President Ronald Reagan in his First Inaugural Address on January 20th, 1981, outlined many of the ills our country is now facing. His comments should resonate through those who believe that limited government and a free market economy, are the answers to many of our current problems. There should be concern in Washington for only one special interest group: "We The People"

"You and I, as individuals, can, by borrowing, live beyond our means, but for only a limited period of time. Why, then, should we think that collectively, as a nation, we're not bound by that same limitation? We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow. And let there be no misunderstanding: We are going to begin to act, beginning today. The economic ills we suffer have come upon us over several decades. They will not go away in days, weeks, or months, but they will go away. They will go away because we as Americans have the capacity now, as we've had in the past, to do whatever needs to be done to preserve this last and greatest bastion of freedom.

In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price.

We hear much of special interest groups. Well, our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. It knows no sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions, and it crosses political party lines. It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we're sick—professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies, and truck drivers. They are, in short, "We the people," this breed called Americans."

Virginia adopted a resolution in response to Congress passing "The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798".  Asserting that the Federal government had overstepped it's bounds as enumerated in the Constitution, James Madison with the assistance of Thomas Jefferson, drafted the resolution with the intent of nullifying the congressional act. Kentucky also adopted a similar resolution penned by Jefferson that same year.

Below is the text of the resolution:

VIRGINIA RESOLVE

December 21, 1798

That this Assembly doth explicitly and peremptorily declare, that it views the powers of the federal government as resulting from the compact to which the states are parties, as limited by the plain sense and intention of the instrument constituting that compact, as no further valid than they are authorized by the grants enumerated in that compact; and that, in case of a deliberate, palpable, and dangerous exercise of other powers, not granted by the said compact, the states, who are parties thereto, have the right, and are in duty bound, to interpose, for arresting the progress of the evil, and for maintaining, within their respective limits, the authorities, rights and liberties, appertaining to them.

That the General Assembly doth also express its deep regret, that a spirit has, in sundry instances, been manifested by the federal government to enlarge it powers by forced constructions of the constitutional charter which defines them; and that indications have appeared of a design to expound certain general phrases (which, having been copied from the very limited grant of powers in the former Articles of Confederation, were the less liable to be misconstrued) so as to destroy the meaning and effect of the particular enumeration which necessarily explains and limits the general phrases, and so as to consolidate the states, by degrees, into one sovereignty, the obvious tendency and inevitable result of which would be, to transform the present republican system of the United States into an absolute, or, at best, a mixed monarchy.

James Madison

I have emboldened the second paragraph to emphasis it's relevance to today.

This is pertinent to our current political climate when one takes into account the arguments surrounding the "Tennessee Firearms Freedom Act" and the reaction to it by the Federal Government. The act pertains to firearms transactions which occur wholly within the state.The BATFE sent a letter to Federal Firearm License holders saying the act is null and void.

Another potential hostile engagement is brewing in Texas. Governor Perry has stated that if the National Healthcare legislation is passed, that Texas may not take part. The Star-Telegram quotes Perry:

"I think you’ll hear states and governors standing up and saying 'no’ to this type of encroachment on the states with their healthcare," Perry said. "So my hope is that we never have to have that stand-up. But I’m certainly willing and ready for the fight if this administration continues to try to force their very expansive government philosophy down our collective throats."

I wanted to post this old video, to help America remember its heritage. Have we forgotten what True Freedom is, or how we were able to obtain it? Will you pass on to your children, your grandchildren, neighbors and fellow Americans truth, or "A Torch With No Flame"?

Islamic Radicals with Nuclear Weapons. A terrifying scenario. With the latest confrontation in Pakistan, we will soon be there too, en masse. Afghanistan, Iraq, now Pakistan. We cannot allow those murderers to get their finger on the button. But they plan to take Pakistan, so what do we do? The Religion Of Peace has our ideals as it's main target. The radicals would not hesitate to annihilate us if given the means and opportunity. So many in this country want to protest and scream about the "global war on terror". Lets just back out and wish they will not destroy us maybe. Get a grip.... Check out Joel Hilliker's article today at The Trumpet.com:

Radical Muslims are closer to the nuclear bomb than we’d like: only 60 miles. Pakistan is turning into the Iranian Revolution—plus nuclear weapons. Like Iran in 1979, Islamist radicals are taking a weakly governed country by the throat and preparing to shape it according to their twisted spiritual vision. The immediate danger is heightened exponentially by Pakistan being one of the world’s eight nuclear powers, possessing between 60 and 100 nukes, scattered throughout the country. Amid escalating chaos, some of those bombs are sure to slip into extremist Muslim hands. Though the United States and others talk about preventing this scenario, they simply aren’t willing to take measures forceful enough. Signs are, in fact, that the Obama administration is beginning to realize this is a losing cause. Brace yourself for the consequences. This situation threatens to change the world.

On April 28, 2006, The Yankee Sailor laid out some more juicy facts concerning "Nuclear Deterrence in the Age of Terrorism" A thorough analysis of the dilemma we now face. The Wall Street Journal recently published an article on their website which also, addresses the situation. An excerpt from the article below lays out two possible scenarios which could lead to the radicals getting control of the bomb:

The Taliban's Atomic Threat The extremists who harbored al Qaeda could get control of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. By JOHN R. BOLTON At his press conference Wednesday evening, President Barack Obama endorsed Pakistan's official position that it has secure control over its nuclear-weapons arsenal. Mr. Obama said he was "gravely concerned" about the situation there, but "confident that the nuclear arsenal will remain out of militant hands." His words are not reassuring in light of the Taliban's military and political gains throughout Pakistan. Our security, and that of friends and allies world-wide, depends critically on preventing more adversaries, especially ones with otherworldly ideologies, from acquiring nuclear weapons. Unless there is swift, decisive action against the Islamic radicals there, Pakistan faces two very worrisome scenarios. One scenario is that instability continues to grow, and that the radicals disrupt both Pakistan's weak democratic institutions and the military. Often known as Pakistan's "steel skeleton" for holding the country together after successive corrupt or incompetent civilian governments, the military itself is now gravely threatened from within by rising pro-Taliban sentiment. In these circumstances -- especially if, as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified recently, the nuclear arsenal has been dispersed around the country -- there is a tangible risk that several weapons could slip out of military control. Such weapons could then find their way to al Qaeda or other terrorists, with obvious global implications. The second scenario is even more dangerous. Instability could cause the constitutional government to collapse entirely and the military to fragment. This could allow a well-organized, tightly disciplined group to seize control of the entire Pakistani government. While Taliban-like radicals might not have even a remote chance to prevail in free and fair elections, they could well take advantage of chaos to seize power. If that happened, a radical Islamicist regime in Pakistan would control a substantial nuclear weapons capacity.

You hear it daily. "Stop shoving your religion and your values in my face!!!" Oh, excuse me. Did I offend? Just because some people, (THE MAJORITY), want to worship their god, and try to live by the principles they have placed their faith in, the Left makes them out to be the Scourge of the country. Bigotted racist radicals who are indoctrinating the weak minded to blindly follow in some mystical quest to a mythical promised land. Forget that the Western culture's laws and values are based on the Judeo-Christian heritage. Farbeit that we should work to uphold those principles which helped to build this nation and make it the world leader. How much longer will we be? Are we still? Can we maintain the status of being the shining light of democracy to the world as we travel treacherously down this road of collective socialism. The spinsters do their work. They intimidate, threaten, or bribe their intentions into existence. They have the power The liberties they exercise now, bought and paid for with the blood of sons and daughters, long ago...  and still, everyday. They have created their own gospel. They manipulate the media to report what they want reported. They pressure the businesses to do their will.  They march to a different drum then the ones heard at Concord or Bunker Hill. They labor endlessly, viciously  denouncing their fellow American's values and morals working to replace this democratic republic which was founded in the Greco-Roman forms of government with an already proven failed system. Ace describes it perfectly. The excerpt from Ace's blog below will describe the vile we are dealing with:

This is Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber all over again. The media does not even need to be instructed to destroy the left's opponents; Obama's men hardly had to threaten Chrysler debthoders with such a tactic. They do it because they now consider it their jobs. It's patriotic, you see, to destroy inconvenient citizens who oppose The Socialist, Progressive Good. Free speech is a quaint notion. It's about time everyone knew there would be serious, painful consequences for crossing the left. The thing is, of course, they fail once again. Their charges of "hypocrisy" are contrived to justify a simple vendetta. It should be noted that no one on the right -- or anywhere -- thought that Bristol Palin's pregnancy was a good thing, or that it reflected well on Sarah Palin; it reflected badly on her, albeit to a very, very minor extent. Like everyone except The One, Palin isn't perfect; sometimes she errs, or can't control her kinda-hot teenaged daughter's sexual behavior. Not good, per se, but so minor a "failing" that most people wouldn't give it three seconds thought.

Except if you're on the left, who, when they're not urging sexual libertinism to make Caligula blush, posture as the Keepers of the Moral Flame That Warms Our Fragile Society, letting us know precisely which right-leaning people have committed gross sins against God and Nature.

Lord, please have mercy on us as a nation. Help us to walk the path You have laid for us, and not stray to perverse tempatations and indescretions.

Obama To Release Suspected Terrorists Into The U.S Thank you, Mr. President! All of our fallen sons and daughters really appreciate the slap in the face. They fought and died to keep them out. I am sure their families appreciate it too.

USS Cole CDR Lippold: Terrorists Release Against U.S. Law Fri, 04/24/2009 - 10:51 Washington, DC – April 24, 2009 – Kirk S. Lippold, Former USS Cole Commander and Senior Military Fellow at Military Families United, released the following statement concerning the news that as many as 7 Chinese Muslims currently being held at Guantanamo Bay will be released in the United States without trial. The 17 members of the Uighur ethnic group were captured on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and were trained at the al-Qaeda affiliated East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) Tora Bora camp. “In December of 2001, U.S. and Afghan forces were closing in on the location of Osama bin Laden in Tora Bora, Afghanistan. At the same time, 17 members of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) completed weapons training at an al-Qaeda affiliated training camp and remained in Tora Bora. They were captured in the same area as Osama bin Laden escaped from the Tora Bora region. Now, the Administration is planning to set free as many as 7 of the 17 terrorists into the United States. The release of these terrorists will not only endanger American citizens on our own soil but is against U.S. Law. It plainly states in 8 U.S.C. 12 § 1182 that any alien who has engaged in various forms of terrorist activity or training cannot be permitted into this country. Clearly, the President feels he can disregard US law when it is politically expedient. The ETIM is a terrorist organization and recognized as such by the US Departments of Treasury and Homeland Security. As recently as April 21st, 2009, the Department of the Treasury said this about the leader of the ETIM: ‘Abdul Haq commands a terror group that sought to sow violence and fracture international unity at the 2008 Olympic Games in China.’ The entire notion of releasing these suspected terrorists into American society and providing for them is an affront to US law and the US taxpayer. It is also an insult to the members of the military who risk their lives to bring potentially dangerous people like these to justice. Our dedicated troops are still fighting al-Qaeda in Iraq and Afghanistan to keep them out of the US. A decision like this would never be contemplated if the Administration did not rush to close Guantanamo Bay. GITMO must remain open as long as is necessary to develop a complete and comprehensive plan to bring these suspects to justice. Viable alternatives must be crafted that do not allow suspected terrorists like Binyam Mohammed, the Uighurs, and potentially hundreds of others to be set free in the United States and other countries.” CDR Kirk S. Lippold, USN (Ret.) was the Commanding Officer of USS Cole when it was attacked by al Qaeda terrorists in October 2000. He subsequently served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff crafting GITMO detainee policy in the initial stages of the war on terror.

From 2007-09-26

A huge reason for the present state of the country's economy is the belief in so many of the populaces' mind that there is only one person to be concerned with; Me!

Swindlers who believe their business, and wallets, will swell by taking advantage of the very people who provide their livelihood. I am not talking about the smart businessman or businesswoman who makes loads of cash from a successful enterprise. I am talking about the ones who feel as if everyone owes them, and they will do anything to make a buck. The "What About Me?" crowd.

You see them in all walks of life, not just in business. They engage in everyday life, wondering how the day can benefit them, instead of how they can benefit the day. Because they have got to have something, or be someone, they spend money that they really can't afford to spend. They borrow money they can't afford to borrow because they want a jet ski, a fishing boat, a four-wheeler or a new house.

But the economy runs on people buying stuff, doesn't it? Yes, it does. But when we buy, buy, buy for the prestige, the feeling of importance, or other like motives, without concern for how our family or others might be affected by the expanding indebtedness, then it is a very selfish mentality.

Now, I am not saying that all the people in debt are selfish. If it sounded like that, it was not my intent. What I am relaying is that we need to be a bit more cognizant of the needs of people around us, instead of ourselves. We need to stop centering our lives around our own needs, and what WE want.

There are also those who feel they don't need to do anything to get anything. They just want to be able to sign a check or swipe a government funded cash card. They work alright. They work to find ways that they can swipe those cards and sign those checks without working!

Now, here I go again. Don't think I am talking about the people who NEED some sort of assistance to survive. There are many of them, and I would not lower myself to say they should not be helped. How ever a good and moral society could help these people, it should.

Back to business. In the realm of the enterprise, it seems to me a solid business should be built on actually paying attention to its customers and clients. If it were to make a customer happy, it would most likely have a customer for life. A business that solicits its customers feedback on what works and what doesn't, what products to offer, how to better its service, and acts upon those recommendations, would surely build a larger, stronger and more loyal customer base.

The swindlers in business go for the "one shot, one kill" deal, and suck as much from their "customer" as they can, because they really don't expect to see them again anyway. They conjure up grand marketing schemes to lure in the unsuspecting, with promises of warranties and guarantees, that when exercised, they fight tooth and nail, or finally, begrudgingly honor.

Its a moral issue. If someone has a bad moral attitude, they won't care who they hurt or step on in their journey to riches. Someone with a better moral attitude, would want to help a customer find what they need and ensure they are satisfied because it is the right thing to do. With that mentality you build a better business.

The bailouts are all about businessman who wouldn't budge; who had to do it their way. Selfishness at its pinnacle. Banks who had to loan cash and greedily invest the interest gained in risky investments which promised top yields. Automakers who had to do things the way they have always done them, not willing to explore anything new, but cut every corner they possibly could without sacrificing an actual vehicle to sell. The retailers stocking more and more of those "things" everyone WANTS, and advertising that this is something you NEED, because you DESERVE it.

And I guess it works its way full circle. It comes back to the person who takes all of it in, and then says "Yeah, I deserve it."

I have many more thoughts on the subject, but then, I would be rambling. I will not be "selfish" and do that.