U.S. Soldiers at Half-pay!

Why isn't this on every news/media show and website in this country? Try and look for it and you will small stories and tidbits from various little heard from or seen outlets, but no one seems to want to make it a big story, and just why not? Simple; to do so might wake people up to reality.

We have our soldeirs out fighting for our government who are now receiving half-pay, while Democrat and Republican elected ass-hats try to grandstand one another. Young people who risk their lives daily are now on half-pay while elected officials in congress who actually work at their elected post maybe a few weeks out of a year, are still getting full pay. $160k plus a year last I checked, and it doesn't matter how much time they are at work.

Well to congress, the president, and every single person, or entity who is involved in this, let me say from my heart; screw you, you lowlife Pieces of excrement. And to everyone who supported endless bailouts, ever-increasing budgets, the healthcare bill, and every other bit of insanity we could not afford; greaty work idiots, now the bills came in and we can't pay them.

These last few months I have bombarded by every media outlet in the country crying about state bills limiting collective bargaining by civil servants, and every time i turn around there is a new teacher on TV throwing a fit over so-called union busting. Yet last I checked they are not at half-pay, nor are there lives at risk 24/7 in a hostile foreign country. After looking into my states SB-5 bill  they were attacking, it basically limits the things they can collective bargain for. Things like more than and 80/20 copay split on healthcare. Well F U you crybabies. Most people with even good insurance deal with 70/30 or even less, so excuse me if I am not totally sympathetic. How utterly shameful..

Just as a little bit of a reference, congress got paid $6 a day and only days they worked originally. Today they make $160k plus a year no matter how often they work. And the truly ridiculous part is they make more money outside their government pay. TV appearances, speaking engagements, you name it. This is truly unbeleivable, I have never been ashamed to be American, but this is as close to that point as I ever want to be.

God help us all, these are truly hard times ahead for all of us...

Where is the budget deficit news?

Went and googled the news on the US budget deficit to see what was going on and had to really dig to find anything on it at all. In fact only found two relevent entries on google news search, one from bloomberg and another similar story ( with a distinctly Democrat favor) from The Chicago Tribune. Found news on everything else right away, but the fact we are going to have to shut down our government effectively if we can't get the budget deficit under control in a few weeks seems to be unimportant to the major media at the moment. It's much more important we here about the chaos in the Middle-East and the bombings, fighting, and things that don't make us looka at our own situation here at home. I even found out that Britney Spears has a large following in the gay community and Barry Bonds ex-mistress is airing their dirty laundry in his trial. Wow, I can see how the fact we are going into a budget deficit crisis large enough to close our government down soon could have been overlooked... Watch as the tail wags the dog.

Wake up people, this is mass distraction at its finest. Fact is they are going to cut benefits across the board, and they want you good and distracted when they do it. We are talking, social programs, social security, unemployment, disability, food stamps, you name it. The SB-5 bill in Ohio and similar bills in several states are preemptive state level measures to lighten the blow when the cuts trickle down to them from the Federal Government. This is going to get bad, really bad...

In my 42 years I have seen a few emergencies in our government but none of them compare to the potential of this one. We just cannot keep throwing money at our problems. We keep doing that and then we print more money, and more money printed means each dollar is worth less. Soon we will be considered too high a risk to loan money to by the international community and then its game over. This has been coming since the Federal Reserve was formed, fed along by the removal of the gold standard, and helped by every insane attempt to create something from nothing that followed it. From the savings and loans scandal to the Housing bubble, and even the great depression and every single bubble, bust, and recession all of it was a warning about this kind of nonsense and no one paid it the attention it deserved. Well here it is and we are still pretending its all going to work out and ignoring it.

The only thing that gives our currency value is our ability to pay. That means as our financial standing goes, so goes our dollar value. The Federal Reserve is a quasi-governmental organization. How much is governmental and how much is quasi? Well the part on the sign that says "Federal" is the governmental part and the rest is quasi. Thats not an exaggeration folks, its on the Fed's own site. They are a Bank with investors and the utter insanity of Congress and Woodrow WIlson who ratified the Federal Reserve Act, is nothing short of lunacy.

Please look into all of this on your own, and come to your own conclusions. I fear we are being led to utter financial despair and a greater gap between the haves and have-nots since the dark ages.

Related articles, courtesy of Zemanta:

• Ontario to report smaller budget deficit-newspaper
• Ontario budget deficit narrowed by 11%
• Ontario budget deficit narrowed by 11 pct -source
• Budget chief says deficits "unacceptably high"
• Durbin: Social Security reform a deal-killer for budget
• February federal budget deficit sets record
• Obama's budget would widen deficits: CBO
• U.S. posts record monthly budget deficit

I have returned...

I been away for a while and it seems things went crazy. An oil spill, Health care reform (sort of), obamania wearing off, and the Republicans taking back congress just to name a few. Well, I will try and give my thoughts breifly on each one.

The Oil Spill - Well... I saw the live videos, the reports and estimates from everyone it seems. I loved how suddenly everyone became an expert on such obscure subjects as "how much oil can come from an open 21 inch diameter pipe at ocean depths". Everyday some new "expert" was telling me there was ever more oil coming from the well. No estimates were good after a day or two, and no two estimates were alike. It was almost like a contest to see who could put up the largest numbers. Frankly it all got a bit confusing.

Finally I asked how much oil came out of it. No one seems to know. I then asked how much oil was in the well originally. And again no one seems to know that either. Just seems rather odd that all these people and groups or organizations can claim this or that millions/bajillions of oil is spilling per day but no one can tell me how much was in the well it was coming from and finally how much came out after it was essentially capped. I smell media and political BS...

Don't get me wrong the oil spill was a terrible tragedy and it was obviously an insane amount of oil did spill, but that does not make it alright for politicians and media to BS me. All I want is the truth, you guys got that? Don't pander to me, don't lie to me or try to scare me, just tell me like it is. I can't understand why this is such a hard thing to grasp. 

To show what I mean do a google search for either "how much oil was originally in the deepwater horizon well", or "how much oil was spilled in the deepwater horizon oil spill" and see what you get. You will get (like I did) a huge listing of things all of which do not answer either question. You will find various estimates on how much flowed per day ranging from 100,000 barrels a day to 1000 barrels a day. As it turns out it was estimated finally on August 2nd officially at 62,000 barrels a day. But even the best estimates cannot compensate accurately for however much methane or other substances/gases came out with the oil. And even BP couldn't tell me how much was in the oil well they had a hole at that depth and at great expense to get. What the hell guys? You cannot seriously expect me to believe you would dig a well like that and at such great difficulty, setting a record for depth and all that, with no real knowledge about the amount of oil (profit) you stood to gain from it. If you are still using "best guess" in todays age of technology its a wonder you ever found any oil at all.

Oil drilling is a business. Its run like a business and doing risky things like that oil well with no idea if it would even be profitable is just unbelievable. They would not spend so much time money and effort into a well like that unless they had a dam good idea there was a LOT of oil there.

The bottom line is, if we knew how much oil was in the well to begin with all the scary headlines and numbers or estimates would either be bogus or just a start at the real damage. By not having a clear estimate to the amount in the well they do not have a way to show how much they lost in revenue from that well either. Kind of handy number for an investor to have wouldn't you think? Yeah...

No matter what the damage to the environment is incomprehensible. This will be felt for generations of wildlife and that is a tragedy of epic proportions. But in the end I would still want the truth no matter how big or small it may be.

Health Care Reform- This next line is for my nephew and brother... TOLD YA SO!... Yeah they both said "no way, it will pass" but I told them it will pass because its really a global thing and soon all countries will have some form of socialized medical system. Its simple really, medical costs are out of control. Costs from the obvious like the equipment, facilities and professionals to the not so obvious like malpractice suits/insurance,unpaid medical debt, and the ever growing cost of keeping the technology up to date. Not to mention the fact that as our standards of living get better we in turn live longer, have lower birth mortality rates, and more people living longer means more diseases by volume to treat.

To show what I mean lets do a little hypothetical math here... First say we have 1000 people 5 years ago. Of those say 50 have some form of disease requiring treatment to varying degrees and we have 1 doctor to treat them. 5 years later those 1000 people are now 3000 and instead of the 50 with diseases needing treatment we now have 150. We now need 3 doctors, and 3 times the number of everything that treatment entails. Now none of those numbers are based on any real data they are just common sense and logic. But using them we can see how nearly 400 million people in a country can lead to medical costs skyrocketing. You add in the other factors mentioned previously and you have medical costs that cannot be stopped or slowed. Also as infant mortality rates drop with better medical treatment, so will the number of diseases needing treatment increase across the board. If you have 100 live births and 10 have diseases needing treatment, increasing live births to 1000 will increase the number of diseases to 100. Even if we manage to early diagnose and or cure some of those diseases they will not match the increase even in the best estimations.

All of this means we will need more medical professionals, more facilities, more medicines, and more of just about everything related. As those increase so will the number of malpractice suits, and unpaid medical bills leading to rising costs in malpractice insurance and outstanding debt. Using simple logic and reason we have to concede there is no other way to combat this cycle without a fundamental change. Like it or not there is no other viable alternative.

I am not a fan of this Obamacare or most socialized medical schemes in the world, but until there is fundamental change in the medical profession we have little choice.

Obamania wearing off - Yeah... Even a nobel prize for nothing can't stop the reality from coming in under the door. Superman lost his cape and his approval ratings are plummeting already. All I can say is I told ya so... One more example of how new or different is not always better. So far outside of health care he has pretty much mirrored George W's policies. But I guess its different because hes not George W..... Okay...

When I saw how close he and Kissinger were I smelled a rat. And sure enough its business as usual. We are still in Afghanistan just as I said we would be. We are still throwing money at problems and increasing debt exponentially and despite all the big talk nothing outside healthcare has changed anywhere near what was promised. Oh and no repeal on the patriot act either.... Thanks for the BS Mr. professional politician.

Republicans taking back congress - Saw that coming... With a presidential approval rating in the gutter and the democratic congress showing their true democrat nature ( spend, spend, spend) there was little doubt they were going to be gone soon. The sad thing is though many people just went in and voted Republican across the ballot with no idea who many of the people they voted for were or what they were about. I can't help but fear a few 700 club members got in the mix. I am sorry but I like my religion and government to be separate. Whenever the two mix it always ends badly.

And BTW for anyone who watches the 700 club. They have been going on about the separation of church and state for a while now. In fact Pat Robertson likes to pretend he is a constitutional law expert and claim the first amendment to the constitution does not mention the separation of church and state... Well Pat you are right it doesn't say those words. Here is what it DOES say word for word..

"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."

It says there very plainly that congress shall not make any laws establishing a national religion or church. That means they wanted the church to remain a separate entity from the government. Separate and chosen individually by each person on their own with no interference from the government. Pretty clear to me its meaning anyway.

Pat likes to twist words and meanings around on this as you can see on his official website here. Read as much as you can, but please try and at least get through the first 5 paragraphs. In his words there he associates the word "state" to mean state as in "Ohio" or "Virginia". However the word "state" when used to describe the first amendment clearly means the government, or the federal government to be more precise. For example we have a secretary of state. So that person is not the secretary of each state but rather the secretary of the federal government. In fact this is from wikkipedia. 

"The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinetand the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence. The current Secretary of State is Hillary Rodham Clinton, the 67th person, and third woman to hold the post."

So if the US Secretary of State does not oversee the States in the union but rather foreign affairs. One can easily see how the term "state" refers to the government itself and not the States in the union individually. So in Pat's ramblings about this on his website he tries to associate the term "state" inaccurately in so doing makes it all too clear that he is trying to use misleading and utter false information to justify his belief that we need religious oversight in government. Sorry Pat but you are flat wrong on that, and trying to use word play will not make it right.

Allowing church to influence government in any manner ultimately will result in a violation of the first amendment. And all the wordplay and misleading arguments will not change that. Do I think having witnesses swear in using a bible or having the supreme court start meetings with prayer while telling schools they can't do that is hypocritical? You bet I do, but that DOES NOT change the fact there is a separation of church and state by the first amendment nor does it make it okay to allow church or religion to influence government. I say take all references to religion out of all court and government proceedings. Courts are supposed to be about law, they make it very clear that justice, right and wrong and truth are subject to proof under the laws. What we feel, think or want to believe are to be put aside and what we can prove under the law is all that will stand. If that is indeed the case than religion cannot be a factor in the courts or laws. The two cannot coexist in any functional form. One is faith based, the other is fact based. A judge or lawyer can use his personal religion as a moral compass to make his decisions or choices but that would be on a personal level, not an action of the court itself or laws. For example murder is both illegal and immoral in a religious and social sense. So that is an easy and nearly universal decision. However not paying your taxes is illegal and although not socially accepted it is a far cry from universally viewed as immoral. Is not paying your taxes a sin? Seems a bit foggy now doesn't it.... Thats the problem with mixing religion and government as well. Sometimes the correct action or decision is not a correct religious one and vice versa. 

So thats about enough constitutional law interpretation from the religious right if you don't mind....

Polar bears, arctic ice, and cap&trade......

Its summer time and the new batch of scary headlines are out on global warming. Or is it climate change? Or should I use the latest name for it; Anthropogenic climate change. Ever notice when the scary predictions fail to come through or the climate doesn't do as its' told, they change the name or more ridiculous the predictions themselves?

How about the way they word an article describing what a scientist believes? A scientist will say something like his studies show a marked increase in summer ice melt in the upper arctic region. And the press will take that and write a frightening headline that has little or nothing to do with actual science or the researchers findings. The headlines from that scientist's statement will read "Arctic ice melting due to devastating CO2 levels" Now that's not what he said and any true scientists would not make such a wild claim in simple statement.

Scientists work in the realm of facts, and would not make such an obvious assumption based on what little scientific evidence he had. All he knew was the ice melted more than the previous year or time since last measured or studied. He wouldn't make such an assumption and thats the sad truth of this whole issue.

A great many of the scientists they cite and base their horror stories on are not making those assumptions. The press and their money backers are trying to sell papers or get hits to their stories, and that's what sells. Also AL Gore and the AGW cultists are making billions off it. Its an entire green cash cow for many of them, and they will do what they can to make it pay.

And what the heck is it with all the celebrities making "green" indie films now? You have stars flying in private jets, riding in limos and living in a house the size of a federal building, drinking lattes from Styrofoam cups made from oil, all telling us that we are killing the planet with our CO2. They even put a cute little polar bear on the TV and tell you some tear jerker about ice melting and them dying from it in droves.

The truth is polar bear populations have grown from about 5000 in the 1950's to about 20-25,000 now. In one area of Canada (Nunavut territory)the population increased 25%. They are not even an endangered species yet. Yep that's right folks, they are not endangered. They were listed as "threatened" which means they may become endangered in the future. And whats so incredible about this is its the first creature added to this list because of the as of yet, unsure threat of AGW.

This is big business people, and big plans on control. Same old plan new application.

Let me know what you think.

Off topic but i gotta talk to someone LOL

Just got let down by someone I admired and respected a great deal, and the sad thing is i saw it coming but played dumb. Yeah, like some kid or something, I let it happen. Shameful a 40 year old man still trusting people like that. But I did and took this person at face value.

Yeah, I'm a sap I know. I suffer from "truebelieverism" seems the best name to give it. Its when you believe in people and truth, honor, justice, blah, blah, blah. You know when someone tells you they are a simple person who wants truth and simple existence of respect and such. Uh huh, I buy it hook line and sinker. Even when those little things begin to show that tells me the true nature of a person I deny it and keep on believing.

Let me tell ya folks, anyone who is nice to you but rude to the waiter, says all these great and wonderful things and spouts off their fine values and upstanding character, yet at every chance they get to show theses things, they act opposite their claims. These people are not the person they are selling you, just a bad person with a good line.

Well if any of you have anything similar to relate please speak up.

How to kill a currency.

How to kill a currency? Easy just take the money off any standard other than itself and the power of that government, minus the debts and ability to pay, then keep printing and borrowing more and more. See, very simple. In fact most won't even realize it until after the fact.

Seriously keep supporting bailouts and stimulus packages that create billions and even trilions of new money and debt, then watch the result. Sometimes I wonder if anyone is thinking anymore. If you have a surplus of something, anything even money, each item is worth less. The more you have available of anything the less valuable per unit it will become.

This is common sense folks not rocket science. So the next time you support one of these dollar killers, remember where its going.

MMMMMMMM…Love the smell of socialism.

Another billion here, a few hundred there… What's the difference huh? I mean we can print more right? Sure we can and then even more until the value of each one is nothing. But don't fret we can fix that easily enough too. We will then switch over to a regional monetary unit like the Euro. Yeah, tell me how it's not going to happen soon when we keep printing more money to stimulate the economy and bail out greedy corporations. You know there are other ways to stimulate the economy which don't include printing vast amounts of new money and killing the dollar value.

Maybe we could stop waste in government spending, or make social security off limits for anything other than caring for the elderly. How about not asking for a 5 million dollar school levy two years after getting a 2.5 million dollar one and wasting it on nonsense. Or even better, why not keep pet projects and ear marks off the stimulus package. If you want socialism just keep supporting this nonsense.

You know what its called when the government owns all the business and property? Socialism. And what will the government get for bailing out businesses? A big fat piece of those businesses. And when the dollar value drops as a result of all this bailout and stimulus money flooding the market, what do you think will happen when those businesses try and pay back their government loans? They will default because the 5 billion they got will cost 20 billion to pay back. When that happens the government will take control of the businesses and there you have it, socialism.

Better think hard about what it all entails before we jump on this bandwagon folks. You want to be under the thumb of your government or you want the government to work for you? Socialism is complete governmental control period. You want that then you really don't want democracy in my opinion.

Let me know what you think.

Election of fear.

This election has again turned into a fear contest. Who's afraid? We are thats who. What are we afraid of? You name it; censorship, freedoms, change, taxes, all of these and more are used to frighten each and every one of us until they decide our vote for us.

The Republicans tell us that Obama is going to raise taxes on the middle-class. When every single annalist who has looked it over claims it will lower taxes for them. Democrats claim that John McCain's plan will be more of the exact same thing we've had for the last eight years. When in fact it is quite different, it even has some points that are polar opposite of the current administration.

Who's telling the truth? Neither one. And the sad thing is they don't care. It is not about the facts or truth anymore; merely who can scare us the most about the other guy.

I would like to say to both of them; ENOUGH! I don't care about the BS and nonsense about your opponent; I only care about what you are going to do.

If you have based your campaign on this scare tactic you have no right to be president! You care more about winning than you do about doing a good job that is evident. Both of you need to stop and focus on your positives and forget the other guys negatives for a minute, before you loose the voters who should really matter.

The voters I refer to are the ones who are intelligent enough to ask what you stand for and how you plan to accomplish your goals. The ones who care about America and what matters most to real Americans. Not just the corporate executives, or the labor unions but all Americans.

Here are some basic truths that need to be realized by everyone before they vote.

1. What is best for the richest 10% is not always best for the rest of us.
2. No one is going to take our guns.
3. No one is going to take away your religion.
4. The only administration who has undermined the constitution is in office right now.
5. No one will automatically end the war in Iraq.
6. No one will miraculously save America or kill it.
7. No one will bring about socialism or fascism.
8. Neither of them are Muslim.
9. Both of them are American, one was born in Hawaii and one born in panama from American parents.
10. Neither of them are saints or saviors.

Keep these things in mind before you cast your vote.

9/11 Seven years later.

I have been trying to avoid mentioning the significance of this day. Not because I don't remember or because I don't care, but because it is so difficult for me. That is a selfish way to avoid an uncomfortable situation, and I feel selfishness is one of the biggest problems in the world. So for me to avoid this day is an even greater wrong than forgetting about it. Its called accountability, and it's relatively unheard of these days; but as I know about accountability that makes me even more accountable for my actions or the lack them. For a blogger to preach about accountability in our government and then avoid such where he himself is concerned, is inexcusable. I am terribly sorry for the late post on this my friends; it is my own desire to maintain my comfort level that has brought this about.

On September 11^th of the year 2001, on a bright and clear Tuesday morning at 8:45 am, the world became a much smaller place. I say that because until then I knew without question that the problems of the Muslim world did not affect me or my family and friends. Their troubles were exactly that, and my section of this vast planet was unaffected by their beliefs or petty disputes. Sure some of them were professing their hatred for us, but that was over there, and they most assuredly only a small portion of a much larger group of people. After all, I knew some Muslims and they were not trying to do me in. Obviously there were a few extremists ruining things for good Muslims the world over. And that was how I believed until 8:45 am.

At 8:45 am a hijacked passenger jet, American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston hit the north tower of the World Trade Center. At 8:55 my wife called me and asked me turn on the TV, because she heard there was an accident in New York and it had something to do with a plane. I was half asleep (I worked 2^nd shift then) but I got up and went to the TV and the first thing I saw was a flaming hole in the side of the tower. Telling my wife what I saw and that it was defiantly a plane that hit it, according to channel 8 news anyway and trying my best to take it all in, we began to speculate on how a plane could accidently hit such a large building. After a few minutes we watched in horror as a second plane hit the other tower. I immediately told her what I saw and at that moment we both knew it was not an accident.

At 9:03 am a second hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 175 also out of Boston, crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center. At this point we were in shock. The word actually doesn't do it justice as it was something I have never felt before or since. My wife and I were speechless for several minutes, until she asked me if I thought there might be more. I was dumbstruck; what if there were more? What would I do? Should I go get the kids from school? Anyone who could do this could just as easily attack a school or nuclear power plant. These and so many other frightening thoughts raced through my head in a flash. Somehow I managed to tell her that I will call the schools and get them ASAP, and for her to stay at work until we know more.

We hung up and I began to call the schools, my fears grew as I found their lines were all too busy to take any more calls. At this moment my 2 year old daughter came walking into my bedroom rubbing sleep from eyes and asking," Can I watch cartoons in your room with you?" My fear suddenly disappeared and my dad instinct took over. First I need to protect my youngest and then find out about my other two. So that is what I did; I gave her the living room TV and told her to stay right there, then I began calling the school again.

Keeping one eye on the news and on eye on my daughter I called my wife back and gave her the situation on the school, and asked if she could call as well. She agreed and as soon as I hung up the phone rang and I was overjoyed to hear the voice of my oldest child telling me that she and her brother were alright and they were in the school gymnasium. I felt the world lift from my chest as I asked her what she new and if she wanted to come home. She replied, "why?" I knew then that she didn't know exactly what was going on and that was probably for the best right now. She said her teacher let her use a cell phone to call home, and that there was an accident in New York. I told her I loved her and to look after her brother until I come for them. I then talked to the teacher and thanked her for her thoughtfulness. She explained the situation and advised me to keep the kids there until we knew more and I agreed.

At 9:43 am American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon. I had just walked back into my room when the news flashed to the Pentagon. Oh My God! I thought as I saw the gaping hole in the side of the building. 3buildings and 3 planes what's next? I called my wife and gave her the information I had, she explained they had brought a TV in from the conference room and where watching it now. I thought, okay, we are good now we can get information, and assess the situation equally thereby making our decisions more quickly. We agreed that the older children were safe where they were for the time being, and that we should each stay where we are until the situation changes.

At 10:10 am United Airlines Flight 93 crashes in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh. This was most assuredly another attempted hijacking I thought. Surely either the hijacking failed in disaster or the Air Force shot it down to prevent another catastrophe. One thing stuck in my mind though; this was not the act of one or two wakos, but the work of a well organized group with no problem killing innocents to make their point.

At 10:05 am the south tower of the World Trade Center collapses and at 10:28 am The World Trade Center's north tower collapses. Minutes before the first tower fell from the angle shown I could see people falling from the upper levels; this was immediately changed to another camera. I was completely numb from what I had already experienced that day; all I could do was watch silently in reverence to the visions before me. After seeing the second tower fall I ran to the living room and grabbed my daughter in hug to end all hugs.

That is all I wish to share with you on this, the rest is mine to contemplate; just as it is and should be with all of us. Do the best thing you can do for yourself today; hug your wife and kids, kiss your best girl (or guy), or whatever makes you feel better about the world.
We are all as different as can be in so many ways; maybe for one day we can embrace all that makes us alike. Maybe for one day this world can get smaller again, but this time for the right reasons.

In closing I want to say I do not hate Muslims, Arabs, or anyone else as a group. I will continue to treat each person as their behavior would warrant, be they black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Arab or Jew. I will reserve judgment solely for those who do or plan to do harm to me, my family, and my country.

However, if you do plan harm, harbor hate, or attempt violence to even the least of us, all I'm going to say to you is;
"come get some". We may be separated here by party affiliations, religion, race and creed, we may also be complacent and lazy at times, but do not mistake any of this for a weakness of spirit or lack of strength. We are the sleeping giant that Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto of the Japanese navy referred to when he said, "I fear we have awoken the sleeping giant" shortly after the attack on pearl harbor. Nothing will unite a group of individuals into an army of one faster than when an outsider comes in and attacks.

To those responsible for 9/11, you will be found and you will be held accountable, in this life or the next. What will you do if upon standing before Allah in the afterlife he asks you why you killed so many in his name? What if the things taught to you were nothing but the twisted ideals of a would-be messiah possessed by his own fears and hatred? What will you say? Will you point to the one who told you Gods plan and will? Will God then say to you, "it's okay, you were led astray by evil" or will he cast you to same fate as the demonic messiah? What if you were wrong about Gods will? What will his wrath be like? If man was made in Gods own image and man can hate and kill this well, what level of hate could God bring forth? I wouldn't want to know, and I bet you wouldn't either.

That is all from me tonight; good luck, good night, and Godspeed to all our brave troops out there.

Super Sarah Palin!

Look up in the sky its a bird, its a plane, its supersarah! Faster than a sasqatchuan seal hunter, more powerful than a polar bear, able to ban books and fire those who oppose her in a single bound!

Well Ok, she didn't actually ban any books but she did try to and has tried to fire any who don't agree with her. The GOP seems to think she is the new savior of the party and brings with her a fresh surge of potential voters. Sorry but I disagree with that, and moreover I hope Americans can see through the BS and see her for who and what she really is. And that is a religious zealot who is completely pro-censorship, and who is willing to do whatever it takes to push her agenda.

Please all you conservatives out there waiting to scream liberal and socialist at me, spare me the BS about her not actually firing the librarian or the police officer. Her intent was to do so and that is the real point here.

I don't put on a raincoat unless it's raining, and neither would she. She has stated that her intent in the questions about book banning were hypothetical when posed to the librarian, calling it a test of her loyalty as she put it. Well that makes a lot of sense; I often go in and concoct elaborate schemes to test the loyalty of my co-workers and employees. If you had a boss do this you'd think he was first; a twisted individual and second; a tyrant.

But perhaps I'm wrong about old Sarah, maybe she really was just fishing for information on loyalties in her town. Okay giving her the benefit of the doubt for a second; why do it like that? I mean if you are concerned about her loyalty, why not have a meeting with her in your office with some cabinet members around to help in the assessment or at least as witnesses. That would prevent any backlash and false accusations regarding her behavior or intent. But supersarah did not do this. No she tested her over the phone with no witnesses other than the other librarians, who would most assuredly back their co-worker.

Look, she is either malicious and conniving with plans for censorship, or an incompetent and obtuse would-be dictator with paranoid delusions. My personal guess is a little bit of both. It's obvious she has some kind of issues with control in regards to those around her. Whether her questions were hypothetical or not is beside the point anymore (the fake banned book list made it so thanks a lot who ever started it). The point now is whether or not she is competent and from this and the Troopergate scandal, I don't think so. As I said before she was at best least incompetent, and at worst a book banning religious zealot.

I got a comment once before about my lack of sources in a post. So just to appease the GW ditto-heads out there who can't GOOGLE their own information here you go: Here's the story from the Wassilla newspaper, here , and this is what Sarah said when asked about it; … Oh wait she hasn't given a reply yet. Well until she does make a statement about it many will make their own decisions.

One thing I want to say of a more personal note, whoever started circulating the ridiculous banned book list; stop helping us! Really we appreciate the effort but some of the books on your list weren't even in print at the time of this incident. So please don't circulate this list, all it does is make us all look like Republicans. That's the kind of thing Ann Coulter or Rush Limbaugh would try and now they have this for fuel to run their conservative propaganda machine. So please don't help them anymore and stop with the obviously fake list.

Well let me know your thoughts on this story folks.

And all that jazz...

What is the point in having an opinion or important question when you can't express it? These days anyone questioning good old GW or his buddies is quickly branded a socialist or even communist. Let's clarify something here folks; it is our duty as Americans to question our leaders especially in hard times. That is what lit the fire under our forefathers butts so long ago.

Isn't it still considered just and right to question and comment on what we feel is wrong? Well if you're an American citizen these days you better be careful what you say or how you say it, otherwise you are a traitor.

This administration has systematically removed all oppossing opinion in the White House Press crew, branded all who speak out against them as un-American, and at the same time portrayed themselves as the "Religious Right".

How can anyone claim an affinity to God when there main motivation is money. Wealth is their God, not the same one our forefathers envoced during the writing of our Decleration, but the god of greed.

They tell us we need to drill for more oil while they control the second largest oil producing country in the world, That climate change is a figment of our imagination, and to question them is both un-American and questionng God.

You know of all the divine qualities mentioned in the Bible greed, entitlement, lieing, and usery were not among them. But somehow this has become the way of enlightenment. Well if that's enlightenment I'll stay in the dark.

Let me know what you think.

Sarah Palin?

Wow! I didn't think it would be possible to get a bigger conservative than those in power now, but here she is. This so-called "maverick" is pro-life, pro-guns, pro-oil companies, and hates anyone who disagrees. A perfect selection for VP!

I am not going to talk about the ridiculous nonsense about her child being from her daughter or her lack of experience.... Well OK I am going to talk about the lack of experience. Wasn't McCain just talking about Obama being too inexperienced and "not ready to lead" in his commercials? Well this is a brilliant strategy John; tell them how this job needs experience and then get someone with even less experience. This must the "baffle em with BS" part of his campaign.

Personally I am starting to think McCain has lost his mind. He pretty much states his presidency will be more of the same at a time when the President has probably the worst approval rating of his white house career, tells us that Obama is too green to be president, while choosing the least experienced running mate I have ever heard of.

Palin is a Republican yes-woman, who has no political opinion she is not given. She is for but also against pork projects and bridges to nowhere, and corruption. Thats all I can really find that she has done and whether she is against or for them is still a mystery to me. As governor she used her position and power inappropriately and backed the bridge to nowhere that she claimed to be against.

There must be a factory somewhere that is mass-producing conservative republican ditto-heads, like the aliens who made the clone armies in Star Wars.

Smear politics 2008

Well in case you didn't notice yet it's an election year. You can tell because the smear books and party-purchased authors are selling millions of books based on BS. They call them factual and informative, but all they really do is spout off innuendo and party propaganda to a generation of ditto-heads that believe anything they are told first or the loudest. The latest is a smear book by the same guy who co-authored the book a few years ago about John Kerry's war record. You may remember the "swift boat veterans for peace" who were for the truth even if they had to make it up themselves.

Now I'm not going to name the author or his books in this post because he is not going to get any help from me, and neither are his ridiculous novels. That being said he writes for a website called worlddaily.net (I'm not going to link to them either); in my opinion it's just a conservative trash disposal posing as a political website. The author has a PHD in political science from Harvard but seems to have trouble discerning fact from utter nonsense, and has the same affliction bothering so many right wing talk radio and TV hosts. The affliction I refer to is what I like to call "Anti-social, Homophobic, overt or Latent Syndrome" or "ASHOLS" for short. This disease affects Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and nearly everyone working at Fox News, and will most likely be considered an epidemic by the CDC very soon. For brevity's sake I will hence forth call these people "ASHOLS".

These "ASHOLS" have been a thorn in my side since GW's first election and continue to get my Ire up every time they speak, post, or write. These "ASHOLS" must be stopped at all costs or our society will be forced to conform to the conservative mindset or perish. If we continue to tolerate their brand of social-political repression the intelligence levels across the country will drop until we all talk like GW. "Bushim's" will replace properly formed sentences, and truth will be reduced to what we hear on Fox News.

This is why I am forming a group dedicated to the abolition of these fear and hate mongering snake oil salesman in $10,000 dollar suits. The group will be called the "Anti-ASHOLS Society" or A-ASHOLSS for short. So get ready and practice your acronyms and abbreviations while I get the ball rolling on this. I'll get back soon and let you know my progress. A-ASHOLSS unite!

Obama, McCain, Paris Hilton and the race card?

Did anyone else see the McCain campaign commercial that compares Senator Obama to Paris Hilton? Wow, I didn't know he was that big yet. I don't think anyone in McCain's camp really understands the way publicity works in this country. If you call someone a rock star or celebrity on TV then the next thing you know they are one. OK let me get this straight; he is too popular to be president? Or is he so busy being popular he isn't trying to be president? Well then exactly what are you doing with your commercial? Isn't that John McCain's face and name plastered all over the screen?

The presidential election is a popularity contest in the truest sense, no matter how you look at it. Who wins? The guy who gets the most votes, come Election Day. How do they get the most votes? By making themselves popular. Paint it with any brush you want, it is as much a popularity contest as it is anything else. Millions of dollars are spent on TV ads by both sides and one has the nerve to call the other a prima donna? Sorry but neither of you should say anything about the other where this is concerned.

As if this nonsense were not enough, McCain's camp claimed Obama was playing the "race card" after he said the Republicans would try and scare voters away from voting for him, because his face didn't look like the ones on the dollar bills. All I can say to this is; if he wasn't playing it with his remark, he will now because you threw it in there. You know how to spot the racist in a crowded room? He's the first one to mention race either positively or negatively. There are two kinds of racists in the world; the one who is proud of it and the one who wants to be proud of it. In my opinion John fell right into a trap. They baited it with a slight remark in the hopes he would walk into it and walk right in he did. Now the door is open, and they didn't have to touch the dirty doorknob.

And I thought this election would be boring.

The media and society

"No government ought to be without censors; and where the press is free no one ever will."

-Thomas Jefferson

Somewhere freedom of the press became a twisted shadow of what Thomas Jefferson spoke of years ago. Freedom of the press is essential to liberty and the lifeblood of any true democracy. However just as in many other aspects of our society some of us will always take something good and pure, and twist it in ways that only help an individual and not the society as a whole.

Talk radio, cable news, and the internet have made news much more personalized, and along with personalization we get a lot more opinion and often time less fact. I am perhaps a bit suspect in that I write a blog, and often deal in opinion (usually my own). To this end, I must try and differentiate myself from journalists; journalists should tell the facts on topics their readers or viewers deem news worthy, and I write about what I feel on things that I may find news worthy. By claiming myself a journalist I am bound by certain rules and have a definite responsibility to tell the honest facts on everything I report. I need to back my statements with factual data, confirmed sources, and in most cases must have some kind of journalism training. To blog all I need is the means and a place to post, and the desire to do so. I have no peers to oversee my work or bosses to appease; my domain is in the world of opinion. And that is where we as bloggers differentiate from actual journalists.

So when I get on my blog and call someone a jerk, it is my opinion and should be treated as such. But when an accredited journalist gets on TV and does it, while pretending to impart facts; he is no longer a journalist and should not be considered one. When Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly pretend to give factual data and all the while spout complete nonsense; they are not journalists nor entertainers, but charlatans playing on our desire for truth. They are not the only ones that fit this bill, Arianna Huffington, Shawn Hannity, and so many others are just as guilty. I could go on forever naming the guilty members of the new journatainment industry, and never get them all, but that does not make any of them less guilty or responsible.

The reasons we have this problem are many, but we can trace it all too a few major causes. The first and most definitive of all these is the idea that our news should entertain us. If you watch Fox news or CNN to entertain yourself, god help you because you really miss the point. In turn if you as a producer of a news program, rely on entertainment value to draw in your audience or sponsors, you should stop working in the news and look into sitcoms or something else. Believe me when I tell you the news will never entertain you as much as a movie or sitcom, and it shouldn't. One is designed to give information the other is to make you feel something. The ability to feel what is going on without being put into a real situation is what entertainment is all about. When the news you rely on for information does that, it no longer informs you.

The second major cause is corporate owned media. This started with the first mergers that made the telecommunications conglomerates and has escalated nonstop. William Randolph Hurst was perhaps the first to control most of the major media, and his legacy is continued now by Rupert Murdoch and Time-Warner. This control was stalled for many years by a simple law passed back in the early days of radio. This law made it illegal for any corporation, company, or individual to own but a small share of the media in a given market or area. This law in a most efficient and simple way made sure that no one could limit or control the information given to you, and at the same time insured you would have a choice in what you listened to or watched. This also kept outside influence from swaying popular opinion, made sure political candidates got fair coverage, and through competition kept a level playing field. This law was removed by Michael Powell soon after becoming the head of the FCC. His reasons were no one got their news from the radio anymore and it would help improve programming. What a sham, it was actually because this administration and its backers wanted to control your information.

The third and final reason I will discuss here is complacency. We have become so used to our comfort levels we forgot what it cost to attain. I am incensed by so many Americans that demand so much but contribute so little. Democracy is the most advanced form of citizenship we have at this time. It is not simple nor will it ever be, and if you want it simple, democracy is not for you. The reason fascism, communism and socialism are able to survive in the modern world is the idea that people want to be told what's best for them without having to decide for themselves. All other forms of modern government rely on the complacency and ignorance of their people to perpetuate their rule. They tell them first, that they are one of them and understand their plight far better. Then they tell them they want equality and fairness to all especially the poor. It sounds great, but in reality they want to be in charge and decide what is fair for everyone. Over time their idea of fair changes to suit themselves and insure their position of power. And BAM! You got the same thing you had before just with a new name and face.

If you want freedom you better be ready to work for it. When you are asked to vote get off your can and do it. Stop giving your time and energy to those that do not care about anything other than what their sponsors want. It's not hard to spot a corporate lapdog, all you got to do is exercise common sense. If someone in the media is always telling you that one political party is completely bad for America, that the environment is not important, or tell you crap you know in your heart to be wrong, they are getting paid plain and simple.

I will end this by telling you some simple truths that are undeniable.

1. There have always been those that profit from war, and care nothing for the loss that comes with it.
   
2. The poor will never be important to a government until they need to be elected, keep power, wage war, or benefit the rich.
   
3. We have legislative, judicial, and executive branches in our government because no one group should ever be allowed supreme rule; each branch oversees the other and keeps things fair and just. That idea is the most profound and important aspect of our government and should be protected at all costs, no matter what the reasons we are given. Just like Thomas Jefferson said so many years ago, we need our censors to watch over our rights. One single infringement of this no matter how small will ruin democracy.
   
4. No one party, group, or individual will ever be able to fulfill all your needs. Never choose a party or affiliation over democracy or your rights and freedoms. And any who ask you to are your most dire enemy.
   
5. Your wealth does not make me poor, but the poor can make you rich. Social responsibility in a true democracy must be shared equally by all who participate in it, or it will become a form of class rule.
   
6. The environment is a balance of many things all working together to achieve a mutually beneficial end. To claim it is not affected by what we do is ignorant and shows the levels of greed some people are capable of.
   
7. It is not un-American to disagree with our leaders, nor is it treason to speak out against them or their policies. It is by the very definition put forth in our Declaration of Independence the most American and patriotic thing we can do.
   
8. The only time a politician wants to bring morality or religion into government is when they need them. When they no longer serve their purpose they will be ignored again.
   
9. Anyone who tells you competition in a market is bad for business is being paid or is part of that business. Lack of competition in any market will only benefit the wealthiest and most powerful of that market.
   
10. If it smells like crap, looks like crap, feels like crap, and shows all the signs you associate with crap; than it is crap.
    

I hope you can remember this is my opinion, no matter how I may believe it to be true. Treat it like it is and go find some factual information to form your own opinion.

What is a fascist?

First the facts as claimed by some.

What is a fascist? Well according to the Encarta Dictionary, a fascist is a 'dictatorial movement – any movement, ideology, or attitude that favors dictatorial government, centralized control of private enterprise, repression of all opposition, and extreme nationalism.". This is a statement backed up by most other sources as well; some even go a bit further in their descriptions such as Merriam-webster.com, who states fascism as follows. "a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition."

Second, the fun parts made up by me.

Wow, that's a bit of an overload of info if you ask me, but by reading these definitions we can get a grasp on what we can call fascism, and therefore whom we can call a fascist. Both definitions look alike at first. However if we look closely at both we can see some disparities. Both define properly, but both are potentially tools to accuse another unjustly of fascism. Rush Limbaugh has used the Merriam-Webster definition to call one of former 2003 presidential candidate Dick Gephardt's proposed ideas fascism. While the Encarta definition must be a standard used by nearly all liberal media; we've all seen this become the name for nearly all conservatives lately. Now I do not give a specific name for the liberals here, and that is not meant as a way to protect them, but simply the list was too great to go through, and none have Rush's clout.

After some thought I came up with some ideas on how to compare the two sides(right and left wingers)against these definitions and perhaps pick a winner in the "who's a fascist race". I thought that we should first lay down some basic rules to fascism using both of the aforementioned definitions, and congeal them into a simpler form. My idea is as follows.

What makes a fascist?

1. A Dictatorship- this is a constant in both definitions, so must be widely accepted as fact.
   
2. Extreme Nationalism- Again this is mentioned in both, so as far as we can see fact.
   
3. Repression of all opposition- Once again both definitions agree here.
   
4. Political/social ideology- This is not stated identically in both, so I took words from both and put them together. (this is called "sampling "and is used often in the music industry)
   
5. Racism- This is not claimed by either but implied by Merriam-Webster's definition, and when most of us think of fascists we think of Nazi Germany, and who were bigger racists' than them?
   

I left out some points from both definitions because there have been more than a few instances of fascism, and all have varied in some degree on the internal workings related to business and social regimentation. To make a boring story short, no one can say for sure about the rest of it, and it seems irrelevant to the point, so, it is not on my list.

Okay, moving on to how this will work. First, I'll pick a side, (liberal or conservative) then I will take the numbered traits from the above list and rate each side. The ratings will be on a 1-5 scale, 5 being most like the Nazi's, 4 like Joe McCarthy, 3 Microsoft, 2 corporate news media, 1 The French. Again, I must stress this is only a general scale to help me and hopefully some others, gain some insight into who the real fascists are, and should by no means be a definitive calculation. Definitive calculations are for people with agenda's that need proof of their statements. I am presenting an opinion only, and my agenda is only to appear funny, therefore I need only assure I am not outright lying or defaming anyone.

Conservatives

1. Dictatorship- Based on the current administrations' attempts to stack the deck in the Judiciary branch, and manipulation of the voting system in certain states, I must give it a solid –3
   
2. Extreme Nationalism- This is an easy one; with the idea that and we know what's best for everyone else in the world – 5
   
3. Repression of opposition- Another easy one; the whole idea that disagreeing with our government is treason – 5
   
4. Political/social ideology- Okay this is the toughest one; by saying our government must step in and tell us what is morally right even when we were unaware of it – 3
   
5. Racism- With all the PC people ready to scream racism, it should have been easy, but there are more ways to be a racist than just saying racial slurs – 4
   

Liberals

1. A Dictatorship- While liberals are not quite as visible on this, they too have attempted to stack the deck in the past (just not as successful) – 3
   
2. Extreme Nationalism- Okay these guys really need help here, they seem to have given many Americans the impression they are ashamed of us; everything bad is apparently our fault - 2
   
3. Repression of all opposition- Another area where they suck; They try to act tough and ready to fight, but never actually do: I went to school with some guys like that - 1
   
4. Political/social ideology- They wish they had this problem; the only thing that looks like an ideology here is the Green party, and they are not even classical democrats - 1
   
5. Racism- Okay here is where their strengths lie, (finally) they play the race card at every opportunity, which gives fuel to the fires of the more open racists, making themselves appear the friend of minorities – 5
   

The conclusion

The scorecard is as follows, conservatives 20, liberals 12. Therefore, by this demonstration, the conservatives are by far the more fascist-like, and the liberals at this time have the right to call them fascists. However, a score as low as the liberals' points to them being nearly French, and that of course is the same as that "S" word. That word is not spineless, but close that word is SOCIALIST.

Yes, socialist which is nearly communist, and that would make us Chinese. I do not speak Chinese and feel this would be a bad deal for me and many of my friends or family. The food would be good but without an ability to communicate, I wouldn't be able to order it anyway.

I have concluded that to vote conservative is to lean towards fascism, while to vote liberal is to align with socialism. Neither is good for America so I'm voting for Ralph Nader.

The new fascists

In the information age we have become desensitized to sex, violence, and the foul actions of criminals, almost to the point of complete apathy. With radio shock jocks and television shock hosts, very few things are taboo these days. We grew into this state slowly, starting with the televising of the war in Vietnam, and steadily on through the subsequent decades.

Just in my Thirty-Nine years I went from watching cigarette commercials to reality tv and all points in between. Some of these programs contributed positively to society, others did not. I have managed to keep it in perspective for the most part: despite the coyote and road runner cartoons I knew that an anvil on the head was deadly.

At times television even inspired me to reach for goals, which I had thought impossible before. When I first saw Muhammad Ali speak before a fight, I was in a state of shock. Here was a guy that said anything that came into his mind seemingly without any fear. Little did I know then that others would try and capitalize on that;" Hate me all you want as long as you watch me" style. Everyone from talk show guests to radio disc jockeys would soon have a few of these extremists.

Once the shock and awe style invaded political commentary, I thought well, it was just a matter of time, and accepted it. However some have taken this style and gone too far. A few of these have been able to make vast fortunes and fame using blatant lies and misquoted garbage. They have been able to sell millions of their books, and win awards for documentaries that despite having perhaps an idea of the truth, somehow manage to completely avoid it. Even when shown the truth alongside their own blatant lie, they manage to find a way to either; blame the other person for a mistake, misprint, or incompetence, or keep shouting over them until they can find a way to back out gracefully. Some have built whole careers on attacking the homeless, and drug addicted; all the while they themselves are drug-addicts. They attack homosexuals on one hand while on the other have same sex relations in private.

One went so far as to attack the widows of 9/11; claiming they have enjoyed the deaths of their husbands and profited from it. That same person also claimed John Edwards had a bumper sticker that read "ask me about my dead son". When John Edward's wife Elizabeth tried to ask that person to stop using the death of her son to attack them, they went into a scripted style of talking over her and trying to turn what she said into something all together different. I've even seen this person claim Jews were imperfect Christians, needing to be perfected by a Christian religion like hers of course.

If this is what debate has become I fear for our future. When substance is forsaken for shock value, and truth becomes a matter of if it will sell, we are truly lost. "If it bleeds it leads" has taken over political commentary, as well as the tabloids. When we have no place to turn for truth, we will accept whatever we are given as gospel. And then where will it end? When we are robotic sheep, all going towards the slaughter without questioning our fate, will we then realize the value of truth?

Entertainers are now frightened of being called a traitor, anti-American, communist, or even a socialist for expressing their views on our government, yet there is no cry of outrage, no protests or assembling of the masses. Artists are one of the purest forms of truth a society can have, and ours are now quieted from fear of their own government.

There has been a frightening trend in our society, a trend that has allowed so many to take no responsibility whatsoever for their own actions. This has allowed murderers to go free, politicians to lie to the people, and doctors to turn health care into a cash cow. It has corrupted religious leaders, business men, and the media to the point we can no longer accept what they say as truth. Instead if we want the truth, we must find as many sources as we can and then filter the information to remove any impurities. Gone are the days of accepting your local news paper's account of something as being truthful.

I could go on forever with this and still not scratch the surface. So I will end by saying; I hope for my children's sake we can start to take responsibility for ourselves soon, before truth, justice and liberty have become ideas we only read about. As the great Benjamin Franklin once wrote: "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

55 delegates from the Continental Congress.

    When our new country was born, 55 of the brightest and best came together. Many were famous, such as, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington. Others were lesser known, but equal in purpose and desire. That desire was to create a new nation. A nation that would represent, and safeguard all of its people. One that would express the true nature of liberty and freedom, to the rest of the world. Alas, over time we came to realize, these were not perfect men by any means. Many had hidden agendas, and various personal and professional issues, which by today's standards would bar them from this endeavor. Does this detract from the work they had done? Well I certainly hope not, considering the importance of our Constitution. My Father once told me, men can do great things by accident, and that precious few are saints. I believe this to be true, especially in modern society. Many of our great and beloved leaders were men of questionable character. Yet they remain pillars, by which our country stands strong. By this standard I must say, it does not change the value or importance of The Constitution. Many will disagree with me on this, I'm sure, but that's the price of voicing an opinion.

    In this blog I hope to share my opinions on our United States Government, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights. I am no expert on constitutional law, and have no aspirations to become an elected official. My only qualification being that I am A citizen of this country, and it is my right and duty to protect myself from my government when needed. Along with that, questioning our system is the most important right we have. Lately questioning our government has become treason, and our rights have been infringed upon. The news has become biased, and deals in half truths, at the whim of large corporations. And our nation is now in the country building business. If there ever was a time to question our government, than that time is now. I will also try and discuss other things that may be of importance. Most will relate in one way or another to our government, be it past or present, theoretical or factual. So please comment, post, gripe, or discuss anything posted here. If you would like something discussed, that is pertinent and thoughtful, please ask and perhaps it will be added sometime. Thank you for reading, and always strive for perfection in life, government, and self.