tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46224198563605281622024-03-12T23:53:28.235-07:00Tenther GleaningsMike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-89615355190786818452012-12-20T17:53:00.003-08:002012-12-21T02:57:11.084-08:00Ban guns...ban booze<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT7CpJ8I98jyFP6Cw9s33bKFa1S3UnSHJuNMchAyhcphZjojToNqc8xQ4B0jhZh1wiIFmQ2uywNYpI1zDGt-VpbD-HccOoyTQ18bM_Po9EM05uSPTr3yIU9uVEQp8oYYoYEaxeXQUo8X8J/s1600/prohibition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT7CpJ8I98jyFP6Cw9s33bKFa1S3UnSHJuNMchAyhcphZjojToNqc8xQ4B0jhZh1wiIFmQ2uywNYpI1zDGt-VpbD-HccOoyTQ18bM_Po9EM05uSPTr3yIU9uVEQp8oYYoYEaxeXQUo8X8J/s320/prohibition.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In order to remain logically consistent, anybody favoring
banning so-called “assault weapons,” or guns in general, must also support
banning alcohol with equal passion.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ostensibly, gun banners hold their position based on a
desire to protect lives and prevent tragedies. Obama alluded to this in a statement made in the wake
of the horrible mass shooting inside Sandy Hook Elementary.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“As a country, we have been through this too many times.
Whether it is an elementary school in Newtown, or a shopping mall in Oregon, or
a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Aurora, or a street corner in
Chicago, these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and these children are our
children. And we’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action
to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics,” he said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few days later, the president pledged concrete action.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“But the fact that this problem is complex can no longer be
an excuse for doing nothing. The fact that we can’t prevent every act of
violence doesn’t mean we can’t steadily reduce the violence, and prevent the
very worst violence,” he said during a press conference on Dec. 19. “The good
news is there’s already a growing consensus for us to build from. A
majority of Americans support banning the sale of military-style assault
weapons. A majority of Americans support banning the sale of
high-capacity ammunition clips.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So presumably, the majority of Americans also support
banning alcohol. Because the havoc wrecked on American society by booze at
least equals, and in reality far exceeds, the horrors brought about by gun violence.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to the National Highway Traffic Administration,
10,228 people died in drunk driving accidents in 2010. That compares with 11,105
deaths attributed to firearms related homicides, according to the Center for
Disease control. The carnage resulting from drunk driving and gun crimes stand
close to equal.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course, if you include suicide and gun accidents in the
statistics, the number of firearms related deaths increase to 31,513.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But a CDC study in 2005 attributes a whopping 75,000 deaths
per year in the United States directly to alcohol, including alcohol related
diseases and non-vehicle accidents. That’s more than double the number of
firearms related deaths. And that doesn’t even begin to touch the damage to
families and the violence perpetrated by drunks. According to the Bureau of
Justice Statistics, alcohol was a factor in between 19 and 37 percent of
violent all crimes from 1997 to 2008.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Clearly, if we must band guns, it follows that we must ban alcohol as well.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the president said, "We’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action
to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics." </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If not a complete ban, at least a ban on the highest proof
booze. And obviously, we need to outlaw high capacity containers, like “forties,”
24-packs and kegs. I mean, who can object? Nobody NEEDS alcohol after all. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, to sum up, if we must take immediate action to restrict
guns due to some 32,000 deaths per year, we must also immediately pursue
booze-bans due to the 75,000 alcohol related deaths per year. It's only logical.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From this point forward, I will completely disregard any
gun-ban-nut who refuses to support alcohol bans as well..</div>
Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-68897592031912652012012-12-08T11:17:00.002-08:002012-12-08T12:04:22.221-08:00Don't let them steal your joyThe other day, I did a radio interview. When I was brought on air, I asked the host how he was doing.<br />
<br />
"Well, I could give the socially acceptable answer and say, 'Fine,' but, I'm really not doing too good."<br />
<br />
He went on to chronicle all of the things going horribly wrong in the country to justify his ill-humor.<br />
<br />
I have to admit, most of his observations where spot-on.<br />
<br />
The radio show host was just one of many liberty-minded folks that expressed a sense of despair as I spoke with them over the last few weeks. I guess it's pretty easy to become disillusioned, defeated and depressed if you love liberty in this day an age.<br />
<br />
But seriously folks, look up and pull yourself out of the mud! Don't let the bastards steal your joy!<br />
<br />
I fight for liberty and freedom because I love life. I want the opportunity to live it to the fullest. Not just for me, but for my children. That being the case, how can I justify living my life in a fog of depression every day? If I do that, I've let tyranny win. They can limit my liberty to some degree, but if I let them cage me in a pit of despair, they've truly already won. <br />
<br />
I believe in the importance of political activism. I spend hours every day working within the political realm. I am constantly reading about, writing about and discussing political philosophy, tactics and policy. But this doesn't define who I am. <br />
<br />
I am a father. I am a husband. I am a friend. I am a hockey player. I am a musician. I am a jokester. I am a photographer. I am a writer.<br />
<br />
Most significantly, I am a child of God.<br />
<br />
There are an awful lot of reasons there to be joyful!<br />
<br />
The apostle Paul wrote, "I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles, my joy knows no bounds."<br />
<br />
That sounds like a much better way to live life than "woe is me."<br />
<br />
One of the hard lessons I've learned through 45 years on planet earth is that an awful lot of things happen that I cannot control. Spending time and energy focused on things I have no control over wastes an awful lot of time and energy. So I try to live like this: focus on what I can control, and let the rest take care of itself.<br />
<br />
People often ask me, "Doesn't all of the political activism wear you down? Don't you feel like you're just beating your head against a wall?"<br />
<br />
Yup. <br />
<br />
But here's the thing; I am only responsible for doing what I feel called and led to do. I can't make people listen or act. I can only spread the message. The rest lies in their hands. If I do my part, my responsibility ends. I have to let the rest go. Ezekiel provides the basis of my view on this.<br />
<br />
<i><span class="text Ezek-33-1"><span class="chapternum">33 </span>The word of the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> came to me:</span> <span class="text Ezek-33-2" id="en-NIV-21283"><sup class="versenum">2 </sup>“Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman,</span> <span class="text Ezek-33-3" id="en-NIV-21284"><sup class="versenum">3 </sup>and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people,</span> <span class="text Ezek-33-4" id="en-NIV-21285"><sup class="versenum">4 </sup>then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head.</span> <span class="text Ezek-33-5" id="en-NIV-21286"><sup class="versenum">5 </sup>Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves.</span> <span class="text Ezek-33-6" id="en-NIV-21287"><sup class="versenum">6 </sup>But
if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to
warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that
person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the
watchman accountable for their blood.’</span> </i><br />
<br />
I view my work with the <a href="http://tenthamendmentcenter.com/" target="_blank">Tenth Amendment Center </a>as vital. I will continue to fight for liberty and constitutional fidelity as long as I have breath. It's that important. But I refuse to let those who would try to steal my liberty steal my joy as well. My joy comes from a greater source. No human being can steal my joy unless I let them.<br />
<br />
And I won't.<br />
<br />
Who knows what will happen down the road? My hope is that the people will wake up and reestablish constitutional restraints, that we will devolve power away from centralized, tyrannical structures, that we will stop the runaway spending and restore civil liberties. But that may never happen. It may get worse. Heck, somebody may decide I'm dangerous someday and lock me in a cage.<br />
<br />
But you know what? Even then, I will still have joy. And I will live free. Because nobody can shackle my spirit. It has been set free for all eternity!<br />
<br />
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and <b>DO NOT LET</b> yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery."Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-37977214149388789712012-11-10T13:18:00.001-08:002012-11-10T13:22:02.720-08:00Why I became a foreign policy non-interventionalistOver the last few of weeks, a couple of people have asked me why I’ve
turned into such a foreign policy non-interventionalist. Or as one
friend put it, “What turned you into such a bleeding-heart?”<br />
<br />
To
put the question into context, I was once quite the hawk. I supported
the first Gulf War to “liberate Kuwait,” I urged on the invasion of
Afghanistan after 9/11, and I stood behind G.W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq.
And I’m not going to lie, I still love military hardware, I respect the
toughness and dedication of our warriors, and I am awed by projections
of force.<br />
<br />
But over the last few years, I’ve struggled to develop a
cohesive political philosophy that also encompasses my faith in Christ.
And I’ve realized, at times, my previous “conservative” political
viewpoints contradicted the tenants of my faith, even occasionally
contradicting each other.<br />
<br />
After a great deal of reading and
thought, I’ve settled upon the non-aggression principle to guide my
political philosophy. Simply put, I find the use of coercive force in a
non-defensive context morally objectionable.This principle provides a
moral constant against which I can evaluate both domestic and foreign
policy.<br />
<br />
With that in mind, it becomes clear why I can no longer support U.S. inverventionalist foreign policy.<br />
<br />
But
I recognize many people, particularly some of my conservative friends,
won’t accept the non-aggression principle as a viable reason to oppose
U.S. foreign policy and war-making. They will raise some valid question:
don’t we need to sometimes strike preemptively to defend ourselves?
Don’t we have a moral obligation to defend democracy and human rights in
other parts of the world? If we withdraw from our role as the world’s
“policeman,” won’t our enemies fill that power vacuum and endanger our
security.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" class="mceWPmore mceItemNoResize" data-mce-src="http://blog.tenthamendmentcenter.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif" src="http://blog.tenthamendmentcenter.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif" title="More..." />All valid questions.<br />
<br />
But
I contend that even rejecting the moral arguments against foreign
intervention, several practical reasons exist to abandon the
neo-conservative worldview that drives both Republican and Democratic
foreign policy.<br />
<br />
First off, we simply can’t afford any more empire
building. The U.S. has emptied the bank account and maxed out the credit
card. Historically, overextended empires have led to the fall of many
great societies. If America insists on continuing to play the role of
international cop and spending the trillions of dollars necessary, she
will soon collapse. The U.S. may still stand as the premier world
power, but the republic is quickly rotting from the inside out.<br />
<br />
A nuclear Iran doesn’t pose the greatest threat to U.S. security.<br />
<br />
Neither does Al Qaeda.<br />
<br />
How about China?<br />
<br />
Nope.<br />
<br />
The greatest threat to American security takes the form of a $16 trillion debt.<br />
<br />
This number stares down the nose of every moral and philosophical argument for continuing U.S. interventionalist policy.<br />
<br />
Secondly,
we cannot have limited government at home while at the same time
intervening in nations across the globe. As Randolph Bourne brilliantly
argued, “<a data-mce-href="http://www.bopsecrets.org/CF/bourne.htm" href="http://www.bopsecrets.org/CF/bourne.htm" target="_blank">War is the health of the state.</a>”
Constant military engagement leads to the expansion of government power
and an erosion of even the most basic civil liberties. We see this
playing out in the U.S. with Patriot Act Spying, NDAA indefinite
detention and drone executions without due process. It even weaves its
way into everyday life, taking the form of TSA groping at your local
airport.<br />
<br />
So, self-proclaimed conservatives who constantly advocate
for limited government, while pushing for an every larger military and
continued intervention around the world, actually stand for mutually
exclusive policies.<br />
<br />
James Madison eloquently made this point more than 200 years ago.<br />
<blockquote>
<i>"Of
all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be
dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War
is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies,
and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many
under the domination of the few. In war, too, the discretionary power of
the Executive is extended; its influence in dealing out offices,
honors, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the
minds, are added to those of subduing the force, of the people. The same
malignant aspect in republicanism may be traced in the inequality of
fortunes, and the opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war,
and in the degeneracy of manners and of morals engendered by both. No
nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare."</i></blockquote>
Finally,
U.S. foreign policy is convoluted and counter-productive. America
claims to fight for democracy while supporting tyrants when expedient.
The U.S. constantly engages in actions which result in <a data-mce-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowback_%28intelligence%29" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowback_%28intelligence%29" target="_blank">blowback</a>. And we even arm select groups, only to fight them later on.<br />
<br />
A
speech by Tom Woods served as a turning point in my journey toward
non-interventionalism. He pointed out that conservatives constantly talk
about the utter ineptitude of federal policymakers and government in
general when it comes to domestic policy. Then he asks a profound
question: how is it that these same people suddenly become geniuses
when it comes to foreign policy?<br />
<br />
The answer is self-evident.<br />
<br />
They don’t.<br />
<br />
If
we truly want limited government, we must not only fight for less
federal control domestically. We must also oppose the warfare-state in
all of its manifestations. We can’t afford it, and it hovers like an axe
blade over our most basic liberties.<br />
<br />
That is why I’ve turned into such a “bleeding heart.”Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-37098562762363908712011-11-25T06:34:00.000-08:002011-11-25T09:05:15.836-08:00I love George Washington, except for his foreign policy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAfFNpidcrnlEMlDOtjv26QhbCmzye2fXzkTMFn-w0TzvinBZntx8m-tRO3gkAU35R_fBmLRaKjxNPbY01Nfz4qsQEMIt-3plYBEi9fvKdRSoP2fh-boujf3Q4VSugS5iYNrmAQ93BIjP/s1600/washington.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAfFNpidcrnlEMlDOtjv26QhbCmzye2fXzkTMFn-w0TzvinBZntx8m-tRO3gkAU35R_fBmLRaKjxNPbY01Nfz4qsQEMIt-3plYBEi9fvKdRSoP2fh-boujf3Q4VSugS5iYNrmAQ93BIjP/s200/washington.jpg" width="200" /></a>Over the last year or so, I've been struggling to redefine my views on foreign policy. As a former neo-conservative, I enthusiastically embraced the invasion of Iraq in 2003. I readily accepted the notion that military force serves as a legitimate tool for nation-building. And I still get goosebumps seeing projections of military power. I love fighter jets, tanks and big guns. Maybe that's just a guy thing.<br />
<br />
But it doesn't take a doctorate in foreign relations to understand that U.S. policy has forged a tangled mess of contradictory alliances and obligations, and created a much more dangerous world. I've gradually come to accept that military intervention in foreign affairs typically causes more damage than good and that the whole concept rests on morally dubious grounds. Who am I to point a gun at another man's head and demand he practice "democracy"?<br />
<br />
This does not make me a pacifist. I believe in a vigorous defense. If attacked, respond with overwhelming force. As I tell my kids, avoid a fight if at all possible by every means at your disposal. But if you get forced into a position where you have to fight, fight to win. <br />
<br />
This does not make me an isolationist. Non-intervention differs greatly from closing yourself inside a box and avoiding interaction with the world around you. I favor vigorous and open trade. This stands in direct contradiction to the concept of isolationism.<br />
<br />
During the 2008 presidential campaign, I bought into the conventional wisdom on Ron Paul. He was pretty good on domestic policy, but a "nut-job" when it comes to foreign policy. But as I've really listened to what he says, as opposed to the media spin, and studied the world I live in today, I find he makes much more sense. Do I agree with him 100 percent? No. But I can no longer simply discount his foreign policy as quackery.<br />
<br />
I hear this mantra all the time today. "I like that Ron Paul feller, except for his foreign policy." I'm not even sure many who say that really understand his foreign policy positions. In fact, they line up pretty closely with stated positions of another president revered by most Americans - George Washington.<br />
<br />
I wonder if Washington could get any traction in American politics today with this kind of foreign policy thinking? The following comes from his <a href="http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/washing.asp" target="_blank">Farewell Address</a>, delivered on Sept. 17, 1796.<br />
<br />
<i>Observe good faith and justice towards all nations; cultivate peace and harmony with all. Religion and morality enjoin this conduct; and can it be, that good policy does not equally enjoin it? It will be worthy of a free, enlightened, and at no distant period, a great nation, to give to mankind the magnanimous and too novel example of a people always guided by an exalted justice and benevolence. Who can doubt that, in the course of time and things, the fruits of such a plan would richly repay any temporary advantages which might be lost by a steady adherence to it ? Can it be that Providence has not connected the permanent felicity of a nation with its virtue ? The experiment, at least, is recommended by every sentiment which ennobles human nature. Alas! is it rendered impossible by its vices?<br />
<br />
In the execution of such a plan, nothing is more essential than that permanent, inveterate antipathies against particular nations, and passionate attachments for others, should be excluded; and that, in place of them, just and amicable feelings towards all should be cultivated. The nation which indulges towards another a habitual hatred or a habitual fondness is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest. Antipathy in one nation against another disposes each more readily to offer insult and injury, to lay hold of slight causes of umbrage, and to be haughty and intractable, when accidental or trifling occasions of dispute occur. Hence, frequent collisions, obstinate, envenomed, and bloody contests. The nation, prompted by ill-will and resentment, sometimes impels to war the government, contrary to the best calculations of policy. The government sometimes participates in the national propensity, and adopts through passion what reason would reject; at other times it makes the animosity of the nation subservient to projects of hostility instigated by pride, ambition, and other sinister and pernicious motives. The peace often, sometimes perhaps the liberty, of nations, has been the victim.<br />
<br />
So likewise, a passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists, and infusing into one the enmities of the other, betrays the former into a participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter without adequate inducement or justification. It leads also to concessions to the favorite nation of privileges denied to others which is apt doubly to injure the nation making the concessions; by unnecessarily parting with what ought to have been retained, and by exciting jealousy, ill-will, and a disposition to retaliate, in the parties from whom equal privileges are withheld. And it gives to ambitious, corrupted, or deluded citizens (who devote themselves to the favorite nation), facility to betray or sacrifice the interests of their own country, without odium, sometimes even with popularity; gilding, with the appearances of a virtuous sense of obligation, a commendable deference for public opinion, or a laudable zeal for public good, the base or foolish compliances of ambition, corruption, or infatuation.<br />
<br />
As avenues to foreign influence in innumerable ways, such attachments are particularly alarming to the truly enlightened and independent patriot. How many opportunities do they afford to tamper with domestic factions, to practice the arts of seduction, to mislead public opinion, to influence or awe the public councils. Such an attachment of a small or weak towards a great and powerful nation dooms the former to be the satellite of the latter.<br />
<br />
Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow-citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government. But that jealousy to be useful must be impartial; else it becomes the instrument of the very influence to be avoided, instead of a defense against it. Excessive partiality for one foreign nation and excessive dislike of another cause those whom they actuate to see danger only on one side, and serve to veil and even second the arts of influence on the other. Real patriots who may resist the intrigues of the favorite are liable to become suspected and odious, while its tools and dupes usurp the applause and confidence of the people, to surrender their interests.<br />
<br />
The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. So far as we have already formed engagements, let them be fulfilled with perfect good faith. Here let us stop. Europe has a set of primary interests which to us have none; or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves by artificial ties in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities.<br />
<br />
Our detached and distant situation invites and enables us to pursue a different course. If we remain one people under an efficient government. the period is not far off when we may defy material injury from external annoyance; when we may take such an attitude as will cause the neutrality we may at any time resolve upon to be scrupulously respected; when belligerent nations, under the impossibility of making acquisitions upon us, will not lightly hazard the giving us provocation; when we may choose peace or war, as our interest, guided by justice, shall counsel.<br />
<br />
Why forego the advantages of so peculiar a situation? Why quit our own to stand upon foreign ground? Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humor or caprice?<br />
<br />
It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world; so far, I mean,as we are now at liberty to do it; for let me not be understood as capable of patronizing infidelity to existing engagements. I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is always the best policy. I repeat it, therefore, let those engagements be observed in their genuine sense. But, in my opinion, it is unnecessary and would be unwise to extend them.<br />
<br />
Taking care always to keep ourselves by suitable establishments on a respectable defensive posture, we may safely trust to temporary alliances for extraordinary emergencies.<br />
<br />
Harmony, liberal intercourse with all nations, are recommended by policy, humanity, and interest. But even our commercial policy should hold an equal and impartial hand; neither seeking nor granting exclusive favors or preferences; consulting the natural course of things; diffusing and diversifying by gentle means the streams of commerce, but forcing nothing; establishing (with powers so disposed, in order to give trade a stable course, to define the rights of our merchants, and to enable the government to support them) conventional rules of intercourse, the best that present circumstances and mutual opinion will permit, but temporary, and liable to be from time to time abandoned or varied, as experience and circumstances shall dictate; constantly keeping in view that it is folly in one nation to look for disinterested favors from another; that it must pay with a portion of its independence for whatever it may accept under that character; that, by such acceptance, it may place itself in the condition of having given equivalents for nominal favors, and yet of being reproached with ingratitude for not giving more. There can be no greater error than to expect or calculate upon real favors from nation to nation. It is an illusion, which experience must cure, which a just pride ought to discard.<br />
<br />
In offering to you, my countrymen, these counsels of an old and affectionate friend, I dare not hope they will make the strong and lasting impression I could wish; that they will control the usual current of the passions, or prevent our nation from running the course which has hitherto marked the destiny of nations. But, if I may even flatter myself that they may be productive of some partial benefit, some occasional good; that they may now and then recur to moderate the fury of party spirit, to warn against the mischiefs of foreign intrigue, to guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism; this hope will be a full recompense for the solicitude for your welfare, by which they have been dictated. </i>Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-75449973050201350792011-08-15T18:57:00.000-07:002011-08-15T18:59:14.805-07:00Dear Warren: Just write the damn checkWarren Buffett <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/opinion/stop-coddling-the-super-rich.html?ref=opinion" target="_blank">says</a> he wants to pay more taxes.<br />
<br />
Which raises a logical question in my mind. If he is so gung-ho about giving more money to Uncle Sam, why doesn't he just write a check? Nobody is stopping him.<br />
<br />
Apparently, his is really more interested in perpetuating and extending a system of legalized plunder.<br />
<br />
What is legalized plunder, you might ask. Well, economist and political philosopher Frederic Bastiat came up with a pretty good definition.<br />
<br />
<i>When a portion of wealth is transferred from the person who owns it - without his consent and without compensation - and whether by force or by fraud - to anyone who does not own it, then I say the property is violated, that an act of plunder is committed.</i><br />
<br />
So why would Buffett advocate plundering himself? I don't know, but I guarantee you he has something to gain by it, something greater than the potential cost. Billionaires don't become billionaires by being stupid. Political power? Some kind of special treatment? Who knows. But he stands to gain.<br />
<br />
Perhaps, you retort, he simply cares about the country. Well my friend, that simply brings us back to my original question. Nobody stops him from writing that check.<br />
<br />
Do you even realize how few people Buffett is talking about? <a href="http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/08/congratulations_class_warriors.html" target="_blank">In 2009</a>, only 236,883 tax returns in the U.S. had an adjusted gross income over $1 million. They made, combined, about $726.9 billion. Lets say we increase their tax load by 20 percent. That would represent an additional $145 billion dollars in revenue. The U.S. spends about $10 billion a day, so the extra income raised would run the government for an extra 14 days. Lets get really crazy...lets confiscate ALL of these rich dudes' money. That would be enough to run the government for less than 3 months. <br />
<br />
Clearly, this isn't about raising revenue. It's about class warfare. It's about making one group of people feel better. It's about concentrating political power.<br />
<br />
The problem in the U.S. is not that it doesn't take in enough revenue. The problem is that it spends too much money. The treasury borrows 40 cents of every dollar it spends.<br />
<br />
You want to talk fairness? Lets talk fairness. The top 10 percent of wage earners in the U.S. (AGI over $113,799) paid 69.9 percent of all federal income taxes. The bottom 50 percent paid 2.7 percent of the total tax burden. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 48 percent paid NO federal income tax.<br />
<br />
It's time we stop with the class warfare and set about solving the actual problem. That means shrinking government. That means REAL spending cuts. That means restraining the federal government to its prescribed constitutional role. And it means reforming the tax code to make it truly fair. Where everybody contributes.<br />
<br />
And Warren, if you feel you aren't contributing enough, by all means, write the damn check!<br />
<br />
<br />
Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-33794901413780903472011-07-03T09:32:00.000-07:002011-07-03T09:49:18.452-07:00Why was the word explicit removed from original drafts of the Tenth?I've not been writing much here lately. I am currently working on a book that I will hopefully have finished up by late this summer. So, I've been dedicating most of my writing to to the book, and of course to the TAC website. <br />
<br />
But I thought I would take a moment to share an exchange with a reader at the Huffington Post website. I commented on a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ken-blackwell/times-orwellian-story-on-_b_889318.html" target="_blank">story</a> that made an excellent case for the Tenth Amendment and its importance today. I included in my comment the Madison quote outlining the scope of federal power.<br />
<br />
A reader going by the tag Mikel Moore wrote the following. <br />
<br />
<i>You conveniently did not give the Madison quote wherein he states that the word 'explicit' was removed from the express rights clause to give the federal government more wiggle room.</i><br />
<div class="comment_body"><i><br />
Then the post civil-war amendments changed that balance of power and allowed the federal government to impose on the states. The Bill of Rights did not apply to the states prior. </i></div><br />
Here is my response:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The Madison quote from the Federalist Papers is particularly relevant because it outlines the role and scope of the federal government that was “sold” to the states and the people. And it was upon that understanding that the ratifying conventions adopted the Constitution. So whether some of the framers desired a more powerful, national government, and some certainly did, is not at all relevant. Unless of course you accept the idea that an agreement based upon bait-and-switch remains binding even after the switch.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
But yes, the word “explicit” was removed from original drafts of the Tenth Amendment. The original proposal came from Massachusetts. Many didn’t see the point, arguing that the Constitution carefully enumerated the powers of the general government. It was self-evident that this excluded any other power. Designato unius est exclusio alterius – a legal maxim meaning, "the designation of one is the exclusion of the other." </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">But many fearful of federal overreach didn’t want to rely on the assurance of proponents and insisted on an amendment making this explicit. (And they seem pretty insightful at this point in history.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“It removes a doubt which many have entered, and gives assurance that, if any law made by the federal government should be extended beyond the power granted by the proposed Constitution, it will be an error, and adjudged by the courts of law to be void. It is consonant with the second article in the present Confederation, that each state retains its sovereignty, freedom and independence, and every power, jurisdiction and right, which is not, by this Constitution, expressly delegated to the United States in Congress assembled.” – Sam Adams</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">So why was explicit removed? (The word clearly was also considered) It was in essence to give “wiggle room” already provided for in the Constitution. The fear was that leaving explicit in the Tenth would in effect repeal the “necessary and proper” clause. It was always understood that the federal government would have powers not “explicitly” enumerated, but incidental to carrying out those enumerated functions. Necessary and proper was a legal construction with a specific meaning, basically that any necessary and proper power had to be 1. Necessary to carry out the original purpose. 2. A customary way of carrying out the original purpose. 3. Incidental power could never be greater than the original power granted.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As for the 14<sup>th</sup> Amendment, it did not repeal the 10<sup>th</sup>. The validity of the incorporation doctrine, a function of courts, is up for debate. But you certainly cannot argue that the 14<sup>th</sup> granted additional power to the federal government.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I always find it fascinating that the same people who rail against the concentration of corporate power in an economic context don’t bat an eye at concentrated power in the political arena. Both are equally nefarious for the same reasons. </span></div>Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-22095186433875735452011-05-29T13:40:00.000-07:002011-05-30T13:57:21.831-07:00Some thoughts on the arrests at the Jefferson Memorial<div class="MsoNormal">Yesterday, five people were arrested inside the Jefferson Memorial for silently dancing. A group of about a dozen showed up to protest a recent court ruling upholding the governments right to ban certain expression at memorials.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YRgPr4X97GFanII-YIiz9ilrFpFWsWVlcUfpZ3WMS7iQpmyFKxtP6pRSCFbWCuVqpUWAVjpUkr4wFCQGdXmG_9J7hht6o3q7PjrcpAzk9V5eSaZM7mhj0QjJtRJLMDZhIVUyAyFYGaaQ/s1600/jeff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YRgPr4X97GFanII-YIiz9ilrFpFWsWVlcUfpZ3WMS7iQpmyFKxtP6pRSCFbWCuVqpUWAVjpUkr4wFCQGdXmG_9J7hht6o3q7PjrcpAzk9V5eSaZM7mhj0QjJtRJLMDZhIVUyAyFYGaaQ/s320/jeff.jpg" width="213" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal">If you have not heard about this, you can read the story and watch a video <a href="http://blog.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2011/05/five-arrested-during-first-amendment-protest-at-jefferson-memorial/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The event stirred a lot of controversy, with folks coming down on every side of this multifaceted issue. Some praised the protestors for standing up for our free speech rights. Others condemned them as rabble-rousers, looking for trouble and finding it. As a result, several people thought the police were completely justified in their response. Others argued that the police actions illustrate a movement toward a police state in the U.S.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After contemplating the incident for about 24 hours, I thought I would share a few random thoughts.</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">First, I basically agree with the court decision. The First Amendment was never intended as a carte blance right to say whatever whenever. When the framers drafted the amendment, a well-defined understanding of what “free speech” meant already existed. For instance, slander was a punishable offense, as was “blasphemy” and “lewdness.” So the framers clearly didn’t mean all speech was permitted at all times.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">In essence, the judges in the memorial case followed precedent, allowing the government to limit speech, keeping with the “purpose” of the place. A memorial serves as a place of honor and solemnity, and regulating expression to maintain that purpose does not strike me as a particularly insidious thing. We limit speech in this was all the time. I can’t go hold a noisy protest in the middle of my street at 2 a.m. I would find myself under arrest for disturbing the peace – assuming a neighbor didn’t come out and whip my butt before the cops showed up.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Opponents will counter that a plain reading of the First Amendment makes no exception for places. And this is true. But I would counter that if we are going to appeal to a literal meaning, the First Amendment offers no protection for dancing. There exists no indication that the framers considered all "expression" speech. That is a construct of our court system through the evolution of First Amendment law. It becomes difficult to argue that the courts can create a construction protecting "dance" as expression and then turn around and say the court cannot create a construction limiting speech in certain places.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">That said; the police overreacted. The force used in no way correlated to the crime. If the police were concerned about maintaining decorum at the monument, they certainly botched that. They should have just let the group do its little dance (I doubt anyone would have noticed anyway. It was of course “silent”) and then cited them after the fact. But I suspect the police intended to make a point, just like the protestors.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I found the treatment of those filming the event particularly troubling. The police tried to shut down videotaping, threatening at least one man with a camera with arrest if he continued to record. That indicates to me the officers knew they were over the line and didn’t particularly want anybody to see it.<br />
<br />
Courts have consistently held that police cannot stop anybody from filming as long as they remain in an area open to the general public. The police have the right and authority to clear a "crime" scene, for their own safety and the safety of bystanders. But once a person complied and was outside of the restricted area, he had every right to continue recording. Threatening arrest for filming was a clear violation of press rights. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I wonder if the camera man working for the local NBC affiliate lodged any protest. He was shoved out of the memorial and that was way out of line. There really wasn’t any reason to clear everybody out. The situation was well in hand at that point. Again, it appears the police wanted to limit their exposure. That is a dangerous thing. Nasty stuff happens in secret – thus the importance of a free press.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And by the way, press means every citizen. You don’t have to be a member of some secret club to enjoy the rights of a free press.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Finally, I commend the protestors. Even though don’t agree with their position from a constitutional standpoint, I do respect the fact that they stood up for what they believe. They didn’t just submit. And the reaction taught us a valuable thing about the police and how they handle such situations – pretty darn poorly.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The whole incident was rife with irony. Police arrest citizens exercising their rights in the shadow of the statue of a man who wrote, "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It appears these folks don't consent. </div>Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-78138912806019679072011-05-26T14:49:00.000-07:002011-05-26T14:49:29.262-07:00Want to be searched? Take the bus<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:RelyOnVML/> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoEndnoteText"> <i>A very poignant turn of the tables courtesy of Jeff Matthews, a lawyer from Houston.</i></div><div class="MsoEndnoteText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoEndnoteText">While some people argue that travelers consent to unreasonable search by choosing to fly and that these travelers can remain free from search by choosing not to fly and taking a bus, it seems that a better Constitutional construction of the argument would be that if people can't bring themselves to board a plane without unreasonably searching everyone, perhaps <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">they</i> should choose not to fly and take the bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the entire premise of the Fourth Amendment - that a free people live with some degree of risk in order to preserve their freedoms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than taking away everyone's freedom, the risk averse segment ought to bear the burden of finding alternative means to avoid risk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-86986734183744803502011-05-15T11:07:00.000-07:002011-05-15T15:50:40.248-07:00Some random thoughtsA proposal to create a Confederate heritage license plate caused a big brouhaha in Kentucky last week. It got me to thinking about the way people react to symbols.<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8s2khIMyzlqO3yiqEBPnxEcsyPvlaXyVrdnrLhQlVO3BExab66SwwVDqJsDceUSFzp3pWq5Mv-ff1wm_Rsj_eiPgj5uCiDYPW8OQsMFd03xzCzZsGD9Xxvf0kA9qdTQCUA63WTlmRHtXB/s1600/rebel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8s2khIMyzlqO3yiqEBPnxEcsyPvlaXyVrdnrLhQlVO3BExab66SwwVDqJsDceUSFzp3pWq5Mv-ff1wm_Rsj_eiPgj5uCiDYPW8OQsMFd03xzCzZsGD9Xxvf0kA9qdTQCUA63WTlmRHtXB/s1600/rebel.jpg" /></a>I have never considered the Confederate flag offensive, or necessarily racist, although I know many people use it in that sense. I have personally known several people who take great pride in their southern heritage and believe strongly in state sovereignty. They have never demonstrated any racist tendencies.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, I also know some people who find any Confederate symbolism extremely offensive. They tend to assume anybody who displays these symbols MUST somehow harbor racist sentiments. They can’t conceive that the rebel flag could have any other meaning.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">My initial reaction to those offended by the Confederate flag is to say, “Get over it and quit being silly.” But as I was pondering the issue the other day, it occurred to me that it’s not really fair to dismiss their interpretation of the symbol. Their view of the rebel flag evolved in a negative way due to events in their own lives that shaped their perception. You can’t simply say, “Quit feeling this way,” about something so deeply engrained. It stems as much an emotional reaction as rational, and we all know our emotions don’t always follow reason.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">But it is equally unfair for those who equate all things Confederate with racism to project that view on somebody else, and then insist that they<i> must</i> harbor racist sentiments, or mean something harmful and negative. The southern heritage folks developed their view of things through very different experiences and sincerely view the symbolism differently.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I’m not sure you can call either side “wrong” in what they feel. Symbols aren’t objective. They find their meaning in the way each individual perceives that symbol. For instance, an American flag can stir some to prideful tears and induce blind rage in others.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">So, how do we deal with the issue?</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I think it comes down to something often talked about by the left, but not so often demonstrated – tolerance. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">The problem arises when those who take offense at a given symbol seek to ban it. Really, what does it matter if some guy wants to drive around with a rebel flag on his truck? Why should someone else insist he doesn’t have the right to display a symbol because their own perception offends them? Last I checked we don’t have a right to live free from offense. Heck, even if the driver is a card carrying racist redneck, does it really matter if he has a rebel flag on his car?</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I like my wife’s take on it. She says let them fly their rebel flags. Then she knows who they are.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">***</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">I’m amazed at the power of media templates. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Take Ron Paul, for instance. For years, all I knew about Paul was the media spin, regurgitated through acquaintances - “He’s a nut.” There were always a few sound bites thrown in to demonstrate his nuttiness. But over the last few months, I’ve actually taken the time to LISTEN to what Paul says, in toto, without the media filter. I’ve had to conclude that either I’ve turned into a nut, or he isn’t one.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Truth is, most who tag Paul as a nut couldn’t actually tell you three things he legitimately advocates. I was one of those people – and I’m not proud of that fact.<br />
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Listen and read for yourself.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">***</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">All those blasting Rand Paul for comparing the health care law and its effects on doctors should look past their own emotional reactions (<a href="http://www.kentucky.com/2011/05/13/1739667/joel-pett-may-13.html" target="_blank">Joel Pett</a>) and ask themselves this question: </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
What exactly do you call it when somebody else dictates, by force, how you must dispose of your labor or intellectual efforts?</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">***</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">"Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing...after they have exhausted all other possibilities." – Winston Churchill</div>Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-29734731733669099302011-05-13T17:19:00.000-07:002011-05-13T17:19:43.645-07:00Fact checking Obama's oil production assertion<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">During a Town Hall meeting aired on CBS Early Morning on May 12, Pres. Obama claimed U.S. domestic oil production stands at the highest level since 2003.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“What's also true is the disruptions in the Middle East, particularly in Libya, ended up having some impact. Because people started worrying, ‘Well, even if there's still some supply now, what's gonna happen in the future.’ Those are -- things that we could not completely control. What we can control is number one -- are we producing as much as we can here in the United States? And in fact, we're producing more oil now than any time since 2003.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“So, production is actually up. Even after what happened in the Gulf, we're still saying to oil companies, ‘You can drill, as long as you do it safely. We don't want to go through another oil spill like we had -- last summer. But -- we are gonna give you permits if you show us that you've got a good plan for containing it if something goes wrong.’”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As with most things, it depends on how we look at the numbers.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the first two months of 2004, the U.S. produced 11,126,000 barrels of oil per day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In the first two months of 2011, America produced 11,095,000 barrels per day, slightly less than the same period in 2004.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If we are going to take the president’s words literally, they are false. U.S. production during the first two months of this year lagged slightly behind 2004 figures.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But in fairness, average production is running slightly higher than at any time <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">since</i> the 2003 daily average of 5.7 million barrels per day - if we look at the bigger picture and assume 2011 will follow the trend of 2010.</div><div class="MsoNormal">U.S. production dropped significantly in 2004 averaging 5.46 million barrels per day. And it dropped even lower throughout the rest of the decade. But domestic production rebounded in 2010 averaging 5.51 million barrels per day.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Here’s where things get interesting. There is a reason Pres. Obama choose 2003 for his cutoff date. The years 2004 through 2009 represented a low-water mark in domestic oil production. Going back to 2000, we find the U.S. produced significantly more oil than it does today. Domestic production averaged 5.82 million barrels per day that year.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This still doesn’t give a clear picture of U.S. oil producing potential. The peak came during the early 70s. In 1970, U.S. production averaged a whopping 9.64 million barrels per day. In November 1970, the U.S. produced the highest average per day ever- 10,044,000.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, is the U.S. producing all it can? Again, it depends on how you care to interpret the numbers. We are certainly doing better today than we were in the early mid and late 2000s. But U.S. production certainly isn’t setting any records.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In summary, I would call Obama’s statement mostly true, but you should keep in mind that he choose 2003 as his benchmark for a reason and his broader argument loses some of its force when you look at a broader oil production perspective.</div>Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-73830569601936697032011-05-10T14:40:00.000-07:002011-05-10T14:40:00.150-07:00I'll make you!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, over the last several years, I’ve taken a journey in my political philosophy from what most would define as conservatism (some would likely use the term neo-con) to a more libertarian worldview.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The journey hasn’t always proven easy. I will admit, sometimes standing on a libertarian principle makes me queasy. I’m not thrilled with standing up for someone’s right to smoke pot. Or hire a prostitute. Or gamble away their life savings. I am a devout Christian and these activities represent moral shortcomings in my mind. Even setting aside my faith, these activities wreck lives and destroy families.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Not a good plan.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But I recognize the fragility of liberty. When I start imposing my values on others, it becomes more difficult for me to defend my own choices. I find the most obvious example in protecting freedom of speech. If I don’t defend the neo-Nazi’s right to express his ideas, how can I defend my own right to criticize the government? Some would find my speech just as “dangerous” as the skin-head’s.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I think that’s the point Ron Paul was trying to make during the debate in South Carolina last week when he challenged laws criminalizing heroin.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Washington Post op-ed writer Michael Gerson <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ron-pauls-land-of-second-rate-values/2011/05/09/AFD8B2bG_story.html?hpid=z4">didn’t get it</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“The de facto decriminalization of drugs in some neighborhoods — say, in Washington, D.C. — has encouraged widespread addiction. Children, freed from the care of their addicted parents, have the liberty to play in parks decorated by used needles. Addicts are liberated into lives of prostitution and homelessness. Welcome to Paulsville, where people are free to take soul-destroying substances and debase their bodies to support their ‘personal habits.’”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I could make the same argument for alcohol. In fact, I would argue that booze ranks equally high on the “soul-destroying substance” scale, and has wrecked far more lives than drugs like cocaine and heroin. <br />
<br />
I wonder if Gerson advocates prohibition.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Paul went on to make the point that laws won’t stop people from engaging in destructive behavior, a point Gerson completely misconstrued.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Paul was claiming that good people — people like the Republicans in the room — would not abuse their freedom, unlike those others who don’t deserve our sympathy.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Gerson later piled on.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Paul is not content to condemn a portion of his fellow citizens to self-destruction; he must mock them in their decline. Such are the manners found in Paulsville.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m not sure I’m willing to pick up Gerson’s compassion card here, considering his solution lies in locking the heroin addict up in a cage.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Paul’s point, and one any thinking person has to accept as true, is that a law doesn’t stop self-destructive behavior. We have draconian drug laws. The federal government spent over $15 billion in the “war on drugs” in 2010, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. And we still have children being raised by drug addicted parents, kids playing on needle littered play grounds and all of the other drug-related social ills Gerson lists. Perhaps a better approach exists.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Just sayin’.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you don’t believe me, come visit me here in Kentucky and we’ll go into some of these communities waging war against meth – and see just how many people are on meth – despite the law enforcement efforts.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">But my biggest issue with Gerson, and like-minded conservatives, is this notion that they possess some kind of lock on exactly which moral values government should enforce for the good of society.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“It is the teaching of classical political philosophy and the Jewish and Christian traditions that true liberty must be appropriate to human nature.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I happen to agree with Gerson’s view. It’s the forcing part I have a problem with.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">You see, some radical Islamists believe sharia law must be enforced in order to “appropriate” true morality to human nature. They view adherence to their religion as a higher moral value than the western concept of liberty – something they presumably reject in favor of their religious law. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adherents see no line between religious and civil law.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">You have to wrap your head around the concept that some people don’t accept our view of liberty and they believe in the moral superiority of their position as strongly as the social conservative hold to theirs.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, the question for Gerson is this – if the radical Islamists were one day able to win the hearts and minds of a majority of Americans putting his “conservative” values in the minority, would he accept sharia law? Would they not have the same “right” to dictate their values if they had the power?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If Gerson’s not willing to stand up for the right of others to engage in activities he happens to disagree with, or even finds morally repugnant, who is going to stand up for him when somebody with power comes along who finds his “Jewish and Christian traditions” a moral shortcoming?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This leads us to the root of our problem. The progressive mindset has completely infused both the left and right. Both seek to use the power of government to achieve their ends. Both look to government first.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">But government was never intended to shape moral values. Its role is to protect life, liberty and property. The job of the church, the synagogue, the mosque, and whatever institution atheists create is to change the hearts and minds, to mold people into morally responsible citizens, and keep them from ruining their lives with drugs, alcohol, gambling, prostitution, et all. We need private social organizations to step up and help the addict, the poor and the sick. We need individual citizens to reach out and lend a hand to their fellow man and woman. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But we’ve abrogated our responsibilities as Christians and as citizens, leaving everything to the government and pleading hopefully to our saviors in D.C. Too many Americans have convinced themselves that by voting for the right politician and getting the right law passed, they’ve done their job.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I respectfully disagree.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Liberty presents the only logically consistent standard and truly viable political philosophy. Each individual enjoys the freedom to live their lives as they see fit (short of infringing upon another's life, liberty or property) and also the freedom to try to convince their fellow-citizen their way is best. We retain the freedom to work to mold society into our own vision trough churches and other institutions, minus coercive force of government. If our way is truly "good" others will certainly join. If not, we will eventually come to see the error in our thinking.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I happen to believe the truth is strong enough to stand testing.</div>Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-25498905079948694932011-05-07T07:41:00.000-07:002011-05-07T07:41:03.478-07:00The Joshuah Glover storyIn March 1852, a posse led by a federal marshal and a former "master" apprehended a runaway slave in Wisconsin. They drug him from his home and locked him in a jail in nearby Milwaukee, prepared to send him back south into bondage.<br />
<br />
The next day, more than 3,000 Wisconsin citizens broke this former slave out of jail . Over the next several weeks, the Underground Railroad facilitated his ultimate escape to freedom in Canada.<br />
<br />
A Milwaukee newspaper editor named Sherman Booth played an important role in motivating the people to free this runaway slave. The incident set off a seven year legal saga, with the federal government vigorously prosecuting Booth for violating the Fugitive Slave laws, and the state of Wisconsin adamantly defending him.<br />
<br />
Wisconsin refused to cooperate with federal authorities, overruling federal courts, releasing Booth, refusing to pass trial information to the Supreme Court.<br />
<br />
On March 19, 1859, the Wisconsin legislature passed a <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/nullification-in-the-north">joint resolution</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Resolved, that this assumption of jurisdiction by the federal judiciary, in the said case, and without process, is an act of undelegated power, and therefore without authority, void and of no force.</i><br />
<br />
Nullification in action.<br />
<br />
This is the story of Joshua Glover, a man simply seeking freedom, and the citizens of Wisconsin, who helped make that dream reality.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uKaDTeDPy00?rel=0" width="480"></iframe>Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-66704443841232956102011-05-01T08:34:00.000-07:002011-05-01T08:34:44.271-07:00There ain't no proofThe recent release of President Obama's birth certificate and the ensuing hoopla simply served to remind me why I typically avoid debates with conspiracy theorists.<br />
<br />
No matter the evidenced produced, you will never convince the true believer to abandon their position.Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-64000214418350335962011-04-30T13:48:00.000-07:002011-04-30T16:33:41.372-07:00They touched her, she fought backThis last week proved a whirlwind.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUOMutyVxM12pTvL9ArVIgmZf6NRFYxwCLeNcYUxVZc536KDqJu0nnvkp3NxzT6rw1yDQeW-qKdM7EaQezQsNi19gzxudtWyRyyO6acB9sY6M87BNchOYrV5P2dQ_rcHpuePfYm3dMWdG/s1600/castillo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUOMutyVxM12pTvL9ArVIgmZf6NRFYxwCLeNcYUxVZc536KDqJu0nnvkp3NxzT6rw1yDQeW-qKdM7EaQezQsNi19gzxudtWyRyyO6acB9sY6M87BNchOYrV5P2dQ_rcHpuePfYm3dMWdG/s320/castillo.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>On Wednesday, I came across a video made by former Miss U.S.A. Susie Castillo after undergoing an invasive pat-down search at the DFW airport. You can read the article and watch the video for yourself <a href="http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2011/04/27/former-miss-usa-left-in-tears-at-tsa-checkpoint/#idc-cover" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
A few thoughts as I have had time to sit back and digest the entire incident.<br />
<br />
First off, I think the TSA provides the starkest, most obvious illustration of constitutional overreach today. Regardless of political orientation, most people intuitively recognize that x-ray scanners and pat-downs involving genitalia touching crosses the line. If there is any hope in awakening Americans to the daily assault on their liberties, this is it.<br />
<br />
That said, some people still don't get it.<br />
<br />
"I am glad to get pat down if it means that everyone else will too. I also let my doctor 'violate' me for the same reason--to protect my health. As an American, I enjoy but do not exercise my right not to go to a doctor and not to fly. It is silly for me to insist that I have the 'right' to get on a commercial flight without proving I am a safe passenger," Daniel wrote in the comments section on the story.<br />
<br />
Telling me the TSA doesn't violate my rights because I don't have to fly is a little like locking me in a room and claiming I'm still free because you didn't put me in a straight jacket.<br />
<br />
The problem is that most people fail to see that rights and freedoms disappear little by little. I tried to illustrate this point to Daniel with a little sarcasm.<br />
<br />
"You're right Daniel. I've completely changed my mind on this issue. In fact, I am going to lobby for pat-down searches on the nations sidewalk. After all, it's silly to insist that I have a 'right' to walk down the sidewalk without proving I am a safe pedestrian. Thank you for clearing this up for me."<br />
<br />
He never responded.<br />
<br />
This story got a lot of play. And I am excited that TAC got out in front of it. But I was a little disappointed with Castillo's response to the whole incident.<br />
<br />
The hen lodged her complaint with the fox.<br />
<br />
"Great convo with the Congressman! He had some great solutions to fix the TSA assaults. I'll talk about them in my interviews!" she posted on Facebook.<br />
<br />
Not to take anything away from Susie, she showed a lot of courage standing up. She refused to simply submit. But appealing to the people who brought us the TSA to solve the problem of the TSA probably isn't going to be the most effective approach. <br />
<br />
Here's the good news. As soon as I saw the video, I knew it could propel state TSA nullification bills (particularly in Texas) into the national spotlight. And on Friday, the AP ran a story.<br />
<br />
You can read it <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7543974.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
This goes to show, one person refusing to submit can make a major difference. Can you imagine what would happen if we ALL refused to submit?<br />
<br />
<i>“Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them."</i> – Frederick Douglass.Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-55555587909849000432011-04-22T15:30:00.000-07:002011-04-22T15:30:05.613-07:00The land of OzI love Washington D.C.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">I should probably back up and clarify that statement.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLAgUdZNA7XkZQZxq59gHz_rKWDTmLtCjRtmWGwZYxTgGe_o0iuTZRg5ccNAsH9ZjKO7RLth-rvnIritc4uEP1i1sQwvbeqQPse1vXz_mBNE50oXHq1qG23X5JJlOj4kFmRnN8uPbXwR7/s1600/dome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLAgUdZNA7XkZQZxq59gHz_rKWDTmLtCjRtmWGwZYxTgGe_o0iuTZRg5ccNAsH9ZjKO7RLth-rvnIritc4uEP1i1sQwvbeqQPse1vXz_mBNE50oXHq1qG23X5JJlOj4kFmRnN8uPbXwR7/s320/dome.jpg" width="200" /></a>I love the city of Washington D.C.<br />
<br />
Always have.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I love the history. I love the museums. I love the memorials and monuments. And I’m not sure a better people-watching destination exists.<br />
<br />
But the things that happen in D.C.? Not so much.<br />
<br />
I traveled to the capitol last week. I was invited to attend a forum on federalism hosted by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah). I arrived early in the morning and had half a day to kill, so I walked over to the Jefferson Memorial. It was extra cool because it happened to be Jefferson’s birthday. After that, I spent a couple of hours wandering through the Museum of American History and eventually made my way up to Capitol Hill.<br />
<br />
I’ve traveled to D.C. numerous times, but this time, something struck me that I’d never really considered.<br />
<br />
The entire city is designed to inspire awe.<br />
<br />
Stone and marble dominate the landscape. Columns tower high over your head. Flags fly over every building. The Washington Monument reaches up, as if trying to touch the heavens. The Capitol dome dominates the skyline, perched up on the Hill.<br />
<br />
D.C. stands as a physical manifestation of hyperbole.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Then there are the flocks of self-important people, constantly scurrying hither and tither. Traffic rushes past in a blur. Stony faced security guards armed with automatic weapons dot the landscape.<br />
<br />
D.C. hums with power.<br />
<br />
And I think that is how most people view D.C.- not only in a physical sense, but in what it represents as the U.S. Capitol.<br />
<br />
Americans view it as the seat of power. The final authority. A sort of secular Mecca.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRHD0lMttPIjCRp3edexblZCcsIGNDrxV4aWOJHEUeH6PjzFAr8UFziC1-6HgK7IxCLcKV9OoMvONlgL6cEVOgxvuOcZePnNSa3z7y9Yun_TBL7sQpBmdx129qFDb740UA2JKup_Rt3W-/s1600/jeff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRHD0lMttPIjCRp3edexblZCcsIGNDrxV4aWOJHEUeH6PjzFAr8UFziC1-6HgK7IxCLcKV9OoMvONlgL6cEVOgxvuOcZePnNSa3z7y9Yun_TBL7sQpBmdx129qFDb740UA2JKup_Rt3W-/s320/jeff.jpg" width="320" /></a>Doubt me? Watch how most American’s react to the notion of “federal charges.” State charges? Sure, that’s bad. But when you start talking federal charges, then you’re REALLY in trouble.<br />
<br />
But for all of its grandeur, its impressive buildings and bustling activity, D.C. possesses only the power we the people gave it.<br />
<br />
And when you read the Constitution – it ain’t all that.<br />
<br />
D.C. is a great place to visit. But it will never solve America’s problems. It can’t provide what you need. And it’s not going make my (or your) life significantly better.<br />
<br />
It’s time to pull back the curtain and see D.C. for what it really is. A little man pulling lots of levers, but limited by the power of the people through the Constitution.<br />
<br />
If only we exercise that power.</div>Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-4723491222530202772011-04-12T17:03:00.001-07:002011-04-12T17:03:32.167-07:00Nullification - the rightful remedy.A video created by the New Jersey Tenth Amendment Center.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2MiQje--DSs" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe>Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-42543476640395182872011-04-12T15:30:00.000-07:002011-04-12T15:30:04.466-07:00The politics of personalityOver the last couple of days, I've noticed several blog and Facebook posts written by my libertarian leaning cohorts critical of Rep. Paul Ryan. They root their criticism of the Minnesota congressman in his support for the TARP bailout of 2008.<br />
<br />
It's a legitimate criticism.<br />
<br />
You can watch the video of his speech <a href="http://dailybail.com/home/busted-watch-tarp-republican-paul-ryan-begging-congress-to-v.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
But those who immediately poo-poo Ryan's budget plan due on his lack of "true" conservative credentials based on his TARP vote commit a logical fallacy. To say nothing good can ever come from Ryan because he enthusiastically supported bailouts two years ago simply advanced an ad hominem argument.<br />
<br />
A did B, which was bad. A wants to do C. Therefore C must be bad.<br />
<br />
Ryan doesn't represent me. I can't vote for him. My only concern is whether his budget plan is good or bad. If it's a good plan, I will support it, despite his less than stellar TARP performance. <br />
<br />
Truthfully, I've not studied the plan deeply enough to form a firm opinion. I do know this. Ryan's is the only plan I've seen that even attempts to tackle the entitlement problem in a politically viable way.<br />
<br />
Sure, the principled part of me says just do away with Social Security, Medicare and all of the other federal entitlements. The fed far overreaches its constitutional authority running such programs. <br />
<br />
But as they say, Rome wasn't built in a day. And we simply can't just go in an eliminate a program that millions of people depend on.<br />
<br />
Is Ryan's plan the best way to go about solving the problem? I'm not sure. But I do know his vote on TARP has absolutely nothing to do with his budget plan. <br />
<br />
It just goes to show how deeply personality plays into our politics. We refuse to consider good ideas from those not on our "side", and tow the line when "our" guy starts pushing a real stinker.<br />
<br />
Here's an idea. Let's take personalities out of the equation. Let's evaluate policy on its merits. Let's accept or reject an idea based in its potential to advance our principles, not on the person or party advocating it.Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-10399247794651008542011-04-09T07:01:00.000-07:002011-04-09T07:01:51.320-07:00Guest post: PlutocracyAs the communications director for the Tenth Amendment Center, my religious beliefs aren't relevant.<br />
<br />
Granted, my faith informs my political ideology, but the TAC principle - follow the Constitution every issue, every time, no exceptions, no excuses - stands regardless of your faith in God or lack thereof.<br />
<br />
But as a Christian, I am always interested in how faith and government do and do not work together. I came across a blog post by a friend, <a href="http://tombakerguitar.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tom Baker.</a> I think he makes a poignant observation for those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ. For those of you who don't, I think his observation on the current state of our government bears consideration.<br />
<br />
<i>I can see God in socialism. Now, don't get mad about that. Hear me out before you label me some crazy pinko. I can see a lot of grace in socialism, or the ideal of socialism. After all, what is grace if not inherently socialistic? In grace we are all made equal regardless of who we are or what we have done. What is grace if not socialistic? In grace there is no inequity. In grace we are rewarded not based on who we are or what we have done but instead we are rewarded based on God's love for us, for all of us. In grace we are all equal and loved equally based on our inherent worth to God as God's children. This does seem a bit socialistic, doesn't it?<br />
<br />
But I can also see God in capitalism. After all, God is a Liberator. In grace Christ sets us free. Capitalism ideally guarantees freedom to pursue economic interest without interference from an oppressive regime. God is nothing if not for freedom and against oppression. Sure, we should be concerned for others. Sure, we should be concerned for the poor. And in fact, in Christ we have been set free in order to do that. Grace frees us from the mandate of the law and binds us in freedom and love. We are free to love our neighbors and care for the needs of those less fortunate without any oppressive force dictating what we must do and how.<br />
<br />
Where I do not see God is in plutocracy. A government of the rich and powerful, by the rich and powerful, and for the rich and powerful is antithetical to righteousness, justice, and freedom. A government where money and power buys influence and preferential treatment is as far removed from God as anything imaginable.<br />
<br />
The Right fears that we will lose our freedom if we have a more socialistic safety net to provide for the needs of the poor and the powerless. The Left fears that we will lose concern for the poor and for righteousness and justice if we do not have a system in place that ensures some measure of equality. While both sides fight each other over these concerns we have become a plutocracy.<br />
<br />
And God is nowhere to be found there. </i>Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-61717687402658210752011-04-05T14:40:00.000-07:002011-04-05T14:40:36.601-07:00How did the framers understand equality?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">I always find it interesting when I stumble across oft quoted concepts in older writings.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Listen to conservative talk radio or read “right” leaning opinion for any amount of time, and you will likely come across the phrase, “The founders were talking about equality of opportunity, not equality of outcomes.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve been reading <i>View of the Constitution of the United States</i> by St. George Tucker, a prominent patriot and jurist. His writing on the Constitution was considered vital reading for law students and legal thinkers in the early 1800s, and provides valuable insight into the original meaning of the Constitution and the thinking of the framers.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Tucker explains the idea of equality as the framers understood it. His understanding meshes nicely with the modern view expressed by most libertarians and conservatives.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>By equality, in a democracy, is to be understood, equality of civil rights, and not of condition. Equality of rights necessarily produces inequality of possessions; because, by the laws of nature and of equality, every man has a right to use his faculties in an honest way, and the fruits of his labor, thus acquired, are his own. But some men have more strength than others; some more health; some more industry; and some more skill and ingenuity, than others; and according to these, and other circumstances the products of their labor must be various, and their property must become unequal. The rights of property must be sacred, and must be protected; otherwise there could be no exertion of either ingenuity or industry, and consequently nothing but extreme poverty, misery and brutal ignorance.</i></div>Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-25927249176061110222011-04-01T14:42:00.000-07:002011-04-01T14:42:03.758-07:00Nanny statersThe Montana legislature is considering repealing its medicinal marijuana laws.<br />
<br />
I don't really care one way or the other what they do in Montana. I'm not a marijuana advocate. I have never smoked weed. Don't want to smoke weed. <br />
<br />
But I am a freedom advocate.<br />
<br />
I believe people should remain free to choose for themselves what they put into their bodies, especially when it comes to treating illnesses. And quite frankly, I'm sick and tired of self-righteous politicians presuming to tell everybody else what is or isn't good for them.<br />
<br />
Nanny state Montana Sen. Rowlie Hutton, (R-Havre) exemplifies the breed.<br />
<br />
<span data-jsid="text">"Sometimes the most compassionate answer you can give is no, you don't need this."</span><br />
<span data-jsid="text"><br />
With all due respect to Sen. Hutton, but who the hell is he to decide what constitutes compassion? Or to decide what another person does or doesn't need? And who is he to presume to hover over the citizens of his state like some kind of mother hen protecting them from the falling sky? </span> <br />
<br />
Thanks Hutton, but I can buy my own helmet.Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-29907179287852119822011-03-29T16:14:00.000-07:002011-08-24T10:33:24.301-07:00Levin from the perspective of a former Neo-ConWhat does one do when he lacks the intellectual ammunition to win a battle of ideas?<br />
<br />
If Mark Levin provides any indication, name call and pretend the opposing point of view doesn't really exist.<br />
<br />
You can read through the entire debate between Levin and Tom Woods on war powers by following these <a href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/83793.html" target="_blank">links</a>.<br />
<br />
I don't think any objective reader will come away concluding Levin got the better of Woods in the arena ideas. Levin did win the debate if changing the subject, clever insults (calling Woods the "outlier professor" was one of my favorites) and making broad statements lacking any supporting evidence counts as winning criteria.<br />
<br />
But it was Levin's behavior on his Facebook page after the debate that lowered him from embarrassing to truly pathetic. First he posted a hatchet piece by some blogger nobody has ever heard of accusing Woods and his "followers" of being racist, anti-Semitic and "cartoon caricatures."<br />
<br />
"LCR's Thomas Woods Has A Charlie Sheen Woody But, Alas, No Goddesses"<br />
<br />
Clever huh? For an eighth grader. Somewhere along the way, Levin and his most rabid followers got lost and wandered into a middle school courtyard. Yell and scream the most clever insult, and you win the argument.<br />
<br />
Except you don't.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrABj2PqFYZPg2z0nLxLX_Q36WYQu6mTh7xRj2Kw33QbOiQbvi9R_HNiKVZSrQjgwNGJ-VXF8OosnNp5p-JD6-8TOIiM7CEVEquXUnESOefZuQeSjSUSNc0nH7uSbvUTH2bg3eQo_VsH0h/s1600/levine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrABj2PqFYZPg2z0nLxLX_Q36WYQu6mTh7xRj2Kw33QbOiQbvi9R_HNiKVZSrQjgwNGJ-VXF8OosnNp5p-JD6-8TOIiM7CEVEquXUnESOefZuQeSjSUSNc0nH7uSbvUTH2bg3eQo_VsH0h/s1600/levine.jpg" /></a><br />
To the grown ups, you just look like a sniveling little kid. The kind you would expect to punctuate his insult by picking up his ball and going home.<br />
<br />
Oh yeah, Levin did that too.<br />
<br />
I went to his Facebook page and posted a relatively benign comment asking why the junior high tactics, and if it was evidence of a lack of substantive argument. Within three minutes, my comment was deleted and I was kicked off the page.<br />
<br />
How sad. And I mean that in a literal sense. It makes me sad.<br />
<br />
You see, the evolution of my political philosophy wandered through Levin's universe. I spent much of my young life as a gun-ho member of the religious right, moderated to a middle-of -the-road conservative Republican and eventually settled into what I guess most would consider a moderate libertarian. If we are going to throw around labels, I prefer classical liberal. At any rate, I generally respect the mainstream conservative position. I still enjoy listening to Rush, and I admire Sarah Palin as a person, if not her politics. And while I have come to understand the dangers of right wing Statism and completely abandoned any hope of finding solutions in the Republican establishment (or any party for that matter), I feel much more affinity for the conservative position than the progressive left. So to endure insults from people I once considered part of my philosophical family feels a little like getting spit on by my cousin. It's not only nasty, but cuts a little deeper than similar behavior from a complete stranger.<br />
<br />
The whole debate shines a bright light of truth on a very ugly reality in the world of politics. Most people on every side of the political spectrum are more interested in maintaining their "side's" position then holding to a principle.Levin talks the talk on limited government and state's rights. He even wrote a book called <i>Liberty and Tyranny</i>. I read it. It was actually a pretty good read. But when it comes down to it, Levin is more interested in justifying his policy preferences than truly holding to the principles of liberty. And when the two worlds clash, he runs for the school yard. Party over principle.<br />
<br />
That's not for me. I 'll stick with principle, thank you very much.<br />
<br />
Follow the Constitution, every issue, every time, no exceptions, no excuses.Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-40102782937988436892011-03-27T09:03:00.000-07:002011-03-27T09:26:24.204-07:00The Steve Beshear calorie deferral dietSo I've come up with a new diet strategy.<br />
<br />
I call it the Steve Beshear calorie deferral diet plan, named after the Kentucky governor who inspired the idea with his brilliant scheme to handle the state's Medicare budget shortfall.<br />
<br />
My wife and I have both really been watching our caloric intake, working hard to lose some of those extra pounds that we tend to pack on as we get older, because - well - we eat too much.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBWvIxNddnn-AS1yp2_k5mOx3BpAtmeKd586McSxZom3iZjmVhfmyYUw9HAWXoa4bKSJyJ_eciWIr_sbZhGDbArSChCXYZF86yPYerpBpOikpEsUiynPEBDQcAdhOAWvMJsm6Ec9Peijv/s1600/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBWvIxNddnn-AS1yp2_k5mOx3BpAtmeKd586McSxZom3iZjmVhfmyYUw9HAWXoa4bKSJyJ_eciWIr_sbZhGDbArSChCXYZF86yPYerpBpOikpEsUiynPEBDQcAdhOAWvMJsm6Ec9Peijv/s200/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough.png" width="187" /></a>Yesterday we decided to stop at <a href="http://www.steaknshake.com/" target="_blank">Steak-n-Shake</a> for dinner on our way home from northern Kentucky. I know...not the best place for the calorie conscious, but everything in moderation, right? Besides, I was in pretty good shape in my calorie intake for the day, and I was really craving a milkshake. Specifically, a chocolate chip cookie dough milkshake. <br />
<br />
So, I decided I would compromise. I ordered a grilled chicken breast salad, anticipating the milkshake payoff. After polishing off the salad, I was waiting for our server to come back, and I decided I would go ahead and check the calorie count on that milkshake.<br />
<br />
Uh-oh. 1,042.<br />
<br />
I'm basically limiting my caloric intake to a net of 1,650 per day. It doesn't take a math whizz to figure out that the milkshake was going to put me <i>WAY</i> over for Saturday.<br />
<br />
Then it hit me. I could go ahead and eat the milkshake, then just make it up through calorie savings the next day. I could maybe throw in an extra workout. Or just skip a meal. Or maybe eat three salads. It didn't really matter how I would do it. All that mattered was I <i>KNEW</i> I could come up with enough calorie savings on Sunday to go ahead and "borrow" those calories to "pay" for my milkshake. <br />
<br />
I can hear some of you protesting. "But if you don't even have a plan for making up the calories, how do you know you will do it? I mean, aren't you kind of taking some things for granted? It's not going to be so easy to make up more than 600 in a day. You'll be limiting yourself to just 1,000. And you don't have a very good track record of calorie saving in the past. Just look at you. Shouldn't you maybe just forgo the milkshake?"<br />
<br />
But you know, it's just the same old rhetoric. You are triggering cuts that are unnecessary. There's yet to be any proof in the record that says I can't sustain what I say I can do and make these savings. There's not one bit of proof that supports this position. (<i>Thanks Kentucky House Speaker Greg Stumbo for inspiring my brilliant defense</i>)<br />
<br />
Somebody else suggested that if I was really able to make such drastic calorie cuts on Sunday, why didn't I do that long before and avoid getting so fat in the first place?<br />
<br />
Yeah. Shut up.<br />
<br />
So it's Sunday now. I'm hungry.<br />
<br />
Off to breakfast!Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-77847876662646584142011-03-23T14:17:00.000-07:002011-03-24T18:31:33.956-07:00Garth wants a king?Garth Brooks shared his view on Pres. Obama's job performance Before his own performance at the Points of Light Institute's ceremony honoring former President George H. W. Bush at the Kennedy Center on Monday.<br />
<br />
"I think what President Obama is finding out is all that we want to do, the system kind of doesn't allow the most powerful guy in the world to kind of do his job and I'm sure nobody's more frustrated than him to complete those promises that he did and I think he's trying his heart out"<br />
<br />
Newsflash Garth - that means the system works.<br />
<br />
The framers never intended one person to wield ultimate power. They didn't want a president who we could call the "most powerful man in the world." The bulk of power was placed in the Congress - a deliberative body of many people, representing the people. <br />
<br />
It's called checks and balances. If you think back, you might remember it from your civics class.<br />
<br />
"But where says some is the King of America? I’ll tell you Friend, he reigns above, and doth not make havoc of mankind like the Royal Brute of Britain…let it be brought forth placed on the divine law, the word of God; let a crown be placed thereon, by which the world may know, that so far as we approve of monarchy, that in America THE LAW IS KING." - Thomas PaineMike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-21189947901341842962011-03-15T17:47:00.000-07:002011-03-15T17:47:33.665-07:00Foundational principlesFrom time to time, people ask me to share my guiding principles.<br />
<br />
I can explain the foundational philosophy of the Tenth Amendment Center in a single sentence:<br />
<br />
<i>Follow the Constitution, every issue, every time, no exceptions, no excuses.</i><br />
<br />
But some even deeper fundamental ideas led me to my involvement in TAC and drive my basic political ideology.<br />
<br />
The first is the concept of self-ownership.<br />
<br />
I own me.<br />
<br />
I should maybe back up and explain that I actually believe God to be the ultimate sovereign. But He gave me free will and granted me sovereignty over myself - self ownership. I choose to submit to His will and place Him back on the throne as a follower, but that isn't relevant politically speaking, and the concept of self ownership works regardless of your religious belief.<br />
<br />
John Locke summed it up nicely:<br />
<br />
"To understand political power right, and derive it from its original, we must consider what state all men are naturally in, and that is a state of perfect freedom to order their actions and dispose of their possessions and persons as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature; without asking leave, or depending upon the will of any other man."<br />
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So from a political standpoint, self ownership serves as the starting point. From there, it logically follows that government derives its power from the consent of the governed. (That should sound familiar. If it doesn't, read the Declaration of Independence.) People grant government certain authority and power in order to live together in a civil society. So in a political sense, the people reign sovereign. We the people in America first granted governmental power to the States. Later, through those states, we granted limited powers to a federal government, reserving the rest to the states and ourselves. <br />
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The second foundational principle I hold to is the concept of decentralization. Simply put, bigger is badder. Centralized power possesses a sort of moral gravity, sucking more and more power into itself, and stripping more and more freedom from the individual. When we look at the history of tyranny throughout world history, it invariably flows from systems of centralized, authoritarian government. Whether it be communism, fascism, monarchism or any other -ism, centralized power enslaves people and leads to nasty things.<br />
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The founders understood this concept and created a system that decentralizes power through compartmentalization, and checks and balances. Most of us learned about checks and balances created through the three branches of government in our high school civics classes. What most of us never learned is that the founders also intended the states to provide a check on federal power. It's pretty self-evident that 50 state governments wield significantly less power over the people as a whole than one centralized power in D.C.<br />
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So, I always default to the smallest level of government. Local authorities should do the most. Federal the least.<br />
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The framers agreed, delegating only specific, enumerated powers to the general government. At the 10th Amendment Center, we intend to reestablish the Republic that the framers conceived.Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4622419856360528162.post-90250888621073453972011-03-11T15:18:00.000-08:002011-03-11T15:18:40.963-08:00I'm not on the throneFrom time to time, something crashes into our world, shattering our illusion of control.<br />
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Today, it was a massive earthquake and tsunami, devastating Japan and reaching all the way across the Pacific Ocean to steal a life in California.<br />
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Most of the time, I wander through my days, planning my future, and living as if I control my own fate and destiny. But when I watch a wall of water pulverize a town, when I see skyscrapers swaying like toys and witness vehicles thrown about like Matchbox Cars in a child's playroom, I simply can't cling to that illusion.<br />
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In fact, I let go of the idea that I control the world several years ago, in large part because of my faith in God. It's a lot easier to accept life as it comes when you step down off the throne. And for those that refuse, God has a way of barging in to remind them. <br />
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Not that I'm suggesting God causes earthquakes to happen. As a friend of mine wisely said, this is not an act of God. The redemption of a heart and the transformation of a soul is an act of God. A disaster is simply a disaster.<br />
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But tragedies do serve as reminders. We aren't the kings and queens of the universe. We don't rule the galaxy. And ultimately, we are at the mercy of things we simply don't fathom.<br />
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<i>"No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover it's meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it.</i>" - Ecclesiastes 8:17<br />
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Yet many cling tenaciously to the illusion.<br />
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Within hours of the quake and tsunami, I saw an <a href="http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-11-todays-tsunami-this-is-what-climate-change-looks-like/" target="_blank">article</a> blaming the tragedy on global climate change.<br />
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Did you catch it?<br />
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Hidden within the enviro-political rhetoric lies the ultimate illusion - that somehow humankind can even control a cataclysmic event like an earthquake.<br />
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If we just pass the right law, implement the right policy, force people to adhere to a given standard, <i>THEN</i> we can avoid tragedy and calamity. We can erase heartache from the world. We can all live safe and serene lives in our man-made paradise.<br />
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We see it every time something bad happens. A congresswoman gets shot and we rush to pass a gun law. A kid falls off a bike and cracks his head open, and we scramble to require helmets. An earthquake devastates a nation, and we use it as a forum to advocate for massive changes in economic and energy policy.<br />
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We pass law after law and force edict after edict upon the people of the world, and yet tragedies continue to parade through our lives, unabated.<br />
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Each moment we become less and less free, yet not an iota safer.<br />
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The last time I felt like this was after Hurricane Katrina. All of the finger pointing. All of the blame-game. All of the political posturing. All brought about by a massive wind that no person could have ever predicted, and no law or agency on earth could have stopped.<br />
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I wrote a poem a few days after that storm. It seems like a good time to bring it back out.<br />
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<i>Sometimes the wind is fierce<br />
And the rain can fall so hard<br />
And when it's on the line<br />
We draw the losing card<br />
Sometimes in the dead of night<br />
We're left out in the cold<br />
And with each passing hour<br />
New things become old<br />
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So we finger point<br />
And spread the blame<br />
But that won't change things<br />
They're still the same<br />
Some things break<br />
Can't make them whole<br />
There are just some things beyond our control<br />
Yes there are just some things beyond our control<br />
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Sometimes I yell and scream<br />
That it is just not fair<br />
Does anybody hear me?<br />
Does anybody care?<br />
I'm tripping over unanswered prayers<br />
Away they drift into thin air<br />
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So I finger point <br />
And spread the blame<br />
But that won't change things<br />
They're still the same<br />
Some things break<br />
Can't make them whole<br />
There are just some things beyond my control<br />
Yes there are just some things beyond my control</i> <br />
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</i>Mike Maharreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15467332466309957952noreply@blogger.com0