- EverVigilant.net - "The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt." - John Philpot Curran
Yes, I realize that the title of this post is a little redundant. Government is nothing if not hypocritical. For an example of what I mean, just look at what's happening in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Charm City has filed a federal lawsuit against Wells Fargo, charging that the mortgage company engaged in predatory lending practices and was discriminatory toward borrowers. According to John P. Relman, a Washington-based attorney who is representing the city, "When you have foreclosures, the property values drop, and you get less tax revenue. There's fire and police costs that come from abandoned and boarded-up and vacant properties. It leads to crime and drugs and school problems as the community is being destabilized."
The implication is that Wells Fargo is contributing to the collapse of society because it wants to foreclose on homeowners for delinquent payments. The city of Baltimore is simply standing up for the little guy, right?
The irony in all of this is that Baltimore has been foreclosing on homes whose owners are delinquent in paying their water bills. Not only that, but city officials are upset because state lawmakers are currently considering a moratorium on these foreclosures. An investigation by the Baltimore Sun last year discovered that homeowners owing "just a few hundred dollars in municipal debts -- including Baltimore City water bills -- often are hit with thousands of dollars in fees from private debt collectors and can lose their homes if they don't pay."
So, the very people who claim to be protecting the victims of evil, predatory bankers are themselves preying on the financially misfortunate. Hopefully, the citizens of Baltimore will begin to realize that their representatives in government, like all hypocrites, are only looking out for themselves.
Well, Republicans, you had your chance. Unfortunately, you decided to ignore every conservative principle you claim to stand for. You focused all your attention on a single issue: the "war on terror." Despite the fact that there is so much more at stake, you never even bothered to compare the candidates on any of the other the issues.
Dumb "Conservative" talk show host Bill Cunningham refers to Barack Obama by his full name in a subtle attempt to link the Illinois senator to Muslim terrorists:
"At some point, the media will quit taking sides in this thing and maybe start covering Barack Hussein Obama..."
Dumber Cunningham is interviewed by CNN's John Roberts and manages to throw in a less-than-subtle reference to Islam while talking about Obama:
"I have nothing but respect for my Muslim brothers and sisters. His name is proudly Barack Hussein Obama. And people that object to that, they're the racists. They're the ones objecting to the name Hussein. I revel in it. I worship it. The ones who oppose that particular utterance of that name, they are the ones with the problem, not me. His name is Barack Hussein Obama."
Bill, just call it a day. You're looking dumber by the minute.
According to this shocking news report, Diebold, the company responsible for distributing electronic voting machines throughout the country, has accidentally leaked the results of the 2008 election early:
When the Chinese military used a ground-launched missile to shoot down one of its own satellites back in January, the U.S. was very critical. Washington said that such a test violated international treaties. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe responded, "The U.S. believes China's development and testing of such weapons is inconsistent with the spirit of cooperation that both countries aspire to in the civil space area. We and other countries have expressed our concern regarding this action to the Chinese." Faux News even had an expert on to say that the resulting debris "could interfere with the peaceful orbits of existing satellites" and that the maneuver represented a "military challenge." (Think new arms race.)
But when the U.S. Navy shot down the "dying" spy satellite that was due to crash to Earth next month, it was heralded as a success. We were given assurances that the satellite's toxic fuel tank was destroyed in the blast and that the rest of the debris would burn up in the atmosphere.
Naturally, it was claimed that the only motivation for this exercise was to protect human life. In reality, everyone knows that it was a not-so-subtle attempt to show the Chinese and the rest of the world that the U.S. is still a superpower.
Yeah, we're all really impressed. By the way, how much did this little fireworks display end up costing the U.S. taxpayers?
If you have an unarmed and handcuffed female suspect in custody, and she's being less than cooperative, how do you let her know who's boss without being caught on video? Simple. Just turn off the camera. Then, when the camera is turned back on and a subsequent viewing of the tape shows the suspect lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood, and then shows her being wheeled out on a stretcher, just say she fell.
Sure, you might lose your job, but since it's your word against hers, you won't have to worry about being charged with assault. More on this story here.
Just how far should a school go to accommodate its students? Do the needs or wants of the minority outweigh the needs or wants of the majority? And must such accommodations always come at taxpayer expense?:
Yet another reason why I won't be sending my kids to a government school.
If you can't control the guns, go after the ammunition. That's what the Arizona legislature is trying to do with HB 2833. Here's just a portion of this draconian proposal:
A. Beginning January 1, 2009, a manufacturer shall code all handgun and ASSAULT weapon AMMUNITION that is manufactured or sold in this state. This section applies to all calibers.
B. Beginning january 1, 2011, a private citizen or a retail vendor shall dispose of all noncoded AMMUNITION that is owned or held by the citizen or vendor.
C. The department shall establish and maintain an ammunition coding system database containing a manufacturer registry and a vendor registry.
D. A manufacturer shall:
1. Register with the department in a manner prescribed by the department by rule.
2. Maintain records on the business premises for at least seven years concerning all sales, loans and transfers of ammunition to, from or within this state.
3. Encode ammunition provided for retail sale for regulated firearms in a manner that the director establishes so that:
(a) The base of the bullet and the inside of the cartridge casing of each round in a box of ammunition are coded with the same serial number.
(b) Each serial number is engraved in such a manner that it is highly likely to permit identification after ammunition discharge and bullet impact.
(c) The outside of each box of ammunition is labeled with the name of the manufacturer and the same serial number used on the cartridge casings and bases of bullets contained in the box.
4. Pay the tax levied by subsection I of this section.
In addition, a one-half cent tax will be levied on each bullet or round of ammunition sold in Arizona, and manufacturers, vendors, and private citizens all face stiff penalties for failing to comply. Illinois has a similar bill in the works.
A few stellar examples of just how trustworthy government can be:
Trailer residents to be moved into apartments and hotels The Federal Emergency Management Agency will move hundreds of people displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita from FEMA trailers into apartments and hotels in the next two weeks and thousands more later in an err-on-the-side-of-caution approach to a preliminary study that found elevated formaldehyde levels in some of the trailers tested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bridge inspector confesses to faking paperwork A Georgia state employee could face criminal charges after admitting that he faked dozens of inspection reports for bridges that he never inspected, state officials said.
Florida agency spokesman faces child-porn charges The head of the Department of Children and Families, "horrified and shocked" by the arrest of his agency spokesman on child-pornography charges, Monday ordered a review of personnel records for all DCF employees.
Residents horrified by 911 response People in Lower Bucks County, Pennsylvania, are worried about their emergency response system after a local woman called 911, was placed on hold and then died of smoke and soot inhalation.
NYC unveils official new condom The official New York City condom has a different look and a sexy new slogan: New Yorkers are being encouraged to "get some" on Valentine's Day. Street teams will be handing out the free condoms at busy hubs around the city on Thursday, including Times Square, Wall Street and near City Hall. "We want to give away as many condoms as people will use because we're trying to make New York City an even safer place to have sex, and this is a powerful way to do it," said Monica Sweeney, the Health Department's assistant commissioner for HIV prevention and control.
With such intelligent, competent people in positions of power in this country, I'm amazed that anyone could possibly believe that we need less government and more personal responsibility.
When I questioned aloud why, with all that's going on in the U.S. and the world, Congress felt it was necessary to devote so much time to the steroid scandal in Major League Baseball, I was informed that it's because this is a national issue. Congress needs to be involved because kids look up to these athletes and, well, we can't have them thinking that taking anabolic steroids is OK.
That's fine, but why in the world do we have to rely on the federal government to fix the problem? Where in the Constitution does Congress derive its authority to hold investigations and hearings into such matters? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't keeping kids off of drugs what we used to call "parenting"?
What, no Taser? No S.W.A.T. team backup? The Baltimore PD must have had a few budget cuts. No wonder he's not happy.
But seriously, folks. Let's give him a break. If you had to run around in shorts chasing down skateboarders in a clown car, you'd be a little uptight, too.
The U.S. Senate has just given the executive branch more spying powers. "War hero" John McCain, of course, voted in the affirmative. But at least no one can accuse him of backing down from what he believes. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, each took the coward's way out and abstained from voting. (See the entire Roll Call vote here.)
What does this teach us about Republicans? Well, considering that not a single Republican senator voted against this bill, nothing we didn't already know. The GOP still opposes freedom and the Constitution. Why do you think they are rallying behind the cantankerous McCain?
What does this teach us about Democrats? Again, nothing new. They are just as corrupt as their "conservative" counterparts. If Obama really wanted change, then he would have been available to vote against this legislation. If Clinton really thought the current administration is going in the wrong direction in the "war on terror," then she would have been available to vote against this legislation. It seems the selection of presidential candidates is rather limited.
Let's face it. We had our chance with Ron Paul. Instead, we opted for the snooping, warmongering statists. I'm beginning to think the majority of Americans hate freedom.
Some police departments have found that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. From The Boston Globe:
As Boston police prepare to go into some of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods, knock on doors of private houses, and ask if they can search for illegal guns without a warrant, officials are trying to pitch the idea of the plan as friendly cooperation to residents who still see it as a threatening intrusion.
A friendly looking logo -- a drawing of a house surrounded by the sun -- adorns the brochure police have drafted to explain and promote the initiative, "Safe Homes." Photos of officers playing baseball with children and chatting with teenagers dot the pamphlet. Twice, police have taken calls from listeners on a black radio station in Roxbury.
By the time they start going door to door next month, police hope they will have reassured clergy, neighborhood leaders, and parents who still see the program as a way to violate the privacy of residents in neighborhoods with a large population of minority-group members and and immigrants.
You see, ours is a more compassionate police state. Our jack-booted thugs don't go breaking down doors without first giving civilians a chance to cooperate willingly.
Mitt Romney, speaking right now to the Conservative Political Action Conference, just announced that he will be suspending his campaign. He will, however, "continue to stand for conservative principles."
Yeah. Right.
On a related note, "conservatives" are being urged to not "boo" McCain, who will be addressing CPAC later this afternoon. We wouldn't want the party loyal to be seen disrespecting the token "war hero" on C-Span.
"We fight them over there so we don't have to fight them over here."
That's the typical justification for our unconstitutional war in the Middle East. But in spite of (or, more likely, because of) our actions in Iraq, al Qaeda leaders are gaining new recruits and are once again setting their sights on the U.S.
But how is that even possible? Wasn't Saddam removed from power to keep just this kind of thing from happening? And what about the troop surge we were all told was working?
Then again, what do I know? I'm just an ordinary citizen. I couldn't possibly understand the intricacies of international diplomacy, foreign policy, or national defense. We should simply do our part by spending and borrowing more to help the economy and leave the important stuff to those more qualified. King George will protect us from the evildoers.
President Bush is offering federal help to five Southern states hit hard by tornadoes.
Bush Wednesday called Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen.
The president told them he’s ready to receive their emergency requests.
"This is a bad storm that affected a lot of people in a variety of states," Bush said in remarks at the swearing-in of his new agriculture secretary. "Our administration is reaching out to state officials."
Bush also said the country was praying for the tornado victims.
"Loss of life, a lot of loss of property -- prayers can help and so can the government," he said.
Federal Emergency Management Agency officials have also contacted the states and cities in the path of the tornadoes, said Tony Fratto, a White House spokesman.
Ah, yes! FEMA: the heroes of Katrina. Talk about kicking someone whey they're down.
Here's the low-down from my precinct caucus: Mitt Romney won the straw poll with 36 votes. Ron Paul, John McCain, and Mike Huckabee each received 12. Out of the 11 delegates we elected to move on to the district convention, five are Ron Paul supporters.
Not bad, if you ask me! Of course, that's just my precinct, so we'll have to see how the rest of it plays out.
If you ever call 911 for your own protection, be prepared to suffer the consequences. One Ohio woman learned the hard way:
(WARNING: Graphic and disturbing footage. Viewer discretion advised.)
Part 1
Part 2
What good is it to call the police if you're the victim of a crime when it means you could end up being victimized by the very ones who are supposed to protect you?
King George has just proposed a $3 trillion budget. That would be the biggest budget in the nation's history. The AP reports:
The 2009 spending plan sent to Congress on Monday will project huge budget deficits, around $400 billion for this year and next and more than double the 2007 deficit of $163 billion. But even those estimates could prove too low given the rapidly weakening economy and the total costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which Bush does not include in his request for the budget year beginning Oct. 1.
Last year, when Democrats were newly in the majority, there were drawn-out veto struggles. This year's fights could be worse because it is an election year.
As in past years, Bush's biggest proposed increases are in national security. Defense spending is projected to rise by about 7 percent to $515 billion and homeland security money by almost 11 percent, with a big gain for border security. Details on the budget were obtained through interviews with administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity until the budget's release.
And to think that we used to condemn Democrats for being the biggest spenders in Washington.
William Anderson, in his essay The "State" Awakening, calls attention to Jim Wallis of Sojourners magazine, who has been pushing a socialist agenda disguised as biblical social justice. Anderson also points out that other church leaders, such as Bill Hybels and Rick Warren, seem to be buying into this "gospel" as well.
Anderson, however, tacked on a correction at the end of his article after Pastor Warren wrote to say that he disagrees with Wallis's "big government approach." Warren also claimed to be a fan of Von Mises.
Why do I have a hard time believing that? Oh, right. I remember now.
Warren was one of the signers of the Evangelical Climate Initiative. In fact, his name appears just below that of Jim Wallis on the ECI web site. As you may recall, the ECI calls for federal legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through "cost-effective, market-based mechanisms." Of course, as we all know, having government involved means it will be neither cost-effective nor market-based.
Dr. Anderson, there's no need to apologize to Rick Warren. I admire you for trying to rectify what you saw as a mistake on your part, but I think your initial assessment was correct. Warren most definitely falls in with the statist crowd.
And to think that this waffling "war hero" is the current GOP frontrunner:
Fortunately, there is one candidate still in this race who has remained consistent in his beliefs and true to constitutional principles the entire time he has been in office.
