New Year's Eve Final Thoughts

There are certain principles that need to be adopted by all Americans, not just politicians, before any real reform can be implemented in this country. For too long our country has strayed from the original values and principles laid down by the Founding Fathers.

Instead of a government run by "We The People", we have placed in power a group of power hungry elitists whose main priority is not what's best for the country, but what is best for increasing their chances of reelection.

The contempt for the Constitution is blatant in all levels of government. Corruption, crony-capitalism, a push towards socialism, power grabs, entitlements, bribes, earmarks, mismanagement... it's gotten out of control.

The President, in his own words, has publicly shown his contempt for the Constitution, and his desire for a Statist, Nanny-state, Socialist government. His official community organization endorses such groups as "The Communist Party USA", and his administration has been blatantly forcing through legislation that empowers his friends in the unions (which have also come out publicly in favor of Socialist and Communist organizations), as well as pushing for his other socialist policies. Where legislation is defeated, he bypasses Congress and uses non-elected presidential appointees in the various government agencies to enact new "regulations" instead.

There's no real debate here; it's pretty much come down to do we still value Liberty and a representational Republic, or do we go the way of most of Europe, and choose to be ruled by an elitist class who will tell us how much money we can have, how we eat, what healthcare we can get, etc.?

People need to wake up. Enough of this bogus "class warfare." Most "rich" people got that way from working their ass off, and they are entitled to the fruits of their labor just like anyone else. They are also entitled to give that money to whoever they wish. They CREATED that wealth, they did not STEAL it by trodding on the poor. And it certainly is not the government's place to determine what amount constitutes "enough" success, and how much is "too much" success that must be taken away and redistributed in the name of "fairness."

Remember, contempt and envy are enemies of freedom. A "right" for one free citizen cannot exist in concert with an obligation against another.

Financially we're broke. People scream for "fiscal sanity", but they do so while still clinging to some government handout. You can't have it both ways.

To fix the problems, we need to elect into office people who will stand on the principles of the Founders, and adhere to the Constitution, regardless of political party. The answer is not to vote in a bunch of Republicans who will continue to ignore the Constitution and enact their own brand of society shaping mandates (another Bush we do NOT need).

As Americans we acknowledge a supreme law that defines our unalienable rights, rights that cannot be given nor taken away by any person or government. Our government's job is to protect those rights; not use those rights as an instrument of control. Remember that it is our duty to defend that law. There will always be threats to that law, and me must uphold our obligation to defend it, and to avoid the temptation to give up and take the easy road.

I heard someone say, "The Constitution gave us conceptual arms to bear, not a shield to hide behind." That is very true. Understand what an "unalienable right" actually means, and the rest comes much easier.

Getting our country back on track will not be easy. There are now too many people who have gotten used to being a parasite sucking on the government teat. Believe me, these parasites will complain loudly, calling us heartless and uncaring. Let them. They are a product of political manipulating designed to curry votes. Remember, when you are enslaved by government entitlements, the person promising to keep the gravy train moving in your direction becomes your master.

Returning to the founding principles outlined in the Constitution is the key to returning to prosperity, both financially and morally. In the long run, everyone in America benefits and becomes stronger.

God Bless, and have a safe and happy New Year.

Question: How do you starve an Obama supporter?


Answer: Hide his food stamps under his work boots.

To the Left, the Word "Illegal" is not PC!

Gotta love the left! In their ongoing effort to grant amnesty to illegal aliens (in addition to just opening our borders for anyone who wants to come in, of course) in order to introduce more bodies in order to buy off their votes with welfare handouts, the Diversity Committee of the Society of Professional Journalists has declared the term, "Illegal Immigrant" to be offensive to Latinos, and instead we should call them "undocumented workers", or "undocumented immigrants".

The Diversity Committee (funny how the Left feels the need to single out groups as being "special" and requiring special treatment and attention...most of us call that "racism", but I digress) has decided that we need to be "sensitized and educated" on the hurtful rhetoric, which (according to them) is "unconstitutional" to use.. yet another example of the left-wing concept of a "living, breathing Constitution", which basically means to twist the words around so you can do what you want...

Just wait; next they will be blaming this "hurtful, unconstitutional hate speech" for the violence on the border. Just like insulting Islam turns normal, peace-loving Muslims into suicidal jihadist murderers, you know...

"Champions of the Poor"... Really?!

I find it amusing that the Progressives make the claim that they are advocates of the poor and the middle class, and very sad that so many people buy into that falsehood. The leftists push more and more legislation through that ultimately raises the cost of living for everyone, hitting the lowest income brackets the hardest.

Example: The new "Food Safety Bill" is a solution looking for a problem; it creates more bureaucracy on top of what is already the safest country in the world for food production and quality. That added cost will be transferred to the consumer.

Example: Cap and Trade. By design would raise the price of energy and anything dependent on transportation (which is just about everything).

Example: So-called "environmental groups" now want to limit the number of power plants that are built. Result? Lower supply, higher demand, therefore higher prices. So what then? Subsidies for the poor? Subsidies will basically be additional taxes on the middle/upper class to pay for them (wow...another income redistributive policy).

They also prevent drilling on US soil, thus expanding our dependency on foreign oil at a higher cost to all), in countries that don't have as advanced and stringent safety standards as we do.

They also have had a long-standing aversion to nuclear power, even though it generates zero greenhouse gasses, and is much more efficient (and cost effective over the long haul). (As a side note, since somewhere around 60% of all US greenhouse gas emissions come from coal burning electric power plants, you'd think they would be more receptive to clean energy...)

Example: The refusal to oppose illegal immigration. Actually, any immigration, which will lead to greater energy demands, on top of the fact that immigrant jobs increased last year, while American jobs fell substantially. (Wouldn't it be best to put a moratorium on immigration until jobs and the economy can recover?)

People need to start thinking for themselves. Politicians thrive on the apathetic, useful idiot. Anyone who believes that politicians have your best interests at heart is a complete idiot. They are concerned with re-election. Rare is the politician who has you, the country, or the long-term consequences of their actions in mind.

Just some food for thought...

"A population of sheep will breed a government of wolves."
- unknown

Some quotes really are timeless

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it, and then misapplying the wrong remedies." --American comedian Groucho Marx

Obamacare Recap

Ok the recent ruling of the individual mandate portion of Obamacare (the one that would have required individuals to purchase healthcare or be fined or imprisoned) is a good start, though it will be challenged by the current "Statist-Scum" in Washington. One step at a time, I suppose.

Just to recap:

• It's unconstitutional - Not that this has been a very great concern for Washington for the past 35 years, but still, an important item.
• What's the latest count? 2,700 pages in length? And passed without having been read - What did Pelosi say? "We have to pass the bill to find out what's in it..." WTF? And how many drooling parasites are out there glassy eyed over the idea of "free" healthcare, that are in favor of a healthcare bill that they haven't read?
• Addresses very few of the root causes of high health care costs (most of which, ironically enough, were caused by government intervention to begin with).
• Requiring coverage of pre-existing conditions will effectively put insurance companies out of business in short order, leaving the government to "save" us by implementing a government controlled, single payer system. (ANYONE who thinks that requiring an insurance company to cover everyone regardless of pre-existing condition is a good idea, is either a complete moron, or an anti-capitalist socialist POS that for some delusional reason wants the federal government to control health care. But that's just my opinion...)
• We're already seeing detrimental effects of Obamacare, such as companies dropping coverage, coverage costs climbing in anticipation of the new regulations...the FDA is already considering dropping certain cancer drugs because of their cost (ignoring the fact that they have been very effective in breast cancer treatment)...
• Puts federal bureaucrats in charge of your health care decisions.
• More specifically, unelected officials are now in charge in writing the guidelines on how you get treated. And who are these people?
• First we have Obama appointed "Medicare Czar", Donald Berwick. He's called the British health care system a "seductress" (you know, the one that is bankrupt, and in which the British government is now trying to privatize portions of it to keep it afloat...oh, the irony), and has also written that the government should ration the "number of centers engaging" in "cardiac surgery", "neonatal intensive care" and "cancer care".
• Next we have the esteemed Ezekial Emanuel, the adviser to Obama on all things health care. He is really on top of things, having crafted a "complete lives" system that determines the "appropriate" portion of treatment a person gets depending on their age. To quote, "Individuals aged between roughly 15 and 40 years gets the most substantial chance [of receiving care], whereas the youngest and oldest people get chances that are attenuated."
• Oh, and the two of them recently kicked off a meeting at the White House with health care lobbyists to discuss the implementation of Obamacare...which was a closed door meeting (closed to the public, press).
• I could devote a whole article of on-the-record quotes from all the anti-capitalism, anti-Constitution, anti-American "Advisors" Obama has cozied up to...but that's another topic for another time..

People need to start thinking for themselves, and stop being the "useful idiots" that politicians want them to be. It's a simple choice, though for some may prove difficult. Personal responsibility and a government of, by, and for The People, or a Socialist Utopia of a large, Statist government that controls nearly all aspects of your life.

The Corrupt Leading the Stupid

OK, harsh title. But let's think about this for a moment:
We have a government whose only talent is throwing money away (our money) on programs and projects that are stupid, frivolous, and/or corrupt. They are incapable of running any program using a sound business model, instead choosing to just throw more money at it (our money).

For instance:

• Medicare: Broke. 
• Medicaid: Broke. 
• Social Security: Broke.
• Amtrak: Has never made a profit; requires federal subsidies every year.
• Post Office: Consistently loses money; requires federal subsidies every year.

In a nutshell, the federal government has a 100 percent failure rate on running anything efficiently, and a 100 percent success rate on overspending, over bureaucratizing, and corrupting anything it touches. This isn't unique to America; it's been the case with every large government in history.

The federal government is an addict. They are addicted to money and power. And they rely on the apathetic, the idiots, and the stupid blind idealists to further their addiction.

Case in point: How many people practically salivated over the idea of "free" healthcare? How many people were gung ho about the so-called healthcare reform bill, even though they never bothered to read it? How do people with even a small amount of common sense be in favor of a federal government with the above mentioned track record taking control of the health care decisions in their lives? The problems with the healthcare system (most of which were caused by the federal government's meddling to begin with) weren't even addressed in the health care bill.

Keep in mind that when the government takes this over, they are the ones who will be making the determination on what is considered to be "essential" services. Not you. Anyone bothering to read the bill knows that the "put the decisions in the hands of the patient and doctor" claim is a load of crap.

Any Socialized program basically says that everyone takes responsibility, therefore the whole of society takes an interest in an individual's lives. Remember, we are socializing the "risk" as well. That means that the "good of the many" will trump individual welfare. If it is determined that is is not cost-worthy for you to have a certain procedure, then it will be denied. You won't be deciding; a panel of bureaucrats will decide, since they hold the purse strings.

With insurance companies, you pay them a sum of money for them to take on the risk. How much money the insurance company determines is based on questions it asks in order to assess the likelihood of that risk. That's the basis of insurance. Forcing them to take people with pre-existing conditions has got to be the stupidest, head-up-the-ass idea anyone could come up with. That's like a company having to insure your car after you just got in a wreck... pay a $200 new policy premium while you are simultaneously filing a $5,000 repair job.

The fact that so many people think this is a good idea just blows my mind. Of course, that's why the "healthcare" bill mandates the purchasing of insurance. In other words, the government forces us to pay for insurance. (Which is unconstitutional, for anyone who still cares.) The only other option (assuming we want the insurance companies to stay in business, that is) is government subsidies. Either way, We The People are the ones who get screwed.

Too many people get glassy-eyed and start drooling over the idea of getting something for nothing. Unfortunately, nothing is free. Someone has to pay for those services and hand outs.  I've said this before and I will say this again: Socialism is a failed ideology! It has NEVER worked, past or present! People clinging to this ideal are either ignorant, stupid, or downright dangerous.

America is the Land of the Free. Freedom comes with personal responsibility. People should not be forced to subsidize those not willing to take on that responsibility.

If you are willing to sacrifice your responsibility to an all powerful government whom you think is more qualified than you to make the decisions in your life, then be prepared to accept the consequences.


Just something to think about.

The DREAM Act...A Dream if you're a corrupt elitist, but a nightmare to most everyone else.

Another inspired act of brilliance from the corrupt elitists in Washington...

It seems since getting an amnesty bill passed isn't an option, these yo-yos have decided to try pushing this load of crap through. Obviously we have to forget the fact that granting amnesty does absolutely NOTHING to curb the illegal immigration problem (remember, we've tried that before), and only serves to (among other things): A. Increase crime, particularly in border states, B. Increase the burden of already bankrupt entitlement programs, and C. Most importantly in the eyes of the “elitists”, instantly boost the voting population that are favorable to the anti-American policies these bottom feeders thrive on.

The DREAM act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act)...quite the interesting read...a few points about it, for those not up to speed:

• Any person under 35 years of age illegally in the U.S. can apply for permanent resident status if they have graduated high school (or GED) and have been admitted to an “institution of higher education.” The individual then has 8 years to complete at least 2 years of a bachelor's degree (actually earning the degree isn't required).
• Those illegal aliens not able to complete the above requirement? Not a problem; the federal government can waive the requirement completely if the illegal can demonstrate deportation would be a hardship to themselves or their spouse, child, or parent.
• If their application is denied for any reason, immigration authorities are prohibited from using the information to deport the illegal alien.
• If approved, the illegal then qualifies for “in-state” tuition in the state of their residence, AND federal student assistance. (Nothing like bypassing those here legally and trying to obtain assistance..)
• There is no real restrictions on who can qualify, and it specifically allows criminal aliens to apply. Fraud, expired visas, those who pose a public health risk...no problem!

Basically, if you are an illegal, just apply for the DREAM and you get instant amnesty. Those with pending applications can't be deported, you know. Just another way to delay deportation.

This piece of crap also touts a provision of military service in lieu of the college requirement, which is worthless, since illegals are already allowed to enlist in the military and earn citizenship. (And hats off to those who do.)

This thing is a joke, just like our politicians. Illegal immigration and amnesty has been historically proven time and time again to be an incredibly bad idea. The fact that some people still think it's a good idea, in the name of “globalism” and “fairness”, is frightening. Idealism that isn't backed by facts can be funny and annoying to listen to, but when they actually gain power, things have never ended well.

Just something to thing about.

(The bill is readily available online, so read it yourself and make your own decision.)

"Confessions of an Airport Pornstar" or, "I Paid $500 For This Plane Ticket, And All I Got Was This Lousy Hand-Job"

Ah, the so-called TSA, aka, the Transportation Safety Administration. In their infinite quest to make sure us ignorant, common-folk are kept safe, we are now offered two choices when flying: Either go through the "Flash-Your-Junk" machine, or have a policy academy, "couldn't get a security guard job at a mall", rent-a-cop Gomer give you a pelvic. In light of this new policy of sexual abuse and 4th amendment violation, I vote we rename the TSA to "Transportation Sexual Abuse".

I find it amazing that our own government would rather violate our constitutional rights, treat us like criminals, and verbally and physically abuse us, rather than actually put forth the effort to identify high risks flyers. Instead of offending "our poor, misunderstood muslim friends", or run even the remote chance of giving the impression that we're profiling,  we have to submit our young children and grandma to nude photos or molestation. This isn't an exaggeration. The pictures that are taken of you through your clothes have enough detail to be able to identify the beads of sweat on your back... And about a hundred of these photos were leaked onto the Internet, in spite of the government's claims that no images were even saved.

This joke of a department was created in 2001, and has been a major joke ever since, and has continually gotten worse. No one in their right mind thinks they contribute anything to airline safety (well, I'm sure there are some individuals suffering from rectal-cranial inversion who might).

Let's see: 911, airplanes hijacked with box cutters. Response: no sharp objects on plane! (goodby to the deadly knitting needles, thumbnail sized nail files, and that plastic spork...I feel safer already...)

Next, some dimbulb tries to blow up his shoes. Response, we all now get to take our shoes off before walking through the metal detector, and no shampoo bottles larger than few ounces (because nothing crushes the religious fervor of a jihadi terrorist faster than being forced into ankle-length nudity and dirty hair. That explains the towel - they just washed it...).

Next, some fruit-loop tries to set off his mohammed underoos. Response: Thanks to the Panty-Bomber, we now get to show ourselves naked or get felt up by a rent-a-cop. (And they've already admitted that the new scanners would not have detected the explosives in "Panty-Boy".)

Oh, and then there's the explosives found in the HP Printer cartridges on the cargo planes. Response: All printer cartridges traveling in the U.S. must now go by bus.

And about how much does this mess cost us? Let's see:

• Approximately 50,000+ TSA employees
• A 2010 budget of about 7.8 billion
• Number of U.S. citizens who have been abused and have had their rights violated: Thousands (and climbing)
• Number of terrorists caught by the TSA:  0

Our rights are being stripped away once again by the government "for our own safety." Our Constitution spells out our UNALIENABLE rights. That means they are God-given rights that no man can give or take away. It's supposed to be the government's job to protect those rights...not dictate which ones they feel we're allowed to have this week...

If this kind of action is allowed, then what right will they decide to take next? Warrant-less random search of your house "for a safe community"? Confiscation of all firearms "for a safe society"? Shutting down all but "authorized" news sources "to avoid confusing the population with too much information"? (Oh, wait...I believe Obama already mentioned something to this effect.)

Something to think about, next time you're getting your complimentary hand-job at the airport, courtesy of the TSA.

The Sterling Achievement of "Government Motors!"

Vice President Joe Biden recently made the following statement: "Every single great idea that has marked the 21st century, the 20th century and the 19th century has required government vision and government incentive."

Let that sink in for just a moment.....

Ok, someone's got to say it, and I guess it will be me:

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?????

How much brain damage does one need to have to believe that statement, let alone say it publicly? Could someone please give me ONE example where the government somehow inspired a great idea to be born? Where Socialism was the spark that ushered in great advances in technology or innovation or the arts?!

Was it "government incentive" that drove Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs? Did Scott Joplin, Hank Williams, or Bob Dylan get their inspiration from a government mandated "vision?" Did Emeril become a great chef because of a government issued toaster oven when he was 12?

Let's take a look at GM...went bankrupt, but deemed "too big to fail" by government "geniuses"...government takes it over (around 60% ownership), and Obama essentially becomes the new CEO, firing the old one (the Constitutional violation issues are rampant, but we'll leave those for another time...).

Now, they claim to have paid back their debt to the government, with interest! (Remember that commercial?) They left out the detail that they paid back the loan money using OTHER loan money, also from the government...hmmm...

Anyhow, they make their grand unveiling of their new "innovative" green car...THE VOLT!!! Originally reported as fully electric, and completely green! WOOHOO!!!

I did a little research on this "grand vision of the future, that we couldn't have achieved without the government swooping in and innovating":

1. First, it's just a hybrid. NOT an electric car. The gas engine kicks in and runs a generator on those longer trips.
2. It gets a lousy 38MPG, and not the announced 230MPG it was supposed to get. (For comparison, my 15 year old planet-killing, gas-drinking Neon still gets 30MPG in city, and about 37MPG on the highway.)
3. It's overpriced at a ridiculous $41,000, with the government offering a $7,500 tax payer subsidy just to get people to even consider buying this turkey. The battery alone costs around $17,000.
4. You have to install a $2,500 home charging station in your home to even be able to drive it on electric power, which will get you a whopping 40 miles down the road before it's drained.

Now, I'm not a fan of the Prius, but I will say that it gets much better gas mileage, and about half the price...But then it wasn't "government inspired"...it was researched, developed, and marketed by a company that responded to market demand, and a desire to turn a profit (For the record, whether they profit from the Prius or not I have not researched, though I do know that it carries a very small percentage of market share.)

Thanks Joe Biden, and the rest of the geniuses in government!!! Without your incentives, vision, and inspiration, we would never have seen such great things come out of what was once a great American company!

Just my two cents, of course...Look the facts up, and decide for yourself.

Tuesday's Thoughts - Taxing our way to prosperity

If you have been voting for politicians who promise to give you goodies at someone else’s expense, then you have no right to complain when they take your money and give it to someone else, including themselves.

– Thomas Sowell

The Bush 'tax cuts' are going to expire...good news! Those EEEVIL rich people will finally start paying some of their fair share! Everyone should be happy! Move along, now...nothing to see here...

So says our "beneficent" federal government. Only a couple of small, pesky little facts that we need to be aware of...

First, according to the IRS web site, the top 10% wage earners in the U.S. paid 69.94% of the total income tax revenues for tax year 2008, with the top 1% wage earners covering 38.02% of the revenues. Conversely, the bottom 50% (that's FIFTY PERCENT) of wage earners were responsible for a whopping 2.7% of income tax revenues. And these numbers don't include approximately 40-45% of the American population who pay NO INCOME TAX WHATSOEVER.  Kind of puts that whole "fair share" argument into the crapper, huh?

Another annoying fact..the "expiring" tax cuts will affect pretty much everyone, not just the EEEVIL rich.. The National Taxpayers Union has a great 1-page summary of what to expect from these upcoming tax increases. You can read it HERE. A couple of quick items from it:

- 10% [income tax] bracket rises to an expanded 15%
- The 25% bracket rises to 28%
- The 28% bracket rises to 31%
- The 33% bracket rises to 36%
- The 35% bracket rises to 39.6%
 - The marriage penalty increases.
- The return of the death tax...from 0% to 55%...Basically, you know all that money you want to leave to your children (and already have paid taxes on, I might add)? More than half of it goes to the federal government upon your death.

These aren't "expiring tax cuts"...this is the single largest tax hike in U.S. history, and it's a travesty. The government mouthpieces spout off comments, like, "we can't afford to give up this revenue by extending the cuts."  Let's spell this out...They aren't "giving up" anything...IT'S NOT THEIR MONEY!!! It's yours, and they want to STEAL more of it to satisfy their addiction! This is the kind of arrogance that we need to purge from Washington.

Read the article linked above. It's very informative.

Just something to ponder...

Monday's Thoughts

I've discussed in the past the nightmare that is Obamacare, the so-called "Stimulus" spending, etc. While these things only the uninformed, the parasitic, or the inanely stupid would strive for, the significance of these issues is not so much what's in them, but what they basically represent, and how it puts our Republic in jeopardy.

Think about this: These monstrosities were passed without being read. Neither the public or Congress knew what was in these laws. This goes contrary to the idea of a self-governing, free society. Laws can now be passed without debate, discussion or analysis...this is a strong lurch in the direction of arbitrary rule, not much different than any other banana republic that only "pretends" they are a free society. Basically, the government decides what will be the law, and you must comply. End of discussion. You have no say.

Add to this the outright hostility the current administration has against anyone who speaks out against their policies, and the blatant efforts put forth to circumvent the limitations put upon them by the Constitution (a document they, by their own words and actions, they despise, even though they took an oath to defend it).

People need to wake up. Apathy has been the downfall of many great civilizations, and only stupid arrogance would lead a person to believe that it couldn't happen to America.

Just my two cents...

Wednesday's Thoughts

"The Constitution cannot protect us and our freedoms as a self-governing people unless we protect the Constitution. That means zero tolerance at election time for people who circumvent the letter and the spirit of the Constitution. Freedom is too precious to give it up in exchange for brassy words from arrogant elites." --economist Thomas Sowell

As I've said before, it takes a certain level of intelligence and responsibility to be self-governing. Sometimes, the people fall a bit short... A few minutes of searching gave me these gems:

In California: San Francisco will ban toys in McDonald's happy meals if the calorie/fat count is too high and it doesn't include a healthy fruit or veggie. Yep! Their government is now dictating what they can eat, and what they can feed their children! God forbid that heavy burden fall on the individual or the parent... 

Also in California: Jenny Oropez easily won re-election to California’s State Senate, defeating Republican John Stammerich...oh, one small detail...Jenny Oropez IS DEAD!!! Yes, these Einstein's elected a freaking corpse to the U.S. Senate! Actually, this may not be a bad idea...at least we know she'll do less damage than most everyone else in the Senate...hmmm...may have to rethink this one..

Add to these gems the fact that their socialist idealism has failed, the state is broke, they've driven businesses out, and they can't even refund people their tax returns...And they elect back into office the same people who got them into this mess to begin with! (And people wonder why California is known as, "America's France"?)

On the east coast, I think South Carolina Democrats are still wishing someone would just club them over the head like a baby seal and put them out of their misery for putting Alvin Greene on the ballot. I mean WTF?



Scary thing is, he was still able to snag around 300,000 votes!

You can't make this stuff up! You know, there's an old saying in show business: "Dying is easy...Comedy is hard." Whoever said that obviously never paid attention to politics, where comedy comes naturally, and dying actually lets you bag a spot on the Senate floor!

Keep smiling, and as always, do your own research!

Tuesday's Quote

"Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men; therefore, the people alone have an incontestable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to institute government; and to reform, alter, or totally change the same, when their protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness require it." --John Adams, Thoughts on Government, 1776

As I post this, poll numbers are still coming in, but it does look promising for the most part. I dare say that maybe...just maybe...Liberty still has a chance to make a comeback in this great nation...

Back in the Blog with Monday's Quote!

"All of these [European] countries -- and many more -- are going through painful retrenchments because they spent too much money, made too many promises and expected too little from their own citizens. The era of European austerity is upon us, because the Europeans -- or at least those in charge -- understand the mess they've made of their economies. This should present a real problem for Barack Obama and the vast (though shrinking) chorus of experts, editorialists and activists who support his agenda. In broad terms, all of the policies Obama and the Democrats have pushed are the sorts of policies the British, the French and other Europeans had for years, even decades." --columnist Jonah Goldberg

Sorry for the absence of updates. I've been busy trashing the house for Halloween...

I still find it quite amazing that there are people who are striving for a Socialist Statism agenda for this country. Historically, I can find no instance of a successful implementation of Socialism, Marxism, Fascism, or Communism. They all ended pretty badly for the general populace. Even present day Europe is experiencing a serious breakdown of their systems. Why is it we have an administration that is pushing us towards the same policies that have much of Europe going through riots?

Obamacare being one example, does anyone stop to think about this whole concept? The Federal Government is basically saying that it's their entitlement (so to speak) to make the medical decisions for us, and we have no say in the matter.

Sooo...if I understand this correctly, it's supposedly the greatest thing since Moses came out of the mountains with the ten commandments (oops..sorry; can't use a Christian religious reference...separation from church and state, you know...), but we must be forced to buy into it.  This is not Liberty, people. This whole situation stinks of tyranny. And the fact that the government is getting away with it is a prospect much worse than this issue with Obamacare. For if this stands, then what limits does the government have on controlling your life? What does this do to the founding principle of "Government by the People?"

People need to wake up and take a good hard look inside themselves...decide what is right, and stop drooling over the idea of "free stuff" from the government... remember, anything the government gives you, it must first take away from someone else.

Something to think about...

Thursday's Quote

Freedom has cost too much blood and agony to be relinquished at the cheap price of rhetoric.
-Thomas Sowell

Politicians are good at blowing smoke up our collective bums. Most will say whatever they need to say to get or keep their positions of power. While I like to believe there are honorable men and women in political office, they would be the exception to the rule. This is nothing new; it's been going on since Man first invented government.

In America, the only solution I know of is vigilance. As you know (if you are a product of the public school system...maybe not), we were founded on the concept of a government of the people. The idea of self-governance comes with a certain level of responsibility. "We the People" unfortunately, have been lacking. For too long we have allowed the people in office to slowly gain power and erode our liberties, while we sat around on our smoke-filled asses.

The person at a "One Nation" rally with a "Communist Party USA" banner spouting off their blatant desire to bring America down may be totally repulsive to me, but they aren't, in my opinion, the true enemy. The real enemy is APATHY. We sit on the sidelines, listening to and buying into the same empty rhetoric, and we do nothing.

We are told we have to spend money to get out of debt, and we just nod our heads, and continue watching TV. We are told that to save the free market system we have to abandon the free market system. To preserve our free society, we have to sacrifice some of our freedoms.

We see stories about homes being seized via eminent domain and given to private companies, because the shopping centers they build will yield more tax revenues. We see stories about a man being charged a fine because he had the audacity of growing vegetables on his private property, and giving them away to his neighbors. We just shrug our shoulders and change channels, because it doesn't affect us directly.

We lost that vigilance. We lost the drive of American Patriotism. It was cut out of our schools, out of our history, out of our everyday lives, leaving an empty hole in the soul of America. It really isn't surprising that something else moved in to fill the vacuum.

There is no virtue in compulsory government charity, and there is no virtue in advocating it. A politician who portrays himself as “caring” and “sensitive” because he wants to expand the government’s charitable programs is merely saying that he’s willing to try to do good with other people’s money. Well, who isn’t? And a voter who takes pride in supporting such programs is telling us that he’ll do good with his own money – if a gun is held to his head. – P.J. O’Rourke

There are times when I really think that it must be some kind of mental illness, that compels someone to desire a government that tells them how to live, what car to drive, what kind of light bulb to use, what food to eat, and forces them to be "charitable". It is, indeed, a case of moral retardation that would lead a person to conclude that stealing money from one person to give to another is noble and just.

Just my two cents.

Monday's Quote

Mistakes can be corrected by those who pay attention to facts but dogmatism will not be corrected by those who are wedded to a vision.
-Thomas Sowell

Socialism, Communism, Marxism, and all the cutesy labels people use for them (Progressivism, Democratic Socialism, Social Justice, etc.)...Theories such as Trickle-Up Economics, Keynesian Economics, Redistributive Policy... So many things that have been tried before, and have never worked. Yet some people still insist on trying them again, and expecting different results (Definition of insanity, anyone?)

Maybe some people actually believe in this grand vision of a "Socialist Utopia", and maybe others just hunger for the power of control over the masses. Still others might like the idea of having someone else remove the responsibilities from their lives, and are willing to sacrifice their freedom in exchange.

Regardless of the motivation, these people are delusional, evil, and pathetic, respectively. All are dangerous to this Republic, and we must strive to educate and empower people to get involved. Learn about the issues. Register, then get out and vote.

Vote with your heart. Democrat, Republican, and Independent is secondary to voting in people with honor and integrity, and who show a devotion to their oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

It is not a living, breathing, document! It is the foundation of our government, the beacon of freedom in the world. Like the foundation of a building, it is solid, resolute, and does not yield. Would you like to be in a building which had a pliable, unstable, prone-to-change, "living, breathing" foundation? Didn't think so.

Something to think about...

Link to my photos from Harry Potter

Harry Potter Pics

Review of "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" at Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida

First things first: I am a Disney fan. Big time. So to say that this review will be free of bias would be an outright lie. I will do my best to be as objective as possible, but I'm not making any promises. Just think of this review coming from the point of view of a Walt Disney World annual pass-holder, and we'll get along just fine...

Now I had heard a lot about the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and have been a fan of the movies (my wife even more so), so I will not lie when I say I was really looking forward to our trip there. There were three of us total: Myself, my wife, and a good friend who is also a Potter fan.

Not being familiar with Universal Studios and the surrounding area, I was pleased to see how easy it was to find a parking space. Less guidance was offered than what you would find at a Disney park, but I didn't see anyone having trouble figuring out which yellow lines to park between. Parking was a bit pricy, but then so is Disney parking if you aren't a pass holder.

There is no tram service (Because of limited real-estate, Universal makes use of a multi-story parking garage), so the walk from the car to the entrance of Islands of Adventure was a long one, even with moving sidewalks and escalators (which were turned off when we were heading in).

A quick side note about parking: You have the option to pay an additional five dollars and upgrade to “preferred” parking. The only difference is that preferred parking is on the same level as the walkways over to the parks, so basically that extra fiver saves you a trip on an escalator.

Purchasing tickets proved straight-forward and the queues were organized. The ticket attendant was polite and helpful, even though she didn't laugh at my jokes. (harumpf) Ticket prices were comparable to a Disney day pass.

Getting through the turnstile into the park itself is on par with gaining access to any Disney park. In other words, we were stuck behind complete idiots who couldn't figure out the two step process of scanning their ticket and putting their finger on a fingerprint reader. After a moderate (and extremely annoying) amount of time where I was hard pressed to keep from bludgeoning the poor moron who was holding up the line, we made it inside.

This being my first time in Islands of Adventure, I will say that they do an excellent job with the theming of their “islands” (equivalent to the “lands” in The Magic Kingdom). I put a lot of importance on theming, as I believe it has the most affect on the suspension of belief that I enjoy when going to a theme park.

Using our park map, we were able to make our way to the entrance to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

If you are a Harry Potter fan, at first glance, expect your mind to do a double-take, then reboot itself, then just give up and return keyboard control to you..at which point you'll end up standing there for a couple of seconds and just saying, “Wow!”  Visually, it is impressive. Again, I have to give these guys an A+ for theming. It really does look like you were just beamed into the world of Harry Potter.

Immediately to your right is a full scale replica of the Hogwart's Express train, complete with steam. A conductor is nearby for photo ops and to answer questions. He stayed in character when answering questions, and really seemed to enjoy his job. Our friend challenged him on his pocket watch chain that was visible, and inquired if it was attached to a real pocket watch. Surprisingly, it was. He pulled out a high quality pocket watch prop, which had indicators on it telling you whether the train was “on-time”, or “late”. Very cool.

The visual details of the buildings of Hogsmeade are impressive. Steep roofs, chimneys bent at odd angles, and snow caps along the rims all give it a very realistic feel. In the middle of the road just beyond the train was a cart selling butter-beer. (basically just cream soda with a whipped cream of butterscotch...but DANG...it's really good!).

At this point one thing becomes painfully obvious: It's crowded. And I mean crowded.  Not only are there lines for the main attractions, there are also lines for drinks, lines to get into the stores, loose approximations of lines to get to storage lockers, and there was even a line in front of the Three Broomsticks restaurant, so you could get inside to stand in line to get food. Yes, it was a waiting line to get into ANOTHER waiting line!

Crowd control is something that definitely needs some work. One thing that Disney has learned to master is how to keep large crowds of people moving in the desired direction, whether that be through a ride, through a store, or through a park. (Well, dependent on people having sufficient intelligence to be able to figure out the whole card scan / “put-finger-here” concept...)

We decided to eat at The Three Broomsticks. (yes, we waited in “the lines”.) The wait wasn't all that bad once we got inside, and once we placed our order, it was ready fairly quickly. The theming inside was again very detailed, and quite impressive.

The food was actually very good, and reasonably priced for theme park food, in my opinion. I had the barbecue chicken and ribs combination (which came with potatoes and roasted corn on the cob). The chicken was flavorful and tender, and not overcooked. The ribs were also quite tasty, and fell off the bone, though they were a bit fatty at times. The corn on the cob was sweet, and cooked just right.

As I mentioned earlier, in order to gain access to the shops, you have to wait in a queue. Once inside, you understand why. The shops are small. Very small, in fact. While they are decorated to give you a feel for being in “the real thing”, so to speak, with the small size being a contributing factor to that “cozy, realistic” ambiance, it is totally unsuited for the volume of crowds it must cater to.

Aisles are very narrow, and there is very little open floor space. In one shop, there was only about 3 feet between a display island and the check out register.

The merchandise itself was another feature that I confess I was really stoked about. As my wife will attest, I am a serious “trinket” collector. If it looks cool, I tend to buy it. I have sword replicas, keys, helmets, maps... you name it. And yes, most of it is either in a box, or collecting dust in a corner. Suffice it to say, I was looking forward to getting my hands on some seriously cool Harry Potter junk!

I can't begin to tell you how disappointing the merchandise was for me. While some of the items were probably exclusive to these shops, I felt the quality of the items was lacking, especially given the price tags on some of them.

The T-shirts of decent quality were running $35 and up. Wizard robes of fair quality were  pushing $100, and wands from Olivander's were around $35, and were little more than molded resin replicas (basically plastic). A remembrall was running (if memory serves) around $8, but was made of very thin, cheaply made plastic.

We did find some chocolate frogs (complete with 3D collectible card), which was kind of cool, and was made of solid chocolate. It ran around $10. Boxes of Any-Flavored Beans also were running about $10 as well, which was pretty excessive in my opinion for a small box of Jelly-Bellies.

The joke shop was also a bit of a disappointment. It was attached to the candy shop, so you could walk right into it from there without waiting in another queue. The items for sale were mostly old novelty items like chattering teeth, and Jacob's ladders. The selection was quite limited, with the same items being stocked in several different locations to fill the shelves.

A note on Olivander's wand shop. There is a short “show” that you can wait in line for prior to entering the shop itself. We waited in line in the hot sun for about an hour before gaining admittance. For the show, they only allow about 20-30 people in at a time, the inside of which is a pretty cool reproduction of Olivander's shop from the first Harry Potter movie.

The show consists of an actor playing the part of Olivander, who then picks a child out of the crowd and then proceeds to help her choose her wand. The show parallels the events from the movie, and ends with the wand “choosing” the child.

While this small show is cute to watch, and must be absolutely magical to the child who is picked, it was definitely not worth an hour wait in the sun for someone who has no children, or just wants to get into the store itself to browse.

My suggestion is to check the lines for both the show and for getting directly into the store. Pick whichever seems shortest, keeping in mind that it did appear that those who experienced the show got priority over those just waiting to get into the shop.

The entire area of the Harry Potter “land” is not really all that big. While they do make good use of space to simulate an area larger than it really is, the actual real estate is limited. There are only three main attractions to the area, and two of those are re-themed coasters.

Since the wait time was only ten minutes, we decided to ride the Dragon Challenge. We were stopped by an attendant, who said we had to store our belongings in one of the storage lockers nearby.

Being used to having pockets and bins for storage on the rides themselves at Disney, this was a new experience for me. I'm not critical of it, as it is just a different way of handling personal effects. Overall it seems to work, though if it is busy, trying to find and access a storage locker can be a bit frustrating. I was pleased to see that they don't charge for the lockers, provided you retrieve your belongings after riding the attraction.

The Dragon Challenge is an inverted coaster, with two separate tracks that run simultaneously. If you like roller coasters, then you will enjoy this one. The theming of the ride queue was excellent. Again, I have to give them credit for their attention to detail. Moving through you feel like you are literally walking through a dungeon deep under the castle; as you progress, the dungeon evolves into more natural caves, with subtle signs of its inhabitants. Along the way you pass the Goblet of Fire on a pedestal, and a chamber with candles floating above you (reminiscent of the great hall in the movies).

I was a bit disappointed once we got to the loading area of the ride itself. Leaving the queue, you are dumped out into an open area which became somewhat of a free-for-all to get to a slot. This may have been because the ride was not that busy yet, but it could have been more organized.

We did not make it to the other coaster, so I can't comment much on it, other than to say it appeared to be much milder than the Dragon Challenge, which is quite intense.

The big draw, of course,  is Hogwart's Castle itself.

It is easy to see where the lion's share of their budget went. Hogwart's Castle is incredible. I hate to admit it, but approaching the castle from Hogsmeade was more impressive than approaching Cinderella's Castle at night from Main Street U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom.

They make good use of forced perspective to give the illusion of size, and the detail and accuracy are amazing. It's like looking at a shot from one of the movies.

When we approached the line, the estimated wait time was 75 minutes. Since this was our main quest for this trip, we didn't think twice. Priming my camera to be ready for some serious “shutter-melting” action, we jumped into the queue.

If the outside theming of the castle impresses you, then the interiors will take your breath away. As you wind through the queue, you are taken to the lower levels of Hogwarts, passing the door to the potions class, a full scale replica of the Mirror of Erised, the door to the kitchens, etc.

We were moving along at a steady pace, when we were halted, and required to place all belongings into those cursed storage lockers...INCLUDING MY CAMERA!!! Now, while the storage lockers outside the Dragon Challenge were relatively annoyance free, this locker area is a living nightmare. The area is jam packed with people all trying to either find an empty locker to store their stuff, or people trying desperately to get to a locker to retrieve their stuff.

After beating our way through some people in an “every man for himself” moment (who knew nuns could swear like that?), we stowed our gear and jumped back into the queue. I was more than a bit miffed about leaving my camera behind...a feeling that only got worse the deeper we traveled into the castle.

One critical observation while waiting in a section of the queue that is outside (in a rough replica of the greenhouse of Hogwart's): No attempt was made on that side of the queue to hide the ride building. You look up, and to your far right you see the castle facade, and then to the left of that is nothing but a concrete stuccoed warehouse wall, and to the far left on the side of the warehouse, you can see the massive A/C units and air ducts.

One would think that after spending millions to do such an amazing job theming the entire area, a few more dollars (relatively speaking) could have been spent at least putting fake brick, vines, or something to mask the service building.

There has been a lot of hype and discussion about the living paintings. All of the hype is justified. They are amazing. Even close up, they have the texture of an old, cracked oil painting. The effect is very convincing, and I found myself briefly holding up the line while I stared at them, and watched them converse with each other.

Moving on, we pass through Dumbledore's office, as well as the Defense Against The Dark Arts classroom. In each case, the detail of the rooms are amazing. 3D projections of Dumbledore and Harry, Hermione, and Ron greet you and provide you with dialog that progresses the storyline of the ride. The effect is good, though I think could be improved upon. Their dialog was timed just about right so that you experienced the entire scene without it repeating while you were still in the rooms.

The ride itself is awesome. At the end of your walking tour through Hogwart's Castle, Harry, Hermoine, and Ron lead you on a whirlwind flight through the world of Harry Potter. You are seated in constantly moving cars that hold a total of four riders.

The cars are on a track suspended above, and can individually tilt back, forward, left and right to help simulate the high speed flight you are about to undertake. The actual speed of the cars is not fast at all (slightly faster than a moving walkway), but this tilting motion, coupled with multiple high definition concave movie screens you encounter as the ride progresses, does an excellent job of making you feel like you have been taken hostage by a possessed broomstick hopped up on caffeine.

Interspersed between these screens are full size (and in some cases, larger than life) animatronic scenes that will both take your breath away, and scare the beejeezus out of you. (Trust me; the first time a 20 foot tall Dementor comes lurching at you, it WILL make your eyes big...)

Your frantic flight will take you over and around the castle itself, into a  Quidditch match, through the Forbidden Forest, into a close encounter with the Whomping Willow, and a whole lot more.

Overall the ride is extremely well done, with the only minor criticism I can give is that there were times when the large concave movie screens were a bit blurred to me.

This was one of those rare times that a 75 minute wait time was time well spent, and I would not hesitate to do so again.

Oh, and with regards to losing accessibility to my camera: We inquired with an attendant if we could go back through the queue just to take pictures, and just bypass the ride. It turns out there is a whole separate queue that they let you take, just for that purpose.

We reclaimed our gear from the locker, and did just that. (Once again, we had an incident where the goobers in front of us held everyone up because they couldn't remember whose finger they used to secure their locker...I kind of wish those nuns were still around so we could turn them loose on these people.)

 I was able to go back through and take pictures, without the pressure of holding up the line. I was forced to retract all the nasty thoughts and curses I had bestowed upon Universal during my camera-less trek through the line the first time.

Overall, I would say that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a real treat to experience, particularly if you are any kind of Harry Potter fan. If possible I would try for a trip to the park mid-week, or during the off-season months, to avoid the crowd issues. Even if you can't do that, and you can tolerate the crowds, it is still well worth a visit.

Friday's Quote

"Americans are learning once again that campaign rhetoric is no substitute for sound economics. And any American President who promises to make your life better by vilifying your fellow countryman, is a very dangerous character indeed." --columnist Austin Hill

A quick note

I am taking a break from the One Nation Endorsers list, for a couple of reasons.

First, it's getting hard to stomach some of the downright scary and dangerous ideals that are found on these sites.

Second, I want to start researching and posting information on candidates and other items that will be on the upcoming election ballot next month.

My research involves publicly available sources that are easy to find. Therefore, I encourage people to do their own research, and then make an informed choice based on what you learn, and what is in your heart. Please, do not take anyone at their word, not even me. In my opinion, this country is in the mess it is mainly because of two factors: misinformation, and apathy/laziness.

Let's work to overcome those two issues, and make the spirits of our Founding Fathers proud.

Thursday's Quote

The Progressive elitists unfortunately share their philosophy with such notables as Hitler and Stalin, though not to the same degree.

• In favor of statism (control by the state). The State knows better; we are not responsible enough to make our own decisions about how we spend our money, how we live, how we eat, and certainly we cannot be trusted with true ownership of land.
• Oppose the free market system. A free market system by nature is governed by the freedom of two parties to exchange goods and services in what the two involved parties consider a win-win transaction. Since the elitists can't trust these transactions to be what they think they should be, the free market has to be eliminated with regulation and economic control.
• An honest belief that they know better than the masses, and that it is their duty to impose their "superior" wisdom on the rest of us. Just think of all the laws we have even now that are solely designed to protect us from ourselves.
• For these reasons, they feel justified in taking away our freedoms. Just don't forget that their focus is on "We" as a whole, and not the individual. The greater good will prevail, even at the expense or sacrifice of a few individuals. This is probably the most frightening belief of all; it is what justified the mass murders under Hitler and Stalin, it justifies abortion, and it justifies Greece's socialized health care system paying for amputations instead of specially fitted shoes for diabetics because it is cheaper.

- David Sacks

Just my two cents. (Hey, it's my blog, I can quote myself if I want to!)

"One Nation Rally" endorsers, Part 4

WAND: Women’s Action for New Directions – Woman’s anti-war, anti-military group.
Whitman Walker Clinic - Health clinic focusing on HIV/AIDS, and GLBT issues.
Witness Against Torture – Activist group that has decided that Guantanamo is nothing more than a torture facility, and a blight against humanity. Judging from the pictures of their members, most are still living in their parents' garage. (Just my very biased opinion...)
Wishadoo – Essentially a Craigslist type of site dedicated to connecting people who need help with people who wish to help. Didn't see any red flags on the site, and based on what little I read (just skimming sites, remember), I am a bit surprised they endorsed the rally.
Win Without War – Fighting to, “... promote a more progressive national security strategy.” Coalition members include such upstanding organizations like moveon.org, and Sojourners.
Ward 7 Business Professional Association- DC based organization of businesses (near as I can tell).
Veterans for Peace – Anti-war, “ban all nukes” group.
Voices for Creative Nonviolence – another anti-war group, opposed to the US “occupation” of Iraq. Again, just skimming, but looks like another “appease the Muslims” group...
Voice of Haitian Americans Inc. - Organization lobbying for Haitian Americans.
Harlem One Stop – Looks like a tourism site for Harlem.
Welfare Rights Committee – Where do I begin... from their site: “We demand a People's Bailout! Make the rich pay for their crisis! Bail out poor and working people, not the rich!” Moving right along...: “Jobs or income now! Extend unemployment benefits. Make more workers eligible for unemployment benefits. Create a public works program that puts people to work now. Put a moratorium on the 5 year time limit for public assistance.” Need I go on? A parasite web site in its purest form.
Veterans for Peace NY – You guessed it...anti-military and anti-war.
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations – a “theologically diverse religion, that encourages individual search for truth and meaning (which means you can believe what you want..they're diverse!) The website promotes the three key phrases of socialism: “social justice”, “tolerance”, and “diversity.”
Urban Agenda – NY based, dedicated to advancing social, economic, and environmental justice. Connected to the Apollo Alliance (spooky guys), green job groups, and lots-o-unions.
United Mine Workers of America – Union. Part of AFL-CIO.
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation- Dedicated to removing Israeli “occupation” from Palestinian West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem.” Ah yes, those evil Israelis, who have been on that land for how long now? 3,000 years or more? How dare they oppress those poor, helpless, oppressed Palestinians. (Ok, forget the fact that the Palestinians have broken EVERY treaty that was signed between them and Israel, and routinely shoot rockets into Israel...)
US Peace Council – pushing for world peace, no nukes, anti-imperialism, social justice, economic justice...
US Human Rights Network – ok, wait for it.....here we go... “Human rights include civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights.” “Human rights are protected through building social movements.” “...requires that the emerging human rights movement merge with movements for social justice in this country.”
TWU Local 100 – Transport Workers Union.
William Kelibrew Foundation – “...a resource for people and institutions committed to breaking the cycle of violence and poverty.” Based in Washington, D.C. Within the offices of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. >HACK< Sorry; just threw up in my mouth...

That's all I can stomach for tonight.

Wednesday's Quote

"What optimistic Americans used to call a rising tide that lifts all boats is now once again derided as trickle-down economics. In other words, a newly peasant-minded America is willing to become collectively poorer so that some will not become wealthier."

--historian Victor Davis Hanson

 

"One Nation Rally" endorsers, Part 3

Moving along down the list...

Union Jobs Clearinghouse – A central site for posting union positions. Supports the grossly misnamed “Employee Free Choice Act”.
American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee – Promotes socialist reforms, supported the Gaza flotilla... Yet another sterling example of The Religion of Peace...
The Southern Anti-Racism Network (SARN)- “...develops campaigns and projects in the South led by people of color to address racial disparities...” working on “...drawing in experienced organizers from the labor, green, anti-war, reparations, political prisoners, education equity, end mass incarceration, and anti-imperialism movements for intergenerational dialogue on how white supremacy intersects with other oppressions...” (emphasis mine)
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) – Go figure...”Comprehensive Immigration Reform”, “Affirmative Action”...
General Board of Church and Society- United Methodist Church – Truly sad. Supports the healthcare “reform”, Immigration “reform”, “economic justice”, spouts off about the “Global Climate Crisis”, overcoming”Global poverty”...When did the Methodist church turn into a socialist, anti-american political tool?
TransAfrica Forum – At a glance, no red flags..a couple of times it mentions “economic injustice” at a global level, which raises an eyebrow...
Democracy for America – Fighting for a more progressive Democratic party, pushing the climate crisis, and working towards achieving universal health care.
National Jobs For All Coalition- Well, the name itself is laughable. As suspected, “...every person capable of working should have the right to a job.” Yes, a job now is also a “right”. And not just a job...but full employment with a “livable” wage. Think for a moment...instead of a job being created to address a need that a person can fulfill with their existing skills at fair market value....
The Power: The People United for LGBT Equality – Gay/Lesbian rights group. No red flags popped up on perusing their site.
Ya Ya Network – a, “...youth led social justice organization focusing primarily on Counter-Military Recruitment.” Pushing for social, economic and racial justice. Primarily made up of “youth of color” (their words). Yeesh.
Working Families Party- Supports Affordable Housing programs (the main cause of slums, in case you haven't researched it; but that's for another day), Green jobs, etc. etc.
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom – pushing racial, social, and economic justice (socialism...yawn...are we starting to see a pattern with all these groups?) From their site: “Build and strengthen relationships and movements for justice, peace, and radical democracy.” RADICAL democracy?! Does anyone know what the hell that is?! (honestly, I don't know..)
Women’s Caucus for Political Science – Promotes equal rights for women. Left leaning, but no red flags on perusal of web site.
WPFW – Radio station. Caters to, “..blacks, hispanics, cultural groups, women, seniors, youth, and other ethnic and non-traditional groups.” More from their site: “...dedicated to programming which reflects progressive social change and democracy.” Based in Washington, D.C.

End part 3.

Tuesday's Quote

Much of the social history of the Western world, over the past three decades, has been a history of replacing what worked with what sounded good.
- Thomas Sowell 

Something to think about...

Monday's Quote

I'm back in town, and really tired, so I'm going to keep this short. I went to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter over the weekend, and had a lot of fun. I'm working on a review that I will post when completed.

Here is today's quote:

"You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence. You cannot help small men by tearing down big men. You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income. You cannot establish security on borrowed money. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they will not do for themselves."

- William J. H. Boetcker

Maybe our illustrious "Socialist in Chief" Obama should heed these words. At the very least he should start boning up on his history, and learn that the great "Utopia" of Socialism has never worked, past or present. But then again, his actions to date do show he has very little concern over the well being of this country.

Something to think about...

Friday's Quote, and a Happy Weekend to All

The first lesson of economics is scarcity: there is never enough of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.
- Thomas Sowell

I took a night off on the Rally Endorsement list...ran out of Pepto Bismol. I'm also going to take break over the weekend, so I will pick up my posts on Monday. Have a great weekend, and remember to question everything, do your own research, and above all, think for yourself!

"One Nation Rally" endorsers, Part 2

Working our way down the list; just a reminder, I only skim their websites briefly to get a feel for what they stand for. Don't take these as the definitive summary. Look them up yourself.


NAACP – Hey, gotta love and respect a group that goes after Hallmark because one of their cheesy audio cards (that's been out for over a year) said something that SOUNDED LIKE “HO”....
Green for All- Kind of self explanatory. Pushing hard for “green jobs.” (There's a whole new topic that can be quite enlightening, once you start researching the facts...)
Communications Workers of America – You guessed it! A UNION! Believes that high-speed Internet is a RIGHT for all Americans! (guess who gets to pay for that one...US! Remember, the second someone makes a physical commodity a “right”, someone is going to be screwed. When the government is involved it's going to be all working Americans.)
American Federation of Teachers – Union (duh). “Federation” is a bit nicer sounding than “Coalition”, I suppose... Oh, by the way, they are pushing for private schools to be free, be accessible to all on an equal basis, required to disclose all financial information, work with the local public school districts, and allow their teachers to form unions if they desire (hmm...I wonder which union they would suggest...?)
Center for Community Change – Helps the poor, victimized “people of color” (their words) in achieving “social and economic justice.”
AFL-CIO – Nice conglomerate of national and international labor unions.
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law- Lawyers fighting discrimination...which includes (among lots-o-other stuff) foreclosure prevention (apparently having an institution try to collect the collateral against a loan you failed to pay is a violation of your civil rights), fighting that “evil” Arizona immigration law (you know, the one that says they are going to enforce the federal immigration laws), affirmative action, etc.
The Shalom Center- Jewish site, with a political agenda that includes addressing the Global Climate Crisis.
Children’s Defense Fund – Fight for the rights of children... endorsed the “No child left behind” act...wow; good job with that one.
Colage – A coalition (eek) of , “...children, youth, and adults with one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer (LBBTQ) parent/s.” Oh, and throw in a splash of “social justice”, with a goal to (among others) “...transform...all religious institutions to heal from and end all forms of oppression, discrimination, bigotry and hatred.” (In other words, if you don't accept them, they will “transform” you...this is what happens when the Borg assimilate the cast of A Chorus Line)
Climate Crisis Coalition- From their site: “...to create awareness and a sense of urgency about the climate crisis...” promotes the Cap and Tax legislation (the carbon fee), ...”where the revenue is recycled back to the people”... hmmm...sounds an awful lot like redistribution of wealth...
NYC Environmental Justice Alliance – Fights “environmental injustice” which threaten low income communities of color. 'Nuff said.
Chesapeake Climate Action Network – Environmental group.
Earth Day Network – Started the annual Earth Day.
National Wildlife Federation – At one time a hunting and fishing organization, now more political, pushing the cap and tax legislation, global warming, population control (that's a scary one), removal of 2^nd amendment rights...
Transition United States – as in transition to green energy...not sure how, but they managed to tie in “diversity in all cultural and demographic segments of communities” with green technology....
United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park- New York Hispanic activist group.
Sierra Club – environmental group promoting that spooky and terrifying (but factually elusive) monster known as Global Warming..with all the trappings that go with it (green energy, environmental justice, etc... oh and a nice little idea of “Converting” some areas into areas free of human habitation that will provide valuable habitat for wildlife stressed by climate change. (Poor, stwessed wittle bunny wabbit...)
Center for Biological Diversity- another environmental group that raises caution flags...global warming hysteria aside, the fact that they flat out say they use “creative media” as one of their tool to further their agenda...
Apollo Alliance- These guys may require further investigation...reading through their background stuff, something definitely is disturbing about them, though I am not sure what. My initial scan does indicate they are a major contributor to the “cap and trade tax” legislation that the liberal elitists in Washington have been trying to push through.
Green Party- Endorsed by the Teamsters...YEESH! Now these guys have no bones about their socialist agenda: “Committed to ecology, social justice grassroots democracy...” They promote universal health care, corporate globalization, alternative energy, election reform, “decent” living wages for workers...

End part 2. Lots of food for thought. More to come.

Thursday's Quote

Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it.

- Thomas Sowell

"One Nation Rally" endorsers, Part 1

Ok, the complete list is huge. I will post the names of the organizations in multiple segments. I will also include a brief summary of each organization based on a quick scan of their respective web sites (when possible). This may turn into a large project...


Sojourners - “Jesus was a Socialist!” At least according to this site...(Can't see Jesus really saying, “Go forth and promote the theft of money from those who have earned it to give away to those who did not earn it....Oh yeah, and forget that crazy sermon I gave about “teaching a man to fish”....must have gotten ahold of a bad Billy-Burger that day at Epstein's Goat and Griddle.”)
SEIU 1199 – AKA, “The Purple People Beaters.” Hey, it's SEIU; all you need is 10 seconds on Google and an IQ of 20 to figure these guys out...
National Action Network – Mr. “Everyone is a Racist” himself!  Al Sharpton's organization.
United States Students Association – Ah, youth. “Education is a right”, “Social Justice” (you know, Socialism). I think I preferred it when all they did was not bathe, grow armpit hair, smoke weed, and sing “We Shall Overcome”...
UAW, International Union – Gee...another union. WHO-DA THOUGHT? Usual stuff. Immigration “reform” (aka, Legalize them all so we can have more members), the “right” of having healthcare (“evil” insurance companies, versus the “wonderful” public option).
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights – Am I the only one who gets a bit leery when an organization calls itself a “coalition?” Brrrrr.... Basic far left stuff; equality for all (of course at the expense of those of us that actually work...)
SEIU: Service Employees International Union- Another chapter (or main site?) of everyone's favorite purple shirts.
Rainbow PUSH Coalition- The Rev. Jesse Jackson's organization (Oops! Sorry. I meant COALITION! … no really, it's on their web site...) Great mission statement. From their site: “...to protect, defend, and gain civil rights by leveling the economic and educational playing fields, and to promote peace and justice around the world.” (emphasis mine)
PowerPAC – Based in California. (DING DING DING DING!!! DANGER WILL ROBINSON, DANGER!!! Anything that will destroy America is required by law to have a “Made in California” sticker...ok, I may be exaggerating a teensy bit) Lots of “social justice”, “Diversity”, “leveling the playing field”....
National Council of La Raza – Translates to“The Race”, though the site goes out of its way to avoid that simple translation fact. Pushing for (among other things) immigration “reform” (as in legalizing current illegals.

That's it for now. More to come.

Wednesday's Quote

"Politicians never accuse you of 'greed' for wanting other people's money -- only for wanting to keep your own money."

- columnist Joe Sobran (1946-2010)

Food for thought: How can NOT raising taxes be considered a tax CUT? The present administration keeps trying to justify "not extending the Bush tax cuts." Those "cuts" were what...ten years ago? Safe to say they aren't cuts at this point. What they are proposing is a massive tax HIKE. Period! They seem to have forgotten that this is OUR money, and not theirs to "let us keep" or "take away" at their pleasure.

I remember something I heard a long time ago...something about "the consent of the governed?" "We the People"?  "I can remember the days when they were known as "Public Servants"...instead of "Public Officials."

Just something to think about...

More video from the Left-Wing rally this past Saturday

"One Nation of Socialists, courtesy of Vimeo (Thanks Cari, for providing the link!)... Amazing for a couple of reasons; first, the fact that I never once thought in a million years we would be seeing this kind of perversion in America in this day and age.

Second, ... actually knowing what you are rallying for is apparently not a priority for some people. In fact, it seems like a lot of these people showed up because they were told to, or got a free day trip to D.C. with a box lunch...

Democrats, is this REALLY what you stand for now?

One Nation of Socialists from Reflectionography.net on Vimeo.

Oh, and a few days ago I posted a link to the One Nation web site showing their list of endorsers...surprise, surprise, I just checked it again, and the full list has conveniently disappeared. (Gee, imagine that!) To quote from their web site:

"Due to the increasing number of endorsements, we are no longer able to publish all the names of endorsing organizations on the website. Endorsing organizations will receive regular updates. Thank you for supporting One Nation Working Together and jobs, justice and education."

They go on to list only a few of the groups endorsing, which (amazingly!) do not include all those groups with pesky names containing words like "Communist" and "Socialist" in them...must be just a coincidence...

Therefore, I plan on compiling a full list for your viewing pleasure very soon, since I took the liberty of saving their web page to my local hard drive. (hmmm...Funny how I used the word "Liberty" when talking about a Communist web site....)

Top 12 Politician Constitutional Contempt Clips

This clip I got from theblaze.com. It's stuff like this that really sets me off. And you can't totally put the blame on these arrogent SOBs. Blame us, the American People, for being lazy and apathetic, and voting these people in.

To paraphrase a Founding Father, freedom isn't Free. It requires constant vigil or it will be lost.

Tuesday's Quote

It is amazing that people who think we cannot afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, and medication somehow think that we can afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, medication and a government bureaucracy to administer it.

- Thomas Sowell

Latest Climate Change Advertisement From Great Britain

A pretty blatant insight into the dangerous minds of the radical left. We need to start waking up, people (warning: Graphic)...

Monday's Quote of the Day...

Three questions that destroy most Liberal/Progressive arguments:

1. Compared to what?
2. At what cost?
3. What hard evidence do you have? 

-Thomas Sowell

Turnout for 8-28 rally versus turnout for the 10-2 rally

Here are two pictures. The one on the left shows the crowd from the Restoring Honor rally. The one on the right shows the crowd from the One Nation Working Together rally. Turnout definitely appears to be quite a bit larger at the Restoring Honor rally.

I did quite a bit of searching on the Internet, and couldn't find any pictures that depicted the crowds at the One Nation Rally being any larger.

Source: The Blaze.com

A quick recap:

• Restoring Honor rally:
• Tribute to the military, God, and promote the founding principles of Integrity, Truth, and Honor.
• Paid for by donations from the people, with net proceeds going to SOWF (Special Operations Warrior Foundation).
• Was non-political. People were told to leave signs at home, and politics were never brought up.
• People and small local groups got together and paid their own way to Washington D.C.
• Criticized by Obama and the current administration.

• One Nation rally:
• Promoting Socialism, Marxism, Communism, redistribution of wealth, big government.
• Paid for by the Tides Foundation (very scary organization; social justice, global redistribution of wealth)
• Very political. Lots of professionally made signs and t-shirts. Also booths set up for giving away and selling books and other materials.
• Lots of unions paid for signs, shirts, and buses to shuttle people in for the rally.
• Endorsed by Organizing for America, Obama's official community organizing group.

Maybe there is hope of restoring this country to the values and ideals that the Founding Fathers intended...

Video from the 10-2 rally...scary.

Here is some video footage from today's "One Nation Working Together" rally..the COUNTER-rally against the Restoring Honor rally that was held on 8-28.

Be aware, this is the rally that Obama endorses. If this doesn't cure people of their apathy to get involved and get out and vote, then nothing will, and, to be blunt, we deserve what we get.

Here's just a short list of some of the organizations that endorsed this rally:

• New York City Democratic Socialists of America
• International Socialist Organization
• Communist Party USA (CPUSA)
• Democratic Socialists of America
• Minnesota Coalition for a People's Bailout

There are a lot more. Check them out here.

The 10-2 Rally..."One Nation Working Together"

This has been spun as a "counter" rally to Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally last month. I'm not sure how having a rally countering Honor, God, Family, and the Military is supposed to bring people together, but whatever...
I have been doing a bit of poking around on their site:

"One Nation Working Together" - Quite the web site. Obviously my opinion, but these guys have gone beyond the realm of the Left, and entered the fantasy land of "Social Justice", also known as Socialism. The site is a bit busy, and there's lots to go through, but here's some highlights on what they stand for:

• "We march for a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. We march for jobs, justice, and education. We march for an economy that works for all. We march for a nation in which each person who wants to work can find a job that pays enough to support a family."
• Each person who WANTS to work? And if you don't want to work, don't worry; the economy will be such that it will still work for you (can we say, "entitlements?").
• And you'll automatically have a job that pays enough to support a family. I guess the days are over of your pay being based on the value you bring to the company. Also gone will be the incentive to learn skills to improve your job choices and pay scale...?
• "We march to build a world-class public education system, from pre-school to community college and beyond - because our nation must start unleashying the greatness of every child today."
• Every child, huh? So, we open up universities to all, regardless of past performance..and if they can't cut it? Do we still give them a degree?
• Another thought; if the market is inundated with job-seekers with a degree, what happens? More supply than demand, and you end up with lower salaries. (Unless the government should regulate all our salaries?...hmmm) 
• "We march to fix the broken immigration system - because no child should live in fear that her parents will be deported."
• I can't blame a person wanting to come to America for a better life. But there exist immigration laws for a reason. Failure to enforce them creates a situation where financial burden increases substantially for society as a whole, crime goes up, and a whole segment of people are essentially used as slave labor. (Look the numbers up yourself; in spite of all the spin and number manipulation, it is pretty easy to see that the contributions made my illegals is far, far less than the burden places on our systems.)
• I also find this comment a bit amusing, because it makes it sound like children are left alone on the streets. Ya right. First, the family can stay together if they want to; they all go back to their country together. This falls back to personal responsibility. If you bring your family with you, then you incur on them the same risks as you take coming to the country illegally, and you have to be prepared to face the consequences. (But since Socialism actively works to eliminate personal responsibility...)
• "We march to move our nation beyond this moment when a handful of Senators can block urgently needed progress - skewing our national budget towards tax cuts for the wealthy, unjustified military spending and prisons."
• Oh boy...where do I even begin...a "handful" of Senators is able to block legislation because we are NOT A DEMOCRACY. We are a Constitutional Republic. This distinction is lost on a lot of people, apparently. A pure Democracy does not work; it has failed miserably in the past every time it was tried in various forms. I remember a quote (don't recall the source) that said, "Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner." Having a Republic helps to avoid the "tyranny by majority" issues that Democracy suffers from.
• "Skewing" our budget - hard for something to be skewed when it doesn't exist...Congress failed to come up with one before they recessed.
• "Tax cuts for the wealthy" - Um, there was a time when one was entitled to keep the fruits of his labor. Some taxes are necessary. But skewing the taxes to soak the rich is wrong and down right immoral. Wanting to stick it to the rich because you are pissed off that you aren't as successful is a sure sign of a weak mind, in my opinion. Grow up, get off your ass and try harder, if it bothers you that much. Remember, wealth is CREATED. It is created by the free market system. Any entitlement received by someone was forceably taken from someone else who worked to that money.
• "Unjustified military spending" - Like what...proper equipment for our soldiers? Armor plating for vehicles? Like the wars or not, I would think people would want to keep our soldiers safe. Our illustrious leader has already cost the lives of many of our soldiers by using the wars and military as a political tool; let's at least give them a fighting chance.
• "Prisons" - With the alternative being what? Just don't arrest as many people? Public executions? Slave trade? Soylent Green? 

I will be listing some of the sponsors of this event in a future post. This is important information, since the current administration is endorsing this event. The sponsor list is really scary.

Later!