Miscellaneous Thoughts Part 22

• It would be refreshing to hear one Congressman say (s)he would take a pay freeze until America is out of debt.  Actually I would love to hear all members of Congress say that. I can dream can’t  I?
• I don’t remember a Democrat in Congress (or anywhere else) complain about President George W. Bush’s over-spending when he was president. Now, they bring up Bush’s spending when people talk about Obama’s over-spending. That’s funny.
• In Star Trek they had a Prime Directive. But would have been so bad if Captain Kirk or anyone in his crew left the Constitution of the United States or the Bill of Rights on a developing planet?
• Lotfi Zadehs Law of Incompatibility: As complexity rises, precise statements lose meaning & meaningful statements lose precision. Yea, that pretty much describes God.
• If the executive branch and Congress are both progressive politically then the country is in trouble. Then you want some fiscally responsible politicians to counter them. But if the executive branch and Congress are all fiscally responsible then no harm can be done.
• Maybe we need a right-to-work country. Just thinking out loud. (Big Labor would absolutely go nuts if anyone actually proposed that.)
• Time waits for no man. But it waits any woman, especially if they are shopping or in the bathroom.
• The love of power is also the root of all evil. Probably more evil than the love of money. Because power involves relationships with people.
• What you might never see: Flash robs ransacking book stores.
• A religion that has no doubts about anything is in my mind a cult.

Top 10 Reasons to Support Rep. Connie Mack's Penny Plan

1. It Would Cut Federal Spending By One Percent for Six Consecutive Fiscal Years.

The Penny Plan would require Congress to cut just one penny out of each dollar it spends every year for six years. These gradual cuts over the next six years will balance the federal budget.

2. It Would Cap Overall Spending at 18 Percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Starting in
Fiscal Year 2018.

Congressional spending consumes approximately 25 percent of GDP. Federal revenue from taxes over the past 40 years has averaged about 18 percent of GDP, making 18 percent a reasonable limit for spending if Congress is in fact interested in balancing the budget for the long haul.

3. It is a Very Simple Plan.

The Penny Plan is simple and straight to the point. Cutting federal spending by one percent every year for six years is clear enough for everyone to understand. Unlike many Washington schemes, it's not a complicated proposal.

4. It Would Reduce Overall Federal Spending by $7.5 trillion over the Next Ten Years.

Federal spending has risen to unprecedented levels which threatens our economic freedom. The Penny Plan would significantly cut government spending overtime and set us on the path towards fiscal responsibility.

5. It Would Balance the Federal Budget by 2019.

The current U.S. budget deficit is an unprecedented $1.6 trillion. The Penny Plan would bring the federal budget into balance this decade. 

6. It is a Modest Plan.

The Penny Plan is far from radical. These gradual cuts are more likely to gain bipartisan support rather than a big dramatic cut. With our national debt at $14.4 trillion, everyone should agree that we can cut just one percent of federal spending over the next six years.

7. The Plan Contains No Gimmicks or Budget Tricks.

The Penny Plan would cut real spending. Many other proposals only ìcutî spending from a bloated Congressional Budget Office (CBO) baseline. The CBO baseline predicts what would happen over the  next decade given current projections of taxation and spending. These plans don't actually reduce spending since these “cuts” are just reduction in the amount they had hoped to increase spending. The Penny Plan would cut from current amounts being spent and not anticipated spending off a phony baseline.

8. It Gives Congress Some Discretion on What to Cut.

The one percent spending cuts will be achieved one of two ways. The first way is that Congress and the President could work together to cut federal spending by one percent each year. This will allow them to prioritize what cuts are the most important.

9. It Will Trigger Automatic, Across-the-Board Spending Cuts If No Deal Can Be Reached.

The second way that the Penny Plan reduces spending is through an automatic, across-the-board cut. If Congress and the President are unable to reach a compromise, the bill triggers automatic, across-the-board spending cuts to guarantee that the one percent reduction is met. This plan would then force lawmakers to cut any of their sacred cows.

10. It Will End Washington's Unprecedented Spending Spree.

The Penny Plan will ensure that Washington cuts spending and balances the federal budget. We cannot afford to continue Washington's reckless spending spree. It's a good step in the right direction to get our fiscal house in order.

All talking points are from FreedomWorks.com

Top 10 Reasons to Support Lee-Walsh’s Balanced Budget Amendment

1. It Would Require the Federal Government to Balance Its Budget Every Year.

The federal budget deficit is a record high $1.6 trillion---more than 10 percent of the nation’s entire output, or Gross Domestic Product (GDP). We face such an enormous deficit because we spend too much, not because we tax too little. The Lee-Walsh Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) would force Washington to live within its means.

2. It Would Prevent Tax Hikes.

The Lee-Walsh BBA would require a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers to raise taxes, which would help prevent the prosperity-killing tax hikes that years of trillion dollar deficits, as proposed by President Obama’s budget would surely bring. The Lee-Walsh BBA would achieve a balanced budget by cutting spending instead of raising taxes.

3. It Would Make it More Difficult to Raise the Debt Ceiling.

The Lee-Walsh BBA would require a three-fifths majority vote in both chambers to raise the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling has been raised ten times in just the past decade. It’s clear that we need to make it more difficult to raise the debt ceiling. The Lee-Walsh BBA does this to ensure that Congress cannot raise the debt ceiling so carelessly.

4. It Would Limit Spending to 18 Percent of GDP.

Congressional spending currently consumes approximately 25 percent of GDP. Federal revenue from taxes over the past 40 years has averaged about 18 percent of GDP, making 18 percent a reasonable limit for spending if Congress is in fact interested in balancing the budget for the long haul.

5. It Would Reduce the Size and Scope of Government.

If we want economic growth to return and be a permanent part of American life, it is imperative that we dramatically reduce the size and scope of government. The Lee-Walsh BBA would put real restraints on the amount of money Washington can spend.

6. It Has a Good Chance of Passing.

The Lee-Walsh BBA has a very good chance of passing the Republican-controlled House. In the Senate, the BBA has unanimous support from all 47 Republicans. It's likely to gain bipartisan support in both chambers.

7. The Lee-Walsh BBA Has Teeth.

Some proposed BBAs have numerous loopholes that make it easy for Congress to override the amendment. The Lee-Walsh BBA has real teeth that would require Washington to balance its budget each year.

8. Americans Overwhelmingly Support Balanced Budget Amendments.

Balanced Budget Amendments have always been popular with the American people. By 72-20 percent, most voters favor a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution, according to a Fox News poll. 

9. It Would Prohibit Congress from Perpetual Deficit Spending.

Deficit spending is simply a hidden tax on future earnings. It is irresponsible for Washington to continue to borrow now and tax us more down the road. The Lee-Walsh BBA would help end our deficit spending and our debt culture.

10. It is a Good Start to Restoring Fiscal Sanity to Washington.

A Balanced Budget Amendment may not be a cure all. But it's a step in the right direction to rein in excessive spending. Enactment of this amendment will go a long way in ensuring Washington never gets so carried away with reckless spending again.

Who says Republicans don’t have any plans to balance the budget?  All in all a good plan especially reasons 2, 3, 5, 9, and 10. What I want to know when is the debt ceiling never raised? Or is it a meaningless term like so much phrases in politics.

These talking points are from FreedomWorks August Action Kit.

Picking Presidential Administration Appointments

When President Reagan first became president he and his staff spent a lot of time discussing appointments to key jobs in the administration. Here are his words about picking them:

As I had done in California, I told the staff I wanted them to look for the best people we could find who were willing to leave their homes and their secure positions to come to Washington and give the country a hand. When I’d approach somebody about taking a job, I’d often say, “We don’t want people who want a job in government, we want people of accomplishment who have to be persuaded to come to work here.”

Source: The Uncommon Wisdom of Ronald Reagan. A Portrait in His Words. (1996) by Bill Adler [editor]

In other words, President Reagan wanted someone who did not dream of working in government. It’s too bad we can’t get people running for Congress or even for president like this. Most want to have power not to serve. If you have a candidate that was reluctant of running but had experience and accomplishment in oh, I don’t know say the private sector (excluding trial lawyers—we have enough of those in Congress thank you) then you  would less likely end up with a career politician addicted to the power and money who think they are part of an elite ruling class.

Or you wouldn’t end up with a POTUS who has daydreams of being a dictator. In previous blogs I joked about calling him an emperor. I guess my jokes weren’t too far off the mark.

Thanks legislators, higher energy bills are on the way

From ConservativeActionAlerts.com (July 15):

Legislators in more than half the states have voted for mandatory renewable energy standards—usually called an RPS for Renewable Portfolio Standards. While the numbers vary state-by-state, an RPS generally requires that an increasing percentage of a state’s electricity come from renewable sources—primarily wind and solar—by set dates. Most of the mandates coincide with the year: 15% by 2015, 20% by 2020, etc. Most states voted in the RPS back when the economy was thriving and “green” energy sounded like a good idea—after all the wind and the sun are “free.” Voting against “renewables” was akin to not liking puppies. Elected officials from both parties have voted for their state’s RPS. But, renewable energy systems have not proven to be free, and most cannot survive without special mandates and subsidies paid for by your tax dollars.

Many different computer models were run to determine the least-cost way to meet the mandates. The results should not be surprising. The least-cost model was based on coal [my italics]—but it does not meet the mandates. The least-cost model that does meet the mandates requires the addition of wind, solar and gas-fueled power plants and shuts down some of the older, existing, fully functional, coal-fueled power plants. The model favored by advocates of “green” energy cuts out coal all together and requires the building of new gas-fueled plants for base load power and to back up the renewables. This third model is the most expensive and therefore is unlikely to be selected by the PRC. But even the mid-range plan will cost state residents more than a billion dollars—and this is just for required CO₂ penalties, not the actual power-plant capital costs. That increase will be felt in everything and disproportionately hurts the poor. Not to mention the increased costs to the cities within the state which are trying to balance their budgets while keeping the lights on. [read more]

This is exactly what happens when environmentalism turns into a religion.

I believe it was Obama that said that energy bills are going to go up in the future. Was he forecasting or was he creating the future? You judge.

You can go to the Dept. of Energy’s States with Renewable Portfolio Standards webpage to see if your state is affected by these stupid standards.

The Government-as-God Concept

If you want to understand the Left’s superiority complex--their arrogance then you have to understand how they view gov’t even themselves. First, let’s make well-known assumptions about God:

1. God is all-knowing (omniscience).
2. God is all-powerful (omnipotent).
3. God is everywhere (omnipresent).
4. God is immortal.
5. God is totally good.
6. God is perfect.
7. You should have faith and trust in God.

If you replace ‘God’ with ‘gov’t’ then you have the Left’s view of the world. Let’s flush this idea out some more.

All totalitarian regimes want to have the first three attributes—hence the word ‘total’ in the totalitarian. Socialists would like to have these attributes when they are doing central planning—like in Obamacare. If you could know or calculate the need/want of every person in a country (omniscience) you could give them (omnipotent) want they need/want.  Of course you would have to be everywhere (omnipresent) to do this. But mankind is none of the omnis so this dream of total control is just a dream.

If God is immortal and gov’t is like God then gov’t (or at least gov’t programs) should be or can be immortal. That’s what the Left believes. So, cutting gov’t programs or agencies that is not mandated in the Constitution is like harming God.  Well, just like people, gov’t is not immortal. The Roman Empire fell along with other gov’ts of the past. America could fall as well if we are not careful with our spending. The gov’t is immortal concept is why the Left justifies why the Federal Reserve can keep printing money without consequences.

The Left also believes that gov’t is totally good. Or can be made good and perfect through societal evolution or just the right kind of people (read: elites) running the country are chosen. Well, mankind will never be totally good and will never will be perfect. Ben Franklin as smart as he was tried to perfect himself. He failed. For every bad habit he got rid of two new ones appeared. So, if mankind is not totally good and perfect then neither can gov’t be either. Since man is not perfect he can be corrupted. And a man with power can increase his chances of being corrupted. The Left thinks that certain men (elites) can handle power without being corrupted. Maybe, a little power but once the power increases so does the corruption. And if the person is arrogant—triple the chances of him being corrupted. Because if he or she thinks they cannot be corrupted.

The Left wants people to have total faith and trust in gov’t. After all the gov’t knows better than you wants good for you. It is perfect, all-knowing, and good.  Just like God. Right? The Left would like people to believe that because they believe it. Most people on the far-Left thought Communism was a good idea but was implemented wrong—or wasn’t given enough time to get the quirks out. This is the same excuse given to all the gov’t programs that have failed. Just give them more money and more time. Well, money doesn’t just pop into existence and more time isn’t going to fix a system that doesn’t make any logical sense.

Taken to the final extreme if gov’t is God then all other religions can be outlawed. Because you cannot have two Gods. This happened in the Soviet Union and is still happening in China.

The Inspiration of the Declaration

Happy birthday America! Below are parts of a speech that President Calvin Coolidge gave July 5, 1926 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

We are obliged to conclude that the Declaration of Independence represented the movement of a people. It was not, of course, a movement from the top. Revolutions do not come from that direction. It was not without the support of many of the most respectable people in the Colonies, who were entitled to all the consideration that is given to breeding, education, and possessions. It had the support of another element of great significance and importance to which I shall later refer. But the preponderance of all those who occupied a position which took on the aspect of aristocracy did not approve of the Revolution and held toward it an attitude either of neutrality or open hostility. It was in no sense a rising of the oppressed and downtrodden. It brought no scum to the surface, for the reason that colonial society had developed no scum. The great body of the people were accustomed to privations, but they were free from depravity. If they had poverty, it was not of the hopeless kind that afflicts great cities, but the inspiring kind that marks the spirit of the pioneer. The American Revolution represented the informed and mature convictions of a great mass of independent, liberty-loving, God-fearing people who knew their rights, and possessed the courage to dare to maintain them.

as not because it was proposed to establish a new nation, but because it was proposed to establish a nation on new principles, that July 4, 1776, has come to be regarded as one of the greatest days in history. Great ideas do not burst upon the world unannounced. They are reached by a gradual development over a length of time usually proportionate to their importance. This is especially true of the principles laid down in the Declaration of Independence. Three very definite propositions were set out in its preamble regarding the nature of mankind and therefore of government. These were the doctrine that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain inalienable rights, and that therefore the source of the just powers of government must be derived from the consent of the governed.

It was the fact that our Declaration of Independence containing these immortal truths was the political action of a duly authorized and constituted representative public body in its sovereign capacity, supported by the force of general opinion and by the armies of Washington already in the field, which makes it the most important civil document in the world. It was not only the principles declared, but the fact that therewith a new nation was born which was to be founded upon those principles and which from that time forth in its development has actually maintained those principles, that makes this pronouncement an incomparable event in the history of government. It was an assertion that a people had arisen determined to make every necessary sacrifice for the support of these truths and by their practical application bring the War of Independence to a successful conclusion and adopt the Constitution of the United States with all that it has meant to civilization.

Placing every man on a plane where he acknowledged no superiors, where no one possessed any right to rule over him, he must inevitably choose his own rulers through a system of self-government. This was their theory of democracy. In those days such doctrines would scarcely have been permitted to flourish and spread in any other country. This was the purpose which the fathers cherished. In order that they might have freedom to express these thoughts and opportunity to put them into action, whole congregations with their pastors had migrated to the colonies. These great truths were in the air that our people breathed. Whatever else we may say of it, the Declaration of Independence was profoundly American.

We are too prone to overlook another conclusion. Governments do not make ideals, but ideals make governments. This is both historically and logically true. Of course the government can help to sustain ideals and can create institutions through which they can be the better observed, but their source by their very nature is in the people. The people have to bear their own responsibilities. There is no method by which that burden can be shifted to the government. It is not the enactment, but the observance of laws, that creates the character of a nation.

No other theory is adequate to explain or comprehend the Declaration of Independence. It is the product of the spiritual insight of the people. We live in an age of science and of abounding accumulation of material things. These did not create our Declaration. Our Declaration created them. The things of the spirit come first. Unless we cling to that, all our material prosperity, overwhelming though it may appear, will turn to a barren scepter in our grasp. If we are to maintain the great heritage which has been bequeathed to us, we must be like-minded as the fathers who created it. We must not sink into a pagan materialism. We must cultivate the reverence which they had for the things that are holy. We must follow the spiritual and moral leadership which they showed. We must keep replenished, that they may glow with a more compelling flame, the altar fires before which they worshiped.

The Left’s Version of The Pledge of Allegiance

The Pledge of course goes like this:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The Left would like it to read:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under government, divided up among race, gender, and sexual preference with equality,  fraternity, and social/economic/environmental justice for all.

The New World Order Left like George Soros would like it to read:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United Nations, all countries under one world order divided up among race, gender, and sexual preference with equality,  fraternity, and social/economic/environmental justice for all.

Actually, according to a Wikipedia article the The Pledge did not contain the words “under God.” So, NBC advertisement was just following the original Pledge (which was deliberate in my opinion) written by socialist Francis Bellamy. Go figure. He also originally wanted the “equality” and “fraternity” parts put in. Which is by the way from the French revolution—“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.” The only good part of that slogan is “liberty.” The rest led to a socialistic France.

Facts about Slavery in America

Here are some facts about slavery in America from The Patriot’s History of The United States. (2004) by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen:

1. Although slavery was profitable, profits and property rights alone did not explain its perpetuation.
2. The same of free market that allowed Africans to be bought and sold at the same time exerted powerful pressures to liberate them.
3. Southerners needed the force of government to maintain and expand slavery, and without it, a combination of the market and slave revolts would have ultimately ended the institution. [my emphasis]

History of the Federal Reserve

A powerful cartel of financiers held a meeting at Jekyll Island in Brunswick, Georgia in 1910 to protect themselves from banking losses by using tax revenue instead of their own money.

Here were their challenges:

1. How to stop the growing influence of small, rival banks and to insure that control over the nation’s financial resources would remain in the hands of those present;
2. How to make the money supply more elastic in order to reverse the trend of private capital formation and to recapture the industrial loan market;
3. How to pool the meager reserves of the nation’s banks into one large reserve so that all banks will be motivated to follow the same loan-to-deposit ratios. This would protect at least some of them from currency drains and bank runs;
4. Should this lead eventually to the collapse of the whole banking system, then how to shift the losses from the owners of the banks to the taxpayers. [my emphasis]
5. How to convince Congress that the scheme was a measure to protect the public.

The cartel would operate as a central bank.

Source: The Creature from Jekyll Island. A Second Look at the Federal Reserve. 4th Edition. (2002) by G. Edward Griffin.

Panetta Says North Korea a "Growing" Danger to U.S.

From NTI.org (June 9):

CIA head Leon Panetta said North Korea's military, including its ballistic missile and nuclear enrichment activities, represent a "growing and direct threat" to the United States, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

The statement was included in written testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee, which Panetta was addressing on Thursday as President Obama's pick to replace outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Earlier this year, Gates said he foresaw North Korea in the next five years developing a ballistic missile capable of reaching the continental United States. The Stalinist state in 2010 also revealed a uranium enrichment program, which could give it another path to producing military-usable atomic material, though Pyongyang is not known to have yet built a nuclear weapon small enough to be attached to a missile. [read more]

And Obama is worried about Khadafi? Okay, I understand he is an oppressive brutal thug to his people but as far as I know he does not have missiles pointed at us. America does not even know who the rebels are and what they stand for. Not all revolutions are good (although if you are a radical like Obama that’s what they like). Remember the French revolution? That’s worked out well. The revolutionaries wanted equality and they got socialism!  And it looks like Egypt is getting sharia law if the Muslim brotherhood takes over.

More than 80% of mosques advocate or promote violence

From WND.com (June 8):

Dozens of mosques around the United States have been identified in a new study as incubators for jihad against America, with more than 80 percent of those surveyed advocating violence.

"Of the 100 mosques surveyed, 51 percent had texts on-site rated as severely advocating violence; 30 percent had texts rated as moderately advocating violence; and 19 percent had no violent texts at all," said the  survey compiled by Mordechai Kedar and David Yerushalmi and published by the Middle East Quarterly. [read more]

Wow! That’s a lot of mosques! Over 80%? So, much for Islam being the ‘religion of peace’.

Although, this does sort of ring true from what I’ve read of Brigitte Gabriel’s book Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America. She says her friends attended mosques that preached hate and anti-American messages. She got reports from friends from different mosques around the country. She was surprised and unnerved by this knowledge.

History of Hatred Against the Jewish People

Hat tip to the Glenn Beck show for this chronology:

175-163 B.C.	Attempt to outlaw Judaism
164- 163 B.C.	Jerusalem captured
72 A.D.	Expelled from Palestine
1096	12,000 Jews killed in First Crusade
1099	Jerusalem captured, Jews killed
1215	Forced to wear yellow circle on clothes
1290	Expelled from England
1306	Expelled from France
1349 – 1360	Expelled from Hungary
1421	Expelled from Austria
1492	Expelled from Spain
1495	Expelled from Lithuania
1497	Expelled from Portugal
15th century – 1772	Banned in Russia
1543	“Concerning the Jews and Their Lies” released
1555	Forced into Italian ghettos
1648-49	10,000 killed in massacres in Ukraine
1925	“Mein Kampf” published
1933	Nazi Party comes to power in Germany
1935	Nuremburg Laws introduced
1938	7,500 businesses destroyed in Kristallnacht
1941	33,000 killed in Ukraine
1941-1945	67% European Jews are murdered

 

Man, I am not sure why the Jews are not bitter for what the world has done to them. Anyone else would have a chip on their shoulder. Add to that fact they have countries around them (like Iran and Egypt if the Muslim Brotherhood gain power) who wants to exterminate them.

If America doesn’t stand with Israel and Israel is destroyed then America is next. After all according to the militant Islamists Israel is the little Satan, we are the big Satan.

Obama solicitor general: If you don't like mandate, earn less money

From the Washington Examiner.com (June 2):

President Obama's solicitor general, defending the national health care law on Wednesday, told a federal appeals court that Americans who didn't like the individual mandate could always avoid it by choosing to earn less money.

Neal Kumar Katyal, the acting solicitor general, made the argument under questioning before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, which was considering an appeal by the Thomas More Law Center.  The three-judge panel, which was comprised of two Republican-appointed judges and a Democratic-appointed judge, expressed more skepticism about the government's defense of the health care law than the Fourth Circuit panel that heard the Virginia-based Obamacare challenge last month in Richmond. The Fourth Circuit panel was made up entirely of Democrats, and two of the judges were appointed by Obama himself. [read more]

Wow, what arrogance! Then again that’s what the elite Left is known for.

Maybe the regime administration wants everyone to earn less income. Obama is already talking about raising taxes on the successful. 

Ford turning cars into medical monitors

From SF Gate.com (May 31):

For Ford Motor Co., medical monitoring is the next key to a burst of car sales. About 10,000 Baby Boomers turn 65 every day and 26 million Americans have diabetes. Besides checking blood sugar, Ford has developed a car seat to check the driver's heart rate that could warn of an impending heart attack, and new features may track breathing patterns for asthmatics or pollen counts for allergy sufferers and recommend remedies.

A Bluetooth connection through the driver's mobile phone could transmit blood-sugar levels from a Medtronic body monitor to the dashboard, Ford said. [read more]

Interesting. Next, a car could check if you are drunk, buzzed, or even high and not let you start it.

Homeland Security’s Version of “Minority Report”

From The Blaze.com (May 30):

Straight out of Minority Report a new Homeland Security program would subject Americans to pre-crime interrogations and physiological scans to detect people who are intending to commit a terrorist act at sports stadiums, malls, airports and other public places has moved closer to being implemented after the FAST program passed its first round of testing at an undisclosed location in northeast US.

The system uses a computer program that studies physiological indicators of a person, such as heart rate and the steadiness of a person’s gaze, and then uses the data to make a judgment on whether that individual has “mal-intent”. [source]

Unnerving. FAST is an acronym for Future Attribute Screening Technology.  The question is when this technology detects Obama or one of this radical associates will it judge them as “mal-intent”?

The DHS website gives a little more info about the technology to clear things up:

The system will measure both physiological and behavioral signals to make probabilistic assessments of mal-intent based on sensor outputs and advanced fusion algorithms and measure indicators using culturally neutral and non-invasive sensors.

Did you understand all that? There will be a test on it later. Advanced fusion algorithms? Huh? Culturally neutral? (Read: it will not judge you if you are a Muslim.) Gotta love those gov’t technocrats.

On that same webpage the DHS also has an Insider Threat Detection Project. I wonder if it will detect Obama as an insider threat? Just wondering.

USDA fines Missouri family $90k for selling a few rabbits without a license

From News.Yahoo.com (May 24):

It started out as a hobby, a way for the Dollarhite family in Dixa, Mo., to teach a teenage son responsibility. Like a lemonade stand.

But now, selling a few hundred rabbits over two years has provoked the heavy hand of the federal government to the tune of a $90,643 fine. The fine was levied more than a year after authorities contacted family members, prompting them to immediately halt their part-time business and liquidate their equipment.

John and Judy Dollarhite began selling rabbit meat by the pound in 2006, and as pets to neighbors and friends in 2008.

Raised on the three-acre lot on which their home sits, the rabbits were heralded by local experts for their quality and kept in pristine condition.

When a local pet store asked them to supply their pet rabbits, the Dollarhites had no idea they would be running afoul of an obscure federal regulation that prohibits selling more than $500 worth of rabbits to a pet store without a license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Under the law, pet stores are exempt from regulation. [read more]

First the FDA goes after Amish farmers now the USDA is going after other private citizens trying to earn a living. The gov’t is just out of control. $90,000 for a few rabbits? It’s just plain ridiculous.

I’m starting to think every gov’t agency should be examined to see if it has a legitimate function or not. If it does not, then shut it down.

Feds cracks down on Amish farmers for selling raw milk

From the EU Times.net (April 30):

A yearlong sting operation, including aliases, a 5 a.m. surprise inspection and surreptitious purchases from an Amish farm in Pennsylvania, culminated in the federal government announcing this week that it has gone to court to stop Rainbow Acres Farm from selling its contraband to willing customers in the Washington area.

The product in question: unpasteurized milk.

It’s a battle that’s been going on behind the scenes for years, with natural foods advocates arguing that raw milk, as it’s also known, is healthier than the pasteurized product, while the Food and Drug Administration says raw milk can carry harmful bacteria such as salmonella, E. coli and listeria. [read more]

Doesn’t the FDA have anything better to do than going after farmers? I don’t care if the agency thinks adults shouldn’t be drinking unpasteurized milk. That’s none of their concern. Haven’t people been drinking unpasteurized milk  before it  pasteurizing became common? Has there been massive amounts of people getting violently sick from unpasteurized milk?

It almost seems like the FDA is treating these farmers like Al Capone selling moonshine or something. I seriously doubt the Amish would sell unpasteurized milk on the black market but other dairy farmers might. The FDA is turning the farmers into common criminals. What’s next speakeasies for people who want to drink unpasteurized milk?

What I Would Cut

I took the “What Would You Cut?” survey from The Heritage Foundation.
Below is a summary of the money I want Washington to save taxpayers in the upcoming 2012 fiscal budget:
Department of Education:                                         Cut $15 billion
Obamacare:                                                                             Cut $5 billion
2009 Federal Stimulus Program:                          Cut $60 billion
Welfare/Entitlement Waste and Fraud:            Cut $10 billion
Excessive Pay for Civilian Federal Workers: Cut $40 billion
TOTAL SAVINGS from these five areas alone:            $130 billion!
The Foundation says they will use my recommendations to guide their efforts to educate lawmakers about spending cuts. These cuts, by the way, are the maximum cuts you could choose on the survey.
America has to get serious about cutting the budget and the size of gov’t.  And if Congress raises the debt ceiling again they are crazy. Then it’s not a ceiling. It’s a hot air balloon.
Congress should read the book or pdf file Downsizing the Federal Government on what suggestions to cut. It’s a very detailed plan. The author goes over a lot of government agencies and programs.

Social Chaos and Human Needs

People have to save the basic needs met first. This includes hunger, thirst, sleep, and getting rid of bodily waste. 

Once the basic needs are met then secondary needs like safety and societal order come next.

After the secondary needs are met then the higher order needs or wants come into play. Love, belonging, etc.

During social chaos like a revolution the secondary needs and higher order needs tended to be not met because you are too worried for your safety. Revolutionaries know this. That is the inside-out part that Van Jones was talking about. People want the government (the top-down part) to restore safety and order. Then the radicals can remake society into their own vision.

Obama adviser: American freedom, equality are just 'myths'

From WND.com (May 4):

President Obama's faith adviser, Eboo Patel, blasted what he called the "myths" of America – describing them as beliefs that the country is "a land of freedom and equality and justice."

Patel explained how he used the "faith-based movement" to channel his rage at America "in a direction far more compassionate and far more merciful."

Patel, a Muslim activist from Chicago, further implied that had he grown up in the 1960s, he may have joined the Weather Underground terrorist group led by William Ayers.  [read more]

This guy is a faith advisor? Geez. Then again he is a radical like Obama so go figure. Having people like this around him like this it’s not helping to counter the belief that Obama is a true-believing radical. After all you are judged by the company you keep.

When a radical talks about “a direction far more compassionate” that’s code words for spreading-the-wealth-around. And “far more merciful” means social justice.

CIA chief: Waterboarding aided bin Laden raid

From MSNBC.com (May 3):

WASHINGTON — Intelligence garnered from waterboarded detainees was used to track down al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and kill him, CIA Chief Leon Panetta told NBC News on Tuesday.

"Enhanced interrogation techniques" were used to extract information that led to the mission's success, Panetta said during an interview with anchor Brian Williams. Those techniques included waterboarding, he acknowledged. [read more]

And just think Obama put an end to waterboarding, a technique used during the Bush administration that helped track down bin Laden. Waterboarding to me isn’t torture. Yea, it will probably scare the devil out of you (just like any good horror movie) but it doesn’t cause a lot of physical pain or damage. That’s my definition of torture—lots of intentional physical pain or damage inflicted on a person. Play X genre of music to a person that doesn’t like X is not physical torture. Or keeping him standing all night isn’t either.

Did Panetta say in that interview that Obama wanted bin Laden killed and not captured at all? Or am I just reading into something that isn’t there. I really don’t care if that was originally the plan. No trial. That’ll save the taxpayers money and emotional pain.

If the Obama administration doesn’t want bin Laden death picture shown then how about showing a computer-generated picture? Heck, I’ll take a pencil drawing of his death. Show me something! I don’t think recreations would tick off the already crazed Jihadists. I would think killing bin Laden would have already done that.

The Dynamics of Islamic Violence

Pretty much sums it up. Notice what factors are not in this diagram: Education level, economic status, and US occupation. That’s because those factors aren’t important if they are important at all. The Islamists attacked the US Navy back in the 1800’s—way before the Iraq and Afghanistan occupation. Why do you think the marines got the nickname of “leathernecks”? Look it up (you can even look it up on my blog).

Source of diagram: The Roots of Jihad. A very revealing book.

As I write this (May 1) Osama Bin Laden (the goat fornicator) was killed by US special forces. Good for them! Good riddens to that murderer.

The navy dumped the dirtbag’s body in the ocean. Good idea. I hope the waters were shark infested. But why clean the murder’s body and wrap it in silk? That’s not going to make any Muslim happy if you are dumping the body in the water. Some kind of weird Muslim outreach program I guess. And the shark’s aren’t going to care if he is clean and wrapped in silk or not.

Advice to a Young Scientist

The following advice is from the late Turing award winner computer science professor E. W. Dijkstra. I believe the advice was given mainly to a computer scientist but it could apply to any scientist:

• Raise your standards as high as you can live with, avoid wasting your time on routine problems, and always try to work as closely as possible at the boundary of your abilities. Do this because it is the only way of discovering how that boundary should be moved forward.
• We all like our work to be socially relevant and scientifically sound. If we can find a topic satisfying both desires, we are lucky; if the two targets are in conflict with each other, let the requirement of scientific soundness prevail.
• Never tackle a problem of which you can be pretty sure that (now or in the near future) it will be tackled by others who are, in relation to that problem, at least as competent and well-equipped as you are.
• Write as if your work is going to be studied by a thousand people.
• Don't get enamored with the complexities you have learned to live with (be they of your own making or imported). The lurking suspicion that something could be simplified is the world's richest source of rewarding challenges.
• Before embarking on an ambitious project, try to kill it.
• Remember that research with a big R is rarely mission-oriented and plan in terms of decades, not years. Resist all pressure —be it financial or cultural— to do work that is of ephemeral significance at best.
• Don't strive for recognition (in whatever form): recognition should not be your goal, but a symptom that your work has been worthwhile.
• Avoid involvement in projects so vague that their failure could remain invisible: such involvement tends to corrupt one's scientific integrity.
• Striving for perfection is ultimately the only justification for the academic enterprise; if you don't feel comfortable with this goal —e.g. because you think it too presumptuous—, stay out!

If the Leftist scientists would follow this advice we would have better science. Global warming definitely does not follow the second to the last advice.

What Obama Should Disclose

First, I like to say that I believed Obama was born in this country even before he showed his certificate of live birth. Hillary Clinton during her primary run was the one who started questioning his birthplace. Don’t you think if she found out he wasn’t born in America that she would have blown him out of the water? We would have the first women president instead of the first black president. The way John McCain ran his campaign he probably would have lost against Hillary too.

Whatever your opinion of Donald Trump you have to admit he is not afraid of Obama. He will take it to Obama. If McCain was less afraid during his campaign he might be president. Politics is war. Democrats understand this. It is about time the Republicans understand this mindset too.

No, what Obama should disclose is everyone who donated money to his presidential campaign the first time. He should have disclosed this when he was running since he ran on a platform of transparency in gov’t. McCain disclosed everyone who contributed to him. Why not you Obama? Why are you hiding your campaign donators?

And who is advising you that is not on your staff? Possibly George Soros? Who was advising you for two years while you were not talking to your staff? Hmmm?

The Four Dimensions of Violence in a Muslim’s Life

These four dimensions are taken from the book The Roots of Jihad (2005) by Dr. Tawfik Hamis:

1. When a Muslim’s child reaches the age of 10, he/she should be beaten to force him/her to practice the five prayers. The prophet Mohammed had said: “Order your children to pray when they are seven years old and beat them to force them on the prayer when they are ten years old…”
2. If a Muslim wife disagrees with you or disobeys you then it is your responsibility to discipline her. Discipline such as admonishing her, avoid making sex with her, and beating her. From the Koran: “Men are superior to women because Allah has made so. Therefore good women are obedient, and (as to) those (women) on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and BEAT them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great.” (Sura 4, verse 34).
3. If your neighbor does not pray in the mosque then burn his house down.
4. Kill any infidel (non-believer). An infidel is someone who does not believe there is no God except Allah and Mohammed is the prophet of Allah. He doesn’t do the five prayers, and does not fast on Ramadan.

The author says most Muslims are afraid if they don’t follow these rules Allah will send them to burn in hell for eternity. Nice.

The Second Coming of Christ?

Are we in the end of days as prophesized by Jesus? Well, let’s see what Jesus said what the signs are. Here are his exact words in boldface:

And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. There is fighting over in Libya for starters. Although Obama is not calling it a war. And the leader of Iran wants to blow Israel off the face of the earth and start wars to bring back the 12th Imam.

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. The nation against nation hasn’t happened yet. Famines has happened either, but we are burning food (corn) for fuel. Pestilences haven’t happened yet. Japan had a major earthquake and several aftershocks.

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. This is nothing new. Christians have always been persecuted. Here I believe Jesus is talking about the Antichrist killing people when the new world order is created.

And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. This sounds like the total breakdown of civility. Of morality. This is exactly what the far-Left radicals wants. Total chaos so they can re-create society in their own sinister image.

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. The false prophets are the ones that say follow me blindly and without question and I will save you during the chaos. And when you don’t follow them you be treated as a traitor and will be dealt with.

So are we in the end of days? Hard to say. Some of the signs are there but not all.

Senator Durbin wants Internet sales taxes

From CNET News.com (April 12):

A Democratic senator is preparing to introduce legislation that aims to end the golden era of tax-free Internet shopping.

The proposal--expected to be made public soon after Tax Day--would rewrite the ground rules for Internet and mail order sales by eliminating the ability of Americans to shop at Web sites like Amazon.com and Overstock.com without paying state sales taxes.

Dick Durbin of Illinois, the second most senior Senate Democrat, will introduce the bill after the Easter recess, a Democratic aide told CNET. [read more]

It must be true a Democrat never met a tax he or she did not like. Isn’t this a state issue? Then again that doesn’t matter to The Left. They are so addicted to power it’s ridiculous.

I am just waiting for Congress to tax money found on the street. After all it is income you know. Have you seen all the things that are taxed on the IRS forms? It’s got to be like 20 items or so.

Then you have a wealthy real estate millionaire on The O’Reilly Factor wanting to give more to the gov’t to make the debt smaller he said. You’ve got to be kidding me! He said he would give more but thought the gov’t would waste it. They are already doing that now!

The Measures of Restoration

In his 1954 book A Program for Conservatives, American conservative founder Russell Kirk mentions six ways to restore America’s boredom:

1. Renewing the power of religious faith, and piety, among the mass of men. Men must always be bored, if they can find nothing better in the universe than their own little mean selves; they suffer the punishment of Narcissus.
2. Reviving the concepts of honor and dignity which gave motive to honest desire for emulation-in short, reminding men that there are some persons who are more, and better, than "just ordinary guys," and that mediocrity is not the norm for civilized beings.
3. Returning to individuals the responsibilities which bring a decent satisfaction, the duties of self-reliance, and the rights and actuality of private property and inheritance.
4. Reaffirming the right of men to what is their own, and to whatever they can make their own without injustice to others-rewarding ability and honesty and diligence with those material satisfactions which most men always must hunger for.
5. Reminding modern society of the truth that security, though a good thing, is not a better thing than freedom-and that, indeed, security does not long survive the extinction of prescriptive freedom.
6. Reawakening men's minds to the eternal contract of society, which affirms that we do not live simply for ourselves, in the fleeting moment, but instead live to justify the faith and labor of our ancestors, and to transmit life and justice to our posterity.

Not bad advice.

Lawsuit wants to dissolve some Georgia city charters

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website (March 28):

The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus filed a lawsuit Monday against the state of Georgia seeking to dissolve the city charters of Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Johns Creek, Milton and Chattahoochee Hills. Further, the lawmakers, joined by civil rights leader the Rev. Joseph Lowery, aim to dash any hopes of a Milton County.

The lawsuit, filed in a North Georgia U.S. District Court Monday, claims that the state circumvented the normal legislative process and set aside its own criteria when creating the “super-majority white ” cities within Fulton and DeKalb counties. The result, it argues, is to dilute minority votes in those areas, violating the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution. [read more]

This lawsuit is completely stupid. It would be like suing the state because there is not enough women in a city for example or not enough Republicans. How does a city stop anyone from entering itself? Unless they have a law against black people entering I don’t see how this is done.

Officials: Yemen a Bigger Security Threat Than Libya

From NTI.org (March 28):

WASHINGTON -- As the United States spearheads the attack against Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi's military assets, key former officials said an even bigger threat to U.S. national security comes from Yemen, a country that hosts many militants and is now enmeshed in a civil uprising that is threatening to unseat U.S.-backed President Ali Abdullah Saleh (see GSN, Feb. 10).

Saleh has been a crucial American ally in combating al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a group that chief U.S. counterterrorism analyst Michael Leiter recently called the “most significant risk to the U.S. homeland” and the most poised to successfully attack American cities (see GSN, Dec. 21, 2010). Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and government officials said the current instability in Yemen appears likely to threaten already strained U.S. counterterrorism efforts and could provide new opportunities for AQAP to launch attacks.

“From a security standpoint, our interest in what happens in Yemen is much more significant than our interest in Libya,” Chertoff told National Journal. “In Libya it's a humanitarian issue -- there's some security issue, but really, Yemen is a critical issue.” [read more]

Well, that’s nice to know. So, is Obama going to do a kinetic military action against Yemen then? Who knows.

I watched Obama’s speech about the war in Libya and I did not notice any mention about an exit strategy. Are we going to take out Qadhafi or not? That’s the question to paraphrase Shakespeare. And by the way why wasn’t his speech on the CBS, NBC, or ABC? Seems odd.

Former SEIU Official Reveals Secret Plan To “Destabilize” America

From Business Insider.com (March 22):

A former official of one of the country's most-powerful unions, SEIU, has a secret plan to "destabilize" the country.

The plan is designed to destroy JP Morgan, nuke the stock market, and weaken Wall Street's grip on power, thus creating the conditions necessary for a redistribution of wealth and a change in government.

The former SEIU official, Stephen Lerner, spoke in a closed session at a Pace University forum last weekend. [read more]

Word by word this is what Lerner said:

There are actually extraordinary things we could do right now to start to destabilize the folks that are in power and start to rebuild a movement.

For example, 10% of homeowners are underwater right their home they are paying more for it then its worth 10% of those people are in strategic default, meaning they are refusing to pay but they are staying in their home that's totally spontaneous they figured out it takes a year to kick me out of my home because foreclosure is backed up

If you could double that number you would  you could put banks at the edge of insolvency again.

We have an entire economy that is built on debt and banks so the question would be what would happen if we organized homeowners in mass to do a mortgage strike if we get half a million people to agree  it would literally cause a new finical crisis for the banks not for us we would be doing quite well  we wouldn't be paying anything...

You can read the rest of the transcript at the Business Insider website but I think you get the point.

Isn’t this domestic economic terrorism? Where is the just justice department investigating this guy? On, no they are too worried about TEA parties and people who vote for third parties and carry around pocket Constitutions.

Is this the “Inside Out-Bottom Up” part that Van Jones was alluding to?

What Might Have Been

In his great book The New Reagan Revolution:  How Ronald Reagan's Principles Can Restore America's Greatness (2010), Michael Reagan says his father would have never ran for governor then president if Bobby Kennedy wouldn’t have had the General Electric Theater TV show cancelled.

According to Michael Reagan, President Reagan enjoyed working on the show and it was one consistently ranked in the top ten. He probably would have never quit and ran for governor of California. But because GE was negotiating a contract with the federal gov’t and Ronald Reagan criticized the JFK administration on the show in some of his speeches, Bobby Kennedy had GE cancel the show evidently for revenge. Hence the President had to look for work. You know the rest of the story.

This incident got me wondering. Let’s say in another parallel universe where the GE Theater was not cancelled who would have got the 1980 republican nomination in the primary? Probably George HW Bush. I am assuming of course everything else would have stayed the same. HW was second runner up in the primary race. Would HW have won the general election against Carter? It’s possible. He won against Mondale. So, instead of a strong conservative the country would have had a moderate. All this is speculative of course. GE could have cancelled the show in the far far future since it had good ratings and Reagan might still have ran for office later on.

Let this be a lesson to the vindictive Left. They might think getting a strong conservative fired from a TV show or radio show is a good idea but it might come back to haunt them. Their revenge might end up having Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity or Glenn Beck run for a major office. It would be better for the Left if they just leave those conservatives alone and let them keep their current jobs. Or would they rather have them as POTUS?

Al Qaeda's New Magazine for Women Mixes Beauty and Bomb Tips

From Fox News.com (March 14):

Would-be female Islamist extremists Sunday were awaiting copies of Al Qaeda's newly-launched women's magazine, which mixes tips on skin care with articles on marrying suicide bombers and waging electronic jihad.

Al Shamikha magazine -- its title means "The Majestic Woman" -- features beauty and fashion tips alongside articles on "marrying a mujahedeen" and carrying out suicide attacks. [read more]

You can’t make this stuff up! What exactly does one wear to a homicide bombing anyway? What will be next a cave decorating magazine? Maybe a militant Jihad version of the O(prah) magazine?

Maine gets break in federal health care overhaul

From CNBC.com (March 8):

PORTLAND, Maine - The federal government Tuesday granted Maine a waiver of a key provision in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, citing the likelihood that enforcement could destabilize the state's market for individual health insurance.

The U.S. Health and Human Services department said in a letter it would waive the requirement that insurers spend 80 cents to 85 cents of every premium dollar on medical care and quality improvement. Instead, the letter said, the state could maintain its 65 percent standard for three years, with the caveat that HHS intends to review the figures after two years.

The decision makes Maine the first state to receive a waiver of the requirement. Similar requests are pending from Kentucky, Nevada and New Hampshire. [read more]

First, if Obamacare is the “ideal” health care system then why have any waivers at all? Second, can the other states (like the ones who are suing to get off this oppressive system) have a waiver like this?

And what about this Section 9 (Limits on Congress) in the Constitution:

No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce [my emphasis] or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another: nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another.

Then again it isn’t the Congress granting the waiver, but still I think that law would apply to gov’t agencies too following the spirit of the law. True, the waiver is only temporary but it would be nice if all states could get a waiver permanently. Only way to do that is to repeal  Obamacare. And the only way to repeal Obamacare is vote people in Congress who will repeal the law and a president who won’t veto the repeal like Obama would. 

Miscellaneous Thoughts Part 21

• If God is omnipotent then why did He have to rest? I mean being omnipotent means having  infinite energy doesn’t it?
• Procrastinators of the world unite tomorrow! Or maybe next week…
• The reason the Left likes public transportation like trains and buses (other than that they are governmentally controlled) instead of automobiles is because autos represent total freedom.
• If you let one rip and want to blame an animal close to you be sure it is a mammal of the right size. That is don’t blame mice, rats, hamsters, rabbits, etc. 
• I think that if school is cancelled because of a snow day it should be made up on a Saturday instead of shortening summer vacation. Although, the National Teachers Union would not go for this idea.
• Oprah thinks Obama should deserve respect. Well, respect goes both ways. I cannot respect a president who doesn’t respect the Constitution or other Americans.
• Insane thought: Heavy metal country music. Imagine the group Metallica playing steel guitars and violins. It would be music with dark and foreboding lyrics but with a nice country feel. 
• To the elite Left only they are capable of ruling themselves.
• Big Labor likes card check because the leaders can try to intimidate union voters to vote their way. Something tells me they would love to do away with secret ballots in political elections. Voting should always be secret no matter what or who you are voting for.
• The Left is so arrogant that they would think they could persuade evil extraterrestrials bent on conquering the earth that they are on the ET’s side and get massacred later on.

Likes for Potential GOP Presidential Candidates

Below is a table of Facebook likes for GOP candidates who may be running for president:

   GOP candidate             Likes                                   Notes

Sarah Palin	2,769,978
Mitt Romney	803,069
Mike Huckabee	539,501
Ron Paul	305,123
Donald Trump	177,995
Newt Gingrich	111,141
Tim Pawlenty	72,877
Herman Cain	53,884	ex-CEO and President of Godfather’s Pizza and ex-radio show host
Mike Pence	47,651
Rick Santorum	13,127
Rudy Giuliani	2,168
Buddy Roemer	296	ex-governor of Louisiana
Harold Heard	67	businessman

If you notice Sarah Palin got the most likes. This is not too surprising to me. But if you believe the Left-wing pundits you would think she doesn’t even have a fighting chance.

Donald Trump said during the CPAC conference that he did not think Ron Paul had a chance at winning. And yet Ron Paul’s likes are a lot more than his.

I found Buddy Roemer’s candidacy for POTUS by Googling “Presidential Exploratory Committee.” It seems a lot of candidates got to start this committee before deciding to run for president. I wonder if  George Washington, Thomas Jefferson or Abe Lincoln had these committees. Probably not.

The last candidate Harold Heard I saw on my Facebook page. One of my “likes” talked about him so I included him in the table for fun.  Not too bad a guy.

Pentagon Study: ‘08 Financial Crisis May Have Included Work of Financial Terrorists

The Blaze.com reports that in 2008 the Pentagon may have thought the financial crises back then may have included financial terrorists.

The most likely suspects according to the report include Middle Eastern states, Islamic terrorists, hostile members of the Chinese military, or government and organized crime groups in Russia, Venezuela or Iran. Chinese military officials publicly have suggested using economic warfare against the U.S. Wow, that’s a lot of suspects.

According to the Pentagon’s new report, the attack has three stages, two of which may have already been implemented:

• The first phase was a speculative run-up in oil prices that generated as much as $2 trillion of excess wealth for oil-producing nations, filling the coffers of Sovereign Wealth Funds, especially those that follow Shariah Compliant Finance.
• The second phase appears to have begun in 2008 with a series of bear raids targeting U.S. financial services firms that appeared to be systemically significant [such as Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers]. … This created a system-wide crisis, caused the collapse of the credit markets, and nearly collapsed the global financial system.
• The risk of a Phase Three has quickly emerged, suggesting a potential direct economic attack on the U.S. Treasury and U.S. dollar. Such an event has already been discussed by finance ministers in major emerging market nations such as China and Russia as well as Iran and the Arab states. A focused effort to collapse the dollar by dumping Treasury bonds has grave implications including the possibility of a downgrading of U.S. debt forcing rapidly rising interest rates and a collapse of the American economy. In short, a bear raid against the U.S.financial system remains possible and may even be likely. [Emphasis added]

You can read more of the report if you want. It would have been nice if the Pentagon reported this in 2008. Evidently they think it is important now to release the report.

These are of course all outside threats. But there is another threat to be aware of. And that’s the erosion of American patriotism or nationalism. Basically, love of country. There is nothing wrong with this. If the French, Germans, or Russians love their country that is okay. Heck, I don’t care if Iranians and Chinese love their country. As long as they don’t start attacking other countries or making threats I don’t see a problem.

World War II was not caused because of nationalism. It was caused because a narcissistic power-hungry leader wanted to take over the world. Interestingly enough the German people back then had to swear an absolute oath to Hitler not to German’s constitution or the country.

When you don’t love your country you won’t defend it. Hitler knew this when he invaded France. After WW I the teachers union taught the school children not to love their country. (Does that sound familiar in this country today?)  The teachers union must of thought love of country in Germany started WW I. It didn’t. WW I was caused because of an assassination and a bunch of pacts between countries. 

Now, the teacher unions in America in my opinion are not teaching American nationalism  is because they have  the New World Order mindset. You can’t have a New World Order when there is nationalism in countries.

Miscellaneous Thoughts Part 20

• Busy people of world unite! That is if you can fit uniting in your schedule…
• God does not believe, He knows because He is omniscience. Man has beliefs because he only has incomplete knowledge of the world and fills the gaps with his beliefs.
• If Communists in America controlled the internet everyone would be using a dial-up connection except of course for the powers-that-be.
• Ben Franklin once said “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Progressives would want the population of a country only to be healthy. They would overtax the wealthy and keep the population unwise (read: in the dark).
• I wonder if the rich Left applies progressive tip system at restaurants? That is do they tip at a higher rate than people who earn less money than they do? Knowing them they probably don’t tip at all.
• If guns cause violence then what caused violence before the invention of gun-powder?
• Rule 4 from Rules for Radicals: “Make opponents live up to their own book of rules. “ Since we (the Radicals) don’t have any meaningful principles don’t worry about opponents using the rule on us.
• Glenn Beck said if you change yourself you can change the country. This statement sounds like a principle from Complexity Theory: Tiny differences in input could quickly, become overwhelming differences in output. Also, known as the Butterfly Effect.
• So, the Left now wants civil discourse. I say they go first.
• Treating people as part of a group instead of treating them as individuals is beginning of a stereotype or even an “ism” like racism or sexism.

Space weather could wreak havoc in gadget-driven world

From Google News (Feb 19):

WASHINGTON — A geomagnetic space storm sparked by a solar eruption like the one that flared toward Earth Tuesday is bound to strike again and could wreak havoc across the gadget-happy modern world, experts say.

Contemporary society is increasingly vulnerable to space weather because of our dependence on satellite systems for synchronizing computers, airline navigation, telecommunications networks and other electronic devices.

A potent solar storm could disrupt these technologies, scorch satellites, crash stock markets and cause power outages that last weeks or months, experts said Saturday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's annual meeting.

The situation will only get more dire because the solar cycle is heading into a period of more intense activity in the coming 11 years.

"This is not a matter of if, it is simply a matter of when and how big," said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration administrator Jane Lubchenco. [read more]

Well, isn’t that something to look forward to. Not! And people are worried about climate change? Ha!

Facts and Talking Points for the Wisconsin Budget Showdown

Government employee union reform proposals in Gov. Walker’s budget repair bill:

• Limits collective bargaining for most government sector employees to wages only, with wages capped to inflation;
• Union members given the opportunity to vote every year to keep their union;
• State can no longer collect union dues;
• Requires union members to contribute 5.8% of their salary toward their pensions and 12.6% to the cost of their health insurance premiums.
  • The comparable nationwide employee healthcare contribution is 20% according to the BLS.
  • The comparable employee contribution for retirement was 7.5% in 2009, according to the Employee Benefits Research Institute

The bottom line:

• This is about balancing the budget;
• Compared to the national average, it is a modest proposal to ask government workers to contribute to their healthcare and pension;
• The Governor’s full proposal will save $300 million and prevent approximately 5,500 layoffs of state workers and a similar amount of local government employees and teachers. As a result the Governor’s budget will not include furloughs or layoffs;
• Workers will save money because union dues will not be required or collected by the government;
• This bill has had over 17 hours of public hearings and vigorously debated. It is time for a vote;

You can read about about the private and public sector fact sheet on Newt.org.
The Governor is doing what he was elected to do. His state is in debt. State’s cannot print money like the federal gov’t can so he has to cut somewhere. The unions are scared because they believe he is taking power away from them (probably because members can vote every year to keep their unions. Union bosses don’t like that for sure.) Maybe, but they had a free ride in the state and that is coming to an end. I like everything in the bill. I think it is a fair bill.
One other thing. All those Democrats that ran and hid so a bill couldn’t be passed are cowards. I would say the same thing if the Republicans did the same thing. You stay and argue your case. If you lose the argument then so be it. That’s the way it is. To paraphrase Obama: The Republicans won. Deal with it.

Cleric orders Gaddafi killed

From Sky News.com (Feb. 22):

Influential Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi has issued a fatwa that any Libyan soldier who can shoot dead embattled leader Muammar Gaddafi should do so 'to rid Libya of him.'

'Whoever in the Libyan army is able to shoot a bullet at Mr Gaddafi should do so,' Qaradawi, an Egyptian-born cleric who is usually based in Qatar, told Al-Jazeera television. [read more]

Why issue a fatwa on Gaddafi? I mean I don’t like the guy but why him? Usually a fatwa is issued if a Muslim is not following the Quran’s dictates. If this fatwa is because Gaddafi is brutal to his fellow countrymen then why not issue a fatwa on Ahmadinejad? He’s just as brutal. Unless there is another reason….

I should note that this cleric is spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. So, much for them being peaceful.

Too bad some prominent cleric cannot issue a fatwa on Bin Laden.

US Gov. Software Creates 'Fake People' on Social Networks to Promote Propaganda

From The Examiner.com (Feb. 18):

The US government is offering private intelligence companies contracts to create software to manage "fake people" on social media sites and create the illusion of consensus on controversial issues.

The contract calls for the development of "Persona Management Software" which would help the user create and manage a variety of distinct fake profiles online. The job listing was discussed in recently leaked emails from the private security firm HBGary after an attack by internet activist last week.

According to the contract, the software would "protect the identity of government agencies" by employing a number of false signals to convince users that the poster is in fact a real person. A single user could manage unique background information and status updates for up to 10 fake people from a single computer. [read more]

Why does the gov’t have to create “fake people” anyway? I mean can’t the gov’t find enough real people to create accounts on social media sites? Oh, that’s right to the Left truth is optional especially when very few people agree with your viewpoint.  First, the Left have  dead people and illegals vote for a candidate. Now, this.

What’s next Leftist robots running for Congress? Have someone at a distance control their voting? A progressive’s dream come true.

Comparing the Antichrist and the 12th Imam

From the www.666soon.com website this definition of the 12th Imam:

Within the Shiite, (which is predominate in Iran ), it is prophesied that there is a coming 12th Imam [an anointed leader or ruler] who is the great spiritual savior. This Imam is named Abu al-Qasim Muhammad or also called Muhammad al Mahdi. He is said to have been born the son of the 11th Imam, Hasan Al-Askari and his wife, the granddaughter of an Emperor. There are conflicting statements of her name being either Fatima or Nargis Khatoon.

Most accounts of the story say that al Mahdi went into hiding as a child around the age of 5 years (about 13th Century). It said he has been ‘in hiding’ in caves ever since but will supernaturally return just before the Day of Judgment.

Here are the comparisons:

                               The antichrist                                                         The 12th Imam

The antichrist's kingdom will rule the world for seven years.	12th Imam will rule the world for seven years.
Bible speaks of 3 ½ years of tribulation before the antichrist reveals himself by desecrating the Jewish temple.	Three years of chaos before the revealing of the 12th Imam.
The antichrist is described as a deceiver who will claim to bring peace, but will actually bring widespread war.	The anticipation of the 12th Imam is that he will bring peace through massive war with the rest of the world.
Beheading is Antichrist's preferred method of execution according to Revelation.	The antichrist has any non-believer beheaded. This practice is done today in Muslim countries.
The world will marvel after Antichrist.	The world will love the 12th Imam.
Antichrist will be helped by the Beast.	The 12th Imam will be helped by Jesus.
Antichrist and Beast will have great power on earth.	The Mahdi will be rich and will give wealth to the people of the world freely. He will cause crops to grow.

 

Spooky huh. Why is this comparison important? Because the leader of Iran wants the 12th Imam to return soon and that means chaos in the world. It does not matter if anyone else believes what Ahmadinejad believes. It only matters what he believes. Because actions follow beliefs. Just like Hitler’s actions followed his belief system.

To make my point clear, here is what Ahmadinejad says at the end of almost speech he gives:

"hasten the emergence of your last repository, the Promised One [the Mahdi or 12th Imam], that perfect and pure human being, the one that will fill this world with justice and peace"

This is what I am talking about. Should make you nervous.

Obama, Egypt and the Media

Isn’t that a cute poster? Wait a minute. I’ve seen a similar poster somewhere else….Hmmm….But not quite like that one. Don’t remember seeing that poster in the media.

Talking about the media, CNN sent  reporter Nic Robertson to the Egyptian protest and asked this “intelligent” and  “news worthy” questions to protesters: What do you think of Obama?  What is your message for Obama?

I kid you not. I am really getting tired of this adulation that the media has with Obama. If you are going over there and possibly risking your life to get the story and ask questions, I would think asking dumb questions like these would not help anything.  By the way, the protester answers were: Obama, he wasn't with us. Obama, he's been all over the ballpark. Obama, we have no message for Obama. So, much for Obama’s speech in Egypt he gave before being elected POTUS. Obama really has influence with the protesters. Not!

Here are some questions the “reporter” (I know you are getting tired of the quotes, but can you really call this guy a reporter?) could have asked:

• What do you think of the Muslim Brotherhood?
• Do you think the new government of Egypt should break the non-aggression treaty with Israel?
• What do you think of America? What is your message to America?
• Do you think Sharia law should be implemented in Egypt?

You know questions like these about Egypt and the rest of the world would be a good start.  I am surprised the reporter did not ask the protester what he thought about Obamacare. Would have been the same type of question if he did.

An Interpretation of the Georgia Guidestones

I first heard of these guidestones on Brad Meltzer’s Decoded show. No-one other than the stonemasons knows who contracted to build these guidestones in June 1979. The stonemasons know but are not saying. What’s interesting is not who had them built but the inscription on them.

Here are the inscriptions:

1. Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
2. Guide reproduction wisely - improving fitness and diversity.
3. Unite humanity with a living new language.
4. Rule passion - faith - tradition - and all things with tempered reason.
5. Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
6. Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
7. Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
8. Balance personal rights with social duties.
9. Prize truth - beauty - love - seeking harmony with the infinite.
10. Be not a cancer on the earth - Leave room for nature - Leave room for nature.

Inscription #1 sounds like population control from Paul R. Ehrlich’s The Population Bomb book.

Inscription #2 sounds like eugenics.

Inscriptions #3 #5, and #6 sound like parts of the New World Order.

Inscriptions #4 and #9 aren’t too bad.  Kind of new agey. It would been nice if he used the word “God” or “Almight” or even “The Creator” instead of “the infinite.”

Not sure what inscription #7 means. The word “petty” is not well defined. And how do you define “useless”?   Is the author talking about gov’t bureaucrats when he mentions “officials”?

Inscription #8 sounds like collectivism. What “social duties” does the author mean?

Finally, inscription #10 sounds environmentalism. “Cancer” is a strong word to use.

If these stones are meant to help people after a global catastrophe to restart society again then I think the guidestones will fail. Putting the 10 Commandments or even The Bill of Rights on them would have been a better idea. Heck, even the Buddha’s Precepts would be better and I’m not even a Buddhist. I don’t think the author put much thought into the advice.

We may not know who the author is but I can tell you what his ideology is: He’s a far-Leftist.

Four Divisions of the Land and Freedom Society

This Marxist society was pre-revolutionary Russia. It was formed before the Bolshevist Revolution. Here are the four steps they wanted to do to destabilize Russia and overthrow the czar:

1. Agitation--passive and active. Passive agitation included strikes, petitions for reforms, refusal to pay taxes, and so on. Active agitation meant riots and uprisings.  (Bottom-up?)
2. Organization--the formation of a fighting force prepared to bring about a general uprising. (Bottom-up again?)
3. Education--the spreading of revolutionary knowledge and ideas, a continuation of the work of the Tchaikovsky Circle. (Inside out?)
4. Secularization--the carrying on of systematic work against the Orthodox Church through special channels. (Inside out? Get people to turn away from God and lose their faith.)

This sounds similar to what the Leftist radicals are doing today. Of course, the top-down part is where the Communist Party became the rulers.

Source: Bolshevism The Enemy of Political and Industrial Democracy (1919) by John Spargo.

20 Something “TEA” parties?

I think the 20 somethings should form their own “TEA” parties and protest paying into Society Security. They are not going to get their money back when they retire (actually anyone under 47 won’t get their money back) so why should they pay into it? They should put pressure on Congress to make it optional. They could also put pressure on Congress to balance the budget too. That’s a burden on the young  and their future children.

The Islamists Conning the Far-Left

How’s that for a title? But I believe it is true. The far-Left think they have commonality with the militant Jihadists. This is true. Both groups hate the free-market system and both hate Israel. You can read Unholy Alliance : radical Islam and the American Left (2004) by David Horowitz for more similarities. Even the Islamists are using the term “social justice.”  There is even a socialism called “Islamic Socialism.” That should make the radicals smile.
The far-Left think there is an alliance between them and Islamists. This is what the Islamists want the far-Left to believe. This is the con. The Islamists are just using the naive far-Left for their own purposes. The Muslim Brotherhood’s third step of their plan is to “infiltrate America’s political, social, economic, and educational systems…”
Just like Hitler duped the leaders of the Soviet Union (he broke the treaty with them before WWII), the far-Left are being duped by the Islamists. The Left are so naive. They cannot control the Islamists. Once the Islamists are doing using the Left they will kill them. Well, if they are Jewish or Christian they might try to convert them to Islam. If that doesn’t work then it is either slavery or death. If a Leftist is an atheist or agnostic or any other religion they are dead. If a Leftist is a homosexual they are dead.
If a Leftist insults Allah, Muhammad or the Quran then they will be killed.
Make no mistake, the Islamists are not friends of the radical Left. As long as the radical Left are not Muslim fundamentalists then they will be treated as the enemy.