Or is it bluster for the cameras?

Barack Obama warned Congress that it had better pass the payroll tax holiday extension or it might not be leaving for Christmas. Obama is upset that the Congress has failed to pass a bill that would force people who EARN more than a million dollars to pay a surcharge, or what Obama calls “their fair share.” The wealthy pay most of the federal taxes in this country so it is obvious they pay more than their fair share. Those who don’t pay their fair share are those who sponge off government but pay nothing in federal taxes. Obama though, is using the threat of Congress spending Christmas in DC as a weapon to get what he wants:

“I expect it is going to get done before Congress leaves,” Obama warned lawmakers. “Otherwise Congress might not be leaving, and we can all spend Christmas here together.”

This is typical Obama crisis management. Everything he wants passed must be done now, is a crisis and can’t wait. They all wait until the last minute, strike a deal that screws us all and then slap each other on the back and go home.

This is mostly bluster because Obama has already revealed that he will be leaving on yet another vacation starting December 17^th. Obama is planning on going to Hawaii for 17 days and I highly doubt that he means it when he says “we can all spend Christmas here together.” I sincerely doubt he will cancel his vacation to spend time in DC.

He might try to make Congress stay in DC while he is on vacation but that would go over like a pregnant pole-vaulter. Mind you, I have no doubt that Obama would do this because he is not a leader and he does not know how to lead by example.

But if he does he will suffer politically.

I do think that he will not have to worry. Congress will come up with some half baked scheme at the last minute and vote on it. It will pass (and they will spend a fortune getting it to Obama for his signature) and they will all tout how they had to compromise because the evil Democrats/Republicans (depending on who is talking) would not budge. It was the best we could hope for under the circumstances, blah, blah, blah.

They will be kicking a can down the road so they can leave for their expensive Christmas parties/fund raisers.

Obama will be on a Hawaiian golf course and the country will be circling the drain.

Cave canem!
Never surrender, never submit.

When the Democrats were ramming Obamacare through they hit a roadblock in the name of Sarah Palin who rightly pointed out that the end of life counseling mandated in the original plan amounted to death panels where the most vulnerable among us would be swayed to forgo needed medical care under pressure from health care providers receiving incentives to provide such counseling. The counseling would have been accomplished every five years and would pressure those in poor health to die peacefully.

Ousted Democrat Congressman Alan Grayson of Florida once called the Republican health care plan; if you get sick, die quickly.

The reality is that the Democrat plan was designed to accomplish this task.

But public uproar forced the Democrats to remove the end of life provision from Obamacare and then the bill was rammed through. Unfortunately, the law allows the people in charge to make rules governing Obamacare and Medicare chief Dr. Donald Berwick (Dr. Death) has released a new rule implementing the end of life or death panel counseling. The new rule will require end of life counseling every year instead of the five in the original bill.

The new rule was released on Christmas Day and was reported by The New York Times.

While America was busy celebrating the birth of Christ Dr. Death released rules that would compel health care providers to coerce the weakest among us into submitting to death. This, as Palin once noted, amounts to death panels.

The Democrats are happy this took place because they wanted it from the beginning but were taken aback by the uproar. So, as with many things Democrats do, they sneaked it in in a covert fashion. As the Times article points out:

Congressional supporters of the new policy, though pleased, have kept quiet. They fear provoking another furor like the one in 2009 when Republicans seized on the idea of end-of-life counseling to argue that the Democrats’ bill would allow the government to cut off care for the critically ill. The American Spectator

What they are saying here, and as the Spectator points out (the Times link requires registration), Sarah Palin was absolutely correct. They smeared her for making such claims and then removed the portion of the legislation to which she referred and then they put it back in.

Palin is often slammed as not being very bright and of a lesser class than those elites who supposedly lead us but Sarah Palin is an astute observer who was absolutely correct. She pointed out what the Obama Regime was doing and forced them to remove the death panel provision. Now that they have secreted it back, and with more stringent requirements, (coupled with the desire to keep things quiet) Sarah Palin has been vindicated.

The Obama regime specifically, and the Democrats in general, have no concern for human life. The so called party of the people cherish abortions and now look to compel the weakest among us to take decisions that are not in their best interest.

I think that the regime will see a lot of John Q types if people are forced to take decisions contrary to their best interests.

I imagine doctors might feel pressure to force people into end of life decisions especially since they will be paid to do so (and required to have the discussion). I wonder how many doctors will happily comply if their safety is placed in jeopardy by people not too happy with the whole death panel scheme?

I don’t think anyone argues that patients and their physicians should not engage in these discussions when warranted. But compelling physicians to have them and paying them to do so in an effort to force people to skip medical care is evil and will cause an upheaval that will not be pretty.

All in the name of saving a dollar. Keep in mind, those making the rules will get all the care they want no matter what.

Obamacare and the people running it are pure evil.

And we see this daily as items in Obamacare begin to infect our health care system.

Cave Canem!
Never surrender, never submit.

Iraqi authorities have captured some insurgents and they were interrogated, a process that revealed some interesting information. The insurgents claim that suicide bombings are planned against Europe and the United States. Christmas, a Christian holiday, seems to be the time of the year that Muslim terrorists want to kill people in the west.

The Iraqis have reported the information to the affected governments.

This is eerily similar to last year. Obama was in Hawaii on one of his many vacations when some Muslim tried to blow up a plane with explosives in his underwear. Obama is scheduled to go to Hawaii again this Christmas and we are again being threatened with bomb wielding terrorists. This has me quite concerned.

Not because of the potential for a terrorist attack. I am more likely to be killed in my car than killed by a terrorist. Don’t get me wrong, we need to have security to deter such things but if some terrorist is determined to do something bad, he will do it.

My concern is for our rights. Every time one of these jackass terrorists makes the government look bad more of our rights are infringed upon.

When the shoe bomber tried to blow up a plane with explosives in his shoes we had to start taking our shoes off at the airport. When terrorists tried to get liquid bomb ingredients into planes in bottles we were limited in the sizes and amounts of liquids we could carry on the plane and we are forced to get it out for inspection. When the aforementioned underwear bomber caused all that ruckus we ended up with the machines that scan our body and show us naked and/or intrusive pat downs that are sexual assaults.

The erosion of our rights is ongoing. The full body scans and groping are a violation of the Fourth Amendment but we are continually harassed because some terrorist made the government look bad.

This Christmas we are faced with another threat from the Muslim terrorists. What rights will be trampled on because of it?

I don’t know but I am praying that whatever they do it does not involve putting bombs in their rectums in order to sneak them in.

Can you imagine the checks we would have to go through at the airport if that were the case?

It would be bad because we have learned that the government refuses to use sensible methods to screen people and that they are concerned with violating our rights rather than actually doing something that would protect us.

Israel has the right idea. We should do what they do in order to prevent terrorist attacks.

Otherwise, our system will end up being a pain in the…

Well, you get the point.

Cave Canem!
Never surrender, never submit.

The Democrats “lead” by reacting to a crisis and if there is no crisis they create one. This allows them to “Never let a crisis go to waste.” This is how they are able to push things through and wage an all out assault on the American people. This is also what Muslim Congressman Keith Ellison wants. He said that they need a crisis at Christmas in order to push the Republicans in the direction the Democrats want with regard to the tax rate extension.

Ellison wants this crisis so that Republicans will be forced to react and avoid hurting people at Christmas. Keep in mind that Ellison does not care one bit about Christmas or the people who celebrate it. He is a Muslim and they do not care about Christians or their holidays.

Ellison is only concerned with bringing Socialism to this country (and of course, Sharia Law). He calls for this when he discusses how the rich should pay more and that they are getting so much money from this latest deal. This is all BS. No one is getting any more money. They are paying the exact same rates they have been for the last decade or so. No one’s taxes are going down because NO TAXES WERE CUT. In fact, the very wealthy will have a tax increase as the estate tax goes to 35%. This is a tax on people who pass on more than $5 million when they, pass on. The taxpayers get raped twice (and often more than that) by government, at least once when it is earned and then it is taxed when it is passed on. This is nothing more than the public being raped.

This is done for what purpose? It is done to give more money to the government. Keep in mind that this money is not the government’s. NONE OF IT IS. It is all our money and some of it is confiscated under threat of force by our government. It is theft made legal by government.

Ellison wants a crisis at Christmas to force Republicans to do what he and his Socialist pals in Congress want.

I have news for you Keith, keep screwing around and you guys will get a crisis that you will not like.

Cave Canem!
Never surrender, never submit.

My traditional Christmas message:

To My Liberal Friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2010, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere . Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

To My Conservative Friends:

And a Happy New Year. Wishing you good health and great prosperity in 2010.

Some time ago I was told a story by a friend who said he wished a fellow worker a Merry Christmas. The other worker was Jewish and flew off the handle saying that not everyone celebrated Christmas and that it was presumptuous for someone to give such a greeting.

In this fast paced world it is very easy to lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas. The holiday celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the man Christians believe to be the son of God. Christians are not the only ones who believe in Christ, only that he is the son of God. Jews and Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet of God. Jesus is mentioned in the Koran as such a prophet.

So why would a Jew, or any other non Christian be irate at the celebration of the birth of a man that many acknowledge existed but only view as a prophet?

The reality is that as we move farther from the birth of Christ we lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas is a time of renewed hope and for giving. Unfortunately, the over commercialization of the holiday has taken away from the concept of giving. One does not need to buy or receive the latest gee whiz item to honor the holiday. Certainly one does not need to spend himself into poverty to uphold the concept of giving.

Giving comes in many forms. There are those who give of their time to those less fortunate by donating to or serving in food centers that help feed the needy. There are those who take in abandoned or drug addicted children and give them love and hope for a better future. Any simple act of kindness is a gift that is given and that includes the kindness of wishing one a Merry Christmas. It would be considered bad manners to berate a person over a material gift so why would we allow one to get away with berating a person over a simple wish?

Christmas is a time to celebrate a new beginning and the idea that each of us is capable of freely giving to others. There is no greater feeling than one gets after giving a gift without precondition, no matter how small the gift might seem. A smile directed at someone can brighten his day and it takes little effort to give.

It is unfortunate that we have lost sight of the meaning of this sacred time. Regardless of whether one believes Jesus Christ was a prophet or the son of God we celebrate His birth because, in part, He was a kind and gentle soul who did good for his fellow man. He preached the value of giving and of leading a wholesome life, something we should aspire to.

Certainly we have the decency to accept a “Merry Christmas” as a greeting intended to wish one well and convey desire for peace and good tidings.

During this season that we have allowed to morph into a chaotic time of year please take the time to count your blessings and remember the true meaning of Christmas Day.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, prosperous New Year. Consider that my gift to you, as simple as it might seem.

This post is my submission to the Carnival of Christmas hosted by my blog sister Kat of Cathouse Chat. Please stop by and rad the great entries by bloggers from around the country. I believe there are around 60 entries this year!

If you enjoy what you read consider signing up to receive email notification of new posts. There are several options in the sidebar and I am sure you can find one that suits you. If you prefer, consider adding this site to your favorite feed reader.

The state of Maryland is nestled right up next to Washington DC and therefore it has quite a bit of money flowing into its coffers courtesy of the federal presence. The Maryland counties surrounding DC have quite a few wealthy residents who commute to the Nation’s Capital to work. DC has a population of just under 600,000 people but that number exceeds a million during the workweek as people from Maryland and Virginia go to work.

Maryland’s proximity to DC allows the small state to have a high standard of living and a pretty decent average income because the money flowing from DC does not have to travel far to enrich the state. This money is the reason that Maryland lags behind the rest of the nation when tough times hit. The feds will continue to employ and to spend.

If Maryland has a tough go of it then times will be worse for the rest of the country. Many of Maryland’s financial wounds are self inflicted by the Democrats running the state but even their malfeasance takes time to show because of the wealth surrounding DC.

The financial outlook for Maryland this Christmas season does not look good. For the first time in several decades the Maryland Retailer’s Association is predicting that the state will see no increase in Christmas shopping over the previous year. The tight economy has caught up with Maryland and that means that times will be much worse for states that do not have a cash cow next door.

Maybe Barack Hopenchange can miracle his peeps some money…

WJZ Baltimore

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The season of joy and goodwill is upon us, a time where Christians the world over celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Though we don’t know when Jesus was really born, December 25th is the day we celebrate the birth of a man who was the lamb sacrificed for our sins. Unfortunately, too many in our society have done a lot to remove the reason for this season from the equation and have, instead, focused on other religions, no religion or on the almighty dollar. People worry more about buying the right gift and merchants worry more about making a profit, all in the name of a man they fail to recognize.

Christmas is a time of renewed hope. A time where people can reflect and realize that while we are born as sinners, our sins were forgiven because of the selfless act of Jesus Christ. While we mark this as his birth, we also realize that his birth was the beginning of a journey that ended in suffering and pain, all out of the love God has for mankind. It is unfortunate that this message is lost in the desire of some to remove all reference of Christmas from the season. Happy Holidays fills the ads, the cards, and the greetings as Merry Christmas is shunned and those who utter it looked upon as some type of Christian boob with little regard for the other religions of the world.

No such war has been declared on any other religious celebration as Muslims celebrate Ramadan and Eid and Jews celebrate Hanukkah. Only Christmas gets a bum rap as organizations such as the ACLU try to remove every reference to Christianity from our culture. Those religions recognize Christ, not as the son of God but as a prophet and they celebrate the beliefs they hold dear. Christians celebrate Christmas as the birth of the son of God and are scorned. Christians are held to a different standard by a population that wants to remove crosses, and other symbols from every facet of life in America.

Jesus is the reason for the season and no amount of opposition will ever change that. The oppressed have a way of showing their faith and will never allow this to continue. I believe that one needs not be a Christian to understand that Jesus was a great man who lived in peace, something that would make Christianity the true religion of peace.

As for me, I have never been politically correct.

Merry Christmas. There I wrote it and I say it no matter what greeting I get. Everyone else should try it as well. They might just find it uplifting and trend setting…

Cross posted from Stop The ACLU

Its become a popular yearly tradition now to send the Anti-Christian Liars Union grinches a Christmas card. I personally think its ineffective, and that the money you waste on a stamp for the organization to toss in the shredder would be better served towards a good cause. So, I encourage you to save that money, dig a little deeper, and contribute to an organization that fights the ACLU and defends Christmas. The Alliance Defense Fund, and the ACLJ are both great organizations that defend Christmas each year. The Alliance Defense Fund does it for free. Why not help groups like that out this year?

However, from experience last year…I know that many will insist on sending the ACLU a Christmas card. After all, it is tradition. If that is how you want to make your message…we have some great greeting cards and postcards available at our online store. Plenty of other great Christmas gifts too.

Send your Christmas card to the ACLU at:

ACLU
125 Broad Street
18th Floor
New York , NY 10004

For great Christmas Card ideas visit Stop the ACLU at the top link.