After reading a blog by Left Coast Rebel regarding money spent by Nancy Pelosi on travel for friends and family, I was hopping mad. To say the least.
I have written a letter to my Congressmen demanding that a bill be passed into law which makes this illegal.
I demand that a bill be immediately proposed to prohibit federal funds from being used to pay expenses for friends and family travelling with elected officials. There is no company which pays for airfare, food and entertainment for friends and family who accompany an employee on a business trip and the federal government should be no different.
It is unconscionable and offensive for money that the people work tirelessly for to be used to fund another's vacation. If friends and family wish to accompany an employee (and don't forget you're all our employees) on a business trip that is fine, but it should be at their own cost and not the cost of the taxpayers.
I want this made as illegal as it is unethical and I want it done now. As our federal debt explodes and you vote to raise the debt ceiling to accommodate your recklessness, it is abhorrent that money we do not have is spent on travel expenses for anybody not directly performing the people's business.
I encourage everyone to call, write or e-mail our elected officials and let them know how you feel about this travesty. It probably won't change anything, but doing nothing definitely won't.
We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Rules by Which America May be Reduced
A wise man once said that those who fail to study history are doomed to repeat it. The study of American history has been corrupted for decades now, and as a result we appear to be treading the same path. This is made clear if we independently study our history and look at the reasons behind the revolution.
In 1773, in an attempt to show Parliament and the British people how their actions were serving to alienate the colonies, Benjamin Franklin wrote a document Rules by Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One. In reading this wonderful piece of comedic literature I was struck by how our current government is repeating the actions which caused us to break from the British Parliament and Monarchy.
I make no claims to possessing the brilliance of Mr. Franklin, but for the love of my country and the desire to see her remain strong, I am compelled to emulate the great man and list out the ways in which we are now working to reduce our nation.
The first and most important rule is to divide the people, and therefore the nation. A people bound together by common goals, common beliefs and common sacrifices will not be divided. Therefore, in order to achieve your goal of division you must make people focus on their differences instead of their similarities. You must convince some that they are owed the fruits of another’s toils.
To further divide the people you must have two sets of laws and rules, or at least apply them differently. If taxes are levied on the people, these groups must be exempt. If the favored group behaves badly, it must be the ill favored group who bears the cost. This will insure that the favored group shows superiority and contempt while animosity builds within those ill favored. Do not, under any circumstances, promote true fairness and equality for this will undermine your efforts of division.
You must give no credence to any complaints offered by the people. Instead, no matter how peaceful their objections may be communicated, you should always assume that they are on the verge of violence and treat them as such. A good idea in this instance is to consider them as a terror risk and list them as more dangerous to the country than any foreign threat. The real benefit of this plan is that you may, if real care is taken, turn your suspicions of revolution into reality.
Next, you must take care to avoid the approval of the people in any political appointees. Should the people believe that their government officials are honest, and have the best interest of the people and the nation at heart, this will only serve to strengthen the bond of the people to their government. As a result, you must select people unqualified, contemptuous of the masses, elitist and, if at all possible, openly corrupt.
To drive the wedge even deeper, should anybody complain or otherwise speak out, you must make them the villain. Investigate them more thoroughly than you would any criminal and expose every mistake they have made in their past. Call their character into question and make their life such a hell that no other will dare to take such a stand in future. This will close off a critical outlet for the people and make them even more desperate and angry.
Another very important rule is to take more and more of the people’s money and flagrantly waste it. Take from the hard working people and give large salaries to the officials they despise. You must also use the money to prop up those in the government’s favor, again serving to divide the people. Constantly remind the people that the government knows best how to spend their money while simultaneously wasting it on programs the people do not support. It is also best if you can use the people’s money taken through taxation to institute and fund government programs which will take their liberties as well. This will prevent those left in poverty through punitive taxation from taking comfort in their freedom and liberty
Make the people ashamed of the greatness of their nation. Paint her in the worst possible light both domestically and abroad. As patriotic pride is squelched, individual ambition and determination will decrease as well. This will assist in the destruction of the economic foundation thereby expediting the division of the people.
Most importantly, deny that you have any culpability in the discontent of the people. Take no responsibility and give no acknowledgements to the legitimacy of any complaint. Should you do this, should you follow these simple rules, the nation will become divided, the states will break apart and you will be freed from the bother and necessity of ruling a great nation.
In 1773, in an attempt to show Parliament and the British people how their actions were serving to alienate the colonies, Benjamin Franklin wrote a document Rules by Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One. In reading this wonderful piece of comedic literature I was struck by how our current government is repeating the actions which caused us to break from the British Parliament and Monarchy.
I make no claims to possessing the brilliance of Mr. Franklin, but for the love of my country and the desire to see her remain strong, I am compelled to emulate the great man and list out the ways in which we are now working to reduce our nation.
The first and most important rule is to divide the people, and therefore the nation. A people bound together by common goals, common beliefs and common sacrifices will not be divided. Therefore, in order to achieve your goal of division you must make people focus on their differences instead of their similarities. You must convince some that they are owed the fruits of another’s toils.
To further divide the people you must have two sets of laws and rules, or at least apply them differently. If taxes are levied on the people, these groups must be exempt. If the favored group behaves badly, it must be the ill favored group who bears the cost. This will insure that the favored group shows superiority and contempt while animosity builds within those ill favored. Do not, under any circumstances, promote true fairness and equality for this will undermine your efforts of division.
You must give no credence to any complaints offered by the people. Instead, no matter how peaceful their objections may be communicated, you should always assume that they are on the verge of violence and treat them as such. A good idea in this instance is to consider them as a terror risk and list them as more dangerous to the country than any foreign threat. The real benefit of this plan is that you may, if real care is taken, turn your suspicions of revolution into reality.
Next, you must take care to avoid the approval of the people in any political appointees. Should the people believe that their government officials are honest, and have the best interest of the people and the nation at heart, this will only serve to strengthen the bond of the people to their government. As a result, you must select people unqualified, contemptuous of the masses, elitist and, if at all possible, openly corrupt.
To drive the wedge even deeper, should anybody complain or otherwise speak out, you must make them the villain. Investigate them more thoroughly than you would any criminal and expose every mistake they have made in their past. Call their character into question and make their life such a hell that no other will dare to take such a stand in future. This will close off a critical outlet for the people and make them even more desperate and angry.
Another very important rule is to take more and more of the people’s money and flagrantly waste it. Take from the hard working people and give large salaries to the officials they despise. You must also use the money to prop up those in the government’s favor, again serving to divide the people. Constantly remind the people that the government knows best how to spend their money while simultaneously wasting it on programs the people do not support. It is also best if you can use the people’s money taken through taxation to institute and fund government programs which will take their liberties as well. This will prevent those left in poverty through punitive taxation from taking comfort in their freedom and liberty
Make the people ashamed of the greatness of their nation. Paint her in the worst possible light both domestically and abroad. As patriotic pride is squelched, individual ambition and determination will decrease as well. This will assist in the destruction of the economic foundation thereby expediting the division of the people.
Most importantly, deny that you have any culpability in the discontent of the people. Take no responsibility and give no acknowledgements to the legitimacy of any complaint. Should you do this, should you follow these simple rules, the nation will become divided, the states will break apart and you will be freed from the bother and necessity of ruling a great nation.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Obama Lectures Republican Caucus
The Republican Caucus invited Obama to come and meet with them so that they could actually discuss the alternatives that the Republicans have developed and which Obama continuously refuses to acknowledge. So what does Obama do? He stands up there and lectures the Republicans on why he's right and they're wrong and that they shouldn't be so partisan.
The one thing he said that bothers me the most is that they shouldn't be so concerned with their reelection or their poll numbers. That doing the people's business is more important than their polls. This translates into the biggest problem with this administration; that they don't give a rat's patooty what the people think or want. The polls actually tell them how the people feel about the business they're doing. It should absolutely be paid attention.
I just can't believe that he is reading a recycled campaign speech to the Republican caucus. Oh wait, yes I can.
The man just won't listen to anybody.
The one thing he said that bothers me the most is that they shouldn't be so concerned with their reelection or their poll numbers. That doing the people's business is more important than their polls. This translates into the biggest problem with this administration; that they don't give a rat's patooty what the people think or want. The polls actually tell them how the people feel about the business they're doing. It should absolutely be paid attention.
I just can't believe that he is reading a recycled campaign speech to the Republican caucus. Oh wait, yes I can.
The man just won't listen to anybody.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Obamanomics Applied to Real Life
I've listened to Obama discuss his idea of ecnomics and fairness over and over again. I think I understand but you tell me. The easiest way for me to explain it is with ananologies.
There are 3 neighbors; Person A, Person B and Person C. They all started out the year with the same job and the same salary.
Person A plods along doing what they need to do but not striving to excel. They live paycheck to paycheck and spend everything they make, saving nothing.
Person B works really hard, does as much overtime as possible, makes wise investments and spends only what's needed as they save for their dream vacation to Europe.
Person C plods along like person A, but also decides to spend all of their money on lottery tickets and lives off their credit cards. They fall behind in their credit card payments and their mortgage.
Under Obamanomics Person B should pay Person C's credit cards and mortgage. After all, if they can afford a trip to Europe they can afford Person C's mortgage. If the three go out to dinner, Person B should pay for the meal for all of them. Again, if they can afford a trip to Europe then they can afford the meal. If they go to dinner separately, Person A should pay a low tax on their meal, Person C should pay no tax on their meal and Person C should pay a high tax on their meal. They can afford it so why shouldn't they pay?
In the end, Persons A and C still plod along and save nothing while Person B has to cancel their trip to Europe due to a serious lack of funds. The rule of Obamanomics, Person B is buggered.
Please let me know if I got this wrong.
There are 3 neighbors; Person A, Person B and Person C. They all started out the year with the same job and the same salary.
Person A plods along doing what they need to do but not striving to excel. They live paycheck to paycheck and spend everything they make, saving nothing.
Person B works really hard, does as much overtime as possible, makes wise investments and spends only what's needed as they save for their dream vacation to Europe.
Person C plods along like person A, but also decides to spend all of their money on lottery tickets and lives off their credit cards. They fall behind in their credit card payments and their mortgage.
Under Obamanomics Person B should pay Person C's credit cards and mortgage. After all, if they can afford a trip to Europe they can afford Person C's mortgage. If the three go out to dinner, Person B should pay for the meal for all of them. Again, if they can afford a trip to Europe then they can afford the meal. If they go to dinner separately, Person A should pay a low tax on their meal, Person C should pay no tax on their meal and Person C should pay a high tax on their meal. They can afford it so why shouldn't they pay?
In the end, Persons A and C still plod along and save nothing while Person B has to cancel their trip to Europe due to a serious lack of funds. The rule of Obamanomics, Person B is buggered.
Please let me know if I got this wrong.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Insurance Companies - Don't Believe Everything You Hear
The plan for healthcare reform is to villify the insurance companies and tell all kinds of horror stories about the insurance companies' bad behavior, but you can't believe everything you hear.
If unconscionable behavior is really the issue, there is already a Department of Insurance in most, if not all, states to file a complaint. It's one of these complaints I'm going to use as an example. This is a true story.
A surgeon files a claim with the department of insurance stating that the insurance company denied his surgical consult as not covered when it should have been paid. He was called in to the emergency room, he said, to determine if surgery was needed. He decided that it was not and therefore, his claim for payment of the consult was perfectly acceptable and reasonable and the insurance company's refusal to pay was grounds for official complaint.
This sounds terrible, doesn't it. You pull in a surgeon to see if a procedure is necessary and the insurance company won't pay for it just because the surgery wasn't performed. Those awful, nasty, rotten and unethical insurance companies.
Unfortunately for the doctor, I dug a little deeper into this issue and found something really interesting. On the same day, the doctor had filed a claim for a surgical procedure and been paid for it. The consult fee is included in the payment for the procedure itself. What was really interesting is that the surgeon was saying he deemed the procedure not necessary and that was why he should be paid for the consult. Why then did he bill for the performance of the procedure he deemed unnecessary?
But I'm sure it was all the insurance companie's fault.
If unconscionable behavior is really the issue, there is already a Department of Insurance in most, if not all, states to file a complaint. It's one of these complaints I'm going to use as an example. This is a true story.
A surgeon files a claim with the department of insurance stating that the insurance company denied his surgical consult as not covered when it should have been paid. He was called in to the emergency room, he said, to determine if surgery was needed. He decided that it was not and therefore, his claim for payment of the consult was perfectly acceptable and reasonable and the insurance company's refusal to pay was grounds for official complaint.
This sounds terrible, doesn't it. You pull in a surgeon to see if a procedure is necessary and the insurance company won't pay for it just because the surgery wasn't performed. Those awful, nasty, rotten and unethical insurance companies.
Unfortunately for the doctor, I dug a little deeper into this issue and found something really interesting. On the same day, the doctor had filed a claim for a surgical procedure and been paid for it. The consult fee is included in the payment for the procedure itself. What was really interesting is that the surgeon was saying he deemed the procedure not necessary and that was why he should be paid for the consult. Why then did he bill for the performance of the procedure he deemed unnecessary?
But I'm sure it was all the insurance companie's fault.
Aretha Franklin's Think
In one of her great, girl power songs, Aretha Franklin gave us a call to freedom. It was a parody I couldn't resist as it needed so few changes to make it a political statement. I would love to hear a tea party crowd singing this song.
Think
You better think (think)
think about what you’re doing in DC
Yeah think (think, think)
what you’re doing to this great country
Let’s go back – let’s go back,
Let’s go way on back to the founding men
They passed the Bill of Rights
Including that amendment number ten
I’m not an academic
I don’t have twelve degrees
But it don’t take a high IQ
To see what you’re doing to me
You better think (think)
Think about what you’re doing in DC
Yeah think (think, think)
What you’re doing to this great country
Oh freedom, (freedom)
Let’s have some freedom (freedom)
Oh freedom, yeah freedom
You got to have freedom (freedom)
Oh freedom (freedom)
We need us some freedom
Oh freedom
We got to have
Hey, think about it
You, think about it
There aint nothing we could ask
You could answer us but you won’t
All we want is to live free
but it’s clear letting us you won’t
You better think (think)
think about what you’re doing in DC
Yeah think (think, think)
what you’re doing to this great country
Stripping away our freedoms
You’re Just special interest whores
Doing nothing while we lose our jobs
Well be careful or you’ll lose yours
Oh think (think)
Think about what you’re doing in DC
Whoo Hooo, think (think)
What you’re doing to this great country
You need us
We don’t need you
If you won’t listen
We'll find us someone new
Obamaville
Here is the Barack Obama personal theme song.
Obamaville
(To the tune of Margaritaville)
Got a lot on my plate
A negative jobs rate
And healthcare reform is in quite a coil
I bowed to a foreign king
Massachusetts saw a swing
As the voter’s blood is beginning to boil
Wasting away again in Obamaville
Ground the economy down to a halt
Some people claim that I’m to blame
But I know, it’s George Bush’s fault
I can see the reason
These folks I’m not pleasin’
They’re a bunch of redneck, inbred yahoos
They call me snooty
I don’t give a hooty
What they think, I know best what to do
Wasting away again in Obamaville
Ground the economy down to a halt
Some people claim that I’m to blame
But I know, it’s George Bush’s fault
Transparent, no I’m not
On C-Span I flip-flopped
Broke every promise I made on the road
On a spending bender
With China the lender
I only pray they don’t call in the loan
Wasting away again in Obamaville
Ground the economy down to a halt
Some people claim that I’m to blame
But I know, it’s George Bush’s fault
Some people claim that I’m to blame
But I know, it’s George Bush’s fault
Hey It Could Have Been Worse
As the Obama administration finally gets the message that people are unhappy with his focus on healthcare over the economy, Robert Gibbs comes out with the message of "hey, it could have beeen worse."
I suppose, if they openly tried to make the economy as bad as it could possibly be, then yes, it could have been worse. However, I don't think their argument that it would have been worse if they didn't act holds water. Quite the opposite. I'm of the mind that if the Obama administration and Congress had taken the entire year of 2009 off, we would be in a much better economic situation than we are right now.
The deficit would be much lower without the wild spending sprees. The job situation would be better without the looming taxes of healthcare and cap and trade. The housing market may have found a bottom and begun a recovery.
Things can always be worse than they are. It's a mantra that many of us tell ourselves when a situation gets bad, but in this situation they shouldn't be trying to convince us of how bad it could be when we know that it's worse that it should be.
Try another tack Gibbs. Wait, I know, it's Bush's fault.
I suppose, if they openly tried to make the economy as bad as it could possibly be, then yes, it could have been worse. However, I don't think their argument that it would have been worse if they didn't act holds water. Quite the opposite. I'm of the mind that if the Obama administration and Congress had taken the entire year of 2009 off, we would be in a much better economic situation than we are right now.
The deficit would be much lower without the wild spending sprees. The job situation would be better without the looming taxes of healthcare and cap and trade. The housing market may have found a bottom and begun a recovery.
Things can always be worse than they are. It's a mantra that many of us tell ourselves when a situation gets bad, but in this situation they shouldn't be trying to convince us of how bad it could be when we know that it's worse that it should be.
Try another tack Gibbs. Wait, I know, it's Bush's fault.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
A State of the Union Carole - Chapter 6
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Questions were swamping the mind of the president, questions he had never had before. For the first time in his life he was questioning the ideology of his heroes, the ideology that was instilled in him as a child and fostered as he grew. He still believed in justice, both economic and social, but was it truly justice if the majority of the people considered it unjust? Could you give justice to one person by taking it from another?
His mentors and teachers had instilled in him the deep seated belief that the people didn’t know what was best for them, that they chose their leaders to think for them, but the people were expressing a different view. Was it really right to force people into a direction they did not want to go just because it was what he thought was best? For the first time in his career, or even his life, he was not so sure.
“Glad to see you’re getting some sense,” came a deep voice though a body had not yet appeared.
Feeling beaten down, defeated and a bit dejected, the president made no response, instead waiting contritely for the ghosts to appear. As he watched, the two forms took shape and they were easily recognizable. One, James Madison, because he had seen him speak on the trip to the past; the other George Washington because he was in uniform. As before, the men did not wear particularly welcoming expressions.
“Are you ready to see,” came the same voice, now identified as belonging to James Madison, “where your policies will lead the nation?”
The president shook his head. “I don’t think I want to see. It can’t be good or you wouldn’t be here. Please,” he pleaded, “can’t we end this now.”
“Stop being a sniveling coward,” barked Washington. “A leader has to know the consequences of his actions and should never shrink from the results of the decisions he’s made. Your decisions impact the lives of millions and insulating yourself from those impacts serves no one. Especially not the people you serve.”
“Not to mention,” said Madison, “that I have no faith that your new found contrition will last beyond the break of day without these images burned into your memory. It is one thing to know intellectually, it is another thing entirely to see it absolutely.”
“And you’ve been dealing with things too much on the theoretical and intellectual basis,” added Washington. “You’ve stuffed your cabinet with people who have theorized everything and done nothing. It’s time to step out and smell the bullshit you’ve shoveled onto the heads of the people.”
Madison chuckled a bit at Washington’s phrasing, but couldn’t disagree with him. In order to take that first step to enlightening the president, Madison waved his arm gracefully.
The president watched in awe as the walls of the oval office became one large screen which began to fill with an image that the president recognized. It was a talking head on a news station and the statements of the anchor sent a chill through the president.
“The White House announces that the economy has turned a corner as the unemployment rate drops to16% for Febrary. However, millions of people are still waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel. As the threat of lowering America’s credit rating has banks scrambling and interest rates soaring, even those still employed face troubling times ahead.”
The broadcast appeared to be lost as snow covered the image, but it was quickly replaced by another talking head.
“Six more confirmed dead in Minneapolis as freezing temperatures war with skyrocketing energy prices. There are literally hundreds of stories of people forced to choose between heat and food or medication. The hardest hit by rising energy costs has been the elderly as the result of high energy taxes and lowering social security benefits. Four families were arrested for burning wood for heat in direct violation of EPA regulations. When asked for comment, one suspect stated that at least in prison they’d be warm.”
Snow.
“Riots broke out all over today,” said the handsome, exceptionally groomed man in the new image, “as election results were announced. The citizens are crying foul and stating that the declared winner was not the recipient of the majority of the vote.”
“Why are you showing me this,” the president asked. At the raised brows of the ghosts he continued. “I understand the first two, but why this one? This kind of thing is already going on in Iran now so why are you saying this is my fault?”
His question was answered as the news anchor continued to speak. “The Stability Police have been deployed in seventeen states now to deal with the riots. Though each of the Secretaries of State claim that there are no irregularities in the vote counting, the populace remains unconvinced.”
Snow.
“Twenty-five people are dead in St Louis where the Stability Police fired into the crowd of protestors. Shots have been fired in numerous cities in an attempt to bring the populace under control but we have been unable to obtain confirmation of any other deaths as information is currently in a strangle hold by the federal government. The president has stated that the voting process is secure and the appointed winners were duly and democratically elected. This in spite of the exit polls showing the declared winners trailing by 20 points.”
Snow.
“Tennessee joined the growing list of states considering secession today despite the president’s statements that any talk of seceding from the union would be treated as treason. The count is now up to fourteen states with rumors of at least another dozen prepared to join.”
The president felt a knot developing in his stomach, the pain causing a cold sweat to break out on his forehead. Is this really what he was doing? He had wanted to change the shape of the nation, yes, but he had not wanted to break it up. Surely the states wouldn’t go that far. Surely it was all just talk.
James Madison leveled a heavy stare upon him as the image on the wall changed again. This time the news feed was from China, the words translated by an unseen force and broadcast into the room. “Civil war broke out in the Unites States yesterday leading to concerns over how the struggling country will repay the trillions in dollars it owes to China. Foreign diplomats fled the nation as it erupted into violence but many UN officials are still unaccounted for. Thousands of US military have abandoned their posts and rumors are flying that they have joined up with the rebels in fighting the growing Stability Police Force.”
The president tore his eyes from the screen to look into the disapproving countenances of the founding fathers. “No more. I don’t want to see anymore.”
“But there is more to see,” said Washington. “You must see the impact of the war you created.”
“I didn’t want this,” the president cried. “I didn’t want civil war. I didn’t want any kind of war at all.”
“You dare to say you didn’t want war,” Madison cried. “It was you who waged war on our form of government and our way of life. It was you who found a way to undermine the democratic process. Did you really believe that the people of our great nation would meekly submit to the stripping of their God given rights and freedoms?”
“Of course he did,” came Washington’s more modulated tones. “How could a man who does not believe there is anything worth dying for, even begin to understand the people who do?”
“This isn’t real,” the president said. “It can’t be real. We want peace and equality not war. This can’t be true. It just can’t be.”
“But it is,” said Madison. “You can’t force people to bend to your will and call that peace and equality. A freedom loving people will never go easily into tyranny and it appears that you underestimated…”
“Seriously underestimated,” Washington interjected.
“….just how much the American people love their freedoms and liberties,” finished Madison. “This was always the path it would take. Only a fool blinded by his own ego, or his own need for control, could fail to see that.”
The president hung his head at this admonishment, ashamed of himself in a way he had never been before. “Are we done now? Can it stop?”
“It can stop,” said Washington, “we would not have shown it to you if it could not be changed, but there is more to show you. You need to see the realities of the battles being waged.”
The president steeled himself against what he feared would greet him as the room faded around him and was replaced by the sounds of gunfire, the smell of blood, and the vision of hundreds of dead and dying. Lying there before him was an older version of John Alexander, his idealistic speech writer, dead in the mud on a field of battle that never should be.
“They killed him,” the president said. “He was nothing but a speech writer and yet they killed him. How could they do such a thing?”
“Look closer at him and you’ll find the ‘we’ you’re condemning is not the ‘we’ you think you are. The ‘we’ is you.”
The president knelt beside the body and there he saw it, the patch that identified him not as US military or the Stability police, but as a rebel fighter.”
“Yes,” said Madison, “It was your troops who killed him. First you took his ideals and then you took his life.”
“But I didn’t want war,” the president cried again. “I wanted peace. All I wanted was real peace.”
“Peace is not solely the absence of violence,” said Washington, “and sometimes, all too often, the only way to achieve peace is to wage war.” The general and former president swept his arm in a gesture to indicate the destruction around him. “Peace is all these people wanted as well. The peace that only freedom from tyranny can bring, and you took from them every path by which they could achieve it. Every path but this one.”
“I see now,” the president sighed. “Please don’t show me any more. I don’t know if I can take it. Please let this be it. Please let it be over.”
The ghosts stood over the president who still knelt in the mud and said nothing. Tears seeped slowly from the closed eyes of the newly humbled powerful man as he continued to beg, to plead, to be shown no more. His requests were met with continued silence. Finally, unable to bear the lack of response he opened his eyes to confront the ghosts of the final founding fathers and gasped in shock. He was alone, and he was in the oval office, safe and clean.
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Questions were swamping the mind of the president, questions he had never had before. For the first time in his life he was questioning the ideology of his heroes, the ideology that was instilled in him as a child and fostered as he grew. He still believed in justice, both economic and social, but was it truly justice if the majority of the people considered it unjust? Could you give justice to one person by taking it from another?
His mentors and teachers had instilled in him the deep seated belief that the people didn’t know what was best for them, that they chose their leaders to think for them, but the people were expressing a different view. Was it really right to force people into a direction they did not want to go just because it was what he thought was best? For the first time in his career, or even his life, he was not so sure.
“Glad to see you’re getting some sense,” came a deep voice though a body had not yet appeared.
Feeling beaten down, defeated and a bit dejected, the president made no response, instead waiting contritely for the ghosts to appear. As he watched, the two forms took shape and they were easily recognizable. One, James Madison, because he had seen him speak on the trip to the past; the other George Washington because he was in uniform. As before, the men did not wear particularly welcoming expressions.
“Are you ready to see,” came the same voice, now identified as belonging to James Madison, “where your policies will lead the nation?”
The president shook his head. “I don’t think I want to see. It can’t be good or you wouldn’t be here. Please,” he pleaded, “can’t we end this now.”
“Stop being a sniveling coward,” barked Washington. “A leader has to know the consequences of his actions and should never shrink from the results of the decisions he’s made. Your decisions impact the lives of millions and insulating yourself from those impacts serves no one. Especially not the people you serve.”
“Not to mention,” said Madison, “that I have no faith that your new found contrition will last beyond the break of day without these images burned into your memory. It is one thing to know intellectually, it is another thing entirely to see it absolutely.”
“And you’ve been dealing with things too much on the theoretical and intellectual basis,” added Washington. “You’ve stuffed your cabinet with people who have theorized everything and done nothing. It’s time to step out and smell the bullshit you’ve shoveled onto the heads of the people.”
Madison chuckled a bit at Washington’s phrasing, but couldn’t disagree with him. In order to take that first step to enlightening the president, Madison waved his arm gracefully.
The president watched in awe as the walls of the oval office became one large screen which began to fill with an image that the president recognized. It was a talking head on a news station and the statements of the anchor sent a chill through the president.
“The White House announces that the economy has turned a corner as the unemployment rate drops to16% for Febrary. However, millions of people are still waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel. As the threat of lowering America’s credit rating has banks scrambling and interest rates soaring, even those still employed face troubling times ahead.”
The broadcast appeared to be lost as snow covered the image, but it was quickly replaced by another talking head.
“Six more confirmed dead in Minneapolis as freezing temperatures war with skyrocketing energy prices. There are literally hundreds of stories of people forced to choose between heat and food or medication. The hardest hit by rising energy costs has been the elderly as the result of high energy taxes and lowering social security benefits. Four families were arrested for burning wood for heat in direct violation of EPA regulations. When asked for comment, one suspect stated that at least in prison they’d be warm.”
Snow.
“Riots broke out all over today,” said the handsome, exceptionally groomed man in the new image, “as election results were announced. The citizens are crying foul and stating that the declared winner was not the recipient of the majority of the vote.”
“Why are you showing me this,” the president asked. At the raised brows of the ghosts he continued. “I understand the first two, but why this one? This kind of thing is already going on in Iran now so why are you saying this is my fault?”
His question was answered as the news anchor continued to speak. “The Stability Police have been deployed in seventeen states now to deal with the riots. Though each of the Secretaries of State claim that there are no irregularities in the vote counting, the populace remains unconvinced.”
Snow.
“Twenty-five people are dead in St Louis where the Stability Police fired into the crowd of protestors. Shots have been fired in numerous cities in an attempt to bring the populace under control but we have been unable to obtain confirmation of any other deaths as information is currently in a strangle hold by the federal government. The president has stated that the voting process is secure and the appointed winners were duly and democratically elected. This in spite of the exit polls showing the declared winners trailing by 20 points.”
Snow.
“Tennessee joined the growing list of states considering secession today despite the president’s statements that any talk of seceding from the union would be treated as treason. The count is now up to fourteen states with rumors of at least another dozen prepared to join.”
The president felt a knot developing in his stomach, the pain causing a cold sweat to break out on his forehead. Is this really what he was doing? He had wanted to change the shape of the nation, yes, but he had not wanted to break it up. Surely the states wouldn’t go that far. Surely it was all just talk.
James Madison leveled a heavy stare upon him as the image on the wall changed again. This time the news feed was from China, the words translated by an unseen force and broadcast into the room. “Civil war broke out in the Unites States yesterday leading to concerns over how the struggling country will repay the trillions in dollars it owes to China. Foreign diplomats fled the nation as it erupted into violence but many UN officials are still unaccounted for. Thousands of US military have abandoned their posts and rumors are flying that they have joined up with the rebels in fighting the growing Stability Police Force.”
The president tore his eyes from the screen to look into the disapproving countenances of the founding fathers. “No more. I don’t want to see anymore.”
“But there is more to see,” said Washington. “You must see the impact of the war you created.”
“I didn’t want this,” the president cried. “I didn’t want civil war. I didn’t want any kind of war at all.”
“You dare to say you didn’t want war,” Madison cried. “It was you who waged war on our form of government and our way of life. It was you who found a way to undermine the democratic process. Did you really believe that the people of our great nation would meekly submit to the stripping of their God given rights and freedoms?”
“Of course he did,” came Washington’s more modulated tones. “How could a man who does not believe there is anything worth dying for, even begin to understand the people who do?”
“This isn’t real,” the president said. “It can’t be real. We want peace and equality not war. This can’t be true. It just can’t be.”
“But it is,” said Madison. “You can’t force people to bend to your will and call that peace and equality. A freedom loving people will never go easily into tyranny and it appears that you underestimated…”
“Seriously underestimated,” Washington interjected.
“….just how much the American people love their freedoms and liberties,” finished Madison. “This was always the path it would take. Only a fool blinded by his own ego, or his own need for control, could fail to see that.”
The president hung his head at this admonishment, ashamed of himself in a way he had never been before. “Are we done now? Can it stop?”
“It can stop,” said Washington, “we would not have shown it to you if it could not be changed, but there is more to show you. You need to see the realities of the battles being waged.”
The president steeled himself against what he feared would greet him as the room faded around him and was replaced by the sounds of gunfire, the smell of blood, and the vision of hundreds of dead and dying. Lying there before him was an older version of John Alexander, his idealistic speech writer, dead in the mud on a field of battle that never should be.
“They killed him,” the president said. “He was nothing but a speech writer and yet they killed him. How could they do such a thing?”
“Look closer at him and you’ll find the ‘we’ you’re condemning is not the ‘we’ you think you are. The ‘we’ is you.”
The president knelt beside the body and there he saw it, the patch that identified him not as US military or the Stability police, but as a rebel fighter.”
“Yes,” said Madison, “It was your troops who killed him. First you took his ideals and then you took his life.”
“But I didn’t want war,” the president cried again. “I wanted peace. All I wanted was real peace.”
“Peace is not solely the absence of violence,” said Washington, “and sometimes, all too often, the only way to achieve peace is to wage war.” The general and former president swept his arm in a gesture to indicate the destruction around him. “Peace is all these people wanted as well. The peace that only freedom from tyranny can bring, and you took from them every path by which they could achieve it. Every path but this one.”
“I see now,” the president sighed. “Please don’t show me any more. I don’t know if I can take it. Please let this be it. Please let it be over.”
The ghosts stood over the president who still knelt in the mud and said nothing. Tears seeped slowly from the closed eyes of the newly humbled powerful man as he continued to beg, to plead, to be shown no more. His requests were met with continued silence. Finally, unable to bear the lack of response he opened his eyes to confront the ghosts of the final founding fathers and gasped in shock. He was alone, and he was in the oval office, safe and clean.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Legally Adopted Haitian Babies Stuck in Haiti
At an orphanage in Haiti there are more than 100 children who have already been legally adopted by American families but the state department is dragging their feet on getting them out.
A plane is waiting in the Dominican Republican to bring those children to the US where their adopted families would receive them, but the US bureaucrasy is keeping those children stuck in a disaster area and away from their legally adopted families.
I can only imagine what the adoptive parents are going through as they wait for the state department to get their children out of that hell and into a safe environmnet in their legal US homes.
If Obama really wants to politicize the relief effort, he had better do something about this.
A plane is waiting in the Dominican Republican to bring those children to the US where their adopted families would receive them, but the US bureaucrasy is keeping those children stuck in a disaster area and away from their legally adopted families.
I can only imagine what the adoptive parents are going through as they wait for the state department to get their children out of that hell and into a safe environmnet in their legal US homes.
If Obama really wants to politicize the relief effort, he had better do something about this.
Obama - The Leader America Needed
I can already hear the screams of horror at this title, but the Scott Brown / Martha Coakley race shows us exactly why Obama was the president the country needed.
Unlike Clinton who discovered very quickly that pushing hard left was not the way to secure his legacy, Obama ran as a moderate and then went hard left in his administration. This was a good thing for the country. A very good thing.
Instead of the gentle nudges to the left that only those of us paying attention noticed, he took a big lurch to the left side that woke many Americans from their complacent slumber. More people are now paying attention to what's going on, and not liking what they see. More people are speaking out against the irresponsible spending of both political parties. More people are seeking out people who support the Constitution to run as their representatives and not just accepting the lesser of the evils on the ticket. More people are demanding the protection of their God given liberties and are willing to fight hard to protect them. More people are not only accepting but embracing their civic responsibilities.
With Obama's epic ego convincing him that he can force socialism down the protesting throats of the American people, he has done what no conservative candidate had been able to accomplish. He shook the American populace out of their slumber and showed them the real path of the progressives. A path the masses do not want to tread.
Don't get me wrong here; I believe that Obama's policies are disastrous for the nation, but I have faith that the people will stop anything irrevocable from happening and that a new era of responsibility will emerge from the ashes of this obamanation, but it is up to us to do it. Fortunately, there are far more people who recognize what needs to be done and are willing to volunteer their time and energy to do it.
Obama is not the leader we deserved, but he may just be the leader we needed.
Unlike Clinton who discovered very quickly that pushing hard left was not the way to secure his legacy, Obama ran as a moderate and then went hard left in his administration. This was a good thing for the country. A very good thing.
Instead of the gentle nudges to the left that only those of us paying attention noticed, he took a big lurch to the left side that woke many Americans from their complacent slumber. More people are now paying attention to what's going on, and not liking what they see. More people are speaking out against the irresponsible spending of both political parties. More people are seeking out people who support the Constitution to run as their representatives and not just accepting the lesser of the evils on the ticket. More people are demanding the protection of their God given liberties and are willing to fight hard to protect them. More people are not only accepting but embracing their civic responsibilities.
With Obama's epic ego convincing him that he can force socialism down the protesting throats of the American people, he has done what no conservative candidate had been able to accomplish. He shook the American populace out of their slumber and showed them the real path of the progressives. A path the masses do not want to tread.
Don't get me wrong here; I believe that Obama's policies are disastrous for the nation, but I have faith that the people will stop anything irrevocable from happening and that a new era of responsibility will emerge from the ashes of this obamanation, but it is up to us to do it. Fortunately, there are far more people who recognize what needs to be done and are willing to volunteer their time and energy to do it.
Obama is not the leader we deserved, but he may just be the leader we needed.
Scott Brown's Lead Outside Margin of Error
Polls are now showing Scott Brown with a 51% to 46% lead over Martha Coakley with a margin of error of only 2.5%.
This is really good news. This is the first time I've seen Brown's lead outside the margin of error. Turnout is really going to be the deciding factor in this situation and I pray that the independents turn out for this vote.
This new lead really indicates the political reverse midas touch that Obama has in campaigns. Every time he opens his mouth he shows a disregard and disrespect for the average American citizen. Those average people who are the cornerstone and the strength of this great nation.
Go Brown!
This is really good news. This is the first time I've seen Brown's lead outside the margin of error. Turnout is really going to be the deciding factor in this situation and I pray that the independents turn out for this vote.
This new lead really indicates the political reverse midas touch that Obama has in campaigns. Every time he opens his mouth he shows a disregard and disrespect for the average American citizen. Those average people who are the cornerstone and the strength of this great nation.
Go Brown!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
A State of the Union Carole - Chapter 5
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
As the president watched, two shapes solidified from the open air around him. However, unlike the other two, these men brought with them something else. The men were dressed similarly to the last two, one in a suit and one in jeans, but above their heads was a series of numbers that the president recognized as the national debt clock and the numbers were increasing at an alarming rate.
The man in the suit, bearing a serious and stern expression, was the first to speak. “I am Alexander Hamilton, first Secretary of the Treasury of these United States.”
“And I am Thomas Jefferson,” said the man in the jeans. “Third president of the United States, and we are here to show you the true state of the union at this time in American history.”
“Look,” the president stated. “I know the state of the union. It is my job to know it and I do my job quite well. It is a waste of all our times for you to show me something I already know.”
“I concur,” Jefferson said, “that it is in all probability a waste of our time.” At the current president’s smile and sigh of relief, Jefferson continued. “Not because you know the state of the union, but because you are staunchly resistant to any viewpoint but your own. However, I have been directed to show you what I will, and that direction comes from a power higher than either you or I could ever achieve.”
“We know,” added Hamilton, “that you believe yourself a god, but our directions come from the real God and nothing you say could sway us from carrying out any task assigned by Him.”
The president pointed above the heads of his visitors and said, “that clock is unnecessary. I am fully aware of the national debt that my predecessor ran up and the need for me to spend even more of the taxpayer’s money to right the wrongs he created.”
“By taking a bad situation and making it worse,” said Jefferson turning to look at Hamilton. “You were an economist, does that appear a sound plan to you?”
“Not particularly,” Hamilton replied, “But perhaps it could work if the money was spent wisely and could be paid back. Neither of which applies in this case. The money was spent foolishly, wasted in fact, did nothing to improve the situation, and cannot be paid back. But what will happen there is not ours to show, that will come with the next visit. Let’s stay on track, Tom, shall we?”
“Of course, Alex.” Though the words were spoken politely, there was a sense of strain in them.
“Wait a minute,” the president said, holding up both hands in the traditional stop gesture. “I get the feeling that the two of you don’t like each other much. I don’t want to be stuck in the middle of some personal battle between the two of you so if that’s what you’re going to do, then count me out.”
“You cannot be counted out,” said Jefferson, “and the disagreements between Hamilton and myself are the same disagreements we have with you. Not all of the founding fathers agreed on how the government should be instituted,” he continued, “Adams and Franklin should have already shown you that.”
The president nodded skeptically and said, “Yes, they did, but what does that have to do with the personal issues going on here.”
“The personal issue is that Secretary Hamilton and I disagreed on basic philosophies. He was a proponent of a large and powerful central government, and I was a proponent of leaving more power in the hands of the people.”
“And this disagreement has been going on for more than 200 years?”
“Off and on, yes,” said Hamilton, “but it has been raised to the forefront again in recent days. Jefferson,” Hamilton sneered, “said that I should be happy with the direction the country has been heading. I took exception to that gross exaggeration of my initial views on government.”
“Exaggeration,” Jefferson scoffed. “Eliminate the states all together and appoint a president for life. Isn’t that what you said?”
“A president for life sounds good to me,” said the president with a grin.
Jefferson spun back around to face him. “You must be joking. You’re one of the main examples we use to show just how flawed Hamilton’s plan was.”
“Ok, you know I only said that because the state governments were so power hungry and spiraling down a path of corruption.”
“A path the federal government is now emulating.”
Hamilton opened his mouth to continue the debate but Jefferson cut him off. “That brings us back to the reason we’re here.”
“I hate when you do that,” Hamilton mumbled.
Jefferson just grinned in response and waved his hands. Instead of travelling through space or time, space and time were brought to them. As the president watched a myriad of visions appeared around the room, all a live feed and the number of them constantly expanding. The images were of people in heated discussions or sitting at their computers reading, researching or typing.
As the pictures changed and the volume of them expanded until not a space in the oval office was left open, Jefferson said, “These are only a small portion of the people speaking out against your policies at this very moment in time. Just imagine, if you can what this would look like earlier in the day.”
The president waved his hand dismissively. “They’re just spouting the opposition’s talking points,” he said, “They’re paid by the Republicans to do that.”
“Really,” said Hamilton. “How shocking. But how do you know that? How can you be sure?”
“I’m sure,” said the president.
“But why are you so sure?” echoed Jefferson.
“Because that’s what …..” the president allowed his sentence to trail off.
“What you do,” finished Hamilton. “That’s what you do in order to get your message out there. But what if I told you you’re wrong. That those people are not paid and are not echoing the opposition’s talking points as you put it?”
“I wouldn’t believe you,” the president replied.
“It’s not even possible,” asked Jefferson, “that they’re writing and expressing their own thoughts on the issues?”
“No,” was the president’s monosyllabic reply.
“So in your opinion, the masses are incapable of forming their own opinions?”
“Not on matters of such importance. They may be told by their party’s leadership to object but they don’t really know why. The masses are woefully ignorant of just about everything.”
“Just to be sure, you’re absolutely positive that all of these people are paid to express the minority party’s opinion?”
“Yes, as I’ve already told you. Why are you pushing this so hard?”
“Because,” said Hamilton with a flourish, “these are members of your party.”
The president’s jaw dropped and his eyes flew open. “My party? That’s not possible.”
“You can’t be surprised,” proclaimed Jefferson. “You’ve had to buy votes from representatives and senators alike who feared they would lose their seat if they voted for your policies. Having had to resort to such machinations how can you possibly be surprised that members of your own party are upset?”
“Yes, well, they’ll come to their senses, of that I’m sure.”
“But it doesn’t really matter, does it,” asked Hamilton. “You have a plan in place to deal with the situation already; to ensure that your party members are not voted out of office.”
“What are you talking about?”
A look was exchanged between the two ghosts and before the president could blink an eye they were swirling through time. When they came to an abrupt halt after a very short trip, an image of a conference room filled with people formed before them.
“Do you know who this group of individuals is,” asked Hamilton.
“No, of course I don’t,” replied the president even though the ghosts knew he was lying.
“This is the Secretary of State project. Those people on your side of the political aisle who believe, as Stalin did, that those who cast the votes are nowhere near as powerful as those who count them.”
“Voter fraud and intimidation is the Republican’s specialty, no ours.”
Jefferson cocked his head to the side and studied the president before saying to Hamilton, “I think he’s beginning to believe his own lies. How interesting.”
“I don’t believe so,” replied Hamilton. “I think he truly believes that not allowing the dead to vote is fraud and insisting that people are actually eligible to cast their vote is intimidation. A load of poppycock of course, but he believes it.”
“Hmm,” said Jefferson before turning back to the group in the conference room. They listened as the plan was set out to spend at least as much money on electing the Secretary of State who would be responsible for counting the votes, as they spent on electing the person the people would be voting for. They had figured out a way to ensure the perpetuation of their own power and it disturbed them not a bit that they would be cheating.
“How can you allow this to happen,” Jefferson asked. “It is your job to enforce the laws and protect the republic, how can you support the undermining of the linchpin of our democratic process? Is it all just to feed your own power?”
“I’m doing what’s right for the people,” the president replied.
“As to that,” Hamilton quipped, “the people appear to disagree with you.”
“They may disagree, but most of them need somebody to tell them what to do or what they need.”
Hamilton shook his head sadly at this. “Oh sir, government controlled liberty is no liberty at all. It is one thing to tell somebody what to do, it is another thing entirely to control the doing of it.”
“I’m still confident that the people are on my side. They simply require some time to adjust.”
“Shall we show him,” Jefferson asked of Hamilton.
“Yes, I believe we shall.”
With that they took another spin, but before they could make even one full tumble in the annals of time, they were at their destination.
The president looked around the room in the modest house and sneered. Why would the ghosts be showing him these people. With their curio cabinets full of whatnots and their walls covered in framed family photos, these were not people who mattered in the decision making process. Why would the ghosts be wasting their time on such people as these?
“We’ll show you,” said Jefferson, “why, though you don’t think these people matter, we believe they are representative of the cornerstone of this nation.”
“They’re watching your state of the union address. Shall we see how they react,” Hamilton asked.
The couple appeared to be in their early to mid 60’s. The man was sitting in a recliner with the foot kicked up and the woman was curled up on the couch with her knitting, both listening intently to the words of the president on the screen when, out of the blue, the man said, “Dear.”
The woman’s head snapped up, her knitting needles still clicking away though her gaze was on her husband. “Yes, honey?”
“We need to go out tomorrow and get ammunition.”
“Ammunition? For what?”
“My shotgun,” he said with barely any emotion.
“You haven’t fired that gun in nearly forty years, why the need for ammunition now?”
“Protection,” was his simple reply.
“We have a security system,” the wife said as a bewildered expression covered her face.
"That may work on a burglar, but it won’t do a thing to keep the government out.”
“Ah, yes. I see your point. Shall we pick up another gun while we’re out?”
The man focused his gaze on her intently. “I think we had better get them before they’re banned.”
“Revolution does appear to be imminent. If things don’t change dramatically, and fast, we’re going to need a way to protect ourselves from the government.”
Their discussion continued as to the reasons behind their beliefs and what they expected to happen.
“The people are beginning to believe that the only option left to protect their liberties is to rise up against their government,” said Jefferson. “This is what you’ve done.”
“They’ve just been listening to Glenn beck or Rush Limbaugh too much. Those men and their ideas are dangerous to the country.”
“Which is why you’re looking for ways to silence them against the express protection of free speech in the Constitution,” said Jefferson.
“Even if they did,” added Hamilton, “if they are preparing for revolution against your policies and your control, does it matter where the idea originated?”
“Of course it matters,” cried the president, “with their lies they are inciting insurrection. They have to be silenced.”
“The problem is,” said Hamilton, “that they’re telling the truth and the people know it.”
With this statement the ghosts took the president on a short hop into the past. They materialized outside the capitol building where hundreds of thousands of Americans were protesting the government spending and irresponsibility.
“Look at them,” said Jefferson. “This country stands upon a precipice; it will either return to liberty or sink into tyranny. In which direction will you lead it?”
The president looked at the mass of people holding signs and calling for change, and for the very first time began to question what he was doing. He had been so sure that people wouldn’t be paying attention, that they wouldn’t see what was happening, but he’d been wrong about that. Could he be, was it possible that he was wrong about other things? No, surely not.
Before he could decide how to respond, they were travelling again, this time landing back in the white house though not in the oval office. They were in a fairly small room dominated by a large desk, behind which sat his speech writer, John Alexander. However, instead of working on the speech the young man was on the phone.
The president’s lips pursed in displeasure at this sight. No wonder the boy wasn’t getting the speech written correctly.
“I’m sorry, honey,” John said.
“You need to quit that job,” replied a feminine voice that filled the room.
“I know, I do,” John replied. “And I’m going to as soon as this speech is turned in. I can’t take it anymore.”
“And I don’t like what it’s done to you. I want my husband back. My real husband and not the stressed out, disappointed and disillusioned man that jackass has turned you into.”
“I know, baby. I just have to stay long enough to make him think I’m rewriting the speech and then I’ll be home.”
“You’re not re-writing it?”
The presidents lips had pursed tighter and his hands had clenched in anger at this statement.
“He revises the speeches and revises them again,” John said, “until they are almost exactly what I wrote the first time and I’ve had enough of it. I’m going to turn in my first version and I can almost guarantee he won’t even notice.”
“And then you’ll quit and come back to me?”
“Yes, I’m coming home and I’m getting the hell out of politics. Ronald Reagan was right. It’s the second oldest profession and bears a striking resemblance to the first. And I find that I don’t make a very good whore.”
“While that president that you were so excited over has proven himself to be one of history’s most exceptional courtesans.”
“Yes,” John replied. “A lousy leader but a truly great politician.”
The couple was still talking as the ghosts led the president from the room and through the halls of the white house until they walked right past the secret service and back in to the oval office.
“You’ve seen where we come from,” said Jefferson, “and now you see where we are.”
“Balanced on the razors edge of revolution again,” said Hamilton. “The next ghosts will show you in which direction you tip the nation.”
“We’ll leave you now,” Jefferson said as he pointed to the clock. “This time with an opportunity to think about what you’ve seen before the next ghosts appear. I suggest you use that time to your advantage.”
And with that, their forms thinned and faded until they were no more, the last thing to fade was the debt clock which had remained above their heads the entire time and now reflected a debt that had grown by millions in the space of their trip. The president stared at the empty space where the ghosts had stood, his mind full and his conscience heavy, but for all that still sure that he was doing the right thing. Still sure that the people needed what he had to offer and that it was for their own good, even if they disagreed. He was still sure. Wasn’t he?
Chapter 6 will be posted Wednesday, Jan 20th
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
As the president watched, two shapes solidified from the open air around him. However, unlike the other two, these men brought with them something else. The men were dressed similarly to the last two, one in a suit and one in jeans, but above their heads was a series of numbers that the president recognized as the national debt clock and the numbers were increasing at an alarming rate.
The man in the suit, bearing a serious and stern expression, was the first to speak. “I am Alexander Hamilton, first Secretary of the Treasury of these United States.”
“And I am Thomas Jefferson,” said the man in the jeans. “Third president of the United States, and we are here to show you the true state of the union at this time in American history.”
“Look,” the president stated. “I know the state of the union. It is my job to know it and I do my job quite well. It is a waste of all our times for you to show me something I already know.”
“I concur,” Jefferson said, “that it is in all probability a waste of our time.” At the current president’s smile and sigh of relief, Jefferson continued. “Not because you know the state of the union, but because you are staunchly resistant to any viewpoint but your own. However, I have been directed to show you what I will, and that direction comes from a power higher than either you or I could ever achieve.”
“We know,” added Hamilton, “that you believe yourself a god, but our directions come from the real God and nothing you say could sway us from carrying out any task assigned by Him.”
The president pointed above the heads of his visitors and said, “that clock is unnecessary. I am fully aware of the national debt that my predecessor ran up and the need for me to spend even more of the taxpayer’s money to right the wrongs he created.”
“By taking a bad situation and making it worse,” said Jefferson turning to look at Hamilton. “You were an economist, does that appear a sound plan to you?”
“Not particularly,” Hamilton replied, “But perhaps it could work if the money was spent wisely and could be paid back. Neither of which applies in this case. The money was spent foolishly, wasted in fact, did nothing to improve the situation, and cannot be paid back. But what will happen there is not ours to show, that will come with the next visit. Let’s stay on track, Tom, shall we?”
“Of course, Alex.” Though the words were spoken politely, there was a sense of strain in them.
“Wait a minute,” the president said, holding up both hands in the traditional stop gesture. “I get the feeling that the two of you don’t like each other much. I don’t want to be stuck in the middle of some personal battle between the two of you so if that’s what you’re going to do, then count me out.”
“You cannot be counted out,” said Jefferson, “and the disagreements between Hamilton and myself are the same disagreements we have with you. Not all of the founding fathers agreed on how the government should be instituted,” he continued, “Adams and Franklin should have already shown you that.”
The president nodded skeptically and said, “Yes, they did, but what does that have to do with the personal issues going on here.”
“The personal issue is that Secretary Hamilton and I disagreed on basic philosophies. He was a proponent of a large and powerful central government, and I was a proponent of leaving more power in the hands of the people.”
“And this disagreement has been going on for more than 200 years?”
“Off and on, yes,” said Hamilton, “but it has been raised to the forefront again in recent days. Jefferson,” Hamilton sneered, “said that I should be happy with the direction the country has been heading. I took exception to that gross exaggeration of my initial views on government.”
“Exaggeration,” Jefferson scoffed. “Eliminate the states all together and appoint a president for life. Isn’t that what you said?”
“A president for life sounds good to me,” said the president with a grin.
Jefferson spun back around to face him. “You must be joking. You’re one of the main examples we use to show just how flawed Hamilton’s plan was.”
“Ok, you know I only said that because the state governments were so power hungry and spiraling down a path of corruption.”
“A path the federal government is now emulating.”
Hamilton opened his mouth to continue the debate but Jefferson cut him off. “That brings us back to the reason we’re here.”
“I hate when you do that,” Hamilton mumbled.
Jefferson just grinned in response and waved his hands. Instead of travelling through space or time, space and time were brought to them. As the president watched a myriad of visions appeared around the room, all a live feed and the number of them constantly expanding. The images were of people in heated discussions or sitting at their computers reading, researching or typing.
As the pictures changed and the volume of them expanded until not a space in the oval office was left open, Jefferson said, “These are only a small portion of the people speaking out against your policies at this very moment in time. Just imagine, if you can what this would look like earlier in the day.”
The president waved his hand dismissively. “They’re just spouting the opposition’s talking points,” he said, “They’re paid by the Republicans to do that.”
“Really,” said Hamilton. “How shocking. But how do you know that? How can you be sure?”
“I’m sure,” said the president.
“But why are you so sure?” echoed Jefferson.
“Because that’s what …..” the president allowed his sentence to trail off.
“What you do,” finished Hamilton. “That’s what you do in order to get your message out there. But what if I told you you’re wrong. That those people are not paid and are not echoing the opposition’s talking points as you put it?”
“I wouldn’t believe you,” the president replied.
“It’s not even possible,” asked Jefferson, “that they’re writing and expressing their own thoughts on the issues?”
“No,” was the president’s monosyllabic reply.
“So in your opinion, the masses are incapable of forming their own opinions?”
“Not on matters of such importance. They may be told by their party’s leadership to object but they don’t really know why. The masses are woefully ignorant of just about everything.”
“Just to be sure, you’re absolutely positive that all of these people are paid to express the minority party’s opinion?”
“Yes, as I’ve already told you. Why are you pushing this so hard?”
“Because,” said Hamilton with a flourish, “these are members of your party.”
The president’s jaw dropped and his eyes flew open. “My party? That’s not possible.”
“You can’t be surprised,” proclaimed Jefferson. “You’ve had to buy votes from representatives and senators alike who feared they would lose their seat if they voted for your policies. Having had to resort to such machinations how can you possibly be surprised that members of your own party are upset?”
“Yes, well, they’ll come to their senses, of that I’m sure.”
“But it doesn’t really matter, does it,” asked Hamilton. “You have a plan in place to deal with the situation already; to ensure that your party members are not voted out of office.”
“What are you talking about?”
A look was exchanged between the two ghosts and before the president could blink an eye they were swirling through time. When they came to an abrupt halt after a very short trip, an image of a conference room filled with people formed before them.
“Do you know who this group of individuals is,” asked Hamilton.
“No, of course I don’t,” replied the president even though the ghosts knew he was lying.
“This is the Secretary of State project. Those people on your side of the political aisle who believe, as Stalin did, that those who cast the votes are nowhere near as powerful as those who count them.”
“Voter fraud and intimidation is the Republican’s specialty, no ours.”
Jefferson cocked his head to the side and studied the president before saying to Hamilton, “I think he’s beginning to believe his own lies. How interesting.”
“I don’t believe so,” replied Hamilton. “I think he truly believes that not allowing the dead to vote is fraud and insisting that people are actually eligible to cast their vote is intimidation. A load of poppycock of course, but he believes it.”
“Hmm,” said Jefferson before turning back to the group in the conference room. They listened as the plan was set out to spend at least as much money on electing the Secretary of State who would be responsible for counting the votes, as they spent on electing the person the people would be voting for. They had figured out a way to ensure the perpetuation of their own power and it disturbed them not a bit that they would be cheating.
“How can you allow this to happen,” Jefferson asked. “It is your job to enforce the laws and protect the republic, how can you support the undermining of the linchpin of our democratic process? Is it all just to feed your own power?”
“I’m doing what’s right for the people,” the president replied.
“As to that,” Hamilton quipped, “the people appear to disagree with you.”
“They may disagree, but most of them need somebody to tell them what to do or what they need.”
Hamilton shook his head sadly at this. “Oh sir, government controlled liberty is no liberty at all. It is one thing to tell somebody what to do, it is another thing entirely to control the doing of it.”
“I’m still confident that the people are on my side. They simply require some time to adjust.”
“Shall we show him,” Jefferson asked of Hamilton.
“Yes, I believe we shall.”
With that they took another spin, but before they could make even one full tumble in the annals of time, they were at their destination.
The president looked around the room in the modest house and sneered. Why would the ghosts be showing him these people. With their curio cabinets full of whatnots and their walls covered in framed family photos, these were not people who mattered in the decision making process. Why would the ghosts be wasting their time on such people as these?
“We’ll show you,” said Jefferson, “why, though you don’t think these people matter, we believe they are representative of the cornerstone of this nation.”
“They’re watching your state of the union address. Shall we see how they react,” Hamilton asked.
The couple appeared to be in their early to mid 60’s. The man was sitting in a recliner with the foot kicked up and the woman was curled up on the couch with her knitting, both listening intently to the words of the president on the screen when, out of the blue, the man said, “Dear.”
The woman’s head snapped up, her knitting needles still clicking away though her gaze was on her husband. “Yes, honey?”
“We need to go out tomorrow and get ammunition.”
“Ammunition? For what?”
“My shotgun,” he said with barely any emotion.
“You haven’t fired that gun in nearly forty years, why the need for ammunition now?”
“Protection,” was his simple reply.
“We have a security system,” the wife said as a bewildered expression covered her face.
"That may work on a burglar, but it won’t do a thing to keep the government out.”
“Ah, yes. I see your point. Shall we pick up another gun while we’re out?”
The man focused his gaze on her intently. “I think we had better get them before they’re banned.”
“Revolution does appear to be imminent. If things don’t change dramatically, and fast, we’re going to need a way to protect ourselves from the government.”
Their discussion continued as to the reasons behind their beliefs and what they expected to happen.
“The people are beginning to believe that the only option left to protect their liberties is to rise up against their government,” said Jefferson. “This is what you’ve done.”
“They’ve just been listening to Glenn beck or Rush Limbaugh too much. Those men and their ideas are dangerous to the country.”
“Which is why you’re looking for ways to silence them against the express protection of free speech in the Constitution,” said Jefferson.
“Even if they did,” added Hamilton, “if they are preparing for revolution against your policies and your control, does it matter where the idea originated?”
“Of course it matters,” cried the president, “with their lies they are inciting insurrection. They have to be silenced.”
“The problem is,” said Hamilton, “that they’re telling the truth and the people know it.”
With this statement the ghosts took the president on a short hop into the past. They materialized outside the capitol building where hundreds of thousands of Americans were protesting the government spending and irresponsibility.
“Look at them,” said Jefferson. “This country stands upon a precipice; it will either return to liberty or sink into tyranny. In which direction will you lead it?”
The president looked at the mass of people holding signs and calling for change, and for the very first time began to question what he was doing. He had been so sure that people wouldn’t be paying attention, that they wouldn’t see what was happening, but he’d been wrong about that. Could he be, was it possible that he was wrong about other things? No, surely not.
Before he could decide how to respond, they were travelling again, this time landing back in the white house though not in the oval office. They were in a fairly small room dominated by a large desk, behind which sat his speech writer, John Alexander. However, instead of working on the speech the young man was on the phone.
The president’s lips pursed in displeasure at this sight. No wonder the boy wasn’t getting the speech written correctly.
“I’m sorry, honey,” John said.
“You need to quit that job,” replied a feminine voice that filled the room.
“I know, I do,” John replied. “And I’m going to as soon as this speech is turned in. I can’t take it anymore.”
“And I don’t like what it’s done to you. I want my husband back. My real husband and not the stressed out, disappointed and disillusioned man that jackass has turned you into.”
“I know, baby. I just have to stay long enough to make him think I’m rewriting the speech and then I’ll be home.”
“You’re not re-writing it?”
The presidents lips had pursed tighter and his hands had clenched in anger at this statement.
“He revises the speeches and revises them again,” John said, “until they are almost exactly what I wrote the first time and I’ve had enough of it. I’m going to turn in my first version and I can almost guarantee he won’t even notice.”
“And then you’ll quit and come back to me?”
“Yes, I’m coming home and I’m getting the hell out of politics. Ronald Reagan was right. It’s the second oldest profession and bears a striking resemblance to the first. And I find that I don’t make a very good whore.”
“While that president that you were so excited over has proven himself to be one of history’s most exceptional courtesans.”
“Yes,” John replied. “A lousy leader but a truly great politician.”
The couple was still talking as the ghosts led the president from the room and through the halls of the white house until they walked right past the secret service and back in to the oval office.
“You’ve seen where we come from,” said Jefferson, “and now you see where we are.”
“Balanced on the razors edge of revolution again,” said Hamilton. “The next ghosts will show you in which direction you tip the nation.”
“We’ll leave you now,” Jefferson said as he pointed to the clock. “This time with an opportunity to think about what you’ve seen before the next ghosts appear. I suggest you use that time to your advantage.”
And with that, their forms thinned and faded until they were no more, the last thing to fade was the debt clock which had remained above their heads the entire time and now reflected a debt that had grown by millions in the space of their trip. The president stared at the empty space where the ghosts had stood, his mind full and his conscience heavy, but for all that still sure that he was doing the right thing. Still sure that the people needed what he had to offer and that it was for their own good, even if they disagreed. He was still sure. Wasn’t he?
Chapter 6 will be posted Wednesday, Jan 20th
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Massachusetts Miracle
I saw this video on youtube and just had to share. It sums it all up quite nicely as we pray for another miracle to save us all from an oppressive and tyrannical regime.
I pray every day for the Massachusetts miracle.
I pray every day for the Massachusetts miracle.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Where's the Equal Protection?
Considering that I've actually read the 14th amendment, I am aware that the equal protection clause specifies that the states can't deny equal protection under the laws; but shouldn't we be able to expect equal treatment and equal protection under the laws of the federal government as well? We should, but we aren't going to get it and that point has really been driven home in the last month or so.
We don't get treated equally by the government. Not at all. Especially when it comes to a tax code that says some pay 35% of their paycheck, others pay 25%, some pay 10% and some pay nothing at all. And instead of railing against the inequality of this, people scream that those paying 35% aren't paying enough. It should be equal. The same percentage for everybody.
One of my pet peaves is that somebody making the exact same amount of money as I do will pay much less in taxes than I do because they have children and I don't. As if not being able to find somebody who wants to marry me and being physically incapable of having children isn't hard enough, I have to pay higher taxes as a result of those things. How's that equal? If it's based on pay it should be based on pay.
Now we have the backroom deals where some states will get money and others won't. Some people will have to pay taxes on their healthcare plans and others won't. This bank should have to pay back money they borrowed, but that one won't. This company that is failing gets saved but the government, but your company won't.
We have taken a country begun with the belief that we are created equal, and legislated inequality.
During the first round of the tea parties we were told to "learn our history" and that the original tea parties were about taxation without representation. Well I don't know about you, but I'm not feeling represented.
The colonists were fed up with Parliament saying we need money for these people over here, so we're going to take it from those people over there. Isn't that exactly what's happening now? Isn't our government saying that if the poor need money they can just take it from "the rich". Talk about a lack of representation, the rich people in the US have no representation at all. If you dare to stand up against the idea that they should always be on the hook for paying whatever the government needs, then you are villified. I'm not rich, not even close to it, but the way they are expected to foot the bill for everybody else in the country offends my sense of fairness.
If we're going to have an income tax, then everybody, and I mean everybody, who earns money should pay the same percentage of their paycheck in taxes. What's more, I think we should do away with the payroll taxes and everybody should have to write a monthly check for their taxes. Of course the government will never do this and it's not hard to figure out why.
If those in the lower income brackets, which I have fallen in for much of my adult life, were to actually have to feel the impact on their own checkbooks, they would be the fiercest guards against government waste. The staunchest defenders of small government and personal liberties. If you have nothing and the government is taking that from you, you're going to be sure they're not wasting your hard earned money. This is exactly why the government works to exempt these people from any taxes at all. With no skin in the game they don't really care how the money is spent. Why should they?
Can you imagine what would happen if there were a house in Congress where, like the Senate with the states, every tax bracket had the same number of representatives and had the same representation?
I'm completely fed up with the legislation of inequality in this country and my point, after all my rambling, is that if a piece of legislation applies to one person, it should apply to all people equally.
We don't get treated equally by the government. Not at all. Especially when it comes to a tax code that says some pay 35% of their paycheck, others pay 25%, some pay 10% and some pay nothing at all. And instead of railing against the inequality of this, people scream that those paying 35% aren't paying enough. It should be equal. The same percentage for everybody.
One of my pet peaves is that somebody making the exact same amount of money as I do will pay much less in taxes than I do because they have children and I don't. As if not being able to find somebody who wants to marry me and being physically incapable of having children isn't hard enough, I have to pay higher taxes as a result of those things. How's that equal? If it's based on pay it should be based on pay.
Now we have the backroom deals where some states will get money and others won't. Some people will have to pay taxes on their healthcare plans and others won't. This bank should have to pay back money they borrowed, but that one won't. This company that is failing gets saved but the government, but your company won't.
We have taken a country begun with the belief that we are created equal, and legislated inequality.
During the first round of the tea parties we were told to "learn our history" and that the original tea parties were about taxation without representation. Well I don't know about you, but I'm not feeling represented.
The colonists were fed up with Parliament saying we need money for these people over here, so we're going to take it from those people over there. Isn't that exactly what's happening now? Isn't our government saying that if the poor need money they can just take it from "the rich". Talk about a lack of representation, the rich people in the US have no representation at all. If you dare to stand up against the idea that they should always be on the hook for paying whatever the government needs, then you are villified. I'm not rich, not even close to it, but the way they are expected to foot the bill for everybody else in the country offends my sense of fairness.
If we're going to have an income tax, then everybody, and I mean everybody, who earns money should pay the same percentage of their paycheck in taxes. What's more, I think we should do away with the payroll taxes and everybody should have to write a monthly check for their taxes. Of course the government will never do this and it's not hard to figure out why.
If those in the lower income brackets, which I have fallen in for much of my adult life, were to actually have to feel the impact on their own checkbooks, they would be the fiercest guards against government waste. The staunchest defenders of small government and personal liberties. If you have nothing and the government is taking that from you, you're going to be sure they're not wasting your hard earned money. This is exactly why the government works to exempt these people from any taxes at all. With no skin in the game they don't really care how the money is spent. Why should they?
Can you imagine what would happen if there were a house in Congress where, like the Senate with the states, every tax bracket had the same number of representatives and had the same representation?
I'm completely fed up with the legislation of inequality in this country and my point, after all my rambling, is that if a piece of legislation applies to one person, it should apply to all people equally.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
There Are More Than Two Options on Healthcare Reform
I saw Obama talking about healthcare reform again and saying if somebody wants to run on a platform against his healthcare plan (gee I wonder who he was talking about there) that it's ok. They just have to explain to the people why they are voting for the insurance companies and the status quo.
My cats scattered to the four corners of the earth as I began screaming at the television.
How can anybody believe the man can end the middle east conflict, fix the economy or win a war on terror when he can't even seem to grasp the concept that there are more than two options when it comes to healthcare reform? He appears wholely inadequate to the task of viewing the healthcare debate in any way other than "my way or nothing." Well Mr Obama, there are other options. Lots of other options. There are some options that would be worse, but even more options that would be much better. Just because this is the idea that your panel of lawyers turned politicians came up with, doesn't mean it's a good plan. You might, for just a second, consider the idea that there could be a better way to do this and that the people screaming at their representatives, booing them in public, calling, writing, faxing and begging to be heard don't necessarily want the status quo, they just don't want to make the situation even worse.
I know that the idea that there could be an option better than the one that you had to bribe Senators to vote for is a difficult for you, but try reallly hard to understand. I know it's hard for you to see things right in front of your face considering you didn't hear anything racist or anti-american out of Rev Wright, but the country would appreciate it if you would at least try to wrap that itty bitty brain of yours around this idea.
The American people know that there are more than two options and every time you say a vote against your plan is a vote for the status quo we get more and more angry. I can't help but wonder if your plan for transforming America is too make us all so angry with the stupidity and offensiveness of your arguments that all your detractors actually have strokes. Is that your real healthcare reform plan. Make the people so angry that they literally drop dead? It's really beginning to look that way to me.
I find it amazing that you believe we have more options in how to take our coffee than we have in healthcare reform. God save this country from the stupidity and blind ambition of it's leaders.
My cats scattered to the four corners of the earth as I began screaming at the television.
How can anybody believe the man can end the middle east conflict, fix the economy or win a war on terror when he can't even seem to grasp the concept that there are more than two options when it comes to healthcare reform? He appears wholely inadequate to the task of viewing the healthcare debate in any way other than "my way or nothing." Well Mr Obama, there are other options. Lots of other options. There are some options that would be worse, but even more options that would be much better. Just because this is the idea that your panel of lawyers turned politicians came up with, doesn't mean it's a good plan. You might, for just a second, consider the idea that there could be a better way to do this and that the people screaming at their representatives, booing them in public, calling, writing, faxing and begging to be heard don't necessarily want the status quo, they just don't want to make the situation even worse.
I know that the idea that there could be an option better than the one that you had to bribe Senators to vote for is a difficult for you, but try reallly hard to understand. I know it's hard for you to see things right in front of your face considering you didn't hear anything racist or anti-american out of Rev Wright, but the country would appreciate it if you would at least try to wrap that itty bitty brain of yours around this idea.
The American people know that there are more than two options and every time you say a vote against your plan is a vote for the status quo we get more and more angry. I can't help but wonder if your plan for transforming America is too make us all so angry with the stupidity and offensiveness of your arguments that all your detractors actually have strokes. Is that your real healthcare reform plan. Make the people so angry that they literally drop dead? It's really beginning to look that way to me.
I find it amazing that you believe we have more options in how to take our coffee than we have in healthcare reform. God save this country from the stupidity and blind ambition of it's leaders.
Social Justice - You're Responsible for the Irresponsible
As Obama announces his plans on how to get TARP paid back we see yet another recurring theme within this administration. That the responsible are always on the hook for bailing out the irresponsible. Although now this goes beyond those tax payers who spent wisely bailing out those who didn't, or even tax payers bailing out irresponsible companies and expands to the responsible companies bailing out the irresponsible ones.
If a bank did not make irresponsible decisions and did not require TARP funds, that does not in any way relieve them from the responsibility of paying back those funds they didn't take. (Say what?) If a bank took the TARP funds but have already paid them back, they will now be held responsible for paying back the money that somebody else borrowed.
Obama says that this is to ensure that the tax payers are paid back the money they lent, but for this tax payer it offends my sense of justice. I want the money paid back, but I want it paid back by the people who actually borrowed it. Forcing somebody to pay a debt which is not their own is the definition of injustice. And this from the people who keep touting Social Justice as their theme.
So what is social justice? Is it the belief that somebody else should be punished for your actions? Have we reinstated the whipping boy methodology? This appears to be the case.
If a bank did not make irresponsible decisions and did not require TARP funds, that does not in any way relieve them from the responsibility of paying back those funds they didn't take. (Say what?) If a bank took the TARP funds but have already paid them back, they will now be held responsible for paying back the money that somebody else borrowed.
Obama says that this is to ensure that the tax payers are paid back the money they lent, but for this tax payer it offends my sense of justice. I want the money paid back, but I want it paid back by the people who actually borrowed it. Forcing somebody to pay a debt which is not their own is the definition of injustice. And this from the people who keep touting Social Justice as their theme.
So what is social justice? Is it the belief that somebody else should be punished for your actions? Have we reinstated the whipping boy methodology? This appears to be the case.
Another Absence of Logic
In all of the discussions about the tax on the cadillac health plans, the pervasive lack of logic in the reform plan shines through yet again.
The administration wants to levy the 40% tax on these plans in order to raise funds but that can't (not won't, can't) work. The companies that offer these will simply stop offering them and the money will go away. The only companies that are locked in to these types of benefits are the unions, and they've been exempted. So the desired -- and the government says critical -- fund raising will be completely gone after the first year, if the companies don't proactively stop offering them so that the money doesn't even exist to begin with.
Obama says that these plans don't make people healthier and bend the cost curve up. How exactly, I'm not sure. Is it because the people who have these plans have less financial responsibility for their own care and go to the doctor more often? If so, then what about all of the other contributors to this same situation?
This is all just another example of the government attempting to legislate an area they know nothing about and a perfect example of the total absence of logic in their decision making processes.
The administration wants to levy the 40% tax on these plans in order to raise funds but that can't (not won't, can't) work. The companies that offer these will simply stop offering them and the money will go away. The only companies that are locked in to these types of benefits are the unions, and they've been exempted. So the desired -- and the government says critical -- fund raising will be completely gone after the first year, if the companies don't proactively stop offering them so that the money doesn't even exist to begin with.
Obama says that these plans don't make people healthier and bend the cost curve up. How exactly, I'm not sure. Is it because the people who have these plans have less financial responsibility for their own care and go to the doctor more often? If so, then what about all of the other contributors to this same situation?
- What about people who have more than one insurance plan and coordinate benefits so that the member has no liability? And that zero liability resulting from the coordination is a state mandate. Are they going to tax families with more than one insurance coverage?
- What about coordination with auto insurance which in some states is prohibited. This means that you can have your bills paid, in full, by both your auto carrier and your medical carrier and not only have no financial responsibility for your bills but actually make money from them. Are they going to tell the states they can't do this or levy taxes upon the auto insurance plans.
- How about AARP and other organizations that offer Medicare supplement plans so that pick up the patient responsibility remaining after Medicare paid? What are they going to do about those?
This is all just another example of the government attempting to legislate an area they know nothing about and a perfect example of the total absence of logic in their decision making processes.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
The State of the US Local #946 Address
Obama has given a whole new meeting to the state of the Union address. Who would have thought that when the president addressed the union he was actually addressing the United auto works, the Service employees, the electrictians and the welders. But based on what he has done in his first year in office, is there any quesiton on what union he'll be addressing in his upcoming speech? The one he's delaying until health care reform passes. Certainly not the union of the states of this great nation.
The auto companies needed bailouts and everybody suffered - except the unions. They pretty much own the companies now.
Job summits were held and the Chamber of Commerce wasn't invited by guess who was - the SEIU
Taxes will be levied on the great benefit packages for everybody except - the unions.
Who has had a seat at every meeting - the unions
Who has been invited to every party - the unions
Whose interests are more important than anybody else's to this administration - the unions.
So why don't we just change Obama's upcoming speech to the State of the US Local #946 address.
The auto companies needed bailouts and everybody suffered - except the unions. They pretty much own the companies now.
Job summits were held and the Chamber of Commerce wasn't invited by guess who was - the SEIU
Taxes will be levied on the great benefit packages for everybody except - the unions.
Who has had a seat at every meeting - the unions
Who has been invited to every party - the unions
Whose interests are more important than anybody else's to this administration - the unions.
So why don't we just change Obama's upcoming speech to the State of the US Local #946 address.
The Scott Heard Round the World
We all know the story behind the shot heard round the world (if you don't then shame on you), but Scott Brown in MA is shaping up to be the Scott heard round the world.
He is standing and fighting for principles and against legislators deaf to the cries of the people. He is standing against the large Democrat Campaign machine and he is closing in fast. Should he win this election, you can bet your britches that it will resonate around the globe.
Though the shot heard round the world ended in a loss of the battle, we did win that war. In this case I pray we win both.
He is standing and fighting for principles and against legislators deaf to the cries of the people. He is standing against the large Democrat Campaign machine and he is closing in fast. Should he win this election, you can bet your britches that it will resonate around the globe.
Though the shot heard round the world ended in a loss of the battle, we did win that war. In this case I pray we win both.
A State of the Union Carole - Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Before the president knew what was happening he was twirling, tumbling and spinning through time again. He was shown debates among the people regarding whether or not the Constitution should be ratified and he smirked at the disorganization of the anti-federalists. He knew who would win in this fight and he knew why. Keeping the opposition disorganized, or at least making them appear so, was a tactic he was familiar with and used to his advantage.
He witnessed the hard won fight for a representative seat by James Madison over John Monroe and he watched as the first Congress under the Constitution gathered. He was sure they were done now. They had to be. What more could they possibly show him. The country had been formed through debate. Yeah. So. Whatever. Debate wasted a lot of time and, as history had shown him, could end up in the loss of your agenda. Why allow debate when it could be that risky. Just do it and move on.
“That pea brain of yours is working overtime, boy.” As the president stood frozen in shocked silence, Ben Franklin continued, “Yes, we can hear everything you’re thinking and it’s clear you haven’t learned a thing yet. But what we’re about to show you is a lesson you’d do well to heed.” Franklin pointed to James Madison just as the man was rising to speak. “This is what the country needs right now. Not to have legislation they neither want nor can afford shoved down their throats against their collective will.”
“He’s going to do something totally foreign to your mind,” added John Adams. “He’s going to actually address the concerns of the people who didn’t support the Constitution and ensure that their worries are alleviated.”
Ben frowned hard at the president before adding, “Even though he could have just said, we won, they lost, they need to get over it.” He paused to allow this usage of the president’s own thoughts to sink in. “He knew that failing to address legitimate issues, even if they’re expressed by people who lost the election, was a sure way to keep the country divided.”
Angered that they had been listening to his thoughts, the president was defensive, angry and petulant. “But in a democracy the majority rules. It is the majority who voted you in that you are responsible for legislating for. The majority wanted what I have to give them and they are my only concern.”
Another slap to the head accompanied this declaration. “Where did you get the idea that this is a democracy? It’s a republic you ignorant ass. A democratically elected republic but a republic all the same. As a representative of the people you are responsible for addressing the concerns of all of them, not just those who voted for you. If you can give the majority what they want while mitigating the concerns of the minority then that’s what you should do.”
“And let’s not forget that the majority may have wanted what you promised, but that same majority doesn’t want it the way you’re delivering it.”
The president attempted to speak but again found his voice blocked. “Hush,” said Franklin, “Madison is about to speak.”
In order to win the tough election, Madison had promised to address the concerns of his district and he was determined to do so; enumerating the list of negative liberties on the government which the president had publicly lamented.
While Madison believed these amendments to be unnecessary, assured that the elected officials would hold to the rights of the individuals and the states which, though not specified, were well understood, he also acknowledged that listing them would do no harm to the actual form of government.
The speech by Madison began with his reasons behind the proposed amendments, the arguments for it and the arguments against it. He acknowledged that not all of the states had ratified the document and that many of the people who did not support it were patriotic men and staunch defenders of the liberties that all had sacrificed for. He stressed that they could acquire the support of these objectors if they would make this single concession and that having wider support could in no way be a bad thing.
The president was getting angrier and angrier as he listed to Madison speak. Had the man, all those years ago, not been so rigid about giving in to the losers then his current administration would not be so tied by those negative liberties. They would not constantly have to answer stupid questions about the Constitutionality of their decisions, and he’d be free to silence his detractors. If this speech was teaching him anything it was that his plans for no debate were the correct way to go.
“Pay attention,” was harshly whispered in his ear as the speech continued.
“I do conceive,” said Madison, “that the Constitution may be amended; that is to say, if all power is subject to abuse, that then it is possible the abuse of powers of the general government may be guarded against in a more secure manner than is now done, while no one advantage arising from the exercise of that power shall be damaged or endangered by it.” The president snorted at this as he saw his power seriously damaged by that damned Bill of Rights. “We have in this way,” continued Madison, “something to gain, and if we proceed with caution, nothing to lose.”
“Nothing to lose?” said the president. “I can see a lot that we stand to lose. What he’s proposing will hamstring the government for centuries to come.”
“What he’s proposing,” said Adams, “will protect the people from their government for centuries to come. It will protect them until a corrupt government convinces them that material possessions are more important than liberty.”
The president opened his mouth to speak again but was silenced by another smack to the head by Franklin.
Oblivious to the unorthodox visitors, Madison had continued with his speech. “…because it grants more power than is supposed to be necessary for every good purpose, and controls the ordinary powers of the state governments. I know some respectable characters who opposed this government on this grounds, but I believe that the great mass of the people who opposed it, disliked it because it did not contain effectual provisions against the encroachments on particular rights, and those safeguards which they have been long accustomed to have interposed between them and the magistrate who exercises the sovereign power; nor ought we to consider them safe, while a great number of our fellow citizens think these securities necessary.”
“I still don’t understand,” the president said, “why he had to list out negative powers for the government that way. Why not tell us what we can do instead of telling us what we can’t do.”
“If you would shut up for even the briefest amount of time,” said Adams through clenched teeth, “he’ll get to that point. I can’t believe you claim to have been a Constitutional attorney when you don’t know why the limits are worded as they are.”
The president crossed his arms over his chest, leaned back against the wall and prepared to be bored. This was serving no purpose whatsoever and no matter what they showed of the nation’s past, it wasn’t going to change his mind.
At last Madison got to the point at hand. “But, whatever may be the form which the several States have adopted in making declarations in favor of particular rights, the great object in view is to limit and qualify the powers of government, by excepting out of the grant of power those cases in which the government ought not to act, or to act only in a particular mode.”
“There you go,” said Franklin. “It was a limit of the powers so it had to be a negative power. They had to specify what the government could not do. Their idea was limited government and if they wanted it limited, it was important to many to have those limits defined.”
The speech continued, going through the suggestions for amendments and the request to appoint a committee to write them, finally wrapping up with words even more relevant to the current division between the leaders and the people. “…because I think we should obtain the confidence of our fellow citizens, in proportion as we fortify the rights of the people against the encroachments of the government.”
“Not real big on obtaining the confidence of your fellow citizens are you boy?” asked Franklin.
“I have the confidence of the leaders of my party and they agree with my agenda. We are doing what is right for the people.”
“Whether they like it or not,” Adams interjected. “Although I admit that there are times where the president must go against the will of the people, those times are limited to situations where the president has information that the general public does not. However, even in those instances it is incumbent on the leader to persuade the populace and bring them to his way of thinking. Forcing an idea or an agenda upon the people against their will is exactly what led to the revolution. After all we have shown you have you missed that critical point?”
“I know what the people need better than they do. They need the government to help them and that’s all I offer. Help to the people.”
“But at the risk of their personal liberties,” Franklin replied. “And the people are doing their best to tell you that what you offer is not worth the cost of their freedom.”
“We’re not going to win this argument,” Adams sighed. “Let’s show him the final scene and then take him back. We’ve done all we can.”
This was the best news that the president had heard all night. Just one more to go and then he’d be back in his office safe, sound and still confident of what he was doing.
The ghosts escorted him through the swirls of time and deposited him in a curious place. He was in a lower middle class home with worn furniture where a young man sat watching an old television displaying the image of Bill Clinton.
“Do you recognize that man?”
The president shook his head, unsure of why he would be expected to recognize someone of so little significance.
“That is John Alexander.”
“Who?”
“That young, once idealistic speech writer that you treat so badly.”
“Oh, him,” the president replied. “Why are you wasting my time on him?”
“Watch him,” Franklin said. “Look at how eagerly he absorbs the words of Bill Clinton, a president who helped promote your agenda. Look at how supportive he is and how much he believes the bullshit he’s hearing.”
Still confused, the president shrugged his shoulders. “OK. What’s your point?”
“The point will be made by others. We show you who he was while another will show you what he will become.”
“So are we done now?” The phrase “at last” was not spoken though the thought was heard by the ghosts.
“You are done with us, yes, but you are not done for the night.” Franklin smoothed his t-shirt over his protruding belly and continued, “We have shown you what drove the people to revolution, shown you how that revolution shaped their governmental design and shown you how they believed government should function. We showed you the state of the union as it was created, and we showed you one young man’s idealism as a former president spoke on the state of the union in the recent past. What you will see next is the union as it is now.”
“I know what the state of the union is now. That boy,” cried the president pointing at the idealistic young man still watching Clinton, “is writing my state of the union speech tonight. I don’t need to waste my time with seeing what I already know.”
“A more out of touch individual I’ve yet to see,” Adams stated. “If you knew anything about the state of the union, anything at all, we wouldn’t have wasted our time in visiting you. It’s your complete lack of understanding regarding the state of the union which prompted this visit.”
“I know…”
“Don’t presume to tell us what you know,” roared Franklin. “You know diddly squat so just shut the hell up.” Turning to Adams, Franklin continued, “I am going to be so glad to wash my hands of this guy. What a jackass.”
Without another word the ghosts took the president on his final journey with them. However, unlike the controlled landings of the past, this time the ghosts did not accompany him the entire way back to his office leaving him to land with an unceremonious thud in the middle of the presidential crest on the oval office floor.
Swearing softly, the president stood and brushed himself off, rubbing the elbow he had landed on and thankful that he would have a respite before the next visit.
This thought had barely solidified in his mind when the clock struck one.
Chapter 5 will be posted Sunday
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Before the president knew what was happening he was twirling, tumbling and spinning through time again. He was shown debates among the people regarding whether or not the Constitution should be ratified and he smirked at the disorganization of the anti-federalists. He knew who would win in this fight and he knew why. Keeping the opposition disorganized, or at least making them appear so, was a tactic he was familiar with and used to his advantage.
He witnessed the hard won fight for a representative seat by James Madison over John Monroe and he watched as the first Congress under the Constitution gathered. He was sure they were done now. They had to be. What more could they possibly show him. The country had been formed through debate. Yeah. So. Whatever. Debate wasted a lot of time and, as history had shown him, could end up in the loss of your agenda. Why allow debate when it could be that risky. Just do it and move on.
“That pea brain of yours is working overtime, boy.” As the president stood frozen in shocked silence, Ben Franklin continued, “Yes, we can hear everything you’re thinking and it’s clear you haven’t learned a thing yet. But what we’re about to show you is a lesson you’d do well to heed.” Franklin pointed to James Madison just as the man was rising to speak. “This is what the country needs right now. Not to have legislation they neither want nor can afford shoved down their throats against their collective will.”
“He’s going to do something totally foreign to your mind,” added John Adams. “He’s going to actually address the concerns of the people who didn’t support the Constitution and ensure that their worries are alleviated.”
Ben frowned hard at the president before adding, “Even though he could have just said, we won, they lost, they need to get over it.” He paused to allow this usage of the president’s own thoughts to sink in. “He knew that failing to address legitimate issues, even if they’re expressed by people who lost the election, was a sure way to keep the country divided.”
Angered that they had been listening to his thoughts, the president was defensive, angry and petulant. “But in a democracy the majority rules. It is the majority who voted you in that you are responsible for legislating for. The majority wanted what I have to give them and they are my only concern.”
Another slap to the head accompanied this declaration. “Where did you get the idea that this is a democracy? It’s a republic you ignorant ass. A democratically elected republic but a republic all the same. As a representative of the people you are responsible for addressing the concerns of all of them, not just those who voted for you. If you can give the majority what they want while mitigating the concerns of the minority then that’s what you should do.”
“And let’s not forget that the majority may have wanted what you promised, but that same majority doesn’t want it the way you’re delivering it.”
The president attempted to speak but again found his voice blocked. “Hush,” said Franklin, “Madison is about to speak.”
In order to win the tough election, Madison had promised to address the concerns of his district and he was determined to do so; enumerating the list of negative liberties on the government which the president had publicly lamented.
While Madison believed these amendments to be unnecessary, assured that the elected officials would hold to the rights of the individuals and the states which, though not specified, were well understood, he also acknowledged that listing them would do no harm to the actual form of government.
The speech by Madison began with his reasons behind the proposed amendments, the arguments for it and the arguments against it. He acknowledged that not all of the states had ratified the document and that many of the people who did not support it were patriotic men and staunch defenders of the liberties that all had sacrificed for. He stressed that they could acquire the support of these objectors if they would make this single concession and that having wider support could in no way be a bad thing.
The president was getting angrier and angrier as he listed to Madison speak. Had the man, all those years ago, not been so rigid about giving in to the losers then his current administration would not be so tied by those negative liberties. They would not constantly have to answer stupid questions about the Constitutionality of their decisions, and he’d be free to silence his detractors. If this speech was teaching him anything it was that his plans for no debate were the correct way to go.
“Pay attention,” was harshly whispered in his ear as the speech continued.
“I do conceive,” said Madison, “that the Constitution may be amended; that is to say, if all power is subject to abuse, that then it is possible the abuse of powers of the general government may be guarded against in a more secure manner than is now done, while no one advantage arising from the exercise of that power shall be damaged or endangered by it.” The president snorted at this as he saw his power seriously damaged by that damned Bill of Rights. “We have in this way,” continued Madison, “something to gain, and if we proceed with caution, nothing to lose.”
“Nothing to lose?” said the president. “I can see a lot that we stand to lose. What he’s proposing will hamstring the government for centuries to come.”
“What he’s proposing,” said Adams, “will protect the people from their government for centuries to come. It will protect them until a corrupt government convinces them that material possessions are more important than liberty.”
The president opened his mouth to speak again but was silenced by another smack to the head by Franklin.
Oblivious to the unorthodox visitors, Madison had continued with his speech. “…because it grants more power than is supposed to be necessary for every good purpose, and controls the ordinary powers of the state governments. I know some respectable characters who opposed this government on this grounds, but I believe that the great mass of the people who opposed it, disliked it because it did not contain effectual provisions against the encroachments on particular rights, and those safeguards which they have been long accustomed to have interposed between them and the magistrate who exercises the sovereign power; nor ought we to consider them safe, while a great number of our fellow citizens think these securities necessary.”
“I still don’t understand,” the president said, “why he had to list out negative powers for the government that way. Why not tell us what we can do instead of telling us what we can’t do.”
“If you would shut up for even the briefest amount of time,” said Adams through clenched teeth, “he’ll get to that point. I can’t believe you claim to have been a Constitutional attorney when you don’t know why the limits are worded as they are.”
The president crossed his arms over his chest, leaned back against the wall and prepared to be bored. This was serving no purpose whatsoever and no matter what they showed of the nation’s past, it wasn’t going to change his mind.
At last Madison got to the point at hand. “But, whatever may be the form which the several States have adopted in making declarations in favor of particular rights, the great object in view is to limit and qualify the powers of government, by excepting out of the grant of power those cases in which the government ought not to act, or to act only in a particular mode.”
“There you go,” said Franklin. “It was a limit of the powers so it had to be a negative power. They had to specify what the government could not do. Their idea was limited government and if they wanted it limited, it was important to many to have those limits defined.”
The speech continued, going through the suggestions for amendments and the request to appoint a committee to write them, finally wrapping up with words even more relevant to the current division between the leaders and the people. “…because I think we should obtain the confidence of our fellow citizens, in proportion as we fortify the rights of the people against the encroachments of the government.”
“Not real big on obtaining the confidence of your fellow citizens are you boy?” asked Franklin.
“I have the confidence of the leaders of my party and they agree with my agenda. We are doing what is right for the people.”
“Whether they like it or not,” Adams interjected. “Although I admit that there are times where the president must go against the will of the people, those times are limited to situations where the president has information that the general public does not. However, even in those instances it is incumbent on the leader to persuade the populace and bring them to his way of thinking. Forcing an idea or an agenda upon the people against their will is exactly what led to the revolution. After all we have shown you have you missed that critical point?”
“I know what the people need better than they do. They need the government to help them and that’s all I offer. Help to the people.”
“But at the risk of their personal liberties,” Franklin replied. “And the people are doing their best to tell you that what you offer is not worth the cost of their freedom.”
“We’re not going to win this argument,” Adams sighed. “Let’s show him the final scene and then take him back. We’ve done all we can.”
This was the best news that the president had heard all night. Just one more to go and then he’d be back in his office safe, sound and still confident of what he was doing.
The ghosts escorted him through the swirls of time and deposited him in a curious place. He was in a lower middle class home with worn furniture where a young man sat watching an old television displaying the image of Bill Clinton.
“Do you recognize that man?”
The president shook his head, unsure of why he would be expected to recognize someone of so little significance.
“That is John Alexander.”
“Who?”
“That young, once idealistic speech writer that you treat so badly.”
“Oh, him,” the president replied. “Why are you wasting my time on him?”
“Watch him,” Franklin said. “Look at how eagerly he absorbs the words of Bill Clinton, a president who helped promote your agenda. Look at how supportive he is and how much he believes the bullshit he’s hearing.”
Still confused, the president shrugged his shoulders. “OK. What’s your point?”
“The point will be made by others. We show you who he was while another will show you what he will become.”
“So are we done now?” The phrase “at last” was not spoken though the thought was heard by the ghosts.
“You are done with us, yes, but you are not done for the night.” Franklin smoothed his t-shirt over his protruding belly and continued, “We have shown you what drove the people to revolution, shown you how that revolution shaped their governmental design and shown you how they believed government should function. We showed you the state of the union as it was created, and we showed you one young man’s idealism as a former president spoke on the state of the union in the recent past. What you will see next is the union as it is now.”
“I know what the state of the union is now. That boy,” cried the president pointing at the idealistic young man still watching Clinton, “is writing my state of the union speech tonight. I don’t need to waste my time with seeing what I already know.”
“A more out of touch individual I’ve yet to see,” Adams stated. “If you knew anything about the state of the union, anything at all, we wouldn’t have wasted our time in visiting you. It’s your complete lack of understanding regarding the state of the union which prompted this visit.”
“I know…”
“Don’t presume to tell us what you know,” roared Franklin. “You know diddly squat so just shut the hell up.” Turning to Adams, Franklin continued, “I am going to be so glad to wash my hands of this guy. What a jackass.”
Without another word the ghosts took the president on his final journey with them. However, unlike the controlled landings of the past, this time the ghosts did not accompany him the entire way back to his office leaving him to land with an unceremonious thud in the middle of the presidential crest on the oval office floor.
Swearing softly, the president stood and brushed himself off, rubbing the elbow he had landed on and thankful that he would have a respite before the next visit.
This thought had barely solidified in his mind when the clock struck one.
Chapter 5 will be posted Sunday
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Yes, No, No, No, No, Yes
In our current environment of different rules for different people, I began to wonder exactly how the administration selects who will pay taxes and who won't, or who would get benefits and who wouldn't. The process appears to bear a striking resemblance to the clip below.
In either case, the selection process appears to be based on size and determines who will get screwed and who won't.
In either case, the selection process appears to be based on size and determines who will get screwed and who won't.
Why I Fight
I've been thinking about a way to express just how important the current fight is and how absolutely crucial it is for us to stand up against further government inrusion into our lives, but I struggled to express it adequately. Then I found the perfect expression of it as written by the Second Continental Congress.
"We have counted the cost of this contest, and find nothing so dreadful as voluntary slavery. Honor, justice and humanity, forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us. We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them if we basely entail hereditary bondage upon them."
Are we not entailing hereditary bondage upon our children and successive generations by allowing the continued and ever growing intrusions into our lives and against our liberties? How much money do they already owe for the reckless spending of the last decade? This is exactly why I fight and why I will continue to fight until our liberties are restored or I am silenced by God.
"We have counted the cost of this contest, and find nothing so dreadful as voluntary slavery. Honor, justice and humanity, forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us. We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them if we basely entail hereditary bondage upon them."
Are we not entailing hereditary bondage upon our children and successive generations by allowing the continued and ever growing intrusions into our lives and against our liberties? How much money do they already owe for the reckless spending of the last decade? This is exactly why I fight and why I will continue to fight until our liberties are restored or I am silenced by God.
When All Else Fails, Cheat
Isn't this the philosphy of the Democratic party in Massachusetts? The fact that Scott Brown is actually leading Martha Coakley in the run for a seat that Democrats, or at least a Democrat, has held for decades is a testament to how upset people are with the current Congress. Not that the current Congress gives a fig what the people think.
Instead of accepting the will of the people, something so foreign to the current leadership that even the suggestion of it sends them into gales of confused laughter, they are attempting to change the laws to keep him out of office until they can pass their stinking pile of crap health care bill. Even if he is the clear winner, the Democratic machine plans to delay his confirmation until after the health care vote. Thereby changing the rules. Of course this is something they've done in the past but in the other direction. Interesting how the rules can be changed to suit their purposes. No wonder they're playing fast and loose with The Constitution.
I can't help but wonder what will happen if Scott Brown wins (God please let that happen) and the leadership refuses to allow him a vote as the duly elected representative of the people. Whatever protests follow, I'm sure the people will just be dupes of the Repbulican party and nothing but astroturf instead of grass roots. I'm sure their outrage will just be manufactured and not real. I'm sure their concerns will be dismissed and their names will be added to the list of potential domestic terrorists.
This is despicable. It really shows the slavering need for power in our current leadership that they have adopted the philosophy of "when all else fails, cheat."
Instead of accepting the will of the people, something so foreign to the current leadership that even the suggestion of it sends them into gales of confused laughter, they are attempting to change the laws to keep him out of office until they can pass their stinking pile of crap health care bill. Even if he is the clear winner, the Democratic machine plans to delay his confirmation until after the health care vote. Thereby changing the rules. Of course this is something they've done in the past but in the other direction. Interesting how the rules can be changed to suit their purposes. No wonder they're playing fast and loose with The Constitution.
I can't help but wonder what will happen if Scott Brown wins (God please let that happen) and the leadership refuses to allow him a vote as the duly elected representative of the people. Whatever protests follow, I'm sure the people will just be dupes of the Repbulican party and nothing but astroturf instead of grass roots. I'm sure their outrage will just be manufactured and not real. I'm sure their concerns will be dismissed and their names will be added to the list of potential domestic terrorists.
This is despicable. It really shows the slavering need for power in our current leadership that they have adopted the philosophy of "when all else fails, cheat."
Monday, January 11, 2010
Harry Reid - Still Stupid
At a press conference outside of an energy event in Nevada Harry Reid was asked if he had apologized to the voters for implying that a dark skinned black man could not get elected. Reid went on to say that he had apologized to African American leadership. So I take that as a no. He hasn't apologized to voters and he doesn't intend to.
There is a lot of talk about offending the African American community with his statements and that they aren't that offended, but what about the other communities? What about the implication that WE are all racists and wouldn't vote for a dark skinned man? I find that incredibly offensive.
I did not vote for Obama, of course, and wouldn't have voted for him no matter his race because I strongly disagreed with him on pretty much every issue. However, had I agreed with him on the issues I would have voted for him. Again regardless of his color.
The implication by Reid that the American public is too racist to support a man with dark skin offends me, and the refusal to acknowledge that the people could actually find this implication offensive has angered me.
But then again, I lean to the right and I'm white so if I'm offended nobody really cares.
There is a lot of talk about offending the African American community with his statements and that they aren't that offended, but what about the other communities? What about the implication that WE are all racists and wouldn't vote for a dark skinned man? I find that incredibly offensive.
I did not vote for Obama, of course, and wouldn't have voted for him no matter his race because I strongly disagreed with him on pretty much every issue. However, had I agreed with him on the issues I would have voted for him. Again regardless of his color.
The implication by Reid that the American public is too racist to support a man with dark skin offends me, and the refusal to acknowledge that the people could actually find this implication offensive has angered me.
But then again, I lean to the right and I'm white so if I'm offended nobody really cares.
Reid's Record Supercedes His Mouth
A member of the Congressional Black Caucus said that Reid's comments are excusable because of his voting record and a Republican who said the same thing would not get the same forgiveness based on their voting record.
What this means to me is that a Democrat can say any racially offensive or explosive thing they want as long as they vote to keep the black people poor. After all, isn't that what Reid's voting record is all about? His voting record is based on convincing poor people that only the government can help them, that people need the government to pay their bills. In essense, to keep them poor. That's a good thing and all will be forgiven.
If you work to get people off of the government dole, to improve their own lives, and convince them that the surest way to remain in poverty is to wait for the government to lift you out of it, that's bad and you're automatically believed to be a racist. Any stupid comment that can in any way be construed as racists is just seen as proof of what everybody always knew anyway.
I have never understood how the belief that race should not be a deciding factor, that the same rights apply to all regardless of color, and that we all have a chance to succeed we just have to work for it is considered racist while the belief that race should always be a deciding factor and that different standards should be set for different ethnic groups is not racist.
If I understand this logic correctly, ignoring racial differences makes you racist while focusing on racial differences makes you not racist. That is no logic at all.
What this means to me is that a Democrat can say any racially offensive or explosive thing they want as long as they vote to keep the black people poor. After all, isn't that what Reid's voting record is all about? His voting record is based on convincing poor people that only the government can help them, that people need the government to pay their bills. In essense, to keep them poor. That's a good thing and all will be forgiven.
If you work to get people off of the government dole, to improve their own lives, and convince them that the surest way to remain in poverty is to wait for the government to lift you out of it, that's bad and you're automatically believed to be a racist. Any stupid comment that can in any way be construed as racists is just seen as proof of what everybody always knew anyway.
I have never understood how the belief that race should not be a deciding factor, that the same rights apply to all regardless of color, and that we all have a chance to succeed we just have to work for it is considered racist while the belief that race should always be a deciding factor and that different standards should be set for different ethnic groups is not racist.
If I understand this logic correctly, ignoring racial differences makes you racist while focusing on racial differences makes you not racist. That is no logic at all.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
UK Woman Reports Rape and Gets Jailed
I saw this on twitter and just had to share. A woman in Dubai for with her fiance got too drunk celebrating her engagement and was sexually assaulted in the toilet by one of the hotel workers. When she reported the rape she and her husband were jailed for their crime of sleeping together before marriage which is illegal in the UAE.
Now, pretty much the only way they can get out of the country is to get married there so that their crime of sex before marriage can be set aside. I guess the sex life of the victim isn't off limits in rape cases in the UAE.
Read the whole article here
Now, pretty much the only way they can get out of the country is to get married there so that their crime of sex before marriage can be set aside. I guess the sex life of the victim isn't off limits in rape cases in the UAE.
Read the whole article here
Harry Reid - No Negro Dialect
One of my favorite bloggers, Keving Jackson from The Black Sphere has a great blog on the Harry Reid double standard today.
My favorite part was this ....
"But Obama has talent! Though he speaks ‘white’ most of the time, and is fluent in Austrian, he finds the Negro dialect or “jive” when he speaks to silly Negros—Black people who voted for Obama, simply because he is black[i]. Obama was masterful at this during his campaign, because silly Negros would not accept the white part of Obama, unless they felt he was “down,” i.e. one of them.
This is because silly Negros are also the most racist black folks in America, no different from Reid and his ilk. These blacks voted for Obama for the same reasons as Reid…because Obama has light skin and no Negro dialect…around whites! Silly Negros liked that Obama could fool whites, though it was they who were fooled.
Ironically, back in the day Obama would have been accused of “acting white” or “trying to pass,” by not having a Negro dialect. And his attempts to act black—that’s all it is, an attempt—would have gotten him more than a few butt-kickings in the black community. However, because silly Negros wanted a Messiah, regardless of whether he is a no-talent-no-Negro-dialect-having-metrosexual-Communst-sympathizing-narcissistic egomaniac!"
As always Kevin is witty and entertaining, but most of all insightful. Read the whole blog here
My favorite part was this ....
"But Obama has talent! Though he speaks ‘white’ most of the time, and is fluent in Austrian, he finds the Negro dialect or “jive” when he speaks to silly Negros—Black people who voted for Obama, simply because he is black[i]. Obama was masterful at this during his campaign, because silly Negros would not accept the white part of Obama, unless they felt he was “down,” i.e. one of them.
This is because silly Negros are also the most racist black folks in America, no different from Reid and his ilk. These blacks voted for Obama for the same reasons as Reid…because Obama has light skin and no Negro dialect…around whites! Silly Negros liked that Obama could fool whites, though it was they who were fooled.
Ironically, back in the day Obama would have been accused of “acting white” or “trying to pass,” by not having a Negro dialect. And his attempts to act black—that’s all it is, an attempt—would have gotten him more than a few butt-kickings in the black community. However, because silly Negros wanted a Messiah, regardless of whether he is a no-talent-no-Negro-dialect-having-metrosexual-Communst-sympathizing-narcissistic egomaniac!"
As always Kevin is witty and entertaining, but most of all insightful. Read the whole blog here
A State of the Union Carole Chapter 3
For Chapter 1 go here
For Chapter 2 go here
Chapter 3
The trio materialized in a room filled with men and debate around what action to take in regards to Parliament. Many were speaking on the side of continued diplomacy, but the exact reference was unclear to the president. “Where are we this time? Getting ready to sign the Declaration of Independence?”
This question was greeting with a slap to the back of his head that felt far too strong and solid to have been delivered by a ghost. However, its origin became clear as Adams spoke.
“Do you see either one of us in this room?” As the president shook his head, both in a negative response and in an attempt to relieve the ringing in his ears Adams continued. “Since both Ben and I signed the Declaration, if this meeting was preparing for that don’t you think you’d see us in the room?”
“I suppose.”
“How can you possibly be the leader of our nation? What on earth were the people thinking?”
“They weren’t thinking,” Ben added. “They weren’t listening when he was talking about fundamentally transforming America. They’re suffering some pretty harsh buyer’s remorse right now though.”
“I was elected by the majority of the people and I will do their will. The people have spoken, my party won the election so the rest of the people need to come to terms with that.”
The two men exchanged a glance, and what appeared to be a moment of unspoken communication. “We’ll get to that attitude later. Right now you are at the Second Virginia Conference and you’re about to hear one of the speeches that most accurately and succinctly describes the feelings of the people at this point. Negotiations have almost completely broken down and as Parliament tries harder to bring us to heel, the people more vehemently resist.”
At this moment a man stood to speak. He was a moderately attractive man; tall and thin with brown hair and a narrow face nearly dominated by a roman nose. He addressed the assemblage and began what would be a powerful speech with a tone of polite respect.
“No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony. The questing before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.
Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.
I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the House. Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled that force must be called in to win back our love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us: they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging. And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves. Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne! In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free-- if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending--if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained--we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!
They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable--and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.
It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”
At the end of the speech both Adams and Franklin broke into applause, but the president simply stood in silence. Before he could wrap his mind around what he wanted to say, and there was a lot he wanted to say, he was being whisked through time once again. This time before the president could ask where they were, it was volunteered by Adams. “We are in Lexington Mass, April 19, 1775.”
“Oh wait,” cried the president in evident self-admiration. “I know this one. This is the shot heard round the world, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” replied Franklin. “I’ve heard it referred to as such, but it was so much more than that.”
As the travelers stood, the forces began to gather, their fear only outmatched by their resolve. A resolve that would be tested and in many, found lacking. The travelers watched as the first shot was fired and the volley met by the British forces. They watched as the colonists, family men and farmers fled for their lives under the barrage of gunfire that greeted them. They watched as the British soldiers continued to fire even after the order had been given to cease. They watched and listened as the British soldiers crowed in their victory sure that the rebellion was over. They could not have been more wrong.
“The fact that those men, untrained in military operations, would choose to stand and even prepare to fight against the greatest army in the world said more about their views on Britain and her Parliament than the troops or the politicians could ever understand.” Franklin cast one last sad glance at the bodies on the green before he and Adams took the president on yet another trip through time.
They appeared this time inside a Tavern the location of which the president did not know and his companions did not see fit to inform him. The two ghosts immediately left the president and began wandering around the room hovering at various tables inhabited by men in serious debate over their ales. At one of these tables Ben evidently found a conversation which interested him and beckoned to the others.
As the president approached the table the first words he heard were spoken by a man who appeared to be wealthy. His clothes were impeccable and his wig tidy and white. “Independence from Parliament of course, but from the crown? Are we not British subjects? Should we even be discussing such a thing?”
A younger man in garments far less fine took up the opposite side of the debate. “Are we British subjects or are we British slaves. Do they treat us as British subjects when they attempt to end any learned and honest debate with the force of their military? How can we be British subjects when we are afforded no say in our own governance?”
“And with that I agree, but that is resolved in the independence from Parliament. We should be free to rule ourselves with our elected representatives and formulate the laws which impact us, but to break from the crown? To form ourselves as an independent nation?”
“As Ben Franklin has said,” here Ben took a moment to preen at being quoted, “the colonies must band together and create a confederation. We must stand as one and steps have been taken to bind us politically. If we have our own legislatures, designed by us, and we break from the political influence of Parliament what bond do we have to England except a King who in every conflict has sided against us? What loyalty do we have to a monarch who has no love or loyalty for us? If we are going to break free, why not break free and be truly independent?”
“With what government? What forms or systems do we have in place that could replace not only parliament but the King as well? We would be in a state of anarchy and how could we possibly even begin to win a war for Independence, and make no mistake, a war it would be, while in a state of anarchy?”
“There are already discussions,” the young man replied. “I recently read a document by John Adams,” here Adams took the opportunity to preen back at Ben and even go so far as to stick out his tongue. “His thoughts on government give us a great place to start. He identifies some of the Republics in history which we can learn from, both in what to emulate and what to avoid. Hold just a moment.”
The young man then rummaged around inside his jacket and pulled from it a tattered and worn document. He carefully opened the pages and found what he was looking for. “He worries about a single assembly and even points out a few of the problems . He says a representation of the people in one assembly being obtained, a question arises whether all the powers of government, legislative, executive and judicial shall be left in this body. He then says that a people cannot be long free, nor ever happy, whose government is in one Assembly. My favorite points that he makes are that a single assembly is liable to all the vices, follies and frailties of an individual. In essence, to summarize what he says, a single assembly is apt to act hastily, stupidly and with prejudice. The next is quite insightful saying that the single assembly is apt to be avaricious and in time will not scruple to exempt itself from burthens which it will lay, without compunction, on its constituents.” The young man flipped the paper closed as this point and then said with a grin, “But even with powers in different assemblies, it is still a possibility that they will exempt themselves from what they impose upon us. Yet should that ever happen I would hope that the people would rise up in protest and be better met by their elected officials than they are by a parliament on the other side of an ocean.”
The older man nodded emphatically at this. “It would be a sad day for the people if their elected officials treated them with the same disregard as Parliament currently treats us. I pray that such a day never comes in this great land whether we are an independent nation or simply independent of Parliament.”
“I trust in our leaders,” the young man claimed. “I trust in them to provide for us a form of government that, while adhered to, would prevent such injustice as we’ve experienced. The current tyrannical rule will be fresh on their minds and they must know what we must be protected from. How then could they institute a government which would allow the very oppressions from which we now seek our freedom?”
These words of the people, their hopes and assertions, would have had an effect on a man with a lesser ego, but the president refused to feel shame at what our government had become. He continued to see his plans to transform the nation as a salvation and not a destruction. He was also absolutely convinced that the people would never rise up in protest against him. He would make sure of it in a way that King George III had been unable to.
The ghosts said not a word to interrupt his thoughts, but simply grabbed him by the arms and transported him once more.
The president was taken through the drafting of the Declaration of Independence including the exclusion of the abolition of slavery that was in Jefferson’s original document. Both Adams and Franklin lamented over its loss but acknowledged that it had to be done in order to achieve the union of all states, but they took great pleasure in pointing out to the president how the Declaration used specific examples of their objections and that the examples were actually true. Something the president’s own examples to promote his agenda were often lacking.
They took him through the drafting of the Articles of Confederation and showed him via several stops the problems with the document and with a weak federal government. They stressed to him the problems that arise when you create legislation out of a sense of urgency and without fully analyzing the impact, the most important issue the failure of the states to fund the fighting men as they had been designated. They showed that the defense of the nation and the ability to make treaties binding all 13 states was the main reason that the articles were ineffective.
They showed him the debate over public funding of religion and the reasons behind their stance against it. They had him standing over Thomas Jefferson’s shoulder as he wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom where he stated that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no way diminish, enlarge or affect their civil capacities.
They took him through the months of debates and discussions over the new Constitution, showing him how the open debate and the opinions of many helped them piece together the government which had held us in good stead for over 200 years. They showed him the objections to the Constituion; the statements that there were two sorts of bad government. That which does too little, and that which does too much. That which fails through weakness and that which destroys through oppression. The discussion over how the states should be represented to insure that neither the small ruled the large or the large ruled the small. The compromise that resulted in the House of Representatives being based on population while in the Senate each state had an equal voice. They showed him the fear of some that the government would result in a monarchy or an aristocracy at which point Franklin stated, “I really hate that those damned men were right about the aristocracy.”
The president was exhausted, his brain nearly saturated, and sure that this must come to an end soon. He gazed at his watch repeatedly, sure that he was missing his next appointments and quite possibly his own State of the Union speech, but the hands of time never moved; not a single second had ticked by.
“Enough,” the president said. “I’ve seen enough. I’m a busy man and I need to return. I believe you’ve made your point.”
“Have we,” Adams asked. “Have we really?” The two ghosts stood side by side and faced the current president. “So you understand how the country was built and will stop trying to circumvent the people to force your agenda upon them?”
“I told you,” the president said, “they elected me and this is what they want.”
“So we haven’t showed you enough then. We didn’t really believe we had. There is a very important series of occurrences that you need to see.”
If you enjoy the story please share it. The next installment will be Wednesday, Jan 13th
References:
Documents: Book Founding America Documents From the Revolution to the Bill of Rights
Patrick Henry's speech: http://libertyonline.hypermall.com/henry-liberty.html
For Chapter 2 go here
Chapter 3
The trio materialized in a room filled with men and debate around what action to take in regards to Parliament. Many were speaking on the side of continued diplomacy, but the exact reference was unclear to the president. “Where are we this time? Getting ready to sign the Declaration of Independence?”
This question was greeting with a slap to the back of his head that felt far too strong and solid to have been delivered by a ghost. However, its origin became clear as Adams spoke.
“Do you see either one of us in this room?” As the president shook his head, both in a negative response and in an attempt to relieve the ringing in his ears Adams continued. “Since both Ben and I signed the Declaration, if this meeting was preparing for that don’t you think you’d see us in the room?”
“I suppose.”
“How can you possibly be the leader of our nation? What on earth were the people thinking?”
“They weren’t thinking,” Ben added. “They weren’t listening when he was talking about fundamentally transforming America. They’re suffering some pretty harsh buyer’s remorse right now though.”
“I was elected by the majority of the people and I will do their will. The people have spoken, my party won the election so the rest of the people need to come to terms with that.”
The two men exchanged a glance, and what appeared to be a moment of unspoken communication. “We’ll get to that attitude later. Right now you are at the Second Virginia Conference and you’re about to hear one of the speeches that most accurately and succinctly describes the feelings of the people at this point. Negotiations have almost completely broken down and as Parliament tries harder to bring us to heel, the people more vehemently resist.”
At this moment a man stood to speak. He was a moderately attractive man; tall and thin with brown hair and a narrow face nearly dominated by a roman nose. He addressed the assemblage and began what would be a powerful speech with a tone of polite respect.
“No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony. The questing before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.
Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.
I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the House. Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled that force must be called in to win back our love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us: they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging. And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves. Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne! In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free-- if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending--if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained--we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!
They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable--and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.
It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”
At the end of the speech both Adams and Franklin broke into applause, but the president simply stood in silence. Before he could wrap his mind around what he wanted to say, and there was a lot he wanted to say, he was being whisked through time once again. This time before the president could ask where they were, it was volunteered by Adams. “We are in Lexington Mass, April 19, 1775.”
“Oh wait,” cried the president in evident self-admiration. “I know this one. This is the shot heard round the world, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” replied Franklin. “I’ve heard it referred to as such, but it was so much more than that.”
As the travelers stood, the forces began to gather, their fear only outmatched by their resolve. A resolve that would be tested and in many, found lacking. The travelers watched as the first shot was fired and the volley met by the British forces. They watched as the colonists, family men and farmers fled for their lives under the barrage of gunfire that greeted them. They watched as the British soldiers continued to fire even after the order had been given to cease. They watched and listened as the British soldiers crowed in their victory sure that the rebellion was over. They could not have been more wrong.
“The fact that those men, untrained in military operations, would choose to stand and even prepare to fight against the greatest army in the world said more about their views on Britain and her Parliament than the troops or the politicians could ever understand.” Franklin cast one last sad glance at the bodies on the green before he and Adams took the president on yet another trip through time.
They appeared this time inside a Tavern the location of which the president did not know and his companions did not see fit to inform him. The two ghosts immediately left the president and began wandering around the room hovering at various tables inhabited by men in serious debate over their ales. At one of these tables Ben evidently found a conversation which interested him and beckoned to the others.
As the president approached the table the first words he heard were spoken by a man who appeared to be wealthy. His clothes were impeccable and his wig tidy and white. “Independence from Parliament of course, but from the crown? Are we not British subjects? Should we even be discussing such a thing?”
A younger man in garments far less fine took up the opposite side of the debate. “Are we British subjects or are we British slaves. Do they treat us as British subjects when they attempt to end any learned and honest debate with the force of their military? How can we be British subjects when we are afforded no say in our own governance?”
“And with that I agree, but that is resolved in the independence from Parliament. We should be free to rule ourselves with our elected representatives and formulate the laws which impact us, but to break from the crown? To form ourselves as an independent nation?”
“As Ben Franklin has said,” here Ben took a moment to preen at being quoted, “the colonies must band together and create a confederation. We must stand as one and steps have been taken to bind us politically. If we have our own legislatures, designed by us, and we break from the political influence of Parliament what bond do we have to England except a King who in every conflict has sided against us? What loyalty do we have to a monarch who has no love or loyalty for us? If we are going to break free, why not break free and be truly independent?”
“With what government? What forms or systems do we have in place that could replace not only parliament but the King as well? We would be in a state of anarchy and how could we possibly even begin to win a war for Independence, and make no mistake, a war it would be, while in a state of anarchy?”
“There are already discussions,” the young man replied. “I recently read a document by John Adams,” here Adams took the opportunity to preen back at Ben and even go so far as to stick out his tongue. “His thoughts on government give us a great place to start. He identifies some of the Republics in history which we can learn from, both in what to emulate and what to avoid. Hold just a moment.”
The young man then rummaged around inside his jacket and pulled from it a tattered and worn document. He carefully opened the pages and found what he was looking for. “He worries about a single assembly and even points out a few of the problems . He says a representation of the people in one assembly being obtained, a question arises whether all the powers of government, legislative, executive and judicial shall be left in this body. He then says that a people cannot be long free, nor ever happy, whose government is in one Assembly. My favorite points that he makes are that a single assembly is liable to all the vices, follies and frailties of an individual. In essence, to summarize what he says, a single assembly is apt to act hastily, stupidly and with prejudice. The next is quite insightful saying that the single assembly is apt to be avaricious and in time will not scruple to exempt itself from burthens which it will lay, without compunction, on its constituents.” The young man flipped the paper closed as this point and then said with a grin, “But even with powers in different assemblies, it is still a possibility that they will exempt themselves from what they impose upon us. Yet should that ever happen I would hope that the people would rise up in protest and be better met by their elected officials than they are by a parliament on the other side of an ocean.”
The older man nodded emphatically at this. “It would be a sad day for the people if their elected officials treated them with the same disregard as Parliament currently treats us. I pray that such a day never comes in this great land whether we are an independent nation or simply independent of Parliament.”
“I trust in our leaders,” the young man claimed. “I trust in them to provide for us a form of government that, while adhered to, would prevent such injustice as we’ve experienced. The current tyrannical rule will be fresh on their minds and they must know what we must be protected from. How then could they institute a government which would allow the very oppressions from which we now seek our freedom?”
These words of the people, their hopes and assertions, would have had an effect on a man with a lesser ego, but the president refused to feel shame at what our government had become. He continued to see his plans to transform the nation as a salvation and not a destruction. He was also absolutely convinced that the people would never rise up in protest against him. He would make sure of it in a way that King George III had been unable to.
The ghosts said not a word to interrupt his thoughts, but simply grabbed him by the arms and transported him once more.
The president was taken through the drafting of the Declaration of Independence including the exclusion of the abolition of slavery that was in Jefferson’s original document. Both Adams and Franklin lamented over its loss but acknowledged that it had to be done in order to achieve the union of all states, but they took great pleasure in pointing out to the president how the Declaration used specific examples of their objections and that the examples were actually true. Something the president’s own examples to promote his agenda were often lacking.
They took him through the drafting of the Articles of Confederation and showed him via several stops the problems with the document and with a weak federal government. They stressed to him the problems that arise when you create legislation out of a sense of urgency and without fully analyzing the impact, the most important issue the failure of the states to fund the fighting men as they had been designated. They showed that the defense of the nation and the ability to make treaties binding all 13 states was the main reason that the articles were ineffective.
They showed him the debate over public funding of religion and the reasons behind their stance against it. They had him standing over Thomas Jefferson’s shoulder as he wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom where he stated that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no way diminish, enlarge or affect their civil capacities.
They took him through the months of debates and discussions over the new Constitution, showing him how the open debate and the opinions of many helped them piece together the government which had held us in good stead for over 200 years. They showed him the objections to the Constituion; the statements that there were two sorts of bad government. That which does too little, and that which does too much. That which fails through weakness and that which destroys through oppression. The discussion over how the states should be represented to insure that neither the small ruled the large or the large ruled the small. The compromise that resulted in the House of Representatives being based on population while in the Senate each state had an equal voice. They showed him the fear of some that the government would result in a monarchy or an aristocracy at which point Franklin stated, “I really hate that those damned men were right about the aristocracy.”
The president was exhausted, his brain nearly saturated, and sure that this must come to an end soon. He gazed at his watch repeatedly, sure that he was missing his next appointments and quite possibly his own State of the Union speech, but the hands of time never moved; not a single second had ticked by.
“Enough,” the president said. “I’ve seen enough. I’m a busy man and I need to return. I believe you’ve made your point.”
“Have we,” Adams asked. “Have we really?” The two ghosts stood side by side and faced the current president. “So you understand how the country was built and will stop trying to circumvent the people to force your agenda upon them?”
“I told you,” the president said, “they elected me and this is what they want.”
“So we haven’t showed you enough then. We didn’t really believe we had. There is a very important series of occurrences that you need to see.”
If you enjoy the story please share it. The next installment will be Wednesday, Jan 13th
References:
Documents: Book Founding America Documents From the Revolution to the Bill of Rights
Patrick Henry's speech: http://libertyonline.hypermall.com/henry-liberty.html
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