Blogservations by J.E. Braun
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Maybe After the Jobs Summit, We Can Invite Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Back to the White House for a Beer
Fri. Nov. 13, 12:00pm EST
President Obama has announced that he is going to have a Jobs Summit in December.
For the love of God, Barack, can't you do anything without some grandstanding? You've finally come to accept the fact that joblessness is a problem - despite your claims that the stimulus has created or saved - what is it now? - a gajillion jobs? Something gets my Spidey senses a-tingling over your numbers, though I can't quite place it. Yesterday, I saw somebody write on Twitter that the actual number was eleventy bazillion, but we all know that 'bazillion' is not a real number, so he was obviously lying. If he wanted us to believe his number was accurate, he should have said the stimulus had saved or created eleventy trillion jobs, because we all know 'trillion' is real.
So now we have a jobs summit. Maybe the President will sit down with Jobs and have a beer for a nice photo-op and a 'teachable moment'. The fact is, that while the right has been saying all along that no recovery is worth a damn if people are losing their jobs, the media and the administration have been fluffing it up for everybody, telling you to forget your quickly dwindling unemployment benefits and savings accounts, your pending foreclosure, your inability to buy Christmas presents for your family, and the fact that you're eating Ramen noodles for every mean because the recession was over!! We were back from the brink thanks to our savior Barack! What? Another half a million jobs lost this week? But that's fewer than last week! You should be THRILLED!
Then they started the whisperings about a jobless recovery. They needed to be able to point back to something at some point and say, "See, we warned you of this!" In the end, I guess when unemployment hit 10.2% (almost 18% if you include part time workers looking for full time work and people who have given up looking for work), it was hard to ignore - especially since the exalted stimulus was supposed to keep the unemployment rate from hitting 8%.
But, with the beer summit..sorry..the jobs summit nigh, is Obama all that serious about it? Well, how serious can he be when he's insisting on quickly passing cap and trade - which by way of testament of countries who have instituted cap and trade, kills 2.2 jobs for every 1 it creates? How serious can he be when Pelosi's healthcare plan will raise taxes on employers who will then need to cut back on jobs? I'm sorry, but jobs are NOT a priority for this administration.
If they were SO important, and this summit was SO necessary, why is it not being held until the middle of December? Last I checked, it was still not even the middle of November.
But maybe the problem is, he's got bigger fish to fry in the meantime. In case you haven't heard, 9/11 mastermind (Khalid Sheikh Mohammed oh, I'm sorry..according to Attorney General Eric Holder, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is now back to being a 'suspect') is being brought to NYC for trial. And now we've got a media circus on our hands.
Let's look at some of the problems with this, shall we?
1) The American court system...the liberties provided by the U.S. Constitution are for AMERICAN CITIZENS, not people who would see the United States destroyed given the opportunity (and, who have, in fact, tried).
2) This gives more popularity to the terrorists. It raises their esteem. It gives them marketing and recruiting opportunities.
3) In order to properly try this monster in court, all information will need to be revealed, all methods of acquiring that information will need to be revealed. I'm not even talking about torture, but top secret intelligence gathering methods will need to be revealed. If not to the world, at least to a terrorist and his attorney...but, yeah, to the world, too.
4) This opens the door for a mistrial. Do you think you can find somebody in New York City who isn't aware of the events of 9/11 to serve on a jury? So now there can be motions for a change of venue or claims of mistrial...at the very best delaying the trial, at the very worst, causing KSM to walk free.
5) If they manage to find people in NYC who have never heard of 9/11 - um, do you wnat the fate of this terrorist in THEIR hands? I wouldn't want the fate of a Judge Judy case in their hands..
This...man...should have had a military tribunal and disappeared into obscurity. This is foolish. Not to mention any time he spends in a prison, we run the risk of him radicalizing other inmates. Oh yeah, there's that. Oh, and did we mention the increased security risk of having KSM in NYC? I mean, do we not feel that this is a problem or is going to cost a boatload of money?
The more I see, the more I believe this administration does not have the best interests of the American people at heart. They're doing all this stuff for somebody...but it is not for us. -
Is it Politically Incorrect to Call Political Correctness "Jackassery"?
Wed. Nov. 11, 02:11pm EST
As I was driving into work today, I noticed a bumper sticker on a car in front of me and one lane over. It was one of those bumper stickers that I don't think you're meant to read unless the car is parked, because it's so small you have to get dangerously close to the other car and take your eyes off the road in order to read it. Mind you, I'm not saying I did that!! Goodness, no. I just happen to know what it says because I have, um...really good eyesight. Yeah, that's it.
Anyway, the sticker said, "Some days I hate being me, then I think about you and I thank God I'm not you" or something like that. I'm not sure if that was the exact quote because after I got about 3/4 of the way through the sticker, I became disgusted with this guy's total jackassery (which if not a word, SHOULD be a word) and ran him off the road.
I mean, seriously, he doesn't even KNOW me! Of course, a couple of my co-workers, a police detective, and the driver of the car have made the preposterous suggestion that maybe the sticker wasn't aimed at me personally. At least, I think that's what the driver said. It's hard to understand somebody from inside a full body cast.
Anyway, I wanted to quickly comment on the Ft. Hood shooting before reposting my Veteran's Day post from last year (after reading it, I decided it still said everything I wished to say). Ft. Hood was a tragic, avoidable event. 13 people are dead because we have become so politically correct in this country that we force law enforcement into a state of impotence. They can't follow up on what were an overwhelming amount of indicators that this shooter - Major Nidal Malik Hasan - had been radicalized. They knew he'd been speaking out against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Fine, everybody is entitled to their opinion, but here was a man who was saying that car bombings were justified. He was saying that he was Muslim first and American second. THAT poses a big problem for somebody who has sworn to fight ALL enemies of the United States both foreign and domestic. He had attempted to contact Al Qaeda (which apparently Chris Matthews of MSNBC's Hardball doesn't think is a crime). Yet, nobody stopped him because....HE WAS MUSLIM and they were scared as hell that it would be seen as discriminatory.
And now 13 are dead. Look, I expect that if somebody hears of a Christian extremist planning to go blow up abortion clinics, that that person be turned into the authorities and investigated. If a Jewish extremist was overheard discussing how he wanted to blow up Mosques, that person should be turned into the authorities and investigated. If a Buddhist..well...those Buddhists are peaceful little people, aren't they?
Anyway, this situation is worse. This man was a MAJOR in the U.S. Army and just like our political correctness puts our soldiers in harms way by restricting the rules of engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan, it caused the death of 13 people here at home. The insanity has to stop.
Now, in all that I wrote, did anyone see anything about condemning all Muslims? Or putting them in camps as the Democrats' hero FDR did with the Japanese during WWII? No. But we have to recognize extremism for what it is and not be like this self-righteous idiot Peter Santilli on Twitter who said that Christian drunk-drivers are a bigger threat to the nation. If you can't see that a drunk driver at NO point said, I am a Christian, therefore I'm going to drink, get in my car, and drive until I kill somebody and that drunk driving is not exclusive to any one religion, and that - therefore - religion has nothing at all to do with drunk driving fatalities, then you are, as stated, an idiot.
When all was said and done, there were red flags all over the place. 13 people are dead and shouldn't be. Political correctness needs to be put in check and fast, before more people die as a result. Now, of course, if anybody reading this agrees and is an agent or publisher, I have a novel, The Offensive about political correctness gone awry, for sale.
I'm just saying....
Anyway, as promised, here is last year's Veterans' Day post:
Thank You, Veterans
I woke up this morning and did not fear what the day would bring. - Thank you veterans.
I admired our home as I got ready for work - a home we are able to provide to our children because we can achieve anything we want in this country as long as we are willing to work hard for it. - Thank you veterans.
I kissed my children goodbye, and thought about the limitless possibilities for their futures. - Thank you veterans.
I kissed my wife goodbye and went to work, leaving her and the kids in the security and safety of our home. - Thank you veterans.
I listened to the radio on my way to work, choosing what I wished to hear. - Thank you veterans.
I breathed the sweet air of freedom that IS America and thought about the many men and women of the U.S. armed forces who have served in combat - men and women who put their lives on the line to provide the freedom we all enjoy today. I thought about them and I said, "Thank you."
In case you aren't aware, today is Veteran's Day in the U.S. Originally celebrated, and still celebrated to this day in many parts of the world, as Armistice Day - the day the armistice was signed to end WWI. Unlike Memorial Day, this is a day to honor those soldiers still living. Some would argue that these men and women, who saw first-hand the horrors of war have it harder than those that did not return - having to live each day with the memories of the things they saw and the friends they lost.
It's also important to remember our military men and women who never saw combat - the fact is, they volunteered to go should we need them, and that's just as important in my book. For those of us that never had to experience combat first hand, we can only thank God and these men and women that we have not had to.
On Veteran's Day, I also like to think of the parents and families of soldiers killed in action. To me, they are survivors as well - people who bear the scars of war. I know, as a father, I would easily give my life to protect my children. If the choice was me or them, there would be no choice. These parents gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom - their children. I know this is not necessarily the intent of the day, but I don't think any veteran would begrudge me for feeling this way.
Regardless, we should thank our veterans every day, but should it be something that slips your mind the rest of the year, make a point of thanking one today. As my friend, Ed - a US Marine, pointed out, especially make an effort to thank a veteran of WWII or Korea because time is running short on having the opportunity to do so.
War, as we all know, isn't always popular. Vietnam was heavily protested and the war in Iraq is one in which many Americans wish we had never gotten involved. Hopefully, though, we have learned something since the Vietnam era - that despite your opinions on the war - these men and women who fight for our freedom are heroes. They put their lives on the line VOLUNTARILY so that you and I may eat, breathe, sleep, work and play the way we want.
Never forget the sacrifices made on our behalf, breathe in the air of freedom that IS America, and thank a veteran today.
J.E. Braun is the author of Paranoia, a 9/11 survivor's tale. Jim survived 9/11, but his life did not. Follow one man's journey through post-traumatic stress as he attempts to rediscover what once made life worth living. 10% of profits from sales of Paranoia will be donated to the Twin Towers Orphan Fund (www.ttof.org). For more information, visit www.jebraun.com. -
Good Luck, Mr. Christie. We're All Counting On You.
Wed. Nov. 04, 09:35am EST
I'm proud of my fellow New Jerseyans today. Congratulations to Chris Christie on winning the gubernatorial race (alas, it will be quite some time before I get to use 'gubernatorial' as much as I have in recent days...). Anyway, we'll get back to Chris Christie in a moment.
I want to temper my pride in my fellow New Jerseyans just a drop because while we went out and crusaded against, in large part, higher taxes and runaway spending, we SIMULTANEOUSLY approved the state to BORROW $400 MILLION. Can we start to see why we're in such a mess? Look, open space is a nice thing, in fact, in my hometown I voted to NOT drop the amount set aside for it, but that did not include borrowing $400 million when we're already going to have a $10 Billion defecit. Oh well...that bird's flown the coop.
Now, for Chris Christie. I said all along, he might not do a good job, but he couldn't do worse than Corzine. Either way, we voted him in hoping he'd reduce property taxes, fight corruption, curb our spending and not bow to the massive NJ political machine. He's got a lot to live up to, that's for sure. It will be difficult because the state is in terrible condition, but I will not whine about 'inheriting this problem'. He will have an uphill battle against the state's mostly Democrat senate and Assembly (two assemblymen under indictment for corruption were voted BACK IN to office last night), but I will not cry that we need to 'give him a chance'. If he is attempting to do things that are good for this state, I will support him and if he does things that I deem bad, I will speak out against it. Either way, this man has a lot riding on his shoulders. This is a state that voted for Obama by a 16% margin one year ago today.
Now, I'm not saying this election was a backlash against Obama. Frankly, it was a backlash against Corzine. Look, you're a Democrat running in a VERY Democrat state. You have a Republican running that the Republican base isn't exactly thrilled about. You have an independent swiping votes from your opponent. Your party is financing advertising FOR the independent to get more votes away from the Republican. Obama visits 3 times (or more?), Bill Clinton visits, Biden visits, Al Gore visits and you still can't win? THAT is a backlash against Jon Corzine.
Now does it say anything for the national stage? Sure. It tells politicians that they are vulnerable no matter who they are. It tells them that just because they're Democrats in a Democrat state, doesn't mean we won't hesitate to vote them out if they're not doing what we expect them to do. Hopefully, more than anything else, it makes our Congressmen and women, and our Senators, THINK about their constituencies and vote for what the PEOPLE want rather than what they want or what lines their pockets.
Chris Christie already pledged to go on NJ101.5 once a month for the next four years to take calls directly from the people of NJ. Corzine was the first governor since they began doing that to say he wouldn't. So, already, he wants to be more accessible to the people.
Good luck Mr. Christie and congratulations. You have quite a bit riding on your shoulders and we're all counting on you. Now's the time for you to show us what you've got.
J.E. Braun is the author of Paranoia, a 9/11 survivor's tale. Jim survived 9/11 but his life did not. Follow one man's journey through post-traumatic stress as he attempts to rediscover what once made life worth living. 10% of profits from sales of Paranoia will be donated to the Twin Towers Orphan Fund (www.ttof.org). For more information, visit www.jebraun.com. -
Vote Early, Vote Often (OK, Just Kidding About the Often Part)
Mon. Nov. 02, 09:49am EST
November 2. Day of the Dead in Mexico. While that sounds creepy and may invoke images of restless spirits, vengeful poltergeists, animated skeletons and lumbering zombies, the reality is that all that occurs on the Day of the Dead is that dead people are entitled to a free dessert at Applebees.
Kind of anti-climactic, I know. Those Mexicans just don't know how to do a holiday. At least we would add a fireworks display.
Now, granted, I'm not Mexican, so maybe I have this all wrong, but I'm pretty sure the Applebees thing is accurate.
So, while today is the Day of the Dead in Mexico, tomorrow could be the Dawn of the Better Off Dead in NJ if Corzine is re-elected. Recent polls are encouraging, but the race is so tight it's really going to fall down to how many people get their backsides to the polls. If you want 4 more years of higher property taxes, higher sales taxes, loss of property tax relief, pandering to union bosses, theft of our money, broken promises, lies, and an 800% increase in tolls, go out and vote for Corzine. Can I promise that none of these things will happen under Christie? No, but Corzine already proved they WILL happen under him.
We've got to wake up, NJ. If we keep accepting the same corruption, fraud, waste, and abuse that we've been getting, then we DESERVE to be buried in taxes and to be run out of the state because we can't afford to live here. But, if you love living here, then now's the chance to make a statement. The entire Assembly is up for election. Let's boot all the incumbents out and make them understand that we're not going to take their crap any longer. Let's make it clear to the next group that if they come in and try more of the same, then they'll be gone too. Doing that will also let the Senators know that their days in office are numbered if they don't start representing us the way we deserve to be represented. We've had our state torn from us and, if you don't believe it, ask any of the hundreds of thousands who have been forced to leave the state in the past couple of years. Ask any of the businesses who have been forced to close their doors because they can't afford to operate in NJ's oppressive business environment (losing tons of jobs in the process).
We need to make our politicians understand that this is OUR state, not their plaything with which they can do what they please. Our personal income is not an endless pool of wealth that they get to siphon from anytime they have a self-serving whim. Enough is enough.
Get out there tomorrow and vote. Your ONE vote MAKES A DIFFERENCE, don't ever believe it doesn't. This race is practically a dead-heat. Polls open at 6am and are open until 8pm. Don't wait until the last minute, because a long line can make you miss your chance.
So, if you're going to Mexico tonight to get your free dessert at Applebees, just make sure you get back in time for the election. The dead will understand if you have to cut the night short a little.
J.E. Braun is the author of Paranoia, a 9/11 survivor's tale. Jim survived 9/11, but his life did not. Follow one man's journey through post traumatic stress as he attempts to rediscover what once made life worth living. 10% of profits will be donated to the Twin Towers Orphan Fund (www.ttof.org). For more information, visit, www.jebraun.com. -
Fantasy or Reality? Jon Corzine, Nancy Pelosi, and Slutty Halloween Costumes
Fri. Oct. 30, 09:43am EST
I'm going to borrow a format from one of my favorite fantasy football weekly articles and use it for politics and current events. The format is called Fantasy/Reality. The gist is, I take a statement of conventional wisdom and describe why it's either fantasy or reality. Simple, right? Ok, let's go.
Governor Corzine, being the financial genius he is, foresaw the impending recession and set New Jersey up to be ready to make the quickest recovery of any state.
Fantasy.
This Corzine campaign gem has not only been spewed by Corzine, but it's been regurgitated by Obama and Biden as they came to the state to stump for the man that's driven NJ into the ground the past 4 years. A recent Rutgers study shows that, in reality, NJ is not only not recovering faster than other states, but will actually be one of the SLOWEST recoveries in the nation. But, hey, I haven't exactly come to expect FACTS to be used by either Corzine or Obama. Why the slow recovery? NJ has one of the worst business climates in the nation with 11% corporate income tax, so there's no incentive for a company to either come here or grow here when someplace like, say, Pennsylvania, has a 3% income tax. Also, with housing costs so high, companies cannot lure good people here from out of state. So, by fantasy, I mean outright lie.
Any profession, character, or vague idea can be made slutty for Halloween.
Reality.
Just go to a Halloween party. It won't take long for this fact to set in. Dirty girlscouts, French maids, sexy nurses, yummy mummies (I just made that one up), you name it, it's slutty. Hot for this year: slutty iPhones and slutty Bernie Madoffs.
Jon Corzine, if re-elected, will care even less about NJ because he doesn't have to worry about re-election ever again.
Reality.
Well, he let the big one slip last night and the NY Times was there to take him to task. Some of you may remember that last year, Jon Corzine tried to monetize the NJ Turnpike and Parkway. The result would have been an 800% increase in tolls, not to mention additional tolls placed on roads that currently do not have them. The NJ population rose up, not just because it would have affected commuters, but EVERYONE in the state (additional tolls on trucks carrying goods equals increased cost of goods to consumer, trucks avoiding toll roads equals destruction of local roads not equipped for that type of traffic, etc. etc.). The plan, after a NJ101.5-led protest made the NJ voters' voices heard on the capitol steps, was scrapped. But, if Corzine is re-elected, he said he'd revisit the plan. Why? Because he no longer needs to worry about what we think. Also, expect the sales tax to go up again. Remember last time? 1/2 to close the defecit and 1/2 to property tax relief? Result: 1/2 immediately siphoned off by mostly Democrat senators to grants to their districts to help ensure re-election and the eventual loss of our property tax rebates. Gee, I wonder where the next 1 or 2% will go.
The Recession is OVER!!
Fantasy.
Well, there seems to be a new term floating around under this administration: jobless recovery. So, let's ask the 10% of Americans who are unemployed how happy they are the recession is over. By the way, that number goes above 17% if you count the people who have given up trying. Let's look at the claims: 650,000 jobs saved or created by the stimulus? Really? As hundreds of thousands are lost every month, you're going to try to claim that? Experts say there's no way to really know and that the numbers are highly inflated. 3.5% growth of the GDP? Not if you remove things like the one-time cash for clunkers influx. When things like that are removed, growth was around 0.3%. Growth, granted, but what happens next quarter when we see car dealers couldn't sell a car because all those who wanted to buy DID buy during Cash 4 Clunkers? Manufacturing down. Consumer Confidence down. And the list goes on and on.
"It is with pride and humility...blah, blah, blah" - Nancy Pelosi
Fantasy.
This was the beginning of Nancy Pelosi's speech as she made her public presentation of her healthcare bill. The public presentation that the public was locked out of. By the way, the deliberations were behind closed doors as well. The bill is just shy of 2000 pages, by the way. Amazing that, as Mark Levin pointed out last night, the Constitution - the document that created our government, guided our country and made us great for the past 200 years has about 4500 words. Pelosi's healthcare bill is almost 2000 pages! I list this as fantasy not because I don't think she's proud, but because I don't think she's got the slightest clue what the word humility means.
Corzine will get our economy back on track if we give him a chance.
Fantasy.
Corzine has made it clear, if given the chance he wishes to make NJ a more progressive state. For those of you unaware, progressive means bigger government. Bigger government means higher taxes and more spending. So plan on more of the same. Plan on things getting worse. Here's the thing, giving everybody things for free while only a small group pays for it is unsustainable. Either the people paying get tired of it and leave, or you drain them so much they slip down into becoming recipients as well. When government grows, it means new government jobs. Well, we already have 400,000 Government jobs in NJ and we're floundering. What some people don't get is, where does the money come from to pay for those jobs? OUR pockets. Taxes. See, unlike the private sector, government doesn't create wealth. They either print money or they tax. Since the states don't print their own currency, it means that to pay for these jobs as the government grows, they need to tax us more. We've already seen that Corzine is unwilling to cut the fat from the budget, so he's got to get more revenue. Whenever you hear him use the word revenue, don't be fooled - it means 'taxes'.
Somebody found me worth sponsoring.
Reality. No, really.
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Aliens are attacking NJ!
Fantasy.
But it was 71 years ago today that Orson Wells made a ton of people believe that, causing panic and riots. Same effect would be achieved today by making a radio announcement that Government-run healthcare had been passed.
One can eat too much candy.
Fantasy.
I'd even go so far as to say this one is pure blasphemous drivel. Tomorrow is Halloween and while many people will be comforting their children by telling them there's no such things as ghosts, I will be comforting myself by reminding myself there's no such thing as too much candy. Now, to pick out my costume for trick or treating...should I go as slutty nurse or slutty Spongebob?
J.E. Braun is the author of Paranoia, a 9/11 survivor's tale. Jim survived 9/11 but his life did not. Follow one man's journey through post-traumatic stress as he attempts to rediscover what once made life worth living. 10% of profits from sales of Paranoia will be donated to the Twin Towers Orphan Fund (www.ttof.org). For more information, visit www.jebraun.com.
