America the Great

AMERICA THE GREAT

We have been in the “political season” for what seem like forever. Throughout the debate, especially in the last six months we have had the three remaining candidates, Clinton, Obama and to a lesser extent McCain; as well as their surrogates try and sell us the moon in order to restore an America on life support to “its former glory” through increased government regulation, handouts; and in at least two of the cases, increased taxation.

I do not know if I stepped into some sort of Sci-Fi like alternate universe where Kirk and Spock are evil or if the evil Kirk and Spock found a way into my universe but that is not the America I know and love. While I think that America in its current state has some short-comings and may be in a pivotal moment in its life as a country (which all nations have gone through multiple times in their span); I do not think it is on life support. Even if you buy into the premise that this little bump in the road is America on “life-support”, increased government regulation and handouts have never ever been the American way or the way that America proves just how great she really is.

America, time and time again proves just how great no not just great, rather how Devine she really is in the exact polar opposite way that our next President (whoever he or she is) may try to tell you is the way. The Pope touched on it in some of his televised speeches this past week, which he spent in America. America proves its divinity each time not through hand outs and regulation but rather by standing tall in the darkest hour; finding a way to pull that rabbit out of our Star and Striped colored hat and defeating whatever challenge was put in front of us regardless of its makeup.

Remember America got its start because it was sick of being bullied by Great Britain. Washington, Jefferson and the lot did not cower under their collective beds or go begging to the rest of the world for help. France’s naval assistance came after we proved that we could take it to the British on land and to suit their own personal agenda; not out benevolence of freedom (something that America does throughout the world today).

Nowhere in the Declaration of Independence does it say “Please be nice to us, pretty please”; nor does it beg for a hand out or a government program. Rather, it told the British Crown what America was about in a polite yet firm manner. It told that overbearing government that we do not need to be told what to do and can do better without it. Then just to be sure they heard us, we clenched up our fists and did what needed to be done. To borrow a phrase from former WWE superstar “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, our Founding Fathers “Opened up a can of Whoop Ass” on what was at the time the world’s largest military and sent that message heard around the world. That message was firm yet simple; We Americans do not tolerate overbearing governments for very long. And although it seemed like a lesson in futility we won. Not only did this tiny group of ordinary citizens stand up to the world’s largest army, it found a way to win against all odds. Furthermore it only took us less than two centuries to become the greatest nation the world has ever seen and we have not, nor should we ever forget or give up how that happened or why.

This winning against all odds ability and mentality is not an isolated incident. Whether it was the Civil War era, the Great Depression/World War II era or the Jimmy Carter Presidency we have always found the way out of our darkest hour by digging just a little deeper within ourselves to find that will we did not realize we had; and come up with a way to come out stronger than ever before. This attitude is reflected in the heroes we remember, not only the real ones like Washington, Lincoln or Regan but also our fictional ones.

Fictional legends often come out of the frame of mind of the populace that created and embraced them thus bringing them to life; so they typically hold the ideals and abilities that particular culture considers to be great in a larger than life way. The Greeks brought us unbeatable warrior heroes like Hercules and Achilles. The Norse brought us Thor and so on. With that frame of mind, think about the legends from American fiction that stand out the most.

As someone who was born in 1975 and came of age in the 80’s; some of the legends of American folklore that come to my mind are Rocky, Hulk Hogan, Luke Skywalker and MacGyver. Each of these characters, when seen from the surface, certainly appears to be different. Rocky and Hulk Hogan portrayed sports heroes who were able to channel their inner spirit and will their bodies into absorbing unimaginable punishment on the way to defeating their seemingly unbeatable foes. MacGyver was a genius who channeled his inner spirit and managed to use his guile and cunning in order to find his way out of tight spots and to defeat each nemesis. Luke Skywalker used his inner spirit (known in the Star Wars universe as “The Force”) not only to summon an indomitable spirit from within himself, but also to become an inspiring leader that was able to bring out the same from those around him (i.e. Han Solo) and have them join the common cause of defeating the unbeatable foe. Each of the above mentioned characters illustrates to us what makes America the country it is and that is why we remember them. Each one of them was able to hone that inner strength that lies within each of us and use their abilities to their fullest do what needed to be done and achieve what was thought to be the unachievable in order to obtain victory.

Most of the human beings throughout history have had two things keeping them from their true greatness. The first is that most forms of government actually prevent or discourage people from seeking their true greatness. The reason that the Soviet Union didn’t even last a century is that “from each according to his ability; to each according to his need” (i.e. punitive tax codes and government hand outs) does not breed greatness; it breeds complacency. For most of America’s existence we realized this; and even today I think a majority of us still do even if many have shrugged back into the comfortable role of complacency with hand out. Our Founders certainly knew this when they set up our form of government. One in which government had a well defined yet limited role in daily lives of the citizen. That is the main reason why we went from a small rural nation to the world’s greatest power, and an influence not seen since Ancient Rome, in an historical blink of an eye (232 years in the grand scheme of things is not very long).

The other reason that America’s greatness occurred is a little more difficult for most people to understand, let alone obtain. It is that inner strength that is found within each of us that “Super Power” if you will which allows us to run on all cylinders; where we realize and utilize that ability each of us has within which gives us the opportunity to be great and use it in the effort of defeating the undefeatable or beating the odds. Some people have it. Benjamin Franklin; Thomas Edison, Davey Crocket and Rush Limbaugh are prime examples. Snicker if you will at that last one, but look at where Rush came from, where he is today and what he did on the way there. There is a reason why the Liberals curse his name. Rush, nearly singlehandedly, took what was a dying medium and turned it into one of the most powerful forces of freedom and inspiration there is by channeling that inner strength we all have and finding a way to make his greatness work. Each of the other abovementioned Americans, as well as countless others, also found their inner spirit or force and figured out how to use it to become the greatest person they could at what they did.

Most people though, do not know how to find, let alone, draw from that spirit in order to pull the proverbial rabbit out of a hat and make them self the greatest person they can be. Most of us rely on a great leader who has found their inner power for inspiration, and that is the reason why we remember people Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln; the reason why we hold Eisenhower, Ronald Regan, John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. in such high regard and will probably remember them for a millennia or longer.

They were the leaders who were able to foster that inner spirit or “The Force” within us en masse to do that which needed to be done to move the immovable object or to overcome the insurmountable force and claim victory. George W. Bush, despite his current short comings found his inner power from 2001 though sometime shortly after his reelection in 2004. The reason why his favorability ratings were so high for those 4 or 5 years was that he did what great leaders do. He took the tragedies that occurred nearly simultaneously, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks; the Enron like scandals that came to light in 2001 and the recession which had been developing since about 1998 (give or take a year) and gave us the inspiration we needed to dig deep and find that inner spirit so we could battle both the immovable object and the insurmountable force at the same time. Look at the outcome. We have record low unemployment; the GDP and small business ownership are both at all time highs; Saddam and his sons are dead; the Taliban and Al-Qaida are on the run and Osama is hiding in a cave. Unfortunately for Bush and the majority of Americans, he lost his ability to channel his inner power which is a very important aspect of great leadership. I don’t know if it was fatigue or the constant undeserving criticism he received, but he did and when that happened his ratings began to plummet and the majority returned to that state of status quo.

Don’t get me wrong, Americans are not alone in their ability to harness their inner spirit. It lies there, usually dormant, within every single person alive past, present and future. Take a look at the battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, where King Leonidas and 300 Spartans drew from that inner strength, and every bit of their military abilities, to hold the Persians at bay long enough for the citizenry of Athens to be saved from the pending onslaught (and preserving what we know as “Democracy” which was in its infancy at that time). British Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Margret Thatcher were also able to rally the British people into playing a lion’s share of the role when it came to defeating the Nazis and the Soviets respectively.

My point is that America and the American ideal was specifically created by our Founding Fathers in order to make it as easy as it can be for us to channel that inner spirit which I have been talking about, but we still need to be able to find it and harness it in order for it to be effective. Unfortunately, I do not see that type of leadership coming from the Presidency until at least 2012. I don’t see President Bush regaining it and his three heirs-apparent definitely do not have a clue about it, based on their past records. That means that the ordinary citizen is going to have to look elsewhere for assistance in channeling the strength from within. Fortunately for us, our Founding Fathers set up our country in such a way that even if the government leaders where lacking the ability to rally the masses, that there would be a way for leaders in the private sector to emerge, be they from the religious, merchant, elder statesmen, philosophers or another class of citizen.

Already some leaders have emerged in the private sector. We have the elder statesmen, such as Newt Gingrich who has developed his American Solutions think tank. This think tank (as well as others) is a great place for ideas to become solutions. Pope Benedict has proven that the clergy is ready to step up to the plate with his awe-inspiring speeches of hope and inner strength. We have great orators and philosophers on the TV, radio and internet such as; Rush, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin. We even have merchants such as Wal-Mart stepping up to the leadership plate and creating solutions to problems we have. You know that health care crisis that the three stooges err… I mean Presidential candidates are complaining about? Well, while they are busy arguing about how much control government should take from you (not to mention money); it is already in the process of being solved. Wal-Mart began offering an ever increasing amount of generic prescription drugs at $4 for a 30 day supply, not to mention reasonably priced eye care clinics. They also recently announced and began offering health care clinics at reasonable prices. It is only a matter of time before others follow this lead and do the same. That is one of the reasons why the Government elites (the Left) like to vilify Wal-Mart. It is because Wal-Mart’s leadership proves time and time again the Adam Smith and not Karl Marx was right about how to increase the quality of life of the masses. That is where their leadership is shown through. If we have the courage to listen to the private citizens who are stepping up to the plate and take our inspiration from them while cultivating the next great American President and pressuring our current crop of “leaders” from within D.C. to mind their business; I think America’s greatness has a good chance to shine through for an eternity.

A Tale of Two Eagles

I would like to tell you a story. It’s a story that everyone should read and take heed.

There was a nation; but not just any nation. This nation started small as a colony of a much larger distant overlord. They lived a simple, peaceful and religious life while being the servant nation to this distant overlord. Until one day they had enough. This agricultural nation got fed up with being ruled by someone else and revolted. Eventually this nation decided to form a government not ruled by a single tyrant but rather a Representative Republic. In this republic each citizen got a vote and elected its leaders. The citizens formed the army and the elected leaded them against all invading armies. If an enemy dared attack them that enemy was defeated in such a way to make it a prime example to the world.

Merchants were free to ply their trade through the entire nation. All religions were tolerated; there was a single currency and this nation quickly emerged as the most powerful and influential nation in the world.

In time however those who ran for government learned that in exchange for a few “gifts” to their constituents they could get elected and once elected obtain more and more power. In time, the leaders would offer bigger and bigger gifts so that the citizens would look the other way while they (the leaders) took power away from them. Of course, these bigger and bigger gifts required more and more money. This money was obtained through an increase in taxes. Each time their thirst for power increased, the elected would offer more tax payer funded gifts and increase the taxes accordingly.

NOW LET ME STOP THERE FOR A MOMENT…

Does anyone who hasn’t read on know which nation I may be talking about? If it sounds an awful lot like the United States, you are partially correct. This part of my story does sound a lot like the United States. But this story is not about the good Old US of A. Rather it’s about the first Republic; the first Super Power; the first Eagle. This story is about Rome.

You see, Rome, like America, started out as a rural slave nation of the Etruscans who controlled and abused their “colony” much like we were controlled and mistreated by the British. Rome finally had enough; revolted; formed the first Republic and did all of the things I spoke about earlier.

This is where I will continue my story about Rome. See eventually they reached a turning point. Eventually they reached a point in time where the leaders took too much power and taxes in exchange for their gifts. This is when the Consul (their version of the President) became too powerful and became a Caesar (named after Julius Caesar the last elected leader of Rome).

Some, like Augustus were fair. Others, like Nero (the Bill Clinton of his day) were not. They would use scapegoats like the Christians (some things never change) for their misdeeds. Remember Nero fiddled while Rome burned, blamed it on the Christians and then stole if for the “public good” which was really for his own personal use (think about those people in New Haven Connecticut).
Eventually the Caesar gained so much power that people stopped caring about Rome. The provinces one by one got fed up with paying tribute for diminishing returns and broke off from Rome.

Then the unthinkable happened. Wave after wave of barbarian horde sacked Rome with no reprise. Tribes of Goths, Visigoths, Vandals so on and so forth. In the past this would not have been tolerated. Ask the Carthaginians, the Gaul or the Etruscans what happens if you messed with Rome.

Finally when the end came; it was not some great battle of the ages. No, we don’t remember the battle for Rome like some ancient Battle of the Bulge. Quite the contrary. When the Gothic King finally came to relieve the last Caesar of Rome of his duties; he simply told him to retire to his vacation home and that was that. Barely a whimper.

We, my fellow Americans, are like Rome in more ways than you can imagine. When that wise man said that “he who does not learn from history is doomed to repeat it” had it right. Americans almost on a daily basis are falling for the very same lines that the Romans once did. They are giving away their freedoms (i.e. healthcare, school choice, freedom of Religion, property rights, etc.) in exchange for trinkets that they are forced to purchases via the tax code.

Our Founding Fathers, the geniuses they were knew this. They knew that Governments natural reaction is to take power, and the citizen who is unaware is likely to give it away. That is why they wrote the Constitution, which is a contract between the people and the Federal Government, that tells the government exactly what it can and cannot do. It’s not as the Democrats suggest a “living and breathing document” out of an Orwell novel. Because when the Constitution becomes a “living and breathing document” freedom gets smothered. They wanted a clearly written document that had no misunderstandings in it.

They also showed us the one and only legal way to change it with the Bill of Rights (a.k.a. the Amendment process). They were also clear not only about how each Amendment should be written (i.e. in its entirety) so that it would not be misinterpreted; but also on the importance of each Amendment based on their order.

For example, the First Amendment (i.e. the most important one) as read by the ACLU says that Religious entities are not allowed to have dealings with the government. They routinely try to force the government to deny the use of public areas by religious entities.

However, if you read the First Amendment in its entirety,

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof: or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (bolding added for emphasis). What this means is that Government is to take a blind eye to one’s religious preferences when doing business with them. This means that if a town allows Shakespeare in the park in June they have to allow a display of the Manger scene around Christmas time. If the town or state contracts out to private entities for its homeless programs the entity that is best able to provide that service should get the contract; be it the Catholic Charities or the Atheist’s against America.

By the way John McCain; The First Amendment also outlaws the McCain-Feingold fiasco. For those who don’t know McCain prevents people from peaceably assembling with like minded people in order to pool resources and redress their grievances 30 days before an election (when most people pay attention) in the loudest voice they could find (i.e. TV).

That brings us to the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment was specifically put right after the First Amendment because the founders deemed it to be the second most importantone. The Second Amendment says, “A well regulated Militia , being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed” (Bolding added for emphasis).

The Gun Control people will say that this refers to the State, but that is not even close. First of all the first ten amendments were known as the “Bill of Rights” meaning that they were rights of the People. Secondly, Article I, Section 8 gives the government that authority. If the Gun Control people were correct the Second Amendment would be unnecessary.

Rather, the Founding Fathers knew that the Gun was the machine of the free. They knew that if not for the Gun, they would still be under the thumb of their European enslavers. They also knew that the best/last protection against an ever encroaching central government was to be armed. A wise man once opined that the Second Amendment was put into place for when the founders forget the others.

Please do not get me wrong. I am not saying that now is the time for violence. I am simply stating that the Second Amendment is there as a last grasp which we will hopefully never see. Rather now is the time to use your mind; your voice; your right to vote. But before you do go out and learn about all the candidates; not just what they say or what the media says about them; but rather what they do and put it into historical perspective. History will repeat itself but only if we let it.

My apartment is haunted

Hello,

I know that these old cities and their old buildings tend to creek and stuff, but I have picture proof that my apartment IS HAUNTED!!!! I am serious. You should look for yourself.

Last night, a demon portal or something opened up in the bathroom (I knew I shouldn't have had that chili) and some chilling creatures came out!!!!

Check for yourself

If you know those guys on the Sci Fi network or the Ghost Busters, please send them my way.

Please hurry.

PS (I am the one in the front - middle)

Open letter to the Secular Progressives

I was just listening to the news today and the topic was the whole Church and State argument.

It seems as though the Secular Progressive fella (hence forth known as the SPinites) was misquoting the Constitution and President Jefferson yet again to bolster his argument.

Understand, in order to properly understand something you need to read the WHOLE THING. Not just bit parts of it like a character in an Orwellian novel.

The SPinite was insistent that the First Amendment’s reference to Church and State was there to prevent the public display of religion (i.e. No Crèches, Menorahs or other religious symbols); because part of the Amendment says that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…”

The SPinite was partially correct. What this SPinite did is what they always do. They neglect to tell you of the whole law, amendment etc. in their argument thus giving you a false argument from which to judge their opinion on a matter.

The First Amendment in its entirety reads; “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” (Bolding added for emphasis).

When taken in its entire context, it does not imply that government needs to ban all expressions of religion in the public square as not to offend or to “establish religion” as the SPinites would have you believe.

Rather, the First Amendment, when read in its entirety, actually means that government is not going to take a side one way or another in regards to religion. This means that if there is a place in the public square where exhibits are allowed, the government has to allow ANY EXHIBIT in that square that does not break a pre-existing law (i.e. public displays of sex). That means if it’s a Crèche, a Menorah, or a statue of the cast of the View, it has to be allowed. If it is not, then the government is violating the First Amendment.
The same holds true when the government pays for services (such as schooling or feeding the homeless); in that they are supposed to hire the best organization for the job at hand. If Catholic Charities is the best organization for feeding the homeless in your area; your government should contract out the food banks to them. If the Atheists Club (or whatever it’s called) is the best, then they should be contracted to do it.
What the SPinites really are doing is establishing a religion, their religion (Secular Progressiveness) in the government and forcing it upon us, at tax payer expense. Every day you hear them cry that all public displays must be “secular”. What they really mean, is that all public displays must adhere to the principles of SPism.
So I say to all those SPinites. You have the right to worship your deity (big government), but I have the right to worship mine (that of GOD through Jesus Christ) and we both are allowed to do it in public, so back off and leave me alone.

Orwell revisted

I was just working on some school work, which involved the discussion of critical thinking and ethics. Somehow the topic turned to politics, as it is prone to do when one talks about ethics.
This got me thinking, as it is prone to do. I remembered reading the book, Animal Farm my George Orwell as a teenager and likened it to the modern political season.
For those of you who have not read it, why not? It is a book about the Soviet revolutoin in Russia specifcally, but also one of the major American political parties as well. Here is a link to the Orwell website, which has the complete book availble online for free. http://www.george-orwell.org/Animal_Farm/0.html
Now that you have read the book (or re-read it). I will offer a breid synopsis of the book and you tell me what it reminds you of in terms of modern American Politics.
In the book, the animals led by the Pigs lead a revolution against their Human Overlords who represented the Kings and Dictators of old. As the book progresses, things start out well, the Pigs become the governing class, and send the children to school, they create a Constitution and proclaim that every animal should contribute what they can and receive only what they need (Marx' philosphy each according to their needs....).
Eventaully the Pigs garnered more and more control. The children all grown up turned on their parents, the horse (which represented the blue collar class) was too weak and tired to fight back and the Constitution became a "living and breathing" document which the leaders (the Pigs) changed to suit their needs.
In the end, the Pigs eventually became no better then the Humans and enslaved their "commrades" in the animal farm.
Now think about it. Who in the American political spectrum clims to serve the "blue collar" class? Who beleives in each according to their needs? and Public schooling?
If you read the language of the "Pigs" doesn't it remind you of the Clintons specifically, but also the Democrat leadership in general?
Scary isn't it? Think about that the first week in November 2008 when you pull those levers (push those buttons, punch those chads or however you need to vote). and remember this.
The two Presidents that are most thought of in modern American politics are Ronald Regan (the Republican) and Bill Clinton (the Democrat).
Ronald Regan's opinion on the power and greatness of America can be summarized by these quotes, "Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty" and, "Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States." both of which can be found at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/ronald_reagan.html
Clinton's opnion and legacy can best be summarized by these quotes... Well, actually I couldn't find anything memorable that they said so I will remind you of what they did (or tried to do). Pass the largest tax increas in the hisotry of America, try to take over Healthcare, try to strengthen the government control over schools, the airwaves and toilets.

Democrat campagin slogans

Democrat Campaign slogans

The Democrats are out there again using their same old tired slogans. You know the Republicans are evil, the environment is dying, the rich aren’t paying taxes yawn. I think that they need someone to help write them new lines. With this, I have come up with a few slogans and campaign themes to help them on their way.


We (the leadership) are the few, the proud, the elite

Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what your country can do to your neighbors

If at first you don’t succeed, we have a government program for you

Government health care: from the same people who brought you falling bridges, failing schools and insecure borders

Environmental policy: No cars, no power, and no luxuries like Robinson Caruso you will soon be primitive as can be

Combating evil: We will stop our war in places like Iraq and Afghanistan against people who physically hurt Americans so we can focus our efforts on people like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity who are hurting us with words

The Liberal motto: Do as we say not as we do

No matter your problem, we have a tax for that

Red Eye Intros

There is a show on late night TV called Red Eye. While Obviously I am too old to stay up until 2 am and see it, I have started recording it to watch at a reasonable hour. They have these funny intros and on their websites http://www.dailygut.com/ and http://www.itsjustwordplay.blogspot.com/ they have an area where fans can come up with their own intros. Its basically sexual induenos.
I have decided to post the ones I came up with there but also here.
If beauty were an amusement park ride I would loose my lunch while riding her
If beauty were an amusement park ride I would scream while riding her
If brains and beauty were a submarine the navy would fill her full of worthy seamen
If intelligence were a parking space I would back slowly into him
If beauty were an umbrella I’d use her outside on a rainy day
If intelligence was a department store her clothes would be half off on the holidays
If brains were Dungeons and Dragons nerds would do her in their basement
If beauty were a sled I’d ride her in the snow
If beauty were an envelope I would moisten her with my tongue
If beauty were a bull I would try and ride her hard for eight seconds
If beauty were eggs I would take her over easy every morning.
If beauty were piano keys I would tickle her for crowds
If beauty were bad brakes she would make weird noises every time I used her