It's an Enigma that Keeps on Giving Thing

Dear America,

“The momentum that ISIL built up during the summer has dissipated. It continues, yes, to commit terrible crimes," said Kerry. "But it has also been forced to relinquish bases, abandon training sites, alter its mode of communications, disperse personnel, and stop the use of large convoys.”

quoting John Kerry...last November.

He went on to say, not to worry....

“Where once there was suspicion and discord, we now see the Saudi foreign minister link arms with Iraq’s Kurdish and Shia leaders. We see the government of Turkey agree to allow Kurdish fighters to cross its border and take on ISIL. We see the multi-confessional leadership of Lebanon jointly resisting armed incursions into their territory.”

...the region is working together to fight back.

Oh Really?

This is "momentum dissipated?"

This is working together?

From the Daily Beast, under a column named "Frenemies,"  Nancy Youssef highlights the current impasse between  the United States and Egypt; it comes on the heels of Egyptian airstrikes against ISIL after the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians on the shores of Libya.

Let's be a little more clear, shall we...

"We are neither condemning nor condoning” the Egyptian strikes, is all one U.S. official would tell The Daily Beast.

In other words, these once-close nations are now fighting separate campaigns against their mutual foe. And that could prove to be very good news for ISIS. The rift between U.S. and the region’s most populous country portends of another division that ISIS could exploit, this time for its expansion into northern Africa and the broader Middle East.

It's an enigma that keeps on giving.

And then, 45 Iraqi's -- some believed to be part of the security forces and their families -- were captured by ISIL and burned to death.


Thank goodness we telegraphed our immediate plans to take over Mosul -- and before the end of May, as, after that, it just becomes way too hot, and of course, there's Ramadan.

As ISIL responds to that,  almost immediately -- oh, so you wanna piece of me? -- bite me.

hmmmm wonder what they are going to do with nearly 90 Syrian Christians?

Yes, indeed, Secretary of State John Kerry -- I see it --  ISIL's momentum has totally dissipated.  

And whatever we are doing, we must be doing it right, as things have totally shifted in favor of freedom and liberty all the way.

[Just taking a break there with some bona fide sarcasm.]

hmmm wonder what the president is going to say about this new news?

I mean, the news of 90 Christians being abducted came from Al Jazeera; no doubt the president respects that news organization.  [Oh, and for great fun -- go back up to "bite me" and scroll down to the comments section.  woo hoo!]

Oh my.
Yes.
G is feeling a wee bit punchy today...

"Gardening, 

yoga, 

bubble baths, 

medication,

 and I still want to smack somebody!"

With much thanks and appreciation

for this little gem 

going to

Gartner Greetings, Inc.

Encapsulating a feeling in a nano-second, the humble greeting card.  Brilliant.

It's just too bad we can't just send ISIL a greeting card saying something that will mend the broken fences -- the relationship --  right?  

I don't know -- a heartfelt apology perhaps...our condolences for their losses...maybe something more like a pleading, begging,  something to the effect of "crying Uncle" en masse,... please, please, make it stop...we can talk this out...grasping for just the right words to say....saying almost anything, promising to be better next time like a battered woman.

yeah, yeah

Fascinating isn't it?

If I believed in "jinxes" -- I would have to admit we jinxed ourselves the very day we gave this president of ours the Nobel Prize as the world's peacemaker. [considering it was merely two weeks into his administration when he was nominated...seriously?...]

Today --nearly every facet of peace working wondrously within society  -- foreign and domestic  -- is asunder. 

Marked by:

• brand new divides in race relations, 
• immigration policy in chaos and lack of security at the American borders, 
• the actions or inaction(s) in the Middle East -- whether between allies or enemies, 
• the upending of the finest health care system in the world, 
• the divide between the have's and the have not's, tearing apart the free-flow of free-enterprise and thwarting efforts to create wealth and security for all 
• the ongoing battle for truth and transparency centering around the many scandals under this administration,  
• the culture, religion, and traditions in America coming under attack under the guise of social justice

-- just so many things at the center of complete unrest in America.

Cue the double entendre:   It's a wonder any of us can sleep.

Make it a Good Day, G

indeed, G, too many of us are asleep. 

point well taken.

thank you.

But for those of you with difficulty in the shut-eye department, you might want to try gardening, yoga, bubble baths, medication...

It's a Doozy of a Dosey Doe Heard Round the World Thing

Dear America,

G appears, then disappears; she pops in, then out...do the hokey pokey and we turn ourselves about, that's what its all about [clap, clap].

Just think of it as me, G, embracing a rather uncommon, seemingly under-rated, modus operandi  these days -- the posturing of a stellar post once in a blue moon in unison with a few rockets red-glare, the ever-so-lovely and lively element of surprise.

Surprise!  Just when you thought she was a goner...she's baaaack...boom.

This Syria thing is a hot mess; even still, the perverted, welcome distraction (however ugly) saves me from my own life, which at this point is almost unrecognizable.   

But honestly -- Syria now?  I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole, with the help of a perfectly undefined army of unknown rebels, or with four destroyers and two aircraft carriers just offshore...

I mean, look at the track record over there...
Come on.
We can't be serious...
We've had no winners: Iraq, not; Afghanistan, not; Egypt, not; Libya, not.  This Arab Spring, as predicted, is more like winter in Siberia.

Mr. President-is-In -- Nope, he's-Out -Obama has made a mockery of both our military might and our foreign policy.   And you know how I know?  Let's review.  We'll begin with simply the latest from the Associated Press:

Obama set the fast-paced events in motion on Saturday, when he unexpectedly stepped back from ordering a military strike under his own authority and announced he would seek congressional approval.

Recent presidents have all claimed the authority to undertake limited military action without congressional backing. Some have followed up with such action.

Obama said he, too, believes he has that authority, and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said during the day that even Congress' refusal to authorize the president wouldn't negate the power of the commander in chief

.
If President Obama feels he has the full authority to intervene and "undertake limited military action without congressional backing," why not go for it?  Why the hokey pokey when you ARE, as you say, the Leader of the Free World -- aka King of Everybody?

Not to mention, this girl is still confused as to the mission.  What's the goal if it's not about getting Assad out now?

 

Here's some stunning Assad observations --  from John Kerry, going back to 2011--  and courtesy of The Weekly Standard in a post by Daniel Halper from December 21, 2012, that declares right from the start "Assad is now under fire for mass murdering his own civilians, as he fights an internal war to keep his position of power. Even Obama has called for Assad to go."):

"Well, I personally believe that -- I mean, this is my belief, okay? But President Assad has been very generous with me in terms of the discussions we have had. And when I last went to -- the last several trips to Syria -- I asked President Assad to do certain things to build the relationship with the United States and sort of show the good faith that would help us to move the process forward."

But please, don't take my handpicked nuggets as the end all -- go to the source, here, and check out the pictures documenting cozy dinners, chats in big chairs, and all.


No, no, I got a better idea.
Let's recap a little more of the history leading us up to this moment in time, this moment when our "commander in chief" dosey doe's from that was then, this is now, and it's more important to act, to do something, anything, to save face over a self-imposed blurred red line.

For this kind of action, we go to Reuter's -- and a detailed post from July 27, 2013 with the headline, "INSIGHT - Obama and Syria: a trail of half-steps, mixed messages,"  by Matt Spetalnick and Warren Strobel.

Is that not the greatest thing since musical chairs, or what?

And just so you know -- we can't continue here until you have read it.  So if you decided to fake it till you make it through the day, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars and go back two spaces; great insight awaits; I'll wait...

Now, let's cue Carney, like stat, like yesterday, and before I change my mind:

"The options that we are considering are not about regime change," said White House spokesman Jay Carney. "They are about responding to a clear violation of an international standard that prohibits the use of chemical weapons."  August 27, 2013, Reuter's

Oh okay, Jay.

I think I get it now.   We want Assad to leave, but just not by force (at least, not by American forces leading the way and without a European entourage).

Here's General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff:

"Once we take action, we should be prepared for what comes next. Deeper involvement is hard to avoid."  [Translation: this is a huge unknown...offering up ideas synonymous with retaliation possible, al Qaeda and Hezbollah extremists taking advantage of the chaos, large scale  civilian casualties...]

The problem with the president of the United States of America -- as it pertains to this issue of Syria, anyway -- is that his first inclination was to get the support of the world to go into Syria in order to leave a mark, charge a warning across the bow, not to mess with chemical weapons.  When the president didn't get it, he cowered and quickly buried himself with second thoughts.  It was only then, after a walk, no less, that he came to the realization, oops, maybe I should seek authorization from congress.  [Can't have this kind of decision coming back to bite me]  Duh, dosey doe and away we go; do the hokey pokey as he turns himself around, that's what its all about.  [clap, clap]

Hello -- just a girl to Commander-in-Chief -- didn't you hear?  The Military has concerns about Syria!  Will you accept the role to lead to the level of a certain George Washington, for even Dempsey has doubts?

And why sixty days?  What is it you plan to accomplish within sixty days?  And how can you be so sure it's enough time?  What if this plan of yours doesn't go so textbook cut and dried?

If you don't plan on targeting the chemical weapons from the air, what are we targeting? 

If it's not about regime change, what's the point?  Why not?  We've done it before...Mubarak...Saddam...Gaddafi... How do you solve a problem like Syria without taking out the guy who pushes the chemical weapon button in his day job?   And how do you plan on making nice and keeping the [Nobel] Peace [Prize] with the countries siding with Assad -- like Russia?

And how strange it is --  that John Boehner, Eric Cantor, are supporting this kind of misguided international misstep.   Are you kidding me?  Let Obama stand on his own two feet with this decision.  What part of this sounds like a good idea?   I'm dizzy with disgust. [but here's five reasons to think twice about it...congress]

Something tells me at the rate we're going, a big fat oopsie-daisy muttered out of the lips of our fair leader is expected sometime before the end of the first week of November, give or take another round of hokey pokey and perhaps a dosey doe or two.


Make it a Good Day, G

It's Still Divine Providence in Motion Thing

Dear America,

there is much to get to.

for me, just G, trying to keep track of it all within this humble day in the life of America, it suddenly feels overwhelming.  there is just so much to say, so much misunderstood, so much that is just plain wrong.

And yet, my heart is filled with such faith and pure joy!

Let me begin by making a big deal of something that occurred last night at the tail end, if you closed your eyes, you may have missed it.   Especially considering how the majority of the last 24 hours has been drama filled -- watching the theatrics on the floor of the DNC having the audacity to argue with the Almighty -- perhaps some of you already know where I'm going with this.....

....the thing is, GOD had the last word.

In the end, the entire arena prayed together; in the end, everyone closed their eyes and bowed their head to the Holy Spirit; the Thing Itself -- parted the aisles and filled the 20,000 seat airspace to capacity.  Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, brought the convention to a close -- just as he had done for the RNC -- and prayed for, and with, America.

He not only gave a benediction complete with all of the proper embellishments in sincerity and grace -- he opened up the podium to the Heavens and said take me.   And in the still of the night, Dolan redirected the nation and corrected our folly upon our knees.

Oh yes he did.

And yet, It was not finished; Dolan made no mistake and left no Stone unturned; and after speaking on behalf of the protection of Life and restoring our faith and values in the things that truly matter -- he went further, stipulating in agreement with God and country, that we must CHOOSE wisely this November, even mentioning the Romney/Ryan ticket by name.  All while wrapping it up tightly declaring that we truly are ONE Nation UNDER GOD, indivisible...and In GOD we trust. we say Amen!

So --  like I said -- God always gets the last word.   My coffee cup is overflowing.

As far as the rest of the night.  Reviews are widely mixed.

My favorite moment:  saying the Pledge of Allegiance along with the Fmr. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords on stage leading us in every word.   What a testament to her strength and courage and grace.  so beautiful.

John Kerry's entire speech was a propagandized hot mess.  Ridiculous that he can even speak on behalf of the troops at all -- it takes something called credibility to do that and he's got none in that department.  But let's not dwell.   His big line of the night was this one: "Ask Osama Bin Laden if he's better off now than four years ago."   Wouldn't the answer to that simply be, um, No. Um... he's dead???; oh, right, you were lauding the Commander-in-Chief who got him [and I would assume counting in, what, the seventy virgins waiting for him, yes the afterlife is good].

@john kerry -- next Secretary of State hopeful --  if America is so exceptional as you claim this administration has proclaimed to believe from the start...why the apology tour?  Why was THAT the first task on the president's Official Foreign Policy Fixer Upper To-Do List [besides returning the Churchill bust]?  And regarding things more closer to home -- you made crafty insinuations that Romney would be the Outsourcer-in-Chief -- perhaps taking a closer look at the devil in the details is in order for you.  Check out GM having China build our Caddy's, GE having China make our freaky little light bulbs, and speaking of energy -- what about the green energy companies given stimulus money outside the United States, and off-shore drilling investments in Brazil, and shall I go on?    [The argument itself shows your naiveté of the realities of the world today --  investment banker capitalists GET THIS, and moreover, respect this very aspect of how the business of business building has changed.]

AND then there's Joe...Mr. "OBL is Dead and GM is Alive."

Um Joe, you honestly going to stand there and lead America to believe that The Right bets against America?  Given it's the party now famous for the rise of the Tea Party -- the original working class?   The Tea and the GOP personify middle America in every way.  Your speech was offensive, sophomoric, and stupid.  Oh sure, you did a great job; you fired up the base, which was your only mission last night.  And good luck with that.  Can't wait for you to debate Paul.

um, and that's all I'm gonna say on Joe. 

 if you say it like Forrest Gump it's more fun.

There was a troubling refrain that kept popping up throughout the evening which, personally, made me stop and wonder, just what happened to us?   I didn't realize that The Left believes that they have total ownership now of the American values, separating from the whole, the middle American and poor working class values.

From the speeches, to the formal DNC videos,  the mantra was repeated time and time again... as if the American value of hard work meets opportunity belongs to them -- as if it's their cornerstone, hands off my mortar, back off my block.  Saying with explicit conviction and 100% ownership, 'THEY BELIEVE a JOB is more than a paycheck -- that it stands for dignity, a place in community, allowing us to stand tall and care for our children and family -- to participate in the great, or is it grand, bargain.'  Saying it in such a way as to convey that the other side simply does not.

I am just so sick of the constant red thread being spoon-fed to the American people -- republicans don't care and have not a compassionate bone in their bodies and that all WE -- the People of the GOP -- DO is bet against America.  It's just getting so old.  SO OLD.   

And speaking of which, here's Obama:

"if you believe 

in a country where everyone gets a fair shot, 

and everyone does their fair share, 

and everyone plays by the same rules, 

then I need you to vote this November."

YES!  I believe in this AMERICA!  Who doesn't, Mr. President?  Let's go there and talk about everyone who doesn't play by the same rules; and talk about everyone who doesn't do their fair share. [full transcript]

And back to Joe for a second, when he said something like this, 'they're not looking for a handout, they're just looking for a shot.'

Hello, Joe!  We're there already.  We all get a shot -- whether from a birth into poverty or wealth -- the entire spectrum of possibility of outcomes is still the same:   there are no guarantees and anything is truly possible.  THIS America, has seen the very poor rise up to be rich, and sometimes heroes; THIS America has seen the silver spoon babies grow up to lose it all.

BUT MOST OF US LIVE SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE, don't we.

AND I do believe -- speaking for one, as one -- that we ALL SHARE the same values; I believe we are, as a whole, hardworking, compassionate, charitable, giving, loving, optimistic Americans who want to do what is right for ourselves and our children..  THAT IS WHO WE ARE, Mr. President, all of us.

As THE sitting president, how dare you not include me!

How dare you speak only to your base.

Earth to the Candidate-in-Chief, you may not like or agree with this aspect of the presidency, but you stand for all of us.  And in-between running for re-election, your chief task and priority is to lead an entire nation, half of which do not agree with your ideology, policy, or politics.

How dare you speak only to your base.
Where is your courage to stand for all Americans at the same time?

After the Left made a point of saying that Romney didn't say enough last week -- that there were no specifics -- at least he spoke to all Americans as one; and how in the world can The Left justify the remarks of their sitting president struggling to get re-elected when all he can do is double-down on promises made four years ago?

IF Romney didn't say enough -- Obama didn't say anything new.

Something old, something blue, but in the end, nothing new.

This speech was nothing more than a composite of everything he has said thus far [kinda like "Julia" -- or how Obama blended all of his old girlfriends into one], complete with broken promises and cutting rhetoric and all.  He sounded worn out until the last five minutes; and more than that, appeared almost annoyed that he had to convince his followers of a second chance at all.   [Wonder if Bob Woodward's new book, The Price of Politics, had anything to do with it?  ouch.  of course it did.]

"You know what? That’s not who we are. That’s not what this country’s about. As Americans, we believe we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, rights that no man or government can take away. We insist on personal responsibility, and we celebrate individual initiative. We’re not entitled to success. We have to earn it. We honor the strive-rs, the dreamers, the risk- takers, the entrepreneurs who have always been the driving force behind our free enterprise system, the greatest engine of growth and prosperity the world has ever known."

exactly. and can I get an amen.  Can you even believe he said aloud "we are endowed by our Creator!"  In past remarks he usually omits that phrase.

You should have stopped right there, Mr. President.  But, you didn't, did ya?

"But we also believe in something called citizenship"

You're right, we do. There is that.  AND it has nothing to do with community organizing or social justice.  What was that?  Code?   Boy, you are a skilled speaker.

He keeps going on for quite some time citing examples used before...and gets to this:

"....As citizens, 

we understand that America 

is not about what can be done for us. 

It’s about what can be done by us, 

together, 

through the hard and frustrating 

but necessary work of self-government. 

That’s what we believe."

um NO you don't; you DO NOT believe in "the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government."  Seriously?  That is exactly why within these United States the two sides are fundamentally opposed to one another.

Looking back on a week destined to be all about moving forward, I'm confused as to why the democrats felt the need to start over, as if we all haven't met.   Having Michelle tell their love story and family beginnings shaped by "poverty"; while Billyboy got up there and basically claimed that what happened in the last four years didn't really happen the way we think it happened -- re-writing Barack's history, his history, and taking the opportunity to suspend reality for as long as he could get away with it.

Adding into the mix a couple of recent polished admissions of the president: the first, being that he considers his grade on the economy "incomplete"; and second, having the audacity to say his biggest mistake is having  not told the story better to the American people.  

For the Left, it's all about conveying a narrative to control Americans from start to finish -- wedging between rich and poor, opportunists and the disenfranchised, the haves and have-nots, blue collar against white, Americans divided by demographic, race, wealth, religion, sexual orientation.

Obama is in this position, pleading for a second chance, because he clearly believes he hasn't told the story better.  ...are you kidding me?

Alec Baldwin made a shocking statement last week.  He tweeted,

"if Obama was white, he'd be up 17 points." 

Sorry, Alec.  If Obama was white, if he wasn't already impeached for acting by dictate through Executive Order and abuse of power, he would have been replaced by Hillary and never even given a second chance.

But that's what America is all about --  second chances, third chances, how ever many times it takes to succeed furnished through the virtues of good self-government.

And may the best man, or woman, win, always.  The best being in all things under heaven, of course.  Thankfully, we can conclude, America is still Divine Providence in motion.

So, folks, let's keep moving.
The DNC is finally over and clearly, there is nothing to see here.
Let's just get on with the debates and be done with it.

Make it a Good Day, G

Roger Hedgecock, San Diego's past mayor turned conservative talk-radio host, came home from the DNC having been denied.  Freedom of speech and tolerance of the other side, simply non-existent.  The DNC projected a stern warning to all delegates and representatives not to speak with any conservative radio/tv guy/gal during the entire convention.  What are they afraid of?