The Zen of Mountain Biking and Political Expressions

One of my favorite pastimes is mountain biking.   My mountain biking companion is Mansi (my dog).  Yesterday, we went to one of our favorite local places – the Marsh Creek Lake Park. 


My loyal mountain biking partner, Mansi, next to my Cannondale MTB



My favorite playground -- Marsh Creek Lake Park
 

I was flying down a single track trail on a nice fall day with the landscape around me presenting the beautiful fall colors of north east Pennsylvania. Mansi was running ahead or next to me (except for real quick down hills) effortlessly showing a muscular body of a magnificent looking animal full of confident strength. I enjoy watching Mansi’s muscles displaying a symphony of purpose during a full speed gallop and fast trots reminding videos of wolves during a hunt.

On a single track mountain biking trail one has to occasionally overcome obstacles. I typically scale fallen tree branches or negotiate my way over larger rocks. The technique scaling larger branches has to be fairly precise – getting enough speed, I lift my front wheel barely hitting the branch and then pull up on my pedals just in time for the rear wheel to go over the branch. This way I almost jump over the branch with minimum impact (or ideally no impact, but I am not that good).

Yesterday, however, it took me some time to warm up and perfect my technique. Jumping over first couple of tree branches my timing was off, and I hit the branches with my wheels harder than I hopped. My Cannondale Lefty’s shocks did their work and I stayed on the bike. Every time this happened I thought to myself “well this was not optimum need to improve next time.”

After thinking this in my head, I instantly remembered the same expression Obama used as a response to Jon Stewart: “Here is what I will say, if four Americans get killed it is not optimal.” Really?! I thought. Even if I really mess up on the next obstacle and take a fall, I would not call this “not optimum,” I would think something like “this was really bad”or “shit, I hope I was not hurt too badly.”

Obama’s use of this word to describe the death of four Americans in the hands of Jihadists was not only a bad use of words; it was a window into his thought process. The same time he said “you did not build it”referring to people who built their own businesses. Well Mr. President, their deaths was not only“not optimal”, their death was a result of your attitude towards the war on Jihadists Islam and terrorism – of course, you do not recognize that there is war and this is a big part of the problem. The attack on the Benghazi consulate did not fit the Obama administration campaign narrative, so they tried to cover it up and make excuses. Now there is a growing mountains of evidence that they even refused to provide help to the attacked consulate in a hope that this is just a minor skirmish not wanting to attract attention.

So let’s hope that this incident was more than “not optimal” for the Obama campaign. That as the American people learn more facts, they conclude that Obama not only failed in his domestic economic policies, but in his handling of foreign affairs and our security as well, and in November the American people send this President permanently packing to his home in Chicago. Let’s elect someone who is capable of handling our economy and foreign policy more optimally, while preserving the American values.

Shocking New Revelation of "The Uniter In Chief"

Not long ago I had a discussion with one of my relatives.  She told me that she is leaning to vote for Obama again because he seems as a nice and intelligent person and that anyway no one can do anything to improve the current economy -- so the logic goes, if Romney cannot do anything anyway, then why not vote for a person that seems nice.  Obviously, I disagree with her.  I know that her opinion is based on lack of understanding of the differences between Romney’s principles and Obama’s in managing the economy and that there is plenty of historic evidence that point to assured success of those economic principles that Romney/Ryan advocate.  I have no doubt that once Romney is elected, the economy will significantly improve and United States will return to its glory both from economic and international affairs perspectives within several years.  But this is not the subject of this message (I will do what I can to educate this person on why conservative principles were and will be more successful for our well-being in America).  I would like to address the premise that Obama is a nice person.

I would like to bring your attention to the recent uncovered video by The Daily Caller of Obama’s speech at Hampton University in Virginia, where Barack Obama gave a speech to an audience of predominately black ministers INCLUDING his pastor of twenty years, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.  The video which captured his pronouncements is stunning for two reasons: 1) It shows Obama (fake accent and all) stirring racial unrest, and 2) It proves that the media won't cover the real Barack Obama. In this video then-presidential candidate Barack Obama tells an audience of black ministers that the U.S. government shortchanged Hurricane Katrina victims because of racism!  The racially charged and at times angry speech undermines Obama's carefully-crafted image as a leader eager to build bridges between ethnic groups. For nearly 40 minutes, using an accent he almost never adopts in public, Obama describes a racist, zero-sum society, in which the white majority profits by exploiting black America. The mostly black audience shouts in agreement. The effect is closer to an Al Sharpton rally than a conventional campaign event.  I highly recommend to refer to the following link for a full story which includes the link to the full video: http://www.gopusa.com/theloft/2012/10/03/shocking-video-reveals-the-real-barack-obama/?subscriber=1

So, Barack Obama is not such a “nice guy” as my relative, and many other naive people think.  Barack Obama is the most divisive President in the recent U.S. history.  Many experts say that he is a great politician.  I do not agree that he is a great politician.  A good politician (Democrat or Republican) would have the skills to unite the nation around him.  A good politician would know how to compromise for the benefit of the nation.  Barak Obama may be a great dirty politician in a sense of knowing how to lie, deceive, and use divisiveness to promote his far left ideology.

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are two honest people that have the best plan to save this nation.  But if you think that Barack Obama is a “nice guy” – you better think again.  Anyone would be a better president than Barak Obama. 

Thank you President Obama!

Yes, I know what you are thinking, the economy is in shambles, billions of our tax dollars were wasted, and EPA and many other government agencies are enacting nonsensical business regulations that further suffocate the economy. Our President does not seem to understand the American values that worked for this land for so many years, and instead of being a unifying force is a divider pitting those who were successful against those who were not, blacks against whites, etc.  So, what is there to thank him for?  The answer is related to my family history.

After we struggled for many years to leave the Soviet Union, my family finally succeeded to immigrate to Israel in 1971.  My grandfather was a very special man.  He was a natural entrepreneur, and he has done very well financially in Russia, but he wanted us to live where we could be free – to live in our homeland – Israel (but this is an interesting subject for another series of blogs or a book).

Israel in the 1970s was a socialist country still influenced by the Jewish socialist ideology that established it.  Taxes were high; the government bureaucracy was unbearable; healthcare was free, but in order to get quality care, people needed to go to private doctors. In order to create jobs, the Israeli government invested in industries that did not make much economic sense – textile and orange plantations.  As a result, the country was stuck in anemic growth.  My grandfather wrote many newspaper articles about the power of free enterprise. He wrote about how limiting the role of government in the economy and unleashing the Israeli ingenuity and creativity will create an economic miracle (and indeed when Netanyahu deregulated the economy in the late 80’s Israel has experienced this economic miracle and became the most innovative economy in the world).

In the late 70s my father had a successful dental practice, but he was frustrated with the high taxes and with the mentality that if you were successful, the Israeli government would pursue and harass you (Israeli IRS was constantly harassing my father at the time).  My father had a dream of building a business, which was very hard to do at the time in Israel.  My grandfather suggested that he go to America.  America was the only country in the world with a free economy.  United States of America had a tradition of true freedoms that were embedded in its DNA since its founding. 

Following my grandfather’s advice, my parents came to United States in 1981.  But American was not itself at the time.  After almost four years of Carter administration, the American economy was savaged by out of control government spending with low growth and high inflation.  It was a hard start.  Luckily Ronald Reagan was elected in 1981 and brought United States back to its greatness both economically and in foreign affairs.  Upon completing my military service in Israel, I joined my parents in the US in 1982.

I guess I took for granted the greatness of the American values, the genius of those American founding fathers that founded the greatest nation on earth, the sacrifice of so many Americans who gave their life to guard these freedoms and these principles. 

This is what I thank President Obama for – for reminding me what my grandfather understood many years ago.  Since President Obama took office, the contrast between his ideology and policies and traditional American values has become so clear.  The values that my family and I, as many other immigrants, came to United States for.  It reminded me the America in decline during the Carter years – except now the risks are even greater and the stakes are higher.  Obama made me appreciate again the greatness of these American core values that founded this great nation.

Obama is an ideologue – the problem is that his ideology is a one of resentment of American values.  He does not understand that what made America the greatest nation on earth are the values of limited government, of individual success, the Judeo-Christian moral values, that the federal government has an important but limited role in its citizens’ success, that basic individual freedoms and responsibilities of our constitution are so centric to our greatness, the values of celebrating success of others rather envying and taxing this success, and that we are proud of our exceptionalism not apologize for it.  Many of us also cherish the values instilled in us by our fathers and grandfathers, but we came to this great land to fulfill and celebrate those values – not to be ashamed of and change them.

Now is the time to rebuild the United States of America.  It is time to go back to principles and values that made this nation great, and it is time to elect a leader that understands these values so that this United States of American stays the greatest nation on earth!