MLK Would Not Be Amused

Valerie Jarrett, a top adviser to President Barack Obama, went to Atlanta yesterday to make a "political speech in support of her boss (Barack Obama) and congressional Democrats". She did this on the day before the holiday honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and she made this campaign speech from the pulpit of Martin Luther King's own church — the Ebenezer Baptist Church. In that speech,

"Teachers, and firefighters, and policemen, whose jobs are now in jeopardy because congress, well let me be specific, because the Republicans in congress ..."

Before she could finish her sentence, people in the congregation were laughing, and applauding.

This should produce some comment, particularly since "it would have thrown the left into meltdown mode if done by a Republican", especially since "a voter registration drive was held at the church after the service." Democrats have loudly objected to Republicans even appearing at a church, much less openly politicking and campaigning.

Beyond that, Ms Jarrett and her boss and fellow travelers should be reminded of a few things, such as:

• Martin Luther King was a Republican, just like Abraham Lincoln.
• The majority of Republicans voted for civil rights legislation in the 1960, while the majority of Democrats voted against it.
• It was the Republicans who fought for anti-lynching laws, which were opposed and blocked by the Democrats.
• The Ku Klux Klan was was a wing of the Democratic Party. KKK members and leaders served in Congress, all as Democrats.

Ms Jarrett's Obama campaign speech looks like political deception at its finest.

Obama's "Recess" Appointments

President Barack Obama has now done something truly historic — he has now directly violated the constitution — he quite deliberately made "recess appointments" while the Congress was not in recess. He put Richard Cordray in place as director of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, knowing the Senate won't confirm him since Obama had already named him to that post some time ago through a legitimate process, and Democrats and Republicans in the Senate has made clear he won't be confirmed. He also put three union functionaries on the National Labor Relations Board, people he hadn't even bothered to nominate legitimately.

Obama justifies his actions with the transparently phony claim that "When Congress refuses to act, and as a result hurts our economy and puts our people at risk, then I have an obligation as president to do what I can without them."

In other words, Obama is really saying
And the fact of the matter is he can't, either legally or legitimately, do what he has done.

It looks like Obama just wants to create a huge fight with Congress. Certainly he must realize his huge slap in the face of the Democratic Party controlled Senate insures he won't get any cooperation from them. You can't ask someone for favors right after you've kicked him in the privates. And I'm sure Obama felt freer to take these actions because Congress had already passed the omnibus spending bill for the year. That means they can't just refuse to fund the offending agencies.

Naturally, Obama's big supporters (like Harry Reid & Nancy Pelosi — or is that Harry Pelosi & Nancy Reid) made excuses for his blatantly and explicitly unconstitutional actions. As they will for anything he does.

Personally, I don't think people in this country are as backward and ignorant as President Obama and his Chicago political machine believe they/we are. I think the much more likely poll truth will be this:
... and not just for Republicans — he's already had that effect on this Democrat.

More comments here.

Just remember — every dictator has said (and may have talked himself into believing) his actions were for the good of his country.

New Mexico State Question: Red or Green?

Yes, New Mexico has an official state question. The New Mexico State Question really is “red or green?”

To me, it seems the best answer to the question is “Yes!” But others may differ. And I must admit that, while I knew and enjoyed red chile when I was growing up in Tucson, I hadn't run across green chile there. Once I got to Albuquerque, though, I very quickly became addicted to green chile.

But I still enjoy both red and green. Here are some of my personal preferences. In enchiladas, it should be red. With carne adovada, also red. On hamburgers, it's got to be green. In and on burritos, green. In and on a chile omelet, definitely green. Huevos rancheros, green — except at Teofilo's 'cause their red chile is so rich.

And I nearly always prefer chile to jalapeños — I want flavor, not just heat.

New Mexico Centennial

Let's party!!

All year!!

It's the New Mexico centennial! On this date, January 6, in 1912, at about 11:35 a.m. New Mexico time, President William Howard Taft signed the proclamation and New Mexico became a state.

That's something to celebrate!

Celebrate with us! Answer the State Question: red or green?

Navajo Code Talkers

The Navajo code talkers worked in the US Marine Corps in the Pacific Theater in World War II. Their work remained classified for decades after the war. The code talkers were told not to discuss the important service they had provided, and they honored that commitment. Even their families didn't know what they had really done in the war.

Fortunately, the code talkers' work is no longer classified. The Navajo code talkers have an official web site. And some of the World War II code talkers are still alive — including just one of the "original 29" who created the code used with their native language. They made it a code within a code that even other Navajos couldn't decipher. They used their code and language to transmit military information in real time, in the one way that was never broken by the Japanese enemy. Overall, during World War II, the Marine Corps trained a total of 375-420 Navajo recruits to work as code talkers.

The Navajo code talkers are slowly becoming better known. And they are helping to preserve this important part of history, contributing to several books on the subject. Among these, the sole remaining "original 29" code talker is co-author of one book, while men from the second group contributed to another.

We met two of the code talkers — two of the second group of code talkers, the first group after the original 29 — who used the code in the Marine Corps' island-hopping campaign across the Pacific Ocean. They are among the men who contributed to the code talker memoir. These two men, and their code talker compatriots, are working to fund tribal educational endowments.

Kee Etsicitty and Jack Jones at a book signing
in Albuquerque, New Mexico, December 2011

Yes, we were proud to buy a copy of their book, and were honored to be able to have them sign it.

So many years later, these men still serve.

Happy New Year!

Thanks to a good friend half a world away.