Today marks the anniversary of the victory of General Sam Houston's Army over the Mexican Army led by General Santa Anna. This battle has been designated by worldwide historians as the eight most significant battle in the course of World History. It was made possible by the contribution of my ancestor, Isaac Batterson, whodonated the use of his floor by the Texas Army to ferry across Buffalo Bayou to intercept Santa Anna and his soldiers. The battle, which ocurred in the middle of the day, literally caught the Mexican Army asleep, and Santa Anna with his pants down. It only lasted thirteen minutes, but it set Texas, and the United States on a collision course with destiny.
In San Antonio, we celebrate the victory with a weeklong party called "Fiesta." Our party cry is "Viva Fiesta!" So on this day, give youself a reason to party! Go out and say, "VIVA FIESTA!!!"
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Texas and Secession
OK, Gov. Perry may have been doing some posturing for the upcoming Primary next year, but what's with all the furor about this remark? Geraldo Rivera, crackshot journalist (I'm going to show you Al Capone's empty vault on live TV!) accused the Governor of committing TREASON of all things. I wonder who is trying to look stupid now? There was nothing treasonous in what Gov. Perry was proposing with his talk of secession. He was merely restating the option that Texas has the right to exercise its sovereign right to secede if the Government of the United States oversteps its authority, and puts the interests of the people of Texas at risk. Before everyone in other states start a scramble to do likewise, you need to know that Texas is unique in all of the United States on this point. When Texas applied for statehood to the United States, we were already a sovereign nation in our own right, fully recognized by the US government. So when Texas joined the Union in 1845, it was not just an annexation of a US territory, but it was done by a treaty between two sovereign powers, with the appropriate language to guarantee the peace and security of their respective peoples. This treaty had to ratified by both nations' legislatures before it could be implimented. One clause was that Texas had the AUTHORITY to secede from the Union if it determined that was the prudent course of action to benefit the people of Texas, but the actions have to be viewed from two different sources: State or Republic.
There will be some who want to argue that Texas' right to secede was abrogated when it was forced to ratify the 14th Amendment with all the other Confederate States at the end of the Civil War but I don't think that would hold up to international law. When acting as the State of Texas, we are bound by the strictures placed on us by the14th Amendment like every other state in the Union. However, as an Independent Republic, joined to the United States by Treaty, which allows the state the option to secede over excesses by the United States government, it is perfectly allowable.
I don't think the country needs to worry that Texas is going to secede. That was a colorful, casual remark with not much passion behind it. However, if the government of the United States tries to get heavy-handed with the people of Texas, I may just lead the fight to secede myself! DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS! (It's so much more than a slogan!)
There will be some who want to argue that Texas' right to secede was abrogated when it was forced to ratify the 14th Amendment with all the other Confederate States at the end of the Civil War but I don't think that would hold up to international law. When acting as the State of Texas, we are bound by the strictures placed on us by the14th Amendment like every other state in the Union. However, as an Independent Republic, joined to the United States by Treaty, which allows the state the option to secede over excesses by the United States government, it is perfectly allowable.
I don't think the country needs to worry that Texas is going to secede. That was a colorful, casual remark with not much passion behind it. However, if the government of the United States tries to get heavy-handed with the people of Texas, I may just lead the fight to secede myself! DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS! (It's so much more than a slogan!)
Sunday, April 19, 2009
HAPPY ISAAC BATTERSON DAY!!!!!
On this day in 1836, Sam Houston, enroute to his fateful meeting with Santa Anna, ran into a problem. The stream that he had to cross, Buffalo Bayou, was swollen from the recent rains, and Santa Anna's troops were guarding the only available bridges to the plains of Saint Hyacinth keeping the army from intercepting Santa Anna. However, divine providence shined down on Houston's Army that day.
While travelling to intercept Santa Anna's army, Houston, and his soldiers happened upon the homestead of Isaac Batterson, "The Squire of Buffalo Bayou," a patriot seeking to protect his land from the advancing Mexican troops. Isaac welcomed Houston and his soldiers for the night, and on the next morning, the 19th, he agreed to let the sick and wounded remain while the rest of the soldiers went on to San Jacinto. Isaac's cabin was his pride and joy. Built to last, he had imported wood, the finest from New York for his floor. It was the only planed wood to be found in the area. That morning, over breakfast, Sam Houston asked Isaac Batterson if he could take up his floor to make a raft to ferry his troops and canons to the other side of Buffalo Bayou. Isaac Batterson agreed, and two days later, April 21, 1836, History was made, and Texas became a Republic.
What is significant about this little bit of history, is that without the floor from Isaac Batterson's house (Mrs. Amelia Batterson was not happy when she found out) the victory might not have been so clear cut. Also, it is fun to note that this floor contributed to the battle that Historians worldwide acknowledge is the eighth most significant battle ever fought. That is because from this battle, The United States was able to expand its borders to its current set up.
For further reading on this topic, go to these web sites:
http://earlytexashistory.com/tx1836/camp20.htm and
http://www.geocities.com/heartland/flats/7628/batbioisaac.htm or you can type in "Isaac Batterson" in your search engine and see what comes up.
One other sidelight to this story, is when Isaac Batterson moved to Texas with his wife and four daughters, he did not have any sons. When his wife became pregnant again, he was already established as "The Squire" so it was common for people to stop at his home and dine before moving on. One such visitor was a young man going to take an assignment for the Texian Army to oppose Santa Anna. He left, and went on to give his life in defense of freedom for Texas, as so many others did throughout this period of history. However, Isaac Batterson was so impressed with this young man that he wanted to preserve his name, so when his newborn son (his first!) arrived, he knew how to accomplish that goal, and he named his son William Barrett Travis Batterson. Also, one of his daughters, Catherine, married a Steamboat pilot named James Nelson Montgomery, and now you know my connection to this story (he is my 2nd great-grandfather).
While travelling to intercept Santa Anna's army, Houston, and his soldiers happened upon the homestead of Isaac Batterson, "The Squire of Buffalo Bayou," a patriot seeking to protect his land from the advancing Mexican troops. Isaac welcomed Houston and his soldiers for the night, and on the next morning, the 19th, he agreed to let the sick and wounded remain while the rest of the soldiers went on to San Jacinto. Isaac's cabin was his pride and joy. Built to last, he had imported wood, the finest from New York for his floor. It was the only planed wood to be found in the area. That morning, over breakfast, Sam Houston asked Isaac Batterson if he could take up his floor to make a raft to ferry his troops and canons to the other side of Buffalo Bayou. Isaac Batterson agreed, and two days later, April 21, 1836, History was made, and Texas became a Republic.
What is significant about this little bit of history, is that without the floor from Isaac Batterson's house (Mrs. Amelia Batterson was not happy when she found out) the victory might not have been so clear cut. Also, it is fun to note that this floor contributed to the battle that Historians worldwide acknowledge is the eighth most significant battle ever fought. That is because from this battle, The United States was able to expand its borders to its current set up.
For further reading on this topic, go to these web sites:
http://earlytexashistory.com/tx1836/camp20.htm and
http://www.geocities.com/heartland/flats/7628/batbioisaac.htm or you can type in "Isaac Batterson" in your search engine and see what comes up.
One other sidelight to this story, is when Isaac Batterson moved to Texas with his wife and four daughters, he did not have any sons. When his wife became pregnant again, he was already established as "The Squire" so it was common for people to stop at his home and dine before moving on. One such visitor was a young man going to take an assignment for the Texian Army to oppose Santa Anna. He left, and went on to give his life in defense of freedom for Texas, as so many others did throughout this period of history. However, Isaac Batterson was so impressed with this young man that he wanted to preserve his name, so when his newborn son (his first!) arrived, he knew how to accomplish that goal, and he named his son William Barrett Travis Batterson. Also, one of his daughters, Catherine, married a Steamboat pilot named James Nelson Montgomery, and now you know my connection to this story (he is my 2nd great-grandfather).
Friday, April 17, 2009
Since I don't have time to type out another post, I am going to paste a critique of my U.S. History class that I am taking at UTSA (The University of Texas at San Antonio). I still have not finished the critique since my instructor has yet to talk about the Bush years! However, this is what I have so far, see if you think that I am unreasonable in my views.
Wayne
When I registered for this class, I was looking forward to learning about the efforts of great Americans working together collectively to rebuild this nation into a stronger union after the depletion of resources of WWII. I wanted to see how the initiatives of individuals could dramatically influence the course of a nation through effort and perseverance.
Imagine my shock and dismay to find instead a class that should have been titled “I hate America: How white oppressors kept people of color out of the spotlight.” I did not intend to take a black studies course, but that is primarily the entire focus. Ms. Laguana Gray’s racist bias is very evident in her treatment of any view that does not conform to her own. Her distortion of American History by trying to impose political positions that are strictly her own, is both inexcusable and intolerable.
I will be the first to acknowledge that people of color have been systematically discriminated against throughout our history. However, it must be noted that ours is a young, maturing society less than 250 years old. As any analogy to growth must acknowledge, you first have the formative years, followed by the adolescent years, followed by the young adult years, finally followed by the mature adult years. I believe that we are in the process of passing from young adulthood into mature adulthood, but we still have a long way to go yet. Continuing with the analogy, let’s first examine the formative years. Here we, as a nation, were trying to “stand on our own” much like the infant becoming a toddler. We were so focused on trying to survive, that the conventions of the day were accepted and maintained. Even though Thomas Jefferson opposed slavery, and included a criticism of England’s involvement with slavery in the Declaration of Independence, the other Founding Fathers were unwilling to give up that tenet, and voted to remove that statement from the Declaration. Even so, we began to mature as a nation, and grow past some of our prejudices. Slavery under any guise is wrong and should never be engaged in. However, when the system is as firmly entrenched in society as it was, it will take time to move away from it. Even in America, the last major nation to abolish slavery in the area, we were moving away from the practice with the Declaration, it just took a long time. During our period of adolescence, we finally took the stand to abolish the practice of slavery, but some of the more immature elements of the nation decided to “be rebellious” and fight this movement. Any person that has ever been a teenager, or tried to raise teenagers knows that there will always be a stage of rebelliousness that is part of their maturing process, but they will eventually grow out of it. As a young adult, opinions are about what is important to the individual, not the family at large. Personal opinions are the most important standard to evaluate the behavior of others, and render judgment. Unfortunately, in this scenario, there is little room for compromise, and any challenge to the individual’s opinion is rejected outright, in spite of all of the facts. I feel that this is where we are as a nation today. Both sides of the racism debate are hammering at each other for their own personal ideology and not trying to hear, or understand the other’s position. Is discrimination wrong? The answer is a resounding YES! However, the discrimination is running full bore in the opposite direction, and no one is willing to acknowledge this fact. If you are going to teach about racism in this country, then teach about the Black Racism of today, and the prejudices the people of color are showing against all whites. Also, don’t fall into the old stale rhetoric that “we were treated this way, so this is justice.” It is NOT just, or justice to continue hateful behavior just because people of color have achieved some parity in the political arena. If they want to eliminate intolerance from the non-black community, then move past the “sins” of the past and forge a new future based on accomplishing the goals of ALL Americans, and stop favoring one minority group over another. This will be the indication that we have finally moved into the “mature” society that I spoke of earlier.
I shouldn’t have to give this history lesson to the Department of History, but when you ignore comprehensive history to promote a particular politically correct agenda inside the classroom, you, as a teacher, and as a department have failed to live up to your obligations as the protectors of academic excellence in your institution. Specifically, my several complaints of Ms. LaGuana Gray, instructor of U.S. History – 1945 to Present, are these: first, she did not follow even her own syllabus statement about how she was going to approach the topic, second, her focus was too narrow, focusing only on how “White” America spent the entire last half of the 20th century, persecuting “people of Color” specifically blacks, and ignored what great things this nation accomplished during this same time period. I was looking forward to learning about the engineering accomplishments involved in building the Interstate Highway system during Eisenhower’s administration; instead I found it reduced to one power-point slide, inserted into a lecture about how blacks were kept out of the suburbs. I KNOW THE BLACKS WERE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST DURING THIS TIME! That is still no excuse to ignore all of the technological advancements of the country at this time. She never even mentioned America landing on the Moon! Was that because it was discriminating against blacks that there were not allowed in the space program? Oh, wait! There were blacks in the Space Program, I guess you can’t fan the flames of prejudice if you acknowledge that there have been efforts towards inclusion from White America. However, she was able to cover the important, technologically innovative “Hip-Hop” craze, which has contributed more public harm in the form of violence against Whites, women, and the police than it has promoted anything artistic. If anything deserved to be reduced to one power point slide in this class, it would be that subject. I found the entire presentation of the first lecture most offensive. I have struggled as many people have to rid my life of foul, demeaning language such as profanity, only to be forced, WITHOUT PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OR PERMISSION, to a tirade from a rapper entitled “F*** the Police.” First, to use a college classroom to promote the ideals of these urban terrorists, who despise the laws of this country that many have fought and died for is repugnant. Second, to make a mockery of the law-enforcement community, encourage efforts to circumvent or outright violate the laws we have enacted for public safety is irresponsible, and borderline anarchist. No racist agenda, either white or black, should be tolerated in the classroom, but since that seems to be the accepted policy of this department (this is not the only prejudicial, discriminatory class I have attended here,) I am not surprised. This brings up another point, since I am not happy with the direction this decidedly racist class has taken; I have difficulty writing about subjects that I am in total disagreement with. Apparently it shows, because my grades have been poor on the essays. However, there is no set rubric that lets us know what pejorative standard is being used to grade our answers.
The final point I want to make is that when you set out as Doctoral Academia, to promote a one-sided, politically-correct agenda, you either need to acknowledge your own racist bias against the White person in America, and try to eliminate it from the curricula of the course of instruction. Forcing a student to read only biased, intolerant and hateful material from the “minority” community, without balancing it with the other side of the same issue is offensive and unfair to the students hoping to get a well-rounded education. This is not education, this is a demonstration of “vapid intellectualism.”
Wayne
When I registered for this class, I was looking forward to learning about the efforts of great Americans working together collectively to rebuild this nation into a stronger union after the depletion of resources of WWII. I wanted to see how the initiatives of individuals could dramatically influence the course of a nation through effort and perseverance.
Imagine my shock and dismay to find instead a class that should have been titled “I hate America: How white oppressors kept people of color out of the spotlight.” I did not intend to take a black studies course, but that is primarily the entire focus. Ms. Laguana Gray’s racist bias is very evident in her treatment of any view that does not conform to her own. Her distortion of American History by trying to impose political positions that are strictly her own, is both inexcusable and intolerable.
I will be the first to acknowledge that people of color have been systematically discriminated against throughout our history. However, it must be noted that ours is a young, maturing society less than 250 years old. As any analogy to growth must acknowledge, you first have the formative years, followed by the adolescent years, followed by the young adult years, finally followed by the mature adult years. I believe that we are in the process of passing from young adulthood into mature adulthood, but we still have a long way to go yet. Continuing with the analogy, let’s first examine the formative years. Here we, as a nation, were trying to “stand on our own” much like the infant becoming a toddler. We were so focused on trying to survive, that the conventions of the day were accepted and maintained. Even though Thomas Jefferson opposed slavery, and included a criticism of England’s involvement with slavery in the Declaration of Independence, the other Founding Fathers were unwilling to give up that tenet, and voted to remove that statement from the Declaration. Even so, we began to mature as a nation, and grow past some of our prejudices. Slavery under any guise is wrong and should never be engaged in. However, when the system is as firmly entrenched in society as it was, it will take time to move away from it. Even in America, the last major nation to abolish slavery in the area, we were moving away from the practice with the Declaration, it just took a long time. During our period of adolescence, we finally took the stand to abolish the practice of slavery, but some of the more immature elements of the nation decided to “be rebellious” and fight this movement. Any person that has ever been a teenager, or tried to raise teenagers knows that there will always be a stage of rebelliousness that is part of their maturing process, but they will eventually grow out of it. As a young adult, opinions are about what is important to the individual, not the family at large. Personal opinions are the most important standard to evaluate the behavior of others, and render judgment. Unfortunately, in this scenario, there is little room for compromise, and any challenge to the individual’s opinion is rejected outright, in spite of all of the facts. I feel that this is where we are as a nation today. Both sides of the racism debate are hammering at each other for their own personal ideology and not trying to hear, or understand the other’s position. Is discrimination wrong? The answer is a resounding YES! However, the discrimination is running full bore in the opposite direction, and no one is willing to acknowledge this fact. If you are going to teach about racism in this country, then teach about the Black Racism of today, and the prejudices the people of color are showing against all whites. Also, don’t fall into the old stale rhetoric that “we were treated this way, so this is justice.” It is NOT just, or justice to continue hateful behavior just because people of color have achieved some parity in the political arena. If they want to eliminate intolerance from the non-black community, then move past the “sins” of the past and forge a new future based on accomplishing the goals of ALL Americans, and stop favoring one minority group over another. This will be the indication that we have finally moved into the “mature” society that I spoke of earlier.
I shouldn’t have to give this history lesson to the Department of History, but when you ignore comprehensive history to promote a particular politically correct agenda inside the classroom, you, as a teacher, and as a department have failed to live up to your obligations as the protectors of academic excellence in your institution. Specifically, my several complaints of Ms. LaGuana Gray, instructor of U.S. History – 1945 to Present, are these: first, she did not follow even her own syllabus statement about how she was going to approach the topic, second, her focus was too narrow, focusing only on how “White” America spent the entire last half of the 20th century, persecuting “people of Color” specifically blacks, and ignored what great things this nation accomplished during this same time period. I was looking forward to learning about the engineering accomplishments involved in building the Interstate Highway system during Eisenhower’s administration; instead I found it reduced to one power-point slide, inserted into a lecture about how blacks were kept out of the suburbs. I KNOW THE BLACKS WERE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST DURING THIS TIME! That is still no excuse to ignore all of the technological advancements of the country at this time. She never even mentioned America landing on the Moon! Was that because it was discriminating against blacks that there were not allowed in the space program? Oh, wait! There were blacks in the Space Program, I guess you can’t fan the flames of prejudice if you acknowledge that there have been efforts towards inclusion from White America. However, she was able to cover the important, technologically innovative “Hip-Hop” craze, which has contributed more public harm in the form of violence against Whites, women, and the police than it has promoted anything artistic. If anything deserved to be reduced to one power point slide in this class, it would be that subject. I found the entire presentation of the first lecture most offensive. I have struggled as many people have to rid my life of foul, demeaning language such as profanity, only to be forced, WITHOUT PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OR PERMISSION, to a tirade from a rapper entitled “F*** the Police.” First, to use a college classroom to promote the ideals of these urban terrorists, who despise the laws of this country that many have fought and died for is repugnant. Second, to make a mockery of the law-enforcement community, encourage efforts to circumvent or outright violate the laws we have enacted for public safety is irresponsible, and borderline anarchist. No racist agenda, either white or black, should be tolerated in the classroom, but since that seems to be the accepted policy of this department (this is not the only prejudicial, discriminatory class I have attended here,) I am not surprised. This brings up another point, since I am not happy with the direction this decidedly racist class has taken; I have difficulty writing about subjects that I am in total disagreement with. Apparently it shows, because my grades have been poor on the essays. However, there is no set rubric that lets us know what pejorative standard is being used to grade our answers.
The final point I want to make is that when you set out as Doctoral Academia, to promote a one-sided, politically-correct agenda, you either need to acknowledge your own racist bias against the White person in America, and try to eliminate it from the curricula of the course of instruction. Forcing a student to read only biased, intolerant and hateful material from the “minority” community, without balancing it with the other side of the same issue is offensive and unfair to the students hoping to get a well-rounded education. This is not education, this is a demonstration of “vapid intellectualism.”
Week in Review
Wow! a week has gone by! I must be getting lazy! Actually, though I have several papers due in my college classes this week, and I really can't afford to take this time out to update my blog, but too much has happened for me to not comment on, so here goes.
First, I want to say congratulations to the millions of Americans who showed up on Wednesday, April 15th, to protest the irresponsibility of this government (not just this administration, but Congree as well) and make it known that we will not stand idly by while our security both politically and financially is attacked daily by the government. Since I live South of San Antonio, Texas, I watched how our fair city handled their "Tea Party" and I must say that I was very proud of all that we were able to accomplish that day. I want to echo the sentiment expressed by Ted Nugent, when he said, "I think it's great that everyone came out today, but don't just demonstrate, take action! Call your Congressmen, your Senators, and your Governors, and let them know that you are mad about this!" (very loosely quoted, but sentiment is there.) I agree that now we need to follow up by calling offices of our elected officials and telling them that if they don't start working for US, that we will give them a "pink slip" (after all, they do work for us!) the next time they are up for reelection. In fact, we should replace EVERY elected member of Congress this next term, and let someone look at this problem from a fresh perspective.
Next, in my earlier post, I expressed concerned about how this government had many developmental similarities to Hitler's Nazi Germany. I was hoping that by articulating this concern that I would quickly be proven wrong, and that I was being unneccissarily alarmist in my views. You know, Hitler had his cohorts set out out on a systematic campaign to eliminate a particular group out of German society, first in innocent sounding criticisms, then with more sinister restrictions on the liberties of the citizens in the interest of their "national security." The first thing they did was to equate the Jew as being a "Communist or Communist Sympathizer." This was effective since it struck fear in the heart of the average person in their society making them worry about the "subversive" threat of the Jews.
Fast forward to earlier this week, when the Department of Homeland Security (again a lieutenant of the administration) issues a warning to law enforcement, Nation-wide, to be on the lookout for returning veterans, those who had voluntarily served their country, who had put their lives and limbs on the line for our freedom, who most likely will be recruited to become "right-wing extremists," and a threat to society. Also included were Pro-Life Christians, NRA members, and anyone who protests their government (look out you tax-day enthusiasts, they're reviewing the video as we speak!) If you can't see the similarity to what Hitler and the Nazis did, and realize that from that beginning, they went on to suspend the cilvil rights and civil liberties of over 6 million Jews, and other "inferiors." The only hope we, as Americans, have is the Second Amendment. Do not let them remove that Amendment from the Constitution! The Constitution is now "hanging by a thread" and I want to call on loyal Americans from all political views to rise up and defend us from these "domestic enemies"!
I hope to make another post about my U.S. History class, but this one is already too long, so I will do it later. Be sure to look at my Blog on Sunday, 19 April 2009, because I will commemorate a family "holiday." Enjoy your day, and GOD BLESS AMERICA!
First, I want to say congratulations to the millions of Americans who showed up on Wednesday, April 15th, to protest the irresponsibility of this government (not just this administration, but Congree as well) and make it known that we will not stand idly by while our security both politically and financially is attacked daily by the government. Since I live South of San Antonio, Texas, I watched how our fair city handled their "Tea Party" and I must say that I was very proud of all that we were able to accomplish that day. I want to echo the sentiment expressed by Ted Nugent, when he said, "I think it's great that everyone came out today, but don't just demonstrate, take action! Call your Congressmen, your Senators, and your Governors, and let them know that you are mad about this!" (very loosely quoted, but sentiment is there.) I agree that now we need to follow up by calling offices of our elected officials and telling them that if they don't start working for US, that we will give them a "pink slip" (after all, they do work for us!) the next time they are up for reelection. In fact, we should replace EVERY elected member of Congress this next term, and let someone look at this problem from a fresh perspective.
Next, in my earlier post, I expressed concerned about how this government had many developmental similarities to Hitler's Nazi Germany. I was hoping that by articulating this concern that I would quickly be proven wrong, and that I was being unneccissarily alarmist in my views. You know, Hitler had his cohorts set out out on a systematic campaign to eliminate a particular group out of German society, first in innocent sounding criticisms, then with more sinister restrictions on the liberties of the citizens in the interest of their "national security." The first thing they did was to equate the Jew as being a "Communist or Communist Sympathizer." This was effective since it struck fear in the heart of the average person in their society making them worry about the "subversive" threat of the Jews.
Fast forward to earlier this week, when the Department of Homeland Security (again a lieutenant of the administration) issues a warning to law enforcement, Nation-wide, to be on the lookout for returning veterans, those who had voluntarily served their country, who had put their lives and limbs on the line for our freedom, who most likely will be recruited to become "right-wing extremists," and a threat to society. Also included were Pro-Life Christians, NRA members, and anyone who protests their government (look out you tax-day enthusiasts, they're reviewing the video as we speak!) If you can't see the similarity to what Hitler and the Nazis did, and realize that from that beginning, they went on to suspend the cilvil rights and civil liberties of over 6 million Jews, and other "inferiors." The only hope we, as Americans, have is the Second Amendment. Do not let them remove that Amendment from the Constitution! The Constitution is now "hanging by a thread" and I want to call on loyal Americans from all political views to rise up and defend us from these "domestic enemies"!
I hope to make another post about my U.S. History class, but this one is already too long, so I will do it later. Be sure to look at my Blog on Sunday, 19 April 2009, because I will commemorate a family "holiday." Enjoy your day, and GOD BLESS AMERICA!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
HOPPY EASTER!!!
On this day when we accept the "ransom" paid for all of our sins by one spectacular person, namely the Son of the Living God, through His resurrection from the dead giving the world hope that there can be more to life than simple existence, we hear of a man, who, in the tradition of his Savior, gave himself for ransom for the safety of his fellow shipmates. I am very gratified that Captain Phillips made the decision that he did. He was willing to sacrifice himself for the safety of his crew, and endured many hardships associated with his captivity at the hands of cowards who shamelessly exploit the weak for their own greed. I was gratified that the military was allowed to do their job, and eliminate the threat to Capt. Phillips, while ensuring his ultimate safety. It could have gone wrong on so many different levels.
I do find it ironic, though, that it was a strictly military operation that has spurred this huge outpouring of patriotic fervor across the country. I think that it is right that we should celebrate the cool efficiency of the U.S. Navy Seals, who can take a situation with a moving target (there were sea swells at the time) and eliminate three of the four pirates at the same time! It is remarkable, and should prove to the rest of the country that there is is still continued need to have a strong well-trained military in place to neutralize future threats to our country. We do NOT need to apologize for the actions we have taken as a nation to preserve and protect freedoms throughout the world. It is with a grateful heart that I say, GOD BLESS AMERICA!
I do find it ironic, though, that it was a strictly military operation that has spurred this huge outpouring of patriotic fervor across the country. I think that it is right that we should celebrate the cool efficiency of the U.S. Navy Seals, who can take a situation with a moving target (there were sea swells at the time) and eliminate three of the four pirates at the same time! It is remarkable, and should prove to the rest of the country that there is is still continued need to have a strong well-trained military in place to neutralize future threats to our country. We do NOT need to apologize for the actions we have taken as a nation to preserve and protect freedoms throughout the world. It is with a grateful heart that I say, GOD BLESS AMERICA!
Friday, April 10, 2009
After my post of yesterday, someone sent me this e-mail. There were some remarkable similarities to what I wrote. I hope you enjoy these readings.
Wayne S. Vaughn
Excellent Reading by Pam Geller I am a student of history. Professionally, I have written 15 books in six languages, and have studied history all my life. I think there is something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is just a banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or a credit crisis. Yes, these exist but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now coming into a sharper focus. Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people react to it. Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something happening within our country that has been evolving for about 10 - 15 years. The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two. We demand and then codified into law the requirement that our banks make massive loans to people whom we know could never pay back? Why? We learned recently that the Federal Reserve, which has little or no real oversight by anyone, has "loaned" two trillion dollars (that is $2,000,000,000,000) over the past few months, but will not tell us to whom or why or disclose the terms. That is our money. Yours and mine. And that is three times the $700B we all argued about so strenuously just this past September. Who has this money? Why do they have it? Why are the terms unavailable to us? Who asked for it? Who authorized it? I thought this was a government of "We the People," who loaned our powers to our elected leaders.. Apparently not. We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing our economy. Why? We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why? We have now established the precedent of protesting every close election (now violently in California over a proposition that is so controversial that it wants marriage to remain between one man and one woman. Did you ever think such a thing possible just a decade ago?). We have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to write laws that radically change our way of life, and then mainstream Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into a banana republic. To what purpose? Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free fall, major industries are failing, our banking system is on the verge of collapse, Social Security is nearly bankrupt, as is Medicare and our entire government. Our education system is worse than a joke (I teach college and know precisely what I am talking about.) The list is staggering in its length, breadth, and depth. It is potentially 1929 x 10. And we are at war with an enemy we cannot name for fear of offending people of the same religion who cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have the opportunity to do so. And now we have elected a man no one knows anything about, who has never run so much as a Dairy Queen, let alone a town as big as Wasilla , Alaska . All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in their chosen fields of employment, and everything we learn about him, drip by drip, is unsettling if not d ownright scary (Surely you have heard him speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force stronger than our military for use inside our borders? No? Oh, of course. The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he answer it. Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter and $150,000 wardrobe is more important.) Mr. Obama's winning platform can be boiled down to one word: Change. Why? I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am now. This man campaigned on bringing people together, something he has never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will divide us along philosophical lines, push us apart, and then try to realign the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again. And that is only the beginning. I thought I would never be able to experience what the ordinary, moral German felt in the mid-1930s. In those times, the savior was a former smooth-talking rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German knew next to nothing. What they did know was that he was associated with groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory and promises. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he was a great speaker. And he smiled and waved a lot. And people, even newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his "brown shirts" would bully them into submission. And then he was duly elected to office, with a full-throttled economic crisis at hand [the Great Depression]. Slowly but surely he seized the controls of government power, department by department, person by person, bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The kids joined a Youth Movement in his name, where they were taught what to think. How did he get the people on his side? He did it promising jobs to the jobless, money to the moneyless, and goodies for the military-industrial complex. He did it by indoctrinating the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages, better jobs, and promising to re-instill pride once again in the country, across Europe , and across the world. He did it with a compliant media - Did you know that? And he did this all in the name of justice and .. . .. change. And the people surely got what they voted for. (Look it up if you think I am exaggerating.) Read your history books. Many people objected in 1933 and were shouted down, called names, laughed at, and made fun of. When Winston Churchill pointed out the obvious in the late 1930s while seated in the House of Lords in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though ... Don't forget that Germany was the most educated, cultured country in Europe . It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals, laboratories, and universities. And in less than six years - a shorter time span than just two terms of the U. S. presidency - it was rounding up its own citizens, killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and neighbors against neighbors. All with the best of intentions, of course. The road to Hell is paved with them. As a practical thinker, one not overly prone to emotional decisions, I have a choice: I can either believe what the objective pieces of evidence tell me (even if they make me cringe with disgust); I can believe what history is shouting to me from across the chasm of seven decades; or I can hope I am wrong, close my eyes, have another latte and ignore what is transpiring around me. Some people scoff at me; others laugh or think I am foolish, naive, or both. Perhaps I am. But I have never been afraid to look people in the eye and tell them exactly what I believe - and why I believe it. I pray I am wrong. But, I do not think I am. About the author via Google... Pamela "Atlas" Geller began her publishing career at The New York Daily News and subsequently took over operation of The New York Observer as Associate Publisher. She left The Observer after the birth of her fourth child but remained involved in various projects including American Associates, Ben Gurion University and being Senior Vice-President Strategic Planning and Performance Evaluation at The Brandeis School . After 9/11, Atlas had the veil of oblivion violently lifted from her consciousness and immersed herself in the education and understanding of geopolitics, Islam, terror, foreign affairs and imminent threats the mainstream media and the government wouldn't cover or discuss. *************************************************************** Since many of you enjoy senior citizen status or will sometime in the not too distant future, I thought you might be interested in this information. IN GOD WE TRUST Everybody that is on this mailing list is either a senior citizen, is getting close or knows sombody that is. Most of you know by now that the Senate version (at least) of the "stimulus" bill includes provisions for extensive rationing of health care for senior citizens. The author of this part of the bill, former senator and tax evader, Tom Daschle was credited today by Bloomberg with the following statement. Bloomberg: "Daschle says health-care reform “will not be pain free.” Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them." If this does not sufficiently raise your ire, just remember that Senators and Congressmen have their own healthcare plan that is first dollar or very low co-pay which they are guaranteed the remainder of their lives and are not subject to this new law if it passes.
Wayne S. Vaughn
Excellent Reading by Pam Geller I am a student of history. Professionally, I have written 15 books in six languages, and have studied history all my life. I think there is something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is just a banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or a credit crisis. Yes, these exist but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now coming into a sharper focus. Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people react to it. Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something happening within our country that has been evolving for about 10 - 15 years. The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two. We demand and then codified into law the requirement that our banks make massive loans to people whom we know could never pay back? Why? We learned recently that the Federal Reserve, which has little or no real oversight by anyone, has "loaned" two trillion dollars (that is $2,000,000,000,000) over the past few months, but will not tell us to whom or why or disclose the terms. That is our money. Yours and mine. And that is three times the $700B we all argued about so strenuously just this past September. Who has this money? Why do they have it? Why are the terms unavailable to us? Who asked for it? Who authorized it? I thought this was a government of "We the People," who loaned our powers to our elected leaders.. Apparently not. We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing our economy. Why? We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why? We have now established the precedent of protesting every close election (now violently in California over a proposition that is so controversial that it wants marriage to remain between one man and one woman. Did you ever think such a thing possible just a decade ago?). We have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to write laws that radically change our way of life, and then mainstream Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into a banana republic. To what purpose? Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free fall, major industries are failing, our banking system is on the verge of collapse, Social Security is nearly bankrupt, as is Medicare and our entire government. Our education system is worse than a joke (I teach college and know precisely what I am talking about.) The list is staggering in its length, breadth, and depth. It is potentially 1929 x 10. And we are at war with an enemy we cannot name for fear of offending people of the same religion who cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have the opportunity to do so. And now we have elected a man no one knows anything about, who has never run so much as a Dairy Queen, let alone a town as big as Wasilla , Alaska . All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in their chosen fields of employment, and everything we learn about him, drip by drip, is unsettling if not d ownright scary (Surely you have heard him speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force stronger than our military for use inside our borders? No? Oh, of course. The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he answer it. Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter and $150,000 wardrobe is more important.) Mr. Obama's winning platform can be boiled down to one word: Change. Why? I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am now. This man campaigned on bringing people together, something he has never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will divide us along philosophical lines, push us apart, and then try to realign the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again. And that is only the beginning. I thought I would never be able to experience what the ordinary, moral German felt in the mid-1930s. In those times, the savior was a former smooth-talking rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German knew next to nothing. What they did know was that he was associated with groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory and promises. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he was a great speaker. And he smiled and waved a lot. And people, even newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his "brown shirts" would bully them into submission. And then he was duly elected to office, with a full-throttled economic crisis at hand [the Great Depression]. Slowly but surely he seized the controls of government power, department by department, person by person, bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The kids joined a Youth Movement in his name, where they were taught what to think. How did he get the people on his side? He did it promising jobs to the jobless, money to the moneyless, and goodies for the military-industrial complex. He did it by indoctrinating the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages, better jobs, and promising to re-instill pride once again in the country, across Europe , and across the world. He did it with a compliant media - Did you know that? And he did this all in the name of justice and .. . .. change. And the people surely got what they voted for. (Look it up if you think I am exaggerating.) Read your history books. Many people objected in 1933 and were shouted down, called names, laughed at, and made fun of. When Winston Churchill pointed out the obvious in the late 1930s while seated in the House of Lords in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though ... Don't forget that Germany was the most educated, cultured country in Europe . It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals, laboratories, and universities. And in less than six years - a shorter time span than just two terms of the U. S. presidency - it was rounding up its own citizens, killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and neighbors against neighbors. All with the best of intentions, of course. The road to Hell is paved with them. As a practical thinker, one not overly prone to emotional decisions, I have a choice: I can either believe what the objective pieces of evidence tell me (even if they make me cringe with disgust); I can believe what history is shouting to me from across the chasm of seven decades; or I can hope I am wrong, close my eyes, have another latte and ignore what is transpiring around me. Some people scoff at me; others laugh or think I am foolish, naive, or both. Perhaps I am. But I have never been afraid to look people in the eye and tell them exactly what I believe - and why I believe it. I pray I am wrong. But, I do not think I am. About the author via Google... Pamela "Atlas" Geller began her publishing career at The New York Daily News and subsequently took over operation of The New York Observer as Associate Publisher. She left The Observer after the birth of her fourth child but remained involved in various projects including American Associates, Ben Gurion University and being Senior Vice-President Strategic Planning and Performance Evaluation at The Brandeis School . After 9/11, Atlas had the veil of oblivion violently lifted from her consciousness and immersed herself in the education and understanding of geopolitics, Islam, terror, foreign affairs and imminent threats the mainstream media and the government wouldn't cover or discuss. *************************************************************** Since many of you enjoy senior citizen status or will sometime in the not too distant future, I thought you might be interested in this information. IN GOD WE TRUST Everybody that is on this mailing list is either a senior citizen, is getting close or knows sombody that is. Most of you know by now that the Senate version (at least) of the "stimulus" bill includes provisions for extensive rationing of health care for senior citizens. The author of this part of the bill, former senator and tax evader, Tom Daschle was credited today by Bloomberg with the following statement. Bloomberg: "Daschle says health-care reform “will not be pain free.” Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them." If this does not sufficiently raise your ire, just remember that Senators and Congressmen have their own healthcare plan that is first dollar or very low co-pay which they are guaranteed the remainder of their lives and are not subject to this new law if it passes.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Economic Savior?
Here's some food for thought, see if this doesn't sound familiar.
The country is in economic turmoil, there is rampant unemployment worldwide, and no one has a plan to help solve this crisis.
A young, charismatic candidate rises through the ranks of the party to take control and start moving the somewhat socialist-leaning agenda forward.
He is wildly popular, appealing to all walks of life, including the youth who are solidy behind his campaign.
He promises to bring an end to the malaise of the country by first providing jobs to its citizens through rebuilding of the infrastructure.
The country is in economic turmoil, there is rampant unemployment worldwide, and no one has a plan to help solve this crisis.
A young, charismatic candidate rises through the ranks of the party to take control and start moving the somewhat socialist-leaning agenda forward.
He is wildly popular, appealing to all walks of life, including the youth who are solidy behind his campaign.
He promises to bring an end to the malaise of the country by first providing jobs to its citizens through rebuilding of the infrastructure.
He says that the cause of the economic problem is the greedy members of the financial community who are holding the average person hostage through their lending practices. He promises to take charge of the situation and do whatever is necessary to bring order to the problem.
Riding the tide of populism, he and his party are swept into office to attempt to bring the country out of their crisis.
And, in1933, ADOLPH HITLER is appointed to take control of the German Chancellory, and the rest, as they say, is History. (or is it?)
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Okay, here is my next blog. I am going to start writing my political commentary, so I am sure to step on someone's toes every now and then. Don't take offense, but let's have a healthy discussion of ideas and views on the subject. - wsv
The Presidency is well under way, the economy has been foundering for some time now, and the President, looking for ways to trim the budget, goes to the Secretary of Defense and tries to find areas where the budget can be significantly reduced. As expected, the Defense Secretary tells the President that there could be enough cuts in Military spending that they will be able to balance the budget and even have a surplus in a few years. However, if the cuts were implemented, our military readiness would suffer, our troop size would be reduced, and our ability to engage in a sustained military action might be compromised. After weighing the options, the President, sensing that the American people are tired of war and want a rapid solution to the current economic situation, decides to go forward with the plan to reduce military spending. By the time the cuts were fully implemented, President Clinton was able to present to the country a budget with a surplus.
The parallels of the Obama Presidency to the Clinton Presidency are frightening. I believe that Obama is ignorant of anything dealing with foreign affairs, and probably relies on Hillary Clinton's advice. That is why there are beginning to be so many similarities between the two administrations. I have said that since Hillary's nomination, for the first time in American history, the Secretary of State has more power in the White House than the President. Since most of the political appointees come from the Clinton Administration, their loyalties are probably still with the Clintons. Just something to watch for and see what develops.
What prompted this diatribe, was the news from 06 April, 2009 that stated that the Secretary of Defense has recommended that the military spending budget be reduced to cut out High-Tech research on new weapon systems, and aircraft. This is idiocy on so many fronts. First, research and development during peacetime is always warranted in order to be prepared for the next conflict. I can guarantee that the enemies of America, will never stop developing weapons systems to rival us even if we announced that we will NEVER use any military weapons against any other nation ever again. This mentality points to the international political niaivity of the current administration. We need to be watchful and concerned about where we are going.
Wayne S. Vaughn
The Presidency is well under way, the economy has been foundering for some time now, and the President, looking for ways to trim the budget, goes to the Secretary of Defense and tries to find areas where the budget can be significantly reduced. As expected, the Defense Secretary tells the President that there could be enough cuts in Military spending that they will be able to balance the budget and even have a surplus in a few years. However, if the cuts were implemented, our military readiness would suffer, our troop size would be reduced, and our ability to engage in a sustained military action might be compromised. After weighing the options, the President, sensing that the American people are tired of war and want a rapid solution to the current economic situation, decides to go forward with the plan to reduce military spending. By the time the cuts were fully implemented, President Clinton was able to present to the country a budget with a surplus.
The parallels of the Obama Presidency to the Clinton Presidency are frightening. I believe that Obama is ignorant of anything dealing with foreign affairs, and probably relies on Hillary Clinton's advice. That is why there are beginning to be so many similarities between the two administrations. I have said that since Hillary's nomination, for the first time in American history, the Secretary of State has more power in the White House than the President. Since most of the political appointees come from the Clinton Administration, their loyalties are probably still with the Clintons. Just something to watch for and see what develops.
What prompted this diatribe, was the news from 06 April, 2009 that stated that the Secretary of Defense has recommended that the military spending budget be reduced to cut out High-Tech research on new weapon systems, and aircraft. This is idiocy on so many fronts. First, research and development during peacetime is always warranted in order to be prepared for the next conflict. I can guarantee that the enemies of America, will never stop developing weapons systems to rival us even if we announced that we will NEVER use any military weapons against any other nation ever again. This mentality points to the international political niaivity of the current administration. We need to be watchful and concerned about where we are going.
Wayne S. Vaughn
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Welcome!
Hello everyone, and welcome to my attempt to join in the blogging revolution. I am not very savvy about this kind of stuff, so be patient while I discover how to do this. I intend to make comments about various issues that spark my interest, and want any who are interested to respond to have an open dialogue about the things we see in the world. I will start this blog with an introduction and maybe some basic guidelines about how I would like to see discussions go.
I am 58 years old, and I am about to finally complete my Bachelor's Degree in History with a minor in Political Science. I am a former Justice of the Peace, having held elective office for 4 years. I like to make jokes about everything, and sometimes that might come across as rude or insensitive, and I never intend it that way. I like to poke fun at everything, but especially myself, and I don't mind people having a laugh with me as long as it is not personally demeaning.
This brings me to my basic rules for posting on my blog. First, I want everyone to feel free to make comments on anything that is posted here without fear of ridicule or criticism. You can vehemently disagree with me or any other poster on this site, but you must always be respectful. I may tolerate personal attacks on myself, but I will never tolerate any attacks or abuse of my guests. Respect MUST be the order of the day, or else you will not be welcomed back, and I value every opinion that is out there. I do however, reserve the right to reject any opinion I choose, but please feel free to express them since that is the best way we learn how to articulate arguments for our positions. I really want this to be FUN!!!!
As you can see already, I am a very wordy guy, and will rant forever. Please don't let that discourage from coming and participating, I would appreciate it. I am going to have more posts, mostly on political subjects of the day, since there is so much to try to understand given the current state of affairs, so watch and enjoy.
Wayne S. Vaughn
I am 58 years old, and I am about to finally complete my Bachelor's Degree in History with a minor in Political Science. I am a former Justice of the Peace, having held elective office for 4 years. I like to make jokes about everything, and sometimes that might come across as rude or insensitive, and I never intend it that way. I like to poke fun at everything, but especially myself, and I don't mind people having a laugh with me as long as it is not personally demeaning.
This brings me to my basic rules for posting on my blog. First, I want everyone to feel free to make comments on anything that is posted here without fear of ridicule or criticism. You can vehemently disagree with me or any other poster on this site, but you must always be respectful. I may tolerate personal attacks on myself, but I will never tolerate any attacks or abuse of my guests. Respect MUST be the order of the day, or else you will not be welcomed back, and I value every opinion that is out there. I do however, reserve the right to reject any opinion I choose, but please feel free to express them since that is the best way we learn how to articulate arguments for our positions. I really want this to be FUN!!!!
As you can see already, I am a very wordy guy, and will rant forever. Please don't let that discourage from coming and participating, I would appreciate it. I am going to have more posts, mostly on political subjects of the day, since there is so much to try to understand given the current state of affairs, so watch and enjoy.
Wayne S. Vaughn
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