I said months ago nominating the guy who lost to the guy who was trounced by Obama was a mistake. When neither the Presidential candidate nor the VP candidate can carry their home state it is going to be a long, long night.
The Republican party should have learned the lesson of Bob Dole, John Kerry and John McCain. People need something to vote for. Anger over the current occupant is not enough. But the stupid party continues on its "Democrat Lite" way and those of us who are small government-types are left with two choices election after election -- bad and worse.
So it goes. Life will continue in these United States. The takers are outnumbering the producers at an increasing rate. The very culture of the media makes it impossible to get fair reporting. It is not a conspiracy. They do not think they are biased, but companies and organizations tend to hire like-minded people and and over time the employees develop a similar mind-set.
The People have voted. It is done. We will live with the results. The bright spot is a divided Congress. the House will temper the progressive agenda --if the Speaker has any balls at all. That is a big IF.
November 7, 2012
November 6, 2012
Racist America
The real racist motherfuckers are the New Black Panthers intimidating voters in Philly. Is there any difference in their actions and the KKK standing outside of polling places in rural Mississippi or Alabama 50 or 60 years ago?
Too bad the President and Attorney General look the other way.
Justice is supposed to be blind, and that includes color blind.
Too bad the President and Attorney General look the other way.
Justice is supposed to be blind, and that includes color blind.
Vote today
Now is not the time to be a bystander. Vote. It is your duty as a citizen.
update I just got back from the polls. The place was nearly empty. That is what I expected at 9:00 in the morning. The poll worker said it was very busy from six to eight.
We shall se what happens. There is no doubt my city/county will go overwhelmingly Republican.
I made sure to vote to send Justice Steven David packing. You should too.
update I just got back from the polls. The place was nearly empty. That is what I expected at 9:00 in the morning. The poll worker said it was very busy from six to eight.
We shall se what happens. There is no doubt my city/county will go overwhelmingly Republican.
I made sure to vote to send Justice Steven David packing. You should too.
November 5, 2012
Voting early and often -- the Chicago way
Politicians like to tell us (and maybe even themselves) they run for public office because they have a need to serve their fellow man. You and I know that is pure unfiltered bullshit. If a prospective politician really wanted to serve his fellow man he would be spending his days helping out at homeless shelters, the Peace Corp, or the ministry. Perhaps he would be a doctor, or offer legal counsel to the poor.
It is about the power. The men and women who want to represent you are in it for the money, the post-office perks and prestige. They are the same type of people who fancied themselves the lords and barons of regal societies. They imagine they know better than you. Most believe themselves better than you.
Why does Government grow and grow? No politician is going to give up the power. Oh, Democrats may fight with Republicans over policy nuances. Republicans may try to stymie Democratic Party goals. Really it is about who gets the spoils. For the everyman who trudges to the polls to cast a ballot in hopes of a favorable result, we should temper our enthusiasm. It really is about who is going to screw you over the lessor amount.
Do you really think any politician will vote to rid the nation of the odious ObamaCare? There will be a token vote and various politicals will cast a vote aye or nay, but the result is preordained, worked out in backroom deals as sure as the antebellum debates over slavery. There may be a little less smoke in the air, but the public remains suckered. You see, a Big Government Program like ObamaCare offers a wealth (pun intended) of opportunities for politicians and their lobbyist friends. There will be payment offices to build back in the hometowns; administration offices and bureaucrats in every state. This is the pork that gets incumbents elected year after year. Nationally there will be boards and administrative positions to toss to the donors and their kin.
So We the People, who did not want it, will be burdened with the monstrosity forever. There will be a tweak here, and change there, but the ACA/ObamaCare weed will be planted firmly in our garden, stretching its tentacle-like roots under the flowers, the corn, the green beans; never to be uprooted. Then, a decade or two later, the small government candidates will shout the big government candidates are trying to destroySocial Security Medicare ObamaCare. Really the candidate just wants to be able to change it to make his or her party more powerful. "To the victor goes the spoils" is true in politics as in war.
Cynical? You bet. The problem is I am a willful child grown into an adult. I really, really do not like to be told what to do. I eschewed an opportunity to join the military when I graduated college for that very reason. In retrospect the discipline would have been good for me. In fact, my friends often tease me into doing something by saying "I forbid you to..." They know me. I am just contrary enough to do the opposite.Every law, every regulation chaffs me to no end. I do not want to be told what kind of car to buy. If I want a gas guzzler Hummer and am willing to pay for the gas, whose business is it? I want to decide the temperature of my house, what or whether to recycle, and what not to burn on my property. I want my McDonald's french fries fried in beef fat. I want to buy a quart sized Coke in New York. I want to sit on my deck and enjoy a fine cigar on a summer evening.
So off to the polls I will go tomorrow. I know my vote will be for the candidate less inclined to take from my my wealth and my freedom. I long for the candidate who says he will not vote for a single new law. That true man or woman of the People who will go to Washington or Indianapolis or even City Hall with the intention of repealing laws, not adding to the miles of laws already in the books. The money men and power brokers will never allow that to happen.
You see, there is one basic truth the Founders of our Nation knew full well. Government does not ensure freedom, it takes it. Every tax dollar is taken from me and you by force. Pay or go to jail. Every law is a piece of freedom.
Humans are but two legged sheep. Those who want to rule us sometimes use fear as a means to power. They threaten to take away our liberty or our very lives. Thwart the king and die. Sometimes they rule by providing us with our very sustenance. How many votes are bought with welfare checks?
Under a myriad of guises the would-be powers eat away at our freedom. In the end, The Who had it right:
In the end, I will wake up tomorrow. I will have a wonderful family. I will survive an Obama or a Romney.
So will you.
It is about the power. The men and women who want to represent you are in it for the money, the post-office perks and prestige. They are the same type of people who fancied themselves the lords and barons of regal societies. They imagine they know better than you. Most believe themselves better than you.
Why does Government grow and grow? No politician is going to give up the power. Oh, Democrats may fight with Republicans over policy nuances. Republicans may try to stymie Democratic Party goals. Really it is about who gets the spoils. For the everyman who trudges to the polls to cast a ballot in hopes of a favorable result, we should temper our enthusiasm. It really is about who is going to screw you over the lessor amount.
Do you really think any politician will vote to rid the nation of the odious ObamaCare? There will be a token vote and various politicals will cast a vote aye or nay, but the result is preordained, worked out in backroom deals as sure as the antebellum debates over slavery. There may be a little less smoke in the air, but the public remains suckered. You see, a Big Government Program like ObamaCare offers a wealth (pun intended) of opportunities for politicians and their lobbyist friends. There will be payment offices to build back in the hometowns; administration offices and bureaucrats in every state. This is the pork that gets incumbents elected year after year. Nationally there will be boards and administrative positions to toss to the donors and their kin.
So We the People, who did not want it, will be burdened with the monstrosity forever. There will be a tweak here, and change there, but the ACA/ObamaCare weed will be planted firmly in our garden, stretching its tentacle-like roots under the flowers, the corn, the green beans; never to be uprooted. Then, a decade or two later, the small government candidates will shout the big government candidates are trying to destroy
Cynical? You bet. The problem is I am a willful child grown into an adult. I really, really do not like to be told what to do. I eschewed an opportunity to join the military when I graduated college for that very reason. In retrospect the discipline would have been good for me. In fact, my friends often tease me into doing something by saying "I forbid you to..." They know me. I am just contrary enough to do the opposite.Every law, every regulation chaffs me to no end. I do not want to be told what kind of car to buy. If I want a gas guzzler Hummer and am willing to pay for the gas, whose business is it? I want to decide the temperature of my house, what or whether to recycle, and what not to burn on my property. I want my McDonald's french fries fried in beef fat. I want to buy a quart sized Coke in New York. I want to sit on my deck and enjoy a fine cigar on a summer evening.
So off to the polls I will go tomorrow. I know my vote will be for the candidate less inclined to take from my my wealth and my freedom. I long for the candidate who says he will not vote for a single new law. That true man or woman of the People who will go to Washington or Indianapolis or even City Hall with the intention of repealing laws, not adding to the miles of laws already in the books. The money men and power brokers will never allow that to happen.
You see, there is one basic truth the Founders of our Nation knew full well. Government does not ensure freedom, it takes it. Every tax dollar is taken from me and you by force. Pay or go to jail. Every law is a piece of freedom.
Humans are but two legged sheep. Those who want to rule us sometimes use fear as a means to power. They threaten to take away our liberty or our very lives. Thwart the king and die. Sometimes they rule by providing us with our very sustenance. How many votes are bought with welfare checks?
Under a myriad of guises the would-be powers eat away at our freedom. In the end, The Who had it right:
Meet the new boss, same as the old bossBut we cannot give up the fight. You must battle for every sliver of freedom. We get the government we deserve. You have to vote in the vain hope your candidate is the one who will slow the tide of statism. The only other option is to roll over and let yourself be sheared.
In the end, I will wake up tomorrow. I will have a wonderful family. I will survive an Obama or a Romney.
So will you.
Get Ready
Here is the narrative. If President Hopey-Changey loses tomorrow, it will not be because he is inept. It will not be a repudiation of his big-government programs. He will not lose for his terrible decisions in promoting loser green energy companies, nor his war on coal. It will not be because of the massive spending, or the devaluation of the dollar. Obama will not lose based on the drone strikes or the continuous high unemployment nor high gas prices. He will not lose over leaving Americans to die in Libya, or his "lead from behind" policies.. Obama will not lose the election because he has ruined relations with every ally from Britain to Israel and let Muslim extremists take over Egypt and Libya or running guns to Mexican drug cartels. It will not be for forcing the Government takeover of 1/6 of the economy through ObamaCare. It will not be the 100 rounds of golf or the expensive vacations paid for by the taxpayers. No, 2010 did not happen. If Obama loses, it will be because he had a black father and anyone who votes against him will be bigots and racists.
Obama will lose because he is black.
or here
or here -- and by the way, if you can wade through that twaddle, couldn't you just substitute "black" for "white" and "Obama" for "Romney" and have the very same article? Is this what passes for journalism? Oh -- and women outnumber men in these United States, so how can they be a minority? Gotdamn facts anyway...
It took a whole bunch of white folks to elect Obama in 2008. Simple math will prove this true. Those white people did not wake up cracker last month. Just about every Democrat that lost his seat in 2010 was white. Perhaps it really is just about policies?
You see, for the progressive type, it can never be about rejecting the message. If we disagree on the liberal agenda we must be intellectually vacant, racist, or participants in an evil and nefarious scheme. To them, Jimmy Carter was not a failure, perhaps the worst President ever; we just could not see his genius. Reagan "cheated" with the Iranians, and the American people did not give him enough time.
The Race Card has been played so much it is wearing thin. Some of us can see right through it.
Obama will lose because he is black.
or here
or here -- and by the way, if you can wade through that twaddle, couldn't you just substitute "black" for "white" and "Obama" for "Romney" and have the very same article? Is this what passes for journalism? Oh -- and women outnumber men in these United States, so how can they be a minority? Gotdamn facts anyway...
It took a whole bunch of white folks to elect Obama in 2008. Simple math will prove this true. Those white people did not wake up cracker last month. Just about every Democrat that lost his seat in 2010 was white. Perhaps it really is just about policies?
You see, for the progressive type, it can never be about rejecting the message. If we disagree on the liberal agenda we must be intellectually vacant, racist, or participants in an evil and nefarious scheme. To them, Jimmy Carter was not a failure, perhaps the worst President ever; we just could not see his genius. Reagan "cheated" with the Iranians, and the American people did not give him enough time.
The Race Card has been played so much it is wearing thin. Some of us can see right through it.
November 4, 2012
Time Change!
Did you change your clocks?
Now don't forget to change the President on Tuesday!
edit: I like Ed's version better. Maybe I otta read the interwebz before I post stuff.
Now don't forget to change the President on Tuesday!
edit: I like Ed's version better. Maybe I otta read the interwebz before I post stuff.
November 3, 2012
Watch this before you vote
Here, in a couple of minutes, is articulated my entire political philosophy.
This election is not about Democrats or Republicans, but rather the future course of the nation. Can we stem the tide of statism?
I will gladly accept arguments on any point that is wrong in the comments.
November 2, 2012
What is wrong with New Jersey?
Seriously. The People of New Jersey need to stand up and demand better.
NJ says take your non-union help and shove it The Union thinks citizens of the Garden State would rather be cold and hungry than have non-union help getting the power back on.
I bet the freezing people of West Virginia will take the help and be thankful.
h/t Tam
NJ says take your non-union help and shove it The Union thinks citizens of the Garden State would rather be cold and hungry than have non-union help getting the power back on.
I bet the freezing people of West Virginia will take the help and be thankful.
h/t Tam
November 1, 2012
Dear President Obama
We will consider taxing at Bill Clinton-era levels as soon as federal spending and regulation returns to Bill Clinton-era levels.
Deal?
Deal?
How do you say "I don't know" in moron?
Dear Customer X,
As I have told you repeatedly, World Headquarters for my company are just outside of New York City. They are sans power. That means no email. There are no phones. No computers. No shipping. No receiving. Things are akin to Gilligan's Island (no phones, no lights, no motor cars, its as primitive as can be). To quote the classic 1980's commercial, "We are closed now!"
I have no way to communicate with the folks at corporate. One of the customer service reps calls me on his cell every morning to give me an update. There is no electricity. The-lights-will-not-work.
It does not matter, dear customer, how many times you call me, I can not tell you when the power will be back on. I have no control over ConEd (or whatever power company is in charge there). I am in Indiana. I cannot tell you anything about the conditions beyond, the plant is fine -- no damage. The people are fine. There is no fucking power. Nothing can be done. I do not know what to tell you to reassure you.
Yes, transportation -- trucks etc. -- could be a problem. I do not know. We have not tried to call in any trucks because we have no electricity. We cannot ship anything. We have not scheduled your truck for pickup because we do not know when electricity will be restored.
Calling me every hour is not going to get you answers. I have told you "I do not know" in every conceivable combination of words. Every customer is important. I will sell about $35,000,000 in widgets this year. Your $45,000 is just not worth the aggravation in the big scheme. I am this close to telling you so, you twit.
As I have told you repeatedly, World Headquarters for my company are just outside of New York City. They are sans power. That means no email. There are no phones. No computers. No shipping. No receiving. Things are akin to Gilligan's Island (no phones, no lights, no motor cars, its as primitive as can be). To quote the classic 1980's commercial, "We are closed now!"
I have no way to communicate with the folks at corporate. One of the customer service reps calls me on his cell every morning to give me an update. There is no electricity. The-lights-will-not-work.
It does not matter, dear customer, how many times you call me, I can not tell you when the power will be back on. I have no control over ConEd (or whatever power company is in charge there). I am in Indiana. I cannot tell you anything about the conditions beyond, the plant is fine -- no damage. The people are fine. There is no fucking power. Nothing can be done. I do not know what to tell you to reassure you.
Yes, transportation -- trucks etc. -- could be a problem. I do not know. We have not tried to call in any trucks because we have no electricity. We cannot ship anything. We have not scheduled your truck for pickup because we do not know when electricity will be restored.
Calling me every hour is not going to get you answers. I have told you "I do not know" in every conceivable combination of words. Every customer is important. I will sell about $35,000,000 in widgets this year. Your $45,000 is just not worth the aggravation in the big scheme. I am this close to telling you so, you twit.
October 31, 2012
Halloween facts I know to be true
KitKat bars suck. Clark bars are worse. Zero bars are the product of the Devil's arsehole.
Picasso and Warhol can kiss my ass. I know art when I see it.
 |
| Laughter Kills Lonesome by Charles Russell |
When I was in college the local public library let you check out pictures to hang on your wall. This was a favorite of mine and my roommates dug it too. We each (there were four of us) got a library card and one after the other checked it out. Despite rules against keeping a picture for more than two consecutive months, we kept that picture the whole school year for three straight years. We would go to the library first thing in August when we arrived at school and check out the "Cowboys" as we called it. If it was not available we would put it on reserve. Then each of us would put in a reserve in turn, so no one could grab it away from us until May when we headed back home.
Until today, I did not know the name of this painting. You can learn something every day, if you try.
Is there any doubt Russell is in Heaven right now schooling Kinkade about how to really use light in a painting?
If I could find a print of this painting on the cheap, I think I would put it up in my office. I bet you would too.
October 30, 2012
Whirling Winds Whip Wall Street
I cancelled the post I had canned for this morning. The one that replaced the boring history lesson I had ready a week ago. Confused?
I had a post in the hopper because I thought I was going to be in North Carolina this morning. I could have been, too. My flight went as scheduled yesterday afternoon. The problem was my flight home today was cancelled yesterday! There is no point going if I cannot get home. The airline was not accepting rebookings for Wednesday on Tuesday's cancelled flights. The prospect of sitting in a Hilton Garden Inn for three or more days offers little to entice me. The weather would not be conducive to sight seeing either.
Here in flyover country we are spared Sandy's wrath, but the low pressure system bringing the cold air is here in force. Winds have howled around the eves for two days now, and daylight will bring stronger winds yet. The weather girl has hinted a possibility of snow flurries.
I spent four days last week just outside of New York City, and I am very glad it was last week.
If the great and powerful GW Bush caused Hurricane Katrina because he hated black people why did Obama fire up the weather controls and steer Sandy into the Metroplex? It has to be more than covering up the fact he left Americans to die at Benghazi. Right?
I had a post in the hopper because I thought I was going to be in North Carolina this morning. I could have been, too. My flight went as scheduled yesterday afternoon. The problem was my flight home today was cancelled yesterday! There is no point going if I cannot get home. The airline was not accepting rebookings for Wednesday on Tuesday's cancelled flights. The prospect of sitting in a Hilton Garden Inn for three or more days offers little to entice me. The weather would not be conducive to sight seeing either.
Here in flyover country we are spared Sandy's wrath, but the low pressure system bringing the cold air is here in force. Winds have howled around the eves for two days now, and daylight will bring stronger winds yet. The weather girl has hinted a possibility of snow flurries.
I spent four days last week just outside of New York City, and I am very glad it was last week.
If the great and powerful GW Bush caused Hurricane Katrina because he hated black people why did Obama fire up the weather controls and steer Sandy into the Metroplex? It has to be more than covering up the fact he left Americans to die at Benghazi. Right?
October 29, 2012
Quick Hits
Lots of pontificating going on around here. Long boring posts no one wants to read. I fully expect a "TL/DR in the comments. Too bad 'bitches, there are more installments scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. True story -- at one point in October I had 11 posts wrapped and in the hopper.
I scrapped three posts on the end of the Roman Republic and opted for a quick summary post on Saturday instead. You are welcome. Hell, you were bored. I was bored. Now you get a lesson in American history. What am I thinking? Most of you hated history in high school, you don't need to read about it in your leisure time. Maybe I will scrap the remaining Voter Education post re-runs too.
I had a good weekend. Nothing special to report, just a good weekend. I took a vacation day Friday. We did not go anywhere, but I was in the Empire State all week and I wanted the day off. I still have plenty of vacation time left. My company has a firm use-it-or-lose-it policy, so I have to get my last week (6 days actually) in before year end.
The taste of my wife's cherry Chap-stick lingers on my lips after her kiss goodbye this morning.
I did something a couple of weeks ago I rarely do. I spent big bucks on something for me. I ponied up and bought a Bose Soundlink bluetooth speaker. Man oh man does it sound nice. I have not had sound this good for years. My music explodes through the room in rich tones. You can hear every note of every instrument just as the artist intended the music to sound. Plus, it is completely portable, so I can listen anywhere in the house or even outside when I puff away on a premium stogie! Too bad it is getting too cold to sit on the deck and enjoy a fine hand-rolled cigar!
I scrapped three posts on the end of the Roman Republic and opted for a quick summary post on Saturday instead. You are welcome. Hell, you were bored. I was bored. Now you get a lesson in American history. What am I thinking? Most of you hated history in high school, you don't need to read about it in your leisure time. Maybe I will scrap the remaining Voter Education post re-runs too.
I had a good weekend. Nothing special to report, just a good weekend. I took a vacation day Friday. We did not go anywhere, but I was in the Empire State all week and I wanted the day off. I still have plenty of vacation time left. My company has a firm use-it-or-lose-it policy, so I have to get my last week (6 days actually) in before year end.
The taste of my wife's cherry Chap-stick lingers on my lips after her kiss goodbye this morning.
I did something a couple of weeks ago I rarely do. I spent big bucks on something for me. I ponied up and bought a Bose Soundlink bluetooth speaker. Man oh man does it sound nice. I have not had sound this good for years. My music explodes through the room in rich tones. You can hear every note of every instrument just as the artist intended the music to sound. Plus, it is completely portable, so I can listen anywhere in the house or even outside when I puff away on a premium stogie! Too bad it is getting too cold to sit on the deck and enjoy a fine hand-rolled cigar!
Voter Education Vol 1
I am reposting a series of essays I wrote prior to the 2008 elections. You may find them interesting.
10/23/2008
There has been a lot of talk this election regarding the role of Government in our lives. I will try to speak in general terms when discussing this issue and use the generic term Liberal and Conservative to label the various viewpoints. Using the political party labels is difficult as the Republicans and Democrats reversed positions on the roll of Government during the 1890s.
For the purpose of this discussion, Liberals will be those persons who believe in a strong Federal Government and an increased role of all levels of government in the social, political, and economic policies of the Republic. They believe man needs to be governed. Conservatives will be those who believe in a limited Government, firm believers in the policy of the Government that governs least, governs best".
To understand the Constitution we must take a quick side trip in history to the time of Enlightenment and the changing roll of Government and The Church in Europe. Some people decry the Eurocentric historiography of America, but in reality the foundations of our Nation and its government come from Europe. In particular the lawyers and printers and educated class of Colonial America came primarily from England. These are the men who crafted our founding documents and designed our Nation's political system.
Stop stop stop (insert braking sound here). To get a complete understanding of this subject we are going to have to go back and discuss the religious, political and economic evolutions over about three centuries. We will have to delve into the Crusades, the Magna Carta, Martin Luther, Charles Martel and then tackle Locke and Columbus, Cortez, and Hudson. The reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. This is going to take about 20 posts and 5 hours of reading for you. Before I go much further I will have lost 79 of my 80 regular readers. My last reader at that point, GuyK, will be skimming since he already knows the history.
As a compromise I am going to ask you to take my word the Founders believed certain things, they were educated in a certain way. If you have further questions or doubts I will be glad to answer your specifics directly or point you in which direction to do your research. Besides, this should have been covered in school. Unfortunately most text books cover these subjects but never tie them in. Historians often think the non-historian can make the connections or is even interested enough to try. Most people cannot and are not. The teaching of history is a completely different bug up my ass we will discuss at a later date.
By the early 1700s farmers comprised only a little more than 1/3 of the workers in Great Britain. As a heavily populated island nation, Britain depended on her colonies to supply raw materials and foodstuffs. The American colonies were among the chief suppliers. At the same time nearly 80% of the American colonists were involved in agriculture. Few in Europe were land holders, an astonishing 90+ percent of colonists owned land. Americans enjoyed significant freedoms not allowed in Britain. A century and a half of what has been termed "benign neglect" from the Crown of England saw the colonies develop their own political system, including local and "state" governments and courts. None of these were sanctioned by the King or Parliament, but the appointed Royal Governors used them to efficiently run the colonies. As long as the colonies made money for English merchants and caused no trouble, they were left alone.
As part of a greater European War (The Seven Years War), the Colonies and their British Sovereign found themselves embroiled in a war with France in the 1750s and early 1760s. The theater of war that occurred in North America was the so called French and Indian War. You may have a vague recollection of this -- it was covered in the first weeks of 8th Grade history. This war was one of the root causes of the Revolution.
The Treaty of Paris settled the conflict and Great Britain came into possession of most of what is now the US and Canada east of the Mississippi. as a result if the War, the Crown was heavily in debt. As we know from Iraq, wars are uncommonly expensive. Without boring you with details -- that is not our purpose here -- the interest on the debt alone consumed about 70% of the gross revenues of the Royal Treasury. The people of great Britain were already among the heaviest taxed in Europe and the King was looking for additional revenue. He turned his eye westward to his rich American Colonies.
Stick with me. In the next post we will get to how this led to the Revolution, The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. We will examine the politics that leads to modern Liberal and Conservative thought.
10/23/2008
There has been a lot of talk this election regarding the role of Government in our lives. I will try to speak in general terms when discussing this issue and use the generic term Liberal and Conservative to label the various viewpoints. Using the political party labels is difficult as the Republicans and Democrats reversed positions on the roll of Government during the 1890s.
For the purpose of this discussion, Liberals will be those persons who believe in a strong Federal Government and an increased role of all levels of government in the social, political, and economic policies of the Republic. They believe man needs to be governed. Conservatives will be those who believe in a limited Government, firm believers in the policy of the Government that governs least, governs best".
To understand the Constitution we must take a quick side trip in history to the time of Enlightenment and the changing roll of Government and The Church in Europe. Some people decry the Eurocentric historiography of America, but in reality the foundations of our Nation and its government come from Europe. In particular the lawyers and printers and educated class of Colonial America came primarily from England. These are the men who crafted our founding documents and designed our Nation's political system.
Stop stop stop (insert braking sound here). To get a complete understanding of this subject we are going to have to go back and discuss the religious, political and economic evolutions over about three centuries. We will have to delve into the Crusades, the Magna Carta, Martin Luther, Charles Martel and then tackle Locke and Columbus, Cortez, and Hudson. The reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. This is going to take about 20 posts and 5 hours of reading for you. Before I go much further I will have lost 79 of my 80 regular readers. My last reader at that point, GuyK, will be skimming since he already knows the history.
As a compromise I am going to ask you to take my word the Founders believed certain things, they were educated in a certain way. If you have further questions or doubts I will be glad to answer your specifics directly or point you in which direction to do your research. Besides, this should have been covered in school. Unfortunately most text books cover these subjects but never tie them in. Historians often think the non-historian can make the connections or is even interested enough to try. Most people cannot and are not. The teaching of history is a completely different bug up my ass we will discuss at a later date.
By the early 1700s farmers comprised only a little more than 1/3 of the workers in Great Britain. As a heavily populated island nation, Britain depended on her colonies to supply raw materials and foodstuffs. The American colonies were among the chief suppliers. At the same time nearly 80% of the American colonists were involved in agriculture. Few in Europe were land holders, an astonishing 90+ percent of colonists owned land. Americans enjoyed significant freedoms not allowed in Britain. A century and a half of what has been termed "benign neglect" from the Crown of England saw the colonies develop their own political system, including local and "state" governments and courts. None of these were sanctioned by the King or Parliament, but the appointed Royal Governors used them to efficiently run the colonies. As long as the colonies made money for English merchants and caused no trouble, they were left alone.
As part of a greater European War (The Seven Years War), the Colonies and their British Sovereign found themselves embroiled in a war with France in the 1750s and early 1760s. The theater of war that occurred in North America was the so called French and Indian War. You may have a vague recollection of this -- it was covered in the first weeks of 8th Grade history. This war was one of the root causes of the Revolution.
The Treaty of Paris settled the conflict and Great Britain came into possession of most of what is now the US and Canada east of the Mississippi. as a result if the War, the Crown was heavily in debt. As we know from Iraq, wars are uncommonly expensive. Without boring you with details -- that is not our purpose here -- the interest on the debt alone consumed about 70% of the gross revenues of the Royal Treasury. The people of great Britain were already among the heaviest taxed in Europe and the King was looking for additional revenue. He turned his eye westward to his rich American Colonies.
Stick with me. In the next post we will get to how this led to the Revolution, The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. We will examine the politics that leads to modern Liberal and Conservative thought.
October 28, 2012
A Localized Rant
Who is the idiot of an urban planner who thought it a good idea to put bike lanes along Allisonville Road on Indianapolis' north east side? This is one of the most congested areas in the city and encouraging any more traffic, especially bicycle traffic, in the area around Castelton Mall is beyond stupid.
This is is the green agenda thrust in all of its idiocy in our faces. There is no reasonable person who thinks adding a bike lane to SIX lanes of traffic is not a recipe for disaster, death and accidents. This is the certainly case at Allisonville and I-465.
The only thing dumber than the bike paths along Allisonville Road in the Castelton area is the moron who would ride his bike on them.
This is is the green agenda thrust in all of its idiocy in our faces. There is no reasonable person who thinks adding a bike lane to SIX lanes of traffic is not a recipe for disaster, death and accidents. This is the certainly case at Allisonville and I-465.
The only thing dumber than the bike paths along Allisonville Road in the Castelton area is the moron who would ride his bike on them.
October 27, 2012
Days of Future Past - the end
We come at last to the end of our tale. The historically acute might have captured a few clues I sprinkled in the last installment. This tale is not fiction. nor is it an apocalyptic vision of my own creation. Rather is is a cliff notes version of a Reader's Digest condensation of the end of the Roman Republic. The dear Leader was Mithridates. The group seeking Roman citizenship were the Italian peoples who lived outside Rome. The real events unfolded very similar to my descriptions.
It took just over two centuries for Rome to grow from a regional economic poser to a dominate superpower that controlled much of the civilized world. Culturally, militarily and economically they had no equal. We think of the power of Rome during the Empire, but the growth and hegemony really took place during the days of the Republic. They defeated their only rival, Carthage, in a series of trade wars writ large, and the borders stretched from Britain to Egypt, from the Danube to modern Iraq.
The events I described took place in the century before the death of Christ. I intended to continue the tale a little further to describe how each succeeding politician subverted the Constitution in an effort to "save the Constitution".Other politicians spouted the same words to save the people from tyranny only to assume the mantle of power themselves. Finally Octavius was declared Consul for life and ultimately Emperor by the Senate. and as Augustus Caesar ruled the Roman Empire. Amazingly, the Romans continued to hold Senatorial elections for the next four hundred-plus years, pretending the republic continued to function.A Roman of 130 AD, would certainly claim his government was a republic.
Why did I waste your time with this tale? I have opined often that history never repeats, but human behavior does. I was studying the last days of the Roman Republic and saw many comparisons to our modern situation. Of course we can always find patterns if we try hard enough. You can find a similar path during the French Revolution -- reform, republic, chaos, empire, tyranny. America has proved one of the few historical aberrations; revolution did not lead to chaos and dictatorship of one kind or another. There is still time. The Roman Republic made it about four hundred years before Caesar Augustus was declared Emperor.
We must always be vigilant. Freedom is a precious thing. In Roman times the power of the government increased incrementally. Those who hunger for power can always rationalize their excesses by claiming to solve "emergencies". Taking away our freedoms in the wake of 9/11 is no less dangerous than twisting the meaning of the commerce clause to support a "health care crisis".
Two thousand years later the faint scratchings of VVV still marks the walls of various cities and towns who found themselves under the boot of Roman Repression. Do not fool yourself for one moment by thinking it cannot happen to you.
It took just over two centuries for Rome to grow from a regional economic poser to a dominate superpower that controlled much of the civilized world. Culturally, militarily and economically they had no equal. We think of the power of Rome during the Empire, but the growth and hegemony really took place during the days of the Republic. They defeated their only rival, Carthage, in a series of trade wars writ large, and the borders stretched from Britain to Egypt, from the Danube to modern Iraq.
The events I described took place in the century before the death of Christ. I intended to continue the tale a little further to describe how each succeeding politician subverted the Constitution in an effort to "save the Constitution".Other politicians spouted the same words to save the people from tyranny only to assume the mantle of power themselves. Finally Octavius was declared Consul for life and ultimately Emperor by the Senate. and as Augustus Caesar ruled the Roman Empire. Amazingly, the Romans continued to hold Senatorial elections for the next four hundred-plus years, pretending the republic continued to function.A Roman of 130 AD, would certainly claim his government was a republic.
Why did I waste your time with this tale? I have opined often that history never repeats, but human behavior does. I was studying the last days of the Roman Republic and saw many comparisons to our modern situation. Of course we can always find patterns if we try hard enough. You can find a similar path during the French Revolution -- reform, republic, chaos, empire, tyranny. America has proved one of the few historical aberrations; revolution did not lead to chaos and dictatorship of one kind or another. There is still time. The Roman Republic made it about four hundred years before Caesar Augustus was declared Emperor.
We must always be vigilant. Freedom is a precious thing. In Roman times the power of the government increased incrementally. Those who hunger for power can always rationalize their excesses by claiming to solve "emergencies". Taking away our freedoms in the wake of 9/11 is no less dangerous than twisting the meaning of the commerce clause to support a "health care crisis".
Two thousand years later the faint scratchings of VVV still marks the walls of various cities and towns who found themselves under the boot of Roman Repression. Do not fool yourself for one moment by thinking it cannot happen to you.
October 26, 2012
Days of future past -- part four
The nation had emerged from a bloody civil war. Hundreds of thousands of dead on both sides had finally brought agreement on the reforms the people wanted. The Senate looked at the vast new voting blocks that had come into existence and knew their days of power were numbered. They began to scheme and plot.
They elites knew the elections would bring new populist representatives that would enact the economic reforms promised. To thwart the reforms the new citizens were broken into strangely shaped voting districts, their power diluted by the old-time conservatives. Each district lacked enough of the populists to win an election. The vote was held and the old senators and local representatives returned to office. The promised reforms died for lack of support. The people were outraged.
One of the Senators, a supporter of the reforms, decided the Constitution had been compromised; the people cheated. He and several supporters took over the Senate. An armed mob backed him in his revolution. In short order the conservative senators were brought to trial for their "crimes". Some were banished from The Republic. Many were executed in the Public Forum. Those who tried to escape were hunted down and executed for crimes against the people. Entire families were hanged, beheaded and killed. Some of the oldest names in the history of Republic were destroyed. As always happens, this reign of terror began to consume its own, as individuals used the trials to eliminate rivals for power. Chaos ruled the land, especially in the Capital.
At this point the army returned from the war with the Dear Leader. The Generals were not pleased with the state of things. General Sulla had made his reputation fighting in the various wars of The Republic. He was a hero. He had retired to public life serving in the government. he was from an old conservative family. he was a strict Constitutionalist. He had come back to the Army to fight in the social wars. he was the general in charge of the campaign against the Dear Leader. his soldiers were loyal to him to a fault..
General Sulla saw his only duty was to restore order in The Republic. He undertook a action never before dreamed of in the long history of The Republic. He broke centuries of tradition. Always the military had been directed by civilians. Sulla determined the civilians were no longer serving The Republic, but themselves. He vowed to restore order..
He marched his army on the capital.
Society was faced with a new paradigm. The Constitution was subverted to save the Constitution. Is there rule of law when rule of law is used to further an agenda? Despots since time immemorial have used just such logic to leverage their way into power.
They elites knew the elections would bring new populist representatives that would enact the economic reforms promised. To thwart the reforms the new citizens were broken into strangely shaped voting districts, their power diluted by the old-time conservatives. Each district lacked enough of the populists to win an election. The vote was held and the old senators and local representatives returned to office. The promised reforms died for lack of support. The people were outraged.
One of the Senators, a supporter of the reforms, decided the Constitution had been compromised; the people cheated. He and several supporters took over the Senate. An armed mob backed him in his revolution. In short order the conservative senators were brought to trial for their "crimes". Some were banished from The Republic. Many were executed in the Public Forum. Those who tried to escape were hunted down and executed for crimes against the people. Entire families were hanged, beheaded and killed. Some of the oldest names in the history of Republic were destroyed. As always happens, this reign of terror began to consume its own, as individuals used the trials to eliminate rivals for power. Chaos ruled the land, especially in the Capital.
At this point the army returned from the war with the Dear Leader. The Generals were not pleased with the state of things. General Sulla had made his reputation fighting in the various wars of The Republic. He was a hero. He had retired to public life serving in the government. he was from an old conservative family. he was a strict Constitutionalist. He had come back to the Army to fight in the social wars. he was the general in charge of the campaign against the Dear Leader. his soldiers were loyal to him to a fault..
General Sulla saw his only duty was to restore order in The Republic. He undertook a action never before dreamed of in the long history of The Republic. He broke centuries of tradition. Always the military had been directed by civilians. Sulla determined the civilians were no longer serving The Republic, but themselves. He vowed to restore order..
He marched his army on the capital.
Society was faced with a new paradigm. The Constitution was subverted to save the Constitution. Is there rule of law when rule of law is used to further an agenda? Despots since time immemorial have used just such logic to leverage their way into power.
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