29.4.15

Perhaps The One Should Try Some Soul Searching?




By John W. Lillpop

Barack Obama finally took time to address the arson, looting, and violent assault on law enforcement officers in the city of Baltimore, less than 50 miles from the comfy confines of the White House and all the privileges that come to those lucky enough to call 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue home.

The One took the opportunity to make political hay from the tragic events by blaming society for ignoring poverty, and by demanding a campaign of ‘soul-searching’ for the police, the looters, and all of the rest of America, except, that is, his administration and the flawed Democrat politicians in charge of the afflicted city.

Obama’s dance around the facts included his curious silence concerning the statement by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, a Democrat, about “Leaving space to destroy,” a perfect synopsis of the liberal mindset on violence, riots, and looters.

Above all else, the Mayor was reminding PC-addled residents, that she was watching out for the best interests of the looters, rioters, arsonists and other destroyers, while every one else was fretting, unnecessarily, about the safety and lives of the police.

Clearly, in the mind of Mayor Blake, the police needed no advocacy since they were armed to the teeth and, after all, it was they who killed Freddie Gray, said murder providing provocation for the justifiable mob violence, which needed space.

Barack Obama picked up on the Mayor’s odd thesis with these words: We can’t just leave this to the police,” Obama said. “There are police departments that have to do some soul-searching. I think there are some communities that have to do some soul-searching. But I think we as a country have to do some soul-searching. This is not new. It’s been going on for decades.”

“Obama said that the country had left behind impoverished communities that had been “stripped of opportunity”, in which children born into poverty are given little chance to obtain an education or to make a living outside the drug trade”

Once again, the ugly head of progressive lunacy emerges as Obama blamed lack of opportunity, poverty, and societal indifference for the fact that Baltimore has been torched and police officers seriously injured!

If only white society would join us in spending another 13-14 trillion dollars, he was suggesting, we could transform Baltimore into a bountiful metropolis, worthy of emulation throughout America and the world.

A question lingers: If it is true that the lack of education and jobs are the cause of black distress in Baltimore and throughout America, why in the hell is Obama issuing unlawful Executive Orders to bring tens of millions of foreign illegal aliens into the nation?

Illegal aliens who are not citizens, do not speak English, are unskilled, and who will compete directly with black CITIZENS for employment and prosperity opportunities?

Perhaps Obama himself should do some soul searching to determine why stuffing Democrat Party voter rolls with foreign invaders through unconstitutional Executive Orders is more important than the well being and success of black CITIZENS?

28.4.15

Protests and Race Riots: America’s New “Favorite Pastime”?





By John W. Lillpop


Camden Yards is home to the Baltimore Orioles, a prominent baseball team in the American League of major-league baseball, once celebrated as America’s pastime.

For the most part, Camden Fields is a quiet, respectful venue where the hometown Orioles ply their baseball wares, year in and year out, against the likes of the ferociously hated New York Yankees.

Hating the Yankees has been a baseball tradition in Baltimore, and throughout America, for decades, a bitter bile handed down from father to son in keeping with America’s obsession with despising inequality and success, especially when one ends up on the unequal, less successful, side of the equation.

However, in a disturbing sign of the times, baseball and the attendant hatred industry is being usurped by a new, insidious phenomenon sweeping the nation in places like Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore.

The new ‘pastime’ is ‘protests and race riots’ where disillusioned thugs accuse neighborhood police of engaging in what Barack Obama calls a “Legacy of discrimination” against people of color.

Having designated a police department as such, the thugs proceed to steal, burn, and otherwise destroy private property, and inflict physical harm on police officers, those with the audacity to defend public lives and property as they are being paid to do.

As is the case in Baltimore, the rioters destroy and maim without knowing the essential facts. Although the Baltimore mayhem began last Saturday afternoon, no one really knows the cause of death for Freddie Gray, the young black man who died while in police custody, and in whose name the city burns and private citizens assault police officers after dark.

Mob rule does not require facts or evidence, racist stereotypes will suffice, and will more than justify widespread looting, arson, and police bashing, and worse.

After all, Brother Gray was a young black man held in police custody at the time of his demise.  What more need be said?

In what may be a tragic repeat of the “Hands Up! Don’t Shoot” lie in Ferguson, the people of Baltimore face riots, arson, chaos, and civil distress, before the facts are fully known and understood.

Why is Barack Obama “leading from behind” on such an important issue?







Eric Holder Legacy: Contemptible Corruption & Racial Injustice? Or, “Golden Years”???




By John W. Lillpop

Thanks to the new, but decidedly not conservative,  Republican majority in the US Senate, Loretta Lynch has been confirmed, and is now ‘serving,’ as Attorney General of the United States.

The good news is that Eric Holder is no longer directly obstructing justice while on the payroll of the US government; the bad news is that Ms. Lynch is likely to be justice as radical and problematic as Holder.

To put the Eric Holder six-year occupation of the DOJ in perspective, one must recognize that in a just and genuinely transparent society, Holder would leave Washington, D.C. bound in handcuffs and ankle bracelets, & transported via armored truck, or government drone, to a maximum security federal facility for the criminally insane, where he would spend the rest of his days enduring the bitter fruits of his crimes.

Holder’s lack of integrity and prejudice for “his people” were obvious early, when he dismissed charges against members of the New Black Panthers who were charged with intimidating voters during the 2008 election.

That action set the tone for the Obama administration, which had promised to usher in a “post-racial” era, but which has instead made worse and exacerbated racial tensions.

Holder’s other crimes, far too numerous to list individually, include participation in, and cover up of, the scandalous “Fast and Furious” gunrunning scheme, a ploy designed to embarrass 2nd Amendment patriots, but which backfired miserably into a major expose of corruption and crime in the Obama administration.

For his Fast and Furious stonewalling, Holder was issued a “Contempt of Congress” from the US House of Representatives, the first and only such pejorative issued to a sitting Attorney General.

You see, the AG is supposed to enforce, rather than obstruct, the law; a not-so-subtle distinction that Holder never quite mastered.

Holder further disgraced his high public office of trust in the case of Lois Lerner, the IRS ‘professional’ who deliberately manipulated IRS resources against conservatives in an unlawful attempt to inject “Nixonian” tactics into the play book of the ‘most transparent’ administration in history.

As noted in history books, Richard Nixon was forced to resign the presidency for, among other things, his misuse of IRS resources for political purposes.

By contrast, Eric Holder has successfully shielded Barack Obama from the hungry jaws of justice for a similar abuse of power against conservatives.

Among his more hostile acts was Holder’s racially motivated misbehavior in the Ferguson, Missouri shooting and riots, where DOJ encouraged and supported criminals in the “Hands Up! Don’t Shoot” fraud, crimes that could have wrongly convicted white police officer Darren Wilson of murder.

The fact that black fraud merchants in Ferguson were on a mission to destroy a white police officer seemed to escape the attention of Holder as he pursued his bitter rebel-rousing rhetoric against white law enforcement.



Of course, Holder views his six-year stint at DOJ in a much more favorable light.  In fact, as reported at the reference, Holder believes that history will see his term as the “Golden Years” of DOJ:


HOLDER said:

I think 50 years from now, maybe even sooner than that, people will look at the work you all did and say this was another golden age. There’s a long line of excellence in the United States Department of Justice, but every now and again, at an appropriate time; a group comes along that is worthy of special recognition. And you all are in fact one of those groups. I am proud of you. I am proud of you.”

A “golden age,” Mr. Holder?

How so, in an age in which the Attorney General was held in contempt of Congress? An age in which the Attorney General refused to prosecute an IRS manager who willfully used the IRS against political opponents of the president?

An age in which the Department of Justice was more of an advocacy for blacks (Your People) than an independent, unbiased instrument of justice for all Americans?

“Golden Years,“ for whom, Mr. Holder?

Those who would use government to oppress and prosecute political enemies? Who use government to illegally run guns in order to discredit those who choose to respect the terms of the 2nd Amendment?  To those who defy Dr. Martin Luther King’s call for a color-blind system of justice based on the need to atone for a perceived legacy of discrimination?

Golden Years, Mr. Holder?


Reference: http://dailycaller.com/2015/04/24/holder-historians-will-view-my-tenure-as-golden-age-of-justice-dept-video/

27.4.15

Will Hillary Use the "Two for the Price of One" Argument in Her Campaign?




By John W. Lillpop

Back in 1991, when Bill Clinton was trying to unseat George H. Bush for the US Presidency, Clinton pitched the intelligence and managerial experience of his spouse, Hillary Rodham, as a benefit that would accrue to America in the event he was elected.

“Two for the price of one,” was how Bill Clinton phrased it, referring to Hillary’s strengths, but, oddly enough, nary a word about her defects, which, we have learned over the past 24 years, are numerous and grave.

Very grave!

Now that Hillary is a declared candidate for the presidency on her own, it’s worth remembering that she brings one hell of a lot of “baggage” with her.

In addition to her well-deserved reputation as a ruthless, congenital liar willing to do anything to secure power and wealth, Hillary remains manacled to Slick Willie, the sex-addicted perjurer who defiled the presidency with unspeakable acts of sexual harassment against unwary(and some not so unwary) females who traversed the halls of the White House, or who were lured into that infamous little back room off the Oval Office.

Slick Willie’s extra-marital sexual proclivities were particularly robust when president # 2, Hillary, was away.

Because Slick Willie lied under oath in federal court, he was impeached by the House of Representatives, but because of gutless, immoral Democrats in the Senate, was not removed from office. Clinton was, however, disbarred from the US Supreme Court.


Given Bill Clinton’s sordid history, the “Two for the Price of One” argument he used in 1991 should be turned around and used against Hillary in 2016!

The theme “Addition by Subtraction” would apply in this case, meaning that by not voting for Hillary, the Slick Willie  burden would be removed, and the American people would be adding to the integrity and purity of the Democratic electoral process.

Just SAY NO! to Hillary and her old, dirty baggage!















26.4.15

ObamaCare on the Ropes in California? Will Voter Stupidity and Political Corruption Save the Day?




By John W. Lillpop


Although Barack Obama continues to proliferate gross misinformation about ObamaCare as part of his legacy-building campaign, the truth is not nearly so flattering.

As reported at reference 1:

After two previous extensions, the open enrollment period for Covered California ends April 30. That deadline just might prove to be the tipping point for the state’s two-year-old health insurance exchange.

That’s because this is the year Covered California is supposed to become completely self-sustaining.

Indeed, there’s no more money coming from Washington after the state exhausts the $1.1 billion it received from the federal government to get the ObamaCare exchange up and running. And state law prohibits Sacramento from spending any money to keep the exchange afloat.

That presents an existential crisis for Covered California, which is facing a nearly $80 budget deficit for its 2015-16 fiscal year. Although the exchange is setting aside $200 million to cover its near-term deficit, Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee acknowledged in December that there are questions about the “long-term sustainability of the organization.”

Mr. Lee’s disquieting assessment actually jibed with a 2013 report by the state auditor, which stated that, until the state’s health insurance exchange actually started enrolling Californians in health plans, its “future solvency” was ”uncertain.” Thus, Covered California was listed as a “high-risk” issue for the state.

The state auditor’s warning appeared prescient as of Feb. 15, which was supposed to be the close of open enrollment for 2015: Covered California had fallen 300,000 enrollees short of the goal set by Mr. Lee and the agency’s board of directors.”



Notwithstanding the referenced report, it would be a mistake to disregard the disintegration of sound public policy in the Golden State.

To wit: Governor Brown and liberal co-conspirators in Sacramento share the insane desire to honor and enhance the wonky notion that socialist government can insure millions of previously-uninsured residents, and, as a direct result, simultaneously reduce overall health care costs!

Anyone not educated in one of California’s pathetic public schools will immediately recognize the idiocy of that postulation, which was smugly, but accurately, summarized by MIT Professor Jonathan Gruber thusly:

“Call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really critical for the thing (ObamaCare) to pass.”

The unblemished truth is that voter stupidity is alive and flourishing in California, where voters have installed corrupt, incompetent Democrats throughout state and local government.

Combine voter stupidity with wickedly corrupt politicians and the leftist goal to make Barack Obama into a political icon with the combined attributes of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Martin Luther King, and you have a perfect formula for extending California Covered into perpetuity, regardless of how damaging to public health and prohibitively expensive!

ObamaCare on the Ropes in California?  Only if voter stupidity and political corruption can be countered!



http://www.ocregister.com/articles/california-658869-covered-state.html

25.4.15

The Holder Legacy: Contemptible Corruption, Racial Injustice--- or, “Golden Years”?



By John W. Lillpop

Thanks to that ‘lump of coal’, as deposed Senate Leader Harry Reid jocularly refers to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Loretta Lynch has been confirmed by the US Senate to serve as Attorney General of the United States.

Ms. Lynch is now officially free to pursue the destruction of America by following the hideous path set by her predecessor, the notorious Eric Holder.

In a just and genuinely transparent society, Eric Holder would leave Washington, D.C. bound in handcuffs and ankle bracelets, & transported via armored truck, or government drone, to a maximum security federal facility for the criminally insane, where he would spend the rest of his days enduring the bitter fruits of his crimes.

His crimes include participation in, and cover up of, the scandalous “Fast and Furious” gunrunning scheme, a ploy designed to embarrass 2nd Amendment advocates, but which backfired miserably into a major expose of corruption and crime in the Obama administration.

For his criminal behavior, Holder was issued a “Contempt of Congress” from the US House of Representatives, the first and only such pejorative issued to the head of the Department of Justice.

Holder further disgraced his high public office of trust by suborning justice in the case of Lois Lerner, the IRS ‘professional’ who deliberately manipulated IRS resources against conservatives in an unlawful attempt to inject “Nixonian” tactics into the play book of the ‘most transparent’ administration in history.

As history records, Richard Nixon was forced to resign the presidency for his transgressions, whereas Eric Holder has successfully shielded Barack Obama from the hungry jaws of justice.

Among his more hostile acts was Holder’s racially motivated behavior in the Ferguson, Missouri shooting and riots, where DOJ encouraged and supported criminals in the “Hands Up! Don’t Shoot” fraud, crimes that could have wrongly convicted white police officer Darren Wilson of murder.

The fact that black fraud merchants in Ferguson were on a mission to destroy a white police officer seemed to escape the attention of Holder as he pursued his rebel-rousing rhetoric against white law enforcement.

Of course, Holder views his six-year stint at DOJ in a much more accepting light.  In fact, as reported at the reference, Holder believes that history will see his term as the “Golden Years” off DOJ:


HOLDER said:

I think 50 years from now, maybe even sooner than that, people will look at the work you all did and say this was another golden age. There’s a long line of excellence in the United States Department of Justice, but every now and again, at an appropriate time; a group comes along that is worthy of special recognition. And you all are in fact one of those groups. I am proud of you. I am proud of you.”

A “golden age,” Mr. Holder?

An age in which the Attorney General was held in contempt of Congress? An age in which the Attorney General refused to prosecute an IRS manager who willfully used the IRS against political opponents of Barack Obama?

An age in which the Department of Justice was more of an advocacy for blacks (Your People) than an independent, unbiased instrument of justice for all Americans?

“Golden Years,“ for whom, Mr. Holder?

Those who would use government to oppress and prosecute political enemies? Who use government to illegally run guns in order to discredit those who choose to respect the terms of the 2nd Amendment?  To those who defy Dr. Martin Luther King’s call for a color-blind system of justice based on the need to atone for a perceived legacy of discrimination?

Golden Years, Mr. Holder?


Reference: http://dailycaller.com/2015/04/24/holder-historians-will-view-my-tenure-as-golden-age-of-justice-dept-video/

23.4.15

January 20, 2017: Destined to Be Day of Serendipitous Joy?




By John W. Lillpop

Patriots are advised to mark January 20, 2017 down on your calendars.

That day could very well mark the dramatic rekindling of the spirit of freedom and liberty that has made America the envy of the civilized human world for nearly 270 years.

This is so because when Barack Obama finally descends from the tyrant’s post he built with his own destructive hands in the Oval Office, a great sense of serendipitous joy will pass through each of the 50 states of what was once known as America the Great.

Obama’s long over-due exit from American politics will hopefully be matched by the end of the “Inevitability” nonsense heaped upon Hillary Rodham Clinton who will finally be free to care for her grandchild and not-so-grand child, the hopelessly clueless, William Jefferson.

More than 330 million grateful souls will unite in song and gratitude as the greatest nemesis to American culture, Constitutional law, and Democratic self-governance is rendered utterly impotent and removed from our midst in the twinkling of an eye.

Along with Obama’s exit, the greatest future threat to sustainable sanity in American politics in the name of gender equality will, God willing, be  banished from the scene due to old age and a lifetime of congenital lying!

Adios, Hillary!

Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and other soulless thugs from the wasteland of progressive thought and deed, will join Obama and Hillary as consignees to the Devil and his evil angels for eternity!

Hallelujah! Will be the throaty cry of we the Faithful who comprise the Vast Right Conspiracy and who function at the Right Hand and Mercy of the Almighty!

We who, despite intense pressure from liberal government goons and their water carriers in the mainstream media, remain loyal to the Founding Fathers and the Godly covenants upon which this blessed land was founded!

We, who have endured the painfully elitist presidencies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama over these past 24 years, will be free at last to pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!

What a day it will be if we are able to simultaneously celebrate the final chapter in the “Inevitability” career of Hillary Clinton and the end to Barack Obama’s reign of terror in American politics!

Hallelujah!, indeed!



21.4.15

Yearning for a President to Respect, Admire, and Be Proud of!






By John W. Lillpop

Among the casualties suffered by the American people over the past six plus years is the tragic loss of having a president that we can look up to with respect, admiration, and pride, notwithstanding existing ideological and partisan differences.

Over recent years, Barack Obama has exacerbated the differences between Americans by using race, income, class, religion, and patriotic fervor to further divide us; the result being that we the people are left, or seem to be, without a leader who is willing to be president to all Americans.

From the earliest days of his term in office, Obama has traveled to foreign lands where he has routinely bashed American leaders and policies and even disputed the notion that America is a Christian nation.

By his words and deeds, Barack Obama at times seems more foe than friend. Simply put, he does not appear to be on our side!

This president seems hostile to the Constitution, the rule of law, the US Congress, and to Americans born and raised here. It’s as if being American is something to be ashamed of, at least in the distorted vision of Barack Obama.

Although American politics is correctly understood to be a blood sport not for the feint of heart, I do not recall a time when a sitting president has been seriously suspected of being against the American people and for our enemies.

Previous presidents have always been faulted for faulty judgment and poor decision-making abilities.

None, however, in my recollection, has been seen as fundamentally opposed to the values held dear by hundreds of millions of Americans.

None, until now, have openly declared a burning desire to “fundamentally transform” our nation which, after all, has produced the greatest, most free, most prosperous, and most beloved, society in human history.

The big question as we head into another critical presidential election: Can the hurt and anger visited upon the American people during the latest presidency be overcome? 

Can we re-unite as a people and elect a man or woman whom we can respect, admire, and be proud of, regardless of party affiliation?

Can we find and elect an American man or women who genuinely loves America and Americans?

Above all else, it is still possible to love America unconditionally, from sea to shining sea, despite her many faults and disappointments?


20.4.15

Should Individual States Apply Obama-Type “Logic” to Secure Borders and Protect US Citizens?




By John W. Lillpop


In his specious argument for ‘making and breaking immigration law’ from that lofty tyrant’s perch in the Oval Office, Barack Obama asserts that his unilateral Executive Orders are needed, and even morally mandated, because the law-making branch of government endowed with the Constitutional  authority to legislate(the US Congress) has failed to do so.

Left unstated is Obama’s heretical notion that Congress’ refusal to pass a law which grants unconditional amnesty to  tens of millions of foreign invaders(future Democrat voters each and every one!) is sufficient cause for shredding the Constitution and ignoring Congress.

In other words, according to The One, “Congress must pass laws that meet with my exacting approval. Otherwise, I am justified in acting unilaterally, and against the wishes of both the Congress and the people to implement that which is, in my sole judgment, the right and moral thing to do.”

And let the US Constitution go straight to hell!

Of course, such a crazy notion runs absolutely contrary to the concepts of balance of power, checks and balances, and other anti-tyrant safeguards built into our Constitution.

But one must forgive Obama for being somewhat fuzzy about the details of a document that he regards as ‘old school’ and riddled with racist views promulgated by long- since dead white Christians fond of owning  black slaves and employing an abundance of unregulated firearms to control reluctant slaves!

After all, The One  is but a community organizer, albeit with credentials as a Constitutional scholar and one who actually taught Constitutional law.

While those credentials may seem impressive, one must not underestimate the inherent ability of the liberal-infested mind to distort and destroy truth, particularly when such is perceived as an obstacle to fulfillment of liberal dogma, regardless of how dangerous.

But perhaps the border states of Texas, Arizona, and others who suffer the greatest harm from the invasion of US sovereign land by non-English speaking illiterates should adopt a version of ‘Obama logic’ to defend and protect their citizens?

Perhaps the governors of Texas and Arizona and others should send  National Guard and other armed state forces to the borders and command such forces to use force as needed to stop the wave of invasions that threaten homeland security and the economic and cultural well being of their citizens?

Such orders would be amply justified by the fact that the federal government, Barack Obama, is not acting to defend US citizens from foreign invasions as required by the Constitution?

Such actions by any governor would be just as legitimate as Obama’s foolish Executive Orders!





19.4.15

Jeb Bush’s Quiet Surrender to Barack Obama and Progressive Insanity!






By John W. Lillpop


To an isolated minority of Republicans still on the fence with respect to Jeb Bush’s credentials to represent conservatives in the 2016 presidential election, any remaining doubts were emphatically trashed by Bush’s gutless,  total surrender to Barack Obama in New Hampshire over these past days.

The latest airing of the Jeb Bush anti-conservative heresy took place at the “Politics and Pie” forum in Concord, New Hampshire, where Republican candidates were gathered in a town-hall type of setting to discuss issues of the day and their relative qualifications to address those issues.

It was at the “Politics and Pie” event, see reference 1, that Bush:

1)Encouraged Senate Republicans to confirm Barack Obama’s choice of Loretta Lynch to serve as Attorney General, and 2)Repeated his racist assertion that  Hispanics in America illegally should not be required to adhere to existing immigration laws, but should rather be rewarded for violating the law with Executive Amnesty.

Clearly, Jeb Bush has shown conclusively that he is a disciple of Barack Obama, a role that should immediately disqualify any candidate from consideration for high elective office.

Combined with his pitiful family name, Jeb Bush should call it quits and formally join the Democrat Party….perhaps as a far-left alternate to Hillary?


Ref 1: http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/04/16/at-politics-and-pie-event-jeb-bush-goes-against-the-republican-grain/






18.4.15

Teachable Lesson for Luis Gutierrez Regarding Deportations, Path to US Citizenship, & Rule of Law!





By John W. Lillpop


In his criminal drive to establish a legacy of tyrannical mastery over the US Constitution, the rule of law, and good old- fashioned common sense, Barack Obama has misled millions of impressionable, gullible Hispanic racists into believing that He (Obama) is exempt from laws that apply to all US citizens, even the most precocious.

In fact, of course, as US president, Obama is bound by statute to a far greater extent that most common citizens.  

Among the more gullible and less enlightened victims of Obama’s snake oil chicanery is Luis Gutierrez, an unrepentant Hispanic racist, who actually serves in the US House of Representatives, representing (??) the great state of Illinois.

Gutierrez has bought into Obama’s lie about immigration reform, hook line and sinker.  Most distressing, Gutierrez even subscribes to the fanciful notion that Obama can unilaterally change existing immigration law as needed to meet the election goals of the Democrat Party.

In Gutierrez’ diminished mental capacity, he sees nothing wrong with the president ignoring the wishes of the American people, and particularly the US Congress, when it comes to immigration law.

In wholeheartedly supporting Obama’s flagrant tyranny, Gutierrez has blindly nudged other Hispanics in the direction of “invasion insanity,” including his ill-advised campaign to educate followers as to methods to avoid deportations.

Gutierrez has made it a point to travel widely and promote his “Don’t Deport Me” campaign for illegal aliens throughout what remains of the United States of America.

However, Barack Obama’s delusion of grandeur about immigration and his omnipotence have been stymied in federal courts, first in Texas and then in a review by the 5th Circuit in New Orleans on April 17.

As a result, Obama’s quirky Executive Orders are officially held in abeyance, pending a final decision by the 5th circuit and probably decisive action by the Supreme Court.

In the meantime, Luis Gutierrez continues to raise the hopes of loopy illegals looking to steal their way into America without the requirements for background checks (medical, criminal, financial, terrorist) that confront those who try to come here legally.

Gutierrez brags that he is teaching illegals how to avoid deportations and how to cash in on efforts to grant citizenship to those who simply do not belong here.

Earth to Obama, Gutierrez, and the 20-40 illegal aliens squatting on US soil:

There is a 100% effective way to avoid deportation back to the third world--- and that is by getting the hell out of the US on your own, and by staying out.  Mitt Romney called in self-deportation and it makes far more sense than the ramblings of our incoherent community organizer.

There is also an effective means for taking advantage of a “path to citizenship,” and it can be accessed through a process known as legal immigration!

In truth, there is no lack of a path to citizenship! It’s available to those who have the integrity and guts to follow the rules that apply to tens of millions of others throughout the world.

In sum, do not invade America. Take your turn in line, and follow the rules.

Just because you are Hispanic, America does not owe you anything, least of all undeserved citizenship!

Do those things and you will have no need for Barack Obama or Luis Gutierrez, or their criminal ploys!







17.4.15

To Optimize Legacy, Obama Must Dismiss Valerie Jarrett, Hire Exorcist!




By John W. Lillpop


As Barack Obama stumbles and fumbles in repeated attempts to establish a lasting, positive legacy that can outlive his penchant for ruinous scandals, vile acts of unbelievable stupidity, and mind-numbing behavior that only a reckless tyrant would pursue, the answer to his many woes may be forthcoming from the Vatican and Pope Francis.

To wit, The One needs to forego the ‘old school’ political ploys of the past, in favor of spiritual solutions that can outwit, outlast, and out-guile powerful demons that thrive and prosper in the Devil’s home turf, also known derisively as Washington, D.C.

Recent news from the desk of Pope Francis  in the Vatican may offer “Hope and Change” solutions that The One has probably not considered.

As reported, “The tenth annual course on exorcism has gotten off to a bang in Rome, with a full house of 170 students eager to learn how to recognize and fight demonic possession.

Sponsored by the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy and organized by the Sacerdos Institute, the weeklong course titled “Exorcism and Prayer of Liberation” is taking place at the European University of Rome from April 13 to 18.

The course consists in a series of meetings aimed at giving priests, doctors, psychologists, teachers, and pastoral workers the instruments they need to recognize and deal with cases of demonic possession and distinguish them from disturbances of a psychological or medical nature.”

Rather than cow-towing to Islamofascists, especially the crazy Mullahs who run the Islamic Republic of Iran, and kicking God’s chosen people (Israel) in the shins, The One must immediately dismiss the evil Valerie Jarrett, and fill her empty suit with a Pope-approved Exorcist reporting directly to The One himself.

Replacing Valerie Jarrett with an accredited Exorcist could provide the boost needed to get The One through the next 22 months with minimal harm!








15.4.15

Just Who in Hell Looks More Like a Prune?











By John W. Lillpop

The ever-daft Debbie Wasserman Shultz, Chair of the Democrat National Committee(DNC), threw the first salvo in what is sure to become a bitter generation war in the race for the US presidency in 2016.

For some bizarre reason, Wasserman Shultz decided that calling Marco Rubio a “Prune” made sense at a time when 67-year-old Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to be the Democrat presidential nominee in 2016.


As the photographs clearly demonstrate, when it comes to prunes, Hillary Clinton is the real “Champion”!


 When It Comes to Looking Like a “Prune,"  It’s Hillary All the Way!









By John W. Lillpop

The ever-daft Debbie Wasserman Shultz, Chair of the Democrat National Committee(DNC), threw the first salvo in what is sure to become a bitter generation war in the race for the US presidency in 2016.

For some bizarre reason, Wasserman Shultz decided that calling Marco Rubio a “Prune” made sense at a time when 67-year-old Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to be the Democrat presidential nominee in 2016.

As reported:

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz  attacked Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) saying he is “a prune” with “some tinsel.”

As the photographs clearly demonstrate, when it comes to prunes, Hillary Clinton is the real “Champion”!







14.4.15

Jeb Bush Expands Pejorative “Carpetbagger” to Include Race, Ethnicity!



By John W Lillpop

For years, the term Carpetbagger has been used as a pejorative to describe actions taken by politicians to increase their chances of being elected, usually by relocating to a state other than their home state in order to secure more favorable political conditions.

Bobby Kennedy was accused of using this tactic when he ran for the US Senate from New York in 1964; Hillary Rodham Clinton, running to represent New York in the US Senate in 2000, was also labeled a Carpetbagger.

However, Jeb Bush, the Lily white, rotund RINO from Florida has taken carpet bagging even further by claiming to be a Hispanic/Latino, which coincidentally happens to be the fastest growing demographic in America and, thus, a veritable gold mine for politicians looking to pad their prospects for being elected.

As reported:

“There is little doubt that Jeb Bush possesses strong credentials for appealing to Hispanic voters.

He speaks fluent Spanish. His wife, Columba, was born in Mexico. For two years in his 20s, he lived in Venezuela, immersing himself in the country’s culture. He was born in Texas and is a former governor of Florida, two states with large Hispanic populations.

But on one occasion, it appears, Mr. Bush may have become a bit carried away: He listed himself as Hispanic on a 2009 voter-registration application in Miami-Dade County.”

So there you have it, a new, unethical use of carpet bagging based on despicable lies and exploitation of racial politics.

Although Jeb Bush may fool some Latinos into voting for him, we trust that his tactics will ultimately back fire and elevate the candidacy of a real Latino, such as Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio!





When It Comes to Baseless Arrogance, Barack Obama Is Peerless!






By John W. Lillpop


One of Barack Obama’s more offensive  mannerisms is his maddening arrogance. From his body language to his spoken words, Obama seems to be declaring, “I am better than you! So shut up while I explain everything!”

Perhaps that analysis is founded on an inability to accept the fact that a man of color speaks so eloquently?

The “R” word in action, right?

Hmmm.

How, then, does one explain the following comments from the Reverend Jesse Jackson in July of 2008:


“In July 2008, FOX network aired a video in which Jackson leans over and whispers, "See, Barack been, um, talking down to black people on this faith based ... I want cut his n**s off ... Barack ... he's talking down to black people."
For emphasis, Jackson appeared to make a stabbing or cutting motion with his hand.”

Talking down to black people, of all things! The audacity is palpable.

Since then, Obama has become more inclusive and he now talks down to all races, IQ brackets, nationalities, and social classes, excepting only known Islamic terrorists and human rights villains named Castro!

Barack has truly evolved into an equal opportunity offender!

If fact, it can be said without fear of contradiction that were arrogance a commodity like gold, Obama would be able to eliminate the US federal deficit with just the sweat from his brow AND still remain obscenely rich!

In the early days of Obama’s presidency, there was a tendency to dismiss his arrogance because, after all, he was soooooooo very intelligent and gifted.

However, after six plus years of almost constant domestic failures, and a trail of foreign policy gaffes that would gag a maggot, Obama no longer deserve any “slack” for that signature smirk.

Barack Obama is a dismal failure and, as such, needs to reign in his over-pampered ego to be consistent with his miserable performance!

13.4.15

Obama Feted as “Honest Man” in Ringing Endorsement by Comrade Raul Castro!




By John W. Lillpop


Still nursing wounds inflicted by Iran’s Ayatollah just last week, Barack Obama appeared comforted, or at least partially pacified, by words of praise issued by fellow Communist and anti-American renegade Raul Castro in Panama City on Sunday.

Obama’s integrity and soul had been mercilessly impugned by the Ayatollah after the Obama administration issued a “Fact Sheet” concerning the nuclear deal reached in Switzerland.

According to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Obama was a liar and devilish, terms that resonate well with objective and alert observers who have been paying attention to The One’s programmed malfeasance over the past six plus years.

On the other hand, Raul Castro, for reasons known only to him and his Commie handlers and fellow terrorists,  did not agree, and made his pro-Obama statements public in an emotional statement issued on Sunday.

As reported:

Cuba's President Raul Castro called U.S. President Barack Obama "an honest man" at the Summit of the Americas in Panama City Saturday. His comment came after an ice-breaking handshake between the leaders as U.S.-Cuba relations continue to mend.
Castro said Obama bears "no responsibility" for the decades of hostilities between the two nations. "There were 10 presidents before him. All have some debt to us, but not President Obama," the Cuban leader said at the summit. He thanked Obama for considering the removal of Cuba from an U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.
"I have read his books, and I admire him and his life. I think a lot of his behavior has to do with his humble background," Castro said of Obama.”

Humble background, Mr. Castro?

Might that be “code” for non-Caucasian? From one person of color about another?

Whatever the case, securing an endorsement from terrorist-tainted, dictator, and human rights violator Raul Castro is hardly an item that belongs in the Obama library of the future.  Not if one is looking for credibility as a man of truth, peace, and honor, that is.

In fact, Castro’s words of praise are proof positive that Barack Obama’s thinking and loyalties are decidedly anti-American and treasonous!



Do “Ordinary Americans” Really Need Another Rich Elitist in Oval Office?





By John W. Lillpop

On Sunday, Hillary Rodham Clinton used social media to deliver the dreadful news: She is running for the US Presidency!

Thus, after the nation has been repeatedly violated by a Marxist renegade and closeted Muslim for years, this liberal extremist would, if elected, continue the destruction of the greatest nation in human history.

Clinton made her announcement by using artfully- crafted populist terms that reek of hypocrisy, fraud, deceit, and unbridled arrogance not seen since Barack Obama last spoke publicly.

Known far and wide as a rich elitist and congenital liar, Hillary nonetheless had the gall to frame her candidacy as one dedicated to the plight of average Americans.

She actually had the nerve to say: “Every day Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion.” 


She did not even try to explain why in the hell every day Americans need a champion who is worth approximately $50 million, and who is in the top .001 percent income bracket in this era of income inequality hysteria.

Nor did she explain why America should be forced to endure another term, or two, of disgraceful sexual misconduct and harassment of women by her perverted spouse, William Jefferson.

She failed to mention her unlawful diversion of government documents, including sensitive classified information, while Secretary of State, a crisis that is still being investigated by Congress.

No where in her spiel did Hillary address the Benghazi scandal and her role in covering-up the terrorist attack which cost four American diplomats their lives.

All in all, the Hillary tweet was more of the same old tired political theater that has been dumped on everyday Americans based on the Jonathan Gruber theory:

To Wit, leftist politicians can do what they damn well please with impunity, because most Americans are too stupid to know when they are being lied to and cheated!

In other words, when considering Hillary’s candidacy, think Obamacare!











11.4.15

What About Those Who Deliberately Lied in “Hands Up! Don’t Shoot!” Fraud?




By John W. Lillpop

Barack Obama campaigned for America’s top job by promising to usher in a "Post-racial” era that, with The One in charge, would somehow magically bridge the unfair gaps between American people of color and those despicable folks known as Lily white devils, AKA, Republican, Christian, homophobic, gun-toting, capitalists with larceny in their hearts, and insatiable fondness for black slaves in their evil minds.

It would be a gross understatement to contend that Barack Obama, working hand-in-hand with Attorney General Eric Holder, has seriously aggravated racial strife and made racial relations more bitter, contentious, and strident.

Rather than working to ease racial hostilities, the Obama-Holder tandem has deliberately sought to use government power to exact revenge for what they see as a “Legacy of Discrimination”, which, in their vision, is more urgent than unifying and bringing Americans of all races together for the common good.

A disturbing example became obvious in the August 9, 2014 shooting in Ferguson, Missouri where African-American Michael Brown engaged a white police officer, Darren Wilson, in a struggle for the officer’s gun, a struggle that ended in the young, “unarmed” black man’s death.

Brown’s death precipitated a lengthy investigation into the shooting by a grand jury, which ultimately concluded that the police officer was guilty of no crime and had not violated Brown’s civil rights.

Most distressing, however, was the fact that several black citizens testified that Darren Wilson had shot Brown in the back and without justification.

Thus, was born the “Hands up! Don’t Shoot!” fraud that was used in an attempt to falsely convict Darren Wilson.

That fraud was a serious felony by those who bore false witness, because had the fraud succeeded, Wilson could have been convicted of murder.

While Eric Holder was quick to step in to the Ferguson fray in an attempt to quell black rage by discrediting Darren Wilson, when the actual facts were fleshed out it was clear that the “Hands Up! Don’t Shoot!” cry was a fabricated story intended to support a non-existent case of racism-motivated murder by the white police officer Darren Wilson.

Unfortunately, Holder’s zeal for justice waned when it came to those who lied about the “Hands Up! Don’t shoot!” crime, and Holder and his avengers for a “Legacy of Discrimination” have moved on.

That is why Obama’s promise for a  “post-racial” America is such a dismal failure!












10.4.15

Ayatollah Calls Obama a Liar & Devilish: Who Would Disagree?







By John W. Lillpop

Depending on proximity to the podium at which Barack Obama delivered his victory speech about an alleged “historic” nuclear deal with Iran, at the end of the April 2 speech some of the more formidable bushes in the Rose Garden had not wilted and died from the withering effects of 18 minutes of self-aggrandizement and legacy weaving by The One.

Surviving Rose bushes notwithstanding, Obama’s vaunted deal all but vanished into thin air as Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, pummeled Obama with words so harsh that one must reluctantly concede that the Ayatollah, although a congenital liar and despicable tyrant himself, has unwittingly unearthed the truth about America’s number one problem: The presidency of the Barack Hussein Obama.

As reported:

“Earlier today, Khamenei broke his silence on the supposed “framework” the Obama administration has been trumpeting as the basis for a nuclear accord. Khamenei’s speech pulled the rug out from underneath the administration. 

Khamenei accused the Obama administration of “lying” about the proposed terms, being “deceptive,” and having “devilish” intentions, according to multiple published accounts of his speech, as well as posts on his official Twitter feed.”

Our beloved Community Organizer guilty of lying, being deceptive, and devilish?

Who would have thunk?

The innocent, but cynical, mind explodes with trepidation: Has the Ayatollah hacked into the government’s ObamaCare files and unearthed the Jonathan Gruber commentaries about the rise and fall of health care in America?

Of course we may never know exactly how Ayatollah reached his conclusions about Obama being a liar, deceptive and devilish.

Still, whatever his sources and processes, the Ayatollah is spot on in his critique of America’s unmitigated disaster at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue!


7.4.15

Jeb Bush Plays the Race Card!




By John W. Lillpop

Conservatives steeped in honest right-wing dogma have long suspected the Bush family of being clandestinely liberal, more aligned ideologically with Democrats than with the GOP.

That analysis applies to George H., known as Bush-41, and to George W., known as Bush 43, and appears to be appropriate to Jeb, now mired in the nasty business of trying to establish Bush 45, in succession to Disaster 44 which aptly describes the regrettable presidency of Barack Obama, America’s first, and, God (or Allah) willing, last, closeted Muslim in the Oval Office.

George H. W. Bush earned his liberal credentials, in large part, for his sponsorship and coddling of the United Nations, that anti-American, anti-Israel body of useless US haters who would wither and die were it not for the billions of American taxpayer dollars wasted to keep this unholy alliance of despots, dictators, human rights abusers, and Jihad-proud terrorists afloat.

That and his meaningless, “Read my Lips: No NEW TAXES!” pledge which folded like Judas Iscariot did under pressure more than 2,000 years ago, is all one needs to know about Bush 41 to be totally disgusted.

The legacy of Bush 43, W., is no less repugnant to conservative taste. For it was W. who left the US borders open following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, a dreadful mistake which allowed as many as 20-40 million illegal aliens from south of our borders to invade the US, leading to the border and constitutional crisis now confronting the nation as our once great country slips closer and closer to the status of failed 3rd world state  alike unto Mexico!

Having barely survived Bush-41 and 43, it is simply asking too much of the American people to ask them to elect another mindless Bush to the presidency!

What little remains of American culture and values would be obliterated by allowing yet another Bush to occupy the White House.  The current suitor, Jeb Bush, is the most radical of the Bushes with respect to erasing US borders, inviting illegal aliens to invade, and replacing American sovereignty, culture, language and values with relics from the 3rd World.

Until recently, Jeb’s obsession with all things Hispanic and Latino has been somewhat of a puzzle, especially as concerns his relentless desire to supplant real American values.

However, Jeb Bush may actually be, or think he is, Hispanic!

As reported:

“There is little doubt that Jeb Bush possesses strong credentials for appealing to Hispanic voters.

He speaks fluent Spanish. His wife, Columba, was born in Mexico. For two years in his 20s, he lived in Venezuela, immersing himself in the country’s culture. He was born in Texas and is a former governor of Florida, two states with large Hispanic populations.

But on one occasion, it appears, Mr. Bush may have become a bit carried away: He listed himself as Hispanic on a 2009 voter-registration application in Miami-Dade County.”

So there you have it, the ultimate instance of pandering for the Hispanic vote!  Jeb Bush considers himself Hispanic, which helps explain why this confused man says that Hispanics invade America out of “love” for family.

It may be love, Jeb, but the object is nothing so spiritual as family---rather, it’s simply hard, cold dinero!







6.4.15

A 12-Step Recovery Program for Overcoming Liberalism!






By John W. Lillpop

Surviving liberalism, especially the lethal Obama-Pelosi-Reid brand, without drugs, junk food, and alcohol can be a formidable task. Mind you, it is possible, provided one has a “vast right wing conspiracy” to lean on for moral support.

The following 12-step program is offered free of charge for liberals ready to get right with life. Follow these simple steps and you can be healed in time for the 2016 presidential election, at which time you can join the common sense revolution to take America back.

The twelve steps are:

We recovering liberals:

Step 1: Admitted to being powerless over insane, illogical, and anti-American thinking spawned by liberalism which has made America unmanageable.

Step 2: Came to believe that a power greater than the combined forces of the Barack Obama, the DNC and the mainstream media could restore America to sustainable sanity.

Step 3: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of social and fiscal conservatives (Tea Party, erc.) for restoration of traditional family values and common decency.

Step 4: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of all liberal politicians who must be removed from office, or prevented from securing elective office in the first place.

Step 5: Admitted to ourselves and, everyone else who would listen, the exact nature of wrongs committed by liberals.

Step 6: Were entirely ready to have conservative candidates remove all defective characters (liberals) from political office.

Step 7: Humbly worked to remove liberals from elective offices in all local, state, and federal jurisdictions.

Step 8: Made a list of all American patriot groups harmed by liberals and became willing to make amends to them all by winning the war on terror, stopping the tyranny of Barack Obama, enforcing all immigration laws, reducing taxes and wasteful spending, outlawing abortion, and defending Israel against Iran and other evils.

Step 9: Made direct amends to all such patriot groups wherever possible, except when to do so would cause them to register and or vote for Democrats.

Step 10: Continued to take inventory of all liberals and when they were wrong promptly told them so.

Step 11: Sought through talk radio and blogging to improve public acceptance of conservative values as we understand them, and to improve our conscious contact with eligible voters everywhere, seeking only to win the White House and conservative majorities in both chambers of the U.S. Congress in order to restore America to the Godly, family-values republic conceived by the Founders, and

Step 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to all legal voters(citizens), and to practice these conservative principles in all our affairs.

To those too weak to adhere to this simple program, we recommend that the progressive victim either drink alcohol incessantly, smoke tobacco at every available opportunity, or eat excessive amounts of high fat, heavily salted, unhealthy junk food… until the urge to think like a liberal passes.

Remember, even though liberalism is a severe mental disorder, it can be defeated!


5.4.15

Has the Devil Already Won?





By John W. Lillpop


Although I have no formal theological education or credentials to boast of, I believe that surviving for several decades qualifies me to pose the question—“Has the Devil already won? —and be taken seriously.

My frame of reference is from an earlier era, the “Old School” way of thinking, if you will.

As recently as six years ago, January, 2009 to be exact, the following situations would have been unthinkable in America:

( )The president of the United States vigorously opposes the State of Israel and advocates a nuclear “deal” with the terrorist state of Iran, where said deal is largely understood to be a deliberate abandonment of Israel to the blood-thirsty, hungry wolves of Islamic fascism based on the anti-Semitic sentiments of America’s closeted Muslim president;

() Homosexuality has become so “fashionable”  that, in California, state judges are prohibited by the State Supreme Court from belonging to the Boy Scouts of America, at one time the trusted and revered repository of wholesome American values and living;


()The President of the United States, after but a short time in office, visits a foreign nation and declares that America is “not a Christian” nation, although as many as 200 million Americans positively identify themselves as Christian;


()Through sleight of hand and calculated lying, the federal government passes the Affordable Care Act(ACA---aka, ObamaCare) which violates the religious tenets of certain faiths by requiring that paid contraception and abortion services be included in health plans despite the fact that such services are prohibited by church teachings, while on the other hand, totally exempting members of the Muslim faith from all provisions of the ACA;

()The American people completely reject the progressive, Marxist policies of the president and install opposition majorities in both chambers of Congress to suppress out-of-control tyranny. However, the president defiantly refuses to abide by the results of the elections, and chooses instead to govern by “decree”  to bypass both the will of the people and the Congress.

Given all that has transpired during the Obama era, the easy answer to the question seems to be, “Most assuredly, the Devil has won!”

However, this is still America where the spirit of Christ shines brightly despite the best efforts of the devil and his leftist agents to cloak the world in dark and shame.

On this Easter Sunday, give thanks for the light and vow to keep fighting until all of the earth is blessed by His return to the Right Hand of God!



 


2.4.15

Obama’s Iran Failure Mollified by Menendez Indictment?




By John W. Lillpop

In the tyrannical fairyland where Barack Obama operates, impervious to the US Constitution and the rule of law, there is always a price to be paid for opposing The One.

Punishment will be exacted; severity depends on the level of humiliation inflicted on the legacy and reputation of the “Smartest Man in the world.”

An excellent example happened, coincidentally (?), on April fools day:

From Switzerland, came word that The One’s unilateral surrender to the terrorist nation of Iran was not agreed to by the Mullahs. Therefore, the surrender deadline passed without agreement on the coveted “framework” pushed by the Obama-Kerry team; thus, the Obama jettisoning of Israel and her six million innocent citizens into the Mediterranean was put on hold, at least until the end of June.

Another epic foreign policy “fail,” to be reported as a  spectacular “success” by dimwit “journalists” in the mainstream media?

Actually, to those blessed with at least some common sense and a smidgen of moral decency, Obama’s inability to vent his anti-Semitic spleen in Switzerland was almost too good to be true.

In fact, cynics suspected that April fools day chicanery was involved and that the Associated Press and others were merely joshing.

Then came news that Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) had been indicted on 14 federal corruption charges.

As reported:


“Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) was indicted on federal corruption charges Wednesday, accused of using the influence of his office to advance the business interests of a longtime friend and political supporter in exchange for luxury gifts, lavish vacations and more than $750,000 in campaign donations.”​

It will be recalled that Senator Menendez has openly criticized the Obama administration’s talks with Iranian mobsters. In one of his harshest quotes, the senator said
that  Obama’s words on Iran "Sound Like Talking Points Straight Out Of Tehran," a remark that did not endear the outspoken Senator from New Jersey to The One or his vengeful Attorney General.

One need not be a serious student of Obama’s world-class tyranny to know that the Menendez indictment was timed to offset the bad news from Switzerland!

Namely, the Iran talks failed, but at least The One nailed Senator Menendez!

1.4.15

Consequences of Living under a Tyrant: We Have Nothing to Fear, But Our Commander-in-Chief”





By John W. Lillpop


As the world anxiously awaits the latest news from Lausanne, Switzerland about Iran’s suspect nuclear program following yesterday’s missed deadline, one is struck by  conflicting emotions surrounding the talks.

One the one hand, one hopes that a reasonable, verifiable and effective accord, or framework for such, can be reached by the end of Wednesday, April 1.

On the other hand, one dreads an agreement made under intense political pressure, motivated by an unhealthy obsession with getting an accord in place at all costs, without due regard for the quality of such agreement.

This reflects very real concerns about the competency and loyalty of President Barack Obama.  Many patriotic Americans simply do not trust Obama’s judgment in dealing with the terrorist state of Iran, and are further unsure about his commitment to America’s best interests and those of Israel.

Questions about Obama have spawned a new phrase of caution: We have nothing to fear, but our Commander-in-Chief himself”!

Sad, but true, that our greatest enemy may be the man entrusted with the most responsibility for defending America and 330 million Americans, and our allies.