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

George Schultz - President Reagan's Secretary of State and Treasury

And where might we find such a statesman today. A person with such experience and one who commands respect? Our nation is certainly in need of one.

The Wall Street Journal, Stanford, Calif. - George Shultz has one of the most preposterously impressive résumés in recent American history. World War II Marine (1942-45); distinguished academic economist; business executive; secretary of labor (1969-70); director of the Office of Management and Budget (1970-72); secretary of the Treasury (1972-74); chairman of Ronald Reagan's economic transition team; and the secretary of state (1982-89) who wound down the Cold War.

He's also been an active adviser to GOP leaders including George W. Bush in the years since. And, as I just learned, he's not a bad singer either.

When I called out of the blue on Wednesday morning, the 91-year-old éminence grise was in his office at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and willing to meet for an interview that afternoon.

The executive summary? On the economy: "We have some big problems in this country." He's very concerned about debt, and about monetary, tax and regulatory policy. On foreign policy: "We're weaker, much weaker" abroad than we were two decades ago.

But despite it all, Mr. Shultz is confident that if we get the policies right again, America can regain its footing: "When Ronald Reagan took office, inflation was in the teens, the prime rate was in the 20s, and the economy was going nowhere. We still had the remnants of wage and price controls, particularly in oil and gas. And Jimmy Carter said we were in 'malaise.' It was a bad time. I'm convinced the economy can be turned around because I watched Ronald Reagan do it."

"It took long-term thinking," Mr. Shultz emphasizes. "I'll give you an example. [Reagan] knew and we all advised him you can't have a decent economy with the kind of inflation we've got. . . . The political people would come in and say 'You've got to be careful, Mr. President. There's gonna be a recession [if the Federal Reserve tightens the money supply]. You're gonna lose seats in the midterm election.'

"And he basically said, 'If not us who? If not now when?' And he held a political umbrella over [Fed Chairman] Paul Volcker, and Paul did what needed to be done. And by late '82 early '83, inflation was under control, the tax changes that he made were kicking in, and the economy took off. But it took a politician with an ability to take a short-term hit in order to get the long-run results that we needed. { Read More}

Indeed. Taking a short term hit in order to reap long term gain. Undoubtedly in today's special interest winner take all political climate such noble ideals seem to have long been forgotten.

Are you taking note candidate Romney? Oh, and you as well Mr. President.

Via: Memeorandum

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

Apparently somebody is making a bonafide feature movie of the New Messiah. The Obama Effect.



Via: Memeorandum

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

Some further thoughts on the very real possibility of the USA becoming an oligarchy. I found these informative videos on You Tube and thought them very instructional.

The videos illustrate the various concepts of government, and the dangers to freedom and liberty a full blown oligarchy presents the people. Indeed these dangers are ever present in our republic and must be resisted and fought against continually if we are to preserve our individual rights and liberties as well as maintaining a civil society.

It has been said nothing on earth is perfect, and that is a true statement. However, history has shown our democratic republic is arguably as close to a perfect form of government as has ever existed.

The question we face today, and must answer for the future is; do we still have the intellegence and will to preserve it?







Again, what say you?

Sweet and soigne - this is a ladylike look with a pleated skirt that I bought last year, but that I never wore, until now. I combined it with a backwords cardigan, Aldo heels and Forever21 clutch. The "condiments" of this look are given by a bit of volume, in a minimalist way, and a little bit of metallic accents, in a small dose. This outfit took me back in an Audrey Hepburn world :)
I hope you like it !


                                                                               Cardigan: Zara/ similar Here
                                                                               Shoes: Aldo/ similar Here
                                                                               Skirt: Sparkle & Fade/ another great one Here
                                                                               Clutch: Forever21/ similar design Here
                                                                               Earrings: from flea market
                                                                               Ring:  Tarhuna Bijoux
                                                                               Sunglasses: Betsey Johnson/ similar Here 

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


Anyone sensing that our country is heading in the wrong direction should be concerned with the very real possibility of America becoming an bonafide oligarchy. Added to the fact that the nation has been trending towards fascism the future for our posterity seems wrought with peril.

Our nation's political environment today is such that rather than elected lawmakers and the executive branch seeking to solve problems through genuinely meaningful and spirited discourse/debate it is clear the goal is now to either gain, or preserve their own power.

We have gone from a nation of people engaged in determining our country's destiny through active involvement in the process to a nation of apathy. Our declining  voter turnout since 1968 points to this fact. Should the trend of recent years continue there is little to no doubt that we will become a fascist oligarchy.

The following was written in 1911 and all indications are We the People of today had better start taking note.

www.spunk.org" - ...Robert Michels, a friend of Weber's, also was concerned about the depersonalizing effect of bureaucracy. His views, formulated at the beginning of this century, are still pertinent today.

The Iron Law of Oligarchy

"Michels (1911) came to the conclusion that the formal organization of bureaucracies inevitably leads to oligarchy, under which organizations originally idealistic and democratic eventually come to be dominated by a small, self-serving group of people who achieved positions of power and responsibility. This can occur in large organizations because it becomes physically impossible for everyone to get together every time a decision has to be made. Consequently, a small group is given the responsibility of making decisions. Michels believed that the people in this group would become enthralled with their elite positions and more and more inclined to make decisions that protect their power rather than represent the will of the group they are supposed to serve. In effect Michels was saying that bureaucracy and democracy do not mix. Despite any protestations and promises that they would not become like all the rest, those placed in positions of responsibility and power often come to believe that they too are indispensable, and more knowledgeable than those they serve. As time goes on, they become further removed from the rank and file...

"The Iron Law of Oligarchy suggests that organizations wishing to avoid oligarchy should take a number of precautionary steps. They should make sure that the rank and file remain active in the organization and that the leaders not be granted absolute control of a centralized administration. As long as there are open lines of communication and shared decision making between the leaders and the rank and file, an oligarchy cannot easily develop.

"Clearly, the problems of oligarchy, of the bureaucratic depersonalization described by Weber, and of personal alienation all are interrelated. If individuals are deprived of the power to make decisions that affect their lives in many or even most of the areas that are important to them, withdrawal into narrow ritualism (overconformity to rules) and apathy are likely responses. Such withdrawals seemed to constitute a chronic condition in some of the highly centralized socialist countries. However, there are many signs of public apathy in the United States, too. For example, in 1964 about 70 percent of those eligible to vote for president did so. In each of the succeeding national elections this figure has dropped, and in 1988 it was only 50 percent."

What say you?

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

Word has it Condi Rice is being considered by Mittens to be his vice presidential running mate. Some sources are even saying that she may top the short list. To which I can only say, if this is true, and Condi ultimately does get the number two slot on the ticket all Romney supporters ought to hope Mittens listens to her counsel. In a nutshell she is eminently more qualified than the top of that ticket will be.

Of course the often incoherent babbling brook of the ill fated republican campaign of 2008 chimed in with her half hearted support of Condi... should Condi eventually be the choice and choose to accept. From my perspective I cannot understand why a women of Condi's intellect and experience would want to consider a run with Mittens. But enough of that.

The Hill - Sarah Palin thinks Condoleezza Rice would make a "wonderful" vice president, and dismissed concerns that the former of secretary of State might not oppose abortion rights.

“I think that Condoleezza Rice would be a wonderful vice president,” Palin told Fox News on Thursday night. She compared Rice's past experience favorably to that of Obama.

The Drudge Report on Thursday reported that Rice has emerged as the front-runner in the Mitt Romney campaign's search for a VP. Rice has previously told CBS News "there is no way I will do this," speaking of becoming Romney's running mate. But it is not unusual for the eventual choice to publicly refuse the job initially.

Rice might not be popular with all evangelicals due to what she has called her "mildly pro-choice" views. Most of the large anti-abortion-rights groups, such as National Right to Life, Americans United for Life and the Susan B. Anthony List, have united behind Romney for president, but Rice as running mate might compromise the support of their members.

But Palin dismissed concerns over Rice's stance on the subject.

“I would certainly prefer a presidential and vice presidential candidate who had that respect for all innocent precious purposeful human life,” Palin said. “We need to remember, though, that it’s not the vice president that would legislate abortion and that would be Congress’s role, and we’ll keep that in mind.”

Rice has noted that she believes in building a "culture of life," and is for parental notification and against late-term abortions. In 2008, she indicated she does not support overturning Roe v. Wade.

Condoleezza Rice would be an excellent choice. Unlike Palin she could be president of these United States someday.

Via: Memeorandum

Update:

It was certain to happen. An immensely qualified individual such as Condi Rice is unacceptable by the religious right based solely on her modest pro choice views. Gee, what a surprise.

Politico - The anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List released a statement this morning declaring Condoleezza Rice "unqualified" to serve as Mitt Romney's running mate.

Reacting to the eruption of Condi-for-veep speculation, SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser pointed out that Romney has pledged to choose an opponent of abortion as his vice president.

"Former Secretary Rice's position on the sanctity of human life makes her an unqualified candidate for Governor Romney to choose as a running mate (emphasis mine}. Throughout the campaign, including at the Palmetto Freedom Forum last September, he has pledged to us in no uncertain terms that he would choose a pro-life running mate," Dannenfelser said. "We have taken Governor Romney at his word and therefore believe Secretary Rice will be ruled out of consideration. Secretary Rice's position violates criteria that Governor Romney himself has laid out."

It's a small down payment on the blowback Romney would feel if he actually chose Rice, and a perfect illustration of why precious few think he ever would.

Romney should chose Rice because of her qualification and on that basis only.

It will be interesting to see how Mittens handles this thinly veiled threat... ""We have taken Governor Romney at his word and therefore believe Secretary Rice will be ruled out of consideration. Secretary Rice's position violates criteria that Governor Romney himself has laid out."

Romney's reputation for flip flopping from time to time is well known. This time a flip flop would be justified for sure. Anybody betting on his decision?

Oh Casey Kasem. You were the Confucius of our time. Now we are stuck with Ryan Seacrest. But this is a (worthy) discussion for another time.


Today I'm talking gold. I'm loving it. I need it. Since finishing my glitter vase for the Pinterest Challenge, I've been looking for something else to dip in gold and it didn't take me long to find my next victim subject. 


You all might remember these little honeys I picked up at an estate sale several months back.
The stars, my favorite detail of the tables, were just screaming for some gold.
I've had the tables in my living room for several weeks now, on approval from the basement, trying out the current finish. And although it wasn't bad, it wasn't working for me.


So the first step was to take the table out and gave it several light and even coats of my trusty black Rust-oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover spray paint.

The table after her first coat of black

After 4 coats of black and a day of sunbathing to dry, my stars were ready for their closeup.
I got a Krylon Gold Leaf Pen at Michael's and went to town. I love this pen. It is like a marker for grown ups. I put a napkin under the star to protect the rest of the table and then just sat down and colored. (That star spins, I know pretty cool, so I would just paint the part of the star that was on the napkin, spin and repeat.) And it dries super fast so I was able to do several coats rather quickly.

For a while now, I was thinking that it was about time to get a hair cut. That day came! Nothing drastic; a little shorter hair, some layers, and I was done. On that day , I opted for a silk vintage blazer with an amazing color combination and print, shorts, almost the same color, and two necklaces, for a bold impact- all blended together= a playful casual outfit!




                                                                           Blazer: vintage/ another great version Here and Here
                                                                           Shorts: Mango/ similar Here and  Here
                                                                           Blouse: Vintage
                                                                           Flats: MIA/ similar Here and Here
                                                                           Clutch: American Apparel/ another great design Here and Here 
                                                                           Necklaces: Portland Museum of Art , vintage/ similar Here
                                                                           Ring:E&L/ similar Here
                                                                         

OTTAWA - Being sodomized is acceptable in Islam if the goal is to carry out jihad, according to a cleric on a new video making the rounds online. In a video posted on YouTube last month, and as reported by the New York-based think-tank Gatestone Institute more recently, cleric Abu al-Dema al-Qasab's instructions include details on how to carry out a successful suicide bombing mission by hiding explosives in the bomber's anus. "However, to undertake this jihadi approach you must agree to be sodomized for a while to widen your anus so it can hold the explosives," al-Dema al-Qasab tells followers in the video. There is no indication where or when the video was recorded, but appears by the screen to have been aired on Fadak TV, a Shia-based satellite television station. The background of al-Dema al-Qasab is also unknown. Author Raymond Ibrahim, who wrote the article for Gatestone, denies claims the video is a hoax intended to insult Islam. The Gatestone Institute's homepage indicates it specializes in international policy and the Middle East. Sodomy is forbidden in Islam but according to al-Dema al-Qasab's video, everything is permissible if the objective is in the best interests of the jihad. In 2009, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian national, attempted to blow up a plane bound for Detroit by igniting a bomb planted in his underwear. That led to the introduction of body scanners at airports worldwide which can see through clothing. The scanners, however, cannot see inside body cavities, and authorities expressed fear at the time that terrorists would likely try to evolve their attacks to avoid detection. http://www.torontosun.com/2012/07/12/sodomy-the-new-jihadi-training-method

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

Hasn't the President essentially been story telling all along??

(CBS News) President Obama's biggest mistake during his first term, he told CBS News in an exclusive interview, has been putting policy over storytelling.

Mr. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama sat down Thursday with "CBS This Morning" anchor Charlie Rose in the White House Blue Room, where they discussed the failures and successes of his administration as he heads into another election, among other things.

"When I think about what we've done well and what we haven't done well," the president said, "the mistake of my first term - couple of years - was thinking that this job was just about getting the policy right. And that's important. But the nature of this office is also to tell a story to the American people that gives them a sense of unity and purpose and optimism, especially during tough times."

Mr. Obama acknowledged the dissonance between others' perception of his strength as an expert orator, and his own.

"It's funny - when I ran, everybody said, well he can give a good speech but can he actually manage the job?" he said. "And in my first two years, I think the notion was, 'Well, he's been juggling and managing a lot of stuff, but where's the story that tells us where he's going?' {Read More}

Well Mr. President, I beg to disagree. What the American people want is the truth, not stories about unicorns and the benevolence of the state. They want the facts, the cold hard facts. They want fiscal conservatism and fiscal responsibility that will get our nation's financial house in order. They want the opportunity to have a good paying job in the private sector and then they will do the rest. They are tired of the social engineering that both democrats and republicans have shoved down our throats. They do not want dependency on the state nor your benevolent, haughty, and superior attitude. What they do want is someone that will represent all Americans, not just the special interests that may hold the key to your re-election.

Oh, and one more thing, let the class warfare rhetoric rest for a change. It is worn out like an old shoe and it is becoming increasingly boring.

Other than that, Mr. President you're doing a hell of a job.

Via: Memeorandum

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

Cannabis Leaf

Medical Science has demonstrated the benefits of medical marijuana in relieving the pain cancer patients experience. Yet the the federal government has seen fit to attempt to take the property of Harborside Health Center and force closure of California's largest medical marijuana supplier. As to be expected for ginned up BS reasons. Perhaps this act will help the win the never ending war on drugs. Okay, snark off now. But I'm quite sure mst of you will get the point.

The Los Angeles Times - The federal government is moving to shut down the nation's largest and highest-profile medical marijuana dispensary operation, filing papers to seize properties in Oakland and San Jose where Harborside Health Center does business.

Copies of the federal Complaint for Forfeiture were taped to the front doors of the two dispensaries Tuesday, alleging that they were "operating in violation of federal law."

Medical marijuana advocates, as well as some state and local officials, decried the action, saying it hurts patients in legitimate need of the drug and breaks repeated promises by President Obama's Justice Department that it was targeting only operations near schools and parks or otherwise in violation of the state's laws.

The U.S. attorney for Northern California, Melinda Haag, said she now found "the need to consider actions regarding marijuana superstores such as Harborside" because they presented unique opportunities for abuse.

I simply must break right here. Every package store (that's liquor store for those outside Mass.) in every village, town, and city present the opportunity for alcohol abuse. Thus adding to the death toll on America's roadways by drunks driving, adding to the number of alcoholics in society, increasing spousal and child abuse, increasing the number of divorces etc., you all can add more if you like.

I think everyone can see the point of the above, at least I hope so. There is nothing wrong with responsible drinking just as there is nothing wrong with responsible use of medical marijuana. But of course the feds must continue the ridiculous, illogical, and irresponsible attack on something that is in fact a non issue.

Harborside was co-founded by outspoken marijuana activist Steve DeAngelo in 2006 and was the subject of a reality show, "Weed Wars," on the Discovery Channel last year. While other dispensary operators have sought a low profile since California's four U.S. attorneys began cracking down on the industry in October, DeAngelo has consistently railed against the federal intervention, advocated for better state regulations and become a leader in the movement.

"People are not going to stop using cannabis, they're just going to buy it in the illegal marketplace … on the streets," he said Wednesday in an interview. "Why are federal prosecutors using their discretion to do something so profoundly destructive?" {Read More}

Of all the crazy, zany, endeavors the feds involve themselves in this is without a doubt one of the zaniest. But who ever said the feds, particularly when it comes to the war on drugs hysteria, were rational.

Via: Memeoranmdum

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

at the 44th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

Every so often we have our views called into check. Whenever this happens the wise person considers the perspective, as well as the experiences of the person calling the entrenched views into check. In doing so one learns and therefor grows. At least that is how it should work.

Milos Forman, the immigrant from Czechoslovakia who later won Academy Awards for best director for the films “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Amadeus”, provides just such a check for America. He clearly, and accurately describes American politicians misunderstanding of totalitarianism and western European democratic socialism in his July 10th op-ed piece in the New York Times .

He ends the article with a very poignant warning. Mr. Obama, and politicians of both major parties, as well as every American citizens ought to consider his words... and warning.

The New York Times - WHEN I was asked to direct “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” my friends warned me not to go anywhere near it.

The story is so American, they argued, that I, an immigrant fresh off the boat, could not do it justice. They were surprised when I explained why I wanted to make the film. To me it was not just literature but real life, the life I lived in Czechoslovakia from my birth in 1932 until 1968. The Communist Party was my Nurse Ratched, telling me what I could and could not do; what I was or was not allowed to say; where I was and was not allowed to go; even who I was and was not.

Now, years later, I hear the word “socialist” being tossed around by the likes of Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and others. President Obama, they warn, is a socialist. The critics cry, “Obamacare is socialism!” They falsely equate Western European-style socialism, and its government provision of social insurance and health care, with Marxist-Leninist totalitarianism. It offends me, and cheapens the experience of millions who lived, and continue to live, under brutal forms of socialism.

My sister-in-law’s father, Jan Kunasek, lived in Czechoslovakia all his life. He was a middle-class man who ran a tiny inn in a tiny village. One winter night in 1972, during a blizzard, a man, soaked to the bone, awakened him at 2 in the morning. The man looked destitute and, while asking for shelter, couldn’t stop cursing the Communists. Taking pity, the elderly Mr. Kunasek put him up for the night.

A couple of hours later, Mr. Kunasek was awakened again, this time by three plainclothes policemen. He was arrested, accused of sheltering a terrorist and sentenced to several years of hard labor in uranium mines. The state seized his property. When he was finally released, ill and penniless, he died within a few weeks. Years later we learned that the night visitor had been working for the police. According to the Communists, Mr. Kunasek was a class enemy and deserved to be punished.

Skip

Whatever his faults, I don’t see much of a socialist in Mr. Obama or, thankfully, signs of that system in this great nation. Mr. Obama is accused of trying to expand the reach of government — into health care, financial regulation, the auto industry and so on. It’s fair to question whether the federal government should have expanded powers: America, to its credit, has debated this since its birth. But let’s be clear about how frightening socialism actually could be.

Marx believed that we could wipe out social inequities and Lenin tested those ideas on the Soviet Union. It was his dream to create a classless society. But reality set in, as it always does. And the results were devastating. Blood flowed through Russia’s streets. The Soviet elite usurped all privileges; sycophants were allowed some and the plebes none. The entire Eastern bloc, including Czechoslovakia, followed miserably.

I’m not sure Americans today appreciate quite how predatory socialism was. It was not — as Mr. Obama’s detractors suggest — merely a government so centralized and bloated that it hobbled private enterprise: it was a spoils system that killed off everything, all in the name of “social justice.”

Skip

I am not asking Mr. Obama and the Republican leaders to stop playing instruments of their choosing. All I am asking is that every player keep in mind the noble melody of our country. Otherwise the noisy dissonance might become loud enough to wake another Marx, or even worse. {The Entire Article}

Indeed wisdom is increased through the recognition of truth as well as having the ability to understand and accept it as truth. President Obama has many failing, he has shown he does not have the answers to our national problems, his solutions have created more questions than answers, he has a vision vastly different than many, perhaps the majority of Americans, but as Mr. Forman has aptly pointed out the President is not what the right has painted him to be.

Via: Memeorandum