Remembering Andrew Breitbart

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Tom Folden

It’s been three years now since Andrew Breitbart died. I was out of town on work when I first heard of his passing. I remember listening intently to the news from my hotel room that evening. I became suspicious of his death as reporters tried to tie the pieces and the timeline together. Suspicious because I remember that Breitbart had recently announced that he had something very big to announce about then incumbent president Barack Obama. Unfortunately, time ran out before he could let the world know what it was that could potentially shut down Obama’s re-election bid in a heartbeat.

Breitbart was the one who broke the ACORN corruption case wide open, with the help of courageous patriots James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles. Many conservatives have hailed him as their hero for the bold and daring nature with which he approached politics. He wasn’t afraid to argue with anyone, as he’d go onto shows like Real Time with Bill Maher and speak truth, only to be ridiculed by a ridiculously stacked, left leaning liberal/progressive and gullible audience. He put his reputation on the line and backed it up proudly.

I remember, and will probably never forget, seeing him for the first time in 2009 keynote speaking at one of the first major tea party rallies, in Santa Ana, California, on April 15, 2009, tax day. Tea Party groups were beginning to form out of the disgust people felt at how Obama and his administration were sending America down a financially ruinous path. Taxed Enough Already, as corny as the name may sound, was the theme used to try to get people to understand the logic behind why we were protesting. It had absolutely nothing to do with racism. That’s one of the many things the left has claimed but never proved. Breitbart even offered a $100,000 reward to anyone who could produce legitimate video footage with audio of anyone saying anything racist to Rep. John Lewis (D. GA) as he walked through a crowd of protesters toward the nation’s capitol on his way to cast a vote for Obamacare. No one could, though.

As could be predicted, the mainstream media tried to portray these emerging tea party groups as fringe, racist, bigoted, homophobic and xenophobic. Andrew could see this and could so eloquently call them on it. Anyone who has been to a tea party rally knows that those who attend are anything but what the media accuses them to be and do not tolerate that behavior from others. Are there those who take it a little too far? Of course, that happens on each side. Are there those who go, as plants, to deliberately disrupt the event, thereby causing a scene with which to capture on video so that it could eventually reach the media, which will in turn give them ammunition so that they can declare the tea party all those bad things they want them to be? Better believe it.

The media seems to be winning the war on perception. They understand all too well what that means. Andrew Breitbart was acutely aware of this and countered it with his websites biggovernment.com, bighollywood.com and bigjournalism.com. Ironically, he helped Arianna Huffington launch the HuffingtonPost.com website. He was certainly on the cutting edge of the combination of technology and politics.

I didn’t know Andrew Breitbart but I wish I had. He and I were on the same page politically and shared the same taste in music. I’m sure we would have had great conversations about a variety of things. After reading his book Righteous Indignation, I was even more inspired to continue my work as a citizen journalist, as he urged and advised. I hope his secret about Obama is somehow revealed. And I hope the mystery of his death also becomes clear. Breitbart was a son, a husband and a father of four. I wish all the best to his family and that his memory remains alive. Indeed, America lost a conservative hero.

Read Between the Platitudes

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Tom Folden

At a White House summit on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 designed to address issues of countering violent extremism, one would have thought Obama’s hand was forced. Finally, he’ll have to openly deal with this very obvious problem. He can’t escape the blaring fact that ISIS is a threat as well as Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood and others that have the same common denominator – they are all radical Islamists. But Obama couldn’t muster up the will to say it. It begs the obvious question.

In his address, which was a cross between a campaign speech and a lecture, Obama managed to dodge what was supposed to be the whole point of the dog and pony show, I mean summit: countering extremism. He instead turned it around and focused his comments on racial hatred and discrimination against the Muslim community. Are you kidding me? There is no great epidemic of discriminating against Muslims. Where does he get that?

Well, he manufactures it. Since he cannot bring himself to confront the ugly truth, that radical Islam is at war with the West, he re-directs the conversation into this supposed widespread racial discrimination of Muslims. So by stifling any discussion of real world problems, the kind where ISIS et al rape, torture, traffic, behead, burn and kill Christians, Jews and anyone else who is not on their side, Obama is able to escape an obviously uncomfortable topic.

From any other president it would be surprising, except with Obama, it is expected. He has not been able to admit what the real problem is. As Greg Gutfeld explained on FOX News’ political talk show The Five, which aired that same day, “He’s a terrorism denier.”

That is, in fact, what he is.

Obama managed to insult most Americans, as if we’re the problem and others we are at war with are victims. Clearly, as a United States president, his speech was the opposite of what it should have been. And with an audience most likely stacked with his own hand-picked supporters, there were countless interruptions of mindless applause.

But did anyone expect anything different? As Obama usually does with his speeches and addresses, he peppered this one with just enough platitudes to make those who don’t know better feel good. To the average American, I suppose, it sounds inspirational. But for a speech designed to address countering extremism, he admonished those who are genuinely fearful and concerned with the threat of radical jihad here in America and abroad.

When does it become necessary for our Armed Forces to intercede and remove him from the responsibility of President of the United States? I realize it would set off a firestorm, but I also know that what has been happening is so treasonous that it warrants expulsion from office.

Congress has been of no help. In fact, calling Obama out for his dereliction of duty has been one of its key failures. They have neither the leadership nor the desire to do what they are sworn to do. They haven’t even entertained the idea that in order to reverse the destruction he has already done to our country they need to act. It will take a special kind of courage, which few members of Congress have. Surely they would have to withstand the scourge of hate and vitriol the left is going to spew. And of course the left will try to turn the argument around.

Yes, the leftist media and liberal organizations have a habit of taking incidents that look bad for them and reversing the facts to make it look as if extreme right wing ideology is to blame. It’s called projection. Because the facts don’t fit their version of the story, they just make up their own and guess what? People, mindless people, mind you, believe them because these mindless people are too lazy to find out the real story for themselves. Obama employs this tactic quite often. It’s how he got elected and how he continues to deceive people.

Thanks Mitt Romney

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Tom Folden

Thanks, Mitt Romney, for coming to your senses. Now it’s time to get Jeb Bush to realize that Americans don’t want another Bush in office. Even if he was the right person for the job, and he’s not, he wouldn’t be the best thing for America.

It’s unfortunate that simple-minded people have tarnished the Bush name. George H.W. served honorably as a U.S. Navy pilot and was gracious enough to take a back seat to the late and great President Ronald Reagan when it became evident Reagan was the popular choice among most Americans. After serving eight years as Reagan’s vice-president, Bush Sr. was easily elected and became a wartime president. As Commander-in-Chief he made the difficult decision, along with Congress’ approval, to lead our brave men and women into the first Gulf War, and with the strong leadership of Generals Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf, our Armed Forces waged a successful military campaign. But Americans read his lips when he said on his campaign trail “No New Taxes.” It seems Republicans will never learn that Democrats don’t play fair.

George W. Bush was a great president and a likable man. But he, too, made some mistakes. One was not properly securing our borders, even when the threat of terrorism was eminent. It really doesn’t pay to appease Democrats. The Democrats’ and liberals’ vitriol for him was unprecedented and unnecessarily intense. It wasn’t that they had a good reason to dislike and hate him, there is a contingency that will just hate any and all Republicans, especially conservatives. It started in November of 2000 when Bush won and Al Gore lost the 2000 election fair and square. But Bush didn’t just win fair and square, Al Gore and the Democrats tried to cheat, as they usually do.

So Jeb Bush may make a run for President of the United States, which is not in his best interest. Neither is it in the best interest of Republicans. Please Jeb, take a hint from Mitt Romney and don’t run for an office you can’t possibly win.