Veterans Day 2011

11-11-2011

Today is a day of remembrance. A day to give thanks to that legion of men and women who chose to place themselves between the wars desolation and their own native land.

These were individuals who gambled their lives to insure that this nation of ours would survive along with its laws, customs and beliefs intact; unfettered by tyranny from outside forces. Many gave their lives for that noble cause and to them we pay a special homage on this day.

Formerly known as Armistice Day, which was the official end of World War I in 1918, the day was renamed Veterans Day by Congress in 1954 to honor all veterans.

So, it to all those who served in all the battlefields of every armed conflict since the "Great War" we give our most sincere thanks as we bow our heads in honor of the sacrifice they made that has preserved us as a nation.

Taps

Day is done,
Gone the sun,
From the lakes
From the hills,
From the sky,
All is well,
Safely, rest
God is near.

Fading light,
Dims the sight,
And a star gems the sky,
Gleaming bright,
From afar,
Drawing, near,
Falls the night.

Thanks and praise,
Four our days,
Neath the sun
Neath the stars
Neath the sky,
As we go,
This, we know,
God is near.

Darkness Descending

The fortunes of the world have waxed and waned with the passage of time and the rise and fall of tyrants and those with vision and true leadership abilities.

Currently, however, the United States, indeed the entire world, is currently on a path to a new dark age; a somber foreboding shadow that is spreading over the land blocking out the light of reason and sanity.

Many have already succumbed to this darkness and have been the instigators, if not indeed the creators, of a new order of chaos and confusion that is even now permeating the very fabric of our lives. As a result there is abroad in the land a feeling of fear and insecurity wrought by an authority that has openly demonstrated an alarming degree of incompetence, whether by design or actual fact.

Thus there is in the land a mood that is very unsettled. There as those who cling to the ideals fostered by those who originally designed a form of government then unknown on the planet. That form of government is now being severely tested and the outcome will determine if it indeed survives. The test is coming for a growing number of individuals who have been indoctrinated into believing that the socialist model is more beneficial to them than capitalism.

They have been subjected to an emotional argument that there is an inequity in the world, where "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer". They are told that it isn't right for the "rich" to cling to their "wealth" and not share it with others. Even now there is an organized movement in cities denouncing the behavior of Wall Street Banker fostered by the previously mentioned incompetent leadership who seeks to distract the nation from the fact that it has no solution to the problem other the same idea that has been constantly disproved by the passage of time and events of history.

The Occupy Wall Street is a sham and a diversion that Barack Obama hopes will be the means whereby the Democrats will maintain their control and hopefully make it a permanent one, thus sending this nation of ours on an inevitable path to socialism. However, that dream of a socialist utopia is foredoomed to become an untenable nightmare unsustainable under the conditions that constitute it's philosophy.

However, the damage that could result in the interim could indeed be disastrous for this nation and it's citizenry who are even now finding themselves assaulted on all side by increasing regulation and government control by executive fiat, in contravention of Congress and the very authority of the Constitution itself.

The darkness is coming. Only the voters can help clear it from the horizon by going to the polls on November 6, 2012 to send a clear message that Barack Obama and his ideological policies are nothing but the creation of disaster for this nation.

Silly Seasons and Crazy Years

We are in the midst of one of the silliest seasons during one of the most bizarre sequence of crazy years. It would be safe to say that such a confluence of events has never been seen before in this nation in such an array.

Indeed this nation is in a state of crisis, a veritable storm of events that can either destroy common sense and decency leaving in it's wake a state of affairs that could change our very way or life. Or, it could pass over us; but not without damage that could take years to repair.

Even now we are witness to a movement that is but a shadowy attempt to duplicate the success of the Tea Party movement to justify the policies of Barack Obama and the Democratic Party. Based on recent revelations these protestors are not entirely what they seem. Some have been paid, like mercenaries, to engage in protesting. Why? What is behind it?

One can only deduce that the Democrats are acting in fear of losing the power they've enjoyed since Barack Obama was sown in as President. They have enacted abusive legislation against the express will of the people and are even now still trying to justify it. Many know their days in office are numbered and they seek any situation, any crisis, to cement their hold onto power.

But what of these protestors? What is their aim? Do they really have one? When questioned many of them try to babble brightly but their responses are quite disconnected and not at all logical or coherent. They say they are against greed but they covet what they have not earned. They are thus being just as greedy as they ones they condemn. Further there are indications that these protestors are, for the most part, looking for a "free ride". They seek a Utopia of equality and condemn capitalism. It would seem they do so because they are failures, unable to cope in a society that has left them on the wayside because they are ill suited and ill equipped to cope with it.

Yet there is rampant hypocrisy and ignorance in their actions. They condemn capitalism while freely using the products provided by it. IPhones, IPads, Nike shoes and caps, brand name backpacks, expensive sunglasses, clothes that are anything but inexpensive and their signs are made of materials provided by the very system they seek to condemn.

One can surmise that whoever is behind this is also funding the Democratic party, even though no concrete evidence has yet been found to substantiate it. The aim is, of course, to provide a crisis that could lead to one of two consequences.

One, which is hopefully incorrect, is that Obama could declare a national crisis and institute martial law, thus putting off the election of 2012, as one governor has already suggested; not without controversy. It could not be so far fetched as it first seemed.

The second option is that the crisis will be resolved thereby locking in the reelection of a Democratic majority in the Senate and Obama's re-election. This, too, is a bit impossible to believe at this juncture but nothing is impossible.

What will be the outcome? I wish I knew. I wish I had to foresight to see what will happen in the future. Will the weather be so harsh in the upcoming weeks as to disperse them or will the upcoming holidays send them on their way? Will reason and sanity prevail or will chaos ensue?

Stay tuned.

The Enemy Within

Our nation is currently facing two enemies. One is external, a collection of forces determined to destroy our very way of life and replace it with their own narrow vision. The other is internal, forces equally determined to fundamentally change our way of life to suit their own vision of how they perceive it should be. Both are equally insidious.

The external forces that oppose us are all based on tyranny; the supposition that they know what is best for the rest of humanity and are determined to impose their quite short sighted vision under their own self appointed central authority. They insinuate their way into every aspect of life, from the jobs we can have, the food we may eat, and the clothes we are permitted to wear.

In the past such central authority has decided what people can read, what they can see and what they may hear. They use censorship to keep the public in the darkness of their own authority and frown on the public having even one dissenting opinion or ideas of their own. They decide who may marry, how many children one couple may have and where and how those children will be "educated".

We are today faced with no less an imposition by those who have been entrusted with the heritage of our own forebears. A heritage of free thinking and free spirited people who have shaped a nation based in large measure on free enterprise and civil liberties that were purchased quite dearly by those who came before us.

That onslaught to our liberties and heritage is coming from the very halls of Congress, the Executive Mansion and even the Supreme Court itself. The three branches of government that were supposed to hold each other in check have instead seemingly joined forces to rob the people of this nation of what it has long worked for and which is guaranteed by the Constitution itself.

Why is this so? Perhaps it's because certain people consider themselves, by their exclusive education, to be vastly superior and have decided for themselves that they are better prepared to make decisions based on their own ideology and are quite eager and willing to impose that ideology on the rest of society despite any opposition to it. This is tyranny, no matter how much they may try to sugarcoat it as being best for society.

In the final analysis society will decide what is best for itself and does not need any self-centered ideological tyrant to tell it otherwise. That can only happen when the tyrants in our nation's capital are sent the message that the people will no longer tolerate their tyranny by turning them out of office next election day.

Just like the Japanese awakened a sleeping giant in 1941 so too has the arrogance of those in Washington who have usurped authority it was not meant for them to have under the original provisions of the Constitution they all took an oath to "preserve, protect and defend". This nation can no longer afford to slumber as it has for the past half-century while havoc has been created in Washington.

The American Tree

This was found in a popular blog.

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About 250 years ago, our forefathers had the foresight to plant a special tree. It was a hybrid, bred to be one of a kind, found only in North America.. This tree was to have only 3 branches. The fruit of this tree was to be a gift to the people.

For the first 150-175 years, the tree was well nourished, it sprouted three strong branches, ahd had many, many roots, all the roots burrowed deeply into the ground, giving this tree the strength to withstand almost any attack. The branches brought forth an abundance of fruit.

During this time of amazing growth, the tree was well tended, and grew straight and tall, taking it's nourishment from the will of the people. Everyone wondered, just how long will this unique tree stand, and is it possible, anything could stop it's growth.

During the past 50-75 years, the branches have become twisted and gnarled. The trunk has also become that way, the roots have lost their grip in the ground, and the tree is now tottering.. What can possibly save this wondrous tree, that was the source of hope, and sustenance for so many people.

The good news is, the tree can be saved. If the people develop the same good will toward one another, and return to the principles and practice that nourished this special AMERICAN TREE for so long, the tree can be saved, and so can we.

The Declaration of Independence

A Copy of the Declaration with highlighted sections that are most appropriate for today.

Declaration of Independence

[Adopted in Congress 4 July 1776]

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The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy of the head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence.They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levey war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

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This serves as proof that some things never change.

Do we have a Manchurian Candidate?

This is a column I thought it would be worthwhile to post.


Where are the girlfriends?
Do we have a Manchurian Candidate?

by Milo A. Nickel

I must admit I hadn’t thought about this until someone called it to my attention. After three years, I have a pretty good idea what the president is but no clue as to who he is.

What he is is clear to me now. He is a socialist, left wing liberal, anti business democrat who never ran a business or had a real job in his life. But who he is, remains a huge mystery to me and just about everyone else in the country.

Questions that have been posed include where are Obama’s past girl friends? Surely he had at least one girl friend in college. No past girl friends popping up anywhere? How strange. Strange to the point of being weird: when Tiger got into trouble, the news media found at least a half dozen girl friends in a big hurry. Given his charisma which caused women to be drawn to him so obviously during his campaign, it looks like some lady would have not missed the opportunity to come forward.

Nope, not one lady has stepped forward and said, “he was soooo shy or “what a great dancer.” No classmate, not even the recorder for his Columbia University class ever heard of him. Where is the footage for the graduation ceremony?

Who was the best man at his wedding? Who were his best friends? Isn’t it odd that no one is bragging that they knew him or taught him or lived with him?

Every president provides the public with all their photos, etc. for their library. What has he released? Nada, other than what was in the so-called biography and some experts who study writing styles, etc. claim it was not O’s own words or typical of his speech patterns.

Does this make any of you wonder?

Ever wonder why no one ever came forward from Obama’s past, saying they knew him, attended school with him, and was his friend? Not one person has ever come forward from his past. This should really be a cause of concern. Did you see the movie titled “The Manchurian Candidate?” It’s well worth your time. Rent it.

Why doesn’t Obama’s photograph appear in the University’s year book? Why won’t he allow Columbia to release his records?

Why, why why? Why so many why’s and so few answers? I don’t know but I don’t like it. Something’s putrid in Peru and I can’t help but believe it doesn’t bode well for our country.

Like many Americans, even thought I didn’t vote for Obama, I felt a sense of pride that he was elected and I really wanted him to succeed as the first black president elected. African-Americans only represent less than 12 percent of the voters so a majority of his votes had to come from white voters; thus dispelling the rant of the race baiters who love to say that Americans are racists.

There are many black Americans who would have made a great president. It’s too bad we didn’t elect one!

WHY?

“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of
ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent
virtue is the equal sharing of misery…” - Winston Churchill

That’s my story and I am sticking to it.

Milo A. Nickel is the former President and COO of Louisiana State Newspapers.

Crisis or Diversion?

American bonds have been downgraded! Crisis! Catastrophe!! Or is all just another diversion that only causes even more confusion in the minds of the public? Regardless of that just precisely what does it all mean?

Essentially it means that after years of fiscal irresponsibility by not only a Democrat led Congress but by Democrats elected to the Presidency who have placed intrusive social programs above nationality; this nation is finding itself with an enormous bill that it cannot immediately pay. Further, instead of paying down the debt the current administration is adding even more to that debt.

This is not the action of a reasonable and fiscally responsible group. Rather this is the irresponsible behavior of people who have absolutely no experience with such matters and are only interested in their own political survival, even at the cost of the solvency of this nation.

How did this come to pass? How could the safeguards put in place have been so easily circumvented for such a length of time?

To put it bluntly the nation was asleep while these things were transpiring. An essentially strong economy kept us in a state of somnambulance that prevented us from scrutinizing the goings on in Washington City as we should have. Now that we have awakened we have been confronted with a nightmare.

We find ourselves in the unenviable position of having in the highest office in our nation a very flawed individual. Some say his actions are deliberate and designed to destroy this nation from within. Others say he is out of his depth and in his naivete doesn't know how to solve any problem. They state his complete lack of experience and ivory tower thinking that clings to long disproved economic models. Whichever it is there is one thing that is clear and that he firmly believes Government is the answer to all problems. This is where we stand today.

What can be done? Many have already acted and their actions have given rise to the so-called Tea Party which reverts back to a belief in the Constitution and it's ideals. Ideals that have been thwarted by those who have waxed fat in authority over Congress and a pantheon of bureaucracies that have become responsible to no none but themselves.

From that beginning the people can continue to push and demand for a complete reduction of government intrusion into our lives. That would entail the wholesale elimination of those agencies that have usurped the rights of the States; among them health and education.

If we sit back and do nothing then what is occurring in England and on the European continent may soon be coming to our own shores. We have the power of the vote and we must use it judiciously - replacing those who have in many ways taken a step that would most assuredly be frowned on by our Founding Fathers.

Election day is Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Mark it in red and show up at the polls to remove Obama and as many Democrats from their seats as possible so the mess can at least be tackled without the opposition it has encountered to date.

In the meantime do not fall for the red herrings, diversions and assignations of blame by the Democrats. Their reactions are fueled by fear that they will be voted out of office. Let's make it so.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Where is this nation of ours heading? In what direction is it going to ultimately find itself going? Will the noble experiment of our founding fathers continue on the same course or will it deviate from that path and go where it was not intended for it to go?

We've borne witness to an event never before experienced in this country but which was foretold with dire warnings. Warnings that were patently ignored by those it was directed at. Barack Obama is much more interested in remaining in office than in the fiscal solvency of this nation. He is irresponsibly spending funds, with the help of his Democrat allies and bureaucracies that are allied with his ideals and goals. Goals that have seriously hampered the economy of this nation like none has before.

It's quite obvious to many that Obama's aims are to create a large Federal Government which will control practically every aspect of life - the dread of George Orwell's seminal novel 1984. Big Brother and a permanent Democrat majority is only a eye blink away from becoming reality.

Destiny has not always been kind to this nation but in the long scheme of things it has remained basically true to the ideals of those men who framed it's founding documents - the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. These were men who placed their faith in Divine Providence and a belief in the contemporary Enlightenment ideas of nature and reason, of progress and the rights of man.

To these ends they they pledged "to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor". I point out the order of this pledge - lives then fortunes and finally their sacred honor. These men were willing to place their own lives on the line above all else to battle tyranny and establish a new paradigm in the world. An idea that quickly spread to France and other nations as revolution spread against the old order of Europe.

Yet even when the American Revolutionary War was brought to it's completion there remained many obstacles that had to be overcome by the North American Colonists as they stumbled in establishing a central government. The Articles of Confederation created a very weak central government with no ability to tax the member states and so it was destined to be replaced because this did not satisfy the so-called Federalists who insisted on a more powerful federal government. Thus was born the assembly that would frame the new Constitution for the United States of America.

Since it's ratification and implementation this country continued to face obstacles, the War of 1812 followed by the War Between the States, The Mexican War, the Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, two World Wars and so on through Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iran and who knows where else.

Generations of young men have gone off to war to fight for a belief that free men must make their own way and elect those who will lead over them instead of being at the whim of tyrants, no matter what name they may give to themselves. Such tyrants will continue to exist as long as people continue to be swayed by promises of a better future they extoll in the hopes of gaining a toehold of authority over them.

Yet, things took a turn away from ethics and personal responsibility when Supreme Court decisions created a world were the label Civil Rights were plastered on things that had absolutely nothing to do with the original concept of the rights of man. Why was this so? What was the reason behind this enormous fraud perpetrated on society?

Simply put it was because lawyers virtually took over and pushed social programs that stressed avoiding error and removing fear and failure from society. Their actions through court decisions solved nothing and only created the chaotic mess that prevails today. Fear and failure cannot be removed from the equation. The events of the past fifty years have shown that the attempt has only lead to the innocent suffering even more and the guilty not being punished at all.

A pendulum swings from one side to another in a mathematically calculated period. The pendulum of common sense is long overdue swinging back to the side of reason and sanity. To put it succinctly the law needs to be removed from the hands of politicians & lawyers and placed back into the hands of the people; and error must not be made on the side of caution but on the side of survival.

Radical? Maybe. Conservative? Some would think so. Does it lead to survival? Only the passage of time will tell but those who are faced with a crisis of any kind must take radical measure to insure survival. This is a solution that may not be satisfactory to everyone but it is a solution and so far there are no other viable ones on the table. Where do we go from here? There are only two roads - one leads to survival - the other leads to destruction. History has shown that large governments invariably lead to destruction.

Who Really Won?

Who won in Washington today? Who really came out on top? Was it the Tea Party? The Democrats? The Republicans? Obama? The economy? Who really won?

After hearing Obama spout his usual drivel at noon today I've come to the conclusion that there are no winners. No one has changed their viewpoint. The Democrats continue to insist that their way is correct, as do the Republicans, the Tea Party and so on and so forth. The economy is still tanking and everything Obama proposes will continue to sink it. The emphasis of the Democrats continues to be "Tax the Rich" although they use terms like "Fair Share" or "Balanced Approach" as verbal shorthand to say it.

If I were a referee the contest would have been called a split decision with no clear winner on any front. This so called "Super Committee" is an affront to the Constitution which invests legislation in the entire Congress and not in a select Star Chamber. Obama is chortling at the prospect that this committee will manage to enact higher taxation in contravention of the legislation that enabled it.

Who are the winners? There are none and there will be none as long as Obama continues to occupy the White House and pretends to lead this nation.

A leader must possess honor and be able in instill confidence in those he leads. A good leader praises in public and berates in private. He accepts full responsibility for his actions or inaction. He must not allow his own personal feelings to interfere with the job at hand to see that those he leads get through the battle alive. His main task is to insure the survival of all. Sometimes that isn't possible but losses should be kept to a minimum in any event.

Obama has no honor and does not instill confidence. He has visibly allowed his own personal feelings to be well known with his quite obvious petulance and constant assigning of blame to others in public. He accepts no responsibility for his actions or failure to act. He is only concerned with his own survival and cares not if others fall by the wayside. This is the poseur that the majority chose to lead this nation in 2008. Now they know precisely where he is going.

The day Obama was elected I predicted that this country was in for four very eventful years. I didn't then realize how eventful. Those four years aren't over yet and the events to come should indeed prove to be quite eventful in ways that none of us would even dare to contemplate.

Who won? Only the fullness of time will determine who won and who lost - when the future turns into a brighter day or reveals the detritus of disaster.

We the People...

The Constitution of the United States of America begins with the words, "We, the people..." It does not begin with "We, the Democrats", "We, the Republicans", "We, the Congress...", "We the analysts", "We, the lobbyists', or "We, the Special interests." The document is very specific that it is "We, the people" who are agreeing to this covenant.

In our republic that voice of the people is meant to be represented by delegates to Congress called Senators and Representatives. At one time Senators were elected by State Legislatures and thus represented the states. Representatives were elected by the people and represented districts that were supposed to be equally and reasonably divided by population.

Since then Senators have been elected by popular vote in accordance with the 17th amendment passed in 1913, thanks in large part to the muckraking editor William Randolph Hearst among others. This began a slow and steady erosion of the original intent of the framers of the Constitution that have culminated in the crisis we face today.

This brief article is not the place to delve into historical details about the ensuing events that occurred during the 20th century. There are sufficient comprehensive histories that can be consulted that have not been tainted by revisionists and de-constructionists. Suffice it to say that the liberal Democratic experiment that began with Franklin Roosevelt furthered by Lyndon Johnson added to by William Clinton and now being forcibly pushed by Barack Obama has brought this country to the verge of financial collapse and economic catastrophe.

Thankfully, the mid term election of 2010 served as a clarion call from the electorate that the people had endured enough and it was time to call a halt to the proceedings that were going on in Washington City. Even so there are those who still cling to their assumed prerogatives and refuse to further fiscal responsibility and sanity into the federal government. They have become accustomed to dipping into the public till to bribe the electorate into returning them to office ad nauseum.

Self termed Tea Party members of the House of Representatives have inserted into the mix a new agenda - a mandate from "We the People" to hold the line against abusive spending, restrictive regulations and the outright attack on the business community and the so-called "wealthy" all in the name of so-called "fairness". Fairness in the terminology of the current Democratic elites is nothing more than robbing from the productive rich to give to the non productive parasites who have become extremely comfortable living off the government dole.

In many ways those of my generation have seen a geometric rise in technology while there has been an almost equal decline in moral values and beclouding of what is right and what is wrong. No longer is there the black and white of certainty. Instead we have the uncertainty and conflict of various shades of gray that only serve to confuse, allowing the guilty to go free and the innocent to be severely punished, even murdered.

There are those who seek to re-define, re-interpret and deconstruct the long standing principles, ideas and ideals that once held sway in our nation. We have become besieged not with rational thought but with rationalities, false philosophies and downright Sophistries by people who's only thought is personal gain at the expense of society.

Nowhere is this more evident than in Washington City and the once hallowed halls of Congress that are now populated with selfish individuals who truly do not concern themselves with the fate and well being of this nation.

Yet, there remain pockets of moral virtue and adherence to the values of the past. They will eventually 'move the mountain' that faces us all and in time restore our government by removing those who's only interest is in themselves and their own personal survival, often at the expense of the well being of this nation. They have received a few pinpricks that have temporarily stymied them. Those pinpricks must be increased to achieve the final goal. The ballot box is where the voters of this nation can add to those pinpricks.

The Cold War - Communism and the Atomic Bomb

The 1950’s to the mid 1960’s were a time of Rock ‘n’ Roll, sock hops, Sadie Hawkins dances, Friday night football games, school proms, band concerts, weekend movies and all those other things teenagers are apt to do.

It was a carefree time for those of us who experienced them but there was a specter in the background, a shadow that hung low over us and was a constant reminder of the fragility of life. The Atomic Bomb in the hands of the Russian Communists was a constant threat to the free world and particularly to the United States.

It was at times an ominous presence that had a tendency to cloud the thinking of even the most clear headed thinkers of the day. There was a misguided feeling that if the disastrous were to come to pass people could survive it by building bomb shelters.

In hindsight today we’ve realized that a bomb shelter was nothing but a fancy tomb that would have no tombstone to mark where it was should a thermonuclear device of the magnitude being built would ever explode anywhere in the vicinity. Fortunately, by divine providence, it never happened.

Aside from the “Bomb” as it was sometimes referred to there was also the threat of Communism; that philosophy that had become the leading political system in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (or Soviet Russia as it was sometimes referred to).

It had come to the fore in the McCarthy hearings in the halls of Congress when pompous and arrogant little man launched a crusade against what he perceived to be the forces of Communistic infiltration into all aspects of American society, particularly in Hollywood, trade unions and even in government agencies.

But, like all demigods McCarthy’s reign was cut short by his excessive over reach and he fell into disrepute. However, the threat of Communism remained and we were witness to it as Russia and its satellite countries began to march and conquer the small nations that surrounded it and it’s sinewy tentacles even began to reach into South and Central America. We even saw it insinuate itself into Cuba which led to a confrontation between the United States and Russia that many thought was very close to the brink of nuclear annihilation. But, Providence saw us through safely once more because wiser heads prevailed.

Socialism proved to a failure because without the spirit of incentive and motivation people did not strive because they had come to the realization that no matter what one did they would not receive any more than their comrades who did as little as possible or nothing at all except live off the government dole. That dole had to be replenished and the only way that could happen was by conquest of neighboring countries until their “wealth” and “riches” dried up as well.

Even so there are those who still sing the praises of the State being completely in charge of everything because they would then be the ones who would wield authority over all. Such is the rationality of tyrants and despots who think not of others but of their own selfish desires with the delusion that they are the only ones brilliant enough to “lead”. We realize now that the fight for freedom and liberty is never over and that each generation must shoulder the responsibility to defend them against the forces that seek to curtail them.

We went through this in our youth a now we see it renewed as we prepare for our sunset years in the no so distant future. The cycle seems to be never ending and old battles won have to re-fought all over again against a new enemy that has insinuated its way into our very midst and seem determined to institute a tyranny our founding fathers fought against and left ample warning of it’s possible return.

Return it has and fight we must; in the meeting halls, the halls of our legislatures and even in the halls of Congress. If we fail there the alternative is to fight by other means that are not as pleasant but may indeed ultimately become necessary.

The ISM's

Communism: If you have two cows, you give both cows to the government, and then the government sells you some of the milk.


Socialism: If you have two cows, you give both cows to the government, and then the government gives you some of the milk.


Nazism: If you have two cows, the government shoots you and takes both cows.



Fascism: If you have two cows, you milk both of them and give the government half the milk.


New Dealism: If you have two cows, you kill one, milk the other and pour the milk down the drain.


Capitalism: If you have two cows, you sell one cow and by a bull.

Deficit Spending and Deficit of Common Sense

The current topic of conversation in this nation is the Debt Ceiling and Deficit Spending. There is much more than deficit spending to be concerned with. There is also a deficit of logic, reason and common sense in our nation's capital with a president who has demonstrated a decidedly immature attitude about not having his wishes met.

Added to this mix is Harry Reid, who has steadfastly stated that any legislation turned in to the Senate by the GOP dominated House is "Dead on Arrival". That is a gauntlet thrown down that must be met. The Senate needs to take up that gauntlet and oust the one man that stands in the way of progress and fiscal responsibility. Harry Reid will never give up what he feels he has earned and he feels he has earned the right to spend money in the manner to which he has become accustomed to continue to insure his continued reign in Washington as the "King of the Hill".

Today we have borne witness to a most unusual phenomenon. Taking up the challenge from a very petulant Barack Obama the people have swamped the switchboards and web sites of Congressional members making their sentiments known and the consensus appears to be for Obama, Reid and company stop playing children's games and do what they were sent to Washington to do.

Not only that, the people have grown quite weary of the behavior of Barack Obama which many equate with a spoiled brat throwing a temper tantrum when they don't get their way. They also have become fed up with his continually refusing to take blame for what he does or doesn't do. They have become particularly upset that Obama is more interested in his re-election than he is in the state of this nation.

Some have called him narcissistic and a compulsive liar who has yet to define any situation in clear cut and accurate terms. He consistently seeks to attribute blame to others, especially his predecessor George Bush. Everything he has touched has in more ways than one turned to the proverbial pile of shit. Personally I don't believe he even knows the difference between shit and Shinola.

Is he a compulsive liar? The following may shed some light on the subject:

Identifying a Pathological Liar

Pathological liars - or "mythomaniacs" - may be suffering from histrionic personality disorder or narcissistic personality disorder. The following comments basically reflect a pathological liar who has the characteristics of histrionic personality disorder.

Some characteristics

1. Exaggerates things that are ridiculous.

2. One-upping. Whatever you do, this person can do it better. You will never top them in their own mind, because they have a concerted need to be better than everyone else. This also applies to being right. If you try to confront an individual like this, no matter how lovingly and well-intentioned you might be - this will probably not be effective. It's threatening their fantasy of themselves, so they would rather argue with you and bring out the sharp knives than admit that there's anything wrong with them.

3. They "construct" a reality around themselves. They don't value the truth, especially if they don't see it as hurting anyone. If you call them on a lie and they are backed into a corner, they will act very defensively and say ugly things (most likely but depends on personality), but they may eventually start to act like, "Well, what's the difference. You're making a big deal out of nothing!" (again, to refocus the conversation to your wrongdoing instead of theirs).

4. Because these people don't value honesty, a lot of times they will not value loyalty. So watch what you tell them. They will not only tell others, but they will embellish to make you look worse. Their loyalty is fleeting, and because they are insecure people, they will find solace in confiding to whomever is in their favor at the moment.

5. They may be somewhat of a hypochondriac. This can come in especially useful when caught in a lie, for example, they can claim that they have been sick, or that there's some mysteriously "illness" that has them all stressed out. It's another excuse tool for their behavior.

6. Obviously, they will contradict what they say. This will become very clear over time. They usually aren't smart enough to keep track of so many lies (who would be?).

Do these characteristics fit Barack Hussein Obama? I'll let the reader be the judge.

Can Washington DC be fixed?

The nations looks on in chagrin as they view the machinations of our elected officials debating matters of serious import without reaching a timely decision that can affect us all. We see entrenched in the seat of the presidency an individual who is plainly and visibly a self-centered egoist with a Narcissist complex who believes himself to be the second coming and that no one can begin to fathom his purpose or his purported genius.

Barack Obama has one thing on his mind and he refuses to change it. His idea of correcting the ills of this nation is to tax and continue taxing at ever increasing rates. He wants to penalize those who make money in order to continue giving welfare to those who are not as industrious and expect the government to support them. This excessive spending by the current administration is unsustainable at current levels but that little bit of information seems to elude Obama, Geithner, Reid, Pelosi et al.

None of these people have any idea of how the economy works or what wealth is or how money and wealth are really created in the system of free enterprise. They equate wealth with money which is indicative of their socialist thinking.

This socialism began when those who'd been voted into public office decided that the Federal Government was somehow responsible for the well being of all and that it could guarantee fiscal security for everyone regardless of circumstance. To accomplish this the system was maneuvered so that legislation and programs that were tenuously constitutional were nevertheless implemented which has led to a series of ever increasing encroachment into the personal lives of all citizens of this nation. This is where the nation now stands; being held in the grip of two opposing forces. One seeks government control of everything and the other seeks to shrink government control down a bare minimum.

But this sort of behavior is nothing new. It's been going one for quite some time. Here is a short clip from the Disneyland episode called Davy Crockett Goes to Congress produced by Walt Disney Productions in 1954.




Can Washington be fixed? The jury is still out and we'll have to wait a little while longer for the verdict.

For this we will fight....

Why do patriots fight? This excerpt from the 1957 movie Johnny Tremain by Walt Disney Productions explains.

Political Semantic Chicanery

Undercurrents of anger fueled by frustration are flowing swiftly across our nation threatening to destroy it. The haves are being pitted against the have nots by rhetoric from political sources that have as their agenda the purpose of holding on to authority as long as they are able.

These unscrupulous agents of chaos and confusion utilize words that are designed to sow division. Words that are loaded with connotations that affect both sides of the political spectrum in quite opposing ways. They are highly negative to the "Right" and highly positive to the "Left"

Indeed semantics is playing a major role in the old scheme of divide and conquer and the true enemy is the one utilizing it to their advantage. Their aim is to "tax the rich", an age old scheme to generate funds with with to further their own schemes at the expense of the nation.

Further their aim is to insinuate the government they control and all its agencies into every aspect of human life thereby creating an iron fist chocking all liberty and freedom previously enjoyed. We have borne witness to this phenomenon as the Obama Administration has insinuated it's sinewy tentacles in the very core of our nation's economy.

Further they have corrupted the thinking of what now appears to be more than a few generations giving them the expectation that the government will provide and that the rich will be force to pay their "fair" share of the expense.

To make it easier for anyone to follow what Obama is really saying I present this lexicon.

"Hope and change": Socialism at home, surrender abroad.

"False choice": A very real choice Obama wants to pretend doesn't exist.

"Deficit reduction": Deficit increases.

"Make no mistake": See "let me be clear."

"Unprecedented": When he's doing something beneficial for the American people, Obama claims he is the first to ever think of it; when he's doing something harmful, he seems to always find a precedent for it in FDR or LBJ.

"This isn't about me": This is completely about me.

"Hitting the reset button": Refusing to learn from the mistakes of the past and acting as though a fresh start requires utter naivete.

"Reaching out to the other side of the aisle": Totally rejecting all ideas from anyone outside the Obama-approved bubble. Then suggesting that subsequent political impasses are their fault, and that they ought to bend down and grab their ankles to establish a new tone in Washington.

"Failed policies of the past": Don't blame me! Blame Bush!

"Teachable moment": I screwed something up, now I'll brag about it.

"Tax cut": Redistribution of money from those who pay a disproportionate amount of taxes to those who pay none.

"Transparency": Deliberate opaqueness, hiding crucial facts from the American public.

"Accountability": Don't worry, I'll fire someone.

"Stimulus": Payoffs to friends.

"Shovel-ready jobs": Jobs that no one wants and that last for two months.

"Green jobs": Imaginary jobs.

"Saved or created": Old Obama language used to futz the numbers on jobs.

"Recovery": Continued economic stagnation.

"Jobs funded": Jobs Obama will take credit for, even though he has done nothing to either save or create.

"It won't happen overnight": It will never happen.

"Progress": Redistribution.

"Cynics": Anyone who doesn't believe in the Obama radical agenda.

“Their fair share” and “Tax the rich”: Redistribution of funds.

“Sacrifice”: Do what we want.

“Era of responsibility”: Double the sacrifice.

From an article by Ben Shapiro with a few additions and modifications of my own.

Will sanity prevail?

We are eyewitnesses to a history that will prove to be quite a shameful one in the annals of the United States of America. Whether those annals will end now or whether they will continue past this current serious crisis remains to be seen.

Our eyes have been riveted on Washington DC these past few days as we've watched in utter fascination and horror the manipulations of both the Democrats and the Republicans as they attempt to solve a budget crisis that should never have materialized in the first place were it not for short sighted and completely oblivious people whose only agenda is basically to stay in office enjoying the authority that office gives them.

Gone, it would seem, are the days when patriotism and dedication to one's country reigned in the halls of Congress. Gone are the high moral standards and ethical behavior that were once the norm rather than the exception. Long gone are the ideals of the Founding Fathers who had such high hopes for this nation.

Instead we have self-serving individuals like Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Charlie Rangel, Barney Franks and a host of other entirely too numerous to name in this short article. Instead of integrity we have corruption, dishonesty and downright prevarications that have become the new norm resulting in the voice being drowned out and downright ignored by our elected officials who make such bold promises to change but knowing full well they will not.

We should learn not to take at face value such promises without first exploring the background and integrity of the one making the promises. We should learn that most politicians will say and do anything to gain office and remain in it indefinitely. We have a problem with such and the time has come to take the bull by the horn and throw that sucker clear over the Potomac River.

There are two things that the voters of the nation should insist on. The first is term limits for all members of Congress and an end to the Electoral College.

It was never meant for Congress to become a career opportunity and the Electoral College has served it's time and is truly of no further practical value except for the manipulations of those running for office of President.

A word about Juries and the American Judicial System

Anger has spread throughout the land. An anger that's insinuated it's way into the collective consciousness of an alarming number of people who've been quick to find fault in a system that will allow what they perceive to be a murderer to walk free.

They place blame on the twelve who reached a decision in what can only be described as an unenviable task assigned to them. These twelve men and women are finding themselves ostracized and even threatened for the verdict they reached based on the evidence and testimony presented in court.

Jury duty is, to many, a quite distasteful job which they shy away from and use any means at their disposal to avoid, much as one avoids the bubonic plague. It seems, however that those who shun this civic responsibility are the ones who are quick to criticize those who do serve and condemn them when the decision they reach does not meet with the approval.

Many are called but few serve simply because trial lawyers have created a system of selection called Voir(e) Dire, which they state means "to tell the truth". This procedure allows lawyers on both sides to eliminate any who may adversely affect their planned prosecution or defense. However, there is a small point of semantics that I've always taken issue with the French Term Voir Dire properly transliterated in the common vernacular simply means "I understand what you're saying". The problem, as I see it, is that most attorneys at law do not understand what people are saying; mainly because it's entirely too simple for them to understand.

But, I digress. The main topic is the procedure and rules that all juries have to operate under in order to arrive at a decision. After being selected and approved each juror must take an oath prescribed by each jurisdiction Once that oath is administered the trial begins.

Once the trial is completed the judge then issues Instructions to the Jury in which he thorough explains the law pertaining to the case and charge the jury to decide the case upon it's merits based on evidence and testimony presented at trial and to disregard anything else, especially any emotion that would taint a decision.

Those who have never served can't even begin to fathom the full scope of the responsibility facing each juror. They cannot begin to realize the degree of integrity and impartial judgement that is required to decide what are and aren't valid facts in a case. Once they reach a decision it should not be questioned less chaos and violence reign

Many who are felt to be guilty by popular opinion and found innocent in a court of law are often ostracized and threatened but this is not proper in a civilized society. Rather it is best to remember that the guilty will flee when no one pursues them and in the end if they are indeed guilty they will soon self destruct and true justice will be served.