June 30, 2011

In Defense of Marriage

This is probably not the post you think it is. 

What is Marriage, fundamentally?  Do you believe that Marriage is essentially a religious ceremony or rite?  I think everyone will agree that it is essentially a religious joining of two people.  Can anyone explain to me why  one has to have a license from a secular government in order to have a wedding?

Our Nation was founded partially on a belief that :

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

I think I can speak for everyone when I say I do not want Congress making any laws with respect to religion.  I would prefer the government not try to legislate morality.  They will only fail.  Can you show me a more amoral group of people?  Do you want them to try to create standards of morality?  Ultimately an amendment defining marriage would be unconstitutional in my view, because marriage is an exercise of religion and we are protected against congress making laws governing that.  We all know how good and innocent things get twisted by government.  Do you really want government involved in who you will marry?

When we talk of Marriage it MUST be understood that we are discussing two concepts that have been artificially intertwined.

Who thinks that Abraham went to the Courthouse to get a marriage license to wed his wife?

A Marriage is religious.  That is what happens at the church.  A ‘marriage license’ is a license to form a civil partnership which can be executed by a judge or a preacher or the captain of a ship.  Right now it is a ‘special’ civil partnership, and differs from a civil union.  But it shouldn’t in the eyes of government.

Does everyone agree?

Then how can anyone be in favor of congress making a law in defense of marriage? 

Just because a law happens to protect something you or I might agree with does not mean we should be for it!

What we need is a repeal of ANY law the government has made that affects marriage.  That is the only way to truly protect “Marriage” from the Government.

I am in favor of moving any benefits or penalties the government has on Marriage, to Civil Unions.  Let anyone who wants a Civil Union have a Civil Union for their Civil Rights.  Marriage is a religious institution, let churches and congregations decide who they think God wants to be joined together in matrimony.

I watched the Republican Primary debates and every one of the candidates except Ron Paul is in favor of an amendment to define marriage.  THAT IS WRONG, PEOPLE!  Let the government define it, and in short order they will be regulating WHO can Marry. Remember You Can Only Be For The Government Being as Involved In Someone Else’s Life the Amount You Want the Government Involved In Yours.  Keep that in mind and you will see things differently.

-KOOK

June 20, 2011

Lower Gasoline Prices Predicted–Why?

The average price of gas nationally has declined to $3.67 ($3.34 this weekend in my area)a gallon from nearly $4 a gallon last month, and some forecasters predict prices will continue to fall through summer. Nonetheless, prices remain $1 higher than a year ago.

In a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, 69% of respondents said they had been affected "a great deal" or "quite a bit" by an increase in gas prices this year, compared with 55% hit by a jump in food prices, 28% by an increase in the unemployment rate and 22% by a rise in the number of home foreclosures.

Wallace Tyner, an economist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., said the volatility—and visibility—of gas prices have a great impact on consumer psychology. "Every gas station has the price posted in big numbers that are a constant reminder of the changes," he said

Okay, everyone who thinks that the big players in the market are nudging the price down in a play to help Obama’s approval ratings raise your hand…

Lower gas prices will certainly be better for the economy this summer.  It is probably the single best thing that could happen to our economy right now- helping everything from tourism to grocery prices.  Since this governments policy is not to allow more drilling here, and instead to continue to buy oil from the same people who are funding those trying to kill us – it is the only viable choice to help flagging political ratings.

And why is gas dropping in price?  Summer blends are usually more expensive, aren’t they?  Are we not still in Afghanistan and Iraq?  Did Israel and the PLO suddenly reach a settlement?  Are they no longer fighting in Syria?  Yemen?  Did achmadinajihad step down and a Israel/USA loving president take control of Iran?  Did India and China cut Oil Imports?

You mean that the flooding in Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri and the fires and drought in the Southwest aren’t enough of an excuse to keep prices high?

What do you think?

June 18, 2011

Everything wrong with Progressivism in a post!

I found this Gem at Teresa's blog. http://teresamerica.blogspot.com/ What better way to lay out everything that is wrong with progressivism that to simply lay it all out. That is what Teresa did and that is why this is cross posted here as well.

AD33


Progressivism 101

1) They consistently abet and defend the criminal rather than the victim.


2) They promote moral relativism and immorality.


3) They promote "diversity" and "equality" while being intolerant of anyone who has a differing point of view


4) Progressives enable the poor to be and stay poor, and promote permanent dependence on the government.


5) They persecute, marginalize and censor (at least attempt to) any person who espouses any traditional, Christian, or conservative point of view.


6) They resort to name calling when the facts do not support their agenda. This happens quite a bit since the facts usually don't support their arguments.


7) Progressives distort history in order to advance their agenda.


8) There are many instances where progressives simply omit either partial or complete segments from history.


9) Progressives are oblivious to reality.


10) They promote indoctrination of our youth


11) Progressives have anti-Semitic sympathies


12) Progressives themselves have been so desensitized and indoctrinated by the MSM or Left-wing extreme news that they see any fair & balanced news as a "right-wing" distortion of facts.


13) Progressives think that they represent the mainstream of America because they have people like George Soros (Spooky Dude) aggressively promoting their point of view when in fact they don't represent mainstreet America.


14) They encourage class warfare.


15) They believe in the rights of union employees but not the employers.


16) They are ignorant and sympathetic with our enemies when it comes to foreign policy.


17) Progressives believe in "spreading the wealth". They believe that they have a "right" for the government - taxpayers- to take care of them so they don't have to take responsibility and take care of themselves.


18) Instead of truly fixing medicare, medicaid, and the cost of our health care, progressives would rather demagogue the issue and advocate rationing or euthanasia for the vulnerable - sick and elderly.

19) They prey on the most vulnerable and innocent, promoting the murder pre-born children because of what they call "choice".


20) Progressives promote the "you are a racist" or racism meme.


21) They promote statism - strong, big centralized government, communism, socialism, welfare state


22) Progressives promote a mob-like mentality.


23) They demonize the wealthy, the job creators.


24) Progressives believe in power, and in obtaining an enormous amount of power and control over our lives.


25) They believe in racial reparations when those who are in existence today have no history of keeping blacks as slaves.


26) Progressives believe in forcing taxpayers to relinquinsh funds - i.e. their earnings - over to the government instead of true charity from the heart.


27) They don't believe in the Constitution, but see it as an outdated paper which is interfering with their endgame.


28) They ONLY use the Constitution when it fits with their agenda.


29) Progressives are anti-God, anti-prayer in the public sphere, and promote separation of church and state when that is seen nowhere within the Constitution.


30) Simply stated, they're WRONG!

June 17, 2011

"No one would dream that three people should “vote” to make the fourth person pay for them. Why does it become right when done through the government"

By the Left Coast Rebel

The quote in the headline of this post was taken from "What is "Fair"?" at Liberty Unbound, which got me a-thinking this morning.

Just What is This Fairness I keep Hearing About and Where can I get Some?

Any of the numerous times that I have heard the chief collectivist in the White House proclaim how much the United States values "fairness" in our tax system, markets, "national" income, etc., I cringe, wince, yell and throw things at the television and/or perform repeated face palms.

I get so irritated by the uses of a anti-concept like "fairness" because it is an incredibly subjective term dependant upon one's worldview.

How Can a Guy as "Smart" as Obama Believe in Such a Fallacy?

Bringing up "fairness" (specifically in taxes and the iron fist of government power) begs several questions. Every time you hear King Obama mention it, think of a few simple scenarios and questions:

Fair to whom? A Republican-appointed bean counter? A Democrat-selected Czar? A committee that has control over your life, public life, a city or state? Fairness determined by a compromised President? Your neighbor? A Che Guevera-lusting college professor that thinks communism is fair? An idiotic, brain-cell-challenged teenager that is just lazy and likes to think that "fairness" is an 24/7 X-Box-playing government-subsidized lifestyle? A union-thug demanding the overwhelming majority of your income simply because they wake up in the morning? (pictured at right).

Isn't it so much better for markets and individuals to be the final arbiter in deciding that which is fair? For instance, I don't think that it is "fair" for me to pay progressively higher tax rates on my personal income simply because I work 12 hours-a-day and put a lot more effort into my career than my fat, lazy 12-pack-a-day neighbor does. I think that progressive taxation limits my income potential, choices and liberty. I, as a responsible adult individual should be allowed to pursue my career without fear of penalization via. progressive overlord concepts of that which is fair. My income is my property and without it, I am deprived of my personal freedom.

Again, "fairness" is an anti-concept, paraphrased by the Ayn Rand Lexicon site, as:
An anti-concept is an unnecessary and rationally unusable term designed to replace and obliterate some legitimate concept. The use of anti-concepts gives the listeners a sense of approximate understanding. But in the realm of cognition, nothing is as bad as the approximate . . . .

I've Seen Fair and Her Name is Socialism


Effectively used by our progressive overlords, fairness replaces and obliterates the unyielding, uncompromisable, nearly forgotten concept that this nation was founded upon: liberty. That's why a government focused on such a non-tangible subjective credo is so dangerous. There is literally nothing in its path to keep it in check. From Barack's psuedo communism to Fidel Castro's real deal, collectivist notions to rob you of your pay check, life and liberty at gunpoint always begin with selling "fair" to a non-thinking public unwilling or unable to weigh the tradeoff of socialism versus human freedom.

For further reading on this topic, please read, "What is "Fair"?" at Liberty Unbound and "C’mon Time to Give Something Back" at Allied Liberty News.

Cross posted to LCR, Libertarian Patriot, Allied Liberty News and Rational Nation.

June 15, 2011

We Failed This Generation

“Our Daddies won the war, then they came home to our moms
They gave 'em so much love that all us kids were born.”
They say the strongest steel is formed from the metal that has been hammered and folded the most.  If this is true the two generations that preceded the Baby Boom: The Greatest Generation, and the so called Silent Generation, were strong steel indeed.  The earliest of the Greatest Generation were born around 1901.  Their parents and grandparents were children of the Civil War.  They saw the end of the horse and the rise of the automobile.  (And we think the transition from Dial up to Broadband was a big deal).  They came of age during WWI, and were becoming adults at the start of the Great Depression.  By this time the weak and the lazy had been weeded out.  They knew hardship, they knew pain, and yet they believed in freedom.  After the attack on Pearl Harbor the whole generation went to war.  More death, more suffering, and the strong survived.  The group slightly behind them were children during the Depression, too young to go and fight, they are called the Silent Generation.  They saw and dealt with, as children all the things their older brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles went through.  They also knew hardship and pain, and loss.  They lost family during the war, they dealt with the rationing at home, they read the news reports, and watched the news at the theater.
These two generations are probably the toughest ever born in our nation.  They had inner and outer strength and they were patriotic and knew America held a special place in the world.  They were also the first generation of Americans who were wealthy enough to be able to give their kids the things they did not have as children.  Our culture became very Child-centric.  If the returning soldiers could have been warned that they needed to guard their families every day from the cultural rot that would take place in the schools and if they would have talked to their chidren about why they fought in the war and what it meant the story would be different.  But it seems many of them chose to just move on with their lives and shield their children from the evils of tyranny.  I recently heard of a man who waited 37 years to tell his family what he did in the war and what it meant to him.  He was a Silver Star recipient and knew first hand the evils of Statism.
“We all grew up on Mickey Mouse and hula hoops.
Then we all bought BMW's and brand new pick-up trucks.
And we watched John Kennedy die one afternoon.
Kids of the Baby Boom.”
But if the strongest steel comes from being forged under pressure, what does that say about the steel that never was put through the trials and heat?  Their parents seeking a better life for their kids than the ones they had gave them more than any generation of children before had ever had.  It was a time of stupendous growth in the USA.  Suburbs were born, many families had two cars, food was bought at the store, and nearly everyone had a television and a phone.  People took vacations on the new highways that were built.  Route 66 became famous.  RVs were invented.  People began to use Dishwashers, & Clothes Washers, we put a man on the moon.  It was magical.
“It was a time of new prosperity in the USA.
All us fortunate offspring never had to pay.
We had sympathy for the devil and the Rolling Stones.
Then we got a little older, we found Haggard and Jones.
A generation screaming for room.
Kids of the Baby Boom.”
The Baby Boomers, and the mini-generation behind them, the so called Generation Jones, grew up in a culture, the speed of advancement and wealth of which had never been seen before in the world.  Then we were drawn into the Vietnam Conflict and these kids were called upon to go and fight as their parents and grandparents had done.  The stated goal was to contain Communism, but the threat to our society was intangible to most and the war was fought literally from the oval office.  Many of their parents were shocked that their kids would question answering the call.  They would have never done so.  But these kids were different and most assuredly this war was different.  We won it on the battlefield and lost it in public opinion and the media.  All of this of course spawned the counterculture, the summer of love, Woodstock, “I’m OK, You’re OK”; Tuning in and Dropping out, Free Love, Open Society, the SDS & The Port Huron Statement,  The Black Panthers, & the Weather Underground. 
And the communists and socialists smiled. 
People began to fear the government instead of the other way around.  The Culture had changed, moral relativism and a turning away from core beliefs had begun.  History was seen as irrelevant at best, and untrue at worst.
“Kids of the Baby Boom,
We have freedom, we have money.
Baby Boom, here in the land of milk and honey.
Counting our chickens way too soon.
Kids of the Baby Boom.
Now we all can run computers and we all can dance.
We all have Calvin Klein written on our underpants.
And at 6 o'clock like robots we turn on the news.
And watch those third-world countries deal out more abuse.
Remember the first man on the moon.
Kids of the Baby Boom.”
The economy turned sour, the middle east began to be a concern, terrorism began its rise.  The cold war was in full swing and the Boomers and The Jones’ began having their babies.  Reagan was elected.  The economy got better, a new time of prosperity in America.  They thought they had seen hardship because of the Gas Crisis and Stagflation.  Boomers are known as being a bit self involved.  It was the generation where Sociology and Psychology really came to prominence. Self-Esteem was born as a concept. Their children grew up at the Dawn of MTV (as opposed to now, where MTV is dead; youtube taking its’ place) .  We of Generation X grew up as children of the hippies.  We lived in a very real time of fear of communist takeover and nuclear war.  Our generation was the first raised by divorced parents, where both parents worked outside the home, we were left alone much of the time.  The television and the Atari, later NES, were our baby sitters.  Computers began to be used in the home.  We grew up watching movies from the video store.  We are the so-called latch-key kids.  The drugs and the music that a lot of the kids of this generation were hooked on seemed far less fun and happy than the drugs and the music of their parents.   Schools were pressured to discontinue punishing students and parents wanted teachers to “like, quit hassling my kids, man”. 
The kids born to the X generation wanted to be friends with their kids more and more instead of being parents.  Competition began to be seen as something less than good.  Political Correctness began its’ march to prominence.  Teachers began to teach to tests.  A generation of students raised under the Great Society Welfare Boom, did their own version of “dropping out.”   We quit saying the Pledge, and Prayer was outlawed in school.  Being a Christian began to carry a stigma.
Things like “New Math” and “Small Group work” (little more than music circles themselves) took over from “Readin’, Ritin, and Rithmatic”.
Children were no longer held back for failure, indeed by the end of the Nineties, there was almost no way to actually Fail.  College began to be seen not as something to aim for, but something that was expected.  A Degree was turned from something indicating a certain level of learning to a “gimme a job” certificate.  Teachers were encouraged not to use red ink because it was hurtful to self esteem.
Gen Y went through high school, (the ones that went, and the ones that were not already being home or private schooled) under this system. 
Now, Gen Y is having children. 
A generation of kids who had little clear direction and parental guidance, who all got ribbons and trophies just for being on a team that they didn’t even try out for having kids.
But the kids aren’t stupid, they are ignorant.  They were raised believing lies and half truths peddled by the spin doctors of the liberal media, the liberal education system and the nanny state.
Thus is the state of Education in this country,  and the failure is not the kids’ failure to learn.  It is the older generations failure to teach and guide.  It is the Boomers, Jones and X’s not understanding proper role of  government and the importance of character.  It is an increasingly liberal government subsidizing birth rates, divorce, and encouraging welfare and dependency.  
We have lost our way; and we haven’t really given our kids a map.  If our society’s light goes out, it will not be their failure, but ours.
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