Monday, December 31, 2007

Anti-life, Anti-reason Al-Qaeda Assassins


“We terminated the most precious American asset which vowed to defeat [the] mujahadeen,” so said Al-Qaeda’s commander and main spokesperson Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid.

Adnkronos International reported that the decision to murder Ms. Bhutto was made by the assassin Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's No. 2 man. Apparently multiple death squads were formed and so one of these cells succeeded in killing Bhutto the woman who wanted to bring her country and countrymen forward into the 21st century.

Evil has succeeded in quelling a voice for moderation and liberty. But what these low-life killers have to know deep down in their bellies is that they will be annhilated as have other anti-reason, anti-life groups in the past. These people are a pathetic group of men that have taken death as their supreme value. Ultimately they will not defeat the vast majority of people of the earth who love life and want to live it and find happiness here and now not in some made-up world of after life. They will be defeated. They will be defeated.

Yes Bhutto was a precious American asset in the sense that she was one of the few voices of reason to come out of the hell-hole of the Middle East. People who use reason as their means of knowledge will finally get fed up with these monsters who use faith and worship death and defeat them as we defeated the Nazis and the suicide Imperial Japanese army in WWII. These are mosquitos compared to what we had to face 60 years ago. Let's get down to business and do it.


Friday, December 28, 2007

The SCHIP SCAM

Watch this video presenting the SCHIP via sarcasm. It's true our politicians are craven, power lusters who have lost any sense of shame and have not a shred of honor left. To present this as a health care system via using a tax on cigarettes to fund this scheme is beyond incompetence and enters the sphere of the absurd.

Where is it in the Constitution that says that the government's job is to meddle in the health care of an entire nation? Hands off on my health care! We do not want to be another Canada!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qcypRnDcCo

The Real MAN OF THE YEAR

Yup - it is official. The "idiots" at Time hate Bush so much that they ignore the most important man of the year David Petraeus in favor of another creep dictator Putin. Time - you are disgusting...Robert Tracinski, editor and publisher of the INTELLECTUAL ACTIVIST says it best:

"The idiots at Time selected Vladimir Putin as their "Person of the Year," demonstrating a complete inability to gauge the scale, size, and significance of world events—and a desperate need to evade the story of the real Man of the Year: General David Petraeus, the architect of the strategy that reversed America's fortunes in Iraq." (Read).

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Our Politicians Have Outgrown Their Own Boots

With the war still going on and perhaps continuing far into the future one must not forget the war we are fighting right here in America - the war against an ever growing bloated government and corruption based on pork spending. A trillion dollars of Washington spending looks like it will be a reality fairly soon and with it will come all the waste of American citizen's hard earned money.

Will we as a people be willing to fight to get back to smaller, more responsible government? Our founding fathers intention was to invent a government that would be responsible for safety of its citizens from foreign aggression and from internal criminals and the courts. They never intended for Alaska to get a bridge to nowhere or for farmers (the wealthiest in the world) to get subsidized by other Americans. Yet that's where we are now with our young starting their working lives encumbered by the Social Security retirees of the present. It is insane. Our politicians have outgrown their own boots. Americans need to really think about the who they will vote for in these elections. We must get America back on track - the track to individual freedom from political Washington shenanigans. Maybe Rudi Giuliani is our best hope.

"With economic uncertainty weighing on the minds of many Americans, Congress is preparing to recess after another year of profligate spending, protectionist talk and promises of higher taxes. No wonder some people feel like we're moving in the wrong direction. But I'm optimistic as I look to the future. It's not our country that's moving in the wrong direction -- it's Congress, and Washington's culture of wasteful spending."

"Over the last decade, nondefense spending has increased by 65% -- the federal government currently spends $24,000 per household -- while the number of earmarked pork projects rocketed from close to 1,000 to a height of nearly 14,000. This year, with only one appropriations bill enacted, earmarks already number 2,161.

"A return to fiscal conservative principles can put America back on the right track, while giving Washington a much-needed dose of discipline.

"Fiscal conservatism is based on two fundamental principles -- cutting taxes and controlling spending. In recent years, the Republican Party has successfully cut taxes, but we have fallen short when it comes to controlling spending. The next president will need to strengthen both sides of the fiscal conservative equation, while reforming the culture of wasteful government spending with transparency and accountability. I believe I can do it because I've done it, and in a place that might even be more difficult than Washington.

"We need to keep taxes low for our economy to grow. It's not just a theory for me. I cut taxes 23 times as mayor of New York City with a Democratic City Council and State Assembly, and saw that lower taxes can result in higher revenue. Amid fears of an economic slowdown, now is the time to cut taxes, not raise them. But the Democratic presidential candidates all seem determined to impose an unprecedented $3 trillion tax hike on the American people.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Hitler's Evil Averted in Budapest in WWII

During this holiday time it is inspiring to learn something new regarding the horrible aggression against the Jews during World War II and that sometimes the action of a few men is enough to thwart evil. Just as the West was resolute with the Nazi's of 60 years ago so the West must be resolute with Terrorist states defending a religion gone mad. We must be resolute to fight evil and call it like it is in order to save the good.

Reaching out with an act of courage (Pasadena Star News)
By Randy Jurado Ertll

DECEMBER 16 marks the anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, where the Allied forces turned the tide against Hitler's evil forces in 1944.

Unfortunately, millions of Jews had already been murdered throughout Europe by then.
As we remember the valiant battle against Hitler, we also should note an amazing act of courage that has not received the attention it deserves: The government of El Salvador saved the lives of more than 40,000 Hungarian Jews that same year.

Working through its consular office in Geneva, Switzerland, the Salvadoran government came up with a creative plan. It decided to issue Salvadoran citizenship papers to Hungarian Jews who would otherwise have been sent to Nazi death camps.

The authors of this plan were Salvadoran Consul Colonel Jose Arturo Castellanos and First Secretary/Honorary Consul George Mantello, who was of Jewish ancestry.

Mantello, whose original name was Mandl, spoke no Spanish and never set foot in El Salvador. But he had assisted Castellanos in business, and Castellanos more than returned the favor.
He gave Mantello his honorary position at the embassy. Mantello used it to publicize Nazi atrocities and then came up with the idea of offering citizenship to Hungarian Jews.

Castellanos embraced Mantello's efforts, and Castellanos convinced the the Salvadoran government to give citizenship papers to Hungarian Jews. The Salvadoran government then formally asked the Swiss government to accept this agreement and to obtain approval from the Hungarian government, which it did.

In Budapest, tens of thousands of Hungarians Jews were able to obtain Salvadoran citizenship papers free of charge. These were crucial for escaping the Nazi concentration camps and certain death.

Thanks to Castellanos and Mantello, El Salvador was the only country that offered nationality rights to Hungarian Jews on a massive scale during World War II.

Castellanos and Mantello deserve to be remembered as heroes.

Let us follow their example by assisting those within our own country who face deportation or oppression.

Of course, immigrants in the United States facing deportation are not nearly in the same kind of situation that Jews were in during World War II.

But the example of reaching across nationalities and across religions to assist fellow human beings in need is one that we all can take to heart.

randyertll@yahoo.com
Randy Jurado Ertll is the executive director
of El Centro de Accion Social in Pasadena.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

The Mixed Up World of Black and White

The following is attributed to Andy Rooney from "60 Minutes" a few weeks back:

"I don't think being a minority makes you a victim of anything except numbers.. The only things I can think of that are truly discriminatory are things like the United Negro College Fund, Jet Magazine, Black Entertainment Television, and Miss Black America. Try to have things like the United Caucasian College Fund, Cloud Magazine, White Entertainment Television, or Miss White America; and see what happens...Jesse Jackson will be knocking down your door."

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

"People, think!...Search for Your Dreams Under the Rubble..."

It seems that at least the students in Iran are fed up with Ahmadinejad and authoritarianism. Students at Tehran University broke out in protest, crashing down the main gate chanting slogans for freedom including freedom for women.

"Students defied a clampdown on protests in Iran yesterday by tearing down the gates of Tehran university. "

"They chanted slogans against President Ahmadinejad and carried placards saying "Live free or die", "No war, no fascism" and "Women must decide their fate, not the state."

"They wrecked the iron-barred gates and threw stones at police, according to Iranian state radio, which said the protest ended peacefully.

"Tehran University is the largest and one of the oldest universities in Iran." (Daily Mail).

For pictures of the students and their banners go to Gateway Pundit. The following are some of their chants and statements on placards:

"People, think! We were once some of the luckiest people in the world; what happened to us? Search for your dreams under the rubble and do not sit for death to come."

"Ahmadi-Pinochet, Iran will not become Chile!"

"Ahmadi-Pinochet, Iran will not become Chile!"

"The University is the last bastion of freedom!"

All I can say is - IT´S ABOUT TIME THAT THESE PEOPLE DEMANDED FREEDOM!
We´ll see how long this desire for freedom lasts and what they are willing to do to get it. (See Michael Ledeen´s The Corner for video of the protests).

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The Hyprocrisy in Our Congress is Stunning

In the Wall Street Journal today in their Review and Outlook section there is an article called "Waterboarding: Congress Knew". (Surprise, surprise!) The orginal article is in the Post Web site.

"One certainly may hold as abhorrent the idea of aggressively interrogating any terrorists ever, either for fear of what they might do to our people, as John McCain does, or because one thinks this violates our values. What one may not do -- at least not if one wants the system to function -- is assent to such a policy in 2002 and then, when the policy is made public, put up the pretense that one is "shocked" and appalled to learn of it."

"This is bad faith. Worse, it risks setting in motion the ruin or eventual criminal prosecution of CIA employees who in 2002 did what the Bush Administration, Congress and indeed the nation wanted them to do to protect the American people from another September 11.

"It has been widely reported by now that waterboarding was used on only three individuals... If Speaker Pelosi and her colleagues want the handling of such terrorists conformed to what they call "our values," then she should define that and put it in an explicit piece of legislation. Then let the Members vote yea or nay, in public, on the record.

"But don't sign off on such a sensitive policy at a moment when the nation's "values" support it, then later feign revulsion when you can't take the heat from the loudest in your political constituency. There was a time when politics at least assumed more backbone than that."

It is beyond understanding how morally corrupt our Washington politicians are. For people like Pelosi to say yes to waterboarding then pretend that they are revolted by it a few years later to fit some political scheme is beyond belief. What kind of people are we sending to Washington to lead this nation? That´s what we should all be asking ourselves. Another question is why can´t we find better.

Monday, December 10, 2007

"Human Caused" Global Warming Scam is Falling Apart

Another report showing that global warming IS NOT caused by human activity has been published in the prestigious scientific journal International Journal of Climatology. Their conclusion is that any attempt to control CO2 levels is totally pointless, costly and counterproductive. The question is are we going to continue to be duped by people who are only seeking a way to cash in on the gullible? I think we are smarter than that. You can read the article at Newsmax.com then go to the Journal itself and other sources online such as Heartland.org.

New Study Explodes Human-Global Warming Story by Philip V. Brennan

"As much of the U.S. is being blasted by vicious ice storms, a blockbuster report published in a prestigious scientific journal insists that the evidence shows that climate warming is both natural and unstoppable and that carbon dioxide (CO2) is not a pollutant"

"Writing in the International Journal of Climatology of the Royal Meteorological Society, professor David H. Douglass (of the University of Rochester), professor John R. Christy (of the University of Alabama), Benjamin D. Pearson and professor S. Fred Singer (of the University of Virginia) report that observed patterns of temperature changes ("fingerprints") over the last 30 years disagree with what greenhouse models predict and can better be explained by natural factors, such as solar variability.

"The conclusion is that climate change is "unstoppable" and cannot be affected or modified by controlling the emission of greenhouse gases, such as CO2, as is proposed in current legislation.

According to Dr. Douglass: “The observed pattern of warming, comparing surface and atmospheric temperature trends, does not show the characteristic fingerprint associated with greenhouse warming. The inescapable conclusion is that the human contribution is not significant and that observed increases in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases make only a negligible contribution to climate warming.” "


" "Our research demonstrates that the ongoing rise of atmospheric CO2 has only a minor influence on climate change. We must conclude, therefore, that attempts to control CO2 emissions are ineffective and pointless — but very costly." "

Friday, December 07, 2007

American Conservatism´s Lost Compass of Individual Rights

If you ever wondered why the Republicans look more and more like the Democrats you should read C. Bradley Thompson´s scrutinizing analysis of American Conservatism, both the Neoconservative and the Compassionate Conservative strains. In an article entitled ¨The Decline and Fall of American Conservatism" he explains the history of both strains and how the Republicans have moved so far to the left by basically hijacking the left´s premise of self-sacrifice for others but with the religious motif. It is a must read for anyone concerned about today´s political trend to ever bigger and bigger government with all the intrusions in our lives and loss of liberty which it implies. The conservatives have lost their compass, the compass of individual rights.

"Given the moral premises and methodologies of compassionate conservatism and neoconservatism, and given their prevalence today, it comes as no surprise that a Republican-dominated government has ushered in a new era of big government. Let us now take a closer look at just how big our government has become since Republicans took control of the federal government..."

"Americans must remember what conservatives have forgotten (or never fully understood): that the United States was founded on the idea that individuals have unalienable rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights are valid only if individuals morally own themselves and are the proper beneficiaries of their own efforts. Each man is a morally sovereign entity. This is why no person is legitimately the master or the slave of another. But this principle, the principle of man’s rights, is the morality of egoism applied to a social-political context. Those who refuse to recognize and embrace egoism refuse to recognize and embrace man’s rights…

"The recognition of individual rights implies three things: first, that each man must accept full responsibility for governing his own life; second, that no man should be coerced into sacrificing his liberty or property in order to satisfy someone else’s needs or wants; and third, that man’s only reciprocal social obligation is a negative obligation—to not violate the rights of others. This is what it means to live in a free and civilized society…

"Conservatives use the notion of “obligation” or “duty” as a moral counterbalance to the individualism connected with the idea of rights. For conservatives, the obligations imposed by rights represent the “duties” we owe to others, to “society,” to the “public interest,” to the “common good.” This means that the individual has an obligation to sacrifice, to give up some part of his life, for others. But to say that “rights impose obligations” is the moral equivalent of saying that food requires poison in order to be nutritious.

"Because of their fear of challenging the morality of self-sacrifice and championing the morality of self-interest, conservatives—more so than liberals—have obliterated the concept of rights in the minds of Americans…

"Capitalism is the only social system that upholds the principle of rights; it is the only system in which individuals are fully free to act on their own best judgment. At the heart of capitalism, then, is the politics of individualism (i.e., the individual free of government coercion, free to pursue his values) and, at the heart of individualism, is egoism.

"Communists, socialists, fascists, and liberals have always understood the integral relationship between egoism and capitalism. They have always known that by demonizing egoism (the ethics of self-interest), they could discredit capitalism (the politics of self-interest). Conservatives, by running from the former, have abandoned the latter…

"Because they refuse to defend capitalism morally, on the basis of egoism, conservatives have compromised and sold-out the rights of the American people. They have ceded the principled high ground to the Left by accepting the moral rationale for the welfare state—altruism and its attendant notion that “need” is a legitimate moral claim.

"Those who value freedom and capitalism must abandon altruism and the fantasy philosophies that support it (including religion). They must embrace egoism and the factual foundation for individual rights. They must defend capitalism—not only because it works better than any other social system—but also, and more fundamentally, because it is the only moral social system." (READ)

The Objective Standard: A journal of culture and politics

A Dangerous World Needs Politicians With Principles and Courage

Dan Henninger has a lucid and important article ¨Still a Dangerous Place¨ in the Wall Street Journal that is a must read for all Americans planning to vote for our next President. Regardless of the "National Intelligence Estimate" and whether you believe what it says or not the reality is that we have politicians who are not guided by a set of principles aimed at protecting our country. They are all pragmatists and in part of my brain I almost think that there are those politicians that really hate America and what she stands for historically and that some even are just plain power-lusters.

As Mr. Henninger alludes to in his article, we in the West live in a hostile world whose goal is our annhialation. No amount of diplomacy and pretending can erase that fact. What we need are politicians who love their life so much that they are willing to make the hard and maybe unpopular decisions that will save us from our destroyers. This is essentially a war to defend reason in a world full of mystical unreason -a war of good versus bad, the individual versus the state.

If we as Americans hold anything dear it must be love of our country and our freedoms and consequently we must resolve to fight for it. For this we need politicians who are honest and can think in principles. This is not the time for diplomacy with maniacal religious martyrs from the 11th century.

"The most disturbing thing about the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran wasn't the news itself, but how the episode displayed the wild and manic swings that now characterize American politics. A regular watcher of our politics could be forgiven for feeling that one isn't watching a serious country but a place that conducts its internal affairs like a Saturday morning cartoon show. Thunk! Boooinng!...

"With or without the NIE's opinion of Iran's nuclear program, that world is still a dangerous place."

Henninger next lists all of the military buildup that has happened since 2003 the year that Iran supposedly stopped it´s nuke program:

*2006 Iran performs test flights of the Shabab-2 and Shabab-3 ballistic missiles

*This week the a 1,200 mile missle was built and in September a 1,100 mile'ange Ghadr-1 missile.

*North Korea in July 2006 tested the long-range Taepodong-2, a nuclear payload-capable ballistic missile. North Korea has exported its missile technology to Iran and Pakistan. And of course Hezbollah, in the same month North Korea was testing the Taepodong-2, fired thousands of Katyusha rockets at Israel, re-establishing the operational viability of short-range bombardment.

*China is developing three strategic, long-range missiles --

*In January, after much effort to do so, China successfully used a kinetic-kill vehicle launched from a ballistic missile to destroy a satellite orbiting at 500 miles altitude.

*Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, indeed virtually all the nations of the Middle East are seeking nuclear-power capability.

"One would like more on this than we're getting from the candidates in both parties. But the Democrats especially have tied themselves to the word "diplomacy," giving the impression that the U.S. can literally talk its way out of any bad outcomes that Iran, Syria, North Korea or free-agent terrorists have planned for us.

"Put it this way: Would they, like Israel, have bombed that factory in Syria without pre-discussing it with Bashar Assad or Kim Jong-Il? No candidate's answer to that will make everyone happy. But the more than 100 million Americans who'll vote next year need a better idea than they've got of how the next president plans to deal with the world. Not the cartoon world, but the real world." (READ)

Saturday, December 01, 2007

The Creeping Putin Dictatorship

It is amazing how Russia just cannot shrug off tyranny for long. But so long as the thinkers and doers in Russia go about their business acting as if liberty is not worth defending, i.e. the Atlases don't care to shrug, Putin has a wide open road to dictatorship. Gary Kasparov, the former world chess Champion is battling against tyranny with the odds against him for his is a fight to which the world has not tuned in to. It's disheartening that this man cannot get his fellow russian citizens let alone the world to pay attention to the creeping Putin dictatorship. The following is an excerpt of his recent article in The Wall Street Journal.

"First off, the penalty is not the point; the principle is. Are we to have the rule of law in Russia or not? Second, I have no intention of becoming a martyr, or in leading an opposition movement from prison. I had no illusions and now I can confirm it is not a pleasant place to be. And this is not chess, with its cold-blooded calculations. This is about honor and morality. I cannot ask people to protest in the streets if I am not there with them. At the rally on Saturday, I said our slogan must be "We must overcome our fear," and I am obliged to stand by these words."

"It is also essential to point out that these arrests are only the tip of the iceberg. Such things are taking place all over Russia on a daily basis. Opposition activists -- or just those who happen to be in the way of the administration -- are harassed and arrested on false charges of drug possession, extremism, or the latest trend, for owning illegal software.

"There is little doubt tomorrow's parliamentary elections will be as fixed as my trial. The presidential elections on March 2 will be a different sort of performance, more improvised, since even now Mr. Putin and his gang are not sure how to resolve their dilemma. The loss of power could mean the loss of fortune and freedom. Outright dictatorship would endanger their lucrative ties with the West.

"The campaign rhetoric of Mr. Putin and his supporters is genuinely frightening. Here we have an allegedly popular president who dominates the media, the parliament and the judiciary. He and his closest allies are in total control of the nation's wealth. And yet his recent speeches are hysterical rants about "enemies within" and "foreign antagonists" trying to weaken Russia -- language characteristic of totalitarian states.

"So why is Mr. Putin so scared if things are going so well? He is a rational and pragmatic person, not prone to melodrama. He knows the numbers, so why the heavy and heavy-handed campaigning if he knows he and United Russia are going to win? The answer is that he is very aware of how brittle his power structure has become. ..

"So demagoguery it is and demagoguery it will be. A violent pro-Putin youth group, Nashi, has already released a poster celebrating Mr. Putin's "crushing victory" on December 2. It also warns against the "enemies of the people of Russia," myself included, attempting to disqualify the results. These terms jibe nicely with Mr. Putin's own rhetoric of threats and fear. The ground is being prepared for greater oppression.

"The Other Russia will continue our activities because, simply, some things are worth fighting for and will not come without being fought for. All of the "minor differences" between Mr. Putin's Russia and the nations of the free world add up to one very large difference: that between democracy and tyranny."

Monday, November 26, 2007

Global Warming has Replaced Communism as a Means of Controlling the Masses

On November 25th I posted a blog entitled "A Life Dedicated to Exposing the Frauds and Educating the Gullible". I wrote: "Ever wondered about faith healers, parapsychologists, psychic surgeons, extrasensory perception and claims to have been abducted by UFO's?" These are all scams of course and James Randi has dedicated his life to routing them out. But these people are small fry all they can do is convince you to part with a small portion of your money.

Have you ever wondered why there are so many leaders and scientists and industries climbing on the global warming bandwagon? It's not only that they want a big chunk of your money via the government and whatever interventionist activities they start but they want to control the individual, they want to control you. Just as communism was the "Biggest Hoaxes" ever perpetrated in the 20th century, causing the deaths of millions of people worldwide so Global Warming is the 21st century version of a Big Hoax.

How many people will be affected world wide as taxes and regulations and prison sentences for not complying is imposed on those who just want to live their lives?

Examine The CO2 Coming Out of Gore's Mouth Before We're Sorry

All the carbon dioxide coming out of Al Gore's mouth has him poised to reap a windfall fortune as companies rev up and tool up to cash in on the Global Warming hysteria generated almost single handedly by this man, who by the way could have been our president!!! Is this his revenge for not winning back in 2000? What I want to know is this: If he's so convinced about his human caused global warming then why does he refuse to debate with the growing number of skeptical scientists that are challenging him? Very interesting...and how come we the citizenry don't demand that he participate in debates before we commit so much treasure to an unproven idea that is man-made global warming? Joseph Bast at Globalwarmingheartland.com has a very good article on Gore and his nefarious motivations for this hoax. (read)

On November 12, former vice president Al Gore announced he is joining a venture capital firm that seeks to cash in on global warming alarmism.

Gore resurrected his career by persuading millions of people that a 1 degree warming of the Earth’s temperature over the past century was man-made and portends a global catastrophe. Gore already has used global warming to become a very wealthy man, charging $200,000 and more to give speeches on global warming and steering investments to a firm he partly owns that sells worthless “carbon credits.” He stands to make millions of dollars more in his new position.
It all begs the question: Was Gore in it just for the money all along?


Gore surely knew from the outset that global warming brought together two extremely affluent sectors of American society -- professional environmentalists, who Chronicle of Philanthropy reports raised more than $6 billion in charitable gifts in 2006, and major corporations seeking government subsidies to produce energy from otherwise-unmarketable sources such as wind, solar, and ethanol.

Both sectors were quick to see in global warming a PR tool that could raise billions of dollars from gullible consumers and taxpayers. They filled Gore’s pockets with cash and underwrote, if the value of all the free “earned media” is included, a billion-dollar-a-year media campaign to rescue him from obscurity. Gore never shied away from enriching himself as the campaign went along, as vividly demonstrated by his energy-gorging homes and jet-setting lifestyle.

Being in it only for the money would also explain Gore’s remarkable immunity to criticism and doubt. Gore wasn’t afraid to debate his foes when he was a politician. But as the world’s leading advocate of global warming alarmism, Gore has refused to debate his critics, despite repeated public challenges from a long list of qualified critics and even a million-dollar ad campaign by my organization, The Heartland Institute, asking him to debate.

Apparently, no one inside the Gore camp -- a group that unfortunately includes many journalists -- finds this even the slightest bit odd. (continue reading here).

Go here for a list of excellent blogs and websites detailing how Global Warming IS NOT caused by humans and how it is greatest scam of the last two centuries.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

A Life Dedicated To Exposing The Frauds and Educating The Gullible

Ever wondered about faith healers, parapsychologists, psychic surgeons, Extrasensory perception, and claims to have been abducted by UFO's? "James Randi has an international reputation as a magician and escape artist, but today he is best known as the world's most tireless investigator and demystifier of paranormal and pseudo scientific claims. He is a a detective of the incredible and a teacher to the gullible."

"Why people are so drawn to the irrational has always puzzled me. I want to, if I can,be as sure of the real world around me as is possible...I want the greatest degree of control. I've never involved myself in narcotics of any kind. I don't smoke. I don't drink because that can easily just fuzz the edges of my rationality, fuzz the edges of my reasoning powers and I want to be aware as I possibly can. That means giving up a lot of fantasies that might be comforting in some ways but I'm willing to give that up in order to live in an actually real world as close as I can get to it."

(YouTube)

Friday, November 23, 2007

Why Don't Prisoners Earn Their Upkeep?

The Intolerant Fox blog has a witty article on making our prisoners work.

"I have a brilliant, dare I say genius, solution to the poisonous crap coming out of China. Lots of us don't want to buy lead-laced toys for our kids to suck on, but can't afford to buy fancy-pants priced items made somewhere else. While listening to Michael Medved today, I had an epiphany. The big problem is that American companies have outsourced their manufacturing to China because the Chinese pay 8-year-olds .08 cents an hour to sew Elmos together and ship them here while American unions force companies to pay uneducated factory workers (with vocabularies of an average 8-year-old) upwards of $10-$15 an hour. This, of course, drives the prices way higher than the general public wants to pay."

"Enter my frabjastic idea. I can do better than .08 cents an hour. How about .00 cents an hour? Free labor. Right now, in prisons all over America, capable hands sit idly, lifting weights, making shivs, violating their roomates...and they're ours for the taking! I say we offer up the incarcerated population to all the toy companies as free labor! Why shouldn't they earn their keep? I'd rather my tax money go for training them how to build a lead-free Tickle-Me-Elmo than to their cable-porn habits, wouldn't you? Get them up in the morning, get them on a bus, take them to the factory, let them put in shifts around the clock and start pumping out those American-made toys for all of us to enjoy at Walmart!

"Not only will this solve the Chinese competition problem, but it will give inmates some real skills they can apply in the world (other than shooting up or shooting folks) and maybe deter some would-be criminals who would rather not work an assembly line for 10 to 20.
This may be the best idea anyone has ever had. (Besides electricity.)

"One thing is for sure. Our dependancy on China is as toxic as our dependancy on terrorist oil. They're both killing us. America is a great nation with untapped resources and the capability of being totally self-sufficient. Why don't we just do it?"

Sixty-three Years Ago and Today

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE by Raymond S. Kraft

Sixty-three years ago, Nazi Germany had overrun almost all of Europe and hammered England to the verge of bankruptcy and defeat, and had sunk more than four hundred British ships in their convoys between England and America for food and war materials.

At that time the US was in an isolationist, pacifist mood, and most Americans wanted nothing to do with the European or the Asian war.

Then along came Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and in outrage Congress unanimously declared war on Japan, and the following day on Germany, which had not yet attacked us. It was a dicey thing. We had few allies.

France was not an ally, as the Vichy government of France quickly aligned itself with its German occupiers. Germany was certainly not an ally, as Hitler was intent on setting up a Thousand Year Reich in Europe. Japan was not an ally, as it was well on its way to owning and controlling all of Asia. Together, Japan and Germany had long-range plans of invading Canada and Mexico, as launching pads to get into the United States over our northern and southern borders, after they finished gaining control of Asia and Europe. America’s only allies then were England, Ireland, Scotland,Canada, Australia, and Russia. That was about it. All of Europe, from Norway to Italy, except Russia in the East, was already under the Nazi heel.

America was certainly not prepared for war. America had drastically downgraded most of its military forces after W.W.I and throughout the depression, so that at the outbreak of WW2, army units were training with broomsticks because they didn’t have guns, and cars with “tank” painted on the doors because they didn’t have real tanks. And a huge chunk of our navy had just been sunk or damaged at Pearl Harbor.

Britain had already gone bankrupt, saved only by the donation of $600 million in gold bullion in the Bank of England, that was actually the property of Belgium, given by Belgium to England to carry on the war when Belgium was overrun by Hitler (a little known fact). Actually, Belgium surrendered on one day, because it was unable to oppose the German invasion, and the Germans bombed Brussels into rubble the next day just to prove they could. Britain had already been holding out for two years in the face of staggering shipping loses and the near-decimation of its air force in the Battle of Britain, and was saved from being overrun by Germany only because Hitler made the mistake of thinking the Brits were a relatively minor threat that could be dealt with later, and first turning his attention to Russia, at a time when England was on the verge of collapse, in the late summer of 1940.

Ironically, Russia saved America’s butt by putting up a desperate fight for two years, until the US got geared up to begin hammering away at Germany.

Russia lost something like 24 million people in the sieges of Stalingrad and Moscow alone… 90% of them from cold and starvation, mostly civilians, but also more than a MILLION soldiers.
Had Russia surrendered, Hitler would have been able to focus his entire war effort against the Brits, then America. And the Nazis could possibly have won the war.

All of this is to illustrate that turning points in history are often dicey things. And now, we find ourselves at another one of those key moments in history.

There is a very dangerous minority in Islam that either has, or wants and may soon have, the ability to deliver small nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, almost anywhere in the world.
The Jihadis, the militant Muslims, are basically Nazis in Kaffiyahs — they believe that Islam, a radically conservative form of Wahhabi Islam, should own and control the Middle East first, then Europe, then the world. And that all who do not bow to their will of thinking should be killed, enslaved, or subjugated. They want to finish the Holocaust, destroy Israel, and purge the world of Jews. This is their mantra.

There is also a civil war raging in the Middle East — for the most part not a hot war, but a war of ideas. Islam is having its Inquisition and its Reformation, but it is not known yet which will win — the Inquisitors, or the Reformationists.

If the Inquisition wins, then the Wahhabis, the Jihadis, will control the Middle East, the OPEC oil, and the US, European, and Asian economies. The techno-industrial economies will be at the mercy of OPEC — not an OPEC dominated by the educated, rational Saudis of today, but an OPEC dominated by the Jihadis.

You want gas in your car? You want heating oil next winter? You want the dollar to be worth anything? You better hope the Jihad, the Muslim Inquisition, loses, and the Islamic Reformation wins.

If the Reformation movement wins, that is, the moderate Muslims who believe that Islam can respect and tolerate other religions, and live in peace with the rest of the world, and move out of the 10th century into the 21st, then the troubles in the Middle East will eventually fade away, and a moderate and prosperous Middle East will emerge.

We have to help the Reformation win, and to do that we have to fight the Inquisition, i.e., the Wahhabi movement, the Jihad, Al Qaeda and the Islamic terrorist movements. We have to do it somewhere. And we can’t do it everywhere at once. We have created a focal point for the battle at a time and place of our choosing……..in Iraq. Not in New York, not in London, or Paris or Berlin, but in Iraq, where we are doing two important things.

(1) We deposed Saddam Hussein. Whether Saddam Hussein was directly involved in 9/11 or not, it is undisputed that Saddam has been actively supporting the terrorist movement for decades. Saddam is a terrorist.
Saddam is, or was, a weapon of mass destruction, who is responsible for the deaths of probably more than a million Iraqis and two million Iranians.

(2) We created a battle, a confrontation, a flash point, with Islamic terrorism in Iraq. We have focused the battle. We are killing bad people, and the ones we get there we won’t have to get here. We also have a good shot at creating a democratic, peaceful Iraq, which will be a catalyst for democratic change in the rest of the Middle East, and an outpost for a stabilizing American military presence in the Middle East for as long as it is needed.

World War II, the war with the German and Japanese Nazis, really began with a “whimper” in 1928. It did not begin with Pearl Harbor. It began with the Japanese invasion of China. It was a war for fourteen years before America joined it. It officially ended in 1945 — a 17 year war — and was followed by another decade of US occupation in Germany and Japan to get those countries reconstructed and running on their own again … a 27 year war.

World War II cost the United States an amount equal to approximately a full year’s GDP — adjusted for inflation, equal to about $12 trillion dollars. W.W.II cost America more than 400,000 killed in action, and nearly 100,000 still missing in action.

The Iraq war has, so far, cost the US about $160 billion, which is roughly what 9/11 cost New York. It has also cost about 2,200 American lives, which is roughly 2/3 of the 3,000 lives that the Jihad snuffed on 9/11. But the cost of not fighting and winning W.W.II would have been unimaginably greater — a world dominated by German and Japanese Nazism.

Americans have a short attention span, conditioned by 30 second sound bites, 60 minute TV shows, and 2 hour movies in which everything comes out okay.

The real world is not like that. It is messy, uncertain, and sometimes bloody and ugly. Always has been, and probably always will be.

The bottom line is that we will have to deal with Islamic terrorism until we defeat it, whenever that is. It will not go away if we ignore it.

If the US can create a reasonably democratic and stable Iraq, then we have an “England” in the Middle East, a platform, from which we can work to help modernize and moderate the Middle East. The history of the world is the clash between the forces of relative civility and civilization, and the barbarians clamoring at the gates. The Iraq war is merely another battle in this ancient and never-ending war. And now, for the first time ever, the barbarians are about to get nuclear weapons. Unless somebody prevents them.

We have four options:
1. We can defeat the Jihad now, before it gets nuclear weapons.
2. We can fight the Jihad later, after it gets nuclear weapons (which may be as early as next year, if Iran’s progress on nuclear weapons is what Iran claims it is).
3. We can surrender to the Jihad and accept its dominance in the Middle East, now, in Europe in the next few years or decades, and ultimately in, America.
4. Or, we can stand down now, and pick up the fight later when the Jihad is more widespread and better armed, perhaps after the Jihad has dominated France and Germany and maybe most of the rest of Europe. It will, of course, be more dangerous, more expensive, and much bloodier.

If you oppose this war, I hope you like the idea that your children, or grandchildren, may live in an Islamic America under the Mullahs and the Sharia, an America that resembles Iran today.
The history of the world is the history of civilizational clashes, cultural clashes. All wars are about ideas, ideas about what society and civilization should be like, and the most determined always win.
Those who are willing to be the most ruthless always win. The pacifists always lose, because the anti-pacifists kill them.

Remember, perspective is every thing, and America’s schools teach too little history for perspective to be clear, especially in the young American mind.

The Cold war lasted from about 1947 at least until the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. Forty-two years. Europe spent the first half of the 19th century fighting Napoleon, and from 1870 to 1945 fighting Germany.

World War II began in 1928, lasted 17 years, plus a ten year occupation, and the US still has troops in Germany and Japan. World War II resulted in the death of more than 50 million people, maybe more than 100 million people, depending on which estimates you accept.
The US has taken more than 2,000 killed in action in Iraq. The US took more than 4,000 killed in action on the morning of June 6, 1944, the first day of the Normandy Invasion to rid Europe of Nazi Imperialism. In W.W.II the US averaged 2,000 KIA a week — for four years. Most of the individual battles of W.W.II lost more Americans than the entire Iraq war has done so far.
But the stakes are at least as high … A world dominated by representative governments with civil rights, human rights, and personal freedoms … or a world dominated by a radical Islamic Wahhabi movement, by the Jihad, under the Mullahs and the Sharia (Islamic law).

It’s difficult to understand why the American left does not grasp this. They favor human rights, civil rights, liberty and freedom, but evidently not for Iraqis.

“Peace Activists” always seem to demonstrate here in America, where it’s safe.
Why don’t we see Peace Activist demonstrating in Iran, Syria, Iraq, Sudan, North Korea, in the places that really need peace activism the most?

The liberal mentality is supposed to favor human rights, civil rights, democracy, multiculturalism, diversity, etc., but if the Jihad wins, wherever the Jihad wins, it is the end of civil rights, human rights, democracy, multiculturalism, diversity, etc. Americans who oppose the liberation of Iraq are coming down on the side of their own worst enemy.

Raymond S. Kraft is a writer living in Northern California. Please consider passing along copies of this article to students in high school, college and university as it contains information about the American past that is very meaningful today — history about America that very likely is completely unknown by them (and their instructors, too). By being denied the facts of our history, they are at a decided disadvantage when it comes to reasoning and thinking through the issues of today. They are prime targets for misinformation campaigns beamed at enlisting them in causes and beliefs that are special interest agenda driven.

The United States Sky Is Not Falling

The news media sure likes to turn everything into "the sky is falling" scenario. Maybe shouldn't believe them and we shouldn't count the United States economy out yet. Gerard Baker's article at TimesOnline explains how we have been through these times before and have always come up smelling like roses. It won't be different this time.

THE DOLLAR'S IN DECLINE. GREAT NEWS! by Gerard Baker
"For the historically short-sighted, let's remember we have been here before. Between 1985 and 1995, the dollar declined by 43 per cent against the world's big currencies — somewhat more than it has in the past six years. That period was also marked by dire proclamations of the end of US economic power. But it turned out that in those years the foundations were laid for the strongest period of US economic growth in the past 35 years. (Emphasis mine)."

"If you're still sceptical, ask yourself this: is it probable that the shift in the relative value of the dollar and the euro represents a bet by the world's investors that Europe — strike-torn, productivity-challenged, demographically doomed Europe — is the world's economic future, rather than the US, or, let's say, China?..

"The first thing to be said is that the level of public sector borrowing in the US is very small. The fiscal deficit, at just over 1 per cent of national income, is smaller than in most major European countries. It's true that America faces a large long-term fiscal challenge from an ageing population. But it's a smaller challenge than that faced by most of Europe, Japan or even China.

"So if government borrowing isn't the problem, it must be the private sector that's neck-deep in debt, right? The general view is that Americans have irresponsibly fattened themselves up on widescreen televisions and gas-guzzling four-wheel drives, all paid for with easy credit.

"...The reality is this: why save when the value of the investments you own is increasing at rapid rates? The total value of mortgage and consumer debt is indeed up by a massive $5 trillion since 2001, according to the latest figures published by the Federal Reserve.

"But consider the increases in the wealth of Americans during that period. The aggregate value of houses alone is up $8 trillion. The increase in the value of stocks held either directly or through pension funds and other investment instruments is higher by another $8 trillion. That's an increase in net wealth of American households of $11 trillion in less than six years...

"All right, but isn't the US going into recession, you say? Maybe, but so what? The US is overdue a recession by the standards of the business cycle in the past 60 years. It's possible the housing market and related problems will tip America into another one. Provided the people responsible get policy right, it doesn't have to be a depression.

"So the dollar is falling for good, sound reasons that do not require a millenarian view of the global economy. It is yet another thing Americans should be thankful for."

Thursday, November 22, 2007

The Greatest Scam of the 21st Century

Newsmax has an article describing how Al Gore is "Cashing in on $6T Energy Business".

I think posterity will come to view Al Gore as the man who was able to foist the biggest money making scam of the 21st century. This man not only successfully promoted a "documentary" starring Al Gore, called an Inconvenient Truth, winning an Academy award and based on half-truths, incorrect interpretation of the data and outright exaggeration but now he is poised to cash in on all the hyper-activity to control the so-called "Global Warming" scam.

"...Al Gore is joining forces with a venture capital company that’s seeking to profit from the move toward “clean technology” in the $6 trillion global energy business..."

"The Nobel Peace Prize winner’s move comes as the company “makes a risky move beyond information technology and healthcare investing into the fast-growing and increasingly competitive arena of ‘clean energy,’” Fortune magazine reports.

"...Among the companies the fund has already invested in are firms that make microbes to scrub old oil wells, build large-scale solar-power farms, develop solid-oxide fuel cells, and design equipment for use in electric car batteries...

"Gore, along with Doerr and Blood, insist that halting global warming will require “a makeover of the $6 trillion global energy business,” according to Fortune.

"“Coal plants, gas stations, the internal-combustion engine, petrochemicals, plastic bags, even bottled water will have to give way to clean, green, sustainable technologies.”

"Asked why he is combining his environmental advocacy work with a profit motives, Gore — who is already an advisor to Google and a director at Apple Inc. — told Fortune: “We all believe the market must play a central role.” "

Notice to Mr. Gore - If there really is such a thing as man-made global warming in reality then "The market" would have solved the problem after real scientists would have come to a realization that it is really occuring. The Market, indeed. This man is about as interested in the market as any statist is. What he is interested in first and foremost is making money off the backs of legitimate industry and backed by the power of government regulations.

© 2007 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Failed Policies Caused by Altruism

With politicians always trying to scheme how they can help the poor by increasing more aid to this group or that group, health care for children, etc. etc. the one thing they never do is think about the consequences of their policies over the long term and how individuals will react to handouts from the public trough.

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article about how we are recovering from moral bankruptcy. The article by BY PETER WEHNER AND YUVAL LEVIN states "Since 1960, there had been a more than 500% increase in violent crime; a more than 400% increase in out-of-wedlock births; almost a tripling in the percentage of children on welfare; a tripling of the teenage suicide rate; a doubling of the divorce rate; and a decline of more than 70 points in SAT scores."

"But the past 15 years has seen a turn for the better in all of the above statistics.
The most striking element of the overall picture continues to be the extraordinary turnaround in nearly every area apart from the family. The progress we have witnessed over the last 15 years is impressive, undeniable, and beyond what most people thought possible. There was, it is fair to say, essentially no one in the early 1990s who predicted it. How, then, did it happen?

"Obviously, no single explanation will suffice. Instead, long-overdue changes in government policy appear to have combined with a more or less simultaneous shift in public attitudes, with each sustaining and feeding the other. We may begin with the change in policy, for if the past 15 years demonstrate anything, it is the enduring power of policy, properly understood, to influence culture.

"The 1996 welfare-reform bill was the most dramatic and successful social innovation in decades, reversing 60 years of federal policy that had long since grown not just useless but positively counterproductive. In effect, the new law ended the legal entitlement to federally funded welfare benefits, imposing a five-year time limit on the receipt of such benefits and requiring a large percentage of current recipients to seek and obtain work.

"When the bill was passed, there were dire predictions, mostly emanating from liberals, of an explosion of poverty and hunger. They were just as quickly refuted. State welfare rolls plummeted--and poverty, instead of rising, decreased. Welfare reform sent a message in bright neon lights: Higher expectations will yield better results. Rather than giving up on the poor, the new policy assumed that the able-bodied were capable of working, expected them to work, and was rooted in a confident belief that, materially and otherwise, they would be better off for it. In each of these particulars, the policy makers proved correct. If, as the historian Gertrude Himmelfarb wrote in the 1990s, our old social policy had "succeeded in 'demoralizing' . . . society itself," the new policy proved to be profoundly re-moralizing.

"Crime rates, too, benefited from something of a policy revolution over the course of the '90s... " (Read the full article here).

Ultimately, of course, government policies are the result of the philosophical ideas held by a culture. And until we don't discard the tired idea of altruism in favor of a philosophy of individualism and the principle of laissez faire in economics we will always be searching in the dark for the right policies to enact. This hit and miss approach causes a lot of heartache and loss of treasure.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

The Law of the Sea Treaty is a Rip-OFF

"Thomas Bowden has an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal that crushes the rotten head of the "Law of the Sea Treaty" nail. He bases his arguments against this despicable treaty on the fact that Nations or organizations don't create wealth let alone in such a difficult place as the seabed floor. Individuals do. This is nothing more than another United Nations Scam to parasitize the work of able people or companies (Read)."

"The Law of the Sea Treaty, which awaits a ratification vote in the U.S. Senate, declares most of the earth's vast ocean floor to be "the common heritage of mankind" and places it under United Nations ownership "for the benefit of mankind as a whole."

"This treaty has been bobbing in the legislative ocean for the past 25 years. After President Ronald Reagan refused to sign it in 1982, repeated attempts at ratification have failed. Last month, however, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 17-4 to send it to the full Senate, where a two-thirds majority is required to ratify.

"What's at stake are trillions of tons of vital minerals such as manganese, nickel, copper, zinc, gold and silver -- enough to supply current needs for thousands of years -- spread over vast seabeds constituting 41% of the planet's area. Senate ratification would signify U.S. agreement that the International Seabed Authority, a U.N. agency based in Jamaica, should own these resources in perpetuity.

"Why should we agree to this?"

WHY INDEED! (Wall Street Jr.)

Saturday, November 17, 2007

A Message Worth Listening To - Ron Paul (2of 2 on PBS News Hour with Jim Lehrer)

Brief Overview of Congressman Paul’s Record from his website Ron Paul 2008 before you watch the second part of the PBS interview with Judy Woodruff.

He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.

He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.

He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.

Congressman Paul introduces numerous pieces of substantive legislation each year, probably more than any single member of Congress.

A Message Worth Listening To - Ron Paul (1of 2 on PBS News Hour with Jim Lehrer)

I wanted to understand Ron Paul's amazing success recently at raising money via the internet. Watch this YouTube video and decide for yourself.



Monday, November 12, 2007

Environmentalists Don't Even Want You To Have WATER

A good example of the real face of environmentalism - every species comes before Man.

Ayn Rand Institute Press Release

Environmentalists Are Muscling In on Atlanta's Water Supply November 7, 2007

Irvine, CA--With the Southeast suffering a prolonged drought, the city of Atlanta, Georgia, has only about a three month supply of readily accessible water. Nevertheless, in compliance with the Endangered Species Act, the Army Corps of Engineers continues to drain more than a billion gallons a day from Lake Lanier, Atlanta's main water source, to release it downstream for an endangered species of mussel.

"The Endangered Species Act is a danger to the human species," said Dr. Keith Lockitch, a resident fellow of the Ayn Rand Institute. "People find it hard to believe that environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act could really require the sacrifice of human beings to nature. But that is exactly what they have to mean in practice; they mean that in order to sustain some obscure mussel species, the people in Atlanta must go without water.
Environmentalists claim that blaming the mussels is unfair. They say it is just a way of diverting attention from the real causes of the water crisis, which, in their view, are a lack of strict water conservation mandates and the 'unbridled development' of metro Atlanta over the last few years."

But, says Lockitch, "this amounts to the bizarre claim that the problem is not a failure to build reservoirs and expand water capacity, but a 'failure' to obstruct economic progress and impose draconian water restrictions on Atlanta. In other words, the environmentalists' view is that Atlantans should sacrifice even more to nature.

"In fact, the opposite is the case. Solving the Southeast's water problems requires the rejection of the Endangered Species Act and environmentalist obstacles to development and growth. Indeed, the real solution is more profit-driven development. What is needed is a water management system that is entirely owned and operated by private individuals and companies, who would be driven by the profit motive to ensure a sufficient water capacity. A wholly private system would protect the rights of all users with a legitimate interest in the Chattahoochee River Basin--including metro Atlanta as well as the energy plants downstream and the Florida seafood industry in the Gulf--with no one requiring that human beings be sacrificed to mussels."
(Ayn Rand Institute)

Copyright © 2007 Ayn Rand® Institute. All rights reserved.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Contempt For Our Constitution By Our Congress



"There is one reward that nothing can deprive me of, and that is the consciousness of having done my duty with the strictest rectitude and most scrupulous exactness" (GW to Lund Washington, Morristown May 19, 1780).
Representative John Shadegg, Republican from Arizona, has for 12 years at each new Congress, introduced the "Enumerated Powers Act" which would require Congress to specify the basis of authority in the U.S. Constitution for the enactment of laws and other congressional actions (read Walter Williams column-CapMag)
Enumerated Powers Act Would Require Congress to Cite Constitutional Authority
Washington, May 19 -

The Enumerated Powers Act, requires that all bills introduced in the U.S. Congress include a statement setting forth the specific constitutional authority under which the law is being enacted. This measure will force a continual re-examination of the role of the national government, and will fundamentally alter the ever-expanding reach of the federal government. For too long, the federal government has operated without constitutional restraint. In doing so, it has created ineffective and costly programs, massive deficits year after year, and a national debt totaling nearly $7 trillion. The Enumerated Powers Act will help slow the flood of unconstitutional legislation and force Congress to reexamine the proper role of the federal government.
For these reasons, every Congress since the 104th Congress I have introduced the Enumerated Powers Act (H.R. 2270 - 104th, H.R. 292 - 105th, H.R. 1018 – 106th, H.R. 175 — 107th, H.R. 384 — 108th).
At the beginning of the 105th Congress, the House of Representatives took an important first step by incorporating the substantive requirement of the Enumerated Powers Act into the House rules. Today, the House must cite the constitutional authority for each bill in report language accompanying the legislation. However, the full effect of the Enumerated Powers Act will not be realized until it is incorporated into actual law.
Our Founding Fathers believed that granting only specific legislative power to the national government would be a powerful mechanism for protecting our freedoms, while allowing us to achieve the objectives best accomplished through a national government. Congress should honor and abide by the principles embodied in the Constitution – no more, no less. Respecting the Tenth Amendment, which reserves all powers not granted to the national government to the states, or the people, will ensure that the Constitution continues to truly guide our nation.
This is what the Act says:
"Each Act of Congress shall contain a concise and definite statement of the constitutional authority relied upon for the enactment of each portion of the that Act. The failure to comply with this section shall give rise to a point of order in either House of Congress. The availability of this point of order does not affect any other available relief."
It seems to me that if our Congressmen were honest about wanting to obey our Constitution and not wanting to spend our money frivolously then they would want to enact this law as proof that they understand our Constitution and what it forbids.

"If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free."

P. J. O'Rourke

More and more people are starting to understand what socialized medicine would mean if Hillary and her ilk get their way. Paul Hsieh has a good article at http://www.aynrand.org/ where he describes what the Canadian health care system really is like and how people are starting to understand that they commited a big mistake by allowing the government to control their healthcare dollars.

"To guarantee "free" health care, a government must force the individual to pay for everyone else's medical care and limit his freedom to pay voluntarily for his own. With bureaucrats deciding who receives what, the individual is therefore forbidden from spending his money according to his own rational judgment (and the advice of his doctors) as to what's best for his health. When a government forces people to act against their own interests, it's no surprise that the results are misery and death."

"Fortunately, Canadians are starting to recognize the problems inherent in "single-payer" health care and are taking very small steps towards limited private medicine. America must not repeat Canada's mistakes." (
READ)

Friday, November 09, 2007

Our Lives, Liberty and Healthcare vs Hillarycare

There are few things truer than the fact that government managed anything is ruinous to our health and/or our pocketbooks. Examples abound all around us such as Public schools, Social Security, publicly funded highways and transport systems, bridges and government regulated airports just to name a few. Well with the Democrats spouting on about how they will socialize medicine to save us from the malevolent doctors who train for years to become the best at what they do it is urgent that we have a real discussion about what it would really mean to have bureaucrats in Washington dictating something as personal and vital as our health care decisions.

A series of very important short films (Free Market Cure Series) directed and produced by Stuart Browning and Blain Greenberg, examines this folly. Uninsured in America "examines the conventional wisdom that 45 million Americans cannot get health insurance and consequently do not have access to health care.” It explains how this 45 million uninsured figure is a canard to get us all up in a tizzy about the shamefulness of it all. But actually if one examines the number closer a different picture emerges. Mainly, that the number is closer to only 8 million people that slip through the cracks such as drug addicts and the homeless. These are the people who “refuse to participate in society”. Those people who appear at the emergency services get care regardless of whether they are insured even the illegal immigrants!

So if one can get something for free why should he bother to purchase health care? They even found out that among these “45 million” are the 18 to 35 year olds who choose to spend 500-800 dollars or more on eating out rather than purchasing health care insurance! I have to pay to cover these people? I think not!

In 1965 Lyndon Johnson signed medicare and Medicaid into law and this is what set the stage for Americans increasing dependency on the state to take care of them. But we forget that health care is not something that falls out of the sky. It has to be provided by other people – people who have decided to dedicate an extraordinary amount of blood, sweat and time to study the field. Why should doctors want to become employees of the government? Do you think the best and the brightest will choose to enter this field? You and I both know that the answer is probably not.

Why should health care be different from architecture or plumbers or veterinarians or scientists? What is it about health care that’s different from any other commodity that one has to purchase? Why do doctors qualify to become slaves at the whim of politicians? Are we to follow the model of Cuba and Canada (go here to see what Canadians think of their health care system and why they cross the border to stay alive).

As Americans living in the land of the free and the brave we must ask ourselves: Do we want to depend on the State to deliver vital life preserving health care to us and do we really want to ruin the medical profession by making doctors employees of the state? I hope the answer is no.

Just remember the Soviet Union, Cuba and Canada and let's learn from history.

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Gary Kasparov and "Brilliant Theories"

The Wall Street Journal's Daniel Henninger interviewed Gary Kasparov (November 1) the great master Chess player from Russia. He is running for president and fears for his life. Well, it appears Kasparov takes issue with Condoleezza Rice's dove-like attitude toward the dictatorial Putin.

"As to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's argument that the West needed Mr. Putin inside the G-7 structure so it could "influence" him, the former chess champion replies: "Occasionally you have to look at the results of your brilliant theories." Bringing Mr. Putin in as G No. 8, he says, "jeopardized the whole concept of this club, seven great industrial democracies." "

Brilliant theories indeed. Read the article by Caroline Glick over at World Jewish Review for an analysis of all the "Brilliant Theories" from our our Assistant Secretary of State, Christopher Hill to Joseph Cirincione, a former Congressional staffer who dealt with arms control issues to Ms. Rice (read). These officials are killing us softly...

Henninger sums up the interview as follows:

"Arguably these views make Mr. Kasparov a dissident even in the increasingly cynical, "pragmatic" West. To their credit, the West's political elites in the 1970s protected the Soviet Union's dreamers. Today Mr. Putin wants Russia to be seen again as dangerous. It is that. Garry Kasparov deserves protection. He stands for something important. A word from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue would be a start."

What Will It Be America? Modernity or Backwardness?

I listened to a very revealing interview with an environmentalist activist from India, Sunita Narain on the BBC (listen). The interviewer, while clearly sympathetic to the guest, tried several times to pin her down on several questions where she had seemed evasive. I thought she was clear as a bell.

She declared that climate change is very important particularly for India so government must take climate change seriously – because if glaciers melt as it seems to be the case then water will become an issue. She boldly made the claim that green house gases therefore economic growth, are directly linked to climate change, ignoring the fact that more and more scientists are questioning the so called facts behind rising CO2 emissions and it’s effect on climate (Gore’s Nobel Prize notwithstanding).

I’ll try to paraphrase some of her utterances but you’ll have to listen to the interview yourself to get the full idea of what she is really advocating.

She says that India must be allowed to emit CO2 in order to grow. She says “We have to share growth between the nations. Cooperation is not possible without justice and equity – this is not about coercion. We are definitely asking the rich countries to cut their emissions.”

Then the interviewer says: “Yes the rich are responsible for 70% of the emissions but in 25 years it’s the developing countries that will be responsible for 70%.”

Ms Narain exclaims: “Exactly the point. If you’re really talking about this one world let the rich decrease their emissions so the poor world can increase. But we don’t want to be as irresponsible as the rest of the world was.”

“But then don’t you need legally binding limits imposed on you?” (Interviewer)

“Absolutely! But for the rich! By 2050 we must reduce carbon emissions by 80% if we want half a chance to save this world…There is an over fascination that there is a technological fix for our problems – there isn’t.” (Ms. Narain)

“With what face and what morality can anyone in the rich world even speak about climate change today? We in India are emitting but we are also suffering for the problems we did not even initiate.”

Apparently, Ms. Narian’s vision of the proper model to emulate is the Himalayas. Why? “That lifestyle teaches us how you can live with so little…you can build a rural economy with resources from the environment. We can learn from the rationality and the frugality of the poor people.”

More and more pressure will be placed on the United States and other countries that have chosen reason as their means of climbing out of backwardness, to cut their emissions. Remember cutting carbon emissions means cutting production which means regressing to poverty. My question is – Are our leaders in Washington and state governments philosophically armed to be able to defend our way of life and do they have the backbone to prevent the ‘do-gooders’ from turning us into a third world country? I have very grave doubts indeed. What this woman appears to be advocating is one world rule.

So as the number of these self-appointed saviors of the world increase, it will be interesting to see which road we choose as a nation: progress, modernity and all the conveniences that applying reason and science to problems brings, or, decline, backwardness and all the drudgery that anti-reason brings to human life.

To quote Ayn Rand from her book "The Anti-Industrial Revolution" - published in 1971:

"The immediate goal is obvious: the destruction of the remnants of
capitalism in today's mixed economy, the establishment of a global
dictatorship. This goal does not have to be inferred-many speeches and books on the subject state explicitly that the ecological crusade is a means to that end."

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Hillary’s “the meaning of is” Moments At the Debates

Trying to pin down Mrs. Clinton is like trying to catch a cat and turn him over belly up. He wiggles and scratches and meows. Such was the performance of the Democratic candidate for the President of the United States.

The Wall Street Journal “Review and Outlook” section had a very good analysis of the debates last night, particularly Mrs. Clinton’s performance.

“The junior Senator from New York seems increasingly to have adopted her husband's political methods, minus the savoir-faire. The result is that it's impossible to know what she believes about anything.”

But the question is: DOES SHE HAVE A SET OF PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE HER? I doubt it. I think she’s a pragmatist and her modus operandi is to go by the whim of the moment, i.e. she licks her pointer finger and puts it up in the air to see which way the wind is blowing. Is that any way to run a country?

“On Iran's nuclear ambitions, moderator Brian Williams asked a number of the candidates what their "red line" was. As he put it to Barack Obama, "What would make it crystal clear in your mind that" the U.S. "should attack Iran?" When he repeated the question to Senator Clinton, her answer was, in sum, "I think that what we're trying to do here is put pressure on the Bush Administration." She added, "we've got to rein him in." And, no, she didn't mean Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. When pressed by Mr. Williams, she clarified, in a way. "We're not in my view, rushing to war. We should not be doing that. But we shouldn't be doing nothing."

Is this woman scary or what? She also was wishy washy on the question about taxes but did I expect anything else? It is most obvious that she will raise taxes if allowed to assume the presidency.

As the Wall Street Journal Review & Outlook writes: “The political strategy is clear enough. Mrs. Clinton wants to roll to her party's nomination on a tide of "inevitability" while disguising her real agenda as much as possible. But Democratic voters ought to consider whether they want to put all their hopes for retaking the White House on Mrs. Clinton's ability to obfuscate like her husband without his preternatural talent for it. Aside from lacking her husband's political gifts, Hillary's challenge is that we've all seen this movie before. And performances like Tuesday's might be enough to convince voters to opt for a candidate who is his own man.”

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Exciting News

The Ayn Rand Lexicon

The ideas of the philosopher Ayn Rand i.e. the ideas of her philosophy of Objectivism can now be found on the internet through "The Ayn Rand Lexicon; Objectivism from A to Z". This book which was edited by Harry Binswanger has been available since around 1986. Now it will be instantaneously available to millions or billions of people around the world who are interested in ideas and are trying to understand our culture today and history in general.

"Through excerpts culled from Ayn Rand's many articles, lectures, and books, this work presents the Objectivist view on some 400 topics in philosophy, politics, art, economics, and psychology. The Lexicon thus serves as a mini-encyclopedia of Objectivism, complete with a conceptual index and extensive cross-references."

Many, many people have read her novels: Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, We The Living and Anthem and have had their lives changed. Now, a deeper understanding of her revolutionary ideas can be delved into deeper with the Lexicon. (Ayn Rand Lexicon).

Saturday, October 27, 2007

The Noble Prize for the Biggest Scam of the Ages

The seams in Gore's global warming scam are being ripped apart as more and more people have a closer look at what this man is spouting (Robert Tracinski at The Intellectual Activist does an excellent job of covering this issue).

"If you must declare a debate over, then maybe it's not. And if you have to gussy up your agenda as "our greatest opportunity to lift global consciousness to a higher level," then it deserves some skeptical examination." (John Stossel)

"Gore also says in the film that 2005 is the hottest year on record. But NASA data actually show that 1934 was the hottest year on record in the U.S. — 2005 is not even in the top 10."

"Perhaps worse than the film’s errors is their origin. The BBC reported that Gore knew the film presented incorrect information but took no corrective steps because he didn't want to spotlight any uncertainties in the scientific data that may fuel opponents of global warming alarmism.

"An Inconvenient Truth" grossed about $50 million at the box office and millions more in DVD and book sales. Gore charges as much as $175,000 for an in-person presentation of his slide show that forms the basis for the film.

"Considering that a key 25 percent of "An Inconvenient Truth" is not true — and perhaps intentionally so — it seems only fair that Gore offer a refund to moviegoers, DVD/book purchasers and speaking sponsors. Where are the class action lawyers when you need them?" (Steven Milloy).

Michael Asher reports on the fact that the foundation of the global warming scam-the Greenhouse Gas theory-is under serious attack from new research funded by the US National Science Foundation.

Gore's rants about global warming is part of the whole environmentalist movement that hates modern life and uses the cloak of science to legitimize their goals of dismantling all that humans have accomplished over the centuries. Global warming is a fantasy and a wish based on the desire of these environmentalists' to live in nature and their deep down hatred of man and progress. But even deeper they hate reason the foundation for man's rise from Neanderthal to Homo Sapiens. Remember the unabomber Ted Kaczynski? He openly stated "I wanted to live like a Neanderthal".

We used to live "in nature" but as man painstakingly rose from bare existence to a technologically advanced civilization they did one thing that environmentalists do not do - use reason to solve problems and create a life filled with rewarding challenges and benefits.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

"Tax His Land, Tax His Bed, Tax His Table, Tractor and Mule"

Thought you'd want to see all the taxes we are paying. These are probably not all of them but should be enough to give you heartburn. I am quoting from a "Letter to the Editor" in the Battle Creek Enquirer of 16 October 2007. I doubt the Democrats accomplished all this looting all by themselves without Republican help along the way. I separated out the 7 telephone taxes so that they stand out for you. Have fun and try not to swallow too much bile.

Accounts receivable tax, Building permit tax, CDL license tax, Cigarette tax, Corporate incometax, Dog license tax, Excise taxes, Federal income tax, Federal unemployment tax, Fishing license tax, Food license tax, Fuel permit tax, Gasoline tax (42 cents/gallon), Gross receipts tax, Hunting license tax, Inheritance tax, Inventory tax, IRS interest charges, IRS penalties (tax on top of tax), Liquor tax, Luxury taxes, Marriage license tax, Medicare tax, Personal property tax, Property tax. Real estate tax, Service charge tax, Social Security tax, Road usage tax, Sales tax, Recreational vehicle tax, School tax, State income tax, State unemployment tax,

Telephone federal excise tax
Telephone federal universal service fee tax
Telephone federal state and local surcharge taxes
Telephone minimum usage surcharge tax
Telephone recurring and non-recurring charges tax
Telephone state and local tax
Telephone usage charge tax
Utility taxes, Vehicle license registration tax, Vehicle sales tax, Watercraft registration tax, Well permit tax,Worker’s compensation tax.

The writer concludes: "Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago; our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt; had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. Do you know what happened? Can you spell "Democrat?"

Lying and Cheating in the Cause of Global Warming



The supposed scientific consensus of the Global Warming crowd appears to be coming apart. “Global Warming Delusions” is the title of a remarkable article by Daniel Botkin, a biologist and ecologist working on Global Warming (Wall Street Jr, 17 October 2007). It appears that some global warming scientists are scaremongering because they want us to change our ways. It’s so nice to have people so preoccupied with the earth that they are willing to do anything – lie, cheat and cause mayhem in order to achieve their irrational ends as evidenced in this article.

Global warming doesn't matter except to the extent that it will affect life -- ours and that of all living things on Earth. And contrary to the latest news, the evidence that global warming will have serious effects on life is thin. Most evidence suggests the contrary.

"Case in point: This year's United Nations report on climate change and other documents say that 20%-30% of plant and animal species will be threatened with extinction in this century due to global warming -- a truly terrifying thought. Yet, during the past 2.5 million years, a period that scientists now know experienced climatic changes as rapid and as warm as modern climatological models suggest will happen to us, almost none of the millions of species on Earth went extinct. …But elsewhere, including North America, few plant species went extinct, and few mammals.

"We're also warned that tropical diseases are going to spread, and that we can expect malaria and encephalitis epidemics. But scientific papers by Prof. Sarah Randolph of Oxford University show that temperature changes do not correlate well with changes in the distribution or frequency of these diseases; warming has not broadened their distribution and is highly unlikely to do so in the future, global warming or not...

"I'm not a naysayer. I'm a scientist who believes in the scientific method and in what facts tell us. I have worked for 40 years to try to improve our environment and improve human life as well. I believe we can do this only from a basis in reality, and that is not what I see happening now. Instead, like fashions that took hold in the past and are eloquently analyzed in the classic 19th century book "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds," the popular imagination today appears to have been captured by beliefs that have little scientific basis.

Some colleagues who share some of my doubts argue that the only way to get our society to change is to frighten people with the possibility of a catastrophe, and that therefore it is all right and even necessary for scientists to exaggerate…

"…Oddly, the forecasts of computer models have become our new reality, while facts such as the few extinctions of the past 2.5 million years are pushed aside, as if they were not our reality.

"A recent article in the well-respected journal American Scientist explained why the glacier on Mt. Kilimanjaro could not be melting from global warming… That it couldn't be global warming directly (i.e., the result of air around the glacier warming) was made clear by the fact that the air temperature at the altitude of the glacier is below freezing. This means that only direct radiant heat from sunlight could be warming and melting the glacier. The author also studied the shape of the glacier and deduced that its melting pattern was consistent with radiant heat but not air temperature. Although acknowledged by many scientists, the paper is scorned by the true believers in global warming.

"We are told that the melting of the arctic ice will be a disaster. But during the famous medieval warming period -- A.D. 750 to 1230 or so -- the Vikings found the warmer northern climate to their advantage. Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie addressed this in his book "Times of Feast, Times of Famine: A History of Climate Since the Year 1000," perhaps the greatest book about climate change before the onset of modern concerns with global warming. He wrote that Erik the Red "took advantage of a sea relatively free of ice to sail due west from Iceland to reach Greenland. . . . Two and a half centuries later, at the height of the climatic and demographic fortunes of the northern settlers, a bishopric of Greenland was founded at Gardar in 1126."

"Many of my colleagues ask, "What's the problem? Hasn't it been a good thing to raise public concern?" The problem is that in this panic we are going to spend our money unwisely, we will take actions that are counterproductive, and we will fail to do many of those things that will benefit the environment and ourselves." (Read).

Democrats Plunder Michigan

Now, legal plunder can be committed in an infinite number of ways. Thus we have an infinite number of plans for organizing it: tariffs, protection, benefits, subsidies, encouragements, progressive taxation, public schools, guaranteed jobs, guaranteed profits, minimum wages, a right to relief, a right to the tools of labor, free credit, and so on, and so on. All these plans as a whole—with their common aim of legal plunder—constitute socialism.

The state is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else.”
Frederic Bastiat 1801-1851.

Is there any difference between the plunderers in Lansing and those of our history books? Today our politicians commit "legalized" plunder and the citizenry quietly and meekly takes it without so much as raising it's collective voice. At least the historical plunderers unabashedly knew what they were and what they were doing.

See if this makes sense. Michigan has a 1.75 billion dollar deficit caused by our politicians runaway spending. They just pass a "flurry of bills" that will bring in 1.35 billion dollars. So, 1.75 + 1.35 billion equals 3.1 billion dollars in taxes for Michigan citizens which will inevitably mean more job losses and emigration of the best and the brightest from our state.

"The House and Senate passed a flurry of bills in the hours before and after a midnight deadline, including an income tax increase, an expansion of the state’s sales tax and an emergency extension budget that would give lawmakers an extra month to eliminate the deficit." (Read)

"An 11.5 percent income tax increase and expansion of the 6 percent sales tax to a strange brew of services will close most of the $1.75 billion hole in the state budget year that began Monday.

"The tax on 23 new services -- which will generate $725 million over a full year -- means Michigan now taxes 49 services, according to the Treasury. The state already taxes some services, including storage and auto leasing. That puts the state at 27th in the country in the number of services taxes, up from 36th, Kleine said. "

"Another measure of tax burden is state and local taxes as a percentage of personal income, with the national average at about 11 percent. Kleine said the new tax boosts mean Michigan edges up from slightly below 11 percent to slightly above 11 percent.

"But the Tax Foundation in Washington, D.C., which tracks such data, takes a different view of Michigan's ranking. The combination of the sales and income tax hike puts Michigan's tax burden at 11th-highest in the nation, up from No. 14, the institute says...

" 'Republicans refused to put up votes for anything,' said House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township. 'Basically, this entire package was delivered by Democrats.' "

This is downright corruption and ineptitude by our legislatures but especially the Democrats.