We Won’t Forget You

May 30, 2011 | Comments (0)

As some readers have noticed, access to this site has been limited of late.  In the immediate wake of my recent mention that I was a voice recently targeted for silencing, the site was slammed by a crippling onslaught of spam. The problem is being addressed, we are back up and running again, and I will view this as a badge of honor that comes from hitting a chord.

One of my readers who had difficulty getting through wanted to make sure her tribute to the fallen who made this country great would be posted.  I will thus let her eloquent words speak for this week’s commemoration of  the men and women who have died in service to this country, for this country:

“My father is a WWII Marine – 6th Division, China, South Pacific – he is now 86 years old and I am as proud of him today as I was when I was a little girl. I am proud of all our Marines: past, present, future!!! May GOD Bless All of YOU!!!  To ALL of our Soldiers, Veterans, and Fallen Heros – Thank you for your service to our country and for your ultimate sacrifices to keep my sons, our country, and me safe and free!!! God Bless You – All Our Heros and Our Great Country – The United States of America!! Thank You!”

And thank you all for your patience, and for your perseverence in getting this country back on track once more as the last great hope of man on earth.

Betsy Siino | Comments (0)

The Navy Seals Take Out Osama Bin Laden

May 2, 2011 | Comments (0)

A great day for America. Osama Bin Laden is dead. Almost 10 years after that terrible day in September of 2001, our U.S. Navy Seals, in a mission seemingly scripted for an over-the-top action/adventure flick starring Bruce Willis or Sylvester Stallone, shot the 9/11 mastermind in a protected compound in Pakistan, took his body, and escaped the scene without a single American casualty.

My heart and thanks go out to the Navy Seals who made this happen; to our U.S. troops who serve so courageously in this most treacherous corner of the world (and, of course, to their families); to the American intelligence network that has stayed the course despite a precarious political landscape on the homefront; and to George W. Bush, who, amid the ravenous vitriol sent his way while he occupied the White House, ensured our military presence remained a strong foundation in the Middle East for the protection of us here at home.

As we celebrate this momentous day, let us remember that this war is not over. The Navy Seals who carried out this mission this weekend and our troops who keep us safe know this. And we must know it, too.

Betsy Siino | Comments (0)

Do You Hear the People Sing?

November 1, 2010 | Comments (2)

Do you hear the people sing?
Singing the songs of angry men.
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!
(Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg)

I am a great lover of musical theater. And as my family well knows, I like my theater dark and tragic, rich with the immortal themes of injustice, redemption, pain, healing and unrequited love, temptation and salvation, courage and sacrifice, tyranny and triumph.

Not surprisingly, then, topping my list of all time favorites is the magnificent Les Miserables, the epic story of hero Jean Valjean and the people of an early 19th-century France vowing to bring justice and representation to their corrupted nation.  Here we find, as well, the equally magnificent song from above: “Do You Hear the People Sing?”  This song has not-so-mysteriously popped into my head repeatedly over the last week or so, particularly tonight on the eve of Election Day, 2010.  I can think of no better commemoration.

Tomorrow is a day many of us thought would never come.  I need not reiterate the significance of this day for the salvation of our country, but if we the people do not decisively take our country back tomorrow, I don’t know if we ever will.  But I also have complete faith that the people of my country, “singing the song of angry men,” will not let me down. Tomorrow, fired by that anger, may our votes speak for the fact that “we will not be slaves again.”  As they also say in Les Mis, “one day more.”  See you on the other side….

Betsy Siino | Comments (2)

Miracle in Chile

October 13, 2010 | Comments (2)

There was not a dry eye in our house last night when the first of the 33 miners stuck underground for the last 69 days in Chile was brought to the surface in a narrow rescue capsule barely large enough to carry a child.  Nor was there a dry eye tonight when the last of those miners, Shift Foreman Luis Urzua, exited the rescue capsule to cheers, applause and silent prayers of thanks.  The heroism on display in Chile since these men were trapped more than two months ago, which has culminated over the past 24 hours as the world watched their rescue, can be described only as a testament to the human spirit.

Tonight we celebrate the efforts of engineers, paramedics, psychologists, physicians, NASA scientists, excavation experts and everyone in between, as 33 miners, feared dead for the first 17 days of their captivity, emerged from their underground prison. Tonight we reflect on the amazing stories of men, who, under the leadership of Shift Foreman Urzua, who took matters into their own hands, rationed their supplies, never gave up hope, and refused to go down without a fight.  We hear of true unadulterated heroism and courage in the rescue workers who volunteered 24 hours ago to take the rescue capsule down into the mine to prepare the miners for their pending rescue.  And tonight we witness Chile’s President, Sebastian Pinera, with tears in his eyes, sing his nation’s national anthem, then offer spontaneous, heartfelt words of praise to the rescuers, to the miners, and to his God for the miracle his nation celebrates tonight – and all without a teleprompter.

As a side note, I thank Fox News for giving this story, this miracle, the full-court coverage it so richly deserves.  Apparently their competition did not find it so worthy, the other cable news outlets deeming Michael Moore, Tea Party anger, eating disorders and celebrity breakups more important than the arrival of the last miner at the surface.

As for those of us who find such programming choices disgraceful, our prayers go out to the rescue workers still underground, who risked their lives over the last 24 hours to help the miners reach daylight once more. May they, too, reach the surface soon and safely, and know the awe they have inspired with their heroism. The same goes for the miners they helped rescue. We wish them the best in their recovery from their ordeal, and we thank them for reminding us that miracles do happen.

Betsy Siino | Comments (2)

Portrait of an Everyday Patriot

August 3, 2010 | Comments (1)
A woman near and dear to me recently attended a town hall hosted by her Congressman, George Miller (D-CA). She had waited a year to attend such a meeting, writing and calling Congressman Miller almost daily. But her congressional representative, like so many of his colleagues, has been hiding under a rock for the last year, tiptoeing out only long enough to jump a jet back to DC, safe from his constituents 3,000 miles away.

For those unfamiliar, Congressman Miller (D-CA) is an entrenched San Francisco Bay Area representative who not only votes however his Bay Area mistress Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) — and, by extension, fearless leader Obama — mandate, but is also the driving force behind the idea that the federal government should take possession of the nation’s 401K accounts. According to Congressman Miller, the feds are far more qualified to take care of your 401K money than you are. You understand.

But on this particular summer day, suddenly believing the media propaganda that the American people have forgotten their rage and are climbing onboard the Obama express, Congressman Miller ventured out into the sunlight and into a Bay Area auditorium.

It didn’t take long for the Congressman to learn he had severely misread the tea leaves. Before he knew it, he was being hailed by a woman – a mom, a grandma, a regular American – a woman whose emails, letters and phone calls he had successfully dodged for over a year. Before the night was over, this woman, a woman so near and dear to me, would emerge an everyday American patriot.

She took the microphone and told Congressman Miller that she had no question, but rather a statement to share with him. Her only intention was to verbalize what she had been writing to him for months, this time making sure he heard. She would report afterwards that she no idea her words would garner such cheers and applause from the other people surrounding her as, for the first time in her life, she spoke in a public forum. Health care, cap and trade, crippling taxes, the future of her grandchildren – she covered them all with that pure and organic eloquence that comes only when true passion is the source.

And as a mom and a grandma, practiced in the art of motherhood, not politics, she informed her representative that she did not appreciate the canned mass-mailed and spammed form letters that were his only contact with his constituents. “Congressman,” she said, “in one of your emails you said, and I quote, ‘I am working very hard to pass these bills in order to help you make smarter decisions.’ Congressman, I am 71 years old. I do not need you or the government to help me make smarter decisions!”

What she did need, she told him, was for the government to stop. “Please stop,” she pleaded. “Just stop the spending and the government takeover of every aspect of our lives….we have the right to make our own decisions, and we will make our own choices.”

Much to Congressman Miller’s relief, you won’t find this on YouTube. The woman at its heart wasn’t looking for viral notoriety so she made no such preparations. Her intent was simply to be heard by the man ostensibly elected to represent her and her family’s interests, a man who at one point during her statement tried to stop her, to quiet her, but, trained as she is as mom and grandma, she informed him she would finish, and he would listen.

And he did listen. He had no choice. What he heard will have no bearing on what he does, of course. Nancy and fearless leader Obama hold those reins. But others listened. And others are listening all across the country. And others are speaking up for the first time in their lives, too, just like this everyday patriot who is so near and dear to me. And to you. And to all Americans who applaud those who are finding a courage they never knew they had to stand up in defense of the country we love.

Betsy Siino | Comments (1)

Waiting for Left-Wing Apologies to General Petraeus

June 25, 2010 | Comments (2)

Well, two days have passed since Commander-in-Chief Obama dismissed General Stanley McChrystal and handed control of the Afghanistan theater of the war on terror over to General David Petraeus. Two days, and I have yet to hear an apology from Obama or Hillary or any of their kindred left-wing spirits in Congress, who just months ago referred to General Petraeus as a failure as Commander of the war in Iraq, and joined forces with those who would refer to him gleefully and oh-so-cleverly as General “Betray-us.”

While I am waiting for this apology (and not holding my breath), I imagine what I presume the scene  might have been two days ago in the editorial offices of Rolling Stone. I imagine the staffers, editors and writers gathered around an office television, hanging on the every golden word of their beloved Obama. As soon as they hear that magical announcement — ding, dong, McChrystal is gone – deafening cheers, joyous high-fives and leaps into the air erupt in response, all-out celebration for the death blow they have so successfully dealt the U.S. military.

But then, one in their midst, his eyes and ears still directed toward the tube, calls for them to cease and desist in their revelry. Face ashen and drawn, he calls their attention back to their beloved O. They watch in silence. In shock. They can’t believe what they are hearing. David what? The Betrayer in Afghanistan? No! The celebration has ended as suddenly as it began. And this time, whether they and their fearless leader in the White House care to acknowledge it or not, their nemesis, the U.S. military, won’t be so easily taken down.

In fact, at this very moment rumors are flying that General Petraeus agreed to take over in Afghaniston only on condition that he can alter the notorious rules of engagement that have severely curtailed our warriors’ abilities to carry out their missions and to protect themselves on the ground. I’m sure these rumors have not escaped those Rolling Stone staffers, who, should the rumors prove to be true, fear they won’t have another cause for celebration any time soon.

Betsy Siino | Comments (2)

General McChrystal’s Dismissal and a Failing President’s Panic

June 23, 2010 | Comments (4)
So General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of our U.S. troops in Afghanistan, is summoned to the White House to explain comments critical of the Obama administration in Rolling Stone Magazine. The military hit piece insinuates that the General and his inner circle are not all that pleased with Obama and his minions (even though he, the General, allegedly voted for Obama). General McChrystal is summarily dismissed by Commander-in-Chief Obama, a man unworthy even to lick the combat boots of this American hero, who for decades has upheld his Constitutional oath to protect this nation from all enemies, both foreign and domestic.

And I say, thank you, General McChrystal. Perhaps by your own design, you find yourself playing a key role in this flagging President’s pathetic effort to suggest he is a leader in a time when his incompetence is being showcased in circus-like clarity to America and the world. Perhaps you and your staff were insubordinate in even considering (for whatever reason) speaking with Rolling Stone, but you are no fool, Sir, and I am confident you knew exactly what you were doing.

For months I have ranted that our military cannot possibly respect this man they are forced to regard as their Commander-in-Chief. Perhaps this recent event, then, is a message, a sign sent to us from our troops, reassuring us that despite their mandated courtesy, the military at large does not in any way respect or trust this radical left-wing administration and the man at their helm.

We have seen glimmers of this, particularly in the less-than-boisterous response our military tends to offer the President when he enters a room. This occurred most recently, when the light applause that greeted Obama for his West Point commencement address forced him to delete a reference to overwhelming cheers from his telepromptered speech. It’s downright laughable to imagine that this anti-war, anti-military “community organizer,” who surrounds himself only with like-minded sixties throwbacks (“wimps,” their critics in Rolling Stone called them) would somehow believe that the greatest military force in the world would follow them blindly in their efforts to bring our great nation to her knees.

Nevertheless, Obama today justified his dismissal of a man so blatantly his superior in a phony, hawkish speech, insisting, without any shred of authenticity, that he values debate among his team and that he reveres the greatness of America and her military. If he says it, he figures once again, we will believe.  And, once again, he is wrong. In fact, early response to his latest phony speech indicates that far too many Americans for Obama’s comfort are once again viewing him, his words and his actions as wrong, ineffectual and dangerous.

 Obama has told us, as well, that General David Petraeus will be taking the reins in Afghanistan. In his phony-hawk speech Obama sang General Petraeus’ praises, apparently hoping we’ll forget those halcyon days when he counted himself among the tyrants in our government who referred to this American hero as General “Betrayus” and treated him with abject disrespect when he testified before Congress about our troops’ success in Iraq. But we won’t forget, Mr. Obama. Ever. And you can bet that despite whatever you discussed today, General Petraeus hasn’t forgotten either.

The bottom line here is that this is simply another wrench thrown into Obama’s ongoing troubles that seem to be spiraling out of control by the day. And, as with all the pathetic, face-saving, panic-driven decisions he makes, he will soon be reminded yet again that there are consequences to his unique blend of thuggery and ineptitude.

Though Barack Obama attempted to appear strong and decisive to the masses today (his expression revealing another truth), his decision unleashed a man of true leadership and heroism who can squish him like a bug, both literally and with his now-liberated freedom of speech. The General has street cred among us “regular Americans” that the current occupant of the White House will never have. Despite General McChrystal’s alleged vote for Obama – which, frankly, I find the most shocking element of this entire story – I have a feeling the General  will do much in the months ahead to make amends for a vote that helped to sentence our nation to Obama’s twisted dominion.

In the meantime, as we await the fallout of General McChrystal’s dismissal and a failing President’s panic, my prayers remain with our troops in Afghanistan. Once again they find themselves pawns in an insidious game of wonton D.C. decisions that place political aspirations and posturing above their safety, their security, and their dedication to protecting our United States. May God be with them. May God be with us all.

Betsy Siino | Comments (4)

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)

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)

Betrayal in Austin

February 18, 2010 | Comments (0)

February 18, 2010 | Comments

This morning our nation fell victim to what appears to be an act of domestic terror, when a disgruntled American, Joseph Andrew Stack, crashed his private plane into a building in Austin, Texas, flashing us all back in a heartbeat to that terrible day in September of 2001.

The attack was preceded by the alleged perpetrator’s online posting of a manifesto outlining his anger at the United States government in a day and age when “taxation without representation” is epidemic. He then lit the home occupied by this wife and daughter on fire, and went on to crash his plane into a building that apparently housed an IRS office. Much is yet to be learned about this event, which occurred just a few hours ago, but we do know that his wife and daughter, and most of those in the office building (thanks to amazing acts of heroism for which Americans are legendary) survived. Stack is counted among the casualties, yet he carried out his mission intending to take as many souls as possible with him.

In the rambling pages of his online rant, we learn that, for whatever reason, life has been difficult for Joseph Stack. Seeking a source to blame, he insists that he lives in “a country with an ideology that is based on a total and complete lie,” chastising the American public, who “buy, hook, line, and sinker, the crap about their ‘freedom.” He speaks of the storm raging in his head, concluding that “violence is the only answer.”

It’s safe to say that anger is indeed prevalent in this nation today in light of what is being done to our country. Not prevalent, thank God, is the Joseph-Stack brand of that anger, which justifies attempts on the lives of one’s own family, attacks on innocent Americans, and the violation of the pure ideology and heroism on which this country was founded. Such actions are the ultimate betrayal committed by a very sick man, who has left us with a collective anger now even more palpable because of what he has done to our people and our country.

Stack’s act of terrorism has undermined the mission of modern-day patriots who share a fury at the federal government and the war declared upon our freedoms. Our shared anger, and thus our energies, are now directed toward this man, who would take our cause and use it to fuel his attack on his fellow Americans. It makes as much sense as the White House declaring this was no act of terrorism, but we Americans know terrorism when we see it, and our founders knew it, too.

The patriots who founded and fought for this nation knew well the anger ignited by oppression and unrepresented taxation. But they did not use this anger to attack and destroy each other, as Joseph Stack did today. In time we will probably seem this man written off as a victim of self-delusion or insanity or circumstance or whatever, but what he has done has damaged our nation and those who take seriously the cause of freedom during a very dangerous and precarious time. Those who oppose us in this mission, those who truly are trying to undermine our freedoms, will find some way to paint patriotic Americans in his same light and use his actions against us. And we do not need that right now. Or ever.

So yes, a sad day for America. Another sad day. May God bless those this man took from us today and the families they leave behind. And may God bless the heroes, about whom we are just starting to hear, whose courageous acts ensured that fewer would be taken.

Betsy Siino | Comments

Betsy Siino | Comments (0)