The Sanchez Report

O Little Town Of Bethlehem...Merry Christmas

One day before I die, I want to spend Christmas Eve in that little town of Bethlehem. I can only imagine what an experience that would be. I did some research and found out some interesting facts. Bethlehem is a small town, located only five miles south of Jerusalem and has 30,000 residents of which 30% are Palestinian Christians. The Bible identifies it as the "city of David", the place in which King David was born, crowned King and anointed by the prophet Samuel. It's also the city in which Rachel, the matriarch of Abraham died, and her tomb stands at the entrance to the city. However, Bethlehem is known more for being the birthplace of Jesus. We're talking serious history here people!

Enjoy from The Daily Mail:

Centrepiece: Crowds gather round the 50-foot Christmas tree in the city's Manger Square. An estimated 90,000 pilgrims are expected to visit the Holy Land over the Christmas period

Popular attraction: Visitors tour the Church of the Nativity, the site widely believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ

Star of Bethlehem: A boy prays at the Grotto in Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity next to the gold star which marks the spot where Jesus was believed to be born

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2078371/90-000-pilgrims-descend-little-town-Bethlehem-Christmas-celebrations.html#ixzz1ha5Is8hV

 



The Supremes To Rule On Obamacare

The United States Supreme Court today announced that it will hear challenges to Obamacare. Twenty six states have followed Florida in challenging the constitutionality of the individual mandate feature which requires that all Americans purchase health insurance.

This signature piece of legislation was pushed through Congress on a highly partisan vote and against the overwhelming opposition of the American people. This law has become known as Obamacare and is the President's watered down, some would even say backdoor version of universal healthcare. The type of healthcare that has plagued Canada, the UK and most of Europe.

The timing of this case will undoubtedly render a decision of monumental consequences next June at the height of the 2012 Presidential Campaign. The real question is, will Justice Elena Kagan recuse herself from this case? Keep in mind that she is the former Solicitor General of the United States, appointed by President Obama, who crafted the legal defense for Obamacare before her appointment to the Supreme Court. If there was ever a case that provided a conflict of interest, this is it. Let's see what the Democrats say given their insistence for months that Justice Clarence Thomas recuse himself because his wife has been involved with political groups that oppose Obamacare. This connection they say would prevent Justice Thomas from remaining impartial.

From Politico:

Seventy-four House Democrats are asking Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from any health care reform cases, citing reports that his wife financially benefited from efforts to repeal the legislation.

The members, led by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), ask that he “maintain the integrity of this court.”

“The appearance of a conflict of interest merits recusal under federal law. From what we have already seen, the line between your impartiality and you and your wife's financial stake in the overturn of healthcare reform is blurred,” the members wrote.

It looks like we have partisan double standards at work. At the end of the day, it's highly unlikely that Justice Kagan would recuse herself. Given her ultra liberal political views, she would never pass up an opportunity to ensure that the United States move towards the Socialists dream of universal healthcare coverage.

Word of the Day: Ineptocracy

I love this! I think I will make this my word of the year. It clearly describes the state of our nation and in some ways ties into the #OccupyWallStreet movement. From Points and Figures:

The word is: Ineptocracy

1. Ineptocracy – a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers*

Use in a sentence:

The occupy protesters are part of the ineptocracy movement.

thanks for the link Instapundit

News Flash: The Sanchez Report Is Back Online... Yeah!!!

Friends, I can't believe it has been a year since my last post. I've decided that I need to get back into the blogosphere and do what I enjoy, which is to weigh in on so many important issues confronting our nation with a pragmatic conservative viewpoint. I have too much bottled up inside me and with the primary season right around the corner, this is a great time to go live.

Over the next several days, weeks and months, I will attempt to weigh in on many of the issues making the headlines and try to break it down in ways the ordinary folk can understand. I can't promise that I'll always be right, but I'll certainly have an opinion. I welcome all comments and viewpoints even if I disagree with you. I'm not afraid to be challenged, you just better know what the hell you're talking about! Enough with the chest pounding and on with the blogging. Wish me luck!

How Would The Media Cover Obama If He Were A Republican?

This is a must read that will provide great entertainment. The writer, John Simpson, of Breitbart's Big Hollywood, decided to have some fun and report on the coverage by the mainstream media if President Obama had turned out to be a Republican. Enjoy!

How would the Left report the news if Obama were a Republican, i.e. an Uncle Tom, as many on the Left call now-GOP Chairman Michael Steele? Eureka! That’s it! See, it’s one thing for me to point out the obvious, as I did in my media slam yesterday. But what if we walked GOP President Obama’s media coverage through the mirror darkly, as was SOP for President Bush?

NOW we’re gonna have some fun!

Let’s start with MSNBC’s ‘Countdown’ with Keith Olbermann, on Republican President Obama’s electoral landslide victory in November, and his 96% sweeping of the black vote.

KO: “It would seem the sinister and morally bankrupt Republican ploy of taking the White House with a totally inexperienced and faux minority candidate has been the most resounding political success for the GOP since the Reichstag Fire.Could African-Americans not act more self-destructively than in their rush to the polls to elect this Republican wolf in Martin Luther King clothing?

“Do they want to go back to slavery? For this abomination and slap in the face of freedom-loving Americans everywhere, and which has condemned this nation to yet another four endless years of war and jingoistic right wing fascism, I hereby declare every African-American voter who pulled the lever for this Republican Omar Bashir as the Worst Person in the World.”

Next up? Susan Roesgen of CNN, wandering through the crowd at a Democratic Chicago Tea Party.

 

Strong Defense of Miss California From CNN

It took Roland Martin of CNN to step up and provide the strongest defense of Carrie Prejean, Miss California. I must say that I'm surprised given Roland's left leaning viewpoints. He wrote an impressive commentary on CNNPolitics.com in defense of Miss California for expressing her personal view of gay marriage. For those of you who have been hiding under a rock for the last several days, the Miss USA beauty pageant took place recently and Miss California was one of two finalists. One of the judges, Perez Hilton, asked her a question about her view on gay marriage. She could have easily given a politically correct answer and probably would have won the competition, but instead she gave an honest answer that happens to represent the majority of Californians and the positions of Obama, Biden and the Clintons. For this she has been castigated by Hollywood and members of the mainstream media. Kudos to Roland Martin for stepping up and speaking the truth!

Frankly, this whole story is pretty stupid. Isn't the whole point of asking a question to get someone's true feelings, rather than the plastic and superficial answers we are all used to receiving?

Sure, Prejean could have gone the safe route and given one of those answers that reveal nothing and is hard to decipher -- you know, the ones politicians give all the time -- but no! She actually gave her real opinion, and is now being torn to shreds for it.

She opposes same-sex marriage. OK, fine. So what if she had said, "Hey, I'm in full support of same-sex marriage." Would she now be celebrated on gay-focused blogs, magazines and Web sites? Would her detractors actually be saying how open she is and that she's a great person?

Same-sex marriage is undoubtedly a hot button issue. And being from California, the site of Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that voters approved outlawing same-sex marriage, Prejean has surely had to hear the debate go back and forth. But her remark isn't outside the mainstream. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll shows that 55 percent of Americans are against same-sex marriage, and Proposition 8 did pass in her state 52-48 percent.

Read article here

San Francisco Chronicle Blog Denounces Latest Global Warming Poll

One of the San Francisco Chronicle's featured bloggers strongly denounced the results of a recent poll on the causes of global warming. The poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports, indicates that only 34% of American voters now believe that global warming is caused by human activity. These results did not sit well with The Thin Green Line, a blog featured on the SF Gate website.

This is the most successful disinformation campaign in the history of the world (it's largely financed by fossil fuel companies). There is virtual scientific unanimity on the issue: Natural planetary trends alone cannot account for the rapid changes we are currently witnessing. (CNN: 97 percent of climate scientists believe human activity is a key factor in rising temperatures.)

I guess the billions of dollars that have been spent "educating" naive Americans have fallen short. The Hollywood movies, Al Gore and his Nobel Peace Prize, the United Nations, the lectures in classrooms all over the country, Oscar night speeches and weekly reminders in the mainstream media have failed to stop the disinformation campaign waged by the big bad oil companies.

I don't claim to be a climatologist and I'm not opposed to reducing pollution. I think the jury is still out on whether green house gases are the cause of climate change. I fall into the camp of Americans who feel that planetary cycles have more to do with warming trends than us humans. After all, the Ice Age ended without the presence of industry, cars, coal burning power plants and electrical grids.

The First Post

Today marks the start of my blogging career. No, this is not my full time gig, it's just a part time passion of mine. I'm a very opinionated person and I often find myself in the middle of heated debates and thought provoking conversations with friends and so I decided to channel that energy into my own personal blog. My interests span several areas including US politics and foreign policy, military affairs, and public policy in my hometown, Oakland, CA. Having been a co-founder of a social finance start-up, VestMatch.com, I do not consider myself to be a social media novice but this is indeed my first foray into the blogosphere. I'm an avid reader and consumer of news from various sources including blogs, but I've always considered personal blogs to be something of a platform for individuals looking for attention and suffering from a case of self importance. After all, who really cares what one thinks about certain issues?

The catalyst that pushed me to launch this blog is really the historical events that we are witnessing everyday in this country. From the economic meltdown to security matters facing the United States, to the escalation of crime in urban areas like Oakland, there is no shortage of crises' facing Americans in the 21st century. My goal is to share my thoughts, ideas and recommendations about these areas that I find to be interesting. I hope that my approach to explaining these issues helps the reader understand them better and as a result, help them form their own opinions. I encourage readers to respond and comment no matter what their political leanings happen to be. In fact, I hope that my comments and posts are so thought provoking that they elicit replies from opposing viewpoints.

What do I hope to accomplish by launching this blog? Well, I have a unique background having worked on Wall Street for firms like Lehman Brothers, Salomon Smith Barney and the NYSE Euronext. I've also experienced the life of an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. On top of that, I'm a Lieutenant in the United States Navy Reserves with a deployment to Iraq and Kuwait under my belt. You add my Puerto Rican and Mexican ethnicity into the mix and it creates a different perspective that is not always represented in the mainstream media. My background does not make me an expert in these areas, but it does provide the ingredients for a spicy conversation and debate. The challenge and question that I ask myself is will anyone visit and read my blog? More importantly, will they even care what I have to say? Time will tell!

Today marks the start of my blogging career. No, this is not my full time gig, it's just a part time passion of mine. I'm a very opinionated person and I often find myself in the middle of heated debates and thought provoking conversations with friends and so I decided to channel that energy into my own personal blog. My interests span several areas including US politics and foreign policy, military affairs, and public policy in my hometown, Oakland, CA. Having been a co-founder of a social finance start-up, VestMatch.com, I do not consider myself to be a social media novice but this is indeed my first foray into the blogosphere. I'm an avid reader and consumer of news from various sources including blogs, but I've always considered personal blogs to be something of a platform for individuals looking for attention and suffering from a case of self importance. After all, who really cares what one thinks about certain issues?

The catalyst that pushed me to launch this blog is really the historical events that we are witnessing everyday in this country. From the economic meltdown to security matters facing the United States, to the escalation of crime in urban areas like Oakland, there is no shortage of crises' facing Americans in the 21st century. My goal is to share my thoughts, ideas and recommendations about these areas that I find to be interesting. I hope that my approach to explaining these issues helps the reader understand them better and as a result, help them form their own opinions. I encourage readers to respond and comment no matter what their political leanings happen to be. In fact, I hope that my comments and posts are so thought provoking that they elicit replies from opposing viewpoints.

What do I hope to accomplish by launching this blog? Well, I have a unique background having worked on Wall Street for firms like Lehman Brothers, Salomon Smith Barney and the NYSE Euronext. I've also experienced the life of an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. On top of that, I'm a Lieutenant in the United States Navy Reserves with a deployment to Iraq and Kuwait under my belt. You add my Puerto Rican and Mexican ethnicity into the mix and it creates a different perspective that is not always represented in the mainstream media. My background does not make me an expert in these areas, but it does provide the ingredients for a spicy conversation and debate. The challenge and question that I ask myself is will anyone visit and read my blog? More importantly, will they even care what I have to say? Time will tell!