Obama’s “August of Our Discontent”

Nearly everyone is searching for the appropriate analogy or metaphor to describe the meltdown which the president has suffered over the last month. Some have portrayed him as the victim of sharks “circling in the water.” Others use “herding cats” to represent his efforts to keep his own widely varied congressional supporters on the same path to insure passage of his initiatives. As any cat owner can tell you, it is a useful analogy with regard to ideologues with unyielding opinions. While his presidency has not reach “Waterloo” status yet, he is definitely in the neighborhood.

Personally, I go back decades in recollection of golden moments in the cool crisp fall of Colorado and Wyoming and the hunt. Big game hunting has much to recommend it for life lessons as well as an increased larder. Even though the “getting close to nature” argument wears thin about three hours and two miles into getting up to your favorite spot before dawn, there is always much to be learned and appreciated. Fortunately, in any gathering of experienced hunters is the willingness to share their acquired knowledge.

Some of the most valuable advice is to beware of wounded quarry. The 4 am breakfast table is where tales are told of unwary hunters assuming, incorrectly, that their shot was fatal. Obviously, one approaches a bear or elk with extreme caution to avoid any mishap. The ingénue, however, sometimes fails to carefully approach the wounded harmless looking deer with the same skeptical outlook. The result can be devastating. Like all of God’s creatures, they are willing to fight to the last breath to preserve their lives.

This is same mistake which the president has committed. In a totally unanticipated vigorous response from Republican legislators, desperate to keep their jobs by obstructing his neo-socialist agenda, he has found a vigorous enemy. Apparently, “bi-partisanship” has run its course. Even in the minority, he discovered many of them willing and able to continue the struggle. It’s the old “bloody but unbowed” thing.

More important, he did not, and for him, could not, understand that the American people would rise to such heights to preserve that which they held dear to their hearts—their independence. They turned out for town hall gatherings with a vengeance. Derided in their Tea Parties, they scheduled more and more with increasing attendance. Now, they are in the process of carrying the fight directly to the enemy. D.C. is about to experience that event which they have all come to dread—an invasion from fly-over country. The “hicks” are coming. They will lack the polish, nuance, and subtlety of the locals but will be “on message.” They are not impressed with anyone who wants to make dramatic changes in their way of life and their successful pursuit of the American Dream.

Worst of all—they are mad as hell!

Washington politicos of every stripe will ignore these disenfranchised voters at their personal peril. For every one I know who is going, there are dozens left behind who do not have the time or resources to attend. They have local responsibilities which they are unable to circumvent.

Those who march on the Capitol on the 12th are well aware they are representing many more of their neighbors. I trust they shall do so with dignity and peaceful intent but with firm resolve. Most of them will not be the product of today’s government schools and will carry an awareness of the history of failed societies lured by the false promises of a life of ease for little effort. They will be folks who understand work and not welfare. They are the ones who favor law over largesse. They will realize the difference between patriotism and paternalism. With such common understanding they will arrive as ready-made friends with a shared knowledge and purpose.

September 12, 2009 has the potential to become one of those dates which is etched in your mind. A day people will recall with such detail they will be able to say exactly where they were on that occasion even decades later. Pearl Harbor, the Kennedy assassination, the moon landing and Chappaquiddick, and 9/ll, are all of that importance and, depending on age, you will remember your circumstances at the time. 9/12/09 could well rise to that status.

Never in the history of our country has the role of the individual citizen been so important. Believe it; each politician follows the polls more carefully than any sports fan keeps an eye on his team. Your team can lose and you may still keep your job. If the representative loses a sense of the will of his constituents he will be tossed out. It’s just that simple. Although unlikely to admit it, they are all the same breed with a constant finger in the wind to adjust their “firm” policies to immediate contingencies. The only exception is in those gerrymandered districts where their re-election is guaranteed by fiat.

Just as important as the 9/12 March in Washington will be the attendance at local events which have been scheduled. If you can’t make it to D.C., please make every effort to go to a local affair and raise your voice in protest. Yes, we the people have been badly wounded but we still have a lot of fight left in us. In this critical time for America we must stand together to maintain all that is right and good about our country. Make your voice heard and your wishes known. Absent that; we are doomed to ever increasing government intervention in our lives. With it; we shall continue to be the “shining city on the hill.”


In His abiding love,



Cecil Moon



UPDATE: Here are some references which are pertinent to the above:

The Washington Post has an article not totally biased on the subject. Be sure to read some of the comments.


The 912 D.C. agenda is an excellent resource for the happenings in D.C.


Check this site and scroll down about an inch for local events in your state.