Memorial Day 2010

May 30, 2010 | Comments (1)

Three months or so after September 11, 2001, the day we witnessed a devastating attack by radical Islamic terrorists on our nation, I went to Ground Zero in New York City. As my friend, a native New Yorker, and I walked from Greenwich Village to Lower Manhattan, we could feel it in the air, growing more palpable, more intense, the closer we got to the site of America’s collective loss. Call it a sensation, an aura, the footprint of the souls who were taken from us that day, the “it” to which I refer here is something known only to those who have been to ground we call sacred.

This was not new to me. I felt it at Pearl Harbor. And at Gettysburg, too. I hope someday to experience it at Normandy Beach and that field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The footprint of the souls who left us in sudden fury. The souls of Americans who were taken from us.

I think of that sensation, those footprints, today on the eve of Memorial Day, the day when we honor the countless Americans who have given their lives, either consciously or in sudden unexpected fury, for our country. I honor as we all must the blood they shed for us, for our children, for the preservation of this extraordinary experiment we call home. And, though my words seem so feeble in comparison, I thank those extraordinary Americans for what they have done for us.

Our nation today is once again traveling treacherous territory. This time we are encountering threats perhaps not so overt as those we encountered on that day in December of 1941 or on the bloody battlefields of our nation’s terrible Civil War or on those beaches in France so far from home – threats that are thus probably even more treacherous because of that. So I think of that famous passage I would hope every American has heard and should embrace. To paraphrase, it reminds us that it is not the reporter or the lawyer or the politician or the preacher or the community organizer who gives us our precious freedoms, freedoms unique and extraordinary in all the world. No, we have only one individual and one individual alone to thank for those precious freedoms. The American soldier.

I for one will never forget the ultimate sacrifice the American soldier has made for me and mine, nor will I ever forget the ultimate sacrifice that soldier’s family has made for us. Knowing full well the enormity of what that sacrifice means to us all, I remain eternally grateful to that soldier on this Memorial Day and every day. And I pray that every American will join me in this. We must never forget.

Betsy Siino | Comments (1)

Obama Belittles the Murder of Daniel Pearl

May 19, 2010 | Comments (4)

Just when you think Barack Obama can’t be more lacking in conscience, emotion, blood and heart, he gets out there and outdoes himself again.

I offer this most recent example, given to us earlier this week when Obama signed the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act, remarking that:

“Obviously the loss of Daniel Pearl was one of those moments that captured the world’s imagination because it reminded us of how valuable a free press is…blah, blah, blah…sends a strong message… State Department is paying attention…blah, blah, blah….how other governments are operating… blah, blah, blah….”

I’m sorry, never mind all the typical Obama rhetoric that simply reveals once more how disconnected this President is from the real America, real people, and his own refusal to recognize evil for what it is and give it a name. No, this droid of a President had me at “captured the world’s imagination.”

For the record, Mr. President, movies “capture the imagination.” Books “capture the imagination.” The horrific murder of a man at the hand of Islamic terrorists – terrorists you won’t name as such but whom you will protect with the precious rights of an American citizen….that is an act of war, Mr. President, an act of terror, and a desecration of life and dignity. Nothing inspiring or imaginative about it, and disgraceful and disgusting is the man who would view it so.

Barack Obama’s imagination was apparently captured on February 1, 2002, when the rest of us watched in horror as Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was beheaded by masked terrorists in Pakistan.  Revealing to all the world the raw nature of evil, they tortured him, and they murdered him. On camera. Not because he was a journalist, but because he was an American. And a Jewish American at that.

Now Obama tells us that this atrocity was not what we all perceived it to be. It was not in fact yet another testament to the evil driving those who seek to destroy us and our children. No, he tells us in his customary cold, robotic manner, that it was a tribute to a free press.

Meanwhile, the colleagues in that free press that Daniel Pearl left behind continue to ignore the void within their beloved President, who would regard the violent death of one of their own as an imagination-capturing event. This should be their wake-up call, the signal that perhaps it’s time for them to open their eyes and acknowledge the shattering lack of humanity at the root of this and so many other Obama comments like it. I won’t count on this happening, of course. I trust these so-called journalists will continue to find it more comfortable to fill their cozy niches within this administration’s army of “useful idiots.” Indeed their President is relying on them to do just that.

Betsy Siino | Comments (4)

Thanks to the Grizzly Moms!

May 18, 2010 | Comments (1)

I want to thank all the Grizzly Moms out there who have contacted me since I praised the spirit of the great mother bear in my last post.

In the crazed times we are now enduring, sometimes it’s natural to feel we are all alone in the wilderness, facing circumstances none of us ever dreamed possible in this great nation of ours. We need to be reminded from time to time that we who love this country and want to preserve and protect her for our children are not alone.

When I hear from others out there who share my love for this nation and my faith in our people, then I know this insanity will be short-lived. You all are doing that for me, as you express your own love for this country and our heritage; your genuine concern for your children, their futures and our liberties; and your faith that together we will prevail in the ferocious spirit of mama Grizzly herself.

So many thanks to you all for reminding me that I am not alone. May this serve to remind you that you – and all who share our love for this country – are not alone either. Keep the faith. We will see morning in America once more.

Betsy Siino | Comments (1)

Sarah Evokes the Great Spirit of Mama Grizzly

May 16, 2010 | Comments (2)
Once again Sarah Palin has said “boo” and whipped the left into an hysterical frenzy. And this time, it’s personal for yours truly, because this time she evoked the spirit of the great mama Grizzly, as we on this site know to be one of the fiercest, most ferocious creatures on God’s blue planet. Knowing that such a creature belongs to the right and the right alone, and with no such warrior of their own to claim, the left just doesn’t know what to do with itself. Or with her. Or with us. Again.

Sarah told an audience last Friday that it will be the women of the right, the “mama Grizzlies,” who will “take this country back” come November. This is no news to us, the women of the right. We mama Grizzlies have never swayed from our belief in our nation and her people. But those on the left would rather not be reminded yet again that our side is rich with heroic women, who know exactly what this country stands for and are not afraid to say what needs to be said and do what needs to be done.

Follow the direction of the venom they spew, and you will find who the left fears most. From Sarah to Michele Bachmann (Nancy Pelosi’s greatest nemesis) to Arizona’s fearless Governor Jan Brewer to Michelle Malkin and Ann Coulter to the courageous women who for the past year at town-hall meetings across the nation have stood up face to face in courageous opposition to the President and his congressional lapdogs, to moms who have demanded that their kids’ schools cease and desist in proliferating this administration’s leftist propaganda and the desecration of our flag, to the women of all ages and economic circumstance who have cast conservative votes – we the ferocious mama Grizzlies, moms and non-moms alike, are their greatest fear.

We know this by their squeals of protest. By the insults they hurl. By the names they call us and their claims that we are stupid, uneducated, illiterate and ignorant. I revel in those names, for they reveal so clearly the underlying fear at the root of such attacks launched by women of the left and their unmanly, namby-pamby men.

What awaits, and what has already begun, just may be the greatest “cat fight” in history. Indeed in our culture, the proverbial cat fight is regarded as a joke, celebrated with lighthearted aplomb in television sitcoms and sports bars and mens’ locker rooms everywhere. But as severely out-clawed and out-fanged as they are now, I doubt our opposition will find – or is finding – a bear fight, more specifically a Grizzly mom fight, quite so laughable.

Betsy Siino | Comments (2)

Happy Mom’s Day!

May 9, 2010 | Comments (0)

On this day I pray for all children to be blessed with nurturing, loving moms, who not only give them the care and cuddles and guidance they need each and every day, but also protect them and their families with the fierceness embodied in our legendary mom Grizzly. There is no greater calling.  

Wishing a happy day to moms everywhere — moms, grandmoms, sisters, aunts, foster moms, moms-to-be, wannabe moms, grizzlymoms, and every mom in between. And a happy day to all who love them.  Cheers!

Betsy Siino | Comments (0)

Taking Us for Fools Yet Again in the Wake of a Would-Be Attack

May 8, 2010 | Comments (1)

Update (May 10):  Attorney General, Eric Holder, perhaps realizing that the American people weren’t buying the party line, has acknowledged that previous claims about the would-be Times Square bomber acting alone, reacting to his inability to reach the American Dream, yada, yada, yada, were apparently off base.  The United States, he now says, has ”developed evidence that shows the Pakistani Taliban was behind the attack.” No surprise there, Eric. Maybe next time you’ll listen to us.

Original Post (May 8):  Lots of polls – scientific and otherwise — making the rounds almost hourly these days. Let’s conduct our own completely unscientific poll here, and measure what might be labeled the most humorous aspects of Faisal Shahzad’s attempted bombing of Times Square on May 1st, and the administration’s and their lapdog media’s response to that would-be attack.

*  Lapdog media hacks presuming the alleged perpetrator, before and after he was identified and apprehended, to be an obvious member of the Tea Party. See how violent those right-wingers are? (They fell short of calling him a teabagger.)

*  The lapdogs’ anguish upon learning that the alleged perpetrator was a Muslim named Shahzad rather than a Christian named Billy Bob, Jeff, Bubba or Sarah Palin.

*  Shahzad painted as a disgruntled family man, just trying to make ends meet and facing mortgage foreclosure in the unfair, cutthroat, racist world that is America.

*  Shahzad proclaimed an obvious amateur (thus no real threat), who had no idea what he was doing, despite his knowledge of explosives, his possession of explosives, and his knowledge of airline/airport operations and vehicular identification practices.

*  Media and administration alike proclaiming the White House victorious in stopping this attack — at the same time claiming there was no threat because of the alleged perpetrator’s amateur status.

*  Shahzad’s being granted American citizenship one year ago, despite his many trips back and forth to Pakistan and documented meetings with known suspicious individuals.

*  Shahzad’s ability to board a plane for the Middle East without that pesky “no-fly list” from which he was removed a year ago to stop him, despite his many trips back and forth to Pakistan and documented meetings with known suspicious individuals.

*  White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs’ now-familiar stuttering and stammering, finally resorting to that now-familiar standby: “Blame Fox News. It’s their fault.”

*  Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s now-familiar channeling of the deer in the headlights as she is once again asked to explain this administration’s actions (or lack thereof) and the safety of our America.

*  Shahzad hated George Bush, so what do you expect?

*  He acted alone.

Hmm. Come to think of it, none of these are funny. We the people end up the losers once more, our country at risk, our families in danger. No, not funny at all.

Betsy Siino | Comments (1)

Justice Prevails for Three Navy Seals

May 7, 2010 | Comments (0)

On December 7th of last year, a date we know historically as “a day of infamy,” I wrote of the disgrace of seeing three of our Navy Seals being court martialed for their alleged aggression in their capture of terrorist Ahmed Hashim Abed. Never mind that this terrorist (yes, I said terrorist) is considered the mastermind behind the murder and desecration of four American contractors working in Iraq. Not surprisingly, our current administration remains unconcerned about that aspect of the case. Their concern, their fearless leader included, is that in the process of this capture, these three Seals allegedly gave Abed a fat lip or called him a name or stepped on his toe or some such nonsense.

But such ridiculous (treasonous) foolishness aside, May 6th of this year marks another day of infamy, for on this day, the last of our Seals being forced to face this ultimate betrayal from the nation they have sworn to defend and protect, was found not guilty. In other words, for Matthew McCabe, Julio Huertas and Jonathan Keefe, justice has prevailed. And we may all sleep more peacefully for it.

These heroes followed their sense of honor. The can take comfort tonight, not only in their ongoing knowledge that they did nothing wrong — and indeed they insisted on going to trial when they could have struck a deal and avoided the circus – but also in the fact that the vast majority of Americans are rejoicing in their exoneration. In other words, we the people have all along supported and honored them for bringing to justice a terrorist who wants to destroy us, and our thoughts and prayers stayed with them throughout their ordeal. I, of course, speak here only for “we the people” who, like them, revere our Constitution, not the clowns in this adminstration who desecrate that sacred document – and who made this court martial all possible.

Speaking of the clowns, given the outcome of these court martials, I have a question for we the people. Faced with the threats of those who want to kill us — and who make this desire quite clear every few weeks or so on our own soil and in our own airspace — just who would you like out there on the front lines ensuring that our children and our nation remain safe and secure? The namby-pamby elitist intellectual throwbacks to the 60s now wobbling through the halls of the White House and its environs and reading terrorists their rights? Or the likes of Matthew McCabe, Julio Huertas and Jonathan Keefe? I think you know my answer to this question. And I think I know yours, as well.

Betsy Siino | Comments (0)

But Names Will Never Hurt Us

May 4, 2010 | Comments (3)

For the last year or so, the left has told the right in no uncertain terms, like never before, in the most condescending manner possible, that those who oppose their left-wing – make that socialistic, even fascistic — agenda, are to be named the worst of the worst.

Oppose them, and you are “Hitler.” You are “haters.” You are “rageaholics,” “angry Americans,” “truthers” and “tenthers” (those who dare believe in the 10 amendment of the Constitution). You are “religious extremists” and “terrorists” (though don’t dare call a jihadist, the 9/11 perpetrators or the Fort Hood slaughterer, such a vile name). You are “racists,” “goons,” “rednecks”and “astroturfers.”

The list never ends, and indeed they seem to come up with new terms almost daily, patting each other on their collective backs for their oh-so-clever collective intellects that so-succinctly keep us neanderthals on the right in our place. Most recently, the Gulf Coast oil-rig disaster has been christened “Palin’s folly” by a pathetic leftist or two, and even the President of the United States, that scion of civil discourse, has ramped up his own additions to the fray, calling those who oppose his agenda “teabaggers” (well aware, no doubt, and with an arrogant smirk, no doubt, of the full implications of such a slur).

What you won’t hear the oh-so-clever clever name-callers admit, however, is their understanding that we neanderthals on the right couldn’t care less what they call us. Indeed we just add the newest additions to the list and laugh at the obvious desperation they represent. And that is driving our opponents, the clever name-callers, completely insane. That is why they continue to struggle almost daily to come up with more and more names to hurl our way.

But, as they see daily, their slurs fall on our deaf ears. I have been called Hitler (and much worse) myself from time to time – and this in response not to what I write here, but to puff pieces I penned about dogs, horses and small fuzzy pets (it doesn’t take much to incite some people – and, it would seem, some Congressional representatives, Presidents and presidential mouthpieces). We cannot, will not, fear their words. Those who oppose us may say what they will, but we in turn remain undaunted in our love for our country, our founders’ ideals and the enduring documents that made those ideals not only a reality, but the last best hope on earth.

So keep it up, guys. While many on our side who have been physically injured by left-wing thugs since January 2010, can testify, your sticks and stones – and punishing legislation – can break our bones. But your names will never hurt us. Indeed all they do – along with those sticks, those stones, those fists and baseball bats — is strengthen our resolve.

Betsy Siino | Comments (3)