This is the second visit the Obamas have made to Martha’s Vineyard; the first occurred in the summer of 2009.

How are T-shirt sales at the Vineyard? Glad you asked:

One barometer of the plunge in excitement has been the sale of Obama-themed T-shirts, which designers had been banking on after the craze of last year. Clothing labeled with the president’s name sold by the thousands, helping to salvage a tough economic year for the island.

But this year’s T-shirt sales are much less brisk, merchants say.

“Last year, Obama gave you goose bumps, but I don’t think you’re going to see that this year,’’ said Alex McCluskey, co-owner of the Locker Room, who sold more than 4,000 “I vacationed with Obama’’ T-shirts last year. But so far this year, he said, his hot item is T-shirts of former President Bush asking, “Miss me yet?’’

This is the sixth holiday the Obamas have enjoyed this year.

How many vacations have you enjoyed this year? One, perhaps, if that? On the assumption, of course, that you have a job and can still provide for a family vacation.

Mr Obama spent 26 days on vacation last year. Did you get a month’s vacation last year, during a recession?

In the meantime, only 1 in 4 people approve of his handling of the economy;

Jobless claims are at their highest level in nine months;

Twenty-two additional states believes Arizona’s immigration bill was proper and are advocating their own versions;

The rather conservative CBO indicates the U.S. budget deficit will hit $1.342 trillion this year, 9.1% of the GDP;

18% of Americans think Obama is a Muslim. I tend to disagree. If he is a true Muslim, he is the most efficient “stealth Muslim” extant; bound to pray to Mecca five times daily, I doubt mandates such as that could escape media lenses. Devout extremist Muslims wouldn’t have him; I believe that, instead, it is his philosophies which sympathize with Islam. On the other hand, Muslims will take advantage of sympathy and inroads wherever they may be found, at the expense or ignorance of our president and our nation. And our president is massively ignorant;

Yet, even the New York Times, on May 12th of 2008, wrote:

But it is a mistake to conflate his African identity with his Muslim heritage. Senator Obama is half African by birth and Africans can understandably identify with him. In Islam, however, there is no such thing as a half-Muslim. Like all monotheistic religions, Islam is an exclusive faith.

As the son of the Muslim father, Senator Obama was born a Muslim under Muslim law as it is universally understood. It makes no difference that, as Senator Obama has written, his father said he renounced his religion. Likewise, under Muslim law based on the Koran his mother’s Christian background is irrelevant.

Of course, as most Americans understand it, Senator Obama is not a Muslim. He chose to become a Christian, and indeed has written convincingly to explain how he arrived at his choice and how important his Christian faith is to him.

His conversion, however, was a crime in Muslim eyes; it is “irtidad” or “ridda,” usually translated from the Arabic as “apostasy,” but with connotations of rebellion and treason. Indeed, it is the worst of all crimes that a Muslim can commit, worse than murder (which the victim’s family may choose to forgive).

Mr Obama is not in keeping with national thought; he is resolutely tone deaf on the Ground Zero mosque (which now AP journalist are forbidden to label as such – instead to call it the “NYC mosque”). According to a new TIME poll, 61% of respondents oppose the construction of the Park51/Cordoba House project, compared with 26% who support it;

Home values continue to fall;

And yet, it’s time for another vacation during a recession.

I mean, we certainly wouldn’t want our dear Mr Obama to be taxed, uncomfortable, or stressed on any level, would we?

BZ