HOW TO GET INVOLVED

It is my opinion that in order to get the United States of America back on track, we the people must become more involved.

Each of us has an opinion on just about every law or potential law before Congress.

Trouble is, Congress does not know what your opinion is, and they are not going to canvass you before every vote.

You, therefore, must communicate with them.

There are several ways you can do that.

You can call the Congressional switchboard and ask to be put through to your Congress person's office. The number is: 202-244-3121.

When you get your Representative's office, be polite (a lost art on some people).

It is OK to be firm, but it is never helpful to be abusive or derisive.

The second way is by mail.

The address of your Representative can be found at: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Writing is slower, but gives a pure paper trail.

The day before yesterday I got a personal reply from Connie Mack to a letter I had sent him about six weeks ago.

The third method is to use email.

I'm not sure how effective email is, although I have gotten responses from emails I sent to Representatives from my own Party (Republican).

Finally, you can visit the local office of your Representative.

If he/she is out of town, talk to the office staff. If you are friendly and polite, they will hear you.

Which ever way you choose, be specific. Don't ramble. Stick to one topic at a time and don't be distracted from your point.

Be polite.

Politeness is a lost art, but is really appreciated when it is tried.

A favorable response to your message is more likely to be forth-coming if you are pleasant.

So, be polite.

And did I say, "Be polite?"

That is because I think you should

BE POLITE!

It is little to ask of one who wants to be involved in issues of government, so be polite.

You can find out about upcoming bills and legislation at several sites, especially if you know from what committee the bill you are interested emanates.

Sites like: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/committee.xpd?id=SSJU will show the people on the committee and pending legislation.

It requires some wading, but it is useful for specific items.

A comprehensive listing can be found at http://www.govtrack.us/ , with which you can follow the status of federal legislation.

Anyway...I hope this helps you become more involved.

And by the way: be polite.

REBUILDING

See, I am from Miami (the one in Florida).

Therefore, I am a Dolphins fan.

I can't help it, I am.

Part of the reason is that I personally knew so many of the members of that 1972 team...the one with the perfect season.

I knew Earl Morril, Tim Foley, Nick Buonticonti, and Norm Evans.

And I still think Bob Griese was the best tactician to ever play the game.

The year 2007, however, was a very different story.

The Dolphins found a way to lose a game, even in the rare instances when they were in the lead with only moments to go on the clock.

They were just plain awful.

This year they are rebuilding and are doing an admirable job of it.

Conservative Republicans find themselves in a similar situation.

We conservatives look back on the Reagan years with great nostalgia.

After Reagan we had George H.W. Bush.

Remember, "Read my lips...no new taxes?"

Then it was George W.

Most fondly remembered for, "Mission Accomplished!"

And now we are like the 2007 Dolphins.

We must rebuild...but how?

Let's start with the basics.

We did not lose this election because we did not embrace enough people who were "moderates" (read: stand for nothing), or because we did not "reach across the aisle."

We lost this election precisely because we DID embrace the wrong folks.

And because we stood for nothing.

Until Governor Sarah Palin entered the race as VP candidate.

Then, nine weeks (out of over two years of campaigning) before the election she comes in and shows John "reach across the aisle" McCain what he should have been doing all along.

He tried to get the idea, but it just never jelled with him.

He was obviously uncomfortable when he tried to be on the attack against Barack Obama (BO), and looked stilted, almost robotic, war injuries notwithstanding.

If conservative Republicans want to make any headway in the next elections (two years away), they must re-find themselves, totally DUMP the so-called moderates and left-wingers among them and focus on, and only on, those Palinesque leaders who will champion the real conservative cause.

If you are a "moderate" Republican, why don't you just get out of the Party and join the Democrats. At least then we'll know who you are and where you stand.

If you are a "lefty," what on earth are you doing in the Republican Party to begin with?

We don't need you.

We don't want you.

Go away and let us get on with being who we are.

"But Joe!" I hear you whining, "Won't that lessen our numbers and give us less of a chance to win?"

Absolutely NOT.

It will come as a surprise to you who think this way, but there are MORE conservative Republicans than there are of you.

Many conservative Republicans stayed away from the polls, or even went so far as to vote Democrat, to show their disgust with the state of the Republican Party.

So I'm telling you, dearly beloved Republicans, if you want to win next time, and the time after that and so on, you had better heed my advice.

Get back to your roots.

Once again be the anti-slavery party; the Party of Abraham Lincoln; the Party that passed the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the U.S. Constitution; the party that passed the Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875; the Party that founded the NAACP; the Party that sent troops to Arkansas to desegregate schools; the Party that established the Civil Rights Commission in 1958; the Party of Earl Warren, who drew up the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision ending school segregation; the Party who cast the most votes for the Civil Rights Acts of the 1960s; the Party of the FIRST Affirmative Action program in 1969 and the Party that approved the spending of over $200 billion to fight AIDS in Africa.

We need to become the Party of Judeo-Christian values; the Party of Economic initiative (so that no Democrats can ever again reject suggested regulations on entities like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac); the Party of trust and integrity; the Party of smaller centralized power and the Party of Constitutionalism.

The question now is, DO YOU, MY FELLOW REPUBLICANS, HAVE THE GUTS TO BECOME WHAT YOU MUST BECOME TO WIN?

We'll see.

WHAT TO DO TO KEEP OUR REPUBLIC

We live in what has variably been called "a democratic republic," or "a constitutional republic."

Most Americans believe that we are a democracy, but that is not true in the classical sense of the word.

At any rate, we have a voice in our government.

The government, however, often behaves as if it is deaf to our voice.

We proved our power, however, as the fed's first attempt at a bail-out (now called "the rescue plan") failed because of a blitz of phone calls, letters and emails against it.

So here is our hope: When a bill is sent to our law makers by soon to be President BO, if it is one that advances one of his socialistic ideas, we must inundate the Congressional switchboard with objections to it.

Our involvement is the most likely deterrent to a move toward socialism.

The only other hope is the Supreme Court, which could declare a particular proposal as unconstitutional, but that will depend upon whether or not BO has yet nominated, and has had confirmed, his cadre of liberal judges.

So get ready, stay informed and be VERY active in the process.

BO is already building a core of very liberal heads of departments for his cabinet, etc., so we will really have to be diligent.

As the Boy Scouts motto says: BE PREPARED!

OH YEAH?

Yesterday I asserted that we could look for certain things from a BO presidency.

Several commenters challenged my conclusions, saying they are warnings with no basis.

Well, I'd like to challenge the challengers to get their heads out of the sand and just look at what the man, himself, has said.

In a morning radio interview in Chicago, BO said the following:

"As radical as I think people tried to characterize the Warren Court, it wasn't that radical. It didn't break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution, at least as it has been interpreted -- and Warren Court interpreted it in the same way, that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties. It says what the states can't do to you, says what the federal government can't do to you. But it doesn't say what the federal government or the state government must do on your behalf. And that hasn't shifted, and one of the tragedies of the civil rights movement was because the civil rights movement became so court-focused, uh, I think that there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributive change. And, uh, in some ways we still suffer from that."

Do you understand what he said?

He said the Constitution was written on a flawed premise: what the government cannot do, rather than what it must do.

He went on to say that the Constitution is "...a flawed document."

Those are not my words, they are his.

Yet he is willing to stand before the American people and place his hand on a Bible, or some other "sacred" work and say:

"I, Barack Hussein Obama, I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

He will swear to you that he will preserve the Constitution.

He will swear to you that he will protect the Constitution.

He will swear to you that he will defend the Constitution.

Notice that there is nothing in the oath of office that promises what the president will do for you.

Now, either he will fulfill his oath or he will act on his belief that the Constitution is flawed and will try to change it.

Based on his assertion that he is an honest man, I expect that he will do his best to change the Constitution into a "less flawed" document by re-writing it to say what the government is obligated to do for you.

That will require a Constitutional Convention, and that is a very dangerous idea.

In another interview, BO stated that he intends to place "clean air" restrictions on the coal industry that it will become too expensive for them to comply and that if they choose to build new plants they can do so, but it will bankrupt them.

I didn't say that, he did.

Is he honest?

Will he really do what he said he will do?

That is a matter of trust.

If he can be trusted to accomplish his goals, there will be consequences that are beyond anything we have ever had to endure.

Are you aware of the importance of the coal industry to our economy and to the well-being of citizens presently dependant on coal for heating their homes and providing them with electricity?

New energy sources are fine, but the logistics of developing, constructing and distributing these new sources will take a great deal of time, as we do not currently have the technology or the infrastructure to make efficient use of them.

In the mean time, we must continue to rely on what we have, as responsibly as possible.

On the topic of energy, did you notice that as soon as the US announced that it would consider drilling for oil in places it has not been drilling the price of a barrel of oil began to drop?

See, oil prices are based on anticipated supplies and demands, not on today's use.

As soon as OPEC and others are convinced that we will not drill in the near future, they will conclude that the supply will not be increasing and they will be able to raise the price of a barrel of oil once again, bringing them great profits on their oil.

We, then will pay more for gasoline at the pump.

BO has frowned on the idea of drilling for oil off shore or elsewhere, leaving us at the mercy of foreign sources.

As you know, computers work on an "if-then" basis. If certain conditions exist, certain things will occur.

My assessment of the things that will be coming our way in a BO presidency are based on the same principle: if this happens, this will be the result.

So I stand by my predictions, based not on some Nostradamical prophetic ability, but on a logical extension of the beliefs BO, himself has stated he believes and will do.

You don't have to agree with me.

This is still America, and you have the right to be wrong.

A TIME FOR CHANGE

Barack Hussein Obama has been elected president of The United States of America.

The American people have spoken, although I doubt very much whether they know what they have said.

Except that they want change.

Change they will get.

Some changes are needed and very much to be desired.

We need to change the way laws are enacted...not the process, but the content.

I am convinced that we need to change law making to one bill-one subject, with no amendments not related to the main bill, no earmarks, no additional anything.

But we will not get this kind of change.

We need to change the moral climate of the Congress and the Senate.

But we will not get this kind of change.

Here are some changes you can expect to see in the next four years:

1. Expect to see a drastic change in the make-up of the Supreme Court. Justices will be nominated whose regard for the Constitution is low and who believe they have the right to make it mean whatever they want it to mean.

2. Expect to see several amendments to the Constitution suggested, brought to the people and passed.

3. Should that fail, expect to hear a call for a Constitutional Convention, that would result in a broad change to the Constitution's body and nature. BO has already expressed his belief that it is a flawed document...his words, not mine.

4. Expect to see double-digit inflation after the manner of the Jimmy Carter years.

5. Expect to see thousands of "lower-middle class" people suffer extremely high heating and cooling bills as BO seeks to bankrupt the coal industry...his words, not mine.

6. Expect to see us abandon Iraq, to see Iraq dissolve into Islamic radicalism and the world threatened with terrorism as never before.

7. Expect to see Iran and other countries develop and use nuclear weaponry on anybody who does not suit their fancy, despite many "summits" with their leaders.

8. Expect to see an unprecedented rise in abortions, partial-birth abortions, and children of failed abortions left to die on a cold steel table or in a medical waste hamper.

9. Expect to see your taxes go up if you make more than $250,000.00...no, make that $200,000.00...wait, make that $150,000.00...no, no, no...its $120,000.00. Actually, if you do the math, you will see that in order for BO to implement his announced plans, everybody will be taxed more...you, too.

10. Expect unemployment to rise drastically as employers discover that they have to pay out so much in taxes that they must lay people off and raise prices in order to break even.

11. Expect gasoline to cost over $4.00 per gallon again, as other countries realize that we are not going to enter their markets in competition with them.

12. Expect to see our borders opened to every form of alien, without regard for their ability to fit into and/or contribute to society.

Well, those are some of the changes you have voted for.

You have voted to change my country into something it has never been and I hoped it would never be.

But we are all Americans.

We must embrace the coming changes and learn to love them.

If we don't, we will probably get a visit from some new government agency encouraging us in no uncertain terms to get with the program or suffer the consequences.

We needed change.

You have told us so.

THE TIME HAS COME

Vote.

If this process is to work, people need to be involved, and that means get up off your...your...your couch and go vote.

You have all the information you need.

You know which candidate wants to change the very nature of this country, its Constitution, its tax practices, its distribution of wealth and its reverence for life: the man who ran on the theme of "change," Barack Obama.

You know which candidate loves and has fought for this country, reveres the Constitution, wants to lower taxes, let you keep what you work hard for and who respects life, in agreement with the Declaration of Independence, John McCain.

So, now that you have decided which America you want, go vote.

Be reminded that if you choose the path of BO, there will be no turning back, for the power of the centralized government will increase to the point that it will no longer give you a say in how the country is run.

Be also reminded that the system we have used, though not perfect, has shown itself to work well, if somewhat slowly. To keep that one, choose the path of McCain.

Either way, please get to the polls and vote.

This might well be your last chance.

HOW DID WE GET HERE & WHERE DO WE GO?

How did we get to the point in The United States of America where we might very well elect a man as president who:

1. Has no administrative leadership experience;

2. Has no understanding of military matters at all;

3. Has disavowed the very Constitution he will swear to uphold and protect;

4. Has aligned himself with domestic terrorists and explained them away as if they are unimportant;

5. Has espoused Marxist, or at the very least extremely socialistic, philosophies;

6. Has a wife who would be "First Lady," who was never proud of The United States of America until just after her husband entered the race for the White House;

7. Has repeatedly accused the Republicans of running a campaign of slur, while his own party has done exactly the same thing;

8. Has introduced the "race" card on multiple occasions;

9. Has chosen a running mate who cannot construct a coherent sentence or even thought pattern, all the while disparaging the choice of the Republicans, who chose a very articulate and straight thinking VP candidate;

10. Has actively sought to confiscate fire arms from law abiding citizens and has done virtually nothing to get them away from criminals;

11. Has actively aligned himself with an organization that seeks to convince people who cannot afford the payments on a house, to buy one anyway, with the government enabling them to do so with no money down and with no obligation to pay it off;

12. Has repeatedly treated the "American Dream" as an entitlement, instead of a goal toward which to work;

13. Has found some "right," in his words, "...for Americans..." to health care, as though billions of people in other "third world" countries don't have such a right;

14. Has allowed members of his own family to languish in poverty, while he, himself, finds the means to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in a bid to take over the American way of life;

15. Has lied about his past, lied about his roots, lied about his associations, lied about his affiliations and yet says, "trust me," about his ability to lead with good judgement and honesty;

16. Has been a part of the cause of the current economic crisis, through his "leadership" as a "Community Organizer;"

17. Has voted to allow babies born of a failed abortion to languish on a cold, steel table or in a waste hamper until they die of a lack of medical attention;

18. Has voted to allow the killing of unborn babies at the whim of the mother and for her convenience;

19. Has sought to undermine the work of our troops in Iraq, both by setting some sort of arbitrary withdrawal agenda and by visiting with and encouraging enemy leaders;

and

20. Has proposed a tax plan that no calculator on earth could justify by promising a tax cut for 95% of "middle class" Americans, 40% of whom already pay NO taxes at all?

How did we get to the point where normal Americans are willing to put up with the rank dissolution of freedoms proposed by this historical anarchist and would be dictator?

Its beyond me how so many of us could be so stupid.