Chris For Liberty

My Endorsements for Tennessee Legislative Races

2010-06-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

Over the past ten years, I've worked on behalf of several candidates at the national, state and local level. I'm very particular about who I choose to work and vote for. This year, I'm endorsing/supporting four candidates: Susan Lynn, Heather Scott,Tim Burchett, and Carl Whitaker.

I first heard about Susan Lynn in 2002 from a fellow libertarian Heather Scott when both of them were running for office (Susan for State Representative; Heather for Wilson County Commission).

Susan has demonstrated an independent streak in the legislature. She is one of the most open legislators who is active on Facebook, maintains her own blog and regularly sends out newsletters. Lynn has used her position to advance the issue of state sovereignty and led an effort in the House to protect Tennesseans from having to conform to the new federal health care law, an effort that failed in the House but nevertheless bolstered Lynn’s reputation as a Tenth Amendment advocate. She is chairman of the House Government Operations Committee, and serves on the Calendar & Rules and Commerce Committees as well as the Small Business Sub-Committee. She has been Chairman of the Commerce Task Force for the American Legislative Exchange Council since 2007.

With an out of control federal government running amok, principled legislators are needed more than ever and principled legislators are hard to find at all levels. Susan is one of a few.

Heather Scott who is running for the 57th District which is occupied by Lynn says she’s seen how programs come down from the state and federal government that may or may not be right for a particular county, yet local governments have to enact them and cover the costs that come with them.

She recalled how a couple of years ago the Wilson County school system needed $1.5 million and that it looked like a tax increase could be involved. But she looked at the schools’ budget and saw an undesignated fund balance of $3 million. When she pointed out the schools had the money they needed, she learned the schools were required by the state to keep 3 percent in an undesignated fund balance for emergencies, so the commission, without her support, voted for a tax increase.

“It’s a trickle-down effect. Government should be strongest at the local level. More tax dollars should be kept at the local level. We send our income tax to Washington then have to beg for it to come back to local communities, and then they usually have strings attached. That money should never leave our community in the first place.” Scott said.

Scott said the election laws in the state are set up in a way that make it difficult for a third-party candidate to run (such as not being listed by the party name unless it is Democrat or Republican), so she opted for the independent tag.

Tim Burchett is running for Knox County Mayor which has been occupied by Mike Ragsdale. I've known Tim for ten years. He has served admirably in the state legislature and even sponsored legislation in 2000 to allow the TN Libertarian Party to run under its own party name basically as an experimental concept. Over the years, he has shown to be an open and independent minded legislator who isn't afraid to upset the apple cart when necessary. He has been a small business owner and this experience has helped him to understand the issues that they deal with particularly in relation to government matters.

The Knox County government has been in need of a major housecleaning for years and the County Mayor's office most of all. I will just say that the office has been operated by politics as usual. The good ole boy and girl network has hamstrung the county with bloated budgets, wasted millions of dollars for pet projects doled out to friends and family, and vendettas against those who oppose such waste and mismanagement. Clearly what is needed most of all aside from a new direction in policy is honesty and efficiency.

I'm generally not impressed with the candidates that the GOP and Democrat party have to offer in the 2010 Gubernatorial race. So I'm supporting Carl Twofeathers Whitaker independent campaign for governor. He has never held public office before, so there isn't much to elaborate on as far as what he has done as a public official. I also have the impression he isn't interested in a professional career in politics which always ranks as a plus in my book. He isn't connected to the power brokers that generally comes with being a legislator and will exercise independent judgment.

The Cult of John Nelson Darby

2010-06-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

John Nelson Darby
If you are trying to make sense of the events that have transpired in the Middle East over the past 100 years or so, don't feel alone. What is driving the conflicts in the Middle East isn't due to any prophecy from the Bible as some people have claimed. John of Patmos didn't have a time machine or a crystal ball.

A major movement that is obviously affecting the events in the Middle East is called dispensationalism. It is a heavy influence in many of the churches and synagogues which while wearing the skin of a lamb, underneath lies a wolf. Much of what we THINK we know about the Bible doesn't come from the Bible, but from modern culture shaped along with our own political and personal belief systems. This would include "Good Sunday", Adam and Eve, and Who Killed Jesus?"

Modern day proponents of this movement are Hal Lindsay, John Hagee, Pat Robertson to name a few. People just assume that if they see it on TV, well it must be true. If an "authority figure" says it, it must be true. This gives people an excuse to not take responsibility for their lives. A genuine faith in Christ is an active faith. Allowing others to do the thinking for you so you don't have to think for yourself or take responsibility for your life is quite contrary to 'The one who is righteous will live by faith.'

Taken to its logical conclusion, dispensationalism would mean that its followers need to commit suicide like the Heaven's Gate cult did. Yet they won't. It goes to show that despite their claims that God is on their side, they actually don't believe in God's promise to Abraham about being a blessing to all nations. Dispensationalism denies Jesus as Messiah and it denies God's sovereignty.

The notion of being raptured up to heaven is dependent on destruction whether natural or man-made for it to work. So they go about trying to make it work by supporting war, persecutions, animal sacrifices among other things. Quite contrary to the doctrine that God so loved the world that he sent his only son to save us.

What was the point of cursing a fig tree for not bearing fruit when it was not even in season? See Matthew 21 particularly versus 18–22; Luke 13:6–9 and Mark 11:12–21.

Pay attention to how the parable of the fig tree is bracketed with the cursing of the temple. That was done so that the reader would not miss the point of cursing the fig tree in the first place. If something is broken, you replace it. Jesus is the new temple (albeit spiritual temple in a spiritual kingdom).

More to the point, Matthew re-orients eschatological expectations away from the earthly city and temple and onto the resurrected Jesus. This theological shift away from the earthly city is painted literarily by the evangelist who concludes his Gospel with Jesus appearing to the disciples on another mountain, a nondescript location in Galilee (Matt 28:16). The exact geographical region is irrelevant; the significance is not on the place but on the person of Jesus. The ingathering of “all nations” will indeed take place, not through an earthly restoration but through the apostles’ ministry of baptism, through which the disciples will experience in the presence of Jesus, so that in being regathered, the restoration at the new temple is realized.

The Jews expected a messiah that was similar to King David or the Macabees. Something along the lines of a warrior king or politician driving out the Roman Empire. Instead, he come to us born, living and dying in poverty. Jesus lived amongst us, the blind, the loss, the oppressed, etc... Instead of driving out the Roman armies, he drove out the religious frauds who had occupied the Temple and lead people astray with their false teachings and empty motions of religion. This messiah had to bring himself to the lowest levels in order for us to have the chance of experiencing God's redeeming grace. This speaks to the nature of who God is. This is a far cry from the portrayal of a God that is only interested in death and destruction.

Memorial Day trip to Sgt. York Historic Park

2010-05-31T15:02:00.000-07:00

I took a three hour round trip to Pall Mall (pronounced /ˈpæl ˈmæl/ pal mal by residents) in order to a pay visit to the Sgt. York Historic Park. It was long overdue.

Most people are already generally familiar with York's exploits during World War I in large part due to the movie plus some general readings here and there. To get more in-depth about his life, I suggest checking out "Sgt York: His Life, Legend & Legacy". Much of his later life was spent seeking to improve the welfare of his fellow beings through improved education, economic opportunities and sharing the gospel of Christ. He stated once "When I die, I had rather it be said about me that I gave my life toward aiding my fellow man than for to be said that I became a millionaire, through capitalizing on my fame as a fighter. I do not care to be remembered as a warrior, but one who helped others to Christ".

Happy Birthday Clint Eastwood!

2010-05-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

Not much more needs to be said about Clint Eastwood's career. It pretty much speaks for itself. I remember an interview he did with Parade Magazine in 1992 around the time Unforgiven came out that he likely wouldn't ever retire. He is still going strong at 80. Not bad when most people want to retire in their 60's. Of course, Ronald Reagan, Bobby Bowden, and Joe Paterno would be comparable in that regard. The fact he has been on top of his game for around 50 years is a testament to his love for the craft and his ability to relate to this audience.

Like many people, I enjoy the "Dollars" trilogy with "For A Few Dollars More" being my favorite of the bunch. I enjoy the on-screen partnership with Lee Van Cleef most of all. Of course, aside from this, his most famous role is Harry Callahan. Since the 1980's, most of Eastwood's work has been behind the camera. He has be able to re-invent himself from the macho movie star to a competent director/producer/composer. That shows he is not afraid to take on new challenges and embrace the possibilities. Most people see themselves only doing one thing their whole lives and it traps people into a vicious cycle of dead-end jobs, just punching the clock, pay the bills because it has to be done. If you are going to dedicate the majority of your life to work, you might as well do something you enjoy anyways.

What Is Not Being Addressed In The Immigration Debate

2010-05-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

The issue of immigration has really been on the front pages this year. Whether it is purely for political purposes or come as the result of realizing that has gone awry is anyone's guess.

Of course, if we truly wanted to be consistent about immigration, legal or illegal, how come nothing is being done about the immigration coming from Canada, Europe and Asia? I am sure the natives would have something to say about that. To really understand the root cause of this, one must first understand the rather unfortunate state of affairs south of the border. A little history is in order.

"I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class thug for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents." Smedley Butler, "War Is A Racket"

The pre-dominant economic system in the Eastern and Western Hemisphere is one that is a mix of fascism aka the corporate state and communism aka the poor person's statism. I do agree with some that NAFTA to a large degree has played a role in the economic collapses that we've been witnessing lately. But it was merely a symptom of the problem, not the cause of the problem. As Alan Greenspan so succiently put it (before he went over to the dark side): "In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation. There is no safe store of value. If there were, the government would have to make its holding illegal, as was done in the case of gold. If everyone decided, for example, to convert all his bank deposits to silver or copper or any other good, and thereafter declined to accept checks as payment for goods, bank deposits would lose their purchasing power and government-created bank credit would be worthless as a claim on goods. The financial policy of the welfare state requires that there be no way for the owners of wealth to protect themselves."

Folks, while I don't enjoy upsetting your apple care (then again, I've done it quite a bit over the past 10-15 years), the economic problems we are experiencing isn't because of the free market, but in spite of it. We are in fact witnessing the end results of the welfare state. The economies of welfare states inevitably collapse. It has happened in numerous other countries and yes, it has been happening in the United States, the land of the free and the home of the brave. But I've been having my doubts as to whether we are as "free" and "brave" as we like to claim. Perhaps I should insert "the few" along with the free and brave.

While we address this "immigration problem", don't ignore the underlying causes of it. Otherwise, we are just going around in circles. Only by embracing liberty-oriented options can it be solved. We must be careful to not adopt statist measures to address a problem that was caused by statism in the first place.

Happy Birthday John Wayne!

2010-05-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

As much as I love movies and stars from Hollywood's Golden Age, much to my surprise, I've not written once about John Wayne. Shame on me, but I make amends on his birthday. Below is the scene that made Wayne the recognizable face that is known all over the world. Yet, he received second billing to Claire Trevor. But as they say, the rest is history. There aren't many people whose image is bigger than the human being, but John Wayne is. He is as big if not bigger than Superman and Mickey Mouse.

But what many people may not be familiar with is that aside from "The Big Trail" which was a huge flop then is that for almost 15 years, he was basically a struggling B-movie actor who worked in about 100 movies until "Stagecoach". Then from 1940 until he retired in 1976, he made another 100 movies or so almost always as the star or co-star. He certainly had a tremendous work ethic. It probably didn't leave much time for anything else. In particular I enjoyed his brief role in "Baby Face" where Barbara Stanwyck had his way with him. Just trying to get my head around Wayne wearing a suit and tie, working the 9-5 grind as a banker in the Big Apple takes a leap of imagination. He certainly belongs out west. It disappoints me that Barbara and John never made another movie together. She could have been the sidekick of sorts that Maureen O'Hara would later fulfill. I also would have liked to have seen Wayne and Clint Eastwood in a movie. I read once that Eastwood once commented that he pitched a story idea to Wayne once, but Wayne rejected him out of hand because he felt Eastwood's movies were too violent.

Plenty has been said about Wayne's life and career and I won't need to add anything more. I do however find Wayne's career following a similar trajectory that was going on in national and international affairs. He goes from being an upstart who took on whatever job he could get, finally broke through after earning his stripes, stayed on top for a long time and ended it in a proper fashion with "The Shootist". That is just the way he would have wanted it.

Should Illegal Drugs Be Legalized?

2010-05-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

(Originally written as a report for a paralegal course in 2003.)

The “Drug Culture” is not a new development. Sumerian cuneiform tablets from 3000 B.C. show a poppy harvest, as do ancient Egyptian scripts and Greek statues adorned with poppy crowns.(1) Opium is said to have been introduced into China by the Arabs probably in the 13th century, and it was originally used there as a medicine.(2) The original Coca-Cola recipe contained cocaine until it was replaced by caffeine in 1903.(3)

The War on Drugs is not a recent event or even a uniquely American event. The British fought the Opium War in the 1840’s.(4) Some of the earliest involvement by the United States with the drug trade goes back to the Spanish-American War. Upon winning the Philippines, many of the colonial administrators of the Philippines were appalled at the high rate of opium smoking among the population.(5)

While international efforts by the United States fell short, in 1911, Hamilton Wright, the State Department’s opium commissioner, attempted to draft legislation to curb the flow of opium into the United States.(6) It met opposition from the States, the medical profession, pharmacists, and pharmaceutical companies. After nearly three years of debate, Congress passed the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act on December 17, 1914 (named for Representative Francis Burton Harrison, who introduced the initial form of the bill).(7) Originally, it was meant to be a registration law: doctors, pharmacists and vendors would submit paperwork on all drug transactions. But the Treasury Department quickly used violations of the law to shut down legitimate practices as well as dope clinics and illicit drug stores.(8) Later developments included the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act and Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970.

The War on Drugs has been on a pretty consistent swing since the Nixon Administration. There are various reasons cited for the War on Drugs. The Reagan Administration’s “Just Say No to Drugs” campaign was in large part lead by Nancy Reagan. The purpose of this campaign was to bring awareness to the dangers of drug abuse.(9) According to President Bush in a speech in May, 2001, when he introduced John Walters as the newest Drug Czar, he stated that illegal drugs cost more than 100 billion every year, principally from lost productivity. He also stated that the human tragedy of drug use can’t be measured in dollar figures such as lost lives, educational and job opportunities, families torn apart, and health care costs. He states that illegal drugs cost as much as $15 billion a year in health care costs as well as many as 20,000 people die each year from drug use.(10)

Opponents of drug legalization cite a number of arguments for opposing the legalization of drugs. Among these are that drug use and addiction would increase greatly. Hospitals would have to deal with many more cases of drug overdose. Child abuse would increase. Other reasons are there would be more drug-related accidents at work and on the road. Id

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, approximately 65% of the cocaine smuggled into the United States crosses the Southwest border. A kilogram of cocaine costs about $25,000 at the wholesale level. U.S. Federal authorities seized about 103 metric tons of cocaine in 2000 compared to 135 metric tons in 1999. Nationwide, in 2000, South Asian heroin ranged from $50,000 to $200,000 per kilogram. SEA and SWA heroin ranged in price from $40,000 to $190,000. Wholesale-level prices for Mexican heroin were the lowest of any type, ranging from about $13,000 to $175,000 per kilogram. The wide range in kilogram prices reflects variables such as buyer/seller relationships, quantities purchased, purchase frequencies, purity, and transportation costs. U.S. Federal law enforcement authorities seized 1,575 kilograms of heroin in 2000 compared to 1,149 kilograms in 1999.(11)

In a report put out by the Office of Drug Control Policy in 2000, it stated that $25,000 for a kilogram of cocaine “is a high price for a product that is basically agricultural, requires inexpensive chemical processing, and has minimal shipping costs absent interdiction. Consequently, source zone and transit zone programs almost certainly explain the high wholesale prices.”(12)

Domestic law enforcement operates on drug prices in three ways. First, domestic law enforcement seizes some of the illegal drugs, which in turn reduces the supply and/or increases the cost of the product. Second, drug dealers engage in a substantial risk in getting caught and incarcerated. Third, because drug dealing is illegal, contracts between buyers and sellers are unenforceable, and violence often substitutes as a means of enforcing deals. Due to such substantial risk, dealers charge higher prices to compensate. Id

Opponents of the Drug War argue that these astronomical prices are precisely one reason why such drugs need to be legalized. Opponents point to the alcohol prohibition of the 1920’s as an earlier example of how prohibition fails.13 Critics point to organized crime and smaller gangs sought to fill the void in the market made illegal by Prohibition. When the 18th Amendment was repealed by the 21st Amendment, alcohol was again legal and criminal gangs were out of the liquor business.(14)

As for the argument that drug use is immoral and harmful, some say such an argument points out the hypocrisy involved asking why some drugs should be illegal and while others are legal. Opponents also argue that police and military personnel are being misallocated in a war that can never be won. More than 19,000 state and local police work full-time on drug cases. Another 8,000 military personnel are deployed in Drug War missions.(15) It is further argued that drub abuse should be treated as a medical problem and not a law enforcement problem.

When a government report goes as far to admit that $25,000 for a kilogram of cocaine is a “high price for a product that is basically agricultural, requires inexpensive chemical processing, and has minimal shipping costs absent intrerdiction” and that law enforcement efforts almost certainly explain such high prices, factored in imprisoning drug users and policing the border, the War on Drugs certainly appears to be a ploy for power and being used as an excuse to put people in prison. Gangs aren’t fighting it out over alcohol, aspirin and tobacco. Gangs didn’t fight it out over cocaine, heroin, and marijuana at one time either. The exorbitant prices are a prime motive for engaging in the drug trade, which would not occur if it were legalized. Drug abusers could get treatment without fear of arrest and police personnel could be served on murders, rapes, kidnapping and other charges.

1 Chelsie Vandaveer, How did a ban of tobacco lead to opium smoking?
http://www.killerplants.com/plants-that-changed-history/20021015.asp

2 Opium in China
http://www.2020site.org/opium/china.html

3 Drug Control Policy in the United States: Historicial Perspective
http://www.wws.princeton.edu/cgi bin/byteserv.prl/~ota/disk1/1994/9435/943515.PDF

4 Richard Hooker, The Opium Wars
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/CHING/OPIUM.HTM

5 Dr. Kevin McCauley, History of Drug Laws: The Harrison Narcotic Act
http://www.addictiondoctor.com/pages/druglaw2.htm

6 Id

7 Harrison Narcotics Act, 1914
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/history/e1910/harrisonact.htm

8 Dr. Kevin McCauley, History of Drug Laws

9 Just Say No: Mrs. Reagan’s Crusade
http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/nancy/just_say_no.asp

10 Remarks by the President on the 2002 National Drug Control Strategy
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/speech02/021202/021202sp.html

11 Drug Enforcement Administration: DRUG TRAFFICKING IN THE UNITED STATES
http://www.dea.gov/

12 The Price of Illicit Drugs: 1981 through the Second Quarter of 2000
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/pdf/price_illict.pdf

13 Should We Re-Legalize Drugs?
http://www.lp.org/issues/legalize.html

14 History of the Prohibition Act of 1920 in America
http://id.essortment.com/historyprohibit_pmh.htm

15 Does the War on Drugs really enrich terrorists and make America less safe?
http://www.lp.org/drugwar/

Summer Break is upon us

2010-05-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

The semester is over now. I've applied at a number of places for summer work, but may not know anything for sure for a few more weeks. Of course, most places aren't actively hiring. But hopefully, I can at least find some part-time work to keep some money coming in. I am also gathering information on various counties and contacting some education administrators to get an idea of what job market is like. I should graduate next year although not sure if it will be the Spring or Fall.

Football practice starts in August. With 32 incoming freshman and several new coaching hires, there has been some changes that will keep the Carson-Newman Eagles moving along as Ken Sparks enters his 31st year.

I Beat To My Own Drummer

2010-05-18T05:58:00.000-07:00

"Anarchism is not a romantic fable but the hardheaded realization, based on five thousand years of experience, that we cannot entrust the management of our lives to kings, priests, politicians, generals, & county commissioners." Edward Abbey

I've been fascinated by how movements and trends get started be it cultural, political, clothing styles and what not. I've been keenly aware since childhood about the pressure to conform to "society's standards" whatever those standards may be. While to a small degree there may be nothing wrong with this, if left unchecked, it can lead to persecutions, mass murder (including war), and collectivization. In a nutshell, society generally runs on the herd mentality. Herd mentality and herd behavior have been prevalent descriptions for human behavior since people began to form tribes, migrate in groups, and perform cooperative marketing and agricultural functions. Religion can also be used to soothe the masses by claiming that all of society united under a central ruler can answer all of life's questions. Religion is about doing what is acceptable of the society in which you are in. A relationship with God is an entirely different matter. "Created in the image of God, a human being is the crowning work of God's creation. Human personality is sacred and life's highest value. To deny freedom of conscience to any person is to debase God's creation."

The idea of a "group mind" or "mob behavior" was first put forward by 19th century French social psychologists Gabriel Tarde and Gustav Le Bon. As was the case thousands of years ago, there are leaders and there are followers. These days, "public opinion" is done through celebrity worship and mass media. All the while, the elites claim they can make all the common people's "problems" go away by just blindly trusting in what they say and do. It can be very difficult to separate yourself from the surrounding culture. Doing so surely will invite hangings on the cross, stone throwing, insults, to name a few ways the masses dictate conformity. But in the end, we are judge by our own individual actions. Don't let the masses dictate how the central character of you is developed.

Should I Build An Ark?

2010-05-03T12:20:00.001-07:00

With all the rain that has be brought down on Tennessee this past few days, I'm beginning to wonder if I should put my carpentry skills to work and build an Ark. West and Middle Tennessee have really been hit hard by the storms. For the most part, East Tennessee has been limited to one tornado in Fentress County and heavy rains throughout most of the region. I'm sure that the pets will enjoy the show that a big boat would bring.

Want to become UT Head Football Coach?

2010-04-11T06:29:00.000-07:00

I'm a Tennessee Volunteers fan through and through. I mean that I have grown up here and like everyone wants to win and win big. I would even love to be the head football coach someday. But yet, there is a part of me that would not be inclined to blindly accept the position. I'm wanting to get a new career going in coaching and/or teaching. So I'm keeping my ears and eyes peeled for the various issues and situations that I could be expected to face sometime.

I realize that not everyone is going to be a 4.0 student. I realize that in theory at least the graduation rate is more important than the winning percentage. Yet how come when a student who is not an athlete is likely to be suspended even though she "pull[s] herself up by her bootstraps" rather than draw a disability check for her fibromyalgia and sought an education so she could help others who suffer from the disease. She's the type of student the University of Tennessee should be proud of."

I will let you come to your own conclusions about this matter.

Let's face it, at UTK like many colleges, winning percentage is more important than character or graduation rates. Winning makes people happy and happy people are more willing to open their checkbooks to donate money to the university. If you want to know why candidates were turning down the head coaching position right and left until they happened to get Derek Dooley to accept the position (and threw in a private flight via Pilot corporate plane for good measure), the flight itself should tell you something. Mike Hamilton comes across as a decent man who is good with the financial aspects that is so much part of running a college athletic program these days. There are many moving parts to this job and not everything is going to go smoothly. But I've always wondered whether he is truly his own man or if is he being unduly influenced? Then there is the issue of how the Board of Trustees can never seem to find someone to become President for more than a few months, wastes money and gladly jacks up tuition every year. Are UT students getting a return on their investment? Well, I choose to enroll at Carson-Newman.

So should at some point in the future an opportunity to become UT head football coach were to present itself, I will have to think about it. Thankfully, I'm keeping my options open.

Can The Government Just Do Whatever The Heck It Wants?

2010-04-10T05:25:00.000-07:00

In our system of written law, Congress may use a term to mean almost anything, as long as the law itself defines that meaning. When the written law explains the meaning of a term used in the law, standard English usage becomes irrelevant. For example, by the definition in 26 USC 7701(a)(1), the term person includes estates, companies and corporations (in addition to individuals). While no one would call Walmart a person in everyday conversation, Walmart is a person under federal tax law. The legal use of a term is often significantly different from basic English, and therefore reading one section of the law alone can be very misleading. See more about the Rules of Statutory Construction

As a good example, 26 USC 5841 states that [t]he Secretary [of the Treasury] shall maintain a central registry of all firearms in the United States which are not in the possession or under the control of the United States. The law has a far more limited application than this section by itself would seem to imply. In 26 USC 5845(a) it is made clear that the term firearm in these sections does not include the majority of rifles and handguns (while the term firearm in basic English obviously would), but does include "a shotgun having a barrel or barrels of less than 18 inches in length"(most shotguns are at least 18 inches and some like the Winchester Model 9410 are as long as 24 inches), silencers and grenades. The average citizen reading the law will naturally tend to assume that he already knows what the words in the law mean, and may have difficulty accepting that the legal meaning of the words used in the law may bear little or no resemblance to the meaning that those words have in common English. For example, reading the phrase all firearms in Section 5841 in a way that excludes most rifles and handguns is contrary to instinctive reading comprehension. But any lawyer reviewing Sections 5841 and 5845 would confirm that such a reading would be absolutely correct. Reading one section of the law without being aware of the legal definitions of the words being used can give an entirely incorrect impression about the application of the law.

As demonstrated, sometimes the apparent meaning of a simple phrase in the law is very different from the legal meaning. The income tax is imposed on income from whatever source derived. If the law did not explain what constitutes sources of income, then the law would be interpreted using basic English. However, the law does explain what the term means and therefore standard English usage is irrelevant.

Because the Constitution is the LAW (aside from natural law and natural rights which come from our creator), a good place to start in our discussion of tax laws would be right there. Have you read the Constitution lately? Have you read it since your 9th grade Civics class? This might be a good time to reacquaint yourself with the document that controls so much of our lives every day. You will be amazed at the ease with which you can read the document, especially when compared to current legal writings. It becomes obvious at first glance that the Constitution was written to be understood by the common Citizen who was very concerned with the content. Current legislation is usually not read by many people outside Washington, DC, and frequently not even by the legislators who vote on it. Because of the huge volume of legislation drafted each year, it is becoming common for most legislators to have one of their staff people review legislation to look for specific items so the legislators do not have to take the time to read it themselves. These legislators then vote yea or nay based on a staffer's review of certain items in the proposed law.

Laws today are not written to be understood by the common Citizen. They are written by legislators, who are usually lawyers, to be understood only by lawyers. In a very practical way, this is called "job security." I mean, whom better to interpret the law than one who played a role in writing and approving the law? As a result, most legislators go back to being lawyers when their terms are complete. So most legislation is specifically written by lawyers to be understood only by lawyers. Yet the whole concept of "common law" assumes the average Citizen has both read and understood the law. "Ignorance of the law is no excuse" is very true, but if you can prove you didn't understand how the law applied to you, it is common to get a case against you dismissed. That is how important it is for the law to be understandable! And yet the Internal Revenue Code is so complex and difficult to understand, even the IRS is not held accountable to the view or interpretation it gives you on any specific tax law! The U.S. Tax Court is full of cases where the IRS gave a written, researched opinion of the "law" and later changed its mind, resulting in a civil or criminal tax case against the person who was counting on the accuracy of the IRS in interpreting the tax laws!

This is a good place to make a statement on the type of government that was created by the Constitution. When you hear a politician speak of our government, almost always you will hear the politician refer to America as a democracy. Over the past sixty years or so, Americans have been brainwashed by our politicians into believing that we live in a democracy. WE DO NOT! Our Founding Fathers considered a democracy and dismissed it. They chose to create, instead, a republic. The differences between a democracy and a republic have been discussed and debated at great length by people more knowledgeable than I, so I wonï¿½t take much space here to add to their work. Allow me, instead, to make a simple comparison. In a democracy, if the people or their elected servants want to create a law or enact a change, all they have to do is demonstrate that a majority of the people wants the law or change. A majority vote is all that is necessary. In a republic, there might be a vast majority of the people in favor of a particular law or change, but that will not matter unless The LAW allows it. The LAW must allow it or The LAW must be modified before a new law or change can be passed. The Founding Fathers knew public opinion could be manipulated, or even misrepresented. This is the major weakness of a true democracy. So America elects its public servants to enact the will of the people, but only if The LAW allows it! Congress cannot, by majority vote, extend or increase its authority. The United States Supreme Court explains this principle:

"It is also not entirely unworthy of observation, that in declaring what shall be the supreme law of the land, the constitution itself is first mentioned; and not the laws of the United States generally, but those only which shall be made in pursuance of the constitution, have that rank. Thus, the particular phraseology of the constitution of the United States confirms and strengthens the principle, supposed to be essential to all written constitutions, that a law repugnant to the constitution is void, and that courts, as well as other departments, are bound by that instrument." Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137 (1803)

"Congress cannot by any definition it may adopt conclude the matter, since it cannot by legislation alter the Constitution, from which alone it derives its power to legislate, and within whose limitations alone that power can be lawfully exercised." Eisner v. Macomber, 252 U.S. 189 (1920)

The Supreme Court of Tennessee agrees further elaborates:

"Privileges are special rights, belonging to the individual or class, and not to the mass; properly, an exemption from some general burden, obligation or duty; a right peculiar to some individual or body.

Since the right to receive income or earnings is a right belonging to every person, this right cannot be taxed as privilege."
Cole v. MacFarland, 337 S.W. 2d 453 (Tenn. 1960)

The Sights and Sounds of Spring

2010-04-09T13:22:00.000-07:00

We are now at the time of the year when the air is cool and crisp, the sun is shining, the skies are blue and football fills the news. This week, Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nick Stephens has decided he wants to quit the team and try his luck elsewhere for his senior year. First, it was coaches jumping ship and now the players are. Unless there is something I don't know, most of it can be attributed to people wanting to go elsewhere, not being a good fit for the program or personal reasons. In Stephens case, it appears to be that he senses he won't get a fair shake for the starting spot. Competition is a fact of life. While I wish him well on his newest endeavors, if he is going to let the fact that a freshman and a transfer are getting their share of snaps this Spring bother him, perhaps he realized he wasn't cut out for the cut-throat competition that occurs in the SEC.

School will be over in about a month. I will likely get a part-time job (or at least attempt to) so I can have some spending money coming in. I have signed up for 17 hours for Fall semester. If all goes well, I should graduate with a bachelor's degree in Physical Education sometime in 2011. I'm willing to teach at any level and/or coach preferably football. But I can also coach baseball/softball or track and field/cross-country. Of course, if by some fortunate set of circumstances, I were to get the opportunity to interview for a coaching position in the NFL, I would certainly consider it. But given the likelihood that the NFL may be on a lockout at that time, it would be a non-issue. That is on top of the fact that I am not in the know with any coaches at that level. But we'll see. Stranger things have happened.

The Bengals options in 2010 NFL Draft

2010-04-04T12:11:00.001-07:00

Yes, I do have other interests aside from boring politics or history :) One of my biggest interests is football, particularly college, but pro football too. I've followed the NFL Draft regularly since 1989 (when I first had ESPN), the draft in which Troy Aikman, Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas and a number of other players who would go on to become the face of the NFL in the 1990's were drafted. Personally, I would love to work in the NFL in some capacity.

I've been a Bengals fan for 25 years. So I'm particularly interested in who they may draft. I am a "draft the player, not the position" type of person. The Bengals don't have any glaring needs, but do need to fix up at several positions. This year, the talk has been that the Bengals would draft a tight end or receiver. Now that Antonio Bryant and Matt Jones have been signed to free agent contracts, plus the other receivers and tights ends that they have on the roster such as Chase Coffman, it makes this draft being more about solidifying the team more than having to replace the entire wall. I think Coffman (who was on IR last year) and Jones can get the job done. The bigger question is will offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski utilize the tight end as more than just another blocker or diversion? The Bengals particularly in the 1970's and 1980's were known for having tight ends who were legitimate first down threats. It hasn't been the case since Rodney Holman and Tony McGee were Bengals lastly in the early 1990's.

So draft-wise, I think the defensive side of the ball would be the way to go. While the Vol fan in me would love to see Eric Berry in a Bengals uniform, he should go top 10 whereas the Bengals are picking 21. Barring some surprising trade up, I could see the Bengals drafting Southern Cal safety Taylor Mays who would give the Bengals the closet thing they have had to a David Fulcher at the safety position. Depending on how Mays is used, he would need to improve on his angles and tackling to make it at the next level. I expect Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll to draft him at #14. Given the way most NFL defenses are crafted these days, Mays would be a better fit at outside linebacker.

Texas safety Earl Thomas is another possibility. Thomas is a purer defensive back than Mays and would be a better fit than Mays. The only thing keeping Thomas from being a top ten pick is his size, but a good football player is a good football player. Size isn't everything.

Another player the Bengals may consider is Penn State defensive tackle Jared Odrick. Depth on the defensive line is always desirable and given that the Bengals have a solid one, they can afford to draft for depth rather than just worrying about trading up and losing picks that would be expended for a higher pick.

So I think it will come down to Thomas and Odrick with Mays being a possibility.

Remembering Good Wednesday

2010-03-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

by Mark Cockrell

"Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three night in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:38-40).

Since Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the Jews demanded a sign of Him to prove His claim. Jesus could give them no better proof that He was the Christ than the literal fulfillment of the well-known sign of Jonah, Luke 11:30. If this sign were not literally fulfilled, it would prove unto them that He was not the Messiah. This was the only sign Jesus ever gave them to prove His Messiahship. Hence the great need for Him to do exactly what He promised them to do.

Mark 8:31 tells us:

"And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again."

Did Christ mean what He said? Did He really expect to be buried in the earth for three days and three nights? Jesus did not say, "After two nights and one day I will rise again." He said, "After three days I will rise again." He meant three days and three nights--a full 72 hours!

The Jews remembered this sign when He was crucified.

"Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first" (Matthew 27:62-64).

They did all they could to prevent His resurrection. They got the watch, made the sepulchre sure, and sealed the stone. "After three days I will rise again" was necessary to fulfill the Jonah sign.

Modern interpreters of the Bible make Jesus Christ a liar. They say Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, buried about sundown the same day, and arose on the next Sunday about daybreak in contradiction to the Scriptures! Any schoolboy knows that this is only two nights and one day. If He were crucified on Good Friday and arose on Sunday morning as they say, then He did not literally fulfill the sign of Jonah. If He did not fulfill this sign as He promised the Jews, then He was an impostor and not the Messiah! In other words, Jesus Christ lied to the Jews about His burial and resurrection.

If the Good Friday theory is correct as some teach, then the Bible contains "highly figurative language" which requires a human interpreter to tell people what the verses really mean. By this same liberal method of interpreting the Scriptures you can destroy every basic doctrine in the Bible.

I do not care very much for what scholars say! But I am greatly concerned about not accusing my Lord of lying! Jesus Christ plainly said He would be in the grave "three days and three nights". He emphatically declared He would rise again "after three days". I believe He fulfilled the sign of Jonah and vindicated His Messiahship. In Matthew 28:6, we read this testimony of the angel at the tomb:

"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said."

He said He would be in the grave "three days and three nights" and "after three days" He would rise again. Jesus did fulfill the Jonah sign. But He was not crucified on Good Friday, nor did He rise on Sunday morning!

The Part-of-a-Day Theory Wrong

Men, in order to get the Bible out of an embarrassing situation, allege that the Jews counted a part of a day as the whole day. Such passages as Genesis 42:17, 18; 1 Samuel 30:12, 13; Esther 4:15-17; 1 Kings 20:29; and 1 Chronicles 10:5 are cited to prove this theory. However, none of these passages prove "three days and three nights" means two nights and one day. Only one of them even contains the expression "three days and three nights" 1 Samuel 30:12. But there is absolutely no reason to give "three days and three nights" in 1 Samuel 30:12 any meaning except their literal meaning. Divine inspiration declares the young man "had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights." What authority has any man to contradict these plain words by affirming the time was not so long? The expression, "three days, night and day", in Esther 4:15, is not the same wording as "three days and three nights" in Matthew 12:40. There is no mention of any nights at all in the other passages; therefore, they give no evidence as to the meaning of "three days and three nights." There is no reason to take any of the passages cited in any sense except their literal sense, unless one has a theory to prove. The "three days and three nights" in Jonah 1:17 are to be taken in their literal sense.

Granting that some of the Jews did count a part of the day for a whole day, can it be proven that this is what Jesus meant? Can it be proven that the Jews counted a part of a day as a whole day and a whole night? Where is the proof in the inspired Word?

Yet, proponents of the Good Friday tradition want us to believe that a part of a day meant a whole day and a whole night. Men who believe the Bible to be literally true dare not accept such reasoning.

The Meaning of Day in the Bible

The word "day" in the Bible in its primary sense means the interval between dawn and darkness.

"And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night . . . " (Genesis 1:5, Compare Genesis 1:14-18; 8:22.)

This is the first occurrence of the word "day" in the Bible, and the Lord God himself gives its meaning. Jesus believed there were 12 hours in a day. He asked in John 11:9:

" . . . Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world."

Jesus made a day and night consist of 24 hours. Can there be any higher authorities than the Lord God and Jesus Christ? Do not such authorities settle the matter for all true believers?

In the Bible a day is the interval of time comprising the period between two successive risings of the sun (Genesis 7:24; Job 3:16). The Hebrews reckoned it from evening to evening Exodus 12:18,

" . . . from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath" (Leviticus 23:32).

The 12-hour night began at sunset and ended at sunup. It was counted before the 12-hour day.

"And the evening and the morning were the first day" (Genesis 1:5).

Hence a new day began at 6 o'clock in the evening and lasted until the same time the next evening--a period of 24 hours--a 12-hour night followed by a 12-hour day!

The Good Friday Hoax

The Bible nowhere says or implies that Jesus was crucified and died on Good Friday! It is said that Jesus was crucified on

"the day before the Sabbath", (Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:14, 31, 42).

As the Jewish weekly Sabbath came on Saturday, scholars have assumed Jesus was crucified on Good Friday. This is poor reasoning because the Bible bears abundant testimony that the Jews had other Sabbaths beside the weekly Sabbath which fell on Saturday.

The first day of the Passover week, no matter on what day of the week it came, was always an annual Sabbath.

"And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein" (Leviticus 23:6, 7).

On the seventh day of this feast, the 21st of Nisan, was another annual Sabbath:

" . . . in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein" (Leviticus 23:8).

The day of Pentecost was an annual Sabbath Numbers 28:26. This is the reason we read about Sabbaths in the plural number in the Old Testament Leviticus 26:2, 34, 35, 43.

The Bible makes it plain, Jesus was crucified and buried on:

" . . . the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath" (Mark 15:42).

John tells us:

"And it was the preparation of the Passover" (John 19:14).

It was the preparation day on which the Passover Supper was made ready [editor's note: actually it was the preparation for the Holy Day, the Night to Be Much Remembered], the 14th of Nisan John 13:1, 29; 18:28. It was the preparation to keep the Passover Sabbath--the annual Sabbath which always came on the 15th day of the first ecclesiastical month. John 19:31 adds:

" . . . (for that sabbath day was an high day) . . . ."

Its greatness was due to the fact that it was the annual Sabbath of the Passover Festival.

Two Sabbaths that Week

Matthew makes it plain that two Sabbaths had passed since Jesus was crucified. The KJV has this rendering:

"In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre" (Matthew 28:1).

On this verse nearly all translators have allowed tradition to control their translation. It is not "Sabbath" but "Sabbaths" in the Greek text (the genitive case and the plural number). The verse properly translated would read:

"In the end of the sabbaths . . . ."

This allows for an annual Sabbath on Thursday and a regular Sabbath on Saturday.

When Jesus was buried near sundown on the day of the Passover,

"Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary"

watched the burial Matthew 27:58-61. Immediately after the burial, Luke says:

"And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on" (Luke 3:54).

This Sabbath was an annual Sabbath on Thursday. The day after the annual Sabbath the women bought spices, Mark 16:1. Luke tells us that the women, after preparing the spices on Friday,

" . . . rested the sabbath day according to the commandment" (Luke 23:56).

The traditional interpretation makes Mark and Luke contradict each other. In Mark 16:1 we are informed that the Sabbath was past when the spices were purchased. "Had" is inserted without any authority from the Greek text.

"No reason can be given for the variation--bought sweet spices. Not had bought" (An American Commentary on the New Testament, Vol. 11, p. 251).

In Luke 23:56 we are told that the women prepared the spices and ointments, and rested the Sabbath day. If Jesus lay in the grave on Sabbath only, Mark and Luke contradict each other. But if He lay there two Sabbaths having a work day between them, then Mark and Luke harmonize to perfection.

The Resurrection Late Saturday Evening

When does the Bible say that Jesus rose from the dead? The two Mary's came to the tomb:

"in the end of the sabbath" (Matthew 28:1).

The Sabbath always ended at sunset:

"From even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath" (Leviticus 23:32).

Then they went to the tomb before sunset on Saturday. Jesus had risen from the dead before their arrival Matthew 28:1-8. According to the Bible, Jesus Christ arose before sunset on Saturday. Christ did not rise on Sunday morning, for the two Mary saw Him, heard Him speak, and held His feet just as the Sabbath ended and the first day of the week began.

"In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week . . ." (Matthew 28:1).

Mark 16:9 tells us Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene early the first day of the week, which was Saturday after sundown. The nearer after sunset this happened, the earlier in the first of the week it was. Mark does not say that she was alone at the time she first saw Jesus, and Matthew tells us that:

"the other Mary was with her" (Matthew 28:1).

The Date of the Crucifixion

Having shown from Matthew 28:1 that Jesus rose from the grave as the Sabbath ended at sunset and the first day of the week began, this would put the crucifixion on Wednesday at sunset just as the preparation day ended and the annual Sabbath commenced. According to the Gospel writers, Jesus died at the ninth hour (3:00 p.m. our time) and was buried about sunset that same day, Luke 23:44, 45, 50-54; Mark 15:33-38, 42-47.

If Jesus were buried at sunset on Wednesday and arose at sunset on Saturday, He fulfilled the sign of Jonah. He would have been in the grave Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Friday night--a full "three days". All together a full "three days and three nights." Thus we have a literal fulfillment of the words of Christ in Matthew 12:40. hence there is no need to follow Roman Catholic tradition which makes Jesus Christ a liar. Truly,

". . . He rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1Corinthians 15:4),

not the second day according to Roman Catholic tradition!

The Third Day

Some Scriptures speak of His resurrection

"after three days" (Mark 8:31; 9:31 R. V.; 10:34 R. V.; Matthew 27:63).

Other verses say

"three days" (Matthew 26:60, 61; 27:39, 40; Mark 14:58; 15:29, 30; John 2:19, 20).

Still others speak of

"the third day" (Matthew 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 27:64; Luke 9:22; 18;33; 24:6, 7, 21, 46; Acts 10:40; 1 Corinthians 16:4).

Some make much over "the third day" in Luke 24:21, and they affirm that if the crucifixion took place on Wednesday, Sunday would be the fourth day since these things were done. But the answer is simple. These things were done just as Thursday was beginning at sunset on Wednesday. They were therefore completed on Thursday, and the first day since Thursday would be Friday, the second day since Thursday would be Saturday, and "the third day since" Thursday would be Sunday, the first day of the week.

So the supposed objection in reality supports the Wednesday crucifixion. But if the crucifixion took place on Friday, by no manner of reckoning could Sunday be made "the third day since" these things were done.

Unless we believe the Bible contains errors, we know that all passages must harmonize. Therefore, "after three days" must mean the same as "the third day" Matthew 16:21.

There is nothing in the Bible to favor the Good Friday crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The biblical record harmonizes with a Wednesday crucifixion and Saturday evening resurrection--a full 72 hours. This view allows for a literal interpretation of "three days and three nights." It allows for the word "after three days" to mean just that. It proves that Jesus Christ fulfilled the sign of Jonah and thus proved His Messiahship to the Jews.

What Does The Fascination With Celebrities Say About Us?

2010-03-16T05:25:00.000-07:00

"Worldly things are fleeting"
Yesterday, Michael David Barrett was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison.

Of course, other "sex" scandals in the news lately have involved Tiger Woods and John Edwards/Rielle Hunter. But in all honesty, those smack of smug arrogance and feigned ignorance about what they were doing and the potential consequences of their actions. In Erin Andrew's case, it was a legitimate case of stalking.

The obsession with celebrities and everything about them, fast cars, bigger houses, more money, etc... are really indicative of a bigger symptom at work. It is the false belief that you can't be happy unless you are "famous", "rich", "popular" (insert your adjective here). This symptom is of course nothing new. It is human nature at work. In any given situation, you are going to have leaders and followers. Most people will follow especially when the "leaders" appeal to their innate desires and senses such as safety, security, or making all your problems go away. In ancient times, people were enthralled with emperors, their fancy togas, armor, chariots, and other artifacts of the ancient world. They claimed that on condition you give up essential liberty, they will protect you from barbarians and slaves. In modern times, we want presidents, congressmen and experts to protect us. They claim to make your food safe to eat, your water fit to drink, have lifetime employment so as long as you support collectivist policies, and a whole host of other things. How do you think someone like Hitler or Stalin were able to become as powerful as they were? They couldn't do it without the people.

Tied in with these empty promises, when we see the celebrities on the red carpet, all primed up and stepping out of the limo, or on the big/small screen, they are in the spotlight. They are in the position to be acknowledged. Underneath, we also desire to be acknowledged by others. Is your desire to be acknowledged or popular so great that you lose your head over it? Ask Michael David Barrett. There is nothing new under the sun. Somewhere along the lines, it is important to keep in mind that all things must come to an end. Sometimes it is a matter of fate. Sometimes it is a matter of the natural course that life takes. Sometimes it is of our own doing. Don't lose your head!

America Does Not Go In Search of Enemies Abroad

2010-03-15T09:08:00.001-07:00

"Most traditional conservatives believe we would not have nearly as many enemies around the world if we followed a non-interventionist foreign policy and did not get involved in so many religious, ethnic, and political disputes in other countries. The so-called Neo-Cons have great power but really are a small minority of American conservatives, if they are conservative at all." John Duncan, September 10, 2003

Spring Is Upon Us

2010-03-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

After a colder than usual February, Spring is gradually coming upon Tennessee. The average highs range in the 60's with lows in the 40's. The clouds have been opening up a good bit this past few days too. I just hope it doesn't rain all week when it happens to be Spring Break. The Tennessee Volunteers basketball team were beaten pretty bad by Kentucky yesterday. Hopefully, they will rebound during the NCAA Tournament. The football team begins practice next week and the Orange and White game will be April 17.

I am not blogging as often now due to school and just not having any hot topics to deal with right now.

Orange and Blue Game

2010-03-07T14:14:00.000-08:00

Carson-Newman had its Orange and Blue game on Saturday. The Blue team won 24-0.

Ken Sparks will be entering his 31st year as head coach. With a number of seniors graduating especially on offense, it is hard to tell how the team will do this upcoming season. They should be competitive as they usually are, but they will be hard pressed to go undefeated again. Nonetheless, it should be an interesting year especially with 32 freshman signees.

Would We Recognize Jesus Today?

2010-02-20T17:20:00.000-08:00

"But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless. " 'Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, "We are safe"-safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD." Jeremiah 7:8-11

There are 1,026,501,000 Roman Catholics and 316,445,000 Protestants in the world. Most Catholics are Roman Catholics; there are 60,018,436 in the United States. Protestants in the U.S. number 42,513,059 as of 1997. Of this, based on figures from the mid 1990's, in the United States, 28,921,564 individual Baptists in 122,811 local churches in 63 different denominational bodies. Worldwide one can identify 37,334,191 Baptists in 157,240 local Baptist churches. Those are impressive statistics. Yet, why do I as a life-long Baptist have this feeling that not many Baptists exist any longer? Why do I have this sense that Christians are invisible?

How is it in your part of the country? Are Baptists (and Christians in general) widely and popularly recognized today as the "stout champions of freedom"? Or is the popular image of Baptists in your part of the world by non-Baptists what it is in mine? And that is that we are narrow, provincial, even reactionary Christians, not freedom-loving freedom-fighters. Baptists in many places today are not seen as those who keep a sickle in their hands to root out the weeds of oppression and totalitarianism in the garden of life.

I have to admit: I have almost no faith in the human race. In the ten years since committing my life to Christ, the world has become a very strange place. Of course, the world didn't change. There is nothing new under the sun. What changed was me. My outlook on the world, myself and my relationship with God is what changed. Granted, I grew up in church, so I'm very familiar with the routine. I thought I was going to heaven at that time too. As it turns out, I wasn't even close. Merely calling oneself a Christian, having your name on an enrollment form or going through the conventional motions of religion isn't good enough in God's eyes. We may not burn incense to Baal, but we do worship other Gods. Those Gods particularly for the middle and upper class would be comfort, fame and fortune or its derivatives. There is nothing wrong with having a house, car or nice clothes in and of itself. But are these things obscuring our relationship with Christ? Are we truly blessed if we have these things? I seem to recall that the blessed are the peacemakers, the poor, the meek, etc...

Which brings me to Jesus. He stands anywhere between 6'0"-6'4", has an average build, a brown mullet, blue eyes and is always dressed in a sparkling white toga. Yet, it is not known if Jesus ever sat for his portrait. The Gospels provide no physical description of Jesus. There is no mention of what day Jesus was born. Was Jesus really born in a motel? What was the innkeepers name? What is going on here?

What is going on is this: We've created Jesus in our image. We put our spin on the Bible in order to make it fit our culture. Jesus who was persecuted and murdered in his own day is now acceptable and spoken on the lips of people everywhere. Not bad for being dead.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is referred to as being a lawgiver re-establishing the covenant through Abraham, Moses and David. Jesus came to establish not a physical kingdom, but a spiritual kingdom and the good news was to go out to the world at large. This is the symbolism behind the torn curtain in the temple. The temple having been cursed by Jesus (parable of the fig tree), the 2nd and final destruction took place in 70 A.D. The deceivers who claim that Solomon's Temple must be rebuilt in order to usher in the return of Jesus are engaging in heresy and idol worship. They seek to lock people out of God's kingdom. By claiming that rebuilding Solomon's temple is a prerequisite for Jesus's return, they are saying God operates according to man's agendas. They also deny that Jesus is the Messiah. Beware of those who claim that Jesus blesses the powerful and wolves in sheep's clothing. Satan also claims to be the Messiah and performs many "miracles".

Take a close look at the genealogy of Jesus. There are five women mentioned: Tamar, Rehab, wife of Uriah (Bathsheba), Ruth and Mary. Bathsheba? The woman whom King David had an affair with? Yes! Tamar, Rehab, and Ruth also had engaged in questionable conduct. There are six women who factor into the account of the Exodus: Shipharh, Pual (mid-wives), Miriam (sister), Jochebed (mother), Zipporah (wife) and the Pharoah's daughter.

What is going on here? These accounts portray a Jesus that is very different than what our culture portrays him as being. Jesus came for the women, the lepers, the lame, the outcasts, the poor, the persecuted, the downtrodden, well you get the picture.

God came to liberate us. Jesus was the cumulation of His plan all along going back to Abraham. Women's liberation, civil rights, natural rights or what have you were being done 2,000 years ago and even earlier. It is just that the world took that long to catch up and yet still, we have ways to go.

So Would We Recognize Jesus Today? I doubt it.

Our Time of Lamentation

2010-02-19T04:15:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem
I don't have to tell you things are bad. It's crazy. In fact, it is worse than crazy. It is the Great Depression II and we are not even halfway through it. But I saw this coming years ago and have in addition to preparing myself as best as I can, I've attempted to warn others and offered advice on how to prepare.
But this isn't a technological failure nor will our modern day conveniences be able to save us. You can't change human nature.

Unfortunately, most people as it turns out are blind and deaf. Instead of listening to me, you either ignored me or persecuted me just like you did Amos, Elijah and Jeremiah. You ignore the poor, you insult the widow in front of her children, you taunt the crippled, you laugh at the cancer patient, you call your injustice system a justice system, you turn the place of worship into a den of vipers and create money out of thin air. Then you turn around and say to yourself, "I'm going to heaven!" Even Satan says that. But what does God say?

30 million people are out of work or only working part-time when they would rather be working full-time. The divorce and suicide rates are up as if they weren't high enough already. Birth and marriage rates are down. Based on how things turned out in light of my warnings years ago, I should be getting the last laugh. But I'm not laughing.

So what happened? In a nutshell, we like people of the past lost sight of what is really important in life. What do you do when you lose your job? Your house? Get divorced? After you lose just about everything, what is to become of you? We failed to take responsibility for ourselves and our families. "Let the government take care of it!" "Taxes are what we pay for living in a civilized society!" Well, the Germans thought they were free too. "I was just doing what I was told" is not going to be good enough for God.

If you asked me ten years ago where I saw myself ten years from now, it would be something along the lines of moving to Los Angeles or Nashville and working in the movies or what not. Well, life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. In fact, our lives are planned out from birth until at least 65. Do this when you are 5. Graduate from high school when you are 18 and college at 22. Go work for a Fortune 500 company for the next 43 years. Retire, collect your pension, social security, medicare and live happily ever after. Well, that grand plan for our lives isn't working out so well is it? So much for social efficiency.

I challenge you to open your ears and eyes. I dare you to get outside your comfort zone. I invite you to do a term search on this blog for "16th Amendment", "Rothschild", "Council on Foreign Relations", or "National Emergency Center".

You can either acquire proper knowledge or perish. So I leave you with this question: What shall become of me?

The World According to Genesis

2010-02-16T14:49:00.000-08:00

Let me ask you a question: How familiar are you with the account of Genesis? You are probably feeling pretty confident that you know what it says. Would it surprise you to know that this creation account is not the only one in the Bible? For further reading, check out Psalms 74:12-17, Psalms 104:1-8, Job 38, Proverbs 8:1-31, and Isaiah 45:12-13.

At one time, I thought I knew what it said until I actually took the time to sit down and read it word for word. What do I mean by this? What I mean is that our culture has created an account of Genesis, the Four Gospels, Revelations among others into something that is akin to pop culture, something that fits into our modern day prism of life. We are suffering from cultural inertia.

Was Jesus born on December 25? It might help to know about the Winter Solstice. Here is a hint: the Bible never mentions what day Jesus was born.

Was Jesus born in an inn? I don't think they had hotel chains back in the day.

Did Jesus cleanse the temple? I recall there being something having to do with cursing the temple as in being like a fig tree that no longer bears fruit.

Did Paul really say that men should abuse their wives? That is what Planned Parenthood and NOW claim. But we know how credible they are when it comes to issues relating to marriage, family and what not.

For the sake of brevity, I'm going to focus on the account of Eve and the serpent. The story goes like this: Eve was taking a stroll somewhere in the Garden of Eden while Adam is off somewhere perhaps tending to his chores. A serpent (there is no mention of the serpent being Satan) walks up to Eve and begins talking. Eve is tempted into taking an apple off the tree in the middle of the garden and eats it. Adam walks up sometime later and takes a bite too. God finds out about their transgression and kicks them out of the Garden of Eden forever.

Now open your Bible to Genesis 3. Very carefully read verses 1-7. Do you notice something odd going on? For one, it makes no mention of an apple. Simply fruit. It could have been figs or olives for all we know. Verse 6 (NIV) reads "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it."

"She also gave some to her husband, [WHO WAS WITH HER], and he ate it."

This differs from the image in our heads about Eve going for some lonely afternoon stroll and Adam just happened to stumble upon her after she had eaten the fruit. So why didn't Adam stop Eve from doing so? Adam states to God that he ate the fruit that Eve gave her and Eve states that she was tricked by a sneaky serpent. The bottom line is that in seeking to "be like God, knowing good and evil," Adam and Eve sought to place themselves on a pedestal that is unobtainable. After all, "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand." Job 38:4

For some insight on what is going on here, Isaiah 45:12-13 provides us with a clue. I found it interesting that this passage mentions Cyrus (as in Cyrus The Great) and the exiles returning home. This particular event occurred in 538 B.C. after Cyrus conquered the Babylonian Empire. The Babylonian captivity began in 597 B.C. with the major part of it occurring in 587 B.C. This gives us a framework in which to refer to. No one is certain who the specific authors of the Old Testament accounts are. Most likely, they were complied by a group of Hebrew priests. The Babylonian exiles were largely people from the upper class, the priesthood and landowning families. Now imagine that you are living in Babylon and you are hearing accounts from the natives about how the earth and heavens were created as a result of some cosmic battle between Gods. You are reading about how the Earth came into being and credit is being given to a foreign God or Gods. The creation stories in the Hebrew Bible particularly Genesis apparently are a metaphor developed in response to the Enuma Elish as is Noah's Ark is in response to Gilgamesh.

People in our modern world by and large take for granted our ability of literacy. We can go to a library where there are hundreds if not thousands of pieces of literature. Literacy in the ancient world by and large pertained to usually no more than 5% of the population. To be literate in the ancient world is akin to being in charge of the money today. They didn't have a printing press, blogs, and the various wireless technologies that are so much a part of our world. These creation accounts never were meant to be taken with a view of them being "scientific". People of the ancient world didn’t have the understanding of the natural world as modern people do. How can one account for the physical aspects when one doesn’t have the knowledge of DNA, geology, physics among other natural sciences. If humans didn't create the Earth, the stars, the galaxies, then what did? Science merely attempts to explain the natural world. It does not prove nor disprove the existence of God or Gods. Faith and science are not opponents. To suggest they are opponents is to imply that since Peyton Manning is a pro football player, it must be because he can't sing very well. Ultimately, faith and science have different criteria and serve different purposes.

5 Reasons Why Christians (and non-Christians) Should Not Obtain a State Marriage License

2010-02-14T08:06:00.000-08:00

by Pastor Matt Trewhella

Every year thousands of Christians amble down to their local county courthouse and obtain a marriage license from the State in order to marry their future spouse. They do this unquestioningly. They do it because their pastor has told them to go get one, and besides, "everybody else gets one." Why should we not get one?

1. The definition of a "license" demands that we not obtain one to marry. Black’s Law Dictionary defines "license" as, "The permission by competent authority to do an act which without such permission, would be illegal." We need to ask ourselves- why should it be illegal to marry without the State’s permission? More importantly, why should we need the State’s permission to participate in something which God instituted (Gen. 2:18-24)? We should not need the State’s permission to marry nor should we grovel before state officials to seek it. What if you apply and the State says "no"? You must understand that the authority to license implies the power to prohibit. A license by definition "confers a right" to do something. The State cannot grant the right to marry. It is a God-given right.

2. When you marry with a marriage license, you grant the State jurisdiction over your marriage. When you marry with a marriage license, your marriage is a creature of the State. It is a corporation of the State! Therefore, they have jurisdiction over your marriage including the fruit of your marriage. What is the fruit of your marriage? Your children and every piece of property you own. There is plenty of case law in American jurisprudence which declares this to be true.

In 1993, parents were upset here in Wisconsin because a test was being administered to their children in the government schools which was very invasive of the family’s privacy. When parents complained, they were shocked by the school bureaucrats who informed them that their children were required to take the test by law and that they would have to take the test because they (the government school) had jurisdiction over their children. When parents asked the bureaucrats what gave them jurisdiction, the bureaucrats answered, "your marriage license and their birth certificates." Judicially, and in increasing fashion, practically, your state marriage license has far-reaching implications.

3. When you marry with a marriage license, you place yourself under a body of law which is immoral. By obtaining a marriage license, you place yourself under the jurisdiction of Family Court which is governed by unbiblical and immoral laws. Under these laws, you can divorce for any reason. Often, the courts side with the spouse who is in rebellion to God, and castigates the spouse who remains faithful by ordering him or her not to speak about the Bible or other matters of faith when present with the children.

As a minister, I cannot in good conscience perform a marriage which would place people under this immoral body of laws. I also cannot marry someone with a marriage license because to do so I have to act as an agent of the State! I would have to sign the marriage license, and I would have to mail it into the State. Given the State’s demand to usurp the place of God and family regarding marriage, and given it’s unbiblical, immoral laws to govern marriage, it would be an act of treason for me to do so.

4. The marriage license invades and removes God-given parental authority. When you read the Bible, you see that God intended for children to have their father’s blessing regarding whom they married. Daughters were to be given in marriage by their fathers (Dt. 22:16; Ex. 22:17; I Cor. 7:38). We have a vestige of this in our culture today in that the father takes his daughter to the front of the altar and the minister asks, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

Historically, there was no requirement to obtain a marriage license in colonial America. When you read the laws of the colonies and then the states, you see only two requirements for marriage. First, you had to obtain your parents permission to marry, and second, you had to post public notice of the marriage 5-15 days before the ceremony.

Notice you had to obtain your parents permission. Back then you saw godly government displayed in that the State recognized the parents authority by demanding that the parents permission be obtained. Today, the all-encompassing ungodly State demands that their permission be obtained to marry.

By issuing marriage licenses, the State is saying, "You don’t need your parents permission, you need our permission." If parents are opposed to their child’s marrying a certain person and refuse to give their permission, the child can do an end run around the parents authority by obtaining the State’s permission, and marry anyway. This is an invasion and removal of God-given parental authority by the State.

5. When you marry with a marriage license, you are like a polygamist. From the State’s point of view, when you marry with a marriage license, you are not just marrying your spouse, but you are also marrying the State.

The most blatant declaration of this fact that I have ever found is a brochure entitled "With This Ring I Thee Wed." It is found in county courthouses across Ohio where people go to obtain their marriage licenses. It is published by the Ohio State Bar Association. The opening paragraph under the subtitle "Marriage Vows" states, "Actually, when you repeat your marriage vows you enter into a legal contract. There are three parties to that contract. 1.You; 2. Your husband or wife, as the case may be; and 3. the State of Ohio."

See, the State and the lawyers know that when you marry with a marriage license, you are not just marrying your spouse, you are marrying the State! You are like a polygamist! You are not just making a vow to your spouse, but you are making a vow to the State and your spouse. You are also giving undue jurisdiction to the State.

When Does the State Have Jurisdiction Over a Marriage?

God intended the State to have jurisdiction over a marriage for two reasons - 1). in the case of divorce, and 2). when crimes are committed i.e., adultery, bigamy. etc. Unfortunately, the State now allows divorce for any reason, and it does not prosecute for adultery.

In either case, divorce or crime, a marriage license is not necessary for the courts to determine whether a marriage existed or not. What is needed are witnesses. This is why you have a best man and a maid of honor. They should sign the marriage certificate in your family Bible, and the wedding day guest book should be kept.

Marriage was instituted by God, therefore it is a God-given right. According to Scripture, it is to be governed by the family, and the State only has jurisdiction in the cases of divorce or crime.

History of Marriage Licenses in America

George Washington was married without a marriage license. So, how did we come to this place in America where marriage licenses are issued?

Historically, all the states in America had laws outlawing the marriage of blacks and whites. In the mid-1800’s, certain states began allowing interracial marriages or miscegenation as long as those marrying received a license from the state. In other words they had to receive permission to do an act which without such permission would have been illegal.

Blacks Law Dictionary points to this historical fact when it defines "marriage license" as, "A license or permission granted by public authority to persons who intend to intermarry." "Intermarry" is defined in Black’s Law Dictionary as, "Miscegenation; mixed or interracial marriages."

Give the State an inch and they will take a 100 miles (or as one elderly woman once said to me "10,000 miles.") Not long after these licenses were issued, some states began requiring all people who marry to obtain a marriage license. In 1923, the Federal Government established the Uniform Marriage and Marriage License Act (they later established the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act). By 1929, every state in the Union had adopted marriage license laws.

What Should We Do?

Christian couples should not be marrying with State marriage licenses, nor should ministers be marrying people with State marriage licenses. Some have said to me, "If someone is married without a marriage license, then they aren’t really married." Given the fact that states may soon legalize same-sex marriages, we need to ask ourselves, "If a man and a man marry with a State marriage license, and a man and woman marry without a State marriage license - who’s really married? Is it the two men with a marriage license, or the man and woman without a marriage license? In reality, this contention that people are not really married unless they obtain a marriage license simply reveals how Statist we are in our thinking. We need to think biblically. (As for homosexuals marrying, outlaw sodomy as God's law demands, and there will be no threat of sodomites marrying.)

You should not have to obtain a license from the State to marry someone anymore than you should have to obtain a license from the State to be a parent, which some in academic and legislative circles are currently pushing to be made law.

When I marry a couple, I always buy them a Family Bible which contains birth and death records, and a marriage certificate. We record the marriage in the Family Bible. What’s recorded in a Family Bible will stand up as legal evidence in any court of law in America. Early Americans were married without a marriage license. They simply recorded their marriages in their Family Bibles. So should we.

(Pastor Trewhella has been marrying couples without marriage licenses for ten years. Many other pastors also refuse to marry couples with State marriage licenses.)

A Warning From Amos

2010-02-05T04:28:00.000-08:00

“I, the Sovereign Lord, am watching this sinful nation of Israel. I will destroy it from the face of the earth. But I will never completely destroy the family of Israel” says the Lord. For I will give the command and will shake Israel along with the other nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, yet not one true kernel will be lost. But all the sinners will die by the sword all those who say, ‘Nothing bad will happen to us.’ Amos 9:8-10

Anyone who has studied the Old Testament will tell you that Israel had a bad habit of turning its back on God whether it be worshiping other Gods, idols or claiming that sin was being carried out with God's approval. But as one reads the Prophets especially Amos, one realizes that God will not hold back judgment because Israel refuses to listen to the prophets and even goes so far as to try to silence them (2:12, 3:8, 7:10-17).

Needless to say, Amos's message of social justice and retribution was not welcome in Israel. Amos is thought to have been set sometime around 750 B.C.E. During this time, Israel, the northern kingdom (presently most of Lebanon) had gone astray. The urban elites through credit manipulation and debt instruments, were able to drive the farmers away from their land and amass ill-gotten fortune for themselves. The elites had become smug to the point of mocking Amos's pleas of justice. The court system similarly was corrupt and unduly influenced. "They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name." Amos 2:7

The central idea of the book of Amos is that God puts his people on the same level as the nations that surround it - God expects the same purity of them all. As it is with all nations that rise up against the kingdom of God, even Israel and Judah will not be exempt from the judgment of God because of their idolatry and unjust ways. The nation that represents Yahweh must be made pure of anything or anyone that profanes the name of God. God's name must be upheld above all else. These themes are very much relevant to today's world. Committing atrocities in the name of God will not absolve individuals or nations of their sins.

Libertarian Party presidential candidate expresses viewpoints during Knoxville visit

2010-01-30T20:10:00.000-08:00

(Originally published in the East Tennessee Business Journal July 2004;
View more at Michael Badnarik visits East Tennessee)

By Jayne Andrews, East Tennessee Business Journal

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. On July 1, Libertarian Party presidential candidate, Michael Badnarik, made a five-hour visit here to meet with local supporters and answer questions from the media. He attended a luncheon at the Mandarin House sponsored by the Knox County Libertarian Party. The event attracted Republicans, Democrats, and Green Party members as well as people who said they attended because they had never met a presidential candidate in person before.

Badnarik, a computer programmer from Texas and Constitutional scholar, also teaches Constitution classes. He was nominated at the Libertarian Party's national convention, which was held in Atlanta in late May 2004.

Badnarik's vice presidential running mate is Richard Campagna, a native of New York, now living in Iowa. Campagna is an attorney who has practiced, counseled and taught law for over 25 years. He has led seminars in all 50 states and every continent of the world and has an extensive record of public and community service. Additionally, Badnarik's mother, Elaine Badnarik, is the Libertarian Party's candidate for lieutenant governor in Indiana.

The Libertarian Party is the third-largest political party in the U.S., and well known for their emphasis on smaller government, civil liberties and personal freedom, a commitment to a free market economy and adherence to the Constitution. Libertarians are against gun control and believe that the "War on Drugs" has raised the price on all drugs, making them "profitable enough to kill for." They claim the Department of Education is unconstitutional, and not doing its job. Libertarians also support a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace and free trade, as prescribed by America's founders.

Badnarik answered the following questions from East Tennessee Business Journal and the audience:

Q. Where do you stand on property rights?
A. You have a right to all of your property, but you do not have a right to anyone else's property. When the government takes someone else's property in order to give it to you although you didn't do the stealing the government did it for you, and it is still government theft.

Q. What should we do about Social Security?
A. We have two groups of people who are pitted against each other. The older people who have already paid in to Social Security are expecting some sort of benefits so they can retire when they are too old to work any longer. The young people recognize that this is a sinking ship and they don't want to be forced to continue paying into Social Security. We need to be able to separate the two groups and find a way to take care of our elderly who unfortunately allowed the government to take responsibility for their retirement, which was a bad decision. We need to allow the young people to invest their money for their retirement. The baby boomers are going to cause this problem to really explode when they begin to retire in 2008.

Q. How did you feel when you were nominated as your party's presidential candidate, and how will you campaign?
A. I was a wee bit surprised that I was the one chosen, but am very honored. My first words in my acceptance speech were, "Never in my wildest dreams." I will continue to work very hard to bring the Libertarian message to Americans all the way up to the election. I want to bring as many people as I can into the Libertarian Party, which is strongly unified right now. I have found that people like me and know that I have integrity. Our slogan is "The Party of Principle" and I try very hard to live up to that. The media has taken a great interest in my campaign, and I have interviews booked all day every day. We have three people who do nothing but field phone calls from the media and organize my interviews.

Q. Where does the Libertarian Party stand on gay marriage?
A. Some members of the Libertarian Party are pro-life, some are pro-choice. As libertarians, we respect each other's right to our own beliefs. Personally, I believe that when two people say "If do," the government has no business saying, "Oh no, you don't." Politicians don't get to decide whose baby can be baptized, who can receive Holy Communion or who can get bar mitzvahed and they shouldn't get to decide who gets married either.

Q. Where do you stand on the environment?
A. Libertarians want clean water and air, and we want to protect the environment. I think I'm a wonderful spokesperson for the environment since I was a Boy Scout for 12 years and a Scout Master for 10 years. But having the government take care of environmental matters is probably the worst solution. We all know that any time the government does something, it costs 10 times as much as it normally would, and it doesn't work it creates more problems. The Bureau of Land Management polices forest area so that paper mills can come in and clear cut. Does that sound like protecting the environment? Having more government is not the answer, which we have already seen demonstrated. We can prove that private ownership is the only way. If a paper mill owns the land, they are only going to cut selected trees and will spend a lot of money to reforest that area so they've got resources in the future.

Q. What about deficit spending?
A. Every college student that leaves home learns one simple rule you can't spend more than you bring in. If a college kid leaving home can figure this out, why can't Congress? We have a $700 billion per year deficit that's $700 billion per year they spend that is not in the budget. That's absolutely criminal, and we the people need to hold the people in Congress responsible.

Q. What would you do about economic development in the U.S. if you were elected president?
A. We would eliminate the Internal Revenue Service so people would have more money to invest. We would eliminate the Federal Reserve Bank, to stop inflating our economy and we would eliminate NAFTA and any other free trade agreement the government has come up with which doesn't provide free trade. What it does is provide "managed trade," creating a hostile economic climate for businesses large and small. It puts small businesses out of business, and causes large businesses to move jobs and manufacturing overseas. There is no possible way that American businesses can compete with the yoke of government regulations around their neck. As Libertarians, we believe in the free market and that means we are going to remove regulations and allow businesses to do what they do best provide goods and services.

Q. What would you do to reduce the national debt?
A. I would assign my friend, Bernard von NotHaus, as the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Bernard was the royal mint master of Hawaii for over 20 years, and is the designer of the Liberty Dollar, private silver currency in the U.S. He understands the economy far better than I do. My personal reaction is that the national debt was perpetrated under fraud and could justifiably be repudiated. Bernard says that while that may satisfy my emotional instincts, there are better things we can do to eliminate the debt without causing economic distress.

Q. What would you do to downsize the scope and size of the federal government property ownership?
A. The federal government has no reason to own as much property as it does. I believe the federal government owns at least 90 percent of Nevada. While we may be able to sell off federal property, I don't know how much money it would bring in, and so I don't know how much debt we would be able to pay off. However, I would like to eliminate federal property. Property should either belong to the states or to individuals.

Q. American property owners and business owners are constantly concerned about potential lawsuits and the government shutting businesses down. How would you change this?
A. We would make the justice system actually mean something. One of the first things I would do as president would be to eliminate the idea of sovereign immunity for the government. The 1st Amendment not only protects our freedom of speech and our freedom of religion, but it also protects our right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. That's Founding Fathers' talk for you can sue the government and win. But the federal government has set itself up as bulletproof. Anytime they do something, theoretically you cannot sue them because they are the government and were obviously just doing things in your best interests. That is not true. We the people have rights, and we grant limited privileges to the government. Not only can we take those privileges away from them anytime we want, we can also file a lawsuit against the government and win.

Badnarik said that he has campaign volunteers from all 50 states, and that he believes his background as a technical trainer and computer programmer gives him the ability to communicate his party's message so that all Americans can understand it.

"If I'm talking to a Democrat, that person is usually complaining that I'll steal votes from the Democrats, " he said. "If I'm talking to a Republican, they think I'm stealing votes from the Republicans. I'd like to point out that the candidates don't own the votes. The voters do."

Class Warfare Strategy

2010-01-23T09:24:00.000-08:00

"Yes, we did produce a near perfect Republic. But will they keep it, or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom? Material abundance without character is the surest way to destruction." Thomas Jefferson

(Originally published in 2002)

The problem with revolutions, historically, has always been that the Revolutionaries themselves gradually morph into the new power structure that must again be removed by revolution. It is inevitable that the Ring of Power will ultimately, and inevitably, corrupt its wielder, no matter how iron willed or noble he or she may be. So what is a person to do?

1. Start producing your own food.

Currently we eat food extracted via "agricultural strip mining” that is over processed and shipped thousands of miles to our table. Every time we eat at McDonald’s or buy groceries at Kroger, we are supporting the monster that is strangling us. Do business at community gardens, food co-operatives, community supported agriculture, and farmer's markets. Leave nutrition, and money, right where it belongs, LOCALLY!

Besides who’s to say that the higher-ups at Kroger or Wal-Mart may decide we don't wish to be in the grocery business anymore. What will you do when you can't shop for it?

2. Start small businesses and manufacture basic needs at home.

Stop buying useless plastic crap that you saw on TV, turn off the TV! Or shoot it! Own the means of production, however modest. A good set of tools or books are worth far more than any SUV or swimming pool. Materialism is what is suffocating us. While there may be nothing wrong with having a car in and of itself or a bunch of different gadgets, simplicity is really a better way to go. Plus, you will have more time to pursue other matters that are otherwise being used to pay off your bills.

3. Own your own home.

Get the Landlord's hand out of your pocket, and assure yourself of shelter. Look for ways to make them energy efficient.

4. Get out of debt.

Buy no mortgages; send your credit card back to the credit card company (in pieces). Make life decisions based on your actual worth as opposed to being driven by debt.

Of course what bills you do have, pay them on time.

5. Consider alternative forms of information.

Cancel your magazine and newspaper subscriptions. Develop alternative sources of information. Broadcast pirate radio, operate your own newspapers, and search for alternative news on the web.

6. Get involved in local politics.

Make it clear to local politicians that following the statist or corporate agendas will result in noisy and effective locally based opposition to re-election. It is the School Board that signs the contract to feed corporate glop to our children, it is the County Sheriff who enlarges his domain with Drug War confiscations, and it is the County Executive who labors day and night to give away our lands and forests for golf courses and industrial parks.

Getting involved in local politics is almost a necessity. On the other hand, don’t live off the system.

7. Actively reduce tax bite.

Buy your needs from small biz and local manufacturers. Buy from flea markets and yard sales. Barter heavily. Avoid heavily taxed industries and products. Don't be a mindless "Consumer".

8. Own a gun.

Practice with it and see that your family and children are familiar with its use and care. If enough of us own one then there will probably never be a need to use it in anger.

9. Stop going to the hospital.

I guess it might be one thing to go if you are dying of a heart attack. Of course, if you are going to die, then you are going to die. But going because you cut your finger or because you have a headache I'm sure would at least in part contribute to these rising healthcare costs. Just walk it off or create your own medical supplies.

10. If you have to, set up a budget.

Don't look at the budget when shopping, but note the amounts you spend in the category of clothes, food, subcategory sweets, misc, etc... You would be amazed on where the money is being spent. Further, you might consider breaking them into groupings such as credit, cash, checks, liberty dollars, etc... Ask your employer about alternatives forms of payments. Ask your bank for redemption in lawful money (i.e. silver and gold coin), but don’t count on it.

Briefly this is a plan for seizing the means of production and taking back control of our lives. You might choose to do one, a few or all of these things and more. It won't be easy. Old habits die hard. When it appears that the plan may actually be succeeding, rest assured you will get your chance to die for the cause. But we owe it to our children to see that it does succeed.

The key is to do it eventually and it will be done in phases. You might do one of these things, some of them or all of them and more. Learn about architecture. Learn about agriculture. Learn other ways to do things in order to be self-sufficient. If you have a car, don't buy one every three years. Take a bus or learn to ride a bicycle. Riding a horse also works. It takes some time to phase out elements of your current lifestyle and work in the new.

Why Is The United States in Haiti?

2010-01-21T11:32:00.001-08:00

"I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class thug for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents." Smedley Butler, Maj. Gen., USMC

Why has the United States government been sending troops to Haiti while at the same time preventing aid workers from being able to get to the injured workers? For example, a French plane with an emergency field hospital was turned back Friday. Doctors Without Borders said that its cargo plane with 12 tons of medical supplies had been turned away from Port-au-Prince airport 3 times since Sunday.

Since I was a teenager, I've known about the U.S. foreign policy aims particularly in Central and South America. Troops have been sent to Guatemala on behalf of the American Fruit Company (now Chiquita), Standard Oil Company in Venezuela, the CIA has staged coups and funded death squads, not to mention involvement in Cuba, The Philippines, Tonga, and numerous other places around the world going back to 1800. This is not something you would read about in your school textbooks.

Which brings us to Haiti. Troops were first sent there in 1915 and the government has been involved in its affairs on and off since that time. In a nutshell, it is due to oil. There will be some who claim that the military is there to stabilize the situation on the ground and open the roads for aid workers. The military is trained for a very specific purpose and it isn't to render aid to people. As many as 20,000 people are dying per day while what is being uploaded are military supplies and troops. Very little humanitarian aid has been let in. This should disturb those who have a conscience. As the saying goes, "Never let a crisis go to waste".

Why I Could Have Cared Less About the Massachusetts Senate Race

2010-01-20T11:54:00.000-08:00

So finally the race to fill Ted Kennedy's seat is over with Scott Brown winning 53% of the vote in a three-way race against Martha Coakley and Joe Kennedy.

I suppose if I was voting, I would have chosen Joe Kennedy since I'm not inclined to vote for any proponent of expanded government regardless of party label. But all in all, I could care less. So yeah, they still claim that they can "[c]reate jobs, reduce pollution, and stop sending billions overseas for foreign oil from countries that would do us harm." It is the same old argument every election cycle, but nothing changes.

Presidential candidates in 2008 spent over 1 billion dollars. That is on top of the very individuals who take 50% of our money in the form of taxes and run up debts in the trillions of dollars in order to fund things like animal mating habits, swine odor and manure management or recreational grounds. We donate money and vote for candidates on the basis that they will make our lives comfortable or make our problems go away, the very problems they create in the first place or they make worse by meddling where they have no business meddling.

With $1 billion dollars, the food banks and pantries could purchase enough food to feed five million people every day for a year. Around the world in a year, around 10 million people starve to death and close to a billion people are malnourished. Is it due to the Earth outgrowing it capacity? No, it is something else entirely. As Walter Williams so succinctly put it, "[The] problems are really a result of socialistic government practices that reduce the capacity of people to educate, clothe, house and feed themselves. Poor countries are rife with agricultural restrictions controls, export and import controls, restrictive licensing, price controls, not to mention gross human rights abuses that encourage their most productive people to emigrate. The most promising anti-poverty tool for poor people and poor countries is personal liberty."

With $1 billion using $100,000 as a baseline, 10,000 housing units could be built. Depending on how many people live in each unit, we could give tens of thousands of people housing while they could then be able to work on whatever caused them to wind up homeless in the first place whether it is job loss, depression, alcoholism, etc... It beats having to return to sleeping on concrete or cardboard boxes every night while they can have the chance to put their lives back to together and it beats having billions being wasted on social welfare programs overseen by career bureaucrats who have an interest in keeping the status quo going.

Hopefully, this will be something to think about the next time you head to the polls. As for me, I'm thinking about writing in None of the Above.

Why Are We So Unhappy?

2010-01-17T07:01:00.000-08:00

I wander thro' each charter'd street,
Near where the charter'd Thames does flow,
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every Man,
In every Infant's cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban,
The mind-forg'd manacles I hear.

How the Chimney-sweeper's cry
Every black'ning Church appalls;
And the hapless Soldier's sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls.

But most thro' midnight streets I hear
How the youthful Harlot's curse
Blasts the new born Infant's tear,
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse.
William Blake, London

"London" was written by William Blake in 1794. I couldn't help but to notice the rather interesting correlation between what Blake was referring to in the late 18th century and what so many people are dealing with in the 21st century. Just more proof that indeed on a fundamental level, human beings haven't really changed all that much and especially not in politics where sadly enough the masses think that change is supposed to occur.

Around the same time, Thomas Jefferson wrote these words: "If it is believed that elementary schools will be better managed by the governor and council, the commissioners of the literary fund or any other general authority of the government than by the parents within each ward, it is a belief against all experience. Try the principle one step further, and commit to the governor and council the management of all our farms, our mills and merchants' stores."

Yet what kind of world do we live in? We are told what to do by our parents, the teachers, experts, politicians, talking heads, reality shows and non reality shows. Our lives are run by costume designers, script writers, stunt men, producers, directors, assistant directors, acrobats, football players and wet t-shirt contestants. I personally prefer to watch the mud and oil wrestling myself.

We live in a world where the machine rules. The past 100-150 years have been about the assembly line, the telephone, the machine gun, first steamboats, now airlines which has extremely poor customer service. It was a joyful ride on trains and now we are always in a rush to get to work every day in our automobiles. Even our vacations are a rush if we have a vacation at all.

We live in a world where our lives are planned out from birth to death. It is the "social security card", medicare, medicaid, get our degrees and we are set for life kind of living. We have Blackberries, palm pilots, faxes, computers, cell phone in one hand, steering wheel in the other.

You were once a boy who used to play baseball or football, but for whatever reason you aren't playing now. You are working the graveyard shift pushing carts and merchandise around. You were once a girl who began dance lessons when you were 5, you dreamed of being a professional ballet dancer, dreamed of being a figure skater or an actress, but for whatever reason, you aren't doing it now. You worked the same factory job for 30 years. But now at age 50, with only a high school diploma, where do you go from here? Do you go to school and seek to become a nurse? Do you open your own business making cakes and cookies? Do you commit suicide because you are trapped by mind-forg'd manacles?

Now I want all of you to get up. Take a deep breath. Move away from your computers and television sets, put down your Blackberries and just walk away. Walk into your bathroom (which is about the only place you have any quiet time for yourself) and look at yourself in the mirror. Don't say anything. Just look. Then ask yourself this question: What shall I do with my life?" Only you can answer that question. No one else. Not your teacher nor the experts. So what shall YOU do with your life?

Volunteers Have A New Football Coach (Supposedly)

2010-01-15T15:29:00.001-08:00

The Tennessee Volunteers apparently have its new football coach lined up in Derek Dooley. But we will know for sure at a scheduled press conference at 9 p.m. EST (after the department originally stated that the conference would take place at 9 tomorrow morning). Anything can happen between now and then. I will reserve judgment on Dooley specifically until after he has been given a chance.

Unlike most people, I know better than to believe everything I hear or read including official reports. I have to give the local media a poor grade for just jumping on every tidbit of info and rumors as if it meant anything. First it as Muschamp, then Cutcliffe, then Fulmer and everyone in between. Whatever happened to accuracy and fairness? Such is the world we live in. I think I speak for many people when I say that there is a part of me that is disgusted with the undue influence that money and politics has in pro sports. We've witnessed the same nonsense at the college level. This topic is nothing new. I've read accounts from the 1920's dealing with these same issues.

I figured as early as September of 2008 that it was probably going to be Phil Fulmer's last year. I had mixed feelings about it all. I had to acknowledge his dedication and passion for the university, but also recognized that perhaps he became too comfortable and with that, he was so set in his ways that he was unable to make necessary adjustments. Then again, making adjustments wasn't his strong point in coaching.

Too often, football coaches and administrators only look at the $$$ and ignore people who are in coaching or want to coach because they love it. Mike Hamilton has set the UT football program back a few years with this nonsense. He couldn't even get Will Muschamp to come here for $3 million a year. Either Mr. Hamilton is doing a poor job of salesmanship or there is something I am missing. Neyland Stadium speaks for itself. 100,000+ fans, fantastic facilities, and the traditions speak volumes. Yet, there were a handful of coaches turning the position down before they were even approached. So my conclusion is that Mr. Hamilton is way in over his head as Athletic Director. His background is in banking and fundraising. He is an administrator. He should just sign the paychecks and accept donations. But the tasks of hiring and firing coaches, contract negotiations and day to day operations of the athletic department should be reassigned to someone else.

Of course, if this hire doesn't work out, Mr. Hamilton could still contact me.
I'm willing and able.

Cui Bono from Airport Scanners?

2010-01-12T08:10:00.001-08:00

As I already gathered, the so-called attempted bombing on Christmas was nothing more than another false flag designed to further the grips of tyranny over the people. Did you notice recently Michael Chertoff has been making the rounds on the news channels suggesting that body scanners be installed in the airports?

Rapiscan Systems which is a subsidiary of OSI Systems Co is the company that stands to benefit from the installation of the body scanners in the airports. Michael Chertoff is one of their major stockholders and their Congressional lobbyist. I will leave you to connect the dots from here.

What Are You Supposed To Do With Your Life?

2010-01-09T06:49:00.000-08:00

"You are an old man who thinks in terms of nations and peoples. There are no nations. There are no peoples. There are no Russians. There are no Arabs. There are no third worlds. There is no West. There is only one holistic system of systems, one vast and immane, interwoven, interacting, multivariate, multinational dominion of dollars. Petro-dollars, electro-dollars, multi-dollars, reichmarks, rins, rubles, pounds, and shekels. It is the international system of currency which determines the totality of life on this planet. That is the natural order of things today. That is the atomic and subatomic and galactic structure of things today! And YOU have meddled with the primal forces of nature, and YOU...WILL...ATONE! [calmly] Am I getting through to you, Mr. Beale?"

When I was a kid, I dreamed of being a professional baseball or football player. Unfortunately, I never had the size or pure athletic ability to go with my desire. I am doing reasonably well. I'm not where I want to be in terms of a career, but I'm working on it. I am working towards getting a degree in physical education and perhaps teach it or go into coaching. Then again, ten years ago, I had dreams of working in the movies or producing music videos. But then there was a layoff, didn't get calls back in spite of sending out hundreds of resumes, you know the drill. What can I say? I should have been born in the earlier half of the 20th century, not the later half. So if my own past experiences are any indication, I expect my current plans to be disrupted by forces outside my control. I am not loaded with money nor did I descend from the royal families of Europe. I'm rich in terms of how I look at the world and my ideas about how to make things better. I've come to realize my purpose doesn't involve being famous, rich or even to be acknowledged. I'm answering to a higher calling. Over the past number of years, my mind has thought less in terms of what I wanted to be when I grow up and more to do with the world at large. In fact, I've even given a great deal of thought to how the galaxies are formed and the age of the universe. It makes me realize that in comparison, we are microscopic and that our natural lives on Earth amounts to a few seconds.

We think that more education or getting a college degree will solve our problems. But it is no secret that something is seriously lacking in the education field. How many people are just going through the motions and collecting a paycheck? How many people have a college degree, yet they can't even get a job cleaning dishes or houses? I don't think the problem is with teachers per se, but a system that punishes success and creativity and rewards partisanship and failure.

Clearly, something is wrong, bad wrong. Sadly, most people are so stuck in their ways that they refuse to change for the better. Fortunately, I came to realize we were heading in this direction at the turn of the century. We have not a free-market economy, but a combination of communism and fascism rolled up into one. This can be traced back to the so-called Progressive Era. You have to get the government's "permission" to get married, tie your shoes, pray to your God, etc... If the bureaucrats don't give you permission, I guess you are out of luck. Real substantial change will have to come at the grassroots level, not the top down. Until enough people understand this, we can forget about improving the national or international situation anytime soon. Hopefully on an individual level, you can go about freeing yourself so as not to get pinned down or killed by the zombies.

So if you had no obstacles standing in your way, what would you do with your life? Would you be playing professional baseball, running a dance studio, or baking wedding cakes? Perhaps the 21st century should be about doing what YOU want to do and not allow obstacles to stand in your way whether real or imagined. Don't let someone else plan your life. Follow your heart! Short-term, it will be frustrating and painful, but there could be a pot of gold at the end of the road.

So I've taken the following quote by Fox Mulder to heart: "Whatever happened to playing a hunch, Scully? The element of surprise, random acts of unpredictability? If we fail to anticipate the unforeseen or expect the unexpected in a universe of infinite possibilities, we may find ourselves at the mercy of anyone or anything that cannot be programmed, categorized or easily referenced."

What is America Supposed to Represent?

2010-01-06T05:54:00.000-08:00

Many Americans particularly if they were born here in the civil and literal sense will say they are "Proud to be an American". For others, being an American would be going through the naturalization process and handling all the paperwork. Is being an American merely about paperwork? Perhaps the Native Americans should have been asking for ID and passport when the Europeans started coming over en masse beginning around 500 years ago. The primary reason at least for most northern Europeans was to escape religious persecution that was coming at the hands of the monarchs and bishops. The second wave of immigration from southern Europe that would come in the 19th-20th century was primarily economic and cultural more than religious.

What about assimilation? Are people from China or Mexico supposed to dress the same way Europeans do? Speaking of Mexico, the Aztecs were there first. Are English speaking Americans supposed to eat the same foods as Greek-Americans or Italian Americans? Should a man's name be John Smith or Bob Wilson? Or would Kim (Marilyn) Novak be an issue? At least the Hollywood studio boss Harry Cohn had an issue with it. It was "too Polish" to him although Novak is actually Czech-American.

What about languages? I could understand perhaps learning English or some dialect of English in order to function on a day to day basis. But suppose the French had won the French and Indian War? Would it be an issue if the American people turned out to be generally French speaking? If I was to visit Spain or live in Finland part of the year, perhaps it would be fitting to at least learn some of the language. But if a person wants to keep some of their cultural heritage, then it shouldn't be held against them. After all, didn't immigrants come to this land because it was to be about the opportunity to be themselves?

Are we supposed to be of the same religion? If we are of the same religion, denomination or what have you, is that by choice or coercion? I can tell you as a Baptist, that contrary to what is being portrayed, Baptists are not walking lockstep beating to a single drummer. It is diverse to the point of having disputes about various issues. The issues are less about theological doctrine and more about personalities and politics.

Is being an American about belonging to a political party? If you believed most of the stories you hear, you would think that there are two parties: Democrats and Republicans. But yet, there are the Libertarian Party, Green Party, Constitution Party among others. If you go back further, there was the Bull Moose Party, the Whigs, and the Federalists to provide a small sampling. Any way you cut it, it is absurd to think that two political parties which in reality aren't all that different can sufficiently represent 300 million people. Or as the saying goes, put ten people in a room and you will get eleven different opinions.

How about our entertainment choices? Entertainment choices during ancient times generally were for civic and political purposes. Also the notion of individual rights and free-market economics in a societal sense only started to take hold in the past 200+ years. The main reason this notion took so long to gain traction is because human beings are primarily social animals. We want to associate, belong, be part of the team, tribe, or organization. In one sense such as being part of a football team, that is fine. But taken to its extreme, you end up with the gladiators (who were mostly slaves) or the rise of the Third Reich. So these days, entertainment is primarily personal. I like to watch some TV shows and not others. One person may like to watch pro wrestling whereas someone else likes to watch ladies oil wrestling.

What about the American Flag? What does it stand for? What do the colors represent? One take on the colors is that red means hardiness and valor.
White signifies purity and innocence. Blue is the color of the Chief. The star symbolizes heaven and the goal all man have been striving for. The stripe is a ray of light from the sun. Should one salute the flag? I suppose the simple act isn't a problem and I've done it before too. But as I became an adult and learned more about the history of the Pledge and symbolism, there has been a certain unease that overcomes me. Do I put my allegiance to the flag over my allegiance to God? Sadly most Christians in 1930's Germany did just that. While practicing your religion and attending church wasn't prohibited initially, loyalty was to the state first and foremost. It was the same way during the time of the Roman Empire.

What about interactions between people of different skin colors or different religious beliefs? What about a man who is originally from England, is Anglican and a writer marrying a woman who is from Turkey who is a Gypsy and a belly dancer?

Is one un-American if they criticize the president or disagree with official state policies? Or is one un-American for not criticizing the president or questioning official state policies?

What do you make of Samuel Adams when he wrote "Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say 'what should be the reward of such sacrifices?' Bid us and our posterity bow the knee, supplicate the friendship and plough, and sow, and reap, to glut the avarice of the men who have let loose on us the dogs of war to riot in our blood and hunt us from the face of the earth? If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen!"

It seems like a swipe at the John Rockefellers and J.P. Morgans or the military-industrial complex itself which is a topic that I've written a great deal on.

Does being an American represent something else? Perhaps it is about ideas. Was Thomas Jefferson wrong when he wrote "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."

Is this idea strictly limited to Americans or to the physical United States of America itself? I suggest we take the ideas of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness and spread it throughout the world. This is ultimately an intellectual and moral endeavor, not a military endeavor.

Needless to say, this country is diverse to the point of having a sense of opportunity, mystery, frustration and tension all rolled up into a ball of fire.
It is what we do with our own ball of fire that makes the difference.

Why Socialists Love War And The State

2010-01-04T04:57:00.000-08:00

"Neocons are not classical liberals nor are they conservatives in the Old Right sense. They are in fact socialists who derive their inspiration from national socialism (hence all the talk about the homeland aka fatherland) and support the social welfare programs of the Progressives thus appealing to the communist branch of socialism. It is an attempt to unite socialism under one roof."

For a little run-down in our times where this approach has been used, go to "Will There Be A War With China?"

According to "The Foreign Policy of the Third Reich" by Klaus Hildebrand, "Göring was certainly an ardent Nazi and utterly loyal to Hitler. But his preferences in foreign policy were different. Besides Hitler's foreign policy program that there existed three other rival foreign programs held by factions in the Nazi Party, whom Hildebrand dubbed the agrarians, the revolutionary socialists, and the Wilhelmine Imperialists. Göring was the most prominent of the "Wilhelmine Imperialist" group in the Nazi regime. This group wanted to restore the German frontiers of 1914, regain the pre-1914 overseas empire, and make Eastern Europe Germany's exclusive sphere of influence. This was a much more limited set of goals than Hitler's dream of Lebensraum seized in merciless racial wars. By contrast, Göring and the "Wilhelmine Imperialist" faction were more guided by traditional Machtpolitik in their foreign policy conceptions. Furthermore, the "Wilhelmine Imperialists" expected to achieve their goals within the established international order. While not rejecting war as an option, they preferred diplomacy, and sought political domination in eastern Europe rather than the military conquests envisioned by Hitler. And they rejected Hitler's mystical vision of war as a necessary ordeal for the nation, and of perpetual war as desirable. Göring himself feared that a major war might interfere with his luxurious lifestyle."

In our modern times, U.S. political policy runs between progressive communism and incremental fascism which is derived from the Latin word fasces. This nation has not had a free market economy in around 100 years or so. Fascism and communism are merely two brands of socialism. Both find classical liberalism (rights of the individual to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness) to be repulsive.

In terms of economic policy, many fascist leaders have claimed it was a "Third Way" in economic policy, which they believed superior to both the rampant individualism of the free market and state socialism. This was to be achieved by establishing significant government control over business and labor. Italian fascist leader Mussolini called his nation's system "the corporate state".

In theory, communism and its derivatives is supposed to result in a classless, stateless and oppression-free society. Generally, communists would be opposed to the imperial aims that most European nations have embarked on since ancient times, but see a struggle of the workers rising up in every nation against what they see as oppressive capitalism. Economic decisions are supposedly made in a democratic fashion, but in fact is determined by a central planning committee. In a nutshell, whenever communism theory has been put to practice, the end result was a disaster. Communist leaders like Stalin and Mao justified their collectivist policies as being for the public good or that he was modernizing society and his means of doing this led to a cult of personality, famine or terror. According to R.J. Rummel, in the 20th century alone, 262,000,000 people have been murdered as a result of democide.

So basically, while both systems were undoubtedly collectivist, they differed greatly in their socio-economic content. For Communism was a genuine revolutionary movement that ruthlessly displaced and overthrew the old ruling elites; while fascism, on the contrary, cemented into power the old ruling classes. Therefore, fascism was a counter-revolutionary movement that froze a set of monopolistic privileges upon society. This was the reason that Fascism proved so attractive (which Communism, of course, never did) to big business interests in the West throughout much of the 20th century.

Given that the Communist approach would not work in the revolutionary sense, it had to adopt a different tactic. Thus it adopted the ways of the Fabian Society vis a vis gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary. In a nutshell, communism became institutionalized. Is it any wonder why people are graduating from college with economic degrees, but couldn't tell you the first thing about how to run a small business or know what fractional reserve banking is?

Essentially war is done for the benefit of the state and to detriment of the people. Historically, wars have been justified in the name of building an empire that reflected a rulers rightful sphere on Earth similar to the God's sphere in the universe. They would even admit that they were doing it "because the Gods told me to". Given that this method of explanation would not work in Western society, it had to be subtextual. Progressive communists would justify war as being for the public good, to liberate the poor from evil capitalism, or to make us all "equal" which flies in the face of recognizing every person as a unique individual with a unique personality. "The ends justify the means!"

National Socialism hence the word NAZI (National Socialist Workers Party) would justify war in terms of racial purity, or that one nation is infinitely superior to another nation in terms of its culture, industry, religion, etc... Thus if a nation wants to attack another nation, it was justified as we were just civilizing them. "Might makes right!"

In any event, tyranny is almost always justified along the lines of God's will or "the will of the people." That being said, it is the inherent right and duty of the people, regardless of what labels you attach to yourself or to others, to resist socialism in all its forms. Only when we recognize that individual liberty and the right of each individual to have the opportunity to make something of themselves however they may see fit that we can reduce pain and suffering and solve many of the problems that occupy our existence.

Revealing The Book of Revelation

2010-01-03T11:00:00.000-08:00

Perhaps the most talked about and most misunderstood book of the New Testament is Book of Revelation. Most people recognize that the language is symbolic. Where most people fall short is in their interpretation and the method of storytelling that is being used. Revelation is NOT a prediction of what is going to happen in the future, but is instead referring to the author's own time and the past and is being addressed to "the seven churches in Asia." The modern day claims that Revelation is referring to the modern United Nations creation of Israel are false and heretical. If that were true, then why didn't John of Patmos just write in his letters: "In 1948, ..." or "In 2010, Jesus will return?" Not even Jesus knew when he would return. The doctrine of dispensationalism was advocated heavily by John Nelson Darby (thought to have been inspired in part by an incident involving Margaret MacDonald). Later, it was seized upon and tinkered with twists that fit the times by Hal Lindsay, Pat Robertson, Tim LaHaye among others. The Anti-Christ has been everybody and thing from Nero, the Pope, The Black Death, Martin Luther, Napoleon (20th century view), Hitler, Ronald Reagan, the Soviet Union and now Islam. Anybody can twist words to fit an agenda or viewpoint. Beware of false doctrines. The conflicts in the Middle East while historically rooted in thousands of years of precedence is not due to some uncontrollable chain of events that would usher in an Anti-Christ or cosmic battle, but in large part due to distortions of religious texts and propaganda designed to keep the masses dumbed down if not dead altogether. "What good fortune for those in power that people do not think" Adolf Hitler

This book was composed near the end of Domitian's reign, around the year 95 by John of Patmos who most likely was living in exile. What is clear is that the Christians are in the minority and being persecuted by both local audiences who object to their emphasis on monotheism and from Roman governors because they serve one master, thus the false claim that Christians were attempting social unrest. Religion primarily had been a endeavor of the state for the purpose of social harmony and worship of the state as the God's supposed emissary on Earth. So as you can imagine, the notion that the state has no say in matters of religion didn't sit well up until a few centuries ago.

It would be helpful to be familiar with Daniel 7-12, Enoch, 4 Ezra and 2 Baruch in coming to understand Revelation. The use of symbols and numbers stand out in this text. Babylon is a reference to Rome as both of them destroyed the temple. The same goes for the numbers used. Numbers in ancient times were used for symbolic representations whereas in modern times, we use numbers for adding, subtracting, budgets, etc... Keep in mind, that only around 5% of the general population could read and write sufficiently. So symbols and images were used to communicate messages. The seven seals, seven trumphets, seven bowls, etc... are all used symbolically to represent God's perfect plan. 12 stood for the people of God. Hence 144,000 is 12x12x1,000. It does not mean that only 144,000 people are going to heaven as some have claimed. If that were true, all of us would be out of luck.
6 meant imperfection or falling short of God's plan. So what do you think 666 referred to? It was referring to Satan who really falls short of God's perfection.

Revelation used an ancient method of storytelling called recapitulation i.e. repeating the same story in different ways or circular storytelling. Modern audiences tell stories using a linear concept. Recapitulation was primarily relating the past and present times to its audience, not what was going to happen 200 years or 2,000 years later. John was not using a crystal ball. The central message of the book is that we should hold fast to our convictions in spite of persecution and while things are bad now, in the long run, God's justice will prevail.

A Citizen's Guide to Political Activism

2010-01-02T06:31:00.000-08:00

"All politics is local." Tip O'Neill
Before you read any further, I recommend you read this: I'm Taking A Break From Politics!

For those who have been at this political stuff for a while, you already know what I'm talking about. Chances are that you are reading this because you want to change unfair drug laws, be part of that "reform movement" you've heard about, reduce property taxes, etc..., but you are unsure how to begin. Chances are you or either someone you know was affected in some manner and it made you realize that something wasn't right and it inspired you to get involved.

You don't need experience in organizing to take action now. If you're motivated to make (real) changes, and to work with others who feel the way you do, then that is a start. Events can be a neighborhood planning meeting, a media interview, or a potluck, to name a few examples.

My own experiences have taught me three important lessons: First, real change begins with you. Think Globally, Act Locally! Today, it is a given that "everyone" has an automobile or cell phone. But how did we get here? Well because 100 and something years ago, some people had the crazy idea to create a mechanical horse in their kitchen or the stable. Now if we were to see a horse today, we wouldn't know what to think. Things don't all of the sudden happen at once. Real change operates very much in the same manner as dynamite. It doesn't blow up at once, it begins with a spark.

Second, network with like-minded people. Once in the distant past, people lived as family units, tribes, hunter-gatherer types. Over the course of time, as more people with all their unique aspects come into interaction with each other, some people had the idea that we should find a way to handle disagreements and various disputes that inevitably arose. Thus we had the appointment of councils in which sitting members were chosen by the general population or the heads of the families. From there, we had the rise of city-states, empires, and republics to name a few.

Today, it is easier to find people with common interests all over the world and locally to get involved by simply joining a social networking site like Facebook or Meetup. It is very much the technology of our time much like the telegraph and printing press were in another era. Through the use of these technologies which are more cost-effective and easier to operate, it enables the average person on the street to get more involved in the process whereas creating and owning a television network, a newspaper company or radio station generally takes a bit more investment and capitol which may not be readily available.

Thirdly, be your own leader. Be yourself even as you work with like-minded people or work to hash out differences that you have. For more, read "When You Have To Rely on Bredesen." I'm a Christian who is single, has no kids, and a college student to put it in a nutshell. Yet I have worked with atheists, Jews, homosexuals, democrats, republicans, blacks, women to name a few where we had an issue or several issues in common. My way of looking at it is that it won't make much of a difference what your label is when in the end, we are rounded up and sent to a death camp. Some people prefer the terms concentration camp or reservation. It is merely a matter of semantics. Just as real change for the better doesn't happen all at once, tyranny doesn't come in a single night either. It took Adolf Hitler in the neighborhood of 10-15 years from the time he began until the time he was even appointed chancellor of Germany. The rest should speak for itself.

In any given situation where you are interacting, be it family members, friends, classmates and so on and so on, you are always going to have those who are more assertive than others, those who stand out more or those who have this thing about them. Put me in a small discussion group and I can generally do pretty well. But if you ask me to give a speech in front of a bunch of people, I would most likely decline and just refer people to my blog. I am very much in my element being the person who organizes the campaign, but I will never been the candidate so help me God.

So, go ahead and get it done. Best Wishes!

The Character Assassination of Jesus Christ

2010-01-01T06:06:00.000-08:00

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." Mahatma Gandhi

It has been said by many people in various ways that Christians are like strangers in a strange land or that they should stand apart from the world they are in. Most people when they want to get an idea of "what Jesus would do", they turn to the Four Gospels. Some people are disappointed that Jesus himself was not known to have written any letters and if he did, we aren't aware of them. Much discussion especially around Easter center on "Who Killed Jesus?".

Other people aren't too thrilled that what is written about Jesus comes decades after his time and written by people who generally did not know Jesus personally or actually having met him. Today, biographies, magazines, talk shows, you name it talk about every little detail of people's lives. We want to know Jesus through the views of our modern culture and even if Jesus was here today claiming to be the Messiah, we would declare him insane. About 2,000 years ago, he was hanged on the cross. I guess you could say we are more civilized to a certain extent. Other people try to find scriptures in the Bible that addresses specific issues that are part of current political and social discussions.

Mark is generally thought to have been the first Gospel written sometime in the 70's A.D., Matthew and Luke in the 80's and John in the 90's. Many of Paul's letters (or letters dictated by his scribes) beginning with 1 and II Thessalonians were written between 52 A.D. and the time of his death in 64 A.D. But Paul certainly could have written more letters, but they just don't all appear in the Canon.

The Gospel writers used a method of writing called BIOS (You would not read a love poem in the same manner as you would a recipe for chocolate chip cookies)! If you wanted to capture the essential character or nature of a person, you would use stories that reflect on this criteria. You would not be concerned about his bathroom habits or what brand of shoes he wore unless it was to reflect on his character. What does this have to do with the title of this post? Just about everyone has their own take on the "Bible" and what Jesus was like. The King James Version completed in 1611 is the most referenced version today.

Matthew portrays Jesus as fulfilling the Old Testament, a redeemer, restorer of the Law. Mark portrays Jesus as one who suffers, is misunderstood and he goes out of his way to not be heard or seen, but to do his deeds quietly. Luke portrays Jesus as being one who came to save the outcasts, the blind, the poor, the sick, women, and Lazarus. John portrays Jesus as one who goes out of his way to let people know he is divine and even on the cross, he is the one in control. The disciples doubted him, his family doubted him and the authorities doubted him. Only the demons and the Centurion acknowledged that perhaps he was who he said he was.

It has been said that God doesn't change His ways to suit our agendas and desires. If this is how Jesus was portrayed in the decades after his death and if indeed the writers wrote because they were inspired by the Spirit of God, are we anywhere close to mirroring this portrayal?

Take for example the Progressive Movement. While the "Progressives" claim that they are doing God's will in feeding the poor, clothing the naked and providing shelter to the homeless, they are doing it via the authority of Earthly kings and institutions which in essence would be making Jesus out to be a hypocrite, a liar and a thief. Notice that Jesus himself rejected political power when Satan offered him the chance to take it.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have the view of Jesus as a warrior, a liberator, one who conquers sin. This view of Jesus was twisted by the church in the Middle Ages in order to justify wars in God's name, burnings at the stake, and witch-hunts. This view has also been adopted by the neo-conservatives in their supposed "War on Terror". So in essence, by their words and actions, they are claiming that Jesus was a fraud, a murderer, and a rapist.

Basically our modern way of viewing Jesus is far from the view as portrayed in the New Testament.

For Your Entertainment

2009-12-30T06:45:00.000-08:00

When I study how humans have acted and interacted within the societies that they are in, I have basically had to conclude that on a basic level, we haven't really changed all that much in the past 10,000 years or so. This is true in terms of the basic necessities such as food, clothing and shelter. Basically, we moved from being the hunter-gatherer to the more settled life of today although some people will say rightfully so that we live in concrete jungles. But the basics remain the same. Transportation is transportation be it your feet, a wheelchair or a horse.

The same is true in politics. In a lot of ways, politics is similar to theatre, movie making, carnivals and what not. One movie that never gets old for me is Network. It is art imitating life.

Arthur Jensen: [bellowing] You have meddled with the primal forces of nature, Mr. Beale, and I won't have it! Is that clear? You think you've merely stopped a business deal. That is not the case! The Arabs have taken billions of dollars out of this country, and now they must put it back! It is ebb and flow, tidal gravity! It is ecological balance! You are an old man who thinks in terms of nations and peoples. There are no nations. There are no peoples. There are no Russians. There are no Arabs. There are no third worlds. There is no West. There is only one holistic system of systems, one vast and immane, interwoven, interacting, multivariate, multinational dominion of dollars. Petro-dollars, electro-dollars, multi-dollars, reichmarks, rins, rubles, pounds, and shekels. It is the international system of currency which determines the totality of life on this planet. That is the natural order of things today. That is the atomic and subatomic and galactic structure of things today! And YOU have meddled with the primal forces of nature, and YOU...WILL...ATONE! [calmly] Am I getting through to you, Mr. Beale? You get up on your little twenty-one inch screen and howl about America and democracy. There is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM, and ITT, and AT&T, and DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide, and Exxon. Those *are* the nations of the world today. What do you think the Russians talk about in their councils of state, Karl Marx? They get out their linear programming charts, statistical decision theories, minimax solutions, and compute the price-cost probabilities of their transactions and investments, just like we do. We no longer live in a world of nations and ideologies, Mr. Beale. The world is a college of corporations, inexorably determined by the immutable bylaws of business. The world is a business, Mr. Beale. It has been since man crawled out of the slime. And our children will live, Mr. Beale, to see that . . . perfect world . . . in which there's no war or famine, oppression or brutality. One vast and ecumenical holding company, for whom all men will work to serve a common profit, in which all men will hold a share of stock. All necessities provided, all anxieties tranquilized, all boredom amused. And I have chosen you, Mr. Beale, to preach this evangel.

Howard Beale: Why me?

Arthur Jensen: Because you're on television, dummy. Sixty million people watch you every night of the week, Monday through Friday.

Howard Beale: I have seen the face of God.

Arthur Jensen: You just might be right, Mr. Beale.

Or as Fox Mulder would say while popping a sunflower seed into his mouth: "Whatever happened to playing a hunch, Scully? The element of surprise, random acts of unpredictability? If we fail to anticipate the unforeseen or expect the unexpected in a universe of infinite possibilities, we may find ourselves at the mercy of anyone or anything that cannot be programmed, categorized or easily referenced."

Now let's take for instance when a presidential candidate or the president visits your city. Do you think they just arbitrarily decided to visit just to take in the sights? Presidents and politicians in general are figureheads. The Chief of Staff tells them where to go, advisors tell them what to think, speechwriters tell them what to say, and consultants tell them what to wear. While the press release may be sent out a few days before the visit, the planning occurred several weeks before. The Secret Service and travel office are sent ahead to scout the location and plan the routes, line the supporters up, and so and so on.

My own personal experience of this sort happened in 2004 when I was working on Michael Badnarik's presidential campaign. I basically had a week's notice that Michael was going to be in town and I obtained this information by looking up his website. No press release and no staff. Just me and my elbows and feet.

Hopefully this clears things up and if this disturbs you, don't be. We've being doing it since ancient times.

Plans for 2010

2009-12-24T16:52:00.000-08:00

I am keeping my life in 2010 pretty lean and mean although ambitious as it is.
I will be enrolling for another semester. No big explanation needed there. Once the semester is over, I aim to do some traveling across the country by car. Given my fondness for chocolate, Hershey Park is a must. I also would like to grab a Cubs game at Wrigley Field and even see the corn fields in Iowa. LOL. The Rocky Mountain states and the West Coast are long overdue for a visit too. Then, I would top it off by visiting Texas and the Gulf Coast region.

What are your plans for 2010?

Gone With The Wind Debuts!

2009-12-15T07:46:00.000-08:00

70 years ago today, Gone with the Wind made its debut in Atlanta, Georgia. Of course, for those fans of Hollywood's Golden Age like myself, 1939 stands out as a remarkable year indeed. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, Stagecoach, The Wizard of Oz, The Women, Drums Along The Mohawk to name a few.

Gone with the Wind can be identified as one of the immortal pieces of literary works of the 20th Century. Margaret Mitchell's famous work has chronicled the love and hate relationship between the two main characters in the novel, Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler. There is hardly any more mesmeric fictitious heroine like Scarlett and the highs and lows of her relationship with Rhett, a man of somewhat dubious character who have held the interest of many successive generations.

Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler had a tempestuous relationship. Their violent love life was interspersed with certain tenderness, but the period of relative calm always ended in tragedy.

And unfortunately, the common ground was based on negativity, of which relationships cannot survive. Both were cold blooded, opportunistic, selfish and arrogant. Scarlett had uncontrolled passion, but again regrettably, she bestowed her passion on the wrong person. Rhett was too cynical, too much a man of the world to care much about love. He equated lust with love, they were sides of the same coin for him. Scarlett's passion about Ashley Wilkes, ended in realizing that she had only infatuation for him and his riches. Rhett, with his antisocial public image was the only man in Scarlett's life who gave back as good as he got from her. Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler were too alike in their approach to life, yet they were perpetually disgusted about each other. Unlike most endings in literature or movies, Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler were not meant to be together forever. The ending certainly played very well in keeping with that notion.

Northwest Missouri State Wins National Title

2009-12-14T14:58:00.000-08:00

The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats defeated the Grand Valley State Lakers on Saturday. Congratulations Bearcats!

Will Jesus Christ Be Notre Dame's Next Head Coach

2009-12-08T15:35:00.001-08:00

Over the past few days, I've read with amusement with regards to Notre Dame's coaching search everything from Coach A to Z was either interviewing, been contacted or will be Notre Dame's next head coach. Never mind the fact that all these articles rely on so-called anonymous sources (red flag there).
I can understand the need for anonymous sources when it involves whistle blowing or exposing corruption, but it is uncalled for just about anywhere else. To further illustrate my example, enjoy this read. Basically, the media in the general sense needs to get a grip. Nothing is confirmed until the T's are crossed, the I's dotted and the contract signed. Anything else is just talk.
At the very least, the media folks could pick up the phone and just call the Notre Dame Athletic Director.

We have all had situations where things didn't work out. This was the case for Charlie Weis. The least one can do is learn from your experiences and move on. Only time will tell whether Weis does that. He came to Notre Dame basically telling everyone to kiss his rings (translation: My NFL offensive schemes are superior to college schemes). This also goes to show that the Bill Belichick coaching tree is overrated.

This also gives me an appreciation for how difficult a job that coaches have.
It can be said that many of them are overpaid, overrated, cocky or what not. But how many people are willing to put in the time and travel that coaching involves? How many people while knowing a good deal from the couch or stands can actually break down film and craft game plans? Being a fan of the work is one thing. Actually being able to do it yourself is something else. Then again, while Rembrandt may have many fans, there is only one Rembrandt.

So How Is That Change Going?

2009-12-04T04:18:00.000-08:00

"Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke." Will Rogers

I have to admit I have acute instincts when it comes to politics as much as I hate the endeavor itself. My instincts told me that Al Gore and George W. Bush were bad news in 2000. Thus, I voted for Harry Browne. The same in 2004 and 2008. For the people who did vote for Obama, did you vote for him because of the rhetoric of "change"?

What changed? The only change if you can call it that is things are going from very bad to even worse. Like a cancer that gets ever larger. So will the troops be coming home or will they be sending more troops over?

Here is one mother's statement on what is happening:

"Where do you think the 35,000 troops will come from? No, they won't be fresh faces. They will be the same poor souls, like my son, who will be kept, extended, past 12 months, to get an "increase" of troops. I am so sick and tired of my country lying to my family! My son is stop-lossed, and has heard rumors that he ...and his buddies will not be coming home this January."

There you have it folks. Just as they lie to you about the unemployment statistics, they lie to you about the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. People refuse to see beyond the pomp and circumstance and the the flowery speeches about how the government "supports the troops". They support them by lying to them about their length of deployments, under and overpayments, six month delays in active duty checks, and pay and benefits cut off for wounded soldiers in the hospital. Not to mention troops not having body armor and equipment being out of commission due to a lack of spare parts. Then there are the suicides of thousands of soldiers. Yet, politicians do what they do best: politics.

The rich (and politically connected) man starts the war and the poor man dies. It is too bad that the poor and middle class (for however much longer it will last) fall for the lies. But then again, if people refuse to listen and to see what is going on even after they have been informed, they do so at their own peril. I will continue to speak up whenever possible, but one person can only do so much. Not to mention I need to focus on my own self-interests for a while. But in the long run, the United State's time as a superpower like those in history was coming to an end. Give it another generation and the states will become various units of some kind. No longer will D.C. be the national capitol. At least from that perspective, it isn't too bad. But the road is rough and will get rougher for the foreseeable future. For those who do care, hang tough and network with like-minded people. After the zombies kill each other off, we can then reclaim the Earth.

Carson-Newman defeats North Alabama 24-21

2009-11-29T06:42:00.000-08:00

Carson-Newman advances in the playoffs after beating North Alabama 24-21 on Saturday. They will now play Grand Valley State and it will be aired on ESPN beginning at 3:30 EST.

Be sure to tune in!

The Semester Will Be Over Soon

2009-11-18T15:49:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Break will last a week beginning next Wednesday. The Fall semester will be ending in mid-December. The semester has gone by fast. I am registering for classes for Spring and should complete it by the end of the week. Among the classes I will be taking are Teaching P.E. in Elementary School, Weightlifting and Political Science. While I would ultimately like to get into coaching, preferably football, I am also open to coaching other sports and willing to acquire the knowledge or skills necessary to teach. I ran track in high school and played baseball in Little League, so I have some first-hand experience in those areas. It is just that my lack of natural athletic ability and size kept me from going further. I would also be willing to coach a women's softball team too.

By the way, the football team is playing Western Alabama this Saturday.

Who Are The Rothschilds?

2009-11-11T07:17:00.000-08:00

How many people are familiar with Bill Gates? Warren Buffet? John Rockefeller or perhaps J.P. Morgan? It is safe bet that most people have heard the name even if they aren't entirely familiar with everything about them. If you were guessing that one of these at one time or another was the "World's Richest Man" or amongst the "World's Richest Families", you would be partially correct. Now would you like to take a guess as to who the world's richest family would be? It is a safe bet that it would be by the last name of Rothschild. It is odd how no image shows up when viewing the slide.

Little is known about the Rothschild family other than scattered information on the net. No photographs are known to exist publicly and their own "Rothschild Archive" is pretty standard especially for having the level of international influence that they have had over the past two centuries.

From what research I have done over the past ten years or so is that the Rothschild (which means either "at the sign of the red shield" or "red shield") family began in local textile trading and currency exchange. Via shrewd manuvering, beginning with Mayer Amschel Rothschild, they financed the French Revolution, then Napoleon's rise to power and eventual fall. They even knew the outcome of the Battle of Waterloo before the field commanders did.

Beginning in 1809, the Rothschilds began to deal in gold bullion exploited from Africa and South America. Mayer Rothschild also speculated in financial instruments such as foreign bills and government securities related to such ventures as the theft of entire countries and their resources later eumphemistically described as colonialism. It was about this time that he first began in the slave trade while with what few public statements he made claiming that he was opposed to slavery. The Rothschild's operations with human trafficking continues to this day.

The Rothschild branch in London financed the North while the Rothschild branch in Paris financed the South during the American Civil War. It was a way to claim interest on the bonds that were being underwritten by Rothschild, bought by the government with promises via taxation to repay and then made a fortune on the bonds when they became due.

The Rothschilds are also one of the principal stockholders in the Federal Reserve, financed all the royal families of Europe during World War I, the Russian Revolution as payback for the Russians refusing to establish a central bank a century earlier, Hitler and Stalin's rise to power not to mention up into current times, manipulating the stock market to usher in recessions and depressions.

For all this, and we know so little about them. At least for those who are even remotely aware that they exist, so little is known about them. By the way, they also have a wonderful vacation spot at Corfu off the western coast of Greece.

Who Killed Jesus?

2009-11-08T16:34:00.000-08:00

"People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Luke 18:15-17

Who was responsible for Jesus’ death? The simple answer to this question is the Romans did because Israel as an occupied nation could not exactly punish or condemn a man to death. There are others who say the Jews killed him citing that he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, denied by Peter and the other disciples, and condemned by the Jews in general. However, the backstory is much more complicated. Keep in mind that Jesus was touring and preaching across the land during Roman rule. But he was never stopped from doing so by the Romans. The Romans had removed the right from the Jewish High Priests to exert the ultimate punishment of death after they had conquered Palestine.

For a more detail account of the area in question, check out Land of Israel and Palestine.

As it relates to the modern conflict, the central claims that physically possessing the land will usher in the return of Christ violates the scripture. Not even Jesus knew when he would return. Yahweh, (the name of God as it appeared to Moses in Exodus) is the one who will decide this and Yahweh doesn’t operate according to our agendas nor on our time schedules. This indicates to me that these particular people especially certain ministers in the United States have led their congregations astray and are preaching a false doctrine especially when it comes to Revelation. Yahweh is not a real estate agent. Yet we have reduced him to being one. Likewise, the notion that committing suicide bombings will lead to meeting 70 virgins upon entering Heaven is equally absurd. Is it any wonder why logic and reason are important!

Judaism during the time of Christ had many sects and diverse beliefs. There was no one type of Jew. Among these were the Sadducees, the Pharisees and the Essenes.

The Sadducees were of the wealthy aristocratic land-owning families who controlled the priesthood and oversaw the daily affairs of the Temple. We find in the Bible that the Jewish High Priests (who claimed to the spiritual heirs to Zadok, the High Priest under David and Solomon) had arranged a “marriage of convenience” with the occupying Romans which would enable to remain in power so as long as they kept the populace in line and paid tribute to the Romans. In short, they were sell-outs and certainly saw Jesus being a threat to their power. Read Mathew 26 & 27. The life of the Sadducees centered solely around temple worship and were extremely rigid in their interpretation of the Written Law. After the Temple was destroyed during The Great Revolt, this group disappears from the pages of history.

Woe to the Pharisees is commonly cited as proof that the Pharisees were the main opponent of Jesus (Matthew 23). However, keep in mind that Matthew and Luke were written during a time of increasing tension between the Jews and the followers that would come to be known as Christians. Both Gospels, thought to be written sometime between 75-90 A.D. occurred in a time of tremendous upheaval. The Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. The Jews and Christians were amongst themselves at odds over who was responsible for removing God’s protection and various other matters such as sacrificing of animals and ritual purity laws. The Pharisees were lay ministers and considered Jesus to be one of their own. The main differences were over certain aspects of Mosiac laws and the rules that grew up around them such as divorce, taxes and Sabbath observance in addition to the “tradition of the elders”.

The third group is the Essenes. It is thought that Jesus spent a few years with them before embarking on his public ministry at around age 30. The Essenes emerged out of disgust with the other sects. This sect believed the others had corrupted the city and the Temple. They moved out of Jerusalem and lived a monastic life in the desert, adopting strict dietary laws and a commitment to celibacy. The Essenes are particularly interesting to scholars because they are believed to be an offshoot of the group that lived in Qumran, near the Dead Sea. In 1947, a Bedouin shepherd stumbled into a cave containing various ancient artifacts and jars containing manuscripts describing the beliefs of the sect and events of the time. The most important documents, often only parchment fragments that had to be meticulously restored, were the earliest known copies of the Old Testament. The similarity of the substance of the material found in the scrolls to that in the modern scriptures has confirmed the authenticity of the Bible used today.

The Sadducees outraged at Jesus’ new teachings of love and teachings considered an affront to temple worship, sent a group of their temple guards to arrest him. Once arrested they passed him over to the Romans conspiring false accusations until they managed to get him crucified for being "King of the Jews", an outright frontage to the Roman Emperor, punishable by death. Yet once again, this particular group disappears after the destruction of the Temple. Perhaps justice has already been served in this case.

So who do we blame? The Pharisees? They emerged as the main group in Judaism after 70 AD. But in modern times, this group has come to be known as a symbol of blind adherence to rules and regulations.

Should Christians be angry with the Jews for the Crucifixion of Christ? As a general rule, Jews don’t believe Jesus is the Messiah and didn’t Jesus die for those who believed in him?

How about his followers, mostly aptly named Christians? Perhaps so, but Christians didn’t emerge as a distinct sect until at least a decade after the cruxificion. Jesus’ followers were still Jews during his time on Earth. In a nutshell, Judaism didn’t give birth to Christianity. There were more like siblings and certainly after the fall of the Temple, sibling rivals.

So who is to blame? Perhaps the central focus shouldn’t be on who is to blame for the death of Jesus, but the fact he rose again. Didn’t God send his own son to take our place on the Cross? Perhaps the Apostle Paul gave the answer as to who is to “blame” when he wrote in Galatians:

"Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Galatians 3:24-29

Ultimately, the story of Jesus is a story of redemption and rebirth, not death and destruction. Think about that for a moment!

Knowing Too Much Can Cause One To Become Inhuman

2009-11-06T04:27:00.000-08:00

All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.
What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which one can say,
"Look! This is something new"?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.
There is no remembrance of men of old,
and even those who are yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow.
Ecclesiastes 1:8-11

The Earth is estimated to be around 4.5 billion years old. The universe to be around 14 billion years old. There could be as many as several hundred billion galaxies in a universe that is getting larger all the time. There have been as many as 100 billion people who have lived on Earth at some point. There are laws of gravity, the speed of light and rotation of the planets.

Then you turn around and realize that there are also atoms, nucleus, and cells, viruses, germs and other micro-organisms. Truly the natural existence of ourselves and what world, galaxy and universe are a wonder even to the most skeptical.

In the overall scheme of things, humans are micro-organisms, nations are specks of dusts and planets are marbles in some cases, tennis balls in others and maybe in Jupiter's case, a basketball.

Understandably, many of us are upset about what happened on November 5. But isn't that true every other day? We live in an age of instant although not always accurate information. On Facebook, I've witnessed status updates from people that even took me by surprise, removed a few people for crossing the line (and before this, I have only removed three people in the 18 months or so that I've had an account) and in no uncertain terms let it be known what I thought was going on too.

I am certainly not the same trusting individual that I was ten years ago when I gradually came to know what was pulling the strings on the affairs of the world. The strings being pulled by the likes of the Council on Foreign Relations, Trilateral Commission and what not. I am absolutely convinced that what we are witnessing here is a satanic plot to usher in a one-world government. Some people think this is crazy talk and everyone is entitled to their opinion. But then I take a step back and ask myself: If Satan was going to destroy the Earth, it would have been done probably billions of years ago. My point being is that we are very limited in what we can see and what we know and what we can do.

Knowledge is a good thing when properly channeled and kept in its proper perspective. I do not understand why a loving God would allow evil to flourish instead of just wiping it out like wiping dust off a table. I do not know why God doesn't just end it all now. Why even bother with creation in the first place. Why couldn't we just all be created in Heaven and not have to deal with this world? Why would Jesus come to us as a baby in a cave and be laid to rest in a cave? Why couldn't we have superpowers? Again, we have limits. No matter how technologically advanced we are or how smart we become, we will always be limited from generation to generation.

So I have to remind myself that as a human being, a certain species, a Christian, a sinner, a man, a son, brother, perhaps in the future, a husband and/or father, that I am limited as all of us are. None of us will have all the answers, be able to fix all that ails us, completely eliminate our concerns, problems, struggles nor make everything perfect.

"The superman in the measure that his power increases, becomes himself poorer and poorer...
The more we become superman, the more we become inhuman." Albert Schweitzer

Answering God's Calling For Your Life

2009-10-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 10:34-39

Are you familiar with Paul Saul often mistakenly referred to as "Saul before he converted to Paul"? Here is a man who suffered greatly (Greek words: imprisonment)—yet he is anything but defeated or depressed. His life is full of purpose and destiny—so he speaks of the great privilege of suffering for that purpose, and of God’s power which strengthens and energizes him to labor for that purpose.

What is this purpose that fills and drives Paul? He has been called by God to play a unique and significant role in his plan. We’ll take a closer look at Paul’s calling in a minute, but first I want to focus on the main point—Paul was filled with joy and a sense of privilege and motivation and power because he was gripped by God’s calling for his life.

Do you know if you have been called to do God's will? How rare this is in our culture! So rare that most people cannot conceive of suffering for a cause greater than their own comfort, let alone feeling privileged to do so. But with this life without calling comes emptiness, boredom, and cynicism. Yet because we are made in God’s image, we cannot help but resonate with the idea of living to fulfill a cause/calling greater than ourselves.

The first and foundational step in knowing God’s calling for your life is to receive God’s “mystery”. A biblical “mystery” is simply a part of God’s redemptive plan for humanity that hasn’t been revealed until now.

The Old Testament prophets knew that God’s plan centered around the Messiah (“Christ”)—that Messiah would come at the end of the age to re-establish God’s kingdom over the whole, and that he would pour out God’s Spirit on all of his people (Jews and Gentiles) so that they would all experience God’s glorious presence in amazing ways (Isa.11:9,10).

But they did not know that prior to the end of the age, the Messiah would come as a Suffering Servant to die for humanity’s sins—and that he would actually live inside all who put their trust in him (regardless of ethnic origin). When Jesus lives inside you, he enables you to personally experience God’s love and presence in your life—a taste of God’s future glorious kingdom now. When Jesus lives in you, he begins to reveal your unique part in God’s plan.

When I look back on my own life, I can see this much more clearly now than I did at the time. People open their hearts to Jesus for many different reasons (forgiveness, loneliness, career, etc...) I opened my heart to Jesus for purpose and direction. I realized that my own direction of my life was a failure. Though I would not have used this term at the time, I felt "lost." In the moment that I admitted this to myself, this wonderful invitation came into my mind (Revelation 3:20). I sensed that the time had come to do this, so I said: “Jesus, if you are real, come into my heart and lead my life.” That decision to ask Jesus to live inside me—to receive God’s “mystery”—was almost ten years ago—and I am awed by the significance of that decision. It was the “Y” in the road between stumbling in the dark and (gradually) discovering God’s calling for my life. Granted, these past years have been confusing and I've made mistakes along the way. But especially over the past year, I've come to understand why my path had taken the route it had. It was all being done to strengthen me, give me greater exposure to the diverse sometimes harsh world and to develop the character, humility and wisdom that is needed to be a leader. My purpose is and will be to expose the corruption and evil that exists in the world. This evil isn't of people alone, but from the lordship of Satan over the hearts, minds and souls of people. Central organizations that answer to Satan are the Bilderbergers, the Council on Foreign Relations, and Trilateral Commission to name a few.

This same decision can have the same result for you. There are many other keys to knowing God’s calling for your life, but it always begins with this key—responding to Jesus’ offer to live in you. He is the Lord, he made you for himself and for his plans. You are fundamentally out of synch with the purpose of your life until he lives within you. How will you respond to his invitation?

If you know who you are and you know God's will for your life, then you will eventually come to know your calling too.

Happy Birthday Joan Fontaine!

2009-10-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today, it is Joan Fontaine's birthday and she is 92 years young!

I first saw Joan in Rebecca and Suspicion during a "31 Days of Oscar" event on American Movie Classics in 1995.

You know it is funny now, but I can't help but to notice how the censors missed on the subtle yet obvious theme of lesbianism in Rebecca particularly between Rebecca who never appears in the movie and Mrs. Danvers. Mrs. Danvers stole the show in that one. One scene that stands out to me is when Joan's character (her first name is never revealed) walks into Rebecca's room for the first time and then Mrs. Danvers suddenly appears from the dark. She then invites Joan's character to sit at Rebecca's desk and look at her lingerie. She towers over the film and the 2nd Mrs. de Winter in particular.

The brillance of the writers and directors in those days was that they could "sneak" in subject matter or themes in a subtle way that the executives who approved or disproved the movies would miss out on. They must have been taking everything literally. How about that scene from Gone With The Wind where Rhett carries Scarlett up to her bedroom? Now what could she have been happy about? Of course, Joan's sister, Olivia de Havilland co-stars as Melanie Hamilton.

Anyways, back to Joan. I've seen a number of other films too like Letter From An Unknown Woman, which is Joan's favorite movie that she has worked on, Ivanhoe, Until They Sail, and Sky Giant which is one of her earlier roles. She looks absolutely adorable in that pilot's suit around the start of the movie. Other movies that I would like to see, but seem hard to come by are This Above All, The Constant Nymph, and Born To Be Bad.

I first joined Joan Fontaine's Yahoo Group in 2006 and have also written to Joan a number of times. Hopefully, I will get to meet her in person someday. Only time will tell. If so, that would be a story all unto itself.

Bob Corker's "Audit Fed" Bill Actually Darkens The Sky

2009-10-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

There is word that Tennessee Senator Bob Corker has introduced a bill that claims to audit the Federal Reserve and is supposedly a companion bill to the Federal Reserve Sunshine Act of 2009.

However there are several problems with this bill beginning with the sponsor himself. Bob Corker voted for the Wall Street bailouts last year and as a general rule, anyone who voted for it can't be trusted. The simple fact of the matter is that this bill merely waters down the Sunshine Act. It is an attempt to protect the privately owned Federal Reserve from being independently audited. This would reveal the racketeering that the Fed has operated for almost 100 years.

Several of Corker's top contributors consist of PACs and employees from the following companies:UBS/AG, Merrill Lynch, Regions Financial, and First TN Bank.

Also worth pointing out that the financial/insurance sector was the largest of all the sectors giving to Corker's campaign at $3 million. For more information go to http://www.opensecrets.org.

We need to get back to basics very soon. There is not much more that can be said.

The College Life

2009-10-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

The Fall Semester is halfway over at Carson-Newman. It is true that time goes by faster as you get older. I've known that for the past 20 years. I am taking a religion class, physical education, Introduction to Liberal Arts, English and Biology. So far, my favorite class is religion. The class is covering the New Testament and has been specifically covering the Four Gospels for the past month.

I am also videotaping practices and games for the football team. The biggest thing I've learned is how the day-to-day life of a coach is like from scheduling practice sessions to recruiting to handling all the various administrative tasks. Being a coach and/or teacher is definitely up my alley. I would like to coach football, but I would be just fine with coaching a baseball/softball team or track and field.

Happy Birthday Jean and Rita!

2009-10-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

Celebrating birthdays today happen to be two more actresses that I adore: Jean Arthur and Rita Hayworth.

When I think of Jean, the first word that comes to mind is witty. She was also shy which would explain why she did few movies after 1940. She was quite good in screwball comedies. She was known to a favorite of Frank Capra. But she was also very good in dramas. "Mr Deeds Goes To Town" and "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" are two Capra movies that showcase her talents very nicely. Not to mention she looked great in hats.

The first word that comes to mind in describing Rita is sultry.
But she has also been described as "a tender, sensitive, beautiful human being. A lovely person. Very gentle." Her most famous roles are probably Sheila Winthrop in You'll Never Get Rich, as Doña Sol des Muire in Blood and Sand and Gilda Mundson Farrell in Gilda. She had a number of fine movies throughout the 1940's and early 1950's. Sadly, she passed away a bit too soon in 1987. Her marker includes the inscription "To yesterday's companionship and tomorrow's reunion."

Jean and Rita, I wish you both a Happy Birthday and may you both be resting very well. I look forward to meeting both of you someday.

I'm Glad It Is Fall

2009-09-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

Taken at 2009 Orange and White Game
My favorite season is Fall. It is the time when the weather cools down (although this summer had been reasonably good compared to previous summers) and the air is crisp. You can breathe again finally.

In addition to football, it is the time when the leaves turn colors and there is plenty of opportunities for photographing nature. I also enjoy carving pumpkins and going to Halloween parties. Thanksgiving is also fun since it gives me an excuse to pig out. What is your favorite season?

Happy Birthday, Deborah Kerr!

2009-09-30T16:30:00.000-07:00

(Note: I posted this a year ago)

The first actress that comes to mind when I think of whom I would like to have as a wife is Grace Kelly. The second one is Deborah Kerr. Deborah who died last October at age 86 of course stood apart because of her red hair and fair skin. But she always had this understated sensuality about her. There are those who have seen two Deborah Kerr scenes: "Shall We Dance?" from the King and I and the kissing-on-the-beach bit in From Here to Eternity.

Deborah Kerr exuded class, that is indisputable, but she also happened to be one of the most emotionally and sexually complex screen performers, whether female or male. That is what made her so compelling at least in my mind.

First of all, Kerr’s refined women had a yen for sensual, macho men. In addition to the aforementioned The Proud and Profane, she fell for Stewart Granger in King Solomon’s Mines (1950) and six years later she was filled with repressed attraction for Yul Brynner’s bald, bare-chested King of Siam — a non-white object of desire. And there were many others, in all different sorts of social, cultural, and psychological settings.

In Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s Black Narcissus (1946), Kerr is an Irish nun who, while at a monastery in the Himalayas, discovers that she has strong feelings — i.e., sexual urges — for a handsome, virile doctor played by David Farrar. Now, compare Kerr’s dark, torn performance in Black Narcissus — or in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957), in which she plays a nun who lusts/has feelings for earthy Robert Mitchum — to Audrey Hepburn’s nun, pining for Peter Finch in The Nun’s Story (1959). Hepburn is excellent as the conflicted nun, but unlike Kerr she never comes across as a woman on the verge of an erotic breakdown.

Kerr is equally powerful in From Here to Eternity (1953), stealing the movie from her male co-stars, as an unhappily married woman who has a torrid affair with an officer shortly before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Fred Zinnemann’s Academy Award-winning melodrama marked one of the rare times when Kerr’s physique played a part in her erotic persona, as she parades around Hawaii in Lana Turner-type shorts and frolics on the wet sand with brawny Burt Lancaster.

Less obvious is her headmaster’s wife in Tea and Sympathy (1956), who, despite her discreet clothing and demeanor, ends up seducing one of her husband’s teenage students. It’s all for a good cause, of course — the "sensitive" boy thinks he may be gay — though it’s hardly the type of behavior society would look kindly upon. Additionally, Kerr makes it clear that she isn’t going to lie down with young and handsome John Kerr (no relation) merely out of charity.

All that in addition to extra-marital liaisons with Van Johnson in The End of the Affair (1956) and Burt Lancaster in The Gypsy Moths (1969), in which Kerr appears nude.

She was indeed innocent, but equally complex. Rest In Peace and may your memory last forever, Deborah.

So There Will Be A Revolution! Let It Be!

2009-09-13T06:18:00.000-07:00

I've been involved in the liberty movement for almost ten years now. If you asked me in 1999 where I saw myself in ten years, I would have replied "Perhaps working on movies or music videos". I thought a college degree was good for something. But my experiences and the experiences of millions of others causes me to doubt its true value at least in this day and age. It is nice, but can't solve all of life's problems. Now I am majoring in Physical Education and would love to get into coaching in some capacity. But I also know that very soon, my current plans will be delayed as I go about facing bigger issues in the world. Once upon a time, my plans not working out the way I wanted them to was upsetting. I am at peace with that now as I have learned to accept the fact that there are bigger forces at work in the world.

On one hand, I'm thankful that I woke up and have since then, life has taken me in a direction I did not expect nor intend to happen. I knew something was up with George W. Bush before it was cool thus I voted for Harry Browne instead of him. I already knew Al Gore was a fraud, so he wasn't going to get my vote anyways. I worked on Michael Badnarik's presidential campaign in 2004 and Ron Paul's campaign during the 2008 GOP presidential primary.

Some people don't like the fact I don't buy into the "official" version of what happened on 9/11 anymore than I buy into the magic bullet theory. I ask people "Cui bono?" Who benefited from the buildings going down? Dick Cheney? The Rothshchilds? The Rockefellers? What a tangled web we weave! I do not believe that Bush was the mastermind although he knows more than he lets on. He was for the most part a puppet in a cruel game that has been played since ancient times.

The simple fact of life is that in any society, there are leaders and followers.
A few people will lead for better or worse and everyone else follows. It is human nature. Think about that the next time you buy a product or get together for a party with friends. Someone had to have suggested the idea.

Years ago, I also came to the realization that economic collapse, martial law and open warfare would be inevitable. I was being called spooky, crazy and some other things too, but guess what? I was right. Lately, my attention has been turned to concentration camps and so-called vaccines. I ask again "Who Benefits?" I don't have a crystal ball. But I do study history and my studies have lead me to this conclusion: life is cyclical, not linear. People come and go as do buildings, nations and technologies. Events while the details may differ follow similar patterns. There are famines, war, rumors of war, civil strife, corruption and a host of other issues. It is human nature. Perfection is impossible.

Since war is inevitable and the actual plans for martial law have been in the works for decades such as Rex 84 and Operation Garden Plot, we must brace and prepare ourselves for what is to come. Are we going to continue to deny and delay? Shall we continue to believe we are living in liberty while bounded and shackled? Is being comfortable more important than life itself?

I made my decision almost ten years to resist the Devil. I will continue to do so even if others choose not to. Now is the time to make a decision. Death in the Lord's name is preferable to slavery.

Rethinking How We Think About Education

2009-08-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

As one who has attended both public schools, a community college and now Carson-Newman, I've had my fair share of exposure to the education system or shall I say the formal education system. What comes to mind when you decide to attend a college or get your diploma? Is it to find a job? A career? Get more education?

While it has been marketed in this manner for much of the 20th century and now, I have learned that it is actually neither of these. Instead the purpose of public schooling was and is to create bored people. Being a bored person means a better consumer. "Since bored people are the best consumers, school had to be a boring place, and since childish people are the easiest customers to convince, the manufacture of childishness, extended into adulthood, had to be the first priority of factory schools. Naturally, teachers and administrators weren't let in on this plan; they didn't need to be. If they didn't conform to instructions passed down from increasingly centralized school offices, they didn't last long." John Taylor Gatto

Perhaps most kids are dropping out of school because they aren't learning anything, rather than they drop out of school because they don't want to learn as traditionally advertised. Just a thought.

I have experienced this first-hand, but it didn't really hit me until I began waking up almost ten years ago. Granted, I've known that corruption existed in a general sense and that yes people do get together to do bad things. But I gathered at the time it was mostly isolated incidents. But as I did more research and asked questions most wouldn't even think to ask, I have learned that corruption and evil can be institutional, legalized and has a top-down approach. After all, in any given society, there are leaders and followers. Most follow and a few will lead even if they are of bad character. Little did I know then that many of the themes from The X-Files did indeed have basis in fact.

A few years ago, I was a reporter for a newspaper which I shall not name. While covering the school board, I encountered the politics that is part and parcel to education today. As a fellow reporter told me, generally school boards are actually the most political entity at the local level, not the county commission or sheriff's department. I butted heads with the board chairman over several articles pertaining to the violations of the Sunshine Law. On top of that, while conducting research for an in-depth article on "No Child Left Behind", several administrators did not wish to go on the record about their opinion for fear of retaliation from certain individuals or organizations. Many teachers go into teaching because they want to teach, not to get into politics. Yet, the system is inherently political and rewards and punishes on the basis of adhering to a certain agenda.

At the college level, it is somewhat better, but still there are grounds for improvement. Have you ever failed a class because your professor voted for one candidate and you voted for another? Have you noticed the tuition and cost of room and board? Are you getting a return on your investment? On top of that, while getting your diploma and/or degree meant a rewarding career or a higher paying job a generation or two ago, people of my generation are learning the hard way that a college degree doesn't ensure a better life or more money.

The college loan program is another area that is in need of improvement or shall I competition. The first thing that needs to happen is to take back education and learning on a personal level. This requires a lot of unlearning and relearning. The U.S. Department of Education ultimately needs to be abolished, but it will start at the local level.

Embarking on New Business Opportunities

2009-08-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

While I am preparing for college and embarking on a work-study with the Carson-Newman football team which will primarily consist of videotaping practices, games and breaking down film, I am also embarking on several business opportunities.

If you are interested in booking a vacation or a particular travel package, feel free to visit World Ventures

I am also an independent representative for JuicePlus

Let me know if you have any questions.

Have The Americans Become Like The Romans?

2009-07-31T18:14:00.000-07:00

For the record, while the technical advances of the Roman Empire like the Nazi Empire are something that I marvel, I for one am glad to not be a Roman citizen or a Nazi due to the atrocities that they committed. Be it gassing people to death or watching men fight animals to death under the guise of sport, it all stems from the innate evil that people have. I've longed desire to set higher standards for myself. As for the movie "Gladiator", it wasn't too impressive for a number of reasons. But what can I say? I am not a big fan of "today's" movies.

Now to a question that is asked from time to time:

"Aren’t we just like the Roman Empire, headed for the same kind of fall?”

We hear this question sometimes when someone wants to make the point that the United States is doing something that will lead to its ultimate decline.

The comparison between Rome and America is an intriguing one.

For instance, I recently heard some people talk about going the way of Rome when they were worrying about the terrible consequences of “military expansionism.” Others said we were doing “just like Rome” by giving up “our traditional family values.” Often times, the Roman Empire comparison is just a simple way to emphasize the speaker's negative feelings about a particular American condition or course of action.

But the comparison between Rome and America is an intriguing one. Here are some of the similarities between Rome and America.

1. Both began as small republics without much influence. Then they expanded “to the sea,” by conquering or coercing the peoples who occupied the heartlands. Both continued that expansion beyond the seas. The Romans spread throughout the Mediterranean and beyond. The U.S. took over Alaska, Hawaii, the Philippines and parts of the Caribbean.

2. Both claimed important political traditions such as the rule of law and fair government. Both believe that they were providing a much better government to those they conquered.

3. Both established transnational trading systems. In the areas of the Roman imposed peace, they established road networks, a postal system, and commercial stability. Similarly, the U.S. has led the way in bringing about a global system of commerce and trade.

4. Both had long conflicts with major rivals, ending in triumph and unrivaled power. Roman won its long war with Carthage; the U.S. over Nazi Germany and the U.S.S.R..

5. Both borrowed their basic culture from predecessors. Rome from Greece. The U.S. from Britain and Western Europe.

6. Both dominated the rest of the world with military superiority.

7. Both took advantage of advanced technology to improve the lives of their peoples.

8. Both attracted substantial numbers of immigrants from other parts of the world.

9. Rome often used local leaders to manage the local populations. The U.S. does the same.

10. Both are responsible for a “transnational language.” Latin in the case of Rome. English in the case of the U.S.

11. Both experienced a movement to centralize political power. This centralization has been accompanied by a decline in the politics of participation and an increase in the politics of the spectacle. Games and pleasure took the place of a civic life. A few elite families tended to dominate the national political life.

12. Both developed an increased reliance on a professional military, depending less and less upon the citizen soldier.

13. Both experienced growing opposition at the boundaries. The resulting conflicts increased dependence on the military. The costs of military preparedness and defense strained the basic economic systems.

14. The U.S. has went from a republic to an oligarchy, while the Roman republic was transformed into rule by an emperor.

15. Both used entertainment (Romans with gladiators and Americans with "reality" TV) as a way to distract citizens from internal abuse, corruption, fraud and external misadventures as well.

There are some important differences between Rome and America, including:

1. The U.S. has relatively few colonies compared to Rome.

2. The U.S. has an expanding human rights agenda although the hypocrisy is noted.

3. While Romans took pride in their empire, Americans generally reject the term as it applies to them.

I wondered about all this as I watched our military try to deal with armed revolts in Iraq. The imperial Romans would know what do. Brutally crush the rebellion and do whatever it takes to teach the Iraqis that resistance brings swift and terrible punishment--without mercy or “due process.”

Have we become so much like the Romans that we are prepared to teach such lessons? I don’t think so.

Most Americans still do not have the “conqueror’s mentality” that is a prerequisite for crushing the prolonged resistance of an occupied people.

The American people have many faults. But desiring an empire or brutalizing the people of other nations in the name of empire is not one of them. It is a big difference from the Romans, one that I hope will never change. It is a difference that our leaders should remember the next time they send Americans to liberate, conquer, or occupy another people’s country.

Dukes Fest 2009

2009-07-19T05:03:00.000-07:00

I'm proud to say I finally met Daisy Duke at Dukes Fest 2009 in Sevierville. For the record, she is 5'8", but was wearing three-inch heels thus she appears taller than me. I'm 5'9". I had to wait about two hours in line for it to happen, and I was one of the earliest people there two hours before Daisy even made her noon appearance. She was supposed to have arrived at 11, but she was running late due to a late flight, catching up on her sleep and the drive from her hotel in Knoxville. When she did show up, she had her personal assistants, armed escort and all. LOL. No fights broke out either.

Problems aside, it was well worth it. I also met Enos. An all-around nice man. You can view more pictures on Facebook. Just send me a friends request.

I'm Taking A Break From Politics

2009-07-16T04:56:00.000-07:00

"The important thing is to concentrate upon what you can do - by yourself, upon your own initiative." Harry Browne

I won't need to elaborate too much on the title of my post, but in a nutshell, I am not going to donate money nor involve myself in politics at least for the next few years. I think my work over the past eight years speaks for itself. What more do I need to say?

For the first time in a long time, I have a focus on where I want to go in life which is to get into physical education or coaching in some capacity. There are so many things I want to do that I put off or didn't focus on because I was more concerned with the well-being of my country and world. In retrospect, I should have done this around five years ago. But I was an idealist wrapped up in saving the world. Had I known then what I know now, I wouldn't have wasted my time working on campaigns, donating to causes I believe in, spending countless hours at rallies, protests, and events. What did I get for it? Not much in the way of liberty because sadly most people refuse to listen. It is like people lack self-respect and empathy for others.

That being said, I figure it will be better to let things develop as they may and if people have to figure it out the hard way, then so be it. I can't save the world anyways. That was done around 2,000 years ago. I will still follow up on current events and keep in touch. But this is my time and my life. I am going to seize the moment and run with it.

The funny thing is that yes, you can have freedom in an unfree world.
I smack myself on the forehead everytime I think back to reading this book in 2001, yet failed to apply the principles from it until recently. Politics is a detriment to freedom, not an ends to a means.

Where others don't do well in bad times due to any number of factors such as only seeing themselves being one thing their whole lives, being told what to do and what to think, etc..., I have learned to flow like water. I will not allow Washington's recession to affect my life. I want to travel, learn to scuba dive, sky-dive, ride horses again, collect muscle cars when money and time will allow such. I am 33. Most people at 33 have already been married at least once. I have never even been in a relationship. I was terribly shy around girls when I was a teenager and in my 20's, it was school, work and politics that took almost all my time. Needless to say, I'm in the driver's seat now and you can either come along with me for the ride or get left behind.

College Enrollment Process Coming Along

2009-07-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

I've spent the past six weeks taking care of enrollment matters at Carson-Newman. So far, things are coming along pretty well. I paid my orientation fee and will be attending this week. I have already met some future classmates on Facebook. I have also been in touch with several football coaches and will continue that path too.

It has been said that a change will do you good. I've needed a career change for quite some time since my original career choice didn't work out. Another challenge is that since I have a variety of interests, it can be very difficult to channel them all into a single career. But I've always enjoyed sports athletic ability and size notwithstanding. Is anyone else embarking on a career change?

Why Al Gore Stands To Gain From The Global Warming Fraud

2009-06-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

So why does Al Gore claim that cattle and oil cause global warming when his family made a fortune off of them? Because he has profited and will continue to profit from the "global warming" fraud until we call him out on it.

Likewise, he stands to profit from Cap and Trade which does nothing to curb carbon emissions. But it will result in more job losses, the cost of utilities doubling at the very least and a lack of innovation. This is just more proof that communism and fascism do not work.

MJ and Farrah RIP

2009-06-26T05:56:00.000-07:00

Much has already been said about Michael Jackson, his music, his life, and his passing. It may seem surreal, and perhaps it is. But it goes to show we are all human.

I didn't go to the Knoxville performance on his 'Victory Tour'. but I was certainly into the music videos, the break-dancing (to the best of my ability) and the sequined gloves and jacket. I've had this sense that the last 20 years of his life have been in a sort of free-fall due to any number of circumstances. But his mark on music is undeniable. My favorite of his songs is "Rock With You"

Another much overlooked death has been Farrah Fawcett who died about 8 hours earlier. My favorite Charlie's Angel is Jacklyn Smith. While I never cared much for Farrah's romances, scandals or whatever else, I recognize that her death is a gradual fading away of an era.

Don't Believe Everything You Hear or Read

2009-06-22T06:26:00.000-07:00

Whether it is common knowledge or not, it has long been noted that the United States government is first and foremost responsible for just about every major terror organization in existence today or during the past 50 years. The list is too numerous, but I will cite some examples.

After Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was re-installed during a coup by the CIA in 1953, the SAVAK security and intelligence service was founded. Millions of people were either tortured or murdered during his rein. After the Islamic Revolution overthrew the Shah, human rights groups continued to complain of human rights abuses in Iran. Among them were "death squads" in the form of killings of civilians by government agents that were denied by the government. This was particularly the case during the 1990s when more than 80 writers, translators, poets, political activists, and ordinary citizens who had been critical of the government in some way, disappeared or were found murdered. During the same time that the Islamic Revolution began, Saddam Hussein was installed as the dictator of Iraq. This happened to be during the time that George H.W. Bush, Sr. was running the CIA. Are you connecting the dots?

Al-Qaeda is a CIA and Pakistan ISI created terrorist group. Hamas was nurtured from the ground up by Israel’s Mossad and Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks. Al-Jihad is financed and supported by the Muslim Brotherhood, a British and U.S. intelligence asset. The Neo-cons orchestrated 9/11 and claimed that Muslims did it so they could justify invading Afghanistan, Iraq and in the near future, Iran.

Battalion 316 which also murdered or tortured many people received substantial financial support and training from the United States Central Intelligence Agency. There are many other CIA financed and trained death squads that have been heavily involved in Central and South America.

James W. von Brunn wasn't the "lone-wolf" that has been reported in the press, but is in fact an operative who was clandestinely installed by the FBI to discredit those who are opposed to certain policies of the federal government not to mention human rights abuses committed on behalf of the American people.

Under COINTELPRO, the FBI provided covert aid to the Ku Klux Klan, Minutemen, Nazis, and other racist vigilantes. The Elohim City "settlement" connected to documented government operative Timothy McVeigh and linked to the Aryan Nations and other white supremacists groups was in fact operated by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the FBI.

Other nations have also engaged in false flag operations most notably the Nazi Party starting the Reichstag Fire and blaming it on the Jews.

The Black Bloc anarchists are a notorious government front. In keeping with the well-documented “strategy of tension” technique pioneered by the CIA-NATO contrivance Gladio, so-called anarchists (who were police agents provocateurs) engaged in violence during the anti-globalist Genoa protests in 2001. During the Montebello globalist summit in Quebec in 2007, several “anarchists” were outed as police agents.

Often times, the "authorities" urge citizens to actively become snoops and instructs them to consider innocuous behavior as suspected terrorist activity. People who refuse to sign up for medicare and/or social security or value privacy are to be considered possible terrorists, as well as those who make "unusual purchases" or have "numerous visitors/meetings" i.e. bible study groups or business members who have networking meetings during evening hours.

Be careful! Things are not always what they appear to be.

I Refuse To Participate In Washington's Recession

2009-06-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

I won't waste too much space on the bad times we are living in. It has been covered ad nauseum.

I went through a layoff in 2001 during the midst of the dot.com bubble. Looking back on it, I did everything I was supposed to do such as getting my degree, getting my foot in the door and what not, and it didn't work out like it was supposed to. All of the sudden, the life I had planned out for myself (working my way up the corporate ladder, moving to L.A. or Nashville, being a movie producer or music video director, etc...) fell by the wayside. I have to admit though I was seduced by the image and to be honest about it, the kind of movies I aspired to make were those from the good ole days and besides what are music videos? I would have fit well in 1930's or 1940's Hollywood, but they don't make em like they used to.

I've basically done what I had to in order to pay the bills. I learned to be content with less and focused on the basics, instead of allowing myself to be baited into buying a new car every three years or a 5,000 square foot house in the upscale part of town that I couldn't afford. Now when the rest of the world seems to be crashing around me, I am actually getting out more, being more vocal and not allowing the fear-mongering to run my life. I'm going back to college to get a bachelor's degree in Physical Education, I'm planning a trip to California, and I'm not allowing Washington's recession to run my life. I don't do what they tell me anyways.

The key to getting by and even thriving in times like these is to START THINKING FOR YOURSELF!!! Whether it is a career change, developing new daily habits, taking up new hobbies or whatever your heart desires, you are ultimately responsible for your own life. For more practical tips, go to Class Warfare Strategy which I wrote in 2002.

The Iranian Disinformation Campaign on Twitter

2009-06-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

Right-wing Israeli interests are engaged in an all out Twitter attack with hopes of delegitimizing the Iranian election and causing political instability within Iran.

Anyone using Twitter over the past few days knows that the topic of the Iranian election has been the most popular. Thousands of tweets and retweets alleging that the election was a fraud, calling for protests in Iran, and even urging followers hack various Iranian news websites (which they did successfully). The Twitter popularity caught the eye of various blogs such as Mashable and TechCrunch and even made its way to mainstream news media sites.

Were these legitimate Iranian people or the works of a propaganda machine? I became curious and decided to investigate the origins of the information. In doing so, I narrowed it down to a handful of people who have accounted for 30,000 Iran related tweets in the past few days. Each of them had some striking similarities -

1. They each created their twitter accounts on Saturday June 13th.
2. Each had extremely high number of Tweets since creating their profiles.
3. “IranElection” was each of their most popular keyword
4. With some very small exceptions, each were posting in ENGLISH.
5. Half of them had the exact same profile photo
6. Each had thousands of followers, with only a few friends. Most of their friends were EACH OTHER.

Why were these tweets in English? Why were all of these profiles OBSESSED with Iran? It became obvious that this was the work of a team of people with an interest in destabilizing Iran. The profiles are phonies and were created with the sole intention of destabilizing Iran and effecting public opinion as to the legitimacy of Iran’s election.

I narrowed the spammers down to three of the most persistent - @StopAhmadi @IranRiggedElect @Change_For_Iran

I decided to do a google search for 2 of the 3 - @StopAhmadi and @IranRiggedElect. The first page to come up was JPost (Jerusalem Post) which is a right wing newspaper pro-Israeli newspaper.

JPost actually ran a story about 3 people “who joined the social network mere hours ago have already amassed thousands of followers.” Why would a news organization post a story about 3 people who JUST JOINED TWITTER hours earlier? Is that newsworthy? JPost was the first (and only to my knowledge) major news source that mentioned these 3 spammers.

JPost, a major news organization, promoted these three Twitterers who went on the be the source of the IranElection Twitter bombardment. Why is JPost so concerned about Iranian students all of a sudden (which these spammers claim to be)? I must admit that I had my suspicions. After all, Que Bono? (who benefits).

Knoxville's Top Singles List

2009-06-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

Jeph, a ten year old horse and me!

Knoxville Magazine came out with its Top Singles List.

Why they didn't contact me is a mystery however. I guess it is because I don't live in Knoxville anymore. There are certainly a few women in this feature that caught my eye. LOL.

So, how would a profile look on me? Well here goes for starters:

Age: 33

Occupation: I've done everything from working in television, to stock/warehousing, newspaper reporter, to name a few. I am now working towards getting a bachelor's degree in Physical Education and to coach perhaps football or baseball.

Hometown: Knoxville, TN

What is your idea of a perfect date: Generally, I don't date nor do I care to play the dating game. I'm too much of an introvert for that. If it is the traditional route, I prefer to stay home, cook my special burgers or gumbo and watch a movie. Otherwise, going to the lake or mountains would work. Another thing about going on a date is that I expect "her" to take the initiative and ask me out for once. Did I mention I am an introvert?

What is an activity on your bucket list? I would like to travel to many places.
I am working on plans to visit the central coast of California this winter. I would like to own a horse or two, settle on a farm someplace, and last but not least, to watch some female mud wrestling (or some derivative) in person.

What is a deal-breaker for you? People who are superficial, power-hungry or insincere.

What three words describe you: Introverted, deep-thinker and resourceful.

What three words best describe your perfect partner: outgoing, kind and wise.

Would you rather go to a sporting event, a concert, or something outdoors?
I can do any of them.

What would you want to eat for your last meal: My special burgers or gumbo.

What motto do you live by? Do something you enjoy and you will never have to work again. I'm working towards that now.

What is the best thing and worst thing about Knoxville? The best thing is that it has a little bit of everything. Not too big or too small. The worst things would be corruption in local government (not exactly unique though) and the constant road-building, traffic, bad drivers, you name it. I'm even a member of the facebook group "Get out of my way, I'm from Knoxville and I know how to drive!!".

Revolutions: Past, Present and Future

2009-06-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery." - Thomas Jefferson

Perhaps the best known revolution is the American Revolution. It is best known by those people who know anything about this period for places like Valley Forge, events like the signing of the Declaration of Independence, people like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abigail Adams plus all those people whose names you may or may not know. Another Revolution that comes to mind is the Iranian Revolution of 1979 which came as a result of long-simmering anger over the United States and British involvement in their affairs.

Revolutions have at times cumulated in wars which have historically been fought with swords, guns, bombs, large armies and navies facing off. But wars have always had a political and moral side to them that ultimately determine who the victor is more than the military aspects. A classic example of this is the Vietnam War. The same is true with regards to the United States involvement in Iraq and its foreign policy in general. Before it is all said and done, I think the experiment called the United States of America will seize to exist perhaps within another generation or so. The idea is long overdue given the failed experiment in liberty that ultimately resulted in the Authoritarian government that we've had for the past 150 years or so.

Today, revolutions are being fought in another way with a technology that become available to the masses in just the past ten years or so: The Internet. Today, tyrants all over the world are more concerned with how many readers a blogger has or how many people subscribe to your newsletters than they are with how many bullets or knives you have. As always, they will urge more laws, restrictions or what have you done under the guise of protecting you, but where the true motive is to silence you. So, don't fall for the non-sense spewing from the mouths of dictators, authority figures, or talking heads that in order to have security, you must give up your liberties. If so, you will most likely wind up in a labor camp or a grave.

The nature of revolutions are changing, becoming more widespread, and are giving more people the opportunity to be involved. Guns, knives and armies will still play a role, but they will no longer be the determining factor in who the victor is.

In Sports, It Is About Not Getting Caught

2009-06-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

I suppose in sports as in life, things aren't as simple as we are led to believe.
We are told that there is a clear sense of right and wrong, but in reality, everything is shades of gray. Just follow orders, obey the rules and don't question the laws, and you will get ahead in life they say. Of course, some rules and laws are hypocritical, targeted towards specific types of people thus failing to deliver due process or just plain insane. So there will be times in life when the rules should be broken or ignored.

I'm planning to major in Physical Education at Carson-Newman with the goal to get into coaching. I'm open to pretty much any sport, but I would enjoy either coaching football or baseball/softball the most.

Recruiting is a big part of college sports especially at the Division I-A level. There is a tremendous amount of pressure on coaches to win, and there is as high a expectation for recruiting well as there is for winning games. So while it may technically be wrong to cheat, it is usually considered to be fine so as long as they don't get caught. Of course, if they do get caught, the athletic department is usually fined, loses scholarships, a coach resigns or something along those lines. The NCAA for all its claims that it is a watchdog, they are actually pretentious and hypocritical.

The organization makes billions of dollars every year, yet goes haywire just because a student-athlete takes a summer job washing cars. It cracks down on violations, but that is only if not doing anything at all would result in a public-relations fiasco. They use a stupid computer rankings system to determine the "National Champion" in football while every other major sport, college and professional have a playoff system.
Nonetheless, while these issues have been around for a long time, it is likely they won't be solved anytime soon. It is just the nature of the beast.

It used to be a coaches job was simple enough: win enough games and some championships, and your job is secure. Now being a coach who wins much less wins championships is not enough. They have to be a salesman, public relations specialist, politician, the Energizer Bunny and just about a little of everything else. Coaching has always been a hard profession and even more so now. That is especially the case if the situation is not a good fit for a particular coach or they don't enjoy their line of work. While I acknowledge the challenges that come with coaching, I know in my heart I am cut out for doing it providing I keep a level-head even as I have to play the field at times.

My Future Plans

2009-05-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

I am planning to attend Carson-Newman beginning this fall. I plan to pursue a bachelor's degree in Physical Education with the goal to get into coaching. I have already been in contact with several of the assistant football coaches. Upon further conversations with them, it turns out they are in need of a video coordinator to videotape their practices and breakdown film for offensive, defensive and special teams units.

In retrospect, I should have majored in Physical Education a long time ago. I have long been interested in a career in sports, but I was not sure how that would go since I didn't play in college and just a little bit of football in high school due to a small size and not much athletic ability. I got by more on determination and heart. It was a bit overdue, but at one time, my original career choice to work in television was doing well before the dot.com bubble burst. Also, my dream of working in movies at one time was perhaps unrealistic. The best movies ever made have already been done and there is no point in re-inventing the wheel. Plus, I am too much of a straight-shooter to make it long in Hollywood.

I have worked other jobs over the years and even went back to school with the idea of working as a paralegal. However, while I enjoy reading court cases and am well-versed in legal matters, I have changed a great deal. I am no longer crazy about having to wear a suit and tie everyday, prefer to be outdoors and I have too much energy to be stuck behind a desk all day.

So wish me well.

Summer Will Be Here Soon

2009-05-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

I enjoy the Winter, Fall and Spring. I am not crazy about the heat and humidity that comes with Summer though. But no since complaining. I hope everyone has a good Memorial Day and a wonderful summer.

Say No To Horse Slaughter in Tennessee

2009-05-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

We have made great strides at stopping horse slaughter in the United States, but we need your urgent help to make sure Tennessee does not roll back that progress and bring back cruelty to horses!

Unfortunately, even though the three existing plants in the United States have been shut down in Illinois and Texas, the foreign-owned horse slaughter industry is looking for another place to set up shop and they have set their sights on Tennessee. A bill (H.B. 1428/S.B. 1898) has been introduced to promote horse slaughter plants in Tennessee -- a wasteful investment since the federal government is on its way to banning horse slaughter nationwide.

This legislation has passed a committee and appears to be moving quickly. It is critical that your state legislators hear from constituents like you who oppose horse slaughter.

TAKE ACTION
Please make a brief, polite phone call to your state representative, Susan Lynn, at (615) 741-7462, and your state senator, Mae Beavers, at (615) 741-2421 to urge opposition to H.B. 1428/S.B. 1898.

Calling your legislators is easy; you will likely speak to a staff member who will take your message and pass it along to your legislator. Remember to be polite and professional, and leave your name and address so it is clear that you are a constituent. You can say:

"Hello, my name is [your name] and I am calling from [your city] to urge [your legislator's name] to oppose H.B. 1428/S.B. 1898 to promote horse slaughter in Tennessee. This legislation will bring an inhumane industry, negative economic impacts and environmental hazards to Tennessee communities. Thank you."

After making your call, please send a follow-up email to reaffirm your opposition to this bill. Finally, please tell your friends and family in Tennessee to take action, too.

Horse Haven of Tennessee
P.O. Box 22841
Knoxville, Tennessee 37933

I've Been Busy

2009-05-13T06:13:00.000-07:00

I've not blogged as much lately because quite frankly I've been busy lately. I'm following up on a few job leads and hopefully something will come out of it. I'm also looking at possibly moving sometime in June. I will blog more within a few more weeks.

Are The Schools Setting Us Up To Fail?

2009-05-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

"Several current teachers said they could not agree to have their name published along with their concerns because they feared for their jobs. Their complaints echoed recent blog posts and e-mails from other teachers."

Dinner With Anthony Munoz

2009-04-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I made an eight-hour round trip to Cincinnati to hear former Bengals offensive tackle and NFL Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz speak to the Blue Chip Young Republican Club at Molly Malone's. I have been a Bengals fan since 1985 and yes I stuck with them through all these years.

He spoke for about 30 minutes covering a variety of topics from his childhood in Southern California growing up with a single mother and several siblings to his work with the Anthony Munoz Foundation.
He mentioned that his experiences over the course of his lifetime in combination with his Christian faith and work ethic have given him the passion for his work and compassion to share it with others.

On the general issue of politics, he expressed dismay at the notion that government can act with impunity confiscating people's money through taxation which he says leads to more waste and less money for people to have for paying bills, investing, and using to build a business. He states he believes that the economic bailouts being initiated in Washington D.C. will ultimately make the situation worse and delay any possible recovery for some time.

Why The "Pig Flu" is Pig Dung

2009-04-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

“Think of the press as a great keyboard on which the government can play.”
Joseph Goebbels, Nazi minister of propaganda

Did you notice all the talk last month about the evil Chinese and Koreans? Then it was the "evil" people of Somalia for the past few weeks?
Have you noticed the recent news about the "Pig Flu"? Basically for the next week or so, we are going to be indundated with stories about people getting pig flu, virus or whatever word you want to use.

It could be the Reichstag Fire. It could be the evil Jews on Monday and the evil Arabs on Friday. Next week, it could be you. So what is going on?

I've worked in television and newspapers, so I know first-hand how public information can be manipulated in order to produce a desired result or response. People who work in government are efficient in the sense they can rationalize their responses to a crisis and get the talking points out to the public. The talking points from the memo get repeated around the water cooler, from the talk shows, cook-outs, so on and so on.

This does not mean that every single reporter, newspaper editor or camera man is "in on it". The media can be used for good purposes as well as bad purposes. It is just that many people in the position to call the shots these days as in the past are agenda driven, adhere to loyalty to political parties or are rather friendly with the people who run the power structure thus ensuring access for exclusive interviews, feeders on stories and invitations to awards dinners among other things.

Nothing gets run unless it has approval. Now it can be anything from football scores, a 5 year old girl winning a spelling bee, to this. The fact of the matter is that we are dealing with nothing more than constant repeating of the same story. Ever notice that all the major media outlooks say the same thing? That is a clue that you are being mislead or lied to. This is called Media Manipulation. Specifically, this is Distraction by phenomenon. Think "Wag The Dog".

It is also important to keep in mind that it isn't what they are telling you that is the problem as much as what they are NOT telling you. Hence, lying by omission. Ask yourself this: what other events were going on Saturday? I think it has something to do with the Federal Reserve.

What is going on is that various governments have been keeping core samples derived from lab experiments and at a pre-determined time, they would release it hence the timing of all this aka the anthrax scare. What is also happening is that all the reported cases of pig flu are in fact not pig flu at all, but nothing more than cases of common colds. Essentially a non-event. Keep in mind this is all happening less than a week after Hitler's 120th birthday.

This "crisis" is all designed to create a crisis and further erode the economy or at least explain why corporate profits are down (other than the corporations own mismanagement), trampling of civil rights, inducing a mass panic, etc... The CDC, FEMA and other agencies in the alphabet soup will claim there is a crisis of "epic proportions" and then use their own manufactured crisis to justify more powers to do these things. Can you say internment camp? Look up H.R. 645 sponsored by Alcee Hastings of Florida.

This particular "crisis" is livestock-related, so expect more push for government oversight of farms. Big industrial farms will welcome this, because they have big lobbies to get exemptions just as Monsanto is welcoming the oversight of seeds and you guessed it, pigs. As in the "Pig Patent". In 2005, Monsanto had filed two patents for processes which controlled the breeding and the herds of pigs. This resulted in Monsanto being under scrutiny for ownership rights over pigs and their offspring. Monsanto was planning to create improved designer animals for human consumption using special breeding techniques. Monsanto was able to control breeds with specific characteristics as per the patent, and disallowing other breeders and farmers from doing so. The patent, being broad, remained unclear about the ownership of the proceeds from the sale of the pigs by farmers. It did not mention the royalties involved when a food producer produces sausages (as an example) using those pigs which are bred using Monsanto’s process. This was a source of royalty for Monsanto. Monsanto wanted to cash in on the growing consumer demand for meat products globally and many activists question the ethics of Monsanto’s actions.

So live your life and don't listen to the naysayers. Likewise, be diligent in protecting your rights and liberties.

2009 Tennessee Libertarian Party Convention

2009-04-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

NEWEST LPTN OFFICERS: (L-R) Izaak Standridge, Vice Chairman; John Sebastian, Chairman; Ray Ledford, Secretary; J.R. Enfield, Treasurer.

"A flourishing libertarian movement, a lifelong dedication to liberty can only be grounded on a passion for justice."
Murray Rothbard, Egalitarianism As a Revolt Against Nature

I attended the 2009 Tennessee Libertarian Party Convention on Saturday, April 25 at the Best Western Inn off N. Peters Road in Knoxville, Tennessee.

We had around 40 people in attendance including representatives from Maryville College, East Tennessee State University as well as several other local colleges in addition to long-time activists.

The morning session dealt mostly with business such as amending the party by-laws, going over the treasurer's report and electing new officers.

During the afternoon, we heard from a variety of speakers.

The first one to speak was Matthew Jeffers. Matthew is a former Army veteran, student at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and co-founder of the Students of American Liberty. He talked about his time in the military and how he transitioned from being just another soldier who followed orders to being a full-fledged activist for liberty. He commented he was frustrated with George W. Bush, the neo-cons and the general direction of the country. His transition started when he came across a sign on the ETSU campus a few years ago that said "Google Ron Paul".

Allan Wallace, secretary of the Knox County affiliate of the Libertarian Party and co-founder of Outright Libertarians spoke next about his time as a political activist and the importance of advocacy groups that share common themes with the Libertarian Party as well as discrimination that occurs against bi-sexuals, gays, lesbians, and transgendered individuals.

Fred Childress, co-founder of the Tennessee Liberty Alliance spoke about his time as a political activist in Oak Ridge with his most recent cause being against RedFlex cameras.

R. Lee Wrights, a long-time political activist and editor/publisher of Liberty For All talked about the recent fight going on within the Libertarian Party particularly as it pertains to Libertarian National Committee. He expressed dismay over his removal from the committee over the "expiration" of his membership. Technically, his wife paid for his membership on her credit card, but supposedly Federal election law says that another person can't pay for your membership in a political party. He chalks it up to a difference of personalities between him and another member on the committee and that this argument is hog-wash.

Angela Keaton, Development Director of Antiwar.com spoke about Anti War's reason for being and mentioned that the mainstream media generally only reports on a sanitized version of war particularly in the Middle East.

Ernest Hancock was the keynote speaker. He spoke for several hours about his transition over the course of his life from the events of his childhood like the Vietnam War, Watergate, to the 1988 election cycle when he first started to understand the bigger picture of how the world works. He followed through with the central question: "How Many Minds Can We Free?" particularly as it relates to younger people being involved in political activism.

He expressed his dismay about how the Libertarian Party particularly at the top had not figured out that the top-down approach is not effective and that liberty has no central planning committee therefore, it is best to let people on the ground determine how to run things.

The meeting concluded around 7 p.m. and the rest of the night was essentially social event. I left around 8 p.m. since I had been up since 5 a.m. and looking forward to getting some sleep.

If you are on Facebook, more pictures can be viewed here.

What Fast Food Are You?

2009-04-23T07:37:00.001-07:00

You Are Pizza

You are friendly, popular, and outgoing. You find it easy to get along with anyone.
You can be casual and carefree or fancy and upscale. You fit in anywhere.

You are a giving person, and you love to share. Sharing comes naturally to you.
You always liven up a party and attract a big crowd. There's just something about you that people love!

What Kind of Fast Food Are You?

"Controversy" over Miss California Obscures The Real Issue

2009-04-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

Who has noticed all the "talk" about Carrie Prejean's answer on gay marriage? Well guess what? Conversion of rights into privileges and political correctness happen to be two of the 16 signs of tyranny.

The real issue is not whether people can be allowed to live together as they always had that right. The real issue is that tyrants are attempting to yet again blind us as they continue their campaign to impose tyranny.

For the record, Perez Hilton is a shock jock. The fact that so many people act as if he is credible on anything goes to show you how sad and trivial Americans truly have become.

1. The definition of a "license" demands that we not obtain one to marry. Black’s Law Dictionary defines "license" as, "The permission by competent authority to do an act which without such permission, would be illegal." We need to ask ourselves- why should it be illegal to marry without the State’s permission? More importantly, why should we need the State’s permission to participate in something which God instituted (Gen. 2:18-24)? We should not need the State’s permission to marry nor should we grovel before state officials to seek it. What if you apply and the State says "no"? You must understand that the authority to license implies the power to prohibit. A license by definition "confers a right" to do something. The State cannot grant the right to marry. It is a God-given right.

5 Reasons Why Christians Should Not Obtain a State Marriage License

Orange and White Game

2009-04-19T06:19:00.000-07:00

I went to the Orange and White game yesterday. I was a little bit sunburned, but no complaints.

This was the first O&W game I've been to in five years. I should go more often. LOL.

How To Treat Ant Bites and Bee Stings

2009-04-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

The first thing especially if you are allergic is to see a doctor.

When you get the chance, stop by and pick up some organic raw honey, preferably local honey which can be found at farmer's markets or food co-ops. Honey has natural antioxidant and anti-microbial properties that help to protect the skin from the damage of the sun's rays, supports the skin's ability to rejuvenate and refresh depleted skin, leaving it feeling silky soft and supple. One of the most common skin benefits of honey is related to minor acne treatment.

Also get some yogurt. It adds enzymes and oils to the skin, working as a natural moisturizer. It can also reduce pore size, improve overall skin texture, and give you that healthy glow. You determine how much honey and yogurt you would need. I would suggest in the neighborhood of a 2-3 pounds of each to start off with.

First of all, rinse off completely before applying. You don't want dirt, body oil or what not getting caught up in the honey and yogurt. It would be a nightmare otherwise.

Using your hands, slather the honey on the body part(s) where you were bitten.
Rest for about an hour. Don't overdo it. A thin layer is good.

The yogurt is applied on top of the honey. Make sure the yogurt is of a creamy consistency; freeze in a bowl for about 20-30 minutes. Slather the yogurt on the affected area for another 30 minutes to an hour. Think of it like applying sunscreen or lotion. Don't worry about it feeling cold. That is what helps relieve the itching. Then take a warm shower and completely dry off afterwards.

This should help. It did wonders the few times I was bitten by ants as a kid. Being a Boy or Girl Scout teaches you a thing or two about nature.

Are Allergies Bothering You?

2009-04-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

Allergies are essentially an attack on the immune system. Modern medicine has proven ineffective at treating it as with most illnesses because it is based on drugs and machines. Not to mention they provide "treatments" that are not attainable due to cost. They do not address the root cause of what causes allergies in the first place. As a rule of thumb, stay away from anything that is FDA-approved. They are political hacks for the drug companies, not scientists or doctors.

Some natural supplements that help are Vitamin A, B12 and Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Ginger and Eyebright also work well. Another reason people have so much trouble with allergies is likely due to a deficiency in magnesium (found in spinach, pinto beans) or zinc (such as chicken or turkey).

You can try any of these or a combination for treating allergies:
fruit juices, except citrus
brown or white rice
turkey
White fish: halibut, sole, swordfish; salmon is rich in Omega-3 (no shellfish)
almonds, walnuts or sunflower seeds
fresh garlic
cayenne pepper
spinach
local honey
colon and liver detox supplements
drink lots of water

If you really have it in bad for allergies, for maximum effectiveness, it is best to start on a program of taking or eating several of these on a regular basis by no later than mid-winter (early to mid February) so you can have time to build up your immunity.

Tea Party Pictures

2009-04-15T18:43:00.001-07:00

You can view more pictures here.

Parties Aren't Exactly My Cup of Tea

2009-04-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

I've been helping with organizing the Knoxville Tea Party which is one reason why I've not blogged as much lately.

While I've been generally sympathetic to the concept of the Tea Parties, it is not without it problems.

A lot of people incorrectly assume Rick Santelli kicked off this whole movement. No! It would be Ron Paul who just happened to be speaking about issues that have been ignored for a long time. Personally, I've been talking about these issues since 2001 when I first came to understand what fractional reserve banking was. Michael Badnarik himself during a visit to Knoxville during his presidential campaign in 2004 specifically stated in 2008, things were going to start to get bad.

The GOP is all of the sudden claiming to be conservative so as to create the false impression that they are in opposition to Obama. The fact of the matter is that nothing has changed in Washington. How come they weren't complaining when they were the ones who were running up massive deficits, leaving our borders open or acting no better than the Democrats?

Sorry for spilling the beans. But I'm still not sure what to make of it when of all of the sudden people are wanting to claim credit for something when these issues are hardly new.

Happy Birthday, Thomas Jefferson

2009-04-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was a boy, I have been interested in history. But of all the times in history, no period in time interests me more than the War for American Independence. The only other event that would rival it would be World War II and that largely draws from talking to veterans such as my grandfather who served as a medic in Burma, great uncle who was wounded during the Battle of the Bulge, and a number of others who have told me their experiences.

I would read the history textbooks in class and we would talk in general about the American Revolution, Declaration of Independence, and other events of that time. However, I wanted to know more. So, I would walk down to the library and read more books. I began to admire the accomplishments and failures of the men we come to know as the Founding Fathers and Founding Mothers like Martha Washington and Abagail Adams. One man in particular of interest was Thomas Jefferson. I can't pinpoint exactly what was appealing about him. Perhaps the fact that he penned the Declaration of Independence. Maybe it was his superb writing or maybe how he was able to make his writing come alive by arrangement of words and speaking from the heart. Perhaps it was simply his passion for freedom. Then again, this is a universal trait.

Virginia is one of my favorite vacation spots particularly those of colonial times like Monticello and Williamsburg. Sadly, very few people know history nor plan for the future. Comfort has become synonymous with liberty. Even slaves can be comfortable. I can only hope that we will reignite the spirit of liberty that inspired people from that certain time in history.

So with that being said: Happy Birthday, Thomas Jefferson!

Looking At Some Opportunities

2009-04-08T14:03:00.000-07:00

I've been on the job-hunt over the past two months while doing some work on the side. One possible opportunity among others that I'm looking at is becoming a independent representative for ACN. ACN provides among other products Voice over Internet Protocol and a video phone.

I'm also seeking to further the development of the Liberty Dollar.
The U.S. "Dollar" which is actually neither a dollar as defined by law nor is it lawful tender has loss nearly all of its value since the Federal Reserve Act was enacted on December 23, 1913. The stockholders in the Federal Reserve are the families of Rothschilds, Morgan, Rockefeller, Goldman Sachs, Brown Brothers-Harriman among others. It is a privately owned corporation with member banks in each district. It is going to be critical to develop a value backed currency or a system of bartering to counteract it. For more info, go to "Your dollar may not be worth all you think it is".

Baseball Isn't What It Used To Be

2009-04-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

I've been reading "The Worst Team Money Could Buy: The Collapse of the New York Mets"

Being a Mets fan back in the 1980's-early 90's, this book brought back some fond memories. Now I know what they mean when they say the good ole days. My dad was a big Yankees fan during his youth. He grew up on Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and all them. I grew up on Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Howard Johnson, etc... Gooden and Strawberry were Hall of Fame talents in their day. Sadly, it was not to be.
I was also a big fan of the Reds and A's during that time. I liked Chris Sabo, John Franco, Mark McGwire, Don Mattingly, Nolan Ryan to name a few. I could name the entire rosters of all the teams and stats. I enjoyed the movies "Major League" and "Field of Dreams".

I fell out of interest with baseball to a large degree during my college years as many of these players retired or moved on in some other capacity. They just don't make em like they used to. I also think many people will agree with me that Bud Selig is bar none the worst of commissioners. Of course, the owners and historians love him for obvious reasons.

Well, that is all I need to say about my thoughts on Major League Baseball. I will grab a few Tennessee Smokies games this year though.

What Part of Spring Are You?

2009-04-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

You Are Chirping Birds

You are a very caring person. You especially feel for innocent beings, like animals and children.

You are keyed in to the world and very peaceful. You believe that everyone is connected.

You remain focused and in the moment. You are not easily distracted.

You have a good memory, especially for things that you hear. You listen carefully.

What Part of Spring Are You?

Proof Of A Recession (to put it mildly)

2009-04-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

Yes, the recession/depression has hit Knoxville too. These were taken around the Cedar Bluff area in West Knoxville.
Formerly occupied by Circuit City

Formerly occupied by Goody's

Formerly occupied by Food City. I was working at this store around ten years ago. In a way, those were the good ole days. Sad huh?

Another Sign Of The Times

2009-04-03T05:18:00.000-07:00

Help Out A Dog In Need

2009-04-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

Click here for more information.

Does The IRS Exist?

2009-04-01T05:25:00.000-07:00

In 1861, Congress enacted the Revenue Act of 1861.

This particular income tax was in its nature a direct tax. Direct taxes are taxes on real and personal property via means of ownership. "Taxes on real estate being indisputably direct taxes, taxes on the rents or income of real estate are equally direct taxes." Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co., 158 U.S. 601 (1895)

On the other hand, "Duties and imposts are terms commonly applied to levies made by governments on the importation or exportation of commodities. Excises are 'taxes laid upon the manufacture, sale, or consumption of commodities within the country, upon licenses to pursue certain occupations, and upon corporate privileges.' Cooley, Const. Lim. 7th ed. 680." Flint v. Stone Tracy Co., 220 U.S. 107 (1911)

Read more on the Legislative History of the 16th Amendment.

The Revenue Act of 1862 was enacted the following year and within it, created the office of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue. This is the official name of this particular revenue collecting agency. Likewise, any official actions brought against this agency such as a lawsuit would be against the "Commissioner of Internal Revenue". For example, see Penn Mutual Indemnity Co. v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, 32 T.C. 653 (1959)

Among other duties, the Commissioner can "recommend to the President a candidate for appointment as Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service when a vacancy occurs, and recommend to the President the removal of such Chief Counsel."

Supposedly, in 1953, in Treasury Decision 6038, the name was changed to "Internal Revenue Service". This raises the question "Who made the final decision on this?" and "Did Congress authorize this particular tax collection agency to operate under this name". If this particular mystery individual, presumably an undersecretary in the Treasury Department changed the name, did he or she have such authority? Several letters to the "IRS" about these questions have yielded insufficient answers. Therefore, unless legal documentation can be provided, it is presumed that "Internal Revenue Service", "IRS" or any derivative are aliases. This is akin to a person claiming to be a police officer when they are not (perhaps they are just a desk clerk at one of the precincts) or someone going around claiming to have been "in Vietnam" when they weren't even born until 1963.

If you go to Title 31 under "Chapter 3 - Department of the Treasury", it lists a Federal Financing Bank, Fiscal Service, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network among others. No "Internal Revenue Service" is listed, yet letterhead received from this agency claims it is an agency in the Department of the Treasury.

So what happens if someone comes to your door, flashes a badge and claims to be from the "Internal Revenue Service" (as opposed to the Office of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue)? They would be operating without proper authority. Likewise, if you are harassed, threatened or your property is damaged, you would sue the particular individual in civil court or perhaps have charges pressed. You would not sue the Commissioner in U.S. District Court because this individual was not operating within the scope of employment.

This is why you need to keep the horse before the cart. The issue of how taxes are levied and how they are accessed is one issue. Only Congress has this authority. The issue of tax collection and who has the authority to collect those taxes is another issue.

I've Seen Some Funny Headlines In My Day

2009-03-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

But this one almost takes the cake: "Nigerian police detain goat over armed robbery".

Speaking of crazy headlines. I had a dream the other night. I was in a tag-team wrestling match. My tag-team partner was 7'9" and an ex-European league basketball player. His name was Jim Mumbachumbawambacha and he was supposedly from Cameroon. Our opponents had Down Syndrome. We beat them rather easily and the crowd was mad. The next morning, the newspaper headline read: "Retarded People Riot; Burn Down Arena."

Another Sign of the Times

2009-03-30T13:16:00.001-07:00

I'm Entering A Contest

2009-03-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

The premise is a bit naughty, but then again, I need some excitement in my life. That is the sad fact about intellectuals. No excitement. So I decided to enter Candice's Ding Dong giveaway contest.

But I'm a total virgin to this kind of stuff if you get the hint. So, what do you recommend?

Chicks Galore!

2009-03-27T06:35:00.000-07:00

Here is what one of my friends has been working on lately. They will produce plenty of eggs when they get older.

Times are bad, but life continues on

2009-03-26T07:24:00.000-07:00

"Men fight for liberty and win it with hard knocks. Their children, brought up easy, let it slip away again, poor fools. And their grandchildren are once more slaves." D.H. Lawrence

We've been inundated with stories like this for the better part of 18 months now.

I've written a number of times over the past year that things are going to continue to get worse. Now is the time to be stocking up on basic items like canned foods, boxed goods, seeds, etc... Go here for some more tips. I put up this link six years ago.

This is what I wrote to a facebook friend:

"I'm doing fine all things considered. Of course, it would be nice to be working (job-hunting at the moment), but I figure it had to end sooner or later. I figured once again God closed this door, so I can further prepare for the war at hand. It is mostly a spiritual war, but there will be physical, emotional, and psychological components.

Regardless of what happens, I've spent most of my life preparing for this moment. God spoke to me in a vision at the end of December and asked if I would be willing to accept my calling in life which is to be one of the founders and leaders of the Alliance To Restore The Republic. Knowing the hard times that will befall me, I accepted the calling. Now I shall proceed with my mission. Amen!"

It Has Been A Year Now

2009-03-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

I posted my first blog a year ago today. Never did I think I would have come up with enough material for 360 posts to date especially since I don't think I exactly live the kind of life that would be worth talking about. I prefer to discuss concepts or ideas more than talking about myself anyways.

Ashleigh Cole is California Bound!!!

2009-03-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

I have some good news regarding Ashleigh Cole. I first met her in person at her graduation last year. You can sign up for Ashleigh's Street Team by scrolling to the bottom of this blog and entering your email address.

This is a message from her mother, Kim Cole:

Thanks for the prayers everyone! We received feedback this evening from the interview on Saturday and looks like Ash will soon be California bound to work with music industry execs!!!! Already she has a great team in the works and more details to be worked out next week.

They are reviewing her websites, fan club, numbers, etc... and we need YOUR help in getting her fan club to 50,000 members! It is absolutely FREE to join and in return, you will receive the latest updates FIRST by being a member of her fan club.

Simply go to www.reverbnation.com/ashleighcole and sign up as a fan. Please repost on your pages to attract new fans to the site. She can't do this alone and really needs you now!

If anyone is interested in helping to support Ashleigh's journey, please contact Mary Allbright - Ashleigh's godmother - listed in my friends here or email me at kim624@gmail.com. CEO Space, we need you to help us get to the top! Get out your rolodex and help us spread the word!!! Ash is on her way!!! Next stop ... California!