I was having a cordial political discussion with some people today and, as is often the case, someone made the comment that there will be new elections in 2010, and we will be able to take back America. This is a democracy after all. But is it? Is what we live in really a democracy? Sure, we all get to vote, but how are we casting our votes? For who? And why?

A democracy is a system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through freely elected representatives, and as such, it is the common people who are considered as the primary source of political power. A democracy also assumes the existence and practice of the principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community.

Does that accurately describe the country we live in now? Have you ever looked at the people around you at work — who are complaining about overtime and wondering if the boss will figure out that they weren’t really sick on Friday — and told yourself, “These people, together with myself, rule this country,” without laughing at yourself afterword? Have you ever spent a moment at the local saloon — where the “common people” are hanging out, drinking, laughing, groping each other and spilling beer on their shoes — and thought solemnly, “Right here, in this room, is where the primary source of political power in our nation grows from,” and kept a straight face? Have you ever just looked in the mirror and said, “This is my country. I am a respected individual, and this nation recognizes my social equality,” and didn’t fall over on the floor laughing uncontrollably? I didn’t think so.

So, what happened? If the founding fathers were so careful to set up a government that would always represent “We the people,” how did it all go so wrong? Simple. We sold the farm.

Picture this: Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve all seen it. In our schools, our children’s schools, public meetings, television shows, leadership seminars, political speeches, and even in legislation supported by the President, the message is clear: we should all be doing community service. The fact is that the call to service is greater now than at any time in our country’s past, and the pressure to provide it even greater.

The pressure to conform to the growing demand to volunteer your self, in body and bankbook, can be daunting. When confronted with a group of peers, all telling you how much you are needed, it can be difficult to resist. When your child’s teacher tells you how important it is that you volunteer for the school bake sale, how can you say no? When your Mayor asks you to volunteer your time for the citywide cleanup, how can you refuse? And when the girl scout who lives next door asks you to buy cookies, or the soccer player who lives down the street asks you to buy raffle tickets, how can you not open your wallet and hand them the money?

Simple. Say “no.” Unless, that is, you want to do it, and can.

First of all, it’s not so much “community service” that I have a problem with. Serving your community has plenty of merit, and everyone should do it, provided of course that you are willing, and just as important, able. The problem arises when you are expected to give your time and your money to a cause that you don’t want to support. And more problems arise when you are expected to give your time and your money to a cause when you can’t afford it. Read the rest of this entry »

This is why Americans should be armed. Do you think it is an accident that these guys set up shop in California, where they know that any average person they come across has no chance of being armed and able to mount an adequate defense?

The founders of our country saw the need of a well regulated, and well armed militia who was able to defend themselves and their country against impending threats. If defending yourself against illegal aliens, who are growing illegal drugs, and threatening Americans citizens on public lands, isn’t what they had in mind, then I have know idea.

When I commented on the original site that this was “One more reason to always be armed,” a guy named Joe responded:

“Yeah, your single handgun/rifle is going to be real useful against pot farmers with five high powered rifles, equipped with rifle scopes and numerous rounds of ammunition, not to mention greater numbers and a familiarity with the area.

“Good way to get yourself shot, more like.”

Since they moderated my reply (I guess I was too extreme for them) I give the basics of it here. Yes, my “single handgun/rifle is going to be real useful against pot farmers with “five high powered rifles, equipped with rifle scopes and numerous rounds of ammunition.” In fact, that sounds a lot like what I carry in my truck, and my camper. Read the rest of this entry »

Matt Drudge over at the DRUDGEREPORT pointed out this speech today from Governor Rick Perry of Texas dressing down the federal governments blatant disregard for the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution, and reaffirming states’ rights and sovereignty. It is refreshing to see a governor stand up to the federal government and demand a return to the federalism envisioned by our forefathers.

I called for the governors of the several states to stand up for their sovereign rights in my post from last week, and it looks like at least some of them are thinking along the same lines. This kind of thinking could get the governor a special file in the DHS’s rightwing fanatic file though!

Let’s all join him. The first file to 100 pages wins!

WAKE UP CALL: TEXAS GOV. BACKS RESOLUTION AFFIRMING SOVEREIGNTY
Tue Apr 14 2009 08:44:54 ET

Read the rest of this entry »

In the 25+ years since the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) was signed into law by President Nixon it has been used like a shock collar to keep individual States from wandering too far away from the herd. I’s initial purpose was noble, but in the quarter century since its inception the ESA has been corrupted to such an extent that it is completely unrecognizable as a successful, manageable, or even Constitutional piece of legislation. Instead of allowing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, along with dozens of environmental groups, to continually erode each States individual sovereignty, the States need to stand up to Washington and challenge their authority to impose this failed policy.

The purpose of the ESA is to protect species that are identified as threatened or endangered and the ecosystems that they depend on. There are some examples of success among the plants and animals listed as threatened or endangered in the United States. The most notable is the American Bald Eagle, whose population of just 417 pairs in 1963 increased to an extraordinary 11,040 pairs when is was delisted in 2007. Another is the Ursus arctos horribilis, also known as the good old Grizzly Bear, whose population in the Yellowstone area more than doubled from a measely 271 bears in 1975 to more than 580 in 2005. He was also delisted in 2007. In fact, there have been 19 success stories in the nearly three decades of protection given by the ESA to 1,891 species of plants and animals around the world. Yes, you read that correctly. There have been only 19 species removed from the endangered species list because their populations have recovered. That is a success rate of about 1%. For all of the taxpayer money that has been spent on 589 distinct recovery plans, and for all of the private property owners and businesses that have been bankrupted in the name of habitat protection and restoration, there have been only 19 success stories to come out of the Endangered Species Act. It is one of the most wildly unsuccessful government programs in history. Read the rest of this entry »

Back on November 7, 2008, when President Obama was still President Elect Obama, the official website of his presidential transition was www.change.gov. When the site was first posted, on the page labeled “America Serves,” Obama outlined his plan that would require that students perform a certain number of hours of community service.

Within hours of the website going live, the blogosphere was abuzz with reports of the suprising content of the page, such as aye chihuaha’s post on Flopping Aces (which is the source of the above screenshot). The official transition website stated:

“Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year.” (emphasis added)

As the outrage rippled through the web, Obama’s transition team got wary of the impending backlash and within hours amended the site.

The new language in question, still available on the site, now reads:

Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by setting a goal that all middle school and high school students do 50 hours of community service a year and by developing a plan so that all college students who conduct 100 hours of community service receive a universal and fully refundable tax credit ensuring that the first $4,000 of their college education is completely free. (emphasis added)

Now, this might seem innocuous, until you read House Bill 1388, introduced on March 9, 2009, that “reauthorize(s) and reform(s) the national service laws” and creates a congressional committee that will analyze “whether a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people could be developed.” Read the rest of this entry »

Andrew Glass was a quiet man. He had a couple of friends, but they all lived blocks away, and his best friend lived on the other side of town. His neighbors though, didn’t like him at all.

Andy lived in a house that used to belong to his great grandparents, but the Basher family had been staying there for a long time before he moved back into it. Now the Bashers were angry. They hadn’t wanted to leave the house, and in the end, Andy had to call the police and force them out.

Because of the animosity, Andy had all kinds of arguments with the Bashers. The Bashers, who owned the houses on either side of Andy’s, would stand in their yards yelling, “We want our house back,” as they threw rocks at him over the fence.

“It’s not your house,” Andy would say to them, ducking to avoid the rocks, “It’s mine. You were just staying here while my family was gone.”

Andy often had to sleep under his bed because of the constant barrage of rocks that broke the windows in his house, and clattered to the floor all over his room. One time, the Bashers got so violent that the police even kicked them out of their houses next door, and some of Andy’s family members moved into them to keep the Bashers from moving back. Read the rest of this entry »

The American voters have cast their ballots, and the decision has been made. Barack Obama is our new President Elect.

First of all, let me be gracious in defeat. I would like to congratulate Senator Obama for attaining the highest office in our nation. Senator Obama ran a superb campaign, and the final vote tallies show just how excellent of a campaign it was. While I definitely did not support his candidacy, I will support him as my President.

Secondly, I want to say, while I will support him as my President, I will be watching him closely over the next four years. While I believe that he should be given the chance to shape policy in the direction which he believes is best for the nation, that policy must stay within the bounds of our Constitution, and I will not tolerate any divergence to the same. I have been an outspoken opponent of what I believe to be Obama’s vision for this nation, but I hope I have been wrong. I have also been very unforgiving about Obama’s past associations, and very suspicious of his economic and political beliefs. I have been very vocal in my suspicion that he is both a Marxist, and a reparationist. There is a chance I have been wrong. There is a chance that he is just another politician, and he may even turn out to be a good President. This is one of those few times that I hope I was wrong in the past. I doubt it, but I am hopeful. Either way, I will be watching.

Thirdly, I have to say, I am proud to be from one the few Red States left in our country. Wyoming voted overwhelmingly Republican, and we sent two great Republican Senators, Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, back to Washington, and picked Cynthia Lummis, a long serving Republican Stateswoman, to replace Barbara Cubin as our sole voice in the House of Representatives. We are one of the few strongholds of conservatism left in the nation, and I wouldn’t think about living anywhere else. Read the rest of this entry »

The LA Times is refusing to release a videotape that shows Barack Obama attending a dinner in honor of Rashid Khalidi. It is no wonder that he doesn’t want it released. The comments he made while toasting Rashid Khalidi during the event are inflamatory and embarrassing to say the least! He said:

“My friend Rashid is a hero among our Palestinian brothers along the West Bank, and with his continued effort, and our continued support, we can guarantee the removal of the Jewish invaders from our promised land! Without a doubt, a united Palestinian front can banish the racist Israeli state back to the four corners of the world and cleanse the holy land of their stain! Then, we will use the example of Palestinian liberation to usher forth a new age in America! An America where heroes like my good friends Bill Ayers, Reverend Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan, and Malik Zulu Shabazz will bring and end to the tyranny of capitalism, democracy, and white christianity! We will take the wealth of the American economic elite, and use it to buy the votes of the American poor! Then, when we have control of the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, the United States Supreme Court, and of course, the White House, we will show the American people what real governance is! We will redistribute the wealth! We will bring down the corporations, and eliminate the small busenessmen! We will put them on the path to socialism, and get this nation ready for the next step toward Marxist Communism! We will give them change!”

Well, at least I’m pretty sure that’s what he said. Well, actually, I have no idea what he said, I’m just guessing. But, if the LA Time refuses to release the video so we can know for sure, I’m just going to have to assume that I guessed right!

National Park Service 9-11 Statue of Liberty and WTC Fire

Today marks the 7th anniversary of a day our country will never forget. I don’t have to explain it to you. If I needed to, you would never understand anyway.

On that morning, I was scheduled to work the morning shift at one of our family businesses, and I was on my way to work at about 5:15am (Mountain Time) listening to the morning news when the newscaster mentioned something about a prominent leader and promoter of democracy in Afghanistan having been assassinated that morning. I didn’t give it much thought until later that morning. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve seen dozens of editorials and articles over the last several days that claim the Bush administration is ignoring science in it’s new overhaul of rules regarding Federal agencies and how they adhere to the Endangered Species Act. The reality is that the Endangered Species Act hasn’t been ruled by science for decades. It is ruled by over-financed wildlife and environmental groups who cherry pick the the judicial system and manipulate their lawsuits to make sure a judge favorable to their causes forces the implementation of the Endangered Species Act in a way that benefits THEIR agendas.

It’s been over a decade since wolves were forced down the throats of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, with the reintroduction of an “experimental” population. It was determined that a “successful” population would consist of about 300 wolves roaming Northwest Wyoming, Yellowstone Park, and the bordering areas of Montana and Idaho. It wasn’t until the poplulation reached over 1800 that the feds finally turned over management of the wolves to the individual states, and now a federal judge in Montana has decided that those 1800 wolves don’t represent a large enough population and has returned management control of the wolves to the feds. The numbers were obviously good enough for the “scientists” that planned the reintroduction in the first place! But it isn’t about the science is it? The ESA has never been about the science. Read the rest of this entry »

I went to a Motley Crue concert this weekend and it was absolutely awesome. Well, the music, and the show were awesome. I was just a little bit perturbed about the political undertones that played on the screens on either side of the stage, though. The porn fest that played on the screens was a little over the top, but it was expected. It was a rock concert after all. The political undertone was kind of out of line though. It’s no wonder kids are flocking after Obama if this is where they get their political educations.

During the songs, the clips showed images of former dictators ruling with iron hands, and President George Bush intermingled with them. It said over and over, “Fact: Governments control people with fear,” and it when on to show images of war, 9/11, and a flash by quote reading, “World Trade Center Building 7,” which obviously refers to the conspiracy theory that building 7 was destroyed by the U.S. government to hide a cover up of the “real” 9/11 perpetrators. While the band screamed, “Shout at the Devil,” President Bush’s image flashed on the screens, flipping off the crowd, and morphed into an image of the devil.

Rock rebellion? Of course! But it does beg the question, how much influence should a bunch of former drug addicts have on America’s political climate? And it’s not just Motley Crue! Rock bands and other performers all over the country are using their concerts and albums as a soapbox to spew their political rhetoric. Green Day, Audioslave, Antiflag, the Dixie Chicks, Ludacris, and more, use their music and their shows to indoctrinate our nations youth into a anti-nationalist fervor. Read the rest of this entry »