Letter from a friend and a Tunnel Wall reader

At first I planned to attach this to a related post, but this letter seemed too good to me not to just use it as a standalone post. Ron has been, well, a "foxhole buddy" as we stood together in a number of printed debates with those of the left. Let's hope you appreciate Ron's words as much as I. "Just words?" I think not. TD

Ron's letter:

I am firmly convinced that this is the most important election of our lifetime and that we need to do all we can to stir thoughts in the minds of likely voters.  I don't give a hoot about those who sound off, but will not vote and I don't care about those who are silent and believe that their vote doesn't count anyway.  My youngest brother lives in Australia, where they are required to vote or be fined.  I strongly disagree with that approach.  I believe that there are many people out there that simply shouldn't vote.  I mean that sincerely.  If you honestly don't care what happens and can't be bothered to make up your mind about where this country should stand on the critical issues of our times, you are the last person that I want going into that voting booth and making a ballot.  

I am not one to pass along many internet messages, especially to my friends who already are conservative constitutionalists, and I don't want to annoy those who are firmly "leftist" and will be more determined to vote because I annoyed them with emails about their favorite politician.  I believe that the people who really care about where we are headed will get informed about the candidates and get out and vote.  In fact, Dick Morris says that everyone is looking at the polls of "registered voters" and he points out that those polls are invalid.  What he watched are the polls of "likely voters" because registered voters who are not likely voters won't vote anyway.  He also points out that (historically) "undecided voters" who have not made up their minds at this point in a presidential election year will likely not vote for the incumbent.  This gives me hope.  He says that the election is going to go strongly against Obama.  I pray that he is right.

President Obama and his cabinet have trampled on the Constitution and it is time to get them out.  The audacity of our President, lecturing the Supreme Court about how far their authority goes and cautioning them to not overstep their bounds was infuriating to me.  If the SCOTUS does not strike down at least the individual mandate of Obamacare, I will be shocked beyond belief. 

Photobucket

I am over in Germany right now, working with some of my former colleagues, teaching intelligence analysts at the NATO School and had a very long and interesting dialogue with a couple of Canadian colleagues last night over dinner.  Canadians believe they understand our system and sometimes want to offer us advice, but when you get right down to it, they don't fully understand and they react to what the media is telling them.  I have reread  The Federalist Papers within the past year and have spent more time actually digesting what is behind the motives of the actions taken by the Obamacrats.  I am writing more frequently to my two Senators (Murray and Cantwell), so they can't totally ignore that there are constituents out there that disagree with the votes they are casting and the perspectives they are promulgating to their electorate.

Keep up the good work with the TW.

Cordially and Respectfully,

Ron

Ron also sent along a link to this article:
State attorneys general report tackles Obama's unprecedented lawbreaking

Obama's come-uppance from Elie Wiesel during self-serving visit to Holocaust Museum

Leo Rennert  "During the last three years, President Obama did not visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.  But today, he did; and promptly gave a self-serving campaign speech for Jewish votes."
....

"In introducing Obama, Wiesel asked why "world leaders," presumably including Obama, have not "learned anything" from the Holocaust.

" "How is it that Assad is still in power?" Wiesel asked.  "How is it that the Holocaust's No. 1 denier is still a president?  He who threatens to use nuclear weapons - to use nuclear weapons - to destroy the Jewish state.  We must know that when evil has power, it is almost too late."

"Directly addressing Obama, Wiesel declared: "Mr. President, we are here in this place of memory.  Israel cannot not remember.  And because it remembers, it must be strong, just to defend its own survival and its own destiny." "

Jennifer Rubin:  Obama’s disingenuous Holocaust speech  "All of that said, the speech was somewhat grotesque and hugely hypocritical. Of course, for Obama it always begins with him.:"
....
" "So I created the first-ever White House position dedicated to this task. It’s why I created a new Atrocities Prevention Board, to bring together senior officials from across our government to focus on this critical mission. This is not an afterthought.” That’s it — another committee! But it’s not an afterthought, mind you. And another report!"  Emphases added.


The White House ‘whitewashing’ of the Muslim Brotherhood, founders of al-Qaeda and Hamas

Alan Caruba: Blamer-in-Chief and related Obama antics

Warning Signs  "It is worth recalling the financial crisis occurred in September 2008 in the final months of Bush’s second term.

At the time:The Dow Jones closed at 12,621.77The GDP for the previous quarter was 3.5%The Unemployment rate was 4.6%

"George W. Bush's economic policies set a record of 52 straight months of job growth. So, Obama is not only trying to distract voters from the actual facts, but lying about them as well."  Emphasis added.

"Even the deficits that have grown under his administration weren’t his fault. In November 2011, he said “Obviously, this (reducing government waste) is even more important given the deficits that we’ve inherited and that have grown as aconsequence of the recession.” 
"The key word here is “inherited.” "

Former Justice official: Obama worse than Bush on civil liberties

"OBAMA'S FIFTEEN EFFING EFF-UPS" Here is a small sample:

1. Obama's Justice Department’s refusal to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Ignoring his constitutional responsibility to defend laws passed by Congress.

1. Firing (and slandering) AmeriCorps inspector general Gerald Walpin
 after because he was investigating Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson a friend of the Obamas.

The Astute Bloggers:  Free Obama!  

"IF OBAMA IS RE-ELECTED, THEN HE'LL HAVE MUCH MORE THAN "FLEXIBILITY; 

HE'LL BE FREE TO DO AS HE PLEASES."

OK, say Obama does not plan to fight for the pictured policies. But you can be sure those who do advocate these things will be voting for Obama because he's their man. TD

Victor Davis Hanson: It Was the Power, Stupid!

Victor Davis Hanson "In my dumber days, between 2001-2008, I used to wonder why the Left relentlessly hammered the war on terror (e.g., renditions, tribunals, predators, preventative detention, Patriot Act, intercepts, wiretaps, Guantanamo Bay) when these measures had not only proven quite useful in preventing another 9/11-like attack, but had been sanctioned by both the Congress and the courts. In those ancient times, I was not as cynical as I am now. So I assumed that Harold Koh and MoveOn.org, though mistaken, were worried about civil liberties, or measures that they felt were both illegal and without utility.

"But, of course, the Obama (who attacked each and every element of the war on terror as a legislator and senator) Left never had any principled objection at all. Instead, whatever Bush was for, they were in Pavlovian fashion against. I can say that without a charge of cynicism, because after January 2009, Obama embraced or expanded every Bush-Cheney protocol that he inherited. In response, the anti-war Left simply kept silent, or indeed vanished, or went to work extending the anti-terrorism agenda. Guantanamo Bay, in other words, was a national sin until the mid-morning of January 20, 2009."

HopenChange

If I wanted America to fail....

"I’m not including that many reading assignments today … because I want to make sure you have the time to watch this video.  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE take the time to watch."   Neal Boortz

Another claim that Obama is a/the messiah (forgive me for not capitalizing the "M")

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Michelle Obama: 'This President Has Brought Us Out of the Dark and Into the Light'  "The crowd of nearly 450 folks applauded as the first lady likened her husband to a Jesus-like figure. "In the book of Matthew, we read, "the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up." (Matthew 4:16) The phrase is used to describe the words Jesus preached. 

"In Micah, light, however, is a reference to God's words. "Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me," it says in Micah 7:8."

Add this video to the above and see where all this is going. Who could possibly vote against an icon like this? I thought worship like this could only exist in North Korea.

Michelle Malkin: No More ‘Mr. Obama Is a Nice Guy’

"Conservatives of good will who’ve watched President Obama brutalize his enemies have one question for the nice-guy niceties: Why, GOP, why?"

• ....Remember when he sneered at millions who turned out for the nationwide Tax Day tea-party protests in 2009: “You would think they’d be saying ‘thank you.’”
• Remember when he taunted GOP leaders: “We don’t mind the Republicans joining us. They can come for the ride, but they gotta sit in back.”
• Remember when he told Republicans to shut up during the stimulus debate: “I want them just to get out of the way” and “don’t do a lot of talking.”
• Remember when he outrageously insinuated before the 2010 midterms that conservatives were racist: He called critics of his amnesty policies “enemies” who needed to be “punished” by Latino voters because they were not “the kinds of folks who represent our core American values.”
• Remember when he remained silent about his surrogates’ misogynistic attacks on GOP vice-presidential candidate and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.
• Remember when he remained silent about the vulgar rallying cry of Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa, who introduced Obama at a Detroit Labor Day rally by urging union members to work against Republicans and “take these son of a bitches out.”
• Romney’s surrogates insist that conservatives should “stick to the issues.” But Obama’s by-any-means-necessary ruthlessness is an issue. As the Chiffon margarine commercial said, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” And it’s not nice to delude the American electorate in the name of comity, politesse, and simpering civility."

Yet the conventional wisdom says Obama is well-liked and it is unwise to attack him personally; that one must stick to the issues only. That worked so well for John McCain, didn't it?

Grenell Named Romney Foreign Policy Spokesman — What Does It Mean?

Roger L Simon: Richard Grenell "has been named “national security and foreign policy spokesman” for presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney."

Grenell brings foreign policy chops and more than a decade of political experience to the aggressive but relatively young Romney staff. His is one in a series of hires as the presumptive Republican nominee rapidly expands his small staff as it moves into the general election against President Obama.
During all eight years of President George W. Bush’s tenure, Grenell served as the administration’s director of communications and public diplomacy at the United Nations. He advised four U.S. ambassadors to the United Nations: John D. Negroponte, John C. Danforth, John R. Bolton and Zalmay Khalilzad.

Grenell

 "From what I know of Richard, he is particularly close to John Bolton, which augurs well for those of us who would like to see Bolton return to the UN or assume an even higher foreign policy role in a possible Romney administration. With all the ongoing treachery of Iran, Syria, the putative “Arab Spring,” Hamas, Hezbollah, North Korea, etc., etc., Bolton’s more needed now than ever — and the Grenell appointment points the way.

"Richard also has considerable background as a spokesperson for Republican politicians (George Pataki, San Diego Mayor Susan Golding, etc.).

"But there’s one thing about Grenell not mentioned in the politically correct WaPo – he’s openly gay. 

"What, you say – who cares? And you are correct."

Column by Richard Grenell: Who is Going to Fact-Check Team Obama? Their Statements on Iran Aren’t True.
...."One only needs to look at the growing list of countries that have said they will ignore our request to stop buying Iranian oil to understand that Obama’s diplomatic requests are being ignored. I see India, Russia, China, South Africa and many European countries publicly saying they will buy Iranian oil and ignore the U.S. requests. While team Obama thinks the world is united, the world is enjoying the comfort of a weaker U.S. government that no longer pressures them to take action."....


And this one: Romney’s Win in Michigan Shows Just How Far the Daily Kos Has Fallen
"The Daily Kos’ idea was to give Rick Santorum a primary victory in Michigan, deny Mitt Romney a win, and cause chaos in the Republican primary.  Readers responded with enthusiasm at the thought of helping Rick Santorum win the Republican nomination because they believed he was the weakest candidate to take on President Obama."

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/04/18/98462

Updated; Petition to Ban Religious Broadcasting: Urban Legend!

It is always good for people to remain alert to what this government plans to do. Just be sure to do an internet search on the background of all emails of this type so we can be sure those who read our warnings will do so without dismissing them. In this case, I simply typed "fcc petition 2493" into the search box (without the quotation marks, naturally) and came up with what I'm sending to you. 
Thanks to good friend Jan of Plano,Texas who brought this to my attention and to others who have helped me out by reporting previous rumors.   TD

Bing images

Snopes reports the email this way:

Every once in a while friends tip me off about the latest crisis on the internet and today they mentioned this one.An organization has been granted a Federal Hearing on the same  subject by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in Washington , D.C. Their petition, Number 2493, would ultimately pave the way to stop the reading of the gospel of our Lord and
Savior, on the airwaves of America . They got 287,000 signatures  to back their stand! If this attempt is successful, all Sunday worship services being broadcast on the radio or by television will be stopped .
This group is also campaigning to remove all Christmas programs
and Christmas carols from public schools* ! You, as a Christian,
can help!.... *(I'm not sure how much of a hoax this last part is!)

Hoax-Slayer: "Many versions of the email claim that the protest message and counter-petition was organized and written by, or at least supported by, Dr. James Dobson, founder and chairman of Christian organization, Focus on the Family. However, this claim is also untrue and has been denied by Dobson and Focus on the Family. In a statement debunking the rumour, Focus on the Family notes:

Focus on the Family recently learned of a version of the rumor that said that Dr. Dobson himself was asking for people to respond to the e-mail by signing a petition and circulating it to their friends and family. Please be assured that this is not true; Dr. Dobson did not initiate and does not endorse the e-mail petition.

"Thus, forwarding this email will do nothing more than perpetrate falsehoods, waste the time of organizations such as the FCC and Focus on the Family, and clutter inboxes with even more useless information. After more than thirty years, it is high time this unfounded rumour was finally laid to rest."


 The Baptist Standard:  EDITORIAL: RM 2493 hoax still lives on

"If you're concerned about our country, help stamp out this tired old rumor. Here's the truth:"

" RM 2493 was indeed filed with the FCC--30 years ago. In 1974, Jeremy Lansman and Lorenzo Milam asked the FCC to freeze licenses for new educational television and FM radio stations that were to air only religious or quasi-religious programs. Their request never would have eliminated relgious broadcasting from stations that already had received broadcast licenses.

Dennis Prager

" FCC commisioners unanimously denied RM 2493--29 years ago. The FCC issued a statement Aug. 1, 1975, noting the First Amendment requires the commission "to observe a stance of neutrality toward religion, acting neither to promote nor inhibit religion." So, religious stations and programming can flourish."


With great regret, I have to tell you that this one is false as well: "A Speech Every American High School Principal Should Give". The principle was not named Dennis Prager; Mr. Prager, a columnist and radio talk show host, wrote a column about what he wished a school principal would say.  The rumor went on from there. TD

Check out some more online hoaxes here, then be sure to watch this short, humorous video: "How to Spot an Email Hoax".

Krauthammer: It’s Going To Be The Dirtiest Campaign You’ve Ever Seen

Noisy Room:

<

Krauthammer: Farewell, the new frontier

Denver Post  "There are always excuses for putting off strenuous national endeavors: deficits, joblessness, poverty, whatever. But they shall always be with us. We've had exactly five balanced budgets since Alan Shepard rode Freedom 7 in 1961. If we had put off space exploration until these earthbound social and economic conundrums were solved, our rocketry would be about where North Korea's is today.
"Moreover, today's deficits are not inevitable, nor even structural. They are partly the result of the 2008 financial panic and recession. Those are over now. The rest is the result of a massive three-year expansion of federal spending."

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/04/19/98478

Drip, drip, drip. But if nobody cares, did it really happen?

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Denver Post: Obama is a failure as a chief executive, a diplomat, an economic policymaker, a leader and certainly as a uniter. But he's a smooth talker and loves to speechify.    "Then there's this gem: "The policies in the 2013 budget will allow more time to develop long-term policies to address the persistently rising debt." Translation: "It's an election year, so we're not doing a thing about addressing the long-term unsustainable social spending problem because it might make us unpopular with millions of Americans on the receiving end. Instead, we'll savage Rep. Ryan's plan, which does offer some serious proposals to reign in runaway spending."

"This is what Obama calls leadership."  Mike Rosen

http://www.conservativedailynews.com/2012/04/what-happens-in-vegas/

It's official: Obama, the Food-Stamp President

"Newt Gingrich famously called Barack Obama the Food-Stamp President. For the record, I think it's unfair to give all the credit to one person when there is an entire city filled with folks doing the hard work of creating a nation of government dependents." David Harsanyi

Gadsden, Alabama in the Civil War

This is the second tribute to a home of a regular Tunnel Wall reader. The other was about Shakopee, Minnesota a couple of weeks ago.
THE HISTORICAL MARKER DATABASE  "The name chosen 
for the town was “Gadsden” in honor of Colonel James Gadsden, who passed through the area with Andrew Jackson. Many believed that the Colonel, a proponent of the trans-continental railroad, would bring a major railroad to the vicinity. Although no major railroad was ever constructed, the name was retained in honor of Colonel Gadsden. The little town survived the Civil War, continued to grow, and was incorporated in 1871."


CHEROKEE COUNTY, AL. CONFEDERATE MILITARY UNITS  "Twenty-six volunteer companies organized at least partially within this county for Confederate service, the “Cherokee Grays” becoming the first on March 25, 1861. This number does not include militia, home guards, and other units raised under state or local authority. Recognizing transfers, re-enlistments, (which accounts for most members of the “Cherokee Grays”) and men residing elsewhere who served in these companies, we estimate that 2,040 men from Cherokee County enrolled in Confederate military units. After the war a substantial portion of this county was partitioned by the state legislature to become Etowah County." 



Civil War Confederate Regiments from Alabama Counties
Cherokee County. (No listing for Etowah County, which was formed after the war)
Cavalry: 4th (Russell); 9th; 12th, a, f; 18th, a; 19th Bn., a, c, f; Barbiere's Bn., b, d; Hardie's Bn., e; 3 TN Cav, e
Infantry: 4th Bn., a, b, d; 7th, c; 18th Bn., a 19th, d, e, f, g, h, i; 22nd, d; 31st, a, b; 47th, e; The 48th Alabama55th, b, k
The 47th served with the Army of Northern Virginia. 

It reached Virginia in late June and was assigned to Maj. Gen'l Thomas J. 'Stonewall' Jackson's Corps and brigaded with Brig. Gen'l William B. Taliaferro's Brigade, with the 48th Alabama and three Virginia regiments. A few weeks later, the regiment engaged in its first battle at Cedar Run (9 August) where it lost 12 killed and 76 wounded, or nearly one-half of its strength. At the 2nd Battle of Manassas (30 August), the 47th lost 7 killed and 25 wounded. It was present at Chantilly (1 September) and at the capture of Harper's Ferry (12-15 September). It engaged at Sharpsburg with 115 men and lost every commissioned officer present on the field, mustering 17 men the next morning under a sergeant.

Hand painted Alabama soldiers

The 48th Alabama "The 48th Alabama Regiment moved into Pennsylvania and was "fearfully punished" in the assaults on Gettysburg (they reported more than 25% casualties of the 374 engaged). Ten weeks later, as a part of Longstreet's Corps, the regiment was engaged at Chicamauga(sic) (20 September). It was engaged at Lookout Valley and at Knoxville; and it passed the winter in East Tennessee."....The regiment "surrendered 136 officers and men at Appomattox Court House, having lost over 150 in battle, 165 in service, and 125 who were discharged or transferred."  More here.

Famous people born in Gadsden