It’s an old term with origins during the Cold War: Leader of the Free World. And it has always meant the president of the United States.

There were three worlds: the Free World, the Communist World, and the Third World (nations not aligned with either of the other two blocs, in case you didn’t know the origin of that phrase).

The Free World, the nations aligned against the threat of communism, referred to the United States, Great Britain, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, West Germany, and other U. S. allies.

With the fall of the Soviet Union, the Cold War isn’t what it used to be. But some of the terminology remains. Including referring to the president of the United States as “Leader of the Free World.”

But is that accurate any more?

No.

The Leader of the Free World doesn’t bow to other leaders.

Obama has abandoned the role: he is not the Leader of the Free World.

So, who is?

Certainly not the leader of any communist country, or any dictatorship. And, I’m thinking a leader of the Free World should be the leader of a country with a major presence on the world stage.

No offense to our friends in Australia, New Zealand, or Canada, but those countries just aren’t major players. Certainly, they are more so than, say, Luxembourg or Iceland, but they’re not at the top of the pyramid.

So, who?

Let’s look at the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council: the Unites States, Great Britain, France, Russia, and China.

Obama has already relinquished the title, so the leader of the U.S. is out. Four to go.

China? China is communist. Free World? Just the opposite. Two down, three to go.

Great Britain? They have a queen. A queen? A non-elected monarch? As leader of the Free World? Three down, two to go.

So, who’s left?

Russia and France.

Who’s the president of Russia? Vladimir Putin? Actually, no. It’s Dmitry Medvedev. Former president (and current Prime Minister) Vladimir Putin might be running the show, but Medvedev is president, elected by the people. Forget all the other problems with Russia, the leader isn’t the person elected by the people. So, four down, one to go.

That leaves: France.

Yes, France. The president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, is leader of the Free World.

France, despite all the jokes we throw her way, has a long, storied military history. The Franks took Gaul from the Romans, Charlemagne controlled much of Europe and the Mediterranean world, France helped the American colonies win the Revolutionary War, Napoleon led France to nearly conquer the world in the early 19th century…

You get my point, I hope. France isn’t a pushover.

The French government, though, has been a problem. It was the French government, not the French people, who were defeated by Germany in World War II. The people, most of them, kept fighting.

And, in recent years, the rise of the left in France has caused the French government to take weak stands against opponents of freedom.

Sarkozy defeated a Socialist Party candidate to assume the presidency in 2007, and has shown himself to be more of a leader on the world stage than Barack Obama.

True, that’s not saying a lot. But, for now, the president of France is the Leader of the Free World.

And that’s a damned shame.

November 6, 2012 can’t get here soon enough.

The Democrats’ public option opt out plan is like being served a rotten egg and then being told you can opt out of eating the shell.

The Dems are renaming the public option:

The plan, called the “robust” option or “Medicare Plus 5″ in the jargon that has emerged on Capitol Hill, ties provider reimbursement rates to Medicare, adding 5 percent. Leaders are planning to roll the bill out next week, and are hoping to vote the first week in November

Fred called this one on September 30th:

[YouTube direct link]

[quote starts at 0:36 mark]

The Senate Finance Committee voted down a public option amendment to the health care bill. Does that mean it’s finally dead?

Probably not. They’ll just change the name and put it back up again. So if you hear about the “super duper non-private double-happy health care delight option”, be suspicious.

Prescience is just one of The Fred’s many awesome powers.

On this day in 1787, in Philadelphia, the greatest document written in the last several centuries was completed.

What began as a rewrite of the Articles of Confederation became the Constitution of the United States.

It’s a document that guarantees our liberties. It lays out the duties and responsibilities of the three branches of our federal government, and it establishes the relationship between the states. And, as amended, it establishes the rights guaranteed to the individuals on which the government may not infringe.

I am of the camp that feels that not enough people have read the Constitution — including many who have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution.

At the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention, delegate Benjamin Franklin (the dude on the $100 bill, for you on the left) was asked, “What have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?”

To which Franklin replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”

Go read the Constitution. Then make it your mission to help us keep a republic.

Obama says there will be no “Death Panels”.

So I’m wondering… is he saying that the government won’t start denying people care based on cost vs. expected productive value to society, or is he just saying they won’t call this cacophany of bean-counting bureaucrats a “Death Panel”?

I suspect the latter, so I expect the final Obamacare bill will empower its decision-making assemblage under a different name.

Some possibilities:

Caskets for Clunkers

Reaper Review Board

Cessation Commission

Termination Task Force

Curtains Committee

Departure Directorate

Burial Board

Casualty Cabinet

Funeral Forum

Eradication Convocation

Mortality Moderators

Grave Group

Monty Python Parrot Panel

The president had it “Town Hall” photo-op today. And he used the opportunity to explain how the government health care plan is a great idea:

[direct link]

Note where he said, “U.P.S. and FedEx are doing just fine. It’s the post office that’s always having problems.”

My fears are now allayed: I’m thrilled to hear that government-run health care will be as efficient as the post office. And that’s according to the president.

Your hard-earned money will be collected from your paycheck via taxes, and sent to finance a program that will be run like the post office.

Let me say that I have a brother-in-law that works for the post office. He’s a good guy. And most of the postal workers I’ve met are good people, too. I say that so they won’t … well … go postal on me.

Anyway, the president has convinced me. We need to have government-run health care. And the post office example sold me.

But, there are some of you, I’m sure, that aren’t yet convinced. So, as a loyal American (who doesn’t what to be flagged), I present other reasons to let the government run health care. Here are things that will present excellent examples of how government-run organizations (regardless of the level of government) operate:

• Amtrak
• The quality of public schools
• The NEA funding of porn
• The DMV
• Oil for Food
• Paying farmers to not grow crops
• Student visas
• The TSA
• FEMA
• The IRS

If these examples don’t show you just how wonderful a government-run health care system will be, I don’t know what will convince you.

I assume you saw where the government, as part of its economic recovery program, has purchased $1,191,200 of ham. How much ham is that? Two pounds. No, really. (Hat tip: American Thinker and KOSMOSNET)

Don’t get discouraged. If you think all the government does is pay lots of money for ham, you’d be wrong.

They also pay lots of money for cheese. $1,562,568 for mozzarella cheese. (Hat tip: FireAndreaMitchell.com)

Now, to be fair, it doesn’t say exactly how much cheese the government gets for $1,562,568, but I have enough faith in my government to believe that it’s enough to go with $1,191,200 of ham.

Assuming that’s the case, what’s the government going to do with all that ham and cheese?

Feed the world.

Remember, Jesus fed five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish. Surely, Obama can do better.

There were only about 200-300 million people in the world during Jesus’ lifetime. That’s less than the number of people living in the U.S. today. Shouldn’t be a problem for Obama, should it?

With all that ham (TWO POUNDS … and it’s SLICED!) and cheese (mozzarella, no less) the government bought, world hunger will soon be a thing of the past. And, for the measly price of $2,753,768 it’s a bargain!

Ham and cheese for everybody!

Oh. Except for the Jews.

And the Muslims.

Oh, heck. I think I’ve found the flaw in the plan.

I wonder if there’s any way Obama can blame this on Biden? Or Bush?

What if the Federal government were a corporation?

Would its website look like this?

Kylon Gustin of BusinessPlanAdvice.com thinks so and brilliantly walks the line between parody and “What crazy scheme is Obama floating THIS time?”.

Become part of the collective
Get what’s coming to you. We’re here to take from the rich and give to you.

Are there services we are not currently offering that you need?
Remember, Big Brother’s mission is to provide free social services to the masses and create a dependent society resulting in our entrenchment into every aspect of their lives. If there is some aspect of your life that we have missed, please let us know.

Yeah, it made me giggle, but part of me was thinking “Don’t give them any ideas!”