THE MOUNTAIN OBSERVER ON-LINE       

                                ISSUES, PEOPLE, OBJECTS & POLICIES- CLOSE UP                           

                              Vol. 05                                           Issue 03                               Start April 01, 2005

A FREEWHEELING CONSERVATIVE COMMENTARY DEDICATED TO THE DEFENSE OF FREEDOM, THE NEXT GENERATION, AND THE WAY THINGS OUGHT TO BE.   TO UNDERSTAND THIS NEWSLETTER, IT IS NECESSARY THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO READ AND TO THINK.

Updated occasionally on this website when I decide to do it.                               

 J. E. Sohmer   Jefferson, CO  Flyover country, where the air is thin, the heavens bright, and the hunting and fishing are good.

Serious Considerations:

04/29/05  Progress continues to unfold in the political development of an Iraqi government as the Parliamentary Assembly approves the proposed Cabinet, still short a couple of portfolios.  They are not working to the clock, as their detractors would prescribe, but to a standard of effective results, as they should.  Critics should remember that once upon a time, we stumbled through our own experience with the Articles of Confederation.  JES

04/29/05  The House of Representatives revives some rules for the Ethics Committee, calling on Democrats to lay their cards on the table concerning Tom DeLay.   DeLay welcomes this action, to clear his name.  Perhaps Democrats have mis-calculated, assuming they could continue to use this issue to belabor DeLay.  The mis-calculation here, by Democrats, however, is that they have now opened the door into their own faces, and Republicans, sick and tired of all the faux political posturing, can now be expected to use the revived rules to go after a long list of Democrats who have real problems.  It is good for a change, to see the GOP stop trying to be good guys and to begin to fight back; long overdue.  Let's hope they follow through and chase down the Democrat hypocrisy, just in time for 2006.  Democrats can now fear what they said they wished for.  JES

04/28/05  Air America, as you may know, is the sputtering far left effort to counter "right wing" talk radio, funding not entirely clear.   As reported by Matt Drudge (www.drudgereport.com ) on 04/27/05, apparently on Monday 04/25/05, Air America's Randi Rhodes engaged in some inflammatory rhetoric against the President that was so out of line, legally and otherwise, that it aroused the interest of the Secret Service.   As I have previously alluded, at some point the far left may very well precipitate a crises, and the seeds planted here need to be nipped before they bud.   JES

04/25/05  It seems that a new addition to the language, intended as a pejorative epithet, has popped up on the East Coast: Heteronormative, which, as best as I can make out, means: the error of being a normal (conservative) American with normal (conservative) American values.   I proudly plead guilty, and pray that millions of others do as well.  JES

04/25/05  On the subject of Social Security reform, in addition to the aforementioned problem with RINO's (04/20/05 below), the fact of the matter is that the President has this bad habit of coming out of the gate strong, on any issue, only to concede and fall back prematurely.  As a consequence, political supporters, willing to risk their own political capital, find themselves chopped off at the knees.  All of this combines to produce a mentality of defeatism among a majority with absurd non-results.  So it is that the President may have fatally undercut his own efforts when he equivocated ("everything's on the table") on the issue of raising the payroll tax cap above $90,000.  Aside from the fact that he initially said specifically that this detail was not an issue "on the table", to now equivocate on the matter is to raise the specter of his father's famous pledge about not raising taxes, and then allowing it to happen.  Yes, Mr. President, a tax increase is a tax increase, just as amnesty is amnesty, and 2 plus 2 is 4.  Neither your friends, or enemies, are fooled by any of this.  JES

04/22/05  Actually, the battle over the nomination of John Bolton for the post of ambassador to the United Nations, has not so much to do with Mr. Bolton as it has to do with a rather vast semi-submerged bureaucratic guerilla war going on in Washington DC.  The knives are out among those who continue to prefer a tilt toward international collectivism, and those who would prefer to pull back to a more traditionally oriented nationalism, and American national interest.  In his second term, the President has clearly made a series of appointments oriented toward American national interests, with the curious exception of matters Mexican.   The elevation of Marine General Peter Pace to the Chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is consistent with the traditional direction.  JES

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                        MEMORY AND IDENTITY: CONVERSATIONS AT THE DAWN OF A MILLENNIUM

                        POPE JOHN PAUL II                                                                           

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Serious Considerations:

04/21/05  My main problem with John Bolton, nominee for the post of ambassador to the United Nations, is that, if confirmed, he might actually succeed in saving the place.  JES

04/20/05  At this point it appears that the President's efforts to sell his Social Security reform package has run into some strong headwinds.   Predictably, it is the Republican RINO's, mainly in the Senate, who are proving unhelpful, not out of principle, but rather out of the usual absence of political courage and leadership.   As has been the case all along in his foreign policy leadership in Europe and the Middle East, the President's basic proposals in behalf of saving Social Security from itself have been absolutely correct, particularly with respect to the privatization options for younger workers.  Absent these reforms, the Social Security system, and perhaps the Republic itself, are headed directly at a brick wall at high speed.  As for Medicare and Medicaid, largely "free" federal dollars in hands of state politicians, it may be already too late.  Mr. President, carry on, we applaud your necessary courage.  It has been referred to before as the loneliness of command.  JES

04/20/05  Speaking of reform, always a dangerous endeavor in a democracy bloated with the potential for payoff, on the subject of tax reform I would suggest that any talk of it right now, except to make permanent the temporary reforms already in place, is politically unwise.  My concern has nothing to do with deficits (that's a spending problem, not a tax problem), but rather with the fact that effective correction of the tax problems we face will require a much more Conservative political presence in Congress than is currently the case.  Very major surgery is in order  (readers of this letter understand that I advocate abolition of the whole system: see the Mountain Observer Mission Statement ), but short of that I see the danger of attempts to enact a sales tax or value added tax without taking away the income tax (as in repealing the 16th Amendment) which, in my judgment, would lead to real tax disaster.  Right now all of this is a bridge too far.  Let's just continue to whittle away at the marginal rates, and cut taxes, and cut spending faster, without getting sucked into the scam of "revenue neutrality".   We need to get beyond cutting the rate of growth, we need to institutionalize actual absolute reductions.  JES

04/20/05  The Mountain Observer would like to announce its great concern for the environment, especially as it relates to the worldwide survivability of bamboo, clearly an endangered species.  Our suggestion in this regard is that the United Nations should declare a very sizable bounty on panda bears.  A panda bear skin should be redeemable at the rate of about 1000 barrels of oil, from anywhere, at least a partial substitute for the recent loss of revenue consequent to American meddling with another favorite UN program.  Besides, who needs panda bears, and we need bamboo shoots for Chinese restaurants everywhere.  JES

04/19/05   Our Lord breaths on Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, of Germany, as Pope Benedict XVI, April 19, 2005.  I see this as a very positive development for the American Church, and its continuing recovery from recent scandal.  It is believed by the Mountain Observer that Pope Benedict XVI will not suffer fools, theological equivocation, or administrative laxity.  Certain American pro-abortion "Catholic" politicians may finally be forced to make some long over-due choices, and more general congregants re-think the relativistic back-sliding that has befallen the entire culture in recent years.  JES

04/17/05  Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Bush are in conference down in Texas.   This could mean many things, including the future of the Iranian nuclear weapons program.  However, what the Mountain Observer finds disturbing is an apparent agreement to proceed with further withdrawal from Gaza in return for nothing.  The so-called "Roadmap to Peace", now ragged around the edges, demanded certain performance criteria of the Palestinians, on a timetable, none of which has happened, yet Israel is expected to continue to cave in.  Israel continues to die a death of a thousand cuts, and the United States continues (perhaps forcing the issue?)  to be complicit.  Where is Benjamin Netanyahu ?

04/16/05  Democrats, continuing to self destruct, are now going after Tom DeLay.   This would not bother the Mountain Observer, except for some concern over the testosterone levels of certain coastal Republicans, and other assorted RINOs.   Tom DeLay is a fine public servant doing a fine job, which, of course, is the reason he is a target.  JES

04/16/05  Shortly after the president's re-election last fall, I commented that " Incidentally, you need a new Secretary of State.  I think the best available man would be Ann Coulter"; not intended tongue in cheek.  Not to criticize Collin Powell on a personal level, but rather on a professional level, as unable to grasp the significance of September 11, 2001 for American foreign policy, it was time for the President to make some long overdue adjustments in our State Department's perspectives on the world.  He pointed to Dr. Condoleezza Rice.  It now appears to the Mountain Observer, as the evidence accumulates, that he made an excellent choice.  Dr. Rice personally appears to have made certain adjustments in her thinking, post 09/11, not without parallel to my own.  Career professionals at the State Department need to get "on board", or get out.  JES

04/14/05  This website has been down and out for 5 days because I screwed up paying proper attention to certain administrative details.  My fault!  Now I need to figure out why my beautiful new color background theme will not download to you.    JES

04/09/05   A day after John Paul II is laid to rest with the world wide love of millions, the Church of England makes a mockery of itself with the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles.   Queen Elizabeth II becomes the last reigning monarch of Britain, of a royalty that, at her passing, will have lost all logic for its continued existence.   At its beginning, and at its end, the Church of England has been all about royalty unable to control bedtime passions.  JES 

             A Current Reading Recommendation:      

                CULTURE OF DEATH: THE ASSAULT ON MEDICAL ETHICS IN AMERICA       

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04/08/05  The political process moves forward in Iraq.  Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, selected by the recently elected parliamentary representatives, is now President.  Subsequently, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a conservative Shiite and a leader of the Islamic Dawa Party, is selected as Prime Minister.  Again, our President is to be congratulated for his vision in these matters.  JES

04/08/05 Kansans vote for tradition marriage, without compromise.  JES

04/08/05  Pope John Paul II has been laid to rest, as millions give thanks for his guidance and leadership and pray for the final salvation of his soul.  JES

04/06/05  Mr. President George W. Bush it is necessary to be very clear with you and the Republican Party about the specific issue of our border with Mexico.  Mr. President, your recent words directed at the Jerry Seper's Minuteman Project volunteers describing them as "vigilante's" are understood by the Mountain Observer as a gratuitous slap in the face, not only directed at these properly patriotic Real Americans, but at all of us, including the Mountain Observer, who are responsible for putting you in office in the first place.  It appears that in your view your personal friendship with Vicente Fox trumps your responsibilities as President to protect our national borders from hostel foreign insurrectionary forces, and to observe and enforce our own immigration and naturalization law.   What the hell is wrong with you?  I am a registered Independent, have been since 1995 when the GOP crapped out on its own "Contract with America", and this is but one example of why that is so.

I am not an enemy of Mexico, or the Mexican people.   I want to see a prosperous, healthy and self sufficient Mexico, but that is a condition for the Mexican's themselves to accomplish.   All the American kiss-ass, whether through NAFTA, or simple accommodation of cheap labor illegal immigration, is exactly the same, and with the same effects, as our own domestic welfare programs.   All you are doing is enabling  the growth of an international dependency that is corrosive to ourselves, and to the Mexicans.   However, even more seriously, you are undermining our own  national security by failing to control our own borders, and defaulting to an assumption of good will on the part of those, including your good "friend" Vicente Fox, who are clearly engaged in insurrectionary acts and policies against our border states, and who harbor designs against us.  These are documentable facts.   The next terrorist attack on this country traceable to our borders, north or south, will be the end of the GOP, to be shoveled onto the ash heap of history along with modern Democrats, and the sun will begin to emerge on a new political day in America.

Those in Congress who do not stop you in your tracks on your amnesty proposals, or who fail to insist on correction of your lackadaisical support of our beleaguered border forces, and even current American law, will all be in trouble with the Mountain Observer in 2006.  In 2008, Jeb Bush is off the table, and, perhaps Tom Tancredo is on.  JES

04/02/05  John Paul II, born Karol Joseph Wojtyla, of Poland, and finally of the whole world, Passed from this world to a higher reward on this date at 9:37 p.m. Vatican time (2:37 p.m. EST).  He was 84.  John Paul II, a pivotal figure of the 20th century, will be sorely missed by millions.  May he rest in peace.   JES

                                                                   God Bless America

                                                                   Jim                           

                                                                    American Nationalist Conservative

                                                                    Jefferson, CO 80456