The attack on your freedom has begun...

I find myself wondering if we aren't part of a shrinking minority, those motivated by freedom, not conformity. With each day as progressives erode individual freedom in favor of the collective, are we losing our ability to function independently?

Think about the major communication platforms of the day like Google and Facebook. Regardless of whether or not you like the Confederate flag, this week, Google, Amazon, eBay, and other platforms told you that you could no longer buy it. It's one thing to encourage people NOT to buy it, but it's entirely different to tell someone they are NOT ALLOWED to buy it.

In fifty years, how will we communicate and by whose standards will we be judged? While progressives use these platforms to coalesce, they actually control them too. The money is in the masses, not the silent minority. The herd mentality substantially benefits the corporatists who profit from the plans, organization, and movement, so who will stand against it? Who will champion the opposition?

Remember these facts as you use whatever medium that you choose, and ask yourself, what happens when they silence you?

What did Facebook do with that rainbow profile?

http://unclesamsmisguidedchildren.com/what-did-facebook-do-with-that-rainbow-profile-track-it/

I have many friends

I have many friends.  My friends happen to look very different from one another, yet I still call them friends.  Some look just like me, others not so much, but to me they are all the same.

After the shooting in Charleston, for me, it is important to state how I feel about it if for nothing else than to let those who were targeted, apparently due to color, know that I have their backs.

I have friends who happen to be black, brown, yellow, red, etc.  I have some friends who are deformed even, mentally slow, autistic, among other things.  Sometimes my friends don't comb their hair, brush their teeth, or even shower--I think those friends in particular are disgusting, but I treat them the same even if I don't stand next to them.

I refuse to accept those who seek to suppress or oppress others, and the actions of suppression and oppression transcend appearance.  Right now in America, there are groups of people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, colors, religions, and others who seek to force their will upon others.  I experienced it in school, and I see it today.  It will never change.  Unless you change.

Racism, fanaticism, fascism, etc. start with individuals.  Yes, they congregate together, in person or online, but ultimately the problem is with them, individually.  They have a problem with hatred that sometimes goes beyond freedom of association, and this is when it crosses over into society and becomes  problematic.  Freedom of association allows us to dictate with whom we shall be friends, but it does not allow us to force our will upon others.

Respect is just a word until it goes into practice.  I may not like you, but I will not hurt you.  I may disagree with you, but I will not threaten you.  I may believe you to be my enemy, but I will not seek to destroy you.  I will respect you.  I will defend you.

In my world, I will defend the oppressed and speak up for the vulnerable.  I will not allow those who seek to oppress to subvert others to their will.  I will fight for them, and I will aid them.  I belong to the underdog.

To those who were shot and killed yesterday because they happened to be black, I am very sorry for what happened to you by a person who did it because of skin color.  He shares my skin color, but I do not support him.  He was an idiot, and you bore the consequences of his hatred.  As a Christian, I know where you are today because God guaranteed you a place in heaven for dying while spreading His message, even to your killer up to the point of your own murder.  I have no doubt that you died righteously doing what we know was right to spread His Word, albeit to death at the hands of a criminal.

As a person who is white, I will not tolerate a message of hatred against anyone who happens to be of another race, and as a person who is Christian, I will not tolerate messages of hate against those of other religions even.  God calls us to spread His message, not his judgement.  God says that vengeance is His and His alone.  Let me spread the Word, Let Him pass the judgement.

People who look different from me, you have my friendship.  If I ever see you in a crowd of oppressors, I will seek you out.  I will not let you stand alone even if it costs me my own life or reputation.  God said, No greater love has a man than this, that he would lay down his life for another.

Racism starts with you.  It ends with you too.  Do not believe that you cannot conquer those who seek to oppress, and pay attention to your actions as well as your words.  If you do not, then who will?  We can do this.

The Cliffs of Insanity part 1

It seems like every time I talk about government overreach, one of my left wing friends wants to make out like I'm overreacting. I do not understand the entire viewpoint that sees the present yet is unable to fathom unpleasant possibilities in the future. So many people live in the present and think that the way they live will never change. Perhaps not, but how do they know?

How many countries or governments have lasted forever? If there is even one country or government, I would like to know because I do not think one exists. In all our nationalistic furor as Americans, we thump our chests and scream in defiance if someone else even suggests that we might fail, but what assurance does that confidence provide? The fact that you think we can last forever does not count for much when your time on earth is limited enough as it is. To speak for generations to come as well as for circumstances not experienced is borderline ludicrous. If no other country or government has lasted forever, what exactly are the odds that the USA will be the first?

People will read that I say we (USA) cannot last forever and say it is unpatriotic or that I am being like a Chicken Little. If I state that I will die one day, am I then being suicidal, or am I simply being realistic? My feelings for the USA are irrelevant if I say that one day it will fail in that all governments fail. I have heard people respond that failure is impossible in that the people (we)  have nowhere to go. Collapses of nations rarely involve mass exodus of their people. In fact, the people reorganize and form a new government. Let's be realistic.

If you believe that the USA will live forever, perhaps you are right, and it would be best for you to stop reading now because everything else written will only be more maddening than the previous few paragraphs combined. If you believe that history repeats itself, then your position is factually accurate and supported by thousands of years of historical documentation. I agree with you. There is nothing new in this world, and the collapse of governments is unavoidable.

By looking at this current government as temporary, why are we so willing to cede our authority over to it? Do we believe that the authority given to it will be magnanimously returned to us before impending doom? Our Founding Fathers knew more than we do now of the temporary nature of government because they experienced its failure first hand; therefore, they incorporated restrictions upon its power into the founding documents. They knew that we needed to be equipped to fight the government of the future, so they wished to prevent it from restricting our speech, ability to carry arms, etc. Even today though, those among us who believe in the eternity of nations seek to hamstring the very rights needed to preserve freedom against bureaucracy. In believing in the forever nature of our country, they presume the best will and intentions possible. They project upon the government and its actors--the politicians--the qualities they want to see instead of the shortcomings they actually experience. They believe in the essential goodness of people in spite of the fact that politicians and government rarely have high levels of satisfaction with the products they provide. One look at current statistics is all that is needed to realize that people are not happy with their government even as they hope to give it more power.

Regarding Trade Promotion Authority

This is my idea about trade: leave me alone and let me do what works. I get contacted by Chinese manufacturers all the time, Spanish and Italian less so. If I want to buy from them, let me. That's all the trade deal needed.

People, as citizens of countries, have been trading with each other for thousands of years, government not always playing a role. Indian Tea Company, Christopher Columbus was looking for the West Indies, China has always been a favorite, etc. We don't need a President to teach us how to transact.

This trade deal is locked behind closed doors and done in secret as if it were the NSA collecting our phone records. It's a trade deal, not the schematics of a stealth fighter. Government has become too meddlesome in things it knows nothing about, and if we, as free men and women, need a head of state to negotiate our deals, then I know we're wrong.

Politicians trick people into believing that these trade deals are for a better tomorrow, as if government's actions are how we live our daily lives and as of government inaction would cause a meltdown. This is how it sucks the misinformed people down into the funnel, and once they create sufficient crowd effects to win the election, they've accomplished their mission.

American hypocrisy

Americans. Happy to spend millions in Walmart every year on Chinese junk, thus providing thousands of jobs to Chinese people while outsourcing American manufacturing jobs, because they "save money". Righteously indignant when Walt Disney does the same with only 350 jobs. Well played America. Well played.

Pensions for politicians

Deep Thought: What if pensions of politicians were limited to the average compensation of their constituents? Further, if their household income exceeded that of the average family, they would forfeit the pension. Thank you Mr Politician, we appreciate your service, now get to work and do what the rest of us do.

Body Cams for Politicians!

IDEA FOR THE DAY: Body cams for politicians. Streamed live, 30 minutes off-camera break every week for a conjugal visit. 10 minutes for bathroom break 5 times per day. Ladies and gentlemen, that elected politician belongs to us. Let's make sure he's doing his job.