A true leader, a true visionary, would strike down rather than build up the source of our malaise.

Ask yourself if Prohibition solved the problem of alcohol consumption. Ask yourselve if the New Deal solved the problem of the business cycle. Ask yourself if the Great Society solved the problem of poverty.

Indeed, every one of these government intrusions made the problems worse.

And yet you somehow think that the government will fix healthcare?

You're a moron.

This is supposed to be a revelation--that a political party might act in opposition to its stated principles.

Clinton did it in the freakin' Oval Office. Is this an excuse? No, it's an indictment on both parties.

They stand for nothing except themselves. Do not trust them with anything.

Wow--Didn't See That Coming! (wink, wink)

So Ricky Martin announces that he is in fact gay.

Really?

Any other bombshells for us, like Tiger Woods really likes sex? Or Isaac Newton's pretty sure about gravity? Or Scientologists are morons? Or Obama will close the prison at Guantanamo Bay within a year of taking office?

My bad. I retract that last one.

A C.S.Lewis Quote

As for matters of taste and mere preference, there is room for debate. However, regarding issues of right or wrong, good or evil, there is no debate. C.S. Lewis put it best:

An open mind, in questions that are not ultimate, is useful. But an open mind about the ultimate foundations either of Theoretical or Practical Reason is idiocy. If a man's mind is open on these things, let his mouth at least be shut. He can say nothing to the purpose.

--In The Abolition of Man.

Common Sense

What if you can't fix the system from inside, and you can't fix it from outside?

Destroy the system.

There's a time for junking cars, and if this government was a car then it would be an Edsel.

If you want to call me a traitor or a bad man, then be sure to dispose of anything depicting Washington's, Franklin's, or Jefferson's image.

I can't stand the kind of idiots who think that it is an American's duty to stand behind his government no matter what.

That's such an un-American notion that it nearly makes me sick.

Faustian Politics

Supporters of Obamacare, you have sold your soul. But at what price? Who will save your soul?

Socialism is theft, and more people have been killed directly and indirectly by socialism than by HIV.

And yet no one speaks to the social justice of AIDS.

It's almost possible (but not quite) to forgive the ignorant for their support of the socialistic measures of the Obama administration. However, the educated who know better--including Obama himself--cannot, must not be forgiven. They are the vilest sort who peddle in evil for their own benefit.

They are a blight, nay a curse upon us.

The worst of it is that when the piper comes for his due, it is our children--not the men and women responsible for the debt--who must pay him.

A Warning

When you are young, all adults--even the worst--seem amazing. What with their incredible size and confidence, they are not to be reckoned with--at least by the likes of you.

However, when you age, you realize that the formerly awesome ones are mere mortals much the same as you--petty in some respects and overall vulnerable to the evils that afflict mankind.

For this reason, I do not hate those who would presume to deny me my patrimony. However, I will fight them.

And they must know this before the next stage.

I will not deny my origins or my birthright. I will not bow down because at one time you were greater than I.

The idiot who told you that I would be docile and accept a perverse interpretation of the law is exactly an idiot. I am my father's son, his legacy, and I will stand tall as such.

I will have what is mine and leave you with what is yours.

Be careful with how you proceed, or I will have that as well.

Nemo me impune lacessit.

And yet, I wish with every fiber of my body that this cup should pass.

However, I will not surrender simply because I prefer peace. The peace to come will either be the peace of all served justly or Kant's peace of the graveyard (metaphorically, of course).

Fire and Ice--By Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

To BAR

There is something wonderful in friendship. When else would someone dare to ask what one would otherwise not ask to one who would accept what one would otherwise not accept?

Hope the van runs well.

Best Picture Material

And what do I consider Best Picture material? You might ask.

Try Jeremiah Johnson. It's superbly acted. Perfectly written. Expertly shot. One of the few films ever made with out a scene missing or a moment that you could do without.

The Hurt Locker--Best Picture By Default?

I recently (as in two days ago) watched 2010's Academy Award winning Best Picture The Hurt Locker.

It was better than Avatar.

It was better than The Blind Side.

It was better than District 9.

But as for Best Picture? The protagonist is a worn out character type in a conflict overdone to boot.

It's well enough acted, written, and shot. However, it's uninspiring, unenlightening, and nothing that we haven't seen before.

If The Hurt Locker is the best that Hollywood can do, then I'm ready to surrender my Netflix subscription for good old AMC.

An Ubi Sunt On Obama's Health Care Victory

There comes a point when working within the system to change the system becomes futile, and something more must be done.

Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, Washington, et alia knew it.

Thoreau, Brown, Gandhi, and King knew it.

Ubi sunt? Where are they now?

I feel abandoned and alone, like a man lost in the desert searching for water, pleading for rain, but dying in the sand despite my efforts.

None are ignored faster or shunned more vigorously than those who speak even a kernel of the truth. Plato saw it in his Allegory of the Cave. Thoreau observed it in "Civil Disobedience."

The only innocent man since Adam before the Fall--and no less than the Son of God Himself--was nailed to a dogwood cross and left to die amongst thieves.

Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, Washington, et alia were pronounced traitors and faced certain death in defeat. It was Franklin who, upon the signing of the Declaration of Independence, said something close to "Now we must hang together, or assuredly we will hang separately."

A man who spoke of peace and justice was murdered at a motel in Memphis.

And yet Jesus, while he wished that the cup might pass him over, stood and accepted his fate for the good that it would bring mankind.

And yet Franklin, Jefferson, and Adams signed the Declaration of Independence; and Washington led a ragtag, underfunded, under-equipped, and under-trained army in opposition to the world's most powerful military.

And yet King, who saw the promised land but knew that he wouldn't get there, marched and spoke out in the heart of Dixie.

They risked all, and some lost all; but they stood for ideals that mattered and did not with them perish.

We have no such men active today. We are not a broken society. A broken society can be repaired.

We are a rotten society, and we have only the rubbish heap for which to look forward.

This health care bill will hopefully be a bridge too far for congress and the executive administration. Let's say enough to the symbolic protests. It's time to up the ante.

Also Untitled

Building upon my earlier post, true reform will commence once people realize that the government is the worst reformer of them all. Its interest is always in the status quo, and it only ventures away from the status quo when doing so enhances its power.

Your real enemy does not have a colored face, speak a strange language, and practice a different religion.

Your real enemy looks like you, talks like you, and says "God bless you," while he does his best to bring Hell upon you.

Untitled

It's not enough for the democrats' health care plans to fail. We must somehow rebuke the entire notion of the state as a caregiver, safety-net, etc. There can be no valid compromise on this issue. The government must get out of where it does not belong.

One fine day, people will look around them and realize that the government belongs nowhere.

Until then, it will remain a mortal foe.

My Apology

No, I am not dead.

Even though I have not posted anything in quite some time, it's not because I've fallen off of the face of the Earth or that I've ceased to have opinions.

I've not been well for a couple of months, and the combination of my physical discomfort with the correlating anxiety have stripped me completely of my muse.

When I'm occupied, it's almost impossible to tell that I'm having any troubles. However, when I am not occupied, that's when it gets to me. Since I tend to post to this blog when I am not otherwise occupied, you might see now why I haven't posted in so long.

I'm working on a post that will describe this ordeal, but it is taking me a while.

Forgive me.

An Anti-Statist Rant

It seems to me that both Republicans and Democrats campaign on promises to cure all that ails society. For this reason, most people vote either Republican or Democrat.

How's that going? I mean, in regards to curing society's ails?

Did the New Deal end the business cycle?

Did the Great Society end poverty?

These were both products of the democratic party's ideology. How did they turn out?

Remember the Contract With America?

What about reductions in the cost and scope of government?

These were what republicans promised. How did they turn out?

I understand if you're still as stubborn as a mule as to suggest that governments can do some good if properly led. I mean, that's what you learned in schools (funded by the government).

But you have no excuse if you stand in line with democrats and republicans. They are liars, and they are thieves. Look only history in the post-Civil War era for proof.

So what's to be done? If the theory of popular sovereignty holds, then it's up to YOU to demand change. If not, then things will get worse and worse until those who finally do force a change will be so desperate that they will bring into existence something actually worse than what proceeded it, as the Russians did when the Tsar abdicated.

Think about it. For the first time in their history, the Russian people had a chance for a representative government (Kerensky's Duma), but they turned instead to to Bolsheviks.

Tsars are bad. There's no getting around that. No man should have absolute power. And yet, when the Tsar was killed, he was replaced by Lenin, and then Lenin was replaced with Stalin...

How many so-called Tsars (usually spelled "Czars") does Obama have? Too many, if he even has one. So we have the choice of abolishing such nonsense or embracing the epitome of statism (as the Russians did).

I am not optimistic about what my neighbors will choose.

In the end, Jefferson was right, and we now have everything that Hamilton wanted--and it is now leading to its natural conclusion.

Do you recall the Constitution and its Bill of Rights?

"When I was a boy..."

Another Amusing Anecdote

Both Natalie and Mark earned excellent markings on their recent report cards. As a reward for good work (a 4.0), we decided to buy Natalie an American Girl Doll. Mark wanted a game for his PS2 or my XBox 360.

Today, I took Mark to GameStop in order to buy a game. At least the first five games that he asked for were rated "M" (Mature), so I had to tell him no. After the fifth or so request, Mark asked me exasperatedly, "When can I buy a rated "M" game?"

"When you're older," I said.

To which he asked, "How old?"

"Not until you're in High School," I replied.

"Is that when I'll grow hair around my penis?" He asked loud enough for anyone in the store to hear.

"Yes," I answered, "that's about when."

An Anecdote With a Musing Question

We often attach more meaning to some things than actually exists, and this is likely a case. However, something just happened about an hour ago that at least felt profound.

I am a very amateur guitar player. I taught myself how to play chords and arpeggios, and I can pick a few licks here and there, but I am no artists. My wife bought me a few lessons about ten years ago, but all my teacher did was show me the "power chords" and introduce me to the concepts of "hammers" and "pulls." While those lessons served me well, almost all of my ability and progress have been self-taught.

But this isn't about me. The only reason why I mentioned the content in the previous paragraph is to note that I am able to read pick up a tune's chord progressions and tablature.

When I was young, my parents used to listen to a gospel singer named Don Francisco, and let me tell you that every Christian should download and listen to his music. It is profoundly good, especially his narrative songs.

My favorite is "He's Alive," and it chronicles the story of the Resurrection through Simon Peter's vantage. After some time of picking around, I figured out that it must be in A minor (or at least it sounds OK in A minor), with an Am, G, Am, G, Dm, G, Am, G, Am, G, progression through the verses and a D, A, C, G, D in the climax/chorus.

While playing the chords alone is somewhat satisfying, if you clicked on the link then you noticed that Francisco doesn't strum. He picks individual notes in those chords--which is what I meant earlier by "tablature."

I simplified Francisco's pattern (for I am no maestro), but was able to make a decent adaptation. What isn't decent is my vocals, for I my larynx and vocal chords have yet to recover from damage caused by severe reflux (expect a post detailing that ordeal, but I digress). As of now, my vocal range is comparable to Johnny Cash's in his last couple "American Recordings" albums.

So there I was in my basement, guitar in hand, playing some tunes when Robbie (aged 2) came downstairs to listen. I had been picking some Old Crow Medicine Show (this song) when Robbie asked, "Wot you dwing, dahddy?"

"I'm practicing the guitar," I said. "Do you want to listen?"

"Uh huh," he said, and then he sat down beside me on the couch.

I resumed "We're All in This Thing Together," but I only held his attention for about twenty seconds. Before I'd ended the first verse, he was playing with Lincoln Logs.

I finished the song and started "Old Apartment," and Robbie continued to construct cabins.

However, when I took out my notes on "He's Alive," and started playing (and singing), Robbie stopped playing, returned to the couch, and listened intently through the entire song. Throughout my entire rendition, all that he did was stare at me and nod occasionally, as if he understood and agreed.

After I slowly picked the last notes of the last chord (an A), and stopped playing, Robbie clapped and said, "I yuv zat song, dahddy!"

"Would you like to hear another?" I asked.

"Uh huh," he said.

So I began playing "Why Me Lord," by Kris Kristofferson.

Again, Robbie sat quietly through the whole song. When I finished, he leaned in to me for a hug and added, "I yuv you, dahddy."

"I love you too, Robbie," I replied, before starting Johnny Cash's version of Bruce Springsteen's "Highway Patrolman."

Within twenty seconds, Robbie was off of the couch and again playing with his toys. By this point, I had an idea about what had been going on, so my next song was "In the Garden," one of the most beautiful gospel songs ever composed.

Sure enough, Robbie stopped his playing and resumed his place by my side. My next song, Don McLean's "Vincent," once again saw Robbie return to his trifles.

At this point, I stopped playing completely to watch my youngest child play. Whilst I had been praising the Lord, he had been enraptured. However, when I sang of more secular musings, he preferred to construct pseudo-buildings consisting of nothing but right angles.

Am I wrong to assign any meaning to this?
_____________________________________________________

By the way, I hope that the links to these songs actually produce the songs. Turn your speakers on if you want to hear them. They're all good songs--and much better than my versions!

Payton Manning: The Best QB Ever.

There are moments (however few and far between) when even the New York Times gets its opinions right.