Oh, the cleverness of me!

Lennon knew it

2011-10-24T07:25:00.000-07:00

I'm just getting this out there: as the commies reveal themselves in all the Occupy protests, and as the protests get more and more violent each day, will anyone else think to point out to the whiners they're no longer following _Imagine_, and no pays attention to them because of _Revolution_?

You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out?

You say you've got a real solution
Well, you know
We'd all love to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
We are doing what we can
But if you want money for people with minds that hate
All I can tell is, brother, you'll have to wait

You say you'll change the constitution
Well, you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well, you know
You'd better free your mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow

Emphasis added.

A sword

2011-09-15T13:52:00.000-07:00

I read this quote at one of my favorite blogs, The Steady Conservative:

"You cannot play with the animal in you without becoming wholly animal, play with falsehood without forfeiting your right to truth, play with cruelty without losing your sensitivity of mind. He who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn’t reserve a plot for weeds.” – Dag Hammarskjold

I was leading a Bible study on Joseph and the temptation he faced from Potiphar’s wife (Gen 39) and in preparing for it I found this quote in a book about Joseph by Charles Swindoll. It hit me as a pretty profound statement; especially that last line. It applies to any sin that we rationalize and justify into our lives. Politics and government are just another segment of our lives and the world we live in. God’s word is God’s word and sin is sin. When we try to rationalize why it is ok to allow abortion, to allow same sex marriages, to rule unfairly outside the rule of law…etc…we are straying from the example that was given to us with Joseph. We are playing with the animal inside us and then are left puzzled…wondering why our society is falling apart. While the answer is staring at us straight in the face."

While I wholly agree with Chris, and really want to highlight this quote and analysis without taking away, I'm still stuck with a dilemma. I believe in being subject to Kings, Presidents, Rulers, and Magistrates in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. I also believe that the founders of this country built the foundation for the most free country this earth has ever seen, and the best chance we have to live peaceably with one another is pointed out in our Declaration of Independence:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..."

I'll get to the junction of these two quotes in a minute, but first I want to point out that the quote (within a quote....quoteception?) from Dag, while universal in its principle, really only applies to a moral person or society of persons. Only one who is interested in bettering themselves, or in persuading others toward a train of thought, will really be affected by the strength of Dag's statement. I believe Chris correctly points out that we are currently reaping what we and others have sown, which can also be extrapolated to the seeds we are currently sowing. My/our dilemma stems from our own declaration of self government: my code of morals is entirely different than yours, even those of you who are of the same faith as me. How does freedom prevail, when every single voice in "the governed" is pulling for something different? How can I justify compromise in the law without "reserving a plot for weeds"?

The short answer is, "I can't." What really spurred this post today is a section of Mormon scripture: D&C Section 134, which talks about the Church's views on government. I've been pondering on this section for over a year now, trying to put all this together. I can't say that I will have done it satisfactorily by the end of this post, but if you read that section, you may get a better idea what I'm trying to explain here.

I understand that we need laws to help us all live somewhat peaceably, what I think people forget most is that the enumerated right only claims the pursuit of happiness, not the guarantee of it. We are all going to fight for what we think is the best way to do things, and we will all end up with varying degrees of disappointment - that much is guaranteed. I cannot and will not ever vote for something that I know to be wrong. Do I think it is wrong to "impose my beliefs" on people who disagree? Not anymore. I will never again be cowed into submission by all the big, scary words people use to shut others up. I'll be labeled a racist, bigoted, homophobic (help me out Keith Olbermann) religious zealot, and all the while I'll be thinking, "You say that like it's a bad thing!"

"Wow, Jim, that's quite a jump from D&C 134 to all the crap you just spewed out..." You may right, but I forgot to bring up one little thing: Matthew 10:34-39. I don't mean to be an ass about it, this is just my attempt at boldness. Can we smile and get along nicely when we disagree? Sure. Does that mean I'm going to be steamrolled in the interest of talking nicely to one another? .......no.

If you agree, I hope you find the strength to stand. You're gonna need it.

Episode IV

2011-08-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

Wow...even I haven't been back here for so long that even my browser forgot the address! I guess a little explanation is in order. Less than two weeks after my "poor me" moment, I landed a spectacular job with a small break-off company from Fetzer Architectural Woodwork, which is being called Rocky Mountain Preservation. I can only call this a blessing from on high; it's perfectly suited for my talents, and it has allowed us to begin looking for a house!

What really brought me back here to post today is that I have something to say to someone, but don't know how to say it to them personally. As I think about what I'm trying to say, it actually applies to more than a few people I know...so yes, this is about you. I do not want to say this, because I feel that I'm nowhere near where I should be as an example, and I don't want to prop myself up as if I truly understand. I'm compelled to say it, however, because of my love for you, and my desire for your success; and I don't know how else to help.

Here goes: in my early days of college, I ~~was forced to take~~ took a philosophy course. The only thing I remember from that course besides a couple Jeopardy answers was a small bit about Nirvana. This would be the Buddhist version, not the Seattle version. The Buddha described nirvana as the perfect peace of the state of mind that is free from craving, anger, and other afflicting states (straight out of Wikipedia there). My teacher tried to explain that the only way to achieve it is to give up all desires, even the very desire to achieve Nirvana.

Strangely, I can relate to this. We talk a lot in my/our church about bending ourselves to God's will, about not forcing our will upon Him. It's a funny thing to tell a man to pray and ask for blessings, and then to tell him that he shouldn't be asking to change God's will. I kind of have the opinion that me and God are buddies, in a Father-Son way, and that He will generally be looking out for me. If I'm going through a hard time, I know it's not because He's mad that I broke His favorite binoculars or something, I generally figure that I gots me some learnin to do.

Back to the Nirvana bit. I recalled that...recollection...during my insanely brief stint in unemployment, and for some reason or another, it helped me realize that I wasn't truly opening myself up to God's will. I remember the exact night I truly felt I meant it when I said "Thy will be done," and as I said in the beginning of this post, I can only count our current circumstances as a blessing from on high. There is no other explanation that I need.

I didn't reach Nirvana, and I know I'll have to learn this lesson again. But, for a brief moment there, I became as a little child, and listened to my Father.

Now to you, for whom this was written, I say that I don't have it figured out, but I hope this advice helps. Open yourself up, break down your walls - even if they've already been knocked down and steamrolled, take out the foundation. Allow Him build you back up, and I promise it will be better than you hoped for.

Trapped, or, The one where Jim's been laid off for three weeks.

2011-06-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

I don't want to write this post. I don't want to issue the guttural scream, to release the bile, loathing bitterness within. I don't want to think. I don't want to fill the void with stuff. I don't want to run away. So I won't.

Confessions of a whiner

2011-02-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

I hit a wall with my diet. I don't know the reasons for my slowed (read: currently non-existent) fat loss, but here are my hypotheses/postulations:

Too much diet soda. Tim said no more than 16 oz per day, as more than that can stimulate weight gain, and for anyone that really knows me, I have no self control in the soda department.
Not enough consistency with water intake. Well, when you're already drinking too much soda, how does one have room for water?
Not enough protein. I noticed a big difference in weight loss the day after Valentines when I know for sure that I ate a ton of protein. I'm fairly certain I've been doing fine in the legumes department, so I'm really leaning toward the protein here.
Not binging "properly." So, the binge day seems pretty straight forward, but for me it kinda just became a Dr Pepper free-for-all day...I'm not leaning heavily on this excuse, but it is out there.
Visceral fat vs. subcutaneous fat...does it matter in burning it? Ever notice a big fat guy with a belly that's just tight as a drum? How can that be? I read in the book that this is most likely from visceral fat: fat that sticks around your organs and pushes your abdomen outward. My hypothesis here is that I've burned off mostly subcutaneous fat (the shrinking waistline, neck and shoulder fat, back fat), but according to my Bod Pod scan, I've still got a good 55+ lbs of fat available to burn. My money is on visceral, though I don't know for certain if that kind of fat is harder to burn.
Not participating in PAGG. PAGG is a collection of...I'll call them "drugs" to keep the explanation short (because Tim says that anything you put in your body that isn't food is a "drug."), drugs that have fat-killing properties. Tim came up with this cocktail as an alternative to a favorite in the body building world which leaves your body a wreck (no, besides the steroids...). There's three reasons I didn't participate in PAGG from the start:

I have A.D.D. and didn't get that far in the book before I started the experiment
Once I did get there, I had already lost 15 lbs, so I thought I don't need it
I didn't want to spend money on the ingredients

Well, I've now thoroughly covered that chapter, as well as re-read the other weight loss chapters, and I figure it's okay if I go ahead with this experiment using PAGG now.

Moving forward, I'm making the following adjustments, and will still be keeping track on my spreadsheet (alert, this means more underwear pics are coming in March):

PAGG - I'm taking the plunge.
I'm switching out breakfast for a protein shake (merely for cost-effectiveness)
I'm re-committing to only water during the week, and not dedicating my binge day to the Dr Pepper gods, merely inviting them to the party.
Back to basics: Tres has been great in providing me with a bunch of variety so I don't get bored, but really all I want are the basics: Protein, Legumes, Vegetables. This diet wasn't meant to be fun, it's meant to be effective. I'm not looking for punishment, I just want to easily rule out problematics.

It's discouraging getting stuck like this, and I'm trying to be honest with myself because I absolutely hate relying on drugs for anything. Those of you who are shouting at the computer that I haven't incorporated exercise into the equation need to chillax...I'll get there. It's just not my goal right now.

On that note, I've decided to not participate in the 5K-50K experiment at this juncture. I'll be using the methods in the book to build up a good 10K base, but I don't think I can spare the brain power to commit just now. At least it should add to my weight loss, right?

You Jelly?

2011-02-07T16:19:00.000-07:00

Ho. Lee. CRAP!

I came home early to mess around with some work stuff on my Lappy486; much to my surprise, there was a mysterious package waiting for me...

Since I had some trouble recently in ordering our Rock Band 3 drums online...I thought I might have gotten screwed once again.

My pre-loaded bitterness was quickly turned to shouts of laughter as I opened up the box to reveal this:

This, my friends.......

...is a brand new Cr-48 notebook computer, free of charge, from Google!!! BWA HA HA HA HA!!!

To help you turn just the right shade of green, here are a few more pics from un-packing:

Even the packaging seemed to join in with my joyous exclamations:

It's pretty flippin sweet, I must say. Quite a simple design, and all cloud-based computing. All that gloating aside, I'm pretty much speechless right now, so I'll leave you to your jealousy. :P

Shield your eyes!

2011-02-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are the results from my 4 Hour Body 4-week experiment:
Total Inches Lost: 11.5
Total Lbs Lost: 14.9
Total Fat % Change: ...depends. On my cheapy little BEI scale, I lost over 3% of my fat...but then I went and got an accurate test, which put me at 30.4% body fat, but since I didn't have an accurate starting measurement, who knows? But, now I have something to measure against as I begin including exercise as part of my fat-loss goals.

If you've been following along with my spreadsheet, you'll notice the downward trend in my fat loss. I'm not sure why that is, but, and I'm hypothesizing here, I think I just didn't gorge enough on my binge days...I really don't know, but that first binge day made me completely sick, and so I skimped in comparison on the second one, so I think my body down-shifted my metabolism rate. Last week, I really went "whole hog," and I stayed level at fat loss, so we'll see what the next weigh-in brings.

Also as ~~threatened~~ promised, here are the before and after pics. I've noticed a big change in my jaw line; this probably makes me the happiest, aside from going down two notches on my belt.

I'm still not happy about that spare tire going around my back there...the belly I can psychologically handle...but the back fat is just gross.

So, what's next for Jim? Well, one of the blurbs from the book that caught my eye was in the ultra-endurance section: "5K to 50K in 12 Weeks"

Am I just that crazy? I'll let you know.

Calling all fatties

2011-01-04T14:09:00.001-07:00

I bought this book as a Christmas present for myself. I'm the heaviest I've ever been (which I've been saying each month for the past two years), with around a 20% fat ratio. Though I'm not in too bad of shape, I know I'm in a destructive pattern and want to change it so I come down from this peak. I'm starting the slow-carb diet next week, but I'd really like to have a buddy to do this with. You can get the book for less than $15 on Amazon (or B&N), and you can't borrow mine because I'm not done. :P (btw, the slow-carb diet means I plan to lose 20+ lbs in the following 4 weeks without exercise, and without starving - in fact, I'm forced to have a binge day!)

If you're interested in being partners/friendly competitors, shoot me an email or give me a call. I can help get you started with a diet, but it'd be better if you got your own copy of the book. I also have a public Google Spreadsheet of my metrics: Jim's 4HB Metrics, and on February 7, I'll post my before and after pics (yes, now is your chance to see me in my underwear!).

Whether or not I'm down to around my final goal (not my 4-week goal) of 12% fat on Feb 7, I'll move on to other "experiments" and jump in to the running chapters. After all, I've got the Red Rock Relay coming up now, so I'd better get in shape!

1/10 update: I bought a scale that measures fat based on bio-electrical impedance, which put me up around 30%. See the Metrics link in this post for details.

Raindrops on roses

2010-12-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

Going on 6 months without Facebook now, and although my Buzz posting has increased, mostly because of being linked to Reader, I still think I'm well below the level of narcissism that I used to have while ~~judging everyone~~ writing on my blog and updating my status on FB (yes, hypocrisy is closely related to delusion). There are times, however, when I do have the urge to allow my inner voice out and see if anyone else is as slightly evil as I am. This is just one of those times.

One of my absolute favorite things about winter is not cleaning all the snow off my car, only the windows. The reasons for this are three-fold:
1. On mornings when over a foot of snow has fallen, I feel this strong desire to see if I can make it to work without any of the snow blowing off. It's kind of like having a Kid 'N Play haircut for my car. Yes, I'm juvenile, get over it.

2. If some of the snow does get blown off, it tends to make some pretty cool designs. Yes, I'm easy to please. I'm one of those people that can sit there and stare at the night sky for hours, but at least I'm not so far deranged as to cry over a DOUBLE RAINBOW!!!

3. Mostly, though, I'm hoping that the snow does blow off, in large chunks, and hits the cars behind me. I guess it's not that evil because I like it when it happens to me, but it can be dangerous, so it automatically is put in the evil category. And here is the lamest multi-media portion of our program today: this video. Seriously? No one's got a good video of this happening in the manner described above? Internet, you failed me for not the last time today.

I have a feeling that I'm not alone in this.

Why I'm voting for Palin

2010-12-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know she hasn't announced it yet. I also know no one is actually reading this because once they finished reading the title, their media-induced Pavlovian response either told them to shut their eyes while it plays some hilarious Colbert Report segment or Tina Fey impersonation, or they just glazed over and thought to themselves "well, I knew Jim was a retarded hick/Glenn Beck sycophant, I just didn't think it was that bad," and moved on. (If you are still reading this, you are a true friend, and I wasn't making fun of you, I was making fun of my "other" friends, I mean, uh...Californians)

Quite simply, she's the only national politician/candidate I see that's fighting both of these out of control parties.

Here we are, barely a month after the election, and the Republicans still don't get it. We don't want someone to go and play nice in the sandbox with the bullies, we want attack dogs to get in and clear the place out! Now that we actually can block legislation, instead of only being accused of it by the Democrat super-majority, we damn well better! These first two years are critical for the life of the Republican party, because if they don't pull their heads out, they're on track to follow the Whigs, and you will see the Tea Party replace it.

If there's one thing above all else that I hope I can get across to people, it's that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and conservatives cannot afford to be silent anymore - about anything. None of the other "front-runners" have shown that they're willing to do this. Romney, Paul, Huckabee, and especially Gingrich are all too willing to volunteer for the short end of the stick.

The only other "national" politician that I would consider right now would have to be Chris Christie, because I think Palin might pull her punches a bit. Other than that, we'll have to see what pops up these next two years.

Hopefully not breaking the 1st commandment

2010-10-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

In case you weren't aware, I've turned into somewhat of Reagan worshiper. I've been asked whom in history I would most like to meet, and it turns out that it's a president from my own lifetime. This is from 46 years ago, though it could just as easily be said today.

Expect Miracles

2010-09-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

I've said recently in an open letter to a few friends and loved ones that something is coming, but I didn't know what. I think Glenn does a nice job of showing what's coming in this clip, though we end up back where we started with not knowing what comes after that.

One thing I think Glenn has not strictly spelled out to people as he's exhorted us to turn to God (especially so in the clip I hope you just watched) is how God will do it. How will God save us from ourselves? The distinction, I think, lies in the teaching of Jesus: "No man can serve two masters."

Do you love God? It's not enough to think or to know He exists. Do you love Him? Do you know what it even means to love God? There are many definitions you're probably thinking of, but the one I think is most applicable to what I'm trying to get across, applicable to perhaps what Glenn means in turning to God, is demonstrated in Jesus's question and the instruction that followed to Simon Peter, "Lovest thou me?" and "Feed my sheep."

As Mormons, we look at that as an instruction to preach the Gospel throughout the world, and I can look you in the eye if you want and testify that I felt the same overpowering love of God that Lehi felt in tasting the fruit of the Tree of Life when I was trying to "feed His sheep" during my mission to Russia. I can guarantee that I only got a taste of that because I was devoted to feeding His sheep in this manner.

As children of God from different faiths, we can probably agree to also look at that instruction in the physical sense, e.g. a command to take care of one another. If I can insert some words into Glenn's mouth for a second from the video above, one of the reasons the instability is so scary is that it's hard to take care of one another if we can't take care of ourselves. I think the principle behind Glenn's exhortation of turning to God is that we've only been taking care of ourselves, and have neglected to "feed His sheep" both spiritually and physically.

No man can serve two masters. I'm certain that I'm more guilty of this than anyone who actually reads this blog, so please don't think I'm on my high horse today; I save the medium-high horse for such occasions. If it is your concern to store up treasures on Earth, to be compelled to get all the trophies in Mario Kart, to have the most comments on your blog, to have the perfectly decorated house, to lust after another, to have the nice sports car so you can drive two blocks to work, et cetera ad nauseum, then get ready for the collapse and destruction.

Conversely, if it is your concern to be concerned for the souls and welfare of men, the tempatations, indulgences, and distractions that ultimately lead to the collapse that we face as a nation right now will have no power over you. Don't compare yourself to Mother Teresa, you're not her. You can become like her, you can become like Jesus...eventually. :-) What Glenn and I are saying is that you have got to choose now. Now we are at the precipice. Now we are at the point of no return. If you and I don't change ourselves now, we will not get the chance later, it will be given to our children's children. How do you change? Only God knows. Why don't you go ask Him?

Where's Elijah?

2010-07-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

I had a realization this past Monday as we had FHE with the girls. We have a picture book of events from the scriptures, and Jac picked out the one of Elijah laying the smack-down on the prophets of Baal. I don't think it was meant to be funny, but it makes me laugh how much Elijah mocks them.

As a believer, I look at everything in the light that the gospel has given me. It's sometimes hard for me to argue about the direction our country is headed with people who aren't of my faith because we don't have that common ground, common direction, built up already.

This may be the underlying reason that I enjoy the story above, because it wasn't two (groups of) people agreeing to disagree, civil or not. It was a point of fact: my God wins. Always. So, sorry to disappoint any Jewish readers that may have stumbled here on a stray Google result, but I'm looking for a metaphorical Elijah, not the real one. I somehow get the feeling that we will soon enter a great period of miracles, led by men who will stand unyielding as Elijah once did, who will, in one way or another, call down fire from Heaven and show the true power and will of God.

"What's that? You won't let our kids pray in school? Need to be 'fair' to the other kids? BAM!" No more arguing. :-P

Where's Winston?

2010-07-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

You can quite easily interchange any number of verbs in Lincoln's quote about fooling people, but the one that comes to my mind here is "please." I think Obama is transitioning from fooling all people some of the time to fooling some people all of the time, and on the same parallel, the people's pleasure is dropping like a rock. Pretty soon, he won't be able to fool or please anyone.

On that note, here's something that caught my eye this morning: Europe Warns Obama: This Relationship Is Not Working. In defense of our ~~leader~~ elected official, I'll finish my point from the first paragraph, "you can't please all the people all of the time." But it also makes me reminisce a previous post of mine, back when Bush started becoming more concerned with approval ratings rather than doing what is right. Where are the leaders?

If you're young like me, we're probably in the same boat. What true leaders have we had in our "adult" lifetime to be proud of? Sure, I started my life under Reagan, but I didn't really realize the power that our elected officials have (for good or for evil) until about 5 years ago. Sadly, I can probably only claim George W. Bush, and only on the grounds of fighting the war on terror. It is for this reason that history greatly intrigues me, and also makes me feel that we must look to the past for men to model ourselves after, men to compare our current candidates against.

I've recently heard of Obama being compared to Neville Chamberlain. Suffice it to say that I agree with the comparison, and that it gives me hope. "Hope?" you ask? Yes, because if it took a Carter to get a Reagan, and a Chamberlain to get a Churchill, we are near the threshold of having a great leader on our hands. I think one of the reasons I like Churchill so much is because of the time relation to the last Great War. I've said many times that Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers are my most favorite shows of all time, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to properly convey why that is. Hell, I never served in the military, but after watching those movies I can't ever make it through singing the Star Spangled Banner without tearing up. Case in point, writing this last sentence has given me a lump in my throat. What really turned me on to Churchill was his speech after taking over for the abysmally weak Chamberlain, specifically these parts:

I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined the government:

"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering.

You ask, what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy.

You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: victory; victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.

The audio is even better. I don't know how true, but I've heard that neither Churchill nor Reagan was well liked upon entering office. I'm assuming it's because they had some hard truths to confront (because it fits in with my post here), truths that their predecessors ran from or to which they blinded themselves: "In spite of the hardness and ruthlessness I thought I saw in his face, I got the impression that here was a man who could be relied upon when he had given his word." - Chamberlain's first impression of Hitler.

So, even when we do finally have a leader in the Presidency, he/she still won't live up to Europe's "standards," but I'm okay with that. You don't lead by taking polls and avoiding the hard fights, you lead by doing the right thing every time, and the people will follow. You will win over the staunchest opponent because you will produce results, not more blame.

Mr or Madame Next President, I have one piece of advice to start you off: Fortify. You have a lot of fortifications to do.
Fortify yourself - if you will accomplish any of these, you must be bulletproof in every way.
Fortify our allies - show solidarity with them. Sure, Canada is an "ally," but no one is picking on them just now. Go back to Britain and Israel first, remind them of who we really are and that our futures lie together - through peace and war. Show them that it is our intent to be strong and lead the world by mastering ourselves.
Fortify our borders - we are being attacked politically by the Mexican President who has failed to protect his own people from the drug wars that are now expanding across our southern border. It's no longer just about the jobs. Our ranchers are beaten and killed, our property is stolen, our daughters are kidnapped and raped, do we really need more excuses than these for our government to execute its primary role?
Fortify our freedom - if our society is to avoid the same fate as the Roman Republic (or even the Galactic one), we must look to the Constitution. We need originalist judges, and a limited central government. The free people of this nation will stand with you, and if necessary, "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender..."

Bonus links: Churchill motivational posters! Series 1 and Series 2

Ah...to be a revolutionary

2010-07-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

Aside from its self worth, I found a couple of not-so-hidden gems worth giving a second look in this article. One extremely simple fact here could be the key you've been missing as to ~~why Jim is a nutter about the Constitution~~ where we came from and what we've turned into.

Before there ever was

"The United States of America,"

we referred to ourselves originally as

"these united States."

Go back and read that last sentence again. And again. And again. What is the distinction here? What did our founders understand that we have either forgotten or had slowly usurped from us? Much to our current President's chagrin, it is that our Constitution - that binds the sovereign States together - is a set of negative liberties that does (and should) prevent the central government from getting too much power.

With all the talk about not reciting the Pledge because of references to God (which is an argument I won't address here), there is also something else we're missing out on there (emphasis and punctuation added):

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the united States of America

and to the Republic, for which it stands.

One nation, under God indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

There it is again! We are a Republic! I am a citizen of the Sovereign State of Utah, as are you (I'm assuming it's only my wife reading this blog anymore. Actually, no, she's got better things to do. Looks like it's just you and me, mystery reader from Albuquerque). We are bound by our common goals, united under a banner of common freedoms that we recognize as God-given. We strive together for our mutual benefit. "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

We are also kept separate by our common differences. The Constitution is not a suicide pact, no matter how much the current putrefaction in charge of "leading" us would have you believe. If the majority of the banking/auto industries, or, say, the State of California wants to run themselves into the ground, they are more than free to do so. This business of leaning on the Federal Government and usurping our power and resources is utterly ruining the whole country's economic and political ties. The best way for the central government to function is to protect us from our enemies (common military); to let the States govern themselves, and therefore be accountable to themselves; and to apply the Constitution if and/or when the States overstep their authority. It is not to fill the function of the State itself.

Where do we start to fix things? Peacefully. Our founders built into the Constitution a peaceful transition of power. For us, it starts this November. Don't be fooled by the party allegiances, Republican or Democrat, they all need to remember that they are public servants, not rulers. We should be electing leaders to represent us instead of electing representatives to lead us. Rise up! Pay attention to the nickel and dime usurpations of your sovereignty! Go, confront the problem, fight, win!

Got some time for reading?

2010-06-18T14:07:00.000-07:00

As you come across the links in this post, please stop and read the article in the link before continuing. (tip for my non-geek friends: if you click with the scroll wheel on your mouse, it will open up in a new tab/window, thus preserving your current page. If you~~'re a Mac-tard,~~ don't have a scroll wheel, you can press the Ctrl (command) key and left click with the mouse to do the same thing)

The hardest part of trying to rile people up about all the crap that the federal government is doing is that the people I come in contact with most all live here in Utah. We've got it pretty dang good in Utah regarding many of the issues about which I frequently complain, so a lot of things are "out of sight, out of mind". I chalk it up to the over-abundance of conservatives in the state, which is why I always feel like I'm "preaching to the choir," but I fear that the choir is somewhat apathetic, which is a quick and easy way to lose everything you have.

If this were Star Wars...we're probably starting Episode II right now. The united States are represented in the film by the Galactic Senate, and the federal government is represented by the Chancellor. Strange and crazy things keep happening, and the Chancellor keeps using these emergencies to gain power. Slowly, but surely, the Chancellor morphs into the Emperor, both in the gaining of his power and the revealing of his intentions for what he will do with that power. Slowly, but surely, the feds are taking over. In case you fell asleep during choir practice, our federal government has nationalized the banking, auto, and healthcare industries, and it looks like the oil industry is next (thanks to the congressmen the likes of Rahm "Never let a crisis go to waste" Emanuel, it would have been the nation's newspapers next, but don't worry, they'll get around to it once they're done with the BP witch-hunt).

I told my wife a few months ago that I think the gun-nuts are, well...nuts. The feds aren't coming to get your guns, not while we still live in a country with freedom of speech. Because of how used we all are to having freedom, they will have to silence us before they can disarm us. Aside from Fox News and the extremely rare reversal of slant from Jon Stewart, they already have TV news in their pockets (and remember, the newspaper "bailout" is next). Net Neutrality sounds like a good thing, right? We want things to be fair and legal, right? It wouldn't be a post from Jim without linking to a Glenn Beck article, right? (May 10th show, in case the link gets out-dated) Well, my fellow gun-nuts, this is the fight that you want to fight. Keep them from silencing you, and there's no way they'll be able to make the next step and come for your guns.

And just to be sure you know that it's actually me writing this blog, here's another related Glenn Beck article from June 16. I'm glad he brings up Ayn Rand, because she saw the communist revolution first hand, whereas I only lived in the shadow of a society trying to rebuild after the effects of it. Yes, it's dramatic to bring up the Nazis and the Commies, but I do it because that is the road that we are on, and we have to understand how they got where they went so we can avoid it. If you only think of Schindler's List when you think of the Nazi's, it should be enough; but if you'd like a keen insight into Stalin's Russia, I recommend reading Child 44. The story is...mediocre, but the descriptions of soviet life that the author researched is what kept me coming back. I felt like I finally knew what it was that broke those peoples' spirits.

So, originally this post stems from reading this article, which in turn references this article. And, originally, I had compared our current situation to Episode IV, if only for the title "A New Hope." But we haven't really been taken over, yet, hence the comparison to Episode II instead. Nevertheless, it is worth pointing out that there is hope. Hope that we have avenues to pursue to prevent and even reverse the power grab by the feds, before we ever would have to resort to searching for an exposed thermal exhaust port later on.

An open letter to Derron Williams

2010-05-11T08:08:00.000-07:00

You know you've reached the height of pretentiousness when you start writing Open Letters...oh well, at least admittance is the first step, right?

Dear D-Will,

I want you to know that I've reached the 5th stage of grief concerning the Jazz, and am ready to let you go. Be free, D-Will, be free. You have given us your whole heart, yet your coach is now 10 years past when he should have retired, and when your starting team mates aren't "injured," they seem to have glued their heads up in some place where the sun-don't-shine. You must go, fly to a better team! My only request is that it's an actual team, not something like "Kobe and some other guys" or "Lebron's travelling circus." Actually, I'd prefer it if you went to the Spurs, I think you'd fit right in, and you'd get the championship you deserve.

Thanks for being the team leader that you are.

-Jim

Lower class - health care decisions

2010-02-24T17:32:00.001-07:00

Yes, there's a hyphen. Though, the hyphen could easily be removed and keep the point of this post intact. I was just thinking about things a bit differently, let's see if anyone ~~steals~~ picks up this argument for use in the battle against a tyrannical government. Maybe if you imagine the following being read by Andy Rooney:

I think one thing most people will agree on is that class sizes are too big. 30 kids for one teacher, really? What we'd really like to see is a smaller ratio (1/30 = 3.33%)...but why is that? Too many kids demanding the attention of only one person? 30 different people having different needs, all claiming the time and attention of a singular individual? You betcha!

Even if you ~~are mentally retarded~~ do believe the people in government are smarter than you when it comes to making health care decisions for you or your family members, do you realize that just to get to the same "crappy" ratio that our kids are getting in government schools, except, remember, this is a giant bureaucracy that controls your health care decisions, the government would have to hire at least 10,000,000 people who are smarter than you to run it? And that's just for the face-to-face workers...this is not including the giant bureaucracy behind this already giant bureaucracy.

Want to know what the ratio is for my household right now? 50%. Fifty percent of the people in my household are capable of deciding what's best for their own bodies, and that number will only go up over time (with minor setbacks when we have more kids).

Perhaps someone smarter than me out there can take this thought and run with it.

Thanks be to God

2010-01-11T21:15:00.001-07:00

It was on this blog that I got into some hot water with my father's family, and hopefully the parties involved haven't written me off completely and still check this from time to time, because today they will be proven right. I won't get into the details of the argument, but the one portion that was uttered to which I'm referring basically told me "it is good for you to struggle." On that note, you couldn't have been more right.

I've struggled a lot over the past six-seven years. I'm going to go ahead with the figure that just about, oh, say...100% of it was due to me thinking that the world, or someone, or a few someones owed me something. You would think that going along in life with that attitude, it wouldn't take as long as six-seven years to find out the flaw in your train of thought. Trouble is, though, being without a father in life, the Lord made darn sure that we were always taken care of, and I mistook that for the way things should always be - whether or not I was a good little boy.

Without giving you a complete history of our finances or my selfishness, let it suffice to say that for a while there we were on the government payroll. Let it also suffice to say that I was more than fine with this. We didn't make out like bandits, but we were able to get by more than comfortably.
Now, if you haven't noticed that I'm somewhat political in my thoughts and actions, you must be a first time reader here. It was around 3 years ago when I started getting really politicized, and was really turned on to conservatism in politics. However, I had the glaring problem of hypocrisy staring me in the face...how does one excoriate the very program that benefits him?
Things picked up for us for a while, and we were "able" to stand on our own feet again, so we did...for a while. If you also don't know that I'm somewhat of an eternal student, thank you for not stalking me. So, school was fast approaching, and the bills are ever-steady, what was I to do? Well, if you don't already know that I'm stubborn...who are you, and why are you stalking me? I decreed that my family would never be wardens of the state again!

Now, for the good meat and potatoes. In March of this year I read a talk by Marion G. Romney called "The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance." I recommend you read both of those links, but really the first one is because I like to hear myself talk, so naturally you do too, right? Anyway, this talk helped me realize that I had about the right idea, but I was going about it the wrong way, which is quite easily disrupted by You-Know-Who (hint, it's not Voldemort). I'm here today to testify that that talk couldn't be more appropriately named!
I would have to say that this last year has been one of the hardest for me, because (I think) the natural man in me has fought the hardest to give up. It's too hard. There's an easier way, and the framework is already in place. What I haven't really been able to empathize with (until now........and, since I'm human, probably again in the future) is that the path of self reliance doesn't put me on a high horse to sneer at the government for stealing your money and mine, it's a path that teaches me to rely SOLELY upon the giver of life, my Savior Jesus Christ. And today the Holy Ghost just about thunked me on the head with a mallet and shouted "THAT'S THE 'CELESTIAL' PART, JIM!"

Yes, it is good for us to struggle. It is better for us to turn to God for care and guidance than to trust in our own might. I have learned more about my self and more about God's love for me while I felt that I was in the depths than I ever could have felt while coasting along on the "blessings" of man. I feel closer to God right now, after passing through a great storm in my life, than I ever could have under the concrete bunker that man built to hide from it. I desire that if you don't know it already, you should know it too.

Lastly, I didn't want this to turn into politics, but I don't think it really is. I just want to bring this up because it fits. It's an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence, emphasis added, something that we all need to remember: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." Whatever is coming, remember - remember where our rights come from.

Fake Patriots

2009-12-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

No, this isn't in reference to whatever team that was that showed up at the Superbowl after going 19-0 in the regular season. I just want to take this opportunity to be a little inflammatory and call all you Obama lovers (read: losers) and Bush haters out there a name that actually means something. Quit your whining about how Obama's cleaning up Bush's mess. Yeah, Bush made a mess, but you don't go cleaning it up by making it FOUR TIMES worse (in reference to raising the deficit). You think so much of yourselves for "finally voting someone smart into the whitehouse," but you can't seem to come to grips with the fact that Obama is destroying this country. Yeah, Bush started destroying this country (nevermind the fact that the Democrats had the majority a full two years before Obama got elected), that doesn't mean your pretty boy gets to go and finish the job.

Where are your Grandmothers, saying "Two wrongs don't make a right!"?

Minor Updates

2009-11-19T09:50:00.001-07:00

With apologies to Lincoln:
Eleven score and thirteen years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Never did they think we would end up equal, as in the Declaration of Independence they claimed we only have the right to pursue happiness, not to have it "guaranteed" for us by a federal government that steals our money and our sovereignty (as a recent philosopher put it, in this system someone will lose. But hey, let's be communist instead so we can all lose together!).

Now, we are headed toward another great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war, the battlefield of ideas - for now. We have forgotten or have desecrated the memories of the real battlefields, the final resting places for those who here gave their lives that that nation might continue to live. What did these brave soldiers give their lives for? I think that question is answered by another question: What were they fighting against? They fought the very ideas of government that have brought us to this knife's edge today. They fought the kind of tyranny that today is much more quickly and easily seizing around our own throats. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should wake up and do the same.

But, in a larger sense, talk is cheap. We don't want mindless sheep who don't know what they're fighting for, or don't know how to fight this fight. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled on the battlefield of ideas have shown us the way. If the founding of this country were treated as the founding of a church, the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution are not the only canonized works out there. We need to have more than a trivial ability to recount the important dates of the Revolution, we need to know why they fought, and what weapons they used, because we are fighting the same fight today. It is our history that will save us.

Your first piece of history today is the remainder of this speech, left unedited so that you can imagine what it would be like if we don't pay attention to the battlefield of ideas:

"The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government: of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

You say you want a revolution, well...

2009-10-31T13:49:00.001-07:00

From the United States Declaration of Independence: "When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." In other words, tell us why.
President Obama and his ilk are indeed revolutionaries, but they will not bring their ideas to the masses until after the masses have been contained or eliminated, because on the battlefield of ideas THEY WILL LOSE EVERY TIME.

Glenn Beck on the Revolution, then and now.

Just so we're clear

2009-10-07T17:49:00.001-07:00

The thing I hate about calling ~~the President and all of his appointees~~ people out for being Marxist is that it has to be done. I worry that the act of so doing will inspire sympathy because of our history with McCarthyism. Look, if you want to be a Marxist, stand up, be proud, and be a Marxist! Just don't go around telling people you're a capitalist. It's too damn bad that people don't want what you're selling, but you don't get to package it as something else.

On Public Education

2009-10-05T09:41:00.001-07:00

More than a couple times I’ve been in arguments about public education, usually provoked by something inflammatory I’ve said or stood up for, but today the approach was a little different:

“I’m wondering why you hate public education so much. I am just curious and would like to hear your reasoning behind your emotion.”

I don’t know why this touched me differently, but it really made me think about my approach to the debate, and realize that I really need to be specific if I’m going to bandy public education about as a whole.

My initial response to the above question was this:

“I don't think I can narrow it down to one reason...or keep myself from writing a novel here by listing all the evidence. :) I think this is difficult because you're just catching the bitter diatribes that I throw out there, and also because a lot of possibly unrelated things get lumped together when someone says "I hate public education," so I will need to try and bring it all under one umbrella.”

*NOTE* Since this post will already be extremely long, I will refrain from offering my ideas on solutions. I also refrain because I know I’m not the smartest man in the world, I just act like it.

And so, I will refine whom and how I malign, and define my opined targets, which are oft times intertwined.

The least of all my accusations stems from a very broad idea of how things are and perhaps how they could be. I am an entrepreneur at heart, albeit a lousy one. Since I’m a poor example, I defer to someone who is good example, Robert Kiyosaki, and his book, Rich Kid, Smart Kid.

“Years ago my schoolteacher dad tried to change the [education] system. He was aware that different children had different geniuses. He was also aware that the system was a "one size fits all" type of system, which was good for about 30 percent of the kids and horrible for all the others…He went on to say, "The reason the school system does not change is that it is not a system that is designed to change. It is a system that is designed to survive."

Most of us know that the teachers are doing the best they can to educate children. The problem is, the teachers are working within a system that is designed not to change. It is a system designed for survival. It is a system that will drug kids to slow them down rather than change by speeding up. Then, after giving the drugs to the active kids, they go on to say to the same kids, "Don't do drugs." To me, that is one tough system. It is the only business I know that fails to give its customers what they want and then blames them for its failures.

Instead of saying we as a system are boring, they say, "Your child has a learning deficiency." They say that rather than say, "We as a system have a teaching deficiency." As I said, it is the only business that blames the customers for its own failures. Years ago my real dad realized that it was a system that had tremendous flaws in it. He became very disturbed when he found out that the educational system used by most English-speaking countries is an educational system that originated hundreds of years ago in Prussia. He became deeply disturbed once he realized that he was part of a system that was not designed to educate kids, but to create good soldiers and employees.” (emphasis added)

Wow. I really only remembered the bit about the soldiers and employees, but he really lays into it. I highly recommend this book and also his Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Now, I’ve already stated that I’m a lousy entrepreneur, and I could go off on a tangent about how maybe it’s because I’m also a product of the system…but that’s not my intent. Right now, anyway.

What I want to do is to tie this in to the American Dream. How many of us are sold on the idea that the American Dream is a house? If so, then I say to you “How easily you are bought, and how easily you will be enslaved.” The American Dream is immaterial, it’s telling the world to (well, originally it was telling King George III this) “get the hell outta my way, I’m the one doing the work, and I’m going to make my own fortune.” I (should) know what’s best for me and my own, and as long as I’m living by the Constitution of the United States, there’s not a damn thing you can do to stop me. THAT’S THE AMERICAN DREAM. And what are we doing with our kids? “You go off to government school so you can learn to be a good little drone for the government someday, because we all know we need the government to come in and wipe our noses when we sneeze, and tell us how to do everything else too.”

Sorry, I blacked out for a second there. Was my rant too long? Or just the post…SO FAR! Mu ha ha ha ha! Tip of the iceberg, baby, tip of the iceberg.

Okay, so I won’t go down the road of pointing out all the Bad Educators, because there are people who suck at their job in every industry. What really ticks me off is the inability to do anything about it on this one. Thanks to the relic of tenure, bad apples are kept well past their expiration date.

I also defy my friends and family who are educators to name one Administrator that isn’t wasting a TON of money on “administration,” or has stood up to those that are doing so. How many times have you heard of a District luncheon going on at some steakhouse, or some retreat they may have gone on, while schools in the same district are sorely lacking in supplies, and teachers’ salaries are shockingly low? The fact that I hear this from so many of my friends, and that they’re not all in the same district, tells me that this problem isn’t solely in the Granite, Jordan, and Davis districts.

DING DING DING!!!

Uh oh, you know what that bell means! Yes, my friends, it’s time to bring up Vouchers! This is just my classic argument that there’s nothing the government can do that the private sector can’t do better. In this case, I ask what is one to do when confronted with the fact that their kid is being taught (or worse, brainwashed – which we’ll cover later) by one of these bad apples? What recourse do we have? Pull the kid out - send him to private school, or a charter school, or home school? ‘Cause these dinosaurs sure aren’t going to change. Why then do I still have to pay into the government school system? If something that is supposed to be a “public benefit” (in the economics sense of the term) isn’t benefiting the public, and we’re not going to do some kind of voucher system, we may as well be burning that money for fuel.

This segues into my next point as well as reinforces my first. What are we teaching these kids? What is the goal of government schools these days? “Teach the test?” I think it’s quite obvious that there is no goal, and there hasn’t been one for a while, at least not one that you or I care about.

This accusation has two main foci, the first being summed up quite easily: do you think anyone ever asked Michael Jackson what his goal for plastic surgery was before he started disfiguring himself? No, he just went under the knife numerous times, all in an effort to “look better.” His end result could be the poster-child for not having a clear goal. In addition to this, the method of achieving that goal is equally important.

Secondly, and more dangerously, if we don’t have goals for our children’s education, someone else does. At this point, you can take your pick of the litter in the different ways our kids are being indoctrinated. There are too many to list here, but I post them frequently on my Facebook group: Stolen Rocks. However, some of my favorites include:

Elementary kids being told to paint the Earth under water because of global warming. (I couldn’t find the original article with their art, but here’s a good replacement: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/21120/. Also, this: http://www.globalwarminghype.com/inconvenient.html)
The recent videos of school kids singing Obama’s praises, reminiscent of Hitler Youth, as well as youth singing Chairman Mao’s praises.
Widespread use of teachings that the Earth is actually spherical. (just making sure you’re paying attention. :-P)

Now, the term “dangerous” used above is really only dangerous if you and I have the same views.

Abraham Lincoln is still regarded as a good president, right? His oft quoted Gettysburg Address states that we are a “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” (On a side note, this phrase has become so intertwined with the cause of freedom that I’m certain that if you took a straw poll and asked people where that quote comes from, the majority would say “The Constitution” or the “Declaration of Independence”) So why is it that “the people” don’t have a voice anymore? I have more than a few off topic answers on that question, and hopefully you’ve been asking that question too. For this post, can it suffice to say that our voice is gone or falling on deaf ears?

If you’re still reading, congratulations. I am a horrible debater, and have difficulty translating my thoughts and feelings to words (no, really, it’s taken me almost two weeks to “refine” this post up to this point), which is why I usually defer to “smarter people” with whom I agree. I just bought the book “Arguing with Idiots” by Glenn Beck, and only last night read his chapter on this very topic. Coming back to my argument, I don’t think I do it proper justice. So I really think you should read what Glenn has to say, despite the cynical title of the book.

In closing, there are times when we choose between right and wrong, and times when we take a different road to get to the same place. I sincerely believe that we are no longer “agreeing to disagree” on which road will get us there, I’m saying that government schools at this point (well, government anything, really) are not even connected to the correct destination.

Don't it always seem to go...

2009-08-09T16:48:00.004-07:00

...that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone?

I was going through the starred posts on my Reader, and came across this video:

It just made me think about what I'll call here "the big picture," though even I think that's mislabeled. I've got this weird feeling after watching that video, like I'm taking a step back from everything and taking it all in, and this quote pops in my head: "Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it." I'm thinking that we've all heard that at least once, but it raises a couple of questions for me.
1) Are we learning it in the first place? In the context of this blog post, are our children learning about the conditions under which the colonies revolted against the crown? Did we even learn that when we were kids?
2) Perhaps the first question is not fair, since children are not mature enough to properly understand the complex struggles of the revolution, so let me ask this: "What have you done for me lately?" Ask yourself if you rightly know what our forefathers gave their Lives and their Fortunes for, and how they ultimately earned their Sacred Honor. What were they truly fighting against?

I brought up the Nephite pride cycle in my previous post, but there's another pearl of great price in the Book of Mosiah that is a better fit here. Roughly 92 years before Christ visited the Americas, the great Nephite King, Mosiah, was nearing the end of his life and his eldest son refused to assume the throne. It is at this point that the nation converts from monarchy to a primitive democratic republic. The whole chapter is great, talking about content of character (no talk about skin color there...), but I'm looking at verses 25-27:

25 Therefore, choose you by the voice of this people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which have been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given them by the hand of the Lord.
26 Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people.
27 And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land.

You see where I'm going with this? You understand why our country is in the state that it's in? It's our own damn fault! Now ask yourself this question: Who has the power in this country? Redundant question, I know, since I just told you it's our fault. But have we lost our power? Not completely, not yet.

If you want to get it back, though, it's going to be a fight. You're going to have to be "that guy" in your circle of friends. You're going to have to practically drive your wife crazy by seeing politics in everything, not because you're paranoid, but because that's how far it's come. You're going to have to dress up as Thomas Paine and yell at people for 6 and a half minutes about how lazy they've gotten!

It's not fun being "that guy", trust me. I can't wait for my 10 year reunion next week so I can talk to the 3 people I haven't alienated - either through my wanton destruction of the earth, or the fact that I don't want to wait a year for a life saving surgery, or because I'm a bigoted homophobe! Family reunions are even better! (Haven't had one for 9 years)

But, if that's all I have to go through, as opposed to an actual bloody revolution as our forefathers did, I'll dress up like fricken Betsy Ross if that'd help. (It won't.) Please understand that our forefathers knew they were signing their own death warrants. Please get yourself in a frame of mind that, if it came to it, you would sign yours too. Or at the very least get in shape for that Betsy Ross dress.