Sunday, August 14, 2011

Does It Matter Now? Does The Electorate Care Now?

I had almost finished a rant and rave as to the pathetic lies, misconceptions and pure hypocrisy coming not only from the lying sacks of you know what in the administration but in fact the entire menagerie referred to as D.C. politicians, a group one can easily equate to prostitution when it comes to the majority of those clowns. As I was doing some more research to augment my arguments, I came across this fabulous post by Christopher over at "Conservative Perspectives", a blog I follow and recommend to anyone! Honestly, it's as if the man read my mind!

With his permission, I am posting it below. Please, read it with an open mind! When you finish the below, ask yourself the question. Does it matter now?! Or do you believe as some do it's to late or worse, you cannot do anything about it? As I have said many times in the past, the electorate with it's short attention span combined with the evil propaganda that comes from the ruling class of both sides has poisoned us to the point that this great country is about fall. Welfare state zombies who refuse to face up to their responsibilities all being led by a socialist puppet master dare to ask for more not withstanding the dire straits we are now in! As the blame for this is, according to the media and Comrade Obama on the Tea Party's head and conservatives in general ask yourself. Does it matter? Do lies matter? Does open spite for your country and it's founding ideals matter? Does open racism matter? Does "above the law" attitude matter? Does the Constitution matter? If it does, make yourself heard!


From Conservative Perspective:

Regarding 2012,,,,Does it matter now???????

From the 'inbox' (multiple times) -

Most of us already know of the facts contained in the following but when compiled together it makes for a very strong argument AGAINST Obama to those in the "undecided" camp if it actually exists. If you have not yet received this in your 'inbox' I strongly encourage all to copy and paste this and "redistribute" it as you see fit.

Does it matter now???????


WHEN Obama wrote a book and said he was mentored as a youth by Frank (Frank Marshall Davis was his Mother’s boyfriend) an avowed Communist, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN it was discovered that his grandparents were strong socialists who sent Obama's mother to a socialist school where she was introduced to Frank Marshall Davis. He was later introduced to young Barrack Hussein Obama. People said it didn't matter.

WHEN people found out that Barrack Hussein Obama was enrolled as a Muslim child in school and his father and stepfather were both Muslims, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he wrote in another book he authored "I will stand with them (Muslims) should the political winds shift in an ugly direction" people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he admittedly, in his book, said he chose Marxist friends and professors in college-- people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he traveled to Pakistan after college on an unknown national passport, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he sought the endorsement of the Marxist Party in 1996 as he ran for the Illinois Senate, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he sat in a Chicago Church for twenty years and listened to a preacher spew hatred for America and preach black liberation theology, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN an independent Washington organization, that tracks Senate voting records, gave him the distinctive title as the "most liberal senator," people said it didn't matter.

WHEN the Palestinians in Gaza set up a fund raising telethon to raise money for his election campaign, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN his voting record supported gun control, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he refused to disclose who donated money to his election campaign, as other candidates had done, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he received endorsements from people like Louis Farrakhan and Mummar Kadaffi and Hugo Chavez, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN it was pointed out that he was a total newcomer and had absolutely no experience at anything except community organizing, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he chose friends and acquaintances such as Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn who were revolutionary radicals, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN his voting record in the Illinois senate and in the U.S. Senate came into question, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he refused to wear a flag lapel pin, and did so only after a public outcry, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN people started treating him as a Messiah and children in schools were taught to sing his praises, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he stood with his hands over his groin area for the playing of the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he surrounded himself in the White house with advisors who were pro-gun control, pro- abortion, pro-homosexual marriage and wanting to curtail freedom of speech to silence the opposition people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he aired his views on abortion, homosexuality and a host of other issues, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he said he favors sex education in Kindergarten, including homosexual indoctrination, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN his personal background was either scrubbed or hidden and nothing could be found about him, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN the place of his birth was called into question, and he refused to produce a birth certificate, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he had an association in Chicago with Tony Rezco--a man of questionable character and who is now in prison and had helped Obama to a sweet deal on the purchase of his home-- people said it didn't matter.

WHEN it became known that George Soros, a multi-billionaire Marxist, spent a ton of money to get him elected, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he started appointing White House Czars that were radicals, revolutionaries, and even avowed Marxist/Communist, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he stood before the Nation and told us that his intentions were to "fundamentally transform this Nation" into something else, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN it became known that he had trained ACORN workers in Chicago and served as an attorney for ACORN, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he appointed cabinet members and several advisors who were tax cheats and socialists, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he appointed a Science Czar, John Holdren, who believes in forced abortions, mass sterilizations and seizing babies from teen mothers, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he appointed Cass Sunstein as Regulatory Czar who believes in "Explicit Consent," harvesting human organs without family consent, and allowing animals to be represented in court, while banning all hunting, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he appointed Kevin Jennings, a homosexual, and organizer of a group called gay, lesbian, straight, education network as Safe School Czar and it became known that he had a history of bad advice to teenagers, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he appointed Mark Lloyd, as Diversity Czar, who believes in curtailing free speech; taking from one and giving to another to spread the wealth; who supports Hugo Chavez, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN Valerie Jarrett was selected as Obama's Senior White House Advisor and she is an avowed Socialist, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN Anita Dunn, White House Communications Director said Mao Tse Tung was her favorite philosopher-- and the person she turned to most for inspiration, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he appointed Carol Browner as Global Warming Czar, and her being a well known socialist working on Cap and Trade as the nations largest tax, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he appointed Van Jones, an ex-con and avowed Communist as Green Energy Czar, who since had to resign when this was made known, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN Tom Daschle, Obama's pick for health and human services secretary could not be confirmed, because he was a tax cheat, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN as President of the United States , he bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia , people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he traveled around the world criticizing America and never once talking of her greatness, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN his actions concerning the Middle-East seemed to support the Palestinians over Israel , our long time ally, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he took American tax dollars to resettle thousands of Palestinians from Gaza to the United States , people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he upset the Europeans by removing plans for a missile defense system against the Russians, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he played politics in Afghanistan by not sending troops early-on when the Field Commanders said they were necessary to win, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he started spending us into a debt that was so big we could not pay it off, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he took a huge spending bill under the guise of stimulus and used it to pay off organizations, unions, and individuals that got him elected, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he took over insurance companies, car companies, banks, etc., people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he took away student loans from the banks and put it through the government, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he designed plans to take over the health care system and put it under government control, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he claimed he was a Christian during the election and tapes were later made public that showed Obama speaking to a Muslim group and 'stating' that he was raised a Muslim; was educated as a Muslim; and that he is still a Muslim-- people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he set into motion a plan to take over the control of all energy in the United States through Cap and Trade, people said it didn't matter.

WHEN he finally completed his transformation of America into a Socialist State , people finally woke up--- but it was too late.

Add these up one by one and you get a phenomenal score that points to the fact that Barrack Hussein Obama is determined to turn America into a Marxist-Socialist society.

All of the items in the preceding paragraphs have been put into place. All can be documented very easily. Before you disavow this do an internet search. The last paragraph alone is not yet cast in stone. You and I will write that paragraph. Will it read as above or will it be a more happy ending for most of America ?

If you are an Obama Supporter don't be angry with me because I think Barrack Hussein Obama is a socialist. Far too many facts support he is indeed a Socialist.

If you seek the truth you will be richer for it.

Don't just belittle the opposition.. Search for the truth. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Constitutionalists, Libertarians all need to pull together or watch the demise of a free democratic society.

Pray for Americans to seek the truth and take action for it will keep us FREE. Our biggest enemy is not China , Russia , North Korea , and Iran our biggest enemy is a contingent of politicians in Washington DC . The government will not help, so we need to do it ourselves.

Question....will you ignore this, or pass it on to others who don't know about Obama's actions and plans for the USA , so that they may know how to vote in November, 2012 and the ensuing years?

It's your decision.

I believe it does matter. How about you?



Monday, August 8, 2011

Racism and Coverup. Obamaland As Usual

I can’t let the day go by without commenting on two other issues! In Wisconsin, there were reported instances of Black on White assaults outside the State Fairgrounds. Of course, the politically correct (save for a few brave souls) refused to categorize it as such, preferring the generic “youth gang or mob” designation and openly refusing to report the truth! This has been going on in a few cities this summer and will in fact get worse as I say below!

This is not the least bit surprising! The media and the police forces themselves in all of these instances refuse to report it as is, choosing to be politically correct or in my estimation as usual cowtowing to Jesse, Al, Holder and the rest of the racists who seem to steer the narrative. The fact is these are Racial assaults pure and simple. It is Black on White! Someone has top get their heads out of their asses and report the truth! Do not expect it from either the MSM or most of the politically correct compromised police departments and surely not from the scum politicians who happily use the race card only in one direction. And that’s at conservatives. One can be sure the propagandists are already looking for a way to describe the assailants as “unfortunate victims of our racist society” rather than what the racist thugs they really are!

Moron Alert! It is not racist to report a crime as Black preying on White if it is a fact as this is! It is not racist to report a killing as being done by a Mexican Illegal Alien if it is a fact! And it sure as hell is not racist or anything else if one reports a Radical Muslim runs over his daughter in an attempt to apply their own sick version of Sahria Law if that is a fact! Jesse, Al, Holder and you also President Obama! The main Racism in this country now is being orchestrated and condoned by the very people who are supposed to disavow it! What have we heard from our moron of a President or the Attorney General about these instances, all factually documented by the way? NOT A DAMNED THING!!!

I guess one shouldn’t be surprised considering the stance as to the Black Panthers and the illegal alien situation. We have a racial problem in this country, on that most hope was easing up. That problem is being perpetuated by this President and others who when backed into the corner with their failed policies choose to throw the race card. Sure as hell no balls on their part as to facing the truth! Racists? Look in the Mirror Mr. President! And while you’re at it, have Jesse, Al, Holder and all the others who have thrown out these venomous lies look in it with you! You and your ilk disgust me. You dishonor the office with your racist lies!!

Finally today, Operation Gun Runner, Fast and Furious or whatever it’s called!

“The Obama administration, at the highest levels, and likely Attorney General Eric Holder and President Obama themselves, authorized the sale of at least 2,000 high-powered rifles and other sophisticated weapons to the “Sinaloa” Mexican drug cartel. That much we have learned so far in sworn testimony and documents from the “Fast and Furious” investigation by Congressman Darrell Issa’s Congressional Oversight and Government Reform Committee. As bad as the weapons sales are, it doesn’t stop there. It is now learned through sworn affidavits in U.S. District court in Chicago that the U.S. government, at very high levels, “negotiated” to allow tons of Sinaloa cocaine into the country, supposedly in exchange for “information” about other drug gangs.”

How is it (except for CBS which broke it) that the major networks and MSM morons are choosing to cover this up. The DOJ and the administration has been openly stonewalling and in fact lying about this operation. Now we find out the above! Where is the outcry? When in the hell are we going to go after this rouge above the law administration? When is this country going to demand accountability form the President on down for this miscarriage of justice? 1,000’s have died including one of our border guards, all thanks to this misguided operation. Yet we see nothing but lies and coverup! The administration knew this was going on. A brave American border guard and many others died because of this! The responsibility lays squarely on the shoulders of the President of the United States! What is going on is and has been a criminal act! The fact that this President feels he and his followers are above the law is pathetic yet there for all to see! When will it stop?!!

Debt, Downgrade, Lies And Deceit A Nation Bankrupt Of Both Money And Moralls

Well, as I said, I was waiting for the President to speak out on the ongoing debacle of the debt crisis as I’m watching the market nosedive. As usual what did Comrade Obama have to say? Not a damned thing new! Raise taxes and spend more money. As all politicians, this clown only knows how to lie and deceive. $7 trillion in new debt is a spending cut! And so on and so on and blah blah blah!

We have seen not only political idiocy at its worse, but in fact have seen a complete dereliction of duty involving both sides. Rhino Republicans along with their leadership sold the country down the road. The had Obama by the balls but chickened out, unwilling to hear the terrible things the Obama propaganda machine would say about them! Raising the debt limit gave Comrade Obama and company an open checkbook. In turn, S&P followed through on their threat to downgrade. Of course, to the lying sacks of crap in D.C., this was a political act! Morn alert! S&P and others were branded as culpable in the housing bubble and so forth that led to the current recession. It just could be S&P is actually doing what they are supposed to. If I bite off too much, my rating goes down! Why shouldn’t the governments? So not to anyone’s surprise other than the lying bastards who said all would be well, we got the following!

“The U.S. debt surpassed 100 percent of gross domestic product after the government's debt ceiling was lifted, Treasury figures showed Wednesday, according to AFP.

The new borrowing took total public debt to $14.58 trillion, over end-2010 GDP of $14.53 trillion, and putting it in a league with highly indebted countries like Italy and Belgium”

Nothing surprising there. Note not only below, but in fact for decades, spending has risen unabated with not one true leader having the balls to intercede and try to stop it! For the lying Democrats and scum bag RINO Republicans, Aa Socialist welfare state is a promise of their job security. Nothing less. Promise a brain dead electorate the moon and be set for life! A few more interesting tidbits, all fact!

From Newsbusters:
Since the Democrats took over Congress in 2007, the deficit has grown tenfold from $160 billion to $1.6 trillion. Spending has increased $1.1 trillion or 41 percent as the debt exploded $5.9 trillion or 68 percent. Meanwhile, unemployment has gone from 4.4 percent to 9.1 percent.

“U.S. debt shot up $239 billion on Tuesday — the largest one-day bump in history — as the government flexed the new borrowing room it earned in this week’s debt-limit increase deal.

The debt subject to the statutory limit shot way past the old cap of $14.294 trillion to hit $14.532 trillion on Tuesday, according to the latest the Treasury Department figures, which are released on the next business day.
That increase puts the government already remarkably close to the new debt limit of $14.694, which means one day’s new borrowing ate up 60 percent of the $400 billion in space Congress granted the president this week.

The previous one-day record debt increase was $186 billion, set on June 30, 2009.
So now we are in free fall. Congress did not do its job! The President sure as hell didn’t lead! And what in fact have we heard from him! Wait, we did hear something!

From the PJ Tattler: The King of Excuses
“The week prior to the downgrade of US credit by S&P, President Obama and his spokesman took four separate occasions to cast blame for the poor economy on the Japanese tsunami, the Arab Spring, the “unrest” in Europe and the rise in oil prices. The lousy economy predates all of those, and his policies have made a bad economy much worse. Now that the downgrade on our credit has happened, the president sent out David Axelrod, John Kerry and the usual suspects to blame the Tea Party. They even called it the “Tea Party downgrade,” a line so cynical and dishonest it catches your breath.”

So basically, nothing other than the usual bullshit! After the downgrade, President Weenie went into hiding! Not a word for over 2 days! Oops! Forgot one thing. He did send out his propaganda ministers to spread the usual lies and crap pointing the finger at everyone except him and his clueless cohorts form both parties!

And before I go any further here, I am sick and damned tired of being blamed for this fiasco. I believe in the Tea Party and its stands on issues! I am not a Racist as charged! I am not a terrorist as charged! I am not a cannibal or anything else as portrayed by these sick bastards in the media and on the left. I and others are American citizens concerned about our country. Yet Comrade Obama sent out his propaganda ministers to demonize the Tea Party and all conservatives in general! Below, are different quotes from moronic imbeciles whose only concern seems to be blame the Tea Party! BTW: Let’s not forget these are the same jerks who when they had complete control of all facets of government, could not even bother to pass a budget much less anything else other than that which they wanted to push as part of their socialist agenda!

“This is essentially a Tea Party downgrade,” Axelrod said.

“I believe this is, without question, the tea party downgrade,” Mr. Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

"This is a Tea Party problem," the fiery politician said. "They are totally unreasonable and doctrinaire and not founded in reality.
"I think they've been smoking some of that tea, not just drinking it."

But could they just leave it at that? Of course not! Why waste an opportunity to further vilify decent Americans if the ones in power can benefit from it? Nope! The MSM or in my view, the co-opted media shills for Comrade Obama happily kissed their Fearless Leaders hand and proceeded to rip into anyone opposing their views as evidenced below!

“You know what they say: Never negotiate with terrorists. It only encourages them. These last few months, much of the country has watched in horror as the Tea Party Republicans have waged jihad on the American people....For now, the Tea Party Republicans can put aside their suicide vests. But rest assured: They’ll have them on again soon enough.”
— New York Times columnist Joe Nocera, August 2

“Tea Party budget-slashers....were like cannibals, eating their own party and leaders alive. They were like vampires, draining the country’s reputation, credit rating and compassion. They were like zombies, relentlessly and mindlessly coming back again and again to assault their unnerved victims, Boehner and President Obama. They were like the metallic beasts in Alien flashing mouths of teeth inside other mouths of teeth, bursting out of Boehner’s stomach every time he came to a bouquet of microphones.”
— New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, August 3 column.

“Some people say that the Republican Party has been held hostage by the Tea Party. One of our Facebook followers sent in an interesting analogy and said, ‘Why are Republicans allowing freshman congressmen to control this debate?’ and this person said, ‘It’s like letting the teenager in the family run the family budget.’ I mean, there’s some truth in that.”
— Moderator Bob Schieffer to GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell on Face the Nation, July 31.

“Let me finish tonight with this bad experience we’ve all just been through. What we saw, what I saw at least, was one guy with a knife and the other trying to avoid being cut. It was a thug attacking a victim. It was a mugging. Now, the good news — relief is a better word, I suppose — is that the victim did get through it. The bad news is that the mugger got what he wanted. He got the wallet....The mugging continues, again and again and again. The people who perpetrated this assault on the President will come back to do it again.”
— Chris Matthews talking about the debt talks on MSNBC’s Hardball, August 2.

Thanks to Newsbusters for the above quotes!

Now in my view, this is disgusting enough. In the past as all who follow me know, I have railed endlessly about not only the co-opted media, but in fact the loss of our freedoms such as Freedom of Speech! That is bad enough on its own, but increasingly we see power mad assholes such as John Kerry below openly advocate what is in effect censorship of any position opposed to theirs!

SEN. JOHN KERRY: “And I have to tell you, I say this to you politely. The media in America has a bigger responsibility than it’s exercising today. The media has got to begin to not give equal time or equal balance to an absolutely absurd notion just because somebody asserts it or simply because somebody says something which everybody knows is not factual.

“It doesn’t deserve the same credit as a legitimate idea about what you do. And the problem is everything is put into this tit-for-tat equal battle and America is losing any sense of what’s real, of who’s accountable, of who is not accountable, of who’s real, who isn’t, who’s serious, who isn’t?”

Here we have a sitting U.S. Senator advocating and in fact openly telling the media what to write about or what to say or not say! Where in the hell is the outcry about this! Will someone please tell me what the hell gives anyone the right to tell the “Free Press” what to say? Oh, silly me! I forgot the MSM is a propaganda shill for Comrade Obama and company, just as TASS and Pravda for the USSR ro the media in Venezuaela as an example are required to be!

As I am always taken to task about what I feel are the Soviet Style Marxist leanings of this President and his party, let me give you this incredible piece of B.S.!
“While noting he is disappointed with "some aspects" of the Obama administration's domestic and foreign policy, Sam Webb, chairman of the Communist Party USA, threw his support behind Obama's re-election bid.

In an article last week at People's Weekly World, the official newspaper of the Communist Party USA, Webb discussed the need for a third party consisting of the so-called working class and labor as well as "racially and nationally oppressed people, women, youth, immigrants, seniors, gay and straight."

Webb, however, recognized that such a party is not likely to emerge by next year.
"Millions who have to be at the core of this party still operate under the umbrella of the Democratic Party, albeit increasingly in an independent fashion," he noted.
Webb said that for communists there are major differences between Democrats and Republicans. He urged his supporters to continue to back the Democrats.
Wrote Webb: "Neither party is anti-capitalist, but they aren't identical either. Differences exist at the levels of policy and social composition. And despite the many frustrations of the past two years, the election of Barack Obama was historic and gave space to struggle for a people's agenda."

While I’m not surprised, we have seen way too often that this President’s supporters feel he has not gone far enough! Moron Alert! He’s already in less than 2 years bought the U.S. to its knees! China now lectures us and why not? They own so much of our securities and in fact are now the de-facto leader of the world, courtesy of Comrade Obama!

While I didn’t think there could be any more inane idiocy to come out of this, I must stand corrected. Below is one of the most incredible and really asinine things I have ever seen or heard in my life! Print more money! All will be well! Our current administration says they never did this (stimulus QE1 and 2 and so on notwithstanding which were all in fact just printing more worthless money)! Just remember kids! I can’t even make this bullshit up!

“Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan on Sunday ruled out the chance of a US default following S&P's decision to downgrade America's credit rating.
"The United States can pay any debt it has because we can always print money to do that. So there is zero probability of default" said Greenspan on NBC's Meet the Press.
"What I think the S&P thing did was to hit a nerve that there's something basically bad going on, and it's hit the self-esteem of the United States, the psyche" said Greenspan”

Finally today, I want to give Joe Scarborough a kudo or two. As one well knows, I very rarely will say anything good about a lefty commentator but in this case, he is right on!

“SCARBOROUGH: I am not blaming the President exclusively. We have blamed the Tea Partiers here for not moving. We have blamed Republicans. We have blamed Democrats as well. But please – I know it makes you feel better, but, you know, stop using the Tea Party as a piƱata. We’ve got systemic problems in this country. The President could have done something for two years when he had Democrats controlling the House of Representatives and controlling the United States Senate. He did nothing on entitlement reform.”

Today across the pond, the ECB put together a bailout package for Italy and Spain! More worthless money thrown away at more countries which followed the failed premise of Socialism! What is happening here in the U.S. now is just another symptom of the sickness that consumes any country in which their people reject personal responsibility and choose to expect someone else to do it for them. Our country is at a crossroads! The politicians up to now have chosen to either not act for all practical purposes or even worse continue in a way that can only destroy us! I firmly believe this President and the majority of our current leaders do not have the fortitude to take the actions needed to save this country. Yes, the medicine is bitter, but the creeping disease is hundreds of times worse! Get your heads out of your asses Washington! Stop lying to the electorate! Cut the bullshit promise and put the house in order!!!

Downgrade Madness

I have a post ready to go as to the absolute bullshit going on as to the debt and downgrade issue. Before I post it though, Comrade Obama is about to speak. Nice of him to make an appearance over two days after the downgrade and the ensuing panic in the world markets! I guess that's understandable though seeing he had to give his lying propaganda ministers a few days to get on the Sunday talk shows so they could demonize the Tea Party and any other responsible citizen and set the table for him to once again feed us a colossal line of crap as he rides to the rescue. More to say on this later. Let it suffice for the moment that in my mind, Comrade Obama has succeeded in delivering us to his handlers in Red China, a country that now is in the position to lecture us! The word, power and trust of the U.S. has been thrown into the crapper, courtesy of Comrade Obama and company. And let's not even begin to address the lies and hypocrisy as to Immigration, the criminal Operation Gun Runner fiasco or the open ignorance shown to the increasing black on white crime wave (yes, what these events are are indeed a crime)!

At the moment as I'm finishing my major posts, I am madder than a wet hen1 As I've been extremely crass lately, I hope the coming posts reflect more thought than obscene passion! Hang in their kids! The fun is about to begin!