Flag Burning

This is from Mike Rowe’s Facebook Page…
My comments follow at the end.

Mike Rowe
December 2 at 7:12pm ·

Off The Wall

Susanne McDaniel‎ writes…

“How did you become so blindly patriotic? First of all, the college you were referencing in your rant about the American flag is a private college and doesn’t receive federal funding. However…the very essence of freedom in this country is our right to speak out against the flag, which is a mere symbol. If you take away that right, then we have lost all freedom. You really need to take a civics course, Mike Rowe. I used to like you; but, you have really become very annoying to me in recent years. I thought you were more intelligent. But, I guess appearances aren’t everything.”

Hi Susanne

I’ve never thought of myself as “blindly patriotic,” but I am a fan of the United States, the founding fathers, and the men and women who have served on my behalf. I also confess to feeling lucky to live here. Having said that, I think you’re correct about the flag; it’s only a symbol. So too is the Crucifix. And the middle finger. And the Swastika. And the compressed chunks of carbon that millions wear on their ring fingers as expressions of timeless love and eternal devotion.

It’s easy to make anything feel small and silly by reducing it to its chemical composition or its various component parts. But if you really believe our flag is nothing but a “mere symbol,” equally suitable for flying or burning, ask yourself if you’d be comfortable if the people you work with suddenly started coming to the office in pointy white hats fashioned from bedsheets? Would that be a problem for you? Or how about The Rainbow Flag, favored by the LGBTQ community? Would it be OK if people started burning that? If not, why not? I mean, it’s only a symbol, right?

Years ago, an artist named Andres Serrano presented a charming piece called “Immersion.” It consisted of a Crucifix, immersed in a glass of the artist’s urine. Amazingly, some people were offended. Christians, in particular. They just couldn’t see that Andres was using a symbol to express himself. Silly Christians. Interesting though, that Andres didn’t submerge Mohammed in the same glass. I wonder why that is?

The thing about “mere symbols” Susanne, is that they represent “mere ideas,” and “mere ideas” are the backbone of “mere humanity.” In the case of the flag, we’re talking about ideas that are wrapped into the Constitution – a document that separates us from every other country on the planet.

Mere ideas are the reason people fight and die. Mere ideas are the reason we’re allowed to speak freely, protest publicly, bear arms, and burn the very symbol that represents those very freedoms. I didn’t suggest that you or anyone else be denied your right to fly or burn whatever flag you wish. What I failed to do, is quietly accept behavior I don’t care for. Which, if I’m not mistaken, is the same compulsion that motivates others to publicly express themselves in whatever ways they choose.

As for Hampshire College, I’m afraid you’re mistaken. If you check the link I provided in my original post, you’ll see that several forms of federal funding are readily available to their students. Also, according to their site, you’ll notice that the flag is once again flying at full staff. I’ll take no credit for this, if you offer no blame. Deal?

Finally, regarding my overall annoyance, you’re correct, and you’re not alone. I’ve been annoying people for years now. Just ask my mother. And yes, I too, once thought I was more intelligent than I actually am. I still remember the disappointment when the test results come back.

Anyway, thanks for your comments, Susanne. I do hope you’ll stick around.

Mike

While I agree with everything Mike says here, I’m going to stand up for Susanne.

My response is framed as a simple question to Mike;  Does the Flag still represent ‘…ideas that are wrapped into the Constitution – a document that separates us from every other country on the planet.’?

I would offer to Mr. Rowe that We have allowed the United States of America to wander so very far away from the Philosophically Enlightened Country born of an Age of Reason our Founders intended, and subsequently recorded in our Founding Documents, that Ms. McDaniel’s ignorance can be understood… if not accepted.  I would continue to offer that this has been an intentional effort championed by those who, while they profess the opposite, have no interest in Individual Rights and see the very Constitution cited above as an impediment… as… a limiting Document… when it comes to their ultimate aims.

Those of us who have taken the time to understand the Constitution know the intent is exactly as a limiting Document.  Our Founders applied a Governing Theory designed to elevate and protect the Individual above Government.

Mr. Rowe, does it?

And if not, what exactly is the symbolic value of the flag today?  Let me rephrase it, what is the symbolic value of the flag to the intentionally ignorant, usefully uniformed, such a Ms. McDaniel?

If Ms. McDaniel is assigning the flag symbolic value based on what she has been taught in our schools, and sees in daily demonstration, you are both speaking very different languages.

Ultimately, You are correct… and to some degree, and not in a way she would understand, so is she.

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Praying for Pragmatism

In every post-election interview the Leftists have been groping for Pragmatism.
They are Praying that Donald Trump is not an Ideologue, like President Obama, and will compromise with them on all policy decisions… until they can regain some power in the house, senate or both, two years from now.

You can smell the fear.

The Fear is not that Trump is coming for your children, gay, straight, hispanic, latino, black, asian, Irish, even the French etc.

The Fear is that Trump might actually put in place solutions regarding Immigration.

That’s it.

Just Immigration.

The Socialists in our country are afraid that he will indeed build a wall, fence, moat… whatever… and then move to the really scary part. They Fear he will create a work visa program which makes it easy, and legal, for our neighbors to the North and South of us to come here and work if they choose to. The Democrats realize that once legitimized in such a fashion these workers would no longer be paying Social Security under stolen Social Security Numbers… they would no longer be in the shadows… and most importantly, They would no longer be able to offer up the ridiculous argument that They should have the right to vote. And, if they do desire to become a citizen of the United States the debate now moves on to our actual immigration policies… That We Already Have… and don’t enforce. No more “They’re going to deport my Grandma!” Hogwash.

Whoa!

Adding insult to injury it would now fall upon the left to remove this work privilege from our neighbors if they ever want to save the Socialist Voting base for generations to come.

I dream of a number of things, but foremost is I dream of a wonderful explosion in private charities making available such things as education to ‘ex-pat Canadians and Mexicans’ who reside here for work. (If Mark Zuckerburg wants to fill Facebook full of brilliant Mexicans and Canadians… awesome!)  I dream of an explosion of hard-working, genuinely terrific, people coming here from Mexico and Canada to make some money and help support their families abroad. I dream the United States will not only benefit from this new influx of workers, but those workers will benefit from enjoying the bounty provided by American Exceptionalism and begin wondering why their respective home countries don’t embrace Free Market Capitalism as Governing Theory.

However…

I predict that the Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, will become Mr. Filibuster in the Senate… because the Liberal Leftists cannot afford for any of this to happen.

I also predict the Democrat Party will be the party of “No!” to all things.

It is going to be an interesting 4-years… possibly 8.

Cruz believes in God!?

If you’ve been paying attention over the last 48-hours you have certainly heard that Ted Cruz is Evil for a Major Reason.

Senator Cruz believes in God.

And as a result, Mr. Cruz believes that the Creator endowed all of us with Inalienable Rights. In other words, our rights come from our Creator… not Men.

Well there you go.

Those who support the “educated” idea that our rights come from Man cannot allow such apostacy to be uttered without laser-focused derision being poured upon it.

Clearly, to them, Ted Cruz is an idiot because of such a stupid idea.

Well…

I too believe in unalienable rights being bestowed upon us by our Creator…

However, I do not believe one needs to believe in God to accept this as the Enlightened Ideological premise protecting all of us from Tyranny, Oppression and Slavery.

I have good company. Namely the Founding Fathers.

The Founders were of varied Religious beliefs.  Indeed, primarily Judeo-Christian.  But they have divisions even within those ranks.  The language chosen for the Founding Documents was crafted with extreme intent.  They knew full well that Locke’s idea of Natural Law is justified by a belief in a Creator, Nature or for that matter The Universe.  The simple fact a Human Individual exists is all it takes.  And, The United States was going to be the First… and sadly after 250-years still the only, country on Earth to overtly build a society based on this Revolutionary Enlightenment Philosophy.  That is why America is Exceptional.

To put it simply, this idea that all of us have certain inalienable rights just because We Exist is why the United States Stands Alone.

It is no surprise that there are those who scoff at such an idea.

Specifically, because this idea stands in the way of Force. It obstructs those who wish to control us… persuade us… nudge us… into the choices they have decided are, well, ‘best’ for us. It prevents them from Forcing the Few to Sacrifice to the Many. It is the enemy of Social Democracy… otherwise known as Mob Rule.

The Remarkable Idea that being born gives one rights that are not ‘allowed’ by edict from a benevolent ruler… or group… is a profound irritant to those who seek Power over You.

It is why many of us out here claim, without hesitation, that many of our elected politicians Hate the very Constitution they have sworn to protect.  Because they do.

How do I know?

The brilliance of the men who designed this country left us with a governing structure that possessed the mechanics to change it if needed…  Those who Hate the Revolutionary Statement embedded in the Founding Documents are not interested in this mechanism because it necessarily alerts you to what They want to do.

And if there were ever an Axiom… Those that want to do Bad things To You can Never let you Know they Want to do Bad things To You.

You wouldn’t like that.  (Which is also why the Founders made “The Right to Bear Arms” second only to “The Right to Free Speech”.)

All of this will help you identify those people with whom you should disagree.  At a minimum, hold suspect.

Be Warned!  These people exist on Both Sides of ‘the aisle’.

I would offer All Democrats (As their Governing Philosophy is built upon the Foundation of Marxism) as well as a Majority of Republicans (As many of them subscribe to flavors of Marxist Socialism but lie to you to get elected.).  This doesn’t even address those outside of the aisle such as the Independents, Greens, Socialists, Communists and all other segments of political spice.

In the End, I expect resistance, and the type of derision I mention above, to come from ‘all sides’ when it comes to men like Republican Ted Cruz.  I suggest you’ll see such rhetoric coming from Democrats AND Republicans when Republican Rand Paul announces.  (Paul subscribes to the same foundation of Individual Rights.)

They are men of Principle.

They are not men of “getting along” or “working together” when it runs counter to the Original Intent of Individual Freedom and Liberty and Fiscal Responsibility.

Don’t fall into this trap.

Don’t discount a person who holds your Individuality as sacred because they do, or do not, believe.

While it doesn’t hurt, you don’t need to believe in God to understand the Wisdom in protecting the Individual.

Dust off your Thomas Payne (Age of Reason) and tell me I’m wrong.

America is at War

And you’re Fighting it.

Whether you like it, or not.

There are only two sides…

One is fighting for Freedom and Liberty of the Individual. 

They are fighting for their Right to their Labor, their Production and their Person.  They are Fighting for the Foundation This United States of America was built upon.  They are Free-Market Capitalists, and Their Ideology was born during the Enlightenment when long-held beliefs on the rule over men were discarded such as Might Makes Right, Divine Right to Rule, Destiny, Geography and Supremacy of Origin.

They clearly see that The Ultimate Minority is the Individual and He must be protected at all costs, or we will fall back into the horrors of Philosopher Kings where the few among us secure the power to oppress, enslave and destroy.  Or worse yet, a world of Pure Democracy where the Mob Rules and Oppression is determined by Majority approval.

The Other is fighting for the Power to Force.

They believe they alone are capable of comprehending Truth… that they alone know all there is to be known… that those who stand opposed to them are ignorant, selfish, foolish mystics while always failing to see the irony in their indictments.

They subscribe to the idea that the world is simply made up of The Stupid who must always be Forced to make the Right Decisions… in a matter of time deemed acceptable.  They believe The Stupid should simply remain silent, speaking only to say “Thank You” for the gift of being Set Free from personal responsibility.

They view themselves as Superior, and never, never, count themselves among those who must be led.

As if holding up a mirror, they see hideousness all around them. They project malevolent conspiracy upon the rest of us…

They convince themselves that the Individual is all that is Evil.

They Oppress, Enslave and Destroy in the Name of all that is Good while ignoring history’s littered millenia of despair resulting from their actions.

They call themselves Elite, Liberal, Progressive, Socialist, Communist, Marxist, Leftist, Democrat, Republican, Environmentalist, Independent, Labor, Nazi, Workers, Theocracy, Oligarchy, King, Queen, Dictator, Tyrant, Plutocrat, Monarchist, Caliphate, Royalty, Social Democracy…  all of them various labels for the same thing.

Far, far, too many names to state the same idea, simply that you must sacrifice for those who have the power to demand it.  You must freely surrender whatever you have that someone else may want, if that person has the power to take it.

It means you must become a slave.

And this Second Group runs Every Country on Earth…

Because of the Brilliance of our Founding Fathers, and the written Documents forever outlining this Grand Experiment, The United States of America is the only place remaining where The Second Group meets resistance.

But we are losing.  And our Resistance is waning.

Our Liberty and our Freedom is melting away because we either do not recognize, or do not wish to recognize, what is happening right in front of us.

We have been taught to abdicate our Personal Responsibility to those in power.  And we are doing it Gleefully.

We have been taught to Give Up trying to resist.  And we do Stoically as if there is Wisdom in doing so.

We have been taught to Compromise with the Oppressors.  And we Cheer and Chant of Bipartisanship.

The Few left who Resist are labeled as ‘Extreme’, ‘Delusional’ and even ‘Terrorists’ by our Leaders in Washington D.C.  They are marginalized by the Media.  The are condemned by those who use their Ideology Rhetorically, only to get elected.

It is in the interest of the Socialists who run this country for you to forget why this country is exceptional.

They want you to meet their Evil half-way… in the name of pragmatism.  In the name of getting things done.

They want you to surrender to The State… to Them… even if it is only in increments.

Then They want you to join Them in chastising, ridiculing and deriding all of those who cling to the idea our Freedom and Liberty as Individuals is inalienable.

They want you to fail to understand that there can be no Cooperation, Charity or Gratuity where there is Force, lest you realize their Evil for what it is.

They are Thieves of Reason, Thieves of Freedom, Thieves of Liberty and Choice.

In the End, They want you to believe that the Enlightenment Ideology of the Individual is for the ignorant, and involuntary Sacrifice for the Community is for the Good of Mankind, because it is They who demand the ability to decide who must sacrifice and who will be allowed to benefit.

The Nature of their success is your failure to recognize the danger of what you’ve supported…

…until you’re the one being sacrificed.

Which Side are you on?

“Why do people Hate Capitalism?”

(I’m addressing this as it shows up in my ‘top search’ stats almost daily.)

The reason so many people Hate Capitalism is because we are all being told, via the Mass Media and our Leftist Elected Officials World over, that Fascism is Capitalism.

Read the above line again… slowly… I’ll wait.

Done?

OK then.  Here we go.

Fascism is not Capitalism.  Capitalism is not Fascism.  The two are mutually exclusive.

Fascism is simply a variant of Socialism.  It provides for private ownership of business as long as the businesses, and the owners, are controlled by Government via taxation, regulation, party membership, political dictate etc.  That’s the only difference.  All other aspects of Fascism are purely Socialist in nature.

The above sets up a model where it appears Corporations Control Government… and that ‘control’ allows them to profit utilizing Government Force.  While this is true, it’s only half right.  Well, not exactly half right… it’s actually half right but reversed.

It is Government Force which controls Business and that Force places Business in the position of having to support Politicians.

There it is.

It’s always Force…

So the truth is found in the other half of the equation.  When you realize that the politicians use this power, or the threat of it, so they can extort donations (most often in the most subtle, gentle and softly insidious ways) from the business owners, you gave arrived at understanding the state we are currently in.

But, as is typical, the Left intentionally sees only half of the problem.  They want you to blame the Corporations and never the Government.

But you can’t Blame the Corporations and not also Blame the Government…

The Federal Government was never intended to have the power which business owners would find attractive enough to enter into such an incestuous relationship.

So now that you understand the problem, what do we do about it?

The only way to get to real Free-Market Capitalism is to remove the ability of Force from the Federal Government over Business.

What this means is Polticians at the Federal must be returned to their previous state of limit upon their power to grant favors and create ‘barriers to entry’ within the market place.

Once removed, businesses will not be incented to give large sums of money to elected officials save for ideological reasons.

This would go a long way to restoring the United States to its once great place in the World.

At the end of the day, the Left will always Hate Capitalism, and the Voluntary Exchange associated with it, because it does not require the ‘brilliance’ of their control.  It works just fine without their help.  Clearly Administrators will never like such an idea.

If you’re a person who thinks they know what’s best for everyone else… Freedom and Liberty of the Individual combined with the Natural Right to be secure in one’s property… all protected by Free markets and Constitutionally Limited Government… are extraordinarily crappy ideas.  And whatever it takes to gain and maintain control over others will be preferred to truth.

For the rest of us, we have to recognize we are being lied to about what Capitalism is.

And we must recognize its intentional.

The Socialists hope we’ll think Capitalism is the root of all Evil, when in fact it’s Socialism that Sucks.

Abdicating our Moral Authority

It has long been the Leftist goal to remove Moral Authority from the United States.

And, it seems they have.

To tap out the rest of this post demands a discussion on American Exceptionalism.  So here goes.

Liberals would have you believe American Exceptionalism is the feeling American’s have where they see themselves as Superior Individuals compared to all the rest of the Worlds inhabitants.  It’s imperative for the Progressive Left to keep this definition alive in the minds of their followers because a genuine understanding of American Exceptionalism would lead their minions away from the Socialist Agenda for America.

In truth, American Exceptionalism in not about you, me, or any individual.  It’s about the way this country was founded.  When the term American Exceptionalism is employed it refers to the Freedom and Liberty of the Individual this Country was designed to protect.  It refers to our Natural Right’s which we possess not by the grace of government but by the fact we Exist as Individual Human Beings.  It refers to a structure unique in the World.  An Experiment which has demonstrated Self Governance and the profound acceleration of achievement such Liberty and Freedom fosters.  We were designed to Govern from the Bottom Up… not from the Top Down.  We were established where Government worked for us and was intentionally kept small so not to interfere with our lives.  This Design separates us from every other country in the World, or at least it once did.  And the reason this has changed is not because other Nations have adopted our Revolutionary Idea of Government.  Quite the opposite.

But back to the point, the Left cannot have an honest conversation regarding American Exceptionalism because it supports removal of the power of State over Citizen.  It questions the application of Force the Social Democrat requires in order to guarantee you’re making the ‘choices’ they demand you make.  And that kind of questioning cannot be allowed.

So here we are…

What frayed remnants of the United States’ original form we see today is very close to being beyond mending.

The Socialist Left has been able, through a determined war of attrition, to dismantle the protections once held so closely by every American Citizen.  They have overtly disregarded the Constitution by placing Liberal Judges in appointed positions to ‘interpret’ law in whatever way favors their agenda, convinced the public to elect politicians who refuse to be honest about their designs for the country until they wrest enough influence that they cannot be stopped, and most insidiously created Addicts of the Citizenry by handing them other people’s money and making them dependents upon the Statist system… thus cementing their hold on power.

After decades of the above,

We can no longer claim to be the Champions of Freedom and Liberty.

We can no longer claim to stand for Individual Rights and Self Governance.

There was a time our adventures around the Globe were cloaked in the mantle of Moral Superiority.

Rightly so.

And that Superiority was recognized by the World.

No other Country on Earth had the long waiting lists of those who wished to enjoy the Freedoms The United States offered to every Individual.

There can be no greater endorsement of this Great Experiment.

But in a relative short period of time, the Left has succeeded in creating an America that is similar if not identical to every Socialist Democracy World over.  They achieved this by abandoning the Individual for the State.  Their Victory is the Moral high ground once possessed by the united States has been lost.

Like a self-fulfilling prophecy, The Progressives have long told us we are oppressors, and have subsequently made us so through their actions.

The United States is not Special.  Or certainly not as special as it once was.

We have stood (and some might offer standing) idly by and watched the death of the Individual, and all the creativity, energy and drive that free human beings bring to the World.

There is no longer such a thing as American Exceptionalism.

The Left has finally created the World they accused us of having all along.

And, as it is with all things Marxist… nothing can be unique.

Through the designs of the Liberal Left, We have abdicated our moral authority… and become everyone else.

Now that we Ceded our Moral Authority, we must question everything our Country does.  We must question every decision our Representatives make.  We must join the World in mistrust of American Actions…

…just not for the same reasons.

Can we return to being the Shining City on the Hill?

Or, Will we stand by while our light is extinguished and allow ourselves to be forever hidden from a World longing for Freedom?

To the last question… Apparently, yes.

Libertarian Dissonance

Or, Who are We?

Over the last 72 hours I’ve heard a growing number of TEA Party Conservative Types trying to square their Libertarian views with what’s going on in Europe.

The dilemma seems to be the Libertarian Ideal of Non-intervention versus the United States’ promises which have been made through Treaties.

I confess… After, After, After being Anti-Socialist, I’m more Libertarian than anything else. Even so, I believe we must honor those commitments made through treaty. It’s True I’m not interested in being the world’s policeman, and I would work diligently to remove the United States from many of the commitments we have made decades past, but until that happens we must honor those we’ve made.

The reason I feel this way is we have nothing on the World stage if not our word.  And I guarantee there will be times we need those who have made agreements with us, the U.S., to honor Their promises.

So here we are… today… facing What it Is, not What we may Wish it to be.

The desire to not intervene is understandable…

Once upon a time, The United States stood for Liberty and Freedom of the Individual. It was a radical idea born out of the Enlightenment. This idea led to the formation of a Nation governed by Law instead of Men.  We used to want Other’s to have Individual Freedom and Liberty…

We used to have a Mission.  But we have wandered far from those ideals once at the forefront of our Foreign Policy and most importantly our Domestic Policy.

Because of that I can relate to those out there who believe we need to focus on our own home-grown problems at this point in time.

And,

Do I want to run around the world and commit Men and Material in defense of people I do not know, who apparently don’t like us?  No, I don’t.

I would prefer Countries in need of our help ask us directly… that would be the alternative to treaties as far as I’m concerned. You need us? Just Yell so Everyone can hear you.  If you decide to champion Freedom and Liberty of the Individual, we’ll help.  If not, you’re on your own.  Good Luck.

But those are not the circumstances at the moment.  We have Obligations, whether we like them or not.

But that really isn’t the issue in my opinion.

The Real Problem is what makes us any different from those we wish to oppose?

That should be the Primary Question facing all of us as we watch Russia “take back” what they believe to be theirs.

What do we stand for?

Why Should the Ukraine, or any other Nation for that matter, ask for our help?

What do we represent that is worth those in other Countries to risk dying for?

These are not rhetorical questions… I’m not sure I know anymore. And I don’t think they do either, which may be why they’re not asking for our help.

All of this aside, promoting a position of standing aside because of Libertarian principles, or because you might enjoy this current Administration looking like Fools (Which they most certainly do…) is to allow those who see the faults of Communism/Socialism to remain Slaves of it.

At the End of the Day I am Anti-Socialist first. All other things second. I am not interested in giving anything to Socialists, Ever. Ever.

I hope there will be more Thinking about where this is all headed and less Reveling in the Mess created by Progressive Buffoons.  Yes, they’re idiots who cause more problems than they solve… so vote accordingly.  Right now we have a problem and it has to do with the disappearance of American Exceptionalism.

(I will issue only one warning… there will be those Progressive-Liberal Republicans like McCain and Graham out on the networks hoping to win favor with people like me.   They will not. They are a distinction without a difference when it comes to Socialism. Their time, that should never have come, is past.)

The events we’ve seen unfolding over the last several years from Georgia to Syria to Cyprus to Ukraine… to Russian Destroyers in Cuba to North Korea getting the Nuke and the Means to send it, to China poking Japan and promising to “unify” Taiwan and on and on… all leads to it “not being okay”.

There is a War going on.

All is not Calm.

And if we don’t take a position the rest of the world hears and understands clearly, all will not be calm.

What Position will that be?

What will we Stand Tall for?

(As an Aside:  The Libertarians have a similar problem with Immigration.  Ideally we are Open Borders.  The Problem is the Poison Pill of the Entitlement State.  Too many of us fail to recognize a Trap even when it is made By Fools.  Which makes Us Fools.  That’s why we must Makeaneffort.)