It's an Ugly Blend of the Day and Times Thing

Dear America,

"It's easier 

to build 

strong children 

than repair 

    a broken man."  

Frederick Douglass

as go the people, 

so goes the nation.

Like a good cheese or a yummy wine, the natural maturity of man or country does not come simply with age alone; for the aging process requires a proper environment, quality ingredients, a nurturing guide and. of course, loving attention.   It's through a compilation of knowledge, experience, lofty dreams, and high expectations that collide together to bring forth something of value, worthy to be called good in every way.

Any creation worth anything comes from this, while the virtuous, full and able bodied character is the result, a semblance of fine artistry -- a unique collection of products the reward, enabling the whole to be labeled utterly exceptional.

There was a time when this nation spent much of it's time aging our young with a moral compass (see McGuffey's Readers), a spiritual connection to each other  and our God, understanding of the difference between right and wrong, proficient in the works of splendid literature of the ages.

We took the time to put good in.

There are many times I feel like we are filling our children up with not only Flaming Cheetos and Oreo cookies, but with the empty calories of gossip via facebook and twitter, stupid tv, degrading music, filthy mouths, pretentious and superficial goals resting on making a quick gain, with the ambitions to be nothing more than a Kardashian or a Bieber.   

And yes. The exaggeration going to extremes fully intended.  And the provocation  fully warranted. 

As somehow -- when it comes to the stories picked up on the mainstream and scattered like pixie dust on ecstasy -- it seems like that reality is all we see.   As a nation, we are TMZ to the nth degree.

Oh and we all sit back and gawk, judge, pick it all apart and throw it all away in a day.

But what do we learn; what do we gain; how do we use it to make us better, not worse, in this mad, mad world from  tidbits of titillation?

For me, if we put it all together, it seems like we are being manipulated and steered in one direction. But perhaps the conspiracy is all in my head.  Time will tell.

One thing that stands out in recent days  -- in reaction to the stunning remarks coming from an NBA team owner and others -- is clear:  racism in all of it's forms is ugly.

[I also believe in my heart that MOST Americans want no part of that.]  

Racism is ugly and thankfully, unpopular -- growing more so every day.

But what may be just as unpalatable might just be the follow the herd, knee-jerk reaction to it; as if the work of our own critical thinking has been left to someone else to decide.

I feel drawn to an opinion from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and want to share it with you:

“So, if we’re all going to be outraged,” the former NBA star concluded, “let’s be outraged that we weren’t more outraged when his racism was first evident. Let’s be outraged that private conversations between people in an intimate relationship are recorded and publicly played. Let’s be outraged that whoever did the betraying will probably get a book deal, a sitcom, trade recipes with Hoda and Kathie Lee, and soon appear on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ and ‘Dancing with the Stars.’”

Couldn't have said it better myself.

And you can read the whole story on The Daily Caller, here.

You see, in other reactions -- some might even consider as equally disturbing as Sterling's -- is this, from Larry Johnson, former NBA player and Knicks Executive:

“Black people your Focusing on the wrong thing. We should be focusing on having our own, Own team own League! To For Self!!’’

Yes.  Indeed.  Fight racism with racism.

People are fascinating.

Do we really think the only racists come in  white shells?

In a post slavery America, the possibility of a fresh perspective is constantly being challenged, warped from our past experiences and framed by a history unshakable and unfortunately perpetuated by a few ignorant souls unworthy of our attention.

What do we want to create? 

What is the ultimate goal?

Where do we go from here?

Let us not fall back asleep and pretend we can cultivate good from the low-life sustenance we seem to put in.

And speaking of falling asleep, in a best offense is a good defense kind of way....

This is totally unrelated and going in a tangent far, far away, but it's a lively blend of ignorance and bliss, condensed in a speech from Brian Kennedy, President of The Claremont Institute.  Here is an excerpt from Early Warning:  The Continuing Need for National Defense:

 It was important, he thought, to understand the strengths and vulnerabilities of a nation. His classes served as an antidote for students who had grown up in post-war America—a much needed antidote, because citizens of free nations in peacetime do not historically think in such terms. We today, and our elected leaders—in whose hands we place the responsibility for national defense—are in urgent need of such an antidote, because the U.S. is increasingly and dangerously vulnerable, and our elected leaders appear oblivious.

Indeed.

To understand the strengths and vulnerabilities of a nation, through and through.

"...because citizens of free nations in peacetime do not historically think in such terms."


Oh wow,  yummy, critical thinking for the greater good;  oh the idea of it -- oh the splendid blend of knowledge and experience, questioning what has come before, and wondering how wonderful our future could be, having mastered the art of cultivating the best and the brightest of ideas into one thing.

Now, granted -- the entire post at Imprimis requires your full attention.  I have only used a fraction for nothing more than my own selfish purposes today.  Kennedy makes valiant and remarkable points all the way around.  We must not take for granted what we have and forget the absolute necessity of protecting it.

But returning back to the start,  my plea is that we not squander and discount all that we have learned to date from one bad seed.

Our strengths and vulnerabilities must be crossing for a reason.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's About the American Currency, and it's a pretty big Thing

Dear America,

there is a lot to say about this subject...

not even going to try to say it all in one day.

But let's be clear of what defines a racist, shall we?

A racist is someone who believes "one's own ethnic stock is superior."  That is, by definition, what a racist is.

Do we gather all of that from the rather misguided ramblings of a simple man -- Cliven Bundy?

Because he addressed the African-American community, generally speaking, as "the negro" -- and basically unveiling a different world view coming lock, stock, and barrel with a certain old age and being born of a  certain generation?  Or was it in the asking of the provocative question...are they better off now or then?  Taking the wide angle of an issue, he "wondered"....were they better off "pickin' cotton" -- he said -- or being totally dependent on the government doll, enslaved to a lifetime of limited opportunity, and thereby squandering any potential to use one's own natural resources from within for personal gain? -- clarifying not so eloquently and sounding more like the oh so simple man he seems to be, having grown tired from a career working the herd and laboring in the high, rugged county air, with perhaps a limited education, if not also lacking in the study of social graces.  

At best, he was careless in his remarks -- you know, given the broad audience of so many of us watching his every move these days.  But a racist?    I don't see it.  Not sure until I know more information.  

Perhaps bigoted -- for that comes with having a conviction leaning prejudicial; surely, the visual of "picken cotton" brings us all back to a place we never wish to return.


And then again, he may very well be long off his rocker on them there porch of his -- there is that.

But do we really get from his sharing of opinion, screaming racist?   After hearing this rather narrow view of a problem within the African-American community explained by a rancher who seems to have inhaled a wee bit too much alfalfa --   do we really arrive at the intersection of racist and idiot full stop and take away the understanding that he, Cliven Bundy, believes that he and all of his whiteness is better, no, SUPERIOR, to "the negro?"  With the way he speaks --  leaning more on the ignoramus side of things -- not sure Bundy thinks of himself superior to anyone but perhaps these here United States of America goven men', no?

Stark raving idiots have said worse.  What about Harry "he's electable because he's light skinned-and no negro dialect- Reid",  who after saying such remarks, was allowed to keep the title of Senate Majority Leader in the U.S. Senate?

I would point you to a post at The Daily Beast for it's Bundy-take away, but that would be pointless; for clearly, anyone who chooses to lump all of us in a group over one man's idiocy --  Michael Tomasky -- is an even bigger idiot.

That is merely, sadly, a lazy man's, knee jerk, left brained loon,Saul Alinsky-ite response to use anything and everything to pummel the opposition into the ground en masse.  Really, Michael?  Seriously? I mean, really?   "Republicans are all racists" ? Is that all you got?  Oh okay, Michael, I guess then we can also assume now that journalists are all stupid.    Grow up.  But I digress.

Don't get me wrong, people, all people, red white black and yellow; Cliven Bundy pointed out a real problem in America; and not just one.   Central Booking e pluribus unum, dot yeah!

But for today -- let me steer you to something new under the sun, mother may I?

First, and foremost, Dr. Ben Carson not only rocks, but he seems to be one of my favorite people on the planet right now, in this moment, and with every intention to last a lifetime. 

But here's the scoop...  

We just might  say he is a Founding Father of a brand new website called AmericanCurrentSee.com, a media outlet hellbent on changing the conversation and more important, the startling, failing demographics and socioeconomic realities of the African-American community.  Scratch that. Not just within "the negro" community, but to effect change for ALL of us, even us whitey's, together!  And it's really good -- SUPERIOR even -- so check it out!

But hey yo -- we are not stopping there, no sir ree, Dr. B --  

Next, READ THIS; comes straight from americancurrentsee.com as one woman's perspective and experience on the reality of family heartbreak -- growing up without a father in the black community -- and it's real; and it's beautiful.  Thank you, Kira Davis, for the candid, gutsy, thoughtful exchange of reality meets race, straight up and with stats to boot.

Here's her point

And what statistics are those? According the U.S. Census Bureau, children who grow up in fatherless homes experience four times the poverty rate of those who grow up in a two-parent household. Single-parent kids are twice as likely to commit suicide. They are more likely to experience mental illness, depression and aggression. They are more likely to turn to crime. 70 percent of all youth in juvenile detention facilities grew up in fatherless homes. 71 percent of all high-school dropouts are fatherless. A young fatherless woman is 7-8 times more likely to become a teenage mother than her counterparts from two-parent homes.
Notice a trend?
Match all of those statistics with the most disturbing statistic of all — 73 percent of black American children are born into fatherless homes. Is it any wonder that barely half of black male ninth graders go on to graduate from high school four years later? Or that 1 in every 15 black males over the age of 18 are currently incarcerated?
I read so many opinions about why so many of our young men are imprisoned, and they almost always seem to lead back to racism. But where is the discussion about why these men are turning to crime in the  first place? They may well be receiving unjust sentence lengths, but no one is disputing the levels of crime in our communities. It’s not racism that makes our young people turn to criminal activities. I’m sorry to tell you this, men, but ... it’s you.

now we are getting somewhere, no?

But we haven't even arrived at my favorite part yet.

Here you go --

I know modern feminists hate to hear this, but the relevant research is abundant, consistent and conclusive — there is no more reliable predictor for the success of a child than whether or not a loving father has been present in the home. Fathers are the bedrock of the family, and family is the bedrock of any healthy society.

says the African-American girl who grew up without a father and fell in love with a good man and is raising a family in spite of the cards she was dealt upon the day she was born.   oh my.

And now, let's just say Cliven Bundy may have been a little rough around the edges for our tastes in America, but the truth of the matter is --  he asked a damn good question.   Are you better off?  Seriously?  Is this dysfunctional dynamic of settling in on welfare and food stamps and free phones and healthcare along with serving a life of being in and out of incarceration, seemingly driven by drugs and crime and gang activity,  really doing your best and are you better off for it?  Newsflash:  Cliven's ugly, disturbing, verbally alarming and offensive and miscommunicated stats are Kira's stats.

Mothers and Fathers are the bedrock of the family and community in America; this remarkable, reprehensible reality of losing this position of strength conceived from our roots, our family, tells us everything we need to know about why we struggle in community with one another.   Amen to Kira Davis for not only breaking the cycle within her own family, but also for this courageous timely reflection of all things that  make this unfortunate, perpetuating circumstance of the fatherless family plight come to light.  From the bottom of my heart, bless you and yours.

Kira filled a gap for me today.  Boy, did I need her.

And even though there may be no way to repay her for her efforts, my hope is that we all take a moment to absorb the whole truth that has come before us, and in some small way make changes within our own family, our own community, our own world.   And before you know it, little by little, our race relations will regain the higher ground, and settle in, upon the hill, and shine -- learning to live firmly planted upon a higher level of understanding and conviction and conversation -- like a real family.

 As Dr. B pointed out in the email introducing AmericanCurrentSee.com just yesterday -- he says:

"Opportunity has been replaced by despair. Embracing character, values, marriage and family has been ridiculed. Government dependence has been substituted for self-reliance. And mediocrity has eschewed excellence.

I want you to join me today in demolishing this culture of failure and standing up to the media elite, who for too long have treated black Americans as a monolithic bloc addicted to a single political dogma. We need a new media source that embraces hard work, moral character, family values, good education and self-reliance and inspires the next generation with role models who have cast off the chains of mediocre expectations and proven that the America dream is alive and well."

The true wealth -- the American currency -- supporting an abundant, happy, secure American future demands that we begin tackling every issue one by one as intended -- AND from the foundation of the civic minded, conscious, caring, compassionate, hardworking, industrious, educated, self-reliant, honest, independent people we are supposed to be.

That is where everything begins, or ends, all depending upon how you look at it.   But to make myself perfectly clear, piggybacking upon a thought from Kira just before we close:  I'm sorry to tell you, men and women, young and old, black and white, it all begins with....you.

Sign up and play a small part of the solution and revolution,  today.

Make it a Good Day, G

Unrelated but relevant in it's own way  --  
Perhaps it's the 'soul that needs the surgery' for each and every one of us, right Beyonce' --  as the faces of ugly and pretty collide.  watch the video.

It's a Things Fall Apart Thing

Dear America,

stunning.

apparently --  on average -- Americans drink a disgusting 44 gallons of soda a year.

That's nearly a gallon a week! of this syrupy, seductive, seltzer mindlessly being consumed and rotting our bodies from the core. [oh and btw, that is apparently down from a whopping 58 gallons a year, considered to be the case back in 1998...ew]

Albeit some of us have cut back a wee bit after considering the myriad of health hazards all for the joy of a fleeting sugar buzz over ice, but fair to say -- far too many of us still don't think anything of it.

Which brings me to a revelation -- our quality of thought and choice of libation seems to coincide. 

Who would have thought, right, that the new nectar of the Gods for the ages, young and old, would come in a carbonated 12 ounce can and grow into a rabid addiction greater than any religion.

Last Sunday -- Easter -- when watching my favorite preacher, Joel Osteen -- he once again thrilled me with a new perspective.  And I will be quick to explain, given attention span these days is about as long as a nano-second, a tweet, or a jingle...

In his usual charm, he says, basically -- and improvising with my usual flair -- Jesus wasn't all born in a manger just "to start a religion."  According to the Trinity, God became man so that WE could grow to be in relationship with Him, surely in the hope of being better humans.  Tapping into this Higher Power for rooting out our higher purpose, understanding a kinder, gentler way to connect and coexist with each other and ourselves, and certainly, to bring meaning to life itself, is at the very core of this relationship. 

And it's like -- as in the way of Coca-Cola to the Kardashians -- leave it to man to ruin a good thing.

Isn't this always the case...

We take things too far.

We abuse the bounty.

We waste ourselves away, forgetting the art of moderation and self-control.

We take things to extremes, selfishly abandoning our unique ability to connect to a Spiritual Guidance so great and  so wonderful;  day after day after day, we allow our culture, our community of fellow humans -- not God -- to  dictate by default, without thinking two blinks about it.  

From soda pop to reality television to music to how we adorn our bodies (or rather, how we don't adorn)... to who leads in our personal affairs, our health... education, our leaders in high places of government  -- it's all left to the manipulation of an ideology totally separate from upholding any connection to this spirit and relationship set forth with one life here on earth in Jesus. [And feel free to pick a religion, a way, a light, a relationship, of your own choice; as we all know, even Atheists: God is God.  Whoever you make your God, even if it comes with a glance in the mirror, is your God] 

But that's just it.

Mankind -- in America, anyway -- has been invaded with a rogue  band of marauders, taking us further and further from the Divine Providence from which we came AND growing into an organized machine, now parading as the "evolved," and "intelligent," ever-so-conscious characters and social engineers centered upon a great -- but hands down, over the lips, down the hatch, totally ridiculous --  progressive experiment.  Mankind in America is not only drinking the kool-aid -- but drunk on love of self.

Over the years, isn't it funny how revelations come and go, and evolve even.

Having said that, here's to another morsel of magnificent proportion from my papa, and excavated from the Wall Street Journal, here: Two New Saints. Now What?  [And thank you, Dan Henninger.]

It's a good read.

Oh to venture down the road growing less and less traveled -- to discover our own sainthood, the exceptional byproduct at the core of being in relationship with something greater than ourselves, within the confines of this public domain, a place where seemingly only the salacious and syrupy survive.  How do we do that?   Now I'm no Saint -- but suffice it to say, day in and day out, this is proving to be quite the elusive endeavor the more evolved, and actualized, and modern, and human -- souped-up-on-sugar -- we get.

"Things fall apart; the center cannot hold."

"Many people discovered new gods in political causes. In the 1980s, the U.S. Catholic bishops conference worked tirelessly for a 'nuclear-weapons freeze.' Is anyone surprised that global warming in time became a premodern religious movement, obsessed with arcane dogmatics and eliminating the heretical Deniers? A defining event of this era of secular mysticism is the Obama administration saying the Little Sisters of the Poor must bring their charity hospitals into conformance with the state's beliefs on human reproduction."

And now back to the 44 gallons of soda, on average...it's a real thing.

It's a real stat.

And it's just one of the many symptoms defining our depression, our cultural condition.

Now what?

Make it a Good Day, G

It's About the Public Debt Thing

Dear America,

this is a day called going with the motions.

it's not going to be an epic read;

and fair to say, it's not going to be anything to write home about.

So how's that for a lead? 

I am just so sad.

It feels like every single mother lovin' day, America's foundation gets whittled away, slowly, like the sand on the shore -- east or west, pick a shore, any shore, and might as well throw in the great plains in between.

I have found myself feeling so displaced... from the inside out, from the outside in, from top to bottom, to the ends of the earth and back. 

All I could do with myself is clean.  Or fix things. Or cook.  Anything but think about what is going on in America.

Oh and did you hear?

From The Foundry @ The Heritage Foundation, Amy Payne highlights this:

But the worst is yet to come: The Congressional Budget Office projects that public debt will reach an economy-crushing 100 percent in less than one generation...

Oh and there's a whole lot more, read it and join me in a good long weep, here.

America is being manipulated to fully ignore the big stuff, just begging us to put our heads in the sand year over year over year  --   and all the while, tumbling us, edge over edge, into a perpetual state of submission to the state, eroding every beautiful facet of our rugged individualism and self-reliant cornerstones.

Oh and this Fed thinks it's all up for grabs and anything goes alright, even after over a century of grazing and cattle herding and making a fairly decent livelihood and staying out of trouble to boot.  See more here.

And just take a look at old dirty Harry, here, saying this:

"Well, it’s not over...we can’t have an American people that violate the law and then just walk away from it. So it’s not over."

Says the guy integrally involved as a key congressional leader of an administration run amuck.....

.... ignoring laws left and right, writing Executive Orders to usurp the Rule of Law itself, undermining a government holding to the constitutional limitations as our republic was designed. and more or less allowing the LawBreaker-in-Chief to do his thing without checks and without a doubt, without balances --  especially in light of The Foundry's current disclosure of the American Framily data sharing package fine print.


We are over our monthly gigabytes allowances by the trillions.  Seventeen Trillion, to be exact -- and not even counting the unfunded liabilities to the tune of almost a hundred trillion.

The thing is -- the foundation built upon the rock has crumbled like sand at the hands of man.

Lawlessness, wretchedness, sinking to the lowest common core denominator, spending more than we take in, has led us to a dark place in history.   And at least half of us -- The Entitlements ---   don't even see it; and having said that, not to be confused with The Establishments, as they're in a group of their very own; and having said all that,  not to be confused with The Replacements ...forthcoming to a theater near you.

Of course, The Establishments not only see it, they created it out of thin air and know exactly what they are doing.  Just too bad it's made of sand.   So here's to Divine Providence sending in the tide alongside the Blood Moon{s}. [Did you see that?  It was beautiful...the west coast only had to stay up til midnight to catch a glimpse.]

In the meantime, America is being buried alive and seemingly quite unconscious of it's future demise.

But the worst is yet to come: The Congressional Budget Office projects that public debt will reach an economy-crushing 100 percent in less than one generation...

"Well, it’s not over...we can’t have an American people that violate the law and then just walk away from it. So it’s not over."

No, it's not over.
We can't just have an American people that violate the law -- no matter if they come with a title of Senator, President, Health and Human Services Director, Attorney General, IRS Commissioner, or any one of us just plain folk and general peon...

It's not over until the sun sets upon the shining city on the hill along with every single mother lovin' sand dune, for Pete's sake, thank ya Jesus and can I get a praise the Lord.

No use crying over the day; there is plenty of work to be done. [aww there's my girl; that's the spirit G]

Hallelujah, Happy Easter everybody, and God Bless the United States of America.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's an Evil Takeover Thing

Dear America,

what?

we     were     on     a     break.

and quickly -- without even thinking, really -- "the break" spun totally out of control.

Consider it a version of Spring Break OCD-G Gone Wild.

It all started so innocently enough; never in my wildest dreams did I think replacing a face plate over the light switch would turn into a whole new vibe -- complete with fresh paint, handpicking bath accessories, a hunt for the perfect light fixture, and of course, the back-breaking task of painting the nooks and crannies of a room so small, supply lines so annoying, and bending my neck while twisting my back while trying to breathe all to get to the wall in the corner and behind the commode. ew.

and the clean-up in the aftermath, oh my.  my body ached in places never having seen the light of day.

Oh sure, it feels good now, after a few soaks in Epsom salts, a frosty Manhattan - served up (duh), a heating pad on just the right spot, and finally -- days later -- after a really good night's sleep.   

I returned to the land of the living and an awareness of life outside my box just in time to wish I lived under a rock.   For upon the first morning light, President Obama decided to take a few victory laps for his latest entitlement abomination, Obamacare.  

But there he was.

Celebrating "7.1 million" sign-ups........gliding out to the podium looking like the stud who screwed 300 million drunk in love, unconscious, low-information (aka stupid) gaggle of giddy goof-offs; and appearing totally high -- hopped up on his own Excellency, living out the progressive wet dreams of taking down America's exceptionalism, maybe even the standard of living,. a few notches, if not destroying our economy altogether.

It's a mastermind fit for a king.

Makes me wonder.

Wonder if Barack Obama, Barry, whatever -- ever cleaned a bathroom, let alone laboriously renovated one over a long DIY weekend and then some?

But I seriously digress.

I love how the numbers dwindled around next to none for months on end, only to have them escalate --  the closer we got to March 31--  by the millions!    And for all terminally ill intents and purposes, might as well call it overnight.

But here's a real kicker:  less than 2% were previously part of the group recognized as the UNINSURED, aka the very reason we "needed" this entitlement so badly in the first place.

Of course, the question of who has actually paid for their damn insurance is virtually an unknown; we may never know at this rate.  What happens in the eyes of D.C. stays in D.C..

"No, the Affordable Care Act hasn’t fixed our long broken health care system, but this law has made our health care system a lot better." .

..a lot better, he says -- President Obama.

[But wait a minute:  what do mean it "hasn't fixed" it?  And come to think of it, were we broken?  Really?  Seriously?  With 85% of us happy and covered like California?   And what's with the " a lot better?"  Says who? You?  Better for some, but worse for some more?]

Going back to November of last year, 4.2 MILLION Americans LOST their insurance under Obamacare; and being on a trajectory to have 80% of individuals covered on individual plans ultimately set up to lose their insurance  -- compounded by time and idiocy run amuck -- it may just be a bit premature to hang his Mission Accomplished banner.  See more, here.

And bear in mind -- much of the law has been delayed by Executive Order by this president in order to postpone the worst until after the election.  ...Titanic, meet Tip.

Last weekend -- after I resigned myself to the couch and my remote for a wee bit, countering my knock down drag out with Behr Marquee Golden Aura [Home Depot rocks my world] sunshine on the wall with my usual array of Sunday morning evangelism -- my ears started burning with something I never quite heard like this before.

It was a playback on Amazing Facts -- when Pastor Doug was describing Lucifer.

God made Lucifer, you know.  And made him the top angel, actually.

And just to be clear, Lucifer was put in charge of ALL the angels.  

He was good, holy and upstanding in every way.

Pastor Doug tells the story that over time, it would appear that somehow, some way, the power went to Lucifer's head.  He basically thought, hey man -- I can do what God does...why can't I be in charge....why am I not God?  

And God -- being the Creator and all  and creating the universe and all of it's potential goodness resting on the law of free will -- simply let Lucifer have at it and go wild.  In the end, Lucifer reached a point of no return.  He went bad and it was done [well, technically, not quite; but not to worry].

The reality is, God didn't make any thing in existence to be His puppets -- including the angels, including Lucifer, including each one of us.

He didn't want to force his creation to follow Him, or be good; he wanted all creatures to come to Him, naturally, without force or coercion and most of all, by CHOICE.

But as we have well witnessed being part of the land of the living, our humanity carries in the gene pool this very conflict of good and evil. It lives on in us, and, individually, we do battle with it every minute of every day.

The thing is, nothing is immune.

America's overall well being began when a few Renaissance men articulated a new standard, a new precedence, based upon the teachings of good and evil for the ages.  Our founders collected and clarified and constituted a way to live in America under the Rule of Law, Nature's Law, and all the while extending high privileges to those who can, the self-reliant.

They elevated INDEPENDENCE in every possible way, and made the case against DEPENDENCE, in order to provide a more perfect union.

With Obamacare, we are fast approaching the point of no return.

America is at a crossroads deciding who wins -- dependence or independence; the individual power over the state or the state power over the individual,  and it's really as simple as that.

From Thomas Jefferson [and G has used this before; apparently is was 4/26/2010, as a notation is in the margin of my favorite thing:  The 5000 Year Leap] :

"The way to have good and safe government is not to trust it all to one, but to divide it among the many, distributing to every one exactly the functions he is competent to [perform best].  Let the national government be entrusted with the defense of the nation, and its foreign and federal relations; the State governments with the civil rights, laws, police, and administration of what concerns the State generally; the counties with the local concerns of the counties, and each ward [township] direct the interests within itself.  It is by dividing and subdividing these republics, from the great national one down through all its subordinations, until it ends in the administration of every man's farm by himself; by placing under every one what his own eye may superintend, that all will be done for the best.  What has destroyed liberty and the rights of man in every government which has ever existed under the sun?  The generalizing and concentrating all cares and powers into one body, no matter whether of the autocrats of Russia or France, or the aristocrats of a Venetian senate."

This is precisely the problem with the rise of Progressives large and small.

It's the promise made to the general public -- from health to wealth -- that heaven and everything else under the sun can be yours if you just follow me, P.  It's evil, really.  Pure evil.

It destroys who we are as a nation, usurping the precedence, the traditions, the Law, the way we live in every possible way.  And now, these usurpations are accelerating at a rate so great, the average American can't even keep up --  but considering half of  all Americans could really care less, what difference at this point does it make, right?

Oh I'm sure everything will turn out just fine.

Men are just angels.

Oh no -- I feel like I'm getting backed into a corner all over again... bending my neck.... while twisting my back.... while trying to breathe ....behind the commode.    Bartender?


Make it a Good Day, G