Let's Socialize!

Check out this post I found a hop, skip, and a jump away from a tweet - a fun thought on homeschooling!

[In other news, I've been lost in real-life obligations lately and haven't been able to think of anything new to add to socio-political discussion, LOL... if it's not patently obvious yet... my apologies!]

We Must Not Become France

From Drudge today: French strikes are getting ugly.

Most tragic quote:

“The Government is losing control,” he said. “So now is the moment to push back the capitalist logic which has crept into the company.”

It's mob rule all over again...

Understanding the parallels between the French Revolution(s) - where demagogues used ill-educated, class-envy-inspired mobs (who were actually oppressed, but wanted vengeance rather than justice) to advance their evil agendas - and the current state of affairs in the USA, if that article doesn't scare the livin' daylights out of you, I don't know what will.

We can see where they ended up: barely functional and fighting amongst themselves for a century and a half now.

Those demagogues were using the same arguments we hear today - you could directly replace so much campaign rhetoric with the speeches from those looters. Those arguments are evil, and they're persuasive; and we need to stand against the perversion of legitimate law and government by standing for the proper role of law and government.

-Recommended reading:
The Law, by Frederic Bastiat
The Proper Role of Government, by Ezra Taft Benson
Frederic Bastiat: A Man Alone, by George Charles Roche

Beware of Mob Rule *updated* *again*

There's a very long story behind the thought, but it boils down to this:

Since we can't afford to spend all our time defending our lives and our property from ne'er-do-wells, we have a government set up to protect our essential rights.

There's a fine line between too much federal power and too little; to see that, just look at the US Constitution - it wasn't the first draft of government after the American colonists had thrown off monarchy. They instinctively swung (and erred) on the side of too little government - one that was not sufficiently strong to protect their freedom and other rights.

Our Constitution navigates that fine line by providing for a government strong enough to protect rights while not strong enough - properly executed - to usurp and abuse them. That's why it's so important, so revolutionary, and so worthy of our respect and protection.

So...

As we are doing what we can to preserve that delicate balancing act and keep our government from growing too powerful, we MUST be wary of the opposite temptation: mob rule.

It's happening in the UK.

It's happening in the US. Here, here, and here.

[Update 26Mar2009/11:56 - It's also happening in France! Boss-napping, h/t: Glenn Beck.]
[Update 30Mar2009/15:37 - Here's an interview about the wonders of past mob-ruled systems.]

We need to be careful how far we let our anger take us. Protest if you feel it is appropriate; demonstrate if you feel it is necessary; but be very, very careful of groupthink.

Anger and frustration do not justify threats, and in the meantime, they will only empower what we're struggling to fight.

Good, Plain Talk

This video touches a lot of subjects; the part I find essential is the socialism part.

The more eyes we open to the evils of socialism, the better off we will be.

Where talking heads have stereotyped anyone with a conservative viewpoint (and Rush Limbaugh, specifically) as being "Hitler," they're becoming Hitler. This guy loses me around 6:45, but pointing out political, societal hypocrisy and misdirection as directly as he does is very gutsy. (huuuuuge h/t: Alfonzo Rachel at Big Hollywood)

Another Good Read (fixed links)

Club for Growth's Andrew Roth has a fun article up about the new Fox series Lie to Me. I like it, too, and one of the things I appreciate about it is that while it deals with current events, issues, politics, etc., it seems pretty even-handed...

Anyway, here's a snippet:

Do politicians unconsciously nuance their speechs so that they don't outwardly lie, but merely bend the truth to appease their own senses of guilt? If so, can that be detected?

More here...

We Are NOT All Socialists.

Excuse me, Newsweek, but I have to disagree.

I try very hard to remain somewhat level-headed on this blog, but now is not a time for calm.

"We" are NOT all socialists.

In fact, I not only take that as a slur - I take it as a personal threat.

"We" NOTHING!!!

I am not, never have been, and NEVER WILL BE a SOCIALIST. I have too much respect and appreciation for the true government our founders set up!

NEVER will I surrender the innate gifts - freedom and accountability - that our founders were guided by GOD to protect with a new form of government.

A form of government that has been co-opted and corrupted by its enemies.

The people pushing this agenda aren't even socialists anymore - they're full-out communists. Government seeks to tell us everything we can and can't do: what we can and can't say, what medical care we may receive, how warm or cool we can keep our houses, how much we can drive, how much money we're allowed to make... all to make sure that THEY ALONE have the power! While they spew their lies and fly their jets to self-congratulatory banquets! Bunch of evil, EVIL hypocrites!!! Using orchestrated class warfare to finally separate us into a class of mediocres and their RULERS.

(Can you hear the bile? It's flowing, OH it's flowing now...)

This is the perversion of everything that America can represent! And it's possible because so many in this country have been falsely educated. The LIES we've been taught have reached maturity, and I'm truly afraid for society to reap the consequences.

NO, we are NOT all socialists.

But we're all going to suffer like them, likely by a razor-thin margin of passage.

I was never a fan of collective punishment in elementary school, and I'm REALLY not a fan of it now. I would betray my ancestors' courage and my child's trust by surrendering to this media-created tide. I will fight it in EVERY WAY I can.

How DARE you, CONGRESS?!?!

How DARE YOU, PRESIDENT OBAMA?!?!

HOW DARE YOU, FELLOW CITIZENS?!?!?!?!

You would STEAL my CHILD'S FREEDOM and economic future for your own comfort and political aggrandizement?!?!

You COWARDS!

You use my tax dollars? You function the way you're supposed to.

You expect my support? You learn to READ THE CONSTITUTION.

You want my cooperation? You DON'T talk down to me like the threat you pose is some antiquated conspiracy theory, and I'm just too STOOOPID to understand reality.

But you want "socialism?" You take your evil, simultaneously namby-pamby and oppressive ideas somewhere else, and stay away from me.

Because I've read history, and I know what happens when a government gets as much power as you're trying to take.

And I will NOT remain silent while you destroy my son's future.

And a Law Against Using Them While Driving in Ten Years and a Month

... or a study linking them to cancer...

... or a government license for them...

"Them" being TV contacts. In ten years. (h/t: Drudge)

A good number of highly meritorious arguments can be made against most of the possible "features" listed in the article; but my biggest sticking point comes at the mention of directly manipulating people's feelings in connection with the events "on-screen."

Does ANYONE think that's a good idea?!?!

I'm trying hard not to condemn useless technological "advances," because I know a lot of useful ones end up being discovered along the way; but STILL - this is a tough one!

W00T!!!

Power to the people, people.

Looks like we've been overburdening the phone lines at the Capitol.

Now, I'm not about being angry on the phone - quite the opposite, in fact - but this sort of "telephone offensive" is EXACTLY what we need to have going on.

Keep calling!!! :-)

And on a different note, I wonder whether the infrastructure in the "stimulus" bill provides for an upgrade to the Capitol's phone bank...

Now THAT's Gutsy

NY Governor Paterson has nominated a relatively conservative House Democrat, Kirsten Gillibrand, to fill Sec. Clinton's former Senate seat. (h/t: Drudge)

*low giggling...*

Woooooooow.

This woman sounds like someone you'd find in ... well, not NYC or LA. At least not easily. And she's got enough of a spine to have voted against the Bailout.

AGAINST the Bailout!!!

I'm not sure *why* she voted that way, but whatever her reasons, opposing that legislation in the face of panicked calls of, "CRISIS! DO SOMETHING!" shows a real spine supporting an independent mind. The NRA has also endorsed her, which backs up that assertion, because we know how popular gun rights are in those areas, even though upstate NY presents a very different ball game from NYC.

And my sympathies along with my thanks to Gov. Paterson, who's being attacked rather uncivilly ...

Also, it makes me wonder.

Deserved or not, the extreme anti-Bush sentiment (whereby he could have saved a puppy and been accused of irresponsibly increasing the stray pet population to ultimately spread bubonic plague) has been, I believe, a major obstacle. I think the party leadership's playing of that sentiment polarized people (and shut their ears) who might otherwise have listened to others' ideas to achieve a workable solution - or at least a group hug. So...

Perhaps Obama's presidency has alleviated that hear-/see-/speak-no-Bush-ism a bit already, to the extent that more representatives (and governors) feel inclined to agree or disagree respectfully with each other, instead of trying to toe some party line in order to avoid being seen as sympathetic to Bush.

If so, that's a silver lining in the gathered clouds that have been hovering over us for years, because as we are willing to be honest with each other, our Constitutional republic's chance of survival improves dramatically.

Inaugural Facebook Dilemma

Not that there's nothing going on in the world, but my daily life deserves a say once in a while, too, I suppose.

In the last few days, several of my friends have RSVP'd via Facebook to watch the Presidential Inauguration via Facebook and CNN.

And I'm conflicted.

I have never watched a Presidential Inauguration. It's not some principled objection; it's just the way it's happened... life is busy, my watching doesn't change anything, I'm anticipating the coverage being similar to the election coverage, and seriously - 8 a.m.? *wince*

BUT...

What will they think if I don't RSVP? Will I look like some sort of sore loser? Or worse?

I can't lie and commit to watching it; a "maybe" will look grudging; and a "no" will look ornery and bad. (And no, I don't want to "donate my status" to some five-hour stretch of pomp.)

Even ignoring the event looks bad - possibly all of the above, wrapped into one.

*sigh*

Or am I over-thinking it?

Well, at least I RSVP'd for the American Idol premiere tonight...

"Nine out of Ten Dentists Recommend..."

Or, "How could a consensus POSSIBLY be wrong?"

The Global "Climate Change" religion relies on one-sided hysteria - and it makes it to press that way! Gee, good thing we're thinking through things and getting both sides of the story, right? Oh, wait... well, at least we're not actually micro-managing economic, social, and energy policy based on it... oh - what's that you say? - hmm.

And in a completely unrelated article:

Scientists initially believed the greatest solar breach occured when the Earth's and sun's magnetic fields are pointed in opposite directions. But data from Themis found the opposite to be true. Twenty times more solar wind passed into the Earth's protective shield when the magnetic fields were aligned, Oieroset said.

Solar flares and holes in Earth's magnetic field work differently than scientists thought they would, too. Huh!

Well, at least NOW we know everything, right?

One More Check

... in a checkered past, if you can even call it "checkered." It's more just "bad."

Planned Parenthood is in hot water again! It's a disheartening story - coaching a "pregnant minor" to lie about reporting her dilemma so that she can get around the laws in place - but it's very consistent with their past behavior.

The chapter president says, "[t]he apparent actions of the employee would be in violation of our strict policies and procedures..."

Mm-hmm.

Maybe that's why it's happened so often.

Somehow, I doubt that an organization founded by a racist and a eugenicist has - in practice - such strict procedures that they would wouldn't take donations earmarked for minority abortions. Or falsify medical records. Or overcharge the state for their "services."

So what can we do? Protect innocent life. Promote a culture that values life. Fight abortion and eugenics. Life is truly a gift, and the more we exemplify that, the more we'll be able to help others see it that way.

...In a *Shopping* Basket

Meaning, how society is going all to ruin.

Honestly, after previous years, we weren't surprised to hear that someone was trampled at a store during Black Friday sales, but the severity and aftermath were shocking.

I mean, when you can't even get people to stop shopping for a death, WOW. And the people rushing into the store were trampling the other employees trying to help the man who'd been trampled. WOW.

Or how about when people are so feeling the holiday spirit that they erupt into a fistfight and then shoot each other in a Toys 'R' Us? WOW.

Hubby and I have been talking about the Wal-mart trampling incident since yesterday, and we sure hope the people involved are identified and prosecuted, because no matter how tearfully said, "but I had to get that TV!" probably won't make a very good defense in court... and it would only increase the human cost if everyone involved gets away with it simply due to being a mob.

Sending prayers to the victim's family and to the police working on identifying the guilty parties on the tape...

(Irony of the day: As I'm wrapping up this post, the Taco Bell "Not It" commercial is playing - the one where two friends are watching a third friend get chased around by a bull, both claiming "not it" to go help him...)

Time to Get Our Houses in Order

Not "again."

STILL.

$700 billion has all of a sudden ballooned in size to $7.4 TRILLION. (h/t: Drudge)

Things are going to get a heck of a lot worse, a heck of a lot faster.

All I can say is to get your house solvent, because our country is not... and it will never be as long as our runaway government keeps promising more of our FUTURE INCOME.

Also, CALL your representatives, senators, and the President. Tell them to stop the madness. Do your part to fight this grand theft while you're still allowed to do so.

Too Real?

Oh, here's one big reason Gov. Palin was so noxious to the traditional media:

She knows how real life works, and she's okay with it.

Not the whited sepulchre of modern politics, (perhaps... although she might know more than the condescending jerks give her credit for); but REAL LIFE. The vital side.

She wasn't bothered by the turkey slaughtering behind her in her recent press conference because it's REAL LIFE.

Eew, the MSNBC commentator sneers.

Yes, Mr. Commentator, much of real life is "eew-y."

What's more, this incident is highly illustrative of the what "the media" doesn't understand about what a lot of people call "Real America:" We in the latter might not want to be in on the slaughtering, but we DO (largely) understand and appreciate where our turkey comes from, and we don't sneer at those who deal with the vital parts of life. They're real, and we're real. The talking heads' powder, teeth, and hair, on the other hand...

Hummmm...

A lawyer is challenging the music industry's anti-piracy lawsuits, proposing alternate solutions and charging that:

...the Digital Theft Deterrence and Copyright Damages Improvement Act of 1999 is unconstitutional because it effectively lets a private group - the Recording Industry Association of America, or RIAA - carry out civil enforcement of a criminal law.

and that:

...the music industry group abused the legal process by brandishing the prospects of lengthy and costly lawsuits in an effort to intimidate people into settling cases out of court.

Agreed.

I'm not certain about the implications, though. RIAA really does seem to have morphed into a vindictive, petulant organization, but those who knowingly downloaded illegally DID break the law. But fining college students hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of dollars? (And so on with the "buts" - back and forth, back and forth...)

In a way, I think it's kind of like seat belt violations: it's a common violation; most of the time nothing happens; and the potential costs to others are huge. And actually, seat belt violations are more important, in a life-and-death way.

On the other hand, there's nothing inherently wrong with not buckling yourself up; whereas there's definitely something inherently bad about wrongly possessing someone else's property. That's where my problem lies. I don't think I have any legal objection to people doing whatever they please with their own property, for their own use.

While the fines and lawsuits are simply ridiculous, there has to be a penalty for wrongful property possession - especially doing so knowingly.

Maybe the problem isn't with the legal system, per se... maybe it's with judges and juries who issue such outlandish fines.

And with the whiny, maliciously-behaving RIAA.

And with the whiny downloaders who - while seeming apathetic rather than malicious - obviously don't have a real principle to cling to.

I Like Anderson Cooper

He's real, he's thoughtful, he's funny, and he's FAIR. I remember him from Channel One days, LOL, and it's great that he's been doing so well. He calls things as he sees them, (which doesn't always coincide with how I see them, and that's okay), and he's earned my respect. Lots of it.

A couple interesting things from last night's episode of The Tonight Show (pertinent segment is "Chapter 3," right after the second ad break, and around the 20-minute mark and continues through the next segment... if I can get a better link from Hulu, I'll post that instead.):

• He said Sarah Palin was very capable. Jay, of course, had to crap all over that assessment, but Anderson's initial statement is actually what jives with statements from people who have met her, not via Katie Couric, but in person.
  
• His comments on the bailout totally caught Paulson's flipping and flopping (and continually changing demands and plans), to the point that suggested we could question whether they actually know what they're doing.
  

He is one of the friendliest, most politically un-readable people I've ever seen on TV. I have no idea how he votes, but he listens, and he appraises people fairly, at least in my estimation. And that independent, fair nature makes me a fan.

Manners

As in, what we've largely forgotten in today's society.

Just basic decency and respect for others.

A gay "rights"*** group interrupted a church service, yelling and throwing fliers at people (which, I might note, is technically assault), as well as protesting outside the church.

This kind of intimidation is absolutely unacceptable. What are the consequences of the "protest?" Let's see:

churchgoers were unclear as to the purpose of the demonstration.

The Eaton County Sheriff's Department responded to the scene Sunday but no arrests were made.

Moral of the story: It's okay to act like a violent, spoiled child, as long as you're acting that way toward the politically-unpopular people who disagree with you - those oh-so-threatening religious fundamentalists who, I hope the "protesters" noticed, didn't attack them and yell hateful things back...

***in quotes because they already have specially protected rights - it's not a matter of rights anymore, but rather a matter of shutting down those who disagree, which is neither right nor respectful of others' rights.

Perestroika? Hmm...

Drudge has linked to an article about Gorbachev's recommendation for President-elect Obama: PERESTROIKA.

Hmm.

(Showing age...) I was fairly young when Gorbachev came to power, but I remember hearing perestroika and glasnost and some other seldom-used member of that triad... and I remember that they were "good things."

Anyway, that word caught my attention, and I looked it up.

Here's Wikipedia's definition:

the Russian term (now used in English) for the economic reforms introduced in June 1987^[1] by the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Its literal meaning is "restructuring", referring to the restructuring of the Soviet economy.

And here's another - from Gorbachev himself in 1987 - read the whole thing if you're up for night terrors:

...overcoming the stagnation process, breaking down the braking mechanism, creating a dependable and effective mechanism for acceleration of social and economic progress and giving it greater dynamism

...utmost respect for the individual

...the revival and development of the principles of democratic centralism in running the national economy, the universal introduction of economic methods

...a resolute shift to scientific methods

...the combination of the achievements of the scientific and technological revolution with a planned economy

...ever better satisfaction of the Soviet people's requirements for good living and working conditions, for good rest and recreation, education and health care.

...elimination from society of the distortions of socialist ethics

ACK!!! Run like the wind, people!!!

*ahem... regaining composure* Let's take some of these one at a time:

• "Breaking down the braking mechanism?" You mean, like what's left of our divinely-inspired Constitution's checks and balances? In favor of "accelerat[ing]... social and economic progress?" Bad idea, especially since it depends on who's allowed to define, "progress."
  
• Combining science and technology with a planned economy? It's not too far from those words to "eugenics."
• Satisfying "people's requirements for good living and working conditions, for good rest and recreation, education and health care" - like FDR's Second Bill of Rights?
• Eliminating "the distortions of socialist ethics" - (I'm assuming he's not referring to the distortions that ARE socialist ethics...) - that sure sounds like shutting down criticism and silencing disagreement, to me.

We must fight these things!!!

Granted, from reading up on it at Wikipedia, it seemed to be a move in the right direction, the way it was sold: freeing up the economy - to a point. Freeing up political discourse - to a point.

But everything was still ultimately under state control - it seems like the populist Gorbachev and his glasnost were able to make the people (and world media) happier about it, though.

Let's be careful what we let ourselves be made happy about, because "utmost respect for the individual" is incongruous with the rest of those definitions.

One Great Bird

A parrot helped save a two-year-old's life by squawking like crazy when the sitter was... indisposed. (h/t: Drudge)

I think every parent can relate to this sort of thing - although in our house, it's historically a mess that explodes all over the kitchen in less than two minutes in lieu of a life-threatening situation...

And while I've been dead-set against having a live bird in the house, (after the mess left by a family pet when I was growing up), it might not be the end of the world, LOL...

Although... since the babysitter was the one who actually did the Heimlich, maybe we'll just settle for a great babysitter.