The state of Tennessee is using part of its $1 billion surplus to pay for state revenue agents to perform surveillance on TN citizens who purchase cigarettes across state line and return to TN. They are then authorized to stop, search, and seize the vehicle and arrest citizens who are in procession of excessive amounts of cigarettes. I can think of better ways to spend "surplus" money. More importantly, are we not constitutionally protected from undue government scrutiny? And what is next? "How much of that Georgia carpet you got there, boy?" Or North Carolina furniture, or whatever else the state chooses to restrict. We are not pushing the limits of government intrusiveness; we have leapt across the line feet first. As has been pointed out, you can be arrested for almost anything. And when you have veteran police officers being reprimanded for harassing honest citizens because the officer doesn't know the law, you have too many laws. Historically, taxes often initiated many violent uprisings. The first American Revolution of 1776 was the result of taxes, tax resistance, and government attempts to enforce tax collection. Shortly after independence, the U.S. was faced with the Whiskey Rebellion, again taxes. The second American Revolution, called the Civil War, was driven taxation with slavery and states' rights as window dressing. The South exported huge amounts o f cotton and the U.S. government collected high tariffs, sending only part of the proceeds back to the governments of the states which had produced the cotton. Taxes. The following period saw revenue agents trying to collect taxes from moonshiners in the Southern mountains. This was followed by prohibition.
Shifting gears a little, East TN, Eastern KY, WV, SW PA, and Western NC were primarily settled by Scot-Irish, Scots, and Irish immigrants. Three seperate but related groups. OH, MI, WS, and MN were primarily settled by Germans, Italians, Jews, Poles, Scandinavians, and Baltic peoples who came from repressive regimes. These hardworking peoples did well in America and when unions began they fell into membership. They were used to being told what to do. And they readily paid whatever taxes or dues were demanded of them. The people of the mountains do not respond well to government or taxes or demands. Ask the English, they have been fighting to control the Scots and Irish for hundreds of years and have still not accomplished it. This is what government is facing trying to emplace and enforce more outrageous taxes. A long and expensive job when the resources could be better spent on areas of improvement desperately needed in TN. And again we come back to this question. Do we want government looking into everything we do, everywhere we go, everything we buy, or everyone we talk to? NO!!! And neither did the founders of this great country. The Constitution and The Bill of Rights were drafted to control Government not to control the citizens. And it is high time we returned to the Constitution.
Sidebar: If the TN government can try to control taxation at its border, why can't the U.S. government control illegals and smuggling at the Mexican border?
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Overmedicated Americans
Americans are over analyzed and over medicated. We are too busy paying to the latest feel good therapy to realize that the only people who live without problems are in mental wards under heavy medication. So called physicians and pharmaceutical companies are making money hand over fist by prescribing and selling these mind altering drugs. The government is encouraging this practice for the same reason ranchers prefer to turn bulls into steers, they are easier to control. If for any reason you have emotional ups and downs, family death, promotion, personal illness, child graduation, you become 'unsteady' and in need of 'help'. We are told by the god of the 21st century, T.V. that we have to have this car, this big screen, this shampoo, this beverage to be happy. Yet to have all that we are told we need to make us happy, we have so much debt that we work all the time and cannot enjoy what we need to make us 'happy', so we become 'depressed' and need 'help'. There is a pill for that. As stress and age perform their natural changes on our body, there is a pill for that. Do you listen to the side effects of these pills? The side effects are worse than what you take the pill for!!! It is natural to have to work, to struggle, to have to plan to provide for your family and yourself. Life is not euphoria. A wise man once wrote: "If everything were easy, no one would ever do anything." Look at yourself in the mirror. If you don't like what you see, the change must come from within you, not from some pill. Get a grip on reality and DO something positive for yourself. Instead of driving to weight watchers, go for a walk and cut back on what you eat, instead of watching the game, play catch with the kids or fetch the dog, instead of fast food, cook a meal with your spouse. Living instead of watching T.V. will cure most ills and help us realize that we don't need
Saturday, September 22, 2007
No Need To Secure Borders
Blasts Strike Mexican Gas Pipelines
By MIGUEL HERNANDEZ,AP
Posted: 2007-09-11 00:45:54
Filed Under: World News
VERACRUZ, Mexico (Sept. 11) - A shadowy leftist rebel group claimed responsibility for six explosions that affected a dozen Mexican gas and oil pipelines Monday, sending flames towering into the sky and forcing the evacuation of thousands.
Photo Gallery: Sabotage in Mexico
Luis Monroy, Maya Comunicaciones / AP A fire rages near the town of Omealca, Mexico, Monday. A leftist guerilla group called the People's Revolutionary Army claimed responsibility for blowing up at least six of the country's oil and gas pipelines.
1 of 4
Financial markets in the U.S. and Mexico were rattled by Monday's blasts, which officials said cost hundreds of millions of dollars in lost production. Some local factories were forced to shut down after natural gas supplies were cut but there were no immediate reports of injuries directly caused by the explosions and fires.
It was the second time in three months that the so-called People's Revolutionary Army has claimed to have targeted pipelines as part of what it has labeled its "prolonged people's war" against "the anti-people government."
The group, known as the EPR, is an extremely secretive, tiny rebel group that staged several armed attacks on government and police installations in southern Mexico in the 1990s. It was later weakened by internal divisions, leaving it unclear which splinter group carried out the attacks.
The six explosions affected a dozen natural gas pipelines and one oil pipeline in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, said Jesus Reyes Heroles, the head of Mexico's oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, without providing specifics. The explosions occurred in valve stations where different pipelines intersect.
The blasts triggered fires that shot flames and plumes of black smoke high into the sky and could be felt miles away.
At least one undetonated explosive device was later found beside a pipeline in a swampy area about 500 yards away from a highway toll booth just north of the port of Veracruz, said a Veracruz state civil defense coordinator Ismael Reyes.
That explosive device was accompanied by a note signed by the EPR, according to a Veracruz state police official who was not authorized to be quoted by name. Initial reports said the note contained demands for the release of purported political prisoners - similar demands were made public after earlier blasts - but it was impossible to independently confirm the existence or contents of the note.
Veracruz Gov. Fidel Herrera told reporters "there was a note, and the indication was that it could be these groups, there are precedents," but he did not clarify the contents or authorship of the message.
Reyes the explosions would lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in lost production and that it would take four or five days from the time the gas fires burned out and restoration work could begin to resume lost service.
Pemex immediately shut down the stricken lines as well as another line in the area as a precaution. Reyes said about nine states and the capital, Mexico City, would be affected, but did not elaborate.
"It is a big blow," the Pemex chief said. "You can't store natural gas or transport it by truck."
Reyes said Pemex would have to burn off whatever gas it did not succeed in recovering.
At least 21,000 people were evacuated as a precaution but no injuries directly related to the explosions were immediately reported. Fernando Leon Yepez, a civil defense official in Omealca, reported that two elderly women died of heart attacks shortly after the explosions.
The blasts caused brief jitters in international markets, with natural gas futures up as much as 20.2 cents soon after news of the explosions hit. Prices dropped in later trading. Pemex said the damage to the oil pipeline wouldn't affect crude oil exports.
Neither were the explosions expected to affect natural gas prices in the U.S. _ Mexican gas only accounts for 0.3 percent of the country's total imports. The U.S. imported 12.7 million cubic feet of natural gas from Mexico in 2006. Mexico's stocks fell Monday amid the reports of possible sabotage.
Mexican glassmaker Vitro SAB said Monday it has temporarily halted production at six of its factories after attacks on the pipelines, citing problems with natural gas supplies.
The government did not immediately verify the claim of responsibility by the EPR. Interior Secretary Francisco Ramirez said the federal Attorney General's Office was trying to determine who was responsible for the "premeditated acts."
"Pemex's fundamental installations are adequately protected by our armed forces, and we will do our utmost to find those responsible," Ramirez said.
President Felipe Calderon condemned the attacks in a statement from India, where he was on a formal state visit.
"I want to say that my government severely condemns this and all other acts of violence and those who promote it in our country and anywhere in the world," he said. "There is no room for such criminal acts in a democratic Mexico."
Associated Press writer Lisa J. Adams in Mexico City contributed to this report.
By MIGUEL HERNANDEZ,AP
Posted: 2007-09-11 00:45:54
Filed Under: World News
VERACRUZ, Mexico (Sept. 11) - A shadowy leftist rebel group claimed responsibility for six explosions that affected a dozen Mexican gas and oil pipelines Monday, sending flames towering into the sky and forcing the evacuation of thousands.
Photo Gallery: Sabotage in Mexico
Luis Monroy, Maya Comunicaciones / AP A fire rages near the town of Omealca, Mexico, Monday. A leftist guerilla group called the People's Revolutionary Army claimed responsibility for blowing up at least six of the country's oil and gas pipelines.
1 of 4
Financial markets in the U.S. and Mexico were rattled by Monday's blasts, which officials said cost hundreds of millions of dollars in lost production. Some local factories were forced to shut down after natural gas supplies were cut but there were no immediate reports of injuries directly caused by the explosions and fires.
It was the second time in three months that the so-called People's Revolutionary Army has claimed to have targeted pipelines as part of what it has labeled its "prolonged people's war" against "the anti-people government."
The group, known as the EPR, is an extremely secretive, tiny rebel group that staged several armed attacks on government and police installations in southern Mexico in the 1990s. It was later weakened by internal divisions, leaving it unclear which splinter group carried out the attacks.
The six explosions affected a dozen natural gas pipelines and one oil pipeline in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, said Jesus Reyes Heroles, the head of Mexico's oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, without providing specifics. The explosions occurred in valve stations where different pipelines intersect.
The blasts triggered fires that shot flames and plumes of black smoke high into the sky and could be felt miles away.
At least one undetonated explosive device was later found beside a pipeline in a swampy area about 500 yards away from a highway toll booth just north of the port of Veracruz, said a Veracruz state civil defense coordinator Ismael Reyes.
That explosive device was accompanied by a note signed by the EPR, according to a Veracruz state police official who was not authorized to be quoted by name. Initial reports said the note contained demands for the release of purported political prisoners - similar demands were made public after earlier blasts - but it was impossible to independently confirm the existence or contents of the note.
Veracruz Gov. Fidel Herrera told reporters "there was a note, and the indication was that it could be these groups, there are precedents," but he did not clarify the contents or authorship of the message.
Reyes the explosions would lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in lost production and that it would take four or five days from the time the gas fires burned out and restoration work could begin to resume lost service.
Pemex immediately shut down the stricken lines as well as another line in the area as a precaution. Reyes said about nine states and the capital, Mexico City, would be affected, but did not elaborate.
"It is a big blow," the Pemex chief said. "You can't store natural gas or transport it by truck."
Reyes said Pemex would have to burn off whatever gas it did not succeed in recovering.
At least 21,000 people were evacuated as a precaution but no injuries directly related to the explosions were immediately reported. Fernando Leon Yepez, a civil defense official in Omealca, reported that two elderly women died of heart attacks shortly after the explosions.
The blasts caused brief jitters in international markets, with natural gas futures up as much as 20.2 cents soon after news of the explosions hit. Prices dropped in later trading. Pemex said the damage to the oil pipeline wouldn't affect crude oil exports.
Neither were the explosions expected to affect natural gas prices in the U.S. _ Mexican gas only accounts for 0.3 percent of the country's total imports. The U.S. imported 12.7 million cubic feet of natural gas from Mexico in 2006. Mexico's stocks fell Monday amid the reports of possible sabotage.
Mexican glassmaker Vitro SAB said Monday it has temporarily halted production at six of its factories after attacks on the pipelines, citing problems with natural gas supplies.
The government did not immediately verify the claim of responsibility by the EPR. Interior Secretary Francisco Ramirez said the federal Attorney General's Office was trying to determine who was responsible for the "premeditated acts."
"Pemex's fundamental installations are adequately protected by our armed forces, and we will do our utmost to find those responsible," Ramirez said.
President Felipe Calderon condemned the attacks in a statement from India, where he was on a formal state visit.
"I want to say that my government severely condemns this and all other acts of violence and those who promote it in our country and anywhere in the world," he said. "There is no room for such criminal acts in a democratic Mexico."
Associated Press writer Lisa J. Adams in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Haditha Marines Innocent
Innocent in Haditha
By Kathleen Parker
"Innocent until proven guilty" is a favorite, if sometimes ignored, American trope.
We are reminded of that once again with charges being dropped against two Marines in the so-called "Haditha Massacre" of November 2005. As well, we are reminded of the difficulty in applying civilian perceptions and standards to military conflict.
Those exonerated, Lance Cpl. Justin L. Sharratt and Capt. Randy W. Stone, were among eight (seven Marines and one sailor) charged in the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians after a roadside bomb had killed a Marine.
Sharratt, 21 at the time of the incident, was charged with three counts of unpremeditated murder and faced life imprisonment. Stone, a military attorney, was charged with two counts of dereliction of duty and one count of violating a lawful order for allegedly failing to properly investigate the killings.
Other Marines involved in the incident, including one charged with 13 counts of unpremeditated murder, are either awaiting hearings or dispensation of their cases.
Haditha is one of those wartime horror stories that rivets and divides nations. There's no question that Iraqi civilians, including women and children, were killed during what appears with hindsight — and from the comfort of American living rooms — to have been a gratuitous rampage.
Allegations also were made that the U.S. military tried to cover up the killings and mischaracterized them as collateral damage during the roadside bombing and ensuing skirmish, rather than as the result of a "shoot first, ask later" order.
From a civilian perspective, the case seemed clear-cut. How does one ever justify intentionally killing civilians? The answer is: We don't.
Americans struggle with the horror of civilian casualties, while insurgent and terrorist forces in Iraq devise ways to effect more, not fewer, civilian deaths. What we deplore — and punish — they celebrate. And replicate.
There is a difference, one that is both our strength and our weakness. Though some Americans, like other mortals, are capable of inhumanity, our national conscience compels us to examine the impulses that degrade our character and purpose.
Our attention to moral warfare — always our goal, if not always met — also nourishes our enemies, who suffer no such burden. They know that demoralization and flagging commitment tend to follow our moral introspection.
War does not become us.
We simply don't like killing as much as our enemies seem to, though you wouldn't know it to have read early reactions to Haditha. After Time magazine first reported the incident, sparking an investigation, other breathless stories followed that all but convicted the Marines of atrocities.
The perception of guilty-as-charged gained traction when former military men such as Rep. John Murtha, who served in the Marine Corps, said the Haditha Marines had killed civilians "in cold blood."
From video and photographs of unarmed families apparently killed at close range, it was easy to infer that we were witness to yet another My Lai-type massacre.
But did the Marines kill in cold blood? Or were they under fire from insurgents, some of whom hid among civilians in their homes, as the accused Marines claimed? Or were some guilty as charged and others not?
Those questions are being answered in part with the dropping of charges against Sharratt and Stone. Sharratt did kill three men, there's no dispute there. But he testified that he shot only after one of the men pointed a gun at him. Investigators apparently found his defense compelling.
Lt. Gen. James Mattis, commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force who decided against court-martialing Sharratt and Stone, wrote Sharratt explaining his decision. Noting the difficulties in applying civilian standards to military circumstances, he quoted the late Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., who served as an infantryman in the Civil War and described war as an "incommunicable experience."
Holmes also said that "detached reflection cannot be demanded in the presence of an uplifted knife."
Mattis was most eloquent in describing the unique challenges in Iraq, posed by "a shadowy enemy who hides among the innocent people, does not comply with any aspect of the law of war, and routinely targets and intentionally draws fire toward civilians."
"As you well know, the challenges of this combat environment put extreme pressures on you and your fellow Marines," Mattis wrote. "Operational, moral, and legal imperatives demand that we Marines stay true to our own standards and maintain compliance with the law of war in this morally bruising environment."
Other Haditha investigations may yet lead to findings of guilt in some cases. Meanwhile, second-guessing how Marines should act under hostile fire before the facts are known is not only unfair, but dishonors the immense courage required to survive in the midst of such an incommunicable experience. [Emphasis mine.]
Kathleen Parker
By Kathleen Parker
"Innocent until proven guilty" is a favorite, if sometimes ignored, American trope.
We are reminded of that once again with charges being dropped against two Marines in the so-called "Haditha Massacre" of November 2005. As well, we are reminded of the difficulty in applying civilian perceptions and standards to military conflict.
Those exonerated, Lance Cpl. Justin L. Sharratt and Capt. Randy W. Stone, were among eight (seven Marines and one sailor) charged in the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians after a roadside bomb had killed a Marine.
Sharratt, 21 at the time of the incident, was charged with three counts of unpremeditated murder and faced life imprisonment. Stone, a military attorney, was charged with two counts of dereliction of duty and one count of violating a lawful order for allegedly failing to properly investigate the killings.
Other Marines involved in the incident, including one charged with 13 counts of unpremeditated murder, are either awaiting hearings or dispensation of their cases.
Haditha is one of those wartime horror stories that rivets and divides nations. There's no question that Iraqi civilians, including women and children, were killed during what appears with hindsight — and from the comfort of American living rooms — to have been a gratuitous rampage.
Allegations also were made that the U.S. military tried to cover up the killings and mischaracterized them as collateral damage during the roadside bombing and ensuing skirmish, rather than as the result of a "shoot first, ask later" order.
From a civilian perspective, the case seemed clear-cut. How does one ever justify intentionally killing civilians? The answer is: We don't.
Americans struggle with the horror of civilian casualties, while insurgent and terrorist forces in Iraq devise ways to effect more, not fewer, civilian deaths. What we deplore — and punish — they celebrate. And replicate.
There is a difference, one that is both our strength and our weakness. Though some Americans, like other mortals, are capable of inhumanity, our national conscience compels us to examine the impulses that degrade our character and purpose.
Our attention to moral warfare — always our goal, if not always met — also nourishes our enemies, who suffer no such burden. They know that demoralization and flagging commitment tend to follow our moral introspection.
War does not become us.
We simply don't like killing as much as our enemies seem to, though you wouldn't know it to have read early reactions to Haditha. After Time magazine first reported the incident, sparking an investigation, other breathless stories followed that all but convicted the Marines of atrocities.
The perception of guilty-as-charged gained traction when former military men such as Rep. John Murtha, who served in the Marine Corps, said the Haditha Marines had killed civilians "in cold blood."
From video and photographs of unarmed families apparently killed at close range, it was easy to infer that we were witness to yet another My Lai-type massacre.
But did the Marines kill in cold blood? Or were they under fire from insurgents, some of whom hid among civilians in their homes, as the accused Marines claimed? Or were some guilty as charged and others not?
Those questions are being answered in part with the dropping of charges against Sharratt and Stone. Sharratt did kill three men, there's no dispute there. But he testified that he shot only after one of the men pointed a gun at him. Investigators apparently found his defense compelling.
Lt. Gen. James Mattis, commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force who decided against court-martialing Sharratt and Stone, wrote Sharratt explaining his decision. Noting the difficulties in applying civilian standards to military circumstances, he quoted the late Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., who served as an infantryman in the Civil War and described war as an "incommunicable experience."
Holmes also said that "detached reflection cannot be demanded in the presence of an uplifted knife."
Mattis was most eloquent in describing the unique challenges in Iraq, posed by "a shadowy enemy who hides among the innocent people, does not comply with any aspect of the law of war, and routinely targets and intentionally draws fire toward civilians."
"As you well know, the challenges of this combat environment put extreme pressures on you and your fellow Marines," Mattis wrote. "Operational, moral, and legal imperatives demand that we Marines stay true to our own standards and maintain compliance with the law of war in this morally bruising environment."
Other Haditha investigations may yet lead to findings of guilt in some cases. Meanwhile, second-guessing how Marines should act under hostile fire before the facts are known is not only unfair, but dishonors the immense courage required to survive in the midst of such an incommunicable experience. [Emphasis mine.]
Kathleen Parker
Friday, September 21, 2007
Another Illegal Alien Amnesty Scam
"Our" senators are again trying to pull a fast one. Some senators are trying to attach illegal alien amnesty trailers to a senate appropriations bill. Last time they tried this the illegals and their supporters staged massive protests thinking they could intimidate the U.S. citizens into submission. We proved them wrong. Now they are trying the sneaky route. Time to stop them again. Could be why we are only seeing O.J. on the news.
"But you must remember, my fellow-citizens, that eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty, and that you must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing. It behooves you, therefore, to be watchful in your States as well as in the Federal Government." -- Andrew Jackson, Farewell Address, March 4, 1837
"The price of liberty is eternal vigilance."
They will try to attach three proposals to the Department of Defense authorization bill: (1) the DREAM Act (amnesty); (2) provisions of the SKIL Act (increases in H-1B visas); and (3) increases in H-2B non-agricultural seasonal workers.
The DREAM Act sounds like an amnesty to provide in-state tuition to illegal aliens who entered the country before they were 16 (millions of illegal aliens would qualify), but in reality would likely grant amnesty to millions more because no documentation is required of an illegal alien applicant to prove that he/she entered the country before he/she was 16. What is required? A sworn statement. Once that illegal alien is approved, he/she is put on the fast track to citizenship and "retroactive benefits," while lawfully present aliens are forced to take the long route.
The SKIL Act provisions would increase the annual cap from 65,000 to 115,000 the first year, and by an additional 20 percent the next. There is a "ceiling" of 180,000 per year, but there are so many exemptions from the cap (currently, approximately two-thirds of H-1B visas have been exempted) that the cap itself is virtually meaningless. Wages the the tech industry have been falling or flat for more than five years now. This increase will make even easier for U.S. employers to import cheap labor rather than hiring American workers. Watch this CNN report to see how it works.
The increase in H-2B visas for non-agricultural, unskilled workers works to deny jobs and decent wages to "unskilled" American workers in the same way that the H-1B does for "skilled" workers. Employers who want to hire H-2B workers must obtain a labor certification from the Department of Labor (DoL) stating that qualified American workers are not available to fill the jobs, but the DoL is not permitted to verify the truthfulness of the information the employers submit on the petitions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 14 million Americans actively seeking employment who cannot find a full-time job in the current economy. Forty percent of the illegal alien population came to the United States on a temporary visa, like the H-2B, and then overstayed after the visa expired. Congress has not implemented an exit system to ensure that visa holders ever leave.
"But you must remember, my fellow-citizens, that eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty, and that you must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing. It behooves you, therefore, to be watchful in your States as well as in the Federal Government." -- Andrew Jackson, Farewell Address, March 4, 1837
"The price of liberty is eternal vigilance."
They will try to attach three proposals to the Department of Defense authorization bill: (1) the DREAM Act (amnesty); (2) provisions of the SKIL Act (increases in H-1B visas); and (3) increases in H-2B non-agricultural seasonal workers.
The DREAM Act sounds like an amnesty to provide in-state tuition to illegal aliens who entered the country before they were 16 (millions of illegal aliens would qualify), but in reality would likely grant amnesty to millions more because no documentation is required of an illegal alien applicant to prove that he/she entered the country before he/she was 16. What is required? A sworn statement. Once that illegal alien is approved, he/she is put on the fast track to citizenship and "retroactive benefits," while lawfully present aliens are forced to take the long route.
The SKIL Act provisions would increase the annual cap from 65,000 to 115,000 the first year, and by an additional 20 percent the next. There is a "ceiling" of 180,000 per year, but there are so many exemptions from the cap (currently, approximately two-thirds of H-1B visas have been exempted) that the cap itself is virtually meaningless. Wages the the tech industry have been falling or flat for more than five years now. This increase will make even easier for U.S. employers to import cheap labor rather than hiring American workers. Watch this CNN report to see how it works.
The increase in H-2B visas for non-agricultural, unskilled workers works to deny jobs and decent wages to "unskilled" American workers in the same way that the H-1B does for "skilled" workers. Employers who want to hire H-2B workers must obtain a labor certification from the Department of Labor (DoL) stating that qualified American workers are not available to fill the jobs, but the DoL is not permitted to verify the truthfulness of the information the employers submit on the petitions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 14 million Americans actively seeking employment who cannot find a full-time job in the current economy. Forty percent of the illegal alien population came to the United States on a temporary visa, like the H-2B, and then overstayed after the visa expired. Congress has not implemented an exit system to ensure that visa holders ever leave.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Recommended Reading
Recommended Reading List
For Whom The Bell Tolls Earnest Hemingway- The master's best work, in my humble opinion.
A Wrinkle In Time Madeleine L'Engle- An excellent read with a deeper meaning than the adolescent audience it was written for.
The Giver Lois Lowry- Ditto.
1984 George Orwell - The all time classic on the police state.
The Art Of War Sun Tzu - Again, a classic of war as an extension of politics.
The Prince Niccoli Machiovelli - The epitome, not only explains political leadership, but also helps put into perspective why a Spanish king would give an Italian explorer three ships.
The Coming Anarchy: Shattering the Dreams of the Post Cold War Robert D. Kaplan - A chilling look of what is to come.
The Election Sherwin Markman- A dated but still pertinent read.
The Monkey Wrench Gang Edward Abbey - An entertaining look at the radical environmentalists.
Inside The NRA Armed and Dangerous Jack Anderson - Jack is at his muckraking best in this mix of partial truth with pure attack on the 2nd Amendment, not just on the NRA. A must read if you have been following current events or if you are familiar with history. Anyone who is unfamiliar with the events discussed would find Jack's opinion "reasonable".
More will follow, but this is a good start for a look inside the mind of the liberty guerrilla.
For Whom The Bell Tolls Earnest Hemingway- The master's best work, in my humble opinion.
A Wrinkle In Time Madeleine L'Engle- An excellent read with a deeper meaning than the adolescent audience it was written for.
The Giver Lois Lowry- Ditto.
1984 George Orwell - The all time classic on the police state.
The Art Of War Sun Tzu - Again, a classic of war as an extension of politics.
The Prince Niccoli Machiovelli - The epitome, not only explains political leadership, but also helps put into perspective why a Spanish king would give an Italian explorer three ships.
The Coming Anarchy: Shattering the Dreams of the Post Cold War Robert D. Kaplan - A chilling look of what is to come.
The Election Sherwin Markman- A dated but still pertinent read.
The Monkey Wrench Gang Edward Abbey - An entertaining look at the radical environmentalists.
Inside The NRA Armed and Dangerous Jack Anderson - Jack is at his muckraking best in this mix of partial truth with pure attack on the 2nd Amendment, not just on the NRA. A must read if you have been following current events or if you are familiar with history. Anyone who is unfamiliar with the events discussed would find Jack's opinion "reasonable".
More will follow, but this is a good start for a look inside the mind of the liberty guerrilla.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Hollywierdos
I am disgusted with all the attention given to these Hollywierdos. Here we go again, another celebrity is in the news and it occupies every waking moment of broadcast news. It shows how disgusting and lazy broadcast media has become. A Hollywood script plays out and they don't have to work for a real story. Now, I don't like or dislike O.J. Simpson. I feel for the Goldman family and hope and pray that I never know what they are going through. To bury your child must be the most horrible ordeal a person could be put through. But, only GOD and the murderer know who killed their son. According to the jury, O.J. was acquitted of murder. That is our system and it is the best in the world. Is it flawed? Yes. Everything involving people is flawed, and when you add government it is sure to be at best a disaster. An example is that an ambulance chasing lawyer succeeded in getting a financial settlement in a civil 'wrongful death' lawsuit. This is absurd. If acquitted in a criminal trial you should not be held liable in a civil trial regarding the same offence. For that matter the lawyers in congress (count them, it will sicken you) have passed laws enabling lawyers to be legalized thieves and vultures. To be tried in civil court in a matter relating to an acquittal in criminal court violates the spirit, if not the letter of the Fifth Amendment, of not being tried for the same crime twice. This is precisely one of the atrocious conditions prevailing under British rule which helped to incite the American Revolution. And one of the issues our founding fathers addressed specifically. "But we are wiser now than those great men of the past." B.S. Our technology has advanced while our brains and our sense of right and wrong have atrophied. Now O.J. is in the news again. If found guilty of the charges against him, so be it. I don't care. He was acquitted of murder, right or wrong. Think about this if you are ever unjustly placed on the wrong side of the law. And the way our government is going, that could include a lot of us.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Chuck Schumer Endorses Second Amendment?
Chuck Schumer is going to have an apoplectic fit when he realizes that he inadvertently endorsed both the Second Amendment and the militia movement. Undoubtedly you are asking yourself, "When did Chuck ever endorse anything in the Bill of Rights or the Constitution?" He did not do it intentionally.
When attacking the U.S. military and the success of the troop surge Chuck said: "The violence in Anbar has gone down despite the Surge, not because of the Surge. The inability of American soldiers to protect these tribes from Al Qaeda said to these tribes: We have to fight Al Qaeda ourselves."
— Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), Congressional Record, 9/5/07, p. S 11090
Tribes? Tribes generally do not have standing, professional armies. Each adult male is expected to be willing and able to fight to defend themselves and their families. Able meaning that they provide their own weapons. And not rely on a central government or agency to defend them. Sounds like the militia in the U.S. now and in the revolutionary days. And is that not what the Second Amendment is all about? Yes, according to men like Franklin, Jefferson, Hancock, Washington, Lee, Adams, and on and on. Yes, that is what the Second Amendment is all about. So "We the people..." can protect ourselves and our families from whatever threat we face. Please, when Chuck realizes what he has done, will someone get a picture?
When attacking the U.S. military and the success of the troop surge Chuck said: "The violence in Anbar has gone down despite the Surge, not because of the Surge. The inability of American soldiers to protect these tribes from Al Qaeda said to these tribes: We have to fight Al Qaeda ourselves."
— Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), Congressional Record, 9/5/07, p. S 11090
Tribes? Tribes generally do not have standing, professional armies. Each adult male is expected to be willing and able to fight to defend themselves and their families. Able meaning that they provide their own weapons. And not rely on a central government or agency to defend them. Sounds like the militia in the U.S. now and in the revolutionary days. And is that not what the Second Amendment is all about? Yes, according to men like Franklin, Jefferson, Hancock, Washington, Lee, Adams, and on and on. Yes, that is what the Second Amendment is all about. So "We the people..." can protect ourselves and our families from whatever threat we face. Please, when Chuck realizes what he has done, will someone get a picture?
Friday, September 14, 2007
I Have to Agree With the Libertarians on This One
Leningrad 1975, your name is Petrovich and you have a grudge against your neighbor Michaelovich. At the factory where you both work you mention to a staff political officer that Michaelovich has been seen taking photos of a nearby hydroelectric dam. The next morning your neighbor is taken into custody by the KGB. Grudge settled. That could happen in the U.S. if "reporting suspected terrorism" is not balanced with honesty and good judgment. The honesty is kept in place by having legal recourse to face your accuser (per the Bill of Rights) and to take recompense from false accusation. If Sen. Kennedy's 'hate speech' bill is passed into law and your pastor preaches a sermon a little too close to home, you call the FBI and report that he has been preaching against homosexuality and abortion. The next Sunday you have an interim pastor, as yours is in custody for 'questioning'. Or, what about the guy with the pesky dog? Didn't you see an NRA sticker on his truck? "Hello, FBI? I think this guy said something about shooting someone in government."
And this is how it goes. The snitch society is where you did not know if you could trust your neighbor, or not. An age old tool for controlling populations, used to perfection by the communists of East Germany, is what the Bush administration brings to us. And don't think the leftist democrats won't use it as, or more, ruthlessly than the republicans. We citizens are trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea. Only this is not Dunkirk and there is no where to go for safety or freedom.
And this is how it goes. The snitch society is where you did not know if you could trust your neighbor, or not. An age old tool for controlling populations, used to perfection by the communists of East Germany, is what the Bush administration brings to us. And don't think the leftist democrats won't use it as, or more, ruthlessly than the republicans. We citizens are trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea. Only this is not Dunkirk and there is no where to go for safety or freedom.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Hmm...tough question.
This one will get some reaction.
Apparently a Palestinian terrorist has threatened to cut off the heads of Madonna and Britney Spears. My question is, if these acts are carried out will this constitute terrorism or community service? I mean, some communities have "Adopt a Highway" programs to pickup trash, would this then be a "Behead a Tramp" program? Of course this is tongue-in-cheek, but they know all about each others tongue-in-cheek. If these two represent what passes for American culture then it is no wonder that these people hate us.
Apparently a Palestinian terrorist has threatened to cut off the heads of Madonna and Britney Spears. My question is, if these acts are carried out will this constitute terrorism or community service? I mean, some communities have "Adopt a Highway" programs to pickup trash, would this then be a "Behead a Tramp" program? Of course this is tongue-in-cheek, but they know all about each others tongue-in-cheek. If these two represent what passes for American culture then it is no wonder that these people hate us.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Old Army Truism
I recently observed a young 2nd lieutenant interacting with a varied group of individuals and this old question and answer came to mind: What is the difference between a private E-2 and a 2nd Lieutenant? The private has been promoted. Fortunately the military takes this into account and pairs an experienced NCO with the new Lt. so that the Lt. can gain knowledge from the NCO's experience. It is still amusing, however.
Just Wondering
After all the media coverage of Gen. Petraeus and congress, the question comes to mind: In matters military, do you trust the judgement of an Army four star general or a group of five star democrat pantywaists? Just wondering.
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