Like A Whipped Puppy

As a nation, we are taking the governments watering down of personal responsibility very well. We have elected a leadership cadre that is determined to stop people from feeling bad about their decisions and eliminating all pain associated with poor judgement. If you over extended yourself by buying a house you cannot afford, its okay, the government will change the laws to make sure you come out ahead. If you have overcharged on your credit cards, you are going to be off the hook to the bank because the banks is at fault for the overspending you did to enjoy yourself in the good times. It is like the ant and the grasshopper all over again.

At the same time, the government is punishing anyone who has attempted to take a risk and try to create a better life for themselves. There will be higher taxes if you make too much or the punitive taxation of bonuses. Talk about the jokes on us. We put these thieves in office but as the song goes "just like the old boss", we traded a poor attempt at a conservative administration for a powerful liberal dictatorship. Talk about poor decisions but at least I take responsibility for not getting out there and voting more often. I left that to the group that won.

So instead of crying over the incremental loss of freedom, we are doing something about it. There are the tea parties that happened on theft deadline day. The local radio station has gathered enough signatures to recall the Toledo mayor. My lovely wife has even talked about running for office. Something needs to be done to reverse the descent into complete loss of responsibility. It may take a while but if you can turn the local governments from the dark side, it will send the message, "We are fed up and not going to take it anymore."

Icool

Cobb

Escape From Hell

I return to book reviews as opposed to spitting into the hurricane of liberal abuse we are currently being immersed in. I finished the Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's follow up to Inferno called Escape From Hell. It had the same main character, an obscure Sci -Fi writer, Allen Carpentier, who ends up in Hell as the result of a convention prank. He has followed Benito Mussolini to the bowels of Hell where they parted ways. "Benny" has repented for his sins and is sincerely apologetic to the Lord for the atrocities he has committed. He is allowed to escape from Hell. To where we never find out. Our main character remains behind and as he starts back toward the ice plains of Hell, is blown up by an Islamic terrorist who is able to explode on command.

Allen materializes next to Sylvia Platt. I must admit that my literary knowledge is limited to knowing that she wrote something famous and committed suicide. I gleaned this from the book. She has been place in Hell as a tree that must be bleeding sap in order to communicate with anyone. Allen has to keep breaking branches off of Sylvia to continue his tale. Eventually, he gets one of the exploding terrorists to blow up next to Sylvia, freeing her from her foliage prison. The both start their descent into Hell.

I found the book to be little more than a continuation of first tale. Nothing really new. Having looked at the whole Dante's Hell concept, I find it to be lacking. Dante's Hell has levels where depending on your crime, your level of punishment is increased. So if you sin is coveting your neighbor's ass, you are punished differently than someone who committed genocide. A sin is a sin. All sins are a failure in the eye's of God. So why have tiers for sinners? Why not a giant pool of hot lava? I do not profess to know the mind of God so Hell is not within my human grasp. I do know that a little prayer, a little faith, and a request for forgiveness goes a long way. Thy will be done...

Icool

Cobb

Lone Star

I was talking to some members of my family over Easter about the status of America. I knew that some of the governors from various conservative states had told Mr Obama that they were not interested in the porkulus money that was being crammed down their throats. I talked about the possibility of some states discussing seceding from the union before Obama's term was over. Well I did not have to wait for that prophesy becoming reality. The governor of Texas, at one of the tea party demonstrations, talked about the sovereignty of Texas and that the 10th Amendment provided protection from tyrannical designs of the federal government. It gave me chills.

My prediction was that the states that relished individual freedoms such as Texas, Utah, Idaho, and Alaska would all be exploring severing ties with the other states to avoid being part of the socialist movement. It may be tough for Utah and Idaho to get out because they are land locked but Texas has precedence as it was once its own country and Alaska is far enough away to make a clean break.

If just one state will take the step forward and demonstrate that they no longer wish to participate in this trampling of our freedoms, it may cause the south to rise again. After all, the Civil War was about states rights, not slavery like what is being crammed into our children's heads. The threat of freedom may just change the mind of those currently in power who wish to destroy our Constitutional liberties. If not, we can always move there once the separation has happened. It beats New Zealand.

Icool

Cobb

I Know How They Felt

Have you ever had a sense of utter helplessness? Have you ever watched your future or what you thought was your future ignite and burn like a magnesium flare? Have you despaired about the impending doom that is cascading down the cliff like a river of molten magma? Well, welcome to life in the US under comrade Obama. I can understand why there was such an outcry after Bush won Florida all those years ago. The liberals saw their future go blank with a (and I say this a loosely as a 60 year old Madam) conservative administration. We ended up with a President who stuck to his guns but showed such poor judgement that is was like watching Rainman calling Bingo at a school for the blind.

Now we have someone who has to be prompted to give a coherent oratory and has usurped the constitution into a convoluted waste of parchment. When the President of the United States can fire the President of General Motors because he doesn't like his homework assignment, we have reached the edge of the razor blade floor, barefoot and falling. Businesses now have to be careful not to accept anything from the government lest they be beholden to the greater power. If Mr. Obama can fire a major business executive without going through the shareholders and the board of directors, just think of where this can end.

Anyone who accepts any money from the government, whether it be a loan, bail out, tax return, or contract may fall into the category of eligible for the wrath of socialism. Someone is taking a page out of the Stalin handbook. Get rid of those who can oppose you and fill your house with sycophantic flunkies that are all out to "just help." Obama ran his campaign on making a Change. Well you are seeing a dramatic change in the direction of our country. Incrementally destroy the business base, spend your way to bankruptcy, create a sense of national despair and convince us that it is for our own good. Knowing that I did not vote for him is no longer comforting. Knowing he is in office is scaring the hell out of me. As the beginning of the TV show the Outer Limits started; "We are now in control. We can shape your vision to anything our imagination can conceive. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the deepest mind to the outer limits." Bring plenty of band aids.

I Not Cool

Cobb