Jay R. Thomas

Obama Wants to Wiretap the Internet

Obama Wants to Wiretap the Internet         

          President George W. Bush was excoriated by the hypocrites of the far-left during most of his presidency for seeking greater tools for tracking terrorists after 9-11.  His policy to monitor a brutal enemy in time of war was directly responsible for ‘the erosion of civil liberties’, as they put it and this even became a major rallying cry for the Bush-haters in the ensuing years.  But no one could deny that while he was our Commander-in-Chief during the seven years following 9-11, there were no more terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.

            Enter Obama, the savior who would change all that and a lot of other good things about America.  When a series of terrorist attacks or near attacks occurred during the first 16 months of his presidency, it was clear that his approach wasn’t going to work.  Today it has been reported without fanfare, that the Obama administration is seeking to begin wiretapping on the internet, to include the users of the BlackBerry, websites like Facebook and ‘peer to peer’ messaging like Skype, to protect national security.  Whoa!  Where is the hue and cry from the left wing now? 

          They have also been silent while Obama did some other things that surprised everyone, like sanctioning the shooting of three black teenagers in the head during the Maersk Alabama Somali pirate incident and authorizing deadly drone strikes into a sovereign nation like Pakistan.  Don’t get me wrong.  We actually approve of the progress Mr. Obama has made in his on-the-job training.  We’d just like to have some recognition by his far-left backers that they were wrong.

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A Tribute to Eddie Fisher

Eddie Fisher         

          One of the purist voices to ever grace the airwaves has been stilled, with the passing of Eddie Fisher at his home in Berkeley, California last week at the age of 82.  Fisher’s tumultuous personal life should not diminish the incredible talent of this performer, who dominated the charts in the 1950s along with male tenors Perry Como (‘And I Love You So’, ‘It’s Impossible’) and, later, John Gary (‘Once Upon a Time’,‘Till’). 

          When you consider all the variables that had to come together simultaneously to make these recordings possible…songwriters, arrangers, orchestra and, finally, the singer, himself…they truly are timeless works of art.  Check them out on YouTube and you’ll agree that a performer like Eddie Fisher is definitely part of What Makes U.S. Great!

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Bankruptcy Court to Forgive $1 Billion Blockbuster Debt

 Bankruptcy Court to Forgive $1 Billion Blockbuster Debt        

          The New York Times reported today that video rental behemoth, Blockbuster, has filed for bankruptcy in New York in a move to erase its nearly $1 billion in debt.  What the…?  So much for the Obama administration’s so-called financial reform initiative!  Senior bondholders will receive a large equity stake in the deal, while junior bondholders, who only get repaid after other lenders if the borrower gets into financial difficulty, are expected to be ‘wiped out’.

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Sweden’s Election Results Mirror Conservative Trend in Europe

Sweden Elects Conservatives        

           The results of Sweden’s election on Sunday extend the widening swath of countries moving toward conservatism in Europe.  Swedish Social Democrats polled their worst results than at any time since 1914.  The center-left party has dominated Sweden since the 1930s and has been in power for 65 of the last 78 years.  Once again they ran on a platform of raising taxes and the Swedish people said ‘No’!  

          Instead they stayed with the center-right coalition led by Prime Minister Frederik Reinfeldt, making this the first time in Sweden that a center-right government has been re-elected.  In addition, the far right, anti-immigration party, the Social Democrats, doubled their 2006 vote and increased their visibility in Parliament.  It would be an understatement to say that these results are a significant outcome in a country which heretofore exemplified the welfare state, cultivated a strong labor movement and welcomed immigrants to feed at their trough. 

          This conservative trend can be seen throughout Europe, where fiscally conservative center-right parties have advanced in recent years and far right parties have made inroads.  Recently the Tories gained power in Britain with the Labour Party bringing in its worst showing since 1977.  Center-right governments now rule the four most populous countries in Europe …Germany, France, Britain and Italy!  Many smaller countries, such as the Netherlands, are beginning to lean this way as well and even Portugal decided this week to trim its deficit by making sweeping budget cuts.  Europe going conservative?  Who would have thunk!

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