Dedicated_Dad

We're DONE. Time to get busy!

2012-02-04T08:43:00.000-08:00

Well...

Once again, my reaction to someone's blog post (pops) wouldn't fit in the comment form, so ...

Between this, and the obvious fact that Ron Paul is being forced into accepting a position immediately behind and 3-feet lower than mitt-for-brains (pops), I'm now at long last forced to accept a rather harsh reality: We're DONE.

At this point, America exists only in history books, and in the hearts and minds of a few - we happy few, we Band of Brothers.

At this point there may be Three Percent (pops) who REALLY understand and appreciate the genius that was Our Founders' (PBUT) Republic. If we're lucky, there may be another 7-10% who know it was infinitely preferable to what we have now.

My first thought: "We're FOOKED."
My second: "wait a minute..."

It's taken me a LOT of sleepless nights to come to this realization, and I almost missed it: We're in the same place Our Founders (PBUT) were in.

Let's examine that a bit...

"Three Percent?" -- Check!
"Ten Percent?" -- Check!
"90+% who really just don't want anybody rocking the boat?" -- Check!
"Tyrannical Government?" -- Check!
"World's most capable .mil under the control of the tyrant(s)?" -- Check-MINUS!
"Backup bunch of Hessians (pops) who are much more evil foes (pops) than the aforementioned .mil?" -- Check! (pops)

Yup -- We're pretty damn close to EXACTLY where Our Founders (PBUT) "Found" themselves!

*THEY* however managed to **FOUND** ***AMERICA***!!

WE ARE NO MORE (and granted - no LESS) F***ED THAN **THEY** WERE!

From where I sit, we have several distinct advantages that they never had -- not the least of which is that THEY were trying to build something that had never existed, except in their imaginations.

THEY had no template to follow, and were pretty much making it up as they went along.

*WE* OTOH not only know how this is SUPPOSED to work, but we have the benefit of 230-odd years of history. We KNOW where we went wrong, and what we got right. We're in a better position than they were to create something that worked...

Yeah.... I haven't forgotten that there's a whole lot of ugly between here and Restoration... THEY survived it, and I'm pretty confident we can too...

No - the Redcoats didn't have Predators and Reapers, but then again I'm pretty confident that when things kick off here we're going to have some of EVERYTHING they have, or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof.

They also didn't have MREs or MSS at Valley Forge, or a population of 300-million-plus to hide in!

They didn't have Sub-MOA rifles, BDC optics or suppressors - which combine to make it possible for one "gray man" to take out damn near any tyrant he chooses...

Let's be honest: The only reason Boner's still wasting oxygen is because nobody REALLY wants him dead.

There are literally MILLIONS of people here in This Place Where America Used To Be who could take him out from 600 yards if they so chose.

Note for the Fibbies and other slow-kids: I'm not threatening him or anyone else, I'm not calling for anyone to hurt him or anyone else -- I'm just saying what you know to be true but don't dare speak aloud: When the $#!+ FINALLY breaks off, it's going to be @$$-ugly for anyone not living deep underground in a very real fortress!

Granted - with all the technology at their disposal, The Enemy will likely make short work of the Patriot who decides to go for someone like Boner.

Whoever decides to go for one of Them isn't likely to make it home after - but every time a Boner becomes pink mist, another Patriot will become emboldened, and every time The Enemy overreacts, ten or a hundred more Patriots will find their BALLS!

We're in a world of hurt. We've got some truly horrible times ahead of us.

Personally, right at this moment I feel better than I have in a long, long time.

Have you ever had to face a major, painful surgery? I have - and I need another one.

There's a period when you first find out what's needed when you really DREAD it. You try to put it off, try every other alternative.... Almost ANYTHING other than just buckle down and get it over with.

As the alternatives are exhausted, there's this sense of creeping despair that goes along with it...

Then the day finally comes when you realize the unpleasant reality that you're not going to be able to avoid it. You're going to have to go through the pain and struggle, but you ALSO know that thousands of other people have been through it before you, THEY survived and their lives are much better as a result.

When all the avoidance is done, when you finally realize that you have no real option but to face it and get THROUGH it, there's this odd sense of RELIEF...

THAT is what I feel right now.

Granted - NOBODY in their right mind would WANT to go through what we're going to have to face, but we CAN handle it, and we'll be much better off on the other side.

If we have no choice, if G*d will not "let this cup pass" from us, then we're just going to have to suck it up and say "let's get this $#!+ over with!

No need to be in a hurry - we've still got work to do and time to do it - but make no mistake about where we're headed: If Our Founders could do it, SO CAN WE!

God help us - and God Save Our Republic!!

UPDATE: More On Our Third-World Election System!

2012-01-25T17:18:00.000-08:00

Note: Original embed broken, I found another and inserted...
=========================================

In an update to my previous post on our ridiculously insecure elections, I submit the following:

I found a documentary entitled "Hacking Democracy" which should be required viewing for all citizens!

Yes, it's long - but trust me when I say there's VERY little that you might have to do that's MORE important than *THIS*!

Make the time.

Watch the vid.

Then GET MAD!

It's time we took our Republic back!

Long _PAST time, actually....

"FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS? NOT HERE!!

2012-01-07T14:27:00.000-08:00

"You know, comrades," says Stalin,
"...I consider it completely unimportant
who in the party will vote, or how;
but what is extraordinarily important is this —
who will count the votes, and how!"

In a few months, we'll all go to the polls to select our next President, ALL of our House of Representatives, and 1/3 of the Senate.

I think few would dispute that this is one of the most important elections in the history of our Republic - and that its literal future will be decided by this election!

Many of us are intensely worried about the slate of candidates, but that should be the LEAST of our worries!

Electronic voting machines are used all over our country. Every single one of them is a black-hole for your vote.

Sure - it SAYS it recorded what you voted, but HOW DO WE KNOW IT REALLY RECORDED THE VOTES WE CAST?

The fact is WE DON'T KNOW!

We CAN'T know!

Further, it has been demonstrated over and over that these electronic voting machines are easily manipulated!

Take this article for example (pops) - which shows that an eighth-grader, with no real special knowledge, could take over all the votes in a machine - with $26 worth of parts - and thereafter control it via remote-control from outside the building in the parking-lot!

But... You're probably thinking what I did -- that the odds of someone being able to open up the machines and insert hardware is not very likely -- surely they keep them in a secure area, right?

WRONG!

In many places, poll workers take the machines home for a "slumber party" for several days before an election! (pops)

A single worker could potentially steal enough votes to turn a district, which with only a surprisingly small number of districts would be enough to turn the nation!

But it gets even worse! Even in states where the machines are kept "under lock and key" the people who hold the keys -- the ones responsible for ensuring the machines aren't tampered with -- are members of the infamous "SEIU" ("State Employees) union! (pops)

You know -- the same SEIU Union who supported ACORN, and whose boss is one of the most frequent visitors to Obama's white-house?! (pops)

TALK ABOUT "LETTING THE FOX GUARD THE HEN-HOUSE!!!"

But let's even ignore all of THAT - because the sad reality is that even if every poll-worker, every technician, even every SEIU member were 100% honest, it is trivially simple for anyone to tamper with the machine right in the polling place, in the time it takes for an average person to cast their vote!

All it takes is to unlock the simple little lock on the side of the machine, insert a memory-card with a virus on it, then restore the original card back into the machine!

How do you unlock it? With keys that are readily available in every hardware store in the country!

You can actually unlock our voting machines - the basis of our REPUBLIC! - with the key from your hotel minibar or jewelry box! (pops)

For a while, Diebold even had the picture of the key (pops) on their website -- so some smart guy could hand-file a key to match -- and some smart guy DID! (pops)

The picture is still available on the 'net for those who might have missed it on Diebold's site -- or then there's this guy (for one example) who makes sure it remains available... here's all you need ! (pops)

Or, just pick the lock in under 10 seconds - search you tube for "how to pick a lock" (pops) for thousands of tutorials! With even a little practice, ANYONE could pick those cheezy little locks in under 10 seconds with tools made themselves from the aforementioned YT videos!

Another "Gem" from the Princeton report: the "Secret pin" for these machines is "1111" -- can you believe it?!

Once the Virus is installed, it can easily throw ANY election and be undetectable! (pops)

But don't the workers test the machines before the election? Yes - but the virus can easily step around this! (pops)

What about after-testing? Don't they check the machines? Not usually - but even if they did, as noted in the video the virus will erase all its tracks!

How does machine get infected? Well, it could even be done by a voter!

Let's say you wanted to steal the election in your district. You just show up early to "vote", "fix" the machine while you're in the "booth" and you'll steal votes all day!

If you and (say) 10 friends all go in at the same time you can easily do every machine in the place - especially if you have a couple of "stupid" people (ie: accomplices pretending to need help) with you to distract the poll-workers by pretending to need help while the rest of you "voters" are "fixing" all the machines!

Or, simply sign up as a poll-worker and you get to have a slumber-party with the machines -- AT YOUR HOUSE!

Our Government KNOWS ALL OF THIS -- here's a professor testifying and demonstrating this for CONgress, OVER FIVE YEARS AGO!

IN SUM, THEY KNOW ALL OF THESE VULNERABILITIES EXIST, AND EVEN AFTER HALF A DECADE NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE!

Now here's my question:

Why - since each machine has a printer built in - can't it print out a copy of each vote so the voter can verify, then place the paper in a locked/sealed box so that it could be used for a random recount/verification later? This would only require a simple code-change which any competent programmer could write in less than one day!

In this scenario, when you finish voting, the printer prints a "receipt" which you look at to verify your vote(s). Assuming it's right, you then put the paper in a sealed, locked box attached to the side of the voting machine. Heck, steel ammo-boxes with a slit cut in the top would be perfect for this, and cost next to nothing if obtained from the military as surplus!

For a long-run solution, all that would be needed would be a receipt-printer (cost: less than $200 - no doubt less in quantity) (pops) attached to each machine.

These printers are used in most stores today, and use a 2-part tape. The "top copy" is torn off and given to the customer - in this case the voter - to verify his vote.

The second copy is rolled up inside the machine, thus providing a "paper backup" of every vote cast!

This could be used to enable a random audit or even a full recount should circumstances require!

By doing this, and a random audit of (perhaps) 10% of all machines (comparing the "saved" tape to the final count from said machine) we could ensure that our elections are actually real and fair, and not being manipulated.

This is how this would work: At the close of polling, one machine in ten is randomly selected for audit. The poll-watchers count the votes on the paper-tape and compare them to the total "spit out" by the machine. If the electronic count matches the paper-count, all is well and the election can be assumed "fair."

If it does NOT match, it is counted again to be sure, then (assuming it fails again) *ALL* machines would need to be assumed to be compromised and all votes tallied by using the paper tapes.

THIS WOULD MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO STEAL AN ELECTION!

So why hasn't it been done?

To me, the answer is simple:

Stalin said it over 70 years ago:

"You know, comrades," says Stalin,
"...I consider it completely unimportant
who in the party will vote, or how;
but what is extraordinarily important is this —
who will count the votes, and how!"

They've got us arguing over "Voter-IDs" - but very few are talking about THIS!

Oh - and it's not just Diebold, either!
(pops)

If you're paying attention, you might have noticed that when we run elections in other countries, we take simple steps to ensure there's no fraud...

Why do you suppose we don't do something similar HERE?

For those still hankering for more, see http://www.blackboxvoting.org/BBVtsxstudy.pdf (pops) for a report from PA, or the full Princeton report here: https://jhalderm.com/pub/papers/ts-evt07-init.pdf (pops)

Those who read either will note that they were issued *FIVE YEARS AGO*.
FIVE.FULL.YEARS - and nothing has been done!

God help us -- and GOD SAVE OUR REPUBLIC!

I guess we should have known...

2011-12-16T06:27:00.000-08:00

I've heard grown-ups say we should have known - when they passed the law - what would happen, but we ALWAYS think "it can't happen HERE..." right? Besides - they ASSURED us that it would only be used against THEM - you know, the ENEMY!

It was what Dad used to call "Oh-Dark-Thirty" - the wee hours of the morning when people are most deeply asleep. We heard a loud CRASH, and then a bunch of shouting!

I stumbled out of bed and into the hallway, struggling to focus my eyes, and was slammed to the floor by a large man who was screaming "GET ON THE GROUND! GET ON THE GROUND!

I caught a glimpse of a HUGE guy dressed like a soldier - but all in black - before my face hit the floor... Then all I saw was stars.

It seems as if it was over as quickly as it had begun. Suddenly there was silence - all I could hear was my Mother and sister, quietly sobbing. I laid there for what seemed like a very long time - afraid to move - as I didn't want to get shot!

When I finally ginned up the courage to roll over and look around, I saw Mother and Sis curled up on their sides, still quietly crying. I crawled to them to be sure they were OK, then I began calling for Papa.

"They TOOK HIM!" Mama said.

Nobody knows why.

At least, nobody who will tell US!

We went downstairs and found our little dog Spot lying in the entry-hall. He had been shot. Why would those scary people shoot a little dog? I also found Sister's kitten in our front yard - they'd stomped on his head and killed him too! Sometimes it's hard - lying to her - but I'm glad she didn't see him that way...

We tried and tried - for MONTHS - to find out where they'd taken Papa, why -- heck, even WHO had taken him! At first they wouldn't even acknowledge that they knew who he WAS, then the answer became "Security of the Homeland!"

I've grown to HATE that phrase, as it's always delivered with a sneer, and a wave of the hand to tell you to "move along" before they yell "NEXT!"

"Security of the Homeland" - What does that even MEAN?

We felt secure in OUR home - until they broke down our door in the middle of the night and took Papa away. Now we have no "security" at all!

We went to talk to some people who Momma said might be able to help, but so far nothing. The man in the fancy offices with all the books said he would LIKE to help, then something about there being no "haybees corpse" but I don't know what that means either. Our name isn't "haybee" and ... well... I don't even like thinking about a "corpse" when I think about Papa.

The man from TV was actually rude to Mama. He told her to get out, that he wasn't interested in talking about terrorists! In a way I can't blame him - I still have nightmares about those terrorists who broke into our home and took Papa away! What if they come back for Mama?! What would happen to my sister and me?!

The think I MOST don't understand is the way all the other grown-ups are acting. My sister and I have no friends any more - nobody will play with us. My best friend told me that he wasn't allowed to any more - but he doesn't understand why any more than I do.

I think they're afraid that maybe some of the bad-luck will rub off on them, and make the terrorists come back and kidnap THEIR Papa....

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SO, dear reader....

Tell me: In which country is this story set?

Is it Russia in the '50s?

1940s Germany?

ONE thing is SURE: It DAMN sure ain't Our Founders' (PBUT) Republic!

But it will likely be Amerika in 2012!

Remember: Government NEVER shrinks, and powers granted are NEVER relinquished!

They needed access to bank account data to catch "deadbeat dads." Next it was "war on drugs" and now "terrorism" isn't even needed as an excuse - we all just accept that they look at our data.

Then there's the "drones." "We're only going to use them on the border." Now they're being used all over the country, for internal/civilian "law enforcement."

These Gestapo tactics are currently (supposedly) reserved for "Al Qaeda and its affiliates."

IF That's actually true, I give it about a week before they pick up the first "lone-wolf right-wing terrorist" (read:person who just wants to be left alone).

Someday we'll have had enough and do what needs to be done to take back our Republic.

Just saying so probably just earned ME a trip to Guantanamo - maybe I'll see you there...

On the bright side, I hear the weather is WONDERFUL!

Ancient History -- How I Stood Up To A Gang of Inbred Morons...

2011-07-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

THIS POST at "Straight Forward..." made me think about something that happened ~15+ years ago....

But for the Grace of G*d, I could be in prison like the poor man the post is about...

You might find something useful here - at least it's a semi-interesting story...

I once wound up on the wrong side of some local thugs. It was a pretty "backward" sort of area -- one of those semi-rural places where time seems to get a bit warped - in many ways it was 40+ years behind the times though also suffering the scourge of meth and other late-90's problems...

The inbreeds in question were three brothers ranging from ~35-45-ish, 2 of them were married, and all lived in the same house... Needless to say, their gene-pool was more than a little shallow... They were all known collectively as "The Smith Boys*" - and the biggest troublemaker in the bunch was the youngest/smallest one who was called "Little Will*" (*Not real names - no point inviting more trouble in case they ever meet someone who can both read AND use the 'net...)

Over the years they'd ganged up on so many people in the area that neither dared leave home without the other 2 - afraid of being caught-out alone and having karma come home to roost -- so they all worked together as well...

A man who previously had an altercation with them similar to mine, and pressed charges, was later found beaten nearly to death. He's been in a "head-injury institution" ever since -- he'll spend the rest of his "life" drooling on himself, being spoon-fed and wearing diapers.

Everyone in the area KNOWS who did it - there's no doubt whatsoever - but there's no indisputable evidence to tie them to the crime and the "victim" is unfortunately incapable of testifying... Ergo these morons are still running around loose...

For the record, I didn't know ANY of this until it was too late for it to matter, really...

Also, just to help you "see" the story, I'm a pretty small guy all-in-all -- about 5'9/170... In my younger days I LOVED to fight, and sought out side-jobs at night/weekends as a bartender or bouncer in some pretty rough bars... While never really was a true "bad-@$$", I can truthfully say nobody's ever wanted to fight me twice (except one poor fool - but that's another story)...

As I got older and matured, I studied some conflict-avoidance stuff, body-language and etc - and learned to defuse situations and talk people down so the fights I used to enjoy never needed to happen. I was pretty good at it too -- this was the only time it didn't work -- but I digress...

In short, one of them attacked me without provocation one night on my side-job as a bartender. The woman who owned the bar had ordered them to leave and they'd refused - she went to her office to call police.

We'd been successful in turning this place around, from a bar where the cops were needed every night to the point that it had been MONTHS before this night since they'd needed to be called... This was VERY good for business, and the owner rewarded me appropriately -- so I didn't want to blow my record!

I -- VERY meekly, hands in pockets, non-confrontational body-language etc. (as always) tried to "keep the peace" and convince them to go before police arrived. After they threatened me too, I turned to walk away and got "sucker-punched" by the "little one" (ain't it ALWAYS the "little one"? - but I digress)...

I saw the punch coming, and rolled with it - thus taking most of the impact out... Even so, he'd rocked me pretty good -- this guy was obviously well-practiced at the "sucker-punch knockout", a fact which I was later to learn was much more true than I thought... But again I digress...

Having absorbed his punch, I turned around and looked the punk in the eye, smiled, and said

"See... NOW you done f***ed up!"

His two GIGANTIC brothers then stood up behind him - I took a step back and bumped into someone - and realized that literally every other man in the bar was standing behind ME...

I did what I could to defuse the situation -- and the inbreds decided that leaving would be smart though they continued to run their mouths as they headed for the door just as the cops arrived. All three went out in handcuffs...

In hindsight I SHOULD have attacked, and let nature take its course -- as the result would have been these three getting a well-deserved and OH-SO-LONG-OVERDUE beating -- but I didn't know any of the "history" of these morons at the time...

After stewing for a bit, finding out who they were, and DETERMINED to have what revenge I could get -- I pressed charges against the one who hit me. They - all 3 plus 2 "cousins" who weren't even present - filed "counter" charges claiming I assaulted *them* -- all 5 of them!

When the court-date arrived, I went pro-se, simply cross-examining each by asking him to stand and state his height and weight, and repeat his accusation against me. On "direct" with their Attorney, all five of their parroted story was laughable - I even noticed Hizzonner rolling his eyes...

My only witness was the Lady who owned the bar who recounted the events of the evening and stressed my non-violent nature and my long-demonstrated ability to defuse situations and "talk down" even the most incorrigible characters. I made sure we really PUSHED the point that since I'd gone to work for her the nightly fights had ended, and the police hadn't been called there in MONTHS!

She also told the story of seeing me trying to talk them down, pointed out /described my "tricks" of body-language and etc and how I'd taught her other staff to do the same sort of things... I'd done a good job of "rehearsing" with her to be sure she'd get the points out that I needed to make -- though it was all probably unnecessary... Everyone (including Hizzonner and all the court-staff) knew the bar and how much better things had gotten -- they also knew my inbred-opponents -- at least by reputation...

Prosecutor agreed to just let me "make a statement" in leiu of "testimony" -- I was sworn, but I just reiterated what THEY had said, pointed out the sum-total of these boys' height and weight, and the fact that their claim that I'd just randomly attacked all 19-feet-plus/780#-plus of THREE of them for no apparent reason was simply LUDICROUS. I didn't even bother telling my own version of events...

The Prosecutor elected not to cross-examine me, and noted for Hizzonner the "commissioner's" notes that I had obvious facial-injuries consistent with my "version of events" when I came in to swear out my warrant -- it was pretty clear what HE thought of their counter-charges...

Hizzonner found the "little one" guilty of aggravated assault and battery against me, charged all 5 with Perjury/false-swearing, etc -- he really nailed it to 'em...

All got reasonably substantial fines, the "little guy" got 180 days, but since it was his first conviction (yes, really!) 90 suspended pending successful completion of probation...

He also asked for and got "weekend jail", which meant he spent almost 2 years of weekends in the County-lockup, and this extended HIS probation to 7+ years...

He also had to pay a considerable fine, plus compensate me for lost-wages, expenses and etc...

In sum, that "sucker-punch" cost the "little one" over $10k, 2 years of weekends in jail and 5 years of probation AFTER that... IIRC the rest of them paid $2500 each for perjury and the 2 brothers another $5k for "false swearing" on the police report and the "warrant" they swore out on me -- plus probation as well...

Hizzonner also told them all point-blank that he henceforth considered THEM to be responsible for my personal-safety -- if ANYTHING happened to me, he'd see them in prison no matter WHO did it.

He also ordered them to stay away from me, away from the bar and etc.

The entire Court-staff was BEAMING - I even heard the Bailiff mocking their lawyer, saying "it's a damn shame when your clients' victim is a better attorney than YOU..."

Within days people began coming to me telling how these guys were offering $5000 to anyone who would beat me badly enough to put me in the hospital, and $10k if it was "permanent." The 3 started coming in the restaurant (attached) -- always sitting where they could look into the bar and make sure I saw them staring me down...

The police were called, came, and served them "notice of trespass" -- and the cops advised me to move away before *I* ended up in the "drool-cup palace" like their previous victim... I refused to be intimidated - I wasn't going anywhere...

As an aside, word also spread QUICLY about how I'd "taken his best sucker-punch and turned around and smiled at him" -- some of the more abrasive types suddenly became REAL POLITE in their dealings with me at the bar...

ONE drunk who'd apparently NOT heard got a bit pushy with me one night -- one of the local rednecks said "Duude -- I know he don't look like much, but I SAW this man take Little-Joe Smith's best sucker punch -- he turned around and SMILED at them! You really don't want to f*** with this dude!"

Still, I KNEW the inbreds weren't done with me -- so I started (illegally - no way to get a permit in my state) carrying a pistol in my pocket...

A few weeks later I went to put trash in the dumpster out back and found myself cornered in the chain-link dumpster-enclosure by these three. There was NO WAY anyone would hear me - I was as good as dead.

For reasons I really can't explain, in this area white-trash folks like this just didn't carry guns. It was a pretty "throwback" area -- knives, sticks, fists, boots etc. but no pistols for some reason... When I pulled out my pistol, their eyes got big as dinner-plates -- apparently they'd never considered the possibility that they might get SHOT!

Again - in hindsight - I really SHOULD have shot all three of them right there. No way in hell ANY Jury in that county would have found me guilty -- these three were that well-known and feared by almost everyone, mostly due to the aforementioned "vegetable"...

As it was, I merely put "the fear of G*D into them at pistol-point, and told them point-blank basically what I just said above -- that if I *EVER* saw either of them near me again I'd kill them without a second thought, and that no jury in the county would consider it ANYTHING BUT self-defense.

I kept the same (side) job for about a year - always carrying - and never did see any of them again. I eventually moved out of the area when I met a woman who later became my wife...

As a funny aside, over 10 years later I was passing through and stopped at the wal-mart in the town. I turned the corner into an aisle in the automotive-section and nearly banged into the "little one."

It took a minute for him to recognize me -- but when he did he put his hands up and backpedaled, saying "I don't want no trouble, Man!!"

Heart beating a million MPH I managed to stare him straight in the eye for a minute to be sure my voice wouldn't crack before saying "then WALK..." -- he did...

I've thought on this situation many times -- and this case makes me know more than anything else how LUCKY I was, really -- though I'm really surprised they were as terrified by the pistol as they turned out to be...

I'm still convinced I'd have walked, but G*D knows I'm glad I didn't end up having to shoot them...

I still don't think I'd change anything if I could - even if I "had it to do over again"...

How To Turn A Loyal Customer Into A MORTAL ENEMY: A Verizon Wireless Case Study

2011-07-20T21:14:00.000-07:00

We've all experienced the ongoing demise of "customer service." Anyone over 40 who is not enraged every time they visit a filthy McDonalds ("You've got time to lean, you've got time to CLEAN!") never worked in one as a youth.

It seems like everywhere I go any more, it's increasingly difficult to find any help at all -- and IMPOSSIBLE to find COMPETENT help.

During the "good economy" years this was somewhat understandable - everyone who WANTED a job had one, and those with a modicum of intelligence and any sort of work-ethic weren't working minimum-wage fast-food or retail jobs.

As the manager of a Wendy's -- to whom I'd complained about an EXCEPTIONALLY bad experience -- put it to me: "You want me to find people with a brain - I'm struggling just to find people with a PULSE!" -- again, the evidence of a good economy.

One would expect however that in our CURRENT situation - roughly 1-in-4 adults out of work (and younger-folk even WORSE off) that the opposite would apply. People with intelligence and a work-ethic should easily displace the stupid and lazy, even for the lower-paying jobs. Managers should be able to say to the "S&L" folk "I have 10 people who would LOVE to have your job if you don't want to keep it."

Further, they should be doing all they can to hold on to customers -- especially in a line of business where there is much robust competition -- where we customers can say "I have 10 companies who would LOVE to have my money if you don't want to earn it!"

So why is it that neither seems to be the case?

Are business owners and managers REALLY so stupid and/or inept that they cannot improve these deplorable conditions?

My recent experience with Verizon Wireless is a "poster-child" study in how to kill your business! In my many years of experience - both as a customer and a provider - I cannot recall a more idiotic situation.

My family were VzW customers for ~13 years - during which time our bills averaged $250 per month. This alone was enough to put us in the top-tier of what they call "High Value Customers." In addition, on numerous occasions during this period I'd made suggestions to them which helped them to cut costs and improve their customers' experience -- so much so that my account had been flagged with a "listen to this guy!" code which ensured that any suggestions I made were forwarded up through channels to the people in a position to implement them!

Examples:

Sending a text-message when you call 411? My suggestion.
Changing to a previously-used handset via the website? Mine.
Forwarding your calls via the website or a call in to "611"? Mine as well.

There were a number of others which I just cannot recall at the moment, but... The bottom line is that I've made a very good living as an IT Consultant/Systems Architect/Engineer/Etc... - helping businesses to use IT solutions to support and streamline their business processes, and my experiences as a customer often led me to give them the benefit of my skills and knowledge for free.

Further, I'd also been a very good (yet uncompensated) salesman for them as well. My job duties put me in contact with the top-level decision-makers of businesses of all sizes - and my experience with them led me to recommend VzW to all who asked (and many who didn't). I couldn't count the number of my customers who I'd sold on VzW - much to my later chagrin...

The problems began when my wife's company decided they no longer wished to provide cell-phones to any employees. They DID however expect her to keep the same number - otherwise she'd have been forced to scrap $10 worth of business-cards! (he said sarcastically...) - so we were essentially forced to "absorb" her business-phone into our "family" plan.

They DID however work out some sort of deal with VzW, whereby we'd receive 20% off our bill if we kept her service with VzW -- which (given the size of our usual bill) was no small incentive. Her employer provided her with the necessary paperwork and instructions to ease this transition - and we visited a local "Company" (not third-party) store to take care of it.

I probably should have listened to my instincts, and opened a separate account for her line, but the prospect of the 20% discount was just too much to pass up. I became even MORE concerned when the young man who waited on us told me that we'd have to place the account in my wife's name in order to get the discount... I asked REPEATEDLY - and was reassured every time that this would change NOTHING about our account except the first-name on the address form. My "gut" was telling me this would end up being a problem, but he managed to convince me that all would be OK. This REPEATED assurance combined with the 20% discount overcame my instincts, and we made the transition.

Less than three weeks later, we took a road-trip to go visit my daughter at her College. On the way, my phone handset (which was then only a few months old) broke, and refused to charge. When I called her from Wifey's phone to tell her this, Daughter told me that hers (bought at the same time) was broken as well -- so I called Verizon to arrange their warranty-replacement.

My FIRST irritation was to spend over an hour listening to elevator-music, interrupted every 30 seconds or so by the abrasive and un-grammatical voice telling me "All operators are currently busy at this time" -- which may have been necessary for those who didn't know what "currently" meant -- but I digress... This was the first time I could recall that my calls to "611" had not been picked up IMMEDIATELY! This long wait - combined with the inevitable dropped-call as we drove through the mountains - had me more than a little frustrated by the time I finally gave up, resolving to try again in the morning.

When I called in again - this time from a stationary point and using a wired headset - I still spent over an hour on "hold" before finally getting an operator. The call went fairly well until she told me she'd need a credit-card for the $100 in charges for the replacement handsets.

"Excuse me? These are only ~3 months old, and they're still under warranty!" To make a long story less-long, after putting me on hold several times for ENTIRELY too long, she eventually figured out that the reason her system showed a "new account" with out-of-warranty phones was because of the "transfer" we'd done. She explained to me that this had "voided" our handsets' warranties.

"Oh? So you're telling me that this 'transfer' - which I was repeatedly assured would change NOTHING - had actually voided all of our existing obligations to one another? GREAT! In that case, I'd like to close this account!"

She then explained that this would cost me $700 -- $175 for each of the (4) new handsets they'd just "given" us a few months earlier...

"OH! So NOW what you're saying is that all of your obligations to ME are voided (by 'the switch that would change NOTHING!') -- but all of my obligations to YOU are still in force??!!"

She didn't particularly like my phraseology, but allowed that was "the gist of it, yes." I demanded to speak to a Supervisor, which resulted in another half-hour or so on hold before someone CLAIMING to be a Supervisor came on the line.

This woman apologized profusely, repeatedly expressing her regret that I'd been misled at the store, but standing firm on the "out of warranty" status of my handsets. I then switched to a different defense...

VzW offered TWO DIFFERENT "insurance" plans -- one plan ($5/month) had a $50 "deductible", the other ($6/month) had no deductible at all. Knowing my family as I do, I'd always gone for the higher-priced plan, for the simple reason that the "extra" cost would be negated by the first "claim..."

So why was I being charged a deductible when I was on the "no-deductible" plan?

It seems VzW had discontinued the $6 plan -- I "must have been 'grandfathered' before the transfer of the account, but once the transfer happened [we] were automatically put on the '$50-deductible' plan."

Yet another SCREWING from this "transfer that would change NOTHING??!!" Needless to say, by this time I had steam shooting from my ears like a cartoon-character...

I THEN requested that the "deductible" be put on my bill, as all past charges had been for years - figuring this would give me time to scream at the store-manager back home and get the charges removed - but this too was not to be...

"This is a NEW ACCOUNT, Sir - you haven't even received your first bill yet -- so I'm not going to be able to do that..." -- THIS from the woman who had just pulled up our "old account", SEEN my 13+ years of history with her company... But she wouldn't budge. I was forced to pull out a credit-card in order to get handsets that worked, less than three months from the time I'd bought the damn things...

Over the next couple of months, I'd tried on several occasions to get things "fixed" -- even requesting that they just undo the "transfer" and put the account back in my name -- but they were always DREADFULLY sorry that they were "unable to do that..."

In the meantime, I found that the reason I'd never had to wait on-hold when I called "611" was due to my former "High-value customer" status -- I was now experiencing the same lousy service given to all the other sweaty, smelly hoi-polloi...

I was also forced to face the fact that I'd unwittingly misled COUNTLESS people when I'd touted VzW's FANTASTIC customer-service, especially the "never had to wait for an operator!!" I shudder to think what (or how MANY) people must think of me when they switched and found out things were nothing like I'd described... but I digress...

Basically, we were STUCK for the rest of our 1-year Contract -- the ONE thing I'd done RIGHT was to always pay a bit extra for handsets to ensure that I could get out after a year if I wasn't happy...

Near the end of the year, Wifey's boss started really leaning on her to get a "smart phone." Her position is such that not having e-mail in her hand at all times (not to mention SMS/IM, Etc) was a bit of a problem... She's frankly a bit "technologically impaired" - and this was becoming an unacceptable handicap... So I took her to the VzW store to see what sort of handset she might be able to learn to use...

This was JUST after the "Motorola X" had hit the street -- an oversized touch-screen, Android phone seemed like just the ticket for her. Additionally, I was due a $100 "new-every-two" credit from VzW -- so after much heartburn over previous treatment, we decided to stick with them...

So I sat down to place our order online. (2) "Motorola X" handsets, (2) Car-docks, (2) Home-docks, (2) travel-chargers, (2) leather cases, Extended-batteries, and Etc... The total came to over $1500 -- quite a chunk of change for a company who'd treated us so poorly, but... I bit my tongue and made the order...

Or TRIED to -- except I couldn't get the website to give me the aforementioned $100 credit that I was due -- so I (ONCE AGAIN!) called "611" and sat through the interminable hold...

It's important to note that this was about the 5th of the month - and the website said (due to the HUGE demand for the "X" handset) they were on "backorder" and would not ship until the 26th -- more than three weeks away...

When the flunky FINALLY came on the line, she informed me that my "new every two" credit wasn't ACTUALLY due until the 9th -- FOUR DAYS into the future. I asked her to "click whatever it is you have to click" to authorize my order -- and was once again told "I'm not able to do that..."

In the past, they'd more than once given us "early credit" -- sometimes as much as THREE MONTHS early - so I KNOW this was yet another example of the "NOTHING" that was supposed to change when we made the transfer...

Further, the phones weren't going to even SHIP until over three weeks AFTER my due-date -- so it's not as if I'd gain any benefit at all from being allowed to place my order!

I managed to keep my cool, and once again asked for a Supervisor. After a full 40-minutes on hold, the same girl finally came back and told me that "No supervisor is available at the moment" -- but promised to have one of them call me within "24 to 48 hours."

Oh -- and I forgot to mention the **REAL** kick-in-the-'nads of all of this...

That "20% discount" that precipitated this whole fiasco? We learned (after YET ANOTHER 40+ minutes odyssey through the hold-queue) that this ONLY applied to Wifey's line - not to the whole bill.

In sum, ALL this disgusting mess "saved" us was 20% off the $9.99 base-charge for her line.

ALL THIS for LESS THAN $2 per month!

Yes, REALLY!

Enough was enough. At the moment when the "48 hours" expired -- with no call from a Supervisor -- I was sitting in the AT&T office, discussing the logistics of transferring all our lines/accounts to AT&T.

THEY were willing to bend over backwards - meet all my conditions and even throw some "freebies" at me to get my business. I ended up taking (1) smart-phone handset, with the understanding that Wifey and I would each use it for a week or so and - assuming all was well - RETURN IT within 30 days ("trial period") before transferring all our lines and numbers... They were MORE than OK with that!

Before "pulling the trigger", I followed the advice of a friend and called VzW's "customer-retention" department -- in a last-ditch effort to get them to do SOMETHING to indicate that they wanted my business!! The woman I spoke to (after the usual ~40-minute hold) expressed her sorrow at our bad-experience, but claimed to be unable to do anything to "Fix THIS."

When the day finally came to do the final transfer, I decided (since I was driving it past them anyway) to stop and offer THEIR manager ONE FINAL CHANCE to save my account. After the usual expressions of powerless sorrow, he DID offer to give us "500 free overage minutes" if we'd keep our business with VzW. I asked - to be sure - if this was "500 minutes EACH MONTH?" -- nope -- "Just a one-time thing..."

Bearing in mind that AT&T was offering me 1/2 price on (2) Smart-phones and accessories, and that in spite of adding the (2) smart-phones and their necessary data-plans, and MORE "anytime" minutes per month our monthly bill was going DOWN from what it had been at VzW!

*AND* AT&T accounts included "rollover minutes" - whereby I could EASILY build up THOUSANDS of "overage minutes"!

GOODBYE VERIZON! AND GOOD *RIDDANCE* TOO~!!!

MORONS!

I guess I SHOULD have expected it, but... A few weeks after we left VzW and transferred our accounts, Verizon called me, all but BEGGING me to "come back home to VzW."

YES - the woman actually used that phrase!

She really seemed to pull out all the stops -- there was an AMAZING list of incentives they were willing to offer me, from discounted phones to a free "microcell" device to discounted plans!

I managed to conduct myself as a Gentleman while I explained to her this whole, sordid tale -- then I asked her - bluntly - what SHE would say to ME if our roles were reversed...

In the ONE act of genuine integrity I'd encountered since this whole fiasco started, she said "I don't think I'd be able to respond in anything other than four-letter words." She also offered what seemed a GENUINE apology and wished me a "better experience with [our] new provider."

I honestly believe she meant it...

In any case -- in the interest of FULL disclosure -- our experience with AT&T hasn't been perfect.

The smart-phones we got (Samsung "Galaxy S") have had a number of problems, and I let them string us out with promises that "a fix is coming" until it was too late to exchange the handsets for something better.

I've also had a lot of problems with dropped-calls - which again APPEARS to really be a problem with the Samsung handsets as while my phone showed "no signal" my daughters' phones would both be working fine...

They've also screwed up our bill on a number of occasions wherein I had to call in to get it straightened out -- but the "notoriously bad customer service" I've heard and read about from various people has yet to show its face...

So far, everyone I've dealt with has been more than willing to help, whether I called "611" or visited the "company-store."

In sum, though AT&T has been imperfect -- ESPECIALLY compared to my much-missed "High-value-customer" experience with VzW -- I'm still glad we made the switch and wouldn't go back to VzW if they were somehow the only provider on the PLANET.

In fact, I'll continue to do my best to ensure that everyone knows the TRUTH about them -- which seems to be the LEAST I could do given how many people I've previously (though UNKNOWINGLY) misled...

Should someone from Verizon Wireless read this, well... All I can say is this:

(1) SCREW YOU PEOPLE.
and
(2) NEVER AGAIN!

Actually, I COULD (and would frankly LIKE TO) say a whole lot more -- but I try to avoid using that sort of language, especially in a place where women and children could possibly read or hear it...

Why the _resident Has Played "Birther" Games For So Long...

2011-05-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

As I'm wont to do, I started commenting on a post -- at Alvie's place this time -- and couldn't get it done in under 4096 characters...

So, here's another blog-post/comment...

Go read Alvie's bit first, please...

All done?

OK...

Let's face it: faking what was produced would be trivial for any reasonably-competent gang-banger.

Does that mean it's fake? Honestly, I don't know.

I've experimented following a vid I saw on YT, and the fact is that running "optimisation" on the .pdf file (to shrink it) produces artifacts nearly identical to what we see in Obama's purported BC.

To be frank, I suspect they knew this before they even released it -- after all, now we'll have a whole new set of objections (as you noted) and this can be used by Dear Reader and his media sycophants to further marginalize the objectors in the minds of the average sheeple.

I'll go further:
(1) It wouldn't matter if someone produced video of him being born with a "Welcome to Kenya" sign in the background -- he's not leaving office until he's done.

NOBODY in a position to remove him would be willing to do so -- not even those ostensibly on "our side."

Why? Simple: Every city in the US would burn, and they're not willing to take that consequence for enforcing the Constitution.

PERIOD.

Ergo, I've been dragged kicking and screaming into the "FUGGEDDABOUDDIT" crowd!

We have far more important things to do than push the "birth" issues -- in this I agree with Kerodin and others.

As to all the "why now?" questions, it's really rather simple:
Dear Reader's past is about as filthy as they get. HE -- and more importantly, his puppet-masters -- KNOW this, and they know they must avoid having the truth come out at all costs -- at least until he's inaugurated into his second term.

How do you think the "independents" would react if they saw IRREFUTABLE evidence of his lifelong Communist sympathies and associations?

How do you think they'd react to PROOF that he travelled to Pakistan on an Indonesian passport -- with his sugar-daddy/gay lover?

How do you think they'd react to UNQUESTIONABLE documentation that he claimed foreign (Indonesian) citizenship when he went to college -- so as to get "foreign student" scholarships?

How would they react to UTTERLY IMPECCABLE PROOF that the Saudi royal family pulled strings to get him into Harvard, payed his way while he was there, and even traded a HUGE donation for him being made _resident of the law-review despite his never having written a damn thing?

How do you suppose they'd react to evidence that he got his SS# in Connecticut to avoid paying NY taxes -- or that he and his wife both lost their law-licenses by Court order because of false statements made on their bar apps?

There's more -- MUCH more -- in this clown's history, and he's managed to shut it ALL down by playing this (apparently) "stupid" game about his BC!

It's actually BRILLIANT strategy -- which is all the evidence *I* need that *HE* isn't the one who came up with it!!

All he had to do was "play the game" about his BC, and wait -- wait until the pressure began to build.

He released the "short form" - which only increased the baying of the hounds - while his toadies continued the "birthers are all CRAZY RACISTS!!11!!1" smear, followed by "It wouldn't matter if he DID release his BC -- it would NEVER be enough for those CRAZY RACIST BIRTHERS!!"

Once that meme was firmly established, and an ostensible opponent proved willing to brave the slurs and keep pressing, he releases the BC.

Now, *ANYONE* questioning *ANYTHING* else -- his passport/citizenship/communist associations/Saudi connections, ANY OF IT -- can easily be dispatched with a simple "See -- he GAVE them his BC, and they're STILL NOT HAPPY!!"

I'm telling you, it's BRILLIANT.

And it's probably bulletproof as well.

He's managed to stall for 2.5 years with the BC, if he can do the same again he'll be solidly into his second term -- and G*d help us if he gets THAT!!

Which is why we *MUST* focus on beating him -- and everyone else -- in 2012.

I don't think this can prevent the collapse that's coming, but I DO think that with the right electoral success in 2012 (if we make it that long) we can reduce the damage SOMEWHAT.

We cannot possibly beat this demon-spawn on his PERSONAL history -- which is why we must focus on his _RESIDENTIAL history -- on what he's done since 1.1.2009.

If we can't beat him on that, we can't beat him PERIOD.

That's my $0.20 worth (inflation)...

DD

Why she sleeps -- and why those who wake her are REALLY going to be sorry!!

2011-04-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

You know, I've been thinking on this of late -- perhaps more than is really healthy, but I digress...

We Americans are sometimes a bit slow. Look at our history!

In WW1 we tried to ignore what was happening all over the world, but when it finally began to REALLY threaten us, we put our nose to the grindstone and -- in short order -- helped the rest of the world finish the job.

Now, being slow as we are, once the evil was back in its box, we buried our dead and went home -- back to living our lives.

Sure as the sun will rise in the morning, a couple of decades later we once again found ourselves busily minding our own business as the rest of the world once again riled itself up into a hell of a conflagration.

Even with all the obvious signs of impending threat, we snoozed right through a certain fateful Sunday morning -- and had a rather rude awakening...

Old Yamamoto knew though, didn't he? He KNEW he'd "awakened a sleeping dragon", and he was RIGHT! Once awakened, our entire population once again got busy, exterminating the most current threat to Liberty and Freedom on our planet at the time.

And... once again... we finished the worst of the work required then promptly buried our dead and headed home to -- once again -- mind our own business, leaving a monster -- one NEARLY as evil as the one we'd just helped defeat -- unvanquished.

Fast-forward through 50 years of the cold-war, and that monster fell, sickened on its own evil. We Americans -- being the generally-benign sorts that we are -- went promptly back to sleep, in our biggest move of idiocy to date.

We slept on through the next couple of decades, while that CANCER we SHOULD have defeated in 1945 continued to metastasize inside our own body-politic. Once again, we awoke when it became a real threat to US -- to the very existence of the Republic our forefathers willed to us.

As a brief aside, I must acknowledge the various little "police-actions" in which we involved ourselves in the interim -- every one of which resulted in our apparent defeat.

Every one of them had a specific trait in common -- a trait they share with the stupid little debacles in which we're currently embroiled: In every case, we got involved in something that far too many of our people saw as unimportant -- as not a REAL threat to our existence!

To me, this seems to be the dividing line between Uncle Sam setting up to put the boot in some tyrant's A$$: the level of real threat to our Republic!

Few could argue that when the Germans were sinking American-flagged ships in 1913-14, they represented a real threat to our Republic. Likewise, the Japs made it pretty damn clear in December of '41 that we were going to have no choice but to fight in the conflagration consuming the rest of the planet.

Korea? Even in the post-WW2 era, too many people just couldn't understand why we were wasting our time and youths in some frozen hell-hole halfway around the world, fighting for people who looked an awful lot like the Japs we'd just finished nuking not so long before.

Vietnam? Not so much -- at least to the average Joe who was watching his neighbor's boys coming home in flag-draped boxes. What do WE care for those skinny-little Jap-looking folks in their pajamas and funny hats and rice-paddies?

9-11 was a RUDE awakening, one to which we awoke - briefly, but with a vengeance! The problem was that the war that ensued -- once again -- didn't really affect the average-person's LIFE.

Sure -- we've all seen someone we know, perhaps the son of a friend of a friend of a friend came home in one of those boxes, but ... NONE of this has required a full-on mobilization of everyone, yet.

As the M.E. graffiti said -- "America is NOT at war -- the MARINES are at war! America is at THE MALL!!"

And we are.

So far.

But, we're waking up~!

Slowly, but SURELY, we're waking up!

Yeah, this time we've slept a bit too long, while The Enemy snuck into our camp and even took up residence in the Commander's tent!

Yeah, we're going to take a bit of a beating this time -- no question about it!

But We ARE waking!

Those of us who opened our eyes first are busy -- gathering supplies and materiel for the coming battle -- and most of us have enough to provide our neighbors with the arms they should have been busy gathering while they slept...

Heck, I alone could put a functional long-arm and a decent supply of ammo into the hands of every adult in my neighborhood -- and I bet 9 of 10 who read this could do the same!

I'm not saying we should stop cranking the siren, stop ringing the alarm-bell, stop shouting "!!~INCOMING~!!" to any and all who will listen -- far from it.

We should keep doing what we're doing, and MORE!! But we should also recognize that EVENTUALLY, when this sleeping dragon awakes once again, we're going to kick hell out of The Enemy just as we always have.

Further, THIS time, I'm pretty sure we'll understand that we cannot cut out when the immediate threat is reduced and go back to our pleasurable-pursuits. THIS time, we're going to have to wipe The Enemy from the planet -- because otherwise it will NEVER stop coming for us, NEVER give up until either We - or THEY - no longer exist!

Do you not think your neighbors -- sheep though they may be -- will rise when they have no other choice?

I'm sure you men know - as I do - that there's no more wanton female on the planet than the prim and proper "good girl" who discovered her sexuality. If you've been lucky enough to land one of these gals, you know what I mean...(he said with a leering grin...)

Likewise, there's no more fearsome warrior than the gentle, quiet, peaceful man whose been forced into defense of himself and his family.

When our Sheeple neighbors are finally FORCED to fight, THEY'RE GOING TO BE **PISSED**!!

And I have a pretty good feeling that The Enemy will be made to understand Yamamoto's "sleeping dragon" in a way even he could not have imagined!

Right now, our sheeple-neighbors are still busy attacking US -- the loudmouths they see as responsible for disturbing their white-picket-fence-fantasy slumber.

But you know as well as I do that The Enemy is planning and scheming - and their next salvo is going to make 9-11 look like a day in the park at a toddler's birthday-party.

And when America finally awakens, she's going to be MAD AS HELL!!

And THIS time, I think she'll not stop until the job is done...

Morale -- and why ours isn't NEARLY high enough!

2011-04-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a lot of gloom-and-doom from some of the men I consider to be in the "vanguard" of "this thing of ours."

To be honest, I've been finding it pretty hard to be optimistic about our future myself -- as it's undeniable that a people who were PAYING ANY ATTENTION AT ALL would already be storming the halls of Sodom-on-the-Potomac, hands filled with torches and pitchforks, tar and feathers to follow.

I can't argue that things seem dire - but our morale doesn't need to be anywhere near as low as it is.

REMEMBER: The Enemy controls the entire "media" apparatus in the Western world! -- and it's not in their interest to tell us how many people share our KNOWLEDGE -- much less our outrage!

They *NEED* to make us feel alone and outnumbered -- as their continued survival, and the success of their evil schemes depends on us being dejected!

G*d has a way of speaking to those who will listen -- and I truly believe he's sent us a message!

HE THAT HATH EARS, LET HIM HEAR!!

We all know about the sick pukes who call themselves "Westboro Baptist Church." Even The Enemy must admit that these people are the lowest form of evil, but that they nonetheless have the Constitutional right to spew their sickness wherever and whenever they wish.

In fact, it's my opinion that any person worthy of the title "Patriot" would be willing to fight against any attempt *by the Government* to shut them up!

YES -- I would fight on the side of these beasts to defend their first-amendment rights against *Government* infringement! I would also - after the battle - do my best to deliver a beat-down they'd never forget -- but I digress...

Well-intentioned - but misguided - people have attempted to use the Courts and Legislatures to stop these vermin from spreading their filth -- and have RIGHTLY failed in the attempt -- Government simply cannot be allowed to infringe on free speech, no matter how unpopular or hurtful said speech may be.

We The People however are NOT Government!

So why am I talking about the WBC pukes in a post that's supposed to be about why we Patriots should stop worrying so damn much?

Well, it seems that WBC finally bumped up against some determined Americans -- people who were paying attention and have had enough!

The results -- linked here -- should serve as a how-to manual for every town these animals choose to pollute with their presence!!

See, there *ARE* people -- some of them even wearing the uniform of the probable op-for -- who know right from wrong isn't always the same as legal vs. illegal!

Still, why would I say this small event gives us reason for optimism?

It seems that the town targeted by WBC became aware of the *POSSIBILITY* that those pukes might show up, and reacted JUST AS WE'D EXPECT TRUE PATRIOTS TO ACT!

THOUSANDS of people -- not just a few who parked their cars, and the few tow-truck-drivers too busy to move them, but THOUSANDS -- likely a majority of the population of the town, mobilized to ensure Justice was served!

Warning: Following THIS LINK may lead to watery eyes and a lump in your throat -- it sure as hell did for me.

Watch that vid, all the way to the end, and tell me again how "outnumbered" we are?

Tell me again how a people - once made aware of the evil at their door, and given a plan for dealing with it - will not rise to the occasion!

We're FAR from outnumbered, Brothers. In fact, I believe Glenn Beck was 100% right when he said "We Surround THEM!!"

Buck up, Brethren.

Stand tall!

Keep your chin up!

There are a lot more of "US" out there than you think!!

DD

Google: "Don't Be Evil" ?? Just who are YOU working for??!!

2011-04-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

Last night I decided to watch the lovely Miss Barnhardt's latest videos.

Next, I tried to "friend" her, and was told "this action is not available right now."

So next, I hit "Subscribe", and was forced to a login page. "Well..." thinks I, "...I'm ALREADY logged in, ut... Whattheheck..."

So I type in my ID and password again, and I'm taken to a page that tells me my account has been "blocked" for "suspicious activity."

WTF??

Oh, but it gets better.

Go check my Blog - "deleted."

GMail? "Same "Blocked" page!

NOW I'm getting PISSED!

See, to UN-block all my stuff, all I have to do is (1) let them CALL me (meaning give them my phone number) or (2) let them send a TEXT to my cell-phone (meaning give them my !$^&#-ing PHONE NUMER!

WTF!??!

So, then I start thinking of all the ramifications of this... I mean... It's not as though I have anything to HIDE, I've been VERY careful not to say or do anything online that could constitute a threat, or anything else of the sort -- otherwise I'm sure I'd already have welcomed my 3AM visitors in kevlar-ninja-suits.

No, what HONESTLY worries me is getting an IRS audit notice (for example.) Not because I have anything to hide - I don't, my accountant is more anal than I am, I'd rather pay a little extra to be " in the clear" anyway...

We *KNOW* that Clinton and other Dem presidents have used the IRS to harass those who pissed them off -- and I'm pretty well engaged full-time in stuff that's likely to rub a whole lot of Demmunists the wrong way!

Besides -- give the SOBs your phone number and you can just forget about anything resembling "anonymity" on the 'net anyway...

The truth is that anything you do online is trackable to your IP address - which puts them in your town at a minimum. Anyone from the .gov can then find your address with a simple request to your ISP.

Yes - it's that simple. You thought you had PRIVACY??!!

Bwaaahaahaahaahaahaahaaahaaahaaaaa!!!!

No, Glasshoppah -- No Plivacy on 'da Intahnet!! No Plivacy at arr!!!

Anyhow...

So what to do?

I ended up going and buying a pre-paid cell - the cheapest one they had. Signed up for a "10cents-per-minute" plan, bought the cheapest "air card" I could get, and used that to do their verification -- away from home, of course.

Why?

No point in making it EASY for them!!

Still... I've checked over my GMail and other places -- no reason for ANYONE to suspect my account of anything. I'm not blasting SPAM, don't have any ads of any kind on this blog... NO REASON AT ALL why I should have earned anyone's attention...

Well, except for all my comments on "right-wing" blogs, and this little nest of sedition you're reading right now...

You think I'm being paranoid? If the "need" was to verify that I'm a human and not a "bot" - then tell me why the usual "captcha" code wouldn't work?

Why do they need a PHONE NUMBER??!!

Exactly.

Watch your Six, fellah's...

Challenge to the WaPo re: "Project Gunwalker"

2011-01-23T14:02:00.000-08:00

If you don't know what this is about, see the links below.

I followed a link from Sipsey Street to a WaPo story - as usual they're advocating further abrogations to our G*d-given and Constitutionally Protected right to the tools of self-defense.

No surprise there - I'd be surprised if it was otherwise. Then I followed the links to other "related" articles.

One of them was in reference to "Carter's Country" - a TX gun-store currently under investigation by a Grand Jury for following the edicts of the ATF.

I was even more surprised to see the WaPo writers had included an "update" which put SOME of the blame where it belongs.

On the off-chance these two reporters might actually be willing to tell the truth, I decided to write to them.

What follows is my letter to them:

If you're REALLY interested in THE TRUTH about the ATF and mexican "crime guns" then you're missing the boat.

What would it take to get you guys to tell the TRUTH about our G*d-given right to bear arms?

Hundreds of guns smuggled into Mexico **BY THE ATF** in order to pad "statistics"?

This sick ploy being not only hidden from We The People but from the Mexican .gov as well?

Having at least one of those guns get "loose" and into the hands of cartel criminals?

Having at least one of those guns being used to kill a U.S. Border Patrol agent?

A desperate coverup which apparently reaches into - at least - the West Wing?

All of the above are 100% *FACT*.

Do I have your attention?

ATF agents with both personal knowledge and documentary PROOF of all of this are currently, desperately seeking "whistleblower protections" -- not only to avoid economic ruin, but also to avoid becoming the sort of "he shot himself three times in the back of the head" "suicides" that tend to happen to people who cross the powerful.

For more information see http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/open-letter-to-senate-judiciary-committee-staff-on-project-gunwalker - this letter and its links should get you where you need to be

So... your ball.

Are you interested in TRUTH, or just "the narrative"?

I guess we'll see..

Should anyone else wish to write to them, "James V. Grimaldi" can be contacted HERE, and Sari Horwitz HERE.

Like I said, "We'll See..."

DD

My personal opinions on avoiding stops and tickets and dealing with them when they happen

2010-09-27T18:18:00.000-07:00

What follows are my opinions. I'm neither a cop nor a lawyer - though I could play both on TV. You are - as always - responsible for your actions -- so don't try to blame your troubles on me.

DennisIII's comments on my previous post provoked some thinking on this topic, and decided to make it a post instead of another comment.

Until a few weeks ago, it'd been a number of years since I had a speeding ticket - so long ago that they had no record of it, which helped me when I went to court on this one last week. The Judge gave me "Probation Before Judgment", which means "no verdict, keep clean for a year and it never happened." Get another ticket within a year, though - and they nail your for BOTH of them.

Further proving the whole exercise is about raising cash, almost ANYONE can get a PBJ - then must pay the full amount of the fine PLUS $25.50 as "court costs." When I say "almost ANYONE can get a PBJ" I mean it -- the girl behind me had been driving less than a year and was popped doing 89 in a 50, and the cop even admitted he'd reduced her speed to avoid the reckless-driving charge -- but I digress...

The benefit to PBJ for me is - since there's no "guilty" verdict - no points and thus no getting raped by having my insurance premium double!

I asked for leniency on the fine - (I'm crippled, kid in college, etc) - and he cut the fine in half - but that's not really what this post was supposed to be about.

THE TICKET:

70 in a 55. Bright, sunny, spring day. The funny thing is that I was driving a road I drive almost daily, in the same vehicle, doing the same speed - and I usually drive right past the popo without a second look.

This day - with my daughter in the car - I get pulled and ticketed.

I'm willing to bet it was because my daughter was in the car - he saw "teen girl" and figured that meant "teen boy driving." Whatever...

Once he had pulled me over, he pretty much HAD to write me for something - though he could have given me a warning he didn't. Odds are that he needed to write a bunch - while they have no "quotas" to meet, the number of tickets they write (IE: The amount of CASH they bring in) makes up a LARGE part of their "performance" review. The difference between this and a "quota" is largely semantics, but this way actually encourages them to write EVEN MORE than a quota would...

TICKET AVOIDANCE:

Over the years, I've figured out what works FOR ME, AROUND HERE, to avoid being stopped. You ain't me, you don't live here - so YMMV!

#1: Appearance!

I'm a middle-aged white guy, clean cut, driving vehicles that aren't TOO old and are well-maintained, clean and waxed, and mostly un-modified.

Unfair as it is that has A LOT to do with it. They tend to pick on the youngsters, and those driving beat-up or "stereotype"vehicles. I've asked a couple cops about that and got the same answer - so I believe it's true:

"A young or poor-man will just pay the ticket - they can't afford to take the time to go fight it.

A guy like you will take a day from work - even if it costs him $500 - to try to beat a $50 ticket, so we tend to go after the kids and the beater-cars because they're less hassle."

What they DIDN'T say - but we all know is true - is that they're also more likely to turn a speeding-stop into a search/bust with the younger/poorer-looking folk as well - thus making them even MORE attractive. If you're 18 and driving a Mercedes with 22" chromed spinners and a subwoofer rattling windows a mile away, you're on the "this should be fun" list as well.

The lesson? If you're young, try to make your car seem as new as possible, and well maintained. Don't draw attention to yourself with spoilers, stickers, coffee-can mufflers, etc. Subdued colors are better as well, for the same reasons.

Camouflage! Try to fit in!!

This also has to do with your driving. If I can find a bunch doing 80 on the highway, I'll jump right in the middle and roll! Even passing people - provided you're doing it at a steady speed, and not driving erratically or dangerously - jumping lanes, swerving or cutting people off - you're usually OK.

If the limit is over 35, I ROUTINELY do ~15 over - at 35 or below, around here, you'd better stick to the limit or you WILL get nailed.

In other words:

25=25
30=30
35 sorta depends -- could be 35 or up to 50
45=60, and on up I routinely add 14 or 15 - PROVIDED it's safe for me to do so.

It really is all about fitting in, and not drawing attention to yourself.

Don't hang out in the fast lane. Don't drive erratic. Don't make your car into a giant "please screw with me!" sign by tacking on a bunch of crap that says "I like to race!!" or "I'm a social deviant"!

DON'T ACT GUILTY!

The biggest tip I give everyone - even if they CAN'T afford a new*ER*-looking car is that if you see a cop, don't slam on your brakes. He's already nailed you speeding by the time you see him, and slamming on your brakes is a suspicious act -- makes it look like you're afraid or have something to hide. As with all predators, this simply kicks in their "chase" instincts.

If I see him, there's no point in slowing, I just ride.

If I'm close enough to him when I pass, I'll give him a little nod and wave - or a salute - as I keep on driving. I've even had 'em come up behind me and stay there for a while before finally changing lanes to pass me and going on their way.

Oh, CRAP!

So you've done everything right and still gotten pulled.

NOW WHAT?

Stay calm.
Pull over IN A SAFE PLACE - if you can't safely stop where you are, then slow down and turn on your flashers, but keep driving until you can get over in a safe spot.
Car in park, turn off engine, window down, hands on wheel. If it's dark, turn on your interior light.

This is THE #1 most dangerous point in a cop's day, and he's going to be on edge - you don't want to get shot, so don't do anything to freak him out.

Sit there, and STFU. I don't ask "why did you stop me" or anything else - I don't want to be seen as "confrontational." STFU.

When he ASKS FOR IT, *THEN* I get him your my License/Reg./Ins. info, etc.

I say "My Lic. is in my wallet, which is in my left-rear pocket. May I get it out? Then I do it.

"My Reg. is in my glove-compartment - May I open it?"

I open glove box then sit back - "My reg. is in the black folder - may I get it out?"

No furtive moves, no misunderstandings. I don't want to die today.

Eventually he'll tell me why he stopped me -- again, arguing will not help, so STFU.

DO NOT offer *ANY* info - just STFU.

Be prepared - as in my previous post - to handle "I don't wish to ..." "I do not consent to..." -- but here too it is CRITICAL to be as polite as humanly possible. Disrespect will not help you - he's already going to be ticked because you blocked or questioned his "authoriteh" -- don't make it worse by being an @$$.

HTH...

DD

A TEXTBOOK Case: How NOT to Handle Being Stopped by Police...

2010-09-24T20:20:00.000-07:00

I don't have time to write this whole post ATM, but will (hopefully) be back to top it off in the AM.
In the meantime, check out THIS POST at WRS: Warning -- the burning stoopid (on the part of the Patriot) and all-too-typical @$$hattery (on the part of the pig++) **WILL** do battle in your head, and may lead to spontaneous cranial explosion.

More to come...

As promised, here goes.

I found THIS POST at WRS which links to THIS POST at RTC.

Go.

Read.

I'll wait.

OK -- Are you with me?

Good.

I'm going to keep this as short and sweet as I can.

BEFORE I GO ON, the usual "IANAL, YMMV, ETc..." disclaimers apply!

Here's what SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED:

As we (my Wife and I) were travelling through Tennessee, we were stopped by a Tennessee State Trooper (Officer Michael Loftis, Badge #331), because the tinting of the windows on our vehicle was too dark.
After checking my license, registration and insurance and verifying that they were up to date, Officer Loftis then asked with no probable cause, if I had any drugs or weapons in the car.

I told Him no drugs, but that I did have a pistol in a locked box, locked in the trunk of the car. Officer Loftis asked me if I had a permit for the pistol, and I said No, that permits were not necessary in Colorado except for the CCW. His response was that we weren’t in Colorado, we were in Tennessee and that in Tennessee, permits for handguns were required. (Permits to “CARRY” handguns are required in Tennessee-but there are NO permits required to POSSESS handguns, rifles or shotguns in Tennessee).

I told him I did not wish to answer any questions, told him that I would like to have an attorney present before any further questioning, and asked if I was being detained. He said I was NOT being detained, to which I asked "then am I free to go?"

He tried the usual intimidation tactics ("You can answer my questions here or downtown, after I arrest you") and cajoling ("If you have nothing to hide, then what's the problem?")

I just repeated myself then STFU.

"I don't wish to answer any questions.

Am I being detained?

Am I free to go?

I don't wish to answer any questions.

I prefer to remain silent, and want an attorney present before any further questioning.

Am I being detained?

Am I free to go?"

Officer Loftis then told me to exit the vehicle and open the trunk. After I complied and opened the trunk, Officer Loftis could plainly see that it was EXACTLY as I had said. Officer Loftis then told me to unlock the guncase and then told me to step away from the vehicle. I informed Him that the reciept for the pistopl was in the guncase and I reminded Him that no permits are required in Colorado exept for the CCW.

I asked if he was ORDERING me out of the car, or if I had the right to stay where I was. He said it was an order. I asked if I was being detained, he said no.

I asked if I was free to go, he said no - and repeated his order to step out of the vehicle and open the trunk.

I stepped out of the vehicle as ordered - locking the keys inside(**) - and said

"I DO NOT CONSENT TO ANY SEARCHES, SIR.

AM I BEING DETAINED?

AM I FREE TO GO?

I DO NOT WISH TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, SIR - I PREFER TO REMAIN SILENT, AND WOULD LIKE AN ATTORNEY PRESENT BEFORE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONING."

Officer Loftis asked me where I was coming from,
and I told Him Washington DC. Officer Loftis asked me, “What the heck would you want to go there for?” So, I explained to Him that I work for a radio station (Freedomizer Radio), and that we were covering the Tea Party Rally in Washington DC on April 15th, and the 2nd Amendment Rally at Gravelly Point, Virginia on April 19th. Officer Loftis then asked, “Oh, you mean that park that’s right across the Potomac from Washington?”

And I answered with ~~“Yes.”~~
"I DO NOT WISH TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, SIR - I PREFER TO REMAIN SILENT, AND WOULD LIKE AN ATTORNEY PRESENT BEFORE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONING.

AM I BEING DETAINED?

AM I FREE TO GO?"

Officer Loftis then asked me “Why would you take a handgun to an event like that?”

And I answered
” the 2nd Amendment Rally at Gravelly Point was an ‘open-carry’ rally, and since I believe in the 2nd amendment, even though I was with the press, covering the rally, I wanted to show my support to the participants, by wearing my firearm as well, but that the handgun NEVER entered Washington DC, It stayed in Virginia which is an ‘open-carry’ State”

"I DO NOT WISH TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, SIR - I PREFER TO REMAIN SILENT, AND WOULD LIKE AN ATTORNEY PRESENT BEFORE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONING.

AM I BEING DETAINED?

AM I FREE TO GO?"

Officer Loftis then took the guncase and it’s contents back to his car to check it out.

I responded "I DO NOT CONSENT TO ANY SEARCHES, SIR.

AM I BEING DETAINED?

AM I FREE TO GO?

<<SNIP!!>>
...

Aw, hell.

This is REALLY GETTING OLD.

Look, People -- it's really ****ing SIMPLE. Even my daughter's psychotic, brain-damaged cat is now looking at me, asking "WTF, DD -- do you think they're idiots?

WE GOT IT!

(1) "Sir, I DO NOT CONSENT TO ANY SEARCHES, OF ANY KIND."

(2) "AM I BEING DETAINED?"

(3) "AM I FREE TO GO?"

(4) "I DO NOT WISH TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, SIR - I PREFER TO REMAIN SILENT, AND WOULD LIKE AN ATTORNEY PRESENT BEFORE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONING."

IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE.

While I know - in the depths of my heart - that this gentleman is a Patriot,

HE IS ALSO AN IDIOT.

HE is responsible for what happened to him.

THE PIG (++) IS NOT TO BLAME for this man losing his guns - or anything else that happened here.

THIS PATRIOT IS THE ONE TO BLAME.

HE IS THE ONE WHO GAVE PERMISSION FOR EVERY SINGLE THING THAT HAPPENED.

AT NO TIME DID HE EVER ASSERT HIS RIGHTS.

NOT

EVEN

**ONCE**!!

Yes, I know "the pig shouldn't have..."

(BLAH BLAH BLAH)

DOES NOT MATTER.

Pigs are pigs.

Pigs do what pigs do because they are pigs.

You cannot blame a pig for being a pig - but if you let him slop mud and s*** all over your living room -- AS THIS PATRIOT DID -- is it fair to blame the pig?

No.

You blame the idiot who left the door open - who invited the pig in the house and told him to help himself to whatever he wanted, who did nothing to prevent the pig from being a pig.

Pete over at WRSA has already linked 2 VERY important vids IN THIS POST HERE, (PART 1 and PART 2)

Even MORE important - for these situations - is this vid from the ACLU: "Busted: The Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters" The vid says they have a new version ("10 Rules for Dealing With Police") - I haven't watched it yet so I can't say any more about it. <<EDIT: Worth the time, but the "Citizen's Guide" is better.>>

WATCH THEM ALL.

MAKE YOUR WIFE WATCH.

MAKE YOUR KIDS WATCH.

REPEAT AS NECESSARY.

ROLE-PLAY - especially with teens - UNTIL EVERYONE GETS IT DOWN.

(1) "Sir, I DO NOT CONSENT TO ANY SEARCHES, OF ANY KIND.

(2) AM I BEING DETAINED?

(3) AM I FREE TO GO?

(4) I DO NOT WISH TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, SIR - I PREFER TO REMAIN SILENT, AND WOULD LIKE AN ATTORNEY PRESENT BEFORE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONING.

THAT'S IT!

Don't be an idiot, and remember that pigs can't help being pigs.

Had this Patriot simply asserted his rights from the beginning, and STUCK TO IT, he'd have been on down the road with - at most - a warning for his window-tint. TN can't make a CO resident remove tint from their windows, so that would have been it.

DD

(++) I have some friends - Brothers, really - who also happen to be Peace Officers. They are not pigs. Anyone who doesn't know the difference is either a pig themselves, or has been living under a rock for ~40 years. 'Nuff said.

** I keep a spare door-key hidden on my car - any intelligent person should be able to figure out how to do this. I've never needed a tool to unlock my car, and nobody has ever found it. THINK!!

PS: Vids embedded here...

(note: click on the vid - Parts 2-4 will be found in the "related" at the side...

Memories of 9/11 - and the rage that follows...

2010-09-10T22:25:00.000-07:00

Since Blogger's "preview" is useless, I usually have to go through several cycles of post/edit/post/edit/post/ed... -- before I finally get a post "right." It's too late, I am too tired, it's not going to happen.

Please - therefore - try to ignore any spelling/grammar/formatting/punctuation/whatever errors - if I can find the time and energy I'll fix them later.

I hope this is worth the trouble...

BTW - most of the "...quotes..." below are my best recollection, but some are so seared in my mind that I'll never forget them. If they're not specifically marked as the latter, they're the former...

===============================
9 years later.

Can it really have been that long?

There's simply no way I can TOUCH Vanderleun's eloquence - and I wasn't in NYFC that horrible day - nor did I lose any family or loved-ones like CA - but I too have memories that will never leave me.

Before I go on, I probably should explain that though our company was largely unknown, it held a position of serious criticality for all telecom in all of North America! I still can't understand why it wasn't a .gov agency, but it wasn't. It WAS however literally make-or-break for an entire CONTINENT. If we were destroyed, NOTHING could happen!

I'd flown out of Dulles Airport the day before - having gone there to meet a bunch of others from my company so we could fly together - ONE DAY before a similar American Airlines flight was hijacked and flown into the Pentagon. We were headed for Chicago, to a "tech conference" where all of our company's "biggest-of-the-big-heads" would be attending.

Most of us had pocket-knives ranging from 4-7 inches, mine was just shy of six, and my "leatherman" type tool was in my other pocket. No problem on 9-10, but on 9/12?? Right.

Anyhow, we'd arrived in Chicago the evening of 9/10, and - as is usually the case at such events - stayed up way to late in The Lounge consuming too much ETOH. As a result, not having done much drinking in too many years - I wasn't feeling too tough in the morning and didn't turn on my TV as I prepared for the day.

As I exited our hotel, I met up with our "head of security" - a youngish, VERY intense former SEAL named Paul - who said something along the lines of "Can you BELIEVE THAT S**T??!! GAME ON!!!!"

Huh?

"Weren't you watching TV? TWO planes hit the WTC in NYFC!!"

Huh?

As what he'd said began to filter through my formaldehyde-fogged brain, the import began to settle in... Though I'd been feeling mildly nauseous before, now I was much more so. It didn't help that my companion kept repeating --

"GAME ON MOTHERF***ERS!

GAME ON!!"

We arrived at our "meeting space" where the CEO and the rest of Mahogany-Row insisted we proceed as planned.

I pounded juice and water, which combined with adrenaline quickly brought me out of the fog...

Our huge Auditorium opened into a large glassed-in atrium-type area, whose roof was also glass so you had a full, if neck-straining, view of the full height of the Sears Tower less across and just down the street.

I tried to concentrate on the conference, but - IT Security (physical and otherwise) being a large part of my responsibility - kept getting IMs from our DC & NY locations and FWDs of others from Paul. The rumors were FLYING -- but we had no way to be sure they were rumors at the time.

"Another plane hit the Pentagon!"

"Car-bombs at the Capitol-building, State Dept and SCOTUS!"

"Bombs on Wall Street!"

Bombs at the FCC, and Agriculture! (Don't ask me - that's what they said...)

I eventually snuck out, looking for Paul. WWIII was beginning, and we had to DO SOMETHING!!

I found him in the Lobby, as concerned as I was, having read the same IMs. He wrote a note, I went inside and handed it to the CEO - who rolled his eyes and informed me "we're not going to worry about what's happening in NYFC, you need to concentrate on what's happening HERE." and dismissed me with an imperious wave.

Stunned, I went back to Paul, and the 2 of us fumed for a bit, strategizing how we could get the attention of Management.

During a small break, we tried to buttonhole the CEO again, but were told - with some vehemence and anger this time - "I DON'T CARE. We're here to accomplish some things, and we're GOING to accomplish them!"

I realized then that he had NO IDEA what was happening - he knew some planes had crashed in NYFC, but that was it.

Paul and I returned to the Lobby, still chewing on the whole thing - then we went back to trying to find news updates.

Naturally, every news-site on he 'net was SWAMPED, and it took dozens of "refresh" attempts or more to get a page to even partially load, so and I was hitting CNN and Paul was trying some local affiliates hoping they wouldn't be getting slammed so hard.

After a few minutes, Paul yells "Holy S**T!!" and was out of his seat before I could even turn around. He slapped my laptop closed and plopped his on top of it - showing me a page that said there was at least one plane still in the air, and it was believed to be headed for the Sears Tower!

Now we - somehow, without speaking - agreed that if it cost us our jobs we were going to get this stupid CEO's attention. The TWO of us marched to the front, and Paul - did I mention he was pushing 6'6" or more? - quietly told the CEO we could do this the easy way or the hard way, but he WAS coming to the Lobby to speak with us.

He followed us out, and I shut up as Paul attempted to make him understand, but seemed to be getting nowhere. By this time, my rage and concern had reached a point that I no longer cared about my job, so I bodily spun him around and said

"Look! You see that gigantic f***ing black building right there? The one that's bigger than the WTC by a significant margin? The one who - if a BASEBALL goes through a window is going to drop gigantic pieces of plate-glass on your empty-@$$ HEAD??!!

THAT is the Sears Tower - the BIGGEST G*D-D**NED building on the PLANET, and an even BETTER target for people looking to collapse buildings."

I grabbed him by his lapel, and said "FOLLOW ME!" - heading for the auditorium door, somewhat bodily dragging him along. I threw the door open...

"You see THAT? **THAT** is 99% of the brain-power in your whole f***king COMPANY. If even HALF of these people were killed or quit, YOU ARE OUT OF BUSINESS!"

I then dragged him back across the lobby to where our laptops were sitting. I pointed to Paul's screen...

"YOU SEE THAT??!!

THERE'S STILL A PLANE IN THE AIR, AND IT'S HEADED FOR THAT HUGE F**KING BUILDING ACROSS THE STREET!

"CAN YOU AT LEAST GIVE THESE PEOPLE THE CHANCE TO CALL THEIR FAMILIES TO SAY GOODBYE BEFORE YOU F**KING ***KILL THEM*** WITH YOUR IDIOTIC DEMAND TO PRETEND NOTHING IS HAPPENING!!!"

He stood, stunned, for long seconds -- apparently I'd gotten his attention.

He was perhaps overwhelmed for a bit - I watched his sudden awareness, and his sore @$$ (from the reaming I'd just delivered) do battle with his "I'm the BIG BOSS!" mentality for a bit before he visibly shrank, took a deep breath, and said "Alright, what do we need to do."

"FIRST thing, we need to get these people OUT OF HERE. Tell them to FIRST catch up with the other(s) with whom they share knowledge, skills and duties - only long enough to make sure they DO NOT leave together. We'll then split them into 2 rough groups as they leave. Give us a minute, and we'll plan separate routes back to our hotel for the groups, and find a couple of capable people to lead each group.

By the time you're done with your announcement, we SHOULD be ready to go, but just in case don't tell them to leave until you see Paul or Me at the door waving you on!

When you're done with that, come back to us with whatever other Maho... er... 'Leadership' folk you think appropriate and we'll plan next steps."

He didn't argue at all, he just nodded, spun on his heel and headed for the podium.

I looked at Paul, and said "We REALLY need to get these people out of DOWNTOWN -- at LEAST into the SUBURBS! He agreed, and decided we'd lead off with that when Mr. CEO returned - but at the moment we needed to get moving. I went to my LT to look at maps and plan 2 routes, then to write them down on a legal-pad since we had no printer. Paul went into the back of the auditorium, waited the long moments until the speaker handed over to the CEO, then spoke up and called "STAT!" for 4 guys who we knew were tough, smart and level-headed. He also told the CEO to proceed as planned, we'd be ready by the time he was finished with his announcement.

The Guys jogged out, and in just seconds we told them "We have to split, then double-time these people back to the hotel. We will explain later, but this is URGENT. We need 2 to walk at the head of a group, and 2 to hang back and help direct the lemmings that are about to pour out that door."

The CEO made his announcement, and people began asking questions instead of moving. To his credit, the CEO firmly said "Talk later, MOVE NOW!"

We managed to get our 4 guys in position just seconds before the people started pouring out. Paul and I began repeating "make sure you're NOT walking with your 'twin', people -- need half to go left, and the other half right -- just follow the guy standing in the doorway!"

We also took up positions near the exit to ensure that people we knew were separating and not traveling in a bunch - directing some individuals in such groups to one line or the other. The other guys at the doors were telling them "just follow the guys ahead of you!"

We got a few calls from the "walk leaders", and decided to take over the restaurant in the hotel as it would still be closed for a bit, then asked one of the VPs who dealt with such things to get us a conference room -- preferably in the basement -- at the hotel ASAP. Have our people help set up chairs and tables if needed, but get them into as much shelter as possible ASAP.

When we finally got everyone out, the VPs were all pretty upset. Paul - being higher than (but not "above") me on the org-chart - took over, after making it clear to all that I was to chime in at will.

We first explained the crisis - and the obvious need for US to get the f*** out of here ASAP - then repeated that we needed to get our people - or at least (the RIGHT) HALF of them - out of this city ASAP.

One - who was FROM Chicago - said he knew of a charter-bus service. Paul and I told him "Call them NOW", then caught ourselves and looked to Mr. CEO. He chuckled, and said "for the duration,Paul's in charge."

SMART MAN!

So, with one VP looking up some charter-busses, the next thing was to find at least 2 hotels to put people in - preferably separated by several miles (minimum) for better survivability. Another VP went to work on that through the company "travel office."

Next we agreed that we needed all managers to meet us on our arrival at the hotel - and that we could finish the rest of this on our way - so we headed out. Someone (me?) called to ask "the guys" to ensure everyone remained in the ballroom and didn't take off for their rooms, and to set up a space for our "managers' meeting".

On the way we discussed what to do about getting all these people home - it was by then news that all planes were grounded, and we all expected they'd be grounded indefinitely.

We also needed to consider feeding them, some creature-comforts on the way, etc, and a bunch of other minutia that would need to be dealt with. We agreed to meet later, after the "Managers' meeting" to hash it out.

At the managers' meeting, we gave them all a rundown on the situation, and our plans. We made them understand that it was POSSIBLE - though not probable - that some, half (or ALL) of our people could die, and that it was CRITICAL that we split up our brain-power as much as possible. NOBODY with similar knowledge and skills could be allowed to travel together, the goal was to ensure that if one bus was destroyed, the people on another could keep our business afloat.

We all agreed that in the cases where all the people were from the same place, thus needing to be on the same bus, that some of each would be bussed to a different city, put up in comfort and flown home first-class when possible -- all at company expense.

Managers having agreed to handle the bus-assignments, busses chartered for the duration, the company "travel office" ready to make arrangements for anyone being displaced, we quickly sorted out the "comforts" stuff.

We decided the busses would stop at the nearest Wal Mart, and the company would reimburse up to $30 per person for whatever they needed to make the trip less brutal. We suggested pillows, blankets, snacks, etc. There'd be a big cooler with ice and various drinks, and we'd be stopping for meals so no need to worry about those.

By this time, someone had brought in a TV on a steel cart, and we all got our first views of the damage in DC and NYFC. I vividly remember the horror as we saw (in replay) the plane hit the 2nd tower, and how much worse it was when we saw the towers fall.

I remember 2 things most vividly - as if they'd just happened. Unlike my other quotations - which are approximate and to the best of my recollection - these two are 100% VERBATIM.

First, when I saw the towers fall, I jumped to my feet and said "THAT WAS AN IMPLOSION!! THAT MEANS EXPLOSIVES!!"

Paul - former SEAL who certainly knew a bit about demolitions - agreed. I'm not saying I STILL believe that - the logistics of rigging those buildings while continuing business-as-usual just aren't feasible IMHO - but that was my impression at the time.

My second proclamation was - sadly - much more accurate. "This is the END of the US as we've known it. Those bastards just MURDERED Lady Liberty."

Every day since, I've wished I'd been wrong.

The trip home was TORTURE - those busses were made for day-trips, not 1500-mile, cross-country marathons. We stopped 3 times a day for meals - usually "rest-area" "food courts", and otherwise drove straight through. It took us roughly 36 hours to get to our DC office. Everyone was safe, and eventually made it home.

Of course, as we now know, Flight 93 went into the dirt near Shanksville, PA. There remains - even now - much speculation about where it was heading, but you need only look at what it DID in the air to see that Chicago wasn't outside possibility -- and IMHO (based on its flight path) the Sears tower was much more likely than the White-House to have been its target.

I then tried to get my rental-car -- and thus the rest of my belongings -- out of the "long-term" area at Dulles. A co-worker shared a cab with me as his car was there too. When we turned into the parking area, we immediately met a road-block where they'd placed concrete sections of jersey-wall and a "lift bar" to prevent our just weaving around them.

A man in a black trench coat and pants, white shirt and black tie was -- oddly -- the one manning the gate. He approached our car to say "Turn it around - lot's CLOSED." Our middle-eastern cabbie was ready to roll, but I wasn't.

"Yessir - I just need to get my car..."

"The LOT is CLOSED! Turn it around..."

"I'm sorry sir - I'm not helping you to understand -- my car is..."

Tired of dealing with morons, he pulled back his trench-coat and gripped the grip on his Uzi - thankfully not pointing it, but making it d**n clear that was next - as he said "No... YOU are the one who apparently doesn't underSTAND!

THE. LOT. IS. CLOSED.

TURN. IT. AROUND."

I smiled and said "I UNDERSTAND!" - but had to shout it because Cabbie had slammed into reverse and hit the gas as soon as he realized what was under the coat.

We turned around -- the lot was closed!!

This meant I had to rent ANOTHER car to get to my lodgings - and it was (IIRC) 3 weeks before they let the cars out of the lot. I ended up having a co-worker from the DC office get and return the car for me, and ship my stuff.

Paul and I were eventually recognized as "employees of the quarter" for the steps we'd taken to alert management and plan/help lead evacuation. This being the second time I'd been involved in saving the company from a MAJOR loss, I also gained a lot of respect from most of those on Mahogany row - though in the process a few somehow decided to be my enemy instead -- all stories for another time...

If you've read this far, my point with this missive was to show how my life - and ~250 others - was impacted on that day. The real impact went on for weeks, but the psychological impact - like Vanderleun and countless others - will be with me for the rest of my life.

I was TERRIFIED for my wife and kids - and utterly impotent at such a great distance to do ANYTHING other than call and try to warn Wifey.

Of course, all the rumors about bombs - car and otherwise - proved to be unfounded, part of the fog of war, yet my eyes were opened as never before. I'd always WANTED to "prep" - talked about it a lot - but never really thought it necessary before that day, at least not necessary enough to get serious about it. We'd managed to get a month or so ahead on the groceries - and I've always had the guns-and-ammo - but otherwise we'd have been caught flat-footed had the S really HTF for us then.

It also brought home - in an unmistakeable way - how serious even a frivolous "party" trip (like I'd expected this one to be) could actually be.

Like most others, I too ground my teeth in rage on that day - and in the days to follow - wanting RETRIBUTION. Let's make a bunch of desert glass!!

To be honest, I wanted Dubya to nuke Mecca - and frankly still wish he had - along with the rest of Saudi Arabia. Afghanistan? Sure - some of them trained there, but the place was basically stone-age to begin with, rendering "let's bomb 'em back to the stone-age" a pretty moot point.

Vaporize Mecca however, and - though it would unquestionably produce some "islamic rage" - you'd have sowed some MAJOR seeds of doubt among the death-cult's adherents. If Allah cannot protect his holiest shrine, then what CAN he do? I believe they'd have begun to have some serious doubts...

As it turned out, we talked a lot of crap, but then pretty much got fought to a standstill by a bunch of rag-tag Insurgents. When we leave either country, they'll be no more "advanced" than they were when we went in, and given our idiotic _resident's idiotic ROE and even more idiotic decisions to - of all things - "work with" the Taliban? In their minds - and most Afghans' as well - this means THEY WON! THEY defeated "the great satan" and the shouts of "allahu akhbar" will echo for a century or more.

They're not defeated, they're EMBOLDENED.

Turn Mecca into glass? THAT would have shown them the might of their "Great Satan" and the impotence of their "god."

Sadly, it's too late to do anything about it THERE, but I believe the impact is still viable on THE REAL America.

We're just getting started.

DD

Fifteen Principles...

2010-09-04T21:29:00.000-07:00

I found this on a "Freeper" page dedicated to LDS topics.

It is apparently the work of Mr. Ezra Taft Benson, who has contributed much good work to the Patriot and Constitutionalist lexicon -- just search YouTube for his name to find some speeches that - but for their obvious '60s appearance - could have been given today.

Though I'm not an LDS, these "principles" seem to me to be universal.

For those who may not believe in G*d, please substitute "The Moral Law" or other appropriate verbiage -- these really ARE universal!

=================================================================

Fifteen Principles Which Make For

Good And Proper Government

As an Independent American for constitutional government I declare that:
(1) I believe that no people can maintain freedom unless their political institutions are founded upon faith in God and belief in the existence of moral law.

(2) I believe that God has endowed men with certain unalienable rights as set forth in the Declaratioth in the Declaration of Independence and that no legislature and no majority, however great, may morally limit or destroy these; that the sole function of government is to protect life, liberty, and property and anything more than this is usurpation and oppression.

(3) I believe that the Constitution of the United States was prepared and adopted by men acting under inspiration from Almighty God; that it is a solemn compact between the peoples of the States of this nation which all officers of government are under duty to obey; that the eternal moral laws expressed therein must be adhered to or individual liberty will perish.

(4) I believe it a violation of the Constitution for government to deprive the individual of either life, liberty, or property except for these purposes:     (a) Punish crime and provide for the administration of justice;
     (b) Protect the right and control of private property;
     (c) Wage defensive war and provide for the nation's defense;
     (d) Compel each one who enjoys the protection of government to bear his fair share of the burden of performing the above functions.

(5) I hold that the Constitution denies government the power to take from the individual either his life, liberty, or property except in accordance with moral law; that the same moral law which governs the actions of men when acting alone is also applicable when they act in concert with others; that no citizen or group of citizens has any right to direct their agent, the government to perform any act which would be evil or offensive to the conscience if that citizen were performing the act himself outside the framework of government.

(6) I am hereby resolved that under no circumstances shall the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights be infringed. In particular I am opposed to any attempt on the part of the Federal Government to deny the people their right to bear arms, to worship and pray when and where they choose, or to own and control private property.

(7) I consider ourselves at war with international Communism which is committed to the destruction of our government, our right of property, and our freedom; that it is treason as defined by the Constitution to give aid and comfort to this implacable enemy.

(8) I am unalterably opposed to Socialism, either in whole or in part, and regard it as an unconstitutional usurpation of power and a denial of the right of private property for government to own or operate the means of producing and distributing goods and services in competition with private enterprise, or to regiment owners in the legitimate use of private property.

(9) I maintain that every person who enjoys the protection of his life, liberty, and property should bear his fair share of the cost of government in providing that protection; that the elementary principles of justice set forth in the Constitution demand that all taxes imposed be uniform and that each person's property or income be taxed at the same rate.

(10) I believe in honest money, the gold and silver coinage of the Constitution, and a circulation medium convertible into such money without loss. I regard it as a flagrant violation of the explicit provisions of the Constitution for the Federal Government to make it a criminal offense to use gold or silver coin as legal tender or to use irredeemable paper money.

(11) I believe that each State is sovereign in performing those functions reserved to it by the Constitution and it is destructive of our federal system and the right of self-government guaranteed under the Constitution for the Federal Government to regulate or control the States in performing their functions or to engage in performing such functions itself.

(12) I consider it a violation of the Constitution for the Federal Government to levy taxes for the support of state or local government; that no State or local government can accept funds from the Federal and remain independent in performing its functions, nor can the citizens exercise their rights of self-government under such conditions.

(13) I deem it a violation of the right of private property guaranteed under the Constitution for the Federal Government to forcibly deprive the citizens of this nation of their nation of their property through taxation or otherwise, and make a gift thereof to foreign governments or their citizens.

(14) I believe that no treaty or agreement with other countries should deprive our citizens of rights guaranteed them by the Constitution.

(15) I consider it a direct violation of the obligation imposed upon it by the Constitution for the Federal Government to dismantle or weaken our military establishment below that point required for the protection of the States against invasion, or to surrender or commit our men, arms, or money to the control of foreign or world organizations of governments.

These things I believe to be the proper role of government.

We have strayed far afield. We must return to basic concepts and principles - to eternal verities. There is no other way.

The storm signals are up. They are clear and ominous.

As Americans - citizens of the greatest nation under Heaven - we face difficult days. Never since the days of the Civil War - 100 years ago - has this choice nation faced such a crisis.

In closing I wish to refer you to the words of the patriot Thomas Paine, whose writings helped so much to stir into a flaming spirit the smoldering embers of patriotism during the days of the American Revolution:

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.

Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; 'tis dearness only that gives everything its value.

Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial and article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated."
(THE POLITICAL WORKS OF THOMAS PAINE, p.55.)
=======================================================
I intend to keep fighting. My personal attitude is one of resolution - not resignation.

I have faith in the American people. I pray that we will never do anything that will jeopardize in any manner our priceless heritage. If we live and work so as to enjoy the approbation of a Divine Providence, we cannot fail. Without that help we cannot long endure.

All Right-Thinking Americans Should Now Take Their Stand

So I urge all Americans to put their courage to the test. Be firm in our conviction that our cause is just. Reaffirm our faith in all things for which true Americans have always stood.

I urge all Americans to arouse themselves and stay aroused. We must not make any further concessions to communism at home or abroad. We do not need to. We should oppose communism from our position of strength for we are not weak.

There is much work to be done. The time is short. Let us begin - in earnest - now and may God bless our efforts, I humbly pray.

===============================================================

EXACTLY!

As I said, I am not an LDS, and frankly have some significant reservations about their theology, but there seems to be a universal Patriotism and Constitutionalism in their adherents - not to mention their "prepper" philosophy - that makes me pray that G*d will bless me to be surrounded by them when That Awful Day finally comes...

DD

Children, Adults, and Choice For Men!

2010-04-05T21:37:00.000-07:00

Once again I find myself horking out a missive that's much too long for Blogger's "comments" - so another post is born.

In comments to a post at Sipsey Street, a couple of issues/questions were raised by others.

Take a moment to read the original post and the comments - it will make the rest of this easier to follow.

===========================================================
@ Dennis30: The distinction you're looking for, and coming so close to finding, is simple -- It's Adults vs. Children.

Adults - us - know that we're responsible for our lives and actions.

The Enemy - them - have ever grown up. They FEAR responsibility, they loathe anyone who is truly self-reliant, they NEED someone to tell them what to do.

Best of all, just like all the REAL teenagers in the world, they believe they know EVERYTHING, and absolutely despise true adults who try to tell them that their juvenile plans and theories are unworkable.

They're perpetual adolescents.

@ PioneerPreppy: You too are ALMOST there.

Our current system - with universal access to abortion on demand and literal slavery for the poor, unsuspecting sperm-donor - ENCOURAGES irresponsibility.

"If I get pregnant I can get an abortion. I can make him pay for 18+ years. I can get food/clothing/shelter/etc. for FREE!" What part of this encourages responsible behavior? NONE - obviously.

I too am morally opposed to abortion. IMHO when it's still a "blob" of cells, it's just that - not a "human." The small-l-ibertarian in me also believes it is morally wrong to try to force my opinions on others at this point.

When it develops the ability to feel pain however, no reasonable person can describe an abortion in other than horiffic terms, and I lose all restraint in opposing it. If you were to rip the arms, legs and head off a puppy before feeding its remains through a grinder, you'd be jailed -- and rightly so. How can we tolerate this being done to a tiny being of ANY species?!

Still, I agree that it's a slippery slope to a VERY big problem. We simply cannot legislate morality. We CAN however - with properly composed legislation - accomplish some serious reductions in abortions and still be 100% in line with Libertarian and Constitutional principles.

This would need 2 laws to be passed:

(1) Any abortion process must inform the mother of the details of the chosen procedure. This may be accomplished in any format from printed literature to one-on-one tutoring, so long as she's fully informed of exactly what level of development her child has reached, and exactly what she's choosing to do to it. This would - no doubt - cause a drastic reduction in abortions all on its own.

To REALLY reduce the problem however, all we need to do is SOLVE an existing unfairness and Constitutional crisis -- the unfair, disparate treatment of men.

Women are granted a minimum of 60 days from the time they know (or SHOULD know) that they are pregnant, to avail themselves of a relatively safe and legal procedure to absolve themselves of the life-long consequences of an ill-conceived sexual union.

All we need to do is provide men with the equal protection under the law.

Obviously for men to be able to force or deny an abortion to a woman is unacceptable for a whole host of reasons - so what we're discussing here is a "virtual abortion", or a "legal abortion" if you prefer.

In essence, it would grant men access to a safe, legal procedure by which they too can absolve themselves of the aforementioned consequences. In sum, men would be given 60 days from the time they are informed of the pregnancy, during which they could avail themselves of the services of an attorney to sign a document absolving themselves of any possible rights or responsibilities as regards the unborn child.

This would IMMEDIATELY reduce the rate of both abortion and bastardy, because women would no longer be guaranteed a paycheck.

Any reasonable person would agree that this would force women to be MUCH more careful, and reduce "accidental" pregnancies to the nearly infinitesimal rate of true accidents where properly-used precautions have failed.

A near 100% of what we call "accidental pregnancies" are in fact negligent, or - as happens much more often than we know - a deliberate act on the part of the woman to "trap" a man into a relationship or simply allow her to steal a large part of his earnings for 18+ years by first fraudulently stealing his DNA.

I - personally - was once the victim of such a woman. She insisted that she was "allergic" to latex, and to some component of all the non-latex condoms. She swore there was "no possible way" she could get pregnant due to previous surgery, and that - even so - she was on "the pill" for other medical reasons.

My daughter was born 10 months and 2 days from the night I met this woman, and she's flatly confessed that she lied because she wanted another baby, believed I'd make a pretty one, and that I had the potential to also provide a much higher amount of "child support" to her.

She's made life a living hell for nigh on 2 decades because I refused to pay up and go away.

I didn't want to be a Father, but when forced into the role I determined to be the best Father I was able to be - which has been my overriding life-goal for nearly 2 decades. Nobody's perfect, but I give my all to the attempt - and I possess no delusions as to the rest of us.

Frankly, this responsibility is what made a good man of the worthless POS I was before. I would not be capable of turning my back on my offspring, and would gladly go through all the hell I've lived 10 times if its avoidance meant losing the people I love most in the world.

Still - those were *MY* choices. The fact that thousands of young men are forced into slavery every day is the worst sort of travesty.

Why "slavery"? Simple. The average child-support order ranges ~1/3 of a man's income for 18+ years - this means *ALL* of his income for 6+ years. SLAVERY.

Further, he's robbed of all choices. He cannot accept a lower-paying job, even if he's doing so due to grave and obvious medical concerns. Any lapse in payments - even through no fault of his own - will result in his being stripped of his right to travel, any licenses he may hold, even of his very freedom.

This truly is SLAVERY - there's no better word for it.

Bottom line: Remove all the rewards and return all the risks, and "unplanned" pregnancies will return to their previous rarity.

Ensure every woman wishing to kill her child must face the ugly reality of what she is about to do, and abortions too will become a rarity.

This leaves us with the problem of unwanted children. They are *NOT* "society's" problem - they are the responsibility of their MOTHER, and then their extended family and community.

As in times past, people *WILL* GLADLY step up and do whatever is require -- be it adopt the child or provide other needed assistance -- but not when they're being robbed at the point of a government gun.

Sorry for another excessively-long response, but this is a deep and important subject, and I can't let the opportunity to educate pass...

Respectfully,

DD
===========================================================

"Please don't start a civil war. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE"

2010-03-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

Once again, a commenter on Sipsey Street sets me off.

Someone calling themselves "Peace-loving American Citizen" said:

"Please don't start a civil war. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE"

Naturally, I had to set them straight, which produced another looooong missive that became another blog-post.

Hopefully you'll find it worth the read...

PLEASE take the time to follow the links and watch the vids, even if you can't watch them all right now, PLEASE bookmark this post and come back later! This is ALL stuff that is of CRITICAL importance!!

===========================================================
Dear "Peace-loving American Citizen":

First, if you believe we aren't also "Peace-loving American Citizens" then you've bought the propaganda spread by the Government Owned Media (all of 'em). Here's a hint for you: You know they're lying whenever they claim to be delivering non-fiction "news." It really is that bad.

Second, if you'd read *ANYTHING* on this site - any of the side-bar info on the main page, for example - you'd know that we (by which I mean this leaderless gathering - not "group" - of rugged individuals) will **NEVER** start it.

We DO however - most of us anyway - agree that the question is WHEN (not "if") and HOW TPTB will start it.

Further, when TPTB finally DO start it, we plan to FINISH it - to WIN it - to RESTORE our Republic to its former glory. WHEN it comes, it will NOT be a "revolution" - it will be a fight for RESTORATION of our Republic as defined in our Constitution.

Turn off the TV - it's full of nothing but propaganda. Some is subtle (like how all Fathers on every show are morons, and the only one with ANY real sense is the homosexual) and some is absolutely overt (see any "news" program).

Ignore the radio and newspapers as well - get your news online from the "independent" and foreign media, so you'll at least be within spitting-distance of truth.

READ the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Federalist papers, the debates of the Constitutional Convention (another e-book version here) and the Constitution.

(BTW - this is **THE** best site I've found for ALL related info!!)

Be sure to have a GOOD dictionary on hand - one that will help you understand what some of those words (such as "well regulated") meant to those who wrote them - as the most important definitions have changed considerably in ~234 years. A GREAT option is Johnson's Dictionary (1755-1784). The 6th Edition's Volume One is HERE and Volume Two is HERE - free to use online or download!!.

This may sound like a tall order, but could easily be accomplished by limiting yourself to one hour of the one-eyed beast (AKA "TV") per day and investing the balance of your time in said study.

Here's an important quote from the Declaration of Independence - that sacred document whose anniversary we celebrate with government-controlled fireworks, BBQ and drunkenness every summer:

"...We hold these truths to be self-evident:
- that all men are created equal, - that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,
- that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
- That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
- That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security..."

Now, let's think...

Violent thugs who enforce the diktats of the tyrants with zero penalties for their crimes? Check!

I could go on for days - taxation without representation, edicts and laws made and enforced against the plainly evidenced will of the people? CHECK!

Weapons made for foreign battlefields (microwave weapons, "sound cannons" that literally make people's ears bleed and can even cause DEATH - being used to deny peaceful citizens their right to assemble and petition for redress of grievances? CHECK!

Think you're safe in your home? WRONG!

Think you can move about freely without harassment, without uniformed thugs stealing your property without charge or trial? WRONG!

Think you can speak your mind, or even just go about your business, without being tortured - even potentially tortured to death - for nothing more than causing offense to some uniformed thug? Think there will at least be some meaningful penalty to said thug? WRONG! ...and... WRONG!

If you think you've seen it all, and don't want to sit through the first vid I linked, just PLEASE watch this one short segment... It's split at the end of one vid and the beginning of another - Part 1 is HERE and part 2 is HERE. PLEASE watch this, and bear in mind that neither of these guys was disciplined in *ANY* way - they were found to have violated no law or policy, and to have acted in accordance with training.

Don't even get me started about the excessive and onerous taxation = the propaganda bureaus lie (go figure) about "making the rich pay their fair share" or "tax cuts for the rich" - the truth is truly sickening...

If you knew the truth about who caused the current economic collapse (hint: The VERY SAME FOLK who now pontificate about greedy wall-street bankers") you'd be as angry as everyone ELSE who does!

Any idea who tried to STOP the coming collapse - and were shouted down by the very same people? The answer is here. The Retardlicans - AKA "The STUPID branch of The Government Party" - are bad enough, but the EVIL branch is INFINITELY worse. While they stand and scream about "greedy bankers" they're literally selling them total control of our Government.

Then there's the "Federal Reserve" - which is no more Federal than Federal Express. The Fed - a private, FOR-PROFIT entity exempt from ALL .gov control, (in fact, they've **NEVER** been audited) issues all our money. In the GB vid just linked he references "the discount window" - G-S and others borrow *OUR* $ at 0% then loan it to the .gov - with each of them skimming of A BILLION DOLLARS A MONTH!! Again, these are **OUR DOLLARS**- going straight into the pockets of G-S and other "banksters."

Not only have we never audited the Fed, but WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO OWNS IT! The party-line answer is "the member banks" - which is true as far as it goes - but then the NEXT question is "WHO OWNS THEM??!!"

According to the only chart I could find, they include N.M. Rothschild (London), The Bank of England) Schroder Bank (Hamburg/Berlin), N. M. Warburg (Hamburg) and a bunch of other names you'd recognize (Lehmans, Goldmans, etc...) -- all of whom BY LAW are guaranteed 6% dividends annually REGARDLESS of how they screw the rest of us.

Further, they ALWAYS make money - even when the economy is crashing - by trading on their insider knowledge of what the Fed is up to. They even push certain securities on their customers while secretly trading AGAINST them, yet nothing is done!

For more info, see also "fall of the republic (though some disinfo is included)" and "America: Freedom to Fascism"

If you have read all of this and you're not simply SEETHING with anger, you're not paying attention!!

Worst of all, I've merely scratched the surface here. These are just the things which sprung to my mind while typing, and which I was able to instantly locate via a search-engine. I don't think it would even be possible to list all the abuses and usurpations - since they're busily creating new ones every hour of every day. Even if we could freeze them right now it would take decades for one man to list them all, and they'd fill more shelf-space than is available in the reference-section of most libraries. Heck, watching all the youtube vids on "police brutality" alone would take months.

Once again, if you made it this far, thanks for reading. I've tried to make this a useful reference post, so bookmark it and subscribe so you can return or reference it easily!

DD

Lessons in Collectivism

2010-03-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you'll expect - reading my views on things - that my kids get ever-so-tired of hearing me rant about the evils of collectivism.

Yesterday my daughter got yet another lesson - this time one that really hit home for her.

Let me first lay in a little background...
She's 16 years old.
She has never -- Not ONCE in her entire life, ever had one single grade that wasn't an "A."
She entered High School with 4 credits toward graduation, earned by taking advanced classes in Middle School. As a Sophomore, she's taken Spanish IV, Advanced-Placement Calculus and other "AP" and "Honors" classes -- every HS course she's had outside the required idiocy like PE and "Art" has been either Honors or AP level. So far she's on track to exit high school with about a year's worth of COLLEGE credits under her belt.

In addition, she works a job 3-4 days a week, is very active in the school's Drama productions, is a member of "Youth Rise" and helped organize the "Relay for Life" event and other charitable functions. She also studied Ballet at a pre-professional level for 11 years, dropping it when she entered High School so she could focus on her academics.

She's also GORGEOUS - and turns heads wherever she goes. In sum, she's a VERY formidable young woman.

Currently her GPA is over 4.9 (due to all the AP/Honors classes) she's ranked third in her class of ~350 - and thus on course to be "co-valedictorian" if things continue to progress as expected.

A few weeks ago, she filled out the usual application for admission to the National Honor Society. Her older siblings did so as well, so this was fairly routine for us, but it certainly wasn't taken lightly - she fully understands how this can aid her in her future plans to go to medical school to be a pediatrician.

Yesterday she received a letter from NHS, telling her that she'd been REJECTED.

Why was she rejected? According to those who should know, it was because she didn't have enough "extracurricular community service" points listed on her application.

I'll refrain from repeating the vulgarities I uttered when she told me this.

How, for pete's sake, can THIS young woman not be NHS material?

Now - granted - I'm her father, and like all parents subject to some prejudice where my kids are concerned -- but the FACTS I listed above are self-evident, and thus not subject to prejudice or interpretation.

The simple fact is that she's being penalized because they feel (note - not "believe" -- "FEEL") that she hasn't spent enough of her time in involuntary servitude.

Our state has mandated a certain number of "community service" hours as a requirement for HS graduation - she satisfied that commitment as well in her Freshman year, and has done even more THIS year -- but not enough for the collectivist locals in charge of the NHS locally.

She herself asked the most relevant question: Since NHS is an Academic institution, what does any of this have to do with her admission in the first place??!

I'm an "OLD-school" Dad, who insists his kids work to earn gas money and other luxuries. They don't HAVE to work, but they also don't HAVE to drive their car to school or wherever. Though we could easily afford to give her an allowance bigger than her paycheck, the point is not the money, but the WORK -- the EXPERIENCE.

Her other poignant question was this: What about all the farm-kids who CANNOT do all the "after-school" stuff because they must go home and work on the farm? What about the POOR kids who must work a job in order to help support their families? Are they all to be excluded from NHS because they don't do enough "community service?"

This sickness WILL NOT STAND - but here again: What about all the poor, hard-working kids whose parents don't know HOW to extor... er... "massage" the petty dictators in the school-system?

As I helped her - again - understand today, NOBODY has any moral right to her time, labor or property without her consent. While I am proud of her kind and charitable nature, and do all I can to set a good example in that regard, if it isn't 100% voluntary it is evil - period.

The best part of all of this is that some 20 kids who fall BELOW the 50th percentile academically were admitted to NHS - primarily because they play sports and thus are part of a couple of "fund raisers" annually.

Apparently we've sunk so low that admission to the NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY considers academic performance unimportant when compared to sports or collectivist labor.

I'm trying to decide whether to puke or go break something...

DD

That Which Must Not Be Named

2010-03-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

EDIT/CORRECTION: First, I hear today that Queen Nancy has decided to hold an actual vote for this monstrosity.

As a friend on another site said:

"They just turned the clock back from 11:59 to 11:54"

Most of what I wrote below still applies, as the Senate is pulling something just as filthy, so-called "reconciliation".

For those who don't understand, they're treating the hostile takeover of our health-care system as if it were some mundane budget item - because they can't pass it with an up-or-down vote.

It ain't "the slaughter rule" but it damn sure ain't RIGHT.

I also must admit that my original post was based on bad information. When I got in the car and turned on the radio, Hannity was talking as if they'd already held the Demon-Pass vote - hence my opening lines below.

I should have verified that info, I did not. Mea Culpa.

====================================================

I had written what follows earlier today - before I'd learned that the despotic tyrants in DC had decided to kill what remained of our Constitutional Republic.

It's now official: There ARE NO LIMITS. Anything these monsters desire, they can do - and the precedent is set, so they WILL do it again, and again.

Cap & Tax?
DONE.

Amnesty for 20+ million illegal aliens (and a permanent demmunist-voting majority)?
DONE.

Forced conscription of your children (and their children, and theirs, and...) into unpaid Government "service"?
DONE.

NO LIMITS TO THE POWER OF THESE THUGS!

I support the planned lawsuits, and every other non-violent means of turning this around, and will do everything within my power to help them succeed - but I cannot believe it will work.

It is now - WITHOUT QUESTION - time for us to openly discuss That Which Must Not Be Named. We don't want this, but we will not stand for this blatant tyranny. Forced to choose, we will fight. The only remaining question is whether these Marxist monsters will blink first.

We actually pray that they will, but believe in the ancient adage "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum."

At the same time, as regards our G*d-given Liberties, we say "Molon Labe!"

God help us - and God Save Our Republic!

====================================================
I wrote what follows before I learned that The Enemy had decided to - once and for all - declare war on We The People, and what little remained of our Constitutional Republic.

I present it - unedited - below.
====================================================

Once again, I'm inspired by a post (or, more accurately, a COMMENT) at Sipsey Street.

Sadly, I'm not physically capable of active participation in the fight for RESTORATION that now seems to be inevitable. OTOH, I *AM* capable of cheerleading.

Since I am - without question - already on numerous "lists", I've decided to put by hindquarters where my mouth is and STOP BEATING AROUND THE BUSH.

If this GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER falsely billed as "health care reform" is jammed through - not only over the clear objection of a supermajority of Citizens, not only without even enough votes to pass it in a Constitutional way, but WITHOUT SO MUCH AS EVEN HOLDING A VOTE IN CONGRESS - then The Enemy will have finally declared themselves our Masters - and DESTROYED any pretense of "Constitutional" or "Limited" Government.

If they can do this, in this way, then there are no longer *ANY* limits of *ANY* kind on the powers these despots will seize for themselves. There is literally NOTHING to stop them from doing ANYTHING they please.

If they do this, then like Jefferson (PBUH) before me, I declare "LET THEM TAKE ARMS!"

"...
God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion.
...
If they remain quiet under such misconceptions it is a lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty.
...
What country before ever existed a century & a half without a rebellion? & what country can preserve it's liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?

Let them take arms. ... What signify a few lives lost in a century or two?

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. It is its natural manure.
..."

Indeed.

It is long past time to be sure our apparently deaf and blind would-be "rulers" CANNOT IGNORE the FACT "that their people preserve the spirit of resistance!"

I TRULY hope - against all evidence - that we can do so without shedding the blood of a single Patriot or Tyrant. I no longer BELIEVE it's possible without direct intervention of Nature's G*d - but that doesn't stop me from near constant, fervent prayer that Divine Providence will awaken these monsters before it is too late.

In comments to THIS POST, someone named "Anonymous" said:

Let's try that a different way:

There is a coming invasion from Neptune and the media and 99% of the population are not talking about it. The only ones talking about it are the 1% who are expecting it. Won't they be surprised when the aliens show up?

How precisely will a "civil war" happen if only some tiny minority are "fighting" it? I mean c'mon, you guys aren't even 1%. Listening to you talk is what it must have been like to hear the Weather Underground talk about how many radicals were ready to take up arms against the US. Talk about hubris--you think the few of YOU can put the country into a civil war? Act as you speak and the response will be the same response crazy violent thugs always get, and guess what? The rest of the population will not start shooting at anyone. They will watch you be hauled off to jail or to the graveyard after the authorities deal with you and they will go "wow, some people are f'ing cray-zee" and they will go back to their lives.

Has that thought crossed your mind? For the sake of those who might care about you, I sure hope so.
March 17, 2010 4:54 PM

This made me think - HARD - about my response.

Since it was too long for comments, it became a blog post.

I use the term "We" below to describe any and all willing to actively resist tyranny - including myself. Unfortunately I am crippled and will not be able to fight in the traditional sense, but I will do any and every thing within my power to resist, and to support those doing the fighting. Like our Founders before (Peace Be Upon Them) I pledge my life, my (laughable) fortune, and my Sacred Honor to this just cause.

This is my answer to "Anon":

@Anon - March 17, 2010 4:54 PM:

Your Public (MIS)education is showing.

Had you been encouraged to actually LEARN our history, you'd know that less than 3% fought and won the FIRST revolution - against *THE* greatest military in the world at the time.

Further, they did it with the material support (as in "gave a bowl of hot soup or a blanket to a freezing fighter once") of less than 10% of the population. We've all heard of the horrors of Valley Forge - how could such happen if even a portion of the population supported them?

They didn't - and they probably won't here either. This isn't going to be a stand-up Massed-Infantry fight ala "battle of the bulge", it's going to be an ugly guerrilla/insurgent campaign.

If every true Patriot succeeds in nothing more than taking out the first man through his door when they come for him, it won't be long before they'll have a damn hard time getting even the most hardened warrior to be first through the door. Without a first there can be no second, third or twentieth!

Further, you're assuming that the .mil and all the jackboots in various alphabet-agencies will fight for the tyrants. Some will, but an unknown number won't - and many who will BEGIN on the wrong side will defect in short order. They may take some number of the real thugs out on their way, and will WITHOUT QUESTION bring along their weapons, intelligence and other necessary tools.

Further, they have to a man been trained (through decades of "political-correctness") to keep their mouths shut, SO The Enemy will have no way to figure out which are undercover Patriots. This fact should send chills up the spine of any REAL jackboots if they have the intelligence to understand its ramifications, and the reality will work incredible havoc on the morale and ability of The Enemy.

Remember - we're Patriots, not terrorists. Ergo:
(1) NO FORT SUMTERS - We're not going to start it, we're going to finish it.
(2) NO MORE FREE WACOS - many thousands have quietly vowed "one hundred heads" for every Patriot murdered by The Enemy.
(3) "Serbian rules" apply - quislings, lap-dog-media agents and politicians will be the primary targets. We'll make every effort to prevent harm to innocents, but once the gloves are off The Enemy are ALL legitimate targets.

Witness the troubles our mighty fighters have experienced in Iraq and Afghanistan - using WMDs (heavy artillery, tanks, missiles and air-power) they'd never dare unpack against US Citizens on US soil. In reality it might be BETTER for our cause if they did, as the inevitable "collateral damage" will be viewed quite differently by the sheeple than it is now - on the other side of the world, on "ragheads" and their families.

Now think: How hard is it to fight the Afghan people when (1) they're all "different" from you but (2) the fighters look just like the rest of the population? We got our @$es kicked in Vietnam and have had thousands of dead soldiers in our current conflicts in spite of all their armor and WMDs.

Nobody has *EVER* conquered Afghanistan. NEVER - in all of History - and every empire who has tried has been broken on the Afghan rack.

EVERY SINGLE ONE.

And THEY are just simple tribesmen - not AMERICANS!

Further, *WE* aren't uneducated tribesmen living a stone-age existence -- we're *AMERICANS* G-D D@**IT!! We're educated, trained and equipped - in many cases BETTER than our men fighting in the sandbox today.
(As an aside, our fighting men are also fighting against tyranny - of a dictator, or a group of self-appointed oligarchs. Do you really think they'll see the parallels here? Do you believe that none of them remember their SOLEMN OATH, or that none of those who don't will escape being reminded by those who DO? Do you REALLY believe they'll fight for the tyrants instead of keeping their oath and resisting these Domestic Enemies?

Some will - no doubt - follow WHATEVER orders they're given, but many will not. Every one who defects will cause several others to think, and some of them will do RIGHT as well - and eventually a critical mass will be reached.)
We Patriots have our own fanatical but not-quite-religious beliefs - our "sacred texts" in THIS fight are the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

We're just as willing to die (if necessary) in support of our cause, but we're far from suicidal -- we'll make sure to collect our fair share of The Enemy in the process of shedding our own.

You - like all other COWARDS - have nothing that means that much to you. You're perfectly content to lick the hand that beats you so long as they keep the food-bowl topped up.

We know - WITHOUT QUESTION - that it's preferable for a man to die on his feet while fighting for what is right than to live forever on his knees.

Due to my inherent goodness I want to say "...and may your chains rest lightly upon you" - but I WILL not, because the reality is that your chains will weigh heavily on ALL OF US. INTOLERABLY so.

America is not a place, it's an IDEA - an idea which says "All men are CREATED equal - and what happens after that is up to YOU."

This simple yet profound idea led our Founders (PBUT) create a Republic which has not only surpassed all of humanity in its innovations, but literally created a standard whereby the ABSOLUTE POOREST among us live better than a majority of people in the rest of the world -- while simultaneously raising the standard of living for everyone on the planet.

Thanks to us, even the most primitive tribes in "deepest, darkest Africa" have well-made shoes and clothing to wear - the castoffs from our poorest are treasures to them.

We've fed the entire world with our farms, and FREED most of it with our military and industrial might, while maintaining the capability of INSTANTLY turning our Armed Forces' swords into humanitarian plowshares wherever they are needed.

What you're missing is that we've done so BECAUSE of our Constitution's focus on both individual rights and individual responsibilities.

Our Enemy is Collectivism/Statism - The basic premise thereof being that the people (as a group) are given rights by Governments - and those who attempt to destroy what's left of our Republic by forcing their twisted ideology on all of us.

This is irreconcilable with the FACTS that we KNOW to be true (and on which our once-great Republic was founded): We - as individuals - are given both rights AND RESPONSIBILITIES by Nature's G*d, and that *WE* *THE* *PEOPLE* grant some privileges to government in order to protect those rights and enable true Freedom and Liberty.

These world-views are irreconcilable - as anyone blessed with eyes to see can see. The "cold war" was not between US and the Soviets, it was between ordered Liberty and Collectivism/Statism. We won that war because the latter JUST DOES NOT (and CAN NOT) WORK.

This truth will win THIS one too - one way or another.

I pray we can do so by a Restoration of Constitutional Principles - because the other option is the same sort of Collectivism/Statism that's ALWAYS failed, and killed tens-of-millions in the process.

Like my namesake I proudly proclaim "Give me Liberty, or GIVE ME DEATH" - because life under a despotic, tyrannical Government is not worth living.

For those who might agree, but are reluctant to act out of fear of the power currently held by The Enemy, I can do no better than to PARAPHRASE The Bard:
"...
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our REPUBLIC loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.

By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet LIBERTY,
I am the most offending soul alive.

No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from THE LEGIONS OF COWARDS.
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!

Rather proclaim it, LADY LIBERTY, through OUR host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And COINS for convoy put into his purse;

We would NEITHER LIVE NOR die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day WILL BE call'd the feast of RESTORATION.

He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of RESTORATION.

He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is RESTORATION DAY.'

Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had on RESTORATION day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day.

Then shall our names, Familiar in his mouth as household words-
GEORGE WASHINGTON, PATRICK HENRY and RHODES,
VANDERBOEGH and CODREA, OATH KEEPERS and THREEPERS,
LEXINGTON AND CONCORD AND UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES -
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.

This story shall the good man teach his son;
And RESTORATION DAY shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-

We few, we happy THREE PERCENT, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;

And gentlemen in OUR REPUBLIC now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whilst any speaks
That fought with us upon OUR RESTORATION day."
Yup - that about covers it.

Listen, Anon: Unlike your messiah and his apostles, we have no desire to rule anyone - but rather only to FREE EVERYone to rule themselves.

This is America - the once and future Land of the Free. In spite of many decades of creeping evil, we really ARE still "The Home of the Brave"!

We'll see our great Republic RESTORED to its former glory - to again be the Shining City on a Hill - or we'll die trying.

Either one beats living under an iron-fisted Government in a pseudo-velvet, collectivist glove.

====================================================

In closing, I can do no better than paraphrase another man whose words I am not fit to mouth - Patrick Henry (PBUH).

I can already hear the shouts of "TREASON!"

Like this great man, I give you the same (paraphrased) answer he did when such was said to him:

“Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell and George the Third ...."

At that point he was interrupted by cries of “Treason!” from delegates who easily recognized the reference to assassinated leaders.

Henry paused briefly, then calmly finished his sentence:

“...may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it.”

I am sure Brother Henry wouldn't flinch from saying the same to our current (Chicken) George, and add - as I do - "If this be Treason, make the most of it!"

In Closing, I feel I must further burden my reader with two more lengthy items:
First, - suitably PARAPHRASED - Patrick Henry's famous speech.

"No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve. "

"This is no time for ceremony. The question before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings."

"Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it."

"I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN RECENT DECADES to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the House."

"Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies, AND NUMEROUS WEAPONS AND MILLIONS OF ROUNDS OF AMMO necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled that force must be called in to win back our love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which TYRANTS resort."

" I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? Has OUR REPUBLIC any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of WEAPONS? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us: they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which theSE MARXISTS have been so long forging. And what have we to oppose to them?"

"Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for MANY DECADES. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves."

"Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before DEAR READER'S throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of theSE AMERICA-HATING THUGS. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne!"

"In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free-- if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending--if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained--we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!"

"They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a JACKBOOTED guard shall be stationed in every house?"

Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us."

"Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave."

Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA! The war is inevitable--and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come."

"It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from SODOM ON THE POTOMAC will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have?"

"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! "

"I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

If you have an ounce of self-respect and love for our Republic - and that doesn't stir your blood - you have no soul.

If you are still on the fence, then you must not yet understand the alternative -- The Rape of Liberty:

The Rape of Liberty
(A Warning)

Ye vile, ignorant rabble, espousing hate,
Fast marching upon Freedom’s gate,
Shouting down those who would oppose,
Accusing false treason to all their foes,

Minds all closed as great steel traps,
Mobs like wild dogs howl wretched yaps,
Frenzied, they tear at the Sacred Gates,
Fires of Hell at home upon their grates.

Tolerance lies dead at heathens’ feet,
Beaten and crushed in darkened street.
And the mob cries lewdly at fair Liberty,
Leering lustfully at her maiden beauty,

Before they lunge, groping and tearing,
At her unsoiled gown, craven, jeering,
Pulling her rudely to the filthy ground,
As others, drooling, gather tightly round,

There rape her, virgin, in violent rage,
Like wild beasts upon the sideshow stage;
Lady Liberty, bleeding, bruised, rises -
But Liberty this ignorant crowd despises,

And turning upon her again and again,
They complete their bloody, raging sin,
Striking, stabbing ‘til breathes no more,
Lady Liberty upon this darkened shore.

Now the State, all-powerful, their faith,
Their idol-god, ungodly, steals her place,
And tramples all beneath its brutal heel,
Meeting patriotic resistance with steel,

Destroying all who refuse prostrate bow,
Not a voice to be heard for liberty now.
Pray we who loved her, and love her still,
For Liberty’s resurrection on shining hill,
Where once the peoples of all the lands,
Strove to plant feet in democracy’s sands,
For chance at life yet to them unknown,
Guided with Liberty’s torch-light shown.

Oh, may she rise from beleaguered tomb!
Will Freedom again for America bloom?
Oh, may we strive to stoke sacred flame,
Til Liberty rises, resurrected, yet again!

Hold to hope, ye lovers of democracy,
And never to the State willing vassals be!
Copyright April 29th, 2009, by Tom Woodard

If you've read this far, I am flattered. Hopefully you'll find it worth your time.
I am humbled by your reading and comments.
One last note to the Jackboots:
I'm crippled - and hence I am no real threat to you.
When you come for me, please make sure my wife and kids are not at home - they've done nothing and don't deserve to be hurt, nor to witness what you'll do to me.
Further, don't hurt the dog - he's not only harmless, but perhaps the purest spirit I've ever been blessed to know.
Lastly, I actually welcome whatever you do to me, but be advised: There really are those who have sworn "One Hundred Heads" in exchange for mine - and these are men who are more than capable of delivering on that vow.
You still have time to stop all of this before the bloodshed starts. I continue to pray fervently and without ceasing that you'll do so before it's too late.
God help us - and GOD SAVE OUR REPUBLIC!
Sincerely,
DD

Where AM I?

2010-02-27T22:22:00.001-08:00

I wrote the following in "comments" to a post at Sipsey Street.

Do yourself a favor - GO READ THAT POST!!

As I am wont to do, I got carried away with my comment and it was even too long to split into *2* comments - so a blog-post is born.

As I said, please go read the post so you know what I'm referring to...

=========================================

Gave me chills again as usual.

I'm glad you pointed out that we're to blame for where we are, too.

I'm in my early 40's. One of my favorite memories from high school is this situation, Ca. ~1982:

III friends and I went to a movie, then to a pizza place and were now walking the ~1.5 miles home. We weren't drinking or smoking the good stuff, werent' being loud, weren't... This actually may have been the one time in our rowdy little lives that we actually were doing NOTHING wrong - a fact which never really occurred to me until I was actually typing this...

We saw literally a second or 2 of flashing colored lights, high-beams and spotlights headed straight for us with the sound of a roaring engine. Startled as hell, we ran to get out of the way of this lunatic...

It would appear he'd been parked on the opposite side of the road - meaning he'd watched us for a good 3/8 of a mile or so - then started the car, hit all the lights and gunned it right at us. I NOW know he was probably bored and figured he'd have some fun...

He screeched into the space we'd just been occupying then dove out of his car like the hounds of hell were after him. We'd stopped running as soon as we were clear and had already turned around before he got out.

First thing he did was unsnap his holster, hand on his pistol. He then proceeded to bully us, wanting to know where we'd been, where we were going...

I stonewalled him - "with all due respect sir, I don't think that's any of your business."

My friends were terrified, but I told them to shut up and asked him if we were under arrest - "that depends on whether you answer my questions or not."

No-sir. This isn't Russia, we don't have to show our papers to walk down the street - THIS IS AMERICA!"

He then told me I could answer his questions here or downtown - I asked again if we were under arrest - and got the same answer.

I then told him if we weren't under arrest, then we'd be going on home now - he answered by demanding ID.

Again, by this time my friends were crapping bricks. I hadn't cursed, hadn't been rude - I had in a careful, calm tone simply refused to cooperate.

I repeated my "...this ain't Russia, this is AMERICA!" comment, repeated my "we'll be going now" statement, and started to leave - he got REAL loud then, repeating his "downtown" threat.

Now the boys were REALLY freaked - pulling out their wallets - I decided to go for broke...

"You can haul me in, but you better have a damn good reason because my Daddy's gonna be mad as hell!"

(FTR, My Daddy was ~100 miles away - Mom had custody of me for a year or 2 and was herself closer to 150 miles away - some 80-year-old lady was playing "nanny" to me so I did pretty much what I pleased at that point... NOBODY was coming, and if Dad DID show up he'd have beat me with a belt right there in the cop-shop, but I figured "WTF"...)

He actually looked scared for a minute, then wanted to know who my Daddy was - I again respectfully told him that was none of his business either, and told him we'd be going home, and this time turned and walked away - the boys just followed.

He stood there yelling after us for a bit before getting in his car, burning rubber through a u-turn, and drove away.

I felt GOOD.

This was the first time in my life that I'd actually CLAIMED my G*d-given rights to freedom of travel and assembly, and to be left unmolested when doing nothing wrong.

It may have been the first time such was even POSSIBLE due to the last qualifier there - but still... ;o )

Try doing that today.

That fat cop we all saw on video from one of the town-halls was right:

This *AIN'T* America no more - but it damn sure is NOT "OK."

I can't tell you how many times we got "busted" drinking or smoking weed in the car, usually in the park. Every single time they made us pour it all out on the ground and told us to go home.

As noted earlier this week - those were PEACE OFFICERS - not the "LEOs" we're cursed with today.

I only know a couple of people who would do what I did today - or ever, really. I'm ashamed to admit I learned to fear them too - for far too long.

A lot of it was simple "driving while young & long-haired" crap, especially when I was in Marin County CA driving a flat-black '69 Nova with roll bars and glass-packs - I might as well have put a flashing neon "please f*** with ME!" sign on top of the car.

I learned the lesson they were trying to teach - "CONFORM. Or ELSE!" - perhaps a bit TOO well - but about a decade ago I realized I'd crossed the line into "respectable" and once again had nothing to fear.

I am 100% deferential and respectful to any officer truly just doing his job - if I'm speeding I'll even thank him for the ticket - but he'd better not mess with me without cause.

A few years back I had a minor accident and was using a rental-car with plates from a couple of states away. The divided-highway near my house is a known drug-trafficking route, and the idiots use rental cars to get around forfeiture laws.

I was heading to work at 3:30 AM - in the direction of the state on the tags - driven the couple of miles to the highway and maybe 1/2 mile on said highway - just over the hill.

I had the cruise set just under 60 because I wasn't fully awake and there are a lot of deer out that time of year - so I wasn't speeding.

Just over the hill I passed him sitting on the shoulder facing the wrong way, and he instantly came after me - I pulled over. The usual "lic., Reg. & Insurance" ritual, then "May I ask where you've been this evening?"

I'd snapped awake from the adrenaline of the lights and all, and now I was PISSED.
"Sure - you can ask anything you want!" - then I shut up and stared.

"Oh - *SMART GUY.*...

FINE. WHERE. HAVE. YOU. BEEN. TONIGHT?"

"You know... It's funny. When I went to sleep I thought I was in 'The Land of The FREE' but I wake up and it seems I'm in Communist Russia or someplace."

"WHAT? What's THAT supposed to mean?"

"Well... Here I am - a law-abiding, tax-paying citizen, going about my lawful business, and suddenly I'm being detained by an armed, uniformed Government Agent who demands to see my identification and my traveling-papers before starting to interrogate me. I went through 19 years of Education being taught that sort of thing didn't HAPPEN here in the U.S."

Obviously, he wasn't too happy.

He snapped "Stay where you are, keep your hands on the wheel until I tell you to move them" - then he started heading to his car.

He only got a few steps, then he turned on his heel and came back.

You know, it would have been a hell of a lot easier if you'd just told me you only lived a half-mile from here."

"Well Sir, you had my 'PAPERS' -- and I Honestly didn't think it was any of your business!"

He threw them in my face.

"Get the f*** out of here." and started walking to his car.

I couldn't resist - "Does this mean I have your permission to take my hands off the wheel, Sir?

I have friends that are cops - they all agreed I was "lucky he didn't taser" me.

Larry the Cable Guy - before he got famous - used to do "radio commentaries" that were MUCH funnier than his "big-time" crap.

They all started with the same question: "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS, RUSH-IE?(Russia in redneck-ese)"
I find myself - DAILY now - asking a very similar question:
"WHAT F***ING COUNTRY **IS** THIS??!!

It sure as hell isn't the Founders' Republic, it isn't even what it was in 1983. Every day it seems to come closer to 1984 ala Orwell.

Honestly, this place and others like it - forums full of Patriots - are about the only thing keeping me sane.

I started listing all the things that are just-plain-WRONG, and realized it would be a thick book and I STILL wouldn't have them all.

Bottom line is that we don't really need a "return to the Constitution" - we REALLY just need a revival of the 10th Amendment and special attention to Article 1 Section 8.

If THAT came to pass, it would solve 99.9% of the other problems!

One last thing - The Constitution MOSTLY limits Congress and the Federal .gov - other than the Bill of Rights and some other plainly-stated items I can't recall at the moment, States can pretty much do anything their Constitutions allow - and this is HOW IT SHOULD BE.

I'm not going to get into WHY in this already too-long post, but if you study the DoI/Constitution/minutes of the Convention/Federalist Papers/etc -- IOW the PATRIOT'S CANON -- you should already know.

I'm finding myself more and more of late almost WISHING for a collapse or that these Marxists would just get busy and "bring it on" -- the sooner we get the ugly over with, the sooner we could all again live in a Free Country -- **THE** Free Country.

That would be good - because I don't recognize THIS one any more...

DD

PS: WV="Chest" -- what I just got a lot off of... ;o )

Molecular Justice

2009-11-13T11:41:00.000-08:00

Terrorist scum like the Ft. Hood shooter (I refuse to use his name - such vermin should be assured eternal anonymity) are driven by their death-cult religion.

As we on the right have recently discovered "rules for radicals", one of the premises is to use their belief-system against them. This one is relatively easy...

See, executing such filth - if they survive their murderous acts - simply grants them the martyrdom they seek. It's giving them what they want - so we must make it work AGAINST their twisted psychology.

No better example could exist than what I call "molecular justice."

We're all familiar with the death-cult's aversion to pigs. We should use this against them as follows:

After execution, their carcass should be fed to a pen of hogs specially kept for the purpose.
The hogs' excrement should be used to fertilize a special plot of land, whereon grains are grown to feed the aforementioned hogs.

It's the circle of life -- or "circle of death-cult" if you prefer.

Carcass becomes food, food becomes excrement, excrement becomes fertilizer, fertilizer becomes food!

Eventually - when the hogs age and die, their carcasses should also be fed to the pigs that replace them - thus ensuring the circle will continue.

In short, we should do our best to ensure that every molecule of all murderous jihadi-vermin's existence will spend eternity on an endless trip through the bowels of hogs.

Molecular Justice.

Open Mouth, Insert,..?

2009-11-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

So, I posted a blustery, chest-thumping, downright MANLY post in comments on a blog.

The blogger liked it, made it front-page news, where it was picked up and became front-page news on other blogs - and so on, and so-on...

My first reaction - honestly - was "Oh CRAP!"

Given my political leanings (strict original-intent Constitutionalist/minarchist - just like our Founding Fathers) and my tendency to preach to any who will listen (and lots who won't) it would be nothing short of a miracle for me to not already be on some "potential domestic terrorist" watch-list.

After all, those who vote third-party, carry a copy of our Constitution in their pocket, and quote the Founding Fathers are just one bad day away from becoming the next (hack-spit) Mcveigh - right? Only if you're insane, work for our Government, or are a Congressman - but I repeat myself...

So... Why do I think this deviously mis-named "health-care bill" is such a huge problem?

First, because it's patently unconstitutional.

The Constitution limits Federal Government power to 18 specific things (Article 1 Section 8) and goes on to say (in the 10th Amendment) that ALL other powers are reserved to the states, or to the people. Period. Therefore, this action is a gross abuse of our system of Government - something which should never be tolerated.

Just try to think for a moment: You're being ordered to spend $15,000 a year PER PERSON in your family, for an insurance policy - whether you want it or not. (NOTE: This may not be accurate. The estimate for families making a low-end middle-class 2-worker income is closer to $20k. TODAY'S costs are close to $15k for an individual, and will only go UP with Government involvement. Further - Given government's abysmal record for estimating costs - I'll stand by what I said and bet that I'm closer than they are come 2016.)

The penalty for willful violation of this "individual mandate" is up to $250,000 in fines and (not 10 - oops) 5 years in prison - for failure to buy INSURANCE?!!. WHAT country is this again?

If you don't like what the Constitution says, amend it. It's been done 27 times, so it's not exactly an unknown or impossible procedure...

If you don't understand why that MATTERS, well... Just go ahead and label me a racist right-wing extremist and go back to worshiping at the altar of totalitarian government. May your chains rest lightly upon you...

The Government who is powerful enough to give you everything you want is also powerful enough to take everything you have. -- Thomas Jefferson

An overwhelming majority of the things our Federal Government does are rightly classed as "unconstitutional" - a fact which saddens me more than I could say - but this is quite simply intolerable for a number of reasons. I'll attempt to explain some of them to those who care to read:

(1) This is the largest power-grab in the history of our Republic.

"Free health care for EVERYBODY!" seems like a really warm, fuzzy, down-right generous proposition for those who lack the intellectual capacity to see through the surface. That nothing is EVER free is a basic fact of reality.

SOMEONE has to pay for it, which means quite literally that half the people in our nation will be forced into virtual slavery - to involuntary labor for the further benefit of others.

This is bad, but it's not even close to the worst aspect of this travesty.

(2) This gives the Federal government access to the most private details of your life.

There's nothing more sacred than your relationship with your doctor. "Doctor-patient confidentiality" is a critical aspect of our most basic freedom! Take away that confidentiality, and now you won't DARE to tell your doctor anything you wouldn't want to be made public!

(3) This information WILL be used to further government power.

How long do you think it will be before some genius AINO* in DC decides to help fight the war on drugs by requiring a drug-test be administered at every doctor visit? Then all we have to do is lock up anyone coming up "dirty" and... The whole drug-problem is solved!

Since the Government "owns" all the medical records, this won't even require the Doctor to "report" you -- all they have to do is program the database to look for "positive" results and forward your name, address, description and photo (cross-referenced from Driver-license records) over to the DEA and... Off to jail you go!

But hey -- if you're not a drug-addict, you've got nothing to worry about -- right? Sure -- if you believe that mistakes can never be made, samples mixed up, ID numbers' digits transposed... It's a recipe for disaster. Look at the number of people whose houses have been invaded by mistake in a "system" where warrants must be signed by a judge -- there are no such protections here!

(4) This will end political activism by all but the most die-hard folks with nothing to lose.

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. -- John F. Kennedy

The IRS has been used by those in power as a tool to punish those who piss them off. Our current president thinks it's a joke. All it takes is a whisper from the right mouth for you to find yourself drowning in a sea of audits, where you have no real recourse to prevent them bankrupting you simply because they can.

Do you want those powerful people to be able to deny you life-saving medical care as easily as they can subject you to an IRS audit?

Further, there ARE fates worse than death. How would you like to be denied pain-relieving drugs as you die of cancer? After an accident? All this would take is a note in your Government medical file - "we won't pay for pain relief or cancer treatment. This one isn't worth saving."

If you - somehow - think you could stand the risk, what about your wife? Your CHILDREN? Would you be willing to speak against the government knowing THEY might be tortured (by witholding pain treatment) or allowed to die (by witholding other treatment) as a result?

Who would dare attend a "tea party" knowing that it's a simple matter using existing technology to scan faces in a crowd, ID the person from the driver-license database, and make the aforementioned notes in your "file" -- all 100% done by computer, all without human intervention?!

We already have the technology, and we're already using it! It's had nearly a decade to mature since its first public large-scale test.

(5) This will open the door to all sorts of other restrictions on Liberty.

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." -- C. S. Lewis

Helmet laws are "justified" by the claim "Since the taxpayers have to pay to take care of you for the rest of your life after you get a head-injury, we have the right to demand you wear a helmet."

Maybe you think motorcycles are stupid - but how would you like the same "logic" to be applied to the things YOU like?

It's just a matter of time. The totalitarians in the bluer-states have already banned some foods, and this was long before the taxpayers were suddenly declared "responsible" for everyone's medical expenses!

"Taxpayers have to pay to treat your cancer, so we have the right to insist you not use tobacco in any form"

"Taxpayers have to pay to provide your diabetes care, so we have the right to insist you not eat candy, ice-cream, or other 'unhealthy' foods."

"Taxpayers have to pay to take care of you, and everyone knows obesity causes all sorts of medical problems - so we have the right to insist you lose weight."

"Taxpayers have to pay to provide cardiac care, so we have the right to insist you do at least 3 hours of aerobics weekly!"

"Taxpayers have to pay to treat your liver-failure, so we have the right to insist you stop drinking."

Or, for those who do not drink: "Studies have proven that 2 alcoholic drinks per day have a positive effect on many areas of your health, so we have the right to INSIST you take two drinks per day."

Do you REALLY think none of this will happen? If so, you're a fool.

I could go on, and on (and on) - but the reality is really very simple: Free people are entitled to do anything they please, so long as they don't hurt anyone else.

This bill - and the "logical" measures that *WILL* follow, will do more to destroy what freedom we have left than the sum-total of every Federal enactment in the history of our republic.

I am not a subject, I am a citizen.

I am a free man, and I will do anything in my power to remain so.

I will resist every expansion of tyranny for one simple reason:

This man.

He could be anybody. He'd fit right in with the photo-albums I've inherited - maybe Grandpa, or his brother? Who knows where he's going - but he brought his coat.

Just like this bill - if we're too focused on the subject we cannot see what's really happening.

We need some more information...

I've never been able to understand how people could get to the place where *ANY* of these people are.

If you've read this far, and you're not in total agreement with everything I've said, I can almost guarantee you're now thinking "Oh, now THIS is stupid. You can't possibly compare the US Government with the Nazis! That can't happen HERE!"

Do you think - for one minute - that anyone in Germany went into their voting-booth thinking

"I'll vote for these Nazi characters - because I'm evil, and I know they'll murder millions of people outright, and start a war that will lead to the deaths of many millions more!"

Of course not.

They were in a major economic depression, tired of war, and looking for a charismatic leader to bring them back to the greatness that had been theirs prior to their government getting them into a war which ended up being utterly without justification.

The guy they found gave GREAT speeches, promised to fix everything, give everybody free health-care... He promised CHANGE! He gave the people HOPE!

Sound familiar?

They elected that monster for the same reasons we elected Dear Reader.

Which brings be back to this guy...
Every time I stumble over this picture, I'm fascinated.

How does a man become willing to take his coat and sit on the edge of a pit full of people he's just watched being murdered, and stand there quietly waiting his turn to die with no more apparent WILL than if he were waiting for a bus?

One need only read the history of the time and place to understand: The government started out with all sorts of lofty promises, then they began whittling away at the rights and freedoms of the people.

Each new usurpation more outrageous, but the people simply ran out of outrage. Some of them ran out of it so completely that they'd stand around like cattle, waiting for the butcher to run his bolt into their brain.

But it didn't START this way... Like all tyranny it started with bright promises and rousing speeches - firm hope for a better tomorrow!

Every single totalitarian enactment was accepted because it was supposed to make things BETTER!

Gather up the guns, so we can stop all this VIOLENCE!

Here - wear this little yellow star so we'll know who's who.

Every single government law is backed up by guns. LOTS of them.

If my Government decides to declare me a criminal and subject me to prison because I refuse to buy health insurance, and I resist, THEIR AGENTS WILL KILL ME.

Do you need examples of this? Really?

Fine. Watch this. That's a commercial for products being sold to your friendly neighborhood police officer. Don't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?

Here's another.

When they come to my house and catch me sleeping, and I wake, confused and scared, and try to defend my family, what do you think will happen? That poor man was a preacher.

The mayor's dogs ain't safe, either.

Heck, when they kill grandma by mistake, just plant a little pot.

It's not a rare occurrence.

How - when they execute ME (or you) in the middle of the night, are they any different than any of the other men in this picture?

Is murdering a man for resisting an unconstitutional mandate any different than murdering him for his religion?

Is the death of one resister enough?

What if 6 million resist?

20 million?

60 million?

What is the difference?

Seriously - WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

Do you believe ANY of the people, in ANY of these places, EVER thought "It most definitely CAN happen here, and probably WILL!"

Of course not.

Even MTV knows -- IT *CAN* happen ANYWHERE.

But not if we hold our Government to its proper Constitutional Boundaries!!

Today it's "health care."

Tomorrow?

UPDATE: A friend on another forum - not without justification - called "Godwin" on me.

Here's my response:
======================================
I really don't blame you for feeling that way, but... The parallels are undeniable. Theirs was the first great "experiment" in Socialism.

People NEED to be "Shocked" - they need to understand that for Queen Nancy to issue a "mandate" like she has WILL GET PEOPLE KILLED.

There's no difference that I can see between dying due to "health care rationing", dying while resisting arrest for violating her "mandate" and dying from a bullet in the back of the head.

All are victims of socialism.

It's time to call a spade a spade, and a fascist a fascist.
====================================

Totalitarianism by any other name will still smell of rotting corpses - my apologies to Mr. Shakespear...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EDIT: I wish I'd had time to flesh this out more - there's a lot more I'd like to say, things I'd like to clarify - but life intervenes... I have other responsibilities.

I'll get around to it - hope you'll come back...

DD

Black Man attacked at Carnahan Town Hall

2009-08-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

I listen to Andrew Wilkow on Sirius Patriot #144 almost daily. Let me begin by stressing that I listen to Mr. Wilkow daily and LOVE his show. I particularly like his cerebral delivery and his methodical, intellectual approach to the issues. I've learned a lot from him and this has greatly improved my ability to debate with moonbats, and to make them look like the fools they are. As a result, I take great joy from being able to deconstruct their arguments with ease and force them to resort to ad-hominem attacks ("racist", "homophobe", "Republican" etc...).

I called his show today because I believed he was mistaken in his premise that this incident was a white-on-black crime.

I called to try to correct this, because it just wasn't a racial matter -- the UNION THUG who attacked him - the one who asked "why would a black man be passing out stuff like this" -- the one who used a racial-slur before hitting him in the face -- WAS BLACK. I tried to explain, but he cut me off, and he carried this argument through the end of the show.

After much review, I KNOW that I was right, and further that this incident is much more worrisome as a result.

His site links to a post on "Conservative Punk" and he quoted from this letter extensively and repeatedly.

He also referred repeatedly to the video of the incident - which is also linked at "Conservative Punk"

The video is confusing, and he's on-air and thus could not possibly have parsed it or listened as carefully as I did.

I hope that this will help clear up his mis-interpretation, and I also hope that Andrew has the integrity to acknowledge when he's spent a good portion of his show spreading misinformation.

We'll see.

The reason I am so bothered by this is simple: I am sick and tired of having every possible situation turned into a "racial" problem. In my opinion, what happened today (with the misinterpretation of this event) is little better than Gates and Dear Leader's abuse of Officer Crowley.

Worse, to trivialize this event as a "racial incident" hides the TRUTH - the issue here was one of union-thug violence, and Our PRESIDENT HIMSELF incited it by telling his syncophants to "PUNCH back twice as hard!".

First, let's look at the video carefully.

As the video opens, we see a man (#1) in a purple-shirt and light pants on the ground at center-screen.

A woman (#2) in green shirt and shorts runs in from the left as the videographer says "I don't want to get involved in that at all..."

Then the video zooms in, we see a man in a green shirt and jeans (#3) straddling #1, then a guy with a white shirt with a white towel (#4) holding #1's arm.

Another purple-shirt back-to us (white guy with cigarette - #5) stumbles after apparently being hit by the black man in khaki clothes (#6 - Gaffney) who also falls,

At THIS point one can assume has knocked 2 people down (#1 and #5 - GOOD JOB BTW) in self-defense. At 0:08 we see "#1" get back up and the whole thing devolves into screaming, but we can also now see another black man (#7) to the right silhouetted by the background lights who is clearly also involved in beating Gaffney at this time...

At ~0:15 we hear "You ATTACKED HIM!" leveled at #5 by the man in white shirt (#4) - at this point we can also see that "#5" is the "white guy with the cigarette" who Andrew referred when I called.

Remember -- "#1" was on the ground as the vid opened - we must assume he'd also attacked Gafney before the vid began.

At ~0:22 we see the black guy with SEIU shirt (#7) come toward the camera, right hand on left shoulder, saying "where my peeps" a couple of times, then "naw, naw, he push me"

At 0:35 we now see a new white guy in khaki shirt (#8 - Security?) holding his arm around Gafney

At 0:39 if you look and listen, we see #7 go back to Gaffney and we hear "what the hell is wrong with you" - seems to be gaffney to #7. At 0:42 we hear "why you hit me? Why you hit me?" -- again seems to be gaffney to #7. "Did I bother you?"

Then at 0:45 the videographer's attention is pulled away by #4 yelling at #1 or #5 (not sure) "You attacked that guy for NOTHING!" Mr. SEIU disagrees, I wish I could make out what he's saying but his tattoo-tooth ratio and the fact that I don't speak "mumble" makes it hard for me to discern...

Now, it's IMPORTANT to listen CAREFULLY here at ~1:15 -- the videographer says "What happened?..."

Gafney responds "That guy attacked me."

Videographer: "Which guy?"

Gafney (@ 1:21) "THE BLACK GUY THERE..."

Your Honor -- I rest my case.

Now... As I tried to say when I called, if race was an issue AT ALL this was a black-on-black crime, but in reality it was a BLACK-Union-thug-on-Conservative crime which was joined in by other union thugs who also happened to be white.

If the video, and the statement of the victim therein is not enough...
QUOTE from the first paragraph (quoting St. Louis Post-dispatch who was subsequently quoting Gafney):

"... Gladney, who is black, said one of his attackers, also a black man, used a racial slur against him before the attack started."

QUOTE from the "lawyer letter":

"...The SEIU representative demanded to know why a black man was handing out these flags. The SEIU member used a racial slur against Kenneth, then punched him in the face..."

Ergo, the BLACK SEIU thug pulled a "Yo, Brutha, why you be passin' out the white-man's propaganda", then dropped the N-bomb and punched Gaffney in the face.

Ergo, AS I SAID (to Mr. Wilkow) WHEN I CALLED, the primary attacker was BLACK. This was the man who "fled on foot" -- Mr. "Where my peeps at" (#7) from the video.

Continued quote from the "lawyer letter":

"... Kenneth fell to the ground. Another SEIU member yelled racial epithets at Kenneth as he kicked him in the head and back. Kenneth was also brutally attacked by one other male SEIU member and an unidentified woman.

The three men were clearly SEIU members, as they were wearing T-shirts with the SEIU logo..."

Again - watch the video. The primary attacker - a black man ("Mr. Where my peeps-at") - is seen clearly in the vid, then ran away before the cops arrived and started handing out nice steel bracelets.

The only "racial" element in all of this was the black-on-black attack which commenced because Gafney dared oppose "Dear Leader" and the Union thug couldn't understand why a fellow black-man -- Gafney -- was apparently on the other side of the argument.

The other (white) thugs then piled on. Frankly, I seriously doubt if they'd have physically attacked Gafney - fearing "hate-crime" charges - had the other black man not been the one to throw the first punch.

This was an example of UNION THUGS doing what union-thugs do. They were DIRECTLY incited by Dear Leader telling them to

"punch back twice as hard."

This is FAR more chilling than white-on-black crime, as it transcends racial lines. The real issue here is that Dear Leader's brown-shirts have now begun passing out beatings to anyone who dares cross them.

We'll see a lot more of this before it is over.

One more thing before I go: One need but consider that Mr. Gafney COULD have been beaten to death before the police arrived. I am physically handicapped - running is not an option for me, nor - really - is fighting.

I have a concealed carry permit, and while I have no desire to do violence to anyone, if I am attacked I will use all lawful means to defend myself. I strongly advise others to do likewise.

SINCERELY and Respectfully,

DD

PS: One more thing from careful listening -- there's actually no evidence that Gafney was on the Conservative side of this thing at all. He was there, not "passing out" Gadsden flags, but actually SELLING them. Listen to him at 00:25-27 -- "I was just standin' here, ... sellin' my little flags..."

We can see them on the ground to the right as the video opens...

So the REAL attacker - the black man - wasn't mad at Gafney for giving them, but for selling them...??

Near-miss on Tuesday evening...

2008-06-27T08:52:00.001-07:00

Tuesday evening, I had a very scary encounter.

I've tried to map out the scene for reference -- I hope it is clear enough for my writing to make sense.

I was headed West on the street, turned right into the driveway entrance.

I had to swing right (east) around a group of (3) shady-looking characters standing near the entrance, near the words "ATM Machine" on my map. (#1) had a bicycle -- obviously a drunkard with no license. The other (2) of them -- #2 and #3 -- looked at me really, very hard as I passed, enough so that I became concerned.

I parked at a 45-degree angle, between the lines, pointing straight at the ATM machine. There was a 4th man at the machine so I hit the button to kill my headlights and go to just parking lights -- simple, common courtesy. The guy fiddled with the machine a bit, but I never saw cash, receipt or card come out before he walked over to join the group.

Something about this situation really bothered me, so I pulled my Seecamp in its wallet-style holster from my right-rear pocket where it usually lives and put it in my right-front pant pocket. I was careful to hide the pistol, anyone seeing (though I cant imagine how in my dark car) would only have seen a wallet move from one pocket to another.

I got out of my car and hit the remote button to lock the door, and walked to the ATM machine. As I did, the group broke up. My "alert" went up a notch, so I put my right hand into my pocket and grasped my pistol's grip, trigger-finger still outside the holster.

(#1, #2) headed East, out of sight down the sidewalk.

(#4) Headed north (I think, generally) toward the back of the lot.

The last one ("#3") headed North-west, toward the north-east corner of the bank building.

I'd been watching them in my peripheral vision, but as this one crossed behind me into my "blind spot" I made a point of turning toward him, sorta obviously keeping him in view. Our eyes met, he knew I was looking at him. I gave him a "nod" and noticed he had what looked like a plastic bottle of Pepsi in his hand. He diverted more to the north-north-west, thus coming "less" toward me than he had been and disappeared, headed into the north-west part of the lot. As he meandered, the partition-wall blocked my view of him.

I don't know why -- none of them had done anything threatening, but the whole thing just had my instincts on a knife-edge. I stood sideways, facing mostly North, and operated the ATM with my left hand, my right still grasping my pistol in my pocket as I scanned the area as much as I could..

I got my "balance check" slip and looked at it, then began punching in the numbers for my cash withdrawal. At this point I was on full-alert, tingling between my shoulder-blades, adrenaline kicking in... Something in me was screaming "Danger!" but I couldn't figure out why I was feeling so paranoid. I learned long ago to listen to my sub-conscious, while simultaneously willing myself to "calm down" to maintain self-control.

For some reason I still can't explain, I stopped and took a few fast steps to the East so I could see on the other side of the little partition-wall. Standing in the shadows, with his back to the bank wall and his right-shoulder touching the partition was #3!!

I'd last seen him heading toward the back of the lot, as if he was going to the bar on the other side of the fence, the only way he could have gotten where was is if he snuck back along the bank-wall. If the brick partition hadn't been there, our shoulders would have been less than one-foot apart!

When I saw him, and he saw me see him, he REALLY looked nervous for a second.

I turned in about a 45-degree angle to him, instinctively taking my "fighting" stance, facing roughly north-west. I pushed the holster loose from my pistol and made sure it wouldn't hang up on my pocket if I needed to draw, and in my most agressive manner said "can I HELP you??!!"

Honestly -- if he'd made a move at all in my direction at that moment I'd have shot him.

He stuttered a bit, said "naaah -- I'm cool..." and began side-stepping along the wall then scurried off in a near-run to the North before disappearing around the back of the bank. He may have gone to the bar through the opening in the fence.

I quickly got my cash -- stepping back so I could see all around and listening for the "ATM-spitting-out-cash" noise before grabbing my cash and stuffing it in my pocket then hitting the "get my card back" button and grabbing it and my receipt then heading for my car, unlocking the door with the clicker just before grabbing the handle. As soon as I was in I locked the doors again, fired it up and got out of there.

When I heard the "ATM-spitting-out-cash" noise, I realized what had almost happened.

ATM's make a "whifwhifwhifwhifwhif" noise as they count the cash, then a very distinct whirring as the stack of bills is ejected. I am about 100% sure that this mutt was listening for that noise.

When he heard it, he'd have stepped around the partition and knocked me in the head, grabbed my cash sticking out of the machine, and ran. I found him before the cash-noise happened, before I'd actually hit "OK" for the withdrawal.

Further, the more I think about it, I think the pepsi may have been a prop, filled with something solid and heavy like concrete, otherwise I didn't see anything that he could have used as a weapon, though I suppose a blind-side sucker-punch might have been enough. I'm pretty sure it was black, though that could have been black sand or... Who knows. Maybe it was just a 20ounce pepsi though that would probably knock a guy out if you hit him in the base of the skull with it in a surprise-attack from behind.

I'm still a bit shaken -- I don't think I'll be using that machine at night any more -- but after I've thought about it a lot and written this, I'm pretty happy with how I handled the whole thing.

I listened to my instincts which were screaming like hell, and steadily escalating from the moment I pulled in. I was totally aware of who and what was around, and the directions they scattered into. I checked my "blind spot" on the other side of the partition wall before pulling cash, prepared for whatever I might find. I stood my ground and challenged him, but resisted the urge to draw...

My only real regret is that he was well inside my "21-foot" zone at the time, but I can't see how I could have done that differently without risking exposure to other unseen dangers between the cars. Any of the others could have crept up below the door/trunk/hood level and I wouldn't have been able to see them.

The biggest lesson here is "LISTEN TO YOUR INSTINCTS" -- ESPECIALLY when they "don't make sense" with your conscious assessment of the situation. Your higher-mind is telling you what you've failed to consciously notice.

DD

"Boys..." -- First post, part 2...

2008-06-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

I’ve told this story a few times, it always cracks up the people who know us, but I just wasn’t sure it would translate into “print” although I guess it must have done ok…

Thanks for the positive feedback -- looks like now I have to get back to work.

You'll never hear Paul Harvey tell this one, but...

And now... The Rest of The Story...

========================================

So, as I pointed out in Part 1, I'd really (REALLY !!) hoped that a good case of wankus-interruptus would teach The Boy the necessary lesson.

As I opined when I left off, "Alas, this was not to be..."

On the following Sunday evening, BB and I went to take The Girls back to their mom's at the end of the weekend. His sister was off with their Dad and The Boy was (again) left at home, alone.

Dealing with The Ex was never pleasant, and my worry for The Girls, my heartbreak at having to leave them there... Sundays SUCKED around my house. It usually took me a couple of hours at home to get into a sociable mood, until then I just wanted to be alone.

We arrived at home and I collapsed on the couch, hoping to be able to escape from my thoughts, into some mindless TV. I reached for the remote, and RIGHT THERE -- right on the coffee table this time -- was another nudie-book.

“Oh, Jesus…” I thought. “Welcome HOME…"

"Might as well get this over with…” I sighed, snatched up the mag, and headed down the hall to The Boy's room.

I walked in without knocking, turned on the light and shut the door behind me before turning off his TV.

He wasn’t too happy at the intrusion, he tried to blink the bright-light out of his eyes, then saw what was in my hand and instantly kicked into defensive mode.

"Look, man... I'm sorry…"

"Sorry ain't really cutting it, Boy. Not this time. I tried -- G*d knows I tried, but..."

"Really, it's not going to happen again. I understand, I really don'..."

"Nope. Too late." I said. "We HAVE to do this now -- don't you see? YOU made this mess, damnit, and now I have no choice. I REALLY hope this conversation sucks as much for you as it does for me."

I paused to take a deep breath, gather my thoughts, and settle my nerves a bit before getting started. I really didn't have any speech prepared, but had a general idea of what lessons needed to be imparted... I was tired, and a bit angry, (not to mention more than a bit skeeved out by the whole thing), but... I'm a man, and men do what we have to do, so...

Here goes...

"First, I need to be sure that you know that what you're doing is perfectly normal and natural."

"I--AM--NOT!!" he shouted, highly indignant at the mere suggestion...

I stifled the urge to laugh, took another deep breath and said "Well... That pretty much proves that you ARE, especially since I didn't say exactly what, but...

"I'm NOT!!" he shouted again. "I know what you mean. That's DISGUSTING."

"Well... it can be, I suppose, in fact that's pretty much why I'm here. Let's start again…”.

(Deep breath)

“All boys, when they reach a certain age, discover... well... They begin to..."

"I TOLD YOU, *I* *AM* **NOT!!**" he yelled again, pounding his fist on his bed for effect.

"OK. Look... This conversation is going to take all night if we don't get past this..."

"But I'm NOT!!" he protested one more time

"OK, Look -- I'm willing to stipulate that you're the first young Knight in the history of The Realm who hasn't spent a majority of his free time polishing his lance, if that's what it takes for us to move past this..."

"But I'm NOT!!"

"**OK** -- I GET it -- YOU'RE NOT!! -- but IF YOU WERE..."

"But I'm NOT!!"

Steam-roller time... Any parent knows that point at which you stop arguing and just talk over them... This was it.

"...But IF YOU WERE, it would be perfectly natural. Heck, when I was your age I had like a 10, 12-times-a-day habit myself... It’s kind of a miracle I didn’t wear it out, really…"

Finally, I'd managed to shut him up. The horror on his face was ... well... PRICELESS.

“… what’s NOT natural is… well…” I’d been so focused on just getting past his denials, that I was about out of steam.

THINK FAST…

“…Ummmm…”

Again, I vividly recall seeing the horror on his face, and decided to use that for my advantage.

“Lemme put it THIS way…” I said. “…I need you to close your eyes and imagine something.

A peek at the boy (I suddenly realized I was talking to the wall, not looking at him) told me he wasn’t really playing along, but I needed to get this over with. I stood up, and paced around the room a bit while I was talking…

“… Imagine it’s like … a holiday weekend. The Girls are with their mom, you and your sister are off with your Dad…”

“… Mom and I sat on the deck and watched the sunset, had a few glasses of wine…

“I got a little Barry White playing on the stereo…”

(singing) “…’never gonna give you up, Baby…’ ” as I closed my eyes and danced a little bit, beginning to find my groove now…

“…ol’ Barry’s the MAN, by the way, I gotta tell you, dude – something about his voice just makes women get… Mmmm....”

(Pause to insert leering grin here…) Yup, he's with me. It's like a car-wreck - -he really doesn't want to look, but he can't help himself...

“…Sorry… like I was saying, we had some wine, one thing led to another…”

“…We made it into the kitchen, getting’ a bit carried away… I lifted her up and set her on the table…”

“…Things are getting all hot-n-heavy. Man – she’s laid back on the table

– right about where you usually sit, come to think of it –

... she’s got her legs throwed up over my shoulders and I’m (fists clenched at waist level as my hips thrust in vulgar manner) REALLY (thrust) GOING (thrust) to (thrust) TOWN (thrust) I (thrust) mean (thrust) I’m (thrust) really (thrust) slappin’…”

At this point, he looked sorta like a goldfish -- his chin was gulping up and down as he made little retching noises…

“STOOOOO—oooooooP!!” he yelled, cringing in disgust, hands flying up over his face in the classic defensive pose…

“Duude – that’s my MOM!!” – still retching…

For a moment I thought he was actually going to heave, then I realized my mission was accomplished!

“THERE!!” I yelled “That feeling RIGHT THERE!!”

“GRAB IT!! HOLD ON TO IT!! YEAH! THAT FEELING!!”

I’ve never been able to look at this picture without cracking up – even finding it to post right now has left me in stitches, as it TOTALLY captures the expression on The Boy’s face at that moment:

Yup – That’s it all right.

“Oh, G*D…” he croaked. “… WHYYY??” lapsing into stunned silence.

“Because THAT’S how the rest of us feel when we find your masturbation materials laying around all over the place.

Like I said, it’s perfectly natural, but what’s NOT natural is for you to force the rest of us to feel like you’re feeling right now.

We know you’re going to do it, but … well… NOONE wants to have to think about you, sprawled out on the sofa, being your own best friend…”

I actually paused for a second, I guess his earlier protestations had conditioned me to expect another round of “No I’m not/yes you are/no I’m…” but he just sat, stunned into silence.

“Look, “ I said “here’s the deal. Get yourself some paper towels, some hand sanitizer, -- be sure you wash your hands -- I mean … – I shouldn’t have to be afraid to touch the doorknobs in my own house, right?”

Still stunned, but he managed a nod.

“The next time I find your porno collection, I’m going to show you MINE. Well, I guess I should probably call it ‘ours’ since … well, … “ Again, I lapsed off into silence, letting it finish my thought for me…

The Boy let out a little groan of disgust and I decided I’d better not push my luck. He still looks like he might heave.

I HATE puke, so I’d better back off…

“Keep ‘em out of sight, OK?”

“HOW?” He cried... “Mom’s ALWAYS all up in my stuff.”

“’Your stuff’ has been all up OUT -- in the dang LIVING ROOM!…” I said,

“…but I know what you mean… USE YOUR HEAD, man! You’re a smart guy!! Tip your night-stand back…” (I did, showing him the space underneath) “…there’s room for a coupla phone books under there… Take your drawers out of the dresser…” I paused to pull one out “… there’s room to put 4 or 6 of them on either side of the slide!!

.. but for f***s sake, PLEASE stop leaving them laying around the HOUSE!!…”

He was beginning to recover by this point, he nodded weakly, letting me know he understood.

“… I’m trying like hell to be the cool Dad, here. My Dad would have just beat me senseless... I don't know what to do, but you really have to understand – if The Girls were to find one of these, and their mom found out about it, it could really mess up their lives in ways you just can’t understand right now…”

I've always tried to protect the kids -- all of them -- from the Court battles and all, but he was older, home all the time, and aware of some of the ugliness, some of the awful mess I’d been going through trying to do what was best for my kids. He really liked my Girls, and made a fantastic Big Brother to them, and I knew he at least heard that point as well.

“Gotcha…” he said.

“Good. I’ll talk to Mom – it’s about time you started doing your own laundry, especially since… Well… I’ll show you how, OK?”

He nodded again, still struggling with his horror…

I stood, and put my hand out for a shake. Just as he started to shake it, I suddenly made my “YUCK!” face and pulled my hand back quickly, nose still wrinkled for effect.

“Umm… OK” I said, as it dawned on The Boy why I’d had second thoughts about shaking his hand. I patted him on the shoulder instead.

I picked up the magazine, started to roll it up, then thought better of it. I wasn’t quite done yanking The Boy’s chain yet.

I paused for a moment, almost to the door, flipping through the magazine a bit until I found a slim brunette (BB is a slim brunette)…

“Niiice!!” I said, pointing at her and tossing the boy a wink as I headed for the door.

He made a yuck-face of his own…

I made a point of reaching for the doorknob, then pulling my hand back and carefully using the magazine to open the door without touching the knob, then slowly made my exit, singing “AAaannd I'i'i'mm... never gonna give you up, Bay-beeee” and dancing a little as I looked at the brunette a bit more.

I stopped in the hallway, still singing quietly and dancing just a little as I pulled the door shut, catching his eye just for a second as the door closed.

“I hate you” he whispered just as the door clicked shut, his throat still struggling a bit with the urge to gag, but the half-smile on his face belied his words...

I knew this was a story he’ll tell his friends some day, probably half-drunk, once he’d matured enough to get over the embarrassment. He’s never actually mentioned it in my presence, but I know I was right…

We've had some unpleasant times -- I was his step-dad, and much more old-school than he was used to, which made for some conflicts, but he's grown to be my Bud. He calls me when he needs advice... I'm damn proud of him.

Years later, we were all at dinner, celebrating his college graduation and Commissioning (he’s a Lt. in the Navy now) when Barry White came on the speakers. I couldn’t help smirking at him as ol’ Barry crooned “never gonna give you up, Bay-baaay”…

What surprised me was that all of his “Buds” looked at me -- all at once -- did a spit-take and joined him in cracking the heck up… Obviously they'd heard the story...

Of course, when they started, I lost it as well, and we all sat there laughing hysterically…

Mom looked around, puzzled, trying to figure out how she’d missed the joke as I, The Boy, and all his Buds just rolled – we laughed until the tears ran down our faces -- all of us -- while everyone else sort of looked at each other and shrugged, not sure what was so funny.

It was one of those times when you’d manage to get yourself together and stop laughing, then make the mistake of making eye-contact with someone else which would cause you to lose it again.

We ROLLED while Mom, the girls and the other parents exchanged glances, trying to figure out what was going on. ROLLED till I was almost crying, gasping for air.

We’d finally managed to get ourselves together when BB, apparently a bit miffed at being left out of the hilarity, looked at my oldest daughter, rolled her eyes and said

“Boys… “

Which just set us off again…

The Boy has become The Man, but he’ll always be The Boy in this house otherwise full of girls. Even the dog, both cats and the guinea pig are all female. I'm drowning in a frigging estrogen ocean around here, moreso now that The Girls have matured...

There’s a gazillion more great stories of our exploits, I’ll have to write some of them up I guess since this one seemed to go over so well…

The “Condom story” would have been better in response to LL’s post, but just wouldn’t have made as much sense without this one as history.

Thanks again for the positive feedback!!

Well, I guess everyone has to start somewhere...

2008-06-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

I created this account so I could comment on other people's blogs. I have a habit of leaving long posts in others' comments that would be better written up in my own blog and linked... Until now, I've just never done it.

AD's link to LL's post about her embarrassing conversation with her daughter, and his link to one of his stories about his Mom made me finally hit the switch. Believe it or not, I think I can compete with both of them for pure hilarity, ickiness, embarassment and self-humiliation.

Yeah, that's a tall order, and some stiff competition. The story rocks, but I'm not so sure of my ability to tell it... In any case, here goes.

I need to set the stage with a bit of background.

I'd been through a bad marriage and a horrible divorce, and was still fighting an even uglier battle over the custody of my two daughters. I'd sworn I'd never again consider marriage, when life -- defined by a wise person as "what happens to us when we make other plans" -- intervened.

I met BB at work. She was everything I'd want my daughters to grow up to be. Beautiful, educated, hard-working, accomplished... The total package. I was smitten. Time passed, and we ended up together. I'll no doubt elaborate on HOW that happened some other time -- it's another pretty cool story -- but there it is. We'd eventually moved in together.

BB had 2 kids also -- a boy and a girl -- each several years older than mine. The Boy was in the 8th grade -- a difficult time at best -- and suffering from all the ills of any other adolescent boy. This story occurred a few short months after we'd combined our households -- we were still figuring things out, but The Boy and I got along surprisingly well, all things considered.

BB on the other hand was having a bit of a crisis of her own, as most women will at this difficult time. Seeing her offspring mature often leads women to fear their own maturation, and add to this that she'd recently found her first gray hair and... well... Let's just say things were a bit sensitive. My mission was to not allow her to fall off that precipice, as I was rather fond of the passionate woman with whom I'd been blessed and didn't want to screw that up.

So we come home one night, having gone out for a while to watch a friend's band play. I always ended up sitting in and singing for a set or so with them, this night was no different. The Boy had been home, alone, and I'd eventually realized that it was time to get BB home before she turned into a pumpkin. Home we went, to find Boy had already headed off to dreamland.

As I went through the living room, on my way to the hall and our bedroom, I noticed a magazine laying on the floor next to the sofa. Something led me to check it out, as we weren't really "magazine folk". I'd never actually seen one in our house before. When I saw what it was, I quickly "stashed" it -- the last thing I needed at that point was for BB to find The Boy's Playboy -- THAT would have thrown a monkey-wrench into MY plans for the evening, to say the least...

Later, when I had the opportunity, I buried it in the trash can outside, thinking The Boy's panic and frantic attempts to locate it would teach him a valuable lesson, then did my best to forget about it.

The next morning, he was TRYING to be slick while looking for it. I could see the beads of sweat on his forehead as he meandered through the house, trying to appear nonchalant as he frantically tried to locate his missing stash. I was fighting back a laugh, watching him try to look under furniture while pretending he wasn't looking at all.

Unable to resist yanking his chain a bit, I stirred the pot...

"Did'ja LOSE SOMETHING Boy? Hmm??"

Those with kids of any age know that little spasm that goes through them when they're busted. It's an involuntary full-body twitch that most parents would recognize, and probably think it's just their kid. It's not. It hit him hard, like a spasm.

(Twitch) "Huh?... " He stammered...
"I didn't... "
"I'm not... "
...
"I'm cool."

"Are you SURE? You seem like you're looking for something..." Yeah, I'm a sadist.

"Nah. I'm just -- ... you know... Chillin'.... (shrug) Whatever..." He began to redden, fiercely.

"OK. Well look, if you ever DID lose something, just tell me what it is and I'll help you look for it, OK?" I said, unable to completely bury the smirk I felt. He was too panicked, and too busy trying to hide it, to notice. His ears were by this time red as a tomato, but I pretended not to notice THAT.

I had no way at all to know what to do, as my Father's solution to most problems was the back of his hand or a thick leather belt. I shudder to think what he'd have done in this situation, so I was on my own.

Bear in mind that I'm trying real hard to be "the cool Dad" here -- no point in TOTALLY embarrassing the kid, but I need to send the message that I know what he's missing, hopefully he'll figure out I found it, and this will solve the problem without any oogy confrontation.

Alas, this was not to be.

A few days later, I found another one in the same EXACT place, on the floor, right next to the sofa. This one I buried too, saying nothing and hoping the worry would teach the lesson. I'm an optimist, or a coward. I prefer optimist, if it's all the same to you.

It's important, for context, to understand: I was fighting for custody of my daughters -- then aged 5 and 3 -- who spent every weekend with us at this time. The LAST thing I needed was for one of them to find one of his magazines and for the story to get back to their Mom. O-M-F-G: I can only imagine the uproar that would have caused. While this was fun, in a twisted sort of way, it was also important. Critically so.

Further, delaying BB's awareness of her son's budding sexuality was likewise in my best interest -- if she saw his... er... materials ... well -- let's just say it wasn't likely to be good for MY sex life,

Capisce?

So I buried them.

A few days later, BB went into The Boy's room to put away some laundry.

I hadn't really noticed, but I couldn't miss the mourning wail that shattered the quiet morning stillness in my love-nest.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaah..........!!!"

I'd only heard similar vocalizations at funerals up to this point in my life -- the sound was pure pain and grief.

I ran down the hall, heart pounding, wondering "who died?", to find BB holding yet another Playboy magazine.

"My BAAAAAY-BEEEEeee's been looking at POOOOOOOOOR-NOOOOOOoooo!!!" She cried, as huge, painful sobs wracked her body.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaah.........."

"Why you stupid little...." is what I thought, finally awakening to the realization that The Boy really WAS that stupid, and "that which I feared" has come upon me.

What I SAID was "Where'd you find THAT?" -- knowing like most men that feigning ignorance was MY only hope at this point.

"It was laying on his beeeeeeeed" she wailed. "Whatta we gonna DOOooooooo??!!"

I admit -- I thought she was sorta overreacting, but then I did have some grasp of the psychological harm this revelation would cause, as I pointed out before. Women never make sense to me, but sometimes I know how they'll react ...

Time to take charge.

"WE aren't going to do anything. YOU are going to let ME handle this."

"But.... But... But... " She snuffled, and started crying again.

I tossed the evidence on his bed, pulled her out of the room and into my arms and let her cry it out.

"Hey -- look on the bright side -- at least it's GIRLS,..." I said -- "...you can at least be happy about THAT, right?"

Apparently I'd just found yet another difference between Mars and Venus, as this kicked off another crop of wails and tears. Guess not...

Eventually she got it all out of her system, and I was able to get down to business.

I needed to teach him a lesson, but again -- I didn't want to TOTALLY wreck the kid, and had never had to deal with anything like this before.

I confess that cowardice, a desire for revenge, the aforementioned fear of one of The Girls finding them, and a REAL need to handle the situation all did battle in my head.

How can I send the message that needs to be sent, in a way he'll never forget, and solve this problem without a confrontation?

*I* don't want to have to do this... I mean... YUCK!!

Then I spotted the pad of big Post-It notes next to the phone in the kitchen -- you know the ones that are about 5" x 7" and look like a mini yellow legal pad? -- and knew what I had to do.

I grabbed one of these, and a sharpie, and made a note that looked something like this:

I then pasted it right in the middle of his magazine, where the arrow was pointing to an appropriate subject, and put the magazine right back where Mom had found it. Grinning like a maniac, I exited his room and closed his door.

I admit - I can be a bit of a sadist. I'm sure my male readers -- if they've put themselves in the boy's position -- can imagine how it must have ruined his ... er... rhythm (yeah, that's it... rhythm...) when he found it. I sort of imagine the soundtrack to his little fantasy coming to a screeching halt, with the painful noise of a needle being dragged across a record.

"SKRIIIIIITCH!!"

I must confess that even now I'm pretty proud of this solution. At least I'd like to be... Sorta...

A couple of days later I noticed the wadded-up Post-It note in the kitchen can. I just knew then that my mission was accomplished. Surely THIS will fix this -- right?

Alas... it was not to be.

To be continued...

EDIT: PART 2 IS HERE...