Who is Too Big to Fail?

1924 Hupmobile Roadster

We keep being told this company or that company is “too big to fail.” Let’s review some history. How many auto manufactures existed in the early 1900s in the United States alone? The answer: 150 – yes, one hundred fifty. Apparently they weren’t all “too big to fail.” Instead, the market took its natural course and those who couldn’t keep up or didn’t produce the product the public wanted fell by the wayside.

Where are we now? Three major auto makers which are essentially run by the UAW. Is it GM and Chrysler who were “too big to fail” or was it the union bosses at the UAW and control of the union vote that was “too big to fail?” When contract law is thrown out the window and unsecured creditors (the union) are arbitrarily put ahead of secured creditors (bond holders), I think we have the answer. The GM and Chrysler bailouts have nothing to do with making cars, but instead have everything to do with pandering to the unions and increased governmental control over our lives.

The Obama Apology Tour

The Rest of the World Seems to Get It -- Why Don't We?

Here are a couple news items that are very important and frankly frightening in their implications, and of course therefore being ignored by the mainstream media.

1. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner is currently in China on a “please keep buying our debt” tour. While speaking to students at the University of Peking today, when he reassured them Chinese investments in the United States are safe, the students responded with loud laughter! Clearly the average Chinese university student understands more about what’s going on in the United States than the average American, including our so called “leaders.” Also further proof that we need the Chinese much more than they need us. Think that we can "sock it to them" by not buying Chinese goods for a month as one email floating around the internet suggests? Just think what would happen if the Chinese refused to buy any more of our debt for a month! (http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-students-laugh-at-tim-geithner-2009-6) [It occurred to me that I should add a note here for anyone not familiar with Asian culture who might think, "So what? A bunch of college kids laughed." In Asian culture what those students did was very disrespectful and a "loss of face" on Geithner's part. It's not something that we should just dismiss as no big deal.]

2. The following story appeared in the online edition of Pravda. For those of you who weren’t around for the Soviet Union, Pravda was the state news service (and the only news service allowed). If anyone might know a thing or two about Marxism, I’m pretty confident it’s the former Communist Soviets at Pravda today. Here’s what they have to say about the United States and where we’re headed (http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/107459-0/):

American capitalism gone with a whimper

27.04.2009

Source: Pravda.Ru

URL: http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/107459-american_capitalism-0

It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American decent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people. True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists. Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters. First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a BurgerKing burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our "democracy". Pride blind the foolish. Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations" were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the "winning" side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the "winning" side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America. The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Wiemar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe. These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system, by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, loses and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look little more then ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate them? These men, of course, are not an elected panel but made up of appointees picked from the very financial oligarchs and their henchmen who are now gorging themselves on trillions of American dollars, in one bailout after another. They are also usurping the rights, duties and powers of the American congress (parliament). Again, congress has put up little more then a whimper to their masters. Then came Barack Obama's command that GM's (General Motor) president step down from leadership of his company. That is correct, dear reader, in the land of "pure" free markets, the American president now has the power, the self given power, to fire CEOs and we can assume other employees of private companies, at will. Come hither, go dither, the centurion commands his minions. So it should be no surprise, that the American president has followed this up with a "bold" move of declaring that he and another group of unelected, chosen stooges will now redesign the entire automotive industry and will even be the guarantee of automobile policies. I am sure that if given the chance, they would happily try and redesign it for the whole of the world, too. Prime Minister Putin, less then two months ago, warned Obama and UK's Blair, not to follow the path to Marxism, it only leads to disaster. Apparently, even though we suffered 70 years of this Western sponsored horror show, we know nothing, as foolish, drunken Russians, so let our "wise" Anglo-Saxon fools find out the folly of their own pride. Again, the American public has taken this with barely a whimper...but a "freeman" whimper. So, should it be any surprise to discover that the Democratically controlled Congress of America is working on passing a new regulation that would give the American Treasury department the power to set "fair" maximum salaries, evaluate performance and control how private companies give out pay raises and bonuses? Senator Barney Franks, a social pervert basking in his homosexuality (of course, amongst the modern, enlightened American societal norm, as well as that of the general West, homosexuality is not only not a looked down upon life choice, but is often praised as a virtue) and his Marxist enlightenment, has led this effort. He stresses that this only affects companies that receive government monies, but it is retroactive and taken to a logical extreme, this would include any company or industry that has ever received a tax break or incentive. The Russian owners of American companies and industries should look thoughtfully at this and the option of closing their facilities down and fleeing the land of the Red as fast as possible. In other words, divest while there is still value left. The proud American will go down into his slavery with out a fight, beating his chest and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is. The world will only snicker. Stanislav Mishin

The article has been reprinted with the kind permission from the author and originally appears on his blog, Mat Rodina

© 1999-2009. «PRAVDA.Ru». When reproducing our materials in whole or in part, hyperlink to PRAVDA.Ru should be made. The opinions and views of the authors do not always coincide with the point of view of PRAVDA.Ru's editors.

Friendship

Having had my trust and confidence severely violated recently by some I through were friends, the words of George Washington ring true in my ears:

Be courteous to all but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence; true friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to appellation.

-- GEORGE WASHINGTON, letter, Jan. 15, 1783

Get Ovet It Already!

Folks,

Why are so many of you playing right into the politicians' hands? The AIG bonus "scandal" is nothing more than a gimmick to distract us from the real issues and to take the heat off the real culprits -- the very politicians who are now crying foul and feigning righteous indignation. Ever seen a magician? How do the great ones perform seemingly incredible feats? They have mastered the skill of misdirection. They get you to focus on one hand so you don't notice what the other hand is doing. Today we are seeing POLITICAL misdirection on an ever increasing scale.

The fact of the matter is, like them or not, the AIG bonuses are part of valid contracts. So are contracts now no longer going to be valid just because a bunch of people don't like the terms of the contract? That is an absolutely absurd notion. Do you not see the abuse of the Constitution for Congress to arbitrarily change the terms of valid contracts for political purposes or to pass laws that affect 70-some AMERICANS again for purely political purposes (including retroactive taxation)? If they do it for one group, then they can come for YOU next -- don't you understand that? Do you not see the incredibly dangerous road which that would lead us down?

Keep in mind as well that the very politicians drumming up public outrage are the very ones who knew about and agreed to the bonuses beforehand! Chris Dodd even inserted specific language to allow the very bonuses he's so "outraged" about now. You are playing right into their game by loosing sight of the actual target. The politicians (both Dem and Rep) want you fired up about AIG and not paying any attention to them. These "protests" are EXACTLY what they want you doing since it means you are no longer watching them!

They are doing this for two reasons: 1) Take the heat off of them since they are the ones who have caused the mess we're in AND have done nothing meaningful to fix it; 2) Even more dangerous, they want you screaming about AIG and "Wall Street greed" so you are no longer paying attention to socialist policies quietly being snuck in either through executive order or as riders to other bills.

Granted, it doesn't make a lot of sense for a company to pay bonuses to people in failing departments. HOWEVER, those are the terms of their contracts -- sounds to me like a company that should have been allowed to fail in the first place, but that's another story. The contracts are valid and EVERYONE knew about them beforehand. It's only become an "issue" now that they're being paid out. GET THE HELL OVER IT and get yourself refocused back on the real fight.

If we're too busy screaming about this and that and fighting against each other, then we are not paying attention to everything else that's really happening. Only two months into it, it is clear nothing in this administration is what it seems, everything has an ulterior motive -- don't loose sight of that! Damn it, get over the AIG bonuses and get your eye back on the ball before really bad things happen!

WE are the Enemy? -- Follow Up

Taking the lead from my blog (see entry below for 16 Mar 09), the Constitution Party today issued the statement below regarding the outrageous Missouri Information Analysis Center report characterizing law abiding American citizens who support the Constitution and the principles and values upon which our nation was founded as "dangerous" "potential domestic terrorists" and "militia" members. The fact that ANY government agency would characterize people who have the crazy notion that we should follow the Constitution as enemies of the state is simply despicable. As you can see in the release below, the Southern Poverty Law Center has jumped on the bandwagon to start calling anyone who opposes Barack Obama a "racist" -- of course non-support of Obama couldn't possible have anything to do with opposition to socialist policies.

Secret Report Targets Americans

Police Told Which Political Beliefs to Consider “Dangerous”

Lancaster, PA: A secret police report targets millions of Americans as potential “domestic terrorists” if they support the Constitution, oppose unlawful taxation, supported 2008 presidential candidates Republican Ron Paul, Libertarian Bob Barr or Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin (Seen here on Lou Dobbs program ), or if they are opposed to abortion, are against unconstitutional gun control, if they display pro-Constitution bumper stickers or own copies of certain books and documentaries.

The report is part of an ongoing attempt by a number of organizations (http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/intrep.jsp) and movements to characterize law-abiding citizens as “white supremacists”, members of “hate groups” or, more recently as “terrorists”.

The report was generated by the Missouri Information Analysis Center

The Center is described as “the mechanism to collect incident reports of suspicious activities to be evaluated and analyzed in an effort to identify potential trends or patterns of terrorist or criminal operations within the state of Missouri. MIAC will also function as a vehicle for two-way communication between federal, state and local law enforcement community within our region.”

The secret report, distributed to Missouri law enforcement, lists as dangerous legitimate organizations including those who follow a Constitutionally-based ideology in regard to states’ rights, firearm ownership, free speech and sanctity of life.

The Constitution Party , the fastest- growing third party, subscribes to the Constitutionally- based, limited role of the federal government and calls on members of all political ideologies to voice strong opposition to smear campaigns that demonize Americans because of their political beliefs.

The Constitution Party made numerous calls to MIAC and was told an “officer” would respond to questions regarding this report.

No one at MIAC returned our calls.

The MIAC report states “rightwing” militia movements “continuously exploit world events in order to increase participation in their movements. Due to the current economical and political situation, a lush environment for militia activity has been created.”

The terms “constitutionalist” and “white supremacist” are often used interchangeably.

Page 7 of the report warns law enforcement that “militia members most commonly associate with 3^rd party political groups. It is not uncommon for militia members to display Constitutional [sic] Party, Campaign for Liberty or Libertarian material. These members are usually supporters of former presidential candidate:[sic] Ron Paul Chuck Baldwin and Bob Barr.”

Issues of concern to those listed by MIAC as reason for law enforcement to label them “terrorists” include: Opposition to illegal immigration, implementation of RFID (radio frequency identification) and the planned merger of the US, Canada and Mexico (North American Union). The so-called “militia movement” contains people who own copies of the late Aaron Russo’s anti-tax documentary America: Freedom to Fascism.

Members of a so-called “patriot movement” are described as being “dangerous” to police in a section of the report titled “You Are the Enemy” which states:

“The militia subscribes to an anti-government and NWO mindset, which creates a threat to law enforcement officers. They view the military, National Guard, and law enforcement as a force that will confiscate their firearms and place them in FEMA concentration camps.”

The MIAC report distributed to Missouri law enforcement is a more virulent version of a similar report compiled by the FBI in Phoenix, AZ during the Clinton administration (see page one and page two of the document). The Phoenix FBI document calls “defenders” of the Constitution “right-wing extremists.”

Constitution Party 2008 presidential and vice presidential candidates Chuck Baldwin and Darrell Castle, along with CP National Chairman Jim Clymer, are available to discuss this disturbing report and the severe limitations it seeks to impose on free speech.

Inquiries regarding this secret report may be made to: MIAC at 866 362 6422.

To see where citizens are encouraged to submit a report that someone could be a “terrorist” click HERE.

###

Take Action Now!

1. Call the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce and say you will not be visiting Missouri out of concern of being PROFILED.

(314) 231-5555

2. Call the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission and tell them you won't visit Missouri because of "political profiling". (800) 325-7962

3. Call the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) and tell them their smear campaign is not acceptable.(866) 362-6422 and (573)-526-6115

My Public Apology

Here's one email I recently received:

PLEASE remove my address from your email listings. I am not interested in any of this and never signed up to be put on any political mail listings.
[Name Removed to Protect the Ignorant]

Mea cupla, mea cupla, mea maxiuma cupla. I feel so bad for clearly having offended at least a couple people out there. So, to make up for it, here is my public apology:

Dear [Insert Your Name Here if Appropriate]:

I humbly apologize and beg forgiveness for bothering you with trivial "political" issues such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America, the Bill of Rights and the values and principles upon which our nation was founded and upon which the fate of our Republic rests. I am sorry to bother you with such petty things of which you have no interest (or don't happen to meet your party line).

I also want to sincerely and deeply thank you sending me your note. In the times we're facing, it's good to know exactly who understands it's not about Left and Right, but about RIGHT and WRONG. It's also a tremendous benefit to know not only who you can count on when the times get tough, but it's just as, if not more important to know who you CANNOT count on when the going gets tough. Thank you for letting me know ahead of time to which group you belong.

Finally, may you rest well in the knowledge that my fellow service men and women around the world are defending with their lives your right to "not be interested in any of this" or to blindly tow your party line.

Thank you and may God bless you and the United States of America.

Sincerely,

Steve

The Scapegoat is . . . YOU!

How could the nation change so much in just two months and the majority of Americans not care (or worse, support those changes and want more of the same)? You wanted change, well you got it all right! With the road we're headed down, change is also all you're going to have left in your pockets too.

How can we have such a wholesale abandonment of American principles and values and so few people care? Why did we allow ourselves to get to the point where we have "career" politicians who no longer understand THEY work for US? It's simply pathetic.

The latest tactic being employed by our "leaders" should scare the daylights out of anyone who knows history. Join me for a brief stroll down the pages of history. What happened when times got tough in Ancient Rome? Blame the Christians -- after all THEY were the real problem. How about in 1920s and 1930s Germany with all its economic problems? Blame the Jews -- after all THEY were the real problem. Finally pick any communist country you can think of and the problems every one of them has faced? Blame the "dissenters" (i.e. anyone speaking out for freedom and liberty) -- after all THEY were the real problem.

What do all those examples have in common? They were all totalitarian governments (pick your flavor: imperialist, fascist, socialist, communist -- at their heart they're all the same: tyrannical). Next, what happened in every case where there was a crisis in the nation that might make the government look bad or the government needed to distract the people? In every case, they found a convenient scapegoat; some group of citizens the government could easily point to and say, "See, they are the problem."

So that brings us to the United States today. In the past two months, have we not seen this tactic being employed on an ever increasing basis by our "leaders?" Attacks against Rush Limbaugh, the Missouri State Police report (see below) on "militia" members and, though most might not realize it, the Democrat leadership "outrage" over the AIG bonuses are just a few examples from recent weeks. Every single one of these is designed to scapegoat a group of people as a distraction.

This constant distraction serves two purposes. First, it keeps people's attention off the failure of our elected representatives; both in being accomplices to our current problems and their failure to actually tackle and solve our current problems. Second, and even more ominous, it keeps people's attention off the dangerous sprint towards socialism in which we're headed as a nation. If we're too busy complaining about AIG bonuses, then we don't have time to notice all the socialistic policies being slipped through the cracks, either via executive order or quietly slipped in as riders to various bills.

Why do I consider the AIG bonus issue a distraction? It doesn't matter if you think the bonuses are "outrageous" or not (in fact, I say God Bless America where we still have a nation in which you can become whatever you want if you just work hard enough). Let's look at the facts, which the President and Liberals, and by extension the media, don't want to mention. The people at AIG are not receiving bonuses as a "gift." Their bonuses are part of their contractual pay agreement with AIG. In fact, they receive a small base pay and the majority of their pay comes through a formula agreed to in their contract. This arrangement has never been a secret. EVERYONE knew about it -- the President, Congress, the Fed -- everyone. In fact, Democrats specifically inserted language into the "bailout bill" which specified that employment contracts signed before a certain date (which there were) would be honored.

Only now that the contractually agreed to bonuses, which everyone knew about, are being paid out does the President and Congress fain outrage and incite the American people that this is unacceptable. How can this be anything other than scapegoating? It's despicable that the President and Congress and the Fed knew about and agreed to these contracts beforehand, but are now attempting to incite rage among the American people in order to void the very contracts they deemed acceptable months ago.

Why do this? If AIG was engaging in unsustainable business practices through paying "outrageous" salaries and bonuses, then why not just let them fail or allow them to enter into Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization like any other company? The auto industry is hurting, yet the government is not demanding they arbitrarily void costly and bloated UAW contracts. To do that would cost them union votes. This is where I see the situation as nothing more than a distraction to hide the real agenda. These AIG employees make a perfect scapegoat for the left -- they represent the "evil, greedy" rich. Mark my words, the liberal leadership will use AIG as a poster child to introduce more socialist legislation and place more restrictions on capitalism. The President has people so fired up with "hating the rich," they are blinded to the real agenda, which is socialism and continued abandonment of the Constitution.

Folks, when we see this kind of scapegoating and the portrayal by the government of freedom loving Americans as dangerous "militia," we are headed down a very dark and dangerous path. I hope and pray I'm wrong, but I fear greatly that day by day, our options to peacefully take back on nation and reestablish its Constitutional basis are becoming more and more limited. This is NOT about Left and Right, this is about right and wrong. We need to come together NOW as an AMERICAN people to regain control of OUR government before its too late.

I don't care if you're a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Constitutionalist, or whatever. If you are a friend of the Constitution and the values and principles upon which our nation was founded, then you are my ally. Likewise, I don't care in which political party you claim membership, if your words or actions threaten the Constitution and our values and principles, then you are my enemy. Now is not the time to complacently sit on the sideline like so many have for so long. Now is the time to stand up and declare honestly if you are a friend or an enemy of the Constitution. What is your decision?

WE are the Enemy?

Are you familiar with the Missouri law enforcement report on the "modern militia movement" which recently came to public light? If not, a complete copy of the report can be found here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/13271183/Missouri-Information-Analysis-Center-Strategic-Report-The-Modern-Malitia-Movement.

So, law enforcement are now being indoctrinated that informed citizens who actually understand and support the principles and values upon which our country was founded are "militia" members who hate the police? So, now the government is putting it in writing that WE are the enemy? Thankfully there are at least a few law enforcement members who "get it" as well, as that is how this report was brought to public attention.

There keeps being a debate about if the military would act against American citizens. My opinion is that the majority of today's troops come from our defunct public education system and have little to no understanding of the Constitution or the Oath of Office which they took (not to mention gang members who have infiltrated the military) and will simply follow whatever order they're given. I know there are a few of us who understand our Oath and its Constitutional implications, but I fear we're in an ever decreasing minority both in the military and in civilian society. Look at the fact that MILITARY troops were dispatched in the recent shooting in Alabama and the public at large didn't care and the troops blindly followed illegal orders.

I hope and pray that I'm wrong, but as more and more evidence stacks up every day, I fear I'm correct. Not only has our government completely abandoned the Constitution, those of us who stand up for the Constitution and American principles and values are starting to be portrayed by the powers that be as Public Enemy Number One.

History has shown us what happens when a government decides IT is the supreme power over the people and what happens when the government singles out a group of its own people as the "enemy."

Thoughts?

Insights of Thomas Jefferson

As I keep repeating over and over, want to learn what's wrong with our country today and how to fix it? Then just go back to the writings of our founders. Here is yet another spot-on insight that applies perfectly today from Thomas Jefferson:

"If the present Congress errs in too much talking, how can it be otherwise in a body to which the people send 150 lawyers, whose trade it is to question everything, yield nothing, & talk by the hour? That 150 lawyers should do business together ought not to be expected."

--Thomas Jefferson, autobiography, 1821

Tyranny

THIS is why we have the second amendment:

"Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom of Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretence, raised in the United States."

--Noah Webster, An Examination of the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution, 10 October 1787

A Moral and Virtuous People

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. -- John Adams

To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people is a chimerical idea. -- James Madison

Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters. -- Benjamin Franklin

The sum of all is, if we would most truly enjoy the gift of Heaven, let us become a virtuous people; then shall we both deserve and enjoy it. While, on the other hand, if we are universally vicious and debauched in our manners, though the form of our Constitution carries the face of the most exalted freedom, we shall in reality be the most abject slaves. -- Samuel Adams

We Surround Them

Do you believe the following nine points or at least seven out of the nine:

1) I believe America is a good place. We're not perfect, but we strive to be good. We've made missteps over the years, but we try to make amends and do the right thing. America is good, our founders were good and our founding documents are good. We've just strayed too far away from them.

2) I believe God exists. I may not go to the same church, synagogue or mosque as others, but I believe in God and He is the center of my life, and God does not tell people to behead others or to persecute others that see God in a different way.

3) I believe it is my responsibility to try to be a better and more honest person that I was yesterday. Sometimes I fail, I'll make mistakes, but it's my main mission to be a better person than I was yesterday.

4) The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority under God when it comes to my family. I raise my family, and that comes with a grave responsibility. If I fail, I answer to God.

5) If you break the law, you pay the price. Justice is blind.

6) I have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but that does not guarantee equal results.

7) I work hard for what I have, and I will share it with others that I choose, when I choose, if I choose. Government's role is not to force me to be charitable.

8) It is not un-American for anyone to disagree with my opinion, but my opinion or other's opinions may be anti-American, Anti-American rhetoric would be anything that is destructive to the Constitution and our country as our founders understood it.

9) The government works for me. The government answers to me. I do not answer to the government.

If you can agree with at least seven out of the nine, then go here: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/21018/

ParentalRights.org: Introducing the 10-and-2 Campaign

Dear Friend of Parental Rights,

As you have become aware, we are fighting a battle for the rights of parents in our country to direct the upbringing of their children. This foundational liberty of our American heritage has come under increasing attack from domestic courts and international law, forcing us to amend the Constitution, not to change the law, but to preserve fundamental parental rights as they have been honored in our courts since our nation’s inception.

At this time, ParentalRights.org is launching a major initiative to promote a ground-swell of citizen support, or even demand, for the passage of the Parental Rights Amendment. No doubt you have read articles that communicate the heart of our message. This initiative is its backbone.

While we have sponsors in both the House and Senate, we have no doubt that we will face opposition along the way. That is why this initiative – the "10-and-2" program – is so important. The success of our efforts to pass the Amendment depends upon this grassroots effort to recruit the citizen support we need to force an often-rebellious Congress to honor the will of the people on this major issue.

What do we need you to do?

Become a 10-and-2 PRO-Active Representative.

A 10-and-2 PRO-Active Representative is someone who, like you, cares deeply about protecting children by empowering parents, and who serves as a representative between ParentalRights.org and just ten (10) contacts of your choice.

Why do we need 10-and-2 PRO-Active Representatives?

Amending the United States Constitution is difficult by design. In more than 200 years, only twenty-seven (27) amendments have been made to this foundational document of our national government. Our plan to pass the twenty-eighth includes a need to secure 4.5 million signatures, or 10,000 from each congressional district. Our small office staff could never reach so many concerned Americans, but 10-and-2 PRO-Active Representatives can. Together, we can grow exponentially to reach a maximum number of people in a short time, with a minimum of effort by any one representative.

What will it cost me?

The only financial cost is postage: at a later date, we'll ask you to mail 30 postcards to Capitol Hill. The greater investment is your time, which we value highly. We estimate that the whole process will take about two to four (2-4) hours, generally just a few minutes at a time.

What do I need to do?

By following the simple step-by-step instructions in the 10-and-2 PRO-Active Representative packet, you can:

• Find ten (10) contacts to sign the petition and fill out some basic personal information,
• Ask each signer to donate one dollar, and you mail that in,
• Enter the necessary data at our website in a few minutes,
• Mail a few postcards to your Senator and Representatives (at a later date), and
• Recruit just two (2) more people to serve as 10-and-2 PRO-Active Representatives.

The plan is simple and straightforward – but it depends on the willingness of people from all walks of life, from every party, sect, and culture to work together to promote the Parental Rights Amendment. The time to act is now. The one to act is you.

Stand Your Ground

Stand your ground; don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.
- Captain John Parker, Lexington, MA, 19 April 1775

Get Involved!

If you're like me, every day you wake up wondering if you shouldn't just unplug and forget about it all. The task seems so overwhelming, and after all, you're just one person. How can one person possibly make a difference against the onslaught of socialism in this country?

However, before you unplug and give up, you need to know that you are NOT alone. You are NOT one person trying to make a difference all by yourself. There are many, many more people just like you -- people who still believe in common sense, the rule of law and the Constitution of the United States of America. One of my goals with this blog is to encourage like-minded people to connect with each other, because there are things you can do to get involved and make a difference before its too late.

Here's one action item: Visit No Stimulus! (http://nostimulus.com/) and sign the petition against passage of the so-called "Stimulus" and encourage your family and friends to do likewise. No Stimulus! is a project of Americans for Prosperity (http://americansforprosperity.org/).

You CAN make a difference. Our country is the result of a few like-minded people coming together and encouraging others to stand up with them against tyranny. How do you think the individual private felt in the dark days of that bitterly cold winter at Valley Forge? He and his fellow soldiers shed their blood so that YOU can enjoy freedom today. After all they suffered for you, are you going to give up and allow our country to fall into socialism and tyranny or are you going to stand up in their memory and honor to continue the fight for freedom they began?

Remember, yes, YOU can!

Liberalism 101

I'm beginning to understand why Liberals have no problem continually raising taxes on all of us -- they don't bother to pay taxes themselves. And now, it seems like every time they're caught cheating, we're told it was just a "mistake" or "misunderstanding." What would happen to the rest of us if we made the same "mistakes" on our taxes? I seriously doubt we'd get the same "free pass."

Liberals claim they're for helping the "little guy." As far as they're concerned, "helping" is great as long as it doesn't involve them actually paying anything from their own pocket. Even studies from Liberal organizations show Liberals give very little to charity. Not only that, we're finding out now that most of them don't even pay their taxes. Instead, the Liberal solution is to take OUR money in the form of overburdening taxes to give the money to bloated government bureaucracies that end up squandering the money on worthless programs.

Real Americans see someone in trouble and they reach into their own pocket to help the person in need. Not only that, they show the person in need how to solve his own problems and better himself without relying on Big Government. Liberals on the other hand see someone in need and reach into someone else's pocket, taking that persons money and giving it to some or the other government program or special interest. In the meantime, they tell the person in need there's no solution for their problem and the best they can hope for is perpetual dependence on Big Government.

What kind of pinhead can't figure out which one is the better solution?

How much longer are YOU going to give your representatives a "pass" before you're fed up and ready to take back control of OUR government?

Hyperinflation: It's Coming

The chart above shows the monetary supply of the United States from the early 1900s through today. If you understand economics, this chart should scare the hell out of you! Our monetary supply remained fairly steady until 1971. That year, President Nixon took the dollar off the gold standard. From that point on, the Fed has been free to print as much money as they wanted. Even after going off the gold standard, we maintained a fairly even slope, but then, just a few months ago, the monetary supply spiked. The Fed is now running the presses 24-hours, printing money like there's no tomorrow -- which there won't be if we keep going the way we are.

A large monetary supply is not a good thing. Too large a monetary supply leads to inflation. A huge over-supply of money leads to hyperinflation. To understand hyperinflation, we only have to look at German's Weimar Republic in the 1920s. As a result of simply printing more money, the Mark became worthless. It literally took a wheelbarrow full of money to even buy a loaf of bread.

Click here for a more in-depth explanation: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/20816/?ck=1

We are in a very dangerous situation today. Our politicians refuse to make the hard decisions to solve our problems. Instead, they sellout our children's and grandchildren's futures with things like a so-called "Stimulus Bill" that's nothing more than money and pork for special interests.



The photo above from 1923 shows a woman in Germany feeding Marks into a furnace as the money had become so worthless, it was cheaper to burn the money than to buy coal. THAT is what we have to look forward to if we allow our current situation to continue and end up with hyperinflation.

Concentration Camps: Coming Soon to an America Near You

Still not convinced we're not just strolling, but flat our sprinting towards Marxist socialism? Rep Alcee Hastings, D-FL, has introduced a new bill, HR 645, which calls for the creation of no fewer than six national emergency centers for controlling civilians on military installations.

Read the story here: http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=87757

Kinda sounds like concentration camps to me. Let's see, didn't we do that to American citizens of Japanese decent at the beginning of World War Two and didn't that Hitler guy create those for his "Final Solution," oh and didn't Stalin have something like that called "Gulags?" I don't recall any of those working out too well for the cause of liberty and freedom.

Why isn't the mainstream media all over this? My God, what is it going to take for YOU to get involved? Are you going to wait until you or your family are behind the barbed wire of one of those camps to decide that perhaps the politicians and the self-appointed intelligentsia are taking us down the wrong path?

Hello? Is This Thing On?

While talking to yourself may be the mark of genius -- or insanity, depending on how you're looking at it, I really am writing these words to share them with others. I hope that at least a few people read these ramblings. If you are reading this blog, I'd like to hear from you. Please drop me a line at SPSchultzBlog@gmail.com. Thanks!

Save the Environment: Eliminate All Humans

Want to save the environment? Then kill yourself. Yes, the only way we can truly save the planet is by eradicating the human population. From an article entitled "Having More than 2 Kids Will Destroy Planet, Environmentalist Says":

Couples who have more than two children are being “irresponsible” by creating an unbearable burden on the environment, the British government’s green adviser warned.

Jonathon Porritt, who chairs the government’s Sustainable Development Commission, says curbing population growth through contraception and abortion must be at the heart of policies to fight global warming. He says political leaders and green campaigners should stop dodging the issue of environmental harm caused by an expanding population.

A report by the commission, to be published next month, will say that governments must reduce population growth through better family planning.

“I am unapologetic about asking people to connect up their own responsibility for their total environmental footprint and how they decide to procreate and how many children they think are appropriate,” Porritt said.

“I think we will work our way towards a position that says that having more than two children is irresponsible. It is the ghost at the table. We have all these big issues that everybody is looking at and then you don’t really hear anyone say the “p” word.”

See the full story here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,486390,00.html

Why in the hell are we tolerating these wacko nutjobs and not only tolerating them, but placing them into positions of leadership? Again, when are YOU going to get fed up enough to do something about this?

I'm From the Government and I'm Here to Help

Damn it, people, when is enough, enough? When are enough of you going to get fed up so we can take back our government? Are YOU going to just sit around on your butt until it's too late? Are YOU going to wait until you wake up one morning to a Marxist socialist, New World Order United States? Or are you going to have the guts and courage to stand up and act NOW?

"Green" cars are a great idea, right? A wonderful way to make you feel good about yourself, that you are "doing something about the environment?" (Never mind the dirty little secret that all of us could drive two-passenger, deathtrap SmartCars and still have NO, NONE, ZERO impact on the environment due to the pollution spilling out of places like China and India -- it really is a big planet, boys and girls.) Anyway, it turns out "green" cars are not such a good idea after all. Why? Because in our big government, big tax society, road and infrastructure budgets depend on tax revenue from gasoline taxes, and as more people buy "green" cars, those revenues are falling.

So what's the solution? In typical big-government fashion, tax you for EVERY mile that your drive in your car. How is that going to be accomplished? By installing a "device" in your vehicle which will track your movements. Did ANYONE else read 1984 and Animal Farm in high school? Do you remember the stories? You may want to read them again.

Here's some links to these proposals:

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-gas-tax4-2009jan04,0,1063687.story

http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2008/12/28/news/local/1aaa02_road.txt

First, big government is NEVER the answer to our problems. Second, do YOU really want the government to track your every movement? How long does it take to go from tracking you in your car to tracking you as an individual? We already have the technology to do just that. In fact, if you have a newer cell phone, you're already holding it in your hand. Don't think that could happen? Using the logic of this "mileage tax" proposal, what happens tax revenue starts dropping because people aren't driving? Well, then big brother would just need to track our individual movements and tax us on those instead.

Folks, we are treading on EXTREMELY dangerous ground when ideas like a "mileage tax" with mandatory government tracking devices in you vehicle is even seriously considered.

As Benjamin Franklin observed, "We must all hang together or surely we will all hang seperately."

Let's Get Down to Business

Now that the election and inauguration have come and gone, it's time to get down to business without the distractions of a Presidential election. The middle of a Presidential election year was NOT the time for a third party to jump into the race (Ross Perot already proved how well that works). However, with all that over for another couple years, NOW is the time to get serious.

I think most Americans are finally coming to the realization that the two major political parties, Republicans and Democrats, are only interested in "politics as usual" and increasing their own power instead of representing the people and working for the common good. If you're like me, and many other Americans, you feel completely disenfranchised from those you elected to represent you at all levels of government. Instead of just complaining about it, why don't you get serious and DO something about it?

If our country is going to survive as the United States of American and not become the United SOCIALIST States of America, like minded people must come together NOW to take charge, get involved and do something about it. We need to start talking seriously about a third party alternative to our current de facto two-party system.

One option I believe worth considering is the Constitution Party (http://www.constitutionparty.com/). According to their platform, they are dedicated to restoring the Constitution and the Bill of Rights to their proper place, limiting government and returning power to the people.

We MUST come together NOW if our Union is to be saved. You have already seen what's gone on in ONE week since the inauguration: proposal to close GITMO and bring EXTREMELY dangerous Islamic extremists to facilities in the states, implementation of Rule 13 from Rules for Radicals by Obama against Rush Limbaugh as the start of shutting down any opposing voices, passage of a bill allowing fired employees to sue companies YEARS later for supposed "wrongs" (disguised with a catchy "Equal Pay" title), and a push for more Big Unions (remember, the employer with the largest number of unionized employees is the Federal Government). So far, everything people like me and others warned would happen if a socialist was elected president are already starting to happen.

Stand up! Get involved! Take charge! We must reclaim OUR United States of America before its too late! Remember, yes, YOU can!

Are You Prepared to Prevail?

A little background for anyone not from the area: In Plant City, FL, Friday morning, 5 December 2008, around 0900 detectives were attempting to apprehend a 25-year old known gang member with a prior arrest record in connection with a daylight murder of a rival gang-banger and shooting of another on Thursday afternoon. A vehicle pursuit ensued during which the gang-banger waived a semi-automatic rifle (misleadingly reported in the media as an “AK-47 assault rifle”) at the pursuing police. The gang-banger then slammed on his brakes, jumped out of his car and began firing at the detectives. He managed to disable two of the three police cars and, most tragically, one of his shots hit a car traveling in the opposite direction, striking a passenger in the back of the head and killing him. The gang-banger then jumped back in his car and traveled a few more blocks before bailing out into a residential neighborhood with a near-by elementary school. The police reported that while the gang-banger left the semi-automatic rifle in the car, they believe he was armed with a handgun. Over 250 officers from three agencies converged on the neighborhood and spent the rest of the day searching for the gang-banger. The thug was finally apprehended late in the afternoon. See more information here:

http://www.theledger.com/article/20081205/NEWS/812050374/1410?Title=Innocent_Man_Slain_While_Manhunt_Grips_Plant_City

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2008/12/6/411223.html?title=Rangel+denied+bond+at+first+appearance

This incident, along with the recent terrorist shooting attacks in India, brings up some vital questions. First, are you prepared to prevail in the face of adversity? Have you taken the time to get trained so you know how to defend yourself and your family? If you have trained, when was the last time you took a refresher or drilled your skills under the eyes of a competent instructor? Just because you knew how to do something years ago doesn’t mean you are still sharp in those skills today. Likewise, a Concealed Weapons Permit in your pocket is just a piece of paper without the training that goes along with the responsibility of carrying a firearm. Moral of the story: Get trained NOW!

At a minimum, you should know some basic self-defense skills, including formal firearms training and use of deadly force laws for your state if a handgun is part of your self-defense plan, and just as important but often over looked: at least basic first aid training. In the middle of an active shooter situation (or any kind of major terrorist attack or man-made or natural disaster for that matter), emergency medical aid is most likely not going to be able to reach you immediately. If you, or people around you, are injured, it will be up to you to provide care until more advanced help can reach you. Depending on the situation, that could mean that you are on your own for quite some time.

While Basic First Aid training is better than no training, keep in mind the major assumption for this level of training is that you have ready access to the emergency medical system (EMS). With that in mind, I strongly recommend enrolling in a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) course as a minimum level of first aid training. Don’t let the “wilderness” in the title fool you. WFA is applicable anytime you need to provide care on your own for an extended period of time. WFA is generally about 20 hours of training and is based on the assumption that EMS is not readily available. The next step up from First Aid is First Responder, which is about 40 hours of emergency medical training. First Responder is considered the minimum level of professional emergency medical care certification. Beyond the First Responder level is Emergency Medical Technician – Basic (EMT-B) certification. Some states recognize an intermediate level EMT, however for most the follow on training is paramedic. Various organizations also offer both First Responder and EMT as more in depth “wilderness” programs.

The second lesson from the Plant City and India incidents is the vital importance of maintaining situational awareness. Situational awareness means being continuously aware of what is going on around you. The best way to survive a hostile situation is to avoid getting into it in the first place. If something doesn’t look right, GTFOOT (Get The F* Out Of There)! The only way you are going to know if something doesn’t look right is to pay attention to what is going on around you at all times, in other words maintain situational awareness.

If you’re like so many people on the roads, driving along in your car focused on your cell phone conversation or listening to music so loud the whole car is shaking or engaged in boisterous conversations with your passengers, your situational awareness is not where it needs to be. Keep your situational awareness focused on what is going on around you (including behind you). ALWAYS leave yourself an out (for example, one rule of thumb is if you stop behind another car and can see the bottom of its back tires, you have enough room to make an emergency turn out of traffic if you need to do so).

This is not at all meant to Monday morning quarterback a poor guy who had to watch his father get shot in the heard by a vicious animal, but perhaps if the driver had noticed the scene ahead of him a split second sooner, he might have had time to bug out (perhaps and might being the key words). The bottom line is: maintain situational awareness and do whatever it takes to try to avoid a bad situation to begin with. If, God forbid, you do end up in the middle of the fight, then be prepared to do whatever it takes to prevail, which goes back to point number one and training.

The third point is: when will the politicians and anti-gunners ever accept the fact that legally armed, law-abiding citizens REDUCE crime, not increase it as those politicians and anti-gunners claim? If you look at crime statistics for concealed weapons permit holders in states like Texas which release that information, you will find that concealed weapons permit holders are involved in extremely small percentages of crimes. When compared with the whole population, the percentage of concealed weapons permit holders involved in crimes is barely even a blip. Isn’t it funny how law-abiding citizens tend to obey the law?

What happens though when you take guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens? In India, private ownership of firearms is severely restricted. When the terrorists launched their coordinated, two-man team attacks, citizens were left to fend for themselves while the poorly paid, poorly armed (surplus W.W. II British Enfield bolt-action rifles) and poorly trained “police force” cowered or ran for their lives. It took Indian Special Forces arriving on scene, after the majority of people had been killed, to take out the terrorists. The average citizen was left completely defenseless. As one British journalist lamented, if he’d only had a gun, he could have killed the two terrorists he saw.

A similar situation occurred in Plant City, but fortunately with less tragic consequences. Schools in Florida are “Gun Free Zones,” so had the gang-banger decided to barge into the elementary school in the neighborhood he’d fled to, there would have been no one armed to defend the children against this animal. Besides, didn’t he realize he was in a “Gun Free Zone” and thereby breaking the law by having his firearm with him? Perhaps the reality is what most intelligent people have always said: By definition, criminals do not respect the law; law-abiding citizens are the ones who respect the law. The media of course isn’t mentioning it out of “political correctness,” but there are indications this gang-banger is an illegal alien, which means it was illegal for him to posses firearms to begin with (not to mention the fact that his prior arrest record, which included domestic violence charges, made him ineligible to posses firearms in Florida as well). There are strong indications that if the existing laws had just been enforced, this guy would not even have been in the community and able to pose a threat.

As we face the specter of the most anti-gun administration ever, we need to remember this is a government of the people, by the people, for the people. We must not sit by and allow politicians and special interest groups who think they know better to disarm law abiding citizens. I for one don’t want to be involved in a situation where for the rest of my life I have to live with the lose of a loved one and hear that voice over and over in my head: “If only I’d had a gun.” Do you?

What are your action steps? First, get trained and then keep your skills sharp with regular practice and refresher training. That training needs to include some type of first aid certification and absolutely must include training in firearms and use of deadly force laws for your state if you choose to avail yourself of a concealed carry permit and go armed. Second, keep up your situational awareness. Keep yourself aware of what’s going on around you. Avoid the situation if you can (GTFOOT). If not, then have the mindset that you will do whatever it takes to prevail. Finally, be a good law-abiding citizen and become politically active. Join the National Rifle Association, as well as groups like Gun Owners of America and the Second Amendment Foundation. Then go beyond just joining and take an active role in defending our right as law abiding citizens to own firearms. Only vote for representatives who are on record as defenders of the Second Amendment (not people like Barack Obama who said in the campaign he supports the Second Amendment, but has a track record which proves the exact opposite). For the ones who are already in office, continually remind them in writing that as your representative, you demand they protect your rights under the Second Amendment.

If we fail to defend our rights, we could very soon find ourselves disarmed and living in a society where only the bad guys and the government have guns. I certainly don't think armed criminals would ever have our best interests at heart, and as for the government, we would do well to remember the words of President Ronald Reagan: "The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."