The Jekyll and Hyde Game of Iran – Part One of Three

Make NO mistake about it, Iran is the new threat and has been since the debacle of the elections last. Yes….make no mistake. Iran is more dangerous than China, Russia, Europe, and the United States. NOTE: More dangerous…not more powerful…YET!!! But that time is closing unless we, the United States, get off our collective ass and throw political correctness in the trash can and not give a rat’s ass what China or Russia or Europe thinks. The following is an opinion of D13 based upon his knowledge, research, and tactics….and it is what I would do in the place of A-jad.

Part Deux-Demi “Reflections on Part One”

After reading the responses of a few of those on SUFA, I can see that some did not accept the message in my article “Political Reality”

I named the post “Political Reality” for a reason. The reason: because this was the reality.

I did not post it as an assumption. I did not post it as an expectation.

I posted it because it was the world right now.

More Red Causes Far Less Green

Perhaps after watching the abysmal game between North Carolina and Kentucky, some of you may have stayed on the channel and watched the 60 Minutes report on companies that have taken their operations out of the United States and deposited them in more tax friendly countries. I listened to the report with interest. As many of you know, I have for years been saying that the United State’s insistence on raping corporations in tax rates is one of the primary drivers of unemployment and fiscal difficulty in our country. True to form, the side supporting the such tax rates immediately fell back to an emotional appeal. But it falls on deaf ears in my case as I ask myself, “When will the United States Government wake up and realize that they cannot control the world and that they are committing suicide by continuing to arrogantly think that they can?”

Multiculturalism – Political correctness gone awry ?

First, it is important to look up the definition of multiculturalism. Try it. There are dozens of definitions and suggestions as to what it is or thought to be. It is ironic, but I don’t think anyone knows what it is much less what it means.

Wikipedia states : Multiculturalism has a number of different meanings. At one level the term means the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g. schools, businesses, neighborhoods, cities or nations. In this sense multiculturalism approximates to respect for diversity. The term may also describe people who have more than one culture in them (people who grew up with more than one cultural identity, also sometimes called bicultural).

The Path to Safety is Always the Path to Destruction

“People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both.”

- Benjamin Franklin (paraphrased).

This is more than just a political statement. This applies to individuals and societal culture as well. The fear of pain or death destroys the thinking mind, leading to decisions of short term gain that lead to long term destruction. Why is this? Because the violent mind is not always rational, because the fearful mind is never rational, and the power handed over in the name of safety will always attract the corrupt.

SmartGrid

I know I am a cynic.  At least in most conversation where the government is a part of the discussion.  It gets worse when big businesses want the government to take some action to improve our country or the world.  Have we not been down that road before?

And lo and behold, the Department of Energy is promoting the SmartGrid.  It says smart right in the name, so what could be the down-side?  It must be an improvement over an average or dumb grid!  So what is it, that our tax dollars are hawking (to us)?

Poking Holes in Swiss Cheese

As much as it may seem that there simply isn’t a need to continue to poke holes in the failed fear-mongering around Anthropogenic Global Warming, I must warn you that the issue is far from dead. Now that enough has been done to show that, despite the environmentalist claims, the science is not settled (in fact, it is apparently manipulated and distorted to create desired results rather than accurate ones), the environmental alarmists have begun to switch their tactics. Now, instead of telling us the world is ending, they are forced to rely on “Well, on the off-chance that we are right about man made global warming, the results would be catastrophic, so we must act.” Problem is, there simply isn’t any way to accurately predict the outcomes. But we should not let anything as silly as accuracy or reality get in the way of doom required government action, should we?

Part Deux – The Task of the Remnant

The term “The Remnant” is a reference to the biblical book of Isaiah, a story of a prophet sent by God to warn the unheeding People of the coming reckoning. Alfred J. Nock wrote a wonderful essay about the story:

http://www.aapsonline.org/brochures/isaiah.htm

“…[T]here is but a very small Remnant,” he says, “of those who possess a saving force of intellect and force of character – too small [....] to be of any avail against the ignorant and vicious preponderance of the masses.”

When Will They Cross The Line?

The American citizens had better start seriously thinking about this question. Most of you know who “they” are, but just in case, “they” are the U.S. Government, to include all non-government entities under their payroll. If one could see the list of “non-governmental” entities under their payroll, one would realize that the Feds aren’t just too big, they are incredibly obese. Last week, the TSA’s VIPR team went in to a train station, unannounced, and set up a clean search area and began searching people and their luggage. Here were average American citizens, traveling for business and/or pleasure, suddenly being treated like criminals. This was a GLARING violation of the Fourth Amendment, which protects us from being searched without just cause. This is but one story of many, that shows the government is now openly violating our Constitutional rights. The question is, when will they cross the line?

Separation of Business and State

Yea, I know this one is not in the Constitution either. But maybe it should have been. The US has a long history of government interference in business and, perhaps even more so, business influence over government. It is one of the main areas of corruption in our government, and while it is worse than it used to be, it is not new. As in the previous article, the main philosophical reasoning for keeping business and state separate is the separation of power. Wealth is power, so is authority. Combining those two is a major magnification of power, and as we all know, power corrupts. Even if an individual can resist the corruption, the fact that a position of such power is available will attract corrupt people to it like flies to syrup.

Our government handed out land to rail companies nearly two centuries ago, they initially backed corrupt CEOs by sending troops to put down worker strikes rather than have the companies be forced to deal with worker demands. More recently they have abused imminent domain to hand out land to companies and handed over billions in taxpayer funds to bail out companies deemed “too big to fail”. All that in addition to consistent subsidies to various companies like the modern railroad companies and corporate farms, massive overspending by the military and other government agencies, and a host of other handouts and tax breaks done with backdoor deals in exchange for campaign support, perks, and perpetuation of power.

Political Reality

This morning you wake up to the first in a two-part series. Which is ironic, because as you wake up to this article you are doing the exact opposite of what the majority of US citizens are doing. This part One is a bit longer than I would have preferred. But that was necessary. There are a ton of political realities that just screamed out to be highlighted. And before we can get to part two, we have to recognize and understand these political realities. Many of you may wish to deny what you read here today. But don’t waste your time trying. Instead, give some serious thought to what you are reading. Because while it may not be happening with the active readers that come to SUFA to exercise their brain each day, the reality is…….

Why Gun Control “Common Sense” Scares Me

I perused the news on Sunday morning expecting more of the same coverage of Japan, debates over whether the government is trampling on worker’s “Rights” by limiting collective bargaining, or nonsense about how the Republican Party is frustrated that the Democrats are not taking spending cuts seriously (as if the GOP’s proposed 1% cut was “serious”). Instead I stumbled upon the President’s nifty little Op-Ed on increasing the background check process in order to keep the guns out of the hands of criminals. I have to admit that it angered me. But not simply because it is another attempt to paint the gun control issue as a minor thing. Instead my ire was raised because my wounds were still so fresh. Allow me to explain.

Thin Skin and Other Medical Maladies

I thought for a weekend addition to my articles I would comment on what I have seen here at SUFA over the last few weeks, although it goes back further than that in a few random instances. As many of you know, I have long demanded a level of respect for differing opinions here at Stand Up For America. In nearly all cases, that is what occurs. Every now and then things get a little testy, which is to be expected. I do my best to step in where I am needed, which admittedly isn’t often. And I think most of you know where I stand in the political spectrum. But…

The Power 50?

We started getting Newsweek & Time at work.  I was offered them and declined.  I think  they are biased to such a degree that I simply cannot trust anything they “report”.  However, I stumbled upon a cover (Nov 8, 2010) got my attention. “The Power 50″ with big Rush as # 1. I don’t listen to Rush Limbaugh, so don’t have much of an opinion on whether he is good or bad.  But I do wonder why do they think he’s # 1, with talk radio only?  Is TV not a bigger medium with a larger audience? Looking at their list with some of the comments from the article I decided that I had a few thoughts and questions…

The Importance of Separation of Church and State

I am going to do a few pieces on libertarian versus conservative thought. This is not a bonafide series, but I do want to cover some of the key issues that separate conservatives and libertarians philosophically, and explain why I embrace the libertarian viewpoint over the conservative one. One of these issues I run into the most is the idea of separation of church and state.

Most conservative thinkers agree that government should stay out of religion, but are often less concerned about the other way around. You Constitutionalists out there will likely point out that the term “separation of church and state” is not in the constitution, but in a letter between Jefferson and the Danbury Baptist Association. Indeed, a true separation is not possible, not if you include all belief systems in the umbrella of “church”, which I think was the intent. It is impossible because being without religion is, in effect, its own belief system with its own standards of conduct. All people on earth operate with some sort of belief/thought/moral system, so it cannot be removed. Furthermore, removal of the right to have certain beliefs or practice certain beliefs simply because one is an elected official is a violation of the First Amendment, and more importantly, the individual rights of persons in government.

Public Unions Have to Go

You all knew that I wasn’t going to sit on the sidelines while this whole thing went down and be silent, right? Tonight I write to weigh in on the struggles going on in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana. The bottom line is that the governments in those states are making a stand against the public unions. Of course, the unions are panicking. Facing already dwindling membership in the private sector unions, the public sector unions are kind of where they figured they were safe. But they aren’t. And they shouldn’t be. Look, I don’t have a problem with the concept of a union. But I sure have a problem with what the big unions have become. They are no longer a tool for the protection of vulnerable employees (nor do they need to be). They have become a drain on the American economy and they do more harm than good in many cases. And in order to gain support, they are simply liars about what the situations are and what the consequences are without them. It is time to set the record straight and talk about why the public unions should simply go away…

The Great Danger

There is a great danger looming. It will be a turning point in history and decide the future for much of the Western world for the next 1,000 years.

This danger is not economic though the economic crisis may trigger it.

Wishing I had Time to Write!

I must apologize as my plan was to write tonight. However, I just got home from my second day of meetings that last ALL day long. To say I am exhausted would be an understatement. It was one of those meetings where we fly in everyone on the team from around the world including representatives from the client. Lots of preparation and loaded days. So I will not write this evening but will instead allow the conversation to continue around G Man’s article, with one caveat….

CHILL OUT! I understand the passion around our discussions. I understand that some see what he has presented as “crazy.” I understand that others see the protests to his article as “Crazy.” But let us not forget our civil tongues. I appreciate the passion and I appreciate that there really isn’t any malice in what is said in these debates. But I do so prefer that we don’t get into name calling and degrading. If you don’t like what is presented, debate away. But I think we can do it without the phrases moron, idiot, etc. As I said, I can see the lack of malice in the discussions, but I would still prefer that we didn’t resort to name calling. Civilized and intelligent discussion is what has always differentiated SUFA from the rest of the sites out there. Let’s not ruin a good thing. Make your points, debate them out, and either better understand each other or agree that you never will and move on. Thanks to all for the spirited debates though! I will weigh in on some throughout the day on Thursday. And coming Friday morning will be an article from BF himself!

UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL

Everyone is familiar with the phrase that comprises the title of this article. It’s a simple phrase, as a counter to the Divide and Conquer mantra. Patrick Henry used the phrase in his last public speech, given in March 1799, in which he denounced The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions. Clasping his hands and swaying unsteadily, Henry declaimed, “Let us trust God, and our better judgment to set us right hereafter. United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs.” At the end of his oration, Henry fell into the arms of bystanders and was carried almost lifeless into a nearby tavern. Two months afterward, he had died.

The American people know of and clearly understand the premise behind this phrase, but yet fail to understand how important it truly is. Over the last few decades, it seems that the importance has been long forgotten in the gluttony of high lifestyles, fancy cars, big TV’s and five-dollar cups of coffee from Starbuck’s. We have unknowingly been socially organized into different groups, with different mindsets.