In Congress, July 4th, 1776

Mark Noonan10 Comments

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness…

…We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

From The Mind of Thomas Sowell

Cluster45 Comments

Here is a recent article written by Thomas Sowell that speaks to the systemic failure of leftism, and something of which individuals on the left either choose to ignore, or choose to blame other external factors on for that failure. I believe it is the latter. Remember when Obama partly blamed the Japan tsunami for having a negative impact on his brilliant economic policies? How about the left’s penchant to blame the gun? In my opinion, there is simply no possible way to objectively look at the current state of our economy, our country, and our world, and claim that leftism is a success. The following is a very poignant excerpt of the piece, and I do hope this makes it over to the new rebuttal blog. Enjoy:

Why has evil been such a hard concept for many on the left to accept? The basic agenda of the left is to change external conditions. But what if the problem is internal? What if the real problem is the cussedness of human beings? Rousseau denied this in the 18th century and the left has been denying it ever since. Why? Self preservation. If the things that the left wants to control — institutions and government policy — are not the most important factors in the world’s problems, then what role is there for the left? What if it is things like the family, the culture and the traditions that make a more positive difference than the bright new government “solutions” that the left is constantly coming up with?

Welcome To The Revolution – Open Thread

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The “war on women” hoax the Democrats successfully pulled on the GOP last year and to which the brain trust of the GOP has been unable to find an answer to, can be easily combated in two very simple ripostes.

1. The Life of Julia – which really was an embarrassing admission by the Obama regime and the DNC that they believe women are incapable of living a successful life on their own without the help of government. Because obviously they are too frail and the men in their life are either incapable or unwilling of providing any help or would prefer not to have anything to do with them at all, to whom the DNC gives a free pass to, and of which leads us to:

2. Abortion – Why do progressives, the DNC and the Obama regime give a free pass to men – everywhere. Why does the left support the ability of a man to knock up any chick he wants without any responsibility. Why does the left only see that as a woman’s problem? Why will they not hold men accountable? To me, that is the real war on women. Too bad so sad honey, looks like you’ll have to kill your child. Wish there was someone else to help you out with this, but your pregnancy is YOUR PROBLEM!

This is the real war on women and if the GOP had a spine, they would let the women know without any ambiguity that the Democrats think they are incapable of carving out a successful life of their own without government assistance, and that if some guy gets them pregnant, well then that’s their problem. Really warms your heart doesn’t it?

In an unrelated topic – we now know that “creepy ass cracker” is not a racial slur, and bears no mention in the media. However, what Paula Dean mentioned in private company over ten years ago, should cost her career. This according to the language police and high minded social watchdogs. Also, when Jamie Foxx was promoting his movie “Django Unchained” he enthusiastically stated that his character in the movie got to “kill all the white people” to which there was uproarious laughter.

This is a surreal progressive universe we are currently in folks and we had better find a way back soon.

The Authoritarian Nature of This Progressive Regime

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In what has gradually built up over the last decade, accelerated in the last five years, and has now reached epic proportions, our federal government has undeniably become authoritarian, and the only backstop is a very weak GOP, which certainly can’t give anyone much hope. And based on their tepid opposition to the ill advised immigration bill, it would appear that that opposition to this currently expanding authoritarian federal bureaucracy is all but lost, and the ideal of America will be lost with it. In the name of social and economic justice, the progressive movement, currently led by Barack Obama has successfully shamed, demonized, and lied about any one who had the temerity to oppose their agenda which has cowered too many people, and convinced the low information voter that opposition to their grandiose agenda is tantamount to wanting seniors to die and children to starve. Their control of the language and message has had a negative impact on our representative republic which has now morphed into a democracy more in keeping with those countries led by oppressive regimes that garner 95%+ of electoral votes. And the blame can not be laid entirely at the feet of Barack Obama. We have the vast liberal media complex to blame as well, which commands a large platform and presence with the low information. We have the entertainment complex which again commands a huge presence with those who idol worship, and we have the minions of Congress critters, and Senators who will say anything to retain their power & privileged positions.

It was very disheartening to see many GOPers fold and vote for this joke of an immigration bill, including my two Senators McCain and Flake. Every thinking person knows that if this bill passes the House, it will go into committee, and the border security teeth that was amended to the bill will be stripped away and we will be left with 1986 all over again. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me, and that is exactly what is happening. On top of that, this immigration bill will hurt the low wage worker more than anyone, and isn’t that the very person “progressives” profess to care so much about? How you ask? Obamacare, wherein a penalty of up to $5,000 can be avoided if you hire a newly minted “undocumented worker”, who is not subject to the Obamacare mandates. So once again, Obama has acted outside the interests of Americans, who largely oppose this current effort at reform, and this is true on many different fronts. The majority of Americans oppose Obamacare, but this authoritarian regime shoved it down our throats. The majority of Americans oppose abortion on demand, but this regime continues to demonize anyone who opposes their desire to kill infants. The majority of Americans oppose recent tactics of the IRS, but this regime continues to avoid answering difficult questions. The majority of Americans oppose the NSA collecting emails and phone call records, but this regime continues the practice and lies about it in front of Congress. The majority of Americans oppose further restrictions on the second amendment, but this regime refuses to listen and will make another pass at legislation, after failing at a previous attempt by breaking the law and allowing illegal firearms to cross international borders resulting in the deaths of many Mexican nationals, to which they invoked executive privilege.

This “progressive” regime, is anything but progressive, and is quickly leading America down the road to authoritarian rule where opposition is not allowed, if not imprisoned.

Sunday Open Thread

Cluster91 Comments

Certainly not a shortage of issues to discuss or make fun of:

1. Is climate change the global threat of our time?

2. Is Hillary the most qualified Democrat for POTUS?

3. Do IRS employees deserve $50 million in bonuses?

4. Will Bernanke stop the presses and will the last mirage of a good economy stop with it?

5. Why does Jay Z win awards for saying the N word and Paula Dean gets fired?

6. Will there be any intelligent analysis of the Farm Bill?

7. Do Democrats still care about ethics and honesty?

Feel free to add your own and have a great Sunday

The Rise and Fall of Barack Obama

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It’s been an interesting six months for The One We Have All Been Waiting For. Shortly into his still-hard-to-believe second term, it seems that the disenchantment is growing rapidly due to a continued struggling economy, high unemployment with no real concerted effort to do anything about it, his feckless foreign policy, and of course the scandals, which seemingly grow by the day. A new CNN poll shows just 45% approval, down 8 points from just a few months ago, and fueled by a 17 point drop in those folks 30 years old and younger. It seems as though the younger generations “hope and change” has been met with the reality of progressive policies, which only bring about bigger government and less opportunity. It’s not as though we didn’t have history to look back on, or that they were warned that this would be the eventual result, so it’s hard to be sympathetic.

Yesterday, Mr. Obama spoke to a considerably smaller crowd then the one that met him in 2008, and gave a yawn of a speech. Or as Nile Gardiner from the The Telegraph so aptly put it – “a weak and underwhelming address from a floundering President”. Obama’s speech contained meaningless platitudes that have been uttered so many times, by so many empty leaders that they resonate with no one. Sadly we have three and half more years of listening to his empty speeches and living with his harmful policies, but have no fear, the white guilt that drove the Democrats to nominate Obama in 2008, has now morphed into gender guilt, as the Democrats and the progressive media are quickly falling in line behind Hillary in hopes of keeping their oligarchy alive. It’s actually kind of a slap in the face to Democrats around the country isn’t it? No one within that party stands a chance at the nomination if Hillary decides to run. She has been pre ordained because of her gender, her lineage, and the fact that she was tossed aside in 2008 in favor of someone who represented a more appealing minority.

The Democratic Party has devolved into a paranoid oligarchial cult followed by a sycophantic media and a mindless constituency afraid to death of right wing strawmen. It’s actually comical when you think about it. But what’s not funny is their authoritarian tactics, particularly the monitoring of Sheryl Attkinson’s personal and professional computers, the domestic monitoring of emails and phone calls, and the level of scrutiny directed towards conservative political groups. Fasten your seat belt folks, it’s going to be a bumpy few years.

Giving America Away

Cluster44 Comments

On the heels of the nine robed justices decision to over ride the sovereignty of my state, I was compelled to write a scathing article full of four letter expletives but discovered that E.W. Jackson recently said it much better than I ever could:

A few years ago the Obama regime filed a lawsuit against my state for the audacity of actually upholding federal law in terms of immigration. That lawsuit was not only a violation of my states sovereignty, but also wasn’t in keeping with federal immigration laws as they are currently written. And now, the nine robed elitists on the SC, decided again that AZ was incapable of governing within it’s borders as they threw out Arizonans desire to have proof of citizenship before casting a ballot, preferring instead to uphold the federal requirement of simply checking a box claiming that you are a citizen, which is a very weak standard. Yesterday however, Marco Rubio proposed an amendment to the immigration bill which would raise that standard nationwide by requiring proof in the federally written motor voter law, but that’s provided the immigration bill passes, which is uncertain at best. Considering that the immigration bill calls for amnesty now, and border security later, I hope like hell it doesn’t pass. It’s 1986 all over again where Congress promises to secure the border in favor of immediate amnesty and we all know how that turned out. This AZ election decision and the current immigration bill obviously pleases the open borders crowd and the Democrats who are always in pursuit of a new block of constituents to give our treasury to, in return for votes, but these two decisions are harmful to the country overall, as they have the potential to create absolute chaos in the border states. Thousands of immigrants will flock across the border with amnesty just around the corner, and then subsequently vote for the politician that promises them the most, and why wouldn’t they? If we are so stupid to allow that to happen, why wouldn’t someone take advantage of it? This is not only outrageous, it is a violation of state sovereignty, a violation of common sense, and an offense to every intelligent American. E.W. Jackson eloquently said – “keep the federal government out of my state, out of my healthcare, out of our schools, and out of our lives”. Which leads me to quote the great Smokey Robinson – “I second that emotion”!!!

Libertarianism

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Jonah Goldberg recently wrote an excellent article over at National Review Online:

In a much-discussed essay for Salon, Michael Lind asks: “If libertarians are correct in claiming that they understand how best to organize a modern society, how is it that not a single country in the world in the early twenty-first century is organized along libertarian lines?”

Such is the philosophical poverty of liberalism today that this stands as a profound question.

Definitions vary, but broadly speaking, libertarianism is the idea that people should be as free as possible from state coercion so long as they don’t harm anyone. The job of the state is limited to fighting crime, providing for the common defense, and protecting the rights and contracts of citizens. The individual is sovereign; he is the captain of himself.

It’s true, no ideal libertarian state has ever existed outside a table for one. And no such state will ever exist. But here’s an important caveat: No ideal state of any other kind will be created either. America’s great, but it ain’t perfect. Sweden’s social democracy is all right, but if it were perfect, I suspect fewer cars would be on fire over there.

Ideals are called ideals for a reason: They’re ideals. They’re goals, aspirations, abstract straight rules we use as measuring sticks against the crooked timber of humanity.

Goldberg goes on to say that the progressive movement is only moving America towards the tried, failed and archaic system of statism, wherein our lives are largely dictated by leaders who are purported to know what’s best for all of us. Been there, done that, throughout history and it has never turned out well. How liberals and democrats can cite this as “progress” is beyond me.

I increasingly find myself on the libertarian side of the political equation, having been disappointed with the “conservative” movement far too many times. The less of an authoritarian figure that is in my life, the much better off I am – and that is both from a political and personal standpoint. I would much rather fail on my own, than succeed as a result of someone else’s decisions. Sadly I believe we have abandoned that ideal as a country and now far too many of Americans would prefer to be “employed” and work and live at the direction of someone else, rather than take a risk and seek their own path. The other day one of our resident progressives asked what did “conservatives have to offer”, which I found to be extremely disheartening. Too many people have simply lost sight of the spiritual and professional fulfillment that complete liberty can bring. When you are left to your own, failure is a given, but so is the potential abundance of spiritual awareness and financial rewards. You never really know who you truly are, until you have only yourself to rely on and I wish more people would take the leap to experience that.

Happy Father’s Day y’all!!

Global Warming Update

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A while back, Rusty, one of our resident progressives and I, debated the global warming issue specifically as it related to human involvement. I cited several sources wherein it was noted that temperatures had leveled off over the last decade despite continual measurable  increases in carbon emissions. Well this fact has even now caught the attention of the “quite liberal” Gray Lady:

The rise in the surface temperature of earth has been markedly slower over the last 15 years than in the 20 years before that. And that lull in warming has occurred even as greenhouse gases have accumulated in the atmosphere at a record pace.

Amazingly, despite the fact that previous claims of rising temperatures as a result of carbon emissions by global warming alarmists have now been proven false, the movement to control personal activity continues. And dovetailing into Mark’s previous thread, the global warming issue, or climate change issue, or whatever it is called today, IS just another mechanism for control over the population sought by governments. And even more harming to America is the fact that this cause has become global, and many world governments are hoping to legislate our activity and redistribute our wealth in the name of climate change. Restricting our freedoms? You’re damn right, and those freedoms are being assaulted on many different fronts. The worst enemy to an ever expanding and controlling government is an educated and armed populace, unfortunately the “educated” part of that equation has waned considerably over the last few decades, and the “armed” part of that equation is currently under attack. Thomas Jefferson once said that a “democracy requires eternal vigilance”, and for those of us who hope to keep liberty in tact, we had better start stepping up to the plate.