CHARACTER: RUSH LIMBAUGH vs. LIBERALS

Today, Friday, April 15, 2011, Rush Limbaugh dedicated his entire radio broadcast in order to solicit donations from his listeners for THE LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY in order to find a cure for these diseases.

Barack Obama, Ed Schultz, Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews and the democrats for the past few weeks dedicated their time, were even willing to shut down the government; in order to FORCE the U.S. Taxpayers to keep funding PLANNED PARENTHOOD --- so that they can continue to perform 951 abortions --- everyday.

OBAMA'S PRIORITY (A PARODY)

WARNING: THIS IS A DISCLAIMER TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THE FOLLOWING IS A PARODY AND A WORK OF FICTION. THIS PRESS CONFERENCE DID NOT HAPPEN AND PRESIDENT OBAMA DID NOT SAY THIS. THIS IS A PARODY, YOU KNOW, LIKE THEY DO ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. BUT BECAUSE OF THE OVER SENSITIVITY OF LEFT WING, SOCIALIST, "PROGRESSIVE" LIBERALS, I HAVE TO WRITE THIS BECAUSE THEY ARE GOING TO BE OFFENDED. BUT I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ANYWAY BECAUSE LIBERALS HAVE BEEN OFFENDING PEOPLE FOR OVER A HUNDRED YEARS AND THEY DON'T CARE, SO WHY SHOULD I?

From the last press conference with President Obama that never existed. The President enters the room, everyone stands and the President signals everyone to be seated. The President then begins to speak:

"Good afternoon. I am hear to announce today, that with all of the turmoil that is going on in our country and the world today, that the First Lady and I have decided to totally commit ourselves in a cause very dear to us. Michelle and I will totally dedicate ourselves to this cause; and we shall not rest, - - - we will leave no stone unturned, - - - we will explore every avenue, - - - we will exhaust every option, - - - we will negotiate and have talks with everyone that we can and we shall never quit until - - - we get an invitation to the upcoming Royal Wedding in England with Prince William and - - - what's her name again? Kate, yes that's right Kate what's her name.

"I am now returning to the oval office to begin this quest by phoning my good friend, Sir Paul McCartney, whom you all well know performed for us here at the White House a short while ago when I gave him some award, which I can't recall at this time what it was called. Sir Paul prayed to me - - - excuse me, I mean praised me so eloquently while he was here. So I must leave now and get right to work with the First Lady. Not only must we secure these invitations, but we must also pick out a nice wedding gift. We are thinking of autographed first editions of all my books. Thank you very much."

The President then quickly leaves the podium and exits the room.

CHARLIE SHEEN WAKES UP HOLLYWOOD

I have to give Charlie Sheen credit for something. If he has accomplished anything with the on going circus that is now his life it is this, that his antics has awakened some people up in the entertainment industry. And the people in the industry who woke up first were probably the accountants.

You see, what Hollywood does not like to be seen by the public as is something that they, meaning the elitists among them, despise. The truth that Hollywood hides from the public is that they are a BUSINESS. In fact, Hollywood is a BIG BUSINESS, as big a business as any other that are out there. As big as the oil companies, the investment firms, the insurance companies, the pharmaceutical industry. etc. The entertainment industry is just that: AN INDUSTRY. An industry that makes HUGE amounts of money. It is also an industry that wastes a lot of money.

Those higher ups in the industry, yes, those big businessmen in suits and ties and corner offices with a beautiful view are also beginning to see what "actors" like Charlie Sheen are. They are not just an employee, they are the commodity of their business. The product that they promote and sell.

Hollywood and the entertainment industry have also, probably for the first time, have found out that they are no longer recession proof. That in this current economic depression, people are watching and holding on to their money more, and are not going to waste it on bad products or commodities.

Let me draw an analogy. If you were in the produce business, and you got in a load of cabbages, say a thousand of them and found among them four or five rotten cabbages, would you still place them in with all of the good cabbages? No, you would not, you would toss them aside in the garbage.

Great chefs only buy the best fish, meat and produce for their restaurants to prepare for their customers, right? I believe now that the entertainment industry is waking up and doing the same.

I'm coming to a point here, and I know what some of you out there are going to say, that Charlie Sheen though is a great actor. My answer to that is simple and blunt: No he is not.

I'm going to refer to one of my favorite movies to make this point, it is the 1982 motion picture "MY FAVORITE YEAR" starring Peter O'Toole and directed by Richard Benjamin. In the story, which takes place in the early 1950's, Peter O'Toole plays Alan Swan, a drunkard and washed up swashbuckler actor from the 30's and 40's who is based on Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Errol Flynn. Swan is given the chance to appear in one of the top television variety shows of the day. The show is based on the old Sid Caesar Show. Swan cleans up his act enough to impress the "Sid Caesar" character and "Sid Caesar" compliments him on his effort. After doing so he tells Swan and everyone else to be ready to go live the next night for the show. This makes Swan perplexed, asking the "Sid Caesar" character what he means by "live". He informs Swan that this is live television and that's how he will do his performance. Swan goes into a panic, saying he can't go on. The "Sid Caesar" doesn't understand saying "What's the problem? You're an actor!"

Swan then turns and says one of my favorite lines in movies, "I'M NOT AN ACTOR! I'M A MOVIE STAR!" To now make my point, Charlie Sheen is not an actor, he is a movie star. I can say the same about Sean Penn, Danny Glover, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Lopez, Natalie Portman, Kate Hudson, Linsay Lohan, etc. etc. etc.

If you want to see real acting, go to the live theatre, on stage. See what real actors have to do. To do the same show, night after night, all in one shot, without the advantage of doing "take" after "take" and with the help of a great film editor.

ANYBODY can be a movie star, Oprah Winfrey is proof of that.

Now the entertainment industry is waking up and starting to see that their rotten "commodities", with their on going off camera behavior, with there leftist, elitist statements and actions, with their childish antics, and with the double standard that comes with celebrity when it comes to serious legal matters - - - is costing them money.

Really, with Sean Penn embracing Hugo Chavez, and insulting those who have traditional American values, you don't think that has hurt the movie studios? Ask yourself this, when was the last Sean Penn movie that has made a profit? Some years ago, I read in on of the top Hollywood entertainment newspapers that Sean Penn, because of his off screen actions, has become, "box office poison". People also vote with their feet as well with their wallets. I personally will not pay any of my hard earned money to waste it on a movie ticket for any film that involves Sean Penn in any way. I do not want one dime of my money being filtered into his pocket for any reason what so ever.

The entertainment industry is waking up to other things like, for every Charlie Sheen, there a thousands of others out there wanting to take his place. That yes, the world will go on without Charlie Sheen and people will get along just nicely without watching any new episodes or reruns of "TWO AND A HALF MEN".

And look at all of the people that Charlie Sheen, with his "holier than thou", tiger blooded, Adonis gened attitude has put out of work. They all should turn around and sue him for all lost wages, present and future.

Keep waking up Hollywood, keep firing and getting rid of all your bad cabbages. Maybe someday you will get back on good standing and in the good graces of all the people as you once did in your glorious heyday. But back then, you all had class. That is something that has just died with Elizabeth Taylor, and will be totally gone when GOD calls home Olivia de Havilland and Mickey Rooney.

ISLAMIC JIHAD - DO THE SIMPLE MATH

When confronting and debating the left-wing, liberal, secular, socialist "progressives" on the growing danger of the radical Islamic jihadist movement; in their constant defense of Islam no matter what, and after they finish calling me an islamophobe, they will come up with the statistic the "only 10%, (and some will even go as high as 15%), of all Muslims are radicalized."

Okay, then lets do some basic math for the liberals so that even they can figure it out. Basic, pre-algebra math.

The last I heard, there are 1.6 BILLION Muslims in the world today. So, to make it fair I will use the lower figure of 10%.

1, 600, 000, 000 x 10% = 160,000,000.

160 MILLION radicalized Islamic jihadists - - - world wide.

Here are some comparisons with that number.

That is ONE HALF the population of the United States.

That is FIVE TIMES the population of Canada.

That is 47,500,000 MORE PEOPLE than live in Mexico.

And now take this into consideration: That is 107.5 TIMES MORE than the population, (men and women), of the ENTIRE U.S Military.

Now I know that not all Muslims are terrorists - - - but I do notice that all of the terrorists are Muslims.

And what about this remaining 90%? Their silence speaks volumes. I, just recently, have started to see just a handful of the peaceful Muslims beginning to speak out against the people who are bastardizing their religion.

And if they believe for one second that their silence is going to get them off the hook from the violence, they are totally wrong. Because the jihadists not only want Muslim domination of the world, they want it to be THEIR type if radical Islam based on Sharia Law. The silent and apathetic Muslims will be beheaded last.

So, after two bombings on the World Trade Center, (the second being successful), the attack on the Pentagon, shootings on our military bases, attempted car bombings in Times Square, more attempted airline bombings, and even Sharia "honor killings" by Muslim fathers on their daughters in the borders of the United States, my question is this:

Do we have to start seeing be-headings here in America before we ALL decide to get serious about this problem?

FREEDOM OF SPEECH-SUPPORT ALL OF IT, OR NONE AT ALL

On August 6, 1966, Lenny Bruce, the hip comedian of the 60's "Beat Generation" was found dead in his home from an apparent drug overdose. Funny as it may seem, I consider Mr. Bruce on of the leading figures in our country for the right to free speech as guaranteed by the 1st Amendment of our constitution. He fought tooth and nail for his right to speak as he wished, and say what he wished, no matter how obscene or obnoxious some other Americans deemed it to be. He went broke doing so, and in a strange way I see his death as a sacrifice for his battle against any government intervention into his First Amendment rights.

Ironically, I also have to bring up the name of Larry Flynt, founder and publisher of HUSTLER MAGAZINE and the empire that it helped him to build. Even though the product he sells and publishes is obscene and pornographic, he fought for his rights guaranteed to him under the First Amendment.

However, to make things even more ironic, when these two men fought for their First Amendment rights, yes, they were also fighting for yours and every other American in our country.

But this entry into my blog is not about the efforts of Mr. Bruce or of Mr. Flynt. No, it is more on the efforts of those who represented them in their fights. Mainly, liberals and the ACLU. It was liberal activist attorneys such as Alan Issacson, Phillipa Strum and William Kunstler who help fight for the Freedom of Speech for these two men. Not only for the rights of Mr. Bruce and Mr. Flynt, but others whom they have represented and fought for:

They fought for the rights of the AMERICAN NAZI PARTY, and their rights to gather, demonstrate and state their opinions publicly. Even in the town of Skokie Illinois in the early 1970's where the Nazi's were allowed to march. A town in which at the time showed that 1 out of 6 of it's Jewish citizens - - - was a survivor of the Holocaust.

These liberal "progressives" have also fought for the right of the BLACK PANTHER PARTY, (new and old), to publicly shout their hatred of whites and Jews and for their right to gather in demonstrations also.

These left wingers also fight for the right of the racist organization of the KU KLUX KLAN, an organization that was founded by southern democrats, to gather on the public streets to spew their rhetoric and white power vitriol.

However, my point is this; in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, democrat representing the 8th district in Arizona, these same left wing, liberal, socialist, secular "progressives"; whether they be in the legal profession, the entertainment industry, or be elected officials in the halls of our congress, senate, or state houses are now calling for the control of, or outright ban of talk radio and certain news media. (Yes, they are bring up the debate of the so called FAIRNESS DOCTRINE again).

These liberals even stand up today for the COMMUNITY OF AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS, (CAIR), and their pro jihadist, pro Sharia Law agenda.

Listen, the First Amendment means this: YOU STAND FOR THE RIGHT OF ALL FREE SPEECH - - - OR YOU STAND FOR NONE AT ALL!

The First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America guarantees each American:

The RIGHT --- to be obnoxious.

The RIGHT --- to be obscene.

The RIGHT --- to your opinion.

The RIGHT --- to offend.

The RIGHT --- to dissent.

The RIGHT --- to your vitriol.

The RIGHT --- to your rhetoric.

The RIGHT --- to not agree.

And yes, even the RIGHT --- to be a racist. Just look at Hip/Hop and Rap music and the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, you all have witnessed how he, and it, has been defended and more importantly, by whom.

Left wing, liberal, secular, socialist "progressives"; not only are they trying to eliminate the Second Amendment, but they are targeting now the First, and trying to modify it into something that will benefit only them.

GIFFORDS - HOW SHE IS BEING USED

I wonder how she is going to feel. U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, Congresswoman, Democrat of Arizona representing the 8th district. I wonder how she is going to feel, after she recovers from her injuries. I wonder how she is going to REALLY feel when she realizes that when she took a bullet to her head; that all her "distinguished" colleague's used her and her assassination attempt. Used her and her attempted murder in order to promote their left wing liberal agendas.

I wonder how her family, friends and loved ones are really going to feel after it all sinks in. Not only her, but the family, friends and loved ones who either lost their lives or were wounded on January 8, 2011. I wonder how they are all going to feel when they realize that they have been, and are going to continue to be - - - USED.

It happened within two hours after the shooting, the left wing, liberal, secular, socialist "progressives" began spouting their rhetoric and, yes, I'm going to use the metaphor, began taking their own aim at all those that they consider their enemies.

To these liberals, it was not the act of an insane man who never watched the news or ever even listened to talk radio, that shot Congresswoman Giffords. No, Jared Loughner would HAVE NEVER done what he did if it were not for the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, the National Rifle Association, gun owners, Republicans, conservatives, Sean Hannity, FOX NEWS, etc., that influenced Jared Loughner with their, in the liberals words, "hate speech" and "rhetoric" that made Loughner carry out his heinous crime.

Even the Democratic Sheriff of Pima County Arizona, Clarence Dupnic, without a shred of evidence, lays the blame of this tragedy on conservatives, talk radio and political discourse.

If we the people are as gullible, stupid and as easily influenced as they believe, then we would be blaming the Beatles for the Tate/La Bianca murders, because Charles Manson claims that the British rock group was sending him "secret messages'" to him through their music. Let's blame all heavy metal music for the Columbine High School massacre. Let's blame all hip-hop and rap music for the negative mindset of today's youth. Every time a law enforcement officer is wounded or killed in a shooting, let's pin the blame on Eric Clapton for writing "I Shot the Sheriff".

Let me ask you, if you were the parents of the 9 year old girl who was killed in this tragedy, how would you feel having her and her death being used to promote the political agenda of any political hack?

These people place their political agendas over their country, over their families, over their loved ones, over their friends, and even over their own children. They would sell out family and friends to advance their politics and beliefs.

These people are amoral.

They are liberals first --- Americans second.

They are democrats first --- Americans second.

They are secularists first --- Americans second.

They are left wingers first --- Americans second.

They are socialists and "progressives" first --- Americans, parents, friends, loved ones, brothers, sisters, and family members second.

Plus, they are also EVERYTHING that they claim that they are against. I challenge anybody to give me examples of any of the aforementioned conservatives that may have incited any type of violence anywhere. And I'm talking about REAL hate speech, not metaphors, where they are calling for the death of anybody besides Osama bin Laden or any foreign enemy of our country.

Because I can show where the liberals have.

Actor Alec Baldwin, who is considering running for public office himself, once called for the stoning death Congressman Henry Hyde. He did so on national television and not only did he say that Mr. Hyde must be dragged out of his home and "stoned to death", Mr. Baldwin went on to say that we should do the same to Mr. Hyde's family.

Bill Maher, who has actually uses the word "hate" when speaking of anyone who disagrees with his way of thought, he is rewarded by having his own television talk show on HBO where he has a platform in which to spew his hate filled rhetoric every week.

And then their is William Ayers, the founder of the 60's radical group known as The Weather Underground. This man acted out on his anti-government, anti-capitalism, and anti-establishment hate. This man bombed federal buildings and actually caused the death of American citizens. Did he serve any real hard time, NO! As a matter of fact he was rewarded for his domestic terrorism with tenure at the University of Illinois in Chicago where he is a professor and allowed to teach our children.

DON'T START GOING BACK!

Today, the 112th congress shall come to power and Nancy Pelosi will no longer be the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The reason being is because we all rose up and started a movement that has not ever been seen in this country. The so called "Silent Majority" began to open their mouths and stood up to the arrogant and corrupt politicians that we have allowed to come to power.

We have all realized that we made a huge mistake in electing Barack H. Obama President of the United States. I'll wager that most who did vote for Barack Obama have great remorse in doing so.

Now I say that now is the time we speak even louder. Yes, we won back the House, and made the Senate more balanced. But they are still there, the left-wing, secular, socialist, liberal "progressives". We voted most of them out, but the main characters survived. Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barney Frank, Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein, Dick "TURBAN" Durbin, Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders. They must be next, they MUST BE rendered powerless and voted out.

We must not stop now, in fact we must triple our efforts. The Internet is a wonderful thing because now you can write you congressman and senators and get the message to them instantly. Get the websites, save them on your computers and relentlessly write them and give them your opinions and demands. Always remember that they are YOUR EMPLOYEES and you must treat them as such. And when you do write your representatives and senators with your demands, always end your correspondences with these words: "OR WE WILL VOTE YOU OUT!"

And as far as the new congressmen and senators that we elected, keep their feet to the fire and do not let Washington DC claim them and change them.

This is a very critical time in our history, our first demands, and I mean demands, not requests, is NOT for new taxes, but for the corrupt politicians in Washington DC, and in our state and local governments TO STOP SPENDING! I am going to demand from my representatives a 25% spending cut across the board, starting with their salaries. There is NO REASON why a Vice Admiral in the Navy after 20 YEARS OF SERVICE makes $153,000 a year, or a Master Chief Petty Officer in the Navy and Gunnery Sergeant of the Marine Corps, also with 20 YEARS OF SERVICE makes $65,000 a year; while a freshman congressman starts at $175,000.

Listen, we must make serious cutbacks in how our government has been spending our money. Right now, if the foreign governments whom our elected officials have been borrowing money from were to call in our loans, then every man woman and child in this country would have to pony up $45,000. A family of four has to come up with $180,000. Next time your out and about, look at everyone you see and just start counting by 45,000.

If we do not make the hard decisions now, then our children and grandchildren will not be stuck with the financial burden of our generations mistakes, no, this country WILL GO BANKRUPT!!

And if that happens, then it will not matter how hard or long you have worked, it will not matter how much you have saved, it will not matter how great your portfolio is, it will not matter how your family estate is and it will not matter what you will or may already have inherited. It will all be wiped out. There will be nothing for anybody.

And the only good thing about that is that then --- we will all be equal in every way.

Thank You from a Veteran

With today being Veteran's Day and all, there is something that I would like to share.

Lately, whenever people find out that I served in the United States Navy, they stop and thank me for my service to our country, even though I served over some 35 years ago.

First of all, it was an honor and privilege to serve my country. I believe every young person should enlist in one of the branches an do so.

When I served it was in the 1970's, in the tumultuous times during and following the noble cause of the Viet Nam conflict. So, second of all, I have something to say to all of you who take the time to do this:

On behalf of all my fellow veterans, from all branches of our military, thank you all - - - for thanking us.

JOHN & BOBBY --- ARE DEAD

Recently I have seen one of the local Chicago newspapers selling a special edition commemorating the 50 years after the death of President John F. Kennedy.

Fifty years later, and the liberals are STILL infatuated with John and Bobby Kennedy; so consumed by them in fact that they have been doing nothing for the past five decades but trying to find a replacement and copy of them.

So far, look who they have pushed on us, Gary Hart, Michael Dukakis, John Kerry, Bill Clinton, Al Gore and now Barack Obama.

Hey, left-wing, secular, socialist liberal "progressives", I have a fact of life for you that you have made yourselves blind, deaf, mute and in denial over these past five decades. It is this:

JOHN AND ROBERT KENNEDY - - - ARE DEAD! THEY HAVE BEEN FOR A LONG TIME! THEY ARE NOT COMING BACK! THERE ARE NO REPLACEMENTS FOR THEM! THE IDIOTS YOU TRY TO REPLACE THEM WITH CAN NOT FILL THEIR SHOES!

Plus:

JOHN KENNEDY WAS NOT THAT POPULAR OF A PRESIDENT ANYWAY! HE WON WITH THE NARROWEST POPULAR VOTE COUNT IN HISTORY!

You all also kept looking to their brother Teddy to fill their shoes, but it could never happen. Why? Well, I use a little movie analysis here. It comes from the epic motion picture, "THE GODFATHER". When it comes to the three Kennedy brothers:

MICHAEL AND SONNY ARE DEAD - - - AND YOU WERE STUCK WITH FREDO!

So please, stop using the deaths and legacies of John and Bobby Kennedy to push your liberal agendas. Their personal lives tarnished their legacies anyway. I'll have to hand it to Barack Obama though, the only thing that he DOES NOT HAVE in common with the Kennedy boys, is that he, (so far as we know), does not have the Secret Service bringing Hollywood starlets into the White House or elsewhere for trysts and secret rendezvous's.

A SIMPLE STIMULUS PLAN

I have come up with a simple economic stimulus plan that every American can participate in.

For those of us who were the last to have taken Economics as a mandatory class in high school, you will remember the one law of economics on the first few pages of any Econ textbook: THAT THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH.

However, there is one other economic fact that I'm going to deal with here; and that is for any economy to flourish, then the money supply has to be in a constant motion, always exchanging hands. This is called CASH FLOW.

Any money that is taken out of circulation, lies stagnant and does not continue to flow hurts the economy more than helps. That is one reason that we are going through this current depression, banks and lending institutions are holding on to their money, afraid to lend it out. It stays in their coffers, making interest for their clients, but not helping new businesses to open, or for current ones to remain open.

I was thinking about this current stagnant money the other day when I came home and did something that I believe that 99.9% of all other citizens of our country do. And when I did this little task that we all do and take totally for granted, an idea came to me on how every American in this country has the power to help bolster our economy sitting right there in our homes. That little task I did was to take all of the loose coins from my pocket that I have accumulated throughout the day and place them in an old coffee can in my closet.

I thought to myself of how many other households in this country must have their own coffee can, glass jar, or even a five gallon plastic water bottle from a water cooler that is either filling or is filled with loose change accumulated over the years. I then thought of just how much of a positive effect it would have on our economy if everyone in the country took all of that loose change to their banks and exchanged it for paper currency. And then, took that currency --- and spent it on something --- anything.

Take yourself and your friends to lunch or dinner, pay off a bill or two, buy yourself something that you have always wanted but never needed, go out on a Friday or Saturday night and hit a few nightspots, (tip those bartenders and waitresses a little extra), anything, just spend that money and put it back into the economy.

Can't think of anything to spend it on? Then give the cash to your kids and/or grand kids for them to go on a little spending spree, send it to your kids in college for them to have a little extra spending money, donate it to a charity, or even go downtown, (in my case that would be Chicago), and hand it out to all the homeless on the street.

Just spend it and get all that stagnant cash back into the economy. This is old money, not all the new stuff that they are busy printing in Washington, DC. And don't stop there, find all that loose change that is around your house or office, lying in the ashtray or cup holder section of your cars. Ladies, take all that loose change that is in your purses, and that overstuffed coin pouch on your wallets, and spend it. In fact, ALWAYS give exact change when paying with cash. For example, if you have a total of $7.68 due at the cash register, instead if handing the cashier a ten or twenty dollar bill and get change back, find the sixty-eight cents in coins and give that to the cashier and get nothing but paper currency in return.

Citizens of America, we have the power to boost our economy in the most simple of ways, find all of our loose coins, and spend them. Do some simple math, if the coins you turn into the bank give you a return of $50, $100, $200 or even $300 or more, just multiply that by all the other households in the United States that have the same amount that you came up with and just think about all that money that is being put back into the local economies.

While we are at it, for those of you who have done it, go in and take your collections of those state commemorative quarters that have been minted over the past ten years, tear them out of their cardboard displays, and go spend those also. Those coins are far from rare, they will not change in value for another century and a half, and they are just sitting there doing nothing. Your collections will be far more valuable when you put those quarters back into circulation.

So there you have it America, a simple economic stimulus that we can all participate in. In these hard economic times, we deserve a little break and that little extra cash that we have not paid any attention to for so long is the way to get that break. I would love to witness how this one little "sacrifice" by all of us will boost our economy. And this plan comes from an average American citizen, not the self anointed geniuses that currently occupy our local and federal governments.