Die Hard. 1988 - stars Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia and a dude that looks like Huey Lewis. Directed by John McTiernan.
Older I get, the more life I experience, the more I love that movie, but I repeat myself.
13 December 2011
26 October 2011
Spinning - out of balance
Holy moly, kiddo's. We're having the ride of our lives.
One side says we're going to be just fine. We'll spend money we don't have into an archaic, corrupt system that can't sustain itself.
One side says, "DOOOM!" It's the other side's fault. We'll do the same thing, but re-arrange a few things and all will be hunky-dory!! :) LOL
Meanwhile, groups of Americans, are rallying together, some effectively, others not so much, all with the goal of propping up one side or another.
Folks, none of it matters. No tin foil hattery here, guys. A wise man once said, "You know the difference between the Republicans and the Democrats? They're nothing but the opposing arms of the same rapist."
Look at the demographic and economic makeup of the Congress of these United States. Majority of them are millionaires. Even the ones championing the "99% ers". Strange.
Who holds the real reigns of power here in the US of A? Damned if I know, but right now I'm damn sure they know just a little better what's coming. They're afraid, too.
This recession ain't - we are in the early stages of serious Depression. I have said it before, I will say it again. Our government no longer speaks for the people. It is a collection of plutocrats / oligarchs / bureaucrats / kleptocrats. It used to be that the governments of the "West" had a least a sliver of moral superiority over the governments of the Warsaw Pact and third world nations. No longer. Corruption and naked self interest are obvious in our system.
Our economic system (not just America - but the entire global enchilada) is falling apart. The EU is on the ropes. Rumors of printing presses in Munich and Bonn cranking out Deutsche Marks as fast as they can, are indicative that the Euro is pretty much screwed. Greece is for all intents and purposes a failed state. Italy's parliament is so stymied at what to do, that they've taken to fisticuffs. Portugal, Spain and Iceland, all circling the drain. "Globalism" is pretty much thrown in the dustbin with the other "-isms" of the 20th Century.
Another commenter (Jack Spirko) said something to the effect that the current trend in social evolution was trending toward a desired "Star Trek socialism". I agree with that assumption. We'd all love a world where we didn't have to work, unless we wanted to and every need or want was supplied to us at our whim. As any Trekker worth his or her Gold Pressed Latinum will tell you, that future was a) enabled by fantastic technological advancement, b) powered by effectively magical energy sources c) bought and paid for at horrific cost, and d) confronted by a limitless frontier and equipped . In the Star Trek mythos, don't forget, that right now humanity would be just emerging from the aftermath of the Eugenics Wars and setting the stage for the nuclear exchange of 2043 between the Northern Confederation and the Eastern Coalition.
Total cost between 600 million and two billion all told? Gene Roddenberry wanted to put forth humanity into the star with the baggage of the past behind us.
We ain't the Federation, folks. Not by a long shot. We're all still governed by petty greed and desire to impose our will. According to Roddenberry we haven't learned our lessons, and we are far too quick to repeat the mistakes of the past.
So what does the Crazed American think is going to happen?
Economic news is going to get bad - quickly.
Who the fuck knows? I mean, this is just a blog, that no one reads, written by a guy who went to college (and probably shouldn't have) that no one listens to. Cry for help? Nope. I am secure in my home and in my relationships. I have people that I love and that love me. Therapy? You betcha. I put it out there for all to see. My average is pretty good if you read the old posts.
Who can predict the future with any level of certainty? The insane, that's who. The rest of us can only rely on history and trends as a guide.
I wish there was someone who I could point to as a leader that I could follow. Too bad,'cause I ain't seen one yet. It is said that no "good"people would get involved in politics because of the crap that our modern society and media puts them and their families though. That's the rub, right there.
In a while, folks - and sooner than one might think - the "good" people will HAVE to. For if what transpires is similar to what history says will transpire, it is quite possible that anyone even remotely connected to our current system will not be allowed - or able - to participate in the governance of the future.
I see my part in the Star Trek Mythos. As a child I wanted nothing more than to command a starship. But as an adult I now realize I have to get humanity through the first half of the 21st Century, and into the future of liberty and freedom.
That's a far less glamorous, but no less important job. Such is the cross we all bear. We must strive to give our children and their children a brighter future than even Roddenberry could imagine.
Crazed American, Out.
One side says we're going to be just fine. We'll spend money we don't have into an archaic, corrupt system that can't sustain itself.
One side says, "DOOOM!" It's the other side's fault. We'll do the same thing, but re-arrange a few things and all will be hunky-dory!! :) LOL
Meanwhile, groups of Americans, are rallying together, some effectively, others not so much, all with the goal of propping up one side or another.
Folks, none of it matters. No tin foil hattery here, guys. A wise man once said, "You know the difference between the Republicans and the Democrats? They're nothing but the opposing arms of the same rapist."
Look at the demographic and economic makeup of the Congress of these United States. Majority of them are millionaires. Even the ones championing the "99% ers". Strange.
Who holds the real reigns of power here in the US of A? Damned if I know, but right now I'm damn sure they know just a little better what's coming. They're afraid, too.
This recession ain't - we are in the early stages of serious Depression. I have said it before, I will say it again. Our government no longer speaks for the people. It is a collection of plutocrats / oligarchs / bureaucrats / kleptocrats. It used to be that the governments of the "West" had a least a sliver of moral superiority over the governments of the Warsaw Pact and third world nations. No longer. Corruption and naked self interest are obvious in our system.
Our economic system (not just America - but the entire global enchilada) is falling apart. The EU is on the ropes. Rumors of printing presses in Munich and Bonn cranking out Deutsche Marks as fast as they can, are indicative that the Euro is pretty much screwed. Greece is for all intents and purposes a failed state. Italy's parliament is so stymied at what to do, that they've taken to fisticuffs. Portugal, Spain and Iceland, all circling the drain. "Globalism" is pretty much thrown in the dustbin with the other "-isms" of the 20th Century.
Another commenter (Jack Spirko) said something to the effect that the current trend in social evolution was trending toward a desired "Star Trek socialism". I agree with that assumption. We'd all love a world where we didn't have to work, unless we wanted to and every need or want was supplied to us at our whim. As any Trekker worth his or her Gold Pressed Latinum will tell you, that future was a) enabled by fantastic technological advancement, b) powered by effectively magical energy sources c) bought and paid for at horrific cost, and d) confronted by a limitless frontier and equipped . In the Star Trek mythos, don't forget, that right now humanity would be just emerging from the aftermath of the Eugenics Wars and setting the stage for the nuclear exchange of 2043 between the Northern Confederation and the Eastern Coalition.
Total cost between 600 million and two billion all told? Gene Roddenberry wanted to put forth humanity into the star with the baggage of the past behind us.
We ain't the Federation, folks. Not by a long shot. We're all still governed by petty greed and desire to impose our will. According to Roddenberry we haven't learned our lessons, and we are far too quick to repeat the mistakes of the past.
So what does the Crazed American think is going to happen?
Economic news is going to get bad - quickly.
- Civil unrest will get worse.
- Then, maybe a nice domestic and or international terrorist incident. That will get everyone's backs up.
- If we're lucky no natural disasters will occur for the next twenty years.
- When the Nanny Police State cracks down, it will be bad and a great number of people will wail and gnash their teeth. (If you doubt that - check out Occupy Oakland - oh, wait, you can't)
- If history is our guide, the next few years / decade will be rough, then it will get really rough, then, maybe some light?
Who the fuck knows? I mean, this is just a blog, that no one reads, written by a guy who went to college (and probably shouldn't have) that no one listens to. Cry for help? Nope. I am secure in my home and in my relationships. I have people that I love and that love me. Therapy? You betcha. I put it out there for all to see. My average is pretty good if you read the old posts.
Who can predict the future with any level of certainty? The insane, that's who. The rest of us can only rely on history and trends as a guide.
I wish there was someone who I could point to as a leader that I could follow. Too bad,'cause I ain't seen one yet. It is said that no "good"people would get involved in politics because of the crap that our modern society and media puts them and their families though. That's the rub, right there.
In a while, folks - and sooner than one might think - the "good" people will HAVE to. For if what transpires is similar to what history says will transpire, it is quite possible that anyone even remotely connected to our current system will not be allowed - or able - to participate in the governance of the future.
I see my part in the Star Trek Mythos. As a child I wanted nothing more than to command a starship. But as an adult I now realize I have to get humanity through the first half of the 21st Century, and into the future of liberty and freedom.
That's a far less glamorous, but no less important job. Such is the cross we all bear. We must strive to give our children and their children a brighter future than even Roddenberry could imagine.
Crazed American, Out.
18 September 2011
Me thinks this will...
...be a damn interesting week.
Looks as though the stock market may tank this week due to the completely unstable situation in the European Union.
Things will get fun in The Middle East due to the whole Israel / Palestinian situation. So let's get this straight - the Israeli's are going to get attacked if the Palestinians don't get their state (for the first time, BTW - Palestine has never existed before, but that's a different story - oh, before you complain, I support self determination), and they will get attacked almost assuredly if they DO get their state. Needless to say, I imagine there are a bunch of people in Israel and the Formerly Jordanian and Egyptian areas of the Middle East, going through a bunch of checklists right now, and making sure their kids know where their pro-masks are. Sad, but inevitable, I suppose.
Then in further Middle East news, the Turks are making some serious noises about going to bat for the Palestinians. Complicated, indeed by the aforementioned UN vote this week. It does look as though if there becomes a recognized Palestine, Turkey could recognize the PA, and then send it's warships against the Gaza blockade. Israel, like the good ol' USA do love us a good old fashioned shooting war against someone dumb enough to go up against us in airplanes, tanks, ships and submarines. The Turkish Navy will be put on the bottom of the Med in quick order, and barring some kind of '67 / Yom Kippur Arab / Muslim alliance action, their air force will quickly suffer. Issue being the big Turkish air base in Incirlik does have a bunch of American personnel there, due to turkey being an ally and all. If the turks do decide to start engaging the Israeli's in the "two way live fire", I think they're not going to be real happy with the results. But they'd have to be blind and mentally incapacitated to think that the Israeli's are not going to sit idly by while
So what do we do? Turkey hasn't exactly been card carrying members of the "I <3 America club" as of late, didn't really help out in Iraq, and are not making nice with our dear Little Satan, Israel. Israel is pretty much the only friend we have, insofar as much as they need us for resupply of weapons and material, should things get bad enough. Also, our stellar commander in chief has done such a stellar job, the Israeli's might just go it alone and do things we don't like.
Rock, meet hard place time...
So, who knows? There will be some rioting in New York, and there might soon be a three or four way shooting war in the Middle East, that we're not actively participating in. The economies of all the Western Powers (European Union) are on the ropes, and we're not exactly doing gang busters either.
So, no matter what happens, this week is going to be a memorable one!
Huzzah!
Out,
Crazed American.
Looks as though the stock market may tank this week due to the completely unstable situation in the European Union.
Things will get fun in The Middle East due to the whole Israel / Palestinian situation. So let's get this straight - the Israeli's are going to get attacked if the Palestinians don't get their state (for the first time, BTW - Palestine has never existed before, but that's a different story - oh, before you complain, I support self determination), and they will get attacked almost assuredly if they DO get their state. Needless to say, I imagine there are a bunch of people in Israel and the Formerly Jordanian and Egyptian areas of the Middle East, going through a bunch of checklists right now, and making sure their kids know where their pro-masks are. Sad, but inevitable, I suppose.
Then in further Middle East news, the Turks are making some serious noises about going to bat for the Palestinians. Complicated, indeed by the aforementioned UN vote this week. It does look as though if there becomes a recognized Palestine, Turkey could recognize the PA, and then send it's warships against the Gaza blockade. Israel, like the good ol' USA do love us a good old fashioned shooting war against someone dumb enough to go up against us in airplanes, tanks, ships and submarines. The Turkish Navy will be put on the bottom of the Med in quick order, and barring some kind of '67 / Yom Kippur Arab / Muslim alliance action, their air force will quickly suffer. Issue being the big Turkish air base in Incirlik does have a bunch of American personnel there, due to turkey being an ally and all. If the turks do decide to start engaging the Israeli's in the "two way live fire", I think they're not going to be real happy with the results. But they'd have to be blind and mentally incapacitated to think that the Israeli's are not going to sit idly by while
So what do we do? Turkey hasn't exactly been card carrying members of the "I <3 America club" as of late, didn't really help out in Iraq, and are not making nice with our dear Little Satan, Israel. Israel is pretty much the only friend we have, insofar as much as they need us for resupply of weapons and material, should things get bad enough. Also, our stellar commander in chief has done such a stellar job, the Israeli's might just go it alone and do things we don't like.
Rock, meet hard place time...
So, who knows? There will be some rioting in New York, and there might soon be a three or four way shooting war in the Middle East, that we're not actively participating in. The economies of all the Western Powers (European Union) are on the ropes, and we're not exactly doing gang busters either.
So, no matter what happens, this week is going to be a memorable one!
Huzzah!
Out,
Crazed American.
10 September 2011
Anniversary
So the Crazed American just put the finishing touches on a large Expo my company had a presence at. I was the first one there and the last one out. Good times. Being there I was stuck by a few things.
1) You can sell sand to an Arab, snow to an Eskimo, as long as the price is right.
2) Depending on the industry, business is booming, even in this nasty time.
3) if you are not selling product, you are charging too much. Period. If a reduced cost doesn't cover your expenses, you, my friend are doing it wrong.
4) Inventory that sits on your shelves in your brand new warehouse costs you money - EVERY SINGLE DAY. You shelter it, you heat it, you cool it, you provide it internet access. If it sits, it's shit - shit that can make you sick. Get rid of it. Take it to an Expo and blast it out at below cost, then sit back and reap the marketing rewards.
5) Ten years after the worst attack on America by a foreign power in history (worst actual attack still goes to POTCS and GEN Lee's little enthusiastic romp through rural America during the 1860's), and three (four - ten?) wars all of which are still on going - America is unchanged.
I am stymied by the citizens of this land that I love. Brave young men and women died - correction: are dying - to protect our way of life. Yet most of us go about our business on a day to day basis without a care in the world. We are more concerned with the minutae of our daily lives, than with the course of giants and empires. Most of us couldn't care less about the fate of nations, and the strife in distant lands that resounds about this little world of ours.
So it should be and so it always has been. I do not bring this up to cast aspersions on my fellow Americans. I am just perplexed. We love to beat upon our chests with tears in our eyes one day a year and remember how we were wronged. But on 12 September it all goes back to SSDD (Same Shit - Different Day). What have we learned?
We learned that collective memory is damn short. We learned (again) that the US government is inept (by design, by the way - thank G--). We learned that humans are savage, nasty brutes who will allow great and terrible things to be committed with our money and in our name. We learned that the greatest military force on the earth is comprised of a few beasts, but overwhelmingly by strong, brave and intelligent men and women, who do their jobs and follow their orders.
Lest you come to believe that the Crazed American is getting a tad confused in his old age, at once praising our nation, and then in the next breath predicting it's doom, fear not. My love of country is not beholden to a love of the system that governs it. I love the ideas that our country was founded on. I do not idolize and worship those who came up with the ideas either. They were men, not gods. Flawed, vain, lecherous, weak. But they were smart and did the best they could. Today their framework, is commanded by smart, capable men. Not gods, as some would like us to believe. They are fallable as well.
On this anniversary of a very nasty set of behavior (which cost the terrorists apparently $400,000 and us $5,000,000,000,000 and counting), what have we learned?
The Crazed Americans Lessons Learned (11 SEP 11)
1) Some people do bad things.
2) Some people who do bad things simply need killing.
3) Firepower - if it ain't working, you're not using enough
4) Freedom ain't easy or free, or guaranteed, except by your creator. It is up to the individual to guard his or her freedom at every turn. Freedom can be lost through not paying attention.
5) Freedom means freedom for everyone, in a truly free society there can be no protected classes, only free sovereign people with a motivated self interest to stay free.
6) The only one responsible for you is you and those you love and love you.
7) Be prepared, be responsible, be honorable, be accountable. The only thing that you leave behind is the memory of you in the lives of those you touched. Make it count.
8) Execute, be decisive.
Those are mine, what say you?
Crazed American, out.
1) You can sell sand to an Arab, snow to an Eskimo, as long as the price is right.
2) Depending on the industry, business is booming, even in this nasty time.
3) if you are not selling product, you are charging too much. Period. If a reduced cost doesn't cover your expenses, you, my friend are doing it wrong.
4) Inventory that sits on your shelves in your brand new warehouse costs you money - EVERY SINGLE DAY. You shelter it, you heat it, you cool it, you provide it internet access. If it sits, it's shit - shit that can make you sick. Get rid of it. Take it to an Expo and blast it out at below cost, then sit back and reap the marketing rewards.
5) Ten years after the worst attack on America by a foreign power in history (worst actual attack still goes to POTCS and GEN Lee's little enthusiastic romp through rural America during the 1860's), and three (four - ten?) wars all of which are still on going - America is unchanged.
I am stymied by the citizens of this land that I love. Brave young men and women died - correction: are dying - to protect our way of life. Yet most of us go about our business on a day to day basis without a care in the world. We are more concerned with the minutae of our daily lives, than with the course of giants and empires. Most of us couldn't care less about the fate of nations, and the strife in distant lands that resounds about this little world of ours.
So it should be and so it always has been. I do not bring this up to cast aspersions on my fellow Americans. I am just perplexed. We love to beat upon our chests with tears in our eyes one day a year and remember how we were wronged. But on 12 September it all goes back to SSDD (Same Shit - Different Day). What have we learned?
We learned that collective memory is damn short. We learned (again) that the US government is inept (by design, by the way - thank G--). We learned that humans are savage, nasty brutes who will allow great and terrible things to be committed with our money and in our name. We learned that the greatest military force on the earth is comprised of a few beasts, but overwhelmingly by strong, brave and intelligent men and women, who do their jobs and follow their orders.
Lest you come to believe that the Crazed American is getting a tad confused in his old age, at once praising our nation, and then in the next breath predicting it's doom, fear not. My love of country is not beholden to a love of the system that governs it. I love the ideas that our country was founded on. I do not idolize and worship those who came up with the ideas either. They were men, not gods. Flawed, vain, lecherous, weak. But they were smart and did the best they could. Today their framework, is commanded by smart, capable men. Not gods, as some would like us to believe. They are fallable as well.
On this anniversary of a very nasty set of behavior (which cost the terrorists apparently $400,000 and us $5,000,000,000,000 and counting), what have we learned?
The Crazed Americans Lessons Learned (11 SEP 11)
1) Some people do bad things.
2) Some people who do bad things simply need killing.
3) Firepower - if it ain't working, you're not using enough
4) Freedom ain't easy or free, or guaranteed, except by your creator. It is up to the individual to guard his or her freedom at every turn. Freedom can be lost through not paying attention.
5) Freedom means freedom for everyone, in a truly free society there can be no protected classes, only free sovereign people with a motivated self interest to stay free.
6) The only one responsible for you is you and those you love and love you.
7) Be prepared, be responsible, be honorable, be accountable. The only thing that you leave behind is the memory of you in the lives of those you touched. Make it count.
8) Execute, be decisive.
Those are mine, what say you?
Crazed American, out.
24 August 2011
Apparently...
...the crazed American is the bees knees in France.
I've got literally 15 times the readership in France that I do here in America.
Dang. Guess I need to brush up on my French, non?
So, I sat down earlier with fire in my belly, ready to go off on a terrific rant about the lack resistance the American people are offering.
So - there's the douchebag of a Congressman from Ohio named Steve Chabot. He holds a town hall. He orders police on site to confiscate all cell phones and cameras from the attending citizenry. The dipshit police officer then proceed to collect private property from private citizens, with no legal backing.
Normally I do not link to Alex Jones, I am not a 911 truther, but in this instance I will - check this out for yourself.
In a different forum, I entered into a brief debate. As you might have gleaned over the years that this blog has been (infrequently) active, I do have a tendency to look at the glass as half empty. As a matter of fact, I do belive that the current incarnation of the American Experiment is winding down. I am not terribly excited to experience the next (probably profoundly unpleasant) phase in the experiment, and I really would like to get right down to the phase afterwards - the building of something new, but I digress.
The debate I entered into, with a person I respect, boiled down to the level of resistance a citizen of the United States should offer to such an infringement of my personal freedom. Should, as some might suggest argue with the officer wishing to take your personal property? A woman at the meeting did protest and the camera was physically taken by an officer over her protest.
My question to all of you: What level of resistance would you offer, should you be found in a similar situation. Would you resist? Keep in mind, a sworn officer of the law, ARMED with taser and a .40 caliber handgun, is demanding you relinquish your property without cause, other than the Congressman does not wish embarrassing videos on YouTube.
Some people in the other forum took up the chant, that "I did nothing when they took my camera phone away." I merely state that I would not resist too heftily, since the man who wants my camera had a gun. Once the episode was over I would, within the system, raise hell with local media and the Congressman's office demanding an apology.
Could I take the Congressman to court? Were my civil rights violated? Would I want to spend tens of thousands of dollars to do it? What law was being broken by my filming a town hall meeting?
What are my responses to any of these questions, especially considering I think the Congress of the United States is a corrupt organisation, and that, to the effect of the level of corruption, no longer represents the vast majority of the people that are governed by it.
Would this be a hill I would be willing to die on? Hell, no. The cop thought he was doing his job, even though a more principled officer might have said, "Take their cameras? Why? What harm does it do? What laws does it break?"
Do I think this is a further erosion of our Republic. Yes, I do. What recourse as a people do we have? Well, I will use this platform to call for the unceremonious ouster of the Asshat Steve Chabot, Republican, 1st District of Ohio, that is, I think the people of his district should vote him the hell out of office. He obviously has no comprehension of his role in a Representative Democratic Republic. Other than that - what can we do? What can I do? I can hold my own representative to the fire, or I can, like the vast majority of my countrymen, do absolutely nothing.
So I end tonight's rant muddled. I would not resist too strongly, since the man demanding my cell phone had a gun. But I think each and every American, and sovereign citizen of the French Republic for that matter, should ask themselves a question: at what point do you begin to resist tyranny? What hill would you die on?
It's coming to it, folks. Not today, not tomorrow, but sooner than most would like. We live in a police state. The cage is gilded, but it is still a cage. Our freedoms are being eroded, incrementally. Yesterday, you were effectively strip searched to get on an airplane. Today, police confiscated cameras and phones to prevent a plutocrat from being embarrassed. What happens tomorrow? When do we as independent, thinking, rational sentient beings stand up for our rights?
One of the fundamental principles of our nation is that our rights are bestowed upon us by our creator. They are not allowed to happen by our government.
The first revolution was fought over much, much less. It's fact, look it up.
Disgusted, and out,
The Crazed American
I've got literally 15 times the readership in France that I do here in America.
Dang. Guess I need to brush up on my French, non?
So, I sat down earlier with fire in my belly, ready to go off on a terrific rant about the lack resistance the American people are offering.
So - there's the douchebag of a Congressman from Ohio named Steve Chabot. He holds a town hall. He orders police on site to confiscate all cell phones and cameras from the attending citizenry. The dipshit police officer then proceed to collect private property from private citizens, with no legal backing.
Normally I do not link to Alex Jones, I am not a 911 truther, but in this instance I will - check this out for yourself.
In a different forum, I entered into a brief debate. As you might have gleaned over the years that this blog has been (infrequently) active, I do have a tendency to look at the glass as half empty. As a matter of fact, I do belive that the current incarnation of the American Experiment is winding down. I am not terribly excited to experience the next (probably profoundly unpleasant) phase in the experiment, and I really would like to get right down to the phase afterwards - the building of something new, but I digress.
The debate I entered into, with a person I respect, boiled down to the level of resistance a citizen of the United States should offer to such an infringement of my personal freedom. Should, as some might suggest argue with the officer wishing to take your personal property? A woman at the meeting did protest and the camera was physically taken by an officer over her protest.
My question to all of you: What level of resistance would you offer, should you be found in a similar situation. Would you resist? Keep in mind, a sworn officer of the law, ARMED with taser and a .40 caliber handgun, is demanding you relinquish your property without cause, other than the Congressman does not wish embarrassing videos on YouTube.
Some people in the other forum took up the chant, that "I did nothing when they took my camera phone away." I merely state that I would not resist too heftily, since the man who wants my camera had a gun. Once the episode was over I would, within the system, raise hell with local media and the Congressman's office demanding an apology.
Could I take the Congressman to court? Were my civil rights violated? Would I want to spend tens of thousands of dollars to do it? What law was being broken by my filming a town hall meeting?
What are my responses to any of these questions, especially considering I think the Congress of the United States is a corrupt organisation, and that, to the effect of the level of corruption, no longer represents the vast majority of the people that are governed by it.
Would this be a hill I would be willing to die on? Hell, no. The cop thought he was doing his job, even though a more principled officer might have said, "Take their cameras? Why? What harm does it do? What laws does it break?"
Do I think this is a further erosion of our Republic. Yes, I do. What recourse as a people do we have? Well, I will use this platform to call for the unceremonious ouster of the Asshat Steve Chabot, Republican, 1st District of Ohio, that is, I think the people of his district should vote him the hell out of office. He obviously has no comprehension of his role in a Representative Democratic Republic. Other than that - what can we do? What can I do? I can hold my own representative to the fire, or I can, like the vast majority of my countrymen, do absolutely nothing.
So I end tonight's rant muddled. I would not resist too strongly, since the man demanding my cell phone had a gun. But I think each and every American, and sovereign citizen of the French Republic for that matter, should ask themselves a question: at what point do you begin to resist tyranny? What hill would you die on?
It's coming to it, folks. Not today, not tomorrow, but sooner than most would like. We live in a police state. The cage is gilded, but it is still a cage. Our freedoms are being eroded, incrementally. Yesterday, you were effectively strip searched to get on an airplane. Today, police confiscated cameras and phones to prevent a plutocrat from being embarrassed. What happens tomorrow? When do we as independent, thinking, rational sentient beings stand up for our rights?
One of the fundamental principles of our nation is that our rights are bestowed upon us by our creator. They are not allowed to happen by our government.
The first revolution was fought over much, much less. It's fact, look it up.
Disgusted, and out,
The Crazed American
13 July 2011
Stop...
Calling this the "worst economy since the Great Depression."
Folks, this IS the Great Depression.
Be grateful for what you have and those who care about you.
The war for freedom and the future starts here. Do what you can to make the world a better place. Our "leaders" are corrupt, and for the most part, beyond hope. Vote them all out, I say. Ymmv...
I am optimistic, that once we all figure out the new paradigm, we Americans are going to be in a pretty good place.
Only time will tell...
Crazed American, out.
Folks, this IS the Great Depression.
Be grateful for what you have and those who care about you.
The war for freedom and the future starts here. Do what you can to make the world a better place. Our "leaders" are corrupt, and for the most part, beyond hope. Vote them all out, I say. Ymmv...
I am optimistic, that once we all figure out the new paradigm, we Americans are going to be in a pretty good place.
Only time will tell...
Crazed American, out.
08 July 2011
End of an era
- 548 million or so miles flown...
Today marks the beginning of the end of Government Sponsored Human Spaceflight in the United States of America. It is my fervent hope that a a vessel that has fulfilled 39/100ths of it's lifespan returns with it's human cargo intact. NASA, in all of its issues recently, does not exactly strike a great deal of confidence. NASA will be known for brilliant success (and painful failure) in the era that stretched from 1960-1986.
The Crazed American is of the mind that when a civilization stops innovating and exploring, that civilization is doomed. Of course, I'm of the mind that the human spaceflight exploration factor in the USA died in 1986 with Scobee, Smith, Jarvis, McAuliffe, Resnik, Onizuka and McNair. NASA and it's human spaceflight program hunkered down and wallowed in a Safety mentality that crippled it from assuming risk and doing the hard thing. As CAPT James T. Kirk once said of explorers in general: "risk is our business". Anyone who thinks they can innoculate themselves from risk in spaceflight is a daft fool.
I was born two years after the end of Apollo, and seven years before the launch of the first space shuttle, Columbia, in April of 1981. I remember being woken up by my parents to watch the launch on TV. After moving to Florida in 1983, I grew up literally within earshot of launch pads 39A and 39B, I have seen my own shadow, cast by the piercing light of Solid Rocket Boosters, during a secret DoD night launch in 1985. I was given a copy of the Space Shuttle Operator's Manual, and memorized it. I read the cover off of that book and it still sits on my bookshelf. I used it at Space Camp and commanded a simulation of a shuttle mission.
I understood fuel cells, the magic and power of the turbo-pumps, understood the necessity of APU's SRBs and ET's. I dreamed of a future, the early 21st century when space shuttles and their successors would build space stations and ferry supplies to construct interplanetary spacecraft and perhaps starships in low earth orbit. Columbia, Challenger, Discovery and Atlantis were explained to be vanguards of a fleet of space trucks, prototypes launching every two weeks from KSC and Vandenberg AFB making space travel for the common man a reality.
We were naive. The bureaucracy took over and became risk averse.
So I will be left with the memories I have of the Space Shuttle. I will remember distinctly Saturday, 18 June 1983, when I, as a nine year old boy, just moved from Ohio to sunny Florida, was blessed with the opportunity to see STS-7, the Challenger, carry Dr. Sally Ride and her four compatriots (Crippen, Hauck, Fabian, and Thagard) to orbit. I will remember the low rumble of the SSME's and the gut punch of the shockwave from the ignition of the Solid Rocket Boosters. I'll remember the afterimage in my eyes of the sun like brightness of the rocket exhaust against the cobalt blue and fluffy white of the Florida sky.
Perhaps that is the best analogy I can think of to relate to NASA. It has been an afterimage of it's greatness that started with Mercury, Gemini and Apollo and ended when Challenger was ripped apart by the vast quantities of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen on that cold January morning in 1986.
Exploration is what we need right now as a nation. Probes and robots are one thing, but they do not capture the heart and spirit to elevate the hopes and soul of a people. The Crazed American hopes that the private sector can muster the ability to reach again into the final frontier. Companies like SpaceX make me again hope for the future, as long as the lessons of NASA's astounding successes, litany of dishonesty and failure are learned dearly.
Mission Control, this is Crazed American, out.
Today marks the beginning of the end of Government Sponsored Human Spaceflight in the United States of America. It is my fervent hope that a a vessel that has fulfilled 39/100ths of it's lifespan returns with it's human cargo intact. NASA, in all of its issues recently, does not exactly strike a great deal of confidence. NASA will be known for brilliant success (and painful failure) in the era that stretched from 1960-1986.
The Crazed American is of the mind that when a civilization stops innovating and exploring, that civilization is doomed. Of course, I'm of the mind that the human spaceflight exploration factor in the USA died in 1986 with Scobee, Smith, Jarvis, McAuliffe, Resnik, Onizuka and McNair. NASA and it's human spaceflight program hunkered down and wallowed in a Safety mentality that crippled it from assuming risk and doing the hard thing. As CAPT James T. Kirk once said of explorers in general: "risk is our business". Anyone who thinks they can innoculate themselves from risk in spaceflight is a daft fool.
I was born two years after the end of Apollo, and seven years before the launch of the first space shuttle, Columbia, in April of 1981. I remember being woken up by my parents to watch the launch on TV. After moving to Florida in 1983, I grew up literally within earshot of launch pads 39A and 39B, I have seen my own shadow, cast by the piercing light of Solid Rocket Boosters, during a secret DoD night launch in 1985. I was given a copy of the Space Shuttle Operator's Manual, and memorized it. I read the cover off of that book and it still sits on my bookshelf. I used it at Space Camp and commanded a simulation of a shuttle mission.
I understood fuel cells, the magic and power of the turbo-pumps, understood the necessity of APU's SRBs and ET's. I dreamed of a future, the early 21st century when space shuttles and their successors would build space stations and ferry supplies to construct interplanetary spacecraft and perhaps starships in low earth orbit. Columbia, Challenger, Discovery and Atlantis were explained to be vanguards of a fleet of space trucks, prototypes launching every two weeks from KSC and Vandenberg AFB making space travel for the common man a reality.
We were naive. The bureaucracy took over and became risk averse.
So I will be left with the memories I have of the Space Shuttle. I will remember distinctly Saturday, 18 June 1983, when I, as a nine year old boy, just moved from Ohio to sunny Florida, was blessed with the opportunity to see STS-7, the Challenger, carry Dr. Sally Ride and her four compatriots (Crippen, Hauck, Fabian, and Thagard) to orbit. I will remember the low rumble of the SSME's and the gut punch of the shockwave from the ignition of the Solid Rocket Boosters. I'll remember the afterimage in my eyes of the sun like brightness of the rocket exhaust against the cobalt blue and fluffy white of the Florida sky.
Perhaps that is the best analogy I can think of to relate to NASA. It has been an afterimage of it's greatness that started with Mercury, Gemini and Apollo and ended when Challenger was ripped apart by the vast quantities of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen on that cold January morning in 1986.
Exploration is what we need right now as a nation. Probes and robots are one thing, but they do not capture the heart and spirit to elevate the hopes and soul of a people. The Crazed American hopes that the private sector can muster the ability to reach again into the final frontier. Companies like SpaceX make me again hope for the future, as long as the lessons of NASA's astounding successes, litany of dishonesty and failure are learned dearly.
Mission Control, this is Crazed American, out.
30 June 2011
On Revolution
First and foremost allow me to state that I love the United States of America. It is still, by far (and with a few exceptions) the greatest, freest, best place in the world to live. I obey laws, I pay my (ever increasing) taxes without hesitation.
I will divide my thoughts into a triptych, taking a cue from the masterpiece, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.
The Good:
Americans pay little in taxes, heath care (while not free) is currently the best in the world. We can do what we want, and if we stay away from airplanes, we can travel where we want without the intrusive scrutiny of government.
The Bad:
I know for a fact that it's having some existential issues. Debt, the "Klepto-cracy" (ZeroHedge.com) of the "Ruling Class", subjugation of rights and a de-volving of civility in our culture. The Economy is quite probably, in a death spiral. The Boomers have a fanatical grip on both the power of the government and an intractable opinion of the over-promises made by the Boomer's in charge. They were over-promised retirement benefits, health care, and the like by people wishing to buy their votes, and now that they have it, the refuse to hear any discussion of change, even if it means the bankrupting of the republic. Fair enough. They paid into the system for their entire lives, and they expect a return. People my age and younger won't have it anywhere near as "good" as the Boomer's have it. We get to see retirement age elevating year after year, and a steady decrease in benefits. People my age are figuring out and quickly that Social Security simply won't exist in any meaningful form when we are finally allowed to retire when we are in our eighties.
The Ugly:
With the economy, the freedoms Americans have enjoyed are on the ropes. A recent ruling by a Federal Circuit court has upheld the "Individual Mandate" of Obama-care. Big deal, you say, the government has an interest in healthy citizens. OK, fine - if I squint I can see how you can stretch the Commerce Clause to fit that. But if it is truly within the Government's ability to force people to purchase health insurance, and be healthy, then it's not going to belong before certain foods and certain lifestyles will become illegal. Effectively, if the Government can make you do this, then it can do anything to you. Certain behaviors will become illegal, all with the intent of keeping health costs down. Choice is dead. As Fred "The Flake" Thompson (I really liked Fred back in the day, see my previous posts from 2007) said, "Any government powerful enough to do anything for you (give you free healthcare) is powerful enough to do anything to you." To be succinct our Government is out of control.
It is coming to light that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was caught red handed supplying firearms (2500 rifles and other weapons) to the Drug Cartels of Mexico. In the interests of full disclosure, the BATFE forced gun stores int he Southwest to sell large amounts of civilian legal weapons to known straw purchasers who then supplied these weapons the the drug cartels that are terrorizing Mexico. I am a simple and can only view this in one of two ways: 1) the US Government is working for the overthrow of the Mexican Government by Narco-Terrorists or 2) to go "under the radar" and lend credence that the American Firearms industry was doing the same and back door evidence to gin up further erosion of American Citizens rights to own firearms. Back in the 1970's a president resigned over the Break-in and theft from a hotel room at the Watergate. This Operation: Fast and Furious (Google Gunwalker) has already resulted in the deaths of American Law Enforcement Officers, civilians, and Mexican soldiers, police and civilians. People are dying because the head of the BATFE lied, the Attorney General of the United States is lying. There is a strong possibility this knowing conspiracy may reach all they way to the Secretary of State and possibly the Presidency. Will our citizens and traditional media (who laughably still tries to claim some form of impartiality and journalistic integrity) acknowledge this, or even care?
Debt. Depending on who you ask, the United States is steeped in debt. We are by far, the largest debtor nation on the planet. Our "Federal" Reserve and the system it has built is almost to the point of disintegration. If you don't take Social Security and other unfunded liabilities into account, we have a debt of over $15,000,000,000,000. With the liabilites taken into account the total is somewhere in the $50,000,000,000,000 - 100,000,000,000,000. That is a staggering amount of money. Default is, at this point, inevitable. Rampant inflation and currency devaluation are also undoubtable at this point.
As I type this, I am informed that the Tax-Cheat Timothy Geithner is about to leave the Obama administration. Thanks for your wonderful, insightful handling of the Treasury, you dolt. The 50+ million Americans that are out of work might wish to thank you for your service. Dipshit.
So we're about to have a worthless currency, our Government can do to us whatever it wants, what are we to do as a nation?
Now we begin a trip through a thought exercise and a workout of the First Amendment. Echelon servers and monitors at Ft. Huachuca please take note that I am NOT ADVOCATING ANYTHING REMOTELY LIKE AN INSURRECTION AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
I ask the question: at what point is the social contract between the population of these United States and it's government no longer valid? When is it decided that the Powers That Be no longer have the consent of the governed?
What then? Take to the streets, fight?
Who to fight, how would the population organize? Could armed American civilians fight against organized police and military units?
I for one, do not think that it would come to something like that. First of all, I think the vast majority of military and police would refuse to fire on their fellow countrymen, should their cause be just. Units that didn't disband and allow their soldiers and sailors to return home to protect their families and homes might just sit the conflict out and let the civilians and powers that be hash it out.
Those that would fire on their fellow Americans would be few and far between. They wouldn't have much, if any, support for heavy weapons, and things like modern artillery, combat aircraft and tanks have a prodigious appetite for spare parts, fuel and ammunition. So in effect after some early gains by "the bad guys", the fight would quickly turn into a fairly equal infantry slog, once thier vehicles and weapons ran out of gas, bullets, were destroyed or broke down.
It is this author's humble opinion that a "Second American Civil War" would transpire in a fashion similar to the first one. States, or blocks of states would secede, either formally or informally, along ideological lines. The United Staes could fragment into two to five possible smaller countries. This time, however, due to the global nature of our economy, the disintegration of the USA would not happen in isolation. It is probable that foreign powers would try to mitigate the violence that would occur to protect American infrastructure and to keep the talent pool alive. Americans are still, even in this time of troubles, an educated and above all productive people. We work, hard and pay our taxes. A quick resolution to the hositilies is in every parties interest, especially knowing that the United States has the most potent military and largest stockpile of thermonuclear weapons in the world. The feared foreign occupation that a great deal of current "patriot" literature features is not likely, due to the galvanizing effect it would have on the average American. The global economy needs the 300,000,000+ of us in the USA. We're known to innovate and produce. No one really cares what the letterhead on our tax bills are.
Life would go on. We'd all have a hell of a time for a few years adjusting to the "new normal". There'd still be a government that would need tax money, people would still need to eat, places to sleep and I seriously doubt that things would devolve permanently into a time where leather-clad nomads would wear face colanders and patrol the wastelands. We won't forget electricity, computers, telephones, concrete and indoor plumbing, although we might forgo them for a time. There would be untold sorrow, sadness and pain. Welcome to the sad story that is the history of humanity. Our current system would become a cautionary tale, and people would have a hard time, but honestly, there ain't enough jack-booted thugs in the world to oppress everyone in the USA. We've got an ass-load of land to police.
So let it be said that the Crazed American is not hopeful for the current iteration of the USA. I think the USA 2.0 (or whatever we end up calling it) might be better suited for the future. My hope is that people can learn to co-exist in peace and for mutual benefit and cooperation. The experiment of America continues. It will be interesting to see what happens.
More on this to follow in the coming days.
Crazed American, out.
I will divide my thoughts into a triptych, taking a cue from the masterpiece, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.
The Good:
Americans pay little in taxes, heath care (while not free) is currently the best in the world. We can do what we want, and if we stay away from airplanes, we can travel where we want without the intrusive scrutiny of government.
The Bad:
I know for a fact that it's having some existential issues. Debt, the "Klepto-cracy" (ZeroHedge.com) of the "Ruling Class", subjugation of rights and a de-volving of civility in our culture. The Economy is quite probably, in a death spiral. The Boomers have a fanatical grip on both the power of the government and an intractable opinion of the over-promises made by the Boomer's in charge. They were over-promised retirement benefits, health care, and the like by people wishing to buy their votes, and now that they have it, the refuse to hear any discussion of change, even if it means the bankrupting of the republic. Fair enough. They paid into the system for their entire lives, and they expect a return. People my age and younger won't have it anywhere near as "good" as the Boomer's have it. We get to see retirement age elevating year after year, and a steady decrease in benefits. People my age are figuring out and quickly that Social Security simply won't exist in any meaningful form when we are finally allowed to retire when we are in our eighties.
The Ugly:
With the economy, the freedoms Americans have enjoyed are on the ropes. A recent ruling by a Federal Circuit court has upheld the "Individual Mandate" of Obama-care. Big deal, you say, the government has an interest in healthy citizens. OK, fine - if I squint I can see how you can stretch the Commerce Clause to fit that. But if it is truly within the Government's ability to force people to purchase health insurance, and be healthy, then it's not going to belong before certain foods and certain lifestyles will become illegal. Effectively, if the Government can make you do this, then it can do anything to you. Certain behaviors will become illegal, all with the intent of keeping health costs down. Choice is dead. As Fred "The Flake" Thompson (I really liked Fred back in the day, see my previous posts from 2007) said, "Any government powerful enough to do anything for you (give you free healthcare) is powerful enough to do anything to you." To be succinct our Government is out of control.
It is coming to light that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was caught red handed supplying firearms (2500 rifles and other weapons) to the Drug Cartels of Mexico. In the interests of full disclosure, the BATFE forced gun stores int he Southwest to sell large amounts of civilian legal weapons to known straw purchasers who then supplied these weapons the the drug cartels that are terrorizing Mexico. I am a simple and can only view this in one of two ways: 1) the US Government is working for the overthrow of the Mexican Government by Narco-Terrorists or 2) to go "under the radar" and lend credence that the American Firearms industry was doing the same and back door evidence to gin up further erosion of American Citizens rights to own firearms. Back in the 1970's a president resigned over the Break-in and theft from a hotel room at the Watergate. This Operation: Fast and Furious (Google Gunwalker) has already resulted in the deaths of American Law Enforcement Officers, civilians, and Mexican soldiers, police and civilians. People are dying because the head of the BATFE lied, the Attorney General of the United States is lying. There is a strong possibility this knowing conspiracy may reach all they way to the Secretary of State and possibly the Presidency. Will our citizens and traditional media (who laughably still tries to claim some form of impartiality and journalistic integrity) acknowledge this, or even care?
Debt. Depending on who you ask, the United States is steeped in debt. We are by far, the largest debtor nation on the planet. Our "Federal" Reserve and the system it has built is almost to the point of disintegration. If you don't take Social Security and other unfunded liabilities into account, we have a debt of over $15,000,000,000,000. With the liabilites taken into account the total is somewhere in the $50,000,000,000,000 - 100,000,000,000,000. That is a staggering amount of money. Default is, at this point, inevitable. Rampant inflation and currency devaluation are also undoubtable at this point.
As I type this, I am informed that the Tax-Cheat Timothy Geithner is about to leave the Obama administration. Thanks for your wonderful, insightful handling of the Treasury, you dolt. The 50+ million Americans that are out of work might wish to thank you for your service. Dipshit.
So we're about to have a worthless currency, our Government can do to us whatever it wants, what are we to do as a nation?
Now we begin a trip through a thought exercise and a workout of the First Amendment. Echelon servers and monitors at Ft. Huachuca please take note that I am NOT ADVOCATING ANYTHING REMOTELY LIKE AN INSURRECTION AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
I ask the question: at what point is the social contract between the population of these United States and it's government no longer valid? When is it decided that the Powers That Be no longer have the consent of the governed?
What then? Take to the streets, fight?
Who to fight, how would the population organize? Could armed American civilians fight against organized police and military units?
I for one, do not think that it would come to something like that. First of all, I think the vast majority of military and police would refuse to fire on their fellow countrymen, should their cause be just. Units that didn't disband and allow their soldiers and sailors to return home to protect their families and homes might just sit the conflict out and let the civilians and powers that be hash it out.
Those that would fire on their fellow Americans would be few and far between. They wouldn't have much, if any, support for heavy weapons, and things like modern artillery, combat aircraft and tanks have a prodigious appetite for spare parts, fuel and ammunition. So in effect after some early gains by "the bad guys", the fight would quickly turn into a fairly equal infantry slog, once thier vehicles and weapons ran out of gas, bullets, were destroyed or broke down.
It is this author's humble opinion that a "Second American Civil War" would transpire in a fashion similar to the first one. States, or blocks of states would secede, either formally or informally, along ideological lines. The United Staes could fragment into two to five possible smaller countries. This time, however, due to the global nature of our economy, the disintegration of the USA would not happen in isolation. It is probable that foreign powers would try to mitigate the violence that would occur to protect American infrastructure and to keep the talent pool alive. Americans are still, even in this time of troubles, an educated and above all productive people. We work, hard and pay our taxes. A quick resolution to the hositilies is in every parties interest, especially knowing that the United States has the most potent military and largest stockpile of thermonuclear weapons in the world. The feared foreign occupation that a great deal of current "patriot" literature features is not likely, due to the galvanizing effect it would have on the average American. The global economy needs the 300,000,000+ of us in the USA. We're known to innovate and produce. No one really cares what the letterhead on our tax bills are.
Life would go on. We'd all have a hell of a time for a few years adjusting to the "new normal". There'd still be a government that would need tax money, people would still need to eat, places to sleep and I seriously doubt that things would devolve permanently into a time where leather-clad nomads would wear face colanders and patrol the wastelands. We won't forget electricity, computers, telephones, concrete and indoor plumbing, although we might forgo them for a time. There would be untold sorrow, sadness and pain. Welcome to the sad story that is the history of humanity. Our current system would become a cautionary tale, and people would have a hard time, but honestly, there ain't enough jack-booted thugs in the world to oppress everyone in the USA. We've got an ass-load of land to police.
So let it be said that the Crazed American is not hopeful for the current iteration of the USA. I think the USA 2.0 (or whatever we end up calling it) might be better suited for the future. My hope is that people can learn to co-exist in peace and for mutual benefit and cooperation. The experiment of America continues. It will be interesting to see what happens.
More on this to follow in the coming days.
Crazed American, out.
03 May 2011
How badly...
can you botch the aftermath of a simple smash and grab raid?
From all indications, the teams sent in did a great job. Target 'n chums neutralized, intel gleaned, all around good times.
Smartest man in the world and his cronies are doing their best to cluster-f--k what should have been a simple report, and corpse display.
Jeezus.
From all indications, the teams sent in did a great job. Target 'n chums neutralized, intel gleaned, all around good times.
Smartest man in the world and his cronies are doing their best to cluster-f--k what should have been a simple report, and corpse display.
Jeezus.
31 March 2011
Me thinks...
we've been hoodwinked by our annointed Commander in Chief.
If this is true, granted...
http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/31/jon-lee-anderson-libyan-opposition-has-under-1000-fighting-men/
Jon Lee Anderson (New Yorker) to Eliot Spitzer:
“Effective number of fighting men, well under 1,000. Actual soldiers, who are now in the fight, possibly in the very low hundreds on the opposition side.”
I hope, pray, that is guy is an idiot and off by an order of magnitude.
Please be wrong. As of yesterday we (just the USofA, not our Coalition partners) had flown a total of 1802 sorties into harms way over Libya. Additionally, we've fired 214 Tomahawk missiles into Libya (BTW - those cost over a cool $1,000,000 per copy).
Some reports say this little op is costing us $600,000,000 per day. Let's see that's $100 per day PER LIBYAN CITIZEN.
Want to help the Libyans, Sudanese and Bahrainis (insert any other oppressed peoples here)? Crank up the assembly line again...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deer_gun
Drop them by the plane full to the opposition.
Stand back, let people determine their own fate.
Freedom means freedom for everyone.
I say bring all the troops home. 'specially from Europe, and Japan, and begin a long phased withdrawal from Korea.
It is argued that isolationism (and it won't be true isolationism) won't work, but have we ever really tried it?
Our leaders repeat the tired mantra that the US is not and should not be the world's policeman, but then go ahead and act like we are (we are).
Crazed American,
Out.
If this is true, granted...
http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/31/jon-lee-anderson-libyan-opposition-has-under-1000-fighting-men/
Jon Lee Anderson (New Yorker) to Eliot Spitzer:
“Effective number of fighting men, well under 1,000. Actual soldiers, who are now in the fight, possibly in the very low hundreds on the opposition side.”
I hope, pray, that is guy is an idiot and off by an order of magnitude.
Please be wrong. As of yesterday we (just the USofA, not our Coalition partners) had flown a total of 1802 sorties into harms way over Libya. Additionally, we've fired 214 Tomahawk missiles into Libya (BTW - those cost over a cool $1,000,000 per copy).
Some reports say this little op is costing us $600,000,000 per day. Let's see that's $100 per day PER LIBYAN CITIZEN.
Want to help the Libyans, Sudanese and Bahrainis (insert any other oppressed peoples here)? Crank up the assembly line again...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deer_gun
Drop them by the plane full to the opposition.
Stand back, let people determine their own fate.
Freedom means freedom for everyone.
I say bring all the troops home. 'specially from Europe, and Japan, and begin a long phased withdrawal from Korea.
It is argued that isolationism (and it won't be true isolationism) won't work, but have we ever really tried it?
Our leaders repeat the tired mantra that the US is not and should not be the world's policeman, but then go ahead and act like we are (we are).
Crazed American,
Out.
29 March 2011
WOW!
So since last I've been around MUCH as happened. Weighty, important things.
I am done with National Politics. The Administration is comprised of partisan clowns who are having their strings pulled. Our Sainted President is, frankly incompetent and conducting an illegal war.
Before anyone jumps up and claims that I am some form of partisan stooge, allow me to point you in the direction of the US Consitution (the document that was used to found our great nation, but somewhere within the past 10 years is now viewed by the powers that be as some form of notion, to be paid in lip service). The Constitution clearly states that only our Congress can authorize war. Even the (at best extra legal) War Powers Act of 1968 spells out what the president must do to take us to war.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are at war in Libya. Every day, the Army of Libya shoots at US Navy, Marine and Air Force aircraft, and every day we shoot back. People are dying, at our hand.
Also to my BHO worshippinf friends: Since when is France the arbiter of a good and just war?
Evidence: Iraq 1991, France joined the coalition, everybody happy
Iraq 2003, France opposed, leftists scream about the Tyrant Bush
Libya 2011. France all for it, Leftists and most every body else: *Crickets chirping*
I wouldn't be so steamed about this, except for Our President's hypocritical criticism of his predecessor (also Bush's "Coalition of the Willing" has 2x + the members of Obama's enlightened Coalition), and the fact that he touted himself as a CONSTITUTIONAL SCHOLAR.
I am sick of hypocrisy. Both political parties are full of it. This country has very difficult times ahead, unless we abandon the old ways of doing things, kick all imcumbents out and innovate - making this country a nation of equal opportunity and law for all it's citizens again.
"It makes me sad." - King Arthur
*** CHANGE IN SUBJECT ***
Psych (USA Networks) is a great and funny show. If you are not watching it - you should - Dule Hill and James Roday are an outstanding ensemble. Not to mention, I really like Corbin Bernsen's portrayal of a retired cop.
All right, I'm out of material for the time being,.
Crazed American, out.
PS bone to pick - is it true that in writing it's now kosher to use 1 space after a period instead of two?!? Where the hell was I when that memo was put out?
I am done with National Politics. The Administration is comprised of partisan clowns who are having their strings pulled. Our Sainted President is, frankly incompetent and conducting an illegal war.
Before anyone jumps up and claims that I am some form of partisan stooge, allow me to point you in the direction of the US Consitution (the document that was used to found our great nation, but somewhere within the past 10 years is now viewed by the powers that be as some form of notion, to be paid in lip service). The Constitution clearly states that only our Congress can authorize war. Even the (at best extra legal) War Powers Act of 1968 spells out what the president must do to take us to war.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are at war in Libya. Every day, the Army of Libya shoots at US Navy, Marine and Air Force aircraft, and every day we shoot back. People are dying, at our hand.
Also to my BHO worshippinf friends: Since when is France the arbiter of a good and just war?
Evidence: Iraq 1991, France joined the coalition, everybody happy
Iraq 2003, France opposed, leftists scream about the Tyrant Bush
Libya 2011. France all for it, Leftists and most every body else: *Crickets chirping*
I wouldn't be so steamed about this, except for Our President's hypocritical criticism of his predecessor (also Bush's "Coalition of the Willing" has 2x + the members of Obama's enlightened Coalition), and the fact that he touted himself as a CONSTITUTIONAL SCHOLAR.
I am sick of hypocrisy. Both political parties are full of it. This country has very difficult times ahead, unless we abandon the old ways of doing things, kick all imcumbents out and innovate - making this country a nation of equal opportunity and law for all it's citizens again.
"It makes me sad." - King Arthur
*** CHANGE IN SUBJECT ***
Psych (USA Networks) is a great and funny show. If you are not watching it - you should - Dule Hill and James Roday are an outstanding ensemble. Not to mention, I really like Corbin Bernsen's portrayal of a retired cop.
All right, I'm out of material for the time being,.
Crazed American, out.
PS bone to pick - is it true that in writing it's now kosher to use 1 space after a period instead of two?!? Where the hell was I when that memo was put out?
01 February 2011
Still alive
Getting ready to move, get married, working and getting a big ski trip all together. Busier than a one-legged man at an ass kicking contest...
I must opine on current geo-political events.
Soon.
That is all,
Crazed American, out.
I must opine on current geo-political events.
Soon.
That is all,
Crazed American, out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)