What does that mean? Sorry, I don’t know either.
But welcome to EarFish.com! This is just a place to put my writings and share others writings regarding general politics. Have a gander and let me know your thoughts in the comments of each post!
Millions of Americans watched the 30-second Focus on the Family Super Bowl ad last night featuring Pam and Tim Tebow. While there was nothing remotely offensive about the ad (in fact, the right to life was not even addressed directly), pro-abortion groups are on the attack today trying to use the ad to stoke outrage and solicit donations from their supporters. NARAL sent an email this morning urging supporters to “throw a post game penalty flag at CBS” for allowing Focus to air its “anti-choice” commercial. What does NARAL want its supporters to do to punish CBS? Donate to NARAL, of course.
Not to be outdone, NOW president Terry O’Neill told the Los Angeles Times, “I am blown away at the celebration of the violence against women in it.” O’Neill was referring to the end of the ad, when Tim “tackles” his mom, who then playfully chides him for interrupting her. I hope that the likes of NARAL and NOW get as much airtime as they want to vent their reactions to the ad. Because with each extreme remark, they expose more of their extreme agenda.
Here’s another stunning example of President Obama’s refusal to reverse course after a mistake. You may recall that the administration announced it would transfer the accused 9/11 plotters, currently held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from military custody to the civilian courts and hold their trial in New York City, site of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil. There was a tremendous backlash from the people and local politicians that had the administration back peddling fast. The notion of 9/11 terror trials near Ground Zero was seemingly put to rest.
But Couric broached the subject during her Super Bowl pre-game interview, and Obama said, “I have not ruled it out, but I think it’s important for us to take into account the practical, logistical issues involved. I mean, if you have a city that is saying no, and a police department that is saying no, and a mayor that is saying no, that makes it difficult.”
That’s just like his response to socialized medicine. Even with overwhelming liberal majorities, Congress can’t get it done. The American people said no in town hall protests last summer. They’ve said no in poll after and poll since then. And Massachusetts voters shouted “Don’t you dare!” and denied Obama his cherished Senate supermajority. But Obama hasn’t gotten the message. Far from the “audacity of hope,” that’s the audacity of arrogance.
By the way, while the president is still pursuing the idea of civilian trials for admitted terrorists, I’d like to observe again that three Navy SEALS accused of giving a high profile terrorist a fat lip are being tried in a military tribunal – the same tribunals that Obama and his allies say would be unfair for terrorists. In what bizarre world do jihadists get more constitutional rights than our brave soldiers?
As I was watching the Super Bowl and saw the opening coin toss, I was reminded that conservatives had better be careful about the White House’s offensive game. This administration is constantly on the attack. It’s very good at manipulating events to its advantage and changing the rules mid-game.
For example, President Obama talked about healthcare reform during a pre-game interview with CBS’s Katie Couric. He said, “I want to … have a large meeting — Republicans and Democrats — to go through, systematically, all the best ideas that are out there and move it forward.” Yesterday, the White House announced plans for a “healthcare summit” on February 25th. According to various reports, the president has promised that this summit will be televised live, presumably on C-Span.
Last week I wrote that the administration and congressional Democrats had totally ignored any ideas conservatives put forward during last year’s healthcare debate. In his statement to Couric, Obama essentially admitted as much. If they had been receptive to conservative ideas and input all along, then they never would have attempted a Big Government takeover of the healthcare industry and this summit would not be necessary.
But when conservatives said they were willing to work with the president, they weren’t talking about TV shows. As we saw from last week’s televised Q&A between the president and House conservatives, the entire event was staged for Obama’s benefit. Conservative members of Congress were faceless, off-camera voices, while the president stood behind the podium like a smug college professor lecturing his pupils. He wasn’t there to negotiate in good faith; he was there to score points with his leftwing base and convince the public that he was “reaching out.”
When conservatives said they wanted discussions to be televised, they didn’t mean choreographed Obama campaign rallies. They meant, as Candidate Obama promised, all key meetings in which substantive decisions were being made.
Call me skeptical, but I expect this summit is just another sham attempt to give Obama the appearance of bi-partisanship. The media will sing his praises and give him as much cover as possible. But the differences between the two parties are tremendous and can’t be glossed over in one made-for-TV “summit.” I suspect the president knows that, and all this is just for show – a play fake that allows Obama to say “I tried” and sets the stage for liberals to “go nuclear,” ramming ObamaCare through using budget reconciliation rules.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell isn’t falling for it. In a statement this weekend, Sen. McConnell responded to the summit suggestion by saying, “If we are to reach a bipartisan consensus, the White House can start by shelving the current health spending bill, and with it their goal of slashing a half trillion dollars from Medicare and raising a half trillion in new taxes. The American people want lower costs, not Medicare cuts and tax increases. Setting these proposals aside would be a sign that the administration and Democrats in Congress are listening to the country and are truly interested in a bipartisan approach.” Stay tuned.
Media elites and pointy-headed leftwing intellectuals are having spasms this morning over Sarah Palin. What set them off this time? A liberal blogger discovered that Gov. Palin had written some “cheat” notes on her hand to use during her speech at the Tea Party convention this weekend. Every commentator in the country is using the incident to denounce her as stupid, non-intellectual, un-presidential and unserious. By the way, the “reminders” on her palm were “Energy,” “Cut taxes” and “Lift America’s spirits.” Oh the horror!
Of course most of the media talking heads continue to think that Obama is just the smartest, coolest guy that has ever occupied the Oval Office. Most of them thought it was silly when we raised questions about why our Harvard-educated president couldn’t say “Good morning” without his co-president – the Teleprompter. And even with the teleprompter, Obama manages to display serious ignorance. In a speech last week, he told a story about a Navy corpsman apparently not realizing that the “p” and the “s” in “corpsman” are silent. Twice, with the teleprompter, Obama pronounced the word as “corpse man.” Now there’s a job I wouldn’t want.
The media and the Left desperately want America to think that only liberals are smart. I remember how Reagan was mocked unmercifully because he used note cards during his speeches. The media had nothing but contempt for Dan Quayle. And, of course, George W. Bush was constantly presented as a buffoon.
“Poor little stupid Sarah Palin,” they are all saying. She wrote “Energy” on her hand to remind herself to bring up the need for more drilling. She wrote “Cut taxes” because she believes that is how to get our economy moving. She wrote “Lift America’s spirit” because she knows America needs inspiration.
Our president doesn’t write notes on his palm. He “knows” that limiting drilling is a great idea while we grow more dependent on people who hate us. He “knows” that raising taxes on families and small businesses is just the thing to do when the economy is on the ropes. And he is too busy apologizing for America’s sins and bashing businesses to think about lifting our spirits.
So who is the stupid one?
CBS’s decision to air a Super Bowl ad that tells the story of Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Tim Tebow’s miraculous birth has caused an uproar among liberals. NOW condemned the commercial, which details Tim’s mother’s decision to give birth to Tim despite a doctor’s recommendation to abort because of possible health complications, as “extraordinarily offensive and demeaning” and “hate masquerading as love.” The Feminist Majority Foundation launched a campaign to get the “anti-choice super bowl ad removed.”
The Left is complaining that the ad is too controversial. But as I explain in my Human Events column today, the real reason for their outrage is exactly the opposite: that the commercial is so inoffensive and, in fact, so inspiring that they worry it might actually win hearts and minds for the idea that all human life is sacred. You can read my column at www.humanevents.com.
The Obama Administration announced yesterday that it will “donate” $40 million of your tax money to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to assist the Palestinians. A recent report commissioned by the European parliament disclosed that the UNRWA labor union had selected Hamas, the Palestinian terror group, to oversee UNRWA’s Gaza facilities. As a result, Canada announced recently that it would no longer fund the UN agency. We shouldn’t be funding them either. Not $1 of your money should go directly or indirectly to jihadist groups like Hamas. If Obama is looking for some money to apply to the gargantuan budget deficit, this $40 million is an easy place to start. But we know this decision won’t be reversed, because this president still thinks “peace” can be bought in the Middle East, and he is committed to a Palestinian State no matter what the costs.
President Obama repeated his call Wednesday night for Congress to pass “comprehensive energy and climate change legislation.” Today, he picked up an endorsement of sorts, but probably not one he wanted.
Believe it or not, Osama bin Laden is a hardcore environmentalist. So much so that he’s calling for a global boycott of American goods and the dollar in order to “liberate humanity from slavery and dependence on America.” In his latest audiotape, bin Laden attacks American free enterprise and calls for “drastic actions” to combat climate change. The only way to stop it, says bin Laden, is to bring “the wheels of the American economy” to a grinding halt. Thus, the boycott of American goods and currency.
Come to think of it, bin Laden’s idea sounds vaguely familiar. Where have I heard it before? Oh, that’s right – from Barack Obama’s Science Advisor, Dr. John Holdren. In our July 29th report, I noted that Holdren was an advocate for “de-development” – a radical idea that would destroy America’s economy, especially its industrial base, via environmental regulation, because development is the root cause of economic and environmental injustice. These so-called “progressives” literally want to take us back in time economically.
The more you listen to him, the more Osama bin Laden – with his anti-Semitic, anti-American, anti-free enterprise rants – sounds like a loyal, leftwingMSNBC fan. (Perhaps now I will finally be named Keith Olbermann’s “Worst Person In The World”!)
Last week we applauded our friends at Focus on the Family and the Tebow family for having the courage to speak up for the sanctity of life in a 30-second Super Bowl ad. CBS is coming under a barrage of attacks from radical pro-abortion groups and the usual suspects on the Left for agreeing to air the ad.
Sarah Palin defended the ad last week, writing on her Facebook page, “Women should be reminded that they are strong enough and smart enough to make decisions that allow for career and educational opportunities while still giving their babies a chance at life.” Appearing on Fox News Thursday, Palin took on the National Organization for Women, saying, “For NOW to have chosen this…to come across sounding quite offended by hearing that a pro-life commercial will air on the Super Bowl day, it’s baffling.”
Palin is being polite. This is just one more example of the gross intolerance of the Left, attempting to silence speech it disagrees with. Even the New York Times chastised the Left for its “puzzling and dismaying” reaction.
Don’t let the Left dominate this debate. Please take action in defense of our values. Click here to send a message of encouragement to the executives at CBS through its website’s feedback form. Thank you.
Is a U.S.-Iran war on the horizon? President Obama has wasted a year trying to coax Iran to the negotiating table to discuss its nuclear program. Every overture he has made to Ahmadinejad has ultimately been rejected, but only after Iran exploited the potential for negotiations to buy more time to continue its nuclear work. The clock continues to tick, and U.S. troops in the Middle East, Israel and friendly Arab states all face a growing threat.
This weekend a story leaked that the Obama Administration is now accelerating the deployment of additional military assets into the Persian Gulf to try to counter possible Iranian threats and missile attacks. (Many of these plans started under President Bush.) Aegis cruisers are being stationed off the Iranian coast. U.S. anti-missile systems are being deployed in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait. There is also a rush to upgrade defenses for oil terminals in Saudi Arabia and a plan to triple the size of a 10,000-man “protection force” in that country.
Is all of this a sign that the administration has given up on stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons and is now simply going to try to contain Iran? Is it to reassure shaky U.S. allies that fear Iran will dominate the region once it is clear the mullahs have a nuclear capability? And why the leaks to major newspapers now? Some cynics might suggest all of this is nothing more than the White House trying to convince the public that Obama is tough enough to be commander-in-chief.
Whatever the explanation, Obama’s policies up to now have failed to stop Iran and have cost the U.S. valuable time in dealing with a growing threat to our strategic interests.
On February 7th, millions of Americans will tune in to watch the Super Bowl. Among the highlights every year are the ads. Major corporations spend millions to produce and air these ads, which can become instant hits. This year, our friends at Focus on the Family are running an ad featuring former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, quarterback of the University of Florida Gators.
Sadly, the ad is generating quite a lot of controversy. Tebow’s not endorsing a product, just the radical idea that we should celebrate family and the dignity of each human life. This is a very personal issue for Tim Tebow, because in 1987 his mother, Pam, was encouraged by her doctors to abort him. She refused, and today her 22 year-old son is considered one of the greatest athletes in college football history.
The Women’s Media Center is organizing a protest effort to pressure CBS to ban the ad. It won’t surprise you to learn that board members for the Center include Jodie Evans of Code Pink, Gloria Feldt of Planned Parenthood, Gloria Steinem and, of course, Jane Fonda. In trying to silence the story of Pam Tebow’s choice, the pro-abortion movement is proving once again just how anti-choice it really is. And its reaction speaks volumes.
Our children are constantly bombarded with over-sexualized, anti-family, “If it feels good do it” messages from the popular culture. Why is the Left so threatened by one 30-second ad? Because the message is so powerful. It speaks to the core values of our nation’s founding – that all are created equal and endowed by our Creator with the inalienable right to life. And the Left knows it is losing this debate, especially among our nation’s youth. One recent poll found that 58 percent of those aged 18 to 29 believe that abortion is “morally wrong.”
My hat goes off to Focus on the Family for producing this ad, and to Tim and Pam Tebow for having the courage to speak up for the sanctity of life.