caring and protective Father. From loading a GPS unit on his daughter Brooke's truck so that he could keep tabs on her and her date, to leveling out a punishment on his son for giving their weekend guardian Brian Knobs (Fmr WWE Wrestler), while keeping it a secret that he though the mischief caused by his son was very funny. But as funny as it was, the Hulkster found greater priority in teaching his son responsibility and respect. The entire show itself would never had come to be if it wasn't first sold on him as an avenue to get exposure for his daughter, and now Pop Singer, Brooke Hogan. The whole purpose to the shows existence has been about his children and family, never about him.
The second example for this opinion piece also comes surprisingly from MTV with "Runs' House", a show documenting the everyday lives of the family of Reverend Joseph "Run" Simmons (Of Run-DMC fame) family. Again, we have a father who's priorities are those of raising his children to be one day responsible adults and positive contributors to our society.
I could only wish that Hollywood would wisen up and provide us with more Hulk's, and Rev Run's when portraying the role of the American Dad.

More Useless Knowledge...

Can be found at "The Pit of Useless Knowledge" (It's on the blof list to the right).

Governor Mitt Romney's Remarks at Yeshiva University

Thursday, Apr 26, 2007

As Prepared For Delivery

"Thank you so much. It's an honor to be with you this evening. Oliver, thank you for your introduction. I want to thank you for the opportunity to address you tonight, and for letting me share in the 20th anniversary of the Syms School. Thank you to Sy Syms and his family. To the supporters, the professors, the administrators, the alumni, and all the students: congratulations on this great event.

"As you heard, I spent most of my life in the private sector, first by consulting the major corporations, and then by starting and acquiring companies. It takes chutzpah I believe to buy a company from somebody else, someone who knows the business inside out, someone who has decided that now is the best time to sell, someone who has hired an investment banker to hawk it to everybody in the world, and then to think that you, having paid more than anyone else in the entire world, you somehow think you are going to make a profit on your investment.

"It's truly an improbable way to make a living. But it worked, and far better than I ever imagined. During the fifteen years that I was the proud partner at Bain Capital, our compound rate of return on our investments exceeded 100% a year. Not bad.

"Now, what was the secret? There really wasn't a secret. What we did is done every day by you in the private sector. We started off with good people-highly intelligent, intellectually curious, driven people. We gathered extensive data and carried out rigorous analysis before we made our decisions. And then we used all that information to develop a highly focused strategy to make the enterprise more successful.

"I found that the same approach works in the public sector as well. Good people, data, analysis, focused strategy. It's not the way government usually does things, but it's the way government should do things.

"Today, America faces a number of critical challenges. In my view, at the top of the list is the threat of radical, violent Jihad and the associated threat of nuclear proliferation.

"I think many of us, including some of our leaders, fail to comprehend the extent of this threat. Take former President Jimmy Carter. President Carter thinks that Israel's security fence is the thing that keeps peace from coming to the Holy Land.

"Having just been to Israel, I came to the opposite conclusion: the security fence keeps peace in Israel - it's helping - that fence is helping prevent bloodshed and terror and violence.

"What Jimmy Carter fails to understand is what so many fail to understand. Whether it's Hamas or Hezbollah; Al Qaeda or Shia and Sunni extremists, there is an overarching goal among the violent Jihadists - and it transcends borders and boundaries. That goal is to replace all modern Islamic states with a religious caliphate, to destroy Israel, to cause the collapse of the West and the United States, and to conquer the entire world.

"Jihadism - violent, radical, fundamental Jihadism - is this century's nightmare. It follows the same dark path as last century's nightmares: fascism and Soviet communism.

"The September 11th Commission reported that al-Qaeda had been trying to acquire or build nuclear weapons for well over a decade. Former CIA Director George Tenet said that Osama bin Laden sees the acquisition of WMD as a 'religious obligation.' Jihadist clerics have issued fatwas authorizing the use of nuclear weapons to... 'defeat the infidels.'

"We are faced with the horrific proposition that those who speak of genocide are developing the capability to carry it out.

"Radical, nuclear Jihad is the greatest threat that faces humanity. It cannot be appeased. It can only be defeated.

"In my view, there are several steps that America has to take.

"First, we have to sharply increase our investment in national defense. I want to see at least 100,000 more troops in our military. I want to see us finally make the long overdue investment in equipment and armament, weapon systems, and strategic defense. That's going to require that we spend at least 4 percent of our GDP on defense.

"Let me show you, by the way, a little history here. Let's see if I can make this work. This shows the history as a percentage of GDP of the U.S. military. And you'll see that over time, we've made some pretty significant investments in protecting our country. In the Korean War, 11.7% of the nation's economic activity was associated with the protection of this land. During the Reagan years, it reached approximately 6% of our GDP. Today, it's down to 3.8% and I believe that we have to increase at least by 40-50 billion dollars a year our spending on military strength.

"Second, America has to become energy independent. Our economic and military strength require it. We use 25% of the world's oil. On this chart, you see where the oil comes from. The United States has approximately 1.7% of the world's crude oil reserves. We obviously have to become energy independent for strategic purposes and I'm not just talking about symbolic measures, I mean that we finally have to take the necessary steps to actually produce as much energy as we use.

"Third, we have to transform our international civilian resources, to enhance our influence for peace, and for security, and for freedom. Just as the military in our country has divided the world into common regions with a single commander for each region, our civilian agencies need to do the same thing.

"Fourth, we need to strengthen our old partnerships and old alliances, and inaugurate a new one. I agree with former Prime Minister Aznar of Spain that we should build on the NATO alliance to defeat radical Islam.

"And further, if I were fortunate enough to be elected your President, I'd call for a National Summit of Nations to create a new partnership - a Partnership for Hope and Prosperity.

"This Partnership would assemble the resources of all the nations of the world to work to assure that Islamic states that are threatened with violent jihad have public schools that are not Wahhabi madrases; that they have micro credit and banking, the rule of law, human rights, basic healthcare, and competitive economic practices.

"And fifth, we have to keep Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. Their ambition to develop nuclear weaponry is clear: they have a virtually inexhaustible supply of clean natural gas for energy, they have refused Russia's offer to supply nuclear fuel for their power. Obviously, their nuclear ambition has nothing to do with clean energy.

"Ahmadinejad has gone beyond the boundary of outrage, beginning with his calculated desecration of history. His purpose is not only to deny the Holocaust; it is to deny Israel. He is doing what another evil man did before him: conditioning minds to acquiesce to the elimination of a people.

"In January I was at the Herzliya conference and I discussed the threat of Iran. Since then, Iran continues to operate its nuclear program in defiance of the UN Security Council. It's expanded its centrifuge operations in Natanz. It's issued a new banknote that features a red nuclear symbol superimposed on the map of Iran.

"Earlier this month, Iran boasted the production of nuclear fuel on an 'industrial level' with a goal of installing 50,000 centrifuges. On April 9th, Iran marked a new national holiday - 'Nuclear Day.' Just look at the extent of their activity. These show the nuclear sites in Iran. This is not a little narrow project. Does the world understand what's going on here? Do they recognize the threat which is posed by this nuclear-developing nation?

"Some people, of course, think that it's possible to live with a nuclear Iran. That thinking is based on the theory that Iran, once it's granted the privilege of becoming a member of the nuclear club, that it will be a responsible actor.

"Neither their words nor their actions justify that kind of thinking.

"Others believe that frankly back in the logic of deterrence, which served us through the Cold War - that that will protect us. But for all of the Soviet Union's deep flaws, they were never suicidal. A Soviet commitment to national survival was never in question. And that assumption simply can't be made about an irrational regime that celebrates martyrdom like Iran.

"It's time to take Ahmadinejad at his word and act accordingly. We are going to continue to work, we'll work with the UN, we'll encourage China and Russia to work with us at the UN Security Council.

"But the U.S. and Europe can't afford to wait.

"I have proposed a strategy to combat Iran's nuclear ambition. Let me describe just a few of the elements.

"First, we should severely tighten economic sanctions. I think the Bush Administration deserves a lot of recognition for restricting access to our banking and credit services, because financial, and credit and monetary penalties are some of the most effective sanctions there are. And we must get other nations to act now to follow our lead.

"In my meetings in Israel in January it became clear to me that pension funds, such as the one here in New York City, have invested in companies like the French oil giant, Total. After New York State named its Comptroller, I wrote him, and I also wrote to Governor Spitzer, and Senators Schumer and Clinton and urged them to disinvest from companies that have significant operations in collaboration with Iranian regimes.

"Second, I think it's important for us to isolate Iran diplomatically. Their leaders should be made to feel exactly like those of Apartheid South Africa, or worse. That's why I ordered the state police of Massachusetts to refuse security details for former Iranian President Khatami when he came to Harvard.

"Of course, we can communicate and talk with Iran and I support the upcoming efforts to discuss security in Iraq with Iraq's leaders and their neighbors in the region. But until there are indications that high level engagement would do anything other than reward bad behavior, I don't believe that we should be engaging Iran in direct, bilateral negotiations over their nuclear weapons program. Iran's nuclear intransigence is repulsive to the entire world and we shouldn't let Iran try to position it as an Iran vs. a US thing.

"Now there is one place of course where I'd welcome Ahmadinejad with open arms: and that's in a court where he would stand trial for incitement to genocide, under the terms of the Genocide Convention.

"There's a third effort. Arab states need to join this effort to prevent a nuclear Iran. These states can do a lot more than just wring their hands and urge America to do all the work. They should support Iraq's nascent government; they can help America's focus on Iran quickly by turning down the temperature on the Arab-Israeli conflict; they can stop the financial and weapons flows to Hamas and Hezbollah; and they must tell their Palestinian friends to drop their campaign of terror and recognize Israel's right to exist.

"This one's a little sensitive. Listen carefully. Fourth, we have to make it clear to the Iranian people that while nuclear capabilities may be the source of pride, they can also be a source of peril. If nuclear material from Iran falls into the hands of terrorists and is used, it would provoke a devastating response from the entire civilized world to the very nation that supplied it.

"There is yet another source of Jihadist nuclear danger, beyond Iran. It's the pursuit by Jihadists of acquiring what are commonly known as 'loose nukes.' The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, which was launched last year, was a good start, but we need to accelerate and expand it.

"First, I'd appoint a senior American official to serve as Ambassador-at-Large to Prevent Nuclear Terror. He or she would have the authority and resources to work across agencies and departments in the United States to ensure that our strategies are coordinated here, and abroad.

"Further, I'd promote an international initiative to develop a new body of international law that would make nuclear trafficking a crime against humanity, on a par with genocide and war crimes. And by allowing for universal jurisdiction, charges can be brought up at any court, to help prevent traffickers from hiding in complicit or weak countries. Already, people have been caught trying to smuggle nuclear materials to sell them on the black market. Their acts shouldn't be dismissed with the kind of nonchalance that sometimes accompanies routine violation of the laws.

"Countries that want to use nuclear power for peaceful purposes should convene to reaffirm their commitment to non-proliferation. For years now, we have depended on the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty as the centerpiece. But recent technological and political developments suggest that the bargain at the center of this effort needs to be updated. We need to set a 'gold standard' for security, given the amount of highly enriched uranium that still exists in the world. Let me show you where it is. The countries in red are countries that have over ten thousand kilograms of highly enriched uranium and various research facilities around their lands. As you look at that, you recognize why it is that we don't want to break off discussions with Russia. There's a lot of cooperation that we need to keep in place with Russia, because they've got to be engaged in frank and open discussions about the serious and disturbing turn of events in their own country. But we also have to remain a partner with them on the issue of securing the vast amount of highly enriched nuclear material in their country.

"Finally, the United States in my view should take the lead in organizing an international fuel bank, which would guarantee low-cost supplies of nuclear reactor fuel to countries willing to abide by very high standards for safety and security.

"The threat from Jihad is real and it is exacerbated by the demographic crisis. Today, over half the region is under 22 years old. The combined GDP of all Arab nations, including their oil revenue, is less than Spain's. Think of that. And with the growing population and lack of jobs, the ground for radical Islam will be increasingly fertile.

"Let me show you some slides I think are pretty interesting. This shows the map of the world drawn to the scale of where the proportion of the world's wealth was in 1960. Look at the United States - extraordinary wealth, larger than any other land in the world by far. Europe is shown in the pinkish colors there - that's western Europe. The blue is eastern Europe and then you'll see Africa of course very small in terms of portion of the economy of the world. The Middle East is in the light green. You can see India there in the yellow, right next to India, to the west of India is of course Pakistan. China is the bright green and Japan is the purple. Look how that changes as projected for 2015. Look what happens to China. Look what happens to Europe. But the Middle East continues to be extraordinarily small in terms of its economic clout. And Northern Africa, where Jihad is also rampant, is a tiny portion of the world's economic vitality in the year 2015. This is as projected by the UN. Where are the babies being born?

"Let's look at the same map, but instead of drawing it based upon where the economic strength is, let's show where babies are being born. That's where population will be as of 2050. The very places that have the least income have the extraordinary growth in population. And this is the very fertile and very frightening field that we're going to have to encounter.

"And so because of this and many other reasons in the final analysis, only Muslims are going to be able to defeat radical Jihad.

"But we can and we must support moderate Muslims in rejecting the extreme and accepting modernity.

"We should remember that in the two other global confrontations with totalitarianism in the past century, it wasn't always obvious that we'd win. Indeed, in those conflicts, the balance of power was not always in our favor.

"Those were wars we could have lost, but we didn't.

"In the current conflict, defeat is not nearly as dangerously close as it was during the darkest moments of the Second World War and the Cold War. There's no comparison between the economic and diplomatic, and military resources of the civilized world and those of the terrorist networks that threaten us today.

"In those previous global wars, there were many ways to lose, and victory was far from guaranteed.

"In the current conflict, there is only one way to lose, and that is if we as a civilized world decide not to lift a finger to defend ourselves, or our values, and our way of life.

"I will not be silent, you will not be silent.

"Today, we can lead the world. We can and we must lead the world to do what it has sought for so many centuries-to accept different people and different cultures, to respect the inalienable rights of every child of God, and to welcome a time of peace and prosperity for all the children of our Creator.

"Thank you so much."

My not so Scientific Poll

OK, Finally getting some "Ben" time which only means more tinkering with the site.
I've put up our newest feature, our very first poll. Take a chance and tell us which GOP or Demoncrat you would vote for.

The Ocean our Kids live in.....

The Romney campaign released a great tv spot. Click on the area below to play the clip. Below the clip I've included a link to comments made regarding this TV Spot by Hugh Hewitt, of Townhall.com.

Hugh Hewitts comments can be viewed here

Enjoy!

A Generation of Entitlement

A couple of weeks ago, while on vacation I was watching the morning news show "Fox and Friends" on the Fox News Channel. On this particular occasion, they had a special guest, Marie Osmond. Marie was there promoting her current non-profit venture (I apologize, but I've forgotten the name of it.) and while doing so was asked about a TV show on MTV. This show, called "My Sweet 16" is a "reality" show about 16th Birthdays. In responding to the question about her opinion on the show, Marie remarked that we today, have created a "Generation of Entitlement."
This remark really struck me as I've on several occasions seen clips from this show, only to find myself repulsed at the extravagant spending on these occasions. Don't get me wrong, there is something memorable about turning 16. As a Latter-Day Saint youth, I meant finally being able to go on a Date (Though I found myself waiting 2 more years......). It also in many states means you're finally old enough to drive a car on your own, and for some it even means membership in that exclusive club at school of those who are free from mom's embarrassing driving habits on campus.
Today, the aforementioned privileges simply aren't enough. The show portrays a common requirement that one must spend HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of dollars, on an event seemed to be more about showcasing family wealth (or access to deeper debt) than commemorating a teenage right of passage. This unfortunately serves to highlight a deeper foreshadowing of what is endangering our youth, that being a sense of entitlement, coupled with a lack of work ethic.
This problem has been long in the works, as Hollywood has progressively decayed the strength of the functional family.
A couple of years ago, Men's Health Magazine had an editorial concerning the portrayal of the American Father in TV Shows and Movies. Although I don't agree with all that is said by author, Joe Queenan; His point is made well when he state's;

"Look at virtually any sitcom, drama, or animated feature on television today
and you will find a dope, a dork, or a doofus vainly trying to run the
family-Today, whenever you turn on the television, some lard- numbskull is
trying to extricate himself from some ridiculous predicament while his bright,
unexpectedly gorgeous spouse looks on. Strongly suggesting that the only way to
land a smart, beautiful wife is to be a fat, dopey loser. I thought the
catchphrase was good in bed, not food in bed."

Now, the role of the father in today's "Reality TV" scenario has become even worse where as fathers are seen giving in to spoiled children berating them because he bought them a LandRover instead of a BMW M3. What are your thoughts? There will be more on this to come......

Acts of Cowardace..

Complete list's of pardons given by President Clinton... (Note how quickly into his presidency he started handing out free passes..)

http://www.usdoj.gov/pardon/clintonpardon_grants.htm

The final acts of Cowardace

On his final day as President of The United States, William Jefferson Clinton issued over 100 Presidential Pardons'.... Allow this list to be a retrospect and perspective in light of "Scooter" Libby.


ALLEN, Verla Jean Everton, Arkansas: False statements to agency of United States
ALTIERE, Nicholas M. Las Vegas, Nevada :Importation of cocaine
ALTSCHUL, Bernice Ruth Sherman Village, California: Conspiracy to commit money laundering
ANDERSON, Joe, Jr. Grove Hill, Alabama: Income tax evasion
ANDERSON, William Sterling, Spartanburg, South Carolina:Conspiracy to defraud a federally insured financial institution, false statements to a federally insured financial institution, wire fraud
AZIZKHANI, Mansour T. Huntsville, Alabama; Conspiracy and making false statements in bank loan applications
BABIN, Cleveland Victor, Jr. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Conspiracy to commit offense against the United States by utilizing the U.S. mail in furtherance of a scheme to defraud
BAGLEY, Chris Harmon Harrah, Oklahoma: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine
BANE, Scott Lynn, Mahomet, Illinois; Unlawful distribution of marijuana
BARBER, Thomas Cleveland,Hampton, Florida: Issuing worthless checks
BARGON, Peggy Ann, Monticello, Illinois: Violation of the Lacey Act, violation of the Bald Eagle Protection Act
BHATKA, Tansukhlal, Income tax evasion
BLAMPIED, David Roscoe, Ketchum, Idaho: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine
BORDERS, William Arthur, Jr. Washington, D.C.: Conspiracy to corruptly solicit and accept money in return for influencing the official acts of a federal district court judge (Alcee L. Hastings), and to defraud the United States in connection with the performance of lawful government functions; corruptly influencing, obstructing, impeding and endeavoring to influence, obstruct and impede the due administration of justice, and aiding and abetting therein; traveling interstate with intent to commit bribery
BOREL, Arthur David, Little Rock, Arkansas: Odometer rollback
BOREL, Douglas Charles, Conway, Arkansas: Odometer rollback
BRABHAM, George Thomas, Austin, Texas: Making a false statement or report to a federally insured bank
BRASWELL, Almon Glenn, Doravilla, Georgia: Conspiracy to defraud government with respect to claims; perjury
BROWDER, Leonard, Aiken, South Carolina: Illegal dispensing of controlled substance and Medicaid fraud
BROWN, David Steven, New York, New York: Securities fraud and mail fraud
BURLESON, Delores Caroylene, aka Delores Cox Burleson, Hanna, Oklahoma: Possession of marijuana
BUSTAMANTE, John H.,Cleveland, Ohio: Wire fraud
CAMPBELL, Mary Louise, Ruleville, Mississippi: Aiding and abetting the unauthorized use and transfer of food stamps
CANDELARIA, Eloida, False information in registering to vote
CAPILI, Dennis Sobrevinas, Glendale, California: Filing false statements in alien registration
CHAMBERS, Donna Denise, Memphis, Tennessee: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, use of a telephone to facilitate cocaine conspiracy
CHAPMAN, Douglas Eugene, Scott, Arkansas: Bank fraud
CHAPMAN, Ronald Keith, Scott, Arkansas: Bank fraud
CHAVEZ, Francisco Larios,Santa Ana, California: Aiding and abetting illegal entry of aliens
CISNEROS, Henry G.,
CLINTON, Roger,
COHN, Stuart Harris, New Haven, Connecticut: 1. Illegal sale of gold options, 2. Illegal sale of silver options
COOPER, David Marc, Wapakoneta, Ohio: Conspiracy to defraud the government
COX, Ernest Harley, Jr., Pine Bluff, Arkansas: Conspiracy to defraud a federally insured savings and loan, misapplication of bank funds, false statements
CROSS, John F., Jr.; Little Rock, Arkansas: Embezzlement by a bank employee
CUNNINGHAM, Rickey Lee, Amarillo, Texas: Possession with intent to distribute marijuana
DE LABIO, Richard Anthony, Baltimore, Maryland: Mail fraud, aiding and abetting
DEUTCH, John, Described in January 19, 2001 information
DOUGLAS, Richard, False statements
DOWNE, Edward Reynolds, Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and tax evasion; securities fraud
DUDLEY, Marvin Dean, Omaha, Nebraska: False statements
DUNCAN, Larry Lee, Branson, Missouri: Altering an automobile odometer
FAIN, Robert Clinton, Aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false corporate tax return
FERNANDEZ, Marcos Arcenio, Miami, Florida: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana
FERROUILLET, Alvarez, Interstate transport of stolen property, money laundering, false statements
FUGAZY, William Denis, Harrison, New York: Perjury in a bankruptcy proceeding
GEORGE, Lloyd Reid, Mail fraud
GOLDSTEIN, Louis, Las Vegas, Nevada: Possession of goods stolen from interstate shipment
GORDON, Rubye Lee, Tampa, Florida: Forgery of U.S. Treasury checks
GREEN, Pincus, Switzerland:
HAMNER, Robert Ivey, Searcy, Arkansas: Conspiracy to distribute marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute
HANDLEY, Samuel Price, Hodgenville, Kentucky: Conspiracy to steal government property
HANDLEY, Woodie Randolph, Hodgenville, Kentucky: Conspiracy to steal government property
HARMON, Jay Houston, Jonesboro, Arkansas: 1. Conspiracy to import marijuana, conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute, importation of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, 2. Conspiracy to import cocaine
HEMMINGSON, John, Interstate transport of stolen property, money laundering
HERDLINGER, David S., St. Simons Island, Georgia: Mail fraud
HUCKLEBERRY, Debi Rae, Ogden, Utah: Distribution of methamphetamine
JAMES, Donald Ray, Fairfield Bay, Arkansas: Mail fraud, wire fraud, and false statement to a bank to influence credit approval
JOBE, Stanley Pruet, El Paso, Texas: Conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and bank fraud
JOHNSON, Ruben H., Austin, Texas: Theft and misapplication of bank funds by a bank officer or director
JONES, Linda, Conspiracy to commit bank fraud and other offenses against the United States
LAKE, James Howard, Illegal corporate campaign contributions, wire fraud
LEWIS, June Louise, Lowellville, Ohio: Embezzlement by a bank employee
LEWIS, Salim Bonnor, Short Hills, New Jersey: Securities fraud, record keeping violations, margin violations
LODWICK, John Leighton, Excelsior Springs, Missouri: Income tax evasion
LOPEZ, Hildebrando, San Isidro, Texas: Distribution of cocaine
LUACES, Jose Julio, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida: Possession of an unregistered firearm
MANESS, James Timothy, Conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance
MANNING, James Lowell, Little Rock, Arkansas: Aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false corporate tax return
MARTIN, John Robert, Gulf Breeze, Florida: Income tax evasion
MARTINEZ, Frank Ayala, Elgin, Texas: conspiracy to supply false documents to the Immigration and Naturalization Service
MARTINEZ, Silvia Leticia Beltran, Elgin, Texas: Conspiracy to supply false documents to the Immigration and Naturalization Service
McCORMICK, John Francis, Dedham, Massachusetts: Racketeering conspiracy, racketeering, and violation of the Hobbs act
McDOUGAL, Susan H.,
MECHANIC, Howard Lawrence, 1. Violating the Civil Disobedience Act of 1968; 2. Failure to appear
3. Making false statement in acquiring a passport
MITCHELL, Brook K., Sr., Conspiracy to illegally obtain USDA subsidy payments, false statements to USDA, and false entries on USDA forms
MORGAN, Charles Wilfred, III, Little Rock, Arkansas: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine
MORISON, Samuel Loring, Crofton, Maryland: Willful transmission of defense information, unauthorized possession and retention of defense information, theft of government property
NAZZARO, Richard Anthony, Winchester, Massachusetts: Perjury and conspiracy to commit mail fraud
NOSENKO, Charlene Ann, Phoenix, Arizona: Conspiracy to defraud the United States, and influencing or injuring an officer or juror generally
OBERMEIER, Vernon Raymond, Belleville, Illinois: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine, distribution of cocaine, and using a communications facility to facilitate distribution of cocaine
OGALDE, Miguelina, Glendale, California: Conspiracy to import cocaine
OWEN, David C., Olathe, Kansas: Filing a false tax return
PALMER, Robert W., Little Rock, Arkansas: Conspiracy to make false statements
PERHOSKY, Kelli Anne, Bridgeville, Pennsylvania: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud
PEZZOPANE, Richard H., Palo Heights, Illinois: Conspiracy to commit racketeering, and mail fraud
PHILLIPS, Orville Rex, Waco, Texas: Unlawful structure of a financial transaction
POLING, Vinson Stewart, Jr., Baldwin, Maryland: Making a false bank entry, and aiding and abetting
PROUSE, Norman Lyle, Conyers, Georgia: Operating or directing the operation of a common carrier while under the influence of alcohol
PRUITT, Willie H. H., Jr., Port Richey, Florida: Absent without official leave
PURSLEY, Danny Martin, Sr., Goodlettsville, Tennessee: Aiding and abetting the conduct of an illegal gambling business, and obstruction of state laws to facilitate illegal gambling
RAVENEL, Charles D., Charleston, South Carolina: Conspiracy to defraud the United States
RAY, William Clyde, Altus, Oklahoma: Fraud using a telephone
REGALADO, Alfredo Luna, Pharr, Texas: Failure to report the transportation of currency in excess of $10,000 into the United States
RICAFORT, Ildefonso Reynes, Houston, Texas: Submission of false claims to Veterans Administration
RICH, Marc, Switzerland:
RIDDLE, Howard Winfield, Mt. Crested Butte, Colorado: Violation of the Lacey Act (receipt of illegally imported animal skins)
RILEY, Richard Wilson, Jr., Possession of cocaine with intent to distribute
ROBBINS, Samuel Lee, Cedar Park, Texas: Misprision of a felony
RODRIGUEZ, Joel Gonzales, Houston, Texas: Theft of mail by a postal employee
ROGERS, Michael James, McAllen, Texas: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana
ROSS, Anna Louise, Lubbock, Texas: Distribution of cocaine
RUST, Gerald Glen, Avery, Texas: False declarations before grand jury
RUST, Jerri Ann, Avery, Texas: False declarations before grand jury
RUTHERFORD, Bettye June, Albuquerque, New Mexico: Possession of marijuana with intent to distribute
SANDS, Gregory Lee, Sioux Falls, South Dakota: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine
SCHWIMMER, Adolph, Conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, conspiracy to export arms and ammunition to a foreign country and related charges
SERETTI, Albert A., Jr., McKees Rocks, Pennyslvania: Conspiracy and wire fraud
SHAW, Patricia Campbell Hearst, Wilton, Connecticut: Armed bank robbery and using a firearm during a felony
SMITH, Dennis Joseph, Redby, Minnesota: 1. Unauthorized absence; 2: Failure to obey off-limits instructions;
3. Unauthorized absence
SMITH, Gerald Owen, Florence, Mississippi: Armed bank robbery
SMITH, Stephen A.,
SPEAKE, Jimmie Lee, Breckenridge, Texas: Conspiracy to possess and utter counterfeit $20 Federal Reserve notes
STEWART, Charles Bernard, Sparta, Georgia: Illegally destroying U.S. Mail
STEWART-ROLLINS, Marlena Francisca, Euclid, Ohio: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine
SYMINGTON, John Fife, III,
TANNEHILL, Richard Lee, Reno, Nevada: Conspiracy and restraint of trade
TENAGLIA, Nicholas C., Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania: Receipt of illegal payments under the Medicare program
THOMAS, Gary Allen, Lancaster, Texas: Theft of mail by postal employee
TODD, Larry Weldon, Gardendale, Texas: Conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S. in violation of the Lacey Act and the Airborne Hunting Act
TREVINO, Olga C. , Converse, Texas: Misapplication by a bank employee
VAMVOUKLIS, Ignatious, Exeter, New Hampshire: Possession of cocaine
VAN DE WEERD, Patricia A., Tomahawk, Wisconsin: Theft by a U.S. Postal employee
WADE, Christopher V.,
WARMATH, Bill Wayne, Walls, Mississippi: Obstruction of correspondence
WATSON, Jack Kenneth, Oakridge, Oregon: Making false statements of material facts to the U.S. Forest Service
WEBB, Donna Lynn, Panama City, Florida: False entry in savings and loan record by employee
WELLS, Donald William, Phenix City, Alabama: Possession of an unregistered firearm
WENDT, Robert H., Kirkwood, Missouri: Conspiracy to effectuate the escape of a federal prisoner
WILLIAMS, Jack L., Making false statements to federal agents
WILLIAMS, Kevin Arthur, Omaha, Nebraska: Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine
WILLIAMS, Robert Michael, Davison, Michigan: Conspiracy to transport in foreign commerce securities obtained by fraud
WILSON, Jimmie Lee, Helena, Arkansas: Converting property mortgaged or pledged to a farm credit agency, and converting public money to personal use
WINGATE, Thelma Louise, Sale City, Georgia: Mail fraud
WOOD, Mitchell Couey, Sherwood, Arkansas: Conspiracy to possess and to distribute cocaine
WOOD, Warren Stannard, Las Vegas, Nevada: Conspiracy to defraud the United States by filing a false document with the Securities and Exchange Commission
WORTHEY, Dewey, Conway, Arkansas: Medicaid fraud
YALE, Rick Allen, Belleville, Illinois: Bank fraud
YASAK, Joseph A. , Chicago, Illinois: Knowingly making under oath a false declaration regarding a material fact before a grand jury
YINGLING, William Stanley, Interstate transportation of stolen vehicle
YOUNG, Phillip David, Little Rock, Arkansas: Interstate transportation and sale of fish and wildlife

The Hidden Truth....

Over the course of the last couple of years, I've had the chance to discuss with my father the slanted coverage of the Iraq War provided by our Media outlets. As a regular reader of the Powerline Blog, I've had the chance to read some excellent views from Iraq by a freelance journalist, named Michael Yon. Michael, has paid on his own (With assistance from donors on his website) numerous trips to both Afghanistan and Iraq. A couple days ago, he posted this very eye opening report about a trip he spent with some of our finest young men.

Warning!!: The pictures in this story can be graphic, and contain images of innocent victims of the war. (but not by us!)

I can only ask, why are those, whose voice's shrill the papers crying injustice upon our troops, silent about the atrocities committed on a daily basis by Al Qaeda.

The link is here: "Bless the Beast and Children"


Also, Thanks to guys at Powerline for ensuring that the rest of us have the opportunity to be empowered knowledge of the work of people like Michael Yon.

Site Changes

I apologize for any problems looking up the site over the last couple of days. I'm in the middle of resolving the past issue of the correct addressing for the blog hosting with blogger, thru 1and1.com. We've finally found the issue, BUT it will take up to 48 hours from this afternoon for all to be runnig correctly, so stay tuned...

Only votes after January 29th Count!

For those who know my dad, there are a small number of ways to get him to make a change in political affiliation. He began a Demoncrat, switched to the GOP, supported Perot, then switched back to the Demoncrats, primarily upon the foundation of their "Pro-Labor" stance. I love my Dad, but writing to me is not a strong point, actually writing to anyone who's not located in Tallahassee, or Washington, D.C. very rarely happens. This morning he left a message on my cell, it was a brief one, simply asking if I had gotten his Email. With the current POUS races already heating up with more than a year to go before the General Election, I knew that something had happened. I called him back and he directed me to the email which had a link to an article on CQpolitics.com.

He told me his opinion in regards to what seems to be a concrete decision by Howard Dean to enforce the Demoncrat National Committee's By-Law prohibiting the participation of any Delegate from a state holding primary elections prior to Feb. Additionally, half of all delegate votes would not be counted towards the DNC nomination and there would be penalties for any DNC candidates who campaign in such states, being that all votes for the candidate would be forfeited. In other words, "Attention All Florida Democrats! As of this moment, your votes will NOT COUNT at the 2008 DNC Convention." Mr. Dean, on behalf of all Florida Republicans, who have family member lost to the fogs of the DNC, thank you! My father sent an Email to the State DNC Chairwoman, informing her that he was effectively switching his party affiliation to the GOP, so that his VOTE WILL COUNT.

The effects of this move will continue to evolve over the coming months, Adam Smith, of the St Petersburg Times wrote;

The rules, unanimously passed in 2006 by nearly 450 Democratic party
activists across the country - including Florida - are clear and leave little or
no leeway for Dean to waive them: Any state that violates the schedule set by
the DNC loses half its delegates to the national nominating convention and any
candidate who campaigns in that state will forfeit all delegates from that
state.
By moving to Jan. 29, Dean told a New Hampshire student, Florida
Democrats "essentially converted their primary to a straw poll."
Translation:
National leaders of the "count every vote" party are refusing to count the votes
of Florida, where the term "disenfranchised voters" became a rallying cry in
2000.

MORE TO COME AND BE SAID ON THIS........

Al Gore's original thoughts on Iraq and Hussein

My, how time has changed people....this would only be more entertaining if he was running for president.....enjoy!!!!

Brothers with Arms....

This is how my Brother likes to spend his time on shore leave....

Middle of Spring Cleaning...

Ok Kids! It's been over a week since I've been able to leave a post so I've got some house cleaning to do......

1. Well here in the sunshine state the fraud season has swung into hi gear. Folks there is a simple rule of thumb that was, is, and will forever hold true, There is no such thing as Free Lunch!" What does this mean? If you never played a "Spanish Lottery" How could you be a winner. Or a lottery in Canada, or a lottery held by a car dealership in South Carolina if you've never been to South Carolina?
If you receive in your mail, Snail and Email, an annoucement declaring your winnigs of some sort of lottery in Spain, Europe, Nigeria, Canada, etc...listen very carefully, IT'S A SCAM!!!
I really hate to be the bearer of bad news, or to be the party pooper, but you need to be more careful. Everyday, the criminals, who have a full-time job stealing YOUR money are gatting more creative. Since they don't have REAL jobs, they have pleanty of time to hone their creativity.
Another popular scam is to send you emails asking you to verify your information. For this reason or that. They even are kind enough to provide you a direct link to your profile to update.
DONT! It's a Scam!
Repeat after me, "My bank will never ask me to verify my full account and personal information when calling me on the phone (If you bank calls, they already have you Social Security Number and Account information.), or contacting me via email.

2. OK! We're still two weeks from the official start of the 2007 Hurricane Season and we've already had our first named storm, Sub-Tropical Storm Andrea. For all the Florida residents, June 1st thru 12th is the state-wide hurricane supplies tax holiday. So be sure to use the savings and prepare for waht will likely be a active summer for us! Florida has been given an odds of 4 times likely than average of being hit by a Hurricane this season versus 2 times as likely for the Texas Coast.

3. And finally the third..HOW BOUT THEM BRAVES!!!!!! Looks like after tonights 8-1 Win over the New York Mets, they will be in this come october so long as they can continue their dominance over the Mets.

Well, it's in the works right now, but I may start a Third Blog, this one will be nowhere serious, and for those who've known me for a long time, let me just clue you in on the predicating detail, I'm looking to team up with Mick on the venture, so it will be nothing short of laughs.

"Super-Rabbit"

This is too awesome! If I didn't see the video, I would have never believed the story!

http://www.livevideo.com/video/embedLink/5AA0F4E198BD49F6BF686675CBC8C177/21297/super-rabbit.aspx

A great research site.

While researching and verifying some of the points and fact made in my previous post I came across a great non-profit site. It's called http://www.fairlds.org/ and in their words....

"The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of LDS (Mormon) doctrine, belief and practice."

I urge anyone reading this post to check this site out. It is run by a couple of African-American members of the LDS Church, which in light of their work is an important perspective to be aware of. There are a number of sites out there like this one, but this is the first that I've taken a really big liking to! I feel confident that the same will hold true for anyone else that takes the time to see what they have to offer.

Al Sharpton, Mormons, and racial segregation.

Most of you reading this blog are already aware of the recent accusations and remarks made by the "Reverend" Al Sharpton. Up to this point, I've remained mum as both Romney and the LDS Church have been blindly assaulted with fictitious accusations rooted deep in the Evangelical crusade against the "Mormons." Now, not only as a member of the LDS Church, but also a passionate student of American History, I feel obligated to put in my two cents.

At no time was the LDS Church, as a religion, discriminatory towards African Americans in enforcing segregative practices towards other races and creeds within it's chapels. Let me share with you some history not commonly taught in the public schools system.
1. Joseph Smith was a strong critic of slavery, and proponent to granting freedom to all African-American slaves in the United States.
2. Black slaves were openly welcome to sit in and participate in Church services as far back as during the church presidency of Joseph Smith.
3. While in Missouri, Joseph Smith was asked by a newspaper reporter why he permitted "Negroes" to attend the church services held by the Latter-Day Saint Church. Joseph simply replied, "I don't remember ever choosing to be born with the color of my skin."
4. The first black member to be baptized was a man named Elijah Abel, who not only was baptized in 1832, but in fact was ordained to the priesthood and traveled in Brigham Young's wagon company on the journey to the Salt Lake Valley.
5. In 1867, the Constitution of the Deseret Territory, had the wording, "all white males" removed in reference to voting rights. This empowered black citizens (As well as Women) with the right to vote in government elections. (There were about 60 black citizens of the Deseret Territory at this time.) It should be noted on this point that the right was lost when the Deseret Territory became the State of Utah, as it was then subject to federal laws that at the time did not afford the same liberties as the Deseret Constitution.
6. Joseph Smith ran for President of the United States on a Anti-Slavery platform.
7. Another response from Joseph Smith on the issue was, "They came into the world slaves mentally and physically. Change their situation with the whites, and they would be like them. They have souls, and are subjects of salvation." It should be noted that Joseph Smith taught and firmly believed that if all things were equal in regards to access to education, etc. That Black slaves would be equal to the white race in every regard.
8. Before the civil rights movements of the 1960's, the LDS Church was actively proselyting in the African Continent. Although they were rejected greatly in the beginning everywhere except South Africa, the efforts of the Church continued.

This issue I feel is a tremendous effort in hypocrisy. I will forever remember the day in my AP American History class in 11th Grade, when our teacher shared with us the events of the night when the Ku Klux Klan surrounded his home on horseback, holding shotguns, and burned a cross in their yard. Why, you may ask? Because his father, a Protestant minister allowed blacks to attend his church services. Blacks in "White" religions was not a Mormon issue, it was a much broader issue that shadowed the social and religious progress of our Nation. When you take a truthful and honest look at the official positions of the LDS Church (Those delivered by The Church's Prophet as such), it was always for equal treatment of all men as prescribed in the Preamble of the Declaration of Independence. When the Church was restored by Joseph Smith, the Nation itself was not ready for blacks to be empowered with the Priesthood of God. Truth is, that fact alone had greater influence than any other person or thing in the policies of the LDS Church at that time.

Playing the race card was a poor choice for Al Sharpton. My only regret, is that Romney's campaign rewarded it with a response. Often I have felt, silence can be more powerful than the loudest of shouters.

Florida Property Taxes

When you've got a moment, take a moment to check over at our new sister blog, Views from Florida. My newest post there is in dealing with the current crisis in Florida in regards to Property Taxes and Homeowners Insurance.

GOP Debate

I've Embedded at the bottom of the Blog a feed from Mitt Romney's campaign showing highlights from the GOP Debate held last week. When I find a link to it, I'll replace it with a link showing the debate in it's entirety (If available.)

A Guy named Mitt

For those not privileged enough to live on the West Coast, the first debate for the current Republicans seeking the party nomination (Including a few who've yet announced that they are running, such as Fred Thompson) was held a few nights ago at the Ronald Regan Presidential Library in California.

The reviews of the debate from many sources in the press have been loaded with bites, at times twisting of the real quotes from the Debate. There are two large items of note however from the Debate. One is that not one participant fell to the attempts by moderator, Chris Matthews to debase the current Bush Administration. The other is that the general consensus of those who did watch the debate is that Mitt Romney won the debate. This is really big for Romney's camp as a strong start in the public forum was essential to the viability of his campaign.

Romney's work on the Debate I feel started the previous night when he was a guess on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. IT has been a long while since I've been up that late, but I wanted to see how Mitt would do, and I felt that it was worth it. He was hitting with more one liners at times than Jay was. He showed that he's not as stiff as some have viewed him, and quickly turned the criticisms of his "perfect" appearance into a barrage of jokes, much to the delight and loud reaction of the live audience.

If this is the start for Romney and he's still warming up, I suspect that the polls will begin to reflect a change of national opinion concerning Romney. IF the reactions to Romney in my own office are any indication, the change will be much sooner than later. On this note, if you've not had the chance to read it, I would recommend Hugh Hewitt's book, "A Mormon in the White House? 10 Things Every American Should Know About Mitt Romney" I've read about halfway through and it has been an excellently written book thus far.

One more impression regarding Romney and his abilities on camera and I'll call it a night. Romney is a very articulate and intelligent man. For those not aware, his business ventures include several large corporations that got their capital funding from Bain Capital, including Staples among others. He has a MBA from Harvard University and his track record in the private, public, and service sectors are evidence of such. Friday I was speaking with two co-workers about the debate and stated that the Clinton camp has serious reason to hope against Romney getting the GOP nomination. In many ways, Romney has the charisma, looks, and people skills of a certain Arkansas politician, only this time it's a Republican who's also got morals and is true to them.

Return of the RedCushion.....
Just in time for the Summer Movies...

Yep, back from a long hiatus and many hours spent trying out a new domain. Only to find out that to do what I was hoping for I needed linux based hosting and I've got MS Hosting for the redcushionblog.com website. That's ok....I was able to set the new domain to redirect here to the original host for this blog and here it will stay it appears.

I will start first by recommending to everyone that they take the time to check out the new Spiderman 3 Movie!! It was a fantastic movie!! Erin and I saw the 1:30pm showing at the AMC here in Vero this afternoon and it was one of the only two and half hour movies we've seen that Erin wasn't complaining about the movie legnth. The movie reflects not only on the darker side of our inner selves, but also the negative repercussions that revenge can have on us. I would not hesitate in giving this movie 5 out of 5 stars.

This summer is looking to be a very expensive one for me. With at least 5 REALLY good sequels coming out, all appearing to be "must see" releases I will be spending alot of friday/satruday nights at the AMC the next few months it appears.

Later this evening I will get back to my passion and comment on the up and roaring presidential campaigns (Jeez, we're not even half way through 2007 yet!!)

Romney and the Iran issue.

The guys at POWERLINEBLOG.com posted a video clip and full transcript of Fmr Gov. Mitt Romney's (MA-R) remarks recently in Isreal concerning the current situtation with Iran. I recommend its' viewing and reading. http://powerlineblog.com/archives/016622.php

Jewish Holocaust
(Assignment: Final Term Paper)


“Holocaust (Greek holo, “whole”; caustos, ”burned”), originally, a religious rite in which an offering was entirely consumed by fire. In current usage, holocaust refers to any widespread human disaster, but when written Holocaust, it refers to the almost complete destruction of the Jews in Europe by Nazi Germany.” (Encarta, 1) In 1889, many events were taking place in the world. In the United States, exploration and migration to the pacific coast was still taking place. We were also seeing the end of the Indian Wars caused by the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Ironically, another of the significant events of this year wouldn’t be felt for another forty-three years, the birth of an Austrian boy named Adolf Hitler. Hitler’s reign of power only lasted twelve years, spanning from 1933 to his death in 1945. The horrors, conquests, and lessons taught during this twelve-year period were the culmination of hatred and delusioned self-reality that had been created and fueled in the years prior to his appointment as Germany’s Chancellor.

The horror of this time period is the Jewish Holocaust. More than six million Jews lost their lives during this period. The means of this process was horrific. More than three million were killed in concentration camps. These camps and their means of murder comprised of; Kulmhof (gas vans; 150,000 dead), Belzec (carbon monoxide, 600,000 dead), Sobibor (gas chamber, 250,000 dead), Treblinka (gas chamber, 800,000 dead), Majdenek (gas and shootings, 50,000 dead), and Auscwitz (hydrogen cyanide gas, 1,000,000+ dead). The Jewish ghetto’s claimed over 600,000 deaths, and more than 1,400,000 Jews were killed in mass shootings. When you include the death totals from the Allied nations, the total deaths from the European theater of WWII exceed fifteen million. The Jews would never find relief from this tyranny until their captors had abandoned them, or Allied forces liberated their concentration camps. Otherwise, up to that point in time, the only way out was death.

The events of the Holocaust and Hitler’s reign of destruction are over. Today, the Holocaust is nothing more than stories, memories, ruins, and museum exhibits. The greatest horror of Hitler’s time in power is found among six million lives taken, and those still living today with the memory forever etched into their hearts and minds. All of this came about because of their religious heritage, race, or disability. I feel that the greatest threat to us today that these events hold is the failure of our nation and the world to learn from this period in human history. It is the failure to learn, as well as our allowance of a repetition of the same tactics, practices, and teachings that have caused a resurrection of the demons created by Hitler’s dream and delusioned self-reality. Though presently small in comparison to what took place to the Jews in the 1930’s and 40’s, the deaths of those presently targeted by this delusioned dream will continue to pursue the haunting souls of the Holocaust. This pursuit will go on at a continuously growing rate if we continue to sit in a state of inanimate stupor.

The process by which Hitler attempted to bring to pass his delusioned dream of a superior Aryan nation began long before his accention to power. The focus of this paper is that of two key elements to Hitler’s success; the Legislative process and the civil machinery that made Hitler’s Final Solution possible. Hitler’s approach was one of carefully planned legal opposition, systematically laid out to achieve a German nation consisting of a perfected Aryan race. This included a complete extinction of the Jewish people all together. An essential and key element to this approach was the German bureaucracy, which infused all other participants with “it’s sure-footed planning and bureaucratic thoroughness.” (Browning) Hitler’s first move in the legislative portion of the final solution took place in 1933 when the German legislation passed the “Law for Restoration of the Civil Service.” This law empowered the nazi party and other’s who were also anti-semantic to remove from any civil office or position those not found loyal to the agenda’s and goals of the Nazi party. This would bring an end to the civil service and presence the Jewish people with the exception of the few who found this as an opportunity to rise up the ranks of the German government. In 1935, the “Reich Citizenship Law, the Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor, and the Decree Defining the Mischlinge, or persons of mixed blood” were passed. This collection of laws is better known as the Nuernburg Laws. The possibility of any social identity and existence for Jews was vanquished by this collection of laws. The laws defined who was and wasn’t German, who German’s could associate with, court with, and worthy of procreation. It promoted an increase of procreation by those found to be genetically “ideal.” These laws further assisted with the desired isolation of the Jews into a more easily identifiable group. Finally in 1938 the “compulsory Aryanism Law” was passed and enforced bringing an economical crisis to the Jews. This Law forced the Jews to sell off all personal real estate, business, and equipment at a fraction of their real value. This caused a dependency upon the government for basic needs and was followed by the creation of the Jewish union in 1939, which would be placed under the control of the SS who was being led by Heinrich Himmler, Hitler’s chief assassin. This in effect would begin the Jews being led like a flock of sheep before the slaughter.

“The machinery of destruction, then, was structurally no different from organized German society as a whole; The difference was only one of function. The machinery of destruction was the organized community in one of its special roles.” (Brown) The process of eliminating the Jews was no small task, nor could the Nazi’s SS troops do it on their own. The mechanical elements of the Jewish holocaust was a well-organized orchestra of private industry in the German nation. The printing of propaganda, the transportation of the Jews via rail system, all made possible by the privately held corporations found in Germany. The German population found within itself two types of people; those who were actively assisting with the Final Solution, and those who willfully chose to ignore what was taking place for whatever reasons they may have had. Today history finds both to blame. In 1973 the United States legislature passed the Bank Secrecy Act. This act of laws was an attempt to curtail the use of American banks for the criminal money laundering operations. One of the “violations” of this act is called “willful blindness.” It happens anytime a bank employee is aware of suspicious activity involving a customer or depositor and chooses to do nothing. Another is “willful negligence” whereas a bank employ “assumes” that somebody else will act upon the suspicious activity. Both carry severe penalties, including termination of employment for the employee, and severe fines for both the employee and the financial institution. (An example would be Bank of America, with assets of 691 billion dollars could be fined up to 6.91 billion dollars for a single offense.) The penalties for these same actions on part of the Germans was no great for them personally, but devastating to the Jewish people. In 1945, after the concentration camps were liberated, allied forces forced the leaders and residents of neighboring communities to tour the insides of the concentration cams, including the gas chambers and mass graves. This “punishment” received mixed results, but none the less far too late for the six million Jews who lost their lives to a demonic tyrant and his delusioned nation. We know how history, with it’s facts and testimonies views the Germans, but how does and will it view us, the nation that rose from this event as the superpower of the world?

The hateful arrogance that was magnified by Hitler has always existed in smaller forms within our own nation. Going as far back as colonial times, we find instances of racial and ethical persecution. Or own constitution ruled that African slaves did not constitute and complete a “full person” when population was used in determining an individual states' weight in national elections (i.e. presidential elections.) In 1836, the Missouri and Illinois state legislatures both passed “extermination orders” ordering the complete extermination of Latter-Day Saints (a.k.a. Mormons) within their respective states. Missouri’s law would remain in effect until 1994 when a man used that law in defense of shooting a member of the LDS church. Following the conclusion of the American Civil War, a small group of confederate soldiers formed a anti-black organization known as the Ku-Klux-Klan. This organization would broaden its targets of expulsion to any who pose a threat to the White American. The organization, because of government action would nearly die out in the mid-60’s. Today, membership in the “Klan” is nearing all-time highs with totals in the ten’s of thousands. But more importantly, the Ku-Klux-Klan has allies within the United States, Europe, and Russia. Today we are seeing increasing racial movements among the Neo-Nazi’s and Skin Heads. While their influence and activity has varied from one region of the nation to the another, they have mastered one key Nazi trait, and that is the capitalization of Court definitions of the Bill of Rights, empowering them to broadcast, promote and recruit their cause. Again just as Germany of the 1930’s and 40’s, we have found two types of people in this country when it comes to this issue; those who act, and those who are act upon. People today have either chose to assist the cause, or actively seek to silence the hate breathing fire of these organizations. Those who assist are those who promote the cause and those who choose to be willfully blind or willfully negligent. Though they may not feel so, both parties will be found guilty of assisting the cause of these demons. What can we do? How can we bring this evil to an end and prevent the Jewish Holocaust and it’s nightmare from occurring again? We must start by putting down our foot, and say enough is enough!

“A society that permits anything will eventually lose everything!” (Maxwell, 67) We as a nation have allowed too much. The Constitution of this nation wasn’t about letting everyone do as they please. It was created in the light that man has certain rights that he is entitled to; Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. These include the right to protect life, family and property, and the right to worship God, how we may, as this was the underlying cause for many who has sought refuge from the Protestant tyranny of the English crown. Today, more than ever these rights have been under extreme attack by those who seek only there own gain and pleasures. Like Germany, this nation has seen a rapid decline in it’s moral’s and allowances. The greatest threat to us today that the events of the Nazi Germany era hold is the failure of our nation and the world to learn from this period in human history. It is the failure to learn, as well as our allowance of a repetition of the same tactics, practices, and teachings that have caused a resurrection of the demons created by Hitler’s dream and delusioned self-reality. Though presently small in comparison to what took place to the Jews in the 1930’s and 40’s, the deaths of those presently targeted by this delusioned dream will continue to pursue the haunting souls of the Holocaust. We must act now, starting with an accountability of those who lead these groups for the actions of each individual in their cause. Following his trial and sentencing, Hitler’s chief architect, Albert Speer, said “For there are things, for which one is guilty even if one might offer excuses—simply because the scale of the crimes is so overwhelming that by comparison any human excuse pales to insignificance.” (Speer, 523) Are we a people of excuses or action, do we prefer to act, or to be acted upon? I prefer to act and my call and challenge to all is to do the same. If we truly desire to call ourselves American’s, believing that all men are equal, there is no other choice. It is time for this nation and the rest of this world to rise from our thrones of thoughtless stupor, and unite against the demon’s of the Holocaust and vanquish them forever.