I envy the Byzantines. The death of their empire was spectacular. Muslims under the command of Sultan Mehmed II came storming through the gates of Constantinople on Tuesday, May 29, 1453 and promptly began butchering every man, woman and child in sight as they likewise looted the city's extensive wealth. When the crescent was lifted over the newly named Istanbul, every survivor of the the once glorious Byzantine Empire was left with no doubt that their world, and all they knew, was over.
Whether or not the United States died on Sunday, March 21, 2010, may still be an open question. There remain many battles to be fought. However the sacking of Washington that we witnessed on our televisions as the damnable Health Care Reform Bill was passed into law was far less noble than that of Constantinople. What we observed, as democrats bribed and intimidated their own members into passing this monstrosity, would make Boss Tweed's Tammany Hall seem like a Baptist bake sale. At least Tweed and his cronies were bribed with private money.
Nancy Pelosi took up where Harry Reid left off and opened the federal treasury to accomplish the President's goal of passing a Health Care Reform bill that places the Federal Government and 16,000 new IRS officers in charge of administering and enforcing the health care for the entire country. She was somewhat telling the truth when she said we had to pass the bill to find out what is in it. We will be uncovering hidden treachery, as well as more of the special deals and bribes necessary to persuade our congressmen to vote for it, for weeks to come. You want an early example?
One provision states that programs with “a record of training individuals who are from underrepresented minority groups or from a rural or disadvantaged background” will be given priority for government money. This is only one of several such provisions. Programs and medical institutions that practice racial preferences will be moved further up the money queue than programs and medical institutions that disregard race. - American Civil Right Institute
By the way, the Civil Rights Act prohibits government racial discrimination and preferences. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights called the provisions racially discriminatory and sent President Barack Obama and Congress letters warning them about these provisions. The democrats, of course, ignored the warning. Every sentence in every law reduces somebody's freedom. This 2700 page legislation is going to deprive us of most of ours. Believe it.
Perhaps even worse than the bribery was the spectre of Andy Stern's SEIU union thugs roaming the halls of congress intimidating weak legislators with threats of withheld campaign contributions and primary opponents. Threats that were designed to keep vacillating democrats in line. Even as the public demonstrated in the tens of thousands, Pelosi kept her subjects sequestered in a lock-down to prevent voters from having any influence on their, I mean HER, congressmen. Representative government is dead when a bill that over two thirds of the country opposes is ramrodded into law "by any means necessary."
And "by any means necessary" is exactly what it took. Reconciliation was a devious tactic to avoid a conference committee between the House and Senate to resolve the differences in their bills. It's easy to win when you move the goal line closer when it's your turn to carry the ball. But what do you expect when a rules committee meeting results in this candid remark:
"There ain’t no rules here, we’re trying to accomplish something. . . .All this talk about rules. . . .When the deal goes down . . . we make ‘em up as we go along." - Representative Alcee Hasting (D-FL)
This coming from a former federal judge who was kicked off the bench in 1989 following his impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate on bribery charges. This is the kind of guy they put on the rules committee!
If bribery with taxpayer dollars isn't enough to turn your stomach what are we to make of representatives Dennis Cardoza and Jim Costa who were once "no" votes. Then, coincidentally I'm sure, the federal government announces through the U.S. Department of Interior that it is increasing water allocations for the valley area in their district, a valley that has been choked of water by Obama's EPA. Suddenly without any other explanation, Cardoza and Costa became "yes" votes for health care. Do they understand that a government powerful enough to withhold water from its people is also a government powerful enough to ration health care from its people? Do they care? Now, any time the President needs to intimidate them for any future votes he only needs to point to a water faucet. They'll get the message. For 25% more of the water that rightfully belonged to them in the first place they gave Obama 100% of his health care bill. That's "courage" for ya.
And then there is Bart Stupak. This man strung us along trying to convince us he was a man of principle who would not support this bill because it failed to prevent federal funds for abortion. Lo and behold he sold out for a meaningless executive order that won't survive the first court challenge. An fifth grader knows that a legislative statute trumps an executive order. I guess Bart isn't smarter than a fifth grader. The announcement that three airports in his district will receive federal grant money is absolutely no evidence that the airport funds are related to Stupak's vote now is it? Another coincidence I'm sure. In fact, Stupak's entire coalition of pro life supporters turned out not to be as "principled" as they were "opportunistic."
A day after Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., and ten other House members compromised on their pro-life position to deliver the necessary yes-votes to pass health care reform, the “Stupak 11″ released their fiscal year 2011 earmark requests, which total more than $4.7 billion–an average of $429 million worth of earmark requests for each lawmaker.
Of the eight lawmakers whose 2010 requests were available for comparison, five requested more money this week than they did a year ago: Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, D-Pa., Rep. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, and Rep. Charles Wilson, D-Ohio. …
Stupak requested more than $578 million in earmarks, including $125 million for a replacement lock on the Sault Ste. Marie, $25.6 million to build a federal courthouse in Marquette, Mich., $15 million to repaint the Mackinac Bridge and $800,000 to preserve the Quincy Mining Company smelter near Hancock in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. - Sunlight Foundation
Coincidences all, I'm sure.
Obama himself, faced with the possibility of failing to accomplish his dream of "fundamentally transforming America," proceeded to resort to some of the most atrocious tactics ever employed by a president:
One caucus member told POLITICO that Obama won him over by “essentially [saying] that the fate of his presidency” hinged on this week’s health reform vote in the House. The member, who requested anonymity, likened Obama’s remarks to an earlier meeting with progressives when the president said a victory was necessary to keep him “strong” for the next three years of his term.
The Narcissist in Chief is only in this for himself. Not a word about his country or what is best for it. No, he is only concerned with the Obama legacy. After the victory on Sunday the President actually had the audacity to claim that his victory was achieved without the influence of any "special interests."
And what of this victory? In order to have a victory somebody has to be defeated. Who? It was the American people who were defeated as Obama and the Democrats could not care less about the country's overwhelming disapproval of this bill. He failed in his primary objective to win over the public. Every time President Obama opened his mouth on the subject, approval of his Health Care Reform Bill sank. So he, Pelosi and Reid conspired to cheat. Pure and simple. He didn't win anything. Its time to wake up to the fact that our government is lawless.
So why did Obama and the Democrats press on with this unpopular legislation? Before you can understand WHO you are dealing with you have to understand just WHAT they are.
"At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child -- miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied, demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless. Liberalism is a philosophy of sniveling brats." - P.J. O'Rourke
Children have exacted vengeance on a nation that failed to acknowledge their fantasies as reality. To see them as intellectually anything more than undisciplined children is simply foolish. Do you think the Democrats actually believed in this bill? Of course they don't. They know that their CBO estimated costs were a wild fabrication. They were well aware that this bill is a budget busting fraud that will destroy this country. They didn't care. They don't care. It was all about defeating us, their enemies, and laughing in our faces.
These pampered children claim (falsely) that their actions are noble and that they are acting on behalf of victims of the American Health Care system and therefore are entitled to seek this retribution. They demonized the health insurance industry and now have effectively made it a utility for the government administration of health care. The insurance companies have been transformed into the "public option" of so many democrats dreams. Now the executive branch of the federal government will decide who gets health care, what health care they will get and when they will get it. That will, in time, create a very compliant and obedient citizenry. Everyone either needs or loves someone who needs health care. Such people will be reluctant to resist or criticize their new masters. In the eyes of the arrogant, power hungry progressives, Obama has conquered.
Yea, Constantinople had it easy. Our conquerors, however, require their defeated victims to remain as an enslaved audience to fulfill their fantasy that they have taught us a lesson. It's important to them that we see and hear them celebrate. Whereas the Muslims smashing into Constantinople destroyed and scattered their enemies, these would be conquerors of America made the mistake of leaving their conquered victims...alive. They have unmasked their intentions and displayed themselves as an army of godless, treasonous parasites. The time has come for us to be merciless.
The next fight against this bill is in the courts where 14 states have immediately filed suit against the implementation of this bill alleging its unconstitutionality. The argument that the individual mandate is unconstitutional appears to have a decent shot. Though congress has the right to regulate interstate commerce, it does not have the right to generate it. Likewise, the imposing of fines and jail sentences on those who fail to comply is hardly what one could reasonably call a tax. The states are also rejecting the notion that the federal government can create a massive new program that requires the states to reconfigure their financial infrastructure to fund these new mandates. Essentially, Obamacare commandeers state legislatures for federal purposes. The Constitution does not authorize the congress to regulate the state governments. We should prevail...but then we should have prevailed when this was in the hands of congress.
There is also the matter of those people who have been exempted from participation. Oh, you expected that congress would create a special exemption for themselves but they also exempted their staff's in an arrangement that could affect thousands. Unequal treatment under the law should certainly be an issue in this matter as well as the way certain union benefits were selectively protected from taxation that non-union workers will be required to pay. There are a lot of potential problems with this bill and one can only hope the Robert's Court will strike it down in its entirety. After all, it was the democrats idea to make the bill a COMPREHENSIVE one with so many inter-related parts. Hopefully that will take the entire beast with one blow.
BUT...we now KNOW we are dealing with a lawless government. Anyone who would openly and flagrantly intimidate and bribe congressmen would not hesitate to exert that same influence on members of the court. We, the public, have been very tolerant as we attempt to play within what used to be the rules of the game. I am not too sure that will continue if we see any evidence of tampering with the court. I am not too sure it should.
Remember, I have been telling you that if they passed the Health Care Reform Bill there could very well be no elections in November. Now Rush Limbaugh is saying the same thing. (Its good to be way ahead of him on something!) After the lawlessness of this past weekend we can no longer take free and fair elections for granted. Remember its not the voters that determine the outcome of elections...it's the counters. If the democrats press ahead with their plans to grant amnesty to 13 million illegal voters or override state laws and add 4 million felons onto the voter rolls you can rest assured those votes will be counted whether they were cast or not. If there is even the slightest perception of tampering with either the election or the Supreme Court's decision I fear the republic will be brought to violence.
"The first step in community organization is community disorganization. The disruption of the present organization is the first step toward community organization. Present arrangements must be disorganized if they are to be displace by new patterns.... All change means disorganization of the old and organization of the new." - Saul Alinsky
You see, this too is no problem for Obama and his sycophants. They don't have any desire to do what's best for anybody. If the country is destroyed, it is only to be seen as part of their master plan. They will rebuild it in their own image. You have often heard the saying the "Nero fiddled while Rome burned." Actually he recited poetry in the fire of 64 AD. Many historians believe Nero was actually responsible for the fires. You see, he wanted to rebuild the city according to his own designs and desires. Neroville? Once again we see there is nothing progressive in progressivism. The abuse of power is as old as man.
After the display they put on in passing this Health Care Reform bill the democrats really have no option but to be as ruthless and criminal as necessary. They have committed themselves to the destruction of the republic. If they succeed, they can be the masters of the new Socialist States of America. If they fail, they just might end up on a meat hook like Mussolini and his supporters. Make no mistake, it is going to get rough. So be it.
We are on the road to Utopia. Strange how much it looks like Cuba and Venezuela. We are at the mercy of a coalition of carnivorous special interests, minorities and parasites that believe they have grievances against us. They believe it is their right to impose their morality, or lack thereof, and their "social justice" even as they loot our treasury and reward themselves for their insolence. They are so convinced of their own perfection and righteousness that they cannot tolerate our freedom. It matters not what harm befalls them or their country. They only know they hate us.
Do you hear laughter? Not the laughter of conquering kings but the laughter of children; bitter, undisciplined...and in control.
GIGGLES
& SPITE
