State Sovereignty: Follow Up

Lest anyone misunderstand, my previous piece, State Sovereignty: The Final Hope, was not meant to be an expression of desire for secession from the union by any state. The actual intent was to clarify that the states set up the federal government, the states set the parameters for its organization, the states granted and limited its powers, and the states have the power to reign it in. The question is, will they?

There were a few Governors who initially resisted the stimulus funds offered by the federal government. They stood initially on principle before succumbing to public pressure. Some rationalized the taking of some of the money after originally telling us how it didn't come without strings attached. I'm not sure whether or not any leaders held out completely. It was a chance for true leadership to stand up and say, "Enough, we will not be participants."

If the states will not stand up to the federal government, the trends will never be changed. Both major political parties have been enlarging the size of government and increasing the debt and deficit. We cannot expect any substantive change to come from within. We the people are fairly powerless once the election is completed. Party politics trumps serving the people once they get to D.C. and their collection of form letters.

The states could very well amend the Constitution should they wish to do so, whether that be to add an amendment or to repeal one. Three-fourths of the states, thirty eight, can call the convention to deal with such issues. The details are laid out in Article V of the Constitution. It is apparent that the Founding Fathers planned for the possibility of the government being non-responsive to the people.

Article V - Amendment

The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.

The states have allowed the federal government to pass legislation and rule from the bench regarding areas that should have been state issues. They have allowed the government to grow out of control. The result is being seen as the government is now dictating to private industry as to how their business should be carried out from having company officers terminated to removing standing from investors. Threats and retribution by the government toward companies and individuals is a step too far. The states need to take back the power they have ceded to the federal government. The Founding Fathers were rightly concerned about a centralized government becoming too powerful. The things they warned of are coming true before our very eyes. Our last hope is to elect state and local leaders that will stand up to the federal government or succumb to the whims of D.C.

State Sovereignty: The Final Hope

The common misconception is that we are a sovereign nation of fifty states. The reality is that our nation is a republic of fifty sovereign states. A game of semantics? There is a difference between the two ideas. Even if the difference seems to be subtle, the effect is great. In his first inaugural address, President Ronald Reagan said, "We are a nation that has a government -- not the other way around." This country is a union of sovereign states with a common federal government to provide certain services for the common good of the group as dictated by the powers enumerated in the Constitution. It is not a national government with a territory of fifty states to serve the government. The government has become a beast that continues to grow, demanding more of its subjects as it grows.

One change that I would support and see as a positive step, but in reality I do not expect to ever see happen, is to repeal the 17th amendment. Article 1, section 3 of the Constitution states in part, "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote." The Senators were appointed to serve the interests of their state, to prevent other states from passing laws that would put their state at a disadvantage. Today's Senators have no fear of being recalled by their State Legislature if they fail to act in the best interest of their state.

Amendment 17 - Senators Elected by Popular Vote. Ratified 4/8/1913. History

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.

When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.

This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.

The states in effect gave up a means of control to the federal government. The state I live in, Minnesota, frequently has a legislative body that is far from conservative. Even though I am at odds with their decisions on a regular basis, I would much rather have them retain control of the situation with the ability to rein in a Senator that plays party politics over the interest of the state.

Some states are actually beginning to make a stand as legislators introduce resolutions based on the Kentucky Resolutions of Thomas Jefferson. According to Joseph Sobran, "The Resolutions were written in protest against the Alien and Sedition Acts, which Jefferson saw as unconstitutional. It’s now generally agreed that he was right. He stressed that if the Federal Government were to be the final and exclusive authority on what the Constitution meant, it would be free to define the extent of its own powers — which would defeat the whole purpose of a written constitution. On this occasion Jefferson didn’t call for secession, but later secessionists would draw on his powerful arguments. He treasured the Union, but he abhorred the idea that the states could or should be kept in the Union by force. They were still, in principle, “Free and Independent States.” They could remain free and independent only if they remained sovereign. In 1816 Jefferson would write that “if any state in the Union will declare that it prefers separation ... to a continuance in union ... I have no hesitation in saying, ‘Let us separate.’” He hoped it would never come to that, but he saw that the ultimate right to withdraw from the Union was essential to the Union’s free and voluntary character"

Another States issue of recent weeks is the talk of the ability to secede from the Union. Now remember, this is a Union of States. The preamble to the Constitution states, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." The union is of states, multiple sovereign states. They created the federal government and gave limited powers to it, reserving all other considerations to themselves individually. The federal government has over stepped those bounds frequently and radically. The states have given over their rights to the feds, or maybe better put, have sold their souls, had they had souls. The states voluntarily joined the union, and the threat of secession is the power the states held to keep the government in check. Secession is a tool the states have to help keep the federal government in check, to control it's actions. While it is not a tactic to be used carelessly, it is a necessary tool to retain freedom from tyranny.

When the original thirteen states formed the union, they wrote The Declaration of Independence. Adopted on July 4, 1776, it was sub-titled, The United Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America. The opening paragraph is:

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds 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.

They declared their separation from England and understood that it may be necessary from time to time as a government became tyrannical and oppressive. The men who made the stand against England declared the colonies to be free and independent states. They believed, and set up our nation based upon the belief, that" governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

The second paragraph begins:

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 to 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.

The closing paragraph is:

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 the 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 levey 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.

They were independent states who formed the government and gave it limited powers which they controlled. The states controlled the federal government, the federal government was not created to control the states. The Articles of Confederation also states, “Each State retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence."

When the USSR broke down as a union, the United States basically supported the states such as Georgia, Bosnia and Croatia in their secession. Does the same government now declare secession to not be valid? If a government demands that it is illegal for a state to secede from a voluntary union, isn't that justification to consider secession as an option to tyranny? If you would like to see the secession movements around the world, check:

http://www.secessionist.us/active_autonomist_and_secessioni.htm .

Secession Quotes

"Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable, a most sacred right – a right which we hope and believe is to liberate the world. Nor is this right confined to cases in which the whole people of an existing government may choose to exercise it. Any portion of such people, that can, may revolutionize, and make their own of so much of the territory as they inhabit." – Abraham Lincoln, (speech in Congress January 1848)

"A nation, therefore, has no right to say to a province: You belong to me, I want to take you. A province consists of its inhabitants. If anybody has a right to be heard in this case it is these inhabitants." - Ludwig Von Mises. Omnipotent Government, p.90

"This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector." – Plato (circa 400 B.C.)

"When all government, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the Center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated." – Thomas Jefferson

"The constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests."-Patrick Henry

"Only a despotic and imperial government can coerce seceding states" - William Seward US Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln in 10 April 1861 to Charles Francis Adams, Minister to the Court of St. James (Britain)

"We do heartily accept this doctrine, believing it intrinsically sound, beneficent, and one that, universally accepted, is calculated to prevent the shedding of seas of human blood. And, if it justified the secession from the British Empire of Three Millions of colonists in 1776, we do not see why it would not justify the secession of Five Millions of Southrons from the Federal Union in 1861." - The New-York Daily Tribune, December 17, 1860

"The consolidation of the states into one vast republic, sure to be aggressive abroad and despotic at home, will be the certain precursor of that ruin of all that has proceeded it." - Robert E. Lee to Lord Acton December 15, 1866

"We dissent . . . because the powers vested in Congress by this constitution, must necessarily annihilate and absorb the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of he several states, and produce from their ruins one consolidated government, which from the nature of things will be an iron handed despotism, as nothing short of the supremacy of despotic sway could connect and govern these United States under one government. . . . [I]t would . . . produce a despotism, and that not by the usual gradations, but with the celerity that has hitherto only attended revolutions effected by the sword." (The Address and Reasons of Dissent of the Minority of the Convention of Pennsylvania to their Constituents, December 18, 1787), in R. Ketchum, ed., The Anti-Federalist Papers, pp. 237-256).

George Orwell, "During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."

A Night At The Dome

In the land of plastic and concrete, I spent the evening serving up beer and dome dogs. The Minnesota Twins were hosting the Kansas City Royals in an eleven inning affair. The Twins loss was fairly meaningless to my night since I could see neither the game nor the televisions in the concourse. What I could see was a steady stream of patrons in front of the concession stand in which I was working. We kept steady through seven innings, after which the beer sales were terminated.

The concession stands at Metrodome are staffed by volunteer groups providing fund raising opportunities. I was working with a group from the church I attend which is endeavoring to raise funds for our youth group. This was the first of four nights with an optional fifth game. To some of our group it was fun, to some it was work, and I was somewhere between the two. To me it was a cross between the Domino's I used to manage and the food booth I worked at as a teenager at the state fair. The people watching and interaction was enjoyable but I was confined in a space with a job to do. I was also reminiscing about my sales jobs of the past when long hours were spent standing on concrete at trade shows. The memories were provoked by the knees and back stiffness. One unexpected consequence was a raspy throat. I never dreamed that I would have a sore throat from talking too much. I didn't fully realize the diversity of the crowd before looking at ID's from Minnesota, both Dakotas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Canada and Sydney, Australia.

All in all it was a good night. Our stand pumped out much more product than was expected of us and our combination of money and inventory was well within the one half of a percent margin of error. It was impressive for this rookie group. Our group worked well together as a team and we had no disorderly customer issues. I guess I view the night as an interesting activity for a worthy cause. It was a satisfying feeling of accomplishment after eight hours of steady production through prep work, serving and clean up.

Winds of Change

Yes, the winds of change are blowing. To the pleasure of many and to the dismay of some, they are predominately leftward in nature. In the religious world, we live in a post-modern society where moral relativism is the flavor of the day. Without moral absolutes, society is free to act in whatever manner can be rationalized as good. In our political world, trans-nationalism is the new threat to national sovereignty for our country and every other. As if it wasn't bad enough to have the Supreme Court justices move from determining constitutionality of laws, to interpreting the Constitution as they see fit, to legislating from the bench, we now see them considering international law in their determinations. There is a familiar pattern that has emerged for those seeking societal change. If legislative efforts fail, go to court to have change dictated. If the courts offer no help, make it an international issue to pressure change. The Constitution has been on its deathbed for quite a few decades now. It is to be referred to by politicians when necessary for their ends and it is to be ignored when it is in their way. This includes all three branches and all political parties.

Such it is with global this and global that, crisis this and crisis that. Remember the bailouts that couldn't wait until Monday without catastrophic consequences? The weekend came and went without complete collapse of society as we knew it. The crisis to pass bailout and stimulus packages caused our legislators to vote on bills they admittedly didn't read. Now we are trapped with burdens we didn't want. Spending now and billing future generations is not moral, it is generational theft. It is our version of the federal Poncy scheme known as Social Security.

• One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce costs and “guide” your doctor’s decisions (442, 446). These provisions in the stimulus bill are virtually identical to what Daschle prescribed in his 2008 book, “Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis.” According to Daschle, doctors have to give up autonomy and “learn to operate less like solo practitioners.”

• But probably the BIGGEST KEY benefit to developers cloaked in this "Stimulus Bill" is the ability to carry back losses for 5 years instead of 2. They tried to push this in the Housing stimulus in September but got so much blow back from citizens that they took it out. Now its back, hidden under the guise of helping ALL businesses.

  "The legislation also would allow businesses to carry back net operating losses for five years, instead of the current limit of two years. This provision would generate cash through tax refunds for companies that now are losing money but previously were profitable." (Note the use of the words "cash tax refunds". This is cold hard cash in the billions coming to these guys from us)

• Sen. Daniel Inouye says $198 million for Filipino war veterans was included in the $787 billion “stimulus” bill to preserve the “honor” of the United States. What’s the logic?

  Don’t those 18,000 Filipinos, who fought alongside America GIs in World War II, deserve a vote by U.S. Congress on their own merits? I think they do. Why hide the cash in a bill 4,000 times bigger than the $198 million?

• What else? Are there 3,999 similar items in the “stimulus” bill? Is it a stimulus bill, or is it just an excuse to pay everyone that Congress has ever dreamed of paying?

How about the international transfer of wealth known as Climate Change. In the 1970's the news magazines had the dramatic cover stories of Global Cooling and the impending ice age. In the 1990's the same magazines, and grant recipients that promote such issues to keep the cash flowing, were declaring Global Warming and the certainty of melted ice caps and flooded coast lines. Waking up to the fact that it can't be both, the situation was created for both to be working together in Global Chaos for the early 2000's. School children have now been indoctrinated from early years through "higher" education as to the "fact" that it exists and that we are indeed the guilty party. This farce will succeed in transferring our wealth to developing countries as a guilt complex continues to be placed upon our citizenry. When the carbon tax, or cap and trade, failed to gain traction in the Legislature, the administration simply had the EPA declare carbon dioxide a pollutant and a danger as a green house gas. Nancy Pelosi says that the legislation will be reintroduced. Meanwhile, the federal government has started the tax ball rolling by laying the groundwork for forcing industry to start measuring the very thing every human exhales and every plant transforms into the oxygen we breath. Why not start with the largest green house gas element, water vapor? The cap and trade system is an artificially created commodity market that will transfer money from industry to others. It is taking from one and giving to another, or as President Obama said in his campaign, spreading the wealth. Do you think you are unaffected? Everything a producer spends, including taxes, is a cost in production and added to the price of goods and services for the consumer. Think about this when your energy rates double and triple.

This country has never been stupid until the education system was nationalized. We allowed the government to dictate the agenda for what was needed to be learned by our youth. We allowed the responsibility to be moved from our households, to the states, and eventually to the federal government. We allowed the unionization of the teachers to prevent us from making sure that the best teachers were rewarded and that the poorest were removed. We allowed the basics to be pushed aside for social issues. We allowed the majority to be imposed upon by many minority stakes. We have allowed the dumbing down of America. There is no need to wonder why our schools are failing and our kids are in trouble. What federally run operation is ever successful? The military could be one exception, at least until the politicians get involved and weaken it by revealing things that our enemies should not know or by slashing the budgets and pointing fingers later when a crisis arises. It was communist revolutionary Lenin who said, Give me one generation of youth, and I will transform the entire world (Microsoft Encarta Encyclopaedia 2002).

Ronald Reagan said, "Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them." "Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives." "Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." "No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!"

In a quote attributed to Nikita Khrushchev, former Soviet dictator, "When you are skinning your customers, you should leave some skin on to heal, so that you can skin them again." This is what is happening to the "middle class". The turnip is being squeezed dry. Class warfare has been employed as never before. During the past election cycle I heard the terms rich and greed more than ever before. Profitability and wealth were demonized relentlessly to garner votes from the lower income levels including those who are dependent upon the welfare state we have created. The powers to be seem to be stopping just short of taking over industry, leaving skin to heal so they can continue to garner cash flow for social reconstruction. By completely taking over the banking, auto or energy sectors, the politicians would have no one to blame when the inevitable failures occur. By influencing them with tax dollars and regulations, they can continue to blame others for mismanagement and corruption while appearing to be the white knight that is only seeking to protect the interests of the American public. It is much like passing a bill with the support of only a couple members of the opposing party and then calling it a bipartisan effort. It is merely cover for the eventual blow back from the public as they endeavor to share and even shift the blame to someone else.

"We can't expect the American people to jump from capitalism to communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have communism". Nikita Khrushchev

So here we are watching liberty and sovereignty die. Our new global society will require the death of our dollar, the death of our uniqueness, and the death of our individuality. We are now servants to the system, the federal machine. We are a long way from the people and the states creating the limited Federal government to serve very specific needs of the citizens. Consider the following quotes from Joseph Stalin and see how closely they apply to our time.
"Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed"
"Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas."
"It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything."
"Mankind is divided into rich and poor, into property owners and exploited; and to abstract oneself from this fundamental division; and from the antagonism between poor and rich means abstracting oneself from fundamental facts."
"When we hang the capitalists they will sell us the rope we use."
And finally, "America, is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold: its patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within."
Mission accomplished, almost.

How Liberty Dies

Talladega Finish

Have you seen the finish of the 2009 Aaron's 499 at Talladega? Brad Kezelowski wins his first race, and while getting from 8th to 1st in 2 laps was a great thing, his drafting partner, Carl Edwards, takes a wild ride. You can check it out in my favorites on my YouTube page.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Sarge4

While there, check out the Mr. Jefferson video by the Mike Church Show band.

Also, if you have never seen The Wizard of Oz set to the music of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, check out the link to meowcat89 in my subscriptions if you are curious about it.

Another One To Demonize

This gal gets it. She understands that it is WE the people that make this country work. The government can get out of the way and let us build the economy, or it can over-regulate and tax us out of existence as a free country.

Go to my favorites on my YouTube page and watch the Katrina Pierson video. When you're done, watch Mr. Jefferson.

Sarge4's Channel

Our Bassackwards World

When a family budget crashes, is the logical thing to do to tighten the belt or break out the credit and add to the debt load? We would say to pull in the reigns while government chooses to print another trillion or four. When a pregnant woman is killed and the child dies, it is a double homicide. We do however allow thousands of babies per day to be killed by abortion procedures. There is the cry for independence from foreign oil, yet we are told not to drill and use our own vast reserves. We now complain about the plastic bags after the tree huggers brought it on themselves by saying to stop cutting down trees for paper. One of the latest contradiction involves animal fat and embryonic stem cells.

The debate has gone on for awhile about stem cell research, specifically, embryonic vs. adult cells. One of the arguments had been that more abortions and creation of embryos would be encouraged to provide material for the research. There are those who argue for the research on embryonic stem cells and those that say it is unnecessary or that it is not right to use the embryos in such a way.

A story I heard yesterday involved biofuel and the use of animal parts and fat in its production. The story told of manufacturers now using whatever organs or fat that is left over at a butcher shop as components in producing the alternative fuel. What then got my interest was that a group was complaining that it would lead to the breeding of animals for the express purpose of creating the biofuel. The proverbial slippery slope that, in this case, would be equated to cruelty to animals.

The slippery slope argument has been used for as long as I can remember. I remember in the late 70's when in the Democratic Party, the ethics of abortion was still debated. At the local caucas the argument would be made that abortion would lead to abortions for convenience and eventually allow euthanasia. Here we are with the morning after abortion pill and doctor assisted suicide, not to mention the eventual health care rationing that will come with the nationalized health care. Now it is being used for the debate about killing an animal specifically to serve another purpose, fuel. We already breed and kill animals to serve a specific purpose; to eat. I don't agree with breeding animals for dog or cock fighting, but for eating I give my full support. As for fuel, I guess the debate will continue.

While the two subjects, stem cells and biofuel, are not directly related, I found it interesting that the arguments were similar. I also began to wonder who was on each side of the argument and how they may be contradicting themselves. I suspect there will be no shortage of contradictions in future days in this politally charged day in which we live.

Green? hahahahahaha

As President Obama declares that we need to inflate our tires and conserve energy, he flies to Iowa to pimp windmills at the cost of 9,000 gallons of fuel. Mark Knoller reports that Air Force One used 8,950 gallons and Marine One consumed another 166 gallons of fuel. Add to that the motorcade fuel, not to mention the newly designated deadly pollutant carbon dioxide. So I guess this would be another do as I say, not as I do moment. As he continues to campaign rather than lead, he "he urged Americans to support his plan for promoting expanded use of alternative and renewable fuels."

Andrew P. Morriss wrote an article about the illusion of "green jobs" in an article for the Baltimore Sun. He wrote, "Unfortunately, claims about the wonders of green jobs are all too often constructed on myths about economics, forecasting and technology." He goes on to state, "Spending billions would certainly produce green jobs, but it would also eliminate jobs in areas that lose government favor. Green-jobs advocates rarely count the job losses their programs will cause. For example, shifting electricity production from coal to wind means that many coal miners, truck drivers, utility workers and other employees will lose their jobs as energy prices soar. And because wind and solar power are much more costly than our current sources of energy, people will lose their jobs elsewhere as higher energy prices slow the economy. To make a fair calculation of the impact on employment, we have to consider job losses as well as gains."

Alternate energy sources are cost prohibitive at the present time, but the government has a plan to deal with the problem of this little obstacle. They are going to make wind and solar energy just as affordable as coal fired and nuclear energy. Will they be lowering the price of the alternative fuel? Oh, no, no, no, no, no. They will regulate and tax the existing energy sources until they are as expensive as the alternative sources. And the proponents of the plan expect us to believe that this is not a problem either because corporations and individuals will break even or even save money because although the energy prices are higher, things will be much more efficient and thus less energy will be consumed. A lot of assumptions are made in their efforts to pull the wool over our eyes. When the carbon tax failed to go through initially, the EPA took the next step to regulation by making carbon dioxide a pollutant. House leader Nancy Pelosi says that the carbon tax issue is sure to be raised again. The carbon tax will affect everyone with increased cost of living. So much for taxes not going up for 95% of people. It may not be a direct tax, but corporations don't pay taxes, they pass them along to consumers. So when manufacturers, transporters and retailers all add their portion of the carbon tax to the goods we buy, prices will be sure to rise. Couple the price increases with the inflation that is sure to come from the printing of trillions of dollars that will be added to the money supply and the result is much lower purchasing power for the much more limited cash we will be able to earn.

Just remember that everytime the government gets involved in business, the result is less than desirable. Government does not produce anything, it simply takes the fruit of our labors to continue its power grab and industry control.

By the way, have you ever read the 10 step plan for cleaning up a broken compact fluorescent light? Evidently, going green includes replacing the safe incandescent bulb with the dangers of mercury poisening. Do the disposal costs really offset the enrgy savings? With over 50 manufacturers in China, how much energy is consumed by shipping the bulbs to the U.S. to help us reduce our carbon foot print?

I'm all for conserving energy and doing the right thing for the environment, but some of this stuff is such crap that it is sickening to see people sucked into it because they believe the government is always right and knows better than we do. That would be the same people who think that the government is supposed to take care of our every need from the cradle to the grave. That would be the same people who need to learn to take the responsibility for themselves instead of waiting for others to contribute to the system for them. It may be too late for them to wake up and see what is coming.

The Violence - The Destruction

Have you read about the violence and destruction that transpired on April 15 and the stories of the follow-up arrests and charges? Did you catch the video of the hooded vandals who broke windows and burned cars? Did you see the cops in riot gear teargassing the protesters? How about the protesters pushing back and throwing objects at the police? Oh, wait, I may be thinking of the protesters at the Republican National Convention.

Yeah, that's right. On April 15, 2009, over 540,000 people gathered at over 850 locations, PEACEFULLY. "'The top 40 events represent about 257,000 attendees and our last 20 reports average about 1,000 per event. It's highly possible that the total attendance number is between 800,000 and 1 million,' Simon noted." By all reports that I have seen and heard, the crowds which ranged from 18 citizens in Kodiak, Alaska, to 16,000 individuals in San Antonio, Texas, gathered and dispersed peacefully. I have heard of a few kooks in the crowds, but not of any violent incidents. The main stream media pretty much ignored the events other than to mock them. Reporters and show hosts (some thinking themselves to be legitimate, unbiased reporters) classified the events as extreme right wing staged events that were sponsored by the Republican Party and Fox News.

Fox News gave legitimacy to the events by covering them and discussing the thoughts that the participants actually expressed. Their live coverage can be contrasted by the likes of CNN reporter Susan Roesgen who seems to be confrontational rather than a presenter of the facts. She first states that it is organized by three different conservative groups. They were actually organized at the grass root level, some actually by self professed Democrats. She also didn't realize that taxation was only one of the issues. Unbridled spending and unresponsive politicians also contribute to the government doing whatever they like, regardless of the Constitutionality of their actions. She gets argumentative with a participant suggesting that a $400 "tax credit" should appease the people that are looking at the long range effects. Then to argue that the State of Lincoln was getting 50 billion dollars in stimulus should be a positive thing, when in reality it is money coming from the very taxpayers it is supposed to help after the beauracracy takes a cut out of it. Most of the spending should be done by the states and municipalities if they desire to raise taxes and do the projects rather than the federal government collecting from the states to shuffle it around. It is sadly amusing that she turned the report into giving the perception that the rally was a violent, aggressive gathering that was not fit for family viewing. Yet, families were gladly participating in this civil, civic activity. Anti-government and anti-CNN? I must be missing something. Only anarchists want no government. Conservatives want limited government that allows the citizenry to pursue life, liberty and happiness. And what of the libertarians, democrats and others in existence? Remaining true to the enumerated powers in the Constitution would put it all to rest. The studio host equally hypes it as absurd with her comments. There was an agenda to put down these rallies as anything but a meaningful message to politicians by regular citizens.

The point is that the rallies were organized locally by regular citizens who desired to get involved in legal, proper and civil demonstrations. There was no violence, no anarchy, and no destruction. There was Fox News coverage because they realized the growth of the grass roots event. They covered it leading up to the event and they did live broadcasting from them. Isn't that what news agencies should do, report?

It's EASTER!

As a young lad, I always liked Christmas the best. Well, who wouldn't, what with the presents and all. Now that I'm a tad older lad, I enjoy Easter. The Resurrection story and the joy of salvation far outweigh the Christmas story and the presents. I concede that Easter doesn't happen without Christmas, but Easter is the reason for the Christmas season. Unfortunately that message gets lost a little more every year as commercialization takes over.

I thought of an Easter greeting to post, but I figure the message I delivered this morning at the assisted living home is the way to go. Take a few minutes to meditate on the Easter message and enjoy the weekend with family and friends if possible. This and other sermon notes and studies can be found at Life_According_To_Sarge Forum Index.

Be That Guy
Comfort of Homes
April 11, 2009

Luke 23:39-43, “One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, ‘Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!’ But the other answered, and rebuking him said, ‘Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he was saying, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!’ And He said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.’”

We often read quickly through passages like this one and miss the great sermon it preaches to us. We often fail to meditate on the Word and thereby miss out on all that it has to offer us in our pursuit to understand God. These verses are packed with God’s glory, mercy, and love. They teach us of the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the mystery of the act of salvation. We often focus on Christ on the cross, which is a good thing, while we miss the point of those who were crucified next to Him. In our day we focus on Christ being crucified as if it was an act that was unique to Him. Unfortunately, the truth is that crucifixion was common at that time as a cruel punishment by the Romans and a deterrent to those who sought to challenge their rule. We can equate it to the intimidation of beheading that we see all too often today. The practice of crucifixion was abandoned by Constantine around 400 AD. I’ve seen it written that historians estimate 10,000 to 100,000 people (likely much closer to the higher number) were crucified by the Romans. The significance of Christ being crucified was that it fulfilled prophecy and that He suffered greatly to pay the penalty for our sins. He paid an extreme price to redeem our souls by enduring the wrath of God in our stead.

The two men who were crucified along side our Lord participated in the mocking and scoffing of the onlookers. We read in Matthew chapter 27, verses 38-44, “At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’ In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, ‘He saved others; He cannot save Himself He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, “I am the Son of God.”’ The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.”

This is again confirmed in the Gospel According to Mark 15:32, “‘Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!’ Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.”

This declaration of their guilt shows the truth of Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. They were both guilty of sinning against God, as well as their crimes against society, and justice demanded their death. While society succeeded in exacting payment for both men through the cross, mercy came to one of the men when Jesus Christ paid the eternal debt for the salvation of his soul. Let us not lose track that we are all sinners before a Holy God and that without Christ, our only choice is to pay for that sin in the lake of fire that was prepared for Satan and the rebellious angels that followed him.

At some point in the time on the cross, one man, by the grace of God, had his eyes opened to the reality of Jesus on the cross next to him. His heart was changed by the work of the Holy Spirit. He declared his belief saying, “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he declared his faith saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” This while suffering along side Jesus on a cross the same as Christ. Have we stopped to think of the two men suffering along side our Savior? They were suffering the same physical torment. While one man remained stiff necked and hard of heart, the other responded to the leading of the Holy Spirit and saw Christ for who He was. Which man do we emulate as we live our lives in relative comfort and ease?

The signs of genuine salvation are seen in the man who rebukes the other. First, he realizes the truth about Jesus, that He is the Savior sent by God. Second, he realized his own guilt and had a repentant heart, confessing his sinfulness. Third, he cried out to Jesus who alone has the power to save. Fourth, he acknowledges it publicly with faith, unashamed. His declaration is the purpose of baptism. Baptism signifies our death with Christ on the cross and our resurrection with Him to new life. That man actually died with Christ on the cross that day and entered paradise with Jesus on the same day. Have others seen those signs in our lives? Are we bold to declare Jesus Christ as Savior? Do we have a repentant and contrite heart? Do we realize that only He can save us from the wrath of God? Have we cried out to God for mercy and forgiveness?

On April 7, 1889, C. H. Spurgeon preached a sermon titled The Believing Thief. Here is an excerpt from that sermon. “The malefactor who believed upon the cross was a convict, who had lain in the condemned cell, and was then undergoing execution for his crimes. A convicted felon was the person with whom our Lord last consorted upon earth. What a lover of the souls of guilty men is he! What a stoop he makes to the very lowest of mankind! To this most unworthy of men the Lord of glory, ere he quitted life, spoke with matchless grace. He spoke to him such wondrous words as never can be excelled if you search the Scriptures through: "To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise." I do not suppose that anywhere in this Tabernacle there will be found a man who has been convicted before the law, or who is even chargeable with a crime against common honesty; but if there should be such a person among my hearers, I would invite him to find pardon and change of heart through our Lord Jesus Christ. You may come to him, whoever you may be; for this man did. Here is a specimen of one who had gone to the extreme of guilt, and who acknowledged that he had done so; he made no excuse, and sought no cloak for his sin; he was in the hands of justice, confronted with the death-doom, and yet he believed in Jesus, and breathed a humble prayer to him, and he was saved upon the spot. As is the sample, such is the bulk. Jesus saves others of like kind. Let me, therefore, put it very plainly here, that none may mistake me. None of you are excluded from the infinite mercy of Christ, however great your iniquity: if you believe in Jesus, he will save you.”

In this story of guilt and punishment, Spurgeon shared the hope and forgiveness that is available to each one of us. It is God’s desire that every person, every living soul, would partake in the sacrifice of Christ and come to Him for the salvation of the soul and the gift of eternal life in the love of God, our creator. It is sad to acknowledge that some will not do so. I pray that of those who do not accept such a loving gift, none fail to do so because I have failed to share the good news of the gospel, the saving grace made available to every person through Jesus Christ.

We like to quote John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” We must also consider that whoever does not believe in Him shall perish, shall have eternal damnation. Such is the other criminal, the other man, who hangs on the cross next to the Savior, scoffing to the bitter end. John goes on to write in verses 26-36, speaking of John the Baptist, “And they came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.’ John answered and said, ‘A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.’”

So which criminal are you, for most certainly we each are one or the other. There are no other choices than to believe or believe not. To put off the choice is actually choosing to not believe and therefor to not receive eternal life, thereby receiving eternal damnation. As we see by the unrepentant criminal, salvation is not guaranteed later in life. That is why scripture warns us, “He again fixes a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, ‘TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.’” (Hebrews 4:7)

J.C. Ryle, sometime before 1900, preached in his sermon Christ and the Two Thieves, “The second lesson you are meant to learn from this passage is this, -if some are saved in the very hour of death, others are not. This is a truth that never ought to he passed over, and I dare not leave it unnoticed. It is a truth that stands out plainly in the sad end of the other malefactor, and is only too often forgotten. What became of the other thief who was crucified? Why did he not turn from his sin, and call upon the Lord? Why did he remain hardened and impenitent? Why was he not saved? It is useless to try to answer such questions. Let us be content to take the fact as we find it, and see what it is meant to teach us. We have no right whatever to say this thief was a worse man than his companion. There is nothing to prove it. Both plainly were wicked men. Both were receiving the due reward of their deeds. Both hung by the side of our Lord Jesus Christ. Both heard Him pray for His murderers. Both saw Him suffer patiently. But while one repented, the other remained hardened. While one began to pray, the other went on railing. While one was converted in his last hours, the other died a bad man as he had lived. While one was taken to paradise, the other went to his own place, the place of the devil and his angels. Now these things are written for our warning. There is warning, as well as comfort in these verses, and that very solemn warning too. They tell me loudly, that though some may repent and be converted on their deathbeds, it does not at all follow that all will. A deathbed is not always a saving time. They tell me loudly that two men may have the same opportunities of getting good for their souls, -may be placed in the same position, see the same things, and hear the same things; and yet only one shall take advantage of them, repent, believe, and be saved. They tell me, above all, that repentance and faith are the gifts of God, and are not in a man’s own power; and that if any one flatters himself he can repent at his own time, choose his own season, seek the Lord when he pleases, and, like the penitent thief, be saved at the very last, -he may find at length he is greatly deceived.”

As Ryle explained, the unrepentant thief suffers for all eternity separated from God. Don’t be that guy. The repentant thief is in paradise with our Lord Jesus Christ. Be that guy. If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are my brother or sister. During this Easter season we can rejoice in the work of our Lord on the cross that provides such a great gift of redemption and salvation. We join together with thanksgiving and adoration to the One who loved us so much that He was willing to endure such great suffering on our behalf. We rejoice and sing praise to Christ in the glory and power of His resurrection and in ours to come when we will dwell with Him forever in the glorified bodies He has prepared for us. For all eternity we will sing His praises with thankful hearts as we dwell in His presence. Praise be to God.

Take the Civics Quiz

Civics Quiz

Are you more knowledgeable than the average citizen? The average score for all 2,508 Americans taking the following test was 49%; college educators scored 55%. Can you do better? Questions were drawn from past ISI surveys, as well as other nationally recognized exams.

My Results

You answered 28 out of 33 correctly — 84.85 %

Average score for this quiz during April: 74.5%
Average score: 74.5%

Are You Smarter Than a Politician? Of the 2,508 People surveyed, 164 say they have held an elected government office at least once in their life. Their average score on the civic literacy test is 44%, compared to 49% for those who have not held an elected office. Officeholders are less likely than other respondents to correctly answer 29 of the 33 test questions. This table shows the “knowledge gap” for each question: the difference between the percentage of common citizens who answered correctly and the percentage of officeholders who answered correctly.

Mr. Jefferson

If you are tired of the uncontrolled spending and shredding of the Constitution, this video is for you. A tribute to the founders set to Simon & Garfunkel's Mrs. Robinson.

Mr. Jefferson

Soylent Corporation

Last night I watched the 1973 movie, Soylent Green. It is a futuristic movie set in New York City in the year 2022. The population in the city is 40,000,000 and living in despair, that is, except for politicians and corporate execs. Charlton Heston plays an overworked cop in the 14th precinct.

This movie, while cheesy and poorly acted, has a number of interesting points. The most obvious of these is the class warfare. Their is a very distinct elite and the poor. Their is no middle class what-so-ever. Those who do work, like Heston, are overworked and underpaid. This is contrasted to the lavish life style of the Soylent directors and the Governor.

Water and processed foods are rationed and the masses stand in lines all day in the hope of getting something before supplies run out. Riot control then steps in as the hungry turn ugly. Intimidation is heavy as the threat of "the scoops are coming" is shouted over the bull horn as the cops try to get the people to disperse.

Soylent Corporation, we are told, controls half of the world food supply. There was Soylent Red, then Soylent Yellow, and now the new high energy product, Soylent Green. The people are told that it is made from plankton from the oceans. Real food is virtually non-existent to the masses. Our hero discovers its true source while investigating the murder of a Soylent director. He is then marked for murder before the secret is revealed to the people.

Other interesting points include:
Global warming; the problems are implied to be a result of it from high temperatures to unfarmable land to the dying oceans.
Assisted Suicide; actual depiction of a "ceremony" which facilitates the peaceful "going home".
Monetary Credits; cash is scarce while welfare reigns in food credits.
Corruption; payoffs abound as the position and power take advantage of whoever may be downstream.
Control; when one lady exits a shop complaining about the small amount she received after standing in line all day, 2 cops drag her away. When a riot erupts, the scoops come. Large front end loader type buckets scoop up people, lifting them over the cab like a garbage truck, pouring them into a dump box to be hauled away.
No Manufacturing; nothing is being produced.

Although things are not exactly as the movie portrayed, it is eerie to see how close the concepts are to our government control, class warfare society today.

Got Gold?

Gold prices are on the upswing over the past 5 years, especially recently due to the struggles for the dollar on the horizon. As the Fed produces greenbacks, a trillion at a time, the value of the dollar will drop since there is nothing of value backing them up. In the words of one presidential candidate, "They must think you're stupid!"

Are we really to believe that spending more and more is how to get out of a financial crisis? As we sell securities to other countries, we are promising to pay them off at some point. Committing future generations to that task is not moral. It is generational theft in a sense as we commit future tax dollars, that being the fruit of someone else's labor, to pay off our debt. It is not much different than someone knocking on your door and informing you that you are now responsible for the debt that I have accumulated over the past ten years. Sounds fair, eh?

In July of 2003, gold was in the mid 350's. Today it is at $941.87 according to a chart on goldprice.org. When people with the money are moving to gold, it is to hedge against inflation. Gold was at about $650 in July of '07, up $300 in 4 years. In July of '08 it was approximately $950, and it has been bouncing up and down since then. The point is that as the stocks crashed, gold remained up. Gold tumbled just a bit with the bear market rally of the past week, but it should remain high as the threat of inflation becomes more evident.

In a recent article, Economist Peter Schiff wrote, "Now that the Fed has recklessly shown its hand, the mad dash to get out of Treasuries and dollars should not be far off. The more the Fed prints to buy bonds the less the dollar is worth. Holders of our debt (read China and Japan) understand this dynamic. We must expect that they will not only refuse to buy new bonds, but they will look to unload those bonds they already own.

Under normal circumstances, if creditors grew concerned that inflation was eating into their returns, the Fed would raise interest rates to entice them to buy. However, the Fed will avoid this course of action as it fears higher rates are too heavy a burden for our debt-laden economy to bear. To maintain artificially low rates, the Fed will be forced to purchase trillions more debt then it expects as it becomes the only buyer in a seller’s market."

The Fed prints the money and uses it to buy the securities. What is backing the new dollars they print? Nothing. Adding to the money supply simply devalues the cash that already existed. Too much of this activity will destroy the dollar until one day it is worthless. As the dollar drops in value, purchasing power is weakened. The end result is prices rise, thus requiring more of the devalued dollars to buy goods and services.

It's the hocus-pocus of our day. Government believes we exist and work in order to finance the programs it desires to create. No matter how good or worthwhile the program seems to be, the worker bees, that is us, are expected to produce so the queen bee, that is government, can implement the desired plan by confiscating the fruit of our labor, that is our wages, through taxation. Government operates under the belief that the wealth of the nation is property of the government and they will let us know how much we can keep for our trouble.

Even if the economy somehow rebounds in less than a year, don't be deceived into thinking that everything is rosy. The damage being done is far reaching and will take a very long time to pay off. As we keep moving closer to the European model of Socialism, our lifestyles will fall off and our disposable income will whither away. The haves will be increasingly taxed, directly and indirectly, and the have nots will be given a cut of the booty to survive well enough to vote the culprits back into office.

The tactic of the Left is to make everything a crisis, get the masses worked up by redirecting the blame for the crisis, then appearing to save the masses from the crisis. I say appearing because in the current case, they appear to be resolving the issue, but in reality, they are causing a new problem without actually dealing with the root causes of the original problem. This also took place in the AIG bailout plan. The legislation grandfathered in the bonuses, then the very people that made the bonus payments possible feigned outrage at the payouts. In our sound bite age, the masses had their anger turned toward the AIG executives.

Back to the point, gold is up and the dollar appears to be on life support. I wish I had some cash left to invest in gold. Unfortunately, I'm more likely to be shutting down my trucking operation rather than expanding in the coming year. How about you?

Tyranny in Robes and Suits

Why does it need to be such a difficult issue? Concerning President Obama, is he or is he not technically eligible to be president of These United States of America?

The professional politicians of our day have trampled the Constitution under foot in pursuit of gaining and retaining power. It has been a deteriorating situation as the years pass and the full time politicians feel the need to always be doing something in D.C. to justify their presence. Unfortunately for we the people, the laws, regulations and uncontrolled spending have produced an oppressive atmosphere in our beloved country.

The arrogance of our legislators, judges and executive has created a situation where even our freedom of speech is being threatened. To challenge the validity of President Obama’s qualifications is now looked upon as lunacy and appears to be approaching criminal activity. Court cases are dismissed without hearings for a variety of reasons. Judges even mock those who bring the cases. The political parties have no courage to stand up for what is right. The people of this great nation are not being listened to on this issue or any number of other issues from the sanctity of life, to the definition of marriage, to the illegal alien invasion.

The very oath taken by our federal officials is broken almost immediately after the swearing in ceremony. The Constitution they swear to uphold and defend is only consulted when it supports what they want to do. If it is in the way of their goals, it is as if it doesn’t exist.

The Constitution, Article 2, Section 1, states, “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.”

President Obama has, and has had all along, the power to put the debate to rest. All he has needed to do, and can still do, is to produce a valid birth certificate. What has been published on his website is not an actual birth certificate. So the question that needs to be asked is, “What does President Obama have to hide?”

A World Net Daily report explains, “Some of the lawsuits question whether Obama was actually born in Hawaii, as he insists. If he was born out of the country, Obama’s American mother, the suits contend, was too young at the time of his birth to confer American citizenship to her son under the law at the time.

Other challenges have focused on Obama’s citizenship through his father, a Kenyan subject to the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom at the time of his birth, thus making him a dual citizen. The cases contend the framers of the Constitution excluded dual citizens from qualifying as natural born. Further complicating the issue are the reports he was adopted by an Indonesia man during his childhood and moved to Indonesia and attended school there. There also are questions on what nation’s passport he traveled to Pakistan.

Lawyers and plaintiffs in a multitude of lawsuits also have asked why, if a birth certificate actually reflects that Obama was born in Hawaii, has he spent sums estimated by observers of up to $1 million hiring various law firms to keep concealed his birth certificate, his college records and other documentation.”

Perhaps the birth certificate does not exist. Concerning the Hawaii certificate, it is a certificate of live birth which is different from a birth certificate. From Berg v. Obama, “Obama has tried to obfuscate the issue by providing a Certificate of Live Birth (COLB) from Hawaii authorities. Said document has been proven as a forgery. The left-wing Annenberg organization factcheck.org has tried to obfuscate the issue even more, by declaring the forged document as real. The primary issue however, is that the document in question is only a registration of birth filing, and not an official “Vault” Birth Certificate. Registration was a method used by some to gain U.S. citizenship even after being born in a foreign country. Many of Obama’s relatives in Kenya say that Obama was born in Kenya, and flown to Hawaii after three days to enable the registration filing. The above linked video of his Kenyan Grandmother suggests that Obama was born in Kenya, but is not conclusive.”

And what of his school records? Is it possible that he used foreign student status to gain exchange student privileges and grants? This is consistent with the ploys of today’s politicians in general. Use the details and facts when advantageous to achieving the goal, otherwise ignore them.

Beyond the eligibility issue, other amendments and rights are under attack. From free speech, to bearing arms, to freedom from involuntary servitude, all are being threatened. It isn’t all President Obama, in fact, it is mostly the Democrat controlled House and Senate. The President still signs off on the issues and is therefore held to some degree of responsibility for the resulting actions and repercussions. As we heard throughout the campaign, eight years of failed Bush policies was the cause of all of our ills. Of course the opposition led Congress was not held accountable by our media.

Back on November 7, 2008, I wrote about “America Serves” on change.gov which was President Obama’s site on which he spelled out some of his plans. This was a program that mandated community service under the guise of volunteerism. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that volunteerism and community service is a good thing. Once it becomes mandated by the Federal Government, however, it crosses the line and is no longer volunteer service.

Amendment 13 - Slavery Abolished. Ratified 12/6/1865. History

1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

I wrote, “That’s it, the whole amendment. It is pretty straight forward and easy to understand. Involuntary servitude is not constitutional. the phrase, “developing a plan to require” is the key point. If the service is required, it is involuntary.”

Shortly after this article was written, along with a great many other articles decrying the proposed action, the website was changed. So “by developing a plan to require” has been changed to “by setting a goal that”. Whether the word “require” is used or not, if the service is in fact required, the point that it is unconstitutional remains the same. More information can be found at the linked article.

And now it has become The Give Act. Short Title- This Act may be cited as the ‘Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act’ or the ‘GIVE Act’. More details can be found at the Education & Labor site. A FOX news article states, “The legislation, slated to cost $6 billion over five years, would create 175,000 “new service opportunities” under AmeriCorps, bringing the number of participants in the national volunteer program to 250,000. It would also create additional “corps” to expand the reach of volunteerism into new sectors, including a Clean Energy Corps, Education Corps, Healthy Futures Corps and Veterans Service Corps, and it expands the National Civilian Community Corps to focus on additional areas like disaster relief and energy conservation.”

“We contribute our time and money under no government coercion on a scale the rest of the world doesn’t emulate and probably can’t imagine,” said Luke Sheahan, contributing editor for the Family Security Foundation. “The idea that government should order its people to perform acts of charity is contrary to the idea of charity and it removes the responsibility for charity from the people to the government, destroying private initiative.”

“It’s allowing taxpayer funding of the left-wing organizations,” said Larry Hart, director of government relations for the American Conservative Union. I think this is a problem that is rife throughout the federal government. When you dramatically expand the program, then you dramatically expand the ability for these left-wing advocacy organizations to get more funding. I don’t see a lot of attention being paid to that, even from those who are critical. That’s where the focus should be. Republicans tend to say its not that they oppose the program, they just want to spend less money. It’s the program that’s bad.”

On February 28, 2009, I wrote an article titled, When they silence the opposition. In the article I discussed the so called Fairness Doctrine and the less offensive sounding Localism. Either way it goes, the democrats are looking to limit the effect of conservative talk radio hosts to challenge the performance of Congress and the White House. Funny, one of the ten pillars of communism is: 6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the state. The Constitution on the other hand states,

Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791. Note

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Make no mistake, the Democrat Party leadership has made ample comments directed at silencing the opposition. Witness the recent demonization of Rush Limbaugh. This is a very popular tactic of the leftists in this country. Allegations and screaming flies through the air in character assassination style. Once out there, it cannot be called back in the sound bite society we live in.

Amendment 2 - Right to Bear Arms. Ratified 12/15/1791. Note

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

This amendment is under constant threat and usually exists in a perilous state when Democrats are in control in both State and Federal governments. I find it odd that people are willing to vote away a right that is actually in the constitution but will fight for supposed rights that are not. For instance a vote against abortion or gay marriage is somehow voting away the rights of others. Those items are not in the Constitution and should be State issues. Instead we have the tyrrany of the Feds and Judges step in and impose their will based on their own agenda. In the case of an ammendment being passed at the state level, a challenge will made saying that we can’t vote away individual rights. Yet the right to bear arms is regularly squelched and it does exist in the Constitution.

I encourage you to watch this administration with an eye to their behavior and attitudes. Everything seems to be a crisis and legislation needs to be rushed through. When they say it is for our sake, for the good of the people or the nation, beware! The smoke screens are many as they mask what is going on. They cannot afford to let the people see what is really in this legislation because the result would be outrage that would stall the agenda they are trying to push through. In the meantime our rights and liberties will be eroded as they continue to change our society forever.

Just as a point of interest, I encourage you to review the Ten Planks of the Communist Manifesto.

1. Abolition of private property in land and application of all rents of land to public purpose.

2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.

3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.

4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels

5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly.

6. Centralization of the means of communication and transportation in the hands of the state.

7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state; the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.

8. Equal obligation of all to work. Establishment of Industrial armies, especially for agriculture.

9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the population over the country.

10. Free education for all children in government schools. Abolition of children's factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc. etc.

“So, is the U.S. a “free country” today? Hardly! Not compared to what it once was. Yet, very few Americans today challenge these Marxist institutions, and there are virtually no politicians calling for their repeal or even gradual phase-out.”

I encourage you to visit the site for more reading on each of these planks. Some are seeming all too familiar while others are on the horizon, being strengthened as our legislators throw money at every issue thinking that they are somehow being creative while they are really making us subservient to world rule as a debtor nation. The collapse of our monetary system will be the next “bubble” to burst and will provide the needed impetus to transfer what little wealth we have left to others in the world. Those who say that president Obama doesn’t have Marxist tendencies ignore his past and most likely have not read the Communist Manifesto. Yet, without knowledge of what Marxism entails, they will vehemently deny that he is Marxist. It is looked upon as a derogatory term rather than a definition of his ideology.

The Selling of America

The foreign holdings of Treasury securities in January was $3.072 trillion. With $739.6 billion of our debt owned by China, and $634.8 owned by Japan, a large amount of external pressure is placed upon our financial decision makers to ensure the security of these foreign investors. (The above numbers are as of January, 2009.) This is evidenced by the comments of China's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. "We have lent a huge amount of money to the U.S. Of course we are concerned about the safety of our assets. To be honest, I am definitely a little worried," he said. We may have reached the point where they stop buying notes and possibly only invest in hard assets.

The total U.S. debt is really $65.5 trillion dollars which exceeds the gross domestic product of the entire world. While President Obama promises transparency and boasts about including the cost of war in the numbers, he still omits the unfunded liabilities such as Social Security and Medicare. Contrary to popular belief, there is no "lock box" or funds set aside for these liabilities. The current obligations and the proposed social spending basically puts the United States in a bankrupt situation.

In a March 20 Bloomberg story, the dollar is dropping, "The dollar traded near the lowest level against the euro since January on bets the Federal Reserve’s plan to buy Treasuries will push down yields on U.S. assets and prompt investors to seek returns elsewhere. " It also states, “We may end up with higher inflation down the road, and people need to buy real productive assets, which the U.S. doesn’t have,” said New York-based David Tien of Fischer Francis Trees & Watts, who helps oversee funds that were worth an estimated $22 billion in December. “The biggest winner will be commodity currencies followed by the euro.”

The technology bubble burst and the economy was affected. The housing bubble popped and the economy was devastated. Will the dollar be the next bubble to rupture which will destroy what little is left of the economy? The collapse would have global ramifications as the value of the dollar plummets much like currencies of the past. In an April, 2008, report, economist John Williams states, "The U.S. economy is in an intensifying inflationary recession that eventually will evolve into a hyperinflationary great depression. Hyperinflation could be experienced as early as 2010, if not before, and likely no more than a decade down the road. The U.S. government and Federal Reserve already have committed the system to this course through the easy politics of a bottomless pocketbook, the servicing of big-moneyed special interests, and gross mismanagement."

The sudden spike in gold prices tells me that the people with money aren't liking what they see the Fed doing as they move away from the dollar. Add to this the upcoming G20 meeting reports, and people with cash are getting nervous. "Increasingly, the International Monetary Fund, with the support of the United States and Russia, appears positioned to launch a one-world currency at the upcoming G-20 meeting in London. " The international safety net they are looking for is, "a super-reserve currency widely accepted by the whole of the international community."

Global warming, global cooling, global change and global chaos are all ways of transferring the wealth from the U.S. to other countries. Included in this scheme is the cap and trade plan. As our companies are taxed for excessive carbon output, the costs of energy and products to the general public will jump dramatically. The funds will be transferred to someone who did not earn them, even if it is the government. It is basically a tax hike on every citizen much like a sales and use tax. Corporations don't pay taxes, they pass them through to the consumers through price increases. So much for no tax hikes on 95% of working Americans, which in itself is an impossibility if all the programs are to be paid for rather than adding to the debt. A Wall Street Journal article states, "Politicians love cap and trade because they can claim to be taxing "polluters," not workers. Hardly. Once the government creates a scarce new commodity -- in this case the right to emit carbon -- and then mandates that businesses buy it, the costs would inevitably be passed on to all consumers in the form of higher prices. Stating the obvious, Peter Orszag -- now Mr. Obama's budget director -- told Congress last year that 'Those price increases are essential to the success of a cap-and-trade program.'"

The Associated Press reports, "Under the lease, Spanish-Australian consortium Cintra-Macquarie will pay the state $3.8 billion up front and will be responsible for operating and maintaining the highway. It will get to keep the toll revenue it collects." This is a lease, not a sale, but a Spanish company and an Australian bank are reaping the profits of U.S. property. "The two companies have been active in the U.S. road business. In 2004, the two inked a 99-year lease for the 7.8-mile elevated Chicago Skyway. Last year, Macquarie completed its acquisition of the Dulles Greenway outside Washington, D.C. And Cintra, which manages toll roads in Europe and the Americas, is a strategic partner to the Texas state government in the planned Trans-Texas Corridor. There are likely more such deals to come. " And what about the water? "Thames Water was fully acquired by the German energy conglomerate RWE AG in January 2003. RWE is one of the world’s largest energy giants with more than 640 subsidiaries worldwide and annual revenues of more than $50 billion. RWE is in turn acquiring American Water Works through Thames Water—the largest publicly held U.S.-based water utility with 16 million customers in 29 states and three Canadian provinces. Thames is the operational manager of RWE’s international water business, including the management of the U.S. properties owned by American Water Works. Thames/RWE is gaining yet more control of U.S. water and wastewater services by entering into an agreement with Operations Management International (OMI), a Denver (US)-based firm. The corporate web is spun."

And lets not forget the economic and social impact of what amounts to open borders. Illegal aliens that use our resources such as health care plus the drugs and other criminal activities of some. The taxing of border patrol and law enforcement is an issue in southwestern states. This block of people is seen as votes as amnesty will garner loyalty from the masses.

Has the country passed the point of no return? The current administration criticized and campaigned against deficit spending. The problem is that the problem has gotten worse as the same Congress is in charge of the purse strings and they now have a willing accomplice in the White House. This problem is bigger than anyone is letting on concerning our national security. Our adversaries have the strings to pull that will influence our national policies, possibly even more so than the demands of the citizens of These United States of America.

Outraged by the Outrage

I don’t know about you, but the phony outrage out of D.C. is quite tiring to me. They rant and rave while pointing fingers at others much like pre-teens trying not to get busted claiming it was the fault of the little sister or brother. The whole thing is the Kansas City Shuffle. As the Bruce Willis character in Lucky Number Slevin describes it, while you look left, I move right. Or something to that effect. While they put up the smoke screen of being irate, legislators ignore the inconvenient facts. The unfortunate truth is that we live in a sound bite society and the populous accepts those soundbites. As the politicians demonize yet another group of people, AIG this time, the folks hearing the sound bites build anger that spurs on the deceivers. It’s a snowball that gathers momentum going downhill.

President Obama signed a bill that he evidently didn’t read. Legislators passed the bill admitting they didn’t read it. Who could have read the 1100 to 1200 pages in a couple of days? It turns out there was language in the bill that allowed the paying of bonuses that were agreed upon prior to February 11th, as were the AIG bonuses. Whose name was on that segment? Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut. The latest story is that he did not originally have that language in the ammendment, but that it was changed during a meeting between Pelosi, Reed and some administration types. It appears that they came to him with a story and he agreed to it. So for the parties to be crying foul now seems a bit disingenuous. Couple this with donations made by AIG, Senator Dodd was the number one recipient and then Senator Obama was number two. Hmmm. Senator Dodd, along with Representative Barney Frank, has finger prints all over the Fannie May/Freddie Mac debacle. On a side note, check out how many Democrats were stock holders in Haliburton all the while they demonized V.P. Cheney and the company.

Now the Congress is passing laws to tax the recipients at an exhorbitant rate to recapture the money. As always, it is done in “the interest of the tax payer” which is a farce. Whenever I hear that or that it’s in my best interest, I immediately discount the truthfulness of what is going on. Those catch phrases are merely for cover of the offending parties. The interest of the tax payer is for government to stay out of our business and to quit taking our hard earned money to give to someone else.

So while everyone is screaming about this issue and dominating the news cycles, the Federal Reserve quietly buys a trillion dollars worth of U.S. securities to pump cash into the system. We are now effectively borrowing from ourselves to pay ourselves. The securities are normally auctioned off to the likes of China to finance our operations. Now it is becoming even more of a shell game.

The fear is deflation which could plunge us into an actual depression as opposed to the manufactured depression of President Obama that was a political tool. And President Bush was the fear mongerer? So the plan is to infuse cash into the system while trying to control inflation and hope for the best that consumers will spend and employers will hire. All of this while the controlling party talks about taxing the employers. Did you notice that the price of gold had a major jump as soon as the news of the Fed’s actions broke yesterday? The people who know how the system works are losing faith in the dollar.

The G20 is also calling for a new currency to replace the dollar as the world’s base currency. Why would that be? Have the international money people lost faith in this adminstration already or is it the chance they have been looking for to destroy the dollar and it’s hold on the world markets?

The bright spot for me is that a while back we borrowed a bunch of money for a daughters wedding and other medical bills, etc. It was borrowed against retirement accounts. We got full value from that cash before the crash began. Whew! We only lost half of half of the account.

It Ain't Your Money To Spend

Kathleen Sings, Kathleen Stewart, has a great song for those who are frustrated with the level of deficit spending. The vocals are great and the tune is catchy. Enjoy.

Dems, Reps, The Same Conspiracies

It’s All Coming Together

by Heidi Swander

I read an article recently that began with these chilling words, “The Institute for Health Freedom (IHF) warns that the economic stimulus bill mandates electronic health records for every citizen without providing for opt-out or patient consent provisions.” By now you most likely know this. (If not, I refer you to Jan’s Feb. 21st program where she spoke about this topic with Twila Brase of the Citizens’ Council on Healthcare.)

Think the mandated inclusion of electronic health records is a creation of the currently-officiating members of our executive and legislative branches? Think again. From a careful reading of chapter 8 in the book, It Could Happen Tomorrow, by Gary Frazier, I discovered that this is a well-orchestrated plan that has been in the works for some time.

What you may not know is that in 2007 President Bush signed an agreement that commits the U.S. to economic integration with Europe, and that one of the provisions of the agreement was creating regulatory convergence between the U.S. and the E.U., including integrating health records electronically!

Frazier states that in Annex 7 of this agreement “the U.S. and E.U. resolve to work together on interoperability of e-health records systems, exchange best practices on all dimensions related to all RFID [Radio Frequency Identification], and develop a framework of regulation and payment policies that promote innovation.”

Read the whole article at:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs019/1101818841456/archive/1102496303347.html

The news we see is but the tip of the ice berg. Take for example the stimulus package. Why do you think they rushed it through? What happened to the 5 days of sunlight before President Obama signs any bills? What happened to no earmarks? The money for odor control of pig farms was definitely needed in Washington D.C. rather than sending it to Iowa. They rush things through so the people won't have time to examine what they are doing. The longer it hung open to debate, the lower the polls dropped in approval ratings.

This article is only one example of behind the scenes happenings in D.C. To read the executive orders that have been signed over the years is to ask for a spike in the blood pressure. The more I read, the more I wonder how much we really know.