Frank Salvato

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Venezuela: In the Spirit of The Monroe Doctrine

June 2, 2007 by

-By Frank Salvato

Recent events in the South American country of Venezuela are disturbing, or at least they should be to all clear thinking people. While the Venezuelan regime of strong-man Hugo Chavéz is systematically acquiring absolute power by nationalizing that country‚s industries and resources, and silencing their free media outlets, Chavéz himself is forging relationships with totalitarian dictators who routinely call for the demise of the United States. To dismiss this tin-pot dictator as a clown in a post 9/11 world could be a fatal mistake.

The sometimes violent protests fomenting in the streets of Caracas by outraged students, intellectuals and free thinkers come in the wake of the Chavéz regime‚s closing of a popular opposition television station critical of Chavéz‚s government. Radio Caracas Television was replaced with state-run programming as the Venezuelan ministry overseeing media licensing moved to clamp down on CNN and the last opposition owned media outlet in Venezuela, Globovision.

Chavéz’s attack on the free press in Venezuela is but the most recent encroachment on the free market in that country.

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Remembering What Memorial Day Is For

May 28, 2007 by 1 Comment

-By Frank Salvato

As we enter into the Memorial Day weekend, many people are preparing their families for a weekend of fun, sunshine, the celebration of the unofficial beginning of Summer, BBQs, picnics and the like. Many people will be traveling to see family and friends, taking the opportunity that an extended weekend affords, to spend time with the ones they value most in life. While all of these actions can be considered “traditional,” they miss the mark on what Memorial Day is all about and miss it by a country mile.

The origin of Memorial Day centers on the American Civil War. This day, originally set at May 30th of every year, was at first an observance of those who died fighting for the Union cause.

One scholar, Professor David Blight of Yale University’s history department, cites the first Memorial Day as having taken place in 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina. On this day, according to Professor Blight, liberated slaves and Union soldiers gathered on the grounds of a former Confederate prison camp, grounds that also served as a mass grave for Union soldiers. A solemn parade ensued culminating in the singing of patriotic songs, a picnic and a remembrance of those who gave their lives to secure the unity of the Union.

In this long standing tradition, Memorial Day has come to symbolize a day when Americans of every political and ideological stripe break from their everyday lives in order to give thanks to those who have died taking up arms to afford our nation the freedoms and liberties that most of the time we all take for granted.
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Immigration Reform Begins in Mexico

May 25, 2007 by

-By Frank Salvato

As the debate over the issue of immigration reform rages, we would all be wise to examine, honestly, the reasons why more Mexicans emigrate to the United States than die in Mexico each year. While the common argument is that they come here seeking work, the true root of the problem is that the Mexican government has allowed corruption to reach such alarming levels – in both government and business – that the average Mexican cannot survive within the borders of his own country.

The above statement is not an exaggeration. In 2006, 559,000 Mexican nationals emigrated from Mexico to the United States while the Mexican Demographics Agency reported a total of 501,000 deaths among Mexico’s population. The question that begs to be asked regarding the massive emigration is why?
Mexico is a country rich with natural resources. With its wealth of petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas and timber, it has all the resources a country would need to keep it from becoming a destitute Third World country.

Further, the median age in Mexico is 25.6 years of age and the literacy rate for the total population is at 92.2%. This demographic, combined with their abundant natural resources and central location in the Western Hemisphere, are a perfect catalyst for an employment sector that would – under normal circumstances – compete on the First World economic stage.
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Understanding the Worth of Our Nation

May 18, 2007 by

-By Frank Salvato

It is difficult to value something when its worth is unknown. The adage of one child being given a toy only to leave it out in the rain to rust, never understanding the toys worth, while another child made to earn the same toy is found to take care of it, valuing its worth, is a fitting analogy. This basic truth applies to our American heritage and the continued welfare of our nation.

Most of us have never had to take up arms to protect our freedoms, our liberties, our rights as guaranteed under The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and The Bill of Rights, our Charters of Freedom. In most cases these gifts have been bequeathed to us from those of generations past who did have to serve, to protect and defend our nation and by those who valiantly volunteer to serve today. What is asked of us in return for this legacy of freedom is loyalty to the covenant between citizen and government, loyalty to our nation.

Today, our country faces both a threat from abroad and a threat, in the form of ideological conflict, from within. Some among us choose to accentuate the imperfections of our nation. Some condemn our culture. And still others literally champion our nation’s defeat and demise. Those who choose to diminish the significance of the United States’ contributions to the world, do so in ignorance of the intent of the documents that charted the course for this great nation and the ideologies and principles that provided the foundation for the creation of our governmental covenant.
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The “Fifth Columnization” of America

May 4, 2007 by

-By Frank Salvato

The Progressive-Left’s American Fifth Column is most often epitomized by the militant, bullhorn toting activist who, when not examined thoroughly, seems to be advocating for one “civil right” or another. We see them at the pro-illegal immigration protests, the anti-gun protests, the anti-war protests, anywhere a group of people can lay blame at the feet of government and especially the Bush Administration. But the American Fifth Column’s tentacles spread much wider and delve much deeper into our history and our society and recent events illustrate this as fact, rather than fiction.

The American Fifth Column is born out of Socialist/Communist ideology where the citizenry grows dependent on the government while the government increasingly legislates itself more control over the people.

In the perfect Fifth Column world, everyone is equal and possesses an artificially elevated sense of self-worth, the competitive spirit is equalized through taxes and legislated oversight of private business and societal boundaries including boundaries in speech and action are enforced through a shadow set of laws known as political correctness, a set of laws that undermine the authority of the Constitution.
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What Do They Know and Why Don’t They Know It

April 27, 2007 by

-By Frank Salvato

Recent actions and statements by those who exist on the left side of the aisle have served as proof for any reasonable American that congressional Democrats, especially their leadership, are invested in – and in fact insist upon – placing politics before government. Their blatant disregard for the well-being of our nation leads me to ask, how well do the Progressive-Left and the Democrats who appease them understand the duties associated with being an elected member of the United States government?

One of the last true statesmen to have graced the halls of Congress, Henry Hyde (R-IL), was often heard to say that those elected to office are the stewards to the US Constitution. By this he meant that they were beholden to the principles, ideals, tenets and procedural boundaries held within the document itself. My belief goes a bit further to include the idea that all Americans are vested with this commitment and that in addition to the principles, ideals and tenets of our founding documents each and every one of us is obligated to at least understanding the philosophy that influenced our Founders and Framers to compose such a revolutionary form of self-governance.

That said, and current events taken into consideration, I am led to believe that many in Congress from both sides of the aisle – and perhaps most people elected to office – are sadly devoid of a proper understanding of the Constitution and just exactly what it is they are required to do for their constituencies.

Two instances, appalling in nature to those of us who embrace the idea of good government, took place this week at the hands of Democrat leadership.
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Virginia Tech Slaughter Raises Many Questions

April 22, 2007 by 1 Comment

-By Frank Salvato

I like to think of myself as someone who gathers all of the facts, along with some educated opinions, before I formulate my stance on things. It is for that reason that I read publications from both sides of the aisle on a daily basis when it comes to politics and from publications around the world when examining world events. The barbaric slaughter at Virginia Tech did not – and does not – escape this approach. In the end, the examination of the facts surrounding the senseless deaths of 32 and the suicide of the shooter have left me with more questions than answers and dredged up still unanswered questions about past events.

Admittedly, my examination of the events that took place on Virginia Tech’s campus may be influenced by terrorism. I spend a good portion of my work day researching terrorism for two non-profit groups, Basics Project and America’s Truth Forum, whose missions are to, among other things, focus on the threat posed by radical Islam. Through researching first-source, fact-based information from credible think tanks, organizations and advocacy groups on both sides of the issue I am now keenly aware of the subtleties presented in news items.
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You Either Abide by the First Amendment or You Don’t

April 13, 2007 by 1 Comment

-By Frank Salvato

It really doesn’t matter whether you find radio shock jock Don Imus’s description of the women on Rutgers’ basketball team offensive or not. In an age when you can turn on any popular urban radio station and hear most of the words used in George Carlin’s “Seven Dirty Words” comedy routine the term, “nappy-headed hos” can hardly be deemed offensive, especially coming from a shock jock. What is at issue is whether or not the politically correct have used bullying tactics to infringed upon the guaranteed right of free speech under the First Amendment.

I can’t say that I am a fan of Don Imus but then I can’t say I dislike him either. I have never taken the time to listen to his radio show nor have I viewed his broadcast on MSNBC. Being from Chicago, I grew up listening to Larry Lujack, Dan Walker – the governor of Rock ‘n Roll – and later on Jonathon Brandmeir and Steve Dahl. Imus wasn’t a Chicago staple.

Of course, Chicago had its fair share of FCC imposed and special interest group inflicted radio personality suspensions but those seemed to work more in the favor of the radio show being yanked from the air than for the government or advocacy group. I predict that Imus’s suspension will work to his advantage in the long run as well. Such is the animal of America’s “car accident” curiosity and sitcom attention span.

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Are We Experiencing a Constitutional Crisis?

April 6, 2007 by

-By Frank Salvato

I have been disappointed to hear that some of the radio personalities and editorialists who usually present a modicum of reason to the American public are having a hard time finding anything wrong with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s recent attempt at promoting rogue foreign policy in the Middle East. To be sure, our Constitution does not vest any member of Congress – speaker or otherwise – with the power to usurp the authority of the Executive Branch where conducting foreign policy is concerned.

This isn’t to say that Congress doesn’t have any authority over the formulation of US foreign policy, it certainly does. Article 2, Section 8 clearly states that Congress shall have the power:

“…To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes; To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;…”

Further, in Article 3, Section 2 it clearly states that by their “advice and consent” they authorize the President of the United States:

“…To make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law;…”

In other words, Congress has the authority to regulate business between the United States and foreign nations, to declare war and regulate the spoils of war and to validate and make official any treaties negotiated through the Executive Branch. Article 3, not Congress, empowers the Executive Branch with the ability to appoint ambassadors, ministers, counsels, Supreme Court Justices and all other officers including official representatives of the United States. In essence, Congress has the limited power to legislate the general character and policies comprising American foreign policy.
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Legislating a Terrorist Victory in Iraq

March 30, 2007 by

-By Frank Salvato

If anyone was under the impression that congressional Democrats actually considered their actions, with regard to the “troop withdrawal bills,” beyond achieving victory over the Bush Administration, they would be playing the part of the uninformed, Kool-Aid drinking fool. While Democrats Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the rest of their anti-war, pro-genocide, hate-Bush contingent revel in the fact that they have succeeded in passing a bill that opposes the president, al Qaeda operatives in Iraq are preparing to set their alarm clocks for “half-past redeployment” so the slaughter of those who braved Iraq’s polling places can begin.

Upon a logical, thoughtful examination, all congressional Democrats really achieved was a guaranteed veto at the hand of the president, a veto that in all likelihood, in light of the slim margin by which the bills’ passed, will be sustained. President Bush plainly promised to veto any bill that included a timetable or withdrawal measure and he made it perfectly clear to even the most feeble-minded in Congress that would be the case. So their actions – the bloviating, the grandstanding and the headline grabbing, in reality, were a pre-determined waste of time and taxpayer dollars.

Even more disconcerting is the fact that congressional Democrats, cheered on by the mind-numbing inanity of the anti-war Left, used tactics such as bribing Blue Dog Democrats with taxpayer funded pork projects placed in an emergency supplemental bill simply to achieve a political victory over the president. Let me say that again – they bribed many who wouldn’t have normally voted for defeatist policies with taxpayer dollars for pet pork projects; remember that the next time anyone tries to say that moderate Democrats are different from Progressive-Left Democrats.
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Civic Responsibility & The Blame Game

March 25, 2007 by

-By Frank Salvato

Our Founders believed in ownership of the Constitution. By that I mean they expected, almost took for granted, that each American citizen would stake a claim of ownership to the principles and tenants set forth in our Founding Documents. But as we watch our elected officials, in Washington DC and in our State Houses, habitually place the political well-being of themselves and their parties above good government for their constituents and our country, we must ask ourselves: Are we doing our part in making sure our government is the best it can be?

The Founding Documents, The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and The Bill of Rights, serve as a covenant between the American people and our government, a contract, as it were.

One of the unwritten provisions of this covenant, this contract, was that each American would exercise a certain level of self-prescribed civic responsibility where the role of caretaker, or steward, to the Constitution was concerned. They intended for Americans to engage in the governmental process by continuously questing for the truth and then engaging their representatives in elected office – when need be – on the issues using fact-based knowledge, civil discourse and a patriotic ideology, even when in disagreement.
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We Better Hurry Up and “Redeploy” So the Killing Can Start Again

March 17, 2007 by 3 Comments

-By Frank Salvato

The debate over the US military’s engagement on the Iraqi battlefield is raging on Capitol Hill with congressional Democrats attempting to defund the campaign through back-channel means. Simultaneously, reports are coming from a multitude of sources – both inside and outside of Iraq – that testify to the overwhelming success, to date, of President Bush’s “surge” initiative. Why are our elected officials wasting taxpayer dollars, allocated in the form of their salaries, to debate turning a victory into a defeat?

Anti-war activists, the mainstream media and liberal Democrats like Harry Reid, David Obey and Ted “Hope Floats” Kennedy are no strangers to ripping defeat from the jaws of victory. A perfect example of this can be found in the Vietnam War where politicians interfered with the generals to literally hand the Communist North Vietnamese a victory.

The US military, unmatched on the battlefields of Vietnam, was effectively neutered by politically and socially imposed limitations. In the end, it was the US military – the superior and more lethal fighting force – that was portrayed as weak and frail, ineffective and inept, not the inferior Communist forces championed by the mainstream media and the anti-war left. Their propaganda, delivered by an agenda-driven media monopoly, even turned the inarguable US military victory of the Tet Offensive into a perceived loss.

Today, the anti-war zealots of the intellectually challenged Progressive-Left – while they declare their support for our troops but not their mission (an oxymoron if there ever was one) – are plotting and scheming to once again impose political and social limitations on our Armed Forces in a transparent attempt to bring about another self-imposed US “forfeit.”
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The Politicalization of Adjudications

March 10, 2007 by

-By Frank Salvato

The debate over the verdict in the Lewis “Scooter” Libby obstruction of justice and perjury trial will go on for years. The fact that the catalyst for the investigation ” whether Valerie Plame was classified as a covert agent at the time of the so-called ‘leak'” is but one of the contentious issues. But if we allow this adjudication to become politicized, if we allow revisionists like Harry Reid to rewrite the actualities of the case, we are not only doing a disservice to our country we would be complicit in its degradation.

Harry Reid and the politically opportune of the Progressive-Left wing of the Democrat Party are no strangers to rewriting history to suit their agenda. You need only to look back to the most recent election to find evidence to that effect.

The common misinformation, repeated anytime there is a live microphone in front of anyone with a “D” after their name, is that the 2006 mid-term election was a vote on the Iraq War. While the election may have been a vote on the war for the anti-war crowd “which recent opinion polls indicate is a minority of our populace ” it certainly wasn’t a vote on the war for those of the Conservative stripe.

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Changing the Rules to Suit Their Opportunistic Needs

March 2, 2007 by

-By Frank Salvato

Now comes word that Congressional Democrats are considering placing curbs on 527s, those shadowy soft-money groups that inundated the radio and television airwaves with propaganda ads during the last few election cycles. One has to wonder why Democrats would want to place curbs on organizations such as MoveOn.org and America Coming Together, two ultra Progressive-Liberal 527s that have completely toed the DNC line since their inception. The answer is that the 527 political playing field is starting to level and liberals know that in a fair and factual fight they always get slaughtered.

527 groups, named after a section of the Internal Revenue Service code that addresses organizations established to influence elections, are not regulated by the Federal Election Commission nor are they subjected to the same contribution limits as Political Action Committees. In that respect, and in reality, these groups circumvent any campaign finance reforms and deal in the unregulated funding of ideologically driven non-governmental political organizations.
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