Giles Island Hunting Club April 29, 2009

Obama's Victory

The Daily Mail (UK) 1/6/2009. (confirmation, Google "London Daily Mail Obama's Victory") Ken LaRive

Obama's Victory--A British view

A victory for the hysterical Oprah Winfrey, the mad racist preacher Jeremiah Wright, the US mainstream media who abandoned any sense of objectivity long ago, Europeans who despise America largely because they depend on her, comics who claim to be dangerous and fearless but would not dare attack genuinely powerful special interest groups. A victory for Obama-worshippers everywhere. A victory for the cult of the cult. A man who has done little with his life but has written about his achievements as if he had found the cure for cancer in between winning a marathon and building a nuclear reactor with his teeth. Victory for style over substance, hyperbole over history, rabble-raising over reality.

A victory for Hollywood , the most dysfunctional community in the world. Victory for Streisand, Spielberg, Soros, Moore, and Sarandon. Victory for those who prefer welfare to will and interference to independence. For those who settle for group think and herd mentality rather than those who fight for individual initiative and the right to be out of step with meager political fashion.

Victory for a man who is no friend of freedom. He and his people have already stated that media has to be controlled so as to be balanced, without realizing the extraordinary irony within that statement. Like most liberal zealots, the Obama worshippers constantly speak of Fox and Limbaugh, when the vast bulk of television stations and newspapers are drastically liberal and anti-conservative. Senior Democrat Chuck Schumer said that just as pornography should be censored, so should talk radio. In other words, one of the few free and open means of popular expression may well be cornered and beaten by bullies who even in triumph cannot tolerate any criticism and opposition. A victory for those who believe the state is better qualified to raise children than the family, for those who prefer teachers' unions to teaching and for those who are naively convinced that if the West is sufficiently weak towards its enemies, war and terror will dissolve as quickly as the tears on the face of a leftist celebrity. A victory for social democracy even after most of Europe has come to the painful conclusion that social democracy leads to mediocrity, failure, unemployment, inflation, higher taxes and economic stagnation. A victory for intrusive lawyers, banal sentimentalists, social extremists and urban snobs.

Congratulations America !

And it came to pass...

And the people closed their eyes to what was happening around them…..

And it came to pass in the Age of Insanity that the people of the land called America, having lost their morals, their initiative, and their will to defend their liberties, chose as their Supreme Leader that person known as “The One”. He emerged from the vapors with a message that had no meaning; but He hypnotized the people telling them, "I am sent to save you. My lack of experience, my questionable ethics, my monstrous ego, and my association with evil doers are of no consequence. For I shall save you with Hope and Change. Go, therefore, and proclaim throughout the land that he who preceded me is evil, that he has defiled the nation, and that all he has built must be destroyed." And the people rejoiced, for even though they knew not what “The One” would do, he had promised that it was good; and they believed. And “The One” said "We live in the greatest country in the world. Help me change everything about it!" And the people said, "Hallelujah!! Change is good!" Then He said, "We are going to tax the rich fat-cats,"---- And the people said "Sock it to them!" "---- and redistribute their wealth." And the people said, "Show us the money!" And then He said, "Redistribution of wealth is good for everybody" And Joe the plumber asked, "Are you kidding me? You're going to steal my money and give it to the deadbeats??" And “The One” ridiculed and taunted him, and Joe's personal records were hacked and publicized. One lone reporter asked, "Isn't that Marxist policy?" And she was banished from the kingdom! Then a citizen asked, "With no foreign relations experience and having zero military experience or knowledge, how will you deal with radical terrorists?" And “The One” said, "Simple. I shall sit with them and talk with them and show them how nice we really are; and they will forget that they ever wanted to kill us all!" And the people said, "Hallelujah!! We are safe at last, and we can beat our weapons into free cars for the people!" Then “The One” said, "I shall give 95% of you lower taxes." And one,lone voice said, "But 40% of us don't pay ANY taxes." So “The One” said, "Then I shall give you some of the taxes the fat-cats pay!" And the people said, "Hallelujah!! Show us the money!" Then “The One” said, "I shall tax your Capital Gains when you sell your homes!" And the people yawned and the slumping housing market collapsed. And He said, "I shall mandate employer-funded health care for EVERY worker and raise the minimum wage. And I shall give every person unlimited healthcare and medicine and transportation to the clinics." And the people said, "Give me some of that!" Then he said, "I shall penalize employers who ship jobs overseas." And the people said, "Where's my rebate check?" Then “The One” said, "I shall bankrupt the coal industry and electricity rates will skyrocket!" And the people said, "Coal is dirty, coal is evil, no more coal! But we don't c are for that part about higher electric rates." So “The One” said, "Not to worry. If your rebate isn't enough to cover your expenses, we shall bail you out. Just sign up with ACORN and your troubles are over!" Then He said, "Illegal immigrants feel scorned and slighted. Let's grant them amnesty, Social Security, free education, free lunches, free medical care, bi-lingual signs and guaranteed housing..." And the people said, "Hallelujah!!" And they made him King! And so it came to pass that employers, facing spiraling costs and ever-higher taxes, raised their prices and laid off workers. Others simply gave up and went out of business and the economy sank like unto a rock dropped from a cliff.. The banking industry was destroyed. Manufacturing slowed to a crawl. And more of the people were without a means of support. Then “The One” said, "I am the “The One” - The Messiah - and I'm here to save you! We shall just print more money so everyone will have enough!" But our foreign trading partners said unto Him, "Wait a minute. Your dollar is not worth a pile of camel dung! You will have to pay more..." And the people said, "Wait a minute. That is unfair!!" And the world said, "Neither are these other idiotic programs you have embraced. Lo, you have become a Socialist state and a second-rate power. Now you shall play by our rules!" And the people cried out, "Alas, alas!! What have we done?" But yea verily, it was too late. The people set upon “The One” and spat upon him and stoned him, and his name was dung. And the once mighty nation was no more; and the once proud people were without sustenance or shelter or hope. And the Change “The One” had given them was as like unto a poison that had destroyed them and like a whirlwind that consumed all that they had built. And the people beat their chests in despair and cried out in anguish, "Give us back our nation and our pride and our hope!!" But it was too late, and their homeland was no more. ############################################################### You may think this is a fairy tale, but it's not. It's happening RIGHT NOW !!!

545 PEOPLE

545 vs. 300,000,000

(Republicans & Democrats Alike - No One Is Blameless)
EVERY CITIZEN NEEDS TO READ THIS AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THIS
JOURNALIST HAS SCRIPTED IN THIS MESSAGE. READ IT AND THEN REALLY THINK
ABOUT OUR CURRENT POLITICAL DEBACLE.
Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years.

545 PEOPLE

By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits? Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred Senators, 435 Congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices, 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes.

Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want.. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red...

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ .

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper. What you do with this article now that you have read it is up to you, though you have several choices:
1. You can send this to everyone in your address book and hope "they" do something about it.
2. You can agree to "vote against" everyone that is currently in office, knowing that the process will take several years.
3. You can decide to "run for office" yourself and agree to do the job properly.
4. Lastly, you can sit back and do nothing or re-elect the current bunch.
How about you? 
Isn't it about time that we take over again? 
How many more Trillion in debt will it take before our retirement checks are totally worthless? 
We worked hard all of those years to save that money to support us during our retirement years!

Vermillion by jet ski

Lafayette’s Vermillion springtime...

Pictures of Lafayette Republican "activist" Meeting

With us in spirit...

Secession Un-American?

Question from T: I just can't see why this isn't considered unpatriotic!

If ANYONE suggested doing this for social reasons (gay marriage, not agreeing with the war, abortion, etc) They would be STAMPED anti patriotic. . . And it is all just disagreeing with the Fed . . . Just an observation.

Answer from Ken: It is a good indicator as to how far we are swaying from our original Republic. I know Texans, and they are patriots for America. If America no longer exists, that is a different matter. Decisions will have to be made, with lines drawn in the sand. I will stand with them at the Alamo, as my ancestors did from Louisiana. Obama had better yield, and keep America for the people. America exists from people to government, not from government to people. Otherwise we are not a free nation “of the people and by the people”, but slaves. Freedom isn’t something freely given T, it is and was paid for by our blood.

Question from T:Right, but the people spoke on the election day!
The BIGGEST margin EVER won by any president!
Remember I am neither Dem or Repub. I'm just showing you how you side with the Republicans . . . Don't let them DUPE you!

Answer from Ken: I’m a Libertarian, and I know what DUPE means. I fought two years in Vietnam. :)

What percent?...with 52 percent of Christians voting for Obama... That is what DUPE really means. Obama and liberals do not represent my view eight out of ten times. I took many tests... Ron Paul son....

I’m going to read that piece at the meeting tonight, for the Louisiana Republican Legislative Deligation, if I can.

If you can find nothing to die for T, you will have very little to live for. Take a stand. Do what is right. We are all going to die. Die for something, and fear nothing. Read your history and you will love America. Look around. The mortor that built this empire was mixed with the blood of Patriots. The world wants it, and there are those among us who would give it away. Learn why we are the greatest nation ever to live on earth, and you will find a man, a singular man, like you and me. There is power in that.

It’s Not Un-American To Talk About Secession
By tmartin • April 21, 2009

Source: Campaign for LibertyDate: 4/19/2009Transcript:
Ron Paul: This weekend I got a couple of calls from the media asking me questions about Rick Perry, our governor here in Texas and the statements he made about possible secession. Now, he didn’t call for secession, but he was restating a principle that was long held and at least in the original time of our country, and that is that there was a right to secession.
Actually, after the Civil War, nobody believes there is a so-called right to secession, but it is a very legitimate issue to debate because all of the states that came into the Union before the Civil War believed they have a right to secede and New England in the early part of the 19th century actually considered it, and nobody questioned them about whether they had the right to do it or not.

Since the Civil War, it’s been sort of a dead issue, but he brought it up. It stirred the media and believe me, it really stirred some of the liberal media where they started really screaming about what is going on here. “This is un-American”, I heard one individual say, “This is treasonous to even talk about it.”

Well, they don’t know their history very well because if they think about it, it’s an American tradition. It’s very American to talk about secession. That’s how we came into being. Thirteen colonies seceded from the British and established a new country, so secession is very much an American principle.

What about all the strong endorsements we have given over the past decade or two of those republics that seceded from the Soviet system? We were delighted with this. We never said, “Oh no. Secession is treasonous”.

No. Secession is a good principle. Just think of the benefits that would have come over these last 230-some years if the principle of secession had existed. That means the federal government would always have been restrained, not to overburden the states with too much federalism, too many federal rules and regulations.

But since that was all wiped out with the Civil War, the federal government has grown by leaps and bounds and we have suffered the consequences, and we need to reconsider this. It’s not un-American to think about the possibility of secession. This is something that’s voluntary. We came together voluntarily. A free society means you can dissolve it voluntarily. That was the whole issue was about.

Just remember one of the reasons that Wilson drove us in unnecessarily into World War I. He talked about what we have to give, have every country in the world the benefit of self-determination, a good principle. Of course, I don’t think he really believed that. But self-determination is a good principle. It’s a very American principle, so to me it’s a shame that we can’t discuss this.

You know, it’s interesting that so many of us have been taught for so many years, and as long as I can remember from the first grade on up taking the pledge of allegiance that we have a republic that’s “indivisible” and we have been preached that and preached it. So therefore, there is no contest, no question since the Civil War that we have even the thought that this could happen.

But you know what a lot of people don’t talk about and they really don’t even know about is who wrote the pledge to the flag. The pledge to the flag came from, for instance, Bellamy, an avowed Socialist who wanted to put into concrete in the pledge this principle of being indivisible, and he did it, you know, for the celebration ironically 400 years of the celebration of the landing of Christopher Columbus, so it was in 1892.

I mean, the pledge of allegiance has not been here, you know, all our history. So I think it’s worth of discussion. I think people should discuss this because right now, the American people are sick and tired of it all and I think the time will come when people will consider it much more seriously is when the federal government can no longer deliver. That time will come when the dollar collapses.

No matter what they do and how many promises they have and how many bailouts they have, they can’t do it if the money doesn’t work. So then, the independence of the states will come back and it doesn’t mean that you’ll be un-American to even contemplate what might have to be done once the dollar crashes.

Texas: Secede from The Union?

(CNN) — Texas Gov. Rick Perry isn't ruling out the possibility his state may one day secede from the nation. Speaking to an energetic and angry tea party crowd in Austin Wednesday evening, the Lone Star State governor suggested secession may happen in the future should the federal government not change its fiscal polices. "There's a lot of different scenarios," Perry said. "We've got a great union. There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that. But Texas is a very unique place, and we're a pretty independent lot to boot." Perry, who is beginning to gear up for what could be a challenging re-election race, rejected more than $500 million in federal stimulus funds earlier this year and has been highly critical of President Obama's stimulus package. His comments come a week after endorsing a resolution in the Texas state House reasserting state sovereignty over federal mandates. Specifically it states that "all compulsory federal legislation that directs states to comply under threat of civil or criminal penalties or sanctions or that requires states to pass legislation or lose federal funding be prohibited or repealed." Texas, America's second biggest state in area and population, was its own nation for 10 years before joining the United States in 1845. Should Texas one day secede, one man may already be vying to be its president. Actor Chuck Norris said last month he may be interested in the post.“I may run for president of Texas,” Norris wrote in a column posted at WorldNetDaily. “That need may be a reality sooner than we think. If not me, someone someday may again be running for president of the Lone Star state, if the state of the union continues to turn into the enemy of the state.”

Lafayette Tea Party 2009

Cost of the war in Iraq

Cost of the War in Iraq
$660,013,175,060

Stimulus Bill

HR1: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus bill)

HR1106: Helping Families Save Their Homes Act (homeowner rescue bill)

Kennedy, Frost, Fosdick quotes

"What is objectionable, what is dangerous, about extremists is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents."
-Robert Kennedy Pursuit of Justice, 1964

"I never dared to be radical when young for fear it would make me conservative when old.”

-Robert Frost

"No stream or gas drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated and disciplined."
-Harry E. Fosdick

Obama, its all about you, not America

Obama, its all about you, not America
By: Ken LaRive

I have respect for the position you hold Obama, but I don’t respect you or your Democratic ilk. I’m going to fight you until the end of my days. There is a plague on our once great American institution, and I hold you and your hooligans responsible.

I don’t respect you using my money to promote abortion, or the use of these new bodies for stem cell research. I know that abortion is murder, and a man in your position, a leader, and a proposed Christian, should have reasoned this out. But of course there is a lot of money to be made, and you promised to pay back those who supported you. You sir, are a murderer.

I don’t respect your concepts of Socialism or Nationalism. Re-distribution of wealth has failed in every country it has been tried, and buying up private enterprise because of your party’s failures is a lot of gall. Of course a welfare state makes most seemingly dependant on you, and that is your primary goal. One day, if truth be told, men will realize that they don’t need you, your peanuts, or your strings, and standing on their own two feet is true freedom. Sir, you are not my Messiah.

Hard working Americans flip the bill for your myopic and self perpetuating programs, always doomed to fail. We constantly pick up the tab by the many hidden taxes that weaken us all. I don’t like you printing money and diluting our dollar to bail out those you mandated to perform without sound business principles, the housing market, international banking, and social programs that divide, manipulate, and enslave us all. You sir, are not my master, but a Marxist/Socialist/Communist. I see you for what you are, and soon the world will too.

I don’t respect a liar for my president. You made unreasonable promises to get elected from your social programs to the war on terror. Your kind has manufactured the weak-natured beggars that voted you in, so stupid, even empty promises will keep them in check. I know you sir, by what you have done in the past.

Your trying to reduce our military by 25% shows you don’t care for our security, and your study on slavery and the retribution you propose divides us further. Divide and conquer is the Democratic motto. You sir, do not own me.

I don’t like you giving what is left of my Social Security or cart-banc American Citizenship to illegal aliens because you want them to vote for your party. You are going to cause blood in the streets, and it will be your fault. You will push us too far, and one day we won’t fight each other, but unite without a need for you.

I know where our Social Security went, and your fingerprints are on that without denial. I sir, see through you. You and your mob stole it. That makes you a thief too.

I don’t like your take on Socialized Medicine, and though the system does need work, your ideas will destroy what is left of our economy, and deteriorate the most progressive and innovative health care system in the world.

Your party is primarily responsible for this economic downturn, and this would be well known if you didn’t own and otherwise control the newspapers, magazines, and Hollywood. I sir, will not be silenced, and as truth has a way of coming to light, you and your kind will scurry into the darkness.

Freedom of speech and press is threatened under your dominion and control, where half truths and outright lies are sponsored in a tainted agenda based media where actors promote your schema for control of the populous. History is rewritten for your convenience, but some of us have a good memory, and we know you by your work. You sir, do not control my mind, or soul. I remember you.

I don’t respect your attempt to conspire, apologize, and cower to our sworn enemies like Fidel Castro, all for the opportunity to make a buck. How transparent you Democrats are, as you will open our Florida borders to millions of illegal aliens, who you purport will vote for the Democratic ticket out of thanks. How dare you give us up for your own selfish lust for power! You sir, are a traitor, as are the lot of you who would sacrifice the good of America for personal greed.

I don’t like the way you disregard our constitution, or construct amendment loopholes for your liberal lawyers and judges to make money at the expense of freedom, security, liberty and our American rights. I don’t respect your judges who create law on the bench by setting precedence. You sir, are no patriot.

I don’t like your attack on America’s religions, their moral codes, their ethics, and your disregard for the will of the majority for the will of a minority. America was founded on Christian values, democracy, and this is incorporated into our history, and well displayed on our collective public property. How dare you desecrate what we hold to be our nation’s long established foundation? Who gave you the right to change us to your secular image!

We were a great nation before you Democrats started milking us dry. You take away pride and motivation in the workplace, destroy our morals and ethics and replace them with violence and a self-destructive nature that promotes children out of wedlock, abortion for convenience and birth control, jealousy, homosexuality, lust, envy, greed, laziness, racial hatred, class warfare and division. You sir, represent evil incarnate.

You and your party have done more harm to America by far than anything you ever proposed for the good. The reason for this is emphatically clear; the bottom line is that your motivation is what is good for you and your party without regard for what is good for America. If we didn’t have you to carry, America would not be in the negative position we are now. Responsibility would be our mainstay, a level playing field, and without your constant meddling into our individual affairs, relentless government control and growth, we would not be burdened to fixing up your many ridiculous mistakes. We would have very low taxes, the original liberty America was built upon, a viable free enterprise capitalistic economy, and respect from the entire world as a system to be emulated. Instead, you belittle America, bow to them, apologize to them for who we are, betray our trust, lie, and all for reasons you and your party continuously create for your sustained control of the masses by a media you manage and direct.

I propose you to have only one term Obama. I am old, but with my last breath I will try to bring to light just how much you and your cluster of malcontents have damaged us in the past, and how you propose to do the very same thing to us in the future, on a grander scale.

You sir, do not represent me.

Lancondon...

Lancondon... What keeps you so?
By: Ken La Rive 111397

You draw my heart to you with hooks, oh
Lancondon of selva, the last percent of humanity that
resists the Spanish fly of Chiapas under thatched roof and
a barking dog. Where first there was laid that maggot
parasite of twisted Catholic processes, who still feed
on the wounds of their own creation. You were scourged and
mangled into oppression, but still remained resistant. That island
of pure Mayan blood, the last five hundred, that is
the soul of Chiapus, still sing to the jaguar song.

What keeps you so?

They thought your back was broken. By the heat of
white fever virus, by the heat of countless deaths in
the name of gold, by the heat of your burned books,
codexes, and hopes, all for the exchange of dogmatic truths…
and what of the drug lord? Still you cling to what you find
was never lost inside.

What keeps you so?

Deep in la selva you drag your chains to be heard. Your
diamond patched frocks over eagle motifs still cling to the
great wheel of you ancestors. That long count calendar mark
the days by cycles of concentric spirals, repeating. You were connected
with the past, a long past, and a future they say ends in 2012…
Do you ring in the new age by example?

What keeps you so?

The rain forest echoes of La Ruta: of DDT and Aids,
of PEMEX trucks on mud rut roads, of coffee, banana, sorghum,
cocoa and chicloros, tobacco, and filtered jewels of marijuana, and coke
plantations; of alcoholism and tuberculosis, malnutrition and cattle carrying parasites. Hachakyum, help you! “Tengo mi pistola, me mota, y mis huevos. Entiendes mendez?

What keeps you so?

Trucha! Yo estoy hecha de otro arbol! Your hooks are deep in my
swelling heart… Hide, oh Lancondon. Hide in la silva! Survive
Zapatistas, and the Mexican Army. Hide from absorption, hide from
gennocide!

Thanks to the Chicano poet in the lowlands of America: Juan Felipe Herrera, (who lives it.)

ScrappleFace

Scott Ott, editor of ScrappleFace.com, is also columnist for The Washington DC Examiner. Here's an excerpt from his latest column, and a link to read more. You can access his other DC Examiner columns, or view PDF versions of the street edition of the paper, any time by clicking the 'Columns' link at the top of the ScrappleFace homepage.

Piracy spurs Obama calls for cargo-ship reductions

By Scott Ott, Washington Examiner Columnist
The rash of piracy incidents off the coast of Africa in recent years has spurred the Obama administration to reach out to the other G-20 nations to build consensus around a "gradual drawdown of cargo vessels in global sea lanes."READ THE REST AT The Washington DC Examiner...

The death of Castro, and American traitors

I wrote this over three years ago and it still applies...

The death of Castro, and American traitors
By: Ken LaRive

Information pours out of Cuba like a sieve. The attempt to keep Fidel’s sickness and eventual death a state secret borders on the ludicrous, but that is the nature of this dying regime.

It has been the topic on Capital Hill and the surrounding pubs for months now as to whether the Cuban government will survive Castro. What a joke. What is left of the low ideas set forth by dictatorial blood baths perished long ago, and all that remains is a burned out remnant. Castro’s ideological dream-regime is dead, and only the shell of a self-made maniac remains.

It is written on Cuban bathroom walls that brother Raul will take over leadership of the Cuban Communist Party, attempting to balance the military/intelligence system, appease the quagmire of nepotistic minister officials tied in red tape, and move forward with a hidden agenda all his own... What remains will be transformed by the whim of a new want-to-be dictator, and the prevailing winds that sweep the world at that time.

To this very day Castro promotes the idea that it was the American embargo and the strangled relations of an imperialist American Economic system that burned the life out of Cuba. He seemed very persuasive early on, but few believe that today. Anyone could trade with Cuba: Latin America, Europe, Canada, whomever, and Cuba wasn’t even completely locked out of North America, as third parties collected their commissions. No, it was Fidel’s myopic dreams that subdued Cuba, and a thick-fingered hand that could not rationalize the economics of free trade.

The imaginings of Fidel fell with the slow-sinking Soviet, and he seemed never to give up hope that his original vision could still ignite. His once strong words now falls on deaf ears like a broken record.

The so called embargo is a justification for failure by Cuba’s small minded politicians. It was and remains a political hand gesture toward the dogmatic-ego of a man who could not face reality, and in the process decimated a once abundant land, and enslaved the common people under the weight of his totalitarian/communistic/socialistic yoke. It was powered by a booming voice of promises: the fall of the United States by his own united front.

He leaves Cuba shoddier as the years pile on, and history will show that any North American who tries to do business with Cuba before his death, or identify with his Venezuelan lackeys, might well be thought a traitor. Fidel is our sworn enemy, and those who promote him are too.

Discourse on Voluntary Servitude

Discourse on Voluntary Servitude

The Discours sur la servitude volontaire of

ÉTIENNE DE LA BOÉTIE,

1548

Rendered into English by HARRY KURZ

“There are always a few, better endowed than others, who feel the weight of the yoke and cannot restrain themselves from attempting to shake it off: these are the men who never become tamed under subjection and who always, like Ulysses on land and sea constantly seeking the smoke of his chimney, cannot prevent themselves from peering about for their natural privileges and from remembering their ancestors and their former ways. These are in fact the men who, possessed of clear minds and far-sighted spirit, are not satisfied, like the brutish mass, to see only what is at their feet, but rather look about them, behind and before, and even recall the things of the past in order to judge those of the future, and compare both with their present condition. These are the ones who, having good minds of their own, have further trained them by study and learning. Even if liberty had entirely perished from the earth, such men would invent it. For them slavery has no satisfactions, no matter how well disguised.”

The face of Western Human rights

Daughters and Sons of Palestine - The faces of Western Human Rights!
- “Nothing is more certain in modern society than the principle that there are no absolutes, that a name, a phrases, a standard has meaning only when associated with the considerations which give birth to nomenclature. To those who would paralyze our Government in the face of impending threat by encasing it in a semantic strait-jacket, we must reply that all concepts are relative.” -- Justice Vinson, U.S. Supreme Court, 1951 AD

- “It's hard to imagine now, but in 1944, six years after Kristallnacht, Lessing J. Rosenwald, president of the American Council for Judaism, felt comfortable equating the Zionist ideal of Jewish statehood with 'the concept of a racial state -- the Hitlerian concept.'” -- Zionism is the problem, Oped Los Angeles Times March 15, 2009 AD

Hemingbough and St. Francisville, Louisiana

Eight Candles of Consciousness

"Eight Candles of Consciousness"

A collection of essays on Hanukkah and non-violence by Rabbi Yonassan Gershom (author of "Beyond the Ashes," etc.) covering 30+ years of his war resistance

An 85-page PDF ebook file on a data CD that can be read on any computer using Adobe Reader(If you don't have Adobe Reader, you can download it FREE on the official Adobe.com site.)

Although Rabbi Gershom is best known for his books on reincarnation (Beyond the Ashes, From Ashes to healing, and Jewish Tales of Reincarnation,) he is also a lifelong pacifist and peace activist, who has written many articles on Judaism and non-violence. During the 1970s and 80s when he was living in Minneapolis, he was a familiar figure at rallies and protests. Today he continues his activism via the Internet . This book contains the best of his writing on peace and justice over the last 40 years. Included is his kabbalistic Hanukkah service, "Eight Candles of Consciousness," based on correspondences between the meditative chakras and the sefirot on the Kabbalah Tree of Life.On this auction page, you can read the entire Author's Introduction, and/or scroll down for the Table of Contents.

The Author's Introduction:
Most of the material in this book was first published over two decades ago. Why reprint these articles now? Because a new generation of Jews has grown up since then — a generation that, by and large, is totally unaware of the non-violent traditions within Judaism.

“The gentle Jews are gone,” wrote Chaim Potok in his book, Wanderings. Sadly, that is mostly true. As Israel’s former Prime Minister, Golda Meir, said back in the 1960s, “I can forgive the Arabs for attacking. But I cannot forgive that Jewish boys had to learn how to kill.” The very fact that soldiering was seen as something unusual for Jews shows that most were, if not actual pacifists, then at least basically non-violent people. Sadly, this is true no more.

My generation – the post-Holocaust “Baby Boomers” – marked the transition from 2000 years of Jewish pacifism into the militarism of Israeli society today. We saw the martyrs of the Holocaust labeled as “cowards who did not fight back.” We saw King David glorified into a war hero instead of “the sweet singer of psalms.” And we saw Judah Maccabee – who was not even mentioned by name in the Talmud – resurrected into a Jewish Rambo.

In Israel today, all citizens, male and female, are required to do military service, except for some Orthodox groups who are then disparaged by their fellow citizens as “social parasites.” (See “Yeshiva Students not Undermining the War Effort.”) “Jewish pacifist” is now considered an oxymoron, as each day we are confronted with more violence between Israel and her neighbors. Secular conscientious objectors are often jailed for refusing to serve in the Israeli armed forces. Even the choice of biblical Hebrew over Yiddish as the national language of Israel reflects the rejection of our mostly non-violent past.

The transformation of Hanukkah from “The Miracle of the Oil” into “The Victory of the Maccabees” is symbolic of this shift. When I was growing up in the 1950s, Judah Maccabee was rarely mentioned, if at all. We knew a war had taken place, but that wasn’t the focus. Hanukkah was about rekindling the Menorah in the Temple and in our own hearts. For me, with my lifelong interest in nature study, it was also deeply connected to the Winter Solstice. In 1969 I wrote a poem entitled “Season’s Greetings” (included in this collection) which emphasized the connection between the candles of Hanukkah, the lights of Christmas, and the countless fires that have driven away the darkness from the homes of human beings since the dawn of time. Although Hanukkah doesn’t always fall exactly on the Solstice, it does come with a waning moon. Because Jewish months are lunar, when Hanukkah starts on the 25th of Kislev, the moon is always in its last quarter, thereby further emphasizing the contrast between light and darkness.

An old Jewish legend tells how the First Humans experienced their first winter outside the Garden of Eden. As the days grew shorter and the sun sank lower in the sky, Adam and Eve feared that the daylight would disappear altogether. So they began building huge bonfires to signal the sun to return. And gradually, the days grew longer.

Human beings have craved light at this time of year ever since. In an age when electricity allows us to illuminate our homes and streets, it is difficult to really grasp how frightening the long winter nights were to our ancestors. Old Hasidic stories speak of waiting for the moon to rise before continuing a journey – not for any reasons of astrology, but because, without street lights, you literally could not see your hand in front of your face. This is still true in places where light pollution has not obscured the sky. One of the first things I learned after moving to the country was how very dark it can be on a moonless night.

In the years before television, winter was a time for sitting in front of the hearth and listening to traditional stories. So much so, that, in many cultures, specific “Winter Tales” were told only in that season. Even certain crafts were reserved for the long nights indoors. As a Navajo weaver told me, “Only spiders spin in the summer.”

Of course, without the Maccabees, there would be no Hanukkah and probably no Jews. We would have all become Greeks and disappeared as a people. In fact, it has been argued that Hanukkah was the first war fought for religious freedom. Resisting assimilation, standing up for the right to be who you are, refusing to worship the idols of the State – these are important themes. But, as I pointed out in “Armed Resistance is Not the Only Way,” there are alternatives to violence for carrying on this struggle.

There is another, lesser-known resistance story which took place in the time of the Roman Emperor Caligula. This Emperor, like Antiochus, before him, believed himself to be a god. He ordered his statue erected and worshipped in every temple in the land. The people of Jerusalem not only refused, they came out and staged what may well be the world’s first sit-in. Whole families blocked the road into Jerusalem, refusing to move. The Roman general cordoned off the crowd, hoping to cow them into submission with hunger and thirst. Some died, the rest refused to budge.

After three days of this, the Roman general raised his sword and told the people to either clear the road or be killed. The Jews refused to move. Whereupon the general lost heart for a slaughter of non-resisting civilians. Lowering his sword, he disobeyed his emperor and refused to carry out the order. (Based on an account by Josephus.)

In recent years, many Israelis have begun to question whether the military solution is the right way to bring peace. Here is not the place to analyze Mid-East politics. Suffice it to say that, after the war between Israel and Lebanon this year (2006), numerous articles have appeared in the Israeli press, criticizing the war and questioning what, if anything, it actually accomplished. Did bombing Lebanon into rubble make Israel any safer? Or did it create more support for those who want to destroy her? Will building a wall between Israel and Palestine keep terrorists out? Or will it shut Israel away from the rest of the world?

These are the kinds of questions that I was asking twenty years ago, at a time when criticism of Israel was equated with treason in the Jewish community. One reason for publishing this collection of essays now is to bear witness to this legacy of questioning – not to salve my ego, but to re-illuminate the non-violent forms of resistance we never hear about in Hebrew school. (How many Jews today even know about the sit-in recorded by Josephus? ) We need to pass these tales and traditions of war resistance “from generation to generation.” Hence this book.

These essays are the actions and thoughts of one Jewish pacifist. Right now is a hard time to be a war resister, but resist we must, if the world is to survive. May the light of your Solstice fire – in whatever form it may take -- help illuminate the way out of darkness toward the light of peace.

Rabbi Yonassan Gershom
Winter, 2006/5767

Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

Niccolo Machiavelli, a diplomat in the pay of the Republic of Florence, wrote The Prince in 1513 after the overthrow of the Republic forced him into exile. It is widely regarded as one of the basic texts of Western political science, and represents a basic change in the attitude and image of government.

That Which Concerns a Prince on the Subject of the Art of War

The Prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline; for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules, and it is of such force that it not only upholds those who are born princes, but it often enables men to rise from a private station to that rank. And, on the contrary, it is seen that when princes have thought more of ease than of arms they have lost their states. And the first cause of your losing it is to neglect this art; and what enables you to acquire a state is to be master of the art. Francesco Sforza, though being martial, from a private person became Duke of Milan; and the sons, through avoiding the hardships and troubles of arms, from dukes became private persons. For among other evils which being unarmed brings you, it causes you to be despised, and this is one of those ignominies against which a prince ought to guard himself, as is shown later on.

Concerning Things for Which Men, and Especially Princes, are Blamed

It remains now to see what ought to be the rules of conduct for a prince toward subject and friends. And as I know that many have written on this point, I expect I shall be considered presumptuous in mentioning it again, especially as in discussing it I shall depart from the methods of other people. But it being my intention to write a thing which shall be useful to him to apprehends it, it appears to me more appropriate to follow up the real truth of a matter than the imagination of it; for many have pictured republics and principalities which in fact have never been known or seen, because how one lives is so far distant from how one ought to live, that he who neglects what is done for what ought to be done, sooner effects his ruin than his preservation; for a man who wishes to act entirely up to his professions of virtue soon meets with what destroys him among so much that is evil.

Hence, it is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity. Therefore, putting on one side imaginary things concerning a prince, and discussing those which are real, I say that all men when they are spoken of, and chiefly princes for being more highly placed, are remarkable for some of those qualities which bring them either blame or praise; and thus it is that one is reputed liberal, another miserly...; one is reputed generous, one rapacious; one cruel, one compassionate; one faithless, another faithful.... And I know that every one will confess that it would be most praiseworthy in a prince to exhibit all the above qualities that are considered good; but because they can neither be entirely possessed nor observed, for human conditions do not permit it, it is necessary for him to be sufficiently prident that he may know how to avoid the reproach of those vices which would lose him his state...

Concerning Cruelty and Clemency, and Whether it is Better to be Loved than Feared

Upon this a question arises: whether it is better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, it is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with. Because this is to be asserted in general of men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, and as long as you successed they are yours entirely; they will offer you their blood, property, life, and children, as is said above, when the need is far distant; but when it approaches they turn against you. And that prince who, relying entirely on their promises, has neglected other precautions, is ruined; because friendships that are obtained by payments, and not by nobility or greatness of mind, may indeed be earned, but they are not secured, and in time of need cannot be relied upon; and men have less scruple in offending one who is beloved than one who is feared, for love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserved you by a dread of punishment which never fails.

Nevertheless a prince ought to inspire fear in such a way that, if he does not win love, he avoids hatred; because he can endure very well being feared whilst he is not hated, which will always be as long as he abstains from the property of his citizens and subjects and from their women.
Source

From: Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, ed. W. K. Marriott. London: J. M. Dent and Sons, 1908, pp. 117-118, 129-131.