Where are we headed?

To those who would believe that this nation was not founded as a Christian nation, here are the facts.

“ The general principles upon which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principals of Christianity… I will avow that I believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.”

“[July 4th] ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.”

–John Adams in a letter written to Abigail on the day the Declaration was approved by Congress

“ He who made all men hath made the truths necessary to human happiness obvious to all… Our forefathers opened the Bible to all.”

- Samuel Adams "American Independence," August 1, 1776. Speech delivered at the State House in Philadelphia

“Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day [the Fourth of July]?" “Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity"?

-John Quincy Adams 1837, at the age of 69, when he delivered a Fourth of July speech at Newburyport, Massachusetts.

“ God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel”

–Benjamin Franklin Constitutional Convention of 1787 | original manuscript of this speech

“In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered… do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?”

-Benjamin Franklin Constitutional Convention, Thursday June 28, 1787

“I have a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a sinner. I look to Him for mercy; pray for me.”


- Alexander Hamilton July 12, 1804

“It cannot be emphasized too clearly and too often that this nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason, peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.”

- Patrick Henry May 1765 Speech to the House of Burgesses

“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift from God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, and that His justice cannot sleep forever.” (excerpts are inscribed on the walls of the Jefferson Memorial in the nations capital)

- Thomas Jefferson from Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVIII, 1781

“We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We’ve staked the future of all our political institutions upon our capacity…to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

- James Madison 1778 to the General Assembly of the State of Virginia

And of course, George Washington

From his farewell address "...reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle..."

“ It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and Bible.”

“What students would learn in American schools above all is the religion of Jesus Christ.” [speech to the Delaware Indian Chiefs May 12, 1779]

"To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian" [May 2, 1778, at Valley Forge]

Where are we headed now Barrack?

I pledge non-allegiance to the flag of the deluded states of America
Nor to the republic which used to stand
Once a nation under God
now indefensible with immorality and injustice for all

The Self Annoited

OK, let’s assume for the sake of argument that Barrack Obama is not a disciple of Satan, the Anti-Christ, or even Satan himself manifest as a man. Rather that he is a misguided, self deluding narcissist who believes he can rule the world by converting the last bastion of capitalism to socialism and form a world government of united socialist nations of which he would be king. Under what circumstance could this be accomplished and what steps would be needed to wrestle the freedoms from the American people without causing a major revolt?

It would require a majority of the nation to be unaware of history so they would not recognize the socialist character of his plans and would not be aware of the devastating consequences that socialism and communism have on the freedoms of the people the enslave. Well, I guess the government control of our schools has pretty much accomplished that (if you don’t think so, just ask anyone less that 30 years old to explain the differences between free market capitalism, socialism, and communism and give an real world example of countries of each type).

Since not everyone will have been left illiterate by the public schools, he would need nearly complete control of the news that is reported to the population in general. Much would need to be accomplished in secret, and the contradictions between truth and the agenda would have to be quelled. Communist, Fascist and Socialist leaders ALWAYS maintain tight control over the media to minimize opposing views and keep the people informed of news favorable to the regime. A country founded on independence and freedom would have many who would seek the truth regardless of what they are told, and this threat must be neutralized. I doubt anyone who paid the slightest attention to the election coverage or the ongoing gushing adulation of our news media wouldn’t come to the conclusion that no work is required as far as television is concerned.

But then there’s that pesky problem of conservative talk radio. Having a large following, it will become a problem as the more radical parts of the plan are enacted into law. There will be a need to silence them early in the timetable to prevent the possibility of the people rising up against the plan before it is complete. And of course, disarming the public at large will be quite necessary. The American people have more weapons and ammunition than the US military. If the truth was accidentally released, and the people decided to organize against it, the government could loose control very quickly.

Then, he would need a situation where the once fiercely independent Americans would not fight back against the imposition of government control over their lives and free speech. The earlier global warming “crisis” seemed to be one that would fit the bill, but its acceptance took too long, and by the time it really began to gain momentum; too many people had realized it was a hoax. It still garnered a fair amount of support, but something more frightening and harder to refute would be required. Enter Barney Frank and Freddie and Fanny and the housing crisis. Bringing the economy to its knees both here and abroad, this crisis would have the most independent looking for a savior.

May God save us from this savior.

Truths spoken by Obama

-end

Judgement, or lack thereof

The proposition 8 controversy in California is a perfect example of the future of America as we loose control of our government. Gay marriage was illegal in California (as it is in most states and countries around the world) but a Judge took it upon himself to declare his will and legislate from the bench that it was legal. Whether his action was illegal or unconstitutional is not the point of this mention, but the action the people of California took to correct his action is. Proposition 8 passed by a majority of the California population and those who opposed it are asking the California Supreme Court to overturn this legislation. Once again, it is not within the authority of a Judge to create or destroy a LAW, they are simply bound to APPLY the laws passed by the legislature.

Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America wrote, “the President may slip without the state suffering” and “Congress may slip without the Union perishing.” also, “if ever the Supreme Court came to be composed of rash and corrupt men, the confederation would be threatened by anarchy and civil war.” A new President and a new Congress can be elected, but judges have life tenure and if there is no rule of law, how then shall we govern? By the rash emotions of judges? By the corrupt discrimination of judges against different classes of people?

It seems that when those in government exercise "judgement", its not in the interest of the people.

Fools with plans

This letter to the Wall Street Journal raises and interesting fact about economies vs. corporations. Donald's final comment is worth memorializing...

Crusading for a national "energy plan" and upset that WSJ columnist Holman Jenkins isn't on board, T. Boone Pickens asks rhetorically: "My father used to tell me that a fool with a plan is better than a genius with no plan. So I ask, what's Mr. Jenkins's plan?" (Letters, Sept. 2).

Contrary to Mr. Pickens's assumption, an economy is not simply a gigantic business firm. An economy is both incomprehensibly more complex than is even the largest multinational corporation, and it has no specific, overriding purpose comparable to a firm's goal of maximizing profits - a purpose by which the performance of each employee and each investment decision is relatively easy to evaluate. So while plans and some measure of central direction make sense for firms, comparable plans and direction for an economy are poison. They prevent the on-going decentralized, competitive experimentation from which spring not only progress that is unplanned, but progress whose details could not have been foreseen before they actually materialize.

The Soviet Union famously had plans for its economy; the United States did not. Which country was the fool?

Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux

I also found it interesting that the WSJ is not on board with T-Boone's plan. Since converting wind and light to usable energy (electricity) is the least efficient source of power we currently have, I would have to agree that his plan has some major flaws. There is little probability that either of these source of energy will be able to produce more than 1% of the world demand.

Wise men hesitate where fools rush in.

The Socialization of America

I am fascinated by the perspective of many of my more conservative peers on the "bailouts" of Wall Street and others as "stealing money from other constructive governmental uses", and those of the more liberal that these are not bailouts but "our duty". The sad irony is, it is neither the governments responsibility or duty to bail out a failing industry, and it is most definitely not their role to borrow from the treasury to do so. My generation, who spoke out (and protested) in the '60s for individual freedom, reduction (or elimination) of the government, and self actualization are now clamoring (on both sides of the issue) for the same government to save us, against whom we railed as young men and women.

The other prevailing perspective that quite honestly baffles me is that socialism is the new threat from the left. The conservatives bemoan the socialist beliefs of PEBO (President Elect Barack Obama), and how he will drive our country into the socialist quagmire that has proven a failure in every other attempt throughout history. While this may be quite true, they should study history a bit closer before blaming the socializing of America solely on PEBO. While you find some socialist ideas in nearly every presidents policies and initiatives since the middle of the 20th century (obviously much more so on the democrat side), you have to go back to the stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing attempts at economic recovery to find the true root cause.

Most historians and economists attribute the "socializing" of America to FDR. His "New Deal" instituted many government funded (or should I say working people funded) work programs, and led our country boldly into a financial abyss flags waving. The New Deal represented a significant shift in political and domestic policy in the U.S., with its more lasting changes being increased federal government control over the economy and money supply, intervention to control prices and agricultural production. This was the beginning of complex social programs and wider acceptance of trade unions. The effects of the New Deal still remain a source of controversy and debate among economists and historians to this day. For all accounts, these programs were a disastrous failure, and would have led us into fiscal insolvency had it not been for an unlikely savior : Hitler. I know, WWII historians will say that Japan drug us into the war by attacking Pearl Harbor, but if you examine world affairs of the time, Hitler had given FDR more than enough reason to enter the war in the Atlantic by that time by sinking many liberty ships destined for Great Britain, but the American public opinion at the time was still very isolationist, this now gave him an attack on our soil, and the people supported joining the war.

A subtle but significant point was the wider acceptance of trade unions. Probably the two most detrimental influences on our society and economy of the past century have been the United Auto Workers and the Teachers Unions. Because of the very nature of the mechanics of collective bargaining, over time it transfers control from the employer to the employed, or more accurately to the union who controls the employed. In the case of the UAW, every 4 years the contracts must be re-negotiated, and for every change that the employer seeks, the union makes sure they get something in return. This has led over time to the unions ability to prevent the US auto makers from closing older inefficient plants, implementing automation to reduce costs and remain competitive, and reducing staff levels when demand diminished. Their non-union competitors were not held hostage to these agreements, and now enjoy a significant competitive advantage in the market place. The distinction between union activity and racketeering is so difficult that legislation had to be passed to exempt unions from prosecution under racketeering laws. The overall impact is largely economic, and can be compared to a parasite that eventually draws so much of the blood of it's host, that it dies with the host it kills.

The case of the Teachers Unions is an exact parallel to the UAW, but with far more devastating consequences. While the UAW transferred control from a corporation, with a negative impact to our economy, Teachers Unions have wrested control from society itself. Our educators, like our politicians, are not compensated based on performance. Once a teacher is tenured, they must commit the most heinous acts to be removed (of course, in the case of politicians, even that seems insufficient for dismissal). Privatization of the educational systems seems to be a good idea. Pay and promote based on performance, not based on the number of days one has been receiving a paycheck. Teachers in our public schools should be managed like college and professional football coaches. After all, they educate and lead, and the product of their labor is how well their students compete in the workplace and society. Unfortunately, our teachers are not held to the standards of our coaches, the end of season sacking of those who didn't perform is a good example.

But unlike the UAW, the problem with this parasite is the host that it will eventually kill is society itself.

Follow up to my last post on the sleeping giant

I took this quote from Niel's page, There is nothing I could add to it that could enhance it, so I'll let it stand on it's own.

And No, he wasn't writing about the United States. This quote is well over one hundred years old.

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage."

Alexander Tyler writing about the fall of the Athenian Republic.

The sleeping giant

The 2008 US presidential election has brought out a bright light and shone it on our political system, culture, and most frightening our media. The media bias in favor of B. Hussein Obama is so blatant even the media pundits are concerned, fearing a backlash from the American people in general (if they ever awake and notice it, that is). I'd cite examples, but there are so many it's unnecessary, anyone who has a sliver of intelligence and independent thought realizes the sad truth of it. This should strike fear in the hearts of all Americans, regardless of of your belief in B.O. being the "anointed one". Not for what it may mean in terms of the election, but for what it means to our society and freedom of speech.

While the media leaders and figure heads are practically gushing with glee as they report on every "positive" aspect of Obama, they are purposefully negative toward everything John McCain says or does, and they are systematically burying all negative information about Barack. Without their help, Hillary would most likely be the nominee, not Barack. What is most frightening about this is that it is beginning to appear planned. How could all of the mainstream media outlets (ABC, CBS, NBS, NYTimes, etc.) seemingly agree on all of the various issues so suddenly? There has been no time in my life that I can recall such "oneness" among the mainstream media.

So who is orchestrating the mainstream media's message? The reporters obviously are not "reporting it as they see it". They seem to be acting in concert to a predefined "script" with a predetermined outcome planned in advance. The removal of embedded reporters from Iraq as soon as the surge was working was not an act by a few reporters, it was uniform across all of the reporting agencies. When the GNP rose to 1.8% in the 2nd quarter (the highest growth seen in a long time), Katie Curic opened the evening news with "the financial picture is grave with the GNP showing less than 2% growth". What could the motivation be behind twisting positive financial news to sound negative when it could have encouraged the American people?

When gas hit $4.00 a gallon, all of the media (and congress) blamed the oil companies because they had "record profits", but no one reported that the largest benefactor was the federal and state governments whose tax collections exceeded the oil companies profits by almost four times! In some states it is even higher. Don't let the politicians fool you, they want gas to go as high as possible. Barack even proposes additional taxes on gas... B.O., that would help lower gas prices how??? But I can't give credit to him for the media control, so who is behind the B.S.ing of America? Who has the motivation to keep the people in the dark, what is their agenda?

Stalin said the genius of Hitler and the 3rd Reich was realizing that controlling the media would control the population. Even though the majority of the German population would never have supported the extreme tactics the Nazis used against the Jews (and anyone else they didn't approve of), they supported the regime because they were deceived by the media. The propaganda machines in Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union and communist China held (and Russia and China still hold, and perhaps soon the US) complete control over what the people could be told, and consequently would believe. But this deception requires a supportive culture, in order to be led, you must "buy in" to the direction. Without our continuing slide toward liberalism, which is founded on cultural relativism, we could not be led like the proverbial sheep that I fear our nation has become. The values and morals that were the foundation of our country are fading into the abyss, and those of us who still hold that truth, good and evil are absolutes are become few and far between.

Cultural relativism is the view that all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to the individual within his own social context. Cultural relativism is closely related to ethical relativism, which views truth as variable and not absolute. What constitutes right and wrong is determined solely by the individual or by society. Since truth is not objective, there can be no objective standard which applies to all cultures.

The current movement to “understand” radical Islam—rather than to fight it—is a sign that relativism is making gains. The cultural relativist believes Westerners should not impose their ideas on the Islamic world, including the idea that the suicide bombing of civilians is evil. Islamic belief in the necessity of jihad is just as valid as any belief in Western civilization, the relativists assert, and America is as much to blame for the attacks of 9/11 as are the terrorists.

If we allow this slide to cultural relativism to continue while the majority of our population remains asleep in their ignorance, and whoever is actually pulling the strings of the media puppets is allowed to continue unabated, we will have given our way of life away without a fight. Our country became the greatest civilization on earth (so far) believing in the freedom of the individual, a healthy fear of government, free speech, the right to bear arms, and the liberty to choose the path your life would take, succeeding or failing, but responsible for yourself.