Happy New Year 2011

From 

TWO SISTERS FROM THE RIGHT

As we watched the news this morning and heard the reports of the blizzards in New York and New Jersey, it brought to mind our childhood New Year's Eve celebrations.  As we grew older, we left the state of New Jersey, and since then have had many other NewYear's Eve celebrations away from home.  Back then, though, there were just the five of us, Dad, Mom, our younger brother, and we, The Two Sisters.

We can't quite recall when it was decided that we were old enough to join in the New Year's Eve celebrations, and didn't have to go to bed early.  After dinner, Mom began to get everything ready.  We always followed the Spanish tradition of eating twelve grapes at midnight.  One for luck for each month of the year.  Our grandfather was from Asturias, Spain, and we also had Asturian cider.  As the table was set waiting for midnight, Dad turned on our black and white television set and we always watched Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians  playing to an affluent audience at the Waldorf Astoria. We also watched the crowd gather at Times Square.

Our biggest thrill though, was being allowed to stay up late and watch the ball come down at Times Square in Manhattan.  When the ball flashed the new year, Guy Lombardo and his band struck up "Auld Lang Syne." The five of us hugged and kissed and wished each other a Happy New Year.

Those days are now gone.  Mom and Dad are gone too.  We three children live thousands of miles away from each other in different states, we have our own families and traditions, and are never together for New Year's Eve.  But one thing remains with us all,  and it is the wonderful memories of days gone by, and the anticipation that a new year brings to us all. 

The New Year is always celebrated with a new baby symbolizing a new beginning.  We have our very own baby this year as Sister Two's second grandson was born on December 22.

We wish all of you, our fellow Americans, a new beginning in 2001.  Just as we have reminisced about the past, let us remember those who went before us, our founding fathers, whose vision made the United States of America the greatest nation, ever.

We pray for our military, past, present and future.

We pray for our  families, our nation, and may God be with and  guide the new Senators and Representatives as they are sworn in during the coming days.  May they live up to their promises and ideals.

We pray for our country and its citizens.  May we return to days of prosperity. 

May we attain Peace.

May God Bless America.

Guy Lombardo's Orchestra playing "Old Lang Syne"

A Site Apart

We hope that you all read Rich Carroll's Behind Enemy Lines. It will be on the blog for all his fans to read.  Although we interjected it in our continuous favorite blog themes, Rich Carroll is one of our favorite blog writers.  Tonight we'd like to continue with the blog theme and we are featuring Real Clear Politics


We think of Real Clear Politics as an anthology of news articles, on the web.  It was Sister One's son who first referred us to it, and it's become a habit since then on - a good habit.  RCP is a very objective site, probably the most objective site on the web.  They present a comprehensive list of articles and essays from very well known journalists and periodicals, to blogs and other sited found on the web. 

RCP doesn't offer opinions, but they do gather all the polls and provide us with the RCP average poll numbers for the President's approval and disapproval ratings as well as the Congress, and the two major political parties.  It also gives us an estimate of how polled Americans feel about the direction the country is taken.  Real Clear Politics enjoys such an impeccable reputation that is its polls are often quoted my the major news outlets.


If a person is interested in reading both sides of the story, RCP is the place to go.  RCP goes beyond politics, and expands into the areas of Business, World News, and Sports.


We can't describe the mission of Real Clear Politics any better than they can.  The following comes directly from their site.

About RealClearPolitics

Site Background

RealClearPolitics (RCP) is an independent, non-partisan media company that is the trusted source for the best news, analysis and commentary. Founded in 2000 by John McIntyre and Tom Bevan, Chicago-based RealClearPolitics covers all aspects of the U.S. political process including policy, elections and government.


RealClearPolitics features the most comprehensive coverage online by selecting the best pieces, publishing columns from top syndicated authors and producing original content. RealClearPolitics editorial staff writes over 30% of the daily content. The site features articles on all the major issues of the day with a deliberate and committed effort to present a wide-range of ideological perspectives. This unique collection of content makes RealClearPolitics the site that policy makers and opinion leaders go to for the most in-depth news coverage.


RealClearPolitics is the essential site for those at the intersection of politics and business. RealClearPolitics influential and important audience, which has come to trust and depend on the site's agenda-setting, extensive and balanced coverage, is what sets RealClearPolitics apart from its competitors. 

We agree, RCP is a site apart!

Behind Enemy Lines

We had a blog prepared for today which followed our theme of recognizing the other blogs we like to read.  However, this article came our way today and we felt that we must publish it "tout de suite."

Author Rich Carroll is a Vietnam veteran, a former publisher and current author.  He has spent more years studying Islam than anyone else whom we personally know.  In our previous Two Sisters From The Right blog we always featured this quote by Abraham Lincoln:  "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."


As we read and hear the news about continued attempts to attack the United States by American born or naturalized Muslims, we know that in spite of the last 9 years of fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, the war has come to us at home. Our destruction has begun from within.

No one knows more about being "Behind Enemy Lines" than "El Tee,"  a.k.a. Rich Carroll. 

Behind Enemy Lines
By Rich Carroll

Each morning I wake up wondering, like tens of millions of other Americans across this great country, what has this Barack Hussein Obama administration done overnight to destroy my nation? Has this radical extremist, anti-white, anti-American pro-Muslim President given Arizona and Texas back to Mexico? Did he give Manhattan back to the Indians overnight? Has he cut some deal with the Muslim controlled United Nations to impede one of my Constitutional freedoms while I slept? You never know. This is the week Obama’s 80,000 imported Gaza Muslims begin arriving in the United States to be added to our welfare and unemployment rolls.


Is Washington a secondary foe working in concert with Islam as the agent of a dystopian new world order? Liberals will say that Obama’s ascendancy unhinged the radical right, offering a unified target to competing camps of racial, nativist and religious animus. Leftist lunatics will tell you right wing anger is based upon Obama’s black skin. I will tell you our anger is based upon Obama’s daily actions to degrade and destroy the sovereign United States of America. He degrades our fine military and admonishes this nation’s accomplishments and our pride in success.

Actions DO speak louder than the color of your skin.

My close friends and I have been behind enemy lines in Vietnam. We can watch and listen and communicate with hand signals as we did once upon a time, and the hair on the back of our collective necks raises because we have learned to KNOW when we are being hunted, and we aren’t the only ones. Last year there were 42 antigovernment militias in the United States. Today there are 137. Ohio alone has 400 members state-wide in the private militia Ohio Defense Force. Are these right-wing groups like Barack Hussein Obama’s close personal friend Bill Ayers who bombed 12 federal buildings? No. These groups are concerned about the nutballs like Bill Ayers and his Muslim and communist friends running America; expanding groups as Americans raised with a sense of our history now speak with a vengeance and “liberation energies” directed at this cesspool of “globalists” and foreigners running our country.


The year was 1934 when Adolph Hitler was proclaimed Time Magazine’s “Man of the Year.” The lefties at Time praised this barbarian for being “the best political leader in the world and a charismatic public speaker.” Two years later, 8 million German children had taken an oath of loyalty to this “charismatic speaker.” Adolph’s personal records were sealed, and even today we know little about his family and personal life. Sound familiar?


There is more.


Confiscated Jewish wealth would fund 30 per cent of Germany’s entire war expense. Hitler felt Jews owed him all of their wealth, so he took it and those who weren’t kicked out of the Third Reich were slaughtered in concentration camps. We are facing a similar “nuanced situation” today as leftists want the state (not your relatives) to take your wealth when you die.


Betrayal - impoverish - destroy, the three elements we assign to the history of Adolph Hitler, and all because of his “one shining moment” when he captivated an entire nation with his gallant rhetoric. Betrayal - impoverish - destroy; three words that guide the decisions of this charlatan president as he “stands with the Muslims,” and fails to develop energy independence and national security. The rest of the world develops mining fossil fuels and nuclear power plants and we do not. Why not?

We are the most insecure energy dependent nation on Earth and American’s are fed up. We cannot afford a Health Care Bill that will impoverish our children and ruin the best medical care system on the planet. Why is it being purposely destroyed? We cannot afford to support the massive floods of illegal aliens into America. Why is this being allowed to continue?


Betrayal - impoverish - destroy; you are living behind enemy lines now. The tens of millions of Americans who are aware of how dire our situation has grown have purchased guns and ammunition and survival supplies at the greatest rate of any time in our history.

Prepare yourselves; we are purposely being destroyed….behind enemy lines.




The author may be reached at: crossedrifles@hotmail.com 

The Threat of Islamic Jihad

In our continued effort to feature our favorite bloggers and news sites until the new year, we've chosen two today that we feel are of particular importance.  After the surprise attack by Muslims, carried out in the name of Allah and Islam, we would never have thought that recent developments would bring us to a point where we elect a president of questionable background and ties to Islam.  It never crossed our minds that we would be engaged in a battle to stop the construction of a Muslim Mosque in the shadow of where the World Trade Center's Twin Towers once stood. 


It is unimaginable that we have citizens who've earned the name "truthers" because they are convinced that our government committed such an atrocity.  Nor can we think of anything more un-American than former Governor Jesse Ventura's program entitled "Conspiracy Theories."  We find as much validity to his program as we did to the realism of his wresting career.


We have a Secretary of Homeland Security who has limited ability to understand the threat that we face in Islamic Jihad.  There are entirely too many Americans who are completely clueless, and don't believe it can happen here again.  It appears to us that every plot that has been thwarted has been due to incompetence on the part of the Jihadists, and just plain dumb luck.  Sting operations, in our opinion, don't deserve the press coverage they have received because the criminals were under surveillance all the time, and the scenario was planned by the FBI.


One blogger recently wrote that he'd stopped blogging because he received no comments to his articles.  We receive very few, even though our stats indicate that people have begun to read our blog since our return.  One doesn't fight fear with fear.  "Aren't you afraid that your name will appear on some list?" I was recently asked.  To which I replied that I'm sure it already is.  But we've said it before and say it again.  We're under a threat by religious fanatics who have vowed to destroy us.  Either we sit idly back and wait for the next shoe to drop, or we awaken our fellow Americans from their apathetic slumber.


These two bloggers who are featured today have undertaken the responsibility to do just that:  Keep America informed. 


We begin with Pamela Geller, owner of Atlas Shrugs.  A woman of knowledge and courage, one can always stay informed by reading her blog.  Below is a sample of her latest warning:


Shock Audio: New Black Panther Leader Reveals Collusion at NYC Meeting With Ahmadinejad to Build Alliance, Secure Raw Materials and Overthrow America
It is important to remember Obama's close ties to these haters and subversives. Louis Farrakhan and Obama have a long history, and it was Obama's Department of Justice that refused to prosecute the Black Panthers who were threatening white voters in Philly.


This is a terrible thing, but it was expected. What makes it deadly is that Obama is in the White House.


Geraldo Rivera had me on with this Black Panther Nazi, Malik Shabazz, equating the two of us (here).


Hat tip The Blaze.



In my book: The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America


Louis Farrakhan proclaimed Obama to be the messiah back in October 2008: “You are the instruments that God is gonna use to bring about universal change, and that is why Barack has captured the youth. And he has involved young people in a political process that they didn’t care anything about. That’s a sign. When the Messiah speaks, the youth will hear, and the Messiah is absolutely speaking.”[i] It became a joke, particularly among Republicans and conservatives, to call Obama the Messiah in view of the extravagant praise – and extravagant hopes – that were attached to him during the campaign.
[...]
The Reverend Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ, of which Obama was a member for twenty years, had roots in both Islam and economic radicalism: “But Wright was a former Muslim and black nationalist who had studied at Howard and Chicago, and Trinity’s guiding principles – what the church calls the ‘Black Value System’-- included a ‘Disavowal of the Pursuit of Middleclassness.’”[i] Wright was also a close associate of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who in November 2009 offered a doggerel version of Obama’s lofty post-American internationalism: “America,” he declared, “has run out of time. It is the time of the setting of the sun on the Western world.”[ii]

BLACK PANTHERS FOR OBAMA

___________________________________________________

Posted by Pamella Geller, on Tuesday, December 27, 2010

The mainstream media won't touch that story with a 10 foot pole.  After all it was they who helped Obama get elected with their biased reporting and partisanship.  It is up to independent bloggers and authors such as Pamella Geller to keep us informed about the threat of Islamic Jihad.  We recommend that you read her blog. It is definitely one of our very favorite sources of credible information.

Our next featured blog is "Winds of Jihad, by Sheik'yermami".  This blog is undergoing some renovating and it can now be reached at www.sheikyermami.com .  We were first introduced to this site via an email.  We were hooked by the information contained therein, and we were captivated by the humor of the site's owner.  The name Sheik'yermami makes me smile every time I see it.  It's so incredibly clever!

We've never quite understood why so many Americans are reluctant to read about the threat of radical Islam.  We admire those who write the truth and keep us informed.  As one Robert Spenser wrote in this blog, "I'm not Islamophobic, I'm Islamorealistic."  Yes, we have to keep tabs on the increasing size of government, the lack of employment, the runaway spending, and the health care mess that this administration has created.  But we cannot turn a blind eye to the growing problem, and the increasing threat to our sovereignty by Muslim Jihadists. We need to be realistic.  Again, we recommend that you bookmark this page and read it often.  Many of the stories and articles in it will never appear in the mainstream media.

Iran

by Sheikyermami on December 29, 2010


Thug-In-Chief: “Iran has become a nuclear country”



He has said this before. “Ahmadinejad: Iran is now a nuclear state,” from Iran’s PressTV, December 28: but not to worry, its all for peaceful purposes, like wiping Israel off the face of the earth….


Carl in J’lem is wondering: What will it take for the World to stop pretending that Iran is bluffing and to take the threat posed by Ayatollah Ali Khameni and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seriously? Here’s an example of someone who is not taking them seriously.


Clicking on the title will take the reader to the complete essay.
We realize that many of our readers are familiar with most of these sites, and we regret if we're being repetitive.  However, we're hoping to reach some of our newest readers, especially the young people.  We still recall those days of youth when we felt the world was our oyster, and nothing could ever go wrong.  We were invincible and indestructible.  We believe that we had more reason to believe that then than young people today.  Knowledge is power, and the more you know about those who have vowed to conquer and destroy you, the better prepared you will be to meet your enemy head on

Reporting or Distorting?

Some left leaning, liberal journalists are in dire need of a reality check. They brazenly and shamelessly spin the news to serve their liberal agenda.  Once upon a time journalists and authors were respected for their ability to objectively report the news.  Today they are better known for their ability to distort them.  We suppose that is what annoys us most about today's journalists;  their conceit to believe that they are more intelligent than the public they serve, and that they have the ability to persuade readers and listeners to change their mind.  One prime example of that destructive metamorphosis is the New York Times newspaper.  For reference on the fall of the NYT read Steve Bussey's account  at SteveBussey.com .

Whether journalists, reporters, pundits, etc. can actually influence decisions people make, is really a matter of opinion.  It depends on the mindset of those who receive the information. Comedian Jon Stewart has been elevated to the status of journalist, even though he has had no formal training.  Fox News' logo, "We report, you decide" is appealing and for the most part, their programs do just that.  With a few exceptions, they respect the intelligence of the viewer, and they are notorious for presenting both sides of an issue by having guests representing both sides of an issue, who openly debate, sometimes heatedly, but both points get across.

Then there are the Olbermans, the leg tinglers, the Courics, the Ed Schultz types, who wouldn't know objectivity if it bit them on the right cheek!  They are the ones who give journalism a bad name.

If readers are not familiar with www.newsbusters.org we highly recommend it.  NewsBusters mission is to correct the untruths that are told in the media in the name of reporting.  In all the years we've  been reading them, we have never known them not to report accurately.  They generally back up their stories with videos and facts.  NewsBusters is a project of the Media Research Center (MRC), the leader in documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.  Today our focus will be on reports appearing on the NewsBusters website, and  samples of the stories they print to set the record straight.

Newsweek's Eleanor Clift Finds 'Worst Lie' of 2010 Is 'Obama's Policies Didn't Work'

By Tim Graham

December 27, 2010

The McLaughlin Group is still an easy place to identify Newsweek as a liberal rag. Over the weekend, Newsweek's Eleanor Clift offered several liberal howlers as the Group handed out year-end honors and dishonors. On "Worst Lie," Clift insisted: "The worst lie, that Obama’s policies didn’t work -- the recovery plan, the car, the auto-car bailout, and TARP, which began under President Bush – all worked quite well."

Then, when the category was "Person of the Year," Clift unfurled a Worst Lie, that conservatives love Bill Clinton: "President Clinton. He’s the man of the moment, was most in demand on the campaign trail. He’s now strategizing with President Obama on how to move forward with the divided Congress. And he’s a philanthropist around the world. And Democrats love him, even the liberals who had their problems with him when he was in the White House. Everyone loves Bill Clinton. Even conservatives do."

Clift had strong opinions about the female candidates of 2010. For Worst Politician, she declared: "Worst Politician, I'm happy to say it’s one of yours, Martha Angle, who ran against Harry Reid.” Monica Crowley corrected her, and Clift replied: “Whatever, Sharron Angle, my bad. With two Rs. And ran against Harry Reid and Harry Reid was given up for dead and she made it possible for him to win his race. Thank you, Sharron!”

Under the tag Biggest Loser, Pat Buchanan said simply "liberalism" as a new era of austerity kicks in. Clift replied: "Once they start downsizing, watch liberalism come back. The Biggest Losers I have are on the capitalism side and those are the three Republican CEO candidates – Meg Whitman, Carly Fiorina, and Linda McMahon -- who spent upwards of $200 million, and lost each of their respective races."

For Turncoat of the Year, Clift raved: "I interpret Turncoat as a positive thing and I give it to Lisa Murkowski, who left the Republican Party, ran as a write-in candidate. She stood up to the Tea Party, and lived to tell the tale."

Bummest rap? Clift said: "That the Islamic Cultural Center in New York is a terrorist threat. Bum rap." (Columnist Clarence Page agreed.)

Under Defining Moment of the Year, Pat Buchanan said the BP oil spill was "Obama's Katrina." Clift replied, "Oh, I don't think it was anywhere near the Katrina level of destruction. Defining moment. The passage of health care. This year, universal health care, it is the president's biggest accomplishment, and it is also put the biggest target on his back, but it will survive."


Under the category of Most Stagnant Thinker, Pat Buchanan said it was the Democrats whining about tax cuts for the rich. Clift shot back: "About 70 percent of the public is caterwauling right along with the Democrats. Stagnant thinker: Sen. John McCain and his opposition to repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell. Even his wife and his daughter have parted with him on that one."

Clift did cite Sen.-elect Marco Rubio as the Biggest Winner, and chose Sarah Palin as Most Charismatic -- but she also chose Palin in the Enough Already! category for the reality shows for both mother and daughter Bristol.

Clift is, in our humble opinion, delusional, but she's also, except in some liberal circles, inconsequential, even with her caustic tongue, and Newsweek credentials.  On the other hand Bob Schieffer is still on CBS in a prominent position.  He has turned out to be one of the biggest journalistic disappointments for those of us who once believed Journalism to be an honorable profession. 

In Show-Ending Poem, CBS's Schieffer Spins Christmas Classic Into Critique of Tea Party, AZ Immigration Law

By Matt Hadro

December 27, 2010

Ending Sunday's "Face the Nation" in poetic fashion, CBS's Bob Schieffer gave a year-end commentary where he portrayed John Boehner as the flustered "orange-faced" leader of a divided House GOP. Schieffer also snidely criticized the Arizona immigration law.

"His face was bright orange, a sun-tan hall-of-famer. / I knew in a flash – it must be John Boehner," spoke Schieffer, painting the soon-to-be Majority Leader as the head of a herd of reindeer, the House Republicans. "He hollered, cajoled, oh how he did plead, / But the deer wouldn't listen, each wanted to lead."

Composing his end-of-show commentary to verse, Schieffer summarized the 2010 political scene and provided some insight of his own as to how the next two years in Washington will unfold. Though Democrats met a bitter fate this November, Schieffer implied a possible downfall for the GOP with a split between Tea Partiers and incumbent Republicans.

He did not shy away from pigeonholing notable Republicans such as Sarah Palin and John Boehner. "The Left Wing cried foul, said she didn't know nothin'" he said of Sarah Palin's reality show. He called Boehner an "sun-tan hall-of-famer" with a smoking habit, having to control the rebellious Bachmann, Pence, and Cantor. "'Stop Cantor! Quiet Bachmann! Sit down, Mr. Pence! / Line up like a team, please don't jump the fence!'" the imaginary Boehner cried.

Schieffer briefly described the Democrats' downfall and was more-than-content with sending President Obama off to vacation in Hawaii. "To Hawaii they went, why not if they please?" he said of the Obamas.

However, even here Obama faced trouble with Arizona officials looking for his identity papers, Schieffer bizarrely narrated. He seemingly equated Arizona law enforcement with birthers.

"POTUS was out running hard in the tropical sand, / Birth certificate clutched wheel-tight in his hand," he said of Obama's ongoing vacation in Hawaii. "'Can't be too careful,' he told his wife's mother, 'Arizona police may be here undercover'."

A transcript of Schieffer's poem, a segment which aired on December 26 at 10:53 a.m. EDT, is as follows:

 Twas the day after Christmas, 'neath the Capitol dome

It was quiet for a change, Congress finally went home.

They stayed longer than usual, and actually found

Not a lot, to be sure, but some common ground.

The Tea Party hollered, Sarah Palin went huntin',

The Left Wing cried foul, said she didn't know nothin'.

POTUS and FLOTUS were gone with a breeze

To Hawaii they went, why not if they please?

With no stories, reporters have turned to the bars,

The newscasting subs sat in for the stars.

I was just sleepy, needed rest for my brain,

And what happened next I still can't explain.

In my dreaming I saw on the Capitol lawn

A man cracking a whip by first light of dawn.

He was trying to herd some wacky reindeer

Running every which way, first there and then here.

His face was bright orange, a sun-tan hall-of-famer.

I knew in a flash – it must be John Boehner.

He hollered, cajoled, oh how he did plead,

But the deer wouldn't listen, each wanted to lead.

"Stop Cantor! Quiet Bachmann! Sit down, Mr. Pence!

Line up like a team, please don't jump the fence!

You're feeling your oats, and already feel cozy,

But so did that lady named Nancy Pelosi.

"She reached for the sky and wound up in the soup,

So these days she's herding a much smaller group.

Her reindeer still snort that it wasn't their fault.

Whatever it was, they were brought to a halt."

As that scene faded out, Boehner lit up a smoke,

Then I could see Waikiki – and this is no joke –

POTUS was out running hard in the tropical sand,

Birth certificate clutched wheel-tight in his hand.

Can't be too careful, he told his wife's mother,

Arizona police may be here undercover.

It's been a tough year, a difficult trip,

And wouldn't you know, I busted my lip.

My own party against me – will that be my fate?

Or can old Clinton teach me to triangulate?

My dream got confusing, I really was torn

And the old bull still fought, locking horn against horn.

The way they were acting it was sure easy enough

To see no good thing coming from this kind of stuff.

Then I thought of this year and for all the bad talk

Now before it was over the lame duck did walk.

The START treaty was finally beginning to gel,

Taxes stayed even; we can ask, and yes, tell.

That's why I can close this holiday letter

With "Happy New Year to all, it's bound to get better."

Schieffer's poem at the end of the program was beyond biased.  It was purely partisan, offensive, and above all completely unprofessional.  We once respected this man, and we are shocked, and saddened that  he has descended to the depths of childish behavior at his advanced age.

  

Reports From The Blogosphere

As 2010 comes to a close, we give thanks for the American spirit that still dwells in many of us.  That pioneer spirit that fought all obstacles and made America great, from sea to shining sea, can never die.  It is that spirit that gave birth to the Tea Party Movement and allowed the once silent Americans to find their voice, and make themselves heard.  It is that spirit of sovereignty and love for liberty that drives common citizens to blog and express themselves in a very public forum. 

It is difficult to keep track of how many independent bloggers there are, as well as established publications who  have blogs of their own.  We are inspired by them, and we often seek the truth from them.  Two Sisters will attempt to feature some of our favorite bloggers until the New Year.  We hope you enjoy today's offerings. 

From The Corner-NRO
Records Show City Working for GZ Mosque Organizers
December 26, 2010 6:17 P.M.


By Daniel Foster

E-mails and other public records requested by opponents show a Bloomberg administration acting behind the scenes on behalf of the Park51 project — aka the Ground Zero Mosque — and a development board member looking for “political cover” before allowing the project to go forward.


Bloomberg administration officials are working “very closely with the organizers of the project. . . to combat public opposition and navigate various governmental hurdles.” One administration official even ghost-wrote a letter for Park51 organizers.


The Wall Street Journal reports:


In one email from May, Shelly Friedman, the organizers’ lawyer, wrote that Manhattan Community Board 1′s vote in support of the project would be helpful as organizers urged landmark commission Chairman Robert Tierney and other panel members to reject landmark status for the building currently on the site. “I do know that chairman Tierney was looking forward to having the ‘political cover’ their support would bring him,” Ms. Friedman wrote.


Brett Joshpe, counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, one of the groups that sought the documents and is suing the city, said Ms. Friedman’s email is telling.
“Our allegation all along has been that politics tainted this process and that the Landmarks decision was not actually based on a faithful review of the architectural or historical value of the building but based upon political influences,” Mr. Joshpe said.


The exchange of emails also reveals how heavily involved the administration was in the project’s development. One email shows that Nazli Parvizi, the city’s community affairs commissioner, drafted a letter that Daisy Khan, the wife of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, wrote to the community board. City officials also intervened to help the organizers get permits to conduct prayers at the site. In one email, organizers agreed to help fund a 2009 Ramadan celebration at Gracie Mansion.


Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, said the emails are proof that the mayor’s staff was coordinating with the Islamic center’s leaders.


“They were getting press advice from the mayor’s office, they were editing letters for them,” he said. “They were advising them on the all important landmark issue.”


“They were told what to do in order to get approval and there was never any question of getting approval,” he said. “It was obviously political.

MICHAEL RAMIREZ CARTOON

IBD EDITORIALS

12/26/10

 

Two time Pulitzer Award winner, Michael Ramirez has his finger on the pulse of the American political scene.  The article below tells us why the incoming GOP newly elected officials should not trust the old guard in D.C.  Here Ramirez reaffirms what most of us know.  The GOP in the Senate, is ending the year the way they began it.  They've been all show and no action and once again Barack Obama can smugly go off on his Winter Break considering himself a winner.  Those very same senators who did not support GWB's during his second term because they thought more of their own political careers than they did the American people, are the ones that caved in to Obama in the end.  We hope the people of Maine wake up and rid themselves of those two Democrat wannabes.  Scott Brown has taught us all that he's a lot more liberal than anyone believed, and we are appalled by Joe Lieberman's most recent votes.  Let us hope that the incoming senators and representatives won't roll over for BHO.

From the American Thinker Blog:

              Why we distrust you
                                  by Peter Smith

As Margaret Thatcher reminded us in her eulogy to Ronald Reagan we have Reagan's example to follow and help lead us into the future. As the centennial anniversary of Reagan's birth dawns across America the 112th Congress will begin their first day at work by a full reading of the Constitution of the United States of America.


This will be a bold and long waited for action that should be the first order of business for every newly elected Congress. The Reagan example encourages us to hold true to our firm principles and act upon them. Allies once looked toward America for this firm leadership. America as a great force and spirit historically lifted the world.

This 112th Congress will seek out a new resolve to come together and meet the challenges that face America. New members of Congress must bring forth a Reagan candidness and tough approach toward establishing new relationships. Just as Reagan exclaimed in reaching out to Gorbachev, freshmen members of Congress should greet returning members with "Let me tell you why it is that we distrust you."

"Do You Have A Living Will?"

Considering that the elder of the Two Sisters will be having her 65th birthday in about a month and a half, and the younger Sister is only fourteen months behind, all rulings concerning Medicare take on a different and more personal interest.  It would be lovely if after reaching age 65 one could retain the insurance they have, but the law does not allow it.  The moment one's 65th birthday approaches the mailbox is filled with all sorts of directions for registration for Medicare, a Medicare card is sent out to the future recipient, and of course a fee is charged out of the Social Security earnings once it becomes effective. 

In spite of the Medicare coverage it is imperative for those who can afford it, to maintain the premiums on a secondary insurance policy, either private or through a retirement program.  Theoretically one can decline Medicare benefits, but only those who are in either extremely good health, or wealthy enough to pay primary care premiums without any sort of financial assistance, do.  We've done our math, and the fact that Sister One and husband will both be Medicare recipients, and the cost of the supplementary insurance premiums have increased significantly, the  total cost of being insured has increased by nearly $200.00 per month. 

Contrary to what many believe, Medicare is not a free government program.  Not only did recipients, especially Baby Boomers who are now turning 65, pay into the system during their working careers, but there is that $100.00 monthly fee that is automatically withdrawn from the Social Security earnings.  Getting old isn't cheap folks, and if you haven't planned for your so called "Golden Years," now is the time to start.

Included in that plan is the question of the "Living Will" or making plans to face one's inevitable death.  As one late friend used to say, "The only thing in life that is certain is death and taxes." 

We began to think about this subject late this evening when we read that new Medicare regulations have revived the discussion of end-of life planning.

The news first broke in the New York Times, and the following article is very much a repetition of the original:

Medicare regulation revives end-of-life planning

WASHINGTON – A new health regulation issued this month offers Medicare recipients voluntary end-of-life planning, which Democrats dropped from the monumental health care overhaul last year.


The provision allows Medicare to pay for voluntary counseling to help beneficiaries deal with the complex and painful decisions families face when a loved one is approaching death.

But the practice was heavily criticized by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and some other Republicans who have likened the counseling to "death panels."

The "voluntary advance care planning" is included in a Medicare regulation issued Dec. 3 that covers annual checkups, known as wellness visits. It goes into effect Jan. 1.

The new regulation was first reported by The New York Times.

For years, federal laws and policies have encouraged Americans to think ahead about end-of-life decisions and make their wishes known in advance through living wills and similar legal documents. But when House Democrats proposed last year to pay doctors for end-of-life counseling, it touched off a wave of suspicion and anger.

Opponents said end-of-life planning should be left to families, while proponents said doctors' advice was a basic element of health care.
Prominent Republicans singled it out as a glaring example of government overreach. Palin's use of the phrase "death panels" solidified GOP opposition to the health care bill.

Although advance planning never made it into the law, few Republicans joined in supporting the health care overhaul, President Barack Obama's signature domestic legislative achievement.

We write about this subject with mixed emotions and a heavy heart.  The loss of our parents in 2007 and 2009 is still too fresh in our minds.  On days like today,  Christmas, and especially after the birth of a new great-grandson for them just two days ago, brought back  loving memories and our longing to be able to share these joys with them.

Our parents lived long and productive lives.  At the time of their deaths both were of very sound mind.  They were intelligent, articulate, capable of reasoning and determining their future, in spite of having several illnesses not uncommon at ages 89 and 88.  They kept abreast of all the changes in Medicare laws and rules.  Our mother went over every statement with a fine tooth comb.  She knew how much Medicare paid each doctor or the hospital, how much they charged the system, what amount their supplementary insurance paid, and what they owed after all others had paid all the charges that they would cover. 

Our father survived cancer and very difficult surgeries in his late 70's and mid eighties.  Our mother suffered from hypertension and diabetes, was impaired by arthritis, but never underwent any type of surgery.  Most of their bills were accrued by Dad's illnesses and hospitalizations. They remained fairly independent until Dad's last illness in 2005.  He was 87 years old.

Many Americans experience the same travails we did with aging parents.  The one thing neither one of our parents ever agreed to do was to write a Living Will.  Instead they gave us health power of attorney to decide their fate.

What is a Living Will?  The dictionary defines it as "a will in which the signer requests not to be kept alive by medical life-support systems in the event of a terminal illness."


If you or a dear one has ever been hospitalized you will know that one of the very first questions that you are asked upon admission is, "Do you have a Living Will?"  In many cases if you don't, the hospital will offer their services to help you write one. Our parents always declined. and it got to the point that we had extra copies of our Power Of Attorney (POA), in the car because with each new admission, a new copy was required.

This proposed regulation would pay the doctors for end-of-life counseling.  The whole issue of "Death Panels" began in August of 2009 when Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin wrote on her Facebook page:

"The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care."

No one is more opposed to Obama's health care reform than we are.  Our opposition has nothing to do with end-of-life counseling.  Rather it is a matter of economics.  The Obama Health Care Reform bill was pushed through the Congress without adequate time to discuss it by both parties in Congress.  Democrats met behind closed doors and decided what to put in that monstrously expensive bill without consulting the GOP, or even allowing them to make suggestions or changes. Congress stayed in session during the Christmas break last year until they had bribed and cajoled enough members in order to get the required number of votes to pass the legislation.  In plain English, they rammed an obscure, obscenely expensive bill down the American public's throat, even after Americans had protested time and time again that they DID NOT WANT IT!

We don't oppose end of life counseling, we feel all should have it.  In all honesty we are opposed to the doctor being PAID to counsel their patients on writing a living will because it is our experience that they do it anyway.  Doctors talk to patients about what they can expect from their illnesses and most doctors that we've gone to advice patients to write a living will.  We see no reason to pay a doctor for what we feel should be part of his/her service to the patient.  What we fear is that there might be an ulterior motive behind the proposal.

"Do you have a living will?"  We do.  After our experiences with our parents we knew that no one would have to convince us to make those arrangements while we could still reason.  In our case the fear was that the POA gave us permission to decide whether our parents should be put on life support, or whether to terminate it.  Although we still grieve our parents' loss, it was a blessing that both died suddenly, unexpectedly, and the decision was taken out of our hands.  Although a sudden death is difficult to accept, we simply cannot imagine having to make the decision to disconnect life support and terminate a life.

There are many valid and important reasons why writing a living will should be considered.  Again, economics is part of it, and at the end of this article we will list some links for further reading.  Our uncle, a physician, passed away fifteen days after our mother, his sister, had died.  He had an iron clad living will in which he stated that he wanted to be cremated, where he wanted his ashes scattered, and above all he wanted no services at the time of his death.  His explicit instructions were followed.  Like our mother he too died suddenly, but the town he'd served for over fifty years wanted closure, and moths later, a meaningful memorial was held in his honor.

Are there "Death Panels"?  Is there a hidden agenda besides Obama's driving desire to socialize the American Health Care System?   We are learning about all the developments along with our fellow citizens.  Our advice to our readers is to carefully read Section 1233 of H.R. 3200.  If we are to decide for ourselves, then we must be well informed in order to make the choices that best fit us and those who will be left behind.

 http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/moneymag_archive/1989/06/01/85171/index.htm

http://moneyfor20s.about.com/od/otherinsurance/f/living_will.htm

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-You-Should-Have-A-Living-Will&id=352578

The Good News!

Merry Christmas from Two Sisters From The Right

CHRISTMAS EVE 2010

Yes! The United States IS a Christian Nation

I can still remember the day I heard Barack Obama say: "one of the great strengths of the United States” is that it does not consider itself “a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."  I was walking through my den and stopped dead in my tracks, thinking "surely, he didn't just say what I thought he said."  But he did say it.  He said it in Turkey, a Muslim country, and by doing so, he has given validity and acceptance to that concept among non-Christians in the United States.  With the advent of political correctness, suddenly everyone is "sensitive," offended, demanding, and they all have a lawyer at their side.  What gives?

As we approach Christianity's Holiest Season, we are now confronted with all sorts of ridiculous protests by non-Christians. There are demands to ban Christmas symbols from places where they are traditionally displayed.  Schools, public parks, government buildings, offices, department stores, etc. have always decorated for the holidays.  Most recently the Christmas tree has come under attack.  The word Christmas,  is now banished and replaced by Holiday.  That is too ridiculous for words.  Who else would buy a Christmas tree but a Christian?   Who made the candy cane a Christian symbol? Why the sudden angst about Christmas? Americans have always celebrated Christmas. It never offended anyone before.

Let us just examine a bit of the history of the Founding Fathers just out of curiosity, to see if they considered that they were establishing a Christian nation.  Obama states that we are not a Christian nation.  We are well aware of his globe trotting past with his mother, life and schooling in Muslim countries, his conversion to Christianity by his spiritual mentor steeped in Black Liberation Theology.  Perhaps if Mr. Obama had lived in this country as long as most of us have, he'd know that we don't, nay,  we can not agree with his statement.  In fact, we find it offensive, as offensive as his attempt to diminish our faith and traditions.  It is also the faith of those who fought for the right to establish these United States of America, and who with God's guidance were led to establish a nation based on the principles in which they believed.  In their own words, former presidents expressed their Christian beliefs. 

The following article is from The American Policy Roundtable

Was America founded on Christian principles?

If you don't know where you've come from, it's pretty hard to determine where you're going.

The history of America is an awesome drama. Our nation is no accident. For hundreds of years, the dream of liberty was carried across European history to be birthed on these shores, and biblical truth, biblical thinking, played a pivotal role in the birthing of America.

But was America founded on Christian principles? Just read the first words of the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

From the beginning, America's founders accepted the reality that basic rights were inseparable from human beings and they recognized that those inalienable rights were not given by government nor acquired by force, but that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are the gifts of the Creator.

In 1844, the Court said, "Christianity is part of our common law."

In 1892, the Supreme Court said this: "No purpose of action against religion can be imputed to any legislation, state or national because this is a religious people. This is historically true."

In 1930, the U.S. Supreme Court said this: "We are a Christian people, according to our motto."

In 1952, the U.S. Supreme Court said, "We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being.

The question isn't - Was America founded on Christian principles? The question is - what world view has given birth to and sustained America? The answer to that question is simple: Christianity.

Our founding fathers were men steeped in Judeo-Christian beliefs and many were Christians belonging to various denominations.  Fortunately for us their archived words still exist as proof.  One example is Thomas Jefferson.  As a Texan, I wondered why Thomas Jefferson was being taken out of prominence in the history books.  As I read his words, I wonder if his Christian faith hasn't influenced the decision of those interested in rewriting history.

Read the words of some of our earlier presidents, those involved in founding this great nation and decide for yourself.

Thomas Jefferson was president of the United States of America from 1801-1809.

 "God who gave us life gave us liberty.  And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God?  - Thomas Jefferson, 1781

“Of all the systems of morality, ancient or modern which have come under my observation, none appears to me so pure as that of Jesus....I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus."-Thomas Jefferson


Then there was James Madison who served our country from 1809-1817.

“We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We’ve staked the future of all our political institutions upon our capacity…to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.” 1778 to the General Assembly of the State of Virginia


The second President of the United States was John Adams, who's tenure lasted from 1797-1801.  A deeply religious man he believed that the founders were guided by principles of Christianity.

The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were. . . . the general principles of Christianity. . . . I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God; and that those principles of liberty are as unalterable as human nature. (taken from a letter to Thomas Jefferson on June 28, 1813)
http://www.aproundtable.org/issues.cfm?issuecode=history
"The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were.... the general principles of Christianity." President John Quincy Adams


"The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: 'It connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity." President Adams, July 4, 1821



Anyone with the interest and the will can, as we did, research the quotations of the early American presidents, and see for him/herself how reliant they were on their Christian faith.  Were there those who did not believe as they did?  Most likely so.  But America was a young nation then and the diversity of the immigrants was not as varied as it is today.  Yet those Christian men of faith and tolerance had the vision to guarantee in the Constitution of the United States, liberties that still apply today.  They had the foresight to guarantee those who would arrive to these shores centuries later, the same rights that were applicable to those who wrote it and established it. They did so by writing the Constituion and then, seeing the need, amending it.

Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

That First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States has always made us very proud to be Americans.  That short paragraph embodies rights and privileges that very few nations of the world have.  Because of that short paragraph we were raised to be respectful, and in some cases tolerant is the only word that applies, of others opinions and beliefs.  We believe in those wise words.  But we expect those who will quote those words to us, to respect our rights and liberties which those words protect.  They were after all written by Christians.

We allow others to practice their beliefs freely, and as a majority, we expect the same courtesy.  We're tired of political correctness.  In fact, we're done with it.  Merchants who are not Christians profit from our traditions to decorate, eat and give gifts.  Well, be on notice, if employees are not allowed to wish us a Merry Christmas, we won't patronize your business.  There is no such thing as a holiday tree, so don't bother trying to sell us one.  There is nothing to fear from a Christmas tree or Santa Claus, so don't feel threatened.  Your holidays don't affect us.  Let us celebrate ours with the joy and the peace that fills our hearts at this time of the year.

In fact  contrary to what Mr. Obama told the Turks, we ARE a Christian nation, and we've been graceful, and polite enough to allow others who don't share our faith to  make this their home as well.  A home where their traditions and beliefs can be practiced without fear of persecution.  We will not accept others trying to change our traditional ways or to impose new ways on us. 

During his first Inaugural address  George Washington said these memorable words:

"No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency...We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of heaven cannot be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which heaven itself has ordained." -- George Washington in his Inaugural Address, April 30, 1789

Amen!



Resources:


http://www.aproundtable.org/tps30info/beliefs.html
Copyright © 1999 - 2002 Errant Skeptics Research Institute - Copyright © 1999 - 2002 Errant Skeptics Research Institutehttp://www.errantskeptics.org/Quotes_by_Presidents.htm
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am1