A Comparison on Oppression

Can the contrast be any clearer?  I don’t think for one minute the thugs back then would still be welcome at a July 4th Party at the White House!

Beware the False Prophets

Now that the Tea Party movement seems to be an ongoing concern, I and many others are being approached about supporting this candidate or that.  One of the first I was approached about (who shall rename nameless) almost made me laugh.  For he is one of the biggest local examples of the problem within the GOP; fiscally conservative until you get to what big business wants government to do to save them the expense.  Then no billion-dollar bond project is too big if it helps to sustain the corporately unsustainable. Government spending beyond its means- for things government should not be involved in- is a cancer in all levels of government, not just Washington DC.  And you don’t fix the problem by putting the advocates and beneficiaries of that largess into office.

A true fiscal conservitive is just that; in all dealings, especially when their own financial interest is at stake.  And you can rest assured that I will not only withold my support from such false prophets, I will shout their falseness from the rooftops.  No matter how big they are as a politician, or a celebrity.

And then there are those who refuse to allow the movement to move by the natural progression of development mission and identity, then voluntary organization and out-of-pocket dodnation, then working up to the professional components of paid staff and major fund-raising.  You see, fundraising is the big ticket item and those professionals around the periphery of such large spontaneous movements are always in the hurry to get that going so they can gain power, contacts and income.

The Tea Party has not reached the ‘identity’ level to support large efforts, as we are likely to find out soon.  Hopefully, then we’ll get back to mission  development, education,and grass roots neighborhood organizing; modern internet technique makes it possible to advance quite far inexpensively.

Voluntarily taken out of the public domain

Hopefully, some important lessons have been learned by the Dallas Tea Party leadership about the danger of assuming evil intent  in minor technical mistakes, excessive authoritarian behavior, and the fact you can’t herd feral cats with cattle prods.  I have made a personal decision, from neither pressure nor request, to remove the details of this story from the public domain.

Are all issues settled?  Of course not.  Not unless and until a retraction email is sent out to the email list that originally was utilized by the leadership that is what brought this to a head.  But working privately to right things is in the greater good for now.

Stay tuned: the next move is up to DTP leadership.

Herding Feral Cats with Cattle Prods

The last week or so dealing with a local political movement has left me one overpowering desire: I SO need to get back to Uganda! There, in my charity work, I work with people of phenomenally diverse political viewpoints: a dedicated Obamatron director (who would laugh and agree if I called her that to her face), religious conservative workers, liberal do-gooder Peace Crops types, retired U.N. bureaucrats, and a secular far-right Neanderthal(me).  And we work well together; the focus on purpose brings harmony.  The purpose is not driven by any one person or small group sitting on high, micromanaging policy; it is driven by the good intention and enthusiasm of the ground troops.  Mistakes are made, but they are expected and accepted; while there are some real egos on the board, none of it ever reaches the point of narcissism.  Only one major schism occurred in over a decade of operation, but that has been healed up and- while the purpose was damaged for awhile- never was the original focus allowed to dissipate.

The contrast with a local political movement I am currently involved in could not be more stark.  The organizational leadership movement has ironically taken on many of the managerial characteristics of the current Obama administration which it detests (management by dictate, grand plans committed to with budgeting as an afterthought, and punishment of those who violate rules not yet written) and has managed to fracture a group of people of like-minded philosophies by focusing the energies on the ‘tail of the dog’ as it were.  It has become an event organization, rather than a movement organization.  In less than four months. the focus has been allowed to dissipate through a myriad of personal prisms (and the resulting rainbow is ugly).  Several neighborhood administrators have either given up in disgust, or been ‘banished’.  This is a reflection of leadership that has tried to herd the feral cats with organizational cattle prods (and make no mistake; the charitable group is also a herd of feral cats.  Just far better managed).

So with all that contention and strife going on in the political group, what did I do to refocus?  I called a very special young lady in Uganda who shall remain nameless.  A young lady of the sweetest voice and demeanor, without a contentious bone in her body. A beautiful young lady who, at the age of 8 saw her parents butchered before her, was stabbed in the head with a spear and left for dead.  Who, after reviving, joined a horde of other refugees fleeing hundreds of miles, forced to drink from streams that tasted of blood and rotting human flesh the entire way.  A young lady who was beaten and raped a couple years ago and now is dealing with AIDS because of it.  A young lady whose voice is always cheerful and oozes charm and a love for life, who resents nothing but focuses on living life, however short that may be.  How I wish I could be more like her!

While this regains my focus, it also depresses me about the people I’m dealing with in the local political movement.  It gives me very little hope that the drive toward national bankruptcy and socialistic dependency can be stopped, because those that see the need seem too narcissistic and spoiled to carry through the revolution in the American thought on self needed to make the national course correction.  If these ‘leaders’ are the best we got (and they are little different for the national leadership of the opposition), then there is very little hope of getting America- and Americans in general- to stop living well beyond our means.

But little hope is better than none at all, as I learned in Uganda; we trudge on.

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The last week or so dealing with a local political movement has left me one overpowering desire: I SO need to get back to Uganda. There, in my charity work, I work with people of phenomenally diverse political viewpoints: a dedicated Obamatron director, religious conservative workers, liberal do-gooder Peace Crops types, and retired U.N. bureaucrats. And we work well together; the focus on purpose brings harmony. The purpose is not driven by any one person or small group sitting on high, micromanaging policy; it is driven by the good intention and enthusiasm of the ground troops. Mistakes are made, but they are expected and accepted; while there are some real egos on the board, none of it ever reaches the point of narcissism. Only one major schism occurred in over a decade of operation, but that has been healed up and- while the purpose was damaged for awhile- never was the original focus allowed to dissipate.

The contrast with a local political movement I am currently involved in could not be more stark. The organizational leadership movement has ironically taken on many of the managerial characteristics of the current Obama administration which it detests (management by dictate, grand plans committed to with budgeting as an afterthought, and punishment of those who violate rules not yet written) and has managed to fracture a group of people of like-minded philosophies by focusing the energies on the ‘tail of the dog’ as it were. It has become an event organization, rather than a movement organization. In less than four months. the focus has been allowed to dissipate through a myriad of personal prisms (and the resulting rainbow is ugly). This is a reflection of leadership that has tried to herd the feral cats with cattle prods (and make no mistake; the charitable group is also a herd of feral cats. Just far better managed).

So with all that contention and strife going on in the political group, what did I do to refocus? I called a very special young lady in Uganda who shall remain nameless. A young lady of the sweetest voice and demeanor, without a contentious bone in her body. A beautiful young lady who, at the age of 8 saw her parents butchered before her, was stabbed in the head with a spear and left for dead. Who, after reviving, joined a horde of other refugees fleeing hundreds of miles, forced to drink from streams that tasted of blood and rotting human flesh the entire way. A young lady who was beaten and raped a couple years ago and now is dealing with AIDS because of it. A young lady whose voice is always cheerful and oozes charm and a love for life, who resents nothing but focuses on living life, however short that may be. How I wish I could be more like her!

While that regains my focus, it also depresses me about the people I’m dealing with in the local political movement. It gives me very little hope that the drive toward national bankruptcy and socialistic dependency can be stopped, because those that see the need seem too narcissistic and spoiled to carry through the revolution in the American thought on self needed to make the national course correction. If these ‘leaders’ are the best we got (and they are little different for the national leadership of the opposition), thene there is very little hope.

Thomas Paine again (he’s a Marine!)

(As they say, there are no ex-Marines, no matter how old.)  The Gyrene reference is at the very end.

I do disagree on the formal declaration of war, however.   A declaration of war is problematical in this specific instance. We are not fighting nations; we are fighting an ideology of Islamic extremism that knows no borders and no distinct end date. There will be no VJ day in this one.

I was pleased about a recent Tea Party organizational meeting (July 4th; look for the one near you).  They are adament about staying non-partisan.  However, most of realize the attack point for most of us is the GOP primary system at this point.  But, this is not and will not become a GOP effort, no matter how much that they try to hijack it.  I’ll vote for Martians if they’d bring fiscal sanity back to DC.

What have we done to deserve to be protected by Men like this?

As I watch the news on the daily basis, I only marvel at the fact that men such as this feel serving this nation as being worth this level of sacrifice.  God bless him and everyone of our brave military!

It Has Always Been The Soldier

It is the soldier,
not the President who gives us democracy.

It is the soldier,
not the Congress who takes care of us.

It is the soldier,
not the Reporter who has given us Freedom of Press.

It is the soldier,
not the Poet who has given us Freedom of Speech.

It is the soldier,
not the campus [community] Organizer who
has given us the Freedom to Demonstrate.

It is the soldier,
who salutes the flag;
who serves beneath the flag,
and whose coffin is draped by the flag,
that allows the protester to burn the flag.

~ Father Dennis O’Brien, US Marine Corp. Chaplain

EPA to Regulate Greenhouse Gasses…

.. which includes carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and …water vapor??

This means the EPA will be in the business of limiting… heavy breathing, sweatiness, and flatulence.

Are all of us fat, old coots in trouble!  They’ll round us up and feed us into solar-powered tree shredders, turning us either into eco-friendly compost or an all-natural flavor ingredient to the new environmentally-neutral food stuff Soylent Green.  Look for yellow tape around the local Mexican restaurants, as crews in full hazmat suits bring out the refried beans for proper disposal.

GlaxoSmithKline (which holds the key patent) becomes the fastest growing employer in the UK from the fact that American cattlemen are scurrying all over the countryside trying to dose their cattle with Beano (that is, until ‘burpless’ grass takes root; no joke.)  GlaxoSmithKline’s U.S. units donate millions to the Democrats, even though they lose some of their gain from the 25% heavy-breathing/sweatiness tax on their Cialis product.  Pzfizer losses on Viagra are more significant; that company donates millions to the GOP.

The last stage will result in trees being granted American citizenship, as eco-productive members of society; logging will be banned.  Acorn will make sure they are all registered, down to the last sapling.  Their absentee voting rate will be most impressive.

All joking aside, this action will likely result in the rapid migration of the last manufacturing businesses from the U.S.  The coal industry will be destroyed and the petroleum industry taxed even heavier.  All for the sake of a vain attempt to reduce the 3.4% of the 3.6% of ‘greenhouse gases (the CO2) we might be responsible for; the part that is biologically active and controlled by vegetation.  The EPA has declared plant food as dangerous pollutant. Wait until they try to control water vapor.

The Somalian Pirates have won… then lost

UPDATE 2: The Winner!  Life in American prison, with guaranteed food and people hired to take care of you sure beats his previous squalid life in Somalia. At least, that’s the way he’s looking at it for now And this is the image broadcast to the world and Somalia; does anyone think this will deter, and not encourage, his compatriots?

UPDATE: Three simultaneous head shots while apparently negotiating with one; the lesson in this is, don’t f*ck with Navy SEALS.  Obama approved the use of force twice (but shouldn’t have to in such a circumstance); kudos to Obama for doing so (he gets few enough from me while he bankrupts this nation).  Only if the last pirate is ever returned to Somalia will victroy ever be reclaimed by the thugs.

Those four pirates in the lifeboat won several days ago.  They won when they weren’t either dead or captured within a few short hours after the destroyer showed up.  It doesn’t matter how it all ends up now; the moment the idiots in charge (In Washington, DC, no doubt) called in an FBI negotiator, America ran up the white flag.  These four are now considered heroes by the only people they care about impressing.

AN FBI negotiator…. for Somalian pirates??  The so-called negotiations- especially early on- would have been interesting to listen in on.  These four come out a society that- to this day- watches the movie Black Hawk Down, cheering every American casualty and shrugging off the scores of dead Somalians it took to get that one.  The cultural gap is enormous (as is the endurance for deprivation- far greater than Capt. Phillip’s will likely be.)  These four have held off a U.S. Navy Destroyer for many days.  Their return/funeral/incarceration parade through the streets in Somalia will be massive.

The right thing to do has already passed; sail up close with the destroyer, have the best shot aboard put a .50 cal round through the lifeboat below the waterline and giving them the choice of drowning or surrendering arms and hostage and living.  These are pirates looking for gain, not terrorists looking to die for a cause.  But the cause of fame  (which is a wholly desirable gain) has now assured a much more dangerous situation for not only the one hostage, but all sailors in the region for years to come.

The FBI negotiator is a reflection of the Obama Administration’s desire to treat everything up to terrorism as nothing more that criminal activity by the misguided.  Disaster will result from this approach.  However, the path to disaster in this specific area was set long ago when the decision was made to accept ransoming of these ships as standard operating procedure .

But the final responsibility for what this disaster will be falls on the current administration; they got their proverbial 3am call… and essentially hung up on it.  Even the MSM is beginning to realize the impending debacle in this: suddenly, Bo the White House puppy, has become more important than Capt. Richard Phillips.  The blackout of potentially embarrassing things for Obama continues.

April 15th Tea Parties; Attend one near you.

The only way to force the MSM is break the Obama Propaganda Division role is to have such massive turnouts at things like this that they actually have to report some level of dislike for the fact the Big O and his Congressional henchmen (including a few GOP buffoons) are turning this country into a bankrupt socialistic state that will never let our children and grand-children prosper.

These things are getting huge enough that some of the Left are actually going to show up, a few with disruptive intent or to generate negaticve images.  The goal is to have a peaceful huge gathering to influence this COngress… or more likely, organize to replace the problem members from both parties.

The Piracy of Somalia

I haven’t been posting much on my home site, spending most of my time at the Political Inquirer.  However, things have gotten quiet enough over there and I am reluctent to post much nonpolitical stuff there, so back here I came.

Looks like the Somalian pirates made the mistake of taking on American merchantmen; guys who have probably seen the movie “United 93′, as well as being fed up with people looking for handouts back home as well as the open seas.  At this point, the captain is held hostage; hopefully things will end well for him and badly for the cowardly thugs.  It’s time some of these pirates have their bullet-riddled bodies sleeping with the fishes.

The only things that could be effective long-term here is:

1) The merchant ships be allowed to arm themselves: four .50 machine guns locked up in a weapons locker and mounted only after they enter international waters would do the trick.  the pirates longest range weapons don’t have a third of the range as a .50 in event moderately competent hands.

2) Blockade of any port practicing piracy.  Nothing goes in or out without being fully inspected.  Let the Somalian government (which is pretty non-existent) howl.  Ships with legitimate business will only be somewhat inconvenienced.

3) Captured pirates be jailed long-term and not in some American-standard facility; Ethiopia would probably take on the task, given their problems with the Solmalian government.