Random Musings, Part 1: Society & Culture

OK. I haven't been here in a while (QUITE a while). Maybe because so much has happened I can't keep my head straight. I can't believe what has occurred right under out noses. I'll get right to the meat of this. Some of these thoughts are new and other I've posted elsewhere. So here we go.

When I noticed this "undocumented children" story, I asked how did they get here to begin with? No papers. No idea where many of these kids are coming from. In too many cases, they aren't kids (hello, MS 13 among others). I'm watching our leaders in DC welcoming and rewarding people for breaking the law. This is a traffickers dream to have border relaxed (or I should say left unguarded) this much. I then penned this:

Seriously friends. 50,000 "undocumented" children since last fall. The Fraud-in-Chief won't even let Border Patrol Agents do their jobs. Yet those who went through the LEGAL immigration process are told they can't stay. It's a shame that an ILLEGAL ALIENS (yeah I said it, don't give me this "undocumented resident or whatever garbage you call it") is being rewarded for breaking the law. I'm sorry but it's time to put the fear of God back in our enemies. Or to quote Toby Keith, "This big dog will fight when you rattle his cage
And you’ll be sorry that you messed with the U.S. of A."

ENOUGH!!!!! I'm SICK of this. All that's been done is create a traffickers paradise and our fraud leadership (as a whole) in DC are doing NOTHING to stop this. I'm SICK of my country's borders being treated like a doormat. I'm SICK of my country being mocked. I'm SICK of the rule of law being treated like a practical joke. I'm SICK of "leaders" (notice the small l) of other countries say WE'RE the bad guys. I'm SICK of countries around the world taking border security more seriously than we do. If you can't see a problem with this, you're either blind, dumb, uninformed, or just don't give a damn. If this is part of the "fundamental transformation" people wanted, take that change down the road & shove it where sun doesn't shine. Yes. I AM the Angry American today.

Now if you want your head to explode, watch this. How is this OUR fault? If you can give me an explanation, I'm all ears. 

Here's just one example of what the modern Praetorian Guard is up to. No wonder this show's cast is getting blown up. Meredith Viera, where art thou?

So you want tolerance? I'm so sick of the modern liberals use of that word. I call them for the frauds they are. The goofy left hipsters speak of tolerance as long as their the ones receiving it. I'll break down the falsehood that is. 

A. I follow a woman named Holly Fisher on Twitter (@HollyRFisher). She's a Christian, wife of Army combat vet, Mom of 3 and VERY Pro second amendment. Here are picture of her that set off an insane amount of backlash from leftists. 

There she is. She stood in front of a Hobby Lobby, enjoying what was left of her Chick Fil A lunch in one picture. But wait, it gets WORSE................

Oh my goodness. She's holding a gun in one hand, a BIBLE in the other and standing in front of.... hold your breath.... an AMERICAN FLAG..... SOMEWHERE in AMERICA? What a novel idea. 

Enough people jumped with her. This is the link of those who came to Holly's defense:

http://twitchy.com/2014/07/06/real-moms-dont-demand-action-they-take-it-holly-fisher-supporters-tell-why-istandwithholly/. Among the best comments: 

- @JustinRWalton a REAL #WarOnWomen? Check out the trolls on @HollyRFisher's TL... #IStandWithHolly

- @PolitiBunny #IStandWithHolly and all brilliant, brave and beautiful conservative women.

Follow

There were some supporting comments. Someone got this right. Yes sir. You sure got that right. "@Alex_2nd @HollyRFisher Fixed it. #IStandWithHolly" I wish I saw this hashtag in the moment.

b. How this for tolerance? Glo Smith, a Black Conservative candidate running for the 5 Congressional Seat in Florida, is another facing absurd treatment and silence from the left. I can't add to this. I'm NOT an Obama supporter but I am uneasy with this image (personally). I don't see what this accomplishes at all. For each is their own. But this is intolerant............... 

but this is ok to leftists .............................................................................

....which brings me to Candidate Smith. This is another example of how Black Conservatives are treated. So much for tolerance. Not much more I can add to this. It pretty much speaks for itself. The NAACP and NOW are quiet to come to here defense. Gee I wonder why. 

Here Twitter account, @gloforcongress, responded this way- "This is sad, but I am all for diversity. Visit http://GloForCongress.com . "

And speaking of more a recent controversy, how about this Hobby Lobby story? They offered birth control- SIXTEEN different types...... and paid for most if not all of the cost. Yet they don't want to offer FOUR and they're bad people. Help me out with this. What's since come out is that they've covered those 16 birth control methods for YEARS before the ObamaCare mandate came into play. The National Organization for Women have shown their colors. Former NOW leader Patricia Ireland has been on the war path. I watched Megyn Kelly last night and Ireland JOKED about putting the Little Sisters of the Poor on NOW "Dirty 100" list. The only "dirt" Little Sisters of the Poor does is what NOW doesn't have the guts to do. NOW is nothing more than manipulative women who for years sold lies they care about women. Or I should say they believe they everyone should bow and kiss their rear ends. Deep down, they want women to be dependent on them because if they don't, NOW is out of business. I'll say one good thing about Ms. Ireland. She has been involved in the Marissa Alexander Stand Your Ground case. I just wish she wouldn't be so selective about this topic. 

OK. I had to get this out of my system. As we go forward, I see how liberalism is a disease. It makes NO SENSE. I never thought I'd live to see the day we, as Americans, would have so much backwards thinking. If you don't like the benefits or job an employer has for you, GO FIND A JOB ELSEWHERE. I don't buy this "job lock" term (among others) the left throws around. They think taste me and you'll see, more is what you need, dedicated to how I'm killing you. Come crawling faster, obey your master. Your life burns faster, obey your Master!! Progressive leftists are the master of puppets, pulling their strings, twisting their minds and smashing their dreams, blinded by them they can't see a thing. Just call their name and they'll hear you scream.......Master.......Master!!! Some of you may have caught the reference. The song is about addiction and how easily it can be to be manipulated by drugs. But I can't help with referencing the middle part of the song, where maybe there is some level of clarity. Dependency takes many forms. The more I see our modern culture, I see this in the masses. I'm afraid this is the direction our citizens are going. The very direction some want us to go.

"Master, Master, where's the dreams that I've been after?

Master, Master, you promised only lies
Laughter, laughter, all I hear or see is laughter
Laughter, laughter, laughing at my cries"

It will be a shame once people realize they're nothing more than disposable heroes for Progressive liberals. People mean nothing to the Progressive liberal. People are nothing more than a means to an end for them. Once they see that, we may have a chance. If we continue on this path, it will be too late and the damage early impossible to reverse. To me, that's the best result if we keep moving as we are. As a decedent of slaves and Jim Crow Laws, I don't take my freedom for granted at all. 

Some insight and wisdom of Frederick Douglass. This is a man who experienced a life none of us could ever imagine. He knows the power of oppression and the taste of freedom. I think this is a blueprint of how we can encourage each other and hopefully spread messages like his to others. Maybe then they'll get it. 

“Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave.” From a man who taught himself how to read.

― Frederick Douglass (1)

“No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other end fastened about his own neck.” 

― Frederick Douglass (1)

S"

Works cited:

1. Taken from https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/18943.Frederick_Douglass

August 1, 2012: A Day We, The People, Spoke Up

August 1, 2012. We, the people, spoke. We did it with action, with deed, and our dollars. A man was asked about his personal convictions. Considering Chick-Fil-A is closed on Sundays since the founders are Christians. He spoke up (in a religious magazine, I might add) and was vilified for it. Mayors of major cities spoke and said his company was not welcome in their cities. We, the people, said that wasn't right!!!!!

On any normal day,  the location I visited would probably have a comfortable amount of customers at drive- thru. Normally, one lane would be enough but on this day, that was not the case.

On any normal day, you would have people waiting inside to place their order. But on this day, the line ends at the drive through window. That was one line..............
 

....... as you can see, the line is wrapping around the building. The external perimeter of the building and the line with people trying to get into the doors. This crowd is facing west...... right in the path of the hot setting sun. Drive-thru also maxed out. NOT ONE PERSON left.

 The people are getting closer......... and a little relief in sight. Nonetheless, the people waited to make a statement.

This woman was such a breath of fresh air. It's 90-plus degrees and she's outside offering water to the people waiting outside. She was in and out making sure people were cared for. No one asked for the water but this location's team cared to offer it.

And as fast as you think you're getting closer........... well, not so fast..............................................

It's now inside. It's much cooler inside that you might imagine. But there was only one problem. I was still outside. The picture below shows an overflow line that I saw when I got in. This was before.

This was taken not long before I arrived. 

15 minutes later, you can see this line is backed up. Another example of what we, the people, looks like. 

 A view from the bottom from underneath the Chick-Fil-A sign. The original chicken sandwich. So Rahm Emmanuel doesn't want more Chick-Fil-A's, huh? I bet the Mayors of Dolton, Cicero, Rosemont, Park Ridge, Niles, and Lincolnwood (among others) will gladly take them in. 

30 minutes later, I finally made it inside. I was amazed how cool it was inside, especially with the amount of people in the building. It's times like this that reminds me of what "we, the people" means. We said that we will not be bullied. It was a fun time, speaking and laughing with the people.

In this picture, "We, the People" came in different walks of life and interests. Every generation represented families and singles. We said enough was enough.

The most outstanding crew you can imagine. In all this chaos, this crew stayed focused. They genuinely kept a positive, upbeat mood. They made sure that we, the people, got what we paid for.  Below, shows a few things. First, notice how up to this point, how clean this place is. Despite how many people have gone through, the place was near spotless. Not one order was messed up. 

 The line getting into this location. Part 1. If you think that this was fun, this was just to get into the lot. This was more than chicken. To steal a tweet from @GovMikeHuckabee- America ate chicken today; Rahm Emanuel ate crow.

This lot is normally empty at 7:PM on any given night. Not today!!!!

The drive thru, part 2. One more thing. I hope their takes are full. If not, no worries. There's a gas station across the street. As the old saying goes, let you wallet do the talking. We, the people, spoke loudly today with our feet AND our wallets. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!! If one voice is silenced, it won't be long before others are silenced as well.  Don't forget that. 

Dinner is served!!! Thank you, Chick-Fil-A, in Wheaton, Illinois.  Despite all the crowds, menu items running low or out completely and the complete chaos that came with it, you kept things going and made the wait worth it. You passed the test!!! Job well done. We, the people, thank you!!!

Space for Lease: Who is REALLY at Fault Here?

As I drive around where I live, I noticed how many businesses are shutting their doors. Under normal circumstances, a business will leave and another will take its place. Then this week, it dawned on me than many haven't come back at all. I decided to take my digital camera out for a little spin and snap a few pictures. The pictures were taken in one of Illinois largest towns, Naperville, IL. The population is just under 150,000 people and household median income of around $100,000. There are several corporations in the area including BP, Tellabs, and energy company Nalco just to name three (not to mention companies in the neighboring cities, including only 3 that have just around 300,000-325,000 people combined). Of the places I am showing here, all of these businesses were active 3-5 years ago. How is it that so many places in towns like these are seeing this? I have a few I can point at.

First, let's look at our friends in Washington DC. Our President, who believes high taxes are the way to grow the economy. Let's look at the people in our legislative branch who think the same way. They say the economy is the priority and this is the result, I would hate to think about what is much lower on their list. To think that a Millionaire or Billionaire would want to build a business in a place like this. Sure, let's tax the rich. Go ahead, keep raising taxes and keep the tax codes a mess. Meanwhile, money that could come and build a business in the places I showed will remain on the sideline. These people can't even come up with a years budget (3 years and counting) and you expect me to think they can create a solid economic plan. Too many states (especially mine) have embraced the tax and waste mentality. Forget about all the money that's been printed as well (that is a story in itself). These pictures show what 8%-plus unemployment looks like (not to mention 15% Black unemployment, 50% teen unemployment and countless others who have quit looking for work altogether). They also represent what slow or no economic growth looks like. Not a pretty picture, right? We could make life easier on business owners so not only that they can do business, but hire some people while they're at it. That would make too much sense. Washington wants to make it hard for businesses to exist in policy. While they all do that, you'll see a lot more of this..................

and this.......................

Washington is the only ones to blame here. I blame some of these developers/landlords of these developments. Why do I do that? Work with me for a sec. In a different city nearby, I frequented a particular major chain. I noticed that two of their flagship/anchor stores had closed their doors. The place I frequented also close a while back. When I visited a different location, I spoke with a woman (I'll call "Sue") who I normally dealt with at her prior location. As she and I started to talk, she informed me of something key. When she did, I really was in disbelief. For those who aren't aware, more retail business leases average 5 years in length (give or take a year or 2). What "Sue" told me was that the landlords wanted a 10 YEAR LEASE. I know how retail works as it relates to leases. I know several small business owners (either as customers or friends) and when I told them, they were as shocked as I was. So instead of seeing these businesses filled up, people now have more uncertainty to deal with. Not only do they not know what (and how) the tax structure is going to be going forward, now you don't know how that will translate to your business. So not matter what happens, you are stuck on a lease for 10 years no matter if your business fails or outgrows a given location. Landlords, adapt on the fly. Don't be like the landlord I mentioned here. So if 10 years is the "new norm" going forward, my money is that we will see more of this.............................

and this.................................

and goodness forbid this (this particular mall is about 60% unoccupied)...........................................

So let's Occupy some space. Let the people who can make this happen do their thing. Washington- GET OUT OF THE WAY. These places are already built. Let someone come to it. Landlords, decided what is best for you- 5 year lease with potential renewal or 10 years lease and more of what you see above. As I said at the start, this is one of Chicago's more "well off" suburbs. I imagine it's worse in the city. Army & Lou's, a Chicago South Side, Black-owned restaurant/institution, celebrated its 65th birthday in 2012.

(1) However, like many other businesses, Army and Lou's closed it's doors in 2011. It had hoped to remain at least providing catering service. That dream also ended. I can't help but think that for every Army and Lou's we know of, I'm curious of how many more we don't know about. The moral of the story is simple. Bad policy hurts everyone. Now it's time for good policy. Let's start by changing our country's leadership from top to bottom. The change every really needs happens this coming November. References: 1. Picture taken from http://whenfallsthecoliseum.com, "Still Summer in Chicago" Posted on September 12th, 2010 by Jessica Alfreds.

The Fine and Very Qualified

I wrote a posting a while back called “A Fine, Unqualified” with a simple premise. I compared the qualifications of our current President with previous Presidents (going back as far as Teddy Roosevelt).  There was a different posting I had planned that I had planned on calling “2 Years Later” but didn’t. Why? As fast as I felt things couldn’t get any stranger, they did get stranger to a point of disbelief. Are we REALLY hearing the things that we thought we heard? We know what we heard and can’t believe what was said. So that posting has been delayed since I’m not sure how I want to put this out.

Fast forward to this week. While the moderator was not so great, my belief is that America (in particular, Conservatives) got its first glance at some of the Republican candidates for the 2012 nomination. The televised debates gave me some decent insight into the candidates. As a whole, the candidates were considerate and made their points well. Then it hit me, why don’t I do a posting and call it “The Fine and Very Qualified” about the Republicans who (at this time) are actually running for President. The list will break down what each did up to this point.

The list is in alphabetical order:

Michele Bachmann- Three years ago, I had no idea who she was. Now if life goes the way I think, I may be moving to her state. As the vision of TARP and “ObamaCare” became reality, she was one of the earliest and loudest opponents. Pro-Life, Constitutional conservative and leader by example. It was her who brought “Gangster Government” to the masses. She became one of the early faces of the modern Tea Party. She by training is a tax attorney, earning both a JD and LL.M degree. Elected to State or Federal office since 2000. First Republican Woman elected to the US House from Minnesota (from what I understand, the state is fairly liberal). If all else fails, she beats Franken in 2014. She and her husband are also business owners.

http://bachmann.house.gov/; http://www.michelebachmann.com/  

Herman Cain- I heard Herman Cain years back but didn’t really appreciate how brilliant this man is. This man was a ballistics expert in the Navy, an business executive with some very respected companies (e.g., Burger King, Coca-Cola), made a failing pizza chain profitable in 14 months (Godfather’s Pizza) and former Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Chairman and Board member.  He has also served in leadership in various industry associations. By training, he is a mathematician and computer scientist. As you can see, Cain was ahead of the game as it relates to Health Care reform as the video shows below (if you never saw this, you need to look. He’s putting the math skills to work. This video is a MUST SEE):

http://people.forbes.com/profile/herman-cain/2151; http://www.hermancain.com/

Newt Gingrich- Like Cain, he is from Georgia. He served 20 years in political office and served as the Speaker. He was part of the “Contract with America” movement, which tried to make government small and more open. Thrice divorced, 30 years ago he could never have been elected. For some, this could be a deal breaker.

 http://www.newt.org/get-involved-now

 Ron Paul- This is one guy I can honestly say I’m not sure how to read him. Libertarian, not Conservative and there is a difference. On one hand, he’s a strong pro-lifer, pro second amendment and fiscally conservative. On the other hand, he was against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (felt it wasn’t needed) and for legalizing drugs (specifically marijuana). Doctor by training and over 10 years experience in elected office.

http://www.ronpaul.org/; http://www.ronpaul.com/welcome.php;

Tim Pawlenty- Like Bachmann, he is also from Minnesota. He served 2 terms as Governor and served in the Minnesota House (replacing Jesse Ventura in both positions). By training, he is an attorney (his wife was a Judge) but did start his political career not long after getting his law degree.  Problem- he did vote for a form of Cap and Trade, which he eventually rejected. Also served at State and local level politics.

http://www.timpawlenty.com/; http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.aspx?id=10512

Mitt Romney- Lengthy consulting and venture capital career before elected office. Like Cain, he lead a failing business (Bain & Company) and brought it back to profitability. CEO of the Salt Lake City Olympic committee. Served 1 term as Governor of Massachusetts. Problem- RomneyCare, which he will REALLY need to sell conservatives on him not doing that if elected President (you think after HillaryCare some would know better ). By training, Romney has an MBA and JD. Father was the Governor of Michigan.

http://www.mittromney.com/; http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Mitt_Romney

Rick Santorum- Served as US Senator for 12 years and in the US House for 4 years.  Socially and fiscally conservative. By training, he also holds a JD and MBA, having worked as an attorney, providing  strategic and business counseling, Senior Fellow with the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.  

http://www.ricksantorum12.com/; http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=s000059

Now my original premise from “Unqualified” was to something about past Presidents. They ALL had length experiences in at least one of three areas: military, government office (elected or appointed), or business. You take a good look at this list, you will see that each candidate had experience in at least 2 of these areas I mentioned. All of these people have not only advanced degrees but the experiences in their given areas they studied. All except Cain had finished at least 1 term in Federal office. All but Gingrich spent some time in business. Paul is the only Doctor of the current candidates. Romney is a second Generation Governor (although in a different state than his Dad). Santorum and Gingrich both have solid experience in public policy. Bachmann is well versed in tax law.

All of these people spoke clearly on what they believe. Each one during the recent debate was civil towards each other candidates. No name calling or trying to talking over each other. This was a simple but honest debate. These candidates really need to be looked at closely. The stakes are too high. If one of these people doesn’t get elected in 2012, the United States could (no WILL) face some SERIOUS repercussions such as all the taxes in ObamaCare. The 2012 election is vital since this is the way we can at least slow this madness down. At the very least, we stall the implementation of ObamaCare and its related taxes until 2014. Then in 2014, we get conservative voices in the Senate and then undo all the damage this administration has done. Now is the time to find the very conservative voice that sadly, the GOP has silenced (see former US Senator Peter Fitzgerald if you doubt me).  Please friends, pay CLOSE attention. Know who you’re voting for. Know where they stand and stand with those who speak your convictions.

 

 

Schoolhouse Rock: The Political Version

I''ve been trying to put together some stuff on what I've observed. That's still a work in progress and hope to get this right. I decided I'll put this fresh post on hold and decided to go another direction. Some of us can remember Schoolhouse Rock, a cartoon that actually was intended to be educational (while making sure the kids didn't realize it was trying to do so). Over the last 20 years or so, I have noticed that cartoons have become nothing short of an idiotfest. Hey, I'll give Emperor's New Groove and Lilo and Stich. Heck, I'll even admit to gettinf up to watch "The Terrible Thunderlizards" a while back (loved "Doc", Cutter & Squat were also good). Where's George of the Jungle & Hong Kong Phoeey when we need them? I mean some of these cartoons are just plain:
- stupid (think Ren & Stimpy)
- annoying or at least cartoons where kids probably shouldn't be watching (think South Park).
- so-so remakes (think Batman & Spiderman; Batman is actually pretty good but I think Spiderman is a bit weird without the 1960's music playing).
- just plain WEIRD (think Spunge Bob).

I decided to post some videos than may bring back some good memories. As I put these together, I know they brought back some for me. My only question is why did cartoons like these are no longer being made? As someone who can't draw very well, I might be the wrong candidate. So I decided to post a few of these classics, all of which focus on political history (in one way shape or form). I hope you enjoy them.





I think this video is VERY appropriate for this day. Did anyone think that when this was done, our country would be in the mess it's in now:




This might have been one I liked the most (has a Harry Chapin flavor)




What happened when our Founders fought back? What did we get? No more King!!