Defining Deviancy Down

That phrase was coined by the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan in trying to show that a society has a limit in tolerating bad behavior before it has to start lowering its standards. He also called it “moral deregulation”, that has eroded families, increased crime and produced the mentally ill “homeless” population. The erudite pundit Charles Krauthammer expanded on Moynihan's phrase by proposing the reverse - that not only we were “minimizing what was once considered deviant”, but we were also “finding deviant what was once considered normal”. Since the 1960's, the decline in ethical, moral behavior has steadily declined up the present day where we have behavior that is not only crude in speech, but is dangerous in actions against our fellow man. The disrespect, by some in our society, against our mores and traditions is manifested in the violent crimes that occur all too frequently today in our once safe venues like schools, shopping malls, theaters, houses of worship etc., it is a clear signal that something is amiss in our society today.

Once we take out the “moral purpose” in life, a society cannot remain free and civilized as there will be no constraints and duties required in a fair and just society (ex: the fall of the Greek and Roman societies). Anything goes. Faith, which is condemned in many of our institutions, such as in schools and in government, is not a threat to a civil society, it is vital for its survival, but it is eroding at a fast pace in our screwed up society.

The decline, which started in the 1960's with the passage of the “Great Society” promoted by then President Lyndon Johnson, changed our tenet of self-reliance, to relying on the government to solve most all our problems, a form of socialism that is undermining our capitalist system that is promulgated by most of our professors and educators in our schools. The young people today have been indoctrinated into thinking that our culture and traditions are no longer valid, and that a “total transformation” (a phrase used by former Pres. Obama) is needed to achieve the “Nirvana” that has been pushed into their heads full of mush. Winston Churchill, in his infinite wisdom once said, “If a person is not a liberal (a/k/a Socialist) by the age of 20, he has no heart, but if he's not a conservative (a/k/a Capitalist) by the age of 40, he has no brains”.

Look all around us today. We have taken God out of the schools and replaced it with sex education and free condoms and a “dumbing” down of the curriculum; we have mocked patriotism by banning the pledge of allegiance and national anthem in many of our venues; we have reduced the concept of marriage, which for centuries was designated as between one man and one woman, to be any two (or more) loving people of any sex; we have expanded our welfare rolls, including illegal aliens, thereby making more and more people dependent on government handouts; we have made drug using acceptable , in some cases, while we have made tobacco using unacceptable (a noble gesture); and we have tolerated the total disrespect of the office of the president of the United States while overlooking the crimes of certain favored politicians of a certain party (a double standard of justice).

Today we have groups that shroud themselves in names that connote peace and tranquility, but are actually opposite of what they say they believe, an example being ANTIFA (which stands for anti-fascist). They are the masked thugs that go around disrupting political rallies, and to shut down speakers at forums that they don't agree with, and then join up with another militant group with a sweet sounding sobriquet called BLACK LIVES MATTER. Both of those groups are the antithesis of what their made up names are trying to signify. And, of course, we have the spectra of that insidious term “political correctness” which tries to stifle free speech and free movement by unelected busybodies who try to force their views onto everyone else. A case in point, look what happened at the recent Winter Olympics. For millions of Christians, it is unnerving to live in a world where the sister of a despot (she is the Communication Minister of North Korea) is normalized and glamorized, but a man of faith (V-P Mike Pence) is considered “mentally ill”. That comment was made by Joy Behar on that left-leaning show called “The View”, to laughter and applause by the audience. How low can you go.

All these examples I've listed above, seem to justify, unfortunately, what Sen. Moynihan and Charles Krauthammer tried to convey about what is happening in our society today, and not for the better. It is a case of “Defining Deviancy Down”.

Conservative commentary by Chuck Lehmann

What If Parkland Kids Cared More About Saving Lives Than Getting On TV?


MRCTV's Brittany Hughes asks the questions that the MSM are afraid to ask.

Are Enormous Speaking Fees and Huge Donations Really Camouflaged Bribes?

We all know that taking money by a politician or a government official from someone in order to get a favorable government action, is a felony and is called a bribe. Well, suppose the payment of money is in the form of an enormous speaking fee to a spouse or a generous donation to a certain charitable foundation that a particular politician or government official runs or has an interest in, should that be considered a bribe or a “quid pro quo”? Does that sound like a situation that the Clinton's were involved in?

Suppose Hillary Clinton was elected president, how would she have been able to deal with foreign countries, foreign leaders or oligarchs that have contributed millions of dollars to her spouse, Bill Clinton, and to the Clinton Foundation? Do you think that those countries that have donated millions of dollars to Bill Clinton (and Hillary Clinton after her stint as Secretary of State), and the Clinton Foundation, did so out of the goodness of their hearts or do you think they expected something positive in return for their largess? Is the Pope Catholic? Of course.

If you think about this unholy alliance between donor and donee, many of whom are banned by law from donating to a politician or government official directly, could this be called a clever dodge of the law by circumventing the law already on the books? By paying a large speaking fee to a spouse or donating a huge sum to a charitable foundation, that is operated by the politician or government official, and then getting special favors, could that be called a bribe? Any astute and fair minded person would say that this just doesn't smell right.

Both Bill and Hillary Clinton, over the past 15 years have gone from being broke (which they claimed they were in 2001) to now being worth over $150 million. In addition, the Clinton Foundation is estimated to have around $2 billion in working capital , of which it has been estimated that the Foundation donates about 10% to charities in the U.S. and around the world. How did they make all the money, did they start a successful business, did they sell a product or idea, or did they inherit all those millions of dollars? The answer, of course, is that they sold “access” to the government which they had ties to and money to spend. Many people have claimed that the Clinton Foundation is just a Bill and Hillary “slush fund” used to pay big salaries to cronies, to pay for travel around the world and a host of other non-charitable expenses, including paying for Chelsea's wedding, while the Clinton's have claimed a million dollar charitable donation to the Clinton Foundation on their income tax return. That's like taking money out of one pocket and putting it into the other pocket.

Could you believe that anyone, who was so well connected in policy positions within the government (or being an ex-president as Bill Clinton was) would be worth from $200,000 to $800,000 for a 30 minute speech to various companies and countries within and outside of the United States? What words of wisdom could he possibly have to tell those companies and countries other than deal with me and something good will happen to you. Shouldn't that be called a bribe or a “quid pro quo”? You make the call. And yet you still have the Clinton toadies still making excuses for their shady deals in their quest to become multi, multi millionaires. With all the nefarious deals and practices over the years from Arkansas to Wash. D.C., the Clinton's still are walking free and getting accolades from their fellow Democrats. Those are the same people who are now criticizing Pres. Trump as being corrupt. It seems that whenever the Democrats point the finger at Republicans for illegal practices, they are just pointing out the things they have been doing by themselves over the years.

The Clinton's should follow the advice of the late 5-Star General Douglas MacArthur, by just “fading away” as they have left a stain on America which will last for generations.

Conservative commentary by Chuck Lehmann

Diversity =s Perversity

The catchword in liberal circles today is the term “diversity”. A few years ago the catchphrases were: affirmative action, racial preferences, and racial and ethnic quotas. Since those terms were not warmly embraced by many in the general public, the “diversity” proponents have latched onto the term “diversity” as a more moderate acceptable term to overcome the negatives that those other terms conveyed.

The term, “E Pluribus Unum”, was and is a traditional motto of the United States that appears on the “Great Seal” and on some of our currency. This motto was never codified by law, but it was the “de facto” motto of the United States until 1956 when the U.S. Congress adopted the phrase “In God We Trust” as the official motto. So, even from the beginning of our democratic republic, the main idea of the founding fathers was “unity” not “diversity”.

No one that I know, decries a person or persons venerating their heritage, their ethnicity or family traditions, in fact, we encourage it, but we all must remember that to be an American, a person must adhere to the traditions, the language (English), the laws (both federal and state) that have made us the pre-eminant country in the world today. Balkanization (the act of being isolated from others in your own community) of the populace is not conducive to a harmonious society. People coming into our country should strive to assimilate into our society and not set themselves apart from other Americans. As the original motto of the U.S. Stated, “E Pluribus Unum” (out of many, one) was propagated by our founders, it was the blueprint for the success of the United States.

Another phrase that points up the fallacy of the concept of “diversity” is the phrase, “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”. Many civilizations in the past have succumbed by not having “unity” as their guiding principle. The fall of the Greek Civilization and the Roman Empire are good examples of countries imploding from within rather than by mostly foreign invasion. Look at our recent history where “disunity” has caused revolt and unrest. The division that existed in Canada, between the English speaking and French speaking provinces, was a major cause of contention among those provinces where, at one time, one part wanted to secede from the country to form their own country. That division has been mitigated in recent years. Also, the division that existed between Protestant Northern Ireland and Catholic Ireland, was a violent separation, which lasted almost 100 years. Tensions are less today, but they still exist. And look at Europe today where “diversity” has been the rule the past decades or so, and now most of the countries are suffering because the immigrants that have migrated to their countries, to create “diversity”, have not assimilated and have caused havoc among the permanent residents. Predictions are that Europe will be no longer Europe the way we know it now, as the immigrant population will become the majority unless a major turnaround can occur. The “diversity” concept has bitten them in the butt big time.

So, the headline of our editorial, “Diversity =s Perversity” (perversity being defined as an action that is counter to what has been expected or desired; being contrary to the norm), should be a wake up call for America to not get caught into the trap of thinking that “diversity” instead of “unity” should be the direction our country should take. Our country is and has been a “melting pot” since its inception, within reason, as previous immigrants, by and large, assimilated into society. As a counterbalance to “diversity”, we should all be united by adhering to the precepts of one language, one constitution, and one rule of laws, as the unifying concept that will continue to make and keep America the greatest country in the world. We should all be Americans, not Irish-Americans, African-Americans, Asian -Americans, German-Americans, Jewish Americans etc., etc., we should all be just plain, good old, patriotic Americans.

Conservative commentary by Chuck Lehmann

What Crimes Did the President Commit?

It's been almost a year since the probe of Russian influence in our election and the implied involvement of President Trump and his aides, and as of now, the probe has turned up nothing, nada, and nil. What a waste of time and money this Russian collusion fiasco has been, as the motivation behind this probe was really not the finding of any Trump collusion, it was an exercise of trying to undermine the Trump Administration and to eventually impeach him or to have him resign.

With all the leaks coming out of the special counsel's office that try to implicate President Trump with the Russians, the opposite seems to be the case, it was the Clinton campaign and the Democrats who were the one's colluding with Russian operatives.

In all good conscience, why would the Russians want Trump elected? His campaign of “America First” and “Make America Great Again” was decidedly anti-Russian, whereas the actions of Hillary Clinton, her husband, ex-President Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and the Democrats were the one's whose hands were all over the Russian meddling. Remember, Hillary and the Russian “reset button”; the claim by President Obama, in 2012, when speaking with the Russian president, “Tell Vladimir that I'll have more flexibility after my re-election”; the signing off by the State Department (which Hillary was the Secretary of State) of the “Uranium One” deal that gave Russia access to 20% of our uranium supply; to Bill Clinton receiving a $500,000 speaking fee from a Russian bank with ties to the Kremlin; the over $2.5 million donation to the the Clinton Foundation around the time of the Uranium One deal; and finally, the Clinton campaign and the Democrat National Committee paying that muck-raking organization, Fusion GPS, by getting spurious “dirt” on Trump from a Russian operative, to be used against Trump, which was proven to be bogus and salacious. So, where was the Russian collusion, was it with President Trump or was it with the Democrats and the Clinton's?

It seems that the Democrats still cannot understand why and how Hillary lost the election to a political neophyte, Donald Trump. It seems that the answer, by them, that it had to be something nefarious done by the Trump campaign that made the election turn out the way it did. That seems to be the motivation behind the “witch hunt” of Trump and the Russians that is now in progress? It's the Russians, the Russians, and the Russians.

So far, the Special Counsel, under Robert Mueller, has 2 indictments under its cap, both had nothing to do with Russian collusion or President Trump. The organized vendetta against President Trump and the misinformation used against him reminds me of the quote by Adolph Hitler from his book, “Mein Kampf” which stated as follows: “ If you tell a lie long enough and loud enough it becomes the truth”, that seems to be the “modus operandi” of the feckless Democrats, the Clinton sycophants, the biased media, and the compromised panel of investigators of the Special Counsel's team. This charade should be ended so that President Trump can get back to the business of “Making America Great Again”. It serves no purpose to continue “beating a dead horse” when much more pressing problems that face us, as a country, are with us on a daily basis. We don't need this worthless distraction to continue.

Again I ask, “What Crimes Did the President Commit”? You make the obvious call.

Conservative commentary by Chuck Lehmann

Little by Little, Drip by Drip....

Lately, that's what has been happening in our country by the slow erosion of our American Judeo-Christian values that we have championed over the years and that have made us the pre-eminant country of the world. Most objective sane observers would concur with that statement.

But, in our midst there are a gaggle of self-hating Americans, and our ex- President Barack Hussein Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Bernie Sanders, etc. who would like to see a “total transformation” of our social and economic society, but they are smart enough not to push their agenda too fast down the throats of the American public. They talk out of both sides of their mouths, and never admit to their true intentions. So, if the radical lefty loons can regain power after the next mid-term election, the pace of “transformation” will be accelerated, and the country we have known since its inception will become a distant memory. Obama started out with his ill-timed health care bill, (known as Obamacare), that constituted the government takeover of 1/6 of our economy. The Democrats, ignoring the will of the people, passed this legislative monstrosity with just Democrat votes and no input, of any substance, by the Republicans. The Democrats hail this as a success and an achievement, but more than 60% of the public don't like it and want it repealed. That was one part of the “transformation” that cost the Democrats the election of 2016, and it will be an albatross around neck of the Democrats in Nov. 2018, along with the fact that all Democrats voted against the Trump tax cuts and tax reform. Luckily for us, much of the other policies put forth by Obama and the Democrats to “transform” our country, were thwarted by mainly the Republicans and a very few courageous Democrats.

But, all is not well in “River City” (from the play the Music Man), for over the past 50 years, we've seen the slow erosion of things that we once held dear that seem to no longer matter. Some of these erosion's of our values are: the breakup of the family by having the government intrude in our everyday lives (ex. since the “War on Poverty” was instituted by LBJ in 1965, today, 70% of the black births and 40% of other races births are conceived out of wedlock and mostly with no father at home); the assault on the institution of marriage, as had been passed down to us over the centuries, that marriage is defined as being between one man and one woman, is no longer looked upon as being the norm. Now we've been told by the “P.C. Police” that same sex marriage is just as normal as the original pairing of a man and woman, and if you disagree you are then referred to as a bigoted homophobe at worst and an intolerant lunatic at best; and that a person being religious is somehow looked upon as that person being illiberal and oppressive, and in addition that person is to be looked upon as being stupid for being a believer; that taking and using drugs should be legalized as being a normal fact of life, mainly because it is too difficult to control, so why bother; and being a success in life is not to be considered an inspiration by the many, but a grievance by the few outspoken lefty loons among us, as being a success means you must've gotten to be a success by trampling upon the rights of others. Hard work and perseverance doesn't seem to matter to them, they want to share the fruits of your labor to people who didn't earn it in the first place, the old robbing Peter to pay Paul syndrome.

There are other examples of how we have “defined deviancy down” (a phrase coined by the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan), to where many of our younger people today don't know the difference between right from wrong and they think that the world owes them a living. That is the little by little, and drip by drip I was referring to in the headline of this column. We will join the demise of the once great Roman Empire if we don't turn things around, and a good start will be by turning out and voting out the “transformation” rascals in 2018. It's later than you think, so go out now and do the right thing. All is not lost, yet! So, let's “Make America Great Again”, support President Donald Trump and his “America First” agenda.

Conservative commentary by Chuck Lehmann

We Didn't Elect a Pope, We Elected a Leader

With all the pious whining about the crudeness of Pres. Trump's speech, you'd think the Democrats would reflect upon their own crude members, including JFK, LBJ, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Maxine Waters, Al Franken, Al Sharpton, Harvey Weinstein etc., all who who have used crude words, phrases and actions in the course of their public and private lives. Pres. Trump is a down-to-earth “blue collar” billionaire who says what's on his mind without a “crudeness” filter. In other words, you get what you see and hear, and remember, we didn't elect a Pope, we elected a leader.

The unrelenting anti-Trump news media and disgruntled Democrats, who still can't believe that their flawed candidate, Hillary Clinton, didn't win the presidency, will jump on anything Pres. Trump says or does and spin it it in a negative way to try to diminish him in the eyes of the public. This phony “selective” outrage over his behavior is becoming quite apparent as the rhetoric against Pres. Trump continually goes “over the top”. In their eyes, he can't do anything right. I believe that if Pres. Trump came down from the Mount with 10 Commandments under his arm, his vicious detractors would criticize him for not having 11 Commandments. That's how much animus has infected the media and the Democrats, it's unprecedented.

With today's instantaneous access to communications and social media, the public is inundated with stories, some true and some false, that push a particular agenda depending on a particular political viewpoint. This wasn't the case 20 or 30 years ago. A lie reported on a media site today can be sent around the world in only a few hours, and if the lie is disproven, it is very difficult to set the record straight and overcome the lie. This is what Pres. Trump faces on a daily basis. That's why he “Tweets” like he does, as the outlets for him, to defend himself, are restricted and very unfriendly.

Nobody said Pres. Trump was an “angel” in his personal and professional life , but when his detractors criticize him constantly with overtly personal attacks, they forget that his actions speak louder than his words. With all the negative press Pres. Trump received during his 1st year in office, he has racked up an impressive record of achievements, which seem to be hidden by the news media on purpose. Starting with his unlikely election (over 90% of the media thought he'd lose) win over Hillary Clinton; he first off appointed a true conservative judge to the Supreme Court in Neal Gorsuch; he rescinded many business killing restrictions that the Obama administration put in place; he untied the military's hands in fighting ISIS which has now resulted in decimating ISIS in both Iraq and Syria; he has encouraged companies to return to the U.S., thereby creating more jobs (over 2 million jobs have been created since Trump took office); he approved the Keystone and Dakota pipelines to make us more energy independent from the rest of the world; the unemployment rate is the lowest in decades; and his greatest achievement of all, was the passage of the largest tax cut and reform of our tax code in our country's history, which has triggered the stock market to reach an all-time high. These are “wins” the “fake media” doesn't play up and report on.

As the headline of this editorial states, we didn't elect a Pope, we elected a leader who is fulfilling his promises and the expectations of the people who voted for him, even with a chorus of detractors nipping at his heels in a constant barrage of negative comments trying to undermine his presidency.

Conservative commentary by Chuck Lehmann

The “Collusion Delusion”

After over a year of investigating Pres. Trump for collusion with the Russians, nothing has been found to justify the narrative that Trump colluded with the Russians (zero, nada, nil). During the past year three members of the Obama security team, John Brennan, James Clapper, and James Comey, all said that they found no evidence that during the presidential campaign, and during the transition, that the Trump people or Trump colluded with the Russians. When Trump won the election (against all odds), the cry of the astounded Democrats was that it was impossible that Trump, a political neophyte, should've or could've won the election fair and square. They came up with the phony charge that the Trump team must have colluded with the Russians in efforts to undermine the Clinton campaign. There was no proof then, only assumptions, and there has been no proof now, even after one year, that the Russians colluded with Trump. The whole thing is a “collusion delusion”.

It seems that the Democrats and the “Never-Trumpers” (including some disgruntled Republicans), are throwing anything up against the wall hoping that something negative about Trump and his administration will stick, and which might then lead to his impeachment or resignation from office.

The only Russian collusion was not perpetrated by Trump, it was really perpetrated by Pres. Obama, Hillary Clinton and the DNC. Starting with the ridiculous “reset” button that Clinton used as a P.R. stunt with the Russians; the comment made to the Russian president by Pres. Obama, that after his re-election (in 2012) he would have more flexibility in dealing with the Russians; the signing off on the Uranium One deal by Hillary and Obama's other cronies, which turned over 20% of our uranium deposits to the Russians; to the fact that her husband, former president Bill Clinton, got a $500,000 speaking fee, around the time of the Uranium One deal, by a Russian bank with ties to the Kremlin, in addition to a $140 million donation to the Clinton Foundation; to the total indifference of the Obama Administration to the Russian expansion in Ukraine and the financing and the encouraging of anti-Ukraine rebels; and finally, with the payment of $12 million to the Fusion GPS group, with ties to Russian operatives, by the Clinton campaign and the DNC to get salacious and negative information against Trump. These actions show that the real Russian collusion was not with Pres. Trump, but with the Obama Administration, the Clinton campaign and the DNC.

Pres. Trump has called the whole Mueller investigation a “witch hunt”, and it looks like he was correct that this whole collusion scenario was a “put-up job” by Trump's enemies to undermine his administration, including high ranking officials in the Obama Justice Department and the FBI, two agencies that were supposed to be non-partisan and above the fray.

Now that the Trump-Russian collusion scam has turned out to be just that, the Democrats and the “Never-Trumpers” have latched onto the claim of a lack of mental capacity of Pres. Trump. It seems nothing will satisfy their addiction to bringing down Pres. Trump at any cost. The truth be damned.

Finally, the Justice Department. has started to re-open the investigation of the real scandals that have its roots in the “Washington Swamp”, the crimes committed by the Clinton's and Clinton flunky's in the government whose main job this past year was the undermining of the Trump Administration. Let's hope the Republicans do not get cold feet and that they continue to root out the “deep state” operatives that have caused so much division in our our government and in the politics of the country.

The “Collusion Delusion” hopefully will pass against Pres. Trump and will show that the real collusion with the Russians was between the Obama Administration, the Hillary Clinton campaign, and the DNC.

Conservative commentary by Chuck Lehmann

"The Boy Who Cried Wolf"

The story of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”, is one of Aesop's fables. It is a tale about a boy who gave false alarms too many times so that future true claims were disbelieved. The moral of the tale is that it shows how liars are rewarded, even if they tell the truth, no one believes them.

This tale could be used to explain what is happening in our country today.... in the irresponsible use of the term “racist” (or racism or other inflammatory terms). It seems if you are on the left side of the political spectrum, if somebody challenges your views, you immediately cry “racism”, whether it is present or not.

It seems that this highly emotional term is used to shut down debate, especially if it concerns a challenge to liberal orthodoxy or opinion. The “racial arsonists” including Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, the Congressional Black Caucus etc. have been using this anti-free speech method of political dialogue for years in promoting their theory of “black victimology”.

It has gotten so bad that in recent years that that charge has become a hackneyed prime example of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”, by using the term “racism” (or racist) indiscriminately in trying to promote their agenda of assigning guilt to others (especially others who disagree with them and especially if you are “white”).

A prime example of this highly emotional attack on free speech, is the constant attacks against President Trump by the far-left liberals (a/k/a Democrats) and some anti-Trumper Republicans. No matter what Pres. Trump says (or tweets) or does, he is accused of being a “racist” or worse (including the words Fascist, incompetent, stupid, and the ever present accusation, congenital liar). In the eyes of his enemies, he can do nothing right ( ex: if he came down from the mount with the 10 Commandments under his arm, his critics would criticize him for not having 11 Commandments). Another example of this irresponsible use of the term “racism”, was when Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (D) was given a first-class plane seat, that was purchased by an “ordinary” person, by the airline company. When the person who bought the seat complained, Cong. Jackson-Lee claimed it was because she was black (i.e, racism). By the way, when the “bumped” woman first complained she didn't know who got her seat. Who in their right mind believes the congresswoman and her charge of racism?

During the debate on the Trump tax and reform bill in Congress, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, said that passage of this bill was tantamount of being another “Armageddon” (another boy crying wolf statement). How many believed that giving 80 to 90% of taxpayers more money in their pockets would be “Armageddon”? Only die-hard anti-Trumpers and Democrats would agree with that outrageous statement by Nancy Pelosi.

So, in conclusion, the fable of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” has relevance today, especially in our political dialogue and political climate. Over-the-top criticism of your political opponents shows that the people using these highly emotional terms have not learned their lesson as set forth in Aesop's fable.

Conservative commentary by Chuck Lehmann

TO DRILL OR NOT TO DRILL?

Remember, Shakespeare once put forward the phrase, “To be or not to be, that is the question”? Well today, with the price of gasoline hovering around the price of $2.50 to $3.00 per gallon, the debate has been joined between two political ideologies, “to drill or not to drill”, that is the question today. On one side, are the people who want to tap our plentiful natural resources to get more oil, natural gas, coal, plus investing in clean nuclear power. On the other side, are the ardent environmentalists and the leaders of the Democratic Party, and many of their naive followers. Today, we use approximately 25% of our energy usage on imports from foreign countries. With Pres. Trump in charge of our energy policy, that percentage will decline sharply. We will become energy independent.

To me, as a commentator on the passing scene, I fall on the side of exploring for and using our natural resources to help in alleviating our thirst for energy and for us to not have to rely on foreign sources of energy for our energy needs. With us spending over $700 billion a year to foreign countries, many of whom are not our true friends, such as Canada (our friend), Venezuela (not our friend), Saudi Arabia (a so-so friend), Mexico (another so-so friend) etc., for obtaining much of our badly needed energy, it is a “no-brainer” to utilize what we have on land (including fracking) or off the continental shelf, to help us lessen our need for these unreliable sources of energy and keep most of that $700 billion right here in the good ole U.S.A.

Yes, the critics are correct, that we cannot drill our way out of our energy problems completely, but by being less dependent on others, and by giving us a larger energy supply, of “home grown” energy, it will keep our country safer by not having to rely on some unstable, and unreliable sources of energy in areas that are very volatile and hostile to the U.S. So, besides being a supply problem, it is also a national security problem. Of course, we must look for and develop alternative forms of energy to help wean us off carbon based fuels. But, it is not economically feasible, at this time, to make believe that we can substitute our energy needs with solar, hydro, wind etc. We should develop all forms of energy, including nuclear, not exclude one or the other, but all. We need bold leadership, in this area, to go for the “whole enchilada”, more oil, more coal, more solar, more wind, more hydro etc., etc. We can do it all, just like we did in putting a man on the moon in 1969.

Who is opposing our quests for exploring for new sources of energy? Besides ex-President Obama, our former “Liar in Chief” (and his two flunky's Biden and Kerry), we have some outside forces using their enormous influence and wealth to thwart our energy efforts to become energy independent. Thank God that Pres. Trump has given the O.K. to complete the Keystone and Dakota pipelines. Did you know that Obama benefactor and billionaire, Warren Buffet, has lobbied against approval of the Keystone and Dakota Pipelines, quite obviously because his investment company, Berkshire Hathaway, is the owner of the Burlington Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF) which owns most of the rail lines in the U.S. that connect to western Canada, and they haul 80% of the crude from Canada to the Midwest and Texas. Buffet could stand to lose $2 billion plus a year if the pipeline is constituted and implemented. The longer it is delayed, the more money his company makes. In addition, we have another billionaire environmentalist “nut job”, Tom Steyer, who has pledged $100 million to Democratic candidates who will oppose the pipeline and endorse other “green projects” that Steyer endorses. So far, he's had difficulty getting the Democrats from the “red states” to endorse his proposals because they don't want to alienate the voters of their state who rely on fossil fuels for filling their state's coffers with energy taxes, most of whom are against the extreme environmental agenda of that “limousine liberal”, Tom Steyer.

Unfortunately, most Democratic candidates have bought into the scam of “global warming” (a/k/a climate change) as pushed by that non-environmental scientist, Al Gore. They all seem to be afflicted with that medical condition called “Cranial Rectal Inversion”, and the Democratic candidates seem to have a natural tendency to succumb to this malady more so than Republicans.

If you agree with me, you must get rid of the “rascals”, who have this medical condition called CRI, and you must vote into office, people who will represent you and your needs, and not just the needs of the “nay saying” Democrats and their political party, and their partners in the extreme environmental movement. So to answer the question, it is not whether to “Drill or not to Drill” , it is when, where, and how soon we can drill to tap our vast resources of natural energy right here in our own back yard. The sooner the better.

Conservative commentary by Chuck Lehmann

Does Our Constitution Need to Be Rewritten or Reread?

To listen to some far-left loons, our Constitution is a worthless piece of paper that is out of touch with present day Americans.  Imagine this group of political losers, representing mostly Democrats and anarchists, trying to undermine over 225 years of progress as envisioned by the “founding fathers”?  Our Constitution is looked upon, all over the world, as the “holy grail” of what many freedom thinking countries and governments have used as a blueprint for their own constitutions.

These “hate America” advocates can't seem to get it through their thick heads that the reason why America is #1 in the world, with all its warts, and it will remain so if we elect people into office who will strive to put America first.  These misguided people are so ignorant that whenever anything negative happens in the world, they will blame their own country first.  These American bashers come in all colors, all religions, and all genders.  One reason for this illogical increased animus toward their own country is that our educational system has very cleverly indoctrinated our students into believing that their anarchist, anti-American philosophy is the way to go and what to believe.  A large majority of today's students and young people believe that socialism is a better, more fairer economic system than is capitalism, the #1 type of economic philosophy that has made the United States the greatest country in the world, the place where most people in the world would like to emigrate to today.  The indoctrination of these malleable “heads full of mush” are easily led astray to this illogical conclusion by the aforementioned liberal Marxist/Socialist teachers and professors, that make up most of the faculties in our primary and secondary schools, and in our colleges and universities.  It is estimated that 80% to 90% of all educators fall into this leftist category rut.  The cry on most campuses is for “diversity”, but it seems that their “diversity” excludes “diversity” of faculty and opposing opinions.  A quote from Sir Winston Churchill, years ago, seems to sum up the dichotomy of young and old, and it still has resonance today.  He said; “If you are not a liberal (a/k/a Progressive) by the age of 20, you have no heart, and if you are not a conservative by the age of 40, you have no brains”.  As true as that statement might be, the younger generation makes up a sizable portion of the electorate (along with the special interest leftist-leaning minority groups) that they will determine to, or attempt to, do away with our venerated Constitution or parts thereof.

This whole scenario by some Democrats, “Never-Trumpers” and the far-left, of trying to have President Trump impeached or to have him resign, on an almost daily basis, is one of the methods they're using to undermine our democratic republic.  As the Constitution that was written by our “founding fathers” to prevent “tyranny of the majority”, it now must confront the attack on our democratic institutions by what might be called the “tyranny of the minority”.  President Trump must succeed in his quest to “drain the swamp” and to “Make America Great Again” or we will slowly sink into the abyss of of global decay like that of Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Somalia, and Libya etc.  Pray that the U.S.A. can survive this onslaught against our constitution by these anti-American zealots. It should be reread, not rewritten.

Conservative commentary by Chuck Lehmann

 

Should Babies Born to Illegal Alien Mothers, on U.S. Soil, be Automatic U.S. Citizens?

That arrangement is called “birthright citizenship”.

If an illegal alien pregnant woman comes into our country and gives birth on American soil, should that baby get automatic U.S. citizenship?  As of now, we grant citizenship to babies born on American soil, but no where in the U.S Constitution does it state that we should do that, contrary to what some might say.

The people who are in favor of granting “birthright citizenship”, argue that the 14th Amendment to our constitution gives those rights to those babies, but that was not the intent of the wording in the 14th Amendment.  The wording in the 14th Amendment was intended for the freed slaves after the Civil War.  The amendment reads as follows:

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside”.

In 1866, Senator Jacob Howard clearly spelled out the intent of the 14th Amendment by writing:  “Every person born within the limits of the United States, and subject to their jurisdiction,  is by virtue of natural law a citizen of the United States.  This will not, of course, include persons born into the United States who are foreigners, aliens, who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers accredited to the government of the United States........”

The key phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof”, was intended to exclude American-born persons from automatic citizenship whose allegiance to the United States was not complete.  When illegal alien mothers, who are unlawfully in the United States, their native country has a claim of allegiance on that mother and child.  Thus, the completeness of their allegiance to the United States is impaired, which therefore precludes automatic citizenship.  The correct interpretation of the 14th Amendment is that an illegal alien mother is subject to the jurisprudence of that native country, as is her baby.  (this interpretation was taken from the Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform).

The only industrialized nations who have this “birthright citizenship” is the United States and Canada.  This is what has attracted this influx of illegal alien mothers giving birth on American soil.  Are we stupid or what?

Since these babies are now considered American citizens,  they are eligible for all kinds of welfare and government handouts and benefits including food, shelter, clothing, education, medical care, and being able to bring in their relatives (called “chain migration”).

The question posed at the outset of this editorial, “Should Babies Born to Illegal Alien Mothers, on U.S. Soil, Be Automatic U.S. Citizens”, should be answered with a resounding “NO”.  We are running a national debt of over $20 trillion, and by us giving all this financial and humanitarian assistance to these “birthright babies” and their immediate families (that's why they are referred to as “anchor babies”), we are causing many hardships on both the federal and state governments. According to the Washington Examiner, the swelling population of illegal immigrants and their kids is costing American taxpayers $135 billion a year, driven by free medical care, education, and a huge law enforcement bill.  And despite claims from pro-illegal immigration advocates that aliens pay significant off-setting taxes back to federal, state, and local treasuries, the Federation for American Immigration Reform report tallied just $19 billion, making the final hit on taxpayers about $116 billion.

If we stop granting automatic citizenship to the babies born on U.S. soil by illegal alien mothers, the flow of illegal immigrants will be dramatically reduced.  That's the humanitarian way to uphold the laws of the U.S. by sending them back to their native countries without granting them U.S. citizenship. Of course, we should make the transition back to their native countries as humanely as possible, but it is something that has to be done in order to protect the sovereignty of our country.  A country without borders is not a country, but just a way station for others to take advantage of our good nature by entering our country illegally and collecting government benefits paid for by U.S. citizens taxes.

Conservative commentary by Chuck Lehmann

Ignorance is Bliss!

The more I see people on T.V. or in the news media or the entertainment industry, being totally clueless as to what economic common sense is all about, the more I've come to the conclusion that “Ignorance is Bliss”. That phrase was coined by English poet Thomas Gray in 1742, but it has relevance today in our crazy world of politics and current events. The definition of that phrase is: “it means that something you don't know can't affect you (good or bad). So, you remain unenlightened (sometimes called “blissful ignorance”). But, by being ignorant and clueless, you can be a cause for concern as policies that might be beneficial to the country as a whole, might not come about because of that “blissful ignorance”.

I recently saw a video segment by investigative reporter, Avi Horowitz, who went to the uber-liberal section of New York City called the East Village, to ask some questions. He asked random people walking on the street what they thought of the Trump tax plan. Almost 100% said they didn't like it and that it only benefited the rich. Then he said, here is Bernie Sanders economic tax plan, what do you think of it? What Horowitz did was list the provisions of the Trump plan after informing them it was Bernie's plan. Most all agreed that it was a great plan and should be adopted into law. After their praise of “Bernie's” plan, he informed them it really was Trump's plan, and they had to admit that it was a good plan after all. It seems they had all been brainwashed that anything that had to do with Trump or the Republicans was bad for the country.

I'm sure that most of those people interviewed in the East Village were educated (supposedly) people who really had no clue as to what the provisions of the Trump tax plan was. They were just repeating what they saw and heard on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC etc. and the left-leaning politicians, that since it had Trump's name associated with it, it must be bad for the country. Would you classify that to be in the category of “Ignorance is Bliss”? It seems that many people are lemmings being led to a disastrous end by the liberal elites who will spin any story about Trump and the Republicans and put it in a bad light. After all, Trump and the Republicans are “evil”, according to the main stream media and the Democrats.

Democrat leaders, like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, are predicting that “Armageddon” is just around the corner because of the passage of the Trump tax cuts etc. I'll bet my bottom dollar that they know that that emotionally charged rhetoric is just partisan babble, but in order to try to discredit a meaningful piece of economic common sense legislation, they willfully disparage the benefits that the plan offers to the poor and middle class because they know that this is a winning issue for both the Republicans and Trump, especially for the upcoming congressional and senatorial elections in November, 2018.

Never have I seen such a misinformation campaign conducted by politicians, trying to regain power, by willfully making misstatements of facts for partisan political advantage. Yes, it has been done in the past, but not to the extent it is being used today. In addition, the drumbeat, by some Democrats, to push for the impeachment of President Trump, seems to take precedence over all items that could affect the making of America great again. No doubt, Trump and the Republicans will have to overcome an overwhelming negative news media (a Harvard University report showed that 93% of all stories in the media about Trump are negative) to turn the P.R. of their tax plan into their advantage. It won't be easy, but don't count Pres. Trump out as he generally wins in the end.

Of course, the “proof is in the pudding”, as the old saying goes. If the economy booms, like Trump and the Republicans say it will, it will mean that the Republicans will hold their majorities in the House and Senate come Nov. 2018 (people generally vote their pocketbooks). When that happens, both Pelosi and Schumer will have egg on their faces and will have a lot of explaining to do. As I said before, “Ignorance is Bliss”, but that “willful ignorance” will, most likely, come back to bite the Democrats in the butt big time in future decisions and elections.

Conservative commentary by Chuck Lehmann

Ain't That a Shame!

That's the popular song made famous by Fats Domino (may he R.I.P.) in the 1950's, but the title has pertinence today as to what is gong on as our culture has come under attack by progressives (a/k/a liberals).

Within the last few years, we've seen one tradition after another come under attack by the progressives and in its place, laws have been enacted and court decisions have been reached making prevailing morality and social order the enemy and instituting a “feel good” anything goes mentality on how we should conduct our affairs and our lives. Political correctness reigns supreme.

This assault on our traditional values began in the 1960's when we passed “feel good” legislation declaring a “War on Poverty”. The good intentions of helping the poor morphed into a plan to take from the successful in our society (a/k/a the rich) and give to the less than successful by means of “income redistribution”. Instead of helping the poor better themselves, and after spending over $15 trillion since 1965, we have seen no marked improvement of the poor except that they have become more dependent upon the government for their everyday sustenance. In addition, the “War on Poverty” laws have had had deleterious effect upon the family, especially among the black community where over 70% of all black births are to single women without a father at home. The social consequences of this is now being manifested in the increase of criminal activity in that social class. Children growing up in a one-parent fatherless homes are many times more prone to drop out of school, indulge in petty crime as youngsters, get involved in gangs, and finally leading up to becoming adult criminals. As Fats Domino would say, “Ain't That A Shame”.

Look around, what do you see? Drug use is being legalized in many states (and we have an opioid crisis to boot), and just lately we've had a couple of U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have turned our Constitution on its head. Those decisions were not based on constitutional law, but were based on the emotions of those judges own personal viewpoints and interpretations of what the law they thought it meant, not what the law actually meant.

It seems that Americans have become so “non-judgmental” that many people can no longer tell the difference between good and evil or right or wrong. Over the last few years, we have witnessed a lack of common sense morality that has real consequences for our nation. Here are some of the negatives I'm referring to: 1) The collapse of marriage (roughly 40% of marriages now end in divorce). 2) Violent crime, especially in inner cities, has reached epidemic proportions (ex: Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit, St. Louis etc.). 3) Poor government (one of the biggest factors is the dishonesty of our own politicians). 4) Dependence by people on the government for their sustenance (1 out of 5 people are getting some sort of a government handout). 5) The lack of civility and manners (especially among the young people who mostly come from single parent households (no father at home to give guidance).

Finally, there is a concerted assault on our Judeo Christian heritage. Members of the media, academics, gays, George Soros, Democrat Party, and race baiters like Al Sharpton, Black Lives Matter, and Jesse Jackson, have banded together to undo hundreds of years of traditions, traditions that have made the U.S.A. the greatest country and the envy of the the world. Remember, in 2008, Barack Obama said that, if elected, he would “transform America”. Now, after his 8 years in office, what does that “transformation” look like? Now we have Donald Trump as president who is trying to undo what Obama did during his tenure in the White House. Will he succeed before the next election in 2020? It all depends on the electorate in November, 2020, whether common sense will prevail or will we fall further into the abyss of Marxism/Socialism which the Democrats (including Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders etc.) will be offering up as an alternative to Trump? If they succeed, then Fats Domino's song of “Ain't That a Shame” will be the cry of American patriots and grass-roots citizens as the USA slowly slips into what happened in the demise of the Roman Empire or what is happening in Venezuela today under Marxist/Socialist Nicolas Maduro. Let's hope that the song “Ain't That a Shame” is not revived in the future over the demise of the U.S.A.

Conservative commentary of Chuck Lehmann