Daily American

The case against Obama

2008-10-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

As one who believes our system of government is completely broken, no longer bearing any semblance of the democracy and limited government our forefathers designed for us, I cannot in good conscience firmly back either candidate in this year's Presidential election. I think we lost our chance to restore liberty when we were too short-sighted to see the wisdom behind Ron Paul's campaign in the Primaries. However, I can make a string case against Barack Obama being chosen to lead this country.

You have all heard the rumors of Obama's background and associations, many of which are true, but even they have no bearing on my argument.

It's really quite simple. The man is a Socialist, period. He may be registered as a Democrat and may have earned the reputation as the nation's most liberal Senator, but his political views go far beyond even the liberal tax and spend ways of Democrats and well into the realm of Socialism and Marxism.

That in itself is enough to make me refuse to ever vote for him, regardless of who is running against him.

However, an even stronger argument is preservation of a balance of power. Unfortunately most Americans seem to have forgotten their high school civics class and the fact that this country is currently a two party system, which I think led to the utter ruin of our great nation, but that's another argument for another day. No, today I am merely concerned with the fact that, if Barack Obama is elected our next President, we will have a Democrat-controlled White House AND a Democrat-controlled Congress. Our entire country will be led and governed by a single party. How on earth will we ever be able to keep this man, the most liberal (translation: dangerous) Senator in check if we hand him control of the White House when Congress is also controlled by liberals?

The thing I can't seem to wrap my mind around is how our nation has turned a blind eye to the tyrannical rule of these two parties for so long.

Unnerving videos

2008-10-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

I came across some interesting, and very unnerving videos while scouring the web today...

(The following is not meant to be an endorsement of any political candidate.)

To put it into perspective...

Hold your nose boys, the stench of this one is overwhelming!

2008-10-02T07:57:00.000-07:00

In typical Washington fashion, lawmakers bent on passing the bailout added a few carrots in the hopes of getting more support.

Most major news organizations will tell you the bill ballooned to $810 billion with added tax breaks and "other sweeteners."

It's those other sweeteners that should concern you. It's typical Washington. Unfortunately most Americans aren't aware of how common the practice is, completely distorting the public's perception of proposed legislation.

Can't seem to figure out why your congressman didn't vote for legislation intended to stop government corruption and wasteful spending? It's entirely possible it was the added "sweeteners" of sending $50 billion to the Congo to study the mating habits of gorillas, sending $140 billion to a research company trying to discover if people who like the color red are more inclined to shop at Target and another paragraph buried that would allow the mice squatter's rights in your home. (*Please note these are fictional examples, however many of the measures slid into legislation are even more ridiculous.)

This is what causes lawmakers to "hold their nose" to vote for key legislation. Yes, I have actually heard US Congressmen use that phrase on more than one occasion.

This recent bailout, which seems more like a temporary stop-gap to prolong the inevitable and a fast track to the slippery slope of socialism, is no different. The legislation that began as less than 20 pages is now the length of a novel and includes such "sweeteners" as the following:

• More than $100 billion in tax breaks for businesses and the middle class. Most of these breaks are merely extensions of current breaks offered, but there are a few tempting extras such as $8 billion in tax cuts to those affected by natural disasters in the Gulf. Some of the more obscure tax breaks will go to certain wooden arrows made by children (no, this is not an exaggerated example) and litigants in the '89 Exxon Valdez oil spill.

• Raising the Federal Deposit Insurance Cap from $100,000 to $250,000. Lawmakers say this measure was included to alleviate panic among the citizens, fearing that people jerking money out of the bank would further cripple the country's ability to receive credit. It may be a bit more reassuring if the FDIC actually had the funds to cover the current deposits. There's no way they'll be able to cover an additional $150,000 per depositor and lawmakers are banking on the American people being too stupid to realize that. The media doesn't seem to be going out of their way to educate folks either. And have any of these economic geniuses realized yet that living on credit is what got us into this mess to start with? In an effort to make this seem more like a bail out of middle America than Wall Street, several lawmakers actually offered the example of small to medium-sized businesses who couldn't make their payroll or stock their shelves if they couldn't be extended credit for those expenses. Seems to me like if you can't keep your folks paid or your shelves stocked without taking out a loan, you're probably not going to be in business much longer anyway.

• Also crammed into the bailout bill is a measure to force large companies' health plans to give equal treatment to mental health and addition issues, if such are covered by the plan. Can anyone tell me what THAT has to do with the current financial crisis, other than the fact that the complete incompetence of our leaders is enough to drive anyone over the edge?

MEANWHILE....The Securities and Exchange Commission has decided to make it a little easier to allow companies to look better on the books, easing rules that currently call for companies to devalue assets on their balance sheets to reflect the price they can get on the market. In other words, this whole crisis would seem much less dire if you guys could go back to inflating the worth of your assets.

Jackasses. No matter how much sugar you add to a big boiling pot of shit, it's still a pot of shit and no one in their right mind should be able to "hold their nose" to get past THAT stench!

The sky is falling, the sky is falling

2008-09-15T12:56:00.001-07:00

While the attention of most Americans has been sidetracked by the circus that is the Presidential campaign, our economy has taken a nose-dive.

It is said that once you hit rock bottom, there is nowhere to go except up. We aren't at rock bottom yet and I'm afraid our country's financial well-being will continue to erode. You will now see that erosion become much swifter and have a much larger impact on regular Americans in the near future.

Small banks have been closing their doors in record numbers and now, even the larger banks, once thought to be immune to the changing winds of the American economy are starting to lock their doors.

I hope you are not counting on the FDIC promise to insure your deposits, as they too are on the verge of being defunct.

A September 5 piece in the Executive Intelligence Review provides a healthy understanding, in clear language, of the challenges we face. You may read the article by clicking here.

If you need to hear the news from a more familiar name, Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is even allowing that the financial crises we are facing is a "once in a century event" and expects the failure of more financial institutions to follow. You can read stories from Bloomberg by clicking here and from CNN by clicking here.

Bottom line? We're broke guys. I'd tell you to start stuffing your money into your mattress, but it won't do any good if those little pieces of paper are no longer worth anything.

Deep Breath Before the Plunge

2008-09-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

My apologies, once again I have been horribly slack in keeping this blog current. I promise to do better as there are a great many issues unfolding before us that will have a significant, and decidedly dangerous, impact on our future.

Headlines

2008-05-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

You can tell a lot about the state of our nation, the state of our humanity, by the headlines that bombard us every day. Here's a quick sweep of latest US headlines that tell me all is certainly NOT right in the world:

• Florida Girl, 14, Pins 5-Year-Old to Wall With Car in Fatal Joyride
• Man Charged With Severing Wife's Arm With Ski Boat Propeller
• 12-Year-Old Girl Says Father Forced Her to Dismember Mother's Body With Circular Saw
• 13-Year-Old Boy Pulls Knife on Teacher, Demands Money for Video Game
• Couple Arrested for Putting Days-Old Baby Up for Sale On Craigslist

Yet here we are, taking God out of schools, out of government and out of our daily lives.

Terrorists long for nuclear attack, Russia & China won't be any help to us

2008-05-30T08:28:00.000-07:00

I doubt that anyone can continue to deny that terrorists (Islamic extremists in particular) are hell-bent on wreaking as much death and destruction on us here in the west as possible.

However, if there was any doubt in your mind as to the scale of the crisis we face as they lodge their jihad against us, this should put it into perspective for you.

A London paper is reporting today that an Islamic extremist's website is now boasting doctored images portraying the destruction that would be left behind in our nation's capitol if their hateful minions succeeded in waging a nuclear attack.

You can read the story and view the picture here.

And please, do not allow yourself to be lulled into the false sense of security that such an attack is simply not possible. Nukes are no different than drugs or guns. The law may prohibit them, but people can still get their hands on them relatively easily.

Of course we must also keep in mind that, thanks in large part to the growing nuclear program in Iran, the entire Middle East region is headed for a nuclear arms race. Read that story here.

And we can certainly not forget "our friends" Russia and China. Russia is a staunch supporter of Iran's nuclear program, so much so, that they are the ones shipping the nuclear fuel to Iran. Read that story here. China has firmly backed that deal and continues to work with Russia in an effort to keep Iran free and clear of UN Security Council oversight. You can read about the most recent attempt here.

Both Russia and China are entrenched in a great deal of trade with Iran and you can be assured that their allegiances do not lie with America.

Iranian President wants to meet with the Pope

2008-05-29T11:06:00.000-07:00

Iranian President Ahmadinejad Requests Meeting With Pope

This was a recent Fox News headline. Am I the only one who finds this a touch unsettling? After all, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the one who has repeatedly called for the total annihilation of Israel...could it be that he feels the need to confess his sins or does he have something more sinister up his sleeve?

You can read the full story here.

This is especially concerning when you consider that, at the same time he is requesting an audience with the Pope, he is also ordering the arrest of newly converted Christians in Iran. You can read that story here.

Pardon the interruption

2008-05-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

My apologies for my extended absence. Sometimes you just need a break.

I am a curious creature, as most of us are, so I have continued to ask questions, tell the stories of other people and take an insider's look at the political arena.

This country — our government, our political machine — is about to collapse. I can say this with frank certainty.

We are no longer a government by and of the people. We are, and have been for some time now, a government by and of a corrupt political machine, driven by greed, power, and sometimes, plain old stupidity.

It's fall is inevitable. We are a young nation, built upon the backs and dreams of those who longed for freedom. Yet when those freedoms are granted, we wish to be free of the responsibility they bring. We trade that responsibility to the government in exchange for a modest amount of our freedoms.

It is long past time for the American people to wake up and take immediate steps to saving our nation. We cannot continue to expect our government to do it for us. If we truly want a government by and for the people, we must be willing to accept the responsibility it brings.

Reporting suspected illegals said to be racial profiling

2007-07-27T22:14:00.000-07:00

A Sheriff in Arizona is coming under fire by civil rights groups for setting up a hotline to enable folks to report suspected illegal immigrants.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has said he will not shut down the hotline, which was just launched on Friday, in spite of Latino civil rights groups denouncing the hotline as racial profiling.

Sheriff Arpaio is used to such accusations, in light of several sweeping changes he has instituted in jail operations since being elected in 1992. Among those changes that affected inmates were the following: began serving inmates surplus food (not as tasty but much cheaper and enough to keep them alive), banning salt, pepper and coffee, removing pornographic materials and weightlifting equipment, banning smoking, reinstated chain gangs and the black and white stripes historically worn by inmates.

But perhaps Sheriff Arpaio is most notorious for "Tent City". Having grown tired of watching convicted criminals released early from jail because of overcrowding and not having $70 million to build a larger facility, Sheriff Arpaio spent around $100,000 on military tents, cement pads, fencing and fans and set up "Tent City" to accommodate more inmates.

During the summer of 2003, when outside temperatures exceeded 110 degrees Fahrenheit (higher than average, even for scorching hot Phoenix) Arpaio said to complaining inmates, "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and the soldiers are living in tents and they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your mouths" However, inmates were given permission to wear only their pink underwear. (According to a July, 2003 Associated Press story.)

Somehow I doubt the civil rights folks will be able to do anything about the hotline...

As for the racial profiling, I for one am sick to death of hearing that phrase. I'm sorry, Latinos are the ones sneaking over our border by the millions, of course they would be at a greater risk for being reported as possible illegals in Arizona. . Odds are good Latinos will be the ones suspected of being here illegally. I hardly consider that racial profiling just as I hardly considered it racial profiling to more carefully search Middle Eastern people attempting to board a plan after 9/11.

States rights not just for Dixiecrats anymore

2007-07-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

Having finally grown tired of the Federal Government doing nothing to curb the influx of illegal aliens, Hazelton, Pennsylvania took matters into their own hands, passing ordinances that would fine businesses who employee illegal aliens and fine landlords who rent to them. Several other small towns across the country followed Hazelton's example.

However today a US judge ruled the local ordinances "unconstitutional", stating Federal Law prohibited towns and cities to enforce such ordinance.

Read news reports on this here and here.

By Friday morning there will probably be a lot of folks throwing around the term "states rights" which has been historically used by southern states to defend slavery and later, segregation. Damn shame a Federal court will not allow local governments to protect their citizens when the Federal Government will not.

Of course, why would the Federal Government care anything at all about curbing illegal immigration when the they plan on erasing the borders for the Security and Prosperity Plan (North American Union) anyway?

Last time states rights were a major issue this country found itself in a bitter civil war, from which it never entirely recovered. Seems as though we're heading down that road again.

An American Candidate

2007-07-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

Now this guy sounds like an American!

Want to know where YOUR money's going?

2007-07-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

If you're anything like me, I'm sure you would be angered to see exactly where billions of our tax dollars are being spent.

The Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008 (H.R.2764) has been passed by the US House of Representatives, sent through Senate Committee and is now being reported in the Senate where it will soon come to the floor for a vote.

While I am certain someone has what they consider to be good reasons for these expenditures, I fail to see how many of them are in the best interest of the American people when our nation is on the verge of economic collapse.

Here are just a few examples:

• For a grant to the Asia Foundation, as authorized by the Asia Foundation Act $16,000,000 (The Asia Foundation is a private, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization under the section 501 (C) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code that "collaborates with partners from the public and private sectors to build leadership, improve policy and regulation, and strengthen institutions to foster greater openness and shared prosperity in the Asia Pacific region.)

• For expenses necessary to enable the Broadcasting Board of Governors, as authorized, to carry out international communication activities, including the purchase, rent, construction, and improvement of facilities for radio and television transmission and reception and purchase, lease, and installation and operation of necessary equipment, including aircraft, for radio and television transmission and reception to Cuba, and to make and supervise grants for radio and television broadcasting to the Middle East, $662,727,000.

• For necessary expenses of the United States Institute of Peace as authorized in the United States Institute of Peace Act, $25,000,000. (The United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan, national institution established and funded by Congress. Its goals are to help prevent and resolve violent conflicts, promote post-conflict stability and development, and increase peacebuilding capacity, tools, and intellectual capital worldwide.)

• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapters 1 and 10 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, for global health activities, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, $6,531,425,000. (Keeping in mind this appropriation is under the Foreign Assistance Act, this amount shall be made available for such activities as: (1) child survival programs; (2) immunization and oral rehydration programs; (3) other health, nutrition, water and sanitation programs which directly address the needs of mothers and children, and related education programs; (4) assistance for children displaced or orphaned by causes other than AIDS; (5) programs for the prevention, treatment, control of, and research on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, polio, malaria, and other infectious diseases, and for assistance to communities severely affected by HIV/AIDS, including children displaced or orphaned by AIDS; and (6) family planning/reproductive health)

• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of section 491 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for international disaster relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction assistance, $322,350,000, to remain available until expended, of which $20,000,000 should be for famine prevention and relief.

• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $3,015,000,000. (This is listed as the Economic Support Fund, you've got to read the full text to fully appreciate it. Funds going to preserve wildlife in Lebabon, scholarships in Egypt, etc.

• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989, $294,568,000.

• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapters 11 and 12 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the FREEDOM Support Act, for assistance for the Independent States of the former Soviet Union and for related programs, $401,885,000.

• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, $1,200,000,000. (The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a United States Government corporation designed to work with some of the poorest countries in the world. Established in January 2004, MCC is based on the principle that aid is most effective when it reinforces good governance, economic freedom and investments in people.)

• To support counterdrug, economic and social development, rule of law, and other activities in the Andean region of South America, $415,050,000

• International Military Education and Assistance, $85,877,000. (That funds appropriated under this heading that are made available for assistance for Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Libya, and Nepal may be made available only for expanded international military education and training.)

• For the United States contribution for the Global Environment Facility, $106,763,000 to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development as trustee for the Global Environment Facility (GEF), by the Secretary of the Treasury. (GEF is an independent financial organization that provides grants to developing countries for projects that benefit the global environment and promote sustainable livelihoods in local communities.)

• For payment to the International Development Association by the Secretary of the Treasury, $1,000,000,000. (The International Development Association (IDA) is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. Established in 1960, IDA aims to reduce poverty by providing interest-free loans and grants for programs that boost economic growth, reduce inequalities and improve people’s living conditions.)

• Up to $13,500,000 of the funds made available by this Act for assistance under the heading `Global Health Programs', may be used to reimburse United States Government agencies, agencies of State governments, institutions of higher learning, and private and voluntary organizations for the full cost of individuals (including for the personal services of such individuals) detailed or assigned to, or contracted by, as the case may be, the United States Agency for International Development for the purpose of carrying out activities under that heading.

• Of the funds appropriated by this Act, up to $1,057,050,000 may be made available for assistance for Afghanistan, of which not less than $75,000,000 should be made available to support programs that directly address the needs of Afghan women and girls, of which not less than $12,000,000 shall be made available for grants to support training and equipment to improve the capacity of women-led Afghan nongovernmental organizations and to support the activities of such organizations, and not less than $3,000,000 should be made available for reforestation activities.

And then we have the following:

• For necessary expenses of the Department of State and the Foreign Service not otherwise provided for, including employment, without regard to civil service and classification laws, of persons on a temporary basis, representation to certain international organizations in which the United States participates pursuant to treaties ratified pursuant to the advice and consent of the Senate or specific Acts of Congress; arms control, nonproliferation and disarmament activities as authorized; acquisition by exchange or purchase of passenger motor vehicles as authorized by law; and for expenses of general administration, $3,885,375,000.

And here are some of the things otherwise provided for:

• For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General, $35,508,000. (OIG inspects each of the approximately 260 embassies, diplomatic posts, and international broadcasting installations throughout the world, to determine whether policy goals are being achieved and whether the interests of the United States are being represented and advanced effectively.)

• For expenses of educational and cultural exchange programs, as authorized, $509,482,000.

• For expenses, not otherwise provided for, necessary to meet annual obligations of membership in international multilateral organizations, pursuant to treaties ratified pursuant to the advice and consent of the Senate, conventions or specific Acts of Congress, $1,374,400,000. (Such as the United Nations)

• For necessary expenses to pay assessed and other expenses of international peacekeeping activities directed to the maintenance or restoration of international peace and security, $1,352,000,000.

Oh and here's an interesting tidbit included in this appropriations bill:

International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico

• For salaries and expenses, not otherwise provided for, $30,430,000

• For detailed plan preparation and construction of authorized projects, $88,425,000

The appropriations listed here barely scratch the surface of federal spending. Read the full Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008 (H.R.2764) here. This act alone contains billions more and doesn't even begin to address domestic issues. Can we really afford to continue giving away so much money?

Congressional Resolution against the North American Union

2007-07-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

On January 22, 2007, Rep Virgil H. Goode, Jr. [VA-5], sponsored and introduced a resolution "Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should not engage in the construction of a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Superhighway System or enter into a North American Union with Mexico and Canada."

Read the full resolution here.

See a complete list of the resolution's co-sponsors here.

The resolution was of course promptly referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, who in turn, sent it to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

And in committee it will stay until the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi brings it to the floor for a vote.

Until then, I certainly hope the committee members are actually weighing the pros and cons of this thing. However, for some reason it is much easier for me to envision them playing golf with their special interest buddies or plotting around a poker table, using our tax dollars as the ante instead of actually doing the job we elected and pay them to do.

When the Dow Sales

2007-07-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

Dow Jones & Company has received an unsolicited takeover offer (estimated around $5 Billion) by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.

Dow Jones sound familiar to you? It should. The Dow Jones Industrial Index has long been considered THE gauge to determine the state of the stock market. Dow Jones & Company publishes the Wall Street Journal, a daily publication with an international circulation. The Wall Street Journal has remained a highly respected source of news, in spite of the public's growing distrust in most major new outlets.

News Corp is one of the world's largest media conglomerates, controlling many media outlets, including FOX. See a complete list of News Corp assets here. Almost 70% of the company's sales come from its US businesses, yet in 1999, The Economist reported that News Corp Investments had made £1.4 billion ($2.1 billion) in PROFITS over the previous 11 years but had paid no net corporation tax.

Rupert Murdoch, who has a long history of using his media holdings to promote the political and financial policies he supports, has made it clear he expected The Wall Street Journal to come under his editorial control if the sale was to go through.

It is hardly as though the Bancrofts, the family who controls Dow Jones & Company, are suffering financially. The sale would merely propel them into another level of filthy, stinking rich.

I am certain we were taught in Civics that the Federal Government had regulations in place to prevent monopolies, yet here we have two media giants about to come under control of one man. Is it really a good idea to allow one individual to control that big of a piece of the public opinion pie?

Read the New York Times coverage of this story here.

The State of our Finances

2007-07-17T22:44:00.000-07:00

One of the most basic functions of government, at any level, is to demonstrate financial responsibility, being good stewards of tax dollars.

The Controller General of the United States does not seem to think our Federal Government is handling our money in a very responsible way.

David M. Walker, the nation's chief accountability officer and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, or Controller General gave his opinion to Congress at 10 a.m., Tuesday, January 23, 2007.

He summed it up quite neatly by stating the following:

• Our current financial condition is worse than is widely understood.
• Our current fiscal path is both imprudent and unsustainable.
• Improvements in information and processes are needed and can help.
• Meeting our long-term fiscal challenge will require (1) significant entitlement reform to change the path of those programs; (2) reprioritizing, restructuring and constraining other spending programs; and (3) more revenues—hopefully through a reformed tax system. This will take bipartisan cooperation and compromise.
• The time to act to save our future is now!

He continued to explain:

A great deal of budget reporting focuses on a single number—the unified budget deficit, which was $248 billion in fiscal year 2006. This largely cash-based number represents the difference between revenues and outlays for the government as a whole. It is an important measure since it is indicative of the government’s draw on today’s credit markets—and its claim on today’s economy.

And:

To understand the long-term implications of our current path requires more than a single year’s snapshot. In this regard, the long-term outlook has worsened significantly in the last several years. That is why for more than a decade GAO has been running simulations to tell this longer-term story.

Then, he says:

Our long-range imbalance is growing daily due to continuing deficits, known demographic trends, rising health care costs, and compounding interest expense.

And:

To “grow our way out” of the current long-term fiscal gap would require sustained economic growth far beyond that experienced in U.S. economic history since World War II.
Similarly, those who believe we can solve this problem solely by cutting spending or solely raising taxes are not being realistic. While the appropriate level of revenues will be part of the debate about our fiscal future, making no changes to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other drivers of the long-term fiscal gap would require ever-increasing tax levels—something that seems both inappropriate and implausible. That is why I have said that substantive reform of Social Security and our major health programs remains critical to recapturing our future fiscal flexibility. I believe we must start now to reform these programs.

Ok, it seems as though most intelligent people in this country understand that, after all, we've been told all this for years now. He really spells it out in his 24 page report to Congress. If you can suffer through all the dead weight of so many budget and finance terms, you can glean a lot of interesting points out of it. I can't help but wonder how watered down it was by various well-meaning individuals before it ever reached Congress, and the public.

Read his full report here.

So where's all the money going?

Sheesh...no wonder some want to transform our economy into a continental one, our own seems to be on the verge of collapse.

Independence Day

2007-07-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate the founding of our nation, our independence from the tyrannical rule of England.

We celebrate with beer and barbecues, fireworks and big sales and holiday pay, paying little mind to the rights and responsibilities that independence affords us.

Consider these words of the Declaration of Independence, the framework of our nation:

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 of 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 consent of the governed you say?

The approval rating of the President and the United States Congress does not reflect a people who consent to the decisions and policies being carried out by their elected government.

I wonder if Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness means enough to the people of this country for them to exercise their right to alter it, allowing their voices to be heard.

It saddens me to see veterans, who fought for this country's freedom, back when that was a soldier's mission, now ashamed of the failures of their leadership, ashamed of their fellow countrymen's unwillingness to speak out and frustrated that their voices are unheard against the drone of the lobby machine.

The Declaration of Independence included a long list of the King's slights to the colonies, including those listed below:

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation.

Modernize the language a bit and the words are eerily akin to those found in many of today's newspapers.

If our forefathers could come together to stand toe to toe with the King of Great Britain, surely we can come together to ensure that our government, which was founded and supported on the backs and lives of the American people, follows the will of the people who elect them.

This July 4th, make sure your voice is heard.

Ethical journalism

2007-06-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

No, that is not the oxymoron you are presuming, although given the sad state of most news outlets these days, I can certainly understand why you may think so.

I am often ashamed to be lumped into the categories of "media" and "journalists", given the poor standards of so many of my counterparts.

Perhaps I am even more ashamed of the society, which has fed this machine.

It was an old family friend, a muckraker from way back, who had prepared me for the onslaught, offering the following words of wisdom:

"The only thing you have when you walk in that door is your integrity. Before the door even closes behind you, you'll have people doing everything they can to take that away from you. They will try to sweet talk you into giving it to them, they will try to buy it from you and they will even beat you over the head and try to snatch it from you. But remember this, whether you're there 2 years or 20 years, when you walk back out that door, your integrity is the only thing you're taking with you.

Sure enough, the good ol' boys were well pleased and eager when I found myself in the role of editor of our community newspaper. I was a young white woman in a small southern town where the only news outlet (our weekly paper) had long-since been labeled as a biased, sensationalist "rag". Local leaders were used to the status quo — controlling the voice of the people by applying pressure when needed, brown-nosing when necessary and resorting to bribery, threats and bricks when all else failed.

"We look forward to some real positive coverage," they stated with a friendly smile, shaking my hand firmly.

I simply mustered my sweetest southern girl voice and replied, "If you do positive things, you will get positive coverage, but don't go getting mad if you do something stupid and end up looking like a jackass across the front page. I will be fair and I will be accurate but that is all I can promise."

It took them a while to grasp that concept. Apparently a man's integrity has a pretty low price tag these days.

My job is simple — I am the eyes and ears of the community. It is my responsibility to ensure that the people of the community have access to the information they need to make informed decisions. It is also my duty to encourage and foster communication among them. It is NOT my responsibility to tell people how they should interpret that information and it is NOT my responsibility to protect the reputations of people or policy.

It can be a difficult line to follow in today's society where the masses have become so accustomed to having their information spoon-fed to them in palatable sips, watered down or sweetened to make their digestion more pleasing.

I believe my readers are intelligent enough to discern information for themselves and refuse to spoon-feed them as though they were toddlers, unable to tell you their favorite color without asking you first what they believe their favorite color to be.

"Ignorance is bliss," George Orwell explained in his novel 1984.

It certainly is. It also seems as though, coupled with apathy, it could lead to utter destruction.

Shouldn't this be news?

2007-06-29T18:38:00.000-07:00

Could someone tell me why the subject of the North American Union does not trump Britney Spears shaving her head or Brad and Angelina adopting a baby?

Lou Dobbs of CNN is entirely too opiniated for my tastes, but he is one of the select few who bothered to tell anyone about this.

Why isn't most media covering this story?

The story...Part 1

Part 2

What can you do?
1) Get the facts. Read everything you can about the issue.
2) Form an opinion. Consider possible problems, possible solutions.
3) Make your voice heard, write your congressman.

It's a small world after all

2007-06-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

It's the same in every small town across the country.

The same legal loopholes that allow people to do the unthinkable, the same back room politics, the same lack of communication, the same payoffs, the same threats in an attempt to silence and the same cast of characters driving it all.