Americans Elect 2012 Review and Comments

I'm always spouting off about being or getting involved. Even if you don't agree with me you should be engaged in your world and the movers and shakers. A new, to me anyway, method is Americans Elect 2012. I looked it up and signed up just to see what it was all about.

Essentially the site is going to do the things needed to get a non-partizan candidate for President and Vice-President on the ballot in all fifty states. It will do this by havign registered voteres sign up, answer questions about thier views, and vote in an online convention. The winner of the vote will be placed on the ballot in all fifty states. The site believes it will break the gridlock of partisan politics.

Overall I think the site has merit. I think that if their sales pitch actually works it could, over time, become a focus of a growing debate. So, I will see it through just to find out if I am right or not.

After answering 136 questions (there are more but my clicker was asking for overtime cash) I stumbled across one that floored me. Remember that everyone on the site is supposed to be a registered voter. That means they care and actually participate in the process. Your answer, weighted based on priorites you establish, is factored into all the other answers so you get a national and state average.

The Question was: Which of the statements below is closest to your personal view?

The results were:

Option and % Of Answers	Answers
A 13%	It is very important to stick to principles
B 18%	It is more important for politicians in Congress to stick to the principles and values on which they campaigned
C 67%	It is more important for politicians in Congress to work with members of the other party and make consensus policy
D 2%	Unsure

That tells me that I am wasting my breath talking about character. It appears to me that 67% of the registered voters who have been to the site would knowingly elect crooks and liars as long as they reach across the aisle and come to a consensus.

It's no wonder that an Ethics Challenged for Speaker who moonlighted as a Serial Adulterer is gaining in the polls.

Tweet

Ron Paul Announces For President 2012

Folks might be right when they say that RP has no chance of winning. That means a lot of people will not vote for him for fear of "wasting" a ballot on a lost cause. I'd rather die on my feet fighting for a lost, but worthy, cause than to live on my knees just to say I was on the winning team.
FTFGIMAD

Where There Is Smoke, There is ... Vapor?

Hey folks and welcome back. Mr. Peabody, fire up the wayback machine and let's go back to the 1970's. Back in the seventies I was your basic teenager; wild, and stupid. One of the things I learned how to do was smoke cigarettes. Now a few years later I realize that is just about as smart as using concertina wire as dental floss. Don't get me wrong. I truly enjoy smoking. I like the ritual, the social aspect, the taste, etc. But, I realize that the health risks to myself and more importantly to the people around me are huge. So, I decided to quit. Heck it was easy. I managed to quit 15 times over twenty years .

Well I found a new way to feed the need. I've got this thing called an electronic cigarette, e-cig or PV (personal vaporizer) for short. It's a battery, an atomizer, and a cartridge that contains liquefied nicotine. Take a nice long drag and feel the throat hit and lungs expand. Savor the taste. Exhale, and you blow water vapor the looks like smoke. No tobacco, no added chemicals like arsenic, no odor, no sidestream or second-hand smoke, and no dangers to passersby. I have a wife who used to smoke, and kids who've never smoked. None of them were shy at telling me how bad it stunk up the house. And so far all of them think I did the right thing. By the way, I've been tobacco free for almost a month now. I can feel the changes in my body from not inhaling a few thousand chemicals. I'm still addicted to nicotine, but I am convinced that I am better off.

Oh, and did I mention that while the up front cost is sorta steep in the long term it pays for itself in savings? Talk about being a realist. Money talks. Taxation of tobacco is a big revenue generator at all levels of the government. So, what do you think they are going to do about this new phenomenon?

Enter the Food and Drug Administration. These people are not elected. Instead they are appointed and get to make regulations within the very general guidelines provided by the actual law. But make no mistake, these regulations have the effect of law even if the Congress never voted on it.

Right now the FDA stands poised to jump in one of two directions. They can classify e-cigs as a tobacco product and regulate it that way or they can call it a drug delivery device. If they call e-cigs a device they can ban them outright.

I personally couldn't care less what you do in your personal life and your personal time as long as you don't hurt anyone. And, I strongly feel that the .gov has no business in that realm either. And I do get a little bit upset when the government tries to tell people how to live their lives. So if you want to walk down the street butt naked smokin a big ol stogie and a carrying a samauri sword..... go for it. Just don't infringe on others rights when you do.

You need to be aware that the reality of today's government is that the politicians (crooks and liars for the most part), are the ones enabling the bureaucrats. They do this to appease the various lobbies that keep the cash on tap.

If you believe that everyone has the right to live their lives as they see fit without government interference, you might need to watch this issue. If you believe that lifestyle choices (think gay-rights for example) are your choices and not subject to government approval, you might need to watch this issue.

This blog is about facing reality. FTFGIMAD stands for face the facts, get involved, make a difference. So, how can we do that and keep it real? The answer is to challenge everything that has the potential to encroach on your personal liberties. I respect a non-smokers right to breathe clean air. So, I support regulating smoking in a way that preserves smokers and non-smokers rights. I don't support potential adverse regulation, taxation, or outright banning of a device that has the potential to be a healthier alternative to tobacco. And, my elected reps from the mayor to the president have heard from me on this issue.

You may be wondering why I am on a soapbox over an electronic cigarette when there are high profile issues dominating the news. Part of it is my own self-interest to be sure. But, the bigger part is that it's not always the obvious civil liberties contained in the Bill of Rights that are stolen. Sometimes they sneak around the edges and just whittle 'em away from other folks. They figure you won't care about other peoples rights as long as yours are left alone. That might work, for now.

Here are some links that discuss this issue. Remember the WIIFM principle. What's In It For Me? Tax Revenue? Protection of Big Tobbacco companies? Or is it just a government that has decided you can't be trusted to live your own life? You decide.

From Wikipiedia
Smoking Everywhere V. FDA
Oregon AG moves to block 'E-cigarette' sales
Debate continues over e-cigarettes | Jackson County Floridan
FDA and Public Health Experts Warn About Electronic Cigarettes

FTFGIMAD
Technorati Tags: smoking, anti-smoking, FDA, e-cigarette, e-cigarettes, addiction, politics, public health, civil liberties

Local Blogger Introduces Animal Farm 09

The Motto of my Blog is stated at the top banner and again in the bottom of the posts. Face the Facts, Get Involved, Make a Difference. FTFGIMAD is more than a catch phrase. Your label (lib, con, neolib, neocon, godless commie, pinko-pansy-communist-bedwetter etc) is your personal philosophy or core values. Being a realist means that you actually face the facts as they are (being reality based) and use your core values to try to attempt change. Here is a blog post from a guy in Lubbock Texas (just up the road from me) who professes to be a liberal and isn't afraid to slam the local government and quote a "conservative". Good to go dude.

Unofficial Lubbock Blog!: Fair and balanced...: "Yeah, I'm a 'liberal' but I'm a lot more fair and balanced than Rupert Murdoch's media whores (FOX)-- I'm posting a link to a column written by a CONSERVATIVE because there is too much truth in it to ignore. I've also got to admit that I'm disgusted by the Democratic majority and not very happy with the Obama administration (I hoped for some pure radicalism and I'm getting Bush-Lite). Here is the link: http://www.financialsense.com/editorials/quinn/2009/0727.html

This is a good read."

This is an excerpt from the link shown above. When you read it, do some comparisons with history. It doesn't matter what label you choose to crown yourself with. The loss of your civil liberties in the name of (fill in the blank) is egregious (that means bad for the 8th grade dropouts) in the extreme (very bad for the 9th grade dropouts).

"Animal Farm - 2009" by James Quinn. FSO Editorial 07/27/2009: "The United States has gradually degenerated from a Republic based on individual liberties to a socialized oligarchy run by an exclusive few. The country was founded upon the platform of individual rights. We declared our independence from Great Britain because of excessive regulation and taxation. Americans fought for the right to live their lives free from the subjugation of an overbearing governmental body. The Founding Fathers declared our independence with these immortal words:"

You're gonna have to read the rest on your own. Remember, Silence is Consent.
FTFGIMAD
Technorati Tags: animal farm, liberal, conservative, realist, ftfgimad

Beware of Labels

One of the resources I post discussion on is Whitehouse2. I do it mainly because arguments don't normally degenerate into tirades of "you liberal pig" or "you conservative swine". One of the posters over there is Recluse. He or She is bright and can carry on a discussion by actually making his points as well as his point of view.

WH2 is based on the premise of Priorities for the nation. Each "thread" is written in a manner that makes it an action item. The members support it or oppose it. They post talking points, documents, statistics, and discussions. It is linked to HelloCongress.org. By entering your zip code information you are linked to the pages of your federally elected officials. That means that Senator Umptyfratz of the great state of confusion can go to his page on HC and see which WH2 members are actually his constituents in the real world and what thier priorities for the nation are.

Anyway, Recluse posted "Thank a Liberal" as a document under the priority Restore, Uphold, and Defend the Constitution.

It falls in line with other famous posts on the net such as "thank a
soldier, thank a teacher, thank a dog-catcher. It is designed to make
you think. And it succeeds in several areas. For me, it makes me think
about how politics is consumed with labels. You are pigeon holed and
stereotyped and may God in his heaven pity you if you don't follow the
party line.

Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry

If you have not died in a heat wave, drought, hurricane, flood, wildfire, or other climate change disaster, and like the idea of your children and grandchildren not living in desert wastelands, thank a liberal.

Personally, I choose the label of Realist. I have plenty of opinion and philosophical differences with our system, but I consciously try to add a reality check to keep me honest. I don't see most of those improvements or changes in Recluses' post as what we label "liberal" in nature. In my opinion they more accurately fit the definition of the word "Radical". And, like most causes there is a time that the cause is fixed and needs to be honorably retired.

Some of the referenced programs in the post include Unions, the Rural Electrification Administration, and the FDA to name three. Do you notice that each has either outlived their useful lifespan or has morphed into a huge lumbering bureaucracy? I don't have a problem with progress. I like indoor plumbing and light switches. What I don't like is non-productive government agencies that suck our tax dollars into a black hole that Captain Kirk couldn't escape from. I'm also not too thrilled with organizations that would force a worker into their ranks, and force him to pay into their campaign coffers whether he supports their causes or not.

Right now the cause of the day is Health Care Reform. Eventually I hope that no one actually writes "If you enjoy waiting in line twelve months for an ultrasound..." or "If you enjoyed being told that you are too old for a lifesaving drug....." and they end it with "Thank a Liberal".

Here's the reality check. Beware of labels unless you apply them to yourself. Any label another puts on you is designed to force you into their mold. Thanks for reading.

FTFGIMAD

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! May Y2k+9 be the year you find peace, prosperity, and nothing but good fortune. New Years Day is all about starting fresh. We make resolutions that are not going to be kept and we do things that we never resolved to do. So, for this New Years, the Realist is going to make some reality based resolutions.

Resolution	Why Bother?	Resources To Help
This year I am going to incorporate my Family	For the tax breaks and legal breaks	LegalZoom.Com
This year I am going to donate $10,000 to the local animal shelter	Because I feel it's the right thing to do.	Find your local animal shelter
This year I am going to be more active politically	Because I refuse to cede my state or nation to the pols	Look for a separate blog post to address this
This year I am going to become more educated	Because if you stop learning, you will get old	Free Online Courses from MIT

That's it for now. I think that each is doable for me.
Remember, you are a realist if you recognize how it is, and work to make it how it should be. Happy New Year y'all.

Former White House spokesman Tony Snow dies

I first heard Tony Snow on Sirius radio. I like talk radio when it is not all ranting and raving and Mr. Snow appeared to balance the commentary with very pointed and well spoken debates. I enjoyed his show immensely. I would like to offer my condolences to the Snow family and hope that in time they find a measure of peace.

Type rest of the post here

NCAA Playoffs.....

I love Football. IF you are reading from outside the USA I am talking about American Football of course. But, I hate the NCAA division I bubbas. I mean, when are these bozos going to figure out that they need a structured playoff leading to a national title? It's a joke, it's a farce. It's the one election in America that needs to be scrapped.

The pros have two seasons. The regular season where you vie for a playoff berth, and then the playoffs that lead to the Superbowl. Here in Texas, each High School team belongs to a district based on school size. Districts lead to Regions which go to Areas and then to a state championship. It is structured so that there isn't any ambiguity.

Today, my daughters HS (the undisputed district champion) faced another district champ for the regional title. We lost unfortunately. But, we don't have to wait till Monday to have a bloody election among the coaches and (of all things) sports writers to pick one.

I find it amazing that the NCAA still cannot get the picture and improve it's program. This year the ranked teams were upset at a rate of at least one a week. I am watching OU whip up on Mizzou right now. Mizzou is ranked number 1, yet OU is favored to win the Big12. But, a national title? The commentators are arguing now over who might get a BCS berth.

Just say no, to elections and software.

Demand a playoff system.

Your country needs you, right now.

BCS Oklahoma Mizzou Champion Bowl+Championship+Series National+Champion Big+12+Champion Football NCAA+College+Football

Tis The Season

Thanksgiving is over and the Christmas season is on us. It's amazing how in no time flat we went from zero to shopping. Stores opened on Black Friday as early as 0400 local time and my seventeen year old kid had to be at work at 0630. She personally made over 13K at the register of the little specialty store she works at. She personally saw the lines of people who literally camped out at WalMart (across the street) in freezing weather to catch the 0500 sale. And all the while, the background music was playing "Here comes Santa Clause". Oh what a world we live in.

I'm not complaining mind you. It's been that way longer than I have been alive. But, every year I react differently. This year I am leaning more toward trying to demonstrate that Christmas can be about peace, love, family, and celebration without going into debt.

I seriously would like for everyone who reads this to please contact your local Marine Corps Reserve Unit and ask how you can help with the Toy's for Tots program. In a nutshell, T4T is a program designed to help kids. It doesn't matter your views on poor folks/welfare/poverty or Republican/Democrat. It doesn't matter if you believe that folks make thier own situation or not. Not one kid I've ever met chose to be poor enough that Mom and Dad could not buy a toy for Christmas.

There are going to be some readers who will say that any charity program is a scam. I tend to agree in a lot of cases. But, during my career in the Marines, I personally worked on Toy drives a total of six times. As the Active Duty personnel assigned to keep the reserve center moving and grooving, it was one of our highlights. In this case the work was tough, but the reward came when we actually handed out the toys. So, even if the program has or had issues at the national level, I can personally vouch for it at the local level.

So, here is your mission...... Locate, Close With, and Acquire as many new, unwrapped, unopened toys as you can and get with the Marines in your area to help make Christmas a brighter time one kid at a time.

Semper Fi,
Top

Marines Marine+Corps+Reserve Toys+For+Tots Christmas

Fifteen Minutes on Veterans Day

Andy Warhol I think is the one who said that everyone would be famous for about fifteen minutes. I think I am up to minute two.

Shameless Plug........... And I got a letter of commendation from a city council member for it as well. As today is Veterans Day I thought it would be appropriate.

Salutes to all. If you served then you get my thanks because you paved the way for my success. Life is sometimes hard and you physically took the brunt of it when I was a little kid.

IF you are the family member of one who served then you get my thanks for tolerating the unique stresses that accompany being in that position. I know that I could not have done what had to be done without my wife, parents, and kids being as strong as they were.

It is tough in these days to observe and no longer be a participant. Guess I need classes on aging gracefully.

Awesome Weekend

Last Weekend was awesome...... So awesome that I just haven't been able to blog it until now.

For starters, a two day weekend is a rarity for me. I had two whole days and so we drove six hours to the Texas State Fair in Dallas. I always like fairs for the food and the displays. I am not big on rides that get put up and taken down a lot. For rides I will hit DizzyLand or SixFlags etc.

I love checking out the vendors. You get to see the weirdest gadgets. The venerable super chamois is still selling on the fair. The Oklahoma State Fair (1983) is where I got the Ginzu knives still in use. This year we saw the incredible home sushi maker, the rubber broom, t-shirts galore, three different types of miracle car wax, and let's not forget there was also the wear-ever cook wear.

No fair is complete without exhibitions of every type. There is the midway exhibitions of the two headed croc, the seven foot tall amazon, the dwarf bearded female etc. Then of course there was livestock, art, music, etc.

We missed performances by the Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Corps by one day. But, we saw the North Texas Caledonian Pipes & Drums. Awesome.

After a full day at the fair we needed a place to stay. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas. This is a great hotel. Even greater was we followed William Shatners advice and named our price. The deal was so sweet that I am afraid to tell it. Oh hell. We got the room for seventy bux and normally goes for between one and two hundred a night depending on specific days.

Capping it off was visiting with my wife's brother and seeing nieces and nephews that we haven't seen in years. We drank some beer, ate dinners at Mimis, and caught up on current events. The Jambalaya was awesome and the bread was in my daughters words "to die for".

Now I have to find something this weekend to top all that. Stay tuned.

weekend texas+state+fair mimis+cafe

Race/Religious war perpetrated by the government

Ha, bet that headline got your attention didn't it? Well in a roundabout way it is true. Our government at the local, state, and federal level has legislated preferential treatment in such a way that Race and Religion schisms are not mended. Instead they are perpetuated.

I'm still sick of politics in general and so am looking at social issues that ought to be non-partisan. I know it aint as sexy as bashing the crooks and liars on either side that are vying for our attention in one regard and diverting it in others.

Anyway, back to the topic. I am talking primarily about hate crimes and the legislation of same. I understand that some folks think that attacks specifically against gays is somehow worse than a mugging in the park. I cannot agree.

Assault and Battery is A&B no matter who the victim is. A violent attack has always been illegal. And obviously the victim is just as battered. I see the elevation of certain assault crimes to the level of Hate Crimes or even Domestic Terrorism as just another intrusion of the government into society. HCL unfairly elevates certain people or groups above that of society in general. It sends a message that if you are going to beat on someone it better not be anyone who can self-identify with protected label. It's a far reach, theoretically speaking, a smart mugger could simply target young to middle age, heterosexual, nonfat, christian, white males to avoid the penalty enhancement of HCL.

It isn't simply skin color or sex, national origin or sexual identity, age or gender either. There is a religious double standard as well. If you paint a swastika on a synagogue it's very likely that you will be charged with a hate crime instead of simple property damage via malicious vandalism. Dump a Koran in the toilet and you are in the same boat. Race pigs next to a mosque and watch out.

But, amazingly enough when it comes to Christianity we tolerate a lot. Dump a cross into urine and it's art. A moment of silence? It's really church v. state. None of that is a hate crime, instead it is a constitutional issue. Yet, when we accommodate Muslims in our public schools, isn't that exclusion of other faiths and thus, in an admittedly broad interpretation, a hate crime?

How about burning the Flag? I personally feel victimised every time someone does that. I am a vet. Thus the crime is obviously anti-vet. Again, in an admittedly broad interpretation, a hate crime?

The above examples are part tongue in cheek and part "Hey! Double Standard Alert!". In truth I see hate crimes as the criminalization of your personal beliefs. If you hate gays, blacks, women, crippled old people, fat people, thin people, kids, vets, hippies, girlymen, Muslims, Jesus freaks, yadablahetc...... then you may be a twisted freak, but you are not a criminal. At least not today. Hate crimes mean that your personal beliefs are now subject to government regulation. It is a short cliff to fall over.

Just think, in twenty years, an anti-terrorist rally could no longer be free speech. Instead it will be illegal to even think such thoughts.

Prosecute the crime, not the thoughts of the criminal.

hate+crime

Social Graces: Race Relations and BOND.

A buddy of mine told me that I didn't post enough to this blog. Not counting the fact that I do have a life..... heh. Plus, most of what gets blogged here is political in nature and frankly, I am sick of politics for the nonce. Everyone on the left is a socialist to some degree or other. Everyone on the right is trying sooooo hard to be conservative lite that it is rather disgusting. There are no independent candidates that have a hope in hades either. So, what are reality based folks supposed to do if they are civic minded? I guess we look at social issues and see if there is any solutions that are possible within the constraints of today.

So, this post is about race relations in America today. What are the realities? The reality is that there are more blacks in prison on a per capita basis than any other ethnic group. In fact, only recently have whites overtaken blacks in jail actual population numbers. For other stats demonstrating that blacks are still over represented in the justice system check out the first link at the end.

Here is another reality. White criticism of blacks or Hispanics as a group is perceived as racist. Black criticism of blacks isn't tolerated much better. Black pride is "cultural". White pride is associated with the KKK or skinheads. Under these conditions no dialog about the state of race in the USA is possible.

On top of that there are those that exploit racial tension for all that it is worth. Look at Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton. Both are way too quick to point the finger and label everything as racist. Young Mr. West of course ensured we all knew that Bush abandoned the Blacks during hurricane Katrina.

There is one reasonably prominent Black Leader that seems to be pointing to the members of the black community and telling them to get thier act together. Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson isn't pulling any punches either. When discussing the conduct of Blacks during the hurricane, he openly attacked the media opportunists as well as the lawless who made it into the superdome.

Enter Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan. Jackson and Farrakhan laid blame on "racist" President Bush. Farrakhan actually proposed the idea that the government blew up a levee so as to kill blacks and save whites. The two demanded massive governmental spending to rebuild New Orleans, above and beyond the federal government's proposed $60 billion. Not only that, these two were positioning themselves as the gatekeepers to supervise the dispersion of funds. Perfect: Two of the most dishonest elite blacks in America, "overseeing" billions of dollars. I wonder where that money will end up. Source

His articles are life affirming and direct. He calls for moral stances, and leads you to believe that by demanding high standards you should expect high achievement. The second link at the end of this is his website. It is worth a look. Be sure to check out his previous writings.

My questions now are: How can we eliminate the stereotyping inherent in any negative discussion on race? How can we (or should we) get big government out of the race game? Is racism demonstratably alive and well or are we seeing the aftermath? Equal opportunity is guaranteed, equal achievement is not. How can we get that message out in a positive manner? Is there a way to address the issue without using guilt and history as a club?

Or is it all a waste of time and we need to simply await the "race war" that so many groups believe is coming?

I don't have the answers. But, the first step is asking the question.

DOJ Stats by race.
BOND Website

Memorial Day

I was taught as a young man that there were three holidays to explicitly honor the US Military and it's contributions to freedom. I have no sources and no proof that this is correct. But, it makes sense to me and I hope it will to you as well. BTW, if I am factually wrong, feel free to point it out.

The first is Armed Forces Day. It is celebrated to thank the contributions of everyone who has ever served in the Military whether in peace or war. It doesn't matter if they served three years or thirty. Just the fact that they served is enough.


Next on the list was Veterans Day. This was to celebrate the sacrifices and accomplishments of our military men and women who served in time of war. Not much more to say there.

Finally there is Memorial Day. Here we pause, reflect, and give thanks to those who died in service to the nation.

As you and I hit the holiday sales and enjoy a day off from work, please pause, only for a moment if you will, and let a little gratitude come out. Dwell for a minute or two on the men and women who gave everything they had in this world to ensure that you and I could do pretty much as we please. And if you get the chance to console someone who lost a friend, or a loved one in the service, try to help them as well.

Thanks.

memorial+day

Tuesday Trivia

I am sooooooo sick of politics. The election is well over a year away and it is all you hear about on the talk radio channels of any leaning. Tuesdays and Thursdays are usually my long driving days and so I get six to eight hours of Talk Radio ranging from the Bennets, Hughes, Gibson, Colmes, Samuels et al. Just check out Sirius dot com......... Today the big news was on the death of Jerry Falwell.

Y'know I didn't agree with nearly anything he said. He simply wasn't preaching the way I was taught Christians preach as a kid. But, like him or not, you had to respect a few of his points.

Unlike a lot of Televangelists I don't remember him publically flaunting a millionaire lifestyle. It always seemed phony to me that the "Preacher man talking on TV, puttin' down the rock and roll. Wants me to send a donation 'cause he's worried about my soul." The selfsame preachermen often sported suits I cannot even look at let alone buy. And, this was back when bling wasn't a word, they were decked out in jewels fit to ransom a couple of hostages from the middle east.

Unlike a lot of Televangelists I don't remember him being involved in marital scandals or sex with hooker either. For all I know, he may've had troubles like that. But if he did, it was well hidden.

Mr. Falwell, in my opinion, is/was guilty of being judgemental in the extreme. But it appears that his beliefs were sincere and he appeared to try to live up to them.

If you are gay, a woman, or other minority you may believe that his messages were hate filled. Fine with me. You can read into what he said and draw any conclusions you like.

But something I noticed today is that the tolerant left, the non-judgemental left, the left that tells us we should be more humane etc is excoriating the man upon his death. I hope that the folks who are gleefully cackling that he will burn in hell actually expressed those sentiments towards him in life in order to engage him. To wait until he is dead, and can no longer figuratively defend himself strikes me as a bit of cowardice.

A couple of examples. The first one at least is creative with a bit of humor in there.

Falwell blames gays, feminists, lesbians for death

Hope he’s wearing asbestos underwear

The gates of hell swing open and Satan welcomes his beloved son

I wonder if anyone on the right was as obviously glad when genuine evil died? Were there stories of this nature when Timmy McVeigh, Saddam Hussein, or Slobodan Milosevic died. Each of them were responsible for genuine mass murder. Guess I will Google it tomorrow just to see.

falwell+death hate religion

The Ugly American

There is a sad fact about the USA.

We are the most arrogant nation on the planet. We have a pretty good reason to be since we alone profess and actually possess a level of freedom considered ridiculous by many.

WE have another great reason. Two world wars. And while we were not the overarching victors of WWI that we were in WWII we damn sure made the difference.

More reasons. Korea and Vietnam come to mind. We died by the truckload to preserve, protect, and defend the freedom concept. If there were political realities involved, or proxies to fight, so what. In the long view the cause was just.

Even more reasons. We either invented, or made practical applications of damn near every thing. Automobiles, Aircraft, Cameras, Computers, etc. If we didn't invent it outright we damn sure built it better and made it work in a reality based world.

We were so accustomed to doing great things (if we can put a man on the moon [five times]) on a regular schedule that we took it for granted.

As the great deeeds began to fade, we still knew we were great. Since we knew we were the savior of the world we expected the world to show due deference. We expect the world to speak English and put up signs for us as well. When was the last interstate highway sign printed in Japanese or even Spanish?

As the old soldiers began to fade away we asked if fighting and dying were worth it. After all, we are Americans, who is going to challenge us? So we cut back and taught our children that schoolyard fights required therapy. We decided that every swat was abuse. We decided competition in schools wasn't the right thing to do. Besides, there was time to learn all that in college right?

As our educational system became less competative, we told ourselves that hard functional education wasn't needed. Just throw money at it. Japan and Singapore now routinely embarrass us in the field of Academics.

And yet, most Americans still honestly believe that we are the greatest nation on the earth. If we do it, it must be right. And we still expect the world to change to our way of thinking.

We have the very best and most honorable men and women in uniform taking orders from the least honorable among us. And as the wars and rumors of wars continue (likely long after the current President is gone) I hope that we will find our national character again so that we can live up to the example being shown today on the front lines. I hope that our citizens begin to realise that greatness, like fitness, takes work. Otherwize you go to seed. I'm afraid that our national character is so fragmented that we are going to seed.

It's time for more than just the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines get into the gym and get fit. It is time return to greatness without simply bashing about the world like a bull in a china shop. It can be done, but the question really is: Do we as a nation have the will to do it?

arrogant character greatness

Break Time Again.....

It's another Saturday Night and I aint got ..... Well not quite. But, I am not in the mood for deep political thought right now. Even realists have to have some fun from time to time. So let's check out some very cool places

Does anyone besides me actually read books anymore? I think of the library as the best public money ever spent. It's like a prehistoric Internet. But sometimes the library doesn't have what you want and you will actually have to pay the big bux to get that much needed information.

Two sites that I really like are Booksprice and Smartflix. Booksprice allows you to compare the prices on book or dvds or cds. Just enter the author or title or ISBN and voila there is your books. Hit compare price and voila again.... many sources for the book with links and reviews. It will also get sources in Germany and the UK. So if your 5.00 book has a 40.00 shipping fee, check the country of origin.

Smartflix is just like netflix except the content is how-to oriented. Wanna make a knife, knit a sweater, build a mold to cast plaster or plastic in? They have the video. SF is a bit pricey when you compare it to netflix. But, netflix isn't going to give you a class in oxyacetylene welding either. So if you would like to build it, fix it, or just learn about it check out smartflix. There is a link on the left to click.

Like animals? My family is very animal oriented. If we had the space, we'd have dozens of animals. But alas we have to get by with two cats and a pup. If you have a canine buddy and need advice on how to care, feed, train, etc here is a message board that is all about dogs. The members are great and have proven to be helpful many times.

In the shop I like to listen to the radio. I listen to sirius at work in my van and at home listen to the local AM talk radio. On Sirius I listen to all the talking heads. Sean Hannity,Spencer Hughes, Brian and the Judge (Napolitano),Andrew Wilkow Lynn Samuels, The Young Turks, and Alan Colmes. I obviously cannot listen to everyone everyday or I'd never get any work done. But I find that they all are generally talking about the same or similar issues. It can be real entertaining to listen to each sides talking points. If you didn't know better you'd think they had an agenda.

On the AM talker I listen to Pratt on Texas. He is a Libertarian leaning with a mix of conservatism. He also rarely comments on national issues. Instead he focuses solely on Texas. That is cool since nowadays it is sooooo easy to get distracted by the label-makers and forget that there is a local and state government you need to keep an eye on as well.

I'm not going to bore you with all the hobby related woodworking or metal working sites I go to. But suffice to say that I am a news and Internet junkie. Now, the real question is where you go to surf when you are not going after the political analysis of the moment.....

Thanks for reading.

radio book dog local

Car Wrecks and Common Sense

Nothing in the normal world gets your attention quite as fast as a 200 mph explosion literally in your face. Got in a car accident day before yesterday and the air bag hit like Mike Tyson with a fast jab. After that, things focus sharply and you have to wonder about all the stupid stuff going on in the world. I didn't see my life pass before my eyes or anything. But it damn sure made sure I noticed the blue sky, the green grass, my dog, and so on and so forth. But, I'm still on a mission to ensure the Democrats are successful in governing the USA. Why? Because if they fail as miserably as the Republican Congress did, I am the one living with it.

I'm going to incorporate a new idea in (hopefully) each political post from now on. Instead of the normal left/right Repub v. Dem paradigm, we are going for the common sense approach that has a realistic chance of success if implemented. It won't be perfect of course since nothing is. If I don't have an idea, I will look for the common sense solutions in effect and highlight some of them.

I found this during the news dump. I can't help but laugh. Folks who argue politics either love or hate Wikipedia. In all reality it is improving. It's gone from pure speculation to almost authoritative.

Morning Edition, March 12, 2007 · The online encyclopedia Wikipedia is running into trouble with with contributor credentials. Last week it discovered that an influential contributor who claimed to be a theology professor was, in fact, a 24-year-old college dropout.

One of the founders now says the site may start vetting the credentials of contributors who claim to have advanced degrees.

Isn't that a hoot?

Anyway...... Today's issue is the Flag Burning Amendment that was before Congress. The house passed it, but the senate rejected it by one vote. I seriously doubt that the Democrats are going to allow it to come up again either. So, if you want to prevent flag burning without compromising civil liberties.... how do you get it done? Simply pass a law that requires all US Flags or US Flag images manufactured, bought, sold, or imported into the USA or its' territories be made of a nonflammable material. Try to burn it all you wish. Some will succeed, most will fail. No amendment needed, no violation of anyone's rights. As a practical matter, we will have to make a reasonable deadline so folks can switch over. But, it is doable. Credit for this goes to Redwinggirl over at polyrap.

In the issue that was resolved using common sense category..... today goes to Texas and the legislation that limits protests at funerals. No ones rights are violated, and the dignity of the occasion is maintained. Good Job.

The new law makes it a Class B misdemeanor to protest within 500 feet of the site of a funeral service from one hour before a site is used for a service to one hour after the service.

"This bill protects the sanctity and solemnity of services as fallen Texas heroes are laid to rest," Perry said. "There is a time and place for protests, but it is not at funerals and burials for U.S. soldiers who died to protect the freedoms we hold so dear."

The point of these two examples is to demonstrate that we don't have to accept ideological solutions or talking points from any side. And, by thinking out of the box, things can be fixed no matter who is in charge.

So far I haven't seen much out of the current Congress. I hope they get a move on.

Time to hit the wood shop. Thanks for reading.

Wikipedia Considers Vetting Contributor Credentials
Perry signs law barring funeral protests

common+sense realist reality

End the war now!

That's it, I have had it. There comes a time when the scale finally tips and you come down on one side or the other of an issue. Today is the day. I can no longer support the war. Too many people have died. It costs too much. It's hypocritical and politically motivated. And if that were not enough, it has gone on for too long with inadequate results.

A first, like most everyone, I supported the war. After all, the President said it was a worthy cause. We were told that it was important to our future that this war be won. Our kids, and our very lives and culture were at stake. So of course I went along. There were a few who didn't support it and they were shouted down. But, there was a seed of doubt in me. And after this many years, I just cannot do it anymore. No more excuses. We need to end this war, now, today, most ricky tic.

Of course I am talking about the so-called War On Drugs. Of all the "wars" we have been involved in, this one takes the cake. For starters, where is the threat to us as a nation? I don't envision the Colombian Drug Lords landing LCACS at Padre Island and establishing a beachhead.

Quite honestly the War On Drugs actually fosters drug use. Human nature gravitates towards the forbidden fruit. And since someone has to supply the fruit, it creates the latest get-rich-quick scheme.... dealing drugs.

Additionally, I finally had to ask..... who the hell is the government to tell me I can't snort coke if I want to? I mean, it's my body and so it should be my choice to pollute it or not. Let's face it, so long as T&A are legal (if heavily taxed and regulated) then drug laws are hypocritical. The logic simply doesn't support it.

It is time to radically alter the drug laws of our country. I support forbidding access to minors (under 18), and I support substance abuse being an aggravating factor in any crime. But, possession and usage of drugs should be a private matter, not a war.

Let's assume that drugs become legal. Here are some of the immediate benefits that the Democratic majority should be looking at.

The immediate savings of about six hundred dollars, per second.

How about the abolition of the DEA? I am not trying to put these brave law enforcement officials out of a job. Instead they all get transferred to reinforce the US Customs Service, the US Border Patrol, The FBI, The CIA, The TSA (imagine that outfit with dedicated professionals), or the US Marshals office for starters. The reinforcement is going to be limited because these guys are DNR's. DNR stands for Do Not Replace. Thus as they retire, move to other jobs, or die (God Forbid) there is no newbie in the pipeline. In less than twenty years we will have reduced the .gov by an entire agency and almost 11,000 taxpayer supported jobs.

By it's very nature illegal drugs are expensive. If legalized the price will drop. Then it can be subjected to the same insane sin taxing that we place on T&A. Or, for a more radical approach, let the .gov manufacture and sell drugs. The undercutting of prices and the legalization will cut off Pimp Daddy Drug-lord at the knees.

Some argue that folks will die if given free access to drugs. Likely so. But more likely, they will go after cheap drugs and not have to commit various felonies to support the habit.

Imagine if you will the rewards if we released all the non-violent drug offenders. Immediately we would create the space needed to keep the violent away from society instead of releasing them early to make way for newer felons.

The Department of Justice reported that at year-end 2003, federal prisons held a total of 158,426 inmates, of whom 86,972 (55%) were drug offenders. By comparison in 2000 federal prisons held 131,739 total inmates of whom 74,276 (56%) were drug offenders, and in 1995 federal prisons held a total of 88,658 inmates of whom 52,782 (60%) were drug offenders.

Again, this is a civil liberties issue. As a US Marine I was regularly tested for drug usage. Many employers routinely test for drugs as a condition of employment. Basically, if you want your job then don't do drugs. It (drug testing) is an effective tool when systematically applied. The bonus is that it is a private initiative. Imagine that, an action that helps society without the influence of Uncle. You have to love that. Take notes Members of Congress. While you are not known for advocating a smaller .gov, here is a chance to steal from the Republican playbook.

The monetary savings (remember 600.00 every second) can be used to balance the budget, pay down the national debt, add to anti-drug education or rehab, or (gasp) fund Social Security fully. The key element is to remember that each individual citizen has the right to live his or her life as they please free from interference. In other words so long as they don't harm anyone else, get the hell out of their lives.

Finally, I don't do drugs. I don't associate with anyone who does. I physically threaten people who I believe may be trying to entice my family with drugs. But, all of those are my choices. By legalizing drugs, the fed doesn't have to support drug use any more than they support open distribution of T&A.

T&A
National Review
How much do we spend on the WOD?
DEA Staffing and Budget
Drug Offenders In The Corrections System — Prisons, Jails and Probation

drugs drug+war drug+lords legalization prison jail probation drug+abuse DEA DOJ

Annual Tax Rant

It's that time of year again. Uncle Sugar has his hand out looking for your $$$. I absofreakinglutly despise the income tax in this country. I am the quintessential McUSA citizen. And I wouldn't even think about trying to do taxes without assistance. Normally I stress reality over philosophy, but on taxes I can be just as irrational as anyone

If there is a single more civil liberty stealing, group punishment, group reward, special interest target, entitlement mentality fostering, or privacy crushing mechanism than the internal revenue code I hope someone will point it out.

Patriot Act? Nah. Piss off an IRS auditor and let him or her get your name. Then you may see the American Gestapo in action. If a bank says that you owe a thousand dollars, you can tell them to pound sand. Can they come in and seize your assets? Nope. Do they get to be the arbiter in your dispute? Nope. Are you required to prove that you didn't get the bill? Nope (proving a negative). But, if the IRS alleges that they sent you a bill for a hundred bux, it's up to you to prove you didn't receive it! If you don't pay, they can literally freeze your life in its' tracks without a court battle.

Can that bank or other creditor haul you in to thier offices and demand that every detail of your life be opened to thier scrutiny? So much for privacy. The IRS needs to know your name, address, occupation, wages (verified by the employer), social security number (the one that wasn't supposed to be an ID), number of kids, how much you spent on your home, etc, etc, etc. And, this "private" information is available to members of congress. So, don't piss off your Congress critter.

Then of course there is the mandatory loan I have to make to the .gov every payday at no interest. But, go ahead and not pay up when the bill is finally figured. Interest and penalties accumulate and we are back to seizing assets.

Speaking of figuring it out, no two people are alike and neither is thier tax return. You and I can be virtual twins and make exactly the same cash. But depending on how good our advisers are, the tax bills can be drastically different. There is no person alive that can be called an expert on all possible permutations of the tax code.

I support the Fairtax, also known as HR25. It is a national sales tax in place of the tax code. No, it is not perfect. But at least I won't spend $$$ to make sure that I have the correct $$$ amount figured to send to the .gov.

When the Democrats won the elections, Charlie Rangel was to be appointed to a powerful committee. I sent this letter to him.

To the Members of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee:

Greetings,

My name is MSgt [redacted], United States Marine Corps, Retired. I live in the [redacted] District of the State of Texas. I am writing to express my personal support for HR25 also known as the Fairtax.

I am sure that you will receive statements from professionals more qualified than I about economic issues in regard to taxation and revenue generation. My statement is intended to discuss HR 25 from the man-on-the-streets perspective.

Our income tax code has grown or changed substantially since the first year (1981) that I filed a tax return. Today’s tax code is so complicated that a layman cannot hope to comprehensively understand it. Instead, the average person is forced to hire professionally trained tax preparers to assist them. Ironically, if you ask three nationally known preparation agencies a tax question, and then the IRS, you are likely to get four answers. I did just that as an experiment in 1999.

So, the first and most important reason from my perspective to support HR 25 is the elimination of approximately 13,400 pages of Title 26 of the US Code of Federal Regulations and another 3,387 pages of Title 26 of the United States Code.

The simplification inherent in HR 25 will pay huge dividends simply by removing the need for professional help to do your part as a citizen.

No American agency should be feared by her citizens, ever. Yet the average person at tax time lives in dread of “the audit”. The second big reason to scrap the tax code is obvious. HR 25 will remove the potential IRS abuses of individuals.

Let’s face it. Politicians do not have the best of public reputations. The weekly scandals and the partisan infighting do nothing to detract from the image of politicians as little better than sharks. At least with sharks the dorsal fin is obvious. So the next great reason to support and expeditiously pass HR 25 is in public relations. The folks you need to impress are the indifferent middle. Passage of this bill will target those people where they live, in the wallet. They will know who voted for and against the reform. On election day they would very likely remember those who voted to directly make their daily lives easier.

Finally passage of HR 25 will ensure fairness and eliminate manipulation of the tax code by politicians in order to reward or punish. Further, everyone, whether they are rich or poor, saint or sinner, legal or illegal will pay. Even better is that each person chooses how much to pay as a direct result of their spending habits. The very poor may actually make money if the prebate exceeds the amount they spend on new goods or services.

So, if each Member is truly a representative of all of the people within their districts they will vote to pass HR 25 without delay or excessive modification. Your constituents will thank you for eliminating 17000 pages of existing legislation and regulation. They will note that the IRS can no longer be the American Gestapo. They will remember who ignored the lobbyists and stood up for the folks who put them into office, and they will remember who helped bring about fairness and relegated “Tax Day” to the other failed experiments of American History.

Of course I didn't get a reply. I didn't expect one. I don't expect the fairtax to be set up this year either. Instead I just hope that I don't get skinned (again).

taxes income+tax irs rangel charlie+rangel House+ways+and+means