The Deuce On Power

I don't think most conservatives understand Power. Oh, conservatives grasp the need for Power when it comes to foreign affairs, hence our almost universal support for a strong military and robust diplomacy, but when it comes to domestic Power conservatives are clueless. We don't know how to get it, what to do with it when we somehow stumble upon it, or how to keep it once we have it. When it comes to domestic Power we're gross amateurs as compared to our leftist enemies.

Yes, I said enemies. The current gang of leftists wielding power in the White House and Congress, along with their fellow travellers in the mainstream media and our universities, are not just misguided neighbors or Utopian dreamers or the loyal opposition. They're in fact more dangerous to the continued existence of America than Al-Quida, North Korea or Iran. While terrorist organizations or foreign nations may some day attack us again, maybe with a nuclear weapon or other WMD, they can not kill America. Wound, yes. Infuriate, yes. Damage, yes. But they can not kill America anymore than Angles and Saxons could kill Rome. But Rome did die, killed from within by corrupt ( and often insane ) politicians, a reliance on foreign laborers with little loyalty to Rome and an over-reaching need for empire that could not be economically or militarily sustained. The similarities between the fall of Rome and the coming fall of America are astounding. If you're not able to call leftists our enemies and treat them as such, then you can't begin to understand Power.

The recent Tea Parties are a prime example. The gatherings were peaceful, orderly and widely dispersed... and that is exactly why the Tea Parties accomplished very little. In a White House press briefing, the press secretary said the President was unaware of the protests. What little coverage the parties garnered in the MSM was worse than insulting...it was utterly dismissive, treated as a laughable gathering of racist fools and of no real significance. The coverage by Fox News and conservative talk radio, while largely positive, was not enough to even get serious attention from the likes of Obama, Pelosi and Reid, nor apparently to sway the beliefs of anybody not already one of us. When hundreds of thousands of conservatives protest but only the protesters pay any attention, you have to ask yourself why? Why is it that the smallest protest conducted by the leftists gets massive amounts of media coverage and politicians falling all over themselves promising hearings and investigations and indictments, but conservatives get the Rodney Dangerfield treatment? No respect. So why don't we get any respect from the powers that be? Because they don't fear us.

Machiavelli said, "It's better to be feared than loved." We, the people, should not be afraid of our government...our government should be afraid of us. The government works for our benefit, we don't work for its benefit. We call the tune and Washington dances. We're the boss. We've all heard it a million times.

Well, that's the way it's supposed to be. The reality is that "we the people" don't really exist and never have. Americans are now 300 million individuals who gather together in like-minded groups to fight for Power. The Power to call the shots, to decided how things are going to be in America. Government doesn't dance to "the people's" tune...it dances to the tune of those relatively few people who are well organized, well financed and bold enough to exercise Power...and thus feared by the elected and appointed elite.

So what exactly am I saying? What I'm saying is that we need to collectively grow a pair. We need to understand that to get and maintain political and cultural control of this country will take a lot more than going to PTA meetings or a candle light vigils or writing letters to congressmen or even voting. The stakes are higher than ever before. America is being deconstructed...and what is coming will not resemble anything like the country we were born into. We are now living in the time of the Leviathan...and Leviathan is kicking our ass.

This report from Fox News;


"One million tea bags delivered to Lafayette Park were reloaded and sent away because tea party organizers did not have the proper permit, protest organizer Rebecca Wales told FOX News. ( emphasis mine ).

And a D.C. rally scheduled to take place outside the Treasury Department was cancelled when the U.S. Secret Service prevented protesters from gathering outside for lacking a permit." ( emphasis mine ).


Faced with smiling authority figures who oh so politely informed the protesters that they lacked the appropriate papers, our gallant protest organizers at these two events shrugged their collective shoulders and slinked away, chastised by The Man.

Not one of the protest leaders could muster the courage to ignore the warnings and conduct the protest as planned, and accept a misdemeanor arrest for their civil disobedience. Not one. Not even close. And as for the commentators from Fox News and talk radio that championed the Tea Parties, that kept reminding us all of how the founding fathers pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor for freedom from an unresponsive and arrogant King, did any of them put their money where their mouths were and take an arrest for the cause? Did any of them risk anything at all and defy authority? Of course not. They might lose their cushy jobs. After all, protests are all well and good, but money is money.

There was one brave soul who actually took a risk for liberty. An unnamed woman in Northville Township, Michigan, blocked traffic while holding a sign over her head that said, "We want our country back!" She was arrested. God bless her freedom loving soul.

We've all seen how the leftists protest. They're not afraid to express their anger and to demand action, and their not afraid to get arrested for a little civil disobedience. They might not always get the action they want, at least not right away, but they damn sure get Washington's attention. And they have brought about a boat load of change. Not the change we want, but the change they want.
There comes a time when talk is not enough. The leftists figured that out in the '60s. We still haven't figured it out.

Clearly we're not mad enough yet. We are poorly organized, our financial power is spread too thin, and we lack the boldness necessary to first get and then exercise Power. Clearly our enemies know that. And THAT is why we're not taken seriously. THAT is why we are not feared.

Not yet.

Shame

By Mr. Quarter

The video making the rounds of Obama bowing before the King of Saudi Arabia is shocking to say the least. That an American president would ever bow to a foreign potentate, let alone the king of a country who's citizens hate Americans enough to kill almost 3000 of us in a single event, is beyond the pale.

Obama's spokesperson at the White House, in what has now become a familiar manner, outright lied and tried to explain the President's supplication as merely bending to reach and shake the king's hand. Right. I saw the video and no one who does will ever believe that was the case. The president, with hands at his sides, bent at the waist in a low bow before the King of Saudi Arabia. I don't think I have ever been more ashamed.

But this president made this kind of ass licking supplication his trademark on his recent overseas trip. He made apologies to all of Europe and all Muslims on behalf of Americans for our arrogance, lack of deference, and unilateralism. Well I'd just like to say this on behalf of the Americans that are still proud of their country: Mr Obama, don't ever apologize on my behalf because I am not sorry. Let me also say to Mr. Obama that bowing before a foreign potentate constitutes a high crime and misdemeanor while the president is in office, and should be considered an impeachable offense.

The Prescient Mr. Quarter

By Mr. Quarter

Amazing! He does it again! Is Mr. Quarter endowed with the gift of knowing the future? On March 23, prior to The Deuce's pondering, I lamented in this space about the need to change the paradigm for ground transport vehicles. Yesterday, in the Wall Street Journal, GM announced a partnership with Segway to produce a new kind of ground transport vehicle. A sort of hybrid between the Segway scooter and a car. Capable of traveling up to 35 miles, with a top speed of 35 mph, this vehicle will not be a rectangular platform with a wheel at each corner. It will be a rectangular platform with a wheel at each end! Inchworm-like, we make progress forward.

The Deuce Ponders II

Things are tough all over. But now we know exactly how tough. The Glorious Leader ( TGL ) has apparently instructed the State Department to shop for gifts for foreign dignitaries at Wal-Mart. First, the British P.M. on his visit to The White House gets a DVD set of American movie classics. Then, on his visit to London for the G-20 swap meet, TGL gives Queen Elizabeth an iPod. TGL campaigned with the mantra, "yes we can." Judging by these cheap and tacky gifts more appropriate for an episode of My Big Redneck Wedding, the new mantra is "well, er, no we can't." Look for TGL to invite Larry the Cable Guy to the next Kennedy Honors event. Now thet right thar is funny...I don't care who ya are!

I'm sure TGL's main squeeze is a wonderful person ( even though she's only been proud of America for a few months now ), and I wouldn't normally comment on Michelle's fashion sense, but I can't help but notice ( thanks to the MSM ) that she goes sleeveless more often than your run of the mill Hell's Angel. What are the odds she's got a tramp stamp? The Vegas line says it's even money. And shouldn't it be TGL showing off his guns? Who's the shot-caller in this crew anyway?

Why are the Obama's looking to adopt a rescue dog when they've already got two lap dogs; Chris Mathews and Steve Olberman? Oh yeah, one of the daughters is allergic to mutts. Not to mention having a dog that gets a thrill down his leg every time TGL is present could get kind of embarrassing.

Here's a joke for you. GM and Chrysler ( among other auto makers ) are now advertising that if you buy a car from them, then lose your job, they'll make your car payments for you for a few months. So, what's the punchline you may ask? They'll be making the payments with money gleaned from the billions of taxpayer dollars given them by TGL. There's no such thing as a free lunch people. In a hilarious related story, the Feds will honor any manufacturer's warranty from said auto makers...again with tax payer's money. Gee, I recently had a three month old Mr. Coffee crap out on me. Where's my bailout? $70 here and there and pretty soon were talking serious cash. Turns out the Mr. Coffee was made in China. I guess I should be thankful it didn't poison me...so far as I know.

Speaking of poisoning, it recently came to light that the managers of the peanut butter processing plant in Georgia knew there was salmonella in their product, yet continued to ship their tainted peanut butter. Several people died and hundreds were sickened...and I didn't have a PB&J for a month. Look, I know that as a nation we're dependent on foreign oil, but couldn't we temporarily be just a little more dependent, just enough to make enough tar so that we could tar and feather these miscreants? Are we dependent on foreign sources of feathers too? Do we make any damn thing in this country anymore besides glutinous bankers and corrupt politicians?

Earlier today yet another freak, this time in Binghamton NY, decided to punch the ticket on his miserable life but didn't want to go alone, so he slaughtered 13 innocent human beings before ventilating his own melon. During the TV coverage on Fox News, I watched a retired NYPD cop discussing how such sickening mass murders could be avoided. Among other things he said, "It's too bad that there wasn't armed security there, or an off duty policeman." Meaning, too bad there wasn't a good guy there armed with a gun who might have been able to stop the shooting and limit the loss of life. What he pointedly didn't say was too bad there wasn't armed security there or an off duty policeman, or an armed citizen. Why wasn't there an armed citizen there? There are a lot of answers to that...here's the one that I think is the most germane. The state of New York is very restrictive on issuing permits to carry concealed weapons. The NRA and other 2nd Amendment rights organizations describe New York as " right restricted-very limited issue." This generally means that a person may apply for a concealed carry permit, but if they can not show a very specific reason why they need to carry a weapon, such as being employed in a job that requires carrying large sums of cash or their job requires them to carry a weapon ( such as private security) or they are a public figure and have had their safety threatened by stalkers or the like, the application for concealed carry will be denied. Most people do not meet those requirements. This is what people like me call victim disarmament.

My response to this despicable act of mass murder? I said a prayer for the dead and wounded and their loved ones; I thanked God for the first responders who may have saved lives; I cursed the shooter and the idiot sheep in New York who continue to work to keep average people from lawfully carrying weapons with which to defend themselves and innocent bystanders; and I went to my local Sheriff's office and renewed my carry permit.

While I do not live in a "shall issue" state ( meaning the local county Sheriff or other responsible law enforcement officer MUST issue a carry permit if the applicant has no history of violence or mental illness and successfully completes any required training), I do live in a "may issue" state, which means the county Sheriff MAY deny the application FOR ANY REASON. I'm lucky that my local Sheriff is a reasonable man and to my knowledge will not deny an applicant unless there is good reason to do so.

I live in a small town. The violent crime rate here is very low. The odds of my actually needing a gun to defend myself or others in my community is almost non-existent. I rarely carry my gun in town. However, I live just 20 minutes from a much larger city where I often go to shop or eat out or see a movie. This city has a much greater violent crime rate. I carry my gun when I go there.

In the 13 years I've had a carry permit I've never had to pull my gun. Never even thought about it. Whenever I put on that gun I pray I don't need it...and thank God I've got it. Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.
I can't help but wonder how many people in Binghamton, NY, or Columbine CO or Blacksburg VA are wishing they had the right to carry a concealed weapon at their job or at their school. After all, where are you truly safe? Events in recent years and common sense should tell us that we never really know when we're safe and when we're not. No matter the time or the place, evil can come crashing down on us and if we're not prepared for it, we're toast.

Question: Why do you carry a gun? Answer: Because cops are too heavy.
Question: Why don't you rely on the police to protect you? Answer: Because when you need the police they're only minutes away, but in a life and death situation you only have seconds.
Question: Why don't you support more stringent gun control? Answer: Because when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.
Question: Why don't you have a concealed carry permit? Answer: Guns are soooo icky!

Guns are tools. They are neither good nor evil. It is people, not guns, that are good or evil. Bottom line; the safety of you and your loved ones is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY, not someone elses. Stop being a sheep, and start being a sheep dog.

And Now for Something Lighter

By Mr. Quarter.

My fellow bloggers and I have used this space to vent, comment and, sometimes, rage over current political and world events. This post will contemplate what I consider one of the great shortcomings of our modern technology. I give you - the wheel, or more specifically the paradigm of the four wheeled land transport vehicle.

According to several sources that I consulted, the earliest evidence of four wheeled transports comes from Sumerian clay tablets depicting sketches of a sledge with four solid wheels. Basically a rectangular platform supported by a wheel at each corner. Capable of transporting people or goods over relatively smooth terrain with much less effort and higher velocity than dragging or pushing, and greater capacity than on the back of an animal or on oneself. Date? 3,500 B.C.

Fast forward 5,500 years. Men have walked on the moon, harnessed the very power of God in the nucleus of an atom, transplanted the internal organs from one person to another, created a web of communications that allows instantaneous transmission of images, sound and text around the world in a millisecond. How do we move goods and people over the ground? Basically a rectangular platform supported by a wheel at each corner. Capable of transporting over relatively smooth terrain with much less effort and at higher velocity than dragging or pushing, and greater capacity than on the back of an animal or on oneself. Date? 2009 CE.

The puzzle to me is that in over 5,500 years the paradigm for ground transport has not changed one iota. We have improved the basic paradigm by adding more power, more wheels, achieving greater velocity, extending the range and variety of terrain it can cross. We have even added audio and video entertainment to enjoy during the trip and air conditioning for added personal comfort. And don't forget the rich Corinthian leather! But, after 55 centuries of engineering and untold treasure spent on product development, and yet no one has come up with a new paradigm that significantly improves on the original idea.

Why is that? Was/is this the best and only concept for a land vehicle? To believe that, one has to embrace the notion that 55 centuries ago, someone stumbled on to the greatest idea in all of history and that there is no other paradigm that could be an improvement. Or, is it because we have become intellectually paralyzed to the extent that any attempt to visualize other means of land transport always reverts back to the existing paradigm?

Many of our human creations are inspired by models we observe in nature. The obvious example is an aircraft. Looks and works pretty much like a bird. I suppose that 5,500 years ago, some Sumerian looked at all the beasts of burden and deduced that they were basically rectangular platforms with moving parts in contact with the ground that created locomotion, and that that model would work if only to come up with a reasonable facsimile of the moving parts. Thus, the application of the potters wheel to the problem of providing locomotion.

I don't know the answer nor the reason. However, it seems to me that the current paradigm is stale. Perhaps there are other models of locomotion we can build upon. That's what they did in Star Wars!

They're not Undocumented - they're ILLEGAL - part 2

In my last post regarding this subject, I left you with two essential questions....



First, if we as a society are going to pick and choose which laws we're going to obey and which we'll not, then by definition, we are living in anarchy. My question is, "is this what our government wants us to do"?



I want to believe the answer is "no", but I think in light of our recent election, the answer is undoubtedly "yes'' - at least with regard to immigration law. You see, the vast majority of these ILLEGAL ALIENS benefit significantly from being here. They enjoy our healthcare system, our education system, our social services, driving, and an many other benefits that we are paying for. By "we", I mean LEGAL CITIZENS. Our support systems are financially failing because we're providing services to literally millions of ILLEGAL ALIENS who contribute nothing toward the cost of these services. This has to stop, but don't count on that happening. For as long as we continue to provide these services at no charge, more and more ILLEGAL ALIENS will cross the border to take part in our wonderful society. So, our immigration laws mean virtually nothing. We could stop it, but we choose not to. Could it be because these ILLEGAL ALIENS are viewed as future DEMOCRATIC voters? I'm thinking that has a significant part in this folly. As a result, I'm in the process of deciding which laws I want to ignore....more later.



The second question I asked is, "what do we do with the millions of ILLEGAL ALIENS that are already here"? This really isn't as difficult as our government would make it sound. In an effort to show my humanitarian side, I'm going to suggest the following approach be taken....



First, all ILLEGAL ALIENS must register with the government by May 1, 2009. This shouldn't be too difficult, as they're not on vacation for goodness sakes - they're here, allegedly working, so they shouldn't have too much of a problem making themselves available. In an important note, this registration does NOT change their status to LEGAL.



Second, any unregistered ILLEGAL ALIEN found after May 1st, will be immediately deported back to their country of origin.



Third, any company after May 1st found to be employing unregistered ILLEGAL ALIENS will be fined $25,000 per day until all offenders are registered. Should any company violate this provision more than once, the fine will increase to $100,000 per day.



Fourth, any registered ILLEGAL ALIEN that commits a crime will be immediately imprisoned and prosecuted. If convicted, they will immediately begin serving their sentences without the possibility of parole. Once the sentence has been served in full they will be deported. If found in the US again, they will be imprisoned for life - no parole - no exceptions - and NO CABLE.



Fifth, all registered ILLEGAL ALIENS will immediately begin paying income taxes, state taxes, social security, medicare, etc. Their employers will pay all appropriate taxes for these employees. The ILLEGAL ALIENS will begin serving a 3 year probationary term during which they must not commit any crime or violate any provision of any local, state, or federal law. If they do, they will be deported immediately after serving their appropriate sentence or paying their fines. If they succeed, they may apply for citizenship through normal diplomatic channels and be subject to acceptance or rejection by established federal guidelines. If rejected, they must leave the country within 10 days. Any effort to evade deportation will result in conviction and be administered by the provisions of condition four above.



Finally, we must commit to border security - real border security - and severely punish those who seek to violate our nation. We should not be hesitant to warn potential ILLEGAL ALIENS that they risk being killed by any number of methods in efforts to invade our nation. We should not build a fence - it's a waste of money and will easily be compromised. We need to build a mote - 150 feet across and 150 feet deep across our southern border. The mote will be stocked with a variety of creatures that will act in accordance with their natural instincts should they find potential food sources in the water.



Sounds crazy? That's because I'm trying to solve a problem - not perpetuate one.



Conservative Ken

The Deuce And A Liberal SF Author

I read quite a bit. Some of what I read is Science Fiction. Good SF is hard to find, and you often have to ignore the politics of favorite SF authors in order to enjoy their work. What's really interesting is it can be difficult to judge an author's politics by their novels. John Scalzi is a good example of this.

Scalzi is the author of Old Man's War and several sequals occuring in the same universe. I really enjoyed Old Man's War which has led me to read most of Scalzi's other works. Once I started reading Scalzi I discovered his blog and have read it routinely ever since. His blog is a source of good information regarding other SF authors and their books, and what's going on in the world of SF in general, but it also freely exposes Scalzi's politics, which I find surprising, and distasteful.

His blog entry, The Ripper Owens Syndrome, appears to be a drug induced ( at least one paragraph ) screed regarding the GOP and conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh's role in the Republican Party.

Below is my response to this post.


John, I really enjoy your SF, but this…

“The real problem with Limbaugh is not his political positions, which are the bog-standard GOP sour mash of once-upon-a-time genuine conservatism denatured through three decades of 100 proof Will to Power, which makes sense because it’s not like Limbaugh is interested in or capable of generating original political thoughts on his own. The real problem with Limbaugh is at the end of the day he’s an entertainer, and his shtick relies on political division and dissension.”

…did this actually make sense to you when you wrote it? Me thinks the ganja was talking, not you.

As far as “…generating original political thoughts on his own.” Conservatism is a strict adhearance to the original ideas of the founding fathers as expressed in the Constitution and Bill of Rights, along with the individual state constitutions written in the same era. Hardly original to Mr. Limbaugh or any other conservative of the 20th or 21st Century, but not a rational reason to vilify those conservatives, including Mr. Limbaugh. But then modern lliberalism, especially Obama’s extreme version, isn’t original either. But liberalism doesn’t come from the Constitution or the Bill of Rights, does it? I think you’re probably smart enough to know where it does come from.

Unlike Mr. Limbaugh, I don’t have to hope that Obama’s bailouts, takeovers and trillion dollar budgets will fail to right America’s economic ship. I KNOW they will fail. Why? Because they fail every time they’re tried. Socialism, and make no mistake that’s what Obama’s ideology is, always results either in abject failure, like that experienced by the Cubans for the last fifty years and the now extinct Soviet Union, or in a slow torturous demise as is now being played out in western Europe.

Double digit unemployment is the norm in most of western Europe. Roughly speaking, five to six percent is the norm in America. National health care in Britain is virtually bankrupt, to the point that health care is starting to be rationed. And how many Canadians come to the U.S. every year for their health care needs? And why do so many Canadians find it necessary to come to the U.S. for medical care? The answer is national health care, which used to be called socialized medicene.


Conservatism IS free-market capitalism. Obama’s policies are not. Obama’s policies are to print money, say the debt will be paid back in the misty future by our children and grandchildren, and use the printed money to infect as much of the American private economy as possible so as to increase governmental control of that economy. Control of the economy is control over the people who make their living in that economy.

Where does this overwhelming need to control everyone and everything come from? Examining history, it’s pretty easy to figure out. Obama, Pelosi and Reid, the triumverate of liberalism in America, actually think they are so intelligent that the power to control all is not only their right, but their duty. They believe that the lion’s share of American people are too stupid to run their own lives; to make their own living; to raise their own children; to practice their own faith; to decide how best to use their own income.

Mr. Limbaugh is not the leader of the Republican Party. Mr. Limbaugh does not even call himself a Republican, though I'm confident he generally votes that way. He calls himself a conservative. He’s a conservative, as am I, because I don’t want to control everyone; because I do believe that I, and most Americans, are fully capable of making our own decisions as how best to exercise our God given rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”, with the full knowledge that equal opportunity does NOT guarantee equal results. And we’re good with that. We’re good with that because it was exactly those beliefs that created the United States of America, and made the U.S. what it is.

Obama does not believe as I do, which is to say he does not believe in the rights and the capabilities of the American people. And so, like Mr. Limbaugh, I hope Obama fails and is quickly dispatched to the ash heap of history along with Lenin, Stalin, Castro and all the others who thought they knew better, and were willing to enslave millions to prove it.