It is not the function of our Government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the Government from falling into error.

— Robert Houghwout Jackson, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and Chief Judge at the War-Crimes Tribunal in Nuremberg

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Ron Paul didn’t just jump on the bandwagon criticizing the declining dollar.  He’s been leading the parade against our doomed federal monetary policies for years.

Time to listen to Texas Congressman Ron Paul, the lone voice of reason in Congress today who’s got to feel like he’s shouting into a field of cotton with his repeated warnings about the dangers of a collapsing dollar, while the administration goes AWOL on the problem.

The dollar just hit a record intraday low against the euro on reports that consumer confidence levels have dropped to levels not seen since the post-Watergate era. It is down 7% year to date against the Chinese renminbi, it’s weaker than the Japanese yen and the Canadian loonie.

The joke is the greenback is now only stronger than the Mexican pesos and the Zimbabwe dollar, an overstatement for dramatic effect, to be sure.But since hitting a peak in 2002, the dollar has lost about a quarter of its value against a trade weighted basket of currencies.

. . . Congressman Paul rightfully warns us when he says the US government has “systematically undermined” the US dollar by expanding “the money supply at will for financing war or manipulating the economy with little resistance from Congress–while benefiting the special interests that influence government.”

. . . “Empires fail because they run out of money, or more accurately, run out of the ability to spend or inflate,” Congressman Paul warns. “We need to control spending, immediately, before it is too late.”

Emac’s Stock Watch | Fox Business

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Ron Paul may not have won the Republican nomination, but he surely is a winner.  And, when Ron Paul wins, the country wins!

But even if Paul’s ideological purity is never going to get him to the White House, it does help illuminate the impurities — and sometimes the hypocrisies — of today’s Republicans, just as Ralph Nader can do for the Democrats. The G.O.P. candidates all claimed to defend taxpayers, but Paul was the only one who refused to accept a taxpayer-funded pension or taxpayer-funded junkets. The candidates all talked about shrinking big government, but Paul was the only one who included the Pentagon and NSA wiretaps and petroleum subsidies in his definition. Bush’s approval ratings have been abysmal for years, but Paul was the only Republican who really campaigned for change.

And in doing so Paul illustrated what was so striking about the Republican race. The leading candidates had all strayed from Bush and current orthodoxy in the past — Rudy Giuliani on abortion and gay rights, John McCain on tax cuts, torture, health care and campaign finance, Mitt Romney on just about everything. But while Paul was getting attacked every time he called for a new direction, the rest spent the primaries minimizing and renouncing their previous departures, implicitly promising four more years of Bushism. McCain is lucky he has some time to craft a new message, because that’s not where America stands today, either.

Read it all:  Why Ron Paul Scares the GOP - TIME

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In large states public education will always be mediocre, for the same reason that in large kitchens the cooking is usually bad.

— Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Human All-too-Human [1878]

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The Brookings Institution calls for a “seamless border” for residents of the Great Lakes region, eliminating the hindrance caused by increased security measures since 9/11.

A report from a prestigious U.S. think-tank released Sunday argues that Canada and the U.S. should work together with the aim of creating a common market for commerce and labour by 2030 for the states and provinces in the Great Lakes basin.

It also takes aim at obstacles to trade in the region, such as traffic congestion at the Ambassador Bridge linking Windsor and Detroit.

Think-tank calls for United States of Great Lakes

National, New York State | No Comments »

Spring means one thing, the start of the outdoor cooking season.  Who cares if it’s 29 degrees with a stiff breeze?  I don’t.  Nothing says spring like some hickory smoked dry rubbed ribs cooked over hardwood charcoal and chunks of hickory.  I should be digging into these delectable delights within the hour.  Yum!

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Describing myself as a java junkie would probably be an understatement.  Understandably, I was excited to find out that Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company is currently recruiting beta testers.  HT to AllThingsJennifer for this delicious find.

Thus far, well over 1000 blogs have signed up as potential beta testers.  I am crossing my fingers and hoping to be one of the chosen ones.  I currently purchase freshly roasted whole beans from two different sites; CoffeeAm.com and Aprescafe.com.  My preference has been toward the Tanzanian and Costa Rican varieties of beans.

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It appears that the Supreme Court is poised to correctly interpret the 2nd Amendment.  The whole notion seems rather foolish when the words are analyzed against historical documents.  However, we have been subjected to a progressive court far too many times, leading to the erosion of a just and constitutional republic.

What, Sir, is the use of a militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty…. Whenever Governments mean to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order to raise an army upon their ruins.

— Rep. Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts,
Floor debate over the Second Amendment [1789]

Follow this link to listen to the oral arguments for District of Columbia v. Heller, heard by the Supreme Court, Tuesday, March 18, 2008.  A decision is expected during late June.  Justice Kennedy, often a swing vote, appears to be leaning toward recognizing, for the first time by the Supreme Court, an individual’s right to own arms.

Government, Musings, National | No Comments »

This video seems to typify the bulk of the nightly news lately.

NYS Dems Gone Wild

Musings | No Comments »

As the evidence of global warming mounts the masses are relieving themselves with cold delights from Dairy Queen.  Never mind that this is the first day of Spring and the high temperature is about 12 degrees below normal.  Patrick Krey has pointed out the need of the British government to fight cow flatulence with taxation.  If there were ever a more convincing argument that we are soon going to bake the planet, I haven’t heard it.

Enjoy the beautiful spring weather here in Western New York, compliments of global warming.

Click the pic above for the large version.  Guess the number of snowflakes correctly and you could win the Al Gore Greenie Award!  Look at the way Al is smiling.  Maybe he has gas and is causing global warming?

Time to bundle up and go get a Blizzard.

Government Waste, Musings, National | 2 Comments »

The status quo politicians will go to great lengths to divert our attention from the real problems facing this country.

• A rapidly devaluing dollar
• An economy that is tanking
• Approximately 4,000 U.S. soldiers dead in a war that should never have been started
• Ever-expanding government
• Decreasing freedoms and disappearing “rights”

If racism were truly a top level problem, we would be in much better shape as a country. As it stands now, government programs are the problem AND they perpetuate racism/classism. Individual classism is ugly, but nothing compared to the structural classism of progressive America.

Technorati tags: racism, classism, government, Barack Obama, politicians

National | No Comments »

If you have a cat, do not get an Easter Lilly for your home.

ScienceDaily (Mar. 21, 2003) — With the Easter holiday approaching, cat owners should be aware that Easter lilies pose a potential health hazard to their pets.

“Cats can be poisoned by ingesting one or two leaves or flowers,” said Wilson Rumbeiha, assistant professor of pathobiology and diagnostic investigation at Michigan State University.

Symptoms can start within 30 minutes of ingesting leaves or flowers, Rumbeiha said. The first symptom is depression, followed by vomiting, loss of appetite, and loss in body weight. Acute renal failure starts at about 48 hours post-ingestion.

“Easter lily poisoning is a problem of indoor cats and affects cats of either sex and all ages,” he said.

While on the subject of cats, below are a couple of photos Mr. P. - short for Mr. President.  He became a member of the household about 2 months ago.  My sister took him in from my niece when she moved.  However, there were already 4 cats in my sister’s house and Mr. P. did not get along with them.  He liked to attack the other cats.

Since he started living here, he has become a very loyal kitty.  It turns out that Siamese cats are very loyal to their owner.  This is partly explained by the facts that Siamese cats have inferior night vision and hearing compared to other cats.  That has led to them depending on humans for their survival.

If you’re looking for a cat with personality that loves to sit on your lap and follow you around, a Siamese is the way to go.  Click on either of Mr. P’s photos for an enlarged version.

I have since learned that cats will sleep up to 16 hours per day.  What a life!

Easter Lilies Deadly To Cats

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The recent controversy over Barack Obama and the views of Reverend Wright are very disturbing.  Barack’s explanation that he never heard the Reverend using inflammatory rhetoric is quite unbelievable.  There are over a dozen DVDs for sale depicting the hate filled sermons of Jeremiah Wright.  Barack attended the church for 20 years and was even married by the Reverend.

At worst, Barack subscribes to the rantings of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.  At best, he appears to endorse special treatment for a large segment of society.  Either one of these positions is unacceptable for the President of the United States.  We need a President who will end the government programs that perpetuate poverty among minorities, and others.  We need a President who will encourage economic growth, through reduced government spending, that will provide opportunities for all.

People can not ask for more than an opportunity, it is up to them what they do with it.

On Friday, Obama had to distance himself from his spiritual mentor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., former pastor of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ, over statements widely viewed as being anti-American. Obama has been a member of the church for two decades.

White Male Vote Especially Critical - washingtonpost.com

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But she has no brains! Instead of trying to squelch an investigation in to the alleged wrong doings under her watch, she should be welcoming any investigation that uncovers the truth. Unless, she is guilty as charged.

McKinley High School Principal Crystal Barton is requesting that School Board member Ralph Hernandez be censured for seeking a state investigation into allegations of improprieties at the school.

In light of the serious allegations, it is time for Crystal Barton to step aside until a thorough investigation is complete. The school’s purpose is educating children, not doing the bidding of Crystal Barton.

The Buffalo News: City & Region: Barton demands censure of Hernandez

Technorati tags: McKinley High School, Principal, Crystal Barton, Ralph Hernandez, school board, New York State Power Authority, Department of Regents, education

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“Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual).”
-Ayn Rand

Government, Musings | 2 Comments »