If someone asks you where you get your news, and you reply, "I like Fox News", then you are branded a right wing wacko. If you say, " I watch MSNBC, I love Rachel Maddow", then you are perceived as an Obama Loving, left wing nutcase. Not only, is our country divided, but our media outlets are polarized just the same. When you refer to a news outlet, online or on tv, you always associate that particular outfit with a political ideology. Fox News, is said to be "Fair and Balanced", but many consider that to be more of a catch phrase, than a literal reference. My problem with all of these labels, and biases, is that fact finding journalism, as it existed some time ago, has ceased to exist. Even if you have a story that is investigated thoroughly, with much objectivity, you still have those that disagree, that tend to call it "partisan", or biased. How do you filter through all of the different news stories, without being deceived? The answer, can be traced all the way back to our country's founding, with the concept of "individual responsibility". We will not maintain an informed electorate, by consuming and regurgitating information at random. We must take the responsibility of verifying information, through credible sources, and common sense. If you see something in writing, that doesn't pass your smell test, then you need to dig some more. This is the only way to navigate through a sea of misinformation, because a statement or claim, made over and over again, does not make it true, nor does it make that statement untrue. Reality, is the deciding factor, or in other words, what is true. Truth and reality can also become distorted. The two terms sound pretty straight forward, but with global news on a 24 hour news cycle, you can't be everywhere at once, so you have to take someone else's word for what is going on in a country on the other side of the planet. However, you have legitimate news outlets that will report statistics, from a study or article, that uses charts, graphs, and/or numbers, that omit relevant information, in an attempt to push a chosen agenda. I find that the best way to fact check this propaganda, is the relevant government website with the pertinent information. With all of the deception, that the government is guilty of, their information on their .gov websites is usually very accurate, like an online National Archives. They just never count on intelligent citizens, using it for reference. Always remember, that the government feeds on ignorance, they count on it. So, is our 24 hour news cycle obsolete, or is their potential for a resurrection of honest, objective journalism? Let me use a real life example to highlight one of the more effective ways to debunk false statements or stats. We still hear liberals talk about the so called "Bill Clinton budget surplus", 15 years after the fact. President Clinton has maintained the deity status, given to him by democrat party hacks, based on the illusion that has been repeated on all news outlets, including Fox News, with no rebuttal, or attempt to correct these false statements. The claim is that Bill Clinton's final 2001 budget had a negative deficit, putting us in the green, thus giving us a surplus, is false, The smoke and mirrors used to pull it off, were crafted in order to create something that wasn't there. We go to www.treasury.gov , and we start looking around, and we find that the National Debt, currently over 18.1 trillion , has two components; intra governmental spending and public debt. Clinton decreased the public debt, but he increased government spending significantly, cancelling out the decrease in public debt, and adding billions more. Many sources that try to make this claim, show the numbers, as they relate to public debt, but they omit the government spending stats. In some cases they list the government spending numbers as,"not available" That seems to me to be much more than disingenuous. Clinton's last budget(2001), handed George W. Bush a $133.29 billion deficit. I have a hard time referring to that as a surplus. You have to choose your sources wisely. You must have access to multiple sources, and be able to sift through fact and fiction. The so called, "Mainstream Media" is only mainstream, because it is the slop that is fed to the masses, via the partisan trough. But unlike the hog, we, as free men and women, have the ability to turn away and say, "I'm not eating that", or at least pay attention to what is going in our mouth before we swallow it. Sometimes it seems as if the media has made itself obsolete, by giving way to partisan bias, and ignoring facts. | |
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This is getting to be ridiculous. It is the scapegoat utilized by law enforcement to explain why people commit crimes. I just caught the end of O'Riley on Fox News and he played a clip of NYPD brass, I think his name was Bratton, that was trying to make the case that marijuana was causing violent crime and robberies, due to people wanting to buy and smoke cannibus. Did anyone in this country learn anything from prohibition? People kill, and steal because you are forced in most states to buy and sell marijuana illegally, on the black market. If it were readily available and regulated like alcohol, there would be no need to for individuals to break the law. Do these idiots realize that the prohibition that we as citizens are subject to, is the cause of most drug related crime, and this creates a huge money maker for criminals that are looking to cash in. Just ask Al Capone. Drug laws create the related crime. It is not illegal to be high, it is only illegal to possess the said substance. So, the consumption of the drug is not the reason you go to jail, having it in your pocket however, will land you some time. Illegal drugs need regulation, purity standards, and need to be available within a legal market. America has more incarcerated individuals per capita that any other country in the world, developed or otherwise. Most of those people that have their freedoms and rights taken away, are incarcerated on drug charges. I worked in corrections for 7 years, I have seen the numbers, drug charges outnumber all other violations by far. What does it accomplish, how much tax payer money is wasted caring for people that had a small bag of marijuana in their pocket. How much of the trouble, that society sees on a daily basis, is caused by the illegal marketing of the drug, rather than the drug itself. They are trying to demonize cannibus now that legalization legislation is starting to grow legs across the country. This is the global warming equivalent of the right wing agenda. Pretty soon they will start calling people "cannibus deniers". It also sets a dangerous precedent, if they can tell you that it is illegal to grow a particular type of vegetation. Could this open the door to banning private gardens, or the ability to grow your own food? WE are treading very dangerous waters right now, and these so called legislative "fixes" are not given much thought, as they are allowed to exist only, because it makes people "feel good" that they are doing something that is perceived as helping society. "For the greater good", sounds like a page right out of an Ayn Rand novel.
There have been unprecedented power grabs by the Obama administration in the last couple of weeks. The FCC unilaterally took control of the internet. The President is now contemplating, tax hikes via executive order, to which the press secretary today would not confirm or deny, these plans by Hitler wanna be, Obama. Another of the alphabet soup agencies, the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, have unilaterally taken action to ban a popular type of ammunition for the AR-15. This is done, to supposedly "protect our men and women in law enforcement". Even though, the ammunition on the chopping block, has not been responsible for a single LEO death. This attempt at back door gun control is being fought by the NRA, not by congress. Adding to all of this bad news, is the President's brilliant idea of federalizing the local police. They are trying to pull this off with the scam, that was sold as part of common core. Accept the Federal program, or we pull any federal funding that you currently receive from uncle sam. This gives them the excuse, that "the states opted in", which is the same crap that they said about common core, in an attempt to distance the federal government from the program.
All of this lawlessness, being carried out in a short period of time. It was probably all over our beloved cable news channels, right? Wrong. Most of the time that Obama was stripping us of our basic rights, most news outlets were focused like a laser, on the "Evil" Republicans, that hate America and want to defund DHS. This Kabuki political theater, that dragged on until yesterday, involved the republicans getting hit from all sides, with accusations of putting the country in danger, even though the democrats in the senate, were the ones refusing to defund illegal executive amnesty, that has a current injunction against its implementation. But, it ended the same way it always does, Boehner going in front of a podium, and talking real tough about enforcing the Constitution, then folding like a cheap suit. How's that senate control working out for ya Republicans? This President continues to get away with murder, and the media allows it. If Obama had an R, after his name,instead of a D, he would have been impeached 5 years ago. The media is speeding up the destruction of this country. Ignorance, that runs rampant among the electorate, is currently Obama's greatest tool. Willful ignorance of the citizenry, is perpetuated by our so called mainstream media. What the media is doing is criminal. We had the SCOTUS hearing the arguments today for King V Burwell, and Obamacare once again is on the chopping block. However, I think that the major story to come out of this hearing today, is a Supreme Court Justice Kennedy, voiced his concern, of the effects on our current healthcare system, if the ACA subsidies are overturned. This is beyond disturbing. He is giving the impression that it makes a difference in his mind, as to what the reaction is to the court's decision. Why can't the SCOTUS make rulings based on the Constitution, and the rule of law, rather than let personal bias weigh on their decision. Our judicial system is messed up so bad, it has been reduced to a Presidential insurance policy. Insurance that is important to a President's legacy. But, the most notable trend as of late, is legislation created or changed, by sitting Justices. The outcome should be irrelevant, if you are following the law. The courts have become political, and that is a dangerous mix that endangers liberty and justice.
The second amendment is absolute. “Shall not be infringed” is pretty clear, and despite the mention of a well-regulated militia, which the progressive elite try to spin to their liking, the message is straight forward, and is still viewed by some, as the one amendment that protects all of the others. It is the god given right, of the citizenry to have access to the tools and have the confidence to thwart tyranny through the constant threat of armed revolution if the government ever oversteps its authority. We witnessed last year, for a second time, Ft. Hood being the target of a mass shooting. The individual responsible, has been reported to have mental health issues, that are thought to be a contributing factor to his actions on the day of the shooting. Whether or not that is true, remains to be seen, but that does not stop lawmakers from resurrecting the gun control debate. One thing that republicans and democrats seem to agree on with gun control, is the notion that the mentally ill should be barred from owning, or possessing firearms. While this may seem like a good idea on the surface, it opens up many opportunities for abuse by the already bloated federal government. It would also leave the possibility, that the government, would use a shady definition, to categorize their political opposition as, “mentally ill", which may include individuals that the fed singles out, or target. Very similar to the recent use of the IRS, as a weapon against conservative non profit groups. They have done this with audits, and delaying approval for applications for nonprofit status by tea party and conservative groups. Some bureaucrat with a faux degree, in a subject involving some left wing progressive special interest, should not have discretion when it comes to redefining “mental illness".
Mental illness, as it relates to gun ownership, must be dealt with on an individual basis. Are we going to tell a paranoid schizophrenic that he has to cut his steak with a butter knife? Are we going to tell someone with PTSD that they cannot drive a car? There are many things that we handle and come in contact with on a daily basis that could be used to kill or maim. Remember Col. Mustard, with the “candlestick”, in the study? We can talk to congress about a candlestick ban later, but where does it end? Mental illness, and its relevance to one’s state of mind and the probability that the individual will “snap” as the result of certain triggers, should be interpreted only by doctors, not bureaucrats. It seems as if the recent push to ban guns for mentally ill individuals, is directed more toward military vets, and some of the issues that they tend to deal with, upon their return from a war zone. The best defense, against a tyrannical government and/or violent crime in general, is an armed citizenry, with no Government intrusion that attempts to create restrictions that are not there. It is however, important to keep firearms out of the hands of violent felons, up until they have their rights restored, through the process established by law in their respective state. If lawmakers want to do something to prevent mass shootings, how about banning gun free zones, and cut out the feel good legislation, that turns people into sitting ducks. These elected officials need to use their Ivy League degree to produce something close to functional legislation that actually does what it is meant to do, rather than give kickbacks to their buddies with taxpayer funded bailouts. Mass genocide occurs when a government disarms its people. History has shown this to be true, and there is no reason for a government to be armed, while the citizenry, is left with torches and pitchforks. Rulers such as Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, the Caesars of the Roman Empire, and even the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt, were successful in keeping control over their people, because they controlled peoples’ access to the means that would be necessary to carry out any type of successful revolution against the regime in power. Soviet citizens were legally authorized to carry firearms until 1929 when that right was abolished. Around this time, Joseph Stalin was involved with Soviet leadership. He did not rule however, until 1941 where he was responsible for the rounding up of tens of millions of people, and condemning them to labor camps and/or death. Stalin once said, “If the opposition disarms, well and good. If it refuses to disarm, we shall disarm it ourselves”. Russia’s story, is one of many that proves a government that is given the ability to rule its people, will take full advantage of it. The second amendment protects our freedom. It helps protect us from encroachment by the federal government, on our God given rights, and also from foreign invasion. We must preserve it, at all costs. It is perplexing to me, how liberal politicians are able to continue spewing the same lies and misinformation. I know why, it is just hard to believe that so many failed policies are repeated over and over again. The pitch goes something like this: Raise taxes on wealthy(even though none can tell you what level of income, constitutes "rich"), spend ridiculous amounts of money on so called, "infrastructure", and most importantly give away as much "free" stuff as humanly possible. The "tax the rich" argument hurts small businesses, the big corporations, not so much. 99.7% of our nations employer firms are small businesses. There are many jobs to be had here. The argument from the left, is that we must help small business, but in that same breath, the mention of tax hikes totally contradict any promised help for the middle class or small business.
The left has played the "war on poverty"card to near perfection, by pushing policies that hinder economic growth, then claiming that the same policies, will help fix, what they have already destroyed. Government spending does not grow an economy, the private sector does. Government spending only creates debt, which is now at well over 18 trillion, with an unfunded liability exceeding 130 trillion. Tax cuts encourage economic growth, and at the same time, increases federal tax revenue. It has been done a few different times, and to the same result, boom to the economy, and spike in tax revenue. It was done under JFK, and again with Reagan, then repeated once more with George W. Bush. Tax cuts work, period. The left pushes more welfare, food stamps, government healthcare, etc, which only makes the overall economic situation worse. The left always promises to "fix' the perceived problems with society. However, many of the problems that exist, are present due to the expansion of the nanny state. Americans that are dependent on a check from the government, does not spark economic growth. The truth is, a population that is always waiting to be taken care of, is much easier to control in the long run. This sabotage of the economy creates permanent issues, that the politicians have no desire to fix. The promise to fix economy, is the campaign promise that never goes stale. If the stated problems, were ever resolved, then there would be nothing left to form that class warfare, inequality, narrative that has made up so much of elections as of late. At some point, we as members of the electorate, have to become wise to this, and put a stop to it. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. Conservative policies work. LBJ's war on poverty has failed, by creating the will to use government programs as a hammock, rather that a safety net. These programs have their place, but they should put more emphasis on assisting recipients in the transition back to the workforce, rather than encouraging inactivity. You only have to look at the President's actions, to see that he is not on our side. Start with his desire to arm, so called Syrian rebels, that are fighting for Al Qaeda, and ripping out their opponents' organs and eating them. Yes, I'm speaking literally, it is not metaphorical. What about arming the people of Ukraine? This idea has been thrown around recently, and is under consideration by the administration. On the flip side, Obama wants to disarm Americans. Obama would give a group of people, that he has never met, weapons to be used for self defense. American citizens however, are not to be trusted by this administration. They feel that the 2nd amendment creates an environment, that allows school shootings, and other acts of mass violence. He has no problem sending weapons to people overseas, that may or may not be terrorists, in a situation, where they may or may not receive those weapons.
Obama and his DHS, sees conservatives, tea party members, and Libertarians as terrorists. Meanwhile, the real terrorists, that practice the so called, "religion of peace", are given a pass, when the "boy wonder in chief" is busy pointing out, how evil Christians are, because of their behavior during the crusades. Let me get this straight, Islamic extremists have burned a man alive, in the last month, and Obama sees the need to mention the behavior of Christians centuries ago, in a conflict that was also fought against Muslims behaving as they are behaving now, ruthless and violent. Not sure that this example serves his purpose. What about having a meeting in the White House with prominent Muslims, and keeping their identities secret, in order to protect their "privacy". In the meantime, the NSA is conducting mass data collection, without a warrant, (FISA court doesn't count) with the data being used to blackmail citizens and elected officials into submission. That is a pretty harsh accusation, but it is happening. He has weaponized the IRS and continued to use it as a tool, to wreak havoc on political opponents. Any investigation that is started, never gets off the ground and is stonewalled by the DOJ. Who do you go to, if the DOJ refuses to enforce the law? How do we accomplish anything, or even conduct day to day operations, when the whole administration is playing for the other team? Some Americans still don't see it, and they talk about what a great guy Obama is, and how he is trying really hard to "fix" things. Every one of his speeches, with the straw men, race baiting, and his more than frequent use of I, Me, My, shows that he is a narcissist at best, a sociopath, at worst. His actions suggest that he is either the most incompetent President we have ever seen, or an extremely intelligent, manipulative, bitter individual, that believes America needs to be cut down to size. I would like to think that he is inept, but I personally don't think that this is the case, and I feel that she is leading us down a road to disaster. The man grew up around communists, was mentored by communists, raised by a Muslim, and attended a Muslim school. He is not on our side. Which makes you wonder, what team is he playing for? This is something that has been bothering me lately. We currently have a lot of buzz, surrounding the possibility that the US will supply Ukraine with weapons. It has not been decided, as of yet, but why is the administration giving this significant thought, while ignoring the fact that Kurdish forces, just recently gave ISIS their first major defeat, by fighting and running them out of the strategic stronghold of Kobani. We have known for some time, that Kobani would be a turning point in the conquest, if ISIS could manage to take control. I still continue to hear the hawks in the senate, push the idea of sending weapons to rebels in Syria, most of which are either Al Qaeda, or associated with terrorist groups of the same caliber. If President Obama wants to exclude the option of putting boots on the ground, then he needs to arm the most able, and effective group that is already there on the ground. Kurdish forces, have already shown that they possess the ability to go toe to toe with these barbarians. Ultimately I think troops will be needed at some point, in order to increase the effectiveness of our airstrikes. I am sure, that Valerie Jarrett, is the one holding back on authorizing such action. Obama does not act without her. What political variables, are seen as favorable in arming Ukraine, that are not present when doing the same with the Kurds? There has to be a political reason. With this administration, there always is.
It is said, that you must avoid the subjects of religion, and politics, when you engage in conversation with a group of people. These subjects are taboo, because they are perceived by most to be inflammatory, and offensive. In today’s society, this type of thinking, and the reluctance to talk about things, that need to be discussed, is very dangerous, and breeds useful idiots. These useful idiots, are used as foot soldiers, in an attempt, to engage the reasonable, and the intelligent among us. They engage using ridicule, name calling, and the preaching of hate, in order to support a cause, that they do not fully understand, or one that they cannot clearly define, Vladimir Lenin coined the term “useful idiot”, to describe a person that fights for a cause, that he/she lacks the understanding necessary, to comprehend the enormity and consequential nature of the said, “cause”. This is the mentality, that leads to mass genocide, in which the ignorant are lead to slaughter, through complicity, and obedience to a tyrannical government. Lenin knew that these useful idiots were a necessity, when attempting to control people through the use of propaganda.
The problem that we have today, is that people want to talk about the winner on Dancing With the Stars, or who got voted off the island. They want to talk about Kardashians, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus or the like. Some would say that talking about the current “flavor of the month” pop star, is offensive, when socializing with family or friends. Why is it different? It is different, because pop culture has no bearing on anything that happens in our everyday lives. It is just conversational filler. It is the coping mechanism, used by the masses, as they bury their head in the sand, in order to make reality suck less. Talking about current events, economy, politics, or religion, is engaging in reality, and is of the utmost importance, when going to war on the “battlefield of ideas”. With everything going on recently, who can blame anyone for wanting to separate from reality? This disengagement, has turned the American electorate into a band of useful idiots. We need conversation, we need to be challenged, we need to be forced to defend our positions, and understand why we believe what we believe. Someone once said to me,”I was taught, that in a polite society, you never openly discuss religion or politics”. This statement is insane, and it is exactly why our country is in such disarray. We have been conditioned to think that we need to keep our mouths shut on certain subjects, in order to avoid offending anyone. This is willful forfeiture of our God given right of freedom of speech, and it is done in the name of political correctness. The progressives in our so called government, are manipulating the citizenry, in such a way, that people see no problem with giving up essential liberties. What we lack in this country is discussion, of these very things that are deemed taboo by modern society. Without discussion, there are no ideas, without ideas, there are no solutions, without solutions, there is status quo. Americans need to talk about the issues of the day. It is the only way that we are going to reach solutions, and move forward. One can only be offended, when one gives their consent. What is offensive to one, may not affect someone else. So, engage your neighbor, and be able to state your case, and argue your point of view. If you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything. Political correctness be damned. It is a sad day in America, when the middle class is being torn apart by government overreach,regulation , and taxation. How is it possible, that the average American doesn't even realize what is happening? Distractions. The internet, reality TV, Kardashians, Dancing with the Stars, and propaganda, that is sold as entertainment, while something much more sinister is at the root. Even if Americans are not consuming the media trash, they are occupied with working multiple jobs, and paying bills, trying to stay out of debt, or in some cases, just attempting to keep their head above water.
Government regulation and legislation, have been used to run job creators into the ground. These regulations and laws, are always done for our "safety", or the safety of some endangered prairie chicken. The government always uses their quest to save or fix the world, as a reason to hurt consumers or damage those that make the products, that consumers spend their hard earned money to buy. Unnecessary government regulation is a job killer,due to the stress that it puts on small businesses. 99.7% of America's employer firms, are small businesses. Large corporations get by, because they can afford to spend the extra time and money that is required to conform to the rules set forth by alphabet soup agencies such as the EPA. It has become the tool, that is utilized by our out of control government, when they cannot convince congress to do the bidding of the state. Ayn Rand wrote of such crippling regulation and government overreach, in her prophetic work, titled, Atlas Shrugged. Obamacare, or the Affordable care act, as some like to call it, was carefully crafted, to chip away at our access to care, as well as affordability, to ultimately accomplish the goal of pushing the US into a single payer system, which is revered by the left. Our elected officials have stated, that the existence of Obamacare was necessary, in order to eventually implement a single payer system. Harry Reid, was one that made such a statement, in a very public manner, but, it was ignored by the so called mainstream media, as many things are these days. The regulations in Obamacare, were not part of the original legislation that passed both houses of congress. The legislation however, gave power to HHS(Health and Human Services) to implement the law, by establishing regulations, that could be written at the discretion of HHS. EPA regulations set to take effect this year, will follow through on Obama's promise before the 2008 election, to bankrupt the coal industry. When does congress put their foot down? When do the American people stand up or even wake up? What will be the straw that breaks the camel's back? We are living in dangerous times. How much longer do we take it lying down? |