Too busy to blog

I keep trying to find time to post, but coming up really short. Up until last week, I was setting up my online composition 1 class. That's done, but I came up with the brilliant idea to make my students blog. That's going to take up a lot of time to monitor.

On top of that, the baby is starting to get up on his hands and knees. He's kind of seal-flopping: getting up, moving his hands out of the way, and using his legs to propel him forward. He's going to be crawling in absolutely no time, and then I really won't have time to breathe.

From an e-mail received more than ten years ago.

I got this as an e-mail forward in 1998, while the Clintons were still president, and I was still in college. It's even more important today, because everyone seems to have forgotten what people don't have a right to.

The following was written by State Representative Mitchell Kaye from Cobb County, GA.

We, the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid any more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt-ridden delusional and other liberal, bed-wetters. We hold these truths to be self-evident: that a whole lot of people were confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim that they require a "Bill of No Rights".

ARTICLE I:
You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

People seem to have decided that "legally acquiring" includes having the government seize the means from those who have them to redistribute those means to those who don't. I really don't like the idea that someone else has the right to money I earn.

ARTICLE II:
You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone - not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc.,but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.

This one goes out to Nancy Pelosi et. al., who are terribly offended by the realization that we don't think they know what's best for us. In fact, the community organizer in the White House is offended by communities organizing in protest of government deficit spending that's ballooned up into the trillions of dollars. Of course, communities organizing against them isn't grassroots organization, but astroturfing paid for by big business and Rush Limbaugh.

ARTICLE III:
You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful, do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

ARTICLE IV:
You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes.

ARTICLE V:
You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not interested in health care.

Of course, the generation after generation of professional couch potatoes that believe they're entitled to freedom from responsibility for their decisions to have unprotected sex, and entitled to free health care (including free abortions paid for by those who may or may not believe in abortions used for birth control) are the ones who keep voting for the status quo, with this administration in particular. Of course, what that means is that the government believes that yes, the parasites do have the right to be free from harm, do have the right to have money sent to them for merely breathing, and do have the right to mandatory Medicaid.

ARTICLE VI:
You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.

Unless, of course, you're black. Then, you have the right to do what you want to whom you want (and most hate crimes cannot be prosecuted as such, because they're black on white, rather than the reverse), and no jury would dare convict you, much less sentence you to the death penalty, for fear of being labeled racist.

ARTICLE VII:
You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big-screen color TV or a life of leisure.

Again, if you're black, then you're not responsible for your bad behavior--the white power society that's keeping you down and poor (rather than your lack of education, your lack of ambition, and your own leaders) is responsible for you taking what you're owed. And you are now entitled to cable TV and gourmet food while you're in prison. Thanks to those same leaders that tell you that nothing you do is your fault.

ARTICLE VIII:
You don't have the right to demand that our children risk their lives in foreign wars to soothe your aching conscience. We hate oppressive governments and won't lift a finger to stop you from going to fight if you'd like. However, we do not enjoy parenting the entire world and do not want to spend so much of our time battling each and every little tyrant with a military uniform and a funny hat.

Agreed. However, when the little tyrants with the funny hats send their irregulars to attack us on OUR OWN SOIL, then by God, we want to attack them on theirs to keep them off ours. If they're too busy fighting us off at home, they won't send their people abroad to attack us.

Unfortunately, there are a whole lot of people (mostly in the current administration and their supporters) who don't comprehend that.

ARTICLE IX:
You don't have the right to a job. All of us sure want all of you to have one, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and educational training laid before you to make yourself useful.

Yeah. If you're too stupid to count out change, you don't have the right to a job. What you have the right to, that you're not getting, is education to prepare you to enter the workforce. However, your federal government and its appendages (i.e., the department of education) want you to stay stupid so that you stay dependent on them, and keep voting for them. Therefore, in their opinion, you have the right to that job, and the businesses don't have a right to insist that you have key skills before they hire you.

ARTICLE X:
You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to pursue happiness - which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an overabundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.

No one has the right to stay happy, all of the time. The attempt to is distinctly unhealthy, and fuels the ever-increasing demand for over medicating for psychological issues. I will not say that there are no cases that demand anti-depressants; however, much of the time, what people need is nothing more than something bigger than themselves to believe in, and someone to talk to. And, thanks to the ACLU's demonization of the sharing of religious beliefs in the public sphere, rather than looking for a congregation to belong to--whether that congregation is Christian church (my choice), pagan coven, synagogue, or mosque--people look for the quick fix of Prozac, which masks rather than treats the symptoms.

The saddest thing about this Bill of No Rights is not that so very many people believe they do have these rights, it's that it seems that the federal government is beginning to believe that the people should have these rights, despite the Constitution and its amendments, and the local, state, and federal laws that state otherwise.

God help us all.

A lesson in civics.

Last night, my other half and I had a friend watch the boy for us, while we went to see another friend in a local theater production of 1776.

It was spectacular.

Of course, Franklin stole the show...but he did in real life, too. The man was just a total smart ass. Neither the orchestra nor most of the players/singers were anything like professional quality--but you really didn't notice that at the time.

The thing I found interesting was simultaneously heartening and disheartening. To my immediate left sat a boy that'd just graduated high school, and his mother. He whined and complained to her before the curtain went up, and all through the intermission, about how much he didn't want to be there. How he hated it. His mother responded (rather tartly) that, had he not failed the American and state government class and test three times before he passed it, he wouldn't have been forced to come with her. (His response--that only the nerds, the stupid ones, had passed the test on the first try--struck me as a rather obvious oxymoron. I've known several stupid frat boys, and stupid jocks, and a few stupid preppies and geeks, but never a stupid nerd)

In any case, the whole musical struck me as a timely and pointed statement on current political events:

"...He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

...

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

...

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

...

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

...

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury."

These accusations, made against George III of England, are as applicable to our federal government today.

Ironic, isn't it, that the government our founding fathers worked so hard to create and limit has become no better than the tyranny that they risked everything to overthrow.

In a perfect world...

...scientists would be required to read science fiction before experimenting with things that could be disastrous if they got loose.

And they say the recession is over...

Not by this woman's assessment. Granted, her idea was stupid, but...if something's stupid, but it works, it's not that stupid.

My only question is...why in the hell is she getting any national coverage on this?

An atmosphere of fear is a good for keeping congresscritters honest.

The town hall meetings on Dear Leader's health care plan is creating an atmosphere of sheer terror among proponents of nationally socialized medicine.

Finally, some of them are remembering that they work for us. I hope more of them remember that before the bill is placed before them for a vote. If something like 86% of the population are insured (guestimated 350 million people less the touted 46 million uninsured), and more than 80% of that figure are happy with their insurance, then the majority people likely do not want to be placed on a healthcare plan where the money for medical procedures and/or doctor visits runs out by June of every year. You know, like it does on the Indian reservations.

Pelosi's landed fish impression.

I know Thoreau said "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds," but this hurdles the line between a notable lack of that hobgoblin and hypocrisy.

Stupid.

It's not racial backlash that's making the nation hate Obama (though I have no doubt he's fueling racism against other blacks in the nation), it's his own national socialist leanings backed by his heavy-handed use of Chicago politics in forcing them through on us.

I'd far rather see him and his political machine crippled by severe losses in the House and Senate than see that worthless pile of shit killed.

He has children, after all, two daughters who absolutely adore their daddy. I wouldn't want to deprive them of him as they grow up.

Whew! I've lost track of time!

I've had the blog for a bit longer than a year, now. It's really been one hell of a year, between the baby coming early and spending his first five weeks in the hospital, fighting with the insurance company over whether or not premature labor counted as a complication, and learning to care for an infant and a decently full schedule of online classes (I switched to online teaching after the baby's birth).

And, in that year, the nation decided to bend over and spread for the federal government by electing a transnational progressivist socialist president and packing congress with his cronies. They're currently trying to ram socialized medicine, nationalized energy production (through cap and trade), and nationalized finances (through government seizure of several publicly-owned financial companies) up the collective, national ass. Without lubricant. With a sandpaper condom.

I'm about ready to start running for local office as a first step to running for national office. I'm about ready to try to be part of the solution.

If Obama can change definitions, I can, too.

I've decided since we can't call military actions to ensure our safety from radical, militant Islam a war on terrorism (much less the Crusade it actually is), I'm going to redefine a term, too. From now on, fun will be an acronym meaning fucked under nationalization. In other words, should one of my lefty acquaintances say something along the lines of "Come on, rationed healthcare will be fun," I'll smile and nod. I'll know what they really mean.

Good timing.

A quadriplegic has decided that he wants to commit suicide. Well, by the assessment of the United States government, he'd probably not have a choice under mandatory Medicaid. He is, after all, a non-producing member of society who's doing nothing but consuming resources that could be used to extend the producing years of an actual taxpayer.

He must have just gotten his "end of life counseling" early.

Stupid git wouldn't know an ambush if he was killed by one.

Representative Baird is terrified of his own constituents. He's determined that, rather than meet them face to face to answer for his unpopular support for an even more unpopular socialization of the medical industry, he's going to hold telephone "town hall" meetings. He calls the citizens who elected him asking questions about rationing "brownshirt tactics," and refused to hold any meeting where he might be "ambushed."

This is the kind of dipshit that would have been fragged by his own men in Vietnam, had he had the balls to serve. This retarded sack of monkey snot is completely overlooking one simple solution to avoiding the kind of mess Tampa and St. Louis saw: obey the will of the people who elected him, and do his damned job.

This is not the same country that it used to be.

When a little girl can't have a lemonade stand to make money for a family trip to Disney World without having a business license, you know there's something wrong.

Huh. Anyone else, and the ACLU would have their balls.

I'd say this was all Biden's fault, if it weren't more than just us having issues.

Russia's stalking us. Guess they didn't like being called an empty threat.

You'd never know it, but Malthus was proved wrong long ago.

Thomas Robert Malthus, economist and philosopher in the late 1700s, posited that "population increases in a geometric ratio, while the means of subsistence increases in an arithmetic ratio;" in other words, that humans were a drain on the world's resources.

Malthus was proved completely wrong with the advent of modern farming techniques. You'd never know it, however, if you listened to the religious fanatics of the environmentalist movement.

I don't doubt that there will, eventually, be a tipping point; however, I do not believe that it has anything to do with the idea that the earth is pure, and human beings are nothing more than a self-perpetuating pollutant (I've personally heard us compared to a virus). Nor do I believe that we'll run out of the ability to feed all of the people--modern farming techniques, from biological engineering done since the dawn of time (you didn't really think that wild grains have as high a yield, did you? or that food animals are exactly the same in the wild as they are on farms?) to careful and scientific application of plowing and fertilizing techniques to pest control, will see to that. Nor do I believe that we'll turn the earth into a polluted, barren chunk of rock orbiting our sun.

No, I believe the tipping point will come when we simply crowd ourselves off the planet. I also believe that, by that point, we'll have viable space travel, multiple colonies where the best and brightest, stifled by Earth's transnational progressivist, Marxist communist, self-chosen elite, will choose to relocate to, and all that'll be left on this particular planet will be the Darwinian rejects.

You know, the ones like we currently have sitting in congress and the White House.

Read Heinlein. And Kratman.

These won't be the only freedoms we lose.

Obama apologist CNN's Money page admits we'll lose a lot of freedom in choosing and using medical care under our Dear Leader's plans. Amongst those are keeping your plan to begin with, choosing what's in your plan (i.e., guys, you'll have to have maternity coverage, and women's coverage will have to include prostate exams), paying for your costs without having to subsidize others', and choosing which doctor you want to see.

Those aren't all. Read the whole thing, and think about what's not listed that we'll be losing.

Heh. Medevev should take notice.