UN Climate Change Treaty

As many of you are aware, this December Denmark will be the site of the United Nations Climate Conference. Several weeks ago there was a video posted on this site, I don’t remember who posted it, by Lord Christopher Monckton. He was giving a speech at Bethel University and was discussing the upcoming conference, the treaty that was being discussed, and the ramifications of such treaty for the United States. I remember watching the video and wondering, “how much of what he says is real and how much of it is ‘Glenn Beckish’ in its conclusions?” So I began to read more, study more, and figure out what I could about the upcoming conference and the treaty being discussed. I was stunned to find that Lord Monckton was pretty accurate with what he was saying. And I decided that I was going to write about the subject. I have been attempting to gather information in the weeks since then. I am now ready to present to all of you what I found. Because there are only 12 days to this insane conference…

Where is Our Path Forward?

I was reading through the comments the other night and saw that some have increased their call to action. I feel like this is a good thing and I want to address it. I forget who said it or the exact wording (and going back and finding it again is a time consuming task), but the gist was that we have all of these smart folks gathered here on the site and we are all obviously disheartened with the direction of America. Some are unhappy with the Democrats, some with the Republicans. But I think the majority are unhappy with both, unhappy with the direction of America, unhappy with what life has become here in what is supposed to be the most free country on the planet. And with that unhappiness comes a desire to act, at least for many. I hear the calls to take back Washington. I hear the calls to start a revolution. I am all for a revolution. But a revolution in the right way. Simply going back to “the Founder’s principles” isn’t going to get it done. So what are we to do?

And So the Rationing Begins?

I first heard this story the other night while driving on our long road trip. I, at least initially, didn’t think that the story meant much. They were discussing the fact that the guidelines for breast cancer screenings were changing from annually after 40 to annually after 50. The report stated that the “hazards” of annual screening before 50 were not worth the risk. I simply listened to the story and thought, “that sure seems like a weird reversal in recommendations.” The next day I was sitting around thinking, because it simply didn’t make any sense to me. The more I heard the story, the more puzzled I became. And then the idea hit me that this is really convenient timing while so much debate is going on around health care reform. So I decided to dig into the story a little more. I began to research and read the articles that were flying around about the new guidelines. I was surprised with some of the things that I found. And I realized that this could be the first step in conditioning the American public to accept less health care in the future.

NYC Trials: Politics or Justice?

I have to admit that this story is getting far more traction than I initially thought that it would get. At first I was really at a loss in understanding why it was getting such outrage from the Republican network. But the more I see the less I like, and I am beginning to see why there seems to be such an outrage. I can certainly also understand why New Yorkers are so against the move made around the trial. What I am failing to understand is how anyone from the left is able to support such a move being made by the administration. I can see no valid arguments being made by those on the left that would justify the Attorney General moving the trial to a civilian court in NY instead of a military tribunal in Cuba. None-the-less, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, along with 4 others will be tried in a civilian court in New York rather than in a military tribunal. And I am not pleased that this is the case.

Tuesday night Open Mic for November 17, 2009

Open Mic is upon us once again. I have to say tha tI have liked the idea of open mic since we have started doing it regularly. It certainly gives me a slightly easier night for writing. But i am a bit disappointed in the fact that the original intent has not been nearly as realized as I had hoped. Certainly I want to foster discussion, and thus offer 4 short topics that can get some discussions going. However, I really thought that there would be more of folks offering topics of their own, as opposed to simply replying to mine. So don’t be afraid to post the things that you want to discuss as well as my topics. Or pull topics over from other days that you didn’t get to finish. That was the idea for open mic, a chance to tell me what we are going to discuss today, hitting the important things to you rather than me. None-the-less, we have some interesting topics this week. We have gay marriage, taxing the rich, and government agencies attempting to control the message.

Geithner… Just Another Crook Doing What Crooks Do

A night where I almost didn’t write. I have had a full day of travel, returning from travel this afternoon to a dog that had chewed the corner of the wall in the kitchen during the six hours he was alone, drywall and all. After cleaning the mess up, and setting up his new cage for sleeping in at night, I quickly showered and headed to work. And tonight I spent a good hour lying on my back in the cold watching the Leonid meteor shower. I can never pass up the opportunity to watch a meteor shower, I just love all forms of nature. But I decided that I hadn’t written while traveling last night (I literally didn’t get to a hotel room until 4:30 am) so I was kind of obligated to do so tonight. So I left the meteor shower and came in to write about something. I was determined to not write about the Fort Hood stuff tonight or the idiotic move to bring the 9/11 conspirators to NY for a civilian trial. So the night was as much me avoiding certain subjects as finding one… then I stumbled on to this article at the top of the Huffington Post home page.

I’m a Travelin’ Man

As many of you know I am traveling today for the memorial service for my grandmother. While doing so (roughly 14 hours of driving each way), I obviously won’t be able to write a new article for this evening and I didn’t have a guest commentary ready to go for the night. For the record I may also not be able to write on Sunday night as I will be traveling home. But I didn’t want to leave everyone hanging so I figured I would add another open mic night to the site for Friday night. I will hit two topics quite quickly below and then all all of you to add your thoughts and start your own discussions on the topics you want to discuss. It also means that I will be a little unable to get in as much as normal to do things like moderate comments, so if something goes into moderation, it might take a little longer before it gets approved. I appreciate in advance everyone understanding my time limitations for the weekend.

A Fresh Face for Maryland – A Candidate We Can Believe In

I have something a little different for everyone today. Many of you have a lengthy history at Stand Up For America. And during that time we have had some fairly in depth discussions and debates about what it will take to begin the process of taking back our country from a government that is growing too fast and spending too much. We have always concluded that change is going to have to begin at the local and state level, with candidates that truly care about getting America back on track. Candidates that truly care about serving the people that elect them to do so. I agree completely that the local landscape is the place where the people must begin to make a difference. Tonight I offer a look at one of those candidates that meet all the criteria we have discussed over the last year.

One Year of Standing Up For America

So here I sit on Novermber 11, 2009. It was one year ago today that I began writing this blog. It seems so long ago, yet the time has passed quite quickly. I remember discussing the decision to write a political blog with Rani, who you all will soon know as a viable candidate for office, and telling her that I just want a place to discuss political issues where the people will treat each other with respect, where the issue can be debated on merit, and where we can figure out a path forward for this country. My only option, we decided, was to create that site myself. And ‘Stand Up For America’ was born on that day in that conversation. It was slow going at first, but soon there were many coming to discuss things in an environment where different opinions were respected. The site grew. So as I sit tonight writing this article, as I have done for 3-4 hours every night for the last year, I want to take the time to acknowledge the people here, the tremendous amount of support that I have received, and hand out a few “awards”

Tuesday Night Open Mic for November 10, 2009

Tuesday night comes to us again. Alas this is the last night that I will be writing this week (at least I think so, I may have the ability to write tomorrow night, but the articles for Thursday and Friday are already written). I have to let everyone know exactly how dedicated I am to writing this blog. All of my friends are playing the new Modern Warfare 2 game, and I left them high and dry to come and write tonight! I know it doesn’t mean much to many of you, but it was the biggest game release ever. Lines out the doors at retailers and all. The reality… gaming is fun, and a nice way to blow off steam, but political discourse is my passion. I love writing this blog. After a 30 minute walk with Doggie Weapon in the pouring rain, I am ready to begin the open mic articles. As you can all see I have written a second article this evening for Veterans Day. I wanted to take a moment and thank those who served. I have done so in the other article.

Thank You Veterans

I wanted to take a moment on Veterans Day to give my heartfelt thanks to all of you who have served or are currently serving in the United States Armed Forces. As a veteran myself, I consider you all to be part of a brotherhood of people who I am proud to belong to. Service to our country began over two centuries ago when the Colonial Army was formed and George Washington led them to victory and our eventual Independence. Thus, patriots of the 18th century began a long tradition, by standing for what the United States of America had the potential to be. In the 200+ years since then, American men and women have carried on the tradition of working to serve the country that has afforded them so many great opportunities and privileges. There is but one day truly set aside as a day to honor those who serve. And today is your day….

Health Care Part 6 – A Right or a Privilege

Allow me to first apologize that I was still unable to get through all of the health care bill passed by the House of (Non)Representatives on Saturday night. I am working through the first half of the week preparing for my business to run without me for the second half of the week. Never an easy task. Please remember all that I will have articles set to post for the second half of the week, but I will not actually be here posting them. I will attempt to jump in whenever possible to take care of any moderation, but can make no promises. I will return home after the memorial services on Monday and should be back in full swing then. For tonight I am going to focus the health care discussions on the premise stated in the title. Just a Citizen posted an interesting interview last night and when I watched it I was reminded of the right versus privilege debate. It seems that at the center of the health care debate is the debate over whether health care is a right, and it is time for us to discuss this….

Yet Another Excuse to Attack the 2nd Amendment

I know that many of you were expecting that I would be talking about the travesty that occurred Saturday night in the House of Representatives. Fear not, I am going to tackle that, but not tonight. I want to finish reading the bill that passed before I begin commenting on it. I will say I am very disappointed that it passed, and thus far I am under the impression that the Democrats in Congress are interested in passing a health insurance reform bill, but have no concern with whether it will actually be a good bill or an effective bill. But enough for tonight, I am hoping to make the newly passed bill the topic tomorrow night. For tonight I offer some thoughts from over there at the Huffington Post. It seems that the tragic events at Fort Hood have become yet another excuse for those on the far left to clamor about taking people’s guns away yet again. I will offer you all the opportunity to read what this particular person had to say, and then weigh in with my own thoughts…

Guest Commentary – Limits on Knowledge

Guest Commentary comes to us once again. It has been a really good week for discussions this week. The discussions around health care were especially good. They were, at times, a bit frustrating. Not because of the directions that any of the people took, even when some of them were completely off base. I was more frustrated because of the fact that I was unable to jump in and actually participate in the discussions in a substantive manner, which means I missed out on having some good debates with some of you. I especially was interested in discussing things with “Buck”, so I hope that he will continue to hang around and discuss things with us! As many of you know, next week will be a big week for spending time with family as we deal with the services and taking care of things. So I may not be real engaged next week, but I intend to be far more engaged in the conversations in the weeks to come.

The False Emotional Appeal of Health Care Reform

As I monitored the comments to yesterday’s article on the public option, I was saddened to see some of the folks who discussed things fall into the common trap of using an emotional appeal in order to attempt to win a debate. Unfortunately, the entire health care reform debate has become little more than an emotional argument along the same lines of so many other political topics and debates. I won’t attempt to say that the GOP arguments are not also just as emotional in their “appeals”. The GOP is just as guilty in this tactic as the Democrats are. I am going to point out a few emotional appeals that are flawed positions from the GOP. And then I am going to delve in to the health care discussions here lately, and point out the emotional appeals. I will also point out where a few of them are fatally flawed. But what I would like to do is point out to everyone that these emotional appeals are quite effective rhetoric, but completely useless against those who use reason and logic as their starting point.

Health Care Part 5 – Understanding the Public Option

And just like that, I am back to writing about the health care madness that is sweeping the United States Congress. As anyone following this debate can see, the major point of contention in the health care debate is the inclusion or exclusion of some form of a public option. The problem that I see when I talk about this with folks is that there are many who don’t understand the public option very well. And that gets compounded by the fact that there are so many different versions of a possible public option being floated out there. I will come right out and say that I would be OK with the most limited form of a public option that is possible. I will discuss what I mean below. But thus far, I have seen nothing in the offerings that even comes close to meeting my standard of what a public option should be. I will also remind everyone up front that I oppose all of the health care reform as it currently stands. I think the ideas being pursued are both Constitutionally illegal, and for the most part completely self serving for the federal government. The stuff being discussed out there will do nothing to make things better for anyone involved. They will only make things worse.

Tuesday Night Open Mic for November 3, 2009

Good Morning fine readers of Stand Up For America. As I begin writing this evening I am in a fairly good mood. Tuesday night open mic is upon us again and it seems that the very elections we discussed yesterday are dominating the news cycles tonight. I am going to avoid open mic’ing the big governor’s races and the “message sent to Democrats” nonsense that seems to be dominating the airwaves. I will touch on some of the election night news in some different ways, however. I am excited to be working on what I think are some good upcoming articles and I have been discussing a few things with some of the folks that read here daily for future ways to get us back to discussing the things we need to be discussing. I do have a request of everyone though… If you have any guest pieces that you are thinking about, I am in need. I have one from Black Flag that I plan on posting this week, and I know many of you have been anticipating that one. But I have a specific need here…

What is the REAL State of the Political Landscape?

Tonight I sat here and thought for quite a while about what I wanted to write about for tonight’s topic. I read all kinds of articles, and hadn’t decided on a topic as of 1:45 am. But I did notice a common theme in articles throughout the different news sites and blogs out there. There were a ton of articles that discussed the upcoming elections that are occurring as you read this. And they all had an opinion one way or another as to what the results from this election will mean going forward. Obviously the results will be interpreted and then given a biased spin by all sides. But the key question seems to be whether what looks like it could be a bad day for Democratic Candidates is a sign of the future or a message being sent to the Democrats. I find that interesting. What message exactly do the national folks think it sends when the races are being determined by such a small percentage of the national population?

Will 3rd Parties Shake Up Future Races?

I was attempting to drown my disappointment with Mountain Dew this evening. The Phillies let me down. Brad Lidge, you are now on my list of guys who should not be a closer. Maybe that is just the disappointment speaking. As a Sawx fan, I certainly find it tough to root for the Yankees. But I would actually be OK with them winning if it weren’t for the fact that A-Rod and Joba Chamberlain will get rings. I would have preferred to see them both never get one. But at least Alex has earned it this year. But a Phillies win would have made it a series! Instead we now have to see three wins in a row to make it happen. Disappointing. So I went on to check on how things are going with the big Governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia. I stumbled across this article and thought, “Hey, let’s take a pulse on the site and see what people think.” They were basically discussing the fact that 3rd parties are having some gain in the current elections and speculating that 3rd parties will have an even bigger impact on the 2010 and 2012 elections.

Guest Commentary: Self Reliance, Not Government Approved?

We have again come to Friday Night and with it the ever growing Guest Commentary. As you all know, I am such a fan of the guest commentaries. I, of course, get to take the night off from writing (although those who submit them will tell you that I spend a lot of time formatting, critiquing, and ultimately…. procrastinating on them). The real reason that I remain a fan is because it allows each of you the opportunity to use your voice and voice your thoughts as the center of attention in the same way I get to do it each night here on the site. I value each and every voice on this site, no matter which “direction” it comes from. And the opportunity to give everyone a shot at writing their own articles is one of my most rewarding endeavors on the site. And besides, the fact remains that as much as I might try to appear to know everything, I think I am exposed over the last 10 months to the fact that there is MUCH that I don’t know. Hearing all these other voices exposes everyone to knowledge they may not get otherwise! I felt like this was a good topic given the recent discussions we have been having about government intervention in the home. While not the same topic, it hits some of the same veins.

And Where Exactly IS the Line Between Parents and Government?

I didn’t have a lot of time to write about something big tonight so I wanted to find something I could write about off the top of my head. As I started to peruse the news, this article simply jumped out at me. I found it extremely interesting given the discussions that we had the other day during open mic about government intervening in order to protect the child. In Dallas, a father showed “graphic pornography” to his 8 and 9 year old daughters. I don’t know how graphic it was, they aren’t sharing that. But that was the description. The girl’s mother, who id divorced from the father, wanted to file charges against the father. Apparently there is a law that specifically states that he can not be prosecuted for doing this. I will be interested in hearing more about the rights of parents versus the rights of the state to intervene, especially in a case such as this, where the harmful material in question is really a matter of interpretation.

Foreign Policy Needs a New Policy

I am going to do my best to answer several of the positions taken on this site by various folks when it comes to our foreign policy. The fact is that our foreign policy in America is drastically flawed. Unfortunately so are some of the positions that have been espoused on the site when discussing foreign policy. The flaws are many, from taking a interventionist position within the world stage, to using that interventionist policy as a way to excuse away the heinous actions of others, many fail to see the reality of the world as it exists. I feel like I don’t suffer from that lapse in reality. I am not unique, but I am not just another dumb kid when it comes to examining the situation either. What I am is someone who has served this country, both here and abroad. I have seen the world first hand. I have seen the conflicts first hand. I have worked in Washington and seen the intel first hand. And what I offer on this subject is a voice not influenced by a hatred for either side and not rendered blind by a bias that keeps me from seeing the realities we face abroad. But that doesn’t make me right. So everything I say is certainly up for debate.

Tuesday Night Open Mic for October 27, 2009

Open Mic night once again rises. I have to admit that I feel a bit liberated this evening (which is WAY different than feeling liberal). I got an email from one of the readers on the site that was really nice and helped me to feel better about ignoring the petty claims against me. Basically pointing out that many will attempt to place me in a box that they can attack because they aren’t willing to discuss the merits of my arguments. I am sure there are some who will want to argue the point. You can make that USWeapon Topic #5 if you like. You know who you are who sent that email (and I will respond I promise), so I want to thank you for that. Tonight’s topics are quite varied, and I hope they will spur some vigorous debate. A little bit of disgust with American political figures, a little bit of disgust with further moves for government to control business, and a little bit of bullshit partisan politics on the Republican side. Release the Hounds!

Leave My Lions Alone

I saw this article this afternoon. I know that many of you here peruse a lot of the national news sources, so you saw it as well. There was a brief message posted about it in yesterday’s thread. I had already decided that I wanted to have a quick discussion about it. The discussion is obviously going to start around this t-shirt controversy that is being overblown at Penn State University. However, once I discuss that I am going to discuss the general tone of the political world, or more important the general tone of society. Because the Penn State thing is a very minor blip in a war against christianity that has been building for quite some time. And I wonder just how it got where it did, and how it will end up. Why is it that it seems that so many people are offended by anything to do with Christianity? And why is it OK to go on the attack over that offense?

Something Different and Short for a Change

I have come home this evening and watched a little baseball, which as many of you know I am passionate about (even with by beloved Red Sox sent packing), and caught a little football. Allow me to first, before I forget, offer my congratulations to those who are fans of the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees. It should be a good world series. It isn’t often we get to see the real two best teams in baseball playing each other for the championship (heck, sometimes the best two teams in baseball reside in the American League East), but I really do feel like this year we are seeing the two who most deserve to be there duking it out for the title. As I watched, slumped on the floor with the puppy laying beside me, Mrs. Weapon walked in and said, “you are using one of your sick days tonight. You get 10 sick days a year on the blog, and tonight is one.” I chuckled and said I would love to, but tomorrow is Monday! Monday’s are bad enough without also missing out on waking up and arguing some topic with people at Stand Up For America. But I am fairly whipped tonight, so I offer something a bit different.

Guest Commentary – A New Constitutional Amendment?

And a good Friday to everyone. I hope that everyone is settling in for the weekend and planning some time with family and friends, hopefully watching my Nittany Lions go into the Big House and whip some Wolverine behind. All that really needs to be said is WE ARE… PENN STATE! (and it is OUR chant, so suck it Marshall, you stole it for your movie). I apologize for the last couple of weeks and the fact that we had no guest commentary posted. There have been some submitted. Last Friday I simply wasn’t able to get on and post one as I was traveling. The previous Friday I was just hanging out with Mrs. Weapon, and she didn’t feel like giving me up for the night. For those that have sent me articles, I promise I am looking over them and will get back to you soon. All the ones sent to me thus far are going to be used. They all look good. Tonight we have an article submitted by a reader of the site who has thus far not jumped into the fray of conversation. He sent me this proposal and I found it interesting, so….

The Looming Threat of Iran

I promised Black Flag that I would make this the topic for this evening. And it is about time that I addressed it. We have watched Iran for years and seen their rhetoric, their realities, their revolution. The western media has, no doubt, contributed to the negative image that Iran has in so many minds. I will have plenty to say here on the subject of Iran. I have studied that country for most of my adult life. I have been there. I know the people, the structure of their government, and their position relative to the United States. I find it a fascinating country. I also find them a scary country, and for some very good reasons. We are now in the midst of a Presidency that is interested in discussing things with them on a diplomatic level, and I have no issue with that. However, Obama should be aware that he cannot rely on those diplomatic measures to sway the opinion of a government that is quite radical at its heart. So tonight I open the discussion on Iran. The one request that I have for everyone is to please refrain from ranting against them merely because they are a muslim country. The fact that they are muslim has relevance. Treating being muslim as a general slur does not.

Spend, Tax, Cut, Save, or Give Up?

I was thinking yesterday about the statement made to me that I needed to understand Keynes and his macro-economic model in order to understand why spending is what the government must do in order to get us out of trouble. I have always whole-heartedly disagreed with that statement. As I often have acknowledged, I am not an economic guru, but I think I am a pretty smart fellar. I am well educated (as far as formal schooling) and well read (my friends all say I spend too much time with my head in a book). I try to take a realistic look at the situation and see where it makes the most sense to make a move. Now, our invited guest, who yesterday for some reason did not come and reply back to what I had written, obviously thinks this makes me dumb. But I think on a “macro” level, we might all benefit from having this conversation. I am not going to research out the wazoo for this, I am going to simply say what is on my mind, and let everyone have at it.

Tuesday Night Open Mic for October 20, 2009

Another Tuesday night  comes along for the open mic night and I have some general open mic topics and a couple that are directed at some of my many critics. You know I was reading the comments from my article from Monday morning, and I noticed that for about the hundredth time, I was accused of offering only scathing opinions of the moves from the left. I never seem to get an answer when I reply to this so I will be more direct. I also had a fun time discussing things with some folks on my wife’s facebook account, one of whom really got his feelings hurt when he was publically shamed for making a statement that “teabaggers are racists”. His friend who participated in the conversation seemed interested in honest discussion so I invited him here. I hope he replies. And of course there is the usual nonsense in Washington DC for me to comment on! So away we gooo….

Automatic Registration and Mandatory Voting?

I was reading through a lot of different things this evening. I was over at the Huffington Post reading some of the hoo ha that is offered there, and I stumbled across an article from Mark Green, President of Air America Media. He was discussing the fact that America has such a dismal voting record, especially at the lower levels of government. And he seemed to be willing to come right out and say that Americans should be forced to vote. He also espoused the merits of automatic registration. Given the vigorous debates that have occurred within this site over whether voting is effective, relevant, or necessary, I found his article to be interesting, while at the same time a bit disturbing. So I figured I would offer the article he wrote to all of you, and offer my thoughts on the concepts he discusses. I am sure Black Flag will have to weigh in on this topic, as will several others. But it seems to me that I can support the thoughts from Green on one part of his topic, but not on the other.