Dear America,

"Is there no virtue among us? 

If there be not, we are in a wretched situation. 

No theoretical checks, 

no form of government, can render us secure.  

To suppose that any form of government 

will secure liberty or happiness 

without any virtue in the people, 

is a chimerical idea.  

If there be sufficient virtue and intelligence 

in the community, 

it will be exercised in the selection of men; 

so that we do not depend upon their virtue, 

or put confidence in our rulers, 

but in the people who are to choose them." 

James Madison 

from The 5000 Year Leap, by W. Cleon Skousen

oh the way our government spends money

oh the way our government loses money

oh the way our government deflates money

oh the way our government prints money

oh the way our government wastes money

money money money

Everyday people understand the value of money; our government, not so much; and yet, we continually put them there to do just that.  As Madison frames it so well, all of this, tragically, is just as much our fault.

Friday was a big day for spending; you know, besides the usual 35 billion dollars spent on interest alone for one day.  In an article from The Washington Times just this morning, Eli Lake informs the citizenry about the authorized use of $25 million dollars for "nonlethal" aid to the Libyan Opposition Coalition, the Transitional National Council (TNC).

The White House has authorized the full support to the TNC, clarified in a memorandum to Congress, which also declared the group perfectly harmless in every way (but the jury is still out); duly noting, the group has "publicly rejected terrorism, embraced the Geneva Conventions, and emphasized its dedication to building democratic institutions to provide for a secular future in which a broad range of Libyan citizens will be able to participate." (even though the same article quotes an insider, Noman Benotman, believing there to be "a 1,000 freelance jihadists at large.")  Don't you just love that, "Freelance Jihadists" bit....makes me wonder, which is more dangerous, a Freelance Jihadist or Freelance Journalist?

Currently, the TNC is being led by Mustafa Abdul Jalil -- a Judge, a former Minister of Justice, and newly ordained breakout artist of the Gadhafi regime (for what it's worth, Wikipedia describes him as simply a "Libyan Politician.").  And you know who loves the guy?  The Human Rights Watch.  They think he is golden.  and yes, the same Human Rights Watch who is rolling in the dough, after receiving about 100 million dollars in support from.... wait for it...George Soros; the same Human Rights Watch that condemns Israel more often than not, while full on abuses under Sharia Law go unconscionably unnoticed all over the Middle East.  oh my goodness, take a breath, gretch

To steal one of President Obama's favorite words, and kicking up yesterday's theme of manipulation to a whole 'nother level,  we are being "misguided" in Libya in every way; but no matter, let's just give them 25 million dollars of our money (on top of the millions already spent in missiles and planes to secure a no-fly zone) at a time when we have no money, after our AAA credit rating has been hijacked by our own stupidity, leaving us with a negative outlook and a very possible downgrade on the horizon, all while on the verge of taking on the Debt Ceiling debate, not to mention the discussion for the 2012 budget, to be ultimately settled by a dual.

Yes, let's drop 25 Mill like it's no big deal; let's do that because it is the right thing to do and credit worthy groups like the Human Rights Watch "Likes" Mustafa on Facebook.

And isn't it funny, the memorandum goes out to Congress while everyone is on spring break for two weeks. done.  next.

side-note: have you noticed how many things are being accomplished skirting Congress altogether...throw in an executive order here, a Czar regulation there, pretty soon, who needs a stinkin' Congress.

And how about the news about our government getting the whole "buy low, sell high" principle backwards?  Apparently, the greatest government since sliced bread is considering selling America's stake in GM at a loss; a company we own roughly 60% of, and a stock currently trading at a level hovering around 44% BELOW the "break even point."

This, I clearly do not understand.  We, being the fools who rushed in, HAD to save GM... HAD to save jobs... HAD to save the American dream for the auto industry ...and all of the trickle down economics it came into contact -- for this, too, was part of the 'too big to fail' fallout; and now this -- sell, sell, sell like a scene from Trading Places (even if it means making us look like total idiots).  We might as well be singing, and now,  the end is near.


I'm sorry, do we have to sell now?  Is there some kind of rush to limit our liabilities all of a sudden?  Are we trying to clear the books, even if at a total loss, as if we could somehow find a way to profit by it?  I mean, come on, do we actually need more bad debt and write off's? seriously?

The good news, we must hold the stock until May 22nd -- what d'ya think?  will it all magically bounce back by then?

Couple this with the irony back behind the latest run of ads from the Post Office -- you know what I'm talkin' about -- the one where the office dweeb is sitting at his desk flamboyantly stacking up overnight packages, when the happy-go-lucky Mailman pops in and points out, if it doesn't actually need to be there overnight, he could save a whole lot of moola if he used the world renowned U.S. Post Office.  Of course, as the thirty second spot goes (sold in prime time time slots on our dime.  um, why?), the dude doesn't give a rat's @$$ -- cuz it's not his money! all the while, the mailman/good samaritan/prophet of all things frugal and solvent, attempts to alert the clueless with a well timed eyeball roll of the imminent danger standing right behind him...the boss. oopsy-daisy.  The U.S. Post Office selling us on the finer points of sound money management?  really?

Austerity
Conservative Fiscal Policy
Frugality
Limited Government
Solvency
Buy Low, Sell High
Profit
Stable Credit Rating
Balanced Budget

all things we no longer do, or live by; but rest assured, I am pretty sure we got a Czar for that, just like the one in charge of jobs. (we don't have time for Immelt today -- but isn't it interesting how we promote a global community and identity most all the time, and yet, we turn around and complain when it comes to other parts of the globe getting our jobs...)

Stephen Moore, an economist and frequent commentator on Fox News, appeared with Neil Cavuto yesterday and said the most profound thing in relation to another UN travesty.  Having recently declared "mother nature" a victim of human rights violations -- even while children, still, starve in Africa, are left helpless to the sex trafficking trade in India, and are assigned to hard labor in China -- the UN wants us all to know, they are now in the business of being mother nature's self-proclaimed legal advocate from here on out...okay...

But this is how Steve characterized the new global initiative (and paraphrasing it): we are presently entering a new Pagan belief system...one that supports the CREATED, instead of the CREATOR.  doink, der it is. Not sure what just hit me upside the head, whether it was a coconut or the Light of the World, but either way, I think I get it now.

Perhaps the UN forgets, democracy in the Middle East still looks very much like Allah taking the lead; and considering Allah is Everything Omniscient and Everlasting , isn't it quite possible to think even Sharia Law might take issue with the "created" having more superiority over the "creator", creatively speaking.  just sayin'

No worries --

"democracy" is flowing all over the world now ... and it is good (or so we are told)

we are spending money to make money...even if it means, losing money, burning money, printing money, deflating money, wasting money...and it is good (or so we are told)

and good ole GM is out, while GE is totally in (cuz it's a green thing)...  and it is gonna be good (or so we are told)

the wheels are in motion...other people benefiting... madly, deeply, stupidly... at America's expense all the way around, and it's going global if you haven't noticed. it's a g thing -- only backwards.

Make it a Good Day, G

government gone wild. org ...check the video out.

Dear America,

Putting the irrational and irreverent abuses of power by the U.S. Congress aside for a day, let's continue with yesterday's ranting, and focus in on the persecution of Christmas.

And let's begin with...get a load of that Pope, shall we...lamenting the growing and "sophisticated forms of hostility to religion," noting the heightened occurrence of attacks upon Christianity, the practice of it's customs, rituals and symbols, while also declaring there is a link between religious freedom and tolerance with that of achieving world peace and security.

thank you.

The thing is, with the ACLU carrying on the way it is, the truth of the matter is, the celebration of "CHRISTMAS" is not necessarily all about Christians anymore; we have moved into a new age, an age that boldly celebrates the commercialism of just about anything.

The "Christmas Holiday" is celebrated culturally across the globe, stemming from traditions rooted by seasonal changes, the winter solstice perhaps, to ordinary folklore passed down for generations, to yes, even that which may be expressly conceived by a religious belief, like the birth of a baby Jesus,  or something.  People, as individuals, have the power to make it whatever they want it to be -- and we do!

I was reminded of the globalization of Christmas by two things happening today. First, an email that really has no relation to Christmas whatsoever, but timely none the less.  It went something like this -- and warning, this is absolutely crass, politically incorrect, and ridiculous all at the same time, so please, I beg of you, may you forgive me now and later --

Picture Lady Di in her wedding gown, first of all.  

Then immediately following the snapshot of the iconic princess for all time, came this:
Question: 
What is the truest definition of Globalization?
Answer:
Princess Diana's death.
Question:
How come?
Answer :

An
English princess
with an
Egyptian boyfriend 
crashes
in a French tunnel,
riding in a 
German
car 
with a
Dutch engine, 
driven
by a Belgian 
who was
drunk 
on
Scottish whisky, 
(check the bottle before you
change the spelling), 
followed
closely by 
Italian
Paparazzi, 
on
Japanese motorcycles, 
treated
by an American doctor,
using 
Brazilian
medicines. 
This is
sent to you by 
a
Canadian, using 
American
Bill Gates' technology, 
and
you're probably reading
this on your computer, 
that
uses Taiwanese chips,
and 
a 
Korean
monitor, 
assembled
by 
Bangladeshi
workers 
in a
Singapore plant, 
transported
by Indian 
truck drivers, 
hijacked
by Indonesians, 
unloaded by
Sicilian longshoremen, 
and
trucked to you by Mexican illegals.

Yep, it was in poor taste, but may it serve a purpose today...this irreverent breakdown of the what defines nearly every event in our life either has been touched, or will be touched, or is touching you right now by the entire globe. How many things around you say MADE in CHINA, huh?  

Christmas is no different....  so hear me out... 

CHRISTMAS IS!  And more important, it is GLOBAL.  

What the ACLU is doing -- poorly orchestrated if you ask me -- is a blatant, ill-conceived, ridiculous attack on Christmas, when if they just take a look around for a moment, the entire world is singing Christmas Carols in some way, shape or form -- for any number of reasons -- for, after all, tis the season, don'cha know.

Yes, for those who are happy to be called Christian, it IS about the baby Jesus.  And can I get a little amen, hallelujah! You got me there, alright.  I confess. I am not ashamed. Shoot me.    

But if you take a look around, ACLU...hello?  watch, look, listen to the world around you.  

Open your eyes to customs far and wide.  

Take in the smell of gingerbread men from as far away as Norway.  Okay.  

That is all I'm getting at.  

And having said that, the truth is, with the growing tide of secularism, the rise in commercialism, and overall lack of reverence for many things considered religious, SADLY, just because we say "Merry Christmas" doesn't necessarily mean we mean it anymore, if you really want to get down to the brass tacks and trappings of the itty bitty christmas committee.  As the story may turn, a "santa lover" isn't always the same person as the "baby Jesus lover;"  so the assumption being made by the ACLU is quite astounding.

The thing is, what we are talking about, in part, is the difference between a Cultural Christmas and an Authentic One; how can you really tell them apart?

And just when we might begin to lose faith, the way of the world brings reinforcement.

CHRISTMAS is a WORLD WIDE  phenomenon, custom, tradition, that touches every corner of the earth -- and you guys believe you are on the right side of the argument telling the teachers, somewhere in Oh Little Town of Tennessee, that they have another thing coming to them, if they wish to continue their jolly chorus of recognizing, by golly, that it's Christmas?!

Well, Merry Humbug to you, ACLU.

Are you for real, sugar? Didn't you get the memo? Or did you toss it, by automatic reflex, due to the poor choice of letterhead, being that it was printed on paper spelling out a hearty HO HO HO across the top? 

GLOBAL is King, oh fine brotherhood of not in my backyard; global is where it's at; global is more than logistics, it's everything; global is the new catch phrase for our entire operation here on Planet Earth; and if that be true, and I believe it is as every leftist in the world will agree with me -- than the thing to do here, clearly, is to back off; embrace Christmas, like the rest of the world.

Right next to the story on the Pope was another gold nugget of current Christmas trivia -- a piece that unveiled the price tag of a Christmas tree being displayed in the glitzy Emirites Palace Hotel, in Abu Dhabi. Did you see it?  Brilliant, I tell you, brilliant...

Apparently, even the Muslims don't mind a wee bit of Christmas cheer -- and not mincing on anything, if you know what I mean -- this Christmas tree, oh yes, and they call it that, is worth 11 Million Dollars!

It's just a display!  But this tree... it's adorned with jewelry...diamonds and emeralds and pearls, oh my.

When the manager of the hotel was asked if he thought anyone would be offended...oh gosh no..."It's a very liberal country."  really? seriously?   

Hmmm I wonder then, will we live to see the day of an UAE-CLU?

But besides Abu Dhabi, the world really loves Christmas time...and now, without further delay, getting to the second thing -- I know, and you thought the second thing was all my favorite things hanging on a Christmas tree in the UAE, not. 

The other breakthrough came via my TV -- and specifically, the MUSIC CHOICE made available through my cable,  when I serendipitously landed upon the Sounds of the Season.  If you get this channel, have some fun today while expanding your horizons, taking yourself on a world tour of Christmas without ever leaving your couch.  (yes, and cheap fun, too.)

By the way, watch it before the ACLU, or the FCC, takes this off the air...

As it plays the Sounds of the Season -- which just so happens to be every loved holiday jingle from the last hundred years -- they feed you  (oooh, do you hear what I hear, I mean, "indoctrination") tidbits of yule time trivia:

• candy canes weren't striped (with red) until the 20th century.
• Christmas Cards were first used to tell the Christmas story to people who could not read.
• evergreen, holly and mistletoe, common in yule tide season and celebration, are symbols for everlasting life.
• the use of tinsel comes from the sightings of spider webs,  naturally found nestled in trees.
• at about the Civil War, Santa's coat was made red -- before that, it was tan.(ew)
• YULE is the celebration of natures return to light and warmth, following winter.
• in Chili, "Old Man Christmas" comes through the window.
• in Sweden, the oldest daughter awakens the parents with a song, "Santa Lucia," on Christmas morning.
• Norway sends a large Christmas tree to England every year.

You get my snow drift.

The attack on Christmas by the ACLU, and anyone else for that matter, is so yesteryear; and the celebration of it most certainly doesn't stop with the school bell.

Go global already...(UPS might be able to help, ooh and lookie there, you're in luck, they are union too)...oh goodness, my mind is spinning...now this is the kind of global warming I can get excited about...oh my...think I've bitten the heads off  too many gingerbread men for one day...just stop G...enough already.

In the meantime, my suggestion is we all sit down with some eggnog,or a hot buttered rum, and get over ourselves -- starting in the company of a few friends of this fine custom -- or will that be next on the holiday hit list?  First schools, then the grocery stores...outdoor lighting...humming jingle bells...looking all cross eyed and jolly at someone from across the room...

Make it a Good Day, G