United States and/or World History Archives

Slippery Slope Target: The Constitution

June 3, 2019

Why the rush to remove monuments, change names of Universities and sports teams all the while denigrating their historical meanings?

Actually, what we are seeing is the fulfillment of Barack Obama’s major campaign promise when running in 2008: “To fundamentally change America.” Think about it: how could one change a nation fundamentally without altering its history? He did not say he wanted to alter the course of America or to change the processes in the U.S. Government. No, he wanted to fundamentally change America.

“Fundamentally” America was structured to operate as the most unique country on Earth. Our forefathers took the best of the political frameworks of European countries and added to it “liberty and justice for all.” They then memorialized that new type of government in the roadmap of roadmaps — the U.S. Constitution. That document and its contents are the fundamental backbones of the United States of America. Sure, people fight over whether or not the framers intended for it to be used in perpetuity as literally written or that it be a “living, breathing,” the process of laws that morph in interpretation to fit the inevitable changes in American life as they happen. But the argument today by some is to alter not the interpretations of the intent of the framers but to actually add, delete, and/or change phrasing and wording of the document.

That seems to be the justification used for the efforts to destroy offending monuments and statues and the removal of slogans and stone markers from places highly visible to the public. Which specific offensive historical reminders should be removed and which should stay? That remains to be seen. Of course, there are many that vigorously object to ANY removal, strictly for historical purposes.

To me, removing, hiding, or changing locations of these pieces of history is not the danger I am writing about. What petrifies me is the slippery slope America is now at the brink of sliding down into an abyss of societal culture never before experienced in America. So far the only thing that has prevented that slide is the strict adherence to the U.S. Constitution and the greatest judicial system on Earth. However, that too is under attack.

The “Intent”

What did the Framers envision the Constitution to be? I think the best way to answer that question is to list the items in Article 1 Section 8 (powers of Congress) and Article 2 Section 2 (powers of the President) of the Constitution. Here is the link:

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

Upon reading these sections of the Constitution, most people will be shocked to see just how little power the Constitution gave to the new federal government. The federal government is mainly responsible for dealings with foreign countries such as treaties, commerce, wars., and little else (immigration, coining money, etc.). Yet today, Constitutional “detractors” on the Left want to tear up the Constitution and start from scratch!

We’ve all heard about the Bill of Rights in the Constitution. Those are the first ten Amendments that are simply called the Bill of Rights. Thomas Jefferson and others involved in creating the U.S. Constitution had just after living under a European national government with top-down repressive and totalitarian operations for generations chose to move to a New World and establish a country that worked instead of top-down as a bottom-up governed nation.

The First Ten Amendments were the MOST important parts of the Constitution for those who had memories of awakening every day under that governmental oppression. Those ten amendments were written to make as easy as possible the understanding by all that the American people were creating a federal government that would operate using ONLY THOSE SPECIFIC RIGHTS AS GIVEN TO THAT GOVERNMENT BY THE PEOPLE. No other federal government rights were ever to be used unless and until they were expressly given to the government by the People!

An all-powerful central government had destroyed Western Europe. Those American settlers wanted nothing to do with that lifestyle then and certainly not moving forward in the new nation.

What Did the Framers Actually Think?

Let’s look at their OWN words:

On every question of construction carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed. —Thomas Jefferson

The first and governing maxim in the interpretation of a statute is to discover the meaning of those who made it. —James Wilson, in Of the Study of Law in the United States

The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government. But the Constitution, which at any time exists, ‘till changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole people, is sacredly obligatory upon all. … If in the opinion of the people the distribution or modification of the constitutional powers be in any particular wrong, let it be corrected by an amendment in the way which the Constitution designates. But let there be no change by usurpation; for though this in one instance may be the instrument of good, it is the customary weapon by which free governments are destroyed. — George Washington

Can it be of less consequence that the meaning of a Constitution should be fixed and known, than a meaning of a law should be so? — James Madison

The important distinction so well understood in America, between a Constitution established by the people and unalterable by the government, and a law established by the government and alterable by the government, seems to have been little understood and less observed in any other country. — James Madison

Our peculiar security is in possession of a written Constitution. Let us not make it a blank paper by construction. … If it is, then we have no Constitution. — Thomas Jefferson

To take a single step beyond the text would be to take possession of a boundless field of power. — Thomas Jefferson

How does all this compare to what some contemporaries in politics had to say about the Constitution?

Living political constitutions must be Darwinian in structure and in practice. Society is a living organism and must obey the laws of life, not of mechanics; it must develop. All that progressives ask or desire is permission—in an era when ‘development,’ ‘evolution,’ is the scientific word—to interpret the Constitution according to the Darwinian principle; all they ask is recognition of the fact that a nation is a living thing and not a machine. — Woodrow Wilson, The New Freedom, A Call For The Emancipation Of The Generous Energies Of A People

The United States Constitution has proved itself the most marvelously elastic compilation of rules of government ever written.” — Franklin Roosevelt, President

It is the genius of our Constitution that under its shelter of enduring institutions and rooted principles there is ample room for the rich fertility of American political invention. —Lyndon B. Johnson, President

The words of the Constitution … are so unrestricted by their intrinsic meaning or by their history or by tradition or by prior decisions that they leave the individual Justice free, if indeed they do not compel him, to gather meaning not from reading the Constitution but from reading life. —Felix Frankfurter, Supreme Court Justice

This understanding, underlying constitutional interpretation since the New Deal, reflects the Constitution’s demands for structural flexibility sufficient to adapt substantive laws and institutions to rapidly changing social, economic, and technological conditions. — Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court Justice, Federal Maritime Commission v. South Carolina State Ports Authority

I cannot accept this invitation [to celebrate the bicentennial of the Constitution], for I do not believe that the meaning of the Constitution was forever ‘fixed’ at the Philadelphia Convention … To the contrary, the government they devised was defective from the start. —Thurgood Marshall, Supreme Court Justice

It can be lost, and it will be, if the time ever comes when these documents are regarded not as the supreme expression of our profound belief, but merely as curiosities in glass cases. —Harry Truman, President

If we’re picking people to draw out of their own conscience and experience a ‘new’ Constitution, we should not look principally for good lawyers. We should look to people who agree with us. When we are in that mode, you realize we have rendered the Constitution useless. —Antonin Gregory Scalia, Supreme Court Justice

Just talk to me as a father—not what the Constitution says. What do you feel? — Joe Biden, Vice President

The Thread of Commonality

Wow! All of those quoted above — those from the 1700s, the 1800s and the 1900s as well as this century — represent different perspectives and different understandings of the intent of the framers and the actual meaning of the Constitution. But, thankfully, they acknowledge the significance of our nation actually having a roadmap to American governing that is recognized as the greatest in the World.

But there’s on more commonality that runs very obviously through each: Opinion. Yep. Each of those who weighed in with thoughts did so based on opinion — THEIR opinion.

And who among us is any different?

Several things about the framer’s offerings are very obvious:

they recognized that they could not foretell the future and therefore could not imagine what legalities their great, great, great, great grandchildren would face but would still need the Constitution for guidance;
they acknowledged that events in the future would dictate the necessity of flexibility in interpretations demanded by contemporary and unimagined occurrences in American life at the time of its creation;
they knew there would, therefore, be demands for actual editing of their original constitution.

To anticipate exactly how to adjudicate these future certainties they knew was a possibility in the 18th century. They therefore brilliantly included the ability and the process to alter the Constitution. That process is called “Amending.” But because of the importance of the strictest adherence to the blueprint of governing they created, they purposely made the amendment process extremely difficult. Why?

They hated the political process and knew that if allowed, that process would destroy true freedom created by the Constitution. They knew that political partisanship would initiate continuous amending of the Constitution not to better serve the basis of the Laws of the People, but to only satisfy the hunger for political power for the elite. They had lived through that and knew it could NOT be allowed to devour this new nation.

Democracy or Republic?

The cries from partisan political parties for either a Democracy or a Republic for a description of the form of government established by the Constitution have gone back and forth for the life of the United States. The winds of the political party in power have determined which form is desired at the time.

Jefferson and Company knew this would happen. They made clear how the U.S. government would work. And they guaranteed Americans would live in a Representative Republic with the establishment of the Electoral College that governs the process of electing the U.S. “Executive in Chief,” the President and Vice President. Also, states are to determine U.S. Senators: 2 from each state originally appointed by each state’s governor but changed via Amendment to be elected by each state’s electorate, Members that serve in the “People’s House,” Congress, are still elected by voters from each House district in each state.

Today, the political Left doesn’t accept the structure of the Republic, rejecting it for instead a Democratic government. Why? In a pure Democracy, there ARE no federal representatives of the People. Each person gets one vote. That sounds reasonable, right? Consider this:

”IF” the U.S. was a true Democracy, every federal election outcome would simply be what those from the states of California, New York, Illinois, Florida, and Texas voted to be. Election results would be determined solely by the most heavily populated states and their voters’ desires. “Fly-over” Americans would have no say so at all in their government.

Without the Electoral College, Hillary Clinton would be President instead of Donald Trump. That was the choice of the U.S. popular vote when the Electoral College elected Trump in something of a landslide. The same happened in the Bush 43 presidential elections.

Summary

So what’s fair?

That answer is simple: NOT A DEMOCRACY.

Democracy is not freedom. Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to eat for lunch. Freedom comes from the recognition of certain rights which may not be taken, not even by a 99 percent vote.

True democracy is the tyranny of the majority. True democracy is mob rule. Thankfully we do not live in a democracy. We live in a republic. Article 4, Section 4 of the Constitution: “The United States shall guarantee to every state in this Union a Republican form of government….”

And living in this republic means that every voice matters, majorities do not rule, and those with the loudest voices do not automatically win.

The will of the People means ALL the People.

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A Soldier Died Today

May 27, 2019

Most Americans respect and honor our veterans. Unfortunately, it seems we have two Veterans Days each year — often we forget the fact that Memorial Day is NOT another Veterans Day. Today we honor all those who gave their lives for the cause of Freedom.

It’s days like today that remind us of the importance of the Star Spangled Banner, The Pledge of Allegiance, The U.S. Constitution, and America the Beautiful. The family members of those who gave their lives during their military service will certainly agree that today,

EVERY American owes reverence, honor, and thanks for those heroes’ sacrifices — forget about raising voices against The Stars and Stripes, and The National Anthem, and The Pledge of Allegiance. Jesus said “No man has greater love than this; that he would lay down his life for a friend.” If you’re reading this, you’re one of those that either did not serve or you survived. In either case, you too are fortunate. And we honor you.

Thanks to everyone who has paid that price — including the families who today will think back on fond memories of outdoor cookouts, swimming parties, weddings and graduations shared with a loved one taken while defending our nation.

If a tear runs down your cheek today while remembering a hero who gave their life in keeping America free and safe, don’t be ashamed. Why? Because by sunset somewhere in the greatest country on Earth, a man or woman in uniform (or in a retirement center after wearing that uniform standing watch for us against our foes) paid the ultimate price for your freedom.

This nation is bigger than any one person. It was made that way by people who abandoned the tyranny of totalitarianism in Europe to give their families and descendants — US — a life of life and liberty with justice for each and every one.

“A Soldier Died Today”

A “One State Solution,” or is it “Two?”

May 15, 2019

For most of my life, I’ve listened in on the conflict between the Palestinians and the Jews. I specifically entered the world of international politics as a result of the 1967 war between the two. Beginning then — and still to this day — I watch and listen to the ongoing feud between Israel and the Palestinians over a piece of land praying we don’t have another war.

“How could any country — even Israel — take land from another country, hold onto to it, settle it, with no regard for its rightful and native people?” That’s the narrative most often used in discussions about these ongoing conflicts — from the Palestinian perspective. Of course, the Israeli version sounds much different. There are infrequent but deadly skirmishes between the two and much political rhetoric that is really just arguing with everybody claiming “their” land and “their” rights and always at the expense of the other.

So what IS the truth of the matter? Who owns what? Who SHOULD own what? What is the history of all this? How can it be resolved IF it even can be resolved?

When in doubt, it’s always good to get facts. That’s just what we’ve done!

The Nation of Palestine

There is NO nation of Palestine. In fact, there never has been. So where did all this uproar begin and over what? Let’s examine the “modern” history of the two entities.

The United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine in 1947 proposed to divide the geographical region of Palestine into two independent countries: one with a Jewish majority and one with the Arab majority. The leadership of the Jews in the region accepted the plan; the leadership of the Arabs didn’t.

In 1948 the leader of the Jews, David Ben-Gurion, declared an independent Jewish country named Israel according to this plan. The local Arabs, assisted by armies of the neighboring Arab countries, attacked this state, beginning a war called “The War of Independence” in Israel. Israel won, in the sense that it did not succumb and kept its sovereignty within borders that were larger than what the 1947 U.N. plan allotted it. (A large part of the vitriol between the two comes from the United Nations allotment of 1947. I too wonder, “How does the U.N. have the power to determine any nation or nations’ borders? As a matter of international law, THEY DON’T!

When a ceasefire was reached, the northern part of the lands that (according to the U.N. plan) were supposed to become an Arab state (Western Galilee) became Israeli territory and the Arabs who lived there received Israeli citizenship. The central part, known as Judea and Samaria or the West Bank, became part of the Kingdom of Jordan, and the southern part, known as the Gaza strip became part of Egypt. In the process, many Arabs left their homes and became known as the Palestinian refugees.

For the next 19 years, Israel kept developing and absorbed many Jewish refugees from Arab countries. The idea of an Arab state in Palestine was somewhat forgotten, but Israel kept having conflicts with neighboring Arab countries, and the climax of this was the 1967 Six-day War. In the short, but intense, war, the Israeli army occupied all of the West Bank and Gaza. In 1948 these territories were supposed to become an Arab state, but in practice, they were administered by Jordan and Egypt and nobody complained much. After Israel took over, the idea of a Palestinian state was revived and pushed intensely.

In 1988 the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) declared an independent state of Palestine. It didn’t specify the borders, but it did specify that it is an Arab state. This declaration was symbolic because this organization worked in Tunisia and had no effective presence in the land of Palestine.

In 1993 Israel signed the Oslo accords with this organization, establishing the Palestinian National Authority, effectively giving the PLO partial sovereignty in part of the West Bank and Gaza. In Israel, it is frequently called “autonomy” or “authority.” It has its own passport, police, and government. Some countries recognize it as an independent state and call it “State of Palestine,” but this recognition is not universal.

As of 2019, the conflict with Israel continues, because the authority, as well as other Palestinian organizations such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad have significant demands, most notably: sovereignty over more land, sovereignty in the city of Jerusalem or at least a part of it, giving Palestinian refugees the right to return to their homes, and stopping the enhancement of the Jewish settlements in the West Bank (or destroying them completely). Israel declared several times that it is willing to discuss these things, but it demands from all Palestinian organizations to stop all violent acts against Israel.

So What’s the HubBub?

Palestinians adamantly claim that Israel stole Palestinian land. What do Israeli’s say?

“Israel did not steal Palestinian land. It’s not Palestinians’ land; it’s never been their land. This land was given to the Jewish people, as stated in the Bible, by the Creator. Despite 27 invasions of Judea and Samaria (called the West Bank), conquests by many, forced conversions, exiles, massive oppression, generations of Diaspora, and cowardly acquiescence by a group of 5^th-column Jews themselves, Jews have not only survived in what’s known in Hebrew as Eretz Yisrael (Israel), but they’ve taken a desert wasteland and turned it into a powerful little democracy, the envy of the world. That cannot be denied.

To her detractors, of whom there are many worldwide, the mantra remains the same, ad nauseam. ‘Israel is complicit in doing this. She omitted doing that.’ ‘We respect Judaism but are against Zionism.’

Attempting to mask anti-Semitism as anti-Zionism, Israel’s enemies continually make accusations in such numbers that much of it sticks. To cite just a few:

Myth: “Israel discriminates against its Arab citizens.” The facts show otherwise. Israel is one of the most open societies in the world. Out of a population of 6.7 million, 1.1 million are Muslims, 130,000 are Christians, and 100,000 are Druze. All have equal voting rights — Israel is one of a very few places where Arab women have the right to vote, and Arabs currently hold 14 seats in the Knesset.
Following a five-year trial, in a landmark decision for women’s rights, an Arab judge, Salim Joubran, sentenced the former president of Israel, Moshe Katsav, to seven years in prison for rape. In what Muslim country do Jews have such rights? How many seats do Jews hold in the Saudi government or Jordan? Can anyone recall a Jewish judge sentencing a prominent Arab in Egypt? More to the point, has anyone ever heard of a Jewish judge in Egypt?

Myth: “The Palestinian Authority protects Jewish holy sites.” If so, one important element blocking a sincere peace would be eliminated, but the facts speak otherwise. Just in the years between 1996-2000:
In September 1996, Palestinian rioters destroyed a synagogue at Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus.
Rachel’s Tomb near Bethlehem has been repeatedly attacked since 1996.
In October 2000, Joseph’s Tomb was torched after the Israeli garrison guarding it was temporarily withdrawn. It was subsequently rebuilt as a mosque.
In October 2000, the ancient synagogue in Jericho was destroyed by arson, and a second historic synagogue was damaged.

In textbooks, speech, and daily life, the Palestinians and their supporters deny any Jewish connection at all to these ancient landmarks. This all occurs under nominal Israeli control of these areas.

Why the continuous uproar between Israel and the Palestinians that frequently break out in skirmishes, rocket fire, and deaths in both groups as a result?

“The Jews are building settlements on Palestinian land.”

The issue here that started and perpetuates the animus between the two is there is no Palestinian land. We did extensive research and found no historical evidence of there ever being a Palestinian country with national borders. If there were, when would it have been founded, and by whom? What would its borders have been, and what about the name of its capital? What would its major cities have been? What would have constituted the basis of its economy? What form of government would it have lived under?

Was Palestine ever recognized as an entity by another country? By whom? What was the language of the country called Palestine? What was Palestine’s religion? What was the name of its currency? Since there is no such country today, what caused her demise?

These questions were posed by a Japanese writer, Yashiko Sagamori. Only the most adherent of the Palestinian narrative could even attempt to answer her questions shared above. Pose these same questions regarding Israel and the Jewish connection to this land, each can be answered.

The History

At no time in history has there ever been a nation called Palestine. During the Ottoman Empire, which lasted from 1299-1922, the land dubbed by the Romans as Palestine was controlled by the Turks; there was never an outcry for a Palestinian State then. During the illegal annexation of Judea and Samaria by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan subsequent to the 1949 Armistice and prior to 1967, there was never talk of “occupied territory” or a Palestinian State. Why did the dynamic change subsequent to Israel’s victory in the Six-Day War — a conflict initiated by Palestinians?

Search as you will — throughout the annals of history, Israel is the only nation victorious in war on successive occasions and then expected by the vanquished and the world at large to sue for peace, to cede land she reclaimed that was historically hers, to begin with.

The Jewish people were driven out of Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria by the Babylonians. They returned to their homeland and rebuilt the Second Temple only to have it burned again, this time by Romans, and to be once again exiled from their land.

Despite 27 invasions and conquests subsequent to the Grand Monarchy of Kings David and Solomon, Jews have always had a contiguous connection to this land. If not the land of Israel, where are Jews from? Poland? Ukraine? Russia?

Perusing World history, it seems that the Jewish people have a legitimate claim moreso than any other to their historic homeland, and certainly more so than the Palestinian Arabs do.

But it is obvious that Palestinians do NOT agree with that statement. They have fought to the death in the past to show their disagreement. And unless somehow a mutual agreement is reached, they certainly will fight and die again.

The “Two-State” Solution

The two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict envisions an independent State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel, west of the Jordan River. The boundary between the two states is still subject to dispute and negotiation, with Palestinian and Arab leadership insisting on the “1967 borders,” which is not accepted by Israel. The territory of the former Mandate Palestine (including Jerusalem) would continue to be part of Israel.

In 1974, a UN resolution on the “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine” called for “two States, Israel and Palestine … side by side within secure and recognized borders” together with “a just resolution of the refugee question in conformity with UN resolution 194.” The borders of the state of Palestine would be “based on the pre-1967 borders.” The latest resolution, in November 2013, was passed 165 to 6, with 6 abstentions; with Israel and the United States voting against.

The Palestinian leadership has embraced the concept since the 1982 Arab Summit in Fez, Morocco. Israel views moves by Palestinian leaders to obtain international recognition of a State of Palestine as being unilateral action by the Palestinians and inconsistent with a negotiated two-state solution.

Summary

Why are we at TruthNewsNetwork making such a big deal out 0f the continuing conflict between these two peoples? Simple: it seems that the conflict is escalating. The recent large number of rockets fired into Israel by Palestinians (or maybe from terrorist groups hiding among the Palestinians) may be a message that they are about to mount a push to take territory from Israel. Hamas and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard — recently labeled as a terrorist organization — both have strongholds among the Palestinians. Most people know the hatred held by these and other terrorist organizations for Israel and the Jewish people.

Further escalating U.S. conversation about the issues between Palestinians and Israelis are the very vocal freshmen Congressional members who are Muslim and who do very vocally back the Palestinians in this conflict with Israel: Somali-born Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Palestinian-American Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). Both have since being elected been embroiled in several serious debates for remarks they have made that are very pointed reminders that they do NOT support Israel and both vehemently oppose a Two-state solution. Their many comments primarily from national talk show interviews seem to many to be outward anti-semitism. Regardless of the validity of that, it is obvious of their support for the Palestinian people in this conversation.

So what will happen regarding the possible resolution? Conventional wisdom says Israel and the Palestinians should work out a mutually acceptable solution. That would be wonderful for everyone else in the World! But it is unlikely to happen. Both peoples have repeatedly marked their point in the sand and have dug-in. Both refuse to budge. Sadly, the losers in that political war of words has been and will continue to be the Palestinian people and Israelis who find themselves in the middle of a political conflict of which they play no part.

There is no doubt the U.S. has been a long time and devoted ally of Israel as are almost all democratic countries in the World. Backing the Palestinian efforts are the obvious countries who are primarily Muslim. Several Middle East countries known for their terrorist activities have and probably will continue to play less than desirable roles in this conflict that seems to just keep going.

If it comes down to another armed conflict, the sense is that Israel — sporting the most powerful military in that region — would unleash its might and power against the Palestinians. The West shudders at that thought because almost certainly if that happens, surrounding countries who are pro-Palestinian militant entities will certainly unite in an all-out effort to forcefully take if not all of Israel the portion claimed by the Palestinians.

I hope we don’t see that conflict. I have no idea what countries in the region have in military assets, but I’m certain Israel has more. And Israel has nuclear weapons — that’s a scary thought!

Maybe that conflict between the two has already been named. I hope not! The conflict I’m thinking of is the Last Battle on Earth, known as Armageddon.

I’d rather not go down that road.

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The “Real” London Rally

July 21, 2018

NO PODCAST TODAY

We all know just how negative the Media is regarding anything positive about/for Donald Trump. We all know Mainstream Media’s #1 goal is to publish, show, share EVERYTHING they can get their hands on that sheds a bad light on the President, his staff, his family members, and every policy he has implemented through legislation and with executive action.

That especially holds true for his foreign trips to meet with leaders of other countries: Kim Jong Un of North Korea, 50 Muslim countries leaders, G7, NATO, Japan, China, to name a few.

In one leg of his most recent trip, Mr. Trump stopped to meet the Queen and Prime Minister of the U.K. Pictures and videos of the massive protests against the President were EVERYWHERE. The American media breathlessly chronicled every step of his visit to the U.K., fawning over the Brits and their obvious disdain for the American president — like members of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe:”

It’s hard to believe that Mika and Joe during the early stages of the Trump Campaign actually supported Candidate Trump. Their “journalistic objectivity” went South along with their support of Trump when he reportedly shunned the two who wanted to have dinner with him at Mar Lago. They immediately joined the “Never Trumpers” and have spewed non-stop venom continuously since. They and their guests derided the President for having the audacity to make a stop in London. Assuredly (according to Morning Joe) Brits hate the U.S. President. MSNBC along with every other American news outlet showed the balloon of a diapered Donald Trump over and over again during the protests. Based on the press coverage before the protests, I thought the balloon was going to be massive — similar to those at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. When it was shown live and in context, it was quite unimpressive. I thought the Brits were a bit more artistic than that balloon evidenced!

Hard to Believe

It gets tougher and tougher each day to scan through the “news” — if we can call it that — and determine which stories to believe and which to ignore. Quite honestly, seldom does ANY story contain just plain facts. All stories seem to come to readers/viewers/listeners always wrapped in a filter of opinion of whoever wrote or edited each story.

I am certain news publishers and editors understand that and are presenting their stories purposely in the manner in which we get them. But the “in-your-face” manner in which we receive our news has morphed into being not news at all, but a political hit piece story after story, day after day, that always feed the politically correct narrative those who create those stories want Americans to receive.

Here is the problem with this process continuing going forward: many who receive those stories the way they are given by the media are conditioned to simply accept the obviously “spun” message with the filtered political perspective as-is. Before you are tempted to look down on those who do so, remember this: for all of us baby-boomers, in those decades of our youth when the only news sources we had were local newspapers and radio with just three national television networks that each had one affiliate in each market. Every story we read in local papers, heard on our favorite radio station, and saw from Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley, and Frank Reynolds on CBS, NBC, and ABC Television News, we benignly accepted as factual — as news. Was it?

We are blessed today to have a multitude of news sources in this instant 24/7 media world. But that blessing often morphs into a curse. Those edits and filters that news producers, directors, anchors, and reporters use certainly jade the messages sent to us. How we receive and process that “news information” is OUR responsibility.

Regarding the President and his stay in London: what we saw and heard was definitely presented with filtered perspectives. We saw the huge protest crowds and heard some raucous speeches from several of those protestors. But what we did NOT see or hear was any positive position-taking by any individual Britts or groups.

Guess what: there WERE some. Watch and listen:

I bet you haven't seen this massive Pro Trump rally in the UK on the MSM

Posted by Black Hat Conservative on Monday, July 16, 2018

Yes, that was a Pro-Trump rally held in London during the President’s trip.

What: you didn’t see it? You didn’t hear about it?

What’s Up with That?

The two videos above illustrate the entire point of what Americans MUST do with today’s news media: we MUST process what we see and hear through a prism of “questioning.” That means we each need to develop our news summaries using a default position of simple fact collection without drawing an immediate conclusion. Then let that questioning prism guide us to sources for confirmation for validation of those “facts” we see and hear. We must NOT be fearful of ultimate disposal of that “news” that is fake or maybe just someone’s political perspective. (Wouldn’t it be easier for us if they would just tell us when something they say is editorial commentary?)

I bet you didn’t see or hear about that Pro-Trump rally in London even from FOX News, did you? No news organization today is exempt from holding skewed political perspectives. And humans being what we are, no one can totally obliterate personal opinion from affecting how we do what we do on a daily basis. “The Truth Will Out” — and it DOES.

These news events — especially with high definition video confirmation of the contents of each — make major impacts on our impressionable minds. Even without color and HD, major news events coverage changes people for generations.

Two such things impacted my life for eternity. The first was from John F. Kennedy’s inauguration. His line of instruction to Americans, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country,” touched me deeply and has stuck with me since I saw/heard it. I was in the first grade!

One late morning sitting in my 5th-grade class at Edgar Martin Elementary in Lafayette, Louisiana, the P.A. system suddenly crackled to life and began blaring a radio news report. President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas! Our principal, Mr. Beadle, — with no notice or warning — simply clicked the radio broadcast on the P.A. system. J.F.K.’s assassination rocked my world that day and it STILL impacts my life.

News — REAL news — should chronicle important occurrences in the United States and the World AND DO NOTHING MORE.

Summary

Here’s what we need to be prepared for: Leftist Mainstream Media coverage of conservatives, conservative policies, and this President — as negative as it is already — will continue to grow more and more negative and nastier the closer we get to the Midterm elections. I hate to think about how vitriolic I know it will get from here until 2020. For some reason, these Leftist media hacks feel empowered by a supernatural force to exhaust every negative they can muster to denigrate the G.O.P. and President Trump.

How do we prepare? Be vigilant. My temptation in the face of it all is to turn the television off or watch HGTV or the Cooking Channel. Escaping to peaceful television is tempting. But we all need to make certain the midterms are driven not by emotion and liberal rhetoric, but driven by policy presented through truthful and through messaging. That will NEVER happen from Mainstream Media. For that matter, FOX News — though more professional than most of their competitors — still shows more Leftist bias than in previous election cycles.

Truth is all we need. Truth if presented WHEN presented does not need our help, our explanations, or our editorial. Truth is substantial and all-consuming when implemented.

Americans get the Media. And it IS tiring to watch, listen, and read the constant barrage of hate-speech thrown at Conservatives. But consider this: those who spew venom at Conservatives and their causes, in doing so speak far more about themselves than about those whom they attack.

Put the truth out there; it can take care of itself. And try if you can to keep as much emotion out of YOUR messaging as possible. Certainly, strong emotion regarding issues will always assist in getting messaging received. But too strong and too emotional in the presentation will cause people to react and respond just as Conservatives are responding today to Liberals.

The video above proves that many people in the World — the “Silent Majority” — are smart enough to watch and listen to the substance of each message they see and hear regarding policies. And as they do, they are smart enough to discern the Truth of it all.

Let’s all be one of the smart ones.

It Takes an Immigrant

January 8, 2018

I was up at 4:00 this morning — don’t sleep a lot. Turned the television on for early news and The Patriot was on. I’ve watched it at least 30 times. In fact I purposely watch it at least once a year. Why?

War in America

Colonel Benjamin Martin of the Colonial Army Militia lived a story that every American should know — should study. We should understand what happened to early settlers in the New World while still under the domination of the ruthless government of England’s King George. Martin led a rag-tag group of farmers, ministers, teenagers, with a few former soldiers mixed in against the largest, best trained, and best funded military on Earth. Why? American colonists wanted to finish what they fled Europe for: to build a free nation with self government. King George did not take to that idea too well.

That war killed thousands, tore families apart, destroyed homes, farms, towns, plantations and the government. But most of those colonial colonists held on to that dream of independence, re-grouped again and again to maintain their independence. Driving the British from American soil was not a hope — it was a must. And they did.

Another War

In a hotel restaurant in Modesto I saw an actor friend having breakfast. He came to my table to say hello. He gushed about a movie premier he had seen two nights before at his good friend Mel Gibson’s home. My actor friend (I will not give his name) is a Christian as was the movie. It was “The Passion of the Christ” — 3 Oscar Nominations, $612 million gross in its theatrical release, and remains the highest grossing non-English language film of all time.

That movie re-told a well-worn story to the World that personalized for all the last days of Christ. Its success came from its ability to relate to all. Jim Caviezel depicted better than any before the horrors of Christ’s last days. When I saw the movie the first time I sat riveted by its message to the World of the Savior. It changed me. How so?

My world as that of most Americans had numbed to the Christianity of my youth — my “personal relationship with Jesus.” Once more I was confronted with a real person who really lived and really died. But that was just the beginning — for the World AND for me.

Tie the Two Together

The Patriot vividly chronicled what is probably the single most important historical American event. There would be no USA without The Revolutionary War. Every tenet of our political system, every freedom, every social culture is a result of that war.

The Passion of the Christ chronicled what millions believe to be the most important person in World history. It did so in a manner that was identifiable to all who watched. Its magnetic attraction to its message imparted to all its viewers the realities of not only Jesus Christ the human being, but Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Both movies because of their messages and impact became and are still very controversial. Both have assisted in lighting the current Winds of War in America. And isn’t it ironic that both movies with their life-changing historical messages were given to us by an Immigrant — Mel Gibson!

Winds of War

The winds of war I refer to are those that were born here at home. They are not from the Heartland. They were birthed on the East and West coasts, the products of an ideology unrecognized by most Americans until recently. Those winds are of Fear and Hate. And just as the raging fires in California are still burning, so too are these winds.

These winds were sparked by a socialist education environment that now permeates American schools at every level. They birthed Antifa, Socialism and Supremacy’s rebirths, Me-ism, Elitism, and Political Correctness. It fanned Racism into a frenzy unseen in decades.

Other sparks ignited fires in churches whose messages for men turned from the person of God to the person of Man — Humanism. More and more Americans have slipped into a world where MAN is in total control of everything in HIS life and with total disregard of any responsibility for others. Americanism, Christianity, have no place there. But Fear and Hate are thriving.

Some will say that Fear and Hate have always lived among men. No doubt that is true. But because of historical events that called Men of every race, creed, and religion together for specific causes, Men have always found their way back to the fundamentals that made America the greatest nation in World history. Not so today. Certainly enemies have been and are there, but Men, because of their Hate and Fear that have dissolved into Political Correctness, cannot point out that foe for fear of stepping over the line. There are some that have anyway. Boy have they paid a steep price.

Fear and Hate have fragmented every social, religious, and political institution in America. Just look at Congress, the White House, the Media, churches and denominations. Races have turned against those of other races. Religious people regularly question the ideals of those of other religions. Those from political parties hate other party members. And the Fight of the Sexes is now at a fever pitch. Immorality runs rampant as does crime.

Historically, life in the U.S. has been cyclical: things are really tough for a while, get better for a while, get tough again, and then drastically improve. One can say we are in a “down cycle” right now and to not worry, the “uptick” is just moments away. I fear, however, the cyclical recovery this time will fail because it cannot successfully deal with the Fear and Hate that has rooted itself into the hearts of Americans.

What Next?

Previous down cycles in America sparked a Civil War, the War of 1812, two World Wars, the Korean conflict, Vietnam, Iraq, 9/11, and ISIS. Each time (until this time) Americans have dropped bias, racism, sexism, fear and hate and have pulled together for a common cause: the defeat of the enemy. That happened in these two movies, too. We won the Revolutionary War and Jesus won that battle — He conquered Death. But Americans always love to revel in the good times — maybe for too long. And in today’s U.S. when something bad happens, we simply bury our heads in the sand and act like it’s not there. But it IS there, whether we confront it or not.

Do we need another World War or a nuclear fight with North Korea or another 9/11 to scare us back onto the right track? I would love to say we do not….but maybe we do. What we certainly need is to lay aside our Me-ism and Humanism and narcissistic attitudes and understand there is a Higher Power, that we can do nothing good of ourselves but for that Higher Power, that the Higher Power is a God that our forefathers sought guidance from, prayed to, thanked for His blessings, and sought to teach others of His ways. Don’t jump on me about a “separation of Church and State.” SCOTUS got that wrong! Factually through hundreds of documents our Founders insisted to make and keep God at the center of our Nation in perpetuity. There was NEVER an attempt to found a national religion — which was one reason for their hasty departure from England. In the Constitution they clearly stated that and promised there would be freedom of religion for all AND no national church.

God is NOT a church building and He does NOT own any. God resides in the hearts of men. If men do not recognize that, we are doomed to a possible permanent down cycle in America. 9/11 worked for a bit. But it didn’t take long for the old Winds of War — Fear and Hate — to jump back up into the drivers seat and start doing what they do again — driving us down the wrong path.

WE CAN STOP THAT……IF we want to.

Jesus said that what we do wrong is NOT our sin — the state of our hearts and minds that allow us to justify those things is our sin. We can CHOOSE to do the right things. We can reject Fear and Hate. We can turn to God to once again and reject the totalitarian ways of Humanism that have taken hold of our Nation.

It will take some Benjamin Martins to commit to simply do the right things. It will take a BUNCH of Benjamin Martins.

Jesus started it all for us.

Who’s in?

NOKO

September 17, 2017

Why has nothing been done to stop the North Korean nuclear threat to the World?

Let’s be honest: the United States has the #1 military in the World, the #1 Intelligence operations in the World, and a history of strategically and quietly “taking out” foreign leaders and others who have been a far less danger to the U.S. than Kim Jong Un. With the capabilities of the U.S. from drone strikes to late-night Seal team visits, it is unfathomable that no one has sent this despot to La La Land. Why is that?

Before we analyze the “Why Not’s,” here’s the latest NOKO “news:”

“North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un said his country is close to achieving military ‘equilibrium’ with the United States as a way to make American leaders “dare not talk” about military options for dealing with Pyongyang. Kim’s comments Saturday came a day after the rogue country fired its latest missile over Japan, a test the United Nations Security Council strongly condemned as ‘highly provocative.’ The U.N. slapped North Korea with new sanctions just days ago in response to a powerful Sept. 3 nuclear test. The dictator said the country’s final goal ‘is to establish the equilibrium of real force with the U.S. and make the U.S. rulers dare not talk about military option for the DPRK,’ referring to North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

Forget about the tense atmosphere that all in Japan must feel daily with the constant threat of an ever present North Korean missile attack. Those alarms that sound in northern Japanese villages when Kim lobs another missile their way must terrify those locals, not knowing which alarm will be the “real deal.” What about the 30+ million people just miles south of the North Korean border? Those Seoul residents could literally be annihilated from the north in just a matter of minutes not just by a nuclear attack, but by the thousands and thousands of heavy artillery shells that Kim could fire their way at the drop of a hat. And there are thousands of Americans — some in the military, some just private citizens — in Seoul as well. And then there’s Guam that is just a stones throw away in the Pacific.

Kim Jong Un is a ticking time bomb — a “nuclear” time bomb.

So why hasn’t some country (or group of countries) mounted a strategic plan to rid the starving citizens of North Korea, the rest of Asia, and the rest of the World of this despot who is set on doing one thing and one thing only: starting a nuclear holocaust? I don’t think there is just one good answer. But there are quite a few hypotheses about why no one has even tried to take Kim out — or least no one that we know of. Here are some possible reasons:

There really IS a plan. But whoever is responsible for the plan’s implementation is waiting for a strategic time to “go.” But who could that someone be? And from what country?
The plan is actually underway. That could explain why so many of the North Korean rockets fired have exploded shortly after takeoff — showing Kim that the West has the ability to terminate any missile launch he tries. Kim could just be proving to other World leaders that he is not intimidated by the West — especially the United States — and that he will stand in the face of anyone that takes him on. In this scenario he sees no realistic way to move forward from the current missile tests, but it gives him the opportunity to show off to the World;
At any moment a CIA, Mossad or MI6 agent is prepared to slip into Kim’s sleeping quarters and quietly quieten him permanently. There is no doubt the U.S., the U.K., and Israel have such capability. One wonders why these three nation’s leaders have not yet pulled the trigger;
China is propping-up Kim on the World stage and has notified the U.N. Security Council they have him under wraps and to just leave him alone. That would possibly mean Kim has something on Chinese President Xi that has given the despot leverage to allow him to keep making noise. After all, Xi could starve every North Korean to death simply by stopping supplying Kim with necessities NOK needs to survive. China could easily totally blockade North Korea that would destroy it in 60-90 days without firing a shot;

Xi as the strongest leader in Asia may have an alliance with Putin or some other leaders to use Kim to keep the U.S. military occupied while they plan and prepare some coup or takeover of some other country or countries like happened with Crimea and the Ukraine. Certainly President Trump and his intelligence team and military leaders spend quite a bit of time in discussions about North Korea and what should be done;
The last possibility (at least in my mind) is the scariest: maybe just maybe the NOK leader really plans to attack the U.S. Doing so would be certain suicide for him and millions in Asia. But knowing he has the United States backed into a corner with very few options at dealing with him, he may simply be waiting to play his trump card: multiple ICBM missiles tipped with nuclear warheads headed toward the U.S.

Summary

I learned a long time ago that the government is usually doing far more backstage than in front of the curtain. Certainly that is the case with Kim Jong Un and North Korea. It is scary, however, knowing that almost everything going on in D.C. is exposed daily by leakers, and nothing about any surreptitious plan to take Kim Jong Un out has been leaked to the press. I just hope there are some concrete options in place just in case the idiot in Asia with his finger on the nuclear trigger doesn’t cough so hard chomping on a hot dog he accidentally squeezes that trigger. I am confident he actually believes it’s no big deal for him to threaten the U.S. and the rest of the Free World everyday with missile tests. What did Forrest Gump call it: “Stupid is as Stupid does?”

Whether or not you are a praying person, I suggest you spend some reflective time with the Creator finding peace that you will be OK no matter what. Only God knows the real options for this nightmare. Let’s pray and hope that someone somehow will get through to the little dictator and get him to understand he can make a really big mark on history by negotiating some really good things for his People by putting his nuclear proliferation plans on the negotiating table.

He’s dealing with a really good negotiator. It seems that right now they’re at an impasse. The first to blink may be the one to lose. I don’t think President Trump is going to blink.

In Memory…..

May 29, 2017

“Freedom is not Free.” We’ve heard that again and again through the years. It sounds pretty hollow to some. But to others: not so much. Those are the ones whose family members have paid in part the price for our freedom by giving their lives. While we are at the lake, cooking out, playing golf or bicycling, visiting loved ones on our day off, let’s pause for at least one moment and say, “Thanks” — thanks for all of those who gave their lives and for those who were left behind who together paid (and many are still paying) that price.

A number of years ago I sat with my father-in-law in the Pearl Harbor WWII theater watching the movie presentation of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor 75 years ago. It was gut wrenching to say the least. After the movie, we all boarded small boats for the short jaunt out to the Arizona Memorial in the Harbor. As we stood there looking down into the water, droplets of oil and air bubbles popped at the surface. The oil and air came from the Arizona down below where a couple of thousand valiant Americans are entombed, left there forever. Thousands of men and women gave their lives in that “War to end all Wars” that didn’t end all wars. But there are today still thousands of men, women, and children whose loved ones paid that price in places all over the Globe to protect and maintain the freedom in the greatest country in World history. Most would do it again if they were asked to.

*The USS Arizona’s silhouette underneath the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor that became the “forever tomb” for those aboard when the Japanese attacked to begin World War II*

“A Soldier Died Today”

May 28, 2017

Memorial Day is to give us pause to consider and honor those who gave their lives in military service to keep the United States the most powerful nation on Earth. There are many who said “Yes” when the question was asked “Who will go?” that are still with us but whose days are numbered. Monday is actually Memorial Day. But I think in light of the sacrifices made by those who gave their lives for our liberty, we can give them an extra day of honor. So let’s start today. Today as we honor our fallen heroes can we pause just a moment to honor those who willingly went, fought wars along side those who did NOT make it back, are still among us, but who are not long with us? They are “living” Memorials of those battles.

Watch and listen to this story with me. Remember that every day we lose champions of freedom who won for us on the battlefields of history the right to be who we are today. They did not die in that struggle but came home to live ordinary lives just like you and me. Their lives may be ordinary, but they certainly are NOT ordinary. May God be with the men and women who put it all on the line for freedom.

There’s an App for That

January 27, 2017

I’ve watched the television ad at least a dozen times with Hollywood actors (several of whom I recognize but only can name two) “demand” that Congress stop Donald Trump. If this weren’t so sad it would actually be funny. The man will not be President until January 20^th. Congress just convened for the 115^th time. Congress – now totally controlled by Republicans – have just begun setting an agenda for both Houses for 2017 actions. I highly doubt that ignoring November’s election of a Republican president, House of Representatives, and Senate is anything members of this Congress plan on doing, especially if “life in Congress after this” is something each might consider desirable.

But these actors are not alone. The customary rush by Hollywood elites – both actors and musicians – to accept the honor of performing at a newly elected President’s inauguration has fallen to the wayside because THIS president is Donald Trump. One after another declined invitations to perform, ostensibly because of political and philosophical differences with the POTUS. But in reality it is because they are afraid – not of Trump, but of other Hollywood elitists who have become self proclaimed and anointed spokespeople for U.S. citizens. They determined on their own to be “the” official voices of the majority of Americans, though they are not. They have allowed the very things they previously hated and still rail against to become part of who they are, or whom they think they are. They used to hate the rich simply because to become rich one must be uncaring, greedy, and oblivious to others. But they themselves are now rich! And in doing so, they have dispelled the being rich curse they disdained in their previous lives. But instead of allowing good fortune to guide them away from the former curse of the rich to instead be socially conscious, fair and impartial, caring U.S. citizens, they have (in part) become the very people they hated.

Not all in Hollywood and New York are of this ilk. There are true Conservatives. But most simply because of the liberal leftists who have taken control of the consciences of those in both the Left and Right coasts control the one thing Hollywood and Broadway’s members must have to maintain power and wealth – Money. Producers, Directors, Studio owners and movie investors totally control who gets seen and heard in movies and music. And most of them are diehard liberals. And because they number among the Entertainment Elitists, they hate all things Conservative and have made doing so not just all right, but mandatory for survival. So many conservatives maintain their political identities quietly while not actively participating in visible liberal activities.

One quick thought here: isn’t it sad that these conservatives find it necessary to go “in the closet” just to keep their jobs just because their political ideals are different from the money-changers? Hasn’t it been the liberal mantra to champion the rights of members of all minorities in America? Yet every day the roar of anger from the Left against the Right gets louder and louder and Lefties get more and more vicious in their attacks … and more demanding in their cries against conservatives and conservative ideals. After all: the rest of Americans are all deplorable, right?

Here’s what they all (well, at least most all) are missing: even though California, Illinois, New York, and a few other states voted for a liberal Administration, the majority of states in which the “deplorable” of us live voted for a conservative Administration. And that’s the law. Do you think it is pure irony that the framers of our government created the Electoral College? Do you even know why they did? No, it’s not ironic; it was planned, and planned for this reason: they knew that there would be large metropolitan areas clustered around centers of trade and politics, and that the populations in these areas would grow quicker than those in Middle America. Because of what they left in Europe they also knew that these areas would fill quickly with those who leaned toward the left politically, socially, and economically, and in a pure Republic a popular vote alone would shutout all Americans who lived in more sparsely populated states and regions and that elections would be dominated by voters and votes from those who lived in these areas.

Before you get angry with me, think about this: this philosophy does not only protect conservative Americans. It protects liberal Americans too. The political philosophy meter is not a perpetually stationary thing. Right now “fly over” America leans conservative. But it hasn’t always and probably will tilt toward the Left in the future. When that happens, (and it will happen) Middle America will be protected by the Electoral College just like it protected conservatives in 2016. The tide will turn.

But just suppose the Left refuses to wait and wants to take immediate action to do away with the Electoral College. That can be done you know. How? Well, there’s an app for that. I encourage all who want to study that process with complete instructions on how to do away with the Electoral College to go to your App store and download it. It’s named the same on all of the various software app stores and it’s free, so it will be easy and affordable for all to download. It’s called “U.S. Constitution.”

Download it, read it, and learn just how to change it. This Users Manual was given to us to make certain NO Americans in the minority would ever be left out of the political process. When it or any other process of operating the U.S. political system does not work, (and “does not work” is defined by voters) any of these processes can be Constitutionally changed.

So Hollywood/Broadway/Washington and any other political elites: stop the television ads. Get on your pony and head to D.C. to visit your Congressmen and Women, your U.S. Senators, and get an amendment to dismantle or change the Electoral College passed in both Houses of Congress, then out to the states for approval. If you don’t want to pay the price that’s been in place for 220 years to change that, do what conservatives did for the previous eight years even when they did not like the Presidential Administration and what it did: follow the law.

Yep, there’s an app for this…..there’s an app for everything!

President Teddy Roosevelt: Thoughts on Immigration

January 27, 2017

Teddy Roosevelt: 1907 comments about immigration

“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language…and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”