The U.S. Senate was designed to be very different than it is today. Changes over the last two centuries has compromised the dynamics of our political system. Listen to me lecture on how the States lost their voice in the federal government, and how our government is supposed to be functioning:
Thank You, HemetTV
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Thursday, December 06, 2012
South Dakota City bans Texting, and Eating, While Driving
I get it, as a truck driver. There are a lot of idiots on the road, and most of the reasons they act idiotic is because they are driving distracted. So along comes someone that says, "There ought-a be a law." But when is the law more than a protective piece of legislation, and crosses the line between freedom and governmental control? It began with banning cellphone usage without a hands-free device, then it hopped to texting, and now a city in South Dakota is banning eating while driving. What's next? Is some city going to get the bright idea to ban conversing with your passenger, next?
My good friend Rich Gonsalves died a couple weeks ago while texting and driving. I get it, distracted driving is a very dangerous activity. Fine, ban texting while driving at the local level. But where does it stop? Laws meant to protect us from insane activities, and laws that compromise our freedoms, are divided by a very fine line, and that line has been crossed.
The city of Huron, in South Dakota, has passed an ordinance to ban texting while driving. Fine. Texting can be more dangerous than even driving drunk, because the driver actually takes their eyes, and all of their attention, for that matter, off the road. But mixed into that ordinance is a blanket ban on distracted driving that includes eating, and reading, while driving.
Okay, reading while driving is downright stupid. Hell, I could never figure out why, and how, women put on makeup while driving. One bump in the road while applying eye liner, and boom, out goes the eyeball. But in the interest of protecting us from ourselves, which is never a good idea for government to venture too far into, Huron even disallows eating while driving with this new city ordinance. Hell, if that happened here in California (and it may very well, pretty soon, considering the liberal madness that infests this State), I'd never get to eat lunch - as a Sand and Gravel driver we don't get lunch, we have to eat as we work. I've gotten so good at it I can eat a bowl of soup while driving. Drink the broth first, then roll out of the bowl the chunks one at a time.
The ordinance also bars drivers with learners' permits from talking on a phone while driving. I guess hands-free phone talking is allowed for the rest of the drivers, though. I wonder how long before they decide to take that away, too?
In fact, when it comes to those that want to protect us from ourselves, how long before they decide driving itself is too dangerous for us, and they outlaw cars altogether? After all, isn't auto accidents among the biggest killers?
Right now the punishment is a fine. Later it'll be riding in a car as a passenger with someone eating while they drive, listening to an Obama speech (talk about distracted driving), just to scare you into never doing it again. . . well, perhaps that would be cruel and unusual.
Right now the punishment is a fine. Later it'll be riding in a car as a passenger with someone eating while they drive, listening to an Obama speech (talk about distracted driving), just to scare you into never doing it again. . . well, perhaps that would be cruel and unusual.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Huron Enacting Ban on Texting while Driving - KELOLAND
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
Democrats Go After Veteran Gun Rights
As you begin to read this article understand that the 2nd Amendment was originally intended to only affect the federal government. The words "shall not be infringed" means that from a constitutional point of view the federal government has no authority to restrict gun rights in any way, shape, or form. Gun regulations are a State issue. . .
Change on Veteran's Gun Rights Lights Fire
A major defense-spending bill hit an unexpected bump on its journey through the U.S. Senate over an amendment on veterans’ gun rights, which devolved into a heated floor debate and foreshadows a potential battle over Democrats’ vows to tweak the filibuster rules in the clubby, traditionally collegial body.
Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, wants veterans who have been deemed “mentally incompetent” to have their cases adjudicated by a judge — rather than the Department of Veterans Affairs, as happens currently — and argued that veterans who simply cannot support themselves financially are needlessly given the label and, as such, cannot buy or possess firearms.
“We’re not asking for anything big,” Mr. Coburn said Thursday evening on the Senate floor. “We’re just saying that if you’re going to take away the Second Amendment rights … they ought to have it adjudicated, rather than mandated by someone who’s unqualified to state that they should lose their rights.”
The late-night tussle served to pick at the scab of the ongoing debate over Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s bid to reform the chamber’s filibuster rules to place limits on the minority party’s ability to hold up debate on legislation, however.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, objected to Mr. Coburn’s proposal once he found out it was part of a package of amendments to the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act the body was to vote on.
“I love our veterans; I vote for them all the time, they defend us,” Mr. Schumer said. “But if you are mentally ill, whether you’re a veteran or not, just like if you’re a felon, if you’re a veteran or not, and you have been judged to be mentally infirm, you should not have a gun.”
Read more at the Washington Times
A major defense-spending bill hit an unexpected bump on its journey through the U.S. Senate over an amendment on veterans’ gun rights, which devolved into a heated floor debate and foreshadows a potential battle over Democrats’ vows to tweak the filibuster rules in the clubby, traditionally collegial body.
Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, wants veterans who have been deemed “mentally incompetent” to have their cases adjudicated by a judge — rather than the Department of Veterans Affairs, as happens currently — and argued that veterans who simply cannot support themselves financially are needlessly given the label and, as such, cannot buy or possess firearms.
“We’re not asking for anything big,” Mr. Coburn said Thursday evening on the Senate floor. “We’re just saying that if you’re going to take away the Second Amendment rights … they ought to have it adjudicated, rather than mandated by someone who’s unqualified to state that they should lose their rights.”
The late-night tussle served to pick at the scab of the ongoing debate over Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s bid to reform the chamber’s filibuster rules to place limits on the minority party’s ability to hold up debate on legislation, however.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, objected to Mr. Coburn’s proposal once he found out it was part of a package of amendments to the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act the body was to vote on.
“I love our veterans; I vote for them all the time, they defend us,” Mr. Schumer said. “But if you are mentally ill, whether you’re a veteran or not, just like if you’re a felon, if you’re a veteran or not, and you have been judged to be mentally infirm, you should not have a gun.”
Read more at the Washington Times
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Morsi Flees
Thousands ready to march on Egypt president palace
Thousands of Egyptians massed in Cairo Tuesday for a march to the presidential palace to protest the assumption by the nation's Islamist president of nearly unrestricted powers and a draft constitution hurriedly adopted by his allies.
The march comes amid rising anger over the draft charter and decrees issued by Mohammed Morsi giving himself sweeping powers.
Egypt's Mursi leaves palace as police battle protesters
Thousands of Egyptians massed in Cairo Tuesday for a march to the presidential palace to protest the assumption by the nation's Islamist president of nearly unrestricted powers and a draft constitution hurriedly adopted by his allies.
The march comes amid rising anger over the draft charter and decrees issued by Mohammed Morsi giving himself sweeping powers.
Egypt's Mursi leaves palace as police battle protesters
Egyptian police battled thousands of protesters outside President Mohamed Mursi's palace in Cairo on Tuesday, prompting the Islamist leader to leave the building, presidency sources said.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
Bloody Zimmerman Images After Altercation with Trayvon Martin
New Image Shows Bloodied Zimmerman Night of Attack
AP/GZLEGALCASE.COMGeorge Zimmerman's legal team releases a new graphic image taken by police that shows the accused killer on the night of his fateful altercation with Florida teen Trayvon Martin.
Syria Moving Chemical Weapons
US official: Intelligence shows Syria moving chemical weapons components in recent days
The official says U.S. and allied intelligence officials have detected activity around more than one of Syria's chemical weapons sites in the last week. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about intelligence matters.
He says officials don't believe any developments with the weapons are imminent but are trying to figure out what the Syrians are doing.
WASHINGTON - A U.S. defense official says international intelligence sources have detected that Syria has been moving chemical weapons components in recent days.
The official says U.S. and allied intelligence officials have detected activity around more than one of Syria's chemical weapons sites in the last week. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about intelligence matters.
He says officials don't believe any developments with the weapons are imminent but are trying to figure out what the Syrians are doing.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming: Obama Wants Us To Go Over Fiscal Cliff
Of course he does. That would continue to destroy America as it was founded. Obama does indeed care about his legacy, but he wants that legacy to be that he was the President that finally brought socialism to America. . .
From the article:
"I think the president is increasingly showing his hand that he is comfortable going off the cliff," Barrasso tells THE WEEKLY STANDARD, in response to a question about President Obama's negotiation strategy. "He’s not involving Republicans in the process. He was playing golf this weekend with Bill Clinton, Ron Kirk, and ex-DNC chair Terry McAuliffe. He’s not seeming to be one to work together. He seems to be lecturing more than listening. And I just think that it’s increasingly clear he's comfortable going off the cliff."
Read the complete Article at The Weekly Standard
From the article:
"I think the president is increasingly showing his hand that he is comfortable going off the cliff," Barrasso tells THE WEEKLY STANDARD, in response to a question about President Obama's negotiation strategy. "He’s not involving Republicans in the process. He was playing golf this weekend with Bill Clinton, Ron Kirk, and ex-DNC chair Terry McAuliffe. He’s not seeming to be one to work together. He seems to be lecturing more than listening. And I just think that it’s increasingly clear he's comfortable going off the cliff."
Read the complete Article at The Weekly Standard
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
5.8 Earthquake Strikes Alaska
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ak10612174#summary
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Monday, December 03, 2012
Was Benghazi an Obama Planned October Surprise?
I don't know how accurate this is, but I would not be surprised if this is true. Knowing Obama, this kind of stuff may be only the tip of the iceberg.
According to a blog called NESARA - Restore America, The October Surprise Unveiled, working with the Muslim Brotherhood, Obama staged the attack in Benghazi with the intent to engineer a trade of the Blind Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman for Ambassador Stevens. This is why the Obama administration purposely left the Consulate in Libya without security. This is why the Muslim Brotherhood got $1.2 Billion in U.S. Aid.
Read the article to get the details: The October Surprise Unveiled.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Mexico Swears in President Amid Violent Protests
Enrique Pena Nieto took the oath of office as Mexico's new president on Saturday, promising a list of specific reforms that are part old-party populist handouts to the poor and new assaults on the entrenched systems and sacred cows that have hampered the country's development.
Pena Nieto, marking the return of the institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, promised everything from a new integrated program to prevent crime to ending the patronage and buying of teacher positions that rule the public education system and opening up broadband Internet service now dominated by just a few telecommunication monopolies.
"It's time to move Mexico and to achieve a national transformation," Pena Nieto said. "This is the moment for Mexico."
The return of the PRI after a 12-year hiatus started with violent confrontations in the streets and protest speeches from opposition parties inside the congress, where Pena Nieto took the oath of office. Protesters continued vandalizing downtown businesses, smashing plate glass windows and setting office furniture ablaze outside.
Protesters clashed with tear gas-wielding police, calling the inauguration of Pena Nieto an "imposition" of a party that ruled with a near-iron fist for 71 years using a mix of populist handouts, graft and rigged elections.
Pena Nieto, marking the return of the institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, promised everything from a new integrated program to prevent crime to ending the patronage and buying of teacher positions that rule the public education system and opening up broadband Internet service now dominated by just a few telecommunication monopolies.
"It's time to move Mexico and to achieve a national transformation," Pena Nieto said. "This is the moment for Mexico."
The return of the PRI after a 12-year hiatus started with violent confrontations in the streets and protest speeches from opposition parties inside the congress, where Pena Nieto took the oath of office. Protesters continued vandalizing downtown businesses, smashing plate glass windows and setting office furniture ablaze outside.
Protesters clashed with tear gas-wielding police, calling the inauguration of Pena Nieto an "imposition" of a party that ruled with a near-iron fist for 71 years using a mix of populist handouts, graft and rigged elections.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Lessons about Democracy from the Recent Elections
By Kevin Price
Not too long ago I was reading Glenn Beck's Common Sense and found it an excellent read. The book is full of sound reasoning as he made a case for liberty and limited government. In it, however, he discusses the virtues of democracy and how that force will restore our government.
Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio host who saved the AM dial and made that radio band the hot property it is today has a section of his website and a recurring feature on his program in which he refers to himself as "The Doctor of Democracy."
The late Jack Kemp wrote in his excellent book, An American Renaissancethat "bad mouthing democracy" was becoming an occupational hazard of Republicans and that they should embrace that form of government rather than distance them from it. The book was excellent, but like all other things I have read and enjoyed, I certainly do not agree with everything in it. Democracy is an extreme form of government that inevitably we lead to totalitarianism. The US has democratic institutions that are checked by the restraints of republican form of government. In these confusing times, "democrat" and "republican" have nothing to do with parties, but philosophies in this article.
The Founders warned of the excesses of democracy and spoke passionately about limited government:
John Adams: "Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself."
Benjamin Franklin: "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!"
Fisher Aimes: "The known propensity of a democracy is to licentiousness which the ambitious call, and ignorant believe to be liberty."
Even Thomas Jefferson, considered by most of his contemporaries to be the most sympathetic of democracy, was quoted as saying: "A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine."
When I traveled to Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union following the fall of Communism, there were often protests because the people were seeking a quicker pace of reforms. You would find signs, in English to get the message to the United States via TV, that would say "Democracy equals Freedom" and similar themes. Ironically, the first free elections in Germany's history were in 1932 and led to the rise of Adolph Hitler, whose party enjoyed a mandate. Democracy leads to mob rule and mobs behave in a most destructive fashion riddled with socialism and financial ruin.
We need writers, radio hosts, TV personalities and more to discuss the virtues of republican government, which is found in rule by law. Government should only do those things the people cannot do for themselves. It must be based on law and confined, in our country's place, to the 17 powers listed in the Constitution. This is why I say that the term "conservative" is a misnomer. There is little liberty left to conserve. The proper term is restore. We must restore liberty, limited government, private property, and free market economics. It needs to become "cool" again to point out the virtues of republican government and to dismiss and to discredit the extremes of pure democracy.The recent elections reminded me again of the horrors of mob rule.
I recently discussed the problems of democracy for a "Price Point Edition" and used the most recent elections as an example of the problems we find in that system of government.
A great example was a referendum that passed in California that mandated an increase in taxes for the richest of their fellow citizens. This is a great example of oppression of a majority (who would not have additional tax) by the minority (who would be the only ones who would have the increase in taxes). This was considered a "popular" provision because it passed, but I am sure that the majority of the ones who had to pay for it did not vote for it. Oppressing the affluent is now in vogue, but it is still oppression and fundamentally goes against the spirit of a republic and the rule of law.
Frequently found on Strategy Room at FoxNews.com
Not too long ago I was reading Glenn Beck's Common Sense and found it an excellent read. The book is full of sound reasoning as he made a case for liberty and limited government. In it, however, he discusses the virtues of democracy and how that force will restore our government.
Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio host who saved the AM dial and made that radio band the hot property it is today has a section of his website and a recurring feature on his program in which he refers to himself as "The Doctor of Democracy."
The late Jack Kemp wrote in his excellent book, An American Renaissancethat "bad mouthing democracy" was becoming an occupational hazard of Republicans and that they should embrace that form of government rather than distance them from it. The book was excellent, but like all other things I have read and enjoyed, I certainly do not agree with everything in it. Democracy is an extreme form of government that inevitably we lead to totalitarianism. The US has democratic institutions that are checked by the restraints of republican form of government. In these confusing times, "democrat" and "republican" have nothing to do with parties, but philosophies in this article.
The Founders warned of the excesses of democracy and spoke passionately about limited government:
John Adams: "Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself."
Benjamin Franklin: "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!"
Fisher Aimes: "The known propensity of a democracy is to licentiousness which the ambitious call, and ignorant believe to be liberty."
Even Thomas Jefferson, considered by most of his contemporaries to be the most sympathetic of democracy, was quoted as saying: "A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine."
When I traveled to Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union following the fall of Communism, there were often protests because the people were seeking a quicker pace of reforms. You would find signs, in English to get the message to the United States via TV, that would say "Democracy equals Freedom" and similar themes. Ironically, the first free elections in Germany's history were in 1932 and led to the rise of Adolph Hitler, whose party enjoyed a mandate. Democracy leads to mob rule and mobs behave in a most destructive fashion riddled with socialism and financial ruin.
We need writers, radio hosts, TV personalities and more to discuss the virtues of republican government, which is found in rule by law. Government should only do those things the people cannot do for themselves. It must be based on law and confined, in our country's place, to the 17 powers listed in the Constitution. This is why I say that the term "conservative" is a misnomer. There is little liberty left to conserve. The proper term is restore. We must restore liberty, limited government, private property, and free market economics. It needs to become "cool" again to point out the virtues of republican government and to dismiss and to discredit the extremes of pure democracy.The recent elections reminded me again of the horrors of mob rule.
I recently discussed the problems of democracy for a "Price Point Edition" and used the most recent elections as an example of the problems we find in that system of government.
A great example was a referendum that passed in California that mandated an increase in taxes for the richest of their fellow citizens. This is a great example of oppression of a majority (who would not have additional tax) by the minority (who would be the only ones who would have the increase in taxes). This was considered a "popular" provision because it passed, but I am sure that the majority of the ones who had to pay for it did not vote for it. Oppressing the affluent is now in vogue, but it is still oppression and fundamentally goes against the spirit of a republic and the rule of law.
----------
Kevin Price
Host
Price of Business on KTEK 1110, PriceofBusiness.com
Home of Bloomberg Radio on morning drive time.
Publisher and Editor in Chief, USDailyReview.com
Syndicated columnist whose articles appear on a variety of media outlets.
Follow Kevin on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/KevinPriceLive
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Kevin Price's Profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/PriceofBusiness
The Light of America during the Storms of a Dark World
Life is full of storms, and it is those storms that can make us stronger, and help us in the building of our character - if we choose. We choose how to respond to storms. We can grow, or become darker. Society, it seems, has chosen darkness.
As our sin-darkened world employs the same kind of activities that ultimately brought down past civilizations, we are reminded that the Founding Fathers determined that only a value driven people could keep America from going the way of Ancient Greece, or the Roman Empire.
The whole dynamic of morality has been flipped, and the world holds up as heroes people who are sexually immoral, gluttons, heavy drinkers, and reckless gamblers. Entertainers who can't keep their lives straightened out, or their marriages together, are considered to be stars, for example.
The kind of values the world craves stands in contrast to the kind of society the founders believed would enable the United States to stand the test of time, and bring light to the world. Prayer has been removed from our schools, children have been told they can't pray on the steps of the Supreme Court, and crosses are being removed from public view around the country because atheists claim they offend them. During the Revolutionary War the early Americans were on their knees asking for guidance and Divine Providence. After Ben Franklin recommended they pray before each session of the Constitutional Convention, the delegates walked to a nearby church and prayed for wisdom. When Alexis de Tocqueville came to America he observed that in the United States the politicians prayed, and the pastors preached about politics, yet the church did not control the government, and the government did not control the church. Now, the government, and liberal part of society, is trying to relegate God into the confinement of the four walls of the church. God is no longer welcome in the public view.
John Adams stated that, "Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
Benjamin Franklin said, "The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this Truth - That God governs in the affairs of men."
James Madison said, "We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."
We are now so discouraged over the fact that it seems like the voters have turned against the Americanism that made this nation great. After a hundred years of communist influence in our schools, and heavy progressive influence in our nation's political system, in the 2012 Election, despite four years of a destructive presidency by Barack Obama, Americans voted the socialist back into office. Republicans, in an attempt to try to figure out what happened, have decided they need to moderate, that they need to become more like the opposition in order to beat the opposition.
In reality, the recipe for winning is the same for doing what is right. We need to return to the Godly principles that guided the delegates when they wrote the U.S. Constitution.
"If we lose these virtues or pursue the opposite of them, then the great cause that we know as America will be betrayed, dishonored, and finally destroyed." - James Madison.
To be the light of the world we need to turn towards the light of the Creator. We are in a dark world, and we are enduring a number of storms, but if we wish to survive we must be the light of the world, rather than just becoming yet another part of the darkness.
Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years. Their rebellion against God was characterized by dark actions, which followed grumbling, and them questioning God. The generation lost in the desert was characterized by Apostle Paul as being a "crooked and twisted generation." Moses said the same thing about that group of Israelites in Deuteronomy 32. They had rebelled against God, just as we are seeing America do today.
God has blessed this nation, made it the most prosperous nation in history, and our response to those blessings has been to grumble and complain, and then work to change the system from the one granted to us during the debates of the Constitutional Convention, to a system that welcomes an intrusive government.
How crooked and twisted must we be to turn our back on the very principles that made this nation great?
When asked, after the Constitutional Convention, what kind of government the delegates had given us, Benjamin Franklin said, "A republic, if you can keep it."
It seems we are losing ground on the part about keeping it, which is no surprise. Thomas Jefferson said, after all, "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground."
In fact, Jefferson believed that in order to remain free, this country would need to endure a bloody revolution every twenty years.
Like the Israelites grumbling and questioning God in the desert, shortly after God had delivered them from the Pharoah of Egypt, we have become a nation of grumbling people that are questioning God after he has delivered us from a number of enemies, and after we have been blessed as a nation for over two hundred years. We need to be careful not to commit the same mistake the Israelites did. God has delivered us from tyranny a number of times, yet rather than learning from those storms, we have now literally voted tyranny into Washington. . . twice.
As a nation it is time to quit grumbling and questioning God. In other words, the GOP, if it is to turn this nation around, doesn't need to be moderating as they are thinking about doing, but humbling themselves before God and returning to the God-given principles of the United States Constitution.
How much complaining and grumbling do we hear in today's society? Are Godly principles serving as the foundation of our lives, and our governmental system? Are our values and virtues the same as those that made this nation great? Do we understand the importance of natural law, and how that plays into the concept of a nation that operates under the rule of law? Or have we relinquished control to a bunch of complaining and grumbling people who consider themselves the ruling elite?
The Godly way to proceed is to turn away from those things that have led this nation into darkness. We must face life's uncertainties, disappointments, and conflicts as the founders did - under the understanding that without Godly principles, we are simply living under the rule of man - a system that has failed time and time again in history.
We have been the shining beacon on the hill because America has always refused to succumb to the darkness. In the storms we have searched for the light, and we have been the light. We are not perfect, but we have stood out in history as a righteous nation because we have recognized that our nation was forged largely due to Divine Providence. We have been a success as a nation because America has been good. We have been good because we have belonged to the Creator.
To carry the values and virtues of a nation that uses God as its foundational base does not make us perfect. As a nation we are far from perfect. But if we seek out the light through God, it manifests in the life of the nation. Our imperfections are covered by God's perfection. When we shun the darkness, the light reflects upon us, and it is that light that those outside this nation sees.
Such light is learned. If we don't teach the next generation, the darkness will deepen. Godliness, and the principles of the Constitution, must be passed on to the next generation.
James Madison once said, "A well-instructed people alone can be permanently a free people."
Our nation has been exceptional, a sharp contrast to the other nations around us. We live in the midst of a crooked and twisted world. We stand in sharp contrast because America is good. We are the light in a dark world. It is up to us to keep the fire burning bright, so that we can navigate through the storms, and remain free after the storm passes.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Sunday, December 02, 2012
North Korea Seeks Long Range Missile
By Douglas V. Gibbs
KCNA said the launch was a request of late leader Kim Jong Il. The space agency said the rocket would be mounted with a polar-orbiting Earth observation satellite, and maintained its right to develop a peaceful space program.
Washington considers North Korea's rocket launches to be veiled covers for tests of technology for long-range missiles designed to strike the United States, and such tests are banned by the U.N.
North Korea has a uranium enrichment program that could produce bombs that could be used as a weapon against the United States if mounted upon a long-range missile.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
U.S. Calls North Korea Plans for a long-range rocket launch 'highly provocative' - Fox News
Like with Iran, nobody has doubted that North Korea has long range plans with long range missiles. The pudgy leader of the defiant communist nation announced yesterday that they would attempt to launch a long-range rocket in mid-December.
The United Nations feebly banned North Korea from developing its nuclear and missile programs eight months ago after the country's failed April bid for placing a long range rocket into space.
Washington is calling the announcement highly provocative, stating that it threatens peace and security in the region.
Washington is calling the announcement highly provocative, stating that it threatens peace and security in the region.
The launch is planned for between December 10 to 22. In addition to the strained relationship North Korea already has with the United States and South Korea, the event will pile more tension atop an already nervous region where Taiwan, Japan and China have been at odds over some islands.
Leader Kim Jong Un, who many had hoped would be less of a threat than his father, has proven to be more aggressive than Kim Jong Il, completely disregarding any international pleas for North Korea to halt its aggressive policies.
In regards to the upcoming launch, North Korea's Korean Committee for Space Technology spokesman said scientists have "analyzed the mistakes" made in the failed April launch and improved the precision of its Unha rocket and Kwangmyongsong satellite, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
In regards to the upcoming launch, North Korea's Korean Committee for Space Technology spokesman said scientists have "analyzed the mistakes" made in the failed April launch and improved the precision of its Unha rocket and Kwangmyongsong satellite, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
KCNA said the launch was a request of late leader Kim Jong Il. The space agency said the rocket would be mounted with a polar-orbiting Earth observation satellite, and maintained its right to develop a peaceful space program.
Washington considers North Korea's rocket launches to be veiled covers for tests of technology for long-range missiles designed to strike the United States, and such tests are banned by the U.N.
North Korea has a uranium enrichment program that could produce bombs that could be used as a weapon against the United States if mounted upon a long-range missile.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
U.S. Calls North Korea Plans for a long-range rocket launch 'highly provocative' - Fox News
Football Tragedy Murder/Suicide for Kansas City
By Douglas V. Gibbs
Between bounties and concussions, profession football has been under fire. There are elements in society that would like to see football go away. Some people call sports a distraction - a tool used by the shadows to keep our attention away from what is really going on. Whether or not the conspiracy theories hold any merit, one thing is for sure: Whenever tragedies happen in the football family, fingers begin to point.
On Saturday, Jovan Belcher, linebacker for Kansas City, shot Kasandra Perkins, his 22-year-old girlfriend, and then drove down to the stadium to shoot himself in front of team employees, which included members of the coaching staff.
The football player shot his girlfriend after a heated argument, shooting her multiple times. Their child, a 3-month-old daughter, is currently safe in the care of a relative.
My prayers go out to those impacted by this tragedy, but the reality is that when the finger-pointing commences, things like concussions will be dragged into the conversation, and football once again will be changed with the best of intentions of protecting the players from injuries that could lead to this kind of occurrence.
Belcher thanked the staff for all they had done before killing himself. He was somehow coherent enough to put out the thank you, yet felt hopeless enough to still take his own life. We may never know what it was that sent the football player to such a level of despair, and perhaps his career, and injuries, had something to do with it. As a society we will never completely eliminate the occurrence of such tragedies. We cannot prevent all tragedy - that is just a matter of reality.
I am not suggesting we refuse to investigate, or that we refuse to consider that something like concussions had anything to do with it. I am simply saying let's tread lightly, not jump to conclusions, and not assume anything while searching for the cause. Destroying the foundations of the game to the point that the game is unrecognizable is not necessarily the answer.
These players joined the game of football well knowing the risks involved, and knowing that there are theories circulating that blame the violence of the game on circumstances such as Mr. Belcher's murder/suicide.
Let's try to understand, and if necessary, let's make the game safer, but let's not destroy what the game is because of people that may have been capable of such unstable actions, with or without the game, being a part of their lives.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Saturday, December 01, 2012
Patrick Henry: Suspect Everyone that Threatens Your Liberty
"Is the relinquishment of the trial by jury and the liberty of the press necessary for your liberty? Will the abandonment of your most sacred rights tend to the security of your liberty? Liberty, the greatest of all earthly blessings -- give us that precious jewel, and you may take every things else! Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that jewel." --Patrick Henry, Speech to the Virginia Convention, 1788
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Prepare For The Tantrums To Get Worse
By J.J. Jackson
With the "fiscal cliff" looming before us, it is time to warn you that this Christmas Season the only thing you are likely to receive are worsening tantrums from Washington. Most of these tantrums will come from liberal Democrats. Although, make no mistake, there will be many coming from liberal Republicans too. Sure, there are a lot more of the former, but the latter are just as bad.
The reason for these tantrums is simple: liberals just don't understand the problem. The problem is that America is spending more money than we are bringing in. Now, liberals think that they can solve this problem by "bringing in" more money through tax increases on the "rich".
Yawn. It's the whole robbing Peter to pay Paul sort of economics liberals excel at. Increasing taxes simply doesn't solve the problem. And all intelligent beings know this. You don't get growth by shifting money around.
Let's look at the math, shall we?
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the way we measure a country's standard of living. It is equal to private consumption + gross investment + government spending + (exports – imports).
Taking money from the "private consumption" and "gross investment" components (by taxing people) and moving it in to the "government spending" component changes nothing. Well, it makes liberals who benefit from "government spending" happier, but essentially the GDP stays the same.
The math is simple. Subtract a billion dollars from "private consumption" to add into "government spending" and nothing changes. Swat another billion dollars from "gross investment", and likewise move it to the government's control, and still nothing changes. All you have is the equation now looks like this:
GDP(new) = (PC - $1 billion) + (GI - $1 billion) + (GS + $2 billion) + (exports – imports)
And further:
GDP = GDP (new)
And then, if you really want to deal with the real world, things start looking not so good once you realize that government never gets the most out of the money it taxes from Americans to spend. If you doubt this, I suggest you review the history of government spending money on failed "green" energy jobs. Lots of government spending has gone POOF with nothing to show for it. Again, except for a lot of rich liberals who are laughing all the way to the bank with your tax dollars.
In reality, GDP (new) is much less than GDP before.
The real problem is that the "government spending" component of the GDP exceeds government revenues by about a trillion dollars. That's every year. This means that our GDP is artificially inflated by about one trillion dollars. Make any cuts, which we need to do, and the GDP goes down. That can have serious economic impacts in the short term. In the long term, it solves a great many problems, however.
But liberals won't let those problems get solved. They won't let them get solved because too many of their constituents rely on that extra billion dollars of funny money we are spending every year. And we all know what angry liberals do when they don't get what they feel they are entitled to. Just remember the Occupy Wall Street crowd and those rioting loons over in Greece if you need a refresher.
So instead, liberals pretend that taxing certain Americans will make everything alright. And they will kick and scream all the way over the "fiscal cliff" if they don't get their precious class warfare codified. President Obama rants and raves about the need for a "balanced approach" to our problems. What he means, of course, is that unless he gets tax increases on certain people, those he has deemed to be evil, he will throw a tantrum the size of which America has never seen.
Yet, as we can see, raising taxes solves nothing. And that, my friends, is why President Obama is stupid. It is why Harry Reid is a dunce. It is why Nancy Pelosi is the Queen of the Yum Yum Brains.
========================
J.J. Jackson is a libertarian conservative author from Pittsburgh, PA who has been writing and promoting individual liberty since 1993 and is President of Land of the Free Studios, Inc. He is the Pittsburgh Conservative Examiner for Examiner.com. He is also the owner of The Right Things - Conservative T-shirts & Gifts The Right Things. His weekly commentary along with exclusives not available anywhere else can be found at Liberty Reborn
With the "fiscal cliff" looming before us, it is time to warn you that this Christmas Season the only thing you are likely to receive are worsening tantrums from Washington. Most of these tantrums will come from liberal Democrats. Although, make no mistake, there will be many coming from liberal Republicans too. Sure, there are a lot more of the former, but the latter are just as bad.
The reason for these tantrums is simple: liberals just don't understand the problem. The problem is that America is spending more money than we are bringing in. Now, liberals think that they can solve this problem by "bringing in" more money through tax increases on the "rich".
Yawn. It's the whole robbing Peter to pay Paul sort of economics liberals excel at. Increasing taxes simply doesn't solve the problem. And all intelligent beings know this. You don't get growth by shifting money around.
Let's look at the math, shall we?
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the way we measure a country's standard of living. It is equal to private consumption + gross investment + government spending + (exports – imports).
Taking money from the "private consumption" and "gross investment" components (by taxing people) and moving it in to the "government spending" component changes nothing. Well, it makes liberals who benefit from "government spending" happier, but essentially the GDP stays the same.
The math is simple. Subtract a billion dollars from "private consumption" to add into "government spending" and nothing changes. Swat another billion dollars from "gross investment", and likewise move it to the government's control, and still nothing changes. All you have is the equation now looks like this:
GDP(new) = (PC - $1 billion) + (GI - $1 billion) + (GS + $2 billion) + (exports – imports)
And further:
GDP = GDP (new)
And then, if you really want to deal with the real world, things start looking not so good once you realize that government never gets the most out of the money it taxes from Americans to spend. If you doubt this, I suggest you review the history of government spending money on failed "green" energy jobs. Lots of government spending has gone POOF with nothing to show for it. Again, except for a lot of rich liberals who are laughing all the way to the bank with your tax dollars.
In reality, GDP (new) is much less than GDP before.
The real problem is that the "government spending" component of the GDP exceeds government revenues by about a trillion dollars. That's every year. This means that our GDP is artificially inflated by about one trillion dollars. Make any cuts, which we need to do, and the GDP goes down. That can have serious economic impacts in the short term. In the long term, it solves a great many problems, however.
But liberals won't let those problems get solved. They won't let them get solved because too many of their constituents rely on that extra billion dollars of funny money we are spending every year. And we all know what angry liberals do when they don't get what they feel they are entitled to. Just remember the Occupy Wall Street crowd and those rioting loons over in Greece if you need a refresher.
So instead, liberals pretend that taxing certain Americans will make everything alright. And they will kick and scream all the way over the "fiscal cliff" if they don't get their precious class warfare codified. President Obama rants and raves about the need for a "balanced approach" to our problems. What he means, of course, is that unless he gets tax increases on certain people, those he has deemed to be evil, he will throw a tantrum the size of which America has never seen.
Yet, as we can see, raising taxes solves nothing. And that, my friends, is why President Obama is stupid. It is why Harry Reid is a dunce. It is why Nancy Pelosi is the Queen of the Yum Yum Brains.
========================
J.J. Jackson is a libertarian conservative author from Pittsburgh, PA who has been writing and promoting individual liberty since 1993 and is President of Land of the Free Studios, Inc. He is the Pittsburgh Conservative Examiner for Examiner.com. He is also the owner of The Right Things - Conservative T-shirts & Gifts The Right Things. His weekly commentary along with exclusives not available anywhere else can be found at Liberty Reborn
Third Term - War For Democrat Party in 2016: Hillary Clinton versus Michelle Obama
By Douglas V. Gibbs
Liberal Democrats are all about building power at the federal level, and in the Democrat Party that battle for power has become a war between the Clinton Crime Family and the Obama Crime Syndicate. The dueling families are seeking a third term in the White House, but that pesky Constitution keeps getting in the way. Enter, stage left: The Wives.
In 2008, Hillary Clinton, wife of President Bill Clinton, the Democrat that pulled off two terms in the nineties thanks to a budget-saving republican controlled Congress, ran for President of the United States but lost in the primary to Barack Obama, the current President of the United States, who was just elected to a second term that will commence in 2013. Hillary has her own ideas, but believe me when I say that had she been elected it would have been a third term for the political stylings of the Clinton clan.
Barack Obama has proven to be even more liberal than Bill Clinton ever imagined he could pull off, and talk is already circulating that Obama, with his big government socialism in the driver's seat, may seek a third term as President of the United States. The problem is, thanks to an abuse of limits by Franklin Delano Roosevelt against previously self-imposed limits on presidential duration by past presidents, the 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution limits the presidency to two terms.
With the wives, however, both Clinton and Obama has the ability to spend a third and fourth term in the White House.
The Clinton Crime Family is currently in the process of amassing email addresses in preparation for 2016, so that Hillary can take advantage of a solid email base for fund raising and campaign purposes. Chelsea Clinton, the Clinton Daughter, and trainee for terms five and six, is spear-heading the email-gathering effort. The email address gathering effort is proceeding under the guise of collecting "thank-you" notes for Bill Clinton.
Chelsea Clinton claims her father "deserves a big 'thank you' for everything he's done in the past year.
"I'm helping the Clinton Foundation collect thousands of personal messages of thanks from people like you to share with my dad," Chelsea continues. "Will you write him a quick thank you note today?"
The message includes a link to a "Thank You President Clinton" page, which requests – actually requires -- your email address. Providing your name and zip code is optional.
Money is not being asked for, yet. However, visitors to the Clinton Foundation home page are urged to join the Foundation’s Giving Circle "for as little as $5 a month."
Hillary Clinton deciding to resign her Secretary of State post during Barack Obama's second term lends another clue regarding her intentions. Mrs. Clinton states she has no intention to run for President, still in the process of paying off the remaining $73,000 debt from her last presidential campaign, but if her fellow First Lady, Michelle Obama, makes a run, there is no doubt Hillary will throw her hat into the ring once again.
Michelle Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention this year was a catalyst for the speculation that Michelle Obama may run for President in 2016. After all, wasn't it a rousing DNC speech by Barack that launched his journey towards the White House?
Liberal Democrats are all about building power at the federal level, and in the Democrat Party that battle for power has become a war between the Clinton Crime Family and the Obama Crime Syndicate. The dueling families are seeking a third term in the White House, but that pesky Constitution keeps getting in the way. Enter, stage left: The Wives.
In 2008, Hillary Clinton, wife of President Bill Clinton, the Democrat that pulled off two terms in the nineties thanks to a budget-saving republican controlled Congress, ran for President of the United States but lost in the primary to Barack Obama, the current President of the United States, who was just elected to a second term that will commence in 2013. Hillary has her own ideas, but believe me when I say that had she been elected it would have been a third term for the political stylings of the Clinton clan.
Barack Obama has proven to be even more liberal than Bill Clinton ever imagined he could pull off, and talk is already circulating that Obama, with his big government socialism in the driver's seat, may seek a third term as President of the United States. The problem is, thanks to an abuse of limits by Franklin Delano Roosevelt against previously self-imposed limits on presidential duration by past presidents, the 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution limits the presidency to two terms.
With the wives, however, both Clinton and Obama has the ability to spend a third and fourth term in the White House.
The Clinton Crime Family is currently in the process of amassing email addresses in preparation for 2016, so that Hillary can take advantage of a solid email base for fund raising and campaign purposes. Chelsea Clinton, the Clinton Daughter, and trainee for terms five and six, is spear-heading the email-gathering effort. The email address gathering effort is proceeding under the guise of collecting "thank-you" notes for Bill Clinton.
Chelsea Clinton claims her father "deserves a big 'thank you' for everything he's done in the past year.
"I'm helping the Clinton Foundation collect thousands of personal messages of thanks from people like you to share with my dad," Chelsea continues. "Will you write him a quick thank you note today?"
The message includes a link to a "Thank You President Clinton" page, which requests – actually requires -- your email address. Providing your name and zip code is optional.
Money is not being asked for, yet. However, visitors to the Clinton Foundation home page are urged to join the Foundation’s Giving Circle "for as little as $5 a month."
Hillary Clinton deciding to resign her Secretary of State post during Barack Obama's second term lends another clue regarding her intentions. Mrs. Clinton states she has no intention to run for President, still in the process of paying off the remaining $73,000 debt from her last presidential campaign, but if her fellow First Lady, Michelle Obama, makes a run, there is no doubt Hillary will throw her hat into the ring once again.
Michelle Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention this year was a catalyst for the speculation that Michelle Obama may run for President in 2016. After all, wasn't it a rousing DNC speech by Barack that launched his journey towards the White House?
Though only speculation at this point, in the power struggle for the reins of the Democrat Party, a 2016 battle between Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama does not seem to be entirely outside the realm of possibility.
For Barack Obama, its a way around the U.S. Constitution, and the path for a third presidential term.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
What if Michelle Obama ran for Office - Politico
Discuss: Michelle Obama in 2016? - The Seattle Times
Constitution Radio with Douglas V. Gibbs welcomes David Bowman, Author/Illustrator: What Would the Founding Fathers Think?
What Would the Founding Fathers Think? by David Bowman is a history book for kids full of eye-popping illustrations that makes learning history fun. The author's caricatures accompany writing that is based on the principles that America was founded upon from the perspective of our Founding Fathers. The text is presented in an easy to understand manner, while enlivening the story of America, transporting the reader back in time via a Skype session with George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and James Madison.
The author teaches, while making the journey fun, about the importance of “the principles and ideas that were the foundations of this nation”, and emphasizing that the children reading this book are inheriting a great nation - that is in serious trouble.
The sections of the book are based on historical records of founding beliefs including “God & Religion”, “Values & Virtues”, “People Govern Themselves”, “Limited Government Protects People’s Rights” and how a lack of can affect the intentions of what American was intended to be.
Mr. Bowman will join the program during the first half-hour of today's Constitution Radio program.
Mr. Bowman will join the program during the first half-hour of today's Constitution Radio program.
After the interview we will be joined by Paul from Prying1Books for the Book of the Week, and the Constitution Quest Question of the Week.
After we give away a Prying1Books prize, and Constitution Quest T-Shirt to the listener that accurately answers this week's Question of the Week, we will be joined by JASmius of Hard Starboard Radio for the. . .
5 Big Stories of the Week, December 1, 2012
5. Republicans Show Signs of Caving
4. More Spending by Obama in the Works
3. U.N. Votes to Recognize Palestinian State
2. As Egyptian Protests Continue to Escalate, President Morsi Tightens Grip - and Islamism Heightens Middle East Concerns
1. Susan Rice Saga Deepens
White House Opposes New Iran Sanctions
White House opposed new Iran sanctions
The White House announced its opposition to a new round of Iran sanctions that the Senate unanimously approved Friday, in the latest instance of Congress pushing for more aggressive punitive measures on Iran than the administration deems prudent.
On Thursday, Sens. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) introduced the amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which the Senate passed 94-0. The new legislative language would blacklist Iran's energy, port, shipping, and shipbuilding sectors, while also placing new restrictions on Iran's ability to get insurance for all these industries. The legislation would also vastly expand U.S. support for human rights inside Iran and impose new sanctions on Iranians who divert humanitarian assistance from its intended purpose.
"The window is closing. The time for the waiting game is over," Menendez said on the Senate floor Thursday night. "Yes, our sanctions are having a demonstrable effect on the Iranian economy, but Iran is still working just as hard to develop nuclear weapons."
But the White House told several Senate offices Thursday evening that the administration was opposed to the amendment.
The White House announced its opposition to a new round of Iran sanctions that the Senate unanimously approved Friday, in the latest instance of Congress pushing for more aggressive punitive measures on Iran than the administration deems prudent.
On Thursday, Sens. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) introduced the amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which the Senate passed 94-0. The new legislative language would blacklist Iran's energy, port, shipping, and shipbuilding sectors, while also placing new restrictions on Iran's ability to get insurance for all these industries. The legislation would also vastly expand U.S. support for human rights inside Iran and impose new sanctions on Iranians who divert humanitarian assistance from its intended purpose.
"The window is closing. The time for the waiting game is over," Menendez said on the Senate floor Thursday night. "Yes, our sanctions are having a demonstrable effect on the Iranian economy, but Iran is still working just as hard to develop nuclear weapons."
But the White House told several Senate offices Thursday evening that the administration was opposed to the amendment.
Finish Reading at Foreign Policy.com
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Dallas: CBS Radio Struck by Gunfire
CBS Radio Building Hit By Gunfire
Shots ring out as someone opens fire on a Dallas office building, and a window belonging to NewsRadio 1080 KRLD is hit.
The bullets went through the outside panes of glass on two floors of the 12-story CBS Radio building off Central Expressway at Fitzhugh Avenue.
One of the windows hit belongs to KRLD promotions director Matt Stacks, who was startled by the sound about 3:15 Friday afternoon.
Stacks initially thought a bird hit the 5th floor window. “I just heard a loud boom. I turned around and looked at my window and noticed it started splintering out and saw some stuff falling from the window above.”
The bullet shattered the entire outer window of the office located at the corner of the KRLD Newsroom.
Finish Reading at CBS DFW
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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