Get Off Our Ass

Okay, so anyone who has followed the drama that has developed since President Obama gave his multiple opinions on the mosque ‘at’ the World Trade Center knows that this has turned into a national debate and everyone under the sun has an opinion.

I even have an opinion… but I’m actually not writing to push my personal opinion, though I’ll happily tell you what it is, but rather I’m writing today to comment on what this debate really says about US, the people of these ‘United States’  and what the heck is wrong with us.

So, I’ll start by coming out with it and giving my take on it. Long story, short… a Right is quite different from being right. I believe that you ought to have the Right to do just about anything you like so long as you don’t take my blood or pick my pocket (to put it briefly). At the same time, I don’t think it’s right for anyone to do half the things they do, especially the things they do in places like San Francisco.

I think that the Klan as a Right to hate anyone they choose, but I don’t think it would be right for them to build a KKK Cultural Center across the street from MLK’s grave.

That’s my opinion.

But, what I find interesting isn’t so much which side of the debate everyone comes down on, as much as what the debate itself says about America and the state that we’re in. I’m actually surprised at how divisive this debate seems to be. Generally speaking, I’m all for raucous debate. I’m not one of these people that get offended by passionate people passionately debating their points of view. I welcome it. I don’t mind name calling. I don’t mind calling an idiot an idiot. I don’t mind calling a racist a racist. I don’t mind calling a socialist a socialist… that is sometimes just part of it and it’s been part of it since this country was founded. You want to see some vicious arguments… read American history. Read the founders. Read John Hamilton. Read Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Read what some even said about George Washington towards the end of his tenure as President of the United States.

Hell, I’m more offended by this totally non-offensive political correctness that seems to have been inserted into our discourse. Oh my… heaven forbid we offend a Muslim by saying that Islam is the enemy of liberty.

Let me say flatly… Islam is the enemy of Liberty…. Period.

Now, that said, does it mean that all Muslims are evil? No. I don’t believe that all Nazis were evil. I don’t believe that all communists were evil. I do believe that Nazism, Communism, and Islam… as ideologies and forms of government, are indeed evil. I believe that each, in their own ways are the enemy of liberty.

Now, I’m generally a pretty big fan of organizations like the Cato Institute. If you don’t know, Cato is a libertarian think tank. It’s not a partisan organization. Like me, they’re against the Democrats as much as they’re against Republicans.

Now, it seems that their take is that, as a Libertarian group, the entire mosque issue is a red-herring. Which, on one level it may be. I guarantee that there will be plenty of politicians that make the mosque the issue diseur. They will make it the biggest issue facing the future or the nation… it’s not.

So, to be clear, I don’t think that a mosque near ground zero is going to have anything to do with me living out here in Western Oklahoma, USA.

The debate that has erupted from it will.

You see, on one side you have a group of people (and I’ll give them credit, most are probably heart felt, kind, considerate people… most mind you) that call for tolerance and inclusiveness. Many of those people feel that to argue against the mosque is tantamount to arguing against the principles of freedom of religion that is at the core of the American ideal. I get it.

I see their point.

They’re wrong, but I see their point.

From John Locke’s ‘Letter Concerning Toleration’:

I say these have no right to be tolerated by the magistrate; as neither those that will not own and teach the duty of tolerating all men in matters of mere religion. For what do all these and the like doctrines signify, but that they may and are ready upon any occasion to seize the Government and possess themselves of the estates and fortunes of their fellow subjects; and that they only ask leave to be tolerated by the magistrate so long until they find themselves strong enough to effect it?

 Again: That Church can have no right to be tolerated by the magistrate which is constituted upon such a bottom that all those who enter into it do thereby ipso facto deliver themselves up to the protection and service of another prince. For by this means the magistrate would give way to the settling of a foreign jurisdiction in his own country and suffer his own people to be listed, as it were, for soldiers against his own Government. Nor does the frivolous and fallacious distinction between the Court and the Church afford any remedy to this inconvenience; especially when both the one and the other are equally subject to the absolute authority of the same person, who has not only power to persuade the members of his Church to whatsoever he lists, either as purely religious, or in order thereunto, but can also enjoin it them on pain of eternal fire. It is ridiculous for any one to profess himself to be a Mahometan only in his religion, but in everything else a faithful subject to a Christian magistrate, whilst at the same time he acknowledges himself bound to yield blind obedience to the Mufti of Constantinople, who himself is entirely obedient to the Ottoman Emperor and frames the feigned oracles of that religion according to his pleasure. But this Mahometan living amongst Christians would yet more apparently renounce their government if he acknowledged the same person to be head of his Church who is the supreme magistrate in the state.

So, 400 years ago, one of the men who birthed the idea of religious freedom that found its way into our First Amendment…

… made a specific exception for Islam.

To make a long story short, Locke argued that we must be careful about being tolerant towards those who would use our toleration as a means to subvert us, which history will tell us that that is what Islam does as a matter of practice.

It’s not unlike Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals”. One of his tactics was to use our own tolerance against us. Use our freedom of speech to allow speech that would preach tyranny.

So, while I don’t think that the mosque will harm America… the idea that we must be tolerant of Islam for the sake of toleration is. We can afford to be intolerant of ideologies that preach hatred. We can afford to be intolerant of ideologies that preach the subjugation of women. We can be intolerant of ideologies that, well produce states like Saudi Arabia and Iran that don’t give a flyin’ flip about civil rights, human rights or any rights.

No, not just any old person, but a really old a really old person. Well, not just any really old person, but a really old person that voted for (or by proxy elected someone to vote for) the original Social Security program. That person would have to be somewhere in their 90’s or older so don’t slap them too hard, I would probably settle for yelling at the old farts for loading, not their children, not even their grandchildren, but their great-grandchildren down with debt.  

We didn’t always have Social Security. It was originally a ‘New Deal’, Depression era program that was passed in August of 1935 and didn’t go in effect until several years later. It was originally set up as a welfare program for old, disabled and unemployed. I really doubt that even those that voted for it intended to be a burden to their great-grandchildren. At the time, it was a program to help the old and needed… and who could argue against helping the old and the needy?

Originally, the Social Security (aka OASDI & HI) tax was only 2% (1% from you and 1% from your boss for you). Now, 74 years later it’s only up to 15.3% (7.65% from you and 7.65% from your boss for you). Now, what kind of selfish person would argue with chipping in 2% of their income to help the poor and elderly? That argument goes a long way until that 2% grows to more than 15%.

Even the argument at 15% might go a little way, until you find out that 15% isn’t even going to be enough to cover what the government is owes in a very few years. That means that our kids aren’t going to be looking at 15%. They’re going to pay progressively more and more every year as more old people retire (and sit on their ass for 20 years drawing welfare), and the ratio between those who are paying into Social Security and those who are collecting Social Security gets smaller and smaller.

So, that really old person that voted for Social Security, and all of their good intentions, have really left a major screwed up mess for their great-grandchildren great-great-grandchildren.

Now, this as much as I’d love to talk about the royal screw-up called Social Security, this isn’t about Social Security. It’s more about the fact that my great-grandparents passed a program off onto me, that I don’t want, and I didn’t get a say about it. I didn’t get a vote on Social Security.

Did you?

Now, I really don’t care about your specific view on Social Security. I’d just like to hear from anyone who’s paying for it, that didn’t get a vote on it… and happy about it (‘IT’ being the fact that you did NOT get a vote for it).

Now, here is the real rub, and the point that I’ve been working towards… we’re ready to do the same thing to our children and grandchildren (and great-grandchildren) this healthcare system is going to be nearly ‘free’, not unlike the great-grandparents who only voted for a mere 2% tax that’s now grown to more than 15% (and will soon grow to more than 15%).

Even IF (and that’s a mighty big IF) these programs, like healthcare, cap-n-trade or whatever the program of the week is, didn’t grow out of control (like most government programs do) what kind of people impose these programs on their descendants who don’t have a say in it, but will be saddled with it.

Is that no better than the taxation without representation that we rebelled from England for?

How about… having a little foresight. Once these programs are in place, and once people get the idea that they’re ‘entitled’ to these programs, they’re impossible to rescind. Instead of imposing upon our children, a program that they’ll never be able to free themselves from, and our children will never get a say-so on, find a way to take care of ourselves without enslaving our kids.

How about… giving our children the respect that our great-grandparents didn’t have for us.

I don’t want to be sitting here in 50 years and have my grandkids mad at me because we made a decision for them, that they didn’t get a say in.

I don’t really want to get slapped by my grandkids because I loaded them up with bills that I ran up in their name. (and if my kids are any indication what my grandkids will be like, I’d be in trouble)

I know I’ve been asked a hundred times, “What can I DO?” I know, there are thousands of other pundits that will give you their opinion; speak up, go to Tea Parties, speak up at Town Halls…

And, all of that might be fine. I’m not saying that any of these ideas are bad, but I know that none of these things will protect you or insulate you. So… here is my list of things that I have done and that I do.

Only when enough people take care of themselves will we be able to get the politicians and bureaucrats OFF OUR ASS.

Take your life in YOUR hands… fix yourself and only then will they GET OFF OUR ASS. They will not GET OFF OUR ASS willingly… we’re going to have to fix ourselves to THROW THEM OFF.

“I am Sovereign” is one of my favorite phrases, right up there with “Get Off Our Ass”. They go hand in hand, two ways of saying the same thing. Both phrases should be shouted from the rooftops of every free man and woman’s home, every free business man or woman’s business. We should teach our children that THEY are sovereign.

It is one of the core, fundamental American ideals. It is in part how we came up with the principle that “All Men are Created Equal”. As it stands today, as Orwell so quaintly stated, many people are just ‘more equal’ than others.

Today, we are not all created equal. It strikes me as funny that a bunch of millionaires can take as much money as they want (from us) and give it to other millionaires… to bankers and CEO’s and community organizers.

Now, I cannot walk into anyone’s home, take their money and give it to my friends, relatives and supporters. I would be arrested, put in jail and tried and probably convicted. But for some reason, “we the people” have gotten it into our heads that our elected leaders have the power to reach into our paychecks and take our money and give to their friends, relatives and supporters… and they just get reelected.

So, something is wrong here. Are we not ‘all created equal’? I guess not.

Well, the problem, as much as it’s the people who willingly take as much power (and money) from the people, lies mostly at the feet of the people who willingly abdicate their own authority. The problem is the people who fail to think and act like and believe that, “I am Sovereign.”

“I am Sovereign.” What the heck does that mean anyway? It means, in short, that I am my ruler. In this country, we do not elect our rulers, we elect our representatives. (See Democracy vs. Republic, & What Does it Mean to be Republican)

“I am Sovereign” means that that man or woman that I just sent to Washington DC (or OKC as it might be) does not have more power than me, but less. They are not my master, they are my servant. They do not rule over me… I rule over them.

And as I rule over them… because I am Sovereign… they cannot dictate what kind of light bulb I have in my own, they cannot dictate to me what kind of toilet I have in my home, and they cannot dictate to me what kind of healthcare I have for my family.

Now, there is a flip side to being a Sovereign individual. Being Sovereign means that with every right that you hold comes with it an equal measure of responsibility. It’s the responsibility part were most of the ‘people’ fall flat on their ass.

It’s hard for you to demand that our politicians get off our ass if YOU are not taking care of business like a Sovereign individual should be. The only reason why the politicians can keep a tight hold on Social Security is because there are so few people taking responsibility for their own ‘Social Security’. The only reason that there is a chance of them taking control of our healthcare is because there are so many people that are not being responsible individuals and taking care of their own health.

That is just another dividing line in this country. I know I lead my life like I was a Sovereign individual… meaning that if the mighty fedzilla were to fall, I would be okay. My family would be okay. It might be a challenge and it might be difficult without the federal bureaucracy to get in the way of actually LIVING like a Sovereign individual… but I think I’d get along.

How many other people could say that? Can YOU? If tomorrow morning you woke up and the government were the size that it was when it was founded, meaning no Social Security, no public schools, no FDA, no ATF, no FBI, no Medicare, Medicaid, no safety net, and no big brother to take care of you… how would you get along?

I challenge you to ask yourself that question. What would you do if that pet government program were gone? Ask your friends and your family that question.

If you can’t answer that question by saying that you would be fine without a government check or a government bailout or government protection… then you are NOT living up to standards that our founders envisioned for you. If you are dependant on politicians… then you are not free.

And if my welfare and the welfare of my family were laid into the hands of a bunch of lawyers and politicians, I would be terrified.

So my greatest desire is that you, and every American, stands up and yells “I am Sovereign”… and “Get Off Our Ass”… and then that you also take the responsibility for your own life back from the lawyers and politicians and finally… for once in the last 100 years… learn to live as free, responsible… Sovereign Americans.

(Now, I would like to add that I am a Christian and Jesus Christ is my Lord. When I say that I am Sovereign, I mean regarding any man or woman born [to a mother and father] on this Earth)

So, Miss Carrie Prejean is now just another victim. What the hell.

Now, I applaud her answer when she was asked about gay marriage… hell I agree with her. I know being from the People’s Republic of California, it took a lot of courage to stand up there on stage and tell the world that she marriage is between a man and a woman.

Now, I could go on for a while about the whole gay marriage debate, but suffice to say that gay marriage is to marriage what three wheels are to a bicycle. If you want to be a knob-gobbling rump ranger, go for it, but that has nothing to do with marriage. A bicycle has two wheels. If you have three wheels then you can’t call it a bicycle no matter how much you stomp your feet and whine. Marriage is between a man and a woman. Two men or two women or three women and one man or… well we could all assign different names to it… but none of them would be marriage.

Now, that said… Miss Prejean is now filling a discrimination suit against the Miss California organization, and I’ll grant her, she is probably in the right, but in filling her lawsuit and going to the media whining and complaining about how she’s been mistreated has done nothing except turn herself into just another class of victim.

And, personally, I think we’ve got enough victims in this country. We don’t need any more… not even the pretty blonde kinds that I would otherwise agree with.

My greatest desire is simply to get big brother off my ass. Period. Now, I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been wronged in one way or another by someone somewhere. Myself included. But just because we’ve been ‘wronged’ doesn’t mean we have to turn to the big bro’ to fix it for us.

Most of the time, we have to simply stand up face the fact that we’re probably paying some kind of stupid tax for letting someone else get into the position to put one over on us.

Miss Prejean will no doubt sell a lot of books, and probably get a great gig on TV somewhere. She might even be able to parley this ordeal into a pretty good career, but if she truly hold heartfelt conservative Christian values… then she was just dumb to expect the Miss California organization to embrace her and support her. DUMB. Period.

Instead of looking like a whiner that’s playing the victim card, she’d get a lot more respect from me by saying, “Yep… that was pretty dumb of me and I’m better off parting ways with these left wing loonies.”

But alas, no… now she’s playing the victim and I respect her about as much as any other victim…

That’s just not the sort of people I want to support.