Code-speak, vacations and rational thought

The other day, President Obama really slipped up.

Oh, he quickly caught himself, all right.

When discussing the myriad scandals coming from Washington these days, Obama warned that America can't go back to the policies of four years ago. Oops. Make that America can't go back to the policies of five or six years ago.

After all, the current occupant of the Oval Office (that is, when he's not on another multi-million-dollar-taxpayer-funded vacation) has now been in office since January 2009.

To put it another way, Obama's been in office since the last time gasoline was less than $2 a gallon. More than four full years, now.

Does this "man of the people" even realize that the best thing federal government can do (and they can) for working-class Americans is implement an energy policy that works?

For those of us not blessed with six- or seven-figure annual incomes, the difference in our respective budgets between $2 gas and $4 gas is the difference between day and night.

Of course, you can't blame OB1 for his temporary mental lapses. Time flies when you're having fun on the golf course or enjoying those globetrotting vacations that the average working taxpayer cannot so much as dream about, but must fund for you and yours.

After almost five years of the Obama administration, the only thing we have learned – without fear of contradiction – whether it's the economy, national security, IRS scandals, wiretapping, providing arms to people who are on the United States' own known terrorists list, Benghazi-Gate, etc., etc., etc., the problems all started (to quote the current president) four years ago.

Or was it five years ago?

Frankly, this is the most incompetent presidential administration in my lifetime, and that's saying something, because I'm old. I've lived through Nixon and Carter.

As Dick Cheney said Sunday: Obama has no credibility. None. Nada. Zero. Zilch. He is a non-entity playing out a second term at our collective expense.

And each and every time he blames Bush for today's myriad malfeasances, he looks more and more incompetent.

"But, but, but, but Bush left me with a bbad, bbbad, bbbbad economy."

"But, but, but, but Bush left me with one war in Iraq and another one in Afghanistan."

Look, Pallie, you wanted the job. You read the papers. You knew the score. You fought Hillary, tooth-and-nail, in your party's primary five years ago and even made a deal with the devil to protect your candidacy. You wanted the job. Stop blaming today's problems on a president who left office half a decade ago. It's a tiring act. Enough, already.

Sadly, perhaps it is not an act. And frankly, I don't think it is.

I think what the world is seeing today is the Real McCoy. The Genuine Article.

A Big American Government of Washingtonian Insider Ne'er-do-Wells (BAG of WIND).

In his most recent column, Lynchburg educator Mark Faust correctly points out a number of ongoing constitutional assaults by this administration.

From the Second Amendment to the Fourth Amendment to the Fifth Amendment, Americans' constitutional rights have been compromised at the least, violated at worst.

Mr. Faust concluded his column by saying: "Our Founding Fathers (correctly) assumed that government was the entity that needed to be monitored, not the people. Unfortunately, that idea has been inverted and the Constitution is being ignored. As a result, the law-abiding American citizens are the ones who are suffering."

I believe Mr. Faust has applied rational thought and common sense to the discussion. I also believe he will be accused, by some, of being a "conservative, rabid, right-wing nutjob."

He isn't.

How do I know with certainty?

That's easy.

I'm a conservative, rabid, right-wing nutjob and I never see Mark at the meetings.

Speaking of presidential vacations, I'm thinking of taking a holiday myself.

Maybe take a few days off.

Maybe have a few friends over.

Invite my Big Brother. (I don't have a brother.)

Maybe have a party.

Maybe serve a little tea.

Nothing ostentatious. We'll be conservative.

A little target shooting. Crow season's in on the weekends, you know.

Maybe watch some Patriots preseason football.

Maybe even read a few AP news articles, just for kicks and giggles because the AP boys and girls who so worship the president also got played like a Stradivarius. (Of course, those MSM types remain forever in denial.)

Who knows, maybe we'll get together and see what's up at that Mediterranean port in northeastern Libya.

Give ol' Ben Ghazi a shout out, too.

To those on the invitation list, check your cellphones at the county line. This compound is all analog.

Rory Ryan (not his real name) is publisher of The Highland County Press.