Communist to the Core

When one diligently researches the origins of Common Core, as to who were the early prime movers, and what actually were the outcome of its implementation  - in Chicago, I might add - one simply cannot support a system that was begotten in terrorists' minds.  It's an attempt to fundamental transform - as the Kenyan so adroitly promised us during his numerous campaign speeches - what our children will be taught as they rotate through the public education system.  Communist inspired indoctrination from kindergarten through higher education is not something clear thinking Americans will tolerate.

The origins, the founders and the ultimate intent of Common Core are scary.  However, there is resistance to it, even if all but a few states have already implemented it.  One such group, the Education Action Group Foundation exposes the leftist agenda and activists and their mission to “fundamentally transform” US education through implementation of Common Core.  As many folks on both sides of the political spectrum understand, this ill-conceived indoctrination erases the separation of church and state.  Here is how it impacts the Catholic Church and their parochial schools.

Aside from the leftist politically slanted context of this educational program, a more insidious issue is to be considered, and that is the collection of students' personal and private information.  The instances of intrusive questionnaires have been well documented all across the US.  Own a gun?  It'll be noted on little Johnny's file.  Ever been in a mental hospital?  Form 4473 denied.  Vote with the Tea Party, buy a gun or post a blog critical of the Kenyan's administration?  You're forwarded to the IRS. 

Taking into consideration of all the many massive failures of this administration, from the unworkable Affordable Health Care web site, to the deaths of 40 veterans from lack of VA care, to the unanswered slaughter of four Americans in Benghazi, to the release of 36,000 violent illegal felons, to the decline of the US's foreign policy at the hands of Russia's Putin, to the collapse of the US economy, can anyone really believe that the government can actually provide our children with a decent and factual education?  Yeah, I don't think so, either.

Free Speech, RIP

As the Kenyan's administration continues its heavy handed and not-so-subtle campaign to implement total government control over us, free speech, our first cherished right, has become a casualty.  Killed in action as it were.  I refer, of course, to free political speech as a protected right guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.  We have two examples of this government sponsored mind controlling political correctness in the news today.  

The first is Donald Sterling, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team.  Now admittedly, he's made some statements that high profile folks shouldn't make, but being boorish doesn't warrant waiver of the right of free speech.  His comments about Magic Johnson, for example, were clearly in bad form.  And his request to his gold digging girlfriend as to whom he didn't want her to bring to the games is a matter of opinion and well within protected speech.  Magic Johnson is a professional athlete, a famous celebrity, and as such is subject to folks stating opinions about him. The statements Sterling were made, as they are true, are not libelous.  Dumb comments?  Of course . . . some thoughts are better left unsaid, as discretion is the better part of valor.  But the media, the sports community, the NBA brass, and all sorts of folks are all up in arms about free speech.  Note that it's his free speech they are trying to stifle, but not their own.  Since then he's made some apologies, but that's not enough for the PC crowd; they smell blood in the water.  He's lawyered up now, and intends to fight the $2.5 million fine levied against him by the NBA as well as their demand he relinquish ownership of the team.

The second example of political correctness gone completely out of control is the story of a small town New Hampshire police chief, who was heard referring to the Kenyan as a N-word.  See?  I even hesitate to use a perfectly good word out of fear of being turned in to Big Brother.  But the First Amendment specifically protects political speech, and if you wish to label a sitting president whatever, you're free to do so.  His comments were overheard by a third party Yankee do-gooder who turned him in.  Now the hue and cry is for his apology as well as his resignation.  He adamantly refuses to do so with this statement: "For this, I do not apologize - he meets and exceeds my criteria for such."  He's right.  The media is in cardiac arrest over this, and as they always do, seek to stifle his free speech, but not their own.  Remember back a few years?  This same media had nothing nice to say about George W. Bush, and they leveled all sorts of ad hominem attacks at him for anything and everything.  Back then the media respected and exercised their own political free speech, but not W's.

I'm reminded of a story by the comedian Ron White, as he's being arrested for disorderly conduct after a bar brawl.  He famously referred to free speech when he said. "I had the right to remain silent.  I did not have the ability."  So here are two eighty-something gentlemen stating the obvious.  The left wing media can't handle truth, so they first shout you down, then comes personal destruction.  In both of these cases, it should have been funny.  It is funny - but not to the wound-too-tight media.  What happened to free speech?  Why is it dead?  Why is everyone so thin skinned?  Why do we no longer adhere to the notion  that "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me?"

Perhaps as freedoms erode, civil discourse erodes with them.  And that has lead to a lowering of the culture to a teenager's perspective.  As a culture, it's past time to grow up - again.

Crazy? Or Just Evil?

In the Tampa Bay area, there's a trial going on about a mother who shot her two kids.  This is an educated, sophisticated woman, living in an upscale suburban part of town, who is pleading insanity (yeah, that's a given) as her defense.   But while we look into her troubled mental facilities, and analyze the effect of the anti-psychotic meds she was taking - or not taking - one thing is adamantly clear.  She planned, executed, confessed and recorded the deed.  That's not crazy, that's premeditated murder.  Her husband at the time was overseas on a US government posting, and she kept a detailed diary, mostly bemoaning how difficult was her life.  We learn from that diary that hubby's gone, kids are a burden to her with soccer and homework and parenting such.  And, oh yeah, they're getting "mouthy."

Welcome to motherhood.  So one day, while the kids are in school, she drives 20 miles from her home to purchase a gun, is surprised to learn that there is a 3-day waiting period, but comes back to take possession of the revolver.  Then, she picks up her son from soccer practice, shots him in the head while driving home, then shoots him again in the mouth, and leaves him in the van in the garage.  She then creeps upstairs where the daughter is doing her homework, and shoots her in the back of the head.  As she did with the boy, she shoots her daughter in the mouth as well.  Two head shots each, and a practice shot through the van's windshield.  She leaves a suicide note, but somehow doesn't find time to shoot herself, favoring instead overdosing on non-lethal meds.  In excruciating detail does she record all these events in her diary ex post facto, and they have been substantiated by forensic investigation.  The suicide didn't occur, she lived, and now she's on trial for murdering her kids.

Excuse me if my sympathy wanes.  Raising kids is a hard job, I know, and pretty much a thankless one until the kids get grown and have kids of their own.  I've been there, as I'm sure have you.   However, I can imagine motherhood would be a Herculean task for a self absorbed, self important narcissist.  And that mindset  could very well invite evil to nest, nurture and manifest itself into a living, breathing demonic woman.  The psychology aside, this execution of her children was clearly planned and executed to perfection.  The fact that she admits to it all is the only pitifully lacking saving grace.  If found guilty, she'll get three hots and a cot, plus free mental and health care for the rest of her miserable evil life, all at our expense . . . the ultimate free ride.  Who knows, maybe she's proud of herself.

The Left Unleashed

With only 3 years or so left in the Kenyan's administration, the dogs of the far left have been unleashed on Americans.  Repeal of the 22nd Amendment may not come in time, so he has fast-tracked the offensive to be accomplished by end of his second term. His goal is simply this:  the complete destruction of American culture, economy, influence and freedom.   Just look at some of the heavy handedness being dealt out:

Common Core

It's not bad enough that colleges are completely corrupted from being institutes of learning, instead becoming progressive policy indoctrination centers.  No, we must get to the kids long before college in order to get their minds right.  Common Core is the insidious slant to all things progressive, hidden in plain sight within story based math questions and narrative essays full of social justice reforms.  State run education is a government program that will fare no better than any other failed government program.  History and civics will be glazed over in favor of social justice sensitivity "issues."  Jeb Bush, one of my former heros, is now endorsed by none other than the New York Times.  NYT?  Are you kidding me?  Bye, Bye, Jeb.   Social Justice Awareness is what colleges are teaching today.  Just magine this exchange:

• Interviewer:           "Why do you want to work at our company?"
• Job Applicant:       "I need a job."
• Interviewer:           "What's your highest level of education?"
• Job Applicant:       "I graduated from college."
• Interviewer:           "Oh.  I'm sorry to hear that."
• Job Applicant:        "Yeah, I couldn't afford an actual comprehensive education, so I had to settle for state sponsored indoctrination."
• Interviewer:            "OK, thanks.  Next."

Attacks against the American People

The constant bombardment of the political right and center is increasing. The IRS denies or delays tax exempt status to Tea Party, Conservative or Christian Groups.  Even donors are targeted for audits.  Sports teams are seized simply because owners may utter "insensitive" remarks.  There goes the First and Fourth Amendments as a casualty of enforced political correctness.  The FEC's newest attempt to "regulate" conservative media surfaces again, this time with no mention of the so-called Fairness Doctrine.  The Drudge Report is merely a news portal.  How is that a threat to free elections?  And what about the administration's refusal to come to the aid of the four dead Americans in Benghazi?  Evidence shows they were asleep at the wheel, and had to concoct a ruse - an absurd video, whose creator is still in jail - to shift blame.  As the Kenyan preens about, stylishly clad in mom-jeans, the county's enemies are emboldened.  After Air Force officials deny it was a U-2, suspicion is now that Russian aircraft disrupted computers at Los Angeles Airport.  Further to Muslim attacks on the US in Benghazi, Hillary Clinton denies Boko Harem international terror status, even as they kidnap and sell teenaged girls, and also denies they are responsible for the violence in Nigeria.  Why does the Kenyan and his administration bend over backward to protect and defend radial Islamic fascists at the expense of Western democracies?   I wonder.  And Putin tests Russia's nuclear forces for readiness, rattling that saber in the Kenyan's face.  And the Kenyan will quake and pontificate, but nothing more.  In matters foreign and domestic, our congressional leaders do nothing to stop the Kenyan and his administration from dismantling the greatest nation in civilization, and his directed destruction continues.

Global Warming

This is the biggest hoax since the Piltdown Man.  The constant scare tactics about the effects of so-called global warming are baseless.  They are computer models, and as anyone knows, models are only as good as data going into them: garbage in, garbage out.  For over six decades I've lived directly on Clearwater Bay, which opens to the Gulf of Mexico, and I can categorically assure you that sea levels are not rising in any appreciable way.  But for the sake of argument, let's say it's true and the climate is changing for the worst, and it's man's fault.  What can the government do about that?  Eliminate fossil fuels throughout the world?  I can see India and China agreeing to that, let alone Russia.  But how would that stop any change in climate?  It wouldn't, of course.  This is a scam to convert energy control to government concerns who want it, and to destroy those who currently have it.  But the reality of climate is twofold:  it cannot be controlled, and it changes over time naturally.  There is incontrovertible evidence that the Earth was far warmer than it is now only 15,000 years ago.  In fact, there exists a map that accurately depicts the geographical features and complex shoreline of Antarctica before it was covered with a mile thick ice sheet, which has been there for at least 4,000 years. So what if that's the baseline for "normal" climate?  Given the Little Ice Age that covered most of northern Europe only 500 years ago, it would seem that from empirical evidence that we're currently in an ice age, and the climate is merely "correcting."  Today there is still ice in the Great Lakes, and the Ross Ice Sheet continues to thicken.  So if the Earth's been warming sporadically for 15,000 years, how is it that it's man's fault?  The bottom line is we DO NOT have a definitive baseline to determine what is normal weather, if there even is such a thing.  But if there is, then it must be measured in millennia, not in decades or centuries.    This latest fantasy is just that - a fantasy to con you and separate you from your money and your civilization.  Don't buy it.

Anything You Have, I Can Take

The recent flap over so-called racist statements allegedly made by Donald Sterling, owner of the LA Clippers is a tumble down a slippery slope.  The result of this fiasco is that the NBA commissioner Adam Silver essentially stole Sterling's team from him.  But can he really do that, and if he can, is it a good thing?

From an article from Sports Illustrated, we learn: " . . . Silver has broad authority under the NBA's constitution and bylaws to suspend and fine an owner for conduct detrimental to the NBA. According to Sliver, Sterling admitted it was his voice on the recording in which he made racist remarks. Even if the recording was unlawfully created under California law -- the recording would likely be unlawful if the conversation was confidential and Sterling didn't give consent -- Silver is authorized to punish Sterling based on the recording's impact on the league. It is safe to say that Sterling's comments, have deeply harmed the NBA and its relationship with players, sponsors and fans. Sterling seems to lack a viable argument that his conduct was not seriously detrimental to the NBA."

"Sterling is also disadvantaged in challenging the suspension and fine because of how a court would treat such a challenge. A court would review Silver's decision under the deferential "arbitrary and capricious" standard of review. This standard would essentially require Sterling prove that the NBA -- and specifically Silver, acting as the NBA's ultimate arbiter -- failed to follow its own rules in how it investigated Sterling and punished him. For instance, if the NBA failed to authenticate the recording, concealed evidence or not requested a meeting with Sterling, Sterling might have sufficient grounds. Silver's remarks during the press conference, however, suggest all relevant rules and policies were followed. Absent Sterling proving there was a procedural defect of serious importance, Sterling likely has no viable appeal to either the fine or suspension. . . " 

OK, fine.  Let's look at this.  Did these comments really harm the NBA and its relationship with players, sponsors and fans?  If so, exactly how?  Some fans may be offended and boycott Clippers games, and that may hurt Sterling in the pocketbook.   That would be his loss and fans' right to do so.  But in a larger sense, has it hurt the NBA?  Hell, no.  How can one man's opinion - however offensive it may be to certain people - be "harmful" to an entire league?  And what about Silver's opinion?  Are we not allowed to disagree with his decision?  Are we so sensitive that we allow one man to steal another man's private property for no other reason than we may disagree with him, and without any semblance of due process?  Maybe Sterling is a real reprobate, and maybe someone is plotting to get him out of the Big Boy's Club of the NBA.  But using this situation for that nefarious purpose is not only ill-advised, it's downright dangerous in its probable repercussions.

Look.  I couldn't care less about what was said, or how it was learned, or how it was leaked, or how the uber-sensitive and perpetually offended among us may have reacted.  That's just a distraction, and I don't care.  I do care that any man or public body, or government agency for that matter, may seize private property for nothing more than a politically incorrect, dissenting opinion.  That's a slippery slope in a nation whose Constitution protects our God-given right to free speech, freedom of association, and security in our persons and effects. This is total nonsense, and in my mind, it's simply a way to redistribute a very lucrative franchise from Sterling to someone else. Notwithstanding the pseudo legal justification nonsense in the SI article above, I hope Sterling gets a good lawyer and sues the pants off the self righteous Adam Silver and the NBA.

We should watch this whole episode very closely, because it's another test case of how the "authorities" - whomever and wherever they may be -  will use fear and intimidation to re-appropriate your goods and chattel, just for expressing an opinion. It just happened to a rancher in Nevada, and it'll happen to us, too.  Mark my words.

Lawlessness Continues

Here's a tantalizing thought for all you lawyer types out there.  Because the Kenyan is not a natural born US citizen, and therefore ineligible to hold the office of president, might not a legal challenge to nullify every single piece of legislation he has signed into law be constitutionally made?  Yeah, I think so, too.  But does anyone have the balls to stand up to the onslaught of personal destruction and character assignation the Democrat party and their sycophants in the media that will surely ensue?  Yeah, I don't think so, either.

Any debate about the whereabouts of his birthplace is moot.  There are several proofs of this.  First, the Hawaiian birth certificate was a fraud so amateurish even the press laughed about it. Second, he has multiple aliases and fake social security numbers.  How can we have an American President with fake IDs and aliases?  Third, there exists a YouTube video of an event filmed when he was running for senate in Illinois, wherein he categorically told the crowd, "I was born in Kenya."  By his own admission, made during a campaign event, before the Antichrist picked him from obscurity to run for president, he states he's ineligible for the nation's top job.  I've personally seen that video, but I can no longer find it on the internet.  How strange.

You think Richard Nixon was deceitful?  He was a choir boy compared to the Kenyan.  The affect of the Kenyan's deceit and his subsequent lawlessness is to essentially render the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and our concept of being a nation of laws utterly meaningless.  He's destroyed the nation as a functioning republic, and still has three more years to polish off the hit job.  Why have laws at all if the President of the United States so willfully violates them?  Or when his very presidency itself is illegitimate?  His administration is packed with kindred spirits who are eager to abet the lawlessness:  Lois Lerner used the power of the IRS to deny - and revoke - tax exempt status for conservative groups.  Eric Holder refuses to investigate and punish Black Panthers who prevented conservatives from voting in Pennsylvania; he illegally ran guns across the border to Mexican drug cartels who then used those guns to kill rival gangs as well as US Border agents.  The list is endless, and it's obvious this administration thinks we serve them rather than the other way around.

Some people say we're doomed as to continuing to be the nation we once were.  Some say there's nothing to see here, just MoveOn.org.  Some say it's time to water the tree of liberty with a little hemoglobin.  Some say Costa Rica and Belize are really nice.  Some say we need to work within the system we have, and vote the bums out.  I'm not sure any of these alone will regain the folks' - the We The People - confidence in their government.  Maybe a combination of several of these solutions would work to restore our nation.  Maybe we should try Vote 'Em Out, and Kill The Rest.  Maybe.  I'm just sayin' at the end of the day it will be up to us.

Common Core Must Go

My contention with Common Core is not in its supposed standardization; in fact I think standardization is important in elevating our national educational outcomes.  What I object to is having the federal government involved in education in any way.  With few exceptions, anything the federal government tries to control soon becomes a fiasco.  Educating the next generations of our children is something too important to allow to be screwed up.  Fortunately, many states are beginning to see the light.

http://blog.heritage.org/2014/04/16/pushback-continues-states-grow-increasingly-wary-common-core/?utm_source=heritagefoundation&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=morningbell

As to Common Core content, the continual subliminal and insidious indoctrination into a progressive mindset is – and will continue to be – the government’s primary concern.  Educating kids in history, civics, math and science, and actually producing well educated, well rounded, and most importantly, critical thinking young adults is secondary.  Consider these actual reading comprehension problems in Texas:

http://www.ktsm.com/news/school-yard/pasodale-elementary-parents-question-bizarre-homework-assignment

Both of my local Tampa daily newspapers - one centrist and one flat out Marxist - today had several articles decrying the advent of private and charter schools.  But because of heavy handed governmental intervention into states’ sovereign education programs, what are parents to do in the face of government continuing to govern against the will of the people?  Many parents seek to circumvent the whole pubic education process by sending their kids to private schools, or by home schooling.  Either way, these options are either more expensive or certainly less convenient than sending the little ones to public schools.  However,  many parents put their money where their kids' futures lie.

That’s telling.

Government versus Privacy

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

That's the complete text of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.  At roughly fifty words, it's very simple and concise. One doesn't need a pointy-headed liberal law professor to explain it.  It says exactly what it says, as do the other nine amendments of the original Bill of Rights.  This one says the government has no business in your personal and private effects.  Gee, given blatant governmental over stepping of its authority, that must mean this regime is acting unlawfully and in direct contravention to the Constitution. Ya think!?  The government's spy agencies, CIA and NSA among them, have dozens of operations designed to track you and every word you write or utter.  Warrantless stops (stop and frisk, TSA groping), electronic spying, monitoring of telephone calls, tracking internet use, undisclosed facial recognition, drone surveillance, inspection of medical records or tax returns, red light cameras and so much more are ALL illegal.  Now what do we do?  Protest?  Vote?

The time for those civil processes has passed. The Feds know it, too.  They know that most people are Fed up (pun intended) with the heavy handedness of this government in every capacity, and they fear a backlash.  Riots certainly, armed insurrection absolutely.  That's why this regime has armed to the teeth heretofore non-law enforcement government agencies.  Those agencies whose responsibilities seem to have little to do with combating crime now carry heavily armed active law enforcement operations.  How about this partial list of agencies and their newly empowered enforcement duties:

• U.S. Department of Education
• U.S. Bureau of Land Management
• U.S. Department of the Interior
• U.S. Postal Inspection Service
• National Park Service
• Environmental Protection Agency
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admonsistration

The government can't detain you for mere suspicion - legally.  Of course, with all that firepower at their disposal, one would be hesitant to draw down on agents of any of these previously benign agencies even if one were carrying legally.  So now here's the conundrum: the law means nothing when one is confronted with heavily armed jackbooted government thugs.  This regime has turned the Constitution on its head.  Think long and hard about that in November, and if we still have the chance, again in November of 2016.

All Enemies Foreign and Domestic

What is the greatest threat to the American way of life?  

Islamafacists?  Nope.  We've killed them whenever and wherever they raise their insipid 7th century hajji heads.  They pose a threat level concern, of course, because they wage an unconventional war that focuses on asymmetrical fighting.  Dangerous, yes, but they're not our prime enemy.  

Russians?  Nope.  The current foreign policy concerning Russia is very different from what you may read in the hyperventilating mainstream media.  This administration killed our shuttle missions so we could pay the Russians to take our astronauts to our own space station.  We kill the Keystone pipeline so we can buy foreign oil.  We ignore the Monroe Doctrine, as we turn our backs on Russia's interference in Latin America, as they infiltrate Cuba, Venezuela and other struggling countries.  They, under Putin, are hell bent on destroying us by propping up banana republics in our back yard.  But they're not our prime enemy.

Global warming?  To hear some of the alarmists tell it, including our Muslim sensitive NASA, it may be.  But nope, that's simply a con game to allow the evil cabal behind the UN to redistribute the world's wealth from those who have it, to those who promote this sham money grab.  The religion of global warming, now called climate change, isn't a threat to us, in any way, shape or form.

The most severe clear and present danger to the American way of life is the Antichrist as he is manifested in the Kenyan. Why?  Because he twice swore an oath to preserve, defend and protect the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Yet he has done everything in his power to not only not abide by that solemn oath, but to destroy the USA and everything for which it stands.  But the good news is that even the brain dead zombies are beginning to shake off their progressive indoctrination, and see him for what he is.  And isn't.  As a disciple of the heinous Saul Alinsky, the Kenyan has orchestrated some of the most outrageous anti-constitutional edicts in America's history. He Muslimized NASA; he promotes behavior that contradicts Bibical teaching; he consorts with Zionist bankers, who some believe to be his puppet masters; he militarized a federal police force(s) in contravention of the Constitution; he ramped through Hillary's failed universal health care scam; he encourages lawbreaking by his words and deeds; he allows millions of illegal aliens to come into the country, many with lawlessness at their core; he is drunk with power and is bringing down his own party, as even  Marxist democrats run for the tall grass.  Hillary, by the way, is also an Alinsky acolyte, and aside from being the most corrupt politician since her kindred spirit Huey Long, is being groomed to secede him in the Oval office.

That Hillary Clinton and the Kenyan share an Alinskyite schooling tells us two things.  First, that they are hardcore progressive leftists - extreme communists - dedicated to overthrowing the Constitution for which  real American patriots fought and died.  Second, they will go to any length - including personal destruction and outright murder - to conceal who they really are from the public.  Yet the Democratic Party will obligingly nominate Hillary for their presidential candidate in 2016.

God help us all.

Again The Past

Take a devastated nation, still smarting from global defeat and loss of an empire, a collapsed economy and embarrassment on the world stage.  Add a charismatic leader who so believes in his country's eminence that he rallies his people to a renewed sense of national pride.  As his country turns itself around economically and emotionally, cloaked in a swelling national pride, the rest of the world believes that the world has grown up to the extent that there will be no more full scale wars to be fought, and so reduce their military to nearly nonexistent levels.  Meanwhile, fueled by national pride and hegemony, he begins to retake the lands that had been forfeited under force of arms a decade or so previously.  Mix in a global economic recession -  make that a global depression, where the stock markets soar on ill-advised infusion of fiat currencies, pumping up companies that have no real value.  As some nations build up their military presence in or near regions they believe rightfully "belong" to them, other nations appropriate their defense budget to other, more pressing areas. Diplomats scurry to and fro, ecstatic in the lies they've been told, espousing how sage and wonderful these great leaders truly are.

Think I'm talking about the world's situation report as of today?  Think I'm talking about the US and Russia being at odds again?  Think I'm describing Putin's ambitions to acquire a warm water port?  Yes, I am.  But the scenario I describe above is Germany in the world of 1929.  Chamberlain misread Hitler's motivation, and global chaos ensued.  I fear the Kenyan and his hapless minion John Kerry are reenacting that classic blunder of the twentieth century that ultimately cost the lives of hundreds of millions and resulted in another world war.

Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it:  here we go again!

Man to Man? Not!

There have been several - well, many - comparisons of Putin to the Kenyan regarding their leadership styles and personalities.  I think that's a fascinating study.  They both share a commonality in that they are tyrants, true, but one leads forward, the other backward.  Putin's stated goal is to restore Russia to its former power and glory as it was under the USSR.  The Kenyan on the other hand, likes to say he's "leading from behind" as he enacts his own stated goal of "transforming" the US into a limp, has-been, broke-down banana republic.  Both are doing a splendid job of achieving those goals.  But to endeavor to raise up a country is noble, even given its dubious level of democracy.  To tear one down is not only ignoble, it's evil.

To compare Putin, a man, to the Kenyan, a pantywaist, is ludicrous.  I can see why Putin rates so high in polls both here and abroad.  Whatever his politics are, and they're not in keeping with this writer, he's clearly and undeniably a man.  He's been photographed shirtless riding horses, notably strong and capable; the Kenyan's been photographed in baggy Bermuda shorts on a golf course, his weak spindly legs attesting to his lack of physicality.  Putin is a proponent of the reestablishment of Christian Orthodoxy in Russia; the Kenyan is a CINO (Christian In Name Only), attends a radical anti-American church but wears Islam on his left finger and in his heart.  Both are authors: Putin wrote a book on the history of Judo, and is an accomplished martial artist; the Kenyan wrote a pseudo-biography as an ode to the father he never really had, and his narcissism and hate turned him into a "community organizer".  The Kenyan celebrates and promotes homosexuality; Putin decries and bans it.  Putin has a mistress who is a very hot lady; the Kenyan seemingly has no interest in females.  Putin is a helicopter pilot; the Kenyan operates electric golf carts.  Putin just annexed the Crimea; the Kenyan "sanctioned" seven Russian citizens. 

Don't accuse me of being orgasmic over Putin.  I'm most certainly not.  But he is such a contrast to the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, both as a man and as a leader, that the difference is glaring and cannot be ignored.  As left wing presidents go, Roosevelt was a cripple and Carter was a wimp. The Kenyan is all that and more.  Think about it.  Side by side, notwithstanding shared political positions, which would you pick to be your leader?

Wei Li’s Axioms Of Life

In the later part of the twentieth century, the great sage and philosopher Wei Li walked among us sharing enlightenment and wisdom.  In so doing, he penned these universal truths in the form of his Axioms of Life, categorized into three segments.  Since they are as true and meaningful today as they were then, I thought I would share them.
                   
Volume 1:    Opportunity
1.     Opportunity is self-perpetuating and obeys the laws of inertia:  dynamic inertia begets dynamic opportunity; conversely, static inertia begets static opportunity.
2.     Opportunity doesn’t knock just once - it will beat the door down.
3.     Failure is merely opportunity in disguise.
4.     A slamming door opens a window.
5.     One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
6.     Seek out opportunity during times of change; catch water when it rains.
  
Volume 2:    Personal Power
7.      Personal power is derived from the conscious commitment to take responsibility for oneself.
8.      Let no one know what you’re thinking.
9.     Trust no one. 
10.    If one must trust, verify.
11.    There are no excuses.
12.    The most effective use of power is not having to wield it.
13.    Self control is the most desirable of virtues, for it is the base upon which the others are built.
14.    When others are out of control, take and hold the high moral ground.  Consider the source and rise above the fray.  Never sink to others’ level.
15.    Know that every man consists of body, mind and spirit.  Therefore administer to each equally.
16.    A thing worth doing is worth doing well.
17.    When dealing with those of lesser intellect, raise them to your level rather than lower yourself to theirs.
18.    Be objective.
19.    Be discriminating
20.    Enthusiasm is contagious; it is spread by personal contact
21.    When convinced of the soundness one’s moral and ethical position, stand firm in the face of all detractors.  
22.    Neither lie, cheat nor steal.
23.    Live as the warrior; commit fully to every task as if it were one’s last act on earth.  The brevity and uncertainty of life make this necessary.
24.    Don’t compare yourself to others, but be your own measure.
25.    To overcome your opponent, you must first understand him.
26.    Never let others sway you from your center; do what is right in the face of adversity.

Volume 3:    Parallels
27.    The truth is that it is all true.
28.    In most things, more is better than less; sooner is better than later.
29.    Surviving is better than not.
30.    Many things are more desirable than a sharp stick in the eye.
31.    If wishes were wings, all men would be heaven bound.
32.    Truth is absolute, situational ethics is not.
33.    That that is, is; that that is not, is not.
34.    Some will, some won’t, so what.
35.    In human endeavors and politics, perception is reality.
36.    Learn to earn.
37.    Man cannot change the chaos in the world; he can, however, change his reaction to it.
38.    Nature abhors a vacuum.  Ensure your spirit is filled with goodness, else it will be filled with evil.
39.    With experience comes wisdom; with wisdom, perspective.

Abolish the IRS

One hundred years and one month ago, congress ratified the 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution, implementing a tax on personal and business income. The time has come to repeal that amendment, just as was done with the infamous and unpopular 18th Amendment.  Apart from being the most invasive mechanism for the federal government to pry into individuals' privacy, the IRS has, in the last several months, been shown to be tyrannical, and a vehicle for political corruption.  Lois Lerner continues to stonewall Congress in its lawful investigation into the IRS and its illegal, politically motivated and corrupt campaign to silence, harass and/or delay conservative groups who apply for not-for-profit status. Not one IRS employee, administrator or manager to date has been fired, much less imprisoned, for their role in this insidious violation of Americans' privacy.   

But what to do?  First, from a political perspective, and after repeal of the 16th Amendment, that entire department of the Treasury should be disbanded, all employees fired, and all taxpayer records be destroyed in full view of the public, so there's no chance of anyone's private information remaining in the hands of the government. Once the government has a taste of absolute power over people by obtaining, reviewing and retaining their most private financial records, that genie will never go back into the bottle.  That ill gotten leverage must be nullified; the government doesn't get to keep those records in any way, shape or form.

Second, in full acknowledgment that the government needs revenue to operate, a better taxation proposal would be the implementation of a national sales tax on tangible items.  This would completely replace the existing income-based tax structure, and would be collected by the states through their existing tax collection systems, not by the federal government.  State level tax collections would prevent the federal government from indulging in the unavoidable urge to again become tyrannical and corrupt - as it has become now.  We learn from our experiences - and our mistakes.  There would be no tax levied on food, medicine, most health care, philanthropic tithing or the like.  But think about it - what tax structure could be more progressive than a national sales tax?  For individuals, the more you spend, the more tax you pay.  Conversely, those of little means don't tend to spend much on tangibles anyway, and would essentially be exempt from this tax.  Companies would pay a type of value added tax that may enhance or replace certain states' current VAT levies.

There have been several studies that, depending on the details, show that a national sales tax would generate more revenue for the federal government than does the current income based approach.  And it is certainly far less intrusive to the citizenry.  Further, by using already existing collection systems managed by the states, the cost of collection of each tax dollar would be far, far lower than what's being spent by the IRS now.

There is no more universally hated government bureaucracy than the IRS, and it's long past time to kill this evil rabid monster, and replace it with something that's better, more charitable, controllable, and cost effective.

Bizarre News - And This Is Just For Today!

That's A Near Miss.
Asteroid 2014 DX110 flew safely by Earth Tuesday and was spotted by the Slooh online skywatching website using its half-meter telescope.  This asteroid is estimated to be about 100 feet (30 meters) across, officials at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California wrote in an alert. "Its closest approach to Earth will be at about 217,000 miles (about 350,000 kilometers) from Earth at about 1 p.m. PST (4 p.m. EST) [2100 GMT] on March 5. The average distance between Earth and its moon is about 239,000 miles (385,000 kilometers). Fiendish things are flying past Earth continuously, and some day one of them will hit us. Oh, well.  C'est la vie!

Free Electric Power

For years scientists have sought sustainable free energy, and cold fusion seems to be the best way to do that.  Now Sandia National Laboratories' Z machine is already the largest producer of X-rays on Earth and has been used to produce fusion neutrons. But rapid bursts are necessary for future generating plants to produce electrical power from sea water. This had not been thought achievable till now.  Nuclear fusion is the process by which multiple nuclei join together to form a heavier nucleus. It is accompanied by the release or absorption of energy. In astrophysics, fusion reactions power the stars and produce all but the lightest elements.  On Earth, when the reaction is a sustained uncontrolled chain, it results in a thermonuclear explosion like in a hydrogen bomb. Harnessing that energy and converting it into cheap electricity s a dream come true.  I want one in my home; what's the worst that can happen?

You Gotta Be Kidding Me

A northern New Jersey honor student who says her parents kicked her out of the house when she turned 18 is now suing them, asking a court to make them support her and pay for her college tuition.  A cheerleader and lacrosse player who hopes to become a biomedical engineer, Rachael Canning is seeking immediate financial support and wants to force her parents to pay for her college education and more than $5,000 owed for her last semester at Morris Catholic High School. She also wants a judge to declare that she’s non-emancipated and dependent as a student on her parents for support. A judge in Morristown Tuesday ruled against immediately forcing Rachel Canning’s parents to pay her $650 weekly child support and pay for her remaining year of high school tuition, as she requested in a lawsuit filed last week.  But he's scheduled a hearing next month to determine payment of college her tuition.  Spare the rod . .

Where's Vince Lombardi When We Need Him?
The Canadian basketball team of 10-year-olds was powering through the Blessed Sacrament Tournament recently, going undefeated and looking forward to an appearance in the championship game.  Then they got the bad news. They were disqualified.  An opposing coach noticed the Warriors weren’t giving equal playing time to everyone on the squad, among new modified rules that promote fun and de-emphasize winning, tournament head John Rocchi told TheSpec in Hamilton, Ontario.  Rocchi decried the Warriors’ apparent breaking of the equal time for all players rule a “classic case of ‘win at all costs." Anthony Ivanovski, a Warriors player, told TheSpec he and his teammates worked their hard to win. More evidence that western culture is on the skids.  Don't excel.  Don't win.  It isn't fair to losers.

Don't Bogart That Joint, My Friend

Most of the doctors polled at a Minnesota Medical Association forum oppose the legislation that legalizes medical marijuana.  The bill passes a Minnesota House committee Wednesday, but still has a long road ahead in the Legislature.  The Medical Association says two-thirds of the 35 physicians attending a medical marijuana forum this week in Eagan oppose the bill. The forum's moderator and MMA board chairman, Dr. Dave Thorson, says many physicians felt more research is needed on the topic.  The association, as a whole, has not taken a position on the legislation. The MMA is also surveying its entire membership and that information will be forwarded to its board in mid-March.  They'll need it - a similar bill will undoubtedly come before the Florida legislature this session, thanks to leftist power-lawyer John Morgan.

The "Bully" Pulpit

There's more bad news today for the American culture and the United States Constitution.  Specifically, I refer to the fact that the United States has always been - although not so much now - a nation of laws and not men.  This is one of the basic premises of our founding; that we are not subject to the whims of those in power.  That seemingly has changed through the bullying from those in Washington

There are many, many examples of this.  The most recent is Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's veto of SB 1062, the Religious Freedom Bill.  Leftist opponents renamed it the anti-gay bill, in keeping with their practice of demonetization and changing the debate by changing the language.   What the bill simply said was that everyone was empowered to practice his religion in his place of business, as he does at home or in church.  So if you're a baker or a photographer who would rather not bake a cake or visually record a homosexual wedding based on your religious convictions, there was no compulsion, neither legal nor moral, to do so.  Freedom of choice.  Pretty straightforward, right?  Not according to the GLBT lobby, who along with their allies on the left, bullied Governor Brewer into vetoing a law that should be self evident in a free society.  But the pressure was intense to nullify what the state legislature - lawmakers placed in office by the citizens of Arizona - clearly passed as being the will of the people.  But it's discrimination, you see, and it can't be tolerated.  Yet the individual freedom it tramples is manifest:  if you're queer, go get your wedding cake created by queer-friendly bakers. If you're disinclined to deal with homosexuals, feel free to service whatever customers you choose.  There is no scarcity; there are bakers and photographers aplenty, and free choice allows like to attract like.  But it's not about freedom of choice.  It's about the destruction of anything that accepts moral absolutes.  And the bullying from the minions of the executive branch.  Take it a step further.  Let's say you believe homosexuality is a sin because your religion, that is, your underlying moral authority, says so.  Let's also say that you believe murder and predatory sex with minors is a sin for the same reason.  Why then does a well funded GLBT lobby advocate for homosexual in-your-face actions, yet continues to frown upon and punish murder and predatory sex with minors?  Homosexuality and murder is a sin in many major religions, Christianity and Islam among them.  Selective enforcement, obviously.  But we must eradicate the culture of personal freedom and morality, and nothing can stand in the way of that goal.  I can guess who is really behind these coordinated and well financed affronts on freedom and moral culture.  Qui Bene?

Another example of dwindling freedom is the erosion of our concept of separation of powers.  Many folks, both in government and in academia, are sounding the alarm about the usurpation of the power of the legislative and judicial branches, especially as it concerns balancing the power of the executive branch.  During testimony before the House Judiciary Committee yesterday, liberal constitutional professor Jonathan Turley said that the Obama's (as well as George W. Bush's) blatant overreach of executive power is “accelerating” and that the growth of such power has brought us to a constitutional tipping point.  “I believe we are now at a constitutional tipping point in our system,” Turley, who teaches law at George Washington University, said. “It’s a dangerous point for our system to be in, and I believe that your response has to begin before this president leaves office. No one in our system goes it alone.”  Turley noted that while he agrees with the President on most of his policies, it still “does not alter the fact that I believe the means he is doing is wrong” and that the continued acceleration of executive power can be “a dangerous change in our system."  No kidding!  The legislature writes laws, that we, as a constitutional republic, require them to do.  The executive branch - the president - enacts those laws:  he may neither write law (except by executive order) nor may he change laws, nor selectively enforce laws to his whim.  Yet the Kenyan has done  so - over 23 changes to ObamaCare since July 2013 alone - without so much as a raised eyebrow from congress.  In fact, Attorney General Holder this week encouraged various state attorneys general not to enforce those laws to which they feel morally opposed!  Screw the law, we'll  enforce only what we think is right!  Such is the attitude of this regime:  the law is simply what we say it is, and only when we say it is.  The castrati in congress wring their hands but do nothing, and the judicial branch fear reprisals should they dissent.  See Judge Roberts.  All the while the concept of a nation of laws and not men slowly erodes into history.

Land of the Free?

For those readers who still naively believe that this country is still the land of the free, let me highlight recent lawlessness perpetrated by this government.   

Ignoring the 1st Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech; or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

As many know, government's censorship of free speech has been on the march for decades.  Opposition to state-forced acceptance of certain issues are verboten, and if uttered, are labeled "hate speech."  We all know the penalties for not thinking in line with the government progressivism: personal destruction.  Further, the government attack dog, the IRS, has been unleashed on any group known to hold ideas contrary to the government's stated edicts, specifically those groups who identify as conservative and/or Christian.  Now, emboldened by the lack of any resistance to this usurpation of free political speech as guaranteed in the First Amendment, the FCC seeks to infiltrate radio and television newsrooms with government thugs, er, monitors, to determine what stories are to be aired. This quote is from Mr. Ajit Pai, a commissioner with the FCC, in a recent Wall Street Journal article:

" . . . The purpose of the CIN [Multi-Market Study of Critical Information Needs], according to the FCC, is to ferret out information from television and radio broadcasters about "the process by which stories are selected" and how often stations cover "critical information needs," along with "perceived station bias" and "perceived responsiveness to underserved populations.  How does the FCC plan to dig up all that information? First, the agency selected eight categories of "critical information" such as the "environment" and "economic opportunities," that it believes local newscasters should cover. It plans to ask station managers, news directors, journalists, television anchors and on-air reporters to tell the government about their "news philosophy" and how the station ensures that the community gets critical information . . . "

This is a far more heavy-handed regurgitation of the failed policies of the FCC's so-called Fairness Doctrine, which was repealed in the late 1980s.  Under this policy the news is whatever the government says is news:  goodbye checks and balances, hello disinformation and propaganda.

Ignoring the 4th Amendment

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, homes, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

What could be further from the intent of this fundamental guarantee of personal security than the massive, invasive and all-encompassing NSA spying?  Speak on your cell phone, and you're on talk radio.  Send an email or text and you've published news.  Stop and Search policies are used by police departments all over the U.S.  And now, with life imitating art, we have a budding pre-crime appartus that's been in develpment for years at DHS.  You can now be detained or arrested, and without redress, for merely the appearance of doing something the government deems threatening. 

Ignoring the 2nd Amendment

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep an bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

There's no question as to why the government wants to limit, restrict and ultimately confiscate your guns.  As the founders knew, an armed citizenry is "necessary to the security of a free state." Are you beginning to see why there's such a push for gun control?  Are you beginning to see why the issue is so contentious, and why elected officials who support this nonsense have been recalled and removed from office?  Are you wondering why non-military federal agencies like DHS, IRS and TSA have purchased over two billion rounds of handgun ammunition?  That's about 5,000 rounds for each agent in those departments.  How many rounds do you have?  This isn't about hunting.

Why is there such a rampant, lawless disregard for the fundamental freedoms upon which the United States was founded?  The actions by this government transcend mere political ideology.  This government is in the process of transforming the basic premise of this marvelous experiment in self governance into the tried and failed policies of totalitarianism.  People need to see what's right in front of them, and to reflect deeply on what they want their future to be.  We're no longer the land of the free, but I'm praying we're still the home of the brave.

The New Ice Age

The hapless John Kerry, all coached up by the anti-capitalists on his message, is in Indonesia sounding the alarm about global warming, er, I mean climate change.  Never mind that Indonesia, of all places, is dominated by active volcanoes that are formed due to the stress caused by interaction between the Eurasian and Indo-Australian tectonic plates, and that these volcanoes spew ton upon ton of vaporized matter into the atmosphere.   And never mind that weather cycles on our fair planet correspond rather closely with solar activity, which is entering an unusual phase that has produced a very quiet period of sunspots.  No, according to the environmentalist whackos, climate change - a total misnomer on it's face - is caused by human activity.  The fact is there is no man-made global warming, and even if the Earth was warming, it isn't caused by human activity, and certainly couldn't be abated by simply assessing a "carbon tax" on industrial nations . . . well, other than China and India, the planet's biggest polluters.

Nope, global warming isn't taking place at all.  Whatever anomalies may be occurring in Earth's weather patterns are due to predictable and reoccurring influences of the sun.  The sun emits radiation at varying levels throughout its 11 year cycle, and the jet streams react to the change in charged particles entering the atmosphere, affecting how they circulate in their usual patterns.  Further, there's such a thing as space weather, which affects the Earth's atmosphere, and subsequently, Earth's climate.  Add to that the affect of both magnetic and electrical fields emanating from the sun and encompassing Earth, and the complexity - and wonder -  of our weather is obvious.   Science is just beginning to understand this affect, because we lose billions of dollars in satellites every year due to a variety of these space weather factors.

Now let's talk about "climate change."  What we are witnessing in recent weather extremes is not a change in climate as it is a cycling of weather patterns.  We didn't have the scientific sophistication hundreds and thousands of years ago to sufficiently monitor weather patterns on a global scale, so we're making some strong assumptions based solely on ice core and geological layering analysis. And this study essentially limits itself to the Northern Hemisphere.  But the weather has obviously morphed from a global tropical climate in the Jurassic era, to the Little Ice Age that covered the Northern hemisphere, and human activity is unlikely the cause.

The National Center for Policy Analysis, in an article published in August 2003, comes to this conclsuion:
"The scientific evidence, including the two most recent studies of the climate for the past 1,000 years, strongly indicates that Northern Hemisphere temperatures have been both as warm as and substantially cooler than the present, absent any possible human influence. Such evidence should not be dismissed or manipulated to support predetermined conclusions, as the IPCC's Third Assessment Report does."

So John Kerry and the other alarmists have a hidden agenda in their climate change claims, and it more concerns wealth distribution than it does correcting weather patterns.

Psychic Vampires: Hiding in Plain Sight

Have you ever known a psychic vampire?  Someone who seems to pull the oxygen out of a room?  Someone who you inherently fear or distrust without really knowing why?  Or someone who raises the hair on your neck by just being in their presence?  While many folks would consider this a rhetorical question, as psychic vampires heretofore have been essentially mythical characters, modern psychology has taken a more insightful look at people who could very well be considered as such.  If a psychic vampire can be defined as someone who can suck the chi, the life force, from someone else, then they certainly exist - and you probably know several.   

Of course, in modern times people exhibiting these traits are called sociopaths, or psychopaths.  Psychopathy is among the most difficult personality, or mental, disorders to spot because psychopaths can appear normal, successful, even charming. Yet underneath, psychopaths lack conscience and empathy, making them manipulative, volatile, given to homicidal fantasies and often, but not always, criminal. Further, they are an object of clinical anguish: while psychopathy can be readily diagnosed, it is largely impervious to treatment. It is a behavioral disorder, which is a mental illness.  But what's worse is that psychopaths may know they're different, but are very often in deep denial about the extent to which they are disordered.

Just last year a law professor and attorney has written a new book about what it's like to be a diagnosed sociopath who's never killed anybody and excels at her job.  "Confessions of A Sociopath" by M.E. Thomas, a pseudonym, reveals its author is a Mormon Sunday school teacher who's well liked by her law school students. She also has a cold stare and fantasizes about killing people.  A professional diagnosis of her condition reveals that although she is aware that she is different from most people she knows, she really doesn't view herself as being disordered in terms of suffering from a form of mental illness.  In fact, to the contrary, she is content with her life and her success and is completely indifferent to the affect - and harm - she has imposed on others.  This attitude in of itself is emblematic of highly psychotic individuals.  The fact that she has had experienced relatively little negative fallout resulting from her manipulation and abuse of others indicates that she's a "socialized" or "successful" psychopath.

But there's a far darker side to this story.  While Ms. Thomas' "outing" has shed some public light on the condition, there are probably millions of other people who have this disorder who are not socialized, and are far from as candid.  And unfortunately, the friends, co-workers, family and lovers of these psychopaths suffer daily in their attempts to deal with a mental illness not their own, and their lives are diminished because of it.  All the while the undiagnosed - and untreated - psychopathic psychic vampire goes blithely along, feeding on its diet of physical and psychological abuse, evil and destruction. 

Cuisine and the American Man

When my brother and I were growing up back in the day, our mother decided she’d teach us the fine art of domestic self-sufficiency.  Of course, the notion of men and domestication wasn’t popular back in those days; the renaissance man had yet to be invented.  Imagine: boys who could cook, clean and iron!  But what it did was make both of us responsible in a way that has served to make us self sufficient in any number of ways.  There’s a certain personal freedom and power that arises from being self sufficient, and readers of this blog know I'm a tireless advocate for personal power.

 

Because I love to cook, I’ve accumulated some delicious recipes over the years from some eclectic sources, from Golden Spoon restaurants to passed-down family recipes to favorites of old black Delta blues men.  So today I thought I would present one of these recipes that can be easily mastered by the average American man, using basically what’s already in the kitchen cabinet.  No foo-foo exotica here, my friends, just real good American cookin’!  So go to it, guys.  Have a ball!  Cooking is easy, it’s fun, and it’s inspirational.  And if you’re cooking for that special someone, she’ll be more than impressed.  Trust me on this.   But remember, though:  clean up afterwards and do your own dishes!

Lightfoot Cruise’s Pork Loin in Banana Leaves®
This crowd pleaser is easy to prepare, and you will be a star when you serve it. I’ve made variations of this recipe on the grill and in the oven, and the results have been spectacular with both.  On the grill I recommend a marinade to prevent over drying (see my Mayan Style Bitter Orange Marinade), but for roasting in the oven you can use a dry rub.  The dry rub is what we’ll explore here.  If you don’t have a banana tree in your back yard, you can generally find banana leaves at Asian grocery stores.  They can be frozen as well.

2 - 3 lb     pork loin

1             large banana leaf
2             very ripe bananas (soft with brown peels)
10           slices of pepperoni
1 cup       dry rub (garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, ground black pepper, pinch of rosemary, tarragon  and oregano, in a mixture to suit your taste)

Rub the dry rub well into the meat, covering all sides and both ends, and let that sit overnight so the flavors can be absorbed.  Don’t trim any fat from the loin.  Spread the banana leaf on a flat surface, and place the loin in the center.  Cut a small section from each end of the leaf to use as an end wrap.  Place half of the pepperoni on each side of the loin, pressing the slices firmly down onto the meat.  Then carefully peel the ripe bananas and cut them in half longwise.  Place two banana halves on each side of the meat, ensuring the banana stays on the loin.  Then carefully roll the meat in the leaf, using the cut portions as the end caps, much like you were rolling a cigar.  Carefully place the wrapped leaf on a flat tray and roast in the over for about an hour and a half at 350 degrees.  Naturally a larger loin will take longer; small ones less.

Serve the entire leaf on a large platter, and slice the top open and spread the leaf to carve.  The banana will have cooked to oblivion, leaving just banana oil to create a sensational aroma.  The pepperoni will give the taste a little unexpected punch, and the overall wow factor is high!   The presentation is dynamic, and the roast will be delightful, moist and very tasty.

Well, how did it go?

Common Core and Freedom of Thought

Once again, traditional values have come under attack as the ever vigilant progressive movement continues in its mission to destroy American culture.  I'm referring to the so-called Common Core education standardization.  Most parents know instinctively that this government intrusion into their children's lives has the stigma of governmental control all over it, but the packaging and marketing has been successful.  So far.

The left has always used a false paradigm to sell their propaganda, which is the unquestioned assumption that they are, of course, always right in their positions, and any opponent is therefore universally wrong.  It's the application and implementation of these programs, not the notion of them, that is detrimental.  Emotion is always at the forefront in their marketing, and logic - that is, the details -  is murky at best or simply ignored. For instance who isn't in favor of clean air?  Of clean water?  Of preserving the environment?  No one, of course.  But it's always how one achieves those lofty goals that disagreement occurs.  Let's say we can agree that one clear duty of parenting is to educate our children at least to, and hopefully beyond, the levels to which we were exposed.  Who is in favor of educating their children to the highest level possible?  Most hands go up. But in progressive-speak, hands up, you're in favor of Common Core; hands down, you're opposed to educating your children. 

Not so fast.  That conclusion is logically flawed.  In short, it's a lie and a trap.  Tell us first what these standards are and how will they be applied. Reading and math, says the proponents, need to be standardized. Well, that's fine, but why does the federal government need to be involved?  Here's why:  the progressives in the federal government are of the opinion that the citizenry must toe the utopian party line, and the way to do that is get to them early while just starting out in school.  Set a "standardized" curriculum that stays in place for the full twelve years.  Yes, we'll have them read, but exactly what will they read?  Yes, we'll have them learn advanced math, but exactly how will we present it?  The goal is indoctrination through education, not education itself, because progressives believe our children belong to them, and parents should have little or nothing to do with child rearing.  Remember Hillary Clinton's famous "it takes a village to raise a child" pronouncement?  This is it being implemented.

Don't believe me?  Paul Reville, member of the liberal think tank Center for American Progress (founded by John Podesta, current counsel to Obama and former Clinton chief of staff) and former Massachusetts education secretary, in an interview with CNN, said, "Why should some towns and cities and states have low standards or no standards and others have extremely high standards when the children belong to all of us and would move [elsewhere during their education]?"  (Emphasis mine)  Wow.  My kids don't belong to the federal government, and I'm pretty sure you feel that yours don't either.  Nor do I want them indoctrinated into some failed utopian system of government that is diametrically opposed to the Constitution and the American way of life.

So before you succumb to the appeal of standardized education, ask yourself:  What's the agenda both seen and unseen, and more importantly, who's administering it?

Super Bowl XLVIII

Did y'all feel the same way I did about last night's Championship Game?  That it was slightly mundane, possibly mediocre?  Maybe somehow out of sync?  I sure did.  A contest between champion football teams should be somewhat an even match, I would think, and thus exhilarating.  This game was a rout, pure and simple.  I'm not sure the Broncos even showed up, the domination by Seattle was so utterly complete.  That was the most one sided game I've seen since my granddaughter's soccer team's defeat a few weeks ago.

And the commercials were - with perhaps a half dozen exceptions -  without imagination or creativity.  The Maserati ad was incomprehensible, the Coke commercial was downright insulting, and the others were obviously targeted toward the mouth breathers in the audience.  And what about the two-minute ad featuring Bob Dylan (Bob Dylan? Really?) promoting an American made car, even though Chrysler is wholly owned by Fiat?  That's like saying Nissan or Mercedes M-Class is an American made car.  They technically are, but gee whiz . . . they really aren't.  Horses and puppies always have a high "aww" value, and they didn't disappoint.  Audi and Volkswagen were clever and got the marketing point across.  Well done.

The Super Bowl is an American Cultural event, comparable to a national holiday.  The expectation is that it should be well worth the four hours the audience invests into it.  That includes a game that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and commercials that stimulate, titillate and entertain.  Super Bowl XLVIII did not meet expectations.

Thankfully the half time show rocked.  I have new respect for Bruno Mars.

More of the Same

In Florida House District 13, there's a special election resulting from the unfortunate passing of a good man, Congressman Bill Young.  Rep. Young (R), lived in and represented Pinellas County,was responsible for a good deal of  federal assistance for the military in this area, especially as concerns MacDill AFB in Tampa, and was a staunch small government, low taxes, constitutional representative.

But he passed away during his term, and a special election was called to replace him in congress.  His heir apparent, Mr. Tom Jolly, won a Republican primary for this seat, and now faces Alex Sink, a Democrat, and Lucas Overby, a Libertarian, in the run off.  Of the three, Overby and Jolly represent the best future for Pinellas County, as well as for congress.  They both are freedom loving, self reliant, low taxes, small government proponents and would bring needed change to the over-reaching nanny state bureaucracy in Washington.  Both are life long residents of Pinellas County as well.

Sink, in contrast, is more of the same big government statist elites who know better than we mere mortals.  Although she's a Southerner, which in of itself weighs mightily with me, she is also just another carpetbagger, which also weighs mightily with me.  The former is a virtue, the latter is not.  Back in September the Democrat Party wanted her to run for governor against incumbent Republican governor Rick Scott in 2014.  She declined, presumably because the party brass wanted to run the chameleon Charlie Crist, the darling of the silk stocking set, and a partner at Morgan and Morgan, the law firm pushing the "medical"  marijuana ballot issue.  As luck would have it a vacancy arose in District 13, and the party brass offered her the consolation prize - a shot to run against two virtual unknowns for the house seat; one Republican, one Libertarian.  Cool.  Piece of cake.

But wait.  There's a problem.  Alex lives in trendy rural Hillsborough County; she doesn't live in Pinellas and never has, and residency is a requirement for candidacy.  So in dark of night in September or thereabouts, Alex rents a modest house in Pinellas Park, and viola!  Instant resident.  Requirement met, say the Dems, press on.  Imagine if a Republican had done this.  The press wouldn't sleep until justice was served.  Yet not a peep from the St. Petersburg Times (now called the Tampa Bay Times in an effort to achieve legitimacy in the Tampa Bay area).  Nothing to see here, move on.

Shame on you, Alex Sink.  You have put the corruption of your party's ends-justifies-the-means policy ahead of your Southern heritage and your personal integrity.  Of all people in the world, as a Southerner surely you should be deeply sensitive to the stigma of a carpetbagger.  

I would respect her in a run for governor, that's a straight up contest.  But to so blatantly in-your-face roll over to the state's corrupt and vile Democrat party apparatus in seeking a house seat in this way leaves me with a very low level gag reflex.  Pinellas County is a politically diverse district, true, and she may prevail.  But for the future of my home county, as well as for the House of Representatives, I fervently hope not.

The Imperial Presidency

If you heard the Kenyan's speech last night, you are now convinced that this president intends to rule, rather than govern.  He assured us he will circumvent congress should they not rubber stamp his socialist policies, and will rule by executive edict.  Never mind that such action is clearly against the law, and upsets the checks and balances that the branches of government use to temper each other.  Lame duck is now rampant tyranny.

And where is the loyal opposition?  The GOP is hiding under the bed lest the communists paint them as racist neanderthals.  The president is half black, you see, and we cannot criticize his policies because, well, he's half black.

Replete with the usual worn-out socialist rhetoric, he touched on all the bulleted talking points:  $10.10 minimum wage for government workers, class warfare in implementing "ladders to success" for the middle class (the very folks he destroyed by the way), and on and on.

What did we expect?  He's an America hating Marxist communist.  Did we really expect him to lower taxes, get government off the private sector's back, let the economy heal itself, and to defend the borders?  No, we didn't.

Inequality Idiocy

The Kenyan will give his state of the coup speech tonight, and it's rumored that the focus of such will be on "inequality."  Inequality?  What exactly does that mean, anyway? Inequality of income?  Of position?  Of citizenship?  To think that inequality is a national disgrace is to embrace absolute idiocy.  But the progressives love it.  It serves their purpose in creating further divisiveness among the low information populace.  Our system of government assures citizens an equality of opportunity, but nothing, especially socialist utopias -  can guarantee an equality of outcome. 

Let's review the notion of "inequality."  Ol' Lightfoot is six feet tall, weights about eighty-eight kilos, and is healthy and fit.  So is Payton Manning.  Now, Payton earns a lot more money than does Lightfoot, he's more of a cultural icon, and I'm betting he has a bigger house and a better auto that do I.  Now, why do we have such inequality here?  It's not fair.  Why should he have all that life affords, and I have to watch him enjoy his wealth and fame and glory.  It's simply not fair that he has so much and I have so comparatively little.  Shouldn't he buy me a bigger house and a faster car?  Shouldn't he put a couple of million dollars in my bank account?  Shouldn't he give something back . . . to me?  After all, we are equal, right?

Of course not.  Ridiculous, isn't it?  Payton Manning is one of the best quarterbacks who has ever played the game, and Lightfoot is not.  He's paid his dues, he earned everything he has and he's deserving of all that he's made.  So why should anyone think they are "owed" anything whatsoever from those who have made something of themselves?  And the case gets stronger when you compare the progressive left wing whiners to the people who have actually created wealth, not only for themselves, but for thousands of others.  Think Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page and Sergey Brinn.  And these are just guys in the technology business.  What fabulous advancements have their companies - Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Google  - made for the benefit of all mankind?  Please tell me what exactly have the whiners done for the good of anyone?

Let's take it one step further.  Let's say ol' Lightfoot is not equal to an illegal alien; that illegals are burdened by inequality.  Is that fair?  Of course it is.  Here's why.  My ancestors came to this country from Ireland, Scotland, England and Germany and obeyed the law of the land, spoke English, gained citizenship, created wealth for themselves and others, had families, and generally were part of this marvelous experiment in self government.  In short, they assimilated into being Americans.  Now come millions of people who haven't achieved citizenship, refuse to speak the language yet demand that we speak theirs, contribute nothing except perhaps some sales tax, yet they expect all the perks and benefits as citizens enjoy.  Why do they feel they are exempt from compliance with the US immigration policy as it has been for centuries? There's an answer to that, but it's a big issue and we'll address it in another post. 

So while using the last five years to destroy the United States and its economy, the Kenyan will now carp about some progressive non-issue like inequality.  In the face of real issues facing this country, which will likely be ignored or simply marginalized, this topic is not only meaningless, but insulting.

Brain Wave Self Control

For the last thirty or more years, researchers have affirmatively determined that people are able to control their brain wave patterns, and by doing so, not only enhance a feeling of well being, but attain other benefits such as gaining a higher cognitive function (higher IQ), and overall better health.  Self guided meditation today has been lauded by physicians and psychologists alike as a boon to preventative health programs.

But this is nothing new.  Ancient teachings have put forth this notion that control of one's mental process can yield fantastic - and theological - results.  Clearly the most familiar technique is that of yoga, a discipline that began in the third or fourth century BC in India.  Most of us associate the practice of yoga with Hatha yoga, that form of physical exercise necessary for purification of the body.  By controlling the physicality of the body, one purifies oneself for higher mediation.  But another less known form of yoga is Raja yoga.  Raja yoga meditation is generally based on directing one’s life force to bring the mind and emotions into balance so that one's attention may be easily focused on the object of meditation.  In those days, that object was typically the Lord, or the maker of life.  A yogi may require years and years of rigorous and applied practice to reach that state of nirvana, or achieving oneness with the universe.  

Today, science has taken the heavy lifting out of the task of attaining that state of awareness necessary to provide these mental and physical health benefits.  In one method, a practitioner would merely focus his attention on complete relaxation, all the while mentally reciting positive affirmations. Other folks use specialized music (euphemistically referred to as New Age music) to train the brain to resonate at at given frequency.  There are four frequency ranges of brain wave patterns, measured in cycles per second:  From lowest frequency to highest, these brain wave patterns are Delta (.5 to 4Hz, or a state of deep sleep): Theta (4 to 8Hz, or a state of higher REM state of sleep); Alpha (8 to 14Hz, or a state of very relaxed but highly mentally alert); and Beta (14 to 30Hz, or a state of highly alert and focused - our daily awake state).

To achieve the mental and physical benefits that we know can be attained by controlling one's brain wave activity, one needs only to enter into an Alpha state several times a day for perhaps fifteen minutes at a time.  This is not mind control, but self control of one's own mind.  It works wonders and is easy to do, once you accept the reality that each of us controls our own health and personal destiny.

You Have The Right . . .

You have the right to many things in our fair country: the right to keep and bear arms, the right to be secure in one's papers and effects, the right to a jury trial, and the right to remain silent, among many others.  You also have the right to be stupid.

You also have the right to be lazy.  So, if you're both stupid and lazy, you'll likely fall for any disingenuous nonsense foisted upon the populace via the compliant media.  My morning laugh is produced by the unfailingly partisan PolitiFact column in my local liberal newspaper.  It's laughable because, without exception, its take is that conservatives (read Republicans) are evil, lying bastards, while the enlightened left (read Democrats) are compassionate, tireless champions of the victim class.  In turning to the op-ed pages and reading the letters to the editor, one finds that many readers apparently buy into these simplistic categorizations.  But rather than rail against the published idiocy of these misinformed non-thinkers, one realizes that the stupid and lazy need to have their opinions fed to them in bite-sized dosages, analyzed and predigested.  Pity.  But that explains the purpose of propaganda outlets like PolitiFact.  If the liberal, progressive, Marxist and Communist pundits factually told people what they actually stood for, few people would support it.  It is an anti-individual position, and clearly inherently contrary to human nature.  Therefore their agenda must be cloaked in feel-good, compassionate pablum that tastes good, and is easy to swallow.  But only for those who are stupid and lazy.