As we see yet another anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks come and go, the hearts of Americans are filled with deep sadness. The kind of sadness that doesn't really wane over time. We hear the stories again--some we've never even heard before. And we remember. And we go on.
Now, the proposed Ground Zero mosque controversy has struck a cord in each of us that is simply overwhelming. Much like the opposition to Obamacare, the public wasted little time in making its voice heard on the idea of having a mosque at Ground Zero. The vast majority of Americans have said a very loud "no" to the project, citing the insensitivity and just plain bad taste of such a plan. As with the Obamacare drama, the American people have been essentially shunned by the government. We have been told that opposing what many call a "victory" mosque overlooking the footprint of the once mighty Twin Towers is tantamount to being religious bigots. President Obama himself lectured us on the legalities of the whole thing, explaining to us less enlightened folk how zoning laws and such allow for this and how we need to back off. One might surmise that Obama thought that this was just the thing grieving families and first responders--who still suffer debilitating and life-threatening after affects from their exposure to the desolation that followed the collapse of the World Trade Center--needed to hear at a time like this. Once again, Obama was wrong. Once again, Obama missed the point entirely.
Likewise, many in the media tried to frame the issue as one where Americans were simply being intolerant of a religion in general. In doing so, they missed the point too! The issue has never been banning mosques or any other religious edifice. It's having the Ground Zero mosque at, well, Ground Zero. This is so plain and simple that it defies logic that so many media personalities would get this one so wrong. Not to mention the fact that many in the media are not really digging too deep on the financing and money trail for the mosque. But that's another story.
Enter Donld Trump. Larger than life and quite over the top, Trump literally is in a class by himself. He personifies American business success perhaps like no other since the times of the great captains of industry. The Trump brand is synonymous with the highest quality and the epitome of having "arrived." He, in short, is virtually the ultimate antithesis of the Islamo-Facist.
I believe that Donald Trump no doubt has a very special love for New York City. It's not only America's city--it's his city. He watched as we all did the progression of the Ground Zero mosque controversy and likely thought the same thing that so many Americans thought: If only something could be done to solve this problem. Yes, we all thought that. We even entertained the notion that the Federal Government and Obama in particular might hear our cries and step in and do... something! Alas, that was not be.
Donald Trump then took it upon himself to at least try and offer a reasonable solution to Imam Rauf to convince him to move the mosque a few blocks away from the hallowed ground around the Trade Center site. Trump offered his own money to the tune of $6.2 Million to buy the building. This constituted a 25 percent profit to the Imam and the mosque builders. He offered it in good faith. He offered it without asking for the government to provide a cent. He offered it because he saw the problem and knew he was in a unique position to help.
His offer was rejected, of course. Were we surprised? Any businessperson would likely have accepted such an offer in a heartbeat. It was easy money, after all. But the Imam and the mosque builders have some kind of statement to make. They tell us that the statement is about being peaceful and loving and tolerant. That's what they want us to think. But their actions define them. They have heard how hurtful this is. They have heard how it would be such a grand act to agree to move the site of the mosque. They have heard how Americans would hail the moving of the mosque as evidence that the peace, love and understanding they say is being promoted by its construction is actually real. They have heard all this and yet press forward--even going as far as to say that not building the mosque there would lead to "national security" problems for the U.S.
Yes, in true American fashion, Trump saw the problem and did his best to solve it--because his government wasn't about to even try. He went out on a limb and put his prestige on the line. He has even endured MSNBC hosts telling him that "low balled" the Imam and somehow screwed up the whole thing. They laughed at his warnings of how upset people are about this situation. They recoiled when he called then naive.
None of this has been lost on the American people, though. They saw how Trump tried to save the day--and his beloved city. It was reasonable. It was generous. And it was courageous. Hats off to The Donald.
Kyle Warren is host of the award winning Kyle Warren Show heard weekdays on NetTalkWorld.com. Also visit www.KyleWarrenShow.com for more information.
Let us know your opinion! Respond in the comments section.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
The Real Change Hasn’t Hit Us Yet
In 2008, the word was “Change.” Candidate Barack Obama wanted everyone to know that, if America elected him President, they would receive change--presumably because the current state of affairs demanded it. Things were bad and were getting worse by the moment. Change is what was going to save us. Change was what John McCain could not offer because, as the story went, McCain was the same as President Bush. And everybody knows that the “same” is not “change.”
In fact, the very mention of the word “change” sent supporters and other candidates alike in to frenzies unseen up until that point. Hillary Clinton seemed to abandon her strong suit (experience) in favor of re-branding herself as a “changer” who could change things with the best of them. Who needed Obama? So important was this new notion of change that every other issue had to be viewed only through the prism of change. Bill Clinton actually said during the campaign that, wherever Hillary had gone in her life and whatever she did, she “changed” things. But, alas, she could not change the fates and wound up as one of the most marginalized Secretaries of State in U.S. History.
Most of the “change” talk centered around the economy which had gone into freefall. However, despite Obama trying to teach Joe the Plumber all about the wonders of “spreading the wealth around” (which seemed to be a significant departure from traditional American views), the message of “change” roared on supported of course by a media enamored of all things Obama. The message: We need change and we need it now or we’re all doomed!
Americans wanted change. There is no doubt about that. However, the change that Americans clearly wanted and clearly believed they were voting for with Obama was a “change” for the better. In other words, they saw that the economy was hurting. They knew that something had to change. But the change they expected was some new way of energizing the existing economy so that Americans could prosper. Instead, they fell victim to the old bait and switch game. Obama offered change. But the change he offered appears to be something entirely different than what was needed or even called for by the situation.
Now, eighteen months into the Obama presidency, things have certainly changed for the worse. Unemployment remains unbelievably high. Prospects for jobs are virtually non-existent and not one person who is dealing with the reality of the situation “on the ground,” as it were, appears to have any reason to be optimistic. But wait, didn’t we do the $787 Billion in stimulus money? Didn’t we pass a massive healthcare bill which will actually raise costs for the average American? Didn’t we go after Wall Street? Wow! One would think that all that “change” would have finally put us back on track by now (like Joe Biden tells us).
Of course, it did not!
Now, most Presidents of the past (pick virtually any one of them) would look at the signs in the economy and in the market and conclude one thing immediately: Something needs to be done. Something needs fixing! But that’s just it! American wanted to fix the economy. They wanted the change to be that of restoration. Namely, restoration of the opportunities that the American system provides. Any other politician would be fighting tooth and nail to do something (anything) that would bring about that restoration (at least in terms of perceptions) so that they could be comfortable in their own re-election bid. But Obama doesn’t really seem to care--at least, that is the perception it would seem of many! Two words: Endless Vacation!
One can only conclude that, like so much about America that Obama seems to have problems with (remember the apology tour?), the traditional American economic system apparently needs changing in his opinion. In other words, the real change hasn’t hit us…yet! Many Americans fear that this ultimate change will look and feel surprisingly like Socialism. If that’s the change that Obama really meant during the campaign, then Americans will have to find a way to change the “change” before it’s too late to change it back! Going back to the ballot box on November 2nd will truly begin that change. Change we can believe in!
Kyle Warren is host of the award winning Kyle Warren Show heard weekdays on NetTalkWorld.com. Also visit www.KyleWarrenShow.com for more information.
Let us know your opinion! Respond in the comments section.
In fact, the very mention of the word “change” sent supporters and other candidates alike in to frenzies unseen up until that point. Hillary Clinton seemed to abandon her strong suit (experience) in favor of re-branding herself as a “changer” who could change things with the best of them. Who needed Obama? So important was this new notion of change that every other issue had to be viewed only through the prism of change. Bill Clinton actually said during the campaign that, wherever Hillary had gone in her life and whatever she did, she “changed” things. But, alas, she could not change the fates and wound up as one of the most marginalized Secretaries of State in U.S. History.
Most of the “change” talk centered around the economy which had gone into freefall. However, despite Obama trying to teach Joe the Plumber all about the wonders of “spreading the wealth around” (which seemed to be a significant departure from traditional American views), the message of “change” roared on supported of course by a media enamored of all things Obama. The message: We need change and we need it now or we’re all doomed!
Americans wanted change. There is no doubt about that. However, the change that Americans clearly wanted and clearly believed they were voting for with Obama was a “change” for the better. In other words, they saw that the economy was hurting. They knew that something had to change. But the change they expected was some new way of energizing the existing economy so that Americans could prosper. Instead, they fell victim to the old bait and switch game. Obama offered change. But the change he offered appears to be something entirely different than what was needed or even called for by the situation.
Now, eighteen months into the Obama presidency, things have certainly changed for the worse. Unemployment remains unbelievably high. Prospects for jobs are virtually non-existent and not one person who is dealing with the reality of the situation “on the ground,” as it were, appears to have any reason to be optimistic. But wait, didn’t we do the $787 Billion in stimulus money? Didn’t we pass a massive healthcare bill which will actually raise costs for the average American? Didn’t we go after Wall Street? Wow! One would think that all that “change” would have finally put us back on track by now (like Joe Biden tells us).
Of course, it did not!
Now, most Presidents of the past (pick virtually any one of them) would look at the signs in the economy and in the market and conclude one thing immediately: Something needs to be done. Something needs fixing! But that’s just it! American wanted to fix the economy. They wanted the change to be that of restoration. Namely, restoration of the opportunities that the American system provides. Any other politician would be fighting tooth and nail to do something (anything) that would bring about that restoration (at least in terms of perceptions) so that they could be comfortable in their own re-election bid. But Obama doesn’t really seem to care--at least, that is the perception it would seem of many! Two words: Endless Vacation!
One can only conclude that, like so much about America that Obama seems to have problems with (remember the apology tour?), the traditional American economic system apparently needs changing in his opinion. In other words, the real change hasn’t hit us…yet! Many Americans fear that this ultimate change will look and feel surprisingly like Socialism. If that’s the change that Obama really meant during the campaign, then Americans will have to find a way to change the “change” before it’s too late to change it back! Going back to the ballot box on November 2nd will truly begin that change. Change we can believe in!
Kyle Warren is host of the award winning Kyle Warren Show heard weekdays on NetTalkWorld.com. Also visit www.KyleWarrenShow.com for more information.
Let us know your opinion! Respond in the comments section.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
The Dangerous Nuclear Policy of Barack Obama
Since Barack Obama took office, American's have wondered many things. For example, they have wondered if the economy would improve with a new, young, popular president. They wondered if the jobs that had literally disintegrated into thin air would ever return. They wondered if they had gone the right direction in electing Barak Obama--especially when they had to wonder about the future of our healthcare system.
This week President Obama evidently decided that the American people did not have enough to wonder and worry about. In announcing his radical new posture regarding the U.S. Government's strategy for the use of its nuclear forces, he has now created a situation where the U.S. will literally be a laughing stock among our enemies. One wonders how Obama thought to top his apology tours that seem so long ago and far away as to be almost quaint by comparison.
Essentially, this radical and dangerous new policy states that the U.S. will not use nuclear weapons against a county that is "up to date" with any IAEA inspections and has signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty or NPT. As if that simple gesture would ever be enough to make us let down our guard against some of the most repressive and undemocratic regimes around the world. Oddly enough, Israel has not signed that treaty so, we must presume, that Israel would technically be on the list of possible countries that we could nuke if the occasion ever arose. And that, in and of itself, should be enough to make us all stop and think about exactly how utterly nonsensical Obama's radical shift in policy truly is.
Commentators and politicians alike are making their opinions and reactions known. What is important to understand is that most of them are in no way looking to simply tweak Obama's ideas. What we are seeing and hearing (apart from the usual suspects on the left) is a total rejection of an absolutely ridiculous policy that only allows our enemies to become emboldened and ties our hands. This departure from what has been the policy of this country for decades and spanned various administrations both Republican and Democrat is more than just a slap in the face to common sense. It is a slap in the face to all Americans who look to the Commander-in-Chief to protect them at all costs. From Truman to Kennedy, Johnson to Reagan, Nixon to Clinton, Carter to the Bushes, Americans have gone to sleep each night knowing that these men commanded the most terrible and awesome arsenal the world has ever known--and they would use it if there was no other way to defend liberty. End of story. That is what kept the Soviets guessing! That is what, up until now, has kept many regimes and governments who do not wish us well guessing! Whatever those presidents' differing political views, they were not willing to compromise on this. Whatever arms reduction talks or treaties took place never put the U.S. in vulnerable position that Obama's nightmarish and unwarranted policy has.
In one fell swoop Obama has tossed away the security that Americans expect from the President. In doing so, evidently through a massive case of naiveté, he is handing our enemies a reason to doubt us. If they attack us with chemical or biological weapons and thousands or millions die as a result, our enemies will think to themselves that they are not going to suffer the full retaliation of U.S. might. Why would anyone want an enemy that would not think twice about killing huge amounts of Americans to believe, even for a second, that their "glorious" victory would be augmented by a wrongheaded and dangerous policy that restricts the U.S. from doing all possible to stop the attack or future attacks.
Since Obama took office, yes, Americans have wondered many things. Now they must wonder just how our enemies will interpret this new policy--and how they will use it against us. Unfortunately, there are many sleepless nights ahead.
This week President Obama evidently decided that the American people did not have enough to wonder and worry about. In announcing his radical new posture regarding the U.S. Government's strategy for the use of its nuclear forces, he has now created a situation where the U.S. will literally be a laughing stock among our enemies. One wonders how Obama thought to top his apology tours that seem so long ago and far away as to be almost quaint by comparison.
Essentially, this radical and dangerous new policy states that the U.S. will not use nuclear weapons against a county that is "up to date" with any IAEA inspections and has signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty or NPT. As if that simple gesture would ever be enough to make us let down our guard against some of the most repressive and undemocratic regimes around the world. Oddly enough, Israel has not signed that treaty so, we must presume, that Israel would technically be on the list of possible countries that we could nuke if the occasion ever arose. And that, in and of itself, should be enough to make us all stop and think about exactly how utterly nonsensical Obama's radical shift in policy truly is.
Commentators and politicians alike are making their opinions and reactions known. What is important to understand is that most of them are in no way looking to simply tweak Obama's ideas. What we are seeing and hearing (apart from the usual suspects on the left) is a total rejection of an absolutely ridiculous policy that only allows our enemies to become emboldened and ties our hands. This departure from what has been the policy of this country for decades and spanned various administrations both Republican and Democrat is more than just a slap in the face to common sense. It is a slap in the face to all Americans who look to the Commander-in-Chief to protect them at all costs. From Truman to Kennedy, Johnson to Reagan, Nixon to Clinton, Carter to the Bushes, Americans have gone to sleep each night knowing that these men commanded the most terrible and awesome arsenal the world has ever known--and they would use it if there was no other way to defend liberty. End of story. That is what kept the Soviets guessing! That is what, up until now, has kept many regimes and governments who do not wish us well guessing! Whatever those presidents' differing political views, they were not willing to compromise on this. Whatever arms reduction talks or treaties took place never put the U.S. in vulnerable position that Obama's nightmarish and unwarranted policy has.
In one fell swoop Obama has tossed away the security that Americans expect from the President. In doing so, evidently through a massive case of naiveté, he is handing our enemies a reason to doubt us. If they attack us with chemical or biological weapons and thousands or millions die as a result, our enemies will think to themselves that they are not going to suffer the full retaliation of U.S. might. Why would anyone want an enemy that would not think twice about killing huge amounts of Americans to believe, even for a second, that their "glorious" victory would be augmented by a wrongheaded and dangerous policy that restricts the U.S. from doing all possible to stop the attack or future attacks.
Since Obama took office, yes, Americans have wondered many things. Now they must wonder just how our enemies will interpret this new policy--and how they will use it against us. Unfortunately, there are many sleepless nights ahead.
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