White House Dossier: Obama's Coming Chilling Reach Into Every Aspect of Our Lives By Executive Fiat

ROGER SIMON'S MODEST (BRILLIANT) PROPOSAL FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM

KEITH KOFFLER @ WHITE HOUSE DOSSIER gives a frightening account of the methods and madness of the president's intentions for the next three years---in between golf games.  Lawyers everywhere will benefit as constitutional lawsuits will proliferate:

BELOW THE RADAR, beyond the loudly visible fights in Congress, President Obama is enacting a complex and far reaching regulatory agenda that will affect your wallets and your lives in untold ways. In many cases, likely, forever.

According to a major new investigation by Politico:

Far more than he let on in the State of the Union, the president has marshaled the tools of his office to advance policies, many unabashedly liberal, that push deep into everyday life for tens of millions of Americans.

He wants to change how power plants operate. And what we buy for lunch. How we travel to work. And how our kids learn math. How our gasoline is formulated. How we light our aquariums.

As he tees up for his final three years, Obama is pushing to take his executive power further still, with the most ambitious regulatory agenda in decades. Executive actions now underway could shut down for-profit colleges that don’t meet the administration’s definition of success — even if they’re popular with students. They could raise the price of products ranging from trucks to furnace fans to manufactured housing to aquarium lights, by requiring them to be made more energy-efficient. The executive agenda even reaches the fires of the family hearth, with the Environmental Protection Agency planning strict new requirements for home wood stoves.

Whether American guns can be sold abroad. How smokeless tobacco can be marketed. Which nonprofits can stage get-out-the-vote drives. What constitutes a single serving of potato chips.

And, perhaps, just how salty those chips should be.

All this, and much more, will depend in large part on the behind-the-scenes churning of the federal bureaucracy — managed, or by many accounts micro-managed, by the White House.

The White House likes to perpetuate the misleading statistic that Obama has promulgated regulations at a pace comparable to Bush and Clinton. Politico found that this obscures what’s really happening:

In his first term, his administration enacted 246 regulations classified as “economically significant,” meaning they carry an economic impact of more than $100 million. That’s considerably more than either George W. Bush or Bill Clinton enacted in either of their terms. The Obama administration has added another 54 economically significant regulations so far in his second term. Many are connected to the health care law or Dodd-Frank.

The Heritage Foundation slices the data another way. It looks at how many regulations are “prescriptive,” meaning they impose mandates on the private sector. Its tally: 131 “prescriptive” rules issued during Obama’s first term — and 31 added last year. By comparison, Bush issued 52 prescriptive rules during his first term, said Diane Katz, a research fellow at the foundation.

This is where the action is. Behind the scenes. Where the founders intended. The founders of the Soviet Union, that is.

Chicago Black Unemployed Speak Out Against President Obama's SOTU

....DIDN'T LIKE IT ONE BIT......and tell us why.

 The bottom of the economic ladder is really starting to get it.....they get why increasing the minimum wage is only going to continue locking them out of the job market. They're actually  starting to sound like conservatives....

 Thanks, C, for sending this....a classic!

Republican Cathy McMorris Rodgers Hits the Perfect Pitch and Tone For Outstanding GOP Response to SOTU

LONGEST OVATION TO INJURED ARMY RANGER.....TIME TO REPLACE WORST GOP SENATOR

THE BEST SOTU REBUTTAL IN YEARS AS THE GOP'S WAR ON WOMEN CONTINUES (IT'S A JOKE!)

Just when you start to give up on government and politicians, along comes a Cathy Rodgers,  and our faith in what America is really about----has always been about since its founding----is restored.  Her breath-of-fresh-air speech should be must-reading for all of us, from young to old.  Cathy reminds us that it's all about people, not the endless growth of government and curtailment of our freedoms and choices.

WHAT AN HONOR FOR ME TO BE WITH YOU after the President’s State of the Union. Tonight we honor America – a nation that has witnessed the greatest rise of freedom and opportunity our world has ever seen. A nation where we are not defined by our limits, but by our potential. And a nation where a girl who worked at the McDonald’s Drive-Thru to help pay for college can be with you from the United States Capitol.....

But the most important moments right now aren’t happening here. They’re not in the Oval Office or in the House Chamber. They’re in your homes. Kissing your kids goodnight… Figuring out how to pay the bills… Getting ready for tomorrow’s doctor’s visit… Waiting to hear from those you love serving in Afghanistan, or searching for that big job interview. After all, ‘We the People’ have been the foundation of America since her earliest days – people from all walks of life, and from all corners of the world – people who come to America because here, no challenge is too great and no dream too big. That’s the genius of America.

Tonight the President made more promises that sound good, but won’t solve the problems actually facing Americans. We want you to have a better life. The President wants that too. But we part ways when it comes to how to make that happen.
So tonight I’d like to share a more hopeful, Republican vision… One that empowers you, not the government… It’s one that champions free markets – and trusts people to make their own decisions, not a government that decides for you. It helps working families rise above the limits of poverty and protects our most vulnerable. And it’s one where Washington plays by the same rules that you do. It’s a vision that is fair and offers the promise of a better future for every American..... 

If you had told me as a little girl that one-day I would put my hand on the Bible and be sworn in as the 200th woman to serve in the House of Representatives, I never would’ve thought it possible. I grew up working at my family’s orchard and fruit stand in Kettle Falls, a small town in Eastern Washington - getting up before dawn with my brother to pick apples. My dad drove a school bus and my mom worked as a part-time bookkeeper. They taught me to work hard, help others, and always, always dream for more. So, when I showed my 4H animals at the county fair, my parents used to say to me, “Cathy, you need to save this money so you can go to college one day!” So I did – I saved, I worked hard, and I became the first in my family to graduate from college.

 The chance to go from my Washington to this one was unexpected. I came to Congress to help empower people, not politicians; To grow the working middle class, not the government; And to ensure that everyone in this country can find a job. Because a job is so much more than just a paycheck – It gives us purpose, dignity, and the foundation to build a future. I was single when I was elected – but it wasn’t long before I met Brian, a retired Navy commander, and now we have three beautiful children, one who was born just eight weeks ago.....

Like all parents, we have high hopes and dreams for our children, but we also know what it’s like to face challenges. Three days after we gave birth to our son, Cole, we got news no parent expects. Cole was diagnosed with Down syndrome. The doctors told us he could have endless complications, heart defects, even early Alzheimer’s. They told us all the problems. But when we looked at our son, we saw only possibilities. We saw a gift from God. Today we see a 6-year old boy who dances to Bruce Springsteen; who reads above grade level; and who is the best big brother in the world. We see all the things he can do, not those he can’t. Cole, and his sisters, Grace and Brynn, have only made me more determined to see the potential in every human life – that whether we are born with an extra twenty-first chromosome or without a dollar to our name – we are not defined by our limits, but by our potential. Because our mission – not only as Republicans, but as Americans, is to once again to ensure that we are not bound by where we come from, but empowered by what we can become. That is the gap Republicans are working to close. It’s the gap we all face: between where you are and where you want to be.

The President talks a lot about income inequality. But the real gap we face today is one of opportunity inequality… And with this Administration’s policies, that gap has become far too wide. We see this gap growing every single day. We see it in our neighbors who are struggling to find jobs… A husband who’s now working just part-time… A child who drops out of college because she can’t afford tuition… Or parents who are outliving their life’s savings. Last month, more Americans stopped looking for a job than found one. Too many people are falling further and further behind because, right now, the President’s policies are making people’s lives harder. Republicans have plans to close the gap… Plans that focus on jobs first without more spending, government bailouts, and red tape…

Every day, we’re working to expand our economy, one manufacturing job, nursing degree and small business at a time. We have plans to improve our education and training systems so you have the choice to determine where your kids go to school…so college is affordable…and skills training is modernized. And yes, it’s time to honor our history of legal immigration. We’re working on a step-by-step solution to immigration reform by first securing our borders and making sure America will always attract the best, brightest, and hardest working from around the world. And with too many Americans living paycheck to paycheck, we have solutions to help you take home more of your pay – through lower taxes, cheaper energy costs, and affordable health care. Not long ago I got a letter from Bette in Spokane, who hoped the President’s health care law would save her money – but found out instead that her premiums were going up nearly $700 a month. No, we shouldn’t go back to the way things were, but this law is not working. Republicans believe health care choices should be yours, not the government’s. And that whether you’re a boy with Down syndrome or a woman with breast cancer … you can find coverage and a doctor who will treat you.

So we hope the President will join us in a year of real action – by empowering people – not making their lives harder with unprecedented spending, higher taxes, and fewer jobs. As Republicans, we advance these plans every day because we believe in a government that trusts people and doesn’t limit where you finish because of where you started. That is what we stand for – for an America that is every bit as compassionate as it is exceptional. If we’re successful… Years from now our children will say that we rebuilt the American Dream. We built a working middle class that could take in anyone, and a workforce that could take on the world. Whether you’re a girl in Kettle Falls or a boy from Brooklyn, our children should be able to say that we closed the gap. Our plan is one that dreams big for everyone and turns its back on no one.

The President said many things tonight. But now, we ask him to listen – to you – for the true state of the union lies in your heart and in your home. Tomorrow, I’ll watch my son Cole get on the school bus; others will wait in the doctor’s office or interview for that first job. Some of us will celebrate new beginnings… Others will face great challenges… But all of us will wake up and do what is uniquely American… We will look forward to the boundless potential that lies ahead.

We will give thanks to the brave men and women who have answered America’s call to freedom, like Sgt. Jacob Hess from Spokane, who recently gave his life to protect all of ours. So, tonight, I simply offer a prayer… A prayer for Sgt. Hess’s family, your family, and for our larger American family. That, with the guidance of God, we may prove worthy of His blessings of life … liberty … and the pursuit of happiness. For when we embrace these gifts, we are each doing our part to form a more perfect union. May God guide you and our President, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.

Obama's Lame Duck Dynasty And Kurt Vonnegut's SOTU

TAMNEY: CONSERVATIVES NEED TO ACT LIKE ADULTS, EMBRACE INCOME INEQUALITY

THE YEAR WAS 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General.

----From " Harrison Bergeron " (1961), a short story by Kurt Vonnegut

Look for President Obama to continue the impossible dream tonight in his SOTU address.  And he's willing to abandon the Constitution and go it alone at every turn to make it happen these dwindling days of his lame duck dynasty's administration.  Nancy P. and Joe B. will be clapping wildly....going along to get along.  It's a lofty ideal for sure,  as is Bill Gate's opining about all poverty being wiped out in the next few decades.  There's only one small problem---human nature.  Political, social and economic despots roaming the world in search of new, improved victims and regimes to prey on.  Then what?  

We'll all be equally yoked under a police state that has zero tolerance for anything unequal or unusual. We'll all die of terminal boredom and sameness.  But don't worry,  Beyonce, Jay-Z and Justin T. will continue to thrill us with their all lyrics are equal campaign as our eyes glaze over at hearing the likes of the mother f-bombs for the billionth time.  Our physical, emotional and spiritual libidos will be dulled down beyond recognition from ongoing depraved entertainment that long-ago ceased to be smart, funny or provocative.  Adults and children will all have the same status.....as no one will pay for and learn from their mistakes since taxpayers will pay for everything.....Welcome to the killing fields of total equality.

Part 2, Seeking Disillusionment

PASTOR MIKE ATKINS @ RIVER CROSSING IN JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING CONTINUES THIS IMPORTANT SERIES.

Jesus is the antithesis of illusion and in fact the embodiment of Truth.  He's come to set us free.  To help us, never to harm us, though letting go of our myriad illusions often grieves and hurts for a while.

Parody From Chicks on the Right--- 'This is My Body'..... But I Want You to Pay All Its Bills

THE THIS IS MY BODY GIRLS WANT THEIR RIGHTS!! BUT WANT EVERYONE ELSE TO FOOT THE BILL FOR THEM..

AWESOMESAUCE! These two ladies from Indianapolis are nailing it! There's more, and more coming from WIBC.com in Indie.....BTW,  definition of a hose beast.

More From Chicks on guns in Hollywood below or here.

Harvey McHypocrite Weinstein's Anti-Gun 'Awakening' As Seen By Conservative Chicks

GOOD JOB, GIRLS!   VERY GOOD JOB!

Let's put it this way..... Harvey is to gun violence in the movies what Al Gore is to carbon footprints. Need I say more?

H/T AD

ELSEWHERE: THE SUPERBOWL IN INDIANAPOLIS?

The NFL is seriously considering changing the day of the Super Bowl if the weather becomes too unbearable. The Super Bowl is being played at MetLife Stadium, known to actual sports fans around the globe as Giants Stadium, which is known to actual sports fans around the globe as an open air stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The average low temperature in East Rutherford, NJ in February is 22 degrees. Did I mention it's an open air stadium hosting the most important game in the NFL season that brings in hundreds of millions of dollars in TV advertising and merchandising revenue? This is madness. This is like giving the Olympics to Sochi in the guise of fairness. Russia might be a nice place to visit...if you don't have to go to Sochi. But, as an Olympic site - a WINTER Olympic site - it's a mess. The average low temperature in Sochi in February is 34 degrees. Yes, it's colder in East Rutherford, NJ than it is in Sochi, Russia.

See The Kronies In Action---Mandating, Regulating, Tariffy-ing, Inflating, Bailing and Boondoggling

PRUDEN: CORRUPTION IN GOVERNORS' MANSIONS AIN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE

IT'S ALL ABOUT DE-INCENTIVIZING WORK, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND COMPETETION.  IT'S BIG BIZ ON K-STREET.

SEEN @ CARPE DIEM

Simply Freezing Here!

KLAVEN---WHY I CHANGED MY MIND ON ABORTION

NOT NEWS,  BUT STILL THIS  MAJOR COLD SNAP HAS A GRIP ON EVERYTHING, including my motivation to go to the gym.

How cold is it?  So cold that last night----as I wrapped up in a blanket on my favorite old chair in my kitchen, near my computer--- I looked up an old Twitter account I started five years ago  and never tweeted on even one time.  Can't imagine what I was thinking.  After punching numerous 'follow' buttons it presented me,  I fell asleep only to awaken this morning with all sorts of strange people and crazy names in my Gmail account and on my cell phone.  So first thing today,  I deleted my email address from Twitter, never to go there again.  I have no interest in tweeting now or ever. Must be languishing from extreme cabin fever and conviviality fatigue!

Meanwhile, here are the top three things I have less than zero interest in 'following' these freezing cold days:  poor Justin Bieber (how can a kid like that ever handle all that success?), the self-important, annual bore called Davos (two of its biggest blowhards) and anything going on in Washington, D.C right now.

While I'm at it,  I wonder how or why any people would schedule a Superbowl game in the Northeast, as in New Jersey,  in early February?  The craziest decision I ever saw for obvious reasons. Another thing I wonder, is how enjoyable can the Olympics now be for competitors as well as spectators in this kind of atmosphere? I would think---not much.

Now, if you'll excuse me,  I just exploded a hard boiled egg to smithereens in my microwave....

Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's Fall

                 
SEEMS DISGRACEFUL.

Federal indictments along with a spendthrift wife, who couldn't get enough of outside money, could put the former GOP governor behind bars for years. McDonnell regrets it, but says no laws were broken and is vowing to fight the charges.  Either way,  it's so sad and very discouraging in a political landscape already depressing enough.

In addition, if you haven't gotten enough political discouragement for one day, then read Michael Walsh's piece----Willard Agonistes--- on Mitt Romney, as portrayed in the movie documentary Mitt, at PJMedia.  Walsh makes the case that Romney's presidential candidacy was much worse than we could have known at the time. Well worth a read if you can bear it to read about Romeny's seeming unresolved daddy issues, among other things.

I'm There! Sauteed Swiss Chard Fritters

THE MOST EXPENSIVE, CORRUPT AND DANGEROUS OLYMPICS IN HISTORY
9 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT MLK

LOVE GLUTEN/WHEAT-FREE RECIPES LIKE THIS.  ON MY WAY TO THE GROCERY TO GET SOME CHARD AND A LEMON. 

Saw at MARK'S DAILY APPLE several days ago and couldn't wait to have time to make them.  I'll publish the recipe below but will also improvise on the flour.  Have some organic almonds that I'll grind in my coffee grinder which should work fine in place of the tapioca and coconut flours.  Have eggs and may add something besides nutmeg.  Overall, however, this looks easy and very nutritious.  Really like new ways to fix greens.  Several of these little fritters will make a meal.
Take a look and see what you think:

• 1 pound Swiss Chard (one large bunch), bottom stalks removed (450 g)
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (120 ml)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill (80 ml)
• 1 garlic clove, pressed or finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg (a pinch)
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour (7 g)
• 2 tablespoons tapioca flour (14 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (2.5 ml)
• 2 eggs
• Olive oil, coconut oil or lard for frying
• A wedge of lemon

Instructions:

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the Swiss chard leaves and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and cool briefly with cold water then squeeze as much liquid out as you can. Roughly chop the leaves.

In a food processor, combine the chard with the herbs, garlic, nutmeg, flours, salt and eggs. Process briefly, just until the ingredients are well combined and the texture is similar to pesto.

Pour a thin layer of oil into a frying pan over medium-high heat. Drop 3 heaping, separate tablespoons of batter into the pan, pressing down on each one to make a fritter that is 2 or 3 inches (5 to 7.6 cm) wide. Expect the fritters to be misshapen. Fry for 3 minutes, then flip, and fry 2 to 3 minutes more. Continue this process until all the batter is used.

Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/swiss-chard-fritters/#ixzz2qybQQPXW

YeeHa! Manning Played Near Flawless Game, Final--26-16!!! Denver To Play Seattle In Superbowl

CONGRATULATIONS DENVER BRONCOS!  GREAT GAME!

Manning has proven over many years that he's truly a class-act.  He has integrity and certainly perseverance. Contrast that to Seahwks Richard Sherman who is the sorest, most arrogant winner I've seen in a very long time.

Seattle-San Francisco anti-climatic...but it's turning out to be a great game! Golden Tate for Seattle is a star from Nashville.

Tempted  to say, almost ALL great football---both college and professional---is east of the Continental Divide.  Am tempted to say it's east of the Mississippi, but that would exclude  Texas, Nebraska for college and Denver for the NFL.

So, again,  whichever team wins SF-Seattle clash,   the center of most great football is east of the Continental Divide.  But watch SF/Seattle make a liar outta me!

Sunday, Seeking Disillusionment

GETTING LIBERATED FROM ILLUSION,  SEEKING TRUTH

 HAVE YOU EVER BEEN DISILLUSIONED? Silly question! It all started with finding out about Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy....the political situation, and on and on.

Thanks, MD, For Not Headlining Latest Shootings

IT'S A BORE AND WASTE OF ENERGY...

WHAT ELSE CAN BE SAID,  MATT,  EXCEPT HEADLINING THE LATEST SHOOTOUTS AND BAD BEHAVIOR,  only makes it worse? I understand  sometimes it's so overwhelming   that you can't r avoid featuring it......You're a major trend setter for good or not good.  The most powerful, cooling response is to downplay or ignore it entirely.  Psychopaths, sexters and mass murderers who want their 10 minutes of fame do not like to be ignored....

BTW,  I'm not on Twitter, but I follow you and totally agree:  Jimmy, Seth and Tina are not-all-that-funny anymore .  Perhaps they never were.  SNL has gotten so bad and unfunny that I and my best friends no longer watch more than a few first minutes, if even that.  A complete bore that is more interested in changing sexual attitudes than anything else. I predict that  Jimmy could crash and burn within a year on the Tonight Show, in NYC.

In spite of it all,  Kimmel redeems  himself.

Health/Obamacare Explained Again

CONVERSATION WITH CONSERVATIVE WI GOV SCOTT WALKER  Seen @ Carpe Diem

Julian, I'm Done With You....

UPDATE:  ELEVEN TOUGH TRUTHS ABOUT LEADERSHIP NO ONE TALKS ABOUT

....AND YOUR BROWNTON ABBEY. The darkness you're now employing to hook each and every last viewer to your depraved aristocratic poop, I mean soap opera in order to boost your ratings sky high is....how can I put it nicely?....is not my cup of Earl Grey tea.  So while your numbers may soar this season, count me out.  Fini. I'm not willing to be included in the millions of  your mass manipulated followers and PBS's over-the-top lovefest.  No longer interested in being a participant in your captive world audience.

Your dark, modern drama is officially creeping me out.

Good riddance. I won't miss you a-tall.....and won't watch. I do leave with fond memories of Maggie. No stunt you may conjure in the future will change this decision.

Carry on as best you can without me.

Sunday: Only Visiting This Planet---Part 3

PASTOR MIKE ATKINS @ RIVER CROSSING IN JACKSON, WYOMING GIVES THE THIRD AND FINAL PART OF THIS IMPORTANT SERMON SERIES.

In life we all have problems. Then there's our perspective on these problems.... In time, the perspective becomes a bigger problem than the original problem.

Bridgegate On the Hudson

ANDREW MCCARTHY ON CHRISTIE BRIDGEGATE.

A Better Box---The Rapid Packing Container

H/T Business Insider

Still Freezing Here, But About To Warm Up---With A Heat Wave Expected In D.C. And Robert Gates At the Center of the 'Vortex'

WEDNESDAY UPDATE: OBAMACARE WORKPLACE TRAINWRECK AHEAD:  16 MILLION GAINING WHILE 30 MILLION LOSING COVERAGE

HILLARY---SCANDAL SURROUNDS HER
    

FORMER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ROBERT GATES' NEW BOOK DUTY WILL SOON BRING SOME  UNSEASONABLE GLOBAL HEAT  TO WASHINGTON. 

MANY IMPLICATIONS FOR BENGHAZI 

The book will be released next week---January 14---and is already causing quite a stir. Gates has worked for several  administrations and surely has more-than-adequate reason to compare good leadership with bad.

For some of us, this could be a breath of fresh air. Several pieces out today give preliminary assessments---here,  and here. Can't wait to read more, but I'm betting this is going to be a major story over the next few weeks and may even affect the outcomes of the '14 and '16 elections.

The Obama White House will go into major disaster mode and attempt to discredit Gate's book, however, here are the top ten revelations of Gate's memoir.

Here's a dynamite excerpt and link to the WSJ piece  tonight by Gates himself:

All too often during my 4½ years as secretary of defense, when I found myself sitting yet again at that witness table at yet another congressional hearing, I was tempted to stand up, slam the briefing book shut and quit on the spot. The exit lines were on the tip of my tongue: I may be the secretary of defense, but I am also an American citizen, and there is no son of a bitch in the world who can talk to me like that. I quit. Find somebody else. It was, I am confident, a fantasy widely shared throughout the executive branch. 

Much of my frustration came from the exceptional offense I took at the consistently adversarial, even inquisition-like treatment of executive-branch officials by too many members of Congress across the political spectrum—creating a kangaroo-court environment in hearings, especially when television cameras were present. But my frustration also came from the excruciating difficulty of serving as a wartime defense secretary in today's Washington. Throughout my tenure at the Pentagon, under both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, I was, in personal terms, treated better by the White House, Congress and the press for longer than almost anyone I could remember in a senior U.S. government job. So why did I feel I was constantly at war with everybody? Why was I so often so angry? Why did I so dislike being back in government and in Washington? 

It was because, despite everyone being "nice" to me, getting anything consequential done was so damnably difficult—even in the midst of two wars. I did not just have to wage war in Afghanistan and Iraq and against al Qaeda; I also had to battle the bureaucratic inertia of the Pentagon, surmount internal conflicts within both administrations, avoid the partisan abyss in Congress, evade the single-minded parochial self-interest of so many members of Congress and resist the magnetic pull exercised by the White House, especially in the Obama administration, to bring everything under its control and micromanagement. Over time, the broad dysfunction of today's Washington wore me down, especially as I tried to maintain a public posture of nonpartisan calm, reason and conciliation.

Very honest. Here's a bit more on the Obama administration's micromanagement or meddling. Be sure to read the whole piece, linked above:

Most of my conflicts with the Obama administration during the first two years weren't over policy initiatives from the White House but rather the NSS's micromanagement and operational meddling, which I routinely resisted. For an NSS staff member to call a four-star combatant commander or field commander would have been unthinkable when I worked at the White House—and probably cause for dismissal. It became routine under Obama. I directed commanders to refer such calls to my office. The controlling nature of the Obama White House, and its determination to take credit for every good thing that happened while giving none to the career folks in the trenches who had actually done the work, offended Secretary Clinton as much as it did me.

Freezing Cold Here---It's the Dead of Winter

UPDATE: IN MIDST OF DEEP-FREEZE, RADICAL CLIMATE ENVIRONMENTALISTS PIN HOPES ON PRESIDENTIAL FIAT
ROGER SIMON: EXTREME NARCISSISM DEFICIT DISORDER (ENDD) OR PERILS OF LOSING A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

PEOPLE WHO DON'T CARE FOR THESE GOOD, VERY COLD DEEP FREEZES OF WINTER should stay in Southern California or Florida right now.  But I love them....for a time and in short spurts!  A good killing freeze---okay! okay!  it's getting a glamorous and ridiculous new name of polar vortex for heavens sake---cleans the environment and becomes an excuse to hunker down and regroup for a little while.

Got back to Nashville late yesterday from a lovely time on the coasts of both Georgia with family, first, then Florida with friends. Arrived back just in the nick of time as the temperature was still in the high 40s, but within  hours had dropped to the low 20s.  This morning it's a very chilly 7 degrees!  A good day for a short walk in the park after doing a few chores?  Well, only if it warms up to 9-10!  Then I might consider it....

Did you see where Liz Cheney dropped out of her Wyoming senate race over the weekend?  Not at all surprised as I predicted last summer. I'm sure Liz has a lot of offer some where, at some time. But this was not it and from start to finish, it was an ill-fated idea.

First Sunday in 2014: Only A Visitor Here, Part 2

PASTOR MIKE ATKINS AT RIVER CROSSING IN JACKSON HOLE continues to talk on the topic of having an eternal perspective during our earthly lives and having the wisdom to know that nothing this side of heaven will ever, ever satisfy us totally. Like it or not, God has placed eternity in our hearts that nothing but eternity can satisfy.

The more heavenly minded we are, the less controlled we'll be by our circumstances in this fallen world.  In the next world, those who've accepted the incredible free gift of what Jesus did to redeem sinners on the Cross will experience the unending task of glorifying and enjoying God forever.  Joy is the serious task of heaven.  Amen and amen.