In Congress, July 4 1776

Mark Noonan6 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.

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death

Mark Noonan92 Comments

…This is no time for ceremony. The question 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 fulfil 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 offence, 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.

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More Wasted Money For The President’s “Green Energy”

tiredoflibbs5 Comments

A U.S. Navy oiler slipped away from a fuel depot on the Puget Sound in Washington state one recent day, headed toward the central Pacific and into the storm over the Pentagon’s controversial green fuels initiative.

In its tanks, the USNS Henry J. Kaiser carried nearly 900,000 gallons of biofuel blended with petroleum to power the cruisers, destroyers and fighter jets of what the Navy has taken to calling the “Great Green Fleet,” the first carrier strike group to be powered largely by alternative fuels.

However, the fuel’s $26-a-gallon price, compared to $3.60 for conventional fuel cannot come at a worst time when the U.S. government’s budget remains severely strained, the Pentagon is facing REAL budget cuts and energy companies are finding big quantities of oil and gas in the United States.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/02/us-usa-navy-greenfleet-idUSBRE86106X20120702

Other Green Energy initiatives in the military pushed by this administration:

The Pentagon paid Solazyme Inc $8.5 million in 2009 for 20,055 gallons of biofuel based on algae oil, or $424 a gallon.

For the Great Green Fleet demonstration, the Pentagon paid $12 million for 450,000 gallons of biofuel, nearly $27 a gallon. There were eight bidders for that contract, it said.

The technology is still not yet cost effective, but to hell with the costs (as long as you’re a Democrat).  Politics and giving in to the environmentalist lobby is more important than reliable fuel to our Navy.

 

The Conservative Revolutionary

Mark Noonan72 Comments

In his 1910 book What’s Wrong With the World?, G. K. Chesterton pointed out that the mob can never really rebel unless it is conservative – that unless the mob has conserved some vision of an ideal then it isn’t really rebelling but, at most, just going on a mindless riot.  The proof of this is the late “Occupy Wall Street” movement – supposedly a rebellion by the long oppressed mob, but all it really amounted to was a low-grade riot in favor of fastening even more chains upon the people.  The OWS people were seriously calling for even more government – government to save them from the effects of government.   They were fundamentally complaining that their chains weren’t heavy enough and if just one more link were added then they’d be free.

To be sure, the OWS people did attack a target worthy of mob violence – the bankers of Wall Street are, for the most part, a baleful influence on society.  Just not in the manner the OWS understood.  They think the bankers are bad because they are rich when the truth is the bankers are bad because they essentially follow in slavish devotion what the government demands of them.  A real banker is someone who wants to lend and invest as a means of increasing the overall wealth of the economy, thus allowing the banker to have a rake off on the now increased amount of wealth.  The government, though, is not terribly interested in that.  What the government wants is for bankers to buy government bonds so that government can keep growing larger.  And that is just what our bankers primarily do – buy bonds and then flip and twist money around from one account to another,  providing plenty of money for government to spend and plenty of profits for the bankers, but not much in the way of the increased wealth which ordinary people depend on to live their lives.  The difference is this – in the financial panic of 1907 the crash was touched off by a couple of bankers trying to corner copper; in other words they were trying to get hold of an industry which made something useful.  They got greedy and got burned and a massive financial panic ensued, but at least they were trying to control something of actual value.  The financial panic of 2008 was touched off by bankers artificially inflating financial instruments which related to no actually identifiable property…but the use of which greatly helped government to get larger.

We are faced here in 2012 with a crucial issue:  will we revive the American ideal of individual liberty which is based upon faith in God and strong families, or will we opt to turn America socialist with its ideal of personal servitude based upon faith in government and no family, at all?  Remember, we are no longer trying to preserve America we are trying to revive it.  We are, in short, trying to have a revolution which will overturn our current system and replace it with something else.  And because we are trying to revive an ideal we hold in our hearts and minds we must become revolutionaries to do it.  Conservative revolutionaries.

Do keep that in mind.  And remember that Romney is not a revolutionary.  He is a necessity because he is the only person who can eject Obama from office but he does not, at least from is public pronouncements, understand the depth and breadth of change necessary to revive America.  He might see it; the force of circumstances in 2013 will make him go a long way towards it because only a revival of America can prevent utter catastrophe for the United States and the world.  But he is not at this time a revolutionary – and we need a revolution.  Romney must win – but in installing Romney in the White House we must remember that we only took the tiniest of steps towards the necessary revolution.

A revolution in favor of a revived America means a complete ousting not just of Obama from the White House but of all those tens of thousands of un-American statists who inhabit our bloated bureaucracies.  It means curbing the power and influence the un-American statists who control those myriad, tax-free foundations and groups which lobby endlessly for more un-Americanism (think in terms of groups like Planned Parenthood and MoveOn).  It means reforming the judiciary root and branch – criminal and civil and, indeed, the way our federal courts operate on the appellate level (mad about the ObamaCare decision? Then lets have a revolution so that the Courts will do what we command via the Constitution, not what they make up as they go along).  It means calling to account those elements of the popular culture which pollute our society with every manner of egoism, greed, materialism and wickedness and piously claim that our sublime Constitution – that which belongs to us, not them, in our families, churches and local groups – allows them to do so.  A revolution means going after every last bit of the un-American system which has grown like a cancer in our society.

It is become revolutionaries – dedicated, single-minded patriots determined to conquer  – or give it all up.  We can’t compromise with things as they are.  Lies and truth cannot coexist – allow the smallest of the un-American lies to continue and the whole thing is ruined.   Our America lies chained and blinded – leeches are draining her life’s blood and are determined to finish her off for good.  She can still be saved, there is still time – but she can only be saved by entirely getting rid of the things which are killing her.

As an aside, I highly recommend that book by Chesterton.  You can find it here for free.  Though published 102 years ago, all of it is entirely relevant today.  You see, the lies which are killing our America were first floated back then (and were being used – ultimately successfully – to kill England).  Chesterton saw them for what they were and warned precisely where it was heading – and called for a revolution to stop it.

The Dying Process

Retired Spook14 Comments

Amid all the acrimony over the political process, not only on this blog, but across the new and old media, I’d like to offer a different kind of post for a change; something that everyone, regardless of philosophy can probably relate to on some level.

As several of you know, my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about 18 months ago. According to the doctors she was supposed to be dead LAST June.  She passed away recently with family by her bedside.  We were led to believe that the end of her life would likely be ugly, painful and gut wrenching. It was not, and I’d like to share with the readers the magnificent way my mom dealt with the process of dying.

At the funeral her pastor gave one of the most personalized eulogies I’ve ever heard; my brother and sister spoke about how she lived and the people she touched, and I spoke about the graceful, dignified and often humorous way she dealt with the process of dying; all of which contributed to her extra year every bit as much as her medical treatment according to her oncologist.  I recounted the day I took her home after the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer was confirmed.  She sat down on her sofa and let out a big sigh and said, “well, I guess that’s it — I’m going to die.”  That defeatist attitude was so uncharacteristic of one of the strongest, most positive women I’ve ever known that I was somewhat taken by surprise.  Knowing her strong faith, I told her that only one person in history had escaped death, and she wasn’t going to be the second, nor was she going to die that day.  She looked at me and smiled and said, “no, and probably not tomorrow either, but if I fall asleep tonight and don’t wake up, that will be fine, and if I wake up tomorrow, that will be OK too.”

She woke up to over 500 more tomorrows after that day, most of them good ones.  When we celebrated her birthday last fall, one of her grandchildren commented that, even though it wasn’t a surprise party, it was a pleasant surprise that she was still there.  Mom replied, “yeah, I guess the doctors just didn’t realize what a tough old broad I am.”

Her treatment, (a combination of a short regimen of radiation followed by weekly chemo) which I’m sure some will characterize as excessive for a woman nearing the century mark, especially given that her disease was incurable, was designed to make what time she had left more comfortable and shorten the pain and agony at the end.  It accomplished those goals in spades with minimal negative side effects, and none of us ever regretted allowing her oncologist to convince us to take that course of action.  The only hospital stay during her last year and a half was toward the end for a few days to deal with a kidney stone.  The end came quickly and peacefully with only 11 days in hospice care during which she was still able to sit up and talk with family and friends right up until the last two and a half days.

My mom always had a great sense of humor, which was never more evident than when she came down the home stretch.  About a week before she died, my sister and I were sitting next to her bed talking quietly so as not to wake her.  At one point she opened her eyes, look over at us and asked, “so, how long does this dying process take anyway?”  That sense of humor lingered in the room even after she was no longer conscious.  A day or two before she died, my brother, his wife and oldest daughter and I were sitting around the bed talking.  A nurse walked in, and hearing us talking in normal voices, said, “you realize she can still hear your, don’t you?”  To which my niece replied, “no she can’t; she doesn’t have her hearing aids in.”  We all had a good laugh, even the nurse.

And in the end, she did just fall asleep and not wake up; it’s just that she fell asleep on Monday night and didn’t wake up on Thursday morning, but no one is quibbling over the extra two days in there.  She even got one of her last wishes – perhaps her LAST wish.  She asked me a week or so before she died what it was like outside, having not been out for a couple weeks.  I told her it was in the 90’s with a 25 mph wind that made it feel like you were standing in front of a giant hair dryer, a weather pattern that has been our norm over the last 6 weeks or so.  She said she hoped it would be cooler for her funeral.  It was — 81 and sunny.  Yesterday in Fort Wayne it was 106.

The Day that Freedom Died…with apologies to Don McClean

Leo Pusateri89 Comments

Image

~A long long time ago

 I can still remember how

That freedom used to make me smile

And I knew if I we had our chance

We could get people out of their trance

And maybe they’d be lucid for a while

But my computer made me shiver

With every web page it delivered

Bad news on the doorstep

I couldn’t take one more step

I can’t remember if I cried

When I read Roberts bought the lies..

But something touched me deep inside

**The day that freedom died** Continue reading →

The Great Divide

Cluster1 Comment

I often watch MSNBC and CNN if only to get a sense where liberals are coming from on the current issues of the day, but in between the laughter and disbelief, I realize that we have essentially nothing in common. Nothing. Not too mention the fact that those very same liberals take personal shots at people like me at every opportunity, and like to blame people like me for nearly everything, so even if I did have something in common with them, where is my incentive to work with them?  It is shameful how hypocritical liberals are, and how eager they are to victimize people purely for political gain. Fast and furious is a good example of liberal hypocrisy – here is program that actually resulted in the death of a US Border Guard, yet liberals are shrugging it off as a racist witch hunt. Compare that to the Valerie Plame incident where the culprit Richard Armitage was identified yet liberals still called for the resignation of top officials and the possible impeachment of Bush, and yet this program only resulted in the death of a cocktail party. As far as victimization is concerned, look at nearly every liberal policy and at the root of it, you will find a manufactured victim. The war on women was an entirely contrived issue where liberals were trying to paint women as completely incapable of coping in today’s society without government distributed birth control. Not only does this display a shocking lack of faith in women’s ability, but it also ignores the fact that birth control is already widely distributed and often times for free via planned parenthood and county health clinics. So here again we have liberals willingly ignoring the facts and eagerly creating victims all for some desperate need to appear compassionate, or more likely, in a dishonest attempt to gain power. Either way, it’s un American and should not go unchallenged.

In my opinion, the divide is too great, and liberals are too unhinged to forge any reasonable compromise. Conservatives only option is too defeat them at every opportunity and once again apply common sense coupled with a strong belief in the American people, to the governance of this country.

ObamaCare Open Thread

Mark Noonan84 Comments

Today is The Day – we’ll find out if our nine Justices can read the Constitution.  If at least 5 of them can, then ObamaCare will be struck down because it is patently absurd that government can compel us to buy something (which, by the way, will pave the way to abolishing the absurd laws mandating auto insurance…what a scam that is:  insurance companies got people to pass laws to force people to buy insurance).  If 5 or more can’t read the document – and it is only a few pages long – then we’ll get some tortuous, involved opinion about penumbras and how if you have you Law Professor Secret Decoder Ring and read the Constitution in half-light with the Moon over your left should then you can see the fine print put in there by Madison which says “Congress shall make laws forcing people to buy stuff”.

I hope it is struck down – but, honestly, Obama has used the law already to insert a huge amount of ObamaCare in to our bureaucracy.  The only sure cure is a complete repeal – with the repeal including a specific provision voiding all regulations implemented since passage under the authority of the ObamaCare statute.  So, even if it is upheld, repeal is still the answer.

And repeal can only happen under President Romney – remember that if for a moment you lack enthusiasm to vote Romney on November 6th…only Romney means the end of ObamaCare.