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What They've Thought
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What They Thought December 19, 2004 R.A.
Hawkins Click here for columnist bios |
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R.A.
Hawkins During the blissful and heady days of Clinton wasting the peace dividend, the Russians continued on the same path they have always been on. We are just now hearing about the Russians rolling out new missiles designed to evade our new missile defense system. There is a reason we are just now hearing about these new missiles. The media thinks they can smear it on Bush. Back to that path Russia has always been on for a moment: During Clinton's reign, they were rolling new missiles out the door on a regular basis. They were building the Kursk, which didn’t get too far and sank. What surprises me is that people don’t realize they were building that for years. It was in the works long before it sank in August of 2000. They were working on Yamantau Mountain during Clinton’s term. That is what they did with their peace dividend. They continued on the same old first strike nuclear path. Anatoly Golitsyn warned us repeatedly that the Soviet goal was a devastating first strike nuclear attack against the United States. He made a series of predictions as to a path they would pursue leading up to that attack. There were something like one-hundred and eight predictions. The media scoffed and ridiculed him as paranoid. (He was one of the top KGB defectors, and being Russian, he’s entitled to be paranoid.) So far only about eight of his predictions have not materialized. The Neo-Flat Earth Society (Liberal Media) will quote the likes of Al Sharpton—who’s never right—like it is Gospel, but a person who says something they don’t like and is right ninety-five percent of the time is a charlatan. It is these types of predictions and occurrences—such as the continuing buildup and sales to our "go figure" MFN trading partner China—that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside that we have Bush in the White House. He had enough sense to back out of the ABM treaty Russia has repeatedly ignored. I was glad to see the percentage of voters that understand the real predicament we’re in. I have gotten a lot of emails about Bush saying he looked into Putin’s soul and saw a man he could trust. They are quite often telling me he is one of them, etc. My reaction to Bush’s comment was different. It was one of amusement. Bush understands something that a lot of people just can’t quite grasp. I think Winston Churchill said it best:“Diplomacy is that fine art of saying, ‘nice doggy’ while you’re looking for a bigger stick.” Many of the people that have a problem with what Bush said about Putin don’t answer me when I ask them what they would have him say about him. Would you rather have a President that gets that "nice doggy," quote or one that calls Putin a lying, thieving, murderous scumbag desperately in need of a nuclear correction? Maybe something a little more streetish would be fashionable to them. Because of some of the emails I have received, I agree with Confucius regarding the common man and matters of state. He said that the common man tends to be near- sighted and self-centered. Because of that, he said they should be left out of matters of state. The last election showed fifty-one percent aren’t dumb. So I view them as excluded from this comment. I would also like to add that I view many in the media as being a cut below the common man. The primary function of the media is to drive the common man who isn’t paying attention into frenzy so they can sell papers. Either that, or they truly are the Neo-Flat Earth Society. One of the interesting dynamics that has been set in motion is that we’re over here buying Chinese products. The Chinese take the money from the workers (that’s slavery, or at the least pimping), and they buy weapons from the Russians. Russia’s economy would have collapsed a long time ago if it weren’t for the Chinese military purchases. That said, I was amused when Putin said they wouldn’t continue to hold up the value of the American dollar. That is interesting. What to do when a failed economy refuses to back one that is starting to take off again? Oh, and by the way, the Russians and Chinese are planning to have war games again. Yes, I said again. The last time they did this was around 2002 and the practice was aimed at removing our satellites. The last country involved with war games and China was France...Isn’t that odd? Anything to convince the French masses they still have powerful friends somewhere. R.A. Hawkins Web Site Contact Back to Top |
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Jonathan David Morris: Pennsylvania: Come for the History, Stay for the… Milk? You know what we don’t need? State birds. If you can convince me we need state birds, I will give you a dollar. This dare germinates from a visit I made to “Visit PA” the other day. Visit PA is the online home of Pennsylvania’s tourism board, which can be found at visitpa.com. While there, I came across a page of “facts and interesting tidbits." I wasn’t so sure it was interesting, honestly, but I was willing to take a look. I’m trying to get into this whole moving-to-Pennsylvania thing. That’s why I visited Visit PA in the first place. Pennsylvania will never match New Jersey for me. New Jersey’s love is like bad medicine. But I’d like to believe you can love two states at one time. So anyway, the “interesting tidbits” page starts off with some fairly standard stuff—real textbook material, the kind of info only dorks like me care about—such as the state seal, the state flag, the state motto, etc. It also explains why the state isn’t a state, but rather a commonwealth. (It derives from an Old English term, “common weal,” which means “well-being of the public”—or as Marx called it, “communism.” It’s much different than a “state,” you see, which, if memory serves, is loosely defined as “fooling all of the people, all of the time.") But then the “facts” take a turn towards the absurd. It begins with Visit PA’s introduction to the state bird, the Ruffed Grouse. It’s all downhill from there. “Settlers relied on this plump, red-brown bird with the feathery legs as part of their food supply,” Visit PA explains, without ever explaining why PA needs a state bird to begin with. “Sometimes called a partridge, the Ruffed Grouse is still a familiar sight in Pennsylvania’s forests.” So they claim. Now, look, I’m a good sport. You want to have a state bird? Have a state bird. Be my guest. I don’t care. I’m not sure the Ruffed Grouse is a very good one, to be quite honest. I’d much sooner go with the Common Loon, like Minnesota, because if you’re going to have a state bird, you might as well have one that makes the whole state sound like it’s out of its freaking mind. But the point is, if you want a state bird, you can have a state bird—I won’t get in your way. But I still don’t think it’s necessary. For one thing, I fail to see where having a state bird benefits the tourism board, in particular. How many families actually take this into consideration when planning the annual summer outing? “Well, kids, your mother and I have it narrowed down to two choices for this year’s vacation. Either we can go to South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore --” [insert the sounds of childlike groaning here] “-- or we can go to Pennsylvania to see the bird that’s sometimes called a partridge.” Hooray! Secondly, in what way do state birds benefit residents? I’ve lived in Pennsylvania for the better part of half a year now. I’m a taxpayer. The Ruffed Grouse has done precisely nothing for me. If we stopped having a state bird altogether, I wouldn’t get dejected and call up my friends, like: “I don’t know about Pennsylvania, man. I liked it at first, but now that there isn’t a state bird anymore… it’s just so embarrassing.” In fact, if there wasn’t a state bird, I probably wouldn’t notice. As if state birds weren’t enough, Visit PA then informs us that Pennsylvania’s state tree is the Hemlock. This is because: “The Hemlock was a sturdy ally to the state’s first settlers.” Well, gee, you know what this sounds like? Take out the “first settlers” part. It sounds like a stump speech for part-time Pittsburgher John Kerry. Say, he carried the Commonwealth this year, didn’t he? Can’t we make him the state tree instead? The list goes on and on. There’s the firefly, for instance, which is Pennsylvania’s state insect. To me, that’s a no-win situation; no matter which insect represents your state, you’ve still got an insect representing your state. Haven’t we got enough bloodsuckers in government as it is? And, of course, what state would be complete without a state beautification plant (Crownvetch), a state fossil (Phacops Rana), and a state steam locomotive (K4s Steam)? These are very important things. I mean, God only knows where Ohio would be today, were it not for its state flower, the scarlet carnation. Finally, we arrive at Pennsylvania’s state beverage, which is milk. That’s right. Milk. “This designation is a fitting tribute to one of the Commonwealth’s leading farm products,” says Visit PA. “It also salutes the state’s gentle dairy cows who each produce a generous 22 quarts of milk a day.” “Generous”? “Gentle”? Geez. If this were any more touchy-feely, it’d be downright uncomfortable. And what’s with this “fitting tribute” stuff? A “fitting tribute” to what—milk? Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure milk appreciates the recognition it’s getting for its many contributions—cooling tongues, strengthening bones, searching for lost boys—throughout the years. And no doubt, milk’s got a lot on its mind right now, what with the election and “Ocean’s Twelve” both happening this year. So it’s good to give a little something back—this much, I’ll grant you. But it’s still a poor choice for a state beverage. In fact, of all the state symbols I’ve mentioned, it’s probably the poorest choice of all. “Even poorer than Phacops Rana as the choice for state fossil?” you ask. Yes, even poorer than Phacops Rana as the choice for state fossil. (Everyone knows Joe Paterno is a much better fit.) Why? Because plenty of states have milk. It’s everywhere. If you’re going to have a state beverage, you should have a state beverage synonymous with the state—a native drink. Pennsylvania has something just like this. It’s brewed in America’s oldest, and fifth-largest, brewery. Its name is called Yuengling. And it tastes darn good. That’s the thing I don’t get about state symbols. I can live with having them (not like I have a choice; I’m not in charge here), but they really ought to at least represent the people of the state in some unique way. I mean, I wouldn’t even know a Ruffed Grouse was a bird—let alone the state bird—if I didn’t look it up. And for all I know, they don’t even exist. I’ve never seen one. All I’ve seen are the birds that keep soiling my windshield. That, and whacked out drivers signaling right to go left. You want my opinion? A much better state bird would be the middle finger I keep having to give these people on the roads every morning. At least then the state bird would stand for something. Jonathan David Morris Web Site Contact Back to Top |
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According to the author of Privatization Zealotry, Marty Solomon, the only way to make a major improvement in our educational system is not through privatization. He believes there is not any one answer to the problems in the public school system regardless of how beneficial independent administration might prove. This is because he feels that no school can adequately address the socio/economic situations that reflect a certain percentage of students who make up the attendance in any one school. But schools can address certain socio-economic disadvantages, depending on how they are structured. For instance, I just read about a school—the Academy of Alternatives— which “is accredited for special, alternative and private education.” The school is broadening its focus to include“drug and alcohol education, anger management, conflict-resolution, and life skills.” What caught my attention is that there are five students per classroom! This benefits the students because of the individualized instructional setting. In addition, students need only attend school for three hours to get credit for a full day of school. Hours usually reserved for school can be used to work and earn income, or get medical or special-education services. Professionals trained to deal with socio/economic concerns can be utilized to address any “baggage” these children are carrying. By contrast, the one size fits all nature of the public school system makes this type of personal attentiveness impossible in the traditional educational setting. Next, Mr. Solomon says that the demographics of a private school influence academic performance. This is because kids from wealthier families attend these schools and kids who misbehave can be kicked out. However, a study issued by the London School of Economics and Political Science clearly suggests that family income determines access to the best schools, including state schools. It’s irrelevant whether the school is paid for by taxes or independently. The neighborhood in which a family resides is the most accurate indicator of the local school’s quality. A school’s quality is best reflected in local house prices. The argument that Edison Charter Schools haven’t performed nearly as well as their proponents claimed they would due to their independent status is really inconsequential. Because they are independently run, if they fail, they close. They do not perpetuate the status quo failure which exemplifies many public schools. Yes, NCLB has raised the standards and thrust high expectations on the public school system. It was set up this way to address decades of gross negligence thrust upon those who had to endure the “bigotry of low expectations,” those unable to pursue alternative education because they could not afford to pay twice for school (once in taxes for public education and once for tuition). According to Andrew Coulson, “Our high school seniors and recent graduates perform abysmally on international tests of mathematics, science and literacy.” In the interest of fairness to those of school age forced to endure the public school system because their families are unable to afford alternative education, we must break the status quo by allowing our students to pursue an alternative means to an education with tuition tax credit refunds and tuition scholarships which help to cover the cost of the most appropriate education available. Only in this way will the schools no longer be enabled and held unaccountable for their failures to address the decline of our schools. Nancy Salvato Web Site Contact Back to Top |
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Time to march again. The unprecedented surrender of liberty during the last year has marked a country in total free fall. The funeral for the Republic took place and very few were in attendance. Most were oblivious to its death. Appropriate and traditional mourning has been absent. Only gleeful jingoism permeates the national mania and an offensive frenzy that accompanies support for the policies of the War Party government. Party distinctions have evaporated into a black hole. Labels have lost their meaning, while the significance of a disastrous ideology leads the people into bondage. We warned of a false Patriotism and called 2002 The Year of the Radical. By now there can be no doubt left, even for the most timid. The enemy of the Nation is the State and only a modern-day Tory would champion the aberrant machinations of President Bush. George W. has exceeded King George III as tyrant. Any prospects or hopes that Bush would be an ardent defender of the constitutional rule, has been dispelled since the events of 911. The “War on Terror” is a “Battle Against America”. Those who support the policies that brought you the PATRIOT Act and Homeland Defense are betrayers. Many of these impostors claim to be a conservative, while their actions and advocacy properly portray them as pure statist supporters. The tragic perversion of the genuine heritage of conservative principles is the result from a “Fifth Column” of megalomaniacs that have destroyed the American First legacy of the Republican Party. The drive for foreign benefit, under the guise of U.S. policy security, is pure treason. Imperial empire requires the destruction of the sovereign states that once made up a confederation of separate and independent units that maintained joint authority, within a “federal” shared system of governments. Now, as a new year dawns that experiment has expired. But the dream awaits to be resurrected... That is why 2003 is the year of the Revo-Ami. If you did not become a radical last year, you are already on life support with severe damage to your brain for lack of the oxygen to your Liberty cells. If you call yourself a Republican—the party of Lincoln—you don’t have a clue of the meaning in the ideas in traditional heritage or the term conservative. NeoCons are not protectors of the birthright. So to avoid confusion and to re-establish and capture a clear and elegant interpretation of the essence in the paleoconservative, Old Cause, Populism, America First, Washington “farewell address” mindset, we are coining the term: Revo-Ami. "Revo" for revolutionary, "Ami" for friend of America. Yes, we as a people fathered a nation out of a conscious will, to cherish individual Liberty as the core of self government. The spirit in this idea is the basic nature of our common purpose as a union of citizens. Our consent is required for legitimacy. Elections are no longer an option. Courts only protect the traitors. Presidents have all become despots. Bureaucrats predominate incompetence and disdain for the public. The vast majority seek ‘womb to tomb’ sustenance from an all puissant government, as they allow themselves to be transmuted into dependent parasites. Who in their right mind would want to conserve this record? The current crop of ideological freaks who strive to steal our heritage and substitute a culture of secular humanism and state worship are opponents of our purpose: Liberty. Fraudulent preachers who favor foreign governments over essential national interests are apostates. Multinational corporate cartels with allegiance only to unconscionable and unscrupulous domination over markets, are hardly practitioners of free enterprise. Is this the economic system that is worth preserving? In the Ten Points for Sensible Government an outline is presented of our traditional inheritance, and what has to be discarded from present regimes. Active and Prohibited roles are defined. And in-depth understanding of each is required to comprehend the essential attributes of the American experience. A Revo-Ami must become a proactive reformer and undaunted defender of our original revolution. What falsely passes today, as a government "of the people" is nothing but a reign of elites who pursue a never-ending fabricated conflict to induce a perceived chaos. Their plots require policies designed for total control over all elements of society. Their "PC" filtered media engages in psycho orchestration that causes a Pavlovian response, demand and eagerness to surrender additional rights. The Revo-Ami is committed to fight this blight upon our land. While our personal values on non violence maintains the moral high ground, we fully accept the reality that this is a struggle to the death. If America is ever to be revived, it needs to restore the fundamental courage that flowed in the veins of our Founding Fathers, and requires us to revolt. How, and when will be the topic for future articles. Usually, one attempts to offer hope at the beginning of each new year. Consider this message as hopeful. Simply put, if you reject becoming a Revo-Ami, there can’t be a future worth living. The debate has ended, the inevitable struggle is upon us. The enemy is identified and no quarter need be given. The Revo-Ami must become the “minutemen” meeting today’s turncoats at our own Concord Bridge. 2003 will be the year of destiny. Americans must accept that the real war is internal. The Crown was defeated in the 1776 Revolution. A much worse tyrant has emerged, and it wraps itself in a fake flag stained with the blood of conquest, command and control. When this monster turns on your neighbor, will you come to his defense, or will you point the way to his door? Mr. President, you asked and there are millions of us who are Free Men, and we are against you ...Take back your country, or die in the struggle. There is no other option.
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©2004 by their respective authors. Reprinted by permission. |
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