Monday, April 29, 2013

Islam

Once again I feel compelled to share my thoughts about Islam and the danger adherents to the faith present to the world community. I understand there are over 1.4 billion Muslims today. I recently sent out comments about the religion made by Winston Churchill 100 years ago. His analysis was right on, in my opinion. His main point being that strict adherence meant continuing slavery for women and girls. I have read many books on this subject which have convinced me of the evil this “religion” continues to do on a daily basis. There is a difference today from years past. This was pointed out to me in reading “The Looming Tower” by Lawrence Wright. He details the beginning of Al-Qaeda in 1947 by an Egyptian and how it really took hold with Osama bin Laden while in Afghanistan which led directly to the 9/11 event we are all so familiar about. People like me are labeled as Islamaphobic. We supposedly see a radical Muslim hiding behind every tree waiting to pounce. I have read that 10% of Muslims could be regarded as radical. Radical meaning they are ready and willing to commit havoc with non-believers wherever found. The math is simple, it means 140,000,000. It seems to me that this could be considered serious, but, of course, what do I know? My continuing frustration is with our government and the news media, neither of which will come right out and state that a problem exists with Islam. I include George Bush in my condemnation. After 9/11 he proclaimed that Islam was a peaceful religion. He, his father and the whole Bush clan have been in bed with the Saudi Arabia princes for decades. Do any of you remember how Bush allowed the many members of the bin Laden family to be flown out of the country all the while the airlines were shut down for the rest of us. As an aside, I always find it amusing that these privileged Muslims enjoy living in our decadent country. As to our current president, he has extolled the greatness of Islam starting with his Cairo Speech shortly after becoming president. It is my firm belief that he has required our intelligence agencies and the armed forces to not even mention that an incident was committed by a Muslim. The Fort Hood massacre was labeled a work place dispute. How outrageous is this? While killing the soldiers he shouted “Allah Akbar”. It has been three years and the Major has not been tried as yet while receiving first rate medical treatment and still earning his salary. This should have been handled with dispatch but that is not how our government works today. It is impossible to read a newspaper and not read of some atrocity committed in the name of Mohammed somewhere in the world. Adherents are on an accelerated campaign to convert the whole world to their belief system. All the while Obama tries to cover it up. He blamed the Benghazi episode on a video, when it was clearly an organized assault, not a spontaneous event. After all this time including Senate hearings and news media discussion the truth has not come out. The latest is the terrible bombing in Boston by two Muslim young men. The elder spent six months in Southern Russia where the Chechnya Muslims live. As I understand it he was admitted to our country as an immigrant, given welfare and other aid. I wonder how much it would cost to travel to Russia and stay for that length of time. He was driving a Mercedes. Something doesn’t make sense. Our security was warned by Russia that he was a radical Muslim. I believe for political correctness that warning was ignored. Another point worth mentioning is the tremendous cost. I cannot even contemplate the loss as a result of shutting down the entire city for a day. These two Muslim fanatics have shown how devastating an action like they took can be to America. I have no doubt others will follow in their footsteps. Not to disparage our security forces, who put their lives on the line for us, but what I saw was overwhelming forces committed particularly when it was known he was in the boat. There were hundreds of police officers at the scene. Like the Fort Hood incident this young man will be in custody for years while the investigation goes on trying to prove him guilty at a cost of millions. He will be referred to as alleged bomber. Would sure be wrong to convict him without a trial, wouldn’t it? My main purpose in putting these words to paper is to alert you to the threat to America by Muslim terrorists who will continue to punish America for our presence in Muslim countries. The odd thing is my agreement with them about this issue. Bush’s wars which are now Obamas were and still are the wrong wars for us to fight. For a fraction of the cost we could be energy independent. No one can ever convince me that those wars were not started by our addiction to the oil in the Middle East. Our travail is just beginning. Jack B. Walters April 30, 2013

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

A Country of Vast Designs by Robert W. Merry

(James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent) A short while ago I read a biography of Andrew Jackson. I became intrigued by the events that occurred during these years. In particular the additional territory added to the Union. While still a General during the presidency of James Monroe he conquered Florida whereby Spain ceded it to America and also added tens of millions of acres to the Union from Indian tribes in the South and West. James Polk was supported by Jackson with advice and consul until his death. Polk became President by default. At the time he was running for Vice President. The delegates at the Democratic Convention were deadlocked. He was stunned to learn of his nomination. Once he became President he resolved to accomplish his most important goals during one four year term and he did. The most important, in my opinion, was acquiring all remaining lands in the West including the Texas, New Mexico and Oregon territories. He added over five hundred thousand square miles and gave the United States free access to the Pacific. The total amount far exceeds the Louisiana Purchase. It encompassed all lands between America at that time and the Pacific Coast, except for a small area of 30,000 square miles in Southern Arizona and New Mexico, referred to as the Gadsden Purchase which was acquired in 1854. This goal was popular with the people who foresaw increased opportunity as lands became available, but the job was not easy. In the Northwest England claimed ownership. There was a possibility of war between the two countries. When we relented on ceding the lower half of Prince Edward Island to Canada which gave them free access to the port at Vancouver agreement was reached. While this was going on, Polk aggressively prodded Mexico by moving troops to the Rio Grande River. Mexico responded by attacking and killing a number of soldiers. Military actions were forthcoming in Texas, New Mexico and California. Mexican ports were blockaded and Mexico City was occupied. Finally a treaty was signed ceding these lands to America. During all this time Polk was berated for the Mexican War by politicians of the Whig Party including Daniel Webster and even a freshman Congressman named Abraham Lincoln. Most of the problems in ending the war with Mexico had nothing to do with that country. It was the issue of slavery in the new territories. It became inescapable in August 1846. Polk was asking the Congress for $2 million to offer to Mexico, an amount he had good reason to believe would accomplish that objective. Unexpectedly a relative unknown Congressman, David Wilmot offered an amendment forever known as “The Wilmot Resolution”. It provided; “That, as an express and fundamental condition to the acquisition of any territory from the Republic of Mexico by the United States, by virtue of any treaty which may be negotiated between them, and to the use by the Executive of the moneys herein appropriated, neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist in any part of said territory, except for crime, wherein the party shall first be duly convicted.” This, in effect was challenging the slave states to give up on their bringing slaves to these new lands. Once again, as it was in Jackson’s term the specter of cessation was breathed new life. Not only did Polk not get the money requested but the war became secondary to the issue of slavery. You can only imagine the pressure this would add during wartime. He was under great strain during the rest of his term. While he did accomplish his goal, it drastically affected his health. After his term ended he only lived four extra months dying at the age of fifty three. I am willing to grant that he was a patriot who gave his life for his country. That is the same status I give to FDR. The strain of office also took his life. I see that as the same as dying on the field of battle. Historians in 1962 rated Polk as being in the top eight presidents at that time. After reading this biography I must concur. The greatest of leaders throughout history were the ones who pursued their objectives through thick and thin without regard to their own well-being. He was certainly one of those. This is a well-researched and written book worthy of reading. It is 500 pages with a great deal of information which I have not included in this short report. Jack B. Walters April 23, 2013

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Another Con Job

In 1986, when Reagan was president, legislation was passed granting citizenship to three million illegal immigrants. We were assured that sufficient controls were being put in place to keep this from repeating, including workplace controls called E-verify. Now over twelve million will be granted citizenship and E-verify will be phased in over five years. Give me a break. Can they really believe that five years must pass before enacting controls sufficient to convince employers to not hire persons here illegally? Billions to be spent on border security. What a joke. There is not now nor has there ever been a serious commitment to secure the border. This is just to placate citizens into believing that all will be well. We fell for it then and most will again now. Anyone against this bill is labeled racist. How sad that most are cowed into silence because of this accusation. Jack B. Walters April 21, 2013

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Not Good Enough and One Down, One to Go

Greg Byrne April 3, 2013 U of Arizona Athletic Director Dear Sir, NOT GOOD ENOUGH The controversy over the “jest” by referee director Ed Rush will not go away. The integrity of the entire sports program is under suspicion and will be until Mr. Rush is removed from his current position of authority. As I have read, on two occasions he admonished the referees to go after the coaches and the second time with specific reference to our coach Sean Miller, a man Arizona fans hold in the highest regard. Over the years I have witnessed reprehensible conduct from coaches but not Mr. Miller. He is a complete gentleman, working in a volatile environment. To emphasize the seriousness of Mr. Rush’s admonition he jokingly asked if he had to give a bonus for them to do their jobs. No one should suggest that it was a serious proposal. The point I want to make from my own work experience as a factory manager is that a person in authority speaking to his subordinates, whether joking or serious, gets his point across of what he wants to be done. The subordinates then are duty bound to carry out his request. That’s it, pure and simple. The call made on Miller was a direct result of this edict, not in a regular season game, but in a championship game with all that entails. You need to understand that U of A fans take their sports seriously. We want to win or lose based on the skill of the players and coaches not on an arbitrary edict from on high. If you and the other Directors don’t demand the removal of Mr. Rush then you are all abdicating your collective responsibilities. Yours truly, Jack B. Walters One Down, One to go Ed Rush is gone, next to go should be Larry Scott the conference director for his comment that what Rush said was not a fire-able offense. He can no longer keep the confidence of the athletic directors, coaches and players if he truly cannot grasp the seriousness of the comments made by Mr. Rush to his officials. Sports fans everywhere want integrity. They want the game to be decided by the players and coaches not an arbitrary edict from on high directed at the officials to go head hunting. I read that the other Pac-12 directors had not commented. If that is correct, then shame on them too, as this incident wasn’t just an Arizona concern but a concern for all the universities. Jack B. Walters March 5, 2013

Gay marriage controversy and same gender unions

The Supreme Court is considering whether it is discrimination against homosexuals by denying them the right of marriage. The suit was brought after the Federal Court in California over ruled the will of the people who had voted against it. As I have read, blacks were overwhelmingly opposed. Personally I can accept civil union but am opposed to marriage. With civil union, a couple, whether straight or gay can live together. I can even accept a Justice of the Peace or a ship’s Captain. Marriage is a step too far. I have discussed this with two pastors. One said he favored marriage, the other said he would never participate in a gay wedding ceremony. My question to you and anyone else who reads this article, is what happens to the minister who refuses to perform the ceremony? Can he or she be sued? Can the church to which he or she is the Pastor be found responsible and fined for inaction? This is a far more important issue than the Catholic Church’s objection to providing birth control to employees. Marriage is the most sacred of all rites. In my opinion it was created for a man and a woman to join together and bring forth children in a loving union and thereby maintain the population. Before you hit me with the response that gay couples are raising children, I have not stated that they cannot adopt. So that is my simple short effort to state my opinion for whatever it might be worth. Jack B. Walters March 30,2013 After sending the above, I received a response fro a minister friend who shared a booklet he had written pulling out references to same sex relationships. The following was my response. Same gender unions Dear Ron, April 6, 2013 I appreciated receiving your little booklet about same gender unions. You saved me the trouble of searching through the Bible to find references about the subject. Actually I wouldn’t have taken the time. I am satisfied with where I am on the subject and don’t need to find a particular passage to help me decide. I come down on the side where I don’t hate gay people but at the same time have become increasingly annoyed with the constant bombardment espousing the life style as if it were the normal thing and not the minority. We hear it daily in the news media, in plays, movies, TV shows and in the schools. I just wish they would live their lives quietly and leave me alone. One of the men I most admired in this world turned out to be gay. He was a member of my church with a wife and two daughters. Out of the blue one day he announced that he was gay and had aids which shortly thereafter took his life. At the funeral his lover sat next to his wife and daughters. The church was packed as he was liked and admired by many. My church at the time was Plymouth Congregational in Des Moines, Iowa. We became known as an accepting church. I remember one Sunday as a Deacon during the service we were picketed by evangelicals from another church. I went outside with another Deacon to ask them to leave us alone. In actual fact I was so angry I let the other Deacon do the talking as I was afraid of what I might say. I only know that had they tried to enter the church I would have done my utmost to prevent it. They did depart. Getting back to your book, at this point of my life I don’t need to check the Bible to see if my thinking is correct. As you point out there are any number of places, particularly in the Old Testament where women are told to stay in their place, slaves are told to obey their masters and fathers are told to kill their sons if they disobey. I have never agreed with any of that. In my readings I have looked for what would help me to give direction on how to live a good life. As I said in my article “We are all God’s Children”, I don’t try to state that I have lead a perfect life but that I have tried. There is no doubt in my mind that they will prevail in attaining the right of marriage but not in a church I am attending as I will leave before that happens. I am sending your book to a young minister like yourself who I admire greatly and who is struggling with this issue as you have done. Sincerely yours, Jack B. Walters