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Lift your lamp beside the golden door, Break not the golden rule, avoid well the golden calf, know; not all that glitters is gold, and laissez faire et laissez passer [let do and let pass] but as a shining sentinel, hesitate not to ring the bell, defend the gates, and man the wall

Friday, November 19, 2010

10 Big Lies About America

by Michael Medved 
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Sunday, October 31, 2010

Liberty and Tyranny

by Mark R. Levin 

"We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men’s labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by the same name—liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible names—liberty and tyranny." Abraham Lincoln 1864

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   A. What belongs to no one is wasted by everyone
   B. Statist's rationalizing Loophole around property rights "The Public Good"
Four Events that led to the Housing Bust of '08 
   EVENT 1: The CRA of 1977
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EVENT 2: HUD pressures Govt Chartered Freddie and Fannie to encourage risky loans
EVENT 3: Govt Intervention/Social Engineering produces the "Derivative"/Speculation Market 
EVENT 4: The Federal Reserve slashes interest rates from 2001's at 6.5% to 2006's at 1%
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The Scope of the Bailout/Stimulus
Central Planning of the Oil Market 

















   
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OIL: Capitalist vs Corporatist, 
 Conservative vs Statist
 


















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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Glenn Beck's Letter To His Daughter

Audio from Glenn's Graduation speech at Liberty U -- May 15, 2010




My daughter just started her first year in college and as I was flying here today, I didn't feel like I had anything to share with you that you hadn't already learned here. I took out my journal and looked up the things that I wrote to my daughter as she was sitting there listening to one of her professors on her first day as a Freshman. These are the things that I wrote to tell my daughter:

 You are never alone and there is never trouble that is beyond help. Your father loves you and your Heavenly Father loves you. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow may never come, but as long as we have today, it's never too late. Question with boldness. Read what they tell you not to. Challenge everything. The educated of this time are growing arrogant, and arrogance leads to darkness. Sunlight is the best disinfectant. However, sanitizer is a must, especially in New York City. In New York City, honey, it's best most times just not to touch. Look for the exits. They may save your life. Respect others. Know that they are most likely afraid, just like you. In fact, I found more arrogant and forceful they become, the more afraid they are. The worst thing in life you can do is dishonor yourself or your family and then go living a life without setting it right.
Marry for love, marry for laughs, but most importantly, as my wife Tania taught me, marry with God. For without God, life's storms are too strong to withstand. Wealth and fame are an illusion. We've been rich, we've been poor. We've been happy both times.
The only times I've truly been miserable is when I was lying to myself or to others.
Alcohol and drugs make life easier for a very short time and then they destroy. There is no experience that is bad. Experience just is. It's what you do with that experience, how you'll use it. Will it shape your life for the better and help you become a stronger person? Or will you allow those experiences to smother and destroy you?
Call 911 first and then call your dad. Always have a picture on your desk of someone you admire. Don't let life wash over you wave after wave. You're not a rock. Learn from the waves. Learn from the currents. Choose to sail.
"I am that I am" is the most powerful phrase in any language, as it is the name of God. Never use it in vain. Use it to create who you want to be. I am, blank. But know if you don't fill that blank in, someone else will. You can ignore it, but if you do, it will be filled in by others or just life. There will always be many that will try to fill that blank in but only you can fill it in and be happy.
The Lord lives and He is personal. He loves you, and he's always there to help. But we have to train ourselves to hear it. We have to use our faith and exercise it like a muscle. The more we use faith, the louder he becomes. Serve Him in all things. Stand where He asks you to stand. Stand, for you do have a purpose. Your job is just to remember who you are, remember what you agreed upon. We're meant to be happy. But remember, no pain, no gain. Life is hard and then it gets harder. And then you die.
But every single second of life is worth it. Always say what you mean and mean what you say. Turn the other cheek and always forgive. But don't forget so much that you put yourself in the same situation. Question authority, including everything that I've just told you. Make these things true because you know them to be true. You have everything you need. You have everything you need to be happy. May you figure that out before I do. Freedom, rights, are given to man by God. They are His. Protect them. You are the guardian.
Private jet travel is the only material thing that can actually change your life. However, refined manner, gentleness, meekness, kindness, will be the only currency of any true value. Stuff doesn't matter. Forgiveness is divine. The atonement is real. You are worthy. Hell is an eternity of regret, not being able to forgive yourself.
Cabs smell worse in the summer. Walk a lot and never stop noticing things around you. When you do, change your ways or change your address. People are good. They want to do the right thing. Give them the opportunity. Shadows are darkest at noon, and it always gets colder before sunrise.
It's never wrong to do the right thing. Learn to love others that you don't know or really don't like. Read the scriptures every day. They are alive, and He speaks to you through them. There are no coincidences in life. Learn, laugh, love. Sleep hard and sleep less. Pray on your knees. To whom much is given, much is required. You've been given the world and beyond.
  Only date those who love you as much as I do. Only date those who will treat you as I have tried.

[If you are going to date, do it with the knowledge of marriage preparation. Never date just because you like someone, that's what friendship is for, build that up first.]

Never want anything too much. You'll always end up paying too high of a price one way or another.
If you must shoot, shoot to kill.
Labels are meaningless. Someone you meet today is afraid or suffering. Find them. Comfort them. Never let the sun go down without saying you're sorry for your wrongs. Your dad misses you. Call him. Call him now. What? Why haven't you called him yet?
Life goes by far too fast. Keep a journal. Write what you think; write what you question; write what you know. There is order in all things. Stay in that order. Stay in the flow. You will find very few real friends in life. Cherish them. Things will change and you'll fall in and out of each other's lives, but when you do come back, it will be as if you never left. The hardest thing to do is to admit failure, to admit weakness. Only the very strong do. The weak never ask for help. Fasting is prayer. Fasting without prayer is a diet. And why? Why haven't you called your father yet?



"GLENN: That's something that I actually wrote as I listened to my daughter's orientation at her college and I sat there and I thought, what could I possibly give her as advice. And I wrote those things down for her. That is I don't know. As I was sitting there listening to that, I hadn't heard that whole thing yet and as I sat there and listened to it, I thought, boy, this is the lifetime of hard lessons, a lifetime of, if I could leave my family with just my knowledge that I think is important, that would be it. What I consider common sense."

Friday, October 15, 2010

Letter from Thomas Jefferson To Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse 1822

To Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse Monticello, June 26, 1822

   DEAR SIR, -- I have received and read with thankfulness and pleasure your denunciation of the abuses of tobacco and wine. Yet, however sound in its principles, I expect it will be but a sermon to the wind. You will find it as difficult to inculcate these sanative[1] precepts on the sensualities of the present day, as to convince an Athanasian[2] that there is but one God. I wish success to both attempts, and am happy to learn from you that the latter, at least, is making progress, and the more rapidly in proportion as our Platonizing Christians make more stir and noise about it. The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend all to the happiness of man.
1. That there is one only God, and he all perfect. 
2. That there is a future state of rewards and punishments. 
3. That to love God with all thy heart and thy neighbor as thyself, is the sum of religion.
These are the great points on which he endeavored to reform the religion of the Jews. But compare with these the demoralizing dogmas of Calvin[3].
1. That there are three Gods. 
2. That good works, or the love of our neighbor, are nothing. 
3. That faith is every thing, and the more incomprehensible the proposition, the more merit in its faith. 
4. That reason in religion is of unlawful use. 
5. That God, from the beginning, elected certain individuals to be saved, and certain others to be damned; and that no crimes of the former can damn them; no virtues of the latter save.
Now, which of these is the true and charitable Christian? He who believes and acts on the simple doctrines of Jesus? Or the impious dogmatists, as Athanasius and Calvin? Verily I say these are the false shepherds foretold as to enter not by the door into the sheepfold, but to climb up some other way. They are mere usurpers of the Christian name, teaching a counter-religion made up of the deliria of crazy imaginations, as foreign from Christianity as is that of Mahomet[4]. Their blasphemies have driven thinking men into infidelity, who have too hastily rejected the supposed author himself, with the horrors so falsely imputed to him. Had the doctrines of Jesus been preached always as pure as they came from his lips, the whole civilized world would now have been Christian. I rejoice that in this blessed country of free inquiry and belief, which has surrendered its creed and conscience to neither kings nor priests, the genuine doctrine of one only God is reviving, and I trust that there is not a young man now living in the United States who will not die an Unitarian[5].

But much I fear, that when this great truth shall be re-established, its votaries will fall into the fatal error of fabricating formulas of creed and confessions of faith, the engines which so soon destroyed the religion of Jesus, and made of Christendom a mere Aceldama[6]; that they will give up morals for mysteries, and Jesus for Plato. How much wiser are the Quakers, who, agreeing in the fundamental doctrines of the gospel, schismatize[7] about no mysteries, and, keeping within the pale of common sense, suffer no speculative differences of opinion, any more than of feature, to impair the love of their brethren. Be this the wisdom of Unitarians, this the holy mantle which shall cover within its charitable circumference all who believe in one God, and who love their neighbor! I conclude my sermon with sincere assurances of my friendly esteem and respect.
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[1] Sanative: Sanitizing

[2] Athanasian:  a follower of Athanasius or a believer in the Athanasian Creed which is holding apart the distinct persons of the Trinity;
"Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith. Which Faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled; without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the Catholic Faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. " [Wikipedia]

"The Father is God, The Son is God, The Holy Spirit is God; God is the Father, God is the Son, God is the Holy Spirit; The Father is not the Son, The Son is not the Father,The Father is not the Holy Spirit,
The Holy Spirit is not the Father, The Son is not the Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit is not the Son."
      
[3] Calvinism: The belief that people are predetermined to go to Heaven or Hell by God before birth and the meaninglessness of good works and the supremacy of Faith alone.

[4] Mahomet: People spelled [the "Prophet"] Muhammad's name funny in the past. English Orthography did not start to become uniform until the latter part of the 1800s

[5] Unitarian: The belief in the unity of the trinity as one person [Juxtaposed to any modernly so-titled religion or extrapolative belief]

[6] Aceldama: (or Akeldama) :the Aramaic name for a place in Jerusalem which Judas Iscariot supposedly bought with the money he recieved for betraying Jesus. In this account (Acts of the Apostles 1:19) Judas fell over in this field in such a way that his intestines burst out and he died. This would imply that the name refers to the blood of Judas. In the other account unrelated to this letter (Gospel of Matthew 27:7) Judas hanged himself after returning the money to the Temple authorities, who then used the money to buy the field called the Potter's Field, which was then used as a burial place for foreigners. Here the implication is that the name refers either to the blood of the buried or the blood of Jesus.

[7] Schismitize: Divide; or apply the concept of division, refering to dividing the trinity.

Letter from Thomas Jefferson To Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse 1822

Letter from Thomas Jefferson To Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse 1822

To Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse Monticello, June 26, 1822

   DEAR SIR, -- I have received and read with thankfulness and pleasure your denunciation of the abuses of tobacco and wine. Yet, however sound in its principles, I expect it will be but a sermon to the wind. You will find it as difficult to inculcate these sanative precepts on the sensualities of the present day, as to convince an Athanasian that there is but one God. I wish success to both attempts, and am happy to learn from you that the latter, at least, is making progress, and the more rapidly in proportion as our Platonizing Christians make more stir and noise about it. The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend all to the happiness of man.
1. That there is one only God, and he all perfect. 
2. That there is a future state of rewards and punishments. 
3. That to love God with all thy heart and thy neighbor as thyself, is the sum of religion. These are the great points on which he endeavored to reform the religion of the Jews. But compare with these the demoralizing dogmas of Calvin. 
1. That there are three Gods. 
2. That good works, or the love of our neighbor, are nothing. 
3. That faith is every thing, and the more incomprehensible the proposition, the more merit in its faith. 
4. That reason in religion is of unlawful use. 
5. That God, from the beginning, elected certain individuals to be saved, and certain others to be damned; and that no crimes of the former can damn them; no virtues of the latter save.
Now, which of these is the true and charitable Christian? He who believes and acts on the simple doctrines of Jesus? Or the impious dogmatists, as Athanasius and Calvin? Verily I say these are the false shepherds foretold as to enter not by the door into the sheepfold, but to climb up some other way. They are mere usurpers of the Christian name, teaching a counter-religion made up of the _deliria_ of crazy imaginations, as foreign from Christianity as is that of Mahomet. Their blasphemies have driven thinking men into infidelity, who have too hastily rejected the supposed author himself, with the horrors so falsely imputed to him. Had the doctrines of Jesus been preached always as pure as they came from his lips, the whole civilized world would now have been Christian. I rejoice that in this blessed country of free inquiry and belief, which has surrendered its creed and conscience to neither kings nor priests, the genuine doctrine of one only God is reviving, and I trust that there is not a _young man_ now living in the United States who will not die an Unitarian.

But much I fear, that when this great truth shall be re-established, its votaries will fall into the fatal error of fabricating formulas of creed and confessions of faith, the engines which so soon destroyed the religion of Jesus, and made of Christendom a mere Aceldama; that they will give up morals for mysteries, and Jesus for Plato. How much wiser are the Quakers, who, agreeing in the fundamental doctrines of the gospel, schismatize about no mysteries, and, keeping within the pale of common sense, suffer no speculative differences of opinion, any more than of feature, to impair the love of their brethren. Be this the wisdom of Unitarians, this the holy mantle which shall cover within its charitable circumference all who believe in one God, and who love their neighbor! I conclude my sermon with sincere assurances of my friendly esteem and respect.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Dependency Leads To Oppression by J.W. Getty

Joseph Walter "Jeaux" Getty
I think you'd probably agree with me, we've all become so utterly Dependant, that um, that any discussion of; 'hey listen, we've gotten in over our heads, we've got to take a serious look at how we've designed, uuuh, how people live in terms of income redistribution, entitlements etc, gotta look, gotta take a serious look at that', that's called the third rail of politics, you touch it your dead. And that is incredibly unhealthy and delusional! We've gotta talk about it, that’s most of the budget! Ahhh.


You know now seems like an appropriate time to mention this from the LA Times, they have a compilation of the best and worst quotes of Republican National Convention, and I really like this one from, Mike Huckabee… noted You Tube figure, Mike Huckabee. [Hilariously alluding to the sound bit of him saying "Hello You Tube"]

*CLIP of Mike Huckabee*-

Let me make something clear tonight, I’m not a Republican because I grew up rich, I’m a Republican because I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life poor waiting for the government to rescue me.

*Raucous Applause...

-*End of Clip*

That sums it up pretty nicely I think yall know I have a serious, serious level of concern about how dependent we’re becoming as a people. And once you’re dependent on someone, you march to their orders, you have to. And that’s oppression, and I don’t know about you but I’m kind of anti-oppression. Um, Barrack Obama, this troubled me a great deal—and you know I understand it’s a stump speech and he’s trying to get the folks fired up, so they go out and get signatures and contributions and drive their friends to the polls and stuff like that. I get it, it’s okay, both sides do it, it doesn’t make you a bad person, but!

What he said about “George Bush wanting to… gamble with your social security” The current system my friends is this: You pay your social security and Congress spends it on whatever they want. And the tab comes for whichever oldsters need Social Security each month, and they pay for it really out of the general fund. The money that’s put aside, the little money that has been—and it’s not quite as simple as I just put it but its, its close—the money they think that’s been put aside for social security over the years has gotten about one percent return. Savings accounts during the Great Depression get more than that!

So the idea of You being allowed to choose your investments and maybe maybe—I think this is a middle ground, this is still way too much government control in our lives, but just for instance as a middle ground—you are given the option of… I dunno, Five different conservative mutual funds that barring a Martian invasion will yield you four, five, six… maybe its bond funds—even more conservative—four, five, six percent for the rest of your life on average. Not just given to the government where they hold on to it and spend it, and then, and then, if you lick their boot heels, they’ll give you your money back, well a small part of it, for a lot of us. That any system other than that is quote “Gambling with your money” You know if the difference is gambling with my money or just giving it away, and never seeing it again? My God, I’ll gamble, I’ll go to the danged racetrack, never mind a rock solid bond fund, That’ll at least give me three, four percent, Over the course of my life.

The idea that the obvious necessary inalienable situation is that the government is in charge of my retirement money, and that I can’t even conceivably opt out, that that would somehow be, un-American, for me to look after myself and my family, I mean that is just a horrifying perversion of what this country is about. 
And the point when horrifying perversions become the accepted, the inevitable; sweet mother of George Washing ton we’re in a hurt here, we’re in a world of hurt. Oh, FDR what have you done to us? What have you dooone?

-Break-

This is the Armstrong and Getty Show, Jack’s getting ready for his wedding tonight, its uh 8:37[am] I uh, I knew I was leaving something out, I uh, I really need two brains, one to, to communicate with the main one. Uh when we were talking about Social Security and uh, and dependence and, well what we were talking about last segment, and it, and the other thing that really bothered me about Barrack Obama’s Speech—and again he’s just trying to fire up his folks and that’s fine—is he said “In John McCain’s America you’re on your own”, [Marshal: “right”] as opposed to his preferred policies.

My answer to that is—and this is the fundamental description of why I am a conservative, and why I can’t stand that thinking, and I think that it’s going to ruin the country—Barrack! In terms of the Federal Government, I would much prefer to be on my own; and here's what I mean, I'm not on my own, I have my family, I have my friends, I have my neighbors, I have my church mosque or synagogue, I have local charities, I have my city government, I have my county government, I have my state government, And Only Then, Only After ALL of Those Possibilities, are exhausted ineffective or inappropriate, ONLY THEN, do I look to Washington DC. 
I don't, I don't look to Bureaucrats thousands of miles away in the swamp of greed and corruption that is Washington DC FIRST, I don’t look to those people FIRST, to solve my problems. In Fact, I look at that as a nightmare scenario; where if I have a local problem, or if my arm hurts, or  my kid is hungry or my kid's teacher sucks, The Idea Of Looking At Those People FIRST? Those Bureaucrats in that GIGANTIC Morass? FIRST? To solve my sore elbow? Literally that is the NIGHTMARE SCENARIO, if that is my first option. THAT is what Conservatism is. Its not the idea that; “Screw You, Poor People, I Hope You Starve!”, It’s the question of who we look to for help, and do we look primarily to the Federal Government. The answer to me is not just no, its Hell No, its Bleeping Hell No, its Bleeping Bleep NO. Its Bleeping You Bleeping sons of Bleepers, BLEEPING NO! and I think that summarizes it. [Marshal: Pretty Well.] [He actually said "Bleep", no expletives were deleted]

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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Ezra Stiles 1790

The "Creed" of Benjamin Franklin

http://www.beliefnet.com/resourcelib/docs/44/Letter_from_Benjamin_Franklin_to_Ezra_Stiles_1.html 

Philada March 9. 1790

Reverend and Dear Sir,

I received your kind Letter of Jany 28, and am glad you have at length received the Portraits of Govr Yale from his Family, and deposited it in the College Library. He was a great and good Man, and has the Merit of doing infinite Service to your Country by his Munificence to that Institution. The Honour you propose doing me by placing in the same Room with his, is much too great for my Deserts; but you always had a Partiality for me, and to that it must be ascribed. I am however too much obliged to Yale College, the first learned Society that took Notice of me, and adorned me with its Honours, to refuse a Request that comes from it thro' so esteemed a Friend. But I do not think any one of the Portraits you mention as in my Possession worthy of the Place and Company you propose to place it in. You have an excellent Artist lately arrived. If he will undertake to make one for you, I shall chearfully pay the Expence: But he must not long delay setting about it, or I may slip thro' his Fingers, for I am now in my 85th Year's and very infirm.

I send with this a very learned Work, (as it seems to me) on the antient Samaritan Coins, lately printed in Spain, and at least curious for the Beauty of the Impression. Please to accept it for your College Library. I have subscribed for the Encyclopedia now printing here, with the Intention of presenting it to the College; I shall probably depart before the Work is finished, but shall leave Directions for its Continuance to the End. With this you will receive some of the first Numbers.

You desire to know something of my Religion. It is the first time I have been questioned upon it: But I do not take your Curiosity amiss, and shall endeavour in a few Words to gratify it. Here is my Creed: I believe in one God, Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by his Providence. That he ought to be worshipped. That the most acceptable Service we can render to him, is doing Good to his other Children. That the Soul of Man is immortal, and will be treated with Justice in another Life respecting its Conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental Principles of all sound Religion, and I regard them as you do, in whatever Sect I meet with them. As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the System of Morals and his Religion as he left them to us, the best the World ever saw, or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupting Changes, and I have with most of the present Dissenters in England, some Doubts as to his Divinity: tho' it is a Question I do not dogmatise upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an Opportunity of knowing the Truth with less Trouble. I see no harm however in its being believed, if that Belief has the good Consequence as probably it has, of making his Doctrines more respected and better observed, especially as I do not perceive that the Supreme takes it amiss, by distinguishing the Believers, in his Government of the World, with any particular Marks of his Displeasure. I shall only add respecting myself, that having experienced the Goodness of that Being, in conducting me prosperously thro' a long Life, I have no doubt of its Continuance in the next, tho' without the smallest Conceit of meriting such Goodness. My Sentiments in this Head you will see in the Copy of an old Letter enclosed, which I wrote in answer to one from a zealous Religionist whom I had relieved in a paralitic Case by Electricity, and who being afraid I should grow proud upon it, sent me his serious, tho' rather impertinent, Cautions. I send you also the Copy of another Letter, which will shew something of my Disposition relating to Religion. With great and sincere Esteem and Affection, I am, Dear Sir, Your obliged old Friend and most obedient humble Servant

B Franklin

p.s. Had not your College some Present of Books from the King of France? Please to let me know if you had an Expectation given you of more, and the Nature of that Expectation. I have a Reason for the Enquiry. (I confide, that you will not expose me to Criticism and Censure by publishing any part of this Communication to you. I have ever let others enjoy their religious Sentiments, without reflecting on them for those that appeared to me insupportable and even absurd. All Sects here, and we have a great Variety, have experienced my Good will in assisting them with Subscriptions for building their new Places of Worship, and as I have never opposed any of their Doctrines I hope to go out of the World in Peace with them all.)