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Daily Journal

JFK: Nobody Comes Close

Courage

Conviction

Confidence

Composure

Conscience

Command

Character

Class

In 1960 presidential candidate John F. Kennedy addressed the Greater Houston Ministerial Association. His message was simple, but his delivery was phenomenal. It’s astounding how relevant this speech is today, the mark of a truly extraordinary individual. How often these days we absorb the hyperbolic praise applied to those who scarcely deserve it.

Watch how JFK handles a room full of Protestant ministers in Texas.

I’ve split the video into 4 sections, the entire series is 46 min. long.

THE INTRO – Welcome, prayer, introduction of JFK

[flashvideo filename=vids/JFK_Ministers_Intro.flv /]

THE SPEECH – JFK’s moving and amazingly pertinent speech.

[flashvideo filename=vids/JFK_Ministers_Speech.flv /]

Q & A PART 1 – JFK takes questions from the audience, this is where it gets interesting.

[flashvideo filename=vids/JFK_Ministers_QA_01.flv /]

Q & A PART 2 – JFK shows what made him truly great.

[flashvideo filename=vids/JFK_Ministers_QA_02.flv /]

It’s important to note that this event took place while JFK was in the midst of his presidential campaign against heavily favored Richard Nixon, who had just spent 8 years as vice president in the white house with a very popular Dwight D. Eisenhower.  The room was filled with suspicious and in some cases slightly hostile protestant ministers.  To call the command he exhibited in this gathering impressive is a gross understatement.  He set the tone for a generation and inspired the world.

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San Clemente

Residents First?

Are the residents really first? or is it just another political slogan?

Can Mann be trusted?
Can Mann be trusted?

City council candidates Charles Mann and Bob Baker regularly reference their participation in Save San Clemente Open Space (SSCOS), a group formed to stop the rezoning of 50.5 acres at Pacific Golf and Country Club. Candidate Mann is a founder of SSCOS, however Mr. Baker originally was a supporter of Pacific’s plan to convert 9-holes of private recreational open space into 224 single family homes and Golf Villas.   Actually each of the founding members of SSCOS signed petitions in support of the project initially.  One of the SSCOS founders (a real estate developer) even demanded right of refusal on two lots or houses.  When contemplating casting a vote for someone to represent my best interests as a resident of San Clemente, I’ll consider those who come closest to my views on civic issues.  But first I need as best as possible to develop a level of trust for that individual, which includes gaining a sense about one’s ethics, honesty and overall character.  On the national level we have a plethora of media reports as well as sites like factcheck.org and snopes.com to monitor the veracity of statements made by the candidates, and stories or accusations related to them. On the local level it’s more difficult to determine who to trust.

The deception employed by SSCOS was addressed when Judge Warren Siegel ordered Mr. Mann to modify the language in 12 of 13 points in the arguments against Measure C he submitted to be included on the Feb. 5th ballot.  Judge Siegel ruled that the text was “false and misleading”.  However Mr. Mann, in Orwellian political doublespeak, claimed a victory.  Two examples of unethical behavior from SSCOS include:

A founder of SSCOS attended and spoke at the emotionally charged Talega parents meeting regarding the Capistrano Unified School District boundary changes in Dec. 2007.  He told the parents that if Measure C passed, their children would have less chance of attending their neighborhood school, Vista Del Mar, because the proposed development fell within Vista Del Mar’s boundaries.  The allegation was false, children from the proposed development would’ve been slated to attend Clarence Lobo, and the man speaking was not a parent of school age children, nor a resident of Talega. An obvious use of deceptive tactics to take advantage of San Clemente resident’s emotions.

The superintendent at Pacific and his wife were enthusiastically involved in the attempt to educate residents during the referendum petition drive in the summer of 2007.  A neighbor and close friend was approached by an SSCOS founder as she left Wal-Mart and aggressively encouraged to sign the petition.  When the neighbor refused, citing her friendship with the couple, the man lied saying that the wife had already signed and the superintendent wanted to, but would be fired if he did. The neighbor knew better and left.

Switched positions mid-game
Switched positions mid-game

These two examples of questionable ethics were not isolated events, in fact they illustrate the standard operating procedure of the organization that candidate Mann lead.  Mr. Mann continues to mislead residents in his statements regarding Measure W.  Is this the behavior of a candidate you can trust?

Lastly, I am saddened when viewing the images of our wounded brave men and women of military who are risking their lives to give you the opportunity to choose this November.  But I am enraged at the dishonor shown these protectors of our quality of life by those who disregard integrity and choose to manipulate the masses for their own self-serving agendas. Please choose wisely in November.

David Kelsen,

Former Director of Food & Beverage

Pacific Golf and Country Club

Categories
Daily Journal

San Clemente: Yes on Measure W

The Miramar theater
The Miramar theater

I’ve been staring at the embarrassing, dilapidated, health hazard we call the Miramar theater for several years now in the hopes that someone would either burn it down or blow it up. But then along comes The Lab. My first experience with the Lab was the Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa. The architectural design is artistic and smart, but besides that, there weren’t any mega-monopolistic corporate chains within smelling distance and the atmosphere was cool and relaxed. Upon initial earfull that the Lab was doing North Beach I immediately gained a historical perspective. Well that’s not true, but it did suddenly justify not decimating the Miramar. Why? Parking. You can wax nostalgic all day long, but if there’s no place to park, nobody’s coming. The passing of measure W validates the idea of a Miramar renovation. If you are a Miramar supporter, but against Measure W, then you are contradictory and therefore irrelevant.

Dave Kelsen
San Clemente Resident

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Daily Journal

Lights on, Nobody home – Adios mi amor

Is anyone paying attention to what vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is saying?  

Why is an ethics violator recklessly lobbing character assasination darts into the air?  

If this is the strategy, are McCain campaign advisors frantically posting their resumes on Monster.com?

Answers to these questions and more on Ramblings, forthcoming.

 

Palin guilty of ethics violations
Palin guilty of ethics violations

The state Personnel Board investigation found that Gov. Palin did commit ethics violations by allowing her husband to use her office and position to put pressure on state employees in the effort to fire state trooper Walt Monegan.

 

To date, two other ethics complaints are being investigated involving Palin.  One, by activist Andree McLeod, alleges that state hiring practices were circumvented for a Palin supporter. The case is not related to Monegan’s firing. The other, by the Public Safety Employees Association, alleges that trooper Mike Wooten’s personnel file was illegally breached by state officials.

In what could concievably be called Palin-speaque “let’s just call a spade a spade.”

After watching Palin’s carefully scripted (yet still clumsy) responses in the vice presidential debate, is there any question that anything she says is NOT meticulously composed?  The Republican propaganda machine is far, far too controlling to allow someone of Palin’s popularity to fly solo.  

So what could possibly be the motivation behind sending this inexperienced, slightly stupid, albeit affable, less-than-squemish curd out to do the dirty work?  

Let’s consider the two possible outcomes.  

If the Republicans win, party loyalists can laud the feisty, fresh exhuberence of a political outsider who helped champion the cause and initiate true change in a stodgy, suffocating, good-old-boy network.  

If the Democrats win, she’ll become a scapegoat for all the incoherent, asnine blunders made obviously by campaign organizing underlings with more venom than gray matter.  

Either way, she’s screwed.  

If the Republicans win, she’ll dissappear.  I expect a few controlled appearances, but for all intensive purposes, her political career will be over.

If the Democrats win she’ll be disowned and fade back into the perpetual Alaskan dusk, never to be heard from again.

by David Kelsen – scourge

Categories
Daily Journal

10 oversimplified steps illustrating why the bailout is bad idea from a historical perspective

And 8 easy ways to fix it

by David Kelsen

Here is the chain of events as it has played out over and over again, throughout history, because people just don’t pay attention.

  • A country incurs an expense it cannot fund organically
  • A country borrows from a source other than it’s own government to acquire the funds necessary to complete or continue whatever that thing is.
  • After much more borrowing, the country no longer has the ability to borrow
  • A country decides to print more currency (or make currency available based on a theoretical expectation) to further support the thing, whatever that is
  • The amount of money (or the promise of more money) increases, the amount of goods and services do not
  • Demand increases with the advent of more money, the costs associated with suppling the new demand increase incrementally
  • Prices go up – goods and services progressively become less affordable – money is devalued
  • A country sets price limits on goods and services
  • Suppliers and manufacturers can no longer afford materials or the labor to produce materials –  supplies diminish – people starve (or fling themselves from buildings and bridges)
  • Rationing rears it’s ugly head – unemployment and crime grow like bacteria on roadkill

Over-dramatic?

Maybe…, well actually no, events similar to this have been recorded as early as 218 A.D. in Rome.  If interested look up Diocletian, John Law, Germany (1920-1923) or just google “Hyperinflation”.  This is not a new thing, and yet the powers that be insist on reliving the past, as in:

“My foot is still bleeding from the last time I shot a hole in it”.

What do we do?

  1. The housing market needs to hit bottom (estimates; late 2009 to mid 2010)
  2. Financial derivative bundling needs to vanish
  3. Companies that operate poorly need to fail
  4. Banks that participated in funky practices need to take the hit.
  5. Executives that commandeered a failed business and/or presided over questionable practices need to be compensated on bottom-line performance
  6. Politicians need to leave the party behind and start working for the people and the country (instead of their buddies)
  7. Oil companies should disburse profit-sharing checks – TO THE WORLD POPULATION
  8. Potato chip packagers need to fill the damn bag
Categories
Daily Journal

MCCAIN IN FAVOR OF ABORTION!

By David Kelsen

McCain in favor of abortion
McCain in favor of abortion

Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, admitted on Saturday (10/11/2008) in Johnstown, Pa. that Republican presidential candidate John McCain is IN FAVOR OF ABORTION in cases where the pregnancy threatens the woman’s life. Additionally, In an interview on “Meet the Press”, McCain stated that cases of rape and incest are legitimate exceptions to anti-abortion views, which is in direct opposition to The National Right to Life stance. John McCain also told associated press reporter Ron Fournier that he would not support the repeal of Roe vs. Wade. McCain has got this voter thinking, What is going on? When it came to so-called legitimate exceptions, Dan Quayle correctly answered yes to the cheap-shot attempt by a savvy 11 year-old girl (obviously a democrat) in 1988. When asked if she should bring a baby to term that was conceived by paternal incestuous rape, the illustrious Mr. Quayle responded:

“You’re a very strong woman… Though this would be a traumatic experience that you would never forget, I think that you would be very successful in life. ” —-

Of course at the time, the girl was 11 years old, and not technically a woman. Quayle’s sharp sense of character assessment aside, telling a complete unknown prepubescent she’ll be successful post excruciating traumatic event is simultaneous artificial encouragement and deep ignorance. Which brings us back to McCain. Flip through some of his documented quotes sorted by presidential race and you’ll find a variety of different answers pending on the year, which makes sorting by relevance that much more difficult. Cut back to abortion, what determines a threat to a woman’s life? A physical condition exclusively? What if the expectant mom is a sociopathic convicted felon for child sexual abuse? How will she take to the child she was forced to birth? Or as in the example brought before VP Quayle, can you say with complete confidence that an 11 year-old girl’s life would not be threatened by a pregnancy and subsequent birth? Who are YOU to determine someone else’s fate? Pro-lifers call abortion murder, yet they can justify murder when the expectant mothers life is threatened. Why…? If pro-lifers believe as they say and life begins at conception, then why are there any exceptions? Murder is murder.
The abortion issue is too complex for a one-size-fits-all ruling. The decisions need to be made by the individual families involved. Diversity is one of our country’s greatest assets. The over zealous religious right believe that their way is best and continue to impose themselves on those who do not believe as they do. Some call that lack of respect. The republican spin-doctors are using the highly charged emotional juice from this issue to further their agenda. Freedom and the right to choose is called Democracy. What’s it called when the government chooses for you?

(the statements above are all true, although some may appear out of context, the author accepts no responsibility for the enlightenment of others through manipulation.)

Categories
Daily Journal

Palin Pallin Pall

What a comfy skin
What a comfy skin

Americans are obviously stupid.  A character attack from Gov. Palin?  Shards of fallen glass from what was once your roof surround you.

Excerpt from Branchflower Report: (Oct. 11th, 2008)

Governor Palin knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda, to wit: to get Trooper Michael Wooten fired. She had the authority and power to require Mr. Palin to cease contacting subordinates, but she failed to act.

Such impermissible and repeated contacts create conflicts of interests for subordinate employees who must choose to either please a superior or run the risk of facing that superioor run the risk of facing that superior’s displeasure and the possible consequences of such displeasure. This was one of the very reasons the Ethics Act was promulgated by the Legislature.

***

Governor Palin has stated publicly that she and her family feared Trooper Wooten. Yet the evidence presented has been inconsistent with such claims of fear. The testimony from Trooper Wheeler, who was part of her security detail from the start, was that shortly after elected to office, she ordered a substantial reduction in manpower in her personal protection detail … an act that is inconsistent with a desire to avoid harm from Trooper Wooten or others.

…It is noteworthy that in almost every contact with the subordinate employees, Mr. Palin’s comments were couched in terms of his desire to see Trooper Wooten fired for reasons that had nothing to do with fear. His comments were always couched in terms that he was a bad Trooper, that he was not a good recruiting image for the AST, that his discipline amounted to nothing more than a slap on the wrist, that nothing had happened to him following the administrative investigation, and so forth…

I conclude that such claims of fear were not bona fide and were offered to provide cover for the Palins’ real motivation: to get Trooper Wooten fired for personal family related reasons.

~~~~~

IFILL: Governor, please if you want to respond to what he said about Senator McCain’s comments about health care?

PALIN: I would like to respond about the tax increases.

~~~~~

IFILL: Would you like to have an opportunity to answer that before we move on?

PALIN: I’m still on the tax thing … I may not answer the questions the way that either the moderator or you want to hear…

~~~~~

Of course this is ridiculous. I hope he has had many conversations with Bill Ayers. Prof Ayers is a leader in school improvement. Read his bio. He is a distinguished professor at a major University and has contributed a lot to the field of education. The Woods Fund is a foundation that supports grassroots change efforts. Its an admirable foundation. This and the plagarism charge demonstrate who is acting like politics as usual. Can it get anymore stupid? I am afraid so.

~~~~~

Yet Chryson maintains that his party remains committed to full independence. “The Alaskan Independence Party has got links to almost every independence-minded movement in the world,” Chryson exclaimed. “And Alaska is not the only place that’s about separation. There’s at least 30 different states that are talking about some type of separation from the United States.”

~~~~~

According to Governor Sarah Palin’s former staff member Larry Persily, the Governor thought it was a good idea and planned to make an appearance on G.Gordon Liddy’s program. When suggested that a Watergate operative may not be a smart choice, Arctic Power co-chair, Mike Navarre, suggested most people didn’t know of Liddy’s background and his role in President Nixon’s administration and demise.

~~~~~

Sarah Palin attacking Barack Obama’s relationship with William Ayers is ironic. She’s playing a pit bull, but it’s not the Palin we know. The Palin we know wouldn’t have known who William Ayers was.

~~~~~

Todd:

Hey, honey…

Sarah:

Yuh (from the kitchen)

Todd:

Get me a beer?

Sarah:

You betcha

Oops, you missed two.
Oops, you missed two.
Categories
Daily Journal

Jesus is not a Republican

Let’s start with some facts:

  • Jesus was crucified long before the U.S. existed
  • Jesus did not have a political affiliation
  • Jesus was a Hebrew
  • Barak is a traditional Hebrew name (and existed in Jesus time, as opposed to the name Jesus, which did not)
  • The Old Testament was written in Hebrew primarily, and Aramaic

The English translation of the bible is an interpretation of a interpretive translation.

The first amendment of the U.S. Constitution establishes your right as a citizen of the United States of America to believe what you want and say what you want.

When 33 pastors participated in “Pulpit Freedom Sunday”  in September 2008, they complained that their 1st amendment rights were being violated.  In truth, only their tax-exempt status was at risk, however literature distributed by the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) stated that in most cases, nothing would actually happen.  So far, nothing has.  So why the big deal?  Churches are not obligated to file a return with the IRS.  In a 2006 article on psalm145.blogspot.com it was reported that the average church income is close to $5 Million per year.  Imagine having to suddenly pay taxes on that.  It’s not about free speech, it’s about the money.  But it gets worse.

Every church that participated in this event supported the 2008 Republican candidate from Arizona.  Coincidentally, the Alliance Defense Fund is based in Arizona.  Pastors reasons for swaying voters are mainly issues concerning abortion, same-sex marriage and stem-cell research.  With the exception of Roe v Wade, neither candidate would change the laws regarding these issues on a federal level.  So why would you support one or the other based on religious conviction.

Some Christians falsely believe that our country was founded on Christianity.  In the 16th Century, Queen Elizabeth punished those who would not conform to the Church of England.  For that reason, the United States of America was specifically designed to seperate church from state.

Devout Christians including Thomas Jefferson and James Madison believed strongly that religion should be separate from government.  The Constitution and the Bill of Rights apply to each and every person regardless of race, creed or sex.   So why do these pastors feel the need to mix their churches back in with the government?

Who is actually behind these actions?

Pro-lifers who supported John McCain also supported a war that was started under false pretense.  Pro-lifers that supported McCain supported the killing of men, women, pregnant women and children equally.  There is no question that the decision to invade Iraq was based on incomplete information at best, and deceit at worst.

Former Treasury Secretary Paul O’neill told “60 Minutes” of the newly elected Bush administration that “From the very beginning, there was a conviction that Saddam Hussein was a bad person and that he needed to go”.

Former Secretary of State, Colin Powell, who delivered the knock-out punch that convinced Americans of the threat, calls his dissertation on Sadam’s Weapons of Mass Destruction the lowest point in his life, that the information given him by the White House was anything but an intelligence document, some characterized it as a “sort of Chinese menu from which you could pick and choose”.  Secretary Powell was not told that one of the sources had been flagged as a liar and fabricator.

Former CIA director George Tenet stated that VP Cheney had is sights on Iraq as early as late 2001, early 2002 even though they knew Osama Bin Laden was in Afghanistan.  To think that we have not been fooled is naive, but to believe that it was “God’s will” in invade Iraq is insane.

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” – The Friends of Voltaire, Evelyn Beatrice Hall – 1906

Our country is a melting pot of cultures that have the freedom to choose their individual religious and philosophical beliefs.  Faith is the practice of tolerance, understanding and love.  Any law inhibiting ones ability to choose based on religious belief or preference goes against the very principle that our country was founded on and is therefore un-American to the fullest.  Government does not belong in your church.

If you’re not fighting to keep it out, you don’t get it.

Categories
Daily Journal

John, George, Dick and Sarah

(Weds. September 24th, 2008)

Telephone rings, an elderly gentleman in a nice suit picks up the phone.

John:

Hello?

George:

Hey John, what the hell’s going on down there?

John:

Things are going really well George.

George:

What the hell are you doing stopping the campaign, are you loco?

John:

Well, Sarah thought people’d think I really care about this wall street thingy if I suspended the campaign, you know, align my priorities …

George:

John, you’re not making any sense, did you clear this through Dick?

John:

You mean Rick?

George:

NO! Dick you idiot, everything goes through Dick!

John:

Well, no, ah..

George:

Oh my god, he’s gonna be pissed…

Look, I’m gonna have to call you back, I gotta call Dick and see what he wants to do.

(10 minutes later)

George:

Hello John,..

John:

Yes

George:

Look, if we’re lucky we can still turn this thing around, Dick said you still have mileage on that “Maverick” spin, so I’m going to invite you and the “boy” down to sort things out, you follow me…

John:

Ah..

George:

…then you’re going to walk in there with this plan that’ll kick the s**t out of the Dems plan and come off looking like, you know, a hero.

John:

But, I don’t have a plan.

George:

Dick will have one ready by the time you land in DC, bring your reading glasses this time.

John:

Okay, what about the debate?

George:

What about the debate?

John:

I don’t want to go.

George:

We’ll talk about that when you get here..

(the above conversation is fictional, any resemblance to actual people is purely coincidental)

Categories
Daily Journal

Obama vs McCain on the economy

This poignant video sums up the political approach by each candidate.

[flashvideo filename=http://www.flatheadenterprises.com/streams/ContrastObamaMcCain.flv width=”450″ height=”366″ /]

This youTube clip was found on the Jed Report