It's been another busy news week

If I did not touch on the news that came out this week, I would be doing a disservice to you.  Fasten your seat-belt!

1. Bergdahl. I remember the moment when I saw this man's face in the video that showed him being transferred back to US custody.  I vividly remember thinking that this was not the man who had relief on his face, but that looked comfortable in his "captivity".  There was not an awkward aura like someone who was held captive for years, he looked very much at ease with these men.  That was something that has always stuck with me over all of the drama surrounding his release.  With that being said, there will be charges brought against him of desertion.  To which I am happy about, beyond happy about, but then the report came from the Washington Post where a detailed letter came out from his lawyer detailing the years in captivity.  I'll save you the melodramatic details by telling you Bergdahl claims he was beaten, starved, tortured, and did try to escape on multiple occasions.  To which I say, and I say this to the person named Bowe Bergdahl himself, what did you honestly expect to happen?  Did you think that you would leave your post and jaunt over to the Taliban  and be welcomed with open arms?  That they would revere you as a hero?   Reports say you defected to the other side out of sympathy.  I honestly do not care what you thought or WHY you decided to do what you did.  You are solely responsible for six men losing their lives looking for you.  You cannot try and explain or plead away why you should not spend the rest of your life behind bars, nor should your experience in "captivity" allow you have a reduced sentence.  You are a traitor.  You are a deserter.  You are a disgrace to Americans everywhere.  I will make my own plea on your behalf.  If it is found, in some way, in the military courts that you are free to go, I hope that the families of the men who died sue you.  I hope you are left penniless if they go after you.  Nothing about you will ever say "served with honor and distinction". 
2. Hilary Clinton.  Just hand over your server.  Let's save everyone's time and energy here and just hand it over.  Everyone knows you're hiding something and I promise you everyone knows you're lying.  You don't get your own server if you are just trading emails back and forth about wedding plans and or yoga.  On a side note to the Democratic party, is she REALLY the only one you guys have to run for 2016?  She's the best you can come up with?
3. Iran. This country and everything coming from it is bad news.  Why would you want someone who openly says "Death to America" to have a nuclear weapon?  Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei did in fact say this week while at a rally, more along the lines of, "Of course yes, death to America, because America is the original source of this pressure.”  Mr. Obama and Mr. Kerry in case you forgot, we ARE America and this nation's leader wants to see us destroyed.  I wonder if Israel started to chant "death to America" if you would like them more and want to continue to shine a bad light on them.  I can only imagine that this deal Obama is trying to work out with Iran has to do with his legacy.  Perhaps Obama thinks that if he can be the one person to allow Iran to have these deadly nuclear capabilities that there will be peace to the Middle East and he will be the one who has brought it to them.  To that I say, these people want the U.S. and our people and our way of life obliterated from this planet.  These kinds of people don't talk in suits in nicely decorated rooms, these kinds of people talk with bombs and guns.  These people kill and you are forgetting that.
4. Indiana.  Pence signed a new law allowing for religious freedoms for businesses.  Basically if a baker doesn't want to make a cake for a gay couple they have that right.  But why you would refuse to take a job in this economy is beyond me. Which I thought businesses had the right to refuse service to anyone at any time, but obviously not. 
5. Ted Cruz.  We have a runner, ladies and gentlemen!  Cruz is the first to throw his hat into the ring and I have to say I am excited about this one.  If you haven't heard, he did not need a teleprompter for his speech.  Totally off the cuff talking, and it was full of passion!  Sure some of it was a little cheesy and what you would expect for a presidential candidate to say, but it was exciting none the less.  The reports that students had to attend were misleading, they attend a school where convocations are required.  No big deal.  Another hot button topic with Cruz running is he can't because he's not really a US citizen.  Well, yes he is.  Plus think about this for one second.  I am sure Cruz has some nice people who are fairly wealthy funding his campaign.  Don't you think these people would want to make sure they were giving their money to someone who could run for the office of president?   

Unpatriotic Americans Among Us

     There are times when I feel like I am in the middle of the Atlantic in a dinghy.  Why?  I've become disheartened and angry by the actions of our elected officials on what seems to be a daily basis.  I'm so perplexed at what seems to be an hourly basis at not only the lack of knowledge the American people possess, but also at the lack of trying to leave that place of ignorance.  It can be a lonely and frustrating place to be when I hear stories about my fellow countrymen and women caring more about singing competitions or dress colors than about the crisis with ISIS or even something as simple as asking people to name the faces that make up Mount Rushmore.  So sometimes, as I sit in the Atlantic in my dinghy and scream in frustration, I find other people who are just as equally frustrated as I.  I find people who are fighting the stereotype that the mainstream media is pushing us all into, and it eases my soul.
     Then the story broke of the students who voted to not allow the American flag at University of California, Irvine.  Their students, and some faculty, say it is racist and entices intimidation by nationalism.  I find it hard to understand how being proud to be an American sends a message of intimidation.  To them I say let me pull up my dinghy and place you in it to go float to a different country where your crude ways of thinking will be appreciated. 
     There are many things as Americans we had to face in our short span of becoming a nation.  There are many dark spots on our resume, but those dark spots out-number the many great things that we have done, and continue to do.  Of course, the good deeds our nation has done and still continues to accomplish isn't reported because that goes against a lot of the work the media is doing to try and disrupt patriotism.  It seems like these people who keep bowing down and apologizing to the world for our past transgressions, forget that many other nations have their black dots as well.  Germany of course has their Nazi past, which makes me wonder what kind of fluffy non-threatening name Obama and his supporters would re-brand them as.  The British territories were not all happy to join or to stay under the crown.  The plight of the French people during the French Revolution to abolish the monarchy.  The current suppression of the North Korean peoples. 
     What the U.S. has done in it's past is not a new revelation, but that does not mean we should bow down to these few people who believe that the U.S. is a problem and an evil presence in this world.  These same people who enjoy American freedoms (who live protected on our soil), have the freedom to say what they want, and who most of all are earning American money.  These bizarre few people who voted to ban the American flag on their campus should really understand how wonderful of a land we truly are.  If nothing else, these people should not receive funding from the government and should not have any tax credits if they truly believe that we promote this wild notion of threatening American nationalism which should lead the school to not proudly wave the flag.  The flag that flies high and proud in observance of all who came before them for the freedom at a life to be who they want to be.  The flag that represents numerous people who died to protect the nation, where they can lay their heads down and sleep knowing people are protecting them around the clock. 
     Not every nation would even allow you to learn of anything other than the good deeds their country has done.  Only in America do we allow our teachers to teach our students that America is, in their view, "evil" and be protected by their Constitution to do so.  I do ask of these students and teachers who share in this unpatriotic view of America to not have education credits or financial assistance of any kind from our government and try to make it on their own.  Maybe then you will come to enjoy all the good that comes with being a patriotic American.
    
    

Ferguson and the DOJ findings

     The release of the DOJ report has done little to calm the protests in the streets of Ferguson.  Even more, it did little to ease the racial tensions that are in full bloom.  One would have thought the report should have helped the volatile situation, sadly we are seeing anger in the wake of the published report.  Perhaps the anger we are witnessing is maybe more directed at an internal protest amongst themselves.  The report clearly went in line, and stated that, Office Wilson demonstrated restraint and acted without malice based upon the color of Mr. Brown's skin.
     For those who have read the report published on by the DOJ, it tells a story of a monetarily needy town.  For instance, officer's promotions and/or evaluations depended on their "productivity" of raising revenues via tickets/fines. Overtime was even approved for highway traffic enforcement, which was stated to not be a way for officers to collect "easy" overtime but to generate tickets (aka revenue for the city.)  A vast majority of the population in Ferguson is African American, so it is of little surprise that they would be a majority sample of people facing fines. Yet the report noted that police and court officials did harbor a racial bias towards them; after reading some of the emails I would have to agree with that statement.  I think there is little doubt in anyone's minds that some of the officers in Ferguson do have a racial bias, however, that does NOT mean all do, and that is very important to remember.
     Another item I found puzzling was that the DOJ glossed over the fact that a lot of the protestors were "outside agitators."  From page 5 of the DOJ's published report:
"Police and other city officials, as well as some Ferguson residents, have insisted to us that the public outcry is attributed to "outside agitators" who do not reflect opinions of "real Ferguson resident." That view is at odds with the facts we have gathered during our investigation."
I honestly think the DOJ is not only contradicting itself here, but I do believe they are glossing over the fact that the residents of Ferguson may not be the ones behind the disruptive protests.  Maybe it is because rumors are true that the government, or high profile politicians/activists, are using these protestors and the DOJ was asked to protect that piece of information.  For me, if legit residents are telling me that the protests are being lead by outsiders, then I will believe them because they are the ones who live in the city after all.
     This department was abusing their powers, however, when given the green light to do so for the sake of raising revenue and for a positive review/promotion, it is of little surprise that the overreach of the police force happened.  The racial bias that was allowed to continue seems to be as much the fault of the police as the elected officials.
     For the Brown family, the loss of their family member is tragic, however, Officer Wilson acted within the law.  Brown had been reported (and it is on video) violating and harassing a store clerk a short time before he came in contact with Wilson.  Let's be 100% honest with each other here, there was no one who wanted anything more than to convict Officer Wilson than the DOJ.  Think about that for a second.  Had there been a sliver of evidence showing Officer Wilson acted outside of the limitations of the law, the DOJ would have been the savior coming to the rescue of the residents of Ferguson caught in a never ending loop of racial discrimination. 
     We have to remove the intense emotion that is blocking our rational thinking skills.  The "Hands Up Don't Shoot" movement was a dangerous movement, Holder's words not my own, yet the DOJ and Obama did nothing to put this movement to rest.  This did nothing more than divide a city and our nation even further.  Jackson and Sharpton's presence did nothing to help either.  No one, not Obama, not Sharpton, Jackson, nor Holder told anyone who was rioting, or conducting these non-peaceful protests, to wait until they had a chance to thoroughly investigate the case involving Wilson.  What was said from the start was that Ferguson officers were nothing but racist bigots, who went to work every day to target African American people and violate their civil liberties.  Now the findings have cleared Office Wilson and the protests are still going, now they are trying to find the people who shot two officers in Ferguson. Let's consider the Brooklyn officers who were murdered in retaliation possibly could have been alive to read the DOJ's report clearing Wilson today, but none of our leaders told anyone to let cool heads prevail. 

This week's news

     In terms of news, there was a TON of information that came out.  It was borderline overload actually, but too much happened to just focus on one thing.
       Netanyahu.  If you have been living under a rock and did NOT see his speech delivered to Congress, you need to take the 40 minutes and soak it all in.  Outside of him saying how supportive Obama has been, it was breathtakingly beautiful.  I think Netanyahu delivered a clear and precise message to Congress.  If you were not a believer in Iran having nuclear weapons before, you surely aren't going to be for any kind of an agreement Obama and Kerry come up with.  Of course, Obama commented right after and said there was nothing new addressed with how to deal with Iran, but he even acknowledged he didn't watch it or fully read the transcript.... That's our leader for you.  Too busy with non-important issues to be worried about what our ally said about a common threat to both of our securities. The comparison of ISIS with the Nazis is spot on. Netanyahu is a powerful speaker who can deliver powerfully moving speeches.  One of the nicest side benefits to come from it was hearing how Pelosi was almost crying at the end of it because she felt like Netanyahu downplayed all the good the US has done. Well done Netanyahu, well done sir!
     Hillary.  I want to say she's BUSTED, but it's so hard to go down that road.  First the media and some lawmakers were being distant, and now they seem to be going back and circling the wagons around her.  Can we just please get rid of her?  I don't understand her appeal.  I really don't.  Is it because she stood beside her man when he cheated on her numerous times?  Is it her ... well, that's all I've got really.  She hasn't really done anything of merit.  The fact that she did not use government sanctioned emails and had her own server installed, she's hiding something.  What's worse, what we really want to see in these emails we'll never see.  What I call "the good stuff" is gone, BUT much luck to Gowdy in his search.
     Selma.  The 50th anniversary came about this week in the midst of all the noise going on in Ferguson.  First, let's celebrate how far we have come as a nation since the times of Selma.  MLK is a role model we can all look up to for his efforts to improve the lives of African American people in an era where everything looked bleak.  Officer Wilson was cleared by the DOJ, but Ferguson has been slapped with the racist label.  Like all things involving racism it's very delicate, but Ferguson is not a model by which all police departments and officers should be measured by.
     New York and Muslim Holidays.  Mayor Bill de Blasio what were you thinking?  Why are these holidays more important then any other faith?  Kids are allowed a certain number of days to miss school, so the Muslim people who have been clammering for this for 9 years for schools to be closed for two of their holidays.  It would be like a Christian asking for Muslim countries to allow for their schools to close for Christmas, it just wouldn't happen. I'd even go as far to say that those people would either be jailed or killed for not following the Muslim faith.  You don't see the Jewish community asking for their holidays off, and they seem to be working around it just fine.  What is really going on here is America, once again, trying to show how"inclusive" they are.  What is really happening is we're showing how much America is deteriorating with Liberals in charge.

      

Be Responsible.

     One of the greatest advantages I had in my life was to grow up in a household in which I was taught right from wrong.  My parents made sure to teach me that if I did in fact mess up that not only were there consequences for my actions, but that I needed to use these mistakes as learning tools.  Even as a certified adult, I still make mistakes.  Some errors are less costly then others, but I do know that for every mistake, there is a valuable life lesson to be taught and it makes me grateful for those not so perfect moments.
     After my parents' difficult divorce, I learned a very important life lesson.  You need to, at all times, be able to take care of yourself should the worst happen.  What did I do?  I put myself through college and got my degree in International Relations.  I work a full time job that has amazing benefits and I get to have an amazing partner to be by my side through it all.  Naturally it is very frustrating for me when I hear about people who need a helping hand because they don't have a "fair" chance in today's society.  It's difficult to hear that phrase used when I know deep in my soul that everyone has a chance at their own destiny.  Sometimes it takes longer for some to reach their full potential, and sometimes people never reach it, but every single action and every single decision is their own.  Sure there are some ugly cards people are dealt, but like my experience with my parents' divorce, I just could have easily given up and fallen down a very slippery slope.  The reason why I did not fall down into a valley was my choice, and that choice lead me to the life that I have now.  I could have just as easily not gone to college, and I could have simply refused to date my now husband, and I could have easily have chosen to become bitter about the hard times I endured after my parents split but I CHOSE not to.  I chose to invest in myself and my future, and now I get to reap those rewards for choosing to better myself.
     I think that is one of the issues plaguing our society now.  On a daily basis, we are being told that not everyone had their "fair shake" and most were dealt a "bad" card at birth.  I can't help but lose my temper when I hear this.  Sure, not everyone grows up in a household where education is of value, and not everyone grows up with a supporting family, but just because that is what you start out in does not mean that is your destiny.  This isn't the Middle Ages where if you grow up as a serf, you're going to remain in that social class.  As an American, you can choose where you want to go.  If you want to go to college you CAN.  If you want to become a mechanic, you CAN.  If you want to become a professional athlete, you have that opportunity.  That's what is not being talked about now.  Everyone in America has as much of an equal pathway to be whatever they want to be as long as they make the right choices and work hard.  This is the American dream that is lost to a lot of people in this nation because things are so much easier and much more accessible then it was when I was a child.  I did not have the internet or a computer, and I was able to get into a great college and am now having a successful career.  Part of that is because I am driven to not be in the situation I saw my mother placed into, but because I want nice things and I know the value of being responsible.  In the spirit of being responsible, let's explore some social hot button issues.
     Let's begin with alcohol and narcotics.  I see too many people worried and concerned about whether or not they will be able to smoke pot legally in their state.  This topic is taking precedent over national security and foreign policy in some households and that is heartbreaking and so sad.  If you are over the age of 20 and concerned over having unlimited access to pot, then I cannot help but feel sorry for you.  If this is the only way you know to relax, then can I suggest yoga or guided meditation?  I feel so sad when I see people who are over the age of 25 and are still getting blitzed every weekend.  It makes me sad for a whole other list of very personal reasons.  Not being able to remember your weekend or night because you consumed too much alcohol.... there just needs to be a higher goal you want to attain other than drinking yourself into oblivion.  Life is way too short and you're going to miss out on so much if all you are worried about is your access to drugs and what party you can attend with free drinks.
     Welfare.  I touched on this last week, but again this is NOT a program designed to carry you and your family through their life if you are an able bodied individual.  Why there is a debate on whether or not people on welfare should be randomly drug tested in order to keep their benefits is just something I cannot wrap my brain around; no matter how many articles I read on people who do not support the testing.  Not one able bodied person needs to be on this for life.  To be on this, if you are able to work, shows that certain people have bought into the "I was dealt a bad hand in life" or that the "government owes this money to me".  Why you would choose to be dependent on the government is beyond my comprehension.  There is something very freeing and motivating in knowing that I can support my family without assistance from anyone else.  I emplore those one welfare to find a way to rid yourself of those ties.
     Abortion.  What a nice and easy topic.  When I was about 12 years old I was staying over at one of my friend's houses.  The subject came up and I told my friend's sister that I did not support abortion, to which she replied horrified that as a WOMAN I should be for it.  What a thing to be told at such a young age, right?  No, no I am not for abortion.  To me, abortion is just not an option because the whole reason why an abortion needs to take place is because two people engaged in a sexual act and created life because of it.  Now I do realize that some times there are non-consenting adults, and in cases of rape I allot that choice to be made, however, the vast majority of abortions happen because of consenting actions.  I think that as a nation, we have become way too oblivious on how important and significant sex can be and it's difficult to not see why.  Commercials use it, musicians sing about it, television shows broadcast it, you really cannot go anywhere on a daily basis without someone or something you buy being half naked or nude.  Which is fine, but most of the populous does not seem to gather that sex is one of the most significant moments in a person's life and it should not be done without knowing the huge impact it will have on you physically, mentally and emotionally.  I would love a campaign to come out and showing the importance of sex.  I don't think sex should be taught in schools or through social context.  Sex is something that is so momentous that every parent needs to explain to their child how important of an action this is, and why if you engage in it, you have to be prepared for the fact that a person can be created from actions you are engaging in. If an unborn child was created by your actions, it is highly unfair to end that life because you do not want to deal with the responsibility. Abortion is one of the most barbaric things you can ever do to another living being.  If you are not ready to be a parent, you should not be having sex.
     There is too many people in today's society that watch way too much entertainment news and try to match their "goals" if you can call it that with those of high profile celebrities.  We need parents today to take control and step up as an adult to teach that there is so much more to life than fame.  For those who say that they had no choice in their life, I will disagree with them until my face is blue.  Look at people like Abraham Lincoln, J.K. Rowling, Oprah, Andrew Carnegie and Fredrick Douglas and tell me these people did not make something from nothing.  These people worked hard to bring themselves to the top after being at the bottom.  It's so easy to not be responsible.  It's easier to not worry about your credit rating than it is to budget.  It is easier to drink or smoke your problems away than it is to look your demons in the eye and conquer them.  It's hard being responsible, but trust that one day your big payoff will come.  Too many adults are acting and living life like they are still in high school or college, and while it's sad, it is their CHOICE to continue living that way.  Once the government stops interfering by telling people it is not their fault they are where they are, then maybe we will have adults flourish and become, not only responsible, but successful.