COCA-COLA'S SUPER BOWL AD TURNS AMERICA'S SONG INTO A LEFTIST DIVERSITY AD By Geoffrey G. Fisher The liberal left’s love affair with the term diversity reached new heights on Super Bowl Sunday when “America the Beautiful” was sung in eight languages by young girls as part of a Coca-Cola Ad. The reaction from conservatives was predictable and immediate. “How dare this corporation take an American icon like “America the Beautiful” and toss it into the cauldron of political correctness.” In short, it was a cheap shot. The hubris of this Atlanta behemoth in general and CEO Muhtar Kent in particular was galling and chilling at the same time. It took less than one day for liberal researches to track down the intimate history of the author of the lyrics, Wellesley College graduate and Professor Katherine Lee Bates. Miss Bates had what was called at the time a “Boston Marriage” – that is a long term friendship with fellow Wellesley Professor Katharine Coman. Beyond these few facts historians are guessing at the particulars of their living arrangements because women expressed friendships in ambiguous terms in the late Victorian era. Author Patricia A. Palmieri an expert of Boston Marriages writes: “"We cannot say with certainty what sexual connotations these relationships conveyed. We do know that these relationships were deeply intellectual; they fostered verbal and physical expressions of love." This has not stopped the radical lesbian community from taking the most reckless interpretation for their cause and naming Miss Bates a lesbian icon as seen in 2012 when she was listed as one of the 31 LGBT history "icons" by the organizers of LGBT History Month. What the homosexual community ignores is the period sensitivity to any suggestion that a woman of that era was sexually attracted to the same gender. American author Henry James coined the term Boston Marriage and wrote the period novel The Bostonians on this very topic. The heroine of the book Verena Tarrant, is the love interest of Mississippi lawyer and Civil War veteran, Basil Ransom and Olive Chancellor, an ardent feminist reformer from Boston. Contemporary reaction to The Bostonians was both swift and unambiguous - the liberal reformers of Boston were scandelized. Darrel Abel put it perfectly in his book from 2002 called Classic Authors of the Gilded Age: “But probably most offensive to Boston propriety were the unmistakable indications (veiled references) of Lesbianism in the portrait of Olive Chancellor, which made it a violation of Boston decency and reticence. The important point about Miss Bates is that her lyrics are of unity, an assumption that American is a country of believers in God and one that understood that brotherhood stood for all of us. America! America! God shed his grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea! Professor Bates would have tolerated but not approved of her lyrics being sung in eight languages. Indeed, as a full professor of English literature she would have insisted that all immigrants learn Standard English in a public school. The problem with the big topic of Diversity is that it’s foreign (excuse the pun) to our collective DNA. Diversity gurus view the United States as a simple collection of many parts, a view that contributes to chronic alienation of recent immigrants from the American experience, from the American ethos. It denies new arrivals that sense of joining a dynamic culture that is of the new world and not the old world of Europe or Asia. Artificial Diversity brings divisiveness. Most liberals ironically refuse to embrace diversity of opinion – if you disagree with them you are a “homophobe” or stupid et cetera. Listen to the words of Presidential candidate Barack Obama speaking in 2008 at a fund raiser in San Francisco, the citadel of liberalism. The junior senator from Illinois tried to explain small town Americans to his fellow progressives: “…they (rural Americans) cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” Really? Basically if you disagree with a “liberal” you are marginalized as a gun-toting, bible thumping, xenophobe. Mr. President that sounds very provincial of you. John F. Kennedy promoted unity and togetherness in his last commencement address at American University in Washington, D.C. on June 10, 1963: “So, let us not be blind to our differences. But let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.” This was and is still great advice for the countries of the world he was addressing in 1963 and the young people of the United States today - Gen Y. Remember we live in the United States and not the United Nations. There’s a reason “E Pluribus Unum” (Out of Many, One) is one of our national mottos, that it is on our money and the Great Seal of the United States since 1782, and that is because we are many people who have created the greatest country in history and have created a culture worthy of this great country. Having English as our common language makes us stronger not weaker Mr. Kent. The greatest story of E Pluribus Unum or assimilation of the 20 century was the European Jews who escaped persecution in the Old Country only to live in abject poverty in cities like New York, Brooklyn, and New Orleans. They did this in order to give their children a better life. And of course the degradation suffered by the Jews of the 20th century during World War II cannot be matched by any racial or ethnic group in American society today. Yet in 2014 Jews enjoy the full embrace of America contributing to the fields of music, medicine, business, and politics. Think about it – can you get any more American than George Gershwin (Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris or Irving Berlin (White Christmas, God Bless America, and Blue Skies). Today Diversity is nothing more than a continuation of Pluralism of the 1980s and Multiculturalism of the 1990s. Diversity is the love child of modern liberals like Barack and Hillary who have reservations about American Exceptionalism. Evangelicals argue that the founding generation of America was put together with the guiding hand of Almighty God. I agree. How else can you explain Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, and Franklin being contemporaries in 1776? Just take Thomas Jefferson. His brilliance was best explained by John Kennedy at a dinner honoring Nobel Prize Winners of the Western Hemisphere on Sunday April 29, 1962: “I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.” The bottom line is there is nothing wrong with speaking several languages as an individual as long as you can speak Standard English. Muhtar Kent’s affront to American sensibilities harkens back to Coke’s former CEO Roberto Goizueta’s introduction of New Coke on April 23, 1985 – an introduction that proved to be one of the great marketing blunders in business history because he misread the American people. My advice to Muhtar Kent, stick to your business ledgers and leave the political correct propaganda to true socialists like the president, Mrs. Pelosi, and Mrs. Clinton. (Word Total: 1258)

CONDI RICE FOR PRESIDENT, SHE CAN SLAY HILLARY THE DRAGON

CONDOLEEZZA RICE FOR PRESIDENT: DRAGON SLAYER AND SO MUCH MORE BY GEOFFREY G. FISHER The 4s5th President of the United States will take the oath of office on Friday afternoon, January 20, 2017, on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol building. This inauguration will either mark the return of our country to social and fiscal sanity or a continuation of financial ruin. Most political analysts now conclude that the Democratic Party will nominate Hillary Rodham Clinton for president. Of all the possible GOP nominees only Condoleezza Rice has the brains, experience, temperament and steely resolve to eviscerate the Democratic Dragon that is consumed with being the first woman president. Professor Rice of Stanford University is a woman of substance rather than a woman of cunning pretending to be a trailblazer but in actuality is nothing more than a modern version of the wronged Victorian woman. One who has made a disgraceful bargain to look the other way as she clung to the coattails of a powerful man. It would be an intrepid act if Mrs. Clinton admitted to her bargain, that is she came clean by saying that she clung to her husband in order to advance in politics – that statement would be both honest and refreshing. Although Mrs. Clinton is many things, honest and refreshing never. Liberal columnist Maureen Dowd of the New York Times summarized the real Mrs. Clinton when she wrote in September of 2007, “Without nepotism, Hillary would be running for the president of Vassar.” I agree Dowd but the former First Lady is still formable and undoubtedly has the killer instinct – so how would Dr. Rice slay this dragon? It comes down to capturing a greater percentage of important voter blocks that have been trending Democratic lately. As a charming, informed and poised campaigner Condi Rice will engage most Americans with her life story (she grew up in segregated Birmingham, Alabama where she felt the blast from the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in September of 1963), she will also engage the voters with her abilities, and experience. Politically, Professor Rice will easily capture the GOP establishment along with many moderate Democrats – she will also ultimately win over the social and Tea Party conservatives. The thought of a President Hillary will quell any division with the Republican Party. Although Dr. Rice has flirted with the issue of abortion: “I’ve called myself at times mildly pro-choice. I’m kind of libertarian on this issue, and meaning by that that I have been concerned about a government role in this issue. I’m a strong proponent of parental choice, of parental notification. I’m a strong proponent of a ban on late-term abortion.” Pro-Lifers will have to be satisfied with a libertarian view on this issue rather than Hillary’s radical agenda promoting abortion on demand. President Hillary will likely add two radicals to the Supreme Court bench setting the Pro-Life movement back by 20 years. Here are some specifics for any Tea Party purists: politically, Professor Rice will peel off 4% of the female vote and probably 5% of the black vote giving her a winning formula if she follows the same electoral route used by Governor Romney in 2012. No other Republican candidate can match this intrusion into the Obama coalition. Whereas Governor Romney was stiff and opaque to the voters, Dr. Rice is both a natural political figure and someone that generates the integrity of a female Jimmy Stewart, earnest and altruistic. On the issue of temperament Condi is poised, gracious, and steady under pressure – that is a woman of courage and vision. Her foreign policy experience has been a crucible for her – she understands the nuances that exist in the real world and the need to act on the best information available. She displayed that steely resolved on September 11, 2001, calmly advising the president on how to respond to the sneak attack on our home front. She also had a message to the Code Pink crowd after the invasion of Iraq took place: “I welcome your opinions but I do not welcome your uniformed opinions.” She is also modest in her victories – for example advising Bush 41 on victory in the cold war: “We harvested these victories due to decisions of President Harry Truman, Secretary of State Dean Acheson, and General George Marshall who implement both the Truman Doctrine, and the Marshall Plan in 1947 to strengthen Europe against an aggressive Soviet Union. These policies are commonly understood to be the start of the Cold War that Dr. Rice helped end. As Stanford provost in 2002 she brought this elite school back from the brink of bankruptcy by eliminating a $20 million deficit and replacing it with a $14.5 million surplus within two years. In contrast Mrs. Clinton has never run any business - her two experiences in government service, the Task Force on National Health Care Reform of 1993 and her stint at the State Department produced mediocre results: an abject failure in the former instance and the Benghazi debacle in the latter instance. Indeed, Mrs. Clinton has a long history of losing her composure under pressure – for example in 1999 in the Congo when a student speaking through a translator, innocently asked her what “the president” thought about a Chinese trade deal with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The translator substituted “Mr. Clinton” for the word president. “You want me to tell you what my husband thinks?” (Hillary) replied, clearly irked by the thought of being her husband Bill’s spokeswoman. “My husband is not secretary of state, I am,” she replied. The incident showed how Hillary is easily rattled and as a consequence her behavior only reinforces the stereotype of the emotional woman. The end result is Mrs. Clinton came across as churlish and silly. On the topic of honesty there is also no comparison since Condoleezza Rice is a person of integrity – her honesty has never been brought into question. By contrast Hillary is known for her difficulty in telling the truth – in 1996, New York Times Columnist William Safire penned “Blizzard of Lies” – “Americans of all political persuasions are coming to the sad realization that our First Lady -- a woman of undoubted talents who was a role model for many in her generation -- is a congenital liar.” Carl Bernstein of Woodward and Bernstein fame, stated “Since her Arkansas years, Hillary Rodham Clinton has always had a difficult relationship with the truth.” Mrs. Clinton became so hysterical in 2007 that she promoted her years as first lady as a time of great personal courage arguing (that) she risked her life…with a hair-raising flight into Bosnia that ended in a “corkscrew” landing and a sprint off the tarmac to dodge snipers. “I don’t remember anyone offering me tea,” she quipped. Of course the story proved to be a colossal lie as shown on video tape. Her apology: “I misspoke”. Mrs. Clinton cannot be trusted or believed. Yet this fact does not stop this maniacal dragon who fancies herself as the prototype woman of Helen Reddy’s song: I am Woman. “I am (Hillary), hear me roar (With supporters) too big to ignore… CHORUS Oh yes I am wise But it's wisdom born of pain Yes, I've paid the price (an adulterous husband) But look how much I gained… Mrs. Clinton’s stint as Secretary of State was an appointment by another powerful man this time to mollify Hillary’s disappointed feminist supporters – a move that worked and put Barack Obama in the White House – it’s called quid pro quo and not foreign policy experience. Unfortunately, her callous attitude mixed with her lack of experience produced Benghazi. Her response was telling: "Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night and decided they’d go kill some Americans," Clinton said. "What difference – at this point, what difference does it make?" Four dead Americans apparently are “just an inconvenient truth”. Dr. Rice will tackle our $16 trillion debt with the political finesse and bravery demonstrated in all of her public and private life. She will restore our standing in the world by once again giving our friends solace while putting our enemies on notice. Hillary can then return to the lecture circuit where she commands $200,000 per speech and can bask in the warm glow of her many sycophants. Then we can all be happy. (Word Total, 1386) Geoffrey G. Fisher is a federally designated Highly Qualified state-certified history teacher living in southwest Florida. He holds a BA in History from the University of Connecticut and a MA in Public Policy from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. In addition to teaching he is a former elected official and speechwriter. Mr. Fisher now writes the political blog: THE THINKING CAP at www.theamericanthinkingcap.blogspot.com He is also a weekly columnist for the Political e-Magazine: THE PATRIOTUPDATE.COM

SHAME NEEDS TO MAKE A COME BACK Geoffrey G. Fisher Today there is a crisis in our culture, a crisis that gets little attention but deserves serious scrutiny: THE LACK OF SHAME IN AMERICA. As Merriam-Webster puts it, shame is a “Painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety…you know you have done something wrong and you have the ability to feel guilt, regret, or embarrassment. How did we get here? One answer is the character development of the baby boomers who were spared from the hardships of the Great Depression and of World War II – they were pampered and indulged more than any other generation in U.S. history. The boomers also saw the disintegration of the family unit in the 1960s through divorce and the exodus of the modern woman from the home into the workforce. The result was a crack in the moral foundation of America and the beginning of moral relativism in our personal and our religious values. The lack of shame became turbo charged twenty years ago in 1993 with the inauguration of the first baby boomer as president, namely, our 42nd president: William Jefferson Clinton. WILLIAM CLINTON AND THE MONICA LEWISKY AFFAIR The Clinton-Lewinsky Affair started four months into Lewinsky’s White House Internship on November 1995 (she was 22, the president was 49 and continued until March 1997. One month after the affair started she was put in a paid position in the White House Office. There was NO SHAME exhibited by Lewinsky or the president – she can be forgiven due to her youth and naiveté, he cannot. By January 27, 1998 Paula Jones' attorney, John Whitehead and Independent Prosecutor Kenneth Starr teamed up to build a case regarding Clinton’s history of sexually harassing women. Like a true Victorian woman wronged by her husband, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton lashed out at the public and said in a broadcast interview that a "vast right-wing conspiracy" is behind the charges against her husband. Given their time in Arkansas she knew better but had no shame either. On January 28, 1998 the president utters the infamous line: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.” With the finesse of a high school boy, Clinton tried to wiggle out of his predicament by parsing his words, no vaginal sex = no sexual relationship. President Clinton went on to say "I would never walk away from the people of this country and the trust they've placed in me.” No shame from Mr. Clinton. On July 30, 1998 sources say that as part of her immunity agreement, Lewinsky had handed over to prosecutors a dark blue dress that she alleges contained physical evidence of a sexual relationship with the president - it becomes the proverbial smoking gun. In August the president finally admits to an inappropriate relationship with that woman – his reputation is shot. After fighting Jones' sexual harassment lawsuit for four years on November 13, 1998 Clinton agreed to pay Jones $850,000 to drop the case. But the deal included no apology from the president. No shame. CORK-SCREW HILLARY In 2007 on the campaign trail it was reported that Mrs. Clinton even plugged her years as First Lady of the United States as evidence of her vast political experience. This claim was too juicy for rival candidate Barack Obama to ignore. Michelle Malkin reported: “Ever since Barack Obama suggested Hillary Clinton’s eight years as first lady were a glorified tea party a few days back, she’s looked for an opening to strike back. On Saturday night in Dubuque, Iowa she pounced, arguing she risked her life on a hair-raising flight into Bosnia on March 25, 1996 that ended in a “CORKSCREW” landing and a sprint off the tarmac to DODGE snipers. ‘I don’t remember anyone offering me tea,’ she quipped. This episode showed Hillary Clinton delivering a whopper of a lie with the finesse of a middle-school girl trying to impress her friends. She then embellished this lie by adding, "I remember landing under sniper fire…(t)here was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but INSTEAD we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base…now that is what happened." Alas, a video of the episode was found a few days later that “shows Hillary and her daughter Chelsea CASUALLY strolling off of an airplane, all smiles. The video showed a …lengthy discussion with a LITTLE Bosnian girl, who gave Mrs. Clinton a hug, a kiss and a BOUQUET of FLOWERS.” This is a shameful episode that demonstrates Mrs. Clinton’s pathological need to promote herself as a modern day Joan of Arc. Corkscrew Hillary lied trying to claim experience for being prepared to be president. This incident alone disqualifies her from being president. She also had the gall to say later that she simply misspoke – another lie from Corkscrew Hillary – there was NO SHAME shown considering the insult she displayed to the parents of soldiers who have undergone real combat. Now juxtapose Mrs. Clinton’s blatant lying to John F. Kennedy who was saddled with being the son of a rich man who was “buying” the presidency. Rather than lie about his privileged upbringing, JFK used humor to acknowledge the obvious and then he diffused the issue. This quote is from a 1960 press briefing: “I just received the following wire from my generous Daddy; Dear Jack, Don't buy a single vote more than is necessary. I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for a landslide.” “Without nepotism, Hillary would be running for the president of Vassar.” By MAUREEN DOWD, September 30, 2007, New York Times. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL On Monday May 17, 2010 the New York Times reported about a speech given by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal: “We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam,” Mr. Blumenthal said to the group gathered in Norwalk in March 2008. There was one problem: Mr. Blumenthal, a Democrat now running for the United States Senate, never served in Vietnam. He obtained at least five military deferments from 1965 to 1970 and took repeated steps that enabled him to avoid going to war, according to records. This draft dodger showed no shame and was not held accountable by the voters of Connecticut. Now he sits in the U.S. Senate. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ The Washington Post put it this way: “Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Tuesday denied a report from Washington Examiner columnist Philip Klein who quoted Wasserman Schultz saying, ‘We know, and I’ve heard no less than Ambassador Michael Oren say this, that what the Republicans are doing is dangerous for Israel.’ ” There was an immediate response from Ambassador Oren: “I categorically deny that I ever characterized Republican policies as harmful to Israel…” Mrs. Wasserman Schultz simply changed gears. She denied ever suggesting the Oren criticized the Republicans. “I didn’t say [Oren] said that,” she said. “And unfortunately, that comment was reported by a conservative newspaper. It’s not surprising that they would deliberately misquote me.” She might have gotten away with this treachery except that The Washington Examiner had a recording of the DNC Chair speaking to Jewish Delegates. The audio transcript has her saying: “We know, and I’ve heard no less than Ambassador Michael Oren say this, that what the Republicans are doing is dangerous for Israel.” DWS proved herself to be both stupid and a liar. But worse than her stupidity is that her brazen lie bordered on treason. The politics of the middle-east are volatile enough without a U.S. Congresswoman manufacturing malicious confusion that benefits our enemies. Again, there was NO SHAME and NO ACCOUNTABILITY from the established press. BARACK OBAMA AND THE 2014 MID-TERM ELECTIONS. Is there any wonder why 50% of the American people suspect that the president deliberately lied to the nation in order to salvage his signature healthcare policy? The antidote for our present situation is to hold politicians accountable and make them pay a price. For President Obama and DNC Chair Wasserman-Schultz, the price needs to be a crushing defeat for the Democrats in the 2014 mid-term elections so that the political pendulum swings back towards the middle. Total Word Total: 1360 Geoffrey G. Fisher is a federally designated Highly Qualified state-certified history teacher living in southwest Florida. He holds a BA in History from the University of Connecticut and a MA in Public Policy from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. In addition to teaching he is a former elected official and speechwriter. Mr. Fisher now writes the political blog: THE THINKING CAP at www.theamericanthinkingcap.blogspot.com He is also a weekly columnist for the Political e-Magazine: THE PATRIOTUPDATE.COM

THE CHRISTMAS PENDULUM

THE CHRISTMAS PENDULUM GEOFFREY G. FISHER Christmas is that ever hopeful holiday when people of good will put their differences to one side and wish each other the best for the New Year. Since the Civil War, Christmas has been the time when our spiritual batteries are recharged. All things seem possible Christmas morning. But this was not always so. America was founded and created by English Calvinists – Congregationalists in New England and Presbyterians elsewhere else. These Protestants were a hardy stock of Christians who viewed the world as a temporary respite on the road to eternal salvation or damnation. They believed in predestination and took life very seriously. Accordingly they viewed Christmas as a residual Papist idolatry, a frivolous day of pagan tendencies more suited to Anglicans (today’s Episcopalians) and Roman Catholics. Perhaps no one captured the single-mindedness of the puritans better than H.L. Mencken the quintessential American Realist: “Puritanism. The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” Basically 17th century Calvinists as a group would make today’s Evangelicals look like Mouseketeers. Fortunately Calvinists lost their iron grip on America’s throat and Christmas become legal in 1680 and by the America Revolution of the 1770s it was being warmly embraced by our most famous Episcopalian, George Washington. The following prayer is from the general’s own prayer book: "O kind Father, continue Thy mercy and favor to me this (Christmas) day and ever hereafter. Preserve and defend our rulers in Church and State. Bless the people of this land. Be a father to the fatherless, A comforter to the comfortless, A deliverer to the captives and A physician to the sick. Let Thy blessings be upon our friends, kindred and families. Amen." Presbyterians like Abraham Lincoln and Samuel Clemens still resisted the love affair with Jesus of Nazareth. Lincoln’s own spiritual reawakening during the Civil War produced beautiful and moving proses towards Almighty God but his embrace of Christmas (the birth of our Lord and Savior) was tepid. Listen to the majesty of the last 142 words of Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, delivered on Saturday, March 4, 1865. Lincoln’s spirituality can hardly be doubted: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds….” “While in office, Christmas was a time unlike other regular work days. In 1861 Lincoln hosted a Christmas party at the White House. In 1862 he spent Christmas visiting soldiers at area hospitals. In 1863 he visited Union soldiers with his son Tad, bearing Christmas gifts of books and clothing marked ‘From Tad Lincoln’ ”. From General Sherman to President Lincoln, Christmas Day of 1864: ‘I beg to present you, as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah…’ In a heartfelt reply, Lincoln wrote: ‘Many, many thanks for your Christmas gift – the capture of Savannah…Please make my grateful acknowledgements to your whole army – officers and men.’ ” - B. Francis Morlan Lincoln and his contemporaries were just on the cusp of our Modern Day Christmas yet he grew to understand the significance of this holy day. “Lincoln instructed (Thomas) Nast, the famous political cartoonist, to show Santa with Union troops as much as possible and the enduring images from 1863 and 1864 publications of the day are largely credited with defining the image of the modern Santa Claus. Their affect was so profound that Lincoln one time claimed Santa was ‘the best recruiting sergeant the North ever had’ ”. Thanks to Abraham Lincoln, Great Britain’s Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, and the English novelist Charles Dickens our modern image of Christmas morphed into our experience today. In 1870 President Ulysses S. Grant made Christmas a national holiday and the love affair with December 25th has been a constant until recently. Today, atheistic forces are trying to eliminate Christmas where in 1620 Christmas suffered due to literal and fervently religious forces. It’s a mixed up world but essentially, both extreme ends of the pendulum are hostile to Christmas. The name Christmas is from the Old English (Crīstesmæsse) "Christ's Mass". Christ being from the ancient Greek title (Christós) meaning 'anointed' – this term was itself from the Hebrew, Messiah – Jesus Christ meaning Jesus the Messiah is born today (Christmas). The problem today is not the latter day Evangelicals among us but rather with the Liberal -Progressives who are trying to dismantle Christmas before our very eyes. 80% of Americans are Christians who believe that Christmas is the day the savior of the earth was born. The figure probably climbs as high as 90% as to Americans who are moved by the peace and solemnity of Christmas as an American Cultural phenomenon. It’s time for Christmas followers everywhere to push back. In the words of Tiny Tim from Dickens’ 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol: “God bless us, every one!" (Word Total: 813) Geoffrey G. Fisher is a federally designated Highly Qualified state-certified history teacher living in southwest Florida. He holds a BA in History from the University of Connecticut and a MA in Public Policy from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. In addition to teaching he is a former elected official and speechwriter. Mr. Fisher now writes the political blog: THE THINKING CAP at www.theamericanthinkingcap.blogspot.com He is also a weekly columnist for the Political e-Magazine: THE PATRIOTUPDATE.COM

THANKSGIVING: A TRUE CONUNDRUM FOR ATHEISTS Thanksgiving, that quintessential American Holiday full of good cheer, good food, family and friends, arrives this Thursday. Since 1621, Americans have gathered together in the fall to celebrate life and thank Almighty God for their blessings. Just seven months after taking his oath of office, President George Washington proclaimed the last Thursday of November 26, 1789, "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God….” In 1863, after the Battle of Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln issued a presidential proclamation to reinstitute Washington’s Day of Thanksgiving and set the official date as the last Thursday in November to satisfy the proposal of 74 year old author Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale who lobbied for the day for many years. Ironically, Lincoln issued the proclamation for Thanksgiving on October 3, 1863, exactly 74 years after Washington’s announcement. Visitors to New England towns would have heard dining rooms everywhere reciting the children’s poem of Lydia Maria Child from 1844 Over the river And through the woods To Grandmother's house We go The horse knows the way To carry the sleigh Through white And drifted snow, Oh!... Today, Thanksgiving is still going strong despite the cultural wars of the 21st century. According to the 2007 Survey of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, 78.4% of Americans are Christians with 4.7% comprising other religions such as American Jews at 1.7% totaling at 83.1%, plus religious unaffiliated citizens at 5.8%, or 89% of the total population, while Atheists comprise only 1.6% of the populace. Given these statistics why is it that religion in general and believers in Jesus Christ specifically are under continual attack from our government, and the media? The evidence for this conclusion is overwhelming: public schools no longer have a Christmas Concert, nor a Holiday Concert, now they attend a Winter Solstice Concert like Ancient Druids – even the Pledge of Allegiance is being targeted in some districts, along with attacks on the exhortation “In God We Trust”. And now President Obama has injected himself into this cultural skirmish by reading the Gettysburg Address to a nationwide audience deliberately omitted the word God from the following passage that ends the speech “-- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. Abraham Lincoln - November 19, 1863 Why did the President of the United States, on the Sesquicentennial of this venerable speech remove the words under God? The logical conclusion was to placate his Atheist constituency. Or possibly, the president wanted to mess with the heads of the members of the Tea Party, sending them into a tizzy. Either way, the president seems to deserve his reputation as a divisive politician. Mr. Obama is also on the wrong side of history. Three contemporaneous reporters from 1863 telegraphed the text of the actual speech as they heard it and wrote: “…that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom…” The most famous hand-written copy of the speech (The Bliss copy) is on display at the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House where Mr. Obama lives. It is signed and dated by President Lincoln himself. And so it goes, Merry Christmas has become Season’s Greetings or Happy Holidays. Hanukkah Menorahs and Christian Crèches are routinely removed from town greens in an attempt to remove religion in general and Christianity in Particular from the Public Square. Even Tim Tebow’s eye blacks under his football helmet were eventually banned by the NCAA. Tebow’s crime was wearing John 3:16 which proclaims “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” This is of course a phrase revered by nearly 80% of the American people. Even though recent history has embolden the 1.6% Atheists, Thanksgiving Day itself causes quite the conundrum for them today. Just who are they giving thanks to on the last Thursday of every November? If Atheist are true to their doctrine, there is nobody there to hear their giving of thanks. Now that’s a conundrum for even an Atheist with a PhD. When parents enter the hospital waiting room to learn of any news of their daughter’s surgery to remove a burst appendix, who are they praying to? Almighty God is the logical answer. Atheists are silent regarding this question because even when they pray for a miracle to find an abducted child safe and sound they end up praying to God despite their best efforts. During the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, some American soldiers hit Omaha Beach as Atheists but after some intense reflection they ran to their safety as believers - the proverbial foxhole conversion. So, this Thursday on Thanksgiving Day concentrate on giving thanks to Almighty God for your blessings and tenderly slip a separate prayer to the Lord, beseeching him to make Atheists drop their self-absorbed hubris and realize that if God did not already exist, we would have to invent him. Happy Thanksgiving to All. Word Total: 862 Geoffrey G. Fisher is a federally designated Highly Qualified state-certified history teacher living in southwest Florida. He holds a BA in History from the University of Connecticut and a MA in Public Policy from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. In addition to teaching he is a former elected official and speechwriter. Mr. Fisher now writes the political blog: THE THINKING CAP at www.theamericanthinkingcap.blogspot.com He is also a weekly columnist for the Political eMagazine: THE PATRIOTUPDATE.COM

THE TIME FOR TERM LIMITS HAS ARRIVED Geoffrey G. Fisher “In the course of his first term, (President) Obama increased the federal debt by just shy of $6 trillion and in return grew the economy by $905 billion. So, as Lance Roberts at Street Talk Live pointed out, ‘…in order to generate every dollar of economic growth the United States had to borrow about five dollars and 60 cents.’ There’s no one out there on the planet — whether it’s ‘the rich’ or the Chinese — who can afford to carry on bankrolling that rate of return.” Canadian economist Mark Steyn wrote this analysis just three days after the re-election of President Obama – Steyn has hit the nail on the head - the president is driving our country to ruin. Consider Stein’s assessment that “(i)t took the government of the United States two centuries to rack up its first trillion dollars in debt. Now Washington piles on another trillion every nine months.” Steyn is virtually mute however in how to stop this train wreck - he leaves that conundrum to others. A consensus is now forming to seek term limits for the Congress. This movement would make the national legislature the second branch of the federal government to suffer the indignity of having its members declared too dangerous to continuing serving in office. Or more accurately, it would be the second time the peoples’ will would be thwarted in modern times, that is, the people cannot be trusted to rule themselves. Term limits are therefore a big deal and should be considered carefully. So far that has not been the case. Most proponents of term limits grasp the closest hatchet and swing away setting the maximum time in office at one of two terms (2 or 4 years in the house and 6 years in the senate). Although these new term limits might seem liberating at first that euphoria would itself be limited. Incumbents do have some good features: 1. They know how to get things done when they want to and more importantly, 2. They possess institutional memory so that old lessons do not need to be learned again. A national legislature of all freshmen would be a disaster of epic proportions. Now the subject of term limits is not new – just look at the 1951 22nd amendment to the U.S. Constitution limiting the tenure of the president to two terms and in rare cases 10 years in office. That knee jerk reaction by Republicans came after FDR – it was in theory an attempt to rid the country of a future demagogue. Roosevelt for all of his positive leadership skills was in office the same number of years (12) as Adolph Hitler, in addition FDR tried to pack the U.S. Court in the Judiciary Reorganization Bill of 1937, which provided a scheme for the president to immediately add six new justices recalibrating the court’s political center. The court packing element was rightly panned and was eliminated by the congress at the time since it represented the most brazen attempt to neuter a co-equal branch. The bottom line is that the people needed to be chastened lest they fall under the sway of a real demagogue like Huey Long who was running for president in 1936. This is why the Founding Fathers drew up Article I, section 3, of the Constitution creating the election of U.S. Senators through the state legislatures, providing a firewall against the tyranny of the majority. It’s interesting to note the righteous tone of the 1913 Seventeenth Amendment directing that all senators be elected by people – it “restates the first paragraph of Article I, section 3 of the Constitution and provides for the election of senators by replacing the phrase ‘chosen by the Legislature thereof’ with ‘elected by the people thereof.’ However the tyranny of the majority has never left the consciousness of the American people. Now that fear is back front and center. In order to maximize stability while returning fiscal sanity to the Congress, the people must be checked anew otherwise the train to fiscal Armageddon will continue uninterrupted. The best way to check the people is to limit the terms of U.S. Representatives and Senators to 12 years - after 12 years, all incumbents are banned from further service for six years before they can once again face the voters. This six year moratorium would allow a more equal contest between incumbents, one current and the other former. In addition, the voters can view the contest with a more deliberative mind. Any time the people’s will is chastened it is a serious act that must be justified. ”To prove (this need) let Facts be submitted to a candid world.” – TJ, July 4, 1776 More than 90% of congressmen from both chambers are re-elected – they have the special interest money plus the benefits of gerrymandering (realigning districts to assure re-election). With a 2 to 1 advantage in fundraising, incumbents can all but silence their challengers. Term limits by scalpel will ameliorate the current imbalance. The other reason for the 12 year limit is to stop our country from collapsing financially. Now that is indeed a noble reason to thwart the people’s will temporarily, “…that (this) government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. AL - November 19, 1863 The time to act is now…”Nurse, scalpel please.” (Word Total: 888) Geoffrey G. Fisher is a federally designated Highly Qualified state-certified history teacher living in southwest Florida. He holds a BA in History from the University of Connecticut and a MA in Public Policy from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. In addition to teaching he is a former elected official and speechwriter. Mr. Fisher now writes the political blog: THE THINKING CAP at www.theamericanthinkingcap.blogspot.com He is also a weekly columnist for the Political e-Magazine: THE PATRIOTUPDATE.COM

FREE TIM TEBOW NOW An open letter to Shahid Khan Owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars football team Dear Mr. Khan: The reason for this letter is to persuade you to sign Tim Tebow to the Jacksonville Jaguars as the starting quarterback. To date you have shied away from this decision delegating this responsibility to your general manager, David Caldwell. Normally this would be the appropriate management paradigm but signing Tim Tebow is not your normal management decision. Indeed, the fate of Tim Tebow has been quite the conundrum to date. For many including Mr. Caldwell, it is like looking into the sun. All that media attention and his throwing motion – it’s just too much! Tim does attract a vocal following – that’s what happens when you bring a true star on board. Yet, that dedicated fan base is the reason way your venerable Jaguars need him. First and foremost Tim Tebow is a winner. Just look at his the track record of this free agent. A Heisman Trophy winner as a sophomore and a two time member of the BCS National Champion University of Florida Gators – he is now the proverbial solitary lion on the Serengeti, trying to find a pride worthy of his talents. At a time when our country is choking on a corrupt social and political culture dominated by money and greed rather than character we need athletes of true character and grit to lead us. In the opinion of many, Tim Tebow is that athlete both on and off the field. Here is a quick review of his athletic accomplishments. He guided the Nease H.S. Panthers to a Florida state title his senior year while winning the title of Florida High School Player of the Year for 2004 and 2005. As a college sophomore, Tim Tebow won the 2007 Heisman Trophy while collecting the title of NCAA quarterback of the year. In 2006 and 2008 he guided the Florida Gators to the BCS Championship. He also set an NFL Draft record for jersey sales. As a successful business man you’ll have to admit that Tim gets the job done. More importantly is the issue of Tim Tebow as a person. Tim is the namesake of the Tim Tebow CURE Hospital in Davao City, the Philippines, where poor children receive free orthopedic surgery. The Tim Tebow Foundation also called the W15H (Wish 15) organization brings hope and joy to children with life-threatening illnesses. Tim Tebow meets with the families personally creating a day to remember for these children. As an NFL starting quarterback Tebow brought the hapless Denver Broncos to the playoffs in 2012 beating the favored Pittsburgh Steelers. John Elway (Executive VP of Football Operations) decided to nab an available Peyton Manning, who was just ending a convalescence, thus cutting Tebow loose. This is not a slight to a new quarterback. Mr. Khan, when Michelangelo carved his masterpiece David in 1504, he would tell people he only released David since the statue was always there in the block of marble…“In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it.” Like David, Tim Tebow is currently embedded in a block of 21st century sports politics – a team only needs “to hew away the rough walls that imprison the…apparition.” Mr. Khan, signing Tim Tebow is the right decision for many reasons: He’ll make the Jaguars money, a lot of money. Tim Tebow will bring a sense of excitement to your organization that will make every player on your roster play their best football. Your website cites you as “(w)idely recognized for (your) vision, acumen and leadership. You of all people should recognize Tim’s track record of winning and his ability to bring that special skill, the intangible of raw leadership delivered with infectious joy. I am asking that you step forward and “…hew away the rough walls that imprison…” Tim Tebow from his current granite block – set Tim Tebow free! Consider the exhilaration of Tim Tebow week, meeting the Jacksonville press, and of course the Jacksonville Roar. On game day the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra could be positioned on the fifty yard line ready to perform Gioachino Rossini’s 1829 William Tell Overture Finale - EverBank Field filled to capacity of 82, 000 fans would witness their own Lone Ranger coming to the rescue. Hi Ho Silver, Away! (Word Total: 739) _____________________________________ Geoffrey G. Fisher is a federally designated Highly Qualified state-certified history teacher living in southwest Florida. He holds a BA in History from the University of Connecticut and a MA in Public Policy from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. In addition to teaching he is a former elected official and speechwriter. Mr. Fisher now writes the political blog: THE THINKING CAP at www.theamericanthinkingcap.blogspot.com and is a weekly columnist at the Patriotupdate.com magazine.