Do you think you are a free individual? Do you think America is a free country? Think about it for a second before you rush to answer. While it may be true you are not locked up in a cage, you would be hard pressed to answer with any certainty that you are truly free.
The cavemen were free, the American Indians were free, that is before we came along and took their land and their freedom. No person who has granted authority to others which allow them to make decisions that affect their life can say that they are truly free.
James Madison once said that "The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse." When the Constitution was ratified by the several states it was a compact made between the states and those to whom would be granted certain specified powers to represent us in the government. It was never intended that they would become our masters.
That compact granted the newly formed central government the minimum amount of power which the founders believed were necessary to hold the Union together. At the same time it contained a Bill of Rights which contained certain rights that were considered off limits to any governmental legislation and therefore free from abuse.
The Preamble to the Bill of Rights states quite clearly, that "The conventions of a number of the States having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best insure the beneficent ends of its institution."
Notice the phrase '...further declaratory and restrictive clauses...' That term, by use of the word further, implies that there were already restrictions placed upon our government, that the Bill of Rights was supplemental to those already in existence.
If you will take the time to read through the Constitution you will see that it grants the President no power whatsoever to create law, that power belongs to the Congress alone and it is limited by the terms found in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. Any laws passed which are not authorized by that section of the Constitution are a violation of the compact between our government and the states, and the people themselves. Any laws which violate, or infringe upon those rights defined in the Bill of Rights is a violation of the compact as well.
What can our Congress enact laws upon? There are 18 clearly defined areas that the Congress can act upon. Any laws passed by them which step outside those clearly defined, or which violate our rights as defined in the Bill of Rights are ILLEGAL!!!!
Article 1, Section 8 states that our Congress has the power to:
-Lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
-To borrow Money on the credit of the United States
-To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes
-To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;
-To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;
-To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;
-To establish Post Offices and post Roads;
-To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;
-To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;
-To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;
-To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
-To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;
-To provide and maintain a Navy;
-To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
-To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
-To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
-To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;--And
-To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.
That is it, those are the only powers granted our government. However from the time of the ratification there has been disagreement over that last clause, the necessary and proper clause. Alexander Hamilton felt that that was flexible and granted the government certain unspecified powers. On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson felt that the term was self explanatory, that necessary meant only the powers that enabled the government to fulfill the other 17 clauses in Article 1, Section 8.
This clause has been the justification for all those who believe that our Constitution is a living document, subject to interpretation according to the current needs of society. It has also been the clause which has allowed our government to overstep its limited authority to the point that our government is no longer our servant but our master.
Our government no longer represents us and they have overstepped and abused their powers for so long that we have, at least most of us have, become accustomed to it. To prove my point I would like to provide certain things the government has done, or is talking about doing and I would like for you to see if they have been granted to that power by the Constitution.
The Congress gave the power to create our currency to a consortium of privately owned and operated banks known as the Federal Reserve Bank. These banks issue our money then loan it to our government, at interest, upon which we are taxed to pay back.
To sell our infrastructure to foreign investors who then charge American citizens tolls and fees for using them.
To send our children off to fight and die in undeclared wars? To use our military to defend other nations borders while leaving ours open to invasion. To force feed the world a system of government we no longer adhere to ourselves.
To snoop through your personal records, listen to your phone calls, monitor your e-mail, and monitor your financial transactions without a duly signed and executed search warrant.
To grant corporations tax breaks when they move their business overseas, hiring cheap foreign labor and displacing American workers.
To restrict your right to defend your home, your property or your family by attempting to take away your 2nd amendment right to keep and bear arms.
To enact government run health care so that every American is covered by health insurance.
To determine what our schools can and cannot teach our kids.
To take your income and give it away to other nations in the form of foreign aid, or to others within this country who are less fortunate than you are.
I could go on and on, but the point is that our government is no longer our servant, they are our masters. We have allowed them to legislate and regulate nearly every aspect of our lives. Americans no longer know what it means to truly be free. Our government has gotten away for so long that we neither know how to stop them or care to even try to stop them from continuing to overstep their authority.
Each step they take, every law they pass which is outside their granted powers takes us one step closer to complete government control of our lives. Soon it will be too late for you to stand up and tell your elected official that they have no right to do these things. Instead they will tell you that you have got it all wrong, it is you who have no rights anymore. Then my friends you will finally realize that you are not truly free, you are a slave.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Short and Sweet
On Wednesday President Felipe Calderon visited the California State Legislature, urging them to 'Keep the Door Open'. How dare this meddling pissant come to our country and try to influence policy and public opinion? How dare this pathetic leader, who can't even fix his own country so his people would not be forced to break into ours, ask us to take responsibility for his failure. Finally, how dare this hypocrite ask us to keep our borders open so that his citizens can come here and use/abuse or country while he has the unmitigated gall to want $1.4 billion from the U.S. for a stimulus/national security package that would help him secure his southern border from invaders from South America? I can't say what I would like to tell Mr. Calderon without being censored but rest assured it isn't very polite.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
My Final Thoughts On John McCain
In nine more months Americans will be presented with the opportunity to choose a new president to take over. This new president will have the daunting task of repairing the damage done to our country after the eight year reign of the Bush administration. There is much work to be done if America is to change directions and return to a path of limited government and fiscal responsibility.
The field of candidates on the side of the Democrats is down to two contenders and has yet to be decided. However eventually we will have either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama to choose from for the Democratic candidate. Mitt Romney has dropped out, Mike Huckabee is still in it but trailing John McCain, while Ron Paul has systematically been ignored and ridiculed by the media, it appears that John McCain is going to be the Republican candidate. Not much of a choice no matter how you look at it.
It appears for those who call themselves conservatives, or Republicans, Americans will most likely do what of late been forced to do, hold their noses and vote for the lesser of two evils. Before they do that and cast a vote for John McCain just so Hillary doesn't make it to the Oval Office, I would like for you to consider a few things about John McCain.
First of all, there is some question as to his eligibility to even become president of the United States. John McCain was born on August 29, 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone. Therefore does he or doesn't he meet the qualifications as outlined in Article 2, Section 1 of the Constitution which states,
"No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty five years, and been fourteen Years a resident within the United States. "
The history of that clause dates back to a letter written to George Washington by John Jay, in which Jay stated,
"Permit me to hint, whether it would be wise and seasonable to provide a strong check to the admission of Foreigners into the administration of our national Government; and to declare expressly that the Commander in Chief of the American army shall not be given to nor devolve on, any but a natural born Citizen."
According to the United States State Department
"Birth Abroad to Two U.S. Citizen Parents in Wedlock: A child born abroad to two U.S. citizen parents acquires U.S. citizenship at birth under section 301(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). One of the parents MUST have resided in the U.S. prior to the child's birth. No specific period of time for such prior residence is required."
http://travel.state.gov/law/info/info_609.html
However there is still some doubt as to whether a person born overseas to American citizens is considered naturalized or a citizen by birth. In an article in the International Herald Tribune in June of 2004, there was an article concerning this topic. In it the Tribune stated,
"The constitutional wording has left doubts about whether those born on foreign soil are on an equal footing with those whose birth occurred inside the country's borders, and whether they have the same rights."
http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/06/02/expats_ed3_.php
I received the following information in an e mail and it leaves the question unanswered as to whether John McCain is eligible, according to U.S. law, to become president of the United States.
"I am the son of a United States serviceman who was born abroad. The documents that I have which pertain to my birth are a “Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America”, as well as a birth certificate issued by the country in which I was born. My Father was very diligent in making sure that all the appropriate steps were taken to ensure that my American citizenship would not be in doubt and had me Naturalized as well. I have always understood that I could claim citizenship in the country where I was born but I have chosen not do so. My parents and I moved from there back to the United States before I was old enough to remember anything and it hasn’t meant too much more to me than a historical footnote. However, it is an important footnote. I mention all of this because it was made clear to me as a young boy growing up that I was ineligible to be President because I was not a “natural born citizen” of the United States. In other words, only people who had actually been born within the boundaries of the United States of America were eligible to run for President. Conversations I had with other people at various times who were also the children of United States servicemen who had been born abroad showed me that they had been given the same information."
I am not stating one way or the other that Senator McCain cannot be president, just proposing that the issue has never been fully settled. With the last two debacles of a presidential election, it would be quite an embarrassment if America was to elect a president and it was later found that he was not eligible to become president in the first place.
Senator McCain is also out of touch with Americans in regards to the war in Iraq. This could play a pivotal role in whether he wins or loses. His steadfast commitment to a continued American presence in Iraq is in opposition to the majority of Americans, and the Democratic candidates as well.
John McCain has made it clear that he supported the troop surge as proposed by General David Petraeus. John McCain has stated that we will stay in Iraq so that terrorists cannot ‘follow us home’. John McCain has stated it is conceivable that we could remain in Iraq for a hundred years. Under four years of a McCain presidency we would see the current cost of the Iraq War go another $368 billion to a total of $831 billion.
I hate to cover old ground, but for those who would do the research, we have been lied to about the War in Iraq from the beginning. Iraq posed not serious threat to the United States. They were not capable of launching an attack upon us, they had nothing to do with the attacks of 9/11, irregardless of whether Saddam Hussein’s government had been in touch with members of Al Qaeda or not.
As Ron Paul stated in every debate, George Bush campaigned on a platform of no nation building, after the continued war efforts of the Clinton administration in Yugoslavia. As soon as Bush took office his Vice President brought in eight neocons who had been in favor of regime change in Iraq since 1996.
Vice President Cheney had surrounded himself, and therefore President Bush as well, with members of the PNAC, the Project for the New American Century. The PNAC “is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to a few fundamental propositions: that American leadership is good both for America and for the world; and that such leadership requires military strength, diplomatic energy and commitment to moral principle.”
The PNAC “intends, through issue briefs, research papers, advocacy journalism, conferences, and seminars, to explain what American world leadership entails. It will also strive to rally support for a vigorous and principled policy of American international involvement and to stimulate useful public debate on foreign and defense policy and America's role in the world.”
The Chairman of the PNAC is none other than William Kristol, the current editor of the Weekly Standard. Kristol has also often attended Bilderberg group conferences.
In 1996 members of the PNAC wrote a report entitled Clean Break, delivered to the Prime Minister of Israel by Richard Perle, which outlined reasons why the PNAC thought it was in Israel’s best interests to have Saddam Hussein removed from power.
http://zfacts.com/p/89.html
In 1997 the PNAC submitted a letter to the Clinton administration stating,
“Turn your Administration's attention to implementing a strategy for removing Saddam's regime from power. This will require a full complement of diplomatic, political and military efforts. ... including military steps, to protect our vital interests in the Gulf."
http://zfacts.com/p/775.html
The War in Iraq never had anything to do with 9/11, it had been fought for and planned for years by the proponents of regime change in Iraq. And John McCain wishes to continue this war, which the American people have been lied to about and now want ended.
Senator McCain also claims to be a war hero. The same group who rallied together to shatter the candidacy of John Kerry and his war record are now gearing up to do the same to John McCain. A group entitled Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain has a webpage full of information that sheds light upon Senator McCain’s time in the service and time served as POW.
http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/
From a previous article I wrote on John McCain I would like to provide the following for you to consider regarding missing POW‘s who may still be alive and held in captivity in Vietnam.
In 1973 the State Department stated that data showed the prisoner list to be starkly incomplete. Only nine of the 591 returnees came out of Laos although experts in military intelligence listed 311 men as missing in that country. Yet on March 29, 1973 President Nixon proclaimed that ‘all our American POW’s are on their way home.’ That discrepancy has never been explained.
As a former POW, you would think that Senator McCain would want to do all that he could to settle this dispute once and for all. In 1989 the House of Representatives introduced a measure entitled ‘The Truth Bill’. This simple legislation stated, “[The] head of each department or agency which holds or receives any records and information, including live-sighting reports, which have been correlated or possibly correlated to United States personnel listed as prisoner of war or missing in action from World War II, the Korean conflict and the Vietnam conflict shall make available to the public all such records and information held or received by that department or agency. In addition, the Department of Defense shall make available to the public with its records and information a complete listing of United States personnel classified as prisoner of war, missing in action, or killed in action (body not returned) from World War II, the Korean conflict, and the Vietnam conflict.”
Opposed by the Pentagon, The Truth Bill got nowhere. In 1991 it was reintroduced again, and once again was stymied. Then out of the blue, in the Senate comes a bill written by Senator John McCain came a new piece of legislation bearing his name alone, ‘The McCain Bill’. This legislation created a bureaucratic nightmare that made sure only a handful of the available documents would ever see the light of day. It miraculously passed and became law. Now the Pentagon is not required to inform the public when it receives intelligence stating that Americans are still alive and held in captivity.
You would think that a man who spent 5-1/2 years as a POW would do all that was within his power to ensure that any and all remaining POW’s were brought home, not abandoned by their country, especially by an elected official who at one time was among their ranks.
Also John McCain has a history of being a hothead with a violent temper. We all know about his F--- You escapades in the halls of the Senate. But is everyone aware of how far back and how extensive his temper was?
From early in his life John McCain had a nasty temper. As a toddler if he didn’t get what he wanted he would hold his breath until he passed out. While in military school his academic scores and his disciplinary problems led to his graduating 5th from the bottom of his class. As a naval aviator he was reckless and irresponsible. While stationed in Spain he was flying so low to the ground that he became entangled in power lines that caused a power outage for part of Spain and causing the loss of one out of five planes he was responsible for losing.
According to an interview with Esquire’s Charles Pierce, McCain said, "I enjoyed shooting rockets and dropping bombs and shooting off guns," "Nobody in their right mind wouldn't enjoy that. . . . You're a young, single guy, and you go out and you fly for a couple of weeks, then you come in for a week and carouse . . . Nobody deserves to get paid for that."
Do you really want to elect a reckless hothead who enjoys shooting rockets and dropping bombs to the White House? How much would it take to light his fuse to the point where he would order military strikes on Iran?
Finally, John McCain has a history of disregarding our nations laws as to illegal immigration. He claims to be a changed man, stating in a recent debate that he knows what the American people want. He also stated, “We will secure the borders first when I am president of the United States. I know how to do that. I come from a border state, where we know about building walls, and vehicle barriers, and sensors, and all of the things necessary.”
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0801/30/se.01.html
As being a Senator from a border state since 1987 John McCain has had ample time to hear the voices of the his constituents, American people. Do you honestly think he is going to do what needs to be done to address the issue of illegal immigration?
Senator McCain may be listed as being a Republican and many Republicans may be willing to hold their noses and vote for him just so that Hillary or Barack do not get elected. They would be choosing from two equal forms of evil. I intend to vote for Ron Paul whether he gets the GOP nomination or not. I will write in his name come the general election if I have to. I will carve it in the screen of the Diebold voting machine if I have to, but Ron Paul is going to get my vote in November. If enough people finally decided that the lesser of two evils just isn’t good enough anymore and wrote in Ron Paul’s name, Ron Paul WOULD BE our next president. It is only a matter of the people of this country having the courage to stand for true change or to stand behind their party no matter how rotten the stench of their deceit is.
The field of candidates on the side of the Democrats is down to two contenders and has yet to be decided. However eventually we will have either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama to choose from for the Democratic candidate. Mitt Romney has dropped out, Mike Huckabee is still in it but trailing John McCain, while Ron Paul has systematically been ignored and ridiculed by the media, it appears that John McCain is going to be the Republican candidate. Not much of a choice no matter how you look at it.
It appears for those who call themselves conservatives, or Republicans, Americans will most likely do what of late been forced to do, hold their noses and vote for the lesser of two evils. Before they do that and cast a vote for John McCain just so Hillary doesn't make it to the Oval Office, I would like for you to consider a few things about John McCain.
First of all, there is some question as to his eligibility to even become president of the United States. John McCain was born on August 29, 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone. Therefore does he or doesn't he meet the qualifications as outlined in Article 2, Section 1 of the Constitution which states,
"No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty five years, and been fourteen Years a resident within the United States. "
The history of that clause dates back to a letter written to George Washington by John Jay, in which Jay stated,
"Permit me to hint, whether it would be wise and seasonable to provide a strong check to the admission of Foreigners into the administration of our national Government; and to declare expressly that the Commander in Chief of the American army shall not be given to nor devolve on, any but a natural born Citizen."
According to the United States State Department
"Birth Abroad to Two U.S. Citizen Parents in Wedlock: A child born abroad to two U.S. citizen parents acquires U.S. citizenship at birth under section 301(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). One of the parents MUST have resided in the U.S. prior to the child's birth. No specific period of time for such prior residence is required."
http://travel.state.gov/law/info/info_609.html
However there is still some doubt as to whether a person born overseas to American citizens is considered naturalized or a citizen by birth. In an article in the International Herald Tribune in June of 2004, there was an article concerning this topic. In it the Tribune stated,
"The constitutional wording has left doubts about whether those born on foreign soil are on an equal footing with those whose birth occurred inside the country's borders, and whether they have the same rights."
http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/06/02/expats_ed3_.php
I received the following information in an e mail and it leaves the question unanswered as to whether John McCain is eligible, according to U.S. law, to become president of the United States.
"I am the son of a United States serviceman who was born abroad. The documents that I have which pertain to my birth are a “Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America”, as well as a birth certificate issued by the country in which I was born. My Father was very diligent in making sure that all the appropriate steps were taken to ensure that my American citizenship would not be in doubt and had me Naturalized as well. I have always understood that I could claim citizenship in the country where I was born but I have chosen not do so. My parents and I moved from there back to the United States before I was old enough to remember anything and it hasn’t meant too much more to me than a historical footnote. However, it is an important footnote. I mention all of this because it was made clear to me as a young boy growing up that I was ineligible to be President because I was not a “natural born citizen” of the United States. In other words, only people who had actually been born within the boundaries of the United States of America were eligible to run for President. Conversations I had with other people at various times who were also the children of United States servicemen who had been born abroad showed me that they had been given the same information."
I am not stating one way or the other that Senator McCain cannot be president, just proposing that the issue has never been fully settled. With the last two debacles of a presidential election, it would be quite an embarrassment if America was to elect a president and it was later found that he was not eligible to become president in the first place.
Senator McCain is also out of touch with Americans in regards to the war in Iraq. This could play a pivotal role in whether he wins or loses. His steadfast commitment to a continued American presence in Iraq is in opposition to the majority of Americans, and the Democratic candidates as well.
John McCain has made it clear that he supported the troop surge as proposed by General David Petraeus. John McCain has stated that we will stay in Iraq so that terrorists cannot ‘follow us home’. John McCain has stated it is conceivable that we could remain in Iraq for a hundred years. Under four years of a McCain presidency we would see the current cost of the Iraq War go another $368 billion to a total of $831 billion.
I hate to cover old ground, but for those who would do the research, we have been lied to about the War in Iraq from the beginning. Iraq posed not serious threat to the United States. They were not capable of launching an attack upon us, they had nothing to do with the attacks of 9/11, irregardless of whether Saddam Hussein’s government had been in touch with members of Al Qaeda or not.
As Ron Paul stated in every debate, George Bush campaigned on a platform of no nation building, after the continued war efforts of the Clinton administration in Yugoslavia. As soon as Bush took office his Vice President brought in eight neocons who had been in favor of regime change in Iraq since 1996.
Vice President Cheney had surrounded himself, and therefore President Bush as well, with members of the PNAC, the Project for the New American Century. The PNAC “is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to a few fundamental propositions: that American leadership is good both for America and for the world; and that such leadership requires military strength, diplomatic energy and commitment to moral principle.”
The PNAC “intends, through issue briefs, research papers, advocacy journalism, conferences, and seminars, to explain what American world leadership entails. It will also strive to rally support for a vigorous and principled policy of American international involvement and to stimulate useful public debate on foreign and defense policy and America's role in the world.”
The Chairman of the PNAC is none other than William Kristol, the current editor of the Weekly Standard. Kristol has also often attended Bilderberg group conferences.
In 1996 members of the PNAC wrote a report entitled Clean Break, delivered to the Prime Minister of Israel by Richard Perle, which outlined reasons why the PNAC thought it was in Israel’s best interests to have Saddam Hussein removed from power.
http://zfacts.com/p/89.html
In 1997 the PNAC submitted a letter to the Clinton administration stating,
“Turn your Administration's attention to implementing a strategy for removing Saddam's regime from power. This will require a full complement of diplomatic, political and military efforts. ... including military steps, to protect our vital interests in the Gulf."
http://zfacts.com/p/775.html
The War in Iraq never had anything to do with 9/11, it had been fought for and planned for years by the proponents of regime change in Iraq. And John McCain wishes to continue this war, which the American people have been lied to about and now want ended.
Senator McCain also claims to be a war hero. The same group who rallied together to shatter the candidacy of John Kerry and his war record are now gearing up to do the same to John McCain. A group entitled Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain has a webpage full of information that sheds light upon Senator McCain’s time in the service and time served as POW.
http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/
From a previous article I wrote on John McCain I would like to provide the following for you to consider regarding missing POW‘s who may still be alive and held in captivity in Vietnam.
In 1973 the State Department stated that data showed the prisoner list to be starkly incomplete. Only nine of the 591 returnees came out of Laos although experts in military intelligence listed 311 men as missing in that country. Yet on March 29, 1973 President Nixon proclaimed that ‘all our American POW’s are on their way home.’ That discrepancy has never been explained.
As a former POW, you would think that Senator McCain would want to do all that he could to settle this dispute once and for all. In 1989 the House of Representatives introduced a measure entitled ‘The Truth Bill’. This simple legislation stated, “[The] head of each department or agency which holds or receives any records and information, including live-sighting reports, which have been correlated or possibly correlated to United States personnel listed as prisoner of war or missing in action from World War II, the Korean conflict and the Vietnam conflict shall make available to the public all such records and information held or received by that department or agency. In addition, the Department of Defense shall make available to the public with its records and information a complete listing of United States personnel classified as prisoner of war, missing in action, or killed in action (body not returned) from World War II, the Korean conflict, and the Vietnam conflict.”
Opposed by the Pentagon, The Truth Bill got nowhere. In 1991 it was reintroduced again, and once again was stymied. Then out of the blue, in the Senate comes a bill written by Senator John McCain came a new piece of legislation bearing his name alone, ‘The McCain Bill’. This legislation created a bureaucratic nightmare that made sure only a handful of the available documents would ever see the light of day. It miraculously passed and became law. Now the Pentagon is not required to inform the public when it receives intelligence stating that Americans are still alive and held in captivity.
You would think that a man who spent 5-1/2 years as a POW would do all that was within his power to ensure that any and all remaining POW’s were brought home, not abandoned by their country, especially by an elected official who at one time was among their ranks.
Also John McCain has a history of being a hothead with a violent temper. We all know about his F--- You escapades in the halls of the Senate. But is everyone aware of how far back and how extensive his temper was?
From early in his life John McCain had a nasty temper. As a toddler if he didn’t get what he wanted he would hold his breath until he passed out. While in military school his academic scores and his disciplinary problems led to his graduating 5th from the bottom of his class. As a naval aviator he was reckless and irresponsible. While stationed in Spain he was flying so low to the ground that he became entangled in power lines that caused a power outage for part of Spain and causing the loss of one out of five planes he was responsible for losing.
According to an interview with Esquire’s Charles Pierce, McCain said, "I enjoyed shooting rockets and dropping bombs and shooting off guns," "Nobody in their right mind wouldn't enjoy that. . . . You're a young, single guy, and you go out and you fly for a couple of weeks, then you come in for a week and carouse . . . Nobody deserves to get paid for that."
Do you really want to elect a reckless hothead who enjoys shooting rockets and dropping bombs to the White House? How much would it take to light his fuse to the point where he would order military strikes on Iran?
Finally, John McCain has a history of disregarding our nations laws as to illegal immigration. He claims to be a changed man, stating in a recent debate that he knows what the American people want. He also stated, “We will secure the borders first when I am president of the United States. I know how to do that. I come from a border state, where we know about building walls, and vehicle barriers, and sensors, and all of the things necessary.”
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0801/30/se.01.html
As being a Senator from a border state since 1987 John McCain has had ample time to hear the voices of the his constituents, American people. Do you honestly think he is going to do what needs to be done to address the issue of illegal immigration?
Senator McCain may be listed as being a Republican and many Republicans may be willing to hold their noses and vote for him just so that Hillary or Barack do not get elected. They would be choosing from two equal forms of evil. I intend to vote for Ron Paul whether he gets the GOP nomination or not. I will write in his name come the general election if I have to. I will carve it in the screen of the Diebold voting machine if I have to, but Ron Paul is going to get my vote in November. If enough people finally decided that the lesser of two evils just isn’t good enough anymore and wrote in Ron Paul’s name, Ron Paul WOULD BE our next president. It is only a matter of the people of this country having the courage to stand for true change or to stand behind their party no matter how rotten the stench of their deceit is.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Reminiscing
It looks as though the American people have spoken in numbers large enough to ensure that John McCain is the Republican nominee for president, while the Democrat nominee is still up in the air with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama still slugging it out.
The results won't be official until after the national conventions for the respective parties, with the Democrats holding theirs towards the end of August and the Republicans holding theirs in early September. Putting aside all the charges of voter machine malfunctions and fraud it looks like the people have spoken and Ron Paul was not their choice. With all the interest in change and a new direction for our government you would have thought Ron Paul's position on the issues would have found a larger audience. Maybe America does want change, but not the kind of change Ron Paul was offering.
If that is the case, I have a few things I need to get off my chest. If you look at a map I am sure that everyone could find the United States of America, but with the education our children are getting that might be asking for too much.
The U.S. may still exist on the maps, but the country no longer exists, no matter what you may believe. This is not the country our founding fathers envisioned. It is not the country I was born into 50 years ago. It is not the country I grew up in, served in the military to defend, and the country I love with all my heart and soul. And if things keep going the way they are, and it breaks my heart to say this, it is not the country I even wish to live in.
Being an American used to mean something, but not anymore. If you go out into public, in even small rural areas, you would think you were at a United Nations conference. On the rare instances I go to the local shopping mall, other than English, I hear no less than 3 languages being spoken. I flip through the channels on my television and I have the choice of shows in Spanish, Hmong, Chinese, Filipino, and Punjabi. I live in a very small rural community and I can just imagine how bad it must be in the larger cities such as Los Angeles, Detroit, New York, and Miami. I went to the Department of Motor Vehicles the other day and found it difficult to find a drivers handbook in English. What ever happened to English being the language of this country?
As a child I remember being taught respect for elders. I was backhanded right out of my chair one evening by my father for using the word 'sucks' in front of my mother. Now I can sit by my front window and listen to elementary school kids walking home using profanity so abundantly that their sentences wouldn't make sense if you took all the swear words out of them.
I remember watching the old western television shows like Rawhide, Bonanza, and Gunsmoke where the heroes were always the 'good guys'. Now misfits, miscreants, and sociopaths are the heroes and our kids grow up thinking it is okay to follow their examples.
I remember when a man could find a job and be set for life. His company would pay good wages, provide good benefits, and most importantly, the job would be there until you were ready to retire. Now our companies are cutting back on benefits, if they ever provided them in the first place. The wages are stagnating while the CEO's are making a fortune off the sweat of their workers. And if you are one of the unfortunate ones, your job has been outsourced to laborers in some foreign country to save on costs.
It used to be that Made In The USA meant something. American made goods were the envy of the world. When I was young my mother would bring out this old humidifier whenever I came down with a cold. Every year whenever I got sick it was the same old heavy humidifier that provided steam hot enough to blister my skin if I got too close to it. I can't count how many humidifiers I have bought from the big box stores for my son, all made in China and all pieces of junk! All the toys I played with as a kid were solid and built to last, and all made in the USA. Now kids are lucky if their Christmas presents last till June before they find their way to the trash can.
I remember going to school and having the basics, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. I remember having to memorize the multiplication tables without the aid of a calculator. I remember having to do a book report every week. I remember having to memorize the states and capitals, and the countries of the world and their capitals as well. I even had to memorize Patrick Henry’s ’Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death’ speech in its entirety. All this in elementary school.
I saw a news special one evening where they went to a mall and asked high school age kids a series of questions. Three of them that I remember were, Who was Martin Luther King, What does JFK stand for, and What Country borders the U.S. to the south. Some of the answers amazed me. One African American boy said that Martin Luther King was the guy who freed the slaves. Another said he didn’t know but he got the day off from school to celebrate his birthday. Some people thought JFK sold chicken, while others thought it was a model of car. I was absolutely floored when kids said that Cuba, China, and Africa bordered the U.S. to the south. You call that an education?
I remember growing up in a society that didn’t consider guns evil and the cause of crime and senseless killings. I remember seeing pickup truck after pickup truck driving around with fully loaded gun racks in the window. I remember taking hunters safety courses during summer school, ON A SCHOOL CAMPUS! I remember walking through town with my brother, our bb rifles over our shoulders, going to the river to shoot at cans. Nobody thought anything of it. Try that today and see if they don’t call in SWAT and Homeland Security on you or your kids. I remember my father having an arsenal that could supply a small army and they were all fully loaded and sitting in his closet. I knew they were there and I knew that if I played with them I would get a whipping I wouldn’t soon forget. I also remember I could hit the bulls-eye with open sites at 30 yards by the time I was 10.
I remember growing up when people had faith in their government to do what was in the best interest of the country. Their faith may have been a bit misguided as I have learned through my researches, but it was there nonetheless. Compare that to today when our president has an approval rating in the 30% range and Congress even lower than that.
I remember my father talking about President Eisenhower and how he got rid of all those wetbacks. I used to think my father was a bigot, little did I know that I would turn out to be just like him.
I know my fathers generation would never have stood for a government that violated so many personal liberties in the misguided belief that they would make our nation safer. The mining of bank accounts, phone calls, internet records, medical records, credit transactions, and even the books you check out from the library is now considered an essential tool in fighting terrorism. Yet in my fathers time, just 50 short years ago it would never have been tolerated.
This is the country I live in but it is not the country I remember. It is not the country I grew up to love. I blame our government for many of the things I have spoken of, but I blame the people of this country as well. They sat back and turned a blind eye while our nation deteriorated right in front of them.
Now it is 2008 and we are faced with the choice of two forms of evil for our president. No matter who you vote for, the candidate the Democrats select, or John McCain for the Republicans, they are evil and have no allegiance to the country our founders envisioned, I grew up in, and I used to love. I still love what it stood for, but that vision is fading fast and what lies in the future I fear will only be worse.
So keep watching your reality TV, your sporting events, and believing the network news. They tell you everything will be just fine. Some of us know better though and we are scared and fighting to save what is left of this once great country. I often wonder if the fight is worth it when the majority of the people just don’t care.
If my one day my voice is no longer heard in the fight for freedom and liberty it can mean one of two things. I have been silenced by those who are behind the destruction of this country, or it means I have given up and moved out into the woods to live the rest of my life as a hermit.
The results won't be official until after the national conventions for the respective parties, with the Democrats holding theirs towards the end of August and the Republicans holding theirs in early September. Putting aside all the charges of voter machine malfunctions and fraud it looks like the people have spoken and Ron Paul was not their choice. With all the interest in change and a new direction for our government you would have thought Ron Paul's position on the issues would have found a larger audience. Maybe America does want change, but not the kind of change Ron Paul was offering.
If that is the case, I have a few things I need to get off my chest. If you look at a map I am sure that everyone could find the United States of America, but with the education our children are getting that might be asking for too much.
The U.S. may still exist on the maps, but the country no longer exists, no matter what you may believe. This is not the country our founding fathers envisioned. It is not the country I was born into 50 years ago. It is not the country I grew up in, served in the military to defend, and the country I love with all my heart and soul. And if things keep going the way they are, and it breaks my heart to say this, it is not the country I even wish to live in.
Being an American used to mean something, but not anymore. If you go out into public, in even small rural areas, you would think you were at a United Nations conference. On the rare instances I go to the local shopping mall, other than English, I hear no less than 3 languages being spoken. I flip through the channels on my television and I have the choice of shows in Spanish, Hmong, Chinese, Filipino, and Punjabi. I live in a very small rural community and I can just imagine how bad it must be in the larger cities such as Los Angeles, Detroit, New York, and Miami. I went to the Department of Motor Vehicles the other day and found it difficult to find a drivers handbook in English. What ever happened to English being the language of this country?
As a child I remember being taught respect for elders. I was backhanded right out of my chair one evening by my father for using the word 'sucks' in front of my mother. Now I can sit by my front window and listen to elementary school kids walking home using profanity so abundantly that their sentences wouldn't make sense if you took all the swear words out of them.
I remember watching the old western television shows like Rawhide, Bonanza, and Gunsmoke where the heroes were always the 'good guys'. Now misfits, miscreants, and sociopaths are the heroes and our kids grow up thinking it is okay to follow their examples.
I remember when a man could find a job and be set for life. His company would pay good wages, provide good benefits, and most importantly, the job would be there until you were ready to retire. Now our companies are cutting back on benefits, if they ever provided them in the first place. The wages are stagnating while the CEO's are making a fortune off the sweat of their workers. And if you are one of the unfortunate ones, your job has been outsourced to laborers in some foreign country to save on costs.
It used to be that Made In The USA meant something. American made goods were the envy of the world. When I was young my mother would bring out this old humidifier whenever I came down with a cold. Every year whenever I got sick it was the same old heavy humidifier that provided steam hot enough to blister my skin if I got too close to it. I can't count how many humidifiers I have bought from the big box stores for my son, all made in China and all pieces of junk! All the toys I played with as a kid were solid and built to last, and all made in the USA. Now kids are lucky if their Christmas presents last till June before they find their way to the trash can.
I remember going to school and having the basics, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. I remember having to memorize the multiplication tables without the aid of a calculator. I remember having to do a book report every week. I remember having to memorize the states and capitals, and the countries of the world and their capitals as well. I even had to memorize Patrick Henry’s ’Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death’ speech in its entirety. All this in elementary school.
I saw a news special one evening where they went to a mall and asked high school age kids a series of questions. Three of them that I remember were, Who was Martin Luther King, What does JFK stand for, and What Country borders the U.S. to the south. Some of the answers amazed me. One African American boy said that Martin Luther King was the guy who freed the slaves. Another said he didn’t know but he got the day off from school to celebrate his birthday. Some people thought JFK sold chicken, while others thought it was a model of car. I was absolutely floored when kids said that Cuba, China, and Africa bordered the U.S. to the south. You call that an education?
I remember growing up in a society that didn’t consider guns evil and the cause of crime and senseless killings. I remember seeing pickup truck after pickup truck driving around with fully loaded gun racks in the window. I remember taking hunters safety courses during summer school, ON A SCHOOL CAMPUS! I remember walking through town with my brother, our bb rifles over our shoulders, going to the river to shoot at cans. Nobody thought anything of it. Try that today and see if they don’t call in SWAT and Homeland Security on you or your kids. I remember my father having an arsenal that could supply a small army and they were all fully loaded and sitting in his closet. I knew they were there and I knew that if I played with them I would get a whipping I wouldn’t soon forget. I also remember I could hit the bulls-eye with open sites at 30 yards by the time I was 10.
I remember growing up when people had faith in their government to do what was in the best interest of the country. Their faith may have been a bit misguided as I have learned through my researches, but it was there nonetheless. Compare that to today when our president has an approval rating in the 30% range and Congress even lower than that.
I remember my father talking about President Eisenhower and how he got rid of all those wetbacks. I used to think my father was a bigot, little did I know that I would turn out to be just like him.
I know my fathers generation would never have stood for a government that violated so many personal liberties in the misguided belief that they would make our nation safer. The mining of bank accounts, phone calls, internet records, medical records, credit transactions, and even the books you check out from the library is now considered an essential tool in fighting terrorism. Yet in my fathers time, just 50 short years ago it would never have been tolerated.
This is the country I live in but it is not the country I remember. It is not the country I grew up to love. I blame our government for many of the things I have spoken of, but I blame the people of this country as well. They sat back and turned a blind eye while our nation deteriorated right in front of them.
Now it is 2008 and we are faced with the choice of two forms of evil for our president. No matter who you vote for, the candidate the Democrats select, or John McCain for the Republicans, they are evil and have no allegiance to the country our founders envisioned, I grew up in, and I used to love. I still love what it stood for, but that vision is fading fast and what lies in the future I fear will only be worse.
So keep watching your reality TV, your sporting events, and believing the network news. They tell you everything will be just fine. Some of us know better though and we are scared and fighting to save what is left of this once great country. I often wonder if the fight is worth it when the majority of the people just don’t care.
If my one day my voice is no longer heard in the fight for freedom and liberty it can mean one of two things. I have been silenced by those who are behind the destruction of this country, or it means I have given up and moved out into the woods to live the rest of my life as a hermit.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Who Really Loses
Who Really Loses If Ron Paul Doesn't Win?
Someone asked me today what I was going to do since Ron Paul lost the California primary. Ron Paul didn't lose anything, California lost, the United States of America lost. They lost because instead of voting for Ron Paul they chose one of the alternatives. It makes no difference if they voted for any of the Republican or any of the two remaining Democratic candidates, the end result is that America lost.
I am not even going to waste my time on whoever the nominee is for the Democrats, they are all the same old message. The only difference being that one candidate is younger and speaks more of hope and change, while the other is one who claims she is better prepared to be president because of her record of service. Both Democratic candidates are pushing for the same old partisan issues that have been mainstays of all democratic candidates going back years, health care being chief among them this time around. The packaging may be different but the message and what we will get if either of these two get elected will be more of the same old socialistic BS that the Democrats are famous for.
On the other side, it appears that John McCain is going to be the candidate for the Republicans. I have already written pretty extensively on him, but there are still a few tidbits left still that might make you want to think twice before you put him into the oval office.
Do you want to elect a president who has anger management issues? How would you like to have a president who flies off the handle if he doesn't get his way with foreign diplomats or even with Congress?
In May of 2007, Senator John McCain, in front of other Senators, screamed "F- - - you" at Senator John Cornyn in a debate over overhauls to the comprehensive immigration reform legislation that was later defeated in June.
McCain himself has admitted that he has anger management issues. In 2005 on the Tony Snows radio show, McCain admitted to Brian Kilmeade that "I constantly, throughout my career, have had to work on getting angry and frustrated and losing my temper"
John McCain has also campaigned heavily on the issue of fiscal responsibility. I don't know how many times he has mentioned that, as president, he would veto any legislation that was loaded with earmarks.
In an interview on FOX News John McCain said the following, "Well, I — and when we see what happened to spending and we have a bridge to nowhere of $233 million to an island with 50 people on it and we have former members of Congress who are now residing in federal prison because of the spending and corruption, my friend, we have to, if we’re going to restore the confidence of the American people and our Republican base first, we’re going to have to cut the spending, we’re going to have to eliminate the pork barrel and wasteful spending."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W-uzPblPXE
Yet in 2006 did not Senator McCain, along with Senator Jon Kyl, enact a bill that would direct $2 million annually over a five year period to establish a center at a specified law school to honor a renowned jurist from the state of Arizona?
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/18/politics/18earmark.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
I could just as easily go over the record of Mitt Romney, but why waste time when it appears his chances of winning the GOP nomination are slimming by the hour. The point is that John McCain, as well as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will do and say whatever is politically expedient for them to curry favor among voters in their respective parties, when their records show their true colors.
Come November when we are asked to place a vote for the Republican candidate, most likely McCain, or the Democratic candidate it will be like having someone point a gun at you and say, 'Where do you want it, head or heart?' The end result is that the country loses, again. Our government will continue to grow like a cancer, eating away at our freedoms and liberties, when we had the chance to vote for true change by casting our vote for Ron Paul. So that is why the country loses, not Ron Paul. He will continue to be a man of honor and dignity no matter the outcome of this election. It is the country, and we the people who will suffer, not him.
Someone asked me today what I was going to do since Ron Paul lost the California primary. Ron Paul didn't lose anything, California lost, the United States of America lost. They lost because instead of voting for Ron Paul they chose one of the alternatives. It makes no difference if they voted for any of the Republican or any of the two remaining Democratic candidates, the end result is that America lost.
I am not even going to waste my time on whoever the nominee is for the Democrats, they are all the same old message. The only difference being that one candidate is younger and speaks more of hope and change, while the other is one who claims she is better prepared to be president because of her record of service. Both Democratic candidates are pushing for the same old partisan issues that have been mainstays of all democratic candidates going back years, health care being chief among them this time around. The packaging may be different but the message and what we will get if either of these two get elected will be more of the same old socialistic BS that the Democrats are famous for.
On the other side, it appears that John McCain is going to be the candidate for the Republicans. I have already written pretty extensively on him, but there are still a few tidbits left still that might make you want to think twice before you put him into the oval office.
Do you want to elect a president who has anger management issues? How would you like to have a president who flies off the handle if he doesn't get his way with foreign diplomats or even with Congress?
In May of 2007, Senator John McCain, in front of other Senators, screamed "F- - - you" at Senator John Cornyn in a debate over overhauls to the comprehensive immigration reform legislation that was later defeated in June.
McCain himself has admitted that he has anger management issues. In 2005 on the Tony Snows radio show, McCain admitted to Brian Kilmeade that "I constantly, throughout my career, have had to work on getting angry and frustrated and losing my temper"
John McCain has also campaigned heavily on the issue of fiscal responsibility. I don't know how many times he has mentioned that, as president, he would veto any legislation that was loaded with earmarks.
In an interview on FOX News John McCain said the following, "Well, I — and when we see what happened to spending and we have a bridge to nowhere of $233 million to an island with 50 people on it and we have former members of Congress who are now residing in federal prison because of the spending and corruption, my friend, we have to, if we’re going to restore the confidence of the American people and our Republican base first, we’re going to have to cut the spending, we’re going to have to eliminate the pork barrel and wasteful spending."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W-uzPblPXE
Yet in 2006 did not Senator McCain, along with Senator Jon Kyl, enact a bill that would direct $2 million annually over a five year period to establish a center at a specified law school to honor a renowned jurist from the state of Arizona?
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/18/politics/18earmark.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
I could just as easily go over the record of Mitt Romney, but why waste time when it appears his chances of winning the GOP nomination are slimming by the hour. The point is that John McCain, as well as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will do and say whatever is politically expedient for them to curry favor among voters in their respective parties, when their records show their true colors.
Come November when we are asked to place a vote for the Republican candidate, most likely McCain, or the Democratic candidate it will be like having someone point a gun at you and say, 'Where do you want it, head or heart?' The end result is that the country loses, again. Our government will continue to grow like a cancer, eating away at our freedoms and liberties, when we had the chance to vote for true change by casting our vote for Ron Paul. So that is why the country loses, not Ron Paul. He will continue to be a man of honor and dignity no matter the outcome of this election. It is the country, and we the people who will suffer, not him.
Monday, February 04, 2008
And People Wonder Why I Sound Angry
I am often told that I come across as sounding angry in my writings, that I would probably catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. That saying might be true if I were trying to catch flies, but I am not, I am trying to educate people about the state of affairs in this country and they just don't seem to want to listen.
Tomorrow is Super Tuesday and among those states holding primaries is my home state of California. You would think that people would converse amongst each other about who they were voting for, and the issues that face our nation. I did not hear one conversation about the election tomorrow, but I did hear many conversations regarding the Super Bowl yesterday. I heard people talk about the outcome of the game, how much beer they drank, and I even heard discussions about which of the idiotic advertisements were their favorites. Not one conversation about the primary. I wonder how many of them will actually even show up to cast their vote? Yet people have to audacity to say I shouldn't be upset!
At least the local paper had front page coverage concerning the primary. Unfortunately what I saw only left me feeling like there is very little hope that people have the slightest understanding of what problems this country faces.
The paper had sent a reporter to interview visitors to the local shopping mall concerning who they intended to vote for, and why. Here are some of the responses they got.
"I voted for Clinton because of her known track record. If all things are equal (among candidates), I'd definitely go for the woman."
Another Clinton supporter stated, "I like her foreign policy and the way she talks about change-her policies on health care and the Iraq war."
Then there was this fellow who said he was going to vote for Romney because "I like his business background-his experience running things and...that some of it happened outside government. He seems honest."
Then there were these two who planned on voting for Barack Obama.
"I feel he's been appointed for a time like this. I believe that, considering the fights of the civil rights era, he can bring that cause through."
"I think it would be a bold statement to have the first black president of the U.S...And he's a Democrat and he doesn't support the war in Iraq"
I found it surprising that no one said they would be voting for John McCain considering the fact that according to statewide polls he holds an 8 point lead over Mitt Romney.
The fact of the matter is that not one of these people understand the problems this country faces. I am so sick of people saying they are supporting Clinton or Obama because they represent change. What change? The programs they are campaigning on are taken straight from the Democratic platform, where is the change in that?
Then there was the guy who said Romney 'seems' honest. People thought George Bush was honest, twice, and look what that got us.
Then for the woman who said she feels Obama was appointed for a time like this and he can bring the cause of the civil rights movement through. Or the guy who says it would be a bold statement to have a black president, and he is a democrat on top of that. I would much rather support Bill Cosby than I would Barack Obama. At least Cosby understands the problems facing the African American communities.
Still, people wonder why I sound angry. Not one of these people mentioned anything about the outsourcing of our jobs to China, Pakistan and India. Not one of these people mentioned the cost to us in the steady influx of illegal aliens into our country. Not one of these people mentioned the loss of liberties to numerous unconstitutional laws passed under the guise of fighting a war on terror. Not one of these people are aware of the continued push for a North American Union. Not one of these people how the Federal Reserve Bank just keeps flooding our country with worthless currency causing massive inflation. Not one of these people is aware that our military is not only fighting a war in Iraq, but that we have soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen stationed at over 700 bases in 130 countries. We have a foreign policy of interference in the affairs of damn near every country on the planet and they wonder why the world hates us.
Yet when people like me try to speak the truth we are told we sound mad, we are laughed at and called conspiracy nuts. When we support a candidate like Ron Paul who is the only one who is willing to address the root causes of all our nations ills, we are shunned and ridiculed. And people ask why I sound angry.
I have been told that I need to use a kinder gentler approach in getting my point across. I have been told I should try to use the marketing techniques that are used to sell any other commodity, that I should show people in language they understand how they are getting screwed by those whom they elect to represent them.
I have, we have. Those of us who are in this fight to save our nation from itself and the monied elites who would see our sovereignty and our individual liberties stripped away have given more than enough facts to prove our point. People don't want to listen, they are too hypnotized by the mindless programming on their televisions to take the time to see if there is any truth to what we are saying.
And they ask why I sound angry. I have told the truth about the facts, the dangers this country faces. You’ve heard the old saying, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. Folks, there is an ocean of information out there waiting for you to drink from and become informed, but you choose to remain ignorant, or worse apathetic. So I will continue sounding angry, angry at Americans for letting the country I love go to hell in a hand basket. I will stay angry at them for voting for the same worthless political cronies who are merely puppets to the special interests who sit behind the scenes and pull their strings. However, when this country finally does come crashing down and you finally realize that you are not free, that you are slaves to an ungrateful master, don’t ask why, because you have been warned.
Tomorrow is Super Tuesday and among those states holding primaries is my home state of California. You would think that people would converse amongst each other about who they were voting for, and the issues that face our nation. I did not hear one conversation about the election tomorrow, but I did hear many conversations regarding the Super Bowl yesterday. I heard people talk about the outcome of the game, how much beer they drank, and I even heard discussions about which of the idiotic advertisements were their favorites. Not one conversation about the primary. I wonder how many of them will actually even show up to cast their vote? Yet people have to audacity to say I shouldn't be upset!
At least the local paper had front page coverage concerning the primary. Unfortunately what I saw only left me feeling like there is very little hope that people have the slightest understanding of what problems this country faces.
The paper had sent a reporter to interview visitors to the local shopping mall concerning who they intended to vote for, and why. Here are some of the responses they got.
"I voted for Clinton because of her known track record. If all things are equal (among candidates), I'd definitely go for the woman."
Another Clinton supporter stated, "I like her foreign policy and the way she talks about change-her policies on health care and the Iraq war."
Then there was this fellow who said he was going to vote for Romney because "I like his business background-his experience running things and...that some of it happened outside government. He seems honest."
Then there were these two who planned on voting for Barack Obama.
"I feel he's been appointed for a time like this. I believe that, considering the fights of the civil rights era, he can bring that cause through."
"I think it would be a bold statement to have the first black president of the U.S...And he's a Democrat and he doesn't support the war in Iraq"
I found it surprising that no one said they would be voting for John McCain considering the fact that according to statewide polls he holds an 8 point lead over Mitt Romney.
The fact of the matter is that not one of these people understand the problems this country faces. I am so sick of people saying they are supporting Clinton or Obama because they represent change. What change? The programs they are campaigning on are taken straight from the Democratic platform, where is the change in that?
Then there was the guy who said Romney 'seems' honest. People thought George Bush was honest, twice, and look what that got us.
Then for the woman who said she feels Obama was appointed for a time like this and he can bring the cause of the civil rights movement through. Or the guy who says it would be a bold statement to have a black president, and he is a democrat on top of that. I would much rather support Bill Cosby than I would Barack Obama. At least Cosby understands the problems facing the African American communities.
Still, people wonder why I sound angry. Not one of these people mentioned anything about the outsourcing of our jobs to China, Pakistan and India. Not one of these people mentioned the cost to us in the steady influx of illegal aliens into our country. Not one of these people mentioned the loss of liberties to numerous unconstitutional laws passed under the guise of fighting a war on terror. Not one of these people are aware of the continued push for a North American Union. Not one of these people how the Federal Reserve Bank just keeps flooding our country with worthless currency causing massive inflation. Not one of these people is aware that our military is not only fighting a war in Iraq, but that we have soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen stationed at over 700 bases in 130 countries. We have a foreign policy of interference in the affairs of damn near every country on the planet and they wonder why the world hates us.
Yet when people like me try to speak the truth we are told we sound mad, we are laughed at and called conspiracy nuts. When we support a candidate like Ron Paul who is the only one who is willing to address the root causes of all our nations ills, we are shunned and ridiculed. And people ask why I sound angry.
I have been told that I need to use a kinder gentler approach in getting my point across. I have been told I should try to use the marketing techniques that are used to sell any other commodity, that I should show people in language they understand how they are getting screwed by those whom they elect to represent them.
I have, we have. Those of us who are in this fight to save our nation from itself and the monied elites who would see our sovereignty and our individual liberties stripped away have given more than enough facts to prove our point. People don't want to listen, they are too hypnotized by the mindless programming on their televisions to take the time to see if there is any truth to what we are saying.
And they ask why I sound angry. I have told the truth about the facts, the dangers this country faces. You’ve heard the old saying, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. Folks, there is an ocean of information out there waiting for you to drink from and become informed, but you choose to remain ignorant, or worse apathetic. So I will continue sounding angry, angry at Americans for letting the country I love go to hell in a hand basket. I will stay angry at them for voting for the same worthless political cronies who are merely puppets to the special interests who sit behind the scenes and pull their strings. However, when this country finally does come crashing down and you finally realize that you are not free, that you are slaves to an ungrateful master, don’t ask why, because you have been warned.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
The Illusion of Hope
In the introduction to Thomas Paine's series of pamphlets entitled Common Sense, it states, "Perhaps the sentiments contained in the following pages, are not yet sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favor; a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defence of custom."
Paine could very well have been writing about the candidacy of Ron Paul for president, as it appears that Congressman Paul's views are not sufficiently fashionable to garner the support of the media and the political pundits.
Paine went on to say that "Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government, our calamities is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer!"
It is interesting to note that the very first political parties fought over their interpretation of the Constitution and the amount of power it authorized the government to wield. Compare that to the political parties of today and you will notice that both parties accept the fact that the government has powers that are far reaching and beyond those specifically defined in the Constitution, it is just how they wield them that separates them.
George Washington once said, "The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments." It is a sad commentary about the people of this country that they allow their government to place so many burdens and restrictions upon their liberties, yet they sit back and say nothing.
If Thomas Jefferson were alive today and invited to participate in a presidential debate, what he would say? Would he support the infringement of our liberties by our government in support of a War on Terror? Would he condone the existence of the Federal Reserve Bank and the massive inflation and debt it has placed upon the shoulders of the American people? Would he remind us of the words he wrote prior to outlining the abuses perpetrated upon the colonies by the British Crown?
Thomas Jefferson is not alive to remind us, and we have seem to forgotten that we fought a war for our independence for burdens far less than what our own government lays upon us today.
The American people have forgotten the basic premise upon which governments are founded. That reason is clearly stated in the Declaration of Independence,
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."
Jefferson stated that 'mankind is more disposed to suffer while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.' How many more abuses, how much more suffering are we Americans going to have to accept before we realize that our government no longer represents us?
Daniel Webster said that "God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it." It appears that the people of American could care less about liberty. They are more concerned with whatever mindless nonsense is on the television. Who is going to win the next ball game or become the next American Idol is of more importance than the time consuming task of monitoring the actions of their elected representatives.
Our country is in desperate need of people to wake up and realize that our nation is in grave danger. Unfortunately there are far too few Americans who would be willing to state, as did Nathan Hale as he was to be hung, "I regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."
I have been told by many to tone down my rhetoric, that I will not convert people to my beliefs if I sound harsh and condemning. I honestly do not care if I upset people with my harsh commentary on their apathy and ignorance. I am reminded of the speech given by Patrick Henry prior to the beginning of the Revolutionary War,
“This is no time for ceremony. The question before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty towards the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.
Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren, till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation?”
Henry stated that it is natural for man to indulge in the illusion of hope. That is what America is doing every time we select a new candidate for president, indulging in the illusion of hope. When we have a candidate like Ron Paul, a candidate who tells us plainly what ails this country, and he is ignored, ridiculed and shunned by the media and the people, we are only indulging in the illusion that things are going to get any better.
We truly are in a battle to save this country from those who would see it destroyed. And as Patrick Henry said later in his speech, “The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.” When Americans realize that we are once again facing the same threat posed to us by our own government, funded and influenced by special interest groups, maybe enough people will rise to the call to save our nation once again. Until the people of this country realize that each candidate is bought and paid for by those special interests, no matter how much talk of change our presidential candidates speak of, nothing is going to change, it is all an illusion designed to keep us thinking we have a say in our future.
Paine could very well have been writing about the candidacy of Ron Paul for president, as it appears that Congressman Paul's views are not sufficiently fashionable to garner the support of the media and the political pundits.
Paine went on to say that "Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government, our calamities is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer!"
It is interesting to note that the very first political parties fought over their interpretation of the Constitution and the amount of power it authorized the government to wield. Compare that to the political parties of today and you will notice that both parties accept the fact that the government has powers that are far reaching and beyond those specifically defined in the Constitution, it is just how they wield them that separates them.
George Washington once said, "The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments." It is a sad commentary about the people of this country that they allow their government to place so many burdens and restrictions upon their liberties, yet they sit back and say nothing.
If Thomas Jefferson were alive today and invited to participate in a presidential debate, what he would say? Would he support the infringement of our liberties by our government in support of a War on Terror? Would he condone the existence of the Federal Reserve Bank and the massive inflation and debt it has placed upon the shoulders of the American people? Would he remind us of the words he wrote prior to outlining the abuses perpetrated upon the colonies by the British Crown?
Thomas Jefferson is not alive to remind us, and we have seem to forgotten that we fought a war for our independence for burdens far less than what our own government lays upon us today.
The American people have forgotten the basic premise upon which governments are founded. That reason is clearly stated in the Declaration of Independence,
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."
Jefferson stated that 'mankind is more disposed to suffer while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.' How many more abuses, how much more suffering are we Americans going to have to accept before we realize that our government no longer represents us?
Daniel Webster said that "God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it." It appears that the people of American could care less about liberty. They are more concerned with whatever mindless nonsense is on the television. Who is going to win the next ball game or become the next American Idol is of more importance than the time consuming task of monitoring the actions of their elected representatives.
Our country is in desperate need of people to wake up and realize that our nation is in grave danger. Unfortunately there are far too few Americans who would be willing to state, as did Nathan Hale as he was to be hung, "I regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."
I have been told by many to tone down my rhetoric, that I will not convert people to my beliefs if I sound harsh and condemning. I honestly do not care if I upset people with my harsh commentary on their apathy and ignorance. I am reminded of the speech given by Patrick Henry prior to the beginning of the Revolutionary War,
“This is no time for ceremony. The question before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty towards the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.
Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren, till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation?”
Henry stated that it is natural for man to indulge in the illusion of hope. That is what America is doing every time we select a new candidate for president, indulging in the illusion of hope. When we have a candidate like Ron Paul, a candidate who tells us plainly what ails this country, and he is ignored, ridiculed and shunned by the media and the people, we are only indulging in the illusion that things are going to get any better.
We truly are in a battle to save this country from those who would see it destroyed. And as Patrick Henry said later in his speech, “The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.” When Americans realize that we are once again facing the same threat posed to us by our own government, funded and influenced by special interest groups, maybe enough people will rise to the call to save our nation once again. Until the people of this country realize that each candidate is bought and paid for by those special interests, no matter how much talk of change our presidential candidates speak of, nothing is going to change, it is all an illusion designed to keep us thinking we have a say in our future.
Let's Have Some Straight Talk About John McCain
It appears that John McCain is on a roll and is building up enough momentum to most likely become the GOP candidate who will run against the democratic candidate for president in the upcoming presidential election.
After Rudy Giuliani's failed strategy of placing all his hopes upon the Florida primary, he withdrew from the race and endorsed John McCain, calling McCain an "American hero".
Then in a not unexpected move, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger gave his endorsement to Senator McCain as well, also calling him a "great American hero". The news media, including the self proclaimed best political team of CNN, are all saying that John McCain is the current front runner and will be tough to beat for the GOP nomination.
With only two candidates left on the democratic side and Senator McCain the favored to win the republican nomination, I am left feeling utterly disgusted, although this scenario was not unexpected.
The country is still divided along party lines, much as it was in the past few presidential elections, yet there is the war in Iraq and the supposed threat of another terrorist attack that may be a major factor in how people vote. In that instance I have heard it said that any republican is better than any democrat. I wish I could be so sure about that.
Senator McCain claims he has the "experience, the knowledge, and the judgment."
Furthermore Senator McCain stated, "And as president, I will follow in this tradition of sticking to my principles no matter what and bring our troops home with honor."
Senator McCain is thought of as a hero by those who endorse him, he has stated that "...I was prepared to sacrifice whatever was necessary in order to stand up for what I believed in." Senator McCain, to use your own words, it is time for some straight talk.
In the last debate Senator McCain's stated that he had the honor of serving this country in uniform for 22 years. Let's look at some facts regarding Senator McCain's service to this country.
During Senator McCain's time in the military academy he was known for his hard drinking rowdy behavior. According to the book, The Nightingale's Song, "being on liberty with John McCain was like being in a train wreck." Senator McCain drew so many demerits for disciplinary issues that he graduated fifth from the bottom of his class. Yet somehow he managed to bypass other more qualified cadets to find a slot as a naval aviator.
While in training in Pensacola Florida, Senator McCain continued to party and live an extravagant lifestyle. He drove a Corvette and dated an exotic dancer named Marie the Flame of Florida.
During his training Senator McCain lost his first of five aircraft when it ditched into Corpus Christi Bay during a landing attempt. Nevertheless McCain graduated from flight training in 1960.
When Senator McCain was stationed in the Mediterranean he lost his second plane when he flew into some power lines. Once again the military ignored his apparent inability to keep a plane airborne and promoted him to flight instructor at Naval Air Station Meridian, in Mississippi.
As a flight instructor Senator McCain lost his third plane while flying solo to Philadelphia for an Army-Navy football game. The Navy again ignored the loss of a third plane, calling it unavoidable, and assigned Senator McCain to the USS. Forrestal.
While on the Forrestal Senator McCain lost his fourth jet when a rocket somehow slammed into it while it was loaded with bombs. The ensuing explosion killed 134 sailors. McCain survived and was transferred to the USS Oriskany.
While serving on the Oriskany, Senator McCain was shot down and captured by the Vietnamese, where he was held as a prisoner of war for five and a half years. No one other than those who have actually been held as prisoners of war can relate to the difficulties and hardships they face. I, as a veteran, however was briefed upon the Military Code of Conduct, rules that apply to all who might be captured in time of war. Article 5 of the Code of Conduct states, “When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.”
When Senator McCain lost his fifth plane over Hanoi and had to eject, he suffered fractures to both arms and one leg. Although he must have been in severe pain, after three or four days of being slapped around and questioned by his captors Senator McCain called for an officer and told him “OK, I’ll give you military information if you will take me to the hospital.” U.S. News and World Report, May 14, 1973 article written by former POW John McCain.
Senator McCain was taken to Gai Lam military hospital which was normally unavailable to American POWS. While technically still a prisoner of war, Senator McCain seemed to have certain privileges not shared by his fellow servicemen. In his own words again, ". . . Many visitors came to talk to me [John McCain]. Not all of it was for interrogation. Once a famous North Vietnamese writer-an old man with a Ho Chi Minh beard-came to my room, wanting to know all about Ernest Hemingway . . . Others came to find out about life in the United States. They figured because my father had such high military rank that I was of the royalty or governing circle . . . One of the men who came to see me, whose picture I recognized later, was Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap, the hero of Dienbienphu."
In 1967 Hanoi press started running quotes by Senator McCain which gave away specific military information. One such report stated, "To a question of the correspondent, McCain answered: 'My assignment to the Oriskany, I told myself, was due to serious losses in pilots, which were sustained by this aircraft carrier (due to its raids on the North Vietnam territory - VNA) and which necessitated replacements. From 10 to 12 pilots were transferred like me from the Forrestal to the Oriskany. Before I was shot down, we had made several sorties. Altogether, I made about 23 flights over North Vietnam.'" McCain is further quoted as describing the number of aircraft in his flight and information concerning rescue ships.
For nearly two years McCain was held in isolation. During this time no one other McCain and his captors know for sure what took place. Some claim the McCain underwent “intense indoctrination and psychological programs”.
Towards the end of his internment as a POW Senator McCain was interviewed by Dr. Fernando Barral, a psychiatrist from Spain who was living in Cuba at the time. The interview was photographed by the Vietnamese and shows McCain drinking coffee and eating oranges and cakes with Dr. Barral. During this interview McCain answered questions freely in Spanish, another apparent violation of the Code of Conduct by failing to evade answering questions to the utmost of his ability.
McCain states that he was physically beaten and physically abused while held captive at one location known as the Plantation. According to an Article in the Phoenix New Times in March of 1999, two former POW’s who were McCain’s senior ranking officers at the time state that although they could not state for sure that he was not beaten, they doubted the events McCain claimed had happened, actually did occur.
One of these men, Gordon “Swede” Larson, stated, "Between the two of us, it's our belief, and to the best of our knowledge, that no prisoner was beaten or harmed physically in that camp [known as "The Plantation"]," Larson went on to say, ". . . My only contention with the McCain deal is that while he was at The Plantation, to the best of my knowledge and Ted's knowledge, he was not physically abused in any way. No one was in that camp. It was the camp that people were released from."
As I stated, no one, other than John McCain and his captors, knows for sure what took place while he was held captive as a POW. It is interesting though that in 1993 on one of Senator McCain’s trips back to Hanoi he asked the Vietnamese not to make public the records they held pertaining to U.S. POW’s.
There is an unwritten code among servicemen that to the best of their ability they will leave no man behind. In 1973 the U.S. saw the repatriation of 591 U.S. servicemen who had been held captive as POW’s. However, it was estimated that still there were a large number of POW’s held in Vietnam, Laos, and possibly even in Southern China.
In 1973 the State Department stated that data showed the prisoner list to be starkly incomplete. Only nine of the 591 returnees came out of Laos although experts in military intelligence listed 311 men as missing in that country. Yet on March 29, 1973 President Nixon proclaimed that ‘all our American POW’s are on their way home.’ That discrepancy has never been explained.
As a former POW, you would think that Senator McCain would want to do all that he could to settle this dispute once and for all. In 1989 the House of Representatives introduced a measure entitled ‘The Truth Bill’. This simple legislation stated, “[The] head of each department or agency which holds or receives any records and information, including live-sighting reports, which have been correlated or possibly correlated to United States personnel listed as prisoner of war or missing in action from World War II, the Korean conflict and the Vietnam conflict shall make available to the public all such records and information held or received by that department or agency. In addition, the Department of Defense shall make available to the public with its records and information a complete listing of United States personnel classified as prisoner of war, missing in action, or killed in action (body not returned) from World War II, the Korean conflict, and the Vietnam conflict.”
Opposed by the Pentagon, The Truth Bill got nowhere. In 1991 it was reintroduced again, and once again was stymied. Then out of the blue, in the Senate comes a bill written by Senator John McCain came a new piece of legislation bearing his name alone, ‘The McCain Bill’. This legislation created a bureaucratic nightmare that made sure only a handful of the available documents would ever see the light of day. It miraculously passed and became law. Now the Pentagon is not required to inform the public when it receives intelligence stating that Americans are still alive and held in captivity.
What gives Senator McCain? Where is your loyalty to your fellow servicemen? The POW/MIA movement is still alive in this country, but it has faded to the background, only to be kept alive by those who still have loved ones unaccounted for. They have little to no hope of ever finding out the truth regarding the whereabouts of their loved ones, yet they still hang on to hope.
Yet a professor of law at the University of Wisconsin, and the editor of The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War, calls these people ‘sick’. Professor Kutler states, “If it weren't so sick, it would be laughable. These are not nice people. They are the other side in an ongoing uncivil Civil War in America. They would refight Vietnam, criminalize abortion, make public school prayer mandatory, prove that Hillary bumped off Vince Foster, and indict Teddy Kennedy for Chappaquiddick. They are uncivil and intolerant of any views or information they do not share."
I wonder if Professor Kutler and Senator McCain would say the same, and block every effort of the families of loved ones who disappeared in abduction cases across America?
Senator McCain claims to have what it takes to be Commander in Chief. He claims he has the leadership qualities that this nation needs. In simple straight talk that Senator McCain is so fond of using I would like to see him explain his conduct regarding the points I have just made. The American people deserve the truth, and it appears that Senator McCain has not been very straightforward when it comes to that commodity.
After Rudy Giuliani's failed strategy of placing all his hopes upon the Florida primary, he withdrew from the race and endorsed John McCain, calling McCain an "American hero".
Then in a not unexpected move, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger gave his endorsement to Senator McCain as well, also calling him a "great American hero". The news media, including the self proclaimed best political team of CNN, are all saying that John McCain is the current front runner and will be tough to beat for the GOP nomination.
With only two candidates left on the democratic side and Senator McCain the favored to win the republican nomination, I am left feeling utterly disgusted, although this scenario was not unexpected.
The country is still divided along party lines, much as it was in the past few presidential elections, yet there is the war in Iraq and the supposed threat of another terrorist attack that may be a major factor in how people vote. In that instance I have heard it said that any republican is better than any democrat. I wish I could be so sure about that.
Senator McCain claims he has the "experience, the knowledge, and the judgment."
Furthermore Senator McCain stated, "And as president, I will follow in this tradition of sticking to my principles no matter what and bring our troops home with honor."
Senator McCain is thought of as a hero by those who endorse him, he has stated that "...I was prepared to sacrifice whatever was necessary in order to stand up for what I believed in." Senator McCain, to use your own words, it is time for some straight talk.
In the last debate Senator McCain's stated that he had the honor of serving this country in uniform for 22 years. Let's look at some facts regarding Senator McCain's service to this country.
During Senator McCain's time in the military academy he was known for his hard drinking rowdy behavior. According to the book, The Nightingale's Song, "being on liberty with John McCain was like being in a train wreck." Senator McCain drew so many demerits for disciplinary issues that he graduated fifth from the bottom of his class. Yet somehow he managed to bypass other more qualified cadets to find a slot as a naval aviator.
While in training in Pensacola Florida, Senator McCain continued to party and live an extravagant lifestyle. He drove a Corvette and dated an exotic dancer named Marie the Flame of Florida.
During his training Senator McCain lost his first of five aircraft when it ditched into Corpus Christi Bay during a landing attempt. Nevertheless McCain graduated from flight training in 1960.
When Senator McCain was stationed in the Mediterranean he lost his second plane when he flew into some power lines. Once again the military ignored his apparent inability to keep a plane airborne and promoted him to flight instructor at Naval Air Station Meridian, in Mississippi.
As a flight instructor Senator McCain lost his third plane while flying solo to Philadelphia for an Army-Navy football game. The Navy again ignored the loss of a third plane, calling it unavoidable, and assigned Senator McCain to the USS. Forrestal.
While on the Forrestal Senator McCain lost his fourth jet when a rocket somehow slammed into it while it was loaded with bombs. The ensuing explosion killed 134 sailors. McCain survived and was transferred to the USS Oriskany.
While serving on the Oriskany, Senator McCain was shot down and captured by the Vietnamese, where he was held as a prisoner of war for five and a half years. No one other than those who have actually been held as prisoners of war can relate to the difficulties and hardships they face. I, as a veteran, however was briefed upon the Military Code of Conduct, rules that apply to all who might be captured in time of war. Article 5 of the Code of Conduct states, “When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.”
When Senator McCain lost his fifth plane over Hanoi and had to eject, he suffered fractures to both arms and one leg. Although he must have been in severe pain, after three or four days of being slapped around and questioned by his captors Senator McCain called for an officer and told him “OK, I’ll give you military information if you will take me to the hospital.” U.S. News and World Report, May 14, 1973 article written by former POW John McCain.
Senator McCain was taken to Gai Lam military hospital which was normally unavailable to American POWS. While technically still a prisoner of war, Senator McCain seemed to have certain privileges not shared by his fellow servicemen. In his own words again, ". . . Many visitors came to talk to me [John McCain]. Not all of it was for interrogation. Once a famous North Vietnamese writer-an old man with a Ho Chi Minh beard-came to my room, wanting to know all about Ernest Hemingway . . . Others came to find out about life in the United States. They figured because my father had such high military rank that I was of the royalty or governing circle . . . One of the men who came to see me, whose picture I recognized later, was Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap, the hero of Dienbienphu."
In 1967 Hanoi press started running quotes by Senator McCain which gave away specific military information. One such report stated, "To a question of the correspondent, McCain answered: 'My assignment to the Oriskany, I told myself, was due to serious losses in pilots, which were sustained by this aircraft carrier (due to its raids on the North Vietnam territory - VNA) and which necessitated replacements. From 10 to 12 pilots were transferred like me from the Forrestal to the Oriskany. Before I was shot down, we had made several sorties. Altogether, I made about 23 flights over North Vietnam.'" McCain is further quoted as describing the number of aircraft in his flight and information concerning rescue ships.
For nearly two years McCain was held in isolation. During this time no one other McCain and his captors know for sure what took place. Some claim the McCain underwent “intense indoctrination and psychological programs”.
Towards the end of his internment as a POW Senator McCain was interviewed by Dr. Fernando Barral, a psychiatrist from Spain who was living in Cuba at the time. The interview was photographed by the Vietnamese and shows McCain drinking coffee and eating oranges and cakes with Dr. Barral. During this interview McCain answered questions freely in Spanish, another apparent violation of the Code of Conduct by failing to evade answering questions to the utmost of his ability.
McCain states that he was physically beaten and physically abused while held captive at one location known as the Plantation. According to an Article in the Phoenix New Times in March of 1999, two former POW’s who were McCain’s senior ranking officers at the time state that although they could not state for sure that he was not beaten, they doubted the events McCain claimed had happened, actually did occur.
One of these men, Gordon “Swede” Larson, stated, "Between the two of us, it's our belief, and to the best of our knowledge, that no prisoner was beaten or harmed physically in that camp [known as "The Plantation"]," Larson went on to say, ". . . My only contention with the McCain deal is that while he was at The Plantation, to the best of my knowledge and Ted's knowledge, he was not physically abused in any way. No one was in that camp. It was the camp that people were released from."
As I stated, no one, other than John McCain and his captors, knows for sure what took place while he was held captive as a POW. It is interesting though that in 1993 on one of Senator McCain’s trips back to Hanoi he asked the Vietnamese not to make public the records they held pertaining to U.S. POW’s.
There is an unwritten code among servicemen that to the best of their ability they will leave no man behind. In 1973 the U.S. saw the repatriation of 591 U.S. servicemen who had been held captive as POW’s. However, it was estimated that still there were a large number of POW’s held in Vietnam, Laos, and possibly even in Southern China.
In 1973 the State Department stated that data showed the prisoner list to be starkly incomplete. Only nine of the 591 returnees came out of Laos although experts in military intelligence listed 311 men as missing in that country. Yet on March 29, 1973 President Nixon proclaimed that ‘all our American POW’s are on their way home.’ That discrepancy has never been explained.
As a former POW, you would think that Senator McCain would want to do all that he could to settle this dispute once and for all. In 1989 the House of Representatives introduced a measure entitled ‘The Truth Bill’. This simple legislation stated, “[The] head of each department or agency which holds or receives any records and information, including live-sighting reports, which have been correlated or possibly correlated to United States personnel listed as prisoner of war or missing in action from World War II, the Korean conflict and the Vietnam conflict shall make available to the public all such records and information held or received by that department or agency. In addition, the Department of Defense shall make available to the public with its records and information a complete listing of United States personnel classified as prisoner of war, missing in action, or killed in action (body not returned) from World War II, the Korean conflict, and the Vietnam conflict.”
Opposed by the Pentagon, The Truth Bill got nowhere. In 1991 it was reintroduced again, and once again was stymied. Then out of the blue, in the Senate comes a bill written by Senator John McCain came a new piece of legislation bearing his name alone, ‘The McCain Bill’. This legislation created a bureaucratic nightmare that made sure only a handful of the available documents would ever see the light of day. It miraculously passed and became law. Now the Pentagon is not required to inform the public when it receives intelligence stating that Americans are still alive and held in captivity.
What gives Senator McCain? Where is your loyalty to your fellow servicemen? The POW/MIA movement is still alive in this country, but it has faded to the background, only to be kept alive by those who still have loved ones unaccounted for. They have little to no hope of ever finding out the truth regarding the whereabouts of their loved ones, yet they still hang on to hope.
Yet a professor of law at the University of Wisconsin, and the editor of The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War, calls these people ‘sick’. Professor Kutler states, “If it weren't so sick, it would be laughable. These are not nice people. They are the other side in an ongoing uncivil Civil War in America. They would refight Vietnam, criminalize abortion, make public school prayer mandatory, prove that Hillary bumped off Vince Foster, and indict Teddy Kennedy for Chappaquiddick. They are uncivil and intolerant of any views or information they do not share."
I wonder if Professor Kutler and Senator McCain would say the same, and block every effort of the families of loved ones who disappeared in abduction cases across America?
Senator McCain claims to have what it takes to be Commander in Chief. He claims he has the leadership qualities that this nation needs. In simple straight talk that Senator McCain is so fond of using I would like to see him explain his conduct regarding the points I have just made. The American people deserve the truth, and it appears that Senator McCain has not been very straightforward when it comes to that commodity.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
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