Solutions for America

Can't remember who pointed me to it, but take a look at it, and if you love freedom, act accordingly.

Solutions for America | The Heritage Foundation

A Republic vs. A Democracy

Here's some good reading for understanding of types of governments. I love the info in it, but also loved one of the closing statements:

"“Like Oprah wants another donut,” he said."

Take a few minutes and read it.

A Republic vs. A Democracy by John Silveira Issue #90

TN Constitutional Amendment

When we went to the polls Tuesday, one thing on the ballot in TN was a constitutional amendment for the state. Short version reads, "Passage of this amendment would allow the citizens of this state to have the personal right to hunt and fish, subject to reasonable regulations and restrictions prescribed by law." Source

Of course I voted for it, but it seems that many other Tennesseans like the idea of more freedom. The end results?

Yes - 1,255,840

No - 181,465

Yep, about 7-1 in favor of PROTECTING the RIGHT to hunt and fish. Pre-existing right, just like those listed in the BoR, now it is simply codified into law. Good stuff.

And They Turn to Eat Their Own

Via both Mike and Alvie comes this. It is worth the read. Consider how bad it has to be if his own people are turning on him, and what that means for our country.

Part 1: White House Insider: "They were in shock at the president’s behavior." | Newsflavor

Part 2:White House Insider: "President Obama is lost. Absolutely lost." | Newsflavor

Interesting day . . .

So, this past Sunday was pretty crazy. Most of my days tend to be that way anymore, but Sunday was more so than usual on three counts.

First, my wife asked me if I could change the battery on the car of one of her female friends. No problem, right? Well, turns out it's one of those batteries you have to pull the tire off and the battery is behind the fender. New experience, no big deal, that is, until I realize Wal-Mart gave the girl the wrong battery - top post when it was supposed to be side post. Ugh. Add that to the list of reasons I don't like that place. So, she gets the right battery, I put it on (It's now turned into an almost 3 hour project, counting the trip back to the store), and I go about my business. Now, the bad part about this battery thing is that this girl's car has needed the battery put in for 2 MONTHS. The reason it wasn't done? None of her male friends were capable of changing it. Bunch of college guys, unable to change a battery. That's enough to start a rant about the wussification of America's men. But I digress . . .

Well, my business carries me to Fred's (store). On this particular day I chose to open carry my handgun. I've done it dozens of times, most of the time people hardly blink. Not today. I go back to the cleaning supplies, turn the corner, and a worker is there (black man about my age). He looks up as I'm walking towards him, and loudly proclaims, "You've got a gun!" I smile, nod, and keep minding my business. One of his co-workers comes around the corner as he again says, "That guy's got a gun!"

"The guy in the yellow shirt?"

"Yeah."

. . .unimportant conversation . . .then to me . . .

"You a cop?"

"No," I shake my head.

"You have your gun permit?"

"Yes," I nod.

A short conversation ensued, after which I was glad neither one of them had guns for lack of maturity, though the guy talked like he wanted to carry. He doesn't have the discipline to jump through the hoops. Good. Even though I still believe those hoops shouldn't exist. He still wouldn't carry.

Finally, I get home to continue working on my barn and building the nesting boxes for some chickens I am getting ready to buy. There are a couple of small birds in the barn landing on my sunflowers and apparently trying to find a way out, not noticing the gigantic opening on the side that is both unfinished and has a door wide open. No big deal, I've been in plenty of barns with birds. What followed is what hadn't happened before. I was measuring and marking some OSB board for a cut, bent over, and one of the birds mistook my back for a perch! That was a weird feeling. It's amazing how light they are. I barely felt it.

Thus concluded the interesting afternoon/evening. As long as my days don't get more interesting than that, I'll be alright.

How to Starve a Democrat

Another e-mail I received. How do you starve a democrat?

Hide his food stamps under his work boots!

Senator Corker in Tennessee

I just received an e-mail a few days ago about a series of town hall meetings Senator Bob Corker is doing in TN. Below is the e-mail listing the dates and times. Since my work schedule changed, Lord willing I'll be in Jackson on Thursday.

Our national debt is at a record $13.5 trillion and rising every day. In six town hall meetings across Tennessee, Senator Bob Corker will deliver a sobering slide presentation on Washington's spending trends and mounting debt levels and then respond to questions from the audience. To view Senator Corker's presentation on America's debt crisis and to access a PDF copy, please visit: http://corker.senate.gov/public/?p=america-s-debt-crisis.

Details for each town hall meeting are listed below. Thanks so much.

Jackson – Thursday, November 4 – 1:00 p.m. CT (Doors open at 12:15 p.m. CT and guests are encouraged to arrive by 12:45 p.m. CT to be seated.)

Union University – The Grant Center

1050 Union University Drive

Jackson, TN

Memphis – Thursday, November 4 – 5:30 p.m. CT (Doors open at 4:30 p.m. CT and guests are encouraged to arrive by 5:15 p.m. CT to be seated.)

Memphis City Council Chamber

City Hall
125 N. Main Street
Memphis, TN

Tri-Cities – Wednesday, November 10 – 1:00 p.m. ET (Doors open at 11:30 a.m. ET and guests are encouraged to arrive by 12:45 p.m. ET to be seated.)

Bristol Regional Medical Center

Monarch Auditorium

1 Medical Park Boulevard
Bristol, TN

Knoxville – Thursday, November 11 – 8:30 a.m. ET (Doors open at 8:00 a.m. ET and guests are encouraged to arrive by 8:15 a.m. ET to be seated.)

Clayton Performing Arts Center

Pellissippi State Community College

10915 Hardin Valley Road

Knoxville, TN

Nashville – Thursday, November 11 – 7:00 p.m. CT (Doors open at 6:00 p.m. CT and guests are encouraged to arrive by 6:45 p.m. CT to be seated.)

Massey Performing Arts Center

Belmont University

1900 Belmont Boulevard

Nashville, TN

Chattanooga – Friday, November 12 – 11:00 a.m. ET (Doors open at 10:15 a.m. ET and guests are encouraged to arrive by 10:45 a.m. ET to be seated.)

Chattanooga State Community College

Humanities Auditorium

CC Bond Humanities Building

4501 Amnicola Highway

Chattanooga, TN

It's November 2!

That means that if you haven't yet, get out and vote!

The Continuum of Resistance

Via Linoge, this article. Worth the read and thought, especially given recent discussions.

The Continuum of Resistance: Time for Violence? � MJ Mollenhour's Blog on the 2nd Amendment, National Defense, and Terrorism

Thank You, Lord!

For the first time in almost 2 months, we're getting rain in west Tennessee! The drought is over!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Well Spoken

Watch the video, and if you are a liberal, do try to keep up.

Klavan Explains , An Ol' Broad's Ramblings

Education System Fail

As if I needed more proof about the eroding nature of our public education system, I had a shining example at work on Tuesday afternoon. An 18-year old guy came to buy cigarettes. The conversation went like this:

Boy: "How much is a pack of Pall Malls?"

Me: "Three thirty-four."

Boy: "Can I get two with nine dollars?"

No, I can't make this stuff up. And no, this is not an isolated incident. I see this stuff daily. In large numbers. Along with a bunch of other stuff that would make you slap your forehead. Something has got to change.

How Government Works

Read it. Think about it. Vote and act accordingly.

INSIGHT on Freedom: How Government Works

Sounds Similar

So I sat down a few minutes ago to eat dinner and flipped on the television since I'm home alone. Switch the channel to PBS and this is the approximate first few sentences I hear, regarding the "banking crisis" and what caused it and fixing it, blah, blah, blah . . .

"They were just signing the documents, and they didn't even know what they said. They didn't care what the papers said. There was only one thing they cared about - getting the profit."

Now, of course he was talking about the bankers. Let's see if we can think of anyone else's actions that parallel this . . .

Congress and Obama? Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!

How about passing a "Health Care" bill into law without knowing what it says. But, of course, you have to pass it to find out what's in it, don't you, Nancy. Can't read the fine print now, can we.

The only difference between this and the accused bankers is that the .gov is more after power than profit. Power leads to profit, so it's all good.

How much you wanna bet the guy who was reaming the bankers supports what Congress did with Obamacare?

Ironic?

I quit shopping at Wal-Mart about two months ago whan they remodeled ours. I stand in line now (buying for work) thinking, isn't it false advertisement for wal-mart to call anything a "speedy checkout"?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Quote of the Day, Founder's Edition

"If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretense of taking care of them, they must become happy."
-Thomas Jefferson

Perhaps the reason most Americans are unhappy is because this advice hasn't been followed.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Breaking the Rules

So, I decided to take inventory of my ammo the other day. While I won't divulge all the numbers, I did have two thoughts:

First, 500 rounds between my two defensive pistols. I need to get more so I can maintin the efficiency with which I have been previously shooting. That means practice. Lots of it.

Second, I only have 150 rounds of .22 LR. If I remember right, aren't gun nuts supposed to have at least 1000 rounds of .22. Does this mean I'm not a true gun nut anymore? Now, I could remedy this with $40, that is, if I had that much. Maybe I can keep my gun nut status by going half-way right now. Please?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Glenn Beck 10/06/10 , An Ol' Broad's Ramblings

I actually got to watch this yesterday, it it was frightening. Kate has it posted, and I highly recommend watching and thinking. It's where we are now.

Glenn Beck 10/06/10 , An Ol' Broad's Ramblings

Honor for a Fallen Soldier

For the first time ever, today I listened to a presentation made by Obama for longer than a minute. In fact, my eyes watered up while he was talking. He even called the enemy what they are - terrorists. A soldier was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor today, as I understand it, the highest military honor.

If you have anything against the idea of listening to Obama, or you are against the wars we are fighting, put it aside and take the time to watch this in honor of someone who gave their life so that others might live, and live free.

They Fought For Us

Via The Snake on the Flag comes this video. I watched it last night but didn't have time or energy to re-post it. Quite honestly, I shed a few tears at the end of the video. I think most freedom-loving Americans will. Watch, think, and share.

10:10 Video - I Would Love to be Proven Wrong Right Now . . .

Alvie has the video posted. It definitely has a "wow" factor which is intensified in it's honest portrayal of how the group which talks big about tolerance has none of it themselves. Make sure to read and think about the observations Alvie listed. This stuff is scary.

The Cliffs of Insanity: 10:10 Video

Actually, just thought about this as I was about to hit the "publish" button. I just finished watching Soylent Green for the first time ever. If you've seen the movie, you'll be able to connect it to this video. Police state, greenies, caring more about little things (which have been dis-proven) than human life . . . If you haven't seen Soylent Green, I highly recommend it.

If My Wife Wouldn't Kill Me For It . . .

I would immediately volunteer for active work fighting the insurgency/invasion of our southern border. Who knows, I may end up fighting it anyway. Via Alvie comes this two part story. Check out his take on it as well.

“This is their corridor, where they move everything. Drugs, money, wetbacks. They’ll shoot at anybody. Like I said, if you look like you’re hunting around, looking to interfere with their business, steal their stuff, nab wetbacks, whatever, they’ll shoot you.”
As he clarified later, he was describing the corridor between Sasabe and Nogales.
“Nobody can go out and do any work on this ranch alone. You always have to go out in pairs. And no one drives down the road you just did, it’s too dangerous.”
I began surveying the land around us, myself.
“There’s a dead body that’s been laying out over past that hill, too, for awhile now.”
Grizz and I looked at each other, and then he spoke up again, this time asking a key question: “How do you see all this ending, X?”
“There’s a bloodbath coming, and everybody knows it.”

Language Warning! (not my site, in the links)

Part 1

Part 2

Look, folks, we have terrorists operating on OUR SIDE of the border with Mexico. If you don't believe me, look up the definition of terrorist and compare that with what is described in this story. Not only terrorists, but invaders. They are an armed foreign force, dwelling within our borders and conducting their "business". And you know what our federal government is doing about it? Well, I'll put my thoughts this way - if they pulled the border patrol out of there and let the local militias take care of the problem, we'd be a lot better off, and so would the ranchers down there.

We have a federal government which is doing everything outside of its Constitutionally restricted power (mandated health insurance, restrictions on civil liberties, etc.) while they are not doing the jobs it is DELEGATED BY THE STATES AND THE PEOPLE, in this case, "provide for the common defense" (Article 1, Section 8), "To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and REPEL INVASIONS" (also Article 1, Section 8).

So, to perhaps strike some thought cords, what are your plans when the house of cards falls, Mexican terrorists occupy several states, Muslim terrorists likewise, and our nation is only a shell of what used to be a powerful nemesis for any who dared attack? Mind you that the Mexicans in question do what they do for money, so how possible (probable) is it that they are accepting payments from Muslim terrorists to smuggle both the terrorists AND some nasty weaponry across the border, just to wait for the right time to press the red button?

If you think what I am saying is fear-mongering, then you have no critical thinking skills. If you thing this is a rational set of questions to ask and points to make, especially given the comments in the story, then what are you doing to prepare for the possibility?

Guns, Compromise, and Cake

LawDog put up some answers to questions someone had posted about gun issues. He turned it to 2A rights and the un-Constitutional infringements we are dealing with. At the end, he compares the anti-gun lobby's "compromise" with guns, to cake. Read it all. It's good thinking material, and possibly a good analogy you may want to swipe.

The LawDog Files: Ok, I'll play

I Am An Individual

This nails it. It's short. Read it. Live it.

Western Rifle Shooters Association: I Am An Individual

223 Years Ago . . .

. . . this wonderful land we are living in became what is now known as the United States of America. Foundations were set in place for a federal government and its relationship to the states, and also our God-given rights were recognized and codified in a document that continues to be the line in the sand for many Americans, though many seem to have forgotten it.

Here are two sites worth a visit. The first is full of writings on the topic, and perhaps even will help you really introduce the Constitution to your children and broaden their, or even your, understanding of it. It has the full text in several "versions" as well. You can even save it as a PDF. The second is a place that will send you a free pocket copy of the Constitution and Declaration. I strongly encourage everyone to, at the very least, re-familiarize yourself with the content of these two documents.

USConstitution.net

The Heritage Foundation Free Pocket Constitution

Crimes Drop Lower for Third Year

The Brady Campaign utters its hysterics at the proof they are liars.

Ah, yes, what a wonderful story to start the day with. The FBI reports that violent and other crimes are down for the third straight year.

But how can this be? After all, during 2008 and 2009 there was a tremendous increase in firearms and ammunition sales. Besides that, we had two rulings by the Supreme Court that struck down firearms/handgun bans in DC and Chicago, the latter ruling that the Second Amendment is to be incorporated in the states. That but a big damper on several cities' gun control measures. I mean, really, don't more guns equal more crime? Shouldn't there be blood running in the streets. Crime actually dropped? INCONCEIVABLE!

Now I must interject, as would Inigo Montoya, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." Ah, yes, the "experts" are amazed at this phenomenon, but it makes sense to me. You see, the very reasons listed about that the Brady Campaign and other gun-grabbers would like to use to scare people into thinking crime should be going up, are the reasons, IMHO, crime is going down.

You see, put yourself into the place of a criminal for a minute, hypothetically. Let's place it at three years ago. Would you rather try to rob someone or break into a house in Chicago, IL, or Jackson, TN? Washington, DC or about anywhere in Texas?

Now, if you were a smart criminal, you would have chosen Chicago or DC. Why? Because private ownership and usage, much less carry, were explicitly banned (as I understand their laws were written). So, you would have taken your gun (remember, you're pretending to be a criminal for this scenario, so you don't care that the law says no guns, cause it also says no robbery or breaking and entering, and you are getting ready to do that anyway) and you would hold someone up out of sight of police, broken into a house at night, maybe tried to rape someone. Odds are, you would be successful.

Why wouldn't you have chosen Tennessee or Texas? You have no legal guarantee that your victim can't fight back. You don't know if your intended victim is capable and willing to cure your lead deficiency. Fact is, you don't want to get shot!

Now move that time period forward to today. It has been ruled unconstitutional to ban handguns (and other common firearms, eg. shotguns, etc.) and the use thereof for defense of oneself/family within the home. Now you don't know which house to break into anywhere. Now, potentially everyone is able to "cure" you. Again, you don't want to get shot! Think that would deter you from becoming a criminal if you hadn't been previously? Plus, take into account, with a citizen's right to self-defense being recognized, that results in a lot of dead criminals, further reducing the pool of pond scum capable of committing crime. You think that if your buddy got shot trying to rob someone that it might discourage you a little bit? If you want to continue unfettered oxygen consumption, it better!

Factor in all of that with two other statements in the article:

So explain this: Police budgets have been shrinking. Not only that, typically crime rates head up when the economy heads down.

. . . . .

"There is a connection between the economy and crime rates, but it's not that when the economy is bad, people go out and commit crime," said Fox. "When the economy is bad, there are budget cuts. Less is spent on youth crime prevention and crime control on the street."

This is what really stuns the "experts". The government, in this case via police, can't control/fix everything! Good, upstanding citizens are armed, and that discourages crime. And in that case, it won't matter if less is spent on (public) crime prevention and crime control, because citizens are stepping into their proper role of taking responsibility for it themselves!

Now, yes, I know some people are going to take this as me arguing that correlation = causation. I do not believe that. At some point though, we need to recognize and take a look at the root causes of things that are going against the grain of what "conventional" (read "often false") wisdom tells us. Why are the experts baffled? What scenarios have they seriously contemplated? I offer one scenario here which I believe they have not seriously considered. Take it for what you will, form your own conclusions, but look at the logic behind it before you dismiss it. More guns = less crime.

3 Things About Islam

Via Eternity Road, you must watch this video about Islam. Eye opening. Share it.

Keep your powder dry.

Where Were You

September 11, 2001. Two planes fly into the WTC towers. Another one later hits the Pentagon. A fourth crashes in a field in Pennsylvania. Over 3000 Americans lost their lives in an attack by a group of radical Muslims. The Muslim world danced in the streets and celebrated at our loss.

I was 14. 9th grade. Working during study hall as a teacher's aid when we found out the news after the first plane hit. I remember not knowing what to think, at that time wondering about the significance of the World Trade Center. I didn't really understand what was happening. Why would anyone do that? That question has been answered in the years since then.

When I got home from school, pictures and video flooded the television. Those images burned into my mind. I'm glad now that they did, as "the experts" said the footage shouldn't be shown anymore because it was too "disturbing". That was a tremendous dis-service to those who lost their lives. America needed to be disturbed. America NEEDS to be disturbed again. No, I do not wish for another attack. What I want is for that footage to be shown again to remind everyone about the scourge that is Islam. Remind them that there are people in this world who would love nothing more than the destruction of America, and the death of Americans. A group of people which dances in the streets at the death of thousands has no right to any respect - only scorn and scrutiny of every action and word.

I do not encourage hate. I encourage rationality. I encourage critical thinking. I encourage remembrance.

I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN.

Choose to remember.

The NRA is a Turncoat Bunch of Weasels!

via Mike V., file this away as another reason my NRA membership has PERMANENTLY expired.

Seriously, donating almost $5000 dollars to Harry Reid's campaign? Let your NRA membership expire (or don't get one in the first place) and go with GOA instead.

NRA Nevada endorsements betray Angle and gun owners - National gun rights | Examiner.com

Quote of the Day, Classic Rock Edition

So, while listening to the radio on the way home from prison, er, I mean work, today, the Eagles came on with the song "Yes I'm Already Gone." Picked up on a set of lyrics I hadn't noticed before, but are amazing in their profundity.

"So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains

And we never even know we have the key."

Chew on that for a bit, and think about how many places it applies in your life. Talk about being able to set yourself free . . .

Another Reason I Love My Wife

She turns me on to videos like this:

No Connection, Really

Yeah, like I believe what Iran says. Surely there's no connection between this story and and Iran starting to put the fuel rods in their nuclear reactor. And it's purely defensive, cause they have shown themselves to be non-aggressive. *eyes rolling*

Iran Commissions Un-manned Bomber

Yeah, I'll grant them that the bomber itself can't reach Israel, but it carries 4 cruise missiles. Notice that their range is not mentioned. Wanna bet those missile will be nuclear capable soon?

Maybe Isreal will get smart and go pre-emptive. Either way, get ready for the ride.

TYRANNY! PELOSI STYLE

Via WRSA, had to pass this on. It is some major thinking material, and should definitely have you either outraged or ready to vote the freedom-haters out of office, or both. Don't bother reading the comments. They're pretty worthless. I can't get back those minutes of my life. Don't waste yours.

Do watch the video, though.

TYRANNY! PELOSI STYLE - Nealz Nuze on boortz.com

Why I Love My Wife

For my birthday, my wife, a wonderful artist, did three charcoal drawings for me. One is of us at our wedding. Another is of Thomas Jefferson. The third, as well as my favorite (don't tell her I said that), is a rendition of this statue of George Washington:

Now, compare that pic to her drawing:

Notice anything different? No? Okay, let me zoom in for you:

For those of you who still don't realize it (though I'm guessing almost anyone who would visit my blog would recognize the difference), the cane has been replace with an AR-15 pattern rifle. Now of course I don't think Washington would have ever held a rifle with the barrel in the ground, but it's just a nice, symbolic picture. I wouldn't have said anything to my wife about it until I walked into the bedroom and found my rifle in the same condition as in the picture. No-No. Come to think of it, that means she was handling my loaded rifle, and has no idea how it operates . . . or what/where the safety is for that matter . . . She does know what the bang switch is, though, and not to touch it, so I guess we're alright. But I digress . . .

I guess this drawing goes to show my wife knows me, even if she doesn't understand me. What more could I ask?

The Broken Window Fallacy

Via Conservative Scalawag comes this video. If only we could convince the "ruling class" that economics and growth really are this simple.

On Continuing to Blog

I have decided that since I am now on the USDOJ radar, it's time to stop blogging. Or not. I find it interesting that they stumbled across me by doing a Google search for Mike's blog, which they surely already know the location of. It's not like I didn't already have suspicions of being on one of the phony watch lists, so it's all good, just now it's probably official.

Now, as far as blogging goes, regular readers have probably noticed a lot of silence in the past month or so. Life happens. I'm planning to do less writing about what I read online, seeing as how most of it is linked to in the "Daily Reads" section of the sidebar. Those folks generally have some stuff that is worth reading. My focus is going to be more on offline reading. I've been working on several things, but if I keep letting myself get caught up in posting what everyone else is writing, I won't have much time for meaningful reading and writing myself. Well, between that and the internet being an extremely distracting place . . . So, the plan is to continue my offline studies and share what I find important or interesting here. I hope that will be much more useful to you than me being a parrot.

And Lance, I haven't forgotten about the UN guns items. That's still in the plans. I'll work on having that in the near future.

Until then, carry on and keep getting ready for whatever the future holds.

The "Elite" Ruling Class

Via Mike, been meaning to link to these for a couple weeks, but I hadn't had time to finish them myself. Finally did this morning. Both are lengthy, but worth the time to read.

Works and Days � Pity the Postmodern Cultural Elite

The American Spectator : America's Ruling Class -- And the Perils of Revolution

"This Week" with Christiane Amanpour

So, in an extreme rarity, due to some issues my wife was having, I was not able to attend worship this morning. So I did some reading, and kinda halfway listened to a show that was being advertised as what you could call actual journalism on ABC. That would be "This Week" with Christiane Amanpour. Curious as to whether it would be as advertised, I especially paid attention when her first guest was Nancy Pelosi. Of course you can find videos for it on the ABC website, but I'll just link to the transcript here. Now, as far as Amanpour goes, she did seem to be about as neutral as they come. Perhaps, I just didn't have time to catch bias, but she asked fair questions. On the other hand, I'd like to point out a few things Pelosi said in the interview. Perhaps I'll interjects some comments.

We are there, we've taken an oath to defend the constitution and therefore the American people.

Nothing like lip-service . . .

In my visits to afghanistan, the last time i was there was over mother's day weekend to visit the troops///and the four metrics that we have always used year in and year out on these visits have been about security. And the military tells us this cannot be won militarily solely.

Secondly, governance and ending corruption.....

So what we would like to see is for President Karzai be a more reliable, a stronger partner, ending the corruption, increasing -- improving the governance.

Yes, because it's so easy for corrupt leaders to teach others how to stop being corrupt!

Now to one that really requires seeing the conversation. Here goes:

AMANPOUR: Let's go to something much closer to home right now at the moment and that is the ethics conundrum with Representative Rangel.

How does your affection and your respect for him as a colleague square with what's going on right now and what you said and declared, that this is going to be the -- the -- the most ethical Congress ---- that you're going to drain the swamp of any kind of wrongdoing and corruption, etc.?

PELOSI: When I came in, I said we're draining the swamp. And we did. We have passed the most sweeping ethics reform in the history of the Congress. Any personal respect and affection we may have for people makes us sad about the course of events, but we have to pull the high ethical standard and none of our personalities is more important than that.

AMANPOUR: Can you see Congressman Rangel ever returning as chairman of the Ways and Means or in any position of leadership in -- in the House?

PELOSI: Well, the -- the Ethics Committee is working its will and

AMANPOUR: No matter what happens?

PELOSI: it's an elementary discussion, because what we have done is to wait and see what the Committee decides. I respect what they do. I'm totally out of the loop. It is independent. It is confidential, classified, secret, whatever. We don't know what it is. But we do respect the work that the members of the Committee do.

Draining the swamp? Somehow I haven't seen that in the last 18 months. More like filling it up. And what's all this about the Ethics Committee working its will. How about the will of the people, who are the only ones who really care about draining the swamp that is DC. Independent? Confidential, Classified? Excuse me, but it seems like something should be a little more public about this, especially considering that this Congress hasn't exactly been honorable.

Then in later discussion about the Bush tax cuts expiring, Pelosi doesn't seem to know what she's talking about:

Well, the -- the tax cuts for the wealthiest -- of the $250,000 and above -- were the -- the Bush initiative. I dont see any reason why we should renew a tax cut that only gives a tax cut to the wealthiest people in America, increases the deficit and doesn't create jobs.

That doesn't make any sense.

No, the only thing that doesn't make any sense is your ignorance, Madame Speaker. However, it does appear that she has one thing figured out:

This isn't about inter-party bickering. This is about a major philosophical difference as to whose side you're on.

She's right there, it is a major philosophical difference. On the side of the people (and Constitution) or one the side of government and totalitarian rule. Too bad what she says a few sentences before shows that she is still delusional (or just lying) about where she and her party stands, especially given the outright contempt they've shown for the people.

The Republicans are here for the special interests, we're here for the people's interests.

I don't know about you, but I vote for not just draining the swamp, but for removing the figurative corpses of those who were elected to be representatives of the people, but apparently died and became self-centered government zombies. Remember in November, this one and all that follow.

Common Sense

So, I finally finished reading a book I got months ago, probably at the end of last year. It is Glenn Beck's Common Sense. Inspired by Thomas Paine and his writing, it was a fairly good book, providing some insights I hadn't thought of. I believe though, that I enjoyed the end of the book much better, it being a printing of Thomas Paine's Common Sense. It is rather ironic, though, that Beck put it in there.

You see, all through the book Beck builds up a case against our government. Some of it is very compelling. Yet, in his call to action in the last chapter authored by him, he explicitly states that it is in no means a call for a violent revolution in America. It denounces it as being more harmful than the good it could ever do.

On the other hand, we have Paine, who throughout his writing builds up a case that taking up arms is the only way to create meaningful change for the better, denouncing the idea of reconciliation without remorse. For example, here is a paragraph from Paine's work:

Men of passive tempers look somewhat lightly over the offenses of Britain, and, still hoping for the best, are apt to call out, Come, we shall be friends again for all this. But examine the passions and feelings of mankind. Bring the doctrine of reconciliation to the touchstone of nature, and then tell me, whether you can hereafter love, honor, and faithfully serve the power that hath carried fire and sword into your land? If you cannot do all these, then are you only deceiving yourselves, and by your delay bringing ruin upon your posterity. Your future connection with Britain, whom you can neither love nor honor, will be forced and unnatural , and being formed only on the plan of present convenience, will in a little time fall into a relapse more wretched than in the first. But if you say, you can still pass the violations over, then I ask, Hath your house been burnt? Hath you property been destroyed before your face? Are your wife and children destitute of a bed to lie on, or bread to live on? Have you lost a parent or a child by their hands, and yourself the ruined and wretched survivor? If you have not, then you are not a judge of those who have. But if you have, and can still shake hands with the murderers, then are you unworthy of the name of husband, father, friend, or lover, and whatever may be your rank or title in life, you have the hear of a coward, and the spirit of a sycophant.

That's some strong language. To be honest, I think that comparing Beck's evaluation of our situation with Paine's of the founders situation, Paine is closer to where we are now than Beck is.

Anyway, I would highly suggest reading Paine's work. I'm considering trying to scrape up the money and time to buy one of the compilations of his writings. You know, it's odd how the very men that liberals call "extremist" commentators (Beck, Hannity, etc) would have been seen as pantywaists by the founders (in my estimation). How far we have come, and I don't mean that in a good way this time.

Quote of the Day - Confessions of an IRS Agent Edition

So, after church tonight I got into a conversation with a fellow I harass about being a tax collector. Turns out, he is much more conservative than I thought. From among other things he said, I would like to highlight this:

"I used to watch MSNBC just to make myself mad."

Yep, that's about the only reason to watch that lapdog station.

On another note, he had some rather disturbing things to say about the nation's current situations and how he thinks some things might play out. He said that he and some of his friends, who are brilliant economists, have been talking, and that they predict massive inflation in the near future.

He also said he is planning to begin stocking up on foodstuffs, firearms, and ammunition. Seems like a pretty good hint to me. If you want a good source of info on things in that area, go to SurvivalBlog.com. Worth your time.

The disintegration of the welfare state

This seems eerily familiar to the way the U.S. government is going to be dealing with things. Things like this give me reason to do my best to prepare mentally, physically, and financially for what is ahead. I believe it is a similar fate.

The disintegration of the welfare state - The Globe and Mail:

"Democratic self-deprecation isn’t quite as funny as it once was. Mobs have already taken to the venerable, iconic streets of European states, notably among them Greece, birthplace of Athenian democracy. It’s apparently easier to give wealth away than it is to take it back. Democracy assembled the welfare state peaceably enough. Can democracy dismantle it as peaceably? No, it can’t. The mobs are not finished."

Via Mike.

Making Amends: A Mini-Manifesto

Via Mike V.

This is a very sobering piece. However, I believe it provides wonderful, if not a little disturbing, insight into what is coming in our country. Like the author, I, too hope it doesn't come to this, but history does have a way of repeating itself and its lessons for those who didn't learn the first dozen or more times. Excerpt below, but you need to read the whole thing.

Francis W. Porretto - Eternity Road

Should we succeed in throwing off the yoke of the Corporate Social-Fascist State, part of our atonement, perhaps the most unpleasant part, will be this: we will be required to be hard.

We will never, ever, put an end to the dreams and machinations of the power-seekers unless we punish those among us with proper severity. Among our current officials are several overt traitors: men who took oaths to defend the Constitution, and have done the exact opposite. Of these, I count one president, four Supreme Court Justices, and hundreds of federal legislators. Unless these are dragged from their hidey-holes as was Saddam Hussein, and executed or incarcerated for life, there will be no respite from the pressure of closet totalitarians and social engineers against our polity. Men to whom power over others is the ultimate satisfaction will seek it relentlessly, until the price for doing so becomes both ultimate and inevitable.

That's merely what will be demanded of us to cleanse the federal government. Further severity will be required of us:

• Toward nations and "non-state actors" that seek to bend us to their wills;
• Toward religious and quasi-religious, racial, and ethnic groups that agitate for special treatment and exemptions from the laws;
• Toward special interests that seek subsidies, subventions, or to impose their views upon us through the political process;
• Toward individual predators who have, in the main, eluded the proper penalties for their deeds.

The underlying message is, of course, We mean it. But it can only be expressed in deeds. Our words have become untrustworthy. We will not regain our credibility until we've demonstrated that we deserve it.

That will be the hardest price of our restoration. It will be unpleasant at best, dreadful and massively bloody at worst.

We will be spared none of it.