Harangue.org

As we approach another 4th of July, I can't think of a more appropriate endeavor than for each of us to read our Declaration of Independence.  It, along with our Constitution, the Magna Carta and the Bible, is one of the most important documents ever written.

If you take yourself back to the 18th century and understand the events that forced a disparate group of thirteen colonies to join together and declare their independence from a despotic and distant government, you will understand why today, more than at any time since the birth of our nation, the words of this 233 year old document still ring true.

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

-- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
 
 But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

Liberty is not defined by how many tv sets you have, or how much porn you can download from the Internet.  Freedom is not defined by how many tattoos or body piercings you have.  Those two words have a much deeper meaning.  For without either, our future would indeed be bleak.  History has shown the evil of unlimited power.

Imagine a government telling you where to live, what to read, where you can work, if you can go to school, what you can study, what you can eat, etc., etc., etc.

Can't imagine?  Well, you don't have to.   Just look around.  It's already happening.  Unless you're rich, you're children are forced to go to public schools to be indoctrinated instead of educated.  If you're poor, you're forced to live in crime-infested, government-subsidized housing.  In some cities, the amount of fat and sugar in foods is being regulated. 

And the thought police are not far behind.  With the passage of the Hate Crimes Bill, it will be a crime to speak negatively about homosexuals, abortion doctors or maybe politicians.

Our government has become the monster we always feared.  But as the hero of the left, Franklin D. Roosevelt, said so correctly:  "The only thing we have to fear is, fear itself."

Don't be afraid.  Instead, make them fear you.  Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of tyrants more than the truth.

On the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1926, President Calvin Coolidge said very eloquently: "If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions."

Maybe Silent Cal was onto something. 

 

I don't like to throw around the "T" word indiscriminately.  It's an ugly word.  It doesn't really roll of the tongue easily.  I suppose that's why we don't hear it very often unless of course liberals can't argue facts (which often get in their way.)  Then they just call you a Nazi, fascist or traitor.  It eases their consciences and makes them feel at one with the universe. 

In case you're wondering what the "T" word is; it's Treason.  With a capital T. 

It's not a word that should be used lightly.  You shouldn't accuse someone of being a traitor just because he, she or it is from the opposite end of the political spectrum, likes cats or is a cross-dresser.  I, like most Americans, associate treason with the infamous Revolutionary War general, Benedict Arnold.  If you didn't sleep through American History class, or are currently attending public school, you'll remember America's most famous traitor.  And I guess that's where we get our standard definition of treason. 

But lately, something hasn't seemed right to me.  When I look at the political landscape in Washington, I see people in government that are doing their very best to bring our country to its knees.  And it's working very well.  Our economy is being bludgeoned and if sanity doesn't prevail, we are about to make deep cuts in our defense spending. That, of course, will go over very big in North Korea and Iran.

Is this part of some sinister master plan or is there something in the water in the DC water system that causes intense stupidity?  Yearning for an answer (I do yearn sometimes), I went to the dictionary to see if there was more to treason than I knew. 

According to the on-line dictionary, the word treason has three meanings:

1. The action of trying to overthrow one's government or to harm or kill its sovereign. (Doesn't apply here.  Thankfully no one is trying to kill our sovereign.  We don't need a martyr.)
2. A violation of allegiance to one's sovereign or to one's state.  (Hmm, may apply here.)
3. A betrayal of a trust or confidence; breach of faith; treachery. (By golly, I think this is the Holy Grail.)

It goes on to expand on number 3:

"Treason is any attempt to overthrow the government or (now this is where it gets to the real point):  IMPAIR THE WELL-BEING OF A STATE TO WHICH ONE OWES ALLEGIANCE."

Can anyone tell me that Obama, Pelosi, Reid and the rest of the asylum inmates that are responsible for our massive debt, punitive taxes that are coming, government takeover of industry, banks and the financial markets, and a general ignorance of and disdain for our Constitution, are not impairing the well-being of the state to which they took an oath of allegiance? 

Because I'm trying real hard not to believe that they are traitors. 

But so far, I haven't convinced myself.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered additional protections for Hawaii just in case North Korea launches a long-range missile over the Pacific Ocean.  

Now, what is wrong with me?  I thought that having President Obama in The White House was going to stop all the animosity towards the United States.  Wasn't he going to be The Great Healer, weren't we all just going to live in peace, love and free Fritos?  Weren't we all going to have a group hug and sing Kumbaya?

What happened?  Did we not offer friendship to the little heathens?  Didn't Bill Clinton sell them nuclear technology so that they could have a lamp in every mud hut and a dog in every pot?  

I don't think we've been very sporting about this.  It's our fault that the Dear Leader (I mean the North Korean one, not ours) feels compelled to shoot off ICBMs and detonate nuclear bombs isn't it?  After all, didn't America invade North Korea to start the Korean War.  Oh, sorry not true.  But wasn't it America that bombed Japan to start World War II?  Oh,sorry not true either.  Well there has to be something that makes the North Koreans feel that they need nuclear weapons and the necessary hardware to deliver one to the west coast of America.  

We just haven't done enough for this socialist utopia.  That's the problem.  We just need to give them more stuff.  Everyone needs stuff.  Everyone always wants more stuff.  

So here is my list of the top 10 stuff we can send to Lil Kim in North Korea:

10.   A year's supply of Wheaties.  It is the breakfast of champions you know.
  9.   Matching his and hers sweaters.  It gets mighty cold around that 38th parallel.    
  8. A set of golf clubs.  They actually work well when torturing suspected American spies.
  7. David Letterman.  Enough said.
  6. Michael Moore.  Way more than enough said.
  5. One of those Smart cars.  Hey, why are we the only ones who have to suffer?
  4. Toenail clippers.  For those lonely evenings on the DMZ, nothing beats clipping nails and sipping wine.
  3. Lifetime subscription to O!  Oprah's on his mind!
  2. Ipod with all Barack H. Obama's speeches.  Priceless!

And the number 1 stuff we can send to Lil Kim in North Korea:

      Gift certificate to The Chicken Ranch.  I hear what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Maybe this will do the trick.  If not, we can always send an aircraft carrier taskforce.  That might convince him.  It's the gift that keeps on giving.

Last Wednesday evening Inspector General Gerald Wilpin was unexpectedly and unceremoniously let go by the Obama administration.  He received a phone call from the White House Counsel's office telling him he had one hour to either resign or be fired.  He refused to resign.  The next day, his head was handed to him.  And not on a silver platter.

IG Walpin was the inspector general for the AmeriCorps program.  This is the national service program that just got its budget trebled and received $5.7 billion a couple of months ago.  His job is to investigate allegations of stolen money, misspent money, fraud, and other nefarious activities associated with misappropriation of public funds.

Because they often step on some political appointee's or elected official's toes, Congress has given them special protections.  There was a law passed in 2008 that said, if the president wants to fire an IG, he has to give Congress 30 days and show cause for the firing

One of the co-sponsors was none other than then-Senator Barack H. Obama.  Ah, it's so easy to be anti-corruption when you're not the one corrupting.

What got Mr. Walpin in trouble it seems, was that he went after the wrong guy.  Kevin Johnson, a former NBA star and current mayor of Sacramento, California, at one time headed a non-profit group for children called St. Hope. He was accused of misusing thousands of dollars in federal AmeriCorps grant funds.  Mayor Johnson also was a big supporter of and contributor to President Obama.  Mayor Johnson also made millions of dollars as a professional basketball player.  Did he really need to use taxpayer money for his own personal affairs?  Is he really that cheap?

The subsequent investigation by IG Walpin confirmed the allegations.  Mr. Johnson did indeed use federal funds for personal uses.  The report didn't quite please the administration so it seemed action was necessary and they took it.

Now, just in case you think IG Walpin is a Republican hack, I'd like to point out that he prosecuted Roy Cohn (one of Senator Joe McCarthy's bulldogs) and was the person responsible for the indictments against Richard Nixon's cabinet members John Mitchell and Maurice Stans.  So it would be hard to label him as a "vindictive right-wing nut case."

No reason has yet been given for firing Mr. Walpin, but a concerted smear campaign against this dedicated public servant is now being given exposure by an ever-accomodating mainstream media.  They actually have accused him of senility because of his age (he's in his 70s.)  By the way, Teddy (The Swimmer) Kennedy is 78 and Robert KKK Byrd is in his 80s.  Maybe we should fire them.  Dare we hope?

Clearly, our Dear Leader is afraid of IG Walpin.  If he lets him get away with this, other Inspectors General may start looking into other people in the Obama circle of friends.  Maybe some would be a little too close to the president.  Maybe we would find out some things about the new messiah that he doesn't want us to know.

And we can't have the truth about him coming out him, now can we?  

That would just spoil everything.  Maybe even create a crisis that we couldn't let go to waste.  

Obviously, the Iranian election is a sham.  It didn't make any difference how the people voted, the mullahs not only handpicked the contestants; they determined (pre-election) who the winner would be.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the mosque, the people didn't appreciate their votes being made meaningless.  They let the government know it and now more than 100 Iranians are dead.  Their only crime was wanting a fair election process.

We Americans should take note of what's happening half way around the world from us.  And we need to ask ourselves, "How would we react?"  It's a question that we need to answer truthfully, because, although many feel "it can't happen here", it most certainly can.   We are going to have to make a choice:  either make a stand against tyranny or let it conquer us.

We have reached crisis mode in America.  Our Dear Leader is expanding government at a mind-boggling  rate and his personal power is growing right along with it.  He already controls General Motors, Chrysler, AIG, the banks, the investment companies and if he gets control of the healthcare system, he will have dominion over 70% of our nation's economy.  Is that the change you voted for?  No matter your political persuasion, do you really want ONE man with that much power?

This July 4th, we celebrate the 233rd year of our Declaration of Independence.  Literally, hundreds of thousands of brave Americans sacrificed their lives so we could enjoy the rights given to us by God.  Our Founding Fathers pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to build a nation dedicated to and founded on the ideas of life, liberty and property.  Would you do the same?

It seems as if we have forgotten how and why our nation began.  But it seems the American spirit is more alive in Iran than it is here.  Iranians understand our sacred documents more than we do.

Shouldn't we be the ones protesting the stealing of our children's futures?  Shouldn't we be the ones protesting the destruction of our culture, our economy, our security and our liberty?  

The shame is on us for watching someone else do it. The shame is on us for not paying attention to the truth.  The shame is on us for being cowards.  

The shame is on us for forgetting that we are Americans.

Now that the Los Angeles Lakers have won their 10th NBA championship, the phenomenon known as "Riotus Jerkitis" is playing out in and around Lalaland.

Revelers, basking in the joy of their favorite team's win, threw rocks and bottles at police cars injuring several police officers and damaging police cruisers.   This isn't anything new.  In 2000, after the Lakers won their first NBA title in 12 years, fans rioted, burning police cars and damaging more than 70 vehicles, many at nearby auto dealerships.  More than a dozen people were injured.

Monday, LA Police Chief William Bratton commended his officers for showing restraint despite "a lot of provocation from a number of knuckleheads."

Restraint?  Isn't it about time the police stopped using restraint?  You see, that's the problem.  When I was growing up no one, and I mean no one, ever thought of throwing a rock at a policeman.  Not unless you wanted a good beating.  When you spoke with a policeman it was always, "Yes, sir or no, sir", not some four-letter word (expletive deleted.)  

When a policeman is attacked, whether it be with bottles, rocks or spit, he has a right to physically defend himself.  If that means some out-of-control potato-head gets a bloody nose or busted lip, tough.  Maybe the next time said potato-head meets a police officer he'll be more inclined to be a little more respectful.

Now, I'm not saying that every altercation has to turn into another Rodney King episode, but thanks to the ACLU and like organizations our police and our courts have become ineffective.  You only have to look at the punishment criminals DON"T receive to figure out why our judicial system is upside down and why recidivism to out of control.

The ones who do make it to jail are coddled and well-fed.  They play video games, watch cable tv, have weight rooms and have almost unrestricted access to drugs.  That's punishment? To some, it's like going to Disney World.   

The criminals of today, like our enemies in North Korea and Iran, watch very closely as to how much they can get away with.  The more we give them, the more they will take.  That's not a recipe for fighting crime.  That's a recipe for disaster, and that's what we have in many communities.   

But one man seems to get it.  Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona gets the job done.  His prisoners live in tents with no air conditioning (remember, it's Arizona.)  He banned smoking, coffee, movies, pornographic magazines, and unrestricted TV in all jails. He has the cheapest meals in the U.S. too.  He feeds the inmates baloney sandwiches.  The average meal costs about 15 cents, and inmates are fed only twice daily, to cut the labor costs of meal delivery. He even stopped serving them salt and pepper to save taxpayers $20,000 a year.

He's not called "America's Toughest Sheriff" for nothing.  

Hey, maybe we could get him to move to LA.

Socialism is: The Great Lie - by which everyone can all live at the expense of someone else.

 

The new national health care plan is part of "The Great Lie" for if neither you nor I pay - "Who Pays?"

 

So who pays and how?

 

For if you have "no skin in the game" financially then you will bear costs in some other way: perhaps by reduce choice, or truncated offerings or even the tarnishing of your soul.

 

The "Great Lie" is seductive and politicians use it in the oldest of vote buy schemes yet like some ancient evil, once bitten, victims acquiesce to 'it's spell' and become moral cannibals - moral cannibals feasting on the fruits of others.

 

The guv'ment has no money unless it first takes confiscates it from it's citizens. So when the guv'ment proposes massive new spending we should all ask; "who pays" - if not you and if not me, then who? How?