Pundit & Pundette: Angle's lemonade lend a good thought today.
The immediate discussion is about the abortion debate as it arises in the Nevada senatorial race. They share a poignant story with a most happy ending, and conclude with these good words:
Life is not a disposable commodity but rather a good in and of itself, worth going out on a limb for.
Good words. Good words.
OS is on the road this weekend, attending the wedding of his 'extra daughter'. He broke down and bought a new suit for the occasion yesterday, in violation of his vow to avoid wearing uncomfortable clothes. Oh well, in theory at least, this is a singular event. He'll survive it in a suit for one afternoon.
Ya'll stay safe out there, and hug your loved ones 'extry-good'.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Obama Loses Round Two In His Ongoing War Against The Gulf Coast
The appeals court just struck down the drilling ban--again.
Of course, Ken Salazar will attempt to re-write and reimpose the ban. Can't have all those thousands of people working, producing, making money and living their lives, you know. That's not the plan, since that does not create a crisis.
Of course, Ken Salazar will attempt to re-write and reimpose the ban. Can't have all those thousands of people working, producing, making money and living their lives, you know. That's not the plan, since that does not create a crisis.
Bobby Jindal Finally Loses His Temper In Public: 'No Is Not A Plan'
Governor Jindal of Louisiana, and Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser are reaching the end of their rope in dealing with a venal and incompetent bureaucracy, and a White House that desires a major disaster on the Gulf coast.
Via Planet Gore--the Times Picayune covered the event:
Surrounded by indignant local officials, Gov. Bobby Jindal on Tuesday once again lambasted the federal government's performance in fighting the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, not only because it has vetoed the state's proposals to combat it but also because, he said, Washington has not devised a strategy of its own.
"Whether it's Grand Isle or Barataria Bay or Lake Pontchartrain or Breton Sound, we need the federal government to have a greater sense of fighting this oil before it gets into our fragile estuaries," Jindal said at a news conference. "They need to fight it like the war that it is. We have told them that no is not an answer, no is not a plan, no is not acceptable."
A tremendous turn of phrase, which should be printed on shirts and hats for distribution across the South.
The problem is, Washington has devised a strategy: Frustrate every effort to combat the horrific consequences of the BP oil spill. Let Mother Nature do her thing via a hurricane or two, and then use the ensuing chaos to seize even more power. And, oh, by the way, strip the assets of great parts of the oil industry.
The Times-Picayune story also links to a profile of Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser. Well worth reading!
Some sage noted that crisis does not so much develop character as reveal it, and Jindal and Nungesser are passing the test with flying colors. Obama and company have failed miserably, and the failure becomes more evident with each passing day.
Via Planet Gore--the Times Picayune covered the event:
Surrounded by indignant local officials, Gov. Bobby Jindal on Tuesday once again lambasted the federal government's performance in fighting the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, not only because it has vetoed the state's proposals to combat it but also because, he said, Washington has not devised a strategy of its own.
"Whether it's Grand Isle or Barataria Bay or Lake Pontchartrain or Breton Sound, we need the federal government to have a greater sense of fighting this oil before it gets into our fragile estuaries," Jindal said at a news conference. "They need to fight it like the war that it is. We have told them that no is not an answer, no is not a plan, no is not acceptable."
A tremendous turn of phrase, which should be printed on shirts and hats for distribution across the South.
The problem is, Washington has devised a strategy: Frustrate every effort to combat the horrific consequences of the BP oil spill. Let Mother Nature do her thing via a hurricane or two, and then use the ensuing chaos to seize even more power. And, oh, by the way, strip the assets of great parts of the oil industry.
The Times-Picayune story also links to a profile of Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser. Well worth reading!
Some sage noted that crisis does not so much develop character as reveal it, and Jindal and Nungesser are passing the test with flying colors. Obama and company have failed miserably, and the failure becomes more evident with each passing day.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Meantime, Back On Our Secure Southern Border...
Honest, The Winner Of The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, His Attorney General, and His Secretary Of Homeland Security all assure us that all is well.
So, therefore it is, correct?
From El Diario de Chihuahua, yesterday.
OS can read enough Spanish to give you the gist (original text below, for reference):
[begin copy]
The discovery of two decapitated persons was reported just moments ago, the abandoned bodies found abandoned at Seventh Street and Guadalupe Victoria in the Villa Juarez neighborhood.
At the same time, police reported the discovery of two heads that appear to belong to the the bodies found in Villa Juarez, these being found along the road to Ciudad Delicias, near the Pemex (n.b.Mexico's nationalized oil company) facility.
The bodies were found near the intersection by neighbors who lived nearby, who called the police immediately, who then took charge of the cadavers.
The 'narco-tourism' continued as normal, and within minutes, dozens of persons coverged upon the scene and took pictures with their cell phones.
[end copy]
Actually, OS was looking through El Diario to verify a report of three beheaded corpses located in Sinaloa. He hasn't made it to the Sinaloa page yet, but in a macabre way, it doesn't much matter.
This is where the city of Chihuahua is located. A quick drive up the road to Juarez, and from there to Texas and New Mexico. No worries, ya'll. What could possibly go wrong?
OS, and many millions of other American citizens, would much prefer to not wake up to this sort of news taking place in Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, or Tennessee. Apparently, Obama and Holder are much more sanguine about that prospect, and prefer to expend their energies in a lawsuit against the State of Arizona.
Chihuahua, Chih.- Hace un momento se reportó el hallazgo de dos personas decapitadas que fueron abandonadas en las calles séptima y Guadalupe Victoria de la Colonia Villa Juárez.
Luego de un momento la policía reportó el hallazgo de dos cabezas que al parecer son de las personas que fueron encontradas en Villa Juárez, estas últimas fueron encontradas a un costado de la carretera que conduce a ciudad Delicias, cerca de Pemex.
Los cuerpos fueron amontonados un poco antes de llegar a la intersección, por lo que los vecinos del lugar inmediatamente llamaron a las autoridades para que se hicieran cargo de los cadáveres.
El narcoturismo no se hizo esperar y en cosa de minutos, decenas de personas acudieron al lugar y tomaron fotos con sus celulares .
So, therefore it is, correct?
From El Diario de Chihuahua, yesterday.
OS can read enough Spanish to give you the gist (original text below, for reference):
[begin copy]
The discovery of two decapitated persons was reported just moments ago, the abandoned bodies found abandoned at Seventh Street and Guadalupe Victoria in the Villa Juarez neighborhood.
At the same time, police reported the discovery of two heads that appear to belong to the the bodies found in Villa Juarez, these being found along the road to Ciudad Delicias, near the Pemex (n.b.Mexico's nationalized oil company) facility.
The bodies were found near the intersection by neighbors who lived nearby, who called the police immediately, who then took charge of the cadavers.
The 'narco-tourism' continued as normal, and within minutes, dozens of persons coverged upon the scene and took pictures with their cell phones.
[end copy]
Actually, OS was looking through El Diario to verify a report of three beheaded corpses located in Sinaloa. He hasn't made it to the Sinaloa page yet, but in a macabre way, it doesn't much matter.
This is where the city of Chihuahua is located. A quick drive up the road to Juarez, and from there to Texas and New Mexico. No worries, ya'll. What could possibly go wrong?
OS, and many millions of other American citizens, would much prefer to not wake up to this sort of news taking place in Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, or Tennessee. Apparently, Obama and Holder are much more sanguine about that prospect, and prefer to expend their energies in a lawsuit against the State of Arizona.
Chihuahua, Chih.- Hace un momento se reportó el hallazgo de dos personas decapitadas que fueron abandonadas en las calles séptima y Guadalupe Victoria de la Colonia Villa Juárez.
Luego de un momento la policía reportó el hallazgo de dos cabezas que al parecer son de las personas que fueron encontradas en Villa Juárez, estas últimas fueron encontradas a un costado de la carretera que conduce a ciudad Delicias, cerca de Pemex.
Los cuerpos fueron amontonados un poco antes de llegar a la intersección, por lo que los vecinos del lugar inmediatamente llamaron a las autoridades para que se hicieran cargo de los cadáveres.
El narcoturismo no se hizo esperar y en cosa de minutos, decenas de personas acudieron al lugar y tomaron fotos con sus celulares .
Green Shoots Award: 'The Choir' On BBC America
OS got the heads up from a good friend, headed for his remote, and spent the happiest hour of TV he had seen in many months.
'The Choir' has just made it to the US on BBC America.
He hates most 'reality' shows, but this is not about narcissists acting out their most evil instincts for the cameras. It's about a young musician, Gareth Malone, who takes on the project of taking a group of kids in a government school in the UK, turning them into a choir, and getting them ready for competition in the Choir Olympics in Beijing.
The first episode begins with the audition of some 140 kids, trying to find a couple of dozen who show enough promise. He doesn't even get that, but begins anyway. The episode ends with the kids recording their entry recording, four weeks later. The transformation of all the lives involved--choir, families, conductor, and school has begun.
This is what good music teaching does. It transforms lives, breeds discipline, esprit-de-corps, confidence, desire to excel. It breeds hope in lives that seem to have so little of it in their circumstances. 'If I can do this, perhaps there's a future for me out there in one of those other disciplines as well.'
It's not complicated, doesn't require some massive government program. Choral music education is the most cost-efficient of all, as the instruments come pre-installed in the students' bodies. Add one competent teacher with a lot of drive, a piano that is kept in tune, an accompanist, and a few bucks invested into the print music, and you've got the core of a potentially great program. It doesn't necessarily have to take place in a school--churches and community centers do just as well.
(And, unlike football or basketball, everyone graduates with their knees intact.)
OS hopes you enjoy this preview, and will tune in for the episodes.
'The Choir' has just made it to the US on BBC America.
He hates most 'reality' shows, but this is not about narcissists acting out their most evil instincts for the cameras. It's about a young musician, Gareth Malone, who takes on the project of taking a group of kids in a government school in the UK, turning them into a choir, and getting them ready for competition in the Choir Olympics in Beijing.
The first episode begins with the audition of some 140 kids, trying to find a couple of dozen who show enough promise. He doesn't even get that, but begins anyway. The episode ends with the kids recording their entry recording, four weeks later. The transformation of all the lives involved--choir, families, conductor, and school has begun.
This is what good music teaching does. It transforms lives, breeds discipline, esprit-de-corps, confidence, desire to excel. It breeds hope in lives that seem to have so little of it in their circumstances. 'If I can do this, perhaps there's a future for me out there in one of those other disciplines as well.'
It's not complicated, doesn't require some massive government program. Choral music education is the most cost-efficient of all, as the instruments come pre-installed in the students' bodies. Add one competent teacher with a lot of drive, a piano that is kept in tune, an accompanist, and a few bucks invested into the print music, and you've got the core of a potentially great program. It doesn't necessarily have to take place in a school--churches and community centers do just as well.
(And, unlike football or basketball, everyone graduates with their knees intact.)
OS hopes you enjoy this preview, and will tune in for the episodes.
James Taylor And Carol King Interview: Joy And Love
And, on a much much much happier note, today NPR broadcast a delightful interview with James Taylor and Carole King. Much too much to tell, and it would spoil the joy of listening to the conversation. Take the time to listen. You'll thank OldSouth for it later.
If you've been patient enough to put up with OS, you'll have read reference to his mis-spent youthful days in the record industry. It was the worst of times most of the time, with just enough absolutely wonderful stuff included to extend the torture.
OS's beef with it all was that he was working in a business that seemed hell-bent on kicking the legs out from under the culture, forever looking for some non-existent lowest common denominator of vulgarity where the real money could be made. He kept protesting that this was a prescription for industrial suicide, but found that talk like that only pissed people off. So he shut up, moved on, and stood by (well out of the path of the falling bricks) as the industry imploded. No great loss, probably a good thing on balance. He just wishes he had never spent a dime on his years of NARAS membership--the most useless organization on the planet, hands down.
Pop music does not have to corrode the culture. For many years, it contributed greatly to it. James Taylor and Carole King are living proof of that, and should be celebrated while they are still with us. Taylor is 62, King is 68, closing in on the final few years of their careers. OS hopes that the twenty-somethings who make up a goodly portion of their show audiences will catch the vision, and both demand and create pop music that doesn't rot the soul.
Again, OS hopes his readers will take the time to listen to this interview. If enough folks listen and take it to heart, maybe the culture will move an inch or two in the right direction.
If you've been patient enough to put up with OS, you'll have read reference to his mis-spent youthful days in the record industry. It was the worst of times most of the time, with just enough absolutely wonderful stuff included to extend the torture.
OS's beef with it all was that he was working in a business that seemed hell-bent on kicking the legs out from under the culture, forever looking for some non-existent lowest common denominator of vulgarity where the real money could be made. He kept protesting that this was a prescription for industrial suicide, but found that talk like that only pissed people off. So he shut up, moved on, and stood by (well out of the path of the falling bricks) as the industry imploded. No great loss, probably a good thing on balance. He just wishes he had never spent a dime on his years of NARAS membership--the most useless organization on the planet, hands down.
Pop music does not have to corrode the culture. For many years, it contributed greatly to it. James Taylor and Carole King are living proof of that, and should be celebrated while they are still with us. Taylor is 62, King is 68, closing in on the final few years of their careers. OS hopes that the twenty-somethings who make up a goodly portion of their show audiences will catch the vision, and both demand and create pop music that doesn't rot the soul.
Again, OS hopes his readers will take the time to listen to this interview. If enough folks listen and take it to heart, maybe the culture will move an inch or two in the right direction.
Driving Around With NPR On The Radio: Even They're Beginning To Question...
...how this BraveNewObamaWorld thing is working out.
Mr. and Mrs. OldSouth had a couple of errands to run--pick up Mrs. OS's car from the shop, purchase a tarp from the farm supply place, even got a lunch at the diner for all that driving around. Life is good today...
NPR was on the radio--always interested to hear what the nation's most enthusiastic Kool-Aid drinkers are up to. And, it is interesting, more interesting now than ever. It's dawning on a few of them that maybe (just maybe!) they've been had, and The One is actually doing more harm than good, and they are His useful idiots.
Since the early 70's, the NPR spiel has been predictable: There's this terrible situation involving (fill in the blank), caused by all those greedy WASP's determined to enslave and starve the victims of (fill in the blank). If only we had another government program, and raised taxes a teeny-weeny bit more, why this problem could be solved. OS used to be able to time the final thirty seconds or so of each presentation, because right after the erudite opinions of Professor (fill in the blank) of (fill in the blank) State U, came the inevitable assertion that more government and more spending were our only solution and salvation.
Today was different: The report on Obama's attempt to shut down the Gulf Coast oil industry points out in stark terms the massive (and permanent) dislocation that will result if Himself prevails (and sho'nuff, He's in court, tryin' to locate a judge who will collude with Him--do I smell an appointment to the appeals court quietly being proffered?)
It's not pretty--and pretty unflattering to The Winner of the 2010 Noble Peace Prize.
The second feature was an interesting conversation between BP's COO Doug Suttles and NPR's Melissa Block, who took the opportunity to really to skewer him. He took it in stride, and unlike The One, never lost his temper, or became petulant. Further, NPR knew how to locate BP's COO and actually have a conversation with him. Suttles was willing to endure a long interview with someone from an organization known for its hostility to the private sector. That's more than Obama ever bothered to do, on either count.
Suttles held his own, with uncomfortable questions peppered at him. On the whole, he displays a lot more qualities of leadership than The Beloved Leader. BP really screwed the pooch in the Gulf. He admits it, and talks in specifics about what is being done to remedy their screw-up. OS invites you to listen, and compare him to the Corp of Engineers and EPA dolts who are preventing Gulf Coast communities from saving themselves. OS was surprised to hear the interview aired, with no introductory or trailing vitriolic comments.
Remember, ya'll: BP has no upside in a huge disaster--they have to pay for it. Obama and company are presented with a huge opportunity to seize power and bleed BP dry if things truly come unwound. Where does the moral hazard lie?
Again, the signs are subtle, and there are more examples, but slowly slowly slowly, the doubts are beginning to surface, as NPR presenters talk with authors about the reality of evil, school board members in small towns about the impossibility of paying for compliance with Federal mandates while keeping the doors open, about pension funds that are eroding, violence on the border, unemployment as a way of life, businesses shuttering. After all those years of shilling for the Left, NPR is now stuck with reporting the results.
Their discomfort is becoming palpable.
OS just grins and drives.
'Chicken, meet roost'...
Mr. and Mrs. OldSouth had a couple of errands to run--pick up Mrs. OS's car from the shop, purchase a tarp from the farm supply place, even got a lunch at the diner for all that driving around. Life is good today...
NPR was on the radio--always interested to hear what the nation's most enthusiastic Kool-Aid drinkers are up to. And, it is interesting, more interesting now than ever. It's dawning on a few of them that maybe (just maybe!) they've been had, and The One is actually doing more harm than good, and they are His useful idiots.
Since the early 70's, the NPR spiel has been predictable: There's this terrible situation involving (fill in the blank), caused by all those greedy WASP's determined to enslave and starve the victims of (fill in the blank). If only we had another government program, and raised taxes a teeny-weeny bit more, why this problem could be solved. OS used to be able to time the final thirty seconds or so of each presentation, because right after the erudite opinions of Professor (fill in the blank) of (fill in the blank) State U, came the inevitable assertion that more government and more spending were our only solution and salvation.
Today was different: The report on Obama's attempt to shut down the Gulf Coast oil industry points out in stark terms the massive (and permanent) dislocation that will result if Himself prevails (and sho'nuff, He's in court, tryin' to locate a judge who will collude with Him--do I smell an appointment to the appeals court quietly being proffered?)
It's not pretty--and pretty unflattering to The Winner of the 2010 Noble Peace Prize.
The second feature was an interesting conversation between BP's COO Doug Suttles and NPR's Melissa Block, who took the opportunity to really to skewer him. He took it in stride, and unlike The One, never lost his temper, or became petulant. Further, NPR knew how to locate BP's COO and actually have a conversation with him. Suttles was willing to endure a long interview with someone from an organization known for its hostility to the private sector. That's more than Obama ever bothered to do, on either count.
Suttles held his own, with uncomfortable questions peppered at him. On the whole, he displays a lot more qualities of leadership than The Beloved Leader. BP really screwed the pooch in the Gulf. He admits it, and talks in specifics about what is being done to remedy their screw-up. OS invites you to listen, and compare him to the Corp of Engineers and EPA dolts who are preventing Gulf Coast communities from saving themselves. OS was surprised to hear the interview aired, with no introductory or trailing vitriolic comments.
Remember, ya'll: BP has no upside in a huge disaster--they have to pay for it. Obama and company are presented with a huge opportunity to seize power and bleed BP dry if things truly come unwound. Where does the moral hazard lie?
Again, the signs are subtle, and there are more examples, but slowly slowly slowly, the doubts are beginning to surface, as NPR presenters talk with authors about the reality of evil, school board members in small towns about the impossibility of paying for compliance with Federal mandates while keeping the doors open, about pension funds that are eroding, violence on the border, unemployment as a way of life, businesses shuttering. After all those years of shilling for the Left, NPR is now stuck with reporting the results.
Their discomfort is becoming palpable.
OS just grins and drives.
'Chicken, meet roost'...
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The 'Slider Effect': White Castle Predicts ObamaCare Will Result In Job Losses
Again, ya'll: Don't take OldSouth's word on these things. Check with the people on the ground. It's beginning to feel like ThePeopleInChargeOfSuchThings are deliberately attempting to push the culture (and the economy) over the cliff.
This item in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
HT to Marathon Pundit.
This item in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
HT to Marathon Pundit.
Don't Take My Word For It: Listen To The Voices In Louisiana
From Pat Austin yesterday in Shreveport:
The federal government has thrown another stone in Louisiana's path to protect its shores from the encroaching oil from the BP well explosion.
The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers has rejected the state's plan to build rock dikes in the passes leading into Barataria Bay, an area known for fishing and wildlife. As expected, Governor Jindal is furious, saying, "“Only a government bureaucrat would say rocks are more harmful to our water than oil.”
The Advocate has the story this morning as well as a report of oil now moving into Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans.
The best quote in The Advocate's piece comes from Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle who said,
“I say, let’s go. If we can come up with the money, let’s bypass the federal government. Let’s protect our people.”
Camardelle needs to come up with $25 million to build the dikes anyway. BP has already purchased the rocks for $16 million and they're sitting on barges ready to go.
At this point, I think Camardelle is correct. It appears that the only way Louisiana will be saved will be for state officials to do whatever it takes to save it and quit waiting weeks for Corps approvals, permits, and reports. Quit waiting for Obama to make a decision because he's already made it, haven't you noticed?
He's decided to take the path of criminal negligence.
Again, if the locals raise the money and proceed, what's Obama gonna do? Send the Coast Guard to fire on the locals? Send in the National Guard to seize the island?
The federal government has thrown another stone in Louisiana's path to protect its shores from the encroaching oil from the BP well explosion.
The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers has rejected the state's plan to build rock dikes in the passes leading into Barataria Bay, an area known for fishing and wildlife. As expected, Governor Jindal is furious, saying, "“Only a government bureaucrat would say rocks are more harmful to our water than oil.”
The Advocate has the story this morning as well as a report of oil now moving into Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans.
The best quote in The Advocate's piece comes from Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle who said,
“I say, let’s go. If we can come up with the money, let’s bypass the federal government. Let’s protect our people.”
Camardelle needs to come up with $25 million to build the dikes anyway. BP has already purchased the rocks for $16 million and they're sitting on barges ready to go.
At this point, I think Camardelle is correct. It appears that the only way Louisiana will be saved will be for state officials to do whatever it takes to save it and quit waiting weeks for Corps approvals, permits, and reports. Quit waiting for Obama to make a decision because he's already made it, haven't you noticed?
He's decided to take the path of criminal negligence.
Again, if the locals raise the money and proceed, what's Obama gonna do? Send the Coast Guard to fire on the locals? Send in the National Guard to seize the island?
Shaking One's Head In Disbelief: Charles Bolden Of NASA
[Cue the music!!!]
Yemen! The Final Frontier!
These are the voyages of the Starship Obama, on its four-year mission to completely gut the space program of its last fifty years of progress.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a recent interview that his "foremost" as the head of America's space exploration agency is to improve relations with the Muslim world.
Though international diplomacy would seem well outside NASA's orbit, Bolden said in an interview with Al Jazeera that strengthening those ties was among the top tasks President Obama assigned him. He said better interaction with the Muslim world would ultimately advance space travel.
John Kennedy, without a doubt, is rolling in his grave.
Yemen! The Final Frontier!
These are the voyages of the Starship Obama, on its four-year mission to completely gut the space program of its last fifty years of progress.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a recent interview that his "foremost" as the head of America's space exploration agency is to improve relations with the Muslim world.
Though international diplomacy would seem well outside NASA's orbit, Bolden said in an interview with Al Jazeera that strengthening those ties was among the top tasks President Obama assigned him. He said better interaction with the Muslim world would ultimately advance space travel.
John Kennedy, without a doubt, is rolling in his grave.
Heaven Have Mercy On The Gulf Of Mexico: The US Army Corp Of Engineers Permitting Process
This from Planet Gore.
Now, remember, as Louisiana is forced to jump through all these hoops, submitting and re-submitting plans, complying with all those laws and their attendant regulations--
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
The shrimping industry harvest has been reduced by 84%.
Oil has been found in Lake Ponchatrain.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
Obama demands votes for his Cap-n-Trade bill as a prerequisite for addressing the disaster.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
And here's a special detail, buried toward the bottom of the document:
23. Cultural Resource Protection: Consultation required, and work must cease if new historic/prehistoric cultural resources discovered.
24. Historic Protection: Reporting of unknown historic or archeological items.
25. Tribal cultural materials: Area is aboriginal Chitimacha homelands, tribe contact required if cultural materials are discovered.
If they dig up pottery shards of unknown provenance, work must cease.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
Now, remember, as Louisiana is forced to jump through all these hoops, submitting and re-submitting plans, complying with all those laws and their attendant regulations--
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
The shrimping industry harvest has been reduced by 84%.
Oil has been found in Lake Ponchatrain.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
Obama demands votes for his Cap-n-Trade bill as a prerequisite for addressing the disaster.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
And here's a special detail, buried toward the bottom of the document:
23. Cultural Resource Protection: Consultation required, and work must cease if new historic/prehistoric cultural resources discovered.
24. Historic Protection: Reporting of unknown historic or archeological items.
25. Tribal cultural materials: Area is aboriginal Chitimacha homelands, tribe contact required if cultural materials are discovered.
If they dig up pottery shards of unknown provenance, work must cease.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
Thousand of barrels of oil spill into the Gulf of Mexico daily.
The Obama DOJ v. The State Of Arizona (And The Rest Of The Country)
John Lott's page provides a link if you wish to download a pdf of the lawsuit.
It's twenty-five pages of assertion that the Federal government in general, and the President in particular, reigns supreme over the states in any matter involving illegal immigration. More breathtakingly, it asserts that the President essentially has the discretion to enforce, or not enforce, the federal law. It all depends on whether he and the Federal government think it is in their best interests.
Sound incredible? HellsBells, ya'll, don't take OS's word for it, read the legalese these scoundrels filed today:
[paragraph 19]
In crafting federal immigration law and policy, Congress has necessarily taken into account multiple and often competing national interests. Assuring effective enforcement of the provisions against illegal migration and unlawful presence is a highly important interest, but it is not the singular goal of the federal immigration laws. The laws also take into account other uniquely national interests, including facilitating trade and commerce; welcoming those foreign nationals who visit or immigrate lawfully and ensuring their fair and equitable treatment wherever they may reside; responding to humanitarian concerns at the global and individual levels; and otherwise ensuring that the treatment of aliens present in our nation does not harm our foreign relations with the countries from which they come or jeopardize the treatment of U.S. citizens abroad. Because immigration control and management is “a field where flexibility and the adaptation of the congressional policy to infinitely variable conditions constitute the essence of the program,” U.S. ex rel. Knauff v. Shaughnessy, 338 U.S. 537, 543 (1950) (internal citations omitted), Congress vested substantial discretion in the President and the administering federal agencies to adjust the balance of these multiple interests as appropriate – both globally and in individual cases.
But, as always: Wait, there's more!
[end of paragraph 4]
It will conflict with longstanding federal law governing the registration, smuggling, and employment of aliens. It will altogether ignore humanitarian concerns, such as the protections available under federal law for an alien who has a well-founded fear of persecution or who has been the victim of a natural disaster. And it will interfere with vital foreign policy and national security interests by disrupting the United States’ relationship with Mexico and other countries.
In other words, this is about keeping the Mexicans happy! That dog-and-pony show at the White House for Calderon wasn't for nothing, ya'll!
Holy frijoles, Paco! The place has been run by one set of criminals or another since 1919, and conditions are getting worse, not better. The place is a disaster, and Obama worries about what they think about us!
The lawsuit wants to overturn this law, based upon predictions of what might happen, not based on anything that actually has happened. The law's not even in force yet, nothing has been done in the course of the enforcement of this law, and the Obama DOJ wants it overturned!
In the end, it's all about power, Obama's power. If he chooses to enforce the law, fine and dandy. If he doesn't, you're screwed, and have no recourse, 'cuz he's theBoss President.
Of course, there are ways and means of 'inducing' The One to offer 'protection'...
'Nice little state you got here. It would be a shame if it were to be overrun by illegal aliens drug smugglers. Isn't that right, Gino and Vito?'
'Yeah, Boss, dat's right. It would be a real shame. YaKnowWhuddIMean? Maybe we should offer 'em some protection, boss! But ain't protection expensive? Whooz gonna pay for it?'
We all live in Chicago now, with Gino and Vito standing in the shadows.
It's twenty-five pages of assertion that the Federal government in general, and the President in particular, reigns supreme over the states in any matter involving illegal immigration. More breathtakingly, it asserts that the President essentially has the discretion to enforce, or not enforce, the federal law. It all depends on whether he and the Federal government think it is in their best interests.
Sound incredible? HellsBells, ya'll, don't take OS's word for it, read the legalese these scoundrels filed today:
[paragraph 19]
In crafting federal immigration law and policy, Congress has necessarily taken into account multiple and often competing national interests. Assuring effective enforcement of the provisions against illegal migration and unlawful presence is a highly important interest, but it is not the singular goal of the federal immigration laws. The laws also take into account other uniquely national interests, including facilitating trade and commerce; welcoming those foreign nationals who visit or immigrate lawfully and ensuring their fair and equitable treatment wherever they may reside; responding to humanitarian concerns at the global and individual levels; and otherwise ensuring that the treatment of aliens present in our nation does not harm our foreign relations with the countries from which they come or jeopardize the treatment of U.S. citizens abroad. Because immigration control and management is “a field where flexibility and the adaptation of the congressional policy to infinitely variable conditions constitute the essence of the program,” U.S. ex rel. Knauff v. Shaughnessy, 338 U.S. 537, 543 (1950) (internal citations omitted), Congress vested substantial discretion in the President and the administering federal agencies to adjust the balance of these multiple interests as appropriate – both globally and in individual cases.
But, as always: Wait, there's more!
[end of paragraph 4]
It will conflict with longstanding federal law governing the registration, smuggling, and employment of aliens. It will altogether ignore humanitarian concerns, such as the protections available under federal law for an alien who has a well-founded fear of persecution or who has been the victim of a natural disaster. And it will interfere with vital foreign policy and national security interests by disrupting the United States’ relationship with Mexico and other countries.
In other words, this is about keeping the Mexicans happy! That dog-and-pony show at the White House for Calderon wasn't for nothing, ya'll!
Holy frijoles, Paco! The place has been run by one set of criminals or another since 1919, and conditions are getting worse, not better. The place is a disaster, and Obama worries about what they think about us!
The lawsuit wants to overturn this law, based upon predictions of what might happen, not based on anything that actually has happened. The law's not even in force yet, nothing has been done in the course of the enforcement of this law, and the Obama DOJ wants it overturned!
In the end, it's all about power, Obama's power. If he chooses to enforce the law, fine and dandy. If he doesn't, you're screwed, and have no recourse, 'cuz he's the
Of course, there are ways and means of 'inducing' The One to offer 'protection'...
'Nice little state you got here. It would be a shame if it were to be overrun by illegal aliens drug smugglers. Isn't that right, Gino and Vito?'
'Yeah, Boss, dat's right. It would be a real shame. YaKnowWhuddIMean? Maybe we should offer 'em some protection, boss! But ain't protection expensive? Whooz gonna pay for it?'
We all live in Chicago now, with Gino and Vito standing in the shadows.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Weekend Insight Into The Unemployment Numbers
It has become a ritual.
The 'numbers' are published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the end of every month. They suck. By any reasonable standard, they just, well, suck. OS can tell you tales of his unemployed/underemployed friends and family; highly accomplished, energetic, ambitious people who now struggle in a culture and economy that has gone as limp as a sails on a windless day. But, you know those same people. You're surrounded by them. Perhaps you are one of them.
So, instead, OS has another story to tell. He has struck a friendship with a family in his small town that has opened a little restaurant, and blessedly, it is doing well. These folks have three generations of 'little restaurant' in their background, so they know the drill. It's wonderful to see.
The twenty-something son, who is a kid OS would adopt in a heartbeat, shared a story over breakfast Saturday:
He has a friend with a successful small business that provides a very good service throughout the South. It employs a lot of people, because it's one of those enterprises that requires a lot of people to run. In other words, this guy's firm is a job engine, and it can't be outsourced to Mexico or China.
He could expand his business by 50% next week, except--he's looked at the tax code. He's reached the limit of earnings he can take home from his business. Every dollar past what he's doing essentially goes away in taxes. In addition, his payroll costs, workman's comp, Social Security and Medicare costs, health and liability insurance costs, and his administrative costs and complications soar. If he expands, he exposes himself to a lot of risk, and almost no reward.
Soooo...that jobs engine sits idling.
Lather, rinse, repeat. Replicate his story a few thousand times in every state of the Union, stir gently, and you get the BLS numbers at the end of every month.
And you get to watch Christina Romer or some other flack from ObamaLand cheerily assure you that things aren't all that bad, and besides they're getting better, and if they suck it's because those mean Republicans won't let us borrow another trillion to drop from the helicopter and you're being mean by pointing out that we promised this wouldn't happen and you aren't smart enough to understand what I'm saying anyway 'cuz you didn't go to Harvard like I did and we know how to take care of little unwashed people like you I've got to go now and talk to someone else and tell them the same things see you at the end of next month.
The 'numbers' are published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the end of every month. They suck. By any reasonable standard, they just, well, suck. OS can tell you tales of his unemployed/underemployed friends and family; highly accomplished, energetic, ambitious people who now struggle in a culture and economy that has gone as limp as a sails on a windless day. But, you know those same people. You're surrounded by them. Perhaps you are one of them.
So, instead, OS has another story to tell. He has struck a friendship with a family in his small town that has opened a little restaurant, and blessedly, it is doing well. These folks have three generations of 'little restaurant' in their background, so they know the drill. It's wonderful to see.
The twenty-something son, who is a kid OS would adopt in a heartbeat, shared a story over breakfast Saturday:
He has a friend with a successful small business that provides a very good service throughout the South. It employs a lot of people, because it's one of those enterprises that requires a lot of people to run. In other words, this guy's firm is a job engine, and it can't be outsourced to Mexico or China.
He could expand his business by 50% next week, except--he's looked at the tax code. He's reached the limit of earnings he can take home from his business. Every dollar past what he's doing essentially goes away in taxes. In addition, his payroll costs, workman's comp, Social Security and Medicare costs, health and liability insurance costs, and his administrative costs and complications soar. If he expands, he exposes himself to a lot of risk, and almost no reward.
Soooo...that jobs engine sits idling.
Lather, rinse, repeat. Replicate his story a few thousand times in every state of the Union, stir gently, and you get the BLS numbers at the end of every month.
And you get to watch Christina Romer or some other flack from ObamaLand cheerily assure you that things aren't all that bad, and besides they're getting better, and if they suck it's because those mean Republicans won't let us borrow another trillion to drop from the helicopter and you're being mean by pointing out that we promised this wouldn't happen and you aren't smart enough to understand what I'm saying anyway 'cuz you didn't go to Harvard like I did and we know how to take care of little unwashed people like you I've got to go now and talk to someone else and tell them the same things see you at the end of next month.
Possible Progress In The Gulf, In Spite Of The Federal Government
The Wall Street Journal reports that tests are being run on a giant oil skimmer, a tanker retrofitted by it Japanese owners.
Now, compare and contrast.
This is the entrepreneurial approach:
The day the Deepwater Horizon exploded, TMT CEO Nobu Su ordered the A Whale, a brand-new $160 million cargo hauler, to start sailing west from China, while he commissioned Hyundai engineers to devise a plan to covert it into a skimmer. The plans were worked out by the time the ship made it to a Portugal shipyard, where it was modified.
After water is ingested through the ship's vents, it is pumped into a series of containers, where oil rises to the top of the water over several days. The oil is then siphoned into a separate container, before being transferred to a tanker. In Portugal, the ship tested its intake process on water sprayed with fire foam, since using oil was out of the question. It proved effective, the company said. TNT has two more ships, B Whale and C Whale, that are in the process of being turned into skimming vessels.
This, on the other hand, is the Obama Federal Government approach:
EPA guidelines require that the discharged water contain no more than 15 parts per million of oil—a difficult standard to meet, said Prof. Overton. The federal on-scene coordinator can exempt the discharge from the Clean Water Act standard.
In other words, the EPA has decided it would rather let 50k barrels of oil per day not be cleaned up, rather than have equipment in place that cleans up, say ninety percent of the problem. Does this make sense to any sane person that actually wants the problem solved?
But wait, there's more!
One deterrent to getting more skimmers to the Gulf is a federal requirement under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 that both the U.S. Navy and state jurisdictions around the country had to have a certain number of skimmers on hand in the event of an oil spill.
Earlier this week, the Coast Guard and EPA issued a temporary rule relaxing the federal skimmer requirements through December, freeing up the number of skimmers available to be used in the Gulf. But some politicians still decried how long it took to get the change approved.
"The president and his administration need to be moving heaven and Earth to get those ships there tomorrow," Sen. George LeMieux (R., Fla.) said in an interview Friday. "In fact, they should have been there 50 days ago."
In other words, we've got lots of equipment on hand, but we're not going to use it, and we're not going to consider using obvious common sense. Let's fight a three-alarm blaze with a garden hose only--that pumper truck in the firehouse might be needed for fire hydrant maintenance and local parades.
Only two conclusions can be drawn: Either this Administration is completely inept, or...they don't want a solution, because they want to use this tragedy as a means to seize more power. Given the anecdotes of recent encounters between Obama and senators Kyl and Lamar Alexander, OldSouth suspects the latter scenario.
He truly, sincerely hopes he is mistaken.
Now, compare and contrast.
This is the entrepreneurial approach:
The day the Deepwater Horizon exploded, TMT CEO Nobu Su ordered the A Whale, a brand-new $160 million cargo hauler, to start sailing west from China, while he commissioned Hyundai engineers to devise a plan to covert it into a skimmer. The plans were worked out by the time the ship made it to a Portugal shipyard, where it was modified.
After water is ingested through the ship's vents, it is pumped into a series of containers, where oil rises to the top of the water over several days. The oil is then siphoned into a separate container, before being transferred to a tanker. In Portugal, the ship tested its intake process on water sprayed with fire foam, since using oil was out of the question. It proved effective, the company said. TNT has two more ships, B Whale and C Whale, that are in the process of being turned into skimming vessels.
This, on the other hand, is the Obama Federal Government approach:
EPA guidelines require that the discharged water contain no more than 15 parts per million of oil—a difficult standard to meet, said Prof. Overton. The federal on-scene coordinator can exempt the discharge from the Clean Water Act standard.
In other words, the EPA has decided it would rather let 50k barrels of oil per day not be cleaned up, rather than have equipment in place that cleans up, say ninety percent of the problem. Does this make sense to any sane person that actually wants the problem solved?
But wait, there's more!
One deterrent to getting more skimmers to the Gulf is a federal requirement under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 that both the U.S. Navy and state jurisdictions around the country had to have a certain number of skimmers on hand in the event of an oil spill.
Earlier this week, the Coast Guard and EPA issued a temporary rule relaxing the federal skimmer requirements through December, freeing up the number of skimmers available to be used in the Gulf. But some politicians still decried how long it took to get the change approved.
"The president and his administration need to be moving heaven and Earth to get those ships there tomorrow," Sen. George LeMieux (R., Fla.) said in an interview Friday. "In fact, they should have been there 50 days ago."
In other words, we've got lots of equipment on hand, but we're not going to use it, and we're not going to consider using obvious common sense. Let's fight a three-alarm blaze with a garden hose only--that pumper truck in the firehouse might be needed for fire hydrant maintenance and local parades.
Only two conclusions can be drawn: Either this Administration is completely inept, or...they don't want a solution, because they want to use this tragedy as a means to seize more power. Given the anecdotes of recent encounters between Obama and senators Kyl and Lamar Alexander, OldSouth suspects the latter scenario.
He truly, sincerely hopes he is mistaken.
Homer Hickam Shares Wisdom From Coalwood, West Virginia: We Are Not Afraid
Homer Hickam is a wonderful author, whose subject is the American culture and spirit. If you have read Rocket Boys, you know his story. If you have ever seen the movie October Skies, you've seen the Hollywood version.
Homer's story is an inspiration, and continues to this day.
Today, he shared his remarks upon receiving the Audie Murphy Patriotism Award, in which he repeats his core message: We Are Not Afraid.
He goes on to share what he learned from his hometown of Coalwood, West Virginia, who taught him to not be afraid.
We are proud of who we are.
We stand up for what we believe.
We keep our family together.
We trust in God but rely on ourselves.
His remarks may be found here, and come highly recommended. He closes with the story of Reverend Richard, a local clergyman. Only a heart of stone could be unmoved by his words.
Have a blessed Fourth of July, wherever you are. It is such a blessing to belong to this wonderful country, and to be a Southerner to boot.
Rocket Boys
October Sky
Homer's story is an inspiration, and continues to this day.
Today, he shared his remarks upon receiving the Audie Murphy Patriotism Award, in which he repeats his core message: We Are Not Afraid.
He goes on to share what he learned from his hometown of Coalwood, West Virginia, who taught him to not be afraid.
We are proud of who we are.
We stand up for what we believe.
We keep our family together.
We trust in God but rely on ourselves.
His remarks may be found here, and come highly recommended. He closes with the story of Reverend Richard, a local clergyman. Only a heart of stone could be unmoved by his words.
Have a blessed Fourth of July, wherever you are. It is such a blessing to belong to this wonderful country, and to be a Southerner to boot.
Rocket Boys
October Sky
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Lincoln On The Declaration Of Independence: 'Let Me Entreat You To Come Back'
Compliments of the University of Michigan Library Collected Works of Lincoln project.
In 1858, the United States were coming unraveled over the question of slavery, among several vexing issues. The radical abolitionists, such as Harriet Beecher Stowe and William Lloyd Garrison were unbending in their calls for immediate abolition, irrespective of consequences. Garrison himself, at times, had called for dissolution of the Union over the question. Those on the other side of the question were just as unbending. Lincoln stood in the middle, for both the preservation of the Union and the abolition of slavery. It was a lonely stance at the time, as blood was already being spilled in the western territories. Lincoln pointed out that the founders attempted to address the long-term quandry by banning the slave-trade after 1808 in the Constitution. Obviously, this did not work, but he maintained that the effort was a noble intent, and warned against vilifying the Founders because their solution was imperfect. He appealed to the Declaration of Independence as the core set of ideas by which America should be defined, and by which all decisions should be judged.
This is an account of Lincoln's remarks, as transcribed by a stenographer:
[begin excerpt]
(Chicago Press and Tribune, August 21, 1858. The fragmentary text of this speech as given in the Press and Tribune was widely copied in other papers. Although there are reports in other papers originating from other correspondents, only this one gives a verbatim transcription of any considerable portion of the speech.)
These communities, by their representatives in old Independence Hall, said to the whole world of men: ``We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.''
This was their majestic interpretation of the economy of the Universe. This was their lofty, and wise, and noble understanding of the justice of the Creator to His creatures. [Applause.]
Yes, gentlemen, to all His creatures, to the whole great family of man. In their enlightened belief, nothing stamped with the Divine image and likeness was sent into the world to be trodden on, and degraded, and imbruted by its fellows. They grasped not only the whole race of man then living, but they reached forward and seized upon the farthest posterity. They erected a beacon to guide their children and their children's children, and the countless myriads who should inhabit the earth in other ages.
Wise statesmen as they were, they knew the tendency of prosperity to breed tyrants, and so they established these great self-evident truths, that when in the distant future some man, some faction, some interest, should set up the doctrine that none but rich men, or none but white men, were entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, their posterity might look up again to the Declaration of Independence and take courage to renew the battle which their fathers began---so that truth, and justice, and mercy, and all the humane and Christian virtues might not be extinguished from the land; so that no man would hereafter dare to limit and circumscribe the great principles on which the temple of liberty was being built. [Loud cheers.]
Now, my countrymen (Mr. Lincoln continued with great earnestness,) if you have been taught doctrines conflicting with the great landmarks of the Declaration of Independence; if you have listened to suggestions which would take away from its grandeur, and mutilate the fair symmetry of its proportions; if you have been inclined to believe that all men are not created equal in those inalienable rights enumerated by our chart of liberty, let me entreat you to come back. Return to the fountain whose waters spring close by the blood of the Revolution.
Think nothing of me---take no thought for the political fate of any man whomsoever---but come back to the truths that are in the Declaration of Independence.
You may do anything with me you choose, if you will but heed these sacred principles. You may not only defeat me for the Senate, but you may take me and put me to death. While pretending no indifference to earthly honors, I do claim to be actuated in this contest by something higher than an anxiety for office. I charge you to drop every paltry and insignificant thought for any man's success. It is nothing; I am nothing; Judge Douglas is nothing. But do not destroy that immortal emblem of Humanity---the Declaration of American Independence.
The Paucity of News Coverage On The Gulf Spill Seems Strange
...but Doug Ross offers some insight and further links.
OS felt his stomach clutch as he reviewed these photos.
OS felt his stomach clutch as he reviewed these photos.
Jesse's July 4 Thoughts
Found here, Jesse once again integrates his financial acumen with the appeal to both reason and conscience.
It is well worth the time spent reading.
Good wishes to all.
It is well worth the time spent reading.
Good wishes to all.
Words That Sing Through History: The Declaration Of Independence
Here you will find the link to a transcription of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.
It's always a good thing to review these words from time to time, just to keep them fresh in one's mind. OldSouth offers them in the hope that they will be read slowly and deliberately. Thomas Jefferson did not mince words, each one was carefully chosen. In Jefferson's world, words were serious things, and each had meaning.
It was an announcement, to be sure, but also as an explanation, an appeal to reason, a plea for support from the rest of the world. The signers knew that they were in uncharted waters, committing treason against the Crown, so a careful explanation was in order.
(OS has taken the liberty of formatting the copy for ease of reading.)
It's the opening of the second paragraph that sings through history:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
--That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
Words have meaning. Well-crafted words, crafted to be read in public, have a peculiar power.
If you have ever been in a crowd of people on July 4, and heard these words decalimed verbatim, you probably have sensed that collective sense of awe that so often asserts itself on the occasion. Some twenty-two years ago, on one hot July 4, OldSouth, a much younger man, stood in a crowd, heard these words, sensed that a whole lot more was possible in his life than he had perhaps suspected. He decided to take action to live out those possibilities, because it was just not going to be possible for the present state of affairs to continue. It had become a matter of life-or-death, change-or-die in 1988, just like in 1776. The details don't matter, but the decision led a war of sorts in his world, and a new life built out of the ashes. It wasn't pleasant, it wasn't pretty, but all OS now has and is flows from that decision. He owes Mr. Jefferson a real debt.
The final paragraph has a power of its own. It is the definition of freedom itself.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States;
that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved;
and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
A most happy Fourth of July, wherever you are in the world.
It's always a good thing to review these words from time to time, just to keep them fresh in one's mind. OldSouth offers them in the hope that they will be read slowly and deliberately. Thomas Jefferson did not mince words, each one was carefully chosen. In Jefferson's world, words were serious things, and each had meaning.
It was an announcement, to be sure, but also as an explanation, an appeal to reason, a plea for support from the rest of the world. The signers knew that they were in uncharted waters, committing treason against the Crown, so a careful explanation was in order.
(OS has taken the liberty of formatting the copy for ease of reading.)
It's the opening of the second paragraph that sings through history:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
--That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
Words have meaning. Well-crafted words, crafted to be read in public, have a peculiar power.
If you have ever been in a crowd of people on July 4, and heard these words decalimed verbatim, you probably have sensed that collective sense of awe that so often asserts itself on the occasion. Some twenty-two years ago, on one hot July 4, OldSouth, a much younger man, stood in a crowd, heard these words, sensed that a whole lot more was possible in his life than he had perhaps suspected. He decided to take action to live out those possibilities, because it was just not going to be possible for the present state of affairs to continue. It had become a matter of life-or-death, change-or-die in 1988, just like in 1776. The details don't matter, but the decision led a war of sorts in his world, and a new life built out of the ashes. It wasn't pleasant, it wasn't pretty, but all OS now has and is flows from that decision. He owes Mr. Jefferson a real debt.
The final paragraph has a power of its own. It is the definition of freedom itself.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States;
that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved;
and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
A most happy Fourth of July, wherever you are in the world.
Athens On Lake Michigan: Illinois Cannot Pay Its Bills, Won't Raise Taxes, And Cannot Borrow
Even the Yew Nork Times can no longer avert its eyes from what has happened to the state that sent us all The Winner of The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, whose cronies have run the place for years.
It's worth the time to read, if only to see how the cracks in the official story line that The One, having been elected, would lead us all to The Promised Land. Remember?
So, here's a taste of reality in Illinois:
...Illinois is caught between blue state convictions about social safety nets and a red state aversion to taxes. For years, the Democratic-controlled legislature has passed budgets that are, in effect, in deficit. Lawmakers routinely skip around the state’s balanced-budget law, with few consequences. (Republicans are near monolithic in voting against any tax increases and borrowings. When one broke ranks to try to keep the pension solvent, he was stripped of a committee position, reducing his pay and pension.)
The state’s income tax burden is not terribly high — Illinois ranks in the bottom half of states — and its government is not terribly large. (The budgets in New York and California, per capita, are much larger). Even if the state cut out all family and human services spending, more than half of the budget deficit would remain.
As comptroller, Mr. Hynes has trained his attention on the public and nonprofit agencies that rely on state money; he tends to roll his eyes at the notion that slashing alone is a solution.
Let's remember, this is a state run by The One's friends, where Himself cut His political teeth. This is the model he knows an endorses, the one set into motion when he moved to Washington.
It's worth the time to read, if only to see how the cracks in the official story line that The One, having been elected, would lead us all to The Promised Land. Remember?
So, here's a taste of reality in Illinois:
...Illinois is caught between blue state convictions about social safety nets and a red state aversion to taxes. For years, the Democratic-controlled legislature has passed budgets that are, in effect, in deficit. Lawmakers routinely skip around the state’s balanced-budget law, with few consequences. (Republicans are near monolithic in voting against any tax increases and borrowings. When one broke ranks to try to keep the pension solvent, he was stripped of a committee position, reducing his pay and pension.)
The state’s income tax burden is not terribly high — Illinois ranks in the bottom half of states — and its government is not terribly large. (The budgets in New York and California, per capita, are much larger). Even if the state cut out all family and human services spending, more than half of the budget deficit would remain.
As comptroller, Mr. Hynes has trained his attention on the public and nonprofit agencies that rely on state money; he tends to roll his eyes at the notion that slashing alone is a solution.
Let's remember, this is a state run by The One's friends, where Himself cut His political teeth. This is the model he knows an endorses, the one set into motion when he moved to Washington.
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