Month: November 2006

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Short shrift posting mode, again, so just a lil thought experiment/homework assignment:

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising them the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over a loose fiscal responsibility, always followed by a dictatorship. —Alexander Tyler, Cycle of Democracy), 1770

Voting in our putative democracy is considered a right that every citizen has. But rights are something(s) inherent in a person, not given by the State. If a State grants to persons the license to do certain things, then those things are not rights but privileges, which can be revoked by the State.

In a republican democracy (or democratic republic) of the sort envisioned by the Framers, voting was not so much a right nor a privilege as a responsibility. And as such, they restricted the franchise to “freeholders”—those who owned real property free and clear. Such persons, they reasoned, were more likely to exercise responsible judgement in their voting.

Such is not the case in a pure democracy–something the Framers mistrusted as mob rule, which is what America has come more and more to approximate. In a democracy, the less responsible simply vote their greed, their lusts, their passions and simple stupidity.

Others have suggested different restricting the vote to different classes. Some have suggested tyhat only women should have the responsibility of voting. Robert Heinlein famously (or perhaps I merely assume his suggestion famous, since it’s common knowledge among most of my peers :-)) proposed that only veterans of a country’s armed forces should have the vote (not active duty, only those who have served).

What think you? It is obvious that some who do vote are too lazy or stupid to vote responsibly. And some simply sell their vote for a meal, a bus ride or enough money for their next fix (or for their next welfare check, which amounts to just about the same thing, IMO). Who should have the “right” to vote?

“The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month… ”

That’s how I remember my grandfather speaking about Armistice Day, which we now call Veterans Day. It was a day that his generation optimistically celebrated as the end of “the war to end all wars,” honoring and remembering those who had sacrificed everything to win a peace that endured… for a brief time, until the ’30s when it became obvious that the end of war was a delusion.

Today, we pause to honor both those who have served, giving their lives to protect the liberties we enjoy, and those who have and still do serve in our military and still live.

But we honor thenm all knowing that the price they have paid and continue to pay, the service they gave and continue to give is more honorable and more worthy of our gratitude than any recognition or expresion of thanks we may show.

So rather than empty words of praise, let us embrace the challenge these lives of service raise. Note well the final verse below. Take up the torch and hold it high. Keep faith with those who died; keep faith with those who faithfully serve still.

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

TB-posted to both Stop the ACLU’s open post and Veterans Day Open Trackback post.

Not exactly a recipe, more a plan of battle.

In the past, I have gone so far as doing away with traditional Thanksgiving meal fare and simply cooked up a pot of chili, in an effort to keep the day as simple as possible and be able to concentrate on just being with family.

But alas! Lovely Daughter. especially, wants more traditional fare (and I suspect others of simply catering to the cook in not being so insistent). 🙂 So…

Here’s what I plan this year:

Lovely Daughter can bring her beloved green bean casserole, and while I’ll not make pumpkin pies this year, I’ll make pumpkin bread. As for the rest of the meal… *sigh* OK, some yams or sweet potatoes (although perhaps I can foist those off on LD, as well? :-)), cranberrry sauce (canned–I’m still going for easy, simple, quick prep) and…

In the rice cooker, a turkey breast in the bottom, in a bath of turkey gravy fixins, surrounded by cut up potatoes and topped with dressing. I’ll let it all cook together in the rice cooker for a couple of hours and report back later as to how it actually all came out.

Oh, the dressing? Frankly, I’ll probably buy a package mix and jazz it up with chopped onion, boiled eggs and celery (all made up ahead of time) with more freshly-ground pepper than any package includes (heck, none of them include ANY freshly-ground pepper), etc. Maybe some freshly-rubbed sage and such, as well. Pop some baby carrots straight from a rinse outa the package into the veggie steamer for the top of the ricve cooker and I’ll be good to go.

Simple. One or two pans (counting the pan for the pumpkin bread… made in the bread maker, of course). I don’t expect to use the ovens at all, except as warmers for the dish(es) L.D. may bring. Oh, I might dump the p-bread and bake up a fresh loaf of wheat bread for the meal as well… also in the bread maker.

Juuuust enough for us four and my parents, should they decide to “drop by” (230 miles out of their way–*heh*) for a visit.

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Two posts I highly recommend you read. One is the (one day early) Veterans Day Post at The World According To Carl. The graphic alone is worth the trip.

The other is found in Jerry Pournelle’s comments in his Thursday Chaos Manor in Review (page down a few paragraphs). His observations on the vote Tuesday are brief, considering his extensive knowedge and experience, but very important, IMO. A couple of paragraphs may whet your appetite, but I highly recommend CLICKing on over to read the rest:

As to the elections: the Republicans did not deserve to win. I do not believe the Democrats have earned the right to rule, and the very close election seems to bear that out: there’s no mandate here. The Republicans abandoned Reagan and his principles, and reverted to the typical Optimate attitudes of the Country Club oligarchs. They went on a spending spree to reward themselves for their labors in opposition, loosed a flood of earmarks, raised discretionary spending to new heights much of it for projects that make no sense, and made war on Federalism and states’ rights. Far from leaving things to the states, they decided to interfere.

Having abandoned fiscal conservatism and what I would call the conservative principles of the people I would have called conservative, they embraced the Trotskyite idealism of the neoconservatives. Trotskyite is a modern name for good old fashioned Jacobinism. Jacobins don’t really want “the people” to rule, of course; they are sure they know better what the people want than the people do, and if the people don’t realize that, why Rousseau himself told us that sometimes people must be forced to be free.

DO click over and read the rest. His is a much more moderate tone than I would take (have taken :-)), of course, but his knowedge, experience and historical perspective all lend real weight to his very reasonable views.

Also t-b-ed to Carl’s OTF.

[Stealing the time to make this one a “live” post, instead of the mostly-canned posts from my hand this week]

13 Reasons Why the Republican’ts Got Dopeslapped on Tuesday

1. Republican’ts=conservatives was a lie that the party faithful couldn’t buy, so why should anyone else?

2. Fumbling the ball in the Iraq end zone. Over and over and… (and not just in the prosecution of the end game, as number next will state)

3. Fumbling the ball in the war of words about the Iraq adventure (lame responses to next in line… )

4. Lies, damned lies and Mass Media Podpeople Hivemind “news” (coupled with lame-assed Republican’t whimpy responses to such) in the recursively echoing litany of lies as…

5. …the Democrappic Party adopted the lamest, most absurd fantasies of the Loony Left Moonbat Brigade and

6. An American electorate, enstupiated by pubschool “education” coupled with Mass Media disinformation (that an enstupiated public is ill fit to see through) and sheer laziness willing to buy the easy lies of the LLMB and MMPPH.

7. Oh, and the “Read my lips: no amnesty” White House lies along with

8. A (unfunded) Paper Border Fence

9. Republican’ts spending like drunken sailors

10. Fake Security Theater, disdained by anyone with the ability to count to eleven without removing their shoes at a TSA Checkpoint Charlie.

11. Increasing anarcho-tyranny (a la Martha Stewart, et-oh-so-many-al) encouraging more and more folks to view the fedgov “ins” as oppressive

12. Corruption… though not just among Republican’ts. The corrupt Mass Media Podpeople Hivemind also failed to report evenhandedly on the fact that there are just as many corrupt and scandalous Democraps as Republican’ts. Of course.

13. And last, but certainly not either least OR completing a list of all the reasons the Republican’ts got dopeslapped Tuesday, all too many stupid and/or lazy voters were not responsible enough, smart enough (*d’oh*) or lazy enough to stay away from the polls as I counseled them to do. I wash my hands of these lazy, irresponsible idiots. They have sown the wind, let them reap the whirlwind. I’m gonna crawl in a deep, dark hole and fort up. *heh* Come the apocalypse, all I’ll have to say to them is, “No soup for you.”

TB-ed to the Thursday Thirteen Hub. And to Planck’s Constant, where Bernie’s 13 things post highlights things the stupid and lazy voters (who should’ve stayed home) missed. And The Pirate’s Cove, where Dhimmicratic reactions to the Republican’t’s dopeslap are noted.

graphic courtesy of iHillary

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Crossposted from Stop The ACLU

So, America voted for change? They should be careful what they ask for because they will get it. For those that voted or stayed home in order to send the Republicans a message on election day…congratulations! Your all important “lesson” will now backfire in your face. You just cut off your nose to spite your face. Not only have you helped to give both Houses over to the left, put Nancy Pelosi in as the Speaker of the House, and completely destroyed any chance of getting a Constitutionalist majority in the Supreme Court, but groups like the ACLU seem to think this election was a mandate for their insanities. Look, you can’t say we didn’t warn you.

Yesterday voters nationwide rejected candidates who failed to uphold civil liberties and rejected ballot initiatives that undermine fundamental freedoms of all Americans.

“American voters have reinvigorated our system of checks and balances essential to stopping the abuse of power,” said Anthony D. Romero, American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director. “Voters finally had enough of the 109th Congress that repeatedly rubber-stamped legislation that violates our basic rights. Voters also rejected many state ballot initiatives designed to restrict civil liberties and meddle in our personal lives. The 110th Congress should take note – voters rejected political scare tactics and government power grabs in favor of civil liberties and policies that keep us safe and free.”

Ah, the old “Safe and Free” banner! Since when did the ACLU care about us being “safe”? So now the ACLU is promoting itself as a champion of both safety for our citizens and of freedom. What a joke! When 9-11 occurred what measures did the ACLU take to ensure our safety? None, zip, nada. This organization has done nothing to ensure our safety; in fact it has chosen to sue our government on behalf of terrorists outside of their legal jurisdiction while they were located in prisons on foreign soil.

Continue reading “Stop the ACLU: So, America voted for change?”

OK, I’ve blogging live on this one…

Dreary news?

Well, yes and no. Republican’ts surely got what they had coming in the national results. Play soft on illegal aliens, spend like drunken sailers, refuse to move on serious legislation to ensure fair taxation for us, our children and grandchildren and still call themselves conservatives?

But there’s a silver lining.

This can be and hopefully will be a BIG dope slap to Republican’ts who refuse to be serious about reining in spending, border/immigration control, rennovating the tax system from the ground up or doing what’s NECESSARY to create a Middle East less capable of producing terrorists for export (like, instead of playing footsie with the surrender monkeys across the aisle, dig in their heels and work HARD to get done what’s needed in Iraq, Iran… and Saudi Arabia, among other places).

If RepubliCAN’TS learn to work together for the security of this country, for fair taxation, for reduced spending, they can become RepubliCANS and block the dismantling of our military (such as happened at great peace during the Clintoon years), block higher taxes, block runaway spending and more. By reaching out to less-than-wild-eyed-Pelosites across the aisle (instead of trying to appease the Pelosites), republicans could make central conservative issues real wedge issues to fracture the apparent Pelosite juggernaut.

But will they?

The surrender monkeys among the Republican’ts (RINOs one and all) who were reelected or not up in this election cycle will make it difficult. The tendency for these congresscritters (and this president) to flat out ignore their base and refuse to take principled stands on important issues militates against such good sense, as well.

But maybe… maybe this mid-term dope slap will get their attention.

Maybe.

May I respectfully submit that we, as citizens, do everything in our power–calls, letters, personal visits to congresscritters’ offices, etc.–to encourage our congresscritters to get with a program to genuinely enhance American security, make taxation fair, rein in spending, etc.? And may I point to Daffy ab Hugh’s excellent post concerning things republiCAN’TS need to do in the next two years to become genuine RepubliCANS? It’s a very long post, as blog entries go, but worth reading EVERY SINGLE WORD, then re-reading so you, too, can become an apostle of good news to your RepubliCAN’T Senator or Congressman, seeking to convert them to righteous conservatism. *heh* Here’s a sampel of what you’re in for at Big Lizards, Advice for President Bush in dealing with a Dem controlled Congress:

Put them in the position of having to be the bad guys who try (and fail) to shoot down your tax-cut proposals, who attempt to veto sending enough troops into Baghdad to really make a difference, and whose wild spending bills you keep vetoing. Don’t worry about embarassing them; it can only help. You’re not after the leadership anyway… you’re after the rank and file — that’s your secret weapon, that many Democrats really don’t like the Democratic leadership and feel secretly embarassed to be associated with them.

Exactly.

Go. Read the whole thing. NOW!

Yesterday was a banner day for the program. I started the day glum, having not slept well the night before, as the numbers were going flat (and the Navy Team was having our “parts” handed to us). By lunch time, I will admit, safe from the public’s eye, I engaged in some snarking via “backchannel” comms to the other teams.

Then the evening settled in, and I saw the metoric rise of the flag of those who go down to the sea in ships had done something aviators generall cringe at, because, we al know from the good Captain, “speed is life.” The only good part of our journey, is when we have stalled, nose high, hearing the wind nosie silencing itself, we don’t get overcome by the law of gravity that has ended, prematurely, the lives of many good men and women who has tried to slip the surly bonds of earth. We at least hang there.

In any environment, being a staionary target is never good, for it takes the delicate computations of relative motion out of the mix and makes it much easier for the targeter to snipe at the targetee.

This morning’s numbers show us all, stalled short of the goal, just inching past the wonderful preformance of last year.

Let’s redouble our efforts, blostered by one more tall cup of extra caffinated Starbucks and work the phones and keyboards.

In the meantime, enjoy what “Gazing at the Flag” blog writer sends to us, a story of a sacrifice, small as it is to some, it’s a statement worth considering., Read it here and consider: What’s IT (not an intended pun, but a reference to Valour-“IT”) worth to you?

Can you trade a the date dinner before the movie this Friday or Saturday night (in the $25-45 range for lots of the middle class incomes) to propel someone from a hospital bed, wondering through the phantom pain of a missing limb, just how they will support their spouse and later send their children to a better life than they had, to help this person, whom you will most likely never know their name?

How about a day’s wages? Maybe we could all grab a calculator, do some reasonably quick math, and figure out what we make for a day and pledge (well, pledge via a click on the doantion button) that value (gross or net, depending on how you are feeling at the moment) to this nation’s future, because, when you peel this onion apart, layer by layer, it’s about helping people be productive now, and to be there to launch the next generations.

How about it? If not putting it directly into the kitty, maybe figure that much to one of the auction items? And… I would further challenge everone who bids on any items, that if you are not the winner, no matter if you bid a $1 or $500, that you figure you would have paid that much to get a Challenge Coin, wine goblets, or a hard copy “blogvel,” it’s money you considered putting towards Valour-IT, so when the final gavel drop is heard and “SOLD! TO THE (fill in not you description) WITH THE FUNNY CAMOFLAUGED HAT!” resounds, log in and donate it via the service team you love most (psst! The Navy is ahead…spread the love elsewhere! (I don’t want them feeling left out and Waaaayyyy behind!)).

Can I count on you? Ok, forget me, can they, our wounded and their familes and families to be, count on you for one day?

Think about it…

[See? I did eke out some time to check out some news yesterday. Just not election news. *heh*]

Pioneer research into applications of adult stem cells may provide a cure for heart attack patients, according to a report filed yesterday in The Daily Mail.

According to British doctors who are pioneering the procedure, adult stem cells harvested from a heart attack patient’s own bone marrow can be injected into a blood vessel leading to the heart to cause the heart to repair its own damaged tissue.

The protocols developed call for the procedure to follow an agioplasty, where a stint had been inserted to improve blood flow in the area of blockage that caused the heart attack. Then, harvested adult stem cells could be injected into the same blood vessel that had been used for the angioplasty procedure.

By using stem cells from the patient’s own body, repair of damaged heart muscle could not only prevent or allay further heart attacks and degeneration of the heart’s capacity to pump blood, but it could also save billions in further costs to the health care system.

CLICK image for larger view

x-posted to Balanced News Blog, tb-ed to Diane’s OTA Wednesday post.

Well, it’s all over but the recounts… *sigh* Here’s hoping that most of the idiots and bums who couldn’t/didn’t do their homework stayed home from the polls.

Things are still stacked up here at twc (and if things are going according to Murphy, I’m way behind on my tasks list this week, already *heh*), so this is another canned prepost. I continue to rely upon the kindness of strangers (and regular ereaders, posters and friends) to supply the content this week. So, yeh, this is an Open Trackbacks Alliance post, open for your post trackbacks Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Link to this post and track back.

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Hit me with your best shot(s).