A Christmas Greeting from Internet Powerhouse Andy Martin
Andy Martin reflects on 2008 and looks ahead to 2009: "We have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season," Andy says
ANDY MARTIN
Executive Editor
ContrarianCommentary.com
“Factually Correct, Not
Politically Correct”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
INTERNET POWERHOUSE ANDY MARTIN SAYS WE HAVE A LOT TO BE THANKING FOR THIS CHRISTMAS—BE THANKFUL!
AMERICA AND AMERICANS WILL NOT ONLY ENDURE, THEY WILL PREVAIL
(CHICAGO)(December 21, 2008) If you listen only to the mainstream media, you would think the world is coming to an end. They report endlessly and breathlessly on the financial crises, military crisis, crises of the spirit and soul, crisis of every dimension and description. Good Lord.
I would like to add a hopeful message to the cacophony of negativity.
We have a lot to be thankful for this Christmas. America and Americans will not only survive, we will endure and prevail.
Why am I so confident when others are so despondent? The first love in my family was the study of history. While spending part of my high school years in England, I read Winston Churchill's "History of the English-Speaking Peoples," cover to cover. History has a way of reminding us that life goes on, and hope endures. As a theology student I studied both the Christian and Hebrew traditions. Once again I was reminded that through the ages, we have advanced and we will continue to advance.
Don't get me wrong, in the short run politicians can always screw things up. I have waded through the rice paddies of Viet-Nam, and crossed the deserts of Iraq. There are a few other less-than-touristy places where I have also alighted over the decades. I know what a mess politicians can create. And they keep doing it. They have no sense of history. But I also know they eventually pay for their mistakes.
And so at the end of the year and the start of a new one, I am left with optimism, not pessimism, about out the future. I believe we should give thanks for all of the great gifts that endure in this life, and not feel sorry for ourselves as we meet the challenges of tomorrow.
Wall Street? Things are getting better, not worse. The greed of some individuals, their insatiable appetite for a free lunch, created serious imbalances in our economy. First the little people were made to pay for the sins of the big guys. Now the big guys are paying for their own sins. The rich may have had a "let them eat cake" attitude at the start of the financial crisis; now they are the ones out looking for day-old bread.
Greed will always be with us. It is one of the less laudable aspects of the human condition, summed up in perhaps one word: more. Some people always want more, and always want to take more than their fair share. But over the course of decades, financial crises tend to right themselves.
I have my own sharp differences with the recent "bailouts." The big guys are still in there trying to grab more than their share. Still, we have 535 people in congress, some of which will hopefully act as a check on the greed of both Wall Street and their fellow travelers in the Executive Branch.
The good news: people will always wants to save money for a future need, and be paid interest for their forbearance; and there will always be others willing to borrow money for a productive purpose and willing to pay for the privilege of using others' savings. In the long run, markets do work because markets are an integral part of the human condition. Borrowing and lending will continue. Banks will survive. Markets will prevail.
International crisis? There are plenty of those. The British have a great little phrase, "mickey," a term which suggests a sense of unwarranted arrogance and entitlement on the part of someone. Well, the United States has had the "mickey" knocked out of us. And it's all to the good. The arrogance and sense of entitlement that began in the Clinton years and reached an apotheosis in the Bush White House have been knocked down and deflated. I was never a fan of the "Bush Dynasty," and I'm still not. I'm ready to take on the Obama Dynasty on day one.
Obama begins with his own wacky agenda. After studying him for over four years, I do know him. So I don't trust him. But then I don't trust politicians in general. With over forty years peering over their shoulders I know they must be watched, and checked. Please give thanks that there are those of us willing to take the risks of watching and commenting on political excesses locally, nationally, internationally.
If there is one goal I wish we as Americans could focus on with greater clarity and energy this holiday season, that goal would be making our government more humble, more accessible, more humane, more modest. Obama is already showing signs of extreme "emperoritis," with his insufferable swagger and arrogance. But his followers will soon be frustrated—some of them already are—and thereafter disappointed and disillusioned.
The Democratic Party of 2009—we can be thankful—is not the Democratic Party of 2001 or even 1993. Democrats had to make adjustments to win power, and they still only barely made it. If John McCain had been a better leader instead of a great officer, he would have kept the White House in Republican hands. Oh well.
Democrats may crow about their "mandate." In less than twelve (12!) months filing begins in Illinois for the 2010 election. "Mandates" have a way of dissolving into reality.
Republicans are now going to have to make adjustments and corrections to regain power. If they remain fixated on peripheral issues, they will stay out of power. If they become a loyal opposition and stern critics of the Democrats' excesses, which are as predictable as the sunrise and sunset, they will offer practical alternatives to Democratic mismanagement and will project a strong voice for the future.
Republicans went from "extinction" in 1964 to recovery in 1968. Four years. 1974 anyone? 1976? 1980? Change has happened before. Change will happen again. Your move, Mr. Obama.
Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, please remember that power and politics flow according to their own secular cycles. For that we can be thankful.
As usual, ContrarianCommentary.com will be at the front of the parade in fighting "emperoritis" in both parties. If my religious studies motivate me in any direction, it is to fight relentlessly against the emperor complexes of individuals in Washington. I have been an independent conservative for over forty years; I see no reason to stop now.
The past year also saw some surprises for ContrarianCommentary.com. Yours truly the "Internet Powerhouse" became "Public Enemy Number One" to the Hard Left. From the front page of the New York Times on down, we came under attack for serving up the unpalatable essence of Barack Obama and delivering the unpleasant truths about the coming electoral disaster. (We will have a lump of coal for our detractors in a day or so.)
The Hard Left continues to attack us, and for that we can be thankful as well. If they are still excoriating us, and ramping up their criticism in expectation of our forthcoming revelations about Barry Obama, we are becoming more relevant, not less, as your independent source of information and commentary. Thank you Hard Left for making us your Number One Internet Bogeyman.
Do I expect a perfect world any time soon? Not on your life. It is our imperfections that keep us going in circles, learning old truths over and over again, and turning as always to faith when we fall short. Thank God for Christmas.
During the recent campaign I coined an expression, "The United States of America will open for business on November 5th." What I meant by that was whoever won the election, America and Americans would still be there as a source of strength, and a source of resistance, for the winner. Today, I update my slogan: The "United States of America Will Open for Business on January 21st." Barack Obama is but a temporary occupant of our great see, and our special seat in the White House. If he governs wisely, he will be respected. If he pursues arrogance and self-aggrandizement as his polestars, he will soon be neutered and removed.
I won’t comment on the Pastor Rick Warren contretemps. It seems to me Obama has a right to choose whom he wants to deliver a prayer at his inauguration. To those who are disappointed and disheartened by the choice of Warren, I can only say, fasten your seat belts, your love affair with Barry O will end in tears. He is not the man you thought he was. And America won't let him be that man. Your dream has already died.
To Obama's opponents, the same cautionary message: fasten your seatbelts, and always deliver your message with civility and common sense. You're going to win this round, only to be disappointed in the next one. Life's like that. On and on it goes.
Yes, we have a lot to be thankful for. Each of us individually. Americans. And the world.
As a Christian, I wish all of you an unhesitating Merry Christmas during this season of holidays and celebrations. I will be there to welcome you in my church, whether you come every week, or only twice a year, or only discovered the warm welcoming message of Christ this season. To our readers of other religions, or no persuasion at all, we extend the very best of warm and sincere wishes for happiness, fulfillment and faith in your tradition.
And on December 26th we will launch the next phase of our National Conversation About Barack Obama in San Francisco and San Diego.
Yes, we have a lot to be thankful for.
So be thankful!
Peace.
Andy
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Readers of Obama: The Man Behind The Mask, say the book is still the only gold standard and practical handbook on Barack Obama's unfitness for the presidency. Buy it.
Book orders: www.Amazon.com or www.OrangeStatePress.com. Immediate shipment from Amazon.com or signed copies (delayed) from the publisher are available.
---------------------------------------------
URGENT APPEAL: The Committee of One Million to Defeat Barack Obama is raising money to oppose President-elect Barack Obama.
http://CommitteeofOneMilliontoDefeatBarackObama.com.
Please give generously. Our ability to continue the fight to defeat Barack Obama is directly dependent on the generosity of every American.
“The Committee of One Million to Defeat Barack Obama limits itself to $100 maximum contributions for political action, and unlimited donations for persons wanting to support our legal action (court costs, fees, travel, etc.); there are no bundlers, fat cats or illegal contributions. Obama is opposed to everything America stands for," says Executive Director Andy Martin. "But while Obama has raised almost a billion dollars, his opponents have raised virtually nothing. Americans can either contribute now, or pay later. If we do not succeed, Obama will."
E-mail: contact@CommitteeofOneMilliontoDefeatBarackObama.com
---------------------------------------------
Andy Martin is a legendary Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. He has over forty years of broadcasting experience in radio and television. He is currently based in New York selling his best-selling book, Obama: The Man Behind The Mask. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of www.ContrarianCommentary.com. © Copyright by Andy Martin 2008. Martin comments on regional, national and world events with over forty years of experience. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York.
His columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com; contrariancommentary.wordpress.com. Andy is the author of Obama: The Man Behind The Mask, published in July 2008, see www.Amazon.com or www.OrangeStatePress.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: (866) 706-2639 or CELL (917) 664-9329E-MAIL: AndyMart20@aol.com [NOTE: We frequently correct typographical errors and additions/subtractions on our blogs, where you can find the latest edition of this release.]
Executive Editor
ContrarianCommentary.com
“Factually Correct, Not
Politically Correct”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
INTERNET POWERHOUSE ANDY MARTIN SAYS WE HAVE A LOT TO BE THANKING FOR THIS CHRISTMAS—BE THANKFUL!
AMERICA AND AMERICANS WILL NOT ONLY ENDURE, THEY WILL PREVAIL
(CHICAGO)(December 21, 2008) If you listen only to the mainstream media, you would think the world is coming to an end. They report endlessly and breathlessly on the financial crises, military crisis, crises of the spirit and soul, crisis of every dimension and description. Good Lord.
I would like to add a hopeful message to the cacophony of negativity.
We have a lot to be thankful for this Christmas. America and Americans will not only survive, we will endure and prevail.
Why am I so confident when others are so despondent? The first love in my family was the study of history. While spending part of my high school years in England, I read Winston Churchill's "History of the English-Speaking Peoples," cover to cover. History has a way of reminding us that life goes on, and hope endures. As a theology student I studied both the Christian and Hebrew traditions. Once again I was reminded that through the ages, we have advanced and we will continue to advance.
Don't get me wrong, in the short run politicians can always screw things up. I have waded through the rice paddies of Viet-Nam, and crossed the deserts of Iraq. There are a few other less-than-touristy places where I have also alighted over the decades. I know what a mess politicians can create. And they keep doing it. They have no sense of history. But I also know they eventually pay for their mistakes.
And so at the end of the year and the start of a new one, I am left with optimism, not pessimism, about out the future. I believe we should give thanks for all of the great gifts that endure in this life, and not feel sorry for ourselves as we meet the challenges of tomorrow.
Wall Street? Things are getting better, not worse. The greed of some individuals, their insatiable appetite for a free lunch, created serious imbalances in our economy. First the little people were made to pay for the sins of the big guys. Now the big guys are paying for their own sins. The rich may have had a "let them eat cake" attitude at the start of the financial crisis; now they are the ones out looking for day-old bread.
Greed will always be with us. It is one of the less laudable aspects of the human condition, summed up in perhaps one word: more. Some people always want more, and always want to take more than their fair share. But over the course of decades, financial crises tend to right themselves.
I have my own sharp differences with the recent "bailouts." The big guys are still in there trying to grab more than their share. Still, we have 535 people in congress, some of which will hopefully act as a check on the greed of both Wall Street and their fellow travelers in the Executive Branch.
The good news: people will always wants to save money for a future need, and be paid interest for their forbearance; and there will always be others willing to borrow money for a productive purpose and willing to pay for the privilege of using others' savings. In the long run, markets do work because markets are an integral part of the human condition. Borrowing and lending will continue. Banks will survive. Markets will prevail.
International crisis? There are plenty of those. The British have a great little phrase, "mickey," a term which suggests a sense of unwarranted arrogance and entitlement on the part of someone. Well, the United States has had the "mickey" knocked out of us. And it's all to the good. The arrogance and sense of entitlement that began in the Clinton years and reached an apotheosis in the Bush White House have been knocked down and deflated. I was never a fan of the "Bush Dynasty," and I'm still not. I'm ready to take on the Obama Dynasty on day one.
Obama begins with his own wacky agenda. After studying him for over four years, I do know him. So I don't trust him. But then I don't trust politicians in general. With over forty years peering over their shoulders I know they must be watched, and checked. Please give thanks that there are those of us willing to take the risks of watching and commenting on political excesses locally, nationally, internationally.
If there is one goal I wish we as Americans could focus on with greater clarity and energy this holiday season, that goal would be making our government more humble, more accessible, more humane, more modest. Obama is already showing signs of extreme "emperoritis," with his insufferable swagger and arrogance. But his followers will soon be frustrated—some of them already are—and thereafter disappointed and disillusioned.
The Democratic Party of 2009—we can be thankful—is not the Democratic Party of 2001 or even 1993. Democrats had to make adjustments to win power, and they still only barely made it. If John McCain had been a better leader instead of a great officer, he would have kept the White House in Republican hands. Oh well.
Democrats may crow about their "mandate." In less than twelve (12!) months filing begins in Illinois for the 2010 election. "Mandates" have a way of dissolving into reality.
Republicans are now going to have to make adjustments and corrections to regain power. If they remain fixated on peripheral issues, they will stay out of power. If they become a loyal opposition and stern critics of the Democrats' excesses, which are as predictable as the sunrise and sunset, they will offer practical alternatives to Democratic mismanagement and will project a strong voice for the future.
Republicans went from "extinction" in 1964 to recovery in 1968. Four years. 1974 anyone? 1976? 1980? Change has happened before. Change will happen again. Your move, Mr. Obama.
Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, please remember that power and politics flow according to their own secular cycles. For that we can be thankful.
As usual, ContrarianCommentary.com will be at the front of the parade in fighting "emperoritis" in both parties. If my religious studies motivate me in any direction, it is to fight relentlessly against the emperor complexes of individuals in Washington. I have been an independent conservative for over forty years; I see no reason to stop now.
The past year also saw some surprises for ContrarianCommentary.com. Yours truly the "Internet Powerhouse" became "Public Enemy Number One" to the Hard Left. From the front page of the New York Times on down, we came under attack for serving up the unpalatable essence of Barack Obama and delivering the unpleasant truths about the coming electoral disaster. (We will have a lump of coal for our detractors in a day or so.)
The Hard Left continues to attack us, and for that we can be thankful as well. If they are still excoriating us, and ramping up their criticism in expectation of our forthcoming revelations about Barry Obama, we are becoming more relevant, not less, as your independent source of information and commentary. Thank you Hard Left for making us your Number One Internet Bogeyman.
Do I expect a perfect world any time soon? Not on your life. It is our imperfections that keep us going in circles, learning old truths over and over again, and turning as always to faith when we fall short. Thank God for Christmas.
During the recent campaign I coined an expression, "The United States of America will open for business on November 5th." What I meant by that was whoever won the election, America and Americans would still be there as a source of strength, and a source of resistance, for the winner. Today, I update my slogan: The "United States of America Will Open for Business on January 21st." Barack Obama is but a temporary occupant of our great see, and our special seat in the White House. If he governs wisely, he will be respected. If he pursues arrogance and self-aggrandizement as his polestars, he will soon be neutered and removed.
I won’t comment on the Pastor Rick Warren contretemps. It seems to me Obama has a right to choose whom he wants to deliver a prayer at his inauguration. To those who are disappointed and disheartened by the choice of Warren, I can only say, fasten your seat belts, your love affair with Barry O will end in tears. He is not the man you thought he was. And America won't let him be that man. Your dream has already died.
To Obama's opponents, the same cautionary message: fasten your seatbelts, and always deliver your message with civility and common sense. You're going to win this round, only to be disappointed in the next one. Life's like that. On and on it goes.
Yes, we have a lot to be thankful for. Each of us individually. Americans. And the world.
As a Christian, I wish all of you an unhesitating Merry Christmas during this season of holidays and celebrations. I will be there to welcome you in my church, whether you come every week, or only twice a year, or only discovered the warm welcoming message of Christ this season. To our readers of other religions, or no persuasion at all, we extend the very best of warm and sincere wishes for happiness, fulfillment and faith in your tradition.
And on December 26th we will launch the next phase of our National Conversation About Barack Obama in San Francisco and San Diego.
Yes, we have a lot to be thankful for.
So be thankful!
Peace.
Andy
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Readers of Obama: The Man Behind The Mask, say the book is still the only gold standard and practical handbook on Barack Obama's unfitness for the presidency. Buy it.
Book orders: www.Amazon.com or www.OrangeStatePress.com. Immediate shipment from Amazon.com or signed copies (delayed) from the publisher are available.
---------------------------------------------
URGENT APPEAL: The Committee of One Million to Defeat Barack Obama is raising money to oppose President-elect Barack Obama.
http://CommitteeofOneMilliontoDefeatBarackObama.com.
Please give generously. Our ability to continue the fight to defeat Barack Obama is directly dependent on the generosity of every American.
“The Committee of One Million to Defeat Barack Obama limits itself to $100 maximum contributions for political action, and unlimited donations for persons wanting to support our legal action (court costs, fees, travel, etc.); there are no bundlers, fat cats or illegal contributions. Obama is opposed to everything America stands for," says Executive Director Andy Martin. "But while Obama has raised almost a billion dollars, his opponents have raised virtually nothing. Americans can either contribute now, or pay later. If we do not succeed, Obama will."
E-mail: contact@CommitteeofOneMilliontoDefeatBarackObama.com
---------------------------------------------
Andy Martin is a legendary Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. He has over forty years of broadcasting experience in radio and television. He is currently based in New York selling his best-selling book, Obama: The Man Behind The Mask. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of www.ContrarianCommentary.com. © Copyright by Andy Martin 2008. Martin comments on regional, national and world events with over forty years of experience. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York.
His columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com; contrariancommentary.wordpress.com. Andy is the author of Obama: The Man Behind The Mask, published in July 2008, see www.Amazon.com or www.OrangeStatePress.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: (866) 706-2639 or CELL (917) 664-9329E-MAIL: AndyMart20@aol.com [NOTE: We frequently correct typographical errors and additions/subtractions on our blogs, where you can find the latest edition of this release.]
Labels: Andy Martin, Barack Obama, ContrarianCommentary.com, Obama: The Man Behind The Mask
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