''We seek him here, we seek him there, Those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in heaven? —Is he in hell? That demmed, elusive Pimpernel.''
Friday, November 30, 2007
Zombie Apocalypse
87% I was surprised that I scored so low. I have always enjoyed "end of the world" type movies and I hate to admit it Zombie movies are my favorite in the genre. I was certain that I would have scored much higher - perhaps it was that question relating to if I would try to help a group of strangers. This is obviously just a flawed quiz - I would help the group of strangers and still be ok - head shots to all zombies.
Insane McCain
Here we have one of the more insane things said in the debate the other night; spoken by the unhinged John McCain.
I have already addressed the fact that it was Wilsonian intervention that led to WWII, not post war isolationism - the die was alread cast Mr. McCain.
I would add also, as an active duty military officer - I gave Dr. Paul another donation today. You do not speak for us John McCain.
But that we could only live such
Solid advice from a lady:
~ Don't always make yourself the hero of your own stories.
~Don't show a disposition to find fault or depreciate. Indiscriminate praise is nauseating; but, on the other hand, indiscriminate condemnation is irritating....
~Don't be sulky if you imagine yourself neglected. Think only of pleasing; and try to please. You will end by being pleased.
~Don't show repugnance even to a bore. A supreme test of politeness is submission to various social inflictions without a wince.
~Don't fail in proper attention to elderly people. Young persons are often scandalously neglectful of the aged, especially if they are deaf or otherwise afflicted. Nothing shows a better heart, or a nicer sense of true politeness, than kindly attention to those advanced in years.
~Don't wear out your welcome by too long a stay; on the other hand, don't break up the company by a premature departure. A little observation and good sense will enable you to detect the right time to say "Good-night."
~ Don't always make yourself the hero of your own stories.
~Don't show a disposition to find fault or depreciate. Indiscriminate praise is nauseating; but, on the other hand, indiscriminate condemnation is irritating....
~Don't be sulky if you imagine yourself neglected. Think only of pleasing; and try to please. You will end by being pleased.
~Don't show repugnance even to a bore. A supreme test of politeness is submission to various social inflictions without a wince.
~Don't fail in proper attention to elderly people. Young persons are often scandalously neglectful of the aged, especially if they are deaf or otherwise afflicted. Nothing shows a better heart, or a nicer sense of true politeness, than kindly attention to those advanced in years.
~Don't wear out your welcome by too long a stay; on the other hand, don't break up the company by a premature departure. A little observation and good sense will enable you to detect the right time to say "Good-night."
A Hawaiian Responds to George Will
George Will:
That was quite a spin you've created. Too bad you are not knowledgeable about Hawa'is history and issues. It's best to get the true facts and then expouse on them. Much of your statements are false and twisted besides being inconsistent. You and others being insistent with the falsehoods and deceit does not make them the truth. This proves that most US Americans do not know what the truth is and promotes the myths and lies as if they are the truth. I can see why there is a lot of controversy among all of you who try to spin with vacuous arguments.
We get weary of your self-proclaimed truths to white-wash the facts. The feeble arguments you bring up are irrelevant to the facts. So let's go over some of the misstatements you and many others have made:
Blood quantum is a US American created policy. There is a reason it was done. You have jumped from 100% Hawaiian Polynesian blood to the "one-drop" rule. Amazingly, you seemed to have flunked math by inferring only 7,000 are full-blooded and the rest have one-drop, which would then be the mass majority of the Hawaiians.
You make a claim that 94 % Hawaiians, Including majority of Native Hawaiians voted for statehood. This is confusing and misleading since you are using the word Hawaiians in different meanings. You all need to get it straight or you will confuse yourselves. Initially, Hawaiians were referred to the Polynesian group who live in Hawaii and of whom it is their homeland, their nation-state. Only recently are you people labelling anyone who lives in Hawaii as Hawaiians. Why not Locals or Hawaiian Islanders, or just islanders. You on the mainland love to redefine and redefine the same labels incorrectly and confuse yourselves thereby giving the wrong impressions.
The more correct statement is only 22 percent of the population voted in the so-called plebiscite for statehood of which 94% voted for statehood. Of the 94% military personnel and their families who resided or stationed in Hawaii for at least a year, were eligible to vote. US Americans were allowed to vote; some Native Hawaiians were barred from voting and those who felt they were still Hawaii Nationals refused to vote. The irregularities of the voting and the contents and wording of the ballot was enough to deem it null and void. Only two choices were on the ballot: 1) - remain a territory (taxation without representation) and 20 - become a state (to have a voice in government and vote for the US president). How clever! There was no choice for total independence nor a commonwealth or free-association. There were no international observers to witness the process; only the word of the USA (and we know how good their word is, don't we?).
When ex-press secretary for Bush stated,"..a resolution is non-binding", it brought to mind the Newlands Resolution. This means that resolution for annexation of Hawaii was non-binding, but a wishlist. The Hawaiian Nationals petitioned the US to restore the Queen, her government, and our nation-state back to them. Over 96% percent of the nationals signed that petitions against annexation in 1897 and presented it to the US Congress. That's partly why the Bill for annexation failed and a lack of a treaty of annexation by the legitimate government of Hawaii. Thus the influential powers in Washington resorted to the Newlands Resolution.
Those in Washington, D.C. that were against statehood was afraid of too many Asians in Hawaii and feared their sympathies were communistic and socialistic in nature. Also the Chinese were barred from immigrating to the USA through an act passed in Washington was still fresh in their minds. There again it was racists-motivated.
Here again is your little spin in deception using the term Hawaiians as majority against the Akaka Bill and ill-defined the bare majority of "Native" Hawaiians that support it. Contrary to the spin is that Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians are for and against the Akaka bill and not divisive by their race or ethnicity. Most everyone again fails to recognize the Hawaii Nationals opposition to the Akaka Bill for legitimate reasons. Hawaii Nationals of today stem from the bona fide nationals at the time of the US invasion and occupation.
According to the 1890 census, 84.4% were "Native" Hawaiians/Kanaka Maoli and 15.6% were of foreign origin/multi-ethnic. The Hawaii Nationals comprised of 50.1% of the total population living in Hawaii. The other 49.9% of those residing or working under contracts and of foreign citizenship were mostly from the USA and Asia and the rest were from Europe and various parts of the world.
The only ones that could have and will create racial disharmony have been the overwhelming majority of those from the continental USA who are ignorant of Hawai'is past history and the USA's involvement and what they established to soften and wipe their slate clean. Technically, the Hawaiian Kingdom still exists albeit under US belligerent occupation; this is a fact. We Hawaii Nationals know this and that's why we oppose the NHGE which is a US entity trying to usurp the Hawaiian Kingdom's jurisdiction and authority. The US needs the NHGE as an assemblance of the real thing to make believe it is legitimately negotiating "lands, natural resources, assets, criminal and civil jurisdiction, and historical grievances." We Hawai'i Nationals find this repugnant and criminal.
So let's get this straight once and for all; it would not be secession but de-occupation. Please do some serious research before drawing errant conclusions. The US deep conspiracy, covert and overt actions, the invasion, fake revolution, belligerent occupation, US-established puppet government, non-binding resolution to annex Hawaii, the Ku'e petitions from the Hawaii Nationals protesting against annexation and US actions, violations of the laws of occupation and disregard of Hawaii's neutrality status, US revisionists of the Hawaiian incidents, and the unlawful and illegitimate Statehood Act all lead up to a major cover-up and hoax being passed off as truth.
Your sarcasm is well-noted and taken in disgust. If you were knowledgeable, the seeds of the weed you mentioned began overtly in the 1880s. Your revision of facts are seditious to say the least. It was not Hawaiian residents (as you flip flop the definition) but actually US Americans foreigners in Hawaii involved in the US conspiracy to overthrow the Queen. How quaint that you mention a 2000 court case relating to a separate specific issue. This we won't get into since it deserves to be discussed separately because of a narrow question in the complaint of a complex issue established by the US government. It would be too lengthy to do it here.
It is hypocritical to reference the constitutionality of things implemented by the US government when it still continues to disregard the constitution. I might add that treaties between countries, once ratified, become the supreme law of the land; thus the treaties between the USA and the Hawaiian Kingdom fall into this US Constitutional law. One of the conditions for statehood was part of the state's revenues from Hawaiian lands (not American lands) would go for the betterment of the Native Hawaiians (Kanaka Maoli). The Hawaiian Homestead Act of 1921 was a failure but still kept in the Statehood Act as a guilt-ridden necessity to pacify the Native Hawaiians because of the US criminal actions. This was done to aid in disarming the native population and international outrage while showing US paternalism.
Your following paragraph shows a paltry lack of understanding and knowledge of out government. Say, "Constitutional Monarchy". Now look it up! Hint: The government system of United Kingdom/Great Britain. I surmise that it wouldn't interest you to know that Hawaii Nationals elected two of their monarchs. Your sanctimonious criticism of our country is outlandishly stupid and plain gibberish. What can I say, you're correct that the Queen (and her people) were more enlightened than Akaka, you, and the rest of the US Americans who still think Hawaii is legitimately part of the USA. For us, it is a national/international issue; for you and the rest of US America it is a racist WASP/State (domestic/internal) issue. That's why you are all confused and in La-La Land.
You get a point for this since this is what we've been saying all along but your corporate media and US congress have promoted Akaka's legislation that would create a Native Hawaiian "tribe" as a nation within the nation. Our Hawaiian nation-state still exists and was a multi-ethnic country. The US Akaka Bill shuns a portion of our Hawaiian Nationals as irrelevant and invalidates their existence. The US omits this fact to skirt around the truth that Hawaii is a nation-state and not a part of the USA. To acknowledge them is to recognize once again that the Hawaiian Kingdom's status as a fellow nation as a peer to the USA and other world nations.
You are truly an ultracrepidarian critic with no sense of the facts. It's pathetic that you believe the revised history to further promote it. Hawai'i was taken by force and against the wishes of the Hawaii Nationals. It's like saying the US didn't invade and occupy Iraq but went there to liberate them. How arrogant and asinine of you! By now you should have learned from me that we never chose to be under the racist WASP society of the USA nor your alleged statehood. Get real and don't speak for us.
"The tribal concept simply has no place in the context of Hawaiian history."... because we are a nation-state that was recognized as such throughout the world. We had treaties with more than 25 countries; over 96 legations and consuls throughout the world. We have been established and recognized as a nation-state part of the family of nations which included the USA.
Just because the Native Americans were comprised of one ethnic group doesn't mean they were not a nation, in fact, they adopted and accepted people not of their ethnicity. Israel is comprised of one people who are Jews, a tribe in their history. Splitting hairs with semantics is idiocy. Dhina is a nation; not a tribe. Japan is a nation. UK is a nation although they have clans or "tribes".
Finally, this has nothing to do with the Native Americans, Hispanics, Vermont, Texas, and the Man in the Moon. This has to do with the Hawaiian Kingdom, its people searching for justice and freedom, and the US belligerent occupation of our country, its violations of the laws of occupation, its treaties, its disrepect of Hawaii's neutrality status, and USA crimes. How long will the USA make a mockery of justice, liberty, honesty, freedom, and honor? We love our country as much as you US Americans love yours. The USA must de-occupy Hawaii or it makes a mockery of your own US Pledge of Allegiance.
We, Hawaii Nationals, say "NO!" to the Akaka Bill for obvious reasons.
He Hawai'i au,
Tane AKA: David MK Inciong II
Pearl City, Hawaii
That was quite a spin you've created. Too bad you are not knowledgeable about Hawa'is history and issues. It's best to get the true facts and then expouse on them. Much of your statements are false and twisted besides being inconsistent. You and others being insistent with the falsehoods and deceit does not make them the truth. This proves that most US Americans do not know what the truth is and promotes the myths and lies as if they are the truth. I can see why there is a lot of controversy among all of you who try to spin with vacuous arguments.
We get weary of your self-proclaimed truths to white-wash the facts. The feeble arguments you bring up are irrelevant to the facts. So let's go over some of the misstatements you and many others have made:
Blood quantum is a US American created policy. There is a reason it was done. You have jumped from 100% Hawaiian Polynesian blood to the "one-drop" rule. Amazingly, you seemed to have flunked math by inferring only 7,000 are full-blooded and the rest have one-drop, which would then be the mass majority of the Hawaiians.
You make a claim that 94 % Hawaiians, Including majority of Native Hawaiians voted for statehood. This is confusing and misleading since you are using the word Hawaiians in different meanings. You all need to get it straight or you will confuse yourselves. Initially, Hawaiians were referred to the Polynesian group who live in Hawaii and of whom it is their homeland, their nation-state. Only recently are you people labelling anyone who lives in Hawaii as Hawaiians. Why not Locals or Hawaiian Islanders, or just islanders. You on the mainland love to redefine and redefine the same labels incorrectly and confuse yourselves thereby giving the wrong impressions.
The more correct statement is only 22 percent of the population voted in the so-called plebiscite for statehood of which 94% voted for statehood. Of the 94% military personnel and their families who resided or stationed in Hawaii for at least a year, were eligible to vote. US Americans were allowed to vote; some Native Hawaiians were barred from voting and those who felt they were still Hawaii Nationals refused to vote. The irregularities of the voting and the contents and wording of the ballot was enough to deem it null and void. Only two choices were on the ballot: 1) - remain a territory (taxation without representation) and 20 - become a state (to have a voice in government and vote for the US president). How clever! There was no choice for total independence nor a commonwealth or free-association. There were no international observers to witness the process; only the word of the USA (and we know how good their word is, don't we?).
When ex-press secretary for Bush stated,"..a resolution is non-binding", it brought to mind the Newlands Resolution. This means that resolution for annexation of Hawaii was non-binding, but a wishlist. The Hawaiian Nationals petitioned the US to restore the Queen, her government, and our nation-state back to them. Over 96% percent of the nationals signed that petitions against annexation in 1897 and presented it to the US Congress. That's partly why the Bill for annexation failed and a lack of a treaty of annexation by the legitimate government of Hawaii. Thus the influential powers in Washington resorted to the Newlands Resolution.
Those in Washington, D.C. that were against statehood was afraid of too many Asians in Hawaii and feared their sympathies were communistic and socialistic in nature. Also the Chinese were barred from immigrating to the USA through an act passed in Washington was still fresh in their minds. There again it was racists-motivated.
Here again is your little spin in deception using the term Hawaiians as majority against the Akaka Bill and ill-defined the bare majority of "Native" Hawaiians that support it. Contrary to the spin is that Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians are for and against the Akaka bill and not divisive by their race or ethnicity. Most everyone again fails to recognize the Hawaii Nationals opposition to the Akaka Bill for legitimate reasons. Hawaii Nationals of today stem from the bona fide nationals at the time of the US invasion and occupation.
According to the 1890 census, 84.4% were "Native" Hawaiians/Kanaka Maoli and 15.6% were of foreign origin/multi-ethnic. The Hawaii Nationals comprised of 50.1% of the total population living in Hawaii. The other 49.9% of those residing or working under contracts and of foreign citizenship were mostly from the USA and Asia and the rest were from Europe and various parts of the world.
The only ones that could have and will create racial disharmony have been the overwhelming majority of those from the continental USA who are ignorant of Hawai'is past history and the USA's involvement and what they established to soften and wipe their slate clean. Technically, the Hawaiian Kingdom still exists albeit under US belligerent occupation; this is a fact. We Hawaii Nationals know this and that's why we oppose the NHGE which is a US entity trying to usurp the Hawaiian Kingdom's jurisdiction and authority. The US needs the NHGE as an assemblance of the real thing to make believe it is legitimately negotiating "lands, natural resources, assets, criminal and civil jurisdiction, and historical grievances." We Hawai'i Nationals find this repugnant and criminal.
So let's get this straight once and for all; it would not be secession but de-occupation. Please do some serious research before drawing errant conclusions. The US deep conspiracy, covert and overt actions, the invasion, fake revolution, belligerent occupation, US-established puppet government, non-binding resolution to annex Hawaii, the Ku'e petitions from the Hawaii Nationals protesting against annexation and US actions, violations of the laws of occupation and disregard of Hawaii's neutrality status, US revisionists of the Hawaiian incidents, and the unlawful and illegitimate Statehood Act all lead up to a major cover-up and hoax being passed off as truth.
Your sarcasm is well-noted and taken in disgust. If you were knowledgeable, the seeds of the weed you mentioned began overtly in the 1880s. Your revision of facts are seditious to say the least. It was not Hawaiian residents (as you flip flop the definition) but actually US Americans foreigners in Hawaii involved in the US conspiracy to overthrow the Queen. How quaint that you mention a 2000 court case relating to a separate specific issue. This we won't get into since it deserves to be discussed separately because of a narrow question in the complaint of a complex issue established by the US government. It would be too lengthy to do it here.
It is hypocritical to reference the constitutionality of things implemented by the US government when it still continues to disregard the constitution. I might add that treaties between countries, once ratified, become the supreme law of the land; thus the treaties between the USA and the Hawaiian Kingdom fall into this US Constitutional law. One of the conditions for statehood was part of the state's revenues from Hawaiian lands (not American lands) would go for the betterment of the Native Hawaiians (Kanaka Maoli). The Hawaiian Homestead Act of 1921 was a failure but still kept in the Statehood Act as a guilt-ridden necessity to pacify the Native Hawaiians because of the US criminal actions. This was done to aid in disarming the native population and international outrage while showing US paternalism.
Your following paragraph shows a paltry lack of understanding and knowledge of out government. Say, "Constitutional Monarchy". Now look it up! Hint: The government system of United Kingdom/Great Britain. I surmise that it wouldn't interest you to know that Hawaii Nationals elected two of their monarchs. Your sanctimonious criticism of our country is outlandishly stupid and plain gibberish. What can I say, you're correct that the Queen (and her people) were more enlightened than Akaka, you, and the rest of the US Americans who still think Hawaii is legitimately part of the USA. For us, it is a national/international issue; for you and the rest of US America it is a racist WASP/State (domestic/internal) issue. That's why you are all confused and in La-La Land.
You get a point for this since this is what we've been saying all along but your corporate media and US congress have promoted Akaka's legislation that would create a Native Hawaiian "tribe" as a nation within the nation. Our Hawaiian nation-state still exists and was a multi-ethnic country. The US Akaka Bill shuns a portion of our Hawaiian Nationals as irrelevant and invalidates their existence. The US omits this fact to skirt around the truth that Hawaii is a nation-state and not a part of the USA. To acknowledge them is to recognize once again that the Hawaiian Kingdom's status as a fellow nation as a peer to the USA and other world nations.
You are truly an ultracrepidarian critic with no sense of the facts. It's pathetic that you believe the revised history to further promote it. Hawai'i was taken by force and against the wishes of the Hawaii Nationals. It's like saying the US didn't invade and occupy Iraq but went there to liberate them. How arrogant and asinine of you! By now you should have learned from me that we never chose to be under the racist WASP society of the USA nor your alleged statehood. Get real and don't speak for us.
"The tribal concept simply has no place in the context of Hawaiian history."... because we are a nation-state that was recognized as such throughout the world. We had treaties with more than 25 countries; over 96 legations and consuls throughout the world. We have been established and recognized as a nation-state part of the family of nations which included the USA.
Just because the Native Americans were comprised of one ethnic group doesn't mean they were not a nation, in fact, they adopted and accepted people not of their ethnicity. Israel is comprised of one people who are Jews, a tribe in their history. Splitting hairs with semantics is idiocy. Dhina is a nation; not a tribe. Japan is a nation. UK is a nation although they have clans or "tribes".
Finally, this has nothing to do with the Native Americans, Hispanics, Vermont, Texas, and the Man in the Moon. This has to do with the Hawaiian Kingdom, its people searching for justice and freedom, and the US belligerent occupation of our country, its violations of the laws of occupation, its treaties, its disrepect of Hawaii's neutrality status, and USA crimes. How long will the USA make a mockery of justice, liberty, honesty, freedom, and honor? We love our country as much as you US Americans love yours. The USA must de-occupy Hawaii or it makes a mockery of your own US Pledge of Allegiance.
We, Hawaii Nationals, say "NO!" to the Akaka Bill for obvious reasons.
He Hawai'i au,
Tane AKA: David MK Inciong II
Pearl City, Hawaii
Rolling Stone: Ron Paul: A Republican Takes the Lead Against the War
His anti-war stance has not only helped him bank more campaign cash than Iraq-backer John McCain, it has garnered him more contributions from military families than any candidate in the race.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Judge removed after jailing entire courtroom
A US judge has been removed from the bench for jailing 46 people after none of them admitted responsibility for a ringing mobile phone in his courtroom. Wow...hubris gone wild!
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Firemen Being Trained to Report Citizens Unhappy with the US Government
Why firemen? Because they can enter your property without a warrant, for inspections, etc... // Next up: Firemen will be trained to carry flamethrowers, find banned books... // Note to any firemen: _thank_you_ for doing your real job, saving lives. Being discontent with creeping fascism doesn't threaten society, but it does threaten the fascists...
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Thursday, November 29, 2007
The Choice is Obvious
A Ron Paul presidency will:
let Americans keep more of their own money.
end the IRS.
stop the central bankers’ “inflation tax.”
stop unconstitutional spending leading us to bankruptcy.
stop the financial dependency on China, Saudi Arabia, and other foreign governments.
oppose trade deals and groups that threaten American Independence (incl. the UN, GATT, NAFTA, NAU, WTO, CAFTA, ICC).
protect our privacy and stop the national ID card.
protect our constitutional rights and end the “Patriot” Act.
secure our borders and end illegal immigration.
end “birthright” citizenship for illegal aliens.
bring our troops home from no-win “police actions.”
Ron Paul has:
never voted to raise taxes.
never voted for an unbalanced budget.
never voted to raise congressional pay.
never taken a government-paid junket.
never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
voted against regulating the Internet.
not participated in the lucrative congressional pension program.
repeatedly been named the “Taxpayers’ Best Friend” in Congress.
Congressman Ron Paul is serving his 10th term in the U.S. House. Dr. Ron Paul has delivered over 4000 babies. He served his country as a Flight Surgeon in the Air Force and the Air National Guard. Ron has been married to his wife, Carol, for 50 years. They have five children and 18 grandchildren.
A True Conservative.
Since my return to SC to attend to my father's affairs I have reevaluated my previous disgust with the small showing of support for Dr. No. Perhaps my neighbors were shamed into putting out their Ron Paul signs by my pleadings a couple weeks ago. I can say honestly and unequivocally that in my part of SC the Ron Paul signage is currently running 20:1 over anything else. In fact I can only think of one example of a sign for another candidate (Romney) and that is in front of the only Mormon household in the area. My mother received a nice mailing today from the Paul campaign - those contribution dollars seems to be well spent. Now that most of my other business has been attended to I plan to visit the campaign headquarters in the nearest city tomorrow to meet a few of the ground troops and make a donation in person.
I told a fellow today - half jokingly - that Ron Paul is the only man to throw his hat in the ring actually qualified to be president since Thomas Jefferson. I thought about that a bit after our conversation and I think I was actually correct - no half joke required. (Alan Keyes and Pat Buchanan excepted perhaps)
let Americans keep more of their own money.
end the IRS.
stop the central bankers’ “inflation tax.”
stop unconstitutional spending leading us to bankruptcy.
stop the financial dependency on China, Saudi Arabia, and other foreign governments.
oppose trade deals and groups that threaten American Independence (incl. the UN, GATT, NAFTA, NAU, WTO, CAFTA, ICC).
protect our privacy and stop the national ID card.
protect our constitutional rights and end the “Patriot” Act.
secure our borders and end illegal immigration.
end “birthright” citizenship for illegal aliens.
bring our troops home from no-win “police actions.”
Ron Paul has:
never voted to raise taxes.
never voted for an unbalanced budget.
never voted to raise congressional pay.
never taken a government-paid junket.
never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
voted against regulating the Internet.
not participated in the lucrative congressional pension program.
repeatedly been named the “Taxpayers’ Best Friend” in Congress.
Congressman Ron Paul is serving his 10th term in the U.S. House. Dr. Ron Paul has delivered over 4000 babies. He served his country as a Flight Surgeon in the Air Force and the Air National Guard. Ron has been married to his wife, Carol, for 50 years. They have five children and 18 grandchildren.
A True Conservative.
Since my return to SC to attend to my father's affairs I have reevaluated my previous disgust with the small showing of support for Dr. No. Perhaps my neighbors were shamed into putting out their Ron Paul signs by my pleadings a couple weeks ago. I can say honestly and unequivocally that in my part of SC the Ron Paul signage is currently running 20:1 over anything else. In fact I can only think of one example of a sign for another candidate (Romney) and that is in front of the only Mormon household in the area. My mother received a nice mailing today from the Paul campaign - those contribution dollars seems to be well spent. Now that most of my other business has been attended to I plan to visit the campaign headquarters in the nearest city tomorrow to meet a few of the ground troops and make a donation in person.
I told a fellow today - half jokingly - that Ron Paul is the only man to throw his hat in the ring actually qualified to be president since Thomas Jefferson. I thought about that a bit after our conversation and I think I was actually correct - no half joke required. (Alan Keyes and Pat Buchanan excepted perhaps)
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Debate Round-Up
I will comment on just a few items from the CNN/YouTube Republican debate.
McCain's claim that isolationism was the direct cause of WWII was ludicrous. It was Wilsonian interventionism that allowed the punitive outcome of WWI that caused WWII. Get your facts straight.
Huckabee's praise of his program to give scholarships to children of illegals was interesting - in an decidedly wrong sort of way.
The idiotic conspiracy question directed at Ron Paul was trivial and low. Paul handled it as well as it could be fielded in 90 seconds.
McCain with the near tear in his eye as he described illegal aliens as "God's Children" in need of our help. I thought that is what our generous foreign policy was all about - to help all of God's children in their lands - not when they come to ours and break our laws.
Romney proved at almost every point that he is not a man I would vote for to hold the office of dog catcher. Guilliani was what we should expect - a wolf attempting to wear sheep's clothing. It was slightly interesting to see Romney and Guiliani beat each other up but ultimately that just wasted air time that could have been better utilized allowing someone with real conservative ideas to speak.
Huckabee talked a good game for the most part but his comments about spending what was necessary on the space program demonstrate that he does not grasp the predicament we are in.
Thompson looked cadaverous but did not say anything really offensive that I can recall. I thought it a bit inane of him to waste his 30 seconds for a commercial about him and his position attacking two of the other idiots.
Seven of the men seem to believe that radical Islam is really a threat - a bigger threat than say the Soviet Union with thousands of nuclear weapons pointed at us for half a century. It is amazing that we faced that demon down without war but seven of the eight are all for globe-trotting adventures aimed at routing out a few thousand radicals that cannot even successfully rule backward nations such as Afghanistan or Somalia. They think these people are actually a threat to us. Let them build their caliphate, build an army and a navy and a economic system to support it and then threaten us and I will personally call for the crusade. As it stands they do not have a chance to do anything more than cause trouble here and there on a relatively small scale.
Only one candidate had the chance to talk about the pending DC Gun ban case going before the Supreme Court and that was Gulliani. He had the nerve to state that he believed the 2nd Amendment was intended as an individual right but with restrictions. Talk about speaking to both sides of an issue. We found out that Romney, Gulliani and McCain do not actually own firearms. (but Gulliani does own matching stiletto heels for his black dress that could count as a weapon you know).
Finally, I am not sure why CNN decided to include the question about the Confederate Battle Flag - perhaps to try and place someone in what would seem to be an untenable position. After all the status of the flag is not the purview of the president or the federal government. However, they included the flag question any way. Romney bit off on it and stated something to the effect "that flag should not be shown, it is divisive". Perhaps he needs a history lesson - maybe he should read Lieutenant Colonel Frematle's (of Her Majesty's Royal Dragoons) account of the Army of Northern Virginia's march into Maryland and Pennsylvania. As Clyde Wilson once wrote (and I paraphrase) "It would be wonderful if black Americans viewed their heritage as a diverse experience rather than merely that of slavery and oppression". If "That" flag is divisive it is because folks do not know of the sacrifice that blacks and whites in the South made under that banner. The question had no place in the debate but it was there and Romney proved himself a moron in his answer. Thompson handled it fairly well but I presume and assume that Ron Paul would have said something to the effect "That flag is part of the history of many of our states and their people and the place the flag holds in those states is up to the states and the people to determine, not the federal government or the president."
John McCain proved himself to be wholly unqualified for further service in elected office - I recall during the campaign of 2000 in a debate in SC where Alan Keyes mopped the floor with McCain on simple constitutional issues - so much so that McCain actually lost his composure.
It is a shame that there are so many candidates at this point - so many that those on the left and right of the stage are not heard enough. Tancredo has it right on immigration but wrong on much else, notably the war; leave him off the invite list. Duncan Hunter - thanks for building the wall but don't show up any more please. I can see why some of my friends are misled about Thompson, I think we need to leave him in future dialogues to unravel what is wrong with him for them. The three front runners you have to leave obviously (not counting McCain as per above). I would love to see three hours of just those men and Ron Paul hosted by Lou Dobbs, Alan Keyes and Pat Buchanan with questions from ME and a few select friends. I would love to see everyone explain how their ideas are 1) conservative 2) constitutional 3) really good for America.
McCain's claim that isolationism was the direct cause of WWII was ludicrous. It was Wilsonian interventionism that allowed the punitive outcome of WWI that caused WWII. Get your facts straight.
Huckabee's praise of his program to give scholarships to children of illegals was interesting - in an decidedly wrong sort of way.
The idiotic conspiracy question directed at Ron Paul was trivial and low. Paul handled it as well as it could be fielded in 90 seconds.
McCain with the near tear in his eye as he described illegal aliens as "God's Children" in need of our help. I thought that is what our generous foreign policy was all about - to help all of God's children in their lands - not when they come to ours and break our laws.
Romney proved at almost every point that he is not a man I would vote for to hold the office of dog catcher. Guilliani was what we should expect - a wolf attempting to wear sheep's clothing. It was slightly interesting to see Romney and Guiliani beat each other up but ultimately that just wasted air time that could have been better utilized allowing someone with real conservative ideas to speak.
Huckabee talked a good game for the most part but his comments about spending what was necessary on the space program demonstrate that he does not grasp the predicament we are in.
Thompson looked cadaverous but did not say anything really offensive that I can recall. I thought it a bit inane of him to waste his 30 seconds for a commercial about him and his position attacking two of the other idiots.
Seven of the men seem to believe that radical Islam is really a threat - a bigger threat than say the Soviet Union with thousands of nuclear weapons pointed at us for half a century. It is amazing that we faced that demon down without war but seven of the eight are all for globe-trotting adventures aimed at routing out a few thousand radicals that cannot even successfully rule backward nations such as Afghanistan or Somalia. They think these people are actually a threat to us. Let them build their caliphate, build an army and a navy and a economic system to support it and then threaten us and I will personally call for the crusade. As it stands they do not have a chance to do anything more than cause trouble here and there on a relatively small scale.
Only one candidate had the chance to talk about the pending DC Gun ban case going before the Supreme Court and that was Gulliani. He had the nerve to state that he believed the 2nd Amendment was intended as an individual right but with restrictions. Talk about speaking to both sides of an issue. We found out that Romney, Gulliani and McCain do not actually own firearms. (but Gulliani does own matching stiletto heels for his black dress that could count as a weapon you know).
Finally, I am not sure why CNN decided to include the question about the Confederate Battle Flag - perhaps to try and place someone in what would seem to be an untenable position. After all the status of the flag is not the purview of the president or the federal government. However, they included the flag question any way. Romney bit off on it and stated something to the effect "that flag should not be shown, it is divisive". Perhaps he needs a history lesson - maybe he should read Lieutenant Colonel Frematle's (of Her Majesty's Royal Dragoons) account of the Army of Northern Virginia's march into Maryland and Pennsylvania. As Clyde Wilson once wrote (and I paraphrase) "It would be wonderful if black Americans viewed their heritage as a diverse experience rather than merely that of slavery and oppression". If "That" flag is divisive it is because folks do not know of the sacrifice that blacks and whites in the South made under that banner. The question had no place in the debate but it was there and Romney proved himself a moron in his answer. Thompson handled it fairly well but I presume and assume that Ron Paul would have said something to the effect "That flag is part of the history of many of our states and their people and the place the flag holds in those states is up to the states and the people to determine, not the federal government or the president."
John McCain proved himself to be wholly unqualified for further service in elected office - I recall during the campaign of 2000 in a debate in SC where Alan Keyes mopped the floor with McCain on simple constitutional issues - so much so that McCain actually lost his composure.
It is a shame that there are so many candidates at this point - so many that those on the left and right of the stage are not heard enough. Tancredo has it right on immigration but wrong on much else, notably the war; leave him off the invite list. Duncan Hunter - thanks for building the wall but don't show up any more please. I can see why some of my friends are misled about Thompson, I think we need to leave him in future dialogues to unravel what is wrong with him for them. The three front runners you have to leave obviously (not counting McCain as per above). I would love to see three hours of just those men and Ron Paul hosted by Lou Dobbs, Alan Keyes and Pat Buchanan with questions from ME and a few select friends. I would love to see everyone explain how their ideas are 1) conservative 2) constitutional 3) really good for America.
A Reader Responds To My Last Post
Dear Author,
I'm curious as to why you make the parenthesized inclusion 'send me your hate mail' after the comment 'the system will not allow such'. (refering to a Ron Paul victory)
The old media does not provide me with current information, historical information or articles that would inspire me to vote for my candidate of choice which is Ron Paul.
I get that from articles such as yours that I read on the internet. Why would I send you hate mail?
I would say that everything from the old media to vote tampering to even worse things can happen to prevent the election of Ron Paul as President. That would be a realists point of view. But then that would just be acknowledging the hurdles that need to be overcome to achieve the reality of victory.
If evil triumphs when good men do nothing, then we better do something. That's the correct reality. It also requires the correct estimation of effort. But of course we want to agree there's such a thing as failure so that we can have a reason to fail, so we don't have to be cause.
There is no excuse for any failure that ever occurred any place in history, except this: There was just not quite enough carry-through or push-through. That is all that is necessary for this which is a just cause. That is my reality.
I'm curious as to why you make the parenthesized inclusion 'send me your hate mail' after the comment 'the system will not allow such'. (refering to a Ron Paul victory)
The old media does not provide me with current information, historical information or articles that would inspire me to vote for my candidate of choice which is Ron Paul.
I get that from articles such as yours that I read on the internet. Why would I send you hate mail?
I would say that everything from the old media to vote tampering to even worse things can happen to prevent the election of Ron Paul as President. That would be a realists point of view. But then that would just be acknowledging the hurdles that need to be overcome to achieve the reality of victory.
If evil triumphs when good men do nothing, then we better do something. That's the correct reality. It also requires the correct estimation of effort. But of course we want to agree there's such a thing as failure so that we can have a reason to fail, so we don't have to be cause.
There is no excuse for any failure that ever occurred any place in history, except this: There was just not quite enough carry-through or push-through. That is all that is necessary for this which is a just cause. That is my reality.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Time For A Change
I read a post the other day and I cannot now recall where or by who but the point that the author made was that the Ron Paul Revolution will be short lived. Those disaffected souls that now support Dr. No will not throw their support behind any of the other GOP candidates and there is not another Ron Paul on the horizon to galvanize the troops and keep the revolution alive (assuming that Dr. Paul does not win the election).
Without discussing those assumptions much further I will simply say that I agree for the most part - what the author proposed is probably a realistic outcome. The fact is real conservatives do not have a home in either party. There is nothing conservative about the Republican or Democratic approach. One wishes to curry favor with the masses by transferring wealth through government programs, the other wishes to curry favor with big business by providing subsidies and protection. The end result of both approaches is bigger government, each approach is progressive, neither approach conserves anything that was or should be in our society.
In the 1980's many believed that conservatism had been vindicated after the failed attempts of Barry Goldwater in 1964 to win the presidency and not only thwart the Great Society but push back the nefarious New Deal.
My father was a Goldwater Republican (I was even named after Mr. Goldwater), I was a Reagan Republican. However something significant occurred between 1964 and 1980. Two significant things in fact. First, the real roots of the Republican party were always there. The GOP owes its very existence to the Federalist/Whig brand of ideology that is responsible for so much of what is wrong with he republic today. It was the Federalist that abandoned their charter to alter the Articles of Confederation. The Federalist gave us the Alien and Sedition Acts, the first legislated tyranny since the revolution. It was the Republican Party that single-handily redefined the Constitutional limits of federal power and killed States' Rights and Federalism. Republicans annexed Hawaii against the will of their monarch and people. The Republican Party played a large role in the idiocy of prohibition - something any conservative knows the Federal Government has no authority or role in. It is the Republican Party that has again passed tyrannical legislation in the form of the Patriot Act and redefined jus ad bellum to include the noxious notion of preemptive war. It is the Republican Party that champions the rights of non-human, soulless corporate entities.
For all of the evils and nonsensical ramblings of the socialist democrats and their flaky ideas regarding nationalized medicine and other inane ideological blunders - the Republican Party is not one inch more Conservative. The two major parties are just different sides to the same coin.
Many of my kin, blood and cultural, rejoiced in the 1980's with the rise of the Religious Right -"Finally, we will put things right". For all of the good intentioned notions of the rank and file followers of the Moral Majority and other similar groups the result and impact on American politics was even more disastrous than the nonsense surrounding prohibition. If the Religious Right was a truly conservative movement - in terms of conserving what America was and should be - their efforts at social conservatism would have been focused almost exclusively at the state and local level. Their national efforts would have focused on true conservatives that understood the Constitution, the 10th Amendment and the nature of federalism and states' rights. Instead of acting as conservatives these groups acted as progressives, seeking to use the political system to effect change, change that required an increase in the role and power of the federal government. That was certainly not a conservative approach.
One day they will see that what you give to the federal government it is hard to take back. Perhaps there was a moral majority in the 1980's but what happens when there is an "immoral majority" that seeks to use that very same federal government power that they foolishly established? You wanted to define marriage, tell states about abortion, define prayer - would you want a majority of heathens doing the same? It will happen because of foolish progressivism in the name of "doing good" and we will be powerless to stop it if the precarious majority fails.
Religious conservatives dismiss Ron Paul because he will not come out and say things like -"If I were president I would work for (insert whatever moral legislation you wish)". This is precisely because Paul understands the Constitution and the dangers of progressivism. It seems we Christians are much happier supporting a reformed Rudy (hey Robertson says he is ok), or one of the other fellows because they take a stand on a moral issues (they talk a good game). We are missing the point, it is not the place of the federal government to regulate these issues, we ought to seek a man that would put these issues back where they belong - with us at out state houses.
Perhaps the Ron Paul revolution will be short lived - then again perhaps the pundits are wrong. Perhaps, just maybe true conservatism will again thrive, perhaps the supporters of Paul will not just fade away (win or lose). Third parties in the 20th Century have not fared well therefore maybe it is high time that the Republican Party became relegated to third party status. If folks that call themselves conservative fully understood what being a conservative meant there would not be a Republican Party - it would have been thrown on the ash heap of history in 1864 or soon thereafter and certainly it would not enjoy the support from otherwise good intentioned folk it counts on today.
If there is the be a Ron Paul revolution (i.e. conservative revival) I welcome it, I sincerely hope it shakes the very foundation of the current political system of a bad choice and an awful choice. It is unlikely that the Republican machine can or will be reformed from within as so many have hoped for - the basic ideology is just all wrong, their heritage of wrong is written all over the party. The only hope is to throw the system away and start anew.
I pray that Ron Paul wins the election but I am prepared for the possibility that the system will simply not allow such (send me your hate mail). This makes me no less of a supporter, it makes me a realist, it means I am committed for the long haul. I am fully prepared to adjure the realm, weather many moons of socialist democratic rule to stand true to conservative principles. A philosophy such as conservatism cannot die so long as people remember. It is time to stop compromising with a system that respects neither the law upon which our nation is built or the principles that gave that law birth.
I challenge you, if you are a true conservative, if you are truly an heir to the legacy of Jefferson and those men that envisioned a republic, not a socialist mobacracy then you must examine your entire concept of politics in America. If you continue to be blinded by the dog and pony show presented by the faux conservative GOP you are either a fool or an enabler.
It is time for a revolution (although it is not a revolution at all it is merely a revival of our conservative heritage and right thinking about the role and nature of our central government). Turn off the talking heads, read the Constitution and support Ron Paul and come what may refuse to ever go back to the role of loyal subject to a party that is neither conservative nor right.
Without discussing those assumptions much further I will simply say that I agree for the most part - what the author proposed is probably a realistic outcome. The fact is real conservatives do not have a home in either party. There is nothing conservative about the Republican or Democratic approach. One wishes to curry favor with the masses by transferring wealth through government programs, the other wishes to curry favor with big business by providing subsidies and protection. The end result of both approaches is bigger government, each approach is progressive, neither approach conserves anything that was or should be in our society.
In the 1980's many believed that conservatism had been vindicated after the failed attempts of Barry Goldwater in 1964 to win the presidency and not only thwart the Great Society but push back the nefarious New Deal.
My father was a Goldwater Republican (I was even named after Mr. Goldwater), I was a Reagan Republican. However something significant occurred between 1964 and 1980. Two significant things in fact. First, the real roots of the Republican party were always there. The GOP owes its very existence to the Federalist/Whig brand of ideology that is responsible for so much of what is wrong with he republic today. It was the Federalist that abandoned their charter to alter the Articles of Confederation. The Federalist gave us the Alien and Sedition Acts, the first legislated tyranny since the revolution. It was the Republican Party that single-handily redefined the Constitutional limits of federal power and killed States' Rights and Federalism. Republicans annexed Hawaii against the will of their monarch and people. The Republican Party played a large role in the idiocy of prohibition - something any conservative knows the Federal Government has no authority or role in. It is the Republican Party that has again passed tyrannical legislation in the form of the Patriot Act and redefined jus ad bellum to include the noxious notion of preemptive war. It is the Republican Party that champions the rights of non-human, soulless corporate entities.
For all of the evils and nonsensical ramblings of the socialist democrats and their flaky ideas regarding nationalized medicine and other inane ideological blunders - the Republican Party is not one inch more Conservative. The two major parties are just different sides to the same coin.
Many of my kin, blood and cultural, rejoiced in the 1980's with the rise of the Religious Right -"Finally, we will put things right". For all of the good intentioned notions of the rank and file followers of the Moral Majority and other similar groups the result and impact on American politics was even more disastrous than the nonsense surrounding prohibition. If the Religious Right was a truly conservative movement - in terms of conserving what America was and should be - their efforts at social conservatism would have been focused almost exclusively at the state and local level. Their national efforts would have focused on true conservatives that understood the Constitution, the 10th Amendment and the nature of federalism and states' rights. Instead of acting as conservatives these groups acted as progressives, seeking to use the political system to effect change, change that required an increase in the role and power of the federal government. That was certainly not a conservative approach.
One day they will see that what you give to the federal government it is hard to take back. Perhaps there was a moral majority in the 1980's but what happens when there is an "immoral majority" that seeks to use that very same federal government power that they foolishly established? You wanted to define marriage, tell states about abortion, define prayer - would you want a majority of heathens doing the same? It will happen because of foolish progressivism in the name of "doing good" and we will be powerless to stop it if the precarious majority fails.
Religious conservatives dismiss Ron Paul because he will not come out and say things like -"If I were president I would work for (insert whatever moral legislation you wish)". This is precisely because Paul understands the Constitution and the dangers of progressivism. It seems we Christians are much happier supporting a reformed Rudy (hey Robertson says he is ok), or one of the other fellows because they take a stand on a moral issues (they talk a good game). We are missing the point, it is not the place of the federal government to regulate these issues, we ought to seek a man that would put these issues back where they belong - with us at out state houses.
Perhaps the Ron Paul revolution will be short lived - then again perhaps the pundits are wrong. Perhaps, just maybe true conservatism will again thrive, perhaps the supporters of Paul will not just fade away (win or lose). Third parties in the 20th Century have not fared well therefore maybe it is high time that the Republican Party became relegated to third party status. If folks that call themselves conservative fully understood what being a conservative meant there would not be a Republican Party - it would have been thrown on the ash heap of history in 1864 or soon thereafter and certainly it would not enjoy the support from otherwise good intentioned folk it counts on today.
If there is the be a Ron Paul revolution (i.e. conservative revival) I welcome it, I sincerely hope it shakes the very foundation of the current political system of a bad choice and an awful choice. It is unlikely that the Republican machine can or will be reformed from within as so many have hoped for - the basic ideology is just all wrong, their heritage of wrong is written all over the party. The only hope is to throw the system away and start anew.
I pray that Ron Paul wins the election but I am prepared for the possibility that the system will simply not allow such (send me your hate mail). This makes me no less of a supporter, it makes me a realist, it means I am committed for the long haul. I am fully prepared to adjure the realm, weather many moons of socialist democratic rule to stand true to conservative principles. A philosophy such as conservatism cannot die so long as people remember. It is time to stop compromising with a system that respects neither the law upon which our nation is built or the principles that gave that law birth.
I challenge you, if you are a true conservative, if you are truly an heir to the legacy of Jefferson and those men that envisioned a republic, not a socialist mobacracy then you must examine your entire concept of politics in America. If you continue to be blinded by the dog and pony show presented by the faux conservative GOP you are either a fool or an enabler.
It is time for a revolution (although it is not a revolution at all it is merely a revival of our conservative heritage and right thinking about the role and nature of our central government). Turn off the talking heads, read the Constitution and support Ron Paul and come what may refuse to ever go back to the role of loyal subject to a party that is neither conservative nor right.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Harold Leroy Clark December 1937 - November 2007
In the midst of my family's journey across the North American continent, I was awoken at midnight last Monday in a small town in western Kansas by my wife - my father had died an hour earlier.
We had to continue on to California - it was complicated but for various reasons, the best course of action was to drive on and then fly back home. I sit now in a hotel room waiting for my flight tomorrow, the first available.
Death is inevitable, we all know this. My father was the strongest man I ever knew. He had a stroke several years ago, just months after retiring early in order to enjoy full-time the outdoor activities he enjoyed most. The after-effects of the stroke restricted his activity greatly, he never drove again. Subsequent strokes took away his dignity, privacy and independence. Earlier that year he was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).
When I left for Korea two years ago my father suffered from the effects of his strokes but he could still get around. He could still do things and we could pretend that he was still the man he had always been. I could take him fishing or take him out to work on things and even though we both knew he was not the same we never admitted it to each other. He would tell me point blank to give him the keys and let him drive and I could play it off by saying,"daddy you may be able to stand up to mama but I cannot if I give you the keys she will get me." He could not do the work he had always done but I could always pretend that he could and make up for the rest myself. He never let on for a minute that he was diminished in any way and I never viewed him as anything other than the man I had always known.
When I returned from Iraq the last time I had terrible nightmares. I spent much of my leave at his house, my boyhood home. Even though he suffered as he did, when I closed my eyes at night at his house I felt safe - safe in a way I did not feel at my own house. It was not realistic but as a then 37-year-old combat veteran, I felt that my 67-year-old disabled father was somehow protecting me from the demons in the world just as he had when I was a child. I slept better hearing him snore down the hall and knowing he was there.
When I returned from Korea last month after an absence of two years my father was much changed. Although he was just diagnosed with ALS he was already in the process of the disease by a couple of years. If you do not know about ALS I can tell you simply it is a terrible affliction. Your mind remains but slowly your muscles and nerves fail you. The changes, the deterioration can be dramatic and noticeable over just a few months. I cannot describe the agony of seeing the man you most respect, fear and admire tremble and shake trying to lift his hand to his mouth.
I left South Carolina with assurances from his doctor that my father would be there this December when I planned to return with my family for our last Christmas together. We are never promised a tomorrow - I will not have that last Christmas with my father.
My father was a man's man - a Marine, Christian and an avid outdoorsman. He could and did work me into the ground on many occasions. He never let anyone within his circle of concern go without. If something was broke he was going to fix it or get someone to fix it. If something needed doing, he just did it. He was never one to sit still often, he worked and that was his recreation. I do not mean that he abandoned his family for material gain - not at all. He made sure to get home for supper - after supper, he always worked; in the garden, in his building or doing something for someone.
He was gifted with that special common-sense only wise men gain.
His Christianity was simple and sincere. We disagreed from time to time precisely because I made my Christianity too complicated. He always ensured that I was in church as a child and young man and he always lived his beliefs. He did not drink or swear (often) and was never profane. He treated my mother with respect, took care of her and loved her.
My mother always said he was proud of me but I never really achieved the feeling that he respected me, perhaps he did or maybe he remembered that kid that screwed things up. He was always there to pick me up from any mistake - and there were many over the years, a heck of a lot of them between the time I was 16 and 25. He never abandoned me, no matter that I should not have been doing what I did, he probably told me not to and it was just stupid of me in any case.
I cannot do justice to this man in words I might write. He did not change the world but by his hand and example he changed me and made me who I am. I will miss him. He has gone on to a better place but I will miss him all the same.
by Barry Clark
We had to continue on to California - it was complicated but for various reasons, the best course of action was to drive on and then fly back home. I sit now in a hotel room waiting for my flight tomorrow, the first available.
Death is inevitable, we all know this. My father was the strongest man I ever knew. He had a stroke several years ago, just months after retiring early in order to enjoy full-time the outdoor activities he enjoyed most. The after-effects of the stroke restricted his activity greatly, he never drove again. Subsequent strokes took away his dignity, privacy and independence. Earlier that year he was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).
When I left for Korea two years ago my father suffered from the effects of his strokes but he could still get around. He could still do things and we could pretend that he was still the man he had always been. I could take him fishing or take him out to work on things and even though we both knew he was not the same we never admitted it to each other. He would tell me point blank to give him the keys and let him drive and I could play it off by saying,"daddy you may be able to stand up to mama but I cannot if I give you the keys she will get me." He could not do the work he had always done but I could always pretend that he could and make up for the rest myself. He never let on for a minute that he was diminished in any way and I never viewed him as anything other than the man I had always known.
When I returned from Iraq the last time I had terrible nightmares. I spent much of my leave at his house, my boyhood home. Even though he suffered as he did, when I closed my eyes at night at his house I felt safe - safe in a way I did not feel at my own house. It was not realistic but as a then 37-year-old combat veteran, I felt that my 67-year-old disabled father was somehow protecting me from the demons in the world just as he had when I was a child. I slept better hearing him snore down the hall and knowing he was there.
When I returned from Korea last month after an absence of two years my father was much changed. Although he was just diagnosed with ALS he was already in the process of the disease by a couple of years. If you do not know about ALS I can tell you simply it is a terrible affliction. Your mind remains but slowly your muscles and nerves fail you. The changes, the deterioration can be dramatic and noticeable over just a few months. I cannot describe the agony of seeing the man you most respect, fear and admire tremble and shake trying to lift his hand to his mouth.
I left South Carolina with assurances from his doctor that my father would be there this December when I planned to return with my family for our last Christmas together. We are never promised a tomorrow - I will not have that last Christmas with my father.
My father was a man's man - a Marine, Christian and an avid outdoorsman. He could and did work me into the ground on many occasions. He never let anyone within his circle of concern go without. If something was broke he was going to fix it or get someone to fix it. If something needed doing, he just did it. He was never one to sit still often, he worked and that was his recreation. I do not mean that he abandoned his family for material gain - not at all. He made sure to get home for supper - after supper, he always worked; in the garden, in his building or doing something for someone.
He was gifted with that special common-sense only wise men gain.
His Christianity was simple and sincere. We disagreed from time to time precisely because I made my Christianity too complicated. He always ensured that I was in church as a child and young man and he always lived his beliefs. He did not drink or swear (often) and was never profane. He treated my mother with respect, took care of her and loved her.
My mother always said he was proud of me but I never really achieved the feeling that he respected me, perhaps he did or maybe he remembered that kid that screwed things up. He was always there to pick me up from any mistake - and there were many over the years, a heck of a lot of them between the time I was 16 and 25. He never abandoned me, no matter that I should not have been doing what I did, he probably told me not to and it was just stupid of me in any case.
I cannot do justice to this man in words I might write. He did not change the world but by his hand and example he changed me and made me who I am. I will miss him. He has gone on to a better place but I will miss him all the same.
by Barry Clark
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Irony
Earlier today my family and I began our journey from my home in South Carolina to the foreign Republic of California to report for my next assignment. I mentioned in an earlier post my frustration with the changes that have occurred over the last two years in my home and my disappointment with the pace at which ordinary, otherwise good people have accepted - lock, stock and barrel - the lifestyle of the empire. By that I mean of course the live for now consumerism that so defines "American" culture. The sort of thing that allows a person to be happy selling their soul for a mortgage in a subdivision, commuting a hour or more to a job that keeps them away from the important things in life, i.e. home and family. I am talking about the sort of attitude that sees nothing wrong with blind loyalty to an institution that no longer follows its own rules or serves the people that it was created to serve. Yes I am talking about a people forsaking wholesale the legacy their ancestors bequeathed them in in turn accepting the lifestyle and values of their conquerors.
Look, I am a realist. I know that the South no longer exists anywhere but in small, scattered pockets and even in those enclaves the influence of a foreign value system in obvious. I hold out no real hope or dream of a free or independent South in my life time. At the same time I am not a defeatist. I do believe it is possible for a people to reclaim their heritage and live true to their historical heritage.
I mentioned previously how disheartened I was during my visit when I tried to discuss issues of culture, values and priorities with otherwise good people in my home. I moved my departure date up by a few days in part because of my disillusionment. Therein lies the irony - and here is the story.
I was supposed to finally meet, face to face, my compatriot on this blog - IKANTSPEL. My early departure and scheduling difficulties made this impossible. Thus, my family and I packed up the truck and headed north for a quick visit with relatives in North Carolina and then on toward California.
As we traveled through a town called Traveler's Rest I noticed a store named "Dixie Republic" and simply had to perform a u-turn and investigate. There was a tremendous amount of activity - they flew several flags out front. I thought it would be a grand opportunity to pick up a couple of items with my beloved Palmetto tree and crescent moon. I also hoped they would have a book or two I have not read that I could add to my collection.
I found the Palmetto trinkets I sought, I enjoyed a bowl of brunswick stew while listening to a live bluegrass band and I found a couple of books I have not read. I also had the the distinct pleasure of meeting and talking with Dr. Clyde N. Wilson who was there signing books and enjoying himself. The thing about this gentlemen is that I agreed with him before I knew of him or had read anything he has written. I defer to his age, his experience, his "letters" and his intellect but my agreement with him is not a mere acolyte arrangement. I consider him one of my living heroes his voice and ideas but my admiration is not hero worship.
I must admit, however, I was a bit nervous when I first met him. My nine year old daughter remarked on that fact later. I am not certain as to why - but I was.
I found him to be as interesting in person as on paper. Our conversation was easy and natural. I honestly felt as if I knew him and had known him for some time. It was as if were had been singing from the same hymn book for years previous.
Other folks of note were there as well. I was privileged to meet again Robert Hayes, chairman of the SC LOS. I also had a lively discussion with Walter Brian Cisco, author of War Crime Against Civilians. This is of course not to mention all the good folks perusing the store, eating stew and listening to the band.
The North Carolina border is just a few miles north of the store. As I pulled away and out of my home state I was struck with the irony of it all. I began my journey disillusioned. I left when I did because of the disillusionment and because of that I happened up this store at that hour. Life is strange.
Look, I am a realist. I know that the South no longer exists anywhere but in small, scattered pockets and even in those enclaves the influence of a foreign value system in obvious. I hold out no real hope or dream of a free or independent South in my life time. At the same time I am not a defeatist. I do believe it is possible for a people to reclaim their heritage and live true to their historical heritage.
I mentioned previously how disheartened I was during my visit when I tried to discuss issues of culture, values and priorities with otherwise good people in my home. I moved my departure date up by a few days in part because of my disillusionment. Therein lies the irony - and here is the story.
I was supposed to finally meet, face to face, my compatriot on this blog - IKANTSPEL. My early departure and scheduling difficulties made this impossible. Thus, my family and I packed up the truck and headed north for a quick visit with relatives in North Carolina and then on toward California.
As we traveled through a town called Traveler's Rest I noticed a store named "Dixie Republic" and simply had to perform a u-turn and investigate. There was a tremendous amount of activity - they flew several flags out front. I thought it would be a grand opportunity to pick up a couple of items with my beloved Palmetto tree and crescent moon. I also hoped they would have a book or two I have not read that I could add to my collection.
I found the Palmetto trinkets I sought, I enjoyed a bowl of brunswick stew while listening to a live bluegrass band and I found a couple of books I have not read. I also had the the distinct pleasure of meeting and talking with Dr. Clyde N. Wilson who was there signing books and enjoying himself. The thing about this gentlemen is that I agreed with him before I knew of him or had read anything he has written. I defer to his age, his experience, his "letters" and his intellect but my agreement with him is not a mere acolyte arrangement. I consider him one of my living heroes his voice and ideas but my admiration is not hero worship.
I must admit, however, I was a bit nervous when I first met him. My nine year old daughter remarked on that fact later. I am not certain as to why - but I was.
I found him to be as interesting in person as on paper. Our conversation was easy and natural. I honestly felt as if I knew him and had known him for some time. It was as if were had been singing from the same hymn book for years previous.
Other folks of note were there as well. I was privileged to meet again Robert Hayes, chairman of the SC LOS. I also had a lively discussion with Walter Brian Cisco, author of War Crime Against Civilians. This is of course not to mention all the good folks perusing the store, eating stew and listening to the band.
The North Carolina border is just a few miles north of the store. As I pulled away and out of my home state I was struck with the irony of it all. I began my journey disillusioned. I left when I did because of the disillusionment and because of that I happened up this store at that hour. Life is strange.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Feds Raid Liberty Dollar
This is all over the blogsphere and I decided to copy what I posted on my personal blog here.
The FBI and Secret Service conducted a raid on the Liberty Dollar office in Evansville, Indiana. It appears that that gold, silver, and records were seized. The following is taken directly from their website:
I surmise that Ron Paul's candidacy might have something to do with this insofar as he has finally brought monetary policy into the debates. I think that there are more of us "kooks" who demand sound money than anticipated. After all, why raid them now? They have been around since 1998. I guess they don't want any competition against the declining dollar and the forthcomming Amero.
The FBI and Secret Service conducted a raid on the Liberty Dollar office in Evansville, Indiana. It appears that that gold, silver, and records were seized. The following is taken directly from their website:
I sincerely regret to inform you that about 8:00 this morning a dozen FBI and Secret Service agents raided the Liberty Dollar office in Evansville.
For approximately six hours they took all the gold, all the silver, all the platinum and almost two tons of Ron Paul Dollars that where just delivered last Friday. They also took all the files, all the computers and froze our bank accounts.
We have no money. We have no products. We have no records to even know what was ordered or what you are owed. We have nothing but the will to push forward and overcome this massive assault on our liberty and our right to have real money as defined by the US Constitution. We should not to be defrauded by the fake government money.
But to make matters worse, all the gold and silver that backs up the paper certificates and digital currency held in the vault at Sunshine Mint has also been confiscated. Even the dies for mint the Gold and Silver Libertys have been taken.
I surmise that Ron Paul's candidacy might have something to do with this insofar as he has finally brought monetary policy into the debates. I think that there are more of us "kooks" who demand sound money than anticipated. After all, why raid them now? They have been around since 1998. I guess they don't want any competition against the declining dollar and the forthcomming Amero.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Corporatism = Socialism
AnarchoCatholic reminds us that "[a] potentially undying legal entity which separates ownership from control, is created by, sustained by, and subject to the state, and removes liability from human beings conducting affairs which affect all of society doesn't seem to jive with anything resembling a free market"─Corporations Aren't Capitalism. (via Western Confucian)
Of course I would add that Corporatism + Socialism + Nationalism + Militarism = Fascism
Of course I would add that Corporatism + Socialism + Nationalism + Militarism = Fascism
Monday, November 12, 2007
What Happened to My Home?
My visit to my native South Carolina has been disheartening to me, to phrase it mildly. The advance of suburbia that I mentioned in an earlier post is more profound than I first surmised in my initial survey. It seems that everywhere I go I see massive changes in the landscape. Everyone seems to be in the business of selling the family farm to make way for some new profane subdivision.
When I look at a field or patch of woods that I hunted as a child/young man and see now houses for 100 or more families I am bewildered. Something like that occurring here or there is significant but when it occurs over and over it is bound to fundamentally change the very nature of the culture. Country roads that were once quiet and peaceful are now torrents of traffic as silly commuters make their way to silly jobs each day. This is simply an unsustainable way of life - folks will realize this someday when they no longer have the option of paying $70 to fill up their glorified mini-vans (I guess they call them SUV's but I just see boxes on wheels with very little sport or utility involved).
I have been most disturbed with conversations I have had with otherwise good people about Pat Robertson. Around here most folks are evangelicals and they are the sort that generally believe a man if he simply says he is a good Christian. It is because if this that I know of several good people that over the years sent money to the likes of Oral Roberts, Jim Baker and now Pat Robertson. A lot of these same folks believe that Bob Jones is square in his biblical teachings. I have found it impossible to point out that Robertson is obviously a fake, a man deluded by the power he has come to wield. How on Earth could any moral man, much less a Christian support a man that endorses someone like Giuliani? I just don't know.
More disturbing is that most of the people that should be squarely behind Ron Paul have never heard of him. I have to blame this on the generational differences in how folks acquire information.
I visited a Wal-Mart today - because I found that the two hardware stores I patronized in the past are now out of business. It is not an exaggeration to state that 30% of the customer base in the store when I was there was Mexican. This is in a small (historically rural) town in South Carolina. I cannot get over the change two years has wrought.
I am seriously considering cutting my vacation short and leaving within the next two days for my next duty assignment. I know at least that weird things are to be expected where I am going. I do not have the heart to see the changes in my own home firsthand.
When I look at a field or patch of woods that I hunted as a child/young man and see now houses for 100 or more families I am bewildered. Something like that occurring here or there is significant but when it occurs over and over it is bound to fundamentally change the very nature of the culture. Country roads that were once quiet and peaceful are now torrents of traffic as silly commuters make their way to silly jobs each day. This is simply an unsustainable way of life - folks will realize this someday when they no longer have the option of paying $70 to fill up their glorified mini-vans (I guess they call them SUV's but I just see boxes on wheels with very little sport or utility involved).
I have been most disturbed with conversations I have had with otherwise good people about Pat Robertson. Around here most folks are evangelicals and they are the sort that generally believe a man if he simply says he is a good Christian. It is because if this that I know of several good people that over the years sent money to the likes of Oral Roberts, Jim Baker and now Pat Robertson. A lot of these same folks believe that Bob Jones is square in his biblical teachings. I have found it impossible to point out that Robertson is obviously a fake, a man deluded by the power he has come to wield. How on Earth could any moral man, much less a Christian support a man that endorses someone like Giuliani? I just don't know.
More disturbing is that most of the people that should be squarely behind Ron Paul have never heard of him. I have to blame this on the generational differences in how folks acquire information.
I visited a Wal-Mart today - because I found that the two hardware stores I patronized in the past are now out of business. It is not an exaggeration to state that 30% of the customer base in the store when I was there was Mexican. This is in a small (historically rural) town in South Carolina. I cannot get over the change two years has wrought.
I am seriously considering cutting my vacation short and leaving within the next two days for my next duty assignment. I know at least that weird things are to be expected where I am going. I do not have the heart to see the changes in my own home firsthand.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Rifleman's Prayer
Oh Lord, I would live my life in freedom, peace and happiness, enjoying the simple pleasures of hearth and home. I would die an old, old man in my own bed,
preferably of sexual overexertion.
But if that is not to be, Lord, if monsters such as this should find their way to my little corner of the world on my watch, then help me to sweep those bastards from the ramparts, because doing that is good, and right, and just.
And if in this I should fall, let me be found atop a pile of brass,
behind the wall I made of their corpses. (ht Freeholder)
Ok either you get it or you are running away in the belief that I am a murderous, bloodthirsty sociopath. I get it. I see both the truth and the humor of this. - On other unrelated notes-
Today I returned to my native land after an absence of over two years. Much has changed. Apparently I need to brush up on my Spanish - the small Mexican enclave in the small town near my home has grown tremendously while I was away. Amazing that!
I was encouraged to hear Ron Paul advertisements on the radio - on my way to the gun shop. As I said I have not been able to purchase a new "toy" in two years. I treated myself to a Bulldog Pug .44 revolver and Winchester lever action 30-30. The wife was not please but after paying for her to bask in Hawaii for 6 days her protestations were semi-muted. It is all good!
An absence of two years is just enough time to measure and gauge the spread of "sprawl". I did not count but I noticed numerous instances of long time businesses that are now gone - replaced by cookie cutter shops, restaurants etc. A place loses its character when this happens.
When I was in a little town on the North Shore of Oahu last week I noticed little signs and bumper stickers stating "Keep the Country Country". Perhaps Mr. Wendell Berry's influence is greater than I imagined or maybe people everywhere realize the importance of maintaining their little piece of the world.
I plan to spend the next several days before heading out on the second phase of our move ( a cross country drive), hunting, sleeping (vacations are tiring) and trying to talk my fellow South Carolinians into supporting Ron Paul.
What Does Ron Paul mean when he refers to "Washington"
Just yesterday, Wolf Blitzer, I think, asked RP what he meant when he referred to "Washington". Well, any dummy knows except Blitzer the reindeer, that Washington is the central core of our ills. I don't recall Ron Paul's response, but I'm sure it must have been an abstraction to the power that the anointed have over the rest of us.
But, it got me to thinking about a discussion I had with a DC bureaucrat while visiting friends in Maryland this past July enroute to the deep North.
I found him to be a pragmatist and realist beyond any I'd met before. He didn't seem to have any ideology nailed down for himself, but was extremely well-informed on most of the issues. I'd say he was in his mid-fifties. He promised to watch the Russo DVD I gave him anyway, and I'm sure he did.
But, here's the thing about "Washington" that I gleaned from this politically savvy man. The primary concern of a federal worker, and thus the culture in Maryland and DC, is their JOB. In each election their deep concern is will they keep their job. I don't know the % of voters in the federal workforce, but I bet it's significantly higher than the average. They, if to believe my friend's neighbor, will cast their votes for the candidate who offers a better, or job retention program. These bureaucratic dependents are ideological voided. They have no philosophical anchors, but yet they know the size of the fedgov has greatly exceeded its lawful limit. You want them to vote the commie line? Not a problem. Vote for a Republican? Why not? I think the urban New England centers have pretty much adopted this same "believe-in-nothing but yourself" culture. My chatting friend says they have an ongoing fear what the rest of the country might do. Which is another way expressing a fear that "the people" may determine that "Washington" has been voting themselves a living for way too long. And worse, take action to change it.
But, when you give this perverted view of our system further thought you realize that this distortion is not really different from the corporate socialism that plagues the country at a higher decision making level. Politicians now have assumed the authority to reward financial contributors with contracts, appointments, etc. Even money. Whomever offers the greater expansion of "Washington" gets the funding.
So, don't be discouraged when you don't see much help coming from the national or state-level GOP. These ideological voided hacks want to continue the fire sale of America's institutions, jobs, sovereignty, and general welfare of American citizens.
We just have to work harder. It's Honor, Principle, Virtue, and an appreciation for the individual that's made America great. Not treason to those qualities. We should all remember that as Ron Paul supporters we reflect his views, and how and in what informed manner we do, will determine whether we as a people become "Washington's" nightmare come true.
Think about it. With more of the fedgov's assumed powers returned to the states and their people - - maybe having a state or local job's the place to be!!
I'm seeing the Hope become Reality. What about you?
But, it got me to thinking about a discussion I had with a DC bureaucrat while visiting friends in Maryland this past July enroute to the deep North.
I found him to be a pragmatist and realist beyond any I'd met before. He didn't seem to have any ideology nailed down for himself, but was extremely well-informed on most of the issues. I'd say he was in his mid-fifties. He promised to watch the Russo DVD I gave him anyway, and I'm sure he did.
But, here's the thing about "Washington" that I gleaned from this politically savvy man. The primary concern of a federal worker, and thus the culture in Maryland and DC, is their JOB. In each election their deep concern is will they keep their job. I don't know the % of voters in the federal workforce, but I bet it's significantly higher than the average. They, if to believe my friend's neighbor, will cast their votes for the candidate who offers a better, or job retention program. These bureaucratic dependents are ideological voided. They have no philosophical anchors, but yet they know the size of the fedgov has greatly exceeded its lawful limit. You want them to vote the commie line? Not a problem. Vote for a Republican? Why not? I think the urban New England centers have pretty much adopted this same "believe-in-nothing but yourself" culture. My chatting friend says they have an ongoing fear what the rest of the country might do. Which is another way expressing a fear that "the people" may determine that "Washington" has been voting themselves a living for way too long. And worse, take action to change it.
But, when you give this perverted view of our system further thought you realize that this distortion is not really different from the corporate socialism that plagues the country at a higher decision making level. Politicians now have assumed the authority to reward financial contributors with contracts, appointments, etc. Even money. Whomever offers the greater expansion of "Washington" gets the funding.
So, don't be discouraged when you don't see much help coming from the national or state-level GOP. These ideological voided hacks want to continue the fire sale of America's institutions, jobs, sovereignty, and general welfare of American citizens.
We just have to work harder. It's Honor, Principle, Virtue, and an appreciation for the individual that's made America great. Not treason to those qualities. We should all remember that as Ron Paul supporters we reflect his views, and how and in what informed manner we do, will determine whether we as a people become "Washington's" nightmare come true.
Think about it. With more of the fedgov's assumed powers returned to the states and their people - - maybe having a state or local job's the place to be!!
I'm seeing the Hope become Reality. What about you?
Copycats
Found this on the Lew Rockwell blog today. I wonder how well it will turn out. We have:
- The National Day of Fred-Giving
- The "Mittbomb"
- The Huckabee Childrens Fund (It seems that Huckabee supporters are attempting to pull out the 'ole "it's for the children" card)
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Our Founding Fathers studied the Magna Carta
While you're boning up on the Constitution, be reminded that a source for consideration in drafting our Constitution was the Magna Carta of 1215. Our founding fathers would identify his arguments in favor of the 5th and 8th Amendments originating more than 500 years before. Do you know what those amendments are? Know then, if we only had chief justices like Owen installed in our Supreme Court instead of the black-robed Mafia, our survival as a free people may stand a chance.
You will find many other elements of our Constitution embodied in the Magna Carta. It's not
that long a document. Be sure that Dr. Paul's read it. So should you. How can anyone be passionate to defend something (Constitution) if they are ignorant of its origins?
Your Founders knew the history of freedom and individual liberty inside and out. So does Ron Paul.
You will find many other elements of our Constitution embodied in the Magna Carta. It's not
that long a document. Be sure that Dr. Paul's read it. So should you. How can anyone be passionate to defend something (Constitution) if they are ignorant of its origins?
Your Founders knew the history of freedom and individual liberty inside and out. So does Ron Paul.
Bond insurers set off fresh wave of panic
Don't for a second believe that just owning gold and silver will improve your quality of life from where it is right now. If you think gold and silver, by going to the moon, will reward you with many treasures, look around at your country, and you'll see otherwise. You won't be able to just dust yourself off and climb out from under a storm shelter with your gold and silver & all will be marvelously well, like you survived a hurricane, and can now look over the booty, and all will be right once again.
In a complete currency collapse with hyperinflation, what happiness do you find with your friends and family out of work? Sure, you might be easily able to afford $20 for a gallon of gas, but what if there isn't any? If there was, where would you go? Most entertainment options will not be operating. No customers, that's why. At the end of the Weimar inflation 91% of the household budgets went for food! You'll stay home or ride broken down public busses like everyone else. And then there'll be the crime. Goons from who knows where will roam. And, the worst of all - ENVY. Tell a soul how you protected yourself and you'll be the Uriah Heep for all time. You won't feel right telling your church friends to wait for the Rapture. They'll look to you for charity and you must help them. It will be YOU who will be looked to for the re-building of America. As it should be. Further federal government intrusion will make the misery far worse. In my opinion, Ron Paul is the only candidate qualified to lead us through this and emerge with our sovereignty intact.
In a complete currency collapse with hyperinflation, what happiness do you find with your friends and family out of work? Sure, you might be easily able to afford $20 for a gallon of gas, but what if there isn't any? If there was, where would you go? Most entertainment options will not be operating. No customers, that's why. At the end of the Weimar inflation 91% of the household budgets went for food! You'll stay home or ride broken down public busses like everyone else. And then there'll be the crime. Goons from who knows where will roam. And, the worst of all - ENVY. Tell a soul how you protected yourself and you'll be the Uriah Heep for all time. You won't feel right telling your church friends to wait for the Rapture. They'll look to you for charity and you must help them. It will be YOU who will be looked to for the re-building of America. As it should be. Further federal government intrusion will make the misery far worse. In my opinion, Ron Paul is the only candidate qualified to lead us through this and emerge with our sovereignty intact.
How to setup a Quasi-Theocratic Dictatorship-Pat Robertson backs Giuliani
Not to be shocked or surprised that christian right evangelist Pat Robertson has endorsed Rudy Giuliani. I guess he had to abstain from making his selection until he saw which way the big money (Wall Street) was going. Oh, were you aware that "reverend" Robertson was given $14 million "faith-based" grant from the federal government? Yeah, baby, there's a lot more money to be made than just passing a plate once a week! It's good to get the counterfeit christian charlatans like Robertson out of the closet now. It'll line up the enemies of freedom even clearer in our sights for firing off our Truth Pellets.
Pat Robertson Backs Giuliani's Bid
Now, even better is this site Faith-based Watch, Media Transparency CBN (700 Club) raked in a whopping $462,563,151 in revenue for 2004! Take that in the face you Ron Paul Christians!
When you realize the significance of distributing over $19 million to selected religious organizations you can begin to construct the mosaic of control Robertson's subversive christianity has over local churches and their pastors. Bona fide Christians best look within their own places of worship. Start your own Know Your Church program!
Robertson was even invited to address the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) on January 26, 1987. His subject matter? How the UN could be reformed!
Robertson has long craved national prominence. After losing his own bid for the presidency he threw his support to George-the-Elder.
So what's to know?
Pat Robertson Backs Giuliani's Bid
Now, even better is this site Faith-based Watch, Media Transparency CBN (700 Club) raked in a whopping $462,563,151 in revenue for 2004! Take that in the face you Ron Paul Christians!
When you realize the significance of distributing over $19 million to selected religious organizations you can begin to construct the mosaic of control Robertson's subversive christianity has over local churches and their pastors. Bona fide Christians best look within their own places of worship. Start your own Know Your Church program!
Robertson was even invited to address the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) on January 26, 1987. His subject matter? How the UN could be reformed!
Robertson has long craved national prominence. After losing his own bid for the presidency he threw his support to George-the-Elder.
So what's to know?
Monday, November 05, 2007
Hawaiian Independence
I had a chance to day to visit with a friend involved with the Hawaiian Independence movement that I have communicated with for some time. I may totally disagree with much of the politics of the movement but my eyes were opened anew today. I was able to visit areas that most tourist never see - the places that real Hawaiians live and work. The millions of tourist dollars that flow into this land never reach the actual owners - the kanaka maoli.
The fact is Hawaii was annexed under dubious circumstances - the Kingdom of Hawaii never surrendered its sovereignty freely. If it were not for the meddling of a few pre-neocons the Kingdom would still be free today.
As I said, I may disagree with their politics, but the Hawaiian people deserve a chance to determine their own destiny. (Of course Hawaiians do not like the term "secession" because they make a solid case that they never joined the union de jure - I agree, but the concept of freedom is the same)
The fact is Hawaii was annexed under dubious circumstances - the Kingdom of Hawaii never surrendered its sovereignty freely. If it were not for the meddling of a few pre-neocons the Kingdom would still be free today.
As I said, I may disagree with their politics, but the Hawaiian people deserve a chance to determine their own destiny. (Of course Hawaiians do not like the term "secession" because they make a solid case that they never joined the union de jure - I agree, but the concept of freedom is the same)
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Remember the 5th of November
Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot...
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Trade in the Americas: The Conspiratorial Urban Legend of the Evil NAFTA Superhighway
Harvesting the Enemies of America Series
*** DISINFORMATION HIT PIECE *** from: World Trade Magazine
*** DISINFORMATION HIT PIECE *** from: World Trade Magazine
[snippet]
Trade in the Americas: The Conspiratorial Urban Legend of the Evil NAFTA Superhighway, by Clay Risen The questions surprised even a presidential candidate as poised as Mitt Romney. A bespectacled, matronly woman at the back of the audience in Story City, Iowa, had heard news about an enormous highway being built between across the Midwest, linking Mexico and Canada.“You can find it on the Internet, a Security and Prosperity Partnership that’s been working for a while to join the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and part of it is a NAFTA superhighway,” she explained.She rejected Romney’s dismissal that the story was make-believe. “I don’t think they’re talking about it,” she retorted. Rather than argue, he offered a vague promise—“if they are building it, I’ll stop it”—and quickly took another question.The “superhighway question” recurred often on the GOP campaign trail. Rudy Giuliani got it in Concord, New Hampshire.In Cedar Falls, Iowa, John McCain was asked what he knew about secret plans for a highway “to unite the three nations together.” According to libertarian Rep. Ron Paul, a conservative Republican Congressman from Texas running for president (and a firm opponent of the superhighway), the plans to link Mexico, the United States and Canada by a monster highway will be the sleeper issue of the 2008 election. The Concord Monitor (New Hampshire) agrees: “The road comes up at town meetings second only to immigration policy.”Reality is there’s no such highway in the works. “The U.S. government is not planning a NAFTA Super Highway,” reads a Commerce Department web page. “The U.S. government does not have the authority to designate any highway as a NAFTA Superhighway, nor has it sought such authority, nor is it planning to seek such authority.”But that inconvenient fact hasn’t quelled populist unrest.Riding well below the mainstream media’s radar, the highway is just one of the many real and imagined cross-border programs—the Security and Prosperity Partnership (real), the North American Union (imagined), the “amero” currency (also imagined)—to draw the attention of conspiracy-theory mongers over the past year. It is all over the right-wing blogosphere. And, it is the reigning issue in newsletters put out by fringe groups like the John Birch Society. Asserted CNN host Lou Dobbs last year, “The Bush White House, supported by corporate America and special interests, [is] building a
superhighway dividing this country, a superhighway that will run between Mexico and Canada.”Politicians are stoking the flames. In January, Virginia GOP Rep. Virgil Goode introduced a bill—which quickly gained 27 co-sponsors—“expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should not engage in the construction of a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Superhighway System or enter into a North American Union with Mexico and Canada.”Nor is this a partisan issue: In July the House approved, by an overwhelming 362-63 vote, a ban on funding for a “NAFTA superhighway.” Most recently, Goode joined 21 fellow representatives in a letter to President George W. Bush warning of “serious and growing concern in the U.S. Congress about the so-called Security and Prosperity Partnership.”Bush, speaking at a meeting with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts, laughed it off. “I’m amused by the difference between what
actually takes place in the meetings and by what some are trying to say takes place,” he said. “It’s quite comical actually, to realize the difference between reality and what some people on TV are talking about.”Such talk would be comical—superstates, evil corporations, a continental currency—if it weren’t also a potential threat to trade and economic growth. Tri-national trade has reached $700 billion annually, with the value of goods moving through the Laredo, Texas border crossing alone exceeding that of all goods coming from Great Britain. Economists predict those numbers will increase dramatically as U.S.-bound shipping moves from overburdened American ports to new and upgraded destinations along the Mexican and Canadian Pacific coasts. Indeed, tri-national trade has tripled since the signing of NAFTA, but cross-border infrastructure spending has been nearly flat. “The entire U.S. economy is going to be more and more dependent on the strength of its multimodal system,” says Frank Conde, spokesman for the North America’s SuperCorridor Coalition (NASCO), an infrastructure advocacy group. That means more efficient border crossings, regulatory harmonization, and bigger and better infrastructure projects, which will take significant political and fiscal commitment at all levels of government.So while it’s one thing for blogs and newsletters to hype the latest conspiracy theory, it’s a serious concern when politicians start listening, and advocate legislation to block needed government investments. “Everything they say about an NAU, the SPP, and a NAFTA superhighway are falsehoods,” says Conde. “The confusion caused by organizations like that harms our ability to improve trade links.” At the precise moment when we need to be moving forward as quickly as possible on international infrastructure, the conspiracy theorists are threatening to push us backward.This latest surge in conspiracy theorizing draws on a long-running thread in American culture.“Historically, there has always been a feeling among some in the United States that we could be more secure and prosperous if we separated ourselves from the world,” notes Robert Pastor, director of the Center for North American Studies at American University. Conspiracy theory mongering around NAFTA has been churning since President Bill Clinton signed the treaty in 1993, with the John Birch Society and other far-right groups declaring it a threat to American sovereignty and jobs. But a variety of trends have combined to both ramp up the volume and spread it closer to the mainstream.The most obvious factor is a general turning away from free trade on both the right and the left. Populist politicians in both parties have lashed out at international trade deals as the product of undemocratic plutocrats and their allies in the federal government. After her anti-superhighway bill passed in July, Ohio’s Mary Kaptur declared “a victory for openness in trade negotiations, highway safety, good wages, and fair trade policies. The grip of global corporations was loosened last night.”As conservative commentator Phyllis Schlafly wrote in a recent syndicated column, “Now that the game plan is laid out, we can connect the dots: the North American Free Trade Agreement; the admission of Mexican trucks onto U.S. highways; the contract to build the TransTexas Corridor and the plans to extend it into a NAFTA Superhighway; making Kansas City an international ‘port’; the ‘totalization’ of illegal immigrants into the U.S. Social Security system; and the recently defeated Senate amnesty bill.”Ironically, many free trade advocates say that when you look at the actual state of cross-border cooperation, the problem is not that we’re doing too much. It’s that we’re not doing enough. Take the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), an ongoing dialogue begun in 2005 and designed to coordinate cross-border regulatory and security policies. While conspiracy theorists depict the SPP as a way to weaken American laws, in fact it has no authority to make any changes one way or another to the regulatory regime. “The SPP conforms with existing laws,” says David Bohigan, assistant secretary of commerce for market access and compliance. Instead, he says, the goal is to harmonize existing laws and regulations between countries. Think of it as a matter of translation: Far from forcing everyone to learn Spanish, the SPP is like a Spanish-to-English dictionary, allowing English speakers to understand their neighbors without ditching their own language. A typical initiative under the framework calls for the three nations to “develop a common approach to standardize the regulatory measures taken in response to Phakopsora pachyrizi (soybean rust).”
If this is a conspiracy theory, it’s hardly the stuff of aliens and x-files. The SPP actually has a number of critics on the other side, people who say it does not go far enough in establishing a framework for discussion. “If there is anything wrong with the SPP, it is not secrecy, but the fact that it is a mishmash of disconnected and mostly trivial initiatives, lacking any organizing vision or direction,” wrote Roland Paris, a former Canadian foreign policy adviser, in the Toronto Globe and Mail.“The SPP is an important initiative,” says Pastor. “My fear is that it is too timid and too fearful of criticism from the right.”Wholly separate from the SPP are efforts to expand the transportation infrastructure that carries goods into and around the country. Rather than links in a conspiratorial plot, in fact they are uncoordinated, unrealized, and in most cases unlikely to be built. First, there is North America’s SuperCorridor Coalition, a Dallas-based nonprofit. Despite its imposing name, NASCO is nothing more than an advocacy group for better use of current trade corridors, in particular the routes running from Mexico to Canada. “What we’re trying to do is push both the private sector and the public sector to maximize the efficiency and security of the existing transportation infrastructure,” says NASCO’s Conde.Even NASCO admits that improving the efficiency of existing corridors is hardly a solution for the long term. Between now and 2025, Texas alone will see a 132 percent increase in traffic, with 260,465 trucks using its highways every day. In response, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has been pushing for what comes closest to an actual NAFTA superhighway: a new, 1,200-foot-wide toll road running from the Mexican border to Oklahoma, the centerpiece in a collection of projects known as the TransTexas Corridor (TTC).
Because the highway, estimated to take $180 billion and 50 years to build, would cut through numerous Texas communities and displace up to one million residents, the plan has drawn a fusillade of public criticism, particularly from farmers who stand to lose valuable land to the project.Handing over infrastructure management to the foreign private sector is nothing new—French firms run numerous American water districts, and an Australian-Spanish joint venture manages the Chicago Skyway. Nevertheless, the possible role of foreign business in the TTC’s construction and operation has given an added twist to fears of a NAFTA superhighway. Such opposition has already throttled Perry’s momentum toward approving the TTC, and observers say it looks increasingly unlikely that the project will get built. The controversy over the “superhighway,” the SPP, the TTC and other efforts exposes a harsh truth about the future of the American economy. While free trade agreements and World Trade Organization negotiations are vital, the means by which trade actually occurs—or, increasingly, is impeded—are the everyday pieces of the continental transportation infrastructure: highways, rails, port terminals, and regulations. And, while the United States has maintained a global leadership on writing and expanding trade deals, it has done a poor job of expanding its infrastructure to meet the demands of the resulting increases in cross-border trade.All of which means that the more the conspiracy theorists on the Internet, in the media, and in government frame the issue on their terms, the less the country will be able to make the sorts of investments necessary to assure its long-term growth—and therefore the long-term prosperity of the continent, and the world. [end snippet]
Fascist Pigs
I hate to fly; I enjoyed traveling years ago. I enjoyed the whole process of packing up all the things I might need and feeling really prepared. Not so anymore - almost anything and everything I might want to place in my backpack are now forboden. A decent person cannot even carry a bottle of water - although everyone knows that proper hydration is key to avoiding "jet lag".
Every time I fly within the United States I get - well pissed off. Foreign carriers with destinations in other lands are not so offensive. I remember one time, way back in 1997, when I was flying from Kuwait to Germany and I purchased a sword in the duty free area of the Kuwait City airport - I had no choice but to take it on the plane with me. Nobody questioned me, nobody thought twice about it. Air travel back then was fun and adventurous. I amused myself that if I were ever to become a character on a show like "Lost" I would be prepared with the things I carried in my pockets. I still try to live the Boy Scout creed of being prepared. (the show did not exist back then but you get what I mean).
You know the drill now, just try to exercise your God given right to travel freely within your own country - you find yourself subjected to the most ridiculous sorts of nonsense. It always seems to take me 20 minutes to get through the screening. I am almost always singled out for "random" questioning. I was even pulled aside and questioned on my last return flight from Iraq. The little imp informed me that I had set off their explosives detector - "well of course you moron", I am sure that there was residue from a lot of nasty things lingering in my clothes and equipment. That did not matter to them - they don't look at people and apply common sense - they use a big fly swatter and in the process offend the rights of a lot of good people.
Two days ago I sat in the international terminal at Inchon, South Korea - waiting to board a Korean Airlines flight to Hawaii. Over the loud speaker a friendly voice informed us that "per a request from the Transportation Security Agency we would have to undergo a second security screening". This was for everyone on the flight, we had all passed though an initial screening - the full Monty in fact - prior to entering the international concourse. I had undergone one previous to that before boarding a domestic flight within Korea enroute to Inchon.
I thought to myself, as I prepared to subject myself to another unnecessary intrusion into my personal space - "what nerve". Why would the Korean government subvert its own sovereignty to the "requests" of the TSA? Why would they allow their own citizens as well as guest in their country to be subjected to the paranoid delusions of a two bit bunch of wanna be tyrants? I don't know the answer to this - I have theories but those are not important.
It seems that America truly is leading the world - into fear, overreaction and bad judgment. You may say that these little "inconveniences" are necessary; I say that they are just part of conditioning people to accept that the government has the "right" to stick its hands in our pockets whenever and wherever it pleases. This is a dangerous precedent to allow to stand and a tragic course for a "free people" to follow.
I don't think terming the people that think these things up as "fascist pigs" is too harsh or hyperbole - I think it is a description that hits the nail right on the head.
I am done venting and plan to enjoy the rest of my vacation in Hawaii - today was grand, we went snorkeling, I got back on a board for the first time in years and I enjoyed cuisine I have been deprived of for two years.
Every time I fly within the United States I get - well pissed off. Foreign carriers with destinations in other lands are not so offensive. I remember one time, way back in 1997, when I was flying from Kuwait to Germany and I purchased a sword in the duty free area of the Kuwait City airport - I had no choice but to take it on the plane with me. Nobody questioned me, nobody thought twice about it. Air travel back then was fun and adventurous. I amused myself that if I were ever to become a character on a show like "Lost" I would be prepared with the things I carried in my pockets. I still try to live the Boy Scout creed of being prepared. (the show did not exist back then but you get what I mean).
You know the drill now, just try to exercise your God given right to travel freely within your own country - you find yourself subjected to the most ridiculous sorts of nonsense. It always seems to take me 20 minutes to get through the screening. I am almost always singled out for "random" questioning. I was even pulled aside and questioned on my last return flight from Iraq. The little imp informed me that I had set off their explosives detector - "well of course you moron", I am sure that there was residue from a lot of nasty things lingering in my clothes and equipment. That did not matter to them - they don't look at people and apply common sense - they use a big fly swatter and in the process offend the rights of a lot of good people.
Two days ago I sat in the international terminal at Inchon, South Korea - waiting to board a Korean Airlines flight to Hawaii. Over the loud speaker a friendly voice informed us that "per a request from the Transportation Security Agency we would have to undergo a second security screening". This was for everyone on the flight, we had all passed though an initial screening - the full Monty in fact - prior to entering the international concourse. I had undergone one previous to that before boarding a domestic flight within Korea enroute to Inchon.
I thought to myself, as I prepared to subject myself to another unnecessary intrusion into my personal space - "what nerve". Why would the Korean government subvert its own sovereignty to the "requests" of the TSA? Why would they allow their own citizens as well as guest in their country to be subjected to the paranoid delusions of a two bit bunch of wanna be tyrants? I don't know the answer to this - I have theories but those are not important.
It seems that America truly is leading the world - into fear, overreaction and bad judgment. You may say that these little "inconveniences" are necessary; I say that they are just part of conditioning people to accept that the government has the "right" to stick its hands in our pockets whenever and wherever it pleases. This is a dangerous precedent to allow to stand and a tragic course for a "free people" to follow.
I don't think terming the people that think these things up as "fascist pigs" is too harsh or hyperbole - I think it is a description that hits the nail right on the head.
I am done venting and plan to enjoy the rest of my vacation in Hawaii - today was grand, we went snorkeling, I got back on a board for the first time in years and I enjoyed cuisine I have been deprived of for two years.
Waterboardin' USA
Side Note: I'll have photos posted of the Ron Paul rally here in Columbia soon. My camera was misbehaving but at least my favorite picture turned out ok.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Citigroup to hold emergency weekend board meeting
Oh, oh, here we go again with the Dollar Riggin' Tag Team, Rubin & Summers. Recall Gibson's Paradox?
This meeting is highly irregular. Both CFR members, they are well connected to the top crooks. What will they be trying to put together for us Monday?
Citi to hold emergency board meeting
after reading the above story, read the CFR clip
Take note of the corporate membership roster as these will be the privileged players to reap mega profits with foreign exchange protection from any capital controls, or at the introduction of the amero. They are the Krupps, Thyssens & General Electrics of our day. They are the 21st century carpetbaggers.
Read the Story
This meeting is highly irregular. Both CFR members, they are well connected to the top crooks. What will they be trying to put together for us Monday?
Citi to hold emergency board meeting
after reading the above story, read the CFR clip
Take note of the corporate membership roster as these will be the privileged players to reap mega profits with foreign exchange protection from any capital controls, or at the introduction of the amero. They are the Krupps, Thyssens & General Electrics of our day. They are the 21st century carpetbaggers.
Read the Story
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