I have in times past written on the Obama regime’s totalitarian streak, and perhaps some readers thought that a stretch. I certainly think not. But even I was aghast to read of a letter of HHS Secretary Sebelius to the president of America’s Health Insurance Plans. Her message to the health insurance industry: Shut up about Obamacare costs and eat those costs . . . or else.
She does not like it that insurers are raising their rates due to costly Obamacare mandates and have the common courtesy to tell their customers why rates are going up. So she has threatened them with exclusion from future fed health insurance pools if they do not shut up about Obamacare costs . . . which would hurt their business to put it mildly. “Nice business you’ve got here. It would be a shame if something happened to it.”
This is nothing less than thuggery to stifle free speech, even in business communications with customers. It is unworthy of America, violates our Constitutional freedoms and may merit an investigation in the next Congress. It is gangster government:
"Congress shall make no law," reads the First Amendment, "abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press."
Sebelius' approach is different: "zero tolerance" for dissent.
The threat to use government regulation to destroy or harm someone's business because they disagree with government officials is thuggery. Like the Obama administration's transfer of money from Chrysler bondholders to its political allies in the United Auto Workers, it is a form of gangster government.
If this were not an outrage, it would be funny. The Obama regime is so thin-skinned that it refuses to own the consequences of the Obamacare it worked so hard to pass. Instead, it extorts businessmen to shut up about them, even in the normal process of informing customers why their rates are going up. (And if my insurance rates were going up, I would certainly want to know why.)
If only this were just a funny Mafia movie.
And in case one thinks this attempt to silence speech not typical of the Obama regime, I remind you of a past statement from Our Dear Leader Himself.
MORE: I forgot to mention that Sebelius recently recommended “re-education” on Obamacare. I was amused by her poor choice of words, but did not think it sinister.
Now it is not quite so amusing.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Media Ignores Background of Obama’s Union Goon Trumka
Lately, Obama’s buddy AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka has been out front a lot shilling for Obama and Democrats during this election season. Yesterday, CNBC even made him a guest host during Closing Bell.
So a lot of media attention is being showered on Trumka. But neither CNBC, NBC, or anyone else in the “mainstream” news media is paying much attention to his violent and corrupt background. And that even though violence he encouraged, heck practically ordered, endangered mine workers and killed one.
Consider a multi-state coal miners strike organized by the UMW back in 1993. As union president, Trumka ordered more than 17,000 workers to walk off their jobs. He was determined, among other things, to ensure that nobody would find work in a mine without paying dues or agency fees to the union. He explicitly told strikers to "kick the shit out of" employees and mine operators resisting union demands. UMW enforcers obliged him. They vandalized homes, fires shots at a mine office, and cut power to another mine, temporarily trapping 93 miners underground. Worse yet, a union goon on July 22, 1993 murdered heavy equipment operator Eddie York, a nonunion contractor, shooting him in the back of the head in his pickup truck as he drove past strikers at a Logan County, West Virginia work site; a bunch of goons then proceeded to pelt York's would-be rescuers with rocks. Rather than apologize, Trumka offered the following rationalization: "I'm saying if you strike a match and put your finger in, common sense tells you you're going to burn your finger." In other words, Eddie York had it coming.
And it just wouldn’t be right for a union goon like Trumka to not be involved in a little corruption, too:
Trumka's closet skeletons extend to corruption, specifically, a pair of money-laundering schemes, among a half-dozen totaling $885,000 that helped re-elect Teamsters General President Ron Carey in 1996 over his close rival, James P. Hoffa. That election eventually was invalidated, paving the way for Hoffa's current presidency. The Teamsters had been under federal oversight since 1989, the result of an out-of-court settlement of the Justice Department's civil RICO suit against the scandal-ridden union. In his report disqualifying Carey from office, the union's special election officer, Kenneth Conboy, concluded that Trumka had laundered $150,000 from the union through the AFL-CIO to a political advocacy group, Citizen Action, which in turn routed $100,000 of the money to the Carey campaign. Conboy also concluded Trumka had participated in another illegal arrangement in which he either contributed or solicited $50,000 in order to bankroll the Carey campaign.
Congress took an interest in the Teamsters election campaign. Trumka wasn't very talkative. Though not subpoenaed to testify before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce at an April 30, 1998 hearing, he indicated beforehand that he would have taken the Fifth Amendment had he been called.
Yet Trumka’s is one of Obama’s prime front men in his effort to hold on to power. Is it not newsworthy that Obama chooses a man with such a background?
The same news media that ignored Obama’s radical background back in 2008 thinks not. Why am I not surprised.
So a lot of media attention is being showered on Trumka. But neither CNBC, NBC, or anyone else in the “mainstream” news media is paying much attention to his violent and corrupt background. And that even though violence he encouraged, heck practically ordered, endangered mine workers and killed one.
Consider a multi-state coal miners strike organized by the UMW back in 1993. As union president, Trumka ordered more than 17,000 workers to walk off their jobs. He was determined, among other things, to ensure that nobody would find work in a mine without paying dues or agency fees to the union. He explicitly told strikers to "kick the shit out of" employees and mine operators resisting union demands. UMW enforcers obliged him. They vandalized homes, fires shots at a mine office, and cut power to another mine, temporarily trapping 93 miners underground. Worse yet, a union goon on July 22, 1993 murdered heavy equipment operator Eddie York, a nonunion contractor, shooting him in the back of the head in his pickup truck as he drove past strikers at a Logan County, West Virginia work site; a bunch of goons then proceeded to pelt York's would-be rescuers with rocks. Rather than apologize, Trumka offered the following rationalization: "I'm saying if you strike a match and put your finger in, common sense tells you you're going to burn your finger." In other words, Eddie York had it coming.
And it just wouldn’t be right for a union goon like Trumka to not be involved in a little corruption, too:
Trumka's closet skeletons extend to corruption, specifically, a pair of money-laundering schemes, among a half-dozen totaling $885,000 that helped re-elect Teamsters General President Ron Carey in 1996 over his close rival, James P. Hoffa. That election eventually was invalidated, paving the way for Hoffa's current presidency. The Teamsters had been under federal oversight since 1989, the result of an out-of-court settlement of the Justice Department's civil RICO suit against the scandal-ridden union. In his report disqualifying Carey from office, the union's special election officer, Kenneth Conboy, concluded that Trumka had laundered $150,000 from the union through the AFL-CIO to a political advocacy group, Citizen Action, which in turn routed $100,000 of the money to the Carey campaign. Conboy also concluded Trumka had participated in another illegal arrangement in which he either contributed or solicited $50,000 in order to bankroll the Carey campaign.
Congress took an interest in the Teamsters election campaign. Trumka wasn't very talkative. Though not subpoenaed to testify before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce at an April 30, 1998 hearing, he indicated beforehand that he would have taken the Fifth Amendment had he been called.
Yet Trumka’s is one of Obama’s prime front men in his effort to hold on to power. Is it not newsworthy that Obama chooses a man with such a background?
The same news media that ignored Obama’s radical background back in 2008 thinks not. Why am I not surprised.
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Obama, That Great Advocate of “Lean Government”
Back when Bill Clinton was president, I switched channels or turned the sound off when he came on. He always came off as a juvenile delinquent who could tell the most outrageous lies with a straight, but smug face. And it infuriated me off so much, I stopped listening to him for my health’s sake.
But when Obama tells his lies, they are so over the top, he often makes me laugh rather than say unseemly things to the television. I've got to hand it to him - that man can say anything.
A case in point was his big speech yesterday. The whole thing was something of a lie since it was billed as an economic speech. It turned out to be a campaign Republican-smearing stump speech. And it was full of the usual Obama/Democrat themes, complete with comical straw men, scaring on Social Security, and class warfare.
But what made me nearly fall off my chair laughing was the following line:
I believe government should be lean; government should be efficient. I believe government should leave people free to make the choices they think are best for themselves and their families, so long as those choices don’t hurt others.
This from the man who crammed the so-called Stimulus and Obamacare down our throats? This from the president whose budget deficit approaches $1.5 trillion? This from the Dear Leader who is reducing our economic choices through his failure and tax hikes?
Like I said, Obama will say anything. Bill Clinton could portray himself as a paragon of honesty and chastity, and it would not get any more absurd.
By the way, organizers had trouble filling up the venue for Obama’s stand-up routine . . . even on a college campus.
But when Obama tells his lies, they are so over the top, he often makes me laugh rather than say unseemly things to the television. I've got to hand it to him - that man can say anything.
A case in point was his big speech yesterday. The whole thing was something of a lie since it was billed as an economic speech. It turned out to be a campaign Republican-smearing stump speech. And it was full of the usual Obama/Democrat themes, complete with comical straw men, scaring on Social Security, and class warfare.
But what made me nearly fall off my chair laughing was the following line:
I believe government should be lean; government should be efficient. I believe government should leave people free to make the choices they think are best for themselves and their families, so long as those choices don’t hurt others.
This from the man who crammed the so-called Stimulus and Obamacare down our throats? This from the president whose budget deficit approaches $1.5 trillion? This from the Dear Leader who is reducing our economic choices through his failure and tax hikes?
Like I said, Obama will say anything. Bill Clinton could portray himself as a paragon of honesty and chastity, and it would not get any more absurd.
By the way, organizers had trouble filling up the venue for Obama’s stand-up routine . . . even on a college campus.
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Chess, Hermine, and an Interesting Weekend
I have not blogged for a few days. So I might as well tell my patient readers why.
I am still recovering from a pleasant but taxing long weekend playing in the Southwest Open chess tournament, the largest non-scholastic tournament to come to my South Texas neighborhood in many years. It was fun seeing my chess friends from both around here and from the Dallas Chess Club where I used to frequent in years past. Among the Dallas Chess Club friends is the current U. S. Open champion, GM Alejandro Ramirez. I am sorry if I appear to name drop, but we are always glad to see each other, and I am excited he is meeting more of his ambitions.
My chess itself was mixed, but encouraging. I started off Friday night by drawing (i.e. tying) Clemente Rendon, who was one of the favorites in my section and is rated almost 300 points higher than I. It was quite a fighting draw, so much so that it was the last game to finish at 12:30am, 4½ hours after it began. Amazingly, I stayed sharp both physically and mentally during the whole game.
My accomplishment became the talk of the tourney. In fact, after Alejandro had clenched first in the top section, he walked over and asked to see that game. I was honored that he chose to analyze the game with me. And he has the heart and humility to take an interest in the games of lesser players.
The rest of my tournament was a mild let down, however. I drew another game, lost one and won one. I gained a few rating points, some confidence, and more knowledge of what to work on. So I’m o. k. with it. But I was hoping for more, especially after a good start.
Two friends, including my rector, played in their first big chess tournament and did very well, which was nice to see. It is also good that now they will more fully understand when I groan about how hard chess tournaments are on me! (Maybe more on that one day, but I do not want to be a bore.)
Adding to the interest of the weekend was an announcement at the beginning of Monday’s play of the formation of Tropical Storm Hermine. I had been following the disturbance for several days. So I knew that it was not expected for it to become more than a lot of rain. Expections were mistaken!
To recap, Hermine actually began in the Pacific, in the Gulf of Tehuanepec. Yes, I had to learn where that was. It crossed Mexico and reformed in the Bay of Campeche. It was expected to hit Mexico again as a depression. But it went further north and strengthened explosively, hitting just south of Brownville at 65 MPH, just short of being a hurricane. A few more hours in the Gulf of Mexico, and it surely would have been a hurricane.
It was interesting watching the storm pass by from the chess room (which was on the top floor of a bayfront hotel – magnificent views!). The wind did increase and became an issue towards the end of the final round as it was creating a strange and distracting whistle in one of the big windows. I was finished, so I helped my fellow competitors by creatively jamming two chairs against the side of the offending window to mute the whistle.
I could go on. But it was indeed an interesting weekend with fighting chess, lots of good friends, and visit from Hermine.
I am still recovering from a pleasant but taxing long weekend playing in the Southwest Open chess tournament, the largest non-scholastic tournament to come to my South Texas neighborhood in many years. It was fun seeing my chess friends from both around here and from the Dallas Chess Club where I used to frequent in years past. Among the Dallas Chess Club friends is the current U. S. Open champion, GM Alejandro Ramirez. I am sorry if I appear to name drop, but we are always glad to see each other, and I am excited he is meeting more of his ambitions.
My chess itself was mixed, but encouraging. I started off Friday night by drawing (i.e. tying) Clemente Rendon, who was one of the favorites in my section and is rated almost 300 points higher than I. It was quite a fighting draw, so much so that it was the last game to finish at 12:30am, 4½ hours after it began. Amazingly, I stayed sharp both physically and mentally during the whole game.
My accomplishment became the talk of the tourney. In fact, after Alejandro had clenched first in the top section, he walked over and asked to see that game. I was honored that he chose to analyze the game with me. And he has the heart and humility to take an interest in the games of lesser players.
The rest of my tournament was a mild let down, however. I drew another game, lost one and won one. I gained a few rating points, some confidence, and more knowledge of what to work on. So I’m o. k. with it. But I was hoping for more, especially after a good start.
Two friends, including my rector, played in their first big chess tournament and did very well, which was nice to see. It is also good that now they will more fully understand when I groan about how hard chess tournaments are on me! (Maybe more on that one day, but I do not want to be a bore.)
Adding to the interest of the weekend was an announcement at the beginning of Monday’s play of the formation of Tropical Storm Hermine. I had been following the disturbance for several days. So I knew that it was not expected for it to become more than a lot of rain. Expections were mistaken!
To recap, Hermine actually began in the Pacific, in the Gulf of Tehuanepec. Yes, I had to learn where that was. It crossed Mexico and reformed in the Bay of Campeche. It was expected to hit Mexico again as a depression. But it went further north and strengthened explosively, hitting just south of Brownville at 65 MPH, just short of being a hurricane. A few more hours in the Gulf of Mexico, and it surely would have been a hurricane.
It was interesting watching the storm pass by from the chess room (which was on the top floor of a bayfront hotel – magnificent views!). The wind did increase and became an issue towards the end of the final round as it was creating a strange and distracting whistle in one of the big windows. I was finished, so I helped my fellow competitors by creatively jamming two chairs against the side of the offending window to mute the whistle.
I could go on. But it was indeed an interesting weekend with fighting chess, lots of good friends, and visit from Hermine.
Friday, September 03, 2010
Outer Banks Spared
God answers prayer.
Hurricane Earl weakened much faster than expected and stayed over 80 miles away from Cape Hatteras. There was some flooding and power outages. But that is just part of life on the Outer Banks. Damage appears to be minimal.
Thanks be to God!
Hurricane Earl weakened much faster than expected and stayed over 80 miles away from Cape Hatteras. There was some flooding and power outages. But that is just part of life on the Outer Banks. Damage appears to be minimal.
Thanks be to God!
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Pray for the Outer Banks
Hurricane Earl is forecast to brush the Outer Banks of North Carolina late tonight. And that has me praying.
The Outer Banks have a special place in my heart and life. I’ve long been drawn by their remote nature. Even a cursory look at a map reveals how far they are from the mainland. The most outer of the Outer Banks are long narrow strips with Pamlico Sound on one side and the Atlantic on the other. You cannot even see the mainland. And long stretches of Hatteras Island especially are protected for the abundance of wild beach and birds.
I still remember my first visit there in my twenties. In part to save money and add adventure, I slept in my sleeping bag in the dunes. Little did I know in those pre-internet days that a tropical depression was to pass through that night. Once I got settled into my bag, it began raining and did not stop until near dawn. I did not sleep well. Thankfully, the day was sunny.
Another visit, the surf was so good and fun to ride with a nice swell coming in that for two days I caught waves until I literally was sick. I wore myself out that much bodyboarding (boogieboarding). Again, the timing of rain was merciful as I recovered while a hard rain gave me a good excuse to rest for most of a day afterwards.
I could go on, but you get the picture. I love the Outer Banks. But part of what I love about them makes them vulnerable to hurricanes. The OB juts out into the Atlantic and is very narrow and low. Really, all you have to do and stand on a dune and see the ocean on one side and the sound on the other. So it doesn’t take much of a tidal surge to overrun the islands, particularly Hatteras Island.
Now it appears unlikely (though still possible) that Earl will make a direct hit on Cape Hatteras. But a large Category 4 hurricane just offshore could inflict serious damage. Needless to say, a more direct hit would be devastating.
So please join me in praying for the Outer Banks.
For more info, here is my favorite weather blog.
The Outer Banks have a special place in my heart and life. I’ve long been drawn by their remote nature. Even a cursory look at a map reveals how far they are from the mainland. The most outer of the Outer Banks are long narrow strips with Pamlico Sound on one side and the Atlantic on the other. You cannot even see the mainland. And long stretches of Hatteras Island especially are protected for the abundance of wild beach and birds.
I still remember my first visit there in my twenties. In part to save money and add adventure, I slept in my sleeping bag in the dunes. Little did I know in those pre-internet days that a tropical depression was to pass through that night. Once I got settled into my bag, it began raining and did not stop until near dawn. I did not sleep well. Thankfully, the day was sunny.
Another visit, the surf was so good and fun to ride with a nice swell coming in that for two days I caught waves until I literally was sick. I wore myself out that much bodyboarding (boogieboarding). Again, the timing of rain was merciful as I recovered while a hard rain gave me a good excuse to rest for most of a day afterwards.
I could go on, but you get the picture. I love the Outer Banks. But part of what I love about them makes them vulnerable to hurricanes. The OB juts out into the Atlantic and is very narrow and low. Really, all you have to do and stand on a dune and see the ocean on one side and the sound on the other. So it doesn’t take much of a tidal surge to overrun the islands, particularly Hatteras Island.
Now it appears unlikely (though still possible) that Earl will make a direct hit on Cape Hatteras. But a large Category 4 hurricane just offshore could inflict serious damage. Needless to say, a more direct hit would be devastating.
So please join me in praying for the Outer Banks.
For more info, here is my favorite weather blog.
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
My Jet-set Congressman
My congressman (And I use “my” very loosely.) Democrat Solomon aka “Solobama” Ortiz is quite the traveler, at taxpayer expense, of course.
As the local paper and the Wall Street Journal report, he is among six congressmen being investigated for violating House rules on daily travel cash.
But I find his recent itineraries more interesting. In 2008, he travelled to Colombia, Greece, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, France, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan and Germany. In 2009, his destinations were Brazil, Argentina, Panama, Jordan, Algeria, Tunisia, Romania, Italy, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom. Again, this is at taxpayer expense.
Yet he could not bring himself to come to town and have a real town hall on Obamacare, which he supported.
And this is just the beginning on how he has abused taxpayers. A recent slick flyer from him that had all the appearances of campaign literature had in very small print that it was mailed at taxpayer expense.
This taxpayer says vote him and his ilk OUT.
As the local paper and the Wall Street Journal report, he is among six congressmen being investigated for violating House rules on daily travel cash.
But I find his recent itineraries more interesting. In 2008, he travelled to Colombia, Greece, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, France, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan and Germany. In 2009, his destinations were Brazil, Argentina, Panama, Jordan, Algeria, Tunisia, Romania, Italy, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom. Again, this is at taxpayer expense.
Yet he could not bring himself to come to town and have a real town hall on Obamacare, which he supported.
And this is just the beginning on how he has abused taxpayers. A recent slick flyer from him that had all the appearances of campaign literature had in very small print that it was mailed at taxpayer expense.
This taxpayer says vote him and his ilk OUT.
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