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Independence… An Illusion?

Independence… An Illusion?

I bring you Independence Day greetings, intentionally a day late. I hope that your celebration yesterday was everything you hoped it would be! I say intentional because I didn’t want to spoil yesterday’s festivities with the rant you are about to endure....
Independence… An Illusion?

President Obama, Day #…..

july2009Ah, who cares? As disappointed as I was about the outcome of the last general election, I thought I'd take a few months off from writing and spend it observing this new global (dare I say, Intergalactic?) phenomenon that is our new President. Today is July 6, and I fear that he is almost exactly what I thought he would be last summer, that is to say, pathetic. Having said this, I have to confess that the reason I took some time from writing was that I wanted to be objective in my assessment of this man (as opposed to self-styled Deity). So many conservatives have been lambasted precisely because they wouldn't give President Obama a chance. Not that he needed one, but we DO have to be fair. And I was secretly praying that his rhetoric was merely that and he was pandering to his ultra-liberal base and that, being a man of reason and logic, he was a closet conservative and would instinctively do the right thing. No such luck! I've waited five and a half months for him to do something, anything, good for the country. So far, here's what President Obama has accomplished:
  • He's spent $1.2 trillion (that's $1,200,000,000,000) of succeeding generations' money on absolutely nothing of any consequence
  • He's flown around the world numerous times at taxpayer's expense, all the while chiding the taxpayers to tighten up their belts and pay for his largesse
  • He's been on television almost every day whining about the failed policies of "the last eight years" and gathering support for his socialist agenda.
That's it. He's talked, and talked and talked some more. One gets the sense that talking is all the man knows how to do, and, after reading his resume, that's all he's ever done. At least he's consistent. Meanwhile, here in middle America, our country is suffering [...]
Independence… An Illusion?

How Independent Are We?

declaration-of-independenceTwo hundred and thirty-three years ago, the men of the Second Continental Congress made a bold gesture as they sought to uncleave themselves from their ties with Great Britain. A gesture intended to convey that they were serious about the war that was already raging on the American Continent. A gesture intended to tell the world, and perhaps garner the support of other countries, that the American Colonies could not and would not continue to live under the yolk of a tyrannical King and Parliament. A gesture that could cost them all, and indeed did cost some, their lives and their properties. The Declaration of Independence was written primarily to formalize the decision to separate the colonies from British rule. It also sought to communicate the importance of concepts of liberty that were lacking in the current arrangement with the Britsh Monarchy. Subjected to Britain's control though they were, equal to other British Subjects living in the homeland they were not. Even in attempts to seek the kind of autonomy eventually considered standard within the British Empire were at that time brushed aside... self-government was not in the best interest of Britain at that time. Many know that the original Jeffersonian draft of the Declaration included a statement that could not be agreed upon by the 13 "free and independent states"... that is, regarding slavery. Incredible that the words "...all men are created equal..." would remain in a document that could not hold the words:
"He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivatng [sic] and carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither. This piratical warfare, the opprobrium of INFIDEL powers, is the warfare of the CHRISTIAN king of Great Britain. Determined to keep open a market where MEN should be bought and sold, he has prostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or to restrain this execrable commerce." (Washington State University Web Site: Original Draft of The Declaration of Independence)
But these and more words were removed by a Congress that was unwilling to do the right thing, as it would have an impact on the economy of some southern states. So our beginnings were not perfect. We moved forward tolerating [...]

The United States Starts Year 233

This is going to be a great day! I liked Sister Toldjah’s emphatic “What a great day it is to be an American!”. I woke up with a sense of anticipation at what the next year in our nation’s history will be like. What kinds of decisions will we...
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