Obama Politicizes Navy Yard Memorial

Obama Politicizes Navy Yard Memorial
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
September 23, 2013

On what should have been an occasion of solemnity and the reminder of the fragility of life, Barack Obama, never being one to miss an opportunity, turned a memorial into a political speech and talking points for future anti-gun candidates.

While none of the military and administration speakers preceding Obama called for gun control during their eulogies, Obama connected the names of the victims with the demand for more gun laws at the Navy Yard memorial following the slaughter of a dozen innocent people Monday, September 16.

“If we really want to honor these 12 men and women, if we really want to be a country where we can go to work and go to school and walk our streets free from senseless violence without so many lives being stolen by a bullet from a gun, then we’re going to have to change,” said Obama, Sunday afternoon.

What Obama and the rest of the knee-jerk reactionary gun control crowd either fails to realize or is simply intentionally obtuse for political purposes, is that honest, law-abiding Americans are the ones affected by gun control laws. The United States does not need additional laws pertaining to the ownership and carrying of firearms. It needs to start by enforcing the laws already enacted.

Criminals, by their nature of being criminals, will continue to find ways to procure firearms and criminals are not impacted by potential restrictions to the Second Amendment of the Constitution.

In the case of this particular murderer, Aaron Alexis, 34, a former Navy Reservist and information technology contractor apparently wrestled with mental illness. Yet, he supposedly garnered his firearms legally. Where was the mental health system to stop Alexis from acquiring guns in the first place? Why didn’t his discharge record indicate a status that denied him the right to own a gun?

And if any law should be changed, it should be the repeal of a law signed by former President Bill Clinton denying employees on military bases or buildings like Fort Hood or the Navy Yard from carrying a firearm. In each case, where a dozen or more were slain, anyone with a firearm could have thwarted the murderer/terrorist from carrying out the heinous crimes perpetrated.

If history has taught us anything, it is that a well-armed citizenry has the ability to ward off the tyranny of a government swelled with unearned power. Those who would prefer to live in a world where guns are not accepted are free to do so – no doubt the local Starbucks will welcome you. For the rest of us who prefer to take personal responsibility for the protection of our families, homes, businesses, and property, the Second Amendment is still part of the Constitution.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Is Rubio's Sip His Waterloo?

Is Rubio’s Sip His Waterloo?

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

February 14, 2013

Calling it the new Watergate is too easy and salacious, but the liberal media is treating Florida Senator Marco Rubio’s sip of water as more scandalous than both waterboarding and former President Richard Nixon’s waterloo combined.

And while the lame-stream media continues to drone on about the sip slurped ‘round the world, they conveniently ignore Barack Obama’s illegal murder of an American citizen via a drone. This should be an impeachable occurrence, yet is defended by Kool-Aid® drinking liberals, with some exception – namely Fox News contributors Kirsten Powers and Mark Lamont Hill.

Hill, a Columbia University professor, and ultra-liberal, said on FNC’s O’ Reilly Factor on Feb. 11 that Obama’s use of drones was wrong and the left ignoring it, hypocritical.

Have we not seen the likes of Obama, VP Joe Biden, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sip water from time to time while speaking in public? Is the downing of water a political issue so important to supplant any other news?

Of course not. This is a simple example of the hypocrisy of the left making a hurricane out of a drizzle. The water is merely a liberal prop to deflect public attention from Rubio’s important and well-stated message rebuking the ill-conceived points made by Obama in his State of the Union address.

Liberal pundits are claiming Rubio’s one sip of water during the GOP response on Feb. 12 will damage his potentiality at the White House in 2016. This oft-repeated mantra over the past 48 hours is designed to steal attention from Rubio’s refutation of Obama’s call for increased taxes and spending while simultaneously calling for a continued dismantling of the military.

Rubio deftly purloined the issue of the middle class from Obama by reminding Americans that “raising taxes won’t create private sector jobs…. More government isn’t going to help you get ahead. It’s going to hold you back,” said the 41-year-old Rubio.

Rubio is absolutely correct. When more of our hard-earned dollars are stolen by the government to support those who refuse to take personal responsibility for their lives, those earners have less money to save, invest, or spend in the free market place. Spending in the free market requires greater supply and more employees to create that supply. It is government regulation and restrictiveness that prevents success – success condemned regularly by Obama in his attempt to create equality of outcome, a concept contrary to a capitalist democratic-republic.

While Rubio took a harmless sip of water to fight dry mouth it is the liberal media that is left all wet spewing venom over an innocent act while ignoring the substance of Rubio’s message.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Of Gastronomy and Guns

Of Gastronomy and Guns

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

January 22, 2013

Shortly upon his second coronation, King Barack, Queen Michelle and a band of Congressional minions adjourned to Statuary Hall where they dined on lobster, clam chowder sauce, bison, apple pie a la mode and other delights.*

I mentioned this to an ultra-liberal friend of mine who was basking in the glory of the day, January 21, who simply responded, “They’re entitled.” Hmm. That seems to sum up the entire attitude of this administration and all who fawn in its wake.

My point was not in the largesse of the meal. I couldn’t care less what the Obamas and members of Congress eat – so long as I am not paying for it, which, of course, on that day I, along with the rest of you were footing the bill. My point is, the over 3,000 calorie gastronomical feast on which they gorged demonstrates the continued hypocrisy of this administration, specifically Queen Michelle who has been hell bent on mandating a national diet for the rank and file – obese or not.

And after Mrs. Obama ordered us to eat our peas, there was no such legume on the inaugural luncheon menu.

As with so many aspects of this administration, it’s do as we say, not as we do. This edict can be applied to the Obama philosophy on guns.

While it is perfectly acceptable, and it is, for Obama’s daughters to be protected by armed guards, he does not want the rest of America’s children to enjoy the same security. Since the horrors of Sandy Hook in December there has been a cacophony calling for increased gun control as a knee-jerk reaction from the left.

Limiting the rights, as provided by the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, will only put innocent people in grave danger, not make them safer.

“Why don’t we stop the bad guy from getting the gun in the first place,” declared Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), showing his abject naïveté. Is Schumer serious? Additional gun laws will stop criminals? Welcome to the Land of Oz, Senator.

The more people are armed, the less likely they will become victims.

On January 16 Obama signed 23 Executive Orders pertaining to guns and gun ownership bypassing Congress. I seem to recall a war for independence being fought (1775-83) to rid ourselves of the despotic and tyrannical rule of a monarch, King George III.

Why not enforce the hundreds, if not thousands of gun laws already on the books both federally as well as within the 50 states? No, that would be too practical and not feed the paranoia of the left if “all” the government did was work within the system already in place. Instead, the federal government needs to put on a show – replete with Obama photos supposedly skeet shooting. I’d sooner trust former VP Dick Cheney with a gun than Obama.

Arm schools at the front doors as we arm banks protecting our most important assets – our children, as we do our monetary assets. Protect the children of Mr. and Mrs. Main Street as we do Mr. and Mrs. Obama.

Bottom line, stripping away the Second Amendment to the Constitution one rifle, pistol, or handgun at a time will eventually ensure that all other amendments are stripped away, ending the democratic-republic as we once knew it.

*Inauguration Day Menu

First Course: Steamed Lobster with New England Clam Chowder Sauce
Lobster Tails
New England Clam Chowder Sauce
Sautéed Spinach
Sweet Potato Hay

Per Serving: Calories 783, Fat 45.7g, Saturated Fat 16g, Cholesterol 247 mg, Sodium 1819 mg, Carbohydrates 55g, Dietary Fiber 7.5g, Sugar 14g, Protein 29g

Second Course: Hickory Grilled Bison with Red Potato Horseradish Cake and Wild Huckleberry Reduction
Bison
Butternut Squash Puree
Baby Golden Beets and Green Beans
Red Potato Horseradish Cake
Strawberry Preserve and Red Cabbage
Wild Huckleberry Reduction

Per Serving: Calories 1184, Fat 34.6g, Saturated Fat 16g, Cholesterol 177mg, Sodium 7445mg, Carbohydrates, 149g, Dietary Fiber 16.7, Sugar 97.2g, Protein 51g

Third Course: Hudson Valley Apple Pie with Sour Cream Ice Cream, Aged Cheese and Honey
Pie Dough
Cinnamon Crumble
Apples
Sour Cream Ice Cream
Maple Caramel Sauce
Garnish
Artisan Cheeses

Per Serving: Calories 1060, Fat 64.4g, Saturated Fat 39g, Cholesterol 331mg, Sodium 488mg, Carbohydrates, 108.5g, Dietary Fiber 1.7g, Sugar 75g, Protein 14g

Total Nutritional Counts (not including wine pairing): Calories 3027, Fat 145 g, Saturated Fat 71g (49% of fat), Sodium 9752 mg, Total Carbs 312.5g, Sugar 186.2g (59% of carbs)

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

2012 - Moving Forward

2012 – Moving Forward
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
November 7, 2012

My friends and fellow Americans:

“These are the times that try men’s souls.” – Thomas Paine

This is not the time to capitulate, retreat, or compromise. No. This is the time to strengthen our collective resolve, vow to keep fighting for what is right, moral, and decent in this great nation of ours.

This is the time to remind the elected officials that they work for us and not the other way around. This the time to remember that the United States Constitution is not some antiquated document that can be ignored and tossed into the dustbin of history.

This is the time to find those real conservatives who will represent us in the election of 2014 – those honorable men and women who understand what is Constitutional and what is not; what is an appropriate action to take in the world and what is not; what is the legal manner in which to allocate the funds we the people send out of responsibility for the few necessities promulgated by the law – to provide for the common defense.

This is the time to find the true conservative, not some weak-kneed moderate masquerading as a conservative, but a true Constitutional conservative be it a Republican or a member of the Constitution Party to be the standard bearer in 2016. The GOP had better heed the message that moderates to appease the media; moderates to appease the opposition will guarantee a future much like that of the Whig Party – extinction.

This is a clarion call for true conservatism – fiscal and social – not right-wing fanaticism, but genuine political and cultural conservatism that welcomes black voters, Hispanic voters, and Jewish voters who have balked at joining the movement due to a fear of a religious insurrection.

Religious faith is very important and should not be dismissed, but it should not be intertwined in our body politic. Having religious principles that guide us in how we live our lives on a daily basis is vital. Prayer is good too, but it should be personal and not political.

I am a believer in one Almighty G-d and attend synagogue regularly. It is a major part of what defines me as a person and how I choose to live my life. It does not, however, dictate my politics.

Taken on true conservative principles, supporting life, the rights of victims of crimes over those of the criminal, a strong national defense, the defense of marriage as one man-one woman, non-entangling alliances, the rights to defend one’s life, family and property are all tenets that should attract support from a vast swath of Americana, and it is welcomed.

Now is the time, friends, fellow Americans, and fellow patriots to stand up and not shy away from the hard work and responsibility that has fallen on our shoulders. Our voices must be heard and we must deliver ourselves from this festering cesspool of mediocrity and reclaim this nation to be the democratic-republic our Founding Fathers fought and died to give us. Their work shall not be in vain.

Thank you, and may G-d Bless us and the United States of America.

Sanford D. Horn is an educator and writer living in Westfield, IN. A lifelong Republican, he is (again) interested in seeking public office with the proper support and backing.