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.

THE WASHINGTON REDSKINS SAGA: IT STOPS HERE The Washington Redskins – the venerable NFL franchise is now under attack by a liberal blitzkrieg because of a complaint from Ray Halbritter, a spokesman for the Oneida Indian Nation. The complaint stems from the name of the team’s mascot: The Washington Redskins. Originally named the Boston Braves in 1932, the team had to change their name since Boston already had the Boston Braves Baseball team, now in Atlanta. The Oneida tribe is an honorable and historic Indian community from upstate New York. Once part of the five nation Iroquois Confederation, the Oneida people sided with the Patriots in the American Revolutionary War while their compatriots went with the British. Many of the ancient Oneida chiefs formed friendships with General and future U.S. Senator Philip Schuyler of New York, Lieutenant General and future President of the United States George Washington, and the Marquis de La Fayette. These men recognized the Oneida’s contributions during and after the war. In the late 18th century, U.S. Senator Philip Schuyler declared, "sooner should a mother forget her children" than we should forget you. This emotional tribute provides some insight into the special relationship between the Oneida Nation and the United States. This is why the present predicament is so sad. The once great Oneida Nation has succumbed to the siren call of Indian gambling through a Class III gambling casino in upstate New York. The Turning Stone Resort and Casino of Verona houses 14 bars and restaurants with numerous gaming rooms – the casino only exists because of the special tax free relationship it has with the American People. This makes Mr. Halbritter’s objections to the Redskins mascot hallow and hypocritical. What could be more stereotypical and damaging to Native Americans than an Indian tribe addicted to a casino where many of its most loyal customers act out their addition to gambling. One trip to their website shows a promotion to win a Tundra truck by the Japanese car company Toyota. Of course in the bed of the truck are two lovely cheerleaders with their upper bodies clad in a sports bra revealing nearly two inches of skin below their belly buttons. What would Pocahontas say? Mr. Halbritter and the Oneida nation should heed the old English idiom: “People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.” This present matter with the Redskins controversy has gained considerable force in this Age of Obama, an age where it seems everything sacred and venerable is under attack. President Obama wasted no time weighing in to this mess saying he would "think about changing" the name if he owned the team. Halbritter recently said the name is degrading and has devastating effects, especially on younger Indians. Yet, Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder has said he will never change the team's name and NFL Commissioner Goodell has said that it is ultimately Snyder's call. So what is it about the Redskins name that’s driving the current media frenzy? The critics of this name claim it is an undeniable racial pejorative. To the Ubur liberals of the left from Bill Maher and George Clooney to the president and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi the name is a clear racial pejorative, an outrage - but what do American Indians think of the name Redskins for a football team’s mascot? Well, in “…a 2002 poll commissioned by Sports Illustrated (they) found that 75% of those American Indians surveyed had no objection to the Redskins name.” Two years later “(i)n a study performed…by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Native Americans from the 48 continental U.S. states were asked ‘The professional football team in Washington calls itself the Washington Redskins. As a Native American, do you find that name offensive or does it not bother you?’ In response more than ninety percent (90% plus) replied that the name is acceptable…” “More recent national polls show continued strong support for retaining the name among American Indians although at lower numbers than previous polls.” It seems reasonable to assume that the rank and file American Indian (1.7% of the U.S. population) does not have a problem with the name the Washington Redskins, rather it appears that only the Native American Civil Rights hierarchy does has a problem. So to quote William Shakespeare this appears to be “Much Ado About Nothing.” It has become a convenient smoke screen hiding the real problems plaguing the Native American Community in New York State and across the country. Consider some of these issues confronting American Indians today: They have the highest rate of school drop outs (about 54%), along with the highest rate of child mortality, the highest rate of suicide, the highest rate of teenage pregnancy, including the lowest life expectancy (55 years). Indeed alcoholism remains a staggering problem among the American Indians - in some reservations eight families out of ten have problems with alcoholism. “A survey of death certificates over a four-year period showed that deaths among Indians due to alcohol are about four times as common as in the general US population.” Beals J, Spicer P, Mitchell CM, et al. (October 2003). The poverty rate is 28.4 %, more than 13% higher than the national average. In addition, Native Americans have had for centuries an issue of cultural vertigo. Consider that American Indians were living in the proverbial Stone Age when Columbus et al arrived in the America’s at the dawn of the 16th century. Armed with ocean going ships, horses, cannons and an educated and sophisticated culture, the indigenous people must have experience a time warp sensation producing cultural g-forces that would have knocked out most tribes. American Indians had no formal educational system at the time, no modern technologies, indeed they were still using the bow and arrow for warfare, a technology in place since 16,000 BC. The Indians of the northeast did not even have the use of the wheel. The cultural shock is still manifest even today after 521 years. Plenty of colleges and high schools have abandoned Indian names due to a desire to be purged of any guilt, yet this symbolic gesture has done little to truly help the first Americans. The Irish community in America had a very rough time of it in the mid-nineteenth century regarding social, cultural and religious issues but they did not wallow in their misery. They got to work at becoming Americans and never looked back. The portable jail is still called the Paddy Wagon but it was never a topic of anguish with the Irish, nor do they have a problem with The University of Notre Dame’s motto: “The fighting Irish.” How many of the Boston Irish object to the leprechaun mascot of the Boston Celtics? Today Saint Patrick’s Day is an American holiday, more prominent than in Ireland. Besides the Irish, the Italians have moved forward to enjoy complete assimilation into the American culture despite the Hollywood stereotype of Italians as ditch-diggers and mobsters. Indeed, the greatest story of assimilation has been the European Jews who escaped persecution in the Old Country only to live in abject poverty in cities like New York and Brooklyn. 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. In 2013 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). Then there’s Oscar Hammerstein II (Oklahoma, The Sound of Music), and Aaron Copland (1942’s Fanfare for the Common Man, an anthem to the strength of the American nation, along with 1944’s Appalachian Spring, a celebration of the beauty of the first Western border of our country. We must all remember that not all Indians of the past were warm and fuzzy like Tonto. The scalping death of Jane McCrea was memorialized in a portrait by John Venderlyn - this brutality was not an isolated incident. Many white women were scalped or taken by the Indians of New York for carnal purposes and of course historians have documented the Lakota’s treatment of Custer’s men at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Eyes were gouged-out along with the removal of ears, fingers and genitalia by Crazy Horse and his warriors. Our American soldiers were unrecognizable by their fellow troopers. Brutality was a two way street during the mid-nineteenth century. Let Quarterback Robert Griffin III and the rest of Washington Redskins play football to the delight of their fans including President Obama and let the national conversation center on consequential things like improving the lives of all Americans including the first Americans. (Word Total: 1447) 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

Even Pope Francis is Susceptible to Human Foibles

EVEN POPE FRANCIS IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO HUMAN FOIBLES GEOFFREY G. FISHER Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) has caused quite a stir in the Roman Catholic Church since giving a series of interviews two weeks ago. At that time he seemed to be shifting the venerable 2000 year old church into a more modern gear at break neck speed. A closer examination proves otherwise. The pope said in an interview published in Jesuit Journals that the Catholic Church cannot focus only on abortion, contraception and gay marriage, “We have to find a new balance…Otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.” Either the Holy Father is starting to believe the glowing press reports about his purity of purpose and ability to commune with the common man or he is not as savvy as his predecessors were with the world press. My bet is on the former: Jorge Mario Bergoglio is being successfully wooed by the secular world. NBC’s Brian Williams gushed on air over the new pope like some star-struck middle school girl at a One Direction concert. Francis is heralded for not sleeping in the pope’s official living quarters, for not wearing the pope’s ceremonial robes, and for nor wearing red “Prada” shoes (it turns out that Benedict XVI’s shoes were not Prada after all). CBS News reported at the time: “As pope, his manner is less formal than that of his predecessors: a style that news coverage has referred to as ‘no frills,’ noting that it is ‘his common touch and accessibility that is proving the greatest inspiration.’ ” Hold that thought - remember Jimmy Carter walking down Pennsylvania Avenue on Inauguration Day with Amy in tow and his trademark cardigan sweaters? Carter’s no-frills touch proved disastrous in foreign and domestic affairs. With all due respect to the Holy Father the warm embrace of your pronouncements by the secular left should make you uneasy – it is a signal that your words are being repackaged to endorse the new social revolution rather than a stylized adjustment to make the Church a more inviting place for lapsed Catholics. The most glaring example of this phenomenon was President Obama’s reaction to the pope on a CNBC interview with John Harwood from Wednesday. "I have been hugely impressed with the pope's pronouncements," Obama said, describing Francis as "somebody who lives out the teachings of Christ. Incredible humility -- incredible sense of empathy to the least of these, to the poor…He's (Pope Francis) also somebody who is -- I think first and foremost -- thinking about how to embrace people as opposed to push them away; how to find what's good in them as opposed to condemn them…And that spirit, that sense of love and unity, seems to manifest itself in not just what he says, but also what he does. And, you know, for any religious leader, that's something -- that's a quality I admire.” This syrupy sweet endorsement comes from a man that many Americans see as a Manchurian Candidate, a man of evil intent. Although I do not endorse this portrayal of our president that can be no debate that he has participated in some of the most evil legislation to ever pass a state legislature. Melissa Ohden, a failed-abortion survivor makes my case: “When he was in the Illinois state Senate, Barack Obama voted to deny basic Constitutional protections for babies born alive from an abortion — not once, but four times. I know it’s by the grace of God that I’m alive today.” – September 2012. President Obama purposely ignored what the pope truly said because Francis is not advocating changing church doctrine. CBS News reported that (Pope Francis) said that while homosexual acts were sinful, the homosexual orientation was not. He favors a wider active role for women in the Church, but believes the ordination of women into the Catholic priesthood is impossible.” This sounds just like Pope John Paul II, a man of immense intellect and heart. Basically, the current pope is saying that God is merciful and will forgive those sinners who are truly contrite, like the adulterous woman who was forgiven by Jesus and then told to go and sin no more. How many Gay activists are ready to ask for the forgiveness for the sins of their behavior? Lewis Speaks-Tanner, VP of Dignity USA, a Gay Catholic Organization deliberately ignored the pope’s full message and reacted to the inclusion portion of the pope’s rhetoric – Speaks-Tanner has made no overture that he is ready to confess for the sins of his homosexual behavior. Dignity USA seems to be just another run of the mill Cafeteria Catholic organization after all. Catholics everywhere should applaud the Pope’s message of forgiveness and mercy but they should also stand firm on church doctrine and the teachings of the Bible. Most of all, Christians should be weary of Obama liberals trying to hijack our faith with their twisted political spin. (WORD TOTAL: 824) 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.