Practice Makes Perfect

Tomorrow, millions of people will cast a vote believing that their candidate will change the fabric of our society. To most participants in our republic, Election Day is the ultimate moment of truth. Consider the staggering cost of this election cycle. Congressional and Presidential candidates will have spent over $5,300,000,000 for this day. Cable and broadcast news agencies have logged countless hours of coverage and crazed bloggers from both sides crawled out of the woodwork, ranting and attacking at will. Pollsters have been conducting their own elections daily for months. Sean Hannity has quite literally been counting down the days until "Judgement Day" for 364 days. Obama was either pictured or mentioned on the cover of 12 magazines on the rack at Borders yesterday. Google "Obama" and you will get 216 million hits. Even "McCain" gets 152 million. Either one get more hits than Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan combined. What I'm trying to say is that this election has been hyped like none before. And this hype really makes me hostile. This election has been aready been overanalyzed and probed before it ever actually happened. All this analysis exists to tell we the people what we are going to do. Another result of all this hype is that everyone feels that the results of this election must be historic. The fabric of our society will be altered and the path of our nation will be changed. But let me ask you a simple question that I have yet to hear: Will tomorrow's election be a cause or an effect? Does an election reflect or create social change? The real essential question is whether electing Obama will fundamentally change our country, or does electing Obama reflect a fundamental change that has already taken place? Allow me to digress for a moment. I had a moment of inspiration while reading an article about the Dallas Cowboys in my most recent Sports Illustrated. Zach Thomas mentioned an old saying: "You don't win on Sunday. You win on Wednesday and Thursday." In other words, what you do in practice determines the result on game day. I remember football practice. It started each day with stretching and agility sprints. Then the team splits into position groups to learn and execute the fundamentals of their position. As a lineman, mostly I ran through the line cage and hit the sled. After that, we ran either laps, sprints, or relays. I never was very fond of all that exertion. But I recognized that performing those menial basic tasks in the proper manner would determine game performance. A slow lazy weakling at practice was a slow lazy weakling during the game. People who ran fast and hit hard during practice did so during the game. Now consider America as a football team. Tomorrow is game day. Do you think that our country is full of slow lazy weaklings or do we run fast and hit hard? How hard have you practiced the fundamentals of democracy, freedom, and independence in your everyday life? How about your teammates? How many people do you know who already live off the government? How many people you encounter on a daily basis are ignorant and apathetic about their freedoms that are already being stifled? Are you one of those who have succombed to the tyranny over the minds of men? If Obama wins tomorrow, it will not mean that capitalism will die and freedoms will be torn away from us. It will not mean that we will become a country that embraces the killing of unborn children. It will not mean that we will become dependent on the government to provide our needs and wants. It will not mean that we will give up on the war on terror and open our borders. It will not mean that we will become a nation that values style over substance and charisma over character. It will not mean that America will become a lesser nation. No, if Obama wins tomorrow, it will mean that all of this has already happened.

Monsters in the Woods

Untrue myths and legends are born out of fear and ignorance. The more fearful and ignorant people are, the more believable those myths are. For example, the Big Piney Monster lives in the caves around the Big Piney River and eats canoers. Now, if you've floated and camped along the Big Piney for your entire life, that legend will not keep you awake at night when you're camping on a gravel bar. But if you've never been camping anywhere before and you hear the story of the Big Piney Monster, you are more likely to think something sinister is lurking the bushes. That's because you're easily frightened and simply don't know any better.

Scared and ignorant people make really, really bad decisions. There's scared little voice in our heads that override all common sense. That little voice tells us to shoot the monster grunting and rustling in the bushes in the dark. In truth, it's one of you fellow campers taking a crap in the bushes. That little voice tells us to swerve around the deer in the road. In truth, you're swerving into a semi in the other lane. That little voice tells us that the crowd fleeing from a nightclub fire must be headed to an exit. In truth, that crowd is heading to a locked door. You see that big, loud voice of panic will get you and other people killed. That is why I would consider keeping people scared and ignorant to be the greatest tyranny one can exert over the minds of man. Even calm and informed people are sheep. Keep them scared and ignorant, you can manipulate people to do almost anything. And once you manipulate one, the herd will follow. All of this is a metaphor for the current state of "the" economy. Right now, millions of Americans are scared and ignorant about economics. They are told in every news broadcast the latest, worst economic news the media can find. Seizing on this, Obamabiden became the scared little voice in everyone's head that sounds so logical in a time of crisis. They tell us that the rich are monsters and must be punished. In truth, they are just as innocent as a guy crapping in the woods. They tell us that we must allow the federal government to take drastic steps and take away more of our money to help those less fortunate. In truth, we are avoiding a minor impact to our wallets and steering to a major impact that will take even more money and freedom away from us all. And they tell us that we are all in an economic crisis together. In truth, they are herding us toward a locked door. So, for the sake of our economic well-being and freedom, take a deep breath and let some common sense creep past the voice of panic and be the one who lets the guy crap in peace, hits the deer to avoid a semi, and doesn't get trampled in the herd.

Have You Ever Seen Scanners?

Due to my recent head explosions I had been unable to keep current with my posts. This happened the instant that I heard that the governement (that is, we the people) bought out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. After I pieced my head back together and cleaned the walls I hear that we also bought AIG. That was when this photo was taken. I have now fully recovered, but the walls are a lost cause. I'm going to Home Depot for some red paint. I honestly had no idea what the hell Fannie and Freddie did until after I bought them. After a week of research I guess I know what they do, but I sure as hell don't understand it. I'm not going to take up all my blog space with details. They take the value of existing mortgages as collateral for new loans. Let that soak for a moment. They use other people's existing loans as collateral for new loans. Let me use a smaller scale example to show how absolutely crazy this is. Let's say that I want to get a loan to buy a house that costs $100,000. I walk into the bank to talk to a loan officer. I have no down payment, no credit history, no assets, and no cosigner. However, there are five people that live on my street who have $100,000 mortgages for their houses in different banks in town. Each of those other people have paid in $20,000. To secure my loan, I tell the loan officer to "purchase" those other five loans from the other banks. So, my bank pays the other banks a total of $500,000 plus a little interest to purchase the other loans. Those other five people still pay their own banks and have no idea this happened. Since each loan has $20,000 in equity, my bank now has a total of $100,000 in equity, which they give to me to purchase my house. So now my bank has $500,000 in liability and zero assets. The other five banks still count each original loan's $20,000 as their equity. My bank now relies on the other five borrowers and me to make our montly payments to bring in assets. If just one of us forcloses, the bank resells the house. With the housing market no longer overvalued, it can only sell the house for $85,000. That means the bank just lost $15,000. If my bank hadn't given me my loan, the bank would have actually profited $5,000 since the original loan had $20,000 paid into it. That sounds like a pretty bad situation doesn't it? But wait, it gets worse. Much, much worse. Let's throw in some varibles. Let's say the guy that forclosed actually had taken out a second mortgage to pay his credit card bills, buy a boat, or just spent it on hookers and booze. So the original note of $100,000 became $140,000. Now the bank lost $55,000. But it couldn't get any worse than that, right? Well, Congressional Democrats (including the entire Presidential ticket) want that person who foreclosed to keep his house. That means the bank can't resell the house. That means a total loss of $120,000 on a house that was originally only valued at $100,000. And the bank has zero assets and still has another $400,000 (or more) in liability. Hooray, Democrats. Now, to understand why Frannie and Freddie were "too big to fail," just change the $500,000 total liability in the above example with $6,000,000,000,000. We must also understand that when Frannie and Freddie "purchase" these loans, they never leave the books at the banks from which they buy them. The actual consumer never knows that their equity was used to secure loans for other people. So, when you take out a second mortgage, you're actually taking out a third mortgage. In the above example, the bank that originated the loan currently has the right to collect the $20,000 of equity from my bank in the case of a forclosure. If Frannie and Freddie closed shop, it would mean that half of the home equity in America (that's $6,000,000,000,000) would just disappear out of banks all over America. So, you and I have oficially purchased these two brilliant companies. But what you didn't know is that they had already taken every ounce of equity you thought you had in your home. They took it to loan it to other people. And the insanity of it all is that even with government control, they show no signs of stopping this practice. This system was originally designed to help poor people secure loans to buy modest homes. Today, it is being used to secure loans to buy wealthy people (including many politicians) multi-million dollar mansions that they could even pay for in cash. Now this system is not limited to just Fannie and Freddie, they compose only half of the secondary mortgage market. That means there is another $6,000,000,000,000 out there in secondary mortgage companies with palms outstretched. So those talking heads that say this buyout will cost taxpayers over $1,000,000,000,000, get ready to purchase the other half soon. Now, I've always said that I don't deal with solutions, but I have a little more to say. These companies may be too big to fail, but this system is far too insane to continue. We may not be able to close them down, but for the love of all that is good and pure, heed the words of Lemonhead from The Shield. "Why can't we just do what we're supposed to do and stop?"

Speaking of Unemployment

I've been without a job before. It's not very nice. But you do get the chance to watch some soap operas. Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that unemployment rate rose from 5.7% to 6.1%, an increase of 0.4%. That's a pretty big jump. 0.4%. Let's remember that number. We might see that same number (0.4%) again later in this post. And there will be a quiz at the end, if you get that far. Given what I've read today, I will make a bold prediction. Unemployment will also increase next August. I feel comfortable with this prediction because of what I read on the Department of Labor's website about the Fair Labor Standards Act. Effective July 24th, the federal minimum wage went from $5.85 to $6.55. Next July 24th, it will increase from $6.55 to $7.25. Go ahead and plan which soaps you want to watch. The group that is most hurt by minimum wage increases are actually the minimum wage workers themselves. Any business owner will tell you the easiest way to cut costs is to cut payroll. And who is easier to fire, the experienced and skilled worker (and union member) or the new minimum wage earner (non-union)? Every business in the country will cut loose the new guy, who is usually employed by a temp service anyway. In fact, as unemployment increases so does productivity. When minimum wage earners are sent home, who picks up the slack? Who gets overtime pay? The experienced and skilled union member. Many union contracts also base salary relative to the minimum wage, meaning that an increase in minimum wage also increases those high wage earners under the contract. That happens whether they make $7 per hour or $27. So, union workers get a pay increase and an increase in hours worked while those poor folks who can't earn a living wage get booted to the curb. Let's study the current and relevant statistics in the BLS report. I claim that increases in the minimum wage result in unemployment. But is there anything in the BLS report that would support my claim? Well, the report does mention an increase in hourly earnings during the month of August. It's right there in the first paragraph. In fact, hourly earnings rose during August by 0.4%. Here's your quiz: what else went up by 0.4% in August?

Bad News Is Good News

Liberals depend on negativity and crisis to promote their ideals. Unemployment figures released today were higher than expected, and Obama was quick to jump on that statistic for political gain. That's just what liberals do. That is not going to change, but it really makes me hostile. One of the earliest lessons on leadership I ever learned was that you give credit when things are good and accept blame when things are bad. When a Senator hears that unemployment has gotten worse, a real leader would ask himself what he had done to contribute to this problem and what they can do to make it better. An immature and incompetent leader would blame others for the problem. A mature and competent leader would not point fingers at others for the problem. Let's see how Obama and McCain reacted to today's unemployment news and which one is mature and competent in his leadership abilities. Obama: "Today’s jobs report is a reminder of what’s at stake in this election – John McCain showed last night that he is intent on continuing the economic policies that just this year have caused the American economy to lose 605,000 jobs. John McCain may believe that the fundamentals of our economy are ‘strong,’ but the working men and women I meet every day are working harder for less, the typical working age family’s income is down $2,000 since George Bush took office, and their purchasing power is as low as it’s been in a decade. John McCain’s answer is more of the same: $200 billion in tax cuts to big corporations and oil companies, and not one dime of tax relief to more than 100 million middle-class families. If I am President, I will cut taxes for 95% of all working families and provide an immediate $50 billion to struggling states so that they don’t have to cut back on health care and education and can rebuild roads and schools. That’s the change working families need right now." Please notice that Obama blames Bush and by extension McCain. He not only dwells on the negative, he rejoices in it. Then what does he say about creating new jobs? Nothing. He will cut income taxes (how much? 50 cents?) for 100 million families (while increasing every other tax those families pay, whether directly or inderectly). That doesn't create any jobs. He will spend $50 billion on poor states. Again, that doesn't create any jobs. Now, McCain: "Americans are hurting and we must act to create jobs. Unfortunately, while millions of Americans are gathering around the kitchen table and questioning how they can keep their homes, pay their medical bills and afford their children’s education, Washington has failed to act. As I promised last night, I will fight for those that lost their jobs, savings, and real estate investments. Some Americans have been left behind in the changing economy, and it often seems your government hasn’t even noticed. We must prepare every worker for the jobs of tomorrow. We will use our community colleges to help train people for new opportunities in their communities. As President, I will enact a Jobs for America economic plan that creates jobs, helps small businesses, expands opportunities and opens markets to American goods. Washington must stand beside the American people, not in their way." McCain doesn't point fingers. He offers solutions. He acknowledges the negative, but doesn't dwell on it. And his solution? An economic plan that creates jobs, helps small businesses, expands opportunities and opens markets to American goods. What kind of plan could achieve all that? Tax cuts of $200 billion for American businesses. A tax cut that is designed to help America, not get votes. I guess McCain would rather see America's economy strengthened than win an election. Sounds a little like McCain's stance on the troop surge a while back. It sounds like leadership.

Crawling From the Pit of Despair

Sometimes hostility can wear on one's soul. As the pillars of tyranny climb higher toward the sky and the enemies of freedom gain strongholds against its champions, the hostility seems an exercise in futility. When the warriors see their countrymen aiding the enemy in their conquest of freedom, it is hard to fight the tempation to lower your weapons and retreat to the safety and peace of your homes. You turn to ignorance and apathy to comfort you. No more 24 hour news, no more newspapers, no more blogs. Just the pleasantries of a simpler life: pulling the arms off a lego stormtrooper, watching Gene Simmons get a facelift, plotting along with Stewie Griffin, scouring the web for interesting videos, making salsa, whatever floats your boat. Then reality comes knocking when McCain announces his running mate, Sarah Palin. An actual conservative who seems to want the same thing I want: a government that will leave us the heck alone. At that time, I started paying a little more attention. After her speech yesterday, I became interested in the campaign again. After McCain's speech tonight, I'm practically excited about it. I still don't belive for a second that the government can solve our problems. But I do believe that Obama is more of a threat to freedom than is McCain. In fact, it seems that McCain/Palin could possibly restore some of it back to us. So after two months in the pit of despair, I am crawling out of my hole to renew my efforts to express and promote my hostility to the world. I have no expectations to change it, but I will fight to keep it from changing me.

A Holiday of Mockery

Is today Independence Day or simply the Fourth of July to you? Is it a day to celebrate liberty or just a day of grilling and fireworks? Are the Americans of 1776 more independent than those in 2008? Which government is more oppressive, Britain of 1776 or America of 2008? Are there any heroes of 2008 that posterity shall remember as harbingers of freedom? Today, a simple history lesson. What could possibly justify a people to commit treason and wage war against their former country? What constitutes an absolute tyranny that must be overthrown? What moves an untrained and ill-prepared army to fight the greatest empire on the face of the globe? Fortunately for us, 232 years ago these reasons were declared by the Continental Congress. I will list their greivances against the king, and I encourage you to consider the state of our own federal government in 2008. 1. He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. 2. He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. 3. He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. 4. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. 5. He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. 6. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. 7. He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. 8. He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers. 9. He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. 10. He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance. 11. He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. 12. He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power. 13. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: 14. For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: 15. For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: 16. For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: 17. For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: 18. For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury: 19. For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences: 20. For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies 21. For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: 22. For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. 23. He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. 24. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. 25. He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation. 26. He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands. 27. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. Many of the first 22 greivances sound pretty much the same as our current government. Congress refuses to assent to the will of the people regarding immigration reform, drilling for oil, and many other issues. Our charters and most valuable laws have been taken away by activist judges. The federal government and courts have prevented local and state governments from passing laws of immediate and pressing importance. I especially like the tenth greivance about a bloated, harassing bureaucracy swarming around the country. What can we do to battle the tyranny of our own government? Fortunately, we do have an example to follow. First, we must constatnly petition the government for redress of these greivances and entreat our fellow citizens to take up our plight along with us. If our repeated petitions are answered by repeated injuries, then the time for revolution and disobedience is at hand.

I Don't Want to Be Right About This

In my very humble opinion, two of the major problems with the American economy are high gasoline prices and the loss of manufacturing jobs. As I reflected upon the state of our economy, I came to a conclusion which I do not want to believe. If my conclusion is correct, it would mean not only accepting higher gas prices, it would require me to embrace them. And I do not stand for that. Follow my logic and please find the flaw in my thinking. The products we buy are mostly manufactured overseas from raw materials produced in a third country. It is less expensive for a company to have materials shipped to another country for manufacture and then shipped to sell in the United States than to produce the materials and manufacture them in our own country. As shipping costs increase, the cost of manufacturing overseas increases, making the overpaid American worker more competitive with the overseas worker. Therefore, expensive fuel is good for American manufacturing. Therefore, shouldn't I support higher fuel prices to benefit American industries and production of raw materials closer to home? Since liberals favor higher gas prices, I searched amongst liberal blogs and websites for a theory similar to mine. Before an emergency run to the bathroom to cleanse my bowels of liberal diarrhea, I found only the alleged health and environmental benefits of decreased fuel consumption. The only mention of the high prices are as a means to decrease consumption. As I sat on the toilet, I realized something sinister was brewing in the smoke-filled rooms of liberal strategists. As we all know, liberals have been been trying to shut down the oil industry for over forty years. Liberal politics is based upon wealth envy. When the liberals see the wealth of the oil industry, a deep lust swells within them. We were supposed to have sucked the entire planet dry of all possible oil resources decades ago. Since that has never happened, liberals cut off our domestic oil production and refining capacity, hoping to someday make oil so expensive that it would be priced out of the energy market. With liberal control over all branches of our federal government coming this fall (regardless of election outcomes, let's have no illusions here), the price of oil will continue to rise as drilling and refining capacity stay just as they have been. As prices continue to rise and inflation runs out of control, the vast liberal conspiracy will finally come to its conclusion. With my bathroom proceedings completed, I realized the end goal of a liberal conspiracy that began long before I was born. We've heard about obscene windfall profits in the oil industry. Obviously, the oil industry has no right to make a profit, so the government must tax those profits. You would think that billions of dollars of profit stealing would be enough to placate the liberal greed. But why not just eliminate the middle man? Just ask Maxine Waters or Maurice Hinchey. They've started testing the waters, and they've found them disturbingly warm. Hinchey recommends that the refining of fuels be directly controlled by the federal government. Waters actually used the term "socialize" when discussing her plan for the future of the entire oil industry. I would like to say that there was a national outcry against this lunacy, but reaction has been pretty mild. After a few years of consistent price increases, the reaction will almost certainly be overwhelmingly positive. Especially with the crap our indoctrination system is feeding our kids and the open-minded. I sincerely hope I am wrong about all of this. I hope that my economic theory is grossly misguided and my suspicions toward the liberal takeover of the oil industry is paranoia. If you can do anything to prove me wrong, please let me know. I won't be able to sleep at night knowing I might be right.

Drill Here. Drill Now. I Don't Care What We Pay.

I just took $60 to the gas station. That used to get me three tanks of gas. Today, it didn't even fill my tank. Does that seem right to you? It doesn't to almost a million Americans who have signed the Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less petition. Everybody is whining about the price of fuel and screaming about an energy crisis, politicians included. As you hopefully know, President Bush has beseeched Congress to not renew the annual ban on offshore drilling, ANWR, and oil shale. Congressional Democrats' response lacked enthusiasm to say the least. Their first reaction is that there are currently 68 million acres currently leased offshore that are undeveloped. That is a strange number since the Mineral Management Service, who issues the leases, says they only have a total of about 43 million acres currently leased. They also mention that these 43 million acres produced about 492 million barrels of oil and almost three trillion cubic feet of natural gas. There are a total of 1.76 billion acres on the Outer Contenintal Shelf. The MMS estimates 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of gas are waiting for us to pillage. See this map for areas where leases are allowed. Now, I know better than to use facts to argue with liberals. Let me take a more nonsensical approach. Let's say a lease for 1000 acres is granted to a company for drilling oil. Under that area is one large oil deposit. The company builds a drilling platform to extract the oil. This platfor covers about 1 acre. That means that we have 999 undeveloped acres in the leased area. Behold the wonderful world of liberal energy policy. Another common liberal talking point is that we can't drill our way out of this problem. Even with more drilling, they say we would drop the price of gasoline a mere two cents in the next ten years. Before I proceed, ignore the politics and think for yourself for just a second. Ask yourself one simple question: Does that seem right to you? The Outer Continental Shelf has an estimated 86 billion barrels of oil. ANWR has an estimated 10.4 billion barrels of oil. Total estimates of the Green River Formation range from 1.5 to 1.8 trillion barrels of oil. I'm bad at math, but that sounds like a lot of oil. Get your calculators out and tell me what that sum would be. Is it a lot? Does it sound like two cents worth of gas? The real bottom line of this post is that I don't care if we actually pay more for gas if we drill here and now. It's not the price at the pump that drives me to support domestic oil production. I support it because it's the right thing to do for our country, not because I want to save $50 per month on my fuel expenses. I am willing pay another $50 per month just so the gas I buy was pumped from American sources and refined in American refineries.

Change IN WHICH We Can Believe

Much ado has been made about incendiary comments at Barack Obama's former church. Rev. Wright, his replacement, even guest speakers have been reflecting badly on Obama's campaign. Barack claims that he doesn't agree with the statements that were made although he attended that church for more than twenty years. He also has downplayed his connection with terrorist William Ayers. He met him as a rite of passage into the Chicago political scene. Obama claims to disagree with Ayers although he has a continued friendship with him. Here is where this post gets weird. I am here to defend him. I believe Barack Obama is actually telling the truth. In fact, it is probably the most truthful thing I have ever heard him say. As the argument goes, if Obama didn't believe what his pastor was saying, he should have left. It's hard to disagree with that statement. I know that if I visited that church I would have walked out of that den of sedition before a sermon was finished. That's because I don't believe the things contained in those sermons. Even if I agreed with those statements, I believe it inappropriate to say those things from the pulpit. I might even feel uncomfortable with my pastor giving a sermon about excessive taxation. It is also said that Barack should have distanced himself privately and pubically from Ayers, who is proud of his terrorist past. When they first met, it is plausible that Barack didn't know that Ayers was a terrorist. Many years later, that plausibility has diminshed. Now, I know that if I discovered that someone I just met was a terrorist in the past, I'd not put him in my Five. I'd probably only speak to him with harsh language if at all. These arguments are based upon one simple fallacy: they assume that Barack attended this church and befriended this man based on an agreement of principles. I find this assumption very hard to accept. It's more plausible to me that Barack attended this church for political reasons rather than personal conviction. I am sure you know the type of person that would do this. There's a stereotype attached to each church. You pastors and churchgoers out there know exactly what I'm talking about. There are the snobby churches, the commoner churches, the elderly churches, the youth based churches, conservative churches, liberal churches, etc. I believe that Barack and Michelle went to this church because they wanted the label that comes with the Trinity United Church of Christ not because what is preached there. They thought the label would get them votes. And it worked for the legislature and didn't hurt him in his run for the Senate. Now that he's got to get Whitey to vote for him, the Trinity United label is costing him votes. Now he's oficially left the church for the same reason he went there in the first place: to win an election. Barack has made every decision of his adult life to advance a political career. He even met with a terrorist if it meant getting more votes. That's how he rose to presidential nominee so quickly. He will do anything, say anything, and be anything to get a vote. That explains why he will say that Americans cling to guns and religion because they are bitter in San Fransisco but not in the South or Midwest. That explains how in Oregon he will say that Iran could never pose a serious threat to us and then say that Iran is a grave threat in Montana. It explains how in a speech in Selma, Alabama (Alabama rhymes with Obama, just so you know) he said his parents hooked up to make baby Obama after Bloody Sunday in Selma although it occured long after he was born. It explains how his, uhhhh... uncle liberated Auschwitz although if he did, he would have been serving in the Red Army. As a trained former vacuum cleaner salesman, I recognize this tactic. In order to build rapport, you always have an uncle that was in the same line of work, attended the same church, or was born in the area. The truth of these claims were not important. Obama politics were also highlighted in School for Scoundrels starring Billy Bob Thornton and John Heder. First you get the girl alone (or in a group of like-minded voters). No matter where you are, it is lame (or no matter where you are, the country is lame). No compliments, ever (to any Republican). Be dangerous, it's cool (or be an outsider, it's cool). You have to parrallel their values. Then lie, lie, lie some more. Think of Obama if you ever watch that movie. When you do, you should appreciate Barack's campaign slogan. What does that slogan mean? It's pretty simple. In what does he believe? Change. What change? Whatever change in which you believe. It doesn't matter what it is as long as it gets your vote.

I Do Not Pity da Fools

During my average day, I meet a lot of people, each in a unique set of circumstances. Just like the rest of the nation, they don't agree on many things. But the most common sentiment I've seen is an obsession over the price of gasoline. With the price posted at every gas station we see, it is hard to avoid. Of course, people must always have a place to hang their blame. For some, its the big, evil oil companies. For others, it's those danged A-rabs. For even more it is the government. Some say the government is too involved in gasoline production and distribution. For some, the government needs to get out of the way. But I'm not going to swim in that pool today. In fact, I refuse to part in the gasoline "crisis" whatsoever. Today I would just like to share with you some of the people I've spoken with that have complained about the price of gasoline. There is the guy about my age, Willy, who spends most of his time off work in front of his huge rent-to-own big screen television, either watching new Red Ray movies or playing one of his video game consoles. He has an extensive library of movies and games for his Playbox 3 and Xstation 180. He sometimes browses the Internet on his new sweet Dale computer. He can even use his oPhone to browse the Internet anywhere he goes. He goes to Stardollar's for his morning coffee and likes lunch at the Olive Grove or a Chinese buffet. He buys his girlfriend lots of nice things, like expensive clothes, perfumes, and jewelry. They go out and party a few times a week at nightclubs with lots of alcohol. He drives a 6000SUX sports car with custom wheels and a great sound system. Then there is the middle-aged housewife Anne. Of course, with some toxic injections and some butt fat injected into her lips, she looks more like 25 than 45. Her clothes are always trendy and stylish, the local pinnacle of modern high fashion. Nothing but the best deisigner handbags and shoes would ever accompany her premium wardrobe. She has raised her two kids, Liam, aged 14 and Kira, 9, in her own image. Liam already has his first car picked out and Kira spends all her time texting all her BFFs (that's "best friends forevers") on her cell phone. Not to be outdone by the Joneses, her house has character grade hand-scraped hardwood floors and travertine tile. She has stainless steel appliances, granite counters, and a three car garage. It's the biggest house on the block with a side lot and a beautifully watered and fertilized lawn they have manicured by award-winning landscapers. She has been worshiping the Goracle and pays atonement for her sins by purchasing carbon credits and the latest green products. She only buys organic food and cleaning products. She hauls around her kids in her giant SUV with the DVD players in the seats, GPS, OffStar, heated and cooled beverage holders, and satellite radio. She enjoys dining out, fine wine, and quiet evenings with her husband. Then there's Gus, who, after retiring from his job in the big city, bought a house on the lake and small farm with a log cabin. He keeps himself geared up for hunting and fishing year round. Of course, he only buys the gear given a top rating by his rugged manly magazines. His bass boat has sonar, radar, and as much beer as a bar. He always uses the latest technology and techniques to make sure his prey does not escape its inevitable place on his trophy wall. He takes an annual hunting trip out west for big game and an annual deep sea fishing trip. His freezers are full of meat, his fridge full of beer, and his days full of lesuire. He has a hunting truck, a lake jeep, and a town truck. Now, here's where I get hostile. Of course, the above examples are sterotypes, not real people I know. I could illustrate the same point with cold hard facts, like how the average consumer unit in America spends more money on entertainment ($2376 per year) than gasoline ($2227 per year). Even better, I could contrast our gas expenses to our tax burden ($6488 per year). In America, we spend billions of dollars on the most trivial conveniences. I hope the price of gas brings about a change of national spending habits. Put down your cell phones, big screens, and designer clothes. Stop buying your young kids cell phones, portable DVD players, and iPods. Eat some rice and beans. Buy a house within your means, if at all. Maybe crack your windows instead of running the A/C when it's 80 degrees out. Maybe stop driving like a maniac. Not only would you save money by doing all these, the world would be a happier, safer place. Until you sacrifice some trivial conveniences to pay for that higher gas bill, don't expect any sympathy from me. Just shut your mouth and spend your money more wisely. In fact, if everyone (especially our government) would do that, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place.

The End of Education

I have an unbelievable investment opportunity just for you. I can get you $350 per month for most of your life. All you have to do give me $8000 per year for the next thirteen years. But before you get your payoff, I'll need $15000 per year for four more years. Then you'll be set for most of your life. Probably. This is not your garden variety financial investment either. I will need to meet with you seven hours per day during the entire duration of the investment period. Also, there will be a lot of material for you to study at home. Don't mind that you have to give me a total of $160,000 and wait 17 years for any return on your investment. Trust me, this is the most important investment you can ever make. But there's a possibility that the return won't be as good as I promise. In fact, the investment could fail entirely. If the investment starts to falter, all I will need to fix it is more of your money. I know this pitch sounds to good to be true, but please just mail your cash to my home address. Or just e-mail me your credit card number. That sounds crazy doesn't it? Just as crazy is the repeated mantra of educators, administrators, parents, and especially politicians is that our children are our most important investment. It's not a small investment. In fact, we spend a total of $100,000 per pupil for public K-12 education. During that 13 year indoctrination, the pupil is taught above all that this education is not enough and they must spend $60,000 of someone's money (rarely their own, either borrowed or given) on their real education. After their real education, they can make $350 per month more than high school graduates. What are we really getting for our investment? The way I see it, our education system is out of sync. We are pushing education on a younger and younger crowd. If you want your kid to be a Harvard Law grad, you've got to get him in the right preschool or your kid will never make it. Then, since our high schools are failing, we push advanced concepts on pupils at a younger age. Once the pupil gets out of high school, colleges require them to take two years of curriculum that will review what they should have learned in high school. So we are teaching what used to be high school curriculum to middle schoolers and college students both. For example, when I went to SMSU, I was required to take a Physical Education/Health class. I have the textbook from that class. I also have the textbook from Mrs. Smith's health class in middle school. You know what? I learned more in Mrs. Smith's class than I did in college. I am amazed that every shortcoming of our education system has the same universal solution. Our kids are dumb because we don't spend enough money of education. Test scores down? Give us more funding. Kids unprepared for college? Give us more funding Kids misbehaving? Give us more funding. Teenage pregnancy? Give us more funding. Football team can't win? Give us more funding. Teachers having sex with students? Give us more funding. No wonder our kids are irresponsible with money. In a capitalist economy (which I'm not saying we have), the value of an item is directly proportional to its scarcity. What is the result of decades of pushing education? Not too many years ago, a college diploma was really something rare and important. It was only within the grasp of the rich or the truly talented. Now with grants and loans, any idiot can go to college (and believe me, they do). They wear their robes and get their paper but are really in the same position as high school graduates a generation ago. At this rate, my kids will probably need a bachelor's degree to flip burgers and a doctorate to be a trucker. Now, those who know me are saying, "Of course he would say that. He's a dropout. He's just rationalizing his own failures." Well, yeah. I am. But that's not the point. I'm not opposed to education. In fact, I feel it really is the most important investment you can make. But what are you getting when you fork over your $160,000? An education or a diploma? Did you get more knowledge or a piece of paper for your wall? I really never learned anything from my professors in college. All my learning came from the texts. I gleaned knowledge from the coursework, then a haughty liberal professor would tell me what I should have learned from the texts. Not suprisingly, we wouldn't usually agree. So, if the goal of education is to get diplomas, the status quo is working perfectly. But if the goal is more knowledge, understanding, and enlightenment, don't waste your time and my taxpayer money. You will not be taught how to think, you will be told what to think. You can get your diploma without corrupting your mind, but you will find it a great struggle. That struggle will follow you into your workplace and torment you the rest of your life. Some of you will crack. Your priciples and beliefs will collapse under something I was taught to resist in preschool: peer pressure.

Who Has the Power?

"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." Most people are familiar with the first part of this quotation. I'd wager that much fewer are familiar with latter portion. Government exists to preserve our natural state of being. Simply, a government ensures we are born free to pursue happiness. How do you think our government is doing with that task? Are we all born? Are we all free? Are we hindered in our pursuit? It is a myth that America is a young country with a 230 year experiment in democracy. In fact, when the Declaration of Independence was written, Americans already had 200 years of experience in democracy. The colonists were on their own. No kings came to America. Any governors or magistrates in the colonies answered to the colonists first. Thomas Jefferson didn't just wake up one day and invent freedom. In fact, the Declaration of Independence is really a list of injuries and usurpations that violated 200 years of colonial freedom. Since then, our federal government has become much more of a tyrant than any king. Tocqueville forsaw this. No king ever made 2000 pages of regulations on importing produce. No king ever taxed people for making money. No king ever tried to ensure a life of leisure for his elderly subjects. No king ever dictated how we build our buildings or automobiles. No king ever regulated sugar content of ketchup. No king ever regulated how much water we are allowed to use in a toilet. No king ever strived to make the entire planet cooler. As one observes the current Presidential election, the issues at hand have little to do with the job of the President. Watching the news it would seem that the President's job is to pay my mortgage, fund my retirement, manage my economy, provide my health care, set the price of gas, set my wages, decide who can marry, study stem cells, and teach my kids just to name a few. These are not executive tasks. They are not federal tasks. Most are not governmental tasks at any level. Congress should make law, Presidents should enforce law, courts should interperate law. These powers were separated so no single branch got too much power. Unfortunately, all three branches have too much power so none of them seem to care. So we live in a modern democratic despotism where the federal government has embraced us in its powerful grasp, bending our will through petty rules and noble causes. How have we come to this? Where does the federal government get this power? The consent of the governed. The President has assumed control of our pocketbook because we gave it up. We don't want to make decisions and sacrifices ourselves, so we look to the government to make universal decisions and sacrifices. Why sacrifice my cell phones, cars, computers, televisions, or anything else so I can pay my bills and save for retirement? To keep our cheap little trinkets we have sacrificed things much more important: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The Religion of Peace

"Fighting is enjoined on you, and is an object of dislike to you; and it may be that you dislike a thing while it is good for you, and it may be that you love a thing while it is evil for you, and Allah knows, while you do not know." -Koran 2 (The Cow):216

Every time militant Islam makes the news, the media are quick to point out that the supreme majority of Muslims are not crazy militants. Even right wing radio hosts like Hannity and Rush do that. You'll often hear them qualify the percentage of crazies with a random percentage. I commonly hear 95%. Even if this percentage is true, let's do some math. What is 5% of 2 billion? Is it a lot? What is .5% of 2 billion? Is that still a lot? Sorry, I suck at math. Help me out here.

Actually, the reason for this post isn't my poor math. It's because I believe that history shows that Islam is far from a religion of peace. In fact, the holy texts of the religion themselves show otherwise.

First, let's look at the history of the prophet (strange to have a prophet without prophecy) of Islam, Mohammed. While Jesus lived a life of peace without sin, Mohammed had a life of more excitement. Jesus taught us to bless our enemies. Even while he was on the cross, he prayed for those who were killing him. How did Mohammed treat his enemies? Before Islam, the Muslim tribes were feuding amongst themselves. Each tribe worshipped their own pagan gods. Mohammed saw religion as a force to unite these tribes and make a nation through warfare.

He started by attacking Meccan caravans in January and March 623 A.D. As the newly ordained Muslims went into battle, Mohammed cried, "By him who holds my soul in his hands, anyone who fights for me today will go to paradise." They stole their goods and ransomed prisoners. Those who did not get ransomed lost their heads. Sources of dissent were assassinated in Medina, which became a Muslim stronghold. Following a failed offensive against Mecca, Mohammed retreated to Medina. There the Muslims held off a force of 10,000 against them. Following the seige of Medina, he discovered an insurrection brewing amongst the Jewish tribe Banu Qurayza. Those of that tribe who did not convert were beheaded and the women and children were enslaved. After a two year truce, the Muslims sacked Mecca. At least this time the only innocent civilians it can be proven he killed were ten people who made fun of him. After taking these two cities, Muslims controlled almost the entire Middle East within a decade.

Mohammed's military conquest is found in religious and historical texts. If he were alive today, would Mohammed, the founder of this religion of peace, fit in the 95% of peaceful Muslims or the 5% of militant Muslims? It is important to understand that while most Muslims may not be militant, their history and their holy texts instruct them to be. Just like the quotation from The Cow above, war is a part of Muslim history and religion. No matter how many Muslims despise violence, Allah knows best.

Let's take a Christian analogy. There are billions of people who say they are Christians. The Great Commission tells us to take the Gospel to all the nations of the world. But what percentage of Christians are full time missionaries? I'd say 5% to .5% would be a good percentage. While I am not a missionary, if one came to me asking for money or shelter, I would give it to them. In fact, I wouldn't hesitate to go on an occasional short term mission trip myself. I just don't feel God calling me to pack up my wife and move to the wilderness and take the Gospel full time to foreigners. I feel content letting others fight that war while I support them here at home and witness to those around me. In fact, missionaries are heroes, especially when they give their life for what they believe. That describes the 95% of Christians who are not full time missionaries.

I submit to you that the 95% of peaceful Muslims are just like the 95% of Christians who are not missionaries. They may not be on the front lines of the war, but they give plenty of support at home and witness to others in order to expand their cause. So, do not let your mind be muddied by the tyranny of the media. Know your history and make up your own mind.

How Clean Is Your Brain?

"Brainwashing" is an interesting term. Think about that word for a moment. It is the act of washing your brain. The term originated in China, describing the Communist re-education of the opposing population after they took power. The Chinese introduced this system to captured American and U.N. troops during the Korean War. Prisoners were commonly deprived of sleep, food, water, and social interactions. Once tired, hungry, thirsty, and alone, the captors would then offer relief in exchange for their professed loyalty. To those soldiers that did so, the only thing that mattered was a bed, a meal, a drink, and going back to their fellow prisoners. It did not matter that their captors are the ones starving and isolating them. Their loyalty was just a meal ticket. They did what was necessary to survive.

Another aspect of brainwashing was to place guilt upon the prisoners. The Communists wanted them to feel responsible for the war itself. By controling information, the captors could feed the prisoners whatever lies they pleased. They would blame the prisoners for taking part in a war in which they didn't belong, demanding confessions of war crimes and human rights violations that never happened. They would accuse U.N. troops of terrorizing Korean women and children in the dead of night. They would blame the captives for the poverty and starvation of their people. They would do all this to place a huge burden of guilt upon the POWs.

It is interesting to note that the primary Communist goal of brainwashing was to get opposition to sit down and shut up so they could go about their business of global domination. You see, if your prisoners are broken and brainwashed they are easier to guard. Fewer guards meant more soldiers on the front lines. Upon release, many POWs maintained their loyalty toward their captors. For some, it took years to sort out the manipulation and lies they believed from the truth.

Obviously, to be deprived, blamed, and shamed into submission is the ultimate tyranny over the minds of men. Can you, great reader, think of anyone else who has done or is doing the same thing as the ChiComms? Think about it. Here are some hints:

I See No Evil

A couple of weeks ago, I heard two people on the radio engaged in the old debate on the existence of God despite the existence of evil. On one side, an agnostic professor said that a loving, omnipotent God cannot exist. He believes a loving God would destroy evil and stop suffering, and if God is omnipotent, He obviously would have the power to do this. On the other side, the Christian said that without evil, pain, and suffering, you cannot have good. Nothing makes me more hostile than someone who is supposed to represent my side of an argument that doesn't know what they are talking about. We all probably know people who are angry with God over some personal pain or loss like the death of loved ones, disease, or disaster. Now, I'm not a schooled theologian or a pastor. Heck, I don't even go to church that often. But I do occasionally pray, read the Bible, and sing hymns. I may not be the most qualified to settle this issue, but I do write the Truth on occasion. Of course, there is plenty of pain and suffering in this world. I used to work with a guy whose mother died of cancer when he was about 12 years old. She wasted away for years doing chemotherapy and radiation treatments. She suffered. She died. That's a pretty rough thing for a child to experience. Now, this lady was a Christian and told her kids should pray that she gets well. When she didn't get well, she said God was calling her home. After telling me all this, my coworker said to me, "I refuse to worship a God that would take away someone's parent like that." You see, he prayed for the health and the life of his mother. God answered no, and he hates God for it. My first (unspoken) thought was, "Who the hell are you to hate God for this?" I remember a story (they later made it into a movie) about a man who was born and lived without sin. He lived the only holy life ever on this earth. He was in fact God's only begotton son. Surely, God in the flesh, living without sin, wasn't subject to death and suffering. Or did he actually die in one of the most cruel and humiliating methods of death man has ever devised? I recommend you watch the Passion of the Christ to get a visual answer to that question. So, if God's only son suffered this way, what gives us the right to hate or deny God for cancer? Or any other thing we call evil. When we talk about evil, we talk about pain and death. People die by the millions for an endless list of reasons. Let's take the ultimate example of suffering and evil in the twentieth century: the Holocaust. Millions of people suffered and died in cruel and unspeakable ways. Here are God's chosen people being singled out and exterminated by the Nazis, and does God put an end to it? The agnositc says no, humanity allied against this evil ended it. While I see the hand of God in the Allied victory, I will accept the argument that it was not God. This must prove that He either doesn't love us or doesn't have the power to help us, right? The problem with sinners explaining the ways of God is that we only do it from our perspective. We say that the pain, suffering, and death in this world are evil. When we try to see this world from God's eternal perspective, we begin to understand the solution to this problem. It is not that God doesn't love us. It is not that God can't help us. It is not that God needs evil to distinguish Himself as good. It is to give us the only choice that matters in the world. Imagine that you go outside on a cold morning. You breathe in some fresh cold air and let it out. Have you ever looked at your breath? As it leaves your mouth, it rises and swirls for just a brief moment, then it just goes away. The molecules that left your lungs still exist, but they have ascended into the atmosphere. That breath has left you and disappeared in an instant. You have just seen your life. It is a vapor. We are on this world very briefly, then we go away. But our soul lives on forever. Now, consider this: Does it matter how long that vapor lasts? Or what that vapor does? When we breathe on a cold, windy day, that vapor is very short and very violent. That vapor is tossed and turned on itself then it ends, as all vapors must. So, no matter what afflictions or sufferings we have on this earth, it will all pass. It will all pass very quickly, in fact. Take the very worst event you can imagine. Let's say the superflu kills 99% of the world's population. That's billions of people who suffer and die in a single event. When you consider that everyone will die regardless of how hard we fight to extend our vapor, is it really "evil" to let it dissipate? Would it shock you if your breath actively struggled to persist? Or would you laugh at its futility of spending its whole existence trying to prolong itself for just another microsecond? Suffering is short and death comes for us all. God understands this more than we do. After all, He is the one who is breathing in the cold wind. He sees life for what it is. Can you imagine your breath trying to understand you? It was warm and happy in your lungs, then you turned it out into the harsh, cold world all by itself. It is being torn apart by the wind. Sleet or snow may punch right through it. Imagine how angry and bitter it must feel. Does your breath hate you? If it did, would you be offended? If your breath loved you, would you love it back? Probably not. That's what makes God so different from us. We are so insignificant, yet he loves us so much. Earlier I said pain and suffering must be so that we can make the one choice that matters in this world. Remember that perfect man I mentioned who suffered and died? There was a reason for that. It was for you. You see, when Jesus' vapor dissipated, Jesus came back. He came back so you also could return to God's warm loving lungs. Without accepting Jesus as your savior, you are scattered molecules that will forever be apart from God. In fact, you will find the atmosphere to be quite hot and painful for all eternity. Don't damn yourself to an eternity of fire just because someone you love suffered through cancer treatments for three years. Even if you lived a thousand years suffering this world's worst tortures, it would be nothing compared to your first day of hell. In conclusion, I must say that I see no evil in this world's death and suffering. It is just how things are. The real evil is what comes between us and God. The things that result in souls rejecting God. That is the work of the adversary, Satan. So my message to the agnostic professor is this: you will regret working your whole life to come between people and God when you finally realize that your life is an insignifcant vapor.

The Great Contraceptive of Innovation

Throughout history, humanity has had many problems and made many mistakes. Our ability to solve these problems and correct our mistakes have made our country great. It may take years of work and pain to arrive at a solution, but in the past we have had a lot of success. Why is it that we can't seem to overcome even the most trivial problems today? Turn on the news and everything's a crisis. We've got a housing crisis, health care crisis, immigration crisis, everything is falling apart and it's all getting worse. Today, I'm casting my hostile eyes on the fuel cost crisis. You should all know about the global food shortage caused by high food prices. Of course, these high food prices are caused by governments around the world subsidizing and mandating the use of ethanol. The U.S.A. spent a grand total of $7 billion in 2006 on ethanol subsidies. That doesn't count the $11 billion in tax incentives for ethanol. It also doesn't count the extra money people around the world are spending for basic food items. This money was spent to reduce our energy dependence on foreign oil and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. I will admit it has done that. At the cost of billions of dollars and possibly hundreds of thousands of lives, we have become 1.1% more energy independent and decreased greenhouse gas emissions by .002%. However, if we continue to spend $7 billion each year and hand out more tax incentives we could become 2.8% more energy independent and decrease greenhouse gas emissions by .13% by 2017. Total cost: only $93 billion. Again, not counting the world's increase in their grocery budget. And the price at the pump continues to climb. Talk about a great rate of return. It looks like our central planners have made an error. If only someone like a founding father had written something to give us some guidance on this issue. Wait, maybe Thomas Jefferson wrote something in 1784 in Notes on Virginia. Let me check. He wrote about governments that allowed free inquiry. These governments made it possible for advancements in physics and to start Christianity. They made it possible by allowing people like the Apostles and Sir Isaac Newton to reason and experiment on their own without government interference, such as Galileo faced when he proposed the world was round. "Reason and experiment have been indulged, and error has fled before them. It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself." To put it in modern terms, if you need billions of taxpayer dollars to be a viable energy source, you do not have a viable energy source. Private citizens and businesses can deliver proper solutions and lower prices if only the government would stop interfering. With subsidies, tax incentives, and over-regulation, the government is the barrier that prevents the conception of truly innovative ideas.

Happy Freaking Earth Day

Hooray! Let's celebrate our planet! Behold our loving mother! She's a cold, heartless bitch of a mother. Here are some statistics that show her love for us. Isn't she grand? She brings forth all manner of pestilence. Disease, drought, flood, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, wildfire, it's all in love. Pop quiz: Who has killed more people, every genocidal maniac in history combined, or Earth? Google that crap. When do we celebrate genocidal maniac day? Now, in our planet's defense, not all disasters are its fault. Take the worldwide famine that has started and is getting worse. It's not because of drought. It's because of biofuel decreasing the supply of corn, which supplies almost every other type of food, such as beef, pork, and poultry. Now it's not the Earth that's killing millions, it's those who love the Earth more than their fellow man. Now that I've written this blasphemy, I must now seek the Goracle to seek forgiveness.

The New Face of Mormonism

The one story from the past few weeks that has made me hostile every time it appears is the Texas polygamy case. When it first broke, I never believed the 16 year old girl existed. Turns out I was right. Not to toot my own horn, but toot, toot.

What really gets me hostile is the fact that all it takes is one phone call to remove 400 children from their homes. Child Protective Services is the single most frightening organization in this country. Their case is based on a phone call made by a crazy 33 year old woman in Colorado. Imagine how easy it would be to take away your kids.

What abuses have been claimed? One CPS investigator testified that there may have been cases of sexual relations with children "16-17 years old or younger". Please note, 16-17 years old would be legal. Two kids have had a broken bone. That's it. No proof whatsoever. If you cruise the headlines, you'll see two arrests have been made. Both of those arrests are related to interfering with the investigation, not abuse.

The real "abuse" is that these people are trying to raise their kids the way they see fit. Every story I encounter points out that these kids are taught to be fearful of outsiders (they use the term Gentile, however). They don't watch TV. They are homeschooled. They don't go to the mall. They don't dress like hookers. They are different. I'll be honest, they are right to raise their kids this way. It may be extreme to completely remove them from society to protect them, but it's the parents' decision. I'd rather send my kid to be raised in this ranch than to be raised by Britney Spears or Rosie O'Donnell.

Now all these kids have been completely severed from their families. The temptations of the outside world are being dangled in front of them. CPS will show them a world of TV, ice cream, pizza, and lollipops. A world without bedtimes, discipline, or rules. A host of earthly pleasures could be theirs if only they would tell a little white lie about some abuse. How many kids wouldn't tell that little lie to "liberate" themselves? Not very many.

CPS scares the crap out of me.

The Great Enemy of Clear Language

"In our age there is no such thing as 'keeping out of politics.' All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia. When the general atmosphere is bad, language must suffer." -George Orwell, "Politics and the English Language" Americans don't agree on much. We are divided in all aspects of our lives, especially in politics. We are painted by the media blue or red. Whatever your politics, odds are very good that you don't disagree with Orwell's above statment. Although polls are not factual evidence, all polls I've seen indicate that our nation is declining morally and politicians are among the least trustworthy people on the planet. Since our general atmosphere is so bad, our language suffers. That is, like, so true. If you haven't already clicked on the above link to Orwell's complete essay, do it now. Don't come back to this blog until you have read, understood, and appreciated this entire essay. It will change how you listen to all political speech and news reportage. Having read this, do you realize that the polls cited above indicate that we are in a worse state than in Orwell's time? Watch your debates and commentary on the television. Attend your speeches and rallies. Whether it be a Clinton, Obama, McCain, or anyone else, you are watching some tired hack on the platform mechanically repeating the familiar phrases that we've heard for years. Soundbites, buzzwords, talking points. You can watch every news network on split screen and never hear a single fresh, vivid, homemade turn of speech. I propose that we change Election Day to February 2. With the world watching, we emerge from our cage pretending that we are important and can change the future. We dance the Pennsylvania Polka, look for our shadow, and then return to our cage until next time. People say politicians don't honor their promises. I don't blame them any more than I blame the groundhog for longer winters. It's our fault for believing them. McCain promises he will be more conservative if he is elected. Clinton promises health care. Obama promises change. Do you remember the other Clinton's promise for middle class tax cuts? The other Bush's 'read my lips' promise? No matter how great a promise sounds, it is made just to get your vote. You will vote for the candidate who promises you the most things that are the most important to you. If your candidate is elected and fails on those promises, you will vote for someone unless they promise to keep their promise the next time. The bottom line is that politicians use tired vague language because they are insincere. They don't feel our pain. They want to feel the power our votes give them. All their promises, accusations, denials, anecdotes, speeches, or even the words they mutter in their sleep will be vague and meaningless, full of dying metaphors, verbal false limbs, and pretentious diction. Let Orwell's essay be your guide to all political discourse. You will fully appreciate the effort it takes some politicians to speak so many words that mean so little.

Taxation Tyranny

Today I am hostile about our governments' (not a typo) use of the tax code to limit our freedom. Today I'm not even going to discuss the wasteful use of our tax dollars or subsidies. I'm focusing my hostility toward luxury taxes, sin taxes, excise taxes, or whatever name you call them. They all smell the same and are all means by which the government gently bends our will. Luxury or sin taxes are designed to increase the price of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, fuel, low mpg vehicles, jewelry, high-end automobiles or any other random item the governments think you shouldn't have. Our governments pass these taxes with the stated purpose of decreasing our consumption of these items. First, it's none of their business. To get dessert a child must eat his vegetables. For us to get the things we want, we not only have to pay standard sales tax and all the embedded taxes for that product, we also have to pay extra sales tax. That's like telling a child to get dessert he has to eat his vegetables and the mess the dog just made on the carpet. Oh, and by the way, dessert is just an old stale Oreo. What I buy is my concern, let me pay the same sales tax for everything, every time. Second, taxes don't decrease consumption, they just focus it. Fuel tax is a fine example. Hundreds of organizations are lobbying our governments (not just at the federal level) for massive increases in fuel taxes (just Google it). Let's say I'm a fool with a mortage payment I can't afford, two car payments I can't afford, student loans I can't afford, and my fuel and food expenses are going on credit cards I can't afford. What do I do when all of a sudden my fuel bill increases by $100 each month just for my daily commute (besides call Dave Ramsey)? Hell, what's an extra $4 minimum payment each month? You want an extra $.50 a gallon? Make it $.60. I'll declare bankruptcy on it all and get it for free anyway. Third, there's some mixed messages in this scam. If the governments decide something is bad for you, why do they seek profit from it? Let's say I have a daughter who began a new job as a prostitute. I sit down with her and say, "It is wrong to be a whore. So, I'm going to collect 15% of your nightly income and tell you when and where you will be whoring. I'm also going to regulate the standards of your performance. If you fall below those standards, I will fine or incarcerate you." Does that make me her loving father or her pimp? Does that make our governments our loving big brothers or our pimps? You decide. Another mixed message is that we are told to spend money to grow our economy and then penalized for spending this money. If spending will help, keep you stimulus package and cut these taxes. I'll buy my wife some nice jewelry or maybe my next car will be something really nice. Or maybe we'll just start paying our mortage payments with the money we save on gas, booze, and cigarettes. No bailouts, handouts, or refinancing needed. That means Wall St. and Main St. for all you liberals out there. Now I want you to picture the type of person who wants our fuel taxes increased. Picture your typical liberal whacko in Congress. If you need a name to put with this face, read this article. Now imagine that same whacko applying this tax to all things bad. Trans fat, fast food, paritally hydrogenated vegetable oil, anything. You could picture their support for those taxes, right? We're not talking about a ban on these things, just saying that they are bad and should be discouraged. Sure, it limits our freedom and our choices, but it's for the good of society. Now picture that same whacko's response to a tax on abortion. Not a ban, but just a tax. Stick it on as an amendment to the increase in the fuel tax. Make it $2500 per abortion. Or $250 per abortion. Or $.25 per abortion. Make the doctor pay it instead of the customer (patient isn't the right term). It won't matter, this whacko will not support it. Oh, tax the hell out of elective cosmetic surgery, booze, tobacco, gas, guns, or jewelry. Taxing those won't hurt freedom of choice. Just don't touch the murder of innocent babies. That's an issue of freedom.

Why I am here and what to expect.

I feel obliged to let everyone know how this pitiful blog came to be. On a summer night in 1998 I took a monument tour in Washington, D.C. I walked reverently into the Jefferson Memorial as if Jefferson himself lived there. I read the inscription in the statue chamber and I spoke them queitly, making the vow my own. "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." While my hostility has been strong, it has been been unfocused for almost ten years. Everyone that tried telling me what or how to think I viewed as a tyrant. That made college a difficult place for me, but I won't digress into that. Tyranny in Jefferson's time was easier to identify than it is today. To see his tyranny, one must simply read the Declaration of Independence. To understand today's tyrant, one must read Volume II, Part IV, Chapter 6 of Democracy in America by Tocqueville. In a nation of equality, tyranny does not break one's will, but rather softens, bends, and guides it. The daily exercise of free will becomes less useful and government covers the whole of social life with a network of petty, complicated rules that hinders, restrains, enervates, stifles, and stultifies so much that we become a flock of timid and hardworking animals relying on our government as the shepherd. This is the state of existence that makes me hostile. Every time I turn on C-SPAN or the news I feel like shouting, "Help! Help! I'm being repressed." Our will isn't being broken, it's being worn down. I'll let it be known right now that I can't fix it. That isn't my task. I'm not here to repair our broken government or replace it with something better. I'm not here to change the world or to save it. And I'm certainly not here to tell you what or how to think. I'm just here to be hostile.