The United States government is out of control. One scandal after another keeps highlighting the disdain our elected officials have for the rule of law. Our liberty is under direct assault by the current administration, and liberals make excuses instead of standing for what is right.

On May 22, 2013, a British soldier was murdered on the streets of London – in broad daylight. The perpetrators were Muslim men who yelled "Allahu Akhbar," an Arabic translation for "God is great." Prime Minister David Cameron immediately and unequivocally identified the incident as a terrorist attack.

September 11, 2012, once again showed the United States, for all its strength, is still not impervious to attack. U.S. soil overseas was violated by a group of heavily armed terrorists and four Americans were killed, including our ambassador to Libya. What happened next only magnifies the tragedy of that day.

Ever since the Urbana Town Hall meeting on April 27, I have been disturbed by the amount of misinformation and partial facts being put forth in the press and Letters to The Editor here at the TheTentacle.com. So, it is time to set the record straight.

Things happen fast in today’s age of round-the-clock news and high speed communications. The amount of data concerned citizens must assimilate in order to assess the efficacy of their government at all levels is astronomical. It is virtually impossible to stay informed of all issues affecting our lives.

With all the focus on restricting rights of Americans to own and possess firearms, for the sake of public safety, you would think that in the possession of law-abiding citizens they are the major cause of death and injury in our country and don’t serve a legitimate purpose.

The United States is a Republic and not a democracy. A republic is a representative form of government where people are elected to represent a population within an assigned district. A democracy is a form of government where the entire population gathers to vote on how the government runs.

Since September 11, 2001, there is an aggressive move in the United States to implement policies and pass laws which seem to violate the principles of freedom upon which this great nation was founded.

With the recent tragedy in Florida, sinkholes are once again in the news. In hearing about this phenomenon that seems to open up the earth and swallow what’s in the immediate vicinity, is it possible to apply this same scenario to politics in the United States?

On February 8, editors at The Frederick News Post sank to an all-time low with the editorial entitled “Fanning the flames.” In what can only be called journalistic misfeasance, they misrepresented the testimony of Sheriff Chuck Jenkins before the Maryland state Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.

If you listen to the news or follow posts on Facebook, there is no way to escape the multitude of reports assigning blame for the United States not having a budget in almost four years. What you don’t hear too often is how the process is supposed to work.

Since Americans first decided to fight for their independence roughly 1,196,000 military members gave their lives for this great political experiment we call the United States of America. At least another 1,478,000 were wounded. These numbers are approximations taking into account the most notable wars and military actions.

Happy New Year! Believe it or not, 2013 is here and the harsh despair of 2012 is in the history books. What a year it has been for those of us who call Maryland home. We can only hope 2013 is not a repeat, but don’t hold your breath.

In our society many arguments revolve around whether something is legal. We very rarely seriously discuss whether something is ethical. After all, we are a country that was founded on the premise that a system of laws and blind justice is the best way to ensure equal treatment for all.

September 11, 2012, on the 11th anniversary of the attacks on New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the United States is once again the target of a terrorist attack. This time it was against United States personnel and territory within the city of Benghazi, Libya.

November 6, 2012, started as a day full of anticipation and hope for change in the political course of the United States. After almost four years under the Obama regime, America had the opportunity to reaffirm those principles of government established by our Founding Fathers in the Constitution.

Well, Election Day is finally here. Americans will cast their ballots in what is arguably the most important election of our lifetime. As millions of Americans go to the polls to vote, they will also need to keep their eyes and ears open in order to identify any voting irregularities.

Over the last 45 days the Obama Administration was rocked by a major scandal – the attack on our Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. What is disturbing about the administration response is its first inclination and action was to lie to the American people about the cause of the attack and who was actually involved.

Would you like a Snickers bar while visiting or waiting for a loved one to receive treatment in a hospital? Well, if you’re in New York, that will no longer be possible. This is just another in a series of dictatorial moves by the mayor of New York City.

We are once again reminded that Islam, and those who follow it, is intolerant of free speech. The wave of violence, hate and intolerance we are witnessing in response to a 14-minute obscure video should be a wake-up call to freedom loving people around the world.

Well, the Democrats got caught with their pants down during their recent convention. People who pay attention to things like a party platform discovered they removed language referring to Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and any reference to God from their 2012 platform.

Each county in the state of Maryland has its own unique set of circumstances under which local government must operate. What works well in one county may not work in another. When local government is inefficient or ineffective, citizens need a mechanism by which to change it.

In any election cycle there's always controversy about the way in which parties engage in and carry out campaign strategies. This presidential campaign is no exception. However, three items illustrating a double standard are particularly disconcerting. For some reason these issues all involve Democrats.

Federal Judge Benson E. Legg signed an order on July 23rd directing the State of Maryland to implement his original ruling which struck down the requirement that Marylanders wishing to exercise their Second Amendment rights must show a "good and substantial reason" when applying for a concealed carry permit.

The second amendment to United States Constitution is only 27 words long, but probably the most controversial words in the entire document, at least as judged in modern times.

America is being invaded. The invading force is not your typical army; they're not even armed, well, at least not most of them. The sad thing is our federal government is not doing anything to protect us.

Recently, the Board of County Commissioners was attacked by members of the teachers union, and certain members of the Frederick County Board for Education, for not providing enough funding to the school system for it to adequately run and provide living wages to teachers.

“Eternal Vigilance is the price of liberty” is a quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson. On this past Memorial Day, it was appropriate the nation stopped to remember our fallen sons and daughters and hopefully realized vigilance is not the only price we pay.

In some of the latest political speeches and news stories emphasis is being placed on describing Americans as either the 99 percent or the one percent. The one percent, meaning the wealthy who need “to pay their fair share.”

Established in March 2006 as a replacement for the politically besieged United Nations Commission on Human Rights, the United Nations Human Rights Council (Council) is, according to their website, responsible for promoting and protecting human rights along with investigating, addressing and making recommendations regarding complaints of violations.

On March 8, 2012, President Barack Obama signed into law the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act Of 2011. Given the highly partisan and adversarial nature of relations in the House and Senate on other issues the past three years, one would think the vote would be contentious and divided along party lines.