Corruption, Part III - Non-Profit Organizations

http://www.thedailysheeple.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/corrution-a.jpg

Not too long ago, about a year ago to be exact, CNN and the Times teamed up together to tell us about non-profit organizations, primarily charities, that raise money, often times under names that closely resemble good reliable charities, then either pay for-profit companies to solicit donations for them, or pocket the money for themselves.  Here's the story, you of course are going to absolutely love it:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/13/us/worst-charities/

Now, we've covered corruption in business.  Non-profits, I don't care how much you say it, are, regardless, businesses in and of themselves.  I could never really understand how you can call yourself non-profit, when you have to be in it to make some money.  No one starts a non-profit for the purpose of helping others, they do it because they need to be gainfully employed for themselves.  It's not possible to run a non-profit organization for no personal gain, you have to pay bills, pay employees, your own rent and feed your family.  So, therefore, a non-profit organization by its very definition is, no matter how you slice it, for profit...for SOMEONE - whether it be yourself or for the people that work for you.  About the only exception to that rule would probably be the already rich guy who starts a charity, a guy who already has everything he could ever want.  Of course, he'll be a generous soul.  This isn't to say, by the way, that there aren't tons of people out there, that, if they had the money, they'd do exactly what this guy's doing.  The difference, of course, is that they'd do it for the right and selfless reasons.

I just thought that, just for kicks....that maybe I should do this post just a little bit different.  Anyone can rattle the facts off to you.  But, just for fun, I think I'll turn this around a little...be unique.  So here's what we're gonna do kids...let's play role play.

I'll be the big bad non-profit idea, and you can be my partner that I'll sell on the idea.

"Hey, how are ya?  Name's Chris, and you just popped in on a very unique opportunity my friend.  You see, I was just sitting around the house...you know, moping around, bitching about the bills...thinkin' about how I never have enough money, you know?

Then it hit me...oh my God, why didn't I think of it before?  You know how you're always hearing about non-profs drummin' up millions...for cancer, for the eco-system, for AIDS, for trans-sexual rights, whatever, right?  I hear this stuff's EASY to get into my friend...I mean, I hate all that stuff...really sick, the way people treat animals, maybe we should start something that deals with that, I'm thinkin'...and there isn't anybody on earth that would turn us away, would they?  Nothing like a starving horse with his ribs showing or a picture of a dog with a chain mark around his neck and sad eyes to bring that money in...I know I'd give after I see that stuff.  Play 'em on the heartstrings, and the wallet is on auto-open.  I know mine would be, were places reversed.

So, here's the easy way of it...we get a hold of one of those grant writers...you know, the guy who gets the money from the government for these things, and we pay the guy to start writing..we ask for the money to buy a building of course, but if they can't get that, it's no biggie, we'll have him write to get us the lease money instead, and we can use that money to pay our rent and bills instead.  You and me, we can just work the phones ourselves for a while; you know, to save us the money on leasing a building and paying employees.  Then when we pay ourselves; we can collect double, since we're not really leasing that building.  Then we get us an accountant, you know, the kind that wouldn't mind bending the rules a little, maybe for a few extra bucks in his pockets here and there.

But here's the real beauty of it pal, the long and the short.  We find ourselves a name...one that sounds an awful lot like one that's a lot more reputable one...like...The Canine Rescue League...or the Wildlife Conservation Organization...make sure too, that when you're talking to your donors, use the acronym a lot, you know, like you've been in business for years, and it sounds like you've been doing this a while.  Hell, if you say it fast enough it almost sounds like the ARL.  You know, skip past the C as fast as you can.

Anyways, so people give up their money for charity...we start by getting a pretty nice salary anyway.  We're already gonna get double what we would normal, thanks to saving on the leasing of a building.  Hell, we might as well just pay ourselves an employee salary to boot, since we'll be doing most the work ourselves.

So anyway, we keep this on the up and up.  We find good places to send at least half our money donated to a few reputable places that deal with animals.  We pick some big names too, some that would give us some GOLDEN references.  Yeah, so we keep this up on the right for about a year...file taxes, make nice.  Then next year, we hire us oh, sayyy...20 or so people.  Have them man the phones.  Train 'em real well like we've learned to be.  We get them raising us a couple million this year.  We pay our employees well, we'll be able to keep 'em on board...by year two?  We should be able to find all kinds of places to hide the extra money.  Oh, sure, we'll keep sending the same amounts of money to the same places we have been, but since we only brought in $39,000 last year, and filed that, should be pretty easy to convince them we only brought about 20 or 25 thousand the next.  The folks we got last year, we're sure to be calling them again, since they've already heard our name.  We pay our accountant well to make sure he stays all loyal and stuff.  Round the end of the year?  We make sure and give our employees a  nice severance, then tell 'em we had to close this branch to help out the headquarters...you know the expenses a non-profit incurs, we're very sorry..oh, and whats that, relocation?  I'm really sorry, but the next nearest CRL is in St. Louis...you're more than welcome to apply on the website though...", then we close up shop, pat the girlies on the rump as they walk out that door with a nice severance and a small token thank you $20 bill.  We net a cool mil or two, then we move on to, say, Minneapolis and do the same thing, maybe a different charity type, different name...you feel where I'm going pal?  I don't really see how we can lose...long as we don't stay anywhere too long, and don't get greedy."

Not too hard a sell is it?  Oh sure, there are states and cities that have sufficient scrutiny in place to see this coming.  But there still way too many scammy charities out there who pay little...or nothing of what they bring in to the very thing they're raising that money for.  Worse yet, local and federal government does little to nothing to stop them.  Some have been warned to cease ops over and over and over again, and are still running...if not under that name, under a new one in a better and safer locations.

And you know, it's really pretty funny, I think about how much more paranoid you get about things like this as you get older; but you know, you can't really even trust websites anymore either.  Worse, you may be reading something that rates the top charities and the worst...and, after you've given up your money, you read another articles that rates the same charities in the opposite order, and, upon further investigation, you find out that the top ten rated charities are all owned by the same people.  And they're all rotten to the core, and you just donated to them getting that Maserati they've had their eye on for some time, that's for sure!

My suggestion to you, America?  Never take phone calls for charity.  And for God's sake, don't donate online all crazy either!  Don't take anybody's word for it, check things out for yourself.  Stick with names you know already (by heart), and check into anybody who comes close to a name, but it doesn't sound QUITE RIGHT.  Make sure and write up the ones that sound scammy, and report them immediately to your local Attorney General's office.    :D

Corruption, Part II: Business

http://business-fundas.com/2010/corruption-is-business-part-1/

Corruption in business is almost a standard in America, which, in and of itself, is one of the most massive harbingers of our eventual downfall.  Money flows through, into and out of our system so fast, it's impossible to tell where it comes from and where it goes anymore.  It's borrowed, lent, laundered, printed and destroyed so much, that the value of it is becoming anything but intrinsic.

What gets me, is that the dollar, which has been essentially non-backed by anything since 1913, is still portrayed as worth something in today's market.  It hasn't been...nor will it be worth, diddly...ever again.  For those of you that are unfamiliar with economics, when it was backed by visible gold and silver, then, and only then was it worth the paper it was printed on.  The appearance of the Federal Reserve Note signaled the eventual end of the dollars worth.  Oh, I've read things that say the dollar is just worth that...one dollar, to the rest of the world.  Bah!  If it's worth two cents (which I heard it was 20 years ago), I'll be shocked.  No, today's dollar, in case you're not sure, is worth the same as $20 was 50 years ago.  Wouldn't that put its current worth pretty much in the red?  Every federal reserve note you see is another bill of our debt that is supposed to represent what backs it up...which, if you believe the rest of the world (and myself - Please see America's ORIGINAL 26 Deadly sins, Day #6), Ft. Knox and the Fed are both empty of one single ounce in Gold.  The more we print up, the less it's worth, and it would seem that there's an awful lot of new money out there.

You're hearing, more and more these days, about an economic collapse, due to hit this year.  While a great deal of this is just others trying to make some cash off of gullible American Sheeple, utilizing "free" information they're selling (which is really very very funny...why ask for people to send you $39.99 for the reports proving this...if the dollar is gonna crash in a few months anyway??  Y'all are KILLING ME.  What, you're doing this in hopes you can live the good life for 3 months before it all goes south??  Gimme a break!), it truly wouldn't surprise me even a little if it did.  It'll happen for sure at some point...it has to.  You can't even see the numbers on the debt clock go up anymore they go by so fast now.  There's other stories out there that Obama plans to bring in another Golden Age too; that he's holding back on the reports that show just how much oil we've uncovered in Texas these days with vertical drilling, more than we've ever had, and more than any other oil producing nation to date; so that, when the time comes, he can raise us from the dead, in order to become so wildly popular that we'll beg him to serve more terms (hence the 3rd term rumor).  Whatever the case, we're either gonna be saved...or we're going to be doomed.  Hard to imagine either one at this point, but whatever goes, it won't be pretty, I'm certain.

I think the thing that bugs me the most is that, in our gross naivete, Americans fall for pretty much the same things over...and over...and over again.  But the lack of futures, of nest eggs, or anything to leave to our descendants brings us back around again, to try and trust, just so some scammer can take all our money away again.  I mean really, if we don't know how to recognize a Ponzi scheme by now, come on!!  And to all of you who dream up these little schemes, you may get away with your life this time, but for truly, someday, you're gonna screw the wrong American and...well, I wouldn't wanna be you, that's for sure.

It amazes me, the grand scale that some of these businesses and their scams get away with...as well as, regardless of years in jail, that these folks are accountable for after they get done spending millions of dollars of other people's money.  What's more, the lack of laws that should be in place to protect us, just in case.  But you see, we smaller people don't really matter, either to big business, or the judicial branch, either one.  The corruption is so rampant now, it's almost so commonplace as to be legal.  Sodom nor Gomorrah had nothing on our cities and their corporations, America.  We cater to them through our Government.  Bribery, Lobbying, its all there, and like anything else bad in the world, if you see it enough, you come to be OK with it.  Well, I'm sorry, but it's NOT OK, and you will be stood up to, believe that.  Someday, this little guy's voice WILL be heard, and the days of good business practice will be revived, of that you can bet.

They say business is corrupt...I say, in America, corruption is a business.  So the next time you're in a meeting, and someone says "OK, let's get down to business, shall we?"  Put your hand on your wallet and hold on tight, because chances are, you're fixin' to lose it.  :D

Corruption - Part I: The Police/Police State

http://brooklynpersonalinjurylawyers.co/police-brutality

Hey America!!  Guess what?  Everybody liked the last series so much, I thought maybe another one might be a good thing.  Let's do this one, hmmmm?  CORRUPTION.

And, where does corruption start and why?  Well, here's the funny thing about that.  Corruption starts with power, generally.

Corruption can also start with good honest people, generally after power is handed over to them or given to them freely. Let's say you're a bit of a submissive, and I told you that you have absolute power over everything I do.  The first thing you'd say is "Oh, don't be silly...I could never exercise that over you..."  Then when I keep insisting, well, you might re-think it.  See there, what I did?  I simultaneously planted doubt in your mind as to the power I offered you, as well as made you wonder if maybe this might be a good thing.  Then, let's say maybe I do something you don't like, and, remembering the power I offered you, you decide to test the waters...see what happens.  You then say "Hey!!  Don't do that, I don't really like that!!"  You will, more than likely, shrink back a bit, awaiting my usual fight in return...and it doesn't come.  I now say "Hey, it's OK.  You have that power now you know", as I give you an acknowledging nod and apologize, then refrain from my action.  Next thing you know, you're interjecting over what I say and do every time you see or hear something you don't like.  Once I stop standing up to you, you realize the power I offered you is real and true, and, once you figure that out, you might just abuse that privilege a little.  You then start balking me about petty things that really DON'T bother you, you just start enjoying your power more.  After that, I start noticing you trying what you do to me on others, thinking maybe they might back off a little too.  Hand the reigns over to a normally passive person, it isn't long before they're in the driver's seat, breaking the laws (of control) left and right.  Why?  You know why.  Absolute power?  Corrupts absolutely.

The same thing tends to happen with other people as well.  The accountant you put in charge of all of your finances, and you have a LOT of finances!  The thoughts going through this person's head after a while start to read like this:  "Hey, nobody else checks his books, not even the wife!  What would be the harm of taking a dollar or two out of the black column, say once a day?"  Or there's that new manager at the fast food restaurant you work for, who, just a year ago was flipping burgers right alongside of you and laughing at your jokes; and who is now tearing you a new orifice.  And let's not forget those sweet wonderful women who marry successful husbands. and who are now waited on hand and foot by them.  They were awful nice at first, what happened?  Now spoiled rotten by said husbands, you find yourself standing next to them at TJ Maxx, listening to them tongue-lash the store clerk because there was a small stitch malfunction in her new dress; all the while wondering how you ever considered this woman as a good possible friend of yours; and then turning 20 shades of red, as she draws attention to you that you never wanted to be a part of.

Probably a more notable and obvious example of corruptible-type people are our government officials - city, state, federal, it matters not.  They're candidates for the people while they try for the position, but just as soon as they get where they want to be, they begin suffering from a special strain of amnesia, indigenous to politicians, that causes them to forget about the people who put them there, whom they serve, who they really are and where they came from.  Now, instead, they choose to concentrate on more important matters.  Like how much their cut of the action might be if they help get this new law or that new law passed, how to help in covering up whatever trouble the higher-ups got themselves into, and, of course, how they can get re-elected when their term end nears.

Of course, the most terrifying and infuriating example isn't our government, our friends, or our mates.  There's really only one group on the face of this planet that makes me so angry I want to hang each and every one of them upside down and burn holes in their clothing with cigarette cherries -  and daily at that.  Yes, of course, I'm speaking of our boys in Blue.  Or Black.  Grey.  Olive Drab.  Whatever the color of their uniforms, I'm talking about the police.  Our "Protect(ors) and Serv(ant)e" persons.  Government officials make me angry too, for sure, but these guys....these people are in my neighborhood every...single...day.  They're asposed to be looking out for me and mine.  Oh, I'm sure their intentions are grand when they go in.  Heck, I'm even sure the better majority of them really want to bust real criminals and uphold the law, on their way in.  I'd even have to say, that when they come out of police training, they feel the same.  But as the badge on their shirt gets less shiny, month after month, something happens to these people.  Sure, they know the law, they've rattled it off more than they care to admit...but pretty soon, some of the more brazen of these keepers of the peace begin to make up their own laws, or at the very least, their own personal version of them.  Just like any job on earth (with the possible exception being the severity of this job on the human brain), after you work it for a while, and become more sure of your footing, you begin to imagine things you have little or no right to think.

Your job is tougher...you risk your life daily, you deserve more for doing it.  Things like this we've all imagined from time to time on our own jobs.  The options for the rest of us, not in a position of power, are rather limited.  It's either figure out a way to convince your boss you deserve more for the job you do (something that nearly never works out for you...ever); or figure out a scheme involving your job that could possibly make more money for you.  Then you conceive a way to rip the company off, get nailed by the accounting department, then get jailed.  Promptly.

Police-persons, on the other hand, (I think I just thought of the subject of my next post series - SOFT LANGUAGE) have oodles of options.  And they abuse these options on  a regular basis too.  Not only can you rip your "company" off, you can do it...without worry, consequence or accountability, as long as you don't get greedy about it...if that's possible for us Americans anyway.  It's like eating a Lay's Potato Chip...no one can eat just one!  Or opening an Oreo cookie package and reaching for a cookie...and you look again, and you've finished off half the package.  Corruption happens just like that.  One minute you're dipping out of the drug bust you made for an ounce, then before you know it, you're grabbing entire bricks, as you think "they didn't miss that ounce, I'm betting they won't miss a half a pound", and the corrupt officer is born.

Oh, but you know it's not just stealing we're talking about.  No, badge abuse never stops with theft, it can sift over to other things as well...like law-breaking.  "This guy's a real puke, he raped that girl last week.  Surely people would see me as a real hero if maybe I broke his jaw "accidentally" before he got to the police station." If it stopped there, and only happened in situations like this, every once a year or so, I'd say that officer might just get away with that. No, but it can't stop there, mostly because corruption is all-consuming, and only gets worse and worse.  That same officer then starts doing this sort of thing to people he might believe did what was said, before they're tried for their guilt.  The cuffs go on ridiculously tight, he sorta "bangs" the perp's head into the side of the police car as he's putting them in the back seat.  Not long after that, every one's fair game, innocent and guilty alike, male or female, adult or child.  They get away with more and more, and soon enough, their badge is their shield.  Nothing can touch them.  If you do something wrong, it's not a big deal, they just get suspended with pay anyway, right? Just until this blows over...

You might even wonder what it was that set me off on this path today.  Oh, trust me kids, this article's been a while in coming, let alone a whole series, I didn't even see that one coming.  It wasn't even considered then.  What set me off was a slew of Facebook posts, which aptly included a girl with special needs, 18, who wheeled herself out of her apartment with a knife in her hand because she was afraid of the outdoors, and was brutally murdered by police.  I suppose it's only fair of me to say, on the side of police, that she was the reason that 911 was called.  I suppose it would be equally fair to the victim to say that, they had dialed to get EMT's, not the police; and that they had done this before, and EMT's had come the rest of the times they'd had problems dealing with her.

The officer who shot her?  You got it, suspended with pay...til things blow over.  That website, including video of the newscast?  One of several that have been cropping up everywhere lately, and that I've referred to over and over again.  Here's the link for that video, as well as several like it:

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/family-dials-9-1-1-medical-family-member-cops-show-instead-kill/

Please also see:

www.copblock.org

And, of course, you've heard me refer to "Sheeple", over and over again...these folks are the coiners of the term.

http://www.thedailysheeple.com/

Visit their website, and support their freedom of speech rights at all costs.  Please, if you have a few minutes, check out this story and this video as well, it brought real salty-like tears to my cheek:

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/no-knock-raid-lindy-american-police-state/

Or, if your favorites bar is overloaded, and you just don't really feel like adding any new sites?  There's always the search box of good ol' Google...filled with only two words:  Police and Brutality.  You'll be filled immediately with YouTube video a-plenty.  It's because of folks such as these that the bell tolls and the truth is revealed, my dear readers.  If it weren't for them exposing the truth without consequence (yet...) that I'm able to blog to you with this many sins (thus far anyway).  Fight for your rights America, fight to preserve them, or the hammer may fall on us...hard, and fast.  :D

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UPDATE:  OMG AMERICA!!  There has been U.S. Supreme Court decisions about being able to film the police in order to keep them from abusing their privelege...they say it's ok!!  And now APPLE, and the iPhone, are banding together with big brother to say NO!!  It's not NOT ok.  Apple has a patent on a technology that will give the police a way to disable all phones in an area where there is police activity taking place.  BAN THE iPhone!!  Write your congressmen!!  NOW, before your rights are GONE!!

http://www.mybrotherzkeeper.com/man-sues-st-paul-alleging-police-brutality/

Homelessness

Photo: Rachel Monroe/Monroe's Dragonfly

Oh my Lord America.  I gotta say this, this is the most sickening thing about this, our beautiful country.  If I could just put my finger on something, press hard, push your face into it, anything...ANYTHING to make you ill, this is it.  There is no....excuse....for this...in this country.  NONE.

Oh, we have reasons.  We have excuses a-plenty.  We know about this, yet we shut our eyes, turn our heads and some of us, with their very souls at risk, ignore it completely, like it doesn't even exist.  Don't think I haven't seen that one America, and a lot of it.

I remember walking through the streets of Chicago one morning, and there on the corner was, not only a homeless man, but his dog as well, complete with ribs you could play your favorite tune on.  A group of say 3-4 business men, all in their 30's or so, hurried along Monroe Street, talking shop.  A quick glance to the side as they came closer, and wow.  All of a sudden, it was like death in the group.  A couple yanked out their phones, checking for non-existent messages...one started to point the opposite direction, like there was anything to look at save more tall buildings.  Makes you want to run up to at least one, punch them in the face, grab them by the scruff of their necks and crane their heads back in the direction they should be looking.

You want to know why you look away America?  You can't look, and you know why.  That guy and his dog, they remind you of someone.  Funny, he almost looks like your father, doesn't he?  Wait no, your brother.  Your KID brother.  He had a dog just like him, didn't he?  Wait...oh yeah....your best friend.  Your Uncle.  Oh my God, your SON!!

That's right.  Your brothers, people.  Your American brothers are homeless...jobless...on the street.  You know who takes care of these people?  Us poorer people do.  We, the lower class are forever shoving dollars in their cups, knowing we can barely take care of ourselves...but a majority of us know what being homeless is all about.  Either we've been there, or we've known people who have.

Yeah, that's one reason.  Here's another.  You put those people on that corner.  You, right along with corporate America put Joe Smith on that corner, and you know it.  You're the VP at the corporate giant who put Mr. Small Business....out of business.  You're the Manager of Operations at the plant that dumped waste into that lake that, every summer, drew a slew of vacationers to it.  Jane Doe, the local owner of a bait and boat shop rental had to close her doors this year because of it.  The bank reclaimed her home, and now Jane and her family are out on that corner today.  Oh, it might not be EXACTLY who you see...but it could be, just as well.  In your eyes, America, every homeless person you see looks JUST like that person you wronged, inadvertently, or not.  Guilt.  Thank God SOME of us still have consciences.  Not that we pay attention or do anything about it, mind you...but we can still have one.

Here's my favorite though.  You really, truly, are completely naive about it.  You just don't know.  I can understand this, no one wants to talk about it, and that means that there are really and truly people out there who have no clue whatsoever what the numbers really are.

This is where I come in.  You'll have those numbers America.  If it kills me, you'll have them, as big as I can make them too.  Maybe if we lived in the Congo.  Quite possibly, had we been born in Venezuala.

But, as we are the 6th most prosperous country in the world, and leading the world in power, we have run out of excuses.

Did you know that we have five times as many empty houses as we have homeless people?  The reason we have homeless people again???

The number one reason for homelessness?  Lack of AFFORDABLE housing.  Do you think maybe this means we should possibly...LOWER THE COST?  PAY PEOPLE MORE?  Gee, I dunno.  MAAAAAAAAYBE.

More reasons?  Mental Illness/Substance Abuse, and the lack of services available to both.  Low paying jobs.  Yeah, DUH!!  Damaged foster children, when released at 18.  Job training for vets after Vietnam (we dropped the ball on this one, kids.  No Sense in trying to fix that one NOW).  The mentally challenged, currently or at some time in their past drug addicts, the current and past imprisoned population, and most assuredly FORMER criminals, who, because of technology, can't be employed; at some companies, FOREVER - because of computer background checks.  Natural Disasters:  a rather alarming and growing number of people are homeless due to this.   People who are evading law enforcement.  Adults and children who evade domestic violence.  Children who are thrown out of homes (or who run away from them because of) over the disapproval of their gender identity (LGBTQ), Overly complex building codes, foreclosures, evictions, lack of support network (friends, family), lack of resources in a community before homelessness becomes a problem, and Gutter Punks (people who choose to be homeless for political reasons or who are homeless to fight the system).

And, to round off the list, we, as a nation, have diverted 42%....that number again, forty-two percent of our focus, away from our own poverty and homeless population, and are helping other countries out with their problems (as of 2005 anyway...that number is probably a lot bigger by now).

Please, PLEASE don't get me wrong.  Philanthropy is my LIFE!!  I myself have nothing to very little, mostly thanks to my nature of helping others regardless of their reasons for being this way, believe that. Someday?  I might relate some of those stories.  Today, I'm more worried about what all of these numbers add up to.

The total?  That we know of anyway?  Well, the numbers are all over the board; and yet, no matter how high it is in actuality, there's STILL...NO....REASON for it that you can convince me of.  The reasons that are obvious are these:  Greed (See America's "26" original deadly sins, Day #7), Capitalism (Day #3)...oh hell, just see 'em all, ok?  Approximately though?  If we go with currently documented numbers, we're looking at somewhere around...

635, 682 at any one time.  Between 2.5 to 3.5 million will experience at least a few days of homelessness during the course of any given year.

Now, to give the government some credit, these numbers, as well as others related to utter homelessness, have been on the decline of late.  But I'll say it again, America, THESE NUMBERS ARE WAAAAAY TOO BIG...for us.

What to do, what to do.  Give to charity?  This one's pretty tricky.  With the advent of the WWW, the possibilities of giving to someone who isn't going to use it for its intended purpose is pretty grand.  Even the ones you KNOW are good, aren't...as much.  A lot of the biggies use a lot of what you give to paying employees, and expenses for having a base of operations, as well as having offices in just about every major city.

Make donations to local charities?  Same issues.  Give to food banks?  Use one sometime.  Make it a city/county/state driven one.  If you get more than 7 items per person, and are able to eat more than one meal, let me know will you?  I'd like to know where those places are.  Throw money into your church?  You never know where a lot of that goes, even worse, a lot of churches are very much of the "Looking out for US" philosophy.

Oh wait!!  HERE'S a thought.  Nooooooooo..........might be too intense, too radical, too stupid!!  Never mind...

OKOK, you talked me into it....the secret ingredient IS:

Give.  No, don't donate, don't support, don't fall for the BS...just plain ol' give.  Not stupidly, mind you.  Oh, there are players a plenty, usually occupying the same areas as the ones who really need you.  No, I'm talking about this:  Look across the street.  Look to your left and right.  If you see a problem, and you have extra?  GIVE.  Clean out your pantry, give an extra sack of that food you never wanted to buy in the first place to the neighbors with 6 kids, whose parents you've never met, because they work 25/8 of their time. Instead of throwing out the baby clothes, deliver them over to the mother that asked if you had a dollar she could borrow 'til Friday.  Instead of throwing out that tube TV, because you finally bought that 42" LG flat panel, stick a sign on it that says FREE and put it out, or call around to your friends and relatives and see if they know of anyone that could be interested in one.  Take a few extra minutes out of your crazy day and dedicate them to trying to find someone to help out.

And no, I don't mean you blue collar underpaid types.  Uh-uh.  No, I'm pointing at all you others.  White collars.  Business entrepreneurs.  You, the one who made a million last year from that new budding website. Bill Gates....YEAH YOU!!  It ISN'T the lower class's responsibility to take care of its own, it's YOURS!! You have more than you could feasibly spend in two lifetimes, GIVE BACK TO AMERICA.  America made you, and America can break you just as easily.  Give it up, and there might be something there for us to consider when we think of using a different operating system, buy another product you manufactured, or walk through your franchise's doors.  Give to your community, and for God's sake, if you see a homeless guy on the street, give him a gift card, or, better yet, ask him what he wants and go get it for him!!

Last but not least, here's one for all the real estate owners and companies in our greedy nation:  Come off of your sky-high horses.  Take care of our homeless, or suffer the inevitable consequences:  Squatters.  Home invaders.  Campers.  If you don't know what those words mean?  LOOK 'EM UP.  Look....there, on your cell-phone...Google it!!  Lower your rent prices, and for cryin' out loud, speak out against being in, supporting, or creating a rental group.  These groups, that exist for no other reason than get an occasional eviction or late rental payment, tend to make rental rules that shut out those of perceived "lesser value".

I hate to tell you people this, but pretty soon, there won't be a middle class.  There's only going to be those who have and those who don't.  And if you insist on inventing stupid rules like "Show me you make a minimum of 3x the money you need to pay the rent, in income", you're going to shut out, eventually, the very people that made you what you are today.  Next thing you know, your neighborhood will be empty, and all your properties will be for rent, and you'll wonder what the heck happened to your dreams of being a rental property mogul.  After that, your only option will be to give it all back up to the bank, or sell it at a massive loss to that extended stay hotel chain, who wouldn't mind putting up a building here...on your property.  In your neighborhood.  Right over the park and playground that used to be there, that at one time was filled to the brim with middle-classed kids.

If you have it, often-times more than you could possibly spend in your life-time, you had best look to your neighbors if you want to see them survive paying colossal interest rates on their home-loans, or pretty soon you'll see lights where there shouldn't be any, from fires homeless people tend to set to light up the empty house they invaded because it's been empty for a year, when it didn't look to be rented or bought anytime soon.  Pretty soon, these people tend to notice that you have more than you can handle, then decide that they'd like to relieve you of some of it.  :D

Freedom to Fascism - Part the Tenth (Finale!)

https://goodmorninggloucester.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/happy-john-lennon/

America *nods, so as to acknowledge your presence*...

Here we are, eh?  Finally.  The last of the month-long ten-parter that really only lasted 10 actual days, and that with 2 intermissions.  But I think we accomplished what we were after, did we not?

If you feel we have NOT as yet, well then:  For your consideration.  The last and final check marks.

Check Mark #25.  The Transfer of Power From the Legislative to the Executive branch.

Well, of course, we have to have a common understanding of the difference in the two branches, right?  So here we are then:  The Legislative Branch consists of Senators and Representatives, and all are our law-makers.  The Executive Branch is the President, and his cabinet.  Pretty simple right?  That is, until the lines get blurry...then I wonder.

Is there a shift of power?  Well, let's go back to that bit I wrote on Executive Orders, shall we?  Where was that again???  Oh yeah...This series, Part I, remember?  Considering that Executive Orders seem to just breeze by what we and Congress as a whole want without a second thought, then I'd say "When does our Legislature get its vote on this", or "When do we American Joes and Janes get OUR say?"

And really, if the President wants it that way, he can do whatever he wants to, as long as he stays on that line....the one between Democratic and UN-Democratic, between Constitutional and nnnnnot so much, and doesn't cross it.

Bills that go before our Legislature are signed into law (or vetoed) once the debate on whether they're a good thing or not is over.  I have to seriously believe too, after reading the wording on these bills, that most the time, the President probably only half-way looks at them anyway.  He probably just reads the title and the first couple of paragraphs to get the gist of them, then signs them into law or vetoes them depending on how he feels about that particular subject.  I don't think I'd get past the first couple pages after so many hundreds would have crossed over my desk.  I definitely can't say I envy his job, where that's concerned.

The Legislative Branch of our Government represents "We the People"...or at least it's supposed to.  If we bypass that part of the process on anything, we Americans will have less and less say in any matter.  It'll be up to the Executive Branch to decide.  That's when we'll lose our country, kids.  Moving right along...

Check Mark #26 - Assassinations of Popular Public Figures

There seems to be a fine line between being Popular, after a fashion, and being TOO popular in this country.  With the exception of our current President, it would seem that certain key figures, when their voices get too loud or too angry, tend to magically attract some lunatic, then get shot by him/her.  Funny how that works.  If we like them too much, or if they want too much reform, they just disappear.  John F.  Martin L. King.  John Lennon (I'm STILL trying to figure this one out...I'm thinking maybe he just wanted too much peace or something).  I'm certain if I attract too many people with my way of thinking, well, I just might mysteriously get bombed in my own home, or something similar.  Oh, you'll notice for a minute...then you'll just shake your heads and say "He was a good man...it's really too bad, isn't it?  Then within a year or two, you'll forget all about me.  How convenient.

It's OK though.  I figure, enough people get how I think, and then go..."Ooooooooooooh...He'd best be careful sayin' that!!"  Then I go missing?  I'm OK with the possibilities of Martyrdom.  If it gets others to question things, I'm OK with that, really.  I'm not afraid of it, not at this point.  I've had a nice full life.  No problemmo muchacho/muchacha.

Check Mark #28 - The President Claims the Right to Make War Whenever He Wants.

This is one of those that just drives me batty.  I wish I could remember where I saw this, but there was an article I read not too long ago that said "Obama believes that, as long as he doesn't use the word "War", then Congress won't have any say on the matter." (Congress must agree when it comes to war, whether we do or we don't participate).  I think that's what others have done with some of our wars as well.  Vietnam was a "Police Action"..See?  It's not a war, so it's OK!!  Huh???

So, therefore, we no longer seem to need the Legislative Branch in deciding whether we go to war or not, at least not in this administration.  Now I can't rightly lash out and give you a good example...but who needs one?  Once is more than enough.  By the time we realize we're at war with someone, and we never heard the word to let us know it is one, then it won't matter at that point anymore.

*****************************************************************************

So America?  Whaddya think?  Pretty scary huh?  Lots and lots of check marks...I truly with there were more empty boxes, believe that.  Maybe this is too much of a list, I've seen others that only sport 7-10 lines, but I'll admit that it needs to be ripped apart and discussed on every level, not just a few.  Just pay attention, this isn't a lot to ask here.  Keep your eyes and ears open kids, and let's not let this get too far away from us, OK?  We love America and all it has to offer...in particular, it's freedoms.  Don't roll over when they start disappearing.  Keep our country..our democratic people ridden, freedoms of this and that...safe from Fascism, communism, socialism.  We've seen these at work, and they aren't fun.  Till tomorrow, when we're back doing random things.  I'm glad to have this one over with!!

Freedom to Fascism - Part IX

http://humanrightshouse.org/Articles/16300.html

Hey America!!  I think I finally figured out what to do with this series.  You see, I ended up not bein' truly crazy about the fascism list I was using.  A lot of the checks were the same things, just re-worded...and the rest were things I could write two or three posts on, and in some cases, already have.  So here's what I've decided to do with the rest that I haven't covered as yet.

I'm going to investigate the checks I have left.  Of the important ones, I'm going to combine three important checks on this post and a final three in my final post of the series, due on the first of June.  Sounds good, right?  Well then?  What are we waitin' fer?  Let's get it ON!!

Check Mark #21 - Increasing Government Control Over Private Behavior.

I don't believe I'm  going to have to expound on this one at all.  I think the majority of us are fully aware of how much the government is sticking their nose into our business (as well as in the business of those in other countries).  On the other hand, I realize that a lot of you are just here to look at the pretty pictures and scoff at the rest, so, I guess I might have to hammer it out a little, then re-late, re-iterate, and re-peat, from all of my previous articles, along with a few new ones you might not yet believe in or know about.

I can't even start to tell you the number of articles I read daily, about the easy time people have tracking other people.  From your device usage to your Internet usage, to the usage of cameras, used for traffic control, in finding stolen vehicles and criminals.  And if all that fails, well, Google Earth can give anyone in law enforcement a tour of your living room while you're not home.

You ever notice when these miracles of technology come into existence, that they only tell us the good things these inventions can be used for, and never the bad?  Hey, you can catch people speeding with these traffic cameras, and make extra money for the city to balance the budget!!  ("Oh, and it might cost you a couple hundred when you get your tickets, when YOU get caught speeding more often, and, we can find you via your vehicle when you haven't paid the ten tickets you've already received, thanks to the same cameras"...kinda gets omitted.)  Or...These new X-Ray satellites give us the ability to see things about the galaxy, concerning make-up, etc., and give us more information about the moons and planets of our solar system ("Oh, and we kinda spaced off telling you, that, in an emergency situation, we could just as easily turn them around and use them to find those people that are opposing and hiding from the government that we've been trying to find for over a month now, considering the fact that these things see through walls like they're not even there.)

Just the fact we have a minimum of 2 cameras on or around us at all times (cell phones, laptop web cams, pads, traffic corners, security networks, stores, etc.) should be proof that we can be found anytime someone wants to.  By the way, for those of you who don't believe for a moment that store and business security cameras can't a.) be hacked or b.) aren't able to be used at anytime for spying on you, then think again.  They oh so most definitely can.  And it's already been proven plenty that cell phone and computer cameras can be used or hacked to do the same thing.  There's a huge piece of black electrical tape covering the laptop cam, believe it.  If you can only get your hands on masking, then take your Sharpe and black it out.  Remember too that all of these devices also have microphones built in, so, take another extra minute to block the sound on those (not that your device can't be remotely controlled, long enough to turn them on when needed, then off when whoever's doing it is finished and they have what they want....they can!)  It probably won't do a lot of good, concerning the microphone, but at least you can say you did your best, right?

But really, what this check mark concerns is not cameras, it concerns the government saying what you can and can't do with your body, your time, your job, your money and your family.  Slowly but surely, the walls of the room are closing in on us, America...can you feel it?  More and more, the government comes up with new ways to take over your lives.  Pretty soon, we'll be another socialist country, where they tell us what jobs we can work, how much the government intends to pay you for that job, how many kids you're allowed to have, etc.  It's not too far off now, really.  Every box I've covered up to this point has a humongous double- outlined blaring red check-mark in it.  And they don't stop there either.  Hence, our next subject:

Check Mark #22 - Lack of Legal Recourse to Stop Illegal Government Actions

This one very largely resembles another check mark we had, in part VII I believe, concerning the government excluding itself or declaring itself immune to our laws.  There is a small difference here, however, and that's this:  If our government loses all sense of reason, and gets out of hand, what can we Americans do about it?

Not much I'm afraid.  With the exception of the fact that every American has an average of 2 guns in their homes, and, if we wanted to, we could protest against that action, utilizing the media frenzied in-fashion way of shooting up a bunch of people in order to get our point across; or march right up the Capitol steps waiving those same guns against the tyranny of the establishment (not that this would do us any good, really -  one good ol' fashioned viral infection that's mutated and deadly, and delivered to us via "Pepper spray" would take care of any of that kind of behavior).

Just remember, you 2nd Amendment fanatics and activists, that those guns you've been storing in the basement, in order to tout and brag that you still have your right to bear arms?  Those little guns aren't gonna do a damn bit o' good against satellites, x-ray or other, drones, tanks, sophisticated missiles and their launchers, etc.  The government, as it stands, is GONNA DO WHAT THEY WANNA DO, and there ain't gonna be a damn thing you can do to stop it, legally, OR illegally, for that matter.  We've handed over too much of the reigns, and we're trained sheeple.  We'd never succeed in standing up to our current government, and they know it.

And finally, for today, we have:

Check Mark #23 - Prison Without Trials and Arrests Without Charges.

I will not be delving too far into this particular check mark, people.  I think we know that this already happens a plenty.  If you aren't convinced, don't expect me to explain it to you, in this case.  I refer the lot of you to places like:

www.copblock.org    (make sure and stop at the video checkout counter there, found at the bottom under videos -----------> Archives)   and   www.thefreethoughtproject.com  (Under badge abuse).

Video is oh so much more effective than any single word I could utter, or write about for that matter.

June 1st, and we finally reach the finale in our series!!!  Check it out, it's gonna be the capper, fo sho!!

Freedom to Fascism - Intermission Deux

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2638049/7-dead-drive-shooting-near-UC-Santa-Barbara.html

DISCLAIMER:  Keep in mind, that this post is full of conjecture, as well as one writer's opinion, and involves a lot of analytical discussion on a very delicate and offensive (to some, if not half of our population) subject matter.  If you are strong on the subjects of women's rights and women's liberation, you may not want to not read this post!!  Keep in mind that I am a firm supporter in women's equality.  I am, however, forming my own version as to why crimes against women, like this one occur.  It does not, by any means, mean I'm sexist (I am not), or in firm belief of the views expressed here (I'm only expressing and analyzing THIS view in an attempt to fathom what causes this sort of behavior in men towards women).

Hey kids.  Yeah, grab some snacks, cook up some popcorn and grab a soda; it's time for another intermission in our little series.

I just have to say it:  I've tried this one before.  Oh yes, I wrote an article not too long ago concerning the very thing I plan to discuss.  Something, somehow, is different this time around.  You see, I took the other article down, mostly because a.) I didn't quite have enough ammo to back it up, and b.) because I'm just really apt to say the wrong thing when I discuss things like this.  I have a solution, however.  My moderator has decided to join forces with me today, and I'm feeling pretty confident for a re-write.  And yeah, she's a lady!

So, on we go, eh?

Here we have Elliot Rodger.  For those of you who haven't heard it 100 times by now, the story goes like this:

Boy meets girl, girl throws rejection in boy's face, boy then meets 100 other girls, and they all throw rejection in boy's face to follow suit, then boy writes death itinerary, then stabs his roommates, fires through a sorority house in Isla Vista, then shoots through a deli filled with college-aged kids, then boy takes his own life.  A classic American tale, no doubt.

The thing that gets me here, folks, is this:  Everyone is blaming gun control for this.  Or, that we didn't get there in time....or, quite possibly, that there was a goodly portion of mental instability here.  OK, I'd have to agree that all of these things came into play, for sure.  But I don't believe any of this to be the root of the problem here.  The root of the problem, as some of you have already guessed, is simply this:  Rejection.  I think we can even go with the mental thing, and add in rejection resulting in mental instability.  Or, even better, we could throw some social awkwardness in, mix in a couple of labels like ODD, chemically imbalanced, top it off with some anger issues, and whaddya get?  Poof!!  Instant Sociopath!

No, I don't really plan to attend this meeting.  Let's shoot for a different way of thinkin'...hmm?

Let's start where we should have, from the beginning.  What's wrong with this kid?  Well, according to the better part of his manifesto, he's sexually frustrated, is he not?  He's 22, and still a virgin.  He's been asking women to go out with him, and they all say no.  Isn't this the entire problem then?

Now granted, who are we to pin on this kid what we think the problem is.  Nobody.  Granted also, just because a person SAYS that girls and their rejection of him are the issue, doesn't mean it actually is the core problem.  Unfortunately, the guy's dead, his roommates are dead, and I'm sure his parents are just as lost as we are.

But hold on.  Let's ASSUME that the kid knew what he was talking about.  That the thing really buggin' him WAS rejection, and that all his anger stemmed from where he said it did.  This, I've discovered, is something we don't really care to talk about.  And do you want to know why we don't want to talk about it?  Because it's inconceivable.  And not only is it that, it will cause half of my readers to fly straight off of the handle.

If you have no clue where I'm going, you should.  When was the last time you got in an argument with your wife?  What happened?  Who ended up being right?  Let's see if you know where I'm going now.

What I'm trying to say is, if I were to present, to the female population of America, that the real reason Elliot shot up the deli was due to a line that leads back to the actions of woman-kind leading back to the women's rights movement, I would more than likely be wrong.  The more logical of women-kind would first ignore, then would highly dispute this fact, then disregard it, maybe some would present other reasons for it, then put their feet down and turn up their noses, stalk off, and say "you're WRONG!!"...and that'd be that.

Just for fun, I conducted a RANDOM survey.  Some would call it biased...mostly some of my more stubborn female friends.  It's most certainly not biased, nor is it not random.  I asked 50 women, and 50 men this question:

In the last argument you had with the opposite sex, when the argument was over, and the dust cleared, who was right and who was wrong, in your opinion?

Here, by sex, were my answers:

Men:  70% - She was.  22% - You're kidding right?  2% - Are you serious?  4% - A smart man wouldn't answer that question.  2% - I was.

Women:  68% - I was, of course.  12% - I'm not gonna answer that.  8% - It's programmed.  Women are always right, men are wrong.  6% - That's not a fair question. 4% - that's a loaded question.  2% - That's a biased question; I won't answer it, it's not valid, go back and learn how to take a survey. The last 2% was from a girl that I've known since she was 19...about 20 yrs.  She's taking a loooooong break from speaking to me, after we argued over the validity of the question for over 2 hours.  When the argument ended, though, guess who was right?

Are you starting to get the idea yet?  We have to make this about gun control or mental illness, because its NOT OK for us to talk about the other possibility, especially if it has to do with women's liberation.  We've accepted it, and it's wrong to question it.

Well, I'm not sure about the rest of you men, but I'm getting a little tired of more than likely being wrong.  Please, ladies, if you will, open your minds, and read on, willya please??  Maybe, just this once, I'm right about something.

In order for me to say what really happened here, I'm going to have draw a logical line.  What I would really have to say is Elliot shot people because he was mad at women.  If I had to guess why he was mad at women, I'd have to say it was because he was rejected by women.  And if you were to ask me why he was rejected by women, I'd have to say it was because of years of former rejection leading to his becoming creepy, and getting rejected later on for that reason.  And then if you ask me why he suffered rejection before, I'd have to guess that it was due to a possible bunch of other things that, unfortunately, may also include a little defiance exhibited by no less than the liberated woman of our time.

We'll never be able to put our finger on just how much sex crime there was before women's liberation, because a lot of it was not reported; just like we'll never be able to put our finger on it today, for the same reasons.  But I can say this:  The more sex is withheld, for whatever reasons...the more you tease a man, then don't give up what you're dangling in front of him, the more you reject, and reject, and reject...the more you gather up men to get what you want, knowing full well what THEY want, well, it's gonna keep happening, and it's only going to get worse.

Is every man, when rejected, going to go out and kill people?  Nope.  Is every man, when turned down for sex, going to murder, rape or sexually abuse women?:  Definitely not.  But is the possibility that the same normal man may someday snap, or that an already mentally imbalanced male may go on a killing spree because he's still a virgin at 22 likely to occur?  Oh yeah.  I'm all for your rights ladies, trust that.  I'd never go as far as any of these criminals.  It's wrong.  I know that.  But watch yourselves.  Every time you tease a guy with something you never intend to give him, don't be surprised if you flip the wrong switch someday.  Tone it down some, or you may end up with a monster on your hands.

I will say that I disagree with only ONE thing where today's woman is concerned.  A man's first urge out of the box is to have sex.  If you believe in the bible, it's our first command, and our most basic instinct.  If we had our way, we'd have sex every day of our teens and 20's, with about anything we could.  When you take that and make it a privilege instead of a base right, you're going to bring with that, some serious problems.

Give up something here ladies.  Let the men have their I-porn...let them have legalized prostitution.  GIVE MEN AN OUTLET, or sex/sex related crimes will never go away.  Be liberated, I insist.  Just give up something in return, OK?  For your sakes, really.  If this guy, shown below isn't enough to convince you, remember that, before they are 18, one of three women will be sexually abused in some way.

****************************************************************************

ADD-ON UPDATE!!

I have just two more things on this post; for one, after rejection, the number one thing most people have said to me is this:  This kid was obviously mental.  It's been said, however, by someone who was prominent in Elliot's life, that he had never exhibited any behavior that presented itself as mental issues.  He'd never been in trouble, had never been seen for anything like this.  A lot of people are saying this is a pretty messed up kid...and yet, a lot of folks are stepping up and saying the opposite as well.

We MUST remember something else that's huge here people.  The media sensationalizes this kind of thing, they have been for DECADES now.  None of this was the norm...until Columbine.  Then EVERYBODY started doing it.  WHY??  10 seconds of fame.  Your footprint in the sand.  If you make this big of a deal of it, people start doing it because they know they're going to be guaranteed a spot in history!!  Stop talking about it on every station for months, and maybe it won't happen as often!!  This one's just one more in a long line since Columbine.  CUT IT OFF!!  Stop it now!

Freedom to Fascism - Part VIII

http://www.federalobserver.com/2012/08/23/arming-the-government-against-americans/

Whassup?  Here we go....AGAIN, with yet another big installment of Freedom to Fascism!  You know, I started this, originally thinking I would do four or five checks at a time, but it sure didn't take me long to realize that just about every check was a post in and of itself.  I then decided it was likely to last a month.  After I annnouced that, however, I found that some checks were a little redundant, some were already covered in previous posts, and some there just wasn't much to say about.  So after announcing it would last a week, then a month, it seems now that it might be over in 2 weeks.  I can't really decide, but you'll know how long it'll last, about the same time I do...

Here's that link to the list we've been using:

http://prorev.com/fascisthints.htmhttp://prorev.com/fascisthints.htm

 I'm thinkin' we were on....

Check Mark #15 - A growing number of citizens being jailed for a growing number of offenses.

Well, I'm not too sure about the number of offenses thing...but if you count all the stuff that's been added after 9/11, I suppose this could be the case.  Homeland Security added a great deal of add-ons where jailable offenses are concerned.

As for the growing number of citizens being jailed, it doesn't take much but a good look at how many prisons we have, as opposed to, say, 50 years ago.  About 2.2 million Americans were in the prison system in 2012.  That's very nearly .7 percent of all America.  That number is quadrupeled from the decade of the 1960's, the most jailing decade we'd had up to that decade.  Much to our dismay, it hasn't ceased or declined since...it only grows exponentially.

Now granted, there's a lot more people here in American than there was.  The 1960 U.S. Census back in 1960 weighed our population in at 180,000,000.  The current day population is around 306,000,000, so of course, there's going to be a growth in imprisoned people as well.

The weirdest part of all that, though, is that crime is steadily dropping.  So what the heck is happening???  How is it possible to have a higher number of imprisoned people?

Most disturbing, and the figures that concern the meat of this post are these:

In 1910, there were 113,000 people in jail.  In 1970, we had 335,000 people.  In 1980, there were 474,000.  Then in 1990, that figure jumps to 1,149,000...almost triple the amount.  Now?  Last we checked?  There's 2.2....MILLION people behind bars....(source:  http://www.justicepolicy.org/images/upload/00-05_rep_punishingdecade_ac.pdf).  What the heck is happening??????????

Do we put a check in the box for this?  OHHELLYES!!  We really  need to do our homework here, kids.  Something funny's going on, and we need to find out what, and fast.  Let's move on.

Check Mark #16 - Massive use of cameras to spy on citizens.

I think we all know I've covered this one PLENTY (See "The Right To Privacy", X-Ray Satellites, Video Ticketing, etc.).
CHECK!!!!

Check Mark #20 - Disarming of Citizens

Now for those of you that are paying attention?  Yes.  I just jumped right on over checks 18 and 19.  Don't worry.  Those are two that I have every intention of getting back to.  They deserve their own posts.

This one is great to finish this installment up with.  This, by the way, has not been FULLY implemented...yet.  Have you noticed they're kind of working on it though?  Now, I hate guns.  I despise the use of them, I despise hunting, I hate war....I'm a pacivist.  And that Elliot kid's business?  I'm going to write a whole post on him too.  It's coming on the next intermission, probably on Wednesday.  2 days from now.

My stance on the NRA and guns is quite obvious.  My stance on war, even more so.  I don't believe the 2nd Amendment applies to our time.  On the other hand, I'm all for them, but only under this condition.  Martial Law.  Martial Law is the safeguard that our government has to rally the troups and use them against us, in order to protect themselves against a dissident uprising against them.  And the government, I believe, seriously believes in the existance of this uprising, or at least the beginnings of it.  You wanna know how I know?  They've already called a vote America.  It's on the way.

Here's a good one for ya.  Check this out:

http://www.wnd.com/2014/01/obama-goal-disarming-of-all-americans/

Oh he's GOOD, isn't he?  Yes, Obama wants to disarm America kids, make no mistake about it.  Oh, but it doesn't stop there.  Oh no.  All you gun rights folks?  Check through all the stories on the right as well.  Mr. Obama would love to see the lot of you without guns.  Not for your safety.  Not because he doesn't wanna see anybody else get hurt either.  No, Mr. Obama is afraid, after all the stuff he's been pulling, that you might do something stupid, like try to oust him from the Oval Office.  He's right of course, but never fear, his time is almost done, and you've been warned about him plenty.  I may hate guns and what they do, but I hate Presidents who have an agenda even more.  We WILL NOT be a fascist country folks.  Let them try, I say.  Sure, we're a nation of sheep.  But we're not THAT dumb yet....are we?  Let's hope not.

Now, let's take it a step further.  Not only would Mr. Obama like to disarm America....OTHER countries would love to see us disarmed at well!!  There are people that are, at this moment, attempting to get the United Nations to whomp in and take our weapons from us.  Seriously!!??  Wow.  And if you don't believe me, here you are:

http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/world-citizen-asks-united-nations-to-disarm-america-the-world-cannot-stand-idly-by_09232013

Again, I say wow.

Now, I've been pretty lax on keeping up with posts of late.  I apologize, really.  Whaddya say I make up for it by posting so much in the next few days that you get SICK OF ME!!  See ya, real soon even!!

Freedom to Fascism - Part VII

Hey America, so sorry about the lapse for a day, I had much to do.

Hmm....where were we?  Ohhhhyeah.....Check #12, I believe.

Check Mark #12 - Government Agencies or Officials Declaring Themselves Exempt From Portions of the Law or Constitution

Well, well and well again.  I think we've experienced this one a-plenty, hmmmm?

Some folks are automatically exempt from just about everything.  Long ago, we made it impossible (or nearly so) for us to take out complaints, suit, or judgement against those in power.  We can't do much about  the President or his Vice, I know this much.  Oh sure, eventually we could feasibly get an impeachment, if the wrong is great enough, and Congress is upset enough.  We certainly can't complain much about those in charge of making our law.  And we certainly can't do much about certain public officials:  Judges and Lawyers, a prime example, to be sure.  If a lawyer doesn't do the job we hired him to, or garners a judgement we didn't like at all, well, we're just screwed.  If a judge over-rides the verdict of the Jury, well...that's the way it goes.  Nothing we can do about it.  Oh, we can appeal, but for the judge who ruled against us, there's no way to get him back for his possible one-sidedness or prejudice.

Some of this is perfectly understandable of course...If we could sue judges and lawyers, most of us would be in court almost every month for some sort of lawsuit, and the court system, already way over-booked, would be 5-10 yrs. behind schedule as opposed to six months to a year on average, depending on where you live.  New York city criminal courts can sport wait times of 2 years or better.

Recently, Obamacare raised rumors that Congress was trying to pass (or did get passed) legislation that would exempt them from Obamacare.  This was never true, as a matter of fact, there are more problems for Federal employees then there are for the common man.  It's too bad it didn't happen, really.  I think it would have been cool as heck to catch them red-handed trying to change the rules in their favor on something as big as Obamacare.

The Legislature is, as well as most Government, immune to OSHA, which is pretty big in and of itself.  Evidently, there are other major laws that don't apply to Government either.  Record keeping for workplace injuries and illnesses.  Having to train employees about workplace right and legal remedies.  Having to post notices of worker rights in offices.  The Freedom of Information Act.  Protection against retaliation for whistle-blowers.  Investigatory subpeonas to obtain information for safety and health probes.

There should never be a reason that Government is immune to what we are held to by law.  Congress isn't special, anymore than we are.  These people represent us, so should, reasonably, be held accountable on these things like we are.

Let's do another one, shall we?  I mean I did miss a day, right?

Check Mark #13 - Creation of Watchlists, no-fly lists and other exclusionary documents.

You  know, I just have to think that the long term affects of 9/11 were much more disasterous than the event itself.  Homeland Security, Airport security, spying on citizens, and, more importantly, watch lists and no-fly lists have literally made things that were already bad even worse.  And thanks to the internet, which we all know is greatly monitored and has been for some time, every little word you and I publish is suspect.

The red flag list is pretty large, and is sectional, of course.  I'm sure just my articles on Drugs alone in this blog have already landed me a party box seat in our national security agencies.

Here, you can find the list of words you should avoid stringing together in sentences, if you're not big on Big Brother watching over you:

http://lifehacker.com/5913945/words-to-avoid-online-if-you-dont-want-to-join-the-governments-watch-list

Check Mark #14 - National ID's.

Now, this one's not exactly in play....as yet.  However, expect the move soon enough, as the technological age progresses by leaps and bounds.  By not EXACTLY in play, ID's might just as well be national.  They're more identical then they were once upon a time, to be sure.  I'm sure that they have national standards at the very least for the stated purpose of preventing fraudulent attempts to create them.  The mag strips found on all state ID's was a big move in the National ID up and coming...any state law enforcement agency across the country is able to scan and read these in order to get the skinny on you.

Of course, forcing Americans to carry their ID's is quite another thing altogether.  This really scares me though, because as more and more states adopt this law, and, because of it, less and less people carry them, the next logical move by lawmakers, instead of national ID's might just be that futuristic thing I see more and more in the movies everyday.  It wouldn't surprise me, if someday, the ID chip didn't make its way around the bend.  Then truly would you know what's happening America.  Oh, we'll fight it tooth and nail...for appearance sake.  But the day it even smells like something might happen in this country, I'm hightailin' it to a deserted island somewhere, and I'll take my chances with the box-jellyfish and the land-sharks.

Til tomorrow America.  Sleep well...or give it your best shot, huh??

Drugs (or the ones that are still illegal, anyway) Update!

Here's a chart I found rather interesting.  Surely the lot of you have read my posts on the legalization of drugs in our country.  No credit is given, because the credit is right on the image.  If you ever had a doubt about legalizing ALL drugs, like Paraguay, here's the chart for you.  NOTE:  Remember, this study was done in the U.K.  And, alcohol tops this list of damaging drugs...but then you have to remember that, of course, alcohol WOULD do the most damage to others and the user, mostly because it is, indeed, legal.  Still...makes you wonder, doesn't it?