Letter to Obama

To: President Barack Hussein Obama

I didn't vote for you, but you won fair and square. I was disappointed and heart-broken that a great American hero such as John McCain lost. In the beginning you were just a president I didn't vote for and I knew there would be another election in four years and I could vote again to try and elect my man. But you, Mr. President, have become something else now, you are not just the man I didn't vote for, but you are quickly becoming my enemy and a enemy of the state. You, sir are a threat me and to my family. That's something I cannot and will not tolerate and will do all in my power to stop your madness. You sir, are a threat to all I hold dear.

Your recent moves through DHS and EPA have have convinced me that yours is a alien agenda, an agenda that's aimed at gaining complete control of all means of production and complete control of the life's of the average American, an agenda that wants to control opposition voices, an agenda that does not respect dissent, an agenda that does not respect individual rights, an agenda that puts radical environmental goals ahead of the needs of the common man. In short Mr. President, yours is an agenda of the far left, an agenda that will lead to the destruction of this great country, an agenda that will bring about unbridled social upheaval. Your path Mr. President is a road to conflict, a conflict that could erode the very foundations of this nation.

So Mr. President, you are not just the man I didn't vote for, you are my enemy. You represent something foreign, something threatening, and yes something evil. You sir, are not just a danger to me and mine, but a danger to all in this country. Not only those who oppose your radical ideology, but those who support it. Your actions, your policies, will have us all drowning in a sea of revolution. Please moderate your policies, before this country reaches a tipping point. I'm an old man now and have seen many presidents go and come, but none so radical and divisive as you. You Mr. President must moderate or face a legacy of failure and destruction. Things are moving quickly and the onrush of events will soon over take you. The time is now.

Arapaho Chief

Chief: Circle Left Hand
Arapaho Photo taken 1908

Meximerica: Enough is Enough

After hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Spanish - enough is enough. Nowhere did they sing it in Italian, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German or any other language because of immigration. It was written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it was written. The news broadcasts even gave the translation -- not even close. NOT sorry if this offends anyone because this is MY COUNTRY.

I am not against immigration -- just come through like everyone else. Get a sponsor; have a place to lay your head; have a job; pay your taxes, live by the rules AND LEARN THE LANGUAGE as all other immigrants have in the past -- and GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Calling an illegal alien an 'undocumented immigrant' is like calling a drug dealer an 'unlicensed pharmacist'?

Rights and Sands in the Hour Glass

by Ron Russell

While commenting on an article by James on Right On concerning the Constitution and gun rights I began to think about all the rights I have seen slip away over the years. The following is the comment I left on "Right On":

The constitution is clear on gun ownership rights, but slowly over many years the state and federal governments have steadily and methodically chipped away at those rights as they have with other basic rights that we once had. Rights that the young don't even miss because they never experienced them. Sometime I see our rights, our freedoms, and our liberty's slipping away like sands in the hour glass. Once that freedom, that right is gone it does NOT return. It's gone forever and all the complaining and the moaning will never get it back. As the sands of the hour glass get lower and lower one can more easily see the change--the movement seems quicker although the rate remains the same. It's just that the remaining freedoms and rights are fewer and the loss of even one is sorely missed and more become aware of the approaching emptiness. If we are not careful this emptiness will be filled by something that is totally alien to our American way of life, something that will repress individuality, something that will stifle our remaining values, and something that will crush our children's future.

Socialism Sucks

A dreamer is someone who believes in things being better than the way they are, being perfect. Not many people have sub-par dreams. A politician is someone who seeks for personal or partisan gain. If you take a politician and a little bit of a dreamer and mix them together, you get a person such as Jane Addams or Edward Bellamy. They both believed that American society could achieve a greater degree of democratic equality and social justice. Both of them tried to make their dream come true by influencing society in different ways. They both had two different ideas about the ways and the result of this so called "American Utopia." Above all Addams believed that each person had an ability to contribute to society and that if society did not give them a proper chance to develop their skills, human life would go to ruin. Her political views are very simple to understand. She was a socialist. Dictionary.com defines socialism as any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy. It also defines it as the stage in Marxist-Leninist theory intermediate between capitalism and communism.

Human nature simply negates all possibilities of people working harder with no rewards. The reason socialism would never survive is because human nature makes people want to be better at something than another person, hence the "class struggle. He is a fictional character who represents the working class of the time and he wakes up in the twentieth century to an utopian society. Socialism will never work because people are not robots. Lenin drew on Marx ideas and advocated them which resulted in Leninism. In his ideal society there was no economic classes. His answer was an industrial economy that was owned by the people where they shared the wealth. There is no incentive for responsibility where as capitalism offers more money to those who take on more responsible tasks.

Obama's World

Obama's World

No Individual Responsibility

Money or Power "Root of all Evil"

by Ron Russell

Money, "the root of all evil" or is it power thats--"the root of all evil". I think the answer in this case is both, but tilted in favor of power. These buffoons in congress who spend the tarp money, will want us to pat them on the back for building a new road. One we don't need between Podunk and Hog Hill. And a great bridge across Pigee's Creek connecting farmer Hamhock's home on the west bank to his out-house on the east bank. The creek will be a benefit in that the number of foreign bodies floating downstream will be decreased by an estimated 50%, although the over all catfish population may suffer because of their dependence on the floating turds. This has some environmentalist crying foul, the EPA nevertheless has given it stamp of approval. Saying that the benefits out-weigh the downsides. Fisherman upstream from the bridge seem to favor the construction of the bridge, those downstream are dismayed over the prospect of a smaller catch--not in just the quantity, but in the size of the individual fish. Farmer Hamhock is pleased and says," I've always voted Republican in the past, but from now on I'm Obama's man---I finally have a place to put my shi...t" end of quote---we're not completely clear as to what he meant.

"Road to Hell" Paved with Socialist

It takes a leader from one of the so-called new states of Europe to take a stand against the socialist ideals sweeping the United States and western Europe. These newly liberated states have recent memories of economies controlled entirely by a totally totalitarian system. These countries still remember the bitter taste of radical socialism, something that Obama and his leftest followers in this country have never tasted. One of these leaders had the "cajones" to stand up and tell Barack that this out-of-control spend fest was crazy.

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, current head of the merry-go-round European Union slammed Obama’s economic policy of running up debt like there was no tomorrow. Topolanek is concerned about the liquidity of global markets if the U.S. continues to swallow up every dollar it can find. And can you blame him? It doesn’t take a finance expert to see that only an act of God would produce the conditions that would even suggest the possibility of paying any of this money back, and if it doesn’t continue to stream in…the U.S. collapses like a house of cards.

Unless it was off the record, although there were those in the European Union that questioned Topolanek’s choice of words, nobody actually came out and said he was wrong. That’s because he isn’t wrong. If the United States goes down the toilet, this guy knows we’ll take Europe with us. Ahh, the benefits of a global economy. Then again, a global economy would theoretically be predicated on a level playing field. Cheap labor, currency manipulation, and a cap and trade scheme that will hamstring U.S. companies doesn’t look level to me. But if you’re manufacturing in a quasi-socialist world economy, the U.S. would have to-it, and must bring its standards down to a level while others rise to meet it. Then we could all live happily at the bottom together. And that, is a road to hell…

Mexifornia and the year 2029

HEADLINES FROM THE YEAR 2029
Ozone created by electric cars now killing millions in the seventh largest country in the world, Mexifornia, formerly known as California.

White minorities still trying to have English recognized as Mexifornia's third language.

Spotted Owl plague threatens northwestern United States crops and livestock.

Baby conceived naturally! Scientists stumped.

Couple petitions court to reinstate heterosexual marriage.

Iran still closed off; physicists estimate it will take at least 10 more years before radioactivity decreases to safe levels.

France pleads for global help after being taken over by Lichtenstein... No other country comes forward to help the beleaguered nation!

Castro finally dies at age 112; Cuban cigars can now be imported legally, but President Chelsea Clinton has banned all smoking.

George Z.. Bush says he will run
for President in 2036.

Postal Service raises price of first class stamp to $17.89 and reduces mail delivery to

Wednesdays only. 85-year $75.8 billion study: Diet and exercise is the key to weight loss.
Average weight of Americans drops to 250 lbs.

Global cooling blamed for citrus crop failure for third consecutive year
in Mexifornia and Floruba.

Japanese scientists have created a camera with such a fast shutter speed they now can photograph a woman with her mouth shut.

Abortion clinics now available in every High School in United States

Senate still blocking drilling in ANWR even though gas is selling for 4532 Pesos per liter and gas stations are only open on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Massachusetts executes last remaining conservative.

Supreme Court rules punishment of criminals violates their civil rights..

Average height of NBA players is now nine feet, seven inches..

New federal law requires that all nail clippers, screwdrivers, fly swatters and rolled-up newspapers must be registered by January 2030.

IRS sets lowest tax rate at 75 percent.
Floruba voters still having trouble with voting machines.

I Love This Country!
It's The Government That Scares Me!

The Two Faces of Obama

by Ron Russell

I generally, like to poke fun at this new occupant of the White House thinking like most that this is only another president and that things will change after the next election. But I'm beginning to face the stark reality that this maniac, this madman, could in just a few years destroy what its taken this country hundreds of years to build. I suppose the final straw for me was the new budget plan. Obama with his twisted understanding of history and his alien social and economic ideals, many of which he learned from the years he spent in the pews of Pastor Wright's church; will in the end not only change this country, as he has promised, but will destroy the very fabric of this great nation. He plan represents a threat far more formidable than any invading army could mount. Great nations generally fall from within, their fate sealed by the common masses who fail to see or understand the onrush of events. Events that are obvious to a few and invisible to the many. Such is the position we find ourselves in now. This man, this misguided fool, must be stopped. I beg, I plead, I pray that each of you raise the alarm---the enemy is not at the gates, but in the house; its not the Russians, its not the terrorist, its not the Iranians--its a charming, likable, young man who wants change. Unfortunately, its a change that will destroy this nation and its way of life. All despots think theirs in the road to greatness for their peoples and this leader is no different. No doubt about it, he is a leader and his followers love and adore him and they wait with eager anticipation for his next words and the next words come and flow over the masses and they believe. They compare him to past great leaders and look to him to provide them with a better life. He promises more and more and the people believe and revel in the changes he trumpets. Changes that will give birth to a new nation, changes for a new millennium. A casting aside of the old order and the establishment of a new Utopian-like society where all the needs of the common man will be met. He tells the masses that our problems are so great that only government can solve them and he will lead us to greatness again. His vision of American is a dark one, remember he sat in Pastor Wright's pews for years and was completely indoctrinated by his message of an "evil and corrupt" nation. He disavowed him when it suited his purpose, but gradually we are seeing his true feeling about the Pastor's teachings emerge.

The upcoming tea parties on April 15 are being heralded as tax revolt, a revolt against big government in general, and higher taxes specifically. Those going are being urged not to make these events demonstrations against Obama--no he is too popular and we dare not say things against him the elite news organizations will turn those comments on us. Yes, there is a fear, a fear not of the unknown, but a fear of the power of Obama. Ideas will these are not only dangerous, but un-American and an insult to right thinking Americans. We must rip off the mask of this man, we must show him for what he is, now! The tea parties will take place, and they must be used to condemn and begin to expose this man. They would be a perfect venue for the beginning of the end for this despotic leader.

Yes, Obama in the end will reveal himself, but by that time it may be too late for this great nation to recover. Help me reveal, help me expose the other face of this great deceiver, this forked tongued snake, this fraud, and this corrupter of the young. We must set the country on a new path, a path to a greater freedom, a path back to the land of Jefferson and Washington and rid ourselves of this new progressivism (liberal fascism) begun with Theodore Roosevelt, Wilson and FDR. This new threat to our freedoms which is sweeping the nation must be stopped and a return to sanity must be restored.

Viva Obama! Viva Obama! Viva Obama!

I was hoping they would just water board us

Chief Osecola 1838 Portrait

Indian Girl

Indian Maiden

Tojo

Tojo

Penny Patch 1984

American Buffalo

American Buffalo

Robert E. Lee

Robert Edward Lee

How Long can this Cigar Last

How much longer can this cigar last?

Global Warming and the Precautionary Principle

by Eric Englund

Emboldened by a United Nations report regarding global warming, President Barack Obama with his continuing high poll numbers proposes an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to protect Mother Earth from humanity’s depredations – this would be the 28th Amendment to the Constitution. After all, "science" has determined that global warming (which has a "high probability" of being human-caused) is going to decimate untold numbers of animal and plant species. Americans, accordingly, came to a strong consensus that political action, as guided by the "precautionary principle," was the only way to save the environment, let alone the entire planet. President Obama's election mandate has delivered a message to all 50 state legislatures that his proposed "Precautionary Principle Constitutional Amendment" must be ratified posthaste.

It is early 2009 and Obama has just taken the Presidential Oath of Office. One of President Obama's first priorities is to prod each state legislature into ratifying the 28th Amendment. He brushes aside critics who have declared that the Amendment will hollow out the Constitution. During a "Keynesian" moment of candor, President Obama quips: "The Bill of Rights really won’t matter if we are all dead." With Americans clamoring for environmental and human salvation, all 50 state legislatures ratify the 28th Amendment with the same rapidity, foresight, and studiousness as the U.S. Congress exercised when passing the Patriot Act.

Barack Obama, and the Democratic Party, celebrate one of the most astonishing political victories in U.S. history. Now, Mother Earth herself will have a "voice" in domestic and world politics. The precautionary principle has become enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. The body of the 28th Amendment reads as follows:

Amendment XXVIII

Section 1: Congress shall take any necessary action in advance of scientific proof of evidence, that the environment may be harmed, on the grounds that any delay of action would be more costly to society and nature. Precaution is not simply the prevention of manifest or predicted risks that have been scientifically proven. Rather, the precautionary principle goes beyond the notion of prevention in the sense that it insists that Congress move to anticipate problems before they arise or before scientific proof of harm is established.

Section 2: The actions of human beings, corporations, and other entities shall be subject to examination of identifiable social and environmental gains or losses arising from any course of action.

Section 3: The precautionary principle shall be enforced so that the overall capacity of environmental systems will act as a buffer for human well-being. However, any error in risk calculation shall be to the advantage of the environment. This entails leaving a sufficiently wide natural cushion in the functional equilibria of natural systems. In effect, this means that humans must learn to widen the assimilative capacity of natural systems by deliberately holding back from unnecessary and environmentally unsustainable resource use on the grounds that exploitation may prove to be counterproductive, excessively costly or simply unfair to future generations. Nature's assimilative capacity cannot always be taken for granted.

Section 4: As a matter of moral right, vulnerable and critical natural systems and entities, namely those close to thresholds, or whose existence is vital for natural regeneration, shall have equal standing to human beings.

Section 5: No real property shall be developed without the property owner demonstrating that no unreasonable harm will come to the land.

Section 6: All Congressional spending decisions must integrate environmental policy from certain and known concerns that occur in the present, to future and more uncertain issues.

Section 7: The international environmental treaty, known as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, its Kyoto Protocol, and all further updates, are hereby integrated into the Constitution.

Section 8: Any Constitutional interpretations, conflicting with this Amendment, shall be settled in favor of this Amendment.

Section 9: The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

During the ratification process, opponents of the 28th Amendment were quite vocal. Such critics advised that the proposed Amendment essentially voids the Constitution itself. Detractors argued that the unintended consequences, of giving the environment legal standing equal to humankind, will be economically and socially devastating. Additionally, the intentional vagueness of the precautionary principle will allow for arbitrary and tyrannical rule. It will be only a matter of time before chaos ensues.

In a stunning turn of events, with respect to the Section 3 of the 28th Amendment, pro-life advocates immediately seek to overturn Roe vs. Wade and, by default, make abortion illegal in the United States. Pro-life advocates assert that giving legal standing to future generations inherently makes abortion murder.


This thorny issue (abortion) has been haunting the U.S. Supreme Court for decades. The court immediately takes up the case and hears both sides of the argument. With breathtaking speed, the Justices rule 9-0 in favor of the pro-life advocates. In a brief summary of the unanimous decision, the Justices state: "In light of Sections 3, 4 and 8 of the 28th Amendment – the law of the land – an unborn child has full legal standing in the United States. Hence, abortion is murder."

Feminists and women’s rights groups, throughout the nation, express outrage at what the Democratic Party has wrought upon American women.

To add another unintended consequence into the mix, veterinarians are now refusing to euthanize terminally ill and infirmed animals. A cautious interpretation of the 28th Amendment reveals its biocentric nature – all entities, which naturally include animals, have equal standing to humans. Therefore, to euthanize an animal would be tantamount to murder. Pet owners, across the nation, are confused and exasperated.

Shall the police be called in to investigate the death of a goldfish?

Heartened by the newly found "rights" of animals, animal-rights activists press to have hunting and fishing banned in the United States. As a response, every state suspends the issuance of hunting and fishing licenses. Lawsuits begin to flood the state courts.

Being that the precautionary principle is inherently vague and broad, the anti-gun lobby leaps into action. Citing Section 1 of the 28th Amendment, anti-gunners mention how it is incumbent upon Congress to both "anticipate" and "prevent" problems.

With murder rates, in Washington D.C. and New Orleans, at alarming highs, anti-gunners declare that an outright ban of guns is the only solution to the "murder problem." As the anti-gun lobbyists argue, "…guns kill people." To add weight to their case, President Bush’s war in Iraq is cited as an example of the precautionary principle. Poor implementation of the war aside, Congress did agree to allow the Commander in Chief to militarily remove the Iraqi regime and then seek out and confiscate Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. Congress determined such preemptive and precautionary military actions were necessary in order to prevent Iraqi WMDs from ever harming the American people. Based upon Congressional precedent (i.e. the precautionary war against Iraq), and now buttressed by the 28th Amendment, anti-gunners demand that the right to bear arms be immediately revoked for the sake of preventing further murders in the United States. The Supreme Court’s docket is starting to get full.

Animal-rights activists, not surprisingly, have expressed their solidarity with the anti-gun lobby.

And now, back to the present. With environmentalists playing the role of Mother Earth’s savior, welcome to the moral, intellectual, and legal quagmire that the green movement is attempting to thrust upon humanity.

If global warming is real, and I seriously doubt it, then let free-market solutions emerge instead of adopting the failed command and control systems advocated by environmentalists. The eminent Austrian economist, Dr. George Reisman, has written forcefully on this matter:

Whether global warming comes or not, it is certain that nature itself will sooner or later produce major changes in the climate. To deal with those changes and virtually all other changes arising from whatever cause, man absolutely requires individual freedom, science, and technology. In a word, he requires the industrial civilization constituted by capitalism.

This brings me back to the possibly truly good objectives that have been mixed in with environmentalism, such as the desire for greater cleanliness and health. If one wants to advocate such objectives without aiding the potential mass murderers in the environmental movement in achieving their goals, one must first of all accept unreservedly the values of human reason, science, technology, and industrial civilization, and never attack those values. They are the indispensable foundation for achieving greater cleanliness and better health and longer life.

If you do not believe green totalitarianism can take root in the United States, then I suggest that you take a look at what is happening in San Francisco. Under the guise of the precautionary principle, it has already begun.

Obama's Revolution

The “changes” being wrought by President Barack Obama will have a profound effect on the nation’s future.

Barack Obama campaigned for the presidency on the central theme of “change.” American voters bought into his message, but now, after over six months in office, Obama’s “change” has turned into more of a revolution.

It’s a revolution that is indeed changing America and will affect citizens for years to come. He is doing this with acts of executive privilege, suspending or changing rules of legislation in Congress and adding controls and regulations. He is taking control of private businesses and calling for legislation on energy, automobiles and many other facets of daily life in America. Our foreign policy is being changed. He and his congressional cronies have jammed through legislation calling for massive debt. They are telling businesses what they must pay their employees; they are forcing banks to accept federal bailout money, then telling them how to run their banks.

The “changes” go on and on, and Obama makes it clear he is just starting.

How long will the public allow Obama and his congressional henchmen to take away freedoms and exert greater control over America? At first, many of his defenders tried to soft-pedal his “changes,” but now, even some of his most ardent supporters are starting to urge him to slow down, with some saying they intend to start voting against some of his efforts.

Granted, there are those on Wall Street and elsewhere who have abused their positions and privileges, and, in some cases, they should be punished. But Obama’s manner of punishment is far too broad and deep, “punishing” millions who had nothing to do with the excesses and bad practices of a few.

What is to limit the president and his government from taking control of any business in the country if he judges it is too large to fail?

If he and the government have the power to take over a particular business, what is to keep him from taking over businesses and/or telling all kinds of businesses what they can pay employees? How about telling Americans how to set their thermostats or what color of car they can buy?

It’s reaching a dangerous stage that will change America for decades, in domestic matters as well as in America’s position and stature abroad.

Hitler then Obama Now

What's Next?

What are Obama's plans for America?

Hitler's was a Volkswagon for every German,

Obama's plan a green car for every American Family

No more Pickups for you Rednecks who didn't vote for me!

Indian Maiden

Indian Maiden

Chief Hedog

He Dog was born in 1840 near the Black Hills. In the 1860s, He Dog and his brothers started a small band of Oglala Lakota known as the Soreback Band.

He Dog took part in the Great Sioux War of 1876. When the United States was unable to get control of the Black Hills, the President had a message sent to the northern bands to come in or be forcibly taken in by the U.S. army. He Dog was encamped with the Soreback Band at the time the ultimatum was delivered. He Dog's brother, Short Bull, said that most of the northern Oglala resolved to comply and head in to the Red Cloud Agency in the spring of 1877.

In 1876, He Dog married a woman named Rock and with the Soreback Band, stopped briefly in Wyoming Territory. That spring, a group of troops under Colonel Joseph Reynolds attacked the band, essentially starting the Great Sioux War.

During the summer of 1876, He Dog took part in the Battle of Little Bighorn. He eventually surrendered to American troops at the Red Cloud Agency with Crazy Horse in the spring of 1877. After Crazy Horse was killed, He Dog accompanied the Oglala to Washington, D.C. as a delegate to meet the President.

He Dog left the Red Cloud Agency after its relocation to the Missouri River during the winter of 1877. He joined Sitting Bull in Canadaian exile over the next two years. He Dog and the northern Oglala were ultimately transferred to the Pine Ridge Reservation in the spring of 1882, where he lived the rest of his life. He Dog died in 1936. Photo taken around 1930.

Edmund Ruffin--Southerner

Most people in this world are not remembered for anything after they are gone. A few people manage to affect the world such that they are remembered for one thing. Edmund Ruffin is a man that is remembered for two things. Edmund Ruffin was born in Prince George County, Virginia on January 5, 1794. He was a farmer and innovative agriculturist. As a noted farmer, he became editor of the "Farmer’s Register", and investigated methods to improve agricultural crop yields. His research interests also included bogs and swamps. Despite his distinguished research, he is not remembered for his advances in agricultural science. As secessionist tensions grew in the United States in the 1850’s, Ruffin was an ardent supporter of states’ rights and was a proponent of Secession. He became known as one of the Southern "Fire-Eaters", along with Robert Rhett, Louis Wigfall and William Yancey. The famed Fire-Eaters were able to fan the flames of Southern Independence, which led to the secession of South Carolina in 1860, and the formation of the Confederate States of America. Northern sentiment ran so strong against Mr. Ruffin that on August 1, 1862 two regiments of Union regulars from General Fitz-John Porter’s corps crossed the river by Harrison’s Landing and, under the cover of guns on the steamer Mahaska, set Ruffin’s house on fire. It is reported that cheers rent the air from Union Troops as the great Rebel’s house burned to the ground. Despite all this, Edmund Ruffin is not remembered as the Father of the Confederacy, or the leader of the secession movement. It is for the events of the evening of April 11, 1861 that Mr. Ruffin will be remembered. Major Robert Anderson and some 85 US Soldiers and Officers (12 of whom were musicians) were hunkered down in Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, surrounded by approximately 7,000 Confederate troops under the command of Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard. Early in the morning hours of April 12, 1861 the fateful orders came down from Beauregard; and the honor of initiating those orders fell on a 67 year old honorary member of the Palmetto Guards . . . Mr. Edmund Ruffin. At about 4:30 AM on April 12, Edmund Ruffin fired the first cannon shot at Fort Sumter, and the Civil War was officially underway. Four long years later, with countless losses on both sides, Ruffin received word that General Robert E. Lee had surrendered at Appomattox, and that all was lost. The dream that was the Confederacy was officially over. Upon receiving the news, Ruffin sat at his desk and penned these words: "I here declare my unmitigated hatred to Yankee rule -- to all political, social and business connection with the Yankees and to the Yankee race. Would that I could impress these sentiments, in their full force, on every living Southerner and bequeath them to every one yet to be born! May such sentiments be held universally in the outraged and down-trodden South, though in silence and stillness, until the now far-distant day shall arrive for just retribution for Yankee usurpation, oppression and atrocious outrages, and for deliverance and vengeance for the now ruined, subjugated and enslaved Southern States! ...And now with my latest writing and utterance, and with what will be near my latest breath, I here repeat and would willingly proclaim my unmitigated hatred to yankee rule--to all political, social and business connections with Yankees, and the perfidious, malignant and vile Yankee race. With the completion of the letter, Mr. Ruffin put down his pen, picked up his revolver, and shot himself in the head. As such, Mr. Ruffin is remembered for two things . . . firing the first shot, and the last shot of the Civil War. A final note on this text Ruffin wrote a book entitled "Essays of Calcerious Manures" and was the first to urge the importation of Peruvian Guano.

Constitution of the United States

The Constitution of the United States


PREAMBLE

WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

ARTICLE l

SECTION 1. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

SECTION 2. The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several States, and the electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State Legislature.

No person shall be a representative who sha1l not have attained to the age of twenty-five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.

Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all other persons. The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. The number of representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but each State shall have at least one representative; and unti1 such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to choose three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three.

When vacancies happen in the representation from any State, the executive authority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies.

The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other officers; and shall have the sole power of impeachment.

SECTION 3. The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two senators from each State, chosen by the legislature thereof, for six years and each senator shall have one vote. Immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of the first election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three classes. The seats of the senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the second year, of the second class at the expiration of the fourth year, and of the third class at the expiration of the sixth year, so that one--third may be chosen every second year; and if vacancies happen by resignation, or otherwise, during the recess of the legislature of any State, the executive thereof may make temporary appointments until the next meeting of the legislature, which shall then fill such vacancies.

No person shall be a senator who shall not have attained to the age of thirty years, and been nine years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate. but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided.

The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the office of President of the United States.

The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When sitting for that purpose, they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the members present.

Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States; but the party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment and punishment, according to law.

SECTION 4. The times, places and manner of holding elections for senators and representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the legislature thereof, but the Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations, except as to the places of choosing senators.

The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.

SECTION 5. Each house shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members, in such manner, and under such penalties as each house may provide.

Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behaviour, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member.

Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such parts as may in their judgment require secrecy; and the yeas and nays of the members of either house on any question shall, at the desire of one-fifth of those present, be entered on the journal.

Neither house, during the session of Congress, shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other place than that in which the two houses shall be sitting.

SECTION 6. The senators and representatives shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. They shall in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any speech or debate in either house, they shall not be questioned in any other place.

No senator or representative shall, during the time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time; and no person holding any office under the United States, shall be a member of either house during his continuance in office.

SECTION 7. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other bills.

Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the President of the United States; if he approves he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his objections to that house in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such reconsideration two-thirds of that House shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two-thirds of that House, it shall become a law. But in all such cases the votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each House respectively. If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their adjournment prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law.

Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the same shall take effect, shall be approved by him or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two-thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the rules and limitations prescribed in the case of a bill.

SECTION 8. The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States, but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian tribes;

To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures;

To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States;

To establish post offices and post roads;

To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;

To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;

To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations;

To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;

To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;

To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such district (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the State in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings; ―And

To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.

SECTION 9. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person.

The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.

No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed.

No capitation, or other direct, tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the census or enumeration herein before directed to betaken.

No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any State.

No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the ports of one State over those of another; nor shall vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties in another.

No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law, and a regular statement and account of the receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time.

No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States; And no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

SECTION l0. No State shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation; grant letters of marque and reprisal; coin money; emit bills of credit; make any thing but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts; pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility.

No State shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing its inspection laws, and the net produce of all duties and imposts, laid by any State on imports or exports, shall be for the use of the Treasury of the United States; and all such laws shall be subject to the revision and control of the Congress.

No State shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep troops, or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another State, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay.

ARTICLE II

SECTION l. The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term of four years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same term, be elected, as follows;

Each State shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of senators and representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress f but no senator or representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector.

The electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not be an inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a list of all the persons voted for, and of the number of votes for each, which list they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The person having the greatest number of votes shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such majority, and have an equal number of votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately choose by ballot one of them for President; and if no person have a majority, then from the five highest on the list the said House shall in like manner choose the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by States, the representation from each State having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two thirds of the States, and a majority of all the States shall be necessary to a choice. In every case, after the choice of the President, the person having the greatest number of votes of the electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal votes, the Senate shall choose from them by ballot the Vice President.

The Congress may determine the time of choosing the electors, and the day on which they shall give their votes; which day shall be the same throughout the United States.

No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty--five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United States.

In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by law provide for the case of removal, death, resignation, or inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what officer shall then act as President, and such officer shall act accordingly, until the disability be removed, or a President shall be elected.

The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services, a compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that period any other emolument from the United States, or any of them.

Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation;--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

SECTION 2. The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several States; when called into the actual service of the United States; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the Executive Departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.

He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law f but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.

The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session.

SECTION 3. He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both houses, or either of them, and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper; he shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers; he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the United States.

SECTION 4. The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of , treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

ARTICLE III

SECTION l. The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The judges, both of the supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their offices during good behaviour, and shall, at stated times, receive for their services, a compensation, which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office.

SECTION 2. The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties made, or which shall be made, under their authority; to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls; to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction; to controversies to which the United States shall be a party; to controversies between two or more States; between a State and citizens of another State; between citizens of different States; between citizens of the same State claiming lands under grants of different States, and between a State, or the citizens thereof, and foreign States, citizens, or subjects.

In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and those in which a State shall be party, the Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction. In all the other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and to fact, with such exceptions, and under such regulations as the Congress shall make.

The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury; and such trial shall be held in the State where the said crimes shall have been committed, but when not committed within any State, the trial shall be at such place or places as the Congress may by law have directed.

SECTION 3. Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture except during the life of the person attainted.

ARTICLE IV

SECTION l. Full faith and credit shall be given in each State to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general laws prescribe the manner in which such acts, records and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.

SECTION 2. The citizens of each State shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several States.

A person charged in any State with treason, felony, or other crime, who shall flee from justice, and be found in another State, shall on demand of the executive authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having jurisdiction of the crime.

No person held to service or labour in one State, under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labour, but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or labour may be due.

SECTION 3. New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union, but no new State shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the consent of the legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the Territory or other property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to prejudice any claims of the United States, or of any particular State.

SECTION 4. The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a republican form of Government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened) against domestic violence.

ARTICLE V

The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the Ninth Section of the First Article; and that no State, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.

ARTICLE VI

All debts contracted and engagements entered into, before the adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.

This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every State shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.

The senators and representatives before mentioned, and the members of the severa1 State legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious tests shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

ARTICLE VII

The ratification of the conventions of nine States shall be sufficient for the establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the same.

Are You a Racist

It seems these days that anyone who disagrees with Obama is a racist. That was a campaign tactic that's now been transferred to his administration. Really, what is a racist. I prefer to associate with whites in general more than with blacks---therefore, I'm racist. Does it not matter that I have more in common with them, guess not--I'm racist. Tried to speak to some Mexicans the other day at the store, suppose they couldn't understand me, so I went on with my shopping--I'm racist. I support legal immigration, not illegal immigration--I'm racist. I think most of Obama's policies are foolish--I'm racist. So what is a racist? Took the time to look it up--says a racist is someone who has an unreasoning dislike for someone on another race. Gosh, that lets me off the hook, I have reasons for my dislikes. I dislike some Arabs because they want to kill me so I guess that one is ok. I dislike some Mexicans because they jumped the fence so that one is ok. I dislike some blacks because they feel I owe them something guess that one is ok. And finally, I dislike liberals, because I simply cannot tolerate fools, guess that one is ok, too. Gee, maybe I'm not racist.

Utopia: Socialist Paradise

by Harry Valentine

A socialist paradise has been evolving for years, in which the ideals of government caring for the welfare of its citizens is held in high regard. In this Utopia, government regards itself as a partner to business. And there are many businesses willing to be a partner, receiving grants and interest free loans from the mother state. The utopia has a few problems, like the emperor's naked posterior revealing itself from beneath his fine robes. Whenever this happens, some of Utopia's system flaws and shortcomings become know.

Several of Utopia's citizens are classified as "working poor" and "working homeless". In this latter case, these are people who go to a job, even a professional job where they wear a shirt and tie or even business suit. When they come home after work, home is a shelter for the homeless. This situation came about a few years after some of the city and provincial governments decided to eradicate slums and regulate the rental housing market, with the aim of improving rental housing. What soon happened was that people who rented a basement or a room in a private home, stopped doing so. People who built economy rental accommodations got out of the market, because of the heavy handed manner in which Utopia's bureaucrats began to enforce their authority. So Utopia has a shortage of affordable rental accommodation in its major population centers. The lower wage earners who most urgently need low-rent housing now have to seek accommodation in shelters for the homeless, most of which are run by private charities.

The more fortunate citizens who live in Utopia, pay a very high rate of taxes, which are amongst the highest in the world. Utopia's businesses also pay high taxes, which are usually collected by hidden and indirect means. This leaves the impression that businesses and banks in Utopia pay little or no taxes, which infuriates the defenders of Utopia's social programs. Every now and then a free market supporter will undertake a study that reveals that Utopia's banks actually pay 57% of their profits to the government via hidden and indirect taxation.

Utopia's social left usually responds with outrage to such findings, claiming that it is "merely rightwing propaganda". Of course at no time do Utopia's social defenders ever produce any factual information that can stand up to any scrutiny to substantiate any of their claims against private business. The Utopian social left is united in their conviction that a firm and heavy hand by government is needed to regulate the business community, for the "greater good". Of course they also demand that all businesses be domestically owned, because they regard foreign ownership of Utopia's businesses as being detrimental to Utopia's national identity. Utopia's main airline operator which was previously state owned, is now state-regulated with a very firm hand and operating near the brink of bankruptcy. It would benefit from a combination of new foreign investment and deregulation, or even outright foreign ownership of Air Utopia. Except such blasphemy is not even open to discussion in Utopia's central government chambers.

The Utopian government claims to have the best interests of its citizens at heart, so it maintains a firm hand regulating many sectors of Utopia's economy. To ensure credible regulation, large numbers of professionals are kept on the staff, while outside consultants including university professors are engaged to guide the government’s regulatory efforts. Example, Utopia managed an ocean fishing industry by giving out licenses and permits, while the fish stocks were continually studied and strict quotas enforced. Utopia's officials would board offshore fishing vessels to inspect the catch, as a means of enforcing compliance. The idea of fish farms was regarded as reprehensible by Utopia's social left, who had supreme faith in the government's ability to manage the offshore ocean fishing industry.

However, something went astray and the offshore ocean fish stocks became depleted. Utopia's government officials were dumbfounded: they could not explain what happened, after all, there were at least 24-people on government fisheries staff who held Ph.D. degrees as well as equally well qualified outside fish consultants and university professors, all united in their efforts in guiding Utopia’s government to act for the greater good.

The central government is of course very concerned about improving Utopia's economy. A recent study commissioned by Utopia's Department Of Industry claimed that "Utopia's tax rules were killing innovation." The study recommended that "inheritance taxes be increased". Now the central government has a multi-billion dollar proposal planned to boost high-tech innovation. Most of this revenue will come from hidden and indirect taxation of Utopia's industrial and business sector, some will come from personal taxation, while the remainder will come straight from the printing presses. In order for business to receive government funding, it is a good idea to be politically well connected and chant the mantra of the benefit of the partnership between government and business, for the greater good. Other businesses which prefer to remain politically neutral or even apolitical, have to forfeit profits the may otherwise have been able to allocate to new, innovative product development. In Utopia, the government absolutely has to be seen as the facilitator of industrial innovation.

To develop a powerful business sector in the emerging technologies, Utopia needs many scientists and engineers. However, fully half of the students from Utopia who are in university specializing in these fields, are attending institutions outside of Utopia. Most of them are likely to remain to work in the country in which they are studying, following graduation. They may of course come home to Utopia for an occasional visit. A large number of Utopia's university graduates will also leave to work outside Utopia, a kind of brain drain which also includes members of Utopia's socialized medical system, doctors and nurses who prefer to work in a freer environment, like in America. Yet despite shortcomings such as the few mentioned here, the United Nations claims that Utopia, which is located just north of the US border, is one of the best places in the world in which to live.

Utopia and the Socialist

Last night while channel surfing I can across an old movie made back in the 1930's. Never caught the name, but did watch enough to grasp the theme. It was the old Utopian idea wrapped in the 1930's Hollywood love affair with communism and fascism, something that many today have either forgotten or never knew about. The movie got me to thinking about our present day situation and how it related to socialism, the state and Utopian thinking.

Most men dream of Utopia, their own personal utopia. The socialist also dreams of utopia, his vision of what every man should want. One dreams of a better life for himself and his family, the other plans on how to make HIS dream for others a reality. These two visions , at first glance, sound similar but the difference is staggering. The first sounds self-centered, but actually its the latter that falls into that category. One man, simply wants to live his life and go his own way, the other has what I call the herd mentality and must seek to control the lives of others in the group. And he will continually attempt to get those around him to adopt what his perceives to be "the right way". This puts the first man at a distinct disadvantage in this ongoing struggle. A good analogy would be a tug-a-war between two with one just trying to hold his position while the other attempts to pull him to his side. The outcome would, at first glance, appear to be obvious; however the first man does have one advantage---individual initiative. While those on the other side, for the most part are only the followers of some almost mystic leader.

Socialism, almost seems a victim of these leaders. They invariably pop up during times of economic turmoil and hardship. They present themselves as the ones with the solutions to the complicated problems of the day. And the masses hungry for answers, give these leaders the power to project their ideas, into some form of action. Usually the changes are sweeping and draconian, and enacted with little or no debate and the results at first are pleasing to the common man. But the leaders of these movements, being the Utopians they are, never seem to be satisfied with the changes they have brought about. For they are seeking a world that doesn't exist, except in their own minds. Not being able to bring about the changes they have dreamed of, they will turn to more and more desperate measures and in the end theirs will become a repressive and totalitarian state.

The quest for utopia can be a noble goal. One should, however always keep one thing in mind, "one man's Utopia is another man's hell."

The New Fuhrer is at the Door

The new Fuhrer is at the door,

saying give me more power and the economy will soar.

Things are bad and going down hill,

we can change that with his new bill.

He and all his men have the answers now,

so change the law and they will show us how.

New powers is all he will need,

to plant this new seed.

This is the plan he's trying to sell,

his plan is simply a road to hell.

Obama Hasn't Learned from History

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what

you can do for your country.

John F. Kennedy