In the 1998 Academy Award winning film Saving Private Ryan, one of the most memorable conflicts of this WWII drama involved a life or death struggle between two soldiers, American Private Stanley Mellish and a German called Steamboat Willie. The two men were locked in hand-to-hand combat when Mellish pulled his knife. Moments later, the German fighter was able to wrestle the knife away, pin his American adversary, and gently ease the knife downward into the heart of the young Private. Now in a war movie you would expect lots of death and destruction, but what made this scene so disturbing was how Steamboat Willie spoke to Private Mellish while stealing his life away. The American was terrified, crying out, “Wait, what are you saying,” as if to distract the German from his task. But Willie spoke back to him in hushed tones saying, “It’s easier for you, much easier. You will see it’s soon over. Shhh . . . Shhh.” It was as if the German was actually comforting Stanley as the life faded from his helpless body. In essence he was saying, “It’s better for you to die. It will be easier if you do not struggle – since there is nothing you can do to prevent it. Just let it happen and it will all be over momentarily.” The scene left me conflicted, almost feeling empathy for a man whose character was committed to overthrowing everything I stand for as an American.

Likewise, today I listen to commentators on the opinion shows making sympathetic comments like, “I don’t understand why President Obama is doing what he’s doing. Is he naïve? Has he gotten in over his head? Why won’t he just turn back?” So we give him the benefit of the doubt because . . . we like him. There I said it. Obama is a likeable guy. I believe his ideology is diametrically opposed to what our founders intended, but the President is incredibly likeable. And let’s face it, we all want to like our President. He’s young. He’s hip. He’s a tremendous speaker, but if you listen closely, more of a preacher. He’s tech savvy and always looks like he just walked off the pages of GQ magazine. He represents America to the rest of the world – the personification of what is supposed to be right about our country. Obama is a charming hood ornament, but that charm serves to pacify his opponents as he eases the dagger of deception into the heart of their political futures. Make no mistake, Barack Obama will kill the Republican Party if he can, and I believe the plans are already in motion to do so.

But before I talk about how he will do it; for those who believe Obama is simply overreaching, let me remind you that he is extremely intelligent – and his chief strategist, David Axelrod is a pretty clever guy as well. Their campaign was a thing of beauty. These men are not idiots, and we would be wise not to treat them as such. They understand that the intended agenda is aggressive and therefore must take full advantage of their majorities in The House and Senate while they can. In addition, with respect to the criticisms of Bill Maher, Obama is put out in front of the cameras on a daily basis exactly because of his likeability. I believe that Obama’s advisors are anticipating that the desire we have to see our President succeed will overpower our gut feeling that something is terribly wrong. We don’t want to believe that any President of the United States would be so flagrant in his disregard for those who don’t agree with his policies. We don’t want to believe that he is really a liar, but I believe he is a liar – and a really good one at that. How else could Senator Obama look Bill O’Reilly in the eye and intimate that he did not know what his pastor of twenty years really believed. I have sat under a few pastors in my time, and I’m telling you that it is impossible to faithfully attend a church for two years, let alone twenty, and not know what your pastor believes.

So how is Obama going to kill the Republican Party? Well, let’s look at what is coming and the order it is coming in. First, the President is not using proven methods to lead us out of the recession. This keeps the American people in crisis mode, looking for some relief, and gives Obama reason to further his radical agenda. As long as he can say that he is making necessary changes to meet the current crisis, then purposefully extend that crisis, he can get away with whatever he wants. Obama’s extremist policies guide us towards government dependence instead of self-sufficiency. I believe this is by design. The future power of the Democrat Party will come from the creation of new dependants on a massive scale. Obama’s initiatives affecting energy and other basic needs will make sure of this.

Sensible Americans are worried about the size of the national debt because living debt free is the responsible thing to do – for individuals and nations. The average family knows that debt is a bad thing and stresses until it is paid off. But as a socialistic ideologue, if your goal is for a people to be dependant upon the government, then debt is good. What better way to enslave a society for future generations than to run up an astronomical debt, choking off their prosperity and independence. Maybe Obama believes that the more financially invested in his Utopia we are, the more we will somehow feel compelled to make it work.

Just once, I wish a serious reporter would ask Obama how it makes sense to spend without first looking for ways to save. During the presidential campaign, John McCain said that we needed to freeze government spending and cut programs to balance the budget. Obama discounted that approach, opting instead to take a scalpel to the budget, making precision cuts. But Obama’s scalpel quickly became a shovel soon after taking office. He teased those who criticized his massive stimulus, chiding that spending is stimulus. That may be true, but it is not spending for spending sake – it is spending wisely in ways that create jobs and bring stability to our economy. Obama’s stimulus was nothing more than a sham that has done zilch to stimulate the economy or create new jobs. At a time when Obama should be cutting taxes and incentivizing business, he is initiating new back-door taxes while keeping his boot on the necks of those who would create jobs. I can only ascertain by his actions that he is holding the American economy back by design. Nothing else makes sense.

Next, and maybe the most important piece of the puzzle is government-run healthcare. Can anything be more personal to an individual than that which keeps them alive? When you work for an employer who supplies your health coverage or research and acquire your own policy, you are acting independent of the government. This would be in the spirit of our founders who saw government as a necessary evil at best, not to be trusted or empowered beyond the powers given it by the Constitution. The federal government should be granted life by the people – not the other way around. How can citizens objectively keep their government in check when they, or their family members, depend on that government for their very lives? They cannot, and I believe the President understands this. He knows that our founders purposefully limited the powers of government, having seen firsthand the tyranny that resulted from a government having too much control. But Obama does not care about the founder’s intentions if they keep him from building his Utopia. Even if I believed that Barack Obama was the greatest, most benevolent leader who ever lived, I would still be compelled to speak out against his policies because he will not be the President forever. And who is to say that the next President won’t be a tyrant or fool in disguise? As long as he/she spoke from teleprompters and only answered scripted questions, I suppose anyone could look presidential. Our founding fathers understood the dangers of one leader having unbridled control, and built safeguards into our government system accordingly.

So why is government-run healthcare so important to Barack Obama? Because it is the vehicle whereby he secures reelection in 2012 and possibly keeps a majority in both houses. Remember when I said that the President and his Chief Advisor were not idiots? There has to be an endgame here. Obama is not so dense as to not know that his current decisions are already costing him return voters. Those voters will either have to be reacquired or be replaced. I’ll talk more about that in a moment. Once universal care is instituted, people will have little choice but to take it if they want to make ends meet. Once the American people are dependent upon Obama for their healthcare, all he has to do is campaign in fear mode and scare people into voting for him. “If you vote for the Republican guy (or gal), they will take your healthcare away. Then what will you do?” He will scare seniors. He will scare those nearing retirement. He will scare young families. He will scare college students. And since no one will be able to afford private insurance after the government plan is instituted, Obama will win.

Following healthcare is immigration reform. If the Republicans really want to kill government-run healthcare fast, they need to help the American people ask the right question. The question at this point is not simply, “How will we pay for universal coverage?” I think we all know that Obama is going to raise our taxes in some covert way. The real question we need to ask is, “Who is going to pay for the universal healthcare of all the illegal immigrants once Obama allows them to become legalized citizens.” We are all so busy trying to figure out how to pay for the 47 million Americans we know of, when the real number could be as high as 67 million once illegals gain citizenship. Now do you see why it is so important for Obama to pass healthcare first? He says that people will still be able to choose private insurance plans but in the end there will be only one choice. And how many illegals will risk everything to cross the border if they believe they can quickly become United States citizens and gain free health care?

But the dagger enters the heart of the Republican Party when all of those new citizens vote Democrat in upcoming elections. If Obama legalizes illegals in this country, it will most likely tip the balance in states where the margins are close. There are approximately 1.6 million illegal immigrants in Texas. It is believed that there are more than one million illegals in Florida. North Carolina’s total is around 300,000 and the Virginia total is about 180,000. So if Obama can replace the voters he loses with new voters who are dependent upon his social programs, he wins. With California and New York a given, if illegals-made-citizens in time to vote, allow him to hold battleground states like North Carolina, Virginia, Florida – and he can take Texas . . . game over. And not just for one election cycle, but for years to come. While I believe John McCain is an American hero and has the best of intentions, if he helps Obama implement immigration reform, he is signing his own party’s death warrant.

That brings me to President Obama’a pick for The Supreme Court. I am one that believes in the importance of vetting candidates and Supreme Court Justice Nominee Sonia Sotomayor should be no exception. But Republicans better be thoughtful of their demeanor when questioning her because they are, unknowingly, starring in the Democrat campaign commercials for 2010 and 2012. Wait until our new Hispanic citizens see how them mean ol’ Republicans treated the first Hispanic woman appointed to The Supreme Court. The anger generated, along with a little prodding from ACORN will drive them right into the voting booth for Obama. And in case you missed it Republicans, this is where you just died.

So what can we do? Ultimately, I believe that Obama’s plans are more global in scope and may only come to fruition after he serves two terms as President. But Republicans better wake up and see this for what it is – a life or death struggle for the future of our Republic. If what I’ve been saying sounds crazy, ask yourself these questions.
• Did you ever think the government would take over a car company and shut down viable businesses?
• Did you ever think the government would take over insurance companies?
• Did you ever think the government would control our banks?
• Did you ever think the government would attack individual news networks or help the media by crafting their own news reports?
• Did you ever think that the liberal media would have to criticize a liberal President for being too controlling?
• Did you ever think The White House would try to take control of the census?
• Did you ever think that Congress would threaten a specialized tax for targeted employees if they received bonuses promised to them?
• Did you ever think the government would try to regulate your energy consumption?
• Did you ever think that the Federal Government would bypass Governors to make states take federal dollars?
• Did you ever think that an American President would be as apathetic to the Iranian protesters, seeking affirmation from the United States, as he was to American protesters attending tea parties back in April?

Let me say to those Americans who know what Obama is doing, hang in there and keep fighting. Keep talking to your friends and neighbors. Don’t give up. And to those who can’t believe what is happening – believe it. It’s time to get off the sidelines and get in the game. We need you. And to those who voted for Obama and are lamenting that vote – it’s OK to admit that you were wrong about him. He ran his campaign as a moderate because he knew his true intentions would scare people to death. There are many people out there who feel the same way that you do. Don’t beat yourself up. Just don’t continue to go down the same path.

So what will you do now? After the German soldier killed the American in Saving Private Ryan, he walked right past a second American soldier (Corporal Timothy Upham) cowering in the stairwell, too afraid to get involved. His fear kept him from intervening – from coming to the rescue of his comrade before it was too late. Are you like that paralyzed soldier? Are you still shell-shocked, in disbelief of what is taking place right before your eyes? I repeat the question, “What will you do now?” Me? I had to write this article. I had to get these thoughts out of my head and on paper. I’m tired of feeling helpless while greedy politicians spend our money. I’m tired of our representatives only representing themselves and whatever saves their own political backsides. I am angry that my two small children will be shackled in debt when they grow up. President Obama has forged the chains already and my kids don’t even know it. In the future, when we sit down with our children for the talk - right after we finish with the birds and the bees, perhaps we will need to have a second talk about their patriotic duty to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars once they are old enough to get a job. My kids don’t deserve that and yours don’t either. These elected officials are supposed to be working for us, but act as if we are working for them to finance their high-priced schemes.

In closing, here are some ideas that I hope will make it into the national dialogue if we want to take back control and move our country in the right direction.

• First – SPEAK OUT! Do not become violent or incite violence, but exercise your right to free speech. Attend tea parties and other gatherings that promote your beliefs.
• We need to insist that any representative we support publicly pledge him/herself to term limits. No representative should have a longer tenure than the President of the United States. It is time to get the career politicians out of Washington.
• We need to downsize the government and broadcast the name of any representative who takes earmarks.
• We need a President who will reject any bill that has earmarks and verbally castigate the person (or persons) publicly who tries to sneak them in.
• We need real transparency on important legislation. The President’s idea to put upcoming bills on the internet was a great one. Too bad he didn’t mean it.
• We need to promote the importance of personal responsibility. Everyone should get a fair start, but your life’s outcome should be based upon personal choices and hard work.
• We may need a re-boot of our financial system to restore profitability and spurn job creation. We need to go back and have a thoughtful conversation about the constitutional role of the federal government as it pertains to finances.
• We should have a National Benevolence Fund that American citizens can voluntarily donate to – especially around tax time. If you do not believe the American people will give to help the less fortunate, then you do not know the American people. Everyone falls on hard times and we should give to help our fellow-citizens. But we should not be forced to give. President Obama calls wealth distribution being neighborly, but true giving comes from the heart.

I would like to conclude with a few questions for our elected Republican officials.
1. Are you still clinging to the false hope that President Obama wants to work with you in a bi-partisan fashion?
2. Do you recognize that Obama’s policies seem to be purposefully keeping the American people from financial recovery – forcing hurting families and individuals towards a government-run healthcare plan?
3. Have you added the 20 million illegal immigrants to the equation when estimating the cost of a government-run healthcare system? I assume they will be eligible for benefits if they receive amnesty.
4. Do you understand that once illegals are nationalized, they will most likely vote for Obama - Republicans being vilified as hating immigrants and wanting to deny them healthcare? You may want to watch for a link between ACORN and future immigration reform initiatives. Just a thought.
5. Do you understand that if you do not stand up now, there may not be a country to stand up for later? At least not the country we recognize.

It is time to stand up and fight!