Bob Dylan did exactly what for this country?

The Medal of Freedom is presented to people who have made meritorious contributions to the national interests of the United States, inspired others with their actions; enriching and changing others lives for the better.  Barack Obama’s list is filled with liberals, union organizers and those who will appeal to, and bring out the votes of, specific segments of the country.

Bob Dylan, a man who used music and protests to deride our Vietnam veterans and the war in which they valiantly fought was one of Barack Obama’s choices today for the nation’s top civilian honor. Obama called him a “cultural icon.”  This honor comes within four days of the issuance of this Presidential Proclamation commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the Vietnam War.

Calling Bob Dylan a “hero” the day after Memorial Day is an affront.  Awarding him the nation’s top civilian honor is a disgrace. And if you needed any reminder, these actions reveal Barack Obama as a blatant phony.

Gallup: Veterans support Romney by 24%

On Memorial Day comes a Gallup poll worth noting. U.S. veterans — about 13% of the adult population — support Mitt Romney over Barack Obama for president by 58% to 34%. Non-veterans give Obama a four-point edge.

Check out the poll results here. Scroll down to view charts.

Memorial Day 2012

“Forever young in our memories”

Today is the day set aside to honor our fallen heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our many freedoms. They, along with their families, deserve our deep respect and gratitude.

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs has a fact-filled site with a treasure trove of historic information regarding the observance of Memorial Day. Take a moment to read this message from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric K. Shinseki.

We invite you to listen to this haunting rendition of “Taps” played by the U.S. Marine Band.

This year we are asking you to visit the Wounded Warrior Project. These valiant and dedicated men and women — still with us — who have given so much for us, could use our help now.

Problem-plagued Paul Babeu: Continues to step in it

This news hit a couple of days ago, but with Paul Babeu, the absurd saga is never-ending, so we’re linking to the daily’s lengthy report of Babeu’s latest fandango. The newspaper’s account details that the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office has collected millions of dollars’ worth of surplus military equipment that is intended for law-enforcement use and distributed some of the gear to non-police agencies while preparing to sell other property as a budget booster. Both practices are banned by the Pentagon.

According to records obtained by The Arizona Republic, in the past two years, Sheriff Paul Babeu’s office has received more than $7 million worth of Humvees, fire trucks, guns, defibrillators, barber chairs, underwear, thermal-imaging scopes, computers, motor scooters and other items through the Defense Logistics Agency, which provides the excess military property free to crime-fighting agencies.

This report is worth your time. Babeu, notorious for his displays of extreme levels of arrogance — coupled with his appalling lack of judgment –  has self-detonatedhis political aspirations. In the face of a homosexual romance with a Mexican national, a scandal involving provocative postings on the Men 4 Men website, lies and a swirling controversy tied to his position as headmaster of a Massachusetts “therapeutic” school for troubled youth, he prudently ditched his congressional bid in Arizona’s new 4th District. But unable to contain his soaring ego, he has announced his intention to run once again for Pinal County Sheriff.

It ain’t gonna happen, Paul. Your seemingly meteoric rise has hit a wall. As they say in gay Paree, “Vous aiment la sauce orange sur votre oie cuite?” (Would you like orange sauce on your cooked goose?

Jack McClaren, Pinal County Constable and former Pinal County Sheriff Commander (website here), and Ty Morgan, a career officer, (website) have also filed to run for Sheriff. Steve Henry, Pinal County Sheriff Chief Deputy suspended his campaign.

US vulnerable with slimmed down, rejiggered military

BHO vows U.S. superiority despite massive defense cuts, shrinking military

With a jaunty oratorical assist from the AP wordsmiths, Barack Obama has announced his new strategy for weakening our country. It includes a “rejiggered” and “slimmed down” American military force, which Obama says will emphasize countering terrorism, maintaining a nuclear deterrent, protecting the U.S. homeland, and “deterring and defeating aggression by any potential adversary.”

It’s all part of the Obama strategy for “absorbing hundreds of billions of dollars in defense budget cuts,” says our esteemed leader and Commander in Chief.

“Our military will be leaner, but the world must know the United States is going to maintain our military superiority,” Obama said.

Sure thing.

In actuality this new incapacitation scheme is part of a declinist strategy by an administration all too eager to implement a waning of American strength and influence. That gamble fits nicely into the liberal polices of Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — all more concerned with winning the vote of these ill-informed people in 2012 than protecting our citizens and the nation’s founding concepts of  liberty.

Here are the mostly aghast headlined reports from various parts of the globe.

Where’s McCain on the border? Everywhere!

A different view for every campaign — his and everyone else’s

According to 2010 senatorial candidate and border hawk John McCain, illegal border crossers were responsible for “drug and human smuggling, home invasions, murder.” You’ll recall he wanted to “bring troops, state, county and local law enforcement together” at the border and “complete the dang fence” to keep them out.  That was after he lost the Hispanic vote to Barack Obama in a 2008 presidential trouncing that seemed incomprehensible to him after his grandiose overtures to racist La Raza  (The Race) and with his own Hispanic Outreach Director, radical Juan Hernandez, (video) in tow.  Hernandez is known for this infamous line, “We must not only have a free flow of goods and services, but also start working for a free flow of people.”

Now McCain opines that the Hispanic vote in the upcoming presidential election is “up for grabs” because neither President Barack Obama nor any Republicans have convinced these voters “that they are on their side.”

Got that?  In this nation we are continually told is “diverse,” candidates now have to pander to one distinct ethnic group in order to win the 2012 presidential election? Has he indicated to black, Asian, German and Polish Americans their vote should be contingent upon whichever GOP candidate is on “their side?”

“I think that the Republican Party has to discuss this issue in as humane way as possible,” he said, adding, “the enthusiasm on the part of Hispanics for President Obama is dramatically less than it was in 2008, because he has not fulfilled his campaign promises either. So I view the Hispanic vote up for grabs,” McCain told Candace Crowley CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.

The key, according to McCain, is for Republicans to deal with illegal immigration in a “humane” and “pragmatic” way that “every voter could appreciate.” More specifically, McCain said, GOP presidential candidates should find a way to address the status of illegal immigrants already in the country while  securing our border to deter others from breaching it. Nice trick, Johnny.  Akin to “forgiving” bank robbers and letting them keep their loot, as long as they promise neither they nor their friends or relatives will travel the same easy path to riches in the future.

“It’s a careful balance of addressing this issue, which I think the majority of Hispanics would appreciate. We have to have empathy. We have to have concern. We have to have a plan,” he said. During his 2008 bid for the White House, McCain watched his own numbers plummet when he supported an amnesty plan.  In fact, he embarrassingly carried his home state of Arizona by single digits against Obama.

McCain’s argument for humane treatment, empathy and concern for those who have no respect for our nation or laws is laughable. This newest incarnation of his views have devolved from his previous position as he strolled the border with his good buddy Paul Babeu, referring to the aliens as perpetrators of serious crimes. But that was before he accused these same illegal invaders of starting massive wildfires along the border….or was it after?  It’s  difficult to keep up with the multifaceted John McCain and his continually changing border positions.

Dec. 7, 1941: “A date which will live in infamy”

This morning in Honolulu, U.S. military service personnel, veterans and other observers commemorated the 70th anniversary of the devastating Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. At 7:55 a.m., the exact time on the Sunday morning in 1941 when hundreds of Japanese planes began raining bombs and torpedoes onto Oahu’s U.S.military ships and planes, onlookers across from the sunken USS Arizona became respectfully silent.

More than 2,400 Americans were killed and nearly 1,180 injured when stealth Japanese fighters bombed and sank 12 naval vessels and heavily damaged nine others.

There are few survivors left, with most in their 90′s. The Pearl Harbor Survivors Association will disband by the end of December 2011.

The USS Arizona still lies beneath the harbor with its dead entombed. The ship sank in less than nine minutes after a 1,760-pound armor-piercing bomb penetrated its decks and exploded in the ship’s forward ammunition magazine. 1,177 sailors and marines onboard were killed; 337 crew members survived.

Other major installations on Oahu, such as Wheeler Field and Kaneohe Naval Air Station, also were attacked. Read TIME magazine’s original report on the horrific events. LIFE’s photos of the attack can be seen here.

Last year’s 69th anniversary coincided with the dedication of a new $56 millionPearl Harborvisitor’s center, paid for with a mix of private and public funds, featuring galleries, interactive exhibits, two movie theaters, an amphitheater and an education center.

For more history, visit the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service site here. There is additional information on the USS Arizona here. Visit the Naval History and Heritage site here.

USS Arizona Commander Daniel J. Condon was among the survivors of the attack. A medical doctor, he later served as the Medical Examiner for Maricopa County. His sword & belt were salvaged from the ship. His sword is on display at the Arizona State Capital, and his sword belt is displayed at the University of Arizona Museum. Dr. Condon died in 1992.

View President Franklin Roosevelt’s famous “A date which will live in infamy” speech (Original Draft: page 1, page 2 and page 3) and declaration of war following that unprovoked attack.

US Senate caves to extreme homosexual agenda

Have you been wondering what our senators have been up to with year’s end approaching, and the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction failing in its crucial task to agree on a debt reduction package of at least $1.2 trillion? Remember that the $1.2 trillion in cuts over 10 years is a pittance against a budget that calls for $44 trillion in spending over the same time period.

Throwing up their collective hands, the senate moved on to this:

Ostensibly this original bill — S 1867– authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 2012 for military activities of the Department of Defense. But along with official sounding items such operation and maintenance, military construction, and issues relating to unmanned carrier launched airborne surveillance, 93 of our U.S. Senators — including both Kyl and McCain – have authorized repealing of sodomy laws in the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Just 7 senators voted nay. You might be shocked to find this gem was tucked into S.1867, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012.

§ 925. Article 125 of the UCMJ makes it illegal to engage in both sodomy with humans and sex with animals. It states: “(a) Any person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex or with an animal is guilty of sodomy. Penetration, however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense. (b) Any person found guilty of sodomy shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.”

But according to Nathaniel Frank, of the UC Palm Center, (originally known as the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military) “Public opinion about private, consensual sexual conduct has shifted dramatically since the military sodomy ban was written into law almost a hundred years ago.” The organization strongly opposes both “don’t ask, don’t tell” and the sodomy law.

Here is the U.S. Senate vote summary, which took place last Thursday.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said the effort to remove sodomy from military law stems from liberal Senate Democrats’ and President Obama’s support for removing the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy.

“It’s all about using the military to advance this administration’s radical social agenda,” Perkins told CNSNews. “Not only did they overturn Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, but they had another problem, and that is, under military law sodomy is illegal, just as adultery is illegal, so they had to remove that prohibition against sodomy.” Perkins said removing the bestiality provision may have been intentional–or just “collateral damage”

Phx Veterans Day Parade – Nov. 11, 2011 route included

 The annual VA Veterans Day Parade will feature 19 floats, 12 bands, 12 marching units, six balloons and more than 50 veterans-services organizations this year. It is expecting to host between 30,000 and 40,000 spectators.  The theme of this year’s parade is “Veterans: Our Resilient Heroes.”

The celebration is designed to commemorate and honor our veterans, while educating and reminding Americans about the selfless service and scarifies our military personnel have made to protect our freedoms.

The parade will begin at 11:00 a.m., with the procession heading north on 7^th Street from Montecito Avenue to Camelback Road; turn west on Camelback Road. to Central Avenue; turn north on Central Avenue and end at Montebello Drive. The parade will conclude at approximately 1:00 p.m.  A map including street closures can be seen here.

Local residents and companies responded to the VA’s announcement that it was short of funds to stage the event. Nearly $100,000 in donations was raised.

The 2011 Celebrity Grand Marshal is Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson. She will be accompanied by veteran Grand Marshals.

Information about VA events in SouthwestValleycommunities can be seen here. A listing of East Valley events can be seen here.

Seeing Red AZ joins in sending sincere gratitude to all of our military personnel — past and current — for your dedication to keeping America free.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website — filled with valuable information — can be accessed here.

McCain: Campaign rhetoric v. harsh reality

Protecting whom? Syrians take precedence over Americans

Speaking to the World Economic Forum in Jordan Sunday, John McCain raised the prospect of military action to protect civilians in Syria now that NATO’s air campaign in Libya is ending.

Interesting that McCain would choose a meeting of the World Economic Forum to tout armed intervention in Syria, when our southern border remains a sieve through which passes not only illegals flowing from Mexico, Central and South America — it is also a known portal for Islamic terrorists.

As far back as 2005, FBI director Robert Mueller testified before the Senate Committee on Intelligence and to Congress saying “there are individuals from countries with known Al Qaeda connections who are changing their Islamic surnames to Hispanic-sounding names and obtaining false Hispanic identities, learning to speak Spanish and pretending to be Hispanic.”

Director Mueller raised serious concerns over “OTMs” –-  illegals Other than Mexicans — crossing the southwest border at alarming rates. He has repeatedly warned of the encroachment of Islamic extremists on our soil.

We’d like to ask Sen. McCain what he intends to do about our border. You know, that one he always said he wanted to “secure first?” He never quite got around to giving the rest of the answer to the elephant-in-the-room question, “First before what?” although we are all too aware he was speaking his “straight talk” for “amnesty.”

What happened to “completing the danged fence,” and that famed “Ten Point Plan” you peddled to the people of Arizona during your last senate race, Mr. McCain? And could you tell us why American citizens take a back seat to those of Syria?

During the 2010 election, the anxious McCain began talking like a border hawk, even taping commercials in which the salty-tongued former sailor advocated bringing troops and law enforcement together and completing “the danged fence” to keep illegals out of America. That never happened.

Now he is more concerned with protecting the people of Syria.