One year ago I was sent the gloom and doom predictions of Kit Lange’s, My Predictions for the New Obama ‘Presidency’.
It’s now been one year since President Obama took the reins, and I thought we could all revisit Ms. Lange’s predictions and see if the Prophetess of Doom was right or not?
As many of you may know, Ms. Lange is reportedly a veteran of the United States Air Force, for which service I would salute her; however as a 20+ year veteran of the United States Army I need to say that not everyone who has served, or who is currently serving, agrees with her particular point of view.
I shall once again attempt to respond to Lange’s prophecies. The point-counterpoint includes Lange’s divinations (in normal text) and my replies (in bold and italicized):
Lange: “Now that America has shown us all that affirmative action even works in politics, I’ve compiled a list of things that you can probably expect to happen. These predictions are 80% gleaned from information all of us have access to, and 15% gut instinct based on many years of research, historical study, and being glued to current affairs. The other 5% is just anger at my countrymen’s stupidity – I admit it.
– “Websites and mass emails offering ‘free grants,’ courtesy of the government and ‘Obama’s wealth redistribution.’
One year later and still haven’t found any evidence that these “mass emails” ever went out. Still no wealth redistributed.
Prophecy score: 0-1
Lange: “Israel will understand this election was the end of any type of assistance, military or otherwise, from the U.S., and will stop holding back their defense at the request of the American administration. Look for a first strike on Iran soon, as well as increased activity by the Israeli military in general. Israel is on her own now, and God help us all because of it.”
One year later and still no massive Israeli unleashing of death upon Iran, or any of her Arab neighbors; in fact Israeli attacks have seen a decrease in the last twelve months. How many times did hostilities erupt during the eight wonderfully enlightened years of Bush/Cheney cowboy diplomacy?
Lange?
Anyone?
Bueller?
Lange?
There were three major military confrontations during the Bush years, and countless missile attacks and air raids.
How many so far during Obama’s Presidency?
Lange?
Anyone?
Bueller?
Lange?
The answer would be zero.
Your claim was an unsubstantiated lie in 2009, and it still is. In an interview with the Israeli daily news paper Haaretz, President Obama has said, “My view is that the United States’ special relationship with Israel obligates us to be helpful to them in the search for credible partners with whom they can make peace, while also supporting Israel in defending itself against enemies sworn to its destruction.”
“Israelis want more than anything to live in peace with their neighbors, but Israel also has real – and very dangerous – enemies,” Obama said.
Prophecy score: 0-2
Lange: “Look for Iranian retaliation–against American targets. That goes doubly for other terrorist organizations. We just elected a man with the full endorsement of every major terrorist group in the world as leader of the free world. It’s the political equivalent of hiring a child molester to babysit your kids while you leave for the weekend. Not only is HE going to have fun with your child, but he’ll probably sit and watch while his friends come over and do it too.”
One year later and no Iranian attack on the United States. No other terrorist groups either.
Prophecy score: 0-3
Lange: “Look for far-left justices appointed to the Supreme Court, effectively tying up the entire government in a trifecta of liberal humanism, the buzzwords of which remain empty platitudes like “hope and change,” and the ultimate goal of which is socialism–and soon, sharia law.”
One year after taking the oath of office, President Obama, has appointed the first Hispanic Woman to the United States Supreme Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, not a far-left liberal, but a moderate, almost conservative, pick.
Still waiting for the Socialism and Sharia Law to kick in. haven’t seen any birkas for sale in Walmart yet.
Prophecy score: 0-4
Lange: “Military cases of troops being tried and convicted for killing the enemy in combat will continue to rise–and the conviction/plea – bargain rate will stay at nearly 100%, as the government seeks to use the best men and women this country has to offer as sacrificial lambs on the altar of global appeasement. Those brave and honorable men who currently reside in prison cells across the country, stripped of their rank, their careers, families, and their good name, will not taste free air again for many years. Their sacrifices and their stories will be forgotten by the general public, remembered only by those of us who continue to fight for them.”
Like everything looked at so far I’m still waiting for the rise in military cases against our troops. As I said in last year, under which administration were these “brave and honorable men” accused, arrested, tried and imprisoned? The answer hasn’t changed since then, that would be the administration President George W. Bush.
Four Navy Seals are facing charges for having allegedly abused a prisoner. If they “roughed him up” after he was a prisoner then they should be tried. American military personnel do not abuse prisoners! If he was banged up during his capture then they will be found innocent.
So, in one year, four – count em’ four – military personnel have been brought up on charges for alleged abuses…doesn’t sound like the massive increase you predicted.
Prophecy score: 0-5
Lange: “Look for the slow but steady erosion of rights you have enjoyed for your entire lives–all the while being told it’s “for your own good.”
Still looking for the slow but steady erosion to begin; let’s see, freedoms of free speech are still in place, as evidenced by the “protesting” in town hall meetings, and of course the so-called “spontaneous” Tea Bag events.
Everyone still has their guns.
Religion is still free, just look at The Family on C Street.
Rush and Hannity et al., are still on the air and not in a camp somewhere, that must mean freedom of speech is still in full swing.
Haven’t heard of any federal troops being quartered in anyone’s homes yet; and in spite of the best efforts of the previous administration, federal troops are not going into homes without warrants and seizing property.
That “slow but steady erosion of rights you have enjoyed for your entire lives”, was stopped on January 22nd.
Never in the history of our Republic were you closer to having your civil rights seriously restricted than during the eight years of Bush/Cheney. The passing of the Patriotic Act, Habeas Corpus being ignored – unconstitutionally –by President Bush and his administration, and let us not forget Republican Mitt Romney’s view that it would have been OK to wire tap Islamic houses of worship in the United States?
Prophecy score: 0-6
Lange: “Restrictions on gun ownership,”
Covered up top.
Prophecy score: 0-7
Lange: “…home schooling, encouraged dependence on the ever-growing federal government.”
Prophecy score: 0-8
Lange: “More nanny-state provisions will be put into place to protect the “disadvantaged” and the “poor,” (read: lazy, uneducated, unwilling to better themselves) even while groups like the unborn, the mentally handicapped, elderly, and terminally ill are slowly pushed toward euthanasia. Of course, this will be done with feel-good phrases like “death with dignity,” “not wanting to be a burden,” and “merciful release from suffering,” all of which ignore the basic fact that we are killing people without their consent for the “good of the people.” Before you tell me I’m crazy, let’s just remember that Barack Obama was the ONLY senator in the Illinois state senate to vote against providing medical care for babies who were inconsiderate enough to survive an abortion.”
Well, Sarah Palin is claiming that we’re inches away from “Death Panels”, NOT! Well, actually, I have to take that NOT back. We do have “death panels” in America, and Sarah’s little Trig would be in danger under its jurisdiction. It’s in Texas, and then Governor George W. Bush created it in 1999.
Prophecy score: 0-9
Lange: “Also, look for taxes to go up. Yes, they’ll go up.”
Still looking for my taxes to go up…
As was made abundantly clear in February, but warrants repeating here, for eight years the previous administration of President George W. Bush prosecuted a War on Terror that has cost more than $4,000,000,000.00 (trillion) dollars while cutting tax revenues to the federal government. While the War on Terror was certainly warranted and justified, the fact that our country got mired in Iraq, which has cost $3,000,000,000.00 of the $4 trillion, without raising taxes, has effectually bankrupted our nation. You can’t spend $4 trillion dollars without raising income. And while President Bush was spending $4 trillion, and not raising taxes, he failed to increase funding for our nation’s roads, bridges, railroads, airports, schools, libraries, hospitals, etc. Now the bill has come due. Yes, President Obama will no doubt have to raise taxes, but mostly because the last Administration wanted to have its cake and eat it too.
Prophecy score: 0-10
Lange: “You think the economy is bad now? Just wait. You’ll have the most expensive “free” health care ever. Bread lines aren’t just for Russians anymore.”
How unfortunate that the economic stimulus is working, that the Stock Market has been on the rise and that the Obama health care bill will only raise taxes on the top 2% of our country. It should be mentioned here, who drove our nation’s economy into the dirt? That would be George W. Bush. The same guy who lied us into war, who tortured prisoners and who took the Federal Government to its largest expansion in the history of our country.
Prophecy score: 0-11
Lange: “We have traded experience for color, freedom for slavery – and the irony is that the average American sheeple thinks their vote somehow righted an ancient wrong, somehow ENDED the specter of slavery and ushered in some beautiful era of liberty.”
I’m still just a simple guy who happened to grow up in the south hearing racist comments all of the time, and this is – pure and simple, nothing less than – white supremacists racist commentary.
Lange: “…In reality, we are about to be less free than you ever thought possible.”
Still waiting…
Prophecy score: 0-12
So there you have it sports fans, and political pundits. One year after Kit Lange peered into her cauldron, borrowing the eye of prophecy from her sisters, not one of her dire predictions has come true.