(373) THE NEW YEAR COMETH

"If I had a daughter, Sir, I tell you what I’d do,
I’d send her up to Georgia to cheer the Bulldogs through. . ."
[Someone provide the next line, please]

*****

My friend, Donna, who is the source of all knowledge sent me a quote by Aldous Huxley: "The most shocking fact about war is that its victims and its instruments are individual human beings and that these individual beings are condemned by the monstrous conventions of politics to murder or be murdered in quarrels not their own."
Right on, Donna! Keep the home fires burning.

*****

I just finished an article by an economist at one of the local Universities. He was an avid President Obama supporter and thought that Obama represented change. However, after two years of Obama, he observed that Obama was like the rest in that he was, first, a politician. While I disagree with most of what this editorialist says, he was right on with Obama and his opinion conforms with my view of government, vis-a-vis, in the final analysis, there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats. There are major differences between R & D and the various no-chance political parties. It is probably too late to stop the loss of the country through war and runaway inflation, but it doesn’t hurt to try. By Constitution, Senators are supposed to represent the interest of the individual states, while Representatives, in theory, represent the interest of the individuals. There has certainly been a blurring of the lines, so it is impossible to say that these Constitutional provisions are still intact. However, if you take pen in hand and write your Congressman and express yourself in terms that cause the Congressperson to believe that he/she may not get reelected, you will definitely get the Congressman’s attention.

Peace on Earth and Happy New Year!
Donald M. Heavrin

(372) PEACE!

If I had a daughter, Sir, I tell you what I’d do, [someone provide the next line please].

*****

At the present moment, Congress is wrestling with an arms-reduction treaty. Some members of Congress believe that having enough nuclear weapons to obliterate the Earth fourteen times is not enough. The argument is that we need enough weapons to obliterate the Earth twenty-one times before we are safe.

*****

Also of interest: Congress is debating the issue of medical programs for the Responders to the World Trade Center attacks who were poisoned by the air. The coverage would only be extended to those who have no other coverage. In short, this is going to establish another bureaucracy to administer the benefits. The only thing I know is that I would rather spend trillions on medical care than trillions on bank-bailouts and war.

*****

December 10, 1901: The first Nobel Prize is awarded.

Peace on Earth,
Donald M. Heavrin

(371) LESSER EVILS

December 21, 1980: Saddam Hussein launched Iraqi war planes and troops in an invasion of Iran, in an effort to depose the Ayatollah. The Iranians had been promoting war for some time; they overthrew the Shah of Iran, and they started a ‘holy war’ that was aimed at Saddam Hussein. They targeted Saddam, backed several disturbances in Baghdad, attacked the Iraq’s Embassy in Rome, and attempted to incite the Iraqi Shiite minority to rebellion. They also shelled Iraqi border towns, killing civilians. Later on, after the Kurds joined forces with the US in Gulf War I, Saddam Hussein gassed everybody that was opposed to his regime. One of the strangest players was Dick Cheney. Before he became Vice President of the United States, he said that Saddam Hussein was definitely a bad guy, but he kept peace in the area because he killed anyone who disagreed with him. Bottom line is we were a lot better off when Saddam was in office than we are today. The horse manure about ‘he has weapons of mass destruction’ is hilarious. Was he going to bring a container of poison gas to the United States and gas everyone in the country? Or, did Bush define a weapon of mass destruction as an M16? Saddam was a tyrant, but he ran a tight ship and, overall, there was peace in the Garden of Eden. Now, the USA is fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and there’s no end in sight.


Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
A Peace-seeker

(370) OF DEMOCRACY & LIBERTARIANISM

My friend, David Schwanzengruber sent me a fascinating clip from the internet featuring the Democrat Congressman from Georgia, Hank Johnson. In this video, Representative Johnson expresses his fear that, if Guam becomes overpopulated, the WHOLE ISLAND WILL TIP OVER. The Constitutionally-unversed Tea-Party candidate, Christine O’Donnell did not get elected. However, it is too late for Hank Johnson. He is an elected member of Congress and is controlling, or seeking to control, all human endeavors. I think you can find this on the internet by searching for Congressman Hank Johnson. It is a hoot.

*****

In my notice the other day about prices already going up, I failed to mention the obvious, id est, food. If you have been to the grocery store lately, you will know there has been a gradual increase in the cost of almost everything. The government acknowledges that next year there should be a 20% increase in the cost of food. There is approximately the same number of people eating and the same amount of food being produced–the only change is that there are now trillions of dollars in circulation that were not there before. Every time the money supply increases, product prices increase.

*****

The co-founder of the Libertarian Party, David Nolan, died at age 66. I did not know the following about Mr. Nolan until I started reading obituaries: it seems he was distressed about the direction in which our country was going, however, Richard Nixon brought his concern to a head when Nixon implemented wage and price controls, pushed the war in Vietnam, and TOOK US OFF THE GOLD STANDARD, which allowed for the wholesale printing of money that has absolutely no value. Nolan was so disgusted that he and a few of his friends founded the Libertarian Party to fight against government power. He realized it was unlikely that a Libertarian was ever going to get elected to a major, nationwide office, but he thought the Libertarian Party could be a great source of information for anyone who was willing to listen.

Quoting Jim Welp, elections are ". . . decided by people with almost no real information about the candidates, but who are easily swayed by the armies of Don Drapers who compose the most compelling narratives."
A brilliant observation that sums up why republics are the best form of government, and democracies should be way down the food-chain. The majority should not be allowed to control the world.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
A Stranger in Paradise