Thoughts Aloud

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The old mantra was “see something, say something.”

After the Broward massacre, the new mantra evidently is “see something, say something, be ignored”.

Seems that even the FBI (Federal Bureau of Incompetence) was warned about this kook Cruz still no one did anything. That is, until the kook did something.

Of course, guns are the problem just like automobiles are the reason for the carnage on our highways. So, no cars, no car wrecks – no guns, no shooting. Seems simple enough but what about knives, bombs or just plain tree limbs?

Just to muddy the waters a bit with some abnormal thinking —— might it be that the tools are almost beside the point and the real issue is why so many among us, especially the young, want to kill indiscriminately. Might this not indicate a very severe problem in modern culture that we conveniently ignore? Might we be building a brave new world that is virtually without values or self-responsibility? Has actual life been reduced to some ultra-real game, little different from a virtual game except the blood actually stains your clothes?

Folks, it is way past time to rise up and discard this ridiculous fiasco that passes itself off for government at all levels. In fact, they are just giant manipulation machines meant to herd us about while having us produce for their benefit. So there is a massacre now and then – in the final analysis, don’t these serve only to give the manipulators more power over us? Yes, the word for public consumption is that these “heroes” are going to make whatever it is better but, when have they ever?

As some pundit said while reporting from Broward yesterday, “this is the new normal, get used to it” to which I reply, “there is nothing normal about this and I am damned if I will get used to it”.

Think about it,

Troy L Robinson

This is the modern Internet at its best. A world class philosopher at home in Canada, and a world famous cartoonist at home in California, sharing an utterly fascinating discussion over Skype, with the whole world via YouTube:

Don’t be dissuaded by the title; surprisingly little of their thought-provoking conversation is about Trump himself. Still, if he accomplishes nothing else this election season, I will always be grateful for the impetus he provided for me to discover the mind of Scott Adams, and for these two intellectual titans to get together for this entertaining debate. Read the rest of this entry »

The Judge always calls them like he sees them:

I concur with his analysis, in all respects. Of course, from my perspective, Trump too is a statist. Read the rest of this entry »

Stefan Molyneux dares to speak the whole truth about what led to the Dallas atrocity:

…and does it brilliantly. Straight talk just doesn’t get any better than this! Read the rest of this entry »

Obviously we survived the Netherlands and Belgium. Indeed, the only action we saw was an encounter between Dutch police and a really rough, Muslim looking fellow at the Amsterdam airport that they escorted out (no idea to where).

Otherwise, except for cool and sometimes rainy weather, the trip was great. River cruising is NOTHING like an ocean cruise. There are far fewer people, the crew get to know the guests and they have at least one included tour at every stop. Also, there is open seating in the dining room, forcing guests to get acquainted with each other.

Again unlike ocean cruises, when you stop, a local guide takes you to mostly historical sites and explains what you are seeing — rather than the wall-to-wall junk merchants one encounters at an ocean cruise port.

Once we have saved enough box tops, we hope to take another, longer river cruise. Obviously, we recommend it.

On the surface, the fare might seem a bit steep until you realize that virtually everything you want or need is included (e.g. those tours at each stop, complimentary beer and wine with meals, etc.) By contrast, the ocean cruise lines constantly nickel and dime you until what at first looked like an affordable cruise ends up costing a fortune – else you just stay in your cabin and stare out the window.

The food was good but not great. But, again, far superior to the ocean cruises that more and more serve crap in their dining rooms so that you will choose to use the expensive optional on-board restaurants instead (the river boat had no optional expensive restaurant).

Troy

The visual is rather incongruent with the image that normally comes to my mind when I hear this ’60s classic:

…but for a bunch of Brits in tuxes with ukuleles, they sure do a fantastic job of it! Enjoy… 😀 â—„Daveâ–º

St. J9 and I will be attending Freedom Fest 2016, July 13-16 at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, NV. We will also be attending part of the Atlas Summit (July 11-13 at Planet Hollywood) and the John Stossel program (audience).

Might we see any of you there?

If you plan to go, the early-bird special rate ends on January 31, 2016.

Register at: FreedomFest.com

Troy

I was searching the archives and stumbled upon this: I Quit

I think I had actually made it, until my thirst for some intelligent conversation caused me to allow you guys to drag me back into the stinking cesspool. More the pity… â—„Daveâ–º

Today is Ayn Rand’s 110th birthday. The man that introduced me to her writings 40 years ago, Robert Ringer, has penned a fitting tribute with some insightful discussion of individualism:

“…her contributions to the cause of liberty were enormous…a pure genius who was 100 percent right in her belief that the individual is a sovereign entity.

Ayn Rand’s name is, in fact, virtually synonymous with individualism, the term used to convey the belief that every person is an independent, sovereign entity who possesses an inalienable right to his own life. (Her overarching philosophy is objectivism, which is similar to individualism but more complex. It is the belief that people are sovereign due to their rationality — their ability to choose what knowledge they will gain and how they will lead their lives.)

Individualism holds that a civilized society can be achieved only through recognition of individual rights, and that a group has no rights other than the individual rights of its members. It rejects the notion of a collective good and emphasizes the sovereignty and worth of the individual. In other words, the individual is supreme when it comes to his own life.

To the individualist, the individual is the end and society the means. Statists, on the other hand, believe that society is the end and the individual the means. The latter is the foundation for the nefarious concept of the state.”

Do read the whole thing; it is well worth the time. â—„Daveâ–º

NOTE: While reading this article, please remember that the writer is a registered and convinced Libertarian who has little use for, or confidence in, either of the major parties that currently dominate politics in the United States.
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As of January, 2015 the United States will have a Congress of which both houses are controlled by the Republican Party. Meanwhile, for at least the next two years, the executive branch of our government remains under the control of the most radical administration in the history of our Republic. An administration that has publicly stated that our Constitution is a nuisance, that it interferes with their preferred method of governance.

During their six years in power, this administration has ignored and violated our Constitution in more ways than I have time to list here. (Yes, I know that prior administrations did this as well but never to the degree that is happening now.)

While the Democrats enjoyed total control (both houses of Congress and the Executive), they rammed through legislation – the best example being Obamacare – that the majority of the people did not want. In other words, they governed AGAINST the will of the people, thus nullifying one of the cornerstones of our Republic, government by the consent of the governed.

Once the Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives, Harry Reid and the Democrat-controlled Senate have pretty much jammed the gears of Congress, bringing most legislative activity to a halt while the Executive was left to govern pretty much by Executive Order (that is, by decree).

Now we are entering what I think will be one of the most dangerous (albeit one of the most interesting) situations that our Republic has ever encountered:

First, we face a couple of months of a “lame-duck” Senate. I fear the Executive will see this as its last chance to ram through any number of appointments that are not favored by (or are in the interest of) the people. Given the Democrat majority of this “lame-duck” Senate along with the rules changes recently made by Senator Reid, there is little or nothing the GOP can do in this situation other than complain.

Then comes January, 2015 when the GOP assumes control of the Senate. Given past relations between this administration and the GOP, there is no basis upon which to expect cooperation for the betterment of the Republic. Instead, we can expect the Obamanation to veto any attempt at meaningful legislation from the Congress while his inclination to rule by decree spins ever more out of control.

This puts the Congress in a classic “Catch 22” situation. They can:

Sit helplessly by and let Obama rule by decree, in the process becoming a defacto dictator, leading to who knows what once his constitutional term in office is up, OR,

Try to rein in Obama’s extra-constitutional activities. The only effective and constitutional way to do this is through articles of impeachment in the House followed by conviction in the Senate then removal from office. As I have opined previously in this space, I think this is exactly what Obama wants to happen. And, I think he wants this so much that there will be no limit to the outrages he will attempt over the next two years. After all, public opinion means nothing to him – however good a campaigner he may be, there is nothing left to campaign for.

It is no secret to those who are paying attention that Obama has been the most racist president in the history of our Republic. Can anyone seriously doubt that, at the first hint of impeachment, the administration will do all in its power to encourage a racial response? Our cities could soon be aflame. And, this will furnish what Obama has long sought – an excuse to declare martial law throughout the Republic. A republic that will cease to exist at that very moment. Thus Obama becomes a dictator in fact. Who can know what happens next? Do we meekly accept the dictatorship? Does the nation erupt into civil war? What will our uniformed forces do? So many questions with none of the probable answers good ones.

Of course, there is always the chance that the two major parties will simply call each other bad names and pronounce each other to be the scourge of the Earth until Obama’s term in office finally expires. While this may be the best we could wish for give the situation, what are the odds of this happening?

Like I said – a very dangerous and very interesting time for our Republic. I suspect we are about to discover what we are really made of. I can only hope that, once again, what is best about our nation comes to the fore.

Think about it.

Troy L Robinson

Against my better judgment, I watched the Obamanation’s prime-time performance a few evenings ago. It is not that I am uninterested in the ISIS situation – rather that I don’t care to listen to the words of a consistent/consummate liar. Historically, there is little or no relationship between what the Obamanation says and what he does (or, more likely, what he doesn’t do).

For sure, some of what he said last evening sounded good on the surface, but then, so did “If you like your current insurance, you can keep it. Period. If you like your current doctor, you can keep him. Period.” Most people today would say to that, incorrectly, “the proof is in the pudding”. I say, more correctly, “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”. In any event, it is the actions (or in-actions) to come that matter, not the scripted words intended solely for domestic political consumption.

As to the ISIS situation itself, I find it not nearly as simple as some try to make it. For a number of reasons:

First, our history in Iraq has been a series of bumbles, starting with the most recent invasion (under George W Bush), the removal of Saddam, the failure to insist on an impartial government there, the failure to leave a residual force sufficient to keep order. Why then would we now expect the same bumbling government that made the past bumbles to suddenly become proficient in this matter?

Second, there is NO good guy in this fight, possibly excepting the Kurds. This means that, Kurds excepted, no matter which group we help in Iraq or Syria, we are backing bad guys and will regret it before it is all over. I am especially wary of sending arms (to any but the Kurds) for fear they will be used against us – as ISIS is doing as I write this – as the Taliban does in Afghanistan.

Third, we have NO true allies in the Middle East. NONE! For sure, a few of them, primarily Israel, will take whatever we offer (and then demand even more) but there are none who will rush to our aid when we are in trouble, as a true ally would do. Indeed, it strikes me as absurd that the United States, which is drowning in debt, should be expected to borrow even more to protect nations that are so wealthy that they have trouble figuring out how to spend it all (for example, building palatial hotel complexes and palm tree-shaped islands for palatial mansions).

Fourth, ISIS has NOT mounted an attack on the US homeland and there is little evidence, other that loud-mouthed boasting, that they have any such capacity. For sure, the brutal murders of the American journalists was provocative and maddening for us all but we must remember that the victims here did knowingly place themselves in harm’s way. That surely does not justify what happened to them but their murders do not constitute a direct attack on the United States.

Fifth, no strategy yet proposed does anything to contain or destroy the main enemy of the US – that being the Islamic State of Iran. So long as they are permitted to start trouble wherever and whenever they wish, the terrorism will continue. As well, we have no strategy for handling our “false allies” in the region (such as Saudi Arabia which is an active sponsor of radical Islam).

Sixth, the Obamanation tells us that the terrorists do not represent are not “real” Islam. Are we then to believe they are Buddhists, Methodists or such? Of course they represent “real” Islam and their actions are directly called for in the Koran. Any so called “strategy’ that is based on such unreality is flawed in its very conception.

So, here we are caught between Iraq and a hard place. What are we to do? I am by no means sure because the conflict in question has been going on for over 1,000 years – during which time, Islam has grown by leaps and bounds. I can, however, offer what to me seems a logical approach, obviously subject to adjustment as things become clearer:

First, give assistance to the Kurds, second remove all Americans (and other Westerners?) from the area and then sit by and watch. Since this is primarily Muslims killing Muslims, seems to me we gain either way it goes.

Eventually, ISIS will try to make some attack on the U.S. homeland. Once that occurs, invade Iraq and Syria with overwhelming force and occupy the region long term, with no pretense of any self-government on the part of the losers. Then we drill and pump as fast and as much oil and gas as is physically possible. Much of this oil and gas should then be sold to Eastern and Central Europe at rates that undercut the Russians. This should free the receiving nations from energy blackmail on the part of the Russians while, at the same time, devastating the Russian economy – probably harming that of Iran as well. At such time as the conquered lands have been pumped dry, then give it back to the original owners with our compliments.

In the meantime, stop choosing sides and giving aid in the Middle East (Kurds excepted) and force them to work things out for themselves, recognizing that the likes of Saddam may be required to govern peoples who are still tribal as well as brutal in their behavior. These people will adopt Western European culture and governmental styles if and when THEY are ready – which may well be NEVER. We must accept that and quit trying to remake them in our own image.

In closing, I offer an idea that I am by no means able to support with anything other than a hunch: Might it be that the reason an ISIS “strategy” was so long in coming was that the Obamanation needed time to coordinate with his Islamic allies to find a course that would allow him to play “tough guy” here at home while doing little or nothing to truly cripple the Islamic movement? (A movement that encompasses far more than the Middle East and includes much of Southeast Asia, most of North and Central Africa, parts of Southeast Europe, most of Asia Minor, etc.)

Think about it.

P.S. Sorry this is a bit late but I had to rebuild my computer before I could post it.

Troy L Robinson

Quite a while ago, I wrote that one way to tell that we are near the end of our freedom (i.e. that our government has become tyrannical) is when those in charge no longer even attempt to explain their actions.

I believe this is the case with the current IRS debacle. Everyone involved knows that nobody actually believes the lies put up concerning e-mails and such. Offering a childish and insulting explanation is simply their way of saying “F You”. And, there is actually nothing we can do about it.

Why the GOP nuts keep calling the same people before committees, asking the same questions over and over and getting the same “F You” response over and over is something I truly do not understand. Can’t they understand how useless it makes them look? Oh, right! If they get really mad about it, they will turn the offending witness over to Eric Holder! That will teach them.

Much is said (mostly on FOX) about the incompetence of the Obamanation administration. I disagree. They are doing exactly what the Obamanation promised to do (in his books) long before taking office. He intended to punish the United States and, I say, he is doing a damn fine job of it. IMHO, he (and his cohorts) should be tried for high treason.

Think about it.

Troy L Robinson

Just how stupid do the progressives think we “ordinary” citizens are? Consider a recent statement by Queen-in-waiting Hillary Rotten Clinton that she and Bill are “Dead Broke”.

In my limited little world, “dead broke” means no money whatever and no prospects for improvement.

In Hillary’s world, “dead Broke” means down to their last $200,000,000 with Bill’s miserable pension of $200,000 per year (plus certain expenses paid – like for his office, security, etc., etc.), supplemented by outrageous lecture fees and book deals.

Now, it is possible that this statement was meant to be some bizarre form of humor – but, I doubt it. She does not seem (to me) to be that clever plus she has, heretofore, shown no sense of humor (or of anything else save self aggrandizement).

Nope. I suspect that, like others of her kind, she has actually started to believe her own BS.

BTW, by referring to the possible election of Hillary Rotten Clinton, I obviously am backing away from previous predictions that the Obamanation might choose to remain in power as a sort of dictator. He very well may still want this but it looks (to me) as if his “sponsors” may be growing tired of him and his incessant bungling of even the simplest task. Perhaps Putin has replaced Obama as the darling of the one world’ers?

To be totally honest, I don’t know what the heck is really going on or why. My best guess is that we have become so corrupt – the people as well as their governments and their huge corporations – that we will simply rot away. From that perspective, perhaps Hillary Rotten Clinton is a perfect choice to lead us into the ultimate decay.

Think about it (if you can without throwing up).

Troy L Robinson

Seems America just can’t speculate too much regarding Bowe Bergdahl… Was he mistreated by the Taliban or was he their buddy? Did he convert to Islam or did he perhaps try to spread the doctrine of some other faith among them? Was he on the soccer team or in a metal cage? Etc., etc.

I find that I really don’t care. I further find that trying to invoke sympathy for this person is rather like feeling sorry for a robber who injures himself while breaking into your home.

The apparent fact, if we are to believe virtually all of those who were present when it happened, Bergdahl willingly left his military posting, in a war zone and while hostilities were ongoing. Whatever happened next, I find totally beside the point. The offense charged is a capital offense under military law and, if proven true, should be promptly invoked.

If there is any other rational explanation for this person’s actions, I sure wish that someone (outside the Obama administration) would explain it to the rest of us in terms that are credible.

Irrespective of whatever Bergdahl may or may not have done, is there any possible justification for sending 5 known terrorists out to commit further atrocities? Indeed, is it too much to ask why these people were not long since tried and executed for crimes against humanity rather than being kept in style in a tropical retreat?

(As an aside, has it occurred to any of you that, had the veterans who died while awaiting treatment at various VA facilities instead been sent to Guantanamo, they would have gotten superb health care in a well managed facility rather than being left to die?)

On a related but broader topic, is it just me or is the Obamanation symbolically giving America the middle finger salute in virtually all of his recent actions? He seems, clearly to be saying to us all, and particularly to the Congress, “I will do whatever I please and there is not a damn thing you can do about it!”

Please excuse me if this sounds racist (it is not meant to be) but if the current president were a Caucasian male, acting in the same manner, he would long since have been impeached. Is the state of race relations in this nation at that point where the nation as a whole must suffer endless abuse of office on the part of the president simply because calling him to account might seem racist? I can’t help but think that the only ones of our citizens who would say “yes” are, in fact, themselves motivated by racism.

Will this abuse never end or must our nation itself end instead?

Think about it.

Troy L Robinson

As we all know, terrorists in Nigeria have kidnapped nearly 300 school girls. Predictably, every bleeding heart liberal in the country, including most of Hollywood, are crying crocodile tears and waving signs advertizing a “hash tag”.

Now there is no doubt that this kidnapping was and still is a terrible thing. The perpetrators are of the worst sort of terrorists (despite what Hillary said and did not do) and I support any REAL effort to:

1. Rescue/recover the victims, and,
2. Kill as many of the terrorists as possible, preferably all of them (along with most of their friends and supporters as well).

Having said that, I fail to see or understand how responding to a “hash tag” can have any real effect. Are we to presume that the terrorists are monitoring social media and that their intent will be changed if only the right personalities make a convincing statement thereon? We all know better!

But, think of other possibilities… Most of the luminaries I have seen on news reports, with their anguished looks and their “hash tag” signs are among the wealthiest/highest paid people in the country. If memory serves, when the bad guys first pulled off this cowardly stunt, they proclaimed their intent to SELL the kidnapped girls. As I understand it, they proposed selling them into sexual slavery but I doubt they really care what happens to the girls if the selling price is right.

Therefore, the obvious answer… Let all these overpaid bleeding hearts offer some small portion of their personal wealth to buy as many of the girls as possible. After they have bought them, it should be a simple matter to return them to their rightful homes. Imagine, “stars” (both entertainment and political types, assuming there is really a difference) actually doing something positive rather than publicly bemoaning problems that they fully expect others to fix.

So, I hereby challenge every “star” who has publicly shown anguish and/or “hash tag” sign to put up (the money to buy the girl’s freedom) or shut up their phoney mouths!

Troy L Robinson

In addition to the constant stream of allegations I see on the television, a number of recent personal incidents have convinced me, beyond doubt, that we live in a culture that is mired in deception. (Much of it self-deception but that is another article.)

As a for-instance, just last week, I and one of my daughters, got a letter from a law firm, addressed to “The Family of Xxxxxxx Robinson”, Xxxxxxx being a substitute for the name of my ex wife, and the mother of the daughter in question. The letter went on to explain that Xxxxxxx had been killed in a collision caused by a commercial vehicle; to deeply sympathize with our loss; then went to offer to represent us in the case.

Needless to say, both my daughter and I were at first shocked (having heard nothing of the sort), then we were totally disgusted when we figured that these unethical ambulance chasers had done sloppy research and had contacted members of the wrong family. However, when I called the law firm to complain, not only did they fail to offer any sort of apology, they went on to defend this method of “shotgun relative identification” as a totally ethical business practice. Can they really believe I would use or recommend their firm were such to occur in reality?

I will offer only this one example but I am certain anyone reading this can offer hundreds if not thousands of their own examples – whether driven by evil intent, unethical and uncontrolled greed, sloppy business practices or simple lack of concern for the feelings and well being of their fellow humans.

Our political “leaders”, of both parties, regularly stand before us and make statements that they know to be deceptive – and, often, outright lies. And they know that most of us, excepting only the most poorly informed, know that we are being methodically deceived. Why don’t these politicians care?

Otherwise presumably honest product manufacturers make deceptive claims on product labels – my favorite being the manipulation of “serving size” and mathematical rounding such that they can claim that foods containing fat are “fat free”, that foods containing sugar are “sugar free”. Most of us know better. Why don’t these manufacturers care?

Everyday citizens loudly proclaim beliefs, affiliations and accomplishments that they do not have simply to gain some phoney sense of respect from others. Why don’t we care?

Why do so many of us continue to do this, even when there is no high office or increased sales at risk? In other words, why do we feel the need to deceive, even when there is no logical need for it?

I fear the answers are that deception so pervades our culture that it now seems normal. If so, what a tragedy for us all!

Are we that unsure or uncomfortable with what we think of ourselves – or with what we perceive others think of us? In addition, can’t we realize that most of the deception we practice is easily seen through by the very people we seek to persuade?

Why can’t we open our eyes, and our minds, and see the extent to which this cheapens our institutions, our culture, and, of course, our individual selves?

For your own sakes, can’t we each simply be what we are? If any of us are truly not satisfied with who and what we are, then improve! If you are satisfied with who and what you are, how can it matter what others think?

Did it ever occur to you that you might well garner more respect and admiration by openly and un-apologetically being who and what you are rather that constantly practicing this transparent deception that all but the block heads see through like glass?

Part of my conclusion is that this is part and parcel of a national attempt to evade reality. And, I will venture to speculate that this goes a long way toward explaining such things as recent mass killings, especially those involving innocent children. When one has rejected the real world, what can it matter what one does in the world of unreality?

Can it be that we simply cannot face the real world that WE have created? I refer, of course, to a real world where values have no value, where our once noble government has become a tyrant, where levels of national indebtedness surpass our comprehension, and where, seemingly, nobody can be trusted?

Think about it!

Troy L Robinson

I have long thought about prices, wages, and values in terms of gold, as in my post on Money. Trying to track down an article Troy suggested we read in a comment, I stumbled across a useful website, pricedingold.com, which has various financial charts plotted in grams of gold, rather than U.S. Dollars. This takes the currency inflation and manipulative volatility out of the picture, allowing real long-term values to emerge. It is remarkable how relatively stable prices remain when measured in gold, instead of a depreciating fiat currency. The site is a very useful resource. If one thinks in ounces, instead of grams, just multiply oz. by 31, or vice versa, to convert.

It prodded me to think again about how it is only wages that have not kept pace with the deliberate inflation, which the oligarchs (bankers and lawyers/politicians) use to steadily steal our wealth. I have thought of a couple more examples to add to my part time job in high school, which I offered in the Money post. When I was discharged from the Army in 1966, my final pay scale as an E-5 over 2 years of service, was $246 per month, plus room and board, full medical and dental coverage with zero co-pay, cheap discounted prices in the PX, 30 days of paid leave a year, the GI Bill for post-secondary education (usually college, but I used mine for a pilot’s license), and a very lucrative fully funded pension plan, if one wished to make a 20 year investment in an Army career. I was in a critical MOS, so they offered me E-7 stripes and an $8K reenlistment bonus, if I would re-up. Since a brand new car averaged $2,400, and a gallon of gas averaged 32 cents, that was a lot of money; but I knew I could do better in a civilian job, and took a pass.

Now, let’s convert those numbers into gold. At $35 an oz. at the time, setting aside all of the valuable benefits, my paltry pay scale was almost precisely 7 oz. of gold a month. At the current price of gold ($1,340) that is the equivalent of a monthly salary today of $9,380. Yet, an E-5 with two years of active duty today, is only paid $2,304; ten time what I earned in dollars, but nowhere near what I earned in gold. The $8K reenlistment bonus, would have bought 228.5 oz. of gold at the time, which equates to $306,286 today. I wonder how much they are offering these days? Yet the car at 68.5 oz. of gold, is not that far off from what one would have to pay for a full-sized full-featured American car today, when converted back to $92K at the current price of gold. Similarly, a gallon of gas at 32 cents, equates to 109 gal. per oz. of gold, which at today’s gold price would be over $12 per gal. So, the cost of producing automobiles and gasoline has actually gone down. If wages were keeping up with inflation, and everyone was making at least a lowly sergeant’s pay of $9k+ a month, perhaps we could all notice that. Then, perhaps folks would be appreciative of ‘Big Oil,’ for their efficiencies at reducing prices on a necessary commodity. 🙂
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We are just arrived in Manchester, NH, home town of saint J9. One of the reasons we came at this particular time is that my son-in-law ran in the Boston marathon today — with my daughter and two granddaughters in the stands cheering him on (and we planned to hook up with them in Boston tomorrow). Thankfully, they left the bomb site about 30 minutes before the explosions. Still, we had a tense time of it while flying in, disconnected from any media after having seen early reports of the blasts on monitors in the Philadelphia airport.

While all the pertinent data is not in yet, we can all make a fairly accurate guess as to the underlying cause of this crap. To that end, I have a suggestion that I am certain would have some level of effectiveness. The government of the US should instruct our ambassador to the UN to make a very simple statement to the entire world that says — as of the next terrorist attack on the US, that can be reliably linked to Islam — the city of Mecca, holiest site in Islam, will be promptly turned into a sheet of glass, by a nuclear blast that will render the entire area uninhabitable for centuries to come. Then, follow through and actually do it. If, like Japan in WWII, they do not learn after the first strike, then Medina should be next. Etc. with other Islamic sites until the message gets through to them — that we are not weak, we are not decadent and we have had enough.
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The Obamanation has issued yet another Imperial Decree (sorry – I meant Executive Order), this time taking control of the election process. The order title is Executive Order — Establishment of the Presidential Commission of Election Administration and the details are on the White House web site at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/03/28/executive-order-establishment-presidential-commission-election-administr

My friends, if you have somehow resisted the urge to get angry over the past power grabs by this pseudo dictator who pretends to be president, surely this will push you over the edge.

Those of you who have bothered to study our Constitution know that the election process is one power the States did not delegate to the Federal Government. Yet, here is a power mad narcissist claiming to himself – and to a “commission” appointed solely by himself, with no congressional consent or oversight, the power to manage the election processes of the entire nation.

As I have tried to explain in other articles, we are only a declaration of martial law away from a full-fledged dictatorship and the time and the means to change the present course both grow thin.

Look around you and realize that our liberty is now under assault from every angle.

While I realize that our national legislature is dysfunctional – and obviously scared out of whatever wits it once may have had by the actions of this tyrant and his thugs, I nevertheless ask each of you to help start a telephone and email barrage to our senators and congresspeople, demanding they override this outrage. It may not help but it surely will not hurt.

And stock up on whatever guns, gold and ammo you can afford.

Good old Adolph would have been proud of this guy!!

Troy L Robinson

Among other prohibitions, the first amendment to our Constitution prohibits infringing on the freedom of the press.

I understand this to mean that the government is not supposed to tell journalists what they can or cannot convey via whatever medium they work in. All well and good. But, does this “freedom” include the freedom to knowingly misinform and/or confuse?

By “ knowingly misinform and/or confuse”, I mean such things as: intentionally lying; intentionally omitting salient facts so as to distort; not reporting events that are of concern to the general public and the like.

For sure, I have no concern with the notion of an expressed opinion (especially since I express so many of my own). But, at the same time, I think that an “opinion” should be clearly that, whether so indicated by the medium in which it is expressed (such as a blog, a letter to the editor of a newspaper or a byline that is clearly for the expression of opinion. Where I do have a concern is when either an opinion or an intentional distortion of truth are offered as ”news coverage”, something that happens with increasing frequency in our republic.
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