The Last Straw by Ira Schwartz

This has been a rollercoaster of a year here in the United States. If it’s not some small North Korean with a Napoleon complex tossing around empty threats, it’s an ignorant Iranian President trying to pull a not very good sleight of hand with the world. Here at home, the missteps of OUR Government are beginning to add up and the patience of the people has now been stretched to its limit. How many straws will it take to break the camel’s back?

STRAW #1 - The continuing drone by the administrations attack dogs, Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid, regarding the Healthcare Reform Bill is mind numbing. Very few people actually believe their hysterical rhetoric anymore, including Democrats. They have embarrassed themselves and their party and still don’t realize that no one is listening anymore. 220 to 215 is not a “great” victory but an awakening call to all those that think they can vote against the peoples wishes and get away with it. 2010 will tell the tale.

STRAW #2 - Then there is Senator John Rockefeller’s Internet Bill S.773. Or as I like to call it “Now you have the internet, now you don’t” Bill. They tried to sneak this one through quietly and quickly, which should really be the watch word for this administration. This Bill would give our government the right, by law, to shut down the Internet whenever they felt it was threatened. The problem is, nowhere does the Bill define exactly what the threats would be or from who. If Fox news posts an article on their website criticizing the current administration would that constitute a threat? It could if this Bill were to pass. But the people found out about the bill and suddenly it disappeared. But don’t drop your guard because it swimming just below the surface waiting for just the right time to strike.

STRAW #3 - The war in Afghanistan rates a straw too. First we’re winning, now we’re not, but if we want to start winning again we need to send in more troops….forty thousand more troops. Weeks have passed without a decision from the Administration and Americans continue to die while the President makes up his mind. Now we hear we will be sending in four additional combat brigades. That’s pretty close to the number of men they said we needed to start winning again. So when are they to be deployed? I don’t know but the Administration said the plan will be transparent when it does happen. Well that would be a first for this Administration.

STRAW #4 - “Cash for Clunkers” Nuff said.

STRAW #5 - ACORN has also made the list. Almost every state is investigating some facet of this organization. Originally they were set up to help the residents of inner cities obtain needed housing and loans. But like a cancer, this organization has mutated and blossomed into a mob like syndicate allegedly involved in everything from ballot tampering to loan sharking. A vote on the hill removed their funding for the remainder of this year. Our esteemed California representatives, Maxine Waters, Diane Watson and Henry Waxman voted to continue the funding. I guess they’re okay with Acorn representatives teaching people how to set up prostitution rings and scam the government. 2010 is looking better and better.

Now ACORN is suing the Federal government to get the funding BACK. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. Only in America.

STRAW #6 - Barack Obama’s birth certificate. Give it a rest already. He was born here. If this is the best you can do to try and bring this man down then I suggest you get a day job. He was born in Hawaii, a place I wish I was now.

STRAW #7 - Fort Hood-Still an open wound in the side of this great country. Barely a day after the heroic victims of this terrorist attack had been laid to rest the FBI, CIA and Homeland Security began the “Blame Game”. They all knew of this man’s radical Islamic beliefs but deemed him NOT a threat. Guess they were wrong, AGAIN. And these are the people responsible for our protection. I have only three words for them, “Grow a pair”.

And to those of you out there that want to blame this on Barack Obama; remember it was on George W. Bush’s watch that America suffered its worst terrorist attack. There were signs then too but like today our great intelligent gathering organizations decided to look the other way.

STRAW #8 – North Korea. About 10 cruise missiles should do the job.

STRAW #9 – Iran. I say let Israel take out their nuclear reactor saving us all a lot of grief. With any luck they’ll take out Iran’s ignorant President too. If not….about 10 cruise missiles should do the job.

STRAW #10 – Our legislators. Since they think they know what’s best for us I think we need to return the favor. We need to cut their salaries; have them turn in their cars and gas cards; limit them to two business related trips a year, IN COACH; have them pay into Social Security and Medicare; make them pay the real cost of their Medical Insurance; remove their “golden parachute” pensions and last but certainly not least limit them to two consecutive terms. That should get their attention.

STRAW #11 – The Deficit – Can anyone even write down a number that big without running off the paper. Maybe we should just declare bankruptcy and start from scratch. That would really piss off China. The sad part is our grandchildren will still be paying this one off. Of course if we brought all our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan home we’d probably have it paid off in about 15 years. Then again we could always print more money……

STRAW #12 thru 19 - In a story released by CBS News on November 10th the U.S. Justice Department issued a Grand Jury subpoena demanding that Philadelphia based “Indymedia.us” website provide details of all reader visits on a certain day. Then they ordered them “not to disclose the existence of this request”. According to CBS News “Indymedia.us” is “a left-of-center amalgamation of journalists and advocates that – according to their principles of unity and mission statement – work toward "promoting social and economic justice" and "social change."

CBS News continued that “The subpoena from U.S. Attorney Tim Morrison demanded "all IP traffic to and from www.indymedia.us" on June 25, 2008. It instructed them to "include IP addresses, times, and any other identifying information," including e-mail addresses, physical addresses, registered accounts, and Indymedia readers' Social Security Numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, and so on.”

Once Indymedia’s attorney challenged the subpoena in writing and CBS got wind of the story the subpoena was withdrawn. The government’s response…”No comment”. The KGB would be proud of Tim Morrison.

STRAW #20 – Ex Governor Sarah Palin. She wrote a book and say’s its non-fiction. The link below disputes this.

http://www.knx1070.com/Sarah-Palin-s-Book--The-Fact-Check/5685429

The Democrats hope the Republicans are stupid enough to run this woman in 2012. It would almost guarantee Barack Obama a second term. Polls indicate she would get almost no Democratic and Independent votes and only about one third of the Republicans. For a struggling political party this is not the way to go. If she does run as the RNC’s candidate in 2012 it will probably lead to a major fracture of the party that would take decades to repair if at all. While I am not a Barack Obama fan any longer I would vote for him over Palin and I am not alone. That would be a very sad day for this country. Sorry Bruce.

Well that’s my short list. I know I have left things out so please feel free to add your own favorites. I bet we could get it to 100 if we really tried.

©2009 by Ira Schwartz. All rights reserved. Used with permission.