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by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Senator Rob Portman

There is not much anyone needs to add to the following. Other than an additional thumbs up for Senator Portman. My hat's off to the Republican senator from Ohio.

The Columbus Dispatch - I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government shouldn’t deny them the opportunity to get married.

That isn’t how I’ve always felt. As a congressman, and more recently as a senator, I opposed marriage for same-sex couples. Then something happened that led me to think through my position in a much deeper way.

Two years ago, my son Will, then a college freshman, told my wife, Jane, and me that he is gay. He said he’d known for some time, and that his sexual orientation wasn’t something he chose; it was simply a part of who he is. Jane and I were proud of him for his honesty and courage. We were surprised to learn he is gay but knew he was still the same person he’d always been. The only difference was that now we had a more complete picture of the son we love.

At the time, my position on marriage for same-sex couples was rooted in my faith tradition that marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman. Knowing that my son is gay prompted me to consider the issue from another perspective: that of a dad who wants all three of his kids to lead happy, meaningful lives with the people they love, a blessing Jane and I have shared for 26 years. {Read More}

My respect for Senator Portman just ratcheted up a notch, not that I didn't already respect the Senator.

Mr. Portman no doubt agonized over his long held traditional Christen beliefs and how to reconcile them with the reality his own son was a gay individual. Ultimately the Senator made the right decision as any rational, logical individual would. Hopefully the Senator's frank and open disclosure will have a positive impact on socons and evangelical Christians who are less inclined to reasonable tolerance.

Via: Memeorandum

By Findalis
Monkey in the Middle

103 years ago today an angel sent by the Lord was born to Dr. Stanisław Krzyżanowski, a physician, and his wife, Janina.  A child who will grow up to save thousands of Jewish children from death in the Nazi Death Camps.

It was fomented into Irena a sense of Justice and equality among all people.  Her father Stanislaw died of Typhoid while attending patents whom other doctors refused to attend.  (i.e...Jews, Roma, etc...).  For this action the Jewish community offered to pay for Irena's education.

At university she spoke up against the practice of the ghetto-bench system that existed at some prewar Polish universities and as a result she was suspended from Warsaw University for three years.  But her greatest work was yet to come.

From Wikipedia:

During the German occupation of Poland, Sendler lived in Warsaw (prior to that, she had lived in Otwock and Tarczyn while working for urban Social Welfare departments). As early as 1939, when the Germans invaded Poland, she began aiding Jews. She and her helpers created more than 3,000 false documents to help Jewish families, prior to joining the organized Żegota resistance and the children's division. Helping Jews in German-occupied Poland meant all household members risked death if they were found to be hiding Jews, a punishment far more severe than in other occupied European countries.

In August 1943, Żegota (the Council to Aid Jews) nominated Sendler (known by her nom de guerre: Jolanta) to head its children's section. As an employee of the Social Welfare Department, she had a special permit to enter the Warsaw Ghetto to check for signs of typhus, something the Nazis feared would spread beyond the Ghetto. During these visits, she wore a Star of David as a sign of solidarity with the Jewish people and so as not to call attention to herself.

She cooperated with others in Warsaw's Municipal Social Services department, and the RGO (Central Welfare Council), a Polish relief organization that was tolerated under German supervision. She and her co-workers organized the smuggling of Jewish children out of the Ghetto. Under the pretext of conducting inspections of sanitary conditions during a typhus outbreak, Sendler and her co-workers visited the Ghetto and smuggled out babies and small children in ambulances and trams, sometimes disguising them as packages.

Children were placed with Polish families, the Warsaw orphanage of the Sisters of the Family of Mary, or Roman Catholic convents such as the Little Sister Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary Conceived Immaculate at Turkowice and Chotomów. Sendler worked closely with Zofia Kossak-Szczucka, a resistance fighter and writer, and with Matylda Getter, a nun and the Mother Provincial of the Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary. She rescued about 2,500 Jewish children in different education and care facilities for children in Anin, Białołęka, Chotomów, Międzylesie, Płudy, Sejny, Wilno, and other places. Some children were smuggled to priests in parish rectories. She and her co-workers buried lists of the hidden children in jars in order to keep track of their original and new identities. Żegota assured the children that, when the war was over, they would be returned to Jewish relatives.

In 1943, Sendler was arrested by the Gestapo, severely tortured, and sentenced to death. Żegota saved her by bribing German guards on the way to her execution. She was listed on public bulletin boards as among those executed. For the remainder of the war, she lived in hiding, but continued her work for the Jewish children. After the war, she and her co-workers gathered together all of their records with the names and locations of the hidden Jewish children and gave them to their Żegota colleague Adolf Berman and his staff at the Central Committee of Polish Jews. However, almost all of their parents had been killed at the Treblinka extermination camp or had otherwise gone missing.

Today there are 10's of thousands of people alive today who would not be if Irena and her Żegota resistance members did not save those children.

Many awards were given to Irena over the years.  She was named one of the Polish Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem,  Given the Order of the White Eagle, the Jan Karski Award, Order of the Smile and the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award (Posthumously).  In 2007 she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize but it was awarded to Al Gore for a flawed film on Global Warming.

Irena Sendler passed from this world on 12 May 2008 in the city of Warsaw, Poland at the age of 98.  But her work and story lives on.

In 1999, students at a high school in Uniontown, Kansas produced a play based on research into Irena Sendler's life story titled Life in a Jar. It has since been adapted for television as The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler. Actress Anna Paquin played Sendler. Her story was largely unknown to the world until the students developed The Irena Sendler Project, producing their performance Life in a Jar. This student-produced drama has now been performed over 285 times all across the United States, Canada and Poland. Sendler's message of love and respect has grown through the performances, over 1,500 media stories, a student-developed website with 30,000,000 hits, a national teaching award in Poland and the United States, and an educational foundation, the Lowell Milken Education Center, to make Sendler’s story known to the world.

In the fall of 1999, at Uniontown High School in Bourbon County, Kansas, four students were encouraged to work on a year long National History Day project which would extend the boundaries of the classroom to families in the community, contribute to history learning, teach respect and tolerance, and meet the classroom motto, "He who changes one person, changes the world entire."
Three ninth grade girls, Megan Stewart, Elizabeth Cambers, and Jessica Shelton, and an eleventh grade girl, Sabrina Coons, accepted the challenge and decided to enter their project in the National History Day program. Their teacher showed them a short clipping from a March 1994 issue of U.S. News and World Report, which said, “Irena Sendler saved 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942-43.” He told the girls the article might be a typographical error, since he had not heard of this woman or story. The students began their research and looked for primary and secondary sources throughout the year.

They discovered that Irena entered the Warsaw Ghetto under the disguise of a non-Jewish social worker and talked Jewish parents and grandparents out of their children, rightly saying that all were going to die in the Ghetto or in death camps. Irena took the children past the Nazi guards, using a variety of methods for escape: putting the sedated children in body bags, putting the sedated children under a seat on the tram car, or helping the children escape through the old courthouse. After removing the children from the ghetto, Irena and her coworkers adopted the children into the homes of Polish families or hid them in convents and orphanages. She made lists of the children's real names and put the lists in jars, then buried the jars in a garden, so that someday she could dig up the jars and find the children to tell them of their true identity.

Read more about this amazing program here.  You can find more about the Lowell Milken Center here, here and here.

While the chances of her becoming a saint in the Catholic Church is slim, to the Jewish people Irena Sendler is a saint of the highest rank.

You all know that I'm a fan of coats and jackets. It is true that most of my leather jackets are black, grey, camel or brown, but from now on I'm going to look for some colorful ones. This nude leather jacket presented today is one of my favorite and one of my first purchased. What I love about it is the fact that it is fitted and I can wear it with only one top or shirt, so perfect for Spring outfits.

P.S Today I'm packing for a trip...My birthday trip + a new project. A very exciting weekend!!!! Look for updates via Instagram/ Facebook.



                                                                               Leather jacket: Martin + Osa/ option Here
                                                                               Pants: J.Crew/ I also love this pair Here
                                                                               Heels: BCBGeneration/ option Here 
                                                                               Bag: c/o me Char/ Here
                                                                               Top: thanks to Sugarlips/ Here
                                                                               Sunglasses: c/o zeroUV
                                                                               Leather bracelet: c/o Poshlocket

How is that for a cleaver title post? Yawn.


I thought I would share what I did right, messed up on, and learned from on this old dresser.

For those of you who are new (welcome by the way) and those that might not remember, I got this dresser about a year ago. Long story short - $70 at an estate sale. Raise that roof people.

Here is the way he looked when I met him. The excitement of finding him obviously prevented me from taking a straight picture.


After a year of heavy use as a changing table/dresser it was showing a lot of wear, which I thought was odd. It's not like we beat it or anything. This should have been my first clue as to how refinishing would go.


It is as sturdy as can be and a solid piece of furniture but I was over the white. So let the project begin.

Since it was a balmy 30 degrees outside when I started this (and maybe 38 in the garage) I knew I'd have to take this project inside. So I pulled out the always trusty Citristrip. And good news, they now also have this stuff in a spray can. Wish I had known that before I started.

There is zero smell with this stuff. In fact it smells kind of minty fresh. And it is low VOC, so no worries about harming the littles with my projects.


Put on way more than this picture shows. Like double this amount. I put some on, took this picture and then put on more. More is more with this stuff.

They also recommend you use gloves but I didn't (I live on the edge). I got some on my hands and I've lived to tell the tale.


The directions will tell you to wait 30 minutes, but I could tell by looking at it after a half hour it wasn't ready. I waited two full hours, or basically until it looks like this. The longer you wait, the less muscle you need.


Then you scrape. And if you've been patient, it just lifts right off. Like butta.

As you can tell from this picture my suspicions were right - those little bastards just painted right over the varnished wood. See how dark that wood is? That's layers and layers of stain and varnish. No wonder it chipped so easily.

You can see that all the varish didn't come off after the first, or second coat. So later, rinse, repeat. I'm going to find the people that painted this thing and shake them. Or make them watch episodes of 1600 Penn. Yes, that would be much worse.


The good news about this product is that you can do another coat as soon as the first one dries, which is usually about 15 minutes or so. And it's stink free too.


Finally it is ready.

Now I had originally planned to go with oil based porch and floor paint, like Jenny has used, to get the high gloss finish I was after. But remember that whole weather issue? I can't paint outside in 30 degree weather and oil based paint in the house with no windows open is a no no.

Luckily after telling my sob story to the smarty pants at Benjamin Moore, he suggested this.


Benjamin Moore Advance. It is a water based alkyd paint so it acts like an oil based paint (self-leveling, high gloss finish, hard laquer like shell) but without killing many brain cells.

Sold.

After talking about my search for the perfect shade of navy paint, I decided to follow Natalie's lead and went with Old Navy by Benjamin Moore.


I used a roller that my new bestie at Benjamin Moore recommended and it worked like a charm. I was a bit nervous after putting on the first coat though as it wasn't as dark as I wanted. But as the hours passed it got darker and darker.

And yes, I did say hours. A full 24 to be exact. That's how long you have to wait in between coats. And I did four coats. That is four days people. Of painting. And then another four days of drying.

Eight days and nights. Just sitting there, waiting for it to develop its hard candy shell. It was my biggest lesson in patience since having a 'willful child'.


But now he's done and looking good. He makes me smile every time I see him. That deep navy and the little sparkle of his gold handles. He looks like a royal admiral in the navy or something. I think I will call him captain.



Look at that glossy top. You can see the reflection of the ceiling in that thing. Oh captain, you are such a show off.


Pulls courtesy of Martha Stewart at Home Depot. Knobs are the same ones I used on the vanity from Hobby Lobby.


The high gloss on the captain makes him wonderful in person, but a bit hard to photograph.


I'm so protective of him I can't really bring myself to put anything on him. But he is calling to be styled I think.

So the lessons learned: Benjamin Moore Advance is aces, Citristrip is a cinch and Sander Deglosser is a lifesaver. And most importantly, do. not. ever. paint over varnish. Or I will find you.

Painted anything lately? Found a piece of furniture that was keeping secrets from you? Want to come over and help me put the girls room together?

Deceit.  The Lies That Enslave A Nation
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
***************

I've been on this earth quite a number of years now.  I have endured any number of politicians.  I have suffered -- and prospered -- under any number of presidential administrations from FDR to present.

America has been blessed/cursed with some of the most accomplished liers on planet earth serving as our leaders.  But today America has reached the apex of prevarication -- the absolute peak in the perversion of truth. 

The Obama Administration knows how to do nothing better -- than lie.  They are past masters at the disingenuous. They have been at it from day one.  Now they seem to just lie, as a matter of course, and think nothing of it even when called on it in public. 

You know, there is a strange bit of wiring in the human mind that no scientist has yet been able to figure out.  Somehow, it seems, we are wired so that we tend to love and respect more the person who lies to us than we do the person who honorable tells us the truth.  It's as if we have this primal urge to leap off the cliff onto the rocks below in some sort of grand gesture to the liers who beckoned us toward the cliff in the first place.  Weird, is it not?

America is ruled today by a host of pathological liers.  They are professional liers.  It's what they do.  Never underestimate these people for they are smart.  They have to be.

There is an article entitled: "Traits Of A Habitual Liar" We recommend you read it.  You will find it at:  http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/traits-of-a-habitual-liar-9067.html 
Once you have read the article you will, we expect, find that you are better able to understand the way the Obama Administration works.

As a bit of a teaser here is one of the "Characteristics Of Habitual Liars" found in the article:

No Sense Of Responsibility

"A habitual liar can never take responsibility for his/her behavior, and if confronted and questioned for a behavior, the person often blames other people or situations. Even when there are evidences against the liar, he/she would refuse to admit the responsibility and try to sound convincing, giving excuses and explanations to prove the evidences against him/her to be false or untrue."

Umm.  Sound familiar?

What the hey!  Here's another:

Why Grow Up

"Habitual liars follow one policy in life - why grow up. Some sort of abuse and neglect in their childhood tends to freeze such people in their childhood levels of development. Though they might look and act to be an adult, some of their core thinking is stuck in the thought process that once existed during the boyhood days. These patterns tend to come out more strongly in stressful situations."

Consider this:  "A liar knows that he is a liar, but one who speaks mere portions of truth in order to deceive is a craftsman of destruction.”
― Criss Jami (the author of Venus in Arms and Salomé)

Scientists tell us that mankind's IQ (Intelligence Quotient) has been dropping drastically in recent decades.  I find that absolutely believable.  One has either to suspend disbelief -- deliberately -- or, well, be dumb as a post to believe the lies coming from the Obama Administration. 

The insidiousness of the Obama web of deceit is designed to entrap an entire nation.  Their deceit is subtle with cumulative harmfulness for all Americans.  Admittedly, they are not as subtle as they were in the first term.  Now, unanswerable to the voters, their lies have become bold, even brash.

A while back, George Will remarked:  "Barack Obama's intellectual sociopathy -- his often breezy and sometimes loutish indifference to truth -- should no longer startle."  SOURCE:  http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/04/why_obama_lies.html#ixzz2NYR2jGxH

Finally, consider this: " ... Barack Obama, the man who lies as easily as breathing – a serial deceiver regarding his birth, his childhood, his education, his influences and associations, his religion, his accomplishments, his policies, his true beliefs and his plans for America’s future. Barack Obama, the man whose entire presidency has been a seamless fabric of deception and duplicity ... "  SOURCE:   http://www.wnd.com/2012/07/heres-why-obama-lies/#iE9ezDti3lmc1hs4.99

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  John 8:32 (The Bible)

On the other hand:

Those of us who recognize the lies, also know the lies, far from setting us free, will, indeed,  enslave us. In fact, they already have.

© J. D. Longstreet

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny


Lately I've been thinking about American political parties and how hide bound they have become to a particular ideology. Unfortunately both major parties share the counter productive pursuit of the absurd.

Humans (as individuals) are programmed to seek acceptance into a group that shares their basic beliefs, desires, and principles. Being accepted and liked is a primary driving motivation in human behavior. This is accepted as the social norm and in fact is reinforced by the socialist perspective in society.

Acceptance by ones peers is a major driving force for a majority of people. By extension this caries over to and spills into communal associations such as political parties. Thus the communal mentality and associated behavior associated with party loyalty.

On a macro level, consider this to be our nation, we are failing miserably precisely because of the desire to be accepted into a communal and supportive group DIRECTED BY POWERFUL INDIVIDUALS. The nation's major political parties, dEmocratic and rEpublican, are primarily concerned with, and focused on winning the next election. The party power structure (of your selected party) views you merely as a vote that will hopefully continue secure their spot at the power table. The table where they look after their own self interest and that of the Oligarchs. While leaving you to essentially fend for yourself.

America today has essentially become an exercise in self government willingly acquiesced to the the dictates of the Oligarchs and the party bosses they control.

Until next time have a remarkable weeend and a productive week next.

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny



The Catholic Cardinals elected a "new" 76 year old Pope, hereafter known as Pope Francis. Early indications are the "new" Pope will carry on the outdated doctrines of past religious dogma and bigotry. One would think sooner, rather than later, the Church, and by Church I mean the congregations of the faithful, would demand real ethical/moral change in the Church hierarchy.

However, when all is said and done, the Catholic Church is as close to a dictatorship as any statist nation ever was. I'm certainly not a Catholic, or even a "believer" in the conventional sense, but I feel safe in stating that unless the Catholic Church changes its dogma to reflect modern science and 21st century thinking it will, like the rEpublican party in America find itself becoming less relevant.

GAWKER - Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now to be known forever as Pope Francis, sounds likeable enough, to people who are disposed to like high-ranking men of the cloth. The 76-year-old Argentine is reportedly marked by a devotion to the poor and a cultivated humility—he doesn't like limos or fancy palaces, you see, favoring public transportation and sparse apartments over luxury.

But anyone who was looking for a liberal reformer in the Vatican is probably going to keep waiting. The vast majority of American Catholics now find birth control morally acceptable, and 54 percent of American Catholics now support same-sex marriage. Optimists thought this might signal that the next supreme leader of Catholicism would himself—but certainly not herself! ha ha! that would be crazy—reflect the forward momentum of his adherents. Yesterday, Pope Francis looked down upon thousands of people gathered beneath his Vatican City balcony, and millions watching around the world, and effectively said, "Nope."

In honor of all of the papacy's cloak-and-dagger skullduggery, let's start with the rumors: Though he was never directly charged with aiding and abetting Argentina's murderous dictatorial regime during the country's infamous "Dirty War," years later a journalist would accuse Bergoglio of hiding imprisoned victims from human-rights workers. These allegations were detailed by Hugh O'Shaughnessy in the Guardian in 2011 (emphasis ours):

Skip

If it's any consolation—and if you're gay it's probably not—the Guardian reports that, despite his many conservative stances (and possible war crimes), Pope Francis believes condoms "can be permissible" to prevent the passage of infection. It only took thousands of years, but there you have it: Condoms might possibly be OK in order to help prevent scores and scores of people from constantly dying of AIDS. Welcome to progress, Catholic style.

Via: Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

Rand Paul, disliked by the progressives and perhaps by many in the establishment rEpublican power base. Hard to listen to at times, but if one does listen closely Senator Paul makes lots of sense.



Perhaps Senator Paul, having a more tolerant attitude towards the civil liberties of all Americans will galvanize a large enough following to overturn the stale and static present rEpublican leadership and build a more inclusive and tolerant party.

THE HILL -

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Thursday told conservative activists the Republican Party had grown "stale and moss covered" and said the GOP needs a more libertarian approach that makes freedom the movement's defining principle.

Addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the Kentucky senator offered a revamped version of his father's hands-off libertarian vision for Republicans — and positioned himself as a leader capable of confronting the GOP establishment.

"The GOP of old has grown stale and moss-covered. I don't think we need to name any names, do we? Our party is encumbered by an inconsistent approach to freedom. The new GOP will need to embrace liberty in both the economic and the personal sphere," Paul said.

"If we're going to have a Republican Party that can win, liberty needs to be the backbone of the GOP. We must have a message that is broad, our vision must be broad, and that vision must be based on freedom."

Paul has publicly clashed with more senior Republicans over the past two weeks, notably Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Graham and McCain blasted Paul for mounting a 12-hour filibuster of President Obama's CIA nominee, John Brennan, over the administration's drone policy.

McCain called the filibuster a stunt meant to "fire up impressionable libertarian kids in their college dorms." Paul fired back at McCain and Graham, two leading Republican defense hawks, saying the senators "think the whole world is a battlefield.” {Read More}

Via: Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

One thing we can be sure of with the progressives, they like the emotional. Senator Feinstein of the progressive haven that is California demonstrates it well in the following.



Yes Senator, we are all painfully aware of your longevity in Washington. Since you were the one to bring it up isn't it time for you to retire? After all you've been on the nation's payroll long enough to walk away with a platinum plated government retirement package.

Putting that aside, it is time reasonable uniform firearm ownership regulations be put in place nationally. Regulations should include required firearm safety training, extensive back ground checks, additional waiting for firearms purchased at gun shows, and restricting high capacity magazines and semi automatic assault style firearms.

Via: Memeorandum

 I have for you today a short post with my new Jeffrey Campbell white oxford shoes thanks to ShopAKIRA.com. 
Spring will arrive next week and I'm ready to wear a lot of white and ivory outfits! Nothing beats  crispy white for Spring/ Summer and the inspiration is endless !




                                                                                 Oxfords: Jeffrey Campbell/ Here

By Findalis
Monkey in the Middle

Another rant by Pat Condell




Click here if the video fails to load.




The OIC assault on free speech continues.

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter." - George Washington.

OIC coming back with another attempt to stamp out free speech
http://www.secularism.org.uk/news/201...

Saudi king demands global blasphemy law
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Articl...

Arab League demands global blasphemy law
http://www.secularism.org.uk/news/201...

Saudis call for internet censorship
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology...

Sec-General of Gulf Co-operation Council calls for blasphemy law
http://www.bna.bh/portal/en/news/530985

Islamic states to reopen quest for global blasphemy law
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/0...

Atheists face extensive discrimination, UN rights council told
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/...

End blasphemy laws threatening minorities: UN faith expert
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/0...

Nearly half Saudi women are beaten at home
http://www.emirates247.com/crime/regi...

Sudan government amputates man's hand and foot
http://www.emirates247.com/news/regio...

OIC set up Islamic human rights commission
http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/12/first-...

Sentenced to death for blasphemy in Pakistan for complaining about noise from Muslim ceremony.
http://au.christiantoday.com/article/...

Saudis bribe UNESCO to let them influence school textbooks.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/...

Obama's Aerial Peeping Toms
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
*****************

Now that the courts have established that Obama can kill anyone he wants, anywhere he wants, for whatever reason he wants, AND, I have just learned that I live in a "Constitution Free Zone" of America, shouldn't I be "bunkered-up" someplace with all my conservative commentator friends?

Probably.

Maybe I'm a little "slow."  Or maybe I'm subconsciously waiting for the new FEMA Camps to be opened up so I can spend my remaining days on earth REALLY wired-up inside a government cage.

Now, if all this sounds screwy to you, well, it IS screwy.  The whole scenario sounds as if it comes from the pen of some novelist with a bad hangover and an equally bad case of paranoia.

But there is a problem.

It all comes right out of today's news headlines.

George Orwell, hate to tell you, sir, but you were WAAAY shy of the mark!

Check out these stories:

"No More 4th Amendment: DHS Can Still Seize Belongings Without Reason"  SOURCE:
http://beforeitsnews.com/international/2013/02/no-more-4th-amendment-dhs-can-still-seize-belongings-without-reason-2452030.html

"Wired: Constitution-Free Zone Upheld – Do You Live In A Place Where You Are No Longer Free?"   SOURCE:  http://beforeitsnews.com/survival/2013/02/constitution-free-zones-upheld-wired-do-you-live-in-a-place-where-you-are-no-longer-free-2461948.html

"The Fema Camp Bill Is Back!"  SOURCE:  http://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2013/02/the-fema-camp-bill-is-back-2560418.html

"Government Says It Can Assassinate or Indefinitely Detain Americans on American Soil Without Any Due Process of Law"  SOURCE:   http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/12/constitutional-expert-president-obama-says-that-he-can-kill-you-on-his-own-discretion-he-can-jail-you-indefinitely-on-his-own-discretion.html

Conspiracy theories?  Maybe.  But.  Just because they ARE conspiracy theories does not mean they are NOT conspiracies!

In speaking with old friends in recent months the thing we most agree on is this:  None of us ever thought we'd live long enough to see our beloved America disintegrate right before our eyes.  But -- it's happening every day, in every way.

Soon, the American police state will be complete.  Soon the drones will be flying overhead watching our every move -- even when we are out of sight of the ubiquitous cameras mounted everywhere, even when we are not using an electronic communication device which the government is monitoring 24/7.

Americans now live in a cage.  Gilded it may be -- but it is still a cage.

Only one thing remains for our imprisonment to be complete.  We must give up our guns.  We must voluntarily disarm.

The BIG question in the minds of sentient Americans today is this:  Will Americans willingly give up the only, the last remaining, avenue open to them to preserve their freedom, or what's left of their freedom?  

Americans who are sentient of the intolerable encroachment by our government on our hard won freedom and liberty are fearfully asking themselves this question, in one form or another, incessantly today.   

Consider this:  "As anti-gun lawmakers push for a government ban of more than 150 types of firearms, a new Fox News poll shows that two-thirds of American voters who have guns in their household would “defy” any law requiring them to give up the guns.

A majority of poll respondents – 52 percent – revealed that someone in their home owns a gun. Those respondents were then asked, “If the government passed a law to take your guns, would you give up your guns or defy the law and keep your guns?”

Approximately 65 percent indicated they would “defy the law,” including 70 percent of Republicans and 52 percent of Democrats who answered the question. Only 22 percent said they would “give up” their guns, while 13 percent were not sure."  SOURCE:  http://dailycaller.com/2013/01/27/poll-two-thirds-of-american-voters-with-household-guns-would-defy-gun-laws/#ixzz2NSGFf7dt

Months ago, I suggested the question of drones would come back to haunt -- and to bite -- Americans.  That time has arrived. Another amendment to the constitution has just been voided.  That would be the Fourth Amendment.

The Fourth Amendment reads:  "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."  That's right out of the Bill of Rights.

More freedom lost.  More liberty gone. 

Consider this incident:  "New Jersey Woman Arrested for Reciting Constitution at Tax Meeting"   SOURCE:  http://www.infowars.com/new-jersey-woman-arrested-for-reciting-constitution-at-tax-meeting/

How much longer will freedom loving Americans tolerate this RAPE of our constitution? 

America is not BECOMING a police state -- WE ARE A POLICE STATE!

The squadrons of aerial "peeping toms" will soon be blotting out the sun over urban areas of America.  Rural America will be cursed with them, as well. All Americans will be under surveillance. 

I warned above that it would sound like a bad science fiction novel.   Trouble is -- it's not fiction.  It IS science and our "overlords" have turned it against us.    

You may accuse me of paranoia if you choose.  I'll accept that.  But allow me to state,  flat out, that anyone living in America today who is not paranoid is suffering advanced dementia, or is brain dead.  When they ARE out to get you, paranoia is just darned good thinking!

© J. D. Longstreet

By Findalis
Monkey in the Middle



 Since February 28th the Roman Catholic Church has been without a Pope when Pope Benedict XVI stepped down from the Holy See.  Since yesterday afternoon the Princes of the Church, the College of Cardinals has been praying and contemplating a successor to him.

Today a new Pope has been chosen.  The Cardinal from Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio.  He will be known to the world as Francis I.

Born 17 December 1936 to working class parents, he attended the seminary in Villa Devoto.  He entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) on 11 March 1958 and was ordained on 13 December 1969.

Pope Frances has rejected Liberation theology, same-sex marriage, women priests, abortion and euthanasia.  He is a humble man, who is a champion of the poor and working classes from which he arose.

Frances I is the first  pope from Latin America and the first to be chosen out of Europe in 1500 years.

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

2016?

I suppose anything is a possibility.

Washington Examiner - Hillary Clinton hasn't stepped into the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries yet and there's already buzz growing for the ultimate grrl power ticket: Clinton and first lady Michelle Obama.

"All due respect for President Obama and Vice President Biden, but that would truly be a dream team for America," said former Clinton spokeswoman Karen Finney. "Both women are proven effective leaders who've raise children, so dealing with Congress would be a snap!" added Finney, also a former Democratic Party spokeswoman.

"More than anything else, this reflects the growing awareness that it is time for the glass ceiling of the last old boys club to be firmly shattered," added Democratic strategist Chris Lehane.

t's not just talk. Bumper stickers reading "2016-Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama," and "Hillary-Michelle 2016 First First Lady Ticket For President" are popping up. Cafe Press said sales of the Hillary-Michelle bumper sticker saw a 60% increase from December to March, with the largest uptick in March.

"I look forward to the day when a woman can run for the presidency without so much parody and fanfare," said former Al Gore campaign manager Donna Brazile.

Democratic strategists say that Clinton is a lock to get into the race. Not only is she far ahead of Biden and others in polls, she still has a strong donor network from her 2008 campaign. Former advisor Terry McAuliffe recently told Secrets that she will make up her mind next year. President Obama has also talked Clinton up, choosing her as the only retiring Cabinet secretary to hold an outgoing "60 Minutes" interview with.

Recently, there has been some talk that Obama would be a good Illinois Senate candidate after the White House, much like Clinton, who ran for and won a Senate seat in New York. But teaming her with Clinton would create a political and fundraising force that would be impossible to beat on the Democratic side.

Pollster John Zogby, however, questions if the ticket would sell. "Hillary and Michelle are both very popular and accomplished, but this smacks of too much celebrity and is a tad too dynastic for American voters," he said. "An interesting reality show, yes. A ticket, no."

And if they did run and win, questions would turn to the husbands. Suggested Finney: "They could play golf and help support their wive's agenda."

Many are fine with a women President. Where are all the qualified conservative and or libertarian women with leadership ability? PROVEN leadership ability. Time to start grooming some for the future...

Via: Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny


There are times I just can't help but like Senator Rand Paul. Especially when he makes a bunch of sense and is working against the druthers of the entrenched establishment rEpublicans. You know the ones I mean. Guys like Frick and Frack, good ole John McCain and Mittens Romney.

THE HILL - Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Wednesday said the Republican Party needs to be more “tolerant” if it wants to attract the younger voters that helped propel President Obama to a second term in office.

“I believe a Republican Party that is more tolerant and dedicated to keeping the government out of people’s lives as much as possible would be more appealing to the rising generation,” Paul said in an op-ed on the website PolicyMic.

“Most young people I encounter simply have no desire to tell other people what to do or how to live,” he added.

The op-ed was a response to criticism Paul received from some of his Republican colleagues over his filibuster last week of John Brennan's nomination for CIA director.

Paul spoke for nearly 13 hours on the Senate floor to pressure the Obama administration on its use of drones to target U.S. citizens, but Sen. John McCain (R-Az.) dismissed the filibuster as a “stunt” meant to “fire up impressionable libertarian kids in their college dorms.”

“There are blue parts of the country where Republicans haven’t fared well, and yes, a more libertarian-Republican might be able to start winning in those areas,” Paul wrote. “The youth vote could play an integral part in this. Young Americans — conservative, libertarian, independent — are as fed up with big government as their parents and grandparents. A Republican Party willing to address their unique concerns could build a new majority that might finally turn this country around.” {Read More}

Indeed...

Via: Memeorandum

It doesn’t matter what kind of high academic credentials any school may have achieved if that school is actively abusing children out of a misguided sense of political correctness.

In the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, more and more elementary and secondary schools throughout the United States are on high alert and have started suspending children, even very young children, for the mere mention of a gun or for making sounds like a gun, or for pointing a finger like a gun, or for biting a pop tart into the shape of a gun, or for talking about “shooting” bubbles from a bubble gun.  The word “gun,” and any word or sound associated with guns, has become synonymous with the new deadly catch phrase, “suspended for making terroristic threats.”

The suspension rate nationally has doubled in the last two decades. Doctors, educators, and psychologists are beginning to recognize that schools have abdicated their role as disciplinarians in favor of a politically correct suspension, and most suspensions remain on a child’s record for life!

“Offenses that once warranted in-school punishment--"talking back" or being late--are now often the basis for interrupting students' instruction with suspension or expulsion. . . .” (Source:  Treating kids as criminals)

The Zero-tolerance policies of schools that ignore good common sense are leading to what some educators have called the criminalization of youth and the "school-to-prison pipeline."

Imagine if your little five year old girl had a “making terroristic threats” on her lifetime record? Do you think it might effect her future???

Schools deliberately involving law enforcement to have little children arrested for normal age-appropriate behaviors is more than child abuse; it’s criminal!

Parents must understand that what is happening today isn’t an isolated oddity. It’s a growing trend and it’s bound to effect your children. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Get involved now.

Join Save America’s Schools on Facebook and report any school that is abusing our children!

The following is just a small listing of some of the incidents that have happened in the last month. These schools need to be exposed and held accountable:

Park Elementary School, Baltimore, Maryland  Boy, 7, suspended for shaping pastry into gun, dad says | Fox News

Cypress Lake High School, Fort Myers, Florida  High School Student Disarms Gunman…Gets Suspended ...

Mount Carmel Area Elementary, Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania  Pennsylvania girl, 5, suspended for talk of 'shooting' a Hello Kitty ...

White Marsh Elementary School, Trappe, Maryland Parents Furious After Boys Suspended For Using Fingers As

Hyannis West Elementary, Hyannis, Massachusetts   Lego gun may get Joseph Cardosa suspended from school

Mary Blair Elementary School, Loveland, Colorado  Second-grade Loveland student reportedly suspended for imaginary ...

Pediatricians oppose school suspension, expulsion

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A group representing pediatricians says disciplining students with out-of-school suspension or expulsion is counterproductive to school goals and should only be used on case by case basis.

The policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that pediatricians familiarize themselves with the policies of their local school districts, and advocate for prevention and alternative strategies. . .

To prevent out-of-school suspensions and expulsions, the pediatricians suggest developing early interventions for preschool children, early identification of children who may have problems in school and clear codes of conduct.

Specifically, they recommend a Positive Behavior Intervention and Support program as a preventive, alternative, tool that teaches proper behavior on a school-wide level and that addresses problems with groups and individual students as well.

The AAP also called on Pediatricians to screen for and recognize behavioral problems in early childhood, to be in communication with the school's nurse or counselor, to be involved with special accommodations for certain students and to be appropriately compensated for their involvement.