Wednesday, December 21, 2005

What I'm reading...

"The War on Christmas" by John Gibson. So far so good.

What I suggest everyone reads:

"The Fair Tax Book" by Neal Boortz and John Linder
"The United States Consitution" by Great Americans
"Persecution" by David Limbaugh
"They Just Don't Get It" by Col. David Hunt

-End of Ramble

Friday, December 16, 2005

Tax Reform Panel --- Explained?

Tax Reform Guide: Ernst & Young Analysis Of the President's Advisory Panel Recommendations

It takes a 1.09 MB PDF file from a third party organization (total of 112 Pages) to explain the Tax Panel's response.

Does anyone else see a problem with this?

-End of Ramble

Boiling Blood...

Couldn't think of a good title for this, so this is what you get. I'm tired and fed up with the state of our country.

We have a large number of Americans fighting to maintain the freedoms I enjoy writing this and you enjoy reading it (okay, enjoy may be a strong word here) and we are consistently side tracked from the base responsibility we have to those men and women.

We sit here, force fed a bunch of useless garbage, in 15 second sound bites, and think we know what is going on. The one thing that makes us unique, that makes us Americans, is that we were founded as a government Of the People, For the People. I remind you, my good reader, that we are a REPUBLIC, not a Democracy. Guess what, that means that you need to get involved if you want to change things.

I was having a conversation with a co-worker the other day at the fact that in India there is no such thing as Social Security, nor a Pension, and that about $2000 of every car that GM sells goes to pay pensions. He is from India, and does not say that the Indian policies are a bad thing, but that it is the people's responsibilities to take care of themselves. Personally, I applaud this attitude. We used to be a country where we took care of ourselves and each other. Now, all but a few are sychophants to the government.

We are taxed to the point that we cannot afford to save anything. We have oppresive credit card billing and contracts because we live in a society where we have to have it all now. We argue over abortion and the death penalty instead of looking toward the root of the problem. We have to be dual income families in order to compete with all the 'haves' and to pay off our bills instead of spending more time with our families.

We are lost and wandering in the wilderness. Is there a way we can get out? Is there something we can do to be worthy of the sacrifice that our Men and Women in uniform are making for us?

YES!

By being Americans. What does it take to be an American?

  • Get involved and help your Congressperson and Senator understand that you want some changes from Washington. Take back our country.
  • Stop bickering over silly things like whose fault it was that the levee's failed in New Orleans and help the people get back on their feet.
  • Stop bickering over the death penalty and start looking to instill values and morals into our children so that they know that killing is wrong.
  • Get mad about the opressive, Marxist tax structure we live under and tell the government "No More!". That you need your money so you can provide for yourself when you are older.
We are a free Republic, that has been purchased with the blood of many Americans for many years. We are overdue on the payment for that debt.

-End of Ramble

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Political Correctness gone stupid

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, diverse celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all; and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2006, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make the United States great, (not to imply that the United States is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only United States in the northern hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform, or sexual preference of the wishee.

(By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion or the wisher.)


-End of Ramble

Friday, December 02, 2005

More on complacency in our republic

"IF YOU DON'T STAND FOR SOMETHING, YOU WILL FALL FOR ANYTHING"

We have forgotten that as a country... As a People... THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

We are a unique melting pot, and our value set and goals for individual freedom is what makes us different from the rest of the world.

Also, the fact that we are a Federal Republic, not a Democracy, is what makes us different. But it also means that we all (everyone) has to take responsibility for their actions. We have forgot our responsibility to our fellow Americans. Yea yea, we respond when there is a disaster, and we do it well, but that is short term, sound bite thinking that has infected us on every level. We need to look towards the future, towards spending some quality time selecting our elected representatives.

How many of us can say what the 16th amendment covered? Or the 27th amendment?

Check it out

-End of Ramble

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Blue Tarp display and the PC police...

This is just TOO FUNNY...

I love the display. Laughter is one of the best medicines... Yet...

"Although most people did enjoy the decorations, a few customers found the display to be in poor taste," said a statement issued Tuesday night by Lakeside Shopping Center in Metairie.


Can you believe it... MOST people enjoyed it, but a few complained, so he had to take it down.

We are no longer a culture based on logic and reason... Now the few prevail over the many.

Sad.

















































-End of Ramble

Monday, November 21, 2005

Been away for a while

Sorry... I have been busy, and frustrated with the stupidity of government. I am not sure if I still know how to express what is going on, but I'll give it a try.

Who really cares about the "He Said / She Said" reguarding the Iraq war that is going on between the Democrats and the Republicans today? I don't. It's a smoke screen. It's keeping us from looking at the real problem.

What is the real problem? That both sides of the aisle have let us, the American People, down. How? By letting our intellligence agencies go completly to hell. By creating more large government that does nothing (eg. Homeland Security). By continuing to put us all under the yoke of taxation. I feel as if we are in colonial times before the revolution right now. Taxation with out representation. Yes, we have a federalist government, and yes we are a republic, but we continue to abdicate control to the federal government. We are giving power to King George right now, and prior to that, King William. Many Americans died to fight for our freedom in 1776, and have subsequently died protecting our freedom and the freedom of many countries who constantly forget about it (read: France).

Now, for what? So we can have a bunch of elected bozo's, put there by a bunch of numb, force fed Americans (sucking on the cathode ray nipple) irresponsibly spending our money? The Federal Government was created to protect the people from enemies, foreign and domestic. Now their power has become almost absolute. How did we let ourselves become so complacent? Now the government can sieze our property when they wish. They can tax us until we have no money left.

I have more to say on this issue, and I am doing some research on what the founding fathers have said, but I really recommend the following links to get started:

The Constitution Society
Library of Congress - Federalist Papers

-End of Ramble

Sony BMG Blunder Shows Digital Rights Management May Be Doomed - Yahoo! News

Ahh... Sony... Poor poor Sony...

Or is it the Music Industry as a whole?

To quote one of thier own scripts (From "Jurassic Park")

Dr. Ian Malcolm: I'll tell you the problem with the scientific power that you're using here: it didn't require any discipline to attain it. You read what others had done and you took the next step. You didn't earn the knowledge for yourselves, so you don't take any responsibility for it. You stood on the shoulders of geniuses to accomplish something as fast as you could and before you even knew what you had you patented it and packaged it and slapped it on a plastic lunchbox, and now you're selling it, you want to sell it!


Now, if you change that to say that the Laywers are doing this, then you get this memoral quote from the article:

"The biggest mistake the labels are making is, they're letting their lawyers make technical decisions. Lawyers don't have any better understanding of technology than a cow does algebra," Leigh said. "They insist on chasing this white whale." It's easy to understand why the music industry wishes songs could magically be prevented from being ripped from CDs and shared freely.


People will find a way. It happend with DVD's. It continues to happen with DVD's, and CD's. How about making something fair for the market instead of trying to keep people out? How about getting the Lawyers out of the way? I don't tell a lawyer how to pratice law, why do they tell me how to practice technology?

- End of Ramble

Monday, November 07, 2005

Simplifying the Tax Code Proves Too Complicated: Caroline Baum

Bloomberg.com: Bloomberg Columnists

Great article. The Tax Panel failed us as Americans. We should be outraged.

-End of Ramble.

Jack Kelly: About that Iraq 'deception'

The president went on television to announce: "Earlier today, I ordered America's armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. Their mission is to attack Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors.

There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years," the vice chairman of the Intelligence committee told the Senate

"The president went on television to announce: 'Earlier today, I ordered America's armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. Their mission is to attack Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors.'


'There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years,' the vice chairman of the Intelligence committee told the Senate."


Who said this? Was it President Bush?

No, It was President William Jefferson Clinton.

The whole article can be found here.

I thought witch hunts went out of style in the 18th Century...

Well written article Mr. Kelly!

- End of Ramble

Thursday, October 27, 2005

2 Eagles ripped for evangelizing at school - NFL - MSNBC.com

Full Story here
So, A professional Football Player goes to a High School, and during his speech he speaks of his Christian Faith, and invites students to come to a concert...

AND EVERYONE GETS UPSET! Why?

If I go someplace in public and a Muslim is wearing an ABahia, and I find it offensive, should the take it off? Should they not be forced to uncover their face? If this was Mohammad Ali and he spoke of his faith would everyone get upset?

Why now? Why here?

If your not upset, your not paying attention

-End of Ramble

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Seminole County is worried your kids are going to the wrong school

Seminole County is worried your kids are going to the wrong school

Can you belive that they are going to charge parents and / or students with a 2nd degree Misdemeanor and up to a $500 fine because your kids are going to the wrong school? What has this world come to?

When are we going to wake up and realize that education is a choice, and we shold be able to make it! Give me back my tax dollars so that I can spend them where I want, and send my kids to school where I want!

-End of Ramble

Friday, October 21, 2005

Belinda Noah on Taxes

Noting that the income tax system is one of the pillars of Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto, Florida, U. S. Senatorial Candidate, Belinda Noah says there could be a silver lining in the negative preliminary report from President Bush’s Tax Reform Panel which was tasked with suggesting fundamental changes to how Americans are taxed.

“Members of Congress are well aware of the fact that Americans and American corporations are screaming for real tax reform, not just this wishy-washy junk reported out of the committee. The President did not empanel them to just tinker around the edges of the present tax code. He asked for real and meaningful tax reform, something like the FairTax.”

“But, the tax reform panel, in effect, threw the tax reform hot potato back into the laps of the President and Congress. They may just as well have said that there is nothing wrong with the current code except the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). The mortgage deduction reduction is going to really sit well with the Hollywood crowd and with the recommendation that Congress put a cap on the health insurance write-offs...well there goes company paid dependent coverage. The Unions are really going to love that one!

“The founding fathers of the United States declared that a tax on income was incompatible with liberty so they made it un-constitutional.

The onerous income tax is the real reason American companies are being forced to move their headquarters offshore, resulting in millions of Americans loosing their jobs. It is also resulting in an increasing number of bankruptcies,” Dr. Noah stated.

Noting Americans for Fair Taxation’s Chairman Leo Linbeck’s comment that well-heeled lobbyists are manipulating the federal tax code for profit, “The time is right to scrap a tax code that hides the real tax burden from us, artificially inflates prices while holding down wages.” explained, Dr Noah. “That is why I am foursquare behind the FairTax Act now in the U.S. Senate, will co-sign on the Bill and work for its passage when I am elected to the Senate in 2006.”


She is right on.

Nothing else to say.

-End of Ramble

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Fair Tax Rally Time

The President has put together a Tax Reform Panel that is flat out refusing to look at the Fair Tax because it is too risky.

Let them know how you feel now!

White House:

The number for the White House switchboard is 202-456-1414
Call The President's Comment Line:
Monday through Friday
9:00am through 5:00pm EDST
Telephone number 202-456-1111

Web Site for Tax Reform Panel comments can be made HERE.

I also recommend that you contact your Congressman, Senator, and Governor.

-END of Ramble

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

More on why we need to end big government

Check out this article at the Boston Herald. Can you believe what are hard earned tax dollars are going to?

Does this not enrage you? If you are not mad, you are not paying attention.

-End of Ramble

White House Library now has the Quran

Can you believe it? President Bush stated yesterday that the White House Library now has a copy of the Quran. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

I have asked young Americans to study the language and customs of the broader Middle East. And for the first time in our nation's history, we have added a Koran to the White House Library. (Applause.)


President Bush, have you ever read the thing? Do you realize that it tells the people to KILL US (we are the infidels).

I can only hope that it is a "Know thy enemy".

Geesh.

-End of Ramble

Monday, October 17, 2005

The Alternative Minimum Tax

Check out this article...

This is case in point why we need the Fair Tax NOW!

The Alternative Minimum Tax is going to come a bite every American very hard, right in the butt, where your wallet was.

-End of Ramble

Friday, October 14, 2005

Feds' want to get the money while they can!

If this doesn't bring you to support the Fair Tax, what will?
Lower Tax Breaks for homeowners
What do we do now! Work to pass the Fair Tax, that's what! Many peoples homes are now worth more than $300k due to the housing boom, even though that's not what people paid for them. See my links on the side of this page, or just go to the Fair Tax web site. This has GOT to stop. The Government does not deserve any more of our money!

-End of Ramble

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

It took a Lawyer to make this happen?

I love Yahoo!, I really do, but come on! They knew that there were sickos out there and it took a lawyer to get them to shut this stuff down?

Yahoo shutters pedophile chats

What is up with that? Do they not monitor thier site for this kind of stupidity?

- End of Ramble

Belinda Noah for Senate!

I added a link to Dr. Noah's blog. Check this out Floridians!

Dr. Belinda Noah's Blog

Noah 2006 Site

A great alternative to Bill Nelson and Katherine Harris. She supports the Fair Tax, and feels that Healthcare and our Nations Security are #1 priorities.

Go Belinda Go!

-End of Ramble

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Moral Poverty in the wake of Katrina

A great article was recently forwarded to me from World Net Daily by the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson. The Reverend Peters is exposing us to a commentary on how there was a large number of New Orleans residents that were waiting for the Government to come to thier aid, instead of taking care of themselves and thier families first. I find this quote most telling:

All Americans must tell blacks this truth. It was blacks' moral poverty – not their material poverty – that cost them dearly in New Orleans. Farrakhan, Jackson, and other race hustlers are to be repudiated – they will only perpetuate this problem by stirring up hatred and applauding moral corruption.


Please take a look at the article.

-End of Ramble

Friday, October 07, 2005

The Internet is in Danger from the UN!

Internet is in Danger from the UN

Nealz Newz again. Read this article. Scary. Isn't it bad enough that they want to punish us (that is Americans) for causing Global Warming through Kyoto? What is the UN going to do about China then? Are we going to go "Least Common Denominator" and say that everything should be censored?

Egad!

-End of Ramble

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Which border to protect first?

There has been alot of "Conservative" press lately about protecting our borders. Every time you see Hannity lately he's on the Mexican border saying how the border patrol needs more help, etc. I agree. The border patrol needs more help. The Mexican border is a problem.

Now we have a petition to put a fence up between the US and Mexico. Great Idea.

One Question... What about Canada? Over the years we have had many AWOL individual "escape" to Canada to avoid their service to this country. One article I read recently discusses how a man who was AWOL for a year escaped to Canada using his Military ID. Now, if it's that easy for us to get into Canada, how hard is it for others to get into the US from Canada?

Especially when you have things like Sharia Law being proposed in Canada. And the large wooded areas along the border where you could walk through undetected.

Thoughts?

-End of Ramble

Monday, October 03, 2005

Neal Boortz and Nealz Nuze today

Boortz is right on today!

I love this quote he has on there...
The Nuze will be a bit sparse today .... let's just say that the Talkmaster slept in a bit. There is something I wanted you to read though. Daniel Webster wrote this on June 1, 1834. It is oh so true today:

"I apprehend no danger to our country from a foreign foe . . . Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence, I must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants, and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men, and become the instruments of their own undoing. Make them intelligent, and they will be vigilant; give them the means of detecting the wrong, and they will apply the remedy."


Read the rest on his site. It's awesome.

-End of Ramble

A link on the Alaska Bridge

Seattle Times Article

Here you go. So it's not $50BB as I heard that night, but still, as the article state:

The next-largest chunk in Alaska's award is $223 million to help build another bridge: an estimated $315 million project connecting Ketchikan, population 8,000, with neighboring Gravina Island, population 50.


$223 million for a population of 50? Thats $4,460,000 per resident. Doesn't that seem a little crazy?

-End of Ramble

Welfare and Voting

Homeless Organization promotes voter registration

Well, just starting my research and I come across this on the National Homeless site. Now, if you have people that have the greatest to gain from government programs voting, do you really think they will vote to remove those who continue to support government programs?

There is a comment to my Meeting of the Mouths post that asks:

What about the single mom whose husband won't pay support and can't find a good job? No vote for her?


My first reaction was "Get a Job". My second reaction is "Get a Job". What I would say is that if you are on Welfare that does not preclude you from voting, what it says is that it shouldn't be sponsered by the Welfare office or, for that mater, Homeless organizations. If you can stand on your own two feet, you can get a productive Job. Child Welfare is not precluded because the mother is working. There are plenty of opportunities to help the children, and the single mother, and if she wants to register to vote, then Yes, she can vote, but don't make it manditory because she is registering herself or her kids for Welfare.

That simple. Voting is a RIGHT in this country, it is not compulsory. That simple. No One should be forced to regiser to vote to recieve social programs... PERIOD.

-End of Ramble

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Meeting of the Mouths update

I had the privilege of attending Meeting of the Mouths 3 at the TD Waterhouse Center last night (30 Sep 05). It's an odd story how I got tickets, so I have to share it.

A friend of mine's brother rents a flat to the personal assistant for James Carville (one of the speakers at MOM3.) Through this contact he got two tickets to the show. We had no idea where the tickets would be at, and were very surprised to find out that we were on the floor, in the second row, right in front of the stage! It was awesome.

For those of you who don't know, MOM3 included James Carville, Neal Boortz, Sean Hannity, Clark Howard, and was moderated by Neil Cavuto. It was a very interesting group, with Hannity and Carville on the extremes. Howard and Cavuto both with great business sense, and Boortz brought his own sense Libertarian views just to stir the pot a bit.

I was sporting my brand new "Fair-Tax" t-shirt, and given the proximity got the chance to ah, express my opinion, when I felt it was necessary about supporting the Fair Tax. At one point I got a smile from Neal Boortz :D.

Overall the program centered on Iraq, Rebuilding New Orleans, and the fiduciary responsibility (or lack thereof) of our elected officials. One comment that hit home for me was that our elected officials should be fearful of loosing their jobs, which they do not seem to be. Perhaps we need to express our voting muscle to that effect. Some additional comments:

1. There is a pork barrel project that is some $50BB dollars to build a bridge in Alaska that will serve a large community of 50 people. Is that not just silly?

2. James Carville (who is a pretty good pulse of the Democratic Party) feels that the deciding issue for the 2008 election is going to be Energy, that Hillary will run in 2008, and that Iraq should be left to "Divide itself" into the Kurds, the Sunni's and the Shities. This got a lot of discussion.

3. In Colorado there is a law on the books that limits the amount of spending increase to the growth of the population and the GDP. This is a great idea and one we should look at implementing at the Federal level.

4. We need to help our Representatives in Congress and the Senate understand that their job is to do our will, "We the People", and they should all fear for their jobs!

5. Carrying Point 4 a little further... A Republican controlled Congress, A Republican Controlled Senate, and a Republican President and we have a 33% increase in spending in the past 5 years! They should consider this if they want to maintain their majority. The American people will not continue to put up with the frivolous spending that has been occurring.

6. Welfare reciepients are registered to vote when they sign up for Welfare! I have to do more research on this, but come on! If you are on Welfare, you don't get to vote!

Well, that's about it for now. If I think of more... I'll give it a post...

-End of Ramble

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

More to support the sound bite world we live in...

Katrina Takes a Toll on Truth, News Accuracy - Los Angeles Times

This article supports all the running around like chicken little that happened after Katrina. The News Media was trying to out perform each other so much that they actually self fulfilled their own prophecy.

-End of Ramble.

A sound bite nation!

Washington Monthly Article

This is exactly what the world is reacting to. We see sound bites and assume the worst. We here comments from people like Kanye West and think "Well maybe Bush does hate black people". We are like Brook Trout, or Lemmings, or any other comparison you want to make to animals who just suck in what is given to us.

Stop it... Stop assuming that a) everyone is out to get everyone else and b) what you here in the media is the end all beat all truth. You know what the best thing that could happen to this country is? The end of the force feeding of our brains from the Cathode Ray nipple.

Turn off the TV. I know, it hurts, but TURN IT OFF. Pay attention to your family. Go talk to others at the water cooler. Go toss a baseball with your kids.

- End of Ramble.

Monday, September 26, 2005

DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2005�

DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2005

Barbara, Barbara, Barbara...

What give you the right to say such crap? Are you a scientist? Nope. Your just a has been actor / singer. Get over yourself.

Friday, September 23, 2005

Independent Online Edition > Americas : app1

This is global warming, says environmental chief
JUNK SCIENCE is what this should be titled.

If this was global warming, then explain how it happened in 1900! Or before that!

Asked about characterising them as "loonies", he said: "There are a group of people in various parts of the world ... who simply don't want to accept human activities can change climate and are changing the climate."


Who, exactly, does not want to accept this? I don't think that anyone would ever agree with that statement. Human activity will continue to affect the environment and the climate. This is classic double speak. Say that people don't get it, but don't quantify what 'it' is exactly. Let's just make sweeping changes like getting rid of all hydrocarbons. But what will be there to replace them?

Sir John, do you like electricity? Do you like transporation? Do you really understand E=MC2?

Sir John said: "Increasingly it looks like a smoking gun. It's a fair conclusion to draw that global warming, caused to a substantial extent by people, is driving increased sea surface temperatures and increasing the violence of hurricanes."


It's a fair conclusion? Really? Sir John, you are making a statement about Global Warming based on data since 1970. The last time we had this many hurricanes in this part of the world was in the early 1900's!

It's cyclical. Get over it and stop pushing your agenda.

-End of Ramble

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Hurricane Rita spins toward Texas, Gulf Coast - Hurricanes' Wrath - MSNBC.com

Hurricane Rita spins toward Texas, Gulf Coast - Hurricanes' Wrath - MSNBC.com

This article is a good example of what a proper Mayor and Governor are supposed to do when faced with the knowledge of a huge storm.

You could say that this is because of Katrina... Or you could also say that they are just executing on their disaster plans... Either way, it is what should have happened in New Orleans.

Now, when this is all said and done, is the Government going to ask us for more money to rebuild? I don't know about you, but my wallet feels light already from all the Taxes I have to pay.

-End of Ramble

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

I found this quote at the Narrow blog...

Louis Farrakhan on the New Orleans flood and specifically the levee breaches:


"I heard from a very reliable source who saw a 25 foot deep crater under the levee breach. It may have been blown up to destroy the black part of town and keep the white part dry,"


Really?

Mr. Farrakhan, you have been known for some outrageous stuff, but who is your "Reliable Source"? Who has had the time to look?

Oh, and lets talk Fluid Dynamics and Physics for a second...

As the levies were topped by the water, they "Dug out" under the concrete wall. When the wall fell and the water continued to rush through the gap, it is going to pick up more sediment and send it all over the place (check out all the mud left after the water is pumped out...)

Get a grip. The Government, White people, whoever you are blaming, are not looking to save the white areas and destroy the black areas... Oh, by the way, Why would a BLACK mayor do this? Or, more to the point, why are there White and Black areas at all? Why is there this separation? Why see color in everything? Why can't we all just be Americans?

-End of Ramble

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Excellent letter on the FairTax...

Fair Tax Link

Just some of the excellent letters being written to support the Fair Tax. Write your congress person! Right your Senator!

The Fair Tax puts us (Americans) back in control.

"Taxes should be continued by annual or biennial reeactments,
because a constant hold, by the nation, of the strings of
the public purse is a salutary restraint from which an honest
government ought not wish, nor a corrupt one to be permitted,
to be free."

-- Thomas Jefferson (letter to John Wayles Eppes, 24 June 1813)

Reference: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Library of Congress,
American Memory Collection

- End of Ramble

Friday, September 16, 2005

I, as a taxpayer, don't want any of my money going for this!

MTV.com - think - Headlines - Bush Unveils Ambitious Plan To Help New Orleans 'Rise Again'

I saw a bumper sticker today that said "If you are not outraged, you are not paying attention". I'm outraged, how about you?

Estimates for this "clean up" and New Orleans "Rising again" are $200 BILLION (yes, billion, with a B, or

$200,000,000,000!

Oh, yea, and poor old Florida, who also got hit with Katrina (Category 1, but still) ... GETS... NOTHING!

Now, here is a thought. How about this? Let's make the entire area a tax free zone and give business an excuse to come back. People will have to come back to support the businesses. Viola! Economy recreated, no tax dollars spent. And, on top of that, we could use it as a place to 'test out' the FairTax.

A little money to help these people get back on their feet is a good thing. Unless my math is wrong, $200 Billion dollars is not a little money.

And, what I find is funny as well is that a bunch of the evacuees are deciding to stay where they were evacuated too... why? Because they can get jobs! These people want to become regular members of society! They just didn't have the means or the gumption to get out of where they were living. Now that's the American spirit.

President Bush, ignore all the crap about you "hating black people" and "hating the poor"! Don't give in to the pressure like this! Help these people get back on their feet, but don't give away the farm! It is not the Government's job to rebuild businesses, it is the owner's of those businesses. Make it attractive for them, and they will do it all on their own.

-- End of Ramble

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

VW Polo Ad? Not Really!

Fake VW Polo Ad at Snoopes

And now for something completely different...

Just for fun... I was getting too serious. You can read the rest of the Snoops article if you want, but at least watch the ad...

Bush Accepts Blame for Slow Hurricane Response - Yahoo! News

Bush Accepts Blame for Slow Hurricane Response - Yahoo! News

Hmmm... What is happening here? Why would President Bush do this? Let's see what he actually said:

"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government," he said. "And to the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility."

"... to the fullest extent that the federal government didn't dully do its job right ..."

Yes, he takes the blame for the federal component... so he is taking "the high road", so where does that leave Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco? This humble blogger believes in the republic that was founded when this country was started over 200 years ago, to escape a monarchy. Why do we continue to look towards the oval office as if it was Buckingham Palace? There is no "king", or "queen" in the United States of America. We have local governments, who are responsible for the people. We have state governments who shoulder still other burdens FOR THE PEOPLE. We have the Federal government which shoulders even larger burdens FOR THE PEOPLE.

We have people everywhere running around looking to blame someone (Hey, even Robert Kennedy, Jr. is blaming Bush for the Hurricane itself! see “For They That Sow the Wind Shall Reap the Whirlwind”) instead of just helping those in need. We have people hurting. Instead of playing politics Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco, how about serving those who elected you?

As for the President taking blame... Yes, he was right to do that, but what are the politics in play here?

- End of Ramble

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Slowness of recovery of Katrina dead criticized - Yahoo! News

Slowness of recovery of Katrina dead criticized - Yahoo! News

Now FEMA can't clean up the dead fast enough. Never mind that the pumps are just now making headway.

Besides, FEMA is a money organization. There goal is to deliver the funds and hire the people to make this stuff happen. They don't actually go in and pick up the bodies! Or do any of the work. What is Ms. Blanco expecting?

I still maintain that we need to just keep the parts of New Orleans that are actually ABOVE water, and let the rest go. And how about that polluted cesspool known as Lake Ponchitrain? That has now got to be the ultimate Super Fund site (as if it wasn't before!)

Where are the Sierra Club? Where are the Environmentalists? Why aren't they DEMANDING that we don't rebuild?

- End of Ramble

Monday, September 12, 2005

MSNBC On the Scene: Katrina's aftermath

MSNBC Video Slideshow

One of the last statements in this slideshow is "We need think about how those levee's are built, and how they are rebuilt, and a public commitment to making that possible."

My Question: Why?

Why rebuild the Levee's? Why Rebuild all of New Orleans? This slideshow also talks about the 5 part series that the Times Picayune did on the vulnerability of the city. Part of that series talks about the environmental damage that has already been done to the outlying islands BEFORE Hurricane Katrina. Now they are probably completely gone. So the question becomes, is it worth it? Now that the damage is done, is New Orleans as it was, worth it?

How about moving it and it's port inland. How about building the oil refineries ABOVE sea level (as a requirement).

And is there an insurance company on the planet that will give insurance to these people after this?

What is the return on investment to rebuilding New Orleans? We live in a huge country. Couldn't these people rebuild in other parts of it? Places that intrinsically make more sense than living underwater?

- End of Ramble

Sunday, September 11, 2005

4th anniversary of the WTC bombing

9/11 Rememberance site

The Best Flash



On this, the fourth anniversary of the WTC bombing, I am moved to remember what happened to all of our fellow Americans. We must never forget that this act of war on our homeland was perpetrated by a ruthless, gutless bunch of scumbags who's only crazy, idiotic goal is to get into their version of Heaven where 72 virgins await them.

We really know that they are in hell, where they belong, as does their leader(s).

God Bless them, their families, and our troops who are fighting against these idiots.

- End of Ramble.

Friday, September 09, 2005

White House faces new questions on Katrina relief - Yahoo! News

White House faces new questions on Katrina relief - Yahoo! News

Like this is any different than any previous administration. They are all political appointees. Let's get real here -- We need to take back our country from these idiots. And no amount of idiots studing idiots to see what went wrong is going to solve this problem. ONLY WE CAN.

- End of Ramble

ABC News: Kanye West Rips Bush at Hurricane Aid Show

ABC News: Kanye West Rips Bush at Hurricane Aid Show

I know this has been covered over and over again, and I do not listen to this "persons" music, but what gives any celebrity the right to make the statements that Kayne West did? As Mr. West said "George Bush doesn't care about black people," the camera's cut away from him, but why would he feel this way?

I ask you, Mr. West, what prompted these statements? Has Mr. Bush shown some sort of disrespect for black people? People like Colin Powell? Condilezza Rice? I don't understand how you can claim that President Bush does not like black people, as he has shown no such tendancy.

All the comments I have seen in this area have been based on the fact that Florida (after getting hit with 4 hurricanes last year) got rapid response. Well, first off, Florida did not get any faster response than the states affected by Katrina. The difference here is that, at least in Florida, the community BANDED TOGETHER to help each other. They did not point fingers. They did not look for handouts. They picked themselves up, Black, White, Hispanic, Asian... didn't matter ... And got themselves back on track. Instead we see looting on TV. We see people looking for hand outs. I don't care what your race is, if you are looting TV's you are a thief. Thief's will be dealt with according to the law.

-End of Ramble

Thursday, September 08, 2005

go be stupid somewhere else on Flickr - Photo Sharing!




This man has it all figured out. His comments are right on, as is his sign in this picture.

We all need to be worried about how to help these people, not who to blame.

"i am fed up with all the dumb comments i am getting on my photos of the effects of hurricane katrina within my city. i've been trying to take photos of what has happened within baton rouge as a result of us attempting to absorb as many people as possible from the new orleans metro area. i've attempted to show some beauty in the midst of this tragedy - the faces of the kids, the story's of people making it through the pain, and tales of people sharing whatever they have. yet some people who have viewed these photos have taken these pictures as an opportunity to blame the conservative and the liberals, the blacks and the whites, the city of new orleans, state of louisiana, and the country. these pictures are not meant to be an opportunity for you to use this horrific event for your own racist or political agendas. now is not the time for blame or political posturing. now is the time to help as many people as possible. you can start a forum somewhere else later and blame as many people as you would like.so here's the one and only warning for the idiots among us. if you post a comment laying blame on anyone i will delete it. if you do it again i will put you on my block list. if you decided that these photos are the spot where you should post some dumb rumors that do nothing more than scare people you will be sadly disappointed because i will delete them. if you post more rumors i will block you. if you post a racist statement or a statement that tears into louisiana, baton rouge, or the new orleans metro area i will delete it and block you automatically.now GO BE STUPID SOMEWHERE ELSE!"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ratterrell/40634731/in/photostream/

-End of Ramble

Freedom, the gift to Americans paid for by Americans

Freedom is a gift, given by the blood of many Americans. What drives those who have given, and are willing to give their lives for our freedom? The values and morals of our American Society. If we continue to globalize our society, and erode our American society, what is there to fight for? What will drive anyone to protect what they don’t understand?

The real enemy is our own capacity to forget where we came from and that we are all AMERICANS.

America... What do we stand for anymore? When our schools teach liberal drivel centered on Secular Humanisim and Internationalism (and call it Multicultural Tolerance!). We currently have people willing to DIE for our freedom... But do we appreciate it? Do we know what it is about? Do we remember the FACT that this country was founded by a group of Puritans escaping persecution in the Europe that THE LIBERALS THINK WE SHOULD COW TOW TOO????

We are Americans. We used to be proud of this country. Of what we stood for. Of the melting pot of this society. What happened that now we blame the Democrats, or the Republicans? It is not one parties fault or another parties fault, it is our own apathy. We have brought this on ourselves by letting the foxes watch the hen house while they fill the young minds of this country with garbage. No single party, no single human, has gotten us where we are today. Stop blamestorming and look in the mirror... Go, be with your children. Teach them the proper history of this country. Show them the truth, for it will set you free. Teach them about right and wrong, based on the same thing that the founding fathers based this great country on.

"When values are clear, laws are unnecessary. When values are not clear, laws are unenforceable." -- Goethe.

If you Don't stand for something, you will fall for anything!

-End of Ramble

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

The Federal Government and Katrina

So, I can't take it anymore...

If you are an American taxpayer you need to be upset. Today, in the wake of hurricane Katrina, with people out of homes, looking for the basics of life, our Government is looking to form a commission to study what went wrong! You have GOT to be kidding me...

And how much will this commission cost? $10MM? $20MM? Wouldn't that money be better spent on the actual victims? All told four states experienced serious damage from Katrina...

1. Florida
2. Louisiana
3. Alabama
4. Mississippi

Of those four states, Louisiana is the only one that is having issues with the Federal Government response. I would bet that they are getting most of the resources right now because they are the proverbial "Squeaky Wheel".

Today I heard a quote from Nancy Pelosi where she is quoted as saying something to the effect that (I'm paraphrasing here) the President needs only to look in the mirror to see where the problem is. Really? FEMA has been doing a great job in the other three states. The problem is not with FEMA, nor the Federal Government on this one. Nancy, the persons that need to look in the mirror are the Mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of the state of Louisiana...

Let's not WASTE more money on another commission that will only try to point blame at the President. What good will that do for the people affected by Katrina? Who's pockets will get lined?

As a Taxpayer, I would like my money back so I can give it to the Red Cross, the United Way, or some other Charity that is actually interested in helping the people.

End of Ramble.