Whatever happened to Duty?

I find myself asking the question “what has happened to America?” more often these days than I ever thought possible when growing up on the ‘best face forward’ version of our history. Born and raised in small town Mississippi, educated at good but traditional state colleges and steeped in the legends of the South, I was blind to much of the human tragedy that plagues our nation (and especially the larger world in our incredibly U.S.-centric curriculum) even to this day in many forms. I was luckier than most in that my parents tried to teach me to think for myself, and I had good role models of both races in my school and town, but unconsciously I still participated in the continuing gulf between the races.

Coming back after a decade away, having traveled much of the world and seen both ends of the human experience, I see many aspects of our culture with new eyes. The most intense event of my life was shared with people of many races, religions and backgrounds, but when the moment came we all became one in purpose and performed as a team. Need obliterated the minutia of daily life and revealed the humanity in us all. Though I now see our past through very different eyes thanks to experience and education, there is still much for us to be proud of and to strive to keep alive today. America is an ideal, and ideals can remain pure even when their implementation is oft flawed by human weaknesses.

The seeds of many basic problems came to these shores with the original wave of colonization, holdovers from the Old Countries, including the start of the slave trade and the old class system. And even though I consider the creation of our Constitution and the U.S. to have been a tremendous leap forward for mankind, I recognize that our forefathers were far from perfect and their creation was just a beginning. Saying all men are created equal while legalizing slavery seems hypocritical, but I believe they knew that every great journey is made of many small steps, and it is better to begin and need directions sometimes than to never attempt the journey.

Our Constitution is a living document, and receives directions through the amendment process and Congressional lawmaking, which processes are in the end governed by and responsible to the People. The only certainty in life is change, and as our culture evolves so will our laws: the laws of nature demand we adapt or perish. But what we must not do is surrender those things which make America great, respect for the individual, belief in the rule of law, and duty to each other and our society. I believe our government has lost respect for the individual, that many see the law as guidelines to be exploited or ignored, and that the concept of duty to a greater good has been largely abandoned as passé and/or unprofitable.

Power divorced of responsibility, ever growing govt intrusion and the eternal search for greater profits are the greatest threats to our nation today, and will harm us more than any terrorist ever dreamed possible. Pres. Bush’s secret courts and illegal surveillance programs shows contempt for individual rights in America, Enron and WorldCom show Corporate America (really multinational) will do anything to make a dollar (or pretend to make a dollar), and an epidemic of people blaming personal faults on society thereby avoiding responsibility for them shows the death of personal duty within society at large.

I use the word duty instead of responsibility because it encompasses so much more. If I see another’s child in danger, she may not be my responsibility but it is my duty as a decent human being to protect her, even at risk of my own life. How could I do less and thereafter call myself a man, or a father?

To be continued . . .

Fav Quote: Robert E. Lee once said that “duty is the most sublime word in the English language, one can never do more than ones duty and one should never wish to do less.”

The Tax Man

Well it's that time again, time for folks to scratch their heads and stare in frustration at the myriad of instructions they must follow (or be punished) to file their taxes. It takes a Masters degree to be able to read them, and even then I worry that I have missed something. It is almost mandatory to use a professional preparer, especially if you own property or are self-employed.

Accountants are great, as are the folks at H&R Block, etc., but why do we need an entire class of workers just to help the average person pay their taxes? One of the arguments now about changing the tax code is the amount of folks who will lose their jobs!! But the money the US will save from eliminating the IRS and going to a flat tax will stimulate the economy into creating real jobs, not 'make-work' jobs from overzealous government bureaucracy. To me, if the average American can't figure them out on her own, they are too damn complicated.

Several groups are calling for a flat tax, applicable to all which eliminates the loopholes now used by many to avoid paying their fair share of our tax burden. Getting rid of the IRS will put over $10 BILLION back into our Federal budget to shore up Social Security or keep the promises made to our Veterans. Think about it folks.

April 15th, National Buy a Gun Day

April 15th again, last day to mail that tax return or extension request to the almighty IRS. Many will pay taxes, some will get them back, and some of them will use that refund to strike a small blow to our ever more repressive government.

A few years ago someone decided to name April 15th National Buy a Gun Day, to show a little civil protest to the governments hand in our pockets. Use that refund to buy a hunting rifle, a shotgun for bird hunting, or a pistol for plinking or (here's the subversive part) for actual self-defense. Better yet, if you live in a 'must-issue' state for concealed carry permits (CCW), apply now and become a protector of society, I did.

Exercise your 2nd amendment right to keep and bear arms, for when we reach the bottom line it is the 2nd which shall defend the rest, one cartridge at a time.


p.s. Get the training to use your weapon safely, and store it away from prying hands.

The Ten Commandments, I Say Keep 'Em

Once again our Supreme Court is asked to review a case where about religion in public life.

Some folks are offended by having a monument inscribed with the Ten Commandments in front of a courthouse. I guess the fact that the bulk of our laws are based on Biblical principles has no bearing on this. Given this fact, having a copy of the commandments in our courthouses makes sense, as would copies of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights, the Emancipation Proclamation, Gettyburg Address, etc.

Too many people confuse freedom of religion with freedom from religion. Our founding fathers wanted to prevent the establishment of a state religion or church denomination, but they had no intention of turning America into a godless nation.

I do not want to force my religious views on anyone, but I feel the atheist minority in our country is trying to force their views on me. They won't be satisfied until God is removed from every aspect of our society, but our founders knew that was folly. "Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath?"--Thomas Jefferson: Notes on Virginia Q.XVIII, 1782. ME 2:227 "

May God bless America, and may America bless God.

Blog Name Change

I changed the name of my blog because the first one echoed the title of a recent book, "Against All Enemies". To differentiate my blog (and disassociate myself from the book) I chose "Defend Our Constitution", which is more direct as to my purpose.

Paper or Plastic? A New Party Choice

Most Americans, at least those who are political, have at least thought about how a third political party would affect the balance of power in the halls of Congress. Many of us, disgusted with what we see from both parties in Washington, have thought "if only there was something we could do". The more knowledgeable among us remember attempts at a third party, most recently we have had Ross Perot and Ralph Nader try this. Mr. Perot bailed out at the last minute, disappointing his faithful and giving the third party push a severe black-eye. Mr. Nader, although representing a good cause, just cannot generate the momentum required to be a viable political force. Many now think the very idea of a third party is impossible to achieve.

Perhaps they are right, but I believe in America, and believe her people want a real choice when they go to the polls. Right now it's "paper or plastic?", but both bags hold the same thing, a political party who has sold their ideals for power, and who's main objective is re-election, not representing the people who sent them to Washington to look out for their best interests.

We need a fresh attempt to create a new political party who's message is that We The People must retake our government from it's corporate masters. Americans are a very generous people, but we send billions to other nations while we have children hungry right here, elderly without proper medical care, an overburdened, underfunded educational system, and our Veterans benefits are slowly eroded by our Congress. We love and respect our troops currently serving our nation, and are tired of them having to beg for the tools to do their job, or face the added danger of completing the mission with the handicap of obsolete or ineffective equipment.

It should seek to include all Americans who see a need for change in this country, and who believe in the ideas we set forth regarding the issues. If you are a patriot of this great nation, and want to see her regain her honor and status in the world we welcome your participation in the party. If you are tired of our government paying more attention to what goes on in the privacy of our homes than in the myriad of real problems our country is facing then we welcome you to a new choice. If you believe our children and elderly deserve to be treated with the love and respect they deserve, then we welcome you into a new paradigm.

Government is meant to be the servant of the people, our Founding Fathers called it a 'necessary evil' and warned us to be always vigilant for the signs of abuse of power. Patrick Henry once said "The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government -- lest it come to dominate our lives and interests." I, for one, believe that time has come, and if you think the same way we welcome you to a party who wants to take back the power that rightfully belongs to We The People.

It won't be easy to establish and grow a new party from the ground up, in fact if we achieve the goal of a viable party with real political power we will have changed the very fabric of our nation. All the patriots of this land can and should stand with us, man or woman, young or old, without regard for race, creed, religion, or lifestyle choice, together we can make this happen.

Highlight - Police Abuse at the Inauguration

In a previous blog I discussed Unconstitutional: The Movie, and talked about how it covers the unconstitutional legislation passed after 911, and the illegal uses of police power since then.

One thing I wanted to highlight though, was an act of pure fascism by the police providing security along the parade route. There were some very rowdy protestors, but you can see in the movie also many groups of peaceful protestors, many just holding signs, or chanting slogans. Typical, peaceful, American protests.

Then we see two men in civilian clothes enter the crowd, and begin spraying the unsuspecting people with pepper spray! The cans of spray are clearly marked as government issue, the men are identified by name in the movie, and we see them indiscriminately spraying peaceful protestors in their faces! I understand the need to protect the President, and for crowd control, but this was a clear case of fascist acts by our own police forces. This is an outrage to all true Americans! Why is there no public outcry over this? Where is the media coverage?

The right to peaceably assemble and to protest are fundamantal American rights set forth for all to see in our Constitution. History has shown us that if we do not allow peaceable protest, violent protest is sure to follow. As a Veteran with a Purple Heart I have shed my own blood for these rights, and seen too many of my compatriots sent home in metal boxes to stand by and allow anyone to undermine these rights.

If you feel the way I do please contact your representatives and let them know we will not tolerate such behaviour, they must enforce the law or we will recall them and send someone who will. The link below allows you to send a free email to your representatives, use it please!

http://www3.capwiz.com/congressorg/home/

Next time it could be your political party, your children protesting, your turn to taste the pepper spray and find out what it feels like not to be able to breath or see from the pain. If you love this country then you make your voice heard, say it loud and often, no fascism here!

Civil Unions vs Gay Marriage - A Compromise

This is an issue which has gotten lots of press and attention from our lawmakers recently, one side sees it as a basic American right, the other as an attack on the institution of marriage. Is there middle ground? How do we address this problem and ensure all citizen's rights are equal under the Constitution? Do we really want to amend the Constitution to specify a non-right to a minority in this nation? And if we set this precedent . . . . what's next?

I think a huge part of the current problem is nomenclature, for example what is marriage? Is it a religious ceremony conducted in a church and blessed of God? Or is it the civil recognition of a union between two people? For many it is both, a church ceremony after obtaining a license from the local government to marry. Which of these are we talking about when we say gay marriage?

Let me now say this, I am a Christian as I have stated, and believe homosexuality is a sin. I do not want my church to sanctify a union between two members of the same sex. However, if we truly believe in the seperation of church and state, I feel we must allow civil unions for gay couples. To do otherwise is to deny them the right guaranteed by our founding principles, the right to the pursuit of happiness. Government recognition of civil unions for gay couples provides them the same legal status as a couple married in church, thereby ensuring their equal rights.

Marriage is a different subject, as I have said I do not want my church to sanctify gay marriage, and I do not want any church to be coerced into doing something against their beliefs. That said, IF a church feels comfortable in presiding over gay marriages then to not allow them to do so would be government interference in their religious freedom. Do we want to set that precedent?

I think the time has come for all peoples to do what we can to unite our nation rather than making laws to divide us. And anytime our leadership starts talking about a Constitutional amendment I get very nervous, sort of like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. The compromises I have set forth above allow churches who disapprove of gay marriage to not allow it, each church is allowed to worship and act as they see fit, as our Constitution intended. The government extends the rights offered to the majority of Americans to all, permitting civil unions for gay couples guaranteeing their right to the pursuit of happiness, something we all should hold dear.

We as Americans have so much work to do to bring our nation together, and so many issues which, to date, have no good answers. Herein is an answer to one problem. It requires some compromise from those who have strict beliefs, which includes myself, but it is a compromise whose time has come. Let us move on to address the other problems we have in our nation.

Common Sense Drug Policy - Marijuana (Pot)

I realize that for many this is a contentious subject, and I am aware of most sides of the argument. All I want to do is present a few statistics and let you make up your own mind, or at least be able to say you have thought about the issue.

Marijuana is the only drug I will address, for two reasons; 1) most folks agree of the illegal drugs it is the least dangerous, and 2) we have to start somewhere so I started with the 'low hanging fruit', so to speak. Let's look at the dollar and human cost of the war against marijuana, I think you will be surprised.

1. Existing estimates for the U.S. (from a study by Boston University economist Jeffrey A. Miron) indicate that that marijuana legalization would save $7.7 billion per year in government expenditure on enforcement of prohibition ($5.3 billion of this savings would accrue to state and local governments, while $2.4 billion would accrue to the federal government).

2. A modest excise tax, less than that on alcohol for example, might produce revenue on legalized marijuana of around $400-$500 million per year.

3. Approximately 77,000 marijuana offenders are in prison or jail right now. There have been over seven million marijuana arrests since 1993, with 755,186 in 2003 - an all-time record. One person is arrested for a marijuana violation every 42 seconds, and about 88% of all arrests are for possession only, not manufacture or distribution.

These figures are taken from the following sites:
Marijuana Prohibition Facts - 2005: http://mpp.org/pdf/prohfact.pdf
Mr. Miron's Study http://www.bccla.org/prohibition/post%20prohibition.htm
Many of their figures are taken from US Dept of Justice reports.

If we add the numbers we see that decriminalization of marijuana adds back over $8 BILLION dollars a year to the US budget. Are there ways we could better use 8 BILLION dollars? How about health care for children? Medications for seniors? Propping up Social Security?

Now to the real cost, the human cost. Seven million Americans with an arrest record, many of these felony arrests causing them to lose their civil rights, perhaps permanently. They can't vote, hold a government job, join the military, or a myriad of other things. They are stained for LIFE for smoking pot. Let us not forget the 77,000 in prison or jail for the same reason, 88% of which just had some pot in their possession. They didn't grow it, or sell it, just had some to smoke. 77,000 sons/daughters, husbands/wives, fathers/mothers who We The People decided were so vile they deserved to be sent to prison, to have a felony prison term around their necks for the rest of their life, to be taken from their families and incarcerated with murderers, rapists, thieves and child molesters.

I believe marijuana should be decriminalized and sold/regulated as we do with alcohol. Driving while high is just like a DUI, you are still under the influence. Providing it to minors would still be a crime, there would places where consumption would be legal and many where it would not.

If We The People really understood the true costs of the war on marijuana I can't help but believe they would agree they far outweigh the problems of legalization. I understand that some oppose it purely from a moral perspective, and I can appreciate that, but if it were your son or daughter would you want them in jail with the true criminals? I know my answer to that, and assuming you love your child as I do mine, I think I know your answer too. Let's fix this.

We The People, need a New Political Party

I and many others have been giving much thought to the idea of a new viable third (or 4th or 5th) political party, as I am thoroughly disgusted with both parties today as they both have sold their souls and mortgaged our future to corporate America.

I have both a Bachelors and Masters in Business Administration and was trained to think that what was good for corporate America was good for America, the epitomy of capitalism. As I have matured I have learned of the corruptible nature of man, and how power/money are the prime corruptors. Many of the corporations I felt were proudly American I now know to have done such things as help fund Hitler's takeover of Germany and the Wehrmacht, others in cooperation with our govt have provided the components or the entirety of the WMD arsenals of rogue nations we now are trying to destroy (the WMD, not the nation necessarily). The almighty dollar has replaced the Almighty.

My desires are to return control of the government of our nation to We The People. I realize the difficulties in trying to establish a viable third political party, but have reached the conclusion that something must be done. Both current parties are owned by corporations, and the same insiders control our government no matter which party is in office. The names may change but the game remains the same, the rich get richer and the gap between them and us gets larger.

The Draft - An equalizer for the people?

While I do not believe a draft is forthcoming anytime soon, I wonder if it could help in forcing our corporate and government leaders to use caution in who they deal with and how. An article talking about this from The Black Commentator is at the link below. It is a little too critical of white America to me, but I'm a white guy. The points it raises are good and worthy of discussion.

http://www.blackcommentator.com/126/126_cover_draft.html

I don't wish anyone's children harm, but if a few of these coffins coming home from Iraq contained children of our Congressmen/women, or the children of the Wall Street elite, I can't help but think our policy would change abruptly.

Unconstitutional The Movie - How to Act

I saw this film recently and it was very well done. I voted for Bush as the lesser of two evils but I am starting to think they were both equally evil. The rights of free speech, to peaceably assemble, and of protest are being trampled by his administration. Don't take my word for this, see the documentary and make up your own mind.

http://www.publicinterestpictures.org/unconstitutional/

The Patriot Act has parts which are so anti-American I can't believe it got through Congress. I can only attribute this to a knee-jerk reaction to 911, we need to make our legislators understand that we have had time to think and now realize the Patriot Act needs to be defeated when it is up for renewal. According to the ACLU (I am not a member) 4 states, and over 340 cities/counties have passed resolutions denouncing these sections of the Patriot Act and declining to have their constituents participate. See below:

http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFreemain.cfm

There are things we can do as regular citizens, I urge you to contact your Congressman/woman and let them know how you fell. To send them a quick, free email use the link below.

http://www3.capwiz.com/congressorg/home/

I hope you are as concerned about this as I am, and choose to make your voice heard.

Introduction

I want to use this blog to stimulate discussion on how to preserve the foundations of our nation. I believe the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments have given us the best basis of government the world has ever known. I believe our Founding Fathers were inspired men who rose above themselves, faults and all, to create a system and a nation which was greater than the sum of its parts.

I, and millions more, have taken an oath to support and defend that Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Our public officials take that oath also, for the most part, but I see many of them attacking the very document they swore to protect. Some attacks are overt, but many are covert, little bites wreaking an insidious toll on our nations freedoms. I am not much on conspiracies, but the Tri-Lateral Commission and the Council on Foreign Relations scare me with their stated intentions of moving to a world government. They scare me because many of our leaders, government officials, and corporate officers are sworn members.

I believe in participation in the UN, but not to the extent that we surrender ANY of our sovereignty to them. The concept for the UN is good, but the reality is that many of the 'co-equal' members represent governments that are dictatorial, totalitarian, or otherwise barbaric. To say their voice is equal to ours or any democratic society is ridiculous. This does not mean that the people of these nations are not our equals, all peoples are of value regardless of their differences, but their governments are outside of the brotherhood of man.

I am a Christian, and believe strongly in the divinity of Christ and in His Grace as my Salvation. I welcome people of all faiths (or none) who believe in peace, charity, brotherhood and the innate dignity of man. We have much more in common that we do between us, and Christ has admonished his followers to love all men, so I embrace any man who would be my brother.

How do we, that is all people of good will, take back our government from those who would have us submit to a world government? How do we get our Congressmen/women to stand firm against any weakening of our rights as citizens or our sovereignty as a nation? How do we encourage our leaders to fight terror without surrendering the very freedoms the terrorists seek to destroy? How will we move into the future as a united, sovereign nation?