Thursday, April 30, 2009

Quoth the Specter, 'Nevermore.'

Once upon a midnight session, while I fueled my blog obsession,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of current news,
While I pondered, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my study door.
'It’s no time for interruptions', I said, 'tapping at my door,
only this, and nothing more'.

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the midst of springtime,
And each separate dying blog did cast its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished for something; - vainly I had tried to google,
Searching blogs from past that captured – all the right-wing blogs of yore.
For the past and fleeting decade which the left-wing damned in hatred
Nameless here for evermore?

Presently my soul grew stronger; no hesitation I did offer,
'Hey,' I said, 'please, Honey, truly your indulgence I implore'.
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently it came rapping,
And so faintly it came tapping, tapping at my study door,
That I scarcely thought I'd heard it - thus I opened wide the door;
Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no blogger ever dared to dream before.
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only phrase there spoken, was the phrase, 'Right-wing no more'!
This I whispered, and an echo said again, 'Right-wing no more!'
Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the study turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
'Surely', I said, 'surely that is something at my window frame';
Let me see then, what there is, and then this mystery I'll explain.
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery I’ll explain;
'It's just the wind and nothing more'!

Open then I raised the blind, when, with a tug and measured grind,
Out there stood a brooding Specter of the left-wing days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with nothing short of caution, moved onto my study floor.
Leaned against the door of entry just across my study floor
Leaned, and then did nothing more.

Then this Specter while intruding saw my face was lost and brooding,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
'Though thy head be short and shaven, thou,' I said, 'aren't surely left-wing'
Ghastly grim and ancient Specter coming from the leftist' shore.
Tell me what thy given name is on the Senate's Right Roll Call!'
Quoth the Specter, 'Nevermore.'

Much I marveled this ungainly Specter to hear words so plainly,
Though its answer had no meaning - little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing such a Specter 'gainst one's door
Bard or beast it still is leaning up against my study door,
With such name as 'Nevermore'?

But the Specter, leaning lonely on my door, spoke once and only,
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered - not a leftist thought uncovered
Till I scarcely more than muttered 'Others' rights must come before
I hope tomorrow it will leave me, as my hopes have gone before thee.'
Said the Specter, 'Nevermore'.

Thus I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the ghost whose hollowed eyes now burned into my laptop's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's new black lining that the lamp descended o'er,
But whose new and leather lining with the lamp's decided shining,
He shall not say, what, 'Nevermore'!

Then, I thought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen gesture
Swung by Reid and Madam Speaker who's foot-falls came 'cross the floor.
'Ghost,' I cried, 'thy god hath lent thee - by these devils he has sent thee
Respite - respite and please don't question all my blogs of right-wing yore!
Answer, answer this one question, don't forget my blogs of yore'
Quoth the Specter, 'Nevermore'.

'Prophet'! I said, 'thing of evil! - prophet still, if ghost or weasel!
Whether Reid has sent, or whether Madam Speaker sent you here,
Desolate, yet, I am undaunted, on this blogging task enchanted -
In my home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore -
Is there still a balm in Congress? - tell me - tell me, I implore'!
Quoth the Specter, 'Nevermore'.

'Be thy word a sign of parting, ghost or fiend'! I shrieked upstarting
'Get thee back into the Congress and the Senate's Right Roll Call!
Leave no black cloud as a token of that lie your soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the frame around my door!
Take thy shadow from my heart, and take thy form from off my door'!
Quoth the Specter, 'Nevermore'.

And the Specter, never leaving, still is watching, still is leaning
On the outside of my door frame leaning on my study door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp that streams around him throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow hurries, floating on the floor
It shall be lifted - nevermore!

My apologies to Edgar Allan Poe.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Repeal the 32nd Amendment!

It has now been five years since this country passed it's most recent constitutional amendments, Amendments XXVIII - XXXII. Although it took approximately 2 years to hammer out the wording of the final documents and another year before 3/4 of the states ratified them, it feels like the whole thing started yesterday.

As a result of those new amendments and, as of today, the IRS no longer exists. In its place is a much, much smaller organization called US Revenue Control. This new organization serves to coordinate the influx of receipts relating to the national sales tax. In turn, it routes those receipts to the appropriate arms of the federal government. The final transition has been pretty quiet. The national press has not had much to say about it, focusing it's energies instead on Bristol Palin's 3rd pregnancy and on the military's clean-up efforts in Pakistan. Boy, if we had only known that the Taliban would be wiped out by the Afghan tribal awakening! That awakening started three years ago. If we had known then what we know now, we could have avoided a lot of unnecessary bloodshed. But I digress.

Eight years ago, I remember thinking "What the heck are all these people going to do now that the April 15th Tea Parties are over"? Remember when those events took place back in 2009? I remember attending one in Denton, TX. I took pictures and video, even interviewing people about why they were there. There was a sense of apprehension about what to do next. When they announced the new Tea Party events on July 4th, I remember feeling a renewed sense of purpose.

Although preparations had been underway for a few months, it wasn't until Obama made his now-infamous joke on Letterman about the "ghosts of bombings past", that the groundswell of support really picked up. Coming three weeks before July 4th, Obama's "joke" provided the perfect galvanizing force to bring over 3 million people out to Tea Parties around the country. The April 15th event was pretty much forgotten and July 4, 2009 will probably go down in history as the beginning of the end...for Obama. Oh, I should also mention the really ugly scene at the National Mall between the National Guard and Tea Party attendees. That picture of the mother holding her blood-stained infant still tears me up when I see it. Why the hell did Obama call out the National Guard?

Almost 3 million people around the country took the occasion of the July 4th Tea Parties to sign a common petition. This petition demanded their state legislatures impose on Congress and demand a new constitutional convention to consider amendments. This laundry-list of amendments would stop the out-of-control spending of the US Government. After everyone learned what happened on the National Mall, even the mainstream media began to hammer away at the Obama administration. State legislators practically fell over themselves to introduce a petition in their respective state legislatures to compel a constitutional convention and consider new amendments.

The wheels were now in motion, but there was still the issue of the Democratic-controlled Congress. I remember 2009 being a momentous year! But, I really want to talk about repealing the 32nd Amendment. That is what is really motivating my efforts these days. I have to summarize everything else leading up to that effort, so I'll just give you a timeline:

2009 – Tea Parties begin…(see above)

2010 – 2/3 of states submit a petition for a constitutional convention. Midterm elections sweep Democrats out of power in the US Government and 15 State Governor's offices. Texas Governor Rick Perry wins re-election in a landslide over Democratic rival Kay Bailey Hutchinson, who switched parties in 2009.

2011 – Republicans take over Congress. Sarbanes-Oxley is repealed, despite President Obama’s objections. He didn't object to much more after that. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is found shot to death at Fort Marcy Park, clutching what appeared to be a suicide note. Questions remain. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner leaves the administration for "personal" reasons, citing ill health. He soon moves to Cuba.

2012 – Sarah Palin is elected President. The US economy registers growth in the 4th quarter for the first time since 2008. She begins her term by dismantling Cabinet positions, the first of which is the Department of Energy. Congress passes her proposal to begin drilling in Anwar and the continental shelf. President Palin vows to streamline the regulatory approval process for new nuclear power plants. In an unprecedented move, she signs a Presidential pardon for all members of the Bush administration, related to their conduct in the War on Terror.

2013 – States ratify Amendments XXVIII-XXXI. Afghanistan war ends, Pakistan War begins. An exodus begins from the State Department, the IRS and the EPA. There is a brief rise in unemployment, but the economy scoops up displaced government workers, mostly in fast-food venues. The EPA is defunded and merged into the Department of Homeland Security. The Obamas move to Cuba.

2014 – Republicans cement a filibuster-proof majority. Tribal awakenings in Pakistan route the Taliban and Al Qaida. Social Security reforms eliminate looming insolvency. Healthcare is deregulated and the national banking structure is recast on a regional basis, forcing many Wall Street firms to file for bankruptcy. The Department of Education is eliminated from the Cabinet, sending all education-related issues to the states. The NEA is outlawed. The UAW outlawed. GM unveils a new line of electric-powered mail delivery vehicles and touts the line as its resurgence. New retirement savings rules spark a surge in the stock market. States ratify Amendment XXXII, guaranteeing a Presidential pension for all surviving family members for life. Opponents call it the "Clinton Concession".

2015 – Pakistan holds its first democratic election. By invitation of the Pakistan government, Iraq patrols polling stations to maintain security. Iran’s government collapses after a "nuclear accident", which kills 10,000+ people. Iraq moves in to maintain order, cheered by the population of Iran. China repudiates North Korea and establishes military control. It vows to leave the country after propping up a government-run energy exploration department. The UN demands that the North Korean government make good on the UN's investment in their nuclear technology. The United States revokes its membership in the UN. The UN is forced to relocate to Cuba, having lost its subsidies from the US. It takes up residence in Cuba's health ministry building.

2016 – Ex-Senators Daschle, Reid and Pelosi are indicted on racketeering charges. Former VP Joe Biden is indicted in a ponzi scheme that defrauds Al Gore and countless other ex-government officials of millions of dollars in supposed uranium futures that don’t exist. President Palin’s now-famous remark “Say it ain’t so, Joe” is memorialized on Wikipedia. The Palin/Romney ticket is re-elected to a second term.

2017 – Ex-Senator Hillary Clinton pens a memoir reliving her glory days as First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State. In it, she reveals her sexual relationship with George Soros, who passed away in 2012. Soros bequeathed his entire estate to Hillary, who divorced Bill after the estate was settled. Soon thereafter, she moved to the Obama enclave in Cuba.

Now to the present.

The IRS is finally shuttered. Gone are the days of countless instructions and printed pamphlets. The OMB estimates that 100,000 trees are saved PER YEAR as the result of ending the IRS. In an interesting side-note, Obama ran for President of Cuba this year, asserting that his tax policies would put money back in 95% of each Cuban's pocket. The election results are still pending. Independent sources say that the number of paper ballets being counted resulted in the destruction of over 100,000 trees.

I don't know about you, but I am not interested in funding the pension of some ex-patriot President. I am not interested in funding the retirement of his or her family. I am not excited in the results of Amendment 32, better known as the "Clinton Concession". I'm going to demand that any pension paid by the US Government go to an avowed US citizen that lives and breaths his first and last breath on US soil. I am readying my walker to take to the streets and rally the masses to demand the repeal of the 32nd Amendment!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Making a difference....

I have agonized over how I can make a difference with what is going on in this country. After all, I am just one person that has a full-time job and reads about the breakdown of all that I was taught growing up.

I don't want to run for political office, I hate being dragged to PTO meetings or neighborhood association meetings and forget about me putting a sign in my front yard to promote somebody else's cause. I just want to be able to voice MY opinion on MY terms at a time of MY choosing, without having to go through some convoluted, pre-established, organizational event to "get involved". In other words, I just plain haven't felt like doing something on someone else's terms that didn't address MY concerns....until now.

The Tea Party events of April 15th provided me with an avenue to voice my discontent. I recruited some buddies and drove 20 miles to Denton, TX to record the event on video and take pictures. I went so far as to interview attendees on video and then posted some selected interviews on PJTV, which was the most accessible way for me to share my activities.

Going through the process of registering at PJTV to be able to upload my videos and pictures was pretty painless. All of a sudden, I felt like I was plugged in to a national forum that thought the same way I did! And you know what, they do!

Since the Tea Party, I have continued to follow other events via PJTV, including the TCOT on PJTV report with Michael Patrick Leahy. Michael has taken the lead in organizing the Nationwide Tea Party Coalition to continue to advance the cause of reducing the size of the federal government.

I have since sent emails to the governor of Texas and to my local congressional representative to try to enlist their support toward repealing the 16th amendment. This amendment established the IRS and has helped provide the means to fund this current mess in Washington, DC. Enough is enough!

The great part about all this is that I can be an advocate for a cause I believe in while sitting on my back patio with my laptop. I'm not willing to leave it at that, however, and it is my intent to continue to focus my energies on what I believe might make a difference. If I have to attend more Tea Parties (July 4th comes to mind) and continue to interview more attendees, take more pictures and post more picture and comments online via PJTV, so be it. I am trying to bypass the mainstream media and allow average people (like you and I) to voice THEIR opinions at a time of THEIR choosing on a forum of THEIR choice.

If I have to invest in better video equipment and commit to attending more events throughout my immediate area (and beyond), then so what? It's worth it as long as I believe that I am contributing toward making a difference!

What about you?

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Tax Day Tea Party - Denton, TX

The Tax Day Tea Party in Denton was a fantastic experience. I must admit that the last time I attended any type of protest was in high school and, needless to say, it was about the Vietnam War. This was different. It was very orderly and attended by a broad range of ages, including parents with small children and infants. One thing everyone had in common was their complete disdain for what is going on in Washington regarding spending. To that I say "Hear, hear"!

I've posted pictures of the event on PajamasTV and this video is posted there as well. There are rumblings of a new event to happen on July 4th. Stay tuned!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Tea Party Mania

You know that you have a good thing going when your idea starts to gets pilloried by left wing media and their associated "pundits". Forget about all the BS being "reported" and act your conscience. The Tea Party phenomenon is only going to grow!

Never in my lifetime has there been a movement that is primarily being followed by the right. I want to think that conservatives have finally realized that they have something worth fighting for. Let's hear it for the grass-roots!

We hope an appropriate leader emerges. Let's just pray that he/she hasn't been wearing "centrist" clothing up until now. Who do you thing it will be?

Sunday, April 5, 2009

The Power of Three!

I'm intrigued by the power of three. It seems that "three" gets a lot of attention. Consider these examples: upper class, middle class, lower class; executive, judiciary, legislative; elementary school, middle school, high school; height, width, depth; infant, toddler, youngster; above, eye-level, below; past, present, future; etc., etc., etc. So why do we relate to things in threes?

I believe that our world is best experienced in threes. Oh sure, we can add a fourth element of time, but I really don't think that we live our lives that way. Time does not explain the decisions that most people make in the "here and now". It may add some flavor to our perspective, but it doesn't change the fact that we make our decisions in real time. At the very least, I don't see a "time-considered" focus in the general population, so I'm going to ignore it. Bear with me, three makes sense.

For a little bit of history about me, I became a corporate accountant after having spent 7 years in public accounting (I'm a CPA) and around five years in commercial/mortgage banking. The reason I mention this is because all three of those careers (public accounting, banking and corporate accounting) were considered career paths. I left public accounting because I really hated doing tax returns, even though I got paid for it. It just flat out bored me. I left commercial banking because I hated the constant displays of egotism and mortgage banking, I learned, was just a little too commission-driven to suit my nature. I love corporate accounting, however, because I get to focus on what I really enjoy. I love helping make a business's accounting processes work better. It continues to reward me to this day, some 15 years after leaving the mortgage business. I like to think I'm good at it because I enjoy it. At any rate, it took me three tries to find something that I truly enjoy doing for a living. Coincidence? Or do we just say "third time's a charm"?

One of the things I learned when I became involved in corporate accounting was that executives also liked threes. I was often tasked with explaining what a company's actual results were compared to what had been expected or budgeted. "Keep it to three things!" I was taught, the better to allow them (the executives) to focus on the major issues. And once I learned that, I was always able to provide a concise explanation. Consequently, that principle has never left me.

So, you ask, what is the point of talking about this, the power of three? Well, I'm convinced that most people deal with life best when they can focus on three things. I know that executives think that way, and I believe that politicians think that way and that you and I think that way. How often have you heard that a politician has a muddled message or that an executive is unfocused? That usually means that they're dealing with more that three things. Again, coincidence?

For me, when I'm not dealing with accounting, I'm usually focused on one of three interests: political news, computer technology and sports. When I'm not doing other things related to work and family, I'm usually immersed in one of those three interests during any spare time. What are the three interests that you participate in outside of work and family?

Let me look at just one aspect of my interests: political news. I tend to view politics through the prism of three facets: free-market capitalism, constitutionalism and social conservatism. I can't disconnect those three beliefs when I follow political news. Why, you might ask? Well, I believe my Catholic upbringing defines my social conservatism. My chosen career path in accounting and business pretty well defines my belief in free-market capitalism. And since I was born on April 19th, the same day as "the shot heard round the world", I've always been interested in our nation's founding and history, hence, constitutionalism.

From a political perspective, those three beliefs are usually used to lump me into "the right". I just like to think of it as "right". So be it, I'm right. The power of three can be visualized as representing a cube. Given that, I guess you'd be able to visualize my political views as right cubed.

This blog enables me to satisfy two of my interests, political news and computer technology. Now for the third. I'm off to watch the NASCAR Sprint Cup Samsung 500 on TV!

Don't you love the power of three?